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CNET gets it wrong about Siri

by Dave Caolo on May 15, 2012 in Articles with No comments

CNET has erroneously suggested that Apple “rigged Siri to name iPhone best phone” in response to last week’s non-story in which Siri accurately reported data it received from Wolfram Alpha:

“As of yesterday, the voice assistant is firmly back in Apple’s camp. When asked the same question, Siri now responds: ‘The one you’re holding,’ or ‘You’re kidding, right?’”

“Yesterday” being May 14, 2012. Wrong, CNET. You are wrong. Here’s a post from the Mac Observer Forums in which a user describes Siri providing a humors answer to a now infamous question:

“Depending on how I asked ‘What is the best smartphone?’- I got either ‘You’re kidding, right?’ or ‘You’re holding it.’”

That post is date stamped October 17, 2011. Here’s another one, posted to YouTube on November, 2011, just one month after the iPhone 4S’s release. Perhaps CNET defines “yesterday” as “seven months ago.”

Meanwhile, Nokia spokesperson Tracy Postill told the Sydney Morning Herald:

“Apple position Siri as the intelligent system that’s there to help, but clearly if they don’t like the answer, they override the software.”

Right, Tracy. It would be a brillant move for Apple to censor Wolfram Alpha data to meet its own marketing goals.

Postill’s quote illustrates another error. Both CNET and Nokia are seemingly unaware of where Siri’s answers come from. In short, Siri pulls from several sources, including Apple’s servers, Wolfram Alpha and Yelp. When it responded to The Next Web’s query with “Nokia’s Lumia 900,” it returned results from Wolfram Alpha. The “joke” answers (and yes, they are jokes) like “The one your holding,” come from Apple’s servers. Here’s a video of Siri providing humorous answers to 96 questions (recorded in 2011). Finally, if you ask Siri for the best Italian restaurant in town, its answer will come from Yelp.

Apple has given Siri a sense of humor because it humanizes the service and helps users feel like less of a tool while conversing with an inanimate object. It was a very clever move. Apple did not, in any way, “rig” Siri to name iPhone the best phone. If CNET or Nokia believe that Apple is afraid of losing iPhone sales to loose-lipped Siri, I have a bridge in New York that’s for sale.

First!

by Dave Caolo on May 15, 2012 in Articles with No comments

The race to be the first to post a story online 1 frequently causes problems. For example, this morning I saw a headline on Boy Genius Report (BGR), “New Jersey bans texting while walking“:

“Fort Lee, New Jersey passed a new law earlier this year that fines walkers $85 who do not stop prior to texting. ‘It’s a big distraction,’ Fort Lee Police Chief Thomas Ripoli said. ‘Pedestrians aren’t watching where they are going and they are not aware.’”

BGR linked Huffington Post as the source, so I clicked the link for more of the story. HuffPo’s headline reads, “Texting While Walking Ban: Fort Lee Imposes $85 Fines On Dangerous Texters [CORRECTION].” As soon as I see “correction,” I think, “Uh-oh.” The HuffPo story begins with a link to a story at MSNBC, entitled, “New Jersey town’s police chief: No, we didn’t ban texting while walking.” Oops.

I can forgive HuffPo for this gaffe, as it appears to have been the starting point. Its writers simply got it wrong. But BGR parroted the story without hesitation (as did many others). Plus, as of this writing, BGR hasn’t updated its headline or story.

This happens all the time. Yesterday there was a story going around that Best Buy had just put Apple Macintosh computers on sale. Before we posted it at TUAW, I called Best Buy and was told that the sale has been going on for “over a month.” So yes, the Macs are on sale but no, the price drop isn’t new.

I realize that every tech blogger can’t independently confirm every single story. Still, it took less than five minutes for me to call Best Buy. I’d rather be right than first any day.

  1. Or, more often, regurgitate a story. ↩

Magazines are having the best week ever

by Dave Caolo on May 14, 2012 in Articles with No comments

To everyone who’s waiting to sign the magazine industry’s digital death certificate: not so fast. This week, an issue of Time magazine featured an image of a 26-year-old mother breast-feeding her almost 4-year-old son and the question, “Are you mom enough?” Meanwhile, Newsweek published a portrait of President Obama on its cover, complete with rainbow halo and the caption, “The First Gay President.” As NPR points out, both magazines have generated a huge amount of discussion, likely amongst people who haven’t bought a magazine in a while.

Poynter calls the Newsweek cover “a flag in the ground for print journalism.”

“[Today], an article in a newsweekly has as much chance of becoming the focus of cultural conversation as a photo of a falling bear or a review of an Olive Garden in a North Dakota newspaper, but an arresting cover is an assertion that while print magazines’ power may have receded, they’re far from toothless.”

Print publishers have long known that provocative images on their covers get people talking. I suspect that an all-digital publication — The Daily, for example — would generate less buzz with a controversial cover image.

Siri loves Nokia OMG

by Dave Caolo on May 11, 2012 in Articles with No comments

Here’s a stupid non-story that I’m glad to point out as the garbage that it is.

The Next Web (TNW) is all excited because Apple’s Siri “will recommend you to buy Nokia’s Lumia 900.” Except that’s not true.

TNW asked Siri, the voice-controled, virtual assistant that ships with the iPhone 4S, “What is the best smartphone ever?” Siri then queried Wolfram Alpha as it often does and returned the results: Nokia’s Lumia 900. TNW then concludes:

“When you break out your iPhone 4S and ask Siri what the ‘best smartphone ever’ is, your humble virtual assistant will recommend you to buy Nokia’s Lumia 900.”

Wait, that’s not the question Siri was asked. TNW said, “What is the best smartphone ever?” not “Which smartphone should I buy?” So I did. Here was the result:

That’s different.

If you think TNW is being slippery, look at this headline from Business Insider on the same story: “Apple Says The Nokia Lumia Is The Best Smartphone In The World.”

Nope. That is 100% false.

Finally, let’s take a closer look at the Wolfram Alpha results. TNW didn’t include everything in its screenshot, but I did:

“Based on 4 reviews.” Awesome.

Finally, I asked Siri, “What is the best smart phone?” Here was the non-Wolfram, joking result:

Siri isn’t recommending the Nokia and TNW knows it. Instead, Siri is handing a query to Wolfram Alpha and displaying the results. Perhaps Apple should modify Wolfram Alpha results to suit its own marketing purposes. That’d be a good move. Also, the result is unreliable, as Siri is returning all sorts of whacky answers to this question.

Think before you post dumb stuff, TNW.

RIM is Gene Simmons

by Dave Caolo on May 9, 2012 in Articles with No comments

Bruce Springsteen was huge in 1984. The Born in the USA tour was a success, as was the album of the same name. His music videos were all over MTV. “The Boss” was everywhere.

I remembrer buying an issue of Circus magazine 1 back then. The cover featured a huge picture of Springsteen, his fist raised triumphantly, that guitar hanging from his neck. A great shot, but there was something very silly in the background.

Way up in the corner was a teeny, tiny picture of Gene Simmons with the caption, “KISS says, ‘No, we’re The Boss!’”

I thought it was the dumbest thing I had ever seen. Dumb and sad. KISS isn’t Springsteen and shouldn’t want to be. Gene and co. had their own thing going on. Sure, they didn’t own the mid-80′s like Bruce did, but telling fickle pop music fans, essentially, “KISS is all the Bruce you need!” wasn’t going to win their attention. Plus, it felt desperate.

Today, RIM is Gene Simmons. The Wake Up campaign is RIM saying, “No, we’re the boss!” from way up in the corner. And it’s very silly.

  1. It might have been Creem. I don’t remember. If you do, let me know. Better yet, if you have a scan of the cover, please send it to me. ↩

RIP Adam Yauch, MCA

by Dave Caolo on May 4, 2012 in Articles, Links with No comments

The Beastie Boys’ MCA, Adam Yauch, dead at 47. Rolling Stone:

“Adam Yauch, one-third of the pioneering hip-hop group the Beastie Boys, has died at the age of 47, Rolling Stone has learned. Yauch, also known as MCA, had been in treatment for cancer since 2009.”

It’s unclear if Adam’s death was related to his fight with cancer. In any case, it sucks.

I’ve been a Beastie Boys fan since I was in 8th grade and my friend Greg and I shared a headset to listen to Licensed To Ill on Greg’s Walkman. Paul’s Boutique is a landmark album in hip-hop and popular music in general. Adam, you will be missed. My heart goes out to his wife and daughter.

Above is a little Shadrach for you, and below, a scorching performance of Sounds of Science. The boys were on fire.

Beleaguered RIM

by Dave Caolo on May 1, 2012 in Articles with No comments

Poor RIM. Last week the befuddling ”Wake Up!” flash mob chanted outside an Australian Apple Store and then wandered down the road. Many bloggers credited Samsung for the confusing demonstration, but the South Korean company denied involvement. This morning, RIM announced that it was behind the stunt.

“‘We can confirm that the Australian ‘Wake Up’ campaign, which involves a series of experiential activities taking place across Sydney and Melbourne, was created by RIM Australia,’ RIM said in a statement.”

What a mess. First, RIM goes through the trouble and expense of organizing and executing the event. People then credit a rival company and question the point of the whole thing. At last, RIM must sheepishly claim responsibility for the embarrassing stunt. Tiphereth Gloria, social media strategist at VML Australia, sees the punchline:

“The punch line – which is the fact that Blackberry is behind it – is what makes it fail because Blackberry is not associated with any kind of success. If they had run this around the initial uptake of the iPhone 3GS a couple of years ago, it might of had some relevance.”

As Michael Schechter said, “[I] can’t help but feel that RIM would have been better served having the flash mob show up at their own offices.”

52 Pickup ep. 29 – Modern-Day Friendships

by Dave Caolo on April 30, 2012 in Articles, Links with No comments

52 Pickup is my members-only podcast. Episode 29 represents a major revision of the show. Consider it “52 Pickup 2.0.” I’ve made it available here for everyone to listen to, members and non-members alike. If you enjoy it, become a member and get another episode like it every week. I’d appreciate it greatly.

Last week, I read an interesting article in The New York Times by Sherry Turkle. Sherry is the Abby Rockefeller Mauzé Professor of the Social Studies of Science and Technology in the Program in Science, Technology, and Society at MIT. The article, entitled “The Flight From Conversation,” explores the idea that we as a society have abandoned conversation for connection:

“Human relationships are rich; they’re messy and demanding. We have learned the habit of cleaning them up with technology. And the move from conversation to connection is part of this. But it’s a process in which we shortchange ourselves. Worse, it seems that over time we stop caring, we forget that there is a difference.”

It’s a compelling topic, especially as a person who spends a lot of time using online social tools to communicate with many far-flung friends. In this episode, I explore the idea of technology, social tools, conversation and modern-day, connected friendships.

Patrick Rhone of Minimal Mac and Ged Meheux of The Iconfactory share their thoughts as well.

Transcript: Here

Additional reading:

The Flight From Conversation
Sherry Turkle speaking at TED
The iPhone, an Automobile For Your Mind
Shawn Blanc on the iPhone as an automobile for the mind
What do very happy people all have in common?

Ep. 29 Modern-Day Friendship Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Calm down, Ben [Update]

by Dave Caolo on April 27, 2012 in Articles with 1 Comment

Ben Brooks has published his opinion on the “gamification” of iOS apps. The term refers to the process of requiring the user to jump through virtual hoops — like downloading an additional app — to unlock certain features. Most recently, an update to Clear shipped with several “secret” themes, two of which are unlocked by installing Path and Tweetbot.

Ben is understandably frustrated with the practice. It’s silly at best and manipulative at worst. I don’t understand why it makes him so angry. His short, 209-word post contains “dick” twice, “hate” twice and “bullshit” once. Then it ends with what seems like a virtual call to arms:

“It’s time to put an end to this.”

And how are you going to do that?

It’s OK to dislike the gamification of iOS apps. I certainly do. But is it worth getting this worked up over? It’s productivity software on a telephone. Let it go.

Update: Some nice perspective from Curious Rat:

“Clear isn’t an app for power-users. It’s a fun and whimsical little gem meant for casual list makers, so the idea of unlocking new themes by accessing different sections of the app isn’t off putting – it simply adds to the charm.”

 

Choose the right smartphone for traveling

by Dave Caolo on April 25, 2012 in Articles, Travel with No comments

There’s a great article up at the New York Times about selecting the right gadgets for traveling. NYT Author Sam Grobart recommends several devices, including a laptop, a pair of headphones and various cords and cables. He also suggests travelers chose a certain type of smartphone:

“You need a smartphone, of course. But you need one that has a certain feature: wireless tethering (also called mobile hot spot). That way, your phone can act as a wireless modem for your laptop, avoiding the need for a USB dongle or an external wireless hot spot device like a MiFi. That’s one less thing you have to carry.”

I agree that it’s nice to have a hotspot-capable smartphone in tow (like the iPhone), but I don’t feel it’s necessary, at least while traveling domestically. Secure, public Wi-Fi is easy enough to find in the US, and you certainly don’t want to use smartphone data for Wi-Fi while traveling internationally. Plus, tethering is an added expense.

It’s more convenient to use your phone (Android or iOS device) as a hotspot, but I’d rather seek out Wi-Fi for when I absolutely must use my laptop.

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