1TO10REVIEWS

On a scale of 1 to 10, I’m excited about the new blog.

(And BTW - the title of this post?  That’s a paraphrase from National Lampoon’s Vacation.  Clark Griswold says something along the lines of: “I can’t believe it.  I’m on a pilgrimage to see a moose.  Praise Marty Moose!  Hallelujah, holy shit!”) 

In case you hadn’t noticed, some things have changed.  I started this blog in March of 2007, wondering what this whole “blogging” thing was really about.  I’m still not actually sure.  But I’m having fun, and that’s what’s important.

For more than a year friends and acquaintances have been espousing the advantages of switching from a Wordpress.com blog, to a self-hosted blog using the software from Wordpress.org.  More customization options, more control, and a better overall experience.  I dragged my feet, hesitated, waffled, experienced anxiety coupled with ambivalence, generally procrastinated the switch.  Then, one Wednesday night, I decided to just do it.  I contacted GoDaddy, bought a hosting plan, set up a Linux server, installed a database, and installed Wordpress 2.6.  I would have gone with 2.5 because I’ve heard it’s more stable, but there was a one-click install for 2.6.  So there you have it.  I changed my DNS, and re-set my MX records.   I exported my Wordpress.com posts in an XML file.  I imported that same file into my new blog.  And guess what… fail.

Much to my consternation, my posts failed to transfer.  I only got about 3 months worth, taking me through to June of 2007.  Not acceptable.  I re-imported, and more posts showed up.  I repeated that process 6 or 7 times, and got more posts imported each time.  But then I hit a wall.  After around December 2007, I couldn’t import any more posts.  I emailed for help, checked the forums, no luck. I started manually recreating my posts, which truly sucked.  The posts themselves were not so hard, though I had to remember a lot of details (trackbacks, tags, date/time stamps, etc).  But the worst part was recreating all the comments.  Ughh.

However, last week I caught a break.  Nick, one of the AWESOME people in the Wordpress.com support group responded to my request for help.  He offered a number of suggestions, and then actually did some testing himself.  We decided that the import was timing out for some reason, and that the XML file was too big.  He helped me split the file into four smaller chunks, and when I tried to import the most recent posts, we finally met with great success.  So let me say it now, loud and clear, for the world to hear:

Thank You Nick, from Wordpress.com on 12seconds.tv

So, here we are.  My buddy Justin is helping me to learn a teeny bit of CSS, and I am trying to customize the sweet theme I picked.  (Simplish 1.7.3 by Simplish Project, K. Pitt, J.A. Hardy)  I want to develop a logo / header soon too, but I am a terrible designer.  So I am trying to figure out how to get something put together.  But, I am enjoying playing with the new setup, and I hope you enjoy it too.

thanks for reading,

David

On a scale of 1 to 10, I think Blippr is pretty cool.

Blippr is a review service; you write short-form reviews of all kinds of things (books, movies, etc.)  In an oxymoronic set of circumstances that only the Internet can enable, “micro” services are becoming huge.  Twitter started a couple of years ago, and has become a popular (in the Valley, not in Kansas) “micro-blogging” service.  In 140 characters or less you give your followers a status update.  Some people use this for life-casting (i.e. I’m going to get a burrito) and others for starting conversations (i.e. what are the chances that Vista will stop sucking?).  In my opinion, the latter is a much more interesting use for the service.

Twitter is about “micro-blogging” because they have a strict limitation on your content - all posts must be 140 characters or less.  That’s as opposed to say Wordpress, which is unlimited blogging (gurgitate to your heart’s content).   12seconds (which we’re involved in directly and which we posted about last month) also imposes a user constraint (twelve seconds, in case that wasn’t obvious.)  Blippr follows suit with a constraint of their own, 160 characters or less.

Erick Schonfeld at Techcrunch wrote an article about Blippr a couple of weeks ago, which offers a fine summary of the product.  I just signed up for an account myself - want to be friends?  So far I’ve reviewed a couple of movies, Dark Knight and 300.  Blippr encourages reviews for all kinds of products, including movies, music, games, books, and more.  The restraints force you to be choosy with your words and even your characters.  (Might want to start liking the ampersand.)

I see lots of opportunities in this product to link out to other products and services, whether amazon book and music purchases, netflix movie rentals, booksfree book rentals, social networks likes Shelfari, Facebook, and more… the list is more or less never-ending.  Some of those deals could include affiliate deals that might even generate revenue, which is always a nice little bonus in an internet company.

I like the UI in Blippr.  When you type out a review, a blue bar below the text window indicates how much space you have left.  Where Twitter uses a numeric counter (which turns red and features a minus sign when you pass 140), I think the visualization of the blue bar is effective and more interesting to watch.

Blippr’s also done a great job of integrating other services; it’s quite easy to link your blips to your Twitter stream, to your FriendFeed, and to a myriad of other services.

There are a number of things I think BLippr could improve upon - doubtless they’ve considered these already, but I’ll voice them anyway.  I think it would be cool if you could embed blips, make a widget out of all my blips, specific genres of blips, etc.  It’d be nice to have the option to embed them directly on my blog, on a profile page, etc.

Also, SMS integration makes a lot of sense.  According to tehir Get Satisfaction page, that’s coming soon.  I can see a great deal of utility to that feature, especially in regards to a spontaneous interaction with something or other (i.e. I just walked out of Indiana Jones 4, and I’m so offended by the refrigerator scene that I want to tell the world RIGHT NOW!)  I get it, they don’t have the money / resources / infrastructure / developers etc.  yet.  But they need to add SMS soon.

I also think this is an appropriate complement to Yelp, and other restaurant / business review services.  I’d like to see them expand their focus (or create a sister service) that is dedicated to that market.   And lastly, outside access seems really important to me.  How can I dip into the Blippr-o-sphere on my mobile handset when I’m in line at the movie theater and the movie I wanted to see is sold out?  Or I am at Green Apple Books (Clement and 6th in San Francisco, check ‘em out) and I want someone’s opinion on a book.  A short, to-the-point opinion.

Overall, I think this service shows more promise than most “web 2.0″ (god I hate that term) companies.  I’m interested to see where it goes.  To the right I’ve embedded a screenshot of my (considerably) shorter review of Blippr, using Blippr.  Neat.

This is also posted at LIVEdigitally.

My Review: I am not issuing a review score due to conflict of interest.

Let me disclaim in no uncertain terms that this site was started by some very close friends of mine, and I am personally involved as well.  I mean for this post to be informational.  I want both of my readers to know about 12seconds.

As you will see from their blog post, 12seconds.tv is launching their public alpha today.

12seconds is the brainchild of some friends in Santa Cruz who love the web, love technology, love twitter, love their iPhones, and can’t help but start company after company.  This is serial entrepreneurship at its best.  The basic idea behind 12seconds is video status, being able to record and share little moments from your life.  Use a webcam or cell phone you can record videos up to twelve seconds long.  That’s it.

You can link your videos to your Twitter account, so anyone who follows you there can receive will receive videos through your Twitter feed.  Friends can also visit your 12seconds page directly, or subscribe to your 12seconds RSS feed. You do NOT have to be a member of the site in order to watch other people’s videos. Request an invitation to join the site here.

This idea is a cool one, especially if you have a cell phone that records video. It’s easy to imagine being out at a bar with friends, out on the street where you see something funny, or at a Bar Mitzvah during the Haftorah service and wanting to publish the moment and share it with friends. What if you’re on vacation at the grand canyon and standing over that crazy skywalk platform? What a cool moment to share with friends and loved ones.  Here’s a link to my 12seconds channel.  Here’s Jeremy’s channel.

This is also posted at: LIVEdigitally

My Review:5

Warning: SPOILER ALERT

Rick Riordan is an author of both adult and teen-oriented books. He has series targeted at teens that focuses on one boy, Perseus (Percy) Jackson.  Percy is the son of Sally Jackson, a mortal woman, and the son of Poseidon, the Greek God of the Sea from ancient mythology.  In the series, the Greek gods are not myths at all, but a vibrant and lively part of Western Civilization.  Along with Poseidon, Zeus, Athena, Hephaestus and the rest of the crew come a host of monsters and mayhem including (but not limited to) the Minotaur, Medusa, the Furies, prophecies, quests, adventure, sword fighting, revenge and true love.  Sounds like the Princess Bride as described by Peter Falk. 

In any case, I am not here to review the books themselves.  I love them, I think they’re grand.  They fall into a similar genre as J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, and Chris Paolini’s Inheritance Cycle, also books I enjoy thoroughly and unequivocally.  I’m a geek boy for sci-fi, fantasy, mythology, and the “weird.”

No, in this review, I am getting specific.  In fact, it would be more accurate to say that I am making a prediction, a prediction about Percy’s mom, Sally Jackson (as you might have guessed from the title of this post).  That prediction is: I think she is a half-blood (half god and half human) herself.  That would, in fact, make Percy 3/4 god, instead of the normal half god, or demigod.  Here’s my thinking:

• Her eyes change color depending on the light
• She can see through mist (something that keeps most mortals from seeing monsters, gods, and the rest of the weirdness)
• In Book 1, The Lightning Thief, Sally isn’t killed when the Minotaur picks her up by the neck, but is captured and spirited away by Hades in a shower of golden light.  Maybe Hades could do that to a mortal, but still…
• I think we need something to make Percy even more special, and that would do it
• plus, it would make an interesting plot twist.  I don’t remember reading any myths about humans who had a god for a grandparent and a parent

I know this post is probably uninteresting to those who haven’t read these books.  Even if you have, maybe this degree of analysis seems like a waste of time.  Don’t care.  I think it’s neat, and I am calling it now.  Maybe in the end I’ll be proven wrong.  But I think Sally Jackson is herself a half-blood.  You heard it here first.  I’ll let you know the results when the series ends.

Oh, and by the way.  The reason I gave this review a 5 has nothing to do with how much I like the books.  I think they’re great.  I gave it a 5 because I’m making a WAG (wild ass guess) and I figure I have a 50/50 chance.  Twisted logic, but if you read this far, you’re probably right there with me. 

My Review: 9

I love this song.  It’s funny, it’s poignant, it’s well written.  It’s written in 3/4 time and played as though it were a waltz itself.  I just think it’s brilliant.  Willie Nelson wrote it and published it first on his concept album “Shotgun Willie” in 1973, one of his very best albums in my opinion.  Cake covered it on their 1996 album Fashion Nugget, also an amazing album.

I really like both versions.  I’m running a poll to see which version people like better.

You can listen to the Cake version here.  You can listen to the Willie Nelson version here.   You can also listen to each in the Box.net widgets below, and the one on the right side.  The album art below links to Amazon’s MP3 store.  If you don’t own these albums already, you should buy them.

My Review: 10

I’m at the airport in Dallas, Texas.  Ordinarily I would find that depressing, but I have two reasons to celebrate.  1.) I am on my way to Cozumel, Mexico for a scuba vacation.  And 2.) they have the coolest x-ray machine of all time:

According to the security lady, this is one of only two such machines in the country.  What’s so special about thiese?  You can leave your laptop in your bag.  You don’t need three different little plastic bins.  You don’t need to juggle your backpack, carry-on, laptop and other junk with tired, sweaty people glaring at you for wasting their time.  You still have to take off your shoes, but let’s not be greedy.  This is a good start.

It was shocking to see the sign say: “Please Read >>  keep these items in your bag…”  And there’s a picture of a computer.  Holy mackerel.  That is rad. 

I like having my computer with me, and this process makes it even more pleasent.  I hate flying, so anything that makes the process simpler is something I cherish and appreciate.  For this reason alone, I am now a fan of Dallas International Airport.  And this killer new x-ray machine gets a 10 out of 10.  El yay.

My Review: 7

I’m keeping this post short and silly.  I think that’ s my strong suit anyway.  I was recently thinking about Chris Penn, and how much I miss him.  Not like we were friends or anything, but I think he was great.  I was watching an episode of Entourage recently (I think from season 2) and Chris had a cameo, boxing with Johnny Drama.   I think it was some of the last work he did. 

In my opinion, he was a phenomenally strong actor, woefully underrated, and especially excellent in character roles.  He was known best for his roles in 80’s classic Footloose, and for his role as an under-boss, Nice Guy Eddie, in Reservoir Dogs. But my favorite role for Chris was in Best of the Best, the cheese-filled 90’s karate movie with Eric Roberts and James Earl Jones. 

Chris was the younger brother of the much more famous Sean Penn, though I always liked Chris a lot more, not least because Sean Penn is kind of a douche.  There’s lots more information about Chris Penn available on IMDB, and on Wikipedia.

My Review: 1

I froze. How totally, terribly, embarrassing.  Don’t let this happen to you.

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Think about what you’re going to say before the camera starts rolling.  For this, I get a 1 out of 10.

My Review: 8

It looks like the Humvee of iPhone cases:

This thing is a brick.  A giant, yellow brick.  As I was testing it out for the day, a number of people made fun of me.  But I told them what I’m about to tell you.

This case is not intended for everyday carry.  It’s bulky, heavy, and clunky because it’s meant to withstand a hailstorm while being driven over by a tank.  (If the ground underneath it were sufficiently squishy, I think it just might survive the aforementioned tank rollover.)

The purpose of this case is to be waterproof, shockproof, dropproof, and ass-kicking proof. It is not elegant or sophisticated.  But it will withstand a nuclear bomb blast.

The o-ring seals well and tightly.  Water spilled onto it from a faucet tap at full blast never penetrated the interior, and no condensation or moisture built up inside the case.  I might not want to go SCUBA diving with it, but in rain or brief submersion, I would be totally comfortable.   All major functions except for one are accessible in this case, that one being the silent/vibrate toggle.  It is not too difficult to hear or be heard when talking through the case, and the touch-screen is very responsive.  I’d put it at 90% of normal sensitivity, even though your using it through the plastic, waterproof membrane.

I have only two major complaints, and the second one is unreasonable.

Complaint #1: The steep edges of the case where it borders the touch screen can make it difficult to type.  I often mis-hit keys when typing an email, SMS, or website address as a result.  No bueno.

Complaint #2: This is the unreasonable one.  I’ve just found out that this case will not be compatible with the new iPhone.  Of course, there’s no way that OB could have built this for the 3G iPhone, the specs did not exist.  But it’s a bummer.

I did not let complaint #2 affect my review score.  For what this case is, for what it’s meant to be, it does a a great job, and is fully worth an 8 out of 10.  If you are looking for a svelte, stylish case, look elsewhere.  If you are looking for a case that will let you bring your iPhone into a wet week in the jungles of Madagascar, this is your case.

You can purchase them here, directly from Otterbox.  At $70, if you want a waterprrof case that lets you retain almost all the functionality, this is a great purchase.  And I’ve been assure that they will have an Armor-series case for the 3G iPhone when it becomes available.

My Review: 10

I love Bruce Springsteen.  And this song, I think, is nothing short of brilliant.  Please listen to it in my Box.net widget in the side bar.

First of all, let me say one thing.  Douche is not part of this song.

Bruce wrote this song in the early seventies, and it was first recorded on his album Greetings From Asbury Park N.J. in 1973.  It did not achieve broad commercial success.

Manfred Mann recorded the song in 1977, and that reached #1 on the pop charts (according to Wikipedia, “…Manfred Mann’s Earth Band recording of “Blinded by the Light” is still Springsteen’s only Number 1 single as a songwriter on the Hot 100.”

I think the writing and poetry in this song is tremendous.  The lyrics are outlandish and silly in a nearly Shel Silverstein-esque manner (Shel didn’t just write “Where the Sidewalk Ends” you know, he also penned “Boy Named Sue” [Johnny Cash] and “Cover of a Rolling Stone” [Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show.] among others.) Bruce’s lyrics are fanciful, fun and fantastic (in the “way out there” sense.)  They are evocative and as close to poetry as anything Bruce has written.  To me, this kind of writing puts him in the same class as Dylan and Simon.

I also love Bruce’s rendition of the song.  His vocals are at their scratchy best, and the musicianship is raw.  Powerful, and raw.

I can (and have) listened to this song on repeat, over and over again.  It leaves me happy, sad, curious, mystified, and sometimes a little maudlin.  Not really sure why.  But it’s evocative, and strong.  For me, this song is a solid 10 out of 10.  Not just because I love Bruce (which, as I said, I do) and not just becasue the lyrics are poetic and zany (which they are.)  This song is a 10 because it symbolizes freedom for me, every  single  time I listen to it.  It’s about the open road, about America, about living your life and be damned to the consequences.  This song kicks ass.

Afterthought:

Oh, and in case I wasn’t clear before, let me be abundantly so now.  I think Bruce’s version is infinitely superior to Manfre Mann’s.  Manfred Mann IS a douche.