Managing My MicroBloggers

Social Media

I am on Twitter. I am on Pownce. Plurk, FriendFeed, Jaiku, identi.ca and a whole host more. I usually go through Ping.fm to post to them. Friendfeed likes to pick up the other feeds and repost.

The problem is if I Ping.fm “I’m writing a GNC article”, FriendFeed will post it 4-5 times. That makes me a FriendFeed Spammer. I don’t want that, for I want people to know who I am and what I do.

I quickly made some adjustments. First, I went to FriendFeed and pulled the queries from almost all but Twitter. Twitter is my focal point so it makes the most sense. I also left up Plurk because I wanted replies to be seen.

I then went to Ping.fm and turned off the FriendFeed post. I figure if it gets the post from Twitter, why should you get it from FriendFeed, too?

The end result is FriendFeed is only posting “I’m writing a GNC article” once. I did email FriendFeed a while back to suggest a way to merge the exact same mblogs – it would then show the places it came from but it would only be one post.

While no action came from that, I have a feeling they will eventually have to address the issue. The more people start cross Micro-Blog, the more we’ll see Friendfeed turn into a mess. At least I’m trying to keep my little part clean…

How Print Newspapers Can Survive

news, , ,

If newspapers are going to beat the odds and continue to exist they must keep evolving. Some have learned their lesson as evidenced by even small town papers having decent websites. They cannot stand still though as the internet is not static. If they try to keep their online edition of the paper the same for years they will keep losing their backsides. They need to keep up with the online space by melding into it. The success of prominent bloggers is partially due to old media, without which bloggers don’t have much to talk about. That will change as well because old media & new media will take parts of each other’s qualities in order to profit. Some online sites have their own insiders to get news tips so they don’t need to read mainstream newspapers or watch the talking heads on TV to get their information.

Podcasts, blogs, & online video are essential to newspapers surviving. If smaller papers don’t have the people or ability to do video or podcasts they better hire the people who can provide help. If not they are still just something to read. If you haven’t noticed there are a ton of people who simply hate reading, which is terrible, but nonetheless, a fact. Many folks would rather just watch a video or listen to a podcast with the same info as what they would have to read. Our small town paper is moving in the right direction but still has no video or podcasts. They have added rss feeds & the ability to comment on some articles which should have been done a long time ago. All they needed to do was hire the right person to point them in the right direction. But when you get set in your ways it is hard to turn around the ship. Another local news website is using more media formats and even had video available from the local presidential rallies in town. I don’t think they even have a print edition as they tend to have a relationship with the local radio station and may even be owned by the same company. It will be interesting to see which one flourishes especially with the slowdown in the economy.

The Future of Buckypaper

Science

I may have reported on this before several months back, I’m not sure, but there have been some new advances in the potential manufacturing process for buckypaper.

Silly name for a product, but it has great potential for the future of planes, automobiles, and possibly even home construction. Buckypaper is 10 times lighter, but as much as 500 times stronger than steel. It is a composite product, but unlike other composites, it can conduct electricity like copper or silicon and disperses heat like steel or brass. It’s potential is unlimited, but only if the manufacture of it can be developed so that it is cost-effective and less time-intensive.

Buckypaper looks like ordinary carbon paper, but is actually created from tube-shaped carbon molecules 50,000 times thinner than a human hair. Because of its construction and conductivity, it can be used to lighten automobiles and airplanes, replace some functional components of computers and televisions, and even be used in the development of lower-cost solar options.

Researchers at Florida’s Rice University are working on revolutionary manufacturing techniques that may make the production of buckypaper much more cost-effective, as well as being less time-intensive. This new research is a major breakthrough on a project that has been taking shape over the last 15 years.

And if the name sounds funny, those that are science geeks like me will know right away that Buckminster Fuller had something to do with this. The discovery of “buckyballs” [buckminsterfullerene], soccer-ball-shaped molecules produced during an experiment with carbon, led to the development of buckypaper. Ah, the visionary and futurist Buckminster Fuller. He lives on!

Knock, Knock. Hi. I’m AT&T. Wanna Switch to Us?

internet

So yesterday I was working on a new PC for my ustreaming when the dog starts barking profusely. I went downstairs to find out what’s going on and noticed there was someone at the door. After getting Alex settled, I answered it.

The guy says “Hi. I’m with AT&T. We just put Fiber in your area and wanted to let you know.”

I decided to forgo the usual “Funny I don’t feel more regular” quips and let him explain what that meant to me. He continued on by saying that they could now offer cable TV and wireless to this house with speeds up to 10 Meg down and 1.5 meg up.

“That’s great” I said. “Do you have any documentation?”

“Uhhhh….” he responded. “No. But if you switch now we can give you a great discount.”

I was a little perplexed. So I decided to grill him a little. “You say 10 down, 1.5 up, is AT&T also going to be implementing a cap?”

“Uhh…. I don’t know. I am only a contractor…”

I continued. “Well what type of channels does the cable offer?”

“Uhhh….”

There were a couple other questions, but you get the idea. I told him straight up that he had no documentation for me and he couldn’t answer any real questions. If he wants to come back with that information and documentation, then I’ll entertain the idea.

First of all, let me state at this point in life I like Charter. They have some decent policies like they won’t give my information to just anybody asking for it. If there is a problem, I will be informed so I can take action. Of course they’re a big company and that could change tomorrow, but for now I realize I could be burdened with the bureaucratic B.S. some other companies are pulling.

Now while I understand AT&T is just trying to get into the niche, to send someone over that doesn’t have the ability to answer my questions is just asinine. How do I know it’s not a guy just trying to scam some information from me? As I’m writing this, I should have called local authorities.

If you are going to knock on my door and upset my dog, you better be able to explain yourself. This guy didn’t. Therefore, he got no more information from me than a email would saying I won $300 million from the Nigerian Lottery.

Now that I think about it, I will be notifying the local authorities on this. I saw “Home Alone.” If they are an intruder, all Alex will end up doing is try to lick their face and hope they take him for a walk.

2008 Podcast Awards Slate

hitachi, podcast awards

2008pcaThe 2008 Podcast Awards slate of shows that will be voted on has been finalized and will be announced Sunday Oct 19th at 4pm Pacific.

I personally want to thank those in my audience that volunteered to do the review. It was a huge amount of work in fact for a few of our reviewers it was more than they bargained for and I had to solicit some alternates.

The slate looks pretty impressive and I look forward to making the announcement on Sunday. The announcement will take place via a live streamed event starting at 4pm Pacific @ PodcastAwards.com

Disco Could Save Your Life

Information

This is not tech-related, but medical-related, and thought I’d share. Like many people, I am certified in CPR and First Aid and keep my certification up to date. Because I work in a college environment with lots of young people who don’t always have the common sense they should have, I have found this training to be invaluable.

And while I’ve never had to perform CPR on anyone, I know I can if need be. Today, a new study from the University of Illinois at Peoria suggests that disco can save lives. Specifically, applying chest compressions to the beat of the Bee Gees’ Stayin’ Alive can reach the target of over 100 beats per minute. The song has a measured beat of about 103 beats per minute, which when used as a template for compressions, is virtually perfectly matched to the standards published by the American Heart Association.

Performing CPR can triple the survival of victims, and the song is easily stuck in one’s head anyway because of its repetition and intense beat.

I wonder if I’ll get to hear the Bee Gees in my next CPR certification class?