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Friday, January 31, 2014

Yuri Baranovsky Breaks Another Leg With Viral Super Bowl Commercial

Back in the early days of video blogging, I had a web series called Vlog Soup.

It was a show that highlighted the best of web video.

In August of 2007 I highlighted a web series by Yuri Baranovsky called Break A Leg.

I thought the show was so funny, that in my video review, I edited out one of the characters and inserted myself into the video.

Here's the episode:



Yuri is having fun again with this Super Bowl commercial satire, Swiffle. He calls it a, "faux satirically sexist superbowl ad."



Some people think it's real:

cleveland.com: Super Bowl commercials 2014: Watch early ads from M&M's, Audi, Bud Light and more

CBS New York: WATCH: Big List Of Super Bowl XLVIII Commercials And Teasers


Image: Courtesy BET

BET: Ad on the Play: Super Bowl XLVIII Commercial Preview

Some people are upset.

I told Yuri that I thought that having the actress chew gum made it look like it wasn't a real ad.

Yuri replied, "Well we really didn't think anyone in their right mind would think it's real. It's completely ridiculous..."

Ha!

Searching for Chip and Pin Credit Cards with No Foreign Transaction Fee

I'm searching for Chip and Pin Credit Cards with No Foreign Transaction Fee.

I've gotten Travelex Cash Passport Card in the past: Buying a Chip and Pin Card in the US for England.

More on the Travelex card:
Your Cash Passport Card is a prepaid card which is loaded with money prior to your trip, locking in the exchange rate of the funds you load each time you load, reload or transfer currencies on the card.

Oops: Fees & Limits for Your Multi-currency Cash Passport™ Prepaid Mastercard®:
Foreign Exchange Fee 5.50%

Researching online:
FlyerTalk Forums Thread Wiki: USA EMV cards available today (Chip & PIN -or- Chip & Signature):
What is the difference between Chip-and-Signature and Chip-and-PIN?
You insert the chipped card into the slot. The physical contact terminal will read the EMV chip and the terminal will automatically read the preferred cardholder verification methods (called CVM) for that card.

Chip-and-Signature means that the terminal will printout a receipt for you to sign. This is the most prevalent authentication for most US issued EMV cards. Chip-and-Signature helps in a way that it will get through to face-to-face merchant transactions where you and the merchant do not speak the same language.

Chip-and-PIN means that the terminal will prompt you to input a PIN for authentication. Some credit union issued credit cards will have this CVM as secondary if Chip-and-Signature cannot be done. Chip-and-PIN is the more prevalent method of authentication used outside the US, especially in transaction environments where no human interaction is needed (i.e. automated gas pumps, toll roads, train kiosks, etc.).

Using twitter to help:

AMEX - No. Chip and Signature only.







Discover - Not yet.



Visa - Ask a Visa Card Issuer.




Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card - Chip and Signature








This is a handy Google Doc:

EMV cards available in the US

Update:



Bank of America Merrill Lynch adds Chip and Pin Technology to it's Travelcards:
Bank of America Merrill Lynch, a leader in card services for middle-market, large corporate and public sector clients, today announced that it is expanding chip and PIN technology to all purchasing and travel credit card products available to clients in the United States. This is the latest development in the company’s ongoing effort to rollout EMV® (EuroPay Mastercard Visa) technology to its global client base.

“We’re committed to providing the most technologically advanced solutions, which our clients increasingly need to improve efficiencies while adding another layer of security,” said Kevin Phalen, head of Global Card and Comprehensive Payables in Global Transaction Services (GTS). “More of our clients are asking for chip and PIN capability – not just for their key executives but for their entire employee base – and we have directed significant investments into our card platform to meet that demand.”

BankAmericard Travel Rewards® Credit Card.

It's 2014, Come On Boston Globe, Link to the Main Subject of your Story!

They don't care.

Once again The Boston Globe doesn't link to the main subject of their story.

STORY:
Boston Globe: ’14 Marathon apparel draws mixed early reviews.
The 2014 Celebration Jacket made its debut last week in Solar Zest, a fluorescent orange with contrast blue and white striping around the shoulders and across the back. Boston Athletic Association officials consulted with Adidas on the colors and design, which include an embroidered BAA logo with the words “Boston Runs as One” on the back collar. The saying is an evolution of Adidas’s “Boston Stands as One” motto conceived just days after last year’s Marathon bombings.

MAIN SUBJECT:

The Boston Marathon The 2014 Celebration Jacket.

If readers want to learn more they'll have to use Google or Bing, or copy and paste, to see the source.

In this story, readers will want to see a larger image of the jacket, or buy the jacket. What's the Globe afraid of?

Linking out to the adidas site would make things a lot easier. See below.

CHANGE THIS:
The 2014 Celebration Jacket...

Ranft, who will run in support of the Brookline Teen Center, isn’t sure he will buy the $110 jacket, which is available at adidas.com. He’s seems to be in good company, given the stream of critical reviews at the sportswear company’s e-commerce site.

TO THIS:
The 2014 Celebration Jacket...

Ranft, who will run in support of the Brookline Teen Center, isn’t sure he will buy the $110 jacket, which is available at adidas.com. He’s seems to be in good company, given the stream of critical reviews at the sportswear company’s e-commerce site.

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Testing out the lumolens 0.4x Wide Angle Lens for Smartphones


Image: lumolens

I first saw the lumolens as a sponsored Facebook post. I don't know how they figured  out how to show me a sponsored post but in this case it was perfect because those other lens systems that use the magnetic rings never really worked well for me because the additional metal has to stick on your smart phone and would always fall off so I was looking forward to testing this one.


Image: lumolens and iPhone 5



Image: lumolens photo shoot

Here are some before and after iPhone photos.



I'm having fun seeing how best to use the lumolens.

An exaggerated selfie seems to be a good use case.


You can get the lumolens on  Amazon.com.

iPhone lens instant clip on attachment that works with your case with no need to glue metal rings - Not just wide angle, this is a super 0.4x wide angle lens that lets you capture 60% more - For iPhone 4S, 4, 5, 5C, 5S, Android devices and tablets like the iPad - Retail packaging with full 5 year guarantee by lumolens

Update:

A couple of set up tips from lumolens.



Update 2:

Just took this cool shot while skiing.



It takes few moments to get the lens attached correctly so that it stays in focus. Also, if you bang it up against something it moves, and you have to readjust it. I hope they come out with a stationary lens holder that allows you to clip the lens on without having to adjust it or worry that it's not attached exactly right.

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

The Hateful Eight - Google Search



Where did Google Blog Search go?

Search: "The Hateful Eight" on Google.

Update:

Some readers still see Google Blog Search.



Google Blog Search is over here if you want it.

Google Blog Search.

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Spencer Trappist Ale

Spencer Trappist Ale is out in Massachusetts.



I found it in Kappys in Danvers.

It cost just under $18 for a 4-pack.

I got it home just before the winter snowstorm hit.



Looks very nice when poured.





Nokia Disclosure:

Photos 2 and 3 taken with Nokia Lumia 1520. CC BY-NC-SA Thanks @NokiaUS for the review unit.

Nokia Lumia 1520, Red (AT&T) - 16GB

tech, nokia, lumia1520, microsoft, windows phone, review

Nokia Lumia 1520 Photo Set



Nokia Lumia 1520, a set on Flickr.


Nokia Disclosure:

Photos taken with Nokia Lumia 1520. CC BY-NC-SA Thanks @NokiaUS for the review unit.

Nokia Lumia 1520, Red (AT&T) - 16GB

tech, nokia, lumia1520, microsoft, windows phone, review

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Arnold Arboretum walkway in Winter



Edited with Nokia Creative Studio.

Nokia Disclosure:

Photos taken with Nokia Lumia 1520. CC BY-NC-SA Thanks @NokiaUS for the review unit.



Nokia Lumia 1520, Red (AT&T) - 16GB

tech, nokia, lumia1520, microsoft, windows phone, review

First video shot with Nokia Lumia 1520. Boston Snow.



Nokia Disclosure:
Photos taken with Nokia Lumia 1520. CC BY-NC-SA Thanks @NokiaUS for the review unit.


Nokia Lumia 1520, Red (AT&T) - 16GB

tech, nokia, lumia1520, microsoft, windows phone, review

Nokia Refocus

This Nokia Refocus app lets you take a photo and then choose a new focus point when shared online.

Very cool, seems familiar to something else. ;-)



Nokia Disclosure:
Photos taken with Nokia Lumia 1520. CC BY-NC-SA Thanks @NokiaUS for the review unit.


Nokia Lumia 1520, Red (AT&T) - 16GB

tech, nokia, lumia1520, microsoft, windows phone, review

Friday, January 17, 2014

The New World of Sharing Moments and Interacting in Real Time



Never have I been a very wordy writer. Usually I take a lot of photos when
going to a tech conference, traveling, or visiting a new restaurant. It's easy
to share moments quickly by using the camera I have on me. When I immediately share, I
give the reader a real time look into where an am and what I am doing. It also gives
you, the read, an opportunity to interact with me in real time. You might say to go
up the street to a nearby bar. That's exciting. Back in 2004/2005, when shooting video, I
never was able to share like this. I imagined a future where people with cameras were
going to be able to share, but didn't know how long it was going to take. Now, in order
to capture moments and share them, all you need is a connected device. The iPhone will
let you share from anywhere. When I was in Paris, I turned on airplane mode, to save. But
you can still use WiFi to share. I was always on the lookout for places to have some
down time, and let the photos upload over WiFi. Many cafés got my business that way.
Never was there a time when I could not find a free WiFi location. When I found myself
going from one place to another, I could still take Instagrams, letting the upload fail
to upload, then when I got to my next WiFi, spot, I just retried, and the phone would
run through my photos and send them along. That also gave me the opportunity to look
around and enjoy a respite from traveling. I could also see comments, suggestions,
and activity on my photos and posts. I would look at my fellow travelers like they were in a
desert, cut off from civilization, while taking photos that they were going to share later,
you might never see them. I always wondered what fellow photographers did with their photos,
never share them. I'll never know. There's a new app on iOS called YouTube Capture. It's
going make capturing and assembling video easy for many more people. What it allows you
to do it, take multiple clips, and then trim off the ends, and assemble them together to
make a movie. After assembling a multi-clip movie, you can add music if you want, and then
you share directly to YouTube. It's very straight forward and easy. Professional videographers
cry about the poor quality produced by devices like smartphones, but when you look at it, it
never ceases to amaze me how great the resultant movies look. They are HD quality. The videos are
going to be shown on TV, online and in movie theaters. What's most important is the story meant
to be shared. If the sound is good, and there's a story, that evokes an emotion, many will
say they were entertained and not notice anything about the video quality. It's time to say
goodbye to the naysayers. Things are only going to get better. I'm exited to try new devices that
never stop coming out. I enjoy showing how to use these devices to their fullest. I'm also
going to try to tell stories that are fun and creative. When I share, I try to pick a place
to share my content, that will give it an audience. I'm getting a lot of interactions, where I
tell a story and people comment, over on Facebook. I also like Twitter, and Instagram. Even
a 'like' shows me that someone was there and cared enough to let me know that they visited. I can't
lie, I like likes. Part of the new landscape of social media sharing is the feedback loop
and it could be the most important. So I'll keep sharing and hope you keep interacting. It can't
hurt to share, and respond. It beings us closer together. The ambient intimacy that we share, make
you connected to me.

Read more here.

This post was inspired by this one.

Update, If viewing on a mobile device, original formating here:

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Wednesday, January 01, 2014

My Three Words for 2014: PLAY, FUN, and SURPRISE. Again.



CC Chapman and I were talking about the Three Word Exercise and agreed that "when you pick the right words they are not just for 365 days, but rather continue to stay with you."

Chris Brogan explains it:
Every year, I go through an exercise where we take three words and use them as the central focus of your goals and efforts for the year to come. Instead of saying “I want to lose 30 pounds” and then forgetting about the goal a day later, I might have something like “green” that reminds me to eat more plant-based foods at every meal, or similar.

The idea is that the words you choose will go past being a simple goal and will become part of the way you identify yourself, and thus, a guiding light for your efforts.
Like the Party Guest in Annie Hall who forgot his mantra, I had forgotten my Three Words for 2013.

I looked them up on my blog post from January 1, 2013. They were Play, Fun, and Surprise.

Now that I look back at my post, what I did in 2013 was ingrain my three words in everything I did.

That makes me think that this exercise really set the tone for the year.

I'm keeping these same three words for 2014.

I like them.

I always thought of them as changing each year. Maybe they don't have to. Maybe they're the new mantra.