Microsoft rewards for using Bing

I don't know if it's new from Microsoft but I've been offered reward points for using Bing search engine from Microsoft.

It is actually more than using Bing.  You can get points for buying stuff in the Microsoft App Store, renting movies, etc...  They say that you'll get 1 point for each 1$ spent.  Using Bing, you be awarded 30 points per day, per search if you meet some prerequisites.

What's the catch?  There seems to be none or at least it it the same as Google's reward program where you answer some questionnaires in exchange for credits on the Google Play Store.

With Microsoft, you can exchange points for credits on your Xbox Live account, Skype account or send them to the Special Olympics, Care, First, or other helping associations.

You can even enter some contests to win an Xbox One S or a Surface Pro.

For more info, log into your Microsoft account and see the rewards section: https://account.microsoft.com/rewards

Tell me what you think...

Looking for Java Apps and Games

There is one thing missing on the web:  A Java App Library (or App Store).

As I am testing the next release of WRoom, I want to create an app library built for WRoom.  The task seemed easy until I realized that googling for Java apps and games is not that easy.

Results returned by Google are about tests, demos and game libraries.  I did found a few gems here and there.  So I decided to ask the web to send me links to great apps and games built in Java/JavaFX.

What I need:

• Name of the app/game
• A brief description (1 or 2 lines)
• An image/logo link
• Others images, screen captures, links to YouTube videos of your apps, tips, other links related

A main virtual room will be created to list the apps and a smaller room will be available, dedicated at your app/game.

Here's a short demo that I am currently working on:

Wanna help with WRoom?  Talk about it and build your own virtual space.  See the main website for downloads and documentation 

http://wroom.crombz.com

Will robots ever replace us?

While watching a movie with my girlfriend tonight, about robots becoming sentient, I was wondering if that scenario was plausible.  This is not about the technology or even about the possibility.  It's about motivation, human motivation.

The main story is always about a civilization using robots to do the dirty work.  At least, do the stuff that we, humans, consider as annoying.  They do the dishes, take care of the dog, bring us a beer and answer the door.  You know, really important and annoying stuff.

In reality, they will probably be used...  I mean actually, they are used in dangerous works like bomb disarming or for car manufacturers to assemble auto parts faster than any meat bag.  They are not smart, but they are fast and never get tired.

Could it be possible that one day, they will get smart enough to replace us?  I'm seriously thinking that it won't happen.  Not because it's impossible to create a smart machine or that we will continue to evolve and always be superior to a machine.  

The smart robots will never roam the surface of the earth simply because we won't build those robots.

For the last 10000 years, we have been creating tools to survive.  And you know what?  We're good at it.  We have found out that Information is the most critical piece, after food and water.  Humans are inextricably inclined in gathering information, sometimes to a point where basic survival instinct is put aside for a moment.

First, we created the language, then the writing.  When technology was more advanced, we were able to share information over a long distance with the invention of the telegraph and the telephone.  Today, we don't even need to talk to someone to learn something new. Just grab your smartphone and query the web.  Almost all human knowledge is accessible in just a few seconds.  We are actually at a peek where data can be acquired faster than we can process.

The next step is almost unavoidable:  making the connection directly into our brain to access available information.  

If you don't believe me, consider that 15 years ago, having access to the Internet from home, on a PC, was a revolution in human history.  5 years ago, we were finally able to get access using smartphones.  The whole Internet in our pocket, everywhere and anywhere...  It wasn't close enough, today, we now can browse the web from our wrists with smartwatches.  A step closer to our grey matter.

We won't stop until we reach our synapses.  And then?  It will be about storage.  The major issue will not be accessibility but the persistence of the information aggregated.  Remember Johnny Mnemonic?  That's more likely to happen than "I, Robot" or "Automata".

The race is not about having devices doing the work for us.  It's about gathering more and more information.  The more you know, the more you are, the more you will survive amongst others...

It's already happening.  Corporations are more powerful when they know about their potential customers.  Where they go, what they eat, what they think.  Eventually this hunger for knowledge will be shared by individuals, if not already the case.  Humans will forget about robots and will put energy and money into technology that will enhance their capacity to process more and more data.  Sentient robots may never see the light of day, but the dawn of the human-machine will surely happen one day.  

Hey, Hollywood!  The next block buster movie will be: Dawn of the Cyborgs!   Scarier than anything else as it will probably happen in less time than expected.

Ello World!

There is no typo in the title...  A new social network is emerging called Ello

I just got my invitation today and currently exploring this new medium.  Elli is really elegant and looks great.  It's simple and quite intuitive.

Since there is no app on my iPhone for Ello, I simply added the link to my home screen, making it into a web app.  The Ello team has done a great job as it does render beautifully on a mobile display.

As of writing this post, I still have 9 invites that I can send.  Leave a comment on this post and I'll pick randomly 9 users to send an invite too.  Of course, I will select people that are active on social networks and that I find interesting.

You can find me here: http://ello.co/patrickballeux

I hate Apple!

With the event of Apple this week, the iPhone and the Apple Watch are the main subject on the web.  This will last for a few days before things return to normality.  Of course, as an Apple user at home, I was following closely what the big fruit had to say.

This post won't be about the new iPhone or the Apple Watch...  There is already enough of that everywhere.  I wanted to talk about people, mainly iOS users and Android users...

"Let's get ready to rumble!"

I know, I know, this is a subject that can easily fall into an epic flame war and that's my point:  Why?

In the last few days, I've hear all kind of things, all kind of comments.  Those who already own an iPhone wonder if the larger display can be a good thing or a bad thing.  They wonder if the Apple Watch is worth the 350$ price tag.  They wonder if they'll wait or move on with the latest and greatest.  Nothing fancy, just regular users looking at what they have and considering if upgrading is worth their money.

On the other hand, Android users are at war.  I mean that they are arguing about anything and everything against Apple, iOS and the iPhone.  What I've heard so far:

• Lot of noise for nothing
• It was about time Apple did that, Android had these features for years
• Finally, Apple understood that bigger is better
• Yeah, right, like I'm gonna pay that price for a smartphone.
• Apple users are sheep!  They'll buy anything 

I'm intrigued and confused at the same time.  Why is it so critical that Android users put emphasis on how cheap Apple devices are?

What about the new features?  What about the implementation of the Apple Watch compared to Google Gear or Pebble or Metawatch?  What about the fact that this is not a religion!  Nobody's right, nobody's wrong...

I personally prefer iOS devices to Android devices.  The reason is quite simple:  Apple does deliver what they advertise.  Like they once said: It just works!  Remember that I am a software developer.  I am also an Ubuntu user and an open source advocate.  And yes, I am also an Android user...  But for my mobile devices, I do prefer Apple's product.

There is nothing to argue about that.

Here's a few example of Android users arguing back at my reasons for choosing Apple:

• I like the simplicity:  You mean you're stuck and cannot change the look, icons, etc...
• The integration between my iPhone, iPad and Apple TV is just great:  Android has that also, nothing new here, we can even access the AppleTV.
• The quality of the Apple apps are amazing:  You're just a sheep and believe everything Apple says.
• There is far more less crap in the Apple Store:  But the Google Store is more open to all kind of apps...
• It's fast, smooth, fluid, stable:  Oh, you are comparing with cheap Android devices!

I could go on and on.  You get the picture.  Whatever is said, will be replied with sarcasms, negative comments or just plain insults.  Never I have heard an Android user asking about more details on iMovie or what's available in the Apple Store.  Never have I seen an Android user taking the time to compare, side by side, the devices, the apps...  They are just arguing about the price, the fact that music is stuck in iTunes or that there is not slot to add a SD card.

Android is great, but from my point of view, for my needs, iOS is better.  Not just iOS...  The devices available (iPhone, iPad, Apple TV...) are great.  The Apple ecosystem is great, the iTunes Store and the Apple Store are great.  The sum of all this makes Apple's solution a better choice for ME!

If you are an Apple user and get stuck in a flame war, just say:  I like to buy a device that will be supported for many years.  I like the fact that I can upgrade my device on the day Apple releases a new version of iOS.  I also like to access the Apple Store and not wonder if the app is crapware.  I like good quality apps, made specifically for my device.  If this is the price to pay to get quality on all levels, than my money well spent.

Don't get me wrong, I do like Android.  There are neat features I would like to see available on iOS.  But there are also some features that I am missing on Android.  For me, Apple's offer has more benefits than Google's offer.  That's it, that's all...

I've used Windows, Ubuntu, OS/2, Palm devices, Blackberry's, OSX, Android and iOS.  I know them all as I've used them for work and personal use. I can see the qualities for each and everyone of them. My current favourites: Ubuntu on a PC and iOS on mobile...  At the opposite side of the spectrum would you say.  There must be a reason.  It's my choice.

 And with this, let the war begin! :)