Category Archives: Geekery

Friends and Family, Geekery, Me

Hello! Still here…

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I was just messing around with my twitter tools plugin.  It hasn’t updated my twitter updates for the last couple of weeks since I switched hostign providers so I was wondering if it was broken.  Looks like everything is ok.  Last time I was messing around with the blog apparently a few people who subscribe to my friendfeed or twitter account got spammed gloriously with all of my test posts.  I tried to delete them right away but it was too late, they were already out there in the cloud!  This dang interweb, its just way too fast for an old timer like me, lol.  I have noticed a reduction in my facebook friends as well.  I am probably going to guess they do not like the way my friendfeed has the ability to completely dominate their home page when I go on a crazy sharing spree.  Lol, oh well.  Be safe, my good fellows, I bid you farewell.

My parents gave me their 37 inch lcd TV on the weekend.  So its sitting in my place taking up massive amounts of space.  I was messing around with it and have it acting as a second monitor to my computer.  It works beautifully with Windows Media Center.  Today, I’ve been using remote desktop on it to remote into the office.  For some reason, the mouse wasn’t working.  I couldn’t figure it out and it was driving me crazy.  Turns out I was using the mouse to my laptop, which was off, and not the mouse to my computer.  FAIL.  My brother got me these sweet wireless headphones that I absolutely love.  I used them last night listening to some music while making dinner, to lying on my bed listening to some paraliminals, whereas before I had to drag my bed over to my computer because my wired headphones weren’t long enough.  Awesome!  And now, I am complete.  Good day.

Geekery

Real simple syndication not so simple… Or is it?

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People have asked me how I manage to read so much in a day and share it so quickly. If I did what I did the conventional way, that is, go to each individual site, click on the article I wish to read, and then copy that article and link it through my favourite sharing sites that would pretty much be a full time job. If you follow my friendfeed, twitter, or just see my facebook updates you’ll notice that I can burn through things very quickly. I can rip through things fast not because I am a fast reader, but because I have the right tools. One thing that helps me is this magical thing called RSS – Really Simple Syndication (or something like that). Like all things web related, it can be a little confusing and not so simple at all. Let me break it down for you. Please note, I am not going into the technical details of RSS, only what it is and what it can do for you.

RSS is a standardized web format(s) that let’s publishers (like me) publish content to readers (like you) without the reader having to actually visit the site. It has the advantage for publishers to reach out to a wider audience and for readers because they can aggregate, or collect, all of their favourite RSS feeds into one place. Let’s use a real world example to illustrate:

I like to read blogs such as Lifehacker, Mashable, My Mom is a Fob, F My Life. Instead of going to each individual website hoping to see an update, I can subscribe to their feeds and use a feed reader to view them. This gives me the advantage in that I do not have to visit each site individually, and only have to use my feed reader (4 sites all gathered into 1 place, pretty sweet). It also has the advantage in that content will only be shown if it is new or if I haven’t read it. So, I don’t have to frequently check the site, instead when the site updates I’ll get the update automagically in my reader. Cool, right? The updates come to me, not the other way around. Pretty much all sites that update these days have a RSS feed, including mine. Just look for the RSS icon. Clicking on this icon will allow you to subscribe to the RSS feed.

Now you’ll have to find a RSS reader. RSS readers come in all shapes and sizes. You can have a web based reader, desktop reader, mobile reader for your phone, browser based reader, etc. I choose to use Google Reader, because Google is awesome and since I have a Google Account (who doesn’t nowadays?) it saves me from signing up for another service. Plus Google Reader is dead simple to use, flexible, and has good search capabilities. Now everytime I come across a site I like, if I wish to add it to my regular reading list I can simply subscribe to its feed by clicking on the RSS icon, choosing Google Reader as my reader of choice, and new updates show up. Now instead of going to a zillion different sites, I can just open up Google Reader and enjoy my reading in a nice, easy to follow format. You can organize your feeds and subscribe to feeds you are interested in reading instead of having to go through information you aren’t interested in a lot faster now.

On top of that, I now use a Firefox extension called Feedly that does something even better, it takes your Google Reader and digests all the information to make it really nice and easy to follow. Thanks to Feedly, I’m able to burn through things even faster than before. It also has a really AWESOME feature that let’s me easily share things as well. If I find a site I like all I have to do is click a button and that gets shared through Google Reader, which then propagates through to my twitter and friendfeed and on to Facebook.

If all of that is confusing for you, you could try a site like Alltop, which does a lot of the subscribing stuff for you. All you have to do is create an account, choose the topics you are interested in, and Alltop will do the rest. Its easier to do for beginners, but not as flexible. Worth a consideration if you just want to see if RSS is right for you. If you enjoy reading on the web, than I would say it is.

Geekery

Protecting your privacy online.

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Its out there.  Every photo you share, every status update you provide, every email you send.  Off it goes, into the cloud.  Somewhere, sitting on some hard drive, that information is stored forever.  How many of you actually read the terms of service when you sign up for a website or service?  I’m going to say not many.

I believe in a more open, a more connected world.  I think the way the internet is moving is a fun and exciting thing to be a part of.  I recommend social media to anybody who has a computer and an internet connection.  It has many, many advantages and can be a very enjoyable experience.  But be careful, the information you put out there can haunt you for the rest of your life, can come back to bite you, or be just plain embarrassing.

Your history on Twitter or Friendfeed, as an example, stays with you.  You can post whatever you want on there, but keep in mind that future business partners, or potential/current employees, or new clients can just as easily find this information as the next person with a keyboard.  All it takes is some googling and BAM, there you are.  Every site you visit, every site you sign up for or digg or stumble, you leave a trail.  Do you really want a potential employee to find that picture of you drunk out of your mind, passed out on a police cruiser on your Myspace page?

A read a blog post on Seth Godin‘s blog a while back on one of his friends looking for a nanny for her kids.  She had it down to three people and so decided to do what any responsible parent would do;  She went ahead and googled their names.  I don’t remember exactly what the results were, but if I recall it was something like this:  Applicant 1 had a criminal record, applicant 2 had a Myspace page showing some bad pictures you definitely don’t want employers to find, and applicant 3 had a blog discussing how she is doing jobs she hates and that are below her just to pay the bills.  Brutal guys, just brutal.  Be smart about what you do online.  Just because you are not face to face with someone and are behind a computer screen does not make you anonymous, does not make it ok to act like a dummy.  Common sense still applies in the online world.

Sites like Twitter and Friendfeed encourage you to seek out strangers sharing similar interests.  Most of the people you decide to follow on those sites you don’t know, and probably will never meet.  That might make you think that its ok to write and do whatever the heck you please, but you would be dead wrong.  And then there is Facebook.  Facebook is more of a closed community in which you more or less know the people in your friends list.  They have just recently opened up the profiles so that anybody can be friends with anybody else and of course Facebook profiles can be searchable through Google.  This is really important to keep in mind.  You really should pay attention to your privacy settings on Facebook, allowing who gets to see what.  But its YOUR responsibility to make sure your friends don’t kick your butt, either.  See, your friends know the nitty gritty, darker, not safe for work, not safe for the world to see part of you.  All it takes is one slip up from your friend to ruin your reputation online or otherwise.

“Remember that time we went to Vegas and you did <insert bad thing not to be discussed over the internet>…” can seriously ruin a person if posted on a wall or tweeted.  Those pictures in your friends photo album that you are tagged in, in which you are doing something really silly, do you really want his 500 friends to see?  If his profile is open, googleable (is that a word?) and in the public, do you really want the world to see?  Probably not.  Your friends don’t know any better.  Take it upon yourself to ensure that they do.  Its your reputation on the line.  At worst, it could cost you your job, or that contract, or that potential relationship, etc.  Be smart and have fun, but be conscious of the actions you do that may affect you and those close to you.

Geekery

I’m having an affair…

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I love my current relationship, I really do.  We’ve been with each other for years now.  She’s been great.  I remember when I first met her, so many moons ago.  I was in a dissatisfied relationship at the time.  It was rocky, it was boring.  We’d fight all the time, and I just wasn’t happy with the situation at all.  Then she came along.  She was a fox.  A breath of fresh air, hot like fire, easy on the eyes.  I took a liking to her instantly, and together we built something beautiful.

Sure, it wasn’t perfect.  She had her spats every now and again.  Sometimes, I wanted to try things she wasn’t into it and didn’t like.  Maybe she thought I was changing her into something she didn’t want to be.  But all of my intentions were good.  They always have been.  But overall, we agreed far more times then we disagreed, worked together wonderfully, and so I was happy.  Much better than before.  Things were going so well, and I was settling into something I thought would be for the rest of my life.  Despite the fact that she was getting a little … I don’t know what the word would be to describe her without sounding like a jerk.. I guess you could say “bloated”, I still care for her so much.

But then, a new kid on the block came along.  And boy oh boy is she ever sexy.  Smooth, sleek, gorgeous.  A temptress she is, and I just couldn’t resist.  I had to try her out.  At first, I had my reservations.  She was good, so good, but I just love my fox so much.  I told myself, it was a mistake, convinced myself that I was already committed and so I shut the temptress down.  It was hard to do, and I was so proud of myself.

And then she came back, sexier than ever.  My lord, so light, so fast.  Google Chrome, you are so so incredible.  And yes, I am cheating.   Cheating so much on my beloved Firefox.  But I cannot help it.  I cannot resist Chrome’s wonderful features.  I cannot resist her speed.  Oh lord, her speed drives me crazy!  Makes me so happy.  So so happy.  I don’t want to leave my precious Firefox, but Chrome is just so wonderful.  Sigh, I’m torn.  So torn between something that has been so great to me, with something that may treat me even better.

Note:  Yes, I really do need to go out more.

Geekery, Me

when things don’t go the way as planned.

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Things aren’t going as planned.  I’ve been struggling these days to keep things balanced, prioritizing items, and not letting myself get in my way.  There’s a ton I want to do/write around here but right now I am struggling to find the time to do so.

I’ve been wanting to put in a commenting system here that really kicks butt.  There are two that are competing for my attention and I am keeping a close eye on both.  They are disqus and intense debate.  Both are really cool but neither stands out above the other.  Both have a lot to offer but neither are really above what I have already in place to justify the switch.  The cool thing about both is that they are integrating with social networks and the like (what isn’t nowadays) so that your comments can “follow” you as you go around the net.  Both are super cool and have tons of potential but I am waiting on some maturity before I make a decision.  Probably won’t be happening for a while.

I’m looking forward to the warmer weather.  I think my being locked in a cave, in all its anti-social glory, is starting to turn me into Jack Nicholson in The Shining.  The only people I see these days are my coworkers, and the only people I speak to are dissatisfied techies and my parents.  My only saving grace is rock climbing but I have had to defer that for a couple weeks because of the GMAT.  But the GMAT isn’t going nearly as smoothly as I projected.  I do great on some tests and I do so-so on others.  I need consistency before I do anything.  It sucks because I keep deferring and deferring and deferring and I might defer it past the deadline for Uni applications.  That wouldn’t be the end of the world, in fact that would probably be my preference but I don’t want to stay in my cave any longer!  I have a pile of books just waiting to be read.  I have vacations to plan, people to see, things to do.  My mind has been telling me “As soon as your done this thing man, BJJ, that’s what you are going to do.  5 days a week man!  You can do it!” and “Oh man your grip strength is incredible now, and you can do triple the amount of chinups you could do before without even breaking a sweat.  Now imagine if you had time to get in even more workouts.  Rock climbing machine!” and “These books, you have to read them.  There’s so much wisdom and knowledge to be applied.  Hurry man, you’re wasting away your time.  You aren’t young anymore!” and so on and so forth.  Can you imagine trying to study with all that racket?

Truth is, I am in no rush to back to school, so my mind needs to stfu.  But I do want to write this GMAT thing soon, just to get it over with.  How soon?  When I’m ready and not a moment before.  And yes, I am still young, I plan to live until I’m 150, and then by the time I’m 150 the medicine and technology during that time will let me live until I’m 1000.   😉  So I am doing just fine.  I’ll be missing some events here and there, like a trip to Boston, and some climbing, and some birthday parties.  But those are the breaks, and I’m fine with that.  I want to earn everything that comes to me, including the good and bad.

Lesson for today:  Tell your brain to shut up.  Then tell it you love it.

Geekery, Life, Me

when death comes knocking.

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“First you have to give up, first you have to *know*… not fear… *know*… that someday you’re gonna die.” – Tyler Durden

Murder… suicide… aids… cancer… heart attack. I’m reminded of the ways people I know have left this place.  I’m reminded of death and I think, wow, that sounds like something out of a movie and yet, this is what has happened with great people that have touched me in one way or another at one point in my life.  Another great one over the weekend has left.

What are your regrets if you were to die today? What would you wish you’d done?

I don’t have many. Mine would be that I never had a child to call my own. That would probably be at the very top. Other things are pretty minor in the grand scheme of things:

  • A dog, man’s best friend. Lol I know weird, but a dog will love you unconditionally, no matter what.
  • Seeing the world. I’ve seen quite a lot, but still microcosmic to the vastness of the world. If I could do it full time, I would. One day…
  • Working with children. I’d love to be able to work with children. Young children, whose innocence and curiosity is just so pure. Right before social conditioning gets a hold of them. If I can inspire some kids for the better, that would be awesome. Its something I’d love to do in my later years.

But really, that’s about it. I’ve loved, I’ve lost. I’ve been beaten up, and it wasn’t the end of the world. I’ve tried my best and failed miserably, and I’m still here. But I know, that my time will come, and your time will come, so instead of fearing it, why not embrace the inevitable? Such a liberating feeling it is to know that today quite possibly could be your last, so why not do the things you love to do? If I were to go today, I’d be content. But I’d love to stick around, because there’s just so much to feel, so much to experience, so much to contribute and be a part of.

Speaking of contributing, check out the awesome idea of Tim Ferriss.  What a great and easy way help a worthy cause.  Social Media for the betterment of all.  I like it.  All you have to do is follow him on twitter, and money gets donated!! I like.

By the way, I hope you guys are checking out my Tumblr stuff, I usually post funny pictures and goofy stories I find around the net.  I know its silly stuff but hey if it makes me smile, maybe it’ll make you smile too 🙂

Oh and check out this awesome poem.

Geekery

Twitter for n00bs

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Disclaimer: Written by a twitter n00b

What is Twitter?

I don’t know.  It is so simple yet so difficult to explain.

Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?

That was taken from the twitter website.  But that still doesn’t explain it that well.  They call it “micro-blogging”, I guess.  Basically twitter lets you provide small updates (140 characters max) and they make it convenient to do so.  You can update via email, on your Iphone or Blackberry, on the twitter website, through 3rd party applications or websites, really almost anywhere.  Nice and convenient.

Who uses Twitter?

Everybody!  Celebrities like Shaq and Britney Spears.  For the record, Shaq is hilarious.  Politicians like Al Gore and Barack Obama.  Authors like Tim Ferris and Steve Pavlina.  University Professors and researchers.  Companies like Starbucks and Marvel Entertainment.  Sports teams like the San Diego Chargers and the Chicago Bulls.

They come from all walks of life!

So far so good.  But why use Twitter?

Because its fun!  You can let your friends and family know what you are doing and what’s on your mind.  You can share funny things you find across the web.  You can ask questions and get quick replies.  It can be an extremely useful tool.

A snowboarder that went missing in the Swiss Alps was found with the help of the GPS signal from his iPhone, while his friends were raising awareness about the accident on Twitter. His friend, unfortunately, was found dead after an extensive search.

Taken from Mashable

When Gmail went down a couple of weeks ago, Tweeters were the first to report it.  Slowdowns on the public transportation you rely on?  Check Twitter, I bet there is news about what is going on.  Companies are starting to pay attention to what Tweeter’s have to say.  If customers have a complaint, these companies want to gather this information to satisfy their customers. 

In short, twitter has past the tipping point and has hit critical mass.  There are enough people using it that you can get real time information very very quickly.  It can be used almost like a real time search engine, where the information comes in fast and furious.

How do you use Twitter?

Simple, go to twitter.com and sign up for an account.  Then you are ready to start tweeting.  You will need to follow some people to see their updates, and they’ll need to follow you to see yours.  If you don’t hide your tweets, they will also be a part of the public timeline so everybody can see them.

You can tweet from the website itself, or you can download apps for your Iphone, or extensions for your browser.  For example, I use Digsby as my IM client on Windows.  This has twitter integration and so I am able to see what other people are tweeting about and reply if want to.  I usually tweet using the Ubiquity Firefox extension.  The two most popular desktop  applications I keep hearing about are Twhirl and Tweetdeck, although I haven’t used them myself.  Its all supposed to make tweeting easier, not more complicated so don’t get overwhelmed.  If you are confused then just stick to the website for now until you get your bearings on it.

Twitter is the fastest growing social network on the web right now.  Facebook tried to acquire them and failed.  Very soon, your going to start seeing some changes on Facebook’s homepage.  This is a likely a direct challenge to twitter’s emergence, as Facebook will try to beat twitter at its own game.  It will be interesting to see how it all unfolds.