Followers......

See full article at WebStrategist.

Just a brief of the stats published which reveal the power of the net.

Facebook
Obama: 2,379,102 supporters
McCain: 620,359 supporters

Obama has 380% more supporters than McCain

MySpace

Obama: Friends: 833,161
McCain: Friends: 217,811

Obama has 380% more supporters than McCain

YouTube

Obama: 1792 videos uploaded since Nov 2006, Subscribers: 114,559 (uploads about 4 a day), Channel Views: 18,413,110
McCain: 329 videos uploaded since Feb 2007 (uploads about 2 a day), Subscribers: 28,419, Channel Views: 2,032,993

Obama has 403% more subscribers than McCain
Obama has 905% more viewers than McCain

Twitter

Obama: @barackobama has 112,474 followers
McCain: @JohnMcCain (is it real?) 4,603 followers

Obama has 240 times more followers in Twitter than McCain

Take your own conclusions.

The era of THE USER

I had a revealing conversation with a relative of mine who is a Doctor. We were talking about Internet, social networks and professional information. Actually, I was interested in knowing how does he use the computer every day.

The answer was very simple: I use my laptop five to ten times per day depending on the number of patients I visit. He literally said:

“In the morning, when I arrive to my office, I read two or three different online newspapers (I wish I could learn how to use RSS),. Then I open my personal and professional email (I use to receive all kinds of jokes from other doctors, lots of spam and some professional newsletters I read in less than five minutes). In this same session I see the weather forecast for the next days and that’s all.

At lunch, I revisit my email (both of them), search some medical information when I want to revise some aspects of certain pathologies, update news (don’t have time to see the news on TV) and, from time to time, visit my Linkedin account.

During the afternoon, to prepare patient’s visits, I use to access an image database created internally with the images and videos we record on every patient. That helps me to remember their clinical dossiers and to see the evolution of the treatment.

After a long day, at home, I have another laptop I use just for fun: email, search information on interesting travels I would like to do and, sometimes, search new gadgets (TV, music, cameras).”

I then asked him about his preferred search engine. And the answer was not the one I expected (Google or Yahoo). He answered he was bored of these search engines because of the big amount of unnecessary information they offer in every search.

He told me he was expecting some smart company to create a single platform where he could “place” all the services he is using: email (both), his own images and videos database, RSS, library, travel agency, newspapers and newsletters (titles would be sufficient) and other stuff that could change from time to time. He wanted this synchronized automatically in his two laptops or, also, available in some private website (so he could access it from other’s computers).

It’s not the first time I listen to this same comment, and my own experience is that I’ve also build a centralized unique website to link all my needs of information, access to networks, banks, service’s accounts, etc.

Unconsciously, what we are doing is staying away from doing more and more searches and, instead of this, building our own system of information. This personal system is generated by our previous searches of information (a lot of them), contacts with others, and of course experience.

All these outcomes drove us to be aware of the different places we need to visit in the internet (our hard drive or network) to feed our desires. So now we tend to navigate directly to these sites instead of starting googling or yahooing.

More astonishing presentations by Benjamin Zander

Another video of Benjamin Zander introducing the art of possibility.
.

I admire Benjamin Zander

Watch this video and enjoy Benjamin Zander. No comments are necessary, he is pure joy of life, illusion, possibility, passion and I love it.

Google Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer

The shiny new internet browser from Google is here. Google Chrome is available for download from here. What are the implications for the two other main browsers, Firefox and Internet Explorer.

I've read some blogs where people are announcing the end of the story for them, and others who are just expecting the final version of this new browser to say their final word.

But, for sure, this presentation takes the Google-Microsoft rivalry to a whole new level and it will also affect the whole internet.

One of the most interesting things in Chrome is the address bar. People in Google resolved one of the most common mistakes in browsing the web: to write a search in this bar instead of the search box. Google has unified the address bar and the seach box creating a new concept now called the Omnibox.

Networking engines

One of the wonderful services/functionalities that is offered by Facebook, Linkedin or other social networks is the one that informs you with this message: John S has updated his profile. Just this simple message posted in your landing page, or in your inbox, is powerful enough to make you visit John S profile.
This occurs because we are naturally curious about many things and, specially, the ones referred to people we know. So curiosity is a human emotion driving us to explore the unknown but also a powerful engine which can be used to drive our attention to a specific site.

Sony eBook Reader PRS-505 (part 2)

After being with the Sony PRS-505 e-book reader for a couple of months and testing it with different contents (books, articles, blogs)., the final conclusions are:

• e-Ink tech is on his first steps;
• Color is a must have for our market (e-Ink is still B&W);
• Lack of interactivity is a big problem;
• Battery in the Sony reader is amazing (10 days in active mode)
• As a simple reader is very good, but don t ask for more. Very simple solutions could be created for this reader, but this is not our interest right now (iPhone solutions are).
• Music player integrated is awful (horrible sound quality)
• A technology to allow reformatting texts is needed (so you are allowed to increase text size).
• iREX should be my next Laboratory Toy.

Downloads saving music industry ?

I've just read a spanish newspaper where an article took my full attention: music industry is being saved by music phone downloads.

It seems that people were downloading music from the internet ..... till now. Phone downloads are today 50% of the total downloads. Believe it or not, music could be in front of their new hero: our phone!

Traditions: Sant Jordi

Every 23rd of April, we catalans celebrate the Diada de Sant Jordi. It's a very special day for us in which we (men) give a rose to the woman we love, and in return they (women) give us a book.

This responds to a tradition that goes back to s. XV and from 1995, this date also corresponds to the International Day of the Book (established by UNESCO).

If you have the opportunity to come to Catalonia, then you will find all streets with improvised books stores, plenty of roses in each corner and flags in the windows of people's houses.

On eBook devices

I've been recently looking at those new eBook readers coming from different companies: Amazon, iRex, Sony, Bookeen, Hanlin and others. I was asking myself which one could feed my actual needs.

All of them are based on e-ink technology and, depending on the price (from $200 to $650) they offer more functionalities. For me, two things are the most important: 1) battery life and, 2) the chance to easily upload and storage all content formats (Word, PDF, txt, html, epub, etc.).

After reading different reviews and opinions, I decided to give a try to Sony PRS-505. I will let you know my experience with it in a few weeks.

They know too much

How many web sites have you visited lately? How many forms have you completed with your data?

We use the net intensely and our searches for information include giving our data to a wide variety of companies. People know their data is used just for the purposes described in the Privacy terms and conditions of each web. And, commonly, those provisions are tolerable and adequate if look at them carefully.

The problem starts when you don t remember where your data is stored and want to recover some privacy. Many people I know fill forms from many different projects every week. Even if they are systematic in saving their web surfing history, it s very easy to fail to remember all services in where they are considered customers or users.

But the problem is much more complex.

When a person needs to decrease (or even eliminate) his exposure in the net, he is facing an enormous and extremely intricate problem. He probably can get in touch with the companies to erase his personal data from their registers, and this is not complicate. Where suffering begins is because he also has to contact the big search engines in order to delete the traces they store (without his permission). That is a genuine problem.

Who has ever expressly accepted the use of his data (in the most comprehensive and wide definition of this concept) stored by the search engines?

See also this article from New York Times.

Personal ambitions

I have read in a Spanish newspaper that Spanish teenagers would like to be civil employees or employees at a big department store.

This article does not seem to be important except by the fact that we consider those jobs tedious, monotonous and easy. Those occupations drive people to just comply with their assignments and work in automatic mode.

If this is so (of course there can be exceptions), it makes me think that this generation has a limited ambition or, worse, does not have any at all. It seems to me that values are changing.

To see that this is happening not only in the professional but in the personnel field also makes me feel sad. Many years ago I was coordinating, with some colleagues and friends, a university sports club. We used to have more than 1300 associates. Every year, we made competitions between faculties or within our own faculty and the participation was surpassed year after year. Months ago I was again in my beloved Faculty of Law and the club of sports had disappeared. Competitions do not exist anymore and the last census of associates shows twenty people.

If in the professional field we do not want to ambition too much, I can understand that (certainly, thats not me). But from the personal perspective, people without ambitions and motivations that help and drive them to improve their lives, I simply cannot understand. Unfortunately, this is happening with teenagers in Spain.

Catalan Culture in the Frankfurt Book Fair

A few days ago I attended the 59th edition of the Frankfurt Book Fair. This year, the Catalan Culture was the Guest of Honour (last year the Indian Culture was invited to this international fair).

Last year I could visit the Indian Culture Hall inside the fair. There were amazing experiences for all: food, music, pictures, symbols, photos and fragances. This year, as a Catalan I am, I was proud to be represented in the most important book fair in the world. Even if I had a lot of appointments, I managed to visit the Catalan Cuture Hall.

The feelings I had when entering the hall can be resumed by this: my culture was not present in that room. A total lack of originality generated a tremendous deception. A nearly empty room with a few hung materials, a bizarre media presentation and no more than twenty literary work pieces were the vestiges of my culture.

I felt very bad, hoping another country was the one represented in that place. But maybe, it's the best performance the people in charge were capable of to show my culture to the world.

Nevertheless, to all people interested in Catalonia, please, just come and visit us, our people, our food, traditions, nature, architecture, music and arts are much more than that.

Out - Amazing cuisine, excellent situation

La Venta Restaurant

Every time I can, I try to go to a traditional mediterranean food restaurant in Tibidabo's mountain in the north of Barcelona. Comfortable and with excellent service. You should always make a reservation one day prior to your meeting.

After tasting its finest wines, freshest fishes and meats, you can have a drink in the nearest bars: Mirablau, Merbelle or (most recommended) Mirabe. All of them are no more than 100 m from the restaurant.

I recommend some dishes that are delicious: Ravioli de Langostino con Puerro, Bacalao con pilpil de setas, Risotto frito de azafran con sepia, Canelones de calabacin rellenos de gambas, Lomo de conejo con cigalas y picada de chocolate, Espalda de Cordero al Horno, Sorbete de Agua de Rosa.

Address: Plaza Doctor Andreu s/n - 08035 Barcelona - Tel. +34 93 212 64 55 - Open monday to saturday - www.restaurantelaventa.com