Mutt Media | The Daily Bone 9.23.09 Guest Blogger, Jake Schlessinger on the just-announced Microsoft Courier

Today’s installment is provided courtesy of my son, Jake. He’s into technology of all kinds and is really pumped about Microsoft’s announcement today about the Courier, which looks to be a fantastic product and one that I have been waiting for. Since I like to encourage him and I happen to be on board with where his interests lie, I invited him to be my first Guest Blogger.

Just an aside, I have to give him a plug for the video he made which has become something of a sensation with over 65,000 views on YouTube. Click here to check out CODFreek’s Top 10 Call of Duty Weapons.

If you like what you read and his insights, please leave a comment…I’ll be sure he gets it. So, without further adieu…

Microsoft announces in-development Tablet

Today while going through my normal subscriptions on YouTube, I found a video from one of my favorite YouTubers, SoldierKnowsBest, who does a bunch of reviews and gives you updates on the latest and greatest in the tech-world.

photo courtesy of telegraph.co.uk

Usually he favors Apple products so if he makes a video about a Microsoft product, you know it’s something to look in to. Today he posted a video about the just-announced Microsoft Courier. This is a revolution to multi-touch products. It is essentially a double tablet, which means that it has two 7-inch multi-touch screens that fold into the shape of a book. It is similar to the iPod Touch but has many more advancements to it. Although it is just a late-prototype, if it comes out to be as good as it looks, it will be the next must-have product.

Take a look at this; it’s so cool.

Expected launch date late I hear is sometime in 2010 or 11, but you know how these things go. They are calling this a “late prototype” but the video above seems like it’s just a computer-generated animation. Still, I’m psyched. Apple doesn’t really preview their products which maybe just makes them smart….this way, we are surprised and wouldn’t know if something that was “leaked” didn’t quite get off the ground.

This has been Jake Schlessinger reporting for Mutt Media.

You stay classy San Diego.

Mutt Media | Daily Bone 9.13.09 Watch this cartoon from YouTube on Twitter From: “SuperNews!” An animated sketch comedy series airing on Current TV

Loving this video!

Got to give credit for one of my virtual classmates (Vanessa) at the New School for posting this video to our class blog and calling my attention to it.

This cartoon was posted on You Tube and is a funny commentary on all of the current chatter surrounding social networking, micro-blogging and the like.

Hope you enjoy it. Post your comments! Thanks,  Vanessa

Mutt Media | The Daily Bone 7.14.09 Mac vs. PC & Vista security

Here’s a great video posted on YOUTUBE that totally brings home the point of yesterday’s blog topic.

I love these Mac vs. PC commercials….they make me giggle.

Mutt Media | Daily Bone 7.13.09 Google & Apple: Share-Share. Is that fair?

So, forgive me if I bore you with some of last weeks’ news, but I’ve been on holiday and not in touch. There are some things in the news that I would’ve blogged about in Real Time but sometimes vacation trumps work, and that’s a good thing, right?

So, first off, our friends at Google, in the midst of executing their plan for world domination and data-collection, have announced they will be releasing their own Operating System called Chrome. At first blush, I am excited about this, for a couple of reasons.

Google does seem to get it right. Their services are useful and free – two features I always find pleasing.  I like anything that works and doesn’t stress me out, as I am a simple girl. Their analytics and other applications function well and play nice with my MacBook. Life is good. Yay Apple & Google.

My husband is engaged in a brutal war at the moment with his new laptop that is running Windows Vista, an operating system that doesn’t play well with others. He needs to run a certain software for his business and Vista just won’t cooperate. Updates, tech support, patches and lots of nonsensical work-arounds have kept my husband up at night and his staff has logged hours trying to trouble shoot for him to no avail. He’s had to wipe out the hard drive and reinstall programs, download updates that in the end, set his efforts back and just yesterday, his laptop shot off a really low blow: just crapped out. During one of the mind-bending downloads and installs, during step 3 of 3, the screen goes dark but for 3 lines that read, “Running Step 3 of 3. 0% complete. Do not shut down your computer.” And so he waited and waited. Still 0% complete 45 minutes later but the graphics are moving like something is happening. But nothing does.

I used to work off of a Windows PC. You don’t realize how much of a nightmare it is until you switch to a Mac. I swear ONCE YOU GO MAC YOU NEVER GO BACK. (Knock on wood) My Mac & I do not have to battle resistant, mutating viruses, updates go off without a hitch and all of my programs load like butter.  Going on 2 years together and so far, it’s a match made in compuer heaven.

So, my point? Let’s take a look behind the scenes to see why my Mac (Apple) and Google apps work so well together. The common denominator here could be that they share a CEO named Eric Schmidt and another Board Member name Arthur D. Levinson, the CEO of Genentech.

Is this a conflict? Does this fly in the face of anti-trust laws, which are in place to safeguard against possible collusion between companies (and world domination).

An article in the Global edition of the New York Times from last Friday by Brad Stone speculates that the “Chrome Operating System is likely to create more questions for regulators”. Yep, this alliance is already on the radar of the Federal Trade Commission with the investigation going on for the last several months.

Under section 8 of the Clayton Anti-Trust Act specific limits are placed on the sharing of information between companies by common board members.

In the case of Schmidt and Levinson, both claim to recuse themselves during portions of the Board Meetings when the discussions turn to tricky topics.

Where is the overlap? Well, Apple makes the IPhone and Google has the Android Software (see YouTube video for info on Android and the “G Phone” below), Apple has ITunes and then there’s YouTube, Apple has the Safari Browser and now here’s Google with Chrome.

In the end, the FTC will decide whether these relationships are problematic. It all comes down to what percentage of the overall business is affected.

I don’t care. I just love my MacBook and my Google. Can’t we all just get along? (hello Microsoft!)

Then maybe my poor husband will get some sleep.

Mutt Media | The Daily Bone 6.23.09 The Iranian Elections and the murder of Neda Agha Soltan

MUTT MEDIA WARNING! | POLITICAL COMMENTARY TO FOLLOW…..

Today’s post is a sad one, but shines a ray of hope on a region in turmoil. I am writing in green to show support for the citizens of Iran and their cause.

No doubt you’ve heard all of the rumblings about the elections in Iran. If you frequent Twitter, Facebook or any of the social networking platforms, you’ve been exposed. Here’s a timeline version of what’s been going on, taken from Reuter’s website.

“(Reuters) – Here is a summary of the main developments in the aftermath of Iran’s June 12 presidential election, which took place against a background of tension with the West over Tehran’s nuclear program.

June 13 – Hardline incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad officially wins presidential election with nearly 63 percent of the vote compared with 34 percent for reformist challenger Mirhossein Mousavi, authorities say. Thousands of protesters clash with police. Mousavi calls result a “dangerous charade”.

June 14 – Mousavi says he has formally asked Iran’s Guardian Council to annul the election.

June 15 – Seven people are killed during a huge march by Mousavi supporters in central Tehran, state media says. There are also pro-Mousavi demonstrations in the cities of Rasht, Orumiyeh, Zahedan and Tabriz.

June 16 – Leading Iranian reformist Mohammad Ali Abtahi, a former vice-president, is arrested, his office says.

– The Guardian Council says it is ready to carry out a partial recount of ballots but rules out annulling the poll.

– Tens of thousands of pro-Mousavi demonstrators march in northern Tehran. Ahmadinejad’s supporters mobilize thousands of demonstrators in central Tehran.

– Authorities ban foreign journalists from leaving their offices to cover street protests.

June 17 – Thousands march in central Tehran.

– Ahmadinejad defends the legitimacy of the vote, telling a cabinet meeting it has “posed a great challenge to the West’s democracy,” Mehr news agency reports.

– Saeed Laylaz, editor of business daily Sarmayeh, and pro-reform activist Mohammadreza Jalaiepour are arrested, a reformist source says.

June 18 – Thousands of Mousavi’s backers rally in Tehran to mourn those killed in the mass protests.

– A spokesman for the Guardian Council says it has begun examining 646 complaints submitted after the June 12 vote.

– Iran’s English-language state television has reported eight people killed in five days of protests. The ISNA news agency, quoting provincial officials, says 88 people were arrested in post-election unrest in the city of Mashhad and up to 60 people in Tabriz in the northwest.

June 19 — Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says protest leaders would be responsible for any bloodshed if rallies continued against the election, which he said Ahmadinejad had won fairly by 11 million votes.

June 20 — The Guardian Council says it is ready to recount a tenth of the votes in the disputed election.

– Riot police are deployed in force, firing teargas and using batons and water cannon to disperse groups of several hundred Iranians who had gathered across Tehran.

– A suicide bomber blows himself up near the shrine of Iran’s revolutionary founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in Tehran, Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency reports.

– State television says more than 450 people are detained during clashes in Tehran in which at least 10 people are killed.

June 21 — Mousavi urges supporters to continue protests, issuing an oblique appeal to security forces to show restraint.

– Ahmadinejad accuses the United States and Britain of interfering in Iran’s affairs.

June 22 — Hardline Revolutionary Guards issue a statement saying they will “firmly confront in a revolutionary way rioters and those who violate the law”. Police break up a protest in Tehran hours after the Guards issued their statement.

– People in Tehran again chant “Allahu Akbar” (God is greatest) from their rooftops at nightfall.

June 23 – Guardian Council again rules out annulment of the election saying there has been no major polling irregularities.”

Just yesterday, a protester named Neda Agha Soltan was shot and killed in the street. Someone captured this heinous act with their cell phone and it’s been getting lots of play on YouTube. Video follows, but please be warned: it is violent and graphic and YouTube requires that you verify that you are over 18 to view it.

There has been so much controversy over the middle east, Iran, Iraq and the degree to which the US should get involved but I think the events of the last few weeks show us that the citizens want some sort of democracy and a fair election process. I am sure that they know the western world is on their side in this endeavor, as their continuous Twitter and other internet communications indicate. This is GREAT. Unfortunate is that lives are lost but this is an important fight and a stand that, in my opinion, needs to be taken.

All of the Tweets, photos and video footage show us that these are a people willing to fight for their desired rights – rights they have long been denied. It’s nothing short of amazing.

So maybe Iraq was the wrong venue at the wrong time, but the ideology was right on target. If only the violence would stop.

links that may be of some interest to you..

thestar.com | nytimes.com (they have a great blog that is tracking the protests and running commentary) | reuters.com

Mutt Media | Daily Bone 6.4.09 Shameless Self Promotion will get you famous on the ‘net

For starters, Happy Birthday to my father-in-law, Stan……

You may have heard about the news item regarding Mark Malkoff.

He’s the “comedian, writer and filmmaker” from Astoria, Queens who, in the past has gotten press for sleeping at the IKEA in New Jersey for an entire week and chronicled the experience on film (which can now be viewed on his website and on YouTube). Another one of his stunts involved visiting all 171 Starbucks in Manhattan in a 24 hour period and making a purchase in each one (again, captured on video for all to see).

His latest adventure takes him on an airplane for an entire month. In that month he will travel the country, sometimes logging as much as twelve flights per day. Of course this will all be captured on video, tweeted about and so on.

Personally, I don’t get what value any of this has, except to bring Malkoff some noteriety, which is fine. Let’s not forget the point here – exposure for him as well as a few corporate giants who also reap the benefits and the attention. Starbucks, Ikea and now Airtran.

Things like this remind me a bit of reality TV (of which I am not a fan). Caught about 15 minutes of “I’m A Celebrity – Get me out of here!” the other night and let’s just say I don’t get the whole Spencer Pratt / Heidi Montag thing. Nor do I get the John & Kate + 8 thing…..can you say SELF-E-X-P-L-O-I-T-A-T-I-O-N??

If this type of thing interests you and you’d like to follow along, click here to get the play-by-play on Twitter…Malkoff’s got a lot of followers!

This has been your Daily Bone
© 2009 Mutt Media NY LLC All Rights Reserved

Mutt Media | Daily Bone 6.1.09: Iran & the Facebook ban

Over Memorial Day Weekend I read in my favorite newspaper (as well as other news outlets) that the Iranian government has blocked its citizens from using the Facebook service. Critics of this move attributed it to the upcoming June elections.

Candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi has used Facebook heavily in the past to mobilize young voters for his benefit, much like Obama did with his presidential campaign.

Here’s a video posted on You Tube that tells the story in short…forgive the ad at the end..sometimes these things cannot be helped.

No sooner did I begin drafting this blog then did Iran’s government lift the ban. From all I’ve read, this seems to be a pretty common practice; sites are routinely banned both in Iran as well as other extremely Muslim countries and in China too. When a website’s content runs in contradiction to the fundamental religious philosophies of a nation, these bans are commonplace.

Let’s feel thankful that we live in a country that allows and encourages free speech and opposing views.

Comments? Share ‘em!

This has been your Daily Bone
© 2009 Mutt Media NY LLC All Rights Reserved

Mutt Media | Daily Bone 5.13.09 Ten Tips for marketing yourself online. Tip #1 Clean Up Your Act!

Another Tip from Mutt Media NY

Several months ago I published a document for a lecture I gave at an event that circulated and got some attention (radio, Twitter, etc). This document is called 10 Tips for Marketing Yourself Online. This list was conceived as a tool to help those in search of a new job, whether they are currently unemployed or just looking to do something new.

I thought I would use this forum to share these tips. Hope you find them helpful.

Mutt Media Tip #1

1. Clean up your online act! Take a moment and “Google” yourself. You may be surprised at what you find.  You should be aware that potential employers can and will do this as an extension of their due diligence on a prospective employee.

This guideline does not only apply to those in search of work. Anyone who is looking to make a move of any significance – whether professionally, personally or scholastically needs to know that these searches are now standard operating procedure when checking out any applicant. This includes College Admission staff, so to all of you high school students who have social networking accounts, this applies to you, too….maybe even moreso.

Ask yourself if the images posted by you or your “friends” are really ones that you want on the Internet for all to see. I cannot stress this enough! Your pages may look fine but what about your contacts that may have tagged you in a photo that paints you in an unprofessional light? For the time being, take the account down or go through and make appropriate edits – often. Consider YouTube. Your favorites?? Are they videos you are proud to affiliate yourself with or do they “dumb” you down?

Leave no stone unturned and treat your image like a valuable marketing tool because guess what? It is.

Become a Fan of Mutt Media NY on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @MuttMediaNY

This has been your Daily Bone
© 2009 Mutt Media NY LLC All Rights Reserved