Herculodge

Presumed "iPhone Killer," the Smartphone Android, Costs $580

I've heard Leo Laporte on KFI 640 refer to the new Smartphone Android as a potential "iPhone Killer." But $580 seems like a lot for the privilege.

Lifehacker is glad he switched from iPhone to Smartphone. A more detailed "showdown" is provided on Maximum PC.

Time Posts the Top 25 Blogs and a List of Overrated Ones

Time gives its list of Top 25 Blogs. There's also an Overrated list. I'm guilty of reading Gawker every now and then. Worse, I was ignorant of about 80% of the highly ranked ones.

The Self-Appointed Facebook Czar Tells You the 10 Things You Can’t Write About on Facebook:

1. Your struggles with your weight.
2. What you had for dessert.
3. Telling people that you’re “chilling” or “mellowing out.”
4. Telling people what you’re watching on television.
5. Announcing that you hate Mondays or love Fridays.
6. Telling people about your delicate medical procedures.
7. Telling people how you’re doing in rehab.
8. Telling everyone how hot or hunky you once looked back in the good old days.
9. Telling people what’s on your iPod’s playlist.
10. Posting anything with a link to your blog.

Top Ten Signs of Website Addiction

Are you one of those obsessive bloggers who compulsively clicks on your personal website to check for “activity,” that is, hits on your website? If so, you may suffer from a modern addiction that afflicts many isolated people in our huge impersonal society. Such an addiction can be characterized by the following symptoms:

1.    You suffer from anxieties when you’re away from your website for more than a few hours because in part you can’t check for “activity,” that is, hits on your website.
2.    You look for a sense of connection through Internet “friends” and e-mail buddies rather than real-life encounters.
3.    You measure your worth and self-esteem through the amount of hits and “friends” you’ve amassed.
4.    When your website isn’t getting activity for extended periods, you suffer from anguish, despair, self-pity, and resentment.
5.    You’re elated when you experience a “flurry of activity”; however, no amount of activity is never enough as you find yourself with an insatiable appetite for attention and validation through your site.
6.    You wake up at 3 A.M. to check your website for “activity.”
7.    You use computer terminals on vacations to check for “activity” and these checks on your computer interest you more than the actual vacation.
8.    When you’re not on your website, you fear you are “missing something” and may have squandered a huge opportunity, a connection with someone special.
9.    You know you have a problem but you feel helpless and ashamed.
10.    You sense deep down that your website obsession is a distraction from a squandered life but feel helpless to do anything.

Final Thoughts

Can one do anything to solve this addiction? I can’t say for now. I do know that the narrator of Jim Harrison's novella The Beast God Forgot to Invent writes that the majority of mankind "pisses away its life on nonsense." To be continued . . .

Are Blogs Passé?

Two and half years ago my blog sputtered at around 30 hits day. Now I get about daily 600-1,200 hits, but if Wired writer Paul Boutin is to be believed in his recent article "Kill Your Blog," the blog is on its way out. It was a great way to publish back in 2004, he writes, but today corporate blogs have taken over and personal bloggers are most likely to get drowned out or, just as bad, receive comments from hecklers and other malcontents. 

For greater exposure, Boutin, who is also a writer for the Silicon Valley gossip site Valleywag, recommends Flickr, Facebook, or Twitter. 

I already have a Facebook account. I should see if I can put my Herculodge content into it. I'm also curious about Flickr and Twitter. But I'd still keep the blog going even it it proved less effective than one of these venues. 

Breakthrough Writer

If you're a student in McMahon's class, you're probably looking for McMahon's other website, which can be found on the following link:

Breakthrough Writer