New Girl Doppelgangers
There is a show on Fox called “New Girl” that has fantastic writing and is actually quite funny. But I am convinced it could be easily titled “The Doppelgangers”. Every actor on this show seems to be a twin of another celebrity. Check it out:
Zooey Deschanel and her twin, Katy Perry
Jake Johnson and his twin, David Krumholtz
Lamorne Morris and his twin Dave Chappell
The only one I haven’t figured out is Max Greenfield. Any ideas? Maybe a young Tom Cruise?
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Mobile Payment Platforms
There is an upcoming battle in the mobile world. And not over whether the cell phone you use has an apple or a little green robot, nor which provider is giving you cellular service. The battle is looming for who is going to replace your wallet.
Ever since credit cards, we have been looking for ways to make paying for things easier. We all carry tiny computers in our phones now, so why not use those instead of carrying another device as a payment tool?
There are several different methods for being your payment tool of choice.
NFC
NFC stands for near-field-communications. It works a lot like bluetooth, the short range radio that connects your wireless headset to your phone. Instead, you have a chip in your phone that can put out a signal to nearby readers. Think instead of swiping a credit card at the grocery store you slap your phone on a kiosk. There are already several people trying to do this. Google Wallet for example is available on some Android phones.
This can also be an baby step in that you could link your credit card to your NFC account, so it auto deducts. This might make people more or less willing to use – based on whether they have security concerns about linking their accounts, or alternatively that they don’t want yet another cash account to worry about re-loading.
The problem is that this system needs to be built into your phone to work. Many phones, including the iphone, don’t have NFC chips built in. And some cell phone carriers, seeing this as the next way to get their fingers in (on?) your wallet are blocking competitors and pushing their own ISIS system.
Card Swipe
Many people see this as a scary new proposition. My dad was weary of ATMs at first, and still refuses to do almost any banking online. Good luck convincing him to pay for things over his phone.
Square introduced a concept to meld credit cards and the mobile world. Many small business owners use Square in lieu of traditional card swiping machines. You plug a reader into your phone and swipe customers’ credit cards right to your phone. It has been very successful, and you have probably run into these machines if you ever bought food from a food truck or farmer’s market. In fact, its been so popular, they have gotten PayPal’s attention, who recently launched a competitor. Also, you know you’ve made it when the Chinese make a knock off.
The problem with this system is that while it is great for vendors, it doesn’t solve my problem of not wanting to carry around a wallet anymore.
Direct Payments
Finally, there are movements to eliminate the “device” entirely. Start ups like Venmo have created systems where you can send payments directly to another user just by using an app or email address. Of course, companies like PayPal have been doing this for years, but it never really caught on. Largely because of trust and cost of transactions. How much of a percentage do I lose by taking a payment from you electronically instead of just waiting until you have cash?
Also, we all have to be using the same system in order for payments to go through. It’s reminiscent of the instant messaging complications of the late 90s and 2000s and still…(wait really?!). Are you on AIM? Gchat? Yahoo? MSN? Facebook? Imagine going through that to send a friend that $10 you owe him.
It will be interesting to see which of these systems are adopted. Issues with security and trust, along with working out interest rates with various financial entities like banks around routing systems will almost certainly bring out issues to solve.
Edit 3/26/11:
In an indication of how I have my finger on the pulse, last night Square released an update – they now have “Pay with Square” an app that lets you pay simply by checking in and saying your name at a retailer than uses Square payments. This goes beyond their card swiping utility and is pretty fantastic.
That’s Square’s biggest barrier to entry with Pay with Square: they need to convince people that they don’t need to put up with the nonsense they’ve been doing for decades. You don’t have to swipe a card. You don’t have to sign anything. You pay by having your smartphone on you. And your payment is verified by your name (and face).
Susan Cain: The power of introverts
Now, I tell you this story about summer camp. I could have told you 50 others just like it –all the times that I got the message that somehow my quiet and introverted style of beingwas not necessarily the right way to go, that I should be trying to pass as more of an extrovert. And I always sensed deep down that this was wrong and that introverts were pretty excellent just as they were. But for years I denied this intuition, and so I became a Wall Street lawyer, of all things, instead of the writer that I had always longed to be – partly because I needed to prove to myself that I could be bold and assertive too. And I was always going off to crowded bars when I really would have preferred to just have a nice dinner with friends. And I made these self-negating choices so reflexively, that I wasn’t even aware that I was making them…
…Now to see the bias clearly you need to understand what introversion is. It’s different from being shy. Shyness is about fear of social judgment. Introversion is more about, how do you respond to stimulation, including social stimulation. So extroverts really crave large amounts of stimulation, whereas introverts feel at their most alive and their most switched-on and their most capable when they’re in quieter, more low-key environments.Not all the time — these things aren’t absolute – but a lot of the time. So the key then to maximizing our talents is for us all to put ourselves in the zone of stimulation that is right for us.
Evolving Ecosystems
Up until the developments in the mobile sphere, computing platforms were largely stagnant and stable. Largely there was the Windows system, that was widely adopted and easy to create systems for. There was the more curated Apple platform with its restrictions, and the very customizable and open Linux world.
Now however, these players and one notable addition, are seeing the hardware change which requires new and different ways of interacting with the operating system. Not surprisingly, there are different approaches.
Apple
Arguably Apple changed the direction of the mobile universe, marking a shift from hardware buttons and text interfaces with their iPhone and iOS system. Sure there were Windows Mobile and Blackberries before iPhone, but they were very different from how they look today. (Well.. maybe not Blackberry so much…)
Apple has two distinct systems. If you are on a computer, you are using Mac OS. (recently changed to OS X) If you are on a mobile device, you use iOS. This requires app developers to make two versions of apps if they want to reach users on both computers and mobile device platforms. And the way you interact with each system is very different. Mac OS still has a lot of dependence on menus and clicks and using a pointer.
The issues cropping up is whether as our mobile devices become more powerful, can the simpler iOS interface really allow us to do everything we want to do while computing on the go, or do we need something with more tools, and their neccessary complexity?
Microsoft
Microsoft has learned that focusing solely on enterprise users isn’t going to keep they afloat. More and more corporations are adopting Apple devices, mainly because employees bring them in and expect them to just work. So Microsoft is seeing its wheelhouse being chipped away at. Further, they largely lost the consumer preference already to Apple with their shiny simple to use devices.
So, Microsoft is changing their focus. They have the attitude of an upstart. They revamped their mobile OS with Windows Phone. It was lauded by critics and users, so they are applying the aesthetic to their desktop in the upcoming Windows 8. Instead of having two distinct platforms, they have stated that 80% of the code will be shared, making app development easy. They even have put a distinct focus on bringing mobile finger based gestures to the desktop. This is a huge gamble, both in that Windows users hate change, and will not like seeing a very different desktop starting at them. But also because it goes against Apple’s belief that the mobile and desktop spaces are meant to be interacted with differently. It will be interesting to see if this pays off.
That’s because the software company isn’t planning to simply share features between distinct operating systems, as will Apple. Rather, Microsoft hopes to introduce nearly identical experiences (or as close as the hardware will allow) to each. – TechBlock
Microsoft is hoping that people will appreciate having the same interface on all devices. Simpler, less things to remember. But do we want to paw at our desktop screens like we do our phones?
Google has what could be the safest play. They are platform agnostic. Sure, they have Android on phones and tablets, but largely they are web based. Google simply wants you to interact with their various products – no matter the device.
They put out Android, with its faults and more attractive attributes. But they also have released Chromebooks, Google TV and of course their Chrome browser on almost every platform available. And you can access their search, email, and maps from any platform. The downside of this strategy is that fickle users aren’t locked in like they are to an Operating System. It is much easier to change your default search engine than it is your computing platform.
And Google has admitted this is a potential issue.
Rubin said that the biggest problem for Android on tablets is “there’s no organized way for consumers to recognize it as a viable platform,” and that Google wants consumers to see its tablets as part of the broader Android ecosystem. “The educated consumer realizes it now that they’re either picking the Apple ecosystem or the Microsoft ecosystem or the Google ecosystem… we’re going to do a better job at making people understand what ecosystem they’re buying into.”
For Apple users, you get the nice cooperation of devices designed to work together smoothly. For Microsoft you get a large ecosystem of devices that can fit your specific needs. Google needs to find its selling point.
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On LA v NYC
Recent fellow Los Angeles transplant Julia Allison wrote an opinion article in the New York Post this past week. It was regarding the issue of a new series following the characters of “Sex and The City” during their younger formative years. Basically Julia warned her younger readers not to be caught up in the romance of the story of being an “it” girl in NYC because reality is much different.
However, that is not what I focused on (obviously). I focused more on how Julia compared the NYC frenetic stressful lifestyle to the more laidback LA one.
“Sex and the City” may have been responsible for our move to NYC at 22, but long before we hit 30, we were ready to get out. We made the move to Los Angeles this past October, and it’s been positive in every way.
We used to get stressed about how everyone seems so much more relaxed out here, but now we’ve become those same chill West Coast people. Why? Because it’s easier. Turns out you can get the same amount of work done, but people know how to switch off. They know how to get outside, take hiking meetings, dedicate time to people. There’s a creative energy flourishing that seemed to be stifled in New York.
She isn’t alone in this position. Even critics who found faults with her column agreed with her premise that LA is more relaxed:
Funny, I moved to LA in September. I feel relaxed here too! I’m quite happy in Los Angeles, despite how devastated I initially was to leave NYC. And yes, it’s easier to drive to Costco and Target and hang out at friends’ houses. Sure, the outdoors are more accesible due to LA’s 24/7 glorious weather, but I find New Yorkers just as — if not more — committed to experiencing nature in whatever way they can. At 5 a.m. on a Saturday Central Park is packed with runners, while the Silverlake Reservoir sits empty until 8 a.m.
What is interesting to me is that NYC seems like the harder place to live, and LA is “easier”. Almost as if those who can’t make it in New York, or don’t want to put forth the effort fall back to Los Angeles. But believe me, I am working my ass off to “make it” here. I assume I’m not the only one.
And I certainly romanticize NYC like everyone else – or at least Woody Allen’s idealized version of it. But why is it the end-all-be-all of great metropolitan cities? Perhaps Angelenos have simply figured it out. I prefer Bill Maher’s take on the feud:
…the city I’ve always had a problem with is New York. I’ve paid a price for that, because the press is mostly in New York, and they’re very thin-skinned. Anything you say other than the conventional wisdom—that New York is the greatest city in the world—is treason. I don’t like living in an urban setting. I don’t like living in a building. I don’t like the weather. I know a million people who started in New York and moved to L.A. I don’t know anybody who did it in reverse. It’s nice out here. This life is just easier. It’s very seductive. It rained a lot the first three weeks I was here, but it didn’t take long before the sun came out, and I realized I was wearing a very light jacket in January. That said a lot.
Why is “roughing it” the more appealing situation?
Love v Trust
“In the utopian paradise of a spiritually enlightened world, “I love you” means much more than the expression of deep affection and attraction. It means “I trust you.” Think about it. For most of us, those words are not necessarily synonymous. It’s easier to tell somebody you love them than to tell them that you trust them. More often than not, love tends to amount to a strong emotion of affinity, fondness, intimacy, longing, and attachment. To be honest, it is an experience that, under the light of close scrutiny, is neither as profound nor inherently meaningful as it appears to be. We easily allow ourselves to feel affection or attraction without becoming truly vulnerable, without dropping our defenses. But if we want to know the extraordinary freedom that the awakening of profound trust bestows upon us, we must open ourselves up far more that most of us feel naturally inclined to do.
When we permit ourselves to trust deeply, we are letting another human being into our heart and into our soul. We have accepted the good intentions of another so deeply that we allow them to step so close to us that we cannot protect ourselves any longer. Now we are wide open and when we meet another in the infinite expanse of true vulnerability and profound intimacy, the experience is identical to mystical intimacy with God or Spirit. No boundaries, one Self, infinite freedom, and joy beyond measure. This kind of trust is more profound and more significant than any love that is merely personal. In this truly transpersonal love, through our relationship with the other, a new inner world opens up. This love, based on trust, is a sacred world of boundless freedom and infinite space. No fear whatsoever of loss or betrayal. This love means I’m always with you, forever.”
-Andrew Cohen
Don’t Become A Lawyer
State Bars require attorneys to keep up with current developments in the law through classes and presentations. Because attorneys have higher levels of substance abuse and depression, many State Bar organizations try to preemptively educate their members about options for help and tactics for coping.
A quote about attorneys and depression:
“For reasons that we don’t yet fully understand, some individuals who are susceptible to experiencing substance use and mood problems appear to be drawn to the practice of law. The same personality traits that are over-represented in the populations of adults recovering from substance-related disorders and mood disorders—high achievement orientation, perfectionism, obsessive-compulsive—are also common in the legal community. Law School Professor and Psychologist Susan Daicoff explains that the law school experience further exacerbates these tendencies, often producing increased aggression under stress, a preference for competition versus cooperation, and a failure to rely on natural sources of social support from ones peers. These tendencies, combined with the law school experience, produce individuals with a disproportionate preference for “thinking” versus “feeling” and a pessimistic outlook on life. Lawyers are taught to anticipate and prepare for a whole range of problems that non-lawyers are generally blind to—even far-fetched outcomes need to be considered; this trait that helps lawyers be good at their profession may make many miserable when applied to personal life.”
Translation:
People who like arguing often have mood problems and drink too much. Lawyers are trained to be perfect, because their jobs often require it. Perfectionists often have mood problems because it creates a lot of stress to achieve that high level of satisfaction all the time at your job.
It begins in law school, because you are trained that every other lawyer is an opponent, so you can’t work together, only as adversaries. You will be stabbed in the back by a friend if you show any weakness. You will only be successful if you are perfect and ruthless and win. Always. Otherwise all the money you spent on law school tuition was a big waste and you are a failure.
Further, law school trains you to turn off your emotions so you can rationally analyze an issue. Unfortunately this makes you a robot.
Finally, lawyers are used to looking at everything for potential problems so they can advise clients to avoid them. They then look at everything in life this way. Nothing is ever good. We find flaws and obsess on them, sucking the enjoyment of it. You will never have fun talking with us about anything.
