I created a brand new account in Facebook, tying it to an email address that was never used in Facebook. The second screen of the registration process (Find Friends) is a filled with a list of people that I have corresponded with from that previously private email address. HOW THE HELL DID IT KNOW I CORRESPOND WITH THESE PEOPLE? HOW DID IT GENERATE THIS LIST OF PRIVATE CONTACTS? 

If you don’t see me on Facebook after today, don’t be surprised.

I’ve been listening to CNET’s Buzz Out Loud podcast for a few years now. When I started listening, the co-hosts were Molly Wood and Tom Merritt with Veronica Belmont as the producer. The cast has changed over time. Veronica left and Jason Howell took over as producer. In late 2008, Buzz Out Loud brought in “rotating guest hosts.”  In early 2009 Natali Del Conte, one of the frequent guest hosts, replaced Molly as co-host. Since that change there has been a ongoing debate about who is better: Natali or Molly.

I think that all of the Buzz Out Loud co-hosts, full-time or guest, are talented. Each one offers a different perspective and personality. More importantly, each combination creates a different dynamic for the group. I’ve been trying to find a good way to sum up how I feel about the various “team members.” Then it occurred to me, I’ll use the analogy of the beloved star players from the championship Chicago Bulls. This is how I see the Buzz Out Loud Team:

• Rafe Needleman = Tony Kukoc
  Rafe is a great supporting player.
• Brian Cooley = Dennis Rodman
  Brian is controversial, to say the least.
• Natali Del Conte = John Paxson
  Natali is a great point person but a little bland when compared to the rest.
• Tom Merritt = Scotty Pippen
  Tom is the well rounded, all-knowing, go-to-guy on the team.
• Molly Wood = Michael Jordan
  Molly is the one with all the amazing shots (i.e. rants, commentary, opinions and perspective)
• Jason Howell = Phil Jackson
  Jason orchestrates the whole thing.

No doubt that some will agree with me, while others disagree. Let me know your thoughts via comments below.

~ Posted by Al Degutis

During Apple’s Q2 earnings report conference call yesterday they were asked about Apple’s interest in the netbook market. Tim Cook, COO, responded with the following. I’ve highlighted the anti-netbook comments in red and the pro-netbook type-device in blue.

For us, it’s about doing great products. And when I look at what is being sold in the netbook space today, I see cramped keyboards, terrible software, junky hardware, very small screens, and just not a consumer experience, and not something that we would put the Mac brand on quite frankly. And so, it’s not a space as it exists today that we are interested in, nor do we believe that customers in the long term would be interested in. It’s a segment we would choose not to play in.

That said, we do look at the space and are interested to see our customers’ respond to it. People that want a small computer so to speak that does browsing and e-mail, might want to buy an iPod Touch or they might want to buy an iPhone. And so, we have other products to accomplish some of what people are buying netbooks for and so, in that particular way we play in an indirect basis.

And then of course, if we find a way where we can deliver an innovative product that really makes a contribution, then we will do that and we have some interesting ideas in the space. The product pipeline is fantastic for the Mac. We are – as we look back over the last four plus years, 17 of the 18 quarters of the last four-and-a-half years, we’ve exceeded the market rate of growth.

My interpretation is that Apple is developing a new device, a mini tablet using the rumored 10″ touch screens. The real question is when will they announce it?

Posted by Al Degutis

I love this parody of the Microsoft Laptop Hunters commercials (Lauren, Lisa and Jackson).

I like Twitter (see this video that explains Twitter). I use it as a means of communication with my immediate family. I have also plugged into it as a source of news. Initially I was interested in tech news, comments, rumors, etc. While tech info is still a primary interest, I found myself expanding the people I follow o Twitter to others I found interesting regardless if they are marketers, lawyers, librarians, etc. Using TweetDeck I am able to follow a good number (albeit a relatively small number compared to hardcore Twitter users) of diverse people and grouping them into different categories. Using this approach I have a Family & Friends group, a Tech Heads group, and a Locals group which includes people from the Chicagoland, Rockford and southeast Wisconsin.

These groups allow me to see what’s going on in tech, in business and in the local area. It allowed me to get a feel for the extent of a recent power outage in McHenry county. When ex-Illinois governor “Blago” was impeached my Locals group was abuzz with the news.

Twitter is a great way for me to get regional, national and tech news. If I’m at a computer, I’ll typically have it running so I can stay plugged in. If I need to work without distraction I’ll turn it off, but I do feel disconnected.

Posted by Al Degutis (aka Frumpa on Twitter)

Twitter is a great, when it works. All it takes is a Steve Jobs keynote or a Presidential Inauguration to bring out the infamous Fail Whale. Unfortunately Twitter’s approach to deal with its up-time issues is to reduce functionality and limit developer access as explained in this Webware article.

The solution to fixing Twitter’s reliability and still allow developers to support its users is simple: Google should buy Twitter.

Why Google? No other company has the capacity to server up millions of people. Even the mighty Microsoft quickly ran out of bandwidth or server capacity to accommodate all the people interested in downloading released the Windows 7 Beta. Only Google can serve the masses reliably.

I like Twitter. I’d like to see some new features such as group messaging. I don’t want to see developers throttled. Unfortunately, Twitter cannot fix this problem themselves. They need Google.

~Posted by Al Degutis

Google’s new web browser, Chrome, has been designed to be fast. How fast is it? Here are the results of a Javascript testing between Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer 7.

The Javascript speed test used is here.

Chrome also did better (overall) in this test.

Robert Scoble also tweeted the results of his quick memory test: “Chrome memory utilization? 61,548 (with Google Reader loaded). Firefox? 215,220 with just Twitter (which takes far less memory). Chrome wins”

Jeff Hicks tweeted his memory test: “Same 3 tabs open in FF and Chrome. Chrome workingset is 105MB and FF is 62MB, that’s including plugins I’m sure.”

Walt Mossberg has posted his review of Chrome here.

So the jury is still out on memory usage, but it looks like Google Chrome is off to a good start with performance.

I’m looking forward to the availability of the Mac OS X version. 

Posted by Al Degutis

I’m a beta-whore. I tried to categorize myself as a beta tester, an early adopter, and various other, nicer labels but my wife insists that “beta-whore” fits best.  I enjoy technology and feel my jack-of-all-trades skills can be beneficial in a beta test.  I sign up for many beta programs and devote more time to some and less to others.

A trend I’m seeing is development by newbies.  I don’t mean people new to development/programming, but people who are unfamiliar with using external testers.  Based on my experiences, here are a few pointers for those considering the use of beta testers.

1. Set goals – Are there any specific areas you’d like to have tested?  What has changed since the last  alpha or beta version?  You may not have a list of items for the testers (e.g. if you’re trying to determine how intuitive an app/service is) but if you do, let them know.
2. Set a timeline – How long is the beta period?  One week, one month, one Google-beta (i.e. indefinitely)?  Give the testers a timeframe on when to report issues they uncover (e.g. as they occur, once a day, once a week, etc).  Keep in mind that beta testers have lives and jobs outside of testing your app/service.
   
3. Define how you want feedback - Should the beta testers email you with their findings?  Do you have a forum or GetSatisfaction page set up?  Be clear and upfront.
4. Don’t rush the beta period - Understandably, you want to get the app/service out there but broken software does more harm than good.  At the same time don’t be a Google.  I believe that short beta periods (e.g. 24-48 hours) are too short to be useful.
   
5. Pick good beta testers – Sure, I’d like to beta test a lot of apps and services, but that does not make me the right choice.  Be as selective as you can.  If you’re running back-to-back beta periods, be sure to include/invite people that have provide valuable feedback in the past.  If a beta tester’s first actions is to blog that they’re beta testing something, their interests may be self-indulgent.  Beta testers should be helping make the app/service better.
6. Invite me to be a beta tester - Sure it may contradict #5, but you won’t know until I’ve had a chance to beta test your app/service.

Post by Al Degutis

In the last three weeks I’ve spotted three of the Smart ForTwo cars, at least I think it was three. Two of them were on the I90 toll road near Chicago and looked like this:

Image take with my iPhone through
a dirty front windshield

The third one appeared to be a convertible Smart ForTwo, but I’m not sure they make convertibles. It was going in the opposite direction so I didn’t have a lot of time to check it out, or even snap a pic.

Charlie Anzman spotted a couple of these cars in Central PA.

- Al Degutis

I was on the phone trying to get in touch with the Customer Service group of Other World Computing about an order. As is too common nowadays, they use an automated phone menu system, but this one forces you to talk to it which I particularly don’t like.  I had to grab my voice recorder to capture this after my first attempt:

Customer Service phone call attempt (MP3)

Ironically, in a different part of the menu it did have the option to “customer service.” Unfortunately, I had stopped recording and wasn’t going to go back into menu hell to capture it.

- Al Degutis