Vitamin CH (Chocolate)

Tuesday’s @xkcd for your Thursday evening giggles

CallKathy — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 00:12:22 +0000

Realistic Frogger… For those who want more realism in their old-style gaming.

Amplify’d from xkcd.com

A webcomic of romance,
sarcasm, math, and language.

Frogger

See more at xkcd.com

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When it rains in Arizona, people rejoice!

CallKathy — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 22:38:44 +0000

The first big storm of the AZ monsoon has finally started here at our apartment (near Tempe). In most places, a storm like this would mean “Batten down the hatches”. Here? It is a cause for great rejoicing.

The first indications that the weather has broken are the weather specials on TV. These are uniquely AZ shows. They warn the new residents and visitors what is coming their way. Flooding, thunder, the most spectacular lightening storms imaginable.

Next come the wind and dust storms. These start before the rain actually comes. This year, we got a couple of weeks of them. During this time, other areas get storms, but pockets of the Valley of the Sun always get missed. (We happen to live in one of those pockets right now.)

Then, we start getting breaking news that a storm is approaching. There will be a few false alarms. There will be more of those “everywhere but here storms”. There will even be pocket rains.

And then, the miracle. The desert storms erupt. They start in the south and swirl around the south Valley. They start to move. You get a feeling in the air that things might FINALLY be changing.

And you hear it: Rain. On the roof. On the window. On the sidewalk.

The beautiful sounds are quickly joined by the laughter of the kids outside running in the rain. Adults join them. We walk and talk. We all get wet. We breath the dusty, wet air. We walk along the sidewalks, still warm from the heat of the last few weeks. We delight in knowing that the allergies driving us all nuts for the last few weeks will soon get a bit better. The rain is here and clearing the pollen and dust away.

After a storm or two, we will all go back to wanting our blue skies, our heat. But for today, Phoenix has rain. And I am glad to be back in it!

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Going to BlogWorld this year? Let the world know! #bwe10

CallKathy — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 19:22:32 +0000

Lisa Morosky has created a blog post that she hopes will connect #BWE10 attendees before the event: A list of who is coming and how you can reach them online.

She is creating the list by self-submission. There is a form at the bottom of her post that asks for your name, your email, and your site. If you are going, add yourself!

I am planning to go – and hoping to speak… (My proposal hasn’t been denied yet, so I still have hope.) If you are going, let me know. Maybe we can do that real life meet up that Jaemi (http://jaemi.amplify.com/) keeps mentioning!

Amplify’d from lisamorosky.com

Going to BlogWorld? Link Up Here!

Written on July 28, 2010 by Lisa Morosky in Everything Else

I’m excited to be heading to Las Vegas on October 13-17, 2010 for the BlogWorld & New Media Expo! The conference itself is on October 14-16, 2010 – but I’ll be there early.

I had a blasty blast last year. I got to meet some cool folks (who have since turned into friends and clients), check out some good panels and sessions, take awkward pictures of Dave Risley, see a Cirque du Soleil show for free, and just enjoy the company of my blogging colleagues.

So, I want to know who’s coming to BlogWorld. If you’re going to be there, link up your blog below so I can get to know you before the event.

Read more at lisamorosky.com

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When to (and when not to) blog

CallKathy — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 20:34:18 +0000

After many years of sharing content on the web, I have a pretty set routine for when I share content and when I recommend my clients share content. The routine is a bit controversial because I don’t usually recommend sharing things first thing Monday morning – People are busy with getting the week started and aren’t going to give your content the energy or attention you might want.

I also believe that what you are sharing impacts when people will notice it. Books should be talked about Tuesdays – just as bookstores are getting them in. (Yes, with e-books this is slightly less important… But it still holds.) Movie content (reviews, etc.) should be shared over weekends. If you are recommending a movie and you don’t get your content shared by Sunday afternoon, don’t bother. UNLESS the movie is a blockbuster and will have a big second or third weekend.

As for the rest… See below. Feel free to ask me if you have specific content types you want help getting posted!

Amplify’d from www.quora.com

What’s the best time of the week/day to post a blog post (including tweeting, digg, etc…) to have the best chance of getting the most attention?

I have found that the best days to share content are Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Fridays and the weekends are good IF (and only if) the content is not work related.

Content about new books should be done on Tuesdays, as that is when bookstores get new books in. Content about food should be done just before meal time. Content about sports should be sent within 2 hours of the event in question starting or finishing.

As for time of day, it depends on your content. Avoid too early in the morning and lunch time. If your content is location based, send it during the business day in the time zone for the geographic area.

Content about new websites or software tools should be not be sent first thing in the morning – Your target audience is busy getting ready for the day and picking up the threads of the previous day. For this kind of content, you are better off shooting for mid-morning or late afternoon. (These are the times people are most ready for a quick break. therefore, they are more likely to not just read, but also try the site/tool out.)

That said, anything can be picked up and shared just about anytime. I have found that content and appropriateness matter much more than what time of day you send something. If you have a community that is listening to you, someone will see it. If you don’t have people listening to you, then they won’t.

For more help in pinpointing when to send things, ping me!

Read more at www.quora.com

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Loving this idea. But want more! From @trishussey: Turn in hardbounds for ebook credit.

CallKathy — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 19:08:10 +0000

Love this idea from Tris: Make it possible to turn in books I already own for credit towards the ebook of the same book.

There are so many books that I would read over and over if I could get them on my Nook or Bruce’s Kindle. I would be willing to put up some of the cost, if I could just get credit for having already owned the physical copy.

And think of the good we could do: Turn in our physical copies and have them go (at a discount) to schools, libraries, hospitals, etc. (Even better, donate some of them flat out.)

This would encourage re-use of the books we geeks have sitting around. It would encourage new content for those that need it. Every one would win.

Yet another great idea on how to make a difference. What do you think?

Amplify’d from trishussey.com

TrisHusseyDotCom

I want to exchange my paper books for electronic versions. How about it Kobo?

Posted on July 23, 2010 by Tris Hussey

I was pretty sure that I’d like to read books on my iPad. I’m a gadget guy and the idea of having a library of books and manuals at my disposal is just too geeky to pass up. Here’s the thing, I have a small stack of books (Blink, Under Heaven, Anathem, and Under The Dome) in the queue for reading (as well as a few business books I was given for review). As much as I want to read them, I want to read them on my iPad.

What if I could go to Chapters and turn in the books for credit towards buying the through Kobo? Sure, I’d love a one-for-one trade, but I think that is hoping for a bit much. Now, Chapters could resell the books (unlikely) or donate them to the library. Think of how many new books libraries might be able to get!

Read more at trishussey.com

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My best friends… The peeps I couldn’t live without:

CallKathy — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 19:40:54 +0000

Today’s Plinky Question: Who is your best friend? To which I add: Do you have just one or is there a number of them?

(originally posted at http://plinky.com/links/hKY)

My best friend? I don’t have just one. I have several. Let’s see now…

There is my husband, who is the love of my life and best friend. Most days, he is the best of the best. Love him dearly. He gets me. We work together and live together. For over 26 years, he has been my other half.

Then, there is my oldest and closest friend… the mother of my goddaughter, one of my roommates from college. The person I can tell anything. Michelle understands me in ways no one else does. She knows what I have been through. I know what she has been through. We have been there for each other through good times and bad. Through the joys of watching our children grow up and the pains of letting them go. Through job changes and life changes. We don’t see each other nearly often enough.

Always in the list would also be my goddaughter. She reminds me how good things can be. She keeps me in touch with the “younger generation”. She makes me smile just to know she is there.

Next would be my mentor: Betsy Weber. She has helped me understand that I have skills that others need. That life goes on, even when bad things happen. She is the one that showed me a social media job was possible, profitable, and workable.

There are others who are good friends. Long term friends. People who used to be best friends, but because of changes in our lives I don’t connect with any more. People I couldn’t imagine not having been in my life. People like my older sister, who I am very glad is back in my life after a time of disconnection.

All of these together make up my support system. My best friends. The reason I survive and thrive.

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/am2hxH

Things you learn on Twitter: @waitwait tweeted that Daniel Schorr has died

CallKathy — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 17:07:20 +0000

Long time NPR listeners will be joining me in mourning the loss of a great man today. Daniel Schorr’s voice has gone silent and we will all miss him.

Amplify’d from www.npr.org

Journalism Legend Daniel Schorr Dies At 93

by Alan Greenblatt

July 23, 2010

Daniel Schorr, a longtime senior news analyst for NPR and a veteran Washington journalist who broke major stories at home and abroad during the Cold War and Watergate, has died. He was 93.

Schorr, who once described himself as a “living history book,” passed away Friday morning at a Washington hospital. He was able to bring to contemporary news commentary a deep sense of how governmental institutions and players operate, as well as the perspective gained from decades of watching history upfront.

“He could compare presidents from Eisenhower on through, and that gave him historical context for things,” said Donald A. Ritchie, Senate historian and author of a book about the Washington press corps. “He had lived it, he had worked it and he had absorbed it. That added a layer to his broadcasting that was hard for somebody his junior to match.”

Read more at www.npr.org

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Plinky question of the day – Blog prompts to get you writing

CallKathy — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 00:41:07 +0000

http://www.plinky.com/answers/98006

Plinky is a service that gives you writing prompts. Questions developed by their team and the community to start you thinking and writing. Once you have written a piece, you post the results there on Plinky. You can also share it to a few other services, including LiveJourna, tumblr, Blogger, and blogs on WordPress (but not self-hosted blogs).

Today, I answered the question: What industry ushered you into the workforce?
For me, the job was babysitting… Read more about it at the link below.

(PS: I would have actually included a clip, but I can’t seem to get the content from any of the three places I am sending my Plinky output: LiveJournal, tumblr, or the Plinky site.)

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Great Parody of the EVO vs. iPhone video situation. NSFW… via @techCrunch

CallKathy — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 21:15:58 +0000

Great video. Already going viral it seems. Boss’s side of the conversation is not safe for work. Be sure to watch clear to the end before you look away!

FYI: The tweet stream is real. Find it at http://twitter.com/PeterLuvsSlacks

Amplify’d from www.youtube.com

TweetFired

tinywatchproductions

5 videos

See more at www.youtube.com

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From @sumocats from @gottabemobile: CRAPPS

CallKathy — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 19:06:36 +0000

Hate the CRAPPS that is on my Sprint HTC Hero. Would love to be able to get rid of Peeps and the Sprint branded stuff, for sure!

Amplify’d from www.gottabemobile.com

Coining a term: mobile crapware = CRAPPS

But when life throws you lemons, the best thing to do is make lemonade… or throw those lemons right back in life’s ugly face. Thus, I suggest we put these bits of bloatware or crapware in the least flattering light possible and call them CRAPPS. ‘Cause it’s a portmanteau of “crap” and “apps”, get it?

Read more at www.gottabemobile.com

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/czwjBj