Subconscious Desire to Watch USA Match? (Managers Prohibited to Read :)

If either Tim or Jon are reading this, don't worry, the title is just a joke, mostly ;)

This morning I struggled with, what developed over the last 24 hours, a pulled back. Yesterday was quite uncomfortable shifting around in my office chair. The strain of the ill fitting high back exec chair sent me through the roof yesterday. Adding to my misery was a nigh spent in an easy chair as I fell asleep and couldn't wake up (until a 3:45 accident where my feet were pointed to the ceiling as my head and the back of the chair hit the floor - try picturing it). I put off my daily P90X workout in favor of a run (in the DFW heat) hoping to stretch out the pull and recover before heading off to work. No luck and I felt more miserable than before. To top it off, allergies are doing a number on my throat. All in all I concluded that working from home today would be a nice option.

Having resolved to begin the day at home, I went in search for my laptop bag en route to the easy chair, assuming a posture of work and watch as the USA Men's World Cup contingency work their magic against the bottom of the group Algerian team. Then it hit me: the bag with both PC and Mac were in the back of my wife's vehicle on its way to the Dallas LDS Temple and was not returning until lunch time.

So with only my iPhone (original and waiting for my new iPhone 4) in hand, and my corporate e-mail Inbox not functioning properly, I sent a note off, periodically checked my Inbox (no movement) and settled in for a nail-biting match.

I'll let the pro's tell the full story, slanted or not, but let's just say that I was on the edge of my seat as the US came away with the win 90 seconds into extended play in the 2nd period. While Landon Donovan put the "nail in the coffin" it was the offensive pressure from Dempsey and Altidore that pushed Algeria the whole game. You also can't deny DeMerrit's defensive prowess as he shut down attack after attack, giving US their first shutout match in World Cup since 2002.

All the while I watched the game, it was incredibly enjoyable to keep tabs on the England v. Slovenia match via the iPhone GOAL.com app and for those of you that know me you'll know why.

So if my management is still reading this, note that I'll be working a bit later than normal and hopefully a little marketing can hide the sins of my subconscious.

World Cup Comes to Mobile

Many of you know that I work in the mobile app biz and I thoroughly love futbol (soccer for the colonists on this side of the pond ;). With the World Cup 2010 in South Africa kicking off (yes, that was a pun) today, I'm ecstatic that Handmark is bringing the mobile industry's premiere mobile app for the World Cup, downloadable from your mobile device at http://m.goal.com/app or from your desktop. Here's my review.

Pros:

• Free - those of you that know me understand this is a must.
• Multi-platform support - iPhone, Android, Window Mobile, BlackBerry, JME devices
• Free - didn't I already mention that ;)
• Up-to-date news from GOAL.com, not only for World Cup, but EPL, MLS, UEFA, and many others
• Free - can't get over that one
• LIVE SCORES - this is huge. Mostly large pay-for-models give you live scores but this is, again...FREE
• Fixtures and Results by day
• Group Stage w/team standings
• Knockout Stage w/final tournament schedule
• News coverage provided by team of 550 reports, including 10 based in SA for the finals
  
• Social - Twitter, Facebook, Delicious and more for sharing articles and the app itself
• Offline reading capabilities when mobile network is down (does this happen anymore?)
  

Cons:

• NONE - see first bullet point in the Pros section ;)

Here's what others are saying about the app.

"Goal.com Mobile application delivers
everything you need to know about football. With provocative
commentaries, exclusive interviews and vivid photos, Goal.com mobile
keeps you in the know no matter where you are. Delivering instant,
real-time access to breaking Goal.com football news." -- Antonio Wells of Androidtapp.com

"...mobile app such as Goal.com gives me a quick World Cup fix when I need
an update." - Kevin C. Tofel of GigaOM

"IMHO, the Goal.com application is top of the bill." - Robin Walters of TechCrunch

Here are some screenshots.





So what are you waiting for? Go get yours today. It's FREE!!!

Contextual Ads Strike Again: Comic Relief to a Tragedy

Contextual ads are a given in today's world of web, mobile and advertising. Unfortunately, filters for context revolving around tragedies don't exist, or are exploited by advertisers and ironic combinations often occur. Here's an example of one such irony for which I see the comic relief around the apparent tragedy.

For another example of previously noted irony, see this post. And for a final taste of irony, notice that both articles are from Desert News.

Class of 2022 Kindergarten Graduation: My Baby is Growing Up!

Here's a few video clips from today's Kindergarten graduation. Yes, the video is a bit rough (blame the camera guy, me), but they're sweet. Hope you enjoy!

Nike: Write the Future

Just an enticing video to get you excited for the 2010 World Cup. Check back here later for link to great mobile app w/live scores coming from Goal.com powered by Handmark.

Goalie Scores and is Scored Upon

Ever have a goalie come up and score? I did. This isn't him. But this is pretty good.

Spring Season Practices Start this Weekend

Hard to believe my winter break is coming to an end. Goals I had set forward for the off season unfortunately have been unmet (no marathon due to injury, personal biz yet not prototype complete). With just another 3+ weeks left until opening weekend for soccer, spring season, it's time to start the teams practicing again.



For those of you not familiar with Texas weather, the term "if you don't like the weather just wait 10 minutes" applies liberally to the spring season. This last week we were blessed with 70 degree, almost 80 degree weather (yes, in January) and the mornings were a balmy 50+ degrees. Yet, in reviewing the outlook for Saturday, the day of our first practices, it looks to be in the upper 30's to low 40's as the high. There are not many things that deter a motivated soccer player from practicing and perfecting their craft, but cold weather is one of them. The ground is too firm for the cleat but too slick to not wear them. The cold toes seem to tingle more against a ball that feels harder in the colder conditions.

But just like the adage, if I wait, likely the weather pattern will change, even that morning, and the sun may shine and the temps rapidly increase to a comfortable 50+ degrees. Welcome to Spring Soccer, Texas Style!

Fun Team Pics For Opening Games

Just wanted to share a few pictures documenting the excitement my kids have at starting a new season (3 weeks late).


S in new uniform ready to take off for the game.

J in new uniform ready to take off for the game.

S & J at the fields ready for a great opener.

Cheetahs won opener 4-1 against the Aftershock.

FireDragons won opener against the Buccaneers 3-0

Innovation of Soccer Ball Beyond Round? Bring in Noaz Safari Sportz

How do you innovate on a soccer ball? That was my question this morning and jokingly I put out there that "round is round." I did have a friend comment that you could provide texture to the ball, which conceptually would be an innovation. Other than the goalie, texture would likely go unnoticed as most players would have their boot on ;)

So how do you innovate on a soccer ball? Manufactures have designed a plethora of balls that are just that: innovations. From different outter covering types (leathers, synthetics), to stitching (hand vs. machine) to glues, to padding. Even the bladders of balls are different (I admittedly had never paid attention to this detail before this morning). If that was not enough, soccer balls come in 3 regulation sizes to fit the growing strength, size and development of the players.

With all the differing types of balls on the market, what attracts a buyer into purchasing one ball over another? Obviously there is marketing data out there (to which I'm not privy), and I'm sure there could be scientific clues as to what invokes a passion for one product vs another. All that aside, an average player will likely look at a ball and choose based on color, pattern and some visual connection they make with the product.

Keeping eye candy as a selection criteria in mind, I'd like to showcase a friend's new business and product line: Noaz Safari Sportz (http://noazsafarisportz.com). I met with the founder and owner of the business this morning at a local coffee shop (yup, I had my hot chocolate ;) and went through the basic concepts of the business and personally viewed the product prototypes. The business is built on Christian values of integrity and honesty, touting they bring a "rainbow of promise" to children as far as they can reach. They're plan is to create a profit share with organizations as marketing/distributing channels. The design of the product was realized by their son (my former soccer player), Chase. The company is in a unique and specific market that will allow them to propogate Christ's goodness and bring excitement, uniqueness and enjoyment to the sport I love.

Will the product be a competition level product? Not likely. In fact, they're touting it as a training product. But all that remains to be seen. Will the product rise above mere fashion and eye candy? With the hand-stitched product, quality seems pre-eminant in the minds of the owners and if the product were marketed as just fashion it would likely fail. I see this product having a good run at the market.

How can you contribute or get more information about the product? Feel free to contact me personally or go straight to http://noazsafarisportz.com/657.html for more contact information. I'm hoping after talking with the owner this morning, he'll venture into a product site on Facebook and show the power of social networking.

Good luck Noaz Safari Sportz! Looks like you have a winning product concept on your hands. May the Lord bless you through it's development and guide you into the channels were you can be of the most value in His hands!

Season Coaching 4 Teams Ends Cold But Warm

For just a single season I've been able to glimpse the true insanity with which my older brother lived many years while coaching his 4 sons' soccer teams. These last few months I've spread myself a little thin and coached all 4 of my kids' teams, though under different pressures from my brother. All 4 of my teams are recreational teams which means limited travel (radius of about 30 miles of which we're the center point). I'm a board member which translates into having great control over when and where we play, including practices. I'm not totally insane on the game though some would beg to differ on that statement.



Regardless, the season is now over, the fields are shut down for the next 2 months and it's time to relax a bit and prepare for the Spring season. We elected to not run indoor with the kids' teams and just scale back and enjoy the holidays. So 2 weekends ago we celebrated the conclusion of the season with what seemed like a wintry ending to a normally warm season.



Despite the apparent cold, my morning ended with warm hugs and cheers as L's team completed their first season and were rewarded with trophies, a serious thing for such gigglers. It was a great start to the blustery day and a great ending to a fun season.