BLU.CC new URL Shortening Service

I posted a blog recently about URL alternatives to Bit.ly that you can refer to here.

Craigslist is constantly changing the rules and making it harder and harder to use hyperlinked URL shorteners.  Backpage is a bit more lenient and as a matter of fact, as of Sept 15, 2011, I found the latest URL shortener that’s sticking.  It’s called Blu.cc and it’s currently in Beta. Which means of course, it may go bust at any time in the next 6 months or so.

Case in point, in my last update earlier this year, kl.am was working for Craigslist and since has gone bust sometime in January. Their page takes homage to Douglas Adams with the ‘so long and thanks for all the fish’ line.

Blu.cc markets themselves with the tagline “Small links for tweeting” as they try to break into the popular and competitive twitter realm.

PS: is.gd is still valid but I haven’t been able to use them on Craigslist for a while.

BLOG PEE

July 1st, 2011

Well well well well well . . . . It seems like a mental enema is in store here.

fall down seven, get up eight

Japanese Proverb – seems appropriate.

I’ve been a naughty, neglectful boy with my passion blog.

Started getting back in the swing of things back in May only to let the entire month of June slip on by.  ”Buh-bye” people must’ve thought. For shame

So a good old fashioned BLOG PEE seemed appropriate here to start up again. I’m surprised my bladder didn’t burst. (actually i was relieving myself in the sink)

As it’s america’s birthday this weekend…. again… #235 – boy is she gettin’ old eh?

Bet you wished you look this good at that age….. hell, bet you wish you could reach that age – HA!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!

What better time to brush up on your RIGHTS (while you still have them!)

BILL OF RIGHTS [|||]  U.S. CONSTITUTION

It’s summertime!

So the 2nd half of 2011 has begun.  Time to start a new ritual?Trend? whatever you call it…. How about:

MID YEAR Resolutions and Reflections.

Take a moment this weekend to reflect upon the first half of the year and see what you’ve accomplished and whether you are on track with your goals. Maybe you have new goals – i know i do. Maybe you fulfilled some, maybe others are getting cold and moldy on the back burner – salvage them if you want, or throw them out and make room for NEW.

I have been cleaning out my physical environment to create more clarity and focus for myself. It feels good to purge yourself of old things that you no longer want or need.  Nostalgia and the What-If creatures try to sneak into your psyche to get you to reconsider letting go of your STUFF.  But then Rationalization and Practicality double-team them and counter with the ideas of “you can’t take it with you”,” it’s holding you back” and  ”it’s weighing you down.”

Where’s The BEEF?

Ok, I realize this is normally slotted for an Eff-En-Eff, so here’s 2 mini-videos of UFOs over LONDON that were aired recently. Quite intriguing. Now I’ll keep my opinions to myself as I’m not an expert on analyzing real vs. fake. The fact that these two I found are taken in totally different parts of the city makes it seem a bit more convincing.

However, an observation is in store here. Why is it that UFOs always seem to move like UFOs? The triangle formation, the radical changes in direction and speed. The odd way the larger disc rotates and spins slowly. And so on.

Finally – cause I got work 2 do, I’ll blog more about this later, but time is of the essence.

There are blenders and then there is IMO, THE World’s Best Blender,  ever. The one and only BLENDTEC. Even better, it can be purchased with FREE SHIPPING all during the month of JULY, 2011.

So my question to you is, Will It Blend, Punk?

footnote - - - 

- – - You Might Be A  Zombie if  …you don’t realize we’ve been living in a  Zombie Apocalypse for several years now.

Yes, I am probably starting a new meme here,  but it dawned on me that the way most people go through their lives, they sure have an awful lot of zombie tendencies and traits… remember, kill the brain and run away – the lactic acid build up in reanimated dead tissue causes them to stop ‘dead’ in their tracks fairly quickly.

Happy St Patrick’s 2011

Thanks to the local City Idiot for this gem.

JUST IN TIME FOR ST PADDY’S DAY

HERE’S A TWIST ON A FAVORITE OF MINE

Since i am often the DD – “designated driver” verses the luckier DD – “designated drunk”, I have to find a non-alcoholic beverage to consume while out at the clubs, bars, restaurants and parties.

YOU GET THE LUCKY LEPRACHAUN

GOLD RUNNING THRU YOUR VEINS!

So what’s better than tiger blood juice and a perfect drink for St Patrick’s Day?

why, Lucky Irish Gem Juice!

Careful how you say that. Don’t let drunk friends order it as if they’re slurring their speech  it could sound like you’re asking for Jim Juice, aka Jim Jones Blue Kool-Aid suicide drink. Just remember Green Good. Blue Bad. Simple alliteration memory jogger there. GG good, BB bad.

This drink can pass as non-alcoholic and safe for the non-idiots to drink who are the chosen ones to take their village idiot and city idiot buddies home from their favorite Irish Pub this St Paddy’s day.  An excellent choice for those who choose not to imbibe the green beer monster.

LUCKY IRISH GEM JUICE (inventor – Terry P Carter)

Drink Recipe:

• Ginger Ale
• Ice
• Bitters -  i like the taste – it really amps up the ginger ale.  Bitters does have alcohol but it’s like the equivalent of adding vanilla extract to a drink. A few drops aren’t going to do anything to your sobriety. Here’s a few BITTERS I like to use.
• Chloroxygen – 4 to 10 drops will do the trick depending on how ’healthy and energetic’ you want to make the drink.

REGULAR Chloroxygen or MINT Chloroxygen can be used depending on your preference.

be sure to use $5.00 coupon IHE882 @ iHerb.com

to get your Lucky Leprechaun Magic Elixir, aka CHLOROXYGEN today.

*disclaimer 1*

THE LUCKY IRISH LEPRACHAUN GRASS  is actually CHLOROXYGEN chloropyll supplement – great for natural energy boost and great for solving and avoiding altitude sickness / acclimating yourself to high altitude especially if you are like me and live most of the time near sea level.

*disclaimer 2*

Regarding the video – it’s my interpretation of a city idiot – urban version of the Village idiot.

It’s not polished, predictable, professional, etc. and it’s not supposed to be. He’s an IDIOT, duh.

It’s a bit off, stupid, and just a little out there…. although as with the special idiot savant variety, there’s always a little bit of wisdom in older idiots – they are most likely the smartest of the bunch as they are still alive.

. . . and yes, i AM Irish but pretty far removed from the homeland – ancestors bailed out of the Blarney ages ago.

Here’ s my personal gallery and account of the

2009 Costa Rica Rainforest Mask exhibition at Selby Gardens @ Sarasota Florida.

For the most part, I will let the pictures of the masks speak for me.

That year, prices ranged from $200 to $1000 for the long totum-like mask.  Most were priced in the 400-500 range.  All masks were exquisite in their detail and as colorful as the rainforest from which they originated. These are from the Costa Rican rainforest. Originally I was thinking Amazon=Brazil, Peru, etc… But of course, not all rainforests are found in the amazon . . . Just conditioned to go there right away – blame it on Child of the 80s symdrome.

Borucan Mask-Making: The Men Behind the Masks

Almost 20 years ago, Borucan mask-making was nearly lost as an art form. One man, Don Ismael Gonzalez, took it upon himself to re-invigorate the carving tradition by teaching it to a group of young boys. Today the new master carvers are the teachers of a new generation of apprentices. As a result, the Borucan people have a renewed pride in their customs.

There are three distinct styles of masks, each of which tells a specific story about Borucan culture. The first is the Diablito, or devil mask, which comes directly from the festival El Jeugo de LosDiablitos. It is the most traditional, dating back to the Spanish occupation of the region. The second is the Ecologica, featuring the plants and animals of the rainforest. These were originated by the new generation of artists concerned about the imminent threat to their culture form the destruction of their environment. The third is the Combinados. These masks are a metamorphosis of both the Dialito and the Ecologica. They represent the coming together of the old traditions with the new generation.

All masks are original one of a kind designs carved from balsa wood and cedar. The artists use acrylic paint to adorn the balsa images and traditional hand-hewn tools to carve. The design is drawn onto the front surface and then carved. This process creates a relief out of one piece of wood.

RELATED

Orchids: Nature’s Perfect Mask

Note – Selby gardens started as a Orchid research facility.

A mask by definition is an object that hides reality and enhances an image for the purpose of eliciting a predictable response. Sometimes it mimics a powerful and fearsom entity and in other cases it acts to seduce in order to continue its existence.

The Borucan Indians of Costa Rica are continuing their rich tradition of mask making to ensure their survival. Originally, the masks were used as a ritual defense against the Spanish Invaders. Today they are an exquisite example of an art form which has captured our awareness and invited us to help perpetuate this significant custom.

As with the mask, the orchids image has been specially crafted by Nature through color, shape and aroma to attract the one significant insect or animal suited for its propagation. For this reason Nature has perfected a mask making tradition of its own.

The Rainforest Mask Exhibit is coming back for it’s 7th time at Selby Gardens starting this March 4th 2011 through April 15th.

The Borucans will demonstrate their carving and painting during four “Meet the Artists” sessions in the Museum of Botany and the Arts on Saturdays and Sundays, March 5, 6, 12 & 13 from 1:00 to 3:00 pm. Spanish interpreters will be available to translate your questions.

link>>>

http://www.selby.org/events/rainforest-mask-exhibit

Maybe I’ll see you there

Ok, for all of those people who want to keep purposely buying Chinese made shoes (can you say NIKE?) and don’t care about playing ignorant to the fact you are helping China buy more and more of the US one step at a time, why not embrace it whole-heartedly and help the Li-Ning brand make it big in America.

I have to say, this commercial they put on YouTube is rather funny – full of stereo-types and jokes. But like every other ad – it’s just using humor to push product. That said, enjoy a laugh if you dare

Some funny quotes from the vid (seems like most of the good lines are given to the Indian:

It’s cow’s head … I know cows, trust me I know cows.

Eff me? Eff you!

Why is it wet if it’s waterproof?

Kiss him… kiss him! Suck his face!

I’m li-ning towards kicking your ass!

the Indian talking in mocking chinese – “engwish”

The Indian actor reminds me of an older version of actor Ajai Naidu from Office Space fame.

Interested in buying a pair yourself? Get Li Ning Shoes here.

Oh, HAPPY 2011!

Ok got that out of the way…

Found this video on Social Media and it’s impact on the world.  Reminds me of a comment a naive professor said about the pointlessness and uselessness of the internet back in the early 90s…. He had to eat a dead bird for that one.

This video speaks for itself.

OH, and here’s the first one I remember seeing about a year earlier:

Green Green Green

A friend of mine has a really cool company called EcoBold.  She has a popular YoutTube channel and website that encourages and educates people about the importance of going green and buying from companies that are not destroying the planet in the process.

Recently, she posted this hilarious video that shows off just how funny she is and how you can have fun and be entertaining while touting the virtues of living a healthy lifestyle.

Here’s a great way to make easy to remember but hard to crack passwords for your email, bank accounts, affiliate accounts, or any other site that requires a password.

Did you know that “Password” is one of the 10 most used passwords every year?!

Surely the ‘00‘ in you would never choose such a foolish thing!

The most secure passwords you can use are known as “pass phrases” such as ” A cow says moo”.

You can easily turn that into “acowsaysmoo” by simply removing the spaces between the words.

Hackers invented a language called leetspeak, where they use characters and numbers that look like letters but they’re actually identified differently by security software.

These are called homoglyphs, or symbols that closely resemble the letters for which they stand.

(“4(0//say5M0o”. Can you see it?)

Here it is broken down by each word:

A= the number 4

cow = (0//  which is open parenthesis, the number zero, and two slashes to make the ‘W’

says= say5  where the second ‘S’ is switched to the number 5

moo = capital ‘M’ followed by a zero and a lower case ‘o’.

Remember, most people don’t make use of upper case letters with the exception of sites that require you to use at least one upper case character/letter.

Use this tool to your advantage and get creative with symbols and numbers.

Want to learn more about LEET? or should I say, 1337? These Wiki links have a whole list of characters to use in place of letters.

Another good tip is the LONGER the BETTER. I’ve heard is that a 12 character password could take a thief up to 17000 years to crack.

The top ten most common (and stupid) passwords used [according to a survey by PC Magazine]

1. password

2. 123456

3. qwerty

4. abc123

5. letmein

6. monkey

7. myspace 1

8. password 1

9. blink182

10. (your first name)

These are the first passwords that a criminal would try when attempting to hack your account.

Other types of passwords you want to avoid are birthdays and the names of your children or spouse.

TFT – Terrys Favorite Things

Skitch For Mac

“this graphic was created using SKITCH“

This one too – using the apple built in iSight camera.

Very cool and useful program I’ve been using since November of 2008.

It is still free and periodically has to be upgraded and is still being labeled as Beta version.

Skitch has online storage abilities and quick drag and drop onto desktop or email or ????

It allows you to store images online for free on their server.

Personally, I use it for quick screen grabs and drag the jpg onto my desktop for further use.

You can also use your mac’s built in camera if you want to mark up and image. (see above)

The software has tons of customizable features of which I and most people won’t use most of the features – kinda like photoshop.

It has a save function if the jpg (or png, tif, pdf, etc) drag and drop isn’t what you’re looking for.

A history of previous captures is found under the Photo button at the top left of the skitch screen.

Text – size, color and FONT are all customizable.

Click on the hammer/wrench button top left of the Skitch screen to see a pull down menu of functions available.

Flip and rotate image, change font, full screen snap, snap skitch itself. . . these are just some of the tools available.

FEATURE HIGHLIGHTS (borrowed from Skitch.com)

See it…

• Snap a website
• Capture a chat moment
• Screenshot an application
• iSight snap your bad hair day
• Quickly sketch an idea
• Tap into your iPhoto Library
• Re-open images from your Skitch History

Say it…

• Annotate with circles and gorgeous arrows
• Add text that always stands out
• Scribble and jot… it’s automatically smoothed
• Re-size and crop by simply dragging a corner
• Drag the file to wherever you like, no need to save
• Return to what you were doing — in seconds — not minutes!

All in all a must have too for the creatives or online marketers. Skitch. Get it here.

The one thing missing – or I haven’t discovered yet, is the ability to crop an existing snapshot inside the skitch window.

4/16/2010 UPDATE – Just figured out how to crop – it’s really intuitive once I realized what to do. You use the select tool while just inside the borders – top bottom – left – right and crop as you please.

People have been emailing me asking where I’ve been and why I haven’t posted hardly anything all of March. Not including the silly blog pee post for St Patrick’s Day, that is.

Well, truth be told, I decided to officially inform everyone that today will be my last blog post.  I had a bit of good fortune back in March that more or less completely changes the game.

I’m not going to spell it out as I’d like to maintain some of my privacy – at least for as long as possible.  These things have a way of getting out no matter what precautions you take.

I’ll just say that my choices and options have opened up considerably – and sooner than I anticipated.

Needless to say I’ve been very pre-occupied these last several weeks.

I’ve been spending the last few weeks planning and re-evaluating my goals and projects I wish to accomplish.

I have some extensive traveling lined up for starters.  I’m also delving into my art and music much more.

I am dedicating more time and energy into  my inventions, investigations and projects.

Now don’t get me wrong. I’ve spent a lot of time and money learning and teaching various internet skills – marketing and tech alike. I intend to utilize this knowledge as I move forward – it’s just no longer my main focus but rather a tool to get results.

“There’s that word again… Focus…. are things blurry in the future? Is there something wrong with people’s vision?”

Thank you all for your readership and check in / stay subscribed to my RSS – I’ll keep this blog going and post updates of really cool s***. It probably won’t be as consistent or as frequent as before…. before March that is.