Monthly Archives: July 2010

My Android problem and a case for proprietary over opensource. (UPDATED: With solution)

Update: My good friend (Dan Monsieurle Aka Mled) commented with the solution. Just try signing into the YouTube app with the account you want to sync and  it will automatically add it to the list of your accounts. Kapish!

The best solution is almost always the easiest.

Omachonu Ogali, I guess it was Google’s problem after all. (For those that don’t understand, see comments below :)

Update ended.

I got my Motorola android phone a little while ago and I am encountering my first problem which is making me really really angry and here is why.

I just launched my new startup Lotaar which has brought with it the need to create my new email address. I tried doing the sensible thing of adding the email account to my Motorola milestone and it gave me an error.

“Can’t establish a reliable data connection to the server.  This could be a temporary problem or your SIM card may not be provisioned  for data services. If it continues, call Customer Care.”

Ha! call Google customer care? I have a better chance of grabbing launch with Barack Obama than getting anyone at Google on the phone.

So I did the sensible thing and Googled for a solution. To my chagrin I discovered that the problem I am having has been around for about a year and more annoying is the fact that the scores of complaints  on the Android forum have gone ignored!

OpenSource vs. Proprietary Software.

Although I really really value open source but this problem I am having is the strongest argument proprietary software has against open source. When there is a problem, there is no one to hold responsible! Now, I do not know how open source Android is, but I know there are too many people that are in charge. So now I have this problem, who do I turn to? Motorola? Google? Android Foundation?My Telecoms provider? (in my case I did not by from a mobile service provider but many people complaining did.)

So for the next few days, I will be cut off using email with my mobile while I ponder a way out. If I was in a large organization the costs will be greater. I now appreciate much more the value of Microsoft and their proprietary software. If it was a problem with them, it would have been solved by now.

As Windows Mobile 7 comes out, they should make  strong selling point out of, “If you have a problem, you know where to turn to”

I am Oo, founder of GBEDU.FM where I hope to make sense of this business of music. I once tried to kill the business card with OnePage.

Introducing Lotaar – A TV and Radio guide for the social web

The Logo of Lotaar

As you might know, some weeks ago I left OnePage which was a hard but necessary decision.  I was supposed to take a little break before starting anything new. But you see, this Internet thing dey sweet well well. I am back!

I would like to introduce my new venture Lotaar which I am co-founding with my good friend Roland Ukor.  Lotaar is built to remind you when your favourite programs are about to start so you can tune in.  It will be useful to discover new cool programs. Broadcasters will love it too.

We just put on a holding page to collect early feedback (Lean Startup Stuff).  so pardon the ugliness.

So go on, check it out and  Please fill the form, it is very important.

Like always, I count on your support.

I am Oo, founder of GBEDU.FM where I hope to make sense of this business of music. I once tried to kill the business card with OnePage.

A quick suggestion for Posterous and the ‘post by email’ apps

Posterous pioneered (best to my knowledge) ‘post by email’ and Facebook has  followed suit, enabling users to comment via email. The problem is people sometimes include their signatures in these posts/comments.

I was wondering; can there be a standardisation to state that an email message has ended?

(SEE UPDATE BELOW)

For press releases, it is  something like

###

Now, that is not something that would be nice at the end of an email message/beginning of a signature. I would suggest a particular number of  hyphens (-) say 9.

e.g

———

Oo Nwoye

http://myonepage.com/oo

As the web becomes more mature, I foresee more interaction between emails and applications.  Maybe in the future a full blown language might be required.

But for now, Posterous, can you sort this one out for us?

UPDATE:

Joel below has pointed out Posterous already does this with #end. I did not know of it so ..my bad.

Michael below  has pointed out there are email standards http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc3676#section-4.3.

So lesson learnt. Google  before you write a blog post. 

Now excuse me, I am off to my shame corner. :’(

Cristiano Ronaldo Just Hacked The System.

cristiano-ronaldo

A few moths ago, I saw a comment on a blog article that questioned the rational for celebrity men to get married when there is a 90% chance you will end up loosing both half of your income and your children. 

I am afraid that I might have to agree with the logic especially as it pertains to rich male celebrities. Take the case of Tiger Woods where his wife of 6 years is reported to have earned 100 million dollars in settlement + child support. Yes, she will go with the children and he will pay for their upkeep.

It seems the celebrity men were helpless to this kind of  “ransom marriages”. Sooner or later they had to give up half of their life earning  and there children if they every wanted to have a resemblance of a normal marriage.

Well, Cristiano Ronaldo has just hacked the system.

Since hunters have learnt to shoot without missing, birds have learnt to fly without perching.

In case you have not heard, the old boy of Old Trafford just had a son (yes, he is a flamboyant but coded man). and the statement announcing the child’s birth reads.

I have recently become father to a baby boy. As agreed with the baby’s mother, who prefers to have her identity kept confidential, my son will be under my exclusive guardianship.

The summary of what I think happened is this, my man just purchased himself a mother to give birth to  his child. This does not come with the added strings of loosing the child in the future along with half his income. His mother will take care of the boy in his early years so we can be sure little Ronaldo is in good hands.

What is the big deal you might say, after all MJ did same. Well, this is the first time a “normal celebrity” dude has gone this route. I sadly see this becoming a trend. It is simply safer.

What does his present girlfriend think?

She was initially devastated by the news but has now agreed to stand by Ronaldo and help him raise the child.

Ha!

 

PS: I do not normally blog about celebrity stories but this “aha moment” is just too big to ignore. We might just be witnessing the beginning of a sad but necessary trend here of male celebrities hacking a family together.