The Daily Vitamin

ForTheCommonFolk.com !

2006-07-28T08:03:00.000-04:00

My new blog is now live... For The Common Folk at http://www.forthecommonfolk.com/ .

This will be the last official post on this blog. Please head over to the new blog and enjoy a nice dose of old and new content. Enjoy!

-Brian

Entirely new blog.... coming soon!

2006-07-26T09:17:00.000-04:00

The more I've been reading around about blogs, bouncing ideas off others, and ripping my hair out over Blogger's awful technology (is this really owned by Google???), I've decided to officially create a new blog, on a new platform, with a semi-renewed focus and more original content.

Sounds like a lot? Heck yeah. I've been very time constrained lately due to a new project I'm on at work but stayed tuned for more details... and hopefully within a week or so... a link to the new site!

New look and feel (part deux)

2006-07-25T16:47:00.000-04:00

I knew it was a matter of time before I got sick of the blog's new look and feel. I tried out the 'inverse' look using a black background. I have some good ideas for a new look so stay tuned... hopefully I'll have time to roll it out later this week.

The moon landing revealed

2006-07-25T06:59:00.000-04:00

This an amazing behind the scenes story of what really happened during the first moon landing. Cool stuff.

Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin accidentally snapped off the switch of a circuit breaker - and they could not take off again without it.
But Aldrin improvised by jamming the end of a ballpoint pen into the hole where the switch had been and the astronauts' landing module was able to lift off the moon's surface.

New look and feel (for now)

2006-07-24T21:44:00.000-04:00

I got tired of my last look and feel pretty quickly. The new look and feel is now live. I believe the image issue in Internet Explorer is fixed (images now display correctly and shouldn't get cut off). I particularly like this theme as it isolates each post fairly well and adds a more modern touch. Comments are welcome. Enjoy!

(Theme ideas courtesy of blogger templates)

The recent surge of spam

2006-07-24T14:39:00.000-04:00

I've been an avid Gmail user since it first came out several years ago. I have never had an issue with spam until recently and could not for the life of me figure out why. I went from getting 2-3 Spam emails per month to around 10 per day! USA Today finally uncovers the mystery. I'm sure Google's arsenal of brainpower will figure this one out... it's just a matter of time.

The surge in new spam has largely eluded software filters and eaten up space on e-mail systems because each message is more than seven times larger than regular spam, Sprosts says.

Most image-based spam comes in the form of stock scams, which contain the same basic language within a shaded box.

Much of it comes from spam gangs in the USA and Russia, Sprosts says.

Stock scams make up about 20% of spam — about twice the share at the start of the year, IronPort says.

How to lose the 'ums' and 'ahs' in your speech

2006-07-24T08:33:00.000-04:00

Umm.... here's uh the ah answer for um you.

The best possible scenario is to capture an example of your speaking or teaching 'in the wild.' This way you can listen to how you sound in a 'production environment,' as it were. Believe me, when you hear how many times you use filler words, it will rattle you to your core, and you'll develop a newfound self-awareness that will help stanch your subconscious desire to use these filler words during your next class or public speaking event.

Coming Zune

2006-07-23T21:55:00.000-04:00

It's officially true... Microsoft plans to release and iPod-like device and music service later this year. As I reported a couple weeks ago, this could either flop miserably or shake up the industry with a nice dose of competition (hopefully benefiting the consumer in the process). Stay tuned... I'm sure more details of Zune will be released over the next couple weeks/months.

"Under the Zune brand, we will deliver a family of hardware and software products, the first of which will be available this year," said Chris Stephenson, general manager of market for entertainment and services at Microsoft, in an statement. "We see a great opportunity to bring together technology and community to allow consumers to explore and discover music together."

It'd be nice to have a swing like this

2006-07-21T10:17:00.000-04:00

Swing portrait. I couldn't have said it better myself (video credit: Snugs). You can find additional angles from the video at Nike's site here.

Apple iPod touch-screen patent

2006-07-21T09:09:00.000-04:00

Could this be a sneak peak into the next version of Apple's iPod? If so, sign me up... this thing would be incredible, especially if the touch screen can work without you even touching it.

The September 30, 2005 filing (published today) is titled "Proximity detector in handheld device." It describes a touch-screen interface for portable electronics devices that can sense when an object, such as a person's finger, is approaching. When an object is sensed, the touch-screen interface may perform an action such as displaying a "virtual scroll wheel," navigation pad or virtual keypad.

Support your local "Kill-the-penny" bill

2006-07-20T19:47:00.000-04:00

It's about time Congress did something useful. I'm all for the newly introduced kill-the-penny bill. And what blows my mind is a penny costs more than a penny to make (1.4 cents).

The Currency Overhaul for an Industrious Nation (COIN) Act would force the rounding off of all cash transactions to the nearest 5 cents, making the penny coin useless for everyday transactions. The move is in part a reaction to the rising cost of zinc - the penny's main ingredient - which at current prices brings the cost of making the coin to 1.4 cents each.

Solving Sudoku puzzles without thinking

2006-07-19T10:53:00.000-04:00

If you enjoy solving Sudoku puzzles like me, this simple guide could help you quickly become a master. Enjoy!

This instructable provides step by step instructions to complete a Sudoku puzzle by simple process of elimination.

Playing with swords on live TV = bad idea

2006-07-18T16:12:00.000-04:00

Note to self: do not play with swords on live TV.

Mr. T and his feud with Best Buy

2006-07-18T16:11:00.000-04:00

The Daily Show highlights the feud between Mr. T and Best Buy. Apparently Best Buy featured Mr. T in one of their commercials but never asked permission or paid him. Hmm... I pity the Best Buy.

"First Name Mister, Middle Initial Period, Last Name T"

Tech Tip Tuesday: Gmail keyboard shortcuts

2006-07-18T11:23:00.000-04:00

If I had to guess, many of you readers out there use Gmail. I've read a ton of articles and documents on how Gmail works and the features they have (or will have) and thought I'd inform everyone of a nice little feature I use all the time: keyboard shortcuts.

This may not be for all of you, but for those who use keyboard shortcuts frequently, this is for you (e.g., Ctrl+N in Outlook to create a new mail message).

Open Gmail and try the following:

Press 'c' to compose a new mail message
Press 'y' to archive a mail message (press while in a mail message)
Press 'r' to reply to a mail message (press while in a mail message)
Press 's' to star a message
Press 'g' then 'a' to go to All Mail
Press 'g' then 'i' to go to your Inbox

For a detailed list of all keyboard shortcuts available, visit Gmail's Help Center. Enjoy!

Why "The Customer is Always Right" is wrong

2006-07-18T09:09:00.000-04:00

Many stores plaster their interior with signs saying "the customer is always right." Here's an interesting article on why the customer may not always be right. After reading this, I understand how companies like Southwest and Starbucks are doing so well.... by putting their employees first.

The fact is that some customers are just plain wrong, that businesses are better of without them, and that managers siding with unreasonable customers over employees is a very bad idea, that results in worse customer service.

So put your people first. And watch them put the customers first.

Movie rentals coming soon to iTunes

2006-07-18T08:51:00.000-04:00

Steve Jobs yet again is pushing to expand the amount of content available on iTunes by planning to add movie rentals. Pretty soon, Apple will need to change the name of iTunes to iMedia or something like that.

This sounds like an OK idea for now, but I think movie rentals work best for the majority of the population on a TV rather than a PC. We'll see how this all plays out. More details to arrive on August 7.

Because the movies will be rented to consumers and not sold, people familiar with the situation report downloads will be coded with a date stamp that will restrict playback. It is not known exactly how the coding system will work, but industry experts tell Think Secret that the software would likely either limit the number of playbacks or provide unlimited viewing for a period of time, after which the movie will be "turned off" and no longer available.

Tricks for remembering names

2006-07-17T12:58:00.000-04:00

Are you one of those people that always says "I'm horrible with names"? If so, these quick tips are for you.

Commit
Begin by making a commitment — a conscious decision — to remember people’s names.

Don’t let yourself off easy, blaming a “bad memory.” Forgetting names is due less to a bad memory than to a lack of application. Tell yourself — because it’s true — that you can remember names if you want to and if you work at it.

I'm back

2006-07-17T12:55:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the lack of posts. I was at my brother's wedding in Lake Geneva in the happenin state of Wisconsin. Good times were had by all. Especially when the best man got a bloody nose in the middle of the wedding ceremony. Congrats to Todd and Sarah.

ABC to disable fast-forward button on DVRs

2006-07-11T22:31:00.000-04:00

Many of you Tivo owners may not be too fond of this news. ABC is apparently thinking about disabling your fast-forward button to FORCE you to watch their ads. I think ABC is taking the easy way out here and being short-sighted. What they really need to think about is the future of media and how Tivo, skipping ads, and the Internet are not going away. Maybe they should start thinking of creative ways of making money off ads without forcing people to watch them and pissing off their entire base of consumers.

ABC HAS HELD DISCUSSIONS ON the use of technology that would disable the fast-forward button on DVRs, according to ABC President of Advertising Sales Mike Shaw, with the primary goal to allow TV commercials to run as intended.

Zidane's headbutt completely warranted

2006-07-11T14:58:00.000-04:00

Here's my last world cup piece until 2010. I agree Zidane could have done something other than headbutting, but I probably would have done something similar if someone said similar things to me.

The Daily Mail hired an expert lip reader to find out what the Italy's Matterazzi said to spark Zidane's fury. He called him the equivalent of "nig**r" and said his mother was a "terrorist whore". Zidane's mother happens to be seriously ill in the hospital these days. The story of how Zidane's parents suffered in poverty enduring racism to raise Zidane is well-known. In no way do I condone Zidane's action, but with the racism and hateful words so prevalent in today's world, I can understand his reaction. If true, Matterazzi also deserves the scorn and should be ashamed of himself.

Tech Tip Tuesday: Personalize google.com

2006-07-11T06:00:00.000-04:00

If you're like me, you use Google more times than you blink during the day. I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing, but wouldn't it be cool if you could get a quick glimpse of weather, news, sports, and email when you navigate over to google.com?

Well the wait is over (and has been for quite some time). This edition of TTT highlights the features of google's personalized home page. Surf on over to http://www.google.com/ig . Following in the footsteps of other google applications, it is extremely easy to use. It acts like a my yahoo site but on crack. You can easily drag around areas within the page and customize it to your heart's desire. The only catch is that you must have a google account for you to be able to save your page.

Oh... and while you're at it... you can easily subscribe to my blog as well! Simply click here or click the Add to Google icon on the right under Syndication and you're ready to go!

Enjoy.

Plasma HDTV... now showing in 103 inches

2006-07-10T20:31:00.000-04:00

For those of you who know me, I've been talking about getting a HDTV by the end of the year. And I'm laser focused on not buying it any sooner.... until now. Wouldn't it be nice to own one of these 474 pound beasts!

At 103 inches, this high-definition screen from Panasonic, on display at the CeBit show in Hannover, Germany, in March, could help redefine home entertainment. It could also require some serious home renovations.
The flat-panel television measures about 7.8 by 4.5 feet and weighs a mammoth 474 pounds.

Why knuckles crack and joints creek

2006-07-10T20:10:00.000-04:00

This can be filed under the "I've always wondered why this happens" department. Read here why your body cracks like crazy when you get out of bed in the morning.

The concerto comes from the pop of gas bubbles escaping the joints, snapping tendons and ligaments, and rickety arthritic joints. Joints come in a variety of shapes and sizes. The pivot joint lets us say "No" with our heads, while the hinge joint lets us swing our elbows and knees like a door. A baseball pitcher uses the tremendous range of motion of the ball-and-socket joint in his shoulder to throw fastballs. And sliding joints in the backbone make gymnasts' backs so flexible.

Jump into David Hasselhoff's car

2006-07-07T11:02:00.000-04:00

David Hasselhoff sure is cranking out the hits these days. How soon til he goes platinum?