Google to the Rescue

The recent earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan tore apart the country and shook the entire world. The 8.9 earthquake followed by 10 meter high tsunami and waves took the lives of over 1,000 people, and left so many missing and injured. The waves of the tsunami even affected the coasts of Hawaii and California. As millions of viewers around the world turned their attention toward the traumatic aftermath, a particular company was able to once again employ their technology to contribute to search efforts.

Google's Person Finder technology is a somewhat new software that allows people anywhere in the world to post information and attempt to track missing people. The tracking website is available both in English and Japanese, and has various sections. A blog-like feature allows family, friends, and even complete strangers of missing victims to inquire about news and updates. Another powerful capability is the capacity for people to post information about themselves, their location, and the condition of Japan. Google's People Finder was also used recently in response to the earthquakes in New Zealand, Haiti, and Chile. The ability to communicate with anyone around the world is an amazing and powerful tool.

Google has ultimately created a website for anyone to use to retrieve information about disasters affecting nations and the entire world. Thanks to this website, those curious and the victims of disasters such as this can communicate and interact without needing government involvement or media information. Within the first day of being available online, Google's Person Finder already had over 7,000 records for those missing in Japan. While news agencies can still report on Google's People Finder, this feature is truly amazing because it proves that we no longer need to rely on the media. We do not need the media to inform us about news and the current condition or situation during a state of natural disaster.

The Greatest Marketing Tool- the iPhone App

One of my favorite ways to spend a beautiful day when I visit my parents’ house during weekends is flying with my dad around the Bay Area in his small private plane. About three years ago during a routine flight, my dad asked me to video tape the view. After a while, my hands started aching, which gave me an idea that I immediately shared with my dad. Transforming my initial idea into an actual patent, my dad established a new startup called Flyvie. Flyvie offers a product which is GPS based that tracks the flight and records it using digital cameras, and simultaneously saving all the data on a small memory card. This special application is later downloaded on a web browser, and the detailed flight can be viewed online by signed members. This product enables flight instructors and new pilots to re-visit their flight and mark both mistakes and achievements.
This product started out as a compact package including a laptop , two small digital cameras, a GPS center, and a memory card. Even though many flight schools and private instructors found this tool to be extremely helpful and purchased the kits in large numbers, we knew we were not reaching the full array of potential customers. That is when we came up with the idea for an iPhone app.
Considering the current social evolution, including the introduction of smart phones and constant accessibility to resources, we knew that a simple iPhone app (called Flyvie Lite) would be more applicable to the general aviation public. Indeed, just as we expected, once we came up with a free app which combines both the built-in GPS and camera applications on the iPhone, more people started showing interest. Even though the final product did not appear to be as professional as the initial product, pilots seem to prefer the accessible, friendly, cheap iPhone app (as long as they have iPhones, of course).
What I find the most fascinating about this experience is the obvious trend among any startups or technology mediated ideas: the necessity to attract more customers and expand the business using iPhone applications. The development of such app was a natural next step, which also ended up being a smart one.

Driven to Distraction

I work for an organization called Friday Night Live in Sacramento County. Friday Night Live (FNL) focuses on preventing drinking and distracted driving and promotes a positive place for middle school and high school students to make healthy decisions. One thing that I have learned while working for FNL is some of the startling statistics related to the dangers of distracted driving. Most aspects of distracted driving are related to abuse of technology such as fiddling with GPS devices, changing songs on an Ipod, texting, and talking on the phone while driving a vehicle. Despite recent legislation in the state of California making texting and talking on the phone illegal, many Californians take the risks and do it anyway. Focusing on these technologies takes a driver’s focus away from the road and makes them more likely to get into a crash. Most people say that it is obvious that texting while driving is dangerous and distracts drivers from the road, and yet most also admit to having done it. The dangers of distracted driving are so astonishing, that it appalls me to read news articles that companies are creating new technologies for drivers on the road.

The New York Times article “Despite Risks, Internet Creeps Onto Car Dashboards” published in January 2010 discusses companies like Intel and Google sharing their ambitions at the Consumer Electronics Show to shift their attention “from the desktop to the dashboard.” As if cell phone communications were not enough, now consumers will have the option to scour the internet while they drive. Despite efforts of safety advocates and lawmakers, these companies are once again putting profit over safety. The companies have stated that when the “Audi System” turns on, a warning message will read, “Please only use the online services when traffic conditions allow you to do so safely.” But honestly, do they really expect this to deter consumers from using their products when the conditions are not safe? In my opinion, we should not trust consumers with this option when it could jeopardize the lives of others on the road. Checking the weather or sending an e-mail should not be prioritized above the safety and well being of drivers and passengers on the road.

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