Living at the Crossroads of Technology and the Arts

In Steve Jobs' 2nd to last keynote presentation at the launch of the iPad 2 in March 2011, he outlined what he thought made Apple special. He suggested that technology alone is not enough, and that Apple succeeds because it's at the cross roads of technology and the arts. You can see that particular segment of Jobs' keynote at 1:08:30 (iTunes link) (web link).

I've been writing on a regular basis for just over 3 months now. I'm using www.stickk.com to punish myself if I don't blog 3x weekly. Every week I fail, stickk.com will give $10 to the NRA. I haven't and won't pay them a penny.

Writing was difficult when I first started blogging. I forced myself to write because I just wasn't comfortable writing. A few months later, writing has evolved from a chore into a fun activity that I thoroughly enjoy. And because I enjoy it, I spend much more time thinking about it even when I'm not writing. It's difficult to come up with interesting material within my domain areas of expertise 3x weekly, so I'm always looking for new things to write about. Every conversation, every news headline, every social scenario can spark a blog post idea.

Writing is fun. I hope I never stop. I've also come to understand that writing and programming are remarkably similar in their respective creative processes. This is particularly interesting because writing and programming generally attract opposing personality types.

Perhaps most importantly, both professions value simplicity and clarity. Both believe in the "less is more" philosophy.

Programming 101: less code is better code. The concept of writing fewer lines of code is interwoven through virtually every aspect of computer science. Abstraction, encapsulation, object-oriented programming, and APIs empower developers to write fewer lines code.

Good writing values some of the same concepts as good coding. If a message or idea can be expressed in fewer words, it should. No one wants to read unorganized babble. No developer wants to read spaghetti code*.

Writing varies across many sub domains, including blogging, novels, traditional news media, and many others. Similarly, there are many different sub domains of programming, such as kernel, library-specific, imaging, and database programming, to name a few. Humans have developed a wide range of languages and dialects, each with unique structures, strengths and weaknesses. In the same light, there are many programming languages, each with it's strengths and weaknesses, nuances and quirks, and related languages. Human and machine communications are astonishingly similar.

Good writing and programming require planning and organizing. Programmers define objects and data structures and how they relate to and work with one another, and then code and debug. In writing, authors have to create a plan and outline that will most effectively convey their ideas. They layout out how, when, where, and why people and ideas intersect, just as programmers direct objects and data structures. Once writers develop an outline, they can flesh out the details and add literary style. After they write, writers refine and reiterate. Programmers design, code, test, and debug.

Over the past few years, I've come to appreciate design in the physical world as I've spent more time programming, designing, developing, and selling virtual designs. And now the same thing is happening with writing. The more I write, the more I appreciate how communication and language permeate through daily life, both professionally and personally. I look for well crafted ideas and sentences when I read, seek good writing patterns, and try to put myself in other writers' shoes to understand how and why they wrote what they did.

I've been given the privilege to live in the world of technology since I was born. But I don't want to live there for the rest of my life. As much as I love technology, I don't want to be bounded by it. Too many in the industry get trapped in a technology lifestyle bubble. I want to challenge my beliefs and learn from my mistakes and assumptions. Perhaps James Altucher, one of my favorite bloggers, said it best: "My only New Year’s resolution for 2013 is to dot the landscape of my life once more with question marks instead of periods. To turn judgments into queries. To turn 'this' into 'that?'"

*Spaghetti code is code which cannot be followed or easily understood. Rather than grouping related code segments, spaghetti code groups unrelated functions. This breaks the concept of encapsulation, which in turn creates more code, and decreases the readability for other programmers. Developers hate inheriting spaghetti code.

Can FourSquare Provide the "Location Layer of the Internet" as a Profitable Business?

TechCrunch recently wrote about how to save FourSquare. Although FourSquare was the hottest consumer web startup just a few years ago, today they're vulnerable. After building up a rabid user base, they have failed to effectively monetize. They still incur very large operating and development costs, and generate little revenue to show for it. VC money can only keep them alive for so long.

Keith Rabois, former COO of Square, recently took a jab at FourSquare. He effectively stated that FourSquare has no business model and needs to be bought out to be saved. Dennis Crowley, FourSquare's CEO, refuted Rabois's assertion, rebutting  by stating that FourSquare is the "location layer of the Internet."

I'm not convinced that a business that is the location layer of the Internet can exist as a independent, profitable business.

In order to understand FourSquare's long term viability as the location layer for the Internet, let's consider the value that they and some of their complementary companies in the mapping business provide.

It's been widely reported Apple and Google were unwilling to share key user location data, hence Apple's decision to create it's own mapping database. Both companies placed an enormous amount of value on owning that data, and neither was willing to compromise.

Apple doesn't directly generate a penny from Maps (however, Maps provide a reason to buy iPhones, which is the most profitable product in the history of the world). Google, having been in the mapping business for ~7 years, still doesn't detail revenue breakdowns about Maps because Maps doesn't meaningfully contribute to Google's top or bottom lines. Yelp has never been profitable for the entirety of its existence. It appears that everyone wants and needs maps, no one is willing to pay for them, and the maps companies can't run those business profitably. All of the empirical evidence suggests that Maps are simply a very large cost of doing business, not businesses in and of themselves.

Given what we've seen in the mapping business, I find it pretty hard to believe that FourSquare can somehow create an independent, profitable location layer of the Internet. Although FourSquare has a lot of valuable data from their users that their competitors don't have, I don't find the nature of that data to be compelling enough to justify FourSquare's independent existence. User reviews and checkins are useful pieces of data that 40,000+ developers have implemented, but that data isn't the foundational element of mapping. Google, Apple, Nokia, and others spend billions annually to gather, manage, maintain, and provide access to maps. None of them have been able to sustain a profitable standalone mapping business. FourSquare provides less valuable mapping data than the big boys. How can FourSquare, who provides decidedly less valuable data, exist as an independent profitable business?

FourSquare's best option is to sell out to Apple. FourSquare has taken in north of $100M in funding. That means they need to find an exit to please all of those investors. Not many people have hundreds of millions of dollars laying around to spend on mapping data. Apple has hundreds of billions of dollars laying around, and they have a every reason to improve their mapping database as quickly as possible. It has been rumored that since Apple's Maps debacle with the release of the iPhone 5 in September 2012, Apple has been licensing data from FourSquare to improve its mapping database. Perhaps that's all Apple needs from FourSquare today. But if FourSquare starts to lose traction and checkins (there are rumors that FourSquare check in growth is negative), Apple is probably FourSquare's best suitor because Apple needs to ensure continued access to that valuable mapping data, and Apple is one of the few companies in the world that values that data enough to pay for it.

My Favorite iOS Apps

As I wrote the first draft of this post, I quickly realized that this post is actually about far more than just iOS apps. It's about taking advantage of computers to their fullest extent, particularly around automating one's life on the go. Enjoy.

Chrome - Chrome works beautifully across all major computing platforms. Everything that can sync, does sync, seamlessly.

Clear - The simplest, best to-do list app on the market. And it syncs with the Mac desktop client via iCloud, making it even better. Clear literally drives my day. Using Clear, I manage my personal and work to do lists, books to read, songs to download, and even to help grow my vocabulary.

DI Radio - The ultimate electronic music app. It has an amazing selection of electronic music, and live streams from some of the biggest electronic music festivals in the country.

Evernote - There's good reasons why this is one of the most popular apps on the entire App Store. It's note taking done right across all major computing platforms. I also use Evernote Hello and Evernote Food; they're pretty good too.

FitBit - I have the FitBit Aria wireless scale. It's awesome. It syncs to my phone and graphs key metrics in seconds. And soon, it will also sync from the upcoming FitBit Flex. I'm excited to be part of the burgeoning quantified self movement.

Google - Google's general app is actually more useful than Chrome because it loads faster, and offers Google Now. 

Gym Buddy - sadly, the developer no longer updates the app (though there are rumors that he's started working on it again). Gym Buddy is the best workout tracker and manager on the market. I've tried over a dozen of them, and this one is hands down the easiest and fastest to use. Speed is paramount because I only have 60 seconds between sets, and Gym Buddy understands that. I don't want to spend 60 seconds playing with my phone between sets. I want to spend no more than 5, and Gym Buddy empowers me to do just that.

Kayak Pro - I travel a lot for work. Kayak automates every step.  They offer a great search tool (though Hipmunk's search interface is better). But even if I don't buy from Kayak, I forward every itinerary to Kayak anyways. 24 hours before my flight, Kayak reminds me to check in to get a good seat. When I get to the airport, Kayak presents all of the key information I need to navigate the airport, integrates with Passbook, and of course even stores an electronic version of my boarding pass. Awesome.

Kindle - I read a lot. Especially when traveling. The Kindle platform is the best ebook platform that spans all major computing platforms, period.

Mailbox - Mailbox deserves all of its hype and praise (though not a $100M valuation; that's just absurd). Mailbox is the best email client on the market. Mailbox powers my Gmail to stay at inbox zero all day everyday. My Exchange account at work is a totally different story.

Mint.com - I can track all of my personal financial information across all financial institutions, and measure spending against predefined budgets and goals in one tap from the home screen. I love it.

Podcasts (by Apple) - Although the first few iterations of this app were pretty bad, Podcasts is now a very functional app that allows me to take the always incredible Critical Path with me everywhere I go.

Reeder - An amazing Google Reader client with a beautiful and speed focused design. Reeder powers me to read through 350 headlines during most weekdays, and 150 daily during the weekends. Of those, I actually read between 5-10% of the total volume most days. Reeder has nailed the high-volume reading process to a tee.

Siri - Although it's not a 3rd party app, Siri is pretty amazing. 90% of my Siri use occurs while driving. The last 10% while I'm in bed and too tired to actually use my phone. While practically dead in my bed, I can, without any dexterity or eloquence, moan "Set an alarm for 7AM" and Siri will take care of the rest. Thanks, Siri. Plus, I trained Siri to call me "Big Daddy". There's no way that an app that calls me Big Daddy can't make it into my favorites list.

Sleep Cycle - It figures out the best time to wake me up within a given 30 minute window based on where I am in my sleep cycle. It calculates sleep cycles based on body movements (the phone needs to rest on the bed while you're sleeping). During the heaviest phases of sleep, I move very little, and in the lighter phases, I move more. It detects that based on the iPhone's accelerometer, and wakes me up accordingly. Genius.

Songza - This is what Pandora wishes it was. It offers better, contextual categories than Pandora, and ad-free listening.

Spotify - This is what iTunes wishes it was. For the first time ever, I'm paying for music. That tells you something.

Sunrise - Sunrise is without a doubt the best calendar if you live in Gmail / Google Apps. The interface is clean and the scrolling list is awesome. It automatically links to phone numbers and addresses, pulls in contact details from LinkedIn and associated emails and documents too. The developers realized that a digital calendar shouldn't just be a calendar, but should intelligently present the information you need to know when you need to know it. Genius.

Today Weather - The best weather app on iOS. See the picture below. Each square represents a full screen view. Just swipe between screens. The left-most column offers a gorgeous graphical 7 day forecast, and the right-most column offers an hour-by-hour guide. The middle column provides 1 click access to a radar map. It provides everything I need to know in a highly intuitive and polished packaged. 

Way of Life - I use this to stay healthy and build positive new habbits. I've tried at least a half-a-dozen competitive apps. Way of Life provides the best overall flexibility and usability. It's easily worth the $5 that the developer asks for. 

BetterLeapTool

I just got my developer hardware for the Leap Motion controller. It's awesome. I haven't opened up the SDK yet, but I've started playing with the hardware and built-in data visualizer. The level of precision and lack of latency are absolutely phenomenal. Leap outshines Kinect in both of these areas by a mile. Of course, Kinect 2 will launch later this year with the next Xbox (and hopefully a simultaneous Windows launch) backed by Microsoft's might, and I'm sure it will be a major step forward. If Microsoft were to create a Kinect App Store within the Windows App Store, they could steamroll Leap, but that's for a different blog post.

I don't have any special needs for the Leap human computer interface (HCI) like the featured Leap developer, AirHarp. For me, Leap is a complete novelty.

The one app that I can't help but wait for is BetterTouchTool (BTT) for Leap. That's a potent combination. To recap, BTT is a free software application for OSX that allows users to map any trackpad gesture to software command, either globally or per-application. It takes the capabilities of the Mac trackpad to the logical extreme. It's brilliant.

Now imagine an app that let's you map any Leap gesture to any software command. You could swipe 2 fingers in the air to change tabs in Chrome, and 3 fingers to change applications. You "grab" an application window, and size it to the left half of the screen with a simple grab and throw motion. You could increase the volume by lifting you hands up in the air. The opportunities are limitless.

Andreas Hegenberg (BTT Developer), please develop BetterLeapMotion. I'm not the right man to develop that app, but you probably are. Your work on BTT has been incredible. Please do the same for all of the anxious Leap users.

The Economics of Google Glass in Healthcare

This post was originally featured on HIStalk.

A lot of people think Google Glass can be used as a development platform to create amazing healthcare apps. So do I.

Many of these ideas are obvious, and many of them could be relatively simple to develop. But we won’t see most of them commercialized in the first year Glass is on the market, maybe even two years.

The most obvious analogy to Glass is the iPhone. It’s a revolutionary new technology platform with an incredible new user interface. Glass practically begs the iPhone analogy. Technologically, the analogy has the potential to hold true. But economically, it does not. Because of the economics of Glass, many of these great ideas won’t see the light of day any time soon.

First, there’s the cost. Glass will run a cool $1,500 when it lands in the US this holiday season. There’s no opportunity for a subsidy because Glass doesn’t have native cellular capabilities.

Second, and even more importantly, Glass needs to prove compelling given that you already have a pretty incredible smartphone in your pocket. When the iPhone launched, it competed with the non-consumption of 2007: dumb phones. Glass has to compete with a whole new class of non-consumption: iPhones and Androids. That means Glass has to be so incredible that you’re willing to spend $1,500 given that you already have an amazing smartphone in your pocket. Glass only provides marginal value. It’s a tough sell.

Take another look at the Google link from earlier in this post. Would you pay $1,500+ for any of those individual applications? Probably not. As a hospital CIO, would you pay $1,500+ per employee for hundreds of employees for any of those applications? Probably not.

Although these are all good ideas, the vast majority of Glass ideas aren’t compelling enough to justify the cost of Glass itself. This is inherently true in all Google Glass application markets, both consumer and enterprise. It’s especially true in healthcare given the additional costs of integrating into existing systems and processes.

Doctors in outpatient clinics face a similar challenge. Though some physicians, and perhaps some surgeons, will shell out $1,500 early on, most doctors won’t be willing to commit that kind of capital. I’m sure many physicians would feel concerned about making their patients feel socially uncomfortable, even if a given application proves clinical and financial ROI. But at some point down the line, doctors will probably adopt a Glass-like technology platform, especially with something like the MYO Armband. The human computer interaction (HCI) opportunities with a Glass+MYO armband are endless.

Over time, an increasing number of Glass healthcare apps will become available and the price of Glass and its competition (I’m looking at you, Apple. Also, learn why there will be no iWatch) will fall. Eventually, healthcare app developers writing on Glass will find success, but very few will in the first year Glass is on the market.

That does not mean that the Glass ecosystem is destined for failure. Glass has the potential to solve big problems. Capitalism dictates that app developers will figure out how to use it to solve big problems.

My favorite VC proverb is, "Provide pain pills, not vitamins." For every painkiller Glass app, there will be dozens of vitamins. The painkillers will drive the success of this platform. No one needs to buy Glass. But Glass can help people and create new efficiencies in enterprise markets such as healthcare, education, manufacturing, transportation, construction, gaming, tourism, and many others.

I’m incredibly excited about Glass. It will change the world. Maybe not in its first year on the market, but it will. No one thought much of the iPhone in its first year on the market, but it delivered a revolutionary new user interface and provided a new technology platform that app developers will extend to solve an enormous number of previously unsolvable problems. Glass will, too.

Glass developers, off to the races!