As many of you know, Microsoft will be offering subscription packages for the upcoming Office 13. What’s interesting — and honestly, surprising — is that the company will be smartly leveraging other products in its considerable arsenal to sweeten the offer. Microsoft has announced that Office 365 Home Premium will run $100 a year, while Office 365 Small Business Premium will run $150. These licenses will allow you to run Office on up to five PCs or Macs, with additional use on smartphones and tablets.
Home Premium will include 20GB of SkyDrive cloud storage and 60 monthly minutes of international Skype calling. The 2oGB of storage is on top of the initial 7GB of “free” cloud storage. These service offerings could make the subscription version of Office 365 more useful than buying the software outright. It’s smart and clever packaging. Frankly, I’m shocked that Microsoft is intelligently leveraging modern services like Skype and SkyDrive to sell legacy software. Color me impressed (which is a bright orange, in my mind).
I know that many of you use Office at work, school, and home. Are you interested in a subscription version of Office 13? Are you intrigued by 20GB of cloud storage and 60 minutes of international calling?
Nike designer Darrin Crescenzi is a big Game of Thrones mark. He’s so much of a fanboy that he created a series of A Song of Ice and Fire icons. They’re pretty awesome. I could totally see a pair of basketball sneakers with a Lannister logo or hoodie with a Stark dire wolf patch. Here’s what Crescenzi had to say about turning Westeros houses into brands:
These brands become such a key part of the reading experience. Night’s Watch black might as well be Tiffany blue or UPS brown or T-Mobile pink.
I never thought of the project as a series of logos; The approach was much more that of creating an icon set. All I wanted to do was give them a sort of unexpected and unified visual language.
Be sure to hit up the source to see more of Crescenzi’s Game of Thrones icons. Very cool stuff!
It’s fun watching the burgeoning popularity of Twitter. Hashtags are popping up in more and more television shows all the time. The WWE has been aggressive with its social media efforts, often posting different Twitter hashtags on its various television shows. Hell, one of Dolph Ziggler’s nicknames is the Hashtag Heel (#Heel). Last night I watched the first episode of Sergio Martinez vs. Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. 24/7 and was surprised to see #ChavezMartinezpop up on the chyron throughout the show. Millions of people watched Kal Penn’s request to be labeled with the hashtag #SexyFace during the Democratic National Convention. I don’t watch a ton of television, but when I do I almost always see a Twitter hashtag used within the program.
I know that some of you use Twitter, while some of you can’t stand the social media service. What do you think of the mainstream use of Twitter hashtags? Are you surprised by how quickly Twitter went from a San Francisco Bay Area nerd tool to a global phenomenon that permeates all sorts of mainstream television programming? For you Twitter haters, does it bother you to see hashtags on television? Even as a longtime user and fan, I’m amazed by the service’s mercurial growth and by its mainstream use. Nerds win!
Since I don’t visit the east coast too often, I haven’t been to a Carvel in years. My brother and I went the other day, and I was shocked to see that Carvel has a Fudgie the Whale mascot. The first question that popped into my head is, “Why is he standing upright?!? He’s a whale!” The next thought was, “The Fudgie mascot looks very familiar….”
After I posted the picture above on Facebook, my hot friend Emily asked if it was a photo of a Charmander. A-ha! Fudgie the Whale looks like a brown Charmander sans tail. I wonder what Fudgie’s move-set consists of. Does he spray ice cream and those delicious chocolate crunchies at enemies? Maybe he coats himself with fudge armor for increased defense and special defense. I think I’ll take a bunch of pokeballs, head to Carvel, and try to catch Fudgie this afternoon.
My friend Barbara and RPadholic N8R showed me this awesome Tumblr page after I wrote about McKayla Maroney being my favorite 2012 American Olympian. It’s called “McKayla is Not Impressed.” It takes the dissatisfied look on her face as she was being awarded the 2012 Olympic vault silver medal and puts her in a bunch of…interesting situations. My two favorites (so far) are McKayla not being impressed by the explosion of the Death Star (above) and Muhammad Ali’s knockout of Sonny Liston (below). As a big nerd and a huge boxing fan, these are two of the most iconic images floating around my head…but alas, they’re not the least bit impressive to McKayla Maroney. Check out the page when you have a chance and let me know what “McKayla is Not Impressed” picture is your favorite (please)!
NASA landed its most advanced Rover, the Curiosity, on Mars last night. It’s one of the most significant scientific achievements in the last decade. However, some feel that it’s not getting the attention it deserves. The economy blows, the Olympics are happening, and Kristen Stewart cheated on Robert Pattinson — people are distracted! There are some that feel that the U.S. government is right to cut NASA’s funding given the economic climate. Others feel that advancing science creates jobs, creates enthusiasm, and stimulates intellectual pursuits.
Above is NASA’s video of the Curiosity and below is a clip of Neil deGrasse Tyson’s from Real Time With Bill Maher discussing why spending money on science is important to America’s future. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the Mars landing and how important scientific endeavors (like NASA’s) are or are not.
I would kill for Google Fiber. Maybe not kill…but I’d punch someone really hard to get it. Part of it is the 1Gb/second Internet speeds, not having to worry about data caps, the 1TB of Google Drive storage, and the included Nexus 7 that serves as a remote control. The thought of downloading a 1080p movie in five minutes or less sounds…amazing. Google Fiber is the stuff nerd dreams are made of.
Another reason I dream about Google Fiber is the lovely thought of being able to give cable and telephone companies a big FU. I’m tired of…
Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, NBC getting heat for its coverage of the 2012 Olympics, Amish people giving it a go in Manhattan, or overdosing at a churrascaria, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
I would kill for Google Fiber. Maybe not kill…but I’d punch someone really hard to get it. Part of it is the 1Gb/second Internet speeds, not having to worry about data caps, the 1TB of Google Drive storage, and the included Nexus 7 that serves as a remote control. The thought of downloading a 1080p movie in five minutes or less sounds…amazing. Google Fiber is the stuff nerd dreams are made of.
Another reason I dream about Google Fiber is the lovely thought of being able to give cable and telephone companies a big FU. I’m tired of the Internet duopoly held by AT&T and Time Warner Cable in my part of Los Angeles. I hate that my two choices for Internet service are “mediocre” and “worse”. I hate that my apartment building only has one (woefully overpriced) choice for television. There are times when I wish that Time Warner Cable were a person so that I could him in the face.
Right now, Google Fiber is only available in Kansas City, KS and Kansas City, MO (I have no idea which one has the baseball team). I can’t imagine living in either city and I sincerely doubt that Google Fiber is coming to Los Angeles (or any large city) in the immediate future. It’s great the Google is showing people what Internet service could be like, but I don’t see this happening in big cities any time soon. I’m sure I’ll spend several nights over the next year or two dreaming that I’m wrong.
What do you think of Google Fiber? Is it the kind of Internet and television service you dream of? What would you do with that godly amount of bandwidth? Would Google Fiber significantly change your gaming habits? Share your Google Fiber dreams in the comments section (please)!
Facebook and Twitter can be immensely powerful tools, but which one is the more powerful social network in your mind? As a marketing tool, Facebook has the edge. Its media-rich features allow people to market goods, services, and brands in shockingly effective ways. It’s just easier to grab attention with images and videos than it is with 140 characters.
Socially, Twitter had the edge. Thanks to its brevity and speed (and Facebook’s woefully sluggish mobile apps), Twitter reaches millions of people quickly. Celebrities tend to interact more with fans on Twitter than on Facebook. The social network revealed that the U.S. was on the verge of nabbing Osama Bin Laden way before President Obama confirmed his death. Many protesters in the 2011 Egyptian revolution used Twitter to give the world first-hand accounts of what was happening in Tahrir Square. (To be fair, they used Facebook too, but again, those sluggish mobile apps….) Twitter has become a powerful tool for citizen journalism and making people more aware of global events.
I don’t want to discount the marketing power of Facebook. It helps billions of dollars (and other currencies) around the world exchange hand. That’s just huge. That said, there’s just something purer and more romantic about reporting world events in 140 characters or less through Twitter.
How about you? Which social network is more powerful in your opinion? Please vote in today’s poll and expand on your choice in the comments section (please!).
While talking about fake geek girls in yesterday’s Coffee Talk, RPadholic N8R brought up an excellent point about gaming not being geeky anymore. Videogames are most certainly mainstream. Comic books — or comic-book movies, anyway — are definitely mainstream. Even the rules of fashion have changed. Isn’t it weird that many NBA players wear outfits that Steve Urkel used to rock in Family Matters? What do you think passes for geeky and nerdy in 2012?
Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, Cersei Lannister getting a divorce, Safari 6, or your favorite BBQ sauce, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
While talking about fake geek girls in yesterday’s Coffee Talk, RPadholic N8R brought up an excellent point about gaming not being geeky anymore. Videogames are most certainly mainstream. Comic books — or comic-book movies, anyway — are definitely mainstream. Even the rules of fashion have changed. Isn’t it weird that many NBA players wear outfits that Steve Urkel used to rock in Family Matters? What do you think passes for geeky and nerdy in 2012?
About a decade ago, my dear friend Rannie got swept up in the knitting craze that was blowing through San Francisco. I made fun of her for joining a knitting circle, but stopped the jokes after she made me a cool camouflage scarf. A few game writers I know enjoy LARPing (live action role-playing), which was portrayed as a nerd hobby in the movie Role Models. Some of my New York friends have taken their love of sports to a geeky level with their love of advanced stats. I distinctly remember trying to enjoy peanuts and a baseball game while two of my friends were arguing about the value of WAR (wins above replacement).
All that said, I’m not really sure how geeky or nerdy any of those things are. Considering that my life usually revolves around videogames, comic books, and mobile tech, I’m not in any sort of position to label anything as such. How about you? What do you think is geeky and nerdy in 2012?
Triple-jumper Voula Papachristou was booted off Greece’s Olympic squad for a racially insensitive comment posted on her Twitter account. Here’s the deal according to the NY Daily News:
While gearing up for her first Olympic games on Sunday, Papachristou commented on the reported influx of West Nile mosquitos in Athens. She tweeted in Greek, “With so many Africans in Greece, the West Nile mosquitoes will be getting home food!!!” Her tweet provoked a bevy of ill responses, and many Greeks called for her dismissal from the Olympic team.
The reaction her tweet garnered is a testament to the power of social media. I’m sure many Olympians have cracked many questionable jokes over the history of the Olympics, but a tool like Twitter shares inappropriate jokes with the world and leads to expulsion. Giving athletes — many of whom really shouldn’t be addressing millions of people — a platform can be a powerful thing. In Papchristou’s case, a powerful platform led to her demise.
To be completely honest, I had a hard time concentrating on this article. It should be about the power of social media and questioning if Papachrisou’s punishment was just…but the women is stunning! I lost at least an hour “researching” photos of Voula Papachristou. She triple-jumped her way into my heart. *snicker*
