As a long time Windows developer, I've come to love Microsoft developer tools. Nothing is more satisfying that firing up a copy of Visual Studio and almost immediately being productive. The tool gets out of your way. It helps you where you need help and stays pretty silent and in the corner otherwise. Development tools like Visual Studio are definitely one of the many things Microsoft does very right.
There are times, like now for example, where I need to be cross-platform. I want to not only develop cross-platform code but I want the ability to work on any platform I choose: Windows now, Linux tonight. Unfortunately, the minute I step out of the Windows world, I wave a sad goodbye to my old friend Visual Studio and my productivity goes sharply down.
Don't get me wrong, I can code C# and VB.NET by hand if I have to as easily as I can hand code HTML when I have to so the problem isn't that I don't understand the technology. The problem is that Visual Studio takes the headache out of the trivial stuff like UI design, and allows the developer to focus on creating the solution and banging out the business logic.
Visual Studio has it.
MonoDevelop, SharpDevelop, etc don't.
I don't expect Microsoft to do a full port of Visual Studio complete with compilers, linkers, and all the bells and whistles to Linux. They don't have to. Mono provides all those things and they are just as easy to use. What I would like to see is Microsoft port the Visual Studio designer to Linux, thereby allowing developers to walk between both worlds with ease and no lost productivity.
Don't get me wrong, I understand their reasons for not doing this but I think it would not only be an incredible new revenue stream for the company but final proof that Microsoft really wants to change the tech landscape for the better, regardless of what your platform is. It would be a proverbial olive branch that would go a long way in uniting the Windows and Linux worlds under the common Microsoft flag.
It would totally kick ass too.
Really...
Yeah...
I'm just sayin'
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Thursday, November 6, 2008
I'm giving away $5,000. Want it?
About six months ago, my small team and I developed a technology that would allow retailers to serve their customers better, reduce staffing costs, and better control their inventory. We've tested it heavily and it works very well. We've even spoken to a few small local stores and they love it (though, because of the nature of their operations, can't use it).
Now, we believe that the technology is ready for the national scene; a big name retailer who really wants to throw down the gauntlet to the competition. Of course, my company is no focused on something totally different and our sales team doesn't have the experience with the product to properly push it.
So, I'm turning to you, the community, for help and I'm willing to pay for it. Here's the deal:
I need a meeting with someone who has the authority to buy or is one step removed from the buyer at one of the large big box chains in the USA. It can be Walmart, KMart, whatever, I don't care, I just want to get this technology into their hands.
Now, here's the $5k part: if this meeting results in a sale, I'll give you $5,000 to $7,000 as a way to say thank you. And I'm willing to do this for every single retailer you can bring to me that closes the sale.
All-in-all, it's a good deal. 15-30 minutes of your time for five to seven thousand dollars.
Now, I'm sure you'll want to know more before you jump in so please feel free to either contact me by email at papillion@gmail.com or by phone at (918) 926-0139. I'll tell you more about what we've done. Also, if you're an investor, we are totally open to fully monetizing this project apart from OpenEMR.
Thanks guys!
Now, we believe that the technology is ready for the national scene; a big name retailer who really wants to throw down the gauntlet to the competition. Of course, my company is no focused on something totally different and our sales team doesn't have the experience with the product to properly push it.
So, I'm turning to you, the community, for help and I'm willing to pay for it. Here's the deal:
I need a meeting with someone who has the authority to buy or is one step removed from the buyer at one of the large big box chains in the USA. It can be Walmart, KMart, whatever, I don't care, I just want to get this technology into their hands.
Now, here's the $5k part: if this meeting results in a sale, I'll give you $5,000 to $7,000 as a way to say thank you. And I'm willing to do this for every single retailer you can bring to me that closes the sale.
All-in-all, it's a good deal. 15-30 minutes of your time for five to seven thousand dollars.
Now, I'm sure you'll want to know more before you jump in so please feel free to either contact me by email at papillion@gmail.com or by phone at (918) 926-0139. I'll tell you more about what we've done. Also, if you're an investor, we are totally open to fully monetizing this project apart from OpenEMR.
Thanks guys!
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Last night, our country changed
Last night, our country turned a corner. We came out of the darkness of hundreds of years of inequality and oppression and boldly and decisively stepped into a new world. One where fears, doubts, and half-truths no longer rule our collective psyche but rather one where hope for a better tomorrow has once again been ignited within Ronald Regan's "City on a Hill". Last night, almost 100 million people spoke with one voice, one will, and one purpose:
To elect Barack H. Obama the 44th President of the United States of America.
Those of you who've followed both this blog and my Twitter feed know I have not been a fan of Barack Obama. There are numerous reasons why I don't trust him at face value and I worry about what his election means for our country. But last night was special. Last night was our country moving forward. Last night was one of the most powerfully moving nights of my entire life.
Politics aside, President-Elect Obama has already delivered on his promise of change and hope. The very fact that an African-American man from humble beginnings could rise to take the most powerful office in the land is a testament to his own courage, the power of his message, and the hope of a country. It shows that America is capable of reinventing itself and growing. It shows that we are not the nation we once were. It shows that a single person acting with conviction, dedication, and purpose, can effect change on a global scale.
No, I don't agree with much of Barack Obama's politics. But, for this day, I don't care. Today is a day for celebration. Today is a day to heal our collective national wounds.
Today, by the sheer force of American will, our country changed.
And I find it hard, even with my opposing political views, to believe that the election of Sen. Barack Obama was in any way a bad thing.
Indeed, I refuse to believe it.
Congratulations Sen. Obama! You fought a long and honorable war and you've come out victorious. And I do believe that, because of you, this country will emerge victorious once again very soon.
To elect Barack H. Obama the 44th President of the United States of America.
Those of you who've followed both this blog and my Twitter feed know I have not been a fan of Barack Obama. There are numerous reasons why I don't trust him at face value and I worry about what his election means for our country. But last night was special. Last night was our country moving forward. Last night was one of the most powerfully moving nights of my entire life.
Politics aside, President-Elect Obama has already delivered on his promise of change and hope. The very fact that an African-American man from humble beginnings could rise to take the most powerful office in the land is a testament to his own courage, the power of his message, and the hope of a country. It shows that America is capable of reinventing itself and growing. It shows that we are not the nation we once were. It shows that a single person acting with conviction, dedication, and purpose, can effect change on a global scale.
No, I don't agree with much of Barack Obama's politics. But, for this day, I don't care. Today is a day for celebration. Today is a day to heal our collective national wounds.
Today, by the sheer force of American will, our country changed.
And I find it hard, even with my opposing political views, to believe that the election of Sen. Barack Obama was in any way a bad thing.
Indeed, I refuse to believe it.
Congratulations Sen. Obama! You fought a long and honorable war and you've come out victorious. And I do believe that, because of you, this country will emerge victorious once again very soon.
Monday, October 27, 2008
FINALLY RELEASED: Qik for Blackberry!
I've probably emailed Qik 25 times asking about when they were going to release the Qik application for the Blackberry. I never got a response but I always knew it couldn't be far away with OS 4.5 bringing video recording to almost all recent Blackberry devices.
Imagine how I almost peed my pants to find that Qik announced and released the Qik Blackberry client on yesterday and that it, not only works, but works incredibly well.
Thank you Qik for making my week. This is awesome.
If you have a Blackberry and OS 4.5 I strongly suggest that you head over to Qik and try out the application. It doesn't have the social community of Next2Friends, but it's still a pretty cool application!
Now, I am going to bed.
Ok, really I am going to download Qik.
Then, I am going to bed.
Maybe.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Up to something new? Try Next2Friends!
UPDATE: 5:46pm CT - I just received an email from Next2Friends Hans Erik informing me that Next2Friends Live does not work on the iPhone because the iPhone has locked out video. Doesn't Apple realize the value that applications like Next2Friends, Qik, and others like them could bring to the iPhone? For all their glamour, Apple still has a way to go.
The power to create compelling media is definitely firmly in the hands of the people. Never before has it been easier for anyone to capture an event as it's happening and share it with the world in an instant. Thanks to the ever growing use of low cost mobile phones and video devices like The Flip coupled with nearly ubiquitous Internet access, just about anyone can become an instant videographer and share their creation with an ever hungry public.
To support such community video efforts, numerous sites like Flixwagon, Seesmic, Qik, and others have quickly popped up around the web. Today, I'd like to introduce you to the site I use to stream my videos, Next2Friends.
Next2Friends is a fairly new company that was launched earlier this year. Like Qik and its brethren, it allows almost anyone with an internet connected phone to stream live video to the Internet. This includes owners of the iPhone and the Blackberry (the latter of which usually presents a problem with services like Qik since video recording is fairly new to the Blackberry). The video quality of the streams are very good and, even with my really bad rural T-Mobile Blackberry connection, I was able to create videos with very few quality issues.
The nicest thing about Next2Friends is the social network around the streaming service. Users can communicate one to one, one to many, or in various combinations that allow real connections to be formed. Think of it as a combination of YouTube and Seesmic but with live video.
The company is backed with $12M in private funding so it's likely to stick around for a while assuming they can either keep up funding or monetize at some point. Judging from the community I've seen developing there, monetization won't be a problem. The community is eager, established, and active.
I think you'll find something different at Next2Friends. It's not Seesmic and it's not Qik. It has its own flow and a unique community that you can immediately connect with. Give it a try and see what you think.
The power of media is definitely in our hands!
The power to create compelling media is definitely firmly in the hands of the people. Never before has it been easier for anyone to capture an event as it's happening and share it with the world in an instant. Thanks to the ever growing use of low cost mobile phones and video devices like The Flip coupled with nearly ubiquitous Internet access, just about anyone can become an instant videographer and share their creation with an ever hungry public.
To support such community video efforts, numerous sites like Flixwagon, Seesmic, Qik, and others have quickly popped up around the web. Today, I'd like to introduce you to the site I use to stream my videos, Next2Friends.
Next2Friends is a fairly new company that was launched earlier this year. Like Qik and its brethren, it allows almost anyone with an internet connected phone to stream live video to the Internet. This includes owners of the iPhone and the Blackberry (the latter of which usually presents a problem with services like Qik since video recording is fairly new to the Blackberry). The video quality of the streams are very good and, even with my really bad rural T-Mobile Blackberry connection, I was able to create videos with very few quality issues.
The nicest thing about Next2Friends is the social network around the streaming service. Users can communicate one to one, one to many, or in various combinations that allow real connections to be formed. Think of it as a combination of YouTube and Seesmic but with live video.
The company is backed with $12M in private funding so it's likely to stick around for a while assuming they can either keep up funding or monetize at some point. Judging from the community I've seen developing there, monetization won't be a problem. The community is eager, established, and active.
I think you'll find something different at Next2Friends. It's not Seesmic and it's not Qik. It has its own flow and a unique community that you can immediately connect with. Give it a try and see what you think.
The power of media is definitely in our hands!
Friday, October 24, 2008
Ashley Todd: Psycho or Warrior?
By now, just about everyone in the world has heard about the allegedly horrible ordeal 20 year old student Ashley Todd endured on yesterday when she was supposedly attacked at an ATM by a man enraged by her McCain/Palin bumper sticker. If you follow the news, you probably already know she's now admitted it was all a hoax; a kind of guerrilla campaigning tactic designed to help her candidate of choice win the election.
While most of the media is labeling Ms. Todd a psycho and a liar, I want to take a slightly different approach on the issue:
Ashley Todd is a warrior in her own mind.
The 2008 election is perhaps one of the most important elections in 50 years. It's nothing short of a battle for the heart and soul of the American republic and we have two men with very different views on how our country should move forward. Many people see the upcoming election as a moral choice between an untrustworthy, evil man (Barack Obama) and a proven, reliable leader (John McCain). Whether they are right or wrong voting on perceived moral issues always creates a passion that often leads to some pretty radical behavior.
Like faking an attack to hurt your opponent.
Like carving a letter on yourself.
Backwards.
I don't think Ms. Todd is psycho. I think she's someone with good intentions and who deeply loves her country. She is, like many people, concerned about the direction her country will take if the wrong person becomes president. I believe she sees this election on a moral ground and, as such, all bets are off.
Don't get me wrong, I don't agree with what she did and I think there were a lot better ways she could have made a much more effective statement for her beliefs. But I do understand her passion. I do understand her concerns.
I think that, instead of judging Ms. Todd as a psycho or unstable, we should see her as what she is: collateral damage in the war for America. Yes, it's tragic that she took things to the level she did, but I understand it in an odd sort of way. In her mind, this election is no different than how Americans might see the War on Terror. In her mind, losing control of the country to her candidates opponent would deeply and fundamentally harm America.
In an odd way, I understand her thoughts..
In an odd way, I actually respect her.
While most of the media is labeling Ms. Todd a psycho and a liar, I want to take a slightly different approach on the issue:
Ashley Todd is a warrior in her own mind.
The 2008 election is perhaps one of the most important elections in 50 years. It's nothing short of a battle for the heart and soul of the American republic and we have two men with very different views on how our country should move forward. Many people see the upcoming election as a moral choice between an untrustworthy, evil man (Barack Obama) and a proven, reliable leader (John McCain). Whether they are right or wrong voting on perceived moral issues always creates a passion that often leads to some pretty radical behavior.
Like faking an attack to hurt your opponent.
Like carving a letter on yourself.
Backwards.
I don't think Ms. Todd is psycho. I think she's someone with good intentions and who deeply loves her country. She is, like many people, concerned about the direction her country will take if the wrong person becomes president. I believe she sees this election on a moral ground and, as such, all bets are off.
Don't get me wrong, I don't agree with what she did and I think there were a lot better ways she could have made a much more effective statement for her beliefs. But I do understand her passion. I do understand her concerns.
I think that, instead of judging Ms. Todd as a psycho or unstable, we should see her as what she is: collateral damage in the war for America. Yes, it's tragic that she took things to the level she did, but I understand it in an odd sort of way. In her mind, this election is no different than how Americans might see the War on Terror. In her mind, losing control of the country to her candidates opponent would deeply and fundamentally harm America.
In an odd way, I understand her thoughts..
In an odd way, I actually respect her.
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