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Innovation and process in companies
Quick definition of innovation First of all, there are multiple definitions of innovation and I want to address this. Here’s a (longer) definition: Innovation is the economically successful introduction of a new technology or new combination of existing technologies in order to create a stepwise improvement in the value (compared to the resources invested) created for [...]

Quick definition of innovation

First of all, there are multiple definitions of innovation and I want to address this. Here’s a (longer) definition:

Innovation is the economically successful introduction of a new technology or new combination of existing technologies in order to create a stepwise improvement in the value (compared to the resources invested) created for the client.

The problem here is with one word: stepwise. Some people and companies think this must be a massive step; others believe that fairly small step changes can still be considered innovations. In my opinion, this difference in understanding is why the word “innovation” has become the buzzword it has.

Innovation and tools in modern corporations

I’m interested in the intersection between organisational groups and innovation. Specifically, how can new technology help?

In a previous post I discussed the various idea management software packages available to businesses and organisations to help them innovate. But what continues to bother me about all of the software packages I’ve seen is that they seem to pass on responsibility. New ideas and innovations have to go through a process of review, which raises them to increasingly higher levels of management for further review. Employees themselves don’t keep the responsibility for success. They can help forecast and vote for an idea, but that’s it.

Perhaps my military background is showing a bit, but I think much more responsibility can be pushed down to the employees themselves. When I was in the Navy, there were clear rules under which we had to operate. But within those rules, we were very free to experiment and find the best solution for our watchteam/boat/squadron. This extended down to each individual watchstation; even the most junior enlisted man on board had room in which to learn and innovate. (This doesn’t mean that the Navy is an all-innovating organisation; just that there wasn’t needless process and structure for it.)

I personally believe that each additional step of process and each additional rule limits the boundaries of innovation in an organisation. Companies must operate with rules: spending limits are musts, managers must approve formal product introductions, etc. But these are rules for the firm, not for innovation. If you start putting rules and structure around innovation, (such as each project must have a sponsor, projects must have certain approvals before they begin, etc.) a company starts down the slippery slope to irrelevance.

What matters with innovative ideas is that they get implemented. (Or at least implemented enough to “fail fast”.) Does it really matter how if they comply with the main rules in the firm? What matters is results.

Bob Sutton is a very well-known management thinker and professor at Stanford. He writes here:

innovation often happens despite rather than because of senior management, and oddly enough, the best leaders often realize that their very presence can sometimes stifle innovation.

and a fantastic story (confirmed to be true) from HP:

Some years ago, at an HP laboratory in Colorado Springs devoted to oscilloscope technology, one of our bright, energetic engineers, Chuck House, was advised to abandon a display monitor he was developing. Instead he embarked on a vacation to California —stopping along the way to show potential customers a prototype of the monitor. He wanted to find out what they thought, specifically what they wanted the product to do and what its limitations were. Their positive reaction spurred him to continue with the project, even though on his return to Colorado, he found that I, among others, had requested it be discontinued. He persuaded his R&D manager to rush the monitor into production, and as it turned out, HP sold more than 17,000 display monitors representing sales revenue of $35 million for the company.

What to do?

Fundamentally, there is a difference between coming up with the ideas and innovations and formally developing them. At what point do you make what’s really an entrepreneurial-type activity a big-company project management process? Do you do it while it’s still just an idea, or later in its life? I know where I personally come down on this question… what about you?

Future prediction markets news

I’ve been working with a media company in London to develop a public prediction market for their (industry vertical) network. It’s still softly launching, and I don’t want to steal any thunder until they’ve had a chance to fully promote it. But I look forward to discussing it in the future here.

One last note…

As I mentioned before, this blog recently achieved a Google PageRank of 6/10. Because of this I’ve been getting a LOT more spam in the comments, and have made the comments section completely moderated. But please comment below; I will approve it (hopefully) shortly thereafter.

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Innovation and process in companies

Elliot’s Short Updates for 2009-03-19 via Twitter
Trying to figure out how to get to the Pokemon Center inn Tokyo. I guess if we go to the JR Hamamatsucho Station, we’ll be able to find it? #

• Trying to figure out how to get to the Pokemon Center inn Tokyo. I guess if we go to the JR Hamamatsucho Station, we’ll be able to find it? #

Some price changes on Amazon.com
From Amazon.com: Important Messages Please note that the price of Lenovo ThinkPad Advanced UltraBay Battery II - Notebook battery - 1 x lithium polymer 3-cell 2700 mAh has increased from $112.32 to $115.16 since you placed it in your Shopping Cart. Items in your cart will always reflect the most recent price displayed on their product [...]

From Amazon.com:

Important Messages
Please note that the price of Lenovo ThinkPad Advanced UltraBay Battery II - Notebook battery - 1 x lithium polymer 3-cell 2700 mAh has increased from $112.32 to $115.16 since you placed it in your Shopping Cart. Items in your cart will always reflect the most recent price displayed on their product detail pages.

Please note that the price of Korg GA-30 Ultra Compact Guitar and Bass Tuner has increased from $10.95 to $14.95 since you placed it in your Shopping Cart. Items in your cart will always reflect the most recent price displayed on their product detail pages.

Please note that the price of The Introvert Advantage: How to Thrive in an Extrovert World has decreased from $10.17 to $9.72 since you placed it in your Shopping Cart. Items in your cart will always reflect the most recent price displayed on their product detail pages.

Please note that the price of Daring to Draw Near: People in Prayer has decreased from $12.00 to $11.70 since you placed it in your Shopping Cart. Items in your cart will always reflect the most recent price displayed on their product detail pages.

Please note that the price of Personality Plus: How to Understand Others by Understanding Yourself has decreased from $10.39 to $10.18 since you placed it in your Shopping Cart. Items in your cart will always reflect the most recent price displayed on their product detail pages.

Please note that the price of Improve Your Vision Without Glasses or Contact Lenses has increased from $10.16 to $10.76 since you placed it in your Shopping Cart. Items in your cart will always reflect the most recent price displayed on their product detail pages.

Please note that the price of The New Hacker’s Dictionary - 3rd Edition has decreased from $23.40 to $21.69 since you placed it in your Shopping Cart. Items in your cart will always reflect the most recent price displayed on their product detail pages.

Important Messages
Please note that the price of Boggle has decreased from $13.99 to $13.97 since you placed it in your Shopping Cart. Items in your cart will always reflect the most recent price displayed on their product detail pages.

We’re sorry. The item Domo-Kun 6″ Plush Figure Doll Toy is no longer available from the seller you selected. We’ve moved it to the Saved Items section of your Shopping Cart. To see if it’s available from another seller, click here to return to the item’s product detail page.

Please note that the price of Secret Keeper 2005: The Delicate Power of Modesty has increased from $1.76 to $5.02 since you placed it in your Shopping Cart. Items in your cart will always reflect the most recent price displayed on their product detail pages.

Please note that the price of Wow!Pad 57LT007 USC Collegiate Logo Laptop Mouse Pad has decreased from $9.99 to $6.25 since you placed it in your Shopping Cart. Items in your cart will always reflect the most recent price displayed on their product detail pages.

Elliot’s Short Updates for 2009-03-29 via Twitter
I read this before, but it’s a good reminder. Why to Not Not Start a Startup, by Paul Graham - http://www.paulgraham.com/notnot.html # What’s the source of this idea? “It’s better to give to 100 people who don’t need it than to refuse one genuinely needy person.” # Toilet paper “softness equals ecological destruction.” Toilet paper has more [...]

• I read this before, but it’s a good reminder. Why to Not Not Start a Startup, by Paul Graham - http://www.paulgraham.com/notnot.html #
• What’s the source of this idea? “It’s better to give to 100 people who don’t need it than to refuse one genuinely needy person.” #
• Toilet paper “softness equals ecological destruction.” Toilet paper has more environmental impact than Hummers - http://tinyurl.com/azachf #
• “Life is a blog. I wanna write it.” http://www.ronalfy.com/ If you’ve heard “Life is a highway. I wanna ride it…” from Cars, you grinned. #
• Want to see economic growth? Cut taxes. http://tinyurl.com/cno9zo #

Elliot’s Short Updates for 2009-03-24 via Twitter
Bankruptcy would’ve been best in the case of AIG. But due to the bailout, things will get much, much worse. http://tinyurl.com/ddx4og #

• Bankruptcy would’ve been best in the case of AIG. But due to the bailout, things will get much, much worse. http://tinyurl.com/ddx4og #

Elliot’s Short Updates for 2009-03-25 via Twitter
Just took the Christian Clothing Poll, http://tinyurl.com/cxsplw # There are people who think wasting money & resources helps the economy http://tinyurl.com/bofawaste #

• Just took the Christian Clothing Poll, http://tinyurl.com/cxsplw #
• There are people who think wasting money & resources helps the economy http://tinyurl.com/bofawaste #

Custom fridge magnets, car magnets, business card magnets- Australia
The Fridge Magnet Factory (http://www.fmf.com.au) is leader in the custom design, manufacture,...

5 day expedition, May or June 2009
Calico John and I have started talking about a 5 day expedition-type run, either in late May or...

Can U tell if it is a Solid Axle from these photos?
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Need pics of igniter top for 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81 and 82
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Monk's
Recently Andy and I made a one-night trip to Philadelphia for a friends birthday. If you only have one night to eat in Philadelphia, where do you go? We needed something casual, inexpensive, and close to our hotel. So I...

Recently Andy and I made a one-night trip to Philadelphia for a friends birthday. If you only have one night to eat in Philadelphia, where do you go? We needed something casual, inexpensive, and close to our hotel. So I called my sister in France to ask her. She did her undergraduate at the University of Pennsylvania and loves Philadelphia so I knew she would have a good answer- Monk's Belgian Café and Beer Emporium. My sister loves the fries, and her husband thinks their burgers are the best he's ever had- so it seemed like an easy decision. It is quite a popular place. We went at 6 o'clock to grab dinner and there was already a 30-45 minute wait. But the wait was worth it, because I had the best mussels I have ever had:

You can't see the broth in this picture, but it was an amazing mixture of  Hoegaarden, fumè, toasted spicy chile de arbol peppers, chervil & garlic that Monk's calls the "Red Light." It was heavenly and I certainly used the roll provided to mop up as much of the broth as possible. But, the broth didn't outshine the wonderful taste of the briny, succulent mussels.

Alongside my huge pot of mussels was a little basket of little fries with Monk's famous bourbon mayonnaise:

These fries were addicting, and you couldn't help grabbing a bunch between your fingertips and dunking them liberally into the bourbon mayo. And all of this delicious food was only $9.95- a pretty great price for a restaurant in the heart of Philadelphia.

One person in our party did order a burger- and between massive bites he made a couple comments about how good it was, but other than that, I can't confirm that they are the best burgers so I'll just have to trust my brother-in-law on that one- especially because if I ever make it back to Monk's, I'll be ordering this beautiful pot of mussels again!

The Liberty Elm Diner
The Liberty Elm is another one of those places (of many) that I have been wanting to get to ever since it has opened- and ever since I've seen pictures of its delicious food popping up on flickr all the...

The Liberty Elm is another one of those places (of many) that I have been wanting to get to ever since it has opened- and ever since I've seen pictures of its delicious food popping up on flickr all the time!

We managed to get there on a Sunday morning- and JUST beat the morning rush. We were seated promptly at a booth at the window, but had to wait a while to get served. If you're going anywhere for a Sunday brunch (especially any place small that fits a couple dozen or so people) you just have to be willing to make it leisurely. And we were, as long as we had some coffee sitting in front of us. Sunday's, while a crapshoot on the wait, are a great place at The Liberty Elm because they have a live bluegrass band that rocks all afternoon.

I was actually in the mood for lunch when we arrived, so I had a bowl of their vegetarian lentil soup that they serve with foccacia (they have two soups that change daily- a veggie and a meat):

And a beautiful slice of veggie pizza:

I really liked the consistency of the soup. Sometimes, lentil soups can be really thick and heavy (which is not what I'm usually looking for in the middle of the day) but this was brothy and light. I do think it needed a little more spice, but other than that, it hit the spot on the cold rainy day. The pizza was fantastic. The crust was hearty, but not too thick and doughy, the sauce was very flavorful and the taste of fresh tomatoes was apparent, and there was the perfect amount of cheese. It was a great compliment to my soup.

Andy felt like breakfast so he had a ham, cheese, and broccoli omelette and a side pancake:

Andy thought the omelette was just average. Everything- including the toast- came out pretty soggy, but, in Andy's words "I don't want to be unnecessarily negative, it just wasn't my style. I like my omelette to be a little bit crispier." But the pancake, we both agreed, was excellent. It was fluffy, not to heavy, and served nice and piping hot. Next time, I think I'm going to order a big stack of them!

The Continental Cafe
A great dinner in Philadelphia was followed the next morning by a great brunch. My sister had offered a recommendation for brunch as well (Morning Glory) but, in our haste to get on the road and back to Providence, we...

A great dinner in Philadelphia was followed the next morning by a great brunch. My sister had offered a recommendation for brunch as well (Morning Glory) but, in our haste to get on the road and back to Providence, we opted for something only a block or so from our hotel- The Continental.

Approaching the restaurant, all we could see was a giant olive perched atop the sign, but as we got closer we could stare inside at the masses of people crowded inside a trendy, brightly colored restaurant. The restaurant is two levels, both with bars situated at the back. Upstairs, where we sat, there were booths and two tops with swinging chairs! But, not only the decor was great- so was my pumpkin waffle:

The waffle was served with vanilla bean butter and real maple syrup, and it was one of the best waffles I've had in a long time. It was crispy on the outside, and soft and airy on the inside. We all agreed that it was unbelievably light and the pumpkin flavor was perfect. It would have been fun to stay in Philadelphia for another night and see The Continental Martini Bar in its true light...but it was definitely worth a stop for brunch.

A Goodbye
Well, I have some news. Andy and I are going to be moving at the end of June. This sudden upheaval is the reason for the cessation of posts, it's not because I don't love blogging (and food!) anymore! Therefore,... Well, I have some news.  Andy and I are going to be moving at the end of June. This sudden upheaval is the reason for the cessation of posts, it's not because I don't love blogging (and food!) anymore!

Therefore, this post is going to be the last from Providence. I may continue blogging from out next destination, but I haven't yet decided...so  I will promise to update on the status of that.

Thank you to everyone who has read my blog over the past year and a half- it had been wonderful being part of the food community and exploring the great restaurant scene of Rhode Island.

But, rest assured, there are plenty of great places to continue to get your RI food fix. Here are some blogs that are well worth a read, and a bookmark!







Locally Harvested Food and Drink
I really like that Local 121's sign includes the phrase "Locally Harvested Food and Drink". It makes me happy that the sustainable movement has really taken flight, especially in a small city like Providence that can really mobilize its population....

I really like that Local 121's sign includes the phrase "Locally Harvested Food and Drink". It makes me happy that the sustainable movement has really taken flight, especially in a small city like Providence that can really mobilize its population. Not too long ago I made my first visit to Local 121, but just for drinks. We were really charmed with the place, so were excited to go back with Andy's mom before the theater on a Saturday night. The dining room is gorgeous (it has a slightly more upscale feel than the bar area, but both feel grand).

Since I loved my hot toddy so much, I had to start with a cocktail again this time around. This time, I chose the Dark and Stormy because I was eager to try the ginger beer:

The ginger beer was fabulous, and the drink was strong- a great combination in my book! For appetizers, Andy and his mom split the Root Crisps with herbed creme fraiche, and I had the Salad of Local Greens with red wine vinaigrette:

This was the perfect starter. It was lightly dressed so the  freshness of the greens really shined. And it was a good thing it was light, because for my main I had the North East Family Farms Grilled Strip Steak:

The steak was covered in a smoked paprika butter, and served with a twice baked potato and wilted swiss chard. It was all good, but not memorable. I thought the greens were over-salted and there was nothing particularly special about the potato, except that a twice baked potato is almost always tasty as long as there is cheese and fluffy potatoes. The steak was done a little rarer than I asked, but Andy didn't mind so he finished the rest of it for me.

Andy has The Local 121 Burger with aged Vermont cheddar:

I had a small bite, and felt the same way Andy did- that it tasted different. That was the best way to describe the meat. I personally didn't care for it, and thought maybe it needed a little more spice, and Andy said there were many other burgers he prefers more.

Andy's mom had the Prima Pasta special of the day which was fettucini with broccolini in a light cream sauce:

She liked it, and thought it was the perfect portion and that it was perfectly sauced- with a hint of red pepper flakes. But while she finished the bowl, she didn't seem 'wowed'- much like Andy and I's reactions.

For dessert we had the Chocolate Tart with house made ginger ice cream:

The ginger ice cream was the best part, and the tart was certainly made with a wonderful quality bittersweet chocolate. But the crust was too dry and flavorless and it made the dessert feel a little less balanced.

There was nothing in the particular flavors, presentations, or offerings that blew me away. In fact, I felt everything was fairly standard and could be easily re-created in my home kitchen for a better price. But that can be true of many dining out experiences, and that isn't to take away from the beautiful decor and my admiration for Local 121's mission. However, I don't think I will be going back for dinner anytime soon. For drinks in the cozy bar, certainly, but there are other restaurants I'd really like to try, or try again, before returning to Local 121.

 

Chez Pascal
I hope you're all as excited to read this post as I am to write it, because...I finally went to Chez Pascal! Shortly after moving to Providence, and seeing this unassuming little restaurant nestled off Hope Street, people started telling...

I hope you're all as excited to read this post as I am to write it, because...I finally went to Chez Pascal! Shortly after moving to Providence, and seeing this unassuming little restaurant nestled off Hope Street, people started telling me how great it was. But, time and money are always of the essence (especially when you are a food writer- why couldn't I pick something cheaper to blog about!?) and there are so many restaurants to try, and so I couldn't find the opportunity. I did make it to the hot dog cart over the summer, and that trip just served to peak my interest.

But, finally, last night Andy and I went for it. I called, made the reservation, and checked the clock all day long until it was time to go. The place inside is adorable- comfortable and warm, but classy. All of the staff are friendly and relaxed. There are no pretensions anywhere at this restaurant.

Andy and I started with the Warm Salad of Red Cabbage, Walnuts and Apples with a Blue Cheese Flan & Pumpkin Seed Oil:

They actually split the salad for us in the kitchen, and Andy doesn't like blue cheese, so I got this beautiful round of blue cheese flan all to myself. I am always surprised when a salad overwhelms me with its deliciousness. I usually like to try other appetizers, and only turn to a salad when I'm afraid of being too full, or nothing particularly strikes me. I chose this salad for the latter reason (I did want the escargots, but Andy would not go for that), and also because the flan and the pumpkin seed oil interested me. And I am very glad I did. For such a simple salad, it packed a lot of wonderfully subtle tastes that worked perfectly together- the light dressing, the creamy (but not too strong or pungent) flan, the sweet apples, and the crunchy walnuts.

After munching on some French bread, our mains arrived. I had the Bomster Scallops with red chili oil, celery root puree, celery salad, and a warm crepe with gruyere and potatoes:

Again, the simplicity of this dish, yet the wonder of the flavors, delighted me. The beautiful, rich flavor of the celery root thrived in the butter sauce, and the crepe added a nice texture and cheesy flavor dimension to the scallops. The scallops were absolute perfection with their crispy seared outsides, and warm buttery insides.

Andy had the Arctic Char with chickpeas:

I honestly wish I had more details to provide about this dish, but Andy can't remember, and Chez Pascal is closed on both Sunday's and Monday's. But, on Tuesday, I plan on calling to gather the details and I will re-post them here! Details aside, this was fantastic. The sweetness of the chickpea salad contrasted with the saltiness of the glaze and the fish brought to mind a Moroccan flavor, and it was very well executed.

And then, dessert. There were two items on the menu that we really wanted to try, and we couldn't bare to get just one. We asked the waiter if it would be an obscene amount of dessert, and he said no- so we trusted him. In reality, it was a lot of dessert. But, admittedly, we ate it all!

We had the Chocolate in 3's which consisted of a  macadamia nut and caramel tart with chocolate chantilly cream, a chocolate molten cake with chestnut ganache, and a chocolate and peanut butter mousse with a feulletine cookie crunch:

And we tried the Pedro Ximénez  poached apple bread and butter pudding with caramelized apple compote and maple ice cream:

Oh my. There are not words enough to describe this wonderful ending to our meal. Everything was delicious. The chocolate and peanut butter mousse, I think, was the winner of the Chocolate in 3's- but I am hopeless in the face of anything with peanut butter and chocolate. I am also an avid fan of chocolate desserts, and rarely order fruit type desserts- but this bread pudding will make me think twice before skipping right to the chocolate desserts. It was moist and perfectly sweet. It wasn't too dense (as some bread puddings can be) and a bite of the pudding, drenched in apple compote and with a spoonful of maple ice cream was perfect harmony.

Throughout the whole meal, I kept asking myself why I waited so long to go to Chez Pascal. Dear readers, you were right in your insistence that I must go. It was one of the best meals I have had in recent memory- it truly trumped some of my more recent fine dining experiences in Providence. As we left, I met one of the owners, Kristin- and I could not stop smiling as I told her how wonderful the meal was. And her reaction made me love Chez Pascal even more- she acted like a brand new restaurant owner, who had heard her first compliment. She was genuinely overjoyed that I enjoyed my meal, and seemed flattered that I would take the time to tell her. I will, absolutely, be returning.

Sawaddee
I've been to Sawaddee before. But, it was long enough ago that it was before this blog existed (about a year and a half!) so I decided that it was probably time to return, especially because I remembered that their...

I've been to Sawaddee before. But, it was long enough ago that it was before this blog existed (about a year and a half!) so I decided that it was probably time to return, especially because I remembered that their pad thai was some of the best I'd had in Rhode Island.

The great thing about Sawaddee, besides the fact that the food is good, is that it is also BYOB. The bad thing about Sawaddee is the ambiance. Andy and I always feel like we are walking in on a family dinner in a cramped dining room whenever we enter the place- it's really that small. It's also a little tired and shabby looking, with bad lighting, so it is definitely not a place to go for atmosphere.

We started with the chicken Sa-Tae with peanut sauce:

The peanut sauce was amazing, but the chicken wasn't char-grilled enough to our liking. It was tender, for sure, but the outside was lacking the crispiness that usually makes this dish.

For our mains, Andy and I went with our favorites. He got the chicken Red Curry:

And I got the shrimp Pad Thai:

The Pad Thai was as good as I remembered, and still deserves my vote for best in Rhode Island. The noodles were flavored perfectly, without being too sticky, heavy, and gooey. The shrimp were huge and fresh, and the portion size was great (and only $7.95)!

However, the Red Curry didn't receive the same review. The flavor was there, yes- the chilies, the lemongrass, the coriander- but it was very, very oily (which you can tell from the picture). The oiliness really ruined the texture of the curry, making it too runny, and the flavor from the oil lingered a bit too long on your tongue after a bite. Andy said he wouldn't order it again.

I've said it before, but I really think Providence is lacking in the Thai area. There just aren't any real stand-outs that ever keep me coming back.

Waterplace
Last weekend I went out with a friend, Kelly, for her birthday. The restaurant was her choice, and she had been raving about a salad she had at Waterplace- so she saw this as the perfect opportunity to go back...

Last weekend I went out with a friend, Kelly, for her birthday. The restaurant was her choice, and she had been raving about a salad she had at Waterplace- so she saw this as the perfect opportunity to go back to have it again. As plentiful as they are, I had never been to a Pinelli Marra restaurant before, and Waterplace is their newest endeavor, which opened last summer.

It is a huge place, and when we mentioned that the place looked quite empty, the host confirmed that Waterplace is really a summer destination for diners- they have an impressive three-tiered patio area and a "rooftop" bar/dining area. It's quite impressive that a restaurant group in Providence can afford to have this large of a restaurant situated downtown when most of their revenue is from the summer months.

We started with the Honey Chipotle Calamari with an amazing Scallion Pesto dipping sauce. It was unique and fantastic. Kelly said she's sick of "RI Style" calamari with hot pepper rings, and so she is thrilled when an RI restaurant offers something different. I really enjoy the hot pepper rings, but would order this Honey Chipotle Calamari over RI Style any day.

For our main meal, we both had the salad that Kelly had been talking about. It was a grilled hearts of romaine salad with crumbled goat cheese, slow roasted tomatoes, kalamata olives, toasted soy nuts, and a warm applewood bacon vinaigrette:

The presentation certainly could have been better. While there are a lot of colors on the plate, this looks like a mess with rotted greens. Grilled romaine lettuce is not the most attractive thing, but I'm sure there is a way Waterplace could work with this salad to make it a little more pleasing to the eye- instead of like a heap of whatever is in the kitchen. The scallops also were a little paltry, and were even more dwarfed by the rest of the stuff on the plate. However, it was good. The soy nuts were an interesting addition, but I loved the crunch they added and the subtle nutty flavor. The goat cheese went well with the scallops and the dressing made the whole thing taste like a bacon wrapped scallop.

For dessert we had the espresso chocolate creme bruleé:

It was tasty, and I really enjoyed the strong espresso flavor and the more subtle chocolate. I don't think I would return to Waterplace for the food, but I may be one of their summer patrons to take advantage of their massive patio space for a drink.

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Clickatell Meets Mobile & Transact Solutions Expert
Clickatell is happy to announce Len Pienaar, CEO of Mobile & Transact Solutions for First National Bank (FNB), will present “Cellphone banking in South Africa, and innovation success”, on Thursday, 15 November at 12pm. The BAI Retail Delivery Conference is a leading financial services conference and expo to help banking executives understand how to increase the [...]

Clickatell is happy to announce Len Pienaar, CEO of Mobile & Transact Solutions for First National Bank (FNB), will present “Cellphone banking in South Africa, and innovation success”, on Thursday, 15 November at 12pm.

The BAI Retail Delivery Conference is a leading financial services conference and expo to help banking executives understand how to increase the bottom-line and invest in customer relationships.

Pienaar will discuss how FNB has employed SMS and other cellular technologies to drive business results and deliver valuable and intimate services to customers.

Clickatell, the leading provider of global mobile messaging for banks and other financial institutions, will be featuring the FNB case study in its booth number 2444.

Clickatell provides the mobile messaging software for FNB to deliver international balance enquiries, account payments, micro-payments, and critical fraud alerts over cellphones via SMS to its customers worldwide. Clickatell has been providing mobile messaging solutions since 2000 and has over 8 000 active customers worldwide.

A world expert in SMS banking, Len Pienaar is CEO of the Mobile & Transact Solutions division for FNB and is part of a delegation of South African bankers facilitated by the Business Trust. Pienaar has been integral to the implementation and delivery of valuable services to FNB customers.

To learn more about FNB and their banking services, please visit www.fnb.co.za.

Google Monetizes Youtube Videos
Google’s Adsense monetizing programme for bloggers and website publishers seems to be growing stronger and stronger by the hour even as many advertising networks spring up. Earlier this year, rumours were rife that Google was going to add video ad units to the already existing adsense money making product streams. Well after a long period of [...]

Google’s Adsense monetizing programme for bloggers and website publishers seems to be growing stronger and stronger by the hour even as many advertising networks spring up.

Earlier this year, rumours were rife that Google was going to add video ad units to the already existing adsense money making product streams. Well after a long period of waiting for this interesting ad feature Google this morning officially started monetizing videos on youtube.

It was announced on Google’s Official Adsense Blog that the service is now ready for publishers and bloggers to use on their blogs and websites.

We’re excited about the launch of video units — a new way to enrich your site with quality, relevant video content in an embedded, customizable player.

Simply embed a snippet of code and have relevant YouTube partner content streamed to your site. You can choose categories of video to target to your site, select content from individual YouTube partners, or have video automatically targeted to your site content.

Companion and text overlay ads are relevant and non-intrusive. To further blend the YouTube player into your site, you can also customize the color scheme and layout as well as choose from three different player sizes.

[Via Google Adsense Blog]

The new format is known as a “video unit,” and consists of three things:

1. A customizable embedded player
2. The Video Content
3. The Advertisement

Below is a sample of the Google Video Ad Unit

In order to use the service, publishers will need both an AdSense account and a Youtube account. Upon registering for the AdSense video program, the two accounts will be merged.

Similar to Google text version of AdSense, advertisers are charged only when an individual clicks on an ad. In the video program, however, both the site publisher and the video producer will be given a share of the ad revenue.

Note:
Google Video Ad Units is Currently Available for United States Publishers whose websites are in the English-Language Only.

Happy New Year!
Happy New year to all who enjoy visiting this page. It has been a rough year for me as a part time blogger; having to add blogging to my regular working schedule. Despite this challenge I tried to put in some occasional articles to keep the page alive. This year I plan to make Mboateng.com a [...]

Happy New year to all who enjoy visiting this page. It has been a rough year for me as a part time blogger; having to add blogging to my regular working schedule.

Despite this challenge I tried to put in some occasional articles to keep the page alive.

This year I plan to make Mboateng.com a personal blog whilst i move all the IT and Technical Stuff to a new domain i acquired mbcoding.com

This I believe will give me enough time to concentrate on helping people with PHP, ASP, ASP.NET, C#, VB.NET and other web languages on mbcoding.com whilst i use this domain as a personal blog.

I am also teaming up with the Lyon Media Guys, the designers of Ghana Base Music to put up their new gig www.ghanafusion.com for the Ghanaian Community in and outside Ghana to link Up. It is an extension of Ghana Base Music site into a more social-like site where users can get more of their music and entertainment event photos whilst browsing and linking up with friends.

I will also continue my series of programming tips on Clickatell’s API using PHP and C# .

These are basically what i have planned for the first quarter of 2008.

Happy New Year!

Are You Blogging to the Bank with WidgetBucks?
Under a month of monetizing with WidgetBucks, Ads performances and CTR seem to be far better compared to some of the Ad Networks I have already been using on my blogs and websites. My WidgetBucks account so far has 8 referrals and Click-Thru revenue in also doing impressively OK. Don’t forget the $25 sign up bonus [...]

Under a month of monetizing with WidgetBucks, Ads performances and CTR seem to be far better compared to some of the Ad Networks I have already been using on my blogs and websites.

My WidgetBucks account so far has 8 referrals and Click-Thru revenue in also doing impressively OK. Don’t forget the $25 sign up bonus is sitting comfortably in mybucks.

WidgetBucks has also updated its control panel and below are the Payments  schedule:

1. Earnings accumulate from the first through the last day of the month
2. Referral commissions are posted during the first week of the subsequent month
3. Finalized earnings are posted during the first week of the subsequent month
4. Payment is issued 45 days following the month your account balance reaches $50.00

If you really want to start blogging to the bank, then Join WidgetBucks and start making good money online with your blogs.

Blogging For The Environment
Today is Blog Action Day for the Environment …. Hurray!!!!!!!!!!!!! What is this day About? This is generally a day where real bloggers who Blog To The Banks (LOL) write articles on their blogs to promote environmental safety and quality. What can we do as bloggers? We can serve as an ambassadors by blogging to help to [...]

Today is Blog Action Day for the Environment …. Hurray!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What is this day About?
This is generally a day where real bloggers who Blog To The Banks (LOL) write articles on their blogs to promote environmental safety and quality.

What can we do as bloggers?
We can serve as an ambassadors by blogging to help to protect and improve the environment. Bloggers can also take it upon themselves to make sure that air, land and water are looked after by everyone in today’s society, so that tomorrow’s generations can inherit a cleaner and healthier world.

In Short this is what you can also do to help

• Post on your blog relating to the environment on Blog Action Day
• Donate your day’s earnings to an environmental charity
• Promote Blog Action Day around the web

What did i do on this day?
Well instead of my normal 3 Plates of my favourite Fried-Riped-Plantain and Beans, I decided to forfeit two of them and take just one in solidarity of this great day of celebrating the environment as a blogger. Hope you also did something interesting. Cheers.

Clickatell Widens Its Tentacles
In its effort to take over the SMS Message world, Clickatell earlier this week hired Chuck Drake as Executive Vice President of Global Marketing, and Bill Wolfe as Executive Vice President of Research & Development to help steer the affairs of the mobile company. Clickatell has also upgraded all its servers and if you are an [...]

In its effort to take over the SMS Message world, Clickatell earlier this week hired Chuck Drake as Executive Vice President of Global Marketing, and Bill Wolfe as Executive Vice President of Research & Development to help steer the affairs of the mobile company.

Clickatell has also upgraded all its servers and if you are an existing client, you will realise there are now many IP Addresses available for use in sending SMS Text Messages.

With over 8,000 active customers worldwide, including Barclays Bank, BBC, CNN, FNB, and Oracle, Clickatell has proven itself as the leader in providing mobile messaging solutions to large enterprise organizations and delivering online SMS services for small to medium businesses.

With the explosion of cell phone usage, mobile messaging is fast becoming a ubiquitous and cost effective way to communicate directly to customers, partners, and employees.

Clickatell is bolstering its worldwide facilities to meet the growing demand for SMS messages being sent globally for a multitude of applications. Having expanded coverage to include an additional 85 networks, Clickatell supports more networks and carriers than any other messaging provider in the world. Clickatell has further upgraded its enterprise-grade facilities to include hosted services, receiving the SAS 70 stamp of approval, a widely recognized standard used as a proof point used by Chief Security Officers to examine the due diligence process needed to assure data security, safety and integrity.

Within its existing 24�7 system, Clickatell has significantly extended its customer support capability by enhancing Quality of Service (QOS) and reliability of its IT infrastructure, which is built on the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) framework, a set of industry guidelines and best practice techniques for managing IT infrastructure, development, and operations. In addition to these enterprise-grade additions to its facilities, Clickatell has added network support in Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Peru, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, and Guam, and has also increased reliability in China, Hong Kong, and Japan.

In addition, Clickatell has hired Chuck Drake as Executive Vice President of Global Marketing, and Bill Wolfe as Executive Vice President of Research & Development. These two executives are poised to bring a strong focus in the financial services sector and building large infrastructures to support millions of mobile transactions.

Chuck joins Clickatell from MarkMonitor and Corillian where he led both companies to achieve market leadership status in their respective Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and Enterprise software markets serving Financial Services, Retail, Manufacturing, High Technology, CPG and other verticals worldwide.

Bill joins Clickatell from VeriSign and Openwave Systems where he was responsible for managing critical business cycles to provide complex, intelligent, highly secure, and reliable enterprise infrastructures to deliver core communications services targeting the Entertainment, Technology, and Telecommunications markets.

Via Clickatell

Travelling This Christmas?
Christmas is here with us again and bloggers like myself would want to get busy. If you happen to be a tourism fanatic like myself, then you would want to visit one of the hottest travel destinations in the world. Thinking of traveling outside your country? Here are a few tourism destinations you would want to tease [...]

Christmas is here with us again and bloggers like myself would want to get busy.

If you happen to be a tourism fanatic like myself, then you would want to visit one of the hottest travel destinations in the world.

Thinking of traveling outside your country?

Here are a few tourism destinations you would want to tease yourself with; Amsterdam Attractions, Athens attractions, Greece Attractions and Prague attractions.

You would also bear with me that around this time, getting a very good and affordable hotel is a bit worrisome but Cheaperthanhotels.co.uk will ease your pain in searching for the best of hotels that will give you value for your money.

With Cheaper than hotels, you can get discounted rates at budget and luxury accommodation from Europe to America and the World Over.

Also on their site you can get the best of deals for Prague Hotels, Greece Hotels, Athens Hotels and Amsterdam Hotels.

Visit their site for more information on getting Cheap Hotels >>>

Monetize and Blog to the Bank with ShoppingAds
Shopping Ads, a new CPC Ad Network and monetizing kid on the block is in for bloggers to start blogging to the bank. Like their slogan goes “monetize your site with live merchant listings” bloggers are sure getting good CPC from their blogs. ShoppingAds is owned by Peter Galvin of Text-Link-Ads and AuctionsAds. The site, which [...]

Shopping Ads, a new CPC Ad Network and monetizing kid on the block is in for bloggers to start blogging to the bank.

Like their slogan goes “monetize your site with live merchant listings” bloggers are sure getting good CPC from their blogs.

ShoppingAds is owned by Peter Galvin of Text-Link-Ads and AuctionsAds. The site, which is in private beta testing is currently doing so well on my blogs.

Shopping Ads unlike Auctionads is based on a CPC (cost-per-click) model instead of the CPA (cost-per-acquisition) model and it has a CPC of around $0.25.

Shoppingads has also partnered with a number of online merchants to display their inventory like Amazon and shopping.com .

Shoppingads like John Chow’s TTZ Media Affiliates offers publishers the ability to either add your own keywords or let publishers recommend ads based on their website’s content.

Increase your site income with ShoppingAds >>>

Make Money Online with John Chow
Online Money Making avenues for bloggers and publishers is on the ascendancy once again. About two weeks ago Mpire Corporation launched its Ads Network WidgetBucks promising that it was going to pay bloggers more than what Google pays its publishers. (Tried and Tested and So Far So Good) After WidgetBucks comes TTZ Media Network, a new [...]

Online Money Making avenues for bloggers and publishers is on the ascendancy once again.

About two weeks ago Mpire Corporation launched its Ads Network WidgetBucks promising that it was going to pay bloggers more than what Google pays its publishers. (Tried and Tested and So Far So Good)

After WidgetBucks comes TTZ Media Network, a new Adverting and Affiliates Network from the internet dot com mongul, John Chow.

Well for those of you who don’t know John Chow, he is by far the known blogger who makes money online and tells people how he makes it and the amount he makes. (interesting isn’t it?)

What is TTZ Media

TTZ Media provides shopping ads to its affiliated sites. These ads feature hot selling products from thousands of online stores. When a reader clicks an ad and visits the store, the affiliate makes money.

Unlike other shopping network that will only let you pull from a board category, TTZ Media ads allows extra keyword matching for products.

TTZ Media ads are completely customization. Not only can affiliates control border, background and link colors, they can even control the hover color and font style.

Entry Requirements

1. You must own a domain name. No free hosted sites allowed.
2. Website Content Should be English only.
3. You Should have High quality content.
4. Your Site must be Updated frequently.

Features

1. Publishers have access to customized Ads Code Setting with Code generator
2. Publishers enjoy detailed Ads Performance Statistics

Payments

TTZ Media Affiliates currently offers payments via Checks and Paypal. The Minumum payment threshold is $20.

Join John Chow’s TTZ Media Affiliate Network now and start earning more income on your blogs.

Retrieving Two-Way SMS Messages From Clickatell Gateway - Part 2
The first part of the tutorial on to retrieve two-way text messages from clickatell gateway was basically about creating a mysql database that will store data received from Clickatell Gateway via the Callback Url. This tutorial is will just show you how to create your “settings.php” which declares the main settings of your programme. It [...]

The first part of the tutorial on to retrieve two-way text messages from clickatell gateway was basically about creating a mysql database that will store data received from Clickatell Gateway via the Callback Url.

This tutorial is will just show you how to create your “settings.php” which declares the main settings of your programme. It stores your mysql login details and the clickatell gateway api login details.

All you have to do is copy and paste the code below and save it as “settings.php”. Then you change all the xxxx in the code to the appropriate values per your mysql database and your credentials at clickatell.

settings.php

$baseurl =”http://api.clickatell.com”;

//User details @ Clickatell
$user = “xxxx”;
$password = “xxxx”;
$api_id = “xxxxx”;

//mysql details
$hostname_conn = “xxxx”;
$database_conn = “xxxx”;
$username_conn = “xxxx”;
$password_conn = “xxxx”;
$conn = mysql_pconnect($hostname_conn, $username_conn, $password_conn) or trigger_error(mysql_error(),E_USER_ERROR);

?>

User Details @ Clickatell
//$user = This is the username assigned to you by clickatell
//$password = This your clickatell api password;
//$api_id = The api id can be generated on your clickatell control panel

User Details @ Clickatell
// $hostname_conn = This is your database hostname
//database_conn = Change this to the name of your database
// $username_conn = This is the user logon to ur database
// $password_conn = Change this to your database password

Part 1 | Part 2

Review: Anna Seghers' DIe Entscheidung
I have always been interested in postwar German fiction that deals with the American occupation, so I was eager to read Anna Seghers' 1959 novel Die Entscheidung (The Decision). But I have to admit it was a bit of a...

I have always been interested in postwar German fiction that deals with the American occupation, so I was eager to read Anna Seghers' 1959 novel Die Entscheidung (The Decision). But I have to admit it was a bit of a slog to make it through all 600 pages of Seghers experiment in Stalinist socialist realism. Disappointing, really, since Seghers is a fantastic story-teller as we know from her anti-fascist exile novels Das siebte Kreuz (The Seventh Cross - made into a Hollywood feature film) and Transit (Transit Visa).

Christa Wolf recalled a meeting a meeting in the early days of the GDR between Anna Seghers and Walter Ulbricht - the Secretary of the ruling SED party - when Ulbricht challenged the Genosse Schriftsteller (comrade writers) to write socialist masterpieces about collective farms, socialist industrialization and even a "socialist Faust". I don't believe that Seghers ever attempted a "socialist Faust", but with Die Enstsheidung she rose to the challenge of depicting socialist industrialization and in the process wrote the first major novel about a divided Germany. 

Die Entscheidung takes place in the early days of the GDR and the BRD.  Germany is split into the American-dominated west and the socialist SBZ (Soviet Occupied Zone) and the division is much more than an arbitrary line on a map: Seghers sees it as an existential divide, much like her friend Christa Wolf did a few years  later in her classic GDR novel Der geteilte Himmel (Divided Heaven).  But in Die Entscheidung the borders are still quite porous; characters move relentlessly between east and west and make conscious decisions whether to remain in the east and build a new socialist reality or flee to west where the Marshall Plan is beginning to provide real material wealth at the dawn of the Wirtschaftswunder.

Seghers novel is a huge panorama of postwar Germany, with other plot strands in Mexico (where Seghers spent her exile years) and New York.  The novel has so many different characters that it took me the first two hundred pages to begin to get them straight, and then new characters are introduced by Seghers to represent different political-ideological concepts.  The basic plot is a very clever construct to illustrate the divided Germany.  Otto Bentheim was a steel magnate who, before the war, had plants in the west and in the east (the fictional town of Kossin). Bentheim's mills were crucial for the Nazi war effort, and his son was a big-shot SS officer.  After the war, Bentheim's plant in the west is rebuilt with American assistance to begin a new rearmament effort for imperialistic wars, while the plant Kossin is transformed into a VEB (Volks-Eigener Betrieb - People's-Owned Enterprise).  Meanwhile, the CIA enlists the aid of some engineers to sabotage the efforts of the workers in Kossin.

The main characters are three Germans who met while fighting against Franco in the Spanish Civil War: Robert Lohse - the representative of the proletariat in the novel, Richard Hagen - the communist resistance fighter who becomes a party leader in the new GDR, and Herbert Melzer - a writer who is sent by an American magazine to write about postwar Germany.  All three had lost sight of each other during the chaos of the war, but their lives intersect in surprising ways in the novel.  It quickly becomes clear in Die Entscheidung who the "good guys" are: veterans of the Spanish Civil War or those who were incarcerated in concentration camps during the NS-period.  Without exception, those characters who had been Nazi sympathizers throw their lot in with the Americans.

Robert Lohse is the central hero of Die Entscheidung, and Seghers paints a more complex psychological portrait.  Lohse is uneducated and has zero knowledge of political theory, but he is an instinctive socialist, who, for Seghers, represents the promise of a new, socialist, Germany. Actually, Lohse had initially joined the NSDAP since he was attracted to the fake socialist rhetoric.  But he inevitably "does the right thing" and makes rebuilding the steel mill in Kossin his life's mission.  By the end of the novel Lohse is so convinced that the German Democratic Republic is on the right path that he turns in his love interest - Lene Nohl - after she had confessed to him her plans to flee to the west (what a guy!).

The novel tends to get bogged down in the Kossin sections with endless discussions of production quotas and scenes of workers sitting together to discuss how to build a more perfect socialist future.  There are a few Russian figures, but they are for the most part ciphers, who look down on the German workers with bemused condescension as they struggle with developing a higher, socialist consciousness.  It is a given, in Die Entscheidung, that the Russians had long since achieved real socialism and so operate on a much higher plane than their German counterparts.  And any atrocities committed by the Soviet Red Army in the "liberation" of eastern Germany - such as the mass rape of German girls and women - are never mentioned. But, to her credit, Seghers does acknowledge the discrepancy between the growing material prosperity of the west and the severe deprivations in the east.  In one scene, a worker-agitator in the Kossin plant lays lays into some workers who grumbled that people in the west had a "better life ("mehr vom Leben"):

Und ich sage dir, Kumpel, hier has du auf jeden Fall mehr vom Leben.  Es gehört dir, verstehst du? Was du lebst – dir! Was du tust, was du anpackst.  Das Land gehört dir. Da drüben , allerdings, ist vieles besser und billiger. Margarine, Schuhe, Wollstoff, verstehst du das unter “mehr vom Leben”?  - Nein. Aber dich stören die Fehler, die bein uns gemacht werden. (Let me tell you something good buddy: you've got a much better life here. It belongs to you, don't you understand?  Your life is - yours! Whatever you do, what ever you take up.  The country belongs to you.  Sure, over there there is much that is better and cheaper. Margarine, shoes, wool - is that what you mean by a better life?  No.  But you get upset by the mistakes that we make here) 

The novel picks up speed when the scenes shift to the west; the portraits of the Bentheim dynasty members are good, as are the descriptions of the (for the most part, duplicitous) Americans. One of the most sympathetic characters is the old industrialist Castricius, a representative of the pre-war Bildungsbürgertum, and a much more paternalistic capitalism than the US-imperialist variety.  For the most part, the women in the novel are portrayed as weak figures, whose Entscheidungen - decisions - are heavily influenced by their husbands or boyfriends.  The exception is the American Helen Wilcox, the most intriguing character in the novel, who is attracted to the writer Herbert Melzer and gathers the courage to leave her husband, an executive at the Bentheim plant, as she is repulsed by his ruthless opportunism. 

I have always been fascinated by early postwar German literature - especially fiction dealing with the American occupation.  Die Entscheidung is an important literary document from that period. Seghers shows a country that is still in ruins, the people living in makeshift shelters and still psychologicaly brutalized by the Nazi dictatorship and war.  It is these vivid descriptions, as well as the sheer scope of the novel, that elevate Die Entscheidung above the dreary socialist realism of the period.  Seghers wrote a sequel, Das Vertrauen, that deals with the East Berlin uprising of 1953 and the death of Stalin. 

WaPo Op/Ed Claims Europeans Are Soulless
The Washington Post published a strange op/ed piece by conservative "thinker" Charles Murray on why "American exceptionalism" is superior to European social democracy. Apparently, Mr. Murray went to Europe recently and, after speaking with a couple of students in Switzerland,...

The Washington Post published a strange op/ed piece by conservative "thinker" Charles Murray on why "American exceptionalism" is superior to European social democracy.  Apparently, Mr. Murray went to Europe recently and, after speaking with a couple of students in Switzerland, concluded that Europeans are soulless hedonists who lack all ambition - thanks to their "socialist" governments:

It was fascinating to hear it said to my face, but not surprising. It conformed to both journalistic and scholarly accounts of a spreading European mentality that goes something like this: Human beings are a collection of chemicals that activate and, after a period of time, deactivate. The purpose of life is to while away the intervening time as pleasantly as possible.

Empty churches and a low birth rate point to the fact that Europeans have sold their souls to the socialist devil.  Life is too comfortable, the people seem happy but it is all an illusion.  Basically, they are miserable, since their lives lack the purpose that Americans have.  You see, Americans have to struggle for everything; they are not coddled by the socialist state (yet). Health care, decent education, housing, employment are all a struggle in America.  But that struggle spurs true greatness.

Actually, a far better model for Murray than Americans would be the Taliban:  they attend religious services regularly, belive fervently in their God, have big families, lack any social safety net, and are willing to die for their ideals.

But what really upsets Charles Murray is that the European social democratic model goes against the laws of nature. Human beings, according to Murray, are genetically determined.  Some have superior genes, some have inferior.  The leveling policies of European societies eliminate this genetic diversity. While American society is more reflective of the natural order.

"Over the next few decades, advances in evolutionary psychology are going to be conjoined with advances in genetic understanding, and I predict that they will lead to a scientific consensus that goes something like this: There are genetic reasons why boys who grow up in neighborhoods without married fathers tend to reach adolescence unsocialized to norms of behavior that they will need to stay out of prison and hold jobs. We will still be able to acknowledge that many single women do a wonderful job of raising their children. But social democrats will have to acknowledge that the traditional family plays a special, indispensable role in human flourishing and that social policy must be based on that truth."

Charles Murray was the author of the 1994 book The Bell Curve, which "proved" that blacks had inferior intelligence.  The book was later debunked by Stephen Jay Gould and others as junk science.  Why the Washington Post would provide a forum for a racial determinist like Murray is a question worth asking.  No doubt Europeans will find the piece highly amusing, mistaking it for satire. 

Justine Lai paints herself having sex with each of the Presidents, beginning with George Washington.
"I am interested in humanizing and demythologizing the Presidents by addressing their public legacies and private lives. The presidency itself is a seemingly immortal and impenetrable institution; by inserting myself in its timeline, I attempt to locate something intimate and mortal. I use this intimacy to subvert authority, but it demands that I make myself vulnerable along with the Presidents. A power lies in rendering these patriarchal figures the possible object of shame, ridicule and desire, but it is a power that is constantly negotiated."

hearts are flying and i am so thankful
For the longest time I thought my daddy was a Yankee. Not that there is anything wrong with being a Yankee, or anything, but as a Florida born-and-raised child I thought North Carolina was part of The North. After all,...

For the longest time I thought my daddy was a Yankee.

Not that there is anything wrong with being a Yankee, or anything, but as a Florida born-and-raised child I thought North Carolina was part of The North.

After all, we did drive north every summer to visit my dad's family in Greensboro and it did take us forever to get there. It was UP north.

I may have been geographically challenged or just young. I suppose if asked I might have said that South Dakota was part of The South but no one ever asked me. Besides that, we never drove to South Dakota.

We never had the need.

I have never been to a funeral in the real north. I have never been to a funeral anywhere north of Greensboro, North Carolina, so I am not much an expert on funerals around the United States.

I have not been to many funerals in my long life. If you added them up, I do not think it would take both hands to count them all. Well, maybe, just.

It is not that I don't know people. I do. I know a ton of folks but most of them live practically forever. Thank goodness for that. Or maybe I was away at college when the older aunts and uncles died.

I was away at college a lot. Off and on.

The other ones, the people who die, at least lately, have been cremated and had their ashes scattered out to sea while guitar music floated gently down from the dunes. Beatle songs, some James Taylor, a bit of John Prine.That kind of thing.

Usually there are several big dogs wearing colorful bandannas and acting well-behaved at such events.

It is like the dogs know.

 

I do not mean to be gruesome here, but that is what I want for myself. Say in 30 or 40 years.

I do not want anyone messing with my hair after I have passed on. No one would get it right. You just cannot blow my hair and have it look like me. And I do not want to look like someone else for my last part.

But maybe that is just me being controlling.

Plus, I do not want people to look at my  face with a still tongue. A silent tongue. Not me.

Mostly I want to be cremated and sprinkled out to sea. I want to float around in the sun and let that be it.

The Mediterranean Sea would be a great place but that might be too much trouble. Any sea would do nicely. Even over here where I hang out now would be OK with me.

I am going to take a wait and see attitude about the whole thing.

 

The first friend of my mom's who stopped by after my daddy died brought us cold, roasted chicken and potato salad. I guess they do that up north and out west, too. They bring on the chicken, roasted or fried.

This sweet friend of my mom's covered the table with food--rolls and freshly steamed asparagus dripping with butter-- while she talked about the good times she remembered sharing with my parents.

She had lost her own husband a few years back and she knew what we needed even though we did not. The last thing I wanted was food and yet we ate and ate and ate.

I wanted to never get up from that table.

I wanted to be 12 years old forever. I wanted to not have to be in charge of anything else ever but washing the dishes and putting the left-overs away.

That is what I wanted.

 

I know I say this all the time but it is true: I love how things turn out.

Even in bad times things seem to turn out OK.

My mom and dad had planned their funerals years and years ago so we had to do very little decision-making. Bless them.

The funeral director knew my family and went over everything like he was a relative or something.

Maybe he is. I'll have to check.

 

My daddy wanted two songs sung at his funeral. They were not Beatle songs or James Taylor or John Prine.

They were the two songs that where sung at his own mother's funeral about 100 years ago.  She was my Granny and this might have been my first ever funeral.

I seem to remember the church being very hot and the windows were wide open. I could see the blue sky.

Everyone was given a paper fans printed with the name of the funeral home on the back side. On the front side was a photo of sun shining down through the moss-hung trees. The sun's rays fell on pink flowers blooming near green, green grass. Heaven on earth, it looked like to me.

The card-board was attached to a tongue-depressor-looking piece of thin wood. We all fanned and fanned to beat the band. Moving the air.

I remember thinking dramatically, "I am going to keep this fan forever!"

It might be in my attic still.

I will let you know if I find it.

If you are southern, you might could guess that one of the songs would be Amazing Grace which is perfect for such events. This song is a good place to let go of the tears you know are going to come out anyway. There is no holding back with Amazing Grace.

Maybe it is early programming but I cry every time I sing this song. I am not even going to pretend to be embarrassed. If I just hear the first few bars of this song my eyes get wet and I know to look for a tissue.

Sometimes I can be so southern.

The other song my daddy wanted was On the Wings of a Snow White Dove which is a real tearjerker, too, but if that was what my daddy wanted, that is what he was going to have.

 

I had no idea what to do about those songs. Time was short. I did not want taped music one bit.

We talked to the preacher about who should sing. About who could sing.

My cousin Charlene would have been perfect but she was out-of-town in Atlanta. So we prayed about it and ate more cold chicken and potato salad.

Then we let it go.

More food came our way. More widow-ladies.

Macaroni and cheese and fried chicken. Seven-up cake. Walnut-apple cake. Fruit, fruit, fruit.

My daddy's two sister arrived from out-of-town town, one from Texas, the other from North Carolina. Each was chaperoned by grown-up cousins I had not seen in forever.

Finally my cousin Charlene arrived from Georgia and took the music issue to heart. She arranged for my cousin Norma Kay to play the piano. Two cousins I had known from day-one. Only yesterday we were were playing dodge-ball and swing-the-statue and dressing doll-babies.

Now they were going to sing at my daddy's funeral.

These cousins of mine had done duets before and both are so talented I cannot help but brag. In a very short time--while I ate food I was not hungry for--they practiced my daddy's requested songs.

Amazing Grace and On the Wings of a Snow White Dove. 

Cold chicken, potato salad, macaroni and cheese and seven-up cake.

It could not have been any better.

I only wish my daddy could have been there.

I will always be grateful to my family and friends who sent messages of sympathy and understanding during this ever-so sad time, who dropped-off food and flowers and tight hugs.

I cannot thank you each here but I do thank you everyday still, in my heart.

Thank you so much.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The afternoon I left my home to go visit my daddy, for what turned out to be the last time, I received a wonderful box of sugar cookies with pink icing. They were from a friend who sent them to me because she thought I could use them "right about now."

Go figure.

The first friend of my mom's who stopped by after my daddy died brought us cold, roasted chicken and potato salad. For dessert we shared these sugar cookies made before they were even needed.

I wanted to never get up from that table.

I wanted to be 12 years old forever, eating sugar-cookies with pink icing. Without a care in the world. With my daddy napping in his chair there in the living room, cross-word puzzle half done. Waiting.

That is what I wanted.

Currency matters
The Icelandic Króna has been falling in the past few months. When I moved to Australia in September last year I could buy 52 krónas for one dollar, now I can buy 74 krónas for a dollar. This is good news for me at the moment but not for Icelanders thinking of coming over here. [...]

The Icelandic Króna has been falling in the past few months. When I moved to Australia in September last year I could buy 52 krónas for one dollar, now I can buy 74 krónas for a dollar. This is good news for me at the moment but not for Icelanders thinking of coming over here. The króna went up to 80 per dollar in recent days and apparently that is the best conversion ratio from dollar to króna that there has ever been. To keep tabs on the development I have now made the currency part of this website fetch real live data from yahoo finance. Under Australia vs. Iceland on the right hand side you can see what the mean conversion is.

daily proxies for myspace
http://www.page2cloak.info enjoy this one!

http://www.page2cloak.info

enjoy this one!

Long time no blog
It has now been almost three months since my last confession, erhm blog I mean. Lots has happened in that space of time, our daughter Sóley was born on December the 20th and hence began our family saga. Sóley is doing really well and growing fast. I will be putting up a page with pictures [...]

It has now been almost three months since my last confession, erhm blog I mean. Lots has happened in that space of time, our daughter Sóley was born on December the 20th and hence began our family saga. Sóley is doing really well and growing fast. I will be putting up a page with pictures and video for family and friends so watch that space. Currently I am upgrading the Wordpress blog system and making a few changes. The old look and feel will be back but right now the templates need amending.

new anonymous proxy
http://rubixcube.info - enjoy this new one!

http://rubixcube.info - enjoy this new one!

new daily proxies
http://infobuds.com - enjoy!

http://infobuds.com - enjoy!

Camera, lights, ACTION!!
We woke up this morning to a voice down the road shouting something loudly into a ‘gjallarhorn’. After turning over a couple of times cursing the noise we went to the window to see what was going on. As it turns out there were loads of people, equipment, cranes, fires, smoke and what have you [...]

We woke up this morning to a voice down the road shouting something loudly into a ‘gjallarhorn’. After turning over a couple of times cursing the noise we went to the window to see what was going on. As it turns out there were loads of people, equipment, cranes, fires, smoke and what have you not all over the place, and a bossy guy shouting into their midst and we realized they were filming and apparently is was a Hollywood movie called “Knowing“. Once we realiased there were famous actors (yes, Suzy got very excited as she finds Nicolas Cage very handsome) and lots of action down the road annoyance turned into curiosity. It was quite fun having something like this happening in the street so we kept tabs on what was going on throughout the day, but disappointingly Nic never came over to say hi, must have been too busy.

I have been very lazy writing on the blog lately. My main excuse is that we are in the middle of winter. Even though it is quite warm during winter compared to back home, winter here still slows you down and makes you lazy. I have been looking everywhere for bookshelves that I am happy with and when I finally found them, of course they had to cost about $4.000 (200.000 isk). So, after months of searching we went back to the original idea and got a cheap thingy for IKEA. Our books have not been comfortably placed in nice bookshelves for over 2 years now so it was a monumental relief to get them into the cheap but nice IKEA shelves.

Jabber, Inc Client Testimonial
“MVP has been instrumental in helping us implement and refine our search engine marketing program. Their systematic approach and willingness to share their knowledge and expertise has enabled us to successfully execute on-going campaigns that have resulted in significant traffic growth through paid placement ads, and improvements in organic rankings through search engine optimization. MVP has been [...]

“MVP has been instrumental in helping us implement and refine our search engine marketing program.

Their systematic approach and willingness to share their knowledge and expertise has enabled us to successfully execute on-going campaigns that have resulted in significant traffic growth through paid placement ads, and improvements in organic rankings through search engine optimization.

MVP has been extremely responsive, thorough, and professional while delivering measureable results.”—Jabber, Inc.

Social Marketing Services
Our social media marketing is designed to help your business gain exposure on popular social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and Linked In.  In addition, our research team will participate in forums, comment on top blogs, and submit your website to industry niche directories. If you are looking for more visibility online, our social marketing [...]

Our social media marketing is designed to help your business gain exposure on popular social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and Linked In.  In addition, our research team will participate in forums, comment on top blogs, and submit your website to industry niche directories.

If you are looking for more visibility online, our social marketing service will help you attract new customers, connect with existing clients, and your position your business for the future of internet messaging.  Contact us today to learn about more about this new marketing service from MVP - Market Vertical Partners.

Link Building With Articles
One effective method of building links is to write articles and submit them to popular article repositories where webmasters can freely use this content for their own website.   Our premium article writing service creates a unique article topic for each article website. Here are a few examples of articles that were recently written for MVP: Article Base: [...]

• Article Base: The Importance of Link Building
• Active Rain: How Important is SEO To Your Website
• Article Dashboard: Domain Names & SEO
• Article Outpost: What Are SEO Friendly Links

These links contain links in the articles as well as links in the published profile promoting a variety of different targeted keywords for organic rankings.

Article Writing For Link Popularity
One effective method of building links is to write articles and submit them to popular article repositories. Here are a few examples of recent articles we have written for MVP: http://www.articlesbase.com/online-promotion-articles/the-importance-of-link-building-695797.html http://activerain.com/blogsview/850628/How-Important-is-SEO-to-your-Website http://www.articledashboard.com/Article/Domain-Names-and-SEO/664677 http://www.articleoutpost.com/articles/240820/1/What-are-SEO-friendly-links/Page1.html If your company is interested in building links for your website via article writing, let’s talk more about link building campaigns.

Text-Link-Ads.com
Text-Link-Ads.com I did not update my blog since April 2008 but this blog still makes money. :) Resources: Text-Link-Ads.Com ($100 in FREE Links) Google Adsense Personal request from webmasters (they pay me to link to their websites for certain words or phrase) Other Blog's highest earning is from  Text-Link-Ads.Com. Advertisers: Improve your traffic and search engine rankings. Click ...

Maybe That’s Why the Internet Explorer Toolbar is Blue…
Myspace is full of pedophiles. Many people think so, anyway. Even when it is not, Myspace, like Facebook, is filled with photos of… well, everything. Every state of undress, every party only the camera remembers, every unfortunate dare. Everything, in short, that falls out of a strict definition of message control for any candidate. Sure, [...]

Bajet 2008
Bajet 2008 Text by YAB Dato Seri Abdullah Bin Hj. Ahmad Badawi, Malaysian Prime Minister. 7th September 2007. To save it in your computer, select the text, copy and paste it into notepad or microsoft word and save as Bajet 2008. Sorry for this late post. :) Link: Bajet 2007, Bajet ...

How To Fix CES in 2010
I agree with my friend Harry McCracken that CES 2009 was definitely smaller than past years. But I vehemently disagree with Dean Takahashi’s assesment that this is a “grim” stat.  In my opinion, the show had swelled well past the breaking point over the past few years.  This is what killed shows like Comdex and [...]

I agree with my friend Harry McCracken that CES 2009 was definitely smaller than past years. But I vehemently disagree with Dean Takahashi’s assesment that this is a “grim” stat.  In my opinion, the show had swelled well past the breaking point over the past few years.  This is what killed shows like Comdex and E3 (though for differing reasons of course).  Any industry dealing with excess bloat must find a way to trim its own fat or it will sooner or later get overtaken by it.  I think the smaller show, you know, with only 110,000 attendees (that was meant to be read aloud with a highly sarcastic tone and some eye-rolling) is a good thing, and I think there are a few other changes that should come with it.

In no particular order…

• Make a limit on booth sizes. The biggest booths (and I use the term lightly) are over 20,000 square feet (Samsung, Sony, Panasonic, etc).  From some fairly reliable sources I’ve been told these companies are spending over $15,000,000 each on the show (I was told over $20MM for one of them).  This is not money well spent.  While I’m all for capitalism, if the CEA takes proactive measures to help curb these kinds of spending, they will be less likely to have these budgets questioned in future years (think about it - would you rather see a downsized Panasonic, or no Panasonic???).  Also, it’d be hard to argue that anyone is really “losing” anything by being “constrained” to a 100′x100′ booth.
• Get rid of the Sands. As much as I’ve enjoyed demoing from the Sands over the past few years for various companies, it’s unquestionably the poorly cared for stepchild of the show.  The hours are worse, and so is the traffic.  There’s plenty of room in the LVCC for everyone, and if my predictions on a smaller ‘10 show are right, a fully packed show will “feel” a lot better than trying to do a little “combover” to hide the thinner regions (trust me on that one).
• Move the event back two weeks. I’m filing this one in the “I’m right, but it’ll never ever happen” category.  The current schedule is utterly painful for everyone involved in the show, and causes strains on personal lives for the tens of thousands of families who don’t get to enjoy December vacation times because they are prepping for this show.  Also, it always overlaps with other events, such as Macworld and the NFL playoffs.
• Embrace Showstoppers (and Pepcom too, I guess). The CEA treats these media events as if they are parasitic, but they are not, they are symbiotic.  As a guy who has successfully brought multiple no-name companies to the forefront of the show, I can tell you even the best contacts in the world still won’t guarantee decent press coverage with all the surrounding noise.  This year alone, the 4 clients my firm brought to Showstoppers generated literally dozens of extra articles written, all of which reflect CES in a good light.  It’s a clear win-win, and even if it’s not a direct profit generator, it should be welcomed.
• Improve the press list process. I wrote a guest post over at Technosailor trying to share my insights into “the CES pitch” from both perspectives. The process from both the pitch-or and pitch-ee is terrible.  I received hundreds of pitches, of which at least 1/2 were about products that I’d never write about, ever.  On the other hand we pitched about 400 writers, of which I’d assume no more than 1/10 (probably more like 1/20) would’ve found our clients uninteresting (which I can say with confidence based on the coverage they did receive at the show).  The problem was many of those 400 had already received so many other pitches, their “CES” filter was in high gear.  The press list needs more “rules” about how it is used, specifically to help the right stories find the right audiences.  I’d suggest that both exhibitors and press must pick specific categories to send/receive pitches, and the list be database-controlled by CEA.  If anyone is listening at all, get in touch and I can outline my thoughts in much more constructive detail.
• Clean up your database and registration system. My fellow Canadian Saleem Khan reminded me of this one.  Even though I pre-registered with my media credentials in August (or so), somehow my email address continued to receive biweekly reminders that I needed to sign up to attend CES 2009.  Further, once I had registered, I needed another account for the MyCES portal, and I think a third account for another subsection of the site.  While the first step was clean and flawless, the entire rest was messy.
• Prep the net. By 2010, I’d wager a strong majority of the “interesting” demonstrations will show fully connected devices.  We already saw the Yahoo TV widget system on numerous sets (my prediction: nice try, but no adoption - more some other time), and that’s just the beginning. The topic of my session during Jeff Pulver’s Social Media Jungle was “The Convergence of CE and Social Media” and it’s all about IP-enabled consumer electronics.  Internet connectivity in booths and at the show in general was spotty.  That was okay for CES ‘99, but was disappointing during ‘09.  Fix it (and the WiFi) for ‘10.
• Figure out the social media integration. There were a lot of “social media folks” hanging out at the show, or more to the point, kinda near the show.  I’m not exactly sure where the integration was, but it’s weird to me that the “famous social media video wine guy” was a sought-out “internelebrity” for the show.  No offense to Mr Vee (or any other of my colleagues from the social media scene), but considering the founders of Engadget and Gizmodo were there, not to mention all the rest of us whose actual jobs sit at the intersection of the gadget world and the social media world, it seemed a bit… forced.  This should be spearheaded by CEA, and built from the CE-side up, not from the social media side down.  As a result, the grand majority of the 110,000 attendees and millions who followed the event online had no awareness of things like The Ultimate Blogger Dinner, the miscellaneous TweetUps, and other endeavours which had potential, but just poorly integrated to the show.
• Fix up the Innovations Awards system. While the judges do a dandy job every year, there are way too many awards being handed out.  For awards to have merit, they need to be limited, it’s simple supply and demand.  Modernize and reduce the categories from 34 (yes, 34) to 20 or less.  Integrate some method of public voting and commenting (you could use uservoice.com to do it) to complement the judges (definitely don’t do away with the judges.  for reference, check out what happened to this year’s NHL All-Star voting!).  And less finalists per category - five would be plenty.
• More Monoliths.

Well, I’m sure I’ll come up with more 15 minutes from now, but I think that’s a healthy start.  If anyone from CEA would like more details, I’ll happily provide.  I’m looking forward to next year’s show, though hopefully I won’t get sick this time.  Yes, even after all my own advice, I somehow picked up the CES Flu this year, and it was a doozy.  I guess some things don’t stay in Vegas after all.

Daily Cleaning Chores
Some chores need to be done every day, not because we're trying to get some kind of housekeeping award, but because it helps keep your heavy cleaning to a minimum.

Sample Cover Letters
The perfect cover letter should fit the job you're looking for, express your interest in the company, and just generally tell people why you're the perfect person for the job.

10 Shortcuts for Your Least Favorite Chores
What I need to do is split up my dusting, so that I do a little every day, instead of letting it go until it looks like I'm peeling layers of dryer lint off the lampshades.

Do You Need a Cover Letter?
I'm always tempted to send in my resume with a brief note entitled, "I am awesome for the following reasons." The fact that I never have is probably why I'm currently employed. (Although surely someone would appreciate such a letter. No? Just me? OK, then.)

Introducing Legacy Locker
It’s with tremendous pride and excitement that I use my first blog post in over a month to announce the launch of Legacy Locker. I’m one of the founders of the site, and I wanted to share a little backstory to where it came from and how it got here. Two different personal events occured to [...]

It’s with tremendous pride and excitement that I use my first blog post in over a month to announce the launch of Legacy Locker. I’m one of the founders of the site, and I wanted to share a little backstory to where it came from and how it got here.

Two different personal events occured to me in the summer of 2007 that led to the conception of Legacy Locker.  My grandmother unfortunately passed away, but at the age of 94 it’d be hard to say she didn’t live a full life.  She and I used to exchange emails, a pastime of hers she also enjoyed with other friends and family around the world.  My father and I tried to figure out a way to get into her Hotmail account, but had no luck and basically the account is, for all intents and purposes, unavailable.

On a more uplifting side, my wife and I had a son earlier that year, and in the summer sat down with an estate planner to establish a will (did you know in the state of California that if you don’t have a will/estate/trust, probate attorneys will claim 4% of your assets, including your life insurance money?  scam).  Anyhow, after literally hours of discussing my family tree and my various assets (car, 401k, signed Jean Beliveau picture, etc), I had a huge binder: our “estate” (I always pictured something with a mansion).

Last summer on a flight (yup, I remember that well), I had one of those “moments” in life, where I realized that while my physical assets were protected in my estate plan, I had nothing in place to deal with all of my online goods and assets.  My computer’s password, my email accounts (all 5 of them), my Amazon store credit, my wordpress login, etc.  If anything happened to me, virtually all of these assets would become literally inaccessible to my wife (or others), despite the fact that I had a will.  While they were legally protected, in all practical terms they’d become effectively worthless (including the 70+ domains I own through GoDaddy).  Legacy Locker was born.

When I returned home, I talked with my wife about the concept, and she completely recognized the need as well.  I went to my business partner Adam, he too thought it made sense.  I talked to a few other friends and close colleagues, and not a one said “nah, dumb idea, what are you thinking?”  So Adam and I raised some money, and hired a team to get things done.

The site is pretty simple to actually use and understand.  Users register, fill out a profile, and assign verifiers (people they trust to confirm their passing).  Next, they create assets and beneficiaries.  An asset is the online account information to a website, basically a username, password, and some notes.  The beneficiary is the person they’d want to receive the asset.  The last feature is called “Legacy Letters”, which are emails that get sent to family, friends, or colleagues with a “goodbye” note (in the future we’ll incorporate video as well).  For more on how it works, click here.

So this morning the site goes live.  The actual working service won’t come online for a few more weeks, as the final touches get put in place.  We’re looking forward to getting everything up and running, collecting feedback, and building a great service.  Our primary goal is to bring Legacy Locker to the attention of willmakers, attorneys, and estate planners who help service the 12.6 million households who have wills in place (and 900,000 new people every year), hence our slightly early launch.

I’ve been building consumer technology, from gadgets to websites, for the past 13 years.  While I’ve worked on some amazing products in my time, this is my first opportunity to use technology in a way to truly help people.  Thinking about loss is hard (which is why not enough people do backups and only 1/3 Americans have wills to protect their families).  Dealing with loss is even harder, and if we can help make that part of life a little easier for some people, I consider that a great accomplishment.

Thanks,
Jeremy

ps - sorry about the no blogging all month thing - I was in the hospital dealing with a nasty combination of appendicitis and Crohn’s disease, but I’m doing much better now thanks!

Chrome Messenger Bags - Are they just a pretty face?
  Chrome bags look bitchin’.  The question is, do they function as well as they look?  I mean, the logo is rad, the seat-belt style buckle is unbelievably cool, and the color choices kick almost everyone elses behinds.  (Timbuk2 bags also offers cool color varietals, but they just seem so darn preppy.)  Nah, in terms of [...]

 

Firemail iPhone app - Now I’m Typin’ Widescreen
I’ve always detested one (or two) thing(s) about my iphone. My primary moan? Why not make the landscape keyboard more widely available? On a scale from 1 to 10, using a portrait keyboard to type emails on an iPhone is immensely sucky. Apple made landscape work in Safari; if you’re in the browser [...]

I’ve always detested one (or two) thing(s) about my iphone. My primary moan? Why not make the landscape keyboard more widely available? On a scale from 1 to 10, using a portrait keyboard to type emails on an iPhone is immensely sucky.

Apple made landscape work in Safari; if you’re in the browser and have to type (in the URL, or in a form) the keyboard pops up in landscape mode. This means the keys are bigger, more widely spaced, and significantly easier to tap. This is good usability. In either SMS or email mode, I can only use the portrait keyboard. This is poor usability. Given the fact that the capability exists, I can’t see any reason not to make the functionality universally available.

Lots of people told me that I’d get used to the keyboard if I gave it enough time. They were wrong. It sucks. It sucked a year and a half ago, and it sucks now too. Hence my joy, my excitement, my joie de iPhone that Firemail exists. Firemail is an application available in the App store that lets a user type emails with a landscape keyboard. Lawdy lawdy, I thought the day would never come. The folks at Conceited Software are to thank for this handy piece of code. Let me do so now. Thank you Conceited Software. Try not to let it go to your head. Pun intended.

Now, the mechanics of the thing are not entirely ideal. In order to write these blessedly quick and easy to type emails, you have to load Firemail from your homescreen, not the email app. When the app opens you will be able to compose a subject and message. Once done with your composition you can save a draft (called a bookmark) or send to email. This is great for writing a new email. But what about replying to old emails? That too is possible, here’s how:

• Open your email app
• Open an email
• Hit reply
• Hit the home button
• Open Firemail
• Draft your response
• Select “Send to Mobile Mail”
• Boom shaka laka. Your email is now a reply to the email you were reading before.

I didn’t even know you could do this till I read a couple other reviews of this app. iPhone Hacks put a great one together, and so did Ben Boychuck at Macworld. Personally, I think it’s a very strong app, and it has a place on my homescreen. I do wish it integrated a little more seamlessly with the iPhone email, but it’s a very solid app and allows me to do something that’s frustrated me since my very first week with the iPhone.

The app used to be free - it was free when I downloaded it a couple months ago. Now they charge 99 cents for it, and I think it’s definitely worth that fee. It turns iPhone email from something frustrating and terrible into something that’s reasonably not sucky. If I were forced to give Firemail a numeric rating between 1 and 10, I’d call it a 7.

This entry is also posted at 1TO10REVIEWS.

Firemail demo on 12seconds.tv

Experiment 3 Image Ads
Google is currently pushing image ads quite heavily, but what does this mean for publishers. Is it… Experiment 3 Image Ads

Google is currently pushing image ads quite heavily, but what does this mean for publishers. Is it…

Experiment 3 Image Ads

Promotional Marketing For Graphic Arists:…
Back to the Logo Madness: Logos continue to really allude me, even though my new client likes the ones I did for him. Look for these later today. In… Promotional Marketing For Graphic Arists:…

Back to the Logo Madness: Logos continue to really allude me, even though my new client likes the ones I did for him. Look for these later today. In…

Promotional Marketing For Graphic Arists:…

Wallpaper: Iron Man
The Iron Man wallpaper above are in 1280�1024. Just click on it to view the full size, or you can just right click to save them directly to your pc. I am personally using the 2nd one for my notebook. If you are looking for other Iron Man wallpaper, check out this movie wallpaper site. They [...]

The Iron Man wallpaper above are in 1280�1024. Just click on it to view the full size, or you can just right click to save them directly to your pc.

I am personally using the 2nd one for my notebook. If you are looking for other Iron Man wallpaper, check out this movie wallpaper site. They have additional sizes in 800�600 and also 1024�768.

Wolverine Vs Hulk
If this happens, who you think will win? I got claws, yah, sure Wolverine, but … I got cars. by nebezial (DeviantArt).

If this happens, who you think will win? I got claws, yah, sure Wolverine, but … I got cars.

by nebezial (DeviantArt).

Scarlett Johansson as The Black Widow in Iron Man 2
The Iron Man sequel is slated to hit theater in May 2010 with returning stars Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow and director Jon Favreau. Scarlett Johansson has signed up to play the sexy Russian super-spy Black Widow in the sequel. The role of Black Widow was originally rumored to be going to Emily Blunt, who [...]

The Iron Man sequel is slated to hit theater in May 2010 with returning stars Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow and director Jon Favreau. Scarlett Johansson has signed up to play the sexy Russian super-spy Black Widow in the sequel. The role of Black Widow was originally rumored to be going to Emily Blunt, who had to withdraw from consideration due to a scheduling conflict. Even as a replacement, she sure is a sight for sore eyes.

Natalia Romanova, known to most as Natasha Romanoff, is rumored to be a relative of the Romanoffs, the last ruling czars of Russia, but nothing else is known of her family. During World War II, a Nazi assault upon Stalingrad set the building she was in on fire. A woman, possibly her mother, threw her into the arms of a Russian soldier named Ivan Petrovich before being consumed by the flames. For more information on the Black Widow …

via Deadline Hollywood Daily

Keeping it Interesting
When you have built a community around your blog, you can pretty much keep them around as long as you keep it interesting. Once readers actually care about you, they want to know more about you, and they will go...

BBB on Blog Talk Radio
On April 20th, I had the distinct pleasure of being a guest on Karl's Secondhand Radio show on Blog Talk Radio. We talked about blogging, twittering, and all kinds of other crazy stuff. Karl asked me some questions about what...

Wallpaper: LaMB
Click on the picture to get the 1280�768 size. The above is from Animax’s first and biggest original production - LaMB. Battle the system with Eve and Jack as they strike back against planet Cerra’s bizarre method of imprisonment, which involves the ill-treatment of criminals through lamination. For different sizes and more LaMB wallpapers, go to the [...]

Click on the picture to get the 1280�768 size.

The above is from Animax’s first and biggest original production - LaMB.

Battle the system with Eve and Jack as they strike back against planet Cerra’s bizarre method of imprisonment, which involves the ill-treatment of criminals through lamination.

For different sizes and more LaMB wallpapers, go to the official LaMB website.

Amazing Spider-Man #331
Another one of my old Amazing Spider-Man comic, again a tie up with the Punisher. As mentioned before, I only have two Amazing Spider-Man series in my collection. Issue 330 and 331. If I’m not mistaken, the last time I was at the comic specialty shop (which is about a month ago) Amazing Spider-Man is [...]

Another one of my old Amazing Spider-Man comic, again a tie up with the Punisher. As mentioned before, I only have two Amazing Spider-Man series in my collection. Issue 330 and 331. If I’m not mistaken, the last time I was at the comic specialty shop (which is about a month ago) Amazing Spider-Man is already .. almost issue #600

X-Men Origins: Wolverine
One of the coolest superhero in the Marvel universe and also the most deadly. After three X-Men films, it’s solo time and it’s coming to the theater nearest you soon. Saw the trailer, and Gambit is in it. Not sure whether he’s the bad guy or the good guy, but he’s an X-Men. If you [...]

One of the coolest superhero in the Marvel universe and also the most deadly. After three X-Men films, it’s solo time and it’s coming to the theater nearest you soon. Saw the trailer, and Gambit is in it. Not sure whether he’s the bad guy or the good guy, but he’s an X-Men.

If you want to learn more about Wolverine, get the Wolverine: Origin #1 - 6, at least you’ll understand Logan better.

Black Belt Blogger: Martial Views
It was only a matter of time before a martial arts blogger was given the title of honorary black belt blogger. No one deserves it more than John of Martial Views. He's already a black belt in Isshinryu, but I...

Oracle’s Take On Red Hat Linux (Slashdot)
darthcamaro writes “For nearly three years, Oracle has had its own version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux, claiming the two versions are essentially the same thing. But are they really? As it turns out, there are a few things on which Oracle and Red Hat do not see eye-to-eye, including file systems and virtualization. The [...]

darthcamaro writes “For nearly three years, Oracle has had its own version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux, claiming the two versions are essentially the same thing. But are they really? As it turns out, there are a few things on which Oracle and Red Hat do not see eye-to-eye, including file systems and virtualization. The article quotes Wim Coekaerts, Oracle’s director of Linux engineering, saying, …
(read on…)

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Fashion robot runs real-time Linux (Linux Today)
LinuxDevices: “Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) has demonstrated a Linux-based humanoid robot that will perform in a fashion show next week. The HRP-4C runs the robotics-focused hard real-time ART-Linux distro, which was released this week for Linux 2.6xx under GPL.” (more here…) Related items Review: Dream Linux 3.5 (Linux Today) Hive Five Winner for [...]

LinuxDevices: “Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) has demonstrated a Linux-based humanoid robot that will perform in a fashion show next week. The HRP-4C runs the robotics-focused hard real-time ART-Linux distro, which was released this week for Linux 2.6xx under GPL.”
(more here…)

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Mirroring the world (The Hindu)
Video becomes favoured medium with broadband growth (read on…) Related items Speed Up Firefox by Limiting History Size [Firefox Tip] (Lifehacker) Firefox May Already Be Dead (PC World via Yahoo! News) TomTom fights back, but not over Linux (CNET) Firefox May Already Be Dead (PC World) First Look: The New Mobile Firefox Browser (PC World via Yahoo! News)

Video becomes favoured medium with broadband growth
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• First Look: The New Mobile Firefox Browser (PC World via Yahoo! News)

Oracle: We’re Not Forking Red Hat Linux (LinuxElectrons)
“A lot of people think Oracle is doing Enterprise Linux as just basically a rip off of Red Hat, but that’s not what this is about,” Wim Coekaerts, director of Linux engineering at Oracle, told InternetNews.com. (read on…) Related items Is Linux only for the poor? (ZDNet) Installing Parallels Desktop 4 Tools on PCLinuxOS 2009 Guest (Linux Today) Oracle: We’re [...]

“A lot of people think Oracle is doing Enterprise Linux as just basically a rip off of Red Hat, but that’s not what this is about,” Wim Coekaerts, director of Linux engineering at Oracle, told InternetNews.com.
(read on…)

Related items

• Is Linux only for the poor? (ZDNet)
• Installing Parallels Desktop 4 Tools on PCLinuxOS 2009 Guest (Linux Today)
• Oracle: We’re Not Forking Red Hat Linux (IT Management)
• Oracle’s Take On Red Hat Linux (Slashdot)
• Fashion robot runs real-time Linux (Linux Today)

Synapse Brings Elegant Jabber/Google Talk to Linux [Downloads] (Lifehacker)
Linux only: It will only ever truly support Jabber/XMPP/Google Talk, but Synapse, a new alpha-level IM app, is a pretty—and pretty efficient—way to chat if you’re all about open-source… (read on…) Related items Is Linux only for the poor? (ZDNet) At last: native Exchange Server support for Linux (Desktop Linux) Study : IT turning to Linux in economic downturn (Linux [...]

Linux only: It will only ever truly support Jabber/XMPP/Google Talk, but Synapse, a new alpha-level IM app, is a pretty—and pretty efficient—way to chat if you’re all about open-source…
(read on…)

Related items

• Is Linux only for the poor? (ZDNet)
• At last: native Exchange Server support for Linux (Desktop Linux)
• Study : IT turning to Linux in economic downturn (Linux Today)
• Five Best Linux Distributions (Linux Today)
• Linux Foundation’s "We’re Linux" Contest Enters Final Week (Marketwire via Yahoo! Finance)

Is Linux only for the poor? (ZDNet)
Last week, I followed a conversation on an OpenSuse Education newsletter to which I subscribe. I didn’t have time to join in, but it did get me thinking about open source in education more broadly. Regular readers will know that my school district has made serious strides in the last couple of years, particularly as [...]

Last week, I followed a conversation on an OpenSuse Education newsletter to which I subscribe. I didn’t have time to join in, but it did get me thinking about open source in education more broadly. Regular readers will know that my school district has made serious strides in the last couple of years, particularly as it relates to technology. However, those same regular readers will also know …
(read on…)

Related items

• Synapse Brings Elegant Jabber/Google Talk to Linux [Downloads] (Lifehacker)
• At last: native Exchange Server support for Linux (Desktop Linux)
• Study : IT turning to Linux in economic downturn (Linux Today)
• Five Best Linux Distributions (Linux Today)
• Linux Foundation’s "We’re Linux" Contest Enters Final Week (Marketwire via Yahoo! Finance)

Installing Parallels Desktop 4 Tools on PCLinuxOS 2009 Guest (Linux Today)
Tech Source From Bohol: “Since I also use Mac OS X Leopard every once in a while, I decided to install PCLOS 2009 as guest operating system using Parallels Desktop to find out just how well it runs.” (read here…) Related items Blue Hot PCLinuxOS 2009 Walkthrough and First Impressions (Linux Today) PCLinuxOS 2009.1 Released, Eschews KDE4 (OSNews) PCLinuxOS 2009 [...]

Tech Source From Bohol: “Since I also use Mac OS X Leopard every once in a while, I decided to install PCLOS 2009 as guest operating system using Parallels Desktop to find out just how well it runs.”
(read here…)

Related items

• Blue Hot PCLinuxOS 2009 Walkthrough and First Impressions (Linux Today)
• PCLinuxOS 2009.1 Released, Eschews KDE4 (OSNews)
• PCLinuxOS 2009 Goes Gold (Slashdot)
• Arkeia Software Announces Support for 100th Linux Platform (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance)
• After two years, a new PCLinuxOS ships! (Desktop Linux)

Oracle: We’re Not Forking Red Hat Linux (IT Management)
For the last two and a half years, Oracle has been selling its own supported version of Linux based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). But the company claims it’s not a fork. (read on…) Related items Is Linux only for the poor? (ZDNet) Oracle: We’re Not Forking Red Hat Linux (LinuxElectrons) Installing Parallels Desktop 4 Tools on PCLinuxOS 2009 [...]

For the last two and a half years, Oracle has been selling its own supported version of Linux based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). But the company claims it’s not a fork.
(read on…)

Related items

• Is Linux only for the poor? (ZDNet)
• Oracle: We’re Not Forking Red Hat Linux (LinuxElectrons)
• Installing Parallels Desktop 4 Tools on PCLinuxOS 2009 Guest (Linux Today)
• Oracle’s Take On Red Hat Linux (Slashdot)
• Fashion robot runs real-time Linux (Linux Today)

Is Oracle Forking Red Hat Linux? (InternetNews.com)
There are key differences. But is it a fork? Oracle’s top Linux exec explains. (read on…) Related items Is Linux only for the poor? (ZDNet) Oracle: We’re Not Forking Red Hat Linux (LinuxElectrons) Installing Parallels Desktop 4 Tools on PCLinuxOS 2009 Guest (Linux Today) Oracle: We’re Not Forking Red Hat Linux (IT Management) Oracle’s Take On Red Hat Linux (Slashdot)

There are key differences. But is it a fork? Oracle’s top Linux exec explains.
(read on…)

Related items

• Is Linux only for the poor? (ZDNet)
• Oracle: We’re Not Forking Red Hat Linux (LinuxElectrons)
• Installing Parallels Desktop 4 Tools on PCLinuxOS 2009 Guest (Linux Today)
• Oracle: We’re Not Forking Red Hat Linux (IT Management)
• Oracle’s Take On Red Hat Linux (Slashdot)

Jonathan Stoller's Picture of the Week: Lost Valley
The image this week sets us down in the middle of a 'lost valley.' Wandering pioneers always felt that just over the next dry hill or rocky mountain top such a beautiful valley would exist. For centuries, people have searched...

The image this week sets us down in the middle of a 'lost valley.' Wandering pioneers always felt that just over the next dry hill or rocky mountain top such a beautiful valley would exist. For centuries, people have searched wide and far for such an enchanted spot and our photographer Jonathan Stoller found it on South Island, New Zealand. Now if we can just steal his secret map from him......

Turkey Hollow Almanac: God and Me
On a daily basis it is very hard to imagine that there is no God. With magnificent sunrises and sunsets, the cycle of wildlife, violent storms and just plain peace here in Turkey Hollow, it all seems to be part...

On a daily basis it is very hard to imagine that there is no God. With magnificent sunrises and sunsets, the cycle of wildlife, violent storms and just plain peace here in Turkey Hollow, it all seems to be part of some grand plan. Yet over the years, I have struggled to come to terms with aligning the concept of a God, my spirituality and being at peace with nature. Just when I think I have some answer and embrace it, new knowledge appears or events in my life demand more. More thought. More questions. More answers.

Ironically, as a college student, I took great pride walking around campus with Bertrand Russell's (photo on left) "Why I Am Not A Christian" under my arm. To be sure that no one missed my strong personal statement and to revel in other students judgement, I made sure the cover was in clear sight of everyone as I walked to classes. At that time, I think it was more a wish that people view me seriously as an intellectual than a statement of spiritual belief - a form of an ego trip.

Years later when I once again read the powerful work I understood how much I had missed because of my desire to be noticed! Russell actually struggles with the possible existence of a God including the 'first cause' , 'natural-law,' 'by design' and 'moral' arguments. Each case was presented with a power that refused to give me an easy answer. He concluded in the book,

"Religion is based, I think, primarily and mainly upon fear. It is partly the terror of the unknown and partly, as I have said, the wish to feel that you have a kind of elder brother who will stand by you in all your troubles and disputes. [...] A good world needs knowledge, kindliness, and courage; it does not need a regretful hankering after the past or a fettering of the free intelligence by the words uttered long ago by ignorant men"

Despite Russell's powerful words and undeniable logic, it only made me want to explore more about my own beliefs. The journey has been a never ending series of conclusions that seem to only open up new avenues of knowledge.

Who is this God and what is my relationship with such a deity?

Ironically, I am a person who always loved ritual and especially listening to old-fashioned gospel music. Growing up we swayed to the traditional hymns sung by George Beverly Shea or Bill Monroe. When a great uncle died in the Seven Mountains, you could find the family at the end of the funeral around the piano in the parlor singing its hearts out. Now, some nights I still find myself drifting to the Gaither Television Homecoming Hour. Only today, I loveSignature Sound (photo on right) because they are hot, have great moves and still sing the old fashion hymns.

Despite my attraction for some of the basics of organized religion, over the years organized religion found every conceivable opportunity to push me away. Only during the civil rights years in the 1960's at the height of liberation theology did I find myself being pulled back to organized religion but, in truth, that only lasted for awhile. As much as I wanted to be 'part of', I found myself once again becoming more hostile to the negative impact that organized religion had on the world. Clinching my distrust was its response to the fight for LGBT rights and the early years of HIV/AIDS.

More than ever, I desperately needed spirituality to help me come to terms with the epidemic. There never was a time in my life when a search for answers from a 'higher power' was more important. As I lost near 300 friends to HIV/AIDS, I was seeking answers and reasons why. Where did all this tragedy, sickness and societal hatred fit in my life? I wanted to pray. I wanted to lose myself into a place of unconditional love and support. Everyone around me was being drained by this holocaust and for so many of us, that kind of spiritual answer was urgently needed.

This rocky journey has evolved into my spirituality today. For me, it is the combination of nature, sexuality, family, friends and the beauty of everyday life. Making a joyful noise into a world filled with hate and making people laugh, think and perhaps find a tiny bit of happiness. Bonding with other men and creating my own rituals have given me wonderment at the journey. For me, God is life. Each day, I have been given the gift of life and I am thankful and grateful.

So. God and me have found a nice place. A peaceful place filled with unconditional love. Now, after all those years of search and struggle, it finally all makes sense.

It is all good.

Schumer: The American People Don’t Really Care
Senator Schumer believes the chattering class American people don’t care about the pork projects stuffed into the current stimulus package…  The last poll I saw from Rasmussen showed suppport for the package on February 4th at a paltry 37%.   The more the American people find out the details of what is in this package the [...]

Senator Schumer believes the chattering class American people don’t care about the pork projects stuffed into the current stimulus package…  The last poll I saw from Rasmussen showed suppport for the package on February 4th at a paltry 37%.   The more the American people find out the details of what is in this package the less support it will get from the public.  

Here is Senator Schumer declaring his own constituents the “chattering class”…

Can GOP Reform Pork Stimulus Bill?
...one party or the other will have the upper hand. The Democratic party majority in Congress and a Democrat in the White House do not make it a foregone conclusion.

The United States Senate is scheduled to deal with HR1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, at 2 pm Monday February 2, 2009. By a count from the senate website there are 56 Democrats, 1 independent, 1 independent Democrat and 41 Republicans currently seated. For matters only requiring a simple majority vote to pass party line votes give victories to the Democratic majority. For voting requiring 3/5 or 2/3 majorities a party line vote alone won’t get it done.

Without covering all the possibilities and/or procedures like filibusters and cloture it is fair to say some of that will have to come into play to stop the passage of HR1. The view from this blog finds stated opposition of the bill by the GOP as the only event in which Republicans have tried to stand their ground since the November 2008 elections or longer. Rubber stamping confirmations of White House nominations is the other notable activity of the GOP so far this year.

Based on the report below and Senator Kyl’s record during the shamnesty votes of 2007 little confidence is found in his statements or assessment. For the same reasons Senator DeMint instills more confidence than the former. These are truly defining moments for the GOP and perhaps the DNC as well. By the end of the first 100 days of the Obama Administration, a typical early measure of US Presidents, one party or the other will have the upper hand. The Democratic party majority in Congress and a Democrat in the White House do not make it a foregone conclusion.

One note on the comment of Barney Frank in the story below indicating he never saw ‘ a tax cut fix a bridge.’ As little attention as liberals ever direct to tax cuts it would be easy to say that is the reason for his statement. But it shows his failure or refusal to understand the numbers. Governments do not create wealth. Free people and free markets do. Allowing the private sector to use more of the wealth created to expand economies and jobs through tax cuts also increases revenue to the government. That Mr Frank is how a tax cut fixes a bridge without extra burden on taxpayers. He also failed to tell you that massive spending by the government during these economic hard times will require tax increases afterwards.

It is better to equip the private sector to drive the economy rather than fund short sighted jobs bills with taxpayer money for the reasons stated. But we will see who wins the arguments and how many others the GOP is able to convince to vote against HR1 in its current form.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

US Republican Senators Threaten to Block Economic Bill
By VOA News 01 February 2009

Opposition Republican Party senators are warning they likely will vote against U.S. President Barack Obama’s economic stimulus plan unless it is revised to create more jobs.

The party’s second-ranking Senate member, Jon Kyl of Arizona, told U.S. television Fox News Sunday the legislation needs to be reconstructed. Kyl and other Republicans say the estimated $820-billion bill wastes money on programs that will not stimulate the economy. They are calling for more tax cuts and infrastructure building.

Another influential Republican senator, Jim DeMint of South Carolina, called the legislation a “spending plan,” not a “stimulus plan.” He said on ABC’s This Week it is “temporary” and “wasteful.”

The other chamber of Congress, the House of Representatives, already has approved the plan. The Senate is to begin debating the legislation this week.

President Obama says the stimulus plan is necessary to save or create three million jobs.

Democratic Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois expressed support for Mr. Obama’s plan in a television interview on Fox News. He said lawmakers need to pull together and avoid delaying the rescue plan further, because the United States is facing one of the most serious economic crises in its history.

Representative Barney Frank, Democrat of Massachusetts, also defended the bill he voted for last week. Frank said the package includes necessary spending on infrastructure, like bridges. He said sarcastically that he never saw a “tax cut fix a bridge.”

The U.S. economy - the world’s biggest - is in a recession. The country lost 2.6 million jobs last year and already has seen tens of thousands more layoffs this year.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.

‘Away From the Politics of Fear’ and into leftist fantasy
Spiegel Online - Janet Napolitano, 51, is President Obama’s new Homeland Security Secretary. She spoke with SPIEGEL about immigration, the continued threat of terrorism and the changing tone in Washington. SPIEGEL: Madame Secretary, in your first testimony to the US Congress as Homeland Security Secretary you never mentioned the word “terrorism.” Does Islamist terrorism suddenly no [...]

Spiegel Online - Janet Napolitano, 51, is President Obama’s new Homeland Security Secretary. She spoke with SPIEGEL about immigration, the continued threat of terrorism and the changing tone in Washington.

SPIEGEL: Madame Secretary, in your first testimony to the US Congress as Homeland Security Secretary you never mentioned the word “terrorism.” Does Islamist terrorism suddenly no longer pose a threat to your country?

Napolitano: Of course it does. I presume there is always a threat from terrorism. In my speech, although I did not use the word “terrorism,” I referred to “man-caused” disasters. That is perhaps only a nuance, but it demonstrates that we want to move away from the politics of fear toward a policy of being prepared for all risks that can occur. Hat tip Andrew Bolt.

Note how she was asked about “Islamist terrorism” but she trimmed it down to just “terrorism”, the leftist can’t even bring herself to mention the two words together. Fortunately she didn’t lecture us on how Islam is a religion of peace and how Islamist savages across this planet just misinterpreted their glorious religion.

So there ya go folks, a couple of Muslim scumbags flying planes into buildings murdering thousands is a ‘disaster’! You know, like some drunken fool opened the dam gates and caused a flood or something. Like someone dropped their cigarette in bed and burnt their block of flats down, oh what a disaster! It can’t be helped people, just happens you know. I’m no gifted orator or community organizer and I don’t have a tele-prompter but I can tell you this much, I wouldn’t let this nuanced buffoon anywhere near the Homeland Security building, let alone work in the bloody thing.

If this is the calibre of people who are in charge of preventing the next 9/11, I’d avoid crowded places where possible if I were an American, because this is a joke people, a stupid, unfunny, dangerous joke. Read the rest of the article at Spiegel Online if you have some time to waste and want to hear this fool say a lot of things, but actually say nothing at all.

Can You Be Any More Unpatriotic Than AIG?
The impact of the bonuses - that total well over $150 million - for AIG executives goes way beyond the basic issues of greed and abuse of the people's money. Those executives who took this money made a decision that...

The impact of the bonuses - that total well over $150 million - for AIG executives goes way beyond the basic issues of greed and abuse of the people's money. Those executives who took this money made a decision that their avarice and their personal flamboyant needs are greater than their nation's battle to return to economic health. They have turned their backs on the people of this country who, through numerous sacrifices asked of them by their government, have made those bonuses possible.

When your country is struggling to return to its greatness, you can't be any more unpatriotic than to allow your personal agenda and greed to undercut the programs that will restore it to health. They did not just steal money from the taxpayer. These robber barons stole trust that is urgently needed to recover economically. The executives' actions have made our president's road all the more difficult. And they have left a people appalled at the audacity of their corporate leaders who would literally spit in their faces as they struggle to survive.

There is no way to dress up this heinous action. They have chosen greed over their country. They have chosen to steal from those who are seeking jobs. They have chosen to make this nation's road to recovery harder. And they will always have to live with it because this nation and its people will never forget their deeds.

J is for Jewells
In Eliza's world too much is never enough!

In Eliza's world too much is never enough!

1st Posting
I have a blog, interestingly enough. What an original first post sentiment, no?

Roadtrippi
The first half of The Revolution Will Not Be Televised creates a complex but familiar portrait. He plays at being jaded, he hates the way politics works, he will not be dragged on another damn fool crusade of a presidential campaign. But some part of him cannot put it down. It’s not that there’s a [...]

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Author: onemanband1252 Posted: 2009-03-17 Description of Blog :
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Twenty Five Radio Stations Add 'Triptych. Shulgin's Songbook' In February
Author: musicdish Posted: 2009-03-10 Description of Blog :

As a result of AirPlay Direct's selection of Russian Composer Alexander Shulgin as their Marquee Artist for the month of February, twenty five radio programmers and DJs downloaded tracks from the 3-album compilation "Triptych. Shulgin's Songbook" for airplay in over eight states and eight nations in three different continents. The jazz compilation, being released by Familia Entertainment, was initially made available to broadcasters/webcasters through AirPlay Direct in anticipation of its distribution to major online retailers through The Orchard in March.

INTERNATIONAL RADIO STATIONS

Austria
* Rainbow-Stream
* KKG ECMA-Radio
Australia
* Highland FM (107.1 FM)
* Nambucca Valley Radio (105.9 FM)
Canada
* CFLX Radio Communautaire de L'Estri (95.5 FM)
China
* Apple-FM
Norway
* Radio Sentrum Trondheim (FM100 FM)
Germany
* Wernis Western Welle
Italy
* Radio Web Italia
UK
* Radio Six International (88.5/9 FM)
* Radio Gets Wild

SELECTED US STATIONS

Broadcast (US)
* WTGE Country Legends (107.3 FM) [Louisiana]
* WSLM (5,000 FM) [Indiana]
* CKWR-FM (98.5 FM) [New York]
* WMTC Mountain Gospel (99.9 FM) [New York]

Internet Radio (US)
* WICR Broadcast Country Radio [New York]
* Le Jazz Affair [Colorado]
* Sound Machine Radio [North Carolina]
* Smooth Groove Phoenix.com [Arizona]
* ARIES' ERA [New Mexico]
* WWRG Radio Galactica [Florida]

Radio programmers and DJs can stream and download broadcast quality tracks from the complete Triptych compilation:
* Triptych. Alexander Shulgin's Songbook Part I
http://www2.airplaydirect.com/music/bands/24334/
* Triptych. Alexander Shulgin's Songbook Part II
http://www2.airplaydirect.com/music/bands/24876/
* Triptych. Alexander Shulgin's Songbook Part III
http://www2.airplaydirect.com/music/bands/24892/

"'Triptych, Shulgin's Songbook, Part 1' is simply a phenomenal album! It's a jazz lover's paradise. This album is a fusion between jazz and easy listening, suitable for every situation - background music, cozying up with your lover, or just chilling out and relaxing." Michele Morris, MusicDish magazine

Produced by the successful DWB stable of writers and producers, the "Tryptych" compilation features Shulgin's music, melodies and instrumentals that have yet been played before. With inventive use of the Spanish nylon strung acoustic guitar as a main lead instrument, it conjures up sunsets in Spain and peaceful sunshine bathed fields swaying in the breeze. There is a blend of modern Chillout styles and some more Urban sounding Jazz tinged opuses on this album - music to have a warm bath in. The compilation brings together an impressive array of talent, raging from producers Paul Drew and Richard Niles to nitable jazz names as Gary Husband, Martin Taylor, John Patitucci, Simon Rushby, Bob Mintzer and Jon Howell to name a few.

Alexander Shulgin is a leading executive in the new Russian music industry, having worked with such iconic artists as Valeria, Mumiy Troll, Dima Malikov, Gruppa.fm and many others. Mr. Shulgin owns and operates Familia Entertainment, a record label, and Familia Publishing, a publishing company. His catalogue includes not only top-10 songs but also a diverse array of rare releases, including hundreds of the best-known Russian gypsy songs, Songs of Siberian Exile and Best Songs of WWI, all of which are part of a Russia's unique musical heritage.

His latest project is a three-album compilation titled "Tryptych" that contains new music. melodies and instrumentals from the composer's works that had yet to have been performed. The albums were recorded by an impressive line-up of artists including legendary drummer Billy Cobham, pianist Gary Husband, bassist John Patitucci and guitarist Paul Drew to name a few, uniting their various styles on the three albums in a harmony.
http://www.myspace.com/shulginalexander
http://alexandershulgin.musicdish.net

AirPlay Direct is an easy to use digital file transfer system that was developed to streamline radio / artist promotion activities for today's music industry. AirPlay Direct's FREE services replace the unnecessary time and expense of putting together and sending out costly traditional artist packages and press kits via snail mail. Utilizing the AirPlay Direct system also allows an artist to positively impact the environment by eliminating needless packaging.
http://www.AirPlayDirect.com


Trippi Part Deux
In my previous post I spoke about what I saw as a logical problem with asserting that merely because more people are involved in a political campaign then the politician is necessarily more involved with the people. Granted, this was based on half of Trippi’s book and, it turns out, less than half of his [...]

Q is for Quilts
Here are some of my favourites from the Festival of Quilts last week: Detail of Quiltstadt by Kristin La Flamme Clothes Factory by Padmaja Krishnan Neon Petunias by Anne Smith (I'm pretty sure this was in the 'young quilter' section...

Here are some of my favourites from the Festival of Quilts last week:

Detail of Quiltstadt by Kristin La Flamme

Clothes Factory by Padmaja Krishnan

Neon Petunias by Anne Smith

(I'm pretty sure this was in the 'young quilter' section but I'm afraid I don't know the artist's name)

Bottom of the Ottoman by Maria Manuel

Cabin Logs by Bailey Curtis

Detail of Chitralikha by Padmaja Krishnan

 

Squaring the circle by Helen Hood

I've labelled them with their titles and the names of the artists where I can. (If anyone can help me with filling in the blanks, I'd be very grateful).

It was wonderful to see so many beautiful, creative, inspiring quilts. There were exhibitions of quilts by The Quilter's Guild, The Bosnian Women's Co-operative, African American Quilts, amongst others, but photography wasn't allowed so I can't share them with you. I also attended a couple of lectures, one by the editor of SAQA, which was disappointingly vague and un-inspiring. And one by Kaffe which was absolutely not!

I found the stalls slightly disappointing too. I expected to find the kind of fabrics I lust over on American sites but I didn't find too much of anything that I can't buy on my local high street. I did manage to spend some money on the following stands though :

Karry Dot Com (gorgeous turquoise and brown bag handles)

The Cross Stitch Guild (pure linen)

The Button Company (fabulous selection of buttons in bright, fun, colours)

Oliver Twists (beautiful hand-dyed threads)

and Creative Quilting (the only stand I could find duck egg / turquoise gingham on).

It's a great festival to go to though (definitely preferable to Eastern Haze), I'm definitely up for going again next year. And there's the Knitting and Stitch show in October too...

W is for Wallpaper Weaving
Annie went back to school today. I'm obviously not as dedicated as some parents out there because for me it wasn't the bittersweet experience I've read other blogging Mums write about. I was overjoyed and skipped home! I relished the...

 

Annie went back to school today. I'm obviously not as dedicated as some parents out there because for me it wasn't the bittersweet experience I've read other blogging Mums write about. I was overjoyed and skipped home!

I relished the peace and quiet and spent the day crafting. I finished a book cover to go with the bag and goodies for my back to school swap partner (which I'm itching to show you but I'll wait 'til next week so I don't spoil the surprise;)
And I had a go at this project which I dreamed up as part of the crafty alphabet:

A month or so ago I collected an obscene amount of wallpaper samples from a DIY superstore. I took so many I worried I was going to get stopped by security for taking more than was reasonable but nobody seemed to notice or care. It was good fun (the weaving- not the 'almost' shop-lifting!) and surprisingly comes closer to the effect I was trying to achieve with my Sean Scully patchwork.

When Eliza saw what I'd made she wanted to have a go too. And at the end of the day I picked Annie up feeling much more human. She joined in with the  weaving frenzy too!

Here's some awe inspiring paper weaving from flickr:

1. Paper weaves, 2. Woven Paper, 3. BLUENEWS, 4. REDCOUPY, 5. Woven paper hearts, 6. rhombus and hex weave, 7. Woven Paper, 8. What to do with old magazines, 9. Paper weaves, 10. another hex weave - another view, 11. Kahnstruction ll, 12. paper project 9 of 16, 13. Paper weaves, 14. woven paper collage, 15. woven law books, 16. It's a colorful world

March Madness on Capitol Hill
Now that everyone knows about AIG's bonuses, Congress decides to get angry about them.

Photos Of The Month (June 2008)


The K Chronicles
My brilliant career choice.

Survey Rewards From Zoom Panel


NCAA Tournament, Day 1 -- live!
If you want to understand America, you don't have to watch all this basketball. But it helps.

Tom the Dancing Bug
Come on down to Medicated Morty's. You'd be "sane" to shop at my store!

The RV's last roundup
Big-name brands are dying and even Winnebago is under the weather. Can the recreational vehicle survive the recession?

Barack Obama Won the Democratic Presidential Nomination

Tossed Salad Cake
CG made this for our RIP Slava celebration. The butthole is no longer there because we ate it. It was yummy.

CG made this for our RIP Slava celebration. The butthole is no longer there because we ate it.

It was yummy.

The customer's always right?
They know their customers Originally uploaded by rsambrook Seen in Parliamentary bookshop window opposite House of COmmons: "How to win every argument" "The art of always being right" "... be right all the time" I find this rather depressing....

Seen in Parliamentary bookshop window opposite House of COmmons:
"How to win every argument"
"The art of always being right"
"... be right all the time"

I find this rather depressing....

quantity v quality in the digital age
Robert Thomson, managing editor of The Wall Street Journal, recently attacked Google but made a really important point in doing so: “Google devalues everything it touches,” Thomson said. “Google is great for Google, but it’s terrible for content providers, because...

Robert Thomson, managing editor of The Wall Street Journal, recently attacked Google but made a really important point in doing so: “Google devalues everything it touches,” Thomson said. “Google is great for Google, but it’s terrible for content providers, because it divides that content quantitatively rather than qualitatively. And if you are going to get people to pay for content, you have to encourage them to make qualitative decisions about that content."

Recognition of quality of content rather than just availability or quantity of content is a key issue for sure.

BBC Persian TV
The BBC launches its latest TV channel today - BBC Persian. It will be a daily eight hour service, for audiences in Iran, Afghanistan, and the wider region, broadcasting at peak times for the market. It will run from 17:00...

The BBC launches its latest TV channel today - BBC Persian. It will be a daily eight hour service, for audiences in Iran, Afghanistan, and the wider region, broadcasting at peak times for the market. It will run from 17:00 to 01:00 local time in Iran (that’s 13:30 to 21:30 GMT).

The backbone of the schedule will be news, together with a rich mix of current affairs, features and documentaries, culture, science, business and arts programmes - all broadcast in Farsi from a new newsroom in central London. Iran is obviously geopolitically important with significant influence across the Middle East. The BBC has been providing news and information on radio in Persian for six decades. But these days, TV is the preferred news medium for Iranian audiences.

The BBC is well respected by opinion formers within Iran and brand awareness is high – despite Government media restrictions. Media freedom is severely limited - so we hope BBC Persian TV will build a following by providing free and independent news and information - the traditional role of the BBC World Service over the last 75 years - and provide a window for Iranian viewers to the rest of the world in an open and unbiased way.

The Iranian authorities have been a little apprehensive about the launch, describing it as "an illegal channel", refusing us permission to work within Iran and suggesting anyone found working for it will be arrested as a spy. However, we hope once they have seen the service they may recognise the independence and quality of the channel - and hopefully take part in its programmes.

Persian TV is aimed at audiences in Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan – totalling around 100m Persian speakers. The potential audience in Iran is young, highly educated and outward-looking. The projected audience figures for Persian TV are 10m within 3 years – with a total tri-media reach (radio, TV and online) of close to 20m by 2012. The channel will cost £15m a year - funded by the Foreign Office via Grant in Aid.

The launch is much anticipated within the region and is already being discussed on blogs within Iran and beyond. It will be available globally, streamed on the BBC Persian website. Here's a taste of it from YouTube:

Persian TV reaction
Great response to the Persian TV launch from Tim Garton Ash in the Guardian and in yesterday's Times editorial. The reaction in Tehran has been a little more equivocal, calling it a threat to national security.

Great response to the Persian TV launch from Tim Garton Ash in the Guardian and in yesterday's Times editorial.

The reaction in Tehran has been a little more equivocal, calling it a threat to national security.

 

The Sixth Sense


The Today Programme?
No Comment...

Murdered Journalist's "J'Accuse"
Last week the Editor of Sri Lanka's Sunday Leader newspaper, Lasantha Wickrematunge, was targetted and murdered because of his outspoken and independent journalism. He was one of five journalists killed in the first eight days of 2009, the worst start...

Iran prepares for BBC TV
The Iranian authorities seem a little apprehensive about the launch of BBC Persian TV. This report from BBC Monitoring. "The authorities have made it clear that the service has no official permission to operate in Iran and have warned against...

The Iranian authorities seem a little apprehensive about the launch of BBC Persian TV. This report from BBC Monitoring.

"The authorities have made it clear that the service has no official permission to operate in Iran and have warned against cooperation with it. There have been reports of arrests and of Iranian readiness to confront a "soft" information war. The media have also made frequent references to Britain's colonial past and British government funding of the World Service. At the same time, while official and conservative media have made attempts to cast doubt on the BBC's journalistic credibility, some media sources have given a qualified welcome to the new service."

News Values
Two publications land on my desk on the same day. The first is from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. What's Happening to Our News is written by Andrew Currah - a specialist on the digital economy and...Two publications land on my desk on the same day. The first is from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. What's Happening to Our News is written by Andrew Currah - a specialist on the digital economy and future of the internet at Oxford. He sounds a warning about digital news being led simply by "the clickstream" and providing for popular taste and the lowest common denominator. Its a well researched and argued piece - worth reading. Most interesting to me was his analysis of the reduction in international bureaux and resources by news organisations and a look at how the internet and digital technology might - and might not - be able to compensate for this.

Despite its capacity to enhance newsgathering, however, the deployment of digital technology also has serious drawbacks. The new agility of flexible newsgathering is also matched by a new fragility, which threatens the breadth, depth and accuracy of news coverage.

On the same day arrives "To Tell You The Truth" - a book marking the launch of The Ethical Journalism Initiative by the International Federation of Journalists. For anyone concerned about serious, value driven journalism around the world this looks like an important and worthwhile project, seeking to establish strong editorial values and ethical for news organisations around the world.

No Complaints on dPolice So Far
So far so good. We've flagged about 50 people for putting up obviously junk content. And nobody's complained. Which means that we're calling their bluff and they're not contesting it. If we had flagged people and they had complained then our criteria for flagging could have been wrong. We're terrified of shutting down legitimate content or censoring anybody... that's not how we roll. But we will continue, as we have in the past, to increase the quality of the content in the system. Early indications are that the flagging system is getting people to stop junk postings. It's not that it was a huge problem. But the junk postings are what potential customers focus on... as they should... we're asking them to pay for people to engage their brand with their friends. If people aren't doing that then the model breaks down for everybody.

dNeero Welcomes Client VisualTalking
Welcome to dNeero client VisualTalking who has run a series of conversations to talk about its new service with users. We'll be reporting on the outcomes from the campaign shortly but suffice it to say that it was a fruitful learning experience.

EULA Updated
You've probably already noticed that we've updated the EULA and Terms of Service. We've learned a lot running conversation campaigns over the last year. Some areas we thought would be issues aren't. And many areas we didn't think of are. If you're a dNeero participant who abides by the general usage plan of the system you probably won't experience much or any difference in the way you use dNeero. If you're gaming the system, crashing conversations and generally being a non-contributing member of the social media world you'll notice that we're putting you on notice. It's in everybody's best interests that the quality of blog posts increases. This helps us attract paying customers. Because they pay for the whole party. And they want high quality conversations. We launched dPolice a while back to clean things up. This EULA change gives dPolice some more teeth to go after those who abuse good users of dNeero. Those abusing the system are a small subset of the total user base. But they eat a lot of resources and diminish what everybody else does.

Red/Green Issues?
Reports of red/green impression box issues. We've released some new code with debugging statements in it to more fully understand if there's an issue. The problem we're having is that we've gone out and joined a number of conversations in Facebook and on the web and impressions are registering properly in all of them. Not saying there aren't issues... but it's something we haven't seen yet. Thanks for the heads up from the people who've reported it.

The Ills of Blog Commenting Baits
Many online users are getting into the blogging craze these days. Many people feel that they can earn more money by blogging and monetizing their blogs. And some people have already gone away with their corporate business or employment activities just to focus on work-from-home jobs, preferably blogging about something they love doing. SEOContest2008 is not [...]

Many online users are getting into the blogging craze these days. Many people feel that they can earn more money by blogging and monetizing their blogs. And some people have already gone away with their corporate business or employment activities just to focus on work-from-home jobs, preferably blogging about something they love doing.

SEOContest2008 is not spared by the craze. In order to ensure winning, one should understand how blogging can increase the chance of bagging the most coveted top spot in SEOContest2008. It was done in the past; the right strategy today can give a contender formidable chance at victory – again.

It’s true that blogging is getting wider acceptance in the industry today. More and more people are feeling the need to blog, because aside from getting quick cash from it, they have a shot at promoting their names, products or services online. Even for press or news reporters, blogging or video blogging plays a vital role in getting their message across a wider audience. Blogging has certainly become a way of life for most people; to win in SEOContest2008 – blog!

How does blogging make winning in SEOContest2008 an easier feat? Or, better yet, how does blog commenting fit into the picture?

It is a fact that many people keep several blogs for their different activities. People often love seeing online visitors check out their blog post and make comments or suggestions about it. Especially for technical topics, users often tend to leave supporting ideas on blog comment areas. Blogs such as Wordpress and Livejournal support blog comments on their platform.

Blog comments can also be a medium for user interaction. Very similar to forums, users can interact about the topic at hand, make suggestions, debate or even share additional information by exchanging resources. And each time one leaves a comment, that’s a back link probability; to win in SEOContest2008, blog commenting is an excellent way to go.

As stated, one of the more important aspects of blog commenting is the “link”. Links placed strategically on various blog comment areas, which can be viewed and clicked by different visitors can have a very positive turnout to a site’s SEO score. If a person wants to promote his or her website he or she can utilize blog platforms or free blog services to get the message across, and get some inbound links.

If a person uses the comment feature on different blogs to post a link, chances are that the website will get some share of the traffic from the host site, and receive an SEO score from the presence of the inbound link. Conversely, the higher the SEO score, the higher the chance to score high in SEOContest2008, too!

However, putting up links on different blogs is not without challenge. Blog owners or moderators often erase unnecessary or spammy-looking links. So the chances of your link getting on the blog is not always 100 percent. A good way however to land links on a particular blog is utilize baiting strategies.

One good way is to visit each of the host’s blogs where you want to post. Don’t use automation software/applications because that will only be a waste of your time. Automation software use spammy promotional ads or sentences which can be easily picked up by the blog security.

It is better to individually check the blogs where you are going to post, and then make a catchy statement or two, then embed your links so that it will stand out, but not ruin the topic. It is even better if your comments are highly related or topical. Plus, topical links are given more weight by the search engines, than those coming from bad link neighbors.

Winning in SEOContest2008 is indeed challenging; with blog commenting as a strategy, winning becomes easy. Try it!

Article: Money & Credibility
The latest article was posted a couple days ago and deals with the issues of money and credibility within blog-for-pay models.

Seocontest2008 V 2.0 - kabonfootprint is uncertain now!
The question is what will be the fate of Kabonfootprint? Seocontest2008 V 2.0 is uncertain since the organiser have sold UKWebmasterworld Forums. If you remember this forum was hosting this ongoing contest and contestants has to provide a link to forums so that they can track the winner. Now Temi the owner of UKWW has a plan [...]

The question is what will be the fate of Kabonfootprint?

Seocontest2008 V 2.0 is uncertain since the organiser have sold UKWebmasterworld Forums. If you remember this forum was hosting this ongoing contest and contestants has to provide a link to forums so that they can track the winner.

Now Temi the owner of UKWW has a plan to move the contest to his blog, and the question is how they will decide the winners. Do contestants has to change the link to blog to appear in leader board or they will decide on Google.co.uk. Click here to see the post, where Temi announced sale of forums. Below is the screen shot of post.

No Subject
Apologies for no recent ramblings. As it goes, Laidbackness currently lacks inspiration but hopes she’ll be back as soon as she finishes chasing the rabbit through the burrow. Oh and she’s yet to get over Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa.

It’s like retro but the problem is… it shouldn’t be
Containing much ranting, moaning and complaining Loaded with expectation-plus, I went to see DJ Suketu play at one of the ‘best’ clubs of NCR last Saturday*. My friend Ashish, who was here in Delhi on a flying visit from Mumbai, [...]

Iain Petrie - I’ll Stay By You
Thanks to Mikey Serpico, we have a great review of Iain Petrie’s album I’ll Stay by You. Petrie’s music is as laid back as it can get. It’s a perfect listen after a hard day at work, when all you want to do is relax while having a quiet drink. AS I LISTENED to Iain [...]

Radiohead - In Rainbows
Radiohead’s decision to axe the middleman (the-soon-to-be-helpless record companies) has resulted in a truck-load of money for them. The marketing decision that was being expected to be the biggest debacle of the year has proved to be otherwise and that too in the extreme. By selling their music online at whatever price their fans think [...]

REEVE CARNEY live at The Roxy 2/6/08
When it’s all sci-fi, red pill, blue pill, things fail to amuse as frequently as they used to back in the days, unless we’re talking Nicolas Sarkozy and the “man-eater” OR music. A case in point: the prolific and may I say extremely handsome Reeve Carney. The first time I heard Carney, the [...]

Populating forms with YQL, jQuery and Microformats | Shape Shed
super-clever

Why Did Stewie Griffin Want Out?
I am kind of back but not with stuff about indie or alternative music. Last weekend I took some funny pics of Stewie with my watch strapped around his neck. So I thought I’d post them on here. Sorry for being ’slightly’ off-topic ————————————————————————————————————– VVVVVVVVVVVVVV THE STORY BEGINS VVVVVVVVVVVVVV Stewie Griffin — dressed in nothing but [...]

iPhone 3.0 OS Guide: Everything You Need to Know

Get The Wordpress Project for FREE
What you are about to read is from a blog post over at The Wordpress Project. I have a strong vested interested in this, so please take the time to read this and act upon it. (...)

Are all customers scumbags?
Heck no! BUT, the small minority of chronic refunders, complainers, and time hogs can easily make you think so. So the point of this post is: 1. (...)

Free theme for Social Web CMS - PliggieSWCMS
A couple of weeks ago we released a theme called Pliggie for the Pligg v9.9.5, since then we have had requests for it to be converted to Social Web CMS.  We have finally finished doing so. One of the issues we had was the default category manager in SWCMS, it was preventing our categories from displaying [...] Related posts:

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A couple of weeks ago we released a theme called Pliggie for the Pligg v9.9.5, since then we have had requests for it to be converted to Social Web CMS.  We have finally finished doing so.

One of the issues we had was the default category manager in SWCMS, it was preventing our categories from displaying properly which is one of the biggest  features of this theme.  We ended up using a module from SWCMS that is an advanced category manager released by Nick Ramsay.  We have included the module in the download.

Also included is another module by our friend Nick Ramsay that took our original suckerfish category bar and made it easier to implement via the module manager.

I recommend using the two modules included in the download, it will make your life easier, trust me.

Main page:

For more screenshots visit this post.

A big thank you to Nick for his contributions.  Enjoy!

See it in action…

Note: There is a file embedded within this post, please visit this post to download the file.

Want to make money just by leaving your PC on?  Check out Gomez

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Poll - Will you be using Groups?
As part of the new version of Pligg, there is a new feature that enables you to have groups on your Pligg install. Mixx has done a fantastic job of implementing groups into their site, but not all social networking sites use them. Will you be enabling the group feature? You can leave us a comment below to [...] Related posts:

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As part of the new version of Pligg, there is a new feature that enables you to have groups on your Pligg install.

Mixx has done a fantastic job of implementing groups into their site, but not all social networking sites use them.

Will you be enabling the group feature?

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

You can leave us a comment below to explain your choice as well.

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Democrats
I had a killer post about Barack posted the other day and lost it in a database crash. I like this video though… Woody

How to get indexed in minutes
Some know this, most don't. When I create a new site, I always submit it to LinkVana.com immediately. I often show up within minutes of my post going live. (...)

Your 4-step action plan
Thought you might be interested in this… — In case you missed it… Over the past few days I posted 4 videos on Youtube that revealed the 4 drop-dead simple steps to making a killing selling real products to hungry buyers online. (...)

FREE SWCMS template - SWCMS Me v1.0.0
SWCMS is a fork of Pligg, spear headed by a former developer of Pligg, Ash. It’s basically identical to Pligg with some code changes that Pligg for whatever reason was unable to adopt to make their script more secure. SWCMS also has created many new modules and hacks that have yet to make their way [...] Related posts:

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SWCMS is a fork of Pligg, spear headed by a former developer of Pligg, Ash. It’s basically identical to Pligg with some code changes that Pligg for whatever reason was unable to adopt to make their script more secure.

SWCMS also has created many new modules and hacks that have yet to make their way to Pligg.

We are a supporter of SWCMS and therefore have created a theme for it.

Main page not logged in:

Main page logged in:

Story summary:

Vote box:

This theme is compatible with SWCMS v1.1.0, you can download the script from the SWCMS website.

Once uploaded and installed, upload the file downloaded below to your templates folder and enjoy.

Requirements:
Link to Pliggs.com in footer must remain intact and visible. You also must change the adsense code to your own.

You can test drive this template at our new theme database located at Pligg Designs

Note: There is a file embedded within this post, please visit this post to download the file.

The themes background was graciously provided by nookiez.

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Library IT Jobs: Web Librarian at the College of Staten Island
The Department of the Library of the College of Staten Island is recruiting a Web Librarian. Here's an excerpt from the ad: As a member of the Library's Technology Team and Reference Services, responsibilities include developing web-based resources that support and promote academic programs and services (i.e. curricular materials, informational materials, guides, tutorials, workshops), coordinating and promoting [...]

The Department of the Library of the College of Staten Island is recruiting a Web Librarian.

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

As a member of the Library's Technology Team and Reference Services, responsibilities include developing web-based resources that support and promote academic programs and services (i.e. curricular materials, informational materials, guides, tutorials, workshops), coordinating and promoting the use of course management systems (Blackboard); supporting the Library's programs for information technology and research by developing web-based instructional materials; participating in the activities of the Center for Excellence in Learning Technology (CELT) that supports faculty courses and programs. Instructional design abilities preferred. Reports to the Chief Librarian.

Harvard Kennedy School of Government Adopts Open Access Policy
The Harvard Kennedy School of Government has adopted an open access policy. Previously, the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences and the Harvard Law School have adopted open access policies. (Thanks to Stevan Harnad.) Here's an excerpt: The Faculty of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government is committed to disseminating the fruits of its research and scholarship [...]

The Harvard Kennedy School of Government has adopted an open access policy. Previously, the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences and the Harvard Law School have adopted open access policies. (Thanks to Stevan Harnad.)

Here's an excerpt:

The Faculty of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government is committed to disseminating the fruits of its research and scholarship as widely as possible. In keeping with that commitment, the Faculty adopts the following policy: Each Faculty member grants to the President and Fellows of Harvard College permission to make available his or her scholarly articles and to exercise the copyright in those articles. More specifically, each Faculty member grants to the President and Fellows a nonexclusive, irrevocable, worldwide license to exercise any and all rights under copyright relating to each of his or her scholarly articles, in any medium, and to authorize others to do the same, provided that the articles are not sold for a profit. The policy will apply to all scholarly articles authored or co-authored while the person is a member of the Faculty except for any articles completed before the adoption of this policy and any articles for which the Faculty member entered into an incompatible licensing or assignment agreement before the adoption of this policy. The Dean or the Dean's designate will waive application of the license for a particular article upon express direction by a Faculty member.

Each Faculty member will provide an electronic copy of the author's final version of each article at no charge to the appropriate representative of the Provost's Office in an appropriate format (such as PDF) specified by the Provost's Office no later than the date of its publication. The Provost's Office may make the article available to the public in an open-access repository.

Capitalism is Not a System
One of the common misperceptions about capitalism is that it's a system. To wit (via King): "The capitalist economy is on the verge of collapse. Capitalism as a system has failed," Ahmadinejad said in a speech at the opening of...

One of the common misperceptions about capitalism is that it's a system.  To wit (via King):

As an old boss of mine used to quip:  consider the source.  Source considered. 

More to the point, though.  To be a system, something has to be created and controlled from above.  Capitalism, on the other hand, is what emerges when people are given the liberty to contract with whom and how they see fit.  In other words, capitalism is not something that is created nor imposed, as folks like Naomi Kline and her ilk may feel.  Capitalism is that thing we see when we give people economic freedom.  It is, therefore, not a system.

Communism and socialism, on the other hand, are things that must be imposed from above.  They involve commanding and controlling the ownership of resources and output and, therefore, involve imposition by government bureaucrats.  Both involve forcibly taking from some to give to others.  In short, both communism and socialism are systems, systems that have failed miserably to improve human society.

Oh, and to respond to Mr. Ahmadinejad:  I do not think the economy is "on the verge of collapse."  But if it were, it's not because people were given the liberty to contract.  It's because folks in high places thought they could tinker with things in order to make things better.

How to Reduce Charitable Giving
One of the ways to reduce charitable giving is to reduce the benefits. Nonprofit leaders are reeling from the recent news that President Barack Obama's proposed budget would limit tax deductions on charitable contributions from wealthy Americans. But now the...

One of the ways to reduce charitable giving is to reduce the benefits.

I guess it isn't enough for people to be altruistic.  They have to be forced into giving to someone else's idea of a charity.  Story here.

Help May be on the Horizon
You've probably heard this one in one way, shape, or form: What's the difference between Jesus and Obama? Jesus was a carpenter and Obama can't build a cabinet. From an email from John Palmer, who is offering his services to...

You've probably heard this one in one way, shape, or form:  What's the difference between Jesus and Obama?

Jesus was a carpenter and Obama can't build a cabinet.

From an email from John Palmer, who is offering his services to Treasury Secretary John Geithner.

CAUL Australian Institutional Repository Support Service Commences
The CAUL Australian Institutional Repository Support Service has begun operation. Here's an excerpt from the press release: CAUL has appointed the University of Southern Queensland, through the Australian Digital Futures Institute (ADFI) within the Division of Academic Information Services (DAIS) to undertake its new institutional repository support service. The service will commence officially on March 16, 2009. The [...]

The CAUL Australian Institutional Repository Support Service has begun operation.

Here's an excerpt from the press release:

CAUL has appointed the University of Southern Queensland, through the Australian Digital Futures Institute (ADFI) within the Division of Academic Information Services (DAIS) to undertake its new institutional repository support service. The service will commence officially on March 16, 2009.

The service is being funded for two years, with the approval of Department of Innovation (DIISR), with monies remaining from the successful ARROW (Australian Research Repositories Online to the World) project, supplemented by CAUL member subscriptions.

The aim of the service is fully described in the Invitation to Offer released in October, 2008. It will, inter alia:

• provide a forum to represent the collective interests of repository managers around Australia; support emerging areas of activity;
• support and develop toolkits for copyright and institutional repositories;
• provide best practice and policy advice for areas such as data migration, metadata, standards compliance, import and export, harvesting, ingest of new forms of digital material;
• assist with the integration of repositories with the requirements of the ERA and the Higher Education Research Data Collection (HERDC) exercises;
• assist the understanding of managing copyright issues in the repository environment;
• provide a watching brief on trends and developments in repositories.

Project Manager and institutional repository specialist is Katy Watson, currently Research Information Systems Coordinator at the University of the Sunshine Coast, one of the two full-time staff in CAIRSS. She will be supported by a small team from the University of Southern Queensland. The copyright element of the service will be provided by Swinburne University. The key personnel are Tim McCallum, Technical Officer; Luke Padgett, Copyright Officer; Dr Peter Sefton, Senior Advisor and Professor Alan Smith, USQ delegate.

Overrated Mizzou? Hardly!
Seth Davis. The Tigers did a terrific job winning the Big 12 tournament, but keep in mind they didn't have to play either Kansas or Oklahoma en route to the title. Missouri relies heavily on its defensive pressure, but in...

Seth Davis.

Jeff Gordon drinks from the same cup.

And Vahe Gregorian:

Mizzou played neither Kansas nor Oklahoma because neither could beat teams in the tournament that Missouri beat.  In other words, neither Kansas nor Oklahoma was the 2nd (or 3rd) best team in the tournament juding from the results of those things we call games.

Oh, and by the way:  Missouri went 2-1 against OU and KU in the conference season.  And they beat OU when OU was at full strength (unlike KU who beat a Blake-less OU).

Mizzou also went 4-0 (combined tournament and conference season) against the teams that beat Kansas (Baylor) and Oklahoma (OSU) in the tourney.  And for not being able to win on the road, 3 of those 4 games were away from Mizzou arena and 2 were arguably "on the road" (once at Stillwater and once against OSU in OKC, a game which was anything but at a neutral site).

Mizzou also went 7-1 combined in the conference season and the tournament against South Division teams.  Oh, and the Big XII North got 3 of the top 4 seeds in the Big XII tournament. 

But let's not let the facts get in the way.

Getting to Know the Big Red of Cornell
Mizzou plays Cornell in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Here's a link to all you need to know about the Big Red. A snippet: Cornell is located in Ithaca, New York, a city best known for its vegetarian...

Mizzou plays Cornell in the first round of the NCAA tournament.  Here's a link to all you need to know about the Big Red.  A snippet:

Via Tigerboard

On the Dismal Science
Via Doc.

Via Doc.

They Said Video Games Weren't Good For You, And They Were Wrong
Here are 6 ways to improve your brain's function. The most interesting, at least to me: Video games could save your life. Surgeons who spend at least a few hours a week playing video games make one-third fewer errors in...

Here are 6 ways to improve your brain's function.  The most interesting, at least to me:

So I don't need to feel guilty for parking the kids in front of the PS3 or from spending a few minutes playing Guitar Hero. 

Via the Craig Newmark.

Web Analytics To Measure Your Success!
If you operate a commercial website, knowing where your visitors are coming from and how they are using your website is more than just nice-to-have information. It is essential and can make the difference between making it and losing it in today’s Internet business world. Your webserver log has tons of useful information, but that logfile [...]

If you operate a commercial website, knowing where your visitors are coming from and how they are using your website is more than just nice-to-have information. It is essential and can make the difference between making it and losing it in today’s Internet business world.

Your webserver log has tons of useful information, but that logfile in its raw format is impractical for frequent analysis and statistics. Good web analytics solutions provide you with the tools to generate useful and understandable reports from the huge amount of raw data collected by your webserver.

Learn who your visitors are, where they are coming from, how they use your site, and where they go when they leave. Find problem areas in the conversion funnel, and check whether changes you implement have the desired effects. To determine hotspots and weak areas of your site, and to check whether your search, marketing and landing pages convert or require improvement, you need a good web analytics solution.

Web Analytics Solutions

A good web analytics program or solution literally shows marketers why visitors do what they do. It’s perfect for those interested in PPC marketing, SEO, web design, and usability. It is also extremely helpful for those with eCommerce storefronts, including direct support for Yahoo! Stores and Miva Merchant. A good solution provides visual interface and insightful reports.

Website analytics solution are available as either a hosted solution or logfile processing software. There is a right solution for everyone - choose the one that best fits your needs and business size .

Note there are some solutions available for no cost. However, “free” does not always mean free. With most paid solutions, your highly sensitive and valuable data is accessible only to you. How much is your data worth to you? You have the choice and I have already made mine.

With a paid solution, you also get something that you won’t get from any free service - online seminars (often at no additional charge) to learn how to make the most of the web analytics solution from the comfort of your own desk. This is especially valuable for people who have little experience with web analytics software, but even veterans will likely learn a trick or two.

Conclusion

There are a large number of web analytics solutions available, for little to no cost, expensive enterprise solutions and everything in between. There is no “perfect” web analytics solution for everybody, but chances are very good that there is one that is right and perfect for your needs and your budget.

————————

Carsten Cumbrowski is an internet marketer and entrepreneur who owns and operates the internet marketing resources portal at Cumbrowski.com. Find the web analytics solution that is right for you, further resources to web analytics in general, including best practice guides, books to web metrics, blogs and more at Cumbrowski.com.
http://www.cumbrowski.com/CarstenC/internetmarketing_webanalytics.asp

Free Icon Pack: Bevel Dark Social Icons
This Free Icon Pack is for use in your personal and commercial projects, and can be used without attribution. It may not be redistributed. Bevel Dark is a Social Bookmark Icon Pack created exclusively for the viewers of Tutorial9. A few weeks ago we released our Free Social Icon Pack, "Bevel Lite", which this set [...]

This Free Icon Pack is for use in your personal and commercial projects, and can be used without attribution. It may not be redistributed.

Bevel Dark is a Social Bookmark Icon Pack created exclusively for the viewers of Tutorial9. A few weeks ago we released our Free Social Icon Pack, "Bevel Lite", which this set compliments nicely for darker themed websites and projects.

The set includes 10 icons featuring the logos of popular social bookmarking sites. Bevel Dark includes 512×512, 256×256, 128×128, and 64×64 icons in .png format.

Source: www.tutorial9.net

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Intro to Feed Placements
In times like these, we know that generating as much revenue as possible is on many publishers’ minds. This will be the first of many posts that will hope to explain how to better configure AdSense for feeds to help maximize revenue. Before going into specifics though, it’s important to understand a couple important differences in [...]

Posted by Steve Olechowski - Product Manager, AdSense for feeds

Source: adsenseforfeeds.blogspot.com

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Create a Vector-Based Zune with Photoshop
Quick Nav: Design a Zune in Adobe Photoshop Download the PSD What We’re Making Step 1: Creating the Background Since our Zune is going to be a nice sleek back, let’s setup a light blue background that will compliment the black. Create a new document that is 400×600px. Set your foreground color to a nice light blue (#b5efff) and your background [...]

What We’re Making

Step 1: Creating the Background

Since our Zune is going to be a nice sleek back, let’s setup a light blue background that will compliment the black.
Create a new document that is 400�600px. Set your foreground color to a nice light blue (#b5efff) and your background color to a darker blue (#00bef3). Grab your Gradient Tool and drag a radial gradient starting at the top right corner and ending at the bottom left corner of the document.

Make a selection about 125px high starting at the bottom of your document using the Rectangle Marquee Tool. Set your foreground color to white and create a Foreground to Transparent gradient starting at the top of the selection running to the bottom. Then set the layer blending mode to Soft Light.

Step 2: Creating the Body of the Zune

Set your foreground color to black. Grab your Rounded Rectangle Tool which is located underneath the rectangle tool. When a shape is made with the rounded rectangle tool, it is made with a path. The path around the object is what makes the shape a vector. Set the Radius of your tool to 7px and then draw a rectangle that nearly covers your canvas. Then apply the following Gradient Overlay.

Duplicate your rounded rectangle by right clicking on it and selecting Duplicate Layer. Change the color of the rectangle to #1e1e1e by double clicking the color thumbnail in the layer. Enter free transform by going to Edit > Free Transform. Then drag the top, left, and right sides about 10px into the body (each done separately). Now drag the bottom side a good 120px up from the bottom and complete your transform.

Then apply the following layer styles:

Outer Glow

Inner Glow

Stroke

Duplicate your newest rectangle. Go to free transform, and while holding alt+shift, drag the one of the corners inward. Drag it so it is about 10-15px smaller than the previous rectangle. Holding alt makes the transform go to the center of the object and holding shift makes the object maintain its proportions. Change the color to #0f0f0f. Then apply the following Inner Shadow.

Step 3: Adding Highlights to the Body

Since we want our Zune to have a shiny more reflective appearance, like a real one, we are going to add a nice highlight layer. Duplicate your bottom most rectangle, this should be your largest one. Drag it above all of your layers and set the Fill of the layer to 0%.

Step 4: Creating the Pad

Alright, we now have the main body of our Zune complete! The only problem now is that it doesn’t have any buttons on it. We need to add the touch sensitive pad and the buttons that fall on each side.

Set your foreground to black and grab the Rounded Rectangle Tool with a radius of 30-40px. While holding shift, drag a rounded rectangle onto the Zune until it appears to be the correct size. Place it in the horizontal center at the bottom of the pad, but make sure it is closer to the screen than it is to the bottom of the Zune, since it is like that on the real thing. Then apply the following Outer Glow.

Duplicate your previous rectangle. Right click the layer and select Clear Layer Style, which will remove the out glow. Change the color to #070707. Then start a transform on it and hold alt+shift and make it about 2px smaller.

Now apply the following layer styles:

Inner Glow

Stroke

Duplicate your latest rectangle and clear the layer styles like we did before. Change the color to black and make it about 2px smaller.

Once again, duplicate your latest rectangle and clear the layer styles. Make it 2px smaller just like we did before. Then apply the following layer styles:

Gradient Overlay

Stroke

Step 5: Creating the Circular Buttons

Only two buttons to go before we have our Zune!

Create a new layer group by clicking the folder icon at the bottom of the layers panel. Grab the Ellipse Tool underneath the rectangle tool. While holding shift, drag a new circle onto the Zune for the arrow button. Place it to the left of the pad and apply the following layer styles:

Outer Glow

Stroke

Duplicate your previous layer and clear the layer styles. Make it 2-3px smaller and apply the following layer styles:

Gradient Overlay

Stroke

Now that we have the actual button made, lets duplicate it for the other side. Right click your group and select Duplicate Group. Then, while holding shift, drag it to the right side of the pad. Holding shift makes it move in a straight line.

Step 6: Creating the Icons for the Buttons

Now that we have out buttons, we need to create some icons for them. Turn your grid on by going to View > Show > Grid You can change the options for your grid by going to Edit > Preferences > Guids, Grids, & Slices.

Grab your Pen Tool and create an arrow like the one shown below.

Set the fill of the layer to 0% and then add a Stroke. The fill of the layer will change the opacity of the actual pixels in the layer while leaving any layer effects applied to it alone.

Repeat the process for the right button using a triangle and two rectangles.

We Now Have a Vector Zune Graphic!

Place all of your Zune layers into a layer group. Re-size the group to be small and big so that you can see you won’t lose any quality due to the fact that everything is vectorized. Feel free to add a shadow under your final result by creating a new layer underneath your Zune and making a black oval with the Elliptical Marquee Tool and applying a Gaussian Blur.

Download the PSD

Looking for more Photoshop Tutorials?

Source: www.tutorial9.net

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An important reminder for our MyBrand users
As we detailed in our previous installment, More details on moving to a Google account, if you used the MyBrand service at feedburner.com — our service that allows you to use a custom domain with your feed — you must move to a Google account and update your DNS CNAME records by March 16, 2009, [...]

As we detailed in our previous installment, More details on moving to a Google account, if you used the MyBrand service at feedburner.com — our service that allows you to use a custom domain with your feed — you must move to a Google account and update your DNS CNAME records by March 16, 2009, or else your MyBrand URLs will return a 404 “page not found” error.

It’s important to note that it is not enough to just sign in with a Google account and request to move your account if you use MyBrand. Even if your MyBrand-ed URLs have continued to work after you have completed your move, they will cease to work on March 16, 2009 if you have not changed your DNS CNAME.

If you plan to continue to use MyBrand, you can find detailed instructions for changing your CNAME when you are signed into FeedBurner in the My Account > MyBrand section. If you haven’t already moved from feedburner.com to a Google Account, please sign in to your account and follow the guided steps to complete this move. Here’s a quick preview of those steps (click to zoom in):

(In the image above, you’ll see the phrase {YOUR_CODE} in the instructions. This is replaced by an address that is specific to your Google Account available on the aforementioned MyBrand page; you need to use that address to update MyBrand correctly.)

If you have any questions about this transfer process, please refer to the FeedBurner Help Center entry “Transferring FeedBurner Accounts to Google Accounts FAQ” for additional details.

Source: adsenseforfeeds.blogspot.com

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Introducing The Heartfelt…
View more (24 new designs added today) Source: www.techeblog.com Visit Ask Salomon to read more Are you a Webmaster? Latest Webmaster News Webmaster Forum Free Submission Directory Where Webmasters from all over the World help each other.

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