Ajay Juneja

Damien Stolarz, CTO of Carbot, has posted his presentation from the Telematics Update Conference in Berlin at CarHacks.

Stolarz’ killer app? Convergence - the PC platform is ideally positioned to tie together all the mobile consumer devices now competing for our dashboard space. (Check out the specs for the Carbot M2, pictured at right)

Arguably the most compelling advantage of an open PC architecture is the broad-based hardware and software innovation that can result. For an example, look no farther than the proliferation of Google Earth mash-ups since the basic app’s introduction earlier this year.

Make sure to see Eric at the SDForum! I met him at the Blogger Business Summit a few weeks ago, he is really paving the way for Podcasting! I'd call him an independent reporter of sorts!

9/7-8 Podcast Jams, Portland, OR
9/14 SD Forum, Yahoo Campus, Sunnyvale, CA
9/16 Bulldog Reporter PR University, San Francisco, CA
9/23-25 Webzine 2005, San Francisco, CA
9/27-28 Duke University Podcast Symposium
11/11-12 Podcast and Portable Media Expo, Ontario, CA

TBA: Los Angeles Podcast Roadshow, Irvine
TBA: Phoenix Podcast Roadshow, Scottsdale

Dude, we’re not in the Uncanny Valley any more; researchers at Japan’s Robot and Science Institute are taking us for a stroll through the freaking Leatherface Valley with Kansei, a creepy new robot with a vocabulary of over 430,000 words that’s designed to react emotionally to whatever it’s discussing. If you’ve been waiting for a robot that can turn that frown upside down this is it — researchers have taught Kansei how to smile when it’s happy and frown when it’s sad by using word association software to build an artificial intelligence program that allows the bot to make judgements about whether it likes something or not.

[Via Mike’s List]

Blaupunkt showed off their Lucca portable car GPS unit at the IFA show in Berlin today, the audio-centric company’s first such unit. The Lucca will come in two different models, a £370 version that apparantly attaches to your windshield, and slightly pricier £430 Smart Cradle edition that’s wired straight to your car’s speakers. Both versions will play music and display photos in addition to giving you voice directions. Maps are stored on SD cards, so we presume that’s what you use for MP3s and pics as well. Both units should be on sale in the UK by mid-October. Also on display at Blankpunkt booth was a concept Bluetooth iPod dock that the company says will be available in 2007, which will let you control your iPod using the Lucca’s touchscreen display.

So, as some of you know or may have been able to figure out, I'm starting a speech company.
No big secret there. What I found out along this path is that there are two types of people out there, the selfish type
and the ones who consistently lend a hand without thinking "What's in this for me?"

What I've also found is that the people at the top of their game in this world, the true "masters of the universe,"
tend to be the type to help others out, no strings attached.

I'd like to take a moment and publically thank everyone who has consistently been very helpful and also when needed,
gone out on a limb for me. Sometimes that limb is only a twig!

Alex Rudnicky
Anand Manikutty
Andre Vanier
Arthur Chan
Ashleigh Anderson Felber
Ashu Kumra (Ash Gianni)
Catherine Copetas
Christian Chu
Ed Lin
Itamar Drexler
Jim Bai
Jon Anderson
Kimberly Lutjen
Manjul Bose
Mark Stehlik
Melodie McBride
Mike Shafer
Mom
Renee Lo
Ricky Houghton
Robert Scoble
Sarah Revi Sterling
Saureen Shah
Sean Patterson
Susan Trainer
Ted Havill
Vinod Krishnan
Yan Ke
These types of people are rare, and to be cherished dearly.
THANK YOU!!!

If you have a story to share about someone remarkable, feel free to either link it in the comments or mention them there.
People on this list are welcome to make fun of me, make jokes about me, or do whatever they feel like in the comments :)
If one or more of these people happens to also be one of your friends, you are a very lucky person, and consider yourself blessed!

I got scobleized this morning!

So, yesterday on the way to the Geek Dinner, I decided to give scoble a ride so we could get into the carpool lane. As what I'm doing is now visible to people taking a ride with me, he got an inside scoop on some little things I am up to...

This is also why my blog has been so quiet for over a year. Want to see a sneak peek of the future? Come to the BarCamp.

For now that's all I'll say. When the products get made and are closer to release, there will be more noise. Consider this the teaser.

Wow it's been a long time since I last posted on this blog! Since the last post many months ago, I graduated and went off to Germany for most of the summer! Lots of fun stuff there -- dancing at a club till 6:30am with my best friend was super fun!

I'm now settled into the SF bay area and loving every moment of it!

And yes, I'm still doing a lot of speech stuff!

Ciao for now!