I think that accurate location-based services will soon be as important for lap/desk-top computers as for mobile devices. There exists not yet a single app to take advantage of the fact that "The Location is You" and that being able to connect anonymously with real people who are geographically where you need any kind of data from (whether they are mobile, at work or at home) will change the way we search for and discover information.
Who would do the invites, or rather, who would administer the invitation process? As someone who hasn't done any programming since Fortran 77, I'm not sure I would meet the selection criteria. :o)
I landed a job in Dubai while living in Vancouver. I landed a job in Vegas while living in Dubai. Then I landed another job in Dubai while living in Vegas. If you are willing to go the distance (even on your own $) there are no borders.
I think that in the government sector, there are similar websites to BC Bid (Where the Province of BC and BC municipal governments post their product and service requests). Is this the same in the US?
http://www.bcbid.gov.bc.ca/open.dll/welcome
Casablanca, Lawrence of Arabia, Dr. Zhivago, Contact. Do unto others, start something BIG, persevere no matter what life throws at you, and never, ever give up.
I've registered on several sites, only to find out that the service is not available outside of the US. It would be good if designers put this information front and centre on the registration page instead of telling me afterwards (ie. Kickstarter).
Isn't that what Squirrel (the major restaurant POS) does automatically or with a keystroke? Most of the casual eateries I go to have staff ask when ordering if separate checks are required . . .
I've lived in both places. Dubai for 3 years, then 2 years in LV and then back to Dubai for another year. The similarities in the urban landscape are worth noting. Sheik Zayed highway is just like the Strip - highrises on both sides, behind which are parking garages, behind which are one to four storey buildings and then the desert . . .
"One way is to use standard non expensive (and perhaps far less shiny and integrated) hardware plugged some peripherals and write a quick demo for it."
"Few days ago, I actually tried the concept on two "potential" customers, by using some hardware peripherals I managed to put together, and a very basic software, something which is far away in terms of design, quality and user experience from the final product, and in fact, the two customers simply didn't want to stop "playing" with the product."
You have answered your own question. A minimum viable product. Add to that a demo of how you envision the final product and how customers interact with it. Go!
I'm old. I rarely make a voice call on my mobile. I don't text anyone or need email on my phone, so no smartphone. However when the contract expires in December I'll probably get one.
I carried a web/mobile app idea around for a year, looking for seed funding before posting about it here on March 30th. The HN community were amazing in their support and motivated me to create a minimum viable product. But while I was out on oDesk trying to find a crew to do that, something amazing happened. I found not one, but two very talented, intelligent people, both of whom are busy with their careers, but interested enough in my project to particpate as co-founders. I encourage you to put your idea out into the world and see where that leads you.
I got a very rough quote from a Toronto firm to do a location based app for web, iPhone and Android for approximately $370,000. I just talked to a Vancouver developer who charges $120/hr. As others have mentioned there are numerous variables, but most developers will usually be happy to do an initial free consultation to learn more about your project so that they can at least ballpark a figure to you.
In Canada, Rogers had a monopoly on the iPhone from July 2008 until November 2009, when TELUS and Bell were allowed into the market. So a 16 month run. Very different from the US.
I don't like to see such colloquialisms in job postings, but as someone who has done a fair amount of hiring in my career, I also don't want to see them on resumes or CVs unless you've worked for Rockstar Games, real Rockstars or Ninjas or on a game called Ninja.
Thank you for your feedback. The idea IS to be able to find someone in Burma, or anywhere on earth. Their geo-location wouldn't lie, but I suppose anything can be hacked. It is supposed to be in real-time and location based exactly so that "stock" information is not returned to the requestor. Too, the sources may be anonymous, but credibility could be built under any username.
If you are in business and in Canada it is. Until February 2011 all new computer purchases for business can be written off 100% in the year in which they were purchased.
Include in Class 52 with a CCA rate of 100% (with no half year rule) general purpose electronic data processing equipment (commonly called computer hardware) and systems software for that equipment, including ancillary data processing equipment if acquired after January 27, 2009, and before February 2011. To qualify for this rate the asset must also:
* be situated in Canada;
* not have been used, or acquired for use, for any purpose before it is acquired by the taxpayer;
* be acquired by the taxpayer:
- for use in a business carried on by the taxpayer in Canada or for the purposes of earning income from property situated in Canada; or
- for lease by the taxpayer to a lessee for use by the lessee in a business carried on by the lessee in Canada or for the purpose of earning income from property situated in Canada.
"Engines are sometimes leased separately and shuffled around within an airline’s fleet . . ."
"Cut-rate Tower Air kept its wide-body fleet flying by quietly dismantling a trio of 747s leased from GMAC and dispersing the components among its 18 other airplanes."
I've got several of the sit/stand desks where I work. Like the Biormorph, but one surface. There are several manufacturers of these kinds of legs (Steelcase and Linak). Check your nearest large town's office furniture retailers to see if they have a used department - that and auctions of office furniture.
A colleague of mine's father was one of the engineers that designed the first Dubai "island" - the one that the Burj Al Arab was built on. Even more so than the subsequent Palms, The World was a colossal expense, but that is not the main reason for the Emiratis to save it. They will spend any amount to avoid loss of face in the international community. For an Emirati, title and appearances are far more important than wealth. This is just IMHO from living there for a number of years on 2 separate occassions.
From Steve Job's Commencement Speech at Stanford, and on taking a class in Calligraphy:
"None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But ten years later when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me, and we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts, and since Windows just copied the Mac, it's likely that no personal computer would have them."
This is my first winter using (employer supplied) hand sanitizer. I have to say that so far, I haven't had any seasonal illinesses - and I don't take flu shots either - so I believe it has helped (along with regular hand washing and wearing gloves whenever I go out).
The comments about Vancouver 2010 are all valid. I had to laugh during the closing ceremonies when I noticed that one of the bands had been forced to cover the logos on their Marshall amps with black tape. Marshall obviously did not pay any money to have their brand seen by 3 billion viewers.