Tretakoff Musings

So, it's now been years since smartphones have become ubiquitous in the US. We've also seen the growth of Waze as a nav app, specifically because of it's combination of crowdsourced traffic, speedtraps, and road conditions; so much so, Google and Facebook fought each other for the right to buy them (Google won). So, we have a perfect blend of market, community, and technology to be able to report and share vital driving info. Right? Um, TrapTap doesn't think so. Nope, these folks are introducing a small physical device that uses visual and audio indicators to tell you that there's something  to watch out for. Could be a speed trap, could be a school zone. Oh, but you see that cop you just passed at 20 miles faster than you should be? Well, just before he pulls you over, just tap twice on this gadget and everyone else will get hooked up with the info on their  TrapTap. So why my gripe? Well, first you're creating a boil the ocean problem: in order for...

I was following the coverage of last week's Living Social deal for $10 of a Starbucks gift card for $5. One of the more interesting assertions was that Living Social actually paid for the deal, and Starbucks had nothing to do with it. So says a site called FastCasual.com, a site that, as they say: "Since 1997, FastCasual.com has reported on the important news, events, trends and people in the $23.5 billion fast casual restaurant industry segment." The piece on the LS/Starbucks deal was written by the "editor" of FastCasual, Cherryh Butler. Ms. Butler's bio: "Cherryh Butler has been a reporter for nearly 10 years, writing on a variety of topics ranging from the cable industry and business to health and fitness. Before joining fastcasual.com as editor, she wrote for several daily newspapers, magazines and Web sites, including The Kansas City Star and ehow.com" So, I found Ms. Butler's piece a bit troubling in a few areas: - She make...

The Minnesota Star Tribune has a clever article on " Time To Ditch These 10 Tech Devices ." On the surface, it seems another one of those "Oh, let's marvel at the way we used to do things" article that media loves to use as a nostalgia point. Point of fact, I usually am the first person to argue that dedicated purpose devices are obsolete when you buy them: I have always consolidated around my handheld device as much as possible. However, this article irked me, as many of the conclusions it drew were wrong, and may of the reasons it cited were flat out bizarre. Allow me to walk through it with you. The Flip Cam.  Agreed, this device is indeed obsolete, as smartphones have subsumed this. However, the simplicity and ease of use is ideal for kids, and given that you no longer need to be concerned with preserving the delicacy of the electronics, it's perfect for budding filmmakers. Extreme sports participants, with their obsession of filming their tri...

This week, after false starts, drama, and much gnashing of teeth, Groupon went public on NASDAQ this week. IPO is always a time where the hype gets turned up a little high, but this was fairly exceptional, especially the spewing of vitriol about the company, their business and the fallacy of any investors foolish enough to go anywhere near the stock. Some samples: " Investing in Groupon is like investing in a leaky bucket. " - Rocky Agarwal, most vocal Groupon critic. " Enjoy the ride, Groupon investors! I'm outta here! " - Henry Blodget, Editor in Chief, Business Insider. And that doesn't begin to take into account the torrent on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. It's almost personal...and almost all of it is so hyper emotional, it ignores the basics and the fundamentals of investing. Before I dive in, some caveats and clear statements. I am an executive of a company that provides similar services to Groupon's Daily Deal services to the m...

As regular readers of this sometimes neglected blog know, I'm a gadget guy. The newer the gadget, the more I want it. And for my gadget habit, Apple is often my dealer of choice: not only do they make some primo gizmos, but they do it with such style, such aplomb, it's hard to imagine any resistance. So, it's with some shock that I find myself strangely immune to today's launch of the latest Apple world-changer, the iPad . I can honestly say I simply don't get this one. For those that somehow have managed to avoid the hype machine, the iPad is pretty much a huge iPod Touch, about the size of a hardcover book and Apple-svelte. It's not a laptop, nor a game machine: it's a brand new category of...what? See, this is my issue: I don't understand what problem the iPad is trying to solve. The iPod solved the UI and synchronization issues that held MP3's from going mainstream. The iPhone made your phone a one-stop device, and finally launched smartphones fr...

Penn Jillette is one of my personal gurus. What he says so often makes so much sense to me, I am often frustrated that he is not running the world. He frequently does short vlog entries on Sony's Crackle site; today's is about In-N-Out Burger. If you are not familiar with this practically legendary West Coast chain, they make a hell of a burger and fries, cheap, and fresh. Penn's issue is that they subtly print Bible references in their materials, such as on the bottom of the cups or the fries. Now, I'm one of the first people to decry the blind faith in the Bible; in fact, I highly recommend David Plotz's Good Book for a refreshing perspective on the Bible from a layperson's perspective. Penn, being a devout atheist, obviously has major issues with In-N-Out's evangelism, as he often does with most attempts for folks to blend religion in with secular activities. However, Penn is also a massive proponent of the free market. Combining these two, you get a r...

When I wrote my blog post on the Clear program for airport security, I had no inkling of just how it could transform from a scam to an outright security threat. However, it seems it has come to pass , as a laptop with over 30K members' information has vanished. Clearly, a bad decision.

We may, as a society, disagree with many things, but there has been one truth we all seem to instinctively agree on: drinking lots of water is good for your health. However, as with all good maxims, it's occasionally important to test them for reality. And, according to the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, this wives' tale is all wet. Turns out, drinking more water not only does not improve skin tone or reduce appetite, but actually can even be harmful, possibly causing kidney damage. The irony of this to me is not that yet another accepted truism has fallen by the wayside, but more that this was forecast by the most unlikely of prognosticators, Lewis Black . He of the waggling finger, and apoplectic screaming fits, the man predicted this very thing years ago in his HBO Broadway special, Black on Broadway , as well as a hilarious and wry look at the history of this admonition, as well as it's possible origin. Take 10 minutes, sit back and prepare to laugh.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, or UAV's, were once the subject of science fiction ( Real Genius , anyone?), but the one thing this illegal invasion of a sovereign nation (aka, the horribly misnamed "Iraq War") has proven is that UAV's are here to stay. With "an astonishing 80%" of all military flights in Iraq being flown by UAV's today, these remote controlled/robot planes have proven their worth as bloodless soldiers in the military skies, from surveillance to full on hunter/killers. Despite the rampant warning we have received from countless scifi films about the wisdom of allowing semi-autonomous vehicles of speed and strength roaming the skies, these UAV's are slowly seeping their way into the civilian skies. This Popular Mechanics article focuses on their ever increasing presence in our day to day lives, as Big Brother straps on his goggles and takes to the air. As with all such adoptions of military technology to civilian matters, the first incurs...

It was 1981. That's Incredible ruled the TV landscape. On came a man who could move the pages of a phone book with his mind, complete with yoga suit. "That's incredible!" Fran Tarkenton cried out. Then, from backstage, out walked a man who looked like a cross between Santa Claus and a professor. He was introduced as James Randi, a professional debunker. He went by his stage name of "The Amazing Randi," and claimed he could duplicate any so-called psychic tricks with standard cons used by magicians. Even more, he said he could smoke out these people as charlatans, and proceeded to do so, live, to the "psychic". I would never take things at face value again. Over 20 years later, and I am still a skeptic, thanks to James Randi. And so is he: he is offering $1 Million to the high profile Psychics to just agree to be tested for their feats scientifically. He's spent years offering the prize to anyone, but the kooks come out. Now, let's see ...