Morning Paper

Does The Sharper Image Bankruptcy Filing Make Your Feet Sad?

In case you haven't heard, the Sharper Image has filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. Their court battles over the Iconic Breeze air purifiers, 3 years of declining shares and people not wanting to buy their goods has finally forced their hand.

This makes my feet sad.

What will I do when the battery on my laptop goes dead and I've finished reading the crap I brought with me on a long flight? Are you telling me I can no longer long for a his and her foot massager or warm foot bath?

Will I never again be able to sit and ponder if I really need a globe that projects the time on the ceiling? Will I never again ponder the thought "what will they think of next?" as I marvel at all the ingenious ways one can carry a flashlight around or vacuum the top of ones curtains that were always out of reach until the amazing reacher upper? Which also looks great for the hard to reach spider webs.

Hours have passed by like minutes from pondering the savings on a duty free purchase of a combination Martini Mixer Backgammon set. What, what will the bored wayward traveler do?

OH, oh wait! It just hit me. The Sharper Image just might disappear from Malls all across the land. This means no more marveling at VW Beetles that also plays CD's. No more sitting in a massage chair after some sweaty team jersey wearing husband has just lived out his fantasy...in the freakin mall.

And what just may be worst of all is the most important. No more last minute Christmas shopping. Sharper Image is always good for an Alarm clock that's cheap but looks like it came from the set of Minority Report. Now where will we get a pocket Alarm Clock that is also a flashlight for when I need to wake up in a dark alley? Will we all be relegated to the dare I say it,.... The Discovery Store?

Shoppers oh how you disappoint. If only you had filled each room of your homes with purifying Iconic Breezes or cheese cutting utilities with the all too important electric gyrating grater. Maybe if you purchased just one more pillow that plays music when you lay your head on it, all of this would have been adverted. Shame, shame on you under indulgent non-impulsive purchasers of pedantically peddled partially progressive paraphernalia for later storage in a duct taped box in your garage.

You have all broken the basic tenement of the American way, buy more crap. Now look, the sharpest of all images has grown fuzzy and is in real danger of fading away. And we travelers who dream of duty free boxes to stick our feet in and sooth away the daily strife will pay the price.

Shame on you, shame, shame, shame.

Illinois Shooting: Tell The Media To Stop!

I'm not including a pic with this point simply because I would like to make a point. Mass shootings are becoming far too commonplace in American society as of late. It seems as though it's becoming once a month. But what's almost equally alarming is the way the television media covers the sad stories. Last night and so far today, every 24 hour news channel, and the rest, are devoting hours to "who the shooter is".

This is why these idiots do this. Lost and ghosts in a crowd, these individuals want to be famous in death, and the media obliges them every time. This time is no exception. 6 kids sitting in a class learning and hoping for the future were snatched from life for no reason at all by a gunman seeking fame in an otherwise silent life.

Personally I don't give a damn about the shooter. I don't care what he looks like, what he wrote before he did the heinous act, or how his loved ones are taking it (not that they are responsible).

Pictures of him and questions about him in my opinion are an insult to the dead and to the families of the victims, who are now themselves, victims. Much like MSNBC's "Doc-Block" where they show you prisons and prisoners and what they go through and blah, blah, blah, the victims must live with the pain and memories while the perpetrators get prime-time airtime.

If this is at all bothering you the way it is bothering me, write CNN, MSNBC and FoxNews. Tell them you do not want to know about the shooter. You do not want to hear from his or any other family member from past or present shooters. If they have anything to say they can do it in private with the victims of the crime.

The media in this area is a part of the problem, giving the shooters exactly what they want. What's worse is they know they are doing it. Write them and tell them to stop. Ratings mean everything to news channels (which is a travesty within itself) so if they fear us tuning out, they will begin to do the right thing.

What's More TrustWorthy, Treo Or Blackberry?

So it looks like Palm is trying to take advantage of the recent Blackberry outage by changing it's home page to state "UpTime". That is to say Treo's and Centro's don't have down time.

Does this make The Palm Treo/Centro a better buy? Well let's take a look at down time. Last year there were three Blackberry outages that put BB users into a tailspin. Already this year there has been a major BB outage sending BB users into a tailspin.

But as we speak Palm is writing checks to those who bought Treo 600's and 650's for a host of problems. I expect another round over the 700p sometime soon. Palm's aged PalmOS causes a good deal of resets and usability issues while using.

Now let's factor in carriers. AT&T users have experienced a good deal of outages this month and last year. Periodic outages and downtime occur on every major carrier, so I think it's hard to claim that any brand does not suffer "downtime" issues out of control of the brand manufacture.

When you factor in a recent study that places Palm dead last in customer satisfaction, and RIM second behind the iPhone, the edge begins to go in Blackberry's favor.

But, let's address the "Uptime" question and why it matters. As a Blackberry user, and a Palm power user, the Internet and email is very important. On the four Major US carriers, to use a blackberry you must purchase a Blackberry plan, these plans range between $30 and $50 a month depending on the carrier. This is the only way you're going to get those emails and get on the web without paying a HEFTY per MB fee. For the most part, Blackberry BES/BIS has been a dependable reliable way to receive your corporate emails. That is until one of these outages occur.

But, as a Palm user, you can receive those same emails and surf the exact same web from on the lowest end (Sprint) $15 to the highest end (Verizon) $40 and carriers in-between. MicrosoftExchange Server, and services supplied by carriers like "WirelessSync" (Verizon) provide Palm users (along with other third party developers) instant access to email and web at no extra cost. This is where the edge begins to tip in Palm's favor.

Of course this is all negated by personal preferences, needs and in some cases employment. But I find it interesting that Pal has decided to go after RIM on this issue. It's not a bad attack campaign from the floundering Treo maker. Of course we'll see what the public thinks when sales figures come out from each camp. But there are up and down sides to both devices, and in truth, the iPhone is better than both of them.

Drum beat starting: Where in the world is Windows Mobile 6.1?

Inquiring minds want to know. And the questions are only going to get louder. Where in the world is Windows Mobile 6.1?

Here we are on day two of the WDC in Barcelona and not one peep, iota, sliver of news from Microsoft on the (needlessly) ultra-secret, NDA bound, rumored and leaked upgrade to Windows Mobile.

Yesterday, we got announcements about new partnerships and corporate acquisitions. All well fine and good. Early returns are the Experia X1 is looking really good. And while I'm still not understanding the whole purchase of Danger (for $500 million no less), it makes a little more sense than trying to buy Yahoo.

But what I am not understanding is why hasn't there been a single word about the next Windows Mobile when you have everybody who is anybody in the Mobile phone market in the same place?

Microsoft flew big shots out to a private unveiling back in November (yes, NOVEMBER!) of Windows Mobile 6.1 and then slapped everyone with a Non Disclosure Agreement. No biggie (or so we all thought), any day now Microsoft would pull back the veil (something called the iPhone, I think) and viola!

That didn't happen.

Surely, then, at CES at the beginning of January with it being Bill Gates last scheduled appearance.

Uhm, nope. (Although I did enjoy that video of Bill Gates last days at Microsoft).

Absolutely then at WDC, Microsoft can't be that stupid. Don't they realize they are sliding further down a slippery slope? Okay, Palm is pretty much a non-issue at this point (are they even there?), but Apple, RIM, and King of the World Nokia are about to relegate them to the ultimate niche market: the business sector (the same misguided idea Palm clung until it's now too late) .

Even Papa Ed at Brighthand is starting to question what's going on with Windows Mobile.

What needed to have happened at WDC was an announcement: Windows Mobile 6.1. Available now. To everyone. Free. Drop the mic and walk off the stage.

Joe Wilcox raises an interesting point at Microsoft Watch , the big software growth is going to be in the mobile phone sector. The projections are through the roof. A cell phone for every person on the planet. More people own (and will own) cell phones than will ever own PCs. That should be Microsoft's new growth market, and they've already got a foot in the door with Windows Mobile.

Sustainable corporate growth is not going to come from advertising (and what brand of corporate Kool-Aid decided a company that makes software should even be in the ad business?). What should you care, Microsoft, what people use to search as long as they are doing it on a Windows powered PC or mobile device?  Google's search dominance (or ad revenue) is not your enemy.

Apple understands that. That's why they stick to iPods, iPhones and Macs. They have a browser that can search but they are far more concerned that you do whatever you do on an Apple product than anything else. And they work really hard to make their platform the platform of choice to do all of that.

It's a new day and if you don't realize it Microsoft, you and Palm will be sitting together wondering what happened as you're closing down shop.

I don't expect Windows Mobile 6.1 to silence the critics. Heck, our esteemed editor here at Morning Paper will be chomping at the bit to chime in on this. But from what I've seen, WinMo 6.1 is (at least) a few steps in the right direction.

And we need(ed)  to see it yesterday.

Super Delegates Aren't So Super

By now you should all be aware of the Democratic parties version of "fixing an election", it's called Super Delegates. This is where people like ex- President Bill Clinton gets to vote for Hilary with a whopping number of single delegates. Where back room deals, long time friendship and debts owed get called into favor by the candidate that holds the most entrenched political power. See, you thought your vote counted in the Democratic party didn't you? Those who screamed the loudest (and rightly so) over the 2000 election placement of George Bush, have their very own way of making sure the person they want in, gets in.

Instituted after Jimmy Carter, a man the people wanted but the entrenched on both sides of the aisle wanted no part of, was elected to the highest position in the country. After Jimmy Carter won, they decided they could no longer leave it in the hands of the American people. So if primaries and caucus's brought a candidate to the DNC convention floor, they nor the majority of DNC official wants running the party, party officials can cast their "SUPER DELEGATES" to the candidate of choice. It's all highly democratic.

In a rare moment of actually doing his job, Chris Matthews asked Rhode Island Senator Jack Reed, who is supporting Hilary Clinton, "If your State votes overwhelmingly for Barack Obama, will you cast your Super Delegate vote for him?" He answered NO. Meaning personal candidate loyalty trumps the will of the people. And that folks, is how this whole dust up began.

A dust up that prompted Donna Brazile, CNN political commentator, to announce that if it comes down to Super Delegates deciding this process (of which she is one) she will quit the DNC. Donna Brazile is a longtime DNC supporter having worked for many Democratic Presidential hopefuls such as Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, and was appointed Chair of the Democratic National Committee's Voting Rights Institute after the 2000 Presidential debacle. For her to make a statement like that on national television is huge.

The now DNC chair Howard Dean has come out in recent days saying that a broken convention would not be good. And a broken convention is exactly what you'll get if the candidate with the most "pledged" delegates enters the convention and loses because of the back room Super Delegate vote.

Let's imagine for the sake of scenario that Barack Obama wins 6 out of the next 7 states, netting him a 160 pledged delegate lead over Hilary and a 15 state lead over her when they both enter the convention floor. The big MO and the numbers are behind him so none of those pledged delegates change their vote.

But old Bill Clinton and Hilary Clinton favors get called in, and entrenched loyalist deal their way to an overwhelming Super Delegate vote in Hilary Clinton's favor and she is announced as the nominee. (This could happen in reverse, but seeing as the Clintons "ARE" the democratic party, it's easier to use this as a possible scenario). The Democratic party would crumble right then and there. The party already has enough of it's own angry with them for getting into power and backing down to Bush on each and every issue. Not even entertaining the ideal of impeachment, or fighting to reinstate Habius Corpus.

If this or anything similar happens, bye-bye Democratic party, hello Independent party. A place more and more Americans are wanting to be.

This election is so amazing this way. It has brought a lot of the unknown to the forefront. Who knew that a state like Utah would vote overwhelmingly for a Black man carrying the name Barack Hussien Obama. Who knew that women voters would be at odds with themselves over a woman candidate. Or that gender could be pit against race in an election for the highest seat in the land. And before this juicy primary, who knew that party officials where the ones actually naming democratic nominees. After all, in years before, after Iowa and New Hampshire the candidates are for the most part picked and on their way to the general.

This Super Delegate situation is much like the Electoral College discovery in 2000. Because so many Americans used Civics class as a time to catch a nap in high school, millions of Americans were shocked and dismayed to discover that their vote didn't make a single difference because they don't live in a state with an Electoral vote. While the cry was loud then, it's silent now for change in the system. So once again, come time to vote for the President of the United States, there are folks who will cast their vote for no reason at all. Because if their candidate doesn't when the Electoral vote, the popular vote won't mean a hill of beans, no matter how wide the margin. And the prospects are the same with the upcoming DNC. The potential for millions of disenfranchised voters is great. Seeing as how this thing is bound to go to the wire, a good portion of that floor is destined to be disappointed regardless. But immediate aid could be delivered by a unified party behind the actual victor. Not so if the victor is delivered from behind closed doors.

Shame on you DNC. Fix this before you destroy your selves and kill off the last remaining hope for democracy in a hopeful democratic country.

WRITER'S STRIKE IS OVER! WRITER'S STRIKE IS OVER!

At last, the Writer's strike is over, so said Former Walt Disney chief executive Michael Eisner.

"It's over. They made the deal, they shook hands on the deal. It's going on Saturday to the writers in general." "A deal has been made, and they'll be back to work very soon," Eisner said, adding, "I know a deal's been made. I know it's over."

So what's this mean: people go back to work, no more lame reruns, and a re-airing of the Golden Globes of how it should of really went down!

Did You Get A 16GB iPhone?

When word of a German 16GB iPhone hit the internets a few months back, iPhone lovers went crazy. Speculation on the what ifs and will they won't they has been raging every since.

If you really consider what we're talking about here, 16GB, you might step back and think, what's the big deal? but it is a big deal to some. More songs, more videos and more, more. This is particularly true in the case of the iPod Touch with it's 32GB additional space. But does the hype meet the wallet?

After all this time and knee bending pleading for Apple to release a bigger model, did you go out and get yourself one? Or do you have plans to get the bigger iPhone or iPod Touch in the near future?

And now that Apple came through with this, what will the next rumored incarnation be?

On-line cell number directory draws Verizon's ire

Found this little diddy over at MSNBC.com

An online directory that claims to provide 90 million mobile telephone numbers is raising concerns among cell phone users and privacy advocates about unwanted callers who rack up the minutes on their calling plans and the difficulty of opting out of the list.

Intelius charges $14.95 a pop for the numbers, which it says it collects from public sources, such as property records and other businesses. The owner of a number has no say in the matter.

This little bit of information is pretty scary in and of itself. For $14.95 each search, anyone can find your private cell phone number if it's been posted or used in public records. Most of us don't like to give out our cell phone numbers because we all get charged for these calls that are unwanted. It's one thing to even humor a telemarketer on your land line (assuming you still have one) but not funny when they are eating into your monthly minute allotment.

For the record, when I entered my cell phone number, and without paying the $14.95, Intelius claims they have my name and address - for a fee. The city was wrong so I'm not sure about the veracity of the rest of the information.

UPDATE: Intelius says you can remove your number from its cell phone directory by faxing a removal request, along with proof of ID (like a driver’s license), to 425-974-6194. (I sure hope you first don't have to pay the $14.95 to see if your number is there, then another $14.95 to make sure they removed it.)

But, dear Reader, it gets better (or worse, depending).

Guess who's first out of the block of the carriers to stand up for their customer's privacy? Verizon. Yes, you read right, Verizon. The same folks who, along with AT&T and BellSouth, had no problem surrendering your privacy to the NSA and now want immunity from class action lawsuits stemming from customer privacy violation.

Verizon Wireless, which helped shoot down plans for a wireless directory as a “dumb idea,” said in a statement that it would take whatever step was necessary, including litigation, to “protect its customers’ numbers and privacy.”

“Trolling the Internet, using data mining techniques and simply buying lists to create a directory are actions that clearly violate a consumer’s right to privacy,” the carrier said. “Verizon Wireless has long refused to release our customers’ numbers and we call on legislators and policy makers to ensure that what a consumer wants to be private stays that way.” (my emphasis added)

Can anybody say "hypocrisy?" Where was all of this ethical angst and moral outrage when the NSA was asking for all of that and more with little or no reason?

I'm just sayin'

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Ssh...A Recession Will Hurt The Tech Sector

A few weeks ago I asked the Question "What will a recession do to your gadget lust?" I can tell you what it will or more so, has done to mine. Kept it at just that, lust.

The coming of the MacBook Air has had me thinking of this since it was announced. At $1799 it's going to be a hard sell right now. Things are tight and getting tighter everywhere you turn. I find it hard to believe that a "luxury" item like the Air is going to have much Stateside success right now, in particular when you factor in the fear of a recession. And I'm not alone:

---"Tech will crumble with the recession," says Paul Kedrosky, a venture capitalist and blogger. "Many tech companies -- like Apple, Google and Amazon -- are the most consumer dependent technology companies in the history of technology. Unlike prior recessions, consumer spending is going to heavily damage those companies. That's why you're seeing so much nervousness about Google and so much nervousness about Apple. It's not a good place to be."---

Of course if you're in the UK or any other market economy that is currently laughing at the US dollar at the moment, your lust can still turn into a lover affair. But for how long?

Credit happy buy stuff Americans are the driving fuel of big ticket technology. We live five strong in crappy two bedroom apartments, drive overworked 1994 Geo's but go to Wal-Mart and get 50" flat screen TV's. But with the current market direction, that too shall pass. So what then?

If Google, Amazon and Apple, three strong market indicators, announce profit decreases like RIM and Motorola's recent announcements, what's to come of companies like Palm who are already seeing age curtail their once lusted after body of work?

From where I sit, with the MacBook Air, AppleTV and the handset happy Android from Google, It's hard to imagine anything other than disappointing sales reports. These things quickly become less important when a recession hits, or is even being feared of hitting. Being that much of our economy runs on the Tech sector now, the "lusting" after new gadgets, or a piece of software could be completely unrequited, and 2008 could turn into a rough year that will without a doubt trickle down to every aspect of the modern world economy.

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HAPPY MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY!

Take a minute out of this day to reflect on the message from one of America's great men/human. And a special shout to those places of employment and states that are actually honoring this day as a national holiday.