The Chris Pirillo Show

iTunes 10 Review

chris@pirillo.com (Chris Pirillo) — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 05:50:31 +0000

iTunes 10 Review is a post from Chris Pirillo

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I’ve never been a fan of iTunes, but here I go… taking iTunes 10 a spin for the first time. I predict that I’ll have more people following me on Ping than Lady Gaga within two days. Or not.

iTunes has a new icon! The CD is missing from it, but the musical note is still there. This confuses me greatly. iTunes manages far more than just music. It keeps track of eBooks, videos, movies, music, televisions, ringtones, educational seminars and even podcasts. Why is the word “tunes” even in the name? I don’t know why I keep having to explain these little details to Apple.

Along with the new icon, they’ve changed a few other things. The maximize, minimize and close icons are off to the side now. Normally, you’d see them across the top. This is a minor change, but kind of cool I suppose.

What has been added to iTunes is the Ping feature. You know I use Ping.fm to manage updates to various social networks. Apple is using it differently, though. It’s their version of social networking for people to share their favorite music and artists.

As soon as I signed in to Ping, I was ticked off to find that I can only choose three types of music I like. Hello! I don’t limit myself that much. Geez, people. Keep in mind that I don’t like iTunes… at all. I don’t use it to manage music. I don’t use it to organize things. I prefer Rhapsody or Panodora, peeps.

Oh. My. God.

There is a grammatical error when trying to find Ping friends through Facebook! “We were unable to find any friends that are using Ping…” Uh, are are discussing people, not things. It should say WHO. Geebuz.

I wasn’t amused to find out that I could not follow artists that I am actually interested in. There are no results for Weird Al or They Might Be Giants. Seriously, Apple?

The funny thing is that I am hearing a lot of griping around the community regarding Ping:

jasonmauer says: “Ping, the iTunes social network. like I want to spend more time in iTunes. it’s like having a social network in prison.
RussellLahodny says: “Ping on iTunes 10 seems to lack substance…and bands to follow.”
Joli O’Dell says: “Ping has a long way to go if it’s going to be a better alternative (than MySpace Music). Moreover, the interface is still buggy and slower than molasses in January at the North Pole during a legitimate Ice Age.”

When doing a quick search of Twitter for iTunes Ping, you’ll see a lot of youngsters screaming for others to follow them. The rest of us seem to be saying nothing much more than meh.

What are your thoughts on the new Ping feature inside of iTunes 10?

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Why Should You Buy an iPod shuffle?

chris@pirillo.com (Chris Pirillo) — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 05:13:35 +0000

Why Should You Buy an iPod shuffle? is a post from Chris Pirillo

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Why the hell are people still buying iPod shuffles, anyway? If anything, the new iPod Nano should replace all use cases for an iPod Shuffle – minus price, which is relatively negligible. I’m not kidding when I ask why anyone is using them, folks. Take a good look at all of the new iPod models, and tell me WHY someone would feel the need to buy this particular device.

Sure, they’re only about fifty bucks. And yes, they come in several cute colors. Whoa… you can even put a couple of songs on one of these babies and clip it to your belt. Oh, wait! You can get it engraved! Perhaps I was a bit hasty in my judgment.

Nah.

In the age of the touch screen, who would want click controls? The only function I can find on the official Apple Store page beyond playing music is having an annoying pre-recorded voice announce the title or artist of the song you’re listening to… in any of 25 languages.

If you’re going to spend money for a music player, save some extra pennies and choose the nano instead.

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Archos 101 Internet Tablet

chris@pirillo.com (Chris Pirillo) — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 04:10:43 +0000

Archos 101 Internet Tablet is a post from Chris Pirillo

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This new machine is probably one of the most affordable 10.1″ capacitive Android 2.2 ARM Cortex A8 tablets. It has beautiful built-in HDMI output and full sized USB host. Pricing will start $299 for the 8GB model with MicroSD slot. It’s amazingly thin and light, weighing only 480 grams. That is 30% less heavy than the iPad and it’s got 12% more screen surface area than the iPad. – This video was filmed by Charbax of ARMdevices.net at the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin Germany.

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Why Should You Buy an iPod nano?

chris@pirillo.com (Chris Pirillo) — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 22:15:12 +0000

Why Should You Buy an iPod nano? is a post from Chris Pirillo

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Just when you thought the iPod nano couldn’t get any smaller, Apple is introducing one that is 46% smaller! This thing is really tiny. They took away the click wheel, and have made the device into a touch screen. This is perfect for an entire set of people who want something small that they can take with them on the go. One big drawback is that there is no longer a camera on the nano.

I’ve never been one who felt the need to have an iPod nano. If you’re someone who values a smaller device, you should be quite happy with this. If you already have an iPod Touch or iPhone, it may not make sense for you.

Apple has an array of products that fit just about every demographic out there. There are any number of portable devices with varying sizes, styles and storage capacity.

If you want to touch your music, then the iPod nano may just be for you. How many of you out there have had an older nano? Were you happy with it, and are you interested in the new one?

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Family Technology Trends

chris@pirillo.com (Chris Pirillo) — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 19:42:59 +0000

Family Technology Trends is a post from Chris Pirillo

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The family that gets geeky together stays together. That’s how the saying goes, isn’t it? It doesn’t matter, I suppose. I happen to know that it’s very true.

My parents – Joe and Judy Pirillo – and my brother Adam were all here to help with the Gnomedex conference. While hanging around at the house late one night after the event had ended for the day, I noticed that everyone was playing with some type of gadget.

Here you see Dad shooting things on the iPad while Mom is griping at a game on her iPod Touch. Adam, of course, couldn’t resist stepping in to help Dad get his game on.

Does your family get geeky together?

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The [Ultimate] Oatmeal Recipe

chris@pirillo.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 23:17:13 +0000

The [Ultimate] Oatmeal Recipe is a post from Chris Pirillo

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Matt Inman didn’t come to Gnomedex to discuss baking. He wasn’t explaining how his mom fixed his breakfast. He stood before us on the big stage to tell us his recipe for success. Matt IS The Oatmeal. His cartoons and quizzes are legendary. His is a story of passion and dedication, of laughter and late nights, and of skyrocketing over the top of that “other” type of oatmeal within a Google search. This, my friends, is the stuff dreams are made of. Meeting Matt in person and realizing what a fun and humble person he is just adds the proverbial icing to the cake – or would that be on the cookies?

27 year old Matt Inman draws, sketches and codes his way to a successful business making people laugh. His site, receiving more than four million unique hits per month, was recently named in Time Magazine’s Top Blogs of 2010.

Behind his wit and unassuming presence, Matt has a powerful story about his journey and how social media played a role in his success. His experience includes co-founder of SEOmoz,and founder and creator of an online dating website which he later sold, Mingle2 (the entire site from concept to launch was built in only 66.5 hours). He now focuses his energies full time on The Oatmeal.

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How to Keep Your Cables Untangled

chris@pirillo.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 18:30:10 +0000

How to Keep Your Cables Untangled is a post from Chris Pirillo

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I HATE CABLES! I hate the mess they make. I hate seeing them coiling all around the gadgets on my desk. I can’t stand it when they get all tangled together into one huge knot. I picked myself up a new organizer recently for only ten bucks. This little thing is awesome! It keeps everything neat and tidy. The Dotz Cable Wrap even prevents the tangling and knots that can often happen, and accommodates up to three cables at a time.

This little circle gives you a simple way to instantly protect, shorten and store your cords, cables and ear buds. Just wrap the excess lengths of cord inside and snap it shut. It comes with a suction cup to keep it in place and a belt clip to make sure you don’t drop it when walking or jogging. It comes in several different colors so you can be sure to match whatever your style is.

I found a way to get out from under the tangle of cords and cables. What methods do you use? Please – PLEASE – tell me you don’t just leave them lying all around the place.

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This is the Only Rubik’s Puzzle I Can Solve

chris@pirillo.com (Chris Pirillo) — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 08:50:39 +0000

This is the Only Rubik’s Puzzle I Can Solve is a post from Chris Pirillo

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I remember the first Rubik’s Cube I had many moons ago. It was given to me when I was in grade school. Much like every Rubik’s Cube I’ve owned over the years, I couldn’t solve it beyond the first couple of steps. I enjoy puzzles even if I’m not always very good at them. This new version of the popular cube is pretty cool, though. It appeals to my love of gadgetry and things that glow while giving me a better shot at actually beating the game. The Rubik’s Slide will keep you entertained – and puzzled – for hours.

The news slide is an excellent twist on the old concept. It uses changing lights on one side to emulate the movements of squares on the old cube. These moves are totally unique to the Slide, though, and add a whole new dimension of game play.

There are three levels of difficulty to make this toy perfect for people of all ages. Younger kids can master the easy level while learning even better hand-eye coordination. The hard level is honestly challenging for even the smartest of Geeks.

The Slide requires you to twist or push the top half of the toy to make lights move where you need them to go in order to solve the challenge. Each separate challenge starts with one pattern and continues to evolve until you get it wrong.

If you’re a puzzle fanatic, you should probably grab one of these for yourself. I have a feeling they’ll be sold out as we get closer to the holiday season.

What other puzzle games are you addicted to?

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Violet Blue Turns Sexuality Social During Gnomedex

chris@pirillo.com (Chris Pirillo) — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 21:49:57 +0000

Violet Blue Turns Sexuality Social During Gnomedex is a post from Chris Pirillo

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Why do we not discuss sex? According to Violet, America (and much of the world) has become so puritanical that we equate sex and sexuality with something negative or bad. There is a real fragility in having these types of conversations and building these communities. She’s seen many online communities falter over the years. Sometimes, they are disposed of due to a particular service being closed or sold. However, there are times when the almighty Terms of Service are evoked and she watches people’s voices be stifled once again.

Violet didn’t set out to be a tech Geek. Her “AH HAH!” moment came years ago when she realized that the media either wanted to pretend sex didn’t exist or they wanted to discuss it as though it is a bad and scary thing. She realized the best thing she could do with her life is to change the conversation by changing the distribution routes.

Sadly, it’s difficult to build sustainable and stable social media models. This frustrates her to no end, as it does many of the rest of us. Her passion for the work she does came from seeing problems. The more she learns, the more she realizes how large the black hole is when it comes to sexuality being discussed openly and with honesty.

Many sites – Facebook included – take the stance of either contextualizing the hell out of sex or pretending it doesn’t even exist. This is a problem that will continue to make social media structures fragile and makes us vulnerable as a culture. Violet is working on shattering her way through issues such as these by opening the eyes of one person at a time.

If you thought the social graph would save us all, you are sadly mistaken. You just might be that poor dude trapped in the seatbelt of your car while Google Streets drives by to snap a picture.

Don’t let the gatekeepers decide what you should discuss. Make your voice heard… whether you are talking about sexuality or whatever else it may be that drives your passion.

Violet is a Forbes “Web Celeb”, a high-profile tech personality and one of Wired’s “Faces of Innovation.” She is regarded as the foremost expert in the field of sex and technology, a sex-positive pundit in mainstream media (MacLife, The Oprah Winfrey Show, others) and is regularly interviewed, quoted and featured prominently by major media outlets.

Violet has many award-winning, best selling books; her books are featured on Oprah’s website. She was the notorious sex columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle. The London Times named Blue one of the 40 bloggers who really count (2010).

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Does Your Cell Phone Make You Rude?

chris@pirillo.com (Chris Pirillo) — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 17:19:02 +0000

Does Your Cell Phone Make You Rude? is a post from Chris Pirillo

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Back in the day, we tended to focus more on what the person across from us was saying vs. what the person on our phone that we couldn’t see was saying. Nowadays we check email, tweets, texts, calls, etc., and in social situations, this can seem extremely rude. Mashable tackled this in an article yesterday on ending social rudeness by putting your phone away. Lamarr has definite opinions as to what constitutes phone rudeness.

The problem, of course, is that constantly perusing your phone is freaking rude — a clear signal that your reception is more important than anything going on in the here and now. Get this: 10% of people 24 and younger think it’s OK to text during sex, according to consumer electronics shopping and review site Retrevo. That brings a whole meaning to the term multitasking.

When do you feel it is “okay” to grab your phone and give it more attention than you do those around you? Is it ever a good idea? Do YOU know when it’s time to turn that device off and just forget it even exists?

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Livin’ La Vida LEGO

chris@pirillo.com (Chris Pirillo) — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 07:42:27 +0000

Livin’ La Vida LEGO is a post from Chris Pirillo

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Are you a LEGO maniac, too? I was pleasantly surprised when community member Zane Harnish built my home office with the free LEGO Digital Designer. Even though you can buy this kit to build for yourself, I wouldn’t recommend it – based on price, as I mentioned in the video. Can someone build a model of my home office that is substantially cheaper?

Download the LXF if you wish!

Oh, and… I know I slaughtered the meme – and realized it after I uploaded the video, so I’m not going to reupload. I leave it to you to give us a better “yo dawg.” :)

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Apple Magic Trackpad Review

chris@pirillo.com (Chris Pirillo) — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 19:54:43 +0000

Apple Magic Trackpad Review is a post from Chris Pirillo

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Apple’s Magic Trackpad is definitely magical. It made some money disappear from my wallet faster than you can count it out. If you’ve been used to the way Apple does their trackpads, then you’ll be familiar with this device. There’s no real moving parts so to speak. It does have a large surface, and looks sort of like one of Apple’s keyboards – minus the keys. It works well so far, even if it doesn’t recognize gestures and swipes from my chin or nose.

One thing that is notable about the packaging is that on the back you will find everything you could possibly do with the Magic Trackpad. You don’t have to read the instruction manual to find out how to zoom, right-click and more. It’s very intuitive and very helpful.

The whole surface of the Trackpad is a big button. This lets you click or double-click anywhere on its surface. The Magic Trackpad also supports a full set of gestures, such as two-finger scrolling, pinch to zoom, rotate with fingertips, three-finger swipes and switchingg btween applications with four fingers.

Even though it doesn’t recognize other body parts very well when I use them on the surface, I’m still pretty happy with my new Magick Trackpad. Have you used one of these yet? What are your thoughts?

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Austin Heap Speaks Out Against Censorship at Gnomedex 10

chris@pirillo.com (Chris Pirillo) — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 19:14:16 +0000

Austin Heap Speaks Out Against Censorship at Gnomedex 10 is a post from Chris Pirillo

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If you don’t know who Austin Heap is, then you’re going to want to. He recently appeared on the cover of Newsweek Magazine, where his work in bringing uncensored Internet to the people of Iran was featured. Austin believes in fighting censorship in all forms and works tirelessly around the world to foster change in the way governments, leaders and citizens think about the free exchange of information. He is someone to be admired for the things he’s done, but he’s also one of the nicest and most genuine people you will ever meet.

Austin is the Executive Director of the Censorship Research Center, which works to provide anti-censorship education, outreach, and technologies for free to those who need it most. Their first major project was discussed during this presentation. Haystack seeks to provide access to information and communications to the Iranian people following the restrictions imposed by the Iran government.

The work Austin and his team are doing is nothing short of amazing. Watching this video will open your eyes to the strides being made each and every day against censorship… and will show you how far we still have to go.

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Robert Scoble Interviews Kat During Gnomedex

chris@pirillo.com (Chris Pirillo) — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 02:37:34 +0000

Robert Scoble Interviews Kat During Gnomedex is a post from Chris Pirillo

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During the Gnomedex registration party, the people watching the live stream wanted to talk to Robert Scoble. Kat dragged him over to the camera and apparently tried to leave. Robert had other ideas though. He decided to turn the tables on her and he interviewed her. Keep in mind that Scoble interviews some of the biggest and brightest people in technology and social media.

In the minds of our community members, Kat is a rock star of social media AND technology, and it was smart of Robert to take time to talk with her. I’ve long said that I would not be doing as well as I am without having her by my side for the past three years, and I meant it. She was instrumental in making Gnomedex happen this year, and in making it the best we’ve ever had.

According to this footage captured by UncleJohn, Robert and Kat had quite an interesting conversation. What would YOU ask of either of them if you were going to interview them?

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Steve Wozniak Gnomedex 4

chris@pirillo.com (Chris Pirillo) — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 20:17:15 +0000

Steve Wozniak Gnomedex 4 is a post from Chris Pirillo

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Today is the kickoff for the tenth – and likely final – Gnomedex conference. I thought it would be fun to upload an old video taken during Gnomedex 4 in 2004. Even if you aren’t an Apple fan, you likely still know this man. Steve Wozniak is the co-founder of Apple. His inventions have been credited with shaping the technology advancements of the 1970s. His passion and enthusiasm for the work he has done led the way for an entire generation of technology enthusiasts and developers. His genius and insight pioneered even the machines that we use in our homes and offices today. His humor and ability to take an honest look at himself and his work are things that all of us should aspire to achieve in our own lives.

As I look back on previous years of Gnomedex, I have loved every single one of them… and all of our speakers. However, I will freely admit that this is ranked as one of my favorites. I hope you enjoy this look back.

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How to Handle Remote Tech Support

chris@pirillo.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 06:30:00 GMT

Using GoToAssist is the easiest way to view and control another person's computer online. Use it to provide instant technical support to family, friends and customers. Start a session with just one click, and instantly connect with the other party.

Network Tools for Windows

chris@pirillo.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMT

You need these network tools, no matter which operating systems and networks you have to support. SolarWinds ipMonitor: Affordable Network Monitoring for SMBs. Get turnkey network, server and application availability monitoring with SolarWinds ipMonitor v9.0. This easy-to-use, reliable solution for SMBs delivers out-of-the-box availability monitoring so you always know exactly what's up with Active Directory, DNS, Exchange, FTP, Web, IMAP, MS SQL Server, and SMTP. Download your free trial today. Or, try their totally free tools! And, through 2/29, save 20% when you purchase ipMonitor 9.0.

Get Your Own Web Site

chris@pirillo.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMT

Starting at just $3.99/month, web hosting from GoDaddy includes 99.9% uptime, 24/7 support and free access to GoDaddy Hosting Connection, THE place to install over 30 FREE applications sure to help you get the most from your hosting plan and Web site. Enter code CP2 at checkout, and save an additional 10% on any order.

Plus, as a friend of Chris Pirillo, enter code CHRIS7, that's C-H-R-I-S and the number 7, when you check out, and save an additional 10% on any order. Get your piece of the internet at GoDaddy.com.

VMware and Parallels for Virtual Machines

chris@pirillo.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMT

It doesn't matter if you're running on Windows or Mac OS X - every power user needs either Parallels or VMware (or both). There's never been an easier way to test software without destroying your primary operating system's stability. Think of how many times you wish you could press a 'reverse' button on your computer. Plus, there's no easier way to try new Linux distributions - see what all the fuss is about. Run Windows in OS X, run Linux in Windows, but the best way to do either is with VMware and/or Parallels.

Coupons for Online Shopping

chris@pirillo.com (Chris Pirillo) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 07:56:13 GMT

This feed is fueled by Lockergnome Online Shopping and Coupon Codes

Before you shop next time, see if we have a coupon first.