Articles by Jesse James
With social networking and social media sites being all the rage these days, there are bound to be snafus from time-to-time. Who knew that they're potential employer would be searching for your MySpace profile before offering the job? I wasn't even sure that my mom knew what Twitter was, much less how to follow the RSS feed in Outlook, until a recent incident. And when I got an email from a friend asking why in the world I was bouncing between listening to the Wicked Broadway Cast Soundtrack and various Muse albums, I finally stopped to think: maybe I should uninstall that Last.fm widget from MySpace and Facebook. And then I thought maybe we're all just too connected?
I have to imagine that we've all had at least one embarrassing story about social networking. A picture that you "don't remember" being posted on a friend's page, a blog comment that you meant to set to private, an unintentional "outing" of or by a friend... I've seen just about all of them. I'm know we're not going to give up on social networking any time soon. It's kind of our thing now. Free love has turned to free, on-demand information and connection. But what I want to know is: What embarrassing Social Media snafu have you suffered? Personally, my screw-ups could fill an entire series of posts, but I want to hear about your missteps!
Leave a comment and spill the beans!
Verizon announced they will be partnering with the Linux Foundation and bringing Linux Mobile phones to their network later this year. Understandably, this is a big deal for the open source OS and a big step forward for Verizon, further cementing their commitment to their Open Network Initiative. LiMo, as the kids are calling it these days, is an operating system based on principles of Linux aimed at providing an easily customizable experience at no cost. And while many people are touting this as a victory for LiMo, I have to wonder if it really matters?
Well, what I mean is that Verizon has pledged to open their network to anyone that meets the standards they've set out. So, assuming your device doesn't cripple their network when you use it, they're pretty much OK with it. On top of that, come 2009 when they take over the C Block of the 700 MHz spectrum, they'll be federally required to allow other devices and services on their network. So, while it is awesome that LiMo is turning out to be the little OS that could, is it really that surprising that the company that is actively trying to change its image of rigidity to an image of openness accepts the OS that is know strictly for its customization? Not really.
Good news for LiMo, for sure, but not really something to write home about. You did it LiMo, you graduated elementary school!
Verizon picks Linux—but not Android—for mobile platform [Ars Technica]
Oh snap! In the interesting move of the day, CBS and CNET announced a deal this morning whereby CBS will purchase CNET for $1.8 billion! While this is certainly not the $44 billion + we were looking at for the Yahoo! and Microsoft merger, this is still a large chunk of change for a internet company. This will give CBS control of not only CNET, but download.com, MP3.com, News.com, and all the other CNET domains.
How exactly was this news broken to the general public? Via Twitter of course! Dan Farber, the guy currently behind all that is CNET, posted up a quick tweet a couple hours ago, and since then the news has taken off. This, of course, was not the "official" press release, but it still provided the basic nugget that we all needed to know. Never let anyone tell you new media isn't making any ground.
CBS to buy CNET Networks [CNET]
[via: Brian Averly]
Social media is a big deal. A really big deal. Tons of money is being spent on developing social networks, various apps to run on social networks, and a myriad of other services based on the social networks' APIs. Social media is such a big deal that someone had the bright idea of Flock, the social-media-centric browser that incorporates blogging tools, an RSS Reader, Facbook and Twitter integration, and various other social staples (It's also my current browser du jour). While some see Flock as just too much (Seriously, it's pretty hard core social media centric), others just don't feel like it offers enough. For those people, and for those people that are interested in the idea of Flock but not sold on the browser itself, I present Yoono.
Yoono is a new FireFox extension built on the idea of integrating Social Media into your browsing experience. This plugin offers a ton of options for the social enthusiast, including Twitter integration, Facebook friend updates, Last.fm feeds, an RSS Reader, YouTube searches, and many, many other tools to expand the horizon of your browsing experience. Recently, I received an invite to try out the beta and I've been playing around with it for a bit now. To see what I've like, disliked, and whether or not I suggest you jump on the Yoono bandwagon, hit the jump for the rest of the write up.
It's an interesting look at the new operating system, but I can't help but agree with some of the comments on the video: What is really going to revolutionize Windows is not bells and whistles, but basic interface changes. Menu upon menu upon menu just isn't exciting anymore, regardless of how smooth the transitions are. I see it like Final Fantasy. Up until FFX, the menu-based game play was ok. But after that, we needed something different, something to keep us interested. FFXI tried its hand at something new, but was still stuck in menus, but FFXII really busted out the walls of what it meant to be a Final Fantasy game. Yeah, there were still some menus, but overall the game play was revolutionary.
I see Vista allot like FFXI. It's something a bit new, a solid try at new approach. But I'm hoping Windows 7 will be much more than that. However, from the video, the only exciting thing so far is the web page builder.... and that's just a rehash of a million different programs already available.
What do you think? See anything exciting or interesting here in this video or from any other sources that have got you pumped about Windows 7?
We know, you thought that your wanker was yours and yours alone. You also thought that you and that special someone had naming rights to your member. But what if someone else called their Johnson “Rocco?” What would you do then?
Luckily, there’s a way to guarantee that your significant other will not be talking about some other dudes junk for good. Enter Name Your Wang, a new service that allows you to register your wang’s name for a small $17 fee. You’ll even get a certificate. A pretty one. You can hang it next to your GED.
Maybe you’re thinking that this site may not be legit. Well, a quick look at their Q&A should shore up all your worries:
2) Is this for real?
This site is for real. We are the only authorized site to issue certified wang certificates. All copy cat sites are a joke and should not be taken seriously. According to Government regulations their can only be one issuing site. Nameyourwang.com was chosen above all the rest.
So, yeah. Make sure to swing over and register Rocco before its too late!
Modern ingenuity never ceases to amaze me. We are always looking for ways to relax and, at the same time, multitask. Just like when you're working late or just playing games on your computer and you really want a head massage. That happens to me allot... not really. Just like once a week. But when the urge does strike, I can't ask my boyfriend to massage my head because then I won't be able to keep playing SimCities Societies. He'll want to talk, then cuddle, then I'll be roped into watching another episode of Brothers and Sisters, meanwhile all I'm thinking about is how cool a half fun/half totalitarian city would be!
It's times like those that I thank Ceiling Cat for bringing other people with the same dilemma as me together to solve problems. This particular problem was solved by a USB Brain Massager from our friends in Japan. The little gizmo can plug right into a USB slot on your PC and start massaging your brain with 8 little vibrators right away. Want to do it while watching TV? Pop 2 AA batteries in and your good to go. Hell, you can even flip it over and have eight vibrating tentacles to use for... wait a minute.... that just seems a bit... oh, my!
*cough* Well, ugh, now that I've found my newest housewarming gift for whatever lesbian couple just made it to their third week of dating, I think I'll go talk to my boyfriend and catching up on my Grey's Anatomy story lines...
Product Page [Rare Mono Shop - Translated]
[via: Gearlog]
There seems to be a never ending supply of ways to quit smoking. There's patches, pills, therapy, and good ol' fashioned "cold turkey" method. Apparently though, that wasn't quite enough options, as a new technique has emerged on the market. The Gamucci Microelectronic Cigarette is a battery powered death stick, designed to satiate the mental aspect of holding a cigarette while weening you off the physical addiction to nicotine.
The stick works off of watch batteries, and has a small device that burns liquid inside when you take a drag to produce "smoke" for you to inhale. You can also insert little packets of nicotine, and reduce your intake that way. Or, you can just replace cigarettes with its mechanical version. Or, you can use the mechanical version to try and look as James Dean as possible without actually smoking. Of course, whatever the fake smoke is made out of will probably turn out to give you some random foot cancer or something, but at least you won't be smoking Camels anymore, right?
Personally, I recommend just not starting, but if you have and you want to quit, do your research on the best and most effective ways to quit. Get support from your friends and family, avoid situations that drive smoking (bars, stress, etc.), and be prepared for the hard road ahead of you. Realize that you won't ever really be over it (I've been smoke free for 2 years and still get random cravings), but that you can do it. OK, enough of the PSA mode... Don't you think this would make a super sexy costume piece? In any case, you could carry this in your new cigarette-pack shaped phone!
After all the buzz about Facebook last year and it's trailblazing efforts to change the tone of the Social Networking industry, other Social Networks would be remiss to not follow suit. By releasing their API, Facebook literally changed what it means to be a Social Network, and in doing so garnered itself not only good press, but many new users and, perhaps most importantly, a better market value (which could help them allot considering Microsoft may be looking to buy them now that the Yahoo! deal has gone south). So it may not be too surprising that Social Network giant and market leader MySpace has been making efforts to match Facebook pound-for-pound, and even one-up them in some respects.
We've heard allot of really interesting things from MySpace lately. Within the past few months, the company has launched a Music Service, opened it's API to App developers, and even sprung a online Karaoke service (don't tell anyone, but that's my new guilty pleasure). Now, we have word that MySpace is launching a new partnership with Yahoo!, Twitter, Photobucket and eBay to incorporate "data portability" into their services, and combined with their support of the Open Social Initiative, it seems that this company is really making a strong effort to open its doors when it's traditionally been a closed door environment. This data portability essentially means that you can link your accounts together to share information and not have to repost pictures on all your sites or update your status to MySpace and Twitter, etc.
This openness seems highly reminiscent of the more recent moves on Verizon's part to open it's network. Although two completely different industries, I think the concept is the same. In the past, most companies followed a standard secretive approach to the market: you never knew what was going on inside their doors and the best way to own a market was to trap consumers inside your walls. Openness is a new concept for highly competitive industries though. So what's driving this? Has the consumer base changed so much that we no longer accept closed-door approaches to business? In this age of blogs and wikis, are we demanding more accessibility now more than ever? I would tend to say yes, but then there are always the exceptions, companies like Apple that still have a stranglehold on their business model. But even when talking about Apple, they seem to be dipping their toes in the waters of openness with the upcoming launch of the consumer end of the SDK for their iPhone.
It looks to me that we are entering a new and exciting age in the world of consumerism, and I for one am very excited about it. I have always believed that I should be able to interact with a company on my terms, and have tried to support companies that support that kind of interaction. Until recently, that's been hard to do, but I suppose I'm not the only one that felt that way as more and more companies bend to that trend. I look forward to the day that all companies wise up to this new force in the market place, and gladly support the efforts of companies like Facebook, MySpace and Verizon. Obviously, my hope is that these companies live up to their own hype, and only time can truly judge their actions, but for now, I'm glad to see the effort.
Gay Republicans rejoice! Now you can stand in support of your Second Amendment rights to bear arms and Gay Amendment rights to be fabulous! Yeah, I know we don't have Gay Amendment rights yet, but with these bad ass weapons, we could hold the most fantastic revolution the world has seen! Watch out Stonewall, there's a new uprising on the Gay Horizon.
Gallery 1988 is hosting a show in their Los Angeles showroom called The Revolution Will Be Fabulous, which is showcasing "designer" weaponry. Everything from grenades to AK-47's are on display, sporting "designs" by everyone from Versace to Luis Vuitton. Personally, this is some of the coolest weaponry I've seen since the Hello Kitty Rifle.
The prices on the art pieces range from several hundreds to several thousands and come to you courtesy of artist Peter Gronquist. Personally, I think this is all brilliant work, and just a tad bit wonderful as well. If you're in L.A., definitely swing by and check out the exhibit. If you're not, check out the gallery. There are tons of cool weapons on display, I just chose the D&G gun because... well, I fancy me some D&G!
[via: Geekologie]
You know, it's really no secret that the 3G iPhone will be out this summer, but sometimes a little more tact in making it official would be nice. A memo was recently passed around to all AT&T store staff members informing them that if they had planned on asking for vacation time anywhere from June 15 to July 15, then that's just too bad, because they'll be needed in store to make sure a "new and exciting product launch" goes smoothly (as reported by our very own Den Den). Weird... I had no idea that the Pantech Duo 2 would be that popular...
I'm a bit lucky. I, through certain associations, would have been directly impacted by this decision, if a certain someone already made plans for that time period and requested off. I understand that they honestly feel like this is going to be a huge event, but an entire month? Maybe it's just me, but that seems like they are pushing the "no vacations" thing as just another piece of the marketing puzzle. "OMG!!11! Employees can't vay-k for a whole month in the dead of summer?!?! This is going to be the biggest thing EVAR! First it was the Jesus Phone, now it's the Second Coming!"
If that wasn't enough to make a loud statement that the 3G iPhone will be out in June, try going to an Apple store to get an iPhone right now. Most are out of stock and have been sending people to the AT&T stores who still have stock available. I don't think it's because there is a spiked demand for the current iPhone either, it just makes sense that they are depleting their current generation stock to make room for the new child that Apple built.
So, for those of you that have been saving your Stimulus Checks for something exciting (looking at you Den Den, look no further than mid-June. Now, if we could just get Apple or AT&T to release some definitive pricing or features, we'd all be grateful. I mean, it's not going to hurt your sales of the 3G iPhone at all by doing that. And I'm sure there will still be a market for the left-over Edge phones when you drop the price on the phone, so don't worry about that. Just tell us already!
AT&T: No vacation around the iPhone anniversary [CNet]
Thanks to Vega81 for the heads up on all the "insider" info
I gotta give it to Viacom and their assortment of TV channels. However much I may not like MTV, I love Comedy Central and I love LOGO. Comedy Central has seen an explosion lately of show offerings on line, like the complete back catalogue of The Daily Show, Colbert Report and even flagship South Park. But LOGO, Viacom's channel dedicated to the LGBT community, has yet to offer any of its shows online. That is, until today.
LOGO announced they would be placing new video content on their website today. Everything from full episodes of Noah's Arc and Big Gay Sketch Show (both good shows, if you ask me) to clips and behind the scenes footage of their other shows, will be available online for you to view at your leisure.
I took a look at the selection, and while I have to admit that it's pretty limited, I'm also optimistic about what Viacom will do to expand the current offerings. Many places still aren't able to get LOGO, or even in places where you can get it *couch*Chicago*cough*, you have to pay extra to get it, so it would be nice to be able to access this content online. One down shot is that it does not appear that you can embed the videos as of yet. If you haven't experience LOGO yet, I would definitely encourage you to check out the shows they have up now. Like I said above, Noah's Arc is a great show (and currently has the most episodes available online) and the Rosie O'Donell produced Big Gay Sketch Show can be hilarious (most of the time).
[via: CNet]
And girls who like girls who like fembots!
Gadget of the Week
Show-stopping "half-VGA" screen and HSDPA/UMTS support, gorgeous video playback: Bold, Bold, Bold!
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