Dave Saunders On Blogger: 2009

Sunday, November 29, 2009

WordPress Security - WordCamp NYC 2009

Check out this SlideShare Presentation: great security tips for your WordPress blog.

WordPress Security - WordCamp NYC 2009

View more presentations from Brad Williams.

Friday, November 20, 2009

My loop

Long ago I worked in a commercial print house. Oh what fun. To this day I love fonts, paper and ink.

This is my loop. It's a little dusty but it works great. I only play with it by looking at the color patterns in printed pieces.

Just though I'd share.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Friday, November 13, 2009

Hilton Hotels to release iPhone Apps

I'm actually still annoyed at Hilton for killing nearly 500,000 reward points from my account and I haven't stayed at a Hilton in nearly 10 years because of it.

Still, their proposed applications for the iPhone lok very useful. Back when I was a road warrior, I would have loved to have the ability to do the things these apps make possible.

in reference to: Hilton to Release Several Free iPhone Applications | iPhone Alley - App News (view on Google Sidewiki)

Thursday, November 12, 2009

NASA Posts Guide to 2012 and why the world isn't facing certain doom

The nice thing about this resource guide is that it tells us why the world isn't going to end on Dec 12, 2012 as some believe was predicted by the Mayans.

Of course, they do nothing to address the more likely cause of the world ending...which is our own arrogant stupidity.

in reference to: NASA - 2012: Beginning of the End or Why the World Won't End? (view on Google Sidewiki)

20 Tips for making the most of Windows 7

This is an awesome resource list from PC World magazine. My favorite is the "shake" feature. I did a double take when I read it and had to try it myself right away.

Kudos to PC World.

in reference to: Top 20 Windows 7 Tips - PC World (view on Google Sidewiki)

Monday, November 2, 2009

iPhone and Windows 7...an Apple conspiracy?

Having a motherboard with an Intel P55 Chipset AND Windows 7 may not be a working combination for iPhone users. Last weekend I dove into a Windows 7 upgrade on my Vaio CR190 laptop. Aside from the Sony website providing nearly useless information about compatibility, the Windows Adviser utility said I was good to go...so I went.

No problems.

Plugged in my iPhone...bing (or whatever that noise sounds like) and I was sync'd.

No problems.

It never even occurred to me that there might be a problem.

Was that foolish? Well, maybe.

Read: probably.

That being said, the reports on how some system configurations are not working with the iPhone after a Windows 7 upgrade really come off like Microsoft is just trying to screw us.

Whatever.

Look, yes I use a Windows machine. It's where my tools are and that's that. I have a Mac too. I love it. Macs have made me a lot of money.

I love Macs.

I do not love Mac snobs.

I'm also not so keen on anti-MS hype from noobs who spout off their hype as though it actually matters.

A computer is a tool.

An OS is a part of the tool.

Your computer/OS runs apps so you can "do stuff."

If you're that hung up on the grand question of Mac vs PC, it seems like you're not spending enough time with your "do stuff" mission.

I'm going to go back and "do stuff" on my iPhone now...It may or may not involve Earthworm Jim.

in reference to:

"motherboard with an Intel P55"
- iPhone and Windows 7 Don’t Play Nice, No Fix in Sight (view on Google Sidewiki)

Amazing Health Claims for Cereal

It doesn't take much effort to find information and studies showing how a diet rich in refined grains contributes to weight gain, and even Type II Diabetes...both of which tend to coincide with a depressed immune system.

So it's amazing that any cereal would put "Now helps support your child's immunity" on the box. Sure, maybe it contains doses of synthetic Vitamins, but that's like getting an OJ with your Big Mac. They don't cancel each other out.

It'll be interesting to see what, if anything, the FDA does about this.

in reference to: Cereal's Claims Outrage Parents, Critics (view on Google Sidewiki)

Sunday, November 1, 2009

How to make money with social media

This is a great summary of the four main business models built around monetizing social media traffic. Some, like Zynga, appear to be doing quite well this virtual currency as their revenue source.

PPC is also great on sites like Facebook because the average amount of time people are spending there is huge. In many ways Facebook parallels the television audience of the 50s and 60s. With so many eyes glued to the screen, you'd have to be nuts to ignore the FACT that Facebook appeals to more than kids.

in reference to: Monetizing Social Networks: The Four Dominant Business Models and How You Should Implement Them in 2010 (view on Google Sidewiki)

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Immunity?

The flu shot MAY provide protection against the flu, but immunity? I've spoken to epidemiologists before who made a point to distinguish between protection and immunity and told me that the flu shot DOES NOT provide immunity.

in reference to: The Flu Virus - All About the Flu Virus (view on Google Sidewiki)

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Mmmm

The evening's spoils ... Moo ha ha

Monday, October 12, 2009

Chestnuts from the oven

They're frigging hot!

Freshly roasted chestnuts

Picked fresh and straight into the oven

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Lemon balm

One of many lemon balm bushes. Lili warned me this stuff would spread.

My fig tree

Every year the above ground part dies but the roots are so strong it keeps growing back

Burn pile

I'm afraid to go near my burn pile because I think there's a family of skunks inside.

Saturday, October 10, 2009

I think I found something to fill the void of BSG being gone

Stargate Universe is familiar to fans of Stargate: SG1 and Stargate Atlantis. It's also a great phase-shift of the show. It's sophisticated and thoughtful. I'm only into the third episode but I'm hooked deep.

They better not screw it up.

in reference to: Hulu - Stargate Universe: Air, Part 3 - Watch the full episode now. (view on Google Sidewiki)

Monday, October 5, 2009

Is Hulu really free?

When I gave up my TV, I also gave up my commercial-skipping DVR. The few shows I do watch are all through hulu.com. Instead of my 60" TV I watch the show on a 4" display in the middle of a web page. Instead of skipping commercials with the jump button, I watch commercials because hulu gives me no other option.

And I don't really mind.

If there were several commercials in a row, I'd probably be unhappy, but 2-3 commercial breaks, each containing 1 ad, is ok with me.

The currency I spend to watch "TV" on hulu.com is my time and attention. Perhaps Comcast doesn't get this. I've never thought that any executive decision at Comcast indicated they were in touch with the public, but the thought of charging for hulu is amazingly absurd to me.

Here's my promise: if it happens, the last free show on hulu will be the last show I ever watch.

I can spend my attention on something else.

in reference to: Will Hulu make you pay to watch? -- latimes.com (view on Google Sidewiki)

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Split Testing

I try to get clients to split test and very few want to. Ok, it's a pain, but the data is incredibly powerful.

A great way to try out split testing is by using Google AdWords, which has built-in A/B testing for ads. Create an ad, and then a copy of the ad with a tiny variation. Let both ads run until you've had at least 1,000 impressions. Compare the click through results of the two ads and you should have a winner. One ad may have a 1% click rate while the other is close with a .95% click rate. Delete the loser and then make another copy with another variation. The goal is to always beat the winner.

Once that makes sense...do it with a landing page.

in reference to: How to Do a Simple SPLIT TEST and Improve Your Marketing, Gauranteed! : The Focused Existence Blog (view on Google Sidewiki)

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

O'Reilly Forums: Iphone Keyboards

O'Reilly Forums: Iphone Keyboards & Devices

Posted using ShareThis

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Nice incentive

I haven't had the Google Toolbar on one of my computers in a while, the but sidewiki caught my attention. What a major chunk of user-generated content this may represent in the Web 2.0 world. I'm curious how it will be indexed, if at all.

in reference to: Google Sidewiki (view on Google Sidewiki)

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Mowing a large lawn is usually pretty boring. I put on my iPod and listen to an audio book while I ride around. It takes 2-3 hours to complete. The upside is that I get to listen to an audio book