aerialsoul : Shane's Site

aerialsoul : Shane's Site http://aerialsoul.multiply.com/ Welcome to Shane's Multiply home page! After a very long time of not posting, you can expect some now content here. I'll cross post pics from my Flickr account, blog posts from my personal blog, and some general updates. You can also check out my personal site - http:\\www.aerialsoul.com. Fri, 27 Jun 2008 17:32:32 -0000 Fri, 27 Jun 2008 16:48:00 -0000 aerialsoul : Shane's Site http://images.aerialsoul.multiply.com/logo http://aerialsoul.multiply.com 100 100 Animated Headshot with BeFunky.com I've been casually playing around with www.befunky.com - which lets you apply effects to images. One of the options with the final product is to 'post to social network' and Multiply was listed, so I wanted to see how it worked. Pretty easy. I just added this text blurb after it was already on Multiply. I now see Allow Replies wasn't selected when it posted, which is understandable. check it out, maybe it's time to update your profile pic! <a href="http://www.befunky.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.befunky.com/cartoonizer/anonymous/200806/1214585251.35124010163_1214585251.jpg"></a> and here is another image I created: <a href="http://www.befunky.com/" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://aerialsoul.multiply.com/photos/hi-res/upload/SGUazwoKCn0AAD3Pqe81"><img class="alignleft" src="http://images.aerialsoul.multiply.com/image/1/photos/upload/300x300/SGUazwoKCn0AAD3Pqe81/AnimatedHeadshot.jpg?et=FEqrEdm%2CYj3DqsJgwvVY5g&nmid=0" border="0"></a> <img style="visibility: hidden;width: 0px;height: 0px;" src="http://counters.gigya.com/wildfire/CIMP/bHQ9MTIxNDU4NTM3MjU2MiZwdD*xMjE*NTg1NDA4NzUwJnA9MTYyMzEmZD*mbj1tdWx*aXBseSZnPTI=.jpg" border="0" height="0" width="0"> http://aerialsoul.multiply.com/journal/item/29/Animated_Headshot_with_BeFunky.com Fri, 27 Jun 2008 16:48:00 -0000 RANT: Shutterfly can't Add Pictures I haven't used <a href="http://www.shutterfly.com" target="_blank">Shutterfly</a> in a long time, so I decided to use one of their Free Print offers and give Shutterfly a spin again. But it's a bit hard to use the service when you can't upload pictures! The text on the pages of their Add Pictures flow refers to buttons that don't exist! If you don't put a BROWSE button on the page or a NEXT button you can't really finish the Add Pictures flow. No Added Pictures = No User Engagement. I tried it in Firefox 2. This is the page I received when I clicked Add Pictures (highlighting added during screen grab). I couldn't find the Browse button. Somewhat hard to load an image if you can get to the file on your PC. <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/aerialsoul/SGK6d6Ja_iI/AAAAAAAAAEM/GnAXksjg-Ks/ShutterflyUploadHL%5B4%5D.png?imgmax=800" target="_blank"><img style="border: 0px none;" alt="ShutterflyUploadHL" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/aerialsoul/SGK6dzro0sI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/mrqOZHEpeJY/ShutterflyUploadHL_thumb%5B2%5D.png?imgmax=800" border="0" height="275" width="465"></a> So I tried it in IE6. A few pages of errors because it couldn't load the page. But I got past the login and clicked Add Pictures. <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/aerialsoul/SGK6eSSYKvI/AAAAAAAAAEU/nP_9tKe625Q/ShutterflyUpload2HL%5B4%5D.png?imgmax=800" target="_blank"><img style="border: 0px none;" alt="ShutterflyUpload2HL" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/aerialsoul/SGK6ejOKZXI/AAAAAAAAAEY/lSEIQfT8vNs/ShutterflyUpload2HL_thumb%5B2%5D.png?imgmax=800" border="0" height="239" width="467"></a> Well, now. It's a different page layout. But once again, a button is missing. This time it's the NEXT button. As a guess, I hit Enter and it worked.. took me to the next page in the flow. <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/aerialsoul/SGK6eym5bRI/AAAAAAAAAEc/Zl9dfnk49bA/ShutterflyUpload3HL%5B4%5D.png?imgmax=800" target="_blank"><img style="border: 0px none;" alt="ShutterflyUpload3HL" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/aerialsoul/SGK6e7jl8FI/AAAAAAAAAEg/WT1uVSEsKjc/ShutterflyUpload3HL_thumb%5B2%5D.png?imgmax=800" border="0" height="164" width="467"></a> But no d... http://aerialsoul.multiply.com/journal/item/28/RANT_Shutterfly_cant_Add_Pictures Wed, 25 Jun 2008 21:41:08 -0000 Commuting Costs Spreadsheet In my last post on <a href="http://blog.aerialsoul.com/2008/06/gas-prices-and-commuting.html" target="_blank">Gas Prices and Commuting</a> I confessed that I whipped up a spreadsheet to model the commuting costs of several options. It started with a basic question of "I wonder at what gas price it will make financial sense to take the train instead of the motorcycle?" Note that this was just financial sense! Which makes this somewhat of an academic exercise because there are other factors to consider in the question of commuting options. How about: commute times, flexibility, carbon footprint, productivity. I attempted to include in the model: <ul> <li>fuel costs ($/gallon) </li> <li>train/bus fares (using 10 ride CalTrain tickets) </li> <li>parking (daily parking costs) </li> <li>oil changes (every 3000 mi for motorcycle, 5000 mi for car) </li> <li>tire cost (ballpark cost of tires per mile) </li> <li>pre-tax treatment for commuting benefits </li> </ul> The pre-tax treatment is pretty important. Parking and mass transit costs can be paid from the pre-tax withdrawals from my paycheck - using a 34% tax rate ... http://aerialsoul.multiply.com/journal/item/27/Commuting_Costs_Spreadsheet Mon, 23 Jun 2008 03:05:56 -0000 Gas Prices and Commuting I've been watching the gas prices go up week after week and lately it's day after day. Ava is sick of hearing me gasp at the gas prices each time we pass the corner gas station. It's really just become a morbid fascination. This pic pretty much sums up my thoughts. <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/aerialsoul/SFiX16Uv0AI/AAAAAAAAAD0/g8sFd9BTr8w/GasHumor%5B2%5D.png?imgmax=800" target="_blank"><img style="border: 0px none ;" alt="GasHumor" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/aerialsoul/SFiX2AN0LVI/AAAAAAAAAD4/VYshtpEmhsI/GasHumor_thumb.png?imgmax=800" border="0" height="244" width="171"></a> Photo from <a href="http://www.t-shirthumor.com/Merchant2/products/glol.html?Category_Code=tops" target="_blank">T-Shirt Humor</a> I'm shocked at how fast the prices are rising, but I'm also optimistic that we will finally see some lasting changes in behavior. Short term spikes in prices don't really change the way people behave or what decisions they make. They aren't likely to run out and sell the SUV and buy a hybrid just because fuel goes up a bit. I'm happy to hear that we are actually seeing some movements in the cars people are purchasing -- and not just in California. So what have I been doing? For the last few months, I've been using <a href="http://www.mymilemarker.com" target="_blank">MyMileMarker</a> to log our fuel purchases. I use the mobile version of the service to log each fill up on the motorcycle and the Civic. I've al... http://aerialsoul.multiply.com/journal/item/26/Gas_Prices_and_Commuting Wed, 18 Jun 2008 05:41:23 -0000 My Network Board profiled on Lifehacker <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/aerialsoul/SFayUtXr8DI/AAAAAAAAADs/lsh_zyBjVAA/lh_logo%5B3%5D.png?imgmax=800" target="_blank"><img style="border: 0px none ;" alt="lh_logo" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/aerialsoul/SFayVoGhuoI/AAAAAAAAADw/LG9piZlaAtw/lh_logo_thumb%5B1%5D.png?imgmax=800" border="0" height="46" width="135"></a> The network board I built a while back to <a href="http://blog.aerialsoul.com/2008/02/unclutter-my-desk-network-board.html" target="_blank">unclutter my desk</a> was profiled last week on Lifehacker. Here is the LH post - <a href="http://lifehacker.com/396159/three-reader-gadget-pegboard-mounts" target="_blank">Three Reader Gadget Pegboard Mounts</a>. This is pretty much a full circle blog project - I got the idea from a LH post, came up with a solution that worked for my situation, posted it to my blog, recently posted pics to a LH Flickr group, the solution is posted back to LH, and now I'm posting about the LH post. Great! I've been thinking about trying to make this project into a product - it's a simple idea/solution, but it still takes time to execute it. But who doesn't want to declutter their desk? Would you consider purchasing this 'type of product' to organize the devices on your desk? http://aerialsoul.multiply.com/journal/item/25/My_Network_Board_profiled_on_Lifehacker Mon, 16 Jun 2008 18:40:47 -0000 Test Post using Win Live Writer Updated for Multiply Cross post: This was posted to my personal site first using Windows Live Writer. Now testing the cross posting to Multiply to see if it still looks okay once arriving at Multiply (which usually makes my posts look better than they do on my personal blog site hosted by blogger). I've been a bit frustrated by the Blogger tool for post creation and came across a <a href="http://lifehacker.com/395589/windows-live-writer-tweaks-tips-and-updates" target="_blank">post on Lifehacker</a> about Windows Live Writer. I decided to install it and give it a whirl. So this is just a quick post to see how well it can actually push a post to my blog. If I can find a tool where I don't dread the details of posting more than actually writing, maybe I'll post a bit more often. Now for a pic - here is a pic of a friend's newborn girl that I took this weekend -- beautiful Reese looks so peaceful. <img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3105/2563366372_f8e1958c1b.jpg" height="251" width="377"> -- Posted By aerialsoul to <a href="http://blog.aerialsoul.com/2008/06/test-post-using-win-live-writer.html" target="_blank">blog.aerialsoul.com</a> at 6/11/2008 08:58:00 PM http://aerialsoul.multiply.com/journal/item/24/Test_Post_using_Win_Live_Writer Thu, 12 Jun 2008 17:20:07 -0000 2008 Augie Photo Class http://aerialsoul.multiply.com/photos/album/11/2008_Augie_Photo_Class Mon, 9 Jun 2008 02:41:56 -0000 2001 SLT Festival http://aerialsoul.multiply.com/photos/album/10/2001_SLT_Festival Mon, 9 Jun 2008 02:36:18 -0000 2002 Tim Shane Skydive http://aerialsoul.multiply.com/photos/album/9/2002_Tim_Shane_Skydive Mon, 9 Jun 2008 02:35:41 -0000 Wallbed and Nursery Some recent pics of our place. We added a wallbed to our Office Room since our Guest room will be needed for Griffin's Nursery. The Wall bed is awesome -- it holds our existing queen mattress (so it's comfy) and let's us keep our desks in place. The nursery pics are of the work in process. We did the painting last week and assembled the crib. We also found the bedding we both liked -- more of a modern look vs. http://aerialsoul.multiply.com/photos/album/8/Wallbed_and_Nursery Mon, 9 Jun 2008 02:35:02 -0000 New Biz Cards <a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3011/2561802770_5d406d6475.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; width: 341px; height: 227px; " src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3011/2561802770_5d406d6475.jpg" alt="" border="0"></a>For the first time in six years I've gotten a new batch of business cards (for work, not personal cards). My previous roles have been very internally focused so I didn't even worry about business cards, but with the new role I do need them. As I looked at yet another card, it made me walk backwards through the list of jobs I've had and wish that I had a copy (or an image) of each of my cards. I know I have a few of them tucked away in files or old laptop bags. If I find them I'll update this post with a Business Card walk down memory lane. For now, it's just an image of where I stand today professionally. <a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3089/2560977981_147b114fe2.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; width: 320px; " src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3089/2560977981_147b114fe2.jpg" alt="" border="0"></a> http://aerialsoul.multiply.com/journal/item/23/New_Biz_Cards Sun, 8 Jun 2008 17:28:06 -0000 Rant: Pay for Bad Service - Airline Baggage Fees <a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_q8-RXzKtHRw/SEwHzcMGbgI/AAAAAAAAADI/AezFIQ6vbbA/s1600-h/BaggageSign.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; " src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_q8-RXzKtHRw/SEwHzcMGbgI/AAAAAAAAADI/AezFIQ6vbbA/s200/BaggageSign.jpg" alt="" border="0"></a>If you've traveled recently you probably know about the airline baggage policy changes. The increased fees for baggage have been changing for quite a while, but for me it's getting pretty ridiculous. These fees look to be last ditch efforts for an industry in a steady state of decline. NOTE: Pay attention to baggage policies BEFORE you buy your tickets. The extra fees you pay for baggage may make it worth buying a more expensive ticket that allows for more baggage. And at least know your baggage weights before you leave home -- in some cases it's cheaper to pay extra baggage fees online instead of at the airport. And be careful packing those large suitcases, it doesn't take much to get to 50lbs (typical weight limit for luggage on economy tickets). Expedia recently sent me a nice link to updated baggage policies for an upcoming trip (see the image or <a href="http://www.expedia.com/daily/edit/alerts/Feb2008/baggage_fees.asp?emlcid=CM-O-issu049-testX-segm-sega-date20080528181627-vers01-link188572-paid71706657-dma-wave7592">Expedia's link</a>). <a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3029/2560897063_b1fe6f5ff4_o.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; width: 460px; height: 574px; " src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3029/2560897063_b1fe6f5ff4_o.jpg" alt="" border="0"></a> What strikes me as 0dd is American Airlines' baggage policy. Currently they are the ONLY airline charging for your FIRST... http://aerialsoul.multiply.com/journal/item/22/Rant_Pay_for_Bad_Service_-_Airline_Baggage_Fees Sun, 8 Jun 2008 17:19:00 -0000 Obama Car spotted <a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3171/2538796183_b37d9fa402.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; width: 584px; height: 238px; " src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3171/2538796183_b37d9fa402.jpg" alt="" border="0"></a> In SF it's never odd to see tricked out or '<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_car" target="_blank">art cars</a>' cruising down the highway, but this car caught my eye. We were driving on 280 South near Palo Alto on Friday night when this car cruised past us. It's covered in Obama bumper stickers -- COVERED!!! I hit the gas while Ava pulled out her phone to snap a shot. As we slid up beside them and snapped a pic, I felt obliged to give them a thumbs up!! Our friend <a href="http://www.thelowbar.com/" target="_blank">Jake</a> would be proud! http://aerialsoul.multiply.com/journal/item/21/Obama_Car_spotted Sat, 31 May 2008 19:56:39 -0000 Travel Tips <a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2056/2511029516_4193582786_m.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; width: 142px; height: 94px; " alt="" border="0"></a> After our recent trip to Italy and Bulgaria, I thought I would pass along some travel tips that may seem obvious to some and could save you frustration later. 1. Let your bank and credit cards know you are traveling The banks are trying harder to fight fraud so they will quickly put a security block on your ATM and credit cards. Take the 5 minutes to call the number on the back of your cards (including your ATM card) and let them know your travel dates and destinations. There were 5-6 of us on our Italy trip that had problems with our ATM cards. 2. Consider using a GPS The Europe maps for our GPS unit were worth every penny of the $150 we spent. Just be sure how to enter the addresses for your destination. They saved us several times when driving through Italy. 3. Get the phone numbers for your credit cards and bank Get the international calling details for your credit cards and bank BEFORE you leave. We had problems using the toll free numbers from outside of the USA - and of course, w... http://aerialsoul.multiply.com/journal/item/20/Travel_Tips Mon, 26 May 2008 05:04:18 -0000 What's in a Head Nod? Have you ever realized how much is communicated by a head nod? Especially when you can't use verbal communication? Over the last week, I've been even more aware of how much I depend on body language and head movements for communication. In Bulgaria, you can't depend on the head nod of up/down for Yes and side/side for No because it's reversed in BG. They use the up/down for No and side/side for Yes. Does any other culture do this? There are many communication studies about how much is communicated via non-verbal cues -- something like 80% is communicated via non-verbal actions (I'm too lazy to link to a specific study). So even though I know the Bulgarian words for Yes and No (da = yes, ne = no), I still find myself paying more attention to the body language than the words. It's even worse if I'm not close enough to hear the words. We were walking across the parking lot of the metro station on Monday near the BG capital of Sophia and tried to wave down a tax... http://aerialsoul.multiply.com/journal/item/19/Whats_in_a_Head_Nod Wed, 21 May 2008 07:51:13 -0000 Sofia Take Two <a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2052/2075685503_fd0cbfb229_m.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; width: 200px; " src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2052/2075685503_fd0cbfb229_m.jpg" alt="" border="0"></img></a>Background - My first trip to Sofia, Bulgaria was two years ago in August 2006. Sofia is where Ava was born and lived until 1991 when she moved to California. She's been back to Sofia four times before this trip to see family and friends. It's been two years since Ava and I were last in Sofia, Bulgaria. So what were my initial impressions of Sofia on this second trip? It's been a little over a year since BG was accepted into the EU, so I expected to see visiable changes. First - the Sofia airport is now sporting a new terminal that looks very nice and presents a great first impression upon arrival. Clean, shiny surfaces. Good signage (including English). And all in all pretty efficient to clear through Passport checks, baggage claims, and customs review. No forms to fill out, just show passport, get your bags and get out. No need for us to deal with a rental car since Ava's aunt picked us up, but I'm not brave enough to drive in the capital anyways. Second - on the drive from the airport,... http://aerialsoul.multiply.com/journal/item/18/Sofia_Take_Two Wed, 21 May 2008 07:49:00 -0000 IkeaHacker Headboards <a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_q8-RXzKtHRw/SC7yVHhZtLI/AAAAAAAAACo/_8LTueLp75I/s1600-h/newlogo5.PNG" target="_blank"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; width: 339px; height: 47px;" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_q8-RXzKtHRw/SC7yVHhZtLI/AAAAAAAAACo/_8LTueLp75I/s200/newlogo5.PNG" alt="" border="0"></a> Our custom Malm Headboard hack was mentioned on IkeaHacker this week!!! Yeah!! Here is the link -- <a href="http://ikeahacker.blogspot.com/2008/05/hey-hey-its-headboard-day.html" target="_blank">LINK to IkeaHacker Post</a>. We were mentioned along with a few other headboards. http://aerialsoul.multiply.com/journal/item/17/IkeaHacker_Headboards Sat, 17 May 2008 20:09:19 -0000 Amazing Engagement Shots I just couldn't resist posting about these engagement shots. Our good friend <a href="http://www.augiechang.com/" target="_blank">Augie Chang</a> (who shot our<a href="http://www.zemya.com/wedding/photos/pages.php?id=2" target="_blank"> engagement photos</a>, <a href="http://www.zemya.com/wedding/photos/pages.php?id=12" target="_blank">wedding</a>, and some <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/avalikelava/sets/72157603517023268/" target="_blank">casual photos</a>) frequently posts to his blog about his activities and puts teaser shots of his photo sessions. Today he posted some of the most amazing engagement photos I've seen -- if I didn't know better I'd swear they were a work of photoshop magic. I'm just going to put a single image from Augie's site here (hope he approves) as my teaser, but know it's worth clicking the link below. <a href="http://augiechangphotography.blogspot.com/2008/05/linda-calvin-e-session-soaked.html" target="_blank">Augie - Linda and Calvin E-Session Soaked</a> <a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_2jRNDkgsjEw/SBuJ4O3jqQI/AAAAAAAAFSM/CT4AdRR1VNc/s800/093.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; width: 606px; height: 484px;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_2jRNDkgsjEw/SBuJ4O3jqQI/AAAAAAAAFSM/CT4AdRR1VNc/s800/093.jpg" alt="" border="0"></a> http://aerialsoul.multiply.com/journal/item/16/Amazing_Engagement_Shots Sun, 4 May 2008 17:24:28 -0000 If you can't find it, Build It. Ava and I typically spend a fair amount of time finding items for the house. We start with an idea of what we are looking for, usually a specific design with function! If it doesn't function, it's not worth it. <a href="http://aerialsoul.multiply.com/photos/hi-res/7/2"><img style="width: 144px; height: 96px;" class="alignright" src="http://images.aerialsoul.multiply.com/image/2/photos/7/300x300/2/Old%20Table.jpg?et=DSjt6dCsRZ0o00SIR+URhQ&nmid=93155327" border="0"></a> For more than 12 years, I've had a lift top coffee table that is VERY functional. We use it for dinner in front of the TV and laptop use on the sofa. The old table was given a new life 4 years ago when I refinished it with a mahogany stain. After a new sofa, new entertainment unit, and art for our living room, we were having a hard time finding a modern table that still had a lift top with a storage area. I found a Room & Board stainless steel base that worked, so it was time to build what we wanted. It took a lot longer than I expected, but we're happy with the results. <a href="http://aerialsoul.multiply.com/photos/hi-res/7/7"><img style="width: 194px; height: 130px;" class="alignright" src="http://images.aerialsoul.multiply.com/image/2/photos/7/300x300/7/New%20Table%20with%20Top%20Up.jpg?et=XxWEutWImd+ztS2MOhJQBQ&nmid=93155327" border="0"></a><a href="http://aerialsoul.multiply.com/photos/hi-res/7/1"><img style="width: 199px; height: 133px;" class="alignleft" src="http://images.aerialsoul.multiply.com/image/2/photos/7/300x300/1/New%20Table.jpg?et=0RkQltc2IULRsuf7NtZOPQ&nmid=93155327" border="0"></a> I used birch plywood with birch veneer edging to cover up the visible plywood layers. The corners are glued and dowel joined. I had to rig up some brackets to hang the wood box from the base frame. The lift-t... http://aerialsoul.multiply.com/journal/item/15/If_you_cant_find_it_Build_It. Sun, 27 Apr 2008 05:28:00 -0000 2008 Coffee Table Project This was a project I took on because we couldn't find a table with the right design and function. So I reused hardware from our old coffee table and built a new modern and functional table. See the blog post with more details, but here are the before and after pics. http://aerialsoul.multiply.com/photos/album/7/2008_Coffee_Table_Project Sun, 27 Apr 2008 05:20:09 -0000 2008 Augie Photo Class Last Sunday I took an all day Digital Photography class with our friend and photographer Augie Chang. Augie shot our engagement photos, our wedding and a casual photo session last November. He's a great friend and an amazing photographer. Here are the shots from the class that survived the Delete key - I didn't have time to do any post processing (color correction, cropping, tweaking, etc). Some I kept in the mix because I liked the angles or the story the photo told. As part of the class Augie had Viola meet us for the real world exercise so we had practice shooting people (instead of objects that don't http://aerialsoul.multiply.com/photos/album/6/2008_Augie_Photo_Class Fri, 11 Apr 2008 05:05:07 -0000 Ava's 100th Jump Ava's 100th Skydive was an amazing hybrid jump out of the Skyvan at Skydance Skydiving in Davis, http://aerialsoul.multiply.com/video/item/3/Avas_100th_Jump Sun, 9 Mar 2008 19:00:47 -0000 Hot Air Balloon Jump A montage of a great morning balloon jump in Eloy, AZ. Balloon jumps are some of my favorites! This one was in 2001 and was Ava's first balloon http://aerialsoul.multiply.com/video/item/2/Hot_Air_Balloon_Jump Sun, 9 Mar 2008 18:57:48 -0000 ABC wants to force commercials on you <a href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1059/1268039301_5a6f33b136_s.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; width: 106px;" alt="" border="0"></a>I read a <a href="http://blog.pmarca.com/2008/02/abc-thinks-your.html" target="_blank">post by Marc Andreessen</a> last week about ABC's plan to develop their own on demand video service, and I still can't stop shaking my head at their plans. I'll pull in the lines from the post written by television industry journalist, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/25/business/media/25abc.html?_r=1&bl&ex=1204088400&en=bf40f56bc53d308f&ei=5087%0A&oref=slogin" target="_blank">Bill Carter</a>, that pretty much sums up ABC's views: <blockquote> Looking to strike a blow against the proliferation of digital video recorders, the ABC network, its affiliated broadcast stations, and Cox Communications' cable systems are establishing an on-demand video service that would allow viewers to watch ABC shows like "Lost" and "Desperate Housewives" any time they choose. The catch: It uses a new technology that disables the viewers' ability to fast-forward through commercials... Several executives involved in the project, which ABC plans to offer to other cable systems around the country, said the move was an overt attempt to staunch the use of DVRs like TiVo, which viewers often use to avoid commercials. That activity is increasingl... http://aerialsoul.multiply.com/journal/item/12/ABC_wants_to_force_commercials_on_you Sun, 9 Mar 2008 06:15:40 -0000 RSS Blogs delivered via email [Cross post from <a href="http://blog.aerialsoul.com/2008/03/rss-blogs-delivered-via-email.html" target="_blank">blog.aerialsoul.com</a>: If you are reading the posts via Multiply then you don't need an RSS reader because Multiply handles notifications!! And does it in a very nice way!] Over the past several months Ava and I have been posting to our blogs on a frequent but somewhat random basis. Several friends and family have mentioned that they try to go to our sites to look for new posts. This is where <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSS" target="_blank">RSS </a>(Really Simple Syndication) feeds make things easier! Ava just recently started using <a href="http://www.bloglines.com/" target="_blank">Bloglines</a> for blog reading and has completely embraced it. I've been using <a href="http://www.google.com/reader" target="_blank">G Reader</a> for about a year and it's always open in my browser. If you use Yahoo! Mail, you can get RSS feeds within Yahoo! Mail - here is a <a href="http://help.yahoo.com/help/us/tutorials/cg/mail/cg_rss1.html" target="_blank">Tutorial</a>. But we also know that many people haven't warmed up to using RSS or Blog Readers. If you aren't ready to use a Blog Reader, there is good news. Here are two services that deliver RSS feeds to your email. Just enter the feed url for our blogs and your e... http://aerialsoul.multiply.com/journal/item/11/RSS_Blogs_delivered_via_email Tue, 4 Mar 2008 07:35:03 -0000 Clouds from the plane <a href="/photos/hi-res/upload/R7@jtAoKCn0AACQyV3o1"><img style="width: 189px; height: 145px;" class="alignleft" src="http://images.aerialsoul.multiply.com/image/1/photos/upload/300x300/R7@jtAoKCn0AACQyV3o1/Photo_022008_001.jpg?et=mUZbGkqa%2BrQ2fj48QEkW1Q&nmid=&nmid=83244985&nmid=83244985" border="0"></a>For as long as I can remember I've loved the view of clouds from a plane. This is a shot of the view from the plane on Wednesday's flight from DFW to SFO. With each blink of an eye, the vision I see changes. The clouds look like: <ul><li style="text-align: left;">they are only 50 feet below the plane </li><li style="text-align: left;">fluffy pillows -- a white version of a huge bed filled with pillows </li><li style="text-align: left;">the flowing sands on a large, large beach </li><li style="text-align: left;">the plane is hovering -- it seems as if we aren't really moving</li></ul>It makes me just stare out of the window and brings a smile to my face (and my soul). http://aerialsoul.multiply.com/journal/item/9/Clouds_from_the_plane Sat, 23 Feb 2008 04:39:00 -0000