That sentence should probably have an exclamation point at the end of it. The matter of fact tone doesn’t seem to do its arrival justice, given the wow factor the device brings with it.  The Leap Motion web site probably states it best, “For four years we’ve been obsessed with one question: how can we interact with computers in a better, more natural way? We finally found the answer: the Leap Motion controller. Our breakthrough technology uses a mathematical approach to bring you 3D, touch-free motion control that’s unlike anything else. Ever.”

I’m in agreement with those that feel gesture control is the future of computer interface. We’ve already seen what can happen to the user experience on touch devices and I’d personally be lost without even the touchpad gesture controls of the Macbook Pro on which I’m typing this blog post.

We’re not sure what we’re going to do with our test unit here at Zeek Interactive yet, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to at least be at the forefront of experiencing this new “leap” forward in computer interaction. My first experience with it had just the cool factor I thought it would, even if only to to watch my fingers move in the air to move my curser around the visualizer that is part of the dev kit download.

If you’ve never seen what the Leap Motion Controller can do, this video should get you as excited as it got me.

The post A Leap Into The Future Of Computer Interface appeared first on Zeek Interactive.

Yesterday I updated with great anticipation, hoping that the quality of the new video chat capabilities on the Skype app would live up to the quality of video I’ve experienced with Apple’s Facetime. To my delight, on a WiFi connection, Skype rocked.

Video chat over 3G is the difference.

What I was even happier to find, however, is that on a decent 3g connection, the experience was just as good. I video Skyped with Steve Zehngut in the parking lot of LA Fitness and with Dan Green right before I got on the treadmill. No question… Skype for iPhone trumps FaceTime video chat with ease. If you’re a Skype user, this is a no brainer.

Obviously, bandwidth will be an issue with any video service. So, I wanted to see how Skype behaved with a single bar. So, I dialed up Jay Thompson while at a stop light. The result? I got a pretty decent video, but the audio was horrid. Then the light changed.

What’s more dangerous than texting while driving? Skype video chatting while driving.

You have been warned.

The post What Is More Dangerous Than Texting While Driving? appeared first on Zeek Interactive.

Oh me, oh my! What’ll I do?
I can’t find an elephant to tie my shoe.
But I know what, and so do you,
I don’t need an elephant to tie my shoe.
No, you don’t need an elephant to tie your shoe.

I’ve tried to stay away from writing about QR codes. I’ve done thismainly because I just don’t care about them, but somewhat out of fear that I’ll simply add to the already ridiculous level of hype. There is a special level of hype around QR codes in the real estate industry. Realtors® wishing to be perceived as “tech savvy” are plastering them on everything they can, but rarely doing anything more than linking back to a website that would be just as easily, and more broadly, reached via a shortened URL.

There are certainly going to be some unique uses for QR codes, but using them as a replacement for a URL is not one of them.  It’s like looking for an elephant to tie your shoes. Or a lumberjack to pour your milk.

Oh me, oh my! What’ll I do?
I can’t find a lumberjack to pour my milk.
But I know what, and so do you,
I don’t need a lumberjack to pour my milk.
No, I don’t need a lumberjack to pour my milk.

The post QR Codes: You Don’t Need An Elephant To Tie Your Shoes appeared first on Zeek Interactive.

With all due respect, Ira, I’m not worthy. Kevin Kelly, the author, is an obviously gifted writer and dedicated to the education of his children in a way that I’ve never, ever dreamed. And while he calls the type of home schooling they did “nothing special,” I’m in awe of the efforts put forth on behalf of his sons. In addition, there were nuggets embedded in the article, like the mention of the Khan Academy, that were eye opening and timely.

Technological Literacy

In reflecting on the fact that his son’s “eventual adult career does not exist yet,” Kelly explained the “technological smartness” he attempted to impart during his home schooling. What he wrote is some of the best advice about technology I’ve ever read. Here are Kevin Kelly’s thoughts:

• Every new technology will bite back. The more powerful its gifts, the more powerfully it can be abused. Look for its costs.
• Technologies improve so fast you should postpone getting anything you need until the last second. Get comfortable with the fact that anything you buy is already obsolete.
• Before you can master a device, program or invention, it will be superseded; you will always be a beginner. Get good at it.
• Be suspicious of any technology that requires walls. If you can fix it, modify it or hack it yourself, that is a good sign.
• The proper response to a stupid technology is to make a better one, just as the proper response to a stupid idea is not to outlaw it but to replace it with a better idea.
• Every technology is biased by its embedded defaults: what does it assume?
• Nobody has any idea of what a new invention will really be good for. The crucial question is, what happens when everyone has one?
• The older the technology, the more likely it will continue to be useful.
• Find the minimum amount of technology that will maximize your options.

I was moved by this article. And humbled to be associated with it in any way.

The post Technology Is A Just A Tool appeared first on Zeek Interactive.

Sometimes I just want the digital world to mimic the analog world. Exactly. It’s rare, but there are times that I don’t want an “vast improvement.” And I don’t want innovation. I just want to continue doing what I’ve always done, without having to change my behavior. I just want to do the same thing, only digitally. And this is the hope I have for the iPad for one specific task – my to do lists.

I have tried to migrate my paper to do lists to a digital format for years. It never works for me. Things begin to fall through the cracks and before I know it, I’m back to pen and paper. I’ve been keeping paper lists on and off since the early 80′s. I have files filled with old to do lists. They’ve come in handy when I want to remember a detail about a transaction. And, they work for me.

Every digital solution I’ve tried has failed. And it’s not really their fault. I simply have not been able to make the changes necessary to adopt the new methods of creating and managing to do list. So, the question I always end up asking is, “if my old way works, why change?”

Enter the iPad.

I’ve really enjoyed reading Russ Leseberg’s “Countdown To iPad” series. His use cases have sometimes been genius and sometimes humorous. They all make you think a bit. And almost from the moment I saw Steve Job’s initial presentation, the notion of creating an iPad application that exactly duplicated how I use my paper to do list has been on my mind. And why not? I can’t be the only person in the world who’s having a hard time giving up the paper to do list. What I’d like to do is keep the feel and mimic the process while adding some digital functionality.

There’s no reason why my process can’t be replicated exactly. Part of the reason my process works for ME is that when a page get’s full, I move the unfinished items to a new page and save the old list. The process of looking at all of my unfinished tasks spurs me to finish more of them. I also like the look of a page with a lot of items crossed off. Yeah, I’m a bit mental. But it works.

The iPad version of my to do list will give me the benefit of typing the to do item in, but the pleasure of swiping my finger across it to mark it as done. I like that feeling. And since I like seeing that I’ve actually finished something, I’ll be able to  leave the finished items visible. Of course, I could still opt to have them removed the moment I swipe, if I wanted. The beauty of an app is preferences. Finished items would be saved and I would have the ability to search them. Only I wouldn’t have to go through my pile of papers. When I fill the page, I can start a new page and move my unfinished items in mass, or choose which ones to move forward one by one, as punishment for not finishing. If I want to change the order, I’ll just drag an item to the top of the list. Simple. Easy.  It should feel just like a paper to do list. And I think Zeek should build it and sell it for a buck.

Anyone else want a to do list app that just works like a paper to do list? Raise your hand.

The post The iPad And My To Do List – A Match Made In Heaven appeared first on Zeek Interactive.

That’s all about to change.

I’ve spent at least a year in a complete blogging funk. And it’s not because I don’t have things I’d like to say. I most certainly do. The reason for the funk is that I’ve been having an internal battle between “what I should be doing” and “what I really love to do.” Luckily for me, what I really love to do is also what I’m really good at. And it’s not creating and defining marketing strategies.

First, some commentary. A troubling trend has emerged from the chaos of the social media boom. People who have no real marketing skills or training or any experience with business strategy are becoming “social media marketing” consultants, strategists and coaches based on a few factors that have nothing to do with successful marketing strategy. These new marketing “experts” fall into one of three categories.

• The Cheerleader
• The Successful Fool
• The Opportunist

The Cheerleader

You all know this social media marketing expert. He or she is the person who has no proven track record for building ANYTHING other than followers on a few popular social media sites. They equate this popularity with business success and can even teach others how to recreate their “success” in these online venues. They use anecdote and analogy to answer questions of ROI and they universally fail to be able to point to any quantifiable measures of business progress that contribute substantially to a company’s bottom line.

The Successful Fool

This social media marketing expert has a proven track record of past business success, but it has nothing to do with any marketing experience, least of which social media marketing. There is no proof that their journey is repeatable. They use an unintentional slight of hand to direct our attention to their past exploits as proof positive of future benefit. And they make the foolish mistake of thinking their personal ability to grow a business can be transferred to others on a large scale.

The Opportunist

This is my least favorite form of new age social media marketing expert. They promise big results with almost no effort. They are the social media marketing snake oil salesmen. They’re the ones telling you that if you don’t do x and y you will be extinct in 2 years. Their success is measured in the number of people they dupe into buying their placebos. They’re not marketing strategists, they’re carnival barkers.

So what am I?

I have been very successful in my business life. Let me be clear, by “very successful” I mean that my companies have made solid profits for many years. But they have not been successful because I am a marketing strategy expert. Quite to the contrary.

What has helped make them successful is hiring great strategy consultants and partnering with great strategic thinkers, like Bill Leider. I’ve have also tried to align myself with others who are great marketing and brand strategists in specific market segments, like Marc Davison in real estate. But I am NOT a marketing strategist. What I do is work WITH and BESIDE marketing strategists to develop tools, tactics and technology paths that make executing those strategies simpler and easier. I look at a company’s objectives and devise ways to use technology to make executing those strategies more efficient and effective. I am a tactical strategist and a technology strategist. I am not a marketing strategist – social media or otherwise.

The mistake I’ve made over the past year is thinking that I needed to be something else. I don’t.

When Hal Lublin related the story of how, while playing poker, Chris Brogan helped him understand that he shouldn’t hold back, I wondered why I was holding back. I wondered what was keeping me from writing. And I’ve come to the conclusion that there is no one good reason. There is just one bad reason – I’ve been resisting being seen as a social media MARKETING expert.

My Master’s degree is in School Psychology with a focus on behavior modification. I spent several years creating behavior modification plans for severely mentally handicapped and criminally insane patients. So, if sometimes I want to write about behavior, I should. I have a passion for science, so sometimes I want to write about technology, the Internet and social media as it relates to quantum mechanics and complex adaptive systems. There’s no reason why I shouldn’t. I’ve also spent a great deal of time dissecting, with the help of some great thinkers, the role of vision and values in building and managing a business and solidifying a brand. I should write about that too. I will.

But what I will not do is continue to allow my resistance to being lumped into the category of “social media marketing expert” keep me from writing about areas in which I excel. I’m going to write about emerging digital tools and how to make them work to the benefit of strategy – personal, brand, marketing or otherwise. I’m going to write about what I love – technology.

Taking the experts’ advice.

The social media marketing experts I admire tell me that if I want to increase engagement, I should ask a question at the end of each blog post. Let’s see if they’re right. What barriers are holding you back from being more effective in using social media?

The post Stop Calling Me A Social Media Marketing Expert appeared first on Zeek Interactive.

• People want to participate in everything.
• They want to frame the discussion.
• They don’t want to be talked to. They want to be part of the discussion.
• They want to have input on the structure and construction of the products and services they buy.
• Recommendations from other users are more valuable than clever buying messages.

The notion that monetization, measurements of effectiveness and ROI are to be abandoned in the Social Media world is a foolish argument. It’s the same kind of nonsense that permeated the dot.com world and led to its meltdown. In the years leading to the dot com crash, the “experts” were saying that monetization was an obsolete concept. It was ancient economics made irrelevant by modern technology. In hindsight, intelligent venture capitalists lost their sanity and threw millions of dollars at ideas that would never earn a nickel. That message was crap back then. It still is.

Ask yourself these questions:

• How would you use Twitter if every Tweet and Retweet you sent cost $1, or $5?
• How would you use Facebook if it cost $200 to set up your Facebook page and every posting cost you $2?
• How would you write blog posts if it cost everyone who read your posts $1 per post?
• What is it about “free” content that makes so many people waste so much time?
• Why does a “free” platform seduce people into believing that it’s wrong to have a financial purpose for what they do?

We’ll be talking more about this. And providing some answers. Stay tuned.

The post Nothing Is Free appeared first on Zeek Interactive.

Enter AutoStitch for iPhone.

AutoStitch appears to be based on the same core technology as my favorite desktop stitching application, Calico. It was almost two years ago to the day that I found a Mac application using the AutoStitch technology and AutoStitch for iPhone is a great way to celebrate that anniversary.

Unlike either Panorama or Pano, you can simply point Autostitch to photos you’ve already taken and it will automatically analyze the images to create the best panorama possible from them. This DRAMATICALLY reduces the time it takes to capture a panoramic image. There is no need to worry about accurate alignment. For the sample image below, I took 15 photos in quick succession. I only almost no care in making sure there was consistent overlap. Those photos were automatically saved to my iPhone photo album.

After launching Autostitch, you simply select the photos you want it to stitch together. AutoStitch has a “tutorial” on their site, but it’s not needed. Point it at your photos and let it rip. AutoStitch analyzed the photos and created a panorama from the images in short order.

Here are some screen captures from the process:

Here is the resulting image. (Click to view larger)

And here is the cropped version. (Click to enlarge)

It just doesn’t get any simpler than this. And don’t worry that your panoramic image doesn’t look very clear on your iPhone. When you get it to your computer you’ll find a nice surprise. As the AutoStich FAQ explains, “The iPhone Photos app limits the resolution at which it displays images. As it limits display resolution to a maximum in each image dimension, the display resolution can seem particularly low for long and narrow images.”

I’m going to have some fun with this app!

UPDATE: Here is a sample AutoStitch for iPhone photo set on Flickr. To demonstrate ease of use, took the 14 photos in 48 seconds.

The post AutoStitch – My New Favorite iPhone Panorama App appeared first on Zeek Interactive.