August 13: Unparalleled Airport development

Tomorrow, The 2nd terminal of San Diego International Airport opens, which has been under construction since 2009. The total cost is $45M less than the budget, which was completed at $907M. Equipped with new gear and innovative design, the airport looks to benefit the regional economy by $10M each year.

• 460,000 ft^2 expansion including 10 new jet gates (designed for newest models) in addition to the older 7 gates.
• Silver Certification from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)
• 7000 employees during construction, also increasing concessions employees by 600 (+45%)
• 1200 foot long elevated roadway for people leaving from the airport.
• "Sunset Cove", a fully windowed wall (minimal columns) overlooking the setting sun on the West.
• 50 feet tall, angled outward from the ground, and curved from top-to-bottom and side-to-side
• Can Allow 12" movement for earthquakes (!)
• 12 checkpoint lanes (29000 ft^2)
• Outlets furnished on 1/2 of seating 
• 21000 ft^2 car rental space, reducing traffic and re-purposing space (12 agencies total in the space)
• Almost half ($415M) of contributions were from local businesses
• Baggage claim is 30% more efficient (motors)
• Plan to recycle used oil from the airport restaurants
• Stone Brewing, Phil's BBQ, and Brook's Brothers are on the list of shops.

Most interesting to me was that this project was completely configured through Building Information Modeling (BIM) to predict problems and engineering constraints, which will undoubtedly lead to unparalleled longevity. The question remains: what to do with Terminal 1, which is over 50 years old... I see the county struggling with improvements since Tijuana airport is increasing traffic with the completion of Millenia, and Brown Airfield looks to do vast improvements as an executive airfield. These should both rank tops on the county budget docket and most likely with regional businesses.

The Future of Facebook

Last week, Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) announced their plans to sell out. Literally. If you look at Facebook's numbers, you see that advertising is the greatest source of revenue, 1.6 Billion/1.82 billion (88%), which could change the tune of technology sector's newest superstar. Television style advertisements are set for implementation soon next week in an attempt to mock that of Youtube. The ads will command 2.5M each for 15 seconds and will be selective of users according to demographic research.

News that the magnate will advertise on 'news feeds' is met with mixed reviews. Will the company prosper or will users be jaded? Will the company lose it's accessibility brought by years of providing easy interfacing? Google was started in 1998 and it saw its first profits after 7 years. 2013 is Facebook's 9 year anniversary (Feb 2004). Google to this day records advertising receipts about 97% of the gross and soon plans to market fiber optics (read: sell data bundles) and floating wi-fi in developing countries to grow the bottom line.

Instagram is also a subsidiary of Facebook ($0.7B in April 2012) and plans are still working out. Last month, 40 Million unique users were on Instagram, which was created late in 2010. Twitter, Yelp, LinkedIn, and Google are Facebook's competitors in the mobile networking industry, and plans may also include partnership with Twitter. The partnerships will reign in a new era as facebook transitions from a universal need to custom fitting apps to phone models and particular demographics.

In June Zuckerberg met with THE HEAD of Samsung in an effort to install the FB app on newly sold devices. Currently, only the HTC First comes pre-packaged. From CEO of Instagram Kevin Systrom: "If [Facebook] keeps growing at this rate, it will be the biggest thing in the world."

Excel Functions

Rules for VLookUp:

• The table array first column is where the value is looked for. The table array specifies the total area for the Column indexes able to be chosen (a3:c8 would be 3 possible indexes, but value is only searched in column a).
• The table array must include all value for the table you want to make use of
• Words can be returned, but not looked up
• A different sheet can also be referenced (added before the table array with !)
• I.e. (25.6, Sheet2!$A$1:$C$5, 3, False)

LEN function only works for one cell

Count and COUNTA functions count # of cells in an array that have numbers (and letters for COUNTA)

IF(Formula, Condition if true, Condition if false)
(SUM, COUNT, AVERAGE)IF will tie to an IF statement if one exists, otherwise, the criteria will be a function (i.e. c3>d3).
Merging 2 cells into one (first and last names, esp.)

• =A1&B1 (this will not intuitively add spaces.

Digital Currencies: An end to conspiracies

Imagine: A world without banks. A world without a treasury. Imagine: Africa in all it's (non)development. Strangely enough, Africa is a trendsetter for the largest potential economic overhaul that we will see in our lifetimes. Makes sense, since money is counter-intuitive. Money is a physical representation of your work and skill, so why should it be controlled, quantified, and tracked by a government or anyone else (i.e. banks)? The world first saw credit cards in the 1920's, and since, we have used them as a band-aid of a sufficient system to barter our hard work for other products. Why are we making it more complicated?

Enter Paypal (and dozens of others), which is determined to cut out these middlemen and create only person to person transactions and lessen frustration and fees that money inevitably creates. Kenya has adopted digital currency, and I think within 20 years, the entire world will follow suit.

•  More security (limited chance of identity theft)
• Easier to transport and impossible to lose
• Easily transferred to anyone in the world with a digital device (phone or computer)
• Eliminates Beggars
• No more conspiracy theorists and libertarians rightfully upset with centralized banks :)

Negatives are that we have to work out a way to pay inanimate vendors (i.e. machines, parking meters, etc.) and that digital currency is completely anonymous.

The ever-encompassing GOOGLE

It seems like Google has become a life partner, just like a best friend. It helps businesses earn money and promote, it helps people understand life's difficult questions, it facilitates communication between people, it gives people more time by providing applications, countless other helpful activities... and it's only been 15 years.

A quick list of how google is and will be my best friend:

• Google Maps and Google Earth
• G-Mail
• Google Circles to diversify and compartmentalize friendships
• Google Drive: An affordable way to send large files and have them available anywhere
• Play Store for android
• Search engine which offered the first predictive search bar and intuitive features
• "best of" feature
• instant trivia answers
• The most comprehensive search engine for any knowledge imaginable
• Pay per clicks and Advertising (majority of revenues)
• Google Nexus and partnership with All smartphones
• Translation
• Nasa space modules that promise to solve chronic diseases
• Google Glass
• Implementing Wireless networks into impoverished countries (albeit to market sponsors, but admirable nonetheless)
• Google voice making cell phone calls and texts available to anyone free of charge

From the SEO standpoint, Keywords most used are Insurance, Loans, Mortgage, Attorney, Credit, in that order. Per month over 1 Billion unique users. 

Youtube: Modern television

In the years between 2005 and 2007, Youtube became a common household name, and has since become an international magnate in the entertainment industry. This year marks some incredible changes as the company (founded by, you guessed it, Paypal employees) gallops forward to the forefront of personal entertainment. The key to success for youtube? Anyone with a computer or smartphone can watch for any length of time without committing any information or money. Another key to success: the entertainers are typically the same exact people and do not need contracts or sponsorship to become famous, ultimately converting any revenues gained with a youtube project into pure profits. The world looks to the new trends on youtube each day to entertain in uncommon and unscripted ways, and typically creators only need basic equipment, an eye for cinematic style, and a small following to strike a career.

• Movies have been created poking fun at the success of users who just happened to shoot film at the right time (i.e. The Rocker)
• Youtube's payout schedule: $ 0.0033/1 view $ 3/1,000 view $33/ 10,000 views $330/ 100,000 views $3300/ 1,000,000 views They start paying you only after the millionth view, and only if youre a YouTube partner. {http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_much_does_YouTube_pay#page3
• Again, becoming a partner is absolutely free!
• The world wants unscripted behavior because it shows us that the famous are just like us.
• First platform to partner with Adobe flash, which is now commonly used in most web-based videos
• Incredible for small businesses to advertise internationally (just send a link to a fully available hyperlink to any client)
• Videos of any length up to 12 hours and unlimited uploads available
• New revenue sharing enables users to click on the sponsors that they want to partner with, no need to ask Youtube's permission. This will jettison youtube into unfathomable realms!
• http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-04-22/its-getting-harder-to-make-money-on-youtube
• Wikitubia: shows trending youtube channels and full descriptions of each channel so you can learn even more about Psy or Smosh.
• Encompasses fun also, with jokes like Rickrolling, and an Onion (newspaper) farce early 2013
• Facilitation of recording artists on the rise as well as established
• Partnerships with Hulu and Netflix grow the company even more with referals.

The juggernauts of the internet (facebook and google) suddenly are having a serious run for their money. I think in the next few years that they will all become an aggregate community encompassing all of the best features of the three. 3 heads are better than one.

3D printing: a controversial future

Wow, of all the innovations I have ever seen in cartoons and theory, 3D printing took me by huge surprise. A machine that builds? It seems so basic but the scale is inspiring. The technology began in the 90's through programs like AutoCAD and further by laser printing, and is literally the largest breakthrough I will ever witness in my entire life. The world will be absolutely driven and challenged by machinery and as we become more isolated society will dissipate. Thus, both sides of mankind are called upon; one side to build and build while the other nurtures and commands. Interesting stuff!
Below are a few of my ideas on the impact of this up and coming phenomenon:

• Replacement body parts
• Car frame and fabrication (see my electric car blog)
• Less footprint on mother nature by mankind (less smog from factories)
• Construction (long term goals, of course)
• ***An artistic revolution (similar to nerds overtaking the music scene)
• Used in Space in lieu of a garbage bag of tools
• Unlimited supply will drive demand for luxury goods down
• Designers aren't paid personally: you can buy the best designs from anywhere in the world
• Hospital equipment decreases in value, health care more affordable
• Printers controlled by cell phones: more compatibility and ease of use. (App for that?)
• Time saved in going to stores and no cash involved in transaction, just electronics
• Salespeople are eschewed out of product markets, technology tweaking is the new wining and dining
• Cheap to buy for personal use (wi-fi printers under $1300 at 3dsystems.com)
• Machines become creators, we automate our lives and stop needing to work.
• Ease of creating complex parts that normally are next to impossible (natural hinges, interlocking parts, etc.) as well as inherent color schemes
• Creation of food by machine??

Now, the bad

• Plastic 'legal' guns (already capable of shooting .38 caliber bullets!)
• Non-functioning and cheap products sold to unassuming customers
• Much less work and laziness ensues, meek inherit the earth
• Designing robots to be humans (I honestly see this happening very soon)
• Retail and MSRPs are challenged, forcing many stores out of business
• Jobs and human empathy lost
• Machines become creators, we automate our lives and stop needing to work.
• Overpopulation and poverty

Hopefully learning what we can do with it won't outweigh what we should do with it, but I really can't say I feel good about this. I am all for technology, but what are we really trying to accomplish? Funny how much mankind works when all we need is food and shelter....