Chris Pirillo » Education

What do You Want for the Holidays?

Chris — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 12:46:05 +0000

What do You Want for the Holidays? is a post from Chris Pirillo

If you could choose any one Geeky gift this holiday season, what would it be? Money is no object. Let’s just close our eyes, and pretend that someone out there has very deep pockets, and wants to buy us each the gift of our dreams. How do you narrow down your list? Do you know what you’d want? Is it possible to choose just one thing?

For me, I honestly couldn’t choose. There are a lot of Geeky things I want. Many of them are expensive, which is why I don’t already own them! Even if I were rich, I still couldn’t afford to keep myself happy with all of the gadgets, gizmos, devices and toys that are out there for sale. Places like ThinkGeek taunt me with all of the cool stuff they have. How could I ever decide?!

It seems a lot of you are getting into the holiday spirit. I came across several posts on our sites today revolving around Thanksgiving and even Christmas. It put me in such a holiday mood that I turned on some Christmas music earlier, and let it play over my live stream. I listened to it and hummed along as I caught up on everything going on in our community.

Our downloads center is hopping right now with new and updated products. Check back daily for the best new deals we can find!

How Can Companies Hire Social Media Directors?

Chris — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:59:02 +0000

How Can Companies Hire Social Media Directors? is a post from Chris Pirillo

I came across an interesting link today while browsing Twitter. The author writes about how companies who are new to social media are failing miserably when it comes to writing job descriptions for their newly-created social media positions. He goes on to say he used to blame the companies themselves for writing poorly-constructed ads. Then, he realized that it isn’t the company’s fault at all. They don’t know what they’re doing, remember? They are new to this whole social media scene, and may not even know what it is they are looking FOR, exactly.

How would you suggest a company create a position for this, and market it? What should they look for? How should their ads be worded to be the most effective? I think that the social media experts in our community are the perfect place to get ideas flowing, and help these companies out!

What have you read today that sparked your imagination and interest, or made you stop and think? Make sure you share the links with the rest of us, so we don’t miss out!

Don’t miss our downloads center today! There are some excellent deals for both Windows and Mac people!

Are You Ready for the Holidays?

Chris — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 13:28:33 +0000

Are You Ready for the Holidays? is a post from Chris Pirillo

Can you believe that Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and Christmas is but a few weeks away? I was aghast yesterday when I walked into a store that was playing Christmas carols… until I realized what the date was. Holy crap where did the year go? I haven’t even started to think about holiday shopping yet, never mind actually DOING any shopping.

After I had my little panic attack, I sat down to check out what was going on around out community. Low and behold… people are talking about the upcoming festivities. They’re figuring out what to cook with their turkeys, and what the hottest new gifts are for this year. Geez I’m way behind, aren’t I?

I was happy as hell to see that the holidays aren’t the only thing that people are chattering about. Thankfully, I found many interesting and informative blogs and threads on a huge variety of topics to keep me busy… and to get my mind back OFF of the holiday season. I’m just not ready quite yet!

Every day we bring you the newest and hottest software deals that we can find. Make sure you check back every day so that you don’t miss a single deal!

How to Surf

Chris — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 12:35:05 +0000

How to Surf is a post from Chris Pirillo

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Most of you know that I am an experienced surfer. I’ve been at it since about 1994, through various platforms and browsers. Yes, I’m an Internet surfer! I’ve never gotten on a physical surfboard, or been on one in the water. However, I did get my own custom surfboard today, courtesy of LeapFish! How cool is this thing?! The folks at leapfish just recently re-launched their site, dedicated to bringing you a single, connected, multi-media experience for both searching and sharing traditional and real-time content.

Of course, since I am talking about surfing, I headed over to LeapFish to do a real-time search to attempt to learn something about it. The first thing I noticed was how amazingly well the results are laid out. Instead of one large and continuous listing of mish-mashed results… everything is broken down into categories right there in front of me. I don’t have to fumble around and click to the “video” tab, or the “shopping” tab. It’s all there.

So I’m seeing news and wiki results first – that’s cool. But I think I want something a bit different. Scrolling down, there are video results next… wait. What the heck is this? Twitter results – in my search engine?! There’s blog results, too!

Yes, you read that right. No, I didn’t typo it or dream it up. LeapFish not only gives you results based on current news stories and dry articles. You’ll also find real-time results based on Twitter and the millions of blogs across the Internet. We already know that those are two of the best, fastest and most reliable ways to get information. Now we can actually find what we need, simply by starting on LeapFish.

There are still tabs across the top of the page, like you are probably used to from other search engines. These tabs can help you narrow down the types of results you’ll see. Do you want only video? Great… they have that. Need some pictures or something from Twitter and Digg? Yep… they have that, as well!

I honestly think you are going to need to try out LeapFish for yourself. Once you do, I think you’re going to want to keep trying it… day after day after day.

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Do You Welcome Conversation from Rude People?

Chris — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 03:14:37 +0000

Do You Welcome Conversation from Rude People? is a post from Chris Pirillo

Last night, I wrote here on my blog about people interrupting conversations, and asked for comments as to how to filter out “noise”. I’ve received several follow-up comments and emails today, and I appreciate them. I want to use some of them to facilitate even more discussion, so keep your eyes open for that in the coming days.

Kevin was one person who wrote in, talking about his disgust with people who are rude, and who try to force their opinions on him. He makes several very good points, and I wanted to share them with the community.

I read your recent article on how people often get involved in flaming other people’s online discussions, and thought about that for awhile.
On one hand, I am on your side totally because I like healthy debate and I respect that any other person has a right to an opinion. What I object to is when a person is influential in some way, and figures they can command changes that many of us mere mortals do not support or like.
When this happens, who is right… and who is wrong? The answer is that both camps are, because whatever they are discussing and supporting matters to them. One is not “wrong” because of something they believe in. Just because it is different than what I think or believe, does not mean that I feel a person is wrong.
People who add to discussions online often need to remember that much of what they say is a matter of personal opinion. So often, I don’t even see people bother to try and back up what they claim with any type of cold, hard facts or evidence. Unfortunately a lot of modern day computing is personal taste and I resent someone else trying to force their idea of what works for them down my throat.
I have made significant effort to try and work with Windows 7. I don’t like it very well, but I expect I will have little choice going forward. Sadly, the Windows 7 lovers are too busy trying to shove the product down my throat to stop and listen to what I have to say about the operating system. I am 58 years old, and have worked in IT for more than 30 years. I may be a plodder, but am also a survivor. I value the views and opinions I make through proper testing, solid analysis and a bit of “personal taste” thrown in for good measure.
The fact is that I don’t really like Windows 7. I find a few very large flaws with it for people who are used to XP. There is a problem with not properly upgrading from XP to Windows 7 that is not being addressed as far as I can see. There is no classic start bar feature as we would expect. There is also no repair/restore feature like XP had. These things are killer omissions for die-hard XP users.
When I attempt to talk to people who are touting Windows 7 as the next great product of all time, they don’t want to hear what I have to say. They don’t want any opinion that differs from their own. I get flamed for daring to speak out against the o/s in any way. It’s very annoying to have made an informed opinion, based on facts and evidence, only to be told to basically shut up and go away. My opinion doesn’t count to many people, simply because they feel they are right.
When will people wake up, and remember to respect other people’s views, and take the time to learn more themselves by welcoming opinions that are different than theirs?

Kevin is right. Too often these days, people don’t like to listen to things that are outside of their comfort zone. They don’t want to hear anything that goes against what they think is “right”.

What are your thoughts on this? Are you finding yourself up against a seemingly endless stream of negativity at every turn, or are there only a handful of us experiencing this?

When is Your Birthday?

Chris — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:41:45 +0000

When is Your Birthday? is a post from Chris Pirillo

I noticed around the web that we have three community members celebrating birthdays today! Traci Toguchi, Frank Eliason and Drew Olanoff will all be blowing out candles today. Now, normally I’d say a simple “Happy Birthday!” and be done with it. However, realizing today is Drew’s birthday gave me pause, and made me think…

Six months ago, Drew completely sure what his future held. He was diagnosed with cancer back in May, and the fight began. He finished up his last Chemo treatment a week ago, and the doctors have given him the awesome news that his tumors are gone. He is free of that stupid disease, hopefully forever. He continues his fight against Cancer, with the support of many thousands of people… including Drew Carey. In order to help raise money for the Livestrong foundation, all you have to do is click that little “Follow” button on Drew Carey’s Twitter page. For every follower – up to one million – that Drew gets prior to midnight on New Year’s Eve, he will donate one more dollar. How cool is that?

Thinking about all of this, and Drew O’s birthday, kind of puts life into perspective a little, eh? It makes one remember to stop and be thankful for what we have… right here, right now. It makes us want to push ourselves a little harder to do the things we promised ourselves we would do. It makes us want to reach out and tell those we care about that we do, in fact, love them.

Cancer touches everyone. EVERYONE. In some way or another, your life will be affected by Cancer at some point. Even though Drew’s personal fight may have come to an end, the war has only begun. Keep doing your part in kicking Cancer’s ass, everyone. We won’t rest until we eradicate it for good.

Birthdays aren’t the only thing going on in our community today, as you know. All of you are busy posting and writing, sharing your thoughts and dreams. What have you read that was interesting or thought-provoking? If I missed something, please leave a follow-up comment and share it with the rest of us!

Today in our downloads center, we have several excellent apps for Windows. Be sure to check them out!

CNN Blogger Bunch: Windows 7 and Hulu Subscriptions

Chris — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:30:26 +0000

CNN Blogger Bunch: Windows 7 and Hulu Subscriptions is a post from Chris Pirillo

I was recently featured on CNN live website, along with my buddies Pete Cashmore (from Mashable) and Brian Chen (from Wired). We had a great time discussing things like Windows 7 and the announcement of Hulu subscriptions. It’s an interesting roundtable from the three of us self-avowed “Mac” guys, who all have extensive Windows experience.

As I stated during the discussion, I believe the operating system is becoming irrelevant in the days where everyone logs in to their computer, and immediately opens a web browser.

What are your thoughts on this? Do you feel as we tune more and more into the Web that things such as actual operating systems will become more irrelevant?

Google Goes Sesame Street

Chris — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:57:19 +0000

Google Goes Sesame Street is a post from Chris Pirillo

I’m sure you’ve noticed by now that Google is celebrating the 40th anniversary of Sesame Street this week. A few days ago, Big Bird graced the famous search engine’s page. Next up was the Cookie Monster!! (Who doesn’t love cookies?). Today, I see Bert and Ernie smiling out at me. What’s up next? Will we see Elmo tomorrow? Personally, I vote for Grover. Grover was always my favorite.

While it’s whimsical and fun to remember our childhoods every time we load Google, some people are quite upset over this celebration. One of our community members “left” Google this week in disgust. He changed over to Bing as his search engine of choice, and vows to never return to Google. Why is he so upset? He feels it is a slap in the face to Americans that Google refuses to acknowledge the events of 9-11 with a remembrance on the site, while they embrace children’s television as though it were far more important than a day that shaped our history – and our country.

He makes a good point, you know. Of course 9-11 isn’t a day to “celebrate”. But who says that everything has to be a celebration? A simple but elegant tribute on September 11th on Google’s page would show that we haven’t forgotten. It would show that Google truly cares about the people they serve, and not just the numbers they rack up on a daily basis. It would show – much more so than Sesame Street does – that Google has humans running around in their offices somewhere.

What are your thoughts on this? Do you feel that Google is “right” in not commemorating the attack on America, instead favoring things like the anniversary of the Muppets? What else have you read or talked about today that might provoke a good debate or discussion? I know that there has been a lot going on in our community.

Don’t forget to take a few moments to check out all of the latest new software and app updates that we have found for you. You can get a lot of excellent titles at little to no cost!

Are There Any Drawbacks to Being a Geek?

Chris — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 07:58:57 +0000

Are There Any Drawbacks to Being a Geek? is a post from Chris Pirillo

My mouth hit the floor when I read the title of this thread earlier on Geeks. A drawback to being a Geek – what?! Are you kidding me? Being a Geek is the best possible thing to be. We have it all – brains, looks, girls… what more could we want? The looks, well, just because they are funny looks at times means nothing. It’s just part of the total package that makes us so amazingly perfect, right? And the girls – ahhh, the girls – we all know that Geek boys get all the girls, right? Wait, what? You have trouble finding a girlfriend? Well, perhaps if you showered more often, and stopped being so nervous around the fairer sex. Fine. The looks and the girls may be lacking. But we have the brains! And the brains get us the money! And the money gets us more Geeky gadgets! Who needs girls, anyway?

Ok, time to get serious here, my fellow Geeks. Do you actually feel there are drawbacks to being a Geek? I’m interested in hearing your answers. For me – life is good when you’re a Geek. I’m comfortable with who, what and how I am… and I wouldn’t have it any other way. But I know that not everyone would agree, so let’s have it.

There are hundreds of excellent titles available at our downloads site, including games and other fun things to do!

What Technology has Shaped Your Life

Chris — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:33:00 +0000

What Technology has Shaped Your Life is a post from Chris Pirillo

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My cousin, Dr. Adrian Lamberti, is writing a book about technology, and wants your help. She and her co-author are putting together a book about technological history. It will look at watershed moments in communications technology, beginning with the advent of email and the World Wide Web back in the 90s. Take a listen to the video and hear the list they’ve already come up with. Then, leave a comment on the corresponding post in my blog with your ideas. Who knows? You may contribute to the book!

She also lists such things, such as MMORPGs, Google, Flickr, Twitter, blogging, Facebook, and MySpace. Also collaborative media such as Google Docs. They’ve even listed the iPhone and iPod Touch!

They are coming at this from one disciplines’ point of view. It will be radically different than what your list might be. What suggestions do you have for Adrian and her writing partner? What can you think of in the world of tech that has really impacted and/or changed your life?

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What Would You Do With a Million Dollars?

Chris — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:10:55 +0000

What Would You Do With a Million Dollars? is a post from Chris Pirillo

Over on Geeks today, people have been talking about what they’d do if they suddenly won a million dollars. It’s funny to read the answers, and touching as well. Many people would donate to charities, which I would do more of myself if I won that kind of money. I’d also invest plenty of it, in order to retire at an early age!

But we all know me, and we all know that I would be going on a massive Geeky shopping spree! There’s so many gadgets and USB gizmos out there that I don’t have yet!! Don’t lie – you know you’d be buying some, as well. So come on… tell us… what would you do if you had a cool million in your bank account?

I had a look through what’s new at our downloads site today. Holy cow there are some excellent pieces of software. Did you realize you can find everything from games to productivity software… for your Windows machine, your Mac AND your phone?

Christine Peterson – Life Extension for Geeks

Chris — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:04:14 +0000

Christine Peterson – Life Extension for Geeks is a post from Chris Pirillo

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Compared to our computers, our bodies are mind-bogglingly complex systems. There’s no “life extension pill” available today, and none is likely to arrive soon. Fortunately for us, we can use our technical skills to evaluate and implement today’s life extension techniques, some of which can be fun – at least from a geek perspective.

Christine Peterson catalyzes new technologies: first, focusing on atoms, she co-founded Foresight Instituteto advance the field of nanotech. This work is accomplished by providing balanced, accurate and timely information to help society understand and prepare for nanotechnology through public policy activities, publications, guidelines, networking events, tutorials, conferences, roadmaps, and prizes.

Her work is motivated by a desire to help Earth’s environment and traditional human communities avoid harm and instead benefit from expected dramatic advances in technology. This goal of spreading benefits led to an interest in new varieties of intellectual property including open source software, a term she is credited with originating.

More recently, having noticed that — as some crudely put it — “aging sucks”, she works to further life extension, especially within the tech community.

She serves on the Advisory Board of the International Council on Nanotechnologyand the Editorial Advisory Board of NASA’s Nanotech Briefs, and served on California’s Blue Ribbon Task Forceon Nanotechnology.

Christine is the co-author of one book on nanotech, and another on collaboration technologies. She is a member of IEEE, and an alumna of MIT.

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Don’t Believe Everything You Read

Chris — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:22:13 +0000

Don’t Believe Everything You Read is a post from Chris Pirillo

I had to chuckle a little while ago when someone in our live chat room stated that Google’s new operating system will be 100% invulnerable to malware attacks. That’s an awful hefty claim for Google to make, if they in fact did. The truth is that nothing is impossible in this day and age of malware. Criminals, hackers and malware writers will indeed figure out a way to get inside of whatever Google comes up with. Sadly, it’s par for the course. It’s rumors like these that make people who don’t know any better think that they don’t need any type of security software.

I hate rumors and speculation. I’m a hard facts type of guy. Show me proof, or don’t tell me at all. I know, not everyone is like that. And that’s ok, I suppose. However, it’s imperative that you do your research, and find out the truth of the matter in anything you want to believe. It’s ok to have “faith”, yes. It’s not ok to blindly ASSume something is right and correct and real. Sometimes, that can get you in to trouble.

One of the reasons I love our community so much is that as Geeks, we take the time to back up what we say with facts and resources. Have you taken the time to read what it is they are trying to say?

Over in our Downloads Center, you’ll find new software and apps every day that may be vital to your existence! For instance, today we are featuring a piece of freeware that allows you, the parent, to control what sites are allowed on your family’s computers. Safety and security – for free!

Is Your Head – or Your Computer – in the Cloud?

Chris — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 06:04:43 +0000

Is Your Head – or Your Computer – in the Cloud? is a post from Chris Pirillo

Everywhere you turn, there’s someone talking about Cloud Computing lately. Let’s face it – it’s a hot concept. However, there is a large difference of opinion as to what Cloud Computing even means, much as there is with “Web 2.0″. To some, Cloud Computing is simply another term for virtually anything you do on the Internet. To others, it’s more specifically virtual servers. It gets fuzzy when you try to nail down a full description of what Cloud Computing really is.

To me, Cloud Computing is simply anything I can do online, instead of having to rely on software on my computer. There are full applications available now that cover everything from picture editing to paper writing to handling your taxes… and it’s all done from within your browser. How much easier can it get to simply go to a website and do what you need to do, instead of having to buy and install software, make sure it’s compatible with your system and other software, launch the program every time… you get where I’m going. Cloud Computing, by my definition at least, just makes life so much simpler.

How do you define Cloud Computing, and what are your thoughts on the whole thing?

I keep a fairly close eye on the programs we feature every day on our downloads page. There are some excellent pieces of software there – even a few I found I can no longer live without!

Who Will Dominate the Internet?

Chris — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 10:04:40 +0000

Who Will Dominate the Internet? is a post from Chris Pirillo

I read an article on TechCrunch earlier today, discussing how Twitter will soon dominate the Internet, replacing even Google as the king. This made me stop and think for a bit. I mean, come on… Google is, well… Google! Do we honestly believe that anything could topple it from its undeniable reign at the top of the Internet ladder? The answer is a resounding YES.

I blather on about Twitter all of the time. Hell, half the World talks about Twitter, and with good reason. Twitter isn’t just some hot new fad where people talk about what they ate for lunch. Sure, we post silly things in our tweet stream. But Twitter is so much more than that, and it’s time more people accept that fact – and embrace it!

Twitter is one of the fastest and most accurate news sources out there. It may not have been intended by the creators to serve as such, but that is exactly what it is doing. When news happens, you can find it on Twitter within literal seconds. People who are on the scene of accidents post immediate updates as soon as they know them. Anyone in the vicinity of where there is something newsworthy happening whip their phones out and tweet faster than you can blink your eyes.

Twitter is also fast becoming an amazing way for businesses to connect with their customers, just as Frank Eliason discussed at Gnomedex recently. Your customers are on Twitter, so your business better be there, as well.

What are your thoughts? Do you think Twitter will soon replace Google as the Internet King? Have you read any other interesting tidbits today? If so, I’d love a link to them. I’m always looking for something new and thought-provoking to read, other than what we find on both Geeks and Lockergnome every day!

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How to Handle Remote Tech Support

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 06:30:00 GMT

Using GoToAssist is the easiest way to view and control another person's computer online. Use it to provide instant technical support to family, friends and customers. Start a session with just one click, and instantly connect with the other party.

Network Tools for Windows

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMT

You need these network tools, no matter which operating systems and networks you have to support. SolarWinds ipMonitor: Affordable Network Monitoring for SMBs. Get turnkey network, server and application availability monitoring with SolarWinds ipMonitor v9.0. This easy-to-use, reliable solution for SMBs delivers out-of-the-box availability monitoring so you always know exactly what's up with Active Directory, DNS, Exchange, FTP, Web, IMAP, MS SQL Server, and SMTP. Download your free trial today. Or, try their totally free tools! And, through 2/29, save 20% when you purchase ipMonitor 9.0.

Get Your Own Web Site

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VMware and Parallels for Virtual Machines

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMT

It doesn't matter if you're running on Windows or Mac OS X - every power user needs either Parallels or VMware (or both). There's never been an easier way to test software without destroying your primary operating system's stability. Think of how many times you wish you could press a 'reverse' button on your computer. Plus, there's no easier way to try new Linux distributions - see what all the fuss is about. Run Windows in OS X, run Linux in Windows, but the best way to do either is with VMware and/or Parallels.

Coupons for Online Shopping

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 07:56:13 GMT

This feed is fueled by Lockergnome Online Shopping and Coupon Codes

Before you shop next time, see if we have a coupon first.