Afrogeek360

Tech Tip: CCleaner

2011-07-19T07:30:00.002-05:00

For Windows machines Only

I don't use CCleaner [ http://www.piriform.com/CCLEANER ] when it comes to registry cleaning because I'm not that techie and many tech experts tell you not to really mess around in your system like that because one misstep and you may need to do a reinstall or run your repair disk. But what I do use CCleaner for is when it comes to cleaning the temporary files, cache, history from my computer.

Whatever browsers you have installed on your computer (I have IE, Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox) it will search and dig into your system and get rid of the temp files when online. Yes, I set up all of my browsers to erase my history and other temporary files but you will be amazed what remains even when you perform that task.

How to use it is once you have closed your browser(s) {it cannot perform a full sweep until all of your browsers have been closed} and just click the button and that's it.

It's a small app and it's free but again, if you're comfortable using this type of tool I would highly recommend it.

Enough Already with Google+ Not Appealing to Women

2011-07-18T09:39:00.003-05:00

I've seen articles off and on in regards to the fact that more male Google+ than women. Just this morning I read an article on Mashable stating "...It’s true that the early adopters of any new technology are usually male. But Google+ will have to appeal to a mainstream audience if it’s to reach mass adoption anytime soon."[ http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/google-plus-male/ ]

My answer to this is this...so what.

There is a place for Google+ as well as Facebook, Twitter and any new social network site that comes along. Not everything has to appeal to women.
Women has always been an important part of getting things done in our world but we live in a world now where if something doesn't appeal to everyone that is so wrong.

True, early adopters are male but you know what, there are plenty of women that are early adopters as well. From what I'm seeing there are plenty of women on Google+, the women that are on here are women that I wished I had as co-workers. These women are photographers, tech and gadget lovers, writers, publishers, social network gurus...in my book, women that do not like gossip. Women with substance. Am I sounding like a male chauvinist pig? That's your opinion.

I'm just tired of this "political correction" fad and that just because something appeals more for women that men should raise up and cry foul and the the other way around. Maybe women just don't like Google+...do writers take that in mind before flying off the handle and yelling "Gender Bias" ? We live in a society that feels that everyone, man and women are the same. I have a little secret for you...come closer...we're not.

There are some things that's not going to appeal to women. Maybe their core base is on Twitter or Facebook or their own blog/website. I love in our society now that these pollsters go through great length to analysis everything instead of asking the simple question, "Does Google+ appeal to you?" Just because I see women work at Victory Secret or Macy doesn't mean I should write an article, "Victory Secret Are Nearly All Women." Am I saying that women are treated fairly and should stop whining and that they should be happy with the way things are, of course not! But Google+ is not about fairness...it's about choice.

And I see that Google is considering removing the gender choice from G+? Why!?!

And are these so called polls counting women of color? From where I'm sitting I'm seeing many women of color on Google+ and to me there are many that love tech but I do not see that issue being addressed. I'm a huge fan of Amber Mac, Veronica Belmont, Molly Wood, Sarah Lane, Gina Trapani. I read their articles, their tips on how to how to make your tech and social network life less hetic. But where are the write ups about Angela Benton, Kenya Allmond, Naomi Williams, Del Williams, Gwen Sutton, Kristen Nicole, Shireen Mitchell, Jazzy L., Kim Beasly and this not counting many women of color that although may not have their own website or blog but love technology (my wife loves her smartphone, social networking and my best friend in Florida wife loves her gadgets and create websites in her spare time). I know many of women of color that love the world of technology, social network, gadgets. They write every day on the world on technology, tips to make your life much smoother when using tech or social network sites and they range from Windows users to Linux users.

So before any article gets published in regards to "where are the women" you need to ask the simple question, "Do they want to be where the men are all the time?"

Love Him or Hate Him, Mark Found That Golden Niche

2010-10-07T10:40:00.002-05:00

I may not like many of Facebook practices by you have to admit, Facebook is number one in the world of social network, for now. I day that because if someone would have told me 2 years ago that I would be using Google Chrome as my default browser instead of Mozilla Firefox I may have laughed in your face but here we are 2010 and many people in my circle now use Chrome as the default browser.

Sure Facebook has gotten people into trouble because many ol' high school couples have hooked up trying to revive that "lovin' feelin'" or burn when you when you post you're at a friend's gathering instead of being home sick (that's really on the people that were stupid enough to post it on Facebook in the first place) but I have to admit it does serve a purpose when it comes to keeping in touch with old friends, connecting with musicians in regards to discovering new music but now with so many organizations(networks, churches, top 500 companies) it's "almost" an necessity. I say "almost" because we can really do without Facebook, Twitter but hey, it's here so lets use it the way it's suppose to be use, as a tool.

This is pretty cool article from the Telegraph.co.uk on the "Facebook: 10 milestones on the way to social success". I haven't seen the movie, "Social Network" and don't plan to see it until it comes out on DVD/Blue Ray but I have to give it Mark Zuckerberg, he found a niche and filled that online void for 500 million people so he must be doing something right.

Facebook: 10 milestones on the way to social [story found at Telegraph.co.uk]

Facebook has just launched a new groups feature which will help manage the social network’s vast membership. We chart Facebook’ top 10 milestones on the way to being the largest network in the world.
(read more)

Pretty Cool Sites For All Geeks...

2009-01-12T22:00:00.003-06:00

This gentleman began to follow me on twitter, checked out his site and it's pretty cool.

If You See This Message in Your Twitter DM DO NOT Click On the Link

2009-01-04T09:08:00.001-06:00

Read the post by Chris Pirillo for more details

Downloaded Songbird application and it has promise

2008-12-31T21:13:00.001-06:00

I have messed around with Songbird in the past but I felt it was not develop enough. Now I think they got. check out my screen shot. If you hit Ctrl + T it opens a new tab and you can type in a url and if you type in a site that has podcast it will show you the site plus the shows you can download.

This is my MrFresh site, "vibesNscribes" check out how it looks through Songbird. pretty cool. Thanx to my geek brother in Florida, Luis for peepin' this for me.

Nice!!!

One More Reason Why Podcasting Is So Cool

2008-12-30T10:03:00.004-06:00

Podcasting Is Not Even On Life Support
December 29, 2008 9:28 PM

by Mitch Joel{from blog "twistimage.com"}
Thanx macedonia & MrFresh for finding this post

This post would have been called, Podcasting Is Not Dead, if that had not already been the title of a Blog posting here on September 20th. There was recently news that Podango - some kind of Podcasting related company - might be filing for bankruptcy. Any time something like this happens, the "Podcasting is dead" Blog postings and media attention quickly follows. Here's the newsflash: Podcasting is not dead. Podcasting is not even on life support. Podcasting hasn't even begun to breathe with its own two lungs yet.[more]

Funniest CNET bloopers of 2008

2008-12-30T07:17:00.003-06:00

Tech Dorm Gone Wild

2008-12-30T05:47:00.001-06:00

WSJ's Andy Jordan hangs out at a dorm at the prestigious MIT, which houses a coterie of fidgeting student-technologists with a penchant for tinkering, and an eye for changing the world.

50 Ways to Improve Your Life

2008-12-29T12:25:00.002-06:00

thanx for the link RosePena
{link from US News & World Report}

YOUR MONEY

Take stock of your life and improve your financial future.

[more]

Other URL Shrinkers besides "TinyURL"

2008-12-29T12:12:00.004-06:00

Five Best URL Shrinkers
By Adam Pash{posted over at LifeHacker}

When every character counts, the right URL compacting service can mean the difference between saying what you want and desperately trying to fit a coherent thought into a few insufficient words. Earlier this week we asked you to share your favorite URL shrinking tools, and now we're back with the five most popular answers. Read on for a closer look at the five best URL shrinkers and to vote for the site you like best.[more]

It's Finally Here!!! BestAlbumRoundTable{BART2008}

2008-12-27T19:50:00.005-06:00

BART 2008 engages five (5) podcasters in a discussion on some of the year’s best albums from the realm of urban genres (i.e., soul, jazz, hip hop).

{podcast over at fridayfavecast.com}

Read the full story »

These Photographs are So Cool

2008-12-27T06:44:00.004-06:00

Best 50 Astronomy Pictures of Year 2008
{found at site "ItvNews.tv"}

Astronomy is arguably the most beautiful of the sciences. I’m biased, of course, but it’s nearly impossible to gaze upon a picture of a galaxy, a moon, a nebula, and not see in it something compellingly artistic. Sometimes it’s the color, sometimes the shape, and sometimes it’s the knowledge that we can understand the subject of the picture itself.[more]

MyPods & Boomsticks

2008-12-24T08:37:00.006-06:00

This is too funny...

from Paul Thurrott's SuperSite for Windows.

2008-12-24T07:29:00.001-06:00

New folder icons in Windows 7? No

Tom Warren over at Neowin has a post about a Windows 7 build 7004 that was shown off recently. Here’s a shot:

He suggests that Microsoft has changed the folder style in Windows 7. But those are just Live Mesh folders.

UPDATE: Just spoke with Tom and he’s already updated the post. Nothing to see here. :)

The H.P. Touch Computer (1983)

2008-12-24T06:25:00.003-06:00

as King Solomon has said, nothing is new under the sun(video found by my geek brother Luis)....

New iMacs Around the Corner...Nice ^_^

2008-12-23T12:50:00.003-06:00

Next-gen iMacs due in January, says paper
by Katie Marsal{over at AppleInsider}

A new-generation of NVIDIA-based iMacs are due to begin shipping out of China sometime next month, according to a new report out of the Far East.

Citing sources within Apple's supply chain, the Chinese-language Economic Daily News reported Tuesday that the Mac maker is scheduled to "launch a new iMac all-in-one PC in the first quarter of next year, and the company's sole manufacturing partner, Quanta Computer, is gearing up to supply monthly shipments of around 800,000 units during the first quarter of 2009."

The paper added that the new models will begin making their way stateside in January. Updates to the iMac line are believed to be over due, having originally been slated for a release late this year but delayed last minute for unknown reasons.[more]

Hill Harper More Than Just An Actor

2008-12-23T08:52:00.005-06:00

Hill Harper makes history using social media. Hollywood takes a back seat to the web.
written by Wayne Sutton{over at socialwayne.com}

Tonight I felt like I was watching history in the making. I sat at my computer, watched James Andrews @keyinfluencer , host a live video show with famed movie, star and current CSI actor Hill Harper (@hillharper) and participated in an online chat with many other online friends who I’ve communicated with previously through the popular social networking site twitter. The show took place on Hill’s For Real Solution Ning social networking site http://www.forrealsolutions.com along with a Meebo chat.[more]

This Is Not Good...

2008-12-23T01:34:00.001-06:00

Mozilla’s Firefox is the most vulnerable application of 2008
by Shoaib Hashmi{over at StartupMeme}

Massachusetts based Bit9 has released a report containing a list of The Most Vulnerable Applications of 2008. The criteria for an application to be vulnerable is also described on the report. Some of which are described below.[more]

Youtube HD vs Facebook HD: You Be The Judge

2008-12-21T19:21:00.002-06:00

from Bwana.org

2008-07-26T07:11:00.001-05:00

good morning and Happy Saturday everyone

Thrift Store Gems Jan 2008v1

2008-01-05T11:26:00.001-06:00

Mobile post sent by afrogeek360 using Utterz. Replies. mp3

Organizing Bookmarks

2007-12-26T13:43:00.001-06:00

these are not utterz but tech helpful hints. These are longer than 1 minute So I am warning you now so you can't complain later. This is one of my earlier podcast so I apologize in advance for the loud music intro...the rest of the podcast music volume is okay.

Mobile post sent by afrogeek360 using Utterz. Replies. mp3

what do you think of Microsoft's table PC

2007-11-08T22:09:00.000-06:00

This short article on CNET tells how the Table is getting looks but for me sometimes marketing look over the simplest things. As director of Mark Bolger says, "What we have found out is this is not a one-size-fits-all solution". Sometimes I think these companies put the "cart before the horse".

I'm thinking sometimes they do not realize that in today's world news travels faster than want it travel which means at times they have to rush a product out which means they have to take shortcuts which means at times there may be recalls (prime example Vista).

I know that tech companies have to stay on top of their game but sometimes you have to bite the bullet just do the right thing. If you make a stable, reliable product people will stick with it and will stick with the company that puts the product out there.

Let's hope this is winner because Microsoft is not a bad company,there just have been making bad choices when comes to releasing their products.

another reason why I still love my Sony Minidisc Player

2007-11-08T20:08:00.000-06:00

I recently discovered another wonderful online music player: Slacker and how I use my minidisc is I record the tracks from my laptop to my minidisc. I put a 80min minidisc and set it for the slowest speed(which is LP4) and I get about 5 hours of music.

I know you young whipper snappers have other ways of capturing audio from the web and yes I have a couple of iPods myself but for me they is just something for me that doing this I enjoy.

I really like my iPods and I'm not going to give them up but I still enjoy my minidisc players because of the size, the battery life from just 1 AA battery and the features it has that allow me to capture audio, to record live with a mic jack.

I know I'm a dinosaur at times but I "I y'am whats I y'am."

Firefox 3.0 On The Horizon

2007-11-08T17:16:00.000-06:00

I am so hoping that when FF3.0 finally hits the masses the bugs will be worked out of it. To be honest Firefox is still my favorite browser but this has been the buggiest one to date.

Check out the screen shots for FF3.0 beta

Message For My Mac Brothers and Sisters

2007-11-08T06:17:00.000-06:00

I think I should share this the masses who are Mac users in reference to a trojan that has been released in regards to Mac users reported by download squad. My opinion I really wish it was really harsh penalties for people who write this junk because it takes up so much time to get your system back in order.

I would share what they should to people who write these type of viruses but I do not want your opinion to change of me. LOL

Have a great day every one. Happy Geekin'

Good Info from Lifehacker

2007-11-04T12:41:00.001-06:00

Now why couldn't they have come out with this article yesterday when I needed it. Oh well, better late than never. ^_^ Wisdom never gets old.

Two Beta programs that's Kinda Cool

2007-11-03T18:35:00.000-05:00

It's in beta but man it has me hooked already. Snitter is a small desktop application that allows you to post to Twitter may be sleeper for 2007. I enjoy the feel of it, the look of it, how it alerts you when a twitter entry has been placed on twitter, it's cool for PC and Mac and I know the creators will build on it as time goes on, so what are the downsides? It's still in beta and you can send files and add a webcam photo, but again...Snitter is still in beta.

Like tweetr, it needs ADOBE Air to run on your desktop so you have to install that first before installing Snitter. Once that is taking care of the Snitter installation is a breeze. I love the interface of Snitter...you have different templates to choose from, on the side of each of your twitter friends there are buttons for reply in timeline, direct message to your fellow twitter and a button to toggle as a favorite. you're able to delete your twitter entry in Snitter. the option drop down menu allows you to see your friends, your archives, replies, favorites,

I know tweetr does this but one thing tweetr doesn't have is looks. It's good every once in a while for a application to not only be "purr-dee" but have some muscle under the hood like Mac machines.

Another app that's desktop is in beta but is pretty cool is the the music player slacker. It's another last.fm, pandora, but what I'm really enjoying about this is the small features like it shows your what artist or group that is next to play, when you click on the artist up next it gives you the bio on that artist(s). Another nice feature is you can right click on the past songs or current song and choose whether as a favorite, ban the song or band the artist. I like the nice cd artwork it shows of the artist. You can also install slacker radio on your desktop just like last.fm

One thing it will have that last.fm does not have will be a portable player with built-in wi-fi so it will update your player, it will have a 4inch screen to check out the reviews, cd artwork. This is left to been seen if this will take off. I can see this running into problems, even though from an earlier article it will be mp3 capable but with the iPod touch with wifi capability it run into problems because even if you do not own an iPod just about everyone knows what there are but you never know. Another downside is that its not Mac based as of yet. I hope they will come out with a player on the Mac side because I think Mac people will love this.

One thing I'm realizing as well as you the readers is that what these two products are is just another creator or creators coming along and enhancing the products. First came Twitter then Jaiku came along then Pownce. The same is going on with Snitter and Slacker. Will they be around in 6 months, time will tell. I started off with Twitter, then Jaiku and Tumblr, now I'm back using Twitter. For me all of these products has a place in the web market because it keeps each one on their toes and that's a good thing. As I wrote a while back on twitter/jaiku/pownce, I take full advantage of them all. As my geek brother luis said,

"it's not nice to have both you just like to join and install everything."

Yes I have to admit, I'm a joiner. But hey by me joining I have a chance to kick the tires and let you know what's good, what's not, what to keep, what to pitch. (and besides, he's a cranky geek anyhow...I know he's going to get me for that, oh well)

Now, when will a product come along and knock the iPod and iTunes off of it's throne...we're waiting?

weekendTECHreview for Sept 30/Oct 7, 2007

2007-10-07T05:58:00.000-05:00

to here podcast click here
tech stories:

another DRM-free audio store for our choosing
more pressure on Microsoft to extend Windows XP to the masses
Why this vote is really important to keep abreast of
After two years, Yahoo pulls the plug on their podcast directory

other tech stories that caught me I this week:

Although NBC and Apple are fueding, iTunes will sale new shows from NBC
Bugs in OpenOffice application may show up in other OS systems
New cell phones in the T-Mobile line up.
Just like the new show Fall line up so are new Fall gadgets
Google searching for new bandwith
Apple and Nokia bumping heads maybe over Apple's iPhone?
File system fixes for Apple's laptops
Apple warning for people who wishes to unlock their iPhones
Google and Microsoft quarrel of DoubleClick
Security patches for iPhone
Palm Centro for Sprint gets official
Over 200 grand of fines for sharing a little over 24 songs...whoa
Did this man pants "really" catch on fire or is he a liar?
Kim Jong Il...the internet...'nuff said
Internet Explorer 7 without WGA...that's good but I'm still not switching
And I thought it was just me that was noticing that some of my regular mail is winding up in my spam folder
Should Yahoo be split into different companies?

tech tips: Geek tool box
you can put it either on a thumb drive or cd

music folder
media monkey
winamp 5.5

productivity/utility folder
foxit pdf reader
abiWord
OpenOffice
winzip

A Must Have
dban
windows xp service pack 2

security folder
avg anti virus
lavasoft ad-aware
spybot
avg anti-spyware

browser folder
mozilla firefox
opera
theWorld

software picks/website picks:

better Gmail
addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/4866

pimp my safari
http://pimpmysafari.com/

great little plug in for recording
internet radio streams
Streamripper

Music Showcased:

Jonathan Butler....Barenese
Steely Dan....Almost Gothic
William Ackerman...Visiting

Underscore music for this week
Craig Chaquico....Arizona Daybreak(underscore for tech tips/software picks)
Peter White....The View From Your Window(underscore for tech tips/software picks)
Earl Klugh....Move(underscore for tech news)

Intro music provided by ToddKelley aka Big La (flowink.com)

Get your Web Fix Without Surfing the Web(well...kinda)

2007-09-12T10:42:00.000-05:00

Tech Tip: Can't surf the web at work but you saw a couple of cool articles on the web and didn't get a chance to read them before leaving home? If you have pdf converting software on your computer at home this is a life saver to give you that "web fix".

Save the article(s) as a PDF file or files and send them to your work email address or if you can save it on a thumb drive and get your web stories fix once you arrive at work.

This may mean you may have to get up a little early to get this done but at least you will get your quick fix for the day. ^_~

Hell is Freezing over...

2007-07-31T12:38:00.001-05:00

StumbledUpon This By Accident...

2007-07-31T12:15:00.000-05:00

(According to your monitor and video card/software)

When holding down the Ctrl + Alt keys and hitting the arrow keys you can change the your desktop view (try it and see what happens).

For People with a mini iPod w/the pepsi logo on back

2007-07-30T12:02:00.000-05:00

I found this out the hard way. I called Apple Store twice and asked can they change the battery in my mini iPod with the Pepsi engraved logo on the back, the tell me "no problem" only to get there and they can not do it but they gave me the link on apple to send the ipod for battery replacement so I want to save you the trip. If you have this type of mini iPod you will have to go to this website for battery replacement for this type of mini iPod.

apple.com/support/ipod/service/battery

Hope this is helpful.

Useful (or Useless)Tech Tip#3: Keep Your Bookmarks Organized

2007-07-29T11:57:00.000-05:00

Two ways I have found to keep my bookmarks organized. I am using del.icio.us more and more and that is great way of organizing them. The cool thing about del.icio.us is that by "tagging" them you can just type in the search bar in del.icio.us the tag name and it will pull up all the links you have saved. Another cool thing about this is that if you ever have to format your hard drive or if you buy another computer and if you did not export and save your bookmarks on a thumb drive or on your computer you just log into your del.icio.us account(and of course it's free) and your bookmarks are there for you. You can share your bookmarks with your friends who have del.icio.us accounts as well (Firefox has an extension you can use where you will have the del.icio.us and tag button on your browser).

Another way to organized your bookmarks is by making folders and categorizing your favorite links in each folder. I find this method really helpful because this way say if you are looking for the link you saved for Apple products, instead of having to scroll down a long list of bookmarks you have saved (if you are using IE it is called "Favorites") you just go to that folder and it will have the list of your favorites for Apple products.

One more thing...remember to save your bookmarks. You can do this by exporting and saving your bookmarks in your My Documents folder or you can use this method I just learned yesterday when I called in to the show The Tech Guy.

Be Blessed and Happy Geekin'

Useful (or Useless)Tech Tip#2: A Tidy Desktop for us Lonely Windows Users

2007-07-26T11:57:00.000-05:00

We Windows users do not have the perks of Mac users (I still love you all) when it comes to having a nice, clean and clear desktop but here is way have a nice, tidy desktop and to have either a few icons or no icons at all. Make short cuts the icons you use on a regular basis and place them in about 2-3 folders on your desktop or put them in the folder(s) and place them in taskbar and uncheck "show desktop icons" and you will have a nice, clean desktop and no clutter. ^_^

Some people may not want to take the extra couple of "clicks" but for me I like to have nothing on my desktop and it doesn't bother me if I have to click a couple of extra steps. There is a dock application for windows if you wish to go that route.

before

after

Twitter, Jaiku, Tumblr: I finally get it now

2007-07-26T09:59:00.000-05:00

Sometimes when you follow the web closely you have the tendency sometime to "over think" certain things or new tools to use on the web that are new (I know I do). Last year when Jaiku, Twitter and Tumblr hit geeks (Leo, Dvorak, Merlin) and non geeks alike everyone was asking, "If you have IM and blogs why do you need something like this?" (i.e. Twitter). I asked the same thing. I remember joining Twitter and then dropping it because

1. No friends to "twit" with
2. Jaiku made more sense to me at the time

Well here it is July and I am a "Twittin'/Jaikuin'/Tumblrin' fool. I finally get it now. As you all know I am working non stop, full time and a part time job and about time I get home most nights now I do not really have time to do my favorite thing; surf the web, read tech news, find new software to download, test and share it with my friends (you, my web friends out there). If I go by the schedule I mapped out for myself I may be able to do it (which I never stick to, it's always "hit and miss"). With tools like Twitter, Jaiku, Tumblr it's like IM/blogging/texting all wrapped up in one. These three ways (and Pownce right behind it) is in a way replacing keeping in contact via email.

A month or so back while listening to MacBreak Weekly(find episode) Merlin Mann (43 Folders) was talking with Justine Ezarik on how when the MacBreak crew was together she was texting the whole time and Merlin did not mean anything mean by it (Justin apologized to Merlin) and Merlin said something that was so profound: people that are on the web in a certain age bracket are finding that emailing one another is "too slow". The more I use Twitter, Jaiku and soon Pownce (whenever I find the time to set up my accounts...thank you Fave, Patrice, Jen) the less I email. Already having IM accounts which is cool but sometime you don't have time to log in and see who's online.

With Twitter, think of this as a "electronic bulletin board. You see what your friends are up to and you can jot down a "quick note" on what you are up to at that moment. Amber calls it voyeurism or "stalking" in a joking way but in all honesty you really become close with people even if you haven't met them face to face before. With these little powerful mediums you can send links, send pictures, now send music to one another to share with everyone. The cool thing about this way of communicating you can choose who to follow, who to allow to follow you and with Pownce, you have levels (like Vox) who you wish to see your mini post.

Tumblr is a mini blog. With Tumblr you basically throw up photos, links, embed videos, photos with captions, the whole gambit. With Blogger, Vox, Wordpress those are full blown blogging tools and at times a quick thought may pop in your head and you just want to share it without going through the whole "blogging" thing (I know it doesn't make sense but just bare with me). Again, you can do that with your blogs but with Tumblr its like a "no brainer". You come across a funny picture...throw it up on Tumblr, a Video, throw it up there...Tumblr is like watching a Simpsons episode and you are trying to explain it and have way through your explaination when people are looking at you like, "what's so funny about that?" Tumblr is the same...you just have to try it and you see what I mean.

Jaiku and Pownce are little more powerful that Twitter. These two not only can see what your friends are up to, but like Tumblr, you can also put your rss feeds from your blogs or any blog for that matter and whenever something new is posted it will post it automatic. I use Twitter for seeing what my fellow twits are up to and Jaiku and Tumblr for sharing my new post on my blogs and again I can post what I am up to on Jaiku.

With these pretty cool tools of communication you can tweak your background to fit your personality and have it stand out. Most people now are using IM or Twitter or cell phones to keep in touch instead of emailing. Some people may say, "you know meeting people in person is a option." This is not taking the place of physically meeting people but what this is doing is putting people together that have the same interest and cutting through sometimes time wasted thinking you may have many things in common and it turns out that you and that person do not "click" and I don't mean "hooking up" kind of click I mean just really getting to know someone. I have heard people and read that this much "reach out and touch someone in a nanosecond" can be a overload but it hit me this morning that it is helping really slow down. What I mean is that by having these tools now, instead of having to worry about writing a long piece on something you can now just post a link and everyone can see it and you can go on about your business. For me it's helping manage my time instead of thinking, "I have to write a post on this write away" and for me being pressed for time this is a blessing for me.

This past Tuesday in the Wall Street Journal's Marketplace section, there was an article about how more and more corporations are beginning to utilize IM (instant messaging) instead of the emailing. Adeco was called upon to add 300 extra workers for a computer maker and within hours Senior Vice President Steve Baruch was able to reach three states to get the workers they needed. Mr. Baruch stated, "If I had relied on email and phone calls, the same process could have taken him as long as three days. " (from the article: Instant Messaging Invades the Office by Carola Mamberto, The Wall Street Journal's Marketplace, Tuesday, July 24, 2007).

As they(corporations) are finding out sometimes you need to be in "real time" mode instead of after the fact. Some businesses are using it when in phone conferencing, in face to face meetings. They are finding out that instant messaging is not just something people are using to gossip in the office on their time. Just like people are finding that students are using their iPods more than just music Twitter, Jaiku, IM accounts are keeping people abreast of what they really need to know and the best part of this medium is that we can control who we talk to when we want to which is pretty nice. The joy of being a geek and sharing new,cool stuff, it really brings my heart joy covering things like this.

Like I said, I get it now.

Fave's website
Patrice website
Jen's website

Cool Little Program: Get the Vista Look Without The Price Tag

2007-07-04T08:08:00.000-05:00

Vista Look without the Vista Price

My geek brother sent me this cool little program that transform your Windows XP desktop to Vista, icons and all. Of course it's not Vista but if you want the look of Vista without the headache of Vista, check this out. Luis will write more on this in the future of this nice little eye candy application(don't know when he will post on this, getting him to post is like pulling teeth...LOL).

note:it will not give you that aero glass look or have the search bar but it's still kinda cool.

Leo Laporte: The Tech Guy episode 363
One thing I really enjoy about Leo's The Tech Guy is not just the callers but the very beginning of the show and the news that he shares. His views, how he makes his talk show lively and fun to listen to every Saturday and Sunday. This episodes he mentions Google Gears, how Yahoo is running far behind when it comes to Google. Whenever I listen to the Tech Guy it takes me back to when technology was really hitting it's stride. And now Leo has guest on his show like, The GizWiz himself, Mr. Dick DeBartolo from Mad Magazine. one little gadget he talk about on The Daily Giz Wiz episode #336 was the Wind Chime Alarm Clock. Dick reminds me of my grandmother (who I truly have to thank because whether she realized it or not, she was my true geek/gadget hero) I think this little clock would be cool to wake up to every morning.

Useful (or Useless)Tech Tip:

Spice up your podcast listening by mixing podcast with some of your favorite music tracks. I have a couple of playlist I have made where I have a one podcast and two music tracks to follow and then I repeat the process. Try it, it makes the day go by quick.

Is It Only Me That Want a Candy Bar Phone?

2007-07-03T22:51:00.000-05:00

This past weekend my wifey and I were at Best Buy and I saw something that was kind of dishearting...no candy bar(or I call them block or 1 piece) phones. Everything is flip phone now. I think the only candy bar phones I see now are Smartphones and heaven forbid I'm spending 600 smack-a-roos on the iPhone, as much I a love ya Apple (if I need to check my email and surf the web, this is where my nice 3 pound 12" inch laptop comes into play) and "Pay as you Go" phones. I have the Motorola Razr v3 (thanks to my sweetie pie) and it's cool. It's slender and it fits nicely in my pocket. But I have a couple of issues with it...

I'm always hitting the buttons on the side of the phone. At first this was annoying me big time until I finally broke down and got into the habit now of each time I finish talking I lock my keys. This is a good habit to get into because it saves on battery life, accidental dial outs or as some people call it, "butt dialing", and as with the Razr, the buttons on the right side controls the ringing process (i.e. ring, vibrate, silent)

Setting the ring tones is a pain: What I mean by this is with my Samsung, or Nokia when you set your phone for vibrate it sets everything for vibrate instead of ringing. Not the Razr, even if your phone is set for Vibrate if you have individual ring tones for different contacts your phone will still ring and if I set the phone for Silent the display is so faint if the phone is sitting flat you may miss a call.
Solution: I bought a card holder from Office Depot(take a picture of your card holder without and with your phone inside the holder) which was only about 4 bucks. By the Razr sleekness it fit right inside of the card holder and the slant is perfect for say I can see the display to the phone if I have it set for Silent.

Another cool tip: the plus side to the ring tones for the Razr is that it has a ring tone called "Chime low" (which I use this ringtone for my wife and "Chord low" for my geek brother Luis). These tunes are cool setting, especially at work because even if you walk away from your desk and your phone rings the sound is very low and will not disturb your coworkers around you. ^_^

To be honest I'm getting tired the flip phones period. I believe Nokia at this moment make block phones but my provider is Sprint so that's no good for me. AT&T (Cingular) I believe only carry Nokia phones. I was going to jump ship and head to Cingular but I hear the customer service is just as bad as Sprint. I was thinking maybe I can find a Motorola Slvr on eBay or maybe order it from Motorola itself but then I have to worry about fighting with Sprint to see if they would activate for me. Remember when companies actually used cater to the customers? Now you have to go to war with these cell phone companies to get good service. I could resort to what John C. Dvorak does and just begin using disposable cell phones. Cingular has a pretty cool looking candy bar phone and I think it's made by Motorola.

To me the cell phone companies are the new Pimps of the 21st Century. Promise you the moon and then set you out there on your own and we are bringing our hard earned money to our Sugar Daddies. Something gotta change.

Why My Next iPod Will Be a 4th Generation

2007-07-03T21:37:00.000-05:00

I really do not like iTunes 7. I do not wish to use the word "Hate" because that is truly an ugly word. Why can't companies leave some interfaces alone and just work "behind" the scenes. I really liked iTunes 6 because of how each Genre was listed, especially the podcast. With iTunes 6 it made it so simple to see each podcast and make my playlist but with 7 you have to click the arrow in order to see each podcast you have in each section and that I do not like. Don't get me wrong, iTunes is a cool little tool but sometimes Steve Jobs can be a "control freak" times 10. I have a mini iPod (which I truly love...I like the weight of it, the size of it, and why on the Nano iPods they put the earphone on the bottom of this mp3 player...what gives!?! I'm not parting with my mini iPod and if it ever goes out I'm going on eBay or Amazon.com to buy another one). I also have a 3 Generation iPod and the battery life on this thing is not so good compared to my 5th generation iPod but one thing it has over my 80GB iPod is this...it works with iTunes 6.

Another reason for my choice for a 4th Generation iPod is the iTunes 7 sets up podcast when it comes to how your podcast play on the iPod. It took me a very long time to set up my podcast to play one after another(at first my podcast would only play one podcast, stop my iPod and I would have to scroll down and push play to begin another podcast). I did not have this problem in iTunes 6 but in iTunes there is a setting where you have to dig inside the iTunes 7 and set it where your podcast will play one after another, which is a pain. Why Apple added this feature is beyond me. I had to go to an Apple Store in order to see how to set my iPod in order to resolve this problem. To hear the Apple employee explain why this feature was added was really sad and humorous at the same time. In all honesty I believe deep down he knew this feature was stupid on Apple's part but could not say this because...he works for Apple.

I wonder did Apple do a world wide survey to see if people was having trouble with iTunes 6 or did they want a different interface when it came to iTunes, knowing Steve...no. Steve's motto is "If I want people opinions, I will beat it out of 'em" and that's a shame. I recently read a article on Cnet and one person also said they do not like iTunes 7 and it made me a happy camper because at least I wasn't the only one who feels the same way.

Another thing I am coming to the realization is that even though I can watch video on my iPod or have cables(which I have) that I can watch the videos on our television if I wish but I rarely do this. I was listening to MacBreak Weekly (which by the way was a great show...I am finding myself digging MacBreak Weekly more and more)and Scott Bourne said something that was really funny and very true...he recently bought several iPhones and he said watching video on the iPhone compared to the video iPod what was he thinking when he bought the video iPod? I don't know if he was serious but he mentioned about going on eBay to get rid of his video iPod and I can relate to that in some way. I'm kind of thinking the same thing now. So I think the next iPod I will seek will be a 4th Generation iPod. While scrolling through Amazon.com I noticed that the iPods really hold their value so to me that is a good thing. I believe that is just a photo iPod which is cool but I want this iPod because I believe it will work with iTunes 6.

Some people like iTunes 7 but I don't. I have said this numerous of times but the geekier I become the less "eye candy" I need. I love Apple products but even with Apple they need to learn sometimes to leave well enough alone. Hopefully next week I will head to the Apple store and have my battery replaced in my mini iPod and that will truly be a joy for me because with 6gigs that is perfect for my podcasts. In a nutshell, I'm happy with my iPods but not the tool I have to use.

to download older version of iTunes you can go here

little Windows info...
internet-nexus.com(Paul Thuerott's blog)
ideas.live.com(if you are brave enough to try beta products for Windows)
www.getlive.com

I am really hooked on Windows Weekly with Paul Thurott and Leo Laporte. I have been looking for links to add to my blog for Windows and for now these will have to do. (It's amazing I can find a ba-gillion sites for Apple and not for Windows) .

Hello Everyone

2007-06-24T20:14:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone, I'm DarrenKeith and I have too many blogs to name but I am glad to start this blog. This blog I may not blog everyday here but the content I will have on here will be stuff you will like to check out.

I really enjoy tech, gadgets, getting in touch with other geeks. Hope you join me, if you have any ideas please share. Check out my other blogs from time to time
techmusicgospel
afrogeek365(on Vox)
Darren's Place
theologyNtechnology

I love sharing information and knowing that people appreciate it my reward. Be blessed, be Safe, and have a Great work week. ^_^