• I’m not the only one! Chris Leeds has discovered the magic of Popfly, too!
• Panoramio isn’t an opera. It’s not even a restaurant. Nor is it a salad dressing.
• Instead of letting Windows give him the blues, Bob Littell finds himself Linspired.
• George Tenet tells us what it was like At the Center of the Storm.
• What turns an ordinary musician into the Ace of Bass?
• Betagnome hits a home run with his baseball-loving son.
• Check fraud’s back in fashion! Summer must be coming.
• When weighing the options between personal loans and credit cards, it’s good to know the facts.
• Boo! Is the Internet haunted?
• Come and get it! Doggies by the pound!

Today’s Live Links

• Search Music Videos
• Get Your Next Job Based on Merit
• Software to Download and Convert YouTube Videos
• Get a Private Public Phone Number
• Hosts File Statistics, information, and FREE Utilities
• ShoZu – Publish Media from your Cell Phone

Today’s Random Thoughts

1. Popcorn! http://music.tenhauser.com/popaw_01.mp3
2. My math teacher was wrong – I never needed to understand long division in my adult life.
3. Beginning to wonder if the weekend is going to disappear as quickly as this week did.
4. Ergh. Pixie decided to leave her lunch on the carpet.
5. Wondering when I’m gonna play the Halo 3 beta (live on cam) this weekend?

Today’s Photos

Today’s Media

• Recording Skype Calls
• Parallels vs. Boot Camp
• Best Photo Sharing Site
• HD-DVD vs. Blu-Ray vs. Downloading
• Is it Safe to Leave my Computer on at Night?

A Lot of Link Love

• Does Firefox need a diet?
• Gnomie Steve Hobberstad gives us a couple of good tips on maintaining our systems.
• Ever needed to add a line break to a cell in Excel 2007?
• With writing, sometimes the inspiration comes from practice.
• Wait a minute! A credit card has to be repaid? Thanks, LordKaT, for taking all the fun out of it.
• Got clients? Don’t just hand them a bill.
• Pardon me, but your kilt’s on fire!
• Did you know that your USB flash drive may be infected? Now turn its head and have it cough.
• The Blade is wondering how to sharpen his edge. Feedback, please!

Today’s Live Links

• Top 10 HDTV Myths: Fact vs. Fiction, Hi-Def Style
• Here’s My Jaiku
• Make Your Own Custom Wine
• Google is better than Limewire for downloading Music
• The Ultimate Linux Reference Guide for Newbies

Today’s Random Thoughts

1. No doubt about it. Scrubs is one of the best shows on television. Ever.
2. Why on earth do hardware manufacturers keep building equipment with Serial ports?!
3. Wondering if I’ll ever open my news aggregator again?
4. It’s nice to see Ponzi painting again (I can tell she really enjoys it).
5. Ponzi, when I handed her a new Zune: “What is this? An iPod?”
6. Summer is cooler with a picnic cooler: http://urltea.com/kn3

Today’s Photos

Today’s Media

• Where to find cheap gas?
• Free Audio Program
• PNG vs JPG
• 32bit vs 64bit Windows
• What is IRC?

A day that will live in Infamy!

First, let’s look at today’s Headlines…

• Walking through the desert on stilts would save gas money, come to think of it.
• Add Costco to the pet food recall list. Sigh.
• “Dispatch to Cab 128, our GPS shows you dawdling at a Krispy Kreme on 2nd Street. Back to work!”
• Even skeptics can be overwhelmed with wonder. Not sure about those God-hating communists, though.
• I never promised you a rose garden, but I know someone who can help you take care of one.
• Watch out, would-be villains! The Pink Stinger keeps this neighborhood safe!

Today’s Live Links

• Windows Vista Battery Saver
• The Future of Media Distribution?
• PowerToys for Internet Explorer – Updated
• iPodifier – Free Video Sync Tool for Windows

Today’s Random Thoughts

1. So, what happens if I decide to cross the streams? I mean, I’m cross-posting anyway!
2. Will my Inbox ever drop below 25 messages again?

Today’s Photos

Today’s Media

• Firefox vs Internet Explorer vs Opera
• What is a DOCX file?
• Peets Coffee Addiction
• How To Pursue A Career in Technology
• Miranda vs Adium vs Meebo
• WinZip vs WinRar

What did I do today?

I send my picks to 140,000 subscribers every day – join them by sending an email to picks@lockergnome.com. If you blog and encourage others to subscribe to the list, your site will be placed in the queue to be featured in an upcoming Pirillo’s Picks!

• [EMAIL] Export Thunderbird Contacts To Evolution In Linux
  (tags: export, thunderbird, contacts, evolution, linux, email)
• [WARNING] Serious Vulnerability Affects All Recent Windows Versions
  (tags: windows, vulnerability, warning, security, microsoft, cursor)
• [GEEKS] Are we being ripped off?
  (tags: hardware, dell, vista, oem, ripoff)
• [GADGET] OQO 02 Handheld Shipping?
  (tags: oqo, umpc, handheld, gadget, gizmo, hardware)
• [TIP] How to speed up Windows Vista Start Menu search
  (tags: vista, windows, microsoft, startmenu, search, speed, tweak)
• [HARDWARE] Scan Dog for Scanner owners
  (tags: scanner, scan, twain, ocr, hardware)
• [NEW] Principles of Citizen Journalism
  (tags: citizen, journalism, press, bloggers, principles, document, manifesto)
• [SAFETY] Internet Crime Complaint Center
  (tags: crime, internet, fraud, government, Security, Spam, law)
• [SEARCH] Family History and Genealogy Records
  (tags: genealogy, family, history, search, reference, geneology, research)
• [HELP] Custom eBay Searches Delivered by RSS
  (tags: web, shopping, RSS, ebay, search, half)
• [BUY] Share Your Shopping Experiences with Others
  (tags: buy, shop, purchase, store, share, shopping)
• [FREE] Agnitum Spam Terrier for Outlook & OE
  (tags: spam, software, antispam, security, junk, email)

Pirillo’s Picks for 03/31/2007

I send my picks to 140,000 subscribers every day – join them by sending an email to picks@lockergnome.com. If you blog and encourage others to subscribe to the list, your site will be placed in the queue to be featured in an upcoming Pirillo’s Picks!

• [PRANK] Make crank phone calls anonymously
  (tags: phone, funny, Fun, tech, cool, humor, hacks)
• [HELP] PowerPoint Tip: Play show while working
  (tags: powerpoint, slideshow, help, tip, trick)
• [DNA] Fast Fun Free Personality Tests
  (tags: personality, test, Psychology, fun, personal, web, dna)
• [SERVICE] Bypass any kind of Web proxy block
  (tags: firewall, proxy, bypass, filter)
• [DOWNLOAD] Sweet set of Essential Freeware from Pablo
  (tags: windows, Software, freeware, utilities, server, network, Tools)
• [TREND] Another Geek Moves Back to Windows XP
  (tags: xp, vista, windows, microsoft)
• [RESEARCH] Based on a True Story Truths
  (tags: movies, film, entertainment, search, interesting, stories, movie)
• [SAVE] Do Bargains Abound as CompUSA Closes Stores?
  (tags: bargains, technobabble, compusa)
• [FREEWARE] Great Alt+Tab replacement for Vista
  (tags: vista, windows, expose, switcher)
• [VIDEO] Amazing 3D Desktop
  (tags: desktop, beryl, compiz, 3d)

Pirillo’s Picks for 03/27/2007

I send my picks to 140,000 subscribers every day – join them by sending an email to picks@lockergnome.com. If you blog and encourage others to subscribe to the list, your site will be placed in the queue to be featured in an upcoming Pirillo’s Picks!

• [WINDOWS] Universal Plug-and-Play Tester
  (tags: upnp, plugandplay, windows, microsoft, network, hardware, tester)
• [GAME] The History Channel Great Battles of Rome
  (tags: history, tv, battles, rome, game, fun)
• [CENSOR] Great Firewall of China
  (tags: china, firewall, censorship, internet, tools, web, politics)
• [WARNING] Windows StickyKeys may pose security risk
  (tags: stickykeys, accessibility, keyboard, windows, microsoft, security)
• [SCI] France Goes Public With Its UFO Files
  (tags: science, scifi, ufo, paranormal, weird, france, news)
• [FUN] Babble: The Ultimate Word Game
  (tags: games, fun, game, boggle, scrabble, web, words)
• [OPINION] Microsoft Confuses Me, what about you?
  (tags: opinion, confusion, confuse, microsoft)
• [OPENSOURCE] Jabber client with integrated whiteboard
  (tags: jabber, whiteboard, software, collaboration, chat, im, opensource)
• [CPU] Dual or Quad Core Processors – Will Windows XP Support Both?
  (tags: cpu, intel, amd, dualcore, quadcore, quadfx, processor, xp, windows)
• [FREEWARE] Amazing Virtual Desktops Cube for Windows
  (tags: 3d, desktop, free, freeware, virtual, cube, vista, xp, windows)

Pirillo’s Picks for 03/23/2007

I send my picks to 140,000 subscribers every day – join them by sending an email to picks@lockergnome.com. If you blog and encourage others to subscribe to the list, your site will be placed in the queue to be featured in an upcoming Pirillo’s Picks!

• [ORGANIZE] Create a virtual bookshelf
  (tags: books, library, social, community, book, sharing)
• [FUN] Name My Tune
  (tags: music, search, humor, web, songs, funny, fun)
• [SKILL] Find and eliminate cliches from your writing
  (tags: Writing, Tools, Language, cliche, English, funny, grammar)
• [VIDEO] Best Online Documentaries
  (tags: video, documentary, documentaries, free, online, science, media)
• [HELP] Loans that change lives
  (tags: charity, microfinance, activism, loans, business, money, poverty)
• [IMAGE] Public Domain Clipart
  (tags: clipart, clip, art, image, graphic, photo, picture, publicdomain, free)
• [FREE] Link Shrinker – with API
  (tags: twitter, short, url, semantic, api, tool, free, link)
• [HARDWARE] The Ultimate Home Theater PC Case
  (tags: hometheater, theater, stereo, mediapc, mediacenter)
• [SHARE] Who is your favorite Web Host?
  (tags: host, hosting, webhost, servers)
• [LEARN] How to trade on the Forex for free?
  (tags: forex, trading, stocks)

Pirillo’s Picks for 03/22/2007

I send my picks to 140,000 subscribers every day – join them by sending an email to picks@lockergnome.com. If you blog and encourage others to subscribe to the list, your site will be placed in the queue to be featured in an upcoming Pirillo’s Picks!

• [AUDIO] Slacker Digital Radio Tuner
  (tags: music, radio, player, free, online, web)
• [FREE] Open Clip Art Library
  (tags: clipart, graphics, free, opensource, images, design, art)
• [TOOL] Get your videos ready for the Xbox 360
  (tags: xbox, video, encoding, codec, transcode, encode, wmv, windowsmedia)
• [HISTORY] Churchill Speech Interactive
  (tags: Research, Politics, Churchill, audio, talk, history, historical, speech)
• [FIND] Build Your Own Search Robot
  (tags: search, searchengines, bots, bot, design, Flash)
• [FUN] Celebrity Face Match
  (tags: celeb, celebrity, famous, face, faces, match, stars, hollywood)
• [CLOCK] Daylight Savings Time Headaches
  (tags: dst, time, date, savings, clock)
• [FREEWARE] Download embedded videos from YouTube, etc.
  (tags: youtube, video, codec, free, freeware, software)
• [SOCIAL] What’s happening in your neck of the woods?
  (tags: social, nightlife, happening, city, entertainment)
• [HELP] Access NTFS Windows files from Linux
  (tags: tools, software, opensource, filesystem, windows, ntfs, Linux)

Pirillo’s Picks for 03/15/2007

I send my picks to 140,000 subscribers every day – join them by sending an email to picks@lockergnome.com. If you blog and encourage others to subscribe to the list, your site will be placed in the queue to be featured in an upcoming Pirillo’s Picks!

• [TALK] Chatrooms for the people, uncensored
  (tags: chat, ajax, web2.0, community, web, rails, rubyonrails)
• [SMART] Sync all your devices and data, simply
  (tags: media, free, java, audio, mobile, sharing, cool)
• [SPY] Windows Phones Home… A Lot
  (tags: windows, microsoft, software, phonehome)
• [BRAINSTORM] Online Mind Mapping Tool
  (tags: mindmap, mindmapping, web2.0, tools, Free, software, flash)
• [DRINK] Home Brewing Contest
  (tags: home, brewing, homebrew, homebrewing)
• [ADDICTIVE] EverybodyPanic! Line Game
  (tags: line, game, fun, flash, distraction, diversion, addictive)
• [DOWNLOAD] Undelete plus – New Version – And Still Free
  (tags: undelete, freeware, software, download, update, free)
• [INSURANCE] Track stolen gadgets, such as an iPod
  (tags: gadget, gizmo, insurance, steal, stolen, track, ipod)
• [FREEWARE] Documeron v2.1 search tool
  (tags: documents, search, desktop, desktopsearch, free, freeware)
• [LISTEN] Independent Music Download Website
  (tags: music, mp3, download, web2.0, community, audio, Shopping)
• [FUTURE] Star Trek Technology May Battle Cancer For Real
  (tags: startrek, tech, technology, cancer, health)
• [TIME] Test your browser’s Java for DST changes
  (tags: browser, java, troubleshooting, dst, time)
• [TOOL] Make any Web site mobile-friendly
  (tags: tools, proxy, mobile, search, treo, web, imported)
• [PUPPY] How to Hack Your Dog
  (tags: dog, puppy, pooch, hound, woof, hack, hacks)

Pirillo’s Picks for 03/09/2007

Via Lockergnome subscriber Scott Daniels:

I read today’s newsletter and wanted to comment on your interest in “distance learning.” I received my Masters in Computer Information Services last May via the Internet program from the University of Phoenix. This isn’t a plug by the way! It took approximately 18 months to complete. Each class was 6 weeks long. We not only had ebooks to read and assignments to write, but actual group projects to turn in.

We had a BBS like environment for each class where we had to participate in discussions, communicate with team mates and one forum solely for turning in assignments. The instructors actually were more like facilitators than professors. They would chime in with their experiences and keep us on track. Some of the assignments that they had us do we quite entertaining!

The discussions were very interesting. I had people from all over the U.S. and the world including South Korea, Japan and Dubai. The observations and cultural differences that we got were extremely valuable. The option of being able to access the Internet from hotels, etc. allowed me to continue to travel and complete my classes. That option is what proved to be the most valuable to me.

I would encourage you to take a look at the many programs and if so inclined, give it a shot.

Dunno. There’s something to be said about sitting in the same room as someone else (which is likely why I still don’t quite understand the draw of Second Life).

Distance Learning: University of Phoenix?

• Shaving your inbox
• Notebook power management answers
• Windows Vista vs. XP revisited
• Activating Office 2007 on XP and Vista
• Malasyia Video Greetings
• AVCHD hardware is ahead of the curve
• Is Clearwire a valid option
• Spacey Firefox issues

Television Without An Interesting Name

Time for more distance learning:

• Shaving while computing
• Hello from Malasyia
• Laptop power management questions
• Firefox spacebar problems
• More waiting on Windows Vista
• Wait on the AVCHD format
• Clearwire wireless broadband
• Re-activating Office 2007

Or you can download the MP4 if you’d much rather do so. For whatever it’s worth, I’ve recently decided to redirect “the show” as a subdirectory on my personal blog – that way, I only need to tease people to one site instead of two (when I’m clearly just one person with many interests).

Distance Learning by Video

Our daily comic bLaugh is still going strong – and we’re kicking it up a notch with a bit of video learning. Yes, GoDaddy has been an amazing sponsor for us! Brad says that he’s gonna be uploading his “live sketch” videos every single day. Over time, you can learn how to become just as talented an artist.

Who knew learning could be this funny? Did you realize he uses a Tablet PC? He’s like a digital Bob Ross – without all the happy little trees. Then again, Bob Ross never really drew comics. Brad is quite simply the most amazing comic artist I’ve ever met (and worked with, certainly).

I dare you to say that you’re not impressed. If you can’t see the videos below, here’s Part I and Part II.

Okay, so I thought the gag was hilarious. Then again, I’m the one who wrote it – and am actually considering downgrading from Vista to XP, myself. The final product:

How to Draw Comics

I’m starting to become more and more interested in distance learning applications. I mean, we’re totally living in an increasingly-decentralized world – but is the realm of education keeping pace? I remember talking about future distance learning applications back in the early ’90s, but I’m not sure we’ve come all that far since then.

This video response to a video I posted with another video playing back inside of it… *whew* how and where do we begin to manage all of this knowledge? How do we share our wisdom effectively?

Are traditional schools… antiquated?

Distance Learning Links?