Archive for January, 2006

01-26-2006

Funny Song(s) About Relationships

I ran across this video via populicio.us and it cracked me up.

Tripod’s website has some more songs. They do a song-in-an-hour for some radio show and the archived songs are pretty funny, though a bit Aussie-centric.

It reminded me of a Da Vinci’s Notebook song called “Title of the Song.” No, that’s not a typo, it’s actually the name of the song.

There used to be a video online somewhere of a live version of “Title of the Song,” but I can’t seem to track it down again. If anyone knows where to find it, please leave a link in the comments.

Technorati Tags: funny, music, video, acappella

Posted by Matt in humor, music | No Comments »

01-24-2006

I Hit the Ska Jackpot

I’ve been recording and listening to the ska radio show, Everything Offbeat, via WLUW’s online stream for a few years now. A while back, DJ Chuck Wren ran a promotion on the show to get people to donate to the station’s pledge drive. In exchange for my donation, I received a copy of the entire Jump Up Records catalog, minus just a couple of out-of-print discs. The shipment of 67 CDs arrived today and I’m in ska heaven.

At the moment, I’m enjoying Eastern Standard Time’s “Tempus Fugit.” As I make my way through the box, I’ll try to post about more of the highlights here. In the mean time, if anyone has favorites to recommend, leave your suggestions in the comments.

I should add that Chuck gets bonus points for packing a couple issues of The Onion at the top of the box.

Technorati Tags: music, ska, cds, wluw

Posted by Matt in music | No Comments »

01-22-2006

Upgraded MineZone to PmWiki Version 2

I just upgraded the MineZone Wiki to PmWiki version 2. I finally worked out most of the kinks that had been keeping me from upgrading.

Next, I’ll work on upgrading this blog to WordPress 2. Then, I hope to work on integrating PmWiki and WordPress a little better, especially establishing a consistent look across both parts of the site.

Technorati Tags: wikis, blogs, upgrades, pmwiki, wordpress

Posted by Matt in communication, tech, wikis | No Comments »

01-21-2006

Google Pedometer Austin

I blogged earlier about tracking exercise using the Google Pedometer. A reader named Dustin sent me a link to an Austin-centric version of the Gmaps Pedometer. It appears to be missing some of the latest features of the original site, but it could save Austin users a few clicks.

Technorati Tags: walks, Google, maps, exercise, fitness, Austin

Posted by Matt in Austin, health, tech | No Comments »

01-20-2006

Priceline Hotels Article on Lifehacker

My article, “How to book a five star hotel on a budget” was recently posted to Lifehacker. The article explains how to use BiddingForTravel.com to research hotel prices before bidding on Priceline. It’s my first article for Lifehacker and I look forward to writing more.

Technorati Tags: lifehacks, budget, travel, deals, hotels

Posted by Matt in money, travel, writing | 3 Comments »

01-07-2006

Notes on The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing

I recently finished reading The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing and I just posted my notes to my wiki page of book notes. Some of the examples in the book are a bit dated, but the information is still relevent. If nothing else, I think I’ll have a different perspective on marketing going forward.

If you’re shooting for second place, your strategy is determined by the market leader.
“You must discover the essence of the leader and then present the prospect with the opposite. (In other words, don’t try to be better, try to be different.”

In each situation, only one move will produce substantial results.
“Most often there is only one place where a competitor is vulnerable. And that place should be the focus of the entire invading force.”

Technorati Tags: marketing, business, reading, notes

Posted by Matt in business, communication, reading | No Comments »

01-02-2006

Check Washing and “The Art of the Steal”

I first read about check washing in Frank W. Abagnale’s book The Art of the Steal. Thieves use solvents to remove the ink from checks. They cover the signature with tape to preseve it and can then rewrite the payee and amounts. I just found a web page demonstrating check washing techniques. The article concludes with mostly obvious precautions of not leaving checks in your mailbox, shreding old checks, and checking statements. Less obviously, it also recommends using gel-based pens because their ink is the hardest to remove.

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