Remember when everyone marveled about living in the Information Age?  Oh how we delighted in scouring the internet for information on just about anything we could think of.  And there it would be waiting for us like a pie on a windowsill.

Well, that time has passed.

Now we don’t need to search for that warm information pie.  We’re fed a nonstop buffet of information based on our previous Google searches, iTunes buying history, Facebook profile, del.icio.us tags, and recently watched videos.  We even subscribe to RSS feeds and follow people on Twitter to get up-to-the minute information delivered right to us.  What’s more–it’s all on our iPhones and Blackberrys!

Some estimates reckon that by 2013 the quantity of information on the Internet will double roughly every 72 hours.  With all of this information coming from all directions how can we consume it all?  There’s just not enough time in the day!

Welcome to the Attention Age.  The Information Overload Age.  The age of human history in which information has become so abundant and readily available that attention has become the greatest commodity.

Web giants like Google and social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook created a shift in the way we consume information.  For the first time in human history, valuable, instantly-accessible, sharable information is more abundant than the resources it takes to consume it.  We live in a world in which we must ration our attention properly or we risk suffering from what Timothy Young calls “infobesity”.  We will need to learn to consume more high-quality content rather than wasting our attention on sugary YouTube videos.

To hand-hold you in this process of consuming information, Rohit Bhargava has come up with a very Attention Age job–the “Content Curator”.  A Content Curator is someone who continually finds, groups, organizes and shares the best and most relevant content on a specific issue online.

To add complication, information is quickly becoming an added layer to our reality: enter augmented reality.  While augmented reality has been used for years to demarcate the first down line in football for TV audiences, it’s now available on phones with apps like Layar and Yelp to add information to what we are currently viewing in real-life.  Technologists are working to create a future that will augment walking down the street with: reviews of restaurants, apartment listings, Facebook and Twitter statuses of passersby, points of interest, sales at shops, etc.  All viewable, real-time through a phone or goggles.

The question remains: because the amount of information readily available will continue to increase, how will we manage it?  How will we continue to integrate it into our lives?  How will it continue to complicate and ease our lives?

Just twenty years after the introduction of the World Wide Web, the Information Age has come to an end.  Rest in peace.

Thank you for your attention.

And Why You’ll Miss The Midwest–Or Not

Six months ago I moved from Kalamazoo, Michigan (it’s a real place, I promise) to my new home in the San Francisco Bay area.  This week I came back to Kalamazoo after six months and I’m reminded about the different things that I’ve come to take for granted in California that just don’t exist in Michigan.  And I’ve become reacquainted with the things that I miss about the Midwest.  Here are some common reactions to going back to the Midwest after you’ve lived in California for a while:

1. You’re shocked that you can’t find vegan food – Don’t expect to find macrobiotic restaurants with kombucha on tap in the Midwest.  If you’re on the raw food diet, you may just have to fall off the wagon.
2. You’re delighted to pay less than $10 to see a movie – You’d think that with Hollywood so close that a trip to the movie theater wouldn’t bring you to the point of Chapter 7 bankruptcy.  But it does.
3. Driving 10 miles sounds like a journey - Anticipating traffic, you’ll leave your house an hour early only to arrive at your destination in ten minutes.
4. You go on a shopping spree because the sales tax is so low – When you’re coming from 9.75% sales tax, everything seems so cheap!  It’s hard to resist!  Unless you’re in Chicago, that is.
5. You freak out when someone lights a cigarette inside – In California it’s illegal to smoke in a bar and in some places it’s illegal to smoke within a certain number of feet from an entrance.  Bad if you’re a smoker, but good if you don’t like your clothes smelling like smoke.
6. You’re scared to talk on your cell phone when driving – It’s illegal to use a phone while driving in California, but not in the Midwest, so chat away!  Unless you’re concerned about that whole safety thing.
7. You confuse people by telling them you’re from NorCal or SoCal – People think these are cities.  Avoid confusion by telling them the actual city you’re from.
8. You struggle keeping up with how quickly everyone talks – When you moved to California everyone complained that you spoke too fast, so you made an effort to slow down.  Now you have a hard time keeping up with your friends.  How’d that happen?
9. You get warm and fuzzy when someone calls it “pop” – It may be tempting to give up your “pop” roots in favor of “soda” to fit in among Californians, but you know you’ll use any excuse to call it pop.  And rightly so.
10. You’re disturbed to learn that your friend pays less than half your rent for a place twice as big - You just have to remember that you’re paying for the lifestyle.  And the Midwest has that whole winter thing.

Bonus! The number one reason you know you’re still a Midwestern when you’re in California:

1. You laugh at Californians who can’t drive when it rains - C’mon, we’ve driven in 2 feet of snow and gone faster.

Can you come up with any more?

When Will It End?

Image courtesy of Mobilissimo

On September 25, 2009 AT&T launched Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) on the iPhone–something that the iPhone had been technically capable to do for months but was not supported by the AT&T network.  The capability, available on other phones on the market for years, lead bloggers and users to exclaim, “Welcome, AT&T iPhone, to 2003“.  While iPhone users in other countries around the world–users not forced to subscribe to the AT&T network–were happily sending pictures and video to their friends, the resentment of U.S. users toward AT&T was becoming palpable.

In fact, the outrage became so intense that AT&T issued a YouTube video featuring an unknown, jittery spokesman explaining why AT&T had failed so hardcore.  The lasting impression, however, was a chiding from AT&T for iPhone users’ usage of the network.  Over 172,000 people have seen the video and instead of appeasing it’s indentured users, many openly criticized the company.  For now, AT&T has nothing to worry about because it has an exclusivity agreement with Apple which prohibits iPhone users from (legally) using any other service provider other than AT&T.  But the exclusivity agreement won’t last forever.

According to a recent study by CFI Group, 92% of iPhone users believe they have the best phone around, leading the pack in satisfaction when compared to its competition.  But while users like myself love the phone, we can’t STAND AT&T.  Given the chance, half of all iPhone users would switch to another provider. Not surprisingly, AT&T received only a 69% satisfaction rating, the lowest among service providers.  Experiencing the poor service for the first time are the 40% of all iPhone users who switched from another service provider to AT&T in order to use the iPhone, myself included.

So while we iPhone users continue to get frustrated with dropped calls in urban metropolitan areas, AT&T will spend $18 billion this year on top of the $20.1 billion it spent last year to upgrade its network–which is ironically called by AT&T spokesman Mark Siegel: “A strong, high-quality mobile broadband network. It is the nation’s fastest 3G network, now in 350 major metropolitan areas.”  AT&T does itself a great disservice by rejecting the comments and complains of its’ customers who must cope with dropped calls, a hard-to-access network, high plan fees and extra SMS costs.

And while users continue to shout their complaints into deaf ears, AT&T’s Siegel says that “The surest indication of customer satisfaction is churn.  And ours is at record-low levels. Our own internal data suggests that our iPhone customers are very satisfied with AT&T.”  Churn rate is that rate at which users switch service providers and AT&T’s is the lowest in the industry–1.09% as of July.  But will that number stay so low once the exclusivity agreement ends?  My bet is no.

It boggles my mind that AT&T has made no effort to establish itself as a brand that cares.  Where is the customer appreciation?  I was even threatened by an AT&T collection agency operator who said that I have to pay $40 for some unknown charge or it would go on my credit report.  When asked what the charge was, she couldn’t explain other than that it was a “service fee”.  I’d have to formally write my dispute in a letter and it would be reviewed.  Don’t bother to call or visit an AT&T store, she said, because they would refer me back to the collection agency.  Best to just pay the fee and move on–”You don’t want that on your credit file, just for a $40 fee,” she said.  What did I do?  Luckily, I kept the card of the guy who helped me at the AT&T store when I bought my iPhone.  I gave him a ring and told him the situation and he was able to fix the “AT&T oversight” for me in five minutes.  I called the collection agency the next day and they said it had been resolved.  Now what was that for?  To ensure that I would hate AT&T forever?  Mission accomplished.

Long story short, when the exclusivity agreement ends and I am released from my shackles to use my iPhone through any service, I don’t plan on using AT&T for anything ever again.  But how long will I have to wait?

A Sestina

By: Aaron Endré

Thin vanilla clouds hang suspended above an ocean

of deep blues and greens.  Seaweed lifelessly floats

on the breaking shoreline.  In the distance a boy builds

a castle of sand and dreams as seagulls fly overhead singing

their song of hunger and despair.  In a moment his mother

will beckon for him to come back and leave this place of wonder.

He meditates on thoughts of his sandy kings and wonders

if his life was not unlike that castle.  His mother, a deep ocean

of false fears and regrets warned him. My mother,

he told his friends, is prepared for Y2K. But his words floated

away on the humid breeze like a frail song.

There was something growing inside him that she had built.

On what was his faith and trust in her built?

Had she spoken to him some truth? he wondered.

Maybe her fears were true and the singing

and praying were not for naught.  He peered at the ocean

in its endless existence and considered floating

to some exotic place and never returning home.  Mother

would find him though.  Perhaps his mother

would notice his sudden absence and would build

an armada of rationalizations and hopes that would float

about in her mind and offer her no solace. A wondrous

place the beach is, she would tell him. Calm oceans

and no worries.  He listened and marveled at the praises she sang.

The boy considered adding a cathedral for the singing

of hymnals that had once given him comfort.  Mother

would approve of that.  But it was late and the waves of the ocean

were already creeping past the towers and regal buildings

that he presided over.  To him, it was the eighth world wonder

already being destroyed by white foam that floats

on top of the surf like a thief stealing his dreams.  It floats

like he would float: endlessly breaking apart and coming together and singing

the tunes that Mother Earth had sung to him.  The sun smiled at him in wonder

of his accomplishment this day.  But the sun was tired and Mother

Earth was beckoning him too.  The boy stood back and looked at what he built

and watched as each piece was pulled back into the dark ocean.

One day you too will float away, past this beach and past your mother,

The dying sun sang to him.  I have seen what you will build.

They are many wondrous things, like drops in this ocean.

What Are Gyms Doing?

iPhones and iPod Nanos in the gym are a common sight

Apple continues to innovate in ways that we never dreamed of just a few years ago.  With the recent launch of it’s iPod Nano with video capability and the sustained popularity iPhone models, we continue to see the death of the standalone music player.  But while as an iPhone owner I love being able to easily switch between listening to music and chatting with my friends on the same device, there comes a huge liability.

Bathrooms, Gyms, and other Non-Camera Areas

Many iPod and iPhone users (including myself) love being able to take music with them anywhere they go–including to the gym.  I’ve even spotted audiophiles plugged into their devices while standing at a urinal.  You and I would probably think nothing of it.

But imagine if you saw someone walking around a gym, bathroom, or child’s playground with a camera or camcorder.  Would you do a double take?  Avoid the person?  Confront the person?  Report them?

The reality is that as time goes on, more and more handheld devices like phones and music players will incorporate cameras and camcorders.  So while you may naively assume that the guy at the back of the gym is rocking out, he might also be taking pictures or video of the people in front of him.  What about when he takes that device into the bathroom, dressing room, or showers?

It’s not a new concern, but it’s one that gyms in particular will need to tackle as the threat of iVoyeurism continues to grow.

What is Being Done?

In short, not much.  Self-regulation and reporting suspicious behavior are the best ways to keep these areas safe for everyone.

Many gyms have for years banned cameras and camcorders for obvious reasons.  Some have gone on to ban camera phones like the iPhone.  But with the iPod line of Apple music players being ubiquitous among gym-goers and the new iPod Nano’s tiny size (less than 4″ x 2″) the hardest part becomes policing.

Some gyms–such as Life Time Fitness–have banned the iPod Nano from use within locker rooms.  It will still be allowed in the gym workout areas.

But let’s face it, while we certainly don’t want pictures or videos of us changing in locker rooms to show up online, who wants a video of them sweating like a pig on an elliptical on the web either?  Not me.

What do you think should be done to combat this problem?

Is it really one or the other?

An article today by Steven Walling entitled, “Forget Gen Y: Gen X is Making Real Change” got me thinking, why are Gen X-ers and Gen Y-ers at war in the workplace?

Walling’s article is nothing more than an attempt to bully and patronize Gen Y-ers into thinking that their Gen X bosses are more valuable.  False.

Walling cites a new Forrester survey that suggests that Gen X (those aged 30-43) are leading the way in their company to adopt social media technology and are the fastest-growing demographic among social media users.  What he leaves out is that Gen Y (those aged 10-29) was the fastest-growing demographic–in fact, the only demographic–back 5 years ago.  Now that nearly all of Gen Y (96% according to some reports) is on social media, we’ve plateaud.

I joined Facebook in March of 2005.  My Mom joined a couple of years later, followed by everyone else in the world.  Including my 85-year old grandmother.  But not the other way around, as Walling would suggest: “A favorite argument … is that the youngest demographic is more adept with technology.  The idea of Millennials at the vanguard of innovation … is a myth.”

Walling neglects the notion that it was Gen Y-ers who influenced their Gen X bosses, friends, and family members to check out social media.  Indeed, many of the Gen X and above crowd may find it impossible to reach Gen Y-ers though any other means besides social media–because to Gen Y, email is dead.

Not shockingly, Walling hails Gen X as the people who actually create change within the company to adopt social media technology (therefore you should “forget Gen Y”).  But let’s face it, without hearing about these technologies by Gen Y-ers–many of which were created by Gen Y-ers (like Facebook, whose founder Mark Zuckermen, was born in 1984)–there would be nothing to make into a reality.  And nothing to praise Gen X for.

As Walling says, it’s all about the clout.  Gen X is older and more experienced, and are therefore more likely to be managers.  Gen Y is largely still in the internship/entry-level stage of their career and won’t have that “clout”.  Therefore, they take their ideas to their boss, who takes it to his or her boss, etc. etc. etc.

I’ve lived this reality. Let me paint you a picture:

Me: “I discovered a great social media tool.”
Gen X boss: “I’m skeptical. Show me the ROI.”
Me: Writes a report detailing usage, application, and ROI.
Gen X boss: “Looks great. Let me take this to Baby Boomer CEO.”
Baby Boomer CEO: “Great, Gen X boss. Let’s get this rolling.”

I had the idea and knowledge. My Gen X boss had the authority and ear of the CEO.  Together, we made it a reality.

The only thing that Walling and I agree on is this: “Even if Gen Y was significantly better at using social software, it wouldn’t matter at this point.”  And it doesn’t.  What matters is utilizing the ideas and creativity of Gen Y-ers and the strategical, decision-making “clout” that Gen X possesses.  It’s not a competition.  It’s collaboration.

Cool video that describes the Social Media Revolution:

And she’s singin’ “A Song For You”

Seldom do stars rise–so gallantly–from such astonishing personal and career lows.  But then, seldom are there stars like Whitney Houston.  And this new Whitney comes back swinging.

Under normal circumstances I would never consider doing an album review but I as I mentioned above, we’re talking about Whitney.  And I was pleasantly surprised that I found myself listening to “I Look To You” on loop.

Download IMMEDIATELY:

“A Song For You” — 5 stars. I didn’t like it at first, but now that I’ve listened to it, oh, 50 times, I’ve come to appreciate everything about it.  At the 2:50 mark Whitney kicks it into high gear and tears it up.  I can’t wait for the dance remixes.

“Million Dollar Bill” — 4 stars. This song didn’t catch me at first, but after a couple of times hearing it, and with a drink in my hand I had the overwhelming urge to dance.  The next day–and every day since–I couldn’t stop myself from humming the tune.

“I Look To You” — 4 stars. This is the power ballad of the album.  I like the song, but I like the uptempo songs better.

“Like I Never Left” – 4 stars.  Collaboration with Akon.  What’s not to love?

Before and After pics:

22 years of aging never looked better.  And 20 years of crack and Bobby Brown at that.

“

"I Look To You" - 2009

"Whitney" - 1987

It’s In Our Nature

Being French has always been in vogue.  Slap a couple of accent marks on something like an Olay bodywash and suddenly you’re paying $2 more for perceived luxury.  What do we call high fashion?  Haute Couture.  The best, most luxurious cut of steak?  Filet mignon.  The best type of kiss?  The French kiss.  You get the idea.  We just can’t help but think that the French are just un petit cut above the rest.

While we may over-romanticize France, I was not disappointed when I visited France last winter.  Thus, it seems that everyone I know is equipped with this bizarre, overly-romanticized fantasy (or fear, depending on your side of the aisle) about the most luxurious brand of man: the Frenchmen.  The polished, handsome man who nonchalantly sweeps us off our feet and leaves us captivated and hanging on every word.  The man who models the very idea of perfection.

I, too, am afflicted with this fantasy, and it was not allayed when I became friends with a Frenchman this summer who, accidentally (he was not of my inclination, after all), had me fascinated and transfixed whenever he spoke.  Was it the French accent?  Was it that he-like all Frenchmen-are acutely aware of exactly what to wear to bring out that certain je ne sais quoi?  Was it the tales of exotic travels and seemingly impossible adventures that were brushed off as almost too common and passé for him to mention?

Who knows…but least we have company.  I discovered today that we humans are not alone in our love for the French. Yeboeh, a 12-year old French gorilla is being transferred from Paris–the city of love–to a zoo in England.  The three female gorillas in England, who have been rendered widows after the death of their silverback last December, were shown a poster of the Frenchie who may, just may, sweep them off their hairy feet.  Their reaction upon being given the poster of their soon-to-be beau?  CNN reports:

“One female gorilla shrieked in delight, while another wedged the poster in a tree to stare at it.  A third, clearly overcome by emotion, held the photo close to her chest — then ate it.”

So maybe it’s just part of who we are.  Thousands, even millions of years of evolution can’t stop us.  We just love to love the French.  C’est la vie.

By: Aaron Endré

Stone blockades crash into earth, twirling and dipping
fairytales of people’s lives and hugging gelatinous fog.
It ain’t so bad, miss.   Died real good.  Does anyone die good?  Merengue.
Black cat tears hit the ground running.  Cha-Cha.  Who got the money, anyway?
Wander the dingy catacombs of her heart made of skulls.  Mambo.
Was there even enough to perform an autopsy?  When a plane crashes
don’t we feel the ground shrug it off?  Laying white buds down, gulping fermented
buds down.  Tango.  Shy away.  Yes, she does look very life-like.
Tomorrow making tortillas she’ll wonder if she was ever there
at all.  Tonight, Día de los Muertos, in spiderweb veil, she fandagoes.

By: Aaron Endré

When I bent down to pick up a fallen cherry blossom
I could feel the virus crawling through my veins
on its bloodied hands and  knees.  I could feel it

I will plant the annuals with love and empathy
and hope for an early bloom.

Note: In this poem I tried to imagine what it might be like to live with HIV/AIDS. While I do not live with the disease myself, I am a strong advocate for HIV/AIDS research, awareness and prevention. Get tested!