Come to Macworld for FREE!

Tech Superpowers will be at Booth 523 of Macworld Boston showing off the "World's Fastest Mac", a quadruple-G5 processor Lexus IS300. "Lexus makes a Mac?" you say? Well, not really, but we've turned a Lexus IS300 into the ultimate mobile digital photography and video studio. It's a concept we've called "Geek My Ride" - the melding of the ultimate in technology gear with the ultimate ride.

We're part of the "Going Mobile" booth, in conjunction with the Boston Final Cut Pro Users Group and Lacie, makers of the fastest hard drives for desktop digital video use. The complete booth will show off the latest in hi-tech gear for mobile digital video, audio, and imagery, including podcasting, video production, and media distribution.

For the second year in a row, we're also sponsoring the "Geek my Ride Video Editing Competition" where amateur and professional video editors can compete for prizes, including $500 cash and LaCie gear. Editors will have 90 minutes each to create a Macworld-themed movie in the Lexus. If you're an editor, you can also enter the competition - click here!


Best yet, it's free to see us on the showfloor. Simply download the passes off of our website. The exhibit floor is open from 11AM to 7PM on Tuesday and Wednesday, and 10AM to 3PM on Thursday.

Stop by the Techsuperpowers / BOSFCPUG Booth and say hello!

Live! from Macworld, it's me!

Digital Production BuZZ:

"Catch the Digital Production BuZZ Live

The Digital Production BuZZ will be broadcasting live from the Exhibition at MacWorld Boston and DV Expo East New York! Once again we'll be joining with Inside Mac Radio to bring you the best of the show direct to your desktop or iPod.

MacWorld Boston: July 12-14

Direct from the Boston Final Cut Pro User Group space (next to Tech Superpowers Booth 523).

Join us live from 1-2 pm each day."

Tune in on Tuesday at 1:31 to hear me talk about how exciting videoblogging is!

If you miss the live broadcast, the show will also be a podcast later.

Steve Garfield :: The television will be revolutionized

Check out an excerpt from the recent salon.com article, The television will be revolutionized:

"Last year, when Current put out a call to hire a team of correspondents, Garfield applied. But after Current decided not to hire correspondents, Garfield began devoting more time to his video blog -- and he found that he could attract a large following even without being on TV."

We are the media.

Bank of America Responds

Bank of America responds to my request for more information.

My request:

When does the payment get transmited?

You see, I'm confused as to why you now have a message on the payment screen that says the payment will take 2 days.

If you are going to transmit it right away, your message isn't accurate.

Please confirm that payments go out when they are deducted.

Thanks a lot.
--Steve

Their response:

Thank you for your recent inquiry regarding the delivery time of your payments. We are committed to providing you with the best banking experience possible.

Please be advised that, payments are actually sent to the payee the next business day.

The delivery time indicated next to each payee is merely a guideline as to the number of business days (excluding weekends and holidays) we estimate it will take for a payee to receive a payment.

A one or two business day delivery time indicates a payment will be sent electronically. A five business day delivery time indicates a check will be mailed to the payee.

For this reason, we recommend that you allow five full business days between the schedule date and the payment due date.

If this message does not answer your question fully, please contact us using the information below.

You are entitled to receive a copy of any document that we relied upon during our investigation and/or processing of your request. To request documents, you can e-mail us anytime and we will send the appropriate documents by U.S. mail.

Thank you for choosing Bank of America. For further assistance, please contact us by e-mail or phone, 800.933.6262, Online Banking Bill Pay.

Thanks Bank of America.

NSTAR - Jamaica Plain

NSTAR - System Improvements in Jamaica Plain.

The Jamaica Plain Gazette reports (article not online) that NStar might be creating a listserve to notify residents of power outages, or might not be:

... there appears to be confusion and misunderstanding over some other ideas, including creating an e-mail list to notify residents of power system upgrades, and the reporting of explanations of unplanned outages.

It sounds like the people at NStar are confused about what a listserve is. Too bad.

That means we are probably never going to see a blog from them with updates on service outages, that you'd be able to subscribe to via email or RSS 2.0.

I emailed them and explained it all.

Robert X. Cringely is becomming a videoblogger

Robert X. Cringely on videoblogging:

"'There is something that is being totally missed by these people and that's production values. Look at the viewership of cable access channels -- almost zip. And that's simply because the programming is so crappy. Money shows in TV and the more you spend per hour the better it looks, which is why people will still be watching network TV. Now there are exceptions. I like to think that my own stuff is generally better than it ought to be for the money involved, but I'm an exception. There will be other exceptions, too. But for the most part there WON'T be exceptions and most of the video bloggers will be blogging to themselves. I see this as growing to be at most three to five percent of the market. Now it can be a very important three to five percent, talking to a very valuable audience about very important topics, but it won't replace 'Seinfeld.''"

Macworld Boston 2005

The Mac Observer will be posting news and product announcements.

iPodObserver, a new site all about the iPod is launching at Macworld.

I be at Macworld all week, tip your waitresses, try the veal.

Path trains rock

I am going to make a movie about my new favorite train line, the NY/NJ Path line.

It runs 24/7, is clean and bright, and takes cash without cashiers.

So cool.

Stay tuned.

Path - Official Site.

My Rack Says Get Out of Iraq

Boobs Against Bush
via [ College Wit interview with Joshua Kinberg ]

vloggercue - a photoset on Flickr

All my photos from vlog soho and vloggercue NYC are up in vloggercue - a photoset on Flickr.

Steve Garfield and Clark ov Saturn

Steve Garfield and Clark ov Saturn by stevegarfield, uploaded from flickr.

Steve points out that he's a big fan of Clark ov Saturn's ZipZapZop.com daily vlog.

Enter the vlog universe

Explore the videoblogging universe.

I know I already posted about this, but I wanted to have a place to save this new image.
via [ Chuck ]

Vlog SoHo: Meet the vloggers video

Videoblogging: Meet the vloggers was held at the Apple Store SoHo on July 8th from 6:00 - 7:20 PM.

Here's a video recording of the event.

Our presentation was broadcast over the interenet in realtime to a worldwide audience.

We used FlashMeeting, an iBook and an iSight camera. Chris Weagel produced.

Nice job!

Podtech.net: InfoTalk Podcast Series

Check out John Furrier's InfoTalk Podcast Series.

Eric Rice likes it.

Podcast: Vlog SoHo Report

MP3 File
powered by Audioblog.com

The ZLX Morning Show with Bill Abbate and Hutch

You know that I haven't listened to WZLX in a while when it takes Nick A. Zaino III's Boston Globe article about Peter Dutton and Baratunde Thurston to let me know that Steve Sweeny is gone from WZLX and that Bill Abbate and Hutch are the new morning show.

I like those guys.

Paul McCartney and U2

Paul McCartney and U2: Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band. [ Quicktime ]

From the Live 8 Video Downloads page.
via [ Andrew ]

Meet the Vloggers tonight: Apple Store SoHo 6:00 PM

Videoblogging: Meet the vloggers
Apple Store SoHo
July 8th from 6:00 - 7:20 PM

Presenter:
Steve Garfield hosts videobloggers from around the country including Jay Dedman, Ryanne Hodson, Clint Sharp, Joshua Kinberg, Bre Pettis, Josh Leo, Adam Quirk, Andrew Baron, Christopher Weagel, and Schlomo Rabinowitz.

I'm heading out to NYC to meet the vloggers! Come by to meet us at the Apple Store in SoHo tonight at 6:00. we're all going out afterwards too so stop by.

On Saturday videobloggers are having vloggercue's. Everyone is welcome.

NYC: http://vloggercue.blogspot.com
CA: http://vloggercuewest.blogspot.com/
MN: http://vlogmidwest.blogspot.com/

Bank of America: Transfers

This correspondence with Bank of America is going to require it's own blog.

I sent in another question to Bank of America. Actually it was a new feature request. I guess you could also call it a bug fix.

Here's my suggestion:

On the transfer page the field showing the available amount for tranfer isn't long enough to display the amount available in the account. Can you extend the display field to show the amount available for transfer?

The bank sent this in response:

Thank you for your inquiry dated 7/5/05 regarding Online Banking Features. It is our pleasure to service your inquiry.

We recently received a feedback form from you with an inquiry regarding transfer page.

We appreciate your feedback and apologize for the delay in responding.

Our Customer Comments and Suggestions form is designed only as a survey tool. In order to serve your needs better in the future, please send any correspondence requiring a response by clicking on the Customer Service tab in Online Banking and selecting Send a Message to Customer Service.

Again, we thank you for your feedback and look forward to meeting your needs in the future.

If we may be of further assistance, please contact us again by e-mail.
Thank you for choosing Bank of America.

Sincerely,

Amit Rego
Bank of America

Did you know? You can pay all your bills in minutes with Online Banking with free, unlimited Bill Pay. Sign in to Online Banking and click on the Bill Pay and e-Bills tab to get started paying bills today.

Dear Bank of America,
When responding to a customer, please don't say, "It's not my job."

If Nordstrom's was in the banking business, they wouldn't say that.

You are supposed to say something like, "We have received your request and forwarded it along to the appropriate department for follow up."

Your response is unsatisfactory.
--Steve

Bank of America: Bill Pay

I sent in a question to Bank of America. I'm still trying to figure out if they answered it.

My Question:

Why does bill pay say delivery time 2 days when with Fleet it was immediate?

Their Answer:

Thank you for your inquiry dated 7/5/05 regarding Online Banking Billpay. We apologize for any inconvenience you may have experienced.

Our Bill Pay service deducts the funds on the date you have scheduled your payment. The payment amount will be debited from the account on the scheduled process date. If the scheduled process date is a weekend or non-bank business day, then the process date will be the previous bank business day.

Payments you make through Online Banking using Bill Pay are processed in one of two ways:

- Electronic transmission. Most payments are made by electronic transmission.
- Check. All other payments are made with a check to your designated Payee. If a Payee does not negotiate the check within 90 days, we will stop payment on the check and credit your account for the amount of the payment. To assure sufficient time for your Payees to receive and process the payment, you should allow at least five bank business days between the scheduled process date and the payment due date.

For more information about bill payment processing, please refer to our Online Banking Service Agreement and Electronic Disclosure on our Web site at http://www.bankofamerica.com/onlinebanking/index.cfm?template=service_agreement

If we may be of further assistance, please contact us again by e-mail.
Thank you for choosing Bank of America.

Sincerely,

Kelly Faulks
Bank of America

Did you know? You can pay all your bills in minutes with Online Banking with free, unlimited Bill Pay. Sign in to Online Banking and click on the Bill Pay and e-Bills tab to get started paying bills today.

And why are they asking me to sign up for online bill pay when my question is about my online bill pay?

Either the computers that answer these emails need to be upgraged, or the people who answer them do.