Google Maps Navigation
October 31, 2009
Earlier this week Google announced Google Maps Navigation (Beta), and this is a real game changer. This is a turn-by-turn GPS navigation system, with voice guidance. It will first be available for Android 2.0 devices, and then the iPhone version will be released.
Google says, “When you use Google Maps Navigation, your phone automatically gets the most up-to-date maps and business listings from Google Maps — you never need to buy map upgrades or update your device. And this data is continuously improving, thanks to users who report maps issues and businesses who activate their listings with Google Local Business Center.”
This is an advancement in the cloud computing arena. This system depends completely on information located on the Internet, and is therefore always updated and always accurate.
Some features include:
This short little video explains the Google Maps Navigation system accurately and simply:
Will this free GPS system put the likes of TomTom and Garmin out of business? Not necessarily. And not immediately anyway. It does change the industry though, drastically. And the markets have reacted already. TomTom’s shares fell by 20.8%, and Garmin’s fell by 16.4%.
For more information on Google Maps Navigation, including screenshots go to google.com/navigation.
Update 1 Nov 2009: NYTimes article: Hurting Rivals, Google Unveils Free Phone GPS
WordPress 2.7 is here!
December 11, 2008
Finally, WordPress 2.7 is available to for download. WordPress is a blogging platform and I’ve been using it for more than a year now.
I’ve been very bad at blogging, and bad at keeping my promises (see my blog post prior to this one)! All with good reason though. I’ve been hard at work building my company and building a strong global network. I’m so looking forward to 2009. I just wish I could get this holiday over with a fast forward button! :)
I need to get blogging more regularly though. I have so much to say and share, so I really need to be disciplined about it – like I was 12 months ago. Then on the development side – I have this blog to redesign by mid-January 2009, as well as 2 others, and then I also have 8 new blogs to put up by the same time. I have some busy days ahead of me, and hopefully WordPress 2.7 will make my journey a bit easier!
This will be my last post for 2008. Expect to see a brand new look to www.jayz.co.za in 2009! Happy holidays, and please be safe – and sane! :)
A good dose of my own medicine
November 23, 2008
I’m sure we all know the story of the cobbler’s children having no shoes. People in a certain profession are always able to provide services and products to others, but in their own businesses or lives they lack in that very same area of skill or expertise. I’ve seen this so many times in my life.
The same is true for bloggers. I love blogging, I get absolute pleasure from it, and it’s helped build and expand my business – but still I have neglected it for about 3 months now. I have seen many other bloggers in the same dilemma. I must say though, that bloggers who blog for a living, or who get decent ad revenue from their blogs, often don’t suffer from this cobbler’s syndrome. It’s bloggers like me, who do it purely for the love, and for sharing information, who are caught in this. For the past 3 months I have been thinking *daily* about my blog, thinking about blog topics – but I’ve just become to *busy* that I’ve neglected it.
Well, that’s all ended now. I’m recommitting myself to what I know is not really a negotiable item. Online, in face-to-face meetings, and in public talks I emphasize the importance of blogging, and a good blogging strategy, and yet in the back of my mind I know I’ve been lacking in this area.
Lots have been happening with Jayz Internet Solutions, and I promise to keep you updated daily from now on.
Facebook Spam
August 12, 2008
This afternoon I did an awesome video and photo shoot with Rafiq Phillips and Charl Norman. I interviewed them at the new Blueworld offices at 210 On Long (I wrote about Blueworld here), and the objective was to cover their new project called SEOblog.co.za. I’ll be putting up photos in a few hours, and video in a few days – check back here for updates. That’s not the subject of this post though. When I left the shoot, on my way home I logged into Twitter on my mobile – as I always do. I sent a tweet, and logged into Facebook – as I always do. Then I saw a very shocking wall post – it read:
“have you heard about some blog that was about you? its really bad ;( i think you and everyone should read it http://cudearewuzy.blogspot.com” (actually, the URL is not very accurate, because I deleted the wall post without doing a screen grab of it, but it was close to “cudearewuzy.blogspot.com”!)
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FlyingSoloSA – The scary stuff
July 26, 2008
Sarah Rossouw, an accountant for small business, speaks very wisely on accounting and tax matters. She started off saying that after public speaking, most people fear SARS (the South African Receiver of Revenue) most. She asked who has unopened SARS envelopes hidden under other paperwork, and there was much laughter (of guilt?) in the room. She said that the only time you need to fear is after opening the envelope – not before!
Tax and accounting matters are a matter of high interest and concerns to soloists, and many of the people in the room are overloaded with questions. IRP5s, tax returns, PAYE – are all confusing issues for people who are creative thinkers and skilled only in their profession.
People in the room, on the other hand, who have their accountant matters sorted are encouraging others to do the same because of the huge benefits – cost savings, stress relief, and business growth!
Sarah also discussed implications of business entities, especially Close Corporations – and she says that most freelancers have no need to register as a CC, because it complicates things anyway.
One of the questioners also commented that his accountant fees were lower than what the same accountant got back for him from SARS! Wow! Another commented that it’s totally worth the money to get an accountant.
FlyingSoloSA – First Session
July 26, 2008
The first session of FlyingSoloSA is done. I have been taking photos and video, and its been a bit intense to say the least! :) It’s not the sort of event I’m used to. One or two people are staring at laptop screens, and I’m used to seeing 50 people in a room staring at their screens. Rafiq has just arrived though, so at least I’m not the only one that’ll be blogging here. :)
FlyingSoloSA is for soloists, entrepreneurs, and freelancers and we have quite a dynamic crowd here today. Photographers, graphic designers, copywriters, and others particularly in the creative space. We’ve covered introductions, the overview of the day, and also a lucky draw for vouchers at 210 Long Creative Suites, the biggest sponsor of the day – see www.210onlong.co.za.
The first coffee break is up, so watch this space for more updates later…
FlyingSoloSA
July 25, 2008
For those not yet in the know, there is a superb unConference kicking off in Cape Town tomorrow. It’s called FlyingSoloSA and it’s being organized by Pam Sykes and Jo Duxbury (of Freelancentral.co.za). Many of you will know about Jo because I’ve written about her here, here, and here.
FlyingSoloSA is a one-day unConference where solo entrepreneurs and freelancers can meet and participate in a facilitated forum to share experiences and tips, ask questions, get answers, network with other soloists, and explore potential collaborations.
The Cape Town event is tomorrow (July 26), and the Jozi event is on September 13. Sign up on the Wiki if you have not already: http://flyingsolosa.pbwiki.com/
Check this little promotional video we did yesterday. Please leave a comment to let us know what you think! :)
Please check this blog tomorrow because I’ll be blogging live and posting more photos and videos covering this event!
Presenting Twitter
June 3, 2008
This is a video of a presentation done by the CEO and Founder of Twitter, Jack Dorsey. I’m totally a Twitter fan, because it does the Web 2.0-thing so well, it sparks the conversation. You can watch the conversation, join the conversation, or simply research conversation trends. What people are “saying” is more valuable than a billboard, don’t you think?!
Enjoy…
Jack Dorsey Presents Twitter from biz stone on Vimeo.
Some get it, others don’t
June 2, 2008
Whenever speaking to a new client – or even a prospective client – one can never tell if they will “get” Web 2.0 or not. Some people just don’t understand that the world – and marketing principles – have shifted and changed. When delivering Web 2.0 seminars I always start with the infamous YouTube video “Shift Happens” – and usually that gets people into a good frame of thinking.
I also always recommend 2 books. The first is Wikinomics by Don Tapscott and Anthony D Williams, and the second is The Long Tail by Chris Anderson.
Wikinomics focuses on mass collaboration and how it’s changing how people grow and expand their business and organizations. Google, Wikipedia, and other stories are mentioned in this 2006 publication. The Long Tail explains Chris Anderson’s famous phrase which explains how people on the tail – the small businesses, the home-businesses, etc can now compete on a global scale with the advent of Web 2.0 and social media, social networking, etc that comes with the “New Web” – and Chris explains how we should be using this to our advantage.
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WPCPT3 Report
May 29, 2008
Last night’s WordPress Cape Town 3 Meetup was a huge success. The Events Room at the Bandwidth Barn was packed with WordPress enthusiasts. The event was a social and educational gathering for people interested in WordPress. This growing blogging and CMS platform is growing worldwide and communities are forming all over. WordPress is only 5 years old, but has a strong backing due to the ease-of-use and robustness of the platform.
First off Johann Botha spoke on WordPress Security, and I must admit that he highlighted many security issues that I was not aware of. Johann’s personal website is at www.swimgeek.com, and one of the companies that he has co-founded is an ISP called Frogfoot Networks (who were one of the sponsors of the event). Johann highlighted vulnerabilities of WordPress, and the common reasons for hacking – like email spam, SEO spam, etc. He mentioned a few methods of improving security, 2 of which are to implement strict file permission settings (especially on themes, etc), and Apache htpassword protection.
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