The Chris Pirillo Show

Technology in the Navy

chris@pirillo.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 10:38:37 +0000

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In early June, I was fortunate to be aboard the USS Nimitz. I had an absolutely amazing time, and learned so much. Being the complete Geek that I am, I had to find out exactly what kind of technology is on board the ship.

Ships like the Nimitz are built to last approximately fifty years. One thing that the Navy has to keep in mind when building one is that they have to be able to later adapt to evolving technology. The ship I was on was designed in the 60s and commissioned in the 70s - during a time that they were just beginning to understand that you could use a satellite to record and transmit data. They were at a very basic age in terms of satellite communications. When you see what is available now, it’s honestly an amazing difference to realize.

When the USS Nimitz is deployed somewhere, it’s not just an aircraft carrier that is headed there. It’s also the capability to gather intelligence, to make plans to stabilize a region of the world, and an ability to project power should it be necessary. They’re staffed to collect and process information, and send it all over the world to various intelligence agencies as needed.

A lot of the tools used to do these things were not even invented yet when the Nimitz was designed. This is a perfect example of being able to adapt to change.

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Technology in the Navy

Having Problems on Windows XP SP3

chris@pirillo.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 09:18:38 +0000

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Sometimes, it’s easy to upgrade to the latest and greatest version of a piece of software. Other times, you may have a lot of trouble. That’s the fun of working with software. Microsoft rolls up a whole bunch of patches and bug fixes, and throw them out there. Those are called service packs, of course. Windows XP is on service pack 3 currently. Louis from the PCPitStop community wrote in to ask about a compatibility issue with XP SP3. He says he never had these issues when he was still using SP2, and wonders what he can do to fix it - such as diagnostics of some sort.

Sometimes, when you install a new service pack, something will break. It’s bound to happen. Instead of rolling back to an older service pack (you can do that through the uninstall tool if you absolutely HAVE to). Locate the executable file (program) that is having the issue. You can browse/search for it via XP search tool that is built in… or right click the icon in the start menu, and select properties.

This is how you’re going to address the problem. Keep in mind, you can only do this on an .exe file. Once you locate the .exe, right click it and then go to the compatibility tab. In there, the first option you’ll see is “run this program in compatibility mode”. One of those modes happens to be Windows XP SP2. Try that one first. It’s very possible that will solve the problem. It’s worked for me before! It really can help save the day.

The good news is that with Windows 7, they’ve done things very differently. They are building in XP compatibility mode right within Windows 7. They basically remote into the application. It’ll be like it’s running within XP, instead of Windows 7. That should fix most of the compatibility issues that you may encounter with older programs.

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Having Problems on Windows XP SP3

Free Screencasting

chris@pirillo.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 04:46:48 +0000

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What’s on your screen right now, aside from this video? You probably have things on your desktop, likely all over the place. Have you ever tried screencasting? That’s when you take a recording of whatever is on your screen, and then pushing it out to the Web. Usually, it’s done in conjunction with audio. If you’re interested in getting into screencasting, and tying it into your Twitter account, you should check this resource out.

ScreenJelly allows you to record whatever is on your screen - for free! Screenjelly records your screen activity with your voice so you can spread it as a video via Twitter or email. Use it to quickly share cool apps or software tips, report a bug, or just show stuff you like.

How is this useful? Let’s say that you have a family member on the computer on the other side of the world. Ask them to record what’s on their screen so that you can help them with any errors they may be seeing, or something they are having trouble explaining.

You don’t have to install anything in order to use ScreenJelly, as long as you have Adobe Flash. Push your screencasts right to Twitter, where a link to your recording will be posted. You cannot push to YouTube at this time, but hopefully that will come in future versions!

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Free Screencasting

Internet Famous

chris@pirillo.com (Chris Pirillo) — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 03:11:11 +0000

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I am not Internet famous. However, that hasn’t stopped Ron from wanting to ask me a series of questions relating to Internet fame. He’s talked to several other celebrities, and asked the same questions of them. I can only hope my humble video response helps him in some way with his research!

What were some of the factors in your early years or education that prompted your involvement in social media? - I’d have to say the Speak ‘n’ Math. I used to love punching numbers into that thing, and trying to solve math problems. I sucked at Math - I’ll admit it. I was always bad at showing my work on paper. Instead, I would create formulas with a calculator to solve the problems for me.
No longer associated with TechTV, how have you been reaching out to your audience? - You have to understand that I already had an online audience of over 100,000 people before TechTV ever happened. In fact, that is WHY I was asked to be on TechTV. I’ve been online since 1992. TechTV came about for me in 2001. I’m still doing the same things I have always done. It’s just easier to do now with the advent of new tools such as Facebook and Twitter.
What services do you provide your sponsors or clientele? - I do get paid to consult with companies about how to have a bigger and better presence online. I also do various speaking engagements throughout the year. As far as the sponsors, we produce the videos each week, as well as the Gnomedex conference.
While you may not consider yourself Internet famous, how has it led to your success online? How has it furthered your career? - It’s led to my success because I’m doing it. You have to work at it, constantly. You have to stay in touch with the people in your community. I don’t know how this has led to Internet fame. I have a very dynamic personality, for sure. I get paid to be myself. I don’t think I could achieve any more happiness than that.
How have you branded yourself? - Well, I am myself. The old Lockergnome classic cartoon-y looking logo has been around for many years. The Chris Pirillo brand is technology - information, help, advice. I’m a conduit for many thousands of people who share information and ideas, which is pretty cool.
What advice can you give others who are looking to make an impact online? - If you want to do it, dedicate yourself. Don’t expect success to come overnight. If you’re happy with what you’re doing - then you’re successful. When it comes to the way others will measure success, it’s hard won, and takes a lot of time and work to come by. Do something different. Be yourself - be genuine - but stand out!
Who do you consider to be Internet famous, and why? How do you think Internet fame differs from other types of fame? - I don’t consider it to be any different, actually. I think it’s a cult of personality, and it’s easier to connect with celebrity (and easier to become one) via the Internet. The main difference I’d say is connections between a person and their community. We used to have a distance between celebrities and their followers. This isn’t so prevalent now, with the advent of social media outlets. As for who I would consider to be Internet famous… iJustine. She’s genuine and has a good heart. I think she’s going to be moving on to bigger and better things in the near future.
What are you involved in today that differs from your previous work? - I’m doing a lot more local outreach here in Seattle. I’m doing things like meetups and Tweetups - either co hosting or attending. I’m meeting people who are doing the same types of things as I am. I’m much more locally aware than I used to be in the past.
What’s the one thing about you that people don’t know yet? - Hah! I sleep with my Throwboy RSS pillow!
Point me to a couple of URLs on YouTube of videos that you feel best showcase who you are. - I’m going to throw this back to my community. I’d like you guys to leave a comment to this video, and point out the URLs that you feel best show who I am. I’m interested to see your responses!
Are there any future projects you would like to share? - Yes! I’d like to share them all!

I certainly hope these answers helped! The video will soon be encoded, uploaded and posted to my blog by my good friend, assistant and Community Manager Kat. (YAY KAT!) She keeps me on track, and I couldn’t do what I do without her! There are a lot of people who are vital to this company, and I sincerely appreciate them all.

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Internet Famous

Kodak Zx1

chris@pirillo.com (Chris Pirillo) — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 02:39:25 +0000

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I’ve had the Kodak Zi6 pocket video recorder for awhile, and have even posted a review of it. I like it fairly well, so I was excited to test out the new Zx1 when Kodak sent it to me for review. Not only was I ready for even better quality, I was stoked to find out that it is considered to be “weather-proof”. Since I was heading out to Kayak this weekend, I figured it would be the perfect camera to take along.

The main thing that bothered me about the Zi6 was the fact that it dropped frames quite often. It was a good camera otherwise, but frame dropping is just a big no-no in my book. I wanted to give this Zx1 a fair shake.

The Zx1 records 720p at 60 fps with 16:9 aspect ratio. The rubberized doors protect all ports from rain, snow, sand and more. The view screen is 2 inches, and there are cables included to allow you to watch footage on your HDTV. You can also easily upload recorded footage to YouTube with the built-in USB and software.

We’ll see this weekend how well the Zx1 stands up in an outdoor setting. If you have a Zx1, feel free to leave me a follow-up comment or video. Let me know what you like and don’t like about this particular camera. I’ll be sure to post more at a later date on my experiences.

collaboration software for Web-based interaction.

Network Tools for Windows

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

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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.