Inspire

Dating on Skype

Skype as a platform will deliver more and more innovative services. Right here you can read more information about this service. The questions remains when Google will acquire Skype to leapfrog Yahoo and MSN.

"Someonenew.com, a unique dating web site, which allows users to chat in real time to each other using the power of Skype is proud to announce the launch of a new German-language Web site http://de.someonenew.com. The site now allows German-speaking consumers to search and find other German speakers to chat with and create friendships. Within the next year Someonenew.com will add French, Italian, Russian and Portuguese to the site. This multi-lingual version of the site was created in response to the company’s growth in the international market and plans for continued expansion. It also reinforces the company’s dedication to consumers and getting new audiences excited about real-time dating."

Context aware pricing for mobile data services

Recently, I posted on flat rate pricing for mobile data services. Maybe there is an alternative coming to fruition: context aware pricing using the particular value of specific data services for the consumer. Sounds good to me. This post sheds more light on this emerging opportunity for mobile operators. It raises interesting points on the time value of mobile content.

"Current systems are typically limited to charging for data by the number of packets, regardless of the value of the content. They systems sit at the core of the network and are interconnected with a myriad of network elements. As one engineer at a European operator put it: fine-tuning them to be content-ware is like playing a game of Mikado pick-up sticks. One change could trigger an avalanche of unexpected problems. That's why a handful of start-ups including Megisto Systems, Volubill and NetSpira Networks (which was snapped up this month by Ericsson) are chalking up operator contracts at a staggering speed. Their products, which sit at the edge of the network where system complexity is less of an issue, inspect packets of data before delivery and provide systems at the core with information they can bill against. "MP3 files cost $0.99 cents on the Internet, so if you're a mobile operator charging more, you're going to lose money," explains Andy Capener, a director at Starent Networks, an infrastructure developer that uses NetSpira's advanced charging capabilities. Content-aware charging can "see" that the file is an MP3 file, not just a packet of data, and allow the operator to adjust the price accordingly. So if the traffic charges exceeded that 99-cent threshold, they could be adjusted down."

IM for job hunting

IM can be used for different purposes, among others job hunting using the status feature. This post tells the story.... Indeed, IM can sometimes be used as a replacement for SMS or e-mail due to this immediacy.

"Instead of displaying simple "away from my computer" messages, Hollywood buddy lists now overflow with come-ons, from "need work" to "wrapping up shoot." Producers hiring for a new production can tell at a glance who's available now, who's not and who might be free in the near future. "Ninety percent of my work is given to me through a pop-up (chat window) on my desktop," said Simon Foster, 32, a freelance production coordinator living in Santa Monica, California."

Mobile flat-rate pricing update

This post on The Feature hits an interesting point. I believe that most users want flat rate pricing for 3G services. Substitution analysis (broadband access at home, TV etc.) makes it inevitable in my view that the current pricing based on data usage will be phased out as to reach the mass (consumer) market. In the short term, we will only see slow update of mobile data offerings, while mid- and long term (due to the rise of WiFi hotspots, HSDPA and 4G) this growth will be driven by the mass market as well without mobile operators having to worry about the stated capacity problems.

"The answer, unfortunately, is that there isn't a great answer for mobile operators. They need to understand that this is an issue they're going to be facing moving forward, and realize that it's where the market is headed. Offering some form of flat-rate data still looks necessary to be competitive. However, in order to do that, operators are going to have to make sure networks can really handle the capacity of people really using those networks. At the same time, existing business models are going to get squeezed, so operators need to be aware that the lifetime of certain cash cows may be approaching an end point -- and start seriously considering other options."

The Mathematics of Love

John Gottman is a scientist focusing on relationships and marriages. He is highlighted in the second book of Malcolm Gladwell called BLINK. In this link from the great website Edge.org we can see his recent findings on this topic. Interestingly, there seem to be universal patterns in relationships and his views resonate with our intuitive understanding of relationships in our environment.

"JOHN GOTTMAN: I look at relationships. What's different about what I do, compared with most psychologists, is that for me the relationship is the unit, rather than the person. What I focus on is a very ephemeral thing, which is what happens between people when they interact. It's not either person, it's something that happens when they're together. It is like a structure that they're building by the way they interact. And I think of it that way, almost like a fleeting architectural fluid form that people are creating as they talk to each other, as they smile, as they move."

Coldplay X+Y: reaching for the stars

This weekend I had the pleasure to play the latest CD from Coldplay over and over again. I can't describe in words what I felt the first time, especially with the amazing song Fix You. Enchantment of all your body. Speed of Sound is their current smashing hit and it is in my view a good starting point. The CD is packed with great songs like What If (substantiating the trend I spotted a few months back? ;-)), White Shadows, Talk, X&Y, A Message, Low, The Hardest Part and Swallowed in the Sea. The only song which I believe is average is Twisted Logic. The CD is influenced by Radiohead (OK Computer?), U2 (Unforgettable Fire?) and their former work. Expect dance remixes of the songs Fix You, White Shadows and Talk. And expect stadiums all over the world enchanted by their words on love, regret, empathy, sorrow, hope, faith and acceptance.

Watch this band rock 2005 and Live 8 on 2nd of July, 2005.

In short, highly recommended.