Category Archives: tech

Nov 10 0 comments
Life, tech

Twitter: Followers, Guy, and a goofy avatar

As time goes on, I continue to use Twitter more and more. One thing what had always come to mind is getting more followers. It’s an interesting issue to consider.

Today I recieved a direct message from Guy Kawasaki requesting permission to use my avatar as an example in a blog post. This was great! (those unfamiliar, see his site, as well as the Wikipedia page about him).  I replied as quick as I could letting him know I considered it an honor.

A little while later, I saw the following  message come through:

Twitter / Guy Kawasaki: Looking for Mr. Goodtweet: …, originally uploaded by mindonly.

 

..which links to the following entry on his blog:

Looking for Mr. Goodtweet: How to Pick Up Followers on Twitter

(you’ll see my goofy face under “Tip 3: Create an effective avatar.“)

That was a great surprise and an excellent way to start the week. The article is well written and gives quite a few important points in getting more followers. I can say they work too, I’ve just begun following the advice Guy writes about and already have additional followers.

This has also got me thinking more about ‘personal branding’. A lot. I believe how I conduct myself online is respectable, I’ve tried to keep that in mind for most things I post. I’m sure a few things have slipped through, but we are human aren’t we. What this has done, is given me ideas to go forward and find if I have a ‘niche’, an area I can explore and work on based on my life experiences. And of course, I see the potential need for additional domains, though we’ll see about that.

Watch this space.

 

Sep 01 0 comments
Life, tech

Sweetcron

As many of you may know, Sweetcron has been released into the wild. Yongfook (Jon) had been working on this for quite some time; even had been running his own site on it for a while before announcing it would be released.

Sweetcron logo

I’ve installed a ‘beta site‘ with it, and am continuing to play around; time permitting.

The installation went fairly well, but I did run into one unfortunate incedent. Some of the files use upper case as the first character in the name. The FTP client I used decided to not pay attention to that on certain directories, and a good deal of searching and replacing had to happen. While I personally would like to see them as lower case characters, it was easy to figure out, and not a huge deal.

So far, it updates rather well, and adding new streams into the items tab is easy enough. I would like to see the ability to change my password, but Jon is working on that in a new version. I anticipate updates to come quickly; he did well with 8apps. (I was a fan of the site, but understand why he did not take it forward. Well written, beautiful to use, but I’m sure something of that nature would have turned into a full time job.)

I agree with the concepts of lifestreaming; I know Sweetcron is not the first, but to me, it does the bext job I’ve seen in solving the issues. Those of us that spend a lot of time online have data scattered everywhere. It was something I’d been thinking about for quite some time. Pownce, Twitter, Flicker, & YouTube accounts that we post to. But no real way to connect them. Sure, there is FriendFeed, but in my opinion it just add to the problem. It’s still just another account with your data. Having your own domain for this to collect upon just seems proper.

Jon makes a good point in the beginning of a recent talk he gave (I’ve not watched it’s entirety, but plan to soon). How many of us update our blogs daily? HAHA ya, exactly, not unless we essentially are out to make money in doing so.

While I do plan to keep my Wordpress blog around, I imagine it too will become just another feed in my Sweetcron lifestream. Yes, I know Sweetcron has a notes area, but for now the blog is staying – we’ll see long term. I do however, see this becoming the main page on my domain, blog taking or subdomain. I do post many places, and presenting this, on my own domain, is wonderful. (and Jon, if you read this, kudos again on the release of Sweetcron; you did not disappoint in the least – keep up the great work)

Aug 16 0 comments
humor, tech

I left my Death Star in San Francisco

brilliant!

MAKE: blog

Jul 31 0 comments
health, tech

Study Promises Benefits of Exercise in a Pill

Wired has an article that it an interesting read.

People are always looking for the ‘quick fix’ magic pill. And, as we continue our way into the future it continues to present itself in different ways.  This is a very conflicting subject though. The part of me excited about the future (and also the part of me that knows we’re already there) is quite interested to see this type of study. Healthy or not, this is fascinating. The part of me that enjoys bodybuilding is interested to know what this type of treatment would do to enhance progress in weightlifting. But, the ethical part of me is worried about this. Not only for the animal testing I imagine that went into this research, but the long-term benefits/risks associated with quick fix pills, and the unhealthy expectations this could have for people.

Bottom line is – if it’s worth doing, the hard work is typically the more rewarding path to go.

Jul 28 0 comments
tech

Cuil

Yep, another “I’m going to be better than Google” site has popped up. According to a Wired.com article ‘Cuil’ “Anna Patterson’s last Internet search engine was so impressive that industry leader Google Inc. bought the technology in 2004 to upgrade its own system.

She believes her latest invention is even more valuable – only this time it’s not for sale.

Patterson instead intends to upstage Google, which she quit in 2006 to develop a more comprehensive and efficient way to scour the Internet.

The end result is Cuil, pronounced “cool.” Backed by $33 million in venture capital, the search engine plans to begin processing requests for the first time Monday.

Cuil had kept a low profile while Patterson, her husband, Tom Costello, and two other former Google engineers – Russell Power and Louis Monier – searched for better ways to search.

Now, it’s boasting time.

For starters, Cuil’s search index spans 120 billion Web pages.”

 

… well then.  Now, according to the article, today is the first day of availability, but, let’s give it a test. I put my last name in, and I even have a domain registered for it. That didn’t even come up.  My twitter account shows, followed by an obituary for a couple dead relatives, and a few other things. Then there are two sites that come up that appear to be completely unrelated. (the reason I know they’re unrelated is this – per all my research, and knowing my family history, we are the only family to have this last name – anywhere.)

The site is nifty looking, polished, but, also slow and appears to be inaccurate. Granted, this is a new engine, and those do take time to ‘learn’, but I have to agree with a quote in the article for now: “I doubt (Cuil) will be keeping anyone at Google awake at night.”

Jul 21 0 comments
design, tech

FSF: 5 reasons to avoid iPhone 3G (uh, ok!?)

http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/5-reasons-to-avoid-iphone-3g

now honestly guys – a lot of what you do is amazing, but this is such a lame list

The 5 real reasons to avoid iPhone 3G:

  • iPhone completely blocks free software. Developers must pay a tax to Apple, who becomes the sole authority over what can and can’t be on everyone’s phones.

(making a profit is bad for business?)

  • iPhone endorses and supports Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) technology.

(uh, ok. Or, it wants things to work properly. I would to if I had created something this nice)

  • iPhone exposes your whereabouts and provides ways for others to track you without your knowledge.

(hello, it’s Big Brother. They’re looking for you. Run!)

  • iPhone won’t play patent- and DRM-free formats like Ogg Vorbis and Theora.

(newsflash – Ogg Vorbis is bloat. newsflash 2 – MP3 files are the standard now – stop complaining)

  • iPhone is not the only option. There are better alternatives on the horizon that respect your freedom, don’t spy on you, play free media formats, and let you use free software — like the FreeRunner.

(seriously? It’s like comparing an Audi to a Yugo.)

Jul 13 0 comments
Life, tech

Danny and the iPhone Dance

Apr 01 0 comments
humor, tech

Google TiSP (Happy April 1st)

This is great. Found on the Official Google Blog:

TiSP in-home wireless broadband is:
* Free, fast and highly reliable
* Easy to install — takes just minutes
* Vacuum-sealed to prevent water damage

Tisp Images Tisp Diagram

you must read the install instructions. Nice… hahaha

Google TiSP

Mar 28 0 comments
movie, tech

R2D2 USPS

I was so happy when I found out about the US Postal Service’s plans for R2D2 mailboxes!!! If you hadn’t heard – check this out:
http://www.uspsjedimaster.com/index.html
Well, one of my coworkers sent me an email today that they’re officially here, and installed. We’re quite lucky in SoCal – we get two of them. (there were a very limited number made). And, to top it off, someone had posted addresses for them! Yes, we went tonight to see one – it was great!

200703282202

…yes, I’m a big nerd. so what… hahhaa

Mar 20 1 comments
design, tech

IKEA Dave

Went to IKEA this weekend and finally bought myself the ‘Dave’ laptop stand. It’s fairly nice, thought slightly wobbly, which is unfortunate.

200703202212I think it will help my back though. The kitchen table just isn’t the best to sit at with my powerbook.