Billwildered

Video From a Visit to DC

2008-11-05T23:30:00.005-05:00

We visited friends in Washington, DC this summer shortly after I had gotten my new Canon Vixia HF10 HD video camera. I finally got around to doing some video editing using Sony Vegas Movie Studio Platinum 9. The Song is Such Great Heights by Iron & Wine.

DC Visit in B&W from billwildered on Vimeo.

20 Years

2007-09-04T23:00:00.000-05:00

It's hard to believe that it's been 20 years--20 years ago today, my father took his own life. For years now, this day has passed for me without much thought. In fact, there have been years when I only remember its passing days or weeks later. But this year, it's been on my mind a lot. I'm not exactly sure if it's that I've been melancholy or depressed. I don't think so. At least no more so than the typical late 30-something family guy. I guess it's the "20" milestone.

Most of my thoughts have been about regret. Not so much the regret that I should have said more or done more when he was around (it lingers, too). But the regret that he's missed so much--my graduations from college and grad school, my wedding, and the birth of both my son and daughter, not to mention my sister's children.

Nevertheless, his absence has had at least one positive effect on me and my life. It's given me perspective. At an early age, I learned that no matter how crappy life can be, it's worth living. And that things get better so long as you remember what's important.

So most things, well, just roll off my shoulders. The best example I can think of is my job. Don't get me wrong, I love my job and get a lot of satisfaction from it and the team I have the privilege to work with. But I work to live, not live to work. My time and worries are better spent trying to be a better husband, a better father, and a better man.

Which begs the question, am I better at these things?

I don't know. Ask me in 20 years.

What a Difference a Year Makes

2007-09-03T22:00:00.001-05:00

What I've been doing while not posting

2006-08-28T22:51:00.001-05:00

Chasing this one all over Bethany Beach:

Social Commerce - Part 2 - Stylehive

2006-08-03T07:55:00.001-05:00

In my second look at social shopping sites, I tried out Stylehive, which seems to target fashion as its name suggests. I really liked the layout and found it very easy to use. It has all the web 2.0 goodness you'd expect from a social site (i.e. profiles, tagging, RSS feeds, widgets, etc).

As far as social sites go, it's more in the vein of a social bookmarking site like del.icio.us than social networking like MySpace. The big limitation that I saw is that there's no concept of adding other users as friends. They have a page called "My Hive," but it's really just a place to manage your profile and import contacts.

Using the site is very easy though. The site provides a quick step-by-step tutorial for getting started. After creating a profile (see mine here) and adding a bookmarklet to your Favorites, you can add items you find on the internet to your account. Unlike Gifttagging (which I write about here), Stylehive grabs pictures, prices, and text from the page, making it easy for you to select which image to use, add tags from their automatically generated keywords, and post the item to your account.

You can also browse items on Stylehive by criteria like recently posted, featured users, most popular bookmarks, and most popular tags. Any items you like are easily added to your account by simply clicking the “quick copy” button next to any bookmark.

Aside from not having a friends capability, I don't like the fact that when you click on the bookmarklet, it renavigates your browser window. I would think popping a separate small browser would be better. For instance, Stylehive grabs every dollar figure on the page in its list of suggested prices. Not being able to reference the original page when adding a bookmark is an unnecessary obstacle in what otherwise is a pretty straightforward process.

Stylehive is still in alpha stage, so there are few users (the highest bookmark I saw had 19 users who had bookmarked it). I read that Stylehive was trying a "Calacanis-like" approach and offering to pay certain bloggers to post original items on their site to attract users and increase content. While I have some credibility issues with pay-for-post models, it also suggests to me that maybe they lack a viable business model. But I do like the site, so hopefully it works for them.

Lastly, another reason that I find Stylehive interesting and think they have some innovative ideas is that they recently hosted a virtual fashion show in Second Life. If you're not familiar with Second Life, it is a virtual world that has been getting a lot of press lately. It has its own economy and has spawned some interesting ideas with regard to commerce. But that's for another post.

My unforgettable dancing queen

2006-07-29T21:06:00.000-05:00

Memory is a funny thing. It can be fleeting at times. Things that just go in one ear and out the other. I have my share. Just ask Kerry, my wife. I've also had my share of experiences that no matter how much you try to forget, you just can't shake them. I remember the night of my father's suicide almost 19 years ago so vividly; it's as if it took place yesterday. I remember the knot in my stomach as I got down on my knee in front of Kerry over nine years ago and pulled the ring out of my pocket. I remember the excitement and anxiety as I sat in the delivery room waiting--for what seemed like an eternity--to hear Ethan's first cry while trying to keep Kerry calm. While some of the details get fuzzy over time, the big events, they stay with you.

But other times, little everyday moments occur, and just something about them--something I can't quite put my finger on--tells me with every bone in my body, I'll remember that moment for the rest of my life.

I had one of those moments tonight with Sophia.

She had just had her tubby time with Kerry, and I was getting her dry and into her pajamas. I had the High School Musical Soundtrack playing for Ethan. Sophia was getting a little fussy, so I just started dancing with her in my arms. And she was giving me some great big belly laughs. So I kept on dancing with her, and after about 15 minutes of me doing the white-man's overbite with her, she put her head on my shoulder. A few more songs played, and she just faded off to sleep as I danced away. She gave a couple of soft moans and nuzzled into my neck a few times. And as I lay her in her crib, she gave a soft dreamy giggle.

Now I've danced with her a hundred times, and she's even fallen asleep on my shoulder a bunch of times, but this...this time I'll remember forever.

Liar, liar, transformers are on fire!

2006-07-24T17:50:00.000-05:00

We were driving home from Kerry's Aunt's house on Saturday night when a big thunder and lightning storm hit. Well, OK, when I say storm, I mean maelstrom. My six-year-old, Ethan, was getting scared in the back of the minivan. OK, when I say scared, I mean just a basket case.

On a good day, he's frightened of thunder and lightning when well within the confines of our house. On Saturday, he was beside himself in shear terror and no amount of soothing voices or reassurances would calm him.

Thankfully, the storm started to slow down, and we were able to calm Ethan's nerves by explaining to him that the storm was moving away. We were doing the whole counting off between the lightning and thunder thing. Well, the words hadn't even completely escaped my mouth when the biggest, brightest, most vivid bolt of lightning hit a transformer on a pole less than 40 yards from our car.

I jumped. Kerry gasped. Ethan squealed. Sophia (log that she is) snored. Hell, the minivan even shook. I had never seen anything like it. And definitely not so close.

And as we drove by the pole and sparks were showering down onto the ground, a hurt little voice from the back said, "You said the storm was moving away, Daddy."

Thanks, Mother Nature.

Social Commerce - Part 1

2006-07-20T22:35:00.000-05:00

While I've written about shopping- and product recommendation-related sites and applications that are attempting to leverage social networking and bookmarking here and here, several new ones have recently launched that I thought I'd share.

It should be no surprise that most "shopping" on the internet is really just research or window shopping and either leads to a purchase made offline at a retail site or never leads to one at all. Some of the sites in this new wave leverage this fact by helping users with product research and recommendations. Others just attempt to provide simple tools that address one aspect of the shopping experience.

Gifttagging attempts to address one simple need--the universal wishlist--and while it's fairly straightforward, it just doesn't seem to do it that well.

Gifttagging basically allows you to manage and share lists of items that you would like and those that you already have. After adding a link to your bookmarks bar (only seems to work in Firefox), you can add items you find while browser-window shopping to your gifttagging lists with a simple click. You still have to manually enter the item's name, price, and description unlike other sites like Baggle (which I write about here).

You can tag the items with keywords, search other people's lists based on similar tags, and then share your lists either by emailing a link to it or by adding a Linkroll onto your website. Although it looks like the code they provide includes JavaScript, so don't expect it to work with social networking sites like MySpace which strip JavaScript out.

All in all, I'm not particularly impressed with this website. When I tried to add items to my "Things I Have" list, they ended up on my "Things I Would Like" list. Roughly 40% of the time I tried to add something to one of my lists, I'd get a blank window stating "Application Error." The fact that it doesn't seem to integrate well with Internet Explorer is a big strike against its chances for catching on with the mainstream. The site is in Beta, so I hope for their sake it improves.

Regardless, there's no apparent business model here. How this site is going to make money is a mystery. And if it's not obvious that it's the least bit sustainable, why should you invest the time to build a wishlist or add Linkrolls to your sites? Simple, you shouldn't.

Stay tuned for upcoming write ups on other sites such as MyPickList, Stylehive, Wists, Kaboodle, Nabbr, and Yub.

Social Browsing

2006-07-19T22:45:00.000-05:00

I spend so much of my time trying to stay plugged into what the latest websites are that you'd think I'd get bored with it.

Well, I don't. In fact, I love discovering new sites, and it never ceases to amaze me that there are so many innovative, creative, and useful ones out there. On the flip side, I come across a lot of crap. Well, StumbleUpon is a fun application that I have used for random discovery.

StumbleUpon is a downloadable browser-extension that allows you to discover new sites based on categories you choose and rate them. Once installed, you can access StumbleUpon through a toolbar in your browser. Your ratings--a simple thumbs up or thumbs down--then help determine future sites you see as well as how often sites you've rated are shown to other StumbleUpon users.

In addition, StumbleUpon also has the typical Web 2.0 features that most every site touting social networking offers. You can set up a profile, add or make friends, share the sites you like, and tag different pages.

Until just this week, StumbleUpon has only been available to Firefox users, yet they've been able to reach the one million user mark. Well, it's about to hit the mainstream because they've just released a version for Internet Explorer. Check it out, explore, have fun, and let me know if you stumble upon anything interesting.

10 Cool Websites You Want to Share

2006-07-18T22:44:00.000-05:00

Figured I'd try a meme for today's post. I got this one at Yanowhatimean by way of The Daily Meme.

My 10 sites (not in any particular order):
Lifehacker - great tips for getting the most out of the Interweb
Pandora - create your own web radio station, great for discovering new music and bands
YouTube - it's becoming cliche, but can be great fun when you have some time to kill
Listible - good lists for almost any topic
Wikipedia - while I would never swear by it, it's a quick source to learn about almost any subject
Bloglines - great web-based RSS reader to manage all your feeds
Springwise - new business ideas for entrepreneurial people
FatWallet - decent deals and coupon codes, got me a better discount on a PC than I could get through my employer
Streamload - 25GB of FREE online file storage
Technorati - great for searching the blogosphere

Please share your sites in the comments.

Dry spells

2006-07-17T22:12:00.000-05:00

I hate dry spells, and I've had a long one. I know.

It's not that I haven't had much to write about. I have.

And it's not as if I don't want to share. I do.

I was back home in the Roch over the long 4th of July weekend and not one relative, but two, asked why I haven't blogged in so long. Good answers? I had none.

It's just...well, I'm tired.

But leave it to family to kick your butt into gear. So here goes...

I'm actually terrified of dry spells. Whether they come in the form writer's block, lack of creativity, or losing streaks or if they occur at work, home, on the field, or in the bedroom, dry spells basically suck.

Those who know me, know that I am a HUGE consumer of media. All types. Each day, I skim at least a dozen blogs via my Bloglines feed and listen to three podcasts and watch a half a dozen video podcasts during my train commute. And any given week, I watch way too many hours of TV, play far too many hours of PC and/or Xbox games, and try to keep up with about five monthly magazine subscriptions. All this, to stay current, to be "in the know," to keep the creative juices flowing...to ward off obsolescence.

So one of my biggest challenges--besides making time to sleep--is how to organize all that "knowledge" into something I can work with, how to use it all to make my personal and professional life, well, better.

Well, I just re-read a post I found a few months ago via 43 Folders that has helped, and I thought it would be good to share since it's pretty appropriate. While we don't always have or make time for big brainstorm sessions, there's always time for a little "brain rain" to get you out of life's dry spells. Stay wet.

Phony article on MediaPost

2006-05-22T07:42:00.000-05:00

I saw this article this morning and thought it was funny. It announces the IPO of Rejects.com a completely fictitious website that supposedly posts all of the pics deemed too crude by social networking sites like MySpace. Love the name of the founder and ad director.

If the article is gone for some reason. Here's a screenshot.

Can you spare some change for iTunes?

2006-04-26T07:28:00.000-05:00

Coinstar, the company that puts change collection kiosks in various supermarkets, has recently announced that they have added iTunes to their Coin to Card Program. It's been a while since I've used one of these kiosks, and I wasn't even aware of the program. Basically, rather than taking the 8.9% hit when cashing in your change, you can opt for a gift card or eCertificate at FULL value. How sweet is that?

About twice a year for the last couple of years, I've been emptying Ethan's piggy banks and taking him to the local Stop 'n Shop to use one of these machines. He knows that half goes into his savings account and half can be used to buy a toy or books. Now that I know about this, it seems like a no brainer. In addition to iTunes, you can get gift cards for vendors such as Amazon, Borders, Starbucks, and Pier 1.

Find a Coinstar kiosk by you here.

Get stuff for fuh-ree

2006-04-25T22:56:00.000-05:00

Lifehacker had a post a few weeks ago about FreebieFinder. The site aggregates FREE offers from around the web. It even has an RSS feed you can subscribe to. It's a pretty neat ideam but there's not much good stuff on there right now, unless you really like coffee.

Easter Egg Hunt

2006-04-19T07:53:00.000-05:00

Sophia, 17 months

JibJab's JokeBox

2006-04-19T07:48:00.000-05:00

From the folks who brought us "This Land" (featured on Jay Leno's Tonight Show before the 2004 election), comes JokeBox. JokeBox just launched and is being described as "MySpace meets Comedy Central." Basically, it's a social community for sharing jokes and humorous, user-created content. And it's a place to send all those inbox cluttering email forwards you get from Internet novice friends and family. Check it out.

2006 Bloggies Awarded

2006-04-19T07:35:00.000-05:00

In a post a few months ago (Where to find good blogs), I wrote about the Bloggies. The awards were given last month and you can see the results here.

There's some really great and informative reads amongst the winners as well as nominees. Take a look.

Name that tune

2006-04-12T00:20:00.000-05:00

I don't know why, but I seem to really, really like the songs I've been hearing in the TV shows I watch lately. But unlike movies, they don't always list the songs or artists in the closing credits. And none of the networks have gotten customer-focused or smart enough to include that type of information on their web sites. So I was excited to read about a new site called TuneFind.com (via Lifehacker) whose sole purpose is to be THE index of songs appearing in TV shows and movies. It even provides links to the songs/artists in iTunes.

Backyard Springtime Fun

2006-04-11T22:34:00.000-05:00

Speaking of over-achievers...

2006-04-04T21:25:00.000-05:00

Pondering my little ninja-wannabe, it made me think of this story I saw on Boing Boing a while back about a kid who is using $100,000 that he earned himself to spend a year at Disney before he goes to college.

Talk about over-achievers.

Link to Boing Boing post.

Ralph Macchio's got nothing on my five-year-old

2006-04-04T21:23:00.000-05:00

I missed Ethan's Karate test for his first stripe on his white belt. I felt bad, but I knew he was prepared. Kerry and I had both practiced with him. Confidence was high. When the time came, Ethan passed with flying colors.

This past weekend was the actual award ceremony. Ethan was one of the first called up. I was making an ass of myself in the front corner, digicam in one hand and video cam in the other. When Sensei Frank got to Ethan, he made an announcement that they occasionally have students who excel and in those cases they sometimes test on additional material (having missed it, I didn't know that they had tested Ethan on additional moves).

The smile on this kid's face tells the story. Yep, he received not one, but two stripes on his belt. I'm the proud daddy of a 3rd Degree White Belt.

Best Free Online Games

2006-04-04T20:51:00.000-05:00

1up.com has compiled a list of The 101 Best Free Games on its site. If you're into FREE online games, then check it out. It ranges from quick casual games to in depth strategy and RPG games.

Coulda' used these for the draft

2006-03-29T00:13:00.000-05:00

I had my fantasy baseball draft this past weekend with all my buddies from high school. There are some of us who view the weekend as a way to put the vast amounts of time spent pouring over baseball stats to good use. They do the homework, crunch the numbers, and come ready to formulate a team. I was NOT prepared.

Nevertheless, I'll be the first to admit - the real reason we trek back to our high school stomping grounds for a day long draft is so that we can act like we did when we were in high school. It's an annual ritual. An opportunity to relive pseudo glory days, regale with old stories, and laugh like we hadn't heard them 100 times before. The only difference is we have larger waists, less hair, higher tolerances, and better taste in beer.

My friend, Bill, graciously hosts us every year. His wife, Kelly, is understandably less than thrilled, especially since this year, they have a NEW house. Fortunately, their place is big enough (10 times the size of mine, double the price) that come bedtime, it's unlikely they could hear even the loudest of the group. At least, I hope.

So, as the draft progressed and those of us who hadn't memorized Johnny Damon's OBP or Chris Capuano's WHIP began more frequent visits to the keg.

Well, it just happened. Someone (read: me) bounced a quarter off Bill's stealth-bomber shaped island kitchen counter. The familiar tink had a Pavlov's dog effect, and heads instantly turned. Game on!

After the ensuing three hours of speed quarters came to an end, I looked around and couldn't help but think of high school and surveying friend's homes after parties. Pizza boxes, open chip bags, and the quintessential red plastic Solo cups strewn everywhere. There had been 12 of us. Looking at Bill's place, you'd think at least 50.

Yesterday, still a dull thud in my head (what can I say? I'm no spring chicken), I ran across this post about Hello Pint Glasses on Lifehacker. These would have been great for keeping the mess at Bill's and our drunken attempt at cleaning to a minimum and probably would have helped in preventing us from catching the same cold.

More importantly, they would have been perfect height for our speed quarters game's Super-Challenge shots. Which If I'd made, I wouldn't have had to lap Bill's neighbor's houses in 38 degree weather.

Cheers.

Find local groups and clubs at Meetup

2006-03-28T23:46:00.000-05:00

I read about Meetup on this Lifehacker post and thought it was interesting. Basically, it allows you to create/join clubs and social groups with common interests. You can either search based on city or interest.

They've been mentioned in Time, Fox News, and The Economist.
Take a look.

The Harlem Globe-er, um, Wizards

2006-03-07T08:23:00.000-05:00

About a week ago, Kerry asked me if I would take Ethan to a fundraising event at one of the local high schools. Apparently, the student body government was doing a fundraiser by having the Harlem Globetrotters play against a team of teachers and students. I thought, "Sure, I'll take him." (OK, so I was really like, "Hot diggity!! That'll be suh-weet!!")

All day yesterday I caught myself whistling their jingle. I was genuinely looking forward to it. I mean, come on. Basketball tricks and slapstick comedy? Two fun things. Put them together and ka-blamo, you got yourself an evening full of family-fun hijinks. Buckets full of confetti and the opposing team getting pantsed to the point of indecent exposure. Ahh, the nostalgia was palpable. Nevermind that I had the nagging thought that the Globies must be having some rough times to be booking such soup-line-esque gigs.

Ethan and I were walking up to the school and there it was by the entrance, the tour "trailer." Imagine my surprise and disappointment when I saw the words on the side, The Harlem Wizards - Trick Hoops and Alley Oops.

Who the hell are these posers?

It turns out that Kerry wasn't exactly wrong. A couple of the guys are former Globies (or, ahem, have been loosely affiliated with the team at some point in time). The rest of them seem to be NCAA-flunkies who thought they were going to The Show, and therefore, never bothered getting an education. Sorry, that's too harsh. I'm sure the Wizards do a good job and probably help lots of organizations raise hundreds of dollars. Good on ya', Wizards!

But I still couldn't help but think that we were watching a really bad copy, like in that Michael Keaton movie, Multiplicity. Remember, Doug #4. Yeah, I like pizza, too, Wizards.

The whole surreal experience made me curious. So I went to their website, and you'll be happy to know that the Harlem Globetrotters are still around and doing well. "Curly" Neal has long since hung up his Chuck Taylors, but they're still entertaining families across the globe on their 2006 "Unstoppable" World Tour.

Happy March 1st

2006-03-01T23:56:00.000-05:00

So, Kerry's at church on Sunday with the kids and our seven-year old niece, Caroline. The priest usually invites the children of the congregation to join him up front during the homily, and Ethan and Caroline go up.

The priest begins by explaining to the kids that Wednesday is a very important day for the Church.

Priest: Do any of you children know what the special day is?

Boy: (blurt) March 1st!!

Congregation: (bursts out in laughter)

Priest: Well, you're right it is March 1st. Does anyone know what the special day is for the Church?

Children: (blank stares)

Anyhow, the priest goes on to explain Ash Wednesday and how it's the beginning of Lent. At the end of the homily, he asks the kids to return to their seats. Ethan and Caroline come back to the pew.

Caroline: (to Kerry) Wasn't it funny when Ethan made the whole church laugh?

My father-in-law: (sitting in the pew in front of them, bursts out in laughter)

So, happy March 1st!

Tough love or just plain love?

2006-02-28T23:57:00.000-05:00

I did an awful thing to my five-year old son, Ethan, this weekend. Well, I mean, it's not "smack your kid in public" awful, but still, I feel bad.

Well, sort of.

On the one hand, I cherish the time I get to spend with him and just have fun. And I want to do whatever I can to make sure that he's challenged and develops into a thoughtful, confident, polite, loving, and happy kid. But on the other hand, I also want him to learn and accept that fun (and life) isn't always about winning.

I'm squarely in the "you win some, you lose some" camp. And as I've said before, I think children, even at his age, shouldn't be shielded from a little competition. So long as you have fun, give it your best effort, and learn something along the way, it's all good.

So, Ethan and I were at the food court arcade at the local mall on Saturday, heads swimming in a McDonald's-induced glycogen high. The bass of the Dance Dance Revolution thumping in my belly (or maybe that was the quarter pounder). Our game is tied at 6-6. Ethan had just caught up from a three-point deficit without a lick of "hey, my shoe's untied" help from Daddy. The scoreboard warning lights are starting to flash letting us know that time's almost up.

And there I was...at a crossroad. Do I nudge it down and give him the last shot? Or do I capitalize on his obvious height disadvantage and bank one in past his reach? I take the shot. His paddle misses its mark, and I hear the sweet "PLINK" of glory. The scoreboard timer buzzes.

I beat my five-year-old son 7-6 at air hockey.

A brief glint of disappointment flashes in Ethan's eyes, and even though it's gone as we high-five and head over to the counter to cash in our skee-ball winnings, I couldn't help but think that maybe I had made a mistake. Did my competitive side get the best of me?

But now that a day or so has passed, I think maybe I'm being a little hard on myself. It was a good afternoon. Fifteen dollars well spent for some QT with the E-man with the added bonus of dishing out a little air hockey smackdown life lesson. Don't feel too bad for him, he made out like a bandit at the arcade ticket counter--two army paratroopers, two superballs, and two foamy smiley face rings. Plus, he's already talking smack about the next time we go.

At least, I think that's how "You're silly, Daddy!" translates.

Putting the Bill back into Billwildered

2006-02-21T23:17:00.000-05:00

In case you haven't noticed, dear reader (for the sake of ~~accuracy~~simplicity, I'll ~~admit~~assume that you are singular), there's been a shortage of Billwildered posts lately. (I'm not counting the coupon bone I just threw.)

No excuses really. I guess I've just been struggling a little with what Billwildered is all about. And frankly, I'm a little unenthusiastic about this whole bloggity-blog thing since I'm just not feeling the love.

Sure, you like Billwildered. You may even really, really like it. But love it? Umm, not so much.

And what's worse, I'm not loving it either.

So, I thought back on why I started Billwildered and realized something--call it a billpiphany.

I haven't begun to accomplish the goals I originally had in mind.

So, bear with me as I review.

The one I thing I've done alright on--share useful, funny, or bizarre sites, products, and services with family and friends. Of course, I'm basing that assumption on the three or four of you who, rather than just trolling, have actually given me any feedback.

What I need to do more of:

share everyday events with family and friends
share who I am with family and friends
find my voice, and
build my confidence to share beyond the comfy "we love you anyway" confines of family and friends

So, like it, love it, can't live without it, gauge your eyeballs out to avoid it...whatever. It boils down to this--while you may not want anything more from Billwildered, I do (not "more better," more like, uh, "more biller").

It may not be pretty. It may not even be readworthy. But it'll be chock full 'o Bill.

Oh, who am I kidding? It's going to be fu--ing AWESOME!! Get ready to be billwildered!

Printable Retail Coupons

2006-02-21T21:50:00.000-05:00

I read about Wow Coupons, a site that aggregates retail coupons for both in-store and online use, at this Consumerist post.

Like Consumerist says, if you can get over the annoying sound effects, there's some definite good deals here. For the retail section (the only one I really took a look at), the site links directly to coupons on the retailers' websites. Although I did see a few that expired a few days ago, most seem up to date.

Next time you're headed to the mall or before you click "checkout," be sure to take a look here.

Best of Bootie 2005 CD

2006-02-12T21:36:00.000-05:00

A while back, I posted about mash-ups (What do you get when you mix...). Well, I recently saw this post on Boing Boing about a "best of" CD that's available for download of the 20 best mash-ups from a San Fran club called Bootie. Apparently, Bootie is dedicated to mash-ups and has monthly mash-up parties.

I got them on my iPod, and my favs are:
Beatles vs. Black-Eyed Peas vs. Ludacris vs. Kelis (Black Beatles)
Franz Ferdinand vs. Run-DMC vs. The Knack (Do You Wanna Cuz It's Tricky)
Rob Base vs. Prince (It Takes Two To Kiss)

To get the tracks, visit Best of Bootie 2005 CD.

Wanna jump back 25 years?

2006-02-12T20:59:00.000-05:00

If you do, then visit Neave Games for a little bit of nostalgia.

Enjoy!

The must-have item you've been waiting for

2006-02-07T23:55:00.000-05:00

They're finally available. No, it's not the Xbox 360. Or even the new 1GB iPod Nano. No, it's WAY better--your very own Billwildered shirt. Come on...you know you want one.

Seriously, you better get one.

Sherioushly, there's this really cool site I learned about on Lifehacker last week called SnapShirts that will analyze your blog/website and create a word cloud (similar to a tag cloud) based on the most used words on your main page. Then you can have them put the word cloud on shirts, mouse pads, clocks, and other items.

Get 'em here while they're hot.

Where to find good blogs

2006-02-01T23:53:00.000-05:00

So now that you've been a "loyal" Billwildered reader for the past three months, I'm sure my razor-sharp wit, dramatic storytelling, and integrity-oozing pseudo-journalistic voice (oh, and don't forget my modesty) have completely sold you on the rich universe of the blogosphere (if you weren't there already).

You've probably even said to yourself, "Hey, this bloggity-blog stuff is the bees knees. I wonder where I can find other good bloo-bloggy thingies, even though I seriously doubt that I can find one as refreshing and thought-provoking [read: trivial and forgetful] as Billwildered."

Well, stop. You're making me blush.

Seriously, if you're interested in finding new blogs, here are just a couple of places that I would suggest:

The nominees for the Sixth Annual Weblog Awards - These are considered the "cream of the crop." The nominees for the 2006 Bloggies includes some great stuff, many of which I have on my blogroll (I'll get to that later). Like most awards, the Bloggies are categorized by topics like Technology, Food, Travel, Fashion, Entertainment, and Politics. You can even look at past year's winners and nominees.

Technorati - This site is great for finding blog postings based on topic, keywords, tags, or popularity. By creating a free account, you can also set up watchlists that will pull together posts based on whatever criteria you define.

Google Blog Search - In it's never-ending drive toward world domination, Google is offering a beta product for searching blogs. It's similar to a regular Google search, but you'll just be "googling" the blogosphere.

Blogrolls - many blogs you visit will include lists of links to other blogs called a blogroll. Typically, it's because the author(s) may reference them on a regular basis, read there posts often, or just want to give other sites added visibility (the number of sites that link to yours is a determining factor in most organic search engine results). Any time I'm reading a blog and like it, I'll usually look at their blogroll to see if I find anything else that I like. Most aggregators give you the ability to create a blogroll. I recently posted my blogroll on Billwildered (lower right sidebar). I use Bloglines.

Enjoy!

UPDATE: They've closed the nominations for the 2006 Bloggies, and for some reason, they're no longer showing the list of nominees on the page. So, you'll have to wait till around March 13 to see this year's. However, you can still see past winners and nominees.

Reader Zen

2006-01-30T22:55:00.000-05:00

I love to read. I read on the train. I read on the couch. I read in bed. I read on the can.

If you're a fellow consumer of the written word, then you'll definitely be interested in these two products I ran across in recent Boing Boing posts (Product #1 and Product #2).

The first is the Slanket. It's dubiously dubbed as "The best blanket ever." It is a cozy, fleece blanket that has built-in arms. So you can channel surf, read, type on a laptop, etc. etc.--all while staying nice and warm. (It looks like they're currently backordered on all colors though. Sorry).

The second is the Thumb Thing. It's a plastic doohickey that you slip on your thumb like a ring. It fits snugly in your book to keep the pages spread open. Perfect to use with your Slanket.

Picture it now. A chilly winter night, sitting wrapped in your Slanket. Thumb Thing on your thumb and wedged into the latest Dan Brown page-turner. What to do with that free hand? The possibilities are endless--drink your cocktail, hold the remote, write notes, dial the phone, practice one-handed origami, pick nose, scratch my b-- You get the picture.

Trade CDs for an iPod

2006-01-24T22:41:00.000-05:00

I know I've already professed my love for my iPod. Well, if you're itchin' to get one but are having a tough time justifying the cost, I saw this alternative on a Boing Boing post.

Apparently, there's a used CD shop in Charleston called Millenium Music that's promoting an iPod trade. So, comb through your collection and burn CDs, rip them to your computers, or event get rid of the duds and one-hit wonders. You know they're in there.

45 CDs = 512 MB iPod Shuffle
65 CDs = 1 GB iPod Shuffle
85 CDs = 2 GB iPod Nano
110 CDs = 4 GB Nano
130 CDs = 30 GB iPod
175 CDs = 60 GB iPod

The only catch is that unless you'll be in Charleston any time soon, you'll need to mail them on your dime and the CDs need to be in good condition.

Check it out at Millennium Music iPod Trade.

The every-man's stunt man

2006-01-18T23:52:00.000-05:00

I saw this site that shows this new ad campaign for Bud Light - Ted Ferguson - Bud Light Daredevil. This campaign is a perfect example of the trend of TV ads beginning to mirror the look and feel of the DIY videos that have been propagating the net on many of the video file-sharing sites like YouTube and ClipShack (see previous post - Online video-sharing services). Funny stuff and pretty much right on target with the 21-45 male demographic.

Cheerios Idol?

2006-01-15T23:51:00.000-05:00

I saw an ad for this promotion that Cheerios is running and instantly thought of one of my very good friends at work who loves karaoke. Basically, to promote their new Yogurt Burst Cheerios cereal, Cheerios has launched a viral marketing website called Cheerioke.com. When you visit the site, you are prompted to create a custom avatar that will lip sync to your voice and then choose one of three songs to sing along to. When you're finished, you can email your Cheerioke recording to your friends, family, or--depending on your singing--worst enemies. I'm assuming that the email will also include some sort of promotion about the new cereal, and I'm not really sure what Yogurt Burst Cheerios have to do with a Japanese pastime. But what the heck? It still sounds like good clean fun. Check it out.

I love Channel Frederator

2006-01-12T23:52:00.000-05:00

I got an iPod Nano for Christmas. How psyched was I? But my bubble burst soon after when I realized it had a faulty battery. To make things worse, the only Apple Store within a 50 mile radius was sold out. All is well though, as I was able to upgrade to the Video iPod. And I must say, I LOVE IT!!

It's not even the cool factor (while Apple's design is undoubtedly slick), or even the fact that I'm allowed to sit at the cool table at the office lunchroom again. It is the vast amounts of free and fresh content that it's opened me up to, mainly Podcasts. And what's more, Video Podcasts.

My absolute favorite so far is Channel Frederator. They do a weekly episode of ultra-hip animated shorts submitted by animation artists from all over the world. The toons are funny, cool, sometimes raunchy, and other times downright disturbing. And the writing is hilarious--a bit of schoolyard bravado blended with a "we're witty and we know it" attitude. (BTW - if you're interested in this space, read this recent article from FastCompany magazine, Attack of the Baby Pixars).

Why should you care fine readers? The great thing is that you don't even need a Video iPod to enjoy them (only if you want to be cool like me). You can view and download each episode on their site. Even better, you can subscribe to their RSS feed.

So, thank you iPod. Thank you Channel Frederator. And most of all, thank you Barb and Buz for the great gift that lets me enjoy my tunes AND my toons.

Maybe next year Giants fans

2006-01-11T22:15:00.000-05:00

Too bad about Sunday, but if you're thinking the Giants have a shot next year and are willing to put a little money where your heart is, you should check out The Ticket Reserve.

I read about this site in Wired (Link: The Ticket Option Market). It basically lets you buy, bid, sell, and trade "options," or Fan Forwards, for tickets to championship games on any team. The company has struck partnerships with all the leagues and teams and guarantees ticket availability. It's professional sports meets the futures market while sticking it to the scalpers.

So, how much faith do you have in your team? I don't know about you Giants fans, but as a Bills fan, I think I'll be holding onto my greenbacks (and breath) for a few seasons.

Why are gamers so fun to laugh at?

2006-01-10T23:51:00.000-05:00

I read about this online comic strip in Wired magazine this month. I had heard about it a few years ago. It pokes fun at video games and the gamer geeks who play them. Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik have been writing it since 1998 and have just published a book of the first two years called Penny Arcade Volume 1: Attack of the Bacon Robots!

Take a look at the site Penny Arcade! I didn't know, but apparently, the site is the most visited online comic strip and gets over 45 million pageviews a month. Just click on the Comic link to see the strip.

If that's not enough for you, take a look at this machinima clip that's been getting around. It kills two birds with one stone by making fun of both video gamers and traditional role-playing gamers. You can see it on Heavy.com (Link: Geeked Out Machinima). Just be forewarned that there's some racy stuff on the site if you're going to nose around.

In any case, I thought it was hilarious, but I can't laugh too hard since it kinda hits close to home. Ah, those carefree D&D days circa 1982. Umm, any negative comments, and I'll sick my Level 17 Wizard on you!

Enjoy!

Looking for an alternate reality?

2006-01-08T23:54:00.000-05:00

There's a unique take on an alternate reality game (ARG) that has launched this month. I read about it in Wired a few months ago (Link: Hey! What's That On Your Shirt?). Basically, to promote their clothing line, Edoc Laundry has created a fictitious band called Poor Richard. The band has lost its manager, and the clues to solve the mystery are hidden in the clothes. Pretty neat idea. No word yet whether it's been successful for them.

If you're unfamiliar with ARGs, they are mostly used as a form of viral or buzz marketing. The basic gist of these campaigns is that people talk about them, forward emails, share links, etc.

Many examples can be found in the video game world. Halo 2 had its ARG that started when at the end of its trailer, viewers saw an obscure website address (www.ilovebees.com) come onto the screen as if there were a problem with the ad. Gamespot had a good story on the ARG when it launched (Link: Halo 2 hype hoax).

A recent ARG for the Xbox 360 title, Perfect Dark Zero, also integrated the mobile world. Basically, you could have Joanna Dark, the central character of the game, "whack" a friend by putting out a "hit" on them. The target would receive an email with a link to a video that ends with them seeing their name on the toe tag of a deceased patient. When the job is done, you get a call on your mobile phone with a message saying so. Here's an article on that campaign - (Send Joanna After Your Friends).

Another form of buzz marketing comes in the form of viral email campaigns such as Burger King's Subservient Chicken campaign. While quite bizarre, it was strangely effective.

If you know of others, let me know.

What do you get when you mix

2006-01-06T23:27:00.000-05:00

I saw this Boing Boing post - Best mashups of 2005 - about a top 10 list of mashups on a blog called Culture Bully. If you aren't familiar with mashups (also referred to as bastard pop or cutups), these are great examples of what's being done with digital audio by amateurs and professionals.

You can listen to or download them by following the link at the bottom of the Boing Boing post. I like #1 (Flaming Lips vs Snoop Dogg vs Will Farrell), #3 (Rolling Stones vs Biz Markie) , and #10 (The Who vs Beastie Boys) myself.

I know. I know. Sampling has been around for decades, and DJs have been mixing since the days of disco. NPR even did a story on mashups back in 2002 on All Things Considered. You can listen to it by clicking here and then clicking the "Listen" button.

Regardless, never has it been so easy for anyone to experiment or distribute their creations. And that's really what's at the root of this Web 2.0 thing - the advent of community-created content. So, while not a really new trend, the availability of more advanced--often free--digital audio editing software and P2P networks has really made this stuff catch on.

Enjoy!

Steve Martin now contributing to a blog

2006-01-05T22:31:00.000-05:00

If you're a Steve Martin fan, as am I, you might like to know that he is now contributing to the HuffingtonPost.com. Check out his first blog post -- titled Leap Second Lovers Are Traitors Says Bill O'Reilly.

What is your dangerous idea?

2006-01-04T23:23:00.000-05:00

That's the world question of 2006. "Huh?," you ask. Well, apparently John Brockman at Edge.org asks some of the world's biggest smartypants to answer just one very thought-provoking question each year. For 2006: What is your dangerous idea?

"The history of science is replete with discoveries that were considered socially, morally, or emotionally dangerous in their time; the Copernican and Darwinian revolutions are the most obvious. What is your dangerous idea? An idea you think about (not necessarily one you originated) that is dangerous not because it is assumed to be false, but because it might be true?"

Contributor's include Kevin Kelly from Wired and J. Craig Venter, the genomics pioneer who mapped the human genome (as an aside - I met his wife who's also a genome researcher a few years back - nice lady).

Past questions have included questions such as "What do you believe is true even though you cannot prove it?" and "What questions have disappeared?"

Check out the answers to this year's question at The World Question Center 2006.

Cool video of the seasons in Norway

2006-01-04T22:51:00.000-05:00

I saw this and just thought it was really cool. Erik Solheim from Norway took multiple still photos outside his window over the course of a year and then made them into this video.

You can check out his original blog post at The video of the seasons in Norway.

2005: The year in review

2006-01-02T23:53:00.000-05:00

What a year for the Billwildered clan! This year had lots of change for us. As a year-end bonus for you loyal readers, I asked none other than Baba Wawa to guest interview the fam to cover 2005's highlights.

Baba: Hewwo, Biww. Thank you for asking me to join you in your walk down memowy wane. It's a reaw pweasure to be here. What do you say we get started? So, what makes the Biwwwiwdewed cwan tick?

Bill: Well, Babs, that's a tough one. Do we really tick or is it more like a sputter? We take it day by day. I mean, let's face it we all know who rules the roost.

Baba: Kewwy?

Bill: No, dummy. The kids.

Baba: Ahh, yes. The kids. Ethan who is five and Sophia now one. And how is it that they ruwe?

Bill: Like most parents we know, Kerry and I have little control over our schedule. Neither of the kids are very good sleepers. Ethan has gotten better recently after taking a step back last year when Sophia was born. But he still has the occasional 3-4am nightmare or deadarm "pins & needles" alarm.

Baba: And Sophia?

Bill: Well, Sophia hasn't really mastered the whole "sleeping through the night" thing yet. She's teased us a few times this year. She once slept through the night three nights in a row back in September, but then she got sick and just hasn't gotten back on track. She still wakes up sometime between 1-3am almost every night. We're hoping the four teeth she'll be cutting in the next few weeks will help her get through the night. Oh, and the Nyquil we've been mixing with her soy milk.

Baba: Ugh, that must be tough.

Bill: Well, Babs, it's a killer on the energy level, but we get by. Since Kerry left her job before Thanksgiving, she's taken the vast majority of the wake-up calls, God bless her.

Baba: So, you bewieve in God?

Bill: Hey now, ask me something easier like, "Am I gay?" or something.

Baba: Are you?

Bill: Am I what?

Baba: Gay.

Bill: No. Are you? Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Baba: Let's stick to me asking the questions, shall we? OK. I don't want to make you cwy, which they used to think was my speciawty, but what was the worst time in 2005 and what's the best?

Bill: Well, the worst wasn't anything too terrible. But was easily those first few weeks when Kerry returned to work from maternity leave. Both of us sleep deprived. We couldn't get Sophia into the daycare center that Ethan was in. So, our sister-in-law was watching her along with her youngest. So we had two separate drop-offs. Kerry was returning to a job she wasn't thrilled with. I was in a job that I was growing increasingly unhappy with. And between formula, diapers, and daycare, money was tight. Just a big adjustment for us.

Baba: Anything else?

Bill: Well, with the sleep deprivation, new schedules, new job, etc., I haven't been able to exercise or workout consistently. I was right in the middle of working on "Buff Bill" when Sophia was born. It's not like I had a six-pack or anything. More like a four-pack really. But now, while I've still been able to maintain my weight, I can see and feel it moving away from the places I want it.

Baba: And the best?

Bill: That's harder. Lot's of great things happened this year. The best was just seeing the kids grow. Ethan graduating from pre-school, learning to read, and going to kindergarten. Sophia taking her first steps and knowing to laugh when she farts.

Baba: Excuse me?

Bill: Oh, did you toot, too?

Baba: No [blushes], I just wasn't sure I heard you wight.

Bill: Yeah, well about a month ago. Sophia just started laughing every time she rips one. I mean, how do kids know that it's funny?

Baba: Well, I don't think it's funny.

Bill: Lighten up, Babs. The country needs to be able to laugh at a few farts and not feel ashamed. Do you smell something?

Baba: What?

Bill: Nevermind.

Baba: Back to the question. You said there are many "bests" this year. What else?

Bill: Well, the new job I started at the end of August kicks ass. I love it. Love the people, the company, and the work. The only downside is the commute--hour on the train in the morning and an hour and a half at night. What else? My cousin is doing a brief stint here in Po-town on a co-op at IBM, so I get to see some of my family. Still not as much as I'd like, but more than I would otherwise. Umm, let's see. Oh, got an Xbox in March. I love that thing! And of course, the launch of Billwildered.

Baba: Ahh, yes. Your bwog. What made you decide to start your own bwog?

Bill: Well, I started it just as a way to share some of the things I see at work and at play with my friends and family. While many are online, some aren't the most tech savvy and most aren't what would be considered "early adopters." And I guess I kinda look at myself that way. I'm a techie nerd at heart. I like to learn about new technologies and envision how they might impact or help us ordinary people in our everyday lives. It's a curiosity thing. And it occurred to me at a family gathering this summer that no one really knew what I did. At the time, I had been at my last employer for almost four years. That no one knew what I did just didn't sit well with me, and I figured a blog was the easiest way for me to share what I'm doing, seeing, learning, and thinking about.

Baba: And how is it working out?

Bill: Well, it's hard to say. I'm not sure how many have embraced Billwildered. I've put up over 50 posts and yet have had only about four or five people comment on any of them. And two of those were on the very first post and another was by a racist half-wit. I guess what I'm saying is that some feedback would be greatly appreciated. Even if it were offline.

Baba: Are you weawwy bewiwdewed though?

Bill: You bet your ass I am, Babs. Not bewildered at what's happening or how the internet and my life are evolving, but bewildered by the possibilities.

Baba: When you put on your bwogging hat, who is your gweatest inspiration?

Bill: I'd have to say the "Other brother, Darryl." That guy was a comical genius. He really taught me to know when to shut the hell up. Or was it how to channel a lack of hygiene into the creative process? I forget.

Baba: Well, thank you, Bill. It's been a pleasure. Since we have a few moments, I'd like to ask Kerry and the kids a few questions.

Bill: Sure, umm, but what happened to your speech impediment?

Baba: What impediment?

Bill: Nevewmind.

Baba: So, Kerry. I understand you've stopped working outside the home. How's that going?

Kerry: It's great, so far. To be honest, I had some doubts about my decision the first few weeks, but I think we're getting into a routine now. And I definitely see improvements in the kid. Ethan and Sophia, too. Ethan is happier when he gets home from school since he can play with Mommy, and Sophia is beginning to really open up to people. And I love just being able to be there for them and not have work in the back of my mind. I just wish I could get Bill to get off the damn Xbox and computer to, I don't know, maybe wash the dishes or do a load of laundry once in a while.

Baba: And Ethan, how was youw yeaw?

Ethan: You talk funny.

Kerry: [through gritted teeth] Answer the question, honey.

Ethan: Good. Wanna see my Lightsabre Battle game?

Baba: Umm, not right now, dear. Maybe after the interview. What was your favorite part of the year, Ethan?

Ethan: Umm, when Daddy got the Xbox and when I saw Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. Wanna play LEGO Star Wars on the Xbox?

Baba: You like Star Wars, huh, Ethan?

Ethan: Uh huh, and Teen Titans and Pokemon and LEGOs and...

Baba: Whoa, whoa, whoa. OK, I get it. Here, have some Skittles. Now skidaddle so I can talk to your sister. Sophia, sweetie, what was the best part of your 2005?

Sophia: [red-faced] pffffffffff-fluh-fluh-ffffftt. Tee hee hee hee.

Happy New Year!!

I'm still here

2005-12-30T23:33:00.000-05:00

Forgive me readers (yeah, all three of you), for I have slacked. It's been eight days since my last post.

No excuses really. Just been enjoying my vacation.

If you're looking for some help on setting and sticking to New Year resolutions, here are a couple of LifeHacker posts I saw recently that could help:
Ten commandments of goal-setting
Hack Attack: New Year's to-do's

Hope you all have a safe and Happy New Year!! I'll be posting a recap of 2005 soon as well as some 2006 predictions for Billwildered. Peace!

Hangover cures

2005-12-21T23:04:00.000-05:00

'Tis the season to get to get tipsy. Fa la la la la, la la la...ouch, my freakin' head. Between office parties, social events, family get-togethers, and the customary rounds of Beer-Who, you're bound to toss a few back this time of year. Well, here's a post on Lifehacker that shares some tips on ways to bounce back - Ask Lifehacker: Hangover cures?. Just as interesting are some of the reader comments.

I also saw this recent article in Business 2.0 titled, "The Upside of Hangovers." It mentions a few of the remedies you can pick up at your local drugstore, of which Chaser is the best-selling and apparently has some actual scientific proof it works.

Or you could do what I did in college...start drinking again. Hey, it got me through four--ahem--five years of college.

In any case, enjoy and remember to drink responsibly.

These guys are way funny

2005-12-20T23:14:00.000-05:00

You may have already seen the hilarious talent that is The Lonely Island. If you watch SNL, then you've seen Andy Samberg who joined the cast this season. And if your sense of humor is anything like mine, you've most likely spewed whatever your Saturday late-night beverage of choice is from your nose due to the writing of his cronies, Jorma Taccone and Akiva "Kiv" Schaffer.

Collectively known as "The Dudes," these guys have been putting together shorts, spoof music videos, and even a pilot for Fox (wasn't picked up) and releasing them online under a Creative Commons license since late 2004.

Their latest creation, The Chronic-WHAT-cles of Narnia, is all over the blogs. I found it through this post on Boing Boing. If you prefer, you can go straight to a flash video of the short available on YouTube (see my earlier post on Online video-sharing services).

Tips for remembering to send in rebate forms

2005-12-20T21:43:00.000-05:00

Consumerist is a relatively new blog targeted at empowering consumers. In addition to pointing out when retail stores and service providers screw up customer service, it also highlights consumer tips, great deals, and examples of exemplary service. This post (Consumerist: Never forget to claim your rebate again), in particular, provides a great tip for remembering to submit those "pain-in-the-butt" rebates.

Can you Riff it?

2005-12-18T23:23:00.000-05:00

I learned about Riffs from this post on Lifehacker a few weeks ago. It basically takes tagging and ratings beyond just websites. It allows you to "Riff" on pretty much anything you want--Music, Books, Movies, Cars, People, Places, Events, TV, Sports, Restaurants, Games, Software, Websites, etc.

When did "competition" become a bad word?

2005-12-16T23:57:00.000-05:00

I can't get enough of The Apprentice. I'll admit it. I've been hooked all four seasons. (I'll qualify that by saying I've never once watched the faux-Apprentice by ex-con Martha). And Kerry and I called it at about week 5 that Randal would win. Although you might not think so from watching the show, all the candidates have pretty impressive bios. If you're interested, check them out and start with Randal's.

I don't agree with any of this rubbish about the so-called "controversy" when Randal told the Don that he should only hire one apprentice. I agree with Randal. He shouldn't have to share the spotlight with Rebecca. It's a competition. There's only been one winner every other season. Why should this be different? If anything, I think that Bill and Kwami from the first season were a harder choice than these two, and yet, there was still just one winner. It was wrong for Trump to even put Randal in that position.

I'm not sure when it changed, but it seems that "competition" has become a dirty word. And that the premise of having a "loser" is just too much for people. To me, I think there's no better example than the vanilla-ization of school events and youth recreational sports. The idea that "everybody" wins, ergo, nobody loses. Sounds to me like new-age fluff--the brainchild of a committee chock-full of over-protective parents who spent their formative years getting picked last in gym class.

While I agree with the underlying lesson of "It doesn't matter whether you win or lose, but how you play the game," we can't shelter kids from the fact that sometimes...you do lose. Not everyone can be in the top half of the class. Not everyone can be the lead in the school play.

And what about the business world? When you sell a big contract, it means someone else didn't. If you're awarded the Baker account, someone else wasn't. When you get promoted, someone else wasn't. And while you won't always know who that someone else is, it doesn't change the fact that they lost.

Aren't we better served preparing our kids for the times when they are the someone else? Shouldn't we be teaching them how to pick themselves up, learn from the defeat no matter how small, and move on while handling themselves with integrity? It's a lot better than sugarcoating their competitions and filling their heads with the idea that they'll never lose.

A little something for everyone

2005-12-15T11:49:00.000-05:00

Just two sites that I figured I'd share that you might find amusing. The first is a blog called Cute Overload that has all sorts of cute pictures of animals in various settings. I saw it at this post on Boing Boing: Cute Overload. It's a no brainer for scoring points with little kids and female co-workers. Even the biggest tough guys can't help but smile at some of these.

But, in case that's a little too cutesy for you, here's an amusing site that talks about the ins and outs (absolutely no pun intended) of pooing at work.

Feeling masochistic? There's a financial calculator for that

2005-12-13T23:46:00.000-05:00

Feeling good about yourself? Need a reason to get depressed? Holidays getting you so joyful you're irritating the fam? Well, this always seems to work for me. Just take a stroll down "I can't believe I'm in so much f-ing debt" Lane with me. Come on, you know you've been there. Maybe not in a while, but don't worry, it looks the same just with deeper potholes.

Seriously, if you've got any money questions, concerns, etc., Bankrate.com can most likely help you calculate it.

It has over 80 financial calculators addressing pretty much every situation--calculating how much house you can afford (or here in Dutchess County, how little), calculating the true cost of paying the minimum on your credit card, and basically everything in between. But I didn't see the "How do I buy a new car, bigger house, and plasma TV while saving for retirement and education and paying down my debt on a single income" calculator. That one would be the shiznit!!

In any case, Bankrate's financial calculators are worth checking out. You may even come across one or two you should do, but never thought of. You just might want to wait till after the holidays.

How to talk to a real human?

2005-12-12T23:58:00.000-05:00

Don't you just hate calling 800#s and being stuck in IVR hell? Nothing gets my ~~panties~~ boxer briefs in a bunch more than being stuck listening to an automated voice when trying to reach a real LIVE person.

With all the purchases made during the holidays and the inevitable calls to customer service that come after, I've got something that will hopefully make the season merry for you. Well, at least as merry as enduring the crowds, snow, family squabbles, and fruitcakes can be.

Paul English, a seasoned blogger and entrepreneur, has posted his IVR Cheat Sheet, which lists the 800 #s and steps required to talk to a real, LIVE human being at 108 different companies.

Unique gift sites

2005-12-12T23:37:00.000-05:00

Looking for unique gifts? Here are two sites that offer stuff you won't find at the mall.

If you are looking for something really unique, Modern Artisans specializes in unique, handcrafted products for your home. Some of their items are even one-of-a-kind.

T-shirts are in. T-Shirt Countdown not only gives you access to tons of unique t-shirts ranging from downright offensive (you've been warned) to political to even religious (gotta get my "Satan is a nerd" shirt), but it also lets you chime in with your anonymous votes on the Top 100 (I know, more lists). The site is set up like a portal and will send you to the individual t-shirt merchant sites.

Good shopping!

Still not sure what a Blog is?

2005-12-12T22:45:00.000-05:00

If you're still not sure what a blog is or why you should care, check out this two and a half minute video tutorial - What Is A Blog?

Online classifieds, etc.

2005-12-11T16:19:00.000-05:00

There's been some movement in the online classifieds space recently with the addition of Google Base last month and Microsoft announcing its entry, currently code-named "Fremont," a few weeks ago. Both of these services are meant to compete with sites like craigslist. And why not? More and more people are using these types of services. In fact, according to Pew Internet & American Life Project, more than 26 million people visited the top 15 classified sites in September 2005--80% more than the same period last year.

Those of you unfamiliar with these person-to-person marketplaces, the easiest way for me to describe them is that they are FREE online versions of the classifieds section of your local newspaper. Craigslist is the most notable. Started in 1995 by Craig Newmark, a former IBMer, craigslist has been successful at rendering newspaper classifieds as unnecessary, if not obsolete. Friends of mine have used the site, for example, to buy and sell furniture and cars. Another rented out his Manhattan apartment for the Christmas season, and one friend even found his first house there.

Google Base was originally positioned as simply a database, into which any sort of information can be uploaded--from apartment or job listings to recipes for your mom's Vietnamese egg rolls. But don't be fooled, many of the fields in the database and forms relate to major classifieds categories: number of bedrooms for apartment listings, or education required for job postings, for example. Nevertheless, it's unclear as to how it will ultimately evolve.

Microsoft, on the other hand, seems to be clearly positioning their service as a classifieds play, but with more. They are integrating with their other services like MSN Spaces, MSN Messenger, and MapPoint as well as adding a flavor of social networking to the offering by giving users the option of allowing only friends, family, or co-workers to view ads. It's not available to the public yet (see the landing page here), but keep your eyes peeled for the spring, most likely as part of its Live.com initiative and probably renamed Microsoft Live Classifieds.

So, next time you're thinking of buying or selling something, I encourage you to take a look at these sites.

And for those of you looking to just get rid of stuff, you can advertise things you want to give away for free on Freecycle, where nothing, apparently, is too old or damaged or useless to try to unload. Just identify the freecycle group in your area (there are over 3,200 worldwide), join the e-mail list, agree to some rules, and you're good to go.

What's the deal with lists?

2005-12-09T22:32:00.000-05:00

They pull us in. We can't look away. Why do we love them? Is it our thirst to just get a small bit of organization and sense in an otherwise insane world? Not such an easy question to answer, is it?

Let's face it, lists have been a part of our entire lives--10 Commandments, 8 Wonders of the World, 7 Deadly Sins, 6 Articles of Belief, 13 Principles of Faith, 4 Objectives of Life, 4 Noble Truths, 12 Steps, 50 Sexiest People, 7 Places to Touch Her to Make Her go Ooaaaoooh...or is it 13 places? Umm, well, you get the idea.

I mean it's easy to understand why writers love them. They're easy to write, can take up a lot or a little space, and create the illusion that the author has some sort of mystical and elusive wisdom to hand down to their dim-witted, media-overloaded readers.

Well, if you can't get enough, apparently this guy compiles all the top lists of the year from all sorts of different sources and, naturally, lists them. He's got it all: books, music, movies, toys, people, gadgets, games, food, you name it. You can see his list of lists here.

If there isn't enough list mojo at that site for you get your fix, check out Wiki's List of Lists for all manner of nonsensical hooey.

If you think of any others, just let me know. I'll be sure to list them.

Tagger by MusicBrainz

2005-12-08T23:50:00.000-05:00

I recently discovered Tagger by MusicBrainz. MusicBrainz is a user-maintained community music metadatabase that's been around for a while now. It's a mammoth collection of music metadata--information like artist name, album title, list of tracks on a CD, year, etc for over 338,000 albums.

Tagger is their free downloadable app (they accept donations) that can help you out with the poorly labeled tracks that we all have in our ripped and downloaded music libraries. Tagger cross-references the acoustic fingerprint of each untitled tune with the MusicBrainz metadatabase, then fills in the missing info for you. On the first pass through the mp3's on my PC (only about 530), it correctly identified a little more than 80% of them. Not too shabby.

So, if you're a little anal about having the correct metadata on all your mp3 files--like me--then you should try it out.

Custom M&M's

2005-12-07T23:39:00.000-05:00

Saw this on BoingBoing last week. You can customize your own M&M's. You can choose 2 of 21 available colors and have a different two-lined message on one side of each with classic 'm' on the other side. Apparently there are multiple restrictions on what you can say (the BB post gets into more detail on this).

Sorry I didn't post this sooner though, it looks like they've had so many orders that they can't guarantee delivery in time for Christmas anymore. I believe they're saying Dec 28th right now.

If you're interested, check out the site - shop.mms.com.

Get ready for Zubbles

2005-12-07T23:16:00.000-05:00

Well they finally did it. Or, I guess I should say that Tim Kehoe finally did it. I saw this post on BoingBoing last month about this guy's 11 year quest to invent a colored bubble. According to the original story in Popular Science (The 11-Year Quest to Create Disappearing Colored Bubbles, they should be available around February at Toys 'r Us.

You can even pre-order them or get on the mailing list at Zubbles.

How cool are these?

10 things my five-year-old needs to unlearn from watching Rudolph

2005-12-06T23:10:00.000-05:00

Perhaps I'm just hyper-sensitive having sat through mandatory harassment training at work yesterday, but watching Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer on DVD with my five-year-old, I couldn't help but think that, unless I intervene post-haste, some of the so-called lessons it espouses will one day either get my son pummeled in the schoolyard or escorted from his workplace by armed-guard.

Not for nothing, but much of what you can learn from Rudolph's tale, especially to a precocious five-year old, is just plain dumb.

So, for your enjoyment (or maybe displeasure), here are my 10 Rudolph takeaways (not in any particular order):

No matter how stupid their rules, you should do whatever your parents tell you to do, if it means fitting in.

It's perfectly acceptable to refer to a woman as "momma," at least around the holidays.

Dentists are gay.

When a girl says "I think you're cute," it's SOP to jump around in tickled elation and immediately follow it with a bout of playground grab-ass with your pals.

A carnivorous sasquatch whose had its teeth violently removed without the benefit of anesthesia is not a threat to you.

In fact, said sasquatch can now be easily terrorized by a gaggle of toy dogs.

Any person can get fat in just one day.

The fatter you get, the jollier you become.

You should only accept a misfit with open arms after you've figured out a way to use their disability.

The best way to tame a mean-spirited boss is to skip out on work for a few days and return having saved a few locals from certain consumption.

If I can correct the damage of these anti-lessons (with the exception of maybe #4 - some things a guy's gotta learn for himself), then I will have succeeded as a father.

Happy holidays!

Got games?

2005-12-05T23:53:00.000-05:00

...on your blog or website, that is? If your interested in having a FREE casual game arcade, then check out LaunchNow by Game Trust. LaunchNow guides you through the process of customizing the look of your arcade and then generates the HTML for easy copying and pasting.

The only downsides are that there currently aren't many games to choose from and that users who want to play are required to register with Game Trust.

I have it on the main page of my blog for now to see how it goes (at bottom of sidebar).

Create your own search engine

2005-12-04T22:19:00.000-05:00

Do you find yourself going back to the same source for results whenever you do a web search? Well, then Rollyo.com is for you. Still in beta, Rollyo enables you to cut through the noise you often get when trying to get organic search results by creating your own custom search engine, dubbed searchrolls, using your own list of trusted sources. It even has features such as a Firefox Plugin, importing your bookmarks, a desktop widget, and adding your searchroll searchbox to your website or blog.

Rollyo

This site also takes the social bookmarking concept of sites like del.icio.us one step further by allowing you to share your searchrolls. You have the option of sharing any of your searchrolls and tagging them with keywords.

Great for research or just filtering results. Check it out.

One caveat, I'm a firm believer that true organic search is a great way to find websites you may not have been aware of and therefore, potential new sources of information. If you do decide to use Rollyo, I would encourage you to broaden your searches occasionally so that you don't shelter yourself from something new.

Most comprehensive "How-to" site I've seen

2005-12-03T23:57:00.000-05:00

eHow.com is by far the most extensive "how to" manual site I've come across. The site was started in 1999 and is fully categorized as well as searchable.

I entered a quick search using the keyword "dog" and got over 3,700 how-to's back. The first page results ranged from straightforward advice like "How to Give a Small Dog a Bath" to a little more out of the ordinary like "How to Treat Your Dog's Separation Anxiety."

What's also cool about eHow is that they've jumped on the Wiki bandwagon by starting wikiHow back in January.

"wikiHow is collaborative writing project to build the world's largest how-to manual. With your contributions, we can create a free resource that helps people by offering clear, concise solutions to the problems of everyday life. wikiHow currently contains 3755 articles written, edited, and maintained primarily by volunteers."

So just like Wikipedia, any user can modify or add to any how to manual.

Check it out.

One-stop shop for entertainment reviews

2005-12-02T11:53:00.000-05:00

If you're looking for one place to go on the web to get reviews of the latest movie, DVD, TV Series, CD, book, or video game release, then look no further. Metacritic.com let's you see what all the critics are saying about it. Every entertainment piece is given a "Metascore" that shows the critical consensus at a glance; they are a weighted average of all the critics' grades.

So, if you haven't yet bought into the grassroots community review being done by every Tom, Dick, and wannabe Siskel on the blogosphere, then this site's for you. But then again, if you aren't just a little bought in, you wouldn't be listening to me then, would you?

Hmmm, conundrum.

Cool idea for kid's room or home office

2005-12-02T00:28:00.000-05:00

I thought this was a pretty cool idea. Kevin Kelly, the current Editor-at-Large for Wired Magazine (one of the few I read cover to cover) shares a couple ideas about how to turn an entire wall into a dry erase board. Ethan has a little one on his door where he practices his writing. So, I'm thinking of doing it on one of the walls in the playroom.

Marker Board Walls

Check it out.

A Photo for Every Minute of the Day

2005-12-01T23:46:00.000-05:00

Check this site out. It shows your current time through a photo.
The Human Clock

Someone's got a lot of time on his hands. Ugh, bad pun. Sorry.

A folksonomy of casual games

2005-11-30T23:40:00.000-05:00

Millions of games is the del.icio.us of casual games. Those of you unfamiliar with social bookmarking sites, they allow you to create and classify bookmarks of websites over the web and share them with others. Users can accomplish this by tagging with keywords. For example, I have tagged Billwildered using keywords like Internet, music, websites, God's gift... er, umm, you get the picture.

In any case, Millions of games or MOG is a social bookmarking site just for online casual games (see previous Addicting Casual Game post).

"When you 'MOG' a game it gets added to your list of games (your MOG) and you get to see how many others have MOGGED it too and as such, how popular it is."

Check it out and have fun MOGGING!

Are you LinkedIn?

2005-11-29T23:31:00.000-05:00

I was invited about six months ago to join a colleague's LinkedIn network, and I just finally joined a few weeks ago. For those of you who may be unfamiliar with LinkedIn, it is an online professional networking service. Similar to social networking sites like Friendster and MySpace, LinkedIn enables you to build your network of professional contacts, which will include your connections, your connections’ connections, and the people they know, linking you to thousands of qualified professionals. After only a few weeks of inviting former classmates, past colleagues, clients and partners and finding some old contacts through the site's search tool, my network (friend of a friend of a friend) is over 28,400.

Once you join, you create a profile much like a watered down resume and can invite your contacts to join your network. Since there's over 4.2 million people on it already, it's also fairly easy to reconnect with people you may have lost touch with. I was able to find a bunch of old classmates from graduate school and invite them to join my network.

Most people are using the site to find mentors, subject experts, and business partners who come recommended, be found for business opportunities, search for jobs, or just get introduced to other professionals through the people they know.

So, take a look. Once you're on, find me, and we can join each other's networks.

Check out Barakus

2005-11-28T23:45:00.000-05:00

My best friend's brother's band, Barakus, is well worth a listen. They have a unique, edgy sound and some really good range. They play mostly in the DC area but have been adding more NY shows. I got to see them at Continental, and they're a blast to see live. They have an upcoming show at Blaggards in NYC (38th & 5th) on Dec 3rd.

Check out their site or their MySpace page. They have songs available for download. My favorites are Love and Money, London Said, and Ticket To My Soul.

If you really like their stuff, you can buy their EP at CDBaby.

Enjoy.

Online video-sharing services

2005-11-27T23:18:00.000-05:00

Saw this blog on Lifehacker - Online video-sharing service roundup - Lifehacker. It references a recent NY Times article that gives a rundown of video-sharing websites.

I've created accounts on Blip.tv, ClipShack, Vimeo, and YouTube which can each integrate directly with Billwildered. Each seems to be modeled after folksonomy sites like Flickr (photo-sharing) and del.icio.us (website favorites sharing), both of which use tags for easy searching. I'll re-post or add a comment to give you the lowdown on my opinion. So, keep your eyes peeled for video on Billwildered (I just have to get around to editing and uploading all the video we have of the kids).

BTW - Google Video is not really a video-sharing service -- at least for the masses. It has been getting some press lately as many of the networks are making videos and clips of TV shows available there.

Lastly, if you're looking to make a little money off your creations, another site called Revver is worth looking into. The way it works is that Revver attaches an advertisement (you control the type) to your video. They call it a RevTag and that tells you how often your video is played, which dictates how much money you can make.

Anyone looking to share video should check these out. And please comment if you've run across other video-sharing sites.

10 things I'm thankful for

2005-11-24T23:31:00.000-05:00

To all my loyal readers (yeah, I'm talking to you three), Happy Thanksgiving! Just thought I'd share 10 things I'm thankful for this year:

my family - they make it all worth it
my friends - they keep me young, give me perspective, and remind me what matters
my health - a little creakier in the joints, but I can still run the court with the 20-somethings
my new job - a great team, excellent organization, fun and creative colleagues, and a position filled with opportunity to be innovative that puts me in the heart of the Internet
my old job - also a great team of supportive friends where I had the opportunity to spread my wings and learn a lot
my Xbox - yeah, I'm a gamer geek - it's such a great escape though
my Tivo - surely, you don't expect me to watch infomercials during those 3am bottle feedings
my car - the mere fact that the Jetta hasn't died yet deserves my gratitude
my gut - no, not the one formerly around my waist (Thin Bill's been back for years!). Just my clumsy intuition - so far, it's done me well.
my ambition - not so much professional, but just to be a better person, a better husband, father, brother, friend, co-worker, etc.

I'd be remiss to not mention you, my surprisingly silent, lurking readers.

What are you thankful for? You are out there, right? Hello? Helllloooo?

Shoposphere & Pick Lists beta

2005-11-23T11:24:00.000-05:00

As a follow up to yesterday's blog, here's one for the shopper who needs gift ideas and doesn't have a Baggle Bag to guide them. It's a new offering from Yahoo! that's still in beta called the Shoposphere.

Shoposphere

Taking a page from the growth of social networking sites (like Friendster and MySpace), Yahoo! characterizes the Shoposphere as "social commerce."

We believe the community of shoppers is one of the best sources for product information and advice. The Shoposphere is a place to discover interesting and cool products thematically arranged into Pick Lists by other shoppers. It’s always changing. It includes new lists in a “product stream” and highest rated lists which are a fun way to explore new products and trends. The Shoposphere will continue to evolve as a hub for other types of user-generated content.

The idea is that all users can create Pick Lists of products and post them. Pick List titles can be anything -- from "Top 10 Must Have DVDs" to "Best gifts for getting out of the doghouse" and even "I wanna be like Napolean Dynamite." But then the user community weighs in by grading how helpful different lists are -- thus the social aspect.

Anyways, trying to find gift ideas for that hard to shop for loved one, check out Shoposphere.

Link

Baggle Bag - The Universal Wishlist

2005-11-22T23:52:00.000-05:00

Baggle.com

This FREE website and application are way cool. Baggle.com is an online shopping tool that allows you to store items you find anywhere on the web to a single "Baggle Bag."

As the holidays approach and more and more shopping is being done online, could you think of anything more useful than this?

The way it works is you can either download a small application that adds a button to your Internet Explorer or Firefox toolbar or manually add a link to your favorites list. When you find something on the web that you want to put in your Baggle Bag, just click the Baggle icon in your toolbar or click the Favorites link (if you opted not to download). Then Baggle will prompt you to highlight and/or type info.

Baggle Bag

The application is great for comparison shopping. But even better, it's a good way to provide gift ideas to loved ones, perhaps to unimaginative husbands (not that I know any). All you do is send people to Baggle.com where they can type in your name or you can send them your personal Baggle link. Once there, they can see any "public" bags you've created, review items, click on links, and will be taken to whatever site you were on when you added it to your bag. Cool, huh? Try it out.

Thanks to Casey for showing this to me.

Link

What the heck is a "rootkit" anyway?

2005-11-21T23:30:00.000-05:00

If you've been reading papers, blogs, or the web or watching TV (even listening to radio) over the past three weeks, you have probably heard this word being bandied about -- "rootkit." Sounds more like a garden tool than a hacker tool to me.

Why do you bring up such a dry, mundane, technospeaky topic, Bill?

Well, faithful reader, it seems that in its efforts to preserve its bottom line (and effectively piss off its customers), Sony has bundled its "XCP Content Protection" software onto several of its music CDs, primarily being distributed through BMG. Apparently, when customers play the CDs on their computers, the "rootkit"-like DRM software is installed without their knowledge. It was meant to limit the number of times songs could be copied or "ripped."

Well, they got caught, which isn't the worst part. Apparently, the rootkit leaves your PC vulnerable to hackers, and what's worse is the uninstaller or "patch" that Sony provided leaves an even bigger security hole. Surely that must be the worst of it, you say. Sorry, there's more.

The worst is that Sony tried to downlplay the risk and denied that the rootkit creates problems. In all the hubbub, it's also been discovered that the rootkit software is also sending information back to Sony about how the media is being used. Basically, they're spying on customers.

The results so far are that Sony CDs have been banned from the workplace of many companies and gov't agencies, Sony's DRM has infected over 500,000 computer networks including those belonging to the military and the government, and a class-action suit has been filed against Sony.

Umm, kind of a big black eye to sport going into the holiday shopping season, don't you think? So, take it into consideration as you shop for gifts for your loved ones.

If you're interested in more details about how this developed, there's a great summary on Boing Boing.

And to see the list of CDs containing the "rootkit," click here.

GMail

2005-11-21T22:57:00.000-05:00

GMail

Those of you unfamiliar with GMail, it is Google's FREE web-based email service. It is currently still in beta, and the only way to sign up yourself is through text messaging on an SMS-enabled cell phone. You can, however, be invited by a current user.

If you're interested, let me know. I have been using GMail for a few months, and while at first glance it looks like any other web-based email service, there are a few interesting features we haven't seen before. My favorite features of GMail, aside from its storage (almost 3 Gigs), are the search capabilities, its use of labels instead of folders, and how it groups messages into conversations.

While the interface takes some getting used to, I have to say I like it. So let me know if you'd like me to invite you.

Expert Flyer

2005-11-20T23:36:00.000-05:00

For those of you who travel by plane often, a younger fraternity brother of mine from my Chapter Advisor days has recently started a website called Expert Flyer. Expert Flyer gives the frequent traveler insight into information about airline flights and fares all over the world.

ExpertFlyer

While they don't sell airline tickets, they provide access to information that will allow you to make better travel decisions as well as get the most out of your frequent flyer miles.

Expert Flyer is a subscription service, so unless you travel often or are willing to do the research, it may not be for you. If you're interested, they offer two levels of service: basic ($4.99/mo) and premium ($9.99/mo).

Link

Black Friday 2005

2005-11-19T23:36:00.000-05:00

If you are one of the few gluttons for punishment who actually enjoys venturing out to the stores on Black Friday, then this site is for you. BFads.com is a site that gathers the Black Friday ads of most all of the major stores. While they can't say with 100% certainty that the ads are for real, they have had a high success rate in the past.

Here's what they say on their site:

"BFads.net is meant to serve one purpose: to be the ultimate collection of rumored Black Friday 2005 deals."

Anyhow, if you are interested, take a look. At the very least, it can give you some ideas on the store ads to look out for when they come out on Wednesday.

Thanks to my friend, Richard, for the heads up.

Link

Try out Smotos!

2005-11-18T23:37:00.000-05:00

The beta version of a new photo sharing application called Smotos just launched. It takes so many of the great features that you find on other photo sites and combines them with functions that are typically only available with software bundled with digital cameras. I'll plan a blog of the different photo sites in the future, so you can see how Smotos compares.

Like many of the other applications/websites I highlight it is FREE.

Since it is in beta though, you have the unique opportunity to share your thoughts and make suggestions -- many of which could likely be available in version 1.0, when it's released.

So, take a look and let me know what you think.

Link

Birthday Girl!

2005-11-17T23:47:00.000-05:00

Guess who turned 1 today! Here are some shots from our small celebration for Sophia's birthday.

Enjoying her present from her big brother.

Ethan's Present

The princess is waiting for her cake.

Birthday Princess

Yummy! Or as Sophia says, "Mumm!!"

Mumm!

More pics to follow. Her birthday party with friends and family is this Saturday.

Addicting casual game

2005-11-16T23:40:00.000-05:00

I have been doing research on the gaming space lately for work. Those who I've shown my "inner gaming nerd" to know this is kinda a dream come true for me.

But anyways, it's an amazing industry going through continual growth. And it's not just the console games (Xbox, PlayStation, Gamecube, etc.), handhelds (Gameboy, PSP), or even PC gaming. Much of the growth is coming from online gaming. And many people think that online gaming can and will eventually make PC games obsolete as web graphic technology advances and bandwidth increases.

Online games can be split into two major categories: casual gaming and what's called massively multiplayer online games (MMOs for short). Casual games are those that are simple in terms of both graphics and gameplay -- Bejeweled and many of the Mahjong titles for example. MMOs are much more sophisticated and complex. You can equate most to role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons. While some casual games allow you to play against others online, MMOs are all about the online play with others, either in head-to-head battles or as part of a team in what are most commonly called guilds. MMOs are much bigger in Asia and Europe; they are still somewhat of a niche in the states. Still, millions of dollars are being spent by stateside gamers to play titles like EverQuest, World of Warcraft, CounterStrike, and Asheron Call online.

Well enough with the lesson. Today I met Eric & Peter, the co-founders of the game developer behind Diner Dash -- the number one online and downloaded casual game worldwide. They were recently referenced in Business Week. The article said this about the casual gaming space:

"...an estimated 56 million adults worldwide who may not care when the next Madden NFL Football is released but who still want a little game time. Call them the casual gamers: a set of folks loosely defined as those who have broadband but play less frequently -- and who want less complex games -- than the much smaller hard-core gaming crowd."

Check out this game (link below). I tried it out before heading into Manhattan to meet them. While quite simple, it is very, very addicting. (BTW - I saw General Norman Schwarzkopf while waiting in the lobby. Apparently he's on our board.)

Link to BWeek article

Link to free online version of Diner Dash at addictinggames.com

Internet radio

2005-11-15T22:14:00.003-05:00

If you're like me, you haven't plunged headfirst into getting a personal media player (PMP) -- the most common type being an MP3 player. I have a small freebie that I got at a trade show that holds about thirty songs, but it hardly counts with today's standards of 5,000+ songs.

Regardless, there are a number of sites and services out there that can turn you onto some new music and more obscure bands that you may not be aware of. Many of these take the form of Internet radio. Here's a quick sample of a few I'm familiar with. You can take a look and decide which might be the best fit for you.

Last.fm:

Last.fm requires a download, can integrate with Windows Media Player, allows you to do searches on bands & artists, rate them, and create your own music stations based on your ratings and those of other users.

LAUNCHcast:

LAUNCHcast is owned by Yahoo! and integrated with Yahoo! Instant Messenger (YIM). There are certain genre-related stations you can choose from. But the cool part is that you can create your own station by rating songs, albums, and bands, and then let people on your buddy list (who also have you on theirs) see what you're listening to as well as listen to the same station as you.

Pandora:

To be honest, I'm least familiar with this one. I haven't tried it yet, but I've read good things about it. I guess it used to be a paid service, but is now FREE. Here's a Lifehacker post about it.

Anyhow, take a look. Let me know if you know of any others (besides RealPlayer, Windows Media, iTunes, Quicktime. Yawn.). And definitely let me know if you uncover some good bands.

Jetta - 1, Deer - 0

2005-11-14T23:34:00.000-05:00

Driving home from Rensselaer tonight (I was there today speaking in a few classes for one of my former MBA professors), I hit a deer on the NYS Thruway. Let me start by saying, I'm fine. The car, fine (I think). The deer, umm, not so much.

So, I'm driving down I87 and thinking I should hit the rest stop (damn those free Lally School Diet Pepsi's). I start changing lanes to get off at the service area, when alas, a deer (let's call him Fido) decides he wants to play pickle in my lane.

So, Fido darts out. I react, swerve right, then break, but not hard enough to avoid Fido when he changes direction, apparently giving up on getting that extra base. So, with my heart beating in my throat at about 120 beats per second, I pull into the service area, park, pry my hands off the wheel, and do an inventory of body parts.

I call Kerry to let her know what happened and try to assess the damage, but it was kinda difficult to focus. So I walked in, splashed some water on my face, used the restroom, and grabbed another soda (I'll never learn).

Unsure if I needed to file a police report, I called my insurance company (the one with the break-dancing lizard) and get paired up with "Gary the Aussie." He feigns his concern for my well-being and takes down the details of the "incident." As Dundee, er, Gary is finishing up, he asks "Oh, how's the deer?" And I'm like, "Deer? Oh yeah, Fido. Umm, not sure really."

What I didn't say was considering what was on my car, I was pretty sure that Fido was playing his game of pickle with Bambi's mommy.

So, I said my "G'Day" to Gary and drove the remaining 70 miles home to Kerry and the kids.

As for Fido -- I feel bad, really bad. I do. But better him than me, mate.

50 Weddings

2005-11-13T22:19:00.000-05:00

Kerry and I attended our 50th wedding since we've been together yesterday. Yeah, that's a five and a zero, or "fiddy," if you're so inclined.

I know what you must be thinking, "That's a lot of renditions of the chicken dance that we've suffered through." UGH!

Here's just a quick summary:

Kerry's been in four of them.
I've been in four of them.
Seven have ended in divorce.
Two have been second marriages (we attended both the first and second in each case).

Bear with me while I take a closer look. Of each of the seven couples who split up, only one made it to the five year mark. According to Divorce Magazine, 82% of married people reach their 5th Anniversary. Our group of friends is at 83%. Not too shabby, but not great either.

The good news is that while supposedly only 65% make it to their 10th, our friends have done much better with a whopping 90%. And, of all the weddings we've attended in the last seven years (since we said our "I do's"), none have ended.

Any ways, no big revelation here. Just felt like sharing.

Remember the Milk

2005-11-11T21:24:00.000-05:00

From Lifehacker:

Remember The Milk is a free on-line to-do list service. It has lots of the features you’d expect from this sort of site: multiple lists, priorities, due-dates, repeating tasks, etc.

My favorite feature is the built-in nagging system that reminds you to get the job done. You can request reminders by E-Mail, IM or SMS. In addition, you can share and publish your to-do lists and create new tasks by e-mail.

Try it out, it's FREE!

Link

Mozilla Firefox

2005-11-11T00:21:00.000-05:00

If you're looking for an alternate web browser, consider Mozilla's Firefox. It has been praised as better, safer from spyware, and more user friendly than Microsoft Internet Explorer.

In the Forbes article (link below), it mentions several advantages.

"From the very beginning with Firefox you will notice a faster, cleaner feel to your browsing, as though you're surfing the Web having lost that beer gut from college."

The article is a year old, but Firefox has only gotten better. In just a year, it has captured over 6% market share from Microsoft.

Link to Forbes article

Link to get Firefox

Free directory assistance

2005-11-10T23:56:00.000-05:00

I saw this on Lifehacker and in a newspaper article, too. 1-800-FREE-411 is an ad-supported alternative to costly 411 directory assistance. The price for avoiding the $1.80 to $3.49 charge of a 411 call is listening to an ad based on your information request - so you hear about the competitors to the business you’re asking about.

Works on mobile phones, too.

Interesting model.

Free "note taking" download

2005-11-10T15:45:00.000-05:00

I saw this on a blog a while back and downloaded it today. It's a pretty neat tool. It adds a button right to your Internet Explorer toolbar that when clicked adds whatever you have highlighted on the page (or entire window if nothing's highlighted), pictures and all to EverNote. You can also type notes as well as copy and paste from any application. Plus, it puts a link back to the original source in your notes (url or file).

Probably good for doing research/homework where you're pulling content from multiple websites, PDFs, docs, etc.

EverNote

Link

TV commercial of 250,000 superballs let loose in San Francisco

2005-11-10T00:20:00.001-05:00

I saw this on Boing Boing a few weeks ago, and then read about it in a magazine called Creativity that I picked up at the Ad Tech trade show I attended in Manhattan on Monday. It is a TV ad for the Sony BRAVIA -- there's a 60 sec spot and a 2.5 min extended spot. Titled "Color Like No Other," the spot was done by Fallon/London. Very cool.

Link to Boing Boing post

See the BRAVIA ad

Note: You'll need to download the latest version of QuickTime to view it. There's a link on the page, or you can click here.

Don't you just love autumn?

2005-11-09T23:09:00.000-05:00

From Sunday, 11/6

Send an email time capsule to yourself

2005-11-09T22:49:00.000-05:00

Forbes has a free service that lets you send an email to yourself and have it arrive in 1, 3, 5, 10, or 20 years. I'm going to have Ethan write one to himself. I'll write one to myself, too.

TimeCapsule

Link to Forbes

I also learned that futureme.org has been doing this for a while. The nice thing about their site is that you can choose a specific date.

futureme.org

Link to futureme.org

Bush Speechalist Mockumentary

2005-11-09T00:08:00.000-05:00

I saw this on Boing Boing, one of my favorite blogs. If you haven't seen it yet, this is quite funny, no matter your political leanings.

The eccentric Andy Dick plays Harlan McCraney. You may also recognize him from his News Radio days with Phil Hartmann.

Link to original Boing Boing posting.

Good book and author

2005-11-08T23:36:00.000-05:00

I just finished reading Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell on my train ride home today. It was a very interesting read about the study and science behind making "snap judgments" -- when they work, when they fail, and some insight into how to become better at it and more attuned to the prejudices and stereotypes that sometimes cloud our judgment.

Being the quintessential "go with my gut" kinda guy, I was very into it.

I do have to say though that it wasn't quite as earth-shattering as his first book, The Tipping Point, which was a study of trends and the point at which they become mainstream or even epidemic.

BTW - Gladwell has been a staff writer for The New Yorker magazine since 1996 and a former journalist at the Washington Post.

So, having blogged all that, I'm looking for my next book, any suggestions?

Free Web-based Instant Messaging Application

2005-11-08T22:47:00.000-05:00

Some of you use instant messaging (AIM, MSN, Yahoo! IM, ICQ, etc.). And if you're like me, you're sometimes at a computer that isn't yours and doesn't have it installed. Well this tool solves that problem. It's way cool.

Meebo

Meebo allows you to chat on any of the major IM networks through a web browser. If you're interested, I'll let out my inner geek and tell you it uses a technology called AJAX. You'll be seeing more and more of it as many websites and web applications are using it. Microsoft has AJAX built into much of the functionality of Vista, its next version of Windows (more on that later).

Anywho, with Meebo, there's no registration required. Just sign into your IM account as you normally would. Try it out.

Inaugural Blog

2005-11-07T22:33:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Billwildered, my first foray into the blogosphere. If this is your first experience with a blog, I thank you for making the leap. Those of you who are old hats at blogging, I thank you for taking the time to squeeze my musings into the deluge of your everyday lives.

My hope is that this blog will make you laugh (or at least smile), provide you with some fun and useful websites, and let you get a closer look into my life.

For the time being, I have set up Billwildered as an unpublished blog. So, it will not turn up in any searches. However, anyone with the link can view it, and you don't have to be a member of my blog to post comments. While I'm just full of myself enough to believe that what I have to say should matter to each of you, I'm not quite narcisistic enough (or so I think) to believe that I should be waxing rhapsodic to the general population just yet.

Having said that, if there is anyone who you think would enjoy reading my blog, please feel free to pass along the link (www.billwildered.blogspot.com).

Enjoy.