Most flights I take, I see more than 50% of the business class seats vacant.
Traveling companies should have a lottery for passengers, while on board, for those vacant seats. They can also advertise it: "fly with us and you might get a free business class upgrade!".
This will not demotivate business travelers from actually buying fully priced business class seats in advance. Trust me, they will not bet their 10 hour flight which they frequent, business class travelers will pay close to anything to make their flight a little more comfortable, you would too, if you traveled 3 times a week and could deduct the cost from your taxes.
Amazon Kindroid predictions
Amazon is going to release an Android powered Kindle tablet in the near future, below are some features I predict the "Kindroid" will have.
Whispernet
The cellular enabled version of the Kindroid will feature download of payed items over cellular without requiring any subscription or pre-payment.
Download of free items will cost something like 1 cent unless you download it over wifi.
Amazon Android app store
The Kindroid will boast Amazon's android app store as one of its main features. It will have android apps customized and approved specifically for the Kindroid's hardware. Bypassing Amazon's app store for installation of 3rd party applications directly, aka side-loading, will be impossible. Amazon wants to create the protected environment that is so successful and lucrative on iOS devices.
Media store
All of amazon's media offerings will be available via whispernet: music, movies and tv shows.
Amazon store
Want to buy shoes? an electronic device or some cat food? All will be available through a general store that will give a new meaning to "one-click shopping". Pick up your Kindroid, turn on the screen, click the "apparel" icon, select your shoes and click buy, the shoes will be delivered to your pre-set address.
UX
The home screen will have a search box that will search all the above stores at once.
It will have icons for apps, music, movies, groceries, clothes, electronics and so on, the perfect shopping portal for... well, everything. Clicking on any of these icons will show you past purchases of goods, purchased apps and digital content, right next to advertisements.
Calendar and email advertisements
There will be ads in your calendar, and in your mail, all tailored exactly for your needs. Your wife emailed you "we need cat food"? No problem, an advertisement will be waiting just for that. A calendar entry for "get some shoes"? You get the drift, privacy will be subject to interpretation.
Price
The Kindroid will be an amazing shopping device that will lock you up to Amazon's products, or at least make it so easy to shop at amazon that you wouldn't want to buy anywhere else. Amazon will subsidize it, a gaming console or razor blades model is definitely an option here. It will sell for something like
$249 and the purchase of all the goods and content will cover the losing selling price. One way that they can achieve this price point is by using a really cheap memory chip, something like 8GB or even somewhere around 4GB, remember that all of amazon's content can be streamed.
Making Google mad
Amazon is going to cutoff Google completely and strip every reminder of the G brand. No Google market, no Google books, music and movies etc. Why? because they want control, they would like to be the Apple of the android ecosystem and to monetize the hell out of this device. Even the the default search might be Bing, maybe to cover their selves against potential Microsoft software patent suits around android.
Whispernet
The cellular enabled version of the Kindroid will feature download of payed items over cellular without requiring any subscription or pre-payment.
Download of free items will cost something like 1 cent unless you download it over wifi.
Amazon Android app store
The Kindroid will boast Amazon's android app store as one of its main features. It will have android apps customized and approved specifically for the Kindroid's hardware. Bypassing Amazon's app store for installation of 3rd party applications directly, aka side-loading, will be impossible. Amazon wants to create the protected environment that is so successful and lucrative on iOS devices.
Media store
All of amazon's media offerings will be available via whispernet: music, movies and tv shows.
Amazon store
Want to buy shoes? an electronic device or some cat food? All will be available through a general store that will give a new meaning to "one-click shopping". Pick up your Kindroid, turn on the screen, click the "apparel" icon, select your shoes and click buy, the shoes will be delivered to your pre-set address.
UX
The home screen will have a search box that will search all the above stores at once.
It will have icons for apps, music, movies, groceries, clothes, electronics and so on, the perfect shopping portal for... well, everything. Clicking on any of these icons will show you past purchases of goods, purchased apps and digital content, right next to advertisements.
Calendar and email advertisements
There will be ads in your calendar, and in your mail, all tailored exactly for your needs. Your wife emailed you "we need cat food"? No problem, an advertisement will be waiting just for that. A calendar entry for "get some shoes"? You get the drift, privacy will be subject to interpretation.
Price
The Kindroid will be an amazing shopping device that will lock you up to Amazon's products, or at least make it so easy to shop at amazon that you wouldn't want to buy anywhere else. Amazon will subsidize it, a gaming console or razor blades model is definitely an option here. It will sell for something like
$249 and the purchase of all the goods and content will cover the losing selling price. One way that they can achieve this price point is by using a really cheap memory chip, something like 8GB or even somewhere around 4GB, remember that all of amazon's content can be streamed.
Making Google mad
Amazon is going to cutoff Google completely and strip every reminder of the G brand. No Google market, no Google books, music and movies etc. Why? because they want control, they would like to be the Apple of the android ecosystem and to monetize the hell out of this device. Even the the default search might be Bing, maybe to cover their selves against potential Microsoft software patent suits around android.
iOS 5 predictions
Here are the features I predict Apple will reveal on 6.6.11 for iOS 5. What do you think?
- Cloud storage API: 3rd party apps will have access to iCloud storage as if it was local on the user's device. This will allow app developers to write scalable cloud applications without knowing anything about LAMP, Hadoop, AWS or GAE.
- Widgets: app icons will now have various possible sizes, constrained to combinations of multiple icons. For example, to make a search widget, you can define your icon by 3x1, meaning 3 icons across and one vertical icon. The widget will occupy the space of 3 icons horizontally on the home screen and will behave exactly like an application with transparent background.
- Lock screen is bye bye: there was no reason to have the lock screen to begin with, turning on the screen or clicking the home button will take you directly to one of the screens, showing all the widgets that are there. To update the widgets, developers will need to queue up http calls on pre-set time intervals with a minimum of something like 5 minutes, the answer will have a maximum size of something like 50kB.
- Sleep Sync: The entire data on the iPhone will be fully synced to iCloud when three conditions are satisfied: the phone is plugged in, the battery is fully charged and WiFi is available.
- Sleep sync API: Developers will have access to the sleep sync API so an application like flickr could sync all your photos during the night.
- Xcode for the iPad: This is more of a wet dream, but Apple is building on the iOS as their main operating system for the future, and to get the real hardcore users to move to it, they have to make an IDE available. The main reason I gave up on my iPad and gave it to my mom was the lack of a good IDE (plus she really liked it :-).
- cloudTunes: the obvious iTunes in the cloud with a twist- all the music you bought from apple is freely hosted and accessible. Want anything else? 5$ a month to store any music you want and download anything from the iTunes store for free.
Financing a subway with underground real-estate
Is it possible to finance a subway system with underground commercial real-estate?
Over here, in Tel-Aviv, we have a grave need for a subway train. A metro system can make life much easier and the city much cleaner.
An interesting calculation would find out how many meters of underground real-estate would the city need to give to the entrepreneur in order for the project to pay for itself. It can possibly be done two stations at a time to minimize risk.
Selling stock to citizens for further financing
Besides the rights to sell the tickets to the subway, and the real-estate, the entrepreneur can also sell some stock for the the entire system ahead of time. City property owners in strategic locations would jump on the stocks because they have a double interest in raising the value of their real-estate and earning from the new commercial area. They can even be given the rights of choosing where the stations will be located, increasing incentive.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Location:Rome
A smartphone app for conversing in noisy places
Let's say you meet a person at a bar. Talking with them will be really hard right?
A smartphone app can be developed that will make things much easier.
Andy and Berry meet at a noisy place.
They both launch the "noisekiller" app and bump their phones.
The phones recognize each other via WiFi.
When Andy talks on his smartphone's microphone, it records what he is saying and sends it over to Berry's phone.
Berry's phone subtracts what it hears around it from the recording that was sent to it.
Now Berry can hear what Andy is saying very well.
Local p2p noise canceling
Not necessarily.A smartphone app can be developed that will make things much easier.
Andy and Berry meet at a noisy place.
They both launch the "noisekiller" app and bump their phones.
The phones recognize each other via WiFi.
When Andy talks on his smartphone's microphone, it records what he is saying and sends it over to Berry's phone.
Berry's phone subtracts what it hears around it from the recording that was sent to it.
Now Berry can hear what Andy is saying very well.
The originality content network
I've just read that Eric Schmidt says that "Every 2 Days We Create As Much Information As We Did Up To 2003". With that in mind, and the comments that followed, I thought:
How much of that information is novel or new?
I bet very little.
You enter information into the input box and click "submit".
Then the application runs a Google search for what you entered and posts it only if it finds exactly zero results.
Your network gets:
Lots of original information.
Highest ranked Google results for every page in your content network.
Great advertisement property.
Maybe this should be done only for the title of the post. It needs some testing.
How much of that information is novel or new?
I bet very little.
The content system that only records novel information
Imagine you have a web application with an input box and a "submit" button.You enter information into the input box and click "submit".
Then the application runs a Google search for what you entered and posts it only if it finds exactly zero results.
Your network gets:
Lots of original information.
Highest ranked Google results for every page in your content network.
Great advertisement property.
Maybe this should be done only for the title of the post. It needs some testing.
Bottles designed as drinking glasses
What's wrong with this picture?
That's right, I'm using twice the glass I actually need to drink that black magic beverage.
Why am I pouring that coke from one glass to another? Just to drink it?
Why does soft beverage makers don't make the bottle look exactly like a drinking glass? With a removable cap?
It's not like they don't know how to... This glass and bottle are bearing the same brand!
I propose that corporations like coca-cola start making their bottles look like a drinking glass and add a good capping mechanism.
Then they will:
Help the environment.
Save money for dish-washing restaurants.
Save money on transportation costs if they make the glasses a perfect cylinder (more beverage in less space).
Ofcourse, they don't have to discontinue regular bottles just yet, wait for the demand.
Two problems can pop-up:
The cap might not be as strong.
The temperature might change faster if you have a large opening and more air exposure at the top.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
That's right, I'm using twice the glass I actually need to drink that black magic beverage.
Why am I pouring that coke from one glass to another? Just to drink it?
Why does soft beverage makers don't make the bottle look exactly like a drinking glass? With a removable cap?
It's not like they don't know how to... This glass and bottle are bearing the same brand!
I propose that corporations like coca-cola start making their bottles look like a drinking glass and add a good capping mechanism.
Then they will:
Help the environment.
Save money for dish-washing restaurants.
Save money on transportation costs if they make the glasses a perfect cylinder (more beverage in less space).
Ofcourse, they don't have to discontinue regular bottles just yet, wait for the demand.
Two problems can pop-up:
The cap might not be as strong.
The temperature might change faster if you have a large opening and more air exposure at the top.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Cycling terms for better goverment
What if government terms were shorter and recurring?
Current, 4 year or longer, continual government terms have these problems:
1. When someone in-charge realizes they made a mistake, they usually don't fix it because fixing is admitting (e.g. sub-prime bust).
2. Whoever in charge doesn't invest heavily in infrastructure because they will not be in charge when it's time to reap the fruits of their smart, long term decisions.
Lets say that every time a candidate is chosen for a certain government role, they are actually chosen for two short terms instead of a single long one.
The first term will be immediate, and the second one will be a few years into the future.
Like so:
2011 - Andrew (elected)
2012 - Benjamin (elected)
2013 - Chester (elected)
2014 - Dwight (elected)
2015 - Andrew (recycled)
2016 - Edgar (elected)
2017 - Benjamin (recycled)
2018 - Franklin (elected)
2019 - Chester (recycled)
2020 - George (elected)
2021 - Dwight (recycled)
This method might not work for the presidential role, but has a chance in other roles, like "head of the economy".
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Current, 4 year or longer, continual government terms have these problems:
1. When someone in-charge realizes they made a mistake, they usually don't fix it because fixing is admitting (e.g. sub-prime bust).
2. Whoever in charge doesn't invest heavily in infrastructure because they will not be in charge when it's time to reap the fruits of their smart, long term decisions.
Lets say that every time a candidate is chosen for a certain government role, they are actually chosen for two short terms instead of a single long one.
The first term will be immediate, and the second one will be a few years into the future.
Like so:
2011 - Andrew (elected)
2012 - Benjamin (elected)
2013 - Chester (elected)
2014 - Dwight (elected)
2015 - Andrew (recycled)
2016 - Edgar (elected)
2017 - Benjamin (recycled)
2018 - Franklin (elected)
2019 - Chester (recycled)
2020 - George (elected)
2021 - Dwight (recycled)
This method might not work for the presidential role, but has a chance in other roles, like "head of the economy".
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Location:שירי אלתר,Tel Aviv,Israel
No more hurricanes
A distributed weather prediction system using cellular phones
Wether prediction today, is done with the help of thousands of sensors and balloons (or more).
How much better and accurate will weather prediction get if we add millions or even a billion more sensors?
I guess a lot.
Imagine every new cellphone sold comes with a temperature, wind speed, air density and whichever other sensors are possible.
Big statistical modeling can take all these read points and try to identify patterns in reading and correlation with actual weather affects like tsunamis and hurricanes.
A small change in some remote location might affect your neighborhood, somewhat of butterfly effect predictor.
Weather prediction is a world pandemic so maybe we can even regulate mandatory sensors in every new cellphone sold. Maybe google can just include it in their x.x pastry API?
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Location:בני אפרים,Tel Aviv,Israel
The difference between a news feed and an inbox
Over the recent months, I've seen much confusion between the "news feed" and an "inbox".
I would like to write this down for everyone to prevent confusion in some cases.
The "news feed" aka "the wall" is supposed to relay information that might be useful but is not obligating.
Ignoring it or missing it shouldn't come with a punishment.
You can't show items that require actions on a newsfeed.
An inbox can show actionable items like "Contract with Siemens is about to expire according to sourcing-software".
The reason that an inbox can show this type, and a news feed can't, is that it has a read/unread/deleted status to each item.
These different statuses make the items manageable and insure that everything you receive is still there until you handle it.
That’s also exactly why news feeds are so convenient for non-obliging information.
Foldable eyeglasses PC
A foldable clamshell personal computer / cellphone that can also be worn as virtual reality glasses.
The design has two retractable ear-handles that make it wearable like a pair of eyeglasses.
It has two touch screens to control and view content.
Limit the size of private ownership in companies that are not exporters
One problem with capitalism is private companies getting to rich. Such companies become monopolies or cartels and damage competition and the openness of the market for new companies and initiatives.
An obvious solution would be to create a tax or a maximum size for a company or income for one person or company. The problem with this solution is that it scares of big companies from investing in the taxing country.
Limiting only natively local companies
What if we would only limit and tax the companies that are natively local and have to be that way?
What if we would only limit and tax the companies that are natively local and have to be that way?
Telecom providers for example are companies that provide a service for local customers only, they dont do allot to contribute to the GDP and the export surplus, and they won't go to invest elsewhere because there is always a local need for their service. Maybe there should even be a law that they must be owned by the public through stocks.
Companies that do export and develop (like handset manufacturers) on the other-hand, should be allowed to grow and have private major stock owners.
To sum it up: companies that get their earning mainly from export should be allowed to have a single stockholder and companies that don't export and are mainly service providers or importers should be owned by the public.
Did Scott Adams try to create a new religion in "God's debris"?
While reading God's Debris By Scott Adams I came to think that he might be trying to create a new religion.
It seems that the creator of Dilbert is obsessed with religion and how it controls humans, a feeling I can relate to. Many believe that religion and bible-like books are the effects of smart people trying to improve humanity with stories (give and you shall receive).
In the book, he makes a fairly believable connection between god and the big bang (hence, god's debris) to bridge the gap between religion and science and also between different religions (all religions are looking at the same thing from different viewpoints).
Some parts I was less enthusiastic about like the notion that evolution must appear in big jumps and does not, and so it might not be real. I don't think evolution must appear in big jumps, I think the opposite, many small changes lead to big changes over a long period of time. Wings appeared after years of jumping animals that jumped farther and farther thanks to bigger and bigger membranes under their arms and eventually became wings.
He adds touch of "How to win friends and influence people" when he write things like "Yes, that is the essence of being human. Any person you meet at a party will be interested in his own life above all other topics." to teach us some good.
All and all its written very well, and might actually change some people's minds and do good.
You can read the book for free here: http://nowscape.com/godsdebris.pdf
It seems that the creator of Dilbert is obsessed with religion and how it controls humans, a feeling I can relate to. Many believe that religion and bible-like books are the effects of smart people trying to improve humanity with stories (give and you shall receive).
In the book, he makes a fairly believable connection between god and the big bang (hence, god's debris) to bridge the gap between religion and science and also between different religions (all religions are looking at the same thing from different viewpoints).
Some parts I was less enthusiastic about like the notion that evolution must appear in big jumps and does not, and so it might not be real. I don't think evolution must appear in big jumps, I think the opposite, many small changes lead to big changes over a long period of time. Wings appeared after years of jumping animals that jumped farther and farther thanks to bigger and bigger membranes under their arms and eventually became wings.
He adds touch of "How to win friends and influence people" when he write things like "Yes, that is the essence of being human. Any person you meet at a party will be interested in his own life above all other topics." to teach us some good.
All and all its written very well, and might actually change some people's minds and do good.
You can read the book for free here: http://nowscape.com/godsdebris.pdf
I'll probably read the sequel: The Religion War (couldn't find a free version)
Bomb Crater Theory of Desk Organisation applied to email
Can the Bomb Crater Theory of Desk Organisation be applied to email management?
Just a thought.
Just a thought.
Necklace cellphone
No more " are you happy to see me? or is that your smartphone? "
I think it's time for a smaller, less intrusive, less- "are you happy to see me? or is that your smartphone?" bulging devices.
The quick-and-dirty sketch below depicts a wearable cellphone that is worn as a necklace. It uses voice commands and a tiny-winy touchscreen.
When you want to use the earphones, you rappel the device upwards which tightens the grip on your neck and frees up some wire so that the earphones can reach your ears. The sound is fed to the earphones by two conductive connections located in an optimal length location along the wires which the device clicks in to when the wires slide thorough it.
The quick-and-dirty sketch below depicts a wearable cellphone that is worn as a necklace. It uses voice commands and a tiny-winy touchscreen.
When you want to use the earphones, you rappel the device upwards which tightens the grip on your neck and frees up some wire so that the earphones can reach your ears. The sound is fed to the earphones by two conductive connections located in an optimal length location along the wires which the device clicks in to when the wires slide thorough it.
a close up:
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