Irieman.com | Last One Out…

Yes, I have an online dating profile. (I won’t link to it- you’ll have to either find it on your own or ask me for the link). As I was updating it for the exciting new decade ahead, I thought it would be an interesting experiment to pull some personal data out of it and post it “in the wild”- in plain text for Googlebot and world to see, and see what comes of it.  Which in itself is pretty interesting considering how pissed off I am at Facebook’s Privacy changes right now.

The result: 15 Things You Might Not Already Know About Me (in no particular order):

1. I am the kind of guy who instinctively opens doors for others- friends, strangers, dudes, old people, bratty children, and of course, women- whether they’re hot or not.

2. By day I’m a professional helper! As a help-desk manager and technology trainer, I teach, train, and help people in a variety of ways that makes their lives easier both instantly and “down the road”.

3. I have a B.A. in Communications and an M.A. in Education. In other words, two degrees in areas mostly unrelated to my actual career.

4. In my spare time I’m either running, working out, editing videos, or creating music.

5. I hope to lose a marathon or triathlon before I die.

6. I am a pretty realistic person about most things which keeps me level-headed, even-tempered and understanding in most situations.

7. I have written and recorded over 200 songs since October 2006.

8. I am pretty good at:
- Drums
- Guitar
- Bass Guitar
- Piano/Keyboards
- Studio Engineering
- Post-Production
- 5ks (as in Kilometers)
- hearing a song and figuring out exactly how to rip it off
- understanding strange accents
- finding “the answer” to just about anything, on the internet

9. People also often think they know me from somewhere, but can’t remember where that is. Very weird *and* very true!

10. Movies: Like most guys, I enjoy a well-rounded array of action, comedy, aliens, car chases, explosions, steamy, and hi-tech content. *Unlike* most guys, I have a pretty good appreciation and collection of movies that aren’t in English.

11. I haven’t had cable or over-the-air TV since 2002.

12. Over 50% of my music collection is in a language other than English.

13. I enjoy all types of cuisine with the exception of animals with their heads still attached. (The less “American” the better!)

14. Six things I could never do without:
- Music
- Patience
- A sense of humor
- Running shoes
- Hot showers
- Clean drinking water

15. I spend a lot of time thinking about my next career move, music, technology, girls, and hot, hip, internet business plans.

And there you have it!  The damage is done!  *ducks*

A special “video” crash Tuesday today.  Enjoy!

Fire Truck + MINI COOPER = Never a good outcome!

“According to investigators, a fire crew heading to an emergency-medical call collided with a Mini-Cooper. We’re told the fire truck did have its emergency lights turned on at the time.”*

*From WTVR, Richmond, Virginia

Thank you for reading “Bushfinger MINI”, my personal MINI-oriented blog. If you like this content, then you will probably love my favorite online video program, “Behind The Vroom”! www.BehindTheVroom.com

Enjoy more content like this at Bushfinger MINI
© all original content copyright 2009

Playing along with the #musicmonday Twitter game…

For the dance music fans, enjoy some hot mixes from some of my favorite female DeeJays! (With so many definitions of what is A “DJ” these days, I mean, “i spin records”.)

DJ Tatiana djtatiana.com – @DJTatiana
“This talented Los Angeles based DJ first began her career as a resident DJ for Feelgood Entertainments monthly legendary parties in Oakland at the Hotel Ibiza. She shared main stage billing with superstar DJ’s from the beginning. Two months later she became a monthly resident at The House of Blues Foundation Room in Las Vegas. She spent the following year touring throughout America. Within a two year time span she released four mix CD’s… She has mixed live on radio shows worldwide including the well known Los Angeles based radio show, ‘Powertools’. She has also had mixes featured on XM Radio, Trance Fury and Music Choice…”

text courtesy DJ Tatiana at djtatiana.com
images courtesy DJ Tatiana at myspace.com/thedjtatiana

HeavyGrinder myspace.com/djheavygrinder
“At age thirteen, she began to actively pursue her love of music and being on center stage by taking up vocal training and modeling. After years of traveling, she made her way to LA in 1998. It was in the City of Angels that she realized her new love, cozying up to the sounds of underground dance music, captivated by the power of the DJ and the reaction of the crowd…”

images and text courtesy Heavygrinder at myspace.com/djheavygrinder

Kelly Trance – Female DJ / Producer / Remixer / Vocalist / VJ
http://www.kellytrance.com – @kellytrance
“Kelly Trance is a dynamic DJ, vocalist and producer. Her style ranges from funky pounding electro to beautiful driving progressive house and trance. She’s DJ’ed for crowds across the United States and internationally as well. Kelly has an energetic stage presence and is a beautiful DJ. Not only can she rock a dance floor, but she’s also been featured in FHM Magazine as one of the “Sexy DJ’s of the world”…”



text courtesy Kelly Trance at kellytrance.com
images courtesy Kelly Trance at myspace.com/kellytrance

I’m always on the lookout for good deejays and good mixes for my personal enjoyment and workouts. Feel free to share the love!

If you’re a big name celebrity like me, at some point you stop paying attention to who is following you on Twitter and gush on and on about the sheer numbers (you know who you are!)

But since I’m actually not a big time celeb (yeah, I made that up- sorry),  I often find myself asking, “who are these 100+ people on my list that I don’t follow and don’t know?”  If you’ve ever tried using  the Twitter website to manage your followers, you’ll agree that it is tedious and cumbersome at best, and if you have over 500 followers, basically impossible.  With a few moments to spare from my hustle and bustle lifestyle, today I did a google search for “who is following me on Twitter?” and got a link to website that reviewed a web app called “Friend or Follow“.  After skimming the review I tried it out for myself!

Friend or Follow does exactly what I was looking for and more.  Here’s the breakdown:

- Generates a list of who is following you and you aren’t following back
- Generates a list of who you are following that isn’t following you back
- Generates a list of mutual Twitter friends.

The design of the site also lets you view a brief profile info of a Twitterer while hovering over their avatar, with the option of clicking over to the Twitter profile page.  Since in my case- I actually try to look at every Twitter profile and decide accordingly whether to add, follow or block them, this is a killer feature!

Oh and by the way, it does all of this without asking you for your Twitter password!  But the best part of Friend or Follow is that you can download these lists in CSV format.  If you’re a nerd like me, this opens up a slew of interesting opportunities.

Fortunately, being the big time Internet celebrity that I am, I have the time and inclination to go through the thousands of… well,  hundreds…  okay- the 70 odd Twitter profiles I’ve not yet friended-up and add, block, or follow them.

And so, without reserve, I wholeheartedly endorse the Friend or Follow app/site.  You know- for those of you who are into that sort of thing.  (If you’re into the numbers thing, in less than an hour, using “FoF” I went from a 30% non-follow back ratio to around 10%.)

You can follow me on Twitter at @SherwinRocks.  And thanks to Friend or Follow, I’ll mostly likely follow you back!

Related Links:
FriendOrFollow.com
Twitter.com

A few moments ago, FedEx brought me the last Second Generation iPod Shuffle ever made.

When Apple announced and released its latest version of the iPod Shuffle, as usual, everyone ate it up and thought it was/is the best thing since sliced bread. For the right person, it’s pretty damn cool. Even smaller, there are no more pesky buttons on the device itself- they’ve been moved onto the headphone cord for your convenience.  Which is great under the right conditions. Namely, you always wear your headphones with the cord in front of you, you like the sound of the cheap iPod earbuds, and the cheap earbuds actually stay in your ears. They market it as the perfect accessory for your active lifestyle.  (Video Demo)

Me? Sure I’m an active guy. But I never wear my headphones with the cord in front of me, I hate the sound of the cheap iPod earbuds, and the cheap earbuds won’t stay in my ears. In fact, for each of the many iPod/iPhones I’ve owned over the years, I’ve always used my own headphones. Which means yes, I do have a large collection of brand new iPod headphones, available for a small price if anyone want’s them.

My favorite iPod iteration for the gym has to be the 2nd Generation iPod Shuffle. Loaded it up with the perfect workout and running tracks, it’s unobtrusive and loud enough to mask the crap they play on the giant nightclub-worthy sound system. I picked one up and used it diligently for about month until it mysteriously disappeared! I reverted back the slightly more clunky iPod Mini, and once i got the iPhone, have been using it at the gym ever since out of sheer convenience. But the 2nd Gen shuffle is still in my opinion, the best gym iPod ever. Anyway back to my point, when Steveo announced the button-less, proprietary-headphone-using version of the iPod Shuffle, I knew I’d better pick up the 2nd Gen one before they are longer available.

2nd Gen iPod Shuffle

I waited a bit because a) I’m a slacker, and b) I wanted to see how low the price would go down. The price neverwent down!   But eventually, the supply chain ran out! DOH! One day the Apple Store showed it was out of stock, and the many online retailers soon dried up as well. Don’t even get me started on Best Buy! Alas, it appeared that I had lost the “waiting game”.

Then a few days ago, on a hunch, intuition, or boredom, I decided to take another stab at it. Again, the Apple Store was out of stock in all colors.  I used the Google “shopping” feature and most of the online retailers were out as well. Then I saw an entry for “Apple”. “But- they’re out of stock.” I said. I clicked the link anyway, and oddly enough, the Apple Store showed they had one in stock!

I bought it immediately! About two minutes later, I was curious, as I retraced my footsteps. OUT OF STOCK!

*So as far as I’m concerned, I just bought the last Second Generation iPod Shuffle.  At least what I will be telling people.

I received the Last 2nd Gen iPod Shuffle* today.  No fancy packaging, but still beautiful as far as packaging goes.  Some day, all shipped goods will come packaged this way.  For geeks and gadget fiends, Apple usually the first brand that comes to mind when we think of “awesome packaging” and the related “unboxing” experience.

When you purchase an Apple product, the experience usually begins at the Retail or online  store and the excitement continues onto the stage of receiving and opening the fancy box. Whether it’s shiny color-rich graphics or a futuristic plexi-glass enclosure, Apple likes to up the ante in which most companies have to follow or die trying.

Original Packing, 2nd Generation iPod Shuffle

To its credit, Apple regularly receives industry kudos for its excellence in “packaging design” (I didn’t make that up- links below). They do a great job at giving consumers the “Apple experience” from soup to nuts- which includes drool-worthy boxes. Apparently.  The downside of a fancy, award-winning box- it’s tough to just throw out.  I still have the boxes from my first three iPods, and first shuffle, and the first white, 3G iBook. And two iPhones. Yeah- they’re collecting dust somewhere.

I try to pick up all of my Apple products as Refurbs whenever possible simply because it is a great way to shave up to 20% of the price off the item. (All of their refurbs contain the same warranty as their “new” items, so why not wait a few months?)  One of the ways Apple gets to save a few bucks and pass it along to the consumer is through an entirely different packaging concept- minimalism.

To my knowledge, none of the awards, videos, accolades etc., Apple gets almost every single year ever allude to the ultimate minimalist packing prowess that goes into Apple’s Refurbished products.  I could go the whole “green” save the earth route, but that’s not what I love about it. If you know me, I loves me some minimalism, and in this regard I love the treatment Apple gives their refurbished products.

Second Generation iPod Shuffle, Refurbished Packaging:

Plain white box. shrinkwrapped.

iPod Shuffle- cellowrapped in place.

Headphones, Dock, and Manual

And that’s it!   As we rapidly approach empty-box day, what will you do with your empty, art-worthy boxes from Apple?

1. Apple Package Design Awards throughout the years:

2004: iPod_Packaging_Wins_Design_Distinction_Award
2007: Apple Wins Design Award But Not For The Usual Reasons
2008:  UK Packaging Awards 2008 Shortlist

I received an interesting email a bit ago – it said “put GQ in the palm of your hand with this groundbreaking new app…” Since I read the GQ website on my phone & computer more than the printed version shipped to my mailbox each month anyway, I thought ‘d give it a go! After all, who better to test drive a new concept than a geeky tech-focused guy such as myself?

I clicked the link, which instead of taking me to the iTunes Store, took me to the web page with the same copy as the email. First fail, by the way. Totally killed the impulse buy.  Just sayin’.   I sat through the fancy flash demo of what I’ll see in the app- the same stuff I’ll see in the printed copy if I ever get off my duff and empty out my P.O. Box- only with video clips apparently, which sounds pretty interesting!

If you’re not up to speed (but as a reader of my blog, you most likely are), many publishers are getting excited about full-color e-readers, tablets (dubbed the “couch top” by a forgotten source (was it you?)) and digital print content as a new revenue stream. “E-readers” such as the Kindle (Amazon), Nook (Barnes & Noble), and Sony’s creatively named “Reader” are bringing text-based content back into the conversation of the digital age. Sports Illustrated’s recent demo of what this experience could be like has ears, eyes, and wallets perked up! I’m kind of excited about this kind of stuff too, and I hate reading!  In short- I’m in! Give it to me! Ready for the groundbreaking experience, I click the link which brings up the download page in iTunes, where I see that the app is… $2.99?!?! [insert record scratch!]

Now, don’t get me wrong- I think three bucks is a fair price for a magazine- print or electronic, ads and all. But I’m also a cheapo. Especially when I’ve already paid for the content once already.   I shot off a short-sighted rant/tweet questioning if a paid subscriber to the printed magazine should have to pay for the digital/iPhone version too?

Knee-jerk reaction quenched, I thought a bit more about the technology. That is, how does [insert digital download service] know that I’m a paying subscriber to this publication? Most online shopping sites have a spot to enter coupon and gift card codes on checkout, which could easily be provided by third parties.  I’m sure somewhere, someone is working on the technology to make this a no-brainer, but as far as I know technology isn’t ready, and old-media probably isn’t pressing the issue.

In order for this model/medium to take off and work for publishers in the future, there needs to be a way for paid subscribers to get the digital versions of their physical media without having to pay for the same thing twice. The movie and music industries totally disagree, and we see how well that’s working out for them.  One would think that the print industry would have taken the free lesson.

As a 21st Century content creator, I’m fine with… well, I accept- the fact that I’m lucky if I get paid once for my content as it is. As a consumer? How’s the saying go? “what we want, when we want, how/where we want it”. Of course we can’t forget- “…and not have to buy it twice”.

Until this becomes an option, I’ll just stick to reading the (free) GQ website on my iPhone and the printed version in the loo.

Or perhaps I’m just missing something. Should a paid subscriber to the printed magazine have to pay for the digital version too?

Related Links:

GQ.com
GQ January 2010 Digital Edition (iTunes Store)

Short Version:  If you have a MINI and an iPhone, get this app, now!

As I write, I am waiting for MINI Roadside Assistance to show up at my house and give me a jumpstart. (Apparently the MINI has this “feature” that lets you keep one side of your running lights on. For those dark, European alley ways I guess.)

Jumping on the “app for that” bandwagon, a few months ago MINIUSA put out their “Roadside Assistance” iPhone app. It’s one of those things you hope you never need to use, but have it anyway. This morning I actually needed to use it.  (Note for non-MINI Owners: MINIUSA provides free, lifetime Roadside Assistance for all owners. Did I mention free?!)

How it works:
Long before you need to use, you input your relevant data: Name, Phone Number, VIN, etc. Upon an unfortunate incident, simply pull up the app and press the icon from the list of what kind of assistance you need (see image). Your phone dials up MINI, uploads that information along with your location, and connects you to an operator.

I fired up the app and chose the “Battery” icon. The phone rings and once it connects, the operator knows my name, phone number (obviously), the make/model of my car, and which service I need. Location? Well, not so much. They had me located about 1/2-mile from my actual location, but we’ll blame GPS for that.

MINI orders up a truck and gives me a reference number in case I need to call them back (cool!). A few minutes later I get a call from the driver to verify my location and directions, and here is where the system starts to fall apart:  Why is the driver coming from over 20 miles away?!

Now don’t get me wrong, a 20-mile drive isn’t that far in Southern California. Heck- we’ll drive that in a heartbeat for a good burrito. But really? I don’t live in the boonies- With the hundreds of shops, there isn’t there a closer shop in your “network”, MINIUSA? Ironically, since receiving the confirmation call, I’ve seen two AAA trucks drive up and down my street! How weird is that?!

While I wait for the driver to show up, let’s pause for this entertaining video, which happens to be the commercial where I saw my first MINI Cooper, and instantly knew I wanted one:

So the MINI Roadside Assistance guy came and went after an uneventful, 2-minute service call, as successful jump starts tend to go.  I guess the app and service works after all! (Why the guy is asking me for directions how to get to the freeway is another discussion entirely!). But wait- there’s more! fifteen minutes later, I get an automated follow up call from MINI, checking to see if service has been rendered to my satisfaction! Now that’s customer service! Robotic and automated, but service nonetheless! Fortunately my opportunity to use and review this app was not an emergency, life-threatening, or time-sensitive event.  However, this is one app that I will never delete from my iPhone (and/or future device(s)).

Verdict: MINI Roadside Assistance App: 4-1/2 stars! (1/2 a star taken off for getting my address wrong!)

THANKS MINIUSA!!

Related Links:
MINIUSA
MINI Roadside Assistance iPhone App
Portable Battery Jump Starter

When life gives you lemons….

www.lemonademovie.com

Enjoy more content like this at Searching for Treasure
© all original content copyright 2009

When life gives you lemons….

www.lemonademovie.com