A couple of entrepreneurs with a love of hip hop would meet up and each would try to stump the other with trivia questions. Like playing the dozens, their impromptu game soon became addictive and before long, Maurice Thompson, Michael Dothard, and Ron Young realized they had something. “After a few solid days of doing this, we looked at each other and said, ‘someone else might enjoy this,’” said Thompson, 30. According 2 Hip Hop (A2HH), a trivia game based on hip hop lyrics was born.

A joint venture between Drip Entertainment and ClickArtist Media, A2HH, available for the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad, is a tough trivia game for hip hop aficionados–but it’s also accessible enough for those of us who know a lil’ something. The app launched in December 2009 and currently has roughly 10,000 downloads (iTunes; $.99). The company expects to reach 80,000 downloads by year-end.

According to Dothard, 28, the game is no trivial matter. “We saw this as an opportunity to pull together different generations of hip hop culture; two or three generations can sit down and enjoy [the game],” he says. “But we also wanted to make sure we were giving a respectful representation of what hip hop is.”
Indeed, one of the noticeable features of the game (and according to user feedback) is that it’s challenging. No softballs here. The team is working on Version 2, which will make the game a bit more accessible in terms of providing answers and scoring options for players. This includes the ability to share scores on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook, and even purchase the music through iTunes. Version 2 is set for a September release.

In addition to the download, the company hosts an A2HH  Monday night trivia game on Twitter (live at 8 p.m.),where sometimes, an errant hip hop artist might pop in to play.

Stressing that they are a “hip hop company embracing technology,” Young, 27,  says, “We also wanted to create something that would help people connect and appreciate older music in a new format.” “Technology and hip hop culture go hand in hand,” he notes, adding that the app development process has given the company great perspective on how the mobile marketplace is moving; it’s knowledge they plan to use going forward.

In addition to the mobile platform, the company is currently exploring options as diverse as board games, a TV trivia show, and multi-player gaming on the iPad and consoles.

This is what happens when you ask a question about a Ghostface Killah lyric?

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Full Disclosure: I am a console gaming novice, so what I say here might seem child's play to many of you.

After a couple of weeks of delay, I finally set up the Xbox 360. Console, gamer name, wireless, you name it. But then the darn thing would not recognize my computer. The problem? It's a Mac. Grrr.

Then I discovered Nullriver's Connect360. It's a cool piece of software that lets the Xbox recognize your Mac; this let me access my music and photos via the Xbox, too. I was gearing up for a fight, but the software installed effortlessly and worked (and so far continues to work) seamlessly. Connect360 also supports Shoutcast streaming and HD video streaming. You can download for free to try it out or purchase for $20. The company also makes MediaLink for Playstation 3 and Mac integration.

Let the gaming begin! (er, for "research" purposes, of course).

How can I improve my Xbox experience? Like to share apps,  tips?

Last week, my good friend Anthony Calypso and I had a conversation about his latest piece for TheGrio.com, which addressed a "dirty secret…that blacks don't tip well." Our chat led me to think about not just tipping but also the value that we place on each other–whether its in hiring and pay or patronage. Could it also be that black labor is considered less valuable by other black folk?

Certainly we've all heard and likely experienced the horror stories of "buying black," moments in which our desire to express racial solidarity goes awry. But we also have numerous stories of thriving black businesses and happy and loyal black patrons.

Still, I believe there is a larger conversation at play. One only has to look mainstream as a suggestion toward an answer. There is no secret that African Americans experience greater gaps in income and employment, and experience higher levels of unemployment than whites. Black women, for example, still earn just 64 cents for ever dollar earned by a white male.

So, there is that. But I wonder, have we internalized this de-valuation of each other? What do you think?

(Ok, I know this isn't exactly a "tech" topic, but over the years, I have had numerous conversations with black technologists on issues such as venture funding, access to resources, theft of intellectual property–a host of cases of black-on-black dealings that lead me to believe that the issue goes deeper than inadequate tipping. Thoughts?)

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Yesterday, I took two tech devices to my class, sort of a combination show-and-tell and teaching aid. The first, an original Apple iPod, drew lots' of comments: "it's so heavy," "when was it made?" "the wheel moves," "does it still work?" (yes), "why is there so much music from the 1980s?"(shhhh!)

The second device, an Ergo Audrey drew near silence, then ridicule. "What is that thing sitting over there?" asked one student, pointed, a look of near disgust on her face. Still more questions: "what's it  for" (it's an internet appliance "for women"), "why does it look like that?" (they were going for that 1950s appeal–you know, when women's fascination with kitchen appliances was at an all-time high–it's that sort of Mad Men-ish appeal we seem to have embraced now that we have a reasonably safe distance from the realities of 1950s and 1960s America.)

History and Desire

I have been reading and taking stock of the conversations about Apple's iPad. And I have to admit that after viewing the video with a colleague, I spontaneously tweeted out "iWant" for all the world to see. Friends were shocked–especially given that my blog is all about the practical, tempered, somewhat intellectual approach to tech. I later modified my desire with criticism, a very weak, "it doesn't have a camera" and a really lame personal hygiene joke.

Still, I let my memory take me back to my history with Apple products. Although I was practically raised on Macs, I did not own one until 1993, having had access to them in school as a young journalist. My purchase was a doozy–a Centris 610 fully loaded. Four months later, Apple discontinued the line. D'oh! Still, my Quadra (er, Centris) stuck with me until 2000, when the poor thing could stand no more. I switched over to PCs for a while, mostly because of necessity, but also because of a lovely little Satellite from Toshiba. I temporarily dallied with a Mac G3 before I found joy once again with an iBook G4. I'm now working on a MacBook.

But dammit, I want and iPad!

Despite the proclamations (including my own) of what it doesn't do, I want to think about what it does now, and the possibilities for building on this device. I remember being highly critical of the iPod touch when it was first released, even advising friends not to purchase it. But then I took one of my "think days." Once or twice a month, depending on my workload, I take a day off from email, phoning, media, and reflect.  I did a fair bit of reading that day, and started to think and ask myself questions: what is it for? who is it for? and even, why does it look like that?

It's very easy to chronicle a history of Mac failure, as many have done ad nauseam. More challenging is to think about what the iPad represents, what Apple wants to accomplish with it, what does it do for us,  the challenges and possible opportunities for the device. I've seen some good advice from Sarah Perez here about why you should wait. Michael Kirkpatrick also offers another good analysis of the "Epic FAIL" argument that is typically preferred over sound insight.

Let's take a day off from Babel and think.

Like Corvida, my expectations were high. I wanted to be wowed and wooed by innovative technology. As someone who has attended 50-11 CESs (and a COMDEX or two), I still go Lady Gaga for the annual event. And while there were certainly loads of interesting and thought-provoking tech, “innovation” is not necessarily the word I would use. It’s been pointed out to me (by mainstream media) that 3DTVs (with glasses that make my head hurt) and e-readers were the big news at this year’s show. How could I not see innovation? My guess is that I am working with a different set of rubrics.

• When we say innovation, what do we really mean? For me, innovative tech is something new that fundamentally changes the way we think and act—it changes minds, behaviours, and lives.
• Is it really innovation or a successful evolution of a technology? Is there the potential for tech to become innovative? I think we have to make those distinctions. The word (like the phrase “game changer”) gets thrown around a lot, and given this particular economic climate, I understand why there may the need to get people excited about ginormous 3D TV screens and e-readers. I get it. We have to buy stuff. Or do we?

This doesn’t mean that what we saw doesn’t have the potential to have a great impact on our lives. Here are a few things I saw that I think hold great potential:

• Microsoft’s Xbox, Project Natal—and really gaming in general. This is actually the most exciting space for me for several reasons. I have been interested in gaming narratives and the implications of game play in education ever since I first read Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game. Microsoft’s moves with Xbox and Natal, as well as their forthcoming “Alan Wake” serial game, which focuses on a strong narrative, indicate to me the shifts happening on the TV/film front. Given the increase in movies-turned-video-games and video-games-turned-movies, I see that gaming has spotted an opening and will continue to exploit it. As my review of Avatar might have suggested, as great as the tech was, the narrative was a huge disappointment—and just not a good complement to the technology in the movie. Lots of opportunities here for game developers, writers, narrativists, multimedia artists, musicians, and a host of others to enter the space. I’ll save my commentary on the possible synergies between Natal and the adult video industry for another time…
• Home Entertainment—Devices like Seagate’s Free Agent Theater+ Home Media Player are also interesting to consider. It’s a relatively inexpensive option for the family that lets users store and share media a well as access Netflix, YouTube, and Media Fly content, among others.
• e-readers have now become ubiquitous, with everyone from Amazon to Samsung to iRiver. This year’s CES saw an entire e-reader section on the show floor. And I think some devices have the potential to really change things. But, I still have questions regarding content and digital rights. Had a great conversation about this with an IP attorney (coincidentally, a former UVA law prof—CES can be that random sometimes).
• 3D TV…I know, I know. I said some stuff above about this. But I am looking forward to the ways in which this particular technology will continue to evolve

So, while this year's CES didn't bowl me over, I was impressed by some things. And I am looking forward to the ways in which the technologies I saw will unfold during the year. Consumers need to ask tough questions and demand more of their tech. And I think this is the year companies will finally begin to deliver on our expectations.

Polaroid has just announced a partnership with Lady Gaga who will serve as creative director on a "specialty line of imaging products." Just vague enough to pique my interest. More info to come when I hit tonight's press event at the Conrad Sky Villa on the 30th floor of the Las Vegas Hilton.

Could be interesting. You know, like when Balki met Larry.

Image via Wikipedia

So this week I went to see Avatar with a couple of friends (yes, I have those—human ones). I knew the movie would be heavy on tech; and geek that I am, I was not disappointed in that regard. The tech is awesome. But as I sat in the theater, head pounding from wearing those oversized Elvis Costello 3D glasses, I realized something important. I was not engaged.

Sure, Cameron spent 10 years perfecting his blue people. The Na’vi looked cool. The environment is gorgeous. And Cameron’s achievement is inspiring in terms of getting us to think outside the proverbial CGI box in many respects. But the stakes are higher now. For me, good tech is not enough. And it should not be enough. You also need:

• a compelling narrative. The most disappointing aspect of Avatar is the narrative. We have a rich store available to us; I fear Cameron, having hunkered down to focus on the tech, missed out on 10 years’ worth of great discourse. Almost any book on colonial and/or post-colonial narratives could have helped. I could point to the rehashed Pocahontas-meets-kinda-Braveheart storyline (er, both starring Mel Gibson, btw, with a little trail of tears thrown in) as one problem with the film, but that commentary has been made ad nauseam since the movie's release;
• great subtext. Unobtanium? Really? "Sully"? I get it;
• address the WTF?! Factor. Blue "people." Giant trees. Unobtanium (Dude, that’s not even trying). “Going native.” Kill, kill, destroy. I nearly appreciated the nod to Conrad, but that’s too easy as well;
• human characters that are not caricatures;
• dialogue that I cannot anticipate—or even if I can anticipate it (because I’m old and I’ve heard a lot of…stuff), it should engage me. And at the risk of sounding a bit like Ezra Pound lost in a post-toasty world, dammit, “Make it new!”;
• great talent that is not wasted. I’m pretty sure I saw Giovanni Ribisi cringe as he uttered some of his lines. I know I did. Awesome actor, bad fit. Cameron could have called Paul Reiser off the bench for this role.

Midway through Avatar, though, I swear I drifted off.

I was dreaming of Tron. Compelling narrative: check. Great subtext: check. Cool tech (at the time): check. Decent characters and development: check. It may not have had the sweeping narrative of white atonement in the form of a paralyzed, impotent Marine (which reminds me of another line of literary inquiry…but I digress); however, Tron was the film that got me thinking about some of the things I now teach in my writing course, "Technology and Identities."

Apparently the film, Tron Legacy, is expected to be released in 2010, with tie-in video game, Tron Evolution, to follow later in the year. Although the summary I've read emphasizes the common "young man in search of father" narrative, I'm still looking forward to seeing whether  Boxleitner and Bridges still have it. Hey, it's got YaYa DaCosta (of Top Model fame), so it can't be all bad, right?  Right? Don't disappoint me, guys.

*Image via Wikipedia

The panelists include:

• Angie Brement, photographer, entrepreneur and blogger for Cville Entremoms.

• Adrienne Graham, founder and CEO of Empower ME! Corporation, a professional networking company for women.

• Shireen Mitchell, entrepreneur and chair of the Media and Technology Task Force of the National Council of Women’s Organizations.

The event is free and open to everyone but reservations are requested. Please RSVP at:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dGs0U2NkS1ZvZzlHZnZjOUJaZlRfcHc6MA

Last week, I wrote about security and privacy and posed a few questions to readers. But as I thought about my encounter with “Chad,” I kept replaying the scene in my head; and what I realized is that it mirrored to some degree, a now infamous one: Henry Louis Gates and I had a lot in common, it seems. Now that the furor of that “teachable moment” has died down, I can clarify my muddled thoughts. But before you cue the laughter, hear me out.

To refresh: Chad was selling home monitoring systems door-to-door (though my brother-in-law swears he was casing the joint). When I opened the door, Chad first queried, “Are you the owner of the house?” to which I responded in the affirmative. Chad began his spiel, paused, frowned, and asked again, “You said you were the owner, right?” I replied, (again) “Yes.” After the third query, it became clear to me that Chad was having a difficult time comprehending black home ownership. His sales pitch slowed, he glanced behind me, then around. It was obvious: “She’s lying.” I thought he might ask for proof of residence. Or call for backup. For a second, I though my white neighbor had, indeed, played a cruel joke on me…

Which brings me to Henny G. In my addled brain, I began to play out a fantasy: WWSD? Certainly, I would have been offended, angry. And rightly so. Overreacted? A tad. Traumatized? You bet, given, well, you know, I’m Henny G. I might even have been tempted to do some signifying, call up Wilmer Valderama for some “Yo mama” advice. Thinking about “the incident” in social media terms, though, here’s what I would have done.

I: Ownership

Had I been Henny G, I would have retreated to the solace of a friend’s home for a few days (the trauma of the incident being far too painful for me to remain in the Harvard-owned residence). From the privacy of, say, Martha’s Vineyard, I might craft a plan. I might have decided that I would not turn to CNN or NBC or ABC or any mainstream media outlet for validation of my injury. I didn’t need to. Instead, TheRoot.com would be the single source of information on the incident (supplemented by my mug shot and the police report, of course). I would own the story.

II: Credentials

I might have crafted a different narrative. I probably would not have said that my situation was just like that of most black men in America, because I would know that is not the case. Most suffer far worse fates. I probably would have said something like, “I’ve worked hard to achieve what I have…I realize that despite my hard work and achievements, at the end of the day, I am still just an ordinary black man, subject to the same whims of racist ideology and practices as other black men and women far less privileged than I. Nevertheless, I am speaking from a place of privilege…” (Henny is far more eloquent than I could ever be, but you get the idea). I would have said that given my position, I want to talk about those hundreds of thousands of black men and women, not myself. Maybe. I might have mentioned the body of my work (“Just Google me, baby”). I might have mentioned that part of the reason I launched TheRoot.com was to engage Americans in alternative modes of discourse, to present a different view—to move beyond the narrow coverage and the sensational into thoughtful conversations about issues such as race, class, culture, democracy, politics, religion, language…the site is in its early stages, but growing…again, the real Henny G would be much more eloquent on this topic than I ever could.

III: Leverage

This is where I believe President Obama’s “teachable moment” comes in. Because I own the means of communication as well as the story, I now have the opportunity and responsibility to leverage it. This Teachable Moment was not the president’s but Gates’s, the Teacher. Here’s a Gates quote I pulled from Wikipedia: “Asked by NEH Chairman Bruce Cole to describe his work, Gates responded, ‘I would say I'm a literary critic. That's the first descriptor that comes to mind. After that I would say I was a teacher. Both would be just as important.’”[5] Hmmm…

Had I been Henny G, I would have accepted the president’s invitation to the White House to share a beer and conversation with officer Chad, er, Crowley. I would have shown up with lovely gifts of Harvard gear, say, T-shirts for the officer and his children and signed copies of, oh, I don’t know, the Norton Anthology of African American Literature, a copy of The Signifying Monkey, a 2Live Crew CD (okay, that might be pushing it). I would have worn my snazziest Harvard tie AND pin. Certainly, I would be tempted to wear a Harvard T-shirt, but I would save that for my visits to Africa—it’s a more casual crowd over there.

While at the White House, I might have been tempted to Tweet about the beer summit (“Crowley’s hands are cold and clammy,” “Wow, the president is really tall,” “I’m drinking this beer, but boy, a chardonnay would be great right about now” “Dude, I can see Baltimore from here!!!”). I probably would have packed an HD mini and created a few videos. Perhaps the officer (and his numerous reps) would be interested in talking about life in Cambridge, his work, how he views the situation? Maybe I could score a visit to his diversity training session? And TheRoot.com would have been the source.

Certainly, the incident brought much publicity and traffic to the site. But I believe mainstream orgs benefited far more because Gates missed an opportunity to teach. This was a lesson not just about race and class in America (not to mention property) but also about African Americans and our relationship to technology. The lesson for us all is that we need to own our stories and leverage the technology resources we have and are quite capable of using, given that most are free (Twitter, Facebook, blogs, vlogs, etc.) to create the kinds of conversations and results that we want to have.

It seems to me that even when we own the story and the means of communicating that story, we still feel compelled to seek validation from mainstream. And that’s troubling. It means that we have not given ourselves permission to articulate or own stories.

-END SCENE-

Anyone who knows me knows that when it comes to filing travel expenses, I am the worst. Many an editorial assistant and business manager have come thisclose to strangling me. Lost receipts, late filings, car service receipts with missing info, and miscalculations, yep I’m the expense equivalent of “the dog ate my homework.” And working from a home office also means that for me, April 15 comes with very loud threats from my tax preparer. Suffice it to say this year I had to TurboTax it.

But a couple of weeks ago, while shopping for flights for my trip to Hamburg, I stumbled upon TripIt and fell in love. I quickly signed up for the service, which lets me manage my travel, and more importantly, share that info with colleagues, friends, and family. Yep, I’m also that person, the one who periodically disappears only to pop up in some random foreign country. I’ve learned now, to at least call from the airport. But TripIt makes things easier.

Once I made my travel arrangements through Orbitz, I simply sent the info to plans@tripit.com. I could then select which of my “connections” would see the info. With TripIt Pro, I can also choose an “inner circle,” those select folks who get to share my travel calendar, interact with me, and change travel information, etc.

The Pro option is $9.95/month, which is a bit steep for me, given my limited travel schedule. It does, however, make sense for frequent fliers and the jet set. I would be willing to pay a bit less for a similar option, however, maybe even on a per-use basis or something along those lines. TripIt Pro also notifies you when your flight info changes, but in my experience, the airlines, if you sign up for their service (or use Orbitz), actually do a pretty good job on that front.

No More Excuses

But with all this talk about TripIt, I digress. What I really want to talk about is a partner service called Expens’d, which I discovered when I signed up for TripIt. I love Expens’d. I’m using the free service, which makes it easy for me to input my expenses on the daily—from anywhere. Because it connects with TripIt, I don’t get confused, and I’m less likely to lose info, overspend, or file late. Expens’d also generated CSV (comma separated variables) for my trip so I could simply export it to Excel and email reports to the folks who need it. I also created a PDF of my expenses (they do the math) for my personal files.

Users have several pricing options from free (for a single user) to $49 per month for up to 50 users. Beyond the free plan, you get features such as expense approval and up to 10GB of attachment space. I like the ability to add tags, and search expenses by user and dates.

What I would really love, though, is tighter integration with TripIt, which would give me the ability to arrange expenses under a single trip, rather than a date range. For me, however, the beauty of Expens’d is it simplicity and convenience. Check it out and let me know what you think.