Joe Miller

As we approach this Monday's opening of Apple's annual World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) in California, where it's widely believed that Apple CEO Steve Jobs will unveil the next version of its hugely popular iPhone, I take a look back at three years ago when tech guru John Dvorak predicted the iPhone would be a total failure. This Wall Street Journal article of March 28, 2007, and the YouTube video shown below, are reminders that pundits and bloggers can, and do, get it wrong.

Even though this year's WWDC stands to be all about the iPhone, a number of other potential annuncements are being talked about. In addition to the highly anticipated iPhone OS 4, for both the iPhone and the iPad, there's speculation that Apple will announce that tethering will be available on the iPhone. There's also speculation that Apple TV will be based on the iPhone OS and the current A4 processor that's being used in the iPad. Of course, we're all waiting with baited breath to see if Apple is going to use a cloud strategy for iTunes and Apple TV.

Apple is finishing off the construction of a huge new data center on the East Coast which most experts believe is the foundation for Apple's use of the cloud to tie all of its various services together online. What an exciting thought!

Finally, now that Apple has a serious competitor to the iPhone in the way of Google's android operating system, we can expect to see even greater improvements and developments in the smart phone market with regard to softwware – and that's good for all of us.

The only children's hospital in Indiana recognized in any category by the nationally distributed Child Magazine, Riley Hospital for Children ranked 11th overall out of almost 250 children's hospitals across the United States.

A leader in pediatric care, not only in Indiana, but around the region, Riley Children's Hospital is Indiana's first and only comprehensive hospital dedicated exclusively to the care of children.

One of my first jobs when I moved to Indianapolis in 1972, as a newly trained emergency medical technician (EMT), was working for the largest local private ambulance service. I was frequently asked to drive our new, large ambulance/truck directly to a physician's home–usually on weekends and/or holidays–pick up the doctor, and then drive to an outlying hospital to pick up a newborn infant and safely transport it, in an incubator, back to Riley Hospital.

It was perhaps the first time in my life when I really recognize the value of a human life. I'll never forget the first time I pulled into the ambulance bay at Riley and was greeted by a small group of dedicated doctors and nurses who rushed to our ambulance, removed the incubator containing the newborn infant, and hastily moved into a room where they could perform their magic on the distressed child.

We should all be very proud to have Riley Children's Hospital in our community. Along with the Ronald McDonald House (which sits across the street On Michigan St.), Riley Children's Hospital is saving lives and helping thousands of families every year.

Thank you Riley!


Video below: Riley-produced promotional video explaining their mission and services. Worth the watch.

In the photo below, an attempt by the UK coastal town, Great Yarmouth, to set a world record for the number of people dressed as the cartoon character Wally wasn't successful yesterday when the Norfolk resort amassed 930 Wallys -- 123 short of beating the record held by New York. Nonetheless, it's a striking photo taken by the photography team at the UK's Guardian newspaper for their "Eyewitness" feature.

Every day the Guardian's Eyewitness provides an almost-always stunning photo, along with technical and artistic merits of the chosen image.  And, now, they offer a free iPad app just for these photos.  It's worth the download!

Note: the 'Pro Tip' for the photo below: The photographer has created a striking image by using a high viewpoint, thereby ensuring the viewer can engage with as many faces as possible.  Click photo to enlarge!


Videos Below: David Levene shows off the Guardian Eyewitness app for the Apple iPad and the head of photography both explain the new Eyewitness iPad app.

The Gulf oil-spill crisis should serve to remind us all of the importance of reducing the amount of oil and oil-related products we use.  There are many ways to cut back, and a great way to help would be with the use of Zip Cars for those of us living here in Indianapolis.

Zip cars are located in dozens of cities and on hundreds of college campuses, including Indiana University in Bloomington. A good friend of mine (and many of my readers), Brad Queisser, who lives in Washington, DC, frequently uses Zip Cars.

We need a Zip Car location in downtown Indianapolis.


See the video below for the ease of use of an iPhone to find, book, locate and unlock your Zip Car!