Peter Oakes of Pacific Crest Media

Recently, I had the chance to sit down and interview the producer / director of the independent feature film, The Bill Collector Movie. I asked several questions about the making of The Bill Collector Movie and about alternative methods of distribution for independent filmmakers including YouTube Rentals. You can read that interview at examiner.com where I publish articles relevant to the Sacramento, CA region. Or, if you prefer you can listen to the podcast of the interview.

Listen to the interview with Peter Oakes – producer & director of The Bill Collector Movie:

Virtual reality 3D model of a human body

I spend a lot of time thinking about the year 2058. I was asked why and this was my response:

I think about 2058 because at one time I was pretty certain I was going to live until age 90. I’d be 90 in 2058. I still wonder if I’ll see the year 2058 and if I am alive will I be free of dementia to really know what’s going on?

Or will I see 2058 as someone else if there is such a thing as reincarnation?

Will the earth still be around? Or will it have been sucked into the vortex of a solar flare (since there is a hole the size of Texas now in the earth’s electro-magnetic field we may not have the same level of protection from solar flares – the really big ones that happen every 26,000 years….)

Or will someone finally lose it and set off the nukes?

If the earth IS still around, will it be inhabitable?

And I get really excited when I think of the technological advances that are possible over the next few decades. Look where we’ve come just over the last 100 years. Will we actually have microchips in every human? Will we have nano-cameras that can be released within the body to help diagnose disease? Will RFID chips be commonplace? National ID cards? Will there be flying vehicles by then? Or at least the first prototypes available to the public? Will we be able to order new body parts like hearts, lungs, discs, joints, etc. as if we were ordering replacement parts for our vehicles? In other words, will we finally figure out how to overcome the rejection process that so many people go through after an organ transplant? Should we? Just because we can do certain things, doesn’t mean we should…. where will stem cell research be? Cloning?

When we look back will we think about the iPod, the iPhone, and the iPad with the same nostalgia as my grandparents cherished their Victrola phonograph?

Will nursing homes be blasting techno and rap music instead of big band or instrumentals?

And on and on … but you see where my mind goes and why I don’t sleep at night! ;0

In response, a friend sent me this really cool link about deep thinkers and their take on the year 2058. Enjoy!

Now before I say what I’m about to say, let me immediately establish the following:

I’m an Apple fan-grrl. Have been for years. I wax poetic about all things Apple. And I think Steve Jobs is brilliant and a master at what he does, albeit no one gets anything accomplished without a team. [Remember this it's important later].

And I want to say I am sincerely sorry for the health issues Jobs has had to deal with.

Having said that, is Steve Jobs losing it? Is he going from cool cat to crazy cat? Are the pressures of running Apple and ill-health taking a toll?

There’s no question, Jobs is sending out a big F You to Adobe, Google, Gizmodo, Mac OS X developers, and even iPad customers with the LIFETIME limit of 2 per person [or not - it's ummmm not clear].

Adobe Flash: I’ll be the first one to say I can’t stand Flash and as a Web Developer refuse to create websites in Flash. Adobe Flash is a resource hog and prone to a litany of issues that have all be discussed before. And I do agree with what Steve Jobs writes in his letter to customers and critics outlining why Adobe Flash is not available on the iPhone, iTouch, or iPad.

Steve Jobs has never been one to hold back on what he’s thinking and this is no exception: “About Adobe: They are lazy, Jobs says. They have all this potential to do interesting things but they just refuse to do it. They don’t do anything with the approaches that Apple is taking, like Carbon. Apple does not support

Flash because it is so buggy, he says. Whenever a Mac crashes more often than not it’s because of Flash. No one will be using Flash, he says. The world is moving to HTML5.

However, also significant and not to be ignored is the fact that Adobe Systems Inc. won a Best of Show Vidy Award at NAB 2010 in Las Vegas this April. I think that’s pretty significant. And it could mean that Adobe’s Flash is not going away any time soon. Perhaps Adobe is innovating and creating software that will keep up with the future demands of mobile technology. I’m not convinced yet. I’m going to have to use it and see it implemented. Nevertheless, it’s worth noting.

As we know, the Jobs – Google cat fight has been ongoing beginning with the Google Voice app being rejected from the App Store and ramping up with Google’s CEO Eric Schmidt stepping down from Apple’s Board of Directors. At first we thought maybe Jobs and Google’s Schmidt were going to kiss and make up, as they were seen having a seemingly friendly chat outside a cafe in Palo Alto in March.

But tensions are still running high with Jobs saying Google’s ‘Don’t Be Evil’ mantra is ‘Bullshit’ and if you want to watch porn well then, buy an Android phone because Apple just isn’t that trashy.

“On Google: We did not enter the search business, Jobs said. They entered the phone business. Make no mistake they want to kill the iPhone. We won’t let them, he says. Someone else asks something on a different topic, but there’s no getting Jobs off this rant. I want to go back to that other question first and say one more thing, he says. This don’t be evil mantra: “It’s bullshit.” Audience roars.

Steve Job’s response via email to a customer’s inquiry: “…we do believe we have a moral responsibility to keep porn off the iPhone. Folks who want porn can buy and [sic] Android phone.”

And next up Apple just bought Siri – which is a direct shot over the bow at Google’s voice-activated computing as reported in the New York Times yesterday.

Okay well… Adobe and Google are outsiders, you argue. It’s understandable because it’s Us vs. Them. As if…

Next up, Steve Jobs seems to have snubbed his own Mac OS X developers and iPad customers.

As reported by PCWorld, Apple drops Mac category from Apple Design Awards for the 2010 Worldwide Developers Conference. “I think it’s a mistake for Apple to miss such an easy opportunity to acknowledge Mac developers,” says Red Sweater Software proprietor Daniel Jalkut. “While the iPhone and iPad are understandably hot right now, the Mac is still a huge part of Apple’s business, and Mac developers are important in sustaining that.”

OUCH! I am left to sadly shake my head asking WHY??? WHY??? WHY would you do that, Mr. Jobs? (Okay everyone, say it with me – “No one gets anything accomplished without a team!”)

And I have to admit I was more than a little unnerved when it was reported that you could actually be banned for a LIFETIME from buying iPads. No really… apparently if you piss Apple off enough (even unwittingly) even YOU oh faithful Apple fan-boi or fan-grrl will be turned out onto the street and banished from the land of Apple.

Okay to be fair, perhaps Apple was just trying to prevent price gouging and trying to protect the unwitting consumers of such nefarious activity. Or maybe there was some international debauchery going on that we weren’t privy to. I mean after all, the iPad was even banned in Israel for God’s sake! (Maybe literally).

But there still seems to be a grey area about the limit of two and the lifetime ban and what all that really means. I legitimately bought two iPads after standing in line on release day. One for myself and one for a family member. In reality, my intentions as an early adopter were to just be able to experience this new, sexy technological wonder for about a month, then sell it and buy the Wi-Fi + 3G version when that one was released. But now I have a little reservation. Will I be banned from Apple if I buy another one? Will I be able to plead my case explaining my Apple addiction is harming no one but my bank account?

So what is it these days where it seems that Jobs is at odds with everyone?

It’s one thing to say, Okay… competition is a good thing. We’re going to build the best product out there and show people why they want to by our gadget x instead of their gadget y.

It’s quite another to publicly go for the throat of anyone who even slightly poses a threat of any kind.

It’s one thing to say, We really want to focus our attention on the iPhone, the iPad and the future of mobile computing, but let’s take a moment to give kudos where due and give a hand to all our hardworking Mac OS X developers who have had to take a back seat recently. They deserve recognition to.

It’s quite another to just snub them and drop them altogether from the upcoming 2010 WWDC. Ummmmm… de-motivational at minimum.

It’s one thing to stop people from buying 50 iPads on release day knowing they’re going to show up on eBay faster than someone can say “scalping”…

It’s quite another to have some kind of vague policy that leaves one scratching one’s head in confusion trying to figure out if some crime against Apple has been committed.

Now I know I’m oversimplifying things and there’s a cut-throat world out there that doesn’t play by the rules. Trade secrets and patents get stolen. Intellectual property leaks outside of determined boundaries. A young man’s drunken frivolity and irresponsibility have far-reaching consequences.

I have no illusions that we ARE all going to just get along or that we’re all going to join hands around a fire and sing Kumbaya. Life’s not fair. I get it.

Something I have learned though… is you don’t get very far in life alienating everyone around you. None of us gets very far with the “I’ll do it my damn self” attitude. Because believe me, sooner or later you’re going to need help with something and if all you hear are crickets in the background when you call out for help… well… eh hem… as I said before – no one gets anything accomplished without a team.

Nevertheless, it seems to me that Jobs is creating (or at least not squelching) a public relations nightmare for Apple. Just months ago, all the headlines were about the latest firmware or software innovations from Apple, people breathlessly speculating about some new shiny gadget or new apps. These days the majority of headlines seem to be about one cat fight or another with Steve Jobs, claws bared, center stage.

Are we going to find out he’s crazy like a fox and he has been right? That he was the only one with some cajones to call it like it is while others just look down whistling dragging their toe in the dirt?

Or will all the stunningly breath-taking technological innovations of the past decade fall into a heap of dust with Steve Jobs being remembered not as a … but just as that cat who went crazy?

I guess only time will tell.

So Google just released Google Earth for Google Maps. While playing around with this new gem of functionality, I decided to go back in time.

Here’s our house in England. Front window on the left is the bedroom my sister and I shared back in the 70s. =)

View Larger Map

How absolutely amazing that I can take a virtual trip down memory lane! I’m actually able to virtually *walk* around my old neighborhood and it’s just like being there again!

6 reasons why the iPad could be the ‘Star Wars’ of tablet computing :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Andy Ihnatko.

Since the iPad was on the horizon, I’ve had the almost daily argument with myself, “Should I?” “Shouldn’t I?” “Get an iPad? Or not…?” “Yes?” “No.” “Wait and see?” “Wait in line…”

And which one? The entry level iPad that’s 16GB and Wi-Fi only? Or the big dog that’s fully equipped and has an *enormous* 64GB drive…?

Am I willing to pay my arch-nemesis AT&T yet another chunk of change for yet another data plan? How important is having a 3G enabled iPad?

This article by Andy Ihnatko has me in the “need to get one” mood again. We’ll see where I am by the time the iPad is officially released.

NewsFactor Network | Twitter Hits 50M Tweets a Day as Cybercriminals Watch.

Same ole, same ole…. if it sounds too good to be true…

What’s fascinating is the phenomenal growth of Twitter! Flash in the pan fad? Or is Twitter here to stay for awhile?

MySpace Logo

After Numerous Shake-Ups, is MySpace Dying?

I used to be a pretty heavy MySpace user. In fact, MySpace has at times played a very significant role in my life and I have met some very interesting people because of MySpace. But, I have to say I’ve all but forgotten about it these days. It’s full of crap I just don’t care about anymore. And it’s annoying. Trying to visit someone’s page is a nightmare of automatically looping music I don’t necessarily want to hear, and trying to find information in the mile long heap of thrown together images and *bling* means I just close the page and forget about it. I don’t even visit MySpace via the web anymore. Once every couple weeks I may use my iPhone app to check if I have any mail or friend requests.

There’s no doubt that MySpace was revolutionary. They, at one time, defined social networking and interacting via the internet. But it seems MySpace may have reached it’s EOL. Sorry MySpace, you just don’t have anything exciting to offer anymore.

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Update: Wal-Mart Confirms Plans to Buy Vudu

“Wal-Mart on Monday confirmed that it will purchased online movie service Vudu for an undisclosed sum.

The deal is expected to close in the next several weeks.”

So, is Wal-Vudu going to try to compete with Netflix? Hulu? iTunes? Okay… maybe not iTunes… But the obvious goal is media content delivery through internet-connected TVs and blue-ray players (Sony PS3).

Wal-Mart tried to compete with Netflix back in 2002. But were out of the market by 2005. Looks like they are back again.

The article states: “Vudu currently has a library of 16,000 movies and licensing deals with almost every major studio, as well as independent distributors.” Steve Jobs is going after the same thing I thought… but it’s still a little murky to me. And Vudu’s 16,000 titles pales in comparison to Netflix’s 100,000. Then again, all 100,00 titles are not internet viewable via streaming, so the actual comparison might be quite a bit closer.

All I know for certain is that internet TV is the future. Media, whether television, movies, newspapers, magazines, books, music, podcasts, etc. will all be consumed via the internet.

As technology continues to develop at stunning rates and the broadband backbone continues to expand we’ll expect to be able to digest our world in 1s and 0s.

Lying on the floor last night after my back seized up and gave out on me again, I had time to contemplate my options (or more accurately lack thereof) in between Lamaze-type breathing exercises to focus during the pain.

In 2003 I ended up on the floor in very much the same fashion. I couldn’t get up. Yep… in my 30s I had fallen and couldn’t get up. Long story short, I went to a hospital and after about six months of physical therapy, pain medication, and whatever else my docs told me to do I ended up in an emergency microdiscectomy with partial laminectomy. My primary care doc, Dr. Daniel Lumien (best GP I’ve ever known) and my neurosurgeon, Dr. Roderick Lamond were stellar. I was also fortunate because back then in 2003 and 2004 I had health coverage. Quite a luxury.

Dr. Lamond explained, among other things, that this surgery would buy me up to ten years. But another surgery was inevitable because, as he put it, my lumbar spine was collapsing like a row of dominoes. We discussed this as we both looked over all my x-rays and MRIs. At that time, I was on my way to medical school, so I was full of questions and Dr. Lamond was gracious enough to answer them all.

Well here I am in 2010 and again I find myself on the floor. I’ve been through all this before. I know the M.O. Only this time… I’m one of the approximately uninsured 46 million Americans. So here I am on the floor knowing the clock is ticking, my spine is collapsing, my discs are disintegrating, the pain is blinding and….. I’m f—ed. Because there’s not a damn thing I can do but wait until it’s so bad I can’t take it and have to make another uninsured trip to the emergency room where, no doubt, I’ll get pain meds but surgery to correct the problem is out of the question.

So how did a former anatomy, physiology, and general biology instructor for the University of Colorado – Denver, a former English as a Second Language and Spanish instructor, a former med school candidate, a former deputy sheriff for Sacramento County get here you may ask? I had drive, I had commitment, I had goals, I graduated top of my class with honors. I was going places. And yet, here I am — one of the uninsured.

So, it’s with great interest (but zero hope) that I watch the health care debate. And woke this morning to a New York Times article entitled “Obama Details Plan to Expand Health Care to Uninsured.” The title of the article sounds great. But it’s always the fine print that destroys the facade.

Here are my initial thoughts after reading the article.

The article states, “The White House projects that the bill would extend coverage to 31 million people who are currently uninsured…” So what about the other approximately 15 million uninsured? Namely self-employed that this health care reform doesn’t include.

Obama’s proposed plan includes “expanding coverage to the uninsured while driving down health premiums and imposing what the White House calls “common sense rules of the road” for insurers, including ending the unpopular practice of discriminating against people with pre-existing conditions…” and will provide regulations to stop insurance companies from raping consumers “by cutting spending and reining in waste and fraud.”

Again, in theory, this sounds great. But what is the reality here? There will still be millions uninsured.

…”the White House would help all states absorb the cost of the Medicaid expansion from 2014, when it begins, until 2017.”

So, we’re looking at at least four to five years AFTER any type of new legislation is passed before even seeing any initial tentative results in the health care industry overhaul.

“[Obama] opted for the Senate’s proposal to create state-based insurance exchanges, or marketplaces, rather than a single national exchange as proposed by the House.”

I recently listened to a great show (via podcast) hosted by Ira Glass, “This American Life” from Chicago Public Radio about why insurance company competition in this fashion will cause more problems rather than providing a solution.

Generally speaking, more competition means higher quality goods for less money, right? Not in the case of health coverage from competing insurance companies. Listen to Ira Glass’ show “Someone else’s Money” to understand why. “Someone Else’s Money” originally aired 16 October 2009 and is available via podcast, or by the iPhone app “This American Life.”

So now what?

I think it’s inevitable that, unlike the valiant attempt during the Clinton administration, health care reform will be passed this time in some iteration. But it will be a far cry from being anything useful and it will take many years, maybe even a couple more decades before significant changes are seen that actually benefit the American people, insured, underinsured, and uninsured. But perhaps that’s all we can hope for, tiny, unsure, speculative steps hopefully in the right direction.