Join us tonight (Thursday, March 31st), for a groundbreaking Chris Pirillo Show!
We'll be doing our live broadcast, but instead of us simply talking about technology, we'll be showing you - on your screen. With GoToMeeting acting as a conference bridge, this will be the first (EVER) truly interactive Chris Pirillo Show. To take part in this event, register here.
This session will be FREE, folks - and a ton of fun! Nobody has ever used conference software to do this kind of thing before now. Sign-up ASAP and see it all unfold on March 31st at 7PM (PST). Only the first 200 people will be able to follow along on their screen.
Why sign up?
* Get your answers illustrated on screen
* Be a part of an exclusive group of 200
* This special broadcast is completely FREE
* Have a truly interactive experience with us
See you tonight!

Join us tonight (Thursday, March 31st), for a groundbreaking Chris Pirillo Show!

We’ll be doing our live broadcast, but instead of us simply talking about technology, we’ll be showing you - on your screen. With GoToMeeting acting as a conference bridge, this will be the first (EVER) truly interactive Chris Pirillo Show. To take part in this event, register here.

This session will be FREE, folks - and a ton of fun! Nobody has ever used conference software to do this kind of thing before now. Sign-up ASAP and see it all unfold on March 31st at 7PM (PST). Only the first 200 people will be able to follow along on their screen.

Why sign up?

* Get your answers illustrated on screen
* Be a part of an exclusive group of 200
* This special broadcast is completely FREE
* Have a truly interactive experience with us

See you soon!

He doesn't have an RSS feed, but Gary Boone does have a few good ideas…

Chris, hi. I've been following your career for a while and enjoyed reading your many, many contributions and cool finds. So when I discovered something cool, I thought you might be the right guy to show it to.
I've created some cool hacks for the MSN Toolbar. These hacks allow the toolbar to do some useful things and change the way I look at desktop search.
For example, one of my hacks allows to you type “pr xxxxx” into the toolbar to hear the pronunciation of any word `xxxxx'. Another allows you to type “map work to xxxxx” or “map xxxxx to home” to plot routes to and from work or home using Google Maps. These hacks aren't the same the existing shortcut mechanism-they use built-in scripting to allow much more control over the OS and the web.
Two cool parts: First, it turns out that everything you need to do OS and web scripting is already built into most versions of Windows. It's called Windows Script Host and runs VBScript or Javascript. So it's easy for technically-minded people to write scripts that can be called from the MSN Toolbar. They don't need a development environment. The Deskbar provides a convenient way to have them always available fast.
The other thing I think is cool is that the shortcuts and these scripting extensions give a new way at looking at desktop search. We've been looking at it as _document_ search. But what about _application_ search? Imagine being able to search for the right command at the right moment. MSN Toolbar allows this already in that you can type “exc” into the Deskbar and Excel will appear as the first entry. Down arrow, enter to launch. Fast! (You may have to set your search options to search the whole computer beforehand.) Now with the scripting mechanism, anyone can make cool mini proggies that launch fast from the Deskbar. Cool!
What do you think? Neat? I thought about posting a comment on your recent blog about desktop search, but thought you might have better ideas for getting the word out on Toolbar Hacks. I'd like to see others create hacks and extend the functionality of desktop search.
My examples are here.

Well, I'm still a DQSD fan… you can do similar scripting with it, and the menu is much more useful.

Why do guys love burping and farting? Not just making 'em, but laughing whenever they hear a burp and/or fart come from somebody else? For some reason, most males laugh involuntarily whenever they hear someone let loose with a juicy belch or pull a left cheek sneak. And don't let Ponzi fool you; she's just as lethal when she drinks something carbonated. Only, her burps are usually “Otz!” quickies, instead of my longer “Fzzzzccccchaaaaaaarrrrrp!” air bulletins. Her excuse is that she's showing me how “silly” I'm being when I do it. My belief is that she wishes she had the same timbre. When I hear a burp, I laugh. When I hear a fart, I laugh so hard - I burp. I can't help it; there's something in my genes. “Aaaaaaaarp” if you hear what I'm sayin'.

Joel is an Internet entrepreneur who has been online for 20 years. In 1995, he launched WorldVillage.com, a family-friendly portal to the web which enjoys thousands of visitors each day. He is one-half of the brain trust behind ClassicGames.com, which was acquired by Yahoo! in 1997, and now goes by the name Yahoo! Games. Since then, Joel’s company, InfoMedia, Inc., has launched over a dozen web sites, including the popular bargain-hunting shopping site, DealofDay.com (coupon codes), SafetySurf.com (parental control) and Family First. He has also authored an ebook on making money with Google Adsense. He is known as the Mayor of WorldVillage, an unelected position better qualified as a benevolent dictatorship.

Chris spent a large amount of time speaking with Joel about the present and future of online advertising, and how contextually-relevant ads will force the television, magazine, newspaper, and radio industries to change their models. This particular conversation is driven by two individuals who have been creating content online for close to a decade. Chris and Joel are both publishers AND users.

Alex Williams is the managing director of Corante Events where he runs on and offline programming. A former journalist, magazine editor and television broadcast anchor, Alex formerly founded DecisionCast, a producer of online events and programming, and is the creator of RSS WinterFest, Outsourcing Conversations, and other innovative and probing programs.

With a masters in journalism, Alex has a qualified perspective on the validity of “citizen media.” Chris and Alex spent a fair amount of time talking about the Pacific Northwest, and how individuals in this area are starting to make things happen. We also get the scoop on Podcast Hotel, taking place at some point this summer in Portland. Chris also shares a handful of Gnomedex feelings with Alex, with both of them now finding themselves fulfilling the “conference director” role.

I didn't start the fire.

I found it! I found it! I found it!
One of the things I dislike (very much) about my Nikon Coolpix camera is that it only records video in “MOV” format instead of a much more neutral AVI. Sorry, but Quicktime on Windows is a total desktop kludge. This morning, as I was flipping through my favorite feeds, I discovered MP4Cam2AVI:

MP4Cam2AVI is a .MP4|.MOV to .AVI convert & join tool for digital MPEG-4 camcorders, such as Sanyo Xacti C1/C4, Pentax Optio MX/MX4, Sony DSC-M1, Olympus C770 Movie, Samsung V40/50/70 etc. Also it supports MJPEG .MOV files from digital photo cameras.

Yes! Yes! Yes! Thank you, graywolf2004! It works like a charm! I can't use enough exclamation marks! I'm getting way too excited over this! Open source wins again!

I've been watching the Desktop Search space for a wihle now. For me, it's all about usability - and that's something I just didn't see with the tools from Google, MSN, or X1 (Yahoo!). As such, I wanted to comment publicly on Rob Pegoraro's recent Washington Post article, “Seeking a More Intuitive Search Tool.” Props to Marc Orchant for pointing it out to me.
Rob is 110% correct by saying that Microsoft screwed the pooch with XP's search tool. He used a slightly different metaphor, but the sentiment is parallel. I was thrilled to see my favorite product, Copernic Desktop Search, listed in the roundup - but kinda offended that someone chose the word “obscure” to describe the company. Nothing could be further from the truth. Compared to Google, MSN, or Yahoo, everybody else *IS* obscure - but Copernic has been in the desktop-based search space a lot longer than any of the three! The successes of Copernic Agent set the stage for Copernic Desktop Search.
Rob hiccuped again:

But if you use a non-Microsoft mail program, only Blinkx and Google welcome you: The former works with Eudora, the latter with Netscape, Mozilla and Thunderbird.

First, Copernic was one of the first Desktop Search tools to support non-Microsoft data. Second, support for Thunderbird and Eudora is sitting within their 1.5 beta.
Out of all the Desktop Search tools out there today, Copernic is the most configurable and brand-independent. There is no hit-you-over-the-head agenda with them. I can easily turn off the icon for and integration of their choice for using Alltheweb as the default “Web search.” And as far as its deskbar is concerned, I don't use it. Instead, I rely on the far superior DQSD. But why, you might ask, do I choose Copernic over say, Google or MSN? I think browser-based output is a poor choice for local searching. Simple? Yes. Seamless? Yes. Smart? Hell no.
At first, I was drawn into the seamless experience - until I started thinking like a non-geek. Imagine, if you will, a call at 10PM on Sunday evening from your mother or father: “How did our chat logs get on the Internet?!” The line between local and network data (read: content) should NOT be blurred. Newbies barely understand the difference between email and the Web, let alone what's sitting here and what's lying there. Google and MSN's desktop search implementation and integration is nearly invisible, but ramifications of this method deserve much more contemplation than has already been given (by the respective companies and community at large).
Again, I say this line should be CLEARLY drawn.

We were minding our own business in a restaurant on Thursday night… when I decided to stop minding my own business. To the left of us sat a small family, including a young boy with a shiny new PSP in his hands. His eyes were glued to the screen - which isn't hard to do, considering the screen his half the size of the average human face. I started thinking: is the PSP for me?
Lockergnomie Leonard Kloft wrote this as a response to Matt's recent PSP article:

The Achilles heel of the PSP is it's Proprietary Storage. UMD sounds wonderful, but is Read-Only.
To view movies, buy a disc - no ability to transfer my legit DVD/VHS movies to the player. I spent the money once - not interested to contribute a second time. If I want to store my own Photo or Video on UMD - not possible.
Wait you say, use the Memory Stick. Proprietary - my Canon and Nikon cameras don't use memory stick. My songs are on CF and SD. Transfer your movies to Memory Stick - anyone priced a 1GB of Memory Stick recently?
Wireless connectivity only for Head-to-Head game playing. No Wi-Fi browser, No Wi-Fi e-mail. No download of files by Wi-Fi - must connect via cable. If I am on the go, computer and cable may not be available.
PSP has beautiful screen but don't take it outside - reflectivity will obliterate.
Hype, Hype, Hype is the mantra in the press and on the Tech Shows. Usability is the issue.
To make the PSP usable:

• Mini HardDrive (yes more battery drain, but usable storage).
• UMD read-write (yes this may crimp Sony profits initially, but it will expand the base of users).
• SD/CF/xD memory - dump the memory stick and digital camera users will use PSP to preview their shots. (Wow more users to expand sales).
• Real Wi-Fi with browsers, e-mail.
• Pop a microphone and jack onto the PSP and the device adds new experiences for game playinhg, Internet communications.

Intriguing device that has the potential with a few different product features to be an iPod-killer, MP3 player-killer, PDA-killer, Video player-killer.
Alas, Sony in its desire to restrict its market share (see Atrac format) has gutted the PSP of many useable features.
PSP hit the shelves on 24-March, but did not fly of the shelves. In Southwest Ohio, store counts showed less than 25% of available units were sold (as of 6:30 p.m. on 24-March).

Ah, that's why I didn't want to get the PSP - or any other Sony Consumer Electronics device. Thanks for the reminder, Len!

“Why has our technological expertise far outreached our psychological and spiritual development?” Michael Tsarion, joins us on the show.

Born in Ireland Michael Tsarion, an expert on the occult histories of Ireland and America, has made the deepest researches into the comparative mythologies of the world and into his own country’s ancient and mysterious Celtic Tradition. His presentations on Atlantis, Lemuria and the pre-diluvian epoch have been acclaimed by veterans in the field of paranormal research. In the tradition of Immanuel Velikovsky, William Bramley, Laurence Gardener and Erich von Daniken, Michael considers the consequences to civilization of extra-terrestrial involvement and seeks to clarify many of the quandaries that other “visitation” experts have overlooked. His book clarifies the disinformation about Atlantis and the lost continents of prehistory. It concentrates on the orchestrated chaos of modern times and reveals how the political and military machinations of the present have their roots in the ancient past. As well as stating the problems, Michael also furnishes us with solutions to the moral and social predicaments that have beset humankind for millennia.

Listen to the second of three hours with Michael Tsarion.

“Why has our technological expertise far outreached our psychological and spiritual development?” Michael Tsarion, joins us on the show.

Born in Ireland Michael Tsarion, an expert on the occult histories of Ireland and America, has made the deepest researches into the comparative mythologies of the world and into his own country’s ancient and mysterious Celtic Tradition. His presentations on Atlantis, Lemuria and the pre-diluvian epoch have been acclaimed by veterans in the field of paranormal research. In the tradition of Immanuel Velikovsky, William Bramley, Laurence Gardener and Erich von Daniken, Michael considers the consequences to civilization of extra-terrestrial involvement and seeks to clarify many of the quandaries that other “visitation” experts have overlooked. His book clarifies the disinformation about Atlantis and the lost continents of prehistory. It concentrates on the orchestrated chaos of modern times and reveals how the political and military machinations of the present have their roots in the ancient past. As well as stating the problems, Michael also furnishes us with solutions to the moral and social predicaments that have beset humankind for millennia.

Listen to the second of three hours with Michael Tsarion.