October 02, 2007
PSA, you dirty birds
From the looks of my referrer log, which has had Numerous Visits over the last few days from one post's Technorati tag of pink eye, you had all better be exercising proper hygiene and hand washing techniques this month. No excuses! PE Gets Around.---
what's in an icon?
Donna Bogatin has an interesting point in her post on LinkedIn v Facebook in terms of women. She notices that the icon 'mascot' on LinkedIn is most decidedly male -- suit, tie and executive haircut -- (and I'd note predictably non-ethnic) even on the sections of female members.
Donna's right--it is a little thing--but what it reflects is not so little, especially in the week when the techmeme leaderboard reminds us all that the road to the top is littered with reciprocal-linked male voices.
Despite Dave Winer's positioning me as a feminist zealot, I don't self-identify as a feminist. Maybe it's my own ignorance, but I don't understand feminism quite. I'm pro-people, pro-men and pro-women, and I'm pro elevating the voices that are generally overlooked because those are where the answers are. If the answers to the pressing questions of our day were inside the heads of those we hear blather on ad infinitum, then problems would already be solved.
Anyway, that little linked-in guy leaves a lot to be desired.
And why do we need him at all?
--
Donna's right--it is a little thing--but what it reflects is not so little, especially in the week when the techmeme leaderboard reminds us all that the road to the top is littered with reciprocal-linked male voices.
Despite Dave Winer's positioning me as a feminist zealot, I don't self-identify as a feminist. Maybe it's my own ignorance, but I don't understand feminism quite. I'm pro-people, pro-men and pro-women, and I'm pro elevating the voices that are generally overlooked because those are where the answers are. If the answers to the pressing questions of our day were inside the heads of those we hear blather on ad infinitum, then problems would already be solved.
Anyway, that little linked-in guy leaves a lot to be desired.
And why do we need him at all?
--
October 01, 2007
Listening Goes Pro
BMO BMO BMO has decided to unveil a new business model as he sets out on a his Public Listening tour, venues TBD.
He has already listened to thousands worldwide. Shouldn't your organization be next?
BMO BMO BMO is represented by Jeneane Sessum. Contact her at 678-294-0900 to book BMO BMO BMO to listen at your next corporate event, workshop, or conference.
----
I’m hoping to tap into the lucrative after-dinner listening circuit. Deliver a few keynote listens. Collect a huge fee. And so on.After dinner I get up at the podium and I listen to three or four hundred people telling lame jokes and droning on self-importantly.
He has already listened to thousands worldwide. Shouldn't your organization be next?
BMO BMO BMO is represented by Jeneane Sessum. Contact her at 678-294-0900 to book BMO BMO BMO to listen at your next corporate event, workshop, or conference.
----
ArringtonMeme - the Leaderboard is Live
Holy Crap It's Sports! The Techmeme Leaderboard is Live, with Mike Arrington in the lead (I'm still trying to figure out the metrics) at Number 1, beating such old media as Computerworld, Forbes, and the The New York Times, and such new media figures as Dave Winer and Valley Wag.
I have to note, I see two things: high profile traditional media outlets and a lot of popular white tech guys. Where are the Michelle Arringtons? The Darla Winers? The Jackie Jarvises? The GigaOphelias? Dude, who moved my uterus?
I'm sure I'll be checking the Leaderboard from time to time, but it doesn't look that different from the Technorati Top 100 from a blog perspective. New boss/Old boss type thang.
---
I have to note, I see two things: high profile traditional media outlets and a lot of popular white tech guys. Where are the Michelle Arringtons? The Darla Winers? The Jackie Jarvises? The GigaOphelias? Dude, who moved my uterus?
I'm sure I'll be checking the Leaderboard from time to time, but it doesn't look that different from the Technorati Top 100 from a blog perspective. New boss/Old boss type thang.
---
whatever happened....
...to Blogger.com's feature where you could re-publish your entire blog when things started to get slow and smoooshy?
I hate when companies call core functionality "features" and then add them and remove them all willy nilly.
mmmmrmrmrmrmumblemumblemmmrmrmrm.
I hate when companies call core functionality "features" and then add them and remove them all willy nilly.
mmmmrmrmrmrmumblemumblemmmrmrmrm.
The Battle of the Business Models for Web-Based Apps
Today we get more proof that Microsoft believes it can compete with Google Docs & Spreadsheets (possibly the worst branding ever for a great offering--that name came straight out of product management into beta no doubt) by releasing Office Live Workspace, which Microsoft calls “a new web-based feature of Microsoft Office which lets people access their documents online and share their work with others.”A web-based feature of a desktop product. Hrrrmmm.
Well, it's fascinating messaging. Calling this a feature. Read on and you'll see that Microsoft plans to charge $$ once you exceed the 1,000-document limit. And no one knows how much. Charging for a feature. Now that's smart. Not.
According to ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley, there's "...no word on how much, if anything, Microsoft plans to charge once users have more than 1,000 Word, Excel and PowerPoint files..."
Microsoft, Let me get this straight: You're going to charge me to buy your software. And if I decide I want to use it specific "feature" I pay again.
Exqueeze me, but no thanks. I already have thousands of word documents that I created using the software I paid for. I'm sure not going to pay extra money to work with them online when I can do it for free with Google. Google's live revisioning and collaboration features work great. Why would I ever want to pay to use Office online?
The problem here is that Microsoft is trying to plug a square business model into a round hole. Microsoft Sells Software. Google Sells Ads. Google can give away CAPABILITY, can ENABLE, can FACILITATE for free because it makes money off of something unrelated to its core functionality, the reason we use it. Microsoft's model is to make money off of product and support, off of the thing we actually buy.
That's why Microsoft can't can't compete with Google on web-based apps, and why Google CAN compete with Microsoft. It's about the business model. It's about smarts of Google of coupling its revenue stream with something unobtrusively unrelated to the core service it offers to customers.
Google does it better than anyone. Microsoft still needs to find a way to do it at all.
why am i experimenting with payperpost
1) I want to understand the model.
2) I want to understand the user experience.
3) I want to see if it's possible for us to create our own ad copy, the way we would write it not as per any messaging from the top down, and get paid for it.
4) I want to experiment with online ad models - can Ad Poetry work? has anyone tried? I'm going to.
5) I can.
6) I want to experiment with the A-List culture. How will associating with those whom the Techno Elite have deemed "trash" affect my blog?
7) Does Google care? Will Google punish me?
8) Splogs or Moms earning extra money--which is it?
If I can answer any of these questions for myself, then it will have been worth it. And generating a couple hundred bucks would be nice too.
we'll see...
2) I want to understand the user experience.
3) I want to see if it's possible for us to create our own ad copy, the way we would write it not as per any messaging from the top down, and get paid for it.
4) I want to experiment with online ad models - can Ad Poetry work? has anyone tried? I'm going to.
5) I can.
6) I want to experiment with the A-List culture. How will associating with those whom the Techno Elite have deemed "trash" affect my blog?
7) Does Google care? Will Google punish me?
8) Splogs or Moms earning extra money--which is it?
If I can answer any of these questions for myself, then it will have been worth it. And generating a couple hundred bucks would be nice too.
we'll see...
when you care enough...
Been to the dollar store lately? Seen all the Christmas decorations that have been on the shelves since September 11? That's a clue that the holidays are a mere quarter-of-a-year away! No time like the present to start thinking about what gifts to give your beloved Family Of Origin.
Saying, "I love you despite your felony conviction" is easy with Gift Baskets from Gift-Lover.com. There are more than a dozen categories to choose from, and you get free shipping on orders over $150.
Nothing says, "I'm thinking of you on the day of your parole hearing" like a Nut Pack. And the Doctor's Orders basket is just right for Uncle Ted, if you can sneak it past the nosy night nurse at the rehab center.
As with all sponsored ad opportunities, I try to check them out by looking at their sites, but rely on PPP to do that upfront work. I see on the policy page that Gift-Lover offers a 30-day return policy with 100% satisfaction. Hey, that's more than you get from most web 2.0 companies! ;-)
Saying, "I love you despite your felony conviction" is easy with Gift Baskets from Gift-Lover.com. There are more than a dozen categories to choose from, and you get free shipping on orders over $150.
Nothing says, "I'm thinking of you on the day of your parole hearing" like a Nut Pack. And the Doctor's Orders basket is just right for Uncle Ted, if you can sneak it past the nosy night nurse at the rehab center.
As with all sponsored ad opportunities, I try to check them out by looking at their sites, but rely on PPP to do that upfront work. I see on the policy page that Gift-Lover offers a 30-day return policy with 100% satisfaction. Hey, that's more than you get from most web 2.0 companies! ;-)
September 30, 2007
Jennapallooza Winds Down
One final party guest remaining, entertaining the birthday girl by playing with her gifts. We are blessed. A wonderful daughter with good friends. I am so tired. I love her so and now she's 10. The mystery of time's passage takes my breath away.
Jennapallooza continues
we are all off to Justice for Girls, a clothing store where they will be rockstar fashionistas for an hour.
they were up til 2. i was too. up at 5 in a panic. then better. now off in the van.
nearing completion.
pinata later.
they were up til 2. i was too. up at 5 in a panic. then better. now off in the van.
nearing completion.
pinata later.
Raising a Manufacturing Class in a Knowledge Worker World
David has a great post about what is NOT happening in even the Very Good public schools of the Northeast: Seeking, Learning, Adapting, Thinking, Multi-tasking. Instead, the same type of education that was so effective in creating an industrial-age workforce is being shoved down our kids' throats. Even in high school, where David's son is memorizing state capitals. Wow. That will help on the line at GM. If there IS a line at GM on this side of the world when David's son graduates.
There is a real opportunity for new media thinking to start embedding itself in public school education. But if you think corporations are closed and risk averse, try talking to the administration at your kids' school.
David ends with an "arrrrrgh". I concur. But what can we do to move schools from the purpose they were built for (to create factory workers) to enablers of the connected world?
---
The amount of time our son is being required to spend memorizing whether Bismarck is the capital of North or South Dakota will dwarf the total amount of time he would spend in his lifteime looking it up at Google. This is information that adds nothing to this comprehension of the world. Memorizing the dates of the states' admissions to the union might at least sometime in his life help him notice a relationship of some consequence — that Texas was admitted before the abolition of slavery has some possible effect on his understanding, whereas that Austin is the capital will only matter if he runs for governor of Texas and doesn't want to look foolish in the debates.
There is a real opportunity for new media thinking to start embedding itself in public school education. But if you think corporations are closed and risk averse, try talking to the administration at your kids' school.
David ends with an "arrrrrgh". I concur. But what can we do to move schools from the purpose they were built for (to create factory workers) to enablers of the connected world?
---
Wanna Win a Free Raleigh, NC Getaway?
Why take trip to Raleigh? Well first of all, there are GOOD TECH JOBS there. Get off the plane and grab the classifieds. Once you have a good job and have the dough to have fun, there's also a great Art Museum, a cool Museum of Natural Sciences, and more incredible food than you can shake a stick at. The North Carolina state capitol, Raleigh has a moderate subtropical climate, with moderate weather in the spring, fall, and winter. Fall is the perfect time to visit, maybe decide you want to move there. If you're like me, you could consider starting a new life as part of the witness protection proram. With a median family income of just over $60K, you could find a worse place to make a new start of it. If you're a parent, you know that the kids are hyper as hell now that they're back at school, making it a perfect time for a Fall Getaway for the whole family. Maybe visit the 2007 N.C. State Fair. You could win a Free Raleigh Getaway receive:
-One night accommodations for two at the Courtyard by Marriott Raleigh Crabtree Valley
-$25 gift certificate to Bloomsbury Bistro
-Free VIP admission for two to Rum Runners
-2 tickets to the North Carolina Theatre
-2 tickets to the N.C. Museum of Art’s Landscapes from the Age of Impressionism
-2 tickets to Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences
The Home of Red Hat awaits you. What you waitin' for, Willis?
-One night accommodations for two at the Courtyard by Marriott Raleigh Crabtree Valley
-$25 gift certificate to Bloomsbury Bistro
-Free VIP admission for two to Rum Runners
-2 tickets to the North Carolina Theatre
-2 tickets to the N.C. Museum of Art’s Landscapes from the Age of Impressionism
-2 tickets to Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences
The Home of Red Hat awaits you. What you waitin' for, Willis?
sleepover live blogging
my bff audrey stopped by and we did what any grownups would do during a kids' sleepover party. made faces at the camera. she wasn't even a-scared-a my pink eye. she is so kewl.
September 29, 2007
sleepover live blogging
two asleep, four awake. one took the couch. the rest on the living room floor. i think couches should be off limits. Either everyone's on the floor or everyone's on the couch. what's with the one on the couch thing.
only one incident with tears and disagreements and ruination. it was fun now everything's ruined. five minutes later everything is fine.
the four awake are drawing and eating.
it's midnight.
what. hello. i'm old. it's time to go to sleep.
ten years ago tonight i was making sure my bag was packed and thinking I could easily wait another month instead of going in for a c-section.
tonight i'm thinking i could easily fall asleep.
zzzz
only one incident with tears and disagreements and ruination. it was fun now everything's ruined. five minutes later everything is fine.
the four awake are drawing and eating.
it's midnight.
what. hello. i'm old. it's time to go to sleep.
ten years ago tonight i was making sure my bag was packed and thinking I could easily wait another month instead of going in for a c-section.
tonight i'm thinking i could easily fall asleep.
zzzz
Live blogging the sleepove
My friend audrey is here. it took her 10 minutes, two bottle openers, and two knives to get the wine open. the girls have done the limbo, danced all the moves to high school musical, played flashlight hide and seek, and are playing truth or dare now. Audrey and I are upstairs watching Office Space. I can't believe it's only 8:55. omgz.
so ten is that age...
when they half want you around for the party and half want you to go away.
Injury count: 1 so far. Cause: large St. Barnard down the street did a leap-and-lick, knocking sleepover participant #3 to the pavement, skinning both knees. This was her first sleepover. I have to send her home broken. Dang.
Pizza count: 2 down one to go.
Cake count: 1/2 cake gone.
Cheese Doodle count: 1 bag gone
more soon
Injury count: 1 so far. Cause: large St. Barnard down the street did a leap-and-lick, knocking sleepover participant #3 to the pavement, skinning both knees. This was her first sleepover. I have to send her home broken. Dang.
Pizza count: 2 down one to go.
Cake count: 1/2 cake gone.
Cheese Doodle count: 1 bag gone
more soon
We Like to Watch
Gadget makers are going past the point of sale to gather data on their customers. According to this article, 200 Spokane, Washington residents have a chance to get a free 47" T.V. to watch if they agree to be watched in return.
Telematics has allowed automobiles to transmit data, remote diagnostics is booming, and the next frontier is your living room. This way advertisers can find out your triggers, your loves, your lusts, and tailor their ads accordingly. Think Google Ads in living color.
Welcome to the two-way T.V., the way I always thought it worked as a kid.
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Telematics has allowed automobiles to transmit data, remote diagnostics is booming, and the next frontier is your living room. This way advertisers can find out your triggers, your loves, your lusts, and tailor their ads accordingly. Think Google Ads in living color.
Welcome to the two-way T.V., the way I always thought it worked as a kid.
---
Writer's Circle
**********************************************
Writing is a lonely and often ANNOYING profession. Being good at it requires extricating yourself from home and hearth, from friends and family. It is an existence inside of the skull. The physical body dissolves during the act of writing. The writers circle is a forum focused on everything writing. Writers share concerns, successes, and experiences. There are lots of good questions, like this post from bob41bob wondering if there's a good time of the year to submit manuscripts, and whether or not to go the agent route or right to the publisher. Lots of helpful answers. And HEY HO they also have a job board of writing opportunities there. It's cool that I get paid to point you here. Eh? I can even donate money to charities through PPP. Freaky.
*********************************************
Writing is a lonely and often ANNOYING profession. Being good at it requires extricating yourself from home and hearth, from friends and family. It is an existence inside of the skull. The physical body dissolves during the act of writing. The writers circle is a forum focused on everything writing. Writers share concerns, successes, and experiences. There are lots of good questions, like this post from bob41bob wondering if there's a good time of the year to submit manuscripts, and whether or not to go the agent route or right to the publisher. Lots of helpful answers. And HEY HO they also have a job board of writing opportunities there. It's cool that I get paid to point you here. Eh? I can even donate money to charities through PPP. Freaky.
*********************************************
jenna turning ten and sleepover night
Tomorrow our little girl leaves double digits forever. Amazing to think -- one decade. one down, one to go. What is happening? I can barely fathom the speed of time. Blurrr indeed.If I hadn't signed up to have a six-girl sleepover party tonight, I might have time to cry, like I usually do, at my baby's growing, constantly growing. A blogger once wrote that parenting is the only job where doing it right means you get left.
I've never done a six-kid sleepover before. I didn't realize that it starts at 6 a.m. even if no one's coming until 3:00 p.m. because the resident sleeper is so excited she wakes the whole house. RSVP that.
You'll be happy to learn that Jenna has finally received a pinata on her birthday. Shaped like a cake. Exact replica included in this post. We came across it three months ago in a clearance bin at Food Depot and grabbed it for $3. It's one of those purchases you pat yourself on the back for because you actually thought ahead. Speaking for myself that is.
Well, party time is approaching. For some reason I made this a 24-hour event. 3-3. That will teach me to use the phone when I'm manic.
Wish me luck. I'll report periodically if I can.
I'm going in.
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September 28, 2007
Monetizing White Space: A billboard in every pot?
Ronni Bennett has a great post on the changing blogosphere, the role of elderbloggers, and the distraction of all of the sidebar noise that can easily detract from not just reading blogs, but engaging in conversation.
Well I know that as noise pollution goes, I'm right up there with the frequent offenders. No matter how clean my blog design starts out, before long I'm sticking ever opportunity to say something funny, to get some spare change, or to shout-out to my blogroll friends over there. Where some prefer white space, my preference for clean design extends as far as hard copy paper. On the web, all bets are off for me. Send me everywhere at once. YES!
I can see how that distraction is eroding the human element of blogging though. As Ronni points out:
I agree with Ronni that it's disappointing when once-frequent-posters disappear into social networks and virtual worlds and forget about their blogs. When this first started happening, the bigger name bloggers brought in "guest bloggers," to avoid the barrage of emails asking: "Are you ok?" "Where are you?" "Missing you!" These days, we could disappear into the belly of a volcano and no one would raise a stink about our going. It's rather expected. And it's also expected that sooner or later, the blogger will show back up again. Those re-appearances are sweet homecomings. I enjoy them so much, whether the blogger's been gone a month or years.
Anyway, I look forward to Ronni talking more about how elderbloggers view these phenomena -- the comments to Ronni's post are insightful and wise. As always, it's one of my favorite places to visit. So don't go running off to MySpace, Ronni. I'd miss you!
;-)
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Well I know that as noise pollution goes, I'm right up there with the frequent offenders. No matter how clean my blog design starts out, before long I'm sticking ever opportunity to say something funny, to get some spare change, or to shout-out to my blogroll friends over there. Where some prefer white space, my preference for clean design extends as far as hard copy paper. On the web, all bets are off for me. Send me everywhere at once. YES!
I can see how that distraction is eroding the human element of blogging though. As Ronni points out:
Many blogs are now so cluttered with Blogher Ad Network ads, Google Ads, Blogads, Blogvertise ads and others sometimes all together that they feel more like splogs; I know there must be editorial content somewhere, but it’s damned hard to find.I have come across those kind of blogs too. Generally though I like looking at the ads. I don't know what it is. Perhaps I LIKE being distracted as much as I like reading and writing blogs. Perhaps I am drawn back to IM and the phone for real conversation because those are the mediums that let me focus these days.It’s not that making pin money from blogs is a bad idea; I’ve done it myself (although I gave it up as distraction both from the blog and to myself). But when the ads take up more real estate than the writing, it is no longer a blog; it’s mainstream media with some token commentary.
[As an example of how far it’s gone, I recently ran across a blog where the entire day’s post was a plea to readers to click on the ads.]
I agree with Ronni that it's disappointing when once-frequent-posters disappear into social networks and virtual worlds and forget about their blogs. When this first started happening, the bigger name bloggers brought in "guest bloggers," to avoid the barrage of emails asking: "Are you ok?" "Where are you?" "Missing you!" These days, we could disappear into the belly of a volcano and no one would raise a stink about our going. It's rather expected. And it's also expected that sooner or later, the blogger will show back up again. Those re-appearances are sweet homecomings. I enjoy them so much, whether the blogger's been gone a month or years.
Anyway, I look forward to Ronni talking more about how elderbloggers view these phenomena -- the comments to Ronni's post are insightful and wise. As always, it's one of my favorite places to visit. So don't go running off to MySpace, Ronni. I'd miss you!
;-)
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PPP how it went so far
SO I signed up for payperpost a while back and checked in on it a few times, but never got a chance to play with it. Today I decided to try it in blogging about the morphing software while earning $10 to pay for jenna's birthday cake (OMGZ SHE'S TEN ON SUNDAY!).
There are some hoops to jump through in using PPP. You have to get approved, and you have to have a certain google page rank to qualify for certain ad opportunities, and you have to put some code in your template. That's probably all a good thing as it reduces the chance that jerks will come on and add issues to PPP's already shaky brand essence.
We'll see how the payment part goes. I have no clue how these folks operate. But as far as the user interface goes, web 2.0 startups could do worse than to emulate PPP's user experience. It takes a complex process and automates everything about it that's hard. It's a solid interface.
Now I'm a blogads gal from way back. I like Henry Copeland. I have high regard for Henry, and as such will likely remain loyal to blogads. At the same time, I can't say I'm never going to explore all of the interesting ad-generating models out there.
I've heard a lot of nasty stuff going back and forth between Mike Arrington and PPP, and I don't know the PPP people. At the same time, I don't see why the detractors have an ethics meltdown over user-generated ad content that's taking money/attention out of the hands of agencies and ad buyers and putting it into the pockets of regular people when those same people don't have a melt-down over every-day user generated content that's taking the money/attention out of mainstream outlets and putting it in the hands of regular people.
Will I sell out for $30 a day? Heh. Not hardly. But I do want to try this thing out and see what all the hubub is about. You will know whenever I make a PPP-related post, because I'll be discussing the process as much as whatever the intended post is about. Because that's interesting. And interesting's what I do best.
THIS POST:
---
There are some hoops to jump through in using PPP. You have to get approved, and you have to have a certain google page rank to qualify for certain ad opportunities, and you have to put some code in your template. That's probably all a good thing as it reduces the chance that jerks will come on and add issues to PPP's already shaky brand essence.
We'll see how the payment part goes. I have no clue how these folks operate. But as far as the user interface goes, web 2.0 startups could do worse than to emulate PPP's user experience. It takes a complex process and automates everything about it that's hard. It's a solid interface.
Now I'm a blogads gal from way back. I like Henry Copeland. I have high regard for Henry, and as such will likely remain loyal to blogads. At the same time, I can't say I'm never going to explore all of the interesting ad-generating models out there.
I've heard a lot of nasty stuff going back and forth between Mike Arrington and PPP, and I don't know the PPP people. At the same time, I don't see why the detractors have an ethics meltdown over user-generated ad content that's taking money/attention out of the hands of agencies and ad buyers and putting it into the pockets of regular people when those same people don't have a melt-down over every-day user generated content that's taking the money/attention out of mainstream outlets and putting it in the hands of regular people.
Will I sell out for $30 a day? Heh. Not hardly. But I do want to try this thing out and see what all the hubub is about. You will know whenever I make a PPP-related post, because I'll be discussing the process as much as whatever the intended post is about. Because that's interesting. And interesting's what I do best.
THIS POST:
---
fun with morphing photos and some advice
So I'm looking at payperpost today when I see this morphing image software trial thing, called Morpheus Photo-Morpher. (I downloaded the Mac trial), and I sit here and think, I'd like to download and try this software.
But do I do it and get the $10 bucks from payperpost, or do I download it outside of payperpost and play with it that way so I don't seem like the commoners the blogerati tend to view PayPerPost's assoicates as? In other words, should I take ten bucks for trying out the software that I would have tried out anyway if I had seen someone else blog about it? Or should I skip the $10 because payperpost is so unseemly to the influential?
Payperpost is sort of like a gun. It's inherent danger to the sphere-of-blogs depends on how it's used, when it's used, and the trustworthiness of the person who's got it in their hands. Instead of laws to regulate these things, we have something better online. We have the self-correcting nature of the Internet. My opinion is that the PPP model, as I've said before, deserves to be explored and has a place, despite the fact that mine is NOT the popular opinion. PayPerPost may not be the best at doing what it has set out to do--a future player may improve this formula of User Generated Ad Content.
But to really decide how it works, I decided to try PPP and to post my morph. So I used the software, which IS in fact easy to use, to morph a picture of me into something that is not a picture of me.
The thing is, I've spent 30 minutes in the software and I can't find out WHERE to get the actual animated gif, or a link location that is in an image format I can actually insert into my blog post, to show my image off. Best I can do is send you here: ME MORPHING.
So then I start thinking, Morpheus, in addition to using PayPerPost to drive adoption, you have to have a follow through on this strategy for sharing. Sharing by email isn't enough. I see that we can somehow share them on Youtube, but you don't tell me how.
The Morpheus homepage says:
But I never got any code to cut and paste. I just can't seem to find it. Is it my pink eye? Am I missing something?
Mandatory these days is an optional widget, or at least an "embed" feature that lets me show off my morphing in a blog post.
And how about making it easy for me to morph my friends. Say giving me a little photo uploader window (web-based) that let's me easily pull in photos from my other social spaces to morph, then generate for me the code to insert in those spaces.
What about a flickr grabbr that reduces the steps it takes to bring in my flickr photos to morph?
In fact I want the whole experience to be web-based. Is that silly?
And what about a contest for Halloween--the scariest morph EVA!
I think the software is easy to use and cool to play with. The only thing I see lacking are enhanced ways to share and use my existing communities in the act of playing.
Anyway, that is my very first payperpost. It's worth more than ten bucks because I just gave some advice. But I would have given it anyway in telling you about how I made the morphy thingy.
So why not take the gas money? huh?
---
But do I do it and get the $10 bucks from payperpost, or do I download it outside of payperpost and play with it that way so I don't seem like the commoners the blogerati tend to view PayPerPost's assoicates as? In other words, should I take ten bucks for trying out the software that I would have tried out anyway if I had seen someone else blog about it? Or should I skip the $10 because payperpost is so unseemly to the influential?
Payperpost is sort of like a gun. It's inherent danger to the sphere-of-blogs depends on how it's used, when it's used, and the trustworthiness of the person who's got it in their hands. Instead of laws to regulate these things, we have something better online. We have the self-correcting nature of the Internet. My opinion is that the PPP model, as I've said before, deserves to be explored and has a place, despite the fact that mine is NOT the popular opinion. PayPerPost may not be the best at doing what it has set out to do--a future player may improve this formula of User Generated Ad Content.
But to really decide how it works, I decided to try PPP and to post my morph. So I used the software, which IS in fact easy to use, to morph a picture of me into something that is not a picture of me.
The thing is, I've spent 30 minutes in the software and I can't find out WHERE to get the actual animated gif, or a link location that is in an image format I can actually insert into my blog post, to show my image off. Best I can do is send you here: ME MORPHING.
So then I start thinking, Morpheus, in addition to using PayPerPost to drive adoption, you have to have a follow through on this strategy for sharing. Sharing by email isn't enough. I see that we can somehow share them on Youtube, but you don't tell me how.
The Morpheus homepage says:
Email your animations using the software's Share Animation™ feature. Before you know it, your animations will be forwarded from one person to another! Spice up your website or blog. Post your animations and videos to sites like Flickr and YouTube, or submit them to Animania!, the Morpheus Software blog. Make your MySpace page or Match.com profile stand out.
But I never got any code to cut and paste. I just can't seem to find it. Is it my pink eye? Am I missing something?
Mandatory these days is an optional widget, or at least an "embed" feature that lets me show off my morphing in a blog post.
And how about making it easy for me to morph my friends. Say giving me a little photo uploader window (web-based) that let's me easily pull in photos from my other social spaces to morph, then generate for me the code to insert in those spaces.
What about a flickr grabbr that reduces the steps it takes to bring in my flickr photos to morph?
In fact I want the whole experience to be web-based. Is that silly?
And what about a contest for Halloween--the scariest morph EVA!
I think the software is easy to use and cool to play with. The only thing I see lacking are enhanced ways to share and use my existing communities in the act of playing.
Anyway, that is my very first payperpost. It's worth more than ten bucks because I just gave some advice. But I would have given it anyway in telling you about how I made the morphy thingy.
So why not take the gas money? huh?
---
September 27, 2007
DONE!
Did 20 posts, along with Mr. Paynter, tonight as we exercised our blog fingers together trying to get back in shape. Of course Frank cheated, so the race was called due to mud. Or else I won. We're leaving the tapes for the judges to review.
I look forward to a blog spasm in a day or so. All you have to do is find me in chat, say 20 in 20? or 30 in 30? or 10 in 10? READY SET GO! and off we go. If I'm not in the middle of something, like pouring boric acid in my pink eye.
I've never gotten it down to a minute per post, but I also haven't done this in years. Back in the day, we didn't enjoy the vast amount of USER GENERATED CONTENT we have today with flickr's blogthis and youtube's embed that. Makes it a bit easier to breeze through the posts.
Remember when we used to have posting marathons--24 hour marathons for this cause or that, or just because?
Too old now. Enjoy my bedtime too much. ;-)
--
Thanks frank!
I look forward to a blog spasm in a day or so. All you have to do is find me in chat, say 20 in 20? or 30 in 30? or 10 in 10? READY SET GO! and off we go. If I'm not in the middle of something, like pouring boric acid in my pink eye.
I've never gotten it down to a minute per post, but I also haven't done this in years. Back in the day, we didn't enjoy the vast amount of USER GENERATED CONTENT we have today with flickr's blogthis and youtube's embed that. Makes it a bit easier to breeze through the posts.
Remember when we used to have posting marathons--24 hour marathons for this cause or that, or just because?
Too old now. Enjoy my bedtime too much. ;-)
--
Thanks frank!
jam - job spam
The last time I did my resume and stuck it out on the Internet it was 10 years ago. Yes no shit. Well I did it again and to my dismay, there is a new form of spam that I will call JAM - job related SPAM - which means that if you stick your stupid credentials on the net in response to a particular opportunity you thought might be interesting, you will in turn get spammed by every insurance-selling, telemarketing, get-rich-quicking place on the planet saying that they've got The Job For You.
oye, more headaches as we watch the net help humans create more problems than we can solve.
--
oye, more headaches as we watch the net help humans create more problems than we can solve.
--
it went swimmingly
Denise's friends' son did the escape from alcatraz swim, and he's ONLY EIGHT YEARS OLD! He is the youngest to have done it -- no fins, no wet suit. Pretty incredible! Way to go!! (p.s., brrrrrrr!)
Denise has the video.
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Denise has the video.
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Drugmakers Should Go Social
Drug Manufacturers need to step out of broadcast mentality and into the world of their customers - or literally consumers - but are reluctant to interact with us because they are sooo risk averse. The thing is, being risk averse is risky. So start some healthcare communities and social networks to give micromarkets a place to gather around the conditions and remedies that mean something to them. Sponsor it--you KNOW you got the dough, pharmas. Why not come in and play?
--
--
paynter and i are in training
okay so we went for 20 posts in 20 minutes but we each got 9 posts in 20 minutes, and that just sucks. 2 minutes per post? THIS IS WEB 2.0! We should be able to post 20 post in two minutes. We are whimps. Inexcusable. Sad. Pathetic. Back to work!!!
---
---
Kellypuffs calling time of death of Pownce
memorial services to be held on facebook, you know, sometime.
---
---
extra time at the pump
well this is interesting. knowing American college-aged men-boys, they might want to give the guys in the exam room extra time to stare too.
--
--
anyone have BCBS vision insurance?
I got this brochure from blue cross blue shield of georgia today offering a new Blue Vision program. Does anyone have it, and if so, have you found it worthwile? THANKS!
--
--
Architectural Bloopers
Hello, architect? Could you make the next building you design NOT look like a Swastika? Just wondering. kthxbye.
20 posts in 20 minutes--paynter and sessum
told you chat was the new twitter. frank and I made a deal. watch us go. ...
Racial Harmony in Silicon Valley
It's not like the south, you know, where you might actually SEE a Negro.
September 26, 2007
georgia highways -- wtf?
WHO and WHEN will someone convey to the dept of public works or transportation or WHOEVER decides to add extra lanes to I-75 that simply erasing the lane markers, paving, and narrowing all the lanes to fit in an extra one or two lanes, will serve not to HELP the commute but simply to kill more people.
On the way home this evening, I decided that the semi-truck next to me might as well just climb INSIDE my van and we could ride together. Why not? We're two vehicles squeezed into a lane and a half.
It would suck to be a non-native Atlanta driver, say someone cruising down 75 from Kentucky, who has no idea that you must thread the needle at 85 mph in order to make it in one piece to the downtown connector.
Madness. Simply madness.
---
On the way home this evening, I decided that the semi-truck next to me might as well just climb INSIDE my van and we could ride together. Why not? We're two vehicles squeezed into a lane and a half.
It would suck to be a non-native Atlanta driver, say someone cruising down 75 from Kentucky, who has no idea that you must thread the needle at 85 mph in order to make it in one piece to the downtown connector.
Madness. Simply madness.
---
September 25, 2007
A new twist on the blogroll in PR land...
...Let's call it the 'does not blog roll'.
Well that is pretty pitiful.
But, you can look at the glass half full or you can look at the glass half empty (historically my personal preference). BUT since I'm making positive changes in my life, I'm saying that the glass is half full and that this is a great DeVeloPmeNt OpPorTunIty.
I learned that, among other Very Important Things, during my decades inside the corporate belly. Whenever something is truly pitiful, it's a development opportunity!
:-)
Now, move along to the next post so you can diagnose my pink eye.
Well that is pretty pitiful.
But, you can look at the glass half full or you can look at the glass half empty (historically my personal preference). BUT since I'm making positive changes in my life, I'm saying that the glass is half full and that this is a great DeVeloPmeNt OpPorTunIty.
I learned that, among other Very Important Things, during my decades inside the corporate belly. Whenever something is truly pitiful, it's a development opportunity!
:-)
Now, move along to the next post so you can diagnose my pink eye.
do you think I'm getting pink eye?
Because I'm not certain, and I've never had it, but it feels like something sandy in my eye. And I assure you I haven't been around Any Sand.Thank you.
----
you had to be there...
...but i wasn't. i sure wish i would have been.not surprised to hear it was a great show. He's one of my all-time favorites.
bless you, Stevie.
--
punishment misfitting the crime
"In June, on the morning of his trial, the charges against Bell were reduced to aggravated second-degree battery and conspiracy. The black community again protested, taking issue with the battery charge, which requires the use of a "deadly weapon" — in this case the gym shoe that Bell was wearing when he kicked Barker. District Attorney Reed Walters argued the shoe was indeed a deadly weapon."
As far as I'm concerned, a shoe can be a deadly weapon, the same as you can drown in an inch of water, same as a hand can be a deadly weapon, same as a noose can be. It all depends HOW it's used. In this case, a bunch of kids kicked another kid in the head. That's not good IF that's what happened.
What IS clear to me, is that the proof is in the pudding. If there is little enough injury to be out of the ER in 2 hours and attend a party the same night, then it's a fight. Suspend everyone (and i mean everyone) involved and call it a day. Maybe get some Smart People involved at the school to work out the racial bullshit that precipitated the fight. Not mandatory. Probably smart.
But that's not what happened in Jena. And it's not ALL that happened. And that is the problem.
Shelley points out some other interesting facts on the racial tension leading up to the Big Event:
And I say IN AMERICA. Not in THE SOUTH. Because you north easterners and you californians and you bread basketians all know that this isn't a North/South thing. Just visit your local "inner cities" as many of you like to call them. Or your prisons. Same diff. You bet.
SEE ALSO: Frank and Shelley.
---
As far as I'm concerned, a shoe can be a deadly weapon, the same as you can drown in an inch of water, same as a hand can be a deadly weapon, same as a noose can be. It all depends HOW it's used. In this case, a bunch of kids kicked another kid in the head. That's not good IF that's what happened.
What IS clear to me, is that the proof is in the pudding. If there is little enough injury to be out of the ER in 2 hours and attend a party the same night, then it's a fight. Suspend everyone (and i mean everyone) involved and call it a day. Maybe get some Smart People involved at the school to work out the racial bullshit that precipitated the fight. Not mandatory. Probably smart.
But that's not what happened in Jena. And it's not ALL that happened. And that is the problem.
Shelley points out some other interesting facts on the racial tension leading up to the Big Event:
A black student was beaten at a social function, and no one was charged. The DA goes into a hastily-called assembly and, looking directly at the African-American students, warns them that he can end their life with the stroke of his pen.It's not that Bell isn't innocent. He's NOT innocent, in my opinion. It's that the punishment doesn't fit the crime, and THAT's what justice typically means for Black men in America. The unattainable bail ($138K in this case), the sub-par representation, the overblown charges, the all white juries. It is a standard matter of course, and the only thing that surprises me is how many people are surprised.
A white graduate pulls a gun on three black students who take the gun away and no charges are brought against the white grad, but the students were charged with theft when they didn't give the gun back.
A white student taunts a black student beaten at a party and is jumped and beaten by six African-American students. Fox News points out that Justin Barker went to the hospital and was released the same day, attending a ring ceremony and social function that same day.
The DA charges those guilty of the attack with aggravated assault, and, when certain teachers and locals object, he ups the charges to attempted second-degree murder.
And I say IN AMERICA. Not in THE SOUTH. Because you north easterners and you californians and you bread basketians all know that this isn't a North/South thing. Just visit your local "inner cities" as many of you like to call them. Or your prisons. Same diff. You bet.
SEE ALSO: Frank and Shelley.
---
Worst Practices Lesson 103
another lesson in worst practices:
1) go on national tv in a beauty pageant.
2) answer a question in pig latin.
3) lose contest but come in 3rd place.
4) wiggle self at The Donald.
5) get free crib at luxury hotel and make $25,000 per day.
6) get old, lose looks, give lessons to others on making money.
7) retire.
8) die.
1) go on national tv in a beauty pageant.
2) answer a question in pig latin.
3) lose contest but come in 3rd place.
4) wiggle self at The Donald.
5) get free crib at luxury hotel and make $25,000 per day.
6) get old, lose looks, give lessons to others on making money.
7) retire.
8) die.
always remember and don't ever forget
What the Internet is best at is disintermediation.
Another such opportunity comes to us with Zubka, a social network that makes everyman a headhunter and rewards them thusly. Job seeker, Job placement person, and the J.O.B.s hope to connect and link into happy unions through Zubka, as we use our professional networks to get and give jobs.
I haven't checked Zubka's guts out yet, but the concept sounds like the best thing since simplyhired.com aggregated the net's job ads into a single user-friendly, web-based UI.
Hat tip to Euan.
---
Another such opportunity comes to us with Zubka, a social network that makes everyman a headhunter and rewards them thusly. Job seeker, Job placement person, and the J.O.B.s hope to connect and link into happy unions through Zubka, as we use our professional networks to get and give jobs.
I haven't checked Zubka's guts out yet, but the concept sounds like the best thing since simplyhired.com aggregated the net's job ads into a single user-friendly, web-based UI.
Hat tip to Euan.
---
Call It a Web 2.0 PR Strategy
Seven Steps to Web 2.0 Fame, Fortune, and Death
Step 1. Get a contract gig at a big brand company.
Step 2. Post ba-a-a-a-ad stuff on your blog about your boss.
Step 3. Get fired and get lots of PR for your cute self, traffic for your blog, and increased ad revenue.
Step 4. Land better gig. Instruct others how to do same. Speak and Present at industry conferences on topic.
Step 5. Have baby.
Step 6. Raise baby to do same.
Step 7. Retire and die.
---
Step 1. Get a contract gig at a big brand company.
Step 2. Post ba-a-a-a-ad stuff on your blog about your boss.
Step 3. Get fired and get lots of PR for your cute self, traffic for your blog, and increased ad revenue.
Step 4. Land better gig. Instruct others how to do same. Speak and Present at industry conferences on topic.
Step 5. Have baby.
Step 6. Raise baby to do same.
Step 7. Retire and die.
---
September 24, 2007
job insecurity
37 years.
...
...
good.
...
They said union members walked out because they want GM to promise that future cars and trucks such as the replacement for the Chevrolet Cobalt small car or the still-on-the-drawing board Chevrolet Volt plug-in electric car will be built at U.S. plants, preserving union jobs.
Industry analysts said initially the strike would have little impact on consumers because GM has sufficient inventory stockpiled for most of its products.
But Monday afternoon, the Teamsters transportation union said its 10,000 automotive transport members would not cross UAW picket lines to deliver GM cars and trucks.
...
good.
He Always Says It So Much Better than I do
if the bears really loved their fans - the ones who have sat out in the cold for decades, rex grossman wouldnt be on our team. and if he was hed have on a baseball cap and be carrying a clipboard. the fans would chant for him in the fourth quarter during a blowout. hed be the peoples choice but he wouldnt be the man.
we allow the lamest people to be the man.
repeatedly.
all of us.
--The Man, Shakespierce
Hat Tip: Thanks, Karl!
September 23, 2007
Memo: While You Were Out...
I'm pretty sure it's coming.
As the empire continues in its decline ordinary people will increasingly ask why, and be more willing to listen to people who offer answers. When such things as the Social Security (the most popular program in American history and upon which 67% of Americans depend for their entire retirement) stop or is reduced to pay trillions in war debts or jack up stock market profits. When oil, which drives our entire national electrical grid, reaches peak, people will do more than howl. (Wanna bet that mountain top removed coal, which is being touted as our savior, won't be hiked up to the limit for maximum corporate profitability?)---Frankly, I think it will take what Americans would consider a collapse to turn it all around. The "American lifestyle" was but a brief moment in history, a civilization made possible by cheap hydrocarbons.
Thanks Tom
...for making sure I didn't miss THIS! :-D
my goz I am clappsing!!
---
Whose asshole did you pull Zimbabwe and Burma out of, anyway? Those are the two countries you chose to replace Iraq in the Axis of Mean? First off, we’ll take our lectures on international relations from someone whose pre-Presidential travelogue included countries not featured in Maxim’s Spring Break Spectacular, if it’s all the same to you. And secondly, Zimbabwe? Like you knew that was a country a week ago. The day you spend one minute thinking about the death of democracy in Zimbabwe is the day Dick Cheney climbs a set of stairs without a defibrillator and a forklift.
my goz I am clappsing!!
---
A little perspective in the matter
real or imagined.
Also, don't miss the BGB on the flurry of US-based racial stupidity lately in his Has Anything Changed post.
And while you're reading, listen to Aaron.
---
I tell my kids there are two kinds of people in the world. I change the criteria around from time to time. Sometimes it's: kind people and unkind people. And don't confuse unkind with "not afraid to tell the truth". Sometimes it's: assholes and not assholes. Butt often they have the same agenda.
And watch out for "nice" people. Their rage is usually seething approximately 3mm beneath the skin. "Nice" is over-rated and often used by the worst assholes imaginable. Have a nice day.I think Chris said it best when he sent me a link this morning. Although I don't think he was specifically referring to the Jena Six, he could have been. Adjustable black law enforcement indeed.
A history of Lynching.
Also, don't miss the BGB on the flurry of US-based racial stupidity lately in his Has Anything Changed post.
And while you're reading, listen to Aaron.
---
IM Is the New Blogging
It used to be blogging was how we talked to one another using hyperlinks for punctuation and context clues. That was when we were amateurs and doinks. No one had to tell us we were doinks. We knew it. Doink was the default. And so, much of what we posted about was the this-and-thats of life. Opinion and Thought Leadership were the last thing on our minds because, again, we came here to get away from THERE.
Now that there IS here, and blogging has turned pro, enduring labor and giving birth to social media (which is hyper-pro), blogging isn't the place where I want to say what I want.
Let me say that again a bit more clearly: My blog is no longer the place I want to say everything I want to say.
It is sad. I think I've been grieving it for six months, the loss of my blog and your blog and your blog as platforms for passionate voice. Passionate conversation and disagreements and love and hurt and healing and all of it.
Some people have found their used-to-be-blog voices on Twitter. Somehow, they get what they need out of the abbreviated sound bursts from others, and feel fulfilled sharing their dinner plans and A-list sightings.
I don't get it. I hoped for a lot more from Twitter. But every time I re-try it, I wonder what. the. hell. am. I. doing. here? There is no getting to know me knowing you on Twitter. There's just him and her and them. The biggest problem with Twitter, as I've said before, are the Twits.
Me? I blog on G-Chat now. Yep, that's right. My most brilliant, sparkling, engaging, raw, and revolutionary ideas are the ones that germinate from chatting with brilliant friends on IM. From: CONVERSATION.
You don't get that with Twitter. Twitter is one-way outbursts, broadcast spasms, network flatulence. Don't get me wrong; sometimes they are entertaining, yes. But twitter blasts are not engaging, by their very nature.
Me? I think IM and Phone are where it's at. The new new thing is talking to one another. Not broadcasting our every bowel movement on Twitter or climbing Techmeme via our blog posts on conferences and business and social media magic.
But talking to each other.
Again.
Like we used to.
When blogging was the back channel.
---
ooo i did not know Robert was also talking about twitter too. Robert says "What happens on Twitter should stay in Twitter." Open Sores Movement indeed! Robert, more baby pictures and less twittering, please.
---
Now that there IS here, and blogging has turned pro, enduring labor and giving birth to social media (which is hyper-pro), blogging isn't the place where I want to say what I want.
Let me say that again a bit more clearly: My blog is no longer the place I want to say everything I want to say.
It is sad. I think I've been grieving it for six months, the loss of my blog and your blog and your blog as platforms for passionate voice. Passionate conversation and disagreements and love and hurt and healing and all of it.
Some people have found their used-to-be-blog voices on Twitter. Somehow, they get what they need out of the abbreviated sound bursts from others, and feel fulfilled sharing their dinner plans and A-list sightings.
I don't get it. I hoped for a lot more from Twitter. But every time I re-try it, I wonder what. the. hell. am. I. doing. here? There is no getting to know me knowing you on Twitter. There's just him and her and them. The biggest problem with Twitter, as I've said before, are the Twits.
Me? I blog on G-Chat now. Yep, that's right. My most brilliant, sparkling, engaging, raw, and revolutionary ideas are the ones that germinate from chatting with brilliant friends on IM. From: CONVERSATION.
You don't get that with Twitter. Twitter is one-way outbursts, broadcast spasms, network flatulence. Don't get me wrong; sometimes they are entertaining, yes. But twitter blasts are not engaging, by their very nature.
Me? I think IM and Phone are where it's at. The new new thing is talking to one another. Not broadcasting our every bowel movement on Twitter or climbing Techmeme via our blog posts on conferences and business and social media magic.
But talking to each other.
Again.
Like we used to.
When blogging was the back channel.
---
ooo i did not know Robert was also talking about twitter too. Robert says "What happens on Twitter should stay in Twitter." Open Sores Movement indeed! Robert, more baby pictures and less twittering, please.
---
September 21, 2007
Parmesano-Reggiano!!!
It's an ethnic thing...I watched for a moment, enjoying the way the light showed off the beautiful crystallization of the cheese, and the manager caught my eye. I nodded at the cheese, and said, "It's a real thing of beauty." He laughed, and replied, "It certainly is." Then he took his own knife, split out a small chunk from the center of the cheese, and passed it to me to taste. "Nothing like the heart," he said.
mmmmm cheese alright! My personal faves are locatelli romano and for homemade sauce it has to be pecorino romano.
--
is there a blogger's fantasy football team anywhere?
I haven't played Fantasy Football in 15 years. After reading AKMA's post on his fantasy baseball season, I'm jonesin' for a good season of Fantasy Football.There was a time in my life when football was my reason for hanging. A powerful depression/anxiety combo platter threatened to undo me early on in college. I was in Buffalo then, and became a Bills fan--in the days before the Bills had a shot at post-season play, let alone super bowl appearances. I became part of a community of people who knew the odds were against them, and believed anyway. Above all else, football teaches you that.
The love of football I had as a kid sustained me. I wish you could see me at 9, wearing my bright red #16 Lenny Dawson jersey, tough as nails, shoulder pads underneath, watching intently as my brother drew the next play on the palm of his hand.I'm an AFC girl stuck in an NFC town. It's really not fair.
The best antidote I can think of is a good round of Fantasy Football. Drop me an email if you've got a line on a Fantasy league for me, will ya? And remind me how to play. I'm a bit rusty.
--
stowe on ebola
Stowe shares my personal nightmare of an airborne Ebola outbreak. (Add Bird Flu to mine--find me a source for tamiflu, will ya?) Stowe notes that a conventional outbreak of Ebola fever is spreading in the Congo. So far at least 167 people have died over about four months and nearly 400 are sick with Ebola, which is usually fatal, and not in a good way.
Scary stuff. So far from Silicon Valley and Web 2.0, yet so close with our hyper-mobile global economy.
We all breathe one air.
---
Scary stuff. So far from Silicon Valley and Web 2.0, yet so close with our hyper-mobile global economy.
We all breathe one air.
---
Authentic Original Tecktonik Dance Mixes
It's all the rage. It's panic-attack-bad-rash-lice-in-the-hair-seizure-inducing disco! And it's just not right.
So if you're looking for authentic, original tecktonik dance mixes, give George a call at 770-598-2315.
[want to learn the latest dance moves? watch this instructional video... then if you're over 40, shoot yourself. At least in the foot.]
--
So if you're looking for authentic, original tecktonik dance mixes, give George a call at 770-598-2315.
[want to learn the latest dance moves? watch this instructional video... then if you're over 40, shoot yourself. At least in the foot.]
--
September 20, 2007
For the indie consultant's toolkit
No I'm not even getting paid by these folks.
I figured I would do something different today and start out with a disclaimer that disclaims my non-involvement with a cool web-based signature tool company called echosign. I used their e-signature capability today to sign an NDA for a client after searching Google to see if such a tool exists.
Echosign eliminated the hassles of printing, signing, and faxing back the form, and since this particular fellow didn't have a fax machine handy, that meant I would have had to scan the signed form, save it as a JPEG, then attach it in an email, blah blah zzz zzz.
With echosign, you can one-click sign a document, email it to the people of your choosing, and access the saved documents in your online archive.
You get 5 trial signatures when you register. After that, it's $12.95/month, which is just above my gut-instinct price point for such a service. That's why I would like Google to buy echosign and add the capability to Google Docs & Spreadsheets.
Thank you. (P.S. Google, please work on solving the healthcare problem first.)
---
I figured I would do something different today and start out with a disclaimer that disclaims my non-involvement with a cool web-based signature tool company called echosign. I used their e-signature capability today to sign an NDA for a client after searching Google to see if such a tool exists.
Echosign eliminated the hassles of printing, signing, and faxing back the form, and since this particular fellow didn't have a fax machine handy, that meant I would have had to scan the signed form, save it as a JPEG, then attach it in an email, blah blah zzz zzz.
With echosign, you can one-click sign a document, email it to the people of your choosing, and access the saved documents in your online archive.
You get 5 trial signatures when you register. After that, it's $12.95/month, which is just above my gut-instinct price point for such a service. That's why I would like Google to buy echosign and add the capability to Google Docs & Spreadsheets.
Thank you. (P.S. Google, please work on solving the healthcare problem first.)
---
September 15, 2007
September 14, 2007
Even Closer to Home.
George's mother passed away tonight. Lula had an incredibly strong life force and did not let go easily. Born in 1921 and raised in Mississippi, she saw a lot in her 86 years. Her family fled Mississippi after her mother bit off the ear of a white man for harassing her and her daughter. That daughter went on to sing opera, graduate from Buffalo State University in 1959, raise three sons, and was a New York State school teacher until she retired and moved to Florida 20 years ago. There's a lot more to her story, and a whole lot more to her legacy. That story belongs to others, and is theirs to share.
May she rest in Peace.
---
May she rest in Peace.
---
You Know How I Feel About Blogrolls
An interesting discussion is going on at Doc's on blogrolls. My latest comment is here.
Disclaimer: I AM A LONG TIME FAN OF THE BLOGROLL.
I think if people have too hard of a time keeping up with what the folks on their blogrolls are writing, then:
1) who cares. there's no law mandating that I read the people on my blogroll every day, every week, or even every year. my blogroll will be more useful to me and others if I do, yes. but maybe i like someone's blog but they only posted once. guess what: i can put it on my blogroll. maybe i loved that post. so what if that person writes crap six months out of the year, but maybe they shit out a jewel every May. Maybe I love their jewel. maybe i love them. maybe i hate them but love the way they write. maybe i love them but hate the way they write. I can blogroll whoever I want. A link to a blog is not my endorsement of every post. My link says, well lookie there. Stay out of my blogroll methodology. make me a bumpersticker: keep your rules off my blogroll.
2) shut up. if you don't ever get time to click through your blogroll, you could try shutting up for a week and only reading. It isn't that hard. Maybe all of us should shut up and only read/comment for one week each month. I'd rather see that then plain paper pages with plenty of whitespace cluttering the Web and sending me no-where fast.
3) add new voices. if you aren't keeping up, you might be bored with the people on your blogroll. add new voices then. blogrolling.com has 1-click adding. Use your technorati faves to fuel your blogroll. That is saying: "hey, something made my heart go boom-boom a little bit." You are afraid of being a gatekeeper. White space is gate keeping too, pa. It's a fence around your posts. It's opting out of doing the right thing because the right thing takes too long. Bullocks. Fund a startup and solve the problem.
Blogs are not magazines. Fuck white space. Long live the Blogroll.
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Disclaimer: I AM A LONG TIME FAN OF THE BLOGROLL.
I think if people have too hard of a time keeping up with what the folks on their blogrolls are writing, then:
1) who cares. there's no law mandating that I read the people on my blogroll every day, every week, or even every year. my blogroll will be more useful to me and others if I do, yes. but maybe i like someone's blog but they only posted once. guess what: i can put it on my blogroll. maybe i loved that post. so what if that person writes crap six months out of the year, but maybe they shit out a jewel every May. Maybe I love their jewel. maybe i love them. maybe i hate them but love the way they write. maybe i love them but hate the way they write. I can blogroll whoever I want. A link to a blog is not my endorsement of every post. My link says, well lookie there. Stay out of my blogroll methodology. make me a bumpersticker: keep your rules off my blogroll.
2) shut up. if you don't ever get time to click through your blogroll, you could try shutting up for a week and only reading. It isn't that hard. Maybe all of us should shut up and only read/comment for one week each month. I'd rather see that then plain paper pages with plenty of whitespace cluttering the Web and sending me no-where fast.
3) add new voices. if you aren't keeping up, you might be bored with the people on your blogroll. add new voices then. blogrolling.com has 1-click adding. Use your technorati faves to fuel your blogroll. That is saying: "hey, something made my heart go boom-boom a little bit." You are afraid of being a gatekeeper. White space is gate keeping too, pa. It's a fence around your posts. It's opting out of doing the right thing because the right thing takes too long. Bullocks. Fund a startup and solve the problem.
Blogs are not magazines. Fuck white space. Long live the Blogroll.
---
Yay Marshall
Marshall Kirkpatrick is a stellar human being and a uber-talented writer. Good for read/write web to nab him. Looks like he's going back to full-time blogging, takin' care of bidness over at Read/Write Web and working on his consulting gig. That was a pretty quick move from indie to day-job to indie. Or some such thing. Whatever the arrangement, good luck Marshall! YAY!
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Startups were launched and dissolved in the time it took this baby to arrive
He's Here!
Let the first round of funding begin! w00t!
Let the first round of funding begin! w00t!
September 13, 2007
Conspiratorial and Proud
"Meteorologists were at a loss to explain the rapid, 16-hour genesis of the first hurricane to hit the U.S. since 2005."
really? let me try:
You get bye-bye with a little help from your friends. From 1997:
"In much the same way that infrared and low-light viewing equipment has made it possible for 20th-century soldiers to own the night, U.S. Air Force planners hope to give 21st-century warriors advanced technologies that will enable them to own the weather. A declassified version of a 2-year study prepared by the Air War College and obtained by PM reveals that this is no dreamland scenario. The Pentagon's top meteorologists believe the United States will be ready to fight--and win--a weather war early in the next century."
I'm thinking we're not to "and win" yet??
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really? let me try:
You get bye-bye with a little help from your friends. From 1997:
"In much the same way that infrared and low-light viewing equipment has made it possible for 20th-century soldiers to own the night, U.S. Air Force planners hope to give 21st-century warriors advanced technologies that will enable them to own the weather. A declassified version of a 2-year study prepared by the Air War College and obtained by PM reveals that this is no dreamland scenario. The Pentagon's top meteorologists believe the United States will be ready to fight--and win--a weather war early in the next century."
I'm thinking we're not to "and win" yet??
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Closer and Closer to Home
Just found out Bobby Byrd died yesterday. There must be a show scheduled someplace beyond this place that needs some serious soul. George played with Bobby. Our thoughts are with the family. Our sadness is with the changing face of music.---
September 12, 2007
Follow the Ironic Link
Some interesting articles sponsored by O'Reilly, oddly enough, on women in technology. I can't wait to dig into these, especially Shelley's article, "So What?" because I always enjoy reading Shelley. So THAT'S what you've been up to, Shell!
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September 11, 2007
Oh. he said street massings.
i thought he said "street mashups".
Which, ultimately are better than a fox attack.
in other links:
Frank's composing an anthem.
Shelley's still gone. But not forgotten.
I'm wondering what happened to Paul Scheele?
Where's Denise?
Where's Gary's blog--am I on drugs?
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Which, ultimately are better than a fox attack.
in other links:
Frank's composing an anthem.
Shelley's still gone. But not forgotten.
I'm wondering what happened to Paul Scheele?
Where's Denise?
Where's Gary's blog--am I on drugs?
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If I were writing the press release...
I posted yesterday an idea on how and why Google should throw it's enormous financial weight and business smarts at the American healthcare problem. If I were in charge of the world, this is the press release I would write announcing a new plan from Google to help their uninsured users.
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GOOGLE TO OFFER HEALTHCARE BENEFITS TO USERS
The company of “firsts” strikes again with new program that lets millions of U.S.-based users participate in company benefit programs
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (September 11, 2007) - No stranger to innovation, Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) today announced that it would extend benefits to its user and customer base. Under Google’s Well America Plan, U.S.-based users of the company’s enterprise and web-based tools may apply for benefits. For $100 per month per individual, or $250 for a family of three or more, Google’s user base can select from a range of Google-sponsored benefits, including major medical, prescription drug, hospitalization, and alternative health programs. Three pricing tiers are available, with rates varying depending upon the annual deductible selected.
Google-sponsored dental plans are available from $9.99 per month, and Google will offer a complementary vision plan to all users.
“In its current form, the American healthcare system is not working,” said [[I WOULD PROBABLY GET IN TROUBLE IF I PUT A REAL NAME HERE]. “With a U.S. population of more than 301,000,000 -- an estimated half of whom are using Google or related applications at least occasionally -- our estimated U.S. user-base of 150,000,000 deserves access to affordable healthcare in the same way our employees do. We provide benefits to our employees, and now we will offer them to our customers and partners at an affordable rate.”
There are currently 45.8 million uninsured in the United States, half of whom live below the poverty level and as such are eligible for Federally and state-funded healthcare programs. That leaves 25 million Americans uninsured and ineligible for government-sponsored programs. Many of these individuals are self-employed knowledge workers and Google users.
“In a networked economy, the lines between users and employees, between partners and other stakeholders, are blurring,” said [[DON’T WANT TO GET SUED]]. “The search industry is based on content, and that content is provided by the millions of users who publish content to the web. That’s just one reason why this program is the right thing for Google to do.”
Google’s Well America Program will begin taking applications October 1. To apply for Google benefits, visit www.GoogleSaveUS.com.
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GOOGLE TO OFFER HEALTHCARE BENEFITS TO USERS
The company of “firsts” strikes again with new program that lets millions of U.S.-based users participate in company benefit programs
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (September 11, 2007) - No stranger to innovation, Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) today announced that it would extend benefits to its user and customer base. Under Google’s Well America Plan, U.S.-based users of the company’s enterprise and web-based tools may apply for benefits. For $100 per month per individual, or $250 for a family of three or more, Google’s user base can select from a range of Google-sponsored benefits, including major medical, prescription drug, hospitalization, and alternative health programs. Three pricing tiers are available, with rates varying depending upon the annual deductible selected.
Google-sponsored dental plans are available from $9.99 per month, and Google will offer a complementary vision plan to all users.
“In its current form, the American healthcare system is not working,” said [[I WOULD PROBABLY GET IN TROUBLE IF I PUT A REAL NAME HERE]. “With a U.S. population of more than 301,000,000 -- an estimated half of whom are using Google or related applications at least occasionally -- our estimated U.S. user-base of 150,000,000 deserves access to affordable healthcare in the same way our employees do. We provide benefits to our employees, and now we will offer them to our customers and partners at an affordable rate.”
There are currently 45.8 million uninsured in the United States, half of whom live below the poverty level and as such are eligible for Federally and state-funded healthcare programs. That leaves 25 million Americans uninsured and ineligible for government-sponsored programs. Many of these individuals are self-employed knowledge workers and Google users.
“In a networked economy, the lines between users and employees, between partners and other stakeholders, are blurring,” said [[DON’T WANT TO GET SUED]]. “The search industry is based on content, and that content is provided by the millions of users who publish content to the web. That’s just one reason why this program is the right thing for Google to do.”
Google’s Well America Program will begin taking applications October 1. To apply for Google benefits, visit www.GoogleSaveUS.com.
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September 10, 2007
Google Could Fix Healthcare
Dear Google,
On the eve of making a decision whether to go up to a $3500 deductible and $600/month for health insurance (six sick visits a year before having to pay out of pocket up to the 3,500 and paying 30 percent after that), I turn to you for help. Because you have demonstrated by developing web apps that change the way we work that you are a problem solver of magnificent proportion.
With all this foundation money, which is growing faster than you can spend it, You are in a better position than the U.S. government to fix health care in America. The country is bankrupt, while you are flush. So, who should we trust more to make thing happen quickly--the government and health care industry that have let us down again and again, or the company that makes it possible for us to make a living globally without leaving home?
Google, above all do no harm, okay... but if you want to lend a real helping hand to the challenges of web workers -- to give us what we are REALLY missing -- tell us how you'd make it so we can have access to good health care for our bodies and teeth, ourselves and our kids, without losing our homes, our families, or our lives?
Web app that if you would.
I thank you.
-me
p.s., I am not kidding. What if you extended benefits to your users -- your customers and partners -- not just your employees. the lines are blurred. we already work for you. i have worked for blogger.com for six years. let us in.
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On the eve of making a decision whether to go up to a $3500 deductible and $600/month for health insurance (six sick visits a year before having to pay out of pocket up to the 3,500 and paying 30 percent after that), I turn to you for help. Because you have demonstrated by developing web apps that change the way we work that you are a problem solver of magnificent proportion.
With all this foundation money, which is growing faster than you can spend it, You are in a better position than the U.S. government to fix health care in America. The country is bankrupt, while you are flush. So, who should we trust more to make thing happen quickly--the government and health care industry that have let us down again and again, or the company that makes it possible for us to make a living globally without leaving home?
Google, above all do no harm, okay... but if you want to lend a real helping hand to the challenges of web workers -- to give us what we are REALLY missing -- tell us how you'd make it so we can have access to good health care for our bodies and teeth, ourselves and our kids, without losing our homes, our families, or our lives?
Web app that if you would.
I thank you.
-me
p.s., I am not kidding. What if you extended benefits to your users -- your customers and partners -- not just your employees. the lines are blurred. we already work for you. i have worked for blogger.com for six years. let us in.
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Hey that's what I said...
I see the word on Quechup as spam-champ of social-hookup tools is getting around. Check out the last line in the article. Great minds think alike. ;-)
You'd think by now Quechup would have learned that online, there IS such a thing as bad PR. All links are NOT created equal. And being talked about badly is NOT better than not being talked about at all. Google's memory is longer than an elephant's. It persists, reminding customers and prospects after they've forgotten just how stupid you were.
Reputations are branded in an instant online. It takes much longer to undo a mess than the flippant mouse click (or background routine) it takes to do the damage.
Dang, I'm full of em today.
You'd think by now Quechup would have learned that online, there IS such a thing as bad PR. All links are NOT created equal. And being talked about badly is NOT better than not being talked about at all. Google's memory is longer than an elephant's. It persists, reminding customers and prospects after they've forgotten just how stupid you were.
Reputations are branded in an instant online. It takes much longer to undo a mess than the flippant mouse click (or background routine) it takes to do the damage.
Dang, I'm full of em today.
Tell AKMA Happy Birthday!
Stop over at AKMA's place today and say happy birthday!
My goodness when I met AKMA he was just a young man of 44. Now he is Very Very old.
But Seriously, there are two handfuls of people I've met through blogging who have made a difference in my life and the life of my family. There's one handful of these people who are so much part of my life's fabric that they are part of the reason I'm still here and still healing.
AKMA is one of those people. I thank him I thank him I thank him. He demonstrates in life and on his blog the meaning of Grace and kindness. Of wit and understanding. He has not let the conservative bushwhacks run away with his Christianity. Or my Christianity. He cares, truly cares, about people. He is an example of what it means for real human beings, with bumps and bruises and real-human-being-stuff, to have Faith.
He and his wife Margaret and his family are our friends and we are blessed to know them.
Happy Birthday AKMA!!!
(and don't forget the mountain goat!)
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My goodness when I met AKMA he was just a young man of 44. Now he is Very Very old.
But Seriously, there are two handfuls of people I've met through blogging who have made a difference in my life and the life of my family. There's one handful of these people who are so much part of my life's fabric that they are part of the reason I'm still here and still healing.
AKMA is one of those people. I thank him I thank him I thank him. He demonstrates in life and on his blog the meaning of Grace and kindness. Of wit and understanding. He has not let the conservative bushwhacks run away with his Christianity. Or my Christianity. He cares, truly cares, about people. He is an example of what it means for real human beings, with bumps and bruises and real-human-being-stuff, to have Faith.
He and his wife Margaret and his family are our friends and we are blessed to know them.
Happy Birthday AKMA!!!
(and don't forget the mountain goat!)
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