2006 February ~ Chris Pirillo

Googlefasting: Day 3

2 Comments (Add) | Sunday, February 26th, 2006 at 4:22am

Had to get directions to the W Hotel in downtown Seattle. Yahoo! gave me a map link for “W Hotel Seattle” as well as an “availability” link for reservations. Cool! But when I clicked on Yahoo!'s map link, I got a map of downtown and *ALL* the hotels in the area (as well as tourist spots). Overkill for this task. Also frustrating that I can't dynamically drag their maps yet (only available in a difficult-to-find beta).

Move over, Blogebrity?

2 Comments (Add) | Saturday, February 25th, 2006 at 11:21pm

Hey Nick, I still loves ya (always have, always will) – but there seems to be a new game in town: The Blog 50. I tried to leave a comment along the lines of “expecting to get shoved out of the top 50 by someone on MySpace,” but the comment form barfed with a Fatal error: Call to undefined function: blc_latest_comments()… blah blah blah. That, and there's no easy way to contact the people on the Blog 50 – so, either they have to fix their comments form, or I'll be forced to write on my chest again.

Googlefasting: Day 2

6 Comments (Add) | Saturday, February 25th, 2006 at 7:20am

Well, I posted an interim update (day 1.5) to introduce the concept of Googlefasting to Lockergnomies. Didn't use search for the better part of the morning, as I was out and about (including speaking at the Podcast Hotel over lunch).

OtterBox for the iPod

4 Comments (Add) | Saturday, February 25th, 2006 at 2:35am

When I was asking around for iPod case suggestions, a few folks told me about OtterBox. It's not the most lightweight iPod case on the planet, but I'd go as far as to say that it's one of the strongest. Indeed, the sample I've received is quite sturdy – your iPod ain't gonna suffer in da Otter. You flip open the hard case (which has soft layers atop the screen and wheel) then insert your iPod into the open space. The back of the OtterBox has a removable belt clip attachment, which I'm quite fond of (although, if I remember correctly, Ponzi requested that I no longer wear anything on my belt unless I plan on turning into a superhero). The OtterBox isn't necessarily for the casual iPod user – it's for the rugged enthusiast. Waterproof, drop protection – what more could you want in an iPod case?
Ponzi remarked that the case was too heavy – but I would assert that you wouldn't trust your $400 investment inside of something that weighed less than air. Dunno. Maybe I've suffered from too many crushed and scratched pocket devices to trust them in anything that isn't tried and true. OtterBox has other cases for other gadgets, too – and if you play hard, you need a case that can keep up with you. Adopt an otter – it's more fun than saving the whales.
Well, this is just the first one I've had a chance to look at. If you know of any others that might be just as nice as the OtterBox, send those suggestions my way. Andru, what was it you recommended? I couldn't consider protection that lacked a non-scratching cover for both the wheel and the screen, mind you. I'm saddled with a 60gb 5G iPod, too – making it much more difficult to find a case that really works.

Dogstars

1 Comment (Add) | Saturday, February 25th, 2006 at 1:05am

Eh. I'm not sure if this is going to work. I don't think people care enough about their dogs to shoot videos of 'em doing stupid things. Or, if they do, I don't think the owners would be crazy enough to share 'em with the world. Then again…? Well, here's Dogstars (if you think your dog(s) have what it takes).

The Mitosis Waltz

No Comments Yet (Add) | Friday, February 24th, 2006 at 11:27pm

Dude! I found an old recording of one of my distant relatives this morning. Couldn't believe it. He was singing about mitosis and meiosis… what an oddball. Methinks he had too much Moxy on the brain. His name? Klaus der Fruvous.

Scott-O on Directing Cherub – Joss Whedon Angel Parody

No Comments Yet (Add) | Friday, February 24th, 2006 at 8:11pm

Several years before Chris launched Lockergnome, he appeared in a movie weilding something that looked like a cross between an egg beater, a plunger and a toilet brush. Unfortunately this was pre-Web, so the video isn’t available for your viewing pleasure. The genius behind this early casting of the future chest model, Scott-O, joined us on the show to talk about his current project, Cherub. Joss Whedon fans will certainly want to tune in as Cherub is a slapstick parody of Angel, complete with a vampire cursed to wear pink bunny slippers. Launched February 10, the first season of Cherub consists of 12 weekly 4-7 minute episodes, following Cherub, vampire in bunny slippers, as he attempts to safeguard a mystical artifact, the Eggplant of Mystery, from Cherub’s nemesis, Johnny Mildly-Irritating, and the evil law firm of Dogboy & Goat. Beyond talking about Cherub, Scott-O talks about Caution Zero’s plans for future video projects and offers some great perspective on the changing world of online video, distribution and the fundamental shifting of media consumption.

Standard Podcast [43:55m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

How I Won 2 Xbox 360s in Less Than 24 Hours

8 Comments (Add) | Friday, February 24th, 2006 at 7:24am

It was quite a simple process, actually – thanks to TextPayMe. First, you sign up for an account (free). Then, you send your friends a co-branded link which designates you as the referral. Next, you wait for 36 of 'em to sign up. Finally, you wait for another 36 of them to sign up. With the current TextPayMe promotion, that equals two Xbox 360 units:
“Anybody who has at least 360 TextPayMe points will win an Xbox 360. There are no limits on the number of Xbox 360s we are giving away and you can win more than once if you get the points. The contest ends on 3/18/2006. You are guaranteed to win an Xbox 360 if you have 360 TextPayMe points at 12:00PM on that day. Signup now to start earning TextPayMe points.”
They'll be delivering 'em in person, I've been told – since I live in Seattle (and they, in Redmond). I'm going to coordinate something so that we can get 'em to come on the show when they give me the goodies. If you work in an office with people who go out to lunch together frequently, this should be a cinch for you, too. Hell, there's no cost to it – and they even give you $5 to boot (when you sign up). Compared to all the free iPod traps, this is so much smarter. Sign up, before someone else encourages you to sign up and you miss out on another referral. ;) We give away prizes all the time for random reasons… but this is working towards a new service I actually plan on using.

Googlefasting: Day 1

17 Comments (Add) | Thursday, February 23rd, 2006 at 9:31pm

I’m frustrated. Utterly frustrated. I don’t think I’ll be able to make the seven days, seriously. I thought that Yahoo! would be a great substitute, but that’s turning out not being the case. Googlefasting is painful.

Free Skype Credit

105 Comments (Add) | Thursday, February 23rd, 2006 at 8:08pm

I just got this email from Skype (it's legit). Thought I'd pass it along here just in case (a) you weren't already a Skype user, (b) you're not on the email list, or (c) you didn't see the email yet.
Sometimes not all of the people you want to talk to are on Skype. That's why we have SkypeOut, a pretty cheap way to call landlines and mobiles around the world at local rates. What's more, we're giving away 10 minutes of Skype Credit today to anyone who would like to try SkypeOut for free. We're nice like that.
You can claim 10 minutes of Skype Credit today and try SkypeOut for free. Hurry, you need to claim your free credit before midnight tonight. If you're in the USA, you'll find a “Get a free Skype gift” button on your account page. Hurry. You need to click on the button before the offer expires tonight, then, `hey presto', your account will be topped up with the extra credit. It's our little gift to you. We hope you like it.
Don't worry if you're too late to claim your gift. We'll be offering SkypeOut Gift Days throughout February and March, so keep checking back on our blog, where we'll post details as the next one is approaching.
You might also want to take advantage of our PayPal promotion. When you spend a minimum of $10 on Skype services using PayPal, we'll give you an extra 120 SkypeOut minutes and 3 months Skype Voicemail for free.

Here's a Free $5.00 for You – And a New Service

1 Comment (Add) | Thursday, February 23rd, 2006 at 6:26pm

Yeah, you can make $5 for free today – so long as you have a cell phone. I detailed it in last night's Lockergnome report on TextPayMe. To paraphrase, TextPayMe allows you to send and receive money using SMS on your mobile phone. Just for signing up for a free account, they’ll give you $5. So, if you already have a cell phone today, there’s nothing to lose – and everything to gain. It’s potentially a killer service because it’s so easy to use and quick to learn (and who DOESN'T have a cell phone these days!?). They give you a few scenarios to consider before you get an account: “Split your restaurant bills right then and there; Pay your team or club dues anywhere and anytime; Pitch in real money instead of IOUs for a shared gift; Settle your roommate’s rent and utility bills on the spot.” They even recommend using the TextPayMe service for Craigslist transactions. Try it! Sign up for free to score $5 – and they're currently running a promotion where (if you get 36 referrals before the middle of March) you can get a free Xbox 360. All that on top of a service that is long overdue.

CrazyClones

No Comments Yet (Add) | Thursday, February 23rd, 2006 at 12:19am

Apple Computer, Inc. Should Hire Maxxuss, Not Sue Him

8 Comments (Add) | Wednesday, February 22nd, 2006 at 11:19pm

I love Woz (he did a wonderful keynote at Gnomedex 4.0 a couple of years ago). He's no longer directly involved with Apple, but Steve Jobs is – in a big way. I just want you to read this tiny piece of history and tell me if one of Apple's impending moves is just a little more than ironic: