Phil Yanov Blogs...

Syncing photos with Picasa is easiest of all

2009-04-29T00:00:00.000-04:00

While I have these photos on Facebook and Flickr, the easiest group for me to manage are the ones on Picasa. Just a click here or there and the changes I make on my computer are automagically reflected in the online gallery. I love that convenience.

Photos from the 2009 Wolrd Tai Chi Day event in Greenville, SC.

qv: Phil Yanov's World Tai Chi Day Photos on Picasa

World Tai Chi Day

2009-04-25T07:11:00.001-04:00

It's World Tai Chi & Qigong Day. There will be demonstrations at Falls Park in Greenville from 11 am until 2 pm.

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world tai chi day - Saturday, April 25, 2009 - Greenville, SC

2009-04-22T10:41:00.000-04:00

world tai chi day
Saturday, April 25, 2009
11 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Falls Park at Main St.

The free event will feature Tai Chi and Qigong demonstrations by local instructors and students.

Both Tai Chi and Qigong are becoming increasingly popular in the U.S. Often referred to as moving meditation, Tai Chi is one of the most effective exercises for physical and mental well-being. In fact, scientific studies show Tai Chi increases flexibility, muscular strength, and fitness. Qigong helps people increase their self-awareness, build internal energy, and develop a healthy body physically and spiritually. About the instructors.

qv: City of Greenville Website

Podcast: Piedmont Blood Center building community with Social Media

2009-03-28T14:15:00.003-04:00

Enabling Blood Donors To Reach Out To Each Other Using Twitter, Facebook, And Free Wi - Fi. by Phil Yanov
Download now or listen on posterous

GSATC_Call_DaveSmith.mp3 (977 KB)

The Piedmont Blood Center is enabling blood donors with Twitter and Facebook to not just improve their donation experience, but to help them reach out to each other and to other potential donors. �It all starts with a bit of free Wi-Fi. �Learn more about how The Spartanburg South Carolina's Piedmont Blood Center is using Social Media from their webmaster Dave Smith. (@iamdave)

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Podcast: Congressman Bob Inglis at Main Street Diner

2009-03-16T20:08:00.001-04:00

I was in Mauldin at the Main Street Diner to hear Bob Inglis today and I ended up sitting right next to where he stood. Since I always carry my handy recorder with me and it had both a set of fully charged batteries and some extra space on it's memory card, I thought I'd give a bit of live recording a try. Attached is the entire session and I think the audio is pretty darn listenable. For those of you with critical ears, I'll tell you that it gets better at about two minutes in. (They closed the door next to the kitchen.)

Preview with Terry Weaver - Taking advantage of the future

2009-03-05T13:52:00.001-05:00

Phil Yanov Interviews Terry Weaver by Gsa Technology Council (Www. Gsatc. Org)
Download now or listen on posterous

gsatc_prvw_200903_Weaver.mp3 (1186 KB)

I grabbed Terry Weaver for an ambush interview yesterday to ask him for a preview of next week's GSATC Learning Lunch meeting. Terry is going to use the book Revolutionary Wealth by well known futurists, Alvin and Heidi Toffler as a guide to discuss how to best position yourself and your business to take advantage of the continuing shifts in the world. �How and where you make your money is changing. �I look forward to spending more time next week thinking about how to take advantage of that shift.

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I need your help in adding this important credential and mission to my resume - UFO Field Investigator

2009-02-25T21:30:00.000-05:00

I used to know a guy who had a business card that said he was a UFO Field Investigator. He was, quite literally, a card carrying UFO Field Investigator. As I contemplate all of the things I've done with my life, I can honestly say that I've never spent any serious time investigating UFOs or even thinking about them. Sure, I've thrown a frisbee flying disc or two and wondered how they fly, but that's not the same as pulling out my magnifying glass and checking the back porch for little green footprints.

As I look for ways to fill my free time and to more importantly supplement my income, I am thinking about taking on the dual role of serving my community and earning some cold, hard cash by getting to the bottom of curious situations that are not being taken seriously by thoughtful, well educated people.

In these hard times, it is time for harder heads to prevail. Lucky for me, there is an official member organization that offers certification in my selected endeavor. Their recipe for UFO Field Investigator success appears below:

4 Steps to Becoming a MUFON Field Investigator
http://www.mufon.com/how-to-become-a-ufo-field-investigator.htm

Step 1: If you have not already done so, please join MUFON at the above link

Step 2: Purchase a copy of the MUFON Field Investigator�s manual at the MUFON Store

Step 3: Self study the MUFON Field Investigator Manual or attend a training class conducted by your local chapter (if available).

Step 4: Although it is not required, it is highly recommended that once you pass your exam and achieve Field Investigator status that you accompany a current experienced MUFON Field Investigator on one or more live investigations before attempting an investigation on your own.

Here is how you can help
Can you tell me who funds these investigations? Is this something your local police help out with in the same way we have state constables? Would it help to become a constable as well? Should I plan on carrying a gun? Any help you can offer as I consider this bold move would be greatly appreciated. And yes, I have been drinking.

Audio: Lane Filler - Ask Mr. Smartypants on the radio.

2009-02-24T07:31:00.001-05:00

Lane Filler - Ask Mr. Smartypants by Phil Yanov
Download now or listen on posterous

ydi200903_AskMrSmartyPants.mp3 (5335 KB)

Lane Filler, author of Ask Mr. Smartypants�, sat down with me for an interview for the Your Day radio show. In the interview he discusses his career as a journalist, how the Golden Girls influence his work, and the contents of then Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee's wallet.

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Author Event: Ask Mr Smartypants - The Drop In Lunch

2009-02-23T17:05:00.001-05:00

Lane Filler comes to Greenville all of the time, but no one notices. This time he's coming to lunch at Liquid Highway Downtown and he's going to have his book, Ask Mr. Smartpants with him. He'll read. He'll talk. He'll answer questions and generally have a good time. We're at the Liquid Highway downtown Greenville, so you can drop in any time, grab a cup of coffee or lunch and join us.

Author Event: Ask Mr Smartypants - The Drop In Lunch

Lane Filler comes to Greenville

Event Info

Time and Place

Date: Thursday, February 26, 2009

Time: 11:30am - 1:00pm

Location: Liquid Highway Downtown

Street: 220 North Main Street

City/Town: Greenville, SC

No RSVP Required. The event is on Facebook and Google Calendar .

Great book! It is packed with laughs, I tell you. In fact, I'll tell anyone who reads the back cover. Lane Filler is so funny, he could write a column about the history of stucco walls and pack it with eight solid laughs. Even better for us, he writes about universal subjects like marriage, religion, email and the evils of houseplants (well, that last one may not be quite universal. But you know what I'm saying). I am happy to report, after reading this incisive, surprisingly touching, and very, very funny collection that the Lane Filler I know is alive and well and writing in Spartanburg. Don't let the good manners fool you; once a wiseass, always a wiseass. - Josh Lieb Co-Executive Producer The Daily Show with Jon Stewart One time, when a reader called in with a tip, Lane writes "I smelled a Pulitzer. Or Camembert. I smelled something." You know what I smell? Comedy. The sweet fragrance of comedic insights into life. I encourage you to breathe deep some Lane Filler. Lane once wrote that he knows "slightly less about cars than a duck-billed platypus of middling intellect knows about early 20th- century dance crazes." Which may be true. But he does know a lot about writing an entertaining book. - AJ Jacobs, author of The Year of Living Biblically About Lane Filler Lane Filler, 37, is a national award-winning journalist whose work has appeared in hundreds of newspapers all over the world, including the Philadelphia Inquirer, Miami Herald, Charlotte Observer, San Jose Mercury-News, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Kansas City Star and, well, a lot of other ones but he doesn't keep careful track. Maybe we should ask his mother. He has worked as an embedded reporter in Iraq and Kuwait, covered three presidential elections, and can convert celsius to fahrenheit, and vice versa, in his head. Currently, Filler is a columnist and editor at the Spartanburg Herald-Journal, a New York Times-owned newspaper in Upstate South Carolina.

Lane Filler is on the world wide interwebs

Find out more about Lane at www.AskMrSmartyPants.com.

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PMI Meets Tonight - Agile Project Management

2009-02-19T09:46:00.001-05:00

Palmetto Chapter of PMI, the Project Management Institute

February Dinner Meeting

Date: Thursday Feb. 19

Time: 6:00 PM

Place: Greenville Marriott

Speaker: Johann Radcliffe, PMP

Johann's topic is "Agile Project Management: What's so new and different? What's not?"

Johann Radcliffe has 25 years of project management experience. He has led large DoD systems integration projects as well as complex eCommerce and SAP implementations. He now specializes in helping organizations improve their project management processes. He is a contributing author of Agile Project Management: A Mandate for the 21st Century and the second edition of the Project Management Maturity Model. Johann has been a PMP since 1999 and achieved SSGB certification in 2008. He is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy with a BS in Engineering Management and an MS in Systems Management from the University of Southern California.

more info: http://www.palmettochapter.com

more upstate technology events at: http://www.gsatc.org/calendar

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Dunkin Donuts offers understanding to pained Starbucks Decaff drinkers

2009-02-12T10:19:00.001-05:00

Dunkin Donuts reaches out to disaffected Starbucks decaff drinkers and let's them know they can have what they want, when they want it. Brilliant.

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Amy Wood photo via Bill's iPhone

2009-02-11T02:56:00.001-05:00

At last month's GSATC meeting, Bill Ellis took a picture of Amy Wood and Phil Yanov (me) as we stood in front of the group. I thought it turned out pretty well. Have a look.

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Inglis hosting social media roundtable, Tuesday at 11 a.m.

2009-02-02T12:47:00.001-05:00

Here is the official Media Advisory for tomorrow's event:

Inglis hosting social media roundtable, Tuesday at 11 a.m.

U.S. Rep. Bob Inglis (R-SC) will host a social media roundtable Tuesday, Feb. 3, at 11 a.m. in The Innovate Building in downtown Greenville (148 River St.).

The event is open to the public and group discussions will be led by area marketing and branding professionals as well as other members from the online and social media community.

National media attention has recently focused on political office holders use of social media outlets to communicate directly to voters and "followers." The impact of these new media and its uses in the political process will be discussed during the roundtable.

What: Social Media roundtable & discussion

When: Tuesday, February 3, 2009 at 11 a.m.

Where: The Innovate Building, third floor conference room (148 River St., Greenville)

Who: U.S. Rep. Bob Inglis, Clemson researcher on social media Dr. Mihaela Vorvoreanu, Geno Church (Brains on Fire), Phil Yanov (GSATC), Trey Pennington (Showcase Marketing), local marketing experts, general public

Contact: Price Atkinson (W: 864.232.1141) or (C: 864.494.8754)

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Social Media and the Political Process - A round table discussion with your congressman

2009-02-02T12:36:00.001-05:00

Recent national press attention given the use of Twitter during a meeting with President Obama has prompted Rep. Bob Inglis to convene a round table on Social Media and the political process � how can it improve information, how can it improve transparency, etc. If you can help further the discussion or would just like to hear how this works first hand, please plan to attend tomorrow's event.

The Event

What: Social Media and the Political Process - A Round Table Discussion
When: 11 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 3
Where: Innovate Building Conference Room Third Floor, 148 River St. , Greenville, SC (map)

Please join US Congressman Bob Inglis as he hosts, Clemson Researcher, Dr. Mihaela Vorvorneanu , GSA Technology Council President, Phil Yanov , and Showcase Marketing Director, Trey Pennington for a round table discussion on how these new technologies have forever changed how the public connects with their elected officials.

Plan to attend

1) No RSVP Required, feel free to Retweet this and let other Twitter types know about it.

2) Invite others

We encouraged you to invite anyone who is following you on Twitter to join us.

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That's not a real URL

2009-01-29T12:29:00.001-05:00

I see it, but if I type that in, my browser won't be very happy.

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Have lunch with your congressman today

2009-01-26T07:58:00.001-05:00

Congressman Bob Inglis is hosting a Let's Talk lunch at the Handlebar today. It seems like the perfect time to ask some questions about how congress will be working to get the economy moving. I've not been to one of the events before, but plan to go today. He describes the event as follows:

Let's Talk ... Rx for Recovery
Monday, January 26 - The Handlebar, 304 E. Stone Avenue, Greenville, 12:00 noon

South Carolina has the 3rd highest unemployment rate in the country.
Many of our neighbors have lost jobs.
Businesses and families are struggling in what could be the worst recession in decades.
What's the path to recovery?

All of this is from his website.

ps: Bob Inglis is on Twitter.

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Greenville, SC Novelist John Jeter interviewed on Your Day

2009-01-24T21:56:00.001-05:00

Sandy Woodward Interviews John Jeter Of The Plunder Room by Clemson University/Your Day / Clemson University
Download now or listen on posterous

The_Plunder_Room_YD090122.mp3 (7318 KB)

You may know John Jeter as the proprietor of The Handlebar , the award winning Greenville concert venue named for his mustache. What you might not know that John has been pecking away for years as a newspaper reporter, editor, and aspiring novelist. His 19 years of work have reached a new milestone with the publication The Plunder Room. Coinciding with the novel's release, John was interviewed by Sandy Woodward for the Your Day radio program heard on South Carolina's NPR stations. You can listen to the interview here.

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Google brings LIFE photos online

2009-01-16T00:45:00.002-05:00

Google and LIFE have collaborated to bring the entire LIFE photo archive online. These newly-digitized images include photos and etchings produced and owned by LIFE dating back to the 1750s. Simply add "source:life" to any Google image search to restrict your search to the archive.

Want to have some fun? Type in your date of birth and find the cover of Life, TIME, or both for that day. (sample)

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Good News - Healthy Lounge has completed their relocation strategy

2009-01-09T15:07:00.001-05:00

Download now or listen on posterous

HealthyLoungeIsBack.mp3 (46 KB)

I just got the word that Healthy Lounge has re-opened at 300 River Street, Suite 203.

The new spot is in Riverplace near the stairs that lead to The Lazy Goat. Healthy Lounge is a quick, cool and robo-nerdy way to get rid of a back's worth of stress. http://www.healthylounge.com

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How I missed a chance to save the world from additional suffering

2009-01-07T09:04:00.001-05:00

I wish I'd had a video and audio recorder running this morning. If we could have captured the struggle to get our beautiful kids fed and clothed before taking them to daycare, I could have packaged it up, entitled it "Birth Control" and single handedly put the brakes on our global population explosion.

I guess we might have had to translate the actual words, of which there were few, into several foreign languages to get the full effect, but the screaming, crying, and visibly bad behavior by nearly all parties would have required no translation at all.

Flip tells me to return my Flip Mino to the store if I don't like my videos on Drive C:

2009-01-05T18:59:00.003-05:00

The Flip Mino software was recently updated. I took the update because I was hoping the software would be a little bit faster and a little bit more stable. It seems faster when loading, but it's got it's own troubles. First off, the software won't let you save videos from the camcorder to any drive other than the C: drive on Windows.

This is a problem because the video files are big and they will quickly fill my drive. In the prior version of the software I'd manually move the files after downloading, but it meant that the Flip editing software couldn't find the files once I had done that. The workaround was to move them back for the editor and then move them to the big drive when done. The new version buries the videos deep in the directory structure, so you won't accidentally delete them (their words.) I decided to see if I could get the problem fixed. I used their online support.

I asked:

Phil: I'd like to move the FlipShare directory to a drive with more space. How do I do that?

They answered:

Flip: The Flip Video program does not have any features that allow users to change the default saving location, nor the location where the "video compatibility" software will be installed.

You may be able to manually save your video. To do this, please connect your camcorder to your computer and double-click the Flip Video icon either in �My Computer� or on the desktop. Then double-click the DCIM folder, and open the 100VIDEO folder, which is where you will find your videos. Then select the video you wish to save, copy it, and paste it to the location of your choice. Please be aware that your camcorder�s program will not be able to recognize videos saved in this manner.

The problem is in the last sentence. I want to use the software that came with the camcorder! I wrote them back:

Phil: Ok. Now, I know that there is no menu driven way to make the change. I need to know what other way exists to make the change. I need FlipShare to look at something other than my C: Drive for it's files. How do I do that?

They answered with:

Flip: There is no way to do this in the Flip program. You can manually save videos to any location you wish, and then try to save them back to your camcorder to use them in the Flip program. But, the Flip program will still save them back to your C drive.

Now, I thought it was time to let them know I had a little expertise and was willing to accept a technically challenging solution:

Phil: That doesn't work for me. The Flip will fill my C: Drive. How can I manually make the change? It probably involves changing some registry entries.

They told me to stop bothering them and return the camera from whence I got it:

Flip: We do not provide support for manipulating the Flip program, nor do we know of any way to change the default location the Flip stores videos.

If the Flip Share set-up doesn't work for your needs, it may be best to return the device and buy one more suited for your specific needs.

Our apologies for any confusion, or inconvenience.

I have to wonder if a customer service agent for Pure Digital actually has the authority to send me packing. I am shocked by the answer.

As I see it, I can live with it, work around it, try to fix it manually by guessing at registry entries, or return it to Amazon and buy the Kodak Zi6. (I was wanting to test drive one of those anyway.)

UPDATE: Later versions of the FlipShare software include an option for moving the data directory.

Angel Network Open Session this Thursday. Investors and entrepreneurs invited.

2009-01-05T15:52:00.002-05:00

The Upstate Carolina Angel Network is having an open session for investors and entrepreneurs at the Greenville Chamber. I had thought this was for investors only so I hadn't posted it previously. I seem to have missed that entrepreneurs were being invited as well. So come along!

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Video: The Red Elvises at the Handlebar in Greenville, SC

2009-01-05T12:37:00.002-05:00

The Red Elvises came to The Handlebar in October and I shot several snippets of video from the audience knowing that I'd make a montage of it later. I shot the video using my Flip Mino, and went about making the montage, but couldn't get the sound right using only the software from Flip. Well, they updated the software to FlipShare and I installed the update which now allows you to replace the audio from your video with something else. The video below is all from the October concert and the audio is an mp3 of one of the Red Elvises songs which I downloaded from their officially sanctioned fan web site.

A few good podcasts you may not yet be listening to (with Audio)

2009-01-03T12:41:00.001-05:00

Future Tense host Jon Gordon recently asked for favorite podcasts via a Twitter request . I dropped in a vote for my favorite long form audio podcast Radio Lab . It is the smartest podcast I've ever found and I make sure to catch every episode. Radio Lab covers science in an approachable, meaningful way that celebrates discovery and the people who are doing the hard work in modern science. Hosts Robert Krulwich and Jad Abumrad are giddy in their presentations and their love for science shows in every second of the show. Bravo to them and thanks to Jon Gordon for including my comments.

Below is a link to the Future Tense podcast which includes my recommendation. I'd also use this time to recommend you add Future Tense to your iTunes list as well. Every weekday Future Tense shines three minutes of light on some area of technology that you quite probably have overlooked. The show airs on many public radio stations, so every edition is broadcast quality and of the highest production value. Take a listen.

This Future Tense episode features a few words from yours truly.

Good podcasts for your idle time

MP3 - iTunes

We asked folks on the social network Twitter to share some of their favorite podcasts. Here are some they liked:

Onion Radio News

MacMost Now

In Our Time

Radio Lab

This American Life

Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo's Film Reviews

| permalink

Don't forget to follow Jon Gordon on Twitter.

ps: You already follow me (thinkhammer) on Twitter, right?

This repost includes an audio player so you can easily listen to the podcast mentioned. Pretty sweet, eh?

Good Podcasts For Your Idle Time by American Public Media
Download now or listen on posterous

Good podcasts for your idle time.mp3 (1728 KB)

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Santa Delivers

2008-12-28T08:49:00.001-05:00

Santa Delivers
Originally uploaded by Yanov.

I caught a quick picture of Santa taking a rest after dropping off some goodies for the kids.