Miguel Carrasco's Real World

The Sunday Comedy Relief - Russell Peters

It's Sunday and in preparation for the week I always love to watch a comedian or two. Russell Peters has always made me laugh since back when I saw him at a local comedy club about 6 years ago.  He has grown in popularity since then and released his new DVD - Outsourced.  Here is an 8 minute clip from some of his earlier work.  Some of his most famous lines are "Be a man!",  "Somebody gonna get a hurt real bad", "You owe me, I owe you, it's the same thing don't be so cheap".

Russell Peters official Web Site

Russell Peters on YouTube - I dare you to try and not laugh!

Although he became very popular in Canada, it wasn't until 2004 that he started to get mass market appeal in the U.S.  How did this happen?  Clips like the one you just saw started making rounds all over the Internet, and some top executives started to notice him!  This is what makes Russell Peters great!  He's just a fun loving guy that grew up in Toronto, got a shot on Comedy Central, and fans propelled him all over the Internet to make him a much bigger success world wide!  Unfortunately for me, 6 years ago I saw him for free at a comedy bar, whereas now I would have to pay over 60 dollars to get into a sold-out show.  Well worth EVERY penny!

His style of comedy is awesome!  As people begin to laugh at the different race's differences, people start loosening up.  By the end of the show almost every race has been used as a piece of a joke and people finally realize that "hey, maybe everyone has something funny about them, and we aren't so different after all".  I keep his DVD ready to pop in whenever I have friends over that need a laugh.  I tell them this guy is the best every, and of course they smirk and have doubts.  by the end of the DVD they are tearing on the floor from some of the best routines they have ever seen!  Best active comedian by far!

Buy his Audio CD - Outsourced

Buy the DVD

Weird Al is back! - White and Nerdy

With all the buzz around that the Internet is killing the music and video industry, its great to see people starting to finally realize the power the Internet can be when harnessed correctly.  Since music labels have really started pushing away from single sales, Weird Al was having a tough time.  Now with the advent of the Internet, Weird Al has finally hit the top 10 with White & Nerdy!  Weird Al says "As much as people are griping about the Internet taking sales away from artists, it's been a huge promotional tool for me".  Of course it has!  With over 219,487 friends on his MySpace page, and thousands of views on YouTube, White and Nerdy has shown what every artist, record company, and producer needs to learn fast.  Connect with your fans!

If you haven't heard this song yet, you have to download it right now from iTunes.  Here is the music video:

Lyrics

Buy from iTunes

 

Bluetooth Laser Keyboard

Isn't it a little depressing every time you watch star trek or star wars and see all these cool things that we still can't buy today?  Well I found something that I always wanted to have, that we can actually buy today!

I remember when I saw the movie Hackers and near the end of the movie, The Plague (Fisher Stevens) was typing on a computer keyboard that was being projected onto the table.  It was the first introduction for me to this amazing keyboard I thought was just amazing, as well as my first introduction to Angelina Jolie (Kate Libby aka Acid Burn).  Although it didn't look like it would be the most comfortable and ergonomic keyboard, and although the movie was extremely full of cheese, I think everyone can agree they wanted that keyboard!  The wait is over!  And for me it arrived today!

The Bluetooth Laser Keyboard is a small compact device that can project a keyboard onto any flat surface you choose.  Once projected, you can customize the sounds that the keyboard clicks make, giving you the complete Hackers experience (*grin*)!   I personally can’t wait to put this bad boy in my carryon bag and whip it out to type emails while I wait for hours for my delayed flights.  The device projects  63 keys and is a full sized QWERTY keyboard!  The device itself is about 3.5 inches high so it can literally fit in your shirt pocket, and set up with your blackberry!  Super Cool!  Ok at this point my wife is laughing at me for being such a geek.  But it’s cool!

When I first started using it I was a little bit worried that it would not allow me to type as fast as most keyboards, but I was mistaken, this thing can fly and has multiple key support.  The kit includes the charger, the main display device, rechargeable batteries, and a travel kit!  I wouldn't recommend this as your daily keyboard (I'm typing this article with it and I miss the padding and "give" a normal keyboard provides), but for some fun, as well as some practical benefits while you’re on the road, this thing is great!  I'll be using this on my trip to Moncton next week!  You can buy one if you like at I-Tech.

 

Nice package with everything included!

Social Bookmarking Review - dzone

  As a software engineer and software architect myself, I find myself constantly trying to find new information on the Internet on best practices, patterns, tools, etc.  I recently started using other social bookmarking tools, but became irritated at the growing number of stories that I felt made no sense, being ranked extremely high.  Certain features such as previewing the page, showing number of clicks vs. the number of votes, displaying "complaints" live for a vote seemed missing (some sites have this, but have a proprietary system that is undisclosed to serve as the banning mechanism for entire domains, which is scary if we are trusting these companies to make news "free" and selected "by the people).

dzone is a great example of social bookmarking done right!  A really nice feature I love is the ability to see a Ajax preview window pop up on each story that is being voted on.  Also, with each story you have the ability to "tag" stories with keywords, similar to tags on blog's.  This gives users the ability to view upcoming links based on tags!  As an example, someone submitting a story can tag the story with certain keywords, and a voter can then add their own tags to the story.  This gives stories that might not have been tagged properly, or missing certain tags, to be "re-classified" under another section.

Another great feature is the "You might also like" feature.  This lists stories that the user might like, if they liked the current story they are looking at.  Also a "Real Time Spy" allows you to view what users are doing in real time.  This can be anything from stories that are currently being voted on, to what users are clicking, or even commenting on.  The filters are very nice!

I also love that the dzone is tailored to developers.  All of the links are very pertinent to software developers, and the community here has really formed around them.

If you are a software developer, you will absolutely love this site, as it has more functionality than any other social bookmarking site out there.  I hope to see a new version of the site tailored around technology, and then maybe expanding into other areas.  The overall architecture of this site just seems so much more flexible and responsive, vs other sites.

PopUrls.com has recently noticed dzone as well and added them to their list of social bookmarking web sites to display.

Check out the dzone!

Future Tense Radio Interview

Updated:  Listen to the recorded Interview here now!

I had a great interview today with Jon Gordon, producer and host of Future Tense.  We talked mainly about the 10 Biggest Computer Flops of all time.  This was a great discussion about Microsoft Bob, Apple 3 and Lisa, and OS/2.  If you still had some questions after reading my blog entry a few days ago, be sure to tune in tomorrow!  I also had some time to touch on perceived failure in the computer industry and define really what I meant by a "flop".

Produced and hosted by Jon Gordon, this daily "Journal of the Digital Age" keeps pace with the latest technology topics in daily five-minute capsules from electronic privacy and digital democracy to spam and computer worms.

Subscribe to the Future Tense Podcast Below

Podcast

Tune in at 7:30PM CST WBEZ Chicago

Listen Live with Media Player: http://www.wbez.org/livestream/wmp.asx

Listen Live with MP3 Live Stream: http://www.wbez.org/livestream/mp3.m3u

Listen Live with RealPlayer: http://www.web-radio.fm/stream.cfm?id=1506

The segment will also air on FM and AM Stations Nationwide!

Below are some stations, for a complete listing visit:
http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org//programs/futuretense/stations/list.php

State	City	Call Letter	Frequency	Day	Start Time
CA	Arcata, CA	KNHM-FM		MTuWThF	07:30 PM
	Los Angeles, CA	KPCC-FM	89.3	MTuWTh	11:30 PM
	Mendocino, CA	KPMO-AM	1300	MTuWThF	07:30 PM
	Mt Shasta, CA	KMJC-AM	620	MTuWThF	07:30 PM
	San Francisco, CA	KALW-FM	91.7	MTuWThF	05:30 PM
DC	Washington, DC	WAMU-FM	88.5	MTuWThF	11:30 PM
FL	Panama City, FL	WFSW-FM	89.1	MTuWThF	06:00 PM
	Tallahassee, FL	WFSU-FM	88.9	MTuWThF	06:00 PM
HI	Honolulu, HI	KIPO-FM	89.3	MTuWThF	03:00 PM
IA	Decorah, IA	KLNI-FM	88.7	MTuWThF	10:30 PM
	Des Moines, IA	WOI-AM	640	MTuWThF	09:30 PM
	Iowa City, IA	WSUI-AM	910 AM	MTuWThF	09:30 PM
	Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA	KIOS-FM	91.5	MTuWThF	07:30 PM
ID	Boise, ID	KBSX-FM	91.5	MTuWThF	09:30 PM
	Burley, ID	KBSY-FM	88.5	MTuWThF	09:30 PM
IL	Chicago, IL	WBEQ-FM	90.7	MTuWTh	07:30 PM
		WBEZ-FM	91.5	MTuWTh	07:30 PM
IN	Chesterton	WBEW-FM	89.5	MTuWTh	07:30 PM
KY	Louisville, KY	WFPL-FM	89.3	MTuWThF	08:30 PM
MA	Great Barrington, MA	WAMQ-FM	105	MTuWThF	11:30 PM
MN	Appleton, MN	KNCM-FM	88.5	MTuWThF	10:30 PM
	Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN	KNOW-FM	91.1	MTuWThF	10:30 PM
NC	Buxton, NC	WBUX-FM	90.5	MTuWTh	09:30 PM
	Elizabeth City, NC	WUND-FM	88.9	MTuWTh	09:30 PM
	Rocky Mount-Wilson, NC	WRQM-FM	90.9	MTuWTh	09:30 PM
NH	Berlin, NH	WEVC-FM	107.1	MTuWThF	09:30 PM
	Concord (Lake Regions), NH	WEVO-FM	89.1	MTuWThF	09:30 PM
NJ	Atlantic City, NJ	WNJN-FM	89.7	MTuWThF	09:30 PM
	Berlin, NJ	WNJS-FM	88.1	MTuWThF	09:30 PM
NV	Jackpot, NV	KBSJ-FM	91.3	MTuWThF	09:30 PM
NY	Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY	WAMC-AM	1400	MTuWThF	11:30 PM
	Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY	WNED-AM	970	MTuWThF	09:30 PM
OH	Cleveland, OH	WCPN-FM	90.3	MTuWThF	08:30 PM
OR	Eugene, OR	KRVM-AM	1280	MTuWThF	07:30 PM
	Grants Pass, OR	KAGI-AM	930	MTuWThF	07:30 PM
UT	Logan, UT	KUSR-FM	89.5	MTuWThF	06:30 PM
	Park City, UT	KPCW-FM	91.9	MTuWTh	09:30 PM
	Salt Lake City-Ogden-Provo, UT	KCPW-AM	1010	MTuWTh	09:30 PM
WA	Moses Lake, WA	KLWS-FM	91.5	MTuWThF	09:30 PM
	Mt. Vernon, WA	KMWS-FM	90.1		09:30 PM
	Seattle-Tacoma, WA	KSER-FM	90.7	MTuWThF	06:00 PM
WI	Auburndale, WI	WLBL-AM	930	MTuWThF	05:30 AM
	Duluth-Superior, MN-WI	WSCN-FM	100.5	MTuWThF	10:30 PM

Find the Celebrity in You!

I recently started using myHeritage.com because of a passion have for genealogy.  Our family is currently using myfamily.com, however I always felt it was missing a social aspect of allowing other family members to "easily" add photo's and grow the families community outside what is currently in the family tree.  Recently myHeritage.com launched an exciting new technology allowing you to find out which celebrity you resemble the most!

The process involved myHeritage.com taking the world's top 4,000 celebrities in the past 2 centuries as provided by Wikipedia.com.  Next, myHeritage.com created a new algorithm that determined which celebrities are more important than others.  The results are actually quite impressive.

The site is very easy to use, and after a simple registration process, allows you to upload your face, and run the recognition software against your face.  Here are the steps to get going right away:

1. Scan a photo of yourself into the computer, or take own with your digital camera.
2. Make sure that you your photo is a front-facing, large, straight face picture.
3. Visit myHeritage.com and browse to the photo you would like analyzed.
   
4. Click on "Run face recognition!" button.  The system will then upload your image into the system.
5. If you really want to try something neat, upload an image with multiple people in the image.

The results are actually quit staggering!  Although in some cases the matches can be off, you can easily move forward and backwards through celebrity matches.

With the growing power of computers, face recognition technology is really coming to the forefront.  There are key benefits to using this technology that will improve our ability to manage our pictures, videos, and even music.  Companies like Google, Riya, and myHeritage.com are leading the way.

Try the Celebrity in You today!

Firefox 2.0 debuts Tuesday

Updated: Although scheduled for a public release on Tuesday, Mozilla has uploaded Firefox 2.0 to their FTP site Sunday night, you can get it now!  Download Firefox 2.0

Firefox 2.0, the free 5-megabyte browser now available in 39 languages, is set for a release on Tuesday, October 24th, 2006.  The fox will be showing off a new interface that improves usability, and will still support existing themes.  Built-in phishing protection is nice addition to the package as it will protect users from web forgeries.  This list will be automatically updated regularly.

Live Titles is a nice idea where web sites that constantly update their titles, will have the ability to change your bookmark with the new relevant title.  There is  a list of web sites hat support this, and more will be added through add-ons.

Make sure to check out this latest release on Tuesday!
Download Firefox 2.0 Here

However where as the original Firefox has some great improvements for the stale Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0, it remains a constant debate what effect Firefox 2.0 will have on the browser landscape.  Running the beta versions for the last few months, I must admit, although it does have some noticeable speed and usability improvements, Firefox 2.0 seems more like a home improvement project, and less like a new house. 

It can of course be argued that it was already so far ahead of its time, that it required less work.  However I feel this was a huge missed opportunity to innovate and leap frog Microsoft.  Some nice new additions would have been site preferences.  The ability to set up certain web sites to be viewed in a certain way, vs other web sites.  The ability to "easily" set up groups of web sites would also be a huge feature.  I say easily because this feature is possible, but is simply not intuitive for your average user. 

Lastly a "Playback" and "Navigation Map" feature would be a huge benefit.  The ability to view how you actually surfed the Internet in an easy to follow site map, and to actually play back your site map if needed.  All these types of features would really leap frog a browser over the competition.

Firefox is a free, open-source web browser that runs on Windows, Linux, and Macintosh.  Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 is also a free web browser, however not open source, and requires the user to have a licensed copy of Windows to install the application.

10 Biggest Computer Flops of all time

Over the years, computers have changed the way we live! Marketing and Technology have recently started to "merge" together to create new amazing experiences.  Howeverm In order to get us to where we are today, many software development and hardware companies have pushed the envelope to create what we use today.  Software development companies have evolved, Hardware has improved. Although we currently live in an age of amazing hardware and software achievements, these products did not come without a price.  Below is a list of some of the worst flops in computer history.

1. The Xerox Alto
   Developed in 1972 at Xerox's Palo Alto Research center, the Alto had a bitmap display, windows, drop-down menu bars, a mouse, built-in Ethernet and hard disk, keyboard, word processor and more in their software productivity suite, a paint application, and even e-mail.  Xerox was far too busy fighting the copier patent war, and was not interested.  Steve Jobs was, and in 1984, Apple introduced Apple Lisa, and the Apple Macintosh.  Although this was the most ingenious creation of the time, quite possibly responsible for the way we use computers today, it should be viewed also as a huge flop when Xerox did not capitalize on its innovation.
2. NeXT computer
   This seemed like a great idea at the time.  Steve Jobs resigned from Apple back in 1985 to start a new company called NeXT.  The NeXT computer would be the most affordable UNIX super computer of its time.  Running a Motorola 33-MHz 68030 processor, enclosed in a black case, there was no doubt this was the hottest and most powerful computer of its time.  However at $6,000 apiece, and with no software that would run on the machine, it was really a $6,000 brick.  Roughly 50,000 were ever produced.  The company had spent over $250 million producing them.  Although a huge disaster, this was also the computer that Tim Berners-Lee would later use to create the World Wide Web, and Steve Jobs would use as the core principles behind the new OS X.
3. IBM PCjr
   IBM was trying to build an affordable machine for the classroom and the masses.  Unfortunately, they ended up building an inferior non IBM-PC compatible machine with a ridiculously small keyboard that wouldn't run any software.  The costs was a few dollars less than some IBM-PC compatible clones, so it was pointless to buy one.  Another nice feature, the keyboard communicated with the computer via infrared beams.  This provided hours of enjoyment in the classroom screwing up other peoples computing.
4. Apple Newton
   Although produced for six years, it was never as successful as Apple had hoped.  The main reasons:  High price, Large size.  It's handwriting recognition was notoriously bad, a problem that was featured in the Doonesbury comic strip.  However, although the Newton product itself never made mass appeal, the technologies that were developed for the Newton are still used today and responsible for many huge success' for Apple (iPod, OS X) and started the PDA line of computer products.
5. Apple 3
   Released in 1980, the Apple 3 became one of the worst computers ever built and most expensive.  It was designed for the high end business market, but at a cost of $7,800, even businesses had trouble justifying the cost.  To make matters worse, the computer was made far too cramped with parts to make it smaller.  When it became too hot inside the computer (Engineers opted to not use a fan), chips would start popping out of the boards!  In order to correct the issue, Apple tech support could be heard saying "please lift up your Apple 3 about 10 centimeters off the desk, and drop it."  this would put the chips back in the slots sometimes.
6. Apple Lisa
   How much to get into an amazing Apple Lisa?  $10,000 dollars.  Announced in 1983, this was a complete disaster for Apple.  Hardly any were ever sold.  How many were produced?  100,000.  The machine itself was far from powerful, and Apple users simply preferred the Macintosh.  The development costs aren't to be found.
   
   
7. Microsoft Windows ME
   Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition was touted as the first operating system to support Universal Plug and Play.  Unfortunately, this operating systems was quite possibly less compatible with hardware, than its predecessor, Windows 98.  It was also notoriously difficult to re-install, which was terrible since this operating system needed to be re-installed almost weekly.  This was one of the worst software development projects of all time for Microsoft. Hardcore users claimed that Windows ME was more stable than 98, or 98SE, and the instabilities came from users installing bad drivers that were not approved and certified.  Nevertheless, most users of Windows were beginners, and thus the perception that Windows ME actually stood for "Microsoft Experiment", "Moron Edition", "Mistake Edition", and "Memory Eater".
8. Microsoft Bob
   Another Software development disaster. This one is great.  In 1995 Microsoft released a software package and interface that was aimed at replacing the Windows desktop with one aimed at novice computer users.  The interface featured a big yellow smiley face with glasses and virtual rooms.  Complete disaster!  Far too simple, not powerful enough, overpriced, and all and all, ridiculous.  This software development project was run by Bill's wife by the way!It was replaced that same year by Windows 95.
9. IBM OS/2
   In the 1990's after feeling "Had" by Microsoft, IBM decided they could trounce Microsoft and come up with their own operating system.  A great idea gone bad by marketing,  the idea became to market OS/2 and the PowerPC Chip together.  Had IBM pushed OS/2, and later OS/2 Warp as an operating system alternative to Windows, the computing landscape might have been different today.  Instead, by the latter half of the 1990's, Windows 95 and 98 had obliterated OS/2.
10. Gary Kildall's CP/M
    Grab a cup of coffee for the biggest mistake, and largest computing stroke of luck that created Microsoft, and one of the wealthiest fortunes the planet has ever seen.  This one created the software industry as we know it! In 1980, IBM finally realized they needed to put a home computer out on the market extremely fast.  However they could not find the time to wait around to build their own operating system.  They wanted to buy one, and the best one at the time, Gary Kildall's CP/M operating system.  Where was Gary Kildall on this fateful day that the IBM suits came knocking?  Out of office flying a private plane.  IBM went back to the office's and looked up Microsoft, which they thought had a broad license to sell CP/M.  Microsoft came in and negotiated a per licenses model to sell the operating system at 50 dollars per machine.  Bill Gates had created the Software Licensing Industry! 
    
    Microsoft did not have such an operating system themselves, nor did they have a license to sell CP/M.  In fact, Gary Kildall's Digital Research didn't have CP/M ready to run on the 16-bit computers IBM would manufacture.  Tim Patterson did at the Seattle Computer Company, which Microsoft bought for $50,000.  Had Gary Kildall been at the office, Microsoft and Bill Gates might have been eating macaroni and cheese, and the Digital Research operating system would be running on all of our computers. Gary Kildall died in July 1994 at the age of 52.  The computer media mainly ignored his passing.

What do all of these stories have in common?  Yes they were all mistakes (at the time), but almost all of them paved the way for some of the largest success's in computing history.  Sometimes for the same company, sometimes for other companies.  The lesson here is persistence, determination, and perseverance.

I've recently started a new blog focused on Social Media, Digital Marketing, and Technology at www.miguelcarrasco.com. I'd love for you to check it out as there are many more exciting posts including video casts available for you to watch.

If you would like to read other software development disasters, specifically Microsoft software mistakes, make sure you read Ten Biggest Microsoft Flops of All Time!

Google Acquires SpaceShipOne

Google has come one step closer to building their elevator to the moon!  Google has acquired SpaceShipOne.  In 2004 SpaceShipOne won the Asari X prize.  Paul Allen and Burt Rutan led the team that launched the first private spacecraft capable of carrying three people into space (100 Kilometers above earth).  SpaceShipOne will arrive at the Googleplex on Saturday, October 21st, 2006.  It will be housed in building 43.

Larry Page has been on the board of trustee's of the X Prize Foundation for quit some time now.  On October 4, 2004, the Mojave Aerospace Ventures team, led by famed aircraft designer Burt Rutan and financed by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, captured the Ansari X PRIZE. The world took notice of this great achievement and the winning SpaceShipOne is now hanging in the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum.  Buying this space craft from one of the founders of Microsoft would be a huge moral boost for Google, while a huge blow for Microsofties.

Various luminaries such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Governator of California, John Travolta (a long-time fan of aeronautics) and former astronaut Buzz Aldrin were also on hand to witness this historic flight in October.

View the historic flights of SpaceShipOne below.

First Flight

Second Flight

SpaceShipOne takes flight

Share Files Online Top 5 Web Applications

There are so many services out there that let you share files.  But what are the best and easiest methods?  Here is a list of absolutely fantastic services to get you sharing files extremely fast!  These systems allow huge file sizes in some cases, and in others, have a really easy to use interface.  Below you will have all the basis covered for any of your file sharing needs!

Quick File Sharing

Looking for a quick way to put a file on the Web for later retrieval?  With Localhostr, its as simple as:

1. Select the file to upload (anything up to 7MB).
2. Upload.
3. Copy the resulting link.

Really useful site! However this is not for large files, just the fastest method I found.

www.localhostr.com

Track files being shared

DLiveo try's to solve the problem of how to easily send and track large files over the Internet.  This nice thing about this service is it can bypass firewalls and e-mail systems.  Unfortunately its client based and not web based, therefore requires you have access to your machine to install the application.

www.dliveo.com

Free Virtual Private Network

Hamachi is a zero-configuration virtual private networking application.  This program allows you to create a network from multiple computers that are connected to the Internet as though they were connected by a physical network cable.  In essence, LAN over the Internet!  Want to play StarCraft over the Internet in Multiplayer LAN Mode?  No problem!

www.hamachi.cc

Upload Large Files

GigaSize is another large file email service that lets you upload and share files up to 1.5GB for free! The GigaSize team is made up of an international group that embraces Web 2.0 principles and methodologies. With members who previously worked with multi billion dollar hi-tech and engineering companies, you can be assured that GigaSize will offer you the most professional service available today.

www.gigasize.com

Send Huge E-Mails

YouSendIt is a large file e-mail service that allows users to send files up to 1GB in size.  This allows you to take a large number of data, and just e-mail it to yourself for future use, or allow for some travel of your data to another machine.

www.yousendit.com