I learned to program shortly after receiving my first computer in the ninth grade.  In high school I taught myself Basic, Pascal, C, and HTML.  I also wrote a few little utilities, some hacker tools, and a program that converted text to Nadsat (aka, Clockwork Orange speak).  In the spring and summer of my senior year I built and launched a searchable index (like the original Yahoo) called PrimeScan.  This was 1997.  The code was raw and used flat files for data storage (I didn't know what SQL and relational databases were at the time), but it worked and was slowly getting traffic. However, it had a short life, and it was hacked during the first few weeks of college.  By that time I didn't have the time or dedication to revive it.

Although I received a degree in Computer Science, PrimeScan was the last real app that I personally launched and built--until now.  TrailerMatic.com is a simple web app that helps you pick a great movie, one random movie trailer at a time.  It was born out of my frustration one evening to find a movie to watch.  I spent over 45 minutes browsing Netflix recommendations, Amazon reviews, iTunes charts, box shots, descriptions, and ratings. I was overwhelmed by choice. I finally found a movie, but the process took too long and was more stressful than it had to be.

That experience led me to the idea of TrailerMatic.  I love trailers.  They are entertaining and often times better than the actual movie.  They are the studios best attempt to market a movie.  But trailers are mainly used to sell movies in the theaters.  Once a movie hits the DVD or online-streaming market, the trailer takes a back seat to reviews, ratings, box shots and descriptions.  TrailerMatic is designed to use trailers as a main tool for discovering (or re-discovering) movies.

TrailerMatic shows you one random movie trailer at a time with links to buy/rent/stream that movie from Amazon, iTunes, and Netflix.  It pulls from a list of 300+ movies (and growing) recommended by myself, my friends and "best of lists". Although it's random, it's unlikely you'll encounter a dud.  Since I rely on YouTube for trailer availability, the video quality is highly variable, but I've made an effort to maintain an acceptable quality baseline.

In addition to scratching an itch, TrailerMatic is also about keeping my coding skills fresh and current.  My day job remains design and product management, but I take pride in knowing that I can still build and launch simple apps.  Building TrailerMatic was a learning experience that I hope to continue with feature enhancements or launching other, simple apps.

In closing, thanks to everyone that gave me feedback and movie titles to add.  And a special thanks to Kevin Mateo Lim for all his help during our peer-programming sessions that got this project started.

Please check out TrailerMatic and let me know if you find it useful!

Last week Apple announced the iPhone 4S.  Among some nice upgrades, the marquee feature in this year's model is Siri, the voice assistant.

It's easy to dismiss Siri as nothing more than a novelty.  Voice user interfaces have existed for a long time and have always been a let down.  It's more likely than not that Siri will follow this pattern.

But what if it doesn't?  What if Siri is at least good enough for real-world use?  Apple has a good track record in mainstreaming emerging technologies.  The mouse, GUI, portable music players, smartphones, touch UI, and the tablet--all were more or less niche products or features that Apple brought to the masses.  And they did it by making them "just work."  It's possible that Apple has finally progressed voice UIs to the "it just works" stage.

If so, the implications are HUGE.  The use cases shown in the demo are compelling: setting timers, checking and making calendar appointments, reading text messages, looking up the weather, etc...  But that's only the beginning.

Imagine if Apple creates an API for third-party developers to tap into the voice actions?  You can book movie tickets on Fandango, purchase Kindle Fires on Amazon, send the open web page in Safari to Instapaper.  And if the AI gets good enough, perform combo actions like reserve an 8pm table at Slanted Door and automatically set up a calendar event.

Apple will also likely expand beyond the iPhone 4S and make Siri available on its full line of connected products: Mac, iPads, iPhones, and Apple TV.  I wouldn't be surprised if they made Windows PC and Android Siri apps.

And Siri will learn fast.  Everyone's voice commands will funnel through Apple's iCloud servers, powering the intense computations need to make "it just work," becoming more accurate everyday.

Who wins?  We do.  So does Apple of course.  Who loses?  Maybe Android and Windows.  Siri, powered by iCloud will create a serious moat between iOS devices and the competition. But the biggest loser will almost certainly be Google Web Search.  

Web search is just a proxy for asking a question.  If a voice query can be made quick and efficient, Apple can deliver answers without going through Google.  Yelp and CitySearch can power restaurant and local business searches. Amazon and other etailers can power product searches.  The "where was Ricky Martin born?" questions can be answered directly from Wikipedia.  

Google makes almost all of its money from AdWords displayed in search results.  Android exists to establish Google Search on mobile devices and maintain the dominance it has on PC web searches. Not all queries can be answered in one hop, but if 10-20% of your searches go through Siri, Google will feel it.  It will have trouble growing its topline as more web activity moves to mobile devices and increased competition from Siri's voice queries.

But it all depends on how well Siri works.  I'm not getting a 4S, but i'm going to follow closely how this new technology plays out in the real world.

For what it's worth these are my predictions for next week's Apple event.

Strategy
Before jumping into predictions it's worth highlighting what I believe is the strategy and goals for this product announcement. Apple will do what Apple does and push the creative and technological bounderies of what mobile devices are capable of.  At the same time they need to remain price competitive and become more aggressive and put as many iOS devices in as many hands as possible.  This will help them sell more digital goods (songs, movies, etc...), but more importantly it will reaffirm their status as the premier mobile platform for third-party developers.

iPhone 5
The next generation iPhone will have a completely new design, perhaps the teardrop shaped design that has been leaked to the case manufactuers. It will have most if not all of the obvious improvements the next generaion is predicted to have: better camera, A5 chip, larger screen, more RAM, voice assistant hardware, more flash memory, GSM and CDMA capable (maybe LTE), thinner, and lighter. It will be sexy as hell.  

The pricing lineup will remain the same with the entry level model starting at $199 with a 2/yr contract.  The iPhone 5 is the premier iPhone, but has a very specific target audience: early adopters, Apple fanboys, and people who view their phone as a status symbol.

iPhone 4(s)
The current iPhone 4 form factor will stick around for another rev to address the low-end of the market.  The iPhone 4 is still the best selling and most desired mobile phone in the world.  The only thing that can make it better is price and wider compatibility.  I wouldn't be surprised if Apple released an entry level iPhone 4 with minor modifications (voice assistant hardware, GSM and CDMA capable, 8GB flash memory) for FREE w/2yr contract, $299-$399 unlocked.

Carriers
Sprint has gone on record saying they will have the iPhone, which will make the device available onthree of the four major US carriers.  But the real growth is not in the US--it's international.  By releasing high- and low-end GSM and CDMA capable phones, Apple will sell more devices into their existing global channels as well as bring on new cariers around the globe.  This is the most exciting in terms of platform growth.

iPod Touch
Like the iPhone 4, there's not much they could do with the Touch besides make it more affordable.  The current entry level price will drop from $229 to $199 or perhaps as low as $179.  The form factor will remain the same, but they may opt to upgrade the chip to A5 to maintain excellent performance for high-end games.

iPad
I don't expect the introduction of a new model.  However, I wouldn't be surprised if they either lowered their prices by $50-$100 OR eliminated the WiFi-only models and offered the 3G versions at current WiFi prices. 

iOS5
Besides what was announced during the summer, there have been many rumors regarding an integrated voice UI powered by Nuance.  Voice UIs typically suck, but supposedly Apple's implementation is excellent.  That remains to be seen.  I also wouldn't be surprised if Facebook system integration was also an unanounced iOS5 feature.

Odds and ends
Tim Cook will MC the event, but I wouldn't be surprised if Steve Jobs announced the new iPhone model.  I don't expect any developments regarding Apple TV.  They may announce the discontinuation of the iPod Classic and Shuffle, but these products are probably still profitable and not easily replaceable with either products in the lineup... unless the iPod touch goes 128GB.

My wife and I have been traveling for almost six months now.  Being a techie, I've had fun using my gadgets to make our travels as optimal and stress free as possible.  

By far the most useful device is my iPhone 4.  It's helped us in both obvious and unforeseen ways.  These are the apps I've used the most.

Maps
The Maps app is not as useful unless you have a data plan, which we didn't have due to its prohibitive cost. Most cafes around the world provide free wifi (pronounced wee-fee in most places), but that doesn't help much when you're on the street in a new city looking for your hotel.

Luckily Maps has an undocumented feature that's incredibly helpful for data plan-less users: caching.  Maps caches the last n number of map tiles and makes them available for offline use.  Before arriving at the next city I make sure I lookup our hotel's location, bookmark the spot, and pan and zoom around the map to preload as much as I can.  The iPhone's cache is not limitless and I believe the iPhone 4's cache is larger than the iPhone 3G and 3Gs, but this trick works on all models.

As a bonus, GPS and compass both work without an internet connection, so if you've loaded the right tiles you'll have no problem getting around.

OffMaps 2 (link)
Even with the previously mentioned trick, it's good to have a backup.  OffMaps 2 utilizes the open source Open Maps and makes them available for offline use.  This app does cost money and will nickel-and-dime you for each city you download, but the developers did a nice job with the UI and added other useful features, such as public transportation overlays and store/restaurant/cafe lookup. 

Instapaper (link)
I was a huge fan of Instapaper before leaving on the trip and now I'm a bigger fan.  Instapaper is a simple service and iPhone app that lets you save articles to read later.  Its killer feature is that it syncs your content for offline use, which makes long bus/train/plane trips more tolerable.

The easiest way to get articles into your Instapaper account is with the provided javascript bookmarklet.  However, if you're solely relying on your iPhone as your portable computer, a less-used alternative is to email the URL of the article you want to save to your special Instapaper email address, which can be found after you've logged in to the Instapaper website.

Podcaster (link)
Podcasts are another terrific and cost effective way to pass the time on long journeys.  The built-in iPod app lets you play podcasts that you've synced with iTunes, but if you don't travel with a laptop or you don't sync often you'll soon find yourself with nothing new to listen to.  Podcaster is a paid app that does many things, but most importantly it lets you sync podcasts directly through the app without the need of a computer.

Camera
Duh.  Of course you're going to use the camera to take shots of whatever awesomeness is in front of you.  But I've found the camera to also be useful as a visual notetaking tool.  Need to record the departure schedule from Fes to Chefchouen posted in the bus station? Take a picture of it.  Worried about getting lost in a city without street signs? Take shots of unmistakeable landmarks.

Geotag Photos Pro (link)
I'm a little obsessed with geotagging my photos.  Unfortunately I take most of my photos with a DSLR, which does not have a built-in GPS.  However, the iPhone does and there are plenty of apps that will record your location as you wander through the city.  Geotag Photos Pro has worked great for me and is definitely worth the money.

Turn it on at the start of your day and by the end you'll have a geo dataset that you can mash up with your photos using Aperture or other applications.  You can also load your dataset into Google Maps and see your superimposed breadcrumb trail directly on an interactive map (ie, this was how we spent one day in Madrid).  It makes for a nice digital souvenir.

Also, If you've preloaded the maps within the app (like the Maps app, GPP will cache the last n tiles) you can use your trail to backtrack if you're lost or return to a place you saw the other day and wanted to return to.  

Currency (link)
This free app provides a simple and clean way to lookup the current currency conversion rates.  The XE app (link) is also good and I carry both on my phone. 

Convert Units for Free (link)
Due to our assine insistance of sticking to unit measurements that none of the rest of the world uses, you'll need an easy way to convert a kg, km, or lt into lbs, mis, and ozs. This app has a crappy UI, but it gets the job done. 

Skype (link) and Google Voice (link)
Skype is an indispensible service for communicating with friends and family back at home.  The iPhone app is better than the PC/Mac version due to its portability.

Before we left my wife and I ported our cellphone #s to Google Voice. Although the Google Voice iPhone app does not include VOIP for inbound and outbound calling, it does provide a nice interface for checking voicemails and sending/receiving text messages. 

Everyday (link)
Everyday is a simple app that facilitates taking a portrait of yourself everyday and turning the collection into a video slideshow.  It's more fun than essential.  Here's my Everyday video from a few months ago.

We outsiders cannot know exactly what motivated Reed Hastings and the rest of Netflix management to split their business into a streaming service (Netflix) and a dvd service (Quikster).  Speculators have offered their rationales: the sale of its streaming business to Amazon (unlikely), economic pressure from the studios (quite possible), to simplify accounting of streaming vs. dvd activity (possible, but there are simpler ways to deal), and killing off their dvd business (unlikely, since it brings in the dough).

There's one more reason often cited, which interests me the most: how to deal with the inherent innovator's dilemma of running an established business that's on the verge of disruption by a new up-and-coming model.

For those not familiar with the Innovator's Dilemma, read the book (or its many permutations).  If you're short on time, check out this Wikipedia page.

The Netflix situation is a classic dilemma.  The DVD business is healthy, but the future is clearly in streaming.  They've made the right moves in developing a streaming business alongside their DVD business, so when the market hits a tipping point they'll be there to capitalize.

But there's a catch and it's well articulated in the book.  Business leaders can make prudent decisions, acting in the best interest of the shareholders and still succumb the dilemma and drive their business into the ground.  In fact, it is often the actions made on behalf of the shareholders, which leaders are obligated to do, that cause the demise of the business. 

The book offers a couple of ways the business can deal, such as self-disruption (which Apple has successfully done with the iPhone vs. iPod or what Netflix has attempted to do), but none of these moves are fool proof.

I saw at my time at Intuit intelligent and experienced business leaders make near-term tradeoffs in future technologies and products in order to achieve short-term gains from the cash cow.  Shareholders look for a return on their investment and they must oblige.  These are smart moves only until they are no longer smart.

Which brings me back to Netflix.  I believe it's the innovator's dilemma driving the split.  But unlike Apple and the iPhone, Netflix does not believe they can disrupt their business at the same time champion their business at the same time.  

Instead, they have taken the extraordinary action of operationally dividing the businesses into two in order to a) invest in the future and b) do what's best for the shareholders.  Two businesses, two CEOs, two different teams, two offices, two brands.  I believe there will be smart partnerships (in fact, i'm surprised they weren't announced), but that's all they will be--partnerships.  Quikster is free to optimize and innovate on its business model while Netflix is free to look toward the future unrestrained.

And to the interested and educated observer this is going to be fascinating to watch unfold in real time.  Once the customer outrage subsides, which I believe it will, we will see how this decision plays out. Reed will be evaluated as either a business hero or another victim of the innovator's dilemma.

It occurred to me a little while ago that I was incorrectly mixing the terms "educational technology" with "e-learning" (and vice-versa).  It should have been obvious since the root verbs to learn and to educate mean different things. But I'm not the only one who makes this mistake, so to promote clean dialogue it's worth pointing out the differences.

Let's start with their formal definitions:

Educate - verb - give intellectual, moral, and social instruction to (someone, esp. a child), typically at a school or university

Learn - verb - gain or acquire knowledge of or skill in (something) by study, experience, or being taught

The verbs have different actors.  Educators help a learner to learn.  However, a learner does not need an educator to learn.  A learner can acquire a skill or knowledge without the aid of an educator via study and/or experience.

Likewise, educational technology is aimed at educators whereas e-learning is aimed at learners.  If you provide educational technology your customer is the educators (or the institutions that represent the educators).  If you provide e-learning your customers are the learners.

Educational technology, by definition, must include some way to help educators with their goal of teaching learners, but it may optionally include e-learning components aimed directly at the learners themselves.  For instance, Aplia was an educational technology platform that helped educators manage and administer their classes. However, it also included e-learning components in the form of graded/practice homework assignments and online experiments.

We may say that The Khan Academy is an e-learning solution since it targets learners directly.  Recently, however, they launched features that allow teachers to organize and follow their students progress through KA.  I would define those features as educational technology.

I'm not picking sides (yet) as to where we should focus our efforts, but it's important to understand that to improve education and learning, we must remain aware that they are fundamentally different--different actions taken by different actors.  Likewise, targeting one, the other, or both for disruptive innovation presents a different set challenges, some of which I hope to discuss on this blog.

For some reason or another I spend a fair amount of my daydreaming time thinking about innovation in the educational space.  I think about other things, but education and learning are recurring topics.

Perhaps it's because my first job out of college was working for Aplia, an educational technology startup (since acquired by Cengage) focused on the college market.  I was exposed to an incredible amount of data that showed how quality content, new technology, and great design can positively affect student outcomes.

Or maybe it's because I find technological innovation and disruption incredibly fascinating and I'm curious why the current educational system has avoided and stubbornly resisted progressive change.

Or maybe because education is a noble cause to get behind and helping other people succeed and improve their lives is worth giving thought to.

I have some ideas, some original and some not so, about how to disrupt education and learning.  I hope to share those ideas on this blog.

I once had a blog and then got tired of updating it, so it died.  This is my blog v2.