Showing posts with label reviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reviews. Show all posts

Mobile Defense Helps You Find Your Lost Android Phone

Downloaded Mobile Defense for the Android platform.  Specifically for my Motorola Droid X running Google's Android operating system.  Installed with easy from the Android Marketplace.  Once launched it asked me to register I gladly filled in the required information.  Mobile Defense sends a confirmation/activation email you have to click on the link in the email.  Mobile Defense sends you an SMS message with a code in it that activates your phone.  At which time you are required to restart your phone.  Upon restarting your phone the Mobile Defense icon disappears in the programs list.

Surf on over to Mobile Defense and log into your account.  This is where the magic is seen.  When you login your greeted with your recent activity. Things like session started, audible alert enabled and device locked are shown.  Click on the Map tab then on connect phone.  Mobile Defense sends your phone an SMS message again with a code to active there services.  

 Once connected the map zooms into your location and presents you with the dialog box to the left.  Here you can disconnect or lock your phone if you setup the pattern lock feature.  You can also scare the hell out of the person that is holding you device click on Alert.  You will now configure the settings of the alert.  have it play a sound (heck yes you do) and if
you want the alert to require a 4-digit pin to turn the the alert off (I recommend you do) select Require Pin.  Type in a message to appear in the dialog that pops up on the phones screen.
Mine would say something like:
Please call 530-410-6560 to report the phone being found.  This phone is being tracked and if not reported we assume you stole it.  Thank you

I guess that would get there attention wouldn’t?  Oh not to mention the sound it plays is deafening and sounds like a home alarm system going off.








Mobile Defense Tracking Details
Details (see tracking details image to the left) show the information about your device at that moment for example:

 The coordinates of your device, signal strength of the radio and the data connection which shows the SYSID of the router if Wi-Fi.  There is talk of the ability to remote wipe your device in future updates.
Mobile Defense is like having AAA.  It sits quietly in your pocket until you need it.  I have had Mobile Defense on my Motorola Droid X since getting the device and have not seen any battery issues or conflicts with other programs.  This program has become one of my top 5 must have programs for the Android phones.

Just think with Mobile Defense you will always know where your kids are of course that is for another post.

Mobile Defense Scares The Hell Out Of Thieves

Downloaded Mobile Defense for the Android platform.  Specifically for my Google Nexus One smartphone.  Installed with easy from the Android Marketplace.  Once launched it asked me to register I gladly filled in the required information.  Mobile Defense sends a confirmation/activation email you have to click on the link in the email.  Mobile Defense sends you an SMS message with a code in it that activates your phone.  At which time you are required to restart your phone.  Upon restarting your phone the Mobile Defense icon disappears in the programs list.

Surf on over to Mobile Defense and log into your account.  This is where the magic is seen.  When you login your greeted with your recent activity. Things like session started, audible alert enabled and device locked are shown.  Click on the Map tab then on connect phone.  Mobile Defense sends your phone an SMS message again with a code to active there services.  

Mobile Defense Settings

Once connected the map zooms into your location and presents you with the dialog box to the left.  Here you can disconnect or lock your phone if you setup the pattern lock feature.  You can also scare the hell out of the person that is holding you device click on Alert.  You will now configure the settings of the alert.  have it play a sound (heck yes you do) and if Mobile Defense Alert Dialog Box

you want the alert to require a 4-digit pin to turn the the alert off (I recommend you do) select Require Pin.  Type in a message to appear in the dialog that pops up on the phones screen.

Mine would say something like:

Please call 530-410-6560 to report the phone being found.  This phone is being tracked and if not reported we assume you stole it.  Thank you

I guess that would get there attention wouldn’t?  Oh not to mention the sound it plays is deafening and sounds like a home alarm system going off.

Details show the information about your device at that moment for example:

image

The coordinates of your device, signal strength of the radio and the data connection which shows the SYSID of the router if Wi-Fi. 

There is talk of the ability to remote wipe your device in future updates.

Mobile Defense is like having AAA.  It sits quietly in your pocket until you need it.

I have had Mobile Defense on for a few short days but have not seen any battery issues or conflicts with other programs.  This program has become one of my top 5 must have programs for the Nexus One.

Just think with Mobile Defense you will always know where your kids are of course that is for another post. 

The Best and Worst of the Google Nexus One

I have had the Google Nexus One for about a month now.  When I first purchased it I had no intention of going with T-mobile plan for data and just using the wi-fi connection.  I anxiously awaited FedEx two bring my package from Google and of course they did not show up until the afternoon.  I was eager to sign for my package knowing it was from Google.  I immediately took it to my office to open it.  It came in a plain brown box that had a caution sticker on the top that said caution lithium ion batteries do not load or transport package if damaged.  The FedEx sticker said it came from HTC America Houston, Texas.  I carefully slit the top of the box open to reveal a Google Nexus One Unboxing sturdy white box that was 8 inches by 4 inches that said Nexus One.  On the back was a sticker that said Nexus One with the IMEI number and serial number.  As I took the top of the box off I was immediately greeted by a beautiful black and gray device which was the Nexus One all tight and snug in the container.  I carefully took the Nexus One out of the box and sat it to the side.  I lifted off the first layer of packaging that gave way too a very nice neoprene case with the Android logo on it.  A quick reference guide and other documentation.  Peeled back the second layer to reveal a micro-USB connector cable, wall charger, dual ear piece headphones, 8 GB micro-SD memory card and a battery.

I opened up the back cover and inserted the battery and 8 GB micro-SD memory card.  Took the Nexus One and the power adapter and plugged it into the wall.  I was so excited I had to walk away from the phone until the indicator light turned green.  It took about five or six hours and yes I watched every minute it seemed like.  During this time I read the online documentation from Google.  I felt as though I was comfortable and ready to turn that Nexus One on and be able to connect to wi-fi.  The minute the yellow indicator turned green I unplugged the power cord held the Nexus one in my left hand.  Looked the device over top to bottom side to side.  At the top left of the device is the power button and I pushed it down with excitement.  As the device turned on with the nexus one X logo I was then greeted with a multitude of colors.  The device booted up I was given prompts to set the device up and to login to my GMAI L account.  During these prompts there was one that stated I did not have a sim card inserted and if I wanted to use wi-fi.  I selected wi-fi and it found my wireless router.  I selected it and was asked four in the pass key once entered within a few seconds my network assigned an IP address.  I was then able to login and finish configuring my Nexus One.  While connected to wi-fi I could do pretty much all functions except for make phone calls.

My e-mail, contacts and calendar synch’d with my Google accounts with no problem.  Not only with no problems but very fast.  I then connected to the Google marketplace where I was greeted with hundreds if not thousands of free downloadable applications for my Nexus One.  I quickly found Facebook and Seesmic for my Nexus One.  I enjoyed the live wallpapers which made my background interactive.  They were cool but needed something more my speed.  After extensive search I found Earth Live Wallpaper by Earthrot that gave me the ability to bring the universe to my wallpaper.  Now I have Jupiter rotating on my wallpaper and yes very cool.

The next morning at 0530 I took my Nexus One and went to Starbucks.  The Nexus One found the AT&T wi-fi access point I selected it and the Nexus One said it was connected.  I quickly and with anticipation launched the browser and nothing happened.  I selected the home page and was greeted with AT&T web page and the ability to login.  Once logged in through the website I had complete wi-fi access.  I quickly saved the new connection to my Nexus One and read the local newspaper online.  Over the next couple of days I was completely satisfied with my purchase of the Nexus One using wi-fi however, whenever I left the house and wanted or needed to make a phone call or access data.  It became painfully obvious I needed a voice and data plan from T-mobile.  I called them told them I did not want a contract only a month to month but needed unlimited text and data.  Basically I now have the coolest prepaid cell phone on the market.

Even with the new T-mobile service something did not seem right.  I was not getting full strength from T-mobile service and was frustrated quickly.  I finally called T-mobile to find out what the problem was.  Apparently when I activated my Nexus One without a SIM card it registered services differently.  T-mobile told me at that point that I would need to reset the Nexus One to factory specifications.  Lucky for me I use all Google services and did not have a lot of applications.  As I was speaking to the representative I was writing down the applications I did have downloaded.  He made a couple of adjustments told me how to reset my device and once I did that my Nexus One registered properly with T-mobile and Google.  I've then preceded to go into town that evening in order to try my service.  I had service where I did not have service before.  The transition from T - mobile to wi-fi was beautiful.  I now go from the office with wi-fi to the car which turns to T-mobile and back to wi-fi and notice no difference.  Well of course I noticed that speed difference between wi-fi and cell phone service.

I quickly determine that I needed an application that would connect to my corporate exchange servers.  After searching numerous forms the same application came up time and time again.  That was touchdown by NitroDesk this app said that it could connect to corporate exchange servers even with IT policies.  I went to the marketplace found touchdown and downloaded it to my Nexus One.  It came with a disclosure that said it was a trial version and to be sure it can configure and connect to your corporate servers before buying the full version.  The trial version was a complete version with a time limit.  Knowing my exchange server settings I felt confident I could get touchdown to work.  I went through the setup to register my Nexus One to my corporate exchange account.  I used the outlook web account settings and then asked me to accept the IT policy and create a four digit password (password for touchdown only not the whole device).  Once I did that I've received e-mail, contacts, global address list, and calendar data instantaneously as it happens.  I was pleasantly surprised at how easy the setup was and how quickly I started to receive data.

As I enjoy my social sites I needed to find an application that would post to ping.fm.  Once again after searching the marketplace and forums I found AnyPost.  After downloading and launching AnyPost it asked me for my Ping.fm account login.  Oh how sweet it was to make my first post using my nexus one.

I'd than needed to find a good RSS reader and hoping it would connect to my Google reader account.  And yes after searching and playing with numerous applications I have settled upon NewsRob.  It asked for my Google reader account login information once entered it pulled all my RSS feeds and allowed me to start reading.  One of the best parts is the ability to see feeds in HTML.

I did download a couple of games such as blackjack, word search and of course backgammon.  Instead of using Google talk only I downloaded eBuddy to pull in all my IM accounts so that I would be available no matter where and when I wanted. 

I plan to post pictures taken from the Nexus One at a later time.  I will also take some videos and post them to my YouTube account.

The Nexus One is sleek, sexy and highly functional.  After owning quite a few cell phones, PDA, laptops, and smart phones I must say the future is bright.

********

UPDATE

I can’t believe I left out the worse parts of the Google Nexus One.  Thank you @AnthonyRusso for your comment.  Here we go.

I leave Wi-Fi on constantly due to having access to a Wi-Fi connection 10-15 hours a day.  As I stated above the best part is being able to walk out of the office or home and have the Nexus One switch with ease from Wi-Fi to cell data.  With my habits this means that I cannot get through a whole day without charging at least once before I put it on the dock station at night.  If I turn off Wi-fi and do not use bluetooth and use straight cell data plan from T-mobile then I can make it through from wake to bedtime without a charge.  I do not believe if you have a smartphone such as the Google Nexus One that you should be limited to cell data plan only.  There are times I believe battery manufacture are to blame for this.  They do not seem to be making progress as the rest of the electronic industry is.

Video is grainy and not as nice as taking and viewing pictures on the Nexus One.  I have not found a zoom feature while videoing which would be nice.

I still have not found a way to create sound profiles.  On my BlackBerry Storm I like to create custom sound profiles for specific times of day.  I have one specific for work hours that is basically vibrate only accept for specific contacts. 

Smudging or finger prints on the screen is a pain and requires cleaning.  I find I wipe the screen 2-4 times a day.  When I was using the lock pattern I found that the smudge gave away the pattern.  Not good.

The four touch buttons at the bottom are sometimes not as responsive as they should be.  Except that pesky search button it seems to get in the way all the time.

I am not finding a way to select text in an email to copy and paste into the other apps.

There is a cell reception issue but believe T-mobile is more to blame than the Nexus One.  I find a lot of dead zones in my everyday travels.

********

Still with the negative features I am enjoying the Google Nexus One and look forward to the Verizon version in the next couple of months, I hope!

Whole new world through speech recognition

While playing with settings for my magic jack.  I came across speech recognition for windows seven.  I figured now is as good a time as any to start testing speech recognition.


microsoft_lifechat-lx3000 I was trying to use a Microsoft LifeCam VX-3000 which has a microphone built in.  I was not having very good success with the system hearing me.  I had to put the life camera about an inch from my mouth.  As you can imagine this would be an inconvenience.  Since I had to make a return two Best Buy I decided to purchase headphones/headset with a built in microphone boom.  I have had headsets in the past they used a 3.5 millimeter jack.  It was time to upgrade to USB for a more clear sound and microphone.  The credit back from my return would not allow for a large purchase.  After looking at the different headsets ranging from $20 to $275.  I settled on slightly above the cheapest set and still have high ratings.  I am now currently using Microsoft LifeChat LX-3000 Headset digital USB for superior clarity headset.  Not only does this have digital stereo headset but also of noise canceling microphone.


 


Setup was a breeze it took longer to open the pack each then to hook up and start using the new headset.  I chose USB because I have a USB jack in the front of my computer.  Easy access and easy setup was important in my purchase.  At the end of the USB jack there was a green sticker that informs me to install software first.  Normally I bypass any software to allow the system to find and installed drivers by itself.  However, I decided to follow instructions to the T.  I wanted to be sure the new headsets would be ready and configured properly for speech recognition.


 


These are stereo headphones which means there are two your pieces.  A lot of people do not like to have both ears covered.  I myself find it easier and better to hear what has been said or is playing.  This headset has eight nice size control mechanism about 3 to 4 feet from the headset.  It has speaker volume up and down along with microphone mute and a call button.  The mute button comes in handy especially when you have kids that interrupt.  For example the last 2 minutes of I had the headset on mute an it did not dictate what I was saying, thank goodness.


 


The reason I find speech recognition intriguing is not for laziness as some may think rather for blogging.  I find that thinking and typing at the same time is not one of my strong suits.  So thinking and saying works a lot better for me.  With that said I recommend everyone try speech recognition and yes so far I give the Microsoft LifeChat LX-3000 Headset five stars.


 


Next I will test the headset with the magic jack phone system.  I will report back to the blog with my findings on the headset and magic jack.  Yes this was typed by using speech recognition with the new headset.

Starbucks Gold my not be so Golden

Received my new Starbucks Gold card (gold) a week and half prior to my old one expiring.  The new one started on the 6th of January.  Here I am finally 15 stars into my new Starbucks Gold card and can compare the two.  You get a star for every visit you use your gold card, with money on it, to make a purchase.  You read that right you have to have money on the card and use it to get a star towards your rewards.  Here are the benefits of the new gold card by Starbucks:

  • Free birthday drink
  • 2 continuous hours of free Wi-Fi daily
  • Free refills on brewed coffee, iced coffee and tea
  • Free flavored syrups
  • Free tall (12 fl oz) beverage with every pound of coffee purchased
  • Exclusive offers & coupons
  • FREE DRINK EVERY 15 STARS

My Starbucks Gold Card

 

My old Gold card (black) benefits were as follows:

  • 10% off most purchases in participating U.S. Starbucks stores
  • A free beverage on your birthday
  • Exclusive offers & coupons
  • 2 continuous hours of free Wi-Fi daily

Old Starbucks Gold Card Program

I received the black gold card for free for all the purchases I made so no $25 fee.  If I did pay the $25 for the year that equals to $1.05 for the 15 visits.  I saved on average $0.68 a visit during these first 15 visits.  That same 15 visits saving on average $0.68 means the free drink would have cost me $10.20.  Wow, so far the new gold card does not save me anything and is costing me money.

Let’s break this down a little further.  If I stay to drink my Iced Coffee with sugar-free caramel and light breve and then take advantage of the free refill then the loss shrinks.  I order iced coffee and Frappuccino so there were no additional syrup charges.  I used the Wi-Fi maybe three hours last year.  That benefit did not help me and perhaps this year I will try to use it more so that I can see the benefit of the new gold card.

At least three of the benefits are the same but that 10% discount compared to needing 15 stars is a huge difference.  A lot of times the discount is what gave the Starbucks partners there tip. 

Early indications are the new Starbucks Gold card is NOT so Golden :(

What is your take on the new Starbucks Gold card?

13 Must Have Blackberry Storm Apps

BlackBerry StormI have switched to a Blackberry Storm with Verizon.  I have used BlackBerry devices for years.  The Blackberry Storm takes a lot of getting use to but is a powerhouse for business and pleasure needs. I have a lot of applications on mine and constantly adding and deleting new ones daily.  I have updated the OS to BBCrackman v5.1-141 a hacked version which has helped tremendously.

Here are the 13 apps I use daily on my Blackberry Storm.

  • Viigo - Instant access to breaking news, entertainment, sports, finance, weather, flight schedules, restaurant reviews, games, local attractions, and more. Make navigating your day effortless with Viigo.

  • Facebook - Hooked on Facebook®? Now you can take Facebook with you on your BlackBerry® smartphone wherever you go and stay logged in as long as you want. Download this free application today and take connecting with your friends to a whole new level.

  • UberTwitter - A full featured twitter client for the BlackBerry Storm

  • Slacker - Slacker is a free personalized radio service featuring over 100 expert-programmed genre stations and the ability to create your own perfect stations.

  • RDM+ - connects your mobile device to remote computer with Windows OS and provides the ability to perform different tasks you usually do on your desktop wirelessly behind firewall and NAT.

  • Qik - Qik enables you to share your moments live with your friends, family and the world—right from your mobile phone!

  • StormYahtzee - StormYahtzee is your classic Yahtzee game with a modern twist. This is a really addicting, yet fun game.

  • Backgammon - a game of luck and skill that has been entertaining millions of people throughout the world for centuries.

  • BerryPopup - easiest way to preview incoming e-mail and SMS messages the moment they arrive. See what is happening without switching away from what you are currently doing.

  • StormSlider - Now you can slide to unlock just like your iPhone / iPod Touch buddies

  • MeterBerry - Everything you need to manage battery and memory on your Blackberry Storm.

  • CaptureIT - application designed to help fellow developers and BlackBerry Storm  users share a picture of their screen with ease.

  • AppleBerry Theme - one of the most popular BlackBerry themes ever made. This theme provides you with a world-class design experience, making your BlackBerry a true joy to use.


As you can see by these 13 BlackBerry Storm applications there is a diversity of work, fun, and plain interesting applications available.  I recommend all new BlackBerry Storm users bookmark the following websites/forums.

CrackBerry.com is for users and abusers of BlackBerry devices.

BlackBerryOS.com for all things BlackBerry and specializing in all things BlackBerry OS.

I found this post pretty accurate to my life A day in the life of a BlackBerry Storm power user.  In closing do not listen to the ones that say the BlackBerry Storm is a terrible device.  I am here to tell you that if you like technology and being connected then the BlackBerry Storm is for you.

Taphandle-TV Mixes it up with Cabo Wabo Tequila

My Ustream favorite has returned to Friday nights.  Taphandle-tv had to switch to Monday's for awhile and I was unable to attend during that time.  I was disappointed but Greg "Lordo" Lord (facebook profile) did us all a favor and returned to Friday nights at 9:30 PM ET (6:30 PM PT).  If you have never visited Ustream.tv stop by and check it out and then click on Taphandle-tv for some real action. 

Lordo serves up drinks at Taphandle-tv.  I have blogged about this show before but tonight Lordo took a shot of Cabo Wabo.  I know your think so what, well Lordo put Cabo Wabo Blanco Tequila in a custom mini oak barrel and aged it for 5 months.   White tequila in and a golden brown smoky flavor stronger flavor but equally smooth tequila out.  Check this barrel out:

Cabo Wabo Oak Barrel

Lordo on Taphandle-tv about to take a shot of that aged Cabo Wabo Blanco.  Such a sweet taste you can see Lordo's excitement.  Goes down as smooth as it looks.  If your not farmiliar with Cabo Wabo Tequila check out there site.  Sammy Hagar brought Cabo Wabo mainstream and such a hidden gem.

Cabo Wabo shot on Taphandle-tv 

Stick with the show on occasions it starts off slow but as you can see below the show gets hot sometimes on fire.  The show is interactive with polls and a live chat room great times had by all.

 fireshot on Taphandle-tv

Just when you think the show could not drink any more beverages he whips out the big daddy drink the Sloe Comfortable Screw.  Check these ingredients out.

Southern Comfort
Sloe Gin
White Rum
Brandy
Vodka
Triple Sec
Sour Mix
Orange Juice

Shaken not stirred.  Oh yes Lordo enjoying that beverage that over 40 people voted on.

sloecomfscrew

I can tell you from a bar manager from days of old.  I would hire Greg "Lordo" Lord to bartend at BB's lounge in the Holiday Inn Chico, CA (no longer BB's).  He has a personality that would bring the customers back night after night.  While watching the show Zane Savage stopped by to say hi.  Zane Savage streams 24x7 and is crazy and worth a bookmark.  The Yeti made a grand appearance tonight and had a couple of beverage with Lordo.  Say hi,

yeti

Check it out and have some fun Ustream.tv.

Check Admiral out on these fine social sites:

New Design and Weight Loss

Sitting here listening to the Outfield 'Play Deep' and reworking Fam5.com.  Wanted to give the blog a new look.  Wanted to be sure to cut down on all the ads.  If you recall I had a whole column dedicated to ads.  Decided to go with a 2-column design instead of 3.  Added a nice image at the top and found this serene image.

fam5.com

The main downfall to Fam5 is that I don't have a niche topic.  I blog about the things that catch my eye and that I would like to share with others.  Sometimes this makes for a website design nightmare. I hope you enjoy the new changes and look forward to seeing your comments.

The latest project I have been working on is copying my weight loss surgery information over to Jeff's Weight Loss Surgery Blog.  It was time to have a separate location designated to my weight loss progress.  2005 was a trying time for me and my family and I want to be sure this information is never lost or forgotten. Here is what you will be great with when you arrive.

weightloss   

This is highly important information that I want to be sure people have an opportunity to read about.  Weight Loss Surgery can save a persons life.  In my case it helped stop the need for a heart transplant.  I have seen where weight loss surgery has rid a person of diabetes within a couple of months.  A great place to start is the post called 'Heart Attach or Not?'.

Harry Connick, Jr's We Are in Love is playing now I think trying to tell me time for bed.  On that note I shall sign off and wish everyone a good day and please spread the word about these two blogs.

Taphandle TV serves up great drinks live

Friday June 27, 2008 @ 1800 PST I had the pleasure of stumbling upon a Ustream live cast called Taphandle-tv.  Instantly I was personally greeted by Greg Lordo, call him Lordo.  He was pouring a concoction of rum and fruit juice.  He has a home bar setup in his basement (built by Curt I found out).  The bar is not very big but I must say as an ole bartender and manager he was well stocked.  Here is a picture of Lordo at his bar hard at work.

taphandletv

Later we found that the concoction was actually Passion Fruit Mojito made with

Malibu Passion Fruit Rum
Passion fruit puree
Sour mix
Mint
Limes
Sugar
Club soda

He switched over to the close up cam (ingredients cam (see pic below)) and he added the mint, limes, and sugar in a mixer and muddled  the ingredients together then added ice to top.  Added 1 1/2oz of Malibu Passion Fruit Rum, puree and 1oz sour mix.  Then shake, shake, shake then poured into a Collins glass.  Topped off with club soda.

ingredients cam

He went on to taste two beers and gave a rating of them.  One was Mickey's Big Mouth and the other was Goose Island Summertime IPA. He pointed to the lower left corner of the window and had us vote on the beers.  Yes it was a poll a live interactive poll while the show was going on. 

Every time he would post his website address on the screen he would call a social.  That means bottoms up and have a drink.  If that were not enough every time someone would enter his web address in the chat he would call a social again, cheers. A hand with a beer would extend on screen as though he was personally handing me a beer, thank you Lordo for the many beers last night.  If I were trying to keep up with all the socials I would have been passed out on the floor or praying to the porcelain gods.

He threw up a poll to see what shot of tequila he would be doing.  There was Cabo Wabo, Pepe Lopez or Americana Vodka.  The votes came in as Pepe Lopez so he poured a shot and switched over to the shot cam and here he is getting ready to have one on us.  Bottoms up Lordo and Cheers!

taphandle-tv shot cam

If your wondering what this Ustream TV is let me give you the run down direct from Ustream itself.

Ustream.TV is the live interactive video broadcast platform that enables anyone with a camera and an Internet connection to quickly and easily broadcast to a global audience of unlimited size. In less than two minutes, anyone can become a broadcaster by creating their own channel on Ustream or by broadcasting through their own site, empowering them to engage with their audience and further build their brand. Click here to start a broadcast now or learn more about broadcasting.

Ustream's one-to-many live interactive video encourages broadcast-to-viewer and viewer-to-viewer interaction, empowering a much more engaging experience for everyone involved.

I have been hooked on Ustream for a few weeks and must say if you have never seen it or heard about it stop by and surf the various channels.  There are some great shows and some not so great shows.

Lordo, D, Bob, and Curt thank you for making me part of the Taphandle-tv bar I feel like Norm of Cheers.  Let me leave you with the live feed of Taphandle-tv on Ustream TV.  There may or may not be video all the time but highly recommend checking out Taphandle-tv.com.  Cheers!

 

Cheers bar maybe gone but taphandle tv rules the roost!

Friday June 27, 2008 @ 1800 PST I had the pleasure of stumbling upon a Ustream live cast called Taphandle-tv.  Instantly I was personally greeted by Greg Lordo, call him Lordo.  He was pouring a concoction of rum and fruit juice.  He has a home bar setup in his basement (built by Curt I found out).  The bar is not very big but I must say as an ole bartender and manager he was well stocked.  Here is a picture of Lordo at his bar hard at work.

taphandletv

Later we found that the concoction was actually Passion Fruit Mojito made with

Malibu Passion Fruit Rum
Passion fruit puree
Sour mix
Mint
Limes
Sugar
Club soda

He switched over to the close up cam (ingredients cam (see pic below)) and he added the mint, limes, and sugar in a mixer and muddled  the ingredients together then added ice to top.  Added 1 1/2oz of Malibu Passion Fruit Rum, puree and 1oz sour mix.  Then shake, shake, shake then poured into a Collins glass.  Topped off with club soda.

ingredients cam

He went on to taste two beers and gave a rating of them.  One was Mickey's Big Mouth and the other was Goose Island Summertime IPA. He pointed to the lower left corner of the window and had us vote on the beers.  Yes it was a poll a live interactive poll while the show was going on.

Every time he would post his website address on the screen he would call a social.  That means bottoms up and have a drink.  If that were not enough every time someone would enter his web address in the chat he would call a social again, cheers. A hand with a beer would extend on screen as though he was personally handing me a beer, thank you Lordo for the many beers last night.  If I were trying to keep up with all the socials I would have been passed out on the floor or praying to the porcelain gods.

He threw up a poll to see what shot of tequila he would be doing.  There was Cabo Wabo, Pepe Lopez or Americana Vodka.  The votes came in as Pepe Lopez so he poured a shot and switched over to the shot cam and here he is getting ready to have one on us.  Bottoms up Lordo and Cheers!

taphandle-tv shot cam

If your wondering what this Ustream TV is let me give you the run down direct from Ustream itself.
Ustream.TV is the live interactive video broadcast platform that enables anyone with a camera and an Internet connection to quickly and easily broadcast to a global audience of unlimited size. In less than two minutes, anyone can become a broadcaster by creating their own channel on Ustream or by broadcasting through their own site, empowering them to engage with their audience and further build their brand. Click here to start a broadcast now or learn more about broadcasting.

Ustream's one-to-many live interactive video encourages broadcast-to-viewer and viewer-to-viewer interaction, empowering a much more engaging experience for everyone involved.

I have been hooked on Ustream for a few weeks and must say if you have never seen it or heard about it stop by and surf the various channels.  There are some great shows and some not so great shows.

Lordo, D, Bob, and Curt thank you for making me part of the Taphandle-tv bar I feel like Norm of Cheers.  Let me leave you with the live feed of Taphandle-tv on Ustream TV.  There may or may not be video all the time but highly recommend checking out Taphandle-tv.com.  Cheers!

Why Vysr's RoamAbout Social App Is Worth A Peek!

vysr roamabout app for firefox and flock After my review of Flock Web Browser For Serious Users I received an email from Vysr asking if I would be so kind as to try there new app that would be out in a couple of days.  The techie in me said sure I would give it a try.  I received my invite/link today and installed the new app in my flock web browser (also works for Firefox).  The toolbar to the right showed up in the lower right corner of my browser's status bar.

The app is clean and inconspicuous you hardly notice it there.  This app works by select text in the web browser and clicking on one of the buttons.  Here are what the buttons look like and represent.

buttons for roamabout app by vysr

Lets test roamabout social plug-in/app.  I went to Vysr's contact page and highlighted the address and then clicked on the mapquest icon.  You get a popup/pop out next to the toolbar.  A map of the address I highlighted shows up, pretty cool!

image

I highlighted the zip code and clicked on the weather icon and magically I see Vysr is having a lovely day in Palo Alto, CA.

weather button from roamabout app for firefox and flock

As you can see this nice light weight app/plug-in is indispensable in it's capabilities.  I have not touched on the other buttons such as stock quote:  Highlight a company name and see there stock price and performance.  Wikipedia: Highlight any word to see what Wikipedia has to say about it.  There are many more worth looking into like You Tube, Flickr, news, share, and even play a game.

The only issue I am having is the Twitter button is not allowing me to login.  This is a must for me as I use Twitter a lot.  I have personally spoke to Vysr and they are looking into it as it is working for them.  Well it works for 2 out of 4 people.  At least Vysr took my call and I spoke to Erica the Product Manager and she was insightful and very knowledgeable about RoamAbout.  We talked about how the error messages (user error messages) could be a little more intuitive.

I suggested a few things that would make my experience a better one.

  1. Allow login to your You Tube and Flickr accounts.  That way I can see my favorites and pictures.
  2. I use Tumblr and Friendfeed a lot and suggested maybe adding a button for those.

If your a firefox or flock user I would recommend looking at this add-in to make your surfing experiences just that much better.  I would like to thank Bernadette for the invite and look forward to watching Roamabout application take off and go mainstream.

This review is not paid for and is solely my opinion.  However, if Vysr wants to send me some logo items I sure won't through them away.  Oh and I wear a XL t-shirt ;)

Hope everyone enjoyed this review and if you have any new application's for Windows XP/Vista, Internet Explorer, Firefox, Flock or Windows Mobile 6 you would like reviewed feel free to contact me via the Contact us page at the top.

Why Vysr's RoamAbout Social App Is Worth A Peek!

vysr roamabout app for firefox and flock After my review of Flock Web Browser For Serious Users I received an email from Vysr asking if I would be so kind as to try there new app that would be out in a couple of days. The techie in me said sure I would give it a try. I received my invite/link today and installed the new app in my flock web browser (also works for Firefox). The toolbar to the right showed up in the lower right corner of my browser's status bar.


The app is clean and inconspicuous you hardly notice it there. This app works by select text in the web browser and clicking on one of the buttons. Here are what the buttons look like and represent.


buttons for roamabout app by vysr


Lets test roamabout social plug-in/app. I went to Vysr's contact page and highlighted the address and then clicked on the mapquest icon. You get a popup/pop out next to the toolbar. A map of the address I highlighted shows up, pretty cool!


image


I highlighted the zip code and clicked on the weather icon and magically I see Vysr is having a lovely day in Palo Alto, CA.


weather button from roamabout app for firefox and flock


As you can see this nice light weight app/plug-in is indispensable in it's capabilities. I have not touched on the other buttons such as stock quote: Highlight a company name and see there stock price and performance. Wikipedia: Highlight any word to see what Wikipedia has to say about it. There are many more worth looking into like You Tube, Flickr, news, share, and even play a game.


The only issue I am having is the Twitter button is not allowing me to login. This is a must for me as I use Twitter a lot. I have personally spoke to Vysr and they are looking into it as it is working for them. Well it works for 2 out of 4 people. At least Vysr took my call and I spoke to Erica the Product Manager and she was insightful and very knowledgeable about RoamAbout. We talked about how the error messages (user error messages) could be a little more intuitive.


I suggested a few things that would make my experience a better one.



  1. Allow login to your You Tube and Flickr accounts. That way I can see my favorites and pictures.

  2. I use Tumblr and Friendfeed a lot and suggested maybe adding a button for those.


If your a firefox or flock user I would recommend looking at this add-in to make your surfing experiences just that much better. I would like to thank Bernadette for the invite and look forward to watching Roamabout application take off and go mainstream.


This review is not paid for and is solely my opinion. However, if Vysr wants to send me some logo items I sure won't through them away. Oh and I wear a XL t-shirt ;)


Hope everyone enjoyed this review and if you have any new application's for Windows XP/Vista, Internet Explorer, Firefox, Flock or Windows Mobile 6 you would like reviewed feel free to contact me via the Contact us page at the top.

Skydeck wants you to love your cell phone bill.

Received an invite to checkout Skydeck they want me to love my cell phone bill.  So I just had to stop by and see if they can make me love my bill.  Don't know about you but it is pretty hard to love a cell phone bill no matter what someone does with it. 

What does Skydeck do?

Skydeck helps you to manage your cell phone, your cell phone bill, and the contacts you communicate with using your cell phone. For example, we enable you to see all of your call records in one place, link them to your contacts, tag and annotate them, and search your calls the way you search your email. Additionally, Skydeck will use the information in your cell phone bills to intelligently organize and rank your address book and allow you to network with others on the site.

Once you signed up for beta they will send you an invitation to try there service.  I found the setup process rather easy.  You need to have a logon to your cell carrier website.  Skydeck currently supports AT&T Mobility, Verizon Wireless, Sprint, and T-Mobile in the US only.

Once Skydeck logged onto my cell carrier it downloaded my cell bills for analyzing. Then it asked me to import my contacts to cross reference.  I used Gmail but they offer Outlook, Yahoo, Hotmail and Plaxo.

It will put the contacts in a rank.  The rank is based on your call usage from the bill.  It even gives a nice little 5 bar scale.  You can add your own picture to each contact to make a little more visually appealing.  You can ask your friends/contacts to join Skydeck so that you can link to them as a connection.  This is the part I am not sure about yet.  I will need to find someone willing to link to me to see what it's capabilities are.

What do my Connections get to see? >>

Your Connections see the Skydeck Profile that you create - business, personal, or both - and they see what you see in the box titled "My Connections".

Remember, all your data is private by default. No matter how often you communicate with someone you have to connect to them on this page for them to show up in your Network. Like any network, if you want to keep a connection secret, don't connect to that person.

Click 'Edit my profile' on the left side of the screen to get started and then choose 'Add Connections' to find people that you know.

To see this page again, click "What is the Skydeck Network?" in the bottom left of the Network tab.

I am not so convinced this will benefit me since I am already on a ton of networks.  Might be worth a look to see if it fits into your online scheme.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

What is friendfeed and do we need another social networking site?

admiral's friendfeed FriendFeed is service for people to keep up-to-date on the web pages, photos, videos and music that their friends and family are sharing. It offers a unique way to discover and discuss information among friends.

The goal of FriendFeed is to make content on the Web more relevant and useful for you by using your existing social network as a tool for discovering interesting information. You get a customized feed made up of the content that your friends shared — from news articles to family photos to interesting links and videos. And your friends get their customized feeds, full of the cool stuff that you’ve shared.

So far I like the fact you can keep the FriendFeed up-to-date by setting up automatic post from other accounts like Twitter, Tumblr and so many others.  Unlike some social networking sites that make you enter something to take advantage of it FriendFeed allows you to continue the use of your other accounts and it will updated your account from those sites.

Take a look and if you signup be sure to link to me at http://friendfeed.com/admiral70 .

Slide Show of the 2008 San Francisco Custom Rod and Motorcycle Show

With the 2008 San Francisco Custom Rod & Motorcycle show behind us I wanted to give a wrap up post and present you with a slide show of all the pictures that were taken that day (see below). One thing I liked about this show was the variety. We had things like:

  • Custom Cars
  • Custom Motorcycles
  • Biker Build Off
  • Movie theme cars
  • Multitude of vendors
  • Sock Hop (sorry did not attend)

The skies were clear and in the 60's. We took our time walking around the venue that had 9 different building for viewing amazing cars, trucks, motorcycles, bicycles and people. Without further a due enjoy the show.

Click on a picture to view in a larger format.

No Credit, Bad Credit, Need A Car Loan?

One of my readers informed me they recently worked with a company online for an Auto Loan.  They were pleasantly surprised how easy, fast and convenient it was to get an Auto Loan for a used car.  Answering a few questions and within 24 hours you can have an answer.

auto loans mania

They have bad credit auto loan specialists waiting to guide you in restoring your credit by finding the right auto loan, regardless of prior bankruptcies, repossessions, judgments, or other negative credit issues it's FREE to apply online.  Even though the person that recommends this site did not tell me what his interest rate was they did say they were pleased with the deal.

If this site is as easy as it sounds it sure beats going to a dealership and being pressured.  I can tell you from personal experience it is so much better to walk into a dealership pre-approved.  You are in total control when you have a pre-approval letter or blank check.

As with any online opportunity be sure to do your homework and read everything.

Make Your Travel Plans Early And Save

With the holiday season upon us and people traveling I recommend looking online for your Hotel Reservations.  At Hotel Reservations [dot] com you can book all your travel plans.  I found there interface easy to use and saw some competitive rates.

Take a look at this round trip to Hawaii with Hotel package.  From Redding that looks pretty inviting to me.  From Redding to anywhere is generally more expensive. 

Hotel Reservations

Let's all make our Hotel Reservations, destination 'somewhere' and run away for a week.

As with any online reservation website do your homework to make sure your getting the best deal possible.

 

Get Paid to Blog With Pay Per Post



I signed up for Pay Per Post to get paid to blog to help offset some web hosting fees.  Pay Per Post allows me to do some freelance writing/reviewing for companies.  Pay Per Post allows me to perform reviews with my own opinions good, bad or indifferent.  I have looked into other sites that do the same type of service but they always want positive only reviews I like to be honest for my readers.  Here is a sample of an opportunity and the requirements for reserving/accepting.

pay per post

Once you click on reserve opportunity you have  six hours to write a review and post it to your blog.  Once you have it posted you copy the URL of the post and go back to your account on Pay Per Post and past it in the appropriate area for that opportunity.  Then within 48 hours Pay Per Post will scan your site to make sure you have filled your requirements.  Once they do that and your approved you will be paid for that review.  You agree to leave the post on your site for 30 days.

Along the way I have found other great blogs with various topics.  I like the "Stuff" category as this pertains to me.  Kind of like this blog which is about "stuff" a little bit of everything.  The opportunities are as diverse as the sites participants.  Check out the 2008 Blogger's Choice Awards website for blogs.

You have a good chance to network with other Posties through Pay Per Post website.  They even have an online community called Izea or Community for Pay Per Post.

Let's not forget they have badges or banners that you can add to your site that ask others if they want their site, product, or service reviewed by your blog. 

How To Get 100 Business Cards For FREE!

Have you ever wanted business cards but hate paying the high cost of setup and printing?  Then I highly recommend Ooprint as your source of quality business cards. 

Ooprint offers 100 FREE business cards all you do is pickup the shipping.  I found the click and create cards online easy, fast, and efficient way to order business cards.  I have used another well publicized online business card vendor and found Ooprint to be just as easy if not an easier way of creating business cards.   

Free Business Cards-Ooprint.com

Ooprint also offers competitive pricing on letterhead, postcards, address labels, and much more.  Visit there website today to see all the wonderful products they offer and while your there pickup the 100 FREE business cards and judge for yourself.

Technorati tags: free business cards, blogging business cards, letterhead, postcards

Learn to be a kid at heart all over again.

Nintendo For SaleI stumbled upon a great site for Nintendo Nes, Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64, Sega Genesis, and Atari consoles and games called NintendosForSale.com.  Looking through the site reminded me of the good ole days.  The days when I use to rack up the points in Donkey Kong.  Who could forget playing Super Mario Bros All Stars?  I would sit for hours playing Mario Bros at first getting through all levels.  Once I did that a time or two I would go on missions to find the shortcuts and all the extras. 

Who here is young enough at heart to recall Atari?  At NintendosForSale.com you can actually purchase an Atari with a long list of games that include some of my first memories of playing video games.  Here are just a couple of my all time favorites:

  • Arcade Pong

  • Centipede

  • Lunar Lander

  • Millipede

  • Missile Command


Come on now who can forget playing Pong that basic yet addictive game of two paddles hitting a ball back and forth.  How about Centipede?  Don't let that little bug get you.  I could sit and play Lunar Lander for hours and feel like an Astronaut.  Great memories!