There are videos in a variety of different categories. What I most enjoyed were the videos on advertising, marketing, and the spread of information on the internet. This is why I love the internet, social media, and digital media. There is so much information out there. I can’t get enough of how much there is to learn, how easy it is to get your hands on practically any information, and how people display it. Whether it’s videos, websites, photos, blogs, etc. The variety and depth of material is astounding. Check out the video from my last post if you don’t get where I’m coming from. Amazing.

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I went ahead and synced the bookmarks. Of course, it all seemed fine….until it synced again and they all disappeared. Fine. So it was working finally on Safari, but Firefox was having a fit. I uninstalled it on Firefox thinking the add-on was gone. It should work fine now, right? Just make new bookmarks? Working working….restart Firefox. Poof! All bookmarks are gone again. Safari was still working fine, but sporadically choosing which bookmarks to delete. So I uninstalled it for both browsers? Problem solved? Of course not. Apparently this is an issue that remains unanswered by many. But I did get it to work again.

To fix Firefox, the quick and dirty solution is to create a new profile and delete your old one. Apparently it’s a known issue that xmarks messes things up. Nice. Here’s how to use Terminal on OSX to get into the Firefox Profile Manager (For other OS, see articles linked below): /Applications/Firefox.app/Contents/MacOS/firefox -profilemanager


I chose to create a new one and then fully delete my default user (along with deleting my files). Some people may want to chose to just delete the profile and not the files.

There may be other solutions to this problem. I suggest people post them because there seems to be a lot of confusion in forums right now with this issue. I’m not saying the profile solution is the best way to go, it’s just best solution I saw out there and it worked fine for me.

Here’s two articles from MozillaZine that might be useful: Lost Bookmarks & Profile Manager

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www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8IozVfph7I

I just recently read a post on Mashable entitled Film Released on YouTube, Theaters, DVD and TV for World Environment Day. The film was directed by Yann Arthus-Bertrand and produced by Luc Besson. Glenn Close narrates the 1.5 hour long video featuring high definition, aerial photography of over 60 countries to tell the story of our ecosystem and how humans have affected it.

I’m going to to watch the full video on YouTube the first chance I get. I looks incredibly interesting and the trailer itself is a work of art. For anyone interested, you can watch the trailer and full feature on YouTube for free.

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Every time I sit down to update my networks, I am surprised at how long it actually takes. Between posting photos, posting videos, publishing blog posts, updating statuses…not too mention actually generating the photos, videos, and posts. As always, the more work something takes, the harder people try to figure out a way to make it quicker. Such is the case with the our new social media commitments.

Brian Solis, principal of an award-winning Public Relations and New Media agency writes a number of excellent articles on social media. One in particular, The Social Media Manifesto: Integrating Social Media Into Marketing Communications, is especially valid for this post. Surprisingly, even though it was written two years ago, it seems to precisely describe our current relations on the internet.

Monologue has given way to dialog…Content is the new democracy and we the people, are ensuring that our voices are heard…Those who participate will succeed – everyone else will either have to catch up or miss the game altogether. Engage or die.

Of course that is in regards to marketing. Companies will most certainly go under if they don’t grasp this new technology. But even in a broader scope, I think everyone is starting to feel this pressure, little by little. The more they have pressure, the more they will want to interact or feel left out. More and more I’ll find myself say, “Have you heard from John Doe? I saw his pictures posted on Facebook, seems like he’s having a good time.” If they aren’t already on Facebook, the reply has gone from “What’s Facebook?” to “Man, I really need to join that soon.”

But what if people don’t have the time? It takes too much effort…or it’s too confusing to them. What happens then? It seems that companies are taking care of that. Of course they would. It seems the more social media interactions they can get their hands on, the more they can establish trends, customer satisfaction, buyer needs, etc. Such gives way to the incorporation of Arduino and RFID tags to do the digging for them. Ovens automatically tweet what is prepared, plants tweet whether they need water, trash cans could communicate exactly what you are throwing away, GPS can map where you are traveling, so on and so forth. Applications already in place such as DandyID, Lifestream, and many others can list almost every social network activity that you take part in while you’re doing it. Biometric Facial Recognition software is now being incorporated into programs such as iPhoto and Picasa to identify and tag people in photos. It’s only a matter of time before you can snap a photo with your cell phone and it will be able to identify people in the room and pull up their social profiles. Think I’m exaggerating? We’ll see. In the article, 7 Technologies Shaping the Future of Social Media, Mike Laurie paints a pretty good picture.

What really gets to me is what he touches on at the end of his article, Mind Reading and Natural Language Processing. Sad thing is, it is probably not far off. They are already deep into developing technology that will allow people to just think what they want to say and a computer types it for them (Brain-Computer Typing). Next comes being able to control that computer by thinking what you want it to do and concentrating. Final step is simply thinking what you want to do and the computer interprets your thoughts automatically without much effort. Why wouldn’t the next step be to make not only computers work this way but phones, ipods, etc.? Think I should tweet how crazy this is and your computer does it for you. It sounds outrageous, but it’s just around the bend. It’s already available to some people with limited motor skills.

My question is…does technology that does the work for you actually constitute social media? I think the greatest thing about social media now is that people make an effort to communicate more with each other. Not just each other, but even a broader population then they normally would. Even corporations are listening with increasing interest to what people have to say. In another article by Brian Solis, The Definition of Social Media, he describes the basics of social media:

…a shift in how people discover, read, and share news and information. It’s a fusion of sociology and technology transforming monologue into dialog. It is an evolving phenomenon that has captivated some, intrigued others, and is feared and underestimated by many.

Brian Solis offers two definitions which he thinks could replace the current Wikipedia definition of social media. His first one is closest to the current one:

Social media describes the online tools that people use to share content, profiles, opinions, insights, experiences, perspectives and media itself, thus facilitating conversations and interaction online between groups of people. These tools include blogs, message boards, podcasts, micro blogs, lifestreams, bookmarks, networks, communities, wikis, and vlogs.

So I guess even if computers take over doing our interactions for us, it still constitutes social media. But where is the fun in having our computers communicate for us, without any effort whatsoever? Will we still feel that same euphoria that comes from interacting with another human being?

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The other day, I watched the trailer for the new game, Red Dead Redemption. It’s a Rockstar game that is set to be released some time this fall. From what I’ve read, it is basically Grand Theft Auto, but set in the West during the late 1800s. Usually I’m not into stuff set in the “old West,” but the graphics caught my eye right away. If the graphics are already that good in the trailer and it’s supposedly a huge, open world game from Rockstar, I couldn’t help but be excited. I posted it on Facebook and hours later I get the comment, “You spend so much time in worlds that don’t exist.” Of course it was a joke, not a jab or anything, but I started thinking about why I instantly felt like I had to defend myself.

I’m surprised that given what a digital world we live in, video games still receive such harsh stigma. I’ve loved video games since the first time I played the text game, Zork on our first computer, a tiny Apple II when I was 5. From there I went through several gaming systems including the Turbo Grafx 16, several Game Boy models, several Nintendo models, a Sega Genesis and every one of the Playstation models (PSX, PSOne, PS2, PSP, PS3).

I think the reason that I love video games so much is the challenge. I think another big part of the appeal is that it is the perfect blend of art and technology. Two things I’m very interested in. As time goes on, the challenges get harder and the graphics only get better. The art is no good if the programming isn’t smooth, but even that is making huge leaps. Last year produced some of the best video games I’ve ever seen (Little Big Planet, Bioshock, Metal Gear Solid 4, Grand Theft Auto 4, Fallout 3, SKATE, Burnout Paradise, Uncharted, etc.). This year is supposed to be even better. When you think about how much time and work goes into creating a game, I don’t see how anyone couldn’t appreciate it.

Even my uncle, who is a carpenter by trade, but a programmer in his spare time, appreciates the games. He can’t believe how much the quality of the games improve over just a few months. The worlds are becoming huge and the details are becoming much sharper. The highlights, the shadows, facial expressions, movement of plants in the wind, it’s all advancing at a crazy rate.

I think it’s funny to say that I “spend too much time in worlds that don’t exist” because I only ever have time to spend a few hours ever few months. Before last week, the last time I had saved my game was in the first week in January. That’s 4 months of not even touching a video game. And that’s my average. Every now and then I get into a game for a few days, for a few hours at a time, but that’s usually when I first get it. I’d love to spend hours playing and actually finish a game or two, but I don’t like to steal away from quality time with John, friends, or other family. And in no way do I believe the worlds exist or any of that. I’m not one that dresses up and goes to conventions or meetings or the like. For me, video games are amazing works of art that let my brain take a break while at the same time, making it work extra hard. Instead of bills and appointments and anything else, I’m thinking how to get to a checkpoint while avoiding disaster or in which order to complete quests, etc.

I also am extremely picky when it comes to games. If I play at someone else’s house or at an arcade, I don’t really care how bad the graphics are or how horrible the script is. It’s an entirely different case if I’m the one buying the games. If I’m going to play a game, I need to buy it. Renting just doesn’t do it for me because if I’m going to start it, eventually I want to finish it and I don’t like having a deadline over my head. If I’m going to buy it, it at to at least have an 9/10 if not 10/10 rating. Sometimes I give in if it’s 8.5 or 8.75 if little defects won’t really hurt the gameplay (like the Guitar Hero/Rock Band games).

Now I’ve tried things like Second Life and gaming online, but it gets old quick. I had a friend who played 1/3 of an entire year on World of WarCraft in college. Now that’s “living” in the world. I just like to visit. I am also someone who likes to game on my own. If people want to watch that’s fine, but if there’s some sort of puzzle or such, I want to tackle it. There’s no challenge in Second Life. It was very cool at first to see what people were setting up, but where’s the challenge? I’d rather get some mental stimulation from a game from time to time and spend all the time I can with friends and family, face-to-face.

I will always love video games. They will only continue to improve and they will only get more difficult. It’s a challenge that’s fun and entertaining and can be turned on and off whenever I like. If you’re skeptical, I suggest you give them a shot. And if you’re going to, at least pick a decent game on a decent system before judging it too quickly. I’ll guarantee that you’ll walk away with at least a tiny bit of appreciation.

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I honestly had never really heard of this until this week, but it seems that every day there’s a new article in gadget and consumer news about card skimming. Card skimming is a con where people retrofit ATM machines with hidden cameras to read your credit card numbers when you slide your card in. The mini cameras can be hidden behind plastic fittings that look like the usual ATM casing, inside information boxes, and any number of other spots. Sites like the Consumerist and Gizmodo are recommending that you give any ATM machine a look over before you slide in your card.

A few articles on card skimming:

• Credit Card Skimming: How thieves can steal your card info without you knowing it (via NetworkWorld)
• Rogue’s Gallery of ATM Skimmers (via Consumerist)
• Attack of the Card Skimmers: It’s Happening Right Here, Right Now (via Gizmodo)
• A Man Finds an Actual Card Skimmer in the Wild, in the Flesh (via Gizmodo)
• Credit Card Fraud – Skimming (via Wikipedia)

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They tell us where to eat, how to find friends, when to make a left turn.

Oh, and they can also make a phone call.

What a great starting set of lines. It’s so true. With the dawn of the Apple App Store (and subsequent app stores), you really can get software that perform almost any function that you need at any given time. What, you don’t have Midomi? Even then it’s only a few clicks and problem solved. You can find restaurants, keep track of expenses, make calls, text, update Twitter, check sports scores, etc. all from your cell phone. I think what’s even more impressive is that these services aren’t even limited to Apps on a smartphone. There’s numerous services you can sign up for that let you access information without even having a smartphone, just by using simple SMS (text messages).

I think I could live without my phone, my computer, etc. pretty easily for a set amount of time, but being the gadget freak that I am, I’d start to feel withdrawals within a few days. I have been in the habit lately of trying to avoid plugging in my computer on the weekends (unless I have a job deadline). I also try not to use it too much at night. During those times though, I find that I still have to check my email, Twitter, etc. I just use my iPod Touch. I think it’s a good compromise. I do not own a iPhone or other smartphone (although I may update this Summer). I find that I can achieve a perfect balance between my cellphone (Samsung Alias with flip QWERTY keyboard), my iPod Touch, and my laptop. I use my laptop most days, for the majority of the day. When I’m not “plugged in” I use my cellphone’s SMS capabilities on the go or my iPod Touch if I happen upon a wireless hot spot or in my apartment.

If I don’t need wireless, I prefer my iPod Touch. I keep track of my expenses, track notes, play games, write drafts of blog entries, listen to music, etc. If I need to say, update my Twitter, Facebook, Netflix Queue, etc. and I don’t have wireless, I can easily do all that and more from my cellphone via SMS. I could “live without” my phone, but I certainly wouldn’t want to.

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1. Top 10 Social Networks For Entrepreneurs – Mashable
2. Self-healing polymer advance could mean scratch-free iPhones – Ars Technica
3. The Elements of Social Architecture – A List Apart
4. A Group Is Its Own Worst Enemy – Clay Shirky’s Writings About the Internet

Useful Apps/Sites:

1. Project Dragonfly “…experimenting in real time with your ideas in 2D and 3D… ”- Autodesk
2. Path Finder “The Mac OS X file browser with moxie.” – Cocoatech
3. MacJournal “Mac journaling and blog software” – Mariner Software
4. Blip.fm – Be a DJ Online (listen to different music online)
5. XPenser.com Track personal expenses (by SMS, email, etc.)
6. Dial2Do.com Access different services via cellphone (voice commands)

Exciting Tech News:

1. iPhone OS 3.0 – http://bit.ly/OvdwI
2. iPod Touch 2g Jailbreak – http://bit.ly/h00Gn
3. Google Voice – http://bit.ly/DcmXa
4. Sirius XM iPhone App – http://bit.ly/aYGMY

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#9 Spotlight Can Do Math – Definitely didn’t know this one. I always find myself opening Calculator to perform calculations. Apparently OS X Leopard has a built-in feature where you can simply press Command-Space to pop open Spotlight, start typing in an equation, and press Return. Tada!

#13 Safari’s Private Surfing Is Not So Private – Fortunately, I don’t use Safari anyways, and my computer is my personal machine. BUT, if you are often at work, school, or some other public place, and enter pages you may not want people knowing you enter, this may be helpful. Private Browsing actually stores your preferences so anyone (boss, IT, etc.) can see your history by using the Terminal and typing: dscacheutil -cachedump -entries Host . You can purge this by typing this into the Terminal: dscacheutil -flushcache

#15 How To Reset Your iPod or iPhone – Okay, so I already knew this one…but since it’s extremely useful if you have an iPod touch or iPhone (and something I’ve had to use numerous times), I’ve included it. Just press and hold the wake/sleep button (top of device on the left) and the Home button at the same time until the Apple logo appears. Let go and let it reboot. (For clickwheel iPods it’s the Menu and center buttons at the same time.)

#18 Play Tetris In The Terminal – This is awesome . (1) Launch Terminal, (2) Type emacs and press Return, (3) Press Escape, then type x, (4) Type tetris

#20 The Dock Is Cool, But It Ain’t Perfect – Add A Recent Items Stack: (1) Open Terminal, (2) Type defaults write com.apple.dock persistent-others -array-add ‘{ “tile-data” = { “list-type” = 1; }; “tile-type” = “recents-tile”; }’ and press Return. Type killall Dock and press Return, (3) When it restarts, Control-Click to customize….or….to make dock icons magnified really big if you have them really small, just hold Shift-Control when you mouse over them.

#32 The Finder’s Not the Only Way to Access Files On Your Mac – Shares info on the app Path Finder ($39.95) which you can use as a replacement Finder with more features. Cool.

#33 Zap Your PRAM – Delete your parameter RAM: (1) Shut down the computer, (2) Turn on the computer, (3) Press and hold Command-Option-P-R before the grey screen appears, (4) Release once the computer restarts and you hear the startup sound for the second time.

#36 Use Encrypted Disk Images to Hold Super Secret Files – (1) Launch Disk Utility, (2) Choose File > New > Blank Disk Image and enter a name for your image. Notice where it is going to save and change if necessary, (3) Select size, (4) Choose 128-bit AES encryption from the drop-down, (5) Choose read/write disk image from Image Format drop-down, (6) Create.

#45 Use FSCK If Safe Boot Isn’t Enough – Reboot your Mac while holding down Command-S. At the command-line, type: /sbin/fsck –fy. Let it do its thing. If you get: ** The volume (name_of_volume) appears to be OK, then everything is good. If you get: ***** FILE SYSTEM WAS MODIFIED *****, then keep running FSCK until you get the first message. When you’re done, type: reboot, in the command-line prompt. Your Mac will restart.

#46 Fix Startup Issues With Safe Boot – Hold down the Shift key when you start or restart. Once you do that successfully, restart it in normal mode.

#48 Essential Third-Party OS X Utilities – PRODUCTIVITY: Quicksilver (free beta), AUDIO: Audio Hijack Pro ($32), MENU: FruitMenu ($12), ICON: CandyBar ($29), BACKUP: Déjà Vu ($24.95), CLEAN-DESKTOP: DragThing ($29)

#50 Play Snake in the Terminal – (1) Launch Terminal, (2) Type emacs and press Return, (3) Press Escape, then type x, (4) Type snake

And that’s that. Again, these are just a few of my favorites or ones that I find especially helpful. Here’s the link for the official Mac|Life article.

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I’ve had this software for quite awhile, as a beta tester. The most convenient thing about PlayOn, in my opinion, is that it allows you to stream your instant queue from Netflix. You can also browse through Hulu, CBS, YouTube, CNN, and ESPN content. I’m sure they’ll probably add more down the road. There were quite a few bugs during beta testing, but that’s to be expected. Seems that everything is relatively stable at this point. Very convenient for the PS3 owner who wants to stream Netflix and other content.

One thing about PlayOn is that it needs Windows to stream off your computer to your system. Just fine and dandy if you have a PC running Windows by default. If not, just simply run Windows through Parallels or VMWare on your Mac. It works great.

The other app I mentioned is NullRiver’s MediaLink. It’s $20, but again, pretty useful. Especially if you have a Mac and a PS3 (they also have an Xbox 360 version). MediaLink allows you to stream media from your Mac to your PS3. It acts as a server and shows up right in the XMB menu. You’ll instantly have access to iPhoto, iTunes, Aperture, etc. I find this very useful because sure, I can set up my hard drive and stream my music off of it, but have you ever tried to set up a playlist on the PS3? It’s a pain. With MediaLink, I can view my iPhoto albums and iTunes playlists instantly, just as I have them set up on my Mac. Want a different playlist? Just set one up and refresh and there it is. Check it out if you have a Mac and have been looking to integrate it with your PS3.

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