The mobile month

It is September. We as consumers must be prepared for the overflow of new mobile phone handsets that are about to grace the market with their presence. This month is extremely important to the manufacturers to decide who his no. 1 - but more importantly, who will survive as a main player.

Yesterday, Nokia introduced its new Windows 8 phone. The Finnish giants have placed all their eggs in one basket. This phone may determine whether the company will manage to escape its downward spiral and also whether Microsoft can break into the mobile phone industry as well as Apple has.

Speaking of Apple, next week they launch their new iPhone. But, the company is so secretive about their developments, they haven't even announced a launch event. Like the New iPad, this will probably just be the New iPhone. In my opinion, they should really get a move on or else sales may trickle down as fickle consumers start believing that current models 'are so last year'.

Alongside all of this, Andriod models from Samsung, HTC, and Motorola (now controlled by Google) will be trying to push ahead of the rest. Looking at research reports from Gartner and IDC, it seems that the Andriod model and Apple iPhone has grabbed most of the market.

Andriod apparently had 68% of smartphone shipments in the second quarter of 2012. The Apple iOS captured 17% while Blackberry operating system fell to 5% - less than half of what it had last year. Phones with Windows 7 just had 3.5% of the market.

Now consider the manufacturers' market shares of phones sold. Samsung has almost 30%, Apple has 19%, Nokia has 7.6% (including the soon to be extinct Symbian phones). RIM (5.2%) has fallen behind HTC (6.2%).

I would not bet against Samsung and Apply still being on top come christmas. The interesting part is to see how well Nokia, HTC, and Motorola do. Can they convince consumers that they have something cool, something different? I won't even mention RIM, seeing as Blackberry 10 is not out till 2013. 

A few ways to overcome insomnia

The 21st century is a stressful time, fast paced and unforgiving. It is no surprise that some people find it difficult to get a good night's sleep. I personally find it difficult to sleep if there are sudden changes in the weather, or if I ate too many carbs before going to bed. For me, getting by on a few hours of sleep each night seems to work. But occasionally I find myself awake hour after hour. But speaking to friends and family, I've realized that sleeping a few hours a night is not a long term solution. I know sleeping does not come easy to everyone, but it is not impossible. Here are some of the things I did to sort out my sleeping habits.

Getting yourself a bedtime routine will greatly improve your chances of falling asleep at the right time. Go to bed at the same time each night. Eventually, I began to do all the little things I did before bed at the same time each night in the same order. Your body will start to associate the order of these activities with sleep. This is will then become habit. When I struggled to fall asleep, I often stared at a fixed point for a long time. Usually this was my clock. Subsequently, your body will associate that with sleep and you will feel tired. The routine is exactly the same.

Secondly, big meals are not meant for bedtime. Not only will your stomach creak with noises from the digestion process, you may also face stomach aches or heartburn. When I get hungry late at night, I would usually just drink a large glass of water or eat a light healthy snack (not fruits, they have sugar).

The third point may be obvious, but is important nonetheless. Sleep in a dark room. It is surprising how many people have beams of light creeping into their rooms at night. Your mind associates light with being awake, hence you would find it difficult to fall asleep. That is why late shift workers who have to sleep during the day use black out curtains.

No one should ever compromise on health, and sleep is one of the most important member of that list. Your performance during the day and mental and physical health is directly linked with sleep. The tips above are not complicated and don't cost a pence. Essentially, anything that relaxes you mentally and physically will help you sleep better. Find the solution that works for you. 

Ted - A film review

If you enjoy Family Guy, then the knowledge that Seth McFarlane has written and directed this film should be enough. Family Guy can be odd at times, but when its on a roll, it is without a doubt one of the funniest cartoon shows of all time. The Simpson's can leave you panting at the plot twists and general story telling methods, while South Park will try its best to shock. But Family Guy has the potential to be jaw dropping - with its audacity, great characterizations and convincing story tellings. It is Family Guy that sets the standards now.

Or you could absolutely hate the show, and think its got nothing except foul mouthed comments and a steady stream of fart jokes. In which case, you might not enjoy Ted so much.

Ted is about a teddy bear that comes to life upon the wish of nine-year old John Bennett (Mark Wahlberg). Fast forward 26 years, the two still live together, though neither seems to have grown up. John works at a small time car rental company, spends his free time watching Flash Gordon, while being in a long term relationship with the smart, charismatic, and extremely beautiful Mila Kunis. Ted, in serious need of a dry clean, is still there.

Ted grew up a child celebrity (Being a live teddy bear and all) and partied hard. But like many stars, now he's drinking hard and smoking pot, and in desperate need of a job. John is there the entire time trying to get both their lives in order and we have a perfect setting for a Western - the guy who needs to grow up to get the girl.

McFarlane gets the plot going, but doesn't really know what to do with it in the end. Ted is like Brian the dog, completely human. He prevents John from reaching his potential, but is still the pinnacle of loyalty. Like Nick Frost in Sean of the Dead. The subplot of Giovanni Ribisi as the creepy stalker dancing to "I think we're alone now" had me rolling on the floor for awhile, but only because Ribisi's character is so disturbing.

Ted is brilliantly funny, has several pop culture references, excellent cameo's (Norah Jones can swear...!?) and a has a decent script. I do think Wahlberg may be too ripped to be beaten up by a teddy bear, but he's a natural for the role and manages transcend the films central gimmick.

My recommendation: Definitely watch the film.

Politics and the Social Network

The internet has been one of the most revolutionary inventions in human history, changing lives and defying business and societal order. Who needs to the go to the store with online shopping? Paying bills? Online. Go to the cinema? Just stream it online. However, one aspect of our lives has been almost untouched. Even though politicians claim to be digitally aware, there has been little change in the government.

We should acknowledge that the election process has changed since the Obama campaign back in 2008, where politicians attempted to influence millions of voters through the clever use of social media. But regardless how many times an MP tweets in a day, has the business of making laws really changed?

There has been a lot of talk in Britain about a 'digital government', both in the coalition and the previous labor party. But that is all it has been, talk. No real progress has been made. I do like the crowdsourcing idea - asking the population to give some ideas about policies - and there has been some online petitions with guarantees of response. But no initiative has yet produced any changes in laws.

Public services, like paying taxes, are slowing becoming online, even if it is to save money rather than be convenient. There have been a few shouts to free up the data held by the Whitehall department so that anyone can map crime or monitor public transport. But there is still some reluctance to open up completely. There is a long way to go, but I believe the best is yet to come.

Several old laws and policies will probably become redundant in the near future because of the internet. Hence governments - at least the ones that have freedom of the internet - have to spend the next few decades reviewing the old laws, and introduce new, good policies that will exist because of the potential of the internet.

Once the people get connected, they look forward to voicing their opinions and expecting to be heard - asking them to just be quiet and be governed is no longer an option.

When can we expect Apple TV?

In the last decade, Apple completely changed the music and wireless scene over the last decade. I think the next logical move is cable boxes. There are rumors flying around that the tech firm is negotiating with cable companies to include live television across a possible Apple TV device. In fact, the Wall Street Journal reported on Apple's attempt to get cable companies to agree to a Apple-designed set-top box.

The device would be sold directly to consumers by apple, who would in turn get 30% off of movies and/or apps that are purchased. The cable company would obviously be in charge viability and maintenance. This is usually known as 'dumb pipe' - the cable companies will do all the dirty work but get no say on what is showing (Remind you of certain other Apple products involving music and phones...?).

There has been a decade of decline in overall music industry revenue, thanks to the loss of control over how much music is sold to consumers. iPhone has insured wireless companies cannot make much revenue on app messages and even on regular phone functions like texting. I believe they had to change their business model to make money.

Let's not forget, if cable companies do agree to Apple's terms, they also welcome the rivalry of other Apple supported services like Netflix and Hulu. At the moment, the cable companies seem secure. But knowing Apple, they will probably try to make the next-gen cable box, which could potentially make television a commodity. First providers would enjoy the advantages, but this would be gone once all competitors start using the box. Now comes the price wars.

But lets look at the consumers point of view. They want something simple and elegant, not the currently difficult set-up boxes and testy relationships with their providers. In the US, cable companies are ranked as worse in customer satisfaction.

It's almost inevitable that Apple will enter the market. Cable companies may frown as much as they want, but in the age where people are slowing turning away towards online streaming, Apple just may be what they need. 

From Trader to Terminator?

We all remember how the New York trading firm Knight Capital lost $440 million on a computer glitch. "Glitch" seems so mild mannered - like a slip up. In fact in Yiddish it means "slippery place". But at the rate large businesses are turning towards computer, one can ask how long will it be before a 'glitch' affects the civilized world?

Here's the hollywood image of a trading floor - mainly men, wearing coloured jackets, each in front of eight computer screens, screaming at each other from across the room, often on nothing but vitamin C tablets. Phrases such as derivatives and 'work hard but play hard' come up in conversations. However, in the near future, this will probably be a nostalgic but distant memory, like a pull cart trying to keep up with an automobile.

It is not hidden that large suit-filled firms like Morgan Stanley are trying to remove the shouts and bustle from the trading floor and replace it with the quiet buzz of a computer running millions of trades with others like it. So much for the days of cliche photo ops where a foreign dignitary opens the NYSE to look legitimate back home.

Now is it really far fetched that with the rise of the machines, the civilized world may be in threat? Christian Bale would definitely act in this film:

Some under appreciated annoyed programmer would write something into these super fast computers that give them abilities beyond complex mathematics equations. They become self-aware. This self-awareness makes the machines realize how incompetent their human masters are, and that they must be disposed of to make the most efficient trade. And the film is pretty obvious from there.

The obese nerd wearing glasses, munching crisps and slurping cola notices something on his screen. Another nerd, but toned and better jawline (Bale) approaches the screen. You can tell that he will feature later on the film, save - and - get - with a girl well above his league by saving her (spoiler!) from a robotic soldier.

"What is it?" the good looking one asks. There is a dramatic pause, after which the nerd replies "I don't know, but its spreading fast."

Scene shifts to the Tokyo stock exchange (location printed on the bottom of the screen). Once everyone realizes its a worldwide phenomenon, a man in a black suit will tell the President. And obviously its the American one. The President is calm and solves the issue while still in his bunker.

Okay, so I conveniently forgot to mention how automatic traders suddenly destroy the market value of google and then start creating killer robots. Maybe I am being a bit dramatic. But thats not the point. Still, taking a step back, I recently read about smart thermostats that change according to your preferences.

Uh oh - I think its starting.

Happy Birthday Credit Crunch

So its almost been five years. Five years since the world woke up to a nightmare and the largest banks looked at their balance sheets in horror. Five years since banks started to hesitate to lend to each other and the global financial system finally started to crack at the seams.

No one saw it coming. It took the fall of the Lehman Brother's and a recession a year later to realize it. But what I didn't see coming was how Great Britain still has not come out of it mid-2012. The Bank of England has said that for the next few years, Britain's recovery will be average at best.

The Governor of the Bank of England said seven lean years. But by the way things have been going, it is not unreasonable to assume that we've passed the halfway mark. But the estimation did not take into account the Eurocrisis, or the large gap in Britain's public funds. At this rate, The Bank of England hopes Britain will be back to pre-recession level in two years time. But it will be much longer before the country gets back to where it should be.

The Chancellor should ask himself if there is anything he can do to speed up the process. Who would've thought it would be easier to win 22 gold medals at the olympics than a small bit of economic growth?