Website Tech

Author: Yoda

  • My Favorite Ballroom Dances

    Which Are My Favorite Ballroom Dances?

    • West Coast Swing, playful, elegant, can be danced to a lot of popular music
    • Rumba, so sensual, and I like the slower pace
    • Waltz, slow waltz, to popular or country music
    • East Coast Swing, to Big Band music especially
    • Cha-Cha
    • Foxtrot (especially to upbeat country music, as a Texas Two-Step)
    • Salsa

    Dances I Most Want to Learn

    • Argentine Tango (very sexy, and you have to feel the music from a different culture)
    • Salsa complex patterns, flowing one into the next

    West Coast Swing, Rumba, Waltz, Salsa, Cha-Cha, Foxtrot, I love them all.

    I love the music for Viennese Waltz, (Johann Strauss, gorgeous) but it’s so fast, I would need a lot of practice to do it well.

    Dance Parties?

    I want a place to live with a hardwood floor in the living room, for dance parties (for many people, or for just two…)

  • La Bohème, Freni, Pavarotti

    La Bohème – Puccini – Freni, Pavarotti, Panerai, Harwood, Ghiaurov, Maffeo, Karajan conducting the Berlin Philharmonic, 1972.

    Listened last night to most of the opera. I’ve had this CD for years

    “Che gelida manina” and “Mi chiamano Mimi” are absolutely splendid.

  • Easily Market ClickBank Products to More Twitter Followers

    I found this great tool to help you:

    • Find more people interested in your niche
    • Send them tweets relevant to their interests
    • Promote products you market, both your own and ones on ClickBank
    • Find more products to market, that are in your niche as well as the best-selling niches.

    Tweet-o-Matic Profiteer: Easily Promote the ClickBank Marketplace With Our Market-Smashing Twitter Software
    Combine automating targeted Twitter posts, with marketing your ClickBank affiliate products. Increases your Twitter followers, places ads for your affiliate products. Know what are the most profitable products in the most popular niches. You don’t need to know anything about affiliate marketing or search engine optimization. Need to be able to write emails. Set up as many accounts as you want. (Write tweets relevant to your followers, and they are more likely to follow your leads. Guide book goes over how to use the software and market well.)

    Get the Tweet-O-Matic Profiteer now and, you’ll make more money.

  • Cell Phone "Do Not Disturb"

    I would love a feature on a cell phone, I’ve never seen it mentioned.

    “Don’t make a sound or vibrate until 8:00am Monday”.

    “Don’t make a sound or vibrate until the symphony is over at 10:30pm”

    Do not disturb me for:
    15 min, 30 min, 60 min, 90 min, 120 min

    Do not disturb me until [time I specify, and even date & time I specify].

    Remind me if I have an alarm set that will go off during that time. Default to allowing the alarm to go through.

    Do not disturb = no sounds, no vibration, until the time I specified.

    Would also be good to have a count down timer, when time is up, make the alert sound I specify (and have a default sound to use). Egg timer, workshop “share with each other for 3 minutes” timer. Could use multiple count-down timers (for example, “you have 10 minutes to present your ideas, with a 1 minute warning”); 10 should be plenty, don’t you think?

    Anyone know of a cell phone with do not disturb and count down timer?

    Where would a cell phone designer have to think from to come up with ideas like this?

    LG? Samsung? Motorola? Nokia? It’s a little thing, and I’d love you for it…

  • Make decisions easy for customers

    How much is what I want???
    What do I get with that???

    Make it easy for customers to do business with you.

    Cell phone companies are (usually poor) examples of how to make shopping easy.

    Instead of showing the price for what I want, the web site says price “requires one of these plans”. Well, I don’t know what that plan is, and I don’t know how much that plan costs. Then I go look at what that plan is, and it gives options — I still don’t know what my plan is going to cost.

    Here’s what I want to know:
    – How much is it?
    – How much is the difference in price from my current plan?
    – What is the difference in features from my current plan?

    Having the web site clear is even more important when I call customer service. Many companies have customer service read the web site, of course. If the web site isn’t clear, phone conversations will be even less clear than looking at the web site, since I’d have to (try to) remember the numbers they quickly read to me.

    What do you want? (I select it)

    Here’s what you’ve selected and how much it costs, and here’s how your plan will be different than what you have now.

    Here’s some options and how much your plan would cost with each one

    From what you’ve selected, (repeat previous step)

    Place order

    I want to make 600 to 800 minutes of calls per month, send 200-500 text messages a month, and occasionally be able to check a web site. Got that? Ok, now how much does that plan cost? Oh, that’s too much, how much with this smaller option?

    I want answers in this format:
    Great, if you want X minutes phone calls, unlimited text messaging and 5GB web access, here’s the price for the plan you’ve selected.
    (If you talk to customer service, say you want the “ABC Plan with DEF”).
    This is $X more than your current plan.
    From this selection, here are some other options to consider:
    a: unlimited this $/month (show total and difference)
    b: unlimited that
    c: more limited this
    d: more limited that

    If the customer says something is important to them, mention it in every plan description. If being able to download a song is important to me, don’t neglect mentioning that, just because I select a plan that includes it. “Download a Song (included with unlimited web access)”.

    Trip planning is important to me; is that included with the web access? Is it separate? How much does it cost without web access, how much with web access? How about “You said trip planning was a feature you are interested in. This plan includes it; or, this plan doesn’t include it, $X to add it”.

    Simple. Clear. Easy.

    Don’t clutter up “here’s what you get” with every feature under the sun. Most of the features are unimportant to customers. The place for listing every feature is in the early “what do you want” phase, not the “are you ready to order” phase.

    “Oh, I really want voice mail, does this plan have voice mail?” Well, all our plans have the same voice mail. “Fine, I’m checking I want voice mail, so show it”. Don’t whine to me about “it’s in the All Plans Offer section”. “It’s important to me, show me what’s important to me, and don’t show me this other junk”.

    “OK, we’ll show the list of all features available, and you can check off what’s important to you, and we’ll show you each time whether the plan you’ve selected has that feature or not. We’ll even organize the features in sections, so your screen isn’t cluttered.”

    Make it easy for customers to do business with you.

  • Mona Lisa digitally restored

    The Mona Lisa has deteriorated from being exhibited even in sunlight, she was so popular. With ultra-high resolution photography in 13 frequencies of light from infrared to low ultra-violet, and with spectral analysis of the ingredients Leonardo da Vinci had available for paints, and of the varnishes used over time to protect the painting, the Mona Lisa has been “digitally restored”.

    Learn the scientific findings, by Pascal Cotte and Lumiere Technology and see the true colors and detail (including individually drawn eyelashes, and new painting techniques that gave astonishingly realistic skin), as close as we can get to what the Mona Lisa looked like when da Vinci finished what became the world’s most famous painting.

    There is a short clip showing some of the new findings about the painting, at Mona Lisa Revealed

    One good description of artist reviews at the time she was painted, and a fairly large image of the current and restored painting is at Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa in Original Colors

  • MPEG StreamClip convert Sony HandyCam videos

    MPEG StreamClip for Mac and Windows is from SQUARED 5, http://www.squared5.com/svideo/mpeg-streamclip-mac.html

    I use it to convert files from a Sony HandyCam that Final Cut Express can’t play properly (no audio) into a format that plays audio and doesn’t need to be rendered.

    Plus, from the site: “MPEG Streamclip (with or without the MPEG-2 Playback Component) can also convert MPEG-2 transport streams into muxed MPEG-2 files”, another format the HandyCam can write.

    Free, OSX and Windows versions.

  • Find keywords of good Adwords campaigns

    Just found out about a free keyword tool, allows you to see what any Adwords advertiser is currently bidding on via Google Adwords!

    What’s even cooler is how it works. All you do is browse Google, and the software will automatically place a “view keywords” button below any Adwords advertiser’s listing.

    If you click the button, a  popup window shows you the keywords they’re bidding on! It’s super cool.

  • Final Cut editing without rendering again and again

    Do you spend too much time rendering as you edit videos in Final Cut?

    This YouTube clip, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XEjAOFsDVQ “No more rendering in Final Cut Express” shows how to cut rendering to one time.

    There is a free utility mentioned in that video. Use MPEG StreamClip to convert video and audio to a format that Final Cut recognizes without rendering.

    Use the free utility MPEG StreamClip to export your video to Apple DV/DVCPRO – NTSC format at Quality 100%, Sound settings: Uncompressed 48KHz. No more rendering in Final Cut!

    Note: Make sure the Clip settings match the Sequence settings.

  • Sending email using web hosting security if ISP blocks non-subscribers

    Many ISPs (internet service providers) block outgoing emails from anyone who is not a subscriber. This is an anti-spam feature; the ISP knows who you are when you send emails.

    If the ISP you are connecting through blocks emails, outgoing emails would not go through, and instead you would get (in Thunderbird) an error message: “An error occurred sending mail: The mail server sent an incorrect greeting: cannot connect to SMTP server [the IP address of the server], connect error 10060.”

    Normally, if you have house mates, any house mates need to put Your account information in their email program to send out emails. You would either have to type in your account information, or give it to them. They would be essentially sending emails as you, as far as your ISP is concerned.

    Or, if you are a consultant, to send emails you would need to get your client’s ISP account information to send emails, definitely not professional.

    Or you would have to use web mail.

    If you (or your house mates) have web site hosting, then use the security of the web hosting account, instead of the security of the ISP account.

    This is Very useful for people who have a notebook computer and connect from different locations, as you can send emails even if an ISP only permits their subscribers to send emails via SMTP port 25, without re-configuring your email settings.

    I have web hosting through LunarPages.com, and use Thunderbird for my emails. If you have a different host or different email program, adjust accordingly.

    The configuration for Thunderbird and LunarPages is:

    In Tools, Account Settings, scroll down past “Local Folders” (see image 1)
    Account Settings main screen

    Click on Outgoing Server (SMTP): (image 2)
    Outgoing Server settings

    Select the account you want, click Edit (or click Add)

    Settings like this work: (image 3)
    Outgoing Server settings
    Description is for your use, put what you like there.
    Server name: use the server for your web hosting account
    If your ISP blocks smtp port 25, try port 587 or port 26.
    User Name: your web hosting account name
    Use secure connection: TLS, if available (uses your web hosting sign in, instead of your ISP sign in, to validate who you are independent of the ISP you are connecting through.

  • Real estate financing in Today's tight economy

    Real Estate Financing

    Someone asked me on Twitter: “@george_lerner Are you able to get financing? My So Cal Realtor friends say getting a loan is next to impossible. What do you think?”

    Absolutely right, getting a loan from Banks is next to impossible, despite them receiving $billions and federal guarantees. See Where’d the bailout money go? Banks aren’t saying and In 2009, Economy Will Depend on Unlocking Credit for more.

    There are, however, People who have $100,000 or more in an investment account, who would Love some way to make more than they have been getting from investing in stocks or mutual funds. (Most stocks and mutual funds are Losing money, fast; a positive return would be Great!)

    How can someone with an IRA invest in Real Estate?

    You can switch to a self-directed IRA. Talk to your investment advisor about how to do it, and what the rules are. (Of course, make sure you have an advisor who understands investing. If they don’t Find Another Advisor! Ask the wealthiest people you know where to find them…)

    Then instead of you taking money out to buy property, you Leave the Money IN the account. The account (your IRA, or 401K, or other investment account) buys the property, it owns it, just like the IRA you have now has been buying stocks. The investment returns stay in the IRA too.

    Isn’t real estate a Bad investment now?

    That’s not what savvy investors think. The people who have money and know how finances work are very excited now.

    Yes, as USA Today reported October home prices drop to March 2004 levels – but as an investor looking to buy property, that means America is On Sale. Ever heard the investing rule: Buy Low, Sell High(er)? With the number of houses sitting vacant owned by the banks, and the number of properties that are still facing foreclosure, you can buy properties at very low prices, if you have (or can get) cash.

    What if I don’t know how to pick investment real estate?

    You need to buy property 20% to 30% below Current market prices. This is Not the time for wishful thinking, hoping the price will go up. Are there properties available at those prices? Absolutely.

    I have systems in place for locating properties, evaluating what price the property should sell for quickly today, make offers on only the best potential deals, and inspect and appraise the property (and re-negotiate if the inspection or appraisal doesn’t meet my standards).

    I have money, how can I participate?

    There are two basic ways:

    1) I find the property, verify the property is a deal, you pay me for bringing the deal to you, you buy the house (and then lease it or rent it, the income going into your investment account).

    2) You fund the initial purchase of the house and any rehab needed, your investment guaranteed by the property. I find a buyer who can pay cash (either from their investment accounts or they get a loan) to cover our expenses.  I carry a note for the remainder of their purchase price (still substantially below market price); I pay back your investment plus interest.

    There are numerous ways we can have the investment work. I will go over options that fit each property individually, and you pick the property and investment option that makes sense to you.

    Helping Home Buyers

    Banks have huge inventories of REO property, “real estate owned by the bank”. But banks are not meant to be in the real estate business, they are supposed to be in the lending business. Normally banks own mortgages, not houses. Real estate they own interferes with their ability to lend money. So we can negotiate great prices with banks.

    Houses we pick carefully, purchase well, fix up if needed, and market, are available to home buyers.

    We can then get home buyer’s financing:  since we own the house, no mortgage on it, we can set any financing criteria, down payment, and terms that work for us! You can earn interest just like banks do.

    Are there people who have money to pay for the house, maybe some credit blemishes from years ago that are from circumstances that have passed, good people, who want houses? Absolutely. We can find out what happened that hurt their credit score, and many people turned down by banks would seem to Us to be good credit risks — especially since we purchased the house at such a low price.

    We are helping the entire economy when we get houses from banks to home owners.

    Comments? Questions?

    Either write comments below, or contact me in private.

  • WordPress add-ons to improve your blog

    You want to have people find what they want to read on your blog? Well, you can customize your WordPress blog so that is easier.

    Is the appearance of your blog important to you? Do you want to have the appearance match the mood and style of your writing? You can have that.

    Changing the overall appearance of your blog

    There are hundreds of ways you can customize how your WordPress blog looks, and dozens of great features you can add. So many you could spend hours just picking which ones interest you the most.  Then you’d have to spend hours installing them, testing them, finding out which options to use. Even if you’re tech-minded, it’s too much to do, and trying out different looks is not what you should be spending your time on.

    When you are starting to blog, what is most important is writing. So here’s what I found that experts have recommended or people have said they really want to have on their blogs.

    Start with these WordPress add-ons, and configure them this way. (Later, when you’re rich and famous and have lots of people reading your blog, you can add more enhancements if you want to.)

    Themes and Appearance

    I found many themes I liked (themes specify the overall structure of how is information organized on the page) at http://alexking.org/projects/wordpress/themes and styles (the colors and fonts that make up the “look” of your blog) at http://alexking.org/projects/wordpress/styles and was done searching. I’m using the Carrington template, and haven’t changed the style: it looks professional, easy to read, and is organized better while I am composing my posts than the default template is.

    Social Networking: how do I let people on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, etc know I’ve blogged?

    Twitter lets people who are interested in what you are doing stay connected with you. Let them know a mixture of your activities, what you enjoy, what you need, what you are working on, and what you offer. With these tools, you very easily post on Twitter what you blogged about.

    Twitter Tools –
    http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/twitter-tools/
    Creates a complete integration between your WordPress blog and your Twitter account. Create a daily digest post of your tweets. Create a tweet on Twitter whenever you post in your blog, with a link to the blog post.

    Twitter Widget Pro –
    http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/twitter-widget-pro/
    A widget that properly handles displaying twitter feeds on the sidebar of your blog, including @username and link parsing. It supports displaying profiles images, and even lets you control whether to display the time and date of a tweet or how log ago it happened (about 5 hours ago, etc). Requires PHP5 on your server.

    Facelook WordPress Plugin –
    http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/facelook-facebook-badge-wordpress-plugin/
    Brings your FaceBook badge into your blog

    How can I make it easier for people to find what they want to read? (How do I do search engine optimization on blog posts?)

    All in One SEO Pack –
    http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/all-in-one-seo-pack/
    I’ll write a tutorial on using this tool well. Briefly, you can easily change all the important elements of your blog posts so search engines bring people to the specific posts they are interested in.

    I want to know what people think of what I write. Can I have people rate my posts?

    Rating of posts and pages and comments
    http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/gd-star-rating/
    (the manual is available at http://wp.gdragon.info/plugins/gd-star-rating/, or direct link for the GD Star Rating User Guide 1.0.5 – http://wp.gdragon.info/download/12/)

    My blog is very important. How can I back it up?

    WP-DB-Backup –
    http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wp-db-backup/

    I have great quotes I’d love to put on my blog to make it more interesting. Can I?

    Quotes Collection
    http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/quotes-collection/
    This adds a nice interface to add, edit and manage quotes. Quotes can be displayed in a page by placing a piece of code (quick tags), selected by source or tag . This also helps keep your blog entries fresh, in a way that adds content, that search engines love.

    I want to mention books, and have links to Amazon near them. How do I do that?

    Amazon Showcase WordPress Widget –
    http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/amazon-showcase-wordpress-widget/

    Where’d you get those amazing space photos from?

    NASA Image Of The Day –
    http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/nasa-image-of-the-day/