Gear Diary » Social Networking

On Telecommuting and Using the Tech We Have

Douglas Moran — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 23:00:09 +0000

Image courtesy of ISLOnline

So this co-worker of mine just had his first child. When Sami and I had Maggie (in the Booming 90's), I took two weeks off, and then worked half-time (for half-pay) for, I think, two months. This was my manager's offer instead of me taking off a full month (without pay) for Family Leave, which was a pretty new law then. Sami and I talked it over, and we decided that was the best course of action. But I was completely unavailable for two weeks, and for the next couple of months I was--how shall we put this?--at quite a bit less than my best. I was of course tired Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Cool Infographic: What Would a Facebook IPO Look Like?

Michael Anderson — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 17:00:07 +0000

How huge is Facebook? A recent estimate says:

Facebook accounts for 95 percent of social networking time on internet in United States. It has been found that on an average 1 out of every 7 minutes U.S online users spends their time in using Facebook .

As a result speculation of what a Facebook IPO (initial public offering, in other words becoming a publically traded stock) might look like has run rampant. Carly sent along an article at BusinessWeek that discusses how the massive IPO would further illuminate the dependance of California on capital gains taxes and how the volatility - particularly with the economic downturn the last few years - has hurt the state, saying it

shows the boom-and-bust cycle that capital gains taxes often inflict on California’s budget. In fact, capital-gains tax revenue as a percentage of the state’s general fund plummeted from 12 percent to just 3 percent between 2007 and 2009 as investors pulled away from the stock market, a decline of $9.3 billion, according to state finance department figures. “It is a significant concern,” said Gabriel Petek, an analyst at Standard & Poor’s, which ranks California’s credit the worst among its peers at A-. “It’s probably one of the things that presents a structural impediment to the rating and makes it hard for the state’s credit rating to move up into the AA range that the typical state is.”

Now we have an infographic that breaks down the estimated 10+ billion IPO (6x bigger than Google's 2004 IPO), the 25 BILLION Mark Zuckerberg could make, and more! Check it out! Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Sonamba Enables Boomers to Monitor & Stay Closer to Their Aging Parents (Demoing at CES and ShowStoppers)

Douglas Moran — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 14:00:18 +0000

As I push deeper into middle age, I spend an increasing time thinking about how to deal with the fact that my parents will, inevitably, not be as active and (let's face it) physically capable of doing stuff as they were when I was a kid. Heck, I'm not as physically capable; for my Mom and step-Mom, it can't be any better, right? Sonamba has one potential remedy--they've developed an easy-to-use device with a 7" touchscreen and a bunch of apps that lets you keep in touch with your 'rents via a multiple of means. Is it a total solution? Of course not. Will it be helpful to you as your 'rents get older? Well, I Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

foursquare: It’s Not All Fun and Games

Dan Cohen — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 03:30:37 +0000

I'm a big fan of foursquare and check in often enough that family members will remind me if I don't do it quickly enough. After months with no mayorships, except a brief period I was major of a tram station in Las Vegas during CES 2010, I have finally become the major at a number of our local favorites. This evening we decided to grab a bite at Chili Willie's, a family-run mexican restaurant in town. (I'm not yet mayor there.) When we sat down Elana was momentarily ticked at herself. It seems she had a $10 Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

OMG! Two Days Left! Now What? How About . . . Vineloop?

Douglas Moran — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 15:30:22 +0000

Panic time! It's Friday! Christmas is Sunday! Augh! Still a few people on the list! What are you going to get, eh? What? WHAT! Well, if you're shopping for an adult, the folks at Vineloop say: "Yo, how about some wine?" This is what they say about Vineloop:

Vineloop is the world’s first trust-based recommendation sharing platform that helps you discover more of what you love in life. At the core of Vineloop is the invention of the Trustline™. The best recommendations in life tend to come from a very small number of people who we know and trust. By identifying these personal experts and assigning them as a Trustline, you instantly gain access

Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

TimeHop Rewinds Your Social Networking Calendar

Michael Anderson — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 19:15:28 +0000

One thing I like about the Facebook Timeline view (perhaps the only thing) is the ability to hop back in time to see what was going on in 2007. Now TimeHop will help you get a daily dose of short-term nostalgia. TimeHop sends a daily email of the user’s activity on Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, and Instagram, from exactly one year ago. You simply link those accounts and then you start getting a daily update of exactly what was happening the year before! Does that sound interesting to you? If so, head to TimeHop and check it out! Source: Neatorama Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Video Chat Gaming via Facebook

Douglas Moran — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 19:45:38 +0000

Okay, so there's Facebook, right? And there's internet chat, and internet video chat, and web chat (and don't get me started on ChatRoulette). And there's games--computer games, and internet games, and interactive games, MMPORPGs, and I don't know what all. All this different stuff. Well, Rounds for Facebook has kinda smooshed them all together and gives you a Facebook video chat gaming kinda thing to do with your remote pals. I'm not a big Facebook guy myself--I simply don't trust their security (or should I say, "security")--but let's face it: I'm in the minority. Here's what the makers say about it:

With no other like it out there, Rounds for Facebook combines video chatting with

Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

PSA: Watch What You Post On Facebook!

Carly Z — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 15:30:27 +0000

(image courtesy FailBook)

It's December. It's time for snow, family, shopping...and of course, holiday parties and New Year's celebrations. Plus, if you're a senior in high school you probably sent off your college applications. Just remember...what goes on Facebook is never really private, so please, from your friends at Gear Diary, think before you post, especially as you celebrate the holiday season! If you've just applied to college, your next step after that application goes in the mail is simple: lock down your Facebook page. According to the Huffington Post, admissions officers often check Facebook to find out more about potential students. So think before you post those pictures of your Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

A Reminder That Our Only Freedoms Are the Ones We Fight For

Michael Anderson — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 15:15:53 +0000

I doubt that anyone would seriously debate that we have lost significant freedoms in this country over the last decade, though it is generally presented with a caveat that what has changed was needed for enhanced security. Sometimes this is true, other times it is for the appearance of greater security, and other times it is simply an authoritarian power grab. Which is why this story is so awesome! Last week I heard about the high school girl had gone to a 'Youth in Government' program event and had tweeted:

Just made mean comments at gov brownback and told him he sucked, in person #heblowsalot

Although she actually didn't speak out at the Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

IM+ Now Supports Native BlackBerry Push Service

Douglas Moran — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 17:15:23 +0000

I don't know about you, but I have a lot of accounts in a lot of different places. Google; Yahoo; Facebook; Skype; I don't know what-all, frankly. And many months ago I thought, "Yeesh; I sure would like it if all my IM accounts were in one place!" And then ShapeServices asked me to review IM+, an app that allows you to access all your IM accounts in one place. I'll keep this short: I use IM+ all the time, both the iPhone and iPad app version, and online via their web interface. I find it an enormous help. Maggie, my 16 year-old daughter, also uses it regularly, so you can see that it's Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

New Bill Nye App Helps You Avoid Being Blinded . . . By SCIENCE

Douglas Moran — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 16:15:37 +0000

(Maybe Agatha could help? [Girl Genius by Phil Foglio, all rights reserved]) Looking for information on science? You have to be careful; there's a lot of dangerous mis-information out there. You probably don't want to listen to this guy, even if he does have a master's degree ("IN SCIENCE!"):

Click here to view the embedded video.

And I think it goes without saying you don't want to trust this dude, either:

Click here to view the embedded video.

But where should you go? Who should you ask? It's confusing! But worry no more! Bill Nye, The Science Guy, is here to help! Launching November 16th at the Toshiba Innovation Facebook page (facebook.com/ToshibaInnovation). Check it out, before you get blinded . . . by SCIENCE! I'll let them tell it, since I've wasted enough of your time today already:

Could a new Facebook App be the answer to many of those age-old questions about science? Bill Nye the Science Guy says yes it can – and he’s teaming up with Toshiba and The Planetary Society to do just that! The new Bill Nye: Consider the Following on Toshiba Vision Facebook app, launching November 16th at the Toshiba Innovation Facebook page (facebook.com/ToshibaInnovation), lets visitors use a fun app to submit any science question they would like to see Bill answer. Questions will be submitted for voting and the ones picked as the most popular will be answered by Bill up in lights on the huge Toshiba Vision screen in Times Square, as well as on Facebook.

Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Virtual Kid’s Stuff: Freaky Pets

Douglas Moran — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 17:15:39 +0000

Okay, I should have seen it coming when that Facebook guy had a movie made about him. But honestly, I pretty much ignore social media except with regard to using it to find old friends who have dropped out of touch. (Hi, Ed!) In the main, though, I'm a luddite in this area, and I admit it. But even me, grumpy old phart that I am, should have been able to predict kid's games and social activities moving into the social media arena. Didn't I sign my kids up for Disney Interactive something like 3-4 years ago? Aren't I a computer nerd? Don't I contribute to Gear Diary? What the heck is wrong with me, anyway? Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

EgoBook Now Offering New Hardcover Format

Douglas Moran — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 23:45:48 +0000

Last year, it was, we told you folks about EgoBook, a Facebook app that allows you to create books from your Facebook info (status updates, wall posts, and the like). I guess they've done okay, because now the EgoBook folks are offering a new format, in hardback: large format 8.25" x 10.75" (21cm x 27cm). This strikes me as a pretty nice upgrade, honestly; if you're wanting to create an EgoBook for yourself, why not make it hardcover? Looks better, plus it lasts longer. Seems like a good deal to me. Here's what EgoBook says:

EgoBook now exists in a brand new Large Format (21x27cm), with a rigid cover (hardcover). The pictures are printed

Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Kobo Gets Deeper Facebook Integration

Carly Z — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 17:15:35 +0000

Kobo's had an up and down year. They released their Kobo Touch reader to great acclaim, but lost a major partner when Borders collapsed. On the upside, they've chosen their social media dance partner better; Kobo and Facebook are working hard to bring Kobo's "Reading Life" to the new Facebook news streams! Basically, this one-ups Goodreads and similar websites by pushing reviews and updates on what you're reading right from the book to Facebook. Plus it ties readers closer to Kobo, always a win in a very competitive ebook environment. It's also interesting that Kobo managed to get their CEO an appearance at F8. That shows a tight level of integration with Facebook, and could lead to a Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Faceglat: Sadly, It’s Not Something “The Onion” Invented

Carly Z — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 14:30:31 +0000

There are times when the virtual world seems very real. I know that I consider my fellow writers on Gear Diary my friends, even though all of us have not met in person. But there's a difference between real and virtual friendships, and I recognize the difference. Apparently, for some very orthodox jews, there is no difference, and that's what Faceglat is for. Effectively, it's a Facebook-style website, but it's gender-separated. Women and men maintain separate Faceglat areas, just as they would in a real life gathering. On the surface, it's not that weird, but if you stop and really think it through, it's just an empty gesture designed to make very religious jews feel better. The reality Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Gear Games News: EA Launches ‘The Sims Social’ on Facebook!

Michael Anderson — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 20:32:25 +0000

Are you one of the millions of fans of The Sims franchise? Do you like Facebook games? If so ... rejoice, because The Sims Social has arrived! The game will be immediately familiar to anyone who has ever played a Sims game: you set up your character, then start doing some basic tasks, and slowly built a life for your Sim including interactions with others. The image below shows the basic starting point for a character.

As with the other games in the franchise you have extensive tools to alter your appearance to Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

IM+ Update on Blackberry

Douglas Moran — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 18:15:45 +0000

Image courtesy of PocketBerry

I'm always happy to get a news item about a product with which I'm familiar, like the iFrogz cases, or the Mophie Juice Packs, or ScotteVest gear. It's so easy to say, "Hey, check this stuff out!" when you're personally familiar with it, you know? In that category is IM+, a central IMing app that lets you consolidate all your various messaging apps into one place. I use IM+ Pro on my iPhone, my iPad, and via their online site as well, and it makes a huge difference in my messaging (although there are a few glitches in the online version with regard to Facebook, but honestly that's a minor nit) Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

The Twitter-sphere: None of You Have Any Friends!

Judie Stanford — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 15:45:11 +0000

I use Twitter, but there are times when I have to wonder if (or why) anyone cares about my random musings and shared links. Of course, my rationale for using Twitter in the first place is that many of my friends are all over the country (if not the world), and this is a great way to keep in touch. Mitchell sent this video to me, and I couldn't help but laugh; although it was posted in March I hadn't yet seen it, and I figured that might be the case for some of you, too. Peppered with offensive language and definitely a bit rude (and therefore possibly very NSFW), this Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

New Story/Study: iPhone Owning Parents & Social Media

Douglas Moran — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 15:15:02 +0000

I'm not one of those parents who is totally panicked by the idea of all the kinds of scary things that are made available by new tech like cell phones, social media, and the like. Yes, there are a lot of scary things kids can access or be sucked into via new technology. But as a guy who spent his childhood in the late 60s and 70s, it's not like it was a non-stop, safe party for us, either. Yup, you can get talked into stuff by strangers over your cell phone, or via Facebook, or Yahoo IM, or some such; no question. In my day, it was "talking to strangers" and whack jobs prowling the Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Gear Games News: The Sims Coming to Facebook

Michael Anderson — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 15:30:04 +0000

The Sims - one of the biggest franchises in video game history - is coming to Facebook. Called 'The Sims Social', the Facebook game allows you to do many things you would traditionally be able to do only in the full game. Here is the basic info:

The Sims Social brings the fun and creativity of The Sims to Facebook! Create unique Sims and live out their dreams—or stir up trouble by pulling pranks. Develop deep relationships to unlock new features and advance: befriend and fight, date and cheat, love and betray. Play with life in a whole new way—with your real friends, for free!

If you 'Like' their Facebook Page you can Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

LinkedIn Explains Why They Don’t Allow SD Card Installs

Michael Anderson — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 15:30:54 +0000

Although 'business social' site LinkedIn started off slower and with seemingly less traction than Twitter, a recent study showed that LinkedIn is now considered the most important social media network, with 60% of respondents saying that having a LinkedIn account is more important than any other social network. Since so many business users of social media carry smartphones, it seems that one necessary element in any strategy is to have a mobile application for iPhone, Blackberry and Android devices. As many have found, implementing a full-featured interface for sites such as Facebook or LinkedIn is daunting, as is keeping user data secure. Android users - especially those using older phones Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

GD Quickie: Is The Twitter Bubble Over?

Carly Z — Mon, 09 May 2011 01:35:09 +0000

(image made via Memegenerator)

I once attended a work event where someone explained how he knew the so-called "tech bubble" of the early 90's was over and done. It was Christmas Eve, he said, and his retired, conservative mother-in-law asked if she should own shares of Amazon.com. As he told it, at that very moment he turned to his wife and said "That's it, tech's done." If we go by that logic social media is done. Yes, if that is the correct indicator the social media bubble is about to pop. How do I know? Simple, at a mother's day brunch earlier today my grandma opined, "The kids today, they don't realize what Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Choosing Not to Share in a World of Over-Sharing, the President Takes the Lead

Dan Cohen — Wed, 04 May 2011 20:10:41 +0000

This photograph of the President and his staff watching the assault that eventually led to the death of bin Laden in real-time, is on track to be the most viewed image in Flickr's history. The emotion on their faces, Secretary of State Clinton's hand over her mouth and the laser focus of the President Obama's eyes on the screen say pretty much everything that needs to be said about the importance of the moment. Since Sunday night there has been great speculation about whether or not an image of the terrorist's body would be released. The debate has raged and it turns out we will get to see the image... when hell freezes over. As Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Random Creepy Stuff: ‘Cloud Girlfriend’ Provides a Virtual Girlfriend for Social Networks

Michael Anderson — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 20:20:34 +0000

Oh the shame - you have to set your relationship status on Facebook to 'Single'. What will your friends think? How can you possibly cope?!? Fear no more - a new company called Cloud Girlfriend promises to help you out with a simple four-step process:

Step 1: Define your perfect girlfriend. Step 2: We bring her into existence. Step 3: Connect and interact with her publicly on your favorite social network. Step 4: Enjoy a public long distance relationship with your perfect girl.

However, as the AOLNews article notes:

Facebook's Terms of Service agreement strictly prohibits computer controlled accounts, which would seemingly rule out cyber-based special lady friends. "Some

Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Facebook to Enter Video Streaming

Carly Z — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 14:34:19 +0000

I admit, I'm not a big Facebook-er. I use it as a necessary evil, not a destination site. But it looks like the folks who brought us the "like" button are taking their insinuation into our lives a step farther; now they're going to stream video too! According to the Wall Street Journal, Warner Brothers is floating a trial balloon in the form of of "The Dark Knight". Rather than stream it through a subscription service like Netflix, you'll be able to rent "The Dark Knight" on Facebook for 30 credits (or $3.00). While it's only one movie, it's enough to get many people sweating bullets over what this means for Netflix. The WSJ says Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

KONAMI Unveils Facebook Support for Gamers

Douglas Moran — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 15:00:56 +0000

You're playing a game, right? Having a good time, leveling up, doing well, when bang-o! You run into a problem. It's a bug, or you're caught in some bizarre infinite loop, or you simply can't figure out how the heck to get past that #$(*&%!! mini-boss on level 17. Whatever. What do you do? Well, you could try to contact support for that game, or that game's manufacturer. If you don't mind bad hold music and waiting until your ear has turned into a big bruise, sure, that'll work. Or you could try surfing the web, googling for the info. Sometimes that works. If you don't mind sifting through 32,720 or so hits, not to Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

GD Quickie: Twitter Guest Stars on “Grey’s Anatomy”

Carly Z — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 17:45:06 +0000

It's a bit shameful, but I still watch "Grey's Anatomy". It's my soapy guilty pleasure! I settled in last night to catch up on last night's episode, and was surprised to discover that surgeons using Twitter was a big part of the storyline! I won't spoil it for you, but I will say that even when the jokes were predictable (like the Chief mistakenly saying he wanted to check out Dr. Bailey's 'tits' not her 'tweets'), it was a cute storyline, plus the power of social media saved the day. You can check out the full episode on Hulu below!

Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Power of Tech Shown by Egyptian Protests

Douglas Moran — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 18:00:38 +0000

Photo courtesy of the The International Business Times

When all of Iran seemed to be exploding in the wake of "President" Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's "victory" in the 2009 election, the news was noteworthy not just because a country struggling against authoritarian rule was trying to free itself, but also because of how the news got out: Twitter. Before cell phones integrated with digital cameras, smart phones, and Twitter, it's possible that the world at large might have received no notice at all of the massive protests, deaths, vicious governmental crackdowns, and all the other info about Iran's "Green Revolution". Now we're getting some similar happenings in North Africa. If you follow the Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

CardMunch Is Now Part of LinkedIn, and It’s Free

Dan Cohen — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 14:45:54 +0000

One of the tools Judie and I made big use of during CES was the iPhone app CardMunch. CardMunch let us quickly snap images of business cards and then added all the pertinent information to either its own address book or the iPhone's built-in one. The transcription accuracy of the returned information was amazing thanks to the "human factor". That's right, the service employed people to help in the process and, as a result, CardMunch was not only quick but also reliable. It also, as a result, was a bit more expensive than the totally automated approaches. Well CardMunch shared some big news last night: First, the app is now entirely Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Agile Messenger HD for iPad

Douglas Moran — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 16:45:13 +0000

One of my favorite iPad apps is IM+ Pro, an integrated mobile IMing tool that allows you to pull your various messaging accounts together in one place, as well as giving you access to a bunch of other stuff (that I rarely use, as I use the iPad Twitter app for a lot of those). It's such a relief to be able to have all your chats in one place, even if their functionality is slightly different (e.g., no offline chat for Facebook, but you can have it via Yahoo IM). Into that same market comes Agilemobile, who now have an HD app for your messaging pleasure. It includes access to The Usual Suspects of Continue reading on Gear Diary ...