Nerd Stalker

CES Award winning COBI Provides Smartphone Interface For Your Bike If you are at CES this year, you have to check out COBI. COBI is a system that connects your smartphone with your bike in a modern, connected and safe manner. COBI is a somewhat new breed of system developed in Germany that uses the supercomputer in that smartphone of yours as your bicycle's dashboard. As Andreas Freitag discusses in the following interview, COBI hopes to integrate the standard accessories (rear light, front light) with modern technology (Auto-on light, turn signals, location base, hands free listening and communication, etc.). Being German they have high expectations for the product and you should too. Check it out!

COBI's Andreas Freitag Talks About His View of US Urban Bike Culture Photo Courtesy of COBI We sat down with COBI America's Andreas Freitag where he discussed the changing urban bicycling culture. In general, the US is still car-first. Andreas comes from a culture where the bike is so utilitarian, just like Japan and other parts of the world. What is making the change in our urban environment - limited space and parking. In startup mecca, San Francisco, we have seen a steady pro-biking commuting culture being driven here driven by limited parking, younger healthy culture and safer routes. Below is a picture from the city's Bicycle Coalition of SF's Market Street bicycle route and counter near the Twitter building. Community is part of culture and the Bicycle Coalition is providing the community aspect of culture building here in San Francisco. Picture courtesy of Biking Coalition The question is how tech needs to work with bicycles and be safe. In the follo...

WIRED and Conde Nast Entertainment Brings 4 Entertaining Star Wars Videos Finally, it’s almost here - today is the years-long anticipated premiere of ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens' and people fighting for line position to the box office. We have some great Star Wars videos on the WIRED channel of Condé Nast Entertainment's   The Scene to help you wait out long waiting lines. Thanks to Conde Nast Entertainment for sharing the force with us.

gumi COO Takeshi Sankawa talks about Japanese mobile gaming market and expansion into international waters Foreign games in the US are not just about localization anymore. At a recent preview event at the Blackbird Bar in San Francisco, two Japanese companies - gumi and Colopl previewed some of their titles geared towards the western market. We sat down with gumi COO, Takeshi Sankawa, and talked about the world's #1 mobile game market - Japan, where mobile is bigger than console. Sankawa also gives a view of what the role of big Japanese game studios is for game developers(Japan & US) to enter new markets on both sides of the ocean. Give it a view.

Ericsson Shares Results of Consumer Trends Report The view of half of all smartphone users surveyed by  Ericsson ( ERIC )  as part of its  '10 Hot Consumer trends for 2016'  report says Smartphones will disappear in five (5) years time.  Ericsson surveyed 6,600 smartphone users aged 15-69 in 13 major cities around the world. We provided all the videos in one place below. Check it out.

Adolfo Foronda and Greg Viloria share their Holiday Picks Adolfo and Greg rip off their top gift picks for 2015.

Ariana Pierce Shares Personal Tips on Creating a Quality Blog Today, people considers blogging as one of the most influential sources and one of the most trusted sources . Starting one isn't the formula for success, creating and sustaining a quality blog is the definition success.  Entrepreneur and Author Ariana Pierce  tells you why a quality blog is important and gives you five (5) tips for creating a quality blog with tips like Creating a Blog Name, Creating a Vision for the Blog, Do Research For Your Blog, and more. Check it out!

This video showcases two Japanese’s passion for dancing, under the collaboration of Kawasaki Heavy Industries Robot Business, who is fully supporting  a society where human beings and robots coexist . It answers the question: what happens when you mix Kawasaki Heavy Industries’ high-end technology and people’s creativity? Brilliantly synchronizing people and robots’ moves,  this video beautifully and expressively illustrates a future where human beings and robots live in symbiosis.   The Kawasaki Heavy Industries Robot Business Center will keep taking challenges to further promote the coexistence between people and robots. The time being, you are invited to discover this special video. For more information on the project, please visit: http://global.kawasaki.com/en/ stories/robotics_challengeK? id1

Greg & Special Guest Johnny Mota Talk About Trending Weekly Tech News Picks of the Week: Amazon suffers potential password leak , unknown number of accounts affected Unofficial app makes PlayStation 4 to PC streaming a reality Teens Can’t Differentiate Between Ads And Search Links " Drone Racing: The New Extreme Sport Why you should steer clear of the ' most used words ' Facebook quiz Speed Round : This futuristic-looking hoodie is designed to calm you down Kickstarter Unboxed: Beauty Science Kit Teaches Girls about STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Art & Math) Our crazy-fun new visual search tool

We cover the latest breaking updates to the Amazon Echo. " New This Week You can now find out when the next episode of your favorite TV show airs with the new Alexa third-party skill, TV Shows. Ask for any TV show and Alexa will respond with the date, time, and network the show airs on. Simply enable the skill in the Alexa App, then just ask: "Alexa, ask TV Shows what time does  The Walking Dead  start?" "Alexa, ask TV Shows what time is  Family Guy  on?" More to Try Alexa on the all-new  Amazon Fire TV  just got even better. In addition to providing music, news, weather, and sports, you can now also ask Alexa for info on local businesses and restaurants, and control  connected home devices , using the Fire TV Voice Remote—just hold the microphone button and ask: "Find me a nearby Chinese restaurant." "Dim the lights." Looking for another new skill to try? Simply open the Alexa App, select "Skills" from the menu, and ta...

Girls Pursing Science Introduces a Cosmetic Beauty Chemistry Kit to Encourage Young Girls into Science Today, we talk about STEAM - no not the gaming platform. It means S cience T echnology E ngineering A rt & M athematics which promotes the intersection of art and technology. One of the organizations leading the way for young women and girls, especially those in the disadvantaged minority category, is Girls Pursuing Science . We talk with J acquelyn Thomas , founder of Girls Pursuing Science on the Kickstarter campaign - BOS Chemistry Kit . This kit is built to encourage young girls towards science using their lifestyle as a backgrop. Check it out!

CAR ADAPTER The Automatic adapter plugs into the standard diagnostics port hidden under the dash in most cars since 1996. FREE MOBILE APP The Automatic app pairs with the adapter and displays useful information about your car and driving habits. CONNECTED CAR Now your car’s data can power apps from the Automatic App Gallery and connect your car to the rest of your life.

Phuc Ly Offers 5 Ways to Help Entreprenuers Lower Their Tax Stress Holiday coming up quick? Well, note to self, so is tax season. We aim to reduce your tax day stress during this holiday season if you follow some advice. As another feature for Entrepreneur month, the Nerd Stalker Media gang called on Phuc Ly(pronounced Foo-Lee) of Alpha B Group, to give you 5 ways to prepare yourself (the busy entrepreneur) for the next tax season and lower your tax time stress. Check it out!

Wired's Channel on Conde Nast Entertainment's "The Scene" Reports on this Exciting New Sport Welcome to the world of FPV Drone Racing. FPV means First Person View where the pilot and spectator  wear goggles and experience the race from the drone’s attached camera . You can call it a new industry, but the world of drone racing is quickly becoming a popular sport. This year was marked by the US  Drone Racing Nationals held at the California State Fairgrounds and covered by the national media. Poised to make its mainstream debut in 2016, The Drone Racing League is like car racing but features drones flying in mid-air at speeds of 90mph.  Check out WIRED Staff Writer Tim Moynihan  as he explores the world of drone racing in two new videos giving the viewer an overview of the sport and the technology behind it. Both videos just went live on WIRED’s channel on  THE SCENE ,  the premiere digital video storytelling platform from  Condé ...

Startup Blog Writer Taffy Williams Shares Insights into Failure for Entrepreneurs Today is Entrepreneurs' day and we would like to offer encouragement to entrepreneurs who maybe a little down and dealing with failures large and small. We take a deep dive with Taffy Williams , serial entrepreneur, author and writer about his article " 6 Facts entrepreneurs must know about failure ." Taffy shares his years of wisdom with some fun stories about failure and how to deal with it. Check it out!

GE Brings Back Promotional Classic Comic Book Series - Adventures in Science The classic American comic is back. General Electric (GE) and Wattpad  has worked together to choose 6 of the most popular writers on the Wattpad app to write original science fiction stories, inspired by original GE comic book covers from the 1950s and 60s. Toronto-based Wattpad is a free app that lets people discover and share stories about the things they are passionate about and boasts around 40 million users.

WIRED uses Lego to re-create the iconic scenes and structures from the original “Star Wars” trilogy, and then smash them into tiny pieces You nerds like seeing things blown up, right? In  Star Wars Episode III , the TIE starfighter suffered a devastating blow from asteroid impact.  In the latest episode of WIRED’s “Star Wars Lego Destruction” digital video series,  a slo-mo Lego replica of the crushing scene has been made. Check out the Tie Fighter in the video!

Adolfo and Sophia talk all things kid tech, forgive all the "ums" and "like's". Minecraft Crazy Craft Star Stable Just Dance WolfQuest Makies and Makies Fablab Animal Simulators Amazon Echo Zoomer Screen time discussion diverted. Emojis why? Animal Jam

IEEE Senior Member & USC Professor Jeffrey Miller Discusses Hurdles that Autonomous Vehicles Must Overcome With the excitement of autonomous vehicles comes the hurdles that the fledgling industry must make. Recently, the IEEE engaged in a round table discussion and subsequent survey on how the public perceives autonomous vehicles. The survey showed that the public is weary about safety, This week we spoke with Dr. Jeffrey Miller, senior member and professor of engineering at the University of Southern California where he shared his insight both from the round table discussion and the concerns from the survey. The survey results amongst IEEE social media followers showed safety and trust as the major concerns of this technology. As Dr. Miller points out in the interview, the Google car miles only represents 10 minutes in the LA freeway system. Give it a view!

Key Learnings from Car Rental Market Helps the Sharing Economy's CRM How many of you pay attention to that 1" x 1" box on your car rental form identifying existing damage? My feeling is not too many. This is exactly what Record360 is trying to solve. It is documented that the car rental industry loses  millions of dollars annually on uncollected vehicle damage costs  and some of the loses are just passed along to the rest of us . We talk with Shane Skinner , co-founder and CEO of Record360, about how his service will help not only the car rental industry but any rental or sharing economy service. Check it out!

IBM and 360Fashion Network Team Up to Bring China's High Energy Show to San Francisco Photo Credit: GSMA 360Fashion & Tech Runway Show - Shanghai This is not CES. IBM and 360Fashion Network has teamed up to bring the high energy fashion & tech show from China to the San Francisco Bay Area, November 3 at the City View at Metreon . The production is quite amazing as the Nerd Stalker crew were given an exclusive preview to the event last night. In our first impression, a fashion show is part display, theatrics and with tech mixed in. Quite an interesting visionary mix that anyone would want to experience. With the wearable world exploding, this event promises to merge the two worlds meet more in the middle. Also, the event is highlighting San Francisco State University Apparel Design and Merchandising students in an area called the "Startup Garden."  Apply here to attend. For a more in depth look, we caught up with Anina.net, the founder and CEO of 36...

Adolfo & Greg Talk About Trending Weekly Tech News Adolfo Foronda and Greg Viloria discuss the weekly tech news in their mind's eye. Check it out!

Students, get your maker shoes strapped on. The Institute of Electrical Electronic Engineers (IEEE)  latest initiative to support the community-at-large of engineers and makers, opened the  IEEE  DIY Project  last month .   The  IEEE  DIY Project is a competition that is asking students to solve life's problems, present a project that they have created at school or during their free time to a microsite developed by  IEEE .  Last year, 305 projects were submitted from around the world and the grand prize was awarded to Gaurav Gautam for his Wirelessly Operated Hand Glove Robot.  Whether it is robotics, wearable technology, software, hardware, or an alternative energy device, all real projects are accepted.  We interview   John Cohn , IEEE & IBM Fellow and contest evangelista on this contest and why it is important to the maker community. check it out!

Anon Miyamoto's Magic Flute Appears on the Mobile as a Puzzle Game What happens when a Mozart opera becomes game like and then turns into a game? That is exactly what has happened with the Mozart opera and what the iOS Game Magic Flute has turned into. Released worldwide in September, the game actually comes form Japanese director Anon Miyamoto's vision " as an allegoric trip through the virtual landscapes of a video game."   The game  was selected as the  “Best in Show”  title by the folks from  Gamezebo.   Check out designer Olaf Morelewski's interview about the game at the Casual Connect - San Francisco.

Doc's Time Input is Today When doc set the time machine it was 10.21.2015. A new documentary film, 'Back in Time' is, at its heart, a look at the very real impact the 'Back to the Future' (BTTF) movies have had on our culture.   In ‘Back in Time,’ cast, crew, and fans explore the classic time-travel trilogy's resonance throughout pop culture. As the project evolved it took them from the joyous nostalgia at a massive London fan event to the living rooms of Michael J. Fox, Robert Zemeckis, Steven Spielberg, Bob Gale, Lea Thompson and Christopher Lloyd as well as Huey Lewis, James Tolkan (“Mr. Strickland”) Claudia Wells (“Jennifer Parker”) and more.  They explore everything from Eric Stoltz’s casting to the invention of the hoverboard. Travelling throughout the world and leaving no stone unturned brings unparalleled behind-the-scenes access to the “BTTF” lexicon.  The Definitive Chronicle of the Iconic “Back to the Future” Trilogy Hits VOD and Selec...

Indie Gamers Who Caught Our Nerdy Eye at Casual Connect At the last Casual Connect - San Francisco, we spent a lot of time at the Indie showcase where our producer and game lover, Taiko Fujimura met four indie game developers with some great up and coming titles. Here are her picks. 

Adolfo & Greg Talk About Trending Weekly Tech News Adolfo Foronda and Greg Viloria discuss the weekly tech news in their mind's eye. Check it out!

This month, we take another journey with Examiner writer, entrepreneur and angel investor - Taffy Williams . We will go in-depth into an article on Examiner.com titled "4Ways Entrepreneurs Pay It Forward" . Taffy tells you why it is important to help others in society . Give it a listen or a view!

Adolfo & Greg Talk About Trending Weekly Tech News Adolfo Foronda and Greg Viloria discuss the weekly tech news in their mind's eye. Check it out!

Indie Game Developer Chris de Castro Shares Lessons Learned In another episode of Kickstarter Unboxed, we talk with indie game developer Chris de Castro who shares five big learnings of crowdfunding wisdom about his successful Kickstarter campaign with his indie game "The Wizards of Trinity Bellwoods". Check out below what Chris can share with other indie game developers on crowdfunding.

Mobile technology continues to change every industry, from education to security to wearables and healthcare. Join us at  GMIC Silicon Valley 2015  to hear from the people and companies that are leading this change. GMIC Silicon Valley, taking place  September 28-30 , will bring the mobile Internet community together for three days of thought-provoking sessions on the industry’s hottest topics and exclusive networking events. Led by mobile innovators, influential VCs and China's top tech leaders, the conference program will explore the changing landscape of mobile technology. Topics include Big Data, Wearables, IoT, Mobile Monetization, Gaming, Robotics, Security and more. Visit the  GMIC Silicon Valley blog  for the latest details. GMIC speakers are market-disrupting leaders from companies like LinkedIn, Google, Yelp, Misfit Wearables, Cheetah Mobile, Baidu, 3D Robotics, Poshmark and Salesforce.  Check out the complete list of speakers . ...

Aging in IT

Infegy's Atlas Engine Scores the Social Power Rankings Kansas City based Infegy has opened up a page tracking the top 50 social brands across the whole internet. In fact, you can  see the top brands by year going back to 2009, or by month so far in 2015. The list was created through analysis of total conversations, brand sentiment and purchase intent. Rion Martin, Director of Marketing at Infegy, said "the report analyzed more than 800 brands worldwide and drew on millions of online conversations." From the tech point of view, there were 24 tech brands in the Top 50 and 16 were online brands which is where all the conversation is happening. A notable that raised our nerdy brows was Soundcloud at number 11 beating out YouTube at number 13. The dashboard shows not only rank but gender conversation and sentiment by gender, purchase intent and the monthly trend. We interview Rion about the report and some of the things that their social analysis engine has discovere...

Adolfo & Greg Talk About Trending Weekly Tech News Adolfo Foronda and Greg Viloria discuss the weekly tech news in their mind's eye. Check it out!

Have you heard about Stitch.net? Stitch.net or "Stitch" is a startup funded by 500 Startups and is out to bring people 50 years old and over together for companionship, travel partners or even a relationship. Think of it as a mashup of Meetup.com and a safe/secure Tinder. Stitch recently launched here in the SF Bay Area. Stitch is founded by the team who runs Tapestry - a successful Australian venture whose mission is to improve senior's lives by connecting them with their families via a private social network. Stitch boasts a secure, safe and private network where profiles are carefully viewed and connected through mutual desire - problems multiple current dating sites face today. We interview Marcie Rogo , co-founder, about how Stitch came to be and how it will help seniors with loneliness. Check it out!

GOP debates anyone? Our friends at Infegy , the social intelligence company, just announced that they will be showing in real time how the twitter discussion is flying around each candidate.  was generated in real-time using  Infegy Linguistics'  streaming text analytics API and Twitter's low latency  Firehose  data stream.  The dashboard shown above can also show twitter sentiment about each candidate in a dashboard - Favorability, Gender and Political issues. Join in at  http://debate.infegy.com/  for the twitter debates. Update: Looks like the twitterverse spoke - 1. Trump 2. Fiorina 3. Bush. The data is frozen, view it at  http://debate.infegy.com/

HuffPost expands their short form video production world. HuffPost is premiering its brand new Vine series, HuffPost 6x60 , with the first episode launching today. Each week, HuffPost's resident Vine star, Chaz Smith, will give a 360-degree look at the lives of ten 6-second celebrities in just 60 seconds. This week's episode features  Summer  Boissiere, aka vine handle _Summerella_, a 20-year ­old from Atlanta, Georgia who boasts 1.3M followers. Since taking off in the Summer of 2014, Summer Boissiere has used her popularity to propel her career as a singer-­songwriter and released 2 singles, “11 Something” and “Hide & Seek." Check out Chaz's interview with Summer here and check out their vine below

Gagan Luthra of Cypress Semiconductor explains their PSoC ecosystem Tech brands can be big and small but there is nothing better than to learn from the big tech brands. At the recent Maker Faire, we saw a lot of self-similarity amongst the chip makers (Intel, Atmel, TI, ARM and Cypress Semiconductor) aka tech brands on how they built their product ecosystems. Basically they did it with open access, education and community building. Even, Make Media itself has similar characteristics in their ecosystem - openness, education and community building. We speak with  Gagan Luthra , product marketing manager of Cypress Semiconductor on how a tech brand like  Cypress Semiconductor  creates an ecosystem around their products. Why is an product ecosystem important? For a small company or startup, it can provide the reach that can be beyond borders. An product ecosystem is one that is open, accessible and self-sustaining. This following 10 'must' list can be scalable or com...

Apple announces iPad Pro, Pencil, additions to Apple Watch, Apple TV Ampped Up and iPhone 6s, 6s Plus Hello nerds. We want to share Apple's announcements (Apple Watch, iPad Pro, Apple TV, iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus) in a different way. Through your pictures in social. Enjoy.

IoT Growth Hurdles Raised by Security, Software Interoperability amongst others Our friends at NJIT, aka New Jersey Institute of Technology, put together the following infographic on what the beginning of the next decade will look like for IoT. As the infographic state, 1.9 billion devices are connected today. But, in a recent Entrepreneur article " what could be limiting IoT growth will be Security and Software Interoperability ." As pointed in the infographic below, Security, Lack of Interoperatbility, Massive Data, Wireless Connectivity Costs, and Power Consumption are some of the hurdles that need to be solved in the coming decade. However, there will still be use cases driving IoT. For example, current use cases amongst municipalities will be through utilities and traffic. CIO of San Francisco, Mario Gamiño predicted that " Edge Computing ", putting algorithms into local devices, could drive IoT in cities in the area of transportation. The McKinsey Globa...