(photo by LaughingSquid.com)

I’ve been told this should be patented. It may already be patented. If not, feel free to steal my idea…

I originally drafted this post about three or four months ago. I simply didn’t post it. And since my original draft, people have gone iPhone 3G crazy. Even more so, other blogs have been posting what kind of devices they’d like to see in the market. (Techcrunch recently wrote about a web tablet they desire). So, I figure I should dip my toes in the water.

There’s a lot of talk with thew new Google Android open cell phone. Google is toying with creating it’s own phone. With all this talk about a new open phone system, and with all of these hot web applications like Facebook, Twitter, and the like, I am convinced that the future of technology will be about portability, high definition, localization, and aggregation of data.

Now, I’m just a regular guy. I’m not a cell phone exec, or a huge techie. But, here’s what I want my new phone to look like…

I want my online/offline/what-I’m-doing-now status to be changed when I change my ring type on my phone. So, when I change my phone from ring to vibrate, my phone should know that I’m in a quiet place, and should alert people who have my phone number that I don’t want to be disturbed by a phone call. There’s no reason why the cell companies can’t make these ring styles intelligent, and update my what-i’m-doing-now status with just a click of button on the side of my phone. This idea alone will bring Twitter like status updates directly to your cell phone. I don’t want to have to login to any settings page, I don’t want to have to open a browser, or use some widget to do this. I want a button on the daggum phone. Instant gratification, instant updates!

Phone books, or address books, would work much like your friends list like on Facebook or Myspace. Your friends’ status updates should be viewable right there on your phone’s address book. There are many companies who have developed social mobile apps, but these features should NOT be an ADDITIONAL piece of software. These features should simply be part of your phone.

To expand on this thought, if a friend or colleague were trying to call you, they would know before calling that you are “in a meeting”, “watching a movie”, “at school”, or “driving in the car”. And, your obsessive girlfriend or boyfriend would know exactly why you didn’t answer your phone, and subvert a potential argument, all by just by changing your ring style.

The next thing I want from my new phone is grouped messaging. In addition to the normal ways of retrieving messages, I want all my texts, voicemails, IM’s, and emails grouped by contact. When I scroll thru my address book on my phone to find that person I’m looking to call, I should be able to see the latest messages this person has sent me - all in the same place (ala Xobni). There are great things being done with voice mail recently (see the iPhone’s visual voice mail, and Pinger’s new custom voice mail). There’s no reason why these features can’t be universal today. In addition to having messages grouped by contact, I should also be able to view the status of the contact I’m about to call. This way, before I even begin to call this person, I can see our most recent correspondence, and find out how busy the person may be. (think Facebook). Each contact in my address book will have the standard details, but the importance of the address book would be to see check the latest updates and messages from this person.

The other thing I want to be universally accepted is mapping by cell. Several companies like Dodgeball, Twitter, and the like have tried to make on-the-spot social events happen by cell phone. I like this idea. And 3G along with Apple’s new iPhone should make this easier. Using the ringer style what-i’m-doing-now button I described above, there should be a “broadcast my location” button which will allow others to be able to locate you if you are within a few blocks of each other. (this feature could just as easily be disabled as well with that ringer button). This way, if you are out running errands and looking for friends in the area you can share a cup of coffee with, just open your phone and locate who’s nearby. This could be creepy should the wrong person get your cell phone number, but nonetheless it’s a good idea as long as privacy filters are designed within the software - which is a simple thing to do. Note: Apple may have accomplished this with their newest iPhone release. I wouldn’t know - I’ve never owned an Apple product.

I want group texting (not via Twitter, but thru the phone itself). You can currently send text’s to multiple persons, but shouldn’t there be a “reply all”? I want group voicemail (like Pinger). I want always-on internet connections. I want unlimited use (texting too!), I want it cheap, and I want flat fees (like Sprint).

All of this is great for just a plain phone. But, this is my next generation phone, and I want more!

I want a cradle I can place my phone in, which adapts to my HDTV. When I place the phone in the cradle, it should automatically do a few things. One, it will automatically forward the cell phone to the land line. Two…

WAIT. I don’t think i want to divulge the rest of my wants. I’ll peruse the patent filings first. I think the rest of my ideas may just be THAT good.

If anyone is interested in doing a JV, is interested in mobile/HDTV platforms, and wants to know more. Please contact me. The powerful part of this, will require some software development and some financial resources. But, the market will be cutting edge!

Twitter is down. Scoble must be awake.

I love Opera. I really feel Firefox is over rated. It’s bloated and a resource hog. The only problem with Opera is that it doesn’t have the developer community that Firefox does. Opera is so lightweight, surfing is so much faster with Opera, and I love how clean the browser is.

My only gripe with Opera in the past were that Google doesn’t support it for their toolbar, and there really wasn’t a good SEO plugin or toolbar. Until now! Mike Samokhvalov has created a great tool called SEObar.

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This year’s Pubcon came with a few perks. Just a few days prior to the event, Joe Morin leaked that in partnership with a few venues in Las Vegas, a few shows were leveraging the power of bloggers to promote their shows and host venues. So, basically the casinos gave a few select Pubcon attendees free tickets to their show in the hopes that we would say a few nice things about them online. I was one of the lucky ones!

So, let it be know. Free tickets, or not, Mystere was an incredible show. Pure entertainment from the get go, and you left with a big, wide grin on your face. If you are lucky to attend a show in Vegas, you can’t go wrong with Mystere.

To be totally honest with you, all I knew about Cirque du Soleil perfomances is from what I’ve seen on TV and heard by word of mouth. I figured there would be some acrobatics involved and that was about it. Due to my getting settled into town a little late, I wasn’t able to get to Treasure Island early enough to check out the hotel’s shops or casino. But, from the little I did see, there was a lot to do, plenty of nicely dressed people, and the decor was impressive. Nonetheless, acknowledging my lack of preparation and tardiness, I was ready to be entertained.

(Continue reading…)

I stumbled upon a great article on the Castello brothers, Michael and David. You probably don’t know who these guys are, but they co-own some of the major domain names on the internet today including PalmSprings.com, Golfclubs.com, and more. Head over to Domain Journal and read the article here. It’s a great interview filled with bits of tales about visionairies, wars, and successes.

Here’s my favorite part.

He added, “the internet has allowed us many things which I feel truly blessed for. There was a point in my life where I was broke and was told I was dying. I made some of the best decisions in my life then. Sometimes when you have too much time on your hands you can also get clarity. Patience was the best lesson I ever learned, but I always ran from stagnation. I try to give where I can, learn from what approaches me and live life as a gift. My motto: Live – Love – Learn.”

If you have any interest in web technologies, startups, great business minds, Silicon Valley, or young, brash billionaires, you then must read this story from Fortune Magazine. It’s a great read about the founding fathers of PayPal, and how they all now seem to be at the epicenter of any major deal in Silicon Valley. It’s truly an enticing piece that will make any entreprenuer green with envy, but motivated and anxious to succeed at the same time.

Read the article, then come back here to let me know your thoughts.

Our deepest apologies for our FoxNews.com readers. Due to the featured story on the front page of FoxNews.com, our server was getting very overloaded. After an agonizing two hours offline, we are now back up and functioning at top speed.

Just to give you an idea of our traffic, the small link we have in the middle of this featured story is generating over 12,000 unique visitors per hour!

I plan on posting a recap of this week’s activities later this week.

Here’s a screenshot of today’s FoxNews site.

He speaks!
Here’s a great video of the BadAss Marine performing his famous Poetry Slam in front of a local war memorial.

Head over to BadAssMarine.com and vote for this video now!!

FoxNews was asking. So, the search was on.

Well, we’ve found him folks! At this time, we aren’t going to disclose his name or affiliation. But, earlier this evening my brother Matthew had a lengthy conversation with the man. After viewing other pieces of his work, and hearing Matt’s response to their conversation, you are going to be overwhelmed to hear more from this young man.

He’s already had people walk up to him in his hometown saying “you’re the guy from the internet!”. It’s all happening really fast, but we can’t wait to bring this classy gentlemen into the forefront.

More soon…

I created a new website tonight. In the light of the video I posted last year here. And due to the fact that my brother’s repost of the video made the front page of FoxNews.com. (see screenshot below) (Note, they have since replaced the link to Matt’s Youtube page with a self hosted copy of the video. UGH!!) We decided to branch out the theme of Bad Ass Marine, and create a site which could equally inspire others as this video has for us.

If you like the good ol’ USA, and want to promote and vote for the nation’s top stories, head over to BadAssMarine.com!

Notice the screenshot of the marine at the bottom.

Here’s the full text of his Spoken Word prose, titled “FREE”.

Free

and She called…
Blacks, Whites…wait
African Americans and Caucasians, Asians, excuse me.
Vietnamese, Philipenes, Koreans and Jamaicans or
Haitans, waitin’ Hispanics y’all.

Please be paitent
Mexican, Puerto Ricans, Venezualean, Cuban, v Dominican, Panamanian Democrats
I beg your pardon, you partied with the late, great Reagan?
Republican, Independent, Christian, Catholic,
Methodist, Baptist, 7th Day Adventist, 5 Percenters,
Hindu, Sunii Muslim, Brothers and Sisters who never seen the New York city
skyline when the twin towers still existed.
But still She called.

From the bowels of Ground Zero she sent this 911 distress signal.
Because She was in desperate need of a hero,
and didn’t have time to decipher what to call ‘em,
so she called ‘em all Her children.
The children of the stars and bars who needed to know nothing more than the fact that she called.
The fact that someone attempted to harm us
this daughter who covered us all with her loving arms.
And now these arms are sprawled across New York City streets.
A smoke filled lung, a silt covered faced,
and a solitary tear poured out of her cheek.
Her singed garments carpets Pennsylvania Avenue and the Pentagon was under her feet.
As she began to talk, she began to cough up small particles of debris
and said, “I am America, and I’m calling on the land of the free.”
So they answered.

All personal differences set to the side
because right now there was no time to decide which state building the Confederate flag should fly over,
and which trimester the embryo is considered alive,
or on our monetary units, and which God we should confide.
You see, someone attempted to choke the voice
of the one who gave us the right for choice,
and now she was callin.
And somebody had to answer.
Who was going to answer?

So they did.
Stern faces and chisled chins.
Devoted women and disciplined men,
who rose from the ashes like a pheonix
and said “don’t worry, we’ll stand in your defense.”
They tightened up their bootlaces
and said goodbye to loved ones, family and friends.
They tried to bombard them with the “hold on”, “wait-a-minute’s”, and “what-if’s”.
And “Daddy, where you goin?”.
And, “Mommy, why you leavin?”.
And they merely kissed them on their foreheads and said “Don’t worry, I have my reasons.
You see, to this country I pledged my allegience
to defend it against all enemies foreign and domestic.
So as long as I’m breathin, I’ll run though hell-fire,
meet the enemy on the front lines,
look him directly in his face,
stare directly in his eyes and scream,
“I AM AMERICA! WE WILL NOT BE TERRORIZED!
WE WILL NOT BE TERRORIZED!
I REFUSE TO BE AFRAID!
I’LL FIGHT YOU ANY COUNTRY, ANY CONTINENT, ANY TERRAIN.
I’LL FIGHT TO MY LAST BREATH!”

And if by chance death is my fate,
pin my medals upon my chest,
and throw Old Glory on my grave.
But, don’t y’all cry for me.
You see, my Father’s prepared a place.
I’ll be a part of his Holy army standing a watch at the Pearly Gates.
Because freedom was never free.
POW’s, and fallen soldiers
all paid the ultimate sacrafice
along side veterans who put themselves in harms way.
Risking their lives and limbs just to hold up democracy’s weight,
but still standing on them broken appendages anytime the National Anthem was played.
You see, these were the brave warriors that gave me the right
to say that I’m Black. Or white.

Or

African American or Caucasian,
I’m Asian, excuse me.
I’m Vietnamese, Philipene, Korean, or Jamaican.
I’m Haitan, Hispanic

Y’all, Please be paitent.
I’m Mexican, Puerto Rican, Venezualean, Cuban,
Dominican, Panamanian, Democrat
I beg your pardon, you see I partied with the late, great Reagan.
I’m Republican, Independent, Christian, Catholic,
Methodist, Baptist, 7th Day Adventist, 5 Percenters,
Hindu, Sunii Muslim,

Brothers and Sisters We’re just Americans.
So with that I say
“Thank You” to the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines,
for preserving my rights
to live and die for this life
and paying the ultimate price for me to be…FREE!