Tonight our team will be doing some server diagnostics to keep our servers running smoothly. We take our job of keeping your website fast, secure, and happy and this will allow us to do just that.
You may possibly experience some minor and temporary website disruptions around 6:00 PM CST, but these will quickly pass. We appreciate you business and look forward to many smooth and safe years of Web marketing your organization!
If you have any questions please call our support line at (281) 497-6567 EXT. 411 or email us at support@tendenci.com
Our team is doing some server maintenance today in order to keep our servers running at their best. We love (and take very seriously) our job of keeping your web sites secure fast and happy and this will keep us doing just that,
You may experience some minor website disruptions around 6:00 PM CST, but these will only be temporary. We appreciate your business and look forward to many smooth and safe years of Web marketing your organization!
If you have any questions please call our support line at (281) 497-6567 EXT. 411 or email us at support@tendenci.com.
I can’t travel without a good book. And as a Dallas native who is often making the 10 hour round trip drive to see my family, I can’t imagine vacation without audiobooks!
Whether you use Audible.com (a paid subscription service), iTunes, or your local Half Price Books… audio books can help a long trip go by faster – and (if you’re feeling extra geeky) you might just learn something along the way.
A few tips for finding good books:
Use the library – Most libraries, including The Houston Public Library, allow you to reserve books and audio books online (even from other branches in the system). You’ll get an email when it’s ready, just come pick it up at your neighborhood branch. A great way to get your audiobook fix and be frugal.
Ask your network – There is one thing I think LinkedIn does better than any other social network, and it’s probably not what you’re thinking. I LOVE the Reading List by Amazon App! Create a reading list and mark books as Read, Reading, or Want to Read – and then write a review or recommend to friends. The app then shows recommended books from people in your network, in your industry, and throughout all of LinkedIn.
Audiobooks I’m obsessed with right now
Below is a list of the last few audiobooks I’ve listened to. They were all fascinating and (in my opinion) more interesting because they were read by the author.
It’s Called Work for a Reason – read by the author Larry Winget This book is made up of Larry Winget’s thoughts on business, getting and keeping a job, and dealing with people you work with. The book is great on its own, but there’s just something about hearing Larry Winget say “be known as the guy who gets sh*t done” in his own voice that makes it that much more powerful (and the stories funnier). For more on this book, read Courtney’s recap “Do Work” from the Schipul blog.
Outliers read by the author Malcolm Gladwell –
Like many of us at Schipul, I have a bit of a Malcolm Gladwell obsession. Gladwell has a way of explaining the world around us that is so logical but also completely different than anything I’ve ever heard. Outliers explains that no one really picks themselves up by the bootstraps and finds success all by themselves. There are no born geniuses, success depends on context and opportunities and practice (practice, practice).
There’s a reason this man hold 3 of the 5 spots on the top nonfiction audiobooks on iTunes right now. Next up on my to-read list is his latest book “What the Dog Saw.”
Official Bookclub Selection – read by the author Kathy Griffin –
I couldn’t leave this one out! You might think she’s mean for making fun of those poor defenseless celebrities or you might not get why the details of Brook Shield’s wedding are so fascinating… But if you are a Kathy Griffin fan, you will enjoy this book. It’s essentially 6 hours of stories in the style of her stand up, always hilarious and at times very touching. If that sounds like your cup of tea – Don’t walk, RUN to get your hands on the audiobook. Seriously. Go!
What do you think? What books are better when read by the author? What are you listening to right now? Let us know!
Verizon Mifi Card courtesy of judybaxter on Flickr
You find yourself at the crossroads in Nowhereville, Arizona and your trusty iPhone 3G pulled a Houdini what do you do? With no blue or red pill what options do you have? Get out the old key map? Boo.. that’s old school. Let’s use Google maps!
Now you can travel anywhere and take your broadband connection with you. The Verizon MiFi card is your new partner in crime giving you a 1Mb/s download speed. You and four of your buddies can connect and watch the latest in politics while searching for a guiding light home.
This nifty piece of technology can fit in your pocket and last up to 3.5 hours with light usage (emails, surfing) and 2 hours with heavy usage (youtube, facebook, flickr). It comes with an LED indicator for battery usage, a cable to connect it to your computer for a single USB internet connection, and a power cable to recharge it on an AC outlet. The USB cable charges too.
Verizon offers a variety of pricing plans including pre-paid ones. You can buy 1 week worth of access capped at 300MB for $30 or you can pay $30/month for 250MB. Personally, I would use the pre-paid plans only when I go on vacation.
If you can afford the initial $269.99 this easy to use MiFi card can come to the rescue and you can be the geeky hero you have always wanted to be!
Flash drives – cheap and easy backup can save on Vacation Stress
They fit in your pocket, on your key chain and just look cool. With all the phones and portable devices we carry these days, we forget about these flash drives at the bottom of our desk drawers. The USB drive still has a couple of great features for traveling. Even if you are settled in for a nice staycation, add this little packing and preparedness tip to your travel plans or todo list. Snag a USB drive on sale in a multi-pack as the prices continue to fall on these little jewels. Or, pick up one of Happy Katies favorite designer Flash drives by MimoBot. Now, get ready for some scanning.
Files, documents and every important document you would ever need, all in your pocket. Scan personal documents and records in case you lose your wallet or passport and you will have a digital image of all your registrations. But, but… WAIT! What if the wrong person finds it when it drops out of the pocket of your shorts? No worries, you should encrypt the contents with TrueCrypt or your favorite security feature.
These little tech toys have some crazy cool options besides just a backup. Don’t want to carry a laptop or computer with you? Can’t spring for the iPad yet? You can save all your bookmarks, favorite email settings, and doc settings on a FlashDrive and launch your profile from any public computer without fear of leaving your crumbs all over the desktop. Portable Apps is an open source software platform you install on your flashdrive or other backup device, adjust your settings, then plug it into a computer and run your programs from your own drive. You have access to all your software and personal data just like on your own PC.
What to save on your USB Drive
Losing important documents can ruin what should be a happy vacation. A little safety and planning can eliminate much of the stress. Before you pack up and leave, take the time to scan copies of important documents and save the files on to a secure area of the flash drive. Here are some examples of important documents:
Vacation Plans: Itinerary, Maps and receipts of deposits for reservations.
Personal documents: Drivers license, passport, birth certificate, Insurance cards (health and auto), Credit Cards and CC phone numbers for lost cards.
Home Documents: Home Insurance, Auto Titles, Registrations, photos of big purchase items for insurance documentation, and documents that would be hard to replace if you came back home and they weren’t there. Yikes! My next plan is to scan old family photos for safekeeping before they detoriate or get wet in the next hurricane.
Medical Records: List of medications for each family member, immunizations, List of family doctor and dentist contacts.
School and Work Records: Nice to have everything in one place while you are at it. Include copies of your transcripts, diplomas, Resume, licenses, permits, Wills, and any other items you may want to keep all organized.
Now, your life is basically in one place if you ever have to recreate your history or need to hide it Bourne style. This is a cheap and easy way to travel light, backup photos off the camera while on vacation for processing later, and use software programs securely when on public machines. In fact, buy a couple of the drives, make copies of the drive and give one to a friend to put in their safe deposit box or mail one to a family member in another part of the country in case of emergency.
Enjoy your trip, be safe, and tell us how you use your Flash Drive for your vacation!
Not that I know anyone who would be so obsessive as to insure that they have their iPhone on them at all times while traveling, or perhaps, would go so far as to give their devices cute little names; but should YOU know anyone like that and maybe be traveling with them at some point this summer… well, let’s talk a bit.
As Aaron so wonderfully pointed out, when you want to get off the beaten path these little modern marvels do have their limits. Suddenly you find yourself in a world where cell towers just don’t go, in a land where no one has heard of 3 or G, much less the awesome that occurs when the two get together. I’d never recommend making voyage with just the iPhone as your travel partner, and have probably more than my fair share of near-horror stories of what might happen should you try. As a travel accessory goes though, the iPhone can really come in handy on the road, thanks to some pretty sweet apps out there.
For starters, let’s look at getting there. Perhaps the most dangerous travel app for me to have is the Kayak Flight app, which brings the power of the Kayak search to your iPhone in one neat little convenient package. It is now way too easy to find a flight – a cheap one! – to any where in the world. You can even complete the reservation all from your phone. Once you’re on your journey you can use the app to track your flight and make last-minute changes if needed. One airline that has set up a great iPhone app is Southwest. From their app you can not only check in to your flights, you can change existing reservations, and get notice of special fare deals. Personally this app has come in handy for me when arriving at stop-over airports and finding my connecting flight delayed – with it I was able to locate a flight leaving at the same time to another nearby airport and get myself on standby. This can also be dangerous; when faced with a long layover you may find yourself checking for flights to oh, say, Las Vegas for instance. Then again maybe these danger factors apply mainly to me.
So let’s talk about once you’ve arrived at your destination. I’ve got two trips coming up; Hawaii and Vegas. My default place of residence in Las Vegas is the MGM Grand, which has itself an iPhone app. It’s loaded with maps of the property, details on the room types, dining options and entertainment details. For convention-goers there is a special aspect of the app that ties in to details exclusive to your individual convention or event. Other Vegas properties have similar apps – check out the offerings from Mandalay Bay and NewYork NewYork as well.
When it comes to the beaches of Hawaii, there are a lot of app options out there. I was gifted with the Hawaii’s Best Beaches app, and having played with it a bit from the comfort of my desk in Texas, it looks like it will really come in handy. You can search for a beach based on the activity you’re interested in – snorkeling, sunsets, camping, etc. – and all your best options will be presented with details on the site, distance, a map to the location, and photos. Right now I’m showing about 3,816 miles away from the beach I’d like to be on… can’t wait till that number gets smaller next week.
No matter where your vacation travels are taking you this summer, there’s likely a (free!) app for that. (Sorry. Couldn’t help myself.) Wherever you’re thinking about heading off to, type it in the Apple store search and see what comes up! You might find some app that details an awesome new attraction that you suddenly have. to. see. If you’re planning on driving, make sure you check out the AAA apps – you can request roadside assistance and access all discounts.
Let’s hear from our fellow geeks and iPhone addicts – what are some of your favorite apps that you’ve discovered as a result of your travels?
Summer break is finally here! You’ve packed the cooler, fueled your car, and programmed that GPS. It’s time for a vacation! Whether your traveling to England or just down to Galveston, you don’t want to forget sunscreen or a new HD camcorder for capturing all sorts of family fun.
With advancing technology like HD, there are literally hundreds (if not thousands) of camcorders on the market, all wanting you to buy them for your next-get-away. This can be daunting at first but don’t fret! I spent weeks last summer deciding what camera to purchase (with my own money I might add). I ultimately broke my potential cameras down into 3 different categories based on price. This is how I will break it down today as well.
I’m sure this isn’t the first time you’ve heard about this camera. Weighing in at just 5 oz, this little device has become an icon for portable video. With the addition of HD and the simplicity of the design, it’s easy for anyone to pick up and use almost instantly. It’s a great device to have on the road for all those moments when you don’t have time to pull out a full fledged video camera. The device does suffer for fashion however, the portability knocks out mini DV tapes (leaving only an hour of recording space!) and many basic features. Beyond the 2x digital zoom, there isn’t much else one can do.
My Take: The iPad of video cameras. While the device is amazing and useful for many occasions, at the end of the day the lack of features and 1 hour recording space isn’t enough to handle my week long trip to England. I see the Flip to be a great supplemental device to my main camera, as if my Flip is my video sketchpad.
Pros: Extremely portable, Full HD, ease-of-use, (great for day trips).
Cons: Few functions, 1 hour recording life, no accessories.
The middle ground device in this review, and probably the camera most people end up buying. An AVCHD 8GB built in memory camcorder boasting full 1920 x 1080i HD resolution, and an impressive 35x zoom. The camera houses an impressive set of features like, auto face-recognition, auto power LCD, intelligent auto (senses the shooting conditions and optimizes all settings to shoot the “best” video), notice a theme here? This camera would shoot a movie by it’s self if it knew how. All these auto features are aimed at home movie makers who don’t know how or don’t have time to mess with settings.
My Take: The array of auto features is a double edged sword. For some, the ability to just point and shoot nice video is all they need, and if so, buy this camera. Maybe it’s just the inner filmmaker in me crying out about the lack of control. I enjoy being able to tweak the camera to find the best look, but by no means might you have the same intention.
Pros: Full HD, full auto, portable, built-in wide angle lens, optical image stabilizer, 2.7″ LCD display.
Cons: Touch display (This tends to dirty the HD screen and make it hard to navigate while shooting), Flash memory (compresses video which lowers quality vs. minidv tapes)
The highest-end model coming in at just under 1k. Packing a huge punch in a small camera, some features include: full HD, 10x optical zoom and stabilization, and an advanced accessory shoe. However, the beauty of this camera does not lie within the HD or the basic features, but rather one special one, the ability to choose different frame rates. If the sound of that doesn’t make you jump up and shout then you probably should choose the camera above. Basically, choosing different frame rates, allows your movies to look more like film, or if your shooting high-speed action you can choose a higher frame rate. The number of frames per second the camera takes, ultimately effects your final movie, and few cameras under 1k include this feature. This is the camera I use to make all of my movies.
My Take: A water-downed professional camera in a small device. If your willing to pay a little more, this device can be perfect for that geeky Mom or Dad. This is the camera I ultimately ended up buying because of the control I have with the picture and with the accessory shoe which you can attach microphones and lights. If you feel like you don’t need these features (if they don’t get you all worked up!) then paying the price probably isn’t worth it. I absolutely love this camera, because it allows me to have professional control at a consumer price, so if you have any aspiring Spielberg’s in the family, pick this one up!
Pros: Full HD, Different frame rates (24, 30, 30i), MiniDV (can be good or bad), accessory shoe for mics and lights, super-range optical image stabilizer.
Cons: Price, MiniDV.
This wraps up my take on these cameras, I hope this helps you decide what to take on your next family outing. If you are looking to buy these cameras or look at more, I suggest B&H, a store (and online store) located in NYC. I have bought ALL of my cameras and camera gear from them the last couple of years and they have been the best place to find what you need. There are tons of cameras out there to take on your trip but of course, if all else fails, just take your iPhone.
Facebook has been booming in the last year. New features, controversies, applications, and millions of new users. However, you can no longer count me in that group of people. Follow along as I detail my reasons for leaving the most popular social network of all time.
Special Note: This is my story from my perspective as a Facebook user. Facebook has over 400 Million other users, and it is filled with marketing and community building opportunities. You shouldn’t base your decision about Facebook solely on my experience.
You won't find me on Facebook anymore
Early years
I signed up for Facebook when I was a college sophomore at Texas A&M in 2004. This was when it was university students only and they were regularly updating the homepage to list the new schools that were available on Facebook. I refer to this period as the “Good Ole’ Days of Facebook”. Call me elitist, but I loved when Facebook was only for college kids. There weren’t as many features back in those days, and friend lists were a manageable number for most, hovering around 200 on average.
The basic features were pretty simple. You could write on someones wall, or send them a message. There was a really cool feature where you could see your extended network (friends of friends). It was a perfect way to connect with kids I knew in other states or at other schools. And at that time, anyone that wasn’t in college couldn’t spy on your wall or photos or anything else you did on Facebook. It was ours and ours alone, and that was the best privacy controls we ever had. Then things started to change.
Middle Years
In 2006, Facebook introduced the News Feed, and it freaked everyone out. You could now see how many times Sally updated her favorite TV Shows, Quotes, etc. in a day. Some of my friends have 50+ updates in a span of 20 minutes, and they were all thoroughly embarrassed to see them listed next to each other on their friends’ news feeds. I personally loved the news feed, as it kept me from having to visit everyones page to “stalk” them. This also marked the first privacy concerns for Facebook, as the controls for what showed up in the news feed were not added until later.
As Facebook became essential for college students, I began to fall out of love with the service. I would get important messages sent through Facebook instead of email and would end up missing out on things. The email forwarding for messages or other invites were not around at that time, and is now fodder for viruses. The photos and tagging came about, which is probably the only useful service from Facebook, and immediately everyone was tagged at their best and worst. “Un-tagging” yourself was now added to the to-do list for finding a job.
I enjoyed keeping up with my friends, but their was and still is large social pressure to “friend” anyone that you have met in person, even if it was for 10 minutes at a party. I, along with most people, had grown my friend list to a point where it was now full of more people I wouldn’t consider close friends than with my real friends. It had become an acquaintance manager, but most of the features like news feed were only really useful for your real friends. I began logging in less and less because the news feed was filled with a bunch of crap I didn’t really care about. Then came applications.
The Application Madness
This was the beginning of the end. When Facebook applications first surfaced in 2007, it seemed like a breakthrough that was moving Facebook into a real platform. What really happened was much different. Thousands of developers created applications that you probably didn’t care about at all. Then, one of your 400 friends who you didn’t really know would try to get you to sign up for them. Mafia Wars, Dinosaur eggs, 50 different birthday calendars. There was no end to this stream of useless and distracting invites. All of this encouraged me to login even less. While you can now block all application invites from a friend, these controls did not exist at the time. The push of features without the necessary controls in the backend was starting to become a horrible trend. Next was the privacy concerns with applications. Developers were making cash hand over fist by offering in game points for your information. Sometimes it was a harmless form that took your email address. Other times it was with a credit card signup that could mar a freshman’s credit if they weren’t careful. And all so you could grow grapes faster on a make-believe farm.
There were little things like Facebook Beacon and Phone numbers in the iPhone app, and the recent additions of connecting with websites automatically that I truly despise. I eventually removed most of my “friends” because I couldn’t remember who they were. I blocked all applications from everyone, and tried my best to block many of the emails, but I wasn’t very successful at that. Then, in the last few months, I just got fed up with the privacy errors that Facebook was making over and over. I decided to weigh the pros and cons of staying on Facebook, and it was clear that it was time for me to leave.
Pros
Being tagged in photos I didn’t take
Hearing news and updates from people I didn’t keep in touch with very well
Cons
My information was being sold to the highest bidder
The distractions and noise of applications, news feed, and messages/emails
The social pressure of “friending” anyone I may have met
The time-suck that is all of Facebook
Bottomline
If I were a college student, things might be different. For now, I think Facebook gives you a false sense of staying in touch with friends. Reading online that Joe just got engaged because her status changed is far different than a phone call or a real-life hug and high five. I spend quite a bit of time on the internet, and for me, interactions with other people are best done offline. If someone is looking for me, they shouldn’t have much trouble finding me. And if I am looking for someone, I can use Google or ask my girlfriend to look them up on Facebook.
The privacy concerns continue to get bigger and bigger. It’s not that I don’t want people to know who I am. It’s that I want complete control over who sees what, and I don’t want things turned on in the background without my explicit knowledge. Facebook has always tried to fix things, butneverbeforetheyneededtobefixed.
You have to understand that Facebook sells attention and information. Facebook users, their data, and their attention are the products that Facebook sells to advertisers. I’d prefer not to be sold to when trying to relax. I consider myself a pretty savvy web user, and jumping through all of the Facebook hoops to block things is taxing for me. I can’t image that the average Facebook user monitors or even understands much of this.
Back in my engineering classes we talked about Peak Oil and what it meant for the world. Now, I’ve been thinking much more about Peak Facebook and what it means for the internet and social networks. How much longer are you prepared to remain on Facebook?
Alternatives
I have been very happy with twitter as a service. The relationship (“follower”) is only one-way, meaning I can follow Coco’s updates without receiving a reciprocal follow from him. I also use Tumblr and Google Reader for finding interesting things on the web, Flickr for photographs, YouTube and Vimeo for video, and del.icio.us for social bookmarking.
I maintain my own website on wordpress to host my info and content, and it has a simple contact form (and Google Phone number) for people to get in touch with me. I keep up with my friends through email and the other services mentioned above, and do my best to see them in real life as much as possible. In a long Kevin Kelly article about Amish Hackers, he quotes one Amish-man describing the problem with PDA’s, smartphones, and other devices being that “you got messages rather than conversations.” I have made it a goal of mine to have more conversations and send/receive fewer messages.
I think Facebook sends many messages and offers very few conversations. This is true of many of the services I use, however Facebook is (was) the only one that bills itself as a platform to connect people. Messages (status updates, photos, “likes”, links, notes, etc.) from hundreds of acquaintances cannot replace conversations with people I care about. Facebook doesn’t help me to connect with my friends, and instead feeds me ads, invites, messages, and other things that take time away from my day. I’m choosing a different route than most, and I’m very comfortable doing so.
Welcome to Devil’s Backbone, part of the Devil’s Den cavern and crevice system in Devil’s Den State Park Arkansas. Arkansas has amazing hiking, terrain, and apparently the people in Fort Smith are pretty nice too.
Hiking is a family vacation tradition for the Long’s dating back to the days of “high socks with stripes” and uncomfortably short shorts.
When I got the chance to go to Fort Smith, Arkansas I knew I wanted to take an extra day and go hiking, but I was unfamiliar with the parks around Fort Smith. So I began my Google map investigation. My goal with this post is to show you how to use Google maps to help you find the best and most relevant travel destinations for you. In my case that means getting back to nature.
Your first step in finding a hidden treasure using Google maps is to learn about the area. Simply, what is around Fort Smith, Arkansas?
Next I decided that I wanted to spend my time in an area that had a pretty high elevation change, so I used the “Terrain” button located in the more section of Google maps. I could tell by looking at the terrain that there is a 1000′ elevation change from the bottom of Lee Creek to the hills that surround the Devil’s Den State Park. This gave me a pretty good idea that the area not only had a nice winding creek, but indicated the area might be good for my hike.
The best tip I can give you is to use “Photos” under the “More” section of Google maps to see other people’s interests.
Photography and the internet give you a more realistic idea of what you may encounter. In this case I could see waterfalls, caverns, cabins, bluffs, etc. Most of the map photos come from Panoramio as it allows the photos to be tagged with geographic locations.
In a separate trip to San Francisco I was able to find the Tourist Club near Mt. Tamalpais & Muir Woods using this same technique of user generated photography map discovery. Aww hell, I think that needs an acronym – UGPMD (User Generated Photography Map Discovery). Google does a terrific job of helping you find unique and scenic experiences.
If you’re brave enough, skip the “touristy” excursion on your next cruise and make one of your own by uncovering the scenic wonders of Chankanaab Park, Cozumel, Mexico from Google Maps (I also suggest additional planning to account for safe transport).
Another Google map travel insight is to plot your route and distances using the directions feature. It is also a “must” that you print off your maps and take them with you.
Even though you iPhoners may cringe at the thought of paper, I suggest you print maps for convenience and because “truly getting away” often takes you out of cell phone range.
Google Maps has indicated that my trip to Devil’s Den Arkansas from Fort Smith should take 55 minutes and is mostly an interstate route of 46.9 miles. However, I live in Houston and am tired of interstates. I might venture to say that I hate them.
So, I am going to use Google maps feature that allows me to drag the route to a particular road. I have now changed my trip to a more scenic route that drives up highway 220 and winds through some awesome terrain. My trip now has changed to 1 hour and 37 minutes at 47.8 miles. My concern however is with experience and not time, so I am satisfied.
One word of warning though – apparently in Arkansas, highways can be “dirt roads”. It was an adventure climbing over mountains passes in a rent car on highway 220, and one of the best drives ever. I would however suggest you decide if you are the type that can be out of phone range in rugged terrain separated from civilization. For me it is a yes.
Greetings from Schipul-Land! As our Schipul crew prepares for another hot Houston summer, our minds wander to our favorite vacation spots, travel tools, preparation tips and out-of-town safety tidbits.
We may not be lounging on a beach or flying high in a plane over foreign lands today, but our entire team has some great ideas on how to make your summer travel experiences safe, fun and memorable – one geeky post at a time. Join us for this month’s: Schipul Geek’s Guide to Summer Vacation Success!
Schipul Book Club giveaway!
To kick off this vacationing Blog posting party, we have a fun Schipul Book Club giveaway for June.
Leave us a comment telling us about your dream vacation spot (whether you’ve been there yet or not) and on Friday, June 18th 12pm CST we’ll pick one lucky commenter to select a Lonely Planet Country Guide book of their choice!
Tonight our team will be doing some server diagnostics to keep our servers running smoothly. We take our job of keeping your website fast, secure, and happy and this will allow us to do just that.
