You can read about them here.

I think it is good for Netflix. The customers clearly don’t like it. Instead of stubbornly launched something the Netflix executives saw fit, they listened to the customers.

Good for Netflix.

Yes, Google+ has a really nice interface. It does has good control on privacy issue. When I post anything to their profile, I can choose which circle (group) I want to share with.

I think Google+ can make this feature more obvious by letting user know when a user post something for a first time by letting them aware of this option. Instead of putting “Your Circle” meaning everyone in the circle list, let user choose at the very first post they do.

I am probably one of the rare people in my generation that still read traditional newspaper.

I just cannot resist the about $1 a week deal from LA Times for a year. I started off with the weekend only because I really want the coupons on Sunday. After 2 months of subscription, LA Times generously offer to extend the delivery to daily. How can I say no to such deal?

Now I can read the news off from my computer screen. It gives my eyes a break from reading codes and email off the bright LCD screen. I enjoy reading on paper, but I don’t enjoy that if I read an interesting article, I have to go several steps for me to share it with my friends.

In order to share it with my friends on the article I read on the paper, I have to:
1. type in latimes.com into the browser.
2. search for the article I am looking for to share.
3. copy the url.
4. paste it facebook/email/twitter.

The step #2 is the most annoying.

What if LA Times can embed a QR code in their article? So I can just scan the QR code from my cell phone and immediately I can email/twitter/facebook to my friends?

Instead of searching for this article, I can just snap this QR code directly from the newspaper with my smart phone?

This might be the easiest for LA Times to do now to make their traditional newspaper sociable before everyone start reading their news on Kindle or tablet.

I read the following quotes somewhere, but I don’t remember the exact word. They are meaningful to those who are working on a startup.

1. You are nothing until you have a product shipped.
2. Do not dream of anyone to invest in your startup until you have a product shipped.
3. Get used to do everything yourself because no one will help you until you prove you can make a product.
4. If you want to be successful, get your hands on every detail of your product.
5. No successful entrepreneur spend their relax time watching TV.

In another word, let’s ship a product.

Watch out, 6/1/2011.

Week n+1 was pretty bad…

So far, I have not receive neither the 2.3.3 update nor the 2.3.4 update. I am not upset, but I am just curious how long will it take to receive the OTA update.

I know I can update it manually, but the page was created for my curiosity on how long it will take to receive an update via OTA.

Days Counter

Update: got the update!

Yes, I agree, partially.

It is going to be difficult to change something that has already wired in our brain about payment. Couple years ago, I had a American Express ExpressPay key chain. I went to 7-11 to use this key chain to pay for the soda. The 7-11 had the equipment already for use at that time, when I use this key chain to pay for easy payment, I was stopped by the cashier and he started to investigate my ExpressPay key chain. It was not the only time, I had the same treatment the second time I used the ExpressPay key chain. After that, I just stopped using the key chain because it actually took longer time than using a credit card or even cash. (Maybe that’s why American Express stopped the ExpressPay payment only has in short stint because the merchants were just not ready by training their employee.)

However, NFC payment is successful in other countries. For example, Hong Kong uses the NFC equipped card name Octopus for payment. It is so widely popular now. I think Google or Apple can learn the lesson from the success story in Hong Kong.

Octopus card started by the MTR. It is the popular transportation system in Hong Kong. There were a lot of people in Hong Kong using it daily. A lot of people carry the card with them everyday. They will not leave the house without them. People see the convenient of the card, then it spread across to the bus system, then it continue to spread to the fast food restaurants, then it continue to grow.

The lesson learnt from Hong Kong is to start changing payment method in some place that people are using it daily and using it because it is necessary to them.

US is a diverse place. The way east coast people live maybe different from the way west coast people live. Take California as example, people are used to taking trains in Northern California while people love to drive in Southern California.

I think Google and Apple should consider applying the change in payment method by starting locally. Maybe for Southern California, start accepting NFC payment by gas station while for Northern California, start accepting NFC payment by train or bus.