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Why is switching mobile phones so difficult?
I added a new seperate RSS feed to hebig.com: Daily RSS Spam. You may subscribe to the feed via the RSS Spam button and by using a newsreader of your choice. Daily RSS Spam will deliver one fresh spam message per day, handpicked by your humble host.
Since I receive 300+ spam emails on a daily basis, I figured I might as well turn them into actual content. If you need inspiration for well-crafted marketing messages or look for alternate misspellings of the word "Viagra", this feed is for you. Better than the Daily Dilbert, this is real life.
Posted on September 8, 2003 09:18 PM
Now that 24 started airing in Germany, let me try to answer one question: Who is David Palmer?
At this time, David Palmer is a Senator in the state of California. He is running in the state primaries as one of many candidates for the President's Office. The outcome of the primaries will make him a nominee at his party's national convention that will then elect the final Presidential candidate.
Also have in mind that California introduced "open primaries" not too long ago. Under that law, voters do not need to be registered with any particular party in order to vote in the state primaries. The large parties, however, tend to choose to count the votes from registered party members only in order to select delegates for the presidential nominating conventions.
So don't be confused. Palmer is, technically, just a candidate running to become a candidate. Not a final candidate. Still confused? Never mind, so am I.
Posted on September 8, 2003 04:55 PM
I don't really know how to put this. But I'll give it a try. I read Jeff Jarvis' buzzmachine on a frequent basis. I value Jeff's opinion, and his weblog offers insights into how European politics are perceived in the US and elsewhere - both in Jeff's statements and in blunt and open comments to his posts. Sometimes though, Jeff drifts off to, well, overgeneralizing certain issues. I do respect him feeling passionate and adding controversial flavor to his posts. But Jeff, this time you are just wrong.
Update: Also see Alexander Svensson's very detailed summary of Der Spiegel's cover story.
Posted on September 8, 2003 11:23 AM
28MM.ORG - an online photography magazine.
Posted on September 7, 2003 06:13 PM
Here is something I don't get: If mobile phone manufacturers have a vested interest in consumers replacing their phones on a frequent basis, why don't they make it easy to transfer address book data from the old device to the new one? Easy as in: my Mom and Dad can do it without assistance. Easy as in: install some software, connect old phone to PC, download address book data, connect new phone, upload, done.
But no way! First of all, if you don't happen to own both a laptop and a phone with infrared ports, you need to go out and buy some data cable. Then, if you are lucky, you are able to download all your data onto a PC. If you are unlucky, and you have more than one phone number per contact, you might only be able to keep the default number. If you, god forbid, happen to buy a phone from a different manufacturer, you might have to go through an exercise of converting data schemas, exporting to .CSVs, etc. And here is the funny thing: you might have to go through the same routine even when you upgrade to a new phone from the same manufacturer. It's ridiculous!
What good is a mobile phone that can store 300+ contacts if storing the data involves manual work and data entry turns out to be one-way road? What is the incentive of switching to a new phone? A color display? Java games? A camera? If the task of letting me use the device for its core function, making phone calls (am I oldfashioned or what?), takes hours to complete for an experienced user? I just don't get it.
Posted on September 7, 2003 12:11 PM
Chris Pirillo: "I'll save my rant on how e-mail marketers are shunning the concept [of RSS] point-blank for another day."
Well, Chris, it's clear why. They have to; RSS is not part of their job description. Email marketing is essentially about sending stuff to (a more or less well defined group of) people (preferably in bulk) and selling knowledge around response and conversion. A good email marketer can provide this service end-to-end. Then there are the ones that only do one thing very well: either bulk mailing or measuring response. The ones that provide knowledge should not fear RSS. Quite the contrary: they should be excited, having the ability to expand their services into the world of RSS. The bulk mailers, well, they better start thinking of better things to do.
Posted on September 6, 2003 09:26 PM
To the folks out there with Movable Type experience: Is it possible to do an incremental export of your Berekely DB content?
Posted on September 6, 2003 03:25 PM
Images: Sky over Hamburg
Posted on September 5, 2003 10:47 AM
Thomas Nephew launched a series of portraits on German expat bloggers, and, in Papa Scott's case, an American living in Germany. Part I, Part II, and Armin Grewe's replies.
Posted on September 4, 2003 10:15 PM
Part One.
Related link: Obey Giant
Posted on September 4, 2003 05:48 PM