Thursday, February 3, 2011
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Weather 101 with Uncle Mike
Weather is small talk, a conversation starter. Get this, did you know that on January 12, the only state in the union not covered in snow was Florida? Heard briefly in passing on the Today Show, I confirmed with Uncle Mike later in the evening. I said, "What about Hawaii?" His response was, "A lot of people mistake Hawaii for ridiculously warm climate, but Hawaii's volcanoes are often covered in snow." Whodathunkit? See article here.
Uncle Mike also gave me a debrief of tornadoes, a violent, quick burst of air in contact with a cumulus cloud and the ground, which tend to last a few short minutes. Apparently, tornado rituals are no different than hurricane rituals. I was mainly intrigued by the practice of survival in the bunkers. While Oklahomans go underground for protection from crazy weather, in New Orleans we're already underground, so we just hold our breath and hope we don't wash away. (Now, if that's not food for thought for Congress than I don't know what is.)
According to Uncle Mike and statistics, if meteorology is of interest, the place to go is Oklahoma University, the number one school for the study of weather. Again, I was curious to know why......because Oklahoma is the heartbeat of America. The state experiences just about any type of weather in the plains, so it is a great place for young Carl Arredondo's to get their hands dirty and study mother nature's wildest behaviors.
So About That Fire
The fireplace at Adams Street has been inactive since my parents lived here in 1983. But, tonight, thanks to the Brothers Laan, we have a fire brewing on a sleeting night. Brothers Laan, a.k.a CC and Jason and the brothers of Nicole, have been developing computer software since 2009 and were one of the first application developers for Apple’s iPhone platform. Our sweet new fire place, iFirePlace, can be played on any Mac computer.
While bringing back to life an inactive fireplace is tres cool, what is of greater note is Brothers Laan, more formerly known as Laan Labs, recently released a smart phone application, Tap DJ, which has quickly become the top selling app in Japan and Australia, and among the top five in the US, UK and Germany.
Laan Labs’ self-described business plan “making cool stuff for all of your favorite toys.” They have created numerous top 100 apps for smartphones and Apple’s iPhone/iPad/iPod and Mac line, including iVideoCamera, Lightwriter, Sonar Ruler, Remote Sound Box.
iVideoCamera has been their biggest hit yet and was the top selling app in the US & UK for over 3 weeks. Initially developed to enable video recording on 2G/3G iPhones, a feature which Apple did not include until the release of the 3GS model, it now also allows any phone to record videos with real-time special effects.
As smart phone applications grow in popularity, established shops with long development cycles and large marketing budgets are slowly beginning to dominate the industry. Despite the competition, a few small agencies such as Laan Labs continue to churn out fresh ideas and popular apps.
When asked what most technologically challenged folks would be surprised to know, Jason Laan responds “How much work goes into an app. There are all these stories about people building a little iFart app and making a millions dollars - yeah that does happen but it’s very rare. Most of the apps out there have a great deal of work behind them. Making a hit app is about getting all the ingredients right: idea, name, aesthetics, usefulness and then marketing it properly.”
Following an often lengthy approval process by Apple, apps are marketed and sold through itunes and creators take home roughly 70% of the listed price (the rest goes to Apple).
Making a popular app is always the challenge. Jason compares the app market to that of the music business saying, “Just as people have a constant desire for new music, customers are always wanting the newest app. It may be difficult to predict a hit, but the desire continues to exist.”
When the brothers are not making apps for themselves they also do client work for such notables as NBC Universal, TweetDeck, and SCVNGR (recent Google investment).
While bringing back to life an inactive fireplace is tres cool, what is of greater note is Brothers Laan, more formerly known as Laan Labs, recently released a smart phone application, Tap DJ, which has quickly become the top selling app in Japan and Australia, and among the top five in the US, UK and Germany.
Tap DJ enables users to mix songs from their iTunes libraries, add special effects and blend multiple tracks; turning their mobile phone in to a sophisticated turntable. The application, available for $1.99 via Apple’s iTunes, utilizes technology previously found only with costly computer-based DJ programs.
Laan Labs’ self-described business plan “making cool stuff for all of your favorite toys.” They have created numerous top 100 apps for smartphones and Apple’s iPhone/iPad/iPod and Mac line, including iVideoCamera, Lightwriter, Sonar Ruler, Remote Sound Box.
iVideoCamera has been their biggest hit yet and was the top selling app in the US & UK for over 3 weeks. Initially developed to enable video recording on 2G/3G iPhones, a feature which Apple did not include until the release of the 3GS model, it now also allows any phone to record videos with real-time special effects.
And since we all know my love of history, here's a little history on the mobile phone app market:
As smart phone applications grow in popularity, established shops with long development cycles and large marketing budgets are slowly beginning to dominate the industry. Despite the competition, a few small agencies such as Laan Labs continue to churn out fresh ideas and popular apps.
When asked what most technologically challenged folks would be surprised to know, Jason Laan responds “How much work goes into an app. There are all these stories about people building a little iFart app and making a millions dollars - yeah that does happen but it’s very rare. Most of the apps out there have a great deal of work behind them. Making a hit app is about getting all the ingredients right: idea, name, aesthetics, usefulness and then marketing it properly.”
Following an often lengthy approval process by Apple, apps are marketed and sold through itunes and creators take home roughly 70% of the listed price (the rest goes to Apple).
Making a popular app is always the challenge. Jason compares the app market to that of the music business saying, “Just as people have a constant desire for new music, customers are always wanting the newest app. It may be difficult to predict a hit, but the desire continues to exist.”
When the brothers are not making apps for themselves they also do client work for such notables as NBC Universal, TweetDeck, and SCVNGR (recent Google investment).
Dear Dad, You Made My Day
Started the morning much earlier than I normally do. I hopped in the shower and headed to Starbucks before I made my way downtown for my breakfast event at Second Line Stages. I was standing in line at Starbucks, and a man comes up behind me and puts his arms around me. Startled, I turned my head to see my Dad. There was such a warm feeling to run into your dad, at a coffee shop, on a cold morning before a big event. He bought my coffee and oatmeal, gave me a hug, wished me luck and sent me on my way. The moment felt like a Folger's commercial, but with Starbucks feeling the love.
After a successful event, a day at the office, and hourblast class, I arrive home to two roommates with a fire burning in the inactive fire [more about that next] and Dad's delicious "Jewish Father's Chicken Noodle Soup" which he sent me home with last night. Perfect day, Perfect Dad.
After a successful event, a day at the office, and hourblast class, I arrive home to two roommates with a fire burning in the inactive fire [more about that next] and Dad's delicious "Jewish Father's Chicken Noodle Soup" which he sent me home with last night. Perfect day, Perfect Dad.
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