Software Updates - What's Mandatory and What's Not!

I received a mailer from my car manufacturer about an update for the Navigation System in my car for $149.00 http://www.navigation.com/InfinitiPromo. It caused me to think what sofware updates, new software releases or annual software subscriptions I would pay for and which one's I don''t. After reviewing this list, it appears that some of my decisions are not based on price and useful features as security and princple. Lastly, if it's a Free update, I'll always install it!

Required Software Updates

• Computer Antivirus Software
• Mac Operating System (Leopard was a nice upgrade and if I wa)
• iTouch Software Upgrade (with Apple products, it's nice to know you have the current version in the event you have a problem).

Not Required Software Updates

• Any Windows operating system after Windows XP Professional
• Microsoft Office Updates after MS Office 2003
• XM Radio, new feature to play on my iPhone and Computer (they should have grandfathered this feature for their long-time loyal customers.)
• Infiniti Auto Navigation (I haven't encountered many errors with the current navigation, at least in my city, these should also be free., although some would argue you are paying enough for the car, what's another $149.)

iPhone Voice Control Commands - iPhone 3GS Voice Control Commands

By far one of the most useful features in the iPhone 3G S 3.0 is Voice Control. If you didn't read or skim the iPhone .PDF user manual then you may have missed this feature unless you are one that like to uncover the the new features in your iPhone like you are playing a adventure video game or by after hours cocktail conversation.

First of all, when driving your car in states like California which require you to use a headset, this is a great feature. You can finally place a call from your iPhone without looking at it and driving. Here is a list of the iPhone Voice Control Commands.

To Active iPhone Voice Control

• Hold down the iPhone Home button for 2 seconds.

iPhone Voice Control Phone Commands

• Call 1 800 555 1212
• Dial 1 800 555 1212
• Call John Smith
• Call John Smith Mobile
• Dial John Smith
• Dial John Smith Mobile
• No - cancel command
  
• Nope - cancel command
  
• Not that- cancel command
  
• Not that one - cancel command
  
• Wrong - can command
  

iPhone Music Commands

• Play
• Play music
• Play playlist
• Play playlist On-The-Go
• Play playlist My Top Rated
• Play playlist Audio books (didn't work for me)
  
• Play playlist Purchased
  
• Play album
• Play Album T-Shirt
  
• Play Album Song
  
• Pause - to pause the music
  
• Pause Music - to pause the music
  
• Next
  
• Next Song
• Shuffle - to shuffle the playlist.
• What's playing?
• What song is this?
• Who sings this song?
• Who is this song by?
  

iPhone Voice Control Other Commands

• Help - the only commands for now are "Using iPhone Voice Control you can tell iPhone to call contacts, play albums or play playlists.

Caveat Emptor or let the buyer or user beware - In testing iPhone Voice Control 1.0, if the voice recognition system can't decipher your your command, it will sometimes randomly start calling someone in your address book. This doesn't work like the voice calling system in most cars which require you to acknowledge each entry, it is much more predatory. In my case, it started calling several people I haven't spoken to in years that are listed in my address book. In any regard, great job Apple, can't wait for Voice Control 1.1 or 2.0.

Lastly, if you are looking for Voice Control in your iPhone 3G, it's only available in the iPhone 3G S. Ugh, possibly a reason to upgrade! And it iPhone Voice Control doesn't currently work with Bluetooth. It is rumored to be in the 3.1 firmware update!

Upgrading to the iPhone 3G S

Before upgrading, I upgraded my old iPhone to 3.0 and synched,

The upgrade process was simple, call the 866 phone number, enter your
phone number, zip code and other security info, turn off your new 3G
S, wait 5 minutes, turn it back on and tether it with iTunes to
restore your backup.

Some issues:

• On one of the phones that I upgraded, I had to call AT&T to select a data plan. The phone worked, but the 3G and text messaging services did not.
• On another phone, the text messaging only did not work. I also had to call AT&T.
• On one of the early upgrade phones, the upgrade process went smoothly.

My iPhones and iPod Touches are now upgaded to 3.0

After a long weekend, my iPhone and iTouches are all upgraded! This was a major upgrade and if haven't done so yet, I would consider the follwing to clean up your device before upgrading. I think this will save you time in the long run and help to prevent errors during the upgrade process. You can also use this time to do a little housekeeping like you woud clean an office, desk or hard drive.

• iPhone Applicatons - If you have 8 screens of iPhone Apps, I would start with a at least 2 empty screens of Apps before upgrading. There is a new iPhone Spotlight screen that takes up the screen position to the left of the home screen.
• Music - I woud reduce the number of songs you have on the your device before upgrading. This would reduce the amount of time the upgrade takes.
• Camera Roll - First of all, make sure your camera roll photos are backed up. If you are a Windows user, you can use Picasa. If you disabled the camera wizard, remember to re-enable it and save your pictures. You might consider deleting your history of Camera Roll Photos from the past 2-3 years and starting new. This would be the perfect time to do so.
• Photos - I would remove some of the photo albums if you have too many. On some of my iPhones, iTunes re-optimized the photos which took many hours.
• Other iPhone Synch Applications - Make a list of other iPhone Synch applications you may have. These may include Google Calendar, Yahoo Calendar etc.
• Add Remove Programs - go to Add Remove programs and write down the versions of the following: Apple Mobile Devices Support, Apple Software Update, Bonjour, iTunes and QuickTime. This would be beneficial if you need to re-install iTunes and Apple Support asks you to remove these items. If another program you are using uses for example another version of Bonjour, you have a record of this in the event your other program stops working.
• Backup Plan - If you iPhone or iPod Touch does not upgrade, make sure you reserve plenty of time for a potential diasters recovery plan. For example, are you going to call Apple, try to upgrade on a Mac (if a Windows upgrade) or schedule an appointment with Apple. How long can you go without a phone? Is your IT guy or IT family member available to help you?

That all said, before you start the upgrade, for both Windows and Mac users, make sure you have installed all software updates!

iPod Touch 3.0 Upgrade Issues - What to Do! iPod Touch iBrick issues

Yesterday, I shelled out the $9.95 and tried to upgrade my iPod Touch to 3.0. Unfortunately, on my MacBook Pro, it failed twice and my previously working iPod Touch 2.1 was now stuck on the Connect to iTunes Screen of Death. After abandoning this task yesterday, this morning I pulled out a spare MacBook in my closet that I use to curse the small 13" screen and tried the iTouch 3.0 firmware Upgrade on it.

1) It restored my iTouch to 2.1 so it was at least functional. I did not restore the data because it was synched with my MacBook Pro.

2) It then upgraded the iTouch 3.0 firmware sucessfully. Again, I ignored the prompt to restore the data since I wanted to synch it with my main computer.

3) I plugged it in to my MacBook and it is now syching my Apps and music!


I recollect on my only visit to the Apple Genius Bar a problem with my iPhone that would not upgrade on my PC running Windows/iTunes, that this is what the Apple Genius Bar employee did. So if your iTouch is an iTouch iBrick from upgrading to 3.0, you might want to find a very good friend with a Mac to help you out.

I'm usually a fan of Apple Care Customer Support, but not during the iPhone 3G S launch weekend!

Good luck!

Apple iPod Touch Forum
http://discussions.apple.com/category.jspa?categoryID=221

Other Resources
Apple Care Customer Support - 1-800-275-2273

Apple Support Resources
http://www.apple.com/support/contact/

Apple Genius Bar Reservations
http://www.apple.com/retail/geniusbar/

Other Articles
http://www.i4u.com/article25463.html

iPhone 3.0 Upgrade Issues - no problem on Mac, as always Windows issues

This evening I am finally upgrading the family iPhones to the new iPhone 3.0 software.

1. One of the upgrades from the iPhone Edge using an iMac went very well. I simply clicked on the Upgrade button and came back to check on the Mac later and the iPhone was upgraded to 3.0.

2. I have another iPhone 3G that is synched with a Mac Pro laptop running Parallels with the the Windows version of iTunes. This iPhone 3G synchs with Microsoft Outlook Calendar. I was rarely able update my iPhone firmware with my laptop and this time was not different. I received an error message that it was unable to restore. Luckily I have a spare MacBook that I never got around to selling or gifting and was able to update to the new iPhone 3.0 firmware with it. I then reconnected my iPhone 3G to my Windows/Parallels and was able to synch it.

Here are some of the key new features.
- Cut, Copy & Paste with shake to undo
- Landscape keyboard
- MMS (not available yet)
- Forward or delete single or multiple messages
- Added search features in mail, calendar, notes and iPod
- Spotlight search for the iPhone (Tap Home button once or scroll to a new Spotlight screen left of the home menu. Ugh, you're still limited 8 screens so in my case the upgrade prodess randomly removed some of my Apps because Spotlight takes up one of the eight.)
- Support for CalDAV and subscriptions in Calendar
- Improved Safari, performance, HTML 5, HTTP streaming audio/video, auto-fill usernames and passwords. ( A client of mine reports Safari is much faster on the iPhone 3G S, huh, a reason to upgrade).
- New Voice Memos application (unfortunately, it doesn't do voice dialing!)
- Synch Notes via iTunes
- Internet Tethering (available later)
- Browse and download movies from the iPhone
- Stereo Bluetooth
- Wi-fi autologin
- Enhanced Stocks application (I hope I have a good reason to use it in 2009/2010)
- More parental controls
- ITunes account creation and login from the iPhone
- YouTube account login and access to subscriptions, ratings and favorites
- Shake to shuffle
- New languages, dictionaries and keyboards
- Find my iPhone and Remote Wipe via MobileMe (huh, I might need to try MobileMe again!)
- Support for Exchange Policies
- Create and send Exchange meeting invites
- Search mail on server (Exchange Server 2007 and IMAP servers)
- Search LDAP company directory
- VPN on demand and VPN proxy
- Encrypted configuration profiles
- Encrypted iTunes backups
- New APIs
- Compatible with iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3G S

It looks like I may need to read the manual to understand the new features.
See: http://www.apple.com/support/manuals/iphone

Digital TV Signal Strength Improves- NBC Miami

It appears to me that NBC in Miami has significantly increased their digital TV signal strength in the past 24 hours. I can now receive TV reception from a room that faces West or at Biscayne Bay. Before today, I was not able to get any NBC digital TV signal (stations 6-1, 6-2, 6-3). It's coming in nearly crystal clear on an analog TV with a digital TV converter box and only a standard VHF antenna. I returned the special digital TV UHF antenna a few months ago because it didn't help much. I also tested it earlier this week and I didn't notice any change. I am also receiving DTV 4-1 (CBS) and DTV 29-1 (Fox) DTV 29-2 without any significant transmission issues.

I guess the "beta" program is now over for Digital TV. I might eventually look at buying a HD Digital TV antenna for the living room. I'm not a big fan of my Satellite TV provider, but I'll certainly wait because in my opinion, their beta program really started this morning.

For other info on my experiences installing a converter box.

http://www.martinogawa.com/2008/10/digital-tv-converter-box-installed.html

Upgrading to the New Apple iPhone 3G S Online

I usually upgrade my iPhones at the Apple Store but for the new iPhone 3G S this year I decided to upgrade online at the AT&T site. I wanted to avoid the chaos of the Apple Store on Friday, June 19th.

1. At http://wireless.att.com I logged in to my AT&T wireless account. I have a family plan and I imagine like most famlies, each family member's current iPhone has Upgrade Plan. In my case, some of the phones are eligible for the new pricing since their two year contract has lapsed and of course my iPhone 3G falls under the iPhone 3G S Early Upgrade path. On the AT&T Manage Account interface, there are tabs for each family member or phone. Under Phone/Device, I clicked on Check Upgrade Options.

2. Upgrade Phone - A screen with each of the family member phones appears with a checkbox to upgrade their phone. You can upgrade multiple phones at this time. In my case, the screen also showed the following.

• No Commitment Pricing - You can take advantage of our no commitment pricing. Additional discounts may be available on 05/24/2010. (This message appeared on my iPhone 3G which I have to pay the Early Upgrade fee. I imagine it means that I don't have to extend my contract at this time and next June 2010 when a new iPhone comes out, I can extend it at that time.)
• Discount - We can offfer you an additional disount of up to $50.00 off regular 2-year commitment and a waived upgrade fee on most devices. (This message appeared under the main family member's account only but is not available on iPhones).
• iPhone Upgrade Fee $18 - As a valued AT&T customer, we can offer you an iPhone upgrade with a new 2-year commitment and an $18 upgrade fee.

3. Phones & Devices - The next screen lists the six different iPhone 3G / 3G S options. The main selection here is the color choice, the default is black and you need to click on the square white box to change the color, then click on the link (not a great user inteface).

4. Accessories -- The next screen gives you the option to purchase a long list of iPhone 3G / 3G S accssories. The iPhone 3G S and new iPhone 3G is the same size as my old iPhone 3G so I did not need a new case, but I ordered some other cases because the iPhone Edge is a different size than the iPhone 3G / 3G S. I also did not buy Apple Care because the phone is covered for a one year period.

5. Rate Plans - The iPhone 3G / iPhone 3G S has a more expensive data plan so when upgrading some the phones from the iPhone Edge, I needed to select new data/text messsaging plans. Here are some other rate issues that came up which I needed to research.

What are Nights & Weekends?
Question:What are Nights & Weekends?Answer:Nights and Weekends are generally defined as "Nights" from 9 p.m. to 5:59 a.m., Monday through Thursday, and "Weekends" as 9 p.m. Friday night until 5:59 a.m. Monday morning, in the time zone from which the call was placed. Extended Nights and Weekends feature can be added at an additional charge on qualified plans.
Some calling plans may have a different definition of "Nights and Weekends" as detailed in your contract or Customer Service Summary.

6. Shopping Cart - You need to provide AT&T with a credit card to check out. It will not be added to your monthly invoice.

7. Ship Date - Our iPhones should arrive on Friday, June 19th via Federal Express.

8. Other Notes; If you want your iPhones or a family member's iPhone shipped to a different address, you must call 1-866-499-8008 to order over the phone.

Reasons to Upgrade to the iPhone 3G S - iPhone 3GS

• Battery Life - The new iPhone 3G S and iPhone 3G should have an improved battery life. Apple claims that the battery life should improve when using wi-fi.
  
• 7.2Mbps HSDPA - The iPhone 3G S contains a chip that supports faster 3G download speeds.
• Camera - The iPhone 3G S comes with a 3 megapixels camera including a new Autofocus feature and support video. The iPhone 3G has a 2 megapixel camera.
  
• Speed - The new iPhone 3G S and iPhone 3G should be much faster than the old iPhone 3G or the original iPhone Edge. Apple claims that it should load Web pages and launch Apps twice as fast.
  
• Disk Space - The iPhone 3G S will be available in 32 GB, 16GB.
• Voice Control - The iPhone 3G S will have a voice control feature for auto dialing.
  
• Other Features - The iPhone 3G S has several other features that might be useful to some users. This includes a Digital Compass and Stereo Bluetooth.
• iPhone 3G S Dimensions - According to the specification sheet, the iPhone 3G S is the same size as the current iPhone 3G. Unlike the upgrade for the iPhone Edge, you shouldn't need to buy a new case.

Here is the pricing for the iPhone 3G S for new and existing customers. Current customers can go to http://www.wireless.att.com for their upgrade pricing from AT&T.

• New Customers - $299 for the 32 GB iPhone 3G S; $199 for the 16 GB iPhone 3G S; $149 for the iPhone 3G 16 GB; $99 for the iPhone 3G 8 GB; $129 for the iPhone 3G 16 GB (Refurb) and $79 for the iPhone 3G 8 GB (Refurb).
  
• iPhone Edge Customers - If the two year agreement has expired, iPhone Edge customers will be able to receive the discounted pricing (above) as if a new customer.
  
• iPhone 3G Early Upgrade - Customers Less than 2 years remaining on contract - $499 32 GB iPhone 3G S; $399 for the 16 GB iPhone 3G S; $349 for the iPhone 3G 16 GB; $299 for the 8 GB iPhone 3G; $329 for the iPhone 3G 16 GB (Refurb); $279 for the iPhone 3G 8 GB (Refurb).
  

Unfortunately, AT&T and Apple's pricing appears to punish the loyal Apple customer who buys each new Apple product when it comes out. That said, you can sell your old iPhone 3G or gift it to a family member to lower the cost of the Early Upgrade fee.

Backing up your iPhone or iTouch

With the release of iTune 8.2 and the pending release of the new iPhone 3.0 software or firmware, iPhone and iTouch users should ensure their iPhones are backed up. In addition, if you are considering upgrading to the new iPhone Pro, you should ensure your camera roll photos are backed up so you don't inadvertenly lose any info in case there is a problem with backup file. Here's Apple's KB article on backing up your iPhone and itouch.

Apple iPhone / iTouch Backup KB Article
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1766

FILE LOCATIONS

On a Mac: ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/

On Windows XP: \Documents and Settings\(username)\Application Data\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup\

On Windows Vista: \Users\(username)\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup\

Don't Buy an iPhone until after June 8, 2009

On Monday, June 8, 2009 at 1 p.m. Eastern Time, Apple will announce its new lineup of Apple iPhones. There is speculation that Apple will announce:

• An iPhone 3G Pro for $299 that includes a 3.2MP camera with video recording
• A new 3G wireless chip that supports downloads speeds up to 7.2 Mbps
• A $99 iPhone
• A Digital Compass or a magnoetometer

If you are waiting to upgrade your current iPhone or are going to buy a new one, I would wait until after June 8th. You'll probably end up waiting until the end of June or early July to get the new iPhone Pro!

Apple Developer's Conference - June 8th
http://developer.apple.com/WWDC/

List of Facebook Phishing URLs - bestspace.be the latest!

This morning I received a Facebook Message from one of my "trusted friends" with a message to "look at bestspace.be". When I tried to post a message on my friend's wall with the website address bestspace.be, FB blocked or filted the URL bestspace.be from being posted. What I don't understand is why FB can't block the SMTP messages from being sent.

Oh well, here's my current list of FB Phishing website addresses:
- areps.at
- bests.at
- bruga.at
- bestspace.be
- fcoder.at
- kirgo.at
- nutpic.at
- sweeter.be


XXX sent you a message.

Subject: Hi

"Look at bestspace.be"

To reply to this message, follow the link below:
http://www.facebook.com/n/?inbox/

___
This message was intended for xxx@xxx.com.com. Want to control which emails you receive from Facebook? Go to:
http://www.facebook.com/editaccount.php?
Facebook's offices are located at 1601 S. California Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94304.

Kirgo.AT - Facebook Phishing Scam - Don't Log-In

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

XM Radio - Removes Online XM Radio feature from its Subscriber Package

Huh, I just noticed that XM Radio removed their online service from its basic subscriber package. For this loyal XM Radio customer who has been paying for their service in his car for almost a decade, they want another $2.99 per month for it. I didn't listen to the service that often but once in a while if I wanted a break from my iTunes, I would listen to it. Also, all of their channels were not part of the free service such as ACC football. I hope for the $2.99 per month, you get all the channels and it just isn't the old limited set of channels and the purported "higher digital quality audio". This techie doesn't really believe that line! It's not a large amount of money, but what ever happened to the concept of "grandfathering" your early adopters, i.e. taking care of your loyal customers. It use to be that once you provided a customer with a service, you didn't take it away. Out of principle, I will not be paying the $2.99. Also, I understand many Sirius customers were promised a lifetime membership, but after the merger, they had to pay additional fees to get the XM channels. If this doesn't sound like a "Monopoly" or unfair pricing, then what is?

Here the letter I received from them. If XM didn't have a monopoly, I would be switching to Sirius.

---------------------

Dear XXXX,

Thank you for contacting XM.

We have received your email and we are sorry to hear that you are no longer able to get XM Radio Online. Since March 11, 2009, the online listening platform was upgraded to a higher Digital Quality Audio and is no longer included free as part of a base subscription. XM Radio Online is now $2.99 per month with a radio subscription.


To add XM Radio Online to your subscription, please go to http://www.xmradio.com/getxmro/index.xmc and follow the instructions provided. If you are having difficulties, please contact our Listener Care Center directly at the telephone number provided below. Our representatives will be more than happy to assist you.

If we can be of further assistance, please feel free to send an additional email or you may contact a Listener Care Representative directly at 1-800-XM RADIO (800-967-2346). Our Listener Care Center's hours of operation are as follows:

Monday - Saturday 8AM - 11PM ET

Sunday 8AM - 8PM ET

Thank you,

Glen
------------------

Taking my iPhone to Europe or Abroad - iPhone International Plan

In the past, when we have traveled abroad, I've disabled iPhone features by enabling a SIMM Pin and used the Wi-Fi on my phone only. What I discovered is that Apple has since changed their iPhone Software and Wi-Fi now works on Airplane Mode so disabling the SIMM Pin is no longer necessary. For this trip, I will be signing up for an International Roaming Package so that I can use the iPhone's 3G service for directions, checking mail and receiving text messages. Here are the details:

1. AT&T International Plan Customer Service 1-800-335-4685 - The day before I leave, I'm called them to subscribe the following services:

• AT&T World Traveler- $5.99 per month (calls in Spain, Switzerland and Italy are $.99 cents per minute)
• AT&T Data Global Add-On for the iPhone - $59.99 for 50MB of usage, $0.005/KB overage or $5.00 per MB for overage. You have approximately 1.67 MB per day data usage which is important as it relates to your normal AT&T billing cycle, your vacation dates and how AT&T does the pro-ration. When you sign-up, the beginning and ending date of your AT&T contact and how it falls within your travel period. To be safe, you might have to have the AT&T Rep back date your contract 30-days or less because of how they calculate the pro-ration.)
• Here's an Example: AT&T takes your total MB per month and divides by the number of days until the next billing period. If you travel started 1-day before your new billing period, then you would have 1.67 MB and $5.00 per MB for any overage. So if you used 3.67 MB the first day of your trip, you would be charged $59.99 / 30 days or $2.00 per day + $10.24 (2MB overage @ $5.12 per MB ) = $12.24. The second billing period you will be billed at $59.99 under the same formula. (Yes, it sounds complicated but worst case if you you pay$119.98 for two months for 50 MB iPhone data usage. (more later on data usage) In my case, the Rep back dated my contract 30 days so I had 7 days to use 50 MB which was more than enough.

2. Forwarding -- Before I leave the United States, I will use the iPhone to forward my calls to my Google Voice number. When people call this number, for any voice messages, text transcripts will be sent to my phone using Google's new cool service. I am lucky to have one of these beta accounts.

3. Text Messages -- Incoming text message are covered by my domestic plan. Outgoing text messages are $.50 each.

More info is at the link below.

http://www.wireless.att.com/learn/international/roaming/affordable-world-packages.jsp?wtSlotClick=1-0017YW-0-1&WT.svl=calltoaction

4. Canceling - When I get back to the States, I will cancel the plan without any penalty.


5. iPhone Usage Reset Statistics - Before my plane took off from the United States, I Reset the iPhone Usage Statistics Settings --> General --> Usage --> Reset Statistics (This allowed me to track my Cellular Network Data Sent and Received).

6. International Usage -- On my first day of travel, we landed in Madrid, Spain and drove North to Salamanca. The first thing I noticed was that I was not able to connect to Google Maps until I re-booted my iPhone several times (i.e. everytime you change Cellular providers such as Vodafone, Orange). Google Maps worked, but I'm not convinced it was as accurate as in the United States in the smaller town of Salamanca.

7. Photos and Google Maps - I normally blog on vacation and like to upload photos from my iPhone. As you would expect, each blog photo uploaded used a good amount of my daily 1.67 MB data usage. In addition, Google Maps also uses up your data.

8. Email - Spain didn't have good free wi-fi service like some other countries so I was judicious about checking my email, especially with the amount of spam I get in some of my accounts.

9. Coverage - For celluar service and 3G on the train from Madrid to Barcelona was also better than I expected.

10. Wi-fi - A side note that wi-fi was $20 to $26 per day in Spain and Switzerland. When I had Internet cable access in Barcelona, I actually used wi-fi sharing for the first time. My daughter was able to use my Internet connection and I also used it to connect my iPhone.

11. AT&T Text Message - Reset Statistics - On the day my billing period ended, I received a very informative text message from AT&T reminding me to reset my statistics and of the $5.12 per MB overage charge.

12. Text Messages - When using this service abroad, my incoming messages were generally unrelaible. There appeared to be a long latency from the time someone in Spain sent me a text message to the time I received it. In general, this was not expected.

12. Returned Home - I returned home and canceled my International plans today. I had to wait a few days to avoid the data plan overages.

Best links to Swine Flu Information (H1N1 virus)

Here are the best links I could find on the Swine Flu virus. When an incident like this occurs, as a consumer interested in up-to-date, relevant and comprehensive information on this topic, I found myself searching: 1) Google Web Search; 2) Google News; 3) Twitter.com #swineflu ; 4) Wikipedia ; 5) YouTube.com

1) Google Health News
http://news.google.com/news?pz=1&topic=m

2) World Health Organization Press Briefings
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/multimedia/swineflupressbriefings/en/index.html

3) CDC site
http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/

4) Google Maps

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&t=p&msa=0&msid=106484775090296685271.0004681a37b713f6b5950&ll=32.639375,-110.390625&spn=15.738151,25.488281&z=5


5) You Tube Video on Swine Flu Virus
Dr. Joe Bresee, CDC Influenza Division.


6) Twitter.com CDC Emergency Site
http://www.twitter.com/CDCemergency

7) Wikipedia - Swine Flu
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swine_flu

8) U.S. State Department Travel Alerts
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_4488.html

9) N95 Masks and Respirators Info on CDC Site
http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/masks.htm?s_cid=tw_epr_76

http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/ppe/masksrespirators.html

10) Dr. Sanjay Gupta CNN on Twitter.com
http://www.twitter.com/sanjayguptaCNN

Are you using TweetDeck yet as your Twitter Client?

Okay, I finally started using the TweetDeck Twitter client which is more or less the Outlook or Entourage for the Twitter client of choice for managing your Twitter tweets. If you haven't used TweetDeck yet, it's an Adobe Air application that resides on your Mac or Windows Desktop. It allows you to read, respond to, add to favorites and more easily post Twitter updates than using Twitter.com

Go to http://www.tweetdeck.com to download Twitter.

BTW, if you are new to Twitter, see my other blog at http://www.ogawadesign.com

Lastly, my Twittter client of choice on my iPhone is TwitterFon.

USTREAM.TV - Snoopdogg is live!

Snoopdogg is live on www.ustream.tv

New Dictionary.com iPhone App

The new free 10MB Dictionary.com iPhone App is a must have for all
iPhone and iTouch users. It's fast since it doesn't require Wi-Fi, 3G
or Edge network acceds. It includes a thesaurus and a user interface
that allows you to easily look up the correct spelling of a word. It
is a main screen page 1 iPhone or iTouch App. If you have a child,
nephew or niece that doesn't like using the dictionary, then there's
now a reason to buy them an iTouch ir iPhone! If they already have
one, then make sure it's on their home screen and they use it!

DWade YouTube video - Viral marketing?

This video is being circulating around the Web with proclaimed drunk billionaire in a $20K suit challenging Dwyane Wade to a basketball game in the American Arilines Arena Garage. Is this what viral marketing has come to?

Is Your Comcast Service Down? - Get on Twitter.com for Support!

This morning, I signed in to my Twitter client, TweetDeck and was checking this mornings tweets. I noticed several members of the Miami Technology community commenting that their Comcast Internet Service was down in the 305 or Miami, Florida area. One asked for a suggestions of local coffee shops with reliable wi-fi access. When I replied (@twitterusername) to this guy on my Twitter Friend list, the next thing I knew I received a public reply from a member of the Comcast Tech Support Department asking if I needed assistance. When I performed a Twitter Search on #comcast, I noticed Comcast Customer Service checking modems and connecting with customers via Twitter. This is a great use of Twitter, and you don't need to stay on hold for 15 or 20 minutes waiting for an available service rep.

If your Comcast service is down, I recommend you login to Twitter and search on #comcast for Comcast contact information or simply tweet with #comcast in your message.

Wow, this is a great use of Twitter.com. I hope AT&T DSL or AT&T FastAccess Customer Service is listening!

iPhone Skype App 3G not Supported

I'm sure I wasn't the only one that was hoping for this feature. I pay
AT&T each month for that 3G laptop card and am one of their most loyal
customers. I think I should be eligible for this feature.

Skype App for the iPhone in iTunes Store

I just downloaded and installed the new iPhone Skype App. It works
great!

AT&T DSL in Miami 33137 is now up and runnning!

My AT&T DSL is now up and running. They sent out the telecom service guy with his classic belt of telephone test equipment. He made some noise filtering changes at the panel, gave me a new 2Wire replacement modem and I'm now live again!

AT&T DSL Service Outage 03-27-09 (Miami, FL)

Yesterday morning, my AT&T DSL line went down. When it occurred, the lights the 2Wire modem were blinking and were not able to establish an Internet Connection. Here are the steps I used to try and resolve the problem.

• AT&T Tech Support - I called 1-888-321-2375 to inquire if there was a service outage. I was informed there was none that they were aware of.
  
• AT&T Tech Support - The tech reset the port for me and diagnosed an intermittent DSL connection issue on 2Wired modem. She put in a Service Request to request an AT&T rep come out the following day between 8 am and 12pm or 1 pm and 5 pm. I choose 8 am.
  
• Re-test with Backup Modem - I found an old Westell modem in my closet and plugged it in to my DSL data line and was still unable to get an Internet connection.
  
• AT&T Tech Support Manager - I asked to speak with a manager to get the service call that afternoon or evening but was unsuccessful. I explained that I was a very loyal AT&T customer and subscribe to several of their services. After making this call, I did get a follow-up voice mail confirminmg my appointment for 8 am next day and letting me know to call 1-888-272-4047 if I needed to reschedule the appointment.
  
• AT&T Onsite Tech - The tech arrived the following day at 8:30 am, about 24 hours from the initial service outage. He tested the line with his modem and was not able to get an Internet connection. He diagnosed the root cause of the problem being at the box on the street which is commonly caused by storms or bad weather. He put in another service request or ticket to request service at the AT&T box on the street. The tech gave me the ticket number. He tried to schedule the service for the afternoon but was unsucessful. The service was scheduled for the following day.
  
• AT&T Tech Support - I called AT&T Tech Support at 1-888-321-2375 to speak with a manager. I was able to convince her to escalate the ticket for this afternoon, between 1pm and 5pm.

More later...

Watch NCAA Games in HQ for Free on CBSSports.com

On the CBSSport.com site, I've been watching the 2009 NCAA March Madness on Demand service that is streaming live video for every game for free. This year they have a new High Quality (HQ) player that uses Microsoft Silverlight that will be downloaded and installed before you are able to view the NCAA games in HQ. The quality is the very good.

Here's the direct link to the CBSSports.com site with the Player.

http://mmod.ncaa.com/?source=mktg_09MMOD_AAsports

Advice to My Family Members - Memorize Your iTunes Password

As the tech guy in my family, I sometimes get calls during moments of crisis when their iPhone, Mac or PC has a major issue. As most of us know that provide Family IT Support, there is no trouble ticket system with assigned priorities -- depending on the family member everything is a high priority incident.

So this week, here are words of advice to my family members, none of which read this blog.

• User Name and Passwords -- You should create a list of all user names and passwords and keep that list in a secure place -- and that doesn't mean on yellow post-its tacked to your computer monitor. In addition, you should not write the exact password on this list but some set of words that would remind you of your password.
  
• Use Several Different Passwords -- No one should use the same password for every service they use!
  
• Password Length -- You should have a secure password for every combination of required password lengths such as 4 characters numeric only, 6 characters alpha numeric, 8 charaters alpha numeric.
  
• Your List -- Everytime you sign up for a new service requiring a password, you should write it down on your secure list. There are some secure programs such as SplashID that allow you to enter these on your mobile device or computer. However, if you store the password electronically, you should remember to enter a password hint rather than the actual password.

Finally, if you have an iPhone or computer and want to download an application or music, "please memorize and or write down your iTunes password and your Apple ID." And if you forgot it, here's the link if you forgot your iTunes password.



iTunes Forget Password link

iTunes 8.1.0.52 Windows Update

I finally installed iTunes 8.1.0.52 update for Windows and iTunes 8.1 (50) for the Mac. They both seem to be working fine. Some users are reporting that after this release, iTunes can no longer find the iPone Application Updates. That was not true for me.

Google Voice Invitation Link

For those of you that don't have a Google Voice account or did not participate in the Grand Central private beta, here's the link to get on the Google Voice waiting list.

https://services.google.com/fb/forms/googlevoiceinvite/


Google Voice Features
https://www.google.com/voice/about


Here are some of the cool new features of Google Voice that I think are useful:

• Voicemail transcripts -- Read what your voice mail. This may come in handy if you're in a meeting or with your family, the W, or GF and can't pickup your voice mail.


• Share voicemail -- Forward your voicemail messages.


• Listen in - Listen before taking a call.


• SMS - Send, receive and store SMS messages.


• Place calls -- Call U.S. numbers for free.


• Forwarding phones -- Add phones and decide which will wring and in what order.


• Conference Calling -- Join people with a single call.


• GOOG-411 -- Check directory assistance.

Gary Vaynerchuck - FOWA Conference

An inspirational tech video with Gary Vaynerchuck from the 2009 FOWA Conference I attended in Miami. Gary says he needs to "Go into hibernation and grow a sick ass beard and come out with six killer apps."


Gary Vaynerchuk at FOWA Miami 09 from DamianVoltes.com on Vimeo.

Amazon Kindle iPhone App User Interface

Can you read an Amazon Book on your iPhone? Is the screen too small? Here are some screen shots. I encourage everyone with an iPhone to take the time and download the Kindle iPhone App so they can decide for themselves.

Book Text from the Amazon Kindle iPhone App

Alec Baldwin's Book


Book Table of Contents on the Amazon Kindle iPhone App


List of Books on the Amazon Kindle iPhone App


Go To Navigation on the Amazon Kindle iPhone App


Locaton or Page navigation on the Amazon Kindle iPhone App

Using the Kindle 2 iPhone App to Read a Book

Today, I downloaded and installed the new Amazon Kindle App for the iPhone and purchased a book for it. Here are the steps I used:

1. I installed the iPhone Kindle App from the iTunes App Store. You an also download it from the link on the www.amazon.com/kindlestore/ or use the the Safari browser on my iPhone. There was no link to the iPhone Safari browser.

4. I typed in "www.amazon.com/kindlestore" in my iPhone Safari Browser and then found the book I was looking for at $13.51 that would be Auto-delivered wirlessly to Kindle on my iPhone.

5. In the right navigation, there were two options: A) Buy with 1-Click, Send wirelessly to my iPhone or B) Send Sample now wirelessly to my iPhone.

6. I clicked "Buy with 1-Click" and was prompted to sign-in to my Amazon account.

7. I was asked to verify my credit card information and billing address and then received the message: "Your Kindle Edition order has been placed. Your item will be sent to Iphone. Kindle for iPhone will start downloading the this item the next time you open the application.

8. I tapped on the Kindle Application and my Book was delivered in seconds.

Technology Video - Did You Know 2.0

Video by by Karl Fisch, Scott McLeod, Jeff Bronman.

The Amazon Kindle 2 Rocks!

Okay, I ordered my W the Kindle 2 because I wasn't sure that I wanted one. Today, while she was at the office, I downloaded a book from Amazon from for $13.92 which included wireless delivery via Amazon Whispernet. The regular price of the book was $15.47 + shipping. However, with the Kindle 2, here the things you can do:

• Text to Speech - When reading a book, you can click Menu, Start Text-to-Speech and the Kindle will start reading the the book to you. The software used is similar to the text-to-speech engine used with the Auto GPS systems so it is not for everyone, but I could see times when I would use it with my headphones.


• Amazon Store Wireless Access - The Kindle 2 connects to the Amazon Store simply by selecting Menu, Turn Wireless On. There are no setting to configure and I understand it uses both 3G and wi-fi.


• Kindle 2 User Interface - The Amazon Kindle 2 screen is surprisingly very easy to read. It reminds me of the Palm Pilot screen, but better. When reading a book, the Next Page buttons on the left or right and the Prev Page button is the main user interface control you need to get use to as well as the Joy Stick which is similar to the iPod Home button. Also, as an Apple iPhone and iPod user, I keep wanting to touch the screen but that feature is not supported. (The W would not be happy if I inadvertently touched her Kindle 2 screen.)


• 
  
• 240K Books - There are over 240,000 e-books in the Amazon Kindle Store. A very impressive inventory.

Newspapers and Magazines - I was going to check out The New York Times and noticed that the Kindle 2 version is another $13.99. Ouch, I already get the print version so I don't think I'll be subscribing.

Blogs - Huh, you can read blogs such as the Amazon Daily (top selling but free?), The New York Times #2 ($1.99 per mo), The Clutter Diet #3 ($.99), The Onion #4 ($.99 per mo), The Huffington Post #5 ($1.99 per mo) and the Bedroom Blog #10 $.99 per month. (Hey wait a minute, aren't these blogs free on the Internet!). I don't think I'll be using this service since I can read these blogs on my MacBook or iPhone with 3G.

In any regard, The Kindle 2 is still hot and I recommend you get yours now before they run out!

Twitter Spam - GrantToolBox.com website - Grant Money Lost

If you receive a twitter or email leading to a landing page at a grantoolbox.com or secure.grantoolbox.com website, this is spam. Here is the Twitter spam I recently received from one of their affiliates.

1) Today, received a "twitter spam" that a member "Whynot12"was following me.

EMAIL MESSAGE
Subject: Whynot12 is now following you on Twitter!

Whynot12 (vqdsfZ) is now following your updates on Twitter.
Check out Whynot12's profile here:
http://twitter.com/vqdsfZ

You may follow Whynot12 as well by clicking on the "follow" button.

Best,
Twitter

2) When someone follows you on Twitter, I typically click the person's Twitter profile page to see if I know this person and see how many followers the person has. This person Whynot12 had over 800 followers, however, there most recent tweet looked like email spam I received. "Just applied for the new Obama stimulas grant package.

3) So I clicked through to the link, and it appeared to be an affiliate link, where the affiliate gets paid each time a user signs up or registers.
4) The Affiliate was https://secure.granttoolbox.com/

5) Ouch, look at their 245,000 monthly unique visitors per month on Quantcast.

Amazon Kindle 2 Now Shipping

For Valentine's Day, I bought my W or wife an Amazon Kindle 2. She can't wait to get it and I understand it shipped early and should arrive by Thursday, February 26, 2009. This is a very, very cool device with free 3G connectivity to buy books from Amazon and wireless connectivity, a browser for basic surfing the Internet. The electronic books should be $10 or less and this device has great battery life.

David Pogue's review is in today's edition of the New York Times.

I told my W to wait to buy the case since I imagine we'll see many great cases on the market in the next several months. I received an email regarding a new Kenneth Cole case for the Kindle 2.

AMEX Enhanced Fraud Protection - Overseas Transactions

Before traveling abroad, I need to remember to call my credit card companies such as AMEX to ensure I can use my credit cards overseas. That said, when traveling abroad online and when you think the company's shopping cart might be hosted overseas such as in the UK, then you must remember to call your credit card company to ensure your card is authorized to charge in the UK. Otherwise, you'll find yourself calling your credit card company or in the AMEX case, using their "Enhanced Fraud Protection".

Canon Rebel XTi Photos during Amgen Tour of California Bike Race

Here are some shots I took with my Canon Rebel XTi in the rain during the Amgen Tour of California bike race. You'll see some shots of Lance Armstrong.

Google GrandCentral 2.0 - Bring It

I was at a Miami Heat basketball game the other night reading my Twitter Friend's posts on my iPhone 3G and noticed disturbing tweet (no, it wasn't twitter: THE_REAL_SHAQ announcing he's in San Fran on his way to Alcatraz and he might stay) -- it was a tweet from Alex de Carvalho (twitter: alexdc) South Florida Tech thought leader and Social Media Strategist regarding the rumor that Google was shutting down GrandCentral, the universal phone number service. I immediately called my GrandCentral number that I had recently had printed on some new business cards and discovered that it was still active. If I would have continued reading Alex's Twitter messages, I would have later discovered that GrandCentral.com is not shutting down but will soon be releasing GrandCentral 2.0, that's at least the news from NY Times Tech Columnist David Pogue. http://www.alleyinsider.com/2009/1/pogue-googles-grandcentral-not-dead-just-resting

I had significant doubts that GrandCentral would not be a repeat of the dot-com era startup Thinklink later acquired by United Airlines. I'm glad to hear that at least today's news is that's just not true!

If you don't have a GrandCentral number yet, there's a waiting list so I would advise that you reserve your number now.

Upgrading my iPhone from 2.2 to 2.2.1

Today, despite warnings from a few users not to install the iPhone firmware update 2.2.1, I went ahead and installed it. I also updated my iPhone Touch from 2.2 to 2.2.1.

I was little hesitant to update it since earlier this year I switched to a MacBook Pro after nearly decades of exclusive PC computer and laptop use. See my blog on some of my experiences in running Windows on a MacBook Pro. 

http://widows-on-mac.blogspot.com/

In any regard, so far both my iPhone 3G and iTouch are running on 2.2.1 without any problems. I understand there are only minor fixes (Safari stability; fixes an image image in which pictures are saved from mail and don't display in camera roll and for iTouch users a Apple Lossless ALAC audio issue) but some 3G users report improved performance.

The Google Earth Updates 5.0 Rock! (at least for Miami, Florida users)

Wow, the new Google Earth Updates for Mac and Windows totally rock! If you haven't installed them yet, you should. I also noticed at least in the Miami, Florida area, the satellite and 3D images are vastly improved!

Google Earth Mac
5.0.11337.1968 (beta)

Google Earth 5.0.11337.168 Windows

Twitter is over Capacity - Trying to Add or Update your Picture

Are you trying to add or update your picture on Twitter and are you receiving the error message: "Twitter is over capacity". This happened to me only when I tried to upload a .GIF image. When I converted the image to .PNG or .JPG, the same image uploaded successfully.

Fring iPhone Applicaton - Can receive Skype Chat - AlwaysOn

 

 

http://www.fring.com/download/iphone/

Lastly, so what is Fring, on their website they say they are a "mobile internet service & community" that enables you to access and interact with social networks on-the-go, make free calls and live chat with your fring, Skype, MSN Messenger, Google Talk, ICQ, SIP, Twitter, Yahooo and AIM friends using your handset's internet connection.

 

 

 

Dish Network - Losing Local Channels

In the past several month, my Dish Network cable TV has been losing my local channels. To fix this, shutting the power off and turning it back on usually fixes the problem, but that requires at least 5 minutes to reboot and reconnect to the satellite. I actually think turning most of my Windows PCs boot faster. I also use a Dish Network reseller in Miami, Florida, Broadband Solutions. I hope to find a solution to this problem or another vendor.

BTW, in the past month they have sent me two different smart cards to reinstall. They say they will be canceling my service unless I reinstall the new cards. What's up with that? I hope this isn't some security issue! Don't they know if it's not broken, don't mess with it!

If anyone has any recommendations, please let me know (and don't say, switch to Direct TV!)

View of Inauguration on CNN Site Using Microsoft Photosynth

If you haven't seen this yet, check out the view of the Inauguration at the CNN site using user submitted photos. It uses Photosynth by Microsoft Live Labs.

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2009/44.president/inauguration/themoment/


This is very cool technology!

Inauguration Map -

Here is a link to an Inauguration Day Map if you have any family and friends attending today's Inauguration in Washington DC. It shows the areas for the different ticket colors.

My V-Moda iPhone Headphones broke

After almost a year, my V-Moda iPhone headphones plug casing broke and it lasted a few months until one day they just didn't work. I bought a new pair at the Apple Store over the holidays and I sure hope they don't break this time!

Fix for Zune Frozen, Video How to Reset Zune - ZY2K9 Fix

If you have a frozen Zune affected by the Dec. 31st ZY2K9 issue, here is a Youtube.com video to reset your Zune.

1. Press and hold the [Back] button and the [Up] on the pad for a few seconds.




More info on fixing a Frozen Zune
http://mostpopularinusa.blogspot.com/2008/12/how-to-fix-frozen-zune.html

Zune Z2K9 Fix

I don't have a Zune so I am not affected by the Zune Z2K9 failure that is crashing Zune 30s. Here is one recommendation from a user on Gizmodo.com.

-- snip from Gizmodo.com --

http://gizmodo.com/5121311/30gb-zunes-failing-everywhere-all-at-once

There's a fix:

"Your zune will need a "hard reset."

To do this, use a small screwdriver to pop off the plastic shielding where the zune cable plugs into and remove the two screws on either side of the plug. Next pop the cover off and locate the battery plug at the top left corner of the zune, using your screw driver, pop the cable connection half way off, and do this to the other plug on the right side. Wait 3 seconds, then push down the right connector and then the left battery connecter. Your zune should start up immediately. Press the backing of the zune down (make sure headphone jack is aligned) and put the screws and cover back in place.

It's an easy process but if you're unsure don't attempt it if you think you'll screw it or something. :)"

Not pretty, but it might help those of you who have this problem.

Congrats to the Miami Dolphins

As read my email including friend updates from social sites: Facebook.com, MySpace.com, Twitter.com, LinkedIn.com and Yelp.com, I am shocked at the number of people talking about the Miami Dolphins.

Las Vegas Airport Information - Snow Storm

My nephew's flight to Las Vegas last night was canceled due to the snow storm and he is currently waiting at his gate for the next flight to Vegas. It occurred to me that with the new iPhone 3G and other similar devices, you can use other more reliable websites to predict or estimate your flight status rather than relying on the TV monitor at the airport gate as your sole source. I'm sure many of us have waited patiently at an airline gate and not trusted the information provided by the airlines and wanted more detailed information so that we can make possible alternative travel plans.

For flights delayed due to the Las Vegas Snow Storm, here's some sites that I found.

FAA Airport Information - provides overall airport conditions status.
http://www.fly.faa.gov/flyfaa/flyfaaindex.jsp?ARPT=las&p=0

Las Vegas Airport Information - provides a list of upcoming flight arrivals and departures.
http://www.mccarran.com/

Bose Headphones with iPhone and Skype?

When traveling overseas, I like to use Skype and I've always wondered if I can use my Bose QuietComfort 2 Headphones with the accessory microphone cord I use with my iPhone to connect to my Dell laptop. I would really not wamt tp carry an extra headset for using Skype with my PC. I googled around and didn't see the answer, looked at the Bose FAQs and finally called Bose Customer Service. The answer from their customer service representative was that there is no known plug from Bose or any third party. A workaround is to use the Bose for your sound and buy a third party microphone for your laptop.

That's too bad.

Vonage Service Outbound Caller ID Not Yet Available in 2008

I noticed the other day that their Outbound Caller ID did not display the name of my business. I cannot believe that Vonage Outbound Caller ID is not yet available as of 2008. I have seen complaints dating back to 2006. When I called Vonage Customer service today, the rep told me:

• "It's available for their business customers only."


• "It's not available on any IP Phone Service"


• "The final answer is that the Vonage Outbound Caller ID is not available on their personal or business services".

Here are some links to other individuals complaining about this.

Vonage Outbound Caller Not Available
Vonage Outbound Caller ID Complaint in 2006
Cnet News - comment

When I subscribed to the Vonage Service several years ago, I did so thinking the service would improve in future years. I understand that displaying the caller id has been problematic for telco companies, but even my iPhone family plan displays the correct outbound caller id for each family member. The Vonage corporate tag line is: "A Better Way to Phone for Less". They list one of their features as "Caller ID with Name" but that is clearly deceptive advertising, it should read "Inbound Caller ID with Name Only".

Without Outbound Caller ID, Vonage is clearly not a viable personal or business phone alternative. Come on Vonage, it's time to step up your level of service!

Apple iTunes 8.02 and iPhone 2.2

I updated my Apple iTunes 8.02 and my iPhone to iPhone 2.2. These updates were installed without any problems except with my PC Windows or Dell laptop, I have not been able to upgrade my iPhone firmware for about a year. Luckily, I have a Macbook and I first synch my iPhone on my Dell, then backup and upgrade my iPhone on my Macbook. This release took less than an hour with my 16GB iPhone 3G.

This is a nice upgrade loaded with use features that include:

• Google Maps Walking and Public Transit Directions
• ITunes Store Podcast Downloads
• Apps Store sorting options
• The ability to disable the annoying Auto Correction keyboard setting (Setting > General > Keyboard > Auto-Correction Off
• Pressing the App Home Button is suppose to return you to the Application Home screen with this release but this feature did not work for me.

Overall, a very nice unexpected full featured iPhone update. Great job Apple iPhone Dev Team!

Google Mobile App to be launched on Monday 17 November 2008?

The new rumor is that Google Mobile App that allows voice search will be released on Monday, November 17, 2008.

http://www.google.com/mobile/apple/app.html

How much postage do you put on your Miami - Dade County Absentee Ballot?

I use to think the United States Postal Service website was great at calculating postage but when I mailed my Absentee ballot today, the site computed $.59 unless the envelope is an odd size, which it could be, then it's is $.79 cents. James Camner, a blogger on The Huffington Post site writes it will cost two first class stamps or $.84. My W says she took hers to the post office and the postal worker there said it was $.59. A Miami Herald website news article reports that the Post Office will deliver your ballot regardless of the postage you put on it. In Osceola county in Florida, the postage is $1.17 because of the number of initiatives on their ballot.

I put two first class stamps or $.84 on my ballot. If I were voting for the post master general or for the group that writes the ballot instructions, they surely won't get my vote today.

Happy voting!

Sequoia Capital Presentation on Startups and Economic Downturn

There is not much optimism in Silicon Valley.

Sequoia Capital on startups and the economic downturn

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: depression recession)

Digital TV Converter box installed - Miami, FL

Okay, my mom doesn't get cable TV so I requested and received one of
those $40 coupons. The expiration date was Oct 20, 2008 so today I
bought and installed the Zenith DTT901. It was $59.95 less $40.00.

I was curious to try it out on a small TV in my kitchen that previously only received analog
channel 6 NBC in Miami, Florida. After installing the Digital TV Converter Box, I now I recieve 10 digital stations that are crystal clear including ABC but not NBC. Many of the new
stations are in Spanish but I am shocked by the improved quality. Some other observations:

• The digital channels have a new numbering scheme. Just what we need, another non-standard numbering scheme for our TV channels.
  
• The box came with a remote which you use to change the digital channels. Just what my mom needs, another remote.
• There is a website that provides more information on the new digital tv channels and provides you information on which direction to point your antenna for the best reception. See www.atennaweb.org
  

The main problem I see is that there is a delay on some digital tv stations similar to what we see during a rainstorm. If this delay occurs too frequently, it would make digital tv unusable if it cannot be fixed with a better antenna. When my mom asks why we can't go back to her old television without the box, I'll have some explaining to do...just when I got rid of her old telephone, now another change for her. We'll see what happens in February 2009.

XM Radio Pricing after Merger with Sirius

Several of my friends purchased a Sirius lifetime membership for $499. As a loyal XM radio customer, I don't remember getting any news of that promotion. Here is XM's pricing to get the new Sirius Channels which includes Sirius NFL radio, Howard Stern, Martha Stewart Living and Playboy.

$458.00 - 3 years XM and Sirius
$322.00 - 2 years XM and Sirius
$186.89 - 1 year XM and Sirius
$16.99 per month - XM and Sirius
$50.97 per quarter - XM and Sirius
$12.95 per month - XM only.

I didn't like the idea of a lifetime membership when I first heard about it. That said, it sure sounds like a great offer now.

AOL Hometown FTP Settings - members.aol.com FTP Setting

To access your AOL FTP site using a FTP Client such as Core FTP LE, here are the steps and the settings that I used.

1. Login to AOL using your AOL Client software.

2. Host /IP / URL: members.aol.com
Username: anonymous
pw: youraolmembername@aol.com

Port: 21
x PASV (this box checked)
_ SSSH/SFTP (this box unchecked)

They are shutting down AOL Hometown or members.aol.com on October 31, 2008. The use of a FTP client is the best method to change and/or retrieve your files off AOL.

Good luck! If you have any questions, please add a comment to my blog.

AOL Hometown - Redirect to WordPress Site

AOL Hometown is closing down on October 31, 2008. I had a site on AOL Hometown from the beginning of the Internet in the late '90s. Here is how I moved my site from AOL Hometown or AOL Member Pages to the free www.Wordpress.com site.




1. Create your free site at http://www.wordpress.com/

2. Create pages in WordPress from your HTML pages in AOL.

3. To redirect your website pages, add the following code. This code uses HTML only and does not use Javascript. This is method is recommended my some Search Engine Optimization pros who do not recommend using Javascript. This is the best method I could find to hopefully preserve my Google page rank, Google search results and Yahoo organic search results.

The Economic Crisis of 2008 - Financial Crisis of 2007-2008

In the last several weeks, I have been emotionally exhausted after watching the television and reading the media coverage of the state of our U.S. and global financial markets, the coverage of our U.S. presidential election/debates and the $700 Billion Bailout Bill Congressional Hearings. The information provided with these media sources was not necessarily helpful in answering my important questions.

So today, I searched the Wikipedia.org website to find out what the Editors of Wikipedia.org (whoever they are) have to say about the our U.S. and Global Economies. There is a main article on the Wikipedia.org website: Economic Crisis of 2008 which includes a summary of another Wikipedia article: the Global financial crisis of September-October 2008 also referred to as the Liquidity crisis of September 2008. These are well-written articles that concisely explain how our economy and financial markets got to where they are today.

Wikipedia.org also contain a definition of several related words: What is the difference between a recession and a depression - or What is the difference between an economic recession and a economic depression. In other words, are we entering the Depression of 2008 or the Great Depression of 2008 - 2009?

These articles are updated daily which is necessary for these topics. They also attempt to be as factual as possible which is important during these are very tough times economically, financially and emotionally for all of us -- Americans and people around the world.

In other words, if you are pondering what to do with your financial investments right now, these articles are must reads!

iPod Wet Screen - Use Zip Lock Bag and Rice to Repair it.

Here is something to try if your iPod gets wet or damp and your iPod has a White Screen or a Blank Screen. In this case, the iPod functioned but you could not read the menu items on the screen. Before I tried this, I reset the iPod and restored the iPod but neither of these worked.

1. Wipe any water off the iPod immediately.
2. Do not use the iPod, turn if off if you can.
   
3. Use a vacuum to dry out the iPod. A hair dryer is not recommended.
   
4. Put the iPod in a plastic zip lock bag with a handful of rice or use Silica Gel Packets that come with most electronic items (I couldn't find any in my house since I usually throw them away). Leave your iPod in the bag for several hours and check it 2-3 hours or so. Apparently, the rice or Silica Gel Packets absorb the moisure in the LCD iPod screen.
   

In this case, the iPod Nano screen became active after only 1 hour. I absolutely could not believe this procedure fixed the iPod Nano LCD Screen after it got wet!

My next steps would have beeen to take the iPod apart then order a new screen for $29.95 + shipping or call Apple Care. I am glad I didn't have to resort to those options.

iTunes 8.0.1.11 - Windows Version Only

I downloaded and installed iTunes 8.0.1.11 for Windows and iTunes 8.0.1 for the Mac today. There were some reports of some users having problems synching their iPhones after installing this release. I didn't encounter any issues. Here is a list of its new features.

Apple has released iTunes 8.0.1, a significant update to the media playback/purchase, and device synchronization tool.

Among the enhancements in this release:

• Seamlessly plays the current song when creating a new Genius playlist.
• Improves syncing spoken menus to iPod nano.
• Addresses an issue of deleting HD TV episodes when downloading.
• Improves checking for updates from the App Store
• Improves accessibility with VoiceOver.
• Addresses problems syncing Genius results to iPod.
  

TV Converter Box Tutorial

Here is a great Hulu tutorial video about the TV Converter Boxes you may need for some of your non-cable or non-satellite TVs or for your parents. You will need the boxes by February 17, 2009. If you need to order one for them, go to: https://www.dtv2009.gov/

Charles Schwab Brokerage Accounts - Is Schwab Safe?

In recent days, I have been following both the Senate and House Bailout Bill hearings. During this time, I wondered, "how safe is online broker Charles Schwab & Co.?" Today, I received an email from Benjamin L. Bingeman, Executive Vice President Investor Services with a subject line: Schwab's stability and ways we can help.

The most important items in his letter:

• Schwab brokerage asssets are held separately from the company's asssets and are covered by SIPC or Securities Investor Protection Corporation.
  
• Schwab Bank deposits are FDIC-insured.

So who is SIPC ? How much does it cover and if Schwab brokerage accounts are protected by the Securities Investor Protection Corporation? Can I then surmise that it is likely my brokerage accounts are safe with Charles Schwab & Co. I looked through SPIC's member database and noticed that all of the brokerage firms in the recent news were in their database.

Here is some info on SIPC from Wikipedia.

The Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC) is a federally mandated non-profit corporation in the United States that protects securities investors from harm if a broker/dealer defaults. Investors are not insured for any potential loss while invested in the market.

SIPC was created by the 1970 Securities Investor Protection Act, 15 U.S.C. § 78aaa et seq, but it is not a government agency; rather, it is a membership corporation funded by its members.

SIPC serves two primary roles in the event that a broker-dealer fails. First, SIPC acts to organize the distribution of customer cash and securities to investors. Second, to the extent a customer's cash and/or securities are unavailable, SIPC provides insurance coverage up to $500,000 of the customer's net equity balance including up to $100,000 in cash.

House Bailout Bill

Here is a link to the House Bailout Bill text.

http://www.theopenhouseproject.com/2008/09/28/house-bailout-bill/