Have you ever had a question about something that you thought other people, maybe even your friends could answer? What about their friends...and their friends...and their friends.
A very intriguing site call Aardvark does exactly this; mesh together a large community of inter-related people to answer questions live via IM chat or the website, or do it via email. Using ridiculous algorithms, Aardvark developers have designed a site that "crawls" through your linked sites such as Facebook, Google, Twitter, etc. to find your interests so that they can recommend you to questions that you may be able to answer.
The IM application is very cool and being able to get answers from real people live is an awesome concept. Think about this...you need to buy a bottle of wine but not sure what to get. First, you ask Aardvark, "I have a date tonight and don't know what to wine to get that she will like...any suggestions?". Boom, seconds later you have 3 answers from three 20-ish year old women, and all three say "Sauvignon Blanc!". So, next you ask "Which regions make the best Sauvignon Blanc...Cali, France, etc.?...Please help I'm clueless.". Cha-ching. Matt W. from Boulder, CO who is a wine connoisseur chimes in with "Try Amadore County in Cali, specifically ...", well you get the point... and that's just a trip to the grocery store. Think about planning a road trip, ideas for a party, marketing techniques, pet questions...the sky's the limit.
The other fun part is actually answering questions. It's like a live, real world Jeopardy but with real people asking questions that are pertinent to their lives.
The whole application runs very smoothly and was designed impeccably. It's such a creative idea, and of course the owners who started it up are former Google designers.
Try it out, it's fun and you could learn something.
~ D
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Snow, Snow, Snow, Snow
La Nina. She's in full affect.
The North is getting slammed with foot upon foot of that fluffy white stuff...and all I can think about is how cold I am! Did I mention I reside in Florida?
You see these pictures of complete houses covered to the roof in snow...but my feet are still frozen. I guess what I'm trying to say is...I, along with many Americans (that's an assumption :) ), are a little obtuse. Our neighbors to the North are getting 50 mph winds with complete white outs. They just got 22+ inches of snow last weekend and they are getting ready for at least another 18 to 20 inches. And all I can think about is updating the hourly weather forecast to see when it's going to be 80 again. Are we clueless? I think they win. You don't hear them complaining either.
Is it because that happens on a regular basis? When I say "that" I mean cold and snowy weather. Or do they have a more resilient premonition to hard times.
I think we as Americans are all resilient to hard times. And it's all relative.
So let's look for something good out of this cooooollllllddddd weather. People more then ever seem to say "hello" when you pass them on the street. I can remember 3 years ago when I'd say "hi" to someone in passing and they wouldn't even look up. Now you walk by someone and say "is it ever going to get warm again?" and they literally stop to discuss how they are coping with the cold.
Also, cold weather is great for business. Sales spike upwards in space heaters, warm clothing, alcohol, hot cereals, and gas/utilities. So if you sell any of these things or are invested in a company that provides these items...Winter, especially this winter, should be a revenue boost.
So to drop my obtuse tag, I'm acknowledging that it's super cold up North and I hope they have a good supply of whiskey and fire wood. And I'm going to acknowledge that it's not that cold down here....BUT, everything is relative and 30's in Florida is cold, when it's usually 60. If someone up North needs a bottle of whiskey, I'll locate the best deal for a fifth of JD, relative to your location. And for everyone down here...check out smartwool socks...they are the best! I'm just trying to do my best to help out everyone's needs.
Wow...a snow ramble...Really?
The North is getting slammed with foot upon foot of that fluffy white stuff...and all I can think about is how cold I am! Did I mention I reside in Florida?
You see these pictures of complete houses covered to the roof in snow...but my feet are still frozen. I guess what I'm trying to say is...I, along with many Americans (that's an assumption :) ), are a little obtuse. Our neighbors to the North are getting 50 mph winds with complete white outs. They just got 22+ inches of snow last weekend and they are getting ready for at least another 18 to 20 inches. And all I can think about is updating the hourly weather forecast to see when it's going to be 80 again. Are we clueless? I think they win. You don't hear them complaining either.
Is it because that happens on a regular basis? When I say "that" I mean cold and snowy weather. Or do they have a more resilient premonition to hard times.
I think we as Americans are all resilient to hard times. And it's all relative.
So let's look for something good out of this cooooollllllddddd weather. People more then ever seem to say "hello" when you pass them on the street. I can remember 3 years ago when I'd say "hi" to someone in passing and they wouldn't even look up. Now you walk by someone and say "is it ever going to get warm again?" and they literally stop to discuss how they are coping with the cold.
Also, cold weather is great for business. Sales spike upwards in space heaters, warm clothing, alcohol, hot cereals, and gas/utilities. So if you sell any of these things or are invested in a company that provides these items...Winter, especially this winter, should be a revenue boost.
So to drop my obtuse tag, I'm acknowledging that it's super cold up North and I hope they have a good supply of whiskey and fire wood. And I'm going to acknowledge that it's not that cold down here....BUT, everything is relative and 30's in Florida is cold, when it's usually 60. If someone up North needs a bottle of whiskey, I'll locate the best deal for a fifth of JD, relative to your location. And for everyone down here...check out smartwool socks...they are the best! I'm just trying to do my best to help out everyone's needs.
Wow...a snow ramble...Really?
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Christmas Time and the Holiday Season
Wow the holidays came so fast. I love this time of year as I'm sure many of you do too. One thing that bugs me is that in light of all the good cheer and happy times we are suppose to be having, everybody is in such a rush.
Quick story, we are at the mall shopping for Christmas, and as we are walking back to our car, the parking lot is a little backed up with traffic. This guy in his SUV has his wife sitting in the passenger seat, and he's just laying on his horn, revving his engine. Totally being a jerk, like the car in front of him wants to be sitting there in line. Well, this guy all of a sudden just gases it forward and almost hits this old lady walking to her car. He then slams on the brakes slams it in reverse and tries to pull a 3-point turn which turns in to about a 10-point turn :). As he's trying to master this manuever, I yelled out "merry Christmas." He gave me the finger, hahaha. Don't you just love the Holidays!
Moral of the story: Stop, take a breath, and enjoy the moment, don't get wrapped up so tight in things you can't control.... and mind your own business! haha
Quick story, we are at the mall shopping for Christmas, and as we are walking back to our car, the parking lot is a little backed up with traffic. This guy in his SUV has his wife sitting in the passenger seat, and he's just laying on his horn, revving his engine. Totally being a jerk, like the car in front of him wants to be sitting there in line. Well, this guy all of a sudden just gases it forward and almost hits this old lady walking to her car. He then slams on the brakes slams it in reverse and tries to pull a 3-point turn which turns in to about a 10-point turn :). As he's trying to master this manuever, I yelled out "merry Christmas." He gave me the finger, hahaha. Don't you just love the Holidays!
Moral of the story: Stop, take a breath, and enjoy the moment, don't get wrapped up so tight in things you can't control.... and mind your own business! haha
Friday, November 27, 2009
Thanksgiving Holiday
Happy Thanksgiving to all! My employer was super nice and gave us Thursday and Friday off, so I'm spending it with Family and Friends. Hope the holidays have found you all in good health and good spirits.
Our feast turned out wonderful thanks to my mother, grandmother, Mrs. Fleming, and my brother's gf Sam (who made the mashed taters this year).
As always we had some fabulous wines and even a port for after the meal. In all I'd have to say like always my favorite was the stuffing!
The football games have been pretty uneventful... except for the Iron Bowl which is on as I'm typing. Auburn has surprised me with their effort and play against #2 Alabama. We could have a good upset in the making. Texas A&M couldn't do it last night.
The Bond Bonanza started as well which is always a hit. And overall the Holiday spirit is finally here and I love it. Hope to get some more posts on here.
Aloha!
Our feast turned out wonderful thanks to my mother, grandmother, Mrs. Fleming, and my brother's gf Sam (who made the mashed taters this year).
As always we had some fabulous wines and even a port for after the meal. In all I'd have to say like always my favorite was the stuffing!
The football games have been pretty uneventful... except for the Iron Bowl which is on as I'm typing. Auburn has surprised me with their effort and play against #2 Alabama. We could have a good upset in the making. Texas A&M couldn't do it last night.
The Bond Bonanza started as well which is always a hit. And overall the Holiday spirit is finally here and I love it. Hope to get some more posts on here.
Aloha!
Thursday, July 23, 2009
ESPN doesn't report something?
So it's Sunday night, I'm watching ESPN and surfing the web. All of sudden, "This just in. Super Bowl QB has civil suit issued in sexual assault case."
But it wasn't Stuart Scott with his clever but sometimes cheesy quips. It was like Yahoo.com reporting. So, I sat there waiting to get live coverage of Ed Werder reporting from Heinz Field, but nothing. 20 minutes goes by and nothing, not a ticker at the bottom of the page, no lead-in, nothing.
Don't get me wrong, I'm all for the media staying out of people's personal lives, but when you pick and choose which people you do and don't crush, that's a little disturbing. ESPN came out with some bogus response as to why they didn't report, that said something about not reporting on civil suits. I'm pretty sure there have been plenty of athletes who have been involved in civil suit allegations and ESPN reported on it. Wasn't Randy Moss involved in a sexual assault civil suit case. That one got blown out of the water.
By no means am I saying Big Ben is guilty, in fact I think otherwise, BUT ESPN refusing to say anything makes me think there is more to this than just an ESPN reporting guideline to which stories they report on.
Every time you turn on the TV it's another Days of Our Pathetic Lives soap drama. The news is horrible and can hardly be trusted. They spend more time on celebrity gossip and daily sitings then they do on stuff that is important to us (or maybe that is important to the majority...scary). They get mixed up in the fluff and forget about the hard stuff, because it actually takes hard work to come up with good material.
Now they just all report the same stuff and see who can get more text messages and cellphone video. It's completely dismal. It's been so bad as of late, that I've been reduced to starting this blog!
D
But it wasn't Stuart Scott with his clever but sometimes cheesy quips. It was like Yahoo.com reporting. So, I sat there waiting to get live coverage of Ed Werder reporting from Heinz Field, but nothing. 20 minutes goes by and nothing, not a ticker at the bottom of the page, no lead-in, nothing.
Don't get me wrong, I'm all for the media staying out of people's personal lives, but when you pick and choose which people you do and don't crush, that's a little disturbing. ESPN came out with some bogus response as to why they didn't report, that said something about not reporting on civil suits. I'm pretty sure there have been plenty of athletes who have been involved in civil suit allegations and ESPN reported on it. Wasn't Randy Moss involved in a sexual assault civil suit case. That one got blown out of the water.
By no means am I saying Big Ben is guilty, in fact I think otherwise, BUT ESPN refusing to say anything makes me think there is more to this than just an ESPN reporting guideline to which stories they report on.
Every time you turn on the TV it's another Days of Our Pathetic Lives soap drama. The news is horrible and can hardly be trusted. They spend more time on celebrity gossip and daily sitings then they do on stuff that is important to us (or maybe that is important to the majority...scary). They get mixed up in the fluff and forget about the hard stuff, because it actually takes hard work to come up with good material.
Now they just all report the same stuff and see who can get more text messages and cellphone video. It's completely dismal. It's been so bad as of late, that I've been reduced to starting this blog!
D
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Harry Potter and The Half-Wit Prince
So I made it out to the local theater this weekend (what a surprise) to see the premier of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Yes, nerdy, but we all need a little bit of that in us.
I have to say I was very disappointed in the movie. Granted, this book was not as exciting as previous Harry Potter adventures, but the basis of this book was to give the reader much needed background information on the main villain, Tom Riddle, an unsuspected hero, the Half-Blood prince, and to the past before Harry was born.
The movie only gave us tidbits of this and was actually quite boring. I'm a big Potter fan, so I can't say I was completely not entertained. The flash backs they did show were very cool, the quitage matches were a lot more entertaining, and the lessons on magic very interesting. But 2.5 hours was not used properly.
I'm hoping that the next two movies add some of the missed information and don't have such a lack of detail. I know it's a movie and one can read the book, but when one is sitting there wondering who Tom Riddle's parents were, or when did Harry want to become and auror and what is that, come on. We missed some stuff.
Anyways, I'm done with my nerd for awhile. Back to movies like the release of GI Joe. LOL.
D
I have to say I was very disappointed in the movie. Granted, this book was not as exciting as previous Harry Potter adventures, but the basis of this book was to give the reader much needed background information on the main villain, Tom Riddle, an unsuspected hero, the Half-Blood prince, and to the past before Harry was born.
The movie only gave us tidbits of this and was actually quite boring. I'm a big Potter fan, so I can't say I was completely not entertained. The flash backs they did show were very cool, the quitage matches were a lot more entertaining, and the lessons on magic very interesting. But 2.5 hours was not used properly.
I'm hoping that the next two movies add some of the missed information and don't have such a lack of detail. I know it's a movie and one can read the book, but when one is sitting there wondering who Tom Riddle's parents were, or when did Harry want to become and auror and what is that, come on. We missed some stuff.
Anyways, I'm done with my nerd for awhile. Back to movies like the release of GI Joe. LOL.
D
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