Kick It

I just got back from an amazing event. I don't know where it was, as in I can't tell you the name of the neighborhood, but it was walking distance to me, 40 minutes one way. I am on the L line. Walking was faster than taking the train through some kind of a circuitous route, and on a day like this, I mean.

This poster was the theme poster for the event, and I did not need any more convincing. I did 1300 squats yesterday and practiced a few kicks of my own.

But the event was nothing to do with martial arts, and I knew that going in. The guy who organized the whole thing came over to share a few comments about this blog of mine. He said it was "crazy." He thought mixing music and tech into one blog was a volatile situation. You know, I had never thought of it that way. He did not click around long enough to realize I also throw some Bollywood into the mix. That would have really made him sit up.

The weather outside was breathtaking. They even served food. Although I had just had lunch, I helped myself to what felt like a second lunch. The food was so good. Met some great people. There was this young woman sitting to my front and left. She said she was from England, but now lives in the city, does PR, based in Chelsea. I bet she took the train.

It was an eclectic mix of people. Some cool projects were presented. The woman sitting to my right had a Masters in Fine Arts in film and was in the industry. She did makeup. I asked her if she had met anyone famous. She mentioned the names of two rap artists. Then she mentioned an actress who had won an Academy Award. I had not heard of any of them. They must be on TV. I have never owned a TV.

The final presentation was from this dude who was getting people to show up at his dance studio. He had me and two women put on this device that showed how many calories you burned. And the music was turned on. I did not even move that much. But I won. Apparently I got a "free massage." But I got nothing, no voucher, nothing like that. I guess I was supposed to remember the street address of the place, which I don't. Oh well, there goes a missed opportunity. For the record, I give great massages. I once sent someone to sleep with a neck rub.

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• 15 Hottest Bollywood Actresses on Earth (popcrunch.com)
• Arnold Schwarzenegger Kicked To The Curb From Universal Studios (ksfm.radio.com)
• Bollywood Grill (lasvegaslogue.com)

Adding Intelligence To The Biggest Screen: TV

Image via WikipediaApple added intelligence to the smallest screen: the phone. The iPhone happened. If you can move from the PC screen to the small screen, you should be able to move in the other direction as well. The TV screen is what you meet when you go in the other direction. It is not if but when. And Chris Dixon just posted a great blog post on the topic. Go read.

Chris Dixon: Apple And The TV Industry: the reasoning analysts used to predict the failure of the iPhone before its launch in 2007..... Why do you think they call it a Crackberry? Because the lumpy design and confusing interface of the device is causing people to break into cars? No, it’s because people are addicted to it. ...... What Apple ended up doing, however, was creating a phone that was so incredibly desirable to consumers that it completely restructured the industry, causing a massive shift of power away from the carriers. ..... the last thing the cable operators want is for internet-delivered programming that bypasses their cable channels to become widespread – they see that as the fast track to become a dumb pipe ..... let’s imagine Apple develops a TV that is as groundbreaking as the iPhone was. The biggest problem “smart TVs” have today is that they need clunky IR transmitters to control set top boxes because the cable operators won’t willingly interoperate. So a new Apple TV would have to drum up such incredible consumer demand that the operators would feel compelled to support it. This does indeed seem harder in the TV than in the mobile industry. At least in the US you had 4 nationwide mobile operators at the time of the iPhone launch. In TV, consumers normally have at most two real choices for traditional cable programming – cable and satellite – and two real choices for two-way internet – cable and DSL/FIOS...... Perhaps Apple won’t enter the market due to its structure. But that didn’t stop them in mobile phones where the structure was similarly difficult. The mistake analysts made about the iPhone was to assume the current industry structure would be sustained after Apple’s entry. I’d be wary of making the same assumption about the TV industry.

I'd go one step further and say the bigger screen yet is the movie theater screen, and that also could use a ton of intelligence. Imagine a scenario where as soon as about 30 people - or whatever the margin is where you make a profit on showing a movie - decide they want to see one particular movie, they can reserve a time slot at a movie theater. Any movie ever made in any language available at a theater near you. And so you have all these indie movie makers who go straight to their audience.

And there are screens smaller than the phone. Who would like to add intelligence to my wrist watch? Well, I have not been wearing a watch because my phone already tells me what time it is. But a smart watch could fly off the shelves.

There are pro gay marriage people who say it is not like there is too much love in the world. I say it is not like there is too much intelligence in the world.

Related articles

• Apple and the TV industry (cdixon.org)
• Taking a look at Apple's AirPlay (thelimemagazine.wordpress.com)
• The most important new protocol since RSS: AirPlay (three cool new apps that use it to change how we view TV) (businessinsider.com)
• The Most Important New Protocol Since RSS: AirPlay (webpronews.com)
• The most important new protocol since RSS: AirPlay (three cool new apps that use it to change how we view TV) (scobleizer.com)
• TvTak knows what you're watching from a photo taken of your TV screen (theinformativereport.com)
• Showyou Brings Flipboard Experience for Video to iPhone, iPad (menson.wordpress.com)
• Showyou Brings Flipboard Experience for Video to iPhone, iPad (mashable.com)
• Apple patents hybrid laser projection technology for use in laptops, iPhones, TVs (tuaw.com)
• 'Data points' hint at Apple smart TV in near future (electronista.com)