Wow, I couldn’t believe that this is a real word.
Automagically.
I thought my colleague was using it as a gag.
But when I asked Dr. Google, there it was.
Automagically – Automatically + Magical
It refers to the use of computer automation and how when well-implemented it seems almost like the process is magical, ingenious, and oh, so easy.
So this is the goal for us that all our processes and efforts should be poof–automagically done and there it is! 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
So I read in the Wall Street Journal yesterday that 3 major technology companies get over 80% of their revenue from advertising:
These companies and their percentage of advertising revenue are:
Facebook – 98.3%
Twitter — 86.4%
Alphabet (Google) — 86%
It’s a wonderful thing how advertising pays for the wonderful free Internet services.
Looking back to when I was a kid, I guess that how we got all those marvelous TV shows without having to pay for a cable subscription.
But what I always wonder in the back of my mind is whether collecting advertising dollars is a REAL business.
Yeah, sure these companies are mammoth and have made themselves and their shareholders gazillions of dollars.
But somewhere I keep telling myself this doesn’t quite add up.
If you make something of value then someone is willing to pay for it.
If it doesn’t have value then you have to give it away for free.
If facebook or twitter actually charged money for their service, I can’t imagine anyone would actually pay squat for it.
Google is another story, but if they started to charge, you’d just go to a service like Explorer or Safari that doesn’t.
So if the only way to provide the service is to shove advertising down your customer’s throats, again I have to ask is that really a business.
If I can’t see how a company can sell something based on the VALUE they are providing, honestly it’s not something that I can really get myself behind.
Out of the three companies–Google is perhaps the only one that I can see as a real something.
As for Facebook and Twitter, despite the Presidential tweets and Russian interference in our elections, I don’t see the underlying greatness.
Maybe I am way wrong, but if you don’t want to pay for it then what the heck is it really worth! 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Well first of all, let me say that I really liked this image on Google the other day.
Beautiful to see the diversity and brotherhood (and including those with disabilities)!
I had a an interesting conversation with my daughter the other day about why people often don’t get along.
She said something that I thought was really astute:
“If there were unlimited resources, then no one would have a reason to fight!”
Think about that a moment…
Everyone feels they don’t have enough or someone else has more then them or they are afraid they won’t get their share, and so what happens?
Like jealous little children, we fight for the pail and shovel in the sandbox.
Only as adults, our sandbox is a lot bigger and it involves hate, bigotry, racism and deadly weapons including guns, knives, and even nukes!
So this isn’t the Garden of Eden where everyone prances around free and with plenty and nothing to worry about.
Instead, everyone has to work “by the sweat of your brow,” and there are limits to what we have, and there is fighting over who has what.
Yes, truly “greed is the root of all evil.”
What we need to learn and internalize is that it’s more important how we act towards each other than what we have and that the real gold in life is the good we do and not the plenty we amass.
Sure we each need enough to be able to survive and excel as human beings, but it’s fool’s gold that prevents us from seeing each other as the real brothers and sisters we all are.
If only we had enough–in both perception and reality–then peace could reign among mankind. 😉
(Source Photo: Google)
[Please only read this with a sense of political humor.]
Here are some funny ideas for domestic and foreign picks for a fantasy Cabinet team:
Department of Defense – (Oh no) Russian President Vladimir Putin because he knows how to fight and win wherever he wants.
Department of State – (Oh no) Julian Assange because he has so may of the cables anyway.
Department of Treasury – (Oh no) President Barack Obama because he doubled the national debt to $20 trillion and it’s no problem.
Department of Commerce – Chinese President Xi Jinping because he has most of the world’s manufacturing and the biggest trade surplus.
Department of Justice – (Oh no) James Comey (with all due respect) because he could investigate Hillary Clinton and deem her “extremely careless” with national security and yet also do the job of the prosecutors and recommend that “no reasonable” one would bring such a case.
Department of Education – (What if) Sergey Brin and Larry Page because they made Google the most valuable company in the world by organizing all the world’s information and making it universally accessible and useful.
Department of Labor – (What if) Ken Jennings who was beaten in Jeopardy by IBM’s Watson, and understands that artificial intelligence, automation, and robotics will soon be eating people’s lunch.
Department of Homeland Security – (Oh no) Edward Snowden because he already knows all about surveillance–how we conduct it, how to evade it, as well as the vulnerabilities in our security.
Department of Transportation – (What if) Elon Musk because of his leadership in electronic vehicles here on earth as well as rockets to even get us to Mars.
Department of Energy – (Oh no) Iranian President Hassan Rouhani because he knows how to get his nukes while ridding his country of sanctions and getting $150 billion to continue global terror
Department of Agriculture – (Oh no) Any of the notorious drug kingpins because they know how to grow it, distribute it, and make lots of money doing it.
Department of Interior – (Oh no) North Korean leader Kim Jong Un because he manages one of the most remote (Isolationist) nations on Earth and does it with virtually complete self-sufficiency.
Department of Veterans Affairs – (Oh no) Bowe Bergdahl because he was charged with desertion and still managed to get honored in a White House ceremony.
Environmental Protection Agency – (Oh no) Former CEO of BP John Browne because he knows the ramifications of being responsible for one of the worst polluting industrial accidents in history in the Gulf of Mexico.
Housing and Urban Development – (What if) Ivanka Trump because she is an absolute class act and helps run one of the greatest brands in building and managing real estate worldwide.
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal via National Geographic)
So I did it and took the plunge into a smartwatch.
For over a year, I thought the technology just wasn’t there yet.
Too clumsy, too difficult to use with such a small device.
First, I considered just a Fitbit for tracking activity, but I quickly ruled it out, since you can get so much more with a full smartwatch.
Then, I looked into the Pebble, in particular the latest model the Time Steel, which runs between $200-$250.
But I watched a review that pointed out the the Pebble does not have a touch screen, and everything are the buttons–okay, I immediately ruled that out.
Next, I looked to old trusty, Apple…they have never failed me yet, and I tried on their various smartwatches.
I settled on a simple sports model, since I figured as the technology continues to evolve or as the watch gets beat up in daily use, I could simply upgrade to the next great thing.
Also, I figured if I really don’t like how it works, it wouldn’t be such a great loss monetarily.
Well, the verdict is in–I really like it!
Easy to set up by simply syncing with the iPhone.
And then all your major apps just show up on the colorful apps panel.
In no time, I was checking the 10-day weather forecast, reading news headlines, tracking my activity, using the GPS locator, looking up calendar events, checking email and replying with easy voice dictation, sending text messages, and even calling family and talking to them into the watch!
I even started the music on my iPhone from another room by using the smartwatch.
Oh yeah, I almost forget, it tells the time too!
Except for taking photos, which would be really cool with the watch, but it doesn’t do–it did most of the basics that I wanted it to.
For not a lot of money, I felt that I was getting a lot of convenient functionality, and I am now encouraging my wife and kids to get it too.
Apple, you still got it–so even though Google surpassed you in market value this week, I am still hopeful that you got some decent mojo left in you. 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
As per my previous blogs on the mystical number 613 (corresponding to the G-d’s commandments in the Torah), today we have a technological twist.
Recently, Google paid an award to a former employee of $6,006.13.
The amount is special in two ways as you can see:
First of all, Google saw that, if you look closely, this number spells Google.
Secondly, it has the number mystical number 613 in it.
613 is a winner and so is Google, which is now the the most valuable company in the U.S. (worth more than Apple) at $554 billion!
If you use simple Gematria, where each letter is a number (A=1, B=2, C=3…Z=26), then Guess what other successful technology companies has the mystical 613 in their names:
(Also, see which amazing technology company has 613 twice in their name!)
In contrast, some ailing technology companies that do not have 613:
– Yahoo
– Twitter
– LinkedIn
613 is a reminder of G-d’s benevolence to mankind in that he G-d us the commandments as a roadmap to live by. 613 is a symbol of faith in G-d almighty and in his holy Torah (Bible).
For those that keep His charge, we believe that Hashem will bless them and keep them.
Indeed, technology used for the good of mankind is a blessing to us all. 😉
(Source Graphics: Andy and Dossy Blumenthal)
So I don’t know how I feel about this or maybe I do.
The Wall Street Journal reports today that from the 10 largest companies by market capitalization:
1) The top 3 are technology companies
– Apple $679B
– Alphabet (Google’s Parent) $489B
– Microsoft $422B
2) Moreover, a full 5 (half) of the top 10 are technology companies
That includes the 3 above and the other 2 below:
– Facebook $288B
– Amazon $280B
As a technology person, I am thrilled at the impact that IT has on our society.
We are no longer the same thanks to our Apple iPhones, Google Search, Microsoft’s business tools like Outlook, Office and SharePoint, Facebook’s social networking, and Amazon’s online shopping.
But to think that these information capabilities outweigh by value everything else in society that we need as people is somewhat astounding.
For example, the other 5 of the top 10 companies are:
– Exxon Mobil (Oil and Gas) $346B
– Berkshire Hathaway (Insurance, Utilities, Clothing, Building Products, Retail, Flight Services) $340B
– General Electric (Power and Water, Oil and Gas, Energy Management, Aviation, Healthcare, Transportation) $298B
– Wells Fargo (World’s Largest Bank) $280B
– Johnson and Johnson (Pharmaceuticals) $278B
So when you add these behemoths up–this is what we have:
The 5 top technology companies are worth $2.158T
Vs.
The top 5 traditional companies from all the other industries combined are worth only $1.542T
Net it out:
The largest representative IT companies are worth $616B or 40% more than the other major companies combined.
(In fact, just the top 3 IT companies at $1.56T are worth more than the top 5 other companies at $1.542T.)
Sure IT growth has been on a tear for the last couple of decades and we love everything futuristic it brings us.
But isn’t it a little scary to think that the companies that meet all our other needs from food, clothing, shelter, medicine, transportation, energy, finance, retail, etc. isn’t worth more to us than just the IT alone.
Perhaps adding it up from a value perspective just doesn’t add up in a real life perspective.
I love technology and want more and more of it, but man does not live by technology alone. 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
I love my Apple iPhone, but this core product debuted in January 2007.
We’re going on almost 9 years!!!
Don’t get me wrong, the iPhone is enormously successful:
– It accounts for 92% of the smartphone industry’s profits (even though it only sells 20% of the smartphones).
– The iPhone bring in almost 2/3 of Apple’s total revenue now going on almost $200 billion.
But, the new growth that Apple seeks in not based on any real exciting innovation.
Take for example Apple’s announcements this week:
– A new larger 12.9 inch iPad with a stylus (the Apple Pencil).
– A revamped Apple TV set-top box.
– Apple’s iPhone 3-D Touch that controls the smartphone based on how hard you press.
Uh, ho-hum–this is all V-E-R-Y boring!
Google has a similar problem with their core business of advertising on Search and YouTube accounting for 89% of their revenue.
But at least Google continues working towards their next moonshot, and has reorganized their innovation labs into a separate entity called Alphabet–working on everything from:
– Self-driving cars
– Delivery drones
– Internet balloons
– Smart thermostats (Nest)
– Broadband services (Google Fiber)
– Longevity research (Calico)
– Smart contact lenses
– Robotics
Unfortunately for Apple, the death of Steve Jobs in 2011 has meant the loss of their driving force for innovation.
Despite a workforce of about 100,000 and a gorgeous new flying saucer-looking headquarters, can you think of any major new products since Jobs?
Apple is a fruit in it’s prime–ripe and shiny and hugely smart and successful, but without any new fruits going forward, they are at risk of becoming a stale mealy apple, versus a bountiful and delicious fruit salad.
Apple is very secretive, so maybe the fruit is coming.
I hope for our sake and theirs that Apple is seriously planting for the future and not just harvesting on the past. 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
There is a definite rhythm to our lives.
And by analyzing the peak times of Google search terms, we can get a good picture of what it is (as Seth Stephens-Davidowitz notes in the New York Times Sunday Review).
– From starting a new day to taking care of bathroom business, looking for healing, and even goofing off.
– Midday is some personal time for shopping, travel plans, and a news update.
– The evening is a nice dinner and maybe some sexual intimacy.
– The night time is scariest with anxiety about health, leading to panic and thoughts of suicide, and easing off with drugs and pornography.
– As we roll towards the early hours of the next day, we have a philosophical reawakening with contemplation about the meaning of life and our place in it.
If we can get all this just from some data analytics of Google search terms, can you imagine what else we can learn about the masses and YOU, the individuals that make it up. 😉
(Source Graphic: Andy Blumenthal)
So apparently data mining can be used for all sorts of research…
In the New York Times today, Seth Stephens-Davidowitz tries his hand with google search results to better understand people’s feelings about sex.
Though Stephens-Davidowitz doesn’t explain how he gets these google statistics…here are some standouts:
As you might have guessed, the biggest complaint from men–and women–is that they don’t get/have enough sex.
For both (as you might imagine in a primarily–95%–heterosexual world), traditional surveys show that it’s about once a week.
However, the author says this is exaggerated (yeah, is it surprising that people exaggerate about this?) and it’s actually only about 30 times a year–or once every 12 days.
So there are a lot of search on “sexless” or “won’t have sex with me.”
Observing that “sex can be quite fun,” he questions, “why do we have so little of it?”
And he concludes that it’s because we have “enormous anxiety” and insecurity about our bodies and sexuality.
Again, you probably wouldn’t need data mining to guess the results, but men’s biggest worry is about their penis size, and one of women’s most toxic worries–a “strikingly common concern”–is about the smell of their vagina.
For men, they actually google questions about genital size more often than they have questions about any other body part; in fact, more than “about their lungs, liver, feet, ears, nose, throat, and brain combined.”
So much for health consciousness versus machismo pride.
The funny thing is apparently women don’t seem to care so much about this with only about 1 search on this topic for every 170 searches that men do on this.
Surprising to most men, about 40% of the searches women do conduct on this topic is “complaints” that it is too big!
Not that size doesn’t matter to women, but for them it’s about the size of their breasts and butts–and again, bigger being generally considered better.
In this case, most men seem to agree.
Another issue men are concerned about is premature ejaculation and how to make the experience last longer.
However, here women seem to be looking for information about half and half on how to make men climax more quickly on one hand, and more slowly on the other.
Overall, men are from Mars and women from Venus, with lot’s of misunderstanding between the sexes.
The conclusion from this big data study…everyone calm down and just try to enjoy each other more.
Amazing the insights we can get from data mining! 😉
(Source Photo: here with attribution to Daniel)