Friday, December 14, 2012

We don't need tears Mr. Obama

Buck stops at you Mr. President..

As our leader and President of world's most powerful nation I expect you to act.. instead wiping tears.. everyone is sad here.. We understand that human being inside you is sad.. but as President.. we expect actions.. and concrete actions.. not just tears or simple talk..

First desired action is really simple and everyone knows about it. It is time to amend second amendment... At least contain it.. I know it is tall order but is doable.. At least we need to put some restrictions in place..

In case, we can't amend this second amendment.. then I would expect you to create deterrent for such folks. Start with Armed Policeman in the school campus. So this law enforcement official can contain such incidences.. I know it will be a hell a lot boring job for this official.. but it is not that it can't be done..

For selection of such personnel, I am totally fine with complete profiling.. As such, we can't say anything about human brain.. but for such job which involves protecting young and innocent children, I would like all the available scientific resources to be applied to profile so that these officials shouldn't become insane and become attacker themselves.

If we can't even do this due to our frail budgetary situation and fiscal cliff type of challenges.. Then, please make voucher system as a default option so that I can use my own tax dollars to educate my kids in private schools of my choice.. which hopefully may be safer or I can make them safer without have to deal with red tape.. worse come worse.. if something happens there.. I will not have regret or you to blame to..

I am sure you may also have many good ideas.. However, here key is execution of these ideas.. These type of events are becoming almost quarterly news.. It does reflect on our society and values in general. We also need to ponder and think about this aspect.. what is happening to our values and why there is such a decline..We are suppose to make progress as time goes by.. isn't it.. Is there anything missing in our education system or some other media or news organization which is causing significant increase in such heinous events..

I don't know if it is just me or others are also noticing.. I some how feel that there is significant increase in number of news / reports on extreme religious, racism, nationalism and all sorts of profiling.. I think here media needs to be more cautious and responsible.. instead of providing all kinds of data and news on such they can easily provide news or data to unite all of us.. Why can't all the news be simply based on the fact that we all belong to human race.. which needs to evolve and become better and become more and more unified rather than get divided on petty issues like small groups.. Don't know if I am making any sense or not.. but somehow I feel that we as human need to unite and look for one simple common factor that everyone belongs to human race..

http://www.mercurynews.com/nation-world/ci_22193995/tearful-obama-calls-meaningful-action-after-connecticut-shooting

Is it really a Triumphant Return or Forced Return?

Before I begin on my main topic.. I am really happy that Google map is back. I hope Apple will update iOS so that we can use Google map as default map on iPhone. I was/am totally fine with Apple maps in US. However, during my India trip, I did felt pain. As most of you know, I still enjoy and love driving in India (it is just much more thrilling to drive in India..).. So during my last trip I borrowed my Sister-in-law's car and was on my own. As I was in Delhi / Noida after a while, I did needed navigation system. Asking "paan wala" was beneath my reputation.. I had my International roaming data plan and was confident with iPhone.. However, Apple maps royally screwed me over there.. It simply didn't worked. I could only get some overview out of it but no navigation or real good help.. Chrome/Google maps on safari were mostly non functional.. So bottom line.. I am really happy to have it back..

Having said that.. I still feel that it was Apple map which forced Google to update their mapping feature.. otherwise there was no way they were going to add turn-by-turn navigation. It was literally competing with their Android's base feature. Whatever we say about Apple maps.. it did forced them to update and helped us all by making Google Maps on iOS much better then what it used to be. Moreover, in US, I really like Apple maps.. it is totally fine with me while driving... I tested it and liked much better..

It will be good lift for Google. still I feel that we will see its usage on iPhone much less than before. While you are browsing or searching in safari and you get some address.. if you click on that address it is going to open native Apple maps only.. unless you copy that address or go back to Google maps application and search it again there.. you are not going to get Google maps.. same is true with address book.. if you click on saved address it will still open Apple maps.. Unless.. Apple makes some setting updates and integrates with Google maps as it has integrated with Facebook and Twitter.. Let us see..

Bottom line.. if Google had played nicely.. we would still have them as native mapping service in iPhone. At least I think so..

TRIUMPHANT RETURN

Google Maps app back on iPhone

Service provides lift for Apple, big gain for search giant

By Brandon Bailey

bbailey@mercurynews.com

Eager iPhone owners rushed to download Google’s new Maps app, driving it to the top of the most-popular list in the iTunes store Thursday and marking a triumphant return for one of Apple’s biggest rivals. The new app, which became available in the iTunes store Wednesday night, may be a short-term boon for Apple if its release helps soothe the many complaints that Apple has heard from iPhone users over the last six months — ever since Apple replaced an earlier Google Maps application with Apple’s own flawed mapping service on the most recent version of its signature smartphone.

But analysts said the upgraded Maps app is also a powerful tool for Google, as the Mountain View Internet giant seeks to cultivate a profitable relationship with millions of smartphone owners who have chosen Apple’s iPhone over competing devices that run on Google’s Android operating software. “Thank you, Google!” read the first of more than 12,000 mostly favorable reviews that iPhone users posted after downloading the new app Thursday.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

The new Google Maps app, which became available as a download Wednesday, is shown on an iPad.

Even so, Cupertino-based Apple will undoubtedly keep working to improve its own mapping technology as it battles Google for supremacy in the mobile computing market. More than half of all smartphones used in the United States are Android devices, while slightly more than a third are iPhones, according to the research firm comScore.

Analysts say location based services are increasingly important for both tech giants, as more people access the Internet on mobile devices. But Apple’s homegrown maps service was widely criticized for offering buggy responses and inaccurate information, in contrast with the mapping technology that Google has developed and refined over more than a decade.

“If anything, this puts more pressure on Apple to sort out their own maps,” said Carolina Milanesi, a consumer technology analyst with Gartner. “Maps are a key part of the future of mobility. They can’t just throw in the towel now.”

Google doesn’t charge consumers to use its Maps app. But Milanesi said data from the app provides Google with valuable insights into its users’ interests and travels. It also could help Google introduce them to other services and ultimately show them paid advertising.

Unlike Google’s old Maps app for iPhones, the new version invites users to log in with their Google Gmail account, which would help Google exchange more information with them. While the login is optional, Milanesi said she expects many people will use it.

Google also announced it will release a software development kit that independent app builders can use to incorporate Google’s mapping technology into other mobile services.

Google’s old mapping service was extremely popular with independent developers who build apps for the iPhone and iPad, said Nolan Wright, co-founder of Appcelerator, a Mountain View firm that makes software used by app builders. The IDC research firm reported over the summer that 80 percent of all mobile software applications have features that are keyed to the user’s location.

Wright cautioned that “it remains to be seen” whether developers will embrace the new Google app for Apple’s IS platform. Apple’s own maps are still the default service on iPhones and iPads, which means users must take the extra step of downloading Google Maps if they want to use it. Wright said some developers may be cautious about using Google’s maps until they see how many people use it.

Apple also has an advantage over Google because Apple’s maps are embedded into Apple’s operating system, which means other Apple services such as Siri will use Apple maps by default, said Charles Golvin, a mobile-technology expert at Forrester.

Golvin said that means Google’s new app still won’t provide “as fluid an experience” when compared with the Apple service, or even the old Google app, which was the default service on iPhones until it was replaced. On the other hand, Google’s new app includes popular features, such as turn-by-turn directions, that Google has long offered on Android phones but were not part of Google’s old app for iPhones.

Apple has apologized for the flaws in its maps and replaced an executive who oversaw the project. But Golvin said “the maps problem continues to be a black eye for Apple. It remains to be seen whether Apple’s customers will return to using Apple’s maps once they address all the problems there.”

Investors seemed to agree with Golvin’s assessment that the new iPhone app is “a win for Google.” Google’s stock rose $5.14, or 0.7 percent, to close at $702.70 Thursday. Apple’s stock fell $9.31, or 1.7 percent, to close at $529.69.

Contact Brandon Bailey at 408-920-5022; follow him at Twitter.com/ BrandonBailey.

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Really.. $50 for cup of Elephant's poop!!!

I am sure if $50 is small change for you.. then you would definitely like great cup of Bistro.. buttttt.... really.. how can anyone drink something when they know for sure that it is coming out and is processed by Elephant's stomach and is hand picked from its shit..

However noble the purpose may be.. saving elephants from extinction.. or whatever.. I would rather donate money for their up keeping rather than drinking something coming out from their shit..

Now.. there could be lot of scientific study behind these exotic poopy coffees.. I am sure they might be better than chemically processed for the taste enhancement.. however, few concerns.. Feeding coffee beans to elephant is said to be safe and tested by zoologists.. however, it is not natural food for elephants and we don't know for sure how it is going to impact them in long term. I hope that it doesn't become that popular that economics of this exotic poop coffee makes every elephant on planet earth a coffee machine.. As long as their is small set of elephants working on this coffee gig I am fine.. but otherwise I will be really concerned about elephants in general..

Enjoy your morning Coffee!!!

PACHYDERM BARISTAS

From ‘ew’ to pricey brew

Business booms when 20 elephants do their business in Thailand

By Jocelyn Gecker

Associated Press

GOLDEN TRIANGLE, Thailand — In the lush hills of northern Thailand, a herd of 20 elephants is excreting some of the world’s most expensive coffee.

Trumpeted as earthy in flavor and smooth on the palate, the exotic new brew is made from beans eaten by Thai elephants and plucked a day later from their dung. A gut reaction inside the elephant creates what its founder calls the coffee’s unique taste.

Stomach turning or oddly alluring, this is not just one of the world’s most unusual specialty coffees. At $500 a pound, it’s also among the world’s priciest.

For now, only the wealthy or well-traveled have access to the cuppa, which is called Black Ivory Coffee. It was launched last month at a few luxury hotels in remote corners of the world — first in northern Thailand, then the Maldives and now Abu Dhabi — with the price tag of about $50 a serving.

The Associated Press traveled to the coffee’s production site in the Golden Triangle, an area historically known for producing drugs more potent than coffee, to see the jumbo baristas at work. And to sip the finished product from a dainty demitasse.

In the misty mountains where Thailand meets Laos and Myanmar, the coffee’s creator cites biology and scientific research to answer the basic question: Why elephants?

“When an elephant eats coffee, its stomach acid breaks down the protein found in coffee, which is a key factor in bitterness,” said Blake Dinkin, who has spent $300,000 developing the coffee. “You end up with a cup that’s very smooth without the bitterness of regular coffee.”

APICHART WEERAWONG/ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOS

Blake Dinkin, founder of Black Ivory Coffee, holds a basket of coffee beans that will be mixed with other fruits and fed to elephants at camp for the animals in Chiang Mai province, northern Thailand.

Pimnipa Petkla, 39, sifts through elephant dung for coffee beans. A gut reaction inside the elephant creates what is called the coffee’s unique taste. It’s also got a one-of-a-kind cost: $50 a serving.

The result is similar to civet coffee, or kopi luwak, another exorbitantly expensive variety extracted from the excrement of the weasel-like civet. But the elephants’ massive stomach provides a bonus.

Think of the elephant as the animal kingdom’s equivalent of a slow cooker. It takes 15 to 30 hours to digest the beans, which stew together with bananas, sugar cane and other ingredients in the elephant’s vegetarian diet to infuse unique earthy and fruity flavors, said the 42-year-old Canadian, who has a background in civet coffee.

“My theory is that a natural fermentation process takes place in the elephant’s gut,” said Dinkin. “That fermentation imparts flavors you wouldn’t get from other coffees.”

At the jungle retreat that is home to the herd, conservationists were initially skeptical about the idea.

“My initial thought was about caffeine — won’t the elephants get wired on it or addicted to coffee?” said John Roberts, director of elephants at the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation, a refuge for rescued elephants. It now earns 8 percent of the coffee’s total sales, which go toward the herd’s health care. “As far as we can tell there is definitely no harm to the elephants.”

Before presenting his proposal to the foundation, Dinkin said he worked with a Canadian-based veterinarian that ran blood tests on zoo elephants showing they don’t absorb any caffeine from eating raw coffee cherries.

“I thought it was well worth a try because we’re looking for anything that can help elephants to make a living,” said Roberts, who estimates the cost of keeping each elephant is about $1,000 a month.

As for the coffee’s inflated price, Dinkin half-joked that elephants are highly inefficient workers. It takes 72 pounds of raw coffee cherries to produce 2 pounds of Black Ivory coffee. The majority of beans get chewed up, broken or lost in tall grass after being excreted.

And, his artisanal process is labor-intensive. He uses pure Arabica beans hand-picked by hilltribe women from a small mountain estate. Once the elephants do their business, the wives of elephant mahouts collect the dung, break it open and pick out the coffee. After a thorough washing, the coffee cherries are processed to extract the beans, which are then brought to a gourmet roaster in Bangkok.

Inevitably, the elephant coffee has become the butt of jokes. Dinkin shared his favorites: Crap-accino. Good to the last dropping. Elephant poop coffee.

As far away as Hollywood, even Jay Leno has taken cracks.

“Here’s my question,” Leno quipped recently. “Who is the first person that saw a bunch of coffee beans and a pile of elephant dung and said, ‘You know, if I ground those up and drank it, I’ll bet that would be delicious.’?”

Jokes aside, people are drinking it. Black Ivory’s maiden batch of 150 pounds has sold out. Dinkin hopes to crank out six times that amount in 2013, catering to customers he sees as relatively affluent, open-minded and adventurous with a desire to tell a good story.

For now, the only places to get it are a few Anantara luxury resorts, including one at the Golden Triangle beside the elephant foundation.

At sunset one recent evening in the hotel’s hilltop bar, an American couple sampled the brew. They said it surpassed their expectations.

“I thought it would be repulsive,” said Ryan Nelson, 31, of Tampa, Fla. “But I loved it. It was something different. There’s definitely something wild about it that I can’t put a name on.”

His wife Asleigh, a biologist and coffee lover, called it a “fantastic product for an eco-conscious consumer,” since the coffee helps fund elephant conservation.

But how does it taste?

“Very interesting,” she said, choosing her words carefully. “Very novel.” “I don’t think I could afford it every day on my zookeeper’s salary,” she said. “But I’m certainly enjoying it sitting here overlooking the elephants, on vacation.”

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Is it really Seismic shift in tech world?

These type of stories simply remind me of India's caste system and caste based politics. I don't know why media has to hype such irrelevant facts which are based purely on someone's origin or birth rather than how we perform in the real world.

To my best of the knowledge, in tech world or in any other business world, only one thing matters.. performance.. which is same as value for money.. It is ridiculous to say that one particular group of people are being kicked out the workforce.. how can that happen when the top of same tech world is still controlled by that same particular group?? It is pure business and in pure business, only one thing matters.. performance..

Instead of cribbing about such things, media should highlight stories which should generate interest in so called STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths) subjects during early age of child's development. The facts mentioned in the article themselves tell us where to invest if we want so called balance in tech world..

As far as hispanics and black are concerned.. what percentage of high school students actually finish these STEM subjects with flying grades. Now we can start saying that there is discrimination or drive to push out at high school level as well? Come on..

All these things should have been thought way back in 80s or 90s when we decided to off shore our so called menial or low paying jobs.. As a business strategy we decided to do high tech or high value added work in US.. Government totally encouraged off shoring of manufacturing and other low value services jobs.. However, we totally forgot about mentoring or preparing our students for these remaining high tech or high value jobs.. which needed much more intensive studies and focus on STEM subjects. So when these jobs were exponentially getting created there were hardly any engineers to fill in them.

Combined with H1b and internal US engineering focus, slowly, over a period of time, ratio of non-whites kept on decreasing.. but that doesn't mean that there is any kind of discrimination against anyone. I still see many non-asian top class engineers/developers.. It is all about interest or I should say generating kids interest into this beautiful area of high tech world.. there are lot of work going on in this area and slowly, sooner or later parents and kids will start focussing back on this area and should result in great talent seeping back into this high tech world..

There is no need to create or highlight these group based statistics.. instead of this, we need to work on root of this problem..

DOUBLE-DIGIT EMPLOYMENT GAINS

Seismic shift in tech world

Asians skilled in science andmath nowamajority in Bay Area’s workplaces

By Dan Nakaso

dnakaso@mercurynews.com

Asian-Americans make up half of the Bay Area’s technology workforce, and their double-digit employment gains came from jobs lost among white tech workers, according to an analysis by this newspaper of Census Bureau data released Thursday.

The dramatic shift in the changing composition of the high-tech workforce represents a new generation of homegrown and imported workers drilled in science, technology, engineering and math studies. But the shift in workplace demographics — at least among tech companies — fails to reflect the gains of California’s Hispanic and Latino population, which lost ground in tech jobs along with African- Americans.

“It’s the new world — a world in which whites are not the majority,” said Jan English-Lueck, associate dean of the college Cultures Project. “Other people are being displaced.”

The percentage of Asian tech workers grew from 39 percent in 2000 to just more than 50 percent in 2010 in Santa Clara, San Mateo, Alameda, Contra Costa and San Francisco counties combined, according to Census Bureau statistics.

At the same time, white workers saw their more than 50 percent majority of tech jobs in 2000 fall to nearly 41 percent, according to the numbers released Thursday.

African-American and Hispanic tech workers each saw slight decreases: Positions held by African-American tech workers fell from 2.8 percent to 2.3 percent; those held by Hispanic workers dropped from 4.6 percent to 4.2 percent.

The Census Bureau changed the way it categorized some computer and related jobs in 2000, so the Mercury News analysis of the latest data was based on tracking the changes in categories that appeared both in 2000 and 2010.

Yolanda Lewis, president and CEO of the Oakland- based Black Economic Council, sees trouble in the increased importation of Asian tech workers.

Tech companies, Lewis said, “do not want to employ Americans. They import labor from overseas, pushing for H-1B visas. Check the job boards. They basically say, ‘H-1B Visa. Americans need not apply.’ For years, women, blacks and Latinos have been kept out of the tech job market. Now white men are being forced to train their replacements.”

Lewis has organized protests against tech companies, demanding more transparency into their work forces because, she said, “You can be next in the unemployment line.”

Several high-profile tech companies contacted by this newspaper did not respond to requests for comment.

“Diversity actually increases the profitability of these companies,” Lewis said. “In California, the minority is now the majority. How do you market your products and services to people you don’t understand? How can your business survive? These companies still don’t get it.”

The tech employment picture hardly represents the growing number of Hispanics and Latinos who make up 27 percent of Santa Clara County, English-Lueck said.

But it does reflect the young and growing number of Asian-Americans “who were raised with a very strong STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) background” and are going into high tech.

Asian-American software developers, in particular, saw huge gains all around the Bay Area: from nearly 45 percent of those workers in 2000 to more than 53 percent in Alameda County; and from nearly 50 percent to nearly 60 percent in both San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, the center of Silicon Valley.

Ryan Shelby, a 28-yearold African-American doctoral candidate in mechanical engineering at UC Berkeley, said young African- American and Hispanic students are often raised in communities that don’t stress science and math curriculums that are likely to guide them into tech jobs.

Shelby grew up on a farm in Letohatchee, Ala., where his love for engineering started by working on his father’s tractor.

“I’ve been beating my head over this,” Shelby said. “There’s a lack of mentorship early on for a lot of these young students, who don’t have these facilities and teachers to expose them to math, science and technology early on.”

So Shelby supports greater outreach to women and underrepresented minorities at UC Berkeley’s College of Engineering, which now has an associate dean of “Equity and Inclusion.”

While 34 percent of African- American and Hispanic students start out in engineering across the country, only 13 percent leave with degrees, he said.

Meredith Leu grew up studying STEM courses surrounded by other Asian-American students and graduated with honors from Mission San Jose High School in Fremont.

Now, as a 19-year-old junior at SJSU studying computer science, Leu said many non-Asians don’t appreciate “the Asian culture, where there is a deep work ethic that America hasn’t really bought into yet.”

“Do I worry about a backlash?” Leu asked in response to a question. “It’s not so much a backlash against Asians, but … there needs to be a balance. I’m just trying to find it.” Mercury News Library Director Leigh Poitinger contributed to this story. Contact Dan Nakaso at 408-271-3648. Follow him at Twitter.com/dannakaso.

PATRICK TEHAN/STAFF

Meredith Leu, who studied science and math at Mission San Jose High, works in the Computer Science Club in MacQuarrie Hall at San Jose State.

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Silver lining of tragedy..

It is sad fact but universally true.. Tragedies natural or man-made do happen.. However, after every tragedy we have something new or better which simply couldn't have happened without those tragedy happening.. This news clip reminded me of same.. I was in dilemma.. whether to express my thoughts on it or not.. mainly due to another natural tragedy in east coast by Sandy. Honestly.. I feel that this subject is so prickly.. by writing this, I don't want to look rude and materialistic.

Couple of things gave me courage to express my thoughts on this topic.. There was controversy around New York Marathon.. which was finally cancelled.. but arguments "for" and "against" this event were loud and clear messages.. I could also express my views openly..

In this article below.. it seems that there is big change in attitude of Japanese youth in particular.. I hope it results in some kind of revival in Japanese economy which is shrinking for last two decades. There are some really interesting and innovative ideas being executed by Japanese youth and hopefully something great will come out of it. Hopefully it will result in great entrepreneurship which hopefully will take out Japanese economy from the grip of large multi-nationals who are primarily engaged in production and exports..

More importantly, it should hopefully change culture of workaholism to enjoy family and spending money in and outside of Japan. Hopefully, Japanese youth will take it as a message and work harder on stopping 3-4 decade long population decline ;-) Hopefully Japan will work on better economic and political relationships with its neighbors and more importantly with China.

Now, adding Sandy into this mix.. Agreed, it has resulted in big financial loss.. and it will result in significantly higher insurance claim payouts.. However, all these tragedies are boon to these insurance companies, who get more new enrollments which essentially more than compensates these claims.

Only thing, which is absolute loss in these tragedies is life.. There is no replacement or compensation for the lives lost... We can't even think about human sufferings and pains due to lost lives.. I am not good in expressing myself in this area so I won't even go near to this area.

However, despite all the difficulties and loss and pain in east coast due to Sandy.. there is upbeat tone.. about economy.. everyone is expecting revival of local economy in next couple of years and hoping for even more stronger economy.. a real solid stimulus to that area which will definitely percolate to rest of the country and even to global economy..

New York Marathon became controversial not because of health or any other sentimental benefits.. or loss... at stake was simple 340 million dollars for local economy.. The number which was calculated by economists.. that New York City/State will benefit around 340 million dollars from the event.. Finally, human pain and suffering was weighed more than 340 million USD..

I was told by someone long time ago.. US has only (or let us say significantly) grown when either of these two things happen:

There is stalemate in Washington DC.. i.e. Government is totally ineffective..
During/After War or some other tragedy of National scale..

Off-course, it grows at fastest rate when both of the conditions are met together at same time..

There is gridlock in DC.. Which will hopefully continue as Obama is more or less sure to be back for second term. Sandy stamped his tenure extension.. I am sure Congress/Senate will still dominated by republicans. That should ensure this stalemate to continue. We are wrapping up war and hopefully finish it by 2013... at the same time Sandy is going to create mini stimulus to economy.. which all together should create perfect conditions for US economic revival.. That is the real silver lining which I am talking about!!!!

AFTER THE 2011 EARTHQUAKE

Young entrepreneurs seize the day in Japan

Psychological aftershocks trigger new urgency among young professionals

By John Boudreau

jboudreau@mercurynews.com

TOKYO — Before last year’s devastating earthquake, college student Tatsunori Hirota envisioned a life as a “salaryman,” one of the nation’s countless tradition-bound corporate foot soldiers in white shirts and black slacks who fill the city’s subways every morning and night commuting to and from nondescript offices.

But the psychological aftershocks of the disaster have created a new sense of urgency among a small but growing number of young professionals and college students like Hirota. They are abandoning the path of the corporate salaryman to chart their own way by launching tech startups and connecting to Silicon Valley.

“We lost family,” said Hirota, a Tokyo University economics student who, after the magnitude 9.0 quake, began studying programming and cofounded an e-learning website, Mana.bo, that received positive feedback from Silicon Valley venture capitalists after he visited the Bay Area over the summer.

LIPO CHING/STAFF PHOTOS

HEALING: From left, Ken Iwasaki, Emi Tamaki and Masaaki Sugimoto of H2L created a device to deal with hand injuries.

HELPING:

Dan Nagayama, above left, and Sid Umeda founded Dennoo, a measurable advertising platform.

EDUCATING:

Tokyo economics student Tatsunori Hirota, left, co-founded the e-learning website Mana.bo.

“We felt death closer than before,” he said. “Now we don’t want to work for the big company. We want to work for ourselves. The biggest risk is that something could happen to you before you do something you really love. It could happen anytime, anywhere.”

Seismic shift

The shift in attitude comes as Japan’s technology sector, once a rival of Silicon Valley, struggles to remain relevant in a global economy that is leaving it behind. Observers say Japan’s inward-looking and risk-averse culture has for years dampened the nation’s entrepreneurial spirit. In its 2010 report, the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor ranked Japan lowest among advanced economies in terms of attitudes toward launching new businesses. It noted that Japanese were the least likely to consider becoming entrepreneurs.

In the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami, which cost some 16,000 lives and triggered widespread power outages and radioactive leaks from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, there was a “shattering of trust in big institutions” across Japanese society, said Phil Libin, CEO of Mountain View-based Evernote, a provider of note-taking and archiving technology that has operations in Tokyo.

That collapse of faith extended to large tech companies, many of which have broken with long-held promises of lifelong employment with mass layoffs.

“The younger generation — their parents are getting fired from the big companies,” said Nobuyasu Kondo, an executive with Tokyo-based GNT, a Japanese mobile and gaming platform. “They realize if you work for the big company, you can still get fired. So why not take a risk and start your own company?”

At the same time, Japanese realize their nation’s future prosperity and economy, surpassed recently by China as the world’s second-largest economy, is vulnerable in the global market, said Ted Yamamoto, a general partner at UTEC, a venture firm tied to Tokyo University whose mission is modeled after Stanford University, which long has fostered tech entrepreneurship among faculty and students.

“It’s obvious the Japanese market is shrinking,” he said. “The population is shrinking. You bypass Japan to go to China and India.”

Government officials, academics and industry leaders say that if the nation is to regain its technological mojo, it needs to jump-start an entrepreneurial culture, and that includes tapping into Silicon Valley.

“To come to Silicon Valley, that is the dream of many startup companies and entrepreneurs in Japan,” said Yukiko Pollard, general manager of Tokyobased image processing software company Morpho, which opened a San Jose office this year.

But young Japanese entrepreneurs face daunting obstacles. In Japan, there is nothing resembling the entrepreneurial ecosystem of Silicon Valley. And while companies like Mana. bo are able to tap into venture capital here for initial startup funding, there is a dearth of investors willing to spend the larger sums needed to fund deep research and development to prepare startups for the global market, experts say.

“In Silicon Valley, you can get $20million (in startup funding) without owning a suit. In Japan, it’s much harder to raise money,” said Evernote’s Libin, a big fan of Japanese technological prowess looking to make investments in the country.

Most Japanese entrepreneurs have no ties to Silicon Valley. Unlike Chinese and Indians, relatively few Japanese venture abroad for studies. Last fall, a mere 54 students from Japan were enrolled at Stanford, while 757 Chinese and 488 Indian students were on campus. So Japanese are far less likely to know people embedded in Silicon Valley’s startup culture.

Beyond Japan

But that’s changing as Japanese, from school students to young professionals, look beyond their borders for study and careers. And at home, there has been an upsurge in interest in learning English in a society that previously saw no need to speak languages other than Japanese, observers say. “Our embassy just put on a college expo and I can’t tell you the number of students who came up to me and said, ‘I would like to study at Stanford,’” said U.S. Ambassador to Japan John Roos, the former CEO of the powerhouse Palo Alto law firm Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich & Rosati, which works with many Silicon Valley companies. “We are seeing more and more of that — Japanese having an interest in going to school in the United States, connecting with the Silicon Valley. Everywhere I go now, there is a lot of this type of discussion.”

For sure, there is brainpower aplenty in Japan, whose engineering brilliance has never been in question.

“The creativity of the Japanese people is as strong as it has ever been,” said Allen Miner, founder of SunBridge Partners, a Sunnyvale venture capital firm pursuing startups in Japan. “The Japanese are as ambitious as ever. Pretty much every Japanese startup founder is thinking about how to create a company that will thrive for 100 years.”

A sense of rejuvenation was in the air recently at an informal networking cafe established by a Tokyo University student. The cafe, which includes a large blackboard for brainstorming, acts as an informal think tank for young people looking for change.

Emi Tamaki, 28, said she dreams of participating in a new startup culture in Japan, an area with a high concentration of startups she calls “Silicon Reef.”

“I want to make many companies,” said Tamaki, co-founder of H2L, a maker of a device that can be used to rehabilitate a hand injury through therapeutic movements controlled by a computer, or to teach someone to play a musical instrument by directing finger movements.

Issei Takino, co-founder of Mujn, which makes software that aims to revolutionize assembly line robots, spoke with the brashness of a young Steve Jobs: “We can change the world.”

Contact John Boudreau at 408-278-3496.

LIPO CHING/STAFF H2L’s Ken Iwasaki demonstrates the principle behind the company's PossessedHand system.

Mini lines for Mini!!!

This headline caught my immediate attention.. and details are also funny.. at the same time, they affirm my faith in Apple's marketing hoopla about online waiting lists and other sold outs. I strongly believe that even Microsoft is applying same theory for their newly launched surface tablet. I think it has become mandatory requirement for any product launch to declare that you are sold out within few hours of your online launch... or start giving your waiting list as 3-4 weeks.

Coming back to iPad mini.. I think I have wrote a lot about it in my previous posts. In my view it is great product except for two things:

High Price or I should say low value for money
Non-Retina Display

Price.. is relative.. depending on your valet size. But in general, media has hyped it so much that value for money factor has come in and it dead sure that by thanks-giving Apple will heavily discount mini. and I am assuming that those discounts will become permanent till next release or may be forever. I am hoping that it will be definitely $299 or below.

Non-Retina display will go away by Jan/Feb/March upgrade refresh cycle. Current Mini release was scheduled in Oct/Nov mainly for investors. Otherwise there wasn't enough growth for wall street. It was more or less catch 22 situation for Apple. Most likely, they simply didn't had enough retina display capacity for mini. Or it could be engineering requirement.. with resolution same as iPad2, there was relatively very less engineering needed on software/iOS side.

This holiday season, I think, even iPad4 price will be under pressure as Google launches Nexus 10 with $399 price. Let us see, how it goes.. I hope two things coming out of mini's launch..

It has broken myth of Apple's product launch success. It is loud and clear message to Apple that customers are not going to buy garbage (sorry about this extreme term) for price of gold.
Increased competition to an extent that we will really see some great products in coming months not only from Apple but many other competitors.

Google Nexus and Amazon needs to work harder and invest more resources in tablets and more importantly in OS (Android) and refine them to give better user experience and integration with different display form factors. I was literally disappointed with Amazon's Kindle Fire HD.

Enjoy this article...

DOWNSIZED IPAD CROWD

The lines are Mini, too

Excitement is a bit more subdued than usual as Apple’s small-tablet entry carries big price

By Heather Somerville

hsomerville@mercurynews.com

PALO ALTO — The turnout for Apple’s release of the iPad Mini on Friday morning was — just like the new 7.9-inch tablet — noticeably downsized.

The early-morning lines outside stores in Silicon Valley and across the world were uncharacteristically short for an Apple launch, leading some to speculate that Apple fanboys and fangirls are growing weary of frequent and hyped product upgrades. Since the first iPad hit stores more than two years ago, competitors have emerged with 7inch tablets priced $100 cheaper.

Analysts project modest sales for the Mini this weekend, and for the fourth-generation iPad also released Friday. By 7:30 a.m. Pacific time, a half-hour before the Palo Alto store opened its doors, about 35 customers had lined up — a fraction of the number who scooped up the third-generation iPad on its launch day.

Brad Peterson, of Los Altos, was first in line at 2 a.m. When he saw the empty sidewalk outside the Apple Store on University Avenue, he thought he had the wrong day.

“I go to these things all the time, and (2 a.m.) usually gets me somewhere in the middle of the line,” he said.

GARY REYES/STAFF PHOTOS

Christian Lindholm, of Helsinki, Finland, exits the Apple Store in Palo Alto carrying the pair of iPad Minis he just bought.

Brad Peterson, of Los Altos, holds a stack of iPad Minis and regular iPads he just purchased.

Peterson said he was surprised to be first in line when he arrived for the iPad Mini launch at 2 a.m.

Friday.

So he pulled out his third-generation iPad — one of about eight tablets he owns — to confirm the date, and with a quick Google search discovered that turnout was low at stores across the world. Reuters reported that crowds waiting for the newest iPad were smaller than for previous launches from Sydney to Amsterdam, with staff at the Hong Kong Apple Store appearing to outnumber customers waiting in line.

Jeff Wang turned around and went home after he found the Palo Alto store deserted at 10 p.m. Thursday night. Wang, of Saratoga, came back at 2:30 a.m. to secure the second spot in line, bewildered that there weren’t already hundreds waiting by that hour.

“The last couple of times I came around 11 p.m. the night before and the lines were long,” Wang said.

Mike Smithwick, a San Jose app developer who waited toward the end of the line, suspected that some Apple fans had their fill with the first three releases.

“I think everyone is lined out,” he said.

The iPad Mini is Apple’s answer to popular 7-inch tablets like Amazon’s Kindle Fire and Google’s Nexus 7. But Apple priced its smaller tablet entry much higher than those competitors — the device starts at $329, while other 7-inch tablets can cost as little as $199.

For some customers, the bigger turnoff is that the Mini is available only on Wi-Fi; the company will release a version that connects to cellular networks in a couple of weeks, when some expect to see an uptick in sales.

Analysts doubt Apple will perform as well with this launch as it has previously, with Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster — an Apple bull who typically offers the highest projections for Apple sales — forecasting opening-weekend sales of about 1 million to 1.5 million for the Mini.

BTIG research analyst Walter Piecyk said the sales total Munster predicted would be a disappointment.

“We believe Apple’s first weekend sales of the iPad Mini needs, at a minimum, to top the 3 million first weekend sales of the iPad 3 in order to demonstrate that the management team can execute on ramping supply of new products and to provide some evidence that there is adequate demand for a smaller iPad at these price points,” he wrote in a note Friday morning. However, lower opening-weekend sales could help Apple avoid disappointing consumers. When the iPhone 5 debuted in September, Apple sold a record 5 million of the devices in the first weekend, but still couldn’t meet demand because of production delays.

IDC analyst Ryan Reith cautioned Friday not to dismiss the Mini’s popularity because of short store lines. Many customers will probably order online, he said, and others will wait until closer to the holidays.

Short lines didn’t mean Apple fans were short on excitement. The modest crowd in Palo Alto joined Apple staff with loud cheers when the store opened its doors two hours early for the event. Many walked out minutes later with a grin and two Minis — the limit for each customer. Peterson said the Minis were an early Christmas gift for his two teenage daughters — although he had a few hours to play with the tablets while the girls were in school.

“December 25 is pretty arbitrary,” he said. “Apple decides when Christmas comes in our house.”

More than a few New Yorkers can expect a Mini under the tree this year. About 600 fans braved the power outages, gas shortages and hobbled transit systems left by Superstorm Sandy to line up early outside the Fifth Avenue store, according to a Bloomberg News report. The New York flagship sold out of the Mini just hours after opening, and blogs and tweets indicated that a smattering of stores across the globe had sold out by the afternoon. However, it’s unclear how much stock the stores had to begin with.

Friday was the first Apple launch event for Christian Lindholm, of Finland — the startup developer couldn’t resist picking up a couple Minis while in California on business.

“I have to do it in Silicon Valley,” he said. “This is the store to do it. It’s the grandfather store; sort of in Steve’s hood.”

Like others at the store, he owns a third-generation iPad — released just seven months ago — and won’t be buying the fourth anytime soon. Several customers said they were unimpressed with the upgrades and unwilling to pay another $499 to $699 just months after the previous version was released.

Said Lindholm: “It doesn’t feel like a fourth generation. It feels like a 3.2. Staff writer Jeremy C. Owens contributed to this report. Contact Heather Somerville at 925-977-8418. Follow her at Twitter.com/ heathersomervil.

GARY REYES/STAFF

Apple employees greet customers Friday inside the company’s Palo Alto store. Far fewer people were in line this time than the hordes who queued up for the release of the third-generation iPad.

Thursday, November 1, 2012

iPad Mini.. mixed reviews..

There are so many reviews of iPad mini. Mostly it seems great product, other than some dissatisfaction about display. I was happy with even original iPad and iPad so no personal complains. However, once you make your customers addicted to something better, it is difficult to reposition something older. There is/was bound to be that reaction.. Off-course.. Apple's product managers have to have jobs.. without roadmap of retina display in next release they will be out of job..

It will be interesting to see if they can continue to keep this price point. Especially, now Google Nexus 10 is almost in same price range.. Knowing Google, it has to be great product and it has potential to take away market share from both iPad and mini as well. $399 is really great price point for 10 inch tablet and within next one or two iterations it can easily be iPad killer.. We need it do well.. without that Apple is not going to reduce mini's price.. Though I have very strong feeling that Apple will do another refresh of iPad lineup sometime early next year. There is so much action in tablet area that they will have to abandon their yearly refresh cycle and move half yearly cycle..

As we can see with iPhone5 that Apple's quantum leap era is over. They have very few new and really innovative and disruptive ideas left. Apple is left with minor enhancements in processing power, speed and size/form-factor. Honestly, only difference between, iPhone 4S and 5 is screen size. Which, to be honest, I liked from 4S better. That doesn't mean that I am going back to 4S. I think it is just nostalgia.. I will get over soon. There were big differences between iPhone 4 and 4S.. but in my view nothing major between 4S and 5.

I think, iPad mini is going to be super hit any how.. or it is already.. but Apple really needs to work with major disruptive improvement in their current line ups. That includes everything.. Form factor is one aspect.. but they need another iPhone or iPad type of product. It could be software or hardware.. doesn't matter.. At the same time continue to focus on quality of their products and details of each aspect. They simply can't let that aspect go away.. I have been hearing and noticing a lot about quality degradation.. In short term it will not impact them, but if they continue this trend, they will soon become another microsoft..

Here is the best link from WSJ which summarizes most of the decent iPad mini review.. enjoy!!

This link summarizes iPad Mini's review:
http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2012/10/31/ipad-mini-review-roundup/

iPad Mini Review Roundup

By Matthew Lynley

: AFP/Getty Images; Does the iPad Mini outmatch the other smaller tablets?

The decision is in on the iPad Mini.

So far, reviewers across the Web have praised the size of the device, saying it is more comfortable to use and has an excellent build quality.

However, it comes at a price — a low-resolution screen that is more on par with the iPhone 3GS than the newer iPads, which pack a “retina” display.

“Ew, the screen is terrible,” Apple blogger John Gruber wrote, citing his wife — and saying his initial reaction matched hers.

Here’s the general consensus of reviewers around the Web:

Display

This is the chief complaint, but it’s to be expected given the downgrade from the current larger iPads. The iPad Mini has a 1,024 by 768-pixel display, compared to 2048-by-1536 pixel resolution in the larger iPads. “It feels like an iPhone 3GS display cut to iPad size, including the fact that the pixels seem deeper from the surface of the glass,” Gruber writes.

“Since Apple AAPL -1.44% is the company that’s gotten our eyes used to the hey-look-no-pixels trick of the Retina display, it’s hard to take a step back and not notice,”The Verge’s Josh Topolsky writes. “I don’t think the lower resolution is a deal-breaker in this product, but it is a compromise you have to be aware of. It simply doesn’t look as clear as other products on the market.”

“If you’re an obsessive over crisp text, you’ll notice the fuzziness,” CNET’s Scott Stein writes. “Yes, the non-Retina Display means text that’s less sharp. It feels like a disconnect on a device so clearly targeted at reading. Yet, hold the iPad Mini back a foot and increase the font size, and you probably won’t notice.”

Size

In contrast, the size — a few inches shorter than the traditional iPad — is cited as a massive strong point, making it feel more comfortable than the traditional iPad. “The Mini with the Smart Cover1 on is almost exactly as thick (or as thin, if you prefer) as an iPad 3 or 4 without a cover,” Gruber writes. “Combine that with the weight and it’s just plain fun to hold.”

In terms of app usage, ” 99 out of 100 times while using it, this wasn’t an issue, but it did take some getting used to in places,” Topolsky writes.

Still, the iPad Mini might be a bit too big to hold one-handed, writes Engadget’s Tim Stevens. “This editor, who wears XL gloves, had no problem palming the littler iPad, but when we handed it to other, dainty-fingered people they sometimes struggled to hold it securely. The scrawny bezels on either side actually exacerbate this issue to some degree, as those who must loop a thumb around the front of the device when holding it are forced to put that thumb right on the display.”

Build

“But the iPad Mini is a far classier, more attractive, thinner machine. It has two cameras instead of one,” writes The New York Times’ David Pogue. “Its fit and finish are far more refined. And above all, it offers that colossal app catalog, which Android tablet owners can only dream about.”

Still, the build of the device might be a little unwieldy with the Smart Cover built in, says Topolsky. “I actually had a little trouble holding onto the device when I wasn’t using the Smart Cover due to the back being as smooth as it is, and the frame being so thin.”

“Regardless of your feelings of the Mini’s price, or its A5 processor and non-Retina 7.9-inch display, here’s what you’ll notice when you pick it up: it’s really shockingly nice to hold,” Stein writes.

For reading

Given that it’s around the size of a Kindle, there will be some similarities drawn — especially when it comes to reading. “For reading, all of these apps work great on the iPad Mini. Font sizes on some websites can be a little small (tiny type that is legible on retina displays is just smudgy on non-retina ones), but most sites look just fine,” Gruber writes. “The Mini feels optimized for reading.”

Apps

While the price is a little steep, “The App Store is Apple’s great gold mine, and the iPad Mini’s price seems to be banking on you knowing that. And, in that sense, the iPad Mini may be worth its price,” Stein writes. This is pretty much what users should expect from Apple, since it’s a favorite among app developers.

Performance

The iPad Mini uses a chip that’s a couple generations old, and its specs are about on par with the iPad 2. Nevertheless, it still packs a punch, according to reviewers. “I’d say iPad 3-caliber performance in a $329 radically smaller device is pretty good,” Gruber writes. “I was not expecting iPad 3 performance in the Mini. But it’s there, and that makes the iPad Mini great for games.”

The trade-off is that it has a better battery life, though. “Apps do load more slowly but most are still up and running within a second or two and when it comes to general web surfing tasks the iPad mini easily kept up with our taps and swipes,” Stevens writes. “So, perhaps not the greatest performance in the Apple lineup, but there is one place where it bests the rest: battery life.”

The final verdict

Dan Gruber, Daring Fireball: For anyone else — those who own an older iPad 1 or 2, and those who have yet to buy their first iPad — the iPad Mini’s display will garner no complaints. I prefer the Mini over the full-size iPad in every single regard other than display resolution, and though I (and many of you) obsess over display resolution, it’s not an issue in the mass market.

Josh Topolsky, The Verge: The iPad mini hasn’t wrapped up the “cheapest tablet” market by any stretch of the imagination. But the “best small tablet” market? Consider it captured.

Scott Stein, CNET: If you want the full, polished Apple tablet experience in a smaller package, the iPad Mini is worth the premium price. Otherwise, good alternatives are available for less money… If the iPad Mini had a Retina Display, a newer A6 processor, and a slightly lower price, it would be the must-have Apple gadget of the year. Even without that, it’s still incredibly appealing. Its $329 price still makes it one of the least-expensive iOS gadgets Apple makes.

David Pogue, New York Times: Over all, the Mini gives you all the iPad goodness in a more manageable size, and it’s awesome. You could argue that the iPad Mini is what the iPad always wanted to be.

Walt Mossberg, WSJ: Every app that ran on my larger iPad ran perfectly on the Mini. I was able to use it one-handed and hold it for long periods of time without tiring. My only complaints were that it’s a tad too wide to fit in most of my pockets, and the screen resolution is a big step backwards from the Retina display on the current large iPad.

Tim Stevens, Engadget: This isn’t just an Apple tablet made to a budget. This isn’t just a shrunken-down iPad. This is, in many ways, Apple’s best tablet yet, an incredibly thin, remarkably light, obviously well-constructed device that offers phenomenal battery life.

Monday, October 29, 2012

New Crop of Monstrous 4K TVs

Another series of TVs which will take home entertainment to another level!! are you ready for it? Saw this in newspaper.. seems really nice.. so does the price.. Will you be ready to spend this big amount on TVs.. probably same amount as cars like Accord/Camry!!! Depends on your priorities.. How much time you spend on your cars vs in front of TV.. or do you like more comfort and safety while going to office or you care about more bigger better experience in the evening while watching games or movies..

On the other hand.. assuming 8 years of life for such TVs... it will cost you 3K per year.. Assuming you watch them 300 days of year... it will be $10 per day just the cost of display.. which is not that much.. Obviously, you will be spending another 4-5 dollars on content, electricity.. Let us say $15 per day.. for $15 two people can go and watch movies in theatre.. Live games can cost more.. may be you will have to sacrifice a weeks worth of super TV.. Ideal thing would be to enjoy all sort of things without worrying about these small things like $10-15 per day.. but for that our economy needs to grow much more faster and everyone needs to make much higher income levels..

then I am sure there will be 240K or 2.4 million dollar worth TVs as well.. what would be next to 3D/4K TV? May be something like a entertainment room where you will be sitting right in the middle of actual content.. theater kind of experience.. only difference would be that you will be right on the stage and you can probably roam around with holograms adjusting themselves so you get best viewing angle and you can change your view to top view, bottom view and what not.. just kidding.. but you never know if someone is already working on these type of TV or entertainment system sets..

there is no end to it as innovations will continue to drive new things and new prices.

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Giants keeps on rolling..

with the momentum which is difficult to stop now. In all probability Giants will win put closure on World Series on Sunday itself.. if not Sunday.. Latest by Monday.. Unless they want to come back home and win in front of home crowd.. They will have to work really hard with the risk coming really close to loss in series.. I think they will and should try to close this series. Don't know in baseball, but in cricket or other sports we could have easily fixed rest of the series to increase number of games and excitement.

Though, I am not big fan of watching games on TV and seldom watch games on TV, love these reports to read.. Great summary and reporting from Purdy on this..

Go Giants!!!!

ONE ... AND

DONE ON A COLD NIGHT, TIGERS ARE COLDER STILL AS GIANTS MOVE WITHIN A GAME OF SERIES TITLE

DETROIT — The Giants are no longer a mere baseball team. They are a soul-sucking force that journeys to the Midwest and obliterates the hopes and aspirations of entire industrial metropolitan areas. Or something close to that. Seriously.

First in these postseason playoffs, the Giants wounded dreams in Cincinnati. Then in St. Louis. And on Saturday night here at Comerica Park, their 2-0 victory over the Detroit Tigers gave the Giants a three-games-to-none lead in the World Series. It was quite a scene to witness and feel. The 42,262 loyalists who filled Comerica Park were fueled to howl and scream. They were ready to applaud and feast on anything that looked like one step toward a victory that would have put the Tigers right back in the Series.

The Giants gave them nothing.

Absolutely nothing. Ryan Vogelsong, the starting pitcher, threw almost six shutout innings. Tim Lincecum came out of the bullpen and was lights out.

TOP: NHAT V. MEYER/ STAFF; ABOVE: MARK BLINCH/REUTERS

Giants center fielder Angel Pagan, right, jumps with shortstop Brandon Crawford as left fielder Gregor Blanco, left, and right fielder Hunter Pence run past. Starter Ryan Vogelsong, top, led the Giants staff to another shutout.

MARK PURDY

COLUMNIST

Sergio Romo, the closer, took care of the rest. The crowd came to life between innings when the scoreboard implored them to, plus a few times for a few at-bats that eventually went nowhere. But otherwise, it was … well, whatever passes for crickets on a 44-degree night in a packed ballpark.

For the Giants, that nonsound was a gorgeous thing to not hear.

“Definitely,” Romo said. “It’s very uplifting for us in the clubhouse and the dugout. We’re up 3-0. They have to beat us four straight games to win.”

Correct. You might wonder how often such a comeback has previously occurred in a World Series. The answer: Never.

So, yes, the Giants are in a 99 percent unbeatable situation. The only question left is whether they finish off the Tigers here on their home field or back in San Francisco. The way Saturday night went, you wouldn’t make odds of seeing baseball at AT&T Park again until 2013.

Tigers’ manager Jim Leyland, a pragmatic human, was not sugarcoating the situation.

“Our guys know,” Leyland said. “They can count. There’s no secret formula or message for us.” No runs, either.

“We’ve been shut out for 18 innings,” Leyland said. “So that’s pretty hard to win a game.” It’s tempting to say the Giants can’t ever lose again, either. Their performance in Game 3 reflected the run they’ve been on since Game 5 against the Cardinals in the National League Championship Series. Beginning with the first inning of that game, the Giants have never trailed on the scoreboard. And once more Saturday, they stared down and vanquished every possible obstacle that could thwart them.

Cold? The Giants scoffed at the cold Saturday night, when the thermometer dipped to 44 degrees.

The American League’s best batter? The Giants never let Miguel Cabrera get to second base for the second straight game.

The Tiger named Prince? The Giants made him swing the bat like a lowly serf — and struck him out twice. Prince Fielder is a large man but he has seemingly shrunk in size ever since he was called out on that home plate slide in Game 2.

And what of potential late-inning rallies? Are you kidding? In the ninth inning, with Romo on the mound, the Tigers’ Jhonny Peralta lofted a deep fly toward the left field foul pole that seemed to have a chance to go out of the park. Instead, the ball fell slightly short — and Giants’ outfielder Gregor Blanco sprinted over with vengeance to make a nice catch in foul territory just a few feet from the padded wall.

Other than that, the only moment of true concern all night was when Cabrera came to the plate in the fifth inning with the bases loaded against Vogelsong. Here was the AL’s Triple Crown winner in a perfect position to do some real damage. But facing Vogelsong’s best stuff, Cabrera could only pop up to shortstop and end the inning.

“He made a great pitch at the right time,” Leyland said. “I thought we had Ryan on the ropes a couple of times. We couldn’t get the killer hit, the killer blow.”

In case you’ve forgotten, the last runs scored by the Tigers were way back in the ninth inning of Game 1 when Peralta hit a home run over the center field fence — but he even had some help with that one. Angel Pagan, the Giants’ center fielder, reached up and banged his glove on the ball as it reached the top of the fence, helping send it over the top.

That play seems like a month ago. The Giants have been so dominant, it’s almost not fair. In the locker room here after Saturday’s victory, they were trying not to be too giddy but also not act as if they are stunned.

“I’m not surprised,” shortstop Brandon Crawford said, “because of how good our staff has been. We’re playing a good team. I think they’re 4-0 this postseason (at home).”

Make that 4-1, after a crushing Tiger loss on a chilly evening. Although Romo, for one, didn’t feel cold at all.

“No,” he said. “Adrenaline is a beautiful thing.”

You know the old saying about it not being over until the fat lady sings? With the Giants, it’s not over until the bearded reliever slings. One more sling job to go.

Contact Mark Purdy at mpurdy@mercurynews.com. Follow him at Twitter.com/ MercPurdy.

KARL MONDON/STAFF

Giants fan Wayne Friedman, of New York, is mauled by Detroit Tigers mascot PAWS, who was posing with a group of Detroit Tigers volunteers Saturday.

NHAT V. MEYER/STAFF

The Giants' Hunter Pence cheers with his teammates in the dugout before their game against the Detroit Tigers in Game 3 of the World Series. Giants pitchers have held the Tigers scoreless for the past 18 innings for a 3-0 lead in the Series.

PAUL KITAGAKI JR./SACRAMENTO BEE

Center fielder Angel Pagan dances in the dugout during the eighth inning with the Giants up 2-0. San Francisco’s second consecutive shutout has Detroit on the brink of elimination.