I got an email about a new site that launched called Slangwho, claiming to be a search engine powered by “the people”. Now Business Insider has already sounded off on this and was very generous as well as diplomatic in it’s response to the mysteriousness of this new search engine, providing great details about it. So instead, I’m going to focus on my experience with the site, and let me start with how I first heard about this site. This showed up in my in my email inbox.
I thought, “Okay….?” And I click on the “Slagwho” link. The all black background pops up with the prompt to type in my email address so that I can “start slanging the web”. I became immediately annoyed, closed the window and forgot about it until today. I went back and entered one of my other email addresses to see what happens, and so far nothing. While I did violate one of my social media rules of never entering an email address on a site that just asks for it with no Terms of Service (TOS) link nor info about the site, I wanted to indulge this site to see where it goes. I don’t want to seem harsh but this isn’t an appealing way of getting my attention as a potential user of this legendary search engine–It just seems a bit shady.
Am I wrong in my assessment? Would you trust a site with your email address without having a Terms of Service posted nor any information about the health of the business? I bring this up because should a startup ever get acquired by another business, your information could be up for grabs, and God only knows what will will be done with your information. I mean, I guess I get it: a search engine powered by its users, dubious, but interesting. Also it’s shrouded in darkness, but there’s so much secrecy that it betrays it’s purpose. Make sense?
Add your comments below this post. I’d love to hear what others think.
Obviously Zynga has come quite a long way. Got a nice deal here with 7-Eleven and an iPhone app in the works for Farmville. Sing it with me y’all! “Movin’ on up to the East side. We finally got a piece of the pie!”
Btw, I snapped this with my iPhone while getting gas at 7-Eleven. (To totally digress for a moment, I have to say that I love my iPhone 3GS’s camera feature. It has come in handy ever since I accidentally broke my point-and-shoot camera in New York City last summer. More importantly, in light of the great quality that the 3GS delivers I am even more excited about getting my reserved iPhone 4 next Thursday!)
In a blog post a long, long time ago (two years ago actually; 2008) I wrote about a piece of random news I stumbled upon on Facebook that Aaron Sorkin, producer of the television series “The West Wing”, was doing research for a film about the start or founding, rather, of Facebook. In fact, it was Aaron Sorkin’s Facebook group that I stumbled upon (now closed for approved membership only).
Fast-forward two years and the movie is basically done and named The Social Network, and not Facebook. But the poster does sport the corporate blue, white and greys of the actual site. It is schedule for release in on October 1st of this year by Columbia Pictures, starring Jesse Einsenberg (as Mark Zuckerberg) and directed by David Fincher (Recent to earliest notable directorial work includes The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Zodiac, Panic Room, Fight Club, Se7en and Alient 3). Now come on. With a directing track record like that, all you Facebook fans must be excited.
I think this is really cool. Two years ago I had no words for how ridiculous an idea I thought this was–so much so that I withheld my judgement. But in hindsight a great deal has changed in and about the online social arena and the deep rooting it has taken in the personal lives of so many people across the planet.
Post your thoughts about the film. I’ll be sure to post the trailer as soon as I get wind of it. Or if you find it first, please let me know. Thanks!
Android has it’s fist mobile meeting app from the creators (Fuze Box) of the Fuze Messenger and Fuze Movie. It’s very basic. Simply login upload what content you want or need and you can meet with people practically anywhere.
Here are the key features for this app:
View desktop sharing – Android attendees gain an unprecedented ability to view meeting participants’ desktops, files and presentations on-the-go and in real-time, while synced with the meeting presenter. The viewing quality and precise synchronization set the standard for visual collaboration among smartphones.
Actively participate in media collaboration – Attendees are able to watch and listen to high-quality video and audio – start, stop and pause with the same level of functionality as meeting hosts have.
Contribute content with presenter functionality – Once the meeting host designates an Android attendee as a presenter, users can share video or image files by uploading directly from their device.
Disclaimer: All of my nagging aside (below), I genuinely like the device and would love to own it for entertainment purposes. But… (cue the rest of this post)
That’s precisely why I don’t want it, It does nothing for me. And based on my personal budget and how it therefore dictates my purchasing privileges, I have to put this fun new shiny toy in it’s rightful category: EXTRANEOUS. It fulfills a space that is already satisfied, singularly and collectively, by my iPhone, MacBook Pro and iMac at home. I’m getting the same feeling I had when the MacBook Air was unvelied: Stale deal. PASS!
Moving on…
I don’t really hold grudges, but I do have that “never again” mentality once I’ve been burned. In fact, this mentality somewhat dictates my overall worldview in life: Take my nice demeanor for granted and you’ll surprisingly get shanked! Watch out! With that said, Apple burned it’s loyal customers (me among them) by randomly dropping the price on what was essentially a fortune for such a small but albeit entertaining and equally UTILITARIAN device (email, calendar, music, camera, video, calculator, contacts, notes, etc)–I was livid with Apple. It was unfair and just flat out WRONG! So never again will I be a first adopter with Apple. And spare me the “that’s just tech” bullsession. Remember this sexy letter of appeasement from the man himself here. Yeah I read that and suddenly I felt like the nation of Israel, and Dubbya Bush was asking me to give up land for peace. What the FRENCH FRY!) So, suffice it to say, WTF! I’m the customer and in my mind I’m right, even if the staunchest tech guru says I’m wrong. I’m right, cause I am. (Circular reasoning is fabulous even when you know it’s fallacious. lol It just feels good!)
Reason two: I don’t know where this device fits into my life based strictly on practicality, or plainly put, need, when it’s already fulfilled in things I already own as stated above. When I want to make a big purchase I ask myself time and time again as I stare at the product, then on the way to the register and while walking out the door, “What dire purpose is this serving and is it worth the cost?” When I apply this basic rubric I find that I save myself a world of unnecessary buyer’s remorse and financial hurt. Therefore, having weighed and tried this sexy new device from Apple, my conclusion is no, I don’t need it.
But let’s get to the real reason for my objection to the device (LOL) if I were to ignore my prior reasons above, and base my purchase on the babyboomer hand-me-down, capitalist indoctrination to: Spend, baby spend for a new entertaining and shiny gadget… (cue drumroll) …on CREDIT! Come, all ye faithful. I compel you to confess, all ye early adopters. You bought that iPad April 3rd on credit in the middle of a recession. Ouch! Too harsh? I joke. Far be it for me to judge…out loud. Look, if it couldn’t be purchased with cash and the item is no bigger than a thick novel (give or take), it probably shouldn’t have been purchased, unless it cures terminal illness (and I speak from experience). Just sayin’.
There are some key features that I would love to have seen in this device but aren’t present. What’s mainly lacking for me is:
No Camera. I have one word for you, Skype. And that also means no creepy Chat Roulette. lol jk …and that takes me to my next point.
No Flash or a worthy championing replacement to Flash once and for all, if not a compromise between Adobe and Apple. Furthermore, seeing as how (I’m guessing) 75% of the web and it’s content is Flash dependent, I prefer not to suffer with an expensive device that, well let’s be honest, would primarily wind up being used as just large iPod that provides a lot of viewing pleasure. Oh but wait, forget that. Forget Hulu.com, ABC.com, Crunchyroll.com, and all the other countless flash-based sites that I love, and are technically being pinned into making an exclusive app for the device (which is good and bad). It is good because the iPad will have a dedicated application for each choice of entertainment, but bad because that’s just shady and manipulative–oh wait that latter point is what makes Apple successful. All is forgiven. (JOKES!) But still, I’m addicted to Flash like America loves Saudi oil (and the Saudis love our money). “Hi I’m MacDavid and I’m a Flash addict. (boots i-Gun app) And what?! Say somethin’!!” lol
Do I want one? Well if you can’t detect the implications of my desire for one, then I’ll go ahead and unequivocally say YES, Sherlock! But I just don’t want the one Apple is offering. I want the iPad 4me version. ‘Til then, iPass.
And I know what you’re thinking. “Such a fanboy. You’re just bitter.” Yeah, and so what. It’s my MacParty and iCry if I want to.
We’ve been rumoring a WiMAX “HTC Supersonic” for a while now, and Sprint just dropped the hard news: the phone will be dubbed the HTC EVO 4G, will be released this Summer and it’s easily the best specced phone we’ve ever witnessed. Read more…
By the way, I think this phone is really cool, but it looks fat. …And I don’t mean “Phat” as in good. Just really bigger than the average touchscreen phones that are out already. Just sayin’.
I joke. Far be it for me to judge…out loud. Look, if it couldn’t be purchased with cash and the item is no bigger than a thick novel (give or take), it probably shouldn’t have been purchased, unless it cures terminal illness (and I speak from experience). Just sayin’.
