Apple TV Rumors

With all the recent Apple rumors mostly surrounding the imminent launch of the iPad 3 during the first week of March, one story that was all the rage the last few months, but has been getting overshadowed a bit by the iPad 3 is the launch of an actual Apple HDTV. Most expect Apple to release the TV late this year or early next, but evidence to the contrary has recently showed up across Apple authorized resellers. I’ll explain more below.

Rumors have been swirling for near a year that Apple would be replacing the current Apple TV 2 by entering the HDTV market and releasing an actual smart TV. Apple doesn’t usually enter a new market before it feels it can actually be a game changer by reinventing the market. Examples would be the iPod, iPhone and iPad.

Rumors hit a fever pitch late last year when Walter Isaacson wrote in an authorized biography of Steve Jobs that the late Apple Co-Founder and CEO stated that one of the three remaining industries he wanted to reinvent was the television. He was also quoted as saying…

“I’d like to create an integrated television set that is completely easy to use. It would be seamlessly synced with all of your devices and with iCloud. No longer would users have to fiddle with complex remotes for DVD players and cable channels. It will have the simplest user interface you could imagine. I finally cracked it.”

Reinventing the TV

Most believe for Apple to be successful in a highly competitive, low margin industry like consumer TV’s they’d have to offer something so mind blowing that it would have to reinvent the space and not just be a nice big LED screen with integrated internet services which are already easily available. It would have to reinvent how cable, satellite and other services work with it along with full integration into the Apple ecosystem including iCloud, 3rd party apps and the ability to control it through an extremely simple user interface. Possibly including Siri voice controls.

For a few years now Apple has referred to the Apple TV as a hobby. Mainly this is because as Steve Jobs stated over a year ago that there was currently no “go to market strategy”. It also only makes up a small amount of sales compared to their other businesses like the iPad and iPhone. If my memory serves me correctly… Apple sold around 3 million Apple TV units last year while selling over 37 million iPhones just last quarter alone. Current CEO Tim Cook even reiterated this view as recent as yesterday at Goldman Sachs Tech Conference. While the Apple TV gets great reviews, it’s not that different than other streaming devices on the market like the Roku or streaming through an Xbox except for the integration with other Apple devices.

For Apple to bust into the market and really shake things up they need to create a game changing product. Without even officially announcing they’re working on an actual HDTV, the rumor mill is in full swing and even has Samsung worried and making statements.

Apple HDTV Announcement

So when is this rumored Apple HDTV going to finally hit the market? Nobody knows for sure, but recent supply chain leaks along with the fact that Apple always lowers its inventories of products about to be replaced at authorized resellers says that the Apple HDTV could be coming as soon as the rumored March 7th iPad 3 event.

Apple is known for having their available inventory down to a science. They’ve perfected how to keep the lowest amount of available inventory at any given time to keep costs down. This is especially true just before a product is about to be replaced. Apple typically sends out notices to authorized resellers about 3 weeks before new products are about to be announced/replaced to alert them there won’t be new inventory until after an announcement which seems to fit perfectly with the rumored iPad 3 event.

Recent checks of online inventories show that the Apple TV 2 availability have basically all but dried up. No major online retailer including (links to Apple TV pages) Target, Best Buy, Amazon or Sams Club is showing any online inventory. Target shows the device being sold out, Best Buy doesn’t even list it anymore on their site even though there are links to that page, Amazon is only listing used versions for sale and Sams club Apple TV 2 page although still live links to a dead link which just a few days ago didn’t.

While not a 100% guarantee this means Apple is about to release the rumored Apple HDTV as they could be replacing it with a newer Apple TV 3 set top version, recent leaks show they’ve been meeting suppliers for the HDTV.

This seems to be the best evidence Apple is about to release either a new version of the current Apple TV 2 or are about to blow the socks of the TV industry with a full blown HDTV set.

What do you think about Apple entering the HDTV industry? Will it happen in March? What will it be called… Apple HDTV or iTV? What will this do to the stock which as currently trading at an all-time high of over $500. Tell me in the comments below.

Update: Looks like there were a few other publications that also noticed this over the last few days. I actually just happen to notice it first last night when searching Sams Club. I had just been there a few days earlier and saw it was available and all of a sudden the link didn’t work so I decided to check the other major retailers and noticed the same thing. I hadn’t seen anything on the typical sites I read daily, but just ran across a few. Looks more likely it will be an update to the current set top box with one more cycle before an actual Apple HDTV. Hopefully that’s not the case, but either way hopefully there will be some major updates.

Shared this with an entrepreneur friend today & thought others might like it. This short 2 min video above probably best portrays how Steve Jobs looked at product development. You don’t always have to invent something to be successful. Sometimes taking available technologies and reinventing them or reimagining them and putting together the proper pieces to make something work better is just as important.

One of the biggest criticisms of Steve Jobs was that although he has his name on over 300 patents, that he never really invented anything. This is somewhat true. Most of his products contained bits and pieces of quite a few other products or ideas that were already out there, but what he was a master at was taking those existing technologies and ideas and piecing them together into a beautiful, yet simple to use product and most importantly executed and shipped it.

There were other smartphones on the market before the iPhone, other tablets (Mirosoft was building OS’ for them for over a decade) before the iPad, the iPod wasn’t the first MP3 player on the market, the mouse had already been invented and of course retail electronic store have been around forever, but what Steve helped do is reimagine how they should work, create a unified hardware/software product with an easy to use interface, masterfully market them and most importantly ship them in volume.

While some argue the late Steve Jobs shouldn’t be included in the same sentence as Thomas Edison or Henry Ford since he didn’t actually invent a lot of the products from scratch I’d say what he did do is just as important.

Steve wasn’t a coder, an engineer or designer, but he was an artist and a master salesman with the ability to connect the dots where others couldn’t and then deliver on that idea.

We all have come up with ideas we think can make us rich by inventing something, but sometimes you just have to look around you, connect the dots and improve on an existing idea.

I’d say the best way to judge this is by consumer demand. If nobody used what was already created, but then was a hit when it was reinvented… I’d say the latter is way more important.

Extreme Weather Meteorologist Reed Timmer, IMAX and 3D filmmaker Sean Casey and Sever Weather Engineer Tim Samaras who make up the Storm Chasers primetime show were sadly canceled from this Falls Discovery Channel lineup.

Although no confirmation directly from Discovery, Tim Samaras all but confirmed it on his Facebook page this week. Tim finished his post with..

One will never know where myself, Reed and Sean will appear once again. I will say that it was an absolute pleasure to be featured in the show along with such great talent.

Reed had been quiet until he also updated his Facebook page with the following today…

Just wait until you see the rebranded and revamped web presence we have planned for 2012. Won’t need television once this deploys.. 6 year master plan is finally going to start coming to fruition by March. DOMINATE the storm.

He also Tweeted…

Just don’t worry we’ll be back in some capacity I’m sure. Maybe just online webisodes.

While Reed seems to still be a little unsure about the fate of the series, even the shows Wikipedia page has been updated to reflect the cancellation saying it occurred on January 21, 2012.

According to multiple blogs, the show seemed to suffer from a couple production choices like moving the show from Wednesday’s to Sunday’s which put it up against Sunday Night Football on NBC. With the vast majority of the show being viewed by younger men… that’s a tough matchup to win. According to some data the show also suffered from being a niche show… while the show had huge ratings within the middle of the country, it had much less traction on the East and West coasts which obviously has the nation’s highest populations.

On a personal note… I’m hoping Discovery changes their mind or the reports are completely false. Sadly that probably isn’t the case. I’m really going to miss the show. It was one of the few shows I made sure to DVR every week and got pumped about each Fall. Reed alluded to a new web show and revamp of his TVN website which is great to hear as the website definitely needs an updated look. One problem though with a web version is the production value will probably go way down as they won’t have the money to produce a high quality version which includes the emotional factor that was a huge part of the current show and focused on relationships between team members.

If they do go that route I’d love to see a revamped website which includes easy to find videos, updated chasing info and tracking, integrated streams of their social media accounts, a great blog/commenting system and the ability to watch old episodes of the show. Hey Reed – If you need help doing this, let me know. I also have a site I planned to develop that would incorporate all of this, but now that this news is out, I’ll take a wait and see approach to see what the guys come up with.

Hopefully another network will pick up this great show with a huge dedicated following, but until that happens make sure to check out their websites and follow along with them on their Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Reed Timmer (TVN Team)
TornadoVideos.net
Facebook
Twitter @ReedTimmerTVN

Sean Casey (TIV Team)
Tornado Alley IMAX Movie
Facebook
Twitter @SeanCaseyImax

Tim Samaras (Twistex Team)
Twistex.org
Facebook
Twitter @tim_samaras

So about a week or so ago I purchased a Westinghouse 24 inch 1080P LED TV for my bedroom. The TV is probably the lightest and thinnest TV I’ve ever owned. The picture so far has been great and setup with my HD Comcast DVR was pretty much seamless.

One issue I did run into was I couldn’t figure out how to control the volume for TV using the Comcast remote. Comcast has a page on their site with a tool to help you find the proper codes for your TV, but unfortunately it’s complete horse shit.

After about 30 minutes of using their crappy tool, trying numerous other sites with other Westinghouse remote codes, I happen to run across a page that suggested the Comcast tool on their site was outdated and sucked (which it did), and that I should try using the tool, but instead suggested using Samsung as my TV manufacturer… Voila. First code worked perfectly.

I imagine others that bought this TV or a similar Westinghouse have also run into this problem, so I thought I’d add a tip here and run you through the steps.

Locating Your Comcast Remote Control Codes

1. Go to Comcast’s Remote Codes tool.

2. Select your current remote.

3. Select your current device. (TV in this case)

4. Select your brand. (Instead of typing Westinghouse, type Samsung)

You will now see a list of codes to try and one suggested code. The suggested code worked perfectly for me in this case with a Westinghouse LD-2480.

Most likely code: 10812
Others to try: 10060, 10702, 10766, 11903, 11060, 10587, 10814, 10650, 10178, 10030, 10386, 10842, 11993, 11755

Now that you’ve found the proper code to program your Comcast remote, you need to follow these steps.

Programming your Comcast Remote

1. Turn on the TV or other device that you would like to program.

2. Press the TV button on your remote control.
NOTE: If you would like to program your remote control to work with a DVD Player, VCR or Audio device press the AUX button.

3. Press and hold Setup until the red light blinks twice, then release Setup.

4. Enter the first code for your device listed above. If you perform this procedure correctly, the red light will blink twice.
NOTE: If you enter an invalid code, the red light will display one long blink and exit the programming mode. Repeat steps 2 to 4 with a valid code.

5. Aim the remote control at your device and press Power once (press the Play key for devices that don’t have a POWER button). If the TV turns off, make sure that the VOL+/- and Mute buttons also work. If so, you’re all set!

6. If not, repeat these steps using the next manufacturer’s code (you may need to try several codes to find the one that works).

Hope this helps. Any questions, let me know in the comments below.

Watch the video above from 2002 and tell me if he’s the one who’s crazy.

While the GOP fights over Mitt or Newt and the media insists on going out of its way to ignore Ron Paul… One man has had the same consistent message year and year. Dr. Ron Paul.

Yep he doesn’t want to serve under lobbyists or the 1%. Instead he chooses to do what’s best for America. If the GOP really wanted to defeat Obama, they’d do everything in their power to make this man win the nomination. This coming from an Obama supporter in 2008.

He’s the only candidate besides Obama, most young voters would choose. Remember… If he doesn’t win the GOP nominations, he’ll most likely still run as an independent and will take a huge chunk of the vote.

Instead they’ll continue to bicker over Newt being a swinger, Mitt being rich and not showing his taxes… you know that shit everyone really cares about instead of actually telling us how they’ll get us out of these silly wars so we’re not spending through the roof and allowing our young men and women to be sacrificed for the sake of oil, construction contracts and power.

While Dr. Paul wants to end the days of lobbyists running this country and consistently bailing out the thieves on Wall St… the media and other so-called political analysts want to paint him as a crazy, old man.

You know why they all do that? Cause he scares the hell out of them. He’s not a puppet they can tell what to do and he’s not afraid to call out people for trying to screw the people.

Take a look at the video above and tell me this guy doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Take a look at his record and tell me this guy isn’t honest and continually doing what’s best for the people he represents.

I’m not saying I agree with every single one of his beliefs, but I can tell you one thing… he’s smart, honest, consistent and cares more about the average American than all the other candidates combined. He’s not in it for himself. His entire life’s work has been about helping the average American succeed while preserving our rights under the Constitution of the United States. Without him the GOP has no shot.

I’m still an Obama supporter vs Newt, Mitt or Rick, but would seriously consider Dr. Paul if he were to win the nomination. If the GOP really wants to defeat Obama they HAVE to elect Dr. Ron Paul.

Still think he’s crazy? Well, I’ll end with a video of a few other people who were labeled as crazy.

Photo Courtesy of SocialHouseMPLS.com

About Social House Minneapolis

Social House (previously Zeno & Fusion) is located in the heart of Uptown at the corner of Hennepin Ave and Lagoon. Since switching over from Fusion last year and totally renovating the space they seem to have found their niche and based on the traffic I’ve seen there over the past few months I’d say they’re definitely going to be around for quite some time.

They specialize in delicious, exotic cocktails in an elegant and cozy environment, but probably what they should be best known for is their sushi.

Hours of Operation

Mon-Wed 4pm-12am
Thur-Sat 4pm-2am
Sunday Closed

Main Kitchen
Mon-Wed 4pm-10pm
Thu-Sat 4pm-11pm
Sunday Closed

Appetizer Kitchen
Mon-Wed 10pm-12am
Thu-Sat 11pm-2am
Sunday Closed

Sushi
Mon-Wed 4pm-12am
Thu-Sat 4pm-2am
Sunday Closed

Photo Courtesy of SocialHouseMPLS.com

Ambiance and Decor

The overall feel of the place is a chic, elegant, cozy bar/restaurant/lounge which besides Chino, there isn’t a lot of in Uptown. One thing I do miss about when it was Fusion was the whole upper (1 step up) area was a large lounge area with comfy sofas and plenty of room for kicking back on a date or Happy Hour with friends. I understand why they switched that as there’s much more room now for dining and they can fit more people in that area, but I do still kind of miss it. They did however add two new lounge sections on the other side of the restaurant and usually it isn’t too difficult to grab a spot. Probably the best thing they changed is the size of the bar. Previously the bar only seated about 5 people which is horrible when it’s busy and you’re trying to get a drink while waiting for a table. Now the bar goes the whole length of the place and typically there’s at least 2 bartenders on at any given time.

Although I’d say it’s a great place for just about anytime with anyone… It’s first and foremost a great place for a date. They even have “Date Night” on Tuesday’s which consists of an appetizer, 2 full sized dinner entrées and a bottle of wine for $30. You can also add two movie tickets from Landmark Theaters for $10 extra.

One drawback from the setup is it’s not much of a summer or warm weather place. Although they do have a small group of tables outside on the Hennepin sidewalk, it’s really not much of a patio atmosphere. And in Minneapolis… we love our rooftop patio months. Still a great spot for Happy Hours, date night or even a Sunday Funday.

Below I’ll go into a little more detail about each aspect of Social House Minneapolis.

Food and Drinks

While probably being known more for their drinks and atmosphere… Social House also has some amazing sushi. My favorites are the signature sushi rolls (Tuna Two Roll or the Copasetic). For an appetizer the Social House Shrimp is phenomenal.

One item I do miss from the menu that Fusion had was the fried Mac and Cheese. Not something I would normally order at a nicer restaurant, but man was that dish good. It’s possible they’ll still make it, but just currently not on the menu as it really doesn’t fit into the whole Asian-Fusion theme.

As for their drinks… While I don’t drink coffee or stray far from my vodka/sodas I will say their signature drink is their Expresso Martini. I’ve had a couple of them and loved it and know many friends that go their at least once a week just to get those. Not a bad choice for a cold winter night or Sunday Funday either.

You can view the whole food and drink menu here.

Specials and Happy Hours

Social House has one of the better Happy Hours in my opinion. They have a normal daily Happy Hour and also a late night one as well which comes in handy if you couldn’t break away from the office early enough. You can of course hit the early HH and stick around for the late night one, but then you’re just asking for trouble. Most items are half off and typically includes beers, house wines, apps and the more traditional sushi rolls.

Daily Happy Hours
Daily from 4pm-6pm
1/2 Priced Drinks
1/2 Priced Starters
$4 House Sake
$4 House Wine
1/2 Priced Tier 1 Maki Rolls

Late Night Happy Hours
Mon-Wed from 9pm-Midnight
1/2 Priced Drinks
1/2 Priced Starters
$4 House Sake
$4 House Wine
1/2 Priced Tier 1 Maki Rolls

Prices

Social House isn’t cheap, but it isn’t out of this world expensive either. I’d consider it on the high end of Uptown for drink prices. Happy Hour definitely comes in handy as you can get rail drinks for around $3.

Shots on the other hand are expensive and also fairly small compared to Chino. I always like to judge a places prices by how much a vodka soda and a shot of Patron are. At Social House two shots or Patron will run you about $20 + tip which is a little steep especially since it comes in a traditional small shot glass.

Sushi prices are about average compared to Masu or Seven as most people go with the signature sushi rolls with are priced around $16 – $20.

Customer Service

I have to admit the service at Social House is 50x’s better now then when it was Fusion or Zeno. Back then it would take 20 minutes on a slow Sunday afternoon to even get the attention of a waiter. Now they seem to be fully staffed and everyone I’ve come across is extremely friendly and sociable.

Tips and Tricks

• Like anywhere, Happy Hours will save you a ton. Luckily they have two per day.
• Try the Expresso Martini. It’s delicious!
• Try the Social House Shrimp for a tasty app.
• For Sushi try the Copasetic or Tuna Two Roll.
• Belly up to the bar and look for George (I believe). Great bartender. Funny, fast and always great service.

Recent Experiences

I recently just had my 36th Birthday party at Social House and all I can say is that it was probably the most fun I’ve ever had for a birthday. Lots of great friends, fun drinks, delicious food… all in a beautiful atmosphere.

The staff was amazing, especially considering I set all this up for a Friday night at 8PM for 40 people and only spoke with them about it a week in advance. Not easy for most restaurants to pull off, but they did.

Only complaint I had was half our group couldn’t sit for about 45 minutes as another group was still finishing up their drinks, but not everything is gonna work out perfectly and Brent and his staff did an incredible job in a short period of time.

Thanks again for a great birthday experience!

You can visit the Social House website here. You can also follow them on Twitter @socialhousempls and Facebook for updates to events and specials.

Let me know what you thought of Social House Minneapolis in the comments section below.

How I Got Started in the Online Poker World

Although never a serious (or maybe good) online poker player, I first got involved in the world of online poker back in 2001. At the time it was just the infancy of the “poker boom” that later came in 2003 after Chris Moneymaker won the WSOP and remember tuning in nightly to watch my favorite poker players play for millions of dollars on shows like the World Series of Poker and The World Poker Tour. Some of my favorite players were Phil Ivey, Daniel Negreanu, Howard Lederer, Chris “Jesus” Ferguson and many others.

At the time there were only a handful of well known poker sites one which was Party Poker. I remember seeing a link at the bottom of their site that asked players if they wanted to earn money by referring friends and others to play on the site and in return they would generously pay you a fee or commission percentage. This was called affiliate marketing and in reality was also the boom for that industry. Over the next two or three years I developed quite a few sites that talked about poker news, bio’s of top players and the best signup bonuses at various online card rooms.

Then in 2004 a group of some of the top poker players in the world announced a new site called Full Tilt Poker. I remember getting the email that they had launched and immediately signed up as an affiliate. I believe I was the 37th or 38th affiliate ever at the site and over the next few years promoted Full Tilt on various sites I ran.

At the time I loved poker and actually still do in some ways. I loved writing about the latest poker news and telling others about recent tournaments and writing about the pros I loved to watch on TV.

Signs of Trouble

Somewhere around 2005/2006 I started getting worried about the industry. Fellow affiliates started talking about affiliate checks bouncing and trouble withdrawing funds from certain sites, but I always dealt with the big sites so never really had that problem up until the Neteller fiasco. With the passing of the 2006 UIGEA I decided the industry was too volatile and that it would be in my best interest to take what I’ve learned about web design, SEO and affiliate marketing and move into a more accepted and mainstream industry. From that point on I pretty much quit the industry and in the years since have seen many friends lose tons of money to sites that went bankrupt, moved out of the US entirely or simply couldn’t easily transfer funds back and forth from the US.

While I still love playing the game occasionally with friends or on trips back to Vegas, I always wondered how safe was our money online? How legal was it really? Although players and affiliates seem to fall within a gray area and weren’t being sought for prosecution.. I still never felt there was any way we could be sure players/affiliates money was safe, that the games were fair and legit (Absolute Poker cheating scandal) or that the government wouldn’t one day decide to take action. For me it was an extremely smart decision and allowed me to use my skills on more mainstream projects. In light of the action the US Dept of Justice has taken over the last 6 months, I’d say I made the right call and got up from a game that might have never been fair or legal for that matter.

Was Full Tilt Poker a Global Ponzi Scheme?

Earlier today U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara in the Southern District of New York filed a motion Tuesday to amend an earlier civil complaint to allege that Mr. Ferguson, Mr. Lederer and two other directors for the website FullTiltPoker.com operated what the Justice Department says was a massive Ponzi scheme that allowed the company to pay out $444 million to themselves and other owners, which so far have included famous poker players Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, Howard “Poker Professor” Lederer and Rafael Furst. No other players have so far been named, but the government said that, in total, the 23 owners of the site had taken out hundreds of millions of dollars in distributions over the years.

According to the complaint the government alleges Full Tilt executives misrepresented to the website’s players that the money the company was supposed to be holding in player accounts was safely held when it was actually being used for other purposes, including payments to owners.

“In reality, Full Tilt Poker did not maintain funds sufficient to repay all players, and in addition, the company used player funds to pay board members and other owners more than $440 million since April 2007,” the complaint read.

The prosecutor said that, as of March 31, Full Tilt Poker owed about $390 million to players around the world, including $150 million to U.S. players. But the company only had $60 million in bank accounts to pay them back.

Full Tilt paid more than $443 million in player funds to the board of directors and other owners, with $41 million going to Bitar, $42 million going to Lederer, and nearly $12 million going to another board member, Rafael Furst.

The company paid $25 million to Ferguson, and said that it owed him another $62 million, according to the prosecutor’s office, noting that much of the money was transferred to Swiss and overseas accounts.

“In order to maintain its false image of financial security, Full Tilt continued to credit player accounts without disclosing its inability to fund those credits,” the prosecutor said.”When players gambled with these phantom funds and lost to other players, a massive shortfall developed.”

The prosecutor said “this scheme continued even after the original complaint was filed and the criminal indictment unsealed in April.”

As time went on, the poker site had even less money to pay its customers. By June, Full Tilt owed $300 million to players around the world but only had $6 million to pay them, according to the prosecutor’s office.

“Full Tilt was not a legitimate poker company, but a global Ponzi scheme,” said Bharara, in a press release. “Full Tilt insiders lined their own pockets with funds picked from the pockets of their most loyal customers while blithely lying to both players and the public alike about the safety and security of the money deposited with the company.”

Neither Lederer, Feguson or their attorneys have yet to make a public comment. Howard Lederer’s Twitter page also hasn’t been updated since April 12th, 2011 which was just 3 days before the original complaint was filed against Full Tilt and two other online poker rooms which now in the poker industry is known as Black Friday.

What About Phil Ivey?

Although the complaint states 23 members of the site that illegally received hundreds of millions in funds there’s no word of arguably poker’s greatest player, Phil Ivey.

In June, Phil Ivey who was Full Tilt’s most recognized star and 8 time WSOP Champ announced he would not be playing in the 2011 WSOP in response to players still being owed millions of dollars by Full Tilt and would also be filing a lawsuit for $150 Million on their behalf against Tiltware. The lawsuit was filed a few days after his announcement in Nevada.

“I am deeply disappointed and embarrassed that Full Tilt players have not been paid money they are owed. I am equally embarrassed that as a result many players cannot compete in tournaments and have suffered economic harm,” Ivey, who has played online on Full Tilt and appeared in the company’s TV commercials, said in a statement posted on his website which was completely revamped a few months ago and has no affiliation or marketing for Full Tilt Poker.

“I am not playing in the World Series of Poker as I do not believe it is fair that I compete when others cannot. I am doing everything I can to seek a solution to the problem as quickly as possible,” he said.

Nobody knows for sure who was involved from the top down and who simply thought they were being handsomely paid by one of the largest online poker sites in the world to help promote the site, but over time we will find out. As more information is released we’ll be better able to tell if Ivey was also in on this and simply protecting himself by filing the suit and distancing himself from the site or legitimately was upset and embarrassed to be part of something which could lead to criminal prosecution and potentially decades in prison.

Update: Here’s an interview from today that PokerNews.com did with Tom “Durrrr” Dwan about what he knows in relation to the charges.

Closing Thoughts

To me the most troubling part was that Full Tilt was crediting US players with false money into their accounts and still allowing them to play full well knowing that they had been having problems with US player transactions for quite some time. How they thought this was a sound business decision is beyond me. Anyone with half a brain could have seen that would never work.

In the end if the allegations are true this has to be the perfect story for CNBC’s American Greed show. It still shocks me when I see stories like this. Why millionaire’s decide they’ll do anything to have more even if it’s at the expense of other people’s livelihoods and their image along with the fact they could spend the rest of their lives in prison is beyond my comprehension. Although Wall Street star Gordon Gecko one said that “Greed is good”… it’s not worth it when it destroys your values and other people’s lives.

Although I do think online poker should be legal in the US for adults, I also think it needs to be regulated by the government, taxed and made as safe as possible for players and affiliates alike. Hopefully the recent actions by the US Government don’t hinder that and instead put it on a fast track to safe online gambling.

What are your thoughts on todays complaint? Is the US doing the right thing? Are these players responsible for a $400 Million Ponzi scheme? How will it affect the poker industry? Let me know in the comments below.

Some of the quotes above were taken in part from CNNMoney’s report.

So yesterday after almost 36 years since co-founding Apple in his parents garage with Steve Wozniack, Steve Jobs announced his resignation as Apple’s CEO. While he’ll still stay on as Apple’s Chairman… Apple fans, the tech world, investors and Wall Street analysts now wonder what the future holds for Apple. Tim Cook, Apple’s COO will now take over as full time CEO. Tim is regarding by many in the tech world as an operational genius so only time will tell if his leadership and vision align with what Steve did that made Apple what it is today.

Resignation

Here’s Steve’s resignation letter to Apple Employees…

To the Apple Board of Directors and the Apple Community:

I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come.

I hereby resign as CEO of Apple. I would like to serve, if the Board sees fit, as Chairman of the Board, director and Apple employee.

As far as my successor goes, I strongly recommend that we execute our succession plan and name Tim Cook as CEO of Apple.

I believe Apple’s brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it. And I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role.

I have made some of the best friends of my life at Apple, and I thank you all for the many years of being able to work alongside you.

Steve

Going Forward

Here’s Tim Cook’s letter to Apple employees on Steve Jobs resignation…

Team:

I am looking forward to the amazing opportunity of serving as CEO of the most innovative company in the world. Joining Apple was the best decision I’ve ever made and it’s been the privilege of a lifetime to work for Apple and Steve for over 13 years. I share Steve’s optimism for Apple’s bright future.

Steve has been an incredible leader and mentor to me, as well as to the entire executive team and our amazing employees. We are really looking forward to Steve’s ongoing guidance and inspiration as our Chairman.

I want you to be confident that Apple is not going to change. I cherish and celebrate Apple’s unique principles and values. Steve built a company and culture that is unlike any other in the world and we are going to stay true to that—it is in our DNA. We are going to continue to make the best products in the world that delight our customers and make our employees incredibly proud of what they do.

I love Apple and I am looking forward to diving into my new role. All of the incredible support from the Board, the executive team and many of you has been inspiring. I am confident our best years lie ahead of us and that together we will continue to make Apple the magical place that it is.

Tim

What I’ll Miss

Most knew it was coming probably sooner than later considering his bout with pancreatic cancer, recent liver transplant and other medical complications, but it still didn’t soften the blow. Anyone who’s followed Steve Jobs over the years knows Apple is his life and that Apple itself has been defined by Steve Jobs.

While I will definitely miss Steve Jobs the showman, pitchman, innovator and genius marketer… The executive team Steve assembled at Apple is second to none and

More than anything I hope Steve’s health improves with his time off. We all know he won’t be too far away and I’m sure he’ll still be giving plenty of input on product development and advertising at least for the near future. Remember he still is the Chairman of Apple.

I think what I’ll miss most about Steve running Apple is his vision and ability to deliver products the public doesn’t even know it wants and thus creating a new market. I think what set him and Apple apart from the other technology companies is Apple didn’t focus on technology and just shoot for making what’s already out there faster or thinner although they do that as well, but that they strive to combine technology with liberal arts

During the iPhone 4 and recent iPad 2 announcement Steve closed his keynotes with this… “We’re not just a tech company, even though we invent some of the highest technology products in the world. It’s the marriage of that plus the humanities and the liberal arts that distinguishes Apple. It’s in Apple’s DNA that technology alone is not enough. That it’s the technology married with liberal arts, married with the humanities that yields us with the result that makes our hearts sing.”

People have always asked me why I like Apple products so much. What Steve said above answers that question. His vision, leadership, emotion and salesmanship combined to make devices that are a combination of beautiful hardware, incredibly advanced software that all works seamlessly together and is designed to work around an easy to use and well designed user interface. Some argue his inventions are just a phone or just a computer or just a music player. Those inventions changed the world. They changed the way we work, the way we listen to music and watch movies, the way we create and interact with each other. Those are some pretty important things in my book.

Thanks for a great 35+ years and best of luck in the next chapter of your life. Your time at Apple may be done, but your life and inspiration to others isn’t. Just like you said in your 2005 Stanford Commencement Speech… “Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish.”

We’ll miss you Steve!

Videos

Below I’ve embedded some of my favorite Steve Jobs and Apple videos from over the last 35+ years. What’s your favorite? If I didn’t include it, link to it in the comments below.

So a few days ago my buddy in LA called me to tell me the great news he was getting married this Winter in Hawaii and wanted some suggestions on funny, but memorable things he and his soon to be bride could do for the wedding. That got me thinking and also searching Google/YouTube for fun ideas.

After clicking around on YouTube for a while the one video that kept popping up over and over was JK Wedding Dance. Now I’m sure most if not all of you have already seen the video. If not, you must live under a rock since it’s been viewed over 64 million times just on YouTube alone. It’s the video of Kevin and Jill Heinz St. Paul, MN wedding where they entered the wedding to Chris Brown’s Forever. They’ve appeared on The Today Show and many other media outlets since. The video simply makes you smile.

Now my buddy doesn’t necessarily care about being the next YouTube sensation, but after watching that video again I started clicking around on other top YouTube wedding videos and decided after wasting about 30 minutes of my life that I’d put my top 5 into a quick blog post in case others hadn’t already seen all of them. Some are wedding entrances and most are reception first dances. Oh and I’ve also added one extra at the bottom for best marriage proposal.

Which one is your favorite? I’m sure I missed some great ones so link to other great wedding videos in the comments section below.

So if you live under a rock and haven’t heard about this yet… earlier today clothing designer Kenneth Cole tweeted about #Cairo, Egypt while promoting his line of clothes. Some thought it was funny, most thought it was insensitive and in poor taste. TechCrunch described it as “Setting a New Bar for Social Media Stupidity“.

While I’m sure Kenneth Cole was just trying to be funny since he does quite often mix politics and promotions… this might have been a little too early for something of this nature. Good thing that there are companies like www.reputation.com, that will help clean up our reputation, in case you have a similar accident like Kenneth Cole. Within minutes thousands were replying to him showing their disgust in mixing the tragedy going on in Egypt with a promotion to sell his clothing/shoes.

Here’s the tweet if you haven’t seen it…

Millions are in uproar in #Cairo. Rumor is they heard our new spring collection is now available online at http://bit.ly/KCairo – KC

While some think it’s not a big deal and that people and the media are overreacting the problem I and many others have is he’s using a world tragedy for an attempt at business gain and exploiting the people in Egypt that are going through this. This is evident by his use of the hashtag #Cairo. It probably would have been viewed in bad taste anyways, but that put it over the top.

Kenneth Cole has responded twice now to the outrage first on his Twitter account shortly after his original tweet. It says…

Re Egypt tweet: we weren’t intending to make light of a serious situation. We understand the sensitivity of this historic moment -KC

I have removed this morning’s tweet. Please visit this link to see my apology. http://on.fb.me/fCSf5Z -KC

He then responded on Facebook with an apology which reads…

I apologize to everyone who was offended by my insensitive tweet about the situation in Egypt. I’ve dedicated my life to raising awareness about serious social issues, and in hindsight my attempt at humor regarding a nation liberating themselves against oppression was poorly timed and absolutely inappropriate.

Kenneth Cole, Chairman and Chief Creative Officer

Probably the biggest news that came out of all of this is the creation of a parody Twitter account called @KennethColePR.

In less than 4 hours it went from 0 – over 4000 followers which should soon pass the real Kenneth Cole Twitter account in followers and was created to poke fun at Mr. Cole for such a ridiculous tweet in the first place. There’s probably about 20 or so updates many of which people are having a good laugh at. Some have definitely crossed the line too, but I’d imagine it’s by a comedian trying to show how stupid Mr. Cole was in his original tweet.

Here’s a sample of recent Tweets from that account.

So what do you think? Are people overreacting or is the backlash justified? I personally think he crossed the line when he added the #Cairo hashtag which many are using along with the #Egypt hastag to follow along with journalists and loved ones in the area. It’s not the end of the world, but you’d expect better judgement from someone running a major company.