Ian Wood

N/A • 12 Oct 2009 • EDITORIAL, ET CETERA

Twitter recently received a private equity investment valuing the company at around $1 billion. Given the sudden popularity and ubiquity of Twitter, one might consider the valuation well deserved. But, what is Twitter really? Is Twitter a new communications medium or is it a social network? Or is just another form of social bookmarking? And what are its long term ...

http://www.ianwood.com/news/story.asp?sid=58

Real-Time Racing Telemetry

N/A • 12 Mar 2009 • EDITORIAL, ET CETERA

Seasoned track racers know what it means to be able to see all their lap times, acceleration and braking points, position on track, speed, etc. While there are relatively inexpensive data loggers that can do this in varying degrees, none have what I want and none can show the data live in the pits. Live data during a race can make a big difference to a driver’s ...

http://www.ianwood.com/news/story.asp?sid=36

Hybrid vs Diesel, an MPG Falacy

N/A • 12 Feb 2009 • EDITORIAL, ET CETERA

South Park was first to rip apart the hybrid owner who confidently believes he/she is saving mother earth through their choice of car. In the episode, South Park residents suddenly become eco-warriors proudly showing off their newly purchased “Toyanda Pious” hybrids. But their new found eco-arrogance creates a giant cloud of toxic “smug” ...

http://www.ianwood.com/news/story.asp?sid=35

The Future of Social Networking

N/A • 14 Aug 2008 • EDITORIAL, ET CETERA

My experience in social networking is predominantly as a user. I have recently worked on two social networking projects but I am still a user first. I actively maintain profiles on at least three major social networks. One is for business, LinkedIn. Two are predominantly personal, Facebook and ASmallWorld. I am also often on MySpace looking up profiles but I don't ...

http://www.ianwood.com/news/story.asp?sid=34

The iPhone Is Out - Again

N/A • 09 Jun 2008 • EDITORIAL, ET CETERA

Apple fans are high fiving each other yet again over the second coming of iPhone. Be warned, you may feel compelled to join them in celebrating it as if it were the second coming of the messiah! Today, Mr. Bill Gates announced the new iPhone at the Apple Dev.... Wait! Sorry! I mean Steve Jobs. It is getting harder to tell those two apart these days. I’m pretty ...

http://www.ianwood.com/news/story.asp?sid=28

We Get A Lemon

Los Angeles • 17 May 2008 • EDITORIAL, ET CETERA

It's early morning and Clay doesn't want to be awake quite just yet. Fortunately, I had an early night. I convince him that I've found the car but we have to move on it immediately. I lost a 635CSI the day before because someone else had pounced on it before I even got a call back. Clay reluctantly agrees.Compression tools in hand, we head out to Long Beach to ...

http://www.ianwood.com/news/story.asp?sid=27

The Bruck Parties

N/A • 13 Jan 2008 • EDITORIAL, ET CETERA

Every 12 to 24 months, we host a destination party for 100+ guests in a far flung location somewhere on the globe. Typically the location is one that you might not have yet explored but is still reasonable with respect to budget and convenience. Each trip culminates in a grand black tie party, typically set in a suitably unique and beautiful setting (e.g. the Preah ...

http://www.ianwood.com/news/story.asp?sid=26

Why Your Mobile Phone Is Broken

Los Angeles • 29 Sep 2007 • EDITORIAL, ET CETERA

Well… no, it’s not completely broken. You can make calls, send texts, maybe even do email on your Blackberry. So it does the important utility stuff. That’s good, but it really should be able to do more. Mobile phones have been able to make calls and send texts for quite some time now. So why can’t they run applications and let us access ...

http://www.ianwood.com/news/story.asp?sid=25

Toby's Big Desk Move

Los Angeles • 12 Jul 2007 • EDITORIAL, ET CETERA

A few months ago, Toby Northcote-Smith took a highly valued chair from my office without asking. He made no effort to return it. A while later, I decided to "borrow" some his beloved paper frogs as insurance. I finally got the chair back but only after sending him photographic evidence of his frogs being subject to staplers and paper clips. Toby then publicly ...

http://www.ianwood.com/news/story.asp?sid=20

For Sale 1999.5 Audi A4 1.8TS

London • 17 Jul 2006 • EDITORIAL, ET CETERA

I am sad to let go of my dear A4 but sadly I will not be spending enough time in the UK to warrant keeping it. The A4 has served me well with only minor issues from time to time - mostly blown bulbs. It is perfect for those that prefer a left hand drive vehicle which is comfortable and convenient but also has enough power and agility to keep your driving experience ...