Some Fun Holiday Reading: Fall on the Interwebs

Here are some interesting links you might have missed that came across my Twitter feed the last few months.  I figured you might want some light reading for the holidays.  

1. @edbott - Why Windows 10 isn’t version 6 anymore and why it will probably work. Nice explainer from @drpizza http://ars.to/1tb8eRQ 
2. @WIRED - A definitive ranking of the most important characters in the "Hunger Games" franchise http://wrd.cm/1r6ewl7 http://t.co/XBtueePekX 
3. @99u - What your passwords say about you: http://nyti.ms/1yYKcgD 
4. @stevenbjohnson - Terrific backstory from @StevenLevy on the origins of “information wants to be free” (entirely news to me): https://medium.com/backchannel/the-definitive-story-of-information-wants-to-be-free-a8d95427641c?curator=MediaREDEF 
5. @ruthm - Windows 10, OneDrive sync and the art of difficult conversations | ZDNet http://ow.ly/EyAs3 
6. @RangerStation - How a Deaf Couple Had Their Baby Officially Registered with a Sign Name http://shar.es/1XsySc via @sharethis 
7. @BBCNewsMagazine - This intricate pop-up medical textbook is nearly 500 years old http://bbc.in/1vliHk1 http://t.co/8aPvNzRDQX 
8. @beckynagel - The world's biggest chocolate-maker says we're running out of chocolate http://wapo.st/1zqKCgz 
9. @afreshspace - Digital tools for remote workers...some of my faves on here! http://buff.ly/1EK3s5f 
10. @MichaelBender - Amazing video on creative experience on #SurfacePro3 with #adobe. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlLR9ANGsOo 
11. @HeikeRitter - Freaking awesome! Mobile Azure Manager for Windows Phone is NOW available! Manage your #Azure stuff "on the go" http://ow.ly/DKxBq 
12. @windowsserver - Want to understand Active Directory Federation Services at a deeper level? Then this blog post is for you! #MSPFE http://cic.ms/bSmQnH 
13. @bbnetman - Number 1 Reason to Upgrade to PowerShell 4.0: Desired State Configuration - Hey, Scripting Guy! Blog http://blogs.technet.com/b/heyscriptingguy/archive/2014/10/24/number-1-reason-to-upgrade-to-powershell-4-0-desired-state-configuration.aspx?linkId=10187347 
14.  @2600 - A fairly decent BBC piece on the hacker world http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-28214646

The Summer of 2014: In Tweets

September starts to mark the end of summer for me in my mind, even if the weather might not completely agree. So as students return to school, the leaves begin to turn and all the fall fashions start to make their way into the storefronts, I bring you some highlights from this summer on the Internet, via tweets.

Microsoft

• @thomasclaudiush (Aug 19) - Blogged: How a #Surface RT became the most reliable server in our house: http://www.thomasclaudiushuber.com/blog/2014/08/19/how-the-surface-rt-became-the-most-reliable-server-in-our-house-co-starring-azure-and-windows-phone/ #wpdev #windev #winrt #windows /cc @surface
• @girlgerms (Aug 17) - New blog post! See, I *TOLD* you it was coming! "AD Security & Administration - righting the right rights" (http://girl-germs.com/?p=459 ) #fb
• @JeffHicks (Aug 6) - How to Create a Windows 8 USB Recovery Disk http://ift.tt/1odxNEc  #Petri
• @pzerger (Aug 1) - Day 1: Intro to PowerShell DSC and Configuring Your First Pull Server: Welcome to Day 1 of the “100 Days of DevOps... http://bit.ly/1m7N4AK
• @nhawkins (May 12) - New blogpost - Super pumped about Azure Site Recovery: http://www.nickahawkins.com/2014/05/microsoft-azure-site-recovery-announced/

Social / Culture

• @WIRED (Aug 2) - The weird reasons why people make up false identities on the Internet http://wrd.cm/1zEBi9d
• @WIRED (Jul 24) - The Fasinatng … Frustrating … Fascinating History of Autocorrect http://www.wired.com/2014/07/history-of-autocorrect/ 
• @joe_elway (Jun 25) - The Daily Show researches the intolerance shown towards "Glass Explorers" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClvI9fZaz6M … #Google
• @grantimahara (Jun 7) - Take heed, brethren. An entertaining and very logical analysis of the whole "fake geek girl" phenomenon. http://www.geeksaresexy.net/2014/06/06/fake-geek-girls-fiction-or-reality-video/#31s9y5wHYYWJIpAu.01 …
• @kathrynschulz (May 13) - In an accident, should your self-driving car veer right to kill you or left to kill 2 strangers? http://goo.gl/mYXTmK  Dark & fascinating.
• @MarleeMatlin (Aug 19) - This is so FANTASTIC!!! Pharrell's 'Happy' Is Even Happier in Sign Language http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/pharrells-happy-is-happier-sign-726488 … via @THR

Science / Tech

• @WIRED (Aug 12) - How isolation units contain the world's deadliest diseases http://wrd.cm/1ppPgZk
• @adfskitteh (Aug 3) - RT @danpi: How do we relate Cloud services to food?  Pizza as a Service of course! pic.twitter.com/HvWfeb9mu6 => Best. Cloud. Analogy. EVER.
• @noblewb (Aug 1) - NASA tested an impossible space engine and it somehow worked http://theverge.com/e/5723678  via @verge
• @engadget (Jul 27) - Microsoft explains quantum computing in a way we can all understand http://engt.co/1AdQFqs  
• @macsound (Jun 18) - Interesting video focusing on technical data from Challenger. I've learned heaps. http://vimeo.com/97129318
• @melodybliss (Jun 17) - Building the Part of Facebook No One Ever Sees http://fb.me/2Grml8b7k

Yesterday's Tweets

Yes, these really are tweets from yesterday.  I found myself marking a lot more tweets as "favorites" for reading in the future so I figured I'd share them.

• @macsound - Interesting video focusing on technical data from Challenger. I've learned heaps. http://vimeo.com/97129318 
• @CoreySandersWA - Yu-Shun's blog is a great step-by-step walk on how to set-up a cross-region network connection. Check it out. http://azure.microsoft.com/blog/2014/06/17/vnet-to-vnet-connecting-virtual-networks-in-azure-across-different-regions/
• @markmorford - I just wrote an actual paragraph about expensive digital toilets that are susceptible to hackers. Life is amazing. http://fb.me/2ZvkOu5JJ 
• @SFoskett - Good Read: Switch Prices Will Get Cheaper. Design Models Will Change. http://bit.ly/1i8FdXo 
• @VirtualChrista - @WindowsITPro: Is Excel the Next Killer BI App? http://ow.ly/yaPby <I'm storytelling with analytics these days. This is worth a read

Good stuff you might have missed, because I almost did!

2013: In Tweets

It wouldn’t be the last day in 2013 without some kind of recap, now would it?  Sometimes I wonder about some of the things that pass me by in the fire hose of information on the Internet these days, so maybe you missed something here! (Some techy, some not!)
January:

• WIRED ‏@WIRED - Jonathan Coulton explains how Glee ripped off his cover song — and why he’s not alone. http://oak.ctx.ly/r/21k1

February:

• Safer Online by MSFT ‏@Safer_Online - Looking for a great way to teach your toddler #OnlineSafety? Look no further than "Digiduck's Big Decision." http://bit.ly/XpCfNX #PDF
• Elecia White ‏@logicalelegance - Why is the best book I've read lately about Rabies? Good book, neater subject than I expected. http://www.amazon.com/Rabid-Cultural-History-Worlds-Diabolical/dp/0670023736/

March:

• Ben Goodman ‏@benontech - Boxes sealed with ATHEIST tape lost by USPS 10X more often than controls - This will make @samj 's head explode http://bgis.me/16YcUSI
• Stephen Foskett ‏@SFoskett - Good read: The truth about the TSA’s pointless knife fight http://bit.ly/XuPPjy

April:

• Leaping Woman ‏@leapingwoman - Today my kid sister sent me the link to @zefrank’s chillout song. Her timing couldn’t have been better http://j.mp/ZTRHlA

May:

• BuzzFeed ‏@BuzzFeed - 19 photos you'll have to explain to your kids one day http://bzfd.it/YFQTH4 pic.twitter.com/Eb3saRW7dA

June:

• Hans Vredevoort ‏@hvredevoort  - New blog on how to use Boot from VHDX to quickly take advantage of #WinServ #12R2 and Windows 8.1: http://www.hyper-v.nu/archives/hvredevoort/2013/06/windows-server-2012-r2-and-windows-8-1-boot-from-vhdx/ … #TEE13 #teched

July:

• mars_seven ‏@mars_seven - The Pixar Theory: Every Character Lives in the Same Universe http://zite.to/12tJJG0 via @zite
• Marques Lyons ‏@tromboneforhire - RT @MSFTnews: Kinect connects sign-language users with their computers http://spr.ly/6016Znuu

August:

• In the Cloud ‏@InTheCloudMSFT - IT Pros, trust me on this: it's well worth your time to read this post about apps, dev tools, & how to lead. http://aka.ms/og659z
• Melody Bliss ‏@melodybliss - Don't text & drive - From One Second To The Next - Texting While Driving Documentary - Werner Herzog http://youtu.be/Xk1vCqfYpos

September:

• laen ‏@laen - http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/sep/05/government-betrayed-internet-nsa-spying … <-- The US Government has betrayed the Internet. We need to take it back, an essay by @Bruce_Schneier

October:

• The Doctor ‏@virtadpt - Male #knitting in a coffee shop questioned by #police, turns out very differently than expected: https://madmanknitting.wordpress.com/2013/10/19/i-was-questioned-by-the-police/ …
• Heather Akers-Healy ‏@abbynormative - Extremely interesting read: Acquiring Forensic Evidence from Infrastructure-as-a-Service Cloud Computing http://www.csee.umbc.edu/~dykstra/DFRWS_Dykstra.pdf … #NSA

November:

• WIRED ‏@WIRED - Bye bye. These are tech sounds you'll never hear again. http://wrd.cm/1iVJisc #WIREDclassic
• Bill Oakley ‏@thatbilloakley - Describing today to someone from 1953: Every six seconds all your friends send you a telegram and a brand new LIFE magazine is thrown at you

December:

• WIRED ‏@WIRED - The IT department is dead. Long live the IT department http://wrd.cm/1feuZyy
• Daniel Donda ‏@DanielDonda - How to Install Hyper-V on a Virtual Machine in Hyper-V - Gilson Banin - Microsoft Premier Field... http://fb.me/6ASPg6REU
• Dane Jasper ‏@dane - "This 100-year-old deal birthed the modern phone system. And it’s all about to end." http://m.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2013/12/19/this-100-year-old-deal-birthed-the-modern-phone-system-and-its-all-about-to-end/

Here’s to another year of sharing information!

Favorited Tweets from the Past!!!

I often use the "favorite" feature of Twitter as a quick way to bookmark links I want to read more closely or visit again.  It's always interesting to see what I thought needed a second look.  Here are a few related to technology or science:

• 5/9/13, @wired - Computer guts get an eerie makeover. http://bit.ly/17SnmdY
• 4/17/13, @acardwell - Just saw this GE ad and wow - does GE not get that Agent Smith was the bad guy and that the matrix is a bad thing?  http://youtu.be/loinY8MmVq8
• 4/17/13, @thurrott - Microsoft Account Gets Enhanced Security http://bit.ly/11w70ok
• 4/16/13, @wired - Microsoft wants to be more like Amazon. And Amazon wants to be more like Microsoft. http://oak.ctx.ly/r/41n8
• 4/11/13, ‏@expta - Individual Fix for Exchange Soft Delete Problem Proves Worth of Support Contracts http://bit.ly/Zky7zY  #MSExchange #IamMEC
• 3/13/13, ‏@ExchServPro - Google Reader. You can (a) protest loudly, or (b) start moving your critical needs away from Google's services. I'm going with (b) I think.
• 11/17/12, ‏@mars_seven - Top 10 Active Directory Tasks Solved with PowerShell http://zite.to/S5T67R  via @zite
• 8/30/12, ‏@rdfrs - “Bionic eye goes live in world first by Australian researchers" - Kate Hagan - http://theage.com.au  http://bit.ly/OB2Jvt
• 8/12/12, ‏@anca - For @menslow: A child's skull, before their milk teeth fall out. This is freakier than all the Alien films combined. pic.twitter.com/ru7nCOy6
• 8/19/11, ‏@afranq - How to Win at Rock, Paper, Scissors - http://kiq.me/F5Z

TechDays SF is May 2nd/3rd - Check out our speaker list on Twitter!

This year, I'm a co-chair for the PacITPro's TechDays SF.  If you didn't attend this event in 2012, you should take a close look at what we are offering this May.  The event is two days and we are offering multiple tracks with a variety of sessions on Windows Server, Client, Cloud and PowerShell all for the bargin price of $300. Please visit www.techdays.org for more information or to register.

We are also using EventBoard Mobile for easy access to the most up to date information and schedule.  I recommend downloading that app for your Windows Phone, iPhone or Android.

Our speakers include some very well-known, knowledgable folks who've spoken at other popular conferences like TechMentor and TechEd. Most of them have Twitter handles - if you aren't following these people yet, I'm sure you'll find some interesting enough to add to your list.

• @VirtualChrista - From  Microsoft, Christa Anderson will be presenting two sessions, "Delivering Applications with Remote Desktop Services in  Windows Server 2012" and "The User Configuration Cage Match".
• @scevans - Steve Evans will be presenting "IIS: Choose Your Own Adventure" and "Designing Hyper-V for the Real World".
• @nhawkins - Nick Hawkins will be co-presenting "Designing Hyper-V for the Real World" with @scevans.
• @grouppolicyguy - Darren Mar-Elia will be breaking out of his Group Policy shell to bring you "!0 Tips for Success with Private Cloud".
• @gblock - Glenn Block will be lighting up the room with "Managing the Cloud from the Command Line".
• @alexandair - Joining us from Serbia, Aleksandar Nikolic will be presenting "Remote Management of Windows Server 2012 with  Windows PowerShell".
• @cacallahan - For those of you who support or dabble in SharePoint, CA Callahan will join us again to bring you two sessions on SharePoint 2013.
• @ubergeekgirl - Our fearless leader of PacITPros in Southern California, Jessica DeVita will be part of the Women in Technology panel discussion.  Joining her will be @adfskitteh, @VirtualChrista and me, @jkc137. 
• @KevinRemde - Also from Microsoft, Kevin Remde will bring us "Windows 8 Deployment" for those of you planning to move beyond Windows 7 and "Windows Server 2012 Hyper-V".
• @chrisavis - Often PacITPros' host for our monthly meetings at Microsoft's office, Chris Avis will be bringing us two session on Azure, including Azure IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service).
• @mminasi - Mark Minasi, one of the household names for those of us reading technical books, will be presenting several sessions, so be sure to put one on your schedule: "Manage Server 2012 Like a Pro or, Better, Like an Evil Overlord!", "Changes to Storage in Windows 2102: Storage Gets a Bit SANer", "Understanding Dynamic Access Control: the File Share Recharged, Reimaged and Compliance-Enabled".
• @richardhicks - If you are looking for the latest in Remote Access, don't miss Richard Hicks and his "Next Generation Remote Access with Windows Server 2012 DirectAccess" session.
• @richcampbell - Richard Campbell will be presenting "People, Process, Tools - The Essence of DevOps" as well as host the Run As Radio: Women in Technology Panel
• @adfskitteh - Part of the Idenity & Access Management team at Microsoft, Laura Hunter will be covering "Strong Authentication for BYOD" and "How Microsoft Has Adopted Office 365 and Azure"
• @JeffHicks - Need more PowerShell? Choose from "Troubleshooting Active Directory with Windows PowerShell", "10 PowerShell Mistakes, Trips and Traps and How to Avoid Them" and "File and Folder Provisioning with PowerShell and Windows Server 2012".  Want more Hyper-V? Learn how to "Build a Windows 8 Hyper-V Lab"

We have a few other speakers in the works and are looking forward to putting on a great event, please join us - you won't be disappointed!

Thoughts from She’s Geeky: Being “Present” Despite Technology

One of the great sessions I attended at She’s Geeky unConference was one on “Being Present” in what you are doing, even though smart phones, email and other technologies clamor for our attention multiple times a day.

I admit that my BlackBerry is never far from my side.  Work emails, personal emails, Twitter and even Facebook raise alerts on my phone on a pretty regular basis.  It’s often hard to ignore them, especially when I’m known for responding quickly.  Not only do I feel like I’m staying current with what’s going on in my life and helping those that need my attention, random alerts from the device are equivalent to the intermittent reward system that makes slot machines so popular and addictive.  

It’s true – each little beep and ding give us a shot of chemicals in the brain that keep us wanting more and clearly many of us keep going back for it.  It’s now the “norm” for smart phones to take their place on the restaurant table next to the salt and pepper shakers.

I know what did it for me – unlimited texting. Texting quickly became my preferred mode of communicating.  Quick and to the point when I needed that, but also a way to have long random conversations with friends over the course of the day.  I perceived it as a way to be LESS intrusive than a phone call.  The receiver of the message could respond when they had the time.  But really, it became the best way for me to NOT have to be fully engaged with the person I was communication with.  I could text at my leisure – meanwhile researching a project, organizing my desk, or completing other tasks that I wouldn’t be able to do if I was on a phone call.

Soon that “polite” nudge of text message became a driving force to steal my attention and I’ve let it. And it just opened the door for emails and tweets and other alerts.  I’m a slave to my smart phone.  You probably are too.  Don’t deny it.

So how do we break the chain?  Screen-free days where we put down the phones and iPads and walk away from the computer?  I don’t know if I can do that for 24 hours, honestly.  How about dialing down the notifications on your phone?  Or declaring a room or area of your home “phone free”? 

I’m going to try a few things: I’m starting out by turning off the sounds for Facebook alerts and all emails.  I will also put it on vibrate or silent when I go to bed at night.  And maybe when I’m home I’ll find one central place to put it, instead of moving it around as I move around.  And of course, I need to be more aware of when I’m denying someone who’s in front of me my full attention – the phone needs to stay off the dinner table at my house.

Do you have other suggestions for staying “present” while your devices beckon?  Leave a comment.

Redux of some “Favorite” Tweets

I’m a big fan of Twitter for keeping up with interesting tech news and information.  Since signing up in 2007, I’ve used Twitter to connect to a variety of people interested in a wide array of topics. As 2010 draws to a close, check out some of these tech tweets from the past year that caught my eye on my Twitter feed, either from those I follow directly or some of their retweets. The links might be worth another look!

• MS_Virt - Missed this webcast? Watch it on-demand now: TechNet Webcast: Hyper-V for the VMware Administrator... http://bit.ly/cxDXJo (March 2010)
• old_bubba - Really good article on what Microsoft doesn't do with your data and Google DOES: http://bit.ly/cVhtxG (July 2010)
• SFGate - The end of the (land) line http://sfg.ly/cScq9Z (July 2010)
• rhalbheer - A very good paper you should read: Data Governance in the Cloud http://bit.ly/aS7iEE (Sept 2010)
• EmilyF - Risks with integrating iPhone in the enterprise via @deloitte http://bit.ly/9u77jR (Sept 2010)
• adfskitteh - RT @MassWomen: How to Use Twitter to Network at Conferences. http://bit.ly/aatGaZ (Sept 2010)
• henet - Spend at least 2 minutes and 9 seconds with IPv6 today: HE Webcast 32 - 6in4, 6to4, & Teredo: a brief comparison http://j.mp/webcast32 (Nov 2010)
• mitchjoel - Well, this explains why the majority of us suck at work: http://bit.ly/gDoQ1S (Dec 2010)

If you are looking to follow me on Twitter, my handle is jkc137. Happy Tweeting!

October is National Cyber Security Month

Personally, I think every month should be a month people pay attention to security online, but regardless, here are some resources and blog posts to help you think about being more secure as you navigate the world online.

First, Microsoft has a whole site dedicated to online safety, don't miss out on some tips for creating more secure passwords and using public computers.  There are even some great brochures and sheets you can print out and share at the office or with clients.

Also, check out this post by Microsoft's Worldwide Chief Security Officer, Robert Halbheer, on "Is the online world more dangerous?" He provides a link to another great handout that addresses some myths regarding online safety.

Finally, one of the most common ways that people are exposed to online security risks is by clicking on spam.  Check out a short post on managing spam by another sysadmin that works in the trenches, The UberGeekGirl.

When it comes down to it, managing your security and safety online is not all that different from managing it everywhere else.  You already keep track of your keys and your wallet, you lock your car and your house when you leave, and you don't leave your credit information around for people to grab.  Just do the same online - keep track of your passwords, don't stay logged onto web services on public computers, don't click on links that look suspicious in emails or on social networking sites and look to do business with online companies that use secure websites for transactions. 

Keep safe everyone, no matter where you are.

Data Aggregation – Don’t Panic, Just Be Aware

I received a warning from a family member via text message a few days ago, as well as saw several posts on Facebook alerting others to a new website that “has all your personal data” – www.spokeo.com.

The advice was to go to their privacy section, enter my email address and request to be removed from the listing. According to what this family member told me about the removal process, you simply provided your email address, but only two listings could be removed with any single email address. My ears perked up a bit. Really? Interesting.

So I checked out the website with a little more of a critical eye. The site is a data aggregator, pulling data from various already public data sources – the white pages, home purchase records and the like, as well as your own public postings on Facebook, MySpace and Twitter.

The site requires payment to get the detailed results, but the teaser items include address and phone number, an estimate of your age, marital status, race, education level, possibly a few photos, lifestyle interests and median home values/income in your neighborhood.

While somewhat creepy, none of this is a big shocker. My name, address and phone number are in the white pages. The median home value and income in my neighborhood are easily searchable on www.zillow.com. As for the more personal goodies, the site indicates that it gets a good portion of its information from public profiles on Facebook and MySpace.

The hype behind all the warnings and knee-jerk reactions to “remove your listing from the site” lead me to look around for other data aggregators and compare. If you are going to remove your name from one, don’t forget several others like:

• www.switchboard.com (aka www.whitepages.com)
• www.411.com
• www.intelius.com
• www.peekyou.com
• www.zabasearch.com

All has some similar data, though they don’t all hit the social media space as hard as Spokeo does. All have an option to pay for more detailed information and many (especially when searching for people who are known to NOT be using social media) have incorrect data.

Ultimately, data is out there and aggregation sites will take advantage, however you really have to go to the source of the data to change what it available – rushing to knocking your name off one search site isn’t going to keep it from appearing on a new site next week. And personally, I’m not excited about providing my email address for “verification” so that can be collected up for some other unknown reason.

Like I’ve said before, it’s important to control and monitor what you put online. Google yourself. Check out some of the data available on these aggregation sites. Be critical of what you click and what you share. The Internet isn’t the safest place, but most places that are interesting have some level of risk.

Finally, don’t forget it’s also important to check your credit and lock your doors, because it’s not just the folks at www.pleaserobme.com who have the ability to figure out where you aren’t.

Put your money where your cloud is.

Cloud. Cloud. Cloud. Everything is about the “cloud” these days. Though for as long as there has been the Internet, there’s always been a cloud – it’s just a matter of how it was being used. And when it comes to the Internet, it’s a lot about what one can get for free and what is worth paying for.

First off, I’m a heavy user of Google services. Gmail is my starting point for email management and I’ve been pretty happy with the feature set and the service. Plus I love not having to rely on a specific client or specific machine to send mail and can access it from any computer and my phone. I’m not a big fan of Google Docs, but Google Voice is pretty cool too – and all of Google’s services are free, assuming you don’t mind targeted advertising. Plus the BlackBerry application works pretty well.

And let’s face it, there would be no WWW with web hosting services. There are several fine companies that offer free hosting for small sites if you use them for domain registration and don’t need any of the more involved features, like PHP or dedicated servers. I've been happy with DotEasy so far. It does what I need for several small sites I have to keep up and running on the cheap.

For file backup and document access, I use SugarSync. This service is free for the first 2 GB of data, but I’m willing to pay for the 30 GB level. Files are accessible via the web portal and there is an option to email documents to yourself that will then be synced to your registered computers automatically. If you want to check it out, use me as a reference and we’ll all get extra space!

Another cool online tool is Remember The Milk, a task management portal. The web service is free, but the tools to sync to mobile devices requires an annual fee. It’s a bit pricey when compared to what I spend on other services, but there is a two week trial period before needing to commit. The “pro” service also gets you priority email support.

Another cloud related application that I use daily is UberTwitter. This BlackBerry application is my connection to my favorite social media portal and is worth every penny of it’s nominal fee. Sure, Facebook has a free application for the Blackberry, but I find I’m happier the less time I spend there.

Finally, I'd miss the ability to download content onto my Kindle wirelessly over the Internet. Amazon’s service allows me to catch up on the newspaper daily and purchase books without the hassle of having to make extra space in my bag.

It’s easy to get lulled into the idea that everything on the Internet should be free, but I’m willing to put my cash behind web services, features and related applications when they meet my needs. What about you?

Twitter - Silence is not Golden

Twitter went silent on me for a while last Sunday due to a problem at Twitter.com. I could tweet and look at the pages of people I follow, so I know they were tweeting. But my stream wasn’t updating, thus I saw no feedback from my tweets and I wasn’t able to participate in anyone else’s live stream.

It suddenly felt very strange to be tweeting into what felt like “nothing” - and there lies the whole value of Twitter and many other social media tools. It’s all about being able to interact with people in the “now” or at least within a timeframe that’s considered current.

When someone says that they don’t “get” Twitter, that’s the part they aren’t getting. If you sign up and don’t look for people to follow and interact with, or at least don’t look for people or organizations who tweeted information you find valuable, then Twitter becomes this quiet, dead place. No wonder people who don’t get it think it’s useless.

If you are getting pressure to tweet or have already signed up and haven’t seen any value, take a moment to do these things:

1) Think about the organizations and businesses you frequent on the web or in person. See if they have a twitter presence and follow them. SFGate has several Twitter accounts for breaking news, etc, with links to the articles. CNN also has a breaking news feed that is usually decent. Local businesses often tweet about specials and updates.

2) Upload a profile picture and fill out the bio line. You don’t have to go crazy, but you are starting to follow people you are less likely to get blocked outright if your account looks like it belongs to a “real” person who put forth some effort in joining. Personally, I’m pretty picky about who I let stay on my followers list - a picture and a bio go a long way.

3) Be a little picky about who is on your followers list. If I’m checking out your twitter feed, I’ll probably look at your followers too. If all I see is spambots following you, I’m going to assume you aren’t paying much attention to your account or you want a big number of useless followers.

4) Find your real life friends. Not only do I use Twitter as a resources for news and links about technology that interest me, I use it to stay connected to people I know in real life.

5) Feel free to unfollow tweeters that annoy you. When a tweeter’s information is no longer relevant to you, just let them go. No need to makes a whole service seem annoying when it’s really just a few irrelevant tweeters that bug you. I also unfollow people that tweet too many times during the day, especially if it’s only to forward link after link after link. I follow people because I value their opinion on things, so if it looks like you aren’t thinking before you are tweeting, it’s no longer worth it.

Those are my 5 tips for getting started on Twitter. Happy tweeting!