Cloud Computing. Almost everything you wanted to know-but were afraid to ask.

June 8, 2011June 8, 2011 / John Ayers / Leave a comment

Cloud computing is THE trending topic of this decade.

Apple just announced iCloud –

Google is becoming the Cloud – just ask them.

and what is the Chromebook anyway.

How do they compare you ask? Well, see Computerworld

Ok, Ok, so there are a few more companies to watch… so rather than go into each one and confuse both of us… here is a great list of Cloud Companies to watch.

Cloud computing may kill a lot of major companies. Technology is making billions for some and a few years later corporations that were huge are circling the drain.

Example: Smartphone killing Point n Shoot digital cams?

Will the cloud re-define the need for applications ? and hard drives ? and many other elements that seemed to be infallible?

Who needs a hard drive if you don’t need software. And if technology gets smaller, more portable, will it become part of other elements.

Buy a TV it has the device. Buy a car, it’s part of the dash. Redo your kitchen it’s built into the system.

All of these “Jetson” cartoon ideas have been around, they are real today, but they are all getting a dose of steroids with Cloud computing. The question may be are we ready for it. Is it secure, is it better, faster, smarter, safer?

On to entertainment….

I would venture to say that with that in mind… CLOUD ENTERTAINMENT will be a close second very soon.

A movie use to be in a theater, a show use to be on a television and a song use to be on the radio. We went through the days of albums, tapes, cds and mp3’s in music, we saw movies being adapted for VHS/DVD/Blu-Ray for home consumption. We are watching TV take on many forms as people watch it on the DVR… or an entire season via iTunes.

But what is next is rather interesting and exciting for some and completely frightening to others.

Rather than tip-toeing around it… have you checked out Bamboom yet? Great article just came out about it at All Things D

This includes the discussion that free entertainment may never be free… but will that change.

If you have a Netflix account and you’re watching a Movie at home in your den with your slippers on, with a bowl of popcorn, with your dog at your feet…. and then the phone rings and you forgot you had to be somewhere… NO WORRIES…

pause the movie… continue watching it on your iPhone… stop it again…. watch it on your laptop… stop again… watch it while visiting grandma in Minnesota. It doesn’t matter… because Netflix sees you as an account. A user who has paid for creative content and should be able to use, view, consume it whenever and wherever you want.

The tricky part and where the line continues to be redrawn is the notion of the cloud.

If “IT” as in “ENTERTAINMENT CONTENT” is already out there, floating in the air, then if you have the technology (antenna)… to consume it, it is yours.

Not so fast say some… while others say. YES.

[VIDEO] Love em or hate em… Google knows what they’re doing. #UX

May 18, 2011May 18, 2011 / John Ayers / Leave a comment

This is my personal call to STOP MAKING BAD WEB SITES.

With years in design, art direction and creative direction, I am focusing much of my attention on User Experience [Interaction/Interface design]. Utilizing my knowledge of core grid systems, incorporating the user’s needs and motivations and fully realizing the potential of the medium and the platforms we have available to us. Not to mention those to come. I hope we can all agree we can make web sites… but making truer tactile digital experiences, that is the goal.

If you don’t like how Google is doing some things or maybe you think they’re taking over the world, demanding all others to follow their tracks. Well you may be right. BUT, it must not be forgotten what else they have brought to the globe. And this is a list that is long and growing.

Case in point.

I just watched a TED TALK with Amit Sood called Building a museum of museums on the web.

I have been very fortunate to have experienced many countries and traveled to most of our United States. Along these travels, I have often visited art museums, but many don’t have that ability – until now. To see what greatness is found throughout the world. What we beleive to be great, to learn about these works of art and to share them with others.

As a creative professional with a focus on UX and the social media platforms, I look to the future of how we are going to be using digital content to inform and connect. As a parent, I am encouraged when I find sites like the GOGGLE ART PROJECT. My kids and yours, and those across the globe, with access and the click of a mouse or a point of a finger can go to the TATE in London, The Vang Gogh in Amsterdam or the Kampa in Prague.

Would love to chat further, but I am headed to the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.

Check it out for yourself.

#Social #Media and #Barack #Obama Dot Com. Are You In?

April 22, 2011April 22, 2011 / John Ayers / Leave a comment

I generally stay away from two things in large scale conversation. Religion and Politics.

Meaning I only have these discussions usually just with people who I know quite well and our differences in opinion on the subject matter doesn’t jeopardize the relationship or friendship we have.

But with the recent visit from President Obama to Facebook and then to Los Angeles (where I am) I was intrigued to hear and see some of the dialogue, so much so that while on-line… I clicked from one site to another and ended up at BarackObama.com… which simply asked one question.

ARE YOU IN?

Without getting into my personal political leanings, or who I voted for in the past 20 years or who I will vote for in the next… I asked myself… well AM I IN?

Couple things came to mind.

What if I’m not?

Who else is “IN”?

If I say I’m in… have I just committed to something that I wish I wouldn’t have.

The questions continued… and I exited the site.

You can opt to click thru by simply hitting the small italic type underneath that reads “Continue to the website…

But see our on-line experience is more that a web-site.

It was a web-site 3-4 years ago perhaps when the 2008 Presidential campaign was taking place.

But our User Experience expectations, our on-line appetite and internet savvy has evolved.

Mr Obama was the first Presidential candidate to utilize social media… really the first one who had access to it to the degree that it became available and it appears he is going after a social media run for pres in 2012 in a similar fassion.

But is this entrance into the site… working? Is it inviting? Is it what he should be asking? Is it a turn-off?

If the country were humming along with record low unemployment.

With honest Wall Street back on track and some who were serving time for wrong doings.

With gas prices at a reasonable place.

With the educational system on a solid trajectory.

With the conflict we’ve been involved with coming to some conclusions.

With Washington insiders that are no-longer insiders on both the left and right.

If all of this were better than the American people believe it to be currently…

Well then maybe “ARE YOU IN?” would be a good question to ask. Yes, you might be “IN” then – perhaps most would say they are “IN”.

But I was watching CNN and they cited a recent NY Times CBS Poll and what it indicated… hmm the stats don’t look good… and the use of social media in his 2008 run, though very successful, may not work going forward. START AT PAGE 12 “President Obama and the Economy” and you may thing that the BarackObama.com site may want to re-think their home page.

For me, I am kinda bitter about politicians on both sides of the aisle… so I’ll just recommend the UX consideration.

Cheers,

John