Curtis C. Chen's Blog, page 20
July 9, 2014
I may have some big news to share soon...
...but not quite yet. #WaitForIt
Meanwhile, please enjoy this short video of sea otters holding hands:
http://youtu.be/epUk3T2Kfno
Meanwhile, please enjoy this short video of sea otters holding hands:
http://youtu.be/epUk3T2Kfno
July 2, 2014
I Really Want You to Install This App
Like I said last week, go check out the
SafeTrek
app. I like having it for peace of mind, if nothing else.
Now here's my legwork on what the people behind SafeTrek have done so far in 2014...
In late January, The Maneater, the University of Missouri's student newspaper, ran a story titled "Student-run SafeTrek app gains popularity," which stated that the app had been downloaded over 5,000 times. Another story, "Failing Forward," appeared in the university's alumni magazine MIZZOU in late February.
The SafeTrek app is now free, but it didn't start that way: the original price point was $5 (late 2013), then $2 (Jan/Feb 2014), then $1 (April 2014). The makers made it available for a lower price or for free as temporary promotions a few times during that period, but it's been free for everyone since early May of 2014.
So how does SafeTrek, the company, plan to make money if they're now giving away the app for free? This segment from Good Morning America offers a clue:
http://youtu.be/9J5AL5Ve8Z8
Original: http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/safe-...
In April, SafeTrek co-creator Zach Beattie received the University of Missouri System's 2014 Student Entrepreneur of the Year Award, which includes $2,500. In May, the app was recommended by Kansas State University in "Safety options, services for students on campus, off campus" and highlighted as an Apptimize case study for increasing app store reviews.
Finally, to close the loop on that funding question: a May 21st interview with Beattie in Missouri Business Alert explains that "SafeTrek intends to sell data collected from its thousands of users as its main way of making money." So there's a potential privacy issue there, and it'll be interesting to see how it all shakes out.
Now here's my legwork on what the people behind SafeTrek have done so far in 2014...
In late January, The Maneater, the University of Missouri's student newspaper, ran a story titled "Student-run SafeTrek app gains popularity," which stated that the app had been downloaded over 5,000 times. Another story, "Failing Forward," appeared in the university's alumni magazine MIZZOU in late February.
The SafeTrek app is now free, but it didn't start that way: the original price point was $5 (late 2013), then $2 (Jan/Feb 2014), then $1 (April 2014). The makers made it available for a lower price or for free as temporary promotions a few times during that period, but it's been free for everyone since early May of 2014.
So how does SafeTrek, the company, plan to make money if they're now giving away the app for free? This segment from Good Morning America offers a clue:
http://youtu.be/9J5AL5Ve8Z8
Original: http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/safe-...
In April, SafeTrek co-creator Zach Beattie received the University of Missouri System's 2014 Student Entrepreneur of the Year Award, which includes $2,500. In May, the app was recommended by Kansas State University in "Safety options, services for students on campus, off campus" and highlighted as an Apptimize case study for increasing app store reviews.
Finally, to close the loop on that funding question: a May 21st interview with Beattie in Missouri Business Alert explains that "SafeTrek intends to sell data collected from its thousands of users as its main way of making money." So there's a potential privacy issue there, and it'll be interesting to see how it all shakes out.
June 25, 2014
I Want You to Install This App
Because though I hope you'll never need
SafeTrek
, I don't want you to ever suffer for want of it. Free download for iOS or Android.
The basic idea is this: start the app when you're traveling through an area where you feel unsafe. Hold your finger down on the screen until you feel safe again. When you remove your finger, you have ten seconds to enter a PIN. If the correct PIN is not entered, police are notified of your GPS location.
I learned about SafeTrek last week on Beth Revis' Tumblr. She had reblogged it from lillianloverly, where it appeared on March 16th.
Because I'm a research nerd, I did some legwork on the people behind it. I was also curious about how the police notification part of it worked, and what the company's business plan was. Here's the first part of a brief SafeTrek timeline, from its inception through the end of 2013, gleaned from online public records:
The earliest mention of the app I found was a branding presentation dated April 22nd, 2013, by Portguese designer Frederico Cardoso. I couldn't discern an obvious connection betwee him and SafeTrek's creators, but I did find two news stories from May of 2013, about SafeTrek winning an app design competition. Both were from University of Missouri student news sites: "App designer student codes winning smartphone app" and "Public safety app wins RJI student competition."
Later, in August of 2013, the Columbia Business Times reported that SafeTrek was "aiming for a release date of Aug. 1 for the MU campus" and "[t]he app will make its debut on Windows 8." Well, neither of those things appears to have happened: the iOS version first appeared in October of 2013, and no Windows version appears to exist at all—I could find no mention of it anywhere, not even on the official SafeTrek web site.
Speaking of the official site, the current SafeTrek team appears to be five University of Missouri college students: Zach Beattie, Zach Winkler, Nick Droege, Aaron Kunnemann, and Derek Provance. The articles from May of 2013, identify the original app creators as "Convergence Journalism senior Natalie Cheng, Business Administration senior Zach Beattie and Information Technology senior Zach Winkler" (my emphasis).
It's a bit disheartening that there appear to be no women currently leading SafeTrek development, when young women would seem to be the people who stand to benefit the most from this app. (I won't speculate about why Natalie Cheng left the SafeTrek project, but she has since co-founded another company, Quirks Consignment.)
Things got much more interesting for SafeTrek in 2014. I'll blog about that next Wednesday! Meanwhile, please install the app, try it out, and let me know what you think.
The basic idea is this: start the app when you're traveling through an area where you feel unsafe. Hold your finger down on the screen until you feel safe again. When you remove your finger, you have ten seconds to enter a PIN. If the correct PIN is not entered, police are notified of your GPS location.
I learned about SafeTrek last week on Beth Revis' Tumblr. She had reblogged it from lillianloverly, where it appeared on March 16th.
Because I'm a research nerd, I did some legwork on the people behind it. I was also curious about how the police notification part of it worked, and what the company's business plan was. Here's the first part of a brief SafeTrek timeline, from its inception through the end of 2013, gleaned from online public records:
The earliest mention of the app I found was a branding presentation dated April 22nd, 2013, by Portguese designer Frederico Cardoso. I couldn't discern an obvious connection betwee him and SafeTrek's creators, but I did find two news stories from May of 2013, about SafeTrek winning an app design competition. Both were from University of Missouri student news sites: "App designer student codes winning smartphone app" and "Public safety app wins RJI student competition."
Later, in August of 2013, the Columbia Business Times reported that SafeTrek was "aiming for a release date of Aug. 1 for the MU campus" and "[t]he app will make its debut on Windows 8." Well, neither of those things appears to have happened: the iOS version first appeared in October of 2013, and no Windows version appears to exist at all—I could find no mention of it anywhere, not even on the official SafeTrek web site.
Speaking of the official site, the current SafeTrek team appears to be five University of Missouri college students: Zach Beattie, Zach Winkler, Nick Droege, Aaron Kunnemann, and Derek Provance. The articles from May of 2013, identify the original app creators as "Convergence Journalism senior Natalie Cheng, Business Administration senior Zach Beattie and Information Technology senior Zach Winkler" (my emphasis).
It's a bit disheartening that there appear to be no women currently leading SafeTrek development, when young women would seem to be the people who stand to benefit the most from this app. (I won't speculate about why Natalie Cheng left the SafeTrek project, but she has since co-founded another company, Quirks Consignment.)
Things got much more interesting for SafeTrek in 2014. I'll blog about that next Wednesday! Meanwhile, please install the app, try it out, and let me know what you think.
June 20, 2014
512 eBook now just TWO DOLLARS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6z9Cg46Nktw
As you may know, Bob, I'm going to Clarion West on Sunday. I'm hugely excited about this, and to celebrate, I've reduced the price of the Thursday's Children Kindle eBook to a paltry $1.99 (cheap!).
I've also slashed the price of the trade paperback edition to $11.99. That's a mere 10¢ per story (you get 117 of 'em), not to mention awesome cover and interior art by Natalie Metzger! However, I just submitted the pricing change yesterday, so it may take up to a week to propagate through to Amazon and other booksellers. Apologies if you have to wait to order at the new price.
In related news, lending copies of Thursday's Children are now on the shelves at the Multnomah County Library and Fort Vancouver Regional Library! And I can't tell you how ecstatic I was when I found out about this. Seriously, it's the second best writing-related news I've had in, like, a month.
(BTW, you're welcome to also recommend Thursday's Children as a purchase for your local library. There's no guarantee they'll acquire a copy, but it can't hurt to ask your friendly neighborhood librarian.)
So, to sum up: you can now buy the Thursday's Children Kindle eBook for just $1.99, or the trade paperback for $11.99. Please spread the word!
June 18, 2014
I am in a house without WiFi
And I will be here until Sunday. The nearest WiFi-enabled coffee shop is five miles away. I'm seriously considering turning on LTE tethering on my iPhone. HALP
June 16, 2014
SnoutCast #206: Andrea Blumberg
Did you enjoy Puzzled Pint, May 2014: The Princess Bride? Well, you have Portland's own Andrea Blumberg to thank for those fine puzzles!
[ Download mp3 ]
Show length: 30:42
File size: 29.5MB
Andrea's favorite room escape games online:
Escape MenTesshi-eTomaTeaRobamimiHottategoyaKotorinosuCute and easy find-the-chicks
What Else?
The New York Times: "In Escape Rooms, Video Games Meet Real Life"Look for ClueKeeper public hunts in your areaFind more event listings on Puzzle Hunt Calendar
Tell us we're wrong on the Internet! E-mail podcast@snout.org or post a comment at www.snout.org/podcast.
Music: instrumentals from "Code Monkey" and "My Monkey" by Jonathan Coulton
[ Subscribe to SnoutCast / iTunes link ]
[ Download mp3 ]
Show length: 30:42
File size: 29.5MB
Andrea's favorite room escape games online:
Escape MenTesshi-eTomaTeaRobamimiHottategoyaKotorinosuCute and easy find-the-chicks
What Else?
The New York Times: "In Escape Rooms, Video Games Meet Real Life"Look for ClueKeeper public hunts in your areaFind more event listings on Puzzle Hunt Calendar
Tell us we're wrong on the Internet! E-mail podcast@snout.org or post a comment at www.snout.org/podcast.
Music: instrumentals from "Code Monkey" and "My Monkey" by Jonathan Coulton
[ Subscribe to SnoutCast / iTunes link ]
June 11, 2014
I am Pitching My Novel on Twitter Today
Because though I've gotten some very encouraging responses from my agent queries, nobody's asked for an exclusive yet, and I definitely haven't gotten "the call."
Plus, let's be honest, I live on Twitter. How could I pass up #SFFpit?
I'm joining the stream in progress because reasons. Here are my four entries for the second half (one per hour):
Check out the #SFFpit hashtag for all of today's pitches, and retweet anything you see and like. (Do NOT favorite! That's reserved for agents and editors who want to see more.)
Thanks to Dan Koboldt for organizing this thing!
Plus, let's be honest, I live on Twitter. How could I pass up #SFFpit?
I'm joining the stream in progress because reasons. Here are my four entries for the second half (one per hour):
Check out the #SFFpit hashtag for all of today's pitches, and retweet anything you see and like. (Do NOT favorite! That's reserved for agents and editors who want to see more.)
Thanks to Dan Koboldt for organizing this thing!
June 4, 2014
I Knew Jay Lake
And now he's gone forever.
Photo by Waterloo Productions
I didn't know Jay very well, but I did have the privilege of spending some time with him over the past few years—in local "co-working" writing groups, at a few different conventions, and once while waiting for our shared flight back to Portland (we talked about how home genome sequencing and "chemjet" drug printers could revolutionize medicine).
We were both writers, and we were both born in Taiwan. That's about where the similarities end, but he was a wonderful person to know and an inspiration in many ways. I'll miss him a lot.
Lunch at Paradise Lost 2013. Photo by Donnie G. Reynolds
As a tribute, here's my own, somewhat morbid version of Link Salad , a frequent feature on Jay's personal blog, and from which I always gleaned something fascinating.
A little bird told me — Twitter is awesome, in all senses of the word. In this case, it was good to know from the source sooner rather than later, but those four little words hit me with a sharp, deep pain.
It was dark and cold that morning — on June 1st, the power went out in our neighborhood just after 4:30 AM, and stayed out until 5:45 AM, the same time as Jay's passing. It's meaningless. But it's a thing. I don't know.
I've seen the future, baby It is murder. — Lisa's post about "the day after." (The title of the blog post is lyrics from the Leonard Cohen song "The Future." It's okay, I had to look it up too.)
The Oregonian story on Jay's passing — longer than an obituary, but still too short.
Remembering Jay Lake, 1964-2014 — a more SFnal perspective on Jay's life.
Free Speculative Fiction Online: Jay Lake — read some of Jay's many, many, many published stories.
Some of Jay Lake's books at Powell's — the greatest bookstore in the world.
International Fuck Cancer Day — the first Saturday of every June. Because seriously, fuck cancer. (Join the Facebook group if you're into that sort of thing.)
The Clayton Memorial Medical Fund — if you'd like to make a contribution in Jay's name, there are many other Pacific Northwest writers who are currently enduring or will someday encounter medical emergencies which strain their personal resources.
Lakeside — a documentary by my friend Donnie, currently in post-production. The original concept was "a year in the life of Jay Lake," but after Jay's cancer diagnosis, the film morphed into something else. I want to see it, and I know I'm going to cry. It's okay. It's going to be okay.
Photo by Waterloo Productions
I didn't know Jay very well, but I did have the privilege of spending some time with him over the past few years—in local "co-working" writing groups, at a few different conventions, and once while waiting for our shared flight back to Portland (we talked about how home genome sequencing and "chemjet" drug printers could revolutionize medicine).
We were both writers, and we were both born in Taiwan. That's about where the similarities end, but he was a wonderful person to know and an inspiration in many ways. I'll miss him a lot.
Lunch at Paradise Lost 2013. Photo by Donnie G. Reynolds
As a tribute, here's my own, somewhat morbid version of Link Salad , a frequent feature on Jay's personal blog, and from which I always gleaned something fascinating.
A little bird told me — Twitter is awesome, in all senses of the word. In this case, it was good to know from the source sooner rather than later, but those four little words hit me with a sharp, deep pain.
It was dark and cold that morning — on June 1st, the power went out in our neighborhood just after 4:30 AM, and stayed out until 5:45 AM, the same time as Jay's passing. It's meaningless. But it's a thing. I don't know.
I've seen the future, baby It is murder. — Lisa's post about "the day after." (The title of the blog post is lyrics from the Leonard Cohen song "The Future." It's okay, I had to look it up too.)
The Oregonian story on Jay's passing — longer than an obituary, but still too short.
Remembering Jay Lake, 1964-2014 — a more SFnal perspective on Jay's life.
Free Speculative Fiction Online: Jay Lake — read some of Jay's many, many, many published stories.
Some of Jay Lake's books at Powell's — the greatest bookstore in the world.
International Fuck Cancer Day — the first Saturday of every June. Because seriously, fuck cancer. (Join the Facebook group if you're into that sort of thing.)
The Clayton Memorial Medical Fund — if you'd like to make a contribution in Jay's name, there are many other Pacific Northwest writers who are currently enduring or will someday encounter medical emergencies which strain their personal resources.
Lakeside — a documentary by my friend Donnie, currently in post-production. The original concept was "a year in the life of Jay Lake," but after Jay's cancer diagnosis, the film morphed into something else. I want to see it, and I know I'm going to cry. It's okay. It's going to be okay.
May 28, 2014
I had a great Memorial Day weekend
As shown in these spoiler-free photos, and one video:
http://goo.gl/FtyEY7
DeeAnn and I traveled to the Bay Area to visit friends and participate in a few different puzzle-hunt-ish events, including Team Snout's annual business meeting, volunteering for Shinteki Decathlon 9, playing the Cluekeeper "Stanford Puzzle Tour" with Larry Hosken, and attempting to "Escape from the Moon Base" (our first Real Escape Game experience) with Larry, Corby, Yuan, and Mike.
It was a great trip, albeit a little exhausting: was California always so brutally sunny? Or have we just grown accustomed to the Pacific Northwest?
http://goo.gl/FtyEY7
DeeAnn and I traveled to the Bay Area to visit friends and participate in a few different puzzle-hunt-ish events, including Team Snout's annual business meeting, volunteering for Shinteki Decathlon 9, playing the Cluekeeper "Stanford Puzzle Tour" with Larry Hosken, and attempting to "Escape from the Moon Base" (our first Real Escape Game experience) with Larry, Corby, Yuan, and Mike.
It was a great trip, albeit a little exhausting: was California always so brutally sunny? Or have we just grown accustomed to the Pacific Northwest?
May 21, 2014
I will not watch most of these TV shows
But I am an interested observer during every fall TV season. My household has not had a cable or satellite TV subscription for seven years now, but we have the Internet. And that's all you need to watch TV these days, especially with my viewing habits: I don't surf, I research.
The five broadcast networks just announced their fall schedules, and out of the twenty-five new shows, there are three I'm definitely interested in, seven others I might try out if I hear good reviews, and three descriptions that make me cringe. (Note that those last shows might still become very successful, since a one-sentence logline can't possibly capture the nuance which buoys or sinks a weekly series. Hell, I thought Veronica Mars sounded stupid before it premiered, and I ended up loving that show.)
Anyway. My top three want-to-sees:
1. If Gotham the TV show is even a quarter as good as the Gotham Central comics were, it'll be worth your time:
http://youtu.be/0d1zpt6k5OI
2. If the new Flash TV is half as good as Arrow , I'm in. And I love that they're starting the show with a Scooby Gang right away:
http://youtu.be/Yj0l7iGKh8g
3. I'm not quite as bullish on Constantine, but you know, I even liked the Keanu Reeves movie, so I'm cautiously optimistic:
http://youtu.be/uPE2oBnzROY
It's not a coincidence that these are all based on comic books. TV and comics have more in common with each other (and classic pulp fiction) than many other forms of storytelling. Let's talk about that sometime.
And here are the seven new shows I might check out if I hear good things:
Scorpion could be interesting if it maintains its "(Hackers + Leverage) * Fast and Furious" vibe.State of Affairs because I still miss The West Wing.Selfie has John Cho so it's automatically awesome.How to Get Away with Murder because it's Shonda Rhimes!Gracepoint, starring David Tennant, which is a remake of the British series Broadchurch starring... David Tennant?Madam Secretary because West Wing. And this.
Identifying the three cringe-inducing blurbs in Entertainment Weekly's Fall TV complete schedule 2014 is left as an exercise for the reader.
One last thing: can we all agree that CSI: Cyber is the most 1990's title ever? Including actual shows from the 1990's?
The five broadcast networks just announced their fall schedules, and out of the twenty-five new shows, there are three I'm definitely interested in, seven others I might try out if I hear good reviews, and three descriptions that make me cringe. (Note that those last shows might still become very successful, since a one-sentence logline can't possibly capture the nuance which buoys or sinks a weekly series. Hell, I thought Veronica Mars sounded stupid before it premiered, and I ended up loving that show.)
Anyway. My top three want-to-sees:
1. If Gotham the TV show is even a quarter as good as the Gotham Central comics were, it'll be worth your time:
http://youtu.be/0d1zpt6k5OI
2. If the new Flash TV is half as good as Arrow , I'm in. And I love that they're starting the show with a Scooby Gang right away:
http://youtu.be/Yj0l7iGKh8g
3. I'm not quite as bullish on Constantine, but you know, I even liked the Keanu Reeves movie, so I'm cautiously optimistic:
http://youtu.be/uPE2oBnzROY
It's not a coincidence that these are all based on comic books. TV and comics have more in common with each other (and classic pulp fiction) than many other forms of storytelling. Let's talk about that sometime.
And here are the seven new shows I might check out if I hear good things:
Scorpion could be interesting if it maintains its "(Hackers + Leverage) * Fast and Furious" vibe.State of Affairs because I still miss The West Wing.Selfie has John Cho so it's automatically awesome.How to Get Away with Murder because it's Shonda Rhimes!Gracepoint, starring David Tennant, which is a remake of the British series Broadchurch starring... David Tennant?Madam Secretary because West Wing. And this.
Identifying the three cringe-inducing blurbs in Entertainment Weekly's Fall TV complete schedule 2014 is left as an exercise for the reader.
One last thing: can we all agree that CSI: Cyber is the most 1990's title ever? Including actual shows from the 1990's?
