David Pogue channels Britney Spears
The New York Times' columnist entertains IT types with a parody of "Ooops!… I did it again."
Pogue at Interop. Photo: Philip Elmer-DeWitt
David Pogue may review technology for a living, but give him half a chance and he'll revert to his first love: show tunes.
He did it again Wednesday, ending his Interop New York 2009 keynote at the Javits Center with one of his patented song parodies: "Apps!… I did it again," a Britney Spears classic (if there is such a thing) rewritten for the age of the Apple (AAPL) iPhone.
The performance followed an address that entertained mostly by accident. In what he described in advance as an "exercise in idiocy," he attempted 15 live demos of his favorite gadgets and apps.
We lost track of how many failed, but it seemed like more than half. "Dr. Kevorkian, call me now!" he cried after one of his simplest — a demo of Google Info (800-GOOG-411) — was foiled by Interop's overloaded Wi-Fi circuits.
Below the fold: Pogue at the electric piano.
UPDATE: Pogue helpfully provided by e-mail this list of the 14 demos he attempted (one got cut for time):
* Mifi
* iPhone Touch as a cellphone (using Mifi+Skype Out)
* 800-Goog 411
* Blurt (for BlackBerry)–video chat with the author in Dallas
* Nikon Coolpix 1000pj (camera with projector)
* Ocarina (musical instrument iPhone app)
* I Am T-Pain
* Jaadu VNC (real-time control of Mac/PC/Linux across the Internet on phone)
* Red Laser (barcode scan/comparative price lookup)
* PushIt2Me ("push" notification of urgent email–wakes the iPhone)
* RunPee Mobile (tells you exactly when, in each movie, you can go pee)
* FakeCalls
* Retina (augmented reality for the color-blind)
* Swine Flu AR (mockup of phony future app)
See also:
[Follow Philip Elmer-DeWitt on Twitter @philiped]
You wrote: "We lost track of how many failed, but it was more than half."
Well, I battled Interop's overloaded WiFi, all right, but in the end, only ONE demo completely bombed: the very first one, where I tried to make a cellphone call from an iPod Touch via MiFi portable hot spot. (It had worked 2 hours earlier in the rehearsal.)
Goog411 and Jaadu took a couple of tries, and PushIt2Me took a minute for Steve's email to come through. But they did work, as did all the others.
So in fact, I was 13 for 14. Not quite "more than half." But who's counting?
–Pogue
@David Pogue
Sir: You are indeed a talented person. I've found your books to be entertaining and very helpful. I even appreciate your musical humor.
Not being a Britney Spears fan, your latest musical adaptation made me wince. Not so much from a view of a poor performance, but for the lyrical satire you chose to use.
Being the parent of four technologically aware teenagers, the collective investment in iTunes content in our household (including music, movies and iPhone apps) might rival the monthly GDP of a few small island nations. In our household iTunes gift cards have become an alternative form of currency. Thankfully there are no flatulence apps amidst the storehouse of purchased content that has now earned its own Time Capsule as a hedge against digital disaster.
After viewing the short music video I might add a few of your books to the Christmas shopping list for the teens as a reminder there are ways to use all of this cool digital gear without having to spend an extra dollar (or in this case exhaust yet another iTunes gift card).
Philip's columns are already a pre-requisite for insightful family discussions about technology at the dinner table.
Thanks for the laugh and thanks again for your books.