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/