Dwyane Wade 46 points vs Boston NBA 2010 Playoffs Game 4 - He has another Gear!

I wanted to test copying embedded videos into Blogger so here is my test. What better content than some highlights from the Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade's 46 points against the Boston Celtics in Game 4 of the 2010 NBA Playoffs as well as NBA Coach Erik Spoelstra's comments after the game on Dwyane's performance!



Coach Erik Spoelstra on Dwyane Wade's 46 points against the Boston Celtics, Game 4 of the 2010 NBA Playoffs.

"Obviously Dwyane Wade was sensational."

"Dwyane...led the way by revealing... you see the inside of his character what he is made."

"We don't take Dwayne for granted, that greatness...we don't..."

"He has another gear and another depth to go into in his soul to be able to dig it out and really carry a team on his back with his will."

AT&T Landline Dispute Resolved

This morning I tried the AT&T landline and it finally works! Last night when I tried it, even after the status was changed to Order Completed, there was still no dial tone. However, now that the status had changed, I was now able to call AT&T Repairs 24/7 phone number. They were able to tell it wasn't working and said that we would be billed for any inside changes, but before 8AM this morning, the phone line was active.

This seems like a very complex process when you can activate a new cell phone within minutes. That said, I did want to thank Molly at @twitter/ATTCustomerCare, AT&T's Social Media Customer Care Guru. Molly you rock! And of course AT&T Executive Services (Thanks Eric!) Using Twitter for Customer Service, I had much better luck at finding an escalation path at AT&T then when calling the AT&T Customer Service Department!

This matter is now resolved!

A Dispute with AT&T Work Management Scheduling in Aventura, FL

An AT&T Installer arrived on Thursday, March 25, 2010 to install a land line. He left without the phone being activated. Through my attempts to escalate this issue, someone at the AT&T Work Management Department in Aventura, Florida must have made this issue personal because the phone is still not active. The new install date is Thursday, April 1, 2010. I guess when it comes to an AT&T landline, the old copper wire technology, these AT&T phone guys will install it when they want to.

That's not the level of service that AT&T's customers expect and rightfully deserve!

What Camera Do I Use? - An car in the bay on NE 35th ST in Miami.

In the early morning on NE 35th ST in Miami, Florida, a car went in to Biscayne Bay. I grabbed for the first digital camera I could find. The first thing I noticed was that it was very difficult taking photos in low light. Even with the night light setting with my Sony, the pictures were still blurry. It was also very difficult to find the night setting on some of the cameras because this isn't a feature I use that often. As you can see, as soon as the Sun came out, the pictures are much better.
















xx

ATTCustomerCare on Twitter.com

Interesting, I just heard from Molly at http://twitter.com/ATTCustomerCare She is the lead in AT&T Customer Care team focusing on Social Media.

AT&T Award Winning Customer Service?

I am a very loyal AT&T Customer but after this experience, I feel I need to start looking at alternate vendors. The Customer Service was horrible.

This week I tried to get a simple land line installed for a family member and had to experience AT&T's proclaimed Award Winning Customer Service. After placing the order, the Rep told me that the phone line would be activated on Monday of this week. On Friday of this week, the phone line is still not activated.

This morning, I spoke to 5 different representatives from their Awarding Winning Customer Service Department:

Answer 1: The appointment was logged as a missed appointment, the customer needs to reschedule (The AT&T guy was at the location twice yesterday and left without activating the service).
Answer 2: Due Today - the service is due to be activated today.
Answer 3: The service should have been activated yesterday.
Answer 4: I will contact the work management department and find out why it was coded as a missed appointment.

I asked to speak to a supervisor several times and received several different outcomes:

1) I was placed on hold for 20 minutes and no one came on.
2) I was transferred to the repair service, who told me the status but said I would have to call Customer Service on a Pending Order.
3) I had to give me my phone number and a supervisor would call me back.
4) I was transferred back into the Customer Service phone queue.
5) I successfully reached a Supervisor who was able to reschedule the appointment.

Finally, as a loyal AT&T customer Why not get it all from one company? The answer is that unlike companies like American Express, AT&T does not give you any extra service for being a loyal customer. They treat all customers with the same way regardless of their level of loyalty...Maybe that's the new definition of AWARD WINNING CUSTOMER SERVICE.

Notes: Reps I spoke to: James, Judy, Mrs. Freeman - refused to transfer call to a Supervisor.

2010 Oscar Movies On Netflix, OnDemand, on DVD, on Comcast

With the number of On Demand movies from cable services, airplane flights, hotels, Netflix, Blockbuster and the Amazon Video on Demand Service, there are so many ways to view the 2010 Oscar Winner Movies. Here's my list as of March 2010 of where to watch the 2010 Oscar Winner Movies including those movies on Netflix. Also, I think Netflix is a great deal for $8.99 per month + tax (1 DVD at a time). Here are the reasons:

• You can currently rent 5 2010 Oscar Winners on DVDs including the 2010 Best Picture, The Hurt Locker
• 20 Oscar Nominees including Precious, Up in the Air, The Cove, Inglorious Bastards and Up.
• You can even watch 3 Oscar Nominees instantly on your PC or on your TV if you have a Roku box or other Netflix device. These movies include Food Inc, Paris and Il Divo.

See the below list of the Oscar movies you can watch on Netflix as well as other services including Comcast, Dish and Amazon Video. I have also included the estimated DVD release date which gives you a general idea of when you can expect to see these movies on the various On Demand services.

Where to Watch The Oscar Winners and Nominees

Netflix DVD Rental Service (includes Watch Instantly Service)

• The Hurt Locker* (Netflix DVD: Now Available)
• Ajami (n/a - July 2010)
  
• A Serious Man (Netflix DVD: Now Available)
• Avatar* (Netflix DVD: n/a - April 2010)
• The Blindside* (DVD: n/a 3/23/10)
  
• Brightstar Netflix (DVD: Now Available)
  
• Burma VJ (n/a June 2010)
• China's Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province (n/a)
  
• Coco Before Chanel (Netflix DVD: Now Available)
• Coraline (Netflix DVD: Now Available)
  
• The Cove* (Netflix DVD: Now Available)
• Crazyheart* (n/a - April 2010)
• District 9 (Netflix DVD: Now Available)
• The Door (n/a)
  
• El Secreto de Sus Ojos* (n/a)
  
• Fantastic Mr. Fox (n/a - 3/23/10)
• Food Inc. (Netflix Watch Instantly, DVD: Now Available)
• French Roast (n/a)
• Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty (n/a)
  
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Netflix DVD: Now Available)
  
• Il Divo (Netflix Watch Instantly, Netflix DVD: Now Available)
• The Imagination of Doctor Parnassus (n/a - 4/27/10)
• Instead of Abracadabra (n/a)
  
• In The Loop (Netflix DVD: Now Available)
• Invictus (n/a - June 2010)
• Ingloroius Bastards* (Netflix DVD Now Available)
• The Lady and the Reaper (La Darma y la Muerte) (n/a)
  
• The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner (n/a)
  
• The Last Station (n/a - June 2010)
• The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant (n/a)
  
• Logorama* (n/a)
  
• The Lovely Bones (n/a/ - 4/20/10)
• A Matter of Loaf and Death* (Netflix DVD: Now Available)
• The Messenger (n/a 5/18/10)
  
• The Milk of Sorry (n/a)
• Miracle Fish (n/a)
  
• The Most Dangerous Man in America (n/a Sep 2010)
• Music by Prudence* (n/a)
• The New Tenants* (n/a)
  
• Nine (n/a DVD: May 2010)
• Paris 36 (Netflix Watch Instantly, Netflix DVD: Now Available)
• Precious* (Netflix DVD: Now Available)
  
• The Princess and the Frog (n/a - 3/16/2010)
  
• Rabbit a la Berlin (n/a)
• The Secret of the Kells (n/a - Aug 2010)
• A Serious Man (Netflix DVD: Now Available)
  
• Sherlock Holmes (n/a - 3/30/2010)
• A Single Man (n/a - May 2010)
  
• Startrek* (Netflix DVD: Now Available)
• Transformers: Revenge of the fallen (Now Available)
  
• Up* (Netflix DVD: Now Available)
• Up in the Air (Netflix - DVD Now Available)
• Un Prophete (n/a July 2010)
• Which Way Home (n/a - May 2010)
  
• The White Ribbon (n/a Jule 2010)
  
• The Young Victorian* (DVD: n/a - 4/22/2010)

*Oscar Winner

Best Picture

• Winner: The Hurt Locker
• Kathryn Bigelow, Mark Boal, Nicolas Chartier and Greg Shapiro
• Where to Watch:
  
• Netflix (DVD - Now Available)
• Comcast on Demand

Other Best Picture Nominees:

• Avatar (April 2010)
• Up (DVD Now Available)
• A Serious Man (DVD Now Available)
• Ingloroius Bastards (DVD Now Available)
• An Education (3/30/10)
• District 9 (Now Available)
• The Blind Side (3/23/10)
• Up in the Air (DVD Now Available)
  

Actor in a Leading Role

• Winner: Jeff Bridges
• Crazy Heart
• Where to watch:
• DVD Release Date: April 2010
  
• Netflix (DVD - not yet available)
• Comcast on Demand (not availabe)

Other Actor in a Leading Role Nominees:

• George Clooney, Up in the Air (DVD Now Available)
• Colin Firth, A Single Man (DVD ETA: May 2010)
• Morgan Freeman, Invictus (DVD ETA: June 2010)
• Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker (DVD Now Availalble)
  

Actor in a Supporting Role

• Winner: Christoph Waltz
• Inglourious Basterds
• Where to Watch:
  
• Netflix (DVD - now shipping)
• Comcast on Demand

Other Nominees:

• Matt Damon, Invictus (DVD: June 2010)
• Woody Harrelson, The Messenger (DVD: May 18, 2010)
• Christopher Plummer, The Last Station (DVD: June 2010)
• Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones (DVD: April 20, 2010)
  

Actress in a Leading Role

• Winner: Sandra Bullock
• Movie Title: The Blind Side
• Where to Watch:
  
• DVD ETA: 3/23/10
  
• Netflix (DVD - Not available)
• Comcast on Demand (Not available)
  

Other Nominees:

• Helen Mirren, The Last Station (DVD: June 2010)
• Carey Mulligan, An Education (DVD: 3/30/10)
• Gabourey Sidibe, Precious (DVD Now Available)
• Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia (DVD Now Available)
  

Actress in a Supporting Role

• Winner: Mo'Nique
• Movie Title: Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire
• Where to watch Precious:
  
• Netflix (DVD - Now Shipping)
• Comcast on Demand (now available)
  
• Dish Network ($4.99 3/10)
• Amazon Video on Demand ($4.99 HD, $3.99 SD)

Other Nominees:

• Mo"Nique, Precious (DVD: Now Available)
• Penelope Cruz, Nine (DVD: May 2010)
• Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air (Now Available)
• Maggie Gyllenhaal, Crazy Heart (DVD: April 2010)
• Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air (DVD: Now Available)
  

Animated Feature Film

• Winner: Up
• Pete Docter
• Where to Watch:
  
• Netflix (DVD - now shipping)
• Comcast on Demand (now available)
  

Art Direction

• Winner: Avatar
• Rick Carter and Robert Stromberg (Art Direction); Kim Sinclair (Set Decoration)
• Where to Watch:
  
• Netflix (Not Available)
• Comcast on Demand (Not Available)
  

Cinematography

• Winner: Avatar
• Mauro Fiore
• Netflix (Not Available)
• Comcast on Demand (Not Available)
  

Costume Design

• Winner: The Young Victoria
• Sandy Powell
• Where to Watch:
  
• Netflix (Not Available)
• Comcast on Demand (Not Available)
  

Directing

• Winner: The Hurt Locker
• Kathryn Bigelow
• Where to Watch:
  
• Netflix (DVD - now shipping)
• Comcast on Demand (Available)

Other Nominees:

• James Cameron, Avatar (DVD: April 2010)
• Quentin Tarantino, Inglorious Bastards (DVD: Now Available)
• Lee Daniels, Precious (DVD: Now Available)
• Jason Reitman, Up in the Air (DVD: Now Available)
  

Documentary Feature

• Winner: The Cove
• Louie Psihoyos and Fisher Stevens
• Where to Watch:
  
• Netflix (DVD - now shipping)
• Comcast on Demand (Available)
  

Documentary Short

• Winner: Music by Prudence
• Roger Ross Williams and Elinor Burkett
• Where to Watch: (selected movie theaters in selected cities only)
  

Film Editing

• Winner: The Hurt Locker
• Bob Murawski and Chris Innis
• Where to Watch:
• Netflix (DVD - now shipping)
  

Foreign Language Film

• Winner: The Secret in Their Eyes (El Secreto de Sus Ojos)
• Argentina
• Directed by Juan José Campanella
• Where to Watch
• In selected Theaters.
  

Makeup

• Star Trek
• Barney Burman, Mindy Hall and Joel Harlow
• Where to watch:
  
• Netflix (DVD - now shipping)
• Amazon ($4.99 HD)
• Comcast on Demand (Now Available)
  

Reference:
Videoeta.com

Gogo iPhone Internet Speed

I flew back to Fort Lauderdale from LAX on Virgin America today. Using
Gogo Internet, the download speed was 902 kbps and 264 kbps upload.

Use Gogo Inflight on two devices

How to Use GoGo Inflight on your laptop and iPhone

After signing up for the GoGo Inflight Wi-Fi 30 day plan, I wanted to
know if I could use two devices for my account. So instead of throwing
a dart and testing it, I used their Live Chat service. Here is what I
was told:

1) You can't use two accounts simultaneously.

2) You can log-off one device by going to: http://airborne.gogoinflight.com
such as your laptop/Macbook.

3) After a sucesful log-off, you can log-in with the other device such
as an iPhone or Smart Phone.

In my case I added the URL http://airborne.gogoinflight.com to my
iPhone home screen.

After I power-off my MacBook Pro, its nice to be connected. This
includes on trips to the front or back of the plane --you get the
benefit!

Why I dislike the Class Action Lawsuit Against Yelp.com

I recently read that there are new Class Action Lawsuits against the company Yelp.com filed by several law firms in the name of a handful of businesses claiming that advertising sales representatives at Yelp.com offered to investigate and or take down any negative reviews if the company purchased an online yellow page ad. Yelp.com is one of my very favorite sites and I'm really disappointed to hear of any class action law suits against this company. Here are my issues with this situation:

• Sales Puffery -- I wonder if this claim was merely sales puffery by an over eager sales person stating that if the customer signed up for an ad, then the sales rep would do everything possible to personally investigate the authenticity of any negative reviews? The sales rep probably had not authority to take down any reviews.
  
• Litigants -- Did any litigants actually pay for an ad and have the negative reviews removed or did they merely speak to a sales representative?
• Bad Service -- In the cases in which any potential litigants wanted a negative review removed, were the businesses possibly guilty of providing questionable service? And if the reviews were legitimate, why didn't the business try and personally contact the Yelper through Yelp's free service and offer the Yelper an apology, and an invitation to try their businesses or service again and change their review.
  
• Negative Reviews -- In my 4 years of writing reviews, I've never had one of my reviews taken down without my knowledge. If I wrote a negative review about the company that I felt very strongly about and a Yelp representative asked me to remove it and I saw a plethora of other negative reviews about that same business, I would probably stop writing reviews on Yelp.
  
• Organizations like the Better Business Bureau - In my eyes, Yelp provides a service like the Better Business Bureau except that the information is public. With the information public, I think it's much more valuable to the consumer.
  
• Class Action Law Suits -- I really hate to see the lawyers get involved in class action law suits like stock securities.
• Yelp, Google, Other Review Sites -- Other than Yelp, there are so many sites on the Internet in which a disgruntled customer could post information about their experience with a business. It really must be the growth of the Yelp community that really makes this a news story but it's really sad to see Yelp singled out in a situation like this.

Also, I would be shocked if there are a large number of businesses out there that actually did buy advertising on Yelp in exchange for getting negative reviews removed. It could have happened but certainly not widespread enough as is implied in the media. I really hope the media doesn't provide too much free promotion for this story!

Finally, here is a link to one of the Class Action Lawsuit litigants:

Yelp Class Action
http://www.yelp.com/biz/cats-and-dogs-animal-hospital-long-beach

Facebook iPhone Application working again!

AS of Saturday February 20, 2010 11:48 a.m. PT, my iPhone Facebook App is working again. It now allows me to login. I wonder if the Facebook login server prevented me from logging in due to a maximum number of unsuccessful iPhone login attempts? Or was their API just down due to the reported server issues? It would be nice to know the answer to these questions the next time FB iPhone App crashes.

Facebook Site and Iphone Issues - Sat Feb 20

The first official acknowledgment from Facebook in Palo Alto was posted to their Twitter page just after 10 a.m. Pacific Time (http://www.twitter.com/facebook). According to their message, some people are having trouble accessing Facebook and site features because of an isolated server issue.










The company did not acknowledge that for iPhone Facebook Application users -- it's all users since the Facebook API appears to be completely down.

When issues like this occurs, I think companies should be open and honest with their users. With the Facebook iPhone Application, the service no longer remembers your password so users most likely will re-enter it. When they receive the error message below, they will probably think they forget their password or will re-enter it multiple times which can't possibly be good for the Facebook "isolate server". I noticed on Twitter that some users deleted and re-installed their Facebook iPhone App which I admit that I thought about until I went to my Mac and logged on successfully to Facebook. What is probably the most frustrating that when Facebook is experiencing a serious incident like this, they should at the very least have a single Technical Support page on their website that users can go to for updates ... go back to the basics of software or application technical support. What would be even better is a Technical Support number that users could call before wasting their time and energy on this....

Facebook iPhone App Cant Login

It appears that the IPhone Facebook App is currently down and will not
allow users to login according to tweets from many Twitter users.

Some iPhone Facebook users are reporting the App freezing at the login
screen beliw while others are receiving the error message:

Login Failed, Unable to connect to Facebook. Please try again later.

I was able to login to my FB account on my Mac although I did receive
several Opps Something went wrong. We're working on getting it fixed
as soon as we can dialog boxes.

I wish Facebook had a technical support blog to keep their users
informed.

iPhone 3.1.3 Software Update

I finally installed this update today. On one of my PCs, the iPhone update always seems to fail and I need to attempt the restore multiple times. When this occurs, I always ending having to re-synchronize my apps, music and photos. For whatever reason, the restore process loses those items but does not lose my phone call, voice mail and text message history as well as my calendar. Unfortunately, it takes several hours to restore these items as well as manually backup my restore files from the following PC directory:

c:\Documents and Settings\User_Name\Application Data\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup

• Improves accuracy of reported battery level on iPhone 3GS
• Resovles issue where third-party apps would not launch in some instances.
• fixes bug that may cause an app tocarash when using the Japanese Kana keyboard.

http://support.apple.com/manuals/iphone

Spam or Phishing Email - Check the Spelling

I received this spam or phishing email today. Check the spelling and grammar if you are unsure if a message is Email SPAM or not! You should not open this email attachment and should delete it.

FROM: ICS Monitoring Team
SUBJECT: Your internet access is going to get suspended
ATTACHMENT: report.zip

SPAM MESSAGE

Your internet access is going to get suspended

The Internet Service Provider Consorcium was made to protect the rights of software authors, artists.
We conduct regular wiretapping on our networks, to monitor criminal acts.

We are aware of your illegal activities on the internet wich were originating from

You can check the report of your activities in the past 6 month that we have attached. We strongly advise you to stop your activities regarding the illegal downloading of copyrighted material of your internet access will be suspended.

Sincerely
ICS Monitoring Team

Apple iPad - Who wouldn't want one of these?

Apple iPad - Apple's new tablet

Okay, who wouldn't want one of these for reading your magazines, watching movies and playing games?

iPhone Battery Usage Pct - How to enable the percentage

Here are the steps to enable the iPhone Battery Percentage in the
upper right corner of the screen.

Haiti Text 4636 - +447624802524 - Report Earthquake Incident

Here are some resources for reporting a Haiti Earthquake incident for individuals in Haiti. The Ushahidi website is a first class website for this type of information gathering and reporting. The site was done in partnership with the U.S. State Department.

http://haiti.ushahidi.com

Haiti Earthquake Report Incident - Send Text Message
4636 (Digicel Customers)

Haiti Earthquake Report Incident - Sent International Text Message
+447624802524

New Yelp 4.0 iPhone App Rocks! Many new features!

Key New Features

• Yelp 4.0 Profiles -- You can now view member profiles and their photos.
• Yelp 4.0 Check-In -- A new Check-In feature allows you to notify your friends or other members of the Yelp community the restaurant, bar or store you are at. You can also elect to receive Push Notifications (default setting is on) where your friends are at.
  
• Yelp 4.0 New Main Menu -- There is a new Yelp 4.0 menu menu with the menu items: Nearby, About Me, Bookmarks, Feed, Check In, Friends, Talk, Recents and Settings.
  
• Yelp 4.0 About Me - You can now edit your profile and view your Yelp statistics including: Elite status, number of friends, quick tips, bookmarks, check-ins, friends, quick tips, local photos, reviews, compliments.
• Yelp 4.0 Find Friends - There is a Find Friends feature that will search through your iPhone contacts.

What's still missing? The Yelp 4.0 App still allows you to Draft a Review only. This is most likely an anti-spam or security issue. That said, you can always log-in through the iPhone Safari browser and submit your review.

New Yelp 4.0 App Screen Shots

Yelp 4.0 Main Menu















Yelp 4.0 Check-In Screen














Yelp 4.0 Check-In Settings















Yelp 4.0 Find Friends

Haiti Hotel Montana - Facebook Group - Here is the link.

If you are searching for the Haiti Hotel Montana Facebook Group for information for friends and family of guests that were staying at the hotel, here is the link.

Haiti Montana Hotel Facebook Group - Hotel Montana in Haiti
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Haiti-Earthquake-Hotel-Montana/245595172631

Note: The above Facebook group is a perfect of example of the benefits of use of social media and user generated content. This site provides the friends and family of guests that were staying at the Hotel Montana with minute-by-minute updates from members of the group.

The true test of the platform is the respect the Internet Community shows for the friends and family of the guests that were staying at the Hotel Montana during the Haiti Earthquake. Let's hope that everyone uses good netiquette in joining and posting to this group as family members and friends use this site for minute-by-minute news on the Hotel Montana situation in Haiti.

Best List of Twitter Users in Hati - Earthquake 2010

Twitter Users in Haiti - Live Tweets from Port-Au-Prince

If you are looking for more in-depth coverage of the Haiti 2010 Earthquake, check out this Twitter List of Twitter users tweeting from Haiti (Hati 2010 Earthquake).

Live-From-Haiti Twitter List
http://twitter.com/georgiap/live-from-haiti

Haiti Users on the List
Carel Pedre - A popular radio & TV Host in Hati. http://twitter.com/carelpedre
Yael Talleyrand - Blogger in Haiti http://impurple.wordpress.com/
Frederic Dupoux - Blogger and Photographer in Hati http://www.zaboka.net/
Troy Livesay - Missionary and Blogger in Hati. http://www.livesayhaiti.blogspot.com/
InternetHati - The Multilink Haiti Twitter account. Here is a link to their Facebook Page.
Firesideint - Fireside International, a non-profit organization http://www.firesideinternational.org/HOME.html

Journalists in Hati
Jacqueline Charles - Caribbean Correspondent for the Miami Herald
Rodrigo - Journalist and VP of BNO News
AndersonCooper - CNN Broadcast Journalist
Ann Curry - NBC Broadcast Journalist

200 Photos from Haiti from Carel Pedre - Hati Radio, TV Host

Carel Pedre is one Haiti's one of Hati's more popular radio & TV Hosts. See 200 photos he uploaded on Flickr.com http://www.flickr.com/photos/carelp/ from his Apple iPhone 3GS. I believe you will need to be a member of Flickr to view all of his pictures.



You can follow Carel Pedre on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/carelpedre

Here is a list of other Twitter Users that are tweetering from Hati.

Haiti Twitter User List
http://twitter.com/georgiap/live-from-haiti?s=tp

NBC and Today Show Journalist Ann Curry
http://twitter.com/anncurry

Hati Find Famiy Members - Earthquake - Resources

With so much Internet traffic regarding the Hati Earthquake, I thought I would post the main links or resources for finding information about friends or family members in Hati.

International Red Cross Family News Network Database - Hati Earthquake 2010 - English

http://www.familylinks.icrc.org/haiti/people

International Red Cross Family News Network Database - Hati Earthquake 2010 - French

http://www.familylinks.icrc.org/WFL_HTI.NSF/DocIndex/locate_fre?opendocument

Miami-Dade Haitian-American community

Edison Little River Neighborhood Center
150 NW 79th St
Miami, FL

U.S. Embassy Resources

People in the U.S. or Canada with information or inquiries about U.S. citizens in Haiti
The Haiti Task Force at 888-407-4747
Outside of the U.S. and Canada, call 202-501-4444.

U.S. Citizens in Hati
Embassy via e-mail at ACSPaP@state.gov to request assistance.

Americans in Haiti can call the Embassy's Consular Task Force at 509-2229-8942, 509-2229-8089, 509-2229-8322, or 509-2229-8672.

CNN Find Family Members

http://www.ireport.com/ir-topic-stories.jspa?topicId=381628

Ushahidi Urging Haitians and Humanitarian Workers to Text Information to 4636 Free of Charge

ORLANDO, Fla., Jan. 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Citizen-reporting platform Ushahidi has gained international renown this week for its innovative contribution to information-gathering in the wake of the earthquake in Haiti. Now, Ushahidi, in partnership with U.S. Department of State and others, has introduced an SMS shortcode for subscribers on the DigiCell network in Haiti to send text messages free of charge. The shortcode makes it even faster and easier for eyewitnesses to report developments on the ground.

DigiCell subscribers in Haiti can text 4636 with location and description of emergencies and missing persons. Ushahidi's Haiti platform is live at: http://haiti.ushahidi.com.

Please note that the SMS shortcode is dependent on local telecom infrastructure -- if the infrastructure fails, the local SMS service will not work. However, there are several ways that incidents may be reported:

By sending a local text message to 4636 or internationally at +447624802524
By sending e-mail to Haiti@ushahidi.com
On Twitter with hash tag #haiti or #haitiquake
Online at http://haiti.ushahidi.com/reports/submit

Hati Twitter Users Tweeting Live from Hati

With reports on the news that cell phones still do not work in Port Au Prince, Hati and there is no power, I was curious how some users were able to access the Internet to send email or Twitter from Hati. I came across this Twitter list of individuals that are tweeting live from Hati. It includes the Twitter user and blogger Troy Livesay that has power and Internet usage from a generator. The Twitter list was complied by Georgia Popplewell of Global Voices Online.

Hati Twitter Users List - tweeting live from Hati
http://twitter.com/georgiap/live-from-haiti

Troy Livesay
http://www.livesayhaiti.blogspot.com/

Georgia Popplewellhttp://twitter.com/georgiap

Reference
http://ghostsofhoratioalger.com/2010/01/haiti-and-communications/

Netflix Roku Box - 2010 Review

Roku HD Digital Video Player - 2010 Review
For the holidays, I bought a Netflix Roku box for a a family member and me. I subscribed to Netflix for the $8.99 minimum (1 DVD by mail) and now I can watch any of the 17,000 Watch Instantly titles on my Samsung Flat Screen TV with the Roku box plugged into the free HDMI port on my TV using my wi-fi network. It's only a portion of their 100K DVDs but there are plenty of videos in their library that I haven't seen and if I don't like the video, I can move to the next one.

Here are some general notes on my experience:

• Roku Box - I ordered the $99 Roku HD box with free shipping. Even if you don't have a HD TV, I would order the HD box since you will probably end up upgrading to a HD TV eventually. The HD box supports non-HD TVs.
• Premium Cables Add On $19.99 - I ordered three premium cables 1) 6' HDMI, 2) 6' Optical Audio and 3) 6' Component Video since you can never have enough cables although my W may argue that point. I ended up using the HDMI cable.
  
• Video/Audio Quality - The Roku box plugs directly into my Samsung TV. Since the HDMI cable passes both video and sound, the Roku video quality in HD is unbelievable and the sound is piped out using my Bose Sound System. The sound quality is also outstanding.
  
• Internet Connectivity - You can plug the Roku HD box into your either your home wireless network or plug it directly into an open Ethernet port on your router.
• Setup and Configuration - To activate your Roku box, you will need to link your box to your network and enter your Netflix account. This will require that you enter codes on your computer screen that are generated when you setup your Roku box. The entire process took less than 10 minutes.
  
• Roku Remote Control Movie Selection - One of the biggest benefits of using the included Roku Remote Control is that you can easily select titles from your Netflix Watch Instantly Queue that you setup using your computer. It also gives you a summary of the movie if you use the [Down Arrow] and you can scroll through the movies in your queue much like the hotel pay per view video interfaces, the only difference is that you are paying a flat rate of $8.99 to watch any Watch Instantly Movie.
• Roku Remote Control Movies Fast Forward - When watching a movie, if you want to Fast Forward through some of the scenes, you can can. There is a little lag or buffering time, but I find it's well worth the wait. Especially if you are deciding if you want to continue watching a moview.
  
• Roku Remote Control - You can us the Remote Control to delete movies from your queue. This is a great feature.
• Watching on Other Devices - Even though you buy a Roku, with your Netflix subscription, you can also watch movies on your laptop or your computer. This is a great added benefit.
  
• Adding Netflix Movies - You can only do this through your computer. But you can do it from any computer such as your laptop.
  
• Other Roku Channel or Services - Using your Roku box, you can also access the Amazon.com Channel and order Pay Per View movies for $4.99 or more. These are basically the same movies you will find on your cable or satellite vendor offering.
  
• Facebook Roku Channel - You can also link your Facebook account to view your friends pictures. This may or may not be a great feature depending on what you think of Facebook and if you want to let any of your family members including or W or GF/BF flip through your FB photos.
  

I'm currently enjoying my Roku Box and Netflix...more later.

Netflix Roku Box Review - A great service!

Roku Digital Video Player - 2010 Review
For the holidays, I bought a Netflix Roku box for a a family member and me. I subscribed to Netflix for the $8.99 minimum (1 DVD by mail) and now I can watch any of the 17,000 Watch Instantly titles on my Samsung Flat Screen TV with the Roku box plugged into the free HDMI port on my TV using my wi-fi network. It's only a portion of their 100K DVDs but there are plenty of videos in their library that I haven't seen and if I don't like the video, I can move to the next one.

Here are some general notes on my experience:

• Roku Box - I ordered the $99 Roku HD box with free shipping. Even if you don't have a HD TV, I would order the HD box since you will probably end up upgrading to a HD TV eventually. The HD box supports non-HD TVs.
• Premium Cables Add On $19.99 - I ordered three premium cables 1) 6' HDMI, 2) 6' Optical Audio and 3) 6' Component Video since you can never have enough cables although my W may argue that point. I ended up using the HDMI cable.
  
• Video/Audio Quality - The Roku box plugs directly into my Samsung TV. Since the HDMI cable passes both video and sound, the Roku video quality in HD is unbelievable and the sound is piped out using my Bose Sound System. The sound quality is also outstanding.
  
• Internet Connectivity - You can plug the Roku HD box into your either your home wireless network or plug it directly into an open Ethernet port on your router.
• Setup and Configuration - To activate your Roku box, you will need to link your box to your network and enter your Netflix account. This will require that you enter codes on your computer screen that are generated when you setup your Roku box. The entire process took less than 10 minutes.
  
• Roku Remote Control Movie Selection - One of the biggest benefits of using the included Roku Remote Control is that you can easily select titles from your Netflix Watch Instantly Queue that you setup using your computer. It also gives you a summary of the movie if you use the [Down Arrow] and you can scroll through the movies in your queue much like the hotel pay per view video interfaces, the only difference is that you are paying a flat rate of $8.99 to watch any Watch Instantly Movie.
• Roku Remote Control Movies Fast Forward - When watching a movie, if you want to Fast Forward through some of the scenes, you can can. There is a little lag or buffering time, but I find it's well worth the wait. Especially if you are deciding if you want to continue watching a moview.
  
• Roku Remote Control - You can us the Remote Control to delete movies from your queue. This is a great feature.
• Watching on Other Devices - Even though you buy a Roku, with your Netflix subscription, you can also watch movies on your laptop or your computer. This is a great added benefit.
  
• Adding Netflix Movies - You can only do this through your computer. But you can do it from any computer such as your laptop.
  
• Other Roku Channel or Services - Using your Roku box, you can also access the Amazon.com Channel and order Pay Per View movies for $4.99 or more. These are basically the same movies you will find on your cable or satellite vendor offering.
  
• Facebook Roku Channel - You can also link your Facebook account to view your friends pictures. This may or may not be a great feature depending on what you think of Facebook and if you want to let any of your family members including or W or GF/BF flip through your FB photos.
  

I'm currently enjoying my Roku Box and Netflix...more later.

How to Flush DNS - Windows, Mac, iPhone

I seem to always forget what the commands are to flush the DNS on your Mac and iPhone.
I have Bell South or AT&T and occasionally I have a DNS issue such as a new or revised domain that I am unable to access. This occurs when a website is moved or there are other technical issues. If there is a website on the pubic Internet that you are not able to access, you should try Flushing your DNS. Here are instructions to do so.

If this does not work, you might also try changing your DNS from AT&T DNS to the the free http://www.opendns.com/
. Use the free IP Addresses on that page. Don't forget to change it back later since the free version of OpenDNS.com might not be reliable enough for you to use all the time.


Microsoft Windows - How to Flush DNS

C:\>ipconfig /flushdns


You can also use the command ipconfig /displaydns to view the DNS resolver cache.


Mac Leopard - How to Flush DNS

Step 1 – Open the Terminal.app

Either by start typing Terminal on the Spotlight, or by going into Applications -> Utilities -> Terminal.

Step 2 – Flush the DNS cache

On Leopard you can issue a simple Terminal command to flush the DNS cache, and have your host file changes to take immediate effect: view source print?

1.$ dscacheutil -flushcache


iPhone - How to Flush DNS

Step 1 - Turn iPhone off and turn it on again. Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button on top of iPhone for a few seconds until a red slider appears, and then slide the slider. Then press and hold the Sleep/Wake button until the Apple logo appears.

Step 2 - Reload your iPhone Safari page.

HP Officejet Pro 8500 A909g - Error 403

In the last several weeks, I have been sending faxes form the HP Officejet Pro 8500 a909g and noticed that some of my faxes were not being sent. The call would drop during the middle of the transmission of the first fax page.

After updating the firmware from DLM1FN0842BR to DLM1FN0924AR which did not solve the problem and reading through some user comment's to slow down the fax transmission, I finally read the FAQ on the H-P site for this error code and pulled out my old very long trustworthy phone cord which was about 20 years old and replaced it with two new cords with a connector between them. I re-sent the fax and it worked! This is embarrassing since I was once in the fax business and should have got on my knees and checked the cord length as step 1. In any regard, it's now fixed!

H-P Website
Error Code: 396, 397, 398, 399, 400, 401, 402, 403, 405, 406, 407, 408, 409, 410, 411, 412, 413, 414, 415, 416, 417, 418, 419
Definition

During a V.34 transmission, the local machine is unable to connect (handshake) with the remote machine and is consequently unable to send a T30 frame. This occurs when the line is disconnected or if line conditions degrade during the session.

Solutions

*
Remove any pass-through devices from the phone line, and then try the fax again.
*
Confirm that the fax/phone cable is no longer than required, and that it does not pass near unshielded electric motors such as fans, heaters, or household appliances.
*
Try to send the fax at a different time when telephone line conditions have improved.

Gogo Internet Wi-Fi on American Airlines Flights Rocks!

Every now and then, I am truly amazed by a new experience with technology. After signed up on an American Airlines flight with Gogo Internet Wi-Fi Service on a free promotional one day trial offer ($12.95 per flight/$24.95 per month regular price). While the plane was in flight, I checked my email, facebook, twitter then decided to try and answer the question, what will the airlines allow you to do and not to do.

1. Email - I was able to retrieve my POP email and send messages from my Google account.

2. AOL AIM - I found my daughter on AIM and did a video chat with her. She then added the W or my wife and we did a 3 way video chat. They could not hear me from my microphone which might be an issue with my MacBook Pro but I could certainly hear them. How cool is that!

3. Skype - I tried to dial a land line and struck out. I did sent a text message for a small fee.


Gogo Internet can be found at: http://www.gogoinflight.com/

On American Airlines Wi-fi with GoGo - Promotional Coupon

I just left the Dallas Fort Worth Airport on American Airlines headed West toward California and saw the sticker as I was boarding the plane that the S80 Aircraft has wi-fi. American Airlines uses the Gogo Inflight Internet wi-fi service. Luckily, the last time I was in the Admiral's club, I found a Free Wi-Fi coupon on the table and stuck it in my wallet. Believe it or not, I fired up my laptop, clicked the Buy One Day Pass button ($12.95 per flight), entered some profile info and my promo coupon code and without entering my credit card info, I am now online! This is very cool!



Gogo Internet can be found at: http://www.gogoinflight.com/

Facebook - How to Leave a Regional Network - Workaround

A client of mine asked me to help her remove the Facebook Regional Network from her Facebook profile. She has moved to a different city in the United States and did not want to be listed under the old city. When she originally joined Facebook over a year ago, in order to signup for Facebook, she had to select a Regional Network. When Facebook removed this feature this summer, the Regional Network or city was still showing up under her Facebook Profile when members performed a Search Query on her name. Here is a work-around or hack that a woman named Joyce posted it (thank you Joyce!). It has worked for some people and not for others.

1. Go to Networks and Join the University of Santo Thomas Network in the Philippines. I searched on the Philippines to find it. It allows you to enter any email address.

2. After joining the Network, a [Leave] button will magically appear for your old Regional Network. Click that button and return to your Facebook Home Page.

3. Return to the Network tab and click the [Leave] button to leave the University of Santo Thomas Network. You will also need to go back to your Status feed and remove the Santo Thomas network message as weel as your Education tab to remove the entry that you attended Santo Thomas. (I think that is all the entries!)

Your Regional Network will possibly be removed now like it was for my account and when other FB members enter your name in the FB Member Query box, the Regional Network should not appear under your name. That all said, it worked for my account but did not work for my friends.

I really wish some FB employee would address this issue or put up a form user's can use to request the change to their profile.

Beware of Facebook Phishing Email Spam

I've recently noticed a large number of Email Phishing Scams that appear to look fairly legitimate. Here is one I received the other day that was mailed from an Internet Service Provider in Romania with a return email address from Taiwan.

With the recent FTC Disclosure Rules and potentially large fines against Internet Bloggers, I'd really like to see the FCC and Global Internet Regulators address the Email Phishing issue.




From: Facebook [mailto:update+qnpjretdcwdb@facebookmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, October 28, 2009 2:39 PM
Subject: Facebook account update

Received: from 89.40.50.150 by max.sinorich.com.tw; Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:39:14 +0200

inetnum: 89.40.48.0 - 89.40.63.255
netname: SC-DIGINET-SA
descr: SC DIGINET SA
descr: STR Calea Nationala Nr. 99
descr: Botosani Romania
country: ro
admin-c: MSP23-RIPE
tech-c: MSP23-RIPE
status: ASSIGNED PA "status:" definitions
remarks: Registered through http://www.jump.ro/ip.html
mnt-by: RO-MNT
mnt-lower: RO-MNT
mnt-routes: DIGINET-MNT
source: RIPE # Filtered

From: "Facebook"
Subject: Facebook account update
Date: Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:39:14 +0200
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: multipart/alternative;
boundary="----=_NextPart_000_0006_01CA57FD.F28279E0"
X-Mailer: Microsoft Office Outlook, Build 11.0.5510
Thread-Index: Aca6QM9IHL27JKUHH4Z7RX16H2QSW3==
X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.50.4927.1200
Message-ID: <000d01ca57fd$f28279e0$6400a8c0@maharaneesidn97>
Return-Path:

Recover Formatted Hard Drive Files

One of my friends recently gave me his Windows XP hard drive that had been inadvertently formatted and re-installed with Windows XP. He wanted to know if some family photos could be recovered from the hard drive. It's been several years since I've looked at Windows System Utilities for File Recovery or Hard Drive Recovery, especially the Freeware for free programs out there.

I tried several different freeware file recovery programs (OfficeRecover, PC Inspector File Recovery, Padora Recovery, DataRecovery) and finally found Recuva thanks to a PC World Review. In less than 20 minutes, Recuva was installed and found the majority of the missing files although it took my friend an hour or so to manually search through all the thumbnails on the drive.

If you use Microsoft Windows and need to recover files from a formatted hard drive, I would check out Recuva! It is Freeware, although I told my friend he should find his Paypal account to leave a little something for the Recuva developer!

Here is the link I used to download Recuva.
http://www.piriform.com/recuva

iPhone 3.1.2 Update to address iPhone Coma Mode

Several weeks ago at http://twitter.com/martinog, I twittered:

"At times my iPhone 3GS does not make outgoing phone calls until I power on and off. Is it Sofware, Hardware or AT&T? #iphone #att #apple9:15 PM Sep 19th from Tweetie"

This bug is also known as iPhone Coma Mode. According to Apple, iPhone 3.1.2 should address this bug.

I am now installing this Apple iPhone 3.1.2 release. It offers bug fixes, but no flashy new features. You can get it now by plugging in your iPhone and clicking "Check for Updates" in iTunes. Here's Apple's list of what's fixed in this update:

* iPhone Sleep bug - Resolves sporadic issue that may cause iPhone not to wake from sleep
* iPhone Coma Mode bug - Resolves intermittent issue that may interrupt cellular services until restart
* iPhone Video Stream bug - Fixes bug that could cause occasional crash during video stream

The update is 306.2 MBs. It took less than 15 minutes to download on a Mac and about 35+ minutes on a PC.

iPhone MMS - Restart Your iPhone - check for the camera icon!

MMS finally arrived on the iPhone which now means you can finally send photos to your friends or business associates who have a Blackberry or a phone that doesn't support receiving email pictures. Texting a photo is so much quicker than sending a photo via email, you will find this is a great feature!

If your iPhone MMS is not working, make sure you restart your iPhone after updating the carrier settings? First of all, you wil need to update your carrier setting by connecting to iTunes then installing this small update. Make sure you restart your iPhone after the update!

1. Restart your iPhone.

- Hold the power button until "slide to power off" appears.

- Slide to power off your device.

- When it is off, press the power button to turn it back on.

2. After restarting your iPhone, you should see the camera in your new and existing SMS messages.

Apple iTunes 9.0.1

Yikes, a new Apple iTunes 9.0.1 already! Here's the list of fixes that Apple provided.

Apple iTunes 9.0.1 provides a number of important bug fixes, including:

• Resolves issues browsing the Apple iTunes Store.
• Addresses a performance issue where iTunes may become unresponsive.
• Fixes a problem where Apple iTunes may unexpectedly quit.
• Fixes a problem syncing Podcasts in playlists to iPod or iPhone.
• Fixes a problem sorting albums with multiple discs.
• Improves application syncing for iPod touch and iPhone.
• Genius is now automatically updated to show Genius Mixes.

iTunes 9 comes with many new features and improvements, including:

• An improved look and feel, including a new Column Browser for easily browsing your artists or albums, movies, TV shows, and more.

• The Apple iTunes Store has a brand new look, with improved navigation for quick and easy exploration.

• iTunes LP and Apple iTunes Extras create unique experiences that feature exclusive interviews, videos, photos, and more — available with select album and movie purchases on the iTunes Store.

• Home Sharing helps you manage your family's iTunes collection between computers in your home. iTunes can automatically transfer new purchases, or you can choose just the items you want.

• Genius Mixes are created for you by Apple iTunes and play songs from your library that go great together.

• iPod and iPhone syncing now allows you to organize your iPhone and iPod touch home screens directly in iTunes. Syncing is now also more flexible, allowing you to sync individual artists, genres, or TV show and Podcast episodes.

• iTunes U items are now organized into their own section in your iTunes library.

• Sync with iPod nano (5th generation), iPod classic (Fall 2009), and iPod touch (Fall 2009).

• iTunes 9 also includes many other improvements, such as HE-AAC encoding and playback, more flexibility with Smart Playlists rules, simpler organization of your media files inside an iTunes Media folder, and more.

Reference: Apple

Google Search Query: This site may harm your computer message

This morning I was performing a Google search query for identity of the suspect in the Annie Le case. The police have not issued the name of the Yale Lab Technician yet, and I was curious if the suspect's identity had been released to the public by the blogosphere or the Twitter community. I noticed that there are some sites listing the name "Lei Zhang" but appears these sites are posted by Phishers (Wikipedia: those engaging in phishing or the criminally fraudulent process of attempting to acquire sensitive information such as user names, passwords, credit card details), spammers and possibly black hat affiliate marketers. If you see a warning message from your browser: "This site may harm your computer" you should immediately close your browser window and not click on any of the links on that site.

Update: Raymond Clark is now being named as the suspect in the Annie Le case.

http://gawker.com/5360215/report-suspect-in-yale-killing-is-identified

Shino is the Asian Line Judge in Serena Williams U.S. Open Incident

If you want to know the identity of the Asian line judge in the Serena Williams U.S. Open tennis match, her name is Shino.

According to the New York Times in an article that was later changed, the identity of the Asian Line Judge or Asian lineswomen is Shino which would probably make her of Japanese ethinicity or heritage.

Whenever there is a breaking news story, I personally believe I can find just about anything on the Internet. This morning someone called to ask me if I knew the name of the line judge. I told them I would try and find it, so here it is.

Finally, does it really matter what the race, ethnicity or heritage is of the line judge? Why does the media always use the race card?

Source:
http://www.mediaite.com/tv/serena-williams-tennis-tantrum/

Airlines Twitter - A list of Airlines on Twitter

See the link below to the list of Airlines on Twitter. If you haven't added these to your Twitter Friends list, you should do so now!

List of Airlines on Twitter

Here’s the list of Airlines with Twitter Accounts.

@AirFranceUS - Air France Twitter account
@AlaskaAir - Alaska Airlines Twitter account
@AAirwaves - American Twitter account
@Continental - Continental Twitter account
@DeltaAirlines - Delta Twitter account
@JetBlue - JetBlue Twitter Account
@FlyHawaiian - Hawaiian Arilines
@SouthwestAir - Southwest Airlines
@SpiritAirlines - Spirit Airlines
@UnitedAirlines - United Airlines Twitter account
@USAirways - USAirways Twitter account
@VirginAmerica - Virgin Airlines

Updating to iPhone 3.1, iTunes 3.1, iTouch 3.1

I started updating some of my iPhones today. The first thing I noticed is that there is a new iPhone Configuration Utility that is downloaded and installed with my iPhone Windows installation. This program is downloaded and installed separately.

Here are the software items that were downloaded:
- QuickTimes (Mac 59.4MB)
- iTunes 9 upgrade (Mac 85.5MB)
- iPhone Configuration Utility
- iPhone Software Update (306.2 MB)(iTouch Mac 238.2 MB)

Here are some iPhone 3.1 and iTunes 9 installation tips.
- The download and installation process could take 45 minutes to 1 hour+
- The size of the file downloads is large so you might want to ensure you have the fastest Internet connection.
- You will need to restart your computer during the installation.
- The iPhone Configuration Utility is only for Windows PCs.

Here are the updating steps:
- Extracting Software
- Backing up "User Name's iPhone".."
- Verifying iPhone update with Appple...
- Preparing iPhone for software update...
- Waitng for iPhone...
- Updating iPhone software...
- Verifying updated iPhone sofware...
- Updating iPhone firmware...


Here are the iPhone 3.1 Features
- Genius recommendations for Applications
- iTunes 9 Support
- Genius Mixes
- Organize apps directly in iTunes
- Improved synching options for music, movies, TV shows, podcasts and phots
- Itunes U content organization
- Redeem iTunes gift cards, codes and certificates in the App store
- Display available iTunes account credits int he App Store and iTunes Store
- Save video from Mail and MMS into Camera Roll
- Option to "Save as new clip" when trimming a video on the iPhone 3GS
- Better iPhone 3G Wi-Fi performance when Bluetooth is turned on.
- Remotely lock iPhone with a passcode with MobileMe
- Use Voice Control on iPhone #GS with Bluetooth headsets
- Paste phone numbers into the Keypad
- Option to use the Home button to turn on Accessibility on the iPhone 3GS
- Warn when visiting fraudulent websites in Safari (anti-phishing)
- Improved Exchange calendar synching and invitation handling
- Fixes issue that caused some app icons to display incorrectly.


Other Notes
- On my MacPro, I also run Parallels.

iTunes 9 and iPhone 3.1 to be available today

iTunes 9 and iPhone 3.1 should be available later today according to the Apple Keynote today.

iPhone Tethering

We'll see if this works after the iPhone 3.1 Update.

iPhone Tethering

ttp://www.fastcompany.com/blog/chris-dannen/techwatch/simple-secret-iphone-tethering-fix

iPhone Mobile Safari Link
http://help.benm.at/help.php

Michael Beasley - Top Google Search Term Today

On Sunday afternoon, I was reading my Twitter account and read some not so nice things about Miami Heat forward Michael Beasley. At the time, I was angry at one of the
local reporters for posting a blog entry about it and decided not to comment on his blog in the best interests of Beasley. I have been following Michael Beasley and some of the other Miami Heat on Twitter and I thought that this use of social media was great for both NBA basketball, the fans and the players. Unfortunately, today the top Google Search term of the day was "Michael Beasley", his Twitter account is closed and he is now in rehab.

In retrospect, since I am a loyal Heat Season Ticket holder, I guess it may not be all that bad. After spending some time in rehab, maybe Beasley will start the 2009-10 season with renewed explosiveness after finding his way once again in the media for an off the court incident.

As far as the social media angle, let's hope this incident doesn't deter any other NBA players from twittering. As a fan, Twitter is a great insight into the players lives.

Finally, what's the World come to? An NBA player goes into rehab and he becomes the top Google search query term of the day?

Bose Quiet Comfort 15 Getting Great Reviews!

The Bose Quiet Comfort 15 Headphones are getting great reviews on PCMag.com site and others. If you have an old pair of the Bose QuietComfort 2 and are looking to upgrade, it might be the perfect time. I checked the American Express Rewards site and they don't yet have the new headphones on their site. I did notice that the Amazon.com site says that Amazon is now shipping them!

AMEX Membership Rewards - A website that's hard to find in Google!

If you have an American Express card and are looking for the AMEX rewards site and you are performing a Google Search Query, you're not alone. Every time I go to their website, it always leads me to some bogus www.AmericanExpress.com webpages and I can never find the rewards site from my American Express account profile. So here's the link:

http://membershiprewards.com

In Google, I tried searching for "American Express Membership Rewards", "AMEX shopping", "American Express Shopping", "American Express Rewards", and "AMEX membership rewards". Even "membership rewards" does not return a description for the site, but the words, "process direct".

BTW, I usually redeem Apple iTunes 50 song e-certificates for 8K points. A gift code is delivered in less than 3 hours. I am also a big fan of Bose Headphones and the Quiet Comfort 2 are 35K points and are usually delivered in a few days.

102 Famous People Picture and Answers

I was forwarded the 102 Famous People Picture so I thought I would publish the picture and the answers in a separate blog post.





















View Answer

102 Famous People - Answers

Here is one possible answer.























1. Socrates
2. Cui Jian (father of Chinese rock music)
3. Vladimir Lenin
4. Prince Charles
5. Ramses or King Solomon or Sinuhe of Egypt
6. Bill Clinton
7. Tsar Peter The Great Of Russia
8. Charles de Gaulle
9. Margaret Thatcher
10. Ulysses S. Grant
11. Bruce Lee
12. Winston Churchill
13. Raphael Sanzio or Matisse (French Painter)
14. Robert Oppenheimer
15. Elvis Presley
16. William Shakespeare
17. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
18. Genghis Kahn
19. Napoleon Bonaparte
20. Che Guevara
21. Fidel Castro
22. Marlon Brando
23. Lao zi or Hokusai
24. Marilyn Monroe
25. Yassar Arafat
26. Julius Caesar
27. Mike Tyson
28. George W. Bush
29. Luciano Pavarotti
30. Salvador Dali
31. Empress CiXi
32. Liu Xiang
33. Kofi Annan
34. Prince Charles
35. Ariel Sharon
36. Ho Chi Minh or Qi Baishi
37. Osama Bin Laden
38. Qin Shi Huang
39. Mikhail Gorbachev
40. Mother Teresa
41. Song Qingling
42. Otto Von Bismarck
43. Saint Peter or Rabindranath Tagore
44. Li ZhenSheng
45. Voltaire
46. President Hu Jintao
47. Dante Alighieri or Julius Caesar
48. Pu-Yi or Dai Dudu
49. Saloth Sar (Pol Pot)
50. Yi Sun-sin líder or Yue Fei
51. Michael Angelo
52. Hideki Tojo or Hiro Hito
53. Michael Jordan
54. Dwight Eisenhower or John Calvin Coolidge
55. Corneliu Baba, Romanian painter
56. Claude Monet
57. Mahatma Ghandi
58. Vincent Van Gogh
59. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
60. Marcel Duchamp
61. Confucius
62. Noah
63. Li Bai the Chinese Poet or Caravaggio
64. Mao Zhedong
65. Johan Wolfgang von Goethe, German Writer
66. Zhou Enlai
67. Marie Curie
68. Abraham Lincoln
69. Pablo Picasso
70. Stephen Spielberg
71. Freidrich Nietzsche
72. Karl Marx
73. Leonardo Da Vinci
74. Josef Stalin
75. Queen Elizabeth II
76. Lu Xun, Chinese Comunist Writer
77. Jose Francisco San Martín
78. Deng Xiaoping
79. Sun Yat-Sen
80. Theodore Roosevelt or Gen George Custer or Maxim Gorky or Philippe Pétain
81. Saddam Hussein
82. Benito Mussolini
83. Adolf Hitler
84. Guan Yu
85. Pele
86. Bill Gates
87. Audrey Hepburn
88. Ludwig Van Beethoven or Chopin
89. Charlie Chaplin
90. Henry Ford
91. Lei Feng
92. Victor babes or Norman Bethun
93. Mike Tyson
94. Sigmund Freud
95. Erich Honecker (leader of the GDR)
96. Vladimir Putin
97. Charles Dodgson (aka Lewis Caroll)
98. Shirley Temple
99. Chang Kai Chek
100. Leo Tolstoy
101. Albert Einstein
102. Ernest Hemingway
103. Franklin Roosevelt
104. Woman from photograph by Cartier Bresson or Mother Teresa
105. Dolly (The cloned sheep)

Media Getting Edgier - Flo Rida and the Residue Is Evil Ad

If you don't think TV and Online media is getting edgier and edgier lately, here are two recent examples. On the NBC Today Show this morning, viewers and their children were having breakfast to the tunes of Flo Rida Right Round - "You spin my head right around, right round, when you go down... I understand that these are the songs our teenagers/children are listening to anyways, but I was a bit shocked because of the some of the subliminal or not so subliminal messages in the lyrics in these songs.


Example 1: Flo Rida Low on NBC Today Show

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Example 2 - An Internet Ad - What is This?



The ResidueIsEvil Ad believe it or not is an Old Spice Men's Deodorant ad. This ad appears on many of the twenty-something men's websites for sneakers and X-box items, which I'm sure are also includes teenage boys. And if you you don't think there are any subliminal messages in this ad, then I'm not sure you are living on the same planet.

So many of you may not be surprised by this, but it seems like just the other day Howard Stern was publicly criticized by the language he used on the radio and then there was the Janet Jackson incident during the Superbowl.