Most Twitterers Missed the Boat

With the recent advent of Internet access at my house, I decided to spend Sunday morning doing some non-Facebook social networking. To that end, I've been going through all the emails from Twitter that so-and-so is following me. I've clicked on each link, and it seems some of these "dunderheads" (to borrow a term from SpongeBob) need some guidance.

1. If I look at your Twitter page and it says you are affiliated with The Don, I'm instantly skeptical.  If you've had almost 20,000 tweets, not only do I not believe you have any affiliation, but... no.


2. Just because I follow someone that you follow doesn't mean that I will follow you.  I've seen a few do this (they see that I follow one user and go through their entire list to harvest people to follow).  Don't take it personally, but... no.


3. Similar to above, following me because I am in Cincinnati... no.


4. If I pull up your Twitter page, and you have three tweets of crap... no.


5. 9 tweets 9 days ago with nothing in between then and now... no.


6. If you aren't tweeting something I'm interested in getting annoyed by up-to-date announcements about, such as parenting or pets... no.


7. If I pull up your twitter page and see 4 tweets directed at someone and one that has no apparent substance whatsoever... no.

Furthermore, for the few one that did get me to follow them, here is how to not get un-followed:

1. Do not post links that ought not be posted, such as to bing or google.


2. Do not over-tweet me.  With the exception of one place, I don't follow many because I want to be able to read those 140-character blog entries.

Lastly, here is some guidance of what people I want to see in tweets:

1. Post some useful links.  If you blog only every-so-often, feel free to let me know that there is a new post.  However, if you post with the frequency of Life Hacker, do NOT do this!


2. Make a few jokes.  Maybe I'll retweet one of them (which I've done... once!)


3. If you are a radio host, feel free to let me know what you are doing on the show.  I may not tune in, but if I am really interested, I will probably tune in.


4. Don't expect a reply unless I personally know you or really respect you, or I have something snappy to say.


5. Don't expect me to follow you unless I am really interested in what you have to say.

With that... feel free to follow me on Twitter.  Just don't cry in your Wheaties if I don't follow you back :)

Microsoft Cancels Windows 7 Family Guy Deal - Lamest Move Ever!

In Microsoft's latest stupid move, they ended a sponsorship deal with "The Family Guy" television show.  In the show, characters would use computers loaded with Windows 7 to do common and/or interesting tasks, such as slideshows, burning CDs, and playing music.  Microsoft cites that the content of "The Family Guy" "was not a fit with the Windows brand" as the reason.

If Microsoft had one ounce of intelligence in them, they wouldn't have scrubbed the "The Family Guy" episode sponsorship.  Microsoft could have finally had a great idea before Apple, but unfortunately Microsoft lacks the kahunas to do a one-up on Apple.  Such a shame.

Windows 7 Launch Parties?

I have really been trying to resist ripping on Microsoft latest attempt at lameness: the launch parties.  After reading "Windows 7 Launch Parties Fizzle - Business Center - PC World", I could resist no more.  That article was correct in all accounts, I think, except the parodies (I found only one that was total crap).

First off, the fact that Microsoft is putting up videos on how to run a party suggest that they expect everyone is socially inept.

Then, they seemed to have missed the boat when it comes to doing a real launch party.  I've seen a lot of launch parties (never been to one) that were put on by either bookstores promoting Harry Potter books or Apple promoting their latest OS.  Both had strong corporate backing.  Neither fit into my social schedule (the permanent scar on my forehead is the closest I'll get to dressing up like Harry Potter, and I really don't care for the local mall where the Apple Store is here in Cincinnati).

You would think that Microsoft could have taken those 4 people and made them look like an actual party, maybe at least a beer or two, but let's face it, they took 4 people that would not likely be partying together and made them "party" together.  Microsoft meets a Spongebob-style party.

Hopefully, Microsoft has made a better OS than the last one, but I think they successfully shot themselves in the foot already with Vista and the outpouring of people recommending to NOT upgrade a computer to 7, but rather, buy a new one.  Me?  I'll consider buying it, and it seems like it runs fine on my MacBook Pro.  However, it is not a priority.

Should I back up data stored in the cloud?

The reference link is below, but I can tell you the answer in a word: YES.

We need to learn from the Microsoft "Danger" Debacle (or the T-Mobile Sidekick Debacle, if you will), and the Amazon Kindle disaster.  Don't expect companies or people to give a damn about you when they mess up.  Sometimes, it isn't even the companies, it is some ignorant fool behind the scenes with a score to settle with the company.  Sometimes it is a disaster (whether Cyber or real).

Even worse, don't even ask the question when the data in Google Docs is pretty easy to back up.  Take a look at http://1st-soft.net/gdd/ and see TWO ways to backup you docs on Google Docs.  They're both pretty simple... Okay, I guess the Python one isn't that simple for most people, but the GreaseMonkey/DownThemAll one is!  With tools so simple to use to backup that data, why would you not periodically do that?

Reference: Should I back up data stored in the cloud? | Adventures in IT - InfoWorld.

Firefox blocks insecure .Net add-on

Reference: Firefox blocks insecure .Net add-on

After looking at the comments, I realized I wasn't the only one to see the "Add-On May Be Causing Problems" window in FireFox, see something from Microsoft, and think "what, wait.... did I install that?".

Microsoft has been pushing add-ons to FireFox through Windows Update.

Let me type that again...

Microsoft has been PUSHING add-ons to FIREFOX through WINDOWS UPDATE.

This is terrible.

First off, if I want an add-on for FireFox, I will add it myself.  I don't need Windows Update to do it for me.

Second, I don't want the Windows Presentation Framework.  I don't know what it is, but I surely don't use it.

Third, Microsoft, if you are going to silently install add-ons to FireFox, at least make sure they don't have unintended side-effects, like SLOWING the startup of FireFox.

After uninstalling this garbage off my machine, I've noticed that the 1-2 minute delay when starting FireFox is gone.  I'm glad, too, as it has had a tendency to delay our attendance-on-demand website where I clock-in.

Apple Will Feel The Pain From Windows 7 Launch?

This is what happens when a blundering idiot is allowed to write technology news.

Apple Will Feel The Pain From Windows 7 Launch - Software - IT Channel News by CRN.

Let's go through this in stages.

"Here's what I believe will happen: The Windows 7 launch will take those market-share gains Apple has seen over the past several years and make them disappear."

Really?  So the fact that a lot of Macs were bought when XP was still out has no bearing on the fact that Apple has been gaining market share?  Granted, Vista was the best thing to happen to Apple, but do you think that people aren't wondering why they would purchase 'fixed Vista' in the first place?

"How frightened is Apple that its about to be whammied by Windows 7? Well, BusinessWeek is reporting that Apple is planning to launch a marketing blitz aimed at convincing PC buyers to instead choose a Mac."

And MS didn't do the same thing leading up to Snow Leopard's release?  Remember those "I'm not cool enough to be a Mac person" ads last summer?  Microsoft is planning their own advertising blitz, too, and it is even advertised on your site, and it involves a full "commercial free" episode of The Family Guy.

"BusinessWeek says that Apple will likely make the case that Macs are more susceptible to viruses. A flat-out false claim. There are a bunch of Mac myths. And better security than Windows is the biggest one. Security experts say that if Mac users are less susceptible to attack, it's simply due to the fact that there are fewer viruses written for Macs than for Windows."

Yeah, some of the security stuff is myth, but a lot of the "Mac Myths" were based on user intelligence, something neither MS nor Apple can do anything about.  There are still less viruses out for Apple compared to MS, just like less attacks on FF and Opera than IE.

"BusinessWeek also claims Apple will make fun of Microsoft for making Windows XP owners go through what is by all accounts a cumbersome process to upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7. Talk about a canard. That duck just don't fly. No one in their right mind would even think of upgrading a Windows XP system to Windows 7. That's an exercise for unemployed nerds with too much time on their hands. It simply doesn't make sense. Windows 7 is a cause celebre to look at buying a new system. It is not a reason to look at upgrading a well-running Windows XP system. You wouldn't upgrade a well-running Mac system either. Get a life."

BULL SHIT.  I have upgraded my MacBook Pro once, and I'm going to do it again once I make it to my computer store of choice and get Snow Leopard.  A new OS should NOT be a reason to drop $2k on a new computer.  Of course, my MacBook Pro is working as well as day 1 at 3 years old.  I can't say the same about my quad-core Dell desktop until I reloaded XP on it.  If we can't upgrade a perfectly good system, then why even give Windows 7 the time of day?  Oh, I get it.  We're supposed to go out and buy a $400 junk PC with Windows 7.  I guess you can't upgrade one of those, just like you can't polish a turd.  Dell, HP, Sony, etc. all have $2k laptops and desktops.  You COULD upgrade those from XP to W7, but yeah, I guess that process will be too cumbersome, thanks to MS.


Additionally, the upgrade process that I did to go from Tiger to Leopard was quick and easy and resulted in no data loss.   It has been YEARS since I messed with upgrading a computer with an MS system, partly because 8 out of the last 10 computers I owned or used were so terrible to begin with that they were replaced instead of upgrading to a new OS and had to be reloaded on a yearly basis (not MS's fault, of course).

Speaking of reloading every year, even my bad-ass Dell Quad-Core had to be reloaded after a year (with XP, of course, no way I'd even think about Vista given what I do).   Computers should not become so painfully slow or error prone that they need to be reloaded regularly.

EDIT (2): Take a look at this page from the Washington Post where tech writer Rob Pegoraro calls the XP -> 7 upgrade process a "Destructive Install". Mr. Pegoraro has a pretty good assessment of Windows 7 in his article.

"Yes, the Mac has had a great run for the past couple of years. Gartner says Apple's share of the U.S. computer market for the third quarter amounted to 8.8 percent, up from 8.6 percent in the year-ago period. My bet is that market share is going to drop below 5 percent by the end of 2010."

That is an awful strong statement considering the reduced liklihood that people will purchase new computers just to get a new OS in the current economy.  You can consider 2009 dead - the holiday season is about to start and the US unemployment is at 9.8% or so.  There may be some purchases at tax time, but I wouldn't hold my breath for the expectation.

What about the market share of dual-boot computers - such as a Mac running both OS X and Windows 7 under Boot Camp, Parallels, or Fusion.  Is this even going to be measured correctly?

"Apple CEO Steve Jobs has done a great job of exploiting the shortcomings of Vista for some significant market-share gains. Windows 7 has none of those shortcomings and all the advantages of the Windows brand at its best."

And Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer didn't attempt to exploit the price-point of Apple Hardware?  Of course, he also poo-pooed the iPhone and the iPod, both of which have outsold their MS counterparts so much that you don't hear much about Windows Mobile or the Zune.

All in all, I think Windows 7 will be a great OS.  I will probably purchase it and run it on under Parallels or on Boot Camp (or both, even).  However, unless major changes happen, my next computer will be a Mac... whenever I buy that computer.

Let's be realistic, though.  Windows 7 will not be a cure-all for MS.  Bing is more or less a failure, Windows Mobile is looking like a failure, Zune is a failure, Office for Mac is a failure (probably part of Microsoft's business plan), and Vista was a failure, to name a few.  Steve Ballmer seems to be delusional, having been associated with a number of articles where he laughs at the iPhone, calls Vista an "unqualified success", and the "Vista Capable" lawsuit.  Office for Windows is the only software product that Microsoft makes that can be competitive, and it is under assault by free online services like Google Docs.  Microsoft's innovation has been surpassed or matched in EVERYTHING THEY DO.  Windows and Microsoft will not die, and that is great.  We need them.  However, Microsoft would do better to refocus and make sure that I'm not wrong on that.

EDIT: In addition to above, Microsoft acquired "Danger" in April 2008.  In 1.5 years, they didn't learn to backup their server or store things like photos locally on a device.  Instead, it appears that they had them on a server.  I'm not too familiar with the T-Mobile Sidekick, but not storing pictures to local memory?  Bad news, and a bad move by Microsoft to not do something better.

Now, back to the author and article.  The linked article was the most biased and uneducated crap I have ever read.  This reads as if it was written by a business person that thinks they know a lot about technology... a person that thinks their PocketPC is cool because it has built-in Wi-Fi... a person that thinks they know a lot because they have 2 GB of RAM in their computer... a person that thinks they are smart because they setup a wireless network in their house and it has 128-bit WEP security.  Get with the times.  Blackberries and iPhones have replaced PocketPCs a long time ago.  2 GB of RAM is nothing.  WEP security is crap, try WPA, and it is pretty easy to set it up.  Let me know when you've figured out a program that does more than:

10 PRINT "Hello World"

20 GOTO 10

Former DOT Secretary weighs in on Transportation Bill

Reference: National Journal Online -- Insider Interviews -- Bush DOT Chief Discusses Reauthorization.

I agree with the thoughts of increased tolling and more fees other than the gas tax.  I also agree with $1B per year for technology, but it has to be managed right.

I'm also glad that the performance measures are measurable:

• Congestion (we can measure that - it is the percent of a region's network that is operating with a demand greater than its capacity)


• Costs (we can measure that, although we have to watch how we do it, as we don't want to have a system be considered bad if gas prices hit $4/gallon)


• Safety (we DO measure this - it is the number of injuries and deaths on the road)

Can we let the Kindle/1984 thing go already? NO!!!

Some idiot in the tech world asks the following question: Can we let the Kindle/1984 thing go already?

It amazes me from a software based magazine that such a pathetically stupid question was even asked.

The answer is NO.

If we were talking about a paperback novel, then what happened would have went as such:

1. Amazon sells stolen book


2. Amazon steals stolen book back from unsuspecting consumers


3. Amazon gets busted for selling stolen property, breaking and entering (potentially), assault (possibly) and theft.

Apparently, there some difference between the paperback version and the digital download?  This is what happened:

1. Amazon sold book that they had no right to sell


2. Amazon illegally entered user's Kindle devices


3. Amazon stole legally purchased digital download

The difference is only format.  What Amazon did was basically stealing (twice), and they aren't getting busted for it.  No, we can't drop it until Amazon does get busted and we have devices where WE have control enough to lock the windows and doors.

Twisted Legal: Google reveals identity of Cohen 'skank' blogger | ZDNet Government | ZDNet.com

Can you say "whiner"?

Someone calls this person names, and she fights Google in court over the "attack".

First off, three words: FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS.  The person in question had the right to their speech.  It was dirty words, but in the end, that appears to be all it was (now if it was giving away privileged information, like model Cohen's home address or phone number, I stand corrected).

Second off, bloggers must be aware of the ramifications of what they post.  If it can be backed up, it is fair game.  If it can't, it is probably better left untyped.

Google reveals identity of Cohen 'skank' blogger | ZDNet Government | ZDNet.com.

BusinessWeek: Top 30

Another example of a ranking done wrong.

The 30 Strongest Housing Markets in the U.S: Boulder rocks - BusinessWeek.

In this one, there are several things that make me want to question their ranking capability:

1. #6 is Pittsburgh.  If that isn't reason enough to question the entire thing, look at the median value of only $119,800.  Not many rich people there, and 'median' means that half of the homes sold for less than that.

2. Pictures on 8, and 12 are bad in some way shape or form.  #8 looks like it is falling over, and #12 looks like a scan of an old slide... almost like they found something on Flickr or Panoramio instead of something from Realtor.com or the local convention-visitor's bureau.

3. #10 is Oklahoma.  Not Oklahoma City, but Oklahoma... which was a state last time I checked.  Evidently, this article lacked the proofreading of someone with a degree higher than a GED.

4. #14 is Springfield, Ohio.  Locally, we know Springfield as the capital of antique malls.  Also, the median value is $93,500.  Perhaps due to foreclosures?

5. #22 is Bay City, Michigan.  The median value is $80,100, the annual change is -11%, and the economy is built on manufacturing (which includes a GM plant).  Take a look at some of the old steel cities (Youngstown, Ohio, for example) and look at what happens to the economy when a major employer tanks.  Not good for home values, is it?

6.  #25 is in California.  That not being enough, look at the median value (over $500k) and the annual change (-10.8%).    The 2008 National Average was 196.6.  Anything more than twice that is asking for disaster.

Some ideas to fix or avoid this:

1. Don't publish lists of things that are currently under impact by wildly irregular circumstances.  The country is in the middle of a recession caused by a complete implosion of the housing market.  There are some great places to own houses that are not on this list because they are impacted by the mortgage crisis.

2. Make sure the criteria is obvious.  I don't want to have to look for it.  When looking at the results, it should be obvious.  Don't show things in the result that don't relate or obscure the criteria.

3. Rankings should be geared towards the readers.  BusinessWeek readers are, presumably, business oriented.  Why show them half-metrics (annual change, but no indicator of which annum) or omit important metrics (change over last 5 years, change over last 10 years).

How the Mobile Stuff is Supposed to Work

I have finally been truly impressed with my BlackBerry Storm. I am in Columbus today (well, really it's Dublin). The first thing I really needed to use my phone for was lunch.

So I brought up Poynt and searched for restaurants. I got a list of restaurants, and touched the one I wanted to eat at. Then, I was able to get directions.

I was happy enough that I used my phone to write this post.

Definitions!

Tink

/tink/ n. 1. Sound a nail makes when it falls on a metal object. 2. Word overused by New Kids on the Block (specifically Jordan Knight) to generate interest on Twitter.

New Kids on the Block

/loozerz/ n. A group of 5 singers that are complete and utter losers.  They were big with 12 year old girls in the early 90s, and unfortunately, some of those girls haven't grown up (as evidenced by the number of Twitter followers they have).  One of the losers, Donnie Wahlberg, attempted to burn down a hotel in Louisville, KY with a home-made molotov cocktail.  This apparent suicide attempt marked what was thought to be the end of the band.  Their Twitter antics tend to pollute TwitScoop and overshadow more impportant things, such as the second un-retirement of Bret Favre, the death of Dom Deluise, and the general panic over the H1N1 "swine" flu.

Microsoft

/sh-it/ n. A company built up by Bill Gates only to be torn down by the loser Steve Ballmer.

Steve Ballmer

/eediut/ n. An idiot known for being the CEO of the company that released the Vista operating system, getting on stage and yelling "Developers!", throwing furniture, and laying off some 5,000 people at Microsoft.  Commonly referred to "jackass".

Vista

/vis-tuh/ n. 1. A beautiful view. 2. A set of operating systems released by Microsoft that lasted realistically for 8 months before Microsoft announced the next operating system.  During said 8 months, support for Windows XP was extended... twice.

New BlackBerry...

How great it is when everything works well.  How much it sucks when something isn't perfect.

Social Networking and Government 2.0

I just saw an article today on PCWorld discussing the differences in ages between MySpace and Facebook users.  It got me thinking about the want for Government activities, particularly planning studies, to use 'new media' to reach out and connect to people.  As stated in the PCWorld article, Facebook has an abundance of the over-35 crowd, and MySpace has an abundance of teenagers.  If done properly, this age difference can be used to connect to BOTH of these groups.

One of the most important things when using social networking in government is keeping things current.  Nobody likes a dead page, and all-too-often project websites suffer from not being kept up-to-date.  The same thing can easily happen to a MySpace or Facebook page.

Another important thing is prompt replies to questions/etc.  People don't want to wait several days for an answer.

Things to keep in mind:

• Anything on the Internet is searchable, indexed, and stored.


• MySpace and Facebook pages for governments or projects are public documents.  Be prepared for media requests about information, etc.


• The visual quality of such pages reflect on the government that is operating them.  They should be visually pleasing, not gaudy.  Keep animated stuff to a minimum.  Pictures should be of plans/alternatives, pictures of public meetings, renderings of alternatives, etc.

If done properly, social networking can be a great way to augment the public involvement in any planning (or related) process.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Corrupt OS X Address Book

I had a problem updating a contact that made its way into my address book without an email...

Watch your screenshots...

This was originally from http://www.orangelabel.com/icons.htm... They haven't fixed it yet, I'm not sure if they've even noticed, but I saw it on Twitter...

[caption id="attachment_244" align="alignnone" width="150" caption="Take a look at the IE webpage"][/caption]

Take a look at the IE webpage.

Multiple row toolbar in Firefox

Multiple row toolbar in Firefox « Codelicious.

Social Networking - Facebook, Flickr, MySpace, LinkedIn, Del.icio.us, etc.

I just went through the process of changing my blog, Facebook, and LinkedIn pages/profiles to all link to each other (and an added bonus, my Facebook profile also links to my Flickr page.  I've noticed a few things, and I've dropped my thoughts here.

RC Car in the Snow

I took my Radio Controlled Car out into the snow last week, and got some pictures...