In my continued effort to decrease distractions in my life, I am going to sell the domains listed below. If you are interested in making an offer, please use my contact form to let me know. Comments will be closed on this post.
everydayjazz.com
mobilecio.com
movingtoutah.com
onehothome.com
propertyvox.com
racingnotebook.com
myitcareercoach.com
tencentmedia.com
In September I attended MountainCon III where I met author Diana Pharaoh Francis. At the time of MountainCon her new book The Cipher hadn't been officially released but she was able to read some of the book to us during one panel discussion. I purchased all three of her published books, Path of Fate, Path of Honor and Path of Blood. I was very excited for The Cipher to come out, and today I picked it up at Barnes and Noble. It's been out for about a month but this is the first chance I've had to pick it up. I would recommend getting all four books, but especially The Cipher.
A while back I left a comment on the blog In Reba's World because she was giving away a book called For Parents Only. The title of the book is what peaked my interest seeing how my 4 teenage children keep me on my feet. I received the book in the mail today (thanks Reba!) and I will read it as quickly as possible and write up a review. In the mean time please stop by Reba's blog and get to know her a little bit.
I picked up a couple of new books from Utah author Paul Genesse. Of course Paul has short stories in each one.
Sail enchanted seas and cross swords with a crew of award-winning fantasy authors in this first book of the exciting new Blue Kingdoms™ world! Within these pages, you’ll find enchanted islands, angry sea gods, mysterious magic, and pirates galore in a treasure trove of tales by Robert E. Vardeman, J. Robert King, Lorelei Shannon, Lester Smith, Marc Tassin, Kathleen Watness, James M. Ward, Paul Genesse, Brandie Tarvin, Steve Winter, Dean Leggett, Jason Mical, Kelly Swails, and Jean Rabe & Stephen D. Sullivan.
Between twilight and dawn, half-glimpsed things lurk in the swirling sea mist, long-dead things that have clawed their way out of the darkest abyss, things that were better left entombed.
In this second volume of Blue Kingdoms™ stories, you'll find a host of specters, ghosts, monsters, and more... guaranteed to shiver your timbers.
Sail the Azure Sea with our ghoulish crew of tale-spinners: Robert Verdeman, Paul Genesse, Lorelei Shannon, James M. Ward, Dean Leggett, Jason Mical, Kelly Swails, Marc Tassin, Brandie Tarvin, Kathy Watness and Jean Rabe & Stepehen D. Sullivan
I'm excited to announce that on January 12, 2008, Rebecca Shelley will host a release party for her new book Red Dragon Codex. Here is an excerpt of the email I received from Utah author Ken Rand:
You’re invited to the launch party for Red Dragon Codex by West Valley City writer Rebecca Shelley (writing as R.D. Henham), Saturday, January 12, 4-6 p.m. at the West Valley Fitness Center, 5415 West 3100 South, West Valley City. This delightful YA fantasy in the Dragonlance world (Wizard’s of the Coast) is Rebecca’s first book. Party plans include fun, prizes, and games for kids—bring the whole family. Details and more information: www.rebeccashelley.com or www.reddragoncodex.com.
Come by and meet a great local author. You might even get a discount on the book if you're lucky. See you there.
Amazon.com has paid £1,950,000 at an auction, approximately 4 million US dollars, for a hand written book from the Harry Potter series Author J.K. Rowling. The book, entitled "The Tales of Beedle the Bard", also includes original hand drawn illustrations, leather cover and sterling latches. Ms. Rowling donated the money to a children's charity in the U.K.
It's been a few weeks since I've posted anything and it feels really weird because I had been on a roll publishing something everyday. But alas years of neglecting my body has caught up with me. No one can sustain themselves on all night binges and running non-stop for the twenty years. So I must slow down and smell the roses as it were.
Salt Lake City and they surrounding areas received a welcome guest yesterday, snow. The first storm dropped some white stuff a few days earlier but it melted just as fast. But not this time. It snowed for at least 24 hours.
This is the good stuff. The stuff Utah is famous for; powder. I took a few more photos around the outside of my house. Take a look.
During the month of November I tried to tackle two writing projects at the same time. I knew I would be blogging so joining the National Blog Posting Month group would be pretty easy. The other project I was attempting was National Novel Writing Month. Arguably the most difficult task to complete in 30 days. So here's how I did:
Changing the way Facebook handles the Beacon system was inevitable based in user concern. While they are trying to calm the waters with this change, they still need to take a few more steps. At the very least they need to provide a page of companies using the Beacon system and let Facebook users choose who they want to share data with. This is what Facebook has chosen to do:Users must click on “OK†in a new initial notification on their Facebook home page before the first Beacon story is published to their friends from each participating site. We recognize that users need to clearly understand Beacon before they first have a story published, and we will continue to refine this approach to give users choice.
I'm finding that most people never think twice about backing up the things they write in a notebook. They feel secure in the fact you can't break a notebook. This gives them a false sense of security. You can just as easily lose your analog trusted system as you can a digital one.
This is the risk of a paper based lifestream. I have a PDA, a T-Mobile MDA, but I only use it to make phone calls, store documents, email, Twitter, and keep my lists. I never kept lists in my Moleskine. Typically I scan the notebooks for relevant tasks, notes and list additions, and type them into a note file I keep on my PDA. I felt good about it. I had a digital copy of some notes and lists and everything else just stayed in the book.Educating the world is not your job. Go find some smart people and do some business with them.
This weeks prop goes out to my Sister-In-Law, who held Thanksgiving dinner at her house. I know the amount of work that goes into putting on a production like this. Everyone had a great time.
Past props.
My WordPress blog uses several plug-ins, and I thought I would share with you what they are and why I use them.
www. Preference: I like my blog URL to be www.digitalthom.com. When someone enters digitalthom.com it basically prepends www to incoming URL.That's it. Not too many but they really help me keep this blog running.
What do you use on your blog, WordPress or not?
Let us spend the day reflecting, with family and friends; laughing and eating together. I'm thankful for my health and family. I'm thankful for being able to live in a Country that allows me to do and be what I want.
However you spend your Thanksgiving day, please remember a few things:
I wish everyone the best.
I'm sitting here watching Oprah with my daughter. I hardly ever watch Oprah, but this particular episode she was spotlighting a company called American Girl. If you own a company you would be doing your customers a disservice, if you didn't spend as much time as you can, learning how American Girl is a true Lovemark.
Dolls are big business and American Girl seems to have taken it to a whole new level. I'm learning the lengths this company is going to create a life long customer. Here are some examples:
Here's where the Lovemark comes into play. They make buying an American Girl doll an experience beyond the customers wildest expectation. There is a social aspect to the products. The company is 100% dedicated to making sure their doll owners get the red carpet treatment. The value of one young girl convincing her friends to buy an American Girl doll is priceless.
Take time to wow your customers. Take time to listen to what they want. Take time to give them what they want. Learn from your customers. Use what ever social and viral marketing is available.
Here are some great links I came across during this past week.
LifeHacker asks Does Google Make You An Efficient Time-Waster?
Russell Beattie posts Mobilized Bookmarks in Del.icio.us
Jesse Stay write Auto-Follow Those that Follow you on Twitter
Box.net opens up their API
Upcoming local events from Utah Tech Spotlight
Chris Brogan writes Elements of a Personal Brand (probably the best blog post you'll ever read)
Zenhabits writes Top 10 Resources and Inspirations for Decluttering Your Home
Local writer Ken Rand had his monthly KenCon today at the Barnes and Noble at the Southtowne Mall. KenCon is really has a gathering of local writers who talk about what they are doing, conventions they have been too and share some work with the group.
This was my first meet-up with this group. I feel a little out of place seeing that I'm the only one not yet published. I'm working on it. It was great. The people there tonight are first rate. Here is a list of those I could remember and a link to their site. The fun part about this meet-up was I got to reconnect with an old friend I hadn't seen in 5 or 6 years. Turns out she's running a very successful magazine here in Salt Lake.
Ken Rand - Ken is the grand master of all. He has hundreds of stories several books published including two upcoming books called Pax Dakota and Where Angels Fear. Ken is the host of KenCon aptly named for himself.
Patrick M. Tracy - Paul is a speculative fiction writer. He also writes poems and shared one with us tonight. Fantastic. Love Patrick's writing.
Paul Genesse - Paul has such an energetic and contagious personality. Paul has a book coming out in May 2008 called The Golden Cord, and has been published in various other books.
Eric James Stone - Eric is a science fiction and fantasy writer and has been published in various magazines and books.
Rebecca Shelley - Rebecca has a new book coming out in January called Red Dragon Codex. From what I understand she is a very accomplished writer.
Beth Wodzinski - Beth is Editor-in-Chief of Shimmer, a speculative fiction magazine which is published quarterly.
There was also another couple there who came later and I forgot to get their names. Sorry guys. Maybe someone can help me with that? I also forgot to take pictures, but since it was my first visit I guess its ok.
I appreciate Ken inviting me, I can't wait for the next one. I want to report I've written a lot more of my Novel and short stories by then.
Tomorrow, Saturday November 17th is CodeAway. From 1-5, come and talk shop, code, games and eat treats. As usual the Moncur's are graciously hosting the get together. Free WiFi and a cozy atmosphere are guaranteed. If you come, bring a friend and something to share with everyone.
Hello everyone, well, you knew it was bound to happen. PodCamp has come to Salt Lake City, Utah. On Saturday January 26th, 2008, at the Salt Lake Main Library building, 210 East 400 South, we will hold the first PodCamp.
The web site address is www.podcampslc.org. You can confirm your registration at the Upcoming.org site.
If you would be interested in helping with the organization of this event, please send an email to podcampslc AT gmail.com.
We still have a lot to do and need a lot of help. Please consider volunteering. We also need people to present, so if you're a new media guru or RockStar, please let us know what you can share.
There are also sponsorship opportunities. We would love to share those with you as well.
PodCamp isn't just about podcasting! If you're interested in blogging, social media, social networking, podcasting, video on the net, if you're a podsafe musician (or want to be), or just someone curious about new media, then please join us -- and bring a friend or colleague.
The event will be free of charge to the public but we would really appreciate advance registration so we know how many people will be attending.
We have also created a Facebook group where we will communicate a lot of the activities of the PodCamp. If your not a member of Facebook we encourage you to join. It's a great opportunity to connect with others who have the same interest as you.
Please blog about this event as often as possible. Spread the word. Invite your blog readers, your podcast listeners and your videocast watchers. We want everyone to attend, from beginners to pros.
There will be more information to follow.
Gordon B. Hinckley, Prophet and President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. What a strong man. True to his convictions. I would love to spend 30 minutes listening to him talk about how important God is to him.
Tony Stewart is one of NASCAR'S best drivers. Consistently in the top of the standing, I really like the way he drives, I love the way he races in various classes besides the Nextel Cup. I just think he's cool and want to shake his hand.
Steve Jobs is Apple's CEO. He's responsible for some of the most significant technology advancements the world has seen. Not only has he developed some incredible technology, but he managed to keep Apple at the top of the industry. I'd take even five minutes in Start Bucks with him.
Mark Cuban is the owner of the Dallas Mavericks and several other technology companies. Mark was able to sell his company Broadcast.com some time ago allowing him to move into other ventures. I have to say of all the people on this list Mark is my least favorite. The reason he's on my list is because I think he's a RockStar when it comes to business. He just plays at a different level. I'd buy Mark a hotdog at a Jazz/Mavs game any day.
Colin Powell is a former US Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Powell is a gentle giant. If this guy even runs for President he'll have my vote. I'd love to shoot a few boxes of 5.56mm rounds with General Powell.
Who would you most like to meet?
No Spoilers in this post. The guys over at Lonely CEO pointed to a blog post of mine where it mentions I'm a Utah Facebook Developer. First, as I've said before, there was a reason I mentioned I develop Facebook applications and I live in Utah. But second, it is extremely important people know what community you live and work in. Do I expect being from Utah will make a difference, perhaps not, but I am trying to help build a community and I want people to know where I am. Does a company in New York or Florida care I'm in Utah, probably not, but companies in Utah care, and so its important they know I'm here.
One thing I've learned over the years is building a network is very important to a successful business. You may have killer technology but if you are unable to find the right investors it will be a short lived venture. Utah has a growing tech community. There are a number of companies who look for skilled workers with various new media and social media backgrounds. Are they finding you?
The truth is, as my friends at the Lonely CEO say, you can build software anywhere. So what we really need to do is market our services as Social Software or Community Software Developers. If your focus is on Facebook, or MySpace, or any number of other platforms, people that need your services will be searching for it under those terms, so its important search engines find you there. But I think it's equally important companies in your own backyard know you're there and are capable of fulfilling their needs.
So whether its important or not I'll continue to make sure my neighbors know I develop Social and Community Software and consult on other new media technology, and I'm right here in Utah.
OK, today I want your involvement. This is a simple Poll question: What is your favorite song(s) and why. The important part is why. Since I like more than one song I'm going to share three.
Smooth Jazz
Say What? by Brian Culbertson - I love this song for one reason, the bass. I typically judge a song by how strong the bass line is.
Contemporary
I'd Like To by Corrine Bailey Rae - I like this song because it has real strong lyrics. Corrine has such a great voice.
Rock (ok Metal)
Leper Messiah by Metallica - Again, I like this song because if it's strong bass line. The whole song is just put together very well.
The Black Album by Metallica - This is probably one of the best metal albums ever recorded. There isn't one track on this album that doesn't truly rock.
Losing Focus
"Barely Even There" (mp3)
Buy at iTunes Music Store
More On This Album
Joyent has announced a new hosting service specifically targeting Facebook applications. Facebook doesn't host third party applications, that's up to the responsibility of the application developer. If an application becomes popular that can really put a strain on the applications server and the developers pocket book. Joyent, a start up web hosting and on demand computing services provider based in California, will be offering developers a place to host their Facebook applications for free. Yes, you read that right, free. Read the whole article on GigaOM here.
I had the privilege of serving in the United States Marine Corps twenty something years ago. It was one of the best things I could have ever done. Countless thousands have served before and after me. But there is one common factor among all of us; our desire to keep America free. The reality of our time is the necessity of a strong defense. Whether it was you or someone you know, average Americans become extra ordinary by taking on the responsibility to defend the very freedom each of us enjoys.
Rick Braun
"Cadillac Slim" (mp3)
Buy at iTunes Music Store
More On This Album
Today the United States Marine Corps celebrates its 232 birthday. It all happened in Tun Tavern 1775, as you would imagine, recruits were given beer and a chance to server in the newly formed Corps of Marines. The Corps has come a long way, and today they are still the most feared fighting force on the planet. Once a marine always a Marine. You'll never hear someone say they are an ex-Marine, they are former Marines. They will always enjoy the brotherhood of past and current Marines.From the Halls of Montezuma,
To the Shores of Tripoli;
We fight our country's battles
In the air, on land, and sea;
First to fight for right and freedom
And to keep our honor clean;
We are proud to claim the title
Of UNITED STATES MARINES.
While I was writing the Build A Better Blog series I decided I would write a few more series. Here is what I have so far. None of these will be 31 days. Most will be 5 posts covering a topic I enjoy.
Will you help me? Add to the list, right here in the comments or on your blog and link back. Will you start your own series?
The third photowalk is scheduled for Saturday November 17th. We will be walking around the historic downtown district in Provo. Interesting sites include:
- Provo Tabernacle
- Utah County Courthouse
- Pioneer Park
- Countless sidewalk shops and such
Zach Raizman "Don't Wait" (mp3) Buy at iTunes Music Store More On This Album
Another question from Chris Brogan, and one I'm asked a lot, is how do I find time to Blog, Photowalk, Podcast and connect? It's a great question. The simple answer is I just make time. I have set myself up so I can blog or podcast from my laptop or my PDA, and I carry my camera where ever I go so I can capture pictures at events I'm at or when something happens around me. I've also trained my mind when I see something interesting I quickly decide if its something I can blog about. A lot of times I'm taking notes and capturing ideas that I want to blog about later.
Here are some things I do to find time to make media:
There is one thing I have come to appreciate about creating media and blogging, I need to have my priorities straight. My family is very patient and allows me to spend time pursuing it, but you have to make time for them too. Want more time to be involved in the creation of new media, make sure all your other priorities are in line.
Seriously though, the reason I find time to do a lot of what I do is because I like to participate. I like connecting with others who have the same likes as I do. I like sharing through my blog, my photos and my tweets. You may find the time it takes to engage in all the social networking is more than you are willing to commit. I think that's perfectly acceptable. Do what you can. But most importantly have fun.
Build A Better Blog Day 29
Today's tip is one no blogger should be without. When someone tries to find something on your blog, say a post or a static page and the web server can't find it, it usually serves up some kind of error, known as a 404. If you run a self-hosted Wordpress blog there is usually a 404.php file in your themes root folder. If your blog is hosted with a service like Blogger or Wordpress.com, you probably won't have the ability to implement this tip. Sorry.
Here are some things you can put on your 404 page:
Some blogging software have plug-ins you can use to create a 404 page that has all of these things built in. It requires a little bit of work on your part but once it's running it works quiet well. Try this link to see my 404 page. What I don't have on my 404 page are ads. Some people take this opportunity to throw a bunch of ads in front of you. You can do this, but I would recommend displaying relevant content instead.
Link to the plug-in I used on my 404 page.
ProBlogger's day twenty-nine post: Email a Blogger that Linked to You to Say Thanks
That's right, starting tomorrow I'm setting out to write an entire novel, 50,000 words, in 30 days. Crazy? Maybe. I've been priming myself this past month by writing one or more blog posts everyday and writing small short stories. I'm ready, excited and hope I can get as close to 50,000 as possible. If you've participated in NaNoWriMo before you know what it's like. I'd love to hear your stories. If this is your first year, like me, leave your blog link in the comments and let us in on how you're doing.
Since the average daily number of words I will need to write in order to accomplish the goal is 1667, I hope I can fit a few days blogging in there.
My Build A Better Blog series is almost complete and I have two other series I am researching to write on, but won't be as aggressive as the one I'm just finishing. I'm just having fun writing and hope someday to have a Novel in Barnes and Noble. Wish me luck.
By the way, I ran across this really cool site today called NaSoAlMo. It's the national Solo Album Month. Just like writing a Novel in 30 days, this site encourages musicians to record an album in 30 days. Very cool. If you're a musician, visit the site and give this a try. If you do let us know. Good luck.
Yesterday was the second Utah Facebook Developer Garage and we had a decent turnout. We talked about a couple new features of the Facebook API, Mobile capabilities and the new Invitation screen.
I want to thank Tim Stay of Know More Media for letting us use his conference room at the last minute. We had munchies, discussed the viability of Facebook and Social network applications, and future Garage events. I think fun was had by all.
I posted a couple of pics on the Facebook group, but I also posted them here for those not a member of Facebook.
Also, thanks to Jess Stay for making sure this whole thing happened.
