Kinda how I feel about cats

> > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1xuLs7BCeo&feature=youtube_gdata_player
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Why I'm unfriending and unfollowing people

When Facebook first became popular and I searched for possible "friends" - finding one who was also on the service was SO EXCITING.  I mean, we can CONNECT!  Right?

Then Twitter came along.  I was on Twitter and I only followed @aplusk and @cnnbrk for 6 full months.  I didn't *really* get it until I did some local searches and found @mandreano and then the entire Lehigh Valley came to my stream.  Welcome!

I friended and followed like I was going to the Electric Chair tomorrow.

Then when I logged into the services, I was presented with posts from a lot of people about a lot of stuff I didn't care about.  And the services lost value.  I was wading through lots of garbage posts and not having fun.

I see it a bit like this: You go to a party and you know a bunch of folks, but you also DON'T know a bunch of folks.  They are engaged in conversation and your interest was piqued so you "friended/followed" them by entering the conversation.  Then you realized after 5 minutes that this guy/gal is a bore, a drunk, not funny, or just simply not for you and you leave that conversation to go to the next one.

That's why I'm unfollowing/unfriending people.  Don't take it personally, I've just decided to move on to another conversation.  And if we see each other at a party, remember being friends on Facebook or mutual followers on Twitter: ISN'T REAL LIFE.

Just sayin'.

Decisions, decisions. Friendsourcing at it's finest.

This month marks the 5th anniversary of Next Level Development, our daycare located in Whitehall, PA. It's been a great 5 years and we've grown quite a large extended family. From the teachers who make it happen every day to our students who are the entire reason we started this business. We are fortunate to have you all.

After doing some homework, my partner identified that about 30% of all our new enrollees happen in August and September and wanting to beef up enrollment, we decided to take our message to the airwaves through a radio advertisement.

Now, WHAT station is the best for our demographic (females 18-35)? Last time we did a radio campaign we decided on Cat Country based on the information available and it did produce results.

Why was this time different? Simple - friendsourcing. What is friendsourcing? Well, when you couple my 200+ friends on Facebook, my 400+ followers on Twitter and also Next Level Development's Fan page, Becky, Anastasia and Ray accessing a similar resource - you've got a window into local people's preferences. So, how did we harness it?

If you know me, you know that I am a numbers guy and look for real, usable data. So, what method is the best for this? I turned to Google Docs and created a survey:

We then posted it on Facebook and Twitter and waited for the results.  What's so great about using Google Doc Forms is that they are Free and provide a great visual summary page:

Talk about making our decision for us!  The data was clear with 28% of all respondents selecting B104 as their primary station and 25% as their secondary station.  That's a total percentage of 53%.

When we drill the data down even more into our target audience, Females with Children:  43% selected B104 as their primary station and 20% as their secondary station, or B104 as 63% of our target audience.

The only option that was better than B104 was "Other".  Other ranged from satellite radio listeners to "radio? we don't need no stinkin' radio."

Off to record the ad






And click here to listen to the actual Ad.

What I did on my summer vacation to Maine (OK just pics)

The whole set is here, the below shots are some of my favorites.

I shot over a gig of pictures and got 58 shots I liked enough to share.

I wacked it and George Won? Wait.

 Sometimes people do extraordinary things.  Sometimes people dig deep down inside themselves to find something they didn't know was there. Sometimes people amaze their closest friends and even total strangers.  None of this happened, but George Wacker did win the 2 Days In A Cube contest and walked away with the car.

After spending 48 straight hours with Big Deal, Momo, Primer, and Crack Girl, (please click that last link? kthanks) the almost 150,000 votes were counted and George was literally crowned champion.

We're proud to have been part of a Revolution led by LehighValleyWithLove.com called: WACK THE VOTE.  The only problem now?  What the hell am I going to do with my spare time?  No votes to send, no live camera to watch?  I guess I'll like... spend time with my family and stuff.

What exactly motivates us? Absolutely fascinating video.

This lively RSA Animate, adapted from Dan Pink's talk at the RSA, illustrates the hidden truths behind what really motivates us at home and in the workplace.  www.theRSA.org


Thanks to @ericschmidt for tweeting it.

iForce App: Oh, oh, it's magic. No Really.

See on Pogue's NYT blog.

Kids Talk Tech - Pocket Pond iPad App Review

Paige reviews a new iPad app called Pocket Pond.

A few of my favorite new pictures

Dandelion Explosion

-, originally uploaded by -SPK.

It was a happy 5th birthday for Kaitlyn!

48 hours with the iPad, and also 6 year old Paige weighs in with her thoughts on video

I’ve had the iPad since Friday afternoon, here are a few observations in no particular order:

• It’s heaver than I thought, but lighter than my wife thought it was going to be.

• Fingerprints are everywhere on it.  Especially when the kids play on it.

• The screen is very shiny and reflective.

• The battery is crazy good.  I used it for over 4 hours straight and it was still over 70%.

• Not good for outside use because of the reflection and the fact that it overheated on me after maybe 15 minutes of use on my front porch.

• The official Apple case has improved the experience by a third.... Typing, browsing, watching movies, stopping it from sliding around.  The case is a must have.

 Here is what Paige had to say:

• It's fast. Really really fast. Pinch and zoom resizing while browsing or looking at a photo is ludicrously quick.

• Twitter is a totally awesome experience with Twitteriffic.  The way images and links are handled right inside the app are perfect.  I can’t wait for Tweetie/Twitter who ever they are to come out with an iPad app.

• I love how YouTube videos are now played inline on a web page instead of launching in a new app.

• Dropbox needs an iPad app.

• I need to be able to edit Googe docs in the iPad.

• I'm writing this on the iPad Evernote app. 

• I can’t believe there isn’t a free document creator app that comes free.

• The resolution is spectacular, looking at hi-res photos and videos is unlike any experience I’ve had.

• I use Instapaper a whole lot less. (No need, I can read the whole article on the full browser).

• Facebook.com is perfect.  Why would you need an app?

• The on screen keyboard is a really good size and easy to use in landscape mode and a lot like the iPhone in portrait... I hunt and peck.

• It's good for the whole family. Suduku and books for Becky, drawing, Winnie The Pooh and Alice In Wonderland in iBooks for Paige and Kaitlyn.

• My neck hurts from looking down to my lap rather than the height of a normal laptop.

• The NPR app is great.

• The iBook app is great.

• Gmail in the browser is great, what's with save and send buttons right next to each other? 

• The 5th graders on the street know I have an iPad the word has spread!

• Apps that aren't made for the iPad are very pixilated but still work great.

• Overall experience for me is a 9/10.

• I have yet to activate 3G, maybe tomorrow.

  

If you have any killer apps to share please do in the comments.  Also if you have any questions I’ll do my best to answer them.

Lastly, I’ve been tagging interesting iPad related things on my public Google Reader page here.

The dragon coaster. Stand back!

The dragon coaster. Stand back!, originally uploaded by -SPK.

Dissenting Opinion [Edition Number 2]

Dissenting Opinion [Edition Number 2]: "

In case you didn't know, Dissenting Opinion started out as an email from one of our listeners who thought he would be so kind as to share his feedback with us.



After reading it and really "liking" the tone of it (cough cough), Mike and I asked if we could publish it, to which we got the response "do whatever you want." So we did.



Wikipedia defines Dissenting Opinion as:

A dissenting opinion (or dissent) is an opinion in a legal case written by one or more judges expressing disagreement with the majority opinion of the court which gives rise to its judgment.

On that note, we bring you this week's edition:



April 1^st Show



Yes, I had too much prune juice and over slept for the show and couldn’t get out of my rocker this weekend to share my thoughts. But I just drank my Tang and feel energized to give you a review of this week's Tweeps Talking Tech!

• iPad talk

Patrick jumped to the head of the line and purchased an iPad and loves the free advertising that Apple takes the free advertising route (smart social media strategy). Patrick also tried to make the video sell more by highlighting the video functionality and integration by companies (or lack there of) into the iPad. Funny enough, Yahoo released a great article on the iPad shortcomings so Patrick… take that!

• iPhone to Verizon

The boys are not sold on the iPhone for Verizon. This will be a scaled down version and possibly limited talk/search functionality.

And the Apple talk stopped abruptly because Jeff Pulver joined the show…

• Jeff Pulver

Well, Jeff opened his talk by discussing the over-referenced use of social media by President Obama in his campaign. He also made a Susan Boyle and James Cameron “Avatar” reference. Wow – he really opts to discuss the most obscure social media case studies. Maybe he was holding off on an Iraq election reference and saving that for a later date. Ugh, but I digress.

Jeff is a thought leader in social media and recognizes the importance of how this impacts people and businesses. And then Patrick got a word in edgewise to talk about Captain Sully. Being in a meeting with Jeff has got to be difficult, I mean, try to get in a word edgewise on this guy and he will drown you right back out. Nevertheless, Jeff is a smart dude and gave a lot of great insight on social networking, trends, drinking/drugs and the use of Foursquare.

Really, Foursquare was brought up again?! OK, using Foursquare is a great tool… just don’t push everything to Twitter! Jeff made an elusion to this as he said he was off of Foursquare at SXSW but able to connect with others on Foursquare. Yes, use Foursquare on Foursquare and not on Twitter… brilliant!

• Laini Abraham

Laini joined the call after Jeff, maybe she was well rested after listening to Jeff’s diatribe.

Laini is an Easton lifer and wanted to give back to the community with her books. She is slowly integrating social media into her work and is learning how well it is to connect with old friends and how to leverage businesses are able to seize this opportunity.

Also, in case you missed it, S. Patrick said “in Easton which is where we hail from”. Yes, S. Patrick used the word “hail” in a serious sentence.

• LV TweetUp

Promo, plug, advertising, promo, plug, advertising. Yeah, if you follow @LVtweetup you already read the same stuff they spoke about so blah blah blah – read it online.

• Patrick

Yes, Patrick is trying to get you to gift him an iPhone app. DON’T DO IT!!!!!!

Mike, please learn to spell your co-hosts name. K, thanks.



Now let’s get serious, just for a moment. When you have lengthy interview segments you loose an edgy feel to the show. While Jeff and Laini were fantastic, and I do mean fantastic guests, there is a lacking of discussions and taking of callers throughout the show.

Come on guys, integrate the global knowledge with the local flavor and take some calls. LV with Love must be heard!

"

Writing History

P090909PS-0026, originally uploaded by The White House.

No matter what your personal opinion of health care reform is - this photograph is amazing. Never before have we had this type of access to the White House...

This is something I would hang in my office.



(Thanks to @PMADesigns for posting on Twitter)

Photos from the Philly Zoo today

It's been awhile since I took some photos with my Olympus E-500.  The entire set is here on Flickr as well.

Kaitlyn without training wheels

It happened that fast.

The radio show starts at 9 PM tonight!

Here is where you go to listen in.

The call in number is (646) 727-1346.

My favorite Disney shots

To see all of these pictures, go here.

Travel and technology: Apps

This is being cross posted on my new blog, Tweeps Talk Tech.

Last week my family and I traveled to Disney for a week vacation and for the first time that I can remember, I didn't bring a computer with me.  OH, THE HUMANITY!

Many technology lovers like me prefer to never be disconnected; even when my father-in-law comes to visit he brings his laptop. The beauty of having my iPhone is that I was never disconnected and had every piece of information I wanted right at my fingertips.

Here is a rundown of the apps I used and why you should too.

Dropbox

Dropbox is a free file storage app that syncs files with your PC, Mac, and iPhone over the internet.  I needed to have access to some files for work, so I just copied them into my "work" folder inside Dropbox and they were sync'd in seconds.  From inside the app I can view, email or copy the file.

Since Dropbox updated to V 1.1, they added PIN code access, making the app secure.

Evernote

Evernote is my brain inside my phone.  I snap pictures of notes I've taken, clip web pages, emails, flight info, itineraries and more.  Evernote searches by keyword and even reads words inside pictures!

Dragon Dictation

Who wants to actually *type* on your clean iPhone screen, when you have Mickey chocolate on your fingers?  Why not just speak into Dragon Dictation and send the converted words to email, text message, or copy to the clipboard to paste anywhere!

Twitteriffic

My favorite Twitter app, and you know I can't be without my Twitter.

eBuddy

eBuddy is a great chat application that offers free and paid versions.  You can chat live with contacts in Gmail, Facebook, Yahoo, AIM and more.

Siri

Want to find local restaurants, events, businesses, taxis, or the weather?  Just open Siri and Say it!

Foursquare

How else would you know where I was?