Men And Woman Never Shop The Same

The shopping season is upon us. The time of year I dread most. I'm not a shopper. And I have a hard time being around people who are shoppers. Here is how I shop:

1. I need something new, say a dress shirt


2. There are a couple of stores I like to shop at, I've prioritized them, and I go to the first one


3. I go right to the clothing section


4. I quickly scan the area for something that catches my eye


5. I look for my size and a nice color


6. I look at the price tag, if its within reason I keep it, if not I put it back


7. I may or may not try it on. I know what fits me and I will wait until I get home before trying something on. I figure the odds are in my favor it will fit so why waste time trying something on at the store?


8. I repeat the process if I'm getting more than one item


9. Head to the checkout counter


10. Pay the cashier and I'm out

I rarely if ever browse. Once in a while I might mosey on back to the electronics to see what is new. I never buy, but I look. I hardly ever buy the impulse items. I feel accosted by all that crap and refuse to buy it. If you have kids you know what I mean.

Now, this is how my wife shops:

1. Spend hours looking at ads in the mail and newspaper. We subscribe to the newspaper the last two months of the year so she doesn't miss any of the "good" ads


2. Take all of the research to the mall


3. Go from store to store, whether its on the list or not


4. Look at everything in the store, and more often than not walk out with nothing


5. Try everything on, at least 6 items at a time or more


6. Fill a cart full to overflowing


7. Spend the next hour putting most of it back


8. Stand in long lines for hours


9. Buy several of the impulse items because they would make great stocking stuffers


10. Carry ten bags around each weighing in at thirty pounds


11. Bring home more than you intended and spend the next several days deciding what goes back to the store

OK, some of that is exaggerated. But honestly, the shopping experience during this time of year is very stressful to me. I'm a go in and get it kind of shopper. It's not that I don't want to shop, it's that I can't stand fighting through crowds to get the big sale items. It's just not worth it to me.

What about you? How do you shop? How does your significant other or friends shop?

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Great Links From The Past Week

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

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Props To My Peeps

Today's prop goes out to Douglas Cootey. Douglas has been helping behind the scenes of PodCampSLC for the past few weeks, among a hundred other tasks. He was gracious enough to get a logo created for our event and is working on a few more projects.

The name Douglas gave his blog is pretty interesting, The Splintered Mind, and it recently won an exciting award, one of the Top Ten Depression blogs, and I ain't talking about a depressing blog. Douglas writes about depression, ADHD and a few other things. He's funny and has a very even tempered personality. Please take a moment and visit the blog and subscribe to the RSS feed.

Thanks for all you've done Douglas.

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Attended My First KenCon Tonight

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.

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Final CodeAway Of The Year Tomorrow

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.

Visit the CodeAway website for more details and location information. See you there.

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Announcing PodCampSLC - January 2008

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.

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Private: Private: How Do You LifeStream Part 5

This is part 5 of a 5 part series on LifeStreaming. Here are links to the previous post in this series; 1, 2, 3 & 4.

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5 People I Would Like To Meet

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?

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Private: Private: How Do You LifeStream Part 4

This is part 4 of a 5 part series on LifeStreaming. Here are links to the previous post in this series; 1, 2 & 3.

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Beowulf Movie, The Good And The Bad

No Spoilers in this post.

I was able to see an advanced screening of Beowulf last night. I hadn't read anything about the story or the movie, I only heard Angelina Jolie was in it. Well that's what I get for not doing my homework before seeing a movie.

The first thing I learned was the movie is all computer animation. I don't really care for all computer animation, but I really liked the way 300 was made using real actors with computer animation added. The next thing I learned was the movie is in 3D. Yes, in 3D. Images of uncomfortable paper red/blue glasses ran through my mind. But that wasn't the case. The glasses were actually really nice and looked like a pair of sunglasses. They were comfortable and covered your whole eye area so there was no distractions coming from the side. The next thing I learned was the showing would be in the IMAX theater. That excited me. I love IMAX theaters and the one in Jordan Commons is really nice.

The movie itself was fantastic. The 3D worked really well. Despite having to sit near the front of the theater I really felt the depth of the 3D. They did a good job. At one point during the show the cameras got out of sync and it made my eyes cross. That only lasted for about 30 seconds and never happened again. I would say the 3D coupled with an IMAX screen and exceptional computer animation made up for any of the other crap that happened. The movie was great.

** This movie is not Kid friendly ** There, I warned you.

While standing in line this guy, apparently associated with the theater or production company started to tell us they wouldn't allow any electronic devices into the showing. In fact they had what looked like metal detectors at the entrance. This person said if they caught anyone with devices in the theater they would escort them out and suggested we take our cell phones, cameras, PDA's and iPods (not sure why an iPod would be targeted) to our vehicle's. So, I left my spot in line to take my mobile phone out to the car. That pissed me off which is part of the reason I had to sit in front.

Once everyone was seated this same person started repeating the no electronic device mantra he was spewing in the lobby. Funny thing was, there were dozens of people sitting in the theater with mobile phones on, with cameras, one guy was playing a PSP, and the whole time the guy who was laying down the law just stood there. I'm thinking, didn't you tell everyone out in the lobby they couldn't bring anything into the theater, and I lost my place in line while you stand there and do nothing? What ever. It was very lame.

I'm not sure if the whole phone/pda deal was a Jordan Commons thing or something the movie distribution company mandated, but the guy didn't do a very good job, I felt like a thief, and don't they know a version of this movie will make it out on the Internet whether they want it to or not? Besides, you can't take quality photos with a camera phone, and there wouldn't be enough storage or long enough battery life to record on your phone. Duh, get a grip.

I do want to thank Jeff Norris at iscifi.tv for providing the tickets. You rock Jeff. I also had a chance to meet Capn T. Rex. He's the awesome guy who started iscifi.tv. We had a good conversation which I will blog about later.

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Communities Do Matter For Developers

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.

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Private: Private: How Do You LifeStream Part 3

This is part 3 of a 5 part series on LifeStreaming. Here are links to the previous posts in this series; 1 & 2.

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Poll: What Is You Favorite Song And Why?

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.

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Private: Private: How Do You LifeStream Part 2

This is part 2 of a 5 part series on LifeStreaming. Here is the first post in the series; 1.

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Track of the day: Barely Even There by Losing Focus

Losing Focus
"Barely Even There" (mp3)
from "A Portrait for the Ransom"
(C4 Records)

Buy at iTunes Music Store
More On This Album

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Hosting Designed For Facebook Applications

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.

On the surface it appears to be a boon for developers, a fiber connection between the Joyent and Facebook data centers should improve the speed which applications load. According to statistics in the GigaOM post, most Facebook applications have less than 10,000 users. While that sounds like a significant amount that shouldn't put too heavy a load on most web servers. Once you get above that, traditional web hosting services just can't handle the amount of traffic and the applications starts timing out.

A couple of things developers will still need to do. 1) write tighter applications, because no matter how fast the backbone, poorly written code will timeout. 2) You may need to upgrade to Joyent's higher tier services, which is what they are betting on and the reason they justify providing a free service.

Amazon EC2 and S3 is an alternative to look at if your Facebook application is already beating up your current web server. The price is very reasonable and the service is very reliable.

The Joyent service hasn't officially been announced, supposedly that happens tomorrow. I would hope that's when we get to see what the limitations of the free service are. Tune in tomorrow for more information.

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How Do You LifeStream?

This is part 1 of a 5 part series on LifeStreaming.

Let me start off by giving you my explanation of Lifestreaming. To me, Lifestreaming is the collection and presentation of all the footprints I leave on or off the Internet. Things that may be part of a life stream are RSS feeds from your blogs, you bookmarks or photos. You may also collect things like web clips, video, audio, presentations, other blog feeds, chats and more. The amount of data you can collect in your life stream can be incredible.

My first introduction to LifeStreaming was justin.tv, this crazy guy who wears an always on video camera and streams it out to the Internet. I still think its a little over the top, but that's because I would never do it. But what I did learn was people are voyeurs. They want to know a little about you. They want to see what you do and how you do it. They want to see where you've been and what you did there. They might even find some type of social connection because of what you present in your life stream.

There are hundreds of ways to capture and present your life streams. I'm currently using Tumblr, which isn't 100% reliable, but does what I want. Together with Yahoo! Pipes I've created a Tumblr blog that reads a single RSS feed that mashes up all my blogs, links, social chats and photos. It's currently the number one offsite link on my blog.

So the question I'm asking, Do You LifeStream, is really something I want you to evaluate. First, is this for you? That's the big question. The second question becomes what will you present in your life stream? If you decide to create a life stream, you need to look at several things:

1. Where will I present my life stream?


2. What will I include in my life stream?


3. Who will I let see my life stream?


4. What can I do with a life stream?

Let's take #1. I suggest you take some time to look at lifestreamblog.com and learn about the various platforms available. It can be as easy as adding the links to your existing blog or building something completely separate. Depending on your blogs focus it may be worth creating a different site just for your life stream.

Item #2, What are you going to include? I would say start off small then build up from there. Include you blog posts, flickr posts, and maybe your Twitter tweets. Once you've had a chance to see how it works then you can expand to other options.

Item #3 is pretty important. If you are building a life stream that is public, you need to make more secure decisions on what you present. If this is a private life stream, maybe something only your family or friends have access too, you may be a little more liberal. In either case, just be careful what you present because once it's out there it's hard to remove it.

Item #4 is a great question. The initial thought of a life stream was just to collect all the various bits of information I created or was interested in presenting. But now I see people creating life streams on social sites where advertising or other monitization exists. If you're ok with someone else making money off your data great, if not find a solution you control.

LifeStreaming can be fun. I've learned a lot and am now expanding my life stream to include other data bits that create something I can make available as a personal journal for my family.

In the next couple of series we'll look at specific solutions and where you can find your bits to include in you life stream.

If you are already LifeStreaming, post a comment here with a link to your stream, or tell us how you life stream.

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Honoring American Veterans

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.

We could get into a bunch of political debates about where our Country is, but that's not what today is all about. Honoring our Veterans is the moral and appropriate thing to do. If it were up to me all Veterans would get the day off with pay for the rest of their lives. It's important that we remember these people, where might we be without someone willing to put their life before yours?

Thank you, every vet, past and present, for your honorable service and sacrifice. Many are not with us and while it's heart breaking, we know that with out their actions we would not enjoy what we have today.

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Great Links From The Past Week

Here are some great links I came across during this past week.

1. Resolve Conflict Quickly with The Four Agreements. I've read this book before. It's fairly small, both in diameter and number of pages. But the content is very strong.


2. Blog World Expo - Day 1 Recap. My good friend Ash Buckles spent a few days at the Blog world Expo in Las Vegas. Here is his take on the first day.


3. Term Sheet for an LLC vs. a Corporation. This was a very relevant post seeing how I'm facing that exact question right now. Perfect timing and great advice.


4. Advertisers- This is Sexy. Chris caught an ad from Blackberry that was inconspicuously part of the layout. He didn't need to click on anything the advertiser was relying on the fact the name would stick with the reader.


5. Getting Too Old? Dye Your Hair Before The Interview! Jason caused some ruckus around the blogosphere with this post. It's pretty good.


6. Guy Kawasaki - 5 Books you Must Read. I'm glad Janet captured the books Guy suggested, I had to walk out of the presentation just as he was naming them off.

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Listen to Cadillac Slim by Rick Braun

This morning I was jammin to some great Jazz. I hadn't really listened to this track all the way through. I felt the beginning was a little slow for me, just didn't reach and grab me. However, I finished listening to it this morning, and you are treated one of the best Bass solos I've heard. This is great. I love the flow and style. Please, just listen, I promise you won't be disappointed.

You can also watch the YouTube video here.

Rick Braun
"Cadillac Slim" (mp3)
from "Sessions volume 1"
(ARTizen Media Group)

Buy at iTunes Music Store
More On This Album

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