Steve Jobs is hormone imbalanced

So, Steve Jobs has announced that the claims that he is ‘on his death bed’ are all unfounded.

The Apple CEO is apparently suffering from a hormonal imbalance, which is why he’s dropped so much weight and looks so sick.  This news comes after we were previously told by Apple, that his gaunt appearance was caused by ‘a nasty virus’.  For his sake and the sake of his family, I hope that, as he suggests, this ‘hormone imbalance’ is something he will be able to make a full recovery from.

Is Steve Jobs’ health a public matter?

The question that’s thrown up (pardon the pun), each time Jobs’ health issues reach the headlines, is whether or not his health is public matter.   Initially, I figured that his health was private.  So, when the last lot of Jobs health rumors were ‘doing the rounds’ I decided to ask some of the leading people in the IT community what they thought.

The feedback was pretty-much unanimous. Jason Calacanis, Scoble, Lance Ulanoff and Om Malik all said that as a public figure, Steve Jobs’ health is a public matter.  He is such a key part of Apple, that should he no longer be able to run the Company, Apple would potentially suffer greatly and this would massively impact stock values etc.

Will the Steve Jobs health rumors stop now?

So, will this latest statement from Steve Jobs finally finish off the rumors surrounding his health? I think it depends on how he looks at his next public outing.  If he’s starting to look fit and well, the rumors will stop – but at some point, people will need to se a happy, healthy looking Mr Jobs and not just statements saying how well he is.

I wish Steve Jobs all the very best for a healthy New Year!  Let’s hope it’s the rumors surrounding his beautifully designed, overpriced products that keep the blogs busy in 2009!!

FREE Upgrade to Windows 7 for Vista users?

OK, up front I am NOT a Microsoft hater. I use XP on one of my PC’s and have a laptop that came with Vista Home Premium pre-installed.  Yes, I also use a MacBook Pro and have a Linux system – so I think I can make the next statement with a clear conscience.  Here it goes.

Microsoft, please do ‘the right thing’ and give us Vista users a free or reduced upgrade route to Windows 7

Why am I asking this? OK, so Windows Vista is not quite as horrible as many people say.  I am the first to admit it. A lot of the flack Vista got was uncalled for.  However, a lot of the flack Vista got is totally valid and I believe Microsoft already know this.

By hawking Windows 7 to the media and public as a faster, less resource hungry and all round better OS – Microsoft are clearly going to lose a STACK of sales.

Why upgrade to Vista now; when Windows 7 seems to offer a better upgrade route from your XP system than Vista does?

Why buy Vista today, knowing Microsoft are themselves trying to get you to focus on the NEXT Windows OS?

Since bringing Windows Vista to market, Microsoft has not only received a stack of bad publicity – it has ALSO caused those who use Vista to suffer with a s-l-o-w-e-r system than we deserve.  If you don’t believe me, stick a copy of XP on a machine running Vista and watch it fly! (Or stick a linux OS on it and watch it leave the fricking planet )

I believe Microsoft can turn some of the problems and bad publicity surrounding Vista into a plus – if they offer Vista users either a free upgrade to Windows 7 or at least a discount upgrade route.

Here’s where YOU come in.

Do you think there’s any reason for Microsoft to offer Vista users a less expensive Windows 7 upgrade route? Maybe you think they Vista users got what they deserved for not downgrading to XP or a Linux OS. Let us know what YOU think!

Moby & me

Separated at birth – My avatar and Moby!

I asked my Twitter buddies over the weekend, if my avatar looked like Moby.  I was contacted by @Geek_News from the GeekNews.Net blog.  He sent me a link to the picture of Moby below, which pretty-much confirms that me and Moby are in fact identical twins!

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Moby – my evil twin!
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.So, in your opinion – what kind of avatar should I use?

Photo Credit – http://www.moby.com

Tech news tip ‘O the day – Geekbrief.tv

Go check out Geekbrief.tv

For today’s ‘Tech news tip ‘O the day,’ I suggest you stop reading this really average tech news blog and go check out one of the best tech sites on the web – Cali Lewis’ geekbrief.tv

Seriously, Cali Lewis’ work is awsome. She is one of the hardest working professionals in the tech news industry and has many admirers – including me! She really knows her subject and is great at getting a lot of news and opinions ‘out there’ in a format that’s both interesting and accessible.

Although Cali is a total Apple Fan-Girl (she said so herself in this blog) it’s fine – because you know exactly what to expect from her; shiny, happy tech news.  If you are looking for hard-hitting opinions that are likely to totally piss the other A-listers in the tech industry, you may not find it there. Cali is, however, extremely well-connected and gets a lot of gadget news ahead of the pack.

Cali Lewis – my polar opposite

Cali is insanely talented, intelligent and beautiful. This makes her pretty-much my polar opposite.  So, you have been reading this Z list blog – go see what a A-list tech news site looks like!

Photo credit: Cali Lewis, Geekbrief.com

The Kevin Rose Twitter mystery!

Kevin Rose, tea and rock climbing

OK – So Kevin Rose, one of the the guys behind digg.com and revision3, is now the second most followed person on Twitter.  This would be fine – but he’s waaaaaaaaaay too boring on Twitter to have that many followers! In case you don’t already know, a typical Rose Tweet is something like;

“Went rock climbing, drank some tea, climbed another rock..”

Does that sound like the second most interesting person on Twitter? Of course not – If anyone else was that dull, they would have even fewer followers than a crap blog writer like me!!

So, what else could be attracting people to Kevin Rose?

He’s rich – I mean, INSANE RICH!  Fortunately for him, there are legions of people out there who are attracted like ass-kissing magnets to rich people.  They love to kiss rich ass – they can’t help themselves.  They just ‘need’ to get close to people with money. He’s a smart guy, but he’s about as interesting as one of those rocks he climbs on Twitter.

Perhaps if he REALLY drank the fake booze he uses with his ‘friend’ on diggnation, he might loosen up a little. (You knew that he’s really a tea-drinking health nut right?)

Follow Kevin Rose on Twitter

PLEASE – if you do not already follow Kevin Rose on Twitter PLEASE START NOW! See for yourself, if it’s his dazzling wit or bank balance, which is topping the Twitter charts!

Blog Update

Yeah – it’s been a while since I last posted. There’s been a few changes around here in the past few weeks and one of them is the format of the blog; both from a design perspective and from a content perspective.

As my long-time readers will know, after getting ‘up close and personal’ with the Tech News Industry, I found that it was (on the professional side) pretty-much totally corrupt! The amateur bloggers are great – people driven to write about technology because of their love of the subject (I love you guys). However, many of the well-known tech journalists or bloggers I have spoken to & gotten to know, will write up or promote any piece of crap for a cheque.

What REALLY shocked me, was that several of these assholes are people I WAS READING, LISTENING TO OR USING in order to feed me my tech news!

My initial decision was to get the heck out of tech blogging. But, after a few dozen emails and a stack of messages, it seemed people wanted me to continue – because of my unique ability to get genuine information ‘out there.’.

Unique position?

Yeah – I now know many of the top ‘tech celebrities’ and bloggers and I don’t need hits – because there’s nothing here for anyone to buy!  That means I don’t have to write SEO bullshit to keep the guys at Google happy or say how great Mac’s are; because I want to get invited to their next love-in (sorry – product launch.)

So, I am in the unique position of being able to say it like it is with no fear of pissing off a sponsor.

I am also now starting to get REAL stories from senior tech journalists and bloggers – who are unable to write about ‘some’ topics themselves; for fear of losing their job, sponsor or income.  The Tech News Blog is the ideal vehicle for them – Because they know they can trust me – and because this low quality blog often gets insane numbers of hits and is read by some of the best-known people in tech.  I have had recent comments here from people like; Molly Wood, Cali Lewis, Scoble, Jason Cross, Om Malik, Veronica Belmont and lots more.

Here’s where YOU come in!

I want YOU to comment with your feedback and ideas about the tech news industry, tech podcasts, tech blogs etc.  If you have something you want me to know in private – use the contact page in the top menu!

Natali Del Conte – 100% real

I wrote a post a couple of months ago about Natali Del Conte.  A number of my readers used the comments section of that post to voice their opinions on Natali and her work.  In fairness, most of the comments were negative toward Ms Del Conte – and now I would like to set the record straight.
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Natali Del Conte – The comments

The negative comments about Natali Del Conte were pretty-much about two things.  Firstly, that Natali referred to clothing too much, for a tech news Journalist.  Secondly, some suggested Natali lacked ‘tech knowledge’ when speaking, unscripted, on shows like Buzz Out Loud.
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Natali Del Conte – Looks matter!

OK – it’s a sad fact that much of the way we are ‘judged’ these days is by how we look.  This is even more the case for people like Natali Del Conte; who appear in front of the cameras every week as part of her job.  With Natali’s appearance such an integral part of her work as a presenter / broadcaster – it’s obvious she is going to focus on how she looks and what she wears.

Natali Del Conte is what I call a ‘real person.’  She speaks her mind – and if she has been figuring out what to wear in front of the cameras that day – that’s what you will hear.  It really is that simple!
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Natali Del Conte – ‘Tech industry knowledge

I have followed the tech industry since the late 1970′s.  The comments about Natali lacking ‘tech knowledge must have come from people who know nothing about Natali Del Conte’s work or professional background.

For example, many people don’t know that before fronting the insanely popular Textra and Loaded, Natali was a highly respected ‘Tech Journalist at Techcrunch.  Natali has ALSO written for respected publications like MarketWatch.  If you want to know about the quality of her work, ask yourself how come she has risen so far, so quick!  There’s no magic here – it’s just hard work and talent!

I have been reading Natali’s stuff for years and can assure you she knows her subject REALLY well.  More than this, Natali allows her personality to come through her writing AND her comments when appearing on podcasts / videocasts etc.  This brings me on to my final point…
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Natali Del Conte – 100% ‘real’

Natali appears on the Internet and your TV screens, doing something that NO OTHER ‘tech profesisonal I know does; other than perhaps Robert Scoble.
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Natali appears as herself!

I have either spoken to or corresponded with most of the best known people in tech news.  Most are a total waste of space – real ass-holes!  They have an on-screen persona that’s often funny or down-to-earth, but in reality, most are total dicks!

I know from emails I have received from Natali, that she often works 16 hours a day.  Fortunatly for her, she can use all this time ‘perfecting her craft’; because she has no need to waste time perfecting ‘the role of Natali Del Conte.’

With Natali Del Conte; what you see, hear and read is very much what you get!  If you like that – great – if you don’t like it – at least respect the fact that you are not being fooled.

On a personal note, I would like to thank Natali for her emails and for being ‘real’ enough to get in touch with me BEFORE this blog started getting any coverage.
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Natali – You rock!

Why is Ziff Davis PRO broadband caps?

OK – I am not a UFO nut and I am pretty sure Elvis is dead – so conspiracies don’t mean much to me.  Sadly, it seems the USA is now being offered ‘capped broadband’ by suppliers like Comcast.  We have had capped broadband in the UK for years and it sucks.

You would imagine that the BIG tech news outlets would be OUTRAGED at this and get some kind of movement going to give consumers a better deal.  Many of them are – and for good reason!

Broadband caps could REALLY hurt companies like Revision3 and could kill smaller IPTV providers like Leo Laporte - as consumers find they are having to PAY to download these shows….

However, I am hearing a lot about how Ziff Davies is using its massive number of websites, podcasts, blogs and magazines to PUSH what a GREAT IDEA capped broadband is.

But why are Ziff Davies being so anti-consumer?

Ask Dvorak, Dan Costa and co!

Now, I don’t know if Comcast are a big sponsor of Ziff Davies or if it’s a more general desire to kiss the asses of the broadband providers who pay Ziff’s bills – but the way Ziff are championing capped broadband seems really bizarre to me.  Yes, some people at Ziff are making comforting anti-broadband cap noises – but there’s no doubt that some major players at Ziff are acting very suspiciously.

For example; Dorak on Cranky Geeks and Dan Costa in PC Mag (both Ziff Davies properties) have been insanely anti-consumer and PRO capped broadband.  They are doing this at the risk of pissing off their readers and hurting their circulation.  But why?

Well – what do you think?

Support me in private

I noticed something today, which really made me think!

Whenever I get a comment from a well-known tech celebrity (especially in support of something I have said) they ALMOST ALWAYS do it in private! For example, although Cali Lewis, Molly Wood and Veronica Belmont have all openly left comments on this blog – 99% of their fellow tech celebrities will ONLY message me in private!

The ladies seem to be the only ones with the courage to have their names linked with a maverick!

For example, I’ve had three emails over the past 48 hours; from people whose names you would know immediately from your favourite tech shows – all of whom are 100% behind me and what I am trying to do with this blog.  BUT NONE of them will comment here in the blog!  They will read a post and then email me via the contact page – so people don’t know what they really think!

This also happens on Twitter – I get Direct Messages (private messages) from people all the time; usually passing me really valuable information or asking me to cover something – BUT NEVER via an open message!

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Come on guys!

If you want to get in touch, let Cali, Molly and Veronica be an example to you and do it in the open through the comments section!

The ‘NEW’ MacBook Pro!

I was on Twitter yesterday when Cali Lewis; star of Geekbrief.tv, decided to send a message to her 19,000 Twitter followers.  Cali’s message was simply:

“Is this the new MacBook Pro?” – (with a link to a dodgy looking image)

This is how the ‘VIRAL PR’ Apple are so famous for always begins!

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Why is Apple’s PR so good?

Firstly, they offer GREAT products!  Secondly, it REALLY helps when respected people like Cali Lewis are generating interest in a product that Apple are about to announce or launch!

Why?

Because Cali has a massive numbers of fans following her and watching her shows, all of whom are tech consumers AND early adopters – making them worth a FORTUNE to Apple!

Reporting on a rumour before an official launch is NOT news – it’s simply spreading valuable hype for the product concerned. This hype is actually what marketing people call ‘pre-launch publicity’ and it’s what big companies like Apple and Microsoft use in order to generate massive launch date sales!

Remember the queues outside the Apple stores when the iPhone was launched?

Of course, I do not know Cali Lewis (I’m sure she is lovely) and I have no idea why she invested her time in blogging about this rumour or publishing the photo etc.

It just makes me curious when such a busy person invests their valuable time (for free) into helping generate pre-launch publicity for a multi-million dollar business – with no payment of any kind.

I also now want a new MacBook Pro for some reason!