Blist - databases for the lay person

Blist is a flash based application that allows a user to easily create a database through drag and dropping. I just got in on a beta and I have to say that initially it is a slick interface with a lot of potential. I plan on digging into it more in the future and seeing if how it integrates into my sites.

Amazon is giving me a heart attack at 8:00am

So I received an email this morning when I turned on my computer that says someone bought me a gift from Amazon. I was like "Cool...good start to my day". I opened the email and saw it was a gift bought on my baby registry at Amazon. Let me set something straight here: We don't have any kids and are not expecting. This is very elaborate Spam as it had the appropriate email address and the headers were accurate plus it had my full name and my wife's full name on it. Anyhoo I thought I'd include the image to share with you.

Grocery shopping helping me get fatter by ordering online

In lieu of ZipCar, I've been looking for alternatives to grocery shopping. The other day I found it! Vons, the local grocery shopping chain, allows you to purchase groceries online and they deliver it to you. Now I'm not one to be lazy...wait...I'm totally one to be lazy :) This it the best thing since the remote control. The delivery fee if only $10 if you want it delivered in 2 hours or $8 if you want it delivered in 4 hours. Also they have online specials for free delivery. It was so easy. So now I'm trying to find other ways to be very lazy...maybe I'll cut back on my 2 block walk to work and work from home...only time will tell.

Order from Vons online today and be lazy like me!

Everex Cloud: Walmart Linux Laptop release on Feb 25th

Everex, the makers of the ultra cheap and Linux based desktop at Walmart, will be releasing a laptop version on Feb 25th according to Computer World. The laptop was supposed to come out today but because of some reported glitches that needed to be fixed, they put off the launch. I think that this is great that Linux is in the spotlight for distribution and hopefully will become even more of a household name. The laptop is said to be priced at $399 and includes a 30 GB hard drive. A lot of users may still hesitate to pickup this cheap laptop as they can get more specs out of a Dell laptop for around $500.

ZipCar denying downtown San Diego residents

I have been an avid supporter and user of FlexCar which recently merged with ZipCar. I was hesitent when I first heard of the merger, but the promise of better customer support and the chance for more cars encouraged me to wait it out. Today I received the following email from ZipCar announcing that they are removing cars from downtown and surrounding areas and keeping them at the college. This meaning if I want to rent a car I have to take the trolley/bus to SDSU and then rent a car(which is crazy).

Car sharing is an evolving category of transportation, and we are working hard to pioneer the industry. We are constantly learning more about the best way to operate our service, and sometimes what we learn results in a tough decision.

In Southern California, we have decided to remove our vehicles from areas outside of the universities we serve (cars will remain at UCLA, USC, Pomona, UCSB, UCSD and UCI).

This was a difficult decision for us, and we understand it may present significant inconvenience for you. We apologize for that.

Reservations for all affected locations have been canceled and fully credited. Further, we have refunded annual membership fees for all members who paid an annual fee within the past nine months. Your refund will appear in your account automatically. If you have questions about your refund, please contact us at info@zipcar.com.

We realize that you recently activated your Zipcard. We'd like to encourage you to use it by placing a *new* $25 driving credit into your account. Hopefully, you'll reserve a vehicle at one of our university locations in Southern California or in any other city where we provide service. If you have further questions, do not hesitate to contact us at info@zipcar.com.

The team at Zipcar

I'm outraged by this decision of ZipCar to do this and encourage anyone with a FlexCar Acocunt/ZipCar Acocunt/ or anyone that was thinking about it to email: info@zipcar.com letting them know how this is a gross misjudgment on their behalf.

Help support Car sharing and the environment.

Shocked about Heath Ledger...

I'm not one that typically follows celebrity news but today I found out about Heath Ledger's death and it caught me off guard. He was really young and was in a couple of movies that I enjoy. It is sad to see celebrities die at a young age.

Restaurant.com is not a good deal

I redeemed some air miles last night for restaurant.com to get some gift certificates. I'm disappointed that I did because it isn't a good deal at all. A normal user pays $10 for a $25 gift certificate. Sounds like a good deal until you read the fine print:

Purchase must be a minimum of $35-$50 depending on restaurant and also has an 18-17% gratuity included automatically. Also some didn't allow you to use them on a Wednesday or Friday.

I know this deal hinders on the restaurant but when I go to buy a gift certificate, I assume that the money I get is good towards my meal without restrictions.

It surprises me that there are sites out there like this that can still make a profit.

Sun Microsystems to Acquire MySQL...

It looks like Sun is making a huge move and acquiring MySQL. Here a portion from MySQL:

"...on January 16, 2008, MySQL and Sun Microsystems, Inc. announced an agreement for Sun to acquire MySQL. The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions and is anticipated to close in late Q1 or early Q2 of 2008."

This kind of surprises me but at the same time I see it as a good strategic move on behalf of both parties.

SharePoint is Cumbersome...Why not use a Wiki?

I had the displeasure of trying out SharePoint the past couple of days to get an understanding of why people like it...I left the experience still having no idea why someone would choose SharePoint over a wiki, especially Deki Wiki. With Deki Wiki you can easily integrate dynamic web services along with easily add content and attachments. It is so intuitive whereas SharePoint requires someone who is Trained in it and a large $xx,000 license.

Aweosme Live Performance Art

Here is a video of my brother doing an awesome live performance art painting...check it out:

Toronto Leafs vs the Kings

Last night I went to the Toronto Maple Leafs vs LA Kings game. We drove up for the game and had amazing seats that were center ice two rows back between the teams benches. The next crazy thing for the night was that two rows in front of us there were two rows of 3 posh seats. I was going to sit there if no one showed up but then a guy walked by and sat down in them. I looked at him closely as he looked very familiar. I asked my buddy if the guy looked like Cuba Gooding Jr. He was like, "Kinda...yell his name and see if he looks" So I was like "Cuba!" and sure enough he looked around and it was him...pretty cool. Then about a minute into the game Joshua Jackson showed up. Which was funny because we were making Mighty ducks jokes all night...FYI: Joshua Jackson was Charlie in the Mighty Ducks.

Anywho...here is a pick of Cuba saying hey to Josh.

Extension number 2...

Well I'm on a bit of an extension writing bender so I thought I'd write another one. The most recent one is a Social Bookmarking Extension that integrates Add This into Deki Wiki. Here is documentation on my new extension.

On a side note...I'll be implementing this on my blog soon.

I wrote my first Extension...

Today I wrote my first extension for Deki Wiki. With the new setup that has been developed, adding an extension is easy and all you need to know is html. My first extension is the ability to embed an FeVote on Deki Wiki.

Check out the documentation page I threw together on it. I'm super stoked because this brings Deki Wiki within the range of programming for average programmers like me that know a little bit of everything.

I'm super happy!!

Catching Up

After getting back from my trip to MN I started feverishly catching up. I still have a lot on my plate including getting taxes ready(I'm always an early starter). I'm slowly catching up though including catching up on my RSS feeds, that was numbering in the thousands...felt good.

MindTouch is coming out with some stuff this week that I'll discuss in another post. It is really cool though and you should be sitting on pins and needles.

For All Netscape Users...

For all Netscape users out there that recently received the bad news about Netscape no longer continuing development, I'm composing steps to take to replace Netscape with FireFox and an email client.

1. Download FireFox
   


2. Once FireFox is installed go to File -> Import -> select 'Netscape' from the list of browsers - this will import your bookmarks along with any other settings into FireFox
   
3. (Optional) Download Netscape Theme - For users that are used to the Netscape theme and want to continue using it

Now that your browser is installed you'll want to install an email application to read your email that originally was setup in Netscape. I recommend using Thunderbird as it is an easy to use and Open Source Application and is made by Mozilla, the same company that makes FireFox.

1. Download ThunderBird
2. Once downloaded Setup an IMAP account by Selecting File-> New -> Account
3. You'll need to enter the incoming and outgoing servers...typically something like smtp.netscape.com, but can vary depending on ISP(Internet Service Provider)
   

**Note: If you want to download your email onto your computer setup a POP3 account instead otherwise with an IMAP it will stay on the original email servers and on your computer. IMAP is recommended because if your computer gets fried or you get a virus you'll be able to setup your email account on a seperate computer and retrieve all of your emails.**

Once you have the Account added, your emails with download and you will be back up and running better than before.

I hope this help the Netscape users out there, or anyone else looking for a good browser and Email alternative.