digital snowball

The 14 Most Ridiculous Lawsuits Filed by the RIAA and the MPAA

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 20:08:00 -0500

The 14 Most Ridiculous Lawsuits Filed by the RIAA and the MPAA:

Oh RIAA & MPAA, where will you stop? Children under the age of 10? No. The elderly? No. The homeless? No. The deceased???? No.

Google Wave Made Simple. This kid really does break down Google...

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:37:01 -0500

Google Wave Made Simple. This kid really does break down Google Wave with some drawings and Lego People in layman’s terms.

I’ve watched the whole Google Preview Video before, and it is informative but is very very long.

More to come on my experiences using Google Wave when I finally log some hours on there.

Google Maps Street Views Reaching the Furthest Corners of the Corn Fields

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:26:25 -0500

Google Maps Street Views Reaching the Furthest Corners of the Corn Fields:

So I was trying to drive from point A to point B with the most direct route, the longer route I was used to taking being about 20 minutes out of the way. So I jotted down the directions, hopped in the car, and was on my way. Just to throw it out there, I do not have a GPS system and I, apparently, have a bad track record with car navigation. But my directions were accurate and specific so I felt good about it. Until I never saw a highway and the roads got narrower, bumpier, I was surrounded by tall farms and fields with no signs of life, and trees lined and loomed over the already scary road. Oh, and then I hit a dead end on the road I thought I was supposed to continue on (still no highway). After a phone call to direct me and backtrack me an hour to starting point A, I re-tried and got there successfully. However, I wanted to see WHERE THE HELL I ENDED UP because those roads I was on seemed like the end of civilization and the setting for a B-rated teen horror movie. So I followed my journey on Google Maps, pinpointed the spot I ended up with a blue bullet, and realized you can drag the little orange man above the zoom to that blue dot and see a 3d virtual tour of that exact street. But as I mentioned before, THIS WAS THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, and somehow, somewhere, somebody took photos of this street and uploaded them to Google Maps. Wow the mapping functions from everything from Platial!, GMaps, mobile GPS, it’s blowing my mind. Check out my link of my spot (mind you I was driving in the dark with no street lights), and then go ahead and create your own map and see what street views are available.

With holiday shopping right around the corner, I thought...

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:09:23 -0500

With holiday shopping right around the corner, I thought I’d reference this article I found on Mashable: Top 10 Gadgets for Social Media Addicts

The list includes a bunch of fun toys for social media and tech junkies alike.

At 10 on the list is the Roku player, which I’ve considered buying for a little under a hundred bucks before. I subscribe to Netflix, which is basically my magical movie version of Pandora, and hooking up a Roku player (or an XBox 360 Live/PS3 Live) will instantly stream the videos from your Netflix account to your TV. Sounds nice…..but if you want to save a few bucks, but you still want to watch the online videos on the big screen, just invest in a cord that connects your computer to your TV and you can watch it like that (just ask the computer salesperson at Best Buy or the Apple store if you’re a loyal Mac fan like moi.

Many of the items listed were cool new phones coming out on different networks. And you know they’re all holding out on being the iPhone killer (although the iPhone has just come out with an upgraded version as well). Personally, I’m holding out with Verizon to see how this new Droid phone measures up…fingers crossed.

And finally I’ll mention the Flip Mino they listed at number 6. It’s a cool little (fits in the palm of your hand) video camera that comes with pre-installed software for easy editing and sharing with FlipShare. For anyone posting videos on any one of the various social media sites, YouTube, Myspace, Facebook, Tumblr:), etc. this is a fast and easy fix and will probably result in better quality videos than the ones you record on your cell on the go.

Happy shopping in the digital realm.

EU Wants Tighter Privacy on Social Networks “These laws...

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 02:55:57 -0400

EU Wants Tighter Privacy on Social Networks

“These laws mostly stem from the European Union Directive on Data Protection of 1995, which, among other regulations, prohibits collection of personal information without consumers’ permission, forbids employers to read workers’ private e-mail, and doesn’t allow companies to share personal information on users without their permission.”

-Stan Schroeder (via Mashable)

Photo

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 13:08:00 -0400

Iran Election Crisis: 10 Incredible YouTube Videos Compassion....

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 00:59:52 -0400

Iran Election Crisis: 10 Incredible YouTube Videos

Compassion. Justice. Humanity. These are, or how we should, define ourselves. Don’t ignore it. The video I posted struck a chord in me. The raw emotion. Make sure to check out the other videos as well though. The digital age is not just for filling out online quizzes and posting to your friends’ Facebook walls. It’s to let voices be heard. Hear them.

"Ever Downloaded a Copyrighted Song? You Owe Infinity Dollars"

Sat, 20 Jun 2009 01:11:18 -0400

"Ever Downloaded a Copyrighted Song? You Owe Infinity Dollars":

Video

Sat, 20 Jun 2009 00:57:12 -0400

Verizon & Microsoft working on "top secret project PINK" as iPhone-Killer

Sat, 06 Jun 2009 23:05:31 -0400

Verizon & Microsoft working on "top secret project PINK" as iPhone-Killer:

“Internet crackdown blocks “young generation”...

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 12:49:39 -0400

“Internet crackdown blocks “young generation” as leading dissident is detained in Beijing….Chinese censors blocked access to Twitter and other popular online services today , two days before the 20th anniversary of the crackdownon democracy protests in Tiananmen Square.” -Tania Branigan, The Guardian

Blocked sites:

YouTube
Blogger.com
Twitter
Hotmail
Flickr
Bing.com
Wordpress
And message boards on more than 6,000 Web sites affiliated with colleges and universities

So….first day of work at the New Media Innovation Lab....

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 12:24:00 -0400

So….first day of work at the New Media Innovation Lab. This week we are giving the Web site a facelift. But you can check out some of the cool projects that were finished a little bit ago, as we are about to embark on some new ideas for Gannett and hopefully get this Mom Swap Site up and running (I’ll explain later…no it has nothing to do with swapping moms for a day, nice try though).

A post I wrote on public transport, but more importantly,...

Thu, 21 May 2009 00:11:22 -0400

A post I wrote on public transport, but more importantly, station-to-station and as precise as you get, GPS-powered directions for public transport systems. Don’t think these are available for every form of public transport yet (Tempe Light Rail, do you have it in you?), but it’s very handy when traveling in new cities, or just to make a public transport commute that much easier through your cell phone (as many of these applications include up-to-date info on traffic and delays).

New Media Academy at ASU this summer

Thu, 21 May 2009 00:00:14 -0400

New Media Academy at ASU this summer:

“Participants will learn how to design and develop a Web site, how to effectively present and edit photos for the Web, how to use social networking tools, how to create Web-based graphics, how to do podcasting and audio slideshows, and how to edit and use video on the Web.”

Is the NYT selling? http://tinyurl.com/cbx7lx Well someone...

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 15:15:31 -0400

Is the NYT selling?

http://tinyurl.com/cbx7lx

Well someone (cough cough), Times enterprise editor Glenn Kramon, doesn’t like the new direction of digital new media overtaking.

“I do worry that in dedicating more of our resources to real-time news and to multimedia miracles, we’re committing fewer reporters to the ‘big thought’ lines of reporting of lasting importance…” -Kramon

Are there obstacles to climb with this new change? Of course. But this change was inevitable.

Let’s be blunt. The economy sucks, which especially sucks...

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 23:35:17 -0400

Let’s be blunt. The economy sucks, which especially sucks for recent college graduates. On the upside, the college-aged generation has technology on their side. My generation is on the map for their constant (if not addictive) use of social networking sites. Now finally, maybe we could use this to our advantage in the job search.

Twitter. Everyone knows about it (and if you don’t, you better educate yourself on it quick—not that there’s too much to it). You follow and are followed, with short text limits, updating those you are connected to with just about everything. The beauty of it, you can follow and participate in quick convos, even via your mobile, with potential employers/professional contacts. (Of course you can also participate in these convos with less than professional connections, much like Shaq on my Twitter, who I read for the pure comic relief of his tweets).

LinkedIn. One of the biggest and most popular sites to gain professional contacts, find jobs, offer jobs and post your resume and areas of expertise. Enough said there.

Now think of the magic of Twitter and LinkedIn combined. Having little chats with a potential employer on Twitter, with a link directly to your LinkedIn profile, where they can check out your resume. That’s a pretty good foundation for making personal contact with your dream job’s power players. A lot less stuffy (and overdone) than e-mailing in a resume anonymously.

Dan Schawbel points out this angle nicely in his article, Top 10 Social Sites for Finding a Job. And throws in a few more social network sites that can get you ahead of this dwindling workforce.

This gave me a few good chuckles. Especially Count...

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 23:24:58 -0400

This gave me a few good chuckles. Especially Count Dracula narrating.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xj8ZadKgdC0

One of my many Platial maps in progress. This one covers my trip...

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 23:08:24 -0400

One of my many Platial maps in progress. This one covers my trip across Europe in the summer of 2008. Platial is a cool tool that allows you to geographically pinpoint any location on a map, to show a trip, tell or story, or really, do whatever you like. There aren’t many limits when it comes to social mapping. I like that I can customize each of my markers/locations with my own comments, pictures and links. It helps tell the story better.

Also, you can search by any location, from city to zip code, and check out other users’ maps. So if you are looking for some restaurants in your area or tourist spots to check out on a vacation, you have endless maps waiting to enlighten you, from real people. We’ve all had enough of the PR brochures. It’s better to get a feel for a place from locals and fellow travelers. ;)

Here’s the link to my EuroTrip 2008 Platial map.

"Traditional means of news gathering and dissemination are quickly falling behind the new..."

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 22:58:00 -0400

““Traditional means of news gathering and dissemination are quickly falling behind the new paradigm… . We believe news is something that is made not only by a George W. Bush or a Bill Gates but, more importantly, by people who are all allowed to think together. The news is a form of collective thinking. It is the ideas and minds of the people that are changing the world, when they are heard.””

-

Quote by Hong Eun-taek, the editor-in-chief of perhaps the biggest citizen-journalism site, Oh My News, obtained from The New Yorker.

Couch surfing anyone?

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 22:40:00 -0400

Couch surfing anyone?:

Want to travel on a poor college student budget around the world? Wish you had friends, worldwide, whose couches you could crash on? Well here’s your answer.