Month: December 2007

Apple Plus Sony Equals Match Made in Hell

My daughter is nine days old. I have six hours of video. I also have a Macbook and a Sony Handycam. Translation: I'm screwed. Turns out that Sony sucks and refuses to provide any sort of software compatible with Apple. After reading through multiple forum discussions, I took someone's brilliant advice and bought iLife '08 for the Macbook. It contains iMovie, iPhoto, etc. iMovie was supposed to cure my ills. Fat chance.

Now I'm sitting at my sucky 4 year-old basic Dell desktop, uploading my videos because it's the only computer in the house that will allow it. I wouldn't mind it, except that this basic Dell doesn't have a DVD burner. So the best I can hope for at this point is to cut the movies up into YouTube sized bits and transfer them to my Mac via an external hard drive I don't have. Sweet.

I'm going to do more research before my next camcorder purchase. I did the research to find out which ones were ranked highly for performance and value, but since I'd never owned a digital camcorder, I failed to consider how easily it would convert files over to my computer. A pretty major oversight, I don't mind admitting. Regardless, here I am, uploading movie files to sucky Dell. I used to love Dell. Such were the days of my innocent youth. Apple was always better. But Dell at least used to be the cream of the PC crop. Not so today.

I just hit up my Twitter peeps in hopes of getting some help from one of the techie gurus. Some of them still insist that iMovie '08 should have the updated codex to handle a HandyCam. I've tried already and failed, but I will try again. Whether it eventually works or not, the moral of the story is this: if you are going to build and sell a piece of technology, make it accessible to other important components for all your customers. If you're going to purchase a digital camcorder, figure out first what type of computer you'll be using and what method of digital recording is easiest to deal with and transfer.

Those are my two cents. Mahalo, and Happy New Year!
New Year’s Nation

What are YOU doing for New Year's Eve? Are you connected to the hottest NYE celebration in the U.S.? If not, you'll be missing out on one of the premiere events of 2007/2008. Check it out:

The biggest New Year's Eve Party in the country is brought to you by New Year's Nation. More than 8,000 party goers are expected to join in the nationwide festivities. This party covers eight cities in four time zones, and the venues for each city are top notch.

Visit the website to learn about THE New York New Year's Eve Party of the year. The average person attending will be a young professional in their 20s or 30s. Participating cities include New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Dallas, Detroit, Denver, Seattle, and Los Angeles. Follow the link provided to learn more about the New Year's Eve Party in LA.

If you live in the Dallas area, and you're looking for THE PLACE TO BE this New Year's Eve, join New Year's Nation at the Ivy Lounge in downtown Dallas between 9pm and 2am. Hilary Kennedy from the television show "Hot on Homes" will be hosting the local event.

No matter which city you live in, visit the website and learn more about venue, dress code, menu, and VIP options. And get ready for a party!
Christmas is Over. Now What?

Now that Christmas has come and gone, our bellies are full of Christmas
delight, cookies, pies, turkey and so forth, family members and friends are
or will be soon making their way back to their own homes and their regular
lives. As we prepare for the New Year what happens to the bonds that have
been re-kindled, made and established with new friends and old, family
members and loved ones a-like?

Do we? Will you maintain this attitude of generosity and appreciation,
charity and love, smiling, happiness and joy? Helping around the house to
clean up, being nice to the kids, being tolerant of your family. Was that
just a facade? Or will you continue to be this person that you have been
over the holiday season?

The Christmas Holiday season is especially special because so many people
become selfless and do things for others rather than themselves. And so they
sort of become another person, a better person. A person that exhibits
patience, understanding and selflessness. Is there a reason why this has to
change, if not then why does it? Hmmmm?

Well the reasoning really is not important but the change is. Joy is a
wonderful thing and you can be joyous as often as you please. It is not
limited to any season or any reason. If you had fun and smiled a lot and
enjoyed friends and family, hold on to that joy, embrace it and let it
embrace you. Let the goodness that has come out of you this holiday season
remain with you always. There is something great about a person’s character
that exhibits, consideration, patience and selfless, because your actions
reflect that life is not always about you, and that….is a wonderful thing.

As the New Year approaches do not lose sight of what you have become, the
season is here now and will soon pass however your graciousness,
appreciation and respect for others does not have to pass with it. Hold on
to who you have become, for all seasons. Do not let your humble spirit and
attitude fade as the season passes.

Your attitude is your outwardly appearance to the world. Be the best you for
all seasons and you will see how your attitude affects others in a positive
light. Let your good spirit shine from you like the sun and you will see
good things grow all around you. Seeds of joy will soon grow to flowers of
happiness and smiles.

Smiling is good we should smile as often as possible as if everyday was
Christmas. Don’t you think?

Happy Thursday!
Useful or Useless: Which are You?

I hear people say all of the time, "I need to go to the gym. I’m getting fat. I need to stop smoking. I need to eat better. I need to be more efficient with my money. I need, I need, I need." STOP TALKING ABOUT IT AND DO IT!

No one wants to hear you wine and complain about what you ought to do or what you want to do and then watch you do nothing about it. You are wasting oxygen. If you actually want to do something, you will act on it. If you’re hungry, you’ll eat. If you’re thirsty, you will drink. Why must you talk all of the time and do nothing you ever talk about? It is so very annoying, and no one respects what you say because they know you will never take action.

The time is now to make change! The time is now to make a decision to move, to make your mark, become a new person by coordinating your thoughts with actions… by giving your words meaning. James Brown said it best in song when he said, “Talkin loud and sayin nothing!" Is that you?

All I am saying is this: we all talk about things – changes that we want to make in life. Why not do more than talk? Make it happen, take the step, and make the change. Go to the gym, invest that money, ask her to marry you, make thefirst move, learn how to play an instrument. Whatever it is, do it. There is more to life than wanting to do something. There is …….actually doing something. If you are not going to do anything, then do those around you a favor and keep quiet until you’re ready to act.

Talk without action is useless talk. Useful or useless… which one are you?

Happy Thursday!
97.1 The Eagle Returns to Rock Your FM

If you're like me, you have trouble getting into the Christmas spirit. There's so much work to do, and balancing of job, family, fitness, and fun. So I've been relying on 97.1's 24/7 Christmas music to keep me focused on celebrating the season.

I'm flipping through my preset stations in the car today, and suddenly 97.1 FM doesn't sound so Christmassy anymore. In fact, it sounds a lot like a rock n' roll station. In fact, it sounds A LOT like The Eagle reborn. In fact, it is.

For those of you whining about the lack of rock on the radio in Dallas / Fort Worth, your prayers have been answered. Tune in to the all new 97.1FM The Eagle…. just don't ask me to listen with you.
Season’s GREEDings

Seasons Greedings!

Christ, family, loved ones, friends… that is what this holiday is about, right?

It appears that we as a culture have gotten away from appreciating true love for what is and have equated that love with what and how many presents and gifts we receive. This time of year is a time to recognize the ones you love and care for in many ways. Not just with toys and clothes and money, but with time, respect, appreciation, love and adoration.

Give more, love more, hug more, and kiss more. Take this time to show the ones you care for that they are worth more than what is given… that love is not defined by what is received, but by what is felt in the heart. If communication is bad with your spouse, take this time to let him/her know that he/she is worth more to you than what he/she thinks. If you are having problems with your children, take this time to tell them that you appreciate them and that you will work harder to understand them and
establish a better relationship with them.

This is a special time. Love is the air, take advantage of it. Smile as often as possible, if not for any other reason, let it simply be because YOU FEEL LIKE IT!

This is a magical time that comes around only once a year! Don't ruin it for yourself by being GREEDY and upset because you did not get something you wanted or you felt you deserved. This season is really about giving, not
receiving. Christmas is not about YOU, it is about YOU DOING for others.

There is always something to give even if you don’t have money. Love is the
most powerful force on earth and that is one of the main ingredients that
make up this holiday season, LOVE!

So don’t sell yourself short by expecting and being greedy. Be more than that! Give time, love and positive energy. Smile, laugh and share good tidings with friends, family, loved ones and those that are less fortunate and have no one. Sometimes time spent can be the most valuable gift you can
give. We all complain about not have enough of it, so that in itself makes
it valuable. Time that is.

This is a time to love the ones you love.

Take advantage of this special time and Holiday Season to show how much love
you have to give.

Merry Tidings and Happy Holidays,

– Anthony Neil Moss
Get Ready for B-Shows this January

January is B-flick month! Okay, we're talking tv shows, but what else do you call them, but B-flicks? B-shows? Whatever you call them, they're coming in droves this January to a prime time television station near you.

Good 'ol Writer's Guild strike! Gotta love it when people fight over money. Seriously. When else can you watch millionaire actors, directors, and producers talk about how important these underpaid and underappreciated writers are to the quality of programming we've come to expect. How meaningful. How thoughtful. How absolutely full of sh*t.

These millionaire celebrities are either strategically kissing ass or taking the opportunity to paint themselves as more egalitarian and human. Nothing like taking advantage of every opportunity to make yourself look good.

As for the B-shows, you may not be as disappointed as the "B" implies. The networks are OBVIOUSLY pulling some shows off the shelf, dusting them off, and giving them a run. Let's face it, even B-shows are better than prime time reruns. Personally, I'm looking forward to these B-shows. I've disagreed with many "keep or cancel" network decisions these past few years. Some of my favorite shows have been dropped mid-season. Some of my favorite canceled shows are: Day Break, starring Taye Diggs; Kidnapped, starring Jeremy Sisto; Crossing Jordan, starring Jill Hennessey; and Vanished, starring John Allen Nelson. There have been many others that I thought were hits, yet the network moguls gave them the axe.

Some of these upcoming shows may be decent. Just don't get too attached. One or two resurrected scripts may get a second chance once this strike is over, but don't count on it being your personal choice.
Donald Trumps the January 2008 TV Lineup

As of May 2007, it was uncertain whether Donald Trump and The Apprentice would return for another season in 2008. Have no fear. The Donald is here. Starting Thursday, January 3rd at 8pm CST, The Celebrity Apprentice will air for the first time. Donald's mixing it up after six years of somewhat repetitive and similar competitions.

This year, celebrities will be competing for charity. Stay tuned to see how well that works out. Among the celebrity contestants are Gene Simmons of the band Kiss, Stephen Baldwin, Trace Adkins, and supermodel Carol Alt.

How will The Celebrity Apprentice stack up against previous seasons? It's uncertain, but one thing is for sure – celebrities competing for charity surely can't stir the pot as well as real entrepreneurs. Playing for charity will drain the bloodthirsty cruelty right out of it. Prepare yourself for spoiled rotten celebs who expect to get their way as they attempt to work their way back into your good graces as true celebrities.

I'll check this show out, but I doubt it will draw me in to watching the full season. Check back to see.
Bloggers Beware: You CAN Spread Yourself Too Thin

I've found through personal experience that you definitely CAN spread yourself too thin. You know all those professional bloggers who make five figures a month? They don't own as many blogs as I do. They know what they're doing. They focused on 1-3 niche topics where they would be able to blog and blog and blog without quick and easy burnout. Not me. Oh no.

You see, I'm the type of guy who buys a domain name and feels compelled to host it with blog software as soon as possible. Some of these domains I thought I would sell, and eventually I will. But in the meantime, I have put this huge burden on my shoulders to maintain too many blogs on too many topics. Despite what my parents think, I simply do not have that much to say on a daily basis.

So how do like me find a way to overcome overwhelmingly random interests? Pick three domains to be blogs. Make one your personal blog. You can take full credit for this personal blog if you want, or you can keep it anonymous. Use this blog to vomit all your randomness into. Who knows? Maybe you'll build a following over time. Beyond your personal blog, pick two topics max and dedicate yourself to covering them. Give yourself a full year of blogging on these three topics before adding another, and add only one new blog per year IF ANY.

This may seem like it will take forever to establish yourself online, but you'll do far better than I started out if you limit the number of blogs you own and operate. It's okay to cover every topic under the sun as long as you isolate that blog from your niche blogs. There's really no reason to own and operate 7-11 blogs unless you miraculously build a staff of bloggers to do the heavy lifting for you.

You'll do well to learn how to moderate yourself from the beginning. You'll save yourself a lot of stress and frustration if you do. Best of luck, and happy blogging!
Google Talk + AIM Equals What?

I log into my Gmail account this morning, and lo and behold, I see a little red link at the top of the screen desperately trying to get my attention. It tells me that AIM chat is now available on my Gmail! Yay! But wait…. why do I need that exactly?

The quick and easy answer is…. dun dun dun…. I don't! I have Trillian open when I use my sucky Dell, which allows me to use MSN Live, Yahoo, and AIM IMs all at the same time, so I can keep track of all my silly friends who don't use AIM. And no, I don't use ICQ. I've never seen the point, frankly.

When I get my glorious black Macbook next week, I will abandon all things Dell and enjoy the lap of luxury… just me and my Adium back together again… I may need a minute…

Right! So where was I? Oh right! AIM and Gmail. Yeah…. that will work great for anyone who obsessively leaves their Gmail open all day. I personally don't, because I need my Google search results to NOT be skewed by my "personal preferences". In case some of you didn't know, some of your Google search results will be different than everyone else's while you're signed in to Gmail because Google is trying to pinpoint what you specifically want to find. That's the official story, anyhow. So since I usually check Google to see where my stuff or my clients' stuff is ranking, I have to log off Gmail in order to do this. Result: I never stay logged in to Gmail after I'm done reading an email. I suppose this is partly due to the fact that Gmail is not my primary email account either.

Who exactly does this benefit? I suppose this will probably benefit the massive Indian fanbase of GoogleTalk and Orkut, Google's private networking site that completely sucks. Maybe this is a bit harsh. There are thousands of people out there who don't own a domain which they can use for a primary email. That being the case, Gmail is definitely better than Hotmail or Yahoo Mail, so why not leave a window open all the time to check your Gmail?

I must confess, I've never used GoogleTalk either. I simply don't have many friends who use GMail. So some of you will love this, most of you will wonder why it's a big deal. The quick and easy answer is… it isn't.