Clue

New traits for Net::Twitter: RetryOnError and SimulateCursors —

I grew tired of reimplementing the same old code, so I finally got a
clue and added a couple of new traits to Net::Twitter so I never have to
do it again.

New traits RetryOnError and SimulateCursors are included in
Net::Twitter version 3.11009.

* RetryOnError

Temporary errors are common when dealing with the Twitter API. I kept
writing retry loops in my projects. Now there's a trait for that.
Here's how to use it:

use Net::Twitter;
use Try::Tiny;

my $nt = Net::Twitter->new(
traits => [qw/API::REST RetryOnError/],
netrc => 1,
);

try {
my $r = $nt->home_timeline;

# do something interesting with $r;
}
catch {
warn "home_timeline failed: $_\n";
};

The default retry strategy delays 250 milliseconds after the first error
before retrying. On each subsequent error, it doubles the delay. After
5 retries, it gives up and an error is thrown as usual.

You can configure the retry strategy.

my $nt = Net::Twitter->new(
traits => [qw/API::REST RetryOnError/],
initial_retry_delay => 0.25, # 250 milliseconds
retry_delay_multiplier => 2.0,
max_retry_delay => 4.0,
max_retries => 5,
);

If you set max_retries to 0, it will retry indefinitely.

You can also fine tune the delay strategy by calling the options as
methods:

$nt->max_retries(3);

And, you can specify the code to handle the delay (as either an option
to "new" or as a method call):

$nt->retry_delay_code(sub {
my $delay = shift;
sleep $delay;
});

You'll find that last option useful if you're using a non-blocking user
agent, like Coro::LWP.

$nt->retry_delay_code(sub { Coro::AnyEvent::sleep shift });

I'll be using this new trait in my own projects and projects for
clients. Let me know how it works for you.

* SimulateCursors

This trait is more specialized. If your code is intended to work with
both Twitter and Identi.ca you'll discover a few inconsistencies. One
of them is paged results. Twitter has moved from paging to cursors for
some methods. AFAIK, Identi.ca only support paging.

If your code uses cursors for Net::Twitter, you can run the same code
against Identi.ca's API by applying the SimulateCursors trait. It uses
page numbers, rather than cursors, under the covers, and recasts the
return values into the deeper structure Twitter uses including the
"next_cursor" and "previous_cursor" entries.

Take a look at the code if you're curious.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Lindsay Lohan Sues E-Trade; Next Movie Called “The Streisand Effect?” —

Have you heard of the Streisand effect?

Long story short, in 2003 Barbra Streisand sued a photographer for $50 million because he took photos of her home. She said the photographs invaded her privacy. Unfortunately for her, the rest of the world had no clue of the existence of these photographs until after she filed the lawsuit. Filing the lawsuit created a greater issue than if she had just kept quiet.

Enter Lindsay Lohan.

The almost popular, but now notsomuch, actress is suing E-Trade for, get this, $100 million for naming one of its TV babies “Lindsay.” Apparently, Miss Lohan believes that she has obtained “single name” status–like Madonna or Oprah–and that everyone that sees the milkaholic manboy-stealer will instantly think of her–and that will ruin her stellar reputation.

Says Lohan’s lawyer:

“They used the name Lindsay,” Ovadia said. “They’re using her name as a parody of her life. Why didn’t they use the name Susan? This is a subliminal message. Everybody’s talking about it and saying it’s Lindsay Lohan.” Ovadia wants an injunction to force the spot off the air, and the Lindsay camp wants every last copy of the commercial

Actually, no one was talking about Lindsay Lohan, until this lawsuit. Oh wait, maybe that’s the point. No one was talking about you, so file a $100M lawsuit and get everyone talking about you again!

Alternatively, why not actually make a movie that we think is good?

Office Web Apps to graduate with Windows Live Wave 4: gives clue to final release date? —

Today we noticed a tweet coming from our good friend Long Zheng who noted the following:

While this is not surprising as Office Web Apps is part of Windows Live SkyDrive (or to be potentially called Windows Live Docs), it does leaves us some speculation as to when the final version of Windows Live Wave 4 will ship. When Office Web Apps was released as technical preview back in September last year, Microsoft announced that the final version of Office Web Apps would be released “in the first half of 2010”. Not only this, but the Office 2010 blog also recently announced that Office 2010 final will become available to businesses on May 12, and to general consumers by June 2010. Given that Office Web Apps is supposed to be released around the same time as Office 2010 (albeit it is on a different development cycle), by induction, this means that Windows Live Wave 4 should be released around the same timeframe.

Of course, this is all but speculation, although we do believe this is quite a realistic one, given rumours that we’ll be hearing about Windows Live Wave 4 (at least beta bits) around the “MIX timeframe”. Stay tuned at LiveSide as we bring you live coverage straight from MIX 2010!

The Linux desktop is already here —

It's 2010 and some people still think the Linux desktop is a non-starter. Please. Buy a clue; you're all Linux desktop users now.

read more

English Cell Carrier Raises Eyebrows - And Questions - Over Video Call Fees —

Grant Cardone: Sick of the Health Care Distraction —

I am sick of the health care being used to distract Americans from the real problems with our country. Republicans and democrats alike are using health care to manipulate the American public, me and you. One side is jamming it down our throats and the other side doing everything it can to stop it even if it has merits. None of us have a clue of what we are getting or not getting because of all the politics. And all this is taking place while neither side is doing anything to improve the conditions for our country.

Is anyone else out there other than Jesse Ventura sick of politicians getting us to focus on what they want rather than what America needs? Why can't the problems in our country be approached on the basis of priority and greatest good, rather than politics? The people I talk to everyday are concerned with jobs, opportunities, increasing their incomes, saving money and reducing the country's debts more than health care. Is health care merely a 'red-herring' to distract each us from what our elected officials don't want us to focus on? Is it possible that 'professional' politicians are using health care so Americans take sides against one another, rather than joining together to no longer tolerate political incompetence from both sides?

I am SICK of the manipulation, the slight of hand and the incompetence of our politicians to handle our country's problems in a sane priority. I am sick of watching the republicans and democrats waste our money, make poor decisions, talk of ethics and not have any and break the very same promises that got them elected I am sick of watching these guys gather at congressional hearings to grill others on topics they know nothing about and just for the sake of the cameras. I don't need politicians handling Toyota's issues when they can't even put the brakes on their own state's spending. We should save these hearings politicians that break campaign promises and immediately remove him/her from office. If they prove unable to run their state with a surplus then immediately remove them from office and never allow them to run again.

Do I think everyone should be able to have health care? Yes that would be great? I would like it if every person had a safe and secure home to raise their children, but where is that initiative? How many of you think that every person in this country should eat three meals a day, when does that get handled? It seems fairly important that our children are able to read, write and count so they will be able to compete with the rest of the world but we continue to slide backwards with education. Owing trillions of dollars in debt to other countries can't be good for us and when do we say enough? The question is which one of these gets done first? If your house is burning down you don't concern yourself with what's for dinner. The health care debate is designed to distract us from those things that need to get done first and off of the incompetence that runs rampant with our elected officials.

Politicians I don't care if you are republican or democrat, left or right, liberal or conservative, white or black, male or female, gay or heterosexual- if you are going to hold office then tell me the truth about who you are, what you believe in and then do the right thing, and in the right priority to get our country back on track. I don't want more of the past! I don't want hope, I don't want division, and I don't want promises, I want solutions and I want leadership. I am sick of health care being used to turn me against my neighbor while politicians argue for the cameras and then later join together to eat, drink and make their sweetheart deals.

Grant Cardone, Author and CEO

It’s Time To Bring Back NNTR —

NNTR means No Need To Reply. Where this originated from I haven’t a clue, but it’s something that has been dormant for years that I believe needs to be used again.

Were I to hazard a guess, I believe NNTR came about due to one of two reasons. Either the fact email used to actually cost something, be it time and/or money, or to discourage useless replies. Or maybe both.

NNTR sounds rude but in fact it isn’t. An example would be, “I will attend the meeting @ 3pm. NNTR”

When you say something like that, it doesn’t warrant a reply. In fact, if you sent the above message to your boss, he or she would appreciate the fact that no reply is necessary.

Given the fact that we’re so much more mobile these days, NNTR once again has its place. If you text at all on a cell phone, you’ve probably run into your fair share of useless reply messages. These serve to do nothing but get in your way when you’re busy. If you introduce the people you communicate with frequently to NNTR, it can save a lot of time.

If you want to introduce someone to NNTR in email, the best way to do it is like this: “I will attend the meeting @ 3pm, NNTR (no need to reply)”

Explaining what NNTR means a few times should get the message across adequately, at which point you can drop the explanation.

If using NNTR using mobile means, you’ll probably have to tell the person that when you use NNTR that no reply is necessary due to character limitations.

Final note: NNTR isn’t used in article or blog comments, because that medium is supposed to foster replies and discussion.

Post from: PCMech. Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On And Live The Digital Lifestyle.

It’s Time To Bring Back NNTR

NEWS: O2 updates iPhone tariff to include video calls —

Clue for the iPhone 4G?

Apple websites are reporting that O2 has made a small tweak to its iPhone tariffs over the weekend, updating them to include a cost for "video calls" - which happens to be the same as for voice calls. The update lends weight to rumours that the next iPhone will come with a front camera and video calling capabilities.

It also tells us a few more things, too - it suggests that O2's rather more confident about its data network, if it expects to provide enough bandwidth for its iPhone users to start video conferencing. It also poses a question - can Apple resurrect what was once a key feature for smartphones? A few years back, every handset came with a front-facing camera, but video calling never took off.

Previous rumours have seen iconography for video chatting uncovered in the iPhone 3.2 SDK, so we wouldn't be entirely surprised if Jobs unveils the iPhone 4 to include video calling. Other rumours include a 5-megapixel camera with flash and a faster processor.

If you'd like to check out the pricing for yourself, head over to O2's Sim-only iPhone page and hit "view charges outside your allowance".

Read

Tags: Phones Mobile phones iPhone O2 Tariffs Video conferencing

O2 updates iPhone tariff to include video calls originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 08 Mar 2010 10:54:05 +0000

iPad UK price leaked by Play.com? —

iPad UK price details have yet to be officially announced by Apple but it seems Play.com may have leaked them prematurely. After the iPad delay, could the iPad UK prices we’ve spotted be the real deal or is Play.com just guessing?

An eagle-eyed ElectricPig reader spotted that a clue to the iPad UK price can be found if you search for the iPad on Google Products, the search giant’s price finder service. Hop over to Play.com and you’ll just find placeholder pages but on Google Products, iPad UK price details are listed.

Search for “Apple iPad 16GB” on Google Products and you’ll get a iPad UK price of £499. Search for the larger 64GB version and there’s a price of £699.

It’s possible that Play.com has revealed the iPad UK price but there could be another explanation. The current iPad UK price listings are direct conversions from the US prices, originally announced by Steve Jobs, simply replacing the dollar sign with a pound symbol.

We’d hope that Apple won’t simply switch the dollar sign for the pound sign when deciding the iPad UK price. It has happened before but if it did this time, UK iPad users would be getting a pretty bad deal.

Macworld UK is current estimating the WiFi-packing iPad UK price for the 16GB model at £417 with the iPad 64GB coming in at £584. That would be more bearable and as we’ve heard before Apple may be more flexible on the iPad pricing than it has been with previous products.

Let us know what you price you’d be willing to pay for the iPad and whether you’ll be buying one at all.

Thanks to iPad Fan for the tip.

Due April | £TBC | Apple

Related posts:

1. Apple iPad UK price leaked!
2. Fisher-Price iXL: iPad for Kids
3. Apple planning cut-price TV shows for iPad launch?

March Madness Comes to Hulu for “Best In Show” Showdown —

Are you just chomping at the bit for everyone’s favorite college basketball tourney to kick off? Well, you got a week or two to wait yet, buddy. In the meantime, though, Hulu is running its own bracket — one where you get to vote on the winners, even.

The five-week Best in Show campaign pairs up TV show contenders in eight different genres for a series of eliminations, which will lead to the declaration of an Ultimate Champion on April 5. Bud Light, which has sponsored the event, gets prominent brand placement, and Entertainment Weekly’s Ken Tucker is weighing in on the 16 picks (which are accompanied by off-site links to EW.com content).

What do the winning shows get? No clue. Is this anything but a popularity contest? Nope. Is it a quick and fun way to kill five minutes of your Friday afternoon? Darn tootin.’

I did my first-round bracket just now, and there are definitely some tight match-ups — Chuck and Dollhouse are tied at 50 percent each. Personally, I’m not looking forward to round 2, when I’ll be forced to pick between current frontrunners 30 Rock and The Office.

Related GigaOm Pro Content (subscription required): Memo to Cable Cos: Cord Cutters Aren’t The Issue

Rendered Speculation: Saab 9-1 gets drawn up —

Filed under: Hatchback, Saab, Design/Style

Victor Muller, CEO of Spyker Cars, has made it clear that Saab, which was just recently acquired by Muller's exclusive automaker, will introduce a new small car to go up against the Mini and the newly shown-off Audi A1. What's more, the new small Saab will hearken back to such classically styled Swedish iron as the classic 1949 92.

It's been rumored that the next Saab will be known as the 9-1 and will be based atop the underpinnings of the Opel Astra hatchback. Unlike past GM-based (or Subaru-based, depending) Saabs, though, Muller is reportedly telling his designers that every car wearing the Born-from-Jets badge must be instantly recognizable as a Saab.

That's enough information for a few talented artists to sketch out their own ideas of what a mini Saab might look like, and just such an illustration comes courtesy of Autobild. We have no clue how accurate it may be, but feel free to check it in full by clicking here. So, what do you think?

[Source: Autobild (translated)]

Rendered Speculation: Saab 9-1 gets drawn up originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 05 Mar 2010 17:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dilemma: What do you ask a guy like Richard Branson? —

Occasionally we all ask ourselves, “oh, if I ever get the chance to meet this person I’d walk up to him/her and say ” and by the time your dream comes true you’re standing there with your mouth open gazing at your hero and the only thing you can think of saying is: “Hi..I’m a big fan”.

Well if there is one entrepreneur you’d be hard pressed not to respect, it’s Sir Richard Branson. I have no clue how he did it, but he has reportedly founded eight “billion dollar” companies in eight different sectors. WHAT? I’ll repeat, eight billion dollar companies in eight different sectors.

So here I am with the following task, I have to ask Sir Richard a question, and he is actually going to answer it during an interview (you can submit your own question as well). OK, so there are so many things I’d like to ask him, I made a list (also thanks to @zee, @ron_belt @m4tt @patrickboonstra ) :

- Heineken or Bud?
- Do you make a decent business plan when you start a new company?
- What is your biggest regret?
- What do you consider as your biggest career achievement?
- What is the most expensive useless item you have bought?
- Is it really you who updates your twitter?
- Would you like to speak at The Next Web Conference?
- What piece of advice do you feel has most influenced your life and career?
- How come you haven’t invested in any “internet” startups – or at least a fund of some sort?
- Is there an industry you would still love to conquer (aside from space)?
- What is the most expensive useless item you have bought?
- What is the reason why you haven’t invited me and my friends to one of your private islands?

Now a question for you, my dear reader, which question should I ask him? (pick one of these or add your own in the comments)

P.S. I got to be thankful to Federated Media and Webex for giving me this opportunity and putting this event together. I’ll be watching the live stream when Sir Richard answers the question (feel free to tune in as well)

Which Older Actress Was Sucking Face with a Younger Reality Star? [Blind Items] —

When it is revealed, the star is going to have to spin it more than a lazy Susan. That's just a guess. We have no clue about a actress' dating habits or a bunch of Oscar nominees. That's your job!

1. "This blind involves two celebs. This aging celebrity, known for being an activist, and usually thought to be intelligent did something we think is a little stupid this last weekend. She was at a club (we're not sure why!) and allegedly had a hot and heavy make-out session with a very much younger, MTV star who is not our favorite. We hear they were both drinking and it was mostly just for fun, but still- yuck! Not Jane Fonda." [BuzzFoto]

2. "This actress has had interesting relationships with more than one celebrity. Now, though, she appears to be getting much more serious about her hunt for a long-term mate. Meeting her requirements isn't easy. Whenever she receives an offer to be fixed up on a date, the first thing she asks is, 'How much money does he make?' She refuses to go out with anyone who makes less money than she does. Considering that she is probably one of the 50 highest-paid actresses in the world, the number of men who fit into that category must be quite small. Oh, and in case you were wondering, the second question she asks is 'How tall is he?'" [Blind Gossip]

3. "This former A list television actress is now a struggling C lister. She has tried absolutely everything to recapture the fame she once had. Nothing works and when she can find a job like her last television movie it bombs louder than a Nicole Kidman film. At this point she is so desperate she has basically abandoned her husband and child/ren and will go anywhere or talk to anyone to get some publicity. Over the past two months she has spent about two nights at home with her family despite not even doing any actual movie or television work." [CDaN]

4. "Which nominee is known for klepto tendencies on some film sets?" [PopBitch]

5. "Which nominee is less gay than you'd think? They annoyed their London hotel minders by inviting a different girl to their suite (and sometimes more than one) on a film junket." [PopBitch]

6. "Which nominee's plastic surgery is the subject of much laughter at this week's pre-Oscar parties?" [PopBitch]

7. "Which nominee spent part of the '90s as a smacked-out recluse, enjoying heroin-fueled threesomes with a film director and actress?" [PopBitch]

8. "Which highly-sexed couple pleasure themselves by going on chatroulette on the net to talk dirty with strangers?" [UK Mirror]

10 Proven Steps to Snag a Guest Post on an A-List Blog —

Guest posting is the “in” thing. It’s the newest craze. All the kids are doing it!

You’ve heard it time and time again — guest posting is the best way of promoting your work. So why haven’t you become part of the hip crowd yet?

I know why. You’re scared of rejection. You’re not sure if you have the chops.

I can understand these feelings, but don’t get yourself down just yet.
I’m going to show you a surefire, bulletproof, unshakable, watertight, virtually guaranteed (insert as many hyperboles as you see fit) method of putting together a guest post . . . and it getting accepted.

But wait, there’s more! (Here comes the added bonus sales pitch.)

Not only will it get approved on just any two-bit blog in your niche, but on the most highly subscribed top A-list blogs themselves!

OK, let’s begin.

1. Visit your favorite A-list blog and read their guest posting guidelines

They’re at the top of your RSS reader and you read their posts every day, but did you even know there were guidelines for submissions? It might be a good idea to check them out before you do anything else. You never know what type of obscure archaic rules have been handed down by the high and mighty overlords.

Like proper grammar. Spelling. Having a clue. You know . . . really weird stuff.

Whoa! Let’s back up a small step. Do they even accept guest posts? Oh, good. They do. Let’s move on.

2. Study the focus of their content and the target audience of the blog

Your favorite blog covers the movie industry. You write about ice fishing. It’s a perfect fit, right?

Of course not.

Before you put pen to paper (virtually, of course), figure out the type of reader your favorite blog attracts. Generally, successful blogs try to serve content that’s consistent.

How does that blog fulfill their reader’s needs? Focus your guest post idea on what matters to those readers.

Your favorite blog may or may not be in the same niche you are. If not, what specific expertise do you have that fits in and would be useful? Find a way to bridge this gap between the two worlds.

Has there ever been a movie released about ice fishing? Wait . . . actually, it looks like there has been.

3. Skim through the past 2-3 months of posts

No one likes reading about the same exact thing every day (unless you’re a tech blogger). Writing about a subject that has been handled ad nauseum won’t add much value to the readers at the current time.

See what specific topics the blog has been hitting recently. See which areas in which they’ve been lacking the past few weeks. Read some comments and find out what their readers want to know more about.

Mold your idea by focusing on the blog’s immediate needs. You’ll have a much greater chance of hitting a nerve and having your guest post accepted.

4. Write the guest post. Don’t ask. Just do it

I’m serious here. This is the most important step. Take your idea, sit down and write the post. Yes, in full.

Don’t pitch the idea. Don’t ask for permission. Don’t solicit. Just write the best post you can.

It’s a very fast-paced world of short attention spans. A-list bloggers are extremely busy.

The whole process of submitting your idea, exchanging pleasantries, getting correspondence back, creating the post, submitting that, sucking up a bit, receiving feedback, editing a final draft, submitting again, sucking up some more, having it approved, formatting sub headers, adding links, inserting an image, entering a bio, final suck-up, and scheduling the post . . .

It’s really time-consuming.

Eliminate more than half the chain of events by simply writing the post as if it’s getting published as is. The A-list blogger will highly appreciate the fact that you’ve made it easy on him or her. If your content is indeed useful, pertinent and written well, you’ll dramatically increase your chances of it getting green-lit.

You’ve given the blogger all he or she needs to do besides e-mail you back with a resounding “yes!”

What’s the worst case scenario? It’s declined. Pfffft! Your work still has value. Submit the guest post elsewhere or put it on your own blog.

5. Come up with a creative post title that looks appealing and clickable

We all remember some of your last few gems: Stuff I Like, Where I Had Lunch, and Things to Do.

Let’s not repeat those failed post title attempts.

Numbered titles work. Hyperboles work. Questions work. Action words work. Utilize a highly recognized and search-heavy keyword or two if you can.

If you need some inspiration, the best method is to look at the blog’s past post titles, especially those listed as the most popular. Get a sense on how the A-list blogger prefers to title his or her posts and take their lead. Imitation is the best form of flattery, right?

6. Search your favorite blog’s past content and link it to your post

Old blog posts are so . . . yesterday! The world changes quickly, so why would any of your favorite blog’s past 728 posts even be considered relevant today?

You might be right, but all I know is that Google loves ancient history.

I just realized this today . . . all the search results that come up are from the past!

According to many SEOs (yet not others — apparently, the acronym SEO stands for “Seriously, Everyone has an Opinion”), it’s beneficial to link to old posts in new content for search optimization purposes.

More important, it provides proper context to the ideas included and gives readers a sense of back story on a topic. Help them understand the subject in greater depth.

Throwing in some links to the blog’s cornerstone content helps the A-list blogger as well. It saves them time (as discussed in step 4) so they don’t have to miss a second away from the secret ninja meetings conspiring with all of the other A-listers.

7. Add your own short byline to the bottom of the post with a link to your blog

Why bother? A prominent back link from a PR6 site with 100,000+ subscribers probably doesn’t mean much to you, right?

Oh, I forgot. That’s one of the primary reasons you’ve written the guest post in the first place. Silly me!

You can always just have the A-list blogger write the byline. They have tons of time to check out your site and figure out the best way to describe what you do. Maybe they’ll even get your name right.

Or you could play it safe. Write a short sentence or two that simply describes your blog and who you are. Nothing outrageous or over hyped. Unless you’re Johnny B. Truant.

Shamelessly self-promoting yourself is fine, but making it out that your blog “ToTaLLy roXorZ 4 LiFe!” is overdoing it just a bit. Remember, it’s going to be perceived by the reader as the A-list blogger’s voice — so if you can’t imagine him or her saying it, then you’ve gone too far.

8. Submit your guest post via the preferred method of contact

Using the A-list blogger’s geotagged location and delivering the post via bike messenger as they’re walking back from lunch — that’s just a bit too forceful downright creepy.

There’s no need to try and surprise the blogger in your creativity in getting the post to them.

This is where the guest posting guidelines come in handy. It’s very likely they’ll tell you exactly where to submit the post. When in doubt, the contact form on the blog itself is always the best bet.

Include nothing extraneous to the actual guest post content, other than a very short introduction showing your intentions.

Remember step 4? Of course you do. Don’t take the A-lister’s time for granted by droning on for 17 paragraphs about yourself, your blog, your thought process, your broken childhood, your aversion to baked beans, or your last trip to the Andes when you survived 72 days in the frigid cold by feeding off the dead bodies of your fellow Uruguayan rugby teammates.

Sucking up, on the other hand, is okay. Trust me.

9. Find a friend with a connection

If you’ve been a good little blogger, you’ve been using social media platforms to connect with peers in your niche. Although you desperately try to get attention by retweeting every single post of the bigger fish, it’s better to aim for someone lower down in the food chain.

B and C-listers love helping out the “small fries” because it makes them feel like an A-lister!

Skim through the target blog’s last few months of guest posts and see if there are any familiar names as authors — ones who you have developed a relationship with online. Well, now it’s time to call in a marker.

Don’t be shy, but don’t be pushy either. Tell them you’ve submitted a guest post to the blog. Simply ask them if they wouldn’t mind giving the blogger a quick “heads up” about it. There’s no need whatsoever for a glowing endorsement.

Popular bloggers are pitched post ideas all the time — a majority from people who are complete strangers (many they’d like to keep that way). Your goal is to just have your name recognized and stand out a little from the pack. That’s all.

10a. Bask in your glory

If you were able to pull off the first 9 steps, congratulations! You’re one of the few people who actually implement what they read. Of course, the A-list blog will probably publish your guest post on a “filler” low-traffic day. C’mon, you’re a blogger — you always need something to complain about!

10b. Live to fight another day

The A-list blogger still passed on your guest post? Don’t worry, you can always pitch it somewhere else or put it on your own blog.

First though, you must write an inflammatory post that knocks the A-lister off his or her fancy pedestal. They obviously don’t appreciate their community if they’re unwilling to accept your undisputed brilliance.

[Editor’s note: You guys do know he's kidding, right?]

While you’re at it, send me a really nasty e-mail bemoaning my advice. As a concession, I’ll put up your work on my blog. I’m sure my visitors would love to read your guest post titled: “7 Things I Like To Do When Ice Fishing For Dead Bodies In The Andes”

About the Author: Jordan Cooper is a 13-year professional stand-up comedian who showcases his sarcastic humor with videos and written rants about blogging, social media & marketing at Not A Pro Blog.

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Plan your Delhi Metro Trip with Google Maps —

If you are based in New Delhi or are planning a trip to the Indian Capital in the near future but have no clue about the city’s transportation system, here’s something that should interest you.

All the Delhi Metro Rail stations and train routes are now available on Google Maps.

You just have to key-in your current location (where you are starting from) and the end address (where you are going to) and Google Maps will instantly give you the required information such as which Metro should you take and the train’s schedule.

If there’re no Metro stations at your starting address, Google Maps will automatically suggest you a path and the best mode of transportation for you to quickly reach the nearest Metro station.

In addition to Delhi DMRC, Google Maps also includes transit details for Kolkata Metro, Chennai MRTS and Hyderabad MMTS. Here’s a video demo on how you can use Google Maps to plan trips with the metro service in Delhi and other cities.

If you don’t plan to travel by Metro but are only curious to know the areas in Delhi that are connected by Metro Rail, just check the “Transit” option under the “More” menu.

Thanks Arpit Kumar for the tip.

Plan your Delhi Metro Trip with Google Maps

Originally published at Digital Inspiration by Amit Agarwal.

     

Wi-Fi detectors eighty-sixed from App Store —

Apple has come across controversy recently by clearing out some apps from its App Store. Today the company has scrapped more apps — this time, apps designed to detect Wi-Fi hotspots. The move seems strange, since users will still be able to scan for hotspots with their iPhones; they just won’t be able to use an app to do it. Apple hasn’t explained itself, even to the developers effected, who have no clue why their app has been kicked out of the App Store.

Even more strange is the fact that the de-selection seems to single out certain apps. Apple has pulled apps that actively scan for Wi-Fi hotspots, but left those that use a database of hotspots in conjunction with GPS data. One developer, Three Jacks Software, said in a blog post that they received an email from Apple saying that their app, WiFi Where, had been taken down due to the product’s use of ‘private frameworks’ to access wireless information. Other newly-banned apps include WiFiTrack, WiFiFoForum, yFy Network Finder and WiFi Get.

In a post online, Three Jacks notes that many such apps have been available for a considerable amount of time and that their own WiFi Where app went through months of submissions before it was approved in January. Two months later, it’s out.

Apple did not respond to our phone calls for a comment. Developers, though, must be getting antsy about seemingly arbitrary decisions over which apps can still get distributed on the App Store and which will get ditched.

Apple Bans WiFi Detection Apps —

Apple has banned Wi-Fi hotspot detecting applications for the iPhone and no one seems to know why, reports The Register.

Only applications that actively scan have been pulled: those that use a database of hotspots combined with GPS data garnered from the handset are still available. Users can manually search for nearby hotspots in the usual way, but applications that do the same thing are no longer allowed.

TechCrunch says that PlaceEngine provider Koozyt says Apple changed their policy regarding “the way apps access Wi-Fi devices”. Their augmented reality app, and a number of other PlaceEngine-powered apps such as WiFi Where were apparently kicked out (including Yahoo! Maps for the iPhone).

Apple hasn’t given the developers of the removed applications much clue as to what they’ve done wrong, saying only that they were “using private frameworks”. Details are still unclear at this point.

Magic: The Gathering Movie Backs Away From Pure Fantasy [Magic] —

Hasbro has been prepping movie debuts, from Candyland to Clue, but it sounds like they have an offbeat plan for their fantasy card game Magic: The Gathering: forcing it into contemporary times. Will fans accept a modern-day Magic?

In an interview with MTV CEO Brian Goldner explained that they were going with the Planeswalker mage story, in which the mage can travel through time. Meaning, we could see a movie set in the here and now.

They are much more contemporary people, and their powers are much more contemporary in nature, and more consistent with the people who play our games. And I think that could provide an interesting point of difference versus the historical Merlin or wizards type of storyline."

Hmmm, not really sure how everyone will feel about this, but we can see how this might appeal to a broader audience. Still the project is a long way off, so many changes could be made.

NEWS: Apple pulls Wi-Fi detection apps —

No reason given

Apple has suddenly and inexplicably subjected the App Store to its whims, once more. This time around, it's Wi-Fi hotspot detecting apps that have been removed from sale.

Apple hasn't given the developers of the removed applications much clue as to what they've done wrong, saying only that they were "using private frameworks". The ban only applies to apps which scan for networks - not those which let the user search for nearby hotspots based on their GPS location and a database.

The developer of one such application, WiFi Where, told the Register: "We received a very unfortunate email today from Apple stating that WiFi Where has been removed from sale on the App Store for using private frameworks to access wireless information".

Apple has become increasingly heavy-handed with its App Store regulations of late, pulling almost all which contained any kind of "objectionable content" except the ones from large publishers. While the App Store remains the largest platform for mobile applications, Android is catching up fast and repeated moves like this could have a serious effect on its future viability.

Read

Tags: Software iPhone apps Apple App Store Wi-Fi

Apple pulls Wi-Fi detection apps originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 04 Mar 2010 14:29:28 +0000

Ramon Resa, MD: Who Would Have Thought Jerry Seinfeld Could Be Such a Great Dad? —

I always considered Jerry Seinfeld a good comedian and a well-known TV personality but not much else. The last I heard of him was when his show ended and he got married. Naturally, I assumed that he had probably already divorced, like most celebrities, and perhaps had been in and out of relationships for the past decade. I mean, even us normal folk tend to witness the demise of our marriages more often than not.

But boy was I wrong. He even has kids!

A recent Parade article ("No Place Like Home," by Harlan Coben) opened my eyes. Jerry Seinfeld sounds like a great dad! His insightful comments were a revelation to me, especially considering that his show was about a single male living in New York, seemingly without a clue regarding how to raise kids, let alone maintain a stable relationship. This is the guy who, on television, portrayed kids in a negative light or not at all throughout a decade of Seinfeld. As rich as he is, I thought that if he ever had kids, they would be spoiled like Paris Hilton, accomplishing nothing and living off the family name.

When I read his three rules of parenting, what he calls "The Poison Ps," I became an instant post-Seinfeld Seinfeld fan.

His first P is Praise- "We tell our kids, 'Great job!' too much," he says. Boy, do I agree. Parents come into my office (I am a pediatrician) and brag about their kids' grades even though they are barely passing. They look pleased as they tell me that a "C" means that their children are eligible for athletics.

Seinfeld's second P is problem-solving- "We refuse to let our children have problems. Problem solving is the most important skill to develop for success in life, and we for some reason cannot stand it if our kids have a situation that they need to 'fix.' Let them struggle - it's a gift."

Very well put. Countless times, I witness parents overstepping their bounds in an attempt to resolve a situation in which their children have placed themselves. A very common one, for instance, is not allowing children enough time to finish a school paper or project. The parents step in and finish the paper and the students get "A's" that they did not deserve. Even in the more mundane aspects of life, however, parents still go over the top and prevent their children from attempting to resolve the mysteries of life without being spoon-fed the answers in advance.

Jerry's third P- "Giving your child too much Pleasure," is one that pretty much explains a key element in the childhood obesity epidemic. We feel guilty and will stop at nothing to make our children's lives as perfect as possible. We interfere in their play activities in order to prevent them from getting hurt. We never allow them to experience physical or mental pain. We will wait in line for hours and pay top dollar for the latest toy or electronic gadget in order to avoid having our children face disappointment. We refuse to allow them to play outdoors and climb trees or rocks for fear they might hurt themselves, get wet, get cold, get sick, get into trouble, and instead we, in essence, encourage them to stay inside and play video games. We do not allow them to interact with strangers or other kids unless we vet them first. (Heaven forbid, the new neighbor might be a child molester, or the new kid might have germs and we certainly do not want our kids to get even the mildest cold.) We are wrapping our children in a cocoon of protection, and while we protect them from catastrophe, we lessen their experience of life.

Reading this article about Jerry Seinfeld made me realize that not all celebrities are bad role models for parents and children. Now, when we see countless cases of bad behavior in sports figures and movie stars, it is nice to have a major celebrity, worth hundreds of millions of dollars, emphasize the importance of not over-indulging your child and controlling every aspect of their lives.

So folks, learn the Three Poison Ps from Mr. Seinfeld. You will be a better parent for it, and your children will grow up appreciating the gift you grant them: freedom to experiment, freedom to fail, and freedom to succeed, all on their own.

Lost iPod Touch Sparks Unexpected Bidding War —

'History Detectives' investigate the case of the mylar mystery — There is a mystery afoot at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center -- the case of the mylar mystery to be exact. The PBS show "The History Detectives" recently investigated questions surrounding one clue -- a small, unassuming, silver sample of mylar with pink residue on one side. The mystery to be solved was whether or not this bit of mylar was from Goddard's Echo II satelloon project. Satelloons are a combination of satellites and balloons which were constructed out of bright, metallic mylar for increased visibility.

Spartan Daybed — So we have absolutely no clue what it has to do with Sparta, Spartans, or Sparty, the Michigan State mascot, but we're willing to overlook the silly name of the...

Visit Uncrate for the full post.

The iPad Cometh… And I Am Psyched —

As February turns into March and the release of the iPad draws near (or not depending on which rumors you listen to) I for one am pretty darn excited. No, we still don’t have an official release date (although the current rumor says the 26th for the WiFi version). No, we still don’t have a final word on the OS version at release time. And no, we still don’t have a clue if Apple is going to let us pre-order from the warmth and comfort of our homes, or if we will have to camp out the night before in order to get one of the first released.

One thing is for sure however… Every day brings us a bit closer to the iPad and every day I realize a bit more how truly useful it will be.

I started to write a post listing a few thoughts on how the iPad will integrate into my life-flow. Sorry but “work-flow” seemed a bit too limited since this device will be awesome for both work and play! That post became far longer than initially planned (hey I’m excited, what can I say?), so I have decided to split it into a series of different posts.

Let’s start with Evernote and the iPad.

… [visit site to read more]

Related posts:

1. No Surprise Here and That’s A Good Thing- Evernote Has Big Plans For The iPad

Tags: Apple iPad, Cloud Computing

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