Technology is frying our brains

Technology is frying our brains

Remember when you parents would say, “stop watching so much TV.  It will rot your brain”.  And yet, what do most of us do on a daily basis for more than 8 hours a day? Stare at a TV screen.  You call it a monitor/display.  It can be a slick 22” wide-screen monitor like the one I am staring at right now.  It can be a small iPhone or Droid display.  Either way, most of us stare at a computer for most of the work day.  When we go home, we surf the web for fun, play video games, “watch TV” in it’s many different forms, etc.  You get the point.  It is frying our brains.  And no, I do not mean sautéed grey matter like in Hannibal.  Blech.  I mean, effecting how your brain works.

In the May issue of Wired Magazine, Nicholas Carr wrote about the effect that the web is having on our ability to focus.

http://www.wired.com/magazine/2010/05/ff_nicholas_carr/

For example – did you ever search for a good tzatziki recipe and 30 minutes later end up on the World Fact Book page for Fiji?   By the way, if you ARE looking for a good tzatziki recipe, let me know.  The point is, we all do it and it happens more and more as people click on links that look interesting but have nothing to do with the content.  Case in point, how many of you clicked on the Hannibal link above and started looking at other YouTube videos?

The point is, the more we surf, the more overstimulated we get and the less detail we end up retaining.  At least that’s what I got out of it, but then again my iPod was playing Grateful Dead tunes and my Droid was going off every 2 minutes with text messages from my teenagers.

And this is one of the reasons why this very topic concerns me.  Sure, I get distracted, but I can still sit down, read a book or study info online and not get distracted.  I’m not sure that is the case with our kids. 

The New York Times online did a piece on a group of neuroscientists who went on a rafting trip down the San Juan river in Utah.  The purpose of the trip?  To understand how heavy use of digital devices and other technology changes how we think and behave, and how a retreat into nature might reverse those effects.  My first reaction was, how can I swing THAT gig!

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/16/technology/16brain.html

Now, if you have teenagers, when was the last time they were technology free?  Free from phones, iPods, TV, computers, etc?  My youngest teen spent a week at Bible camp last month.  One of the requirements of the campers was that they had to leave phones, game players and iPods at home.  I thought my youngest was going to have a melt down.  This is a girl who churns out tens of thousands of messages each month.  But she didn’t.  Instead, she had a blast with her friends, but more importantly, got to take a much deeper dive into The Bible.  Her understand of both the Old and New Testament were exponentially better than when I dropped her off.  She also said that being technology free was no big deal once she got over the initial shock.

So I pose a challenge to anyone reading this blog – cut the cord.  If only for a day, but preferably for a few days.  Even a week.  Make it a family event.  Re-connect with your significant other, your kids, your dog, etc.  The first few days will seem kinda weird, but trust me, the world will continue to spin without you posting a new Facebook status every few hours.  You will be surprised with what you learn, but more importantly, what you will gain from the whole experience.

The wave that became a ripple

Google Wave.  It was going to be the next killer app.  It was going to be the end all be all social network, Interweb, blogotwit thingy that was going to roll over the world like a tsunami.  It was going to be the uber productivity and sharing tool.  It was going to cure baldness.  Technophiles and web dorks around the world anticipated this like it was the release of  another episode of Star Wars.  Heck, even I drank the Wave Kool-Aide and began evangelizing it’s benefits to friends, colleagues, family, pets, plants, etc.

When I got my beta log in for Wave, I invited a group of guys I knew would appreciate it.  My camping buddies.  We had a grand old time chatting up sophomoric potty humor, deleting posts on the fly, sharing goofy pictures, etc.  That lasted a day and then the novelty wore off.  Plus it was a challenge to get everyone onto Wave and coordinating schedules and keeping it from blowing up.  Oh, and one guy with a net book was having a really hard time keeping up.  I think the smell of smoke pouring out of his computer was the key indicator that it was time to move on.  But I kept the faith.  I used it for another week and waited for others to join in on the fun.  And then….. nothing.

Yes, Wave was pretty cool but it never really caught on with my circle of friends or colleagues.  Apparently, that was the case with a lot of people.  In a blog post yesterday from Urs Hölzle, Senior Vice President, Operations, “we don’t plan to continue developing Wave as a standalone product”.

I truly hope that the technologies developed for Wave will live on and the name will remain a permanent fixture in the technogeek lexicon.  Kinda like how Teflon was accidentally invented by some dude in Jersey back in the 40′s and has continued to keep our frying pans stick free well into the 21st century.  Who knows – one day, we may have a Wave equivalent of the Teflon Don.  Perhaps the Wave War Lord.  A bad guy who can edit your words on the fly and can drag and drop his minions with a click of a mouse.  Hmmm…. sounds like a great video game idea…

RIP Wave.

Hey, Steve Ballmer – it’s NOT all about developers, developers, developers.

In a conversation with financial analysts, Microsoft’s CEO Steve Ballmer announced that they are hard at work on a Windows-based tablet OS.  Gee, that’s great Steve.  Here’s a thought – instead of tweaking something that is already on the market in numerous forms (iPad, Kindle, etc)  try creating something new, bold and innovative!

When is Microsoft going to stop the “me too” game? Apple creates the iPod.  Microsoft responds with the Zune.   Whoopdedoo.  Google dominates the search market.  The boys and girls in Redmond respond with Bing.  How’s that working out for ya?  You have Flash?  Ballmer and friends give you Silverlight.  Really?  That’s the best you can do?

When is Microsoft going to create something bold and new?  Try it kids!  You may end up with a home run!  And for the record – I am tying this on a Microsoft Natural keyboard.  GREAT idea.  It has saved me a ton of pain.

C’mon Steve.  You’ve got a ton of really smart people at your disposal.  But it is not all about developers.  Try hiring creative “out of the box” artsy types as well.  You may be surprised with what both parties can do.

*footnote – yes, this blog has been inactive for a while.  I’ve been busy.  Sorry.  In addition to a routine of regular exercise, I am also committing to regular blogging.  I am also going to broaden the scope of my blog to include personal interests and my thoughts on technology in general.  Also – look for a mini biography of my hero – my dad.

What’s the buzz on Google Buzz?

In case you have not heard, Google announced a new social networking tool called Buzz. Of course, I immediately thought of Drew Carey’s Buzz Beer. and then thought of an awesome local brew, Joe Coffee Porter.  But I digress…

Google Buzz is Google’s answer to social networking phenom, Facebook.  Now as some of you know, I am an avid Facebook user.  So much so, that even my dog has his own Facebook page and started a Facebook group called “stuffmydogsays”.  So I was excited to see what the buzz was about Buzz.

The key selling point for me is that all of my Google stuff is in one place.  I keep a lot of my pics on Picasa, use G-Mail, Google Docs, Google Wave, etc.  The fact that everything is now available in one property is very appealing.  Conversations show up in real-time and notifications are already part of G-mail, so no need to switch properties when you are Buzzing.  But from what I have seen, they still have some work to do.  It is not ready for prime time.

Here is where, IMHO, Buzz misses the mark.  One huge complaint that Facebook users have is the lack of a “dislike” button.  Buzz copied FB and offers a “like” function, but no “dislike”.  I also do not see integration with third-party entertainment that FB offers.  Games like Mafia Wars, Farmville, etc.   I cannot stand these games and hated the updates that showed up in my feed (I have since figured out how to “ignore” them).  But I am in the minority here.  Other folks spend as much (or more) time on Zynga games as they do writing or checking updates on Facebook.  It think this is where they are going to take a hit on adoption by the general public.

It looks like Google is trying to salvage some of the development work that went into Wave.  I thought Wave would have been the next killer app, but sadly Wave seems to have crashed on the beach.  Glad to see some of the technology is being re-purposed in Buzz.  If the boys and girls at Google want to get massive adoption of Buzz, they need to do a better job marketing the app.  As my dear friend John Zissimos said regarding Google’s Super Bowl ad, “It’s about time the company that’s made billions on selling advertising actually ran an ad”.

What are your thoughts on Buzz?  Would you leave Facebook for Buzz or use both?

What’s in a name?

What’s in a name?

Have you ever tried to append a value to a domain name?  Domain Name Wire reported last month that NewsForum.com was sold for $10,000, while Leisure.com went for $150,000 and Call.com sold for a cool $1.1 million.  Pretty good return for something that costs about $20 a year.  With all 3 letter domain names gone, it is easy to see how an easy to remember and easy to market domain name could fetch a decent price.  In fact, I know a guy who just sold a three letter domain for $10k.  Not bad.

Now, obviously, you can’t just buy a domain name and expect the cash to start rolling in.  Cybersquatters did it in the 90’s, and scooped up most of the good domain names.  Whitehouse.com, for example, had nothing to do with 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue when it debuted in 1997; instead, it was a highly lucrative porn site.  But I digress…

Even if you have a great domain name (and assuming you have a credible product or service to market), you need a comprehensive brand marketing campaign if it is going to work for you.  A name is, after all, only as good as the product it represents.

A great example is the brand Breaking News.  Earlier this month, MSNBC bought the domain name breakingnews.com, but also bought the Twitter address @breakingnews.

http://mashable.com/2010/01/05/msnbc-breaking-news-2/

I don’t know about you, but I never quite understood the logic behind the MSNBC brand.  I realize it was, at one time, a partnership between Micro$oft’s MSN property and NBC, but the name is no longer relevant.   JMHO.   The brand “breakingnews” is timeless.  It is a universal phrase like “hot soup”, fast car” or in my case “fat guy”.  Breaking News can be branded in a number of creative ways, is more relevant to the MSNBC product and is much easy to remember when searching a Twitter feed or just typing a URL.

The other factor that will help the breaking news brand is in search engine marketing.  Search results with “breaking news” will appear more relevant to the searcher.    MSNBC also has a left leaning stigma – similar to the right leaning stigma associated with Fox News.  A more conservative user will see breaking news as a more neutral party.

What are your thoughts?  Do you have a domain name worth big bucks?  What is your asking price and why?

My work flow has been misbehaving…

Over the next week or so, I will be discussing my implementation of a work flow management tool in a marketing organization.  The tool is called Workamajig. Workamawhat?  Yeah, funny name,  but a pretty powerful tool.  It is not perfect – but then again, what tools ARE perfect besides a Swiss Army knife and duct tape?  I am in the early stages of implementation and it is going….. OK.  It is not for the faint of heart or patience, but when properly configured, and with enough time dedicated ( code for LOTS) it will help streamline your workflow.  I also had some interesting interactions with the company as well as one of their recommended consultants (workamapro – I am not making this up).  BTW – if you do decide to use the tool, I strongly recommend getting a consultant like Workamapro to help.

Have a great weekend all!  I’m going skiing.

This ad paid for by annoymePAC.

Do you love those annoying, mud slinging, paid political ads?  Then you are in luck.  Yesterday, the Supreme Court, in their infinite wisdom, rolled back restrictions on corporate spending in federal campaigns.

http://bit.ly/5CVlfd

Think about it.  Lobby groups and political campaign managers will be flush with cash and will take even greater strides to advance their agendas.  So what does this have to do with marketing technology?  Well, in addition to the incessant TV ads, most savvy marketers know that the competition for consumer eyeballs is not just on the big screen, but the small screen as well.  Expect more PAC generated ads on your Blackberry version of Yahoo, CNN or The New York Times.

And the fun will only get more funerer[1].  Do you have a Google ad word campaign that uses the words “health insurance”?  Prepare to compete with the kids on both sides of the healthcare reform fence.  Oh, and I’m sure both sides will present their “facts” with lots of truthiness[2]

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[1] A real word in teenagerdom

[2] © Colbert Report

Paging Dr. McInterweb…

While I am no fashionista, I read a great article in today’s New York Times fashion section regarding virtual medicine.

http://bit.ly/5MDlvo

The topic was “virtual consultations” with surgeons.  While the primary focus was on cosmetic surgery (thus the inclusion in the “Fashion” section), it got me thinking about virtual medicine as a general concept.  Following yesterday’s blog, how cool would it be to be able to chat with your family physician (or any GP for that matter) when a question comes up?  Got an ache in your knee?  IM your GP with the problem and get an instant consultation.  Are your ears ringing?  Send him a text with the symptoms and start a dialog.  No need to make an appointment, leave work early, find a parking spot and then sit in a waiting room with a bunch of sick people and 2 year old copies of People Magazine.  It would be the ultimate house call!

Convenience factors aside, I see this concept having far greater impact on the overall health of America.  Face it – we all hate going to the doctor.  Almost as much as we hate buying a car.  But at least in car buying, we can research vehicles, prices, options etc.  Yes, you can research health issues, and I strongly encourage it if you have a problem.  But initiating the conversation with your doctor is that crucial next step that many folks put off until the situation becomes serious – and sometimes fatal.

Case in point – my lovely bride had an uncle named Leroy.  Leroy was a great guy.  Funny, warm hearted and full of life.  One day, Leroy experienced minor discomfort internally.  He chalked it up to indigestion and let it go.  Like many people, Leroy hated going to the doctor.  “It’s a pain in the ass and I don’t want to be around a bunch of sick people”, said Leroy.  The pain continued and he continued to self diagnose.  Pulled muscle, pepperoni pizza, a tackle from a grand son.  Nothing major.  Finally, when the pain became unbearable, his family pressured him to go to the doctor.  Several tests later, they discovered that Leroy had pancreatic cancer and it was too late to do anything.

Does this story sound familiar?  It should because it is a common issue.  People hate going to the doctor and will put it off as long as possible.  Often times, the procrastination results in a fatal health problem.  One that could have been avoided with early detection.

Now imagine if you could ask a doctor a question, anonymously and at a time that is convenient for you.  Think of how many lives would be saved by early diagnosis and prevention.  Yes, the technology and implementation would be expensive.  But when you consider the fact that a week in a hospital could be upwards of $50,000 for just one patient, the math suddenly seems to work in favor of virtual consultations.

So who should pay for it?  My guess is, the people who would get the best return on the investment.  The same people that are paying that $50,000 for a week in the hospital.  But that’s just my two drachmas worth.

Am I being too unrealistic?  What are your thoughts?

Congrats Scott Brown. Could you please reform healthcare insurance technology?

So Scott Brown is the new senator from Massachusetts.  Many pundits are saying that the healthcare reform bill is now dead in the water.  Regardless of where you stand on the issue, I would like to see reform in healthcare insurance technology.

So, you are probably saying to yourself, huh?  Let me explain.  Tuesday morning, I went to my local hospital to have a few x-rays taken.  Nothing broken, just typical “getting older” stuff.  While my customer experience was above average, I still had to fill out forms.  BTW – Kudos to Lansdale Hospital for giving me a great customer experience – they’ve come a long way http://www.amh.org/lansdale/index.aspx)

The forms were the typical, albeit germane forms that we need to fill out when we go to the doctor, dentist, chiropractor, etc.  What are your allergies, medical history, yada yada yada.  Now, I KNOW we have the technology to standardize all of this information and I KNOW we have the means to make this information portable via a smart card.  My question is, when is the industry going to actually make this happen?  The technology has been discussed and available for over 10 years and yet I am still filling out a paper form that was run through a copier a bazillion times.

To add to the insanity, I witnessed one of the klugiest technologies during the “registration” process.  My health insurance carrier is Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois.  I have an insurance card that looks like any other card that you keep in your wallet.  On the back of the card is a magnetic strip – similar to what you would see on a credit card.  So the nice lady that was registering me into “the system” asked for my insurance card.  She took the card and inserted it into a scanner.  Twice.  Once for the front, and once for the back.  So now, their medical records system has two “pictures” of my card.  Why couldn’t they swipe the card?  A card reader was sitting on the desk for credit cards.  Why couldn’t BC/BS standardize on a data system that could talk to the AMH records system?  Millions of dollars are being transacted on an annual basis between these two entities alone.  You would think someone would have an “aha” moment and simplify the system.  What would it take to make this happen?  An act of congress?  Hmmmm….

Now, flash forward to my vision of what healthcare insurance technology “should” be.  I walk into registration, swipe my smart card and the hospital now has all the info the need.  My prescription for the x-rays, a list of my know allergies, a list of the meds I am taking, my medical history, next of kin, employer info, etc.  All of this data would have been loaded by either my physician or by me via a web app.  Any time I change something, I go to the web app and the info is automagically updated on my smart card.

When I go to my physician with the flu, they can swipe my card, send a script for Tamaflu to my local CVS and bill my insurance.  I pick up the Tamaflu, they swipe my card and bill Medco.  I then go to the dentist, and… well you get the picture.  So, what will it take to get everyone involved in healthcare to make this happen?  I say an act of congress.  What do you say?

John, how did you get started?

This is a question I get asked all the time.  What better way to start off my blog than a historical (vs hysterical) view.

The year was 1997.  I just joined Affinity Insurance Services (now Aon-Affinity) as a “webmaster”.  Good Lord, what a pretentious title.  I was hired to manage two websites that sold professional liability insurance. One targeted nurses and the other targeted allied health care professionals.

I was given a hand me down PC, Microsoft Front Page, limited Internet access and space on a corporate server that was managed by a sys admin with zero people skills.  It was awesome.

So there I was on day one.  I was sitting in my cubicle, with a squeaky chair, butterflies in my stomach and a cravat cutting off the blood flow to my brain.  Ready to start my new career in the insurance business. What the hell was I thinking??? I knew NOTHING about insurance (other than I needed it to protect me, my health, my family and my stuff). Well, almost nothing.  I was married to an actuary and learned a few basics by osmosis.  But this was a whole new arena for me.

Let’s take a step back in time.  The year was 1989. I was fresh out of college, engaged to be married and ready to face the world on my own. Like most graduates of Temple University, I was saddled with a stack of student loans, a car payment and an uncertain future.  I had no clue on what life was about, how I was going to manage and what the future held for me.  I did, however, know that I had to work hard, use my education and whatever skills I had honed while working part time jobs to help pay for tuition, room and board.  Fortunately, living in a fraternity house (Alpha Chi Rho) afforded cheap lodging and endless entertainment.  But I digress…

I did some sales work while in college and majored in Marketing.  So sales seemed like the best choice for someone who needed to make money quickly and had an outward personality. I took a job working for Exactel Systems in Blue Bell, PA.  Under the careful guidance of John Tatu (the owner of the company) I was taught to sell some of the first fax machines in the Philadelphia area.  Remember fax machines?  Now mind you, fax machines were not as ubiquitous (or cheap) as they became in the new millenium.  Besides selling a $3 -7,000 piece of office equipment, I needed to also sell the concept of facsimile transmission. A daunting task for anyone. Even so, I really enjoyed it.  I was selling cutting edge technology and got to learn a bit about how data was transmitted over a phone line, interacted with computers, etc.

I had some success selling fax machines, but quickly realized that selling office equipment wasn’t for me.  John Tatu realized the same thing and told me “sorry pal, but this isn’t working out”.  Rhu rho.  By that time I was married AND had a mortgage on top of everything else.  I took a job making a whopping $30,000 at Aamco Transmissions corporate headquarters as an Operations Manager. My job? Teach transmission shop managers how to sell transmissions and help them generate more sales. This was, by far, the worst job on the planet. I worked for guys that were VERY high pressure, smoked like fiends and swore like sailors.  I lasted there for a while and learned quite a bit about both, human nature and myself.  I did, however, miss being involved with technology.  After a while, the pressure got to be too much (not to mention the smoke filled offices). We parted ways and I reached out to an old pal and fraternity brother about getting into another industry. He told me about a small, start up software company called Keyboard Publishing.

Keyboard, developed and sold software for medical education. The products were developed for first and second year medical education. We took text books and put them on CD-Rom and made them fully searchable using Apple’s hypercard technology. Real cutting edge stuff at the time.

And then, Al Gore invented the Internet….