Book Your Birthday Online in NYC

Some of us are negotiators. Some aren’t.

The first group enjoys the challenge of dealing with a used car salesman/car salesman, the second group would rather purchase a car from carmax. Of course, when you choose to negotiate yourself, you can either get ripped off, or get some cool stuff.

However, in this new age of online reservation booking, New Yorkers can use the Birthday Party Booker as a “carmax” for reservations. Don’t confuse it with OpenTable- we’re talking booze heavy nights, not gourmet multi course dinners here.

It’s a free service that lets you explore venue options and reviews– and even get free alcohol and the VIP treatment (no cover woo!) with the least amount of effort possible. According to the website, you even get your own “birthday party specialist.” humm. not bad.

Now the only thing they need is a new logo. for sure.

We all <3 music.

However, not everyone has their own computer (or enough disk space, or money…) to buy and house all of their media files.

What comes to mind immediately is Pandora, which creates playlists off of a particular song/artist that you input, but there are more options for all of you out there.

These sites are great for listening to music at work (where you can’t download files) or if you just need some change in your life.

WIRED magazine wrote a great article on the “Top 10 Hottest Music Sites” and here is an article from RWW about Online Streaming Audio.

But personally, I’ve been obsessed with SeeqPod lately, since I can replay songs as I want. Which is good if you’re of the music control freak type. However, given the design of the system, you are at the mercy of what’s available on the internet. BUT… you can play the WHOLE song… it’s a great way to test out the WHOLE song before you buy it, unlike iTunes.

If you’re looking to create a “mix” try MixWit, where you can add music from Seeqpod, pictures and artwork, and then share it on Facebook. (and it’s pretty, unlike Seeqpod).

Deezer is a good option too :)

However, as in the case with all who have preceded them, those who are trailblazers in streaming audio technology will face hard times.

For example, take MuxTape. A fairly straightforward site that allowed you to create online “mix tapes.” No downloding, so its okay, right? wrong.

MuxTape’s founder writes this on their current home page:

There was a popular misconception that Muxtape only survived because it was “flying under the radar,” and the moment the major labels found out about it it’d be shut down. In actuality, the labels and the RIAA read web sites like everyone else, and I heard from them both within a week or so. An RIAA notice arrived in triplicate, via email, registered mail, and FedEx overnight (with print and CD versions). They demanded that I take down six specific muxtapes they felt were infringing, so I did.

Around the same time I got a call from the VP of anti-piracy at one of the majors. After I picked up the phone his first words were, “Justin, I just have one question for you: where do I send the summons and complaint?” The conversation picked up from there. There was no summons, it was an intimidation tactic setting the tone for the business development meeting he was proposing, the true reason for the call. Around the same time another one of the big four’s business developers reached out to me, too.

And so I made one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever faced: I walked away from the licensing deals. They had become too complex for a site founded on simplicity, too restrictive and hostile to continue to innovate the way I wanted to. They’d already taken so much attention away from development that I started to question my own motivations. I didn’t get into this to build a big company as fast as I could no matter what the cost, I got into this to make something simple and beautiful for people who love music, and I plan to continue doing that. As promised, the site is coming back, but not as you’ve known. I’m taking a feature that was in development in the early stages and making it the new central focus.

Muxtape is relaunching as a service exclusively for bands, offering an extremely powerful platform with unheard-of simplicity for artists to thrive on the internet. Musicians in 2008 without access to a full time web developer have few options when it comes to establishing themselves online, but their needs often revolve around a common set of problems. The new Muxtape will allow bands to upload their own music and offer an embeddable player that works anywhere on the web, in addition to the original muxtape format. Bands will be able to assemble an attractive profile with simple modules that enable optional functionality such as a calendar, photos, comments, downloads and sales, or anything else they need. The system has been built from the ground up to be extended infinitely and is wrapped in a template system that will be open to CSS designers. There will be more details soon. The beta is still private at the moment, but that will change in the coming weeks.

So, given that… I just hope that seeqpod and pandora don’t shut down.   STAY ALIVE, WE NEED YOU!!!!!!!!!! And, note to self… if you’re thinking of starting an online music streaming company, make sure to have a lawyer on retainer.

Life’s hard.

But things get a whole lot easier when you know where to look for information. Take my current latitude and longitude: I’m at a month-long technology “bootcamp” (don’t worry, push-ups are somewhat out of scope).

Instead, think presentational speaking, lean/six sigma, project management, finance, java, sql, xml and lots of caffeine.

Oh and a very Syracuse University EEE-type project.

Living, working, hanging out and traveling with a large (+/- 90) twenty-somethings who all studied some version of IT or computer science usually involves leveraging multiple handheld devices and web sites (it’s pretty funny).

Therefore, I’ve worked on compiling a few sites that have been helpful to me thus far.

• HopStop: I was in NYC last weekend and this web site is great for those of us who are not native to using public transportation in some of the busiest/largest/coolest cities in the United States.
• Yelp:  While searching for real-life reviews of hotels in the greater Manhattan area, I referred to Yelp and ended up staying here. No one likes a fake.
• Seat Guru: Because no one likes to get the short straw.
• SideStep/Kayak: Because aggregated search results are far superior.
• The Bathroom Diaries: I wish I had to go to the bathroom while I was walking past the Waldorf-Astoria or exploring the Plaza’s lobby.

SitterCity.  Is it another online world like second life? or is it a video game?!”

Nope. It’s pretty legit actually.

As an online service that helps to link up people who are looking for work and those who are looking for help- SitterCity provides listing for child care, pet sitting, dog walking, house sitting, as well as tutors.

What’s really interesting is that they charge $10 for background checks… it’s not required but they push it when you’re signing up… and I guess it does look better on an online sitter “resume” if it’s there.

You post your availability, how much you charge, as well as past references, and needy parents can go from there. It’s also kindof fun to look through the profiles and see what people write in there-

However… for those seeking sitters, there is a small fee included- it’s $7.99/month with $0 signup fee if you subscribe for a year, and $9.99 + a $39.99 signup fee if you choose the month-to-month option.

According to Alexa, the web information company, the company (based out of Chicago), the site seems to be moving up in the world of traffic.

My opinion? Overall, the site is clean, user friendly and to the point. However, no advertising? I’m a little shocked. But with what they’re charging, maybe they will make enough? The advertising potential for this site is huge though…

Life’s crazy. I’m graduating in a few days.

Which also means I’m almost finished with my final classes (& exams!) of my undergraduate career here at Syracuse University. Consequently, I learned in my flash/photoshop class how to “write” text over an image in flash (a la Sara Bareilles). Check it out.

So, I’m working on creating a new flash header for the blog (to come soon). And in doing so, I needed to find the “perfect” font.  (It’s a lot like shopping for the “perfect” dress or that “perfect” pair of black shoes… which I did find here).

Anyway, in searching, I found “Fontifier,” a site/service that will create your own personal font out of YOUR handwriting. It’s pretty cool. All you have to do is download a template, fill it out (follow the directions) scan it at a high resolution, upload it, pay $9 and install.  I’m thinking about setting this up… more posts to come when I do sign up for it. I mean, could be really helpful when looking for a way to digitally sign documents?

(note, this is a repost from 2007, but I still find it current.)

Each year, TIME magazine names someone the “person of the year.” In the past, it’s been John Paul II, the Gates family, former mayor Guiliani, MLK and now it’s You.

“This is an opportunity to build a new kind of international understanding, not politician to politician, great man to great man, but citizen to citizen, person to person. It’s a chance for people to look at a computer screen and really, genuinely wonder who’s out there looking back at them. Go on. Tell us you’re not just a little bit curious.” -Time

So why blog? I’m curious, it’s really just as simple as that. The beauty of web 2.0 is that it gives each one of us a chance to make our mark on the ‘net, and hopefully a few lives.

While searching for the outfits found on the CW’s GossipGirl series (and also researching my new pair of lafont glasses), I found myself on a fashion blog called the Periodic Elements of Style (what a great name!).

Anyway, I stumbled upon Blogher-

Founded in February 2005 as a labor of love by three bloggers, BlogHer’s mission is to create opportunities for women who blog to pursue exposure, education, community and economic empowerment. Today BlogHer provides the number-one community for and guide to blogs by women, via annual conferences, a Web network (http://blogher.com), and an advertising network of more than 1,100 qualified, contextually targeted blog affiliates (http://blogherads.com). BlogHer Inc. is majority-owned by three co-founders and has backing from Venrock (http://venrock.com).

Needless to say, I was hooked. Even though I should have been in sleeping (3 AM here in Ohio), I had to sign up and get my blog on the site. I also want to attend one of the conferences (one is in NYC and the other is in San Francisco). So cool. You can even get a bloghership and they will waive the registration fee (believe it or not, you blog about the blogging conference and you get to attend for free.)

Sorry boys. ;-)

Earlier today, I received an e-mail (via the bb) from my dad:
“Go to New Times News Service by William L Hamilton an article on Technology Dad”
One line, straight to the point and no fancy signatures- when i opened the e-mail on my computer, there was so much whitespace on the screen that I almost didn’t know where to focus my eyes.

Intrigued to the point of googling William L Hamilton in order to find this mysterious article (as the title was a mystery)… I stumbled upon “The Unmaking of a Technophobe.”
Considering that I’m pretty far from technophobia, I thought of my dad and many from the baby boomer generation who may struggle with this (what i think is both sad and terrible) problem, I read on.
What I find refreshing is this man’s personal transformation from a laggard to an early adopter [diffusion of innovation terms-think S curves and The Tipping Point]. Sure, after googling him I know he’s not a young guy, but it’s pretty cool that he’s come a long way.

He writes that “in the diffusion of innovations theory, based on a study of purchase patterns of hybrid seed corn by farmers, early adopters were young, educated leaders in the community, and respected as sources of information. Laggards, the end of the innovation line, were old, uneducated, had small farms and were suspicious of salesmen. ” hahaha suspicious of salesmen. Sounds like my parents.

According to the article, he purchased his first TV set last December, but bought an iPhone the following September. Not bad for an old guy.

The article also states that historically, early adopters were considered “heros,” and “model citizens, [who] kept the economy going.”

Whenever I see an article on blogging, I usually think one of two things:

1. [sigh] another article on the benefits of blogging?

2. [maybe it's the 'glass is half full' side of me] maybe I can learn something to apply to techyness.

This article from the New York Times titled, “Blogging’s a Low-Cost, High Return Marketing Tool” is kindof a mix of both, but leaning towards the second choice. I picked up a few cute bits of information, such as:

• Legal bloggers call themselves “blawgers”
• Denali Flavors, an ice cream company based out of my neighboring state ofMichigan, uses blogs to promote Moose Tracks (my favorite ice cream)
• Some companies donate all funds received for advertising to charity (i love this)
• Consultants+blogs=love
• The extreme number of books on blogging available on amazon.com (9,744 Results)
• Strategy is key

A few weeks ago, I was in the computer cluster here at Syracuse University and the worst thing happened in the middle of creating a ERD. my ipod died. Upon realizing I was a bit frustrated at this situation, my friend turned to me and said “Alana, have you tried Pandora?”

Being the geeky person that I am, my thoughts turned to Greek mythology and Pandora’s role as the keeper of the world’s evils… and of course that she was the first woman created by Zeus, and gifted by all of the gods (I guess you could call her the Greek’s “Eve”) and she was also considered to be something “beautifully evil” hummm…

Anyway, thinking this about Pandora, the last thing on my mind was music. So of course, I was fascinated, not only by the concept of this (commercial) free Internet radio, but why the name “Pandora?”

So after analyzing it, I thought of a few answers before I went on the site to find the “real answer” :

• Music isn’t evil, unless you think of some of the songs on pop radio, such as Britney Spears’ “Gimme More.” Then it’s evil. So one assumption in this post is that most music is not evil, so this is not the answer where I want to place my faith.
• According to the myth, Pandora opened the box of evil, but kept Hope inside. The name “Pandora” could mean, simply, that there is always hope. Not just hope for music, but hope that there will always be new music.
• I read that Pandora is based off of the Music Geonome Project- where songs have been analyzed, categorized & “ized” in many ways.. therefore linking songs to different consumer preferences. Seriously, I would love to get ahold of the data this site gets. I hope they make a lot of money selling it. So I’m thinking it might be that their huge database…er…”box” of music data has been “opened” for everyone. I kindof like this conclusion.

drumroll, please….

and according to the Pandora website, the real reason for the name is:

“The name Pandora means “all gifted” in Greek. In ancient Greek mythology, Pandora received many gifts from the Gods, including the gift of music, from Apollo. She was also, as we all know, very curious. Unlike those Gods of old, however, we celebrate that virtue and have made it our mission to reward the musically curious among us with a never-ending experience of music discovery.”

hummm… I guess I was kindof close. I’m just glad they left out the whole woman is evil part. Thanks Pandora.