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  • Why surprises temporarily blind us

    Holy Kaw!
    11 Mar 2010 | 1:41 pm
    Right now you’re reading this story, but if a fire alarm sounded, your attention would be involuntarily snatched away. Researchers at Vanderbilt University for the first time have shown how our brains coordinate these two types of attention, and why we may be temporarily blinded by surprises. Full story at Futurity. Get smarter: research news. Photo credit: Christopher Asplund Permalink | Leave a comment  »
  • iPad Pre-Orders Begin at 5:30 AM PT on March 12th

    Mashable!
    Samuel Axon
    11 Mar 2010 | 5:00 pm
    Apple fanatics will be able to place their iPad orders at 5:30 AM Pacific time (8:30 Eastern) tomorrow, Friday, March 12th. The pre-orders will be available through Apple.com, and are expected to ship in the United States next month — April 3rd to be precise.The Unofficial Apple Weblog learned about the pre-order time after it asked Apple for the information in an e-mail.Let’s assume you’re the sort of person who wants an iPad; if so, you can still wait for the launch date and pick up an iPad at your local Apple store (or at Best Buy a little bit after launch). However,…
  • iPad Pre-Orders Begin at 8:30 AM EST Tomorrow: Start Practicing Your Speed-Refreshing

    Fast Company
    Dan Nosowitz
    11 Mar 2010 | 6:16 pm
    Okay, Apple fanatics, publishing hopefuls, and reckless early adopters: tomorrow is your day. Start warming up your refresh finger (mine's the right middle finger--it's like I'm saying "screw you! Work this time!" with every furious refresh), because Apple's iPad, in both Wi-Fi and 3G configurations, is allowing pre-orders starting tomorrow at 8:30 AM EST (5:30 AM PST). You can pre-order either online at Apple's site or through any of their individual stores over the phone--if you're seriously pre-ordering this thing, the latter option is probably your best bet to get your new iPhone XXL into…
  • Pictures from my trip to the Winter Olympics

    Guy Kawasaki
    GuyKawasaki
    17 Feb 2010 | 3:32 pm
    Having a great time in Vancouver. If you want to see how great, check out my pictures from Day 1 and Day 2.
  • Hot Potato Tosses A New Site, API, And iPhone App With Foursquare Integration At You

    TechCrunch
    MG Siegler
    11 Mar 2010 | 5:16 pm
    Back in November of last year, the location-based social event service Hot Potato launched at our Realtime CrunchUp. Today, they’ve taken what was a solid service, and made it a lot better with a number of upgrades. First and foremost, there is a new iPhone application that just went live in the App Store. With a completely revamped user interface, the app makes it easier than ever to find and participate in events. Perhaps more importantly, it makes it really easy to create new events — and notably, the service has the nicest third-party Foursquare integration I’ve ever seen.
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    Holy Kaw!

  • Why surprises temporarily blind us

    11 Mar 2010 | 1:41 pm
    Right now you’re reading this story, but if a fire alarm sounded, your attention would be involuntarily snatched away. Researchers at Vanderbilt University for the first time have shown how our brains coordinate these two types of attention, and why we may be temporarily blinded by surprises. Full story at Futurity. Get smarter: research news. Photo credit: Christopher Asplund Permalink | Leave a comment  »
  • 10 Restaurant Chains that Flopped

    11 Mar 2010 | 1:38 pm
    If you're hungry for a Lums steamed hotdog, a Gino Giant burger drenched in sauce or some Chi-Chi's nachos, well, that's too bad. Those restaurant chains no longer exist. The restaurant trade is relentlessly, mercilessly Darwinian. Just as the sabre-toothed tigers and mastodons roamed the land eons ago, there was a more recent time when American roadsides were dotted with orange-roofed Howard Johnson's restaurants and their promise of 27 different ice cream flavors. Here are 10 restaurant chains that are either outright defunct, or -- as in the case of Howard Johnson's --have shrunk to just a…
  • How to set up Google Mail across a small company

    11 Mar 2010 | 12:58 pm
    Bet you didn’t know that Google offers free email accounts for small businesses with up to fifty accounts each with seven gigabytes of storage! Yes, with Google Apps Standard Edition, you can send and receive email via your name(at)your-domain(dot)com. Learn how to easily set it up at Open Forum. More small business tips and tricks. Permalink | Leave a comment  »
  • How to eliminate busywork from your day

    11 Mar 2010 | 12:50 pm
    There are three types of work we complete every day: Bad work Time-sucking, life-sapping bureaucratic tasks that keep growing like weeds through the cracks of your working life. Good work Useful work that makes up most of your working day. It’s important and productive It’s getting things done. It’s familiar and comfortable. For an organization, good work is the reliable engine of profit. Great work Work that challenges and inspires us. This work has meaning and makes a difference. This is the creative, strategic, differentiating work that we hoped we were signing up for…
  • You can't buy me love—or a happy momma

    11 Mar 2010 | 12:23 pm
    Moms who have a strong sense of well-being do a better job of parenting, regardless of financial circumstances. That's the conclusion of a study by researchers at the University of Warwick in the U.K. They also found that when parents find a way to improve their well-being, their parenting improves, even when the amount of money they have available for the family doesn’t change. Full story at Futurity. Get smarter: research news. Photo credit: Fotolia Permalink | Leave a comment  »
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    Mashable!

  • iPad Pre-Orders Begin at 5:30 AM PT on March 12th

    Samuel Axon
    11 Mar 2010 | 5:00 pm
    Apple fanatics will be able to place their iPad orders at 5:30 AM Pacific time (8:30 Eastern) tomorrow, Friday, March 12th. The pre-orders will be available through Apple.com, and are expected to ship in the United States next month — April 3rd to be precise.The Unofficial Apple Weblog learned about the pre-order time after it asked Apple for the information in an e-mail.Let’s assume you’re the sort of person who wants an iPad; if so, you can still wait for the launch date and pick up an iPad at your local Apple store (or at Best Buy a little bit after launch). However,…
  • PlayStation Move: We Take It For a Test Drive [VIDEO]

    Ben Parr
    11 Mar 2010 | 3:45 pm
    If you’re a gamer, you might have heard about yesterday’s news about the PlayStation Move, Sony’s answer to the Wii Remote and Microsoft’s upcoming Project Natal motion controller. In a demonstration yesterday, the company showed off the device, which utilizes remote-like controllers and the PlayStation Eye camera to capture your movements and turn them into actions on the screen.We’ve seen plenty of screenshots and heard a lot about the controller’s capabilities, but we wanted to find out for ourselves whether it really could make the PlayStation more…
  • Twilight Super Fan Goes Crazy Over “Eclipse” Trailer [Viral Video to Avoid]

    Brenna Ehrlich
    11 Mar 2010 | 3:30 pm
    If you’re one of those folks who responded to news of the Eclipse trailer today with a disgusted, “No thanks,” you really won’t want to watch this.Super Twilight fan and YouTube star NuttyMadam3575 recorded her reaction to the Eclipse trailer, unloading it to the Internet to the joy of many a video site. She did the same thing with the New Moon trailer, apparently, and garnered half a million hits.If you have an extra six minutes or so (and some high-quality ear plugs), you could take a peek at her new video… or not. But now you totally are, because I told you…
  • 12 iPhone Apps for Surviving Conference Season

    Amybeth Hale
    11 Mar 2010 | 2:52 pm
    Amybeth Hale is a Talent Attraction Manager with AT&T’s Interactive Staffing team. She uses social technology to help drive awareness of job opportunities as well as interact with candidates. Connect with her on Twitter at @researchgoddess.As conference season is upon us (including SXSW, of course), I began thinking about all the things one might need to survive and stay connected with a busy schedule of travel and networking. Personally, I’m headed to San Diego to attend both SourceCon and the ERE Spring Expo.Then I remembered that I’m the proud owner of an iPhone, and…
  • LivingSocial Raises $25 Million to Take On Groupon

    Ben Parr
    11 Mar 2010 | 2:39 pm
    LivingSocial, once one of the top Facebook app developers but is now focused on online daily deals, has raised a warchest of $25 million from investors in a Series B funding round.LivingSocial, based out of Washington, D.C., is the creator of the Visual Bookshelf, Pick Your 5, and Polls Facebook applications, all of which were popular during the Facebook app development gold rush that occurred in 2007 and 2008. Since then though, the company has shifted its focus on the lucrative market of daily deals — one dominated by Groupon, which garnered over 2 million U.S. visitors last month…
 
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    Fast Company

  • iPad Pre-Orders Begin at 8:30 AM EST Tomorrow: Start Practicing Your Speed-Refreshing

    Dan Nosowitz
    11 Mar 2010 | 6:16 pm
    Okay, Apple fanatics, publishing hopefuls, and reckless early adopters: tomorrow is your day. Start warming up your refresh finger (mine's the right middle finger--it's like I'm saying "screw you! Work this time!" with every furious refresh), because Apple's iPad, in both Wi-Fi and 3G configurations, is allowing pre-orders starting tomorrow at 8:30 AM EST (5:30 AM PST). You can pre-order either online at Apple's site or through any of their individual stores over the phone--if you're seriously pre-ordering this thing, the latter option is probably your best bet to get your new iPhone XXL into…
  • Maya Romanoff Celebrates 40 Years of Design History with Tie Dye and Pink Socks

    Linda Tischler
    11 Mar 2010 | 5:37 pm
    Maya Romanoff, the man who made tie-dye hip for non-hippies, celebrated four decades of creating drop-dead wall coverings last night at New York's Museum of Arts and Design. Resplendent in pink striped socks and a tie-dyed velvet necktie, Romanoff sat silently in a metallic red wheelchair as his wife, Joyce, the company's president, closed her thank you speech with a quote from Oscar Wilde who, on his deathbed, reportedly said, "Either the wallpaper goes, or I do." "Except if it's from Maya Romanoff," she quickly added. Romanoff, whose speech has been robbed by Parkinson's disease, munched a…
  • Foursquare vs. Gowalla: Inside the Check-In Wars

    Shane Snow
    11 Mar 2010 | 5:20 pm
    If you ever visit the downtown Manhattan offices of Foursquare, the popular location-based social game for smartphones, don't say the word Gowalla. When I made that mistake during a visit there last November, 27-year-old cofounder Naveen Selvadurai sent me to the Foursquare time out chair. It was a joke. I think. Gowalla is Foursquare's arch-rival. The companies both launched eight months earlier at the South by South West interactive festival. Their products pioneered the then-uncharted territory of location-based social networking. On Foursquare, a user "checks in" to locations (as…
  • Logos Get Lost in the Supermarket, Here's Why

    Jamey Boiter
    11 Mar 2010 | 5:07 pm
    Have you seen Logorama, the movie comprised entirely of animated logos, that just won the Oscar for best animated short film? It's an excellent representation of the technicolor tapestry of branding that our world has become. Whether that's a good or bad thing depends on your point of view. [youtube p10UE3O8s24] But what would the world be like if there were no more brands to differentiate products, inspire us, or give us a good feeling about a company or product we've never tried before? I'm one who thinks it would be bad for brands to meld together into a homogenized mess, and I see that…
  • Today in Most Innovative Companies

    Austin Carr
    11 Mar 2010 | 3:58 pm
    Daily news of note from our most Innovative Companies, including HP, Microsoft, Spotify, and Intel. HP: The Palo Alto-based computer giant has launched its first corporate advertising campaign in a half-decade, and they've pulled in favors, from Dr. Dre to Annie Leibovitz. The $40 million Let's Do Amazing ad-campaign is aimed at expanding the scope of HP's brand, which is normally associated with printer technology. We recommend the Dre clip, which shows the megastar producer pumping out beats with Rhys Darby, the manager from New Zealand's fourth most popular guitar-based digi-bongo…
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    Guy Kawasaki

  • Pictures from my trip to the Winter Olympics

    GuyKawasaki
    17 Feb 2010 | 3:32 pm
    Having a great time in Vancouver. If you want to see how great, check out my pictures from Day 1 and Day 2.
  • How to Avoid Gullibility

    GuyKawasaki
    8 Feb 2010 | 3:45 pm
    We’ve all been sucked into doing something stupid, right? Fortunately, Steven Greenspan has written a book called Annals of Gullibility. In its conclusion he explains how to avoid gullibility, and I’ve provided a synopsis for you. Read the full story at the American Express Open Forum. More on psychology if you need the advice.
  • How to Be Empathetic

    GuyKawasaki
    4 Feb 2010 | 10:24 pm
    By definition, good marketers are empathetic. That is, they have a capacity to understand and care for the needs of others. Bruna Martinuzzi explains how to be empathetic over at the American Express Open Forum.
  • How to Not Be Annoying on Twitter

    GuyKawasaki
    4 Feb 2010 | 10:19 pm
    Amber MacArthur explains how to not be annoying on Twitter over at the American Express Open Forum. Sage advice for you to develop a great reputation and following on Twitter. More Twitter tips.
  • The Elements of Guyle: British Blogging

    GuyKawasaki
    27 Jan 2010 | 10:06 pm
    Want to make your blog classier? You should blog like a Brit. I explain how to do this in ten easy steps.
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    TechCrunch

  • Hot Potato Tosses A New Site, API, And iPhone App With Foursquare Integration At You

    MG Siegler
    11 Mar 2010 | 5:16 pm
    Back in November of last year, the location-based social event service Hot Potato launched at our Realtime CrunchUp. Today, they’ve taken what was a solid service, and made it a lot better with a number of upgrades. First and foremost, there is a new iPhone application that just went live in the App Store. With a completely revamped user interface, the app makes it easier than ever to find and participate in events. Perhaps more importantly, it makes it really easy to create new events — and notably, the service has the nicest third-party Foursquare integration I’ve ever seen.
  • On The Eve Of SXSW’s Location War, Plancast Gets An iPhone App

    Jason Kincaid
    11 Mar 2010 | 4:31 pm
    It’s getting tough to keep up with all of the location-related developments leading up to this year’s SXSW, and they just keep coming. Tonight, on the eve of the event, Plancast has just had its iPhone application approved. The service, which we’ve previously described as a ‘Foursquare for the future’, allows you to tell your friends where you’re planning to be as opposed to where you currently are (in other words, it lets you and your friends plan ahead). You can grab the new iPhone app here. The application itself looks solid, and includes the core…
  • Milo’s Response To Google’s Blue Dot Specials: A Picture

    Leena Rao
    11 Mar 2010 | 3:04 pm
    This morning Google announced a new Blue Dot feature on the mobile version of Google Product Search that shows whether a product is in-stock at nearby stores. This seems to pose a threat to startup Milo, which highlights local inventory in product search results both on the web and mobile devices. Milo’s co-founder Ted Dziuba subsequently responded to our post with a Tweet that read “Google Product Search has availability for 5 retailers vs. Milo’s 49. Super cool web service, bro.” At launch Google only has partnerships with Best Buy, Sears, Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn,…
  • HP Begins Rebranding Campaign With “Let’s Do Amazing” Ads

    Devin Coldewey
    11 Mar 2010 | 2:34 pm
    Most people in the world hear Hewlett-Packard and think “printers.” And who can blame them? Since the relatively recent emphasis on the “HP” instead of “Hewlett-Packard,” and the general consumer move away from printers, HP hasn’t really done anything noteworthy — well, other than thrive despite the decline of the business in which they made their fortune. It’s like the old joke about the bricklayer and the sheep — but instead of drowning their sorrows in gin, HP is drowning them in money in an effort to rebrand the company. To that…
  • iPhone OS 4.0 Looms, But When Will We See It?

    MG Siegler
    11 Mar 2010 | 1:16 pm
    Apple has set the standard that once every year they will release a new version of the iPhone. It stands to reason that this year will be no different, with a new model likely coming sometime this summer. But arguably just as important as Apple’s hardware refresh is the accompanying software refresh that comes with it as well. And that’s why it shouldn’t be surprising at all that whispers of iPhone OS 4.0 are starting to grow. But this year, the timeline appears a bit off. As AppleInsider reported today, iPhone OS 4.0 is likely to deliver multitasking support. If true, that…
 
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    Seth Godin

  • Helping spread the word

    Seth Godin
    11 Mar 2010 | 11:56 am
    Since Linchpin was published six weeks ago, I've gotten some terrific email. Most of it is about individuals who used the ideas in the book to instigate a process of self-reinvention or validation. Some of the best mail, though, has come from managers and leaders who are using the book to inspire others. One company bought 800 copies for its management, while another reader told me how two copies helped change the way her organization coped with change.When I find a book that moves me, I spread it to everyone who's willing to listen. I hope you feel the same way.It's ever more clear to me…
  • Creating the list

    Seth Godin
    11 Mar 2010 | 2:21 am
    ...is not the same as obeying the list.Do you make the list you check off, follow and work on every day? When does it get made? Who approves it? Do you identify tasks or perform them?If you had a better list, would you do better work? If you made the list instead of just obeying it, would you be a more valuable member of the team?Yes, asking questions is often more valued than answering them. (If they're the right questions.)
  • The Wordperfect Axiom

    Seth Godin
    10 Mar 2010 | 2:35 am
    When the platform changes, the leaders change.Wordperfect had a virtual monopoly on word processing in big firms that used DOS. Then Windows arrived and the folks at Wordperfect didn't feel the need to hurry in porting themselves to the new platform. They had achieved lock-in after all, and why support Microsoft?In less than a year, they were toast.When the game machine platform of choice switches from Sony to xBox to Nintendo, etc., the list of bestelling games change and new companies become dominant.When the platform for music shifted from record stores to iTunes, the power shifted too,…
  • The factory in the center

    Seth Godin
    9 Mar 2010 | 2:24 am
    Old time factories had a linear layout, because there was just one steam engine driving one drive shaft. Every machine in the shop had to line up under the shaft (connected by a pulley) in order to get power. That metaphor extended to the people working in the factory. Each person was hired and trained and arranged to maximize output. The goal was to engage the factory, to feed it, maintain it and have it produce efficiently. Distribution was designed in sync with the factory. You wanted to have the right number of trucks and drivers to handle whatever the factory produced and to get it where…
  • You rock

    Seth Godin
    8 Mar 2010 | 2:07 am
    This is deceptive.You don't rock all the time. No one does. No one is a rock star, superstar, world-changing artist all the time. In fact, it's a self-defeating goal. You can't do it.No, but you might rock five minutes a day.Five minutes to write a blog post that changes everything, or five minutes to deliver an act of generosity that changes someone. Five minutes to invent a great new feature, or five minutes to teach a groundbreaking skill in a way that no one ever thought of before. Five minutes to tell the truth (or hear the truth).Five minutes a day you might do exceptional work,…
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    Wired Top Stories

  • Alt Text: Resurrected Movie Gimmicks of the Future

    Lore Sjöberg
    11 Mar 2010 | 5:00 pm
    With 3-D making a comeback, it's time to dig into Hollywood's history and excavate other cinematic technology that was groundbreaking for its time.
  • Plug and Play: USB Albums We'd Like to See

    David Downs
    11 Mar 2010 | 5:00 pm
    Out with the CD, in with USB drives, maybe in the form of a cassette tape or spork?
  • The '70s Photos That Made Us Want to Save Earth

    Alexis Madrigal
    11 Mar 2010 | 5:00 pm
    Shortly after the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency, the new organization sent 100 photographers out to document the human and natural environments. After a lively few years, the Documerica project was canceled and the photos were archived. Now, this incredible portrait of America in the mid-1970s is making its way onto Flickr.
  • NASA's New Jumbo Jet Keeps Giant Eye on Heavens

    Katharine Gammon
    11 Mar 2010 | 5:00 pm
    With a 45,000-foot cruising altitude, the world's biggest airborne telescope will begin collecting data this spring.
  • Al Franken Jokes, But Google Fiber Is No Laughing Matter

    Eliot Van Buskirk
    11 Mar 2010 | 2:56 pm
    Minnesota seeks to distinguish itself in the increasingly reality TV-esque race to convince Google to build a high-speed fiber optic network there with a video featuring junior US Senator (and former comedian) Al Franken. It's funny stuff, but also serious business as Google shakes up the notoriously uncompetitive ISP business just by showing up.
 
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    ProBlogger Blog Tips

  • How to Blog: How to Choose a Blog Niche [6 Tips]

    Darren Rowse
    11 Mar 2010 | 8:56 am
    Earlier in the week we looked at the importance of ‘niches’ when it comes to building profitable blogs. Today I want to extend the topic and gives the process that I tend to use when working out if I want to start a new blog in a particular niche. I hope you find it helpful. Many factors will come into play when it comes to choosing a niche to blog about – but the following are those that I tend to pay most attention to: 1. Your Interest in the Topic I started out blogging on topics that interested me – but as I began to see the potential to make money from my blogs…
  • Let’s Meet at SXSWi!

    Darren Rowse
    11 Mar 2010 | 5:56 am
    As this post goes live I’ll be in the process of arriving at SXSW Interactive in Austin Texas. I was fortunate enough to at SXSWi two years back and it was one of the best conference experiences that I’ve had – so I’ve made it a priority this year to return. My schedule is pretty open. The main thing that I’ll be doing is a book reading this Friday night. I’ll be talking about some of what Chris and I have included in the 2nd edition of the ProBlogger book (due out next month). The book reading is on at 5pm, Friday 12 March on the Day Stage I hope…
  • Blog Security: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo Scares Me Into Taking It Seriously.

    kellydiels
    10 Mar 2010 | 5:01 am
    guest post by Kelly Diels warning: there are lessons and even actionable advice in here, but it is buried inside a story. I write stories because I love you and don’t want to bore you and because if you laugh then chances are that you’ll remember the educational bit, too. There’s actual research that this works – it is not just because I am in love with bloviation but hey, tomato tahmahto. I have big love for tech. You could not pry my dishwasher out of my house without bloodshed and death, most likely yours. And the internet? Don’t even get me started. I want…
  • How to Blog: Choose a Niche for Your Blog [Why Niches are Important]

    Darren Rowse
    9 Mar 2010 | 5:54 am
    While I get many questions from bloggers asking for advice on ‘how to blog‘ perhaps one of the biggest questions a new blogger needs to ask themselves before they move on to the HOW to blog question is ‘WHAT will I blog about?’ There is no real right or wrong answer to this question as blogs come in all shapes and sizes and focus upon all manner of topics. However thinking through the question before you start a blog will help you make some of the other decisions that you’ll want to make later on in this guide (for example the domain name and the name of your…
  • Feeling “Blogged Out?” [10 Pro Bloggers Share Their Advice on What to Do]

    Darren Rowse
    8 Mar 2010 | 6:08 am
    A Guest post by Heather Allard from The Mogul Mom. If you’re a regular ProBlogger reader, you know that Darren dishes up heaps of incredible blogging advice 7 days a week, 365 days a year. His archives positively overflow with information on how to build a blog from the ground up, how to engage readers, how to earn a living from your blog, how to search engine optimize your blog, how to market your blog through social media and so much more. If you’re a beginner blogger, there’s no better place to learn than at ProBlogger. I know because when I started blogging in 2007,…
 
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    Chris Brogan

  • Changing Lives

    chrisbrogan
    11 Mar 2010 | 10:59 am
    Hey. Take five minutes (it took me three), drop by this site and give $10 or so to send 300 autistic kids to summer camp. Think about it. Two lattes worth of cash and you can send 300 kids to summer camp. We’ve raised about 1/3 of the money required in the first 20 minutes. Want to be part of a case study in charitable giving via the social web? Come Donate $10.
  • My Plans for SXSW

    chrisbrogan
    10 Mar 2010 | 4:33 pm
    Are you going to be in Austin, Texas for South by Southwest? So will I. So will Justin Levy and Colin Bower from New Marketing Labs. While we’re there, I’m definitely up for business meetings with people interested in talking about upcoming projects. I don’t like making set time meetings at the event, because things are a whirlwind. That said, when we get it narrowed down to a day, we can usually do okay on getting a meeting set up. I’m also going to be out and about for some socialization, naturally. I won’t be going to many of the parties. I just don’t…
  • Wire Up Your Customer Base

    chrisbrogan
    10 Mar 2010 | 1:30 am
    My friend Mick Galuski is sneaky. Every Wednesday, he sends a direct message of a TwitPic of MY weekly comics. Not some weekly comics. MY weekly comics. He knows that I’ll want them. He knows that I’ll get to them soon as I can. And lately, he knows that I’ll send Kat when I’m out of the country in England and in Colombia to come and get them. I wasn’t that passionate about comics again until Mick MADE me more passionate, by keeping them top of mind for me every Wednesday. He has a @toysoldiergames Twitter account that he’s working on using for other…
  • Little BIG Things – Tom Peters – Video Book Review

    chrisbrogan
    9 Mar 2010 | 1:30 am
    I love Tom Peters. He’s gotten me in trouble for years. Well, his books have. I finally got to have lunch with him, and then see him keynote. The affair just grows and grows. And now, Tom’s done the whole “compile some good blog posts into a better book” thing. It’s awesome. His new book, The Little Big Things: 163 Ways to Pursue EXCELLENCE (amazon affiliate link), is just outright wonderfully STUFFED full of Tom Peters-ish things about pursuing excellence. Some of it is so simple you’ll kick yourself for not doing it already. The rest of it is…
  • What You Can Do About Batten Disease

    chrisbrogan
    8 Mar 2010 | 7:53 am
    My friend, Chris Hall, has told me about Batten Disease, an illness that strikes down children, most often in the 4-10 year-old age range. Chris’s son, Matthew, passed away from the disease a short while ago. They’ve set up a Facebook group about their son, and about Batten Disease, to raise awareness. Chris told me, “Our first aim is to significantly increase numbers (for awareness). Once we have done this we’re going to look at creating a charity to help stop this terrible condition and also help children who get it.” So, the only ask at this time from Chris…
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    Copyblogger

  • How to Win in Las Vegas, And in Online Business

    Johnny B. Truant
    11 Mar 2010 | 6:25 am
    I’ve written a few contrarian things lately. Specifically, I ranted a bit about why I think the most common “make money online” technique doesn’t work for most people, and about how, really, the most important ingredients of success are persistence and grit. Then, on my own blog, I ranted about why “systems” for achieving specific results don’t work. I got a lot of comments, emails, and tweets agreeing — too many people are looking for a quick fix, and we need to remember the basics: hard work, and good old-fashioned stick-to-it-iveness. But…
  • Blogging Lessons from The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

    Julie Roads
    10 Mar 2010 | 5:00 am
    A 40 year-old unsolved murder mystery. Strange cryptic codes in a bible. Sweden, sandwiches, and many, many cigarettes. The badass-est female protagonist since . . . forever. And an author who has, posthumously, caused quite a ruckus in the book world and in the minds of conspiracy theorists everywhere. Yes, I’m talking about The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. If you haven’t heard of it, the rest of us are inviting you to come out from under your rock. Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played With Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the…
  • The Power of Confident Writing

    Brian Clark
    9 Mar 2010 | 6:29 am
    There’s a wonderful European-style market and bakery in the Oak Lawn area of Dallas. They serve everything from made-to-order salads and sandwiches to chef-prepared, ready-to-eat meals. But what I love most about the place is the sign on the door when you leave. It’s classic. The sign doesn’t read “Please Come Again” or “Thank You for Your Business” or some other typical exit sign platitude. It says . . . “See you tomorrow.” That kind of confidence is compelling and downright sexy. Sure, a fantastic product, service, or experience is the starting point from which confidence…
  • What Do You Do When You Run Out of Knowledge?

    James Chartrand
    8 Mar 2010 | 8:12 am
    Bloggers have a distinct disadvantage. When someone hires an expert in — oh, let’s say marketing — that expert can dispense the same information she did for the last client. And the client before that one. And the one before that. Not bloggers. Blogging is about breaking down everything you know into bite-sized chunks so that people can learn it all over a period of time. If they look back through the archives, they can often see the entire breadth of your knowledge. Then one day, your well runs dry. This is a scary moment for any blogger. It’s not like running out of…
  • 10 Proven Steps to Snag a Guest Post on an A-List Blog

    Jordan Cooper
    5 Mar 2010 | 6:44 am
    Guest posting is the “in” thing. It’s the newest craze. All the kids are doing it! You’ve heard it time and time again — guest posting is the best way of promoting your work. So why haven’t you become part of the hip crowd yet? I know why. You’re scared of rejection. You’re not sure if you have the chops. I can understand these feelings, but don’t get yourself down just yet. I’m going to show you a surefire, bulletproof, unshakable, watertight, virtually guaranteed (insert as many hyperboles as you see fit) method of putting together…
 
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    Macworld

  • GDC: Firemint wins four Pocket Gamer Awards

    11 Mar 2010 | 5:09 pm
    Firemint was honored with four awards from handheld gaming Website Pocket Gamer at a ceremony held at the annual Game Developers Conference.
  • Apple releases Safari 4.0.5 update

    11 Mar 2010 | 2:52 pm
    Apple on Thursday released Safari 4.0.5 to address several performance and stability issues with the browser.
  • Razer, GPG pledge Mac support; DICE investigating

    11 Mar 2010 | 2:41 pm
    Following the announcement of Steam on Mac OS X, Razer and Gas Powered Games have pledged to support the Mac, while EA DICE is currently investigating the possibility.
  • Review: Tripod Camera for iPhone

    11 Mar 2010 | 2:05 pm
    This app add some nice options to the iPhone's camera -- most notably an anti-tilt feature that keeps your shot level no matter what -- and makes a nice addition to any shutterbug's tool-set.
  • Easily type accented characters

    11 Mar 2010 | 12:47 pm
    There's an easier way to type characters with diacriticals than remembering obscure key combinations or opening Keyboard Viewer.
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    ReadWriteWeb

  • 6 Thoughts About Location Madness

    11 Mar 2010 | 5:00 pm
    Location based social networks - are you over it already? It feels like location is all we ever hear about anymore, especially this week leading up to SXSW. We're excited about location too; see our enthusiastic write-ups What Twitter's Geolocation API Makes Possible and The Era of Location as Platform Has Arrived. But it's getting a little ridiculous. We offer below a few thoughts to consider about all this location madness. Sponsor That Phrase: "Location, Location, Location" You're going to hear journalists use it far too much. Want to know where it came from? Language sleuth William Safire…
  • First Look at TechStars Historical Results Data

    11 Mar 2010 | 3:43 pm
    TechStars is an early stage venture fund based in Boulder, Colorado. ReadWriteWeb was given an early peek at historical results data on TechStars companies, which the organization is about to release. The data shows acquisition and failure rates, as well as how many of the TechStar companies have gone on to receive angel or venture funding. TechStars reports that nearly 6 of 10 of their companies have historically gone on to receive outside angel or venture funding (not including friends or family). Five other companies reported that they are now profitable without outside funding, so overall…
  • Beyond Ads: Monetizing Location-Based Services

    11 Mar 2010 | 3:26 pm
    This week geo-crazy mavens were pleased to hear of location-based updates to Facebook, the launch of Foursquare analytics and of course yesterday's news of Gowalla's comment and picture functionality. So far the most common way to monetize these types of services is through sponsored leader boards and tips on nearby promotions. But the question remains, can local ads really sustain the entire location-based ecosystem? Sponsor Geo-locational services are only now finding a business model and for the first time service providers are forced to think about maintaining the balance between user…
  • Plancast iPhone App is Live & It is Good

    11 Mar 2010 | 3:25 pm
    Plancast, the plan-sharing startup with big-name angel investors and "future as platform" aspirations, has just had its iPhone app accepted into the iTunes store. The app was built by contracted star developer Leah Culver. It's simple, functional, attractive and useful. It's going to be very good for SXSW and probably beyond, if the service continues to stick with users as it has so far. Here's the iTunes link and below you can see some screenshots. Sponsor I'm posting my plans at Plancast.com/marshallk. You can see who's coming to our SXSW party Sunday night with NPR, PBS and more here on…
  • SXSW 2010 for Publishers

    11 Mar 2010 | 3:00 pm
    A ReadWriteWeb Guide Ever since its inception, the Internet has blurred the boundaries between author and audience. Whether you're a blogger, a pillar of the printed word, a podcast coinnaseur or a developer dealing with the latest CMS, navigating the next step in Internet publishing can be a feat. So, hit up these 10 events at SXSW Interactive 2010 to say goodbye to Gutenberg and hello to the interactive, multimedia, real-time, crowdsourced and community-funded future of online publishing. Sponsor This is part of a series of ReadWriteWeb guides to SXSW Interactive 2010. If this guide isn't…
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    Photoshop Insider Blog By Scott Kelby

  • Photoshop World Pre-Conference Workshops Nearly ALL Sold Out!

    Scott
    10 Mar 2010 | 9:48 pm
    For the first time ever, the optional in-depth, pre-conference workshops we hold the day before Photoshop World officially kicks off, are all nearly sold out in advance, so if you’re signed up to go (or if you’re thinking of going), but haven’t registered for a pre-con workshop, I’d jump on it now, as there are only 60 seats left TOTAL for all 9 workshops combined! Here’s the workshops that still have seats available: HDR Crash Course (3 spots left) >> See the video above << Photoshop for Beginners (7 spots left) Real World Concert Photography (6…
  • Quick Thursday Stuff

    Scott
    10 Mar 2010 | 9:24 pm
    Photoshop World App Updated We just released an updated version of our Photoshop World iPhone App, which includes both new features (including an Opening Keynote countdown clock, plus lots of tweaks to the “My Schedule” feature, including the ability to erase your schedule and delete all saved data), along with some bug fixes. You can download the free App from the iTunes Store, or just follow this link. Loved Nick’s Post Yesterday I really found Nick’s Guest Blog post yesterday fascinating (I especially thought his impressions of Michelle Obama and Annie Leibovitz…
  • It’s Guest Blog Wednesday featuring Nick Rapaz!

    Brad
    9 Mar 2010 | 9:01 pm
    Photo by Karen Lenz My New York adventure started over four years ago while I was working as Studio Manager for the Santa Fe Photographic Workshops. I was with the workshops for three seasons, and during that time I was fortunate enough to work closely with an incredibly diverse group of photographers, from Norman Jean Roy to Joe McNally to Platon. My first winter season in Santa Fe was also the first workshop for Platon, and I ended up hitting it off with both him and his first assistant (Andreas Konrath). Immediately after that season’s end I traveled to New York, checked into the…
  • Tomorrow’s Guest Blogger Is…

    Brad
    9 Mar 2010 | 9:00 am
    Nick Rapaz! Have you ever wondered what it would be like to help photograph the First Lady, Annie Leibovitz, or world leaders at the UN? Nick gives us a peek into all of those situations from his time as a full-time assistant working with Platon, as well as life as a freelance assistant.  He also shares about one of the things people don’t think about often when it comes to photographing busy people – the choreography of the shoot.  It’s a very interesting look into setting up for what could be a timeless and iconic portrait of someone in a matter of seconds. Some of you…
  • A Very Different Interview For Me

    Scott
    8 Mar 2010 | 9:43 pm
    My buddy Terry White has been running a very fun series on his blog called “Tech Profiles” where he does this really short burst of questions, mostly related to how you use technology, and he asked me to do one, and it’s up live at this link. At the end, he asks, “Anything else?” so I wrote five things most people wouldn’t know about me, and those five have a sparked a number of comments on Terry’s blog, including this one: “Kelby seems less god-like now. Thanks, Terry!” Yikes! Anyway, if you want to read all the gory details, it’s…
 
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    Smashing Magazine

  • Forms On Mobile Devices: Modern Solutions

    Luke Wroblewski
    11 Mar 2010 | 3:58 am
      Mobile forms tend to have significantly more constraints than their desktop cousins: screens are smaller; connections are slower; text entry is trickier; the list goes on. So, limiting the number of forms in your mobile applications and websites is generally a good idea. When you do want input from users on mobile devices, radio buttons, checkboxes, select menus and lists tend to work much better than open text fields.But constraints breed innovation, and mobile forms are no different. The limitations of mobile devices have forced developers and designers to find new ways to allow…
  • Uncovering Toy Cameras and Polaroid Vintage Effects (With Photoshop Tutorials)

    Jessica Bordeau
    10 Mar 2010 | 6:23 am
      Since its emergence, the digital photography market has gradually supplanted the traditional one. APN and digital SLR cameras entered our lives, and some people announced the death of silver-based images. This is not all lie, and yet old-fashioned images have been particularly popular in the past few years. All we do seem to do now is try to recreate the atmosphere of those bygone times anyway. Blurry, distorted and over-saturated images are not just a fad anymore. People have became familiar with the style and even consider it a full-fledged photographic genre.And this is where…
  • Entering The Wonderful World of Geo Location

    Christian Heilmann
    8 Mar 2010 | 3:56 pm
      I thought I could not be out-geeked. With a background in radio, and having dabbled in the demo scene on the Commodore 64 and hung out on BBSes and IRC for a long time and all the other things normal kids don’t quite get, I thought I was safe in this area.Then I went to my first WhereCamp, an unconference dealing with geographical issues and how they relate to the world of Web development. Even my A-Levels in Astronomy did not help me there. I was out-geeked by the people who drive and tweak the things that we now consider normal about geo-location on the Web.Pulling out…
  • Common Questions About Design Professionalism

    Andy Rutledge
    8 Mar 2010 | 1:48 am
      The design profession is full of happy folks, and understanding why so many designers enjoy their work is not hard. But not all are so happy. If you’re not careful, the joy of getting paid to pursue your passion can be tainted by the less joyous realities of the professional world.You see, no matter how skilled you are as a designer, unless you are equally prepared in professional matters, your prospects will be limited and your circumstances compromised. This is true whether you work freelance, for an agency or in-house with a company.Every week I hear from designers who are…
  • Handy Tools and Tips for E-Commerce Websites

    Rob Smith
    6 Mar 2010 | 2:47 am
      Running an e-commerce website is a never-ending task, from trying to squeeze that extra bit of conversion rate out of the check-out page to figuring out which referrers give you the best traffic. There’s also a plethora of tools out there to help you achieve your goals. But which ones do what, and why should you use some of them? This article introduces some of these tools and offers a tip or two on how to use them.If you own or operate an e-commerce webs, you’ll find one or two things that you haven’t tried before. If you’re new to e-commerce, this article…
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    The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)

  • Barnes & Noble eReader for iPad coming soon

    Mel Martin
    11 Mar 2010 | 6:30 pm
    Filed under: Odds and ends, Freeware, iPadThat's the word from the giant U.S. bookseller. There is already a version for the iPhone and iPod touch, and Barnes & Noble says customers can expect the free software around the time of the iPad launch. The reader will give B&N customers access to more than a million eBooks, as well as selected newspapers and magazines. The Barnes 7 Noble Nook, which competes with the Amazon Kindle, has only been out a short time, but if the iPad is a success a heck of a lot more people may be reading B&N books on Apple's device rather than the Nook. Now…
  • Found Footage: The Doritos iPad Parody

    David Winograd
    11 Mar 2010 | 5:15 pm
    Filed under: Found Footage, iPad Call me crazy but I think this is hysterical. Doritoscanada has put together a wry and dry iPad introduction parody using, of course, Doritos. It's only one minute long so check it out and see if you don't agree that it's just about perfect. Thanks to Luis Ortiz for sending it in.TUAWFound Footage: The Doritos iPad Parody originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
  • How soon is now? Pre-order timing for iPad confirmed, 5:30 am PT

    Michael Rose
    11 Mar 2010 | 2:45 pm
    Filed under: Cult of Mac, iPadWe've had more than a few inbound requests today, via email and Twitter, asking a slightly obsessive but completely understandable question: When can I pre-order my freakin' iPad? True to form, the simple answer of "March 12th" is not adequate for the real early adopters, and they ask again: Yes, I know that, but what time can I push the button? When does the pre-order page go live on store.apple.com? Do I need to stay up all night, refreshing the page? We understand. We know where you're coming from. We asked Apple PR to help you plan your day tomorrow, and they…
  • Safari 4.0.5 now available in Software Update

    Michael Rose
    11 Mar 2010 | 2:07 pm
    Filed under: Software Update, Security New browser time -- and unfortunately, time to restart your Mac. Safari has been updated (for 10.4, 10.5 and 10.6 on the Mac side, and Windows XP/Vista/7 on the Win side); it includes the improvements noted: Performance improvements for Top Sites Stability improvements for plug-ins, and for sites with SVG graphics and online forms Fixes issues affecting settings changes to some Linksys routers and iWork.com user comments There are also a slew of security fixes in this update; full list is in the continuation of this post, via the Apple Product Security…
  • I'm OK, You're OK: It's cool to be an early iPad adopter

    Erica Sadun
    11 Mar 2010 | 12:00 pm
    Filed under: iPad Is it too early to think about pre-ordering an iPad? The WSJ's Smart Money website looks at the options for early adopters, and comes to the surprising and novel conclusion that it costs more to buy early. I'm not sure there's a polite way to put this, so with all due respect to Smart Money, let me say: Well, of course. According to the writeup, waiting a few months before buying your iPad "could cut your bill substantially." Author Kelli B. Grant quotes Rob Enderle, who points out out that early technology is issued with premium pricing and is often "riddled with glitches."…
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    CNN: Top Stories

  • Help sought to ID women in killer's pics

    11 Mar 2010 | 7:17 pm
    Hoping to solve numerous cold cases, authorities on Thursday released hundreds of photos of unidentified women and children found in a storage unit that belonged to a serial killer who appeared on "The Dating Game."
  • Woman to coach high school football

    11 Mar 2010 | 7:09 pm
    A high school in Washington, D.C., is set to name a former women's professional football player as its head varsity football coach Friday, a move that a national women's sports advocacy group calls historic.
  • Sen. Reid's wife breaks back in wreck

    11 Mar 2010 | 6:51 pm
    The wife and daughter of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid were injured Thursday in a highway accident, a spokesman for the senator from Nevada said. The injuries aren't considered life-threatening.
  • School sued for canceling prom over lesbian date

    11 Mar 2010 | 6:49 pm
    A Mississippi high school faces a lawsuit over its decision to cancel its prom rather than allow a lesbian high school student to attend with her girlfriend.
  • Meningitis kills 2nd Oklahoma student

    11 Mar 2010 | 4:53 pm
    An Oklahoma elementary school student has died of bacterial meningitis, officials said Thursday, and two other students are hospitalized with the illness.
 
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    Strobist

  • Q&A: How to Use Your Nikon SB-900 in Optical Slave Mode

    10 Mar 2010 | 9:00 pm
    As most of you know, the discontinued Nikon SB-800 speedlight has an awesome -- yet, oddly undocumented -- built-in slave. But given the questions I have gotten recently, many people who own the newer SB-900s are not aware that their flash has the same capability.A walk-thru on how to access and use the built-in slave in your Nikon SB-900 speedlight, and how to get better results from any slave outdoors, inside.__________SU-4 Mode Button SequenceSU-4 mode is a legacy TTL mode which existed long before Nikon's CLS system. Props to Nikon for continuing to include it. And the day they stop…
  • Speedlights at Twenty Paces

    8 Mar 2010 | 1:18 am
    Wrapping up in Dubai and getting ready to head over to Muscat in Oman for some much-anticipated R&R.Those of you who follow Strobist on Twitter knew that Saturday was a big day for me. After teaching at Gulf Photo Plus all week, Saturday night was the big shootout against Zack "OneLight" Arias and Joey "Not That Guy from Blossom" Lawrence.My shootout results, and what it's like to walk into the belly of hell, inside.__________Pucker FactorAll we knew is that we were were to have 25 minutes to use however we wanted -- including lighting, shooting, editing and post production. And the post was…
  • QOTD: Do You Co-op Gear?

    3 Mar 2010 | 9:00 pm
    I am gonna turn it around to you guys with a question today: Is anyone participating in a formal (or informal) gear co-op program?It seems like a logical choice as a compromise for gear you cannot rationalize owning. Obviously, renting is an option for those who live in NYC or LA (and, increasingly, secondary markets). But it seems to me that the idea could easily be applicable to lighting gear. For instance, a group of weekend enthusiasts or a camera club could pool money for a monobloc kit.There have always been informal arrangements between photogs in a given local area for spotting each…
  • Five Things Music Can Teach Us About Lighting

    28 Feb 2010 | 9:00 pm
    In 1986 I walked into the photo department at The Gainesville (FL) Sun for the first time. I was 21, and it was like walking into heaven. Several well-respected photogs worked there. There was pool glass available for borrowing. There were huge photos on the wall. And there was a nice stereo with a pair of high-end (to me) speakers on top of the bookshelf. Looking back, I think they were Bose 301's. But I was impressed back then.They said that they paid for the stereo by pooling the money they received for transmitting AP specials and enterprise art over the wire. It was the first time the…
  • Travel, Light

    25 Feb 2010 | 1:00 pm
    UPDATE: Corrects backpack, adds links to backpack and duffel.__________I have logged a lot of air miles over the last few years, and am getting ready to pile on a few more en route to Dubai this week.On of the biggest advantages of being speedlight-based is being able to avoid the excess-baggage mafia. Given that I usually travel with computer, camera gear, lighting gear (including stands, etc.) in addition to the typical clothing stuff, I thought I would do a quick post on what and how I pack.__________Two In the BellyFirst off, I always strive to get all of my clothing/personal items into a…
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    Digital Photography School

  • GREEN: Weekend Photography Challenge

    Darren Rowse
    11 Mar 2010 | 12:22 pm
    This weekend your photography challenge is in honor of St Patricks day (next Wednesday). It is to take a photo with the theme of ‘GREEN’ and to share it with our community. Feel free to take any approach to the theme – it might be photographing something Green, or it could be taking a photo with an ‘environmental’ edge…. or perhaps a picture of someone who is inexperienced in something (feeling Green)…. whatever you like. I’m expecting lots of apples, frogs, leaves…. but if you need a little inspiration – check out our previous…
  • How to Take the Perfect Headshot: Six Tips

    Christina N Dickson
    11 Mar 2010 | 6:09 am
    Wikipedia defines a headshot as: “A head shot is a photographic technique where the focus of the photograph is a person’s face”. It would seem to be a simple project for a photographer. After all, you are only worrying about a persons face, and just maybe part of their shoulders. Seriously, how hard can it be? More than you think. The headshot is a critical piece of many professionals PR packets. A dynamic headshot for models, actors, and other performance professionals will be the difference between acquiring the gig or not. Your clients can be no more excited than if they…
  • Photo Trekking: A Traveling Photographer’s Guide to Capturing Moments Around the World [Book Review]

    Matthew Dutile
    10 Mar 2010 | 12:15 pm
    Perhaps one of the best features of the widespread availability of digital cameras is the ability to capture our vacations and trips across the globe. Never has it been easier to photograph and share with our friends and family the unique cultures, monuments, people and wonders of the world we find on our travels. And never have as many photographers, both beginners and advanced alike, wanted to know not only how to capture those moments around the world, but sell and professionally present them. Want no more thanks to Nick Onken’s Photo Trekking: A Traveling Photographer’s Guide to…
  • 31 Stunning Black and White Subject Study Photos on Imagekind

    Nate Jelovich
    10 Mar 2010 | 6:10 am
    Black and White photography is among one of the most striking forms. Photos sans color require an enhanced use of lighting, shadows, and subject focus. Black and white photography brings out details usually overlooked in standard color photos. Subject studies is the discipline of concentration on one particular subject. Not quite still-lifes, though they share some similar qualities, subject studies focus on one particular object in view. Take a look below for 31 stunning black and white subject study photos on Imagekind. Pear in Porcelain by Dawn LeBlanc Baby´s got Back by Andreas…
  • How to Pop Color Selectively Using Channel Mixers and Layer Masks in Photoshop

    Guest Contributor
    9 Mar 2010 | 12:15 pm
    By Jodi Friedman of MCP Actions: Photoshop Actions and Training There are literally dozens of ways to saturate your colors in Photoshop. For this post I am going to focus on one way to pop colors using “Channel Mixer” adjustment layers. To start with, locate an image that could benefit from more vibrant color, overall or in selected spots. Of course, you likely will want to correct exposure and white balance prior to working on color. At this point, we will pull up a “Channel Mixer” adjustment. In CS4, you can use the adjustment panel – in CS3 and below, use the layers palette and…
 
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    Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Killer Tips

  • Tip – A Bunch of Crop Tool Tips

    jgilbert@photoshopuser.com (Matt Kloskowski)
    11 Mar 2010 | 5:12 pm
    It’s Friday and I’m heading up north to shoot my sister-in-law’s wedding. Wish me luck Anyway, I figured I’d close out the week with a few crop tool tips. • Press R to get to the Crop Tool. It works even if you’re in the Library module. • Once you’re in Crop mode press the letter O (for Overlay) to change the overlays that you see on your photo. They’ll toggle between the rule of thirds, a grid, and several other overlays that you’ll never use • Press A to toggle between constraining/not constraining to the aspect ratio • Press…
  • How Backing Up Just Saved My Butt

    jgilbert@photoshopuser.com (Matt Kloskowski)
    10 Mar 2010 | 5:01 pm
    You probably always hear people talk about backing up right? Well something happened to me recently that I figured I’d share in hopes that anyone not backing up, will start to. The Night Before My Trip to Dubai It all started last week. I taught at Gulf Photo Plus in Dubai. The night before I left I did as I always do every night – backed up my Mac with Super Duper (it creates a bootable backup of my entire drive). I have it on an auto backup setting so at some point during the night a backup is created on to a Western Digital MyBook drive. However, since I was also traveling to…
  • The 5 Places I use Lightroom Presets The Most (And the least)

    jgilbert@photoshopuser.com (Matt Kloskowski)
    9 Mar 2010 | 6:33 am
    If you’ve ever looked into Lightroom’s Presets folder (Lightroom Preferences > Presets area) you’ll see there are actually a lot of different areas in Lightroom that have presets. So which ones do I use the most? 1. Import – This one is pretty much on autopilot for me. Whenever I import, I have a Metadata template defined (bottom section of the import dialog) with all of my contact and copyright information. It’s something I rarely ever change or tweak. 2. Develop – Of course, this is probably the biggest area of presets for me. If you’ve followed…
  • Video – Before & After

    jgilbert@photoshopuser.com (Matt Kloskowski)
    28 Feb 2010 | 9:01 pm
    Greetings from Dubai! I’m teaching at Gulf Photo Plus this week but I made sure I recorded a video before I left. It’s another one of those before/after videos and it takes one of my photos from a hot air balloon festival I shot last summer from start to finish. It just happens that this one required a lot of Photoshop work. I’m not sure why, but sometimes I still feel more comfortable with the Quick selection tool in Photoshop and a brush, rather than using the Adjustment Brush in Lightroom. Anyway, here it is. Thanks for watching! Click here to download the video to your…
  • Worth-a-click

    jgilbert@photoshopuser.com (Matt Kloskowski)
    24 Feb 2010 | 5:56 am
    Here’s a few things worth checking out as you surf around the web today. First a couple of “me” things: • I just turned my new portfolio website live over at MattKloskowski.com. • A good friend of NAPP (Firgs) has an interview with me posted on her website (lots of other NAPP interviews as well). • Finally, in other “me” news, I’ve been asked quite a bit about my twittering. So here’s the deal: I’m not much of a “here’s what I’m doing” twitterer. Honestly, I turn off my email and web browser most of the day so I…
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    Joe McNally's Blog

  • Whose Knees Are These?

    Joe McNally
    4 Mar 2010 | 8:14 pm
    Okay, I ‘ll give you a hint. He’s at GPP in Dubai. He uses speed lights. And this is the 3rd time in this millennium he has worn long pants. Give up? Mystery man revealed here. (I also went to his class on social media and if there is anybody on the planet who knows more about the role it is currently playing in our industry, I certainly don’t know them.) Speaking of knowledgeable people in exotic places, my buds Eddie Soloway and Renie Haiduk are heading for Africa. Both are wonderful shooters and teachers. Eddie’s book, A Thousand Moons, is simply one of the most…
  • It’s Raining Here….

    Joe McNally
    1 Mar 2010 | 11:43 am
    It’s not supposed to be raining here. This is Dubai, that giant mushroom of concrete, glass and steel that erupted out of the sun blasted sand and became a magnet for all things over the top. Put the adjective “tallest,” or “biggest” in front of any number of things, and they be here. I’m convinced it’s me. Bad weather just follows me. Last year in Las Vegas, in the springtime, fer chrissakes, I lost a day’s shooting to a snow storm. Here, where for a chunk of the year the temperature dial is set at “fricassee,” it just ain’t…
  • That Kelby Clan…..

    Joe McNally
    23 Feb 2010 | 5:10 am
    Had a blast last week with the gang from Tampa out at PhotoShop 20th anniversary in San Fran. Though a couple folks let me know that no one out there refers to their fair city in those terms. It’s either full blown San Francisco, or just simply, SF. Okay. Nicknames or no, it’s still a great place. We dovetailed with the Kelby Online Training video team, led by the intrepid Scriv, and shot a new video. We had great fun, and great subjects. How can you not like a bunch of guys who sing nothing but Leonard Cohen songs, acapella, and call themselves a Conspiracy of Beards? When they…
  • Dependable Fog

    Joe McNally
    18 Feb 2010 | 1:57 pm
    There are certainties in the life of a photog, to be sure. Shoot, suffer, die. In my experience though, the arrival of fog has never been one of them. Except here, in San Francisco, which is why this city has become one of my favorite places to work or visit. Joe love fog. Fog make everything look nice. You get fog here as certainly as you get water when you turn the tap. Early in the week, I was giddy with it, out on a beach, running around shooting stuff, and a bud who lives locally nodded approval. He said, “Yeah, Joe, it’s a rare condition you’re seeing here. Only…
  • We Just Can’t Help It…..

    Joe McNally
    15 Feb 2010 | 2:00 am
    Photographers. We’re strange, right? We can’t stop. We run when others walk. We work when others relax. We have no sense of weekends, holidays, time off, time on, or time in general, except as it relates to sunrise or set. When there’s a football game on TV, we aren’t looking always at the action on the field. We’re looking at the sidelines to see if any our buds are covering the game and how much of the long glass out there is black or white. We walk around like addled sumbitches, staring at strange stuff, hovering at the edge of human activity, aching to be…
 
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    Planet Photoshop

  • Modify Textures on 3D Objects

    Web Editor
    11 Mar 2010 | 6:15 am
    If you have imported a 3D object that has a texture applied to it, that texture will show up as a sublayer with your 3D layer. To modify or replace the existing texture, simply double-click directly on the texture name in the Layers panel. A dialog will open with the 2D texture. Make whatever changes [...]
  • Photography Book of the Week

    Corey Barker
    10 Mar 2010 | 6:43 am
  • Creating Place Scale Markers

    Web Editor
    10 Mar 2010 | 6:15 am
    You know those scale markers they have on maps that say that 1″ equals 1 mile? Well, Photoshop can create something called Scale Markers. These are measurement guides that are created based on the measurement scale you use. Once a measurement scale is established, go under the Analysis menu and choose Place Scale Marker. In [...]
  • Measurement Presets

    Web Editor
    9 Mar 2010 | 6:15 am
    You may find yourself setting up measurement parameters for a number of different size images. To keep from having to reset the values over and over, click on the Save Preset button. It is perhaps a good idea to name the presets after the pixel dimension to make them easy to identify.
  • Setting Measurement Parameters

    Web Editor
    8 Mar 2010 | 6:15 am
    When using the Analysis tools in Photoshop, you will need to establish the scale of measure. Go under the Analysis menu, choose Set Measurement Scale, and select Custom. You have three settings to modify: Pixel Length, Logical Length, and Logical Units. An example would be if you know your document is 100 pixels wide, you [...]
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