sdsn.gr » Posts

My First 22 Apps on My iPhone

Matt — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 10:44:21 +0000

I got an email from Apple with the apps that I have installed in the past 5 days on my new iPhone 3G S. I thought that I would list them here so that people could comment on apps that they think I am missing out on. The only have I have paid money for is RSS Player, because I cannot live without my podcasts.

1 TweetDeck, v1, Seller: Iain Dodsworth (4+) – Recommendation from Keith Baker
2 Flashlight, v1.5.1, Seller: John Haney (4+) – Recommendation from Toby Miller
3 ColorSnap, v1.0, Seller: Resource Interactive
4 Evernote, v3.0, Seller: Evernote (4+)
5 Facebook, v2.4, Seller: Facebook
6 Pandora Radio, v2.0.2, Seller: Pandora Media, Inc.
7 Flickit, v1.1.2, Seller: Green Volcano Software, LLC (4+) – You can upload full res flickr photos – 1200×1600
8 Movies, v2.2, Seller: Jeffrey Grossman (4+)
9 GV Mobile Free, v1.0, Seller: Sean Kovacs
10 Google Mobile App, v0.3.1448, Seller: Google Mobile (4+)
11 Yelp, v2.0.2, Seller: Yelp, Inc. (12+)
12 Slacker Radio, v1.1, Seller: Slacker, Inc. (12+)
13 Bank of America – Mobile Banking, v2.0, Seller: Bank of America (4+) – UNINSTALLED – no different than the web site except for the locate ATM feature, but I don’t have a checking account with them
14 Mint.com, v1.0.1, Seller: Mint.com
15 Joost, v1.1, Seller: Joost, Inc (12+) – UNINSTALLED – absolute crap – could never get the darn thing to run
16 The Weather Channel®, v2.01, Seller: The Weather Channel (4+)
17 Brightkite, v1.1.1, Seller: Brightkite (12+)
18 Loopt, v1.6, Seller: Loopt, Inc (9+)
19 Zillow Real Estate, v2.0, Seller: Zillow, Inc. (4+)
20 RSS Player Podcast Client (aka Podcaster), v1.4, Seller: Alla Sokiryansky (4+)
21 WordPress, v1.21, Seller: effigent, Inc. (4+)
22 Dog Whistler – Your Free Dog Whistle, v1.7, Seller: Mobeezio, Inc. (4+) – UNINSTALLED – my dogs didn’t even react to the sounds

Perhaps the Best Voicemail I Have Ever Received

Matt — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 21:04:59 +0000

I am not sure who this lady is, but she called my GrandCentral number, and left this message:

Fairweathers Knockout with Brooklynbear Named Top Dog Of Ireland 2008

Matt — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 02:50:32 +0000

Mojo’s uncle (mother’s brother) was recently named the Top Dog Of Ireland for 2008. Here is his profile on uknewfoundlands.info. More pictures below.

Full sized pics are on flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattsidesinger/archives/date-posted/2009/02/13/

A Pie Chart from My flickr DNA Page

Matt — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 00:04:09 +0000

The following is a pie chart that shows my most popular tags on flickr. I promise, Murphy is not my favorite, we have just had him the longest. Oh wait, I have “had” Katie the longest. Get your own pie chart at Big Huge Labs.

Dogs 101: Newfoundland

Matt — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 22:55:33 +0000

Check out this clip about Newfoundlands on Animal Planet’s web site that is from their series Dogs: 101. Beth Karger, a judge from one of Bella’s draft tests, makes an appearance with her family, including her 7 Newfies. All of the water work footage is from a Penn-Ohio Newfoundland Club water test, which we will be attending this year.

http://animal.discovery.com/videos/dogs-101-newfoundland.html (sorry, no embed)

OVBMDC – Please Contact Me Before Joining This Group

Matt — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 02:35:29 +0000

OVBMDC stands for the Ohio Valley Bernese Mountain Dog Club. My wife and I, who are very reasonable people, were recently kicked out of the club.

There is so much I could say, but I rather not publicly bash or humiliate anyone. Please talk to me first if you are considering joining this group.

The following links are related:

You might have found this post while searching for, “Bernese Mountain Dog Clubs near Columbus, OH.”

Last Night’s 60 Minutes

Matt — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 19:56:00 +0000

I particularly enjoyed one of the segments from last night’s broadcast of 60 Minutes (I actually don’t listen to the television broadcast, but the podcast). The segment, entitled “Did Speculation Fuel Oil Price Swings” was about what the effect of deregulating the futures markets had on the price of oil.

The broadcast briefly mentions that in the 90’s, Enron lobbied for the deregulation of the markets so that they could have greater control on the price of power. Before Enron collapsed, it has been said that Enron had influenced the price or energy to over 300% the actual price supported by supply and demand. Fast forward to last year, when on September 22, 2008, the price of a barrel of oil increased more than 25% in one day. Up to this point, investment firms and other trading entities had been trusted with their assessment that this volatile market was caused by supply and demand and not trader speculation. The segment also mentions on how companies like Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs control the price of oil more than companies like Exxon/Mobil; where only 1 of every 25 barrels of oil traded on the market is done so by a company that will physically use that barrel of oil.

What I keep asking is, why do we continue to do this to ourselves? Why is greed destroying one of the greatest places to live in the World?

What Obama Might Look Like in 4 Years

Matt — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 12:56:59 +0000

I think it is a bit drastic, but if he gets a second term, I feel like this is what he might look like (because I am an expert on aging).

Image via: http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/01/06/presidential.health.aging/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

And here is one more image; a political cartoon about Obama aging. Really freaking hilarious those political cartoonists can be, eh?

Did Britney Spears’ Twitter Account Get Hacked?

Matt — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 17:39:21 +0000

It is good to see that the “hackers” from the phishing attack on twitter users yesterday have a good sense of humor. Britney Spears (britneyspears) tweeted today:

HI Yall! Brit Brit here, just wanted to updated you all on the size of my vagina. Its about 4 feet wide with razor sharp teeth.

UPDATE: It looks like the twitter accounts of both CNN and Fox News have been hijacked as well.

Introducing Mojo

Matt — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 15:25:16 +0000

Yesterday Katie and I drove to Chicago to get the newest addition to the pack from Kelli LePore of Honeylane Newfoundlands. Kelli is a great breeder that focuses on health above all else. It was great to spend half of the day with Kelli and her 5 children – we had such good time eating pizza at Gino’s East.

In the past few weeks we were wrestling with names such as Bigsby, Toby, and Sebe, but after meeting the ball of fur we have decided to name him “Mojo.” I forgot to mention that we also got to meet Mojo’s mom, Lucy. We especially like Lucy because of her attention and food motivation – her intensity would make her an awesome obedience dog. Mojo also has that same food drive and intensity that Lucy has and our Berner, Murphy, lacks (sorry about the zinger Murph).

Enough jabbering already, here are some pictures of the little dude. More pictures can be found on my flickr page.

The White Elephant Gift Guide

Matt — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 16:13:26 +0000

Shelly, a friend at work distributed this today. In her words:

White Elephant gift exchanges are fun. However, in my long and storied experience with them, I’ve found out the hard way that not everyone completely understands exactly what a White Elephant gift is. So, as a public service, I’ve created a handy tutorial to help guide you through the process of choosing an appropriate gift. Hope it helps.

An excerpt:

A White Elephant gift is NOT:

Something you would ever want to own
Something you would give to someone you ever want to be friends with again
Something that you can barter with in the pokey

Click the image to download the PDF.

Great New Ad: Beware of the Doghouse

Matt — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 13:45:37 +0000

I caught Katie watching this video this morning. Let’s hope she doesn’t get any ideas. Or better yet, maybe I should double check with “the board” that all my gift choices won’t land me in the doghouse.

bewareofthedoghouse.com (not as good as the commercial and down)
JC Penney: Beware of the Doghouse on CREATIVITY

uncrate – Maxim For Those That Don’t Have the Subscription

Matt — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 00:42:32 +0000

If you are like me and used to subscribe to Maxim or Stuff for the gear and clothes, I have found a solution for your withdrawal. uncrate, their slogan being “gear, cars, style body crib”, has the types of items that you might see in the mags. Now cruise on over and check out such gems as this ridiculous hat thingy from Oakley or these Voltron sneakers that will undoubtedly let your friends know who is the coolest.

Wanted: Names for Our Newfie

Matt — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 20:55:06 +0000

In March we will be getting our third dog, a black Newfoundland. This will be our second Newfoundland. Katie and I have thus far come up with two names on our own: Bigsby and Dr. Tobias Fünke (Toby). We haven’t settled on either, so if you have any in mind, we would love to hear them. I have tried to come up with some names on my own, like names of cities in Newfoundland or Canadian microbreweries, but have not had any success. Leave your ideas in the comments.

New Seagate Hard Drive Rap Video is Catchy and Good

Matt — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 19:45:47 +0000

I don’t care what the guys over at TechCrunch say (or at least Eric) about the new Seagate rap video (below), but I love it. I have not heard this many computer terms thrown down in a song since “The Computer Man” (also below).

“Computer Friends” [Stack the Memory] by Sniper Twins feat. Rob Collier

The Computer Man

Slideshow: Ryan and Katie’s Wedding

Matt — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 03:33:19 +0000

Katie W. (was O.) sent me the first installment of wedding photos that their photographer took. Below are a few of my faves.

If you are interested, here is the complete slideshow on Kodak Gallery.

Three Sheets – The Show You Have Been Missing

Matt — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 02:29:16 +0000

Tonight I was introduced to a wonderful show, as the host explains, is not about some “a-hole going around getting s-faced everywhere,” but a show about “interesting people, interesting places, and interesting customs – set amidst the backdrop of fine and sometimes exotic libations.” Put my way, the host Zane Lamprey travels around the world to such exotic locations as Wales, Saigon, and Kentucky, then drinks enough of the region’s alcohol so that the next morning he can enjoy the local hangover cure.

I have watched three episodes, but I like the episode about Saigon the best, which you can watch below. I played many drinking games in college, but the Vietnamese have by far the best drinking game ever.

I have not been able to confirm this, but I have heard that he show, which is regularly shown on Mojo HD, will be taken off the air in December. I hope someone else picks it up, but if not, Hulu has three seasons worth of episodes.

It’s Back

Matt — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 02:55:15 +0000

My blog is back. Unfortunately, I cannot say that it is back by popular demand. I found that tumblr, although easy to post to, did not provide me with the satisfaction I get with being able to customize my site to my needs.

In an attempt to have a constant flow of fresh information (for those days where I really don’t feel like posting), I have modified the Auto RSS Importer to also import Atom feeds. By doing so, I am now able to import my FriendFeed direclty into the Social Media category (I know, very tumblresque). In a few days I hope to add a tech section.

The changes that I made to the Auto RSS Importer code base were quick and dirty, but if you are interested you may contact me and I can take the time to post the modifications.