In the car I just can’t wait,
to pick you up on our very first date
Is it cool if I hold your hand?
Is it wrong if I think it’s lame to dance?
Do you like my stupid hair?
Would you guess that I didn’t know what to wear?
I’m too scared of what you think
You make me nervous so I really can’t eat
- “First Date”, by Blink 182

So you’ve picked the online dating site or sites that you would like to join, you’ve created what you think is a fabulous profile, you’re getting “winks”, “nudges”, communication requests or emails from potential matches; you might have even shared a phone call with one or two of them, and you’re starting to think that maybe someone long-term could possibly be just around the corner. Maybe you are right, but then…maybe you shouldn’t be too hasty about pinning your hopes on the first potential who crafts a good email or talks a good game.

This portion of my online dating series is about setting expectations somewhere in the realistic realm and avoiding some of the pitfalls that can be encountered during the early days of online dating. All of this is, of course, assuming that you are serious about meeting someone “serious”, and assuming that you don’t luck into Prince (or Princess) Charming immediately.

I was given quite a bit of advice from Wayne when I started this Online Dating Site experiment, and I also received some good tips from eHarmony and tech guru Jon Westfall; I’ll pepper those nuggets throughout this writeup, and let you know about all the different ways that I either did or didn’t follow their wisdom.

Here are a few common overall rules for successful online dating. These rules aren’t absolute, people who break them can find success. Following the rules generally helps to stack the odds in your favor.

The whole purpose of online dating is to evaluate someone for a potential relationship (usually long term). This is done via meeting face to face. Until you meet someone you have no idea whether you’d be compatible for a long term relationship. Extended email, instant messenger and phone relationships - without meeting in person - don’t fall under the typical definition of online dating. A good rule of thumb is 3 to 6 email exchanges followed by one or two phone conversations - then meet face to face.

That’s right - you must get yourself out from behind the keyboard and in front of the person you are considering dating. And the sooner the better. - Wayne

It’s interesting to note that I was in absolutely no hurry to follow Wayne’s rules about spending time with anyone when I started this experiment, and make no mistake about it - it was just an experiment. I was gung-ho about email exchange, maybe even participating in a phone call or two, but I wanted to keep the actual meeting somewhere in the far-off and murky future. That’s probably because, if the truth be told, I wasn’t really interested in dating anyone just yet. There; I said it.

But it would seem that things never work out the way you plan, and it would also seem that when you aren’t really looking for something, you are more likely than ever to find it.

But I digress…

Continue Reading

I’m in the midst of finalizing my Paris packing, but I wanted to share this tidbit from Robert Oschler before I leave…

Hey Judie,

I ran across this funny and heartwarming story of a family and their Robosapien V2.  I’d tell you more but I don’t want to ruin the surprise for you by giving you too much detail.  Take a moment and relax while reading this funny Robosapien V2 story that proves once again truth is stranger than fiction:

http://charlieinwonderland.com/?p=481

Thanks,
Robert

Those of us with kids will likely be able to relate.

When we got back to the room, there was a cake waiting for one of the attendees…evidently Nick had spotted that it was Xavier’s birthday from his Facebook profile. See? There’s at least one valid use for social networking.

Continue Reading

After a short bus ride from our hotel, the13 invited bloggers showed up at the beautiful new AMD Lone Star Campus. Parts of it are still being finished, but the company began moving in late last year.

Mauricio Freitas of GeekZone (we met at Mobius 2007 in Amsterdam) standing in front of the entrance to “our” building

Continue Reading

If you don’t already have Live Search for Windows mobile on your WM Pro or Standard device, then here is an opportunity to download it for free…

For a limited time, the Gear Diary Store has two great new products from Microsoft in our catalog – Live Search for Windows Mobile – Standard Edition (SmartPhone) and Professional Edition (PocketPC).  Both of these products are free to our users.  Live Search for Windows Mobile turns your Windows Mobile powered phone into a map (get up-to-date traffic conditions, detailed driving directions) or a city guide (find local business listing in your neighborhood or where you travel).  Find it, Map it, Plan it!  Free software is one of the most visited areas within your store and this major new application will help to attract many new potential customers.

For the PocketPC edition:
http://www.mobihand.com/geardiary/product.asp?id=19891 (WM-Pro./PPC)

For the SmartPhone edition:
http://www.mobihand.com/geardiary/product.asp?id=19892 (WM-Std./SP)

No one can dispute the runaway success of the little Centro that could; it has truly become something of a phenomenon. Judging by the fact that Palm has just released an unlocked GSM version, they must want to make sure that anyone who would like to buy their own Centro (without a new contract commitment) has a fair chance…

In addition, they have released Google Maps with My Location.

The unlocked Centro smartphone is available online at http://www.palm.com/centro for $299.

Google Maps for mobile with My Location will be available tomorrow free of charge for Palm Centro smartphones at http://www.google.com/gmm. Please check the site for details on the download process and carrier availability.

Continue Reading

I’ll be in Austin Wednesday for a meeting with AMD. I am looking forward to learning a bit more about their new Puma platform, and I have been asked if Gear Diary readers might have any questions for AMD - Puma related or otherwise.

It looks like anything and everything you might want to ask about (related to AMD products, of course) is fair game, so if you have something that you would like me to hit them with, leave a comment and let me know; I’ll make sure that they get your questions, and I’ll report back with whatever answers I can gather…assuming they don’t run me out of town for being cheeky.

Just to warm you up and hopefully give you a jumping point, here are some questions you might give reactions to…

Continue Reading

Like many of you, I have been watching the news of the massive flooding in Iowa and Indiana with concern. While the human and economic repercussions of this latest natural disaster are only now starting to become evident ($3Billion in crop losses alone), this is just the latest in a string of disasters which have been occurring and let’s face it - will continue to occur all around the world.

This week there are also massive fires raging in California, last week it was a 7+ magnatude earthquake in Japan which collapsed a mountain, the week before that it was torrential rains in China which caused massive flooding and infrastructure damage, the week before that an estimated 60,000 people were killed in an earthquake in China, and fires were raging in Florida. Shall I go on?

If I were to make a list of every disaster that has occurred, oh…even if just back to Hurricane Katrina or the Tsunami in 2004, the list of losses and deaths would be simply staggering. This got me thinking…

Continue Reading

Have you been reading all of the posts about these ultra-portable laptops with more than a little bit of interest, but no dinero to commit? Jenn at Pocketables can help!

I’m currently running a contest to win an MSI Wind (6-cell version, due in July) that I thought some of your readers might be interested in. With the Eee-alike madness taking over the collective subconscious, most tech heads are probably at least cursorily intrigued. Besides, who wouldn’t want one for free?

Entry is certainly easy enough, you just have to register and participate in the the new Pocketable’s forum. “Every thread/reply of substance that you make in the forum will count as an entry, so the more you post, the greater your chances of winning. For all of the eligibility requirements and additional information, please read the official Pocketables Forum Giveaway rules.”

Good luck, and as always - keep us posted if you happen to win, and be sure to tell Jenn we sent you.

Link: Win an MSI Wind in the Pocketables Forum Giveaway

Yep, you guessed it: about a month has come and gone since I received the MWg Zinc II, posted its unboxing, gave a description of the hardware, and mentioned my initial thoughts. If you haven’t already read that portion of this review, click here and then come back; I’ll wait…

Today we are going to jump right in and talk about my user experience, the Zinc II’s battery life, its camera, and I’ll give a taste of the included Windows Mobile 6.1 software. Let’s dive in, shall we?

Continue Reading