Say Hello to The Straits of Tech blog

I went out on a limb and decided to start a tech/business/Detroit centered blog named The Straits of Tech. I will still maintain this blog when there's content to share with you, but I thought I would put my efforts into something that is a little more focused.

Also, if you haven't already visited my music blog, please check out Feed Me My Music (FM3). It's a place where I like to share my love for music with you.

Enjoy!

Obama continues to use internet buzzwords on Google

I have to thank my twitterfeed again for finding this. User @chownage notes that when you google the word twitter, it comes up with the popular micro-blogging tool first, but then the second link is to Barack Obama's twitter page. I would think this might confirm Obama's campaign includes paying for better page ranks in search, especially since the same thing was happening when you searched Facebook last week and now it's gone. I guess it could be popular enough to make it to the top.



I'm still a little torn on whether it's a great idea or just over the top. Not that anything illegal is happening. It just seems like polotics is all about association and if you're associated with up and coming internet companies and buzzwords like Facebook and Twitter, it's probably better than being associated with oil companies and an old regime.

Cropper makes my life easier

Cropper? What can Cropper do for me? Well, I don't know exactly what it can do for you, but I know what it has done for me. This easy to use tool allows you to take a snapshot of anything on your screen in any size by simply double-clicking. It's great for blogging, documentation, and technical support. A co-worker introduced it to me at work and I use it everyday. I can size the snapshot, then double-click and paste to an email or Word or PowerPoint. Such a great tool.

I just used it for the first time at home in my last blog post and I thought I would share it with you.

Cropper was created by Brian Scott. You can read his blog post about Cropper, including all features and fixes. You can download Cropper here. Enjoy!

Barack Obama and Facebook

Does anyone find it odd the second search result from typing in Facebook into google is Barack Obama's Facebook page? Does that mean there's that much interest in that page or it's the most relevant page for Facebook in Google indexes? Interesting...



Update: I have to thank @chownage from my Twitterfeed for letting me know about this interesting find.

Samsung Instinct fails to work with YouTube

If you've been following my Twitter feed at all, you've noticed I've been trying to start using my Samsung Instinct for more than just it's phone calling capabilities. Today, I thought I would upload my first video to YouTube. I think it would be cool to share with family, friends, and the public the things I get to witness in my life.

The process seemed to be fairly simple. I registered my phone with YouTube, then shot a quick 25 second video of my sleeping dog. I then uploaded it to YouTube, received a confirmation that it was uploaded and then proceeded to YouTube to view my work.

What I found was a cute video of the dog, but no audio. After searching to see if I did something wrong or if there was a problem with YouTube or the phone, I came across a forum thread that describes in detail what the problem was. Apparently, Samsung and/or Sprint failed to make sure the audio codec they were using would work with YouTube.

The irony in it all? Back when the phone was released, Sprint kicked off a marketing campaign where they would pay you $20 to upload videos of the Instinct to YouTube. Apparently they never consulted with Samsung on whether that was a good idea(you know, since they never tested to see if the phone can upload videos properly to YouTube). It kind of makes me feel like the marketing team at Sprint probably never used the phone themselves.

Too bad for me, I guess. I'll either have to wait for a fix or start looking for another option. Here's the video if you care to watch, without the audio of course.

So far, just my toes are in the water...

I've spent most of my night cleaning up Google Reader, trying to ship eBay auction items, tinkering with my new phone, and learning about more things I won't have time to use. I turn into a technology-sponge when I sit at my computer. I just enjoy plowing through all the feeds and info. According to Google Reader, I browsed through almost 1200 items today, and we didn't I wasn't even home from our 3 day weekend until 4PM.

All this to say, did I just waste the last 5 hours? Did I do something productive? Did I affect anything in a positive way? I don't know. Maybe someone will read something I have done and say, well done, who knows. I think I need to train myself to contribute to the web 2.0 sphere, not just feed off of it. Although I really haven't found the time to get involved in FriendFeed yet, my limited experience with it has taught me if I want to contribute, I can't sit on the sidelines. If I really want to learn, I have to be involved and open up. I can read 1200 items in a day, but have I shared with anyone what I have learned or how it makes me feel? I want to be part of an interactive web, not a self-affixed knowledge sponge. I need to start finding ways to sqeeze the sponge after it has been soaked up. Once I start squeezing, hopefully my experiences can be shared with others in a way that inspires.

Can you be a casual junkie?

I was pondering this question over the last few days while I thought about my interests in the web 2.0 'sphere. Can you really be a junkie if you only have the time for it to be a casual interest? Sometimes I don't feel like I have time to keep up with the internet. I am signed up on so many sites that I don't have time to use. I just signed up for Freindfeed just because I heard it was cool. I could spend hours reading through feeds, writing reviews, updating a blog, or tweeting it up. I sign up for sites that I just hear about, I'm not even sure if I'll use it or not.

It really leads me to my next question. Why do I enjoy web 2.0 so much? Well, I think it comes down to contribution and interaction. I want to be able to learn and share with others. I want to have fun and intelligent conversations about technology, local issues, the economy. I want to learn what's interesting to other people that have the same (or sometimes differing) interests. That's what makes it so great. You don't have 1 site to check for news or opinion, you can see the ebb and flow of what's important to people everywhere.

For now, I think I'll be a casual junkie. I'll get to the computer when I can. It's a hobby. Maybe some day it will be more than that, but that's definitely not what I'm looking for. I'm looking for opportunities to open my mind and to contribute to the greater cloud of the web.

What do I really look forward to reading online...

If you've taken any notice to the Google reader shared articles feed, I probably read a blog called TechDirt the most. It keeps me up to speed on a lot of different things that are going on with media, patents, business models, and how it affects consumers, businesses and the world as a whole. Their articles encompass a lot of different subjects. They also post around 10 times a day, so there's always something new. I took a little break from content for about a month, so I'm trying to catch up to today's posts. Only 80 more to go. If you really want to keep up to date on what's going on in the technology world, with some great commentary and discussion, I suggest you check them out.

Blogging...

I just realized that I blog so little that my wife has taken me off of her list of blogs she reads. I'm probably still in her Google reader though. But can you blame her? I'm still pretty involved with Facebook, at least enough to keep up with the friends updates. I'm also a little enthralled with twitter right now, so maybe that's my new outlet. The content I do get to read I usually share through Google reader or comment on in either Facebook or twitter. So my web 2.0 usability just seems to come in waves. I really only keep up with 1 to 2 things at a time. We'll see if I can keep up with anything long enough where it is considered a sustainable hobby.

How to make friends and influence air travelers

So, I'm currently sitting in the Rochester Airport waiting for a 5PM flight. Now, what do I do with my 4 hours of time before I'm ready to board. I could buy a book or a magazine. I could grab a bite to eat. I could people watch (I don't think I'll ever stop doing that in an airport. Or, I could take my laptop out and get some work done or surf around on the internet.

Here's my dilemma. Why do I need to pay $9.99 for 24 hour time slot to get on their network? I'm not paying for the internet at that point. I'm really just paying for the convenience of using their connection to the internet. As a result, I actually found a wireless network called "linksys". More than likely one of the offices or vendors in the airport have a router opened up.

Right now you're probably thinking I'm either really cheap or I'm stealing internet. Well first, I am cheap. I'm going to look for a bargain when I can. If I really wanted to get on the internet, I'd probably pay the $9.99. On the other hand, why isn't their competition? Why should 1 company have the right to charge? Secondly, I'm not stealing anything. Whoever owns the router decided it wasn't important enough to keep the public off of it.

So vendors, want to get on my "companies I like" list while I'm traveling? Open up your network so I can get on the internet. Even better, let travelers know you have free wi-fi and they just might stop in for a bite to eat. And to the airports who think it's a good idea to sign a monopoly contract with these ISP's. Don't. You'll have happier travelers and less complaints. Trust me.

Are annoyances on the internet worth it?

I wanted to see what the top stories were over at the Detroit Free Press web site, and an animated flying bee went over the page and eventually landed on a banner ad on the right of the screen. Thank you to the programmer who just pushed me to never come back again. I'll go ahead and use Google Reader from now on. Try going to weather.com without some animated pop-up on your screen or having to see some animated dancing silhouette. Thanks to Firefox, I can now block them with ease.

Do you want to know why I use Firefox and RSS Readers like Google reader and I hardly have any applications added on Facebook? Because I think the internet is really annoying sometimes. Things like unsolicited pop-up ads, invitations, and busy sites just don't appeal to me.

I guess those are the things I will have to continue to deal with on a "free" internet. It's one of the biggest reasons I won't come back to a site. Unless I really need the info, I'll look elsewhere.

I understand ads (as you can see some of the ones on my own blog), but give me a reason to come back to your site or I'll continue to use tools that make my experience with the internet better.

Thank you Seth Godin

You'll have to thank Seth Godin for this post. His blog just inspires me to write here. I know I may not know what I'm doing on this blog or have any specific vision right now, but I can't get better at blogging by doing nothing at all.

Detroit? Are you sure they said Detroit?

The Detroit Free Press pointed out a NY Times story that put together a list of 53 places to go in 2008. Why would they have any interest in pointing this out? Well, Detroit was 1 of only 6 U.S. cities to make it into the list. Yes, right now I'm listening to hear if anyone has fallen off of their rocker. They site the new hotels (the casinos of course and the Westin Book Cadillac makeover) and the newly renovated Detroit Institute of Arts as the attractions to come for.

While I think the hotels are very luxurious and the DIA is probably a site to see, Detroit just doesn't come to mind as 1 of the top places to come to for a vacation. I don't feel like people plan their time around Detroit, but rather Detroit plans it's time around people who happen to be passing through. This list of 53 has locations around the world. Do you think someone in another country plans to visit?

I hope Detroit doesn't become known for it's casinos and nice hotels. There is so much more history and charm than that. The sports, the music, the auto industry. Although, it's probably better than being known for your crime and decay. Detroit will hopefully crawl out from under the shadow of those stereotypes.

No joke...

A new book and website is out that recounts the personal stories of 7 mothers who lost children due to suicide caused by bullying. The Detroit Free Press has a story about one of the mother's in the book who is trying to raise awareness in schools about the effects of bullying.

It's a very interesting and sad story. Even though I was one of the biggest guys in school, I was still tormented during my school days. I was never down to the point of suicide, but I could definitely see how kids could be affected by these situations in their own schools. I just pray parents and teachers are aware enough to help these kids before it happens again.

Let's go Tigers!

The Detroit Free Press reports the Tigers will reach the attendance mark of 3 Million people this year. It's quite a change from just 2 years ago. So far, I've attended 3 games this year and if I'm lucky, I might make it to another one before the season is over. If we're even more lucky, maybe there will be some tickets available in October. So, in an act of redundancy, Let's Go TIGERS!!!

My computer, mags, and music, but no passport...

An interesting blog post on CNET.com News today that talks about air travel without an ID. It turns out, you are not legally obligated to show your ID during your security check at the airport. Not only can you choose to not show your ID, it usually gets you to the front of the line while they perform the more "thorough" secondary check.

While confrontation is not my cup of tea, I really would like to try this out sometime. I'm not some advocate that wants to buck the system or fight for my absolute rights, but if it gets me through the process faster, why not. On the other hand, I don't feel like telling them I don't have it when in fact it's on my person. So I have to have some expectation I will run into resistance if I try it out. Is it worth it, to be the "rebel"?

Hey, you can't do that...

So, here's an interesting story. Viacom is claiming copyright infringement from a user on YouTube for posting a show from VH1. You ask yourself, "So? What's new?" Well, what's new was, the user had posted something original to YouTube, and VH1 took the clip from YouTube and put it on their VH1 show. All he was doing in return was posting the show on YouTube to show his original work. I know, that's a lot to take in.

Let's put it in perspective. I video myself and put it on YouTube. VH1 finds my video, then puts it on their show and calls it "Fair Use". I in turn, put the show that shows my YouTube video, back on YouTube, and they tell me I can't do it.

It looks like there is a legal battle over it all. Go check out the story for some more info. All in all, you say potato, I say patato. You know?

Advertising can be so good...

I found an article on ESPN.com that tells us about the ad campaign for the Dallas Stars showing up on billboards around the city. Here's a couple of the messages that seem to be catching someone's eye:

"The only thing our refs shave is the ice."

"One game a week? Is the N in NFL for Nancy?"

"Maybe baseball should stop using the word sacrifice."

Those are some pretty funny ads. Nothing like digging on some of the other sports to show how tough your sport is. Too bad America doesn't appear to care about hockey. Maybe these ads will help a little.

It's true, isn't it?

A story on cnet news blog posted the following headline:

"Say what? 'Nobody reads newspapers anymore' allegedly gets columnist fired"

Apparently this columnist didn't run this one by his editor's before it went to print. Although, it's probably not the greatest thing in the world to talk about down swing of the industry you're working for, but isn't he correct in his statement? We're pretty much getting the news delivered on Sunday's, and that' not so I can sit down and read it, it's because we like to get the ads and coupons that come with it. I get most of my news from the internet. It's turned into a ticker world.

Wired Magazine had an article in their most recent issue that highlights what newspaper and media companies are doing to make it on the internet. It's quite interesting how difficult at first it was to get their employees to buy into it.

Do we really care what Elton John thinks...

Apparently, Elton John isn't a fan of the internet. A post on cnet's news blog reported on an article in The Sun where he states he thinks:

"...it would be an incredible experiment to shut down the whole Internet for five years and see what sort of art is produced over that span."

While I understand he's advocating the arts can be so much better when there's physical collaboration, I think it's a bit close-minded to believe the Internet should be shut down because it has changed a medium of expression. Think of the information and convenience we would lose if we no longer had the internet. I mean, are you saying I would actually have to talk to people in person that I couldn't communicate with on Facebook?

Update Aug. 12, 10:09PM: Elton John has a pretty nice website for someone who hates the internet.