Michael Jackson loved Technology

Michael Jackson was a fan of new technology.

From his ground breaking new dance moves, musical stylings and video production, he was always looking for the very latest thing and finding a way to connect to his fans with it.


Up until the time of his death this new tech trend was evident in everything he did. His web site Michael Jackson Live was making the most of the web to reach out to his fans.

Jackson even used YouTube to seek suggestions from fans for his upcoming music set list.

He starred in Captain EO, a 3-D interactive film directed by Francis Ford Coppola and shown at Disney theme parks, including Epcot center in Florida. There is a Captain EO fan site and you can still watch the film on YouTube, here.

There is no question Jackson was a controversial public figure. But his embrace of new technology was likely no less impactful than his musical contributions....

Twitter Tribute to Michael Jackson

Fan of Michael Jackson? Fan of Twitter?

Then you must check out Billie Tweets.


Someone with way too much time on their hands and an apparent devotion to Michael Jackson and Twitter created a a cool program to pull lyrics from live Tweets while the song and video for 'Billie Jean' play in the background.

The programmers are 9Astronauts. According to their site:

We're 9Astronauts. We develop software applications for the web and for mobile devices. This is where we publish articles and release open source code.

It's a very cool little page, mildly entertaining. Something novel and cute for an otherwise somber time.

Afraid of change? Don't be.

Jennifer Fahlsing who Tweets as @jfahlsing posted something interesting: A suggestion that now is the best time to follow your dreams...

"Freelance your way to employment - what would you do if you could go back to your dreams? http://bit.ly/10a4yb"

Fortunately, I am already chasing mine...

NEA Points to Possibilities Available via Twitter

Check out this link to a story from the National Education Association on the effective use of Twitter by all educators.

They make a valid point for use of the service, even by those who admit they are NOT tech-savvy. The NEA is the largest professional organization and labor union in the United States representing teachers and education support personnel at all levels.

Check it out.

Apple iPhone 3G S debuts

Apple's latest iPhone 3G S debuts today.

If you get one, tell us about it. If you want one but can't afford one, tell us how much you hate everyone else who does have one...

'Concorde' re-imagined

CNN is reporting that supersonic air travel may be making a comeback.

It's been decades since the Concorde took its maiden flight, and almost 10 years since it was permanently grounded following a deadly crash in Paris, France which killed more than 100 people.

Aeronautical engineers are designing the next generation aircraft to have a simpler mode of operation and quieter, (shaped) sonic boom.

Nokia phone never needs charging

Using an idea first posited by Nikola Tesla 100 years ago, Nokia has developed a cell phone that never needs charging.

Using ambient radio waves bouncing all around us, the phone can collect up to 5 milliwatts; not enough to make a call, but enough to charge the phone when it's not in use.
Nokia scientists hope to push that 50 milliwatts in the near future, and expect to have a commercially available version ready in five years.

Show support for Iranian people: Go Green on Twitter

Have you noticed all the green-tinged profile pics on Twitter?

The idea is to "go green" to show your support for the people of Iran. Here's the link to do it yourself via Flickr.
You will also find rules for helping the cause of the people who are resisting government efforts to squash the democratic vote.

Check it out; get involved; make a difference!

MySpace announces staff cuts

MySpace announced it's cutting 30% of its workforce due to encroachment by rivals Twitter and Facebook.

Although the company is losing market share there is something to be said for history repeating itself.

MySpace loses to Facebook who loses to Twitter who loses to...(insert name here)

Twitter Tehran, Iran and the election

According to CNN, protesters in Iran are making use of social networks to spread word of their plight:

At the height of the protests and disorder in Tehran on Saturday and Sunday, Twitter was used to give graphic accounts to a worldwide audience - even if they were a maximum of 140 characters.

Tweets from "Change for Iran" were among several that offered real time updates: "...my friend saying more than 100 students arrested, I can't confirm this but the numbers are high. bastards just attacked us for no reason, I lost count of how much tear gas they launched at us! ...we have now some students with urgent need of medical attention I'm calling out to all ppl who can come here don't leave us."


This link, to a USA Today story on Iran, was found using a Twitter search with the simplest term "Iran."

A quick search of 'Iran Election' yields a multitude of conversations from people in and around the entire region.

No doubt Twitter has opened the flood gates of Mass Communication. It is unlikely any government will be able to contain it ever again...

Tweet-Up Sushi Party Rocks!

Sorry i missed it (My kids were way too tired for it) but the Tweet-Up at Sakara in Fort Wayne seems to have gone quite well.
News-Banner reporter Frank Shanly told some Street Fair stories and everybody ate raw fish without getting ill. (At least not yet.)

@dylanmcintosh was awesome enough to take and send me some pics. Thanks guys!! Next time...

(p.s.--That looks REALLY GOOD!!!!)

Rubinstein bets big on Palm Pre

Fortune Magazine is reporting that "Jon Rubinstein, the computer engineer credited with building both the iPod and the Palm Pre, has been named chief executive officer of Palm"

This move pretty much cements his take over of Palm.

Last week the company officially launched its new product the Pre two days before the launch of the iPhone 3G S. The Pre is considered the strongest competitor to the iPhone so far.

Sales of the Pre have reportedly been steady but no where near the level of shopper hysteria brought about by the iPhone.

I'd like to know what sort of mobile device you use. How do you like it?

Leave a comment...

All Tweeted-out?

Suffering from Internet fatigue? You're not alone.

Pew Internet and American Life Project, a nonprofit research group in Washington says more and more people are reporting Internet overload from too many hours spent at social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook and MySpace.


CNN has a great interview with John Horrigan, the project's associate director of research. It's here. Horrigan offered this advice for tuning it out:

What I think the message is with all these new tools -- Twitter, for instance -- is that Twitter is a great way to put yourself out there. It also could be a tool for managing your connectivity.

"You might start to use your Facebook page or your Twitter account as a means to say, "Hey guys, I'm shutting down for a while, so don't worry about me if I don't respond to you immediately."

So I think a challenge for people going forward is to see these tools as tools, meaning you can use them to identify yourself as being offline at a particular moment, and not see them as perpetual obligations to be available at all times to all people."

As social networking moves from leisure-time activity to integral part of the normal American workday, it remains to be seen how employees will manage time spent at the desk, on the road and online...

MySpace, Facebook, Twitter--who has time for it all?

CNN has begun asking the inevitable: With all the recent talk about Facebook and Twitter, is anyone still using their MySpace page?

"At the end of 2008, Facebook had about 220 million visitors worldwide, compared with MySpace's 125 million, comScore says. MySpace's popularity appears to have plateaued, while Facebook's continues to increase."

How about you? Do you have a MySpace account? Are you still using it? If not, what are you using instead?

And most importantly, do think you'll be using whatever you're using now in another 12 months?

New iPhone anyone? OS 3.0 is coming...

Is a new iPhone on its way? CNN thinks so.

"As Apple kicks off a much-anticipated developers' conference Monday in San Francisco, California, much of the buzz is about the possibility of a new iPhone release."

"An iPhone 3.0 could include new hardware like a video camera, a better photo camera and a new design... That would be in keeping with the spirit of the Worldwide Developers Conference, which has become known for groundbreaking announcements."

You can find info on the iPhone OS 3.0, right here.


You can even watch a video on the new OS 3.0 at YouTube, right here.

Billy Ann Tweet-Up

Thanks to everyone who attended the most recent Tweet-Up at Billy Ann's in downtown Bluffton on Wednesday.

Two dozen News-Banner staffers and Twitterers joined together for dinner, drinks and sharing some laughs.

Thanks to @unitedwaywells, @libraritarian59, @thanecast, @Mar_sha, @jerrybattiste, @newsbanner, @hwall1018, @dylanmcintosh, @aprilmcintosh and assorted guests.

(And special thanks to @coffeepink!)

Thanks again! See you next time!!

Social Media and Small Business

As Online Editor at the News-Banner I get a multitude of questions from merchants who want to know what all the online excitement is about; they don't want to participate, necessarily, but they don't want to be left out of the action.

The question is always, "what do I do?"

The best suggestion is talk to your customers and see what they are doing, then do the same thing. Barring that, consider Googling social media and work blindly until you find what you're looking for.

Or, read this helpful blog. It's a place to start.

Tweet-Up Today

Tweet-Up is today, 5 p.m. at Billy Ann's.
Several News-Banner staff, (besides jerry) are planning to come. Editor Glen Werling has family plans, so he is excused.

Benevolent News-Banner Publisher Mark Miller will liekly be there, as will advertising director Jean Bordner.

This is your chance to tell the News-Banner what you think of our recent forays onto the Internet...
and if you'd like to put in a positive plug for me, that's ok too.

:-)

Cloud Computing: A first-hand experience

We've been hearing about Cloud Computing, now CNN has tasked a blogger to live the dream, so to speak. Here's his account of spending an entire week working only with web-based apps; no desktop programs allowed, strictly programs from the "cloud."

There's an informative YouTube video link here.

Cloud Computing could further open the Internet to the masses because it relies more on shared software than individual computing power.

Check it out.