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People Pets and the Internet

Blogging, Pets, Website Stuff, Writing No Responses »

May 022009

Pets on the interwebs. Search any social network on the internet these days and you will most certainly find a bunch of pet lovers. Search MySpace, facebook or Twitter just a little harder and you will find the pets that belong to those very same pet lovers. Yes, there is a growing number of pets who blog or have their own web pages, and they connect with each other on these social networks.

Take my big boy Boris for example. I blog about him quite often, what is he does, his new toys, etc. When we first got him I even started a blog about his care and growth. Then we both got sick and the blog fell to the wayside. Recently I started dealing more with facebook and Twitter (as MySpace is yesterdays news) and found myself one night setting up accounts for Boris. So now you can follow the exploits of this kitty cat across the web via his blog (he took it over how), twitter and facebook.

I will continue to write about him here, as he is just too darn cote not too (besides he tends to ignore the fact that he has three older sisters who don’t play on the web — you know how it is for us older folks).

Old Writers Grant from the Speculative Literature Foundation

Books, Writing No Responses »

Mar 202009

Are you old and like to write sceince fiction stories? Then check this out.

“The Speculative Literature Foundation is offering a grant of $750 to any writer of speculative literature of 50 years or older at the time of application who is just beginning to work professionally in the field. There are no restrictions on the use of the grant money.”

Pretty sweet deal. Alas I have a few years to wait before applying.

Apply here: SLF Older Writers Grant

thnx Boing Boing

I Want It Wednesday: Complete Control of MY Facebook Content

Computers, I Want It Wednesdays, Rants, Website Stuff No Responses »

Mar 042009

Last month (Feb 4th) Facebook changed their terms of service to state that users content would be stored, not unlike email, and, here’s the kicker, that Facebook had rights to your content. So by uploading images, videos, stories etc you were giving Facebook rights to use your content in any way they saw fit.

If I upload something for my friends (or even open to the public) I should have all rights and controls over that content. Facebook should have to come to me to use or profit from what I post before they use it.

I am not the only one that feels this way. Facebook has backed up their TOS to an older version and is now opening it up to discussion and voting (kind of) on Facebook via two groups you can join and post your thoughts about the new TOS. This forum is only open until March 29th so go give them a piece of your mind.

I Hate Browser Incompatibility

Rants, Website Stuff, Working No Responses »

Feb 262009

It started out earlier today when my IE6 (I haven’t moved to 7 at work yet as I hate it at home so I tried to keep work from being faced with the same idiotic browsing issues I have here at home) when I got this weird error that the site I was working on had a script on it that was making internet explorer run slow. First time I had ever seen that error message pop up.

Even with all the crap that you get with microsoft’s browser I tend to use it the majority of the time. I know, I know. It is out of a force of habit. But every once in a while I open up Firefox and use it. At work I do this because some sites no longer function properly in IE6.

Anywho, remember how much fun Netscape was and how you had to bounce around from browser to browser because it could not do something the same as the other browser, well this is pretty much the same thing. Why can’t they all just get along?

Case in point this little blog does not work in Firefox but it mostly okay in MSIE7/6. No idea why, but if this looks screwy to you switch over to MSIE and then back again. Sorry.

So do I remove the offending video (I think it is the embedded CBS vids) or leave them there and let ya’ll figure it out? Either way I still hate the incompatibility issues in browsers!

Will Real Levar Burton Please Stand Up

Blogging, Website Stuff, Writing No Responses »

Feb 032009

I recently signed up for Twitter after hearing about it for a rather long time from all my techno geek friends. (You’ll see whataslacker’s Tweets over there on the bottom of the right-hand column there.)

Basically it is micro blogging at its best. You type a 140-character post, or tweet, and it goes out to all your followers (we don’t have many, so if your on Twitter check us out and follow us). One of the things I like best about it is that I can post from my cell phone when I am out and about. (I don’t have a smart phone or even internet access on my cell phone. I’m not really complaining because it is free; work pays for it.) I could even get the tweets from my friends right to my phone via text messages (thank goodness for unlimited texting).

So last night when I was on Twitter poking around to see who was there and who I might wish to follow I found LeVar Burton, yes the real LeVar Burton. Apparently someone had been impersonating him on Twitter for quite a while so he came in to clear his good name and decided to stay. He also found (like me) that blogging is not dead as many microbloggers would have you believe, because sometimes 140 characters is not enough to really express yourself.

One of the unique features he has over at LeVarBurton.com is an audio version of the blog. Not really a podcast, but similar. It is Mr. Reading Rainbow himself reading his post to you. Pretty cool. So you can choose to simply read the blog, listen to it or do both at the same time. A very novel approach, I look forward to hearing/reading more from Mr. Burton.

So while I have always been leery of celebs on the web as more often than not it is an impostor or just an over zealous fan, I was glad to find the real LeVar Burton as well as fellow TNG alum Wil Wheaton on the web. Glad to see that some big stars out there are reachable even if only via the web. Thanks guys!

Review: Fly Fusion Pentop Computer

Blogging, Computers, Raves, Toys, Writing No Responses »

Sep 252008

LeapFrog FLY Fusion Pentop Computer is more than just a digital pen. It is an educational tool as well. It is made by Leapfrog so we adults that are using it sometimes feel like we are using a kid’s toy more than a productive piece of equipment. I would say that the fly fusion is [...]

I Want It Wednesday: Livescribe Pen

Blogging, I Want It Wednesdays, Writing 1 Response »

Sep 242008

Digital pens are so cool. I first saw the livescribe pen at Target and boy does it look sweet (I am writing this using the fly fusion digital pen), The Livescribe Pulse Smartpen looks to be more geared to college students and business people over the LeapFrog FLY Fusion Pentop Computer. Live scribe also records [...]

Make Money Using Others Sites

Blogging, Writing 1 Response »

Aug 202008

I just stumbled on this site that lets you make money simply by using their website. YouSayToo.com Sign up, write your blog posts and reap the benefits of their adds. The more popular your content the more money you make. Might be a nice side blogging opportnity for some. at least it is worth a [...]

Big Blogger Boo-Boo

Blogging, Working, Writing No Responses »

Jul 082008

Well I guess enough is enough. They caught my little blog posts at work and called me on them. Even though I never said where I worked it was obvious to them or anyone who knows me that I was referring to them, I guess they did not like having a mirror held up to [...]

More Ways To Make Money Blogging

Blogging, Writing No Responses »

Jun 052008

A new company has arrived on the scene that lets you make money from blogging. It is called Bloggerwave. Really easy to sign up and be approved. Once you are you will almost immediately be able to pick a topic to blog about and make money from the sponsor. It is based in Europe, but [...]

OMG They Should Be Called PainPerPost

Blogging, Writing No Responses »

May 292008

PayPerPost is a really good way to make a few extra bucks each day writing sponsored posts, but sometimes they can be a BIG pain in the butt. I recently wrote a really great post about something I feel passionately about and just because I link my post to the companies and products involved in [...]

Big Fat Stupid Heads

Blogging, Rants, Writing No Responses »

May 282008

I have been informed that my sponsored post will not be paid because the yutzes over at PPP think my little tirade about big corporations like those behind the Littermaid litter box trying to kill the little guy like the fine folks over at OurPetâ€™s is a sponsored post. I link to both parties so [...]

The Almighty NoFollow Tag

Blogging, Computers, Rants, Website Stuff, Writing No Responses »