Chris Pirillo » contest

Sony Sweep Panorama Photo Contest

Chris — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 20:44:22 +0000

Sony Sweep Panorama Photo Contest is a post from Chris Pirillo

Not long ago, I Sony sent me their new DSC-WX1 to review. If you recall, I am very happy with this camera, and am having a great time using it. I even took it to Paris with me last week! This camera does something that I would have never thought I’d see: the Sweep Panorama function. Using this makes taking amazing panoramic shots a snap. Choose the option, click the shutter, and slowly move your camera in the direction of the arrow. The Sony DSC-WX1 will stitch the shots together into a perfect panoramic photo FOR you! There’s no software or guessing game involved!

As I mentioned back when I posted the review, this was sent to me in conjunction with a contest that Sony now has running. I am lucky to be a part of it, and had a great time coming up with my panoramic shots to enter! The Sweep Panorama contest isn’t just an ordinary contest, though. The prize doesn’t go to the actual winners. Instead, it goes to school children.

To choose a winner from among the entries, just visit the photos posted and vote for your favorite. On December 18th – only three days from now – the winner will be chosen by a simple majority of votes. The winner will then choose a school to have Sony donate ten of these cameras to in their honor. How cool is that? There will be some very happy kids in whatever school is on the receiving end of this great contest prize!

I cannot tell you which photos are mine. That would be cheating. All I will say is that you should go and cast your vote for whichever picture you like the best. No matter who wins this contest… the real winners will be the school and its kids.

Thanks again to Sony for sending me this great camera to use and review, and for sponsoring this awesome contest.

The Gift of Giving

Chris — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 06:38:38 +0000

The Gift of Giving is a post from Chris Pirillo

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The season of giving is now upon us. Even if you don’t celebrate Christmas, you still like to receive gifts, right? You’re in luck… I love to give gifts!!

This holiday, you have a chance to win a gift from me. This is open to anyone in the world, no matter where you live. Post a video response on YouTube (NOT here on the blog) to this video. Tell me what you want, and why you deserve the gift. It doesn’t matter what holiday you celebrate – or even if you celebrate anything at all. What matters is that you have a need or wish, and that you are willing to leave a video response to tell me what it is.

I don’t care what religion you are (or aren’t!), what your background is, or even what your ethnicity is… you still have a chance to win! I will be choosing a winner live on the stream on Christmas Day – December 25th.

Happy Holidays everyone!

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Would You Like to Win an HP Laptop?

Chris — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 10:17:48 +0000

Would You Like to Win an HP Laptop? is a post from Chris Pirillo

Anne, Karen, and their teams from HP were an awesome addition to the Gnomedex sponsor roster last year. They were on-site with several of their products – and even gave away many things! I was fortunate to receive a TouchSmart from them during this time period, to review and use for myself. Even though I’m a Mac guy at heart, I have to admit I really love using the TouchSmart whenever I need to be on Windows. It runs beautifully, and has never given me any issues at all. It’s a powerhouse of a machine, honestly. I can convert videos while searching on the Internet, having multiple other programs open and even running a Skype conference all at once. There is no “lag”, like you would find on many systems while trying to do all of these things. And, of course, you can’t beat the sheer fun (and yes – functionality!) of using the actual Touch features! It’s not just me who loves this machine. My assistant, Kat, won a TouchSmart after the conference was over. She has used hers ever since as her primary machine, and is quite happy! HP continued with a presence this year at Gnomedex, too!

So why am I waxing poetic about HP and their products? I’m glad you asked! Not only were they awesome to work with during Gnomedex last year, they continue to support our community to this day. They’ve come up with an excellent new contest – just for all of you reading out there! You have a chance to win for yourself a brand-new HP Pavilion dv6t series laptop! Entering is so simple, you won’t even believe it. All you have to do is leave a follow-up comment on this blog post, (including your email address!) talking about HP. You can tell us what HP products you own – or have owned. You can talk about the ones you’d like to own. It doesn’t matter, so long as your comment talks about an HP product or service. Any comments which simply state things like “I want to win the HP laptop” will be disqualified. Put some effort into it! You should pore over the contest rules prior to entering, though. The contest is open now, and ends at 11:59 p.m. EST on September 30, 2009. The winner will be notified via email within three days of that date, provided they are proven to have a valid entry (as described above).

Not only is HP giving away a laptop, they also have cooked up an awesome deal for you to take advantage of! Take 30% off of the purchase of a customized HP Pavilion Notebook PC, configured at $1199.00 or greater at the HP Home and Home Office Store. Use coupon code: NBR49875. The offer excludes the HP HDX16t, HP Minis and all Compaq models. The offer is limited to the first 1800 coupons redeemed, and will become void after that. Only 1 redemption per person or address is allowed. The coupon is not valid with other promotions and restrictions apply. For complete conditions, see Coupon Information in the Customer Service section.

I gotta thank everyone at HP for their continued support, and all of the opportunities they keep bringing to our community. Good luck to everyone who chooses to enter!

Gnomedex Green Screen Challenge: Your Commercial Could be on TV!

Chris — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 00:05:58 +0000

Gnomedex Green Screen Challenge: Your Commercial Could be on TV! is a post from Chris Pirillo

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This week, I’m taking the Green Screen Challenge a step or two further than usual! Normally, I make a blog post, showcasing a few of my favorite entries. This time around, you can actually win a couple of very cool things!

The challenge: Create a Gnomedex commercial! My annual Gnomedex conference is only five weeks away, and it’s shaping up to be the best one yet! To help spread the excitement, I want you to come up with your very own Gnomedex commercial. Be as creative and innovative as you can – but please keep Creative Commons licensing in mind. We don’t want any legal troubles.

So what will you potentially win? I’m so glad you asked! Next week, I will choose one winner from all of the entries submitted via video response. That person will win two very cool “prizes”…

Have your commercial featured on television! Yes, that’s right – on television. The winning entry will be featured on the Seattle-area Comcast network!! Your name will of course be prominent, giving credit (and maybe fame?!) where credit is due.
Win a full-access pass to the Gnomedex conference! If you are over 18 and can pay your own travel/hotel/expenses, you can find yourself right in the middle of things during Gnomedex. It’s an amazing conference, and attending can literally change your life by giving you new perspectives and ways of thinking outside the proverbial box. Of course, if you cannot attend, you can do as you wish with the ticket – sell it to someone else, or give it away to someone who might not otherwise be able to attend.

If you aren’t sure yet how to work with these videos, make sure you check out the tutorial I wrote awhile back.

I’m very excited to see what everyone is going to come up with. Based on past entries for our weekly challenge, I know that the level of creativity out there in our community is astounding. Have fun with this – and good luck to everyone!

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Throwboy Pillows – Win One Today!

Chris — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 09:27:42 +0000

Throwboy Pillows – Win One Today! is a post from Chris Pirillo

Each week, we do a contest on our new(ish) Contests page. We’ve sadly put them on the back burner recently, due to working so hard on other projects. The good news for you all is that we’re reviving the contests, and having a great time with them! If you have ideas for future Twitter contests, or are a company interested in donating prizes, drop me a line!

This week, you have a chance to win one of two Throwboy pillows. Two winners will be chosen at random, and each will be able to choose which of these awesome little pillows they will have sent to them! The contest itself is simple to enter:

You must be following me on Twitter @chrispirillo
You have to Tweet the following: @chrispirillo #throwboy [Your Entry for What You Would Do]

That’s it! Honest! Seriously! Now, to be clear… make sure you don’t actually put the words [Your Entry for What You Would Do]. You need to exchange that, and tell me what it is you would do with/for a Throwboy! Be creative – and make it fun! Please keep all entries PG, though. There are a lot of younger people out there!

Even bigger news is that the folks at Throwboy have agreed to run this very same contest every other month! So if you don’t win this time, hang in there until September’s contest!

Good luck to everyone. :)

Will Code for Green

Chris — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 10:48:15 +0000

Will Code for Green is a post from Chris Pirillo

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Have you thought about Green Computing? Do you have what it takes to make the next great Green Computing application?

Gnomedex and the Microsoft Live Search have teamed up to sponsor a developer contest called Will Code for Green. The hope is to make a difference in the economy (Green = Money) and the Earths ecology (Green = Environment) that lasts long after the contest is over. For more details, you can read my earlier blog post.

All Semi-Finalists will present their creations at the Gnomedex conference August 20-22, 2009. Attendees at the Gnomedex conference will be invited to vote to determine a Grand Prize winner in each Category – and three runner-up winners from both Categories combined. Each Grand Prize winner will receive $10,000.00 to further their ideas and projects, and each runner-up will receive $3000.00.

Do you have a passion for the environment or economy? Do you have the mad skills to put that passion to work to help others? If so, get busy! The deadline for entry is on August 12th. You just never know… you could be our winner.

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How to Enter Community Contests, Giveaways, and Sweepstakes

Chris — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 23:17:04 +0000

How to Enter Community Contests, Giveaways, and Sweepstakes is a post from Chris Pirillo

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If you like contests, giveaways and free stuff… I have the site for you! Everyone loves these things – you know you do! You’re going to want to keep an eye on our new contest site every week!

I’ve been wanting to do more giveaways, and get people more involved. This was the perfect answer! We can do Twitter contests through here. We can even do video contests through here! We launched the first contest here at the beginning of the weekend, so it’s about over now. However, by the time you check the site out there may be a lot more things going on!

My plan is to try and do something at least once a week. I get hardware and software to review a lot – so why not give it away!? Just keep an eye out – keep it bookmarked! You can enter each contest you’re eligible for. Who knows what you might win?!

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Wanna Win a Wii?

Chris — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 11:36:28 +0000

Wanna Win a Wii? is a post from Chris Pirillo

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Do you want a Wii? How would you like to win a Wii? You may be the winner if I am the winner of the Wii! The contest is open until Feb 6th, and all you have to do is click the mouse a couple of times! Head over to Geeks and get registered for a free account. Once you’re hooked up, click on the main page where you see Our Current Contest – Win a Wii!, which takes you to the rules page.

All you have to do is click the giant boxing glove for a sneak preview of the new “Ready 2 Rumble Revolution” game. After you’ve clicked, leave a comment in that thread, telling me why you want to win a Wii. Or, you can also leave a comment in the corresponding blog post that I wrote up for this contest.

That’s honestly all you have to do. If I am the grand prize winner in this contest – I will win a Wii. And if I win a Wii – one of YOU will get the Wii! I can’t make it any easier to help one of you win!

I launched this contest the morning I made this video, and there were already over 200 comments that people have left, trying to win. Make sure to get your comment in there so that you have a shot as well.

Someone is going to win a Wii… it might as well be you! I already have a Wii, so it will be a wee bit of fun to give this one away if we win!

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Would You Like a Computer Contest has Ended

Chris — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 05:00:56 +0000

Would You Like a Computer Contest has Ended is a post from Chris Pirillo

Hey everyone! Our HP Magic contest is officially over! We will be going through all of the posts and comments tonight, and will announce our winner tomorrow. Please keep in mind that any comments made from here on out will not count towards helping someone to win.

Thank you all for participating… and good luck! We were completely overwhelmed with the amount of submissions we received (and underestimated the time it would take to edit / prepare those that were 99% perfect to begin with).

This is Kat, posting an update for Chris. He’s been sick with food poisoning since early last night. Ponzi reports that he’s completely knocked out, but I wanted to express my thanks to those of you who played by the rules and remained patient with us. I also wanted to thank both Ryan Courtade and Jamie Inscore, who helped us get things done – and kept things running smoothly for the duration).

We’re finding it difficult to discover the winner, as we’re starting to peel back layers of duplicate IP addresses, use of proxies to comment, as well as checking for comment validity (remember, insipid comments would be rejected or would NOT count towards the total number). Thanks again for your patience.

Five Reasons to Enter the Contest

Chris — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 09:44:01 +0000

Five Reasons to Enter the Contest is a post from Chris Pirillo

This is Kerri Reed’s submission for the HP Magic Giveaway. Feel free to leave comments for this article as you see fit – your feedback is certainly welcomed! If you’d like to submit your own how-to, what-is, or top-five list, you can send it to me. Views and opinions of this writer are not necessarily my own:

The HP Magic Giveaway is an extraordinary blessing. If I win this awesome contest, it would change the lives of many people in my community. Not only would I have the opportunity to give computers to deserving organizations, but I would also be able to help my family as well. Here are my top five reasons for entering this contest:

My sister passed away over the summer, leaving her four children in my care. I am a single parent of one child with learning disabilities, and home schooling him without a computer has been very hard. As it is, my sister’s children are grief-stricken and withdrawn. The transition from North Carolina to California has been difficult for them all. If I were to win this fabulous contest, I would first give one computer to my family. This would enable my son to raise his grades in school, and would help my sister’s children to create a public memorial online for their mom. It would change their lives in an extraordinary way.
We live in a low-income area of the Inland Empire. There are not enough funds in the local schools to afford adequate computer hardware. I have personally taught in the local elementary school near my home, and there are children there who have never had the opportunity to learn on a computer. If I win this contest, I will give one of the computers to my local elementary school, so they can bring the magic of computers into the classroom.
I am an animal rescuer. I have saved countless animals in my area over the past ten years. I save homeless dogs off the street, and rescue pregnant cats from the bushes near my home. It is a tireless effort, but worth it! My local animal shelter operates with very little funding from the city. Their computer systems are adequate, at best. They do not have the equipment necessary to network with animal rescue organizations across the state, and this leads to healthy animals being euthanized every day. If I win this contest, I will give one computer to my local animal shelter to help them save as many animals as they can. This is a true passion of mine.
After receiving my teaching credentials, I began to notice the gaps in the education system. One area that is severely lacking in volunteers is the tutoring program. If I win this contest, I will use the HP computer from this contest to tutor local children after school. It is so important for children to have access to technology, especially in today’s tech-driven society. Having a computer to teach reading will enable them to learn faster, and have a higher retention rate. This would make such a positive impact on their academic success.
Lastly, I entered this contest because I would love to share this amazing prize with those that need it the most. We live on very little, and I have to work nights just to keep a roof over our heads. We cannot afford a Christmas tree, or even presents this year, and a new computer would mean the world to us. Please consider my family in this unbelievable giveaway!

Express Software

Chris — Thu, 17 Aug 2006 08:59:21 +0000

Express Software is a post from Chris Pirillo

The voting booth for that Made in Express contest is now open. Twelve finalists, as linked below. I have to give every one of these guys “props” for participating, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to turn off the snark filter:

TimÂ Shay – Here’s YARS (Yet Another Radio Station), claiming that it was NJAORS (Not Just Another Online Radio Station). I’m not quite sure what’s wrong with Last.fm? That, and… Tim proves that all Microsoft platform developers translate UI as “unimportant interface.” Suggestion: find a Web interface partner.

Sanchez RomanÂ Canlas – For those of you who think that Microsoft Agent is teh shiz, you can place ~~John C. Dvorak~~ a curmudgeon chat bot on your desktop. Cute, but… about 10 years too late. Maybe if my real-life therapist wasn’t so darn entertaining, I might like the desktop curmudgeon bot a bit more. Suggestion: no comment.

MarkÂ Johnson – He’s got a community-based video remix tool. So, this is a Web-based video editing tool? If so, that’s very cool – and very needed. Mark hasn’t uploaded any files for us to see, though. Suggestion: drop the remix/mashup thing, focus on the basic editing features.

EdmonÂ Begoli – Let’s throw Web services at the X-10 protocol. Not a bad idea, although I think home automation is still 20 years away – and the products have to get 1000% more reliable. The big problem with X-10 is the brand association – pop-unders, anyone? Suggestion: develop it for all wireless home automation protocols, not just X-10.

DanielÂ Crenna – A “poker bot” is nice if you like the game. I, however, live in the state of Washington – where it is now illegal to discuss, write, or think about poker. Suggestion: polish the UI, release it as the first video poker game that doesn’t try to upsell you.

AliÂ Khalid – Dude, an instant (live) IM translation plugin is long overdue. This is the most original idea in the entire “Made in Express” contest. It shouldn’t be an MSN plugin, it should be a Trillian plugin. Microsoft Research allegedly developed a similar tool a few years ago, but never released it! Suggestion: don’t stop until this works with every IM client out there.

DouglasÂ Steen – As a “visual learner,” I appreciate the concept – but his execution leaves something to be desired. Couldn’t figure ‘er out, got confused, kept clicking, got more confused. Suggestion: make it more imagey, less texty.

ChrisÂ Fuenty – How many of you don’t already have an IRC client? Here’s an AJAX-driven Internet Relay Chat script. On the surface, it’s rather blase – but I’d give my left nut to eliminate all Web-based Java (and ActiveX) IRC Web applets. Suggestion: work on the interface, send it to chat mods for suggestions, domainte the Web-based IRC chatosphere.

ErnieÂ Hall – What kid wouldn’t want his or her own all-terrain, self-maneuverable robot? The problem with robots, however, is that they’re not very sexy. Suggestion: slap a camera on it and let it videocast adventures.

JonasÂ Martinsson – Newspaperize your fave feeds into PDF. Still has a long way to go, but I’d say that sample output is quite nifty. The only thing that keeps me from installing and recommending the app wholeheartedly is the need to install SQL Server 2005 Express Edition first – which I’m not going to do on my desktop. Suggestion: push forward with this one, but rely on something else for feed information storage (sorry, but installing SQL is overkill for users like myself).

DanielÂ Bryars – How are you feeling right now? That’s the questions all playlists should ask, and don’t. Song ratings should be based on emotion, not stars. Milton’s got a good idea here, but the Windows Media Player team will promptly ignore it. Suggestion: make it a WMP plugin.

NeilÂ Bamber – Watch out, we’ve got another relationship tracking system on our hands! The only way you’re going to get my attention with these types of tools is by completely automating the “friendship management” process (which is never likely to happen). I don’t even use Outlook Journal, and I live in Outlook. Suggestion: look at all the Web-based social networks out there and then do something really different.

There you go – my gut reactions. A few gems, a few gomers. I’d really like to see Mark, Jonas, Ali, and Daniel continue their work (seriously, they MUST keep me posted). Next time, Microsoft should select six male developers and six female developers as finalists – unless fewer than six female developers stepped forward in the first place?

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

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

Starting at just $3.99/month, web hosting from GoDaddy includes 99.9% uptime, 24/7 support and free access to GoDaddy Hosting Connection, THE place to install over 30 FREE applications sure to help you get the most from your hosting plan and Web site. Enter code CP2 at checkout, and save an additional 10% on any order.

Plus, as a friend of Chris Pirillo, enter code CHRIS7, that's C-H-R-I-S and the number 7, when you check out, and save an additional 10% on any order. Get your piece of the internet at GoDaddy.com.

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.