The Debate Issue
This past Wednesday we had the Republican CNN/YouTube debate. After having a chance to watch it, I got a better understanding of why people are willing to stand behind these men as the next president of the United States. I’m still not in favor of these candidates, but I did learn about some of the issues that are important to the Republican party. It might be the independent in me, but I feel it is vitally important to pay attention to what the other parties are saying. It helps to understand their point of view, respect that they have a point of view ( that may not be different than yours ) and can open your eyes up to things that might be important to you but not to the party you support. With that said, I got a bit miffed that it is even an issue that some of the questions may have come from people who are connected to Democrats, especially ones running for president. ...
My first reaction to this “issue” was - If you can’t handle the other party asking question you don’t deserve to be President of the United States of America. However, I was still interested in the reasoning behind it and something Governor mike Huckabee said on the subject enlightened me.
I think it compromises the integrity of what it was supposed to be and that is a very objective people's kind of debate.
From that statement I started to understand that this was a Republican debate for Republicans to decide who they(Republicans) want to vote for. With that said, I feel that they are missing an opportunity by making an issue of it.
The opportunity they have is to prove to other Republicans that they could handle questions from the Democrats. If you want to be electable in the general elections you are going to need to show that you can handle yourself with these questions. Isn’t that an issue Republicans are concerned about? Choosing the most electable candidate? From what I’ve seen of the Democrats, that’s what they are concerned about – which is unfortunate because some of the so called “un-electable” candidates, in both parties, actually seem to stand for something. It would seem to me, that if any candidate came forward and said it was a non-issue because it allowed them to show their conservative credentials in the face of liberal bias.
Some people may still look at those I currently support and think I’m just attacking the Republicans. The smart ones will ask me if I would hold Democrats to the same standard. My answer is to them would be yes. While I’m currently registered as a Democrat and supporting Democratic candidates, I still consider myself independent. I keep checking back on the so called third party candidates who aren’t given the weight in presidential politics that they deserve*. Because of this they always have to deal with questions from Democrats and Republicans if they are lucky enough to have as large of a venue to promote themselves.
In politics, as with everything else in this world, the technology and information age is changing the way business is done. The old guard is holding on to ways of doing business that they know while the consumer is asking for something different. Politics as usual are not what the general populace wants anymore. The general populace wants to believe once again in a government for the people, by the people and of the people. Please do not replace the people with the party.
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* = It can be argued that many "3rd Party" candidates don't do the work that is required of a presidential candidate and thus don't deserve much time at all. I agree. But some have a political record and a dedication to this country that deserves media attention.
Republican CNN/YouTube debates
It was suppose to be in September but some people were afraid of the format. Others didn't find snowmen dignified. Many thought CNN to be too liberally biased. Well it is now almost December and we have finally had the CNN/YouTube debates for the Republicans. ...
Last time the full debates we're easily available in .flv format and I was able to set it up so you could view the democratic youTube debate in its entirety. This time CNN has changed format again and only let's you watch edited bits and pieces of the debate in their player.
They do, however, allow you to download the debates in either m4v or wmv format. The debate is split into 2 parts and can be downloaded at http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/11/28/florida.debate.video/index.html along with links to the edited pieces.
Here are the direct links:
M4V - part 1 - part 2
WMV - part 1 - part 2
It would be really nice to have something like this held for 3rd party candidates. Especially if it has enough advertising.
UI vs. UE
A while back I watched the Keynote speech for Day 1 of Adobe Max 2007 in Barcelona. During the speech, then President and COO now President and CEO of Adobe, Shantanu Narayen shared with us 5 simple rules Adobe uses to help create the next generation of engaging experiences.
- Content Is King
- Make It Personal
- Less Is (Still) More
- Movement Has Meaning
- Create An Experience, Not A UI
All great rules for creating engaging experiences, the most difficult rule seems to be the last one. ...
On paper it seems like people want more features. The technology is capable of so much so why not put everything you can in a product. The problem is reality. In reality people generally prefer a pleasing experience over more features. Is it ease of use or ease of marketing that makes this the truth we must deal with? Let’s explore UI( user-interface ) versus UE( user-experience ) by comparing the Apple iPhone to the Nokia N810 and Joost to Miro.
iPhone vs N810
On the surface these two products are dissimilar. One is a mobile phone and the other is an internet tablet. However, the N810 is the item I most see compared to the iPhone. Both can make phone calls, one using a cell network and the other via Skype. Both play digital music. Both have a variety of applications you can run. On features alone, the N810 seems to run circles around the iPhone. It’s an open platform that already has 3rd party applications for it. You aren’t tied to a phone company contract to use its phone functionality. You can make modifications to the way the system works without fear of litigation or creating an expensive brick. It has a full QWERTY keyboard built into it while the iPhone only has 2 physical buttons! What does the iPhone( and iPod Touch ) have that makes it so much better? It has a sexy interface. Many people I’ve talked to find the interface easier to use and they love it. Is it truly easier, or has the marketing department at Apple done a better job of proving to you that it is easy. Perhaps it only feels easy because it is enjoyable to use, and thus worth a user’s time. Perhaps iPhone is easier to remember than N810. While some people will still prefer the N810 over the iPhone, the numbers say that the iPhone is the clear winner. The interface is what makes people want to buy the iPhone, and it does have some very decent features.
Joost vs. Miro
As opposed to the last comparison, these two video applications seem to be very similar and ready for comparison. However, because of Joost’s focus on a user experience and miro’s focus on features they are actually 2 different things. In the paper world of features, Miro has Joost beat hands down. One only needs to look at the miro website’s head to head comparison to see that. Having used both systems the miro comparison is fair and does speak to Joost’s shortcomings quite well. But having used both systems I can tell you that Joost actually gives you the experience of watching TV on your computer. It even reacts like an old CRT display when you “turn it off.” Miro, on the other hand, gives you the experience of a media aggregator/media player. In miro you have to wait for your show to completely download before you can start watching it, while joost starts your video within a few seconds. At least miro has a comparably decent naming experience. In all reality, they don’t deserve comparison because they seem to be feeding 2 different niches. Both are free(as in money) to use, so it costs you nothing to use both and get the benefits of both. With that said, I have a feeling more people will be using Joost than miro, once both are officially out of their beta stages.
It is easier to sell the sizzle than it is to sell the steak. Perhaps that is why people tend towards these great interfaces - the marketing is just too good. Perhaps people don’t want to work as hard so they go with a pleasant experience. Either way, we still need the full featured products to pave the way for new products with better interfaces that do the same thing. There will always those who require the benefits of the feature packed product and are willing to give up the experience to get it. It may be a feature they need, an ideological stance they have or both. Whatever the reason there will always be a place for those products thanks to those types of users. Those products will help push technology. They just won’t reach as many people.
Some people may argue that a fancy interface isn’t why they bought a product. They will often bring up examples of really nifty interfaces that didn’t do better. Going back to our list of 5 simple rules for an engaging experience the statement is create an experience, not a UI. Sometimes a really great looking UI still doesn’t convey the proper experience. Sometimes the developer just didn’t follow the other 4 rules. Perhaps there is a slick interface but it lacks content. In Joost’s early beta, this was a huge issue that made people doubt it. The doubt is still there, but now there is quite a bit more content. Perhaps an interface is pretty great, but a user has no way to customize it or they are forced into using a certain way they aren’t comfortable. As alternative browsers and alternative operating systems become more widely used, as we get away from desktops and even laptops as our only way to compute this will become more and more obvious. Perhaps, in trying to create an experience, a developer creates something that does too much and takes away from the original vision and scope of the project. Perhaps the experience goes too far and is too busy. Then all the motion takes away from what you are trying to communicate. Or perhaps they are still focused on the interface, just in a different way and still are not actually working towards creating a user experience. I’ve heard user experience in web applications best described as choosing a metaphor and seeing how far you can take it.
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Here is the full keynote speech from day one of the Barcelona Max event
Who Killed The Electric Car?
Who Killed The Electric Car is the name of a documentary I've wanted to see for a while. I actually wrote a post about the movie's website back in April. In case you haven't heard about it, here is a taste – the movie's preview.
This is a movie a lot of people should see. As I stated in my April post about the movie's website, there is a bias in the way this movie is presented so you may be skeptical. Well if you believe in this technology, you'll already want to watch it. If you think it is hogwash, then you should watch it to better understand where the other side is coming from. ...
Because I believe everyone should see this movie, I have it right here for you to view(though I did not post it). Please purchase it if you enjoy it.
If you watch the whole thing, you will learn a lot about events that I did not even know occurred. The thing that made me watch this now is that I am in the market for a new car in the near future. A major selling point for me is gas mileage. The only vehicle on the road today that gets decent gas mileage at a reasonable price is the Toyota Prius. This movie makes me want to wait until they unveil their Plug In Prius for regular sale.
Some of the parties that are deemed “guilty” in this film made me think of something else I had been looking back into lately. I've noticed that while my writing on wrestling has picked up lately ( thanks to Jericho's return ), my political writing has been non-existent. I have done what many American's do around politics, tune out and hope it all works out. That doesn't sit well with me so I decided to re-energize myself. I need to be ready to watch the Republican CNN/YouTube debates this Wednesday. So I went to my favorite candidate, Bill Richardson's, website to see what he has been up to. He unfortunately doesn't get as much media attention as some others. One thing he said in a recent debate that relates to all this is best said by him:
Originally posted by Bill Richardson:
And It's gonna be also the American people – I'm gonna say this honestly – sacrificing a little bit...when it comes to being a part of an energy efficiency revolution
. More great videos from this debate can be found at http://action.richardsonforpresident.com/page/s/unlvdebate. From this documentary it seems the sacrifice won't be as big as consumers think. However, it remind us as consumers that we do need to think.
Much more could be said, but I would love to hear what others think. Please, watch the movie before you make any comments. If you like it, please purchase it to show your support.
Some other good bits of info can be found at:
Plug in America
Who Killed the Electric Car segment on PBS's NOW
In Honor of the Return
In honor of the Jericho return tonight and the Edge return last night, here is a funny video of Jericho and Edge along with another favorite Christian. Of course, some of the funniest Jericho bits involve Stephanie Mchmahon.
Jericho Returns(?)
Well, there was one special return at Sunday's Survivor Series Pay Per View. As foretold by the ads for the event, Edge showed up and made his presence felt. But enough of that for now, today is the last day of the countdown to Jericho's return to the WWE. Since this is his 2nd Coming, let's take a look at the first countdown to Y2J!
Jericho & Survivor Series
It's a stretch but since Survivor series is today I thought I would post a video of something Survivor Series related for today's Jericho Countdown post.
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And since we are looking at Jericho from the days of the Alliance versus the WWF/E, here's another humorous promo of Jericho and Stephanie during that tumultuous time ( ...Congratulations Louie! ).
Jericho - Desire
The WWE's Desire promos were great, especially if you like the superstar. So here is Chris Jericho's Desire video.
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And here is a fan created desire video to a different tune.
Friday Humor at McDonald's
Continuing the countdown to Y2J with this little unique find of Jericho working a McDonald's
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Since he mentioned Celebrity Duets, I thought I'd post some videos of that performance as well. With LeAnne Womack
With Peter Frampton
After being voted off