Enhanced with Minerals for Taste

NetBusinessBlog.com - Made from Concentrate

In the 49 days since he started NetBusinessBlog.com, Matt Coddington is already becoming a recognized name in the world of blogging for profit, affiliate marketing, and making money online. An astonishing 2.2 posts per day means that by the end of his first year of blogging on NBB, Matt will have generated 803 pages high quality content.

I found Matt’s site through John Chow.com - a site that, quite frankly, has become watered down with ReviewMe reviews, Review My Blog reports, and YouTube videos. I added John’s site to my feed reader in November 2006 and, while I don’t plan to take him off my list of daily reads any time soon, I’m certainly glad he pointed me to Net Business Blog before the quality of his content started to decline in an attempt to grow his monthly earnings. Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy reading JohnChow dot com, I just don’t read it for the same reasons I used to - I should probably move it from the “internet marketing” folder in my reader to the “entertainment” folder. The guy is definately good at what he does. But, I digress . . .

Net Business Blog has been a stable read from Day one. The content almost always fits the professional blogging niche and his writing style is coherent, gramatically correct, and easy to read. The broad range of content that Matt covers on NBB means that his readers get somewhat of a suprise on a daily basis. As an example, his last seven posts have all been rightfully assigned different categories - forums, blogging, news, reviews, e-commerce, contests, & general. That, in and of itself, is impressive.

What I’m most excited to see from NBB is a recent announcement that Matt Made regarding his rock and roll niche site case study. I agree with some of the commentors that by releasing the domain name on NBB, Matt will diminish the value of the study though. I would certainly prefer to see screenshots of stats and earnings reports without the domain name attached. In fact, if you’re reading this Matt, consider it a challenge . . .

Fly under the radar when launching your new case study site - at least until you break even and earn your $500 per month back for a couple of months in a row. Then, when you’ve got the ball rolling, you can announce it on NBB and watch your traffic go through the roof.

In conclusion, no matter what Matt decides to do, I will continue to read NBB and follow the case study because the information I’ve seen is valuable. I like to learn, and NetBusinessBlog.com makes learning easier.

Posted in Education, Internet Marketing, Link Karma | 1 Comment »

My Memory Has Been Supercharged

I’ve had incredible success with the Memory Supercharger Paraliminal from Learning Strategies Corporation.

First a little background information. I began studying for the MCAT (medical college admission test) in August of 2006. I study for 2-3 hours every day and have relearned/remembered much of the information from my college days (~10 years ago). Part of my study strategy involves taking practice exams. The exam is ~5.5 hours long and has 3-main sections worth 15 points each for a total max score of 45. I took my first practice exam just days after ordering the Ultimate You Library. I didn’t do very well. The 16 I scored was about 1/2 of the score that I’ll need to get into medical school. I was downtrodden and frustrated.

I received the paraliminals in mid-December and began listening to them right away. As excited as I am about trying them all (except smoke free), I decided that my first priority was to improve my test score. So I began with Memory Supercharger and Personal Genius. I listen to at least one per day, usually right before bedtime, and usually the memory supercharger.

On January 27 I took another practice exam and am happy to report that I scored a 29 - a score that would likely get me in. But, I still have 3 months before I take the test so I can’t wait to see what the results are for the real thing.

Don’t get me wrong. I studied diligently between 12/4 and 1/27. But I’m also certain that the paraliminals played a critical role in my success. Here’s why.

1. They helped me train myself to enter a state of “relaxed alertness” at will. Before I took the test and at every 10 minute break between sections, I spent just a few minutes centering down and entering this state. I let these affirmations flow through me . . . “A perfect memory system lies within me. I am the picture of focus and concentration. I have 30 years of experience and insight on which to draw. I am in control of my surroundings.” (I’m sure there were more, these are just the ones that come to mind)

2. This state opened the deepest recesses of my memory to recall complex subjects and topics at will - quickly. The test is timed and nearly every question is passage based, so there is no time to try to recall an equation or walk through a complex mnemonic to remember something. If I stumbled on a topic, I could close my eyes and visualize either the things I read or heard, even from lectures and/or conversations from professors 10 years ago.

3. Still, I didn’t know the answer to every question, of course. Often times on this test you can narrow your choices down to two. In reviewing my performance, I almost always chose the correct answer - for this I thank paraliminals. Somehow, it sharpened my inner mind to be able to recognize the correct choice - even if my conscious mind had no idea.

Needless to say, I am excited about what the next 2 months hold - not to mention the rest of my life. Thanks to Learning Strategies for such a great product and thanks to Steve Pavlina for pointing me in this direction.

(I know the CDs aren’t inexpensive, but I’m here to tell you that the value you will receive from them is priceless)

Posted in Personal Development, Lifehacks | 8 Comments »

Play Podcasts Directly with Google Reader

The recent availability of NPR’s “Fresh Air” sent me searching for an easy way to play podcasts in my browser. Sure, I could use Odeo or the Gmail MP3 player, but podcasts are just RSS feeds, so why not use my feed reader of choice? Enter Google Reader.

While I realize this isn’t the best option for everyone, for me, it’s perfect. Google Reader has changed the way I deal with feeds and now, I suspect it will change the way I listen to podcasts. Here are a few of the podcasts I’ll be adding very soon (if I haven’t already).

• This American Life
• All Songs Considered
• Fresh Air
• Steve Pavlina

What else should I add to this list? Post your suggestions in the comments.

Posted in Technology, Lifehacks | 2 Comments »

The Pros (and a few cons) of Using e-Newsletters

This is part two of a four part series written to help your non-profit organization deliver your newsletter electronically. In part one I outlined a couple of the reasons non-profits cite for not going electronic and gave my thoughts on why those reasons are full of holes. In this article I’ll provide a list of pros and cons for e-newsletters and ask you to provide other reasons why you think you should or shouldn’t make the swtich.

The Pros of Using e-Newsletters

• Cost - The cost to start delivering your newsletter electronically is absolutely free. If you happen to be one of the lucky few organizations that can make a complete switch and deliver your newsletter only electronically, then the cost savings are easy to calculate. At a conservative $0.25 per piece, a 1,000 piece newsletter costs $250 every time you send it out. The e-newsletter costs the same price whether you send it to 1 or 100,000 people and it’s entirely possible that the price is $0. Free is good for its own sake, but in this case, free allows you to serve more people according to the mission of your organization. Eliminating a quarterly newsletter at $250 per quarter means returning $1000 to your annual programming budget. That’s a “pro” if I’ve ever seen one.
• Specific Delivery Time - e-Newsletter software allows you to deliver your mail on a specific time of day, every single time. This specificity allows you to target constituents when they are most likely to take action. Sometimes the action you want them to take is just reading the newsletter. Sometimes it is a request for funding a special project. Different days of the week and times of day result in different responses. Because of the instant nature of email delivery, your messages get there when you say so - not when the post office says so.
• Tracking - When you send out a paper newsletter, do you know how many subscribers actually open it? Of course not! Paper newsletters provide no way to track if the newsletter ever makes it to the mailbox, much less if the newsletter is read or not. By sending newsletters electronically, you give your organization the opportunity to track things like delivery success, open rates (i.e. was the email opened?), and even which articles were read. Tracking opens the door to testing which allows your organization to deliver targeted messages to your subscribers.
• Turnaround - Delivering a “Special Bulletin” in paper form can take days or even weeks. If your organization is in need of quick action on the part of your subscribers, time is of the essence. A database of electronic newsletter subscribers allows you to get your special bulletin out to hundreds, thousands, or more constituents in minutes (hours, at most).
• Call to Action - Sure, paper newsletters can, and should, solicit a call to action, but doing so requires extra, unconnected steps on behalf of the reader. For example, if I read your newsletter and you ask me to make a donation. I have to (at least) write a check, address an envelope (unless you provide one at your cost), and put it in the mail. Three days later you get the money. An e-Newsletter allows you to solicit action from the reader and provides a very simple means for following through. My favorite call to action in an e-Newsletter? “Send this newsletter to a friend.”
• It’s Green - This should be reason enough if your non-profit is one that serves environmental causes. Sure, running computers and servers takes energy but no one can argue that sending an e-Newsletter to even 10 subscribers costs as much environmentally as sending a paper version. The more you send, the greener it gets!
• Passive Signups - Unlike a paper newsletter, your e-Newsletter subscriber list can grow 24/7/365. The user enters all of his or her own contact information without the help of a staff member and can subscribe (or unsubscribe) at any time. Your list will grow without any effort on the part of your organization.

The Cons of Using e-Newsletters

• Spam Filters - Spammers make everyone’s life a little more difficult. Thanks to spammers email providers have implemented spam filters to try to block some of the unwanted messages from making it to our inboxes. This has the potential to cause problems for those who want to send e-Newsletters - your messages could be quarantined before the subscriber ever saw them. Thankfully, there are ways to prevent your newsletter from being marked as spam. While the details are a bit too, um . . . detailed, for this article I’ll address it at a later date. If you’d like to see such an article, just say so in the comments below.
• Formatting - If you’re absolutely crazy about your design for your printed newsletter and refuse to give it up, an e-Newsletter is probably not for you. While a good designer can match your organizations brand with a quality e-Newsletter template, even the best consultants (wink) can’t decide what shows up on a subscriber’s screen. I typically recommend sending emails in text-only format and embedding links in the emails that direct readers to a website where I can track their reading habits, control the design, and deliver specific, content-related, calls to action.
• Connectedness of Your List - Before you invest time into making the switch, you should have a good idea of how many of your subscribers are connected. If the base of your support isn’t connected to the internet, then developing an e-Newsletter isn’t going to be a good use of your time. Be careful not to make assumptions about the connectedness of your list, though. You’d be surprised how many people are online these days.

So, what did I forget? Are there reasons you can think of that it makes sense (or doesn’t) for your organization to deliver newsletters electronically? I want to hear your thoughts! Say what’s on your mind in the comments below.

Posted in Non-Profit, Technology, Internet Marketing | 3 Comments »

Announcing VouchOn.com (and seeking beta testers)

My pal and excellent programmer, Noel, from Southern California and I have been working for the last several months to develop a simple, easy-to-use website called VouchOn.com.

I had the idea for the site during a business trip to Bangor, ME. Lying on the bed at the Holiday Inn and trying to decide where to go for dinner, I thought, “Wouldn’t it be great if I could ask for dinner recommendations from others.” The idea wouldn’t leave me alone so I started looking for a programmer to make the vision a reality.

Noel and I are finally ready to begin testing VouchOn.com and we need your help. If chosen as a beta tester, you’ll be part of an elite group of ninja website testers. All we ask that you do is use the site and report any errors you get using the contact page at http://www.vouchon.com/contact/ – We’d also appreciate knowing if you find anything to be confusing or just plain retarted.

The site is and will remain completely free to use. We appreciate you helping us make it great.

While you’re testing, keep in mind that VouchOn questions/answers can cover any topic – not just food. You might want to know what ballpoint pen is the best for daily use, or the best street porter in Chongqing, China. The possibilties are endless.

Many thanks,
Ryan

P.S. For the record, I chose the Sea Dog Tavern & Brewery in Bangor, ME and I’ll be Vouch(ing) On it as soon as the site goes live.

Posted in Projects, Lifehacks, Programming, Development, Design | 1 Comment »

Your Promotion Awaits (or “Saving loads of money for your non-profit by delivering your newsletter electronically”)

I’m certain the “powers that be” have considered delivering your non-profit’s newsletter electronically, but I also know that, in many cases, that’s where it ends - at consideration. Let’s take a few minutes to find out why the idea of electronic delivery dies prematurely and how you, as a dedicated employee, volunteer, or board member can breathe new life into this opportunity. After that, we’ll outline the reasons it makes sense for most non-profit’s to deliver online. Next, I’ll give you a rundown of exactly how to make the switch to electronic delivery in just a few easy steps. Finally, I’ll make a few suggestions for alternative/additional ways you can deliver your newsletter online.

“We fear that which we do not understand” - unkown

It’s often the case that non-profit’s and businesses alike avoid technological advance in their organizations simply because they do not understand how it works. It’s safe to say that everyone in your organization is comfortable with postal service. They can see the mail carriers, they can see the envelope and the stamp, and they have faith that the letter (or newsletter in this case) will be delivered in a reasonable amount of time. At the same time, most people with email receive newsletters whether they realize it or not. However, because they don’t realize how it works, they assume that it must take a technological genius to establish the workflow. Not true.

“It’s just not in the budget” - every non-profit officer who ever lived

This one is especially for you board members and officers. I’d like to start by turning this quote around. Hear this . . .

Your non-profit can’t afford NOT to be delivering newsletters online.

Online newsletters require nothing more than a webserver (which I’ve mentioned is free for non-profits) and about 2 hours for setup. The webserver collects the email addresses for you and delivers the messages to your list whenever you say so. Outside of that, you’re already doing everything you need to do to send out a newsletter (for instance, the writing). Without spoiling the detail that I’ll cover in a few days, I can tell you that it costs nothing to start delivering your newsletter online, but it could save you thousands of dollars.

What am I forgetting? Are there reasons your non-profit is avoiding going electronic? I’ve yet to hear a valid reason that an e-newsletter campaign shouldn’t exist, even if only to supplement the existing paper version. Please let me know if there’s some reason I’ve overlooked by posting in the comments below.

In the coming days we’ll take a look at . . .

1. The pros (and a few cons) of using e-newsletters
2. A step-by-step guide for setting up an e-newsletter
3. Alternatives to email delivery of your e-newsletter

In summary, sending your non-profit newsletter is not difficult and it is cost free (thanks to dreamhost). Stick around for the next few days to see how you can save your non-profit cold hard cash (that can be used for programming) by utilzing a free service to deliver your newsletter electronically.

Posted in Non-Profit, Technology, Internet Marketing | No Comments »

5 Free Tools to Help Your Non-Profit Succeed Online and Off

While doing a bit of late night reading over at Consultant Commons, I ran across a post outlining a few pieces of online software aimed at helping npo’s do some things online - on the cheap. While cheap is good, I am of the belief that today’s open source tools provide an excellent opportunity for non-profits to do business as well as any for-profit or national charity. If inexpensive is good, then inexpensive, flexible, brandable, and open must be great, right? I think so. Here are my top picks for open source tools to help your non-profit succeed both online and off.

Before we get started, if you aren’t sure what I’m referring to when I say “open source,” take a look at the wikipedia entry on the subject before reading futher. Go ahead. I’ll wait.

1. Open Office - You just don’t need the Microsoft Office Suite, and you certainly don’t need to use an unlicensed version of it. While MS Office is a great piece of software, it is pricey - even with a non-profit discount. When I recommend open office, the first question I always get is, “Is it compatible?” The answer is a resounding YES. It is compatible with other word processing systems, including MS Word, Word Perfect, and most (if not all) other word processors out there. On top of that, Open Office is not just a word processor. It’s comes with presentation software (like MS Powerpoint), and spreadsheet software (like Excel). Drawing, database, and an equation writing software are all included as well. Consider OpenOffice.org for its: cost ($free), flexibility, easily upgradable, secure
2. ActiveCollab Online Project Management - While ActiveCollab is based strongly on the foundation and ideas of the popular Basecamp from 37 Signals, it does present a few advantages for non-profits. The open source nature of the software increases the flexibility of the software enabling non-profits to extend the usability to meet their unique needs. Before I get attacked by all the Basecamp fans out there, please know that I like Basecamp, and I realize that it’s API provides for a great deal of flexibilty. I also know that open source projects like ActiveCollab are swarming with capable programmers who, in many cases, are willing to work for very small fees (as in free). Consider ActiveCollab for its: cost ($free), flexibility, developer community support ($also free)
3. CiviCRM - Constituent Relationship Management. As their website says, “CiviCRM is the first open source and freely downloadable constituent relationship management solution. CiviCRM is web-based, open source, internationalized, and designed specifically to meet the needs of advocacy, non-profit and non-governmental groups.” From what I’ve seen it’s a fantastic piece of software, especially for a small to medium sized organization. Like many open source projects, CiviCRM has spawned the development of components (sometimes called modules, add-ons, or plugins) to make the software even more useful. Speficically, CiviCRM has three robust (optional) components
   1. CiviMail - Personalized email blasts and newsletters.
   2. CiviMember - Online signup and membership management.
   3. CiviContribute - Online fundraising and donor management.

   Consider CiviCRM for its: developer community, extreme customization opportunities, and er, cost ($free).

4. Wordpress - Blog/CMS solution. If you don’t have a website yet, you should. And I don’t mean you should have a site that never changes. Your site should be a destination for people who want to learn more about your organization and a place to reach out to perspective volunteers, donors, and clients. Blogs are perfect for this and with WordPress you can have one set up and running within 10 minutes. An internet savvy (think teenager) volunteer could turn your existing materials into a website within a couple of hours with WordPress and you can bet s/he would pass the site on to her/his friends to show off her/his fine work! After the initial setup and static content loading, it’s up to you to continue to fill the site. Even a once weekly update of about 200 words could provide the boost your organization needs. Here are a few things you could write for your non-profit.
   • A case study
   • Donor story - i.e. “Why I Give”
   • Reprint a press release
   • 5 Volunteer photos and descriptions
   • A short video clip of volunteers doing work for your organization

   Consider WordPress for its: HUGE community, reputation, speed, support, longevity, cost ($free).

5. Dreamhost - Free webhosting fro non-profits. If you’re a 501(c)3 it really doesn’t get much better than this. Dreamhost has an incredible discount for non-profits and by incredible I mean they’re giving it to them completely free. Dreamhost is a fantastic and reliable host that is employee owned and forthcoming at all times. I’ve used them for a little over a year and can’t imagine going anywhere else. They are truly top-notch. Consider Dreamhost for their: reliability, service, and generous offer to host non-profit sites for free

I could easily add 10 more items to this list, and will certainly do so after I get a bit of sleep. I’d like to hear from you though. What types of software is your non-profit looking for? Chances are you aren’t alone. Post your requests in the comments and I’ll address them in the near future.

Posted in Non-Profit, Technology, Education, Internet Marketing, Lifehacks | 4 Comments »

Blogging the Bill Gates Keynote at CES2007

I’ve always been excited by those heavy-hitting bloggers who blog “live and on location” from the likes of MacWorld, SXSW, and CES. So tonight, as I prepare to watch Bill Gates’ keynote at CES, I’m gonna do it.

(Please ignore the fact that I am neither at CES nor a heavy hitting blogger. The keynote was viewable live at http://microsoft.com/ces/ and will probably be available for download there later.)

A little background information . . .

For Microsoft, CES is about bringing together personal creativity, content and community, to deliver connected experiences throughout the day — providing the tools to connect people to their communities and entertainment no matter where they are.

6:45pm PST
As has been the case for the past several years with Microsoft, they’re late. I know it’s likely CES’ problem but my guess is, MS has some pull. If timeliness was important, they could make an on-time start possible.

6:47pm PST
The show is getting started! Cute little introductory video!

6:49pm PST
Gates introduced. Title “Connected Experiences.” Announces his plans to do the keynote again next year but warns that beyond that, his talk may be “more about infectious diseases.” Haha, Bill. ROFLMAO.

Where are we now? What’s going on in our world?

• Young people spend more time on their PCs than in front of the TV
• We have incredible hi-fidelity technology
• Graphics resolution are enabling us to think about presenting items as they are in reality
• Storage space is now discussed in terabytes

But . . . we need to talk more about, and improve upon connections. That’s something we all need to deliver on for the consumer and the worker.

What’s being released.

1. Windows Vista
• the best quality OS we’ve ever released
• you’ll discover lots more features as you use it
• we’ve been through a lot to develop it
• the biggest investment ever put into a piece of software because it is by far the most used piece of software
2. MS Office
• we’ve observed over a billion sessions of users with the new user interface - it was a risk we had to take and it will pay off
• live services will become an integral part of the user experience
• we’ve come a long way from the days when we used to think that you buy a piece of software once and that’s it

7:00pm PST
Justin Hutchinson will now demonstrate Vista

One of the first things you’ll notice is how easy it is to find anything. Vista can not only search documents, emails, and items on this machine but all machines on the home network.

Previews - preview pane allows the preview of all files in multiple sizes.

Shadow copying - save multiple versions of the original file from documents. In short, it has versioning built in.

More quality themes from MS Word in office.

Integration with Windows live search (and the XBox360 controller). You can use and XBox360 controller with Vista and use the controller to navigate streets in Windows live. Looks cool.

Media center with Vista. Watching live HD feed of a football game with Sports Lounge while getting real time alerts, news and information at the top and bottom of the screen. Sports Lounge can be set up to track all fantasy teams complete with alerts that allow you to tune the channel when one of your team members is about to get in on the action.

Showtime, Nickelodeon, Starz will all be delivering on demand content to Vista Media center. “Windows Vista will take entertainment on the PC to the next level.”

7:09pm PST - Photos
Close to 2 billion photos were taken last year. Photo Gallery is the tool of choice in Vista and the DVD maker will allow you to burn DVDs of those photos to share with others.

7:11pm PST - Windows Vista Ultimate - the flagship edition
Groupshot - a photo editing tool that allows stitching of multiple photos to make one good photo. “It doesn’t fix pictures. It creates the picture you wish you would have taken.”
Dreamscene - full motion desktop backgrounds. Any video can be set as the desktop background . . . “awesome.”

“We have 22 days ’til launch.”

7:13pm PST - Gates returns to talk about the strength of Windows, historically.
In a nutshell, it’s been good because it’s great out of the box, but it also allows software providers to work independently to develop for it.

Hardware manufacturers are asking how they can make hardware that takes advantage of the new technology in Vista.
HP - Touchscreen
Toshiba - Portege new features
Sony - ??(got distracted)

7:18pm PST - A video of some new Windows Vista PCs
Laptops and tablets (with soothing Lorena McKinnet type music in the background)
Gaming (with heavy metal music)
Entertainment (PCs and media centers with “reach for the sky, i can fly soul music in the background)

7:20pm PST - the Windows Home Server
I’d like to talk about a product that’s new for us and one that we’ve partnered with HP on - the Windows Home Server.

Their streaming media server just borked. My coverage will return when my stream does.

The HP server will come out in the 2nd half of 07.
Backup and productivity features. It sounds like a plug and play storage device that makes having the home network server available and useful for the non-geek.

7:25pm - PST Connected entertainment
mobility, gaming, tv, music
Robbie Bach

Two parts to connected entertainment

1. Content - we want people to be able to get their content whenever and wherever they want.
2. Communtiy - people want to share their entertainment with others.

Requires hardware, software, and service.

1. Music
• Urge music service
• Zune is off to a great start. We expect to ship 1 million soon. We are deeply committed to being successful and you will see us in the leadership position soon.
2. Mobility
• Windows mobile
3. Gaming
• Vista is going to expand the gaming market even more. PCs the leading gaming console in the world.
• Not only for the hardcore gamer but also the casual gamer
• Showing a litle video of games running on Vista (Such Great Heights by The Postal Service playing in the background)
• XBox360 has sold 10.4 across 37 countries
• Gears of War is selling like hotcakes
• Over 300 titles will be out by the end of 2007
• One title will be the story of 2007 - Halo 3
• Showing a video of Halo 3 amd while I’m not much of a gamer, it looks pretty freakin’ rad.
• XBoxLive has reached 5 million members and is the largest social network on TV
• We will expand the community and take it to a whole new level. The live experience will be expanded to the Vista platform - you can play XBoxLive on Window Vista (with the XBox360 controller). In short, it’s total integration with XBox live using Vista
• 3 Billion Hours of gaming in 2006 on XBox Live
4. TV and HD
• HD DVD Player - HD DVD is the top selling format as of now.
• Media Center - 80% XP Media center was the #1 PC sold in the 2006 holiday season.
• Video Marketplace with over 1000 hours of content - through XBox360 too.
• ipTV - first demo’ed at CES 2 years ago. Over the next 3 or four years this will become a major part of the Windows ecosystem. Picture in picture allows preview of channels without changing the channel. “Tivo” like functions built in. ipTV also runs on athe XBox360 which allows you to talk to friends while watching TV. Because of this, XBox360 does everything you want in the living room. Music, TV, Games, connecting with media on the PC. Avaible by holiday season 2007.

7:48pm PST - Bill’s back
We want to give you connected experiences 24 hours a day. Connectivity in the car - we need simple, safe ways to get the drive involved. MS has been investing in this and has partnered with Ford.

Mark Fields, President of the Americas for Ford Motor Company introduces Sync.
Fully integrated voice activated entertainment and navigation system. Sync integrates all of your portable devices (iPods too). Drivers can send and receive calls and text messages through the system with a text to speech engine. It accepts most all music players along with flash and zip? drives. It will be connect to provide ongoing connectivity. It will be rolled out quickly and affordably on a dozen Ford products this year. Sync will, of course, run Microsoft software. It sounds like this will be cool. I couldn’t type fast enough to include all the features. I’ll add a link later.

7:54pm PST - Where we’re going in the years ahead.
Text to speech.
Interactive cameras on the computer.
Home of the future is being demo’ed.

An example . . . your phone knows your location and delivers coupons for stores and restaurants in the area. It will also show you when the nearest bus will arrive. The phone connects to the home and a notification is received when a delivery person comes to the door. You’re able to send a digital signature to receive the package.

In the kitchen screen technology will become less expensive. Items will be projeted onto the countertop and the kitchen recognizes what items are nearby. It then shows an interactive recipe on the countertop.

In the bedroom projections on the wall can be customized to match the users tastes. Multiple pictures and movies are being shown. He’s playing an XBox360 game on the wall and then changes it for the guest room so that the visitor (”grandma”) can see video of what’s going on in her house - because it’s connected too.

8:02pm PST - We need a lot of feedback from users to take this technology to the next level but there are fun challenges ahead.
He’s thanking all of the partners and the customers for their support.

The end (the show signs off with Over My Head by The Fray).

Posted in Technology | No Comments »

The Skill of Flow

“Entering and maintaining the highly creative flow state is a skill, not a blessing, an accident, or a fluke.”

The truth is, I heard of Mihály Csíkszentmihályi long before Steve Pavlina ever entered my feed reader. I learned about the concept of Flow from a mentor nearly ten years ago and even bought and read Csíkszentmihályi’s first book on the subject, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience.

I’m not sure if I wasn’t paying attention or if the book was addressing a different need that I had at the time, but I do know that I didn’t take away the fact that entering flow is a skill. I owe Steve a word of thanks for making that clear. I can enter the flow state rather easily although it’s a rare occasion when I can enter it deliberately. If I consider the times when I’ve sought to enter the state of flow and failed, I can almost always find the reason why among one of Steve’s 7 Rules for Maximizing Your Creative Output

1. Define a clear purpose.
2. Identify a compelling motive.
3. Architect a worthy challenge.
4. Provide a conducive environment.
5. Allocate a committed block of time.
6. Prevent interruptions and distractions.
7. Master your tools.

Recent decisions about the direction I’m moving in my life require that I be able to enter the flow state at will. These 7 Rules will certainly guide me in the right direction and I look forward to putting them to use in the months and years to come.

Posted in Lifehacks | No Comments »

John Chow . . . dot.com mogul or dang-good promoter?

Though I can’t remember when I first heard of “dot.com mogul” John Chow, I know that I started reading his blog regularly last September when he posted the beautiful piece of digg bait, The Internet’s Biggest Google Whores. I found it like thousands of other people, through del.icio.us, which commonly has spillover from digg.

It wasn’t until early November, however that I added JohnChow.com to my feedreader - most likely brought about by my switch to Google Reader from Bloglines. While I don’t plan on removing John’s feed from my list, I must say that the experience hasn’t been what I expected. During the months of September and October, among the sporadic posts I read was the Making Money from a Blog series. Combine that with the “Google Whores” article I mentioned above and it’s safe to say that I expected the blog to be about the ways folks with blogs could, themselves become whores er…wealthy earners of Google cash.

It turns out that John is both a fantastically curious scientist and a masterful promoter. These two things seems to form the perfect storm that has made John a “dot.com mogul.”

Contrary to my preconceived expectations, nearly every post on JohnChow.com is a well-thought out experiment on backlinks, downlines (AGLOCO), paid reviews, page rank, content or adsense optimization, or more digg bait. As a trained chemist and nerd of the 3rd order, I can certainly respect a good experiment. As a full time non-profit fundraiser, John also scored major points in my book by giving away much of the money his site earned over the course of 2006.

John exemplifies what it takes to make money online. Too many folks think that 15 minutes of writing a day will do it - that’s just not the case. Making money with a blog takes dedication - lots of it. It takes time to research monetization methods, link and traffic building take more time than most people could ever imagine, and quality content itself isn’t easy to come by - even if you are a good writer. If you’re interested in making money online, JohnChow.com will not disappoint. Just add it to your feed reader for a 30 day trial run. It’s nice!

Gotta go, my feed reader just showed another post from John Chow dot com.

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