Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Sucessfully Ordering Nike Lebron XI Shoes on a Shoe Launch Day


















At my age, I still like to hoop it up with the Bros to shed some pounds so I can enjoy my favorite  favorite sport -- eating. The other day I came down on my ankle with a slight sprain so I decided it was time to get a new pair of LeBron basketball shoes. As a Miami Heat Fan, it just doesn't feel right wearing Durant, CP3, Kobe or Rose in the 305.

So after unsuccessfully trying to order the #LebronXI shoes for the month at most of the Shoe Retailers, I was introduced to the Nike Release Dates & New Releases Calendar at:

insider.nike.com/us/

I'm also an e-commerce webmaster and maintain a number of online stores for my clients at my Design Agency and Internet Marketing Company in Miami. So on December 31, 2013 at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time, I fired up my MacBook Pro to participate in the launch. Nike provides some launch tips at the link below so before launch day, I did the following:

On launch day, I logged in to Nike.com, Twitter/NikeStore and waited at the Nike Store website to refresh my browser at the link below.

LeBron James 11 Collection

Sure enough, at exactly 8 a.m. I saw LeBron 11 Dunkman with its radioactive set of hues appear on the screen. Then I selected my size and as expected it was an experience like buying concert tickets. My Firefox Browser locked up after entering my credit card. I tried quickly to login to some of the popular Shoe Retailers (eastbay.com, finishline.com - same issue). So just as I was about to give up, I fired up Google Chrome, logged in to Nike.com, Paypal.com and sure enough, Nike processed my order.

Just as I was celebrating my successful order, I checked @NikeStore tweets, and noticed that the other reason for the spike in online traffic at the NikeStore was the simultaneous release of the Air Jordan 3Lab5, which sold out in 56 minutes. Yikes, I realize Michael Jordan lives in the 305 but those shoes are not for me and in my days, we collected cards not shoes.

To any parents that are trying to make sure their kids can find a pair of LeBron 11s or other Nike Shoes, I would suggest you checkout the above links and use your PayPal Account for the best shopping experience. Also, don't hesitate to buy the shoes on launch day if the inventory is still available. With the global demand for shoes these day, they are produced in a limited quantity and will most likely sell out quickly.



Tuesday, December 17, 2013

How to Remove Facebook Video AutoPlay

NOTE: I tried this a temporary fix on my MacBook Pro, but finally disable it. There were too many conflicts with some of my programs. 

Here's a temporary fix to your browser to remove the Facebook Video Autoplay feature. It's a little annoying in that you don't see the video thumbnail, but it will prevent your computer from autoplaying videos in your Facebook Feed. 1. Google Chrome - In the Chrome browser, type: chrome://chrome/settings/content - Under Content Settings, Plug-ins, change the setting to Click to Play

 


 2. Firefox - click Tools, Add-Ons, Plugins - In Shockwave Flash, change your setting from Always Activate to Ask to Activate.

 

Notes:

- After making these changes, you will need to restart your browser.
- This will disable the Autoplay feature or and the video thumbnail for all websites, not just Facebook. This might not be the desirable result for some sites including CNN and ESPN. Unfortunately, the fix that most Facebook users would like to see would be a Facebook setting to disable this feature.

Reference

Facebook Discussion

Monday, December 16, 2013

Gmail Account - All Email Going to Trash - Account Hacked

A friend of mine called this morning and said his Google Gmail Account was hacked. After he reset his password, all of his incoming email to his Gmail Inbox was still ending up in his Gmail Trash Folder. When I went to his Account Filters, I found the following filter below.

1. If the email doesn't have the words "oko", then delete the email message or send it to Trash.





2. When my buddy navigated to https://security.google.com/settings/security/activity to see recent accesses to his account, there were two unauthorized accesses to his Gmail Account, one from Talahassee, Florida and the other from Atlanta, Georgia. I really hope that Google will investigate these hacks to their system and prosecute those that are engaging in this type of activity.

Tuesday, December 03, 2013

Nike+ FuelBand SE - How to Use - Where's The Documentation?



I've had a Nike FuelBand for over a year now and I recently upgraded to the Nike+ FuelBand SE. When it comes to technology products, I have always been in the camp that "If you have to read the documentation, you need to find another product". With the Nike FuelBand, from the moment someone asked me what a NikeFuel Unit was, I discovered I needed to read the documentation. However, unlike many new Tech Products these days, the documentation for the FuelBand isn't in the box, it's online. It's also somewhat like an Adventure Video Game, you discover new features as you use the product (is this another time I can use the word "gamification" which my wife, "The W" says isn't a word). The information on the Nike Support site and FAQs is very limited.

Here are some of my discoveries using my new Nike+ FuelBand SE.

DOCUMENTATION

Nike+ FuelBand SE Manual
Nike+ FuelBand Manual

SUPPORT 
Nike+ FuelBand Support Page
@NikeSupport (Twitter)
@NikeFuel (Twitter) 

SOFTWARE / FIRMWARE 
  1. There is Nike+ Connect Software for the Mac 
  2. There is Nike+ Connect Software for the PC 
  3. There is the Nike+ FuelBand App for the iPhone in the Apple AppStore. 
  4. The Nike+ FuelBand App is not available for the Android yet as of December 2013 
  5. The FuelBand has Device Firmware that will be updated.

GLOSSARY
  • NikeFuel Earned
  • Hours Won
  • Calories Burned
  • Number of Steps Taken
  • Current Time FPM - NikeFuel per Minute (Average from entire session)
  • ELAPS - Elapsed time in-session FUEL - NikeFuel earned in-session

UPGRADING NIKE FUELBAND to NIKE+ FUELBAND SE

  1. 1. I updated my updated my Nike+ Connect Sofware on my iPhone. 
  2. I synchronized my original NikeFuel Band to my iPhone by pressing the button. 
  3. I plugged my original Nike FuelBand into my MacBook Pro and synched. 
  4. I removed my old Nike FuelBand from my MacBook. I thought about putting it in another room to get out of the BlueTooth range, but ended up not doing that. 
  5. I inserted my new Nike+ FuelBand SE into my MacBook and enabled it. Since I had just under 1 Million NikeFuel Units, I concerned about using these units even though a Nike Rep had told me that there wasn't a problem. My MacBook Nike+ Connect Software recognized my new Nike+ FuelBand SE and even installed a device Firmware Update. The day I synchronized, I had about 5K NikeFuel Units and these were transferred to my new Nike+ FuelBand SE. 
  6. I accessed my Nike FuelBand App on my iPhone. It correctly synched the updated FuelUnits from now new SE. 
  7. I was finally able to access the new Nike+ FuelBand Sessions feature that is only available with the new SE.

TIPS
  1. With the new SE, you no longer have to press the button to synchronize. 
  2. You can now press the FuelBand SE button twice to get the time.

NIKE+ FUELBAND SE SESSIONS

More on Sessions later. This feature rocks!

VIDEO TUTORIAL

Saturday, November 30, 2013

28.2 Inside the Miami Heat #28.2

The Miami Heat 28.2 Video

Some Sports Analysts are calling Ray Allen's shot as one of the greatest clutch 3-pointers in the history of the NBA Finals. I was very fortunate to have been at the game. I was less than 40 feet from where Ray put up his three. What a great experience for this basketball fan. Go Heat!

#MiamiHeat #RayAllen #JesusShuttlesworth #Game6 #NBAFinals

Thursday, September 19, 2013

iPhone iOS 7 - so many new features

I updated an iPhone 5, iPad 2 and iPhone 4S. I didn't encounter any issues. There are so many features in this new release, I had to study this list several times. The new user interface is going to take some time to get use to.

Here are the top things that I've used so far.

  • Spotlight - Swipe Down from the Middle of the Home Screen
  • Control Center - Swipe Up from the Bottom the Screen - Easily turn on & off Airplane Mode, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth; adjust screen brightness. 
  • Notification Center - Swipe Down from the Top of the Screen


iPhone iOS 7

This update features a beautiful new design and also contains hundreds of new features, including the following:

•  New design
        ◦  Redesigned interface updates the entire system and every built-in app
        ◦  Subtle motion and animation; layers and translucency provide depth
        ◦  Elegant new color palette and refined typography
        ◦  Updated system sounds and ringtones
•  Control Center*
        ◦  Quick access to commonly used controls and apps with a swipe up from the bottom of the screen
        ◦  Turn on & off Airplane Mode, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Do Not Disturb; adjust screen brightness; access media controls; turn on AirPlay and AirDrop*
        ◦  Quickly access flashlight, timer, calculator, camera and music controls
•  Notification Center improvements
        ◦  New Today view gives you an overview of your day, including weather, calendar, and stocks
        ◦  Notifications dismissed on one device dismisses across all your devices
•  Multitasking improvements
        ◦  Preview screens of open apps when you switch between them
        ◦  Permits any app to keep content up-to-date in the background
•  Camera improvements
        ◦  Swipe through different camera modes – video, still photo, square aspect, and panorama
        ◦  Real-time photo filters with iPhone 4S or later, and iPod touch (5th generation)
•  Photos improvements
        ◦  Automatically organizes your photos and videos based on time and location into Moments*
        ◦  iCloud Photo Sharing supports multiple contributors and videos, plus a new Activity view
        ◦  Add photo filter effects
        ◦  Flickr and Vimeo support
•  AirDrop
        ◦  Quickly and easily share content with people nearby
        ◦  Securely encrypted transfers with no network or setup required
        ◦  Supported on iPhone 5, iPad (4th generation), iPad mini, and iPod touch (5th generation) and requires an iCloud account
•  Safari improvements
        ◦  New iPhone tab view that lets you easily switch between open web pages
        ◦  Unified smart search field for both search terms and web addresses
        ◦  Shared Links shows web pages shared by people you follow on Twitter
•  iTunes Radio
        ◦  Streaming radio service
        ◦  Pick from over 250 featured and genre-focused stations
        ◦  Start your own station from your favorite artist or song
•  Siri improvements
        ◦  New, more natural sounding male and female voices for US English, French and German
        ◦  Integrated Wikipedia, Twitter search, and Bing web search results
        ◦  Change settings including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and brightness
        ◦  Supported on iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPad with Retina display, iPad mini, and iPod touch (5th generation)
•  App Store improvements
        ◦  See apps relevant to your current location with Popular Near Me
        ◦  Discover age-appropriate apps in the Kids category
        ◦  Keep your apps up to date automatically
•  Find My iPhone Activation Lock
        ◦  Turning off Find My iPhone, erasing your device, reactivation, and signing out of iCloud requires your Apple ID password
        ◦  A custom message can be displayed on your device even after a remote erase
•  iTunes Store improvements
        ◦  Preview and buy songs you've heard on iTunes Radio while inside the iTunes Store
        ◦  Add to, and shop from, your iTunes Wish List
        ◦  Scan code with camera to redeem iTunes Gift Cards
•  Music improvements
        ◦  Play music purchases from iCloud
        ◦  Rotate your iPhone or iPod touch to browse your music with the Album Wall
•  Videos improvements
        ◦  Play movie and TV show purchases from iCloud
        ◦  View similar movies and TV shows from Related
•  Maps improvements
        ◦  Turn-by-turn walking directions
        ◦  Automatic night mode
        ◦  Bookmarks shared across devices via iCloud
•  Mail improvements
        ◦  New Smart Mailboxes, including Unread, Attachments, All Drafts and To or CC
        ◦  Improved search
        ◦  View PDF annotations
•  FaceTime audio calling
•  Block unwanted Phone, Messages and FaceTime callers
•  Support for sending long MMS messages
•  Pull down on any Home Screen to reveal Spotlight search
•  Scan to acquire Passbook passes
•  New ringtones, alarms, alerts and system sounds
•  Definitions of a selected word for additional languages: Italian, Korean, and Dutch
•  Inclinometer in the Compass app
•  Wi-Fi HotSpot 2.0 support
•  Accessibility features
        ◦  Individuals with limited physical motor skills can now control their device using Switch Control
        ◦  Customize closed caption style
        ◦  Handwriting input support in VoiceOver
        ◦  Math input support using Nemeth Braille in VoiceOver
        ◦  Select from multiple premium voices for speak selection and VoiceOver
        ◦  Support for Made for iPhone Hearing Aids and stereo audio for iPhone 5 and iPod touch (5th generation)
•  Enterprise features
        ◦  Manage which apps and accounts are used to open documents and attachments
        ◦  Per App VPN
        ◦  App Store license management
        ◦  Enterprise single sign-on
        ◦  Remote configuration of managed apps
        ◦  Automatic data protection for third-party apps
        ◦  Exchange Notes syncing
        ◦  Install custom fonts
        ◦  New management queries and restrictions
•  Education features
        ◦  Mobile device management for Apple TV
        ◦  Request AirPlay Mirroring from a student device to Apple TV
        ◦  Pre-configure AirPlay destinations and AirPrint printers
        ◦  Streamlined MDM enrollment
        ◦  Ability to restrict changes to accounts
        ◦  Web content filtering
        ◦  Authorized apps can initiate single app mode
        ◦  Configure accessibility settings for single app mode
•  Features for China
        ◦  Tencent Weibo integration
        ◦  Chinese-English bilingual dictionary
        ◦  Improved handwriting input with improved accuracy, stroke order independence and support for simultaneous multiple character input
•  Bug fixes

Some features may not be available for all countries or all areas.

For information on the security content of this update, please visit this website:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222

Thursday, May 09, 2013

Another Photo of Filomena Tobias and Joakim Noah

Filomena Tobias & Joakim Noah

Filomena Tobias, Joakim Noah, Phyllis Tobias
Here's another photo of the Bird Lady Filomena Tobias at the Miami Heat Game versus the Chicago Bulls.

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Google Apps Downtime still better than 99.9% This Year

This morning a little after 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time, Google Apps went down. I received a text message from a client that they couldn't access their email. After a few minutes, I discovered that Google Apps or Google Mail was down.

Google Apps or customers most likely noticed this when using their iPhone or Outlook Client, the message received was:

 "Cannot Get Mail" The user name or password for "user@domain.com"is incorrect.

Or, when they tried to login to their mail via their web browser, the message received was: "502. That's an error. The service encountered a temporary error and could not complete your request." or the other message below.














Google Apps Mail Outage Error Messages

Like many other Webmasters, I took to Twitter to find out what's going on. Despite Google promising 99.9% Uptime Guarantee for those of my clients that have a paid plan, the Google Enterprise Support Number 1-877-355-5787 was busy. The first thing Twitter users pointed out was that the Google Apps Status Dashboard did not display the Service Disruption. After more than 30 minutes of downtime, there was no indication that Google was acknowledging the Outage. However, by the number of tweets,  you could easily see the severity of the outage.

 Google Apps Status Dashboard


When these outages occur, the first question many of my clients usually ask is if any email will be lost. That prompted me to send a test message to myself to see if Google was able to receive mail during this period and if they will hold it their queue for later delivery. More on that later. 

When these events occur, I also

Eventually, the Google Apps Status Dashboard was updated and I learned for the first time that Google was acknowledging a "partial" Service Disruption. This was for Google Mail, Google Drive, Google Documents, Google Spreadsheets, Google Presentations and for Admin Control Panel / API.

The problem with an outage like this one is that most users immediately think that the problem or issue is with their computer, their email client or their password. Since Gmail or mail was still working for their personal account and Google Apps Mail rarely goes down, they think it might be something they did. The error message in this case "the user name or password is incorrect" is certainly deceptive or misleading. In addition, between 8 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time is probably the worst time of the day to have this type of a issue. You could also see that the webmasters in the Twitter Community were starting to get anxious about the length of the downtime, with no detailed official word from Google.

On or around 9:30 a.m., after almost 90 minutes of downtime, I noticed from a Google Support Forum that users were reporting that their service was back up and running. When I checked my email, I saw email with the correct time stamps (between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. ET) started to arrive in my inbox including the test email I sent to myself.

Finally, I also took the time to review the Google Apps Guaranteed Uptime. It was 99.9%, which means that even after 90 minutes of downtime, this was still in the acceptable level. If you do the math, even though their service was only up 94.75% today, 99.9% per year uptime would be 8 hours, 45 minutes and 20 seconds of downtime per year. Google Apps still has over 7 hours of downtime this year to stay under the 99.9% threshold. Luckily, that's unlikely and when reading tweets from earlier this month, like the one below, I'm still a big fan of Google Apps.



For information on my company's products and services, visit www.OgawaDesign.com.

Friday, March 01, 2013

Displaying a Twitter Tweet on Your Website

Like many basketball fans, I too saw the infamous Miami Heat Harlem Shake Video. So as a Social Media experiment, I decided to post of photo of my company's attempt to identify the players in the video. For example, it certainly wasn't difficult to recognize @KingJames or the King, Mario Chalmers or Bosh but which player was wearing the Bear or Ted-like head? Which player was the #Horsetronaut or was the Horse? Who was the Clown? Which ones were Joel Anthony and Jarvis Varnado? So we took my firm's best guess and sent it to Miami Heat Sun Sports TV Reporter Jason Jackson's Twitter Account. And he tweeted back: The Twitter Tweet
Miami Heat Harlem Shake Video



The code from the Tweet could be embedded on a company's website as a Social Media Promotion Tool.

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

YouTube.com Video - How To Post

Posting a YouTube.com Video

This video was imported to iMovie, edited, then uploaded to YouTube.com.