technolosophy

Q&A with Marcos Lara, Co-Founder of AudioVroom

on September 29, 2011

~reposted from the audiovroom blog~

Q: Can you describe one of your early, formative experiences as a music fan?

My earliest memories of music as a passion are largely center around listening to my brothers LP's on my dad's technics turntable. My brother is four years older than me and that is big difference when you're 12-13 years old. He had pretty good taste back then. I was a bit of a geek and spent a lot of time home alone after school, and would play his albums over and over on my dad's stereo at full tilt.

Q: What first sparked your interest in technology?

I have always had an insatiable desire to understanding how things work. I could not tell you where it comes from, but it was not uncommon for me to completely disassemble household electronics in curiosity. It's a complete miracle I never electrocuted myself. In the end, however, I would say my time at RPI was the single biggest eye-opener as a technologist. The access to knowledge and exposure to research was formative, and it was where I learned critical thinking and empirical problem-solving.

Q: What excites you the most about working on AudioVroom?

We have been working very hard to bring to market the first truly organic music discovery platform. This has always been the core inspiration behind AudioVroom. Digital music is finally coming out of its dark age, where we all listened in relative isolation -- an unwanted side effect of the legal issues around "sharing" copyrighted material. Unfortunately, as a result, many people also stopped discovering.

What excites me most is all the new cloud based subscription models; it is possible for us to legally reintroduce consumers to the social and collaborative essence of music, while still respecting rights holders. It has been a long road, but we are at the beginning of an era where creativity can again get recognized, and hopefully flourish on social distribution.

Q: What's your favorite non-music-related mobile app - and why?

Between TomTom and Yelp, I am never lost and can always find the best cup of coffee in whatever town I am in. Isn't it funny how basic that is? But it completely true. I am a sucker for a solid cup of joe. I am also a big fan of OkCupid -- they are really pushing the envelope with respect to machine learning and location. Their work is inspirational. Basecamp's mobile site is clean. Google's mobile gmail site is hands down the holy grail for doing it right. The top of the white board in my office reads "do it just like Google". It is a bit tongue in cheek, but gmail on the iPhone (HTML5) is really a work of art in my opinion.

Q: Favorite things to do when you're not working?

Motorcycles. I wrench my own motorbikes and I get as much satisfaction out of fixing an oldDucati as I do riding it. You really need to know them well to keep them happy, but when everything is firing, there are very few things in this world that can thrill like a Ducati on a deserted road at full chatter.

Q: Time to play tastemaker. What artists are you listening to lately?

Bruiser Smith. His ability to mix the old with the new is so refreshing. Youthful energy masterfully layered with classic hits. Check out his web site. You can stream his mixes there. #18 is especially good, he somehow figure out how to mix Biggie and Miley Cyrus together in his first track, then changes gears and rolls into Darwin Deez's brilliant 'radar detector', then effortlessly backs Bruce Springsteen's 'I'm on Fire' right up against it. If that was not enough to put you in a good mood, he reminders you with Bill Withers 'Lovely Day'. And right when you're about to mellow down he throws Run DMC's 'My Adidas' at us. I am in awe of Bruiser Smith's work.

For a more mainstream answer, I am currently in a deep romance with Florence + the Machine. Her voice just washed over you and take you away.

AudioVroom becomes an official Facebook partner

Marcos

on September 22, 2011

after months of working with Facebook secretly on their new OpenGraph integration, Zuck announces AudioVroom is an official Facebook Partner at this years F8 conference. great feeling to be out in the open. Watch out for timeline. It is going to revolutionize your profile

Read more about AudioVroom, OpenGraph and Timeline here:

http://blogs.webtrends.com/blog/2011/09/23/the-2011-f8-gave-marketers-much-to-celebrate/

http://evolver.fm/tag/audiovroom/

Multi-Touch FTW

Marcos

on October 12, 2010

FTW is a common Internet parlance that means "For The Win".

The US Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of newly granted patents for Apple Inc. and they, in my opinion, are clearly a FTW for Apple with regards to the future of computing.

The patents are called:

1. Portable Electronic Device with Multi-Touch Input

2. Ellipse fitting for multi-touch surfaces

3. Simultaneous Sensing Arrangement

These along with a 4th multi-touch patent apple won back in 2009 called Identifying contacts on a touch surface clearly illustrate Apple owns touch based computing across any display size. Whether it is a mobile phone, a tablet, a desktop or even larger, if you want to use your hands to control it, your going to have to license the rights from Apple.

If that is not a FTW, then I don't know what is.

iPad: Giving up or retrenching? MS and HP

Marcos

on May 4, 2010

Image via Wikipedia

What the hell is going on? This week MS and HP both announced that they are canceling their table computing development programs. Presumably and almost assuredly these announcements come as the post game blues settle in and both companies realized they lost the championship this year (3 years in a row actually) and Steve Jobs has just quarterbacked the most impressive Business winning streak any of us has seen in a long time and is in the running for best CEO ever.

Apple's story is not traditional, it is epic, and they have single handedly convinced industry after industry to do to themselves, what no one could make them do. "Give Way" and cannibalize your profits for a bite at a whole new way of doing business or Steve will take your first born son.

I know some of you are saying "oh, what pitiful stuff" and if it were any other company I would say you're right, but with Apple, it's real and you know they have come to win.

In related news this week, Apple announced the sale of 1mm iPads over the last 30 days. Perhaps that was the impetus of the MS and HP to bow out of the tablet game for the short term.

HP, with it's recent acquisition of Palm's webOS, have seen the light and taken a page from Apple, hardware alone is not enough to win over a user. Hardware gets the consumers attention, but the magic is in the OS and software. And with Palm's webOS, HP gains a solid foundation to build a viable alternative to the iPad. Let's hope the core Palm engineers stay with HP and they can build something comparable and get in back the game. However, I need to mention, the triple threat of Apples very fast in-house processor with excellent battery and power management software will make it very hard for anyone to match the iPad spec for spec on paper or when consumers holds one in there hands.

If a manufacturer tries to up spec the iPad with a screen, it will cost more. If competition tries to increase the speed, they will kill battery life. If they increase the battery life it will be significantly heavier and uncomfortable to hold for long periods. The iPad is a brilliant product, with brilliant market and price position. A niche, need I remind you that Apple created out of thin air.

For the next year I think the iPad is king until some technological advance allows for either significantly more processing power/watt or a higher density energy storage is developed that allows 10 hr performance despite a more powerful and less efficient processor. The screen is a non issue. at 720p (full HD) and with full multitouch capability it's as unassailable as the ramparts of Edinburgh castle. The real secret of the iPad is it's weight, at around 1.6lbs (0.73 kg), the majority of the weight is in it's batteries hidden behind the screen. It is my opinion that users will simply not accept a hand held computer that weights over 1.6lbs for the foreseeable future. Don't belive me? Take an iPad to bed with you and try reading an ebook. You quickly realize, learning to hold an iPad is part of the learning curve and then the second thing you will notice is, if it were any heavier, you would not use it at all. Again, perfect market position. Apple discovered the upper bound of acceptable weight for the case, then maxed out the one component that is pretty much a static variable for everyone, battery technology. leaving the competition no where to attack except on processing power and efficiency, which Apple has begun to master as well (see Apples new A4 chip). It makes my head spin how good Apple is at seeing the way forward thru the technological limitations of hardware and the power of third party software.

I am make it no secret I am impressed with Steve Jobs and Co. but I think they could use a little competition. I mean seriously, there is not a single company that can catch Apple's momentum right now. Not google and certainly not MS or Nokia. It's just not fun being the best by this much of a spread. Or is it Steve?

relevant links:

http://www.ifixit.com/blog/2010/04/ipad-3g-teardown/

http://jkontherun.com/2010/04/30/ms-courier-hp-slate-canceled/

http://gizmodo.com/5365299/courier-first-details-of-microsofts-secret-tablet

http://techcrunch.com/2010/04/29/hewlett-packard-to-kill-windows-7-tablet-project/

http://www.ifixit.com/blog/2010/05/iphone-4g-processor-revealed/

iPhone OS4 Multitasking: Trade offs and Compromises

Marcos

on April 7, 2010

Tomorrow Apple will unveil the latest iPhone OS, version 4. The single biggest feature that may be announced tomorrow could be 3rd party application multitasking, something Android and the Palm WebOS have had for sometime now. Let's examine how Apple has gotten away without offering this so far.

Life Without Multitasking:

As we all know, the iPhone to date has never allowed developers to distribute apps in the App Store that have a background process. This means each time a user closes a third party app, that app's state is saved and the process is killed. And by killed I mean the memory and cpu resources that app required to run are released back to the iPhones OS and are ready to be reallocated to the next user request. That user request could be to open another app or check mail or whatever, but at the end of the day, all apps are loaded and run one at a time.

Continue reading iPhone OS4 Multitasking: Trade offs and Compromises.

The New Definition Of Gaming Is "Achievements"

Marcos

on March 1, 2010

For us, those who grew up on games, we traditionally think we know what the term gaming means. From pen and paper D&D (which I still play weekly with friends), to Zork, To Myst, to MMO's WoW and DDO. It was always about Fantasy (Tolkien LOTR style). That is how it has always been, for decades now, but the game of gaming has changed and here is the best explanation I can find of how it happened.

Wonder how Farmville became bigger than Twitter using Facebook as a distribution channel? And if you have a pre-teen around you, you know all about Club Penguin and it's ridiculous "game cash" for real world, hard earned, real cash exchange system. But did you know Club Penguin sold for 350mm dollars? 350mm for a simple, unsophisticated flash game that takes advantage, not of superior game play, but phycological and behavioral ticks to promote peer to peer competition and influence users to spend big money on community reputation building.

This video takes a deep look at how technology is starting to influence our real world behavior and is what Technolosophy is all about, it's very definition and Jesse Schell is definitely one of my favorite Technolosopher's, him and Larry Lessig.

And now, without further ado, the world of game development which is emerging from the powerful influence of the "Facebook Games" era presented to you by Carnegie Mellon University Professor, Jesse Schell.

DICE 2010: "Design Outside the Box" Presentation

Xbox 360 Games - E3 2010 - Guitar Hero 5

Relavant Links:

The Game-ified Life

The Common Threads In Unexpected Successes

The reverse virutal reality world of the future

Humbled

Marcos

on February 6, 2010

Larry Lessig

there is little i can add to this

his talk at TED

watch

listen

and open

brilliant

in structure

and light

it is humbling

to create the perfect message

is too put light

on truth

An Upbeat Apple iPad Analysis

Marcos

on January 27, 2010 Comments (2)

Here's my quick and dirty on the iPad... I have queried everyone I trust, lovers and haters alike, and this is my take. I am racing to get this out before the Market closes here in NYC, so forgive my haste.

Form factor is spot on. The iPad may be missing a camera and video conferencing, but I guess Apple needed to save something for next year.

The price point at $499 is also spot on. I suspect by using their own multicore processor (called the A4) Apple saves a significant amount of money on one of the single most expensive elements that makes up the iPads bill of goods.

Users, The Pros:

We want it, but secretly know that with our iphone, macbook, imac trio, we are covered, so it is a pure luxury good for us until the macbook needs a refresh. However, if you're already a Kindle user or ebook wannabe, then I think the iPad is for you straight away, no questions asked. But I personally hate ebooks, or at least every version of an ebook I have every tried.

That said, with the dock/keyboard accessory, I could see a $499 iPad being the extra computer in the living room or kitchen with almost no thought at all and most my friends do too. The iPad could become a goto secondary terminal for many, many nerds. Especially those users ready to admit they personally never do any heavy document creation on the road anyway and rather enjoy media.

Users, The Unwashed Masses:

What I describe as a secondary computer for nerds above could easily also fill the gap for people who need a cheap computer for the basics, but all current cheap laptops are as underpowered and slow as they are bulky and heavy. I know my 14 year old sister's book bag weighs her down enough as is, poor girl looks like some sort of very cute, yet deformed ladybug, backpack sagging to the ground, shoulder straps strained to the limit. In this case, an iPad could offers her enough computing power and light form factor that she would more than welcome one with open arms. And with over 140k+ apps already available at launch, there is zero argument that it is not capable enough for the role. Maybe too capable, she plays enough doodle jump, flight control, finger maze and field runners on her iPod touch as is.

New Apps:

iWorks (apples "office") looks very very strong on the new iPad and with touch gestures I could see it being a solid work tool to get you thru edits and document reviews and with the optional keyboard, actual document creation.

iBooks (apples "kindle") also looks very good. Only time will tell, but I know some converts to ebooks and they love it. eBooks are not for me, but there are die-hard lovers out there.

App Store:

The entire app store eco-system carries thru onto the iPad with no re-coding by developers. 140k apps, most $1.99 or less, for almost any need and new apps just for the iPads larger screen format. Again, this could be a huge selling point. Quick, cheap productivity.

Battery Life:

10hrs of continuos use and a 30 day standby is very good. Apple has been working on managing power consumption across all their product lines in an effort to meet and exceed Energy Star standards for some time. It's my guess that the new Apple A4 in-house muilt-core processor will prove to be far more efficient than many suspect.

Update Jan 2010: it is a ARM Cortex-A9 MPCore (identical to the processor in the nVidia Tegra and Qualcomm Snapdragon), a ARM Mali 50-series GPU, and a memory controller all on one die.

AT&T:

Apples stock took a dip at 1:18pm, this is the exact same moment Steve announced AT&T was the iPad's wireless partner. Coincidence, who knows?

The GOOD, no contract, month to month, unlocked GSM.

The BAD, it's not Verizon (I thought I would never say that one).

The UGLY, if the networking sucks, AT&T further muddy's Apple's waters.

Games:

This blows me away, I am already loving the games on my iphone, imagine them in HD with a processor twice the power (1GHz). Forget a Xbox, you won't need it. Several people could have a multiplayer network party, each on their own iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch for that matter, at their desks. The sudden replacement of the dedicated gaming terminal for multiplayer gaming with an HD iPad could be a big selling point for some people and is a part of the story that can't be ignored. EA is making some of the best iPhone games out there (TigerWoods Gold, Madden NFL, Need For Speed) and will have a lasting positive impact on the iPads success.

iTunes:

Large HD movies, TV shows, music and books. I took a movie on my iPhone on the plane once and almost went blind, I will never by a movie to watch on an iphone again, but I could see many people buying a movie to watch at home and syncing it to an iPad to watching it on the plane. The larger format makes mobile movies a reality, something that never happened on the iPhone.

What to expect next year?

A camera in the iPad to do video conferencing and mass acceptance that you may not need a laptop as much as you though after all and finally, expansion of multi-touch controls to the laptop and desktop product lines.

Update Feb 2010:

Here's a link to a recent apple patent application for desktop touch screen.

Here's a link to references found in SDK 3.2 to video conferencing support for the iPad.

Contrarian view:

Not everyone will be sold on the iPad at first, this is a new market and if people

can't do enough, well enough, they may not forgo full laptops in the end after all. That said, each and every single person in my network, lovers and haters alike have clearly stated, they all want one to play with and at $499 the price is defiantly within striking range for an impulse buy if this bit of kit fits the bill.

Coda:

The iPhone may have been Apples first run at multi-touch, but the iPad represents Apples future vision for full screen multi-touch and their attempt to revolutionize the user experience yet again and create a compelling mobile experience that, in Steve's own words, is "magical". Now, I am not sure it is magical, but if it is good enough to get me out of my Aeron chair and over to the lounge to do my morning reading (1 - 2hrs worth) with no discomfort, eye or hand wise, I know I am sold. In short, I think this is another solid win for Apple and another nail in the coffin for the rest.

Update Jan 2010: Found this amusing iPad correlation to Star Trek TNG...