Letter to Ballmer: YOU are what is wrong with Society

Posted on June 4, 2009 by Zach Flauaus
ballmer.jpg

Hideous, right?

You are looking at Mr. Steven A. Ballmer: the biggest man at Microsoft now. CEO of the company, Ballmer has a lot of decisions to make like how many versions of Windows 7 to pump out. He also has to deal with seeing Microsoft’s stock stay steady for FIVE YEARS and also keeping an eye on the nice Microsoft stockpile of cash. Even a super company like Microsoft can see losses and, in fact, they already have for the first time in 23 years. It’s not solely from the horrible economy we’re all in (except for the Australians), but they still lost sales. So in a time of economic downturn and wanting to help boost American jobs, what does Ballmer and some buddies want to do? The opposite.

Continue reading →

Posted in Microsoft, Politics | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

How did I get involved in the social? No idea.

Posted on April 8, 2009 by Zach Flauaus

The question of the first week of the Teen Bloggers 2.0 project (cofounder by me) has been brought up and it is a simple one: “How did you get involved in social media?” Simple enough, but it’s actually one of the more difficult questions to answer. Why? Because it was all just spontaneous.

I had my first Blogger account around 2003 (12 years old) and I posted random crap on there and I do mean crap. I can’t remember exactly what I put up there but all I know is that it was crap. I started taking blogging more seriously once I got a Dreamhost account and have moved up exponentially in terms of… I guess you could say writing skills. I still have very few readers but blogging is just a small hobby for me. If this blog gets big, great. If it stays small, that’s fine by me.

So what about other venues like forums and networks like the one and only Twitter? Well, that is a bit more difficult to answer. All I remember forum-wise was joining MacRumors before I even had a Mac. I believe somewhere around 2003. I used to be extremely participatory in forums. I thought they were the best method for communication. Email was just too slow for me and seeing as all I had was a dial-up connection, I didn’t see a point in email.

Moving on into the age of the BlackBerry, which for me was January 2008, my use of forums has dropped to almost no presence at all while social networks (and email for that matter) shot up. I had a Twitter account in the middle of 2007 but I never used it because, to be quite honest, I didn’t know how to use it or what it was all about. Once I started to get used to my BlackBerry, I downloaded TwitterBerry. At that time I had maybe 10 followers. I sent out random tweets but I was still a bit uncomfortable about it.

Once I started following more people, chatting more, my name spread and as of today I am being followed by over 1700 people which in itself is amazing. Over 23,000 messages with around 22,700 of them being sent since the purchase of my BlackBerry (around 53 messages per day) and it’s a hell of a lot of fun. I’ve met so many interesting people in person and online because of Twitter. My connections are high and I’m participating in more than just TMP as a result.

Social media isn’t something you can just jump into (as many people on Twitter think). It takes time to build connections, relationships, and trust. Contribute to the community and your contributions will be rewarded.

Posted in Online Media | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

#Suckit Saturday – 03/21/09

Posted on March 21, 2009 by Zach Flauaus
suckit_saturday.jpg

I’m starting a new meme so I can actually use this site as a functional blog. Shocking, I know. Now then, you may sit in your chair and enjoy the list of people/groups/organizations that can #suckit.

#1: Apple.

iphone_3pointoh.jpg

It’s sleek. It’s shiny. It’s the most advanced thing you could possibly have! It’s the iPhone: Now with 1000 more APIs. Because, you know, they pretty much sucked on iPhone 2.0.

The biggest thing everybody is excited about is one of the must mundane tasks you can do on a computer and even most phones: copy and paste. Also MMS*, Spotlight, landscape keyboards in most apps, and a hell of a lot of API abilities. Why is MMS asterisked? Well, because it’s only available on the iPhone 3G, not the first gen iPhone because of “different radio issues.” Yeah… I’m not buying it. MMS is data. MMS is supported by almost every phone with a camera. Even supported by those without cameras. It’s a matter of programming, not radios. Apple: -10 points.

#2: Stupid chain-letter people.

Whenever I see “FW: FW: FW: FW: FW: FW: FW: FW: FW: FW: FW:” (I’m not even joking, I get a message that has been forwarded ten times before I got it.) pop up on my phone, I just delete it. Chances are it’s a stupid message where all you see is a dancing bunny with music in the background with a message like this:

God gave his life for this bunny.
This bunny dances for God.
God gave his life for you.
This bunny should be you.
If you don’t dance now, you will burn in Hell.
If you don’t dance now, you hate God.
If you don’t forward this to 5,000 people, all of the above is true.

Idiots.

Well, the latest one to go around is the Walmart gang initiation hoax. Sent around Thursday afternoon and Friday, this chain warned of “gang initiations” that required a woman to be raped and murdered from a Walmart in order to gain entrance into the gang. Well, it was a complete hoax (obviously) and it’s been going around since 2005. People need to learn to stop forwarding this stupid crap and break the chain. Ever heard of Ponzi Schemes?

And finally… #3: AIG.

aig.jpg

If you haven’t heard about it, then you must live under a rock.

Taking a bit government money ($218 million, now) and dividing it out to people for bonuses (highest being $6.4 million). Take a gander.

VOA News
Los Angeles Times
Hell, just look through Google News.

So, there’s my #Suckit Saturday list. Who do you think should #suckit? Leave a comment with your list!

Posted in Memes | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Something's wrong with this picture, and I'm not the only one

Posted on February 4, 2009 by Zach Flauaus
obama.jpg

Obama: He’s an image of hope to many. Hope that our country that can get back on the track and continue to excel as the best nation in the world. Yet, being the technologist I am, I see something extremely odd concerning his stances on the whole DTV.

The United States transition from analog/digital TV broadcasts to strictly digital TV broadcasts was originally set in 2006, and then was delayed three years to February 17, 2009, only 13 days away from this writing. Now the House has passed a bill to delay the shut-off date to June 12 and it’s only a matter of time until it goes into effect because Obama has said that he will sign it.

Seriously? Why the hell is he signing a bill that keeps the US in the stone age?

Obama started off, and still is, a highly tech-enthused president. He used Twitter, uStream, came up with an extremely well designed website, and still has a BlackBerry even during his presidency. So if he is so caught up with tech and the direction it’s going in, why is he signing a bill that is keeping the US lower in the technology rankings?

I suppose he doesn’t realize that the spectrum that would be freed up by shutting off analog signals would be put towards new technology innovations since Verizon Wireless was the highest bidder for the main spectrum block. Verizon has said they’ll use the spectrum for their new “4G” network using LTE (Long Term Evolution) to bring mobile network speeds that surpass any common landline internet connection in the US (which is another story in itself). Not to mention that the 700MHz spectrum will be used for first-responders during emergencies.

So my question is, Mr. President, what is your thinking behind this madness? Do you really think 6.5 million citizens are going to be suddenly prepared by June 12th? If not, then will you delay it again until everybody is prepared? Sir, that day won’t come. I even doubt that number will reach less than 6 million people who aren’t ready.

I hope that many stations go ahead and flip the switch on February 17th and show you that they don’t care if everybody isn’t ready. This has been promoted for over two years. Now is the time.

The future is calling and we need to answer it.

Posted in Politics, Rants, Technology | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Windows 7: A damn fine Start – Part 1

Posted on January 18, 2009 by Zach Flauaus

desktop

So, by now you have hopefully heard about Microsoft’s new OS that’s now in beta. It’s what Windows Vista should have been. It. Is. Windows 7.

Now, if you know me, you know I love Apple. I love OS X. Basically anything that is Apple, I probably love it. It’s the reason I am an Apple shareholder. But now, I am proud to say that I am a Microsoft shareholder and have been for some time.

Windows 7 takes flashiness and style and brings substance to it. Yes, it looks a hell of a lot like Vista. Some may confused it (minus the Start-bar) with Windows Vista on first glance. Now, small disclaimer: I never really used Vista for more than 15 minutes, so a lot of this may be in Vista. Excuse my ignorance. I never wanted to use Vista, but Microsoft has gone and done something right with their PR: they’ve spun Windows 7 into their most hyped product in this decade, and for good reason.

I installed it on my MacBook Pro on 1/14/08 and have used it primarily instead of OS X Leopard. In the past 72 hours or so, I have used OS X for about 5 hours while Windows 7 was on for the other 67 hours. Why? Perhaps it’s because it’s something new and I want to use it. Perhaps it’s because I enjoy shiny things (which Windows 7 definitely has a lot of shininess going for it). But also the fact that I enjoy using Windows.

I never really enjoyed using any version of Windows, namely XP. I never really enjoyed using Linux. Yes, I do enjoy using OS X immensely, but Windows 7 is actually somewhat close in that range of enjoyment I have in using my computer.

about_windows 

Microsoft rates that my Windows Experience about 4.9 out of 7.9. Well, in that case, my experience of using OS X is about a 7.5 and using Windows 7 is about a 6.0. There are a few subtle nuances like Dashboard (Gadgets is no comparison), Expose, and Spaces that I just love about OS X Leopard. Granted, there are third-party option replacements for Expose and Spaces, but they just don’t integrate like Apple is king at doing.

start-bar

The Aero interface is updated a little in Windows 7, namely in the taskbar. Now, if you really want the old style, you can choose small icons and have each group separate by window, but Windows 7 does window management a little differently. Let’s say you have 5 Firefox windows open. Instead of having a separate buttons for each Window, you just hover over the programs icon and you can choose from there which window you want.

There are a lot of things that I’m impressed with in Windows 7, but if I wrote about all of them, it would take two days to completely write about them. This is only part one of the series, so expect more posts. Just a word: if you want to install Windows 7 on your own, you can download it here, but don’t use it as your primary OS. If you do decide to do so, nobody is responsible for any downtime or problems you may run into with data loss except yourself.

And in case you wanted to know, I wrote this entire article in Windows Live Writer: part of the key Windows Live series that I’ll divulge into more later.

Posted in Apps, Microsoft | 3 Comments

Tweet-A-Thon: New Years' Edition

Posted on December 28, 2008 by Zach Flauaus

While I consider every day that I tweet a “Tweet-A-Thon,” one person, Al Boe, is bringing a new definition to “Tweet-A-Thon.” Starting New Years Eve, Al will be tweeting for a good cause, instead of just randomly tweeting (like myself), into the New Year.

Zach: Hi Al. First, to start off, what made you want to start this Tweet-A-Thon?

Al: Hello Zach, very happy to be able to talk with you this evening. The idea of the Tweet-A-Thon came to me one night a few weeks ago. I’m naturally a Twitter addict and have thought of the idea of tweeting almost non-stop but came up with the idea to try to raise money for a great charity in there too.

Zach: Have you been involved in raising funds for charities before, like during school fundraisers, online charities, etc.?

Al: Actually I have Zach, I have always worked hard during school fundraisers, and have recently began making micro-loans on the website www.Kiva.org, as well as participating in the local Alzheimers Walk for the last 4 years.

Zach: Very impressive. And I’m going to assume that you do these events simply to help those out in need?

Al: Yes, definitely. The Alzheimers Foundation is particularly close to my heart because my mother has worked for Sunrise Senior Living for 12 years since the local one opened, moving up from Concierge to now Buisness Office Coordinator. I have now volunteered there 20 hours a week for 2 years.

Zach: So how exactly will the tweet-a-thon work?

Al: Yes, this is the question EVERYONE is asking me. The tweet-A-Thon will take place for 19 hours from New Years Eve at 8 AM PST until New Years day at 3 AM PST. During these hours I will be making atleast one tweet about anything and everything every 10 minutes. And will also put out tweets asking for donations for our wonderful charity every 30 minutes or so besides the regular tweets.

Zach: And what charity have you chosen to support?

Al: I am proud to announce that the tweet-a-thon will support and raise funds for St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital. The great thing about St. Jude is that St. Jude is unlike any other pediatric treatment and research facility. Discoveries made here have completely changed how the world treats children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases. With research and patient care under one roof, St. Jude is where some of today’s most gifted researchers are able to do science more quickly.

St. Jude researchers are published and cited more often in high impact publications than any other private pediatric oncology research institution in America. St. Jude is a place where many doctors send some of their sickest patients and toughest cases. A place where cutting-edge research and revolutionary discoveries happen every day. We’ve built America’s second-largest health-care charity so the science never stops.

It truly is a great cause, Zach.

Zach: So how can we donate?

Al: Either [Monday] or Tuesday I will be posting a link on my Twitter account that everyone can use to donate. That will give you a chance to donate before the Tweet-A-Thon and during.

Zach: Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Al: Just remind everyone that it will be on New Years eve starting at 8 AM PST 11 AM EST until 3 AM PST on January 1st. You can expect tweets every 10 minutes. The link to my page and the Tweet-A-Thon page is www.Twitter.com/Alboebno.

Zach: Alright, Al, I thank you for your time and wish you the best of luck on raising money for a great foundation.

Al: Thank you very much Zach.

All patients accepted for treatment at St. Jude are treated without regard to the family’s ability to pay. As mentioned earlier, I will update the post once I have a link to provide to you to donate to St. Jude’s.

*Note: Some of the chat may have been edited for grammar and length.

Posted in Twitter | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Bitching: The All-American Past-time

Posted on December 27, 2008 by Zach Flauaus

Just an FYI: This isn’t for the faint of heart if you hate the word “bitch” or any other swear words. I mean, if that happens, you probably already closed the browser so you haven’t seen this part… Losers.

Bitching is fun. It lets us release stress on others (which is always good) and also lets us make a point. Usually my bitching is a combination of both, but others bitch about one topic or the other. It’s usually at this stage where we call it “ranting” and indicate it by using HTML tags. Because we are that cool.

I’ve noticed that I’ve bitched a lot more… Ok, we’re switching over for now to “complaining.” Anyways, I’ve complained a lot more since winter has arrived. Perhaps it’s because the cold weather, the amount of school work that comes this time of year, or perhaps just the simple fact that I’m always bitchy (oh, there it is again!) minus Christmas and New Years (usually). And I’ll bitch about anything and everything. It’s like something is programmed into my head to find a venting place to get out my stress which is good, right? I mean, bottled up feelings and you’ll turn into the next serial killer or worse… Lindsay Lohan shooting up cocaine. (You should appreciate that, Brandon)

My stress is usually vented into the webisphere through Twitter or (on rare occasions) a blog post where I can just explode all my thoughts into it. I should probably start doing videos because that would be cool. Well, sort of. Because then I would have to clean up, comb my hair, move all the soda out of the way, clean my room, and a whole bunch of unnecessary stuff that text can totally do without.

Anyways: My bitching = healthy. Others, not so much. They usually go something like “He’s such an asshole” or “I miss him… But he’s a prick that should die in the eternal depths of Hell” or “OMG!!!11!1! HE DUMPED ME!?!?!?! NOOOOO!!!!” (Not trying to stereotype the female bitching, guys do a lot of a bitching too [obviously]). I know when to stop. Others, once again, not so much. They’ll gone on and on for hours or days (seriously). And I’m not talking just on Twitter or blog posts, some I know will talk to me either on IM, email, DM, or some other form of -M’ing.

So what am I saying? DROP IT FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! Nobody wants to hear you constantly complain about things for the rest of their life. “Unsubscribe,” you say. “Ignore it,” you say. “Shut the hell up,” you say. You know what I say? Shut up and listen. Drop it, make amends, and move onto your life. If you must bitch about life or other personal problems, do it in moderation. If you’re bitching about Verizon, AT&T, Microsoft, or any mega company (including government sometimes), be my guest. Just keep it down some days. Please.

Now then, for more bitching, follow me on Twitter: twitter.com/zachflauaus

Posted in Internet, Online Media, Twitter | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Merry Christmas! 2008

Posted on December 25, 2008 by Zach Flauaus
xmas_tree_green.jpg

I would like to wish everybody a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and whatever the hell you celebrate to be politically correct. :D

Posted in Random | Tagged | Comments Off

SPORE Giveaway!

Posted on December 21, 2008 by Zach Flauaus
Lightroom 2 Catalog.lrcat - Adobe Photoshop Lightroom - Develop-1.jpg

So, I’m feeling a bit generous this season and… Well, SPORE is boring now. I have it sitting on my hard drive and it hasn’t been touched in months. I also have the original disc sitting on my shelf gathering dust. I purchased it on September 12th and haven’t used the disc since.

Lightroom 2 Catalog.lrcat - Adobe Photoshop Lightroom - Develop.jpg
Look ma! No scratches!

Because it’s not being used, I’m giving it away. Here’s the rules:

1) You MUST be following me on Twitter. No other way around it.
2) You MUST be in the United States or Canada. I love my Australia and England followers, but I could just send you the amount of money for a new copy of SPORE for what it would cost for me to ship it.
3) You MUST tweet, “@zachflauaus I want SPORE plz!” If you would like to add additional text, that would be fine. :)

I will choose the winner at random (random number generator) and they will be notified by DM. Contest ends Sunday, December 21, 2008 at 11:59PM CST.

Good luck, and follow me if you aren’t already!

Posted in Random, Twitter | Tagged , , | 12 Comments

"I'm coming for all of you!"

Posted on December 20, 2008 by Zach Flauaus


Who else is REALLY psyched to watch the next (and final) season of Battlestar Galactica?

Posted in Online Media | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off