tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67232497677955064362024-03-13T11:15:42.700-07:00Valley Val - A to the ZRamblings of a mad storyteller. Disclaimer: Some of it is true; some of it is not. I'm pretty sure you can tell which is which. Or at least I *hope* you can. ~ PeaceValley Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15120823215644537694noreply@blogger.comBlogger92125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6723249767795506436.post-39956471508100416582010-07-09T09:38:00.005-07:002010-07-09T09:44:03.740-07:00My New Blog - The Slurpee Chronicles<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Hey kids, I have decided to focus my blog posts on movie reviews and other movie-related stuff. I have also decided to use Wordpress for my new blog. One day, I will transfer this blog's postings to my new site, but in the meantime, here's a link to the new place: <a href="http://bit.ly/bfq4M2" target="_new">The Slurpee Chronicles</a>.</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Thanks!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Valley Val</span></span></div>Valley Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15120823215644537694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6723249767795506436.post-20741527162643797832010-02-18T09:17:00.002-07:002010-02-18T09:33:35.221-07:00iPhone Tips - Taking Screen Captures<span style="font-family:verdana;">I really like this feature because it works with any app, website, picture, etc. you happen to be viewing on your iPhone at the time.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><strong>Before we start:</strong> The <strong>Home</strong> button is the round button on the bottom of your iPhone. The <strong>Sleep/Wake</strong> switch is found on the top right edge of your phone. It is the same switch you press to turn your phone on and off. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br />To do a screen capture on your iPhone:<br /><ol><li>View the screen you want to capture. </li><li>Press the <strong>Home</strong> button and the <strong>Sleep/Wake</strong> switch simultaneously (this takes some dexterity). The screen flashes white briefly.</li><li>Go to your Camera Roll to view the picture. From there, you can:</li></ol><ul><li>Email the photo</li><li>Send via MMS (text message)</li><li>Assign to a Contact</li><li>Use as your wallpaper</span></li></ul><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">One way I use this feature is to take captures of iPhone apps to use in blog postings or presentations at work. Also, if I don’t already have a picture of one of my friends, I use this feature to take a capture of their profile picture on Facebook and then add it to their Contact info on my phone. Then when they call me, their picture displays on my phone's screen. One cool thing is that once you add the picture to the Contact, you can then delete the pic from your Camera Roll to free up storage space.</span>Valley Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15120823215644537694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6723249767795506436.post-48321115341409729842010-02-14T15:42:00.003-07:002010-02-14T15:45:58.132-07:00iPhone App - Siri Assistant<span style="font-family:verdana;">Here is another search app for the iPhone 3GS. <strong>Siri Assistant</strong> uses voice recognition and interpretation to help you find local businesses, set reminders, and even check the weather. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">After downloading the fee App, you set up an account by entering your name and e-mail address. Then you have the option to tap your request using pre-determined categories, type out your request, or speak your request into your phone’s microphone. Siri focuses on the key words in your search to find businesses that match your request. I searched using all three methods and they all worked very well. I was very impressed by the accuracy of the voice recognition feature. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Siri is integrated with other web information services. So if, for example, you search for a movie, Siri allows you to play trailers, see reviews, map it, and purchase tickets. If you search for a particular type of restaurant in a certain zip code, Siri provides restaurant details, map, reviews, and phone number. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><strong><span style="color:#000066;">Cost</span></strong>: Free</span>Valley Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15120823215644537694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6723249767795506436.post-50768361636298746182010-02-13T16:06:00.002-07:002010-02-13T16:14:58.515-07:008 Ways to Use Twitter ListsWhen Twitter lists first came about, I had a hard time thinking of a good reason to use them. Then I realized they were a great and efficient way to track "experts" in a particular topic. For example, I created a list that includes people or companies who offer lots of interesting and helpful information about social media-related topics. I created another list that includes those who mainly discuss tools/applications/gadgets.<br /><br />Then, instead of sorting through the wide variety of messages in my Twitter timeline, I can just look at one of my lists and the tweets are focused around similar topics. Lists allow me to filter out all the stuff I have no interest in seeing right now.<br /><br />The blog posting linked below includes some great ideas on how you can use Twitter lists, such as creating customer lists or promoting events. Remember, when you create a list you can make it private so others can't see it. That would come in handy if you wanted to create a customer list or something you don't want to share with all of Twitterville.<br /><a href="http://thebabyboomerentrepreneur.com/1149/the-top-8-ways-to-use-twitter-lists/" target="_new">http://thebabyboomerentrepreneur.com/1149/the-top-8-ways-to-use-twitter-lists/</a>Valley Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15120823215644537694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6723249767795506436.post-64932752910585020092010-02-12T07:50:00.003-07:002010-02-12T07:59:52.468-07:00iPhone App - AroundMe<span style="font-family:verdana;"><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">AroundMe:</span></strong> This iPhone app allows you to quickly find businesses that are near to your current location. Comes in handy if you need to find a gas station or if you want to quickly find nearby restaurants, banks/ATMs, hotels, and many other categories.<br /></span><ol><li><span style="font-family:verdana;">Open the app and when the list displays, tap the category you want to view. </span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;">A list of businesses within that category displays, starting with the one that is closest to your current location. </span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;">Tap an entry to view its location on a map, in relation to where you are currently located.</span></li></ol><p><span style="font-family:verdana;">From there, you can:</span></p><ul><li><span style="font-family:verdana;">Tap to see the route to the place, including turn-by-turn directions. </span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;">Tap the phone icon to see the business’s phone numbers. Tap a number to call it.</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;">Tap the mail icon to send the name, address, and map location to someone via e-mail.</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;">Tap the plus sign to add the details to your Contacts or to your Favorites list.</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;">Tap a button to post the info to your Twitter or Facebook account. </span></li></ul><span style="font-family:verdana;">Version 3.5.1 of this app includes an Augmented Reality feature. After selecting a category, such as <strong>Coffee</strong>, turn your phone sideways and see what happens.<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#000066;">Cost</span></strong>: Free</span>Valley Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15120823215644537694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6723249767795506436.post-27922824573289437602010-02-10T20:09:00.003-07:002010-02-10T20:16:27.364-07:00Using Tweetchat.comI occasionally participate in a weekly Learning chat event via Twitter called LRNCHAT. Each time I send a message that I want to include in its chat stream, I add the #lrnchat hashtag to my message. Occasionally, I forget to add the hashtag and my message is not included in the chat stream.<br /><br />I recently learned to be more efficient by using <a href="http://www.tweetchat.com/" target="_new">http://www.tweetchat.com/</a>.<br /><br />All you have to do is sign in using your Twitter credentials, type the hashtag in the window at top of the screen, and click Go. The stream from the chat event displays. When you type a message within this window, the hashtag is automatically attached for you; you don’t have to remember to add it each time. Among other things, you can also control how often the window refreshes, allowing you time to read current messages before viewing the next batch.Valley Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15120823215644537694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6723249767795506436.post-19193701062547161122010-02-09T08:52:00.003-07:002010-02-09T08:57:28.801-07:00iPhone App: Shazam<p><span style="font-family:verdana;">This app is truly a must-have for any music lover. It’s definitely one of my favorite apps. If you hear a song you like on the radio, in a commercial, in a restaurant - anywhere the music is loud enough for your iPhone microphone to pick it up - just point your iPhone mic towards the music and press <strong>Tag Now</strong>. Shazam “listens” to a few seconds of the song, then tries to identify the song for you. </span></p><p><span style="font-family:verdana;">If Shazam finds the song, it brings up a screen with the name of the song, the artist, the name of the album it's on, the artist's music label, the date and your location when you tagged the item. From there you can perform a number of functions such as:</span></p><ul><li><span style="font-family:verdana;">Play a sample of the song.</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;">Go to iTunes where you can buy and download the song.</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;">Post info about the song you just tagged to your Twitter and/or Facebook pages.</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;">Send a Postcard (e-card) to your friends via e-mail to share info about the tagged song so they can listen to it on iTunes and buy it. </span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;">Read a biography of the artist.</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;">View a discography of the artist's work.</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;">View the video for the song on YouTube, if one exists. (This doesn't always work- sometimes some random video comes up, or a video that's not the “official” one.) </span></li></ul><span style="font-family:verdana;"><strong>Cost</strong>: Free. For $4.99, you can get Shazam Encore or Shazam Red, which offer even more features.</span>Valley Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15120823215644537694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6723249767795506436.post-63289480640183181652009-10-31T09:23:00.004-07:002009-10-31T09:35:04.665-07:00We knew it had to happen<span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color:#000066;"><strong>The Setting</strong>: Currently, you can go to Hulu.com and watch clips and entire episodes of TV shows and some full-length movies. For free.</span> </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The videos include ads at the beginning and sprinkled throughout, if they're more than just a clip. Apparently, those ads are not generating enough income for Hulu, because they are considering going to a "fee-based business model" starting next year. That means we would have to pay a subscription fee if we want to watch. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Based on the comments after </span><a href="http://scitech.blogs.cnn.com/2009/10/23/hulu-to-charge-subscription-fee/" target="_new"><span style="font-family:arial;">this blog posting</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;"> about it, it appears most people have no intention of continuing to use Hulu if the site starts charging, although some people realize there are always costs involved and they are willing to pay for the conveniece Hulu offers. And some people bring up an interesting point: would you rather watch for free but also have to deal with ads or pay a subscription fee and have no ads? Actually, I'm really not sure if Hulu will still have ads after they start charging. Hmm...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Hulu provides the convenience of watching content from various TV stations in one place, but you can typically go to a network's specifc site and watch shows there for free. Well, we'll see next year if viewers are willing to pay for convenience.</span>Valley Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15120823215644537694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6723249767795506436.post-56145169767498054232009-10-31T09:19:00.004-07:002009-10-31T09:22:42.619-07:00This is flippin' crazy!<span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color:#000066;"><strong>The Setting</strong>: I won a Flip Video camera at a social learning conference. Woot! I've been eyeing the ads and debating whether to get one, so this is great.</span> </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Here is the official </span><a href="http://www.theflip.com/en-us/" target="_new"><span style="font-family:arial;">Flip Video site</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;">. The one I won is the </span><a href="http://store.theflip.com/Ultra.aspx" target="_new"><span style="font-family:arial;">Ultra</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;">. It includes 4 GB of memory and records up to 120 minutes. It's small (around 4"x2"x1"), very easy to use, and includes a 2-inch display so you can see what you're recording. It claims to allow easy upload of videos to YouTube, Facebook, and MySpace. </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I've created a few very unexciting videos of my family room and other areas of the house, which I don't think you wanna see. It has an interesting feature where it brightens the view so the video was actually brighter than the room was. </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Yesterday, I did some video of the halloween festivities at work. When I played the video on my laptop, the quality was actually very good on the larger screen. It didn't pick up voices if someone was speaking in a low voice or was too far away, but it did fine with people who were closer and talking at regular speaking levels. </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The Flip is very convenient but obviously doesn't have the same features as a more robust video camera. For example, the zoom is only 2X but, hey, whadda ya want? For the cost and convenience, it's very nice. After recording video, just plug the flip out USB arm into your PC. Very easy. Great for someone who just wants to record at a party, while on vacation, whatever event, and upload video without a lot of work involved. </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I haven't used the editing features yet so I don't how easy they are to use. As I use the camera and learn the features, I'll report back. Maybe I'll even add some music and cool features to my family room video and post it here. Or not.</span>Valley Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15120823215644537694noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6723249767795506436.post-33641116378027124862009-10-31T09:16:00.004-07:002009-10-31T09:18:50.158-07:00CNN's Apps of the week<span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color:#000066;"><strong>The Setting</strong>: Speaking of digital books, there are many apps available for you to read books on your smart phone.</span> </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">These apps could be really helpful to you if you're stuck somewhere for a long time, traveling, sitting a the DMV, etc. </span><span style="font-family:arial;">Some of the available apps include Amazon's Kindle, Barnes & Noble's reader app, Mobipocket, and Stanza. </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The good news is that many of the apps are free. The potential bad news is that it could be tiring on the hands to have to continually "turn" the page. Also, some people may not be able to stomach reading off of such a small screen, although some readers will allow you to change text size.<br /><br />More info about theses apps is available at </span><a href="http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/10/28/smartphone.app.reading/index.html" target="_new"><span style="font-family:arial;">CNN's Apps of the week</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;"> page.</span>Valley Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15120823215644537694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6723249767795506436.post-87513569412538185482009-10-29T15:55:00.013-07:002009-10-29T17:39:27.845-07:00Barnes & Noble's E-reader<span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color:#000066;"><strong>The Setting</strong>: </span><span style="color:#000066;">Barnes and Noble offers a competitor to Amazon's popular Kindle wireless reading device called the Nook.</span></span><span style="color:#000066;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><span style="font-family:arial;">The Nook costs $260. B&N offers more than one million books, magazines, and newspapers in its eBook store. With the 2GB of memory, the Nook can hold up to 1500 books, and it includes a microSD slot if you want to add more. The Nook does not have a web browser, it connects to the B&N eBook store using a free 3G AT&T connection. It also offers a WiFi radio customers can use at B&N locations and 600 college stores. Barnes and Noble will start shipping the Nook in November. You can view the features of and/or pre-order the Nook on </span><span style="font-family:arial;">B&N's site</span><span style="font-family:arial;">.<br /><br />Here's an </span><a href="http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2009/10/barnes-noble-unveils-nook-ebook-reader-again/" target="_new"><span style="font-family:arial;">article about the Nook</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;"> that provides more info.</span>Valley Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15120823215644537694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6723249767795506436.post-35726117375874344002009-10-29T15:52:00.008-07:002009-10-29T17:27:53.096-07:00Google Wave for the iPhone<span style="color:#000099;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><strong>The Setting</strong>: Google Wave may already work on the iPhone. </span><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="color:#000000;">What is Google Wave?</span> </span>A new application from Google that, "..combines the elements of e-mail, chat, Wikis, blogs, and photo sharing sites to create a form of Internet communication called a <em>hosted conversation</em> or a <em>wave</em>." </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />The <a href="http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/10/13/google-waves-little-secret-it-already-works-on-the-iphone/" target="_new">Tech Crunch blog</a> provides for anyone interested in setting up Google Wave on their iPhone. Remember, Google Wave is still in beta test. </span>Valley Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15120823215644537694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6723249767795506436.post-10060594152957672992009-10-29T15:51:00.010-07:002009-10-29T17:28:55.111-07:00Easily see your new Twitter followers<span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color:#000066;"><strong>The Setting</strong>: Tweetdeck is a Twitter application that allows you to more easily manage your tweets by separating them into various columns. So you could have columns for your new tweet messages, your mentions, your direct messages. You could also have columns for Facebook and MySpace updates, but that's a different story.</span> </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Tweetdeck now allows you to easily see your 100 most recent Twitter followers in a separate column called <strong>New Followers</strong>. From there, you can click someone's name to view their profile and/or click to follow them, if desired. It's very cool and easy. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">All you have to do is click the <strong>New Twitter Column</strong> icon in the upper left of your Tweetdeck screen and select <strong>New Followers</strong>. Oh, you must have v0.31 of Tweetdeck or higher to use this feature.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">You can </span><a href="http://www.tweetdeck.com/beta/" target="_new"><span style="font-family:arial;">download Tweetdeck</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;"> here.</span>Valley Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15120823215644537694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6723249767795506436.post-20924968086265627412009-10-03T13:48:00.035-07:002009-10-04T21:23:36.092-07:00Three movies I want to see<span style="font-family:arial;color:#000099;"><strong>The Setting</strong>: Here are some upcoming movies that I'm looking forward to seeing</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color:#000099;">. Click the movie titles for previews.</span><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://www.weareallprecious.com/" target="_new">Precious</a></span> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEievj_0T2lte9VBFikC0pQBj4ukOj7OF14zN-op6udwrSYB7fUbSdGHM1wf52hVoibAQF8liPZvqhdC8SwwYk4mbs8KY_GkoFwEd9YIvx3L_FVbqRdHpjPkYHsiKjbQ7SNKA32Viqn8ZsSl/s1600-h/Movie_Precious.jpg"></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><strong>Release date</strong>: Limited release Nov. 6; wide release Nov. 20, 2009<br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><strong>Director:</strong> Lee Daniels</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><strong>Starring</strong>: Mo'Nique, Gabourey Sidibe, Paula Patton, Mariah Carey, Lenny Kravitz </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><strong>Plot</strong>: Precious is a pregnant sixteen-year-old who can neither read nor write. She is emotionally and physically abused by her mother and deals with constant bullying at school. Precious remains hopeful of a better future and when she transfers to an alternative high school, she believes she has found her way. This one will be tough to watch. I did not read the novel <em>Push</em> by Sapphire, which this movie is based on, but I'm assuming (and hoping) there will be a happy ending. </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><a href="http://www.whowillsurvive2012.com/?hs308=TTPPC031&kw=" target="_new">2012</a></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><strong>Release date</strong>: November 13, 2009 <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw4wLx5KzlT0k8bPwHUVBYH9Lv_UYDxPns6s_zIzWQy3M6OnBLQ5vm0MSl2Ys_nRLK6a0POEpsnJUvNaQm8oIAvKIVYsStg2PCnkKvvy_27MuiV6eHBNNmUTCUyv0XorRMXduV6QQe3gU1/s1600-h/Movie_2012.jpg"></a></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><strong>Director</strong>: Roland Emmerich<br /><strong>Starring</strong>: John Cusack, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Thandie Newton<br /></span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><strong>Plot</strong>: December 2012 is the timeframe when many cultures and religions say something major will happen to change the world as we know it. We just don't know what the <em>something</em> is. This movie seems to be taking the approach that the world will end then. Yet, there are survivors. Hmm... already inconsistent. But what the hell - great special effects, so I'm there. Also, I really dig their <a href="http://www.whowillsurvive2012.com/?hs308=TTPPC031&kw=" target="_new">official site</a>: games, iPhone apps - it appeals to my inner geek. </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-family:Courier New;font-size:78%;"></span><br /></span><span style="font-family:Arial;"><a href="http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox/avatar/index.html" target="_new">Avatar</a></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:Arial;"><strong>Release date</strong>: Dec. 18, 2009 (worldwide)</span> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7FI5Ouj0AkNcfe9ShTEn874mp-k7_VdgYVvLasT7Exxn6Nyd6VsCydP5VN5wv1miUTLxyJMpAqo0NuxGHwc-56DYY21SLe6v6Wj0hQ5jnxR_CM269A97z_De7F5PO4uar1zs4rGG_phvj/s1600-h/Movie_Avatar.jpg"></a><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"><strong>Director:</strong> James Cameron</span> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbNb-eacJ9Gf39t-9WoynbcUK5gmvOwkuBBCrn4Rd_2kVaEcVZPWkRkxa0ZDJg2ZtUrv3XPoQ8yRCcXdRO17MEWTr_zpIuF8EnXl-ZBtx9r0BPM6qT6co2UFH-LyQmWTDlDaSlCzFhbTd2/s1600-h/Movie_Avatar.jpg"></a><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"><strong>Starring</strong>:</span> <span style="font-family:arial;">Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Rodriguez, Giovanni Ribisi</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"><strong>Plot</strong>:</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> Description from the <a href="http://www2.avatarmovie.com/" target="_new">official site</a>: "On the distant moon Pandora, a reluctant hero embarks on a journey of redemption and discovery as he leads a heroic battle to save a cililization."</span> <span style="font-family:Arial;">This movie could absolutely suck and I would give it three out of five Slurpees just based on the amazing special effects. That's what I say now, but stay tuned for my review sometime in December.</span>Valley Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15120823215644537694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6723249767795506436.post-13155362115016865222009-09-17T10:40:00.006-07:002009-09-27T10:27:59.453-07:00Calling all Twitter users<span style="font-family:arial;color:#000099;"><strong>The Setting</strong>: Phone calling is coming to Twitter. </span><br /><p><span style="font-family:arial;color:#000000;">Using a third-party tool from <a href="http://www.jajah.com/" target="_new">Jajah</a>, Twitter users will be able to make phone calls to each other through their twitter accounts. The person receiving the call must be a followerr of the person making the call and both must have Jajah accounts.</span></p><span style="font-family:arial;">The service is expected to work on any Twitter-enabled device, from PCs to smart phones. During the beta period, the calls will be limited to two minutes which, according to Jajah, will be the "verbal equivalent of a tweet." </span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Why not just make a phone call? One of the features of this tool will allegedly be the ability to make the voice calls while keeping your cell phone number private from the people you chat with on Twitter. Hmm... we'll see. </span><br /><br /><p><span style="font-family:arial;">Read the <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/09/17/cnet.twitter.voice.calls/index.html" target="_new">article about phone calling coming to Twitter</a> here.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></p></span>Valley Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15120823215644537694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6723249767795506436.post-40451989845871210422009-09-17T10:38:00.010-07:002009-09-27T10:03:56.991-07:00Voice chat coming to Facebook<span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color:#000099;"><strong>The Setting</strong>:</span> <span style="color:#000099;">So does this mean I will be able to talk to other gangsters right before I kill them in Mob Wars? Woot!</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Using a plug-in from Vivox, Facebook users will soon be able to voice chat one-on-one or hold large group discusions with anyone on their friends list. <a href="http://www.vivox.com/" target="_new">Vivox </a>is the company that provides integrated voice service for virtual worlds Second Life and EVE Online. I occasionally use the voice feature within Second Life and the quality is very good. Non-Facebook users will be able to call in to existing conversations using free dial-in numbers.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I'm curious to see how people will use this feature in Facebook. I'm envisioning that instead of just using the text chat feature to communicate with my niece who's in college on the other side of the country, we could switch to the voice feature and have an actual conversation. For free, without cutting into precious cell phone minutes. Pretty cool. According to the article, the voice can also be integrated into any of the third-party Facebook applications, such as games.</span><br /><br /><p><span style="font-family:arial;">When this feature becomes available, I'll definitely check it out. Click here to <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/09/15/cnet.facebook.voice.chat/index.html" target="_new">read the article</a> about this upcoming feature.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></p>Valley Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15120823215644537694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6723249767795506436.post-2523563895718361542009-09-17T10:35:00.005-07:002009-09-27T09:36:54.037-07:00Tweetdeck adds Facebook and MySpace<span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color:#000099;"><strong>The Setting</strong>: Tweetdeck is a free client that helps you more easily filter your Twitter messages. It's one of the many tools out there that makes Twitter a lot more manageable.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Tweetdeck has been updated to allow it to work more smoothly with Facebook and MySpace. I don't use MySpace but the Facebook feature is <em>really</em> cool. You can now see more than just your friends' status updates. You can see their Likes and Comments, you can click <strong>Like</strong>, make comments, and write on someone's wall, all from within Facebook. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">The updated Tweetdeck makes it easy to drag photos and links to the composing window. It then automatically shortens the URLs for you. I'm still discovering all the features, but I really like it so far. I'll let you know about any other cool things I learn. </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">Here's where you can <a href="http://tweetdeck.com/beta/" target="_new">download Tweetdeck</a> for free. Here's some <a href="http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2009/09/tweetdeck-adds-facebook-and-myspace-will-crowdsource-information-filtering/" target="_new">more information about updated Tweetdeck</a>. </span>Valley Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15120823215644537694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6723249767795506436.post-72460706770291845102009-09-17T10:24:00.005-07:002009-09-27T09:20:21.266-07:00Cool iPhone Apps<span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color:#000099;"><strong>The Setting</strong>: One of the reasons I want an iPhone is because of the cool apps. I'm a geek, you see.<br /></span><br />Here are some </span><a href="http://scitech.blogs.cnn.com/2009/08/27/techies-share-favorite-iphone-apps/" target="_new"><span style="font-family:arial;">favorite iPhone apps</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;"> from some tech enthusiasts. I've heard of Bump and I think it's pretty cool. I've also heard of Geocaching, although I don't fully understand it. Yet.<br /></span>Valley Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15120823215644537694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6723249767795506436.post-8215880651685603982009-08-29T16:23:00.024-07:002009-08-30T10:18:30.197-07:00REVIEW: Laura Izibor - Let the Truth Be Told<span style="font-family:arial;color:#000099;"><strong>The Setting</strong>: It's very rare that I enjoy an opening act at a concert enough to go out and buy their album, but that's exactly what I did after seeing Laura Izibor's performance.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">I saw <a href="http://www.lauraizibor.com/" target="_new">Laura Izibor</a> when she opened for <a href="http://www.musze.com/" target="_new">Maxwell</a> in June 2009 in Phoenix. Not only did she sound amazing, she was personable, funny, and obviously belonged on that stage. She performed a few songs with only an accompanying guitar and played along on piano on a few others. She told great stories describing how she came to write each song. Each time she finished performing a song, I would hear someone around me in the theatre saying, "She's good." I was thinking the same thing and I wondered why I had never heard of her and why she was not already huge. I also knew it was just a matter of time.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">So on to the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Let-Truth-Told-Laura-Izibor/dp/B001P8C1U8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1251592089&sr=1-1" target="_new">Let the Truth Be Told album</a>: I'll just start off by saying this is my favorite album of 2009 (yes, I know the year is not yet over). Laura Izibor has a strong, soulful voice, expressing great emotion as she performs these highly personal songs. Laura wrote all songs and played piano on all tracks. She will be compared to India Arie for her positive strength and to Alicia Keys as a soulful singer, songwriter, pianist. For me, this is one of those albums you put on and let play all the way through, no fast-forwarding through the "filler" songs. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">The album begins with the bouncy, bubbly, poppy <em>Shine</em>. Great song to listen to while trying to find your motivation on your way to work. I'm a sucker for strings and there are plenty on this album. Most notably on <em>Perfect World</em>, which is what I call a perfect song: wonderful lyrics, excellent singing, beautiful music, great production. Perfect. It's not about your clothes, what you have, keep ya money. Laura sings, "Baby don't you know you're all I need." This is my favorite song on the album. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">A close second is <em>Yes (I'll Be Your Baby)</em>. Laura's voice has a slight reggae feel on this. Great head-bobbing drum and bassline. Listen closely for the scratchy guitar. Funky! Also, this song is just screaming to be on someone's movie soundtrack. </span><span style="font-family:Arial;">During her concert, Laura described writing <em>The Worst is Over</em> to a friend who was in a bad relationship, but would/could not leave it. This is a completely relatable song; I think we have all been there. Again with the strings and Laura takes it to church on this tune. Beautiful. </span><span style="font-family:Arial;"><em>I Don't Want You Back</em> is soulful, mournful and tells the story of realizing that sometimes the best thing to do is let someone go. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">Laura is opening for <a href="http://tour.johnlegend.com/" target="_new">John Legend</a> on some of his 2009 shows. Interestingly, I would describe her voice on a few songs as sounding like a female version of Legend. If you have a chance, go check out a show. In the meantime, get this album!</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span>Valley Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15120823215644537694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6723249767795506436.post-35136016999797078422009-08-22T10:52:00.013-07:002009-08-22T12:33:18.707-07:00The AC Chronicles<span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color:#000099;"><strong>The Setting</strong>: August in Phoenix and the air conditioner goes out. Let's chronicle how long it takes to get it fixed.</span> </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">When I went to bed last night, I noticed it was a little warmer than usual, but not that bad. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">6:30 AM - It is clear that something has gone horribly wrong. The air conditioner upstairs is blowing air; only one problem - it's hot air. The unit outside is humming and straining but not kicking on.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">7:25 AM - I had looked up some AC companies online, even checked the Better Business Bureau, and narrowed it down to three. The first company I called said they could have a technician to the house between the hours of (drum roll please) 8 and 11 AM. Great. It won't be too <em>hot</em> before they come.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">10:51 AM - Starting to get a little warm. The customer service rep calls and says the previous customer decided to buy a new AC unit so the tech is "filling out paperwork." They'll call back when he's on his way. Good.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">11:09 AM - CSR calls back - the tech is on his way. Yay!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">11:20 AM - Tech is here. Yay, part II!</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">12:05 PM - Unit is repaired, tech is gone (along with my $607.80), upstairs is starting to cool off. </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Whew. The unit was fixed quickly and it really didn't cost <em>that</em> much. This could have been a lot worse than it was. Also, the customer service rep was helpful and friendly, and the technician was very friendly, professional, and funny. Wow, imagine that - great customer service. </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;"></span>Valley Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15120823215644537694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6723249767795506436.post-13608201062155418222009-08-19T19:02:00.016-07:002009-08-19T19:19:19.731-07:00Forward this e-mail and rainbows will appear<span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color:#000099;"><strong>The Setting</strong>: I just received another one of those hoax e-mails. In related news, I'm really starting to enjoy looking up stories on</span> </span><a href="http://www.snopes.com/" target="_new"><span style="font-family:arial;">Snopes.com</span></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The latest e-mail a friend sent me is this story about a </span><a href="http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/medical/walmart.asp" target="_new"><span style="font-family:arial;">girl who had been badly burned in a fire at a Wal-Mart</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;">. At the end of the sad story, the reader is told to forward the e-mail because every time you do, Yahoo will donate $2 to the family's hospital bill. Depending on who started the e-mail chain, you can replace Yahoo with AOL, MySpace, whatever. It's not true in any case.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">About three weeks ago, I received an e-mail about how <a href="http://www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/fakecop.asp" target="_new">dialing #77 on your cell phone</a> </span><span style="font-family:arial;">gives you direct access to a dispatcher who can verify state trooper information. That way, you don't have to take the chance that the cop who's attempting to get you to pull your car over is really an ax murderer who's ready to take a swing at you. According to Snopes, there are actually some states in which dialing #77 on your cell phone will immediately connect you with that state's highway patrol, but it doesn't work in most states.</span>Valley Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15120823215644537694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6723249767795506436.post-4195181811067850172009-08-03T09:54:00.006-07:002009-08-03T10:16:31.981-07:00A novel idea, one tweet at a time<div><div><span style="color:#000099;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><strong>The Setting</strong>: Author Matt Stewart is posting his entire novel via posts on Twitter, one tweet at a time.</span> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQrOgQA3ePWJt0i2uoOpbMsswQMgZ1A30-Hxy5vgVVF9gXLXbFDB1GIop90mlf4T7qlks92dVDG2Y1yF0vUwDzN1ofiYwf_LKmEEvAz3swVrzEtOqLyLBycXCBUVXTIlWrzjCGioyGHVH7/s1600-h/French+Revolution.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365786618231525074" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 96px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 119px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQrOgQA3ePWJt0i2uoOpbMsswQMgZ1A30-Hxy5vgVVF9gXLXbFDB1GIop90mlf4T7qlks92dVDG2Y1yF0vUwDzN1ofiYwf_LKmEEvAz3swVrzEtOqLyLBycXCBUVXTIlWrzjCGioyGHVH7/s320/French+Revolution.gif" border="0" /></a><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">A friend of his created a tool that automates the tweets and sends them out in 140-character chunks. Stewart estimates that it will take 3700 tweets to transmit the entire novel. The book is also available via </span><a href="http://www.thefrenchrev.com/" target="_new"><span style="font-family:arial;">Stewart's web site</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;">, and on the </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Amazons-Wireless-Reading-Generation/dp/B00154JDAI/ref=amb_link_84770351_1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-1&pf_rd_r=0XHF928DZ4E80B752NBX&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=484850831&pf_rd_i=507846" target="_new"><span style="font-family:arial;">Kindle</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;">.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:Arial;">You can <a href="http://scitech.blogs.cnn.com/2009/07/30/author-posts-novel-one-tweet-at-a-time/" target="_new">read the article</a> here.</span> </div></div>Valley Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15120823215644537694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6723249767795506436.post-38203116449411348832009-07-28T07:51:00.007-07:002009-07-28T08:01:04.390-07:00Five jobs for Facebook addicts<span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color:#000099;"><strong>The Setting</strong>: Are you a Facebook guru and/or an expert in Twitter and LinkedIn?</span><br /><br />New job roles are being developed as a result of the growth of all these social media tools. However, there's really not a lot of these jobs available yet, so get ready for some competition.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Here is an article that </span><span style="font-family:arial;">describes <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/worklife/07/28/cb.best.job.facbook.addict/index.html" target="_new">five jobs to consider</a></span><span style="font-family:arial;"> in your next job search if you feel you are a social media / networking expert.<br /></span>Valley Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15120823215644537694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6723249767795506436.post-72229340229351255642009-07-23T07:49:00.003-07:002009-07-23T07:52:27.112-07:00Evolution of Blogging<span style="font-family:arial;">Here is an interesting article, written by Dan Fletcher, on the evolution of blogging:</span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1912249,00.html" target="_new">http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1912249,00.html</a>Valley Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15120823215644537694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6723249767795506436.post-27704488442775261862009-07-13T16:10:00.004-07:002009-07-13T16:13:51.379-07:00A tiger, a chicken, and a dog go to Vegas...<span style="font-family:arial;">The Setting: Don't worry: they were not harmed and they're doing just fine. </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I gave a review of the movie </span><a href="http://valleyvalaz.blogspot.com/2009/06/theres-tiger-in-bathroom.html" target="_new"><span style="font-family:arial;">The Hangover</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;"> back in June. I thought it was a great movie and I recommend it. In case you were wondering, no animals were harmed during the filming of the movie. I found this site that explains the "</span><a href="http://www.ahafilm.info/movies/mr.phtml?fid=8029" target="_new"><span style="font-family:arial;">featured animal action</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;">." You can read about how the animals were treated and how the scenes were filmed. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Also, check out the </span><a href="http://www.americanhumane.org/protecting-animals/programs/no-animals-were-harmed/" target="_new"><span style="font-family:arial;">American Humane site</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;">. I had no idea this existed...</span>Valley Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15120823215644537694noreply@blogger.com0