Geekologie just informed us that, as of this morning, the Pope is sending God-grams via text message.
First text:
Young friend, God and his people expect much from u because u have within you the Fathers supreme gift: the Spirit of Jesus - BXVI
It's coming at ya from outer space, so it's sort of like having a vision. Regardless, it's nice to know that Pope Benedict XVI and 8 year-olds spell "u" the same way.
Nate Westheimer may have it right when he states that social networking site Twitter may be a prime location for a mobile-based payments platform. In an article he wrote for Silicon Alley Insider, Nate gently breaks down what it is that have made more recent attempts at using cell phones for payments fail, and presented a good argument for why Twitter has what it takes to succeed.
The most compelling element to the writer's reasoning was his take on the type of people that use Twitter, and why it is these people that make Twitter such a prime platform for a P2P mobile payments launch. As it currently stands, Twitter users are generally "Machine Language speakers," meaning that the idea of testing out new mediums (like texting your current activity to a short code for a real-time internet update - one of Twitter's main perks) is not only un-intimidating, it's actually worth getting excited about (read: talking about, generally in a viral manner). Nate argues that using Twitter can use their early-adopting fans to help the concept of paying via phone catch on in the same way that Pay-Pay utilized their tech-savvy crowd to popularize paying via the internet... and we all know how that payed off.
Read the full article here - and if you have no idea what I mean by "Twitter," then for the love of sweet God, go here.
In a frantic race to keep up with today's media-savvy munchkins, Disney is revamping their website for the second time since 2006. Considering that the Disney site is already one of the most insane things on the internet, the fact that they feel like they are losing significance should make the rest of us puke our brains out in fear.
The new site will inlcude more video, more interactive games, and an immersive experience that spans from the Internet to the cellphone. For instance, children who create fairy avatars in Pixie Hollow, a virtual world hosted on the Disney site, will soon be able to create pet butterflies that "live" in their cell phones - a unique way to keep kiddies engaged even after logging off of the Internet.
An interesting article regarding the reasoning behind the upcoming changes can be found here, but if you choose to stop at this brief rundown, think about this: While it is true that teenagers today are intimidatingly tech savvy, it's going to be their little sisters and brothers that will really blow your mind. So, if you happen to be one of those people who make fun of your adult friends for watching High School Musical, it's probably in your best interest to shut up and saddle up. Seriously, shut up - Zac Efron is singing.
