Friday, June 26, 2009

New Phone Number via Google Voice!

Finally, I can feel like a native Californian! After waiting a year for the service that was formerly GrandCentral, I now have a new phone number, that points to my old one. *drumroll*

(415) 894-9455

My old number still works, but I get a metric ton of benefits with this one. I can set up rules for which phone rings when you call. So if you're work related, you'd be passed on to my office phone if I had one. If you're a pal, you get my mobile phone. If you're down at the door to the building, you'd ring my phone, my room mate's phone, and our land line.

I can mark callers as spam. 'Nuf said.

I can set up special voice mail messages depending on numbers. So hot sexy girls get a different message than potential business associates.

All my voicemail gets transcribed for me to text by a machine, not humans in India like services like Jott employ. I get free SMS to my GV number. Plus I can listen in as you leave a voice message like the old days of answering machines, plus I can record any call I'm on.

All in all, an amazing service if it lives up to its reputation. And Google gets tons of feedback on the transcription service so they can keep making it better.

Unfounded Theory

The other day I was thinking about handshakes when I was reminded that I'm left handed. It made me wonder if I'm exposed to less germs when I shake hands with people, when I use the railing that is typically on the right side, when I open doors with my right hand because otherwise you just open the door into yourself... and then I touch my face with my left hand.

I haven't been sick enough to go to the doctor since I was in high school. An informal survey revealed that most lefties in my office feel that they are sick less often than their right handed counter parts.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Business

I think I want to start a business again. But not a small business. Nay, the kind of business with venture capital, the kind with a big idea that hopes to make it big enough to get swallowed up by something huge.

Right now, knowledge is the commodity. Google, Facebook, even Twitter are taking the information you give them, and matching that with demographic info that ad agencies have. I understand that much. Not to mention that I like the ads that marketers think a single twenty-something guy wants to look at vs. a forty-something menopausal woman.

The question I keep asking myself is this: "How do I get people to tell me what they know in a way that is fun or adds value to their lives?" Solve a problem. Provide value. These are at the heart of every successful idea and mistake.

Dear Future Personal Ad Responders,

Just as a heads up, when they say "D&D Free" they're not asking you to hide the dice.

Best,
Will

Friday, June 19, 2009

Phone Review

Got the new iPhone 3GS  today. First off, 3G over  my old Edge is waaaaaay faster. Web pages are really snappy. There's lots of little things too, some are hardware, some not - like GPS on the maps is super accurate, and Safari now has auto-complete. I also love having volume controls on my headphones and can't wait till I settle on bluetooth headphones and rock it wirelessly.

But still missing are some apps that I hope to see soon. Google is promising Latitude which should broadcast my location like I've been wanting to do since the first phone I owned. Tom Tom is also promising a turn-by-turn GPS app later this summer. I still want to see Flash happen in the browser, and I wouldn't mind adding a Bluetooth keyboard when I really need to bang out some text.

But what I'm really hoping for... with the boost in processor, RAM, and video action... is the ability to shoot zombies in an augmented reality. It's got to be just around the corner.

Oh yeah, and I forgot, I want subscription sevices for movies and music (maybe games too). Netflix preferably, and Rhapsody-esque for music please!!!! iTunes would be great if it worked this way instead of buying things outright.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Thou Speakest Aright!

I was talking about my blog with Emily when she said that as of late, there's less of me in my writings, and I whole heartedly agree.  It's something I was consciously aware of, but had no root cause, so it remained just an observation. Maybe it was the way she phrased it, maybe it was the context of her being a fencer, but I think that there's less of me to write about.

I think there's less of me because there's no fencing. It's like there's only two contexts to my life now, work, and non-work. Both are pretty rich in my opinion, but they don't exercise all of Will Read either. When I fenced, there was also a coach part, and a business owner part, and a competitor part - none of which really exist presently.

In my head I kind of equate it to writing a story about five characters, and then suddenly there's only two left. Sure, they're the core characters, but they don't have foils to flesh out who they really are. They don't have anyone to interact with. It's not to say life gets dull, but interactions get much less complex. I think that because I don't have to juggle everything, life is less revealing about my own character.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Dear Hypercolor,

Why didn't you say on the tag that you could tell girls you change colors when they touch you???? My youthful years could have been very different.

Sincerely,
Will

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Dear Xbox Friends

You should friend me! I just got a Gold membership so I can watch Netflix. My gamertag is TildeWill. My avatar looks like this -->

Dear Safeway Grocery Store,

Your green light bulb shining on the could-be-greener watermelons did not fool me! I see through your clever facade!

Spitefully,
Will

This is where I live









From Naked Bike Ride 2009

I took this picture today after watching a bunch of naked people gear up (down?) for a cross-city bike ride. I live here! Where there's palm trees and blue sky, and art fairs all the time. It's kind of fantastic. Then I rode the cable car home.

Friday, June 12, 2009

Dear Chick at Buck Tavern Last Night,

Your head was down, looking at your phone. I didn't realize you weren't a dude when I asked if you were waiting in line for the men's room. Sorry.

Sincerely,
Will

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Dear Fortune Cookie,

Since you did not contain a fortune at lunch today, are you still a "fortune" cookie? I feel like I got a misfortune cookie; no one wants that.

Sincerely,
Will
P.S. You were still delicious.

Monday, June 8, 2009

Dear Apple,

Good job with your new iPhone. I still want tethering though, and where's the flash ont he new sweet camera? And I need to have my phone logging it's location at all times; let's make that happen post-haste.  But I will say that stereo Bluetooth will be amazing. Maybe you guys can crank out some rockin headphones in that Apple way you like to do?

Cheers,
~Will

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Dear English Language,

How can someone be "mostly sure"? At that point you're no longer sure, you're just kind of working off a hunch. Weak sauce.

I hate you English,
Will

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Dear Phone Manufacturers,

I have the keyboard solution! Combine an iPhone with a chording keyboard and viola! Chording keyboards work by having a small set of buttons, and you press different combinations to produce various characters. In this case I'm picturing 7 keys on the side(s) of the phone. Then as I hold it, I can type away with some speed, and make use of four digits.

Pluses: No bulky physical keyboard adding thickness/weight to my phone. There's also no software keyboard cutting into my screen real estate. Besides, I can't get 10 fingers on that tiny thing anyway, really I'm typing with my thumbs, so screw it. Really it's the 10 fingers that make a full keyboard useful. This way, I an hold the phone and type one handed. Brilliant.

Drawback: I'd have to learn how to "chord". But whatever, there's a whole slew of business folk out there who learned Palm's "Graffiti". Just teach us how to use it with a clever app, and we'll figure out the rest.

Sincerely,
Will

P.S. If anyone makes one, I call dibs. If no one makes one, does anyone know who does custom phone mods?

Dear Beef,

I'm glad there are vegitarians. That leaves more of you for me.

Sincerely,
Will

P.S. Do you want to come over for dinner tomorrow? *bite*

Monday, June 1, 2009

Dear Australia,

Why do almost all of the marsupials live there? More importantly, how come we got shafted with the opossum?

Sincerely,
Will-went-to-the-zoo-Sunday-Read

Dear Emily,

Thanks for appreciating my cooking dinner for you, and pancakes, and the zoo. Not all women do. Some even go so far to tell me that it's too much too soon. I think they just hate monkeys and a meal prepared with an intent to please.

Sincerely,
Will