Daniel Dessinger

Category: Tech

  • Predicting the Future: the iPod Video Smartphone

    I can see it now. Eventually, everything handheld will be iPod. Apple originally came out with the iPod as a means to carry digital copies of music stored on a flash drive. Then came the iPod Video and license agreements with several major television networks. You could buy the most recent episode of LOST or Monk and download it to your iPod. I have to be honest, I was extremely excited by the possibility of having my LOST episodes in front of my while I cycle at the gym. Of course, here I am a year later still without an iPod Video.

    What an effrontery upon the Daniel cool factor! iPods have progressed to full-length movies and downloadable games (nothing too advanced yet). Apple may not be making the greatest percentage of profit, yet, but the possibilities seem endless. On the horizon, Apple will have some important decisions to make. Will they take the plunge toward the unknown and be the first to successfully bridge the gap between media player and cellphone? What about email, Internet access, and other smartphone capabilities? And you know the camera function will double as a digital video recorder! Think about it. Within the next five years, everyone in America could own the iPod Video Smartphone.

    Download all the photos, videos, and music you want. Use the touchscreen stylus to enter information into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. Call a friend. Take a photo of the freakshow dancing inside the mall. Update your calendar of appointments. Check your emails. Visit your MySpace page or check for movie showtimes Fandango.com. Play Tetris while you wait in line. Heck, why play Tetris? Play NBA 2011! Link up wirelessly with other players. Have a video teleconference with other bleeding edge business professionals.

    The only limit is your imagination…. well, your imagination and Apple innovation…. Okay – your imagination, Apple innovation, and your wallet.

  • The Cell Microchip

    It’s the future, and it’s happening now. Everything from the already legendary and much anticipated Sony Playstation 3 to Toshiba televisions to supercomputers, The CELL has been dubbed by Forbes magazine as the “microchip of the future.” It’s big time, folks. This chip has the potential to deliver movie-like video games and interactive tv. Its greatest challenge? Its own prowess and super powers. The problem lies in its advanced technology.

    How many companies have designers skilled enough to take advantage of its capabilities? How many companies will invest in a chip that may not be compatible with lesser systems? Is it possible to be too advanced for your own good? Apparently, it’s a real problem. While Intel miraculously succeeded in the microchip market, there are at least half a dozen other companies that didn’t. Some of them touted products that put Intel to shame. Such is life. Microsoft PCs and Windows became mainstream though Mcintosh made a better computer and Linux is considered by many to be the superior operating system. It’s a combination of marketing genius, strategic partnerships, and perhaps a few underhanded business tactics.

    I don’t condone Microsoft’s success, since I pretty much consider the movie Antitrust to be a somewhat accurate depiction of the software juggernaut. Perhaps the murder aspect is a bit exaggerated, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he managed to create some of his products by spying on genius developers around the country. As for The CELL, it sounds like an incredible breakthrough, and I hope enough companies see the benefits more clearly than they see the challenges. I may regret saying that in the long run, but I don’t have the foresight to know any better.

    For now, I say on with progress.

  • Drilling for Oil in the 21st Century

    In the 1950s, drilling for hydrocarbons using traditional methods carried a 50/50 risk, and even “successful” wells (oil or gas found) were often commercially impractical. That reality has changed over the past twenty years. Advancements in technology and geophysical studies have transformed soft speculation into real, hard science. The U.S. Department of Energy describes the recent triumphs of the oil and gas industry as “logic defying.” It’s not just about drilling fewer dry holes. New methods are extending the life of wells, allowing more reserves to be extracted and boosting economic returns. As a result, much broader group of investors now has access to oil and gas as a viable investment option. I asked Bret L. Boteler, President of EnerMax Inc., to help me understand some of the principal changes in today’s oil and gas industry. Â

    Since many of us know very little about the industry, I asked him to start simple and work towards the more complex. Bret Boteler began by defining his company’s business for me in layman’s terms: “If someone asked me what we do, I’d say we’re a joint venture manager. We put together joint ventures that develop, drill, and manage oil and gas drilling programs.”Â

    Bret Boteler began EnerMax out of his home office in 2001. Five years later, Mr. Boteler and EnerMax occupy over 3,400 square feet of office space where he enjoys the company of seven employees. Last year marked the fourth straight year that Bret L. Boteler’s company has earned 50+% annual gains. Mr. Boteler attributes EnerMax’s substantial growth and success to two things: his talented, reliable staff and their use of modern technology.

    Mr. Boteler described for me the significant role that today’s technology plays and the advantages won over methods twenty years ago. EnerMax Inc. participates in drilling wells discovered by reprocessed 3-D seismic data – a revolution in the drilling business. Companies that choose drill sites based on reprocessed 3-D seismic data are 75-80% accurate on average, as opposed to the 50-55% accuracy rate of older, two-dimensional data that has not been reprocessed. And according to Boteler, the majority of small, independent oil and natural gas companies still use the old-style data, thus falling under the 55% shadow.

    These technologies also allow exploration companies to more accurately assess potential reserves, helping them select projects that fit a favorable risk/reward profile. Some of the best projects identified would have been condemned only a few years ago due to accessibility barriers. However, advanced drilling techniques in use today, such as horizontal drilling, are penetrating zones that were previously considered unreachable. For example, EnerMax is scheduled to drill a well this summer in a suburban neighborhood in Tarrant County, Texas, where they plan to drill in the prolific Barnett Shale to a depth of 6,500 vertical feet and 2,400 horizontal feet. The 2,400 horizontal leg will extend underneath nearby homes, allowing EnerMax to penetrate their target zone while leaving the neighborhood undisturbed. EnerMax will apply advanced frac and completion procedures to ensure the maximum recovery of hydrocarbons.Â

    Technological advantages require significant financial resources. In 2004, EnerMax entered into an agreement with American Energy Partners, Inc. (AEPI) to join them in their efforts to reprocess 3-D data concentrated primarily along the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast. Because unprocessed 3-D seismic information can contain shadows and misleading images caused by equipment during the original recording, it is necessary to filter the data for clearer results. Geotrace Technologies, Inc., an industry leader in imaging and analyzing subsurface data, has been selected to reprocess the data using advanced analysis techniques such as High Frequency Imaging (HFI®), Frequency Absorption Response (FAR), and Amplitude versus Offset Analysis (AVO). Even though the reprocessing carries a significant price tag, it is well worth the price when you consider the 20-30% increased success rate.Â

    When I asked Mr. Boteler about difficulties facing the industry today, he told me that one of the main issues is rig availability. Recent hurricanes and tropical storms damaged drilling rigs and oil refineries along the southern coast. The resulting reduction of oil and gas production in the United States heightened the disparity between supply and demand. Oil and gas companies are pushing to drill more wells while commodities are high, so there are times when a few months pass while waiting for a rig to drill your well. Yet in the light of the uncertainties oilmen faced in decades past, Bret Boteler counts himself and his company very blessed.Â

  • MySpace Takes over Social Networking

    It’s official: MySpace is taking over the planet. Don’t look at me with that blank stare. You have to have known already it was true. The signs are all there. First off, I joined, and you know I don’t know about something until millions are already tired of it. Second, my mom joined (though she never uses it). Third, I am seeing almost as many parents of my friends on MySpace as I see friends my age. Fourth, pastors, pastors’ wives, elders, and other church leaders are joining up and taking advantage of MySpace’s networking power. It’s scary.

    MySpace is like the Google of networking. They have the information available to them to help companies market more effectively to millions of Americans. I don’t know if they use this information for marketing yet, but they have a unique collection of people’s preferences, likes, dislikes, ideas, photos, connections. If you want to do a sociological study, log in to MySpace. You have nearly 73 million people at your disposal to examine. There are some serious implications here. If everyone starts using MySpace, it will take over the need for personal email accounts.

    Naturally, business email would still be used, but why have a dozen email address when you can go to MySpace and see your friends while you write to them? Mark my words: you may not hear about it tomorrow or next week, but you will eventually hear about how MySpace has used your personal MySpace info to assist someone in their quest to sell you stuff. Does that mean I’m going to drop out of MySpace again? Heck no. At least, not for now.

    But if someone would PLEASE, PLEASE change the stupid advertising that I see everytime I log in, I would be extremely grateful! I’m married! I don’t need to see some stupid ad for dating services with provocative women. If they’re so good at targeted marketing, why don’t they realize that I am married and only post ads on my page that apply to me?

  • SEO Tips Part One

    Search Engine Optimization is a ballooning industry. There's no doubt about that. Every business needs to ensure that their website and other online marketing efforts function as effectively as possible. So many entrepreneurs have seen visions of the tidal wave of money to be made in the industry, and they jumped right in although they can barely dog-paddle. You can learn the same basic info that most SEO firms will tell you just by searching for "SEO tips" on Google.

    Many of them are afraid to let you know that because they want to be viewed as professionals with insider information that can only be gained through years of experience. The only time that seems to be actually true is when using PERL script or other back end programming and development. Obviously, a programmer has skills that not everyone has. But SEO principles are not specialized, and they do not require someone with five or more years of experience to understand. Having said that, you are more than likely better off hiring an SEO firm to do the work for you. No, I'm not sending mixed signals here. You need to be aware of the smooth talk and the BS some of them will use to impress you, but you probably still need someone's help to do the actual work. That is, unless you are willing to hire someone on full-time to do it for you.

    After many conversations with many "experts", I have noticed two vital tools missing from nearly everyone's approach. If I may be blunt, they are missing because the SEO firms aren't true marketing firms and are too young to understand how to truly win long-term repeat business. TWO THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW TO SUCCEED WITH SEO There are two things you need to know to succeed: you must know the customer and you must know the search engines.

    You cannot complete a successful SEO campaign if you have not taken the time to know your target audience. It is sickening how many companies spout cliches like "find your target audience" without actually helping you find them. What might be even worse is that SEO experts have all read or spoken about the importance of inbound links for good rankings, yet so many of them never incorporate linking strategies for their clients.

    A successful marketing company researches the client's target audience until they know who they are, what they want, how they speak, and what they respond to. If your SEO service provider doesn't know that much detail about your customers, how do they know which keywords your customers will use to search with on Google or Yahoo? Exactly – they don't. Sure, keyword research tools exist to provide a list of related phrases which are extremely popular, but are they the phrases people will use when looking to buy? It's more involved than simply pressing a few buttons and letting a computer program shoot out some answers.

    Why are these crucial elements missing? Because SEO firms don't believe you will spend the money to do a search engine optimization campaign the right way. Because most of their clients know very little about SEO, the firms cut out necessary elements to lower the price and gain clients.

    THE COST OF NEGLECT
    The unfortunate side effect is a half-brained campaign. No matter what they have done, Google will continue to shun your website as an authority because you lack the appropriate inbound links. To add to your future frustration, you will eventually realize that even though your traffic has increased even significantly, your conversion rate has not increased at the same rate. This is, of course, due to the fact that although your SEO firm drew more people to your site, they were not the right people.

    The truth is that 98% of the time you get what you pay for. If you are large enough to pay for conventional marketing and advertising, you probably don't skimp on the details. SEO is still a relatively new industry and the experts are still relatively insecure about their status. They may be willing to compromise to land a client. You do not want this. Why spend any money at all for the wrong thing or a poor quality thing? You might as well save your money or spend it elsewhere.

    Anything worth doing is worth doing well. Somebody famous said that. They were right. Don't waste your time or money on a half-hearted service. Ask questions. Get involved. Insist on well-laid plans and ideas, just like you would for a commercial spot during the Super Bowl. Everyone wants results yesterday, and almost no one wants to wait. But quality comes from thorough research and planning. Don't compromise the quality of your business.Daniel Dessinger provides writing services including: SEO, interactive press releases, website copy, articles, creative ads, copy editing, and consulting. Visit him on the web at http://www.culturefeast.com.

  • iPod Video: Cultural Progress or Decline?

    the first time i heard Apple was making iPods with video capability, i thought what millions of other people hopefully thought: why the hell would i want to spend $300-$400 for screensize that rivals the GameBoy? and do i really need 24/7 access to tv, movies, and music videos? do i need to be plugged in while i’m on the bus, train, in the car, waiting in line, or in the gym? and why doesn’t it come in purple? oh, and why can’t i play my GameBoy games on the same machine?

    the obvious answer to me was “um, no.” i suffer from a lack of peace and quiet as it is, and i work from home! i don’t even face rush hour traffic anymore. but i still get more than i need of technology. i work on a computer with instant access to the internet. i have television, dvd player, and plenty of music (though, strangely, no home stereo). i had a Sony Discman until the damn thing broke on me while i was in Europe. all of a sudden, the port for the earphones no longer produced a connection… but that’s not my point. stop distracting me.

    look, i saw how they were marketing cellphones to pre-teens and teens five years ago. one day everything is normal and the next, everywhere i go, every kid waiting in any kind of line is playing a game on or talking on a cellphone. and they were mostly stupid games, too. but whatever. it was a gadget to coddle people’s impatience. i really can’t judge too severly on that topic – i’m just bitter that my phone didn’t come with chess.

    everyone has their gadgets these days, and the trend is to put as many gadgets/options into one device to corner the market on flexibility and all-in-one capability. adults have their PDAs. kids and adults have their cellphones, notebook computers, and iPods. soon it will be one gadget that is cellphone, iPod Video, laptop, and PDA. we’re almost there already. you will be a fully functioning office unto yourself without need of face-to-face contact anywhere you go, except for the unavoidable face-time with the lady at the Starbucks counter (at least, until they figure out how to have an order kiosk like they do at movie theaters).

    i wanted to come down hard on iPod and PDAs and all that junk. i wanted to tell you how technology is destroying the fabric of the community. while this slightly inaccurate statement may be mostly true, i can’t condemn all the techno-goodies. why not? because i use them. because i want to use them.

    because i want to move to another country and still be able to maintain business relationships with my clients here. i want to take my wife and potential children somewhere beautiful to enjoy a culture that doesn’t stress people out. in plain English, i’d like to use the technology to milk the system i despise for the money to live a better life elsewhere. kudos to me! some may think it’s hypocritical, but i think it’s brilliant. if you can’t beat the system, ethically manipulate it to benefit you and those you love.

    besides, i think an iPod Video would come in really handy when i’m sitting on that stupid exercise bike at the gym and i need a distraction to keep going. they have televisions on the wall, but who gets motivated to push harder by CNN? being the LOST junkie that i am (yes, i had to mention LOST – i cannot curb my fascination), i would watch reruns over and over, trying to pick out every nuance possible so i can solve the show’s mysteries.

    besides, if i’m living in Panama a year or two from now, i’ll probably download the show through iTunes to keep up. if you can’t beat the system, use the system.