theprotagonist5

http://status.sixapart.com

TypePad Service -
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http://status.sixapart.com

Vox -
Vox is up.

http://scobleizer.com/2009/07/20/what-does-loic-think-of-the-new-friendfeed-20-api/

http://scobleizer.com/?p=5806

I’m not a developer, but I can still read an API spec and I’m still excited in what I’m seeing from the just announced FriendFeed 2.0 API. I wonder what real developers, like those who build Twitter apps like Seesmic, TweetDeck, PeopleBrowsr think. Dave Winer started a conversation about the API here.

What is cool? FriendFeed now has the ability to track the geo location of an item.

Why is that cool? All the coolest iPhone apps now are doing this augmented reality thing with the compass in the new iPhone 3GS and Android phones (here’s an example of that being used to show restaurants near you). Imagine if you could point your iPhone down the street and see real time posts spraying on your screen from people around you. Now developers could build that kind of app.

Anyway, I wonder what Loic (at Seesmic) or Jodee (at PeopleBrowsr) or Ian (at TweetDeck) think about this new API. Does it get them more interested in building in FriendFeed support?

http://us.rd.yahoo.com/buzz/buzz_log/rss/?http://buzz.yahoo.com/buzzlog/92827/erin-andrews-obama-ratings-atheist-whats-the-buzz

by Claudine Zap

Our top picks from the day's hottest searches.

1. "Angela's Ashes" (Searches increased by 1,298%). Interest in the book surged on news that the author, Frank McCourt, has died.
2. Scallop recipes (+566%). Don't fear this seafood. Prepared well, it's tasty.
3. Obama approval rating (+133%). The president's approval has dropped below 60%, according to the latest polls.
4. Erin Andrews peep video (+112%). An unauthorized video of the sports reporter is being used to spread a computer virus.
5. Atheist (+107%). A watchdog group has sued to remove the saying "in God we trust" from the capitol's visitor center.

Follow us on Twitter

http://fuzzyco.com/news/food/punch_party_recipes.html

A couple of weeks ago we saw a Good Eats episode about punch that really struck our fancy and so we decided to have a genteel little get-together to try out the recipe (since it involves whole bottles of champagne, it's not really something you can just make a glass or two of). It was also a good opportunity to make some fancy appetizer recipes we'd been eyeing.

The punch was even tastier than I'd hoped, but it had a kick to it for sure.



Here's the menu with links to the original recipes, and I've also included the recipes with any variations we used after the jump, for my own future reference.

• Cafe Fear Punch, from the Good Eats episode "Feeling Punchy".


• Cheese Ball, from Amy Sedaris' I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence.


• Lemon Bars, from the Highland Baptist Church (Vicksburg, MS) Cookbook


• Artichoke-Olive Crostini, from Smitten Kitchen


• Sober Weinies


• Vienna Beef miniature Bagel Dogs


• Assorted chocolates

And it wasn't a fancy appetizer, per se, but we did also have some leftover Green chile pork stew with potatoes from the night before, recipe from Making Light.

http://scobleizer.com/2009/07/20/real-password-security-and-back-up-too/

http://scobleizer.com/?p=5804

Since last week we saw the publishing of confidential documents from inside Twitter (I doubt any of you missed that, but if you did, TechCrunch last week got passed documents from a hacker who figured out how to get into several accounts at Twitter).

This led me to start this discussion which is most excellent because it shows how to do password security right. I’ll be honest, I’m going through right now and changing all my passwords because I was practicing several of the bad practices that Twitter’s employees were. I bet many of you are doing the same stupid things too.

While I’m on this topic, last week the hard drive in my Mac died. I lost a few days of videos and emails because I wasn’t backing up as often as I should be. Naughty me. The drive just stopped right in the middle of me working. Apple replaced the drive but that didn’t help me get back the videos and emails. Today I’m setting up my new hard drives with JungleDisk. I don’t care what you use to back up, but I know lots of you aren’t. I bought a couple of 1.5TB drives from Seagate, too. Costs $159 at Best Buy and probably cheaper online. No excuses for not backing everything up now. You haven’t done it, have you? (I know most people don’t back up).

Anyway, just a friendly reminder to pay attention to these things before you get bitten.

http://scobleizer.com/2009/07/20/all-the-hype-in-the-world-why-pr-isnt-enough-to-build-your-business/

http://scobleizer.com/?p=5802

As I travel around the world I see all the hype Twitter is getting. It’s on CNN. It’s on Entertainment Tonight. Everyone in UK seemed to be all atwitter. In Virginia the local TV weatherperson was touting her Tweets.

Ad Age today commented that the free publicity alone is worth about $48 million. I think they undercounted it. You couldn’t BUY this kind of hype with $50 million in your pocket. If you could, Microsoft would be buying regularly.

But, here is the rub. There are seven billion people on the Earth. So far only about 30 million have even turned on an account and some of my friends who are analyzing the Twitter data say that active accounts are less than 10 million.

This demonstrates that getting an extraordinary amount of hype won’t help build a super business. Twitter is a long way from proving it’s a super strong business like Google, Microsoft, HP, Yahoo, or even Facebook is.

Yes, even Facebook is in a different world than Twitter even though it never got the kind of hype that Twitter is getting. Facebook’s revenues are rumored to be around $500 million. Twitter has yet to generate any real revenues. Facebook last month grew about 25 million users. So in just the last five or so weeks Facebook has grown a Twitter.

Without all the hype in the world.

Why? Well, Facebook is velcro while Twitter is like a fish hook. I’ve watched how Facebook hooks people in. My wife is addicted because all of her friends are on. Including all the ones she grew up with in Tehran 20+ years ago. Hint: they aren’t on Twitter. But that’s just the start.

Even if all her friends were on Twitter and Facebook she’d still use Facebook more often. Why? It’s velcro and has dozens of hooks. Let’s discuss some of the hooks:

1. Relationship status. I’ve seen how this gets people to add their husbands/wives, boy/girl friends, significant others, etc. Twitter has nothing like it.
2. Photos. Ever been tagged in a photo on Facebook? I’ve seen how someone isn’t on Facebook, gets a call from a family member, and all of a sudden is dragged onto Facebook so they can be tagged in photos.
3. Videos. Same thing.
4. Wall posts. These seem similar to Twitter, but because they are threaded and the info and interaction is richer on Facebook than on Twitter.
5. Easier to use privacy features. I’ve started a “secret scoble” Twitter account, which is totally private. Getting people to engage there is very difficult. Getting people to engage on Facebook? Very easy, even when your account is pretty private (most accounts are, because that was the default status over on Facebook). Privacy alone gets people to participate.

I could go on, there’s other hooks I’ve seen too, but you get the idea. Twitter does have some hooks, but not enough. @replies, for instance, get people hooked into Twitter, but it’s not like tagging in photos.

Anyway, all this points to the fact that having a good PR strategy isn’t enough to build a great business. You can have all the PR in the world and you still only end up with 10 million active users or 30 million inactive ones and even of the active ones, only a very few are very active.

So, if great PR doesn’t do it, what does?

Time. That certainly helps. Twitter has PR momentum and if you add, say, another two years, I bet they end up with a couple of hundred million people (I don’t see how they get to the billion people they are predicting, but I remember Ev Williams, Twitter’s CEO, told me that they will turn on a ton of new features this year which will get them more growth).

More hooks. I see Twitter wanted to buy CoTweet and other companies. So it’s looking for other hooks to keep people locked into its service and to encourage people to grab other people and drag them onto Twitter, like what Facebook does with all of its little hooks.

More APIs. The one area that Twitter really has done well with is with developers. So, if they can add more APIs they can make developers happier and get cooler apps built. At the Twitter Conference Twitter employees said they were working on more APIs for location, etc.

More engagement. Search isn’t all that good right now on Twitter. But what if it were? What if Twitter added better “liking” features like what Google Reader just copied from Facebook (who copied them from FriendFeed)? Those lead to more engagement and better search. What are other ways that Twitter can better engage the people on its service?

Any other ideas out there for how to get more than 30 million users? Especially since most companies won’t have all the hype in the world?

And to the PR people, what does this mean? I bet a lot of you are being asked to “create a Twitter” which isn’t fair either. It wasn’t a PR firm that created Twitter, by the way, it was engagement of hundreds of early adopters, most of whom have now been forgotten by even Twitter itself. People like Eddie Codel, who showed me Twitter. I can just hear all the social media experts saying “Eddie’s not important, he only has 3,753 followers.” Yeah, right.

Anyway, does anyone else find it interesting that you can get all the hype in the world and still only get 30 million users?

http://www.notmartha.org/archives/2009/07/20/links-shopping-5/

http://www.notmartha.org/?p=3375

Ninja Umbrella-- Better Living Through Design. Cute, and dangerous.

Please help find silver drinking straws! | Ask Metafilter.

Bike crush. « Chez Shoes. Asking for opinions on the Forge bicycles made specifically for Target stores, anybody? I want to know too.

Earth Angel, at Outblush. It's a, no kidding, hand crank vibrator. Wowsers.

http://www.ricksteves.com/blog/index.cfm?fuseaction=entry&entryID=376

When I'm in Norway, I'm always amazed at how clear it is to me that I am with my people. (Three of my grandparents left hard times in Norway for hard times with promise in the USA.) I remember once being in Sweden, thinking, "Yes, these are my people." Then I crossed the border into Norway and, while wandering through the tidy pedestrian shopping streets in the first town, I realized, "No, those weren't my people...these are my people."

While I love traveling here, this year I find my people are somewhere between frugal, cheap, industrious, and greedy. Their tourist trade is built upon a gift from God: incredible nature. Their economy is founded upon another gift from God: lots of oil. Researching and updating my guidebook here ' sorting through all the creative marketing tricks masquerading as "deals" while jacking up all the prices listed ' I can't help but think, "These people are doing everything they can to get more business...except lower prices."

While the rest of Europe seems to be holding prices steady during these tough economic times, everything here costs more kroner. People are moping about how slow business is and don't see how their prices drive travelers away. For example, the Bergen Card (a 24-hour tourist pass) gets more expensive and less helpful every year. Last year the aquarium was included. This year it's covered only in the winter. Who comes to Bergen to see an aquarium in the winter?

Coffee (at $4 a cup) tastes both sour and bitter to me. It's the only place where I "cut the taste" with a couple sugar cubes. The beer, while very good, costs $8 a glass. Budget travelers find some solace in the fact that water is served free and you get seconds on potatoes if you like. So, a $25 dinner plate can easily amount to a $25 meal ' perfectly affordable. I found that some fjord-country hotels empathize with the situation and welcome travelers at breakfast to make a sandwich (even providing a little baggie) to go for a light lunch.

Travelers might sense particularly aggressive business practices in fjord country, where there is only tourist travel and no business travel. Hotels, restaurants, and tour companies have a short two-month season in which to make their hay. It's deadly quiet even in early June or early September. And with the slow economy bringing tourism down this summer, I imagine they are none too confident.

God may have given Norway its incredible scenery and its rich oil reserves, but they need to earn their tourism. Norway, my people, I'm glad you get the cushiest perks in Europe for your high taxes (from great schools and paid paternal leave to a plush retirement). But give your visitors a free public toilet once in a while.

http://www.ricksteves.com/jackiesteves/index.cfm?fuseaction=entry&entryID=53

Yesterday morning we bid "adios" to Spain and flew to Lisbon. We felt like sardines bumping fins and tails on our disorienting bus ride into downtown and got off a stop too late. We had to roll our bags a ways to finally reach our hostel oasis.

To call "The Traveler's House" a youth hostel, however, is a bit misleading because this place is luxurious! The common room is littered with plush bean bags, three Mac computers offer free internet access, a wide selection of DVDs are available to watch on their big screen TV, they make the beds for you, and an eggs and toast breakfast is included! Besides that, it's very spacious and decorated tres chic. All that for just 30 US Dollars per person per night.

We met up with another guide friend of my dad's, Rita, from Lisbon Walker in the early afternoon for a walking tour of Baixa, Lisbon's downtown. We met her by the river in a big square called Praca do Comercio. I had no idea Lisbon had such an interesting history⬦

Lisbon's Royal Palace used to be located on this square until it was destroyed by the huge earthquake in 1755. It was actually three earthquakes plus a tsunami plus a huge fire (sparked by candles Catholics were lighting for All Saints' Day)⬦equals a very ruined city.

Afterward, the king was more interested in his mistresses than in ruling Portugal, so his prime minister, Pombal, seized the opportunity to rebuild the city himself. He acted like a dictator, doing everything to take away power from the nobles and the Church in order to maintain his authority.

He made the nobles all dress like plain old bourgeoisie. He built fire-and-earthquake-proof buildings in a uniform grid and painted them all a somber yellow. He required that all the shops be located on the ground floor, that nobles live on the second floor, and that lower classes live on the upper floors. Pombal was clearly a nutcase. I mean who in their right mind paints a city mustard yellow? At least choose a nice blue!

He allowed the Church to rebuild only a few of their churches, if and only if the new architecture was very discreet. We visited a couple churches hidden in the midst of large buildings. One of them was completely undistinguishable from the street unless you walked to see its small façade on one side. The other church was given away only by a tiny cross above it on the roof.



A third church she showed us is sparse inside with walls painted all red. This color eerily reminds visitors of the bloodshed in the fiery aftermath of the 1755 earthquake. In the square outside that church, locals massacred 4,000 Jews in 1506. Last year, the city built a monument in the center of this square to remember that horrific act of genocide. Much of the Portuguese Inquisition was also carried out in this square.

Lisbon's downtown is now "dying." The river that runs beneath it is rotting the wood foundations of the buildings. Fifty years ago apartment rent rates were frozen so some people still pay a mere $10 to rent. Landowners have no incentive to fix the places up because they can't charge any more regardless. No young people want to buy such shabby apartments so all that is left are old people. It's not even a great shopping district because there are better shopping malls elsewhere. Despite all this, the squares are full of locals and tourists abound everywhere.

So far I like Lisbon even more than I did Spain. It has that metropolitan feel but it's intimate at the same time. Its got lots of quirks: hidden churches, an obsession with fish, legions of cat-calling men (some of whom literally "meow" at you), street vendors who offer us automated dog toys and hash, famous liquor named after a clown, and lots of old people with plenty of attitude.

' Jackie

http://www.ricksteves.com/jackiesteves/index.cfm?fuseaction=entry&entryID=52

Early Monday morning Jackie and I checked out of the hotel, and took the Metro, then a bus, to the airport. After a healthy and simple breakfast, we spotted a McDonald's, and in our tired stupor we decided that McFlurries were in order. So McFlurries were had. I will unabashedly admit that our morning has never been so full of smiles! Ice cream and Peanut M&Ms are quite the dynamic duo, a hard combo to beat.

Our flight (which we get on at "last call" because we had been calmly waiting at the wrong gate until we realized our mistake) seemed to last 10 minutes. Getting off the plane, Jackie said she was happy we had only one bus ride to take, instead of having to endure carrying our bags up more stairs in the Metro. We got our bags, found the bus stop, and marveled that we were really in Portugal, a country that, frankly, neither of us knew much about.

The bus arrived and we stored our bags and found poles to grasp. The bus was already full when we boarded it, but it got packed. Before long, it felt like we were in the geriatric ward of a hospital, an overflowing one at that. Jackie and I played a bit of musical chairs, occasionally sitting down only to give up our seats again moments later. Then we played nurse, helping lift an old man out of his seat and situate him with his walking crutches. Then more musical chairs, and then eventually we got off at a stop, the last stop, the wrong stop. The bus driver begrudgingly pointed us in the right direction, and we started off on the narrow cobblestone streets.

' Zoe

http://www.ricksteves.com/jackiesteves/index.cfm?fuseaction=entry&entryID=51

This morning we woke up early to meet Inés, a local guide, and tag along with a Rick Steves tour group for the morning. Inés took us on a walking tour of the Old Town.

It was fun to be with a big jolly group of Americans for just one morning. I didn't mind the fact that our union with them popped my adolescent Spanish bubble. It's always a little shell-shocking when my steady diet of being in the company of young adults is interrupted. It happens each time I come home from college. In this case, I felt the contrast between the hostel crowd and atmosphere I had been immersed in during the past week, and the group of studious adult tour members who ask too many questions. Melting in with a group of Americans takes the edge off of that alienated feeling you have in a foreign country. Usually that alienated feeling is pleasant to me, but a morning with fellow countrypeople can be a comfortable respite from the unfamiliar.

We visited a convent where cloistered nuns sell cookies using a lazy-Susan system so others don't see them and they don't see others. Unfortunately, we didn't get to taste their sweets because it was the Sabbath, the only day they aren't open for business.

Inés joked about leaving Zoe and me behind because the convent really needs more recruits. I am in total awe of women who have enough devotion to God to surrender visual contact with the outside world. I can't even imagine what that would be like. I am selfish and indulgent to the extent that I want to do the very opposite'travel. I want to see everything my external world has to offer and have face-to-face conversations with as many people as possible.

When the sisters reach a certain age, some of them take a time out from being "cloistered;" their teeth get so bad (perhaps from eating too many cookies?), they must go out in public to pay a visit to the dentist.

Zoe and I tagged along with the tour group to the Prado. According to that guidebook by that one travel guy, Steve Rick or whatever his name is, the Prado is "the greatest painting museum in the world." I had to memorize some of these paintings for my art history exams this past year and it was really cool to see them up close and in person.

My favorite was "Descent of Christ from the Cross," by Rogier van der Weyden. I never understood why Flemish painting was my art history professor's favorite until I saw this masterpiece in the flesh. Could this really be from the early 15th century? I was awestruck by the painter's skill. His rendering was incredibly realistic, with life-like shadows, anatomically perfect hands and feet, lush folds of cloth, and scrupulously detailed vegetation. I imagine those who love art for its technical virtuosity might feel like swooning at the sight of this display of perfection.

I also liked Bosch's "The Garden of Earthly Delights," a triptych of paradise, sin, and hell. Bosch painted surrealism centuries before the movement even started. He uses vivid imagery and complex meaning to project the message that hedonism and debauchery will surely doom you to hell. The right panel, a horrific depiction of hell, almost makes me want to run back to the convent we visited this morning and become a cloistered nun to avoid Earthly distractions (like all the sex being had in the middle panel) and have better chances at making it to Bosch's stunning paradise.

We left the tour group and went out to lunch with Inés. I still hadn't tried many tapas, so I jumped at the opportunity to let a Spaniard order for me. Inés and I shared three tapas, the names of which I am not sure, but they were something like octopus with potatoes, peppers with cheese, and potatoes with three sauces. Their preparation of these foods was new to me and they all had great flavor, but did not make for a light meal.

We rushed to Reina Sophía (a modern art museum) and headed straight for Picasso's "Guernica." Once I saw this masterpiece with my own eyes, I was convinced of all the things I had heard'about how it is the most politically powerful painting of the twentieth century. Picasso didn't even need the help of color to depict the intensity of the horrors of war. The mother, with her dead baby in arms, cries so hard her eyes slide down her face like tears and her tongue is a knife. It is utter chaos, deformity, loud suffering, unimaginable pain, and hope, all at once. Hope is found in the little flower and the woman, who resembles Picasso's lover, holding a light.

' Jackie

http://fuzzyco.com/news/blahblahblah/bam_bam_broken_bam.html

I love this woman more and more every day.

EDDIE IZZARD BREAKS UP STREET BRAWL

Comic Eddie Izzard went for a jog - and ran straight into a street brawl.

The TV and stand-up star, 47, bravely stepped in to break up the battle.

An onlooker said: "Eddie was running by clutching an England flag for some reason when he saw this chap being kicked in the head by another. He decided to stop it.

"There was lots of pushing and shoving and Eddie got some scratches on his arm."

Cops arrived outside a pub in Whitechapel, east London, and took away a baseball-cap wearing man. No one was charged.

Eddie's spokesman said: "Eddie just happened to be passing and wanted to help out."

Source

http://www.careerbuilder.com/JobSeeker/Jobs/JobDetails.aspx?lr=&je=myrec&siteid=cb_jerss&Job_DID=J3H7N77027W3NW1YC56

Location: Joliet, IL

http://www.airventure.org/news/2009/090720_yuneec.html

Yuneec International, maker of the e430 electric-powered aircraft, reports that flight-testing on the airplane has begun in Camarillo, California, as the company seeks experimental exhibition certification before next week's AirVenture Oshkosh.

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/MKuf/~3/CoarrH7Ny_M/explore-moon-in-google-earth.html

Posted by Anousheh Ansari, Trustee, X PRIZE Foundation, and first female private space explorer

[From time to time we invite guests to blog about initiatives of interest, and are very pleased to have Anousheh Ansari join us here. – Ed.]

Ever since I was a young girl, it has been a dream of mine to travel into space. In September of 2006, I was fortunate enough to make that dream a reality — I took off from the launch pad in Baikonur bound for the International Space Station and became the world's first private female space tourist. Since then, it's been my mission to help as many people as possible think ambitiously about ways to push the boundaries of exploration, both here on Earth and beyond. As a trustee of the X PRIZE Foundation, and the sponsor of the Ansari X PRIZE, I support Google's goal of opening up space through projects like the Google Lunar X PRIZE, which serve to educate the public about the global benefits of space exploration.

That's why I'm so excited about the release of Moon in Google Earth, which is launching today at the Newseum in Washington D.C. This tool will make it easier for millions of people to learn about space, our moon and some of the most significant and dazzling discoveries humanity has accomplished together. Moon in Google Earth enables you to explore lunar imagery as well as informational content about the Apollo landing sites, panoramic images shot by the Apollo astronauts, narrated tours and much more. I believe that this educational tool is a critical step into the future, a way to both develop the dreams of young people globally, and inspire new audacious goals.

With Google Earth, young explorers around the world can bounce around the galaxy in Sky, fly to Mars and now visit the moon from wherever they may be. To learn more watch the video below or visit the Lat Long Blog. Finally, outer space doesn't seem so far away anymore.

http://www.cheezhead.com/2009/07/20/hireppc/

http://www.cheezhead.com/?p=6806

We’ve been in business doing SEO since 2005. For the longest time, we stayed away from getting into SEM or PPC for the simple fact that the bandwidth wasn’t there to manage such projects. And we stayed away because of having such a strong belief in organic’s superiority over paid advertising.

But things have changed over the past few years.

First, the din of requests for help from current SEO clients was too loud to ignore. Second, and most importantly, pay-per-click advertising has evolved from being general search engines like Google to our own industry’s search engines such as Indeed to social networking sites like Facebook and many, many more. (If I were a betting man, I’d predict Twitter will join the PPC fray as well.) It’s become the default advertising platform for just about every site.

That’s why we’ve launched HirePPC.

With recent stories from The Wall Street Journal pointing to an increased usage of pay-per-click advertising by employers, we believe the opportunity is there to better help companies take advantage of existing opportunities and future ones. From the WSJ article:

United Parcel Service Inc. launched a search-marketing campaign last fall to recruit truck drivers for the winter holiday season. Search-engine users who entered phrases such as ’seasonal jobs’ or ‘part-time jobs’ were likely to see an ad directing them to UPSjobs.com. From there, job hunters could review a list of openings at the delivery company, watch a video about working there and apply for positions.

UPS says it received more than 150,000 applications from the campaign, at an average cost 75% to 80% cheaper than print ads. ‘We’re cutting newsprint wherever we can and trying to move more to online media,’ says Matthew Lavery, corporate work-force planning manager. “Google is outperforming other online media.’

Not quite sure what PPC is or whether or not you should do it? Checkout our Top 10 Reasons to Try PPC (PDF). And if you really want to dig into pay-per-click advertising, click here to get our white paper on the topic. Google’s Jason Katcher called it, “very well done.”

Hungry for more? Visit HirePPC today and contact us for more information. Or, checkout the blog or follow us on Twitter. Or just make your life easier and do all-of-the-above.

http://www.cheezhead.com/2009/07/20/jc-a-finance-site-straight-from-wall-street/

http://www.cheezhead.com/?p=7489

FINS.com is a new career site that was created by The Wall Street Journal.

The site is a stand alone, online resource that specifically targets financial professionals and the finance market. FINS.com offers information about the major financial sectors with associated jobs, news, in-depth research on companies and daily columns that offer advice and career insight.

FINS.com is meant to be a site for both active job seekers and those in the financial industry who want to keep up on the career-related side of the market. The site is free to users.

In addition to searching for jobs using filtering tools, users are able to research more than 1,500 companies across multiple sectors and access finance-specific career development information, from job search tips to long-term advancement and career transition advice. FINS.com is planning to add more features during the next few months.

Recruiters and employers can use the site to reach a targeted, high-quality audience through display ads, candidate search and job postings. You can purchase 30-day job postings for $375 or buy a savings package. Anyone who posts a job also gets free access to the site’s resume database for the term on the job post.

“FINS.com is an innovative new business intended to help super-serve our current customers in multiple dimensions of their lives and attract new customers to the Journal franchise,” Ann Sarnoff, president of Dow Jones Ventures, said. “The site offers a powerful combination of news, advice and jobs for people in the financial industry, backed by the strength of The Wall Street Journal.”

The site’s content comes from an editorial staff that generates targeted, career-related ideas, including features such as the Bull/Bear Report, a blog-style column tracking the financial job market and Morning Coffee, which offers a career-related spin on the latest financial news.

“Large general job boards traditionally have under-served the needs of finance professionals, and FINS.com takes a unique, comprehensive approach to this segment by creating a daily resource that appeals to both active and passive job seekers alike,” FINS.com General Manager Kevin Hatfield said. “The site features top employers and jobs in the financial industry while keeping users in the know about career-related news.”

http://www.airventure.org/news/2009/090720_tfrs.html

Pilots who plan to fly to Oshkosh via the Lake Michigan shoreline past the Milwaukee area the weekend before AirVenture are being urged by the FAA to pay particular attention to temporary flight restrictions (TFR) that have been issued for next week, July 23-26.

:: 23 icons from 7x02
:: 6 gifs from 7x02





here @ tryingtorevive

http://thesartorialist.blogspot.com/2009/07/on-streeteva-paris.html

During the men's shows in Milan and Paris I did a little double duty and shot a story for Italian Elle with Eva. She is truly a charmer and the only woman I know that can wear the kookiest hat (or bunny ears) while working very hard and not give the hat a second thought all day.

I'll post a few of the "behind the scenes" shots from the shoot in the evenings this week.

http://thesartorialist.blogspot.com/2009/07/book-has-arrived.html

Well what can I say - the book is starting to roll off the presses.

Penguin just sent me one of the first printed copies.

It is so crazy to actually be holding the book I have been working on since January.

I know I took all of the pictures, I remember taking each one, but I still can't believe I took all of the photographs.

Tracy is holding the paperback version, and soon I will have a copy of the limited-edition hardcover with slipcase to show you.

This has been a labor of love. Taking the pictures, editing the pictures, arranging the pictures, doing most of the writing while I was still in Phoenix after my Dad died. It's hard to put into words how one feels looking at their own work presented like this - so I won't even try.

I hope you enjoy the book and I will keep you posted about the book signing tour, the SartoriaLUST pop-up shops, and any other events surrounding the launch of the book.

Below are links to some sites where you can pre-order the book. It comes out August 12th in the US, and worldwide by early September.

Amazon (US)
Amazon (UK)
Amazon (FR)
Barnes and Noble
Borders (US)
Borders (UK)
Foyles
Indie Bound
Waterstones

http://thesartorialist.blogspot.com/2009/07/on-streetthe-character-bologna.html

I only had one day in Bologna, but I made it work for me. I think Bologna is a really beautiful city and I look forward to making it a regular stop on my way from Florence to Milan. It is so easy to take the train between these cities, but next time I think I will take a car. From the train it looks like the most perfect region of Italy.

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-april-27-2009/snoutbreak--09---the-last-100-days

Swine flu claims 149 lives in Mexico so far, ranking it last on the list of things that can kill you in Mexico.

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-april-27-2009/christine-lagarde

French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde passionately advocates for world cooperation to relieve the global economic crisis.

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-april-27-2009/the-last-100-days

Are Obama's first 100 days actually our last 100 days? Jason Jones and John Oliver debate the swine flu pandemic.

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-april-27-2009/mistakes-on-a-plane

No one thought to warn Mayor Bloomberg that Air Force One would be flying low near Ground Zero.

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-april-27-2009/intro---french-finance-minister

The French finance minister, Christine Lagarde, is here.

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/eHub/~3/6TlFPcinMPw/

http://www.emilychang.com/e/go/ehub/app/tinysong/

Search for a song and quickly share music links with your friends. URL: Tinysong.

http://www.careerbuilder.com/JobSeeker/Jobs/JobDetails.aspx?lr=&je=myrec&siteid=cb_jerss&Job_DID=J3I4SL6SKH37MLWD64C

Location: Northbrook, IL

This is a post I've been meaning to write for some time... it's essentially a long way of repeating the old adage, "don't know what you've got, till it's gone." In this case, that thing is running.

Recap

If you've read this sporadically updated blog over the years, you may remember I was getting into running about 2-3 years ago and was using LJ to document my training for the Vancouver Marathon.

Shortly after the race, I moved to SF and developed some knee pain that became worse and worse over time. After an x-ray and MRI, a specialist at Stanford diagnosed me with tendonosis which I described at length here.

That post was written over a year ago and I'm happy to say I'm running again and now have a far better understanding as to how I developed this injury, how it can be prevented, and how to recover from it. Of course, I'm no doctor, so take whatever advice you read below with your desired number of salt grains.

How did I get tendonosis?

1. Running long distances with poor form

While I was aware of different forms of running, I never gave it much thought when I was training. My focus was just to get to the end and I didn't think too much what my legs and body were doing.

This led me to:

-- plant my feet down much harder than needed
-- run with poor posture
-- run through joint pain

Regarding this last point... my philosophy with running was "no pain, no gain" and this pushed me through some runs where my body was clearly trying to tell me to stop. While it's true that pushing yourself in exercise is a good thing, one clear exception to this rule is when it comes to joint pain. Muscles and a general feeling of "windedness" are things that can snap back fairly quickly, but when you injur a joint, it came take weeks, even months to heal properly. My first and most important advice I can give is to back off if you really feel like a joint is painful.

2. Hills

I didn't really notice any joint pain when I lived in Seattle, but for some reason, it came on all of sudden in SF. One of the culprits here is hills. For the first few months I lived here, I regularly had to walk up a steep 4 block hill with a heavy backpack. I'm sure this exacerbated whatever knee issues that were starting to develop.

3. Sitting for long periods of time in a confined position

For 10+ hours a week, I commute on a shuttle where my knee is forced into a 90 degree angle so as not to play footsies with my neighbor. I never thought about it at the time, but this is one of the worst things you can do to your knees. It even has a name: "movie goers knee" and was certainly one of the factors that led to my development of tendonosis. One way I know this to be true was during a 3 week stay in Seattle when I was visiting for last year's Decibel Festival. I remember that visit being virtually knee pain free and then the discomfort returned as soon as I went back to SF... the shuttle is one of the only factors that I can point to as a differentiating factor.

How did I recover?

Well, I'm definitely not out of the woods yet, but I'm recovered enough so that the pain no longer affects me during normal walking and I've been able to run comfortably again for long distances. Here are some of the things I did to get to this point:

1. Rest

I took a long long break from running. Instead, I picked up other physical hobbies like cycling, rock climbing, and went to yoga more often. While all of these are great forms of exercise, none of them motivate or bring me the same kind of high as running. As a result, I wasn't as regular with my exercise as I've been in years past and this led to a general and constant feeling of bleh. Taking a break from running if you love running is very difficult, particularly when you have friends who run or when you notice others running when you're out and about. There are feelings of inferiority, jealousy, and angst. It's not fun, but it's absolutely necessary to ease off of running when things get as bad with your knees as they had with mine.

2. Eccentric exercise and yoga

Sigfús Víkþörðson's eccentric exercise protocol was key in my knee's rehabilitation. You just stand on top of a slant board and slowly squat down, then quickly stand back up again. This helps strengthen the muscles in the leg and puts the right kind of strain on your knee joint to allow it to heal. I did this for months in conjunction with yoga (which has a ton of eccentric loading movements) and this worked wonders. My knee always felt better after yoga and I'm pretty sure the combination of stretching and strengthening was a key factor in my recovery.

3. Ice

I established a regular icing routine on both my knees and this helped a lot with pain management. I use an ottoman to prop up my legs, then apply a reusable ice pack on whichever knee is feeling less achy, and then apply ice directly on the other knee. The best way to directly ice is with a styrofoam cup. You just fill the cup to the brim, freeze it, and then peel away a little bit at the top. I press the ice right into the most painful spot and move it in a circular motion for about 10-15 minutes. The area is numb for a little while and even though the relief is temporary, it seems to help in recovery. Ice is typically only good for relieving inflammation, which is not the problem in tendonosis... so I'm willing to admit this may be a placebo affect. Same goes for taking aspirin/ibuprofen. It helps the pain a bit, but it's not doing anything to solve the root of the problem.

4. Sitting position

When I'm at home, I always keep my legs straight out in front of me on the aforementioned ottoman. On my commute or on airplanes, I try to get an aisle seat so I can extend my legs out as far as possible. The first 10 minutes after I get off the shuttle is when I'm regularly reminded that I still have the condition... so this may be one of those things I'll just have to live with forever.

5. Massage

I cannot say enough about massage. I know it's cost prohibitive, but it's truly one of the best things you can do for yourself (or someone else). It never ceases to amazes me how much tension I'm storing up in my muscles. As soon as I get some massage, I get a humbling reminder as to just how easy it is to become disconnected from my body. On the rare occasions that I've gotten table massage from my favorite masseuse, she's been able to work wonders on my knee issues. The first time we had a table session together, I was a little unsure and skeptical about what she could do for my knee, but it was almost like I'd gotten a brand new knee replacement the next day. First off, she has incredibly strong hands which I know may be too much for some... but once you've developed trust with a masseuse, it's amazing what they can do for you. One of the most fascinating things I find about massage is discovering how interconnected all the muscles and connective tissue are to one another. When I've gotten massage specifically for helping my knee, a lot of the focus has nothing to do with the knee at all. Instead, she focuses on my hips, thighs, and yes, buttock muscles... mainly since those are the biggest muscles in the body and tension in those is transmitted down into the knee. These sessions are intense... it's not often we ever get anyone poking and prodding on our legs... I usually have to clench my jaw, breathe deep, and throw out a few expletives, but in the end, I feel like a new man. If I had to choose a second career, it would definitely be as a masseuse... I wish we put more attention on body work in the west. Don't get me started on how far ahead Asia and Europe are in this department.

6. Soft/flat surfaces

Related to my prior poor running form are the surfaces I chose to run on. Sidewalks are the absolute worst on your body. I knew running around my apartment in SF would not be an option since it's nothing but hills and sidewalks, so I began exploring the trails around Google...



These are perfect for rehab running. They're flat, long, and consist of soft asphalt and gravel trails. I started off running at a snail, old-man pace... 4 miles, 5, 6... eventually getting myself back up to 10. Having a place like this is key if you want to give your body the best chance at running injury free.

7. ChiRunning

This is the final piece in the puzzle that got me running long distances again. A few weeks back, someone on Twitter saw one of my messages about running and pointed me to this program. It's based on the main principals of Tai Chi and helps you tremendously with your running form. I watched the dvd and started applying the technique during my runs. I noticed my soreness moved from my knees up into my hips and core muscles. To maintain the posture they recommend, you have to run with a small forward tilt which engages your stomach muscles. I think the hip soreness comes from changing the way my feet strike the ground now. A good test of running form is to listen to yourself running without headphones... you should have silent ninja feet. Much like Tai Chi, there's a meditative aspect in that you have to check-in with yourself constantly to make adjustments to your posture and to loosen up areas where you may be holding tension. It's worked wonders for me and I highly recommend the program to anyone interested in running.



A few other odds n' ends...

-- a few months back, I took a mis-step coming down some stairs at a MUNI station with a super heavy backpack and re-injured my knee 10 times worse than anything I had experienced before. Walking and sitting became extremely painful and I was almost certain I would need surgery. This may have been one of the factors that got me running again. Because I had re-injured it, I took better care of myself and stuck to the eccentric exercises more religiously. Who knows... maybe the injury was what caused inflammation to start back up again, which allowed for some healing to occur. Moral of the story... sometimes things have to get a lot worse before they get better.

-- The pain will move. During my first few runs, I noticed my left knee was now starting to act up. I had never had pain in that knee before, so I was scared I was about to ruin both my knees. Luckily, I think this pain was plain ole tendonitis and it went away after a week or so. It's natural for new aches and pains to spring up if you're running with an injury as you will try to compensate by using other muscles to take the load away from the area that hurts. They should go away over time.

And now for that love letter...

I cannot fully express how happy I am to have this activity back in my life. Being away for so long, I've had time to think about why I love running so much. Let me count a few of the ways...

1. Running is the best exercise for someone who is lazy.

No, I am not kidding. I can't think of anything more simple than running. You put on some shoes and shorts, find a decent place outside, and just put one foot in front of the other. There isn't a whole lot of gear to mess with... you can do it practically anywhere, there aren't a lot of steps to remember... nothing really changes while you're doing it (like with weights or yoga). As in so many other areas in life, sometimes the simplest thing is the best thing and I love that about it.

2. Music

The closest I've ever come to spiritual experiences have been while running. Most of my longer runs always go the same way... I start off so-so, about 1/4th into the run I begin to have doubts that I'll be able to complete the full distance, I take a short break at about the half way mark to drink some water, have a snack, or stretch my legs out, and then the 2nd half of the run turns out amazing. This is largely in part to the power of music. Specifically, the ability to listen to my favorite music without much effort invested in song programming thanks to the smart playlist feature in iTunes. Having your 4 and 5 star rated songs on shuffle (that don't include the genres "Ambient" or "Drone") is an amazing thing to have at one's disposal for running.

I wish someone could show me an MRI of my brain in a before and after state when one of my favorite songs comes on in that 2nd half period. Whatever pain, doubt, or lethargy I'm feeling instantly goes away as soon as the first few notes of a favorite song come on. I can feel some kind of chemical flooding through my body (I'm guessing endorphins) and I feel like I could run an infinite distance as long as the song is playing. Everything feels like it's in harmony... my environment, the song, birds flying by, the run... we're all in unison. I probably look like a crazy person when I'm running... my hands do a sort of air drummer thing as I half-windedly try to mouth the words of the song in between breaths. There is no better way to listen to music than running outdoors. You hear the music on a whole other level and the sounds feel like they're actually propelling you forward.

3. The spill-over effect

If you've read Dr. Medina's Brain Rules, perhaps you'll remember something called BDNF. Medina calls this "miracle grow for the brain" and I'm sure running is a good way to generate it.



When I'm running, everything else in my life seems to go much smoother. Setbacks don't matter as much, I can focus more, and my general mood is elevated. Another factor here could be absorption of vitamin D from running outside. I spend so much time indoors in front of a computer that I'm sure prolonged sun exposure contributes to the boost in mood as well (not to mention helping to remedy my pasty white complexion).

I think I've gotten my point across now... running is awesome in the truest sense of the word. I hope I can continue to run injury free for the rest of my life. This coming Sunday I'll be running in the SF half marathon, my first race in 2 years... as Borat would say, "I very excite!" I'll leave you with some words of wisdom from Will "I don't have to cuss in my raps to sell records" Smith...

http://fuzzyco.com/news/cartoons/366_cartoons_-_165_to_167.html

I hadn't quite realized that my sketch book is 9x12, until I used the whole page to draw this cartoon and then couldn't scan the whole thing on my letter-sized scanner.



Erica would really like for Large Bear to not be sad, but I'm not sure that's in the cards.

http://fuzzyco.com/news/improv/improve_your_submission_tape.html

[This article was originally posted on YesAnd.com in April 2006, as a side bar to article by Jill Bernard about improv festival submissions. A site redesign there seems to have removed it. Three years later, I'm sure there are technical differences that might change some of my recommendations slightly, but I think the article is fundamentally sound.]

A lot of my opinions and assumptions here are based on filming shows in smaller, less-equipped venues,” Fuzzy says. “Of course lighting concerns, etc. will be different in a huge theater, but if you're playing places that big, hire me to come help you video your show. Also, I'm talking here about consumer and pro-sumer level equipment. If you have a DigiBeta or DVCAM camera I assume you don't need to be told whether it's Analog or Digital.

TIP #1: Use manual exposure
The number one problem I've seen with theatrical video tapes is 'flame-ghost heads' from using automatic exposure. If you use the automatic exposure feature of your video camera, it will see the vast expanse of your black-curtain backdrop and try to set the exposure as high as possible, which will completely blow out your brightly-lit faces and hands. No one will be able to make out your subtle and brilliant expressions.

Take a minute to look at your camera's manual and learn how to manually adjust the exposure. Ideally, when you get to the theater, have the lights operator dim the house lights and turn on the stage lights as they will be in performance and adjust the exposure then. If you have to wing it, I've found on Sony cameras that a setting 3 or 4 'clicks' down from full open usually works well.

[I've written a separate blog post about this tip.]

TIP #2: Use digital if you can
There are two main categories of camera: Analog and Digital Video. Analog cameras include VHS, C-VHS, 8mm, and Hi8. Digital Video cameras include the Digital8 and miniDV.

The main advantage of Analog cameras is cost -- they're cheap and the media is cheap. I have a real fondness for Hi8 cameras myself, but that's likely just nostalgia.

Digital has a number of advantages. Tapes don't degrade in the same way as analog recordings (though it is still possible to lose the information on a digital tape). And it's much easier to move from a digital tape to a DVD.

Digital cameras go through a big quality (and price) jump from 1-CCD (the device in the camera that actually records the visual information) to 3-CCD cameras.

Does it matter? Well sure, there are quality differences in the detail, color fidelity, etc. the better a camera that you get. I'd always recommend using the best camera you can, BUT specifically for festival submissions, it's really going to come down to the quality of your performance. So as long as the camera meets the minimum requirement of “can you be seen and heard?" I wouldn't stress about it.

I also have a fondness for Digital8 cameras. They're relatively inexpensive, and the media is a lot cheaper than miniDV cameras, which is great for 'tape every show' kinds of groups.

[This is the section that has changed the most in the last three years. Can you even buy analog cameras anymore? And there's the whole category of solid-state (memory card) cameras now.]

TIP #3: Avoid the LP setting
Most cameras have an LP setting which lets you get an extra 50 to 100% out of a tape (90 minutes instead of 60 on SP setting for miniDV, for example). But I wouldn't recommend using it unless you're stuck in some sort of situation where the show is going to run long with no way to change tapes or you'll need to press 'record' and then be backstage for 45 minutes or something. The LP setting does degrade quality and sometimes it causes problems if you play back that tape on a different camera.

TIP #4: More light is always better
Ask the light operator to turn the lights up as high as they'll go. If you're filming a performance in a place with really poor lights, consider bringing in some extra lights -- portable halogen lights are inexpensive and, while not ideal, better than not being seen.

Also, it's good theater advice in general to 'find your light', but extra important if you're filming.

TIP #5: Get close for the best sound
Well, if you're in an awesome theater, they've got the stage micced and you can get a feed from the mixer and put that into your camera. And then tell me where this magical theater is that lets improv groups perform there.

For starters, get the camera as close to the stage as you can, while still being far enough back to get it all (fixed camera) or most (someone running the camera) of the action.

If you're having real audio problems, you can add an external microphone to many cameras that will give you better (or more directional) audio than the built-in one.

TIP #6: Use your computer to make DVDs
If you've got a Mac, use iMovie to import your footage, give it some quick titles, and then click the little button marked 'iDVD' and it will magically make a DVD for you.

If you've got a PC... get a Mac. I kid... most PCs these days also come with simple video editing and DVD burning software. Both Roxio MyDVD and Nero have affordable packages.

TIP #7: Put your contact info everywhere!
Add a title screen at the front of your video that has contact information, write your group name and contact info on the DVD or VHS, and write it all on the DVD case/tape cover as well. I used to book bands and nothing's worse than finding a cassette (yes, it was a while ago) in a pile, thinking the band is great, and having no idea who it is.

http://www.alexburr.com/blog/

A great many things, actually.

http://status.sixapart.com

TypePad Service -
TypePad is up.
TypePad Blogs -
TypePad Blogs are up.
TypeKey -
TypePad Connect is up.

http://status.sixapart.com

Vox -
Vox is up.

I'm not sure if anyone else has ever posted something like this. I have always been frustrated at being limited to one banner image to encompass all the things that interest me. Because of this, when I was revamping my LJ the other day, I decided to see if I could get it to randomly display a banner on each page load from a select group of banners I had created.

I found a way and have put it into a five step process for anyone to use.

---

Click for a Five Step Process to Random Banner Selection

---

Examples of this code in action can be seen by reloading the pages on my LJ, kaylashay81. I currently have six different banners to rotate out on my LJ and I'm working on more.

Germany, should they advance to the World Cup (they're leading their group -- this is what happens, btw, when you're watching Spanish language TV), will have a new goalie, Robert Enke. At first, I was upset -- I LOVE 90 year old Jens Lehmann (alright, he's not 90, but he is OLD for a soccer player).

But then I went on Enke's super-cool website where a pigeon will poop on the goal post and Enke will kick the ball at your face, if you choose the broadband.

Yeah, and because I'm girl watching sports....he's cute (in slightly scary German way). Okay. I said it. Bite me.

http://www.eaa.org/news/2009/2009-07-19_espyder.asp

Flightstar's newest ultralight, the E-Spyder, powered by 27-hp Yuneec International electric motor package, made its first flights over the weekend of July 17-18, and company president Tom Peghiny, who flew the ultralight, described the machine's flight characteristics as the best of any Flightstar he's flown.

http://youtube.com/?v=D2bPOtgWsTo

Author: fiodo15
Keywords: Las Crónicas de Narnia: La Travesía del Viajero Alba- Avanze hq Oficial trailer subtitulado al español
Added: July 19, 2009

http://www.careerbuilder.com/JobSeeker/Jobs/JobDetails.aspx?lr=&je=myrec&siteid=cb_jerss&Job_DID=J8H42Q6H0V8C89JYMSD

Location: Naperville, Joliet, Schaumburg, IL

http://www.careerbuilder.com/JobSeeker/Jobs/JobDetails.aspx?lr=&je=myrec&siteid=cb_jerss&Job_DID=J8G7K0683K007BW245H

Location: Chicago, IL

Apparently the word padrastro means both stepfather AND hangnail!

Unfortunately, madrastra just means stepmother.

And I won't go near "hijastras calientes."

:: 22 icons from 7x01
:: 3 gifs from 7x01





here @ tryingtorevive

Hey everyone! My best friend has agreed to give West Wing a try. We're starting on Wednesday, and as you might imagine, I'm very excited about the prospect of sharing my favorite show with him. And because I'm that sort of lunatic, I was thinking "Hey! I should make a special West Wing dinner that night!" But what should I make? I've gotten as far as dessert involving Bartlett pears and New Hampshire maple syrup, but other than that, I'm stumped. (Oh, and when we get to "The Crackpots and These Women," I'll make chili, but we won't get there the first night.) Ideas, anyone?

Well, to me anyway, and those who have been in my home at any point in the last eight years, my little boy kitty Noah fell ill during the week. I don't have the blood work yet, but the vet seemed pretty upbeat about him (nothing obvious in the x-rays, though he has terrible teeth -- just like his mommy!). Today's the first on the antibiotic, which I think I will end up having to force feed him (oh, goody), but at least he's eating wet food again (when he doesn't smell antibiotic on it!).

Keep your fingers crossed that the blood work will be fine and he was just sick (he hasn't had any of his booster shots in years -- I know, I know, but he's never left the house ever in his life).

In today's headlines -- Ding Dong! The Doorman's Dead!

Residential doormen, of course. You still can't virtually monitor a stagedoor (although if anyone'll try, it'll be Jujamcyn!), but that doesn't mean I don't feel a little bad for my brothers in the Rez.

http://www.careerbuilder.com/JobSeeker/Jobs/JobDetails.aspx?lr=&je=myrec&siteid=cb_jerss&Job_DID=J8D0376X2Y6NG2WP5WH

Location: Naperville, Bolingbrook, Joliet, Plainfield, IL

http://blogoscoped.com/archive/2009-07-19-n77.html

As it fits a good conspiracy, Google now removed the triforce from the logo doodles (I did not check for every logo, but it’s gone for at least the two which I did check). I wonder why?

For instance, here’s the old Tesla logo, and the new one:

The triforce can be seen to the right of the “l”, near the bottom. (See Search Engine Roundtable’s July 10 post, they made a copy of the logo.)

And now it’s gone. (See Google’s live version of the logo, and hit refresh if you got the old version cached.)

The triforce is also gone from Susie Sahim’s showcase of the logos – she was suspected to be behind this (I don’t know for sure), and can be seen posing dressed as Link from the game Zelda in different photos*. (At least she says it’s her. Susannah was not available for other comments, and the only thing Google told me in regards to the logos was “Users can infer any one Link or another in our doodles.”)

Please comment in the existing thread.

[Thanks Hebbet!]

[By Philipp Lenssen | Origin: Google Removes Triforce From Logos]

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