I got my own domain!

Well, what the heck, thought I’d branch-out even more. Microsoft Office Live has a basics website for free. You get your own domain, website creator, e-mail, and business solutions [in part]. And upgraded options for those who don’t mind spending a tiny bit extra per year for stuff. Yeah, it’s brought to you by Microsoft, but, hey, I’ve been using Office for awhile now…

I’ll letcha know when I’m online at Brenda’s Basics.com…woohoo!

What in the hell am I doing, anyway? I’ve got this WordPress.com blog going now, I’ve got one of those free Yahoo! websites, I’ve tinkered with Wetpaint and Weebly, been around on Yahoo! 360 too, MySpace, 30 Boxes, Flickr…just what is it I’m trying to accomplish? Got me, gentle reader. I’m clueless. Do I want to earn my way like this? Is this Plan B? I don’t think so. Obviously, I’m not worried about anonymity anymore. Just take a look at my “web presence” on 30 Boxes.

I mean, really, how many avatars do I need? Maybe that, in part, is what I’m trying to accomplish…consolidate…aggregate..collate…heh heh.

Music is the order of the day…

I just can’t seem to get up from my computer today.  I’m even draggin’ out old mp3 data cds to find stuff for my next burn project.  And I mean old!  Loop Guru, Astral Projection, Paul Romero.  I’ve recently made cds for a couple of my friends, just some mainstream vocal house and club mixes I thought they would like.  And I’ve decided, by request, to try something a little more trippy next time.  Whilst sorting thru some of this stuff, I’ve also been syncronizing my MP3 player, adding more playlists, and so on.  I have a Creative Zen Micro, the 5 Gig one, and I have never been happier to carry around my music.  This thing rocks!  I’ve never had a lick of trouble with it and transfering files from my computer has never been easier with the Real Player.  I use the Real Player for my universal music and video stuff.  I know a lot of folks prefer Windows Media Player, which is cool, but I guess I latched-on to Real pretty early-on in my computer development, and haven’t looked back since, even thru all the changes, updates, versions, etc..

I’ve got to get Lilah, my eldest daughter, to update her playlists.  We’ve found some Lauren Hill and The Fugees, DMX, E-40, to name a few, lately, and she has been dabbling into country music also.  Sheesh!  What a mixture!  And, of course, both of my daughters are into Reggae.  Old skool, ya know, “roots” stuff like Bob Marley and Jimmy Cliff.  We are an eclectic bunch around here, with my electronica and retro collections [I graduated in 1985, for God's sake].  Can you say Kajagoogoo 10 times fast, boys and girls?

And, last, but not least, is my Nero burning software, that came with my burner.  It comes with Nero SoundTrax and Wave Editor.  So I can mix on my own, then burn to cd.  I just recently started fartin’ around with SoundTrax.  It’s awesome!  Just, plain awesome.

I’m gonna go ahead and post this, but I’ll be back with links and screenshots shortly…I gotta eat some time…

Updated!

Science Fact of the Day

Science Fact of the Day

I found this site this morning whilst browsing…some interesting little tidbits here…props!

test-driving Wetpaint

…thought I’d give Wetpaint a whirl…another homemade Wiki-site…my impressions at a later time…

UPDATE:  HERE’S THE LINK TO MY WIKI AT WETPAINT!  GO

…to upgrade or not to upgrade…that is the question…

I was reading Ed Bott’s blog today about Vista Mythbusters #1. He sure knows how to stir the pot with a platinum spoon. Comments were coming out of the woodwork like carpenter ants. Just how much computer does one need to run Vista? Of course the rumors are scary enough to elicit panic in the average Joe Blow out there. How much more money must I invest into my machine…i.e. RAM, graphics card, etc…or should I just buy a new computer with the Vista OS already installed? Many friends of mine have made arguments for both routes, saying that the makers of their computers they already have should provide low-cost upgrade solutions for graphics and processor speed and RAM; and by the same token, those friends of mine who are in the market for a new computer at the moment say that a good desktop with plenty of oomph for running Vista won’t cost over $800 [not a gaming system].

UPDATE: see my latest post “…and, yet, more mythology…“
But there is one fact that sticks in my craw. Will Vista be a more viably stable system? [XP definetly was more stable than previous Windows versions] Or does it just look pretty? Will it be the kind of upgrade we all need without the doomed “WinFS” embedded in it? [I, for one, am disappointed over this] I’m pretty sceptical. The supposed enhanced security will be a selling point for many, but they are already finding holes…don’t they always?

But, inevitably, there will be those folks who do not upgrade their systems even one iota, then complain that Vista slows down their computer…well, duh! I can’t begin to tell you how many friends’ computers I’ve worked on that shouldn’t even be running Windows XP on them. And when you suggest that they buy another stick of RAM, or call Dell [or Gateway, or HP, etc] and see what upgrades are available for their computer model, they look at you like you’re looney tunes.

So, that’s the rub, then, isn’t it? Money. And getting the facts……..thanks, Ed for an informative article! I’m looking forward to Vista Mythbusters #2!

Windows Live homepage

Am I the only one who thinks Windows Live.com is clunkier-than-hell? Half the time, the modules won’t load, or they are hard to configure. And, in my opinion, it’s just ugly…plain and simple. Yes, I know it’s still in “beta”, but, jeez, how long do I have to wait for bugs? It’s been online now for some time and I’ve been trying to personalize it with gadgets provided; however, I think I’ve had enough…I’m done. Either a product works, or it doesn’t. Many of my friends or the average Joe Blow internet-user would have given-up by now. It’s just not worth my time anymore tryin’ to figure it out.

Why should I? When Netvibes is so much cooler? It’s the same homepage-type, AJAXy, open API, feedreader module kinda thang. But there’s one major difference…it actually works, and it looks good. I’ve noticed a couple of problems, but those have been with the actual coding on some of the open-source modules. So I don’t use those. And I still have plenty of options to choose from. Let’s put it this way: I have spent much less time figuring-out how to personalize my page on Netvibes than I have on Live. So much difference, in fact, that I’m wondering if everyone hasn’t had the same experiences with this as I have? I’m just playing devil’s advocate here…I’ll betcha the average net-surfer will find that Netvibes is more user-friendly, in other words. Isn’t that what it’s all about, afterall?

So, tell me what you think…….

I love Electronica!

I know that’s a very broad genre of music, but there are so many aspects to Electronica that it’s hard to choose a sub-genre as a favorite [or even a sub-sub-genre, for that matter]. I guess it depends on what kinda day it’s been, or what kinda day you want to have, doesn’t it? I mean, really, what shall it be today?…House, which can be uplifting and danceable, and, yet psychedelic and trippy depending on the sub-sub-genre…or Chill Out with sub-categories such as Ambient, or Trance with a wide range of subs from Acid to Goa. The list of genres and sub-genres within Electronica are staggering! Now, if I haven’t confused you yet, then you’re probably a fan as well. If I have confused you, well then, don’t feel bad…most people don’t understand what the hell I’m talkin’ ’bout most of the time anyway…take a number…

A good place to start [that is, if you're interested] is Besonic.com. This is a German site that has recently relaunched. Browse the categories within Dance and Electronica and the sub-categories, and you will get a general idea of how things breakdown. This site offers free downloads to registered members. Artists on this site will find tools on how to get their music out there. Music is by mostly unsigned groups who want their music heard…thus it’s free.

Another good site to find free downloads is CNet’s download.com. If you browse thru the genres and click on a certain sub-category name, sometimes it will give you an overview on where and how the sub-genre started.

And, in my opinion, the best site for finding and listening to the acme of Electronica music would be ProtonRadio. I can’t write enough praise for this online radio station! Live DJ sets, weekly programs, artist biographies, links to downloads and “on-demand” content, forums, and so much more!

So, it is with great happiness that I trackback and link to 10 Daily Things. DJ Stelios has made his sets available to download on his wordpress blog. I’ve been listening for hours now while blogging and surfing. Neat sets of retro remixes, progressive sounds, and some well-placed Mediterranean-influenced beats…bravo! And, so, I have added to my links at the right——->

30 Boxes, the most interesting, innovative, life-changing calendar ever!

That seems like a bold statement, huh? But I have been so won-over since the release of the public beta, that one of the reasons I got this wordpress.com blog in the first place, is simple: 30 Boxes has made me a more educated consumer, a more organized person, a better communicator, and more interested in where the World Wide Web is going.

I’m not sure how it all started, actually. I remember randomly clicking on links at the bottom of Webshots.com, I believe.

SideNote: For all you desktop tweakers out there, the first thing you remember doing when you bought your 1st computer was changing the background image on your monitor to something a little more interesting, or, perhaps, a little more personal. All of a sudden, you’re downloading Webshots and the revelation that follows is nothing short of immediate…this is my computer! [now, how can I change the way the toolbar looks?...haha]

Something I read about the co-founders of Webshots leaving and forming a new outlet for their expressions, 83 Degrees, lead me to research and dig more on the subject. One link followed another, and before I knew it, I had read blogs, interviews, perused Narendra Rocherolle’s personal website, and, in general, found out more about the preview of this new online calendar event. I was so curious that I did something I had never done before…I signed-up for a beta testing. I haven’t looked back since…..

As a result of my research, many things happened to me all at once. Probably more than I can explain in the course of this post [which is going to turn into a novella, I'm sure of it...], but let me assure you, patient reader, the effects have been life-altering! I learned about many new and wondrous things. RSS feeds, for one. I had already had a small taste with the new features in the personalized version of My Yahoo! And who woulda thunk it…subscribing to a feed that updated itself whenever the poster made a new entry. It was mind-blowing…my favorite magazines, my local newspaper, world events, from soup to nuts, blogs that number the stars in the sky…anyone and everyone was typing out their daily lives, whether informative or personal for the whole world to read. Not to mention the browser integration of such, or feed readers, how will I choose? And podcasts. What the hell was that?! I didn’t have an iPod, but I knew it was time for me to take my mp3s on the go…but video as well…WOW! How-tos, corporate development, travel info…lions and tigers and bears, oh my. I had already delved into my own blog at Yahoo! 360, but I’ve been somewhat timid in making friends there…it was more of a personal outlet, a trial and error sort of thing…the www can be a pretty impersonal place when you’re a newbie, or at least, when you feel like one. I had already posted photos on Flickr [just before Yahoo! acquired them] and was experienced with Yahoo! Photos as well, but I just didn’t realize the full potential there until I happened across Thomas Hawk’s blog. Guess what? He has written up 30 Boxes also. I’ve had a website for awhile now, the free Yahoo! Geocities one, and I keep coming back to the same conclusions…less is more. Less clutter, less photos, less pages, less bandwidth…lol. This comglomeration of awakening was happening at a crucial time when I was trying to find applications that worked for me. Things that didn’t waste my time, things that I could use on a daily basis, things that I could access anywhere in the world I went, things I could make shortcuts on my desktop for [can you say Widgets, boys and girls...haha], things that were user-friendly, and last, but not least, things I could interest my daughters in, as well.

Did I mention that 30 Boxes was an online calendar? Did I mention that you can share as much or as little of your schedule as you want? Let’s finally get down to some brass tacks. [finally...whew]

My first thought after test-driving 30 Boxes was this: this is so simple, even my mom could use it [sorry, Mom]. So, after much hinting and subliminal messaging, Mom agreed to sign up and now we have a way of knowing each other’s schedules. Eureka! I could tell you why this was so important to me, but it would take another hour of typing. Another very important aspect, and perhaps the most unique, to this calendar is your Buddy Page. This is more like your “web presense” page. Flickr, My Space, Webshots, your blogs, any RSS feed can be assembled here. Your iCal subscriptions, Yahoo! calendar, Outlook, can all be integrated into your 30 Boxes calendar. SMS reminders, it’s there. Maps for directions to events, yup, that too. Forwarding your e-mail to add as an event…done. Taggable events and todo list, AJAXy, open-source API, Web 2.0 and more innovation on the way…and, introducing a One Box add event entry. I could go on and on, but you really need to check it out for yourself. Did I mention that I can see my Mom’s schedule…:)?

So, perhaps I’m a slow late-bloomer, as far as web technology goes. I know there have been online calendars out there and I know there are up-and-coming calendars popping up all the time. Social networking…been around awhile. The Blogosphere, sure, that too. But 30 Boxes and I were ripe for each other…we were on the same page, so to speak. My eldest daughter would tell you how glad she is that it comes up in Outlook. My youngest would tell you how cools it is that Grandma can read my newest blogpost from the dayview. I would tell you that many people just like me were ready for a user-friendly, online, calendar-sharing application.

This post, more than likely, will be one of the longest posts I write. I’m sure you can tell how passionate I am about 30 Boxes and I hope that you click over there right now. But, better yet, do what I did…research it. Maybe you will have a Web 2.0 epiphany like I did. Knowledge is change. Knowledge is power.

Pandora Radio

Well I’m going to have to agree with Thomas Hawk on this one…Pandora Radio is absolutely the coolest! It’s user-friendly and only requires a quicky registration. Find artists to add to a personalized station, and it will include similar artists as well. You can make upto 30 stations, I believe. Also included is the ability to post RSS feeds and integrate your bookmarked artists or songs to your blog or website…very snazzy!! And the best part? It’s free!!

Note my latest bookmarked songs as a feed on my sidebar to the right —–>

And Brenda’s Test Radio station link here… for y’all who like electronica…[hope this link works]
As an added bonus, there are links to info on the artists, songs, and options for buying what you hear! Hawesome! [as Wil Wheaton would say...]

countdown to Zooomr…

Well, after much waiting and crossing-of-fingers, looks like we might be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel…

Zooomr 2.0, a new up-and-coming photo hosting site, should be launching any moment…DoS attacks not withstanding, it has been one of the most anticipated start-ups to capture my attention since 30 Boxes.  I first heard of this new online toy thru the normal RSS channels [Scoble, Techcrunch, Thomas Hawk, GigaOm {links in my sidebar}] and I’m pretty interested in the career change brought on by Mr Hawk’s excitement over Zooomr.  I shall see for myself soon enough, me thinks…:)

I would like to wish everyone on the Zooomr Team “Best Wishes and Good Luck”!