Now that Calgary Parking Authority (CPA) has settled the Parkplus parking management system ownership dispute and disclosed some key information (see endnotes), this reporter feels comfortable in sharing an exclusive inside look at one piece of evidence against Mr. Dale Fraser’s ownership claim without risking harm to the city and CPA’s legal case.
This key piece of evidence (you can judge for yourself to see if you agree it is “key” or not) was an August 2008 video interview with Mr. Dale Fraser conducted by this reporter. In the extensive August 2008 interview (where Alderman Dale Hodges was also interviewed), a variety of ParkPlus topics (including patents) were discussed. This video evidence was almost “lost” at one point as it was originally uploaded and stored on the now discontinued Google Video service!
Fortunately, after some help from a Google engineer friend, the August 2008 interview was recovered along with a few hundred uploaded videos. The video interview was useful enough that Calgary Parking Authority licensed it to help its case which is why I’m claiming this as an “exclusive inside look“.
Unlike the parties involved in the legal settlement (Calgary Parking Authority, City of Calgary, Mr. Dale Fraser, and Mr. Allan Bazar), I am an independent reporter and not bound by any confidentiality agreement.
An exclusive inside look at a key piece of evidence
In the August 2008 interview, former Calgary Parking Authority General Manager Mr. Dale Fraser told this reporter,
”Calgary Parking Authority did create the proprietary approach to this new parking system. And we [CPA] do have a patent-pending on this approach at this time.”
During the 30+ minutes interview, at NO point did Mr. Fraser leave this reporter with the impression the pending Canada/US ParkPlus patent was his (or his & Mr. Allan Bazar’s) personal invention or intellectual property. In fact, Mr. Fraser seemed to me quite clear in explaining the system was developed by MTS Allstream with the funds/resources from Calgary Parking Authority.
US patent is one of the most important ones to apply for, simply because the US is one of the largest markets and it has a reasonably strong patent protection regime.
[Please note that the interview is protected by copyright. License and use requests (including for press and media) are to be submitted via email and will be handled promptly.]
Endnotes: Although the settlement agreement has confidentiality clauses, the parties agree to disclose the following information (emphasis added) and I quote from the Media Release – ParkPlus Settlement – April 2013,
“(1) The Defendants, Dale Fraser, Allan Bazar and 1707626 Alberta Ltd., (now Intelli-Park Corporation) acknowledge that the City of Calgary and CPA are the exclusive owners of the ParkPlus SystemTM and that none of the Defendants has any right, title or interest whatsoever in the ParkPlus SystemTM; (2) While the ParkPlus SystemTM is valuable and all necessary consideration for settlement is acknowledged, there is no payment by the City of Calgary or CPA of any money whatsoever to any of the Defendants or any other person; (3) The claims and counterclaims in the action will be wholly discontinued without costs; and (4) The parties release each other from all claims and counterclaims in the action including any claims relating to the ParkPlus SystemTM or the employment of Dale Fraser and Allan Bazar with the City of Calgary and CPA.“
ScrewYouApple is a tiny Pentalobe screw-inspired film of action that plans to formally ask Apple to stop screwing customers & Think Different again! ScrewYouApple will explore Apple’s multi-billion dollar cash-generating machine (possibly including the powerful App store) and also document my journey to formally ask Apple to stop screwing customers and get Apple to return to the inspiring ideals set out in Apple’s iconic Think Different “The Crazy Ones” Ad campaign. In a creative manner for a documentary, I intend to use a Shareholder Proposal as defined by the US Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (specifically Rule 14a-8) to formally ask Apple to Think Different again!
Please support the making of ScrewYouApple by choosing a perk on the right of the screen to join us on this epic journey, to try to change the world for the better.
If the 1989 documentary “Roger & Me” could be simplistically summed up as a film about director Michael Moore pursuing General Motor CEO Roger Smith to confront him about GM’s harm to Flint, Michigan, then may be ScrewYouApple could also be simplistically summed up as a feature-length documentary about crowd funders & supporters of ScrewYouApple combining our voices to try toformally ask Apple senior executives and shareholders to stop screwing customers and to Think Different again.
The creative spark for ScrewYouApple came from the tiny Pentalobe screws inside a MacBook Pro (see picture). I wondered what design/engineering purposes would the five-pointed Pentalobe screws have in serving Apple or its customers? After doing some research (CNet & iFixit), I learned the tamper-resistant Pentalobe screws (now used in wide range of Apple devices including iPhones) are there to stop customers from performing simple upgrades/repairs like replacing a battery, etc (in a sense to “screw” the customers) so that Apple can make more money. These tiny screws can be viewed as tips of Apple icebergs floating on top a sea change.
With your support, ScrewYouApple will explore the Apple’s multi-billion cash-generating machine (possibly including the powerful App store) and also document my journey toformally ask Apple to stop screwing us (one possible question: stop the use of Pentalobe screws) and get Apple to Think Different again (returning to the inspiring ideals set out in “The Crazy Ones“). (more about “formally ask” in Q&A #2)
Specifically,ScrewYouApple will include a look at the changes/evolution happening in Apple from the 1997 Think Different days to the 2013 Apple of today holding billions of cash. And to reach out to “screwed” Apple customers/former fans to hear and collect some of their stories. By makingScrewYouApple a crowd-supported feature-length documentary, the film aims to transform our singular voices into something loud and clear enough for Apple to notice. The making of ScrewYouApple can be viewed as an example of Marshall McLuhan’s famous quote, “The Medium is the Message.” (more details in Q&A #3)
Please support the making of ScrewYouApple by choosing a perk on the right to join us on this epic journey, to try to change the world for the better. The film’s current target completion date will depend on when I can “formally ask” Apple but you will receive many updates and video clips to watch from me along our epic journey if the fixed-funding campaign goal is met by the deadline!
Thanks for your support in making this film possible,
Kempton Lam (director & producer)
P.S. I don’t hate Apple. In fact, you may be surprised by Q&A #1.
Kempton’s filmography
In 2004, Kempton single-handedly directed, produced, shot, and edited his documentary directorial debut “Long Hair Revolution“. The 71 minutes Long Hair Revolution is a film about the then newly elected Hong Kong legislator Leung Kwok-hung (nickname “Long Hair”), a Che Guevara t-shirt wearing rebel/activist. In 2005, Long Hair Revolution world premiered at the Calgary International Film Festival.
1) I don’t have a Harman JBL Charge unit of to test my concern yet, so this KemptonTestLab - Yellow Flag Caution note is based on my review of FCC filings and understanding from my previous “Review of six Harman/JBL Flips“.
2) Yellow Flag Caution: I did a FCC ID search using Grantee Code: API Product Code: JBLCHARGE to downloaded all 12 of the FCC filings for the JBL Charge (full list) to take a quick look of what kind of Bluetooth antenna it is using. Note: I encourage you to do the FCC ID search yourself and share your findings in the comment.
The fact that the Charge seems to be using the same faulty 1st generation JBL Flip antenna concerns me greatly. I have enough concerns (just to be safe) that I am issuing a Yellow Flag Caution to tell people be careful and make sure they check their units and see if they have any Bluetooth problems. If you ask me, I would much rather see the more robust 2nd generation Flip antenna being implement and used inside the Charge instead!
Harman JBL might be able to get away with using the faulty 1st generation JBL Flip antenna inside the Charge but I won’t know until I put the Charge under the very rigorous testing performed in KemptonTestLab!
Remember: KemptonTestLab: Only best products pass our tough tests!
Harman JBL Flip 1st gen antenna vs 2nd gen antenna
The six Harman JBL Flips in KemptonTestLab
Harman JBL Charge antenna - Yellow Flag Caution
3) As usual, I expect the JBL Charge to make great sound like the JBL Flip if you hardwire them. And the spec for the Harman JBL Charge seems quite awesome on the surface quoting the JBL promo document, ”10-watt portable stereo speaker with a high-capacity 6,000mAh Li-ion rechargeable battery, a built-in bass port and wireless Bluetooth® connection“
4) Let me point out that if the Charge is playing music directly from the device being charged (e.g. a phone), then the Bluetooth problem is not much of a concern because the transmitting devices (the phone) and the receiver (the Charge speaker) are right next to each other!
March 15th update: I read that YouTube user “6FeetDeep4U”‘s JBL Charge’s Bluetooth seems to be performing very well. I would love to see a test video made (and have suggested that). If 6FeetDeep4U does make a test video and embeddable, I would share it here and possibly revise my comments/”watch” temporarily until I’ve got a chance to find and test a JBL Charge myself in my own KemptonTestLab to benchmark against the other JBL Flips I’ve tested!
Shall Copyright Law trump Freedom of Press? The senior executives NASCAR and Encana seem to think copyright law should be more powerful than many people will permit it to be. I for one would love the Supreme Court of US and Supreme Court of Canada to decide some of these “copyright” cases so that any potentially ruthless & illegal actions cannot be taken again in US and Canada! Of course, IANAL (I am not a lawyer) and I rely on further instructions and guidelines from the justices at the two Supreme Courts to decide one way or another in each of the countries. Quoting an Feb 21st article by me,
“It should be noted that copyright law has been used in Canada in recent years to over-reach (in my opinion) into other unrelated areas. Take Euro-Excellence Inc. v. Kraft Canada Inc., 2007 SCC 37, [2007] 3 S.C.R. 20, a Supreme Court of Canada judgment on Canadian copyright law as an example, it ultimately is a case about the import of chocolate that somehow got twisted into a case about copyright.”
“Now the company is asking Chirbit to remove the clip, according to The Globe and Mail.
“Encana is the copyright owner of the Recording. It was expressly stated at the outset of the Conference Call that ‘this conference call may not be recorded or rebroadcast without the express consent of Encana Corporation,’” Encana told the web site in a letter.
“The Recording has been posted without Encana’s consent. The unauthorized use of this Recording clearly constitutes copyright infringement. … Encana views this matter extremely seriously and requests that you respond to the undersigned on or before the close of business on Friday, February 22, 2013, failing which, Encana will have no other recourse but to take all actions as may be available to it to protect its proprietary rights.”
Chirbit has declined the request, invoking fair use laws and saying that under its policy, anyone who wants audio removed from its site should ask the poster to do so.“
To me, it seems a case could possibly be made that Encana is trying to subvert freedom of press by using copyright law, ultimately if it comes to a lawsuit it will be up to the judicial systems to decide. Now you have listened to the recording, and read the relevant materials, do you think Encana is trying to subvert freedom of press by using copyright law?
Please share your thoughts and comments. All comments are moderated but all fair comments will be approved and I will defend your rights to freedom of speech.
Stretching and bending Copyright Law
It should be noted that copyright law has been used in Canada in recent years to over-reach (in my opinion) into other unrelated areas. Take Euro-Excellence Inc. v. Kraft Canada Inc., 2007 SCC 37, [2007] 3 S.C.R. 20, a Supreme Court of Canada judgment on Canadian copyright law as an example, it ultimately is a case about the import of chocolate that somehow got twisted into a case about copyright.
Note: I have made a record of the audio clip in question as a backup in case the original recording was removed for any reason or by accident. Freedom of press is a principal worth protecting and fighting for by all working jouralists.
This is the second (eps 02) of a series of extensive chats with Professor Emeritus C.C. Kelly Gotlieb, (Wikipedia) “Father of Computing in Canada”, Department of Computer Science, University of Toronto. In this video episode (as oppose to audio recording only in episode #1), we further discussed Google Driverless Cars and Google Glasses in a bit more details, and a few other topics. (I will try to provide a time code key when I have time later or if someone can help me with providing a time code key to the interview.)
P.S. Incidentally, I am happy to claim credit for suggesting Kelly to setup a Google+ account and then also helped him to setup his computer this morning so that we were able to conduct a successful Live Broadcast using the Google+ Hangout On Air technologies using its YouTube engine! It puts a smile on my face in helping the man who helped bought the second electronic computer (a Ferranti machine for $300,000) in the world in 1951 to use Google’s cutting edge technologies to broadcast live from his and my home!
P.S. Most people just want to think “What a lucky guy?! People have no idea Jesse Heiman has been an actor (working as extras and other roles) for 12 years and has an extensive resume!
I love this quote, ““Ben Hogan said, ‘Golf is a game of luck, the more I practice, the luckier I get.’ The harder you work, the luckier you are.” Yes, before you attribute others’ success on “luck”, work hard, very hard. You may then earned the “luck” to experience Louis Pasteur’s “Chance favors the prepared mind.” yourself one day. I work very hard to get lucky. Wish me luck (or success)! :)
“This is an opportunity. The entire world is watching and there is nothing on. So quickly, everyone pull together a design, a caption, the folks from Oreo were in the room, and we got something out in just a few minutes [kempton's note: 360i was ready in only 5 mins after the power outage but waited for 5 more mins to confirm people were safe before the tweet].“ - Sarah Hofstetter, president of 360i (WSJ Video interview, Feb 4th, 2013)
KemptonTestLab: Only best products pass our tough tests!
Review Scores for Harman JBL Flip:
Sound alone: 9.5/10 1st generation Flip Bluetooth antenna: ranging from 1/10 to 4.5/10 2nd generation Flip Bluetooth antenna: 7/10
In this article I will focus on the two brand new Harman/JBL Flips with new enhanced antenna design (Flip #5 & #6 in my set of six Flips), freshly made from Harman/JBL factories in China and express couriered to me. I want to thank Andy, Global Product Line Manager of Harman Lifestyle in kindly arranging the new units to be shipped to me for testing. And special help from Chris, Senior Director of Brand Marketing of Harman International in connecting me with Andy. Without their help, I am sure my Harman/JBL Flip experiences would have been even worst!
So I won’t repeat many of the points I made in “Review: 4 JBL Flip #Fail Wireless Speaker (Bluetooth + Sound) using Logitech Mini Boombox as Benchmark“.For example, you can read what I wrote about the original antenna design and the new enhanced antenna designs for the JBL Flips (with pictures). Here are links to the raw FCC filings and a pix of the original and new antenna design in case you are very technical and want to go straight to the sources anyway.
To be direct, I had fully expected the two new Harman/JBL Flips would be (should be) flawless. So I have been extremely disappointed again to see such a wide variation between two Flips! Watch the above review video again to see for yourself. Yes, Harman/JBL Flip #6 performed close to flawlessly, in fact very close to (but not quite as good) as the Bluetooth of the Logitech UE Mobile (see benchmark video). (update: I’ve performed additional tests on the Harman/JBL Flips #5 #6, and have discovered some additional problems. See my update at the end for a video of the test and some brief notes.)
The Flip #5′s performance was weaker in comparison to Flip #6. Why can’t I expect Harman/JBL to delivery better results simply be as good (not even “better than” but just “as good as“) as what others can do effortlessly?
I don’t want to draw conclusion from a sample of two Flips with the new antenna design because that will mean a defective rate of 50% on the production process. Was it workmanship, was it faulty Bluetooth chip, was it bad wiring, was it bad antenna component, did the wire come loose in the shipping process? I don’t know. But what I know is that any of these should not have happened.
Some people who left comments in my articles or YouTube videos attack or insult me personally, I just laughed them off. For one thing, there are some people will little expectations from their Bluetooth speakers. I, on the other hand, have seen how great distance with solid transmission that the magical Bluetooth speakers can perform if the manufacturers have done the right design, assembly, production jobs in their Bluetooth components (e.g. Logitech UE Mobile).
I don’t want to repeat what I said on camera in the concluding last bit of my review video, but I think it is fair to say Flip #5 (plus Flip #1, #2, #3, and #4) fell very very short of what I would expect from a major brand name like Harman/JBL that has a supposed track record built from years of excellent products and services. Since we are talking about brand reputation here, it is ultimately left in the hands of the like of Chris, Senior Director of Brand Marketing of Harman International, and other senior executives to decide how best to resolve these problems.
Serial Number Cutoff (SNC)
Quite a few readers and YouTube commenters have asked me what is the Serial Number cutoff (SNC) for the Flip with new antenna design so they can exchange for a “good” one without being frustrated more by needing to return/exchange/refund? I’ve asked Harman/JBL repeatedly for the SNC without any success. Read the rest of this entry »
Late last night, I interviewed Ms. Yasmin Nakhuda, owner of Darwin (IKEA) Monkey over the phone. Have a listen to the extensive phone interview first before you leave any comments. If your comment don’t show you have actually listened to the interview, I reserve the right to not approve it. I have seen way too many comments on articles/posts about this issue that have gone totally out of control elsewhere (CBC and other media outlet) and I won’t let it happen here. So please keep your comments brief, to the point, and don’t make any personal insults or groundless attacks. Disagreement is fine, strong critique is ok, but pointless insults are decidedly NOT!
As the issue of Darwin (IKEA) Monkey is in front of a court (case is scheduled to appear in front of a judge on Jan 31, 2013) and hotly discussed/debated amongst Canadians, all the readers comments will be heavily screened & monitored me. We are civilized people and many of us are Canadians so we are better than those people who cannot ground their arguments in facts and reasons. Former Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau got it wrong with his so call “Reason before Passion (La Raison Avant la Passion)“, in our social media age where anyone and everyone can have their worldwide platform and LIVE video broadcast channel, we must aspire to have “Reason alongside Passion“.
2) Can anyone help me here? I like to find the court filings by Story Book Farm Primate Sanctuary online. Have the Sanctuary or its lawyer posted these documents online? If you know where to find them, please leave a note in the comment as I would like to read them.
3) I found the court filings by Ms. Yasmin Nakhuda online here at her lawyer’s website and I found them useful to read. I suggest you read them to understand what were said under oath by Officiers Joseph Florillo and David Behan describing what exactly happened during the own process of them taking Darwin.
After interviewing Yasmin for over 40 minutes last night, I cannot disagree more with people who hear or know about the case from reading a headline here and there and watching a minute or two of news clips and then went on to insult Yasmin, her family, and even her children. Lets ground our discussion and look at the facts and situation surround this specific case of the lovely Darwin (IKEA) Monkey.
On a very personal note, I hope and wish for wisdom in the judge for this case and that the best outcome for Darwin will be delivered. Yes, may be I’ve watched way too many episodes of Judge John Deed (especially loving the earlier seasons 4, 1, and 2), I hope the judge for this case is as wise or wiser than Judge Deed!
P.S. Thanks again to Yasmin for her time to be interviewed by me. And special thanks to Calgary Public Library for stocking great TV DVDs like Judge Deed. Not unlike pure mathematics, we sometimes learn a lot more about justice from a fictional drama than real life court cases that can be very messy at times.
P.P.S. I wrote a light hearted “funny” piece about Darwin “Top 10 Reasons why Monkey Darwin shops at Ikea & No charges by T.O. police!” on Dec 10th, 2012. Even it was meant to be a funny piece, I do insist on my thinking and comments to be solidly grounded. Compare to that time, I think my positions and views have now definitely changed given the new information I have come to learn about this case.
Dr. Sarbjit Sarkaria (Sarb) is my long time super smart friend and former colleague at MDA where we both worked on the Transport Canada large scale software project CAATS (Canadian Automated Air Traffic System). Here is a long ago tidbit of information that even Sarb may have forgotten but not me. You see, Sarb was also the super forward-looking smart person who introduced me to the then little known research search engine Google years before it becomes popular. I remember at the time DEC’s AltaVista was the popular search engine that I used frequently.
In a world full of Lance Armstrongs and Lance wannabe where winning is everything, it is important to remember the true reason we compete in sports, paradoxically, is not JUST about winning. International sports competitions should be about building international friendship on a clean competing platform. (see note 2)
And sometimes, even during the toughest and highest competitions like the Olympics, there can be selfless acts! Here is one selfless act that I LOVE in 2006!
“Norwegian coach Bjørnar Håkensmoen gave [Canadian] Sara Renner a ski pole after hers was broken when a competitor stepped on it during the cross-country team sprint at the 2006 Winter Olympics. Norway’s athlete ended up fourth, implying that this selfless act of sportsmanship may well have cost the Norwegian team a medal.[1] Renner gave Håkensmoen a bottle of wine as a thank you, while other Canadians responded with phone calls and letters to the Norwegian Embassy. Canadian businessman Michael Page donated 8,000 cans of Maple Syrup to the Norwegian Olympic Committee to show his gratitude.[2] The incident was immortalized in a 2010 Winter Olympics television commercial.[3]“
At the end of the day, winning must NOT be everything. Thank you Norway, thanks for helping us but more importantly, how to behave in a selfless manner. You guys rock! World class athletes don’t just set examples by how many medals they have or how many world records they’ve broken, the selfless-act by Norwegian coach Bjørnar Håkensmoen inspire us to rise up to be more, to be noble. Here is an ad capturing the essence.
I will never want to leave someone without means to make a living and be destitute. But Lance has made enough money (I will leave the morality of how he made those money for you to judge) for him and his family to live comfortably for life, so I am safer to be blunt in saying I have enough of Lance and don’t want to see him compete ever again and him promoting/selling anything. I respect my friends who are deeply affected by his story of fight against and winning his battle with cancer. But for me, I know people with cancer who behaves totally honourably without needing to resort to and falling so low as to try to win at all cost.
Note 1: If you ask me, Lance’s latest strategically targeted & planned TV appearances is nothing other than an insincere attempt to win back our broken hearts. Yes, his battle against cancer, his great charitable work, his drugs-assisted wins, his bullying, and all his lies are paradoxically inspiring, hurtful and insulting all at once. And Lance has #fail to win me back.
Note 2: Think of jousting, it was a sport that people from opposing groups “compete” in a manner that sometimes could result in deaths just to show who is “better” in the sport.
Jan 19th, 2013 update: See bottom of this article for 1)a brief discussion about the above picture of “JBL Flip Antenna – Original and post-Class II Change” and more. A new video of “Logitech UE Mobile Bluetooth test benchmark”.
Let me share with you my story of how I end up owning FOUR (4) JBL Flip Speakers that sound GREAT but with varying degree of Bluetooth problems ranging from “comically terrible” to “just terrible“.
(A) Before JBL Flip – We’ve looked at JAMBOX, Logitech mini-boombox, Logitech UE Mobile Boombox, Beats by Dr. Dre Pill, Antec SP1, Bose SoundLink II
My better half and I love music and want a good deal! Before I came to falling in love with JBL Flip, we’ve looked at almost all the bluetooth speakers that we can physically touch and test locally in Calgary (at Best Buy, Future Shop, Apple Store, Memory Express, and London Drugs)! (Notice I wrote “I came to …” because my better half probably still want to return it!)
1) What started the ball rolling for us was the unbelievably well reviewed & hyped Jawbone JAMBOX! Unfortunately, we discovered it sounded like a piece of garbage at max volume when we tested it at Best Buy, and it isn’t that loud.
2) The Logitech mini-boombox can do loud and won’t crack at max volume but lack richness in tone. Plus it isso light that at max volume, the vibration will move the speaker around! I joked that it want to jump off the table to kill itself!
3) We also tested the Logitech UE Mobile Boombox (a supposedly improved 2nd generation) in a loud-ish Apple Store, its sound (at max) totally underwhelm us especially we know how loud the first gen mini-boombox can do.
4) Beats by Dr. Dre Pill is simply an expensive piece of garbage in its sound. We are and will never be into paying lots of money to simply buy a product because of its brand name or its look.
5) Antec SP1has low price (on sale) but also terrible weak sound to match.
6) Bose SoundLink II is probably one of the best sounding Bluetooth speaker we have come across. I haven’t tested it for Bluetooth performance but its sound is so rich and powerful and we were almost willing to pay like $330 (way above our original budget) for it. But its big size and heavy weight stopped us because we (especially my better half) do want to move it around, including to the bathroom so she can listen to music!
7) Once we confirmed none of the other works, we ended up ordering the unbelievably great priced JBL Flip from Apple Store.
(B) Some words of praise first before my review
I first thank Elizabeth, the Apple Online store customer service agent that helped me with my first faulty JBL Flip. Here is what I tweeted and I still whole hearted believe. (I may explain in another time)
“Best Customer service Agent of 2012: Elizabeth @ #Apple online store! #awesomecustomerservice #waybeyondexpectation #yyc #canada“
I also want to thank Chris, Senior Director of Global Branding & Marketing of Harman, for taking time last week (during the busy time before CES) to call me personally and explain to me the JBL Flip issues as he was told by Harman’s engineers. And arrange his staff to ship two replacement Flips for me.
(C) Review: 4 JBL Flip #Fail Wireless Speaker ( Bluetooth + Sound) using Logitech Mini Boombox as Benchmark
As Harman engineer explained to Chris, Bluetooth problems were discovered in a proactive manner by Harman engineers and things were changed in the recent production run so that the two new JBL Flips Harman sends me will not have any bluetooth issues. Plus Chris reassured me that the four JBL Flips in his home all worked great with no problems. Unfortunately, my home testing showed that all 4 JBL Flips (including the two units sent to me as per Chris’ order) have varying degree of Bluetooth problems, ranging from “comically terrible” to “just terrible”. Without further delay.
The first JBL Flip might have been a simple faulty unit. But after testing and confirming four #fail JBL Flip units with respect to their Bluetooth, including two units sent directly to me by Chris with the reassurance that the two (presumably based on their serial numbers and inside knowledge of the production runs) will have perfectly working Bluetooth, I am now inclined to think there may be a design flaw in the JBL Flip itself. (Of course, it is also possible that the Harman engineers were mistaken re the good/bad Flips’ serial numbers.)
You see, I am an independent reporter and I love music. I’ve put in so much time into this so I will follow through this matter for you, my readers, and try to discover what went wrong and why. And to see how things will turn out at the end. I want to find out what will Harman do, not just for me, but for all JBL Flip customers that have similar faulty Bluetooth.
I know Chris is working hard at CES 2013 in Vegas this week so I will reach out to Chris after I publish this and may be arrange to talk to him later to figure out something.
(E) My advice for readers
If you have bought a JBL Flip with faulty Bluetooth, you really have to think for yourself and decide what and how you want to deal with the situation. After all, Flip sounds great for $100. If it doesn’t sound as good, I would have long forget about this and returned it.
Do you only hardwire your Flip to your device (e.g. a laptop or desktop computer), then these Bluetooth issues don’t concern you.
If you always put your device next to the Flip so they are very close, then the bluetooth problems I show don’t concern you too.
But if you are like me, playing music from my phone (which I carry around in my office and home) then the Bluetooth problems concern you very much. You may want to seriously consider refunding the unit and pick something else. At press time, I have no data to support me (give I’ve got four and they ALL #fail on me) that your replacement will be any better.
If you own a JBL Flip and uses its Bluetooth extensively and move around a lot, please share your experience and the environment your device and the speaker are located relative to each other. Make a video to share if you will. Something as simple as mine will give viewers a good idea of what the environment is like and how easy will it fail.
*****
Jan 14, 2013 update: The above links to a picture of “JBL Flip Antenna – Original and post-Class II Change“. I’ve been reading various FCC filings by JBL and Logitech to try to figure out what went wrong. So Harman/JBL changed the antenna design to fix some reception problems and all four of my JBL Flips (including two shipped to me directly from Harman’s HQ) have been made before the changes were implemented. They all have serial numbers before the cut off.
I will be in touch with Chris from Harman again, hopefully later today. Will share more if I have more information.
P.S. The FCC filings are actually quite informative to read. To research for this article, I’ve scan/read the two sets of JBL Flip FCC filings. And also two sets of FCC filings for each of Logitech mini-boombox and Logitech UE Mobile.
Jan 18, 2013 update: Two new JBL Flips are being sent to me “freshly made” right from the factory in China as I type this. They hopefully should get to me by Monday. Will try to test these new Flips with new Antenna when I get them. I’ve also asked Harman/JBL in providing me with the serial number cutoff for the Flips with new antenna design. Until I receive that official cut-off, if any readers having similar Bluetooth problems ask me, I will try to come up with something based on my new Flips. Will see when we cross that bridge.
In case you are interested, here are links to the public FCC filings by Harman/JBL re the Flip speakers so far.
4:35pm, Apr 28, 2013 update: While I can’t verify this but someone posted this JBL Flip second generation antenna design serial number cutoff on Amazon,
“They provided me s serial number cutoff of GG0054-189100. All units above this number will have the new modified JBL Flip with the new antenna.“
“I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do.” - Leonardo da Vinci (in my Quotes I Love collection)
In this article, I plan to share with you some of my less technical but hopefully more “timeless” thinking based on my experiences in using Google+ Hangout On Air (G+ HOA) and what I’ve seen other broadcasters used G+ HOA since Google launched this powerful feature in September 2011.
1) LIVE On Location
G+ HOA used on location on the streets of Montreal, Canada. Many would agree that the 2012 Quebec students lead protests, in hindsight, played an important role in bringing down the Quebec government. Former KOMU news anchor Sarah Hill helped a freelancer named Jean Francois Desmarais of Canada to bring live and unfiltered street protest images to the world.
My thoughts: Breaking news, live on location reporting can now be done extremely “light weight” by anyone without affiliations with any news organization. Broadcasters used to be the only ones to have the power to decide the how, who, what, when, where, and why of live reporting. G+ HOA and other live streaming tools have now given everyone that power if they choose to exercise it.
Broadcasters now risk becoming irrelevant if they ignore the citizens’ abilities to break news using G+ HOAs and other technologies and then distribute the YouTube Live video links via Twitter, Facebook, and Google+, etc.
2) LIVE One-on-One Interview
It is not easy to find an intersex individual in Calgary to interview on camera to shine light on this sensitive topic. So it was my pleasure to get to know the Netherlands based Maya Posch for some months before an an opportunity presented itself and I took the initiative to interview Maya to talk about her court case.
My thoughts: Similar to old-school journalism, we have to slowly and methodically build our network of contacts and experts over months and years, and when the opportunities present themselves, G+ HOA turn out to be great too to broadcast and capture these insightful interviews. I used the G+ community to help me to gather the needed information in a prompt and efficient manner and then used the G+ HOA to broadcast and record the interviews.
3) LIVE One-on-One Discussion
The consumption of shark fins and how the fins are “fished” (sometimes via the brutal method of shark finning) have become a global issue in recent years. Highlighted by a recent series of photos and shocking AFP video “Outrage over Hong Kong’s ‘shark fin rooftop’”. Last Friday (Jan 4th, 2013), I took the initiative to arrange a live discussion with Calgary anti-shark fin ban group spokesman Richard Poon. I wore two hats in the discussion, on top of trying hard to be a fair an independent reporter and allowing Mr. Poon to present his points, I also spoke as a Chinese Calgarian that is distressed by my fellow Calgarians’ anti-shark-fin-ban actions.
My thoughts: First of all, old school journalism (connection & persistent) got me to take initiative to arrange a discussion with Mr. Poon. And instead of a private discussion or interview over the phone, I got Mr. Poon to agree to discuss with me LIVE in a public G+ HOA as I promised an uncut video of the full chat. The discussion can then become part of an informed discussion for the public to fact check and better understand the issues.
4) The “60 Minutes” of Google+ Hangout On Air
Before Don Hewitt created 60 Minutes in 1968, a show that “pioneered many of the most important investigative journalism procedures and techniques“, who would have thought such a show is possible, will be watched, and even made good money for the creator and broadcaster all at the same time??!! Note that I’m using “60 Minutes” as an example of something brand new and unseen before instead of its pioneering role in investigative journalism.
It is way too early to say what “shows” can become the “60 Minutes” of this Google+ Hangout On Air space yet but I have a few personal favourites. Maria Quiban‘s Fox LA G+ HOA and Melissa Carlson‘s KRNV News 4 Forum are two very engaging HOA shows that I am a frequent participant because I’ve a great time participating and watching. Instead of trying to explain in words, allow me to show.
4A) Here are three sample clips from Maria‘s Fox LA G+ HOA.
I think we are still at the dawn of Google+ Hangout On Air and the likes of ”60 Minutes” of G+ HOA has not been discovered by the general public yet. But that time will come.
“The future is already here — it’s just not very evenly distributed.” – William Gibson
I consider myself one of the lucky ones who has a glimpse of the future by “chance”. Lets revisit the quote I started this post with.
“I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do.” - Leonardo da Vinci
My Advice: Go apply it! What are you waiting? Go do it!
——-
Special Thanks: I haven’t gone through formal j-school training so I feel uneasy in giving advices to professional/aspiring journalists. But when my talented and charming friend Marissa Schwartz, producer at KRNV News 4 (NBC) who is finishing up her Masters at Reynolds School of Journalism, asked me to share some Google+ Hangout On Air tips/advices for her Masters project, I have no choice and gladly said yes. I just hope you are not harmed by my ramblings or as my friend put it, “my brand of poison“.
Few hours ago YouTube released Rewind YouTube Style 2012 featuring remixes of two of the most popular and frequently remixed songs on YouTube this year. Yes, they are of course Gangnam Style (973+ million views) & Call Me Maybe (361+ million views). I’ve no doubt that Rewind will gain millions of views thanks to being featured on the YouTube icon alone plus it has PSY and a long long long list of stars featured in Rewind. (see below)
I’m first of all puzzled and wondering “Why is @IKEACanada silent during global trending Twitter #ikeamonkey ?” I see people from around the world on Twitters write and write about #ikeamonkey. And the media outlets not just in Canada but from aroundtheworld are also turning this into a viral discussion! But then paradoxically, I see the @IKEACanada account (yes, the official verified IKEA Canada Twitter account) being completely silent on #ikeamonkey! Why is the IKEA Canada social media tweeting nothing about #ikeamonkey? And, more seriously, why is the Toronto-based Leo Burnett, IKEA’s creative agency of record (since March 2011) NOT convincing IKEA Canada to do something creative and fun to engage all the people tweeting about IKEA!
Questions for Leo Burnett & IKEA Canada
Why is Judy John, chief creative officer, Leo Burnett and her team doing nothing? Are there heavy resistent from IKEA Canada? Now, may be they are doing something but in the Twitter age inside a perfect viral storm, one viral #ikeamonkey day is easily more than 100 human days! Since monkey Darwin was first spotted by shoppers at 2 p.m. ET Sunday, so one viral #ikeamonkey day (100 human days) has officially passed without something fun or engaging from @IKEACanada or Leo Burnett! What a waste of social media positive energy.
Lets have some fun IKEA Canada & Leo Burnett
There are many ways to engage and have fun. I spent a few quick minutes to come up with a few. Feel free to post and share yours in the comment.
Here are my free #ikeamonkey ideas/advices 2 @IKEACanada & @LeoBurnett#hint #youshouldreallypayme4myideas #yyc #canada
At this point, some thoughtful social engagement by @IKEACanada about #ikeamonkey will tremendous good for IKEA as a global brand.
Now, I don’t mean to criticize Leo Burnett (Toronto) too harshly as I think they have done some great work over the years like this one, “Ikea’s Cardboard Outdoor Posters Fold Down Into Moving Boxes Take one and start packing.” But I just can’t help but think about the wasted positive worldwide fun & positive attention to IKEA (not just IKEA Canada). What a waste! I feel like someone dumping tons and tons of preciously liquid gold randomly into ocean, once lost, they can’t be found again! It sucks!
Update: I rethink a little, since this is an article about social media, I will wait & see if @IKEACanada or @LeoBurnett see my Twitter tags re this article or do anything today. If I have time or want to do a followup article on this, I will then call up Leo Burnett and see if I can get a comment.
Note: This post is cross-posted by me at examiner.
Alison Klayman, director of Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry, was very nice and cool to do her first post-Oscar-shortlist video interview with me on the day after she came back from a Bangkok film festival trip. Here is my video interview with Alison.
I just noticed on the back wall in the following film still, the pictures are the concept drawings that lead to the Remembering (2009), an installation for the Façade of the House of German Art.
Alison and I talked about the middle finger salute in the interview. To me, it is a show of defiance to the powerful, be it the one-party ruled Chinese government or any other governments or powerful institutions.
“The NHL Players’ Association says 18 players will attend the session, including Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews, Ryan Miller, Shane Doan and Mike Cammalleri.
In earlier report, there was talk of six NHL players and now we know there are 18. Lets look at some facts, the NHL players are great at playing hockey, and some are probably very smart and intelligent individuals worthy of our admiration. But it is far to say, the physical fitness and their power and skill on ice are the tools of their trades. How the NHL players make their millions.
On the other hands, the six NHL owners are all millionaires (if not billionaires)! And they acquire their wealth over the years by being good in businesses, investments, etc which has negotiation skill as a core part of their skill set. Sure, this negotiation is quite unique thanks to an idea by NHL CommissionerGary Bettman. But then lets not forget Mr. Bettman was hired by the NHL owners “with the mandate of selling the game in the U.S. market, end labor unrest …“.
I personally think the owners may have an edge if we are talking purely about negotiation. But at this point Canadian hockey fans don’t really care if the millionaires or the billionaires win/lose and for how much. They just want to watch some NHL hockey!
What do you think? Do you care about the negotiation results (who win and by how much)? Or are you completely fed up now and won’t even watch the games if they come back?
RT @emmgryner: OMG just got off the phone w @Cmdr_Hadfield who signed off saying "see ya when I get back to Earth"...and I got chills 5 days ago
RT @WilliamShatner: I watch @Cmdr_Hadfield 's Space Oddity video last night and I have 2 words for him: "SHOW OFF!" I'd even look good floa… 5 days ago
RT @emmgryner: I am going to bed blown away by all the feedback and love re @Cmdr_Hadfield's Space Oddity. So proud to be a part of it. Wow… 5 days ago
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