New Apple Ads: PC Customers Upgrade to a Mac, Not Windows 7

Apple has released three new Mac/PC ads that aim at Windows problems, specifically with their past operating systems. Below is one of their recent adds that highlights the continuing problems with Windows operating system and wonders how Windows 7 will be any different. This is not the only thing Apple has done to steal momentum from Windows 7 recent release.



Apple has also recently released new iMacs and a new white unibody MacBook as well as their new Magic Mouse. The new iMacs come in 21.5" and 27" 16:9 widescreen displays. They also come standard with a wireless keyboard and their new wireless Magic Mouse that features multi-touch support much like the trackpads in the MacBook and MacBook Pro.

In addition to their new product line Apple's quarterly earnings were also released this week with record numbers including a 47% quarterly profit jump. Apple's stock is now trading around $205 per share, an all-time high for the company.

There's no doubt that Apple is stealing Microsoft's thunder of their recent release of Windows 7, but will Apple's recent buzz translate into increased sales of it's products? Will PC users make the switch based on the company's recent success, updated product mix, or newly released ads? Post your thoughts in the comment section below.

Balloon Boy Music Video: I'm in a Box!

I think the title says it all. The balloon boy phenomenon has now gone viral in a new way....music video. This is a worthy spin-off of I'm on a Boat.

I'm All About this Song Right Now

On a recent road trip to Madison, Wisconsin, a few of my friends mentioned this band called Owl City. I decided to check them out and was pleasantly surprised. I would normally not be into this kind of music, but my recent discovery of Phoenix, MGMT, Empire of the Sun and other bands within the electronic genre have broadened my musical tastes. Check out the video of their hit single Fireflies. It's not a revolutionary discovery by any means considering it's the #1 single on iTunes top charts, but it's a neat song and an interesting music video.

By the way, what the hell happened to the popularity of music videos? I never see them anymore unless I search for one online. True music television is basically dead. That's a random side-note. Let me know what you think of the song in the comments.

Fireflies - Owl City from Kyle Puls on Vimeo.

Want to Remotely Start Your Car? There's an App for That

I don't own an iPhone but this is just one more reason why I wish I did. Viper has offered remote start units for cars for many years now, but has recently introduced an application for the iPhone that is compatible with some of it's remote start systems.

Not only can the Smart Start system remotely start your car but it can lock and unlock your vehicle from virtually anywhere with the iPhone app. So the next time your at a bar and can't remember if you locked your car (this happened to me last weekend) now you can pull out your iPhone from inside the bar and lock it from your seat. No Big Shake? - I think not.

Check out the video below.

Musical Insight

I'm not usually big on alternative and non-main-stream music, but a few of my friends have introduced me to some great songs by interesting artists. Check out the videos below and let me know what you think about these songs by posting a comment.

Iglu & Hartly - Violent & Young


Phoenix - Lisztomania


Empire of the Sun - Walking on a dream

Google Wave is here! Well, sort of...

In case you didn't read my earlier post about Goolge Wave, or if you've been sleeping under a rock, I'm here to announce that Google Wave has officially been released!

However, there is a catch. Google has only issued 100,000 invites to use the beta version of Google Wave. The 100,000 invites have been distributed to anyone involved in the development of Google Wave as well as those who showed interest way back via their online request form.

You don't have to be a rocket surgeon to know that 100,000 invites won't go far in the tech community. Some of those that are lucky to receive multiple invites are selling them on Ebay. Others, who aren't as lucky, are forced to signup on googlewaveinvites.com in hopes to receive one of the few available invites.

If you're like most of us, you won't be lucky enough to get an official invite. Don't fret, because Google Wave plans to launch sometime in 2010. Patience is a virtue.

PeopleOfWalMart.com - It's exactly what you think it is

There has been a recent rise of sites that consist of user-submitted content. These sites are largely comical in nature and consist of written stories or messages. A while back I published a post about two such sites: TextsFromLastNight.com and fmylife.com.

PeopleOfWalMart.com follows the same formula as TFLN and Fmylife, but has taken it a step further by integrating photos. While the photos are hilarious and the main aspect of the site, it isn't complete without the hilarious captions below each photo. Hopefully this isn't your first time hearing about this site. And if it is, please skip the rest of this blog and go directly to the site now!

This site is so amazing/hilarious that is was recently featured on the Fox Business channel



Below is one of many hilarious posts on PeopleOfWalMart.com

Holy Cat Lady

I hope she plans on filling the rest of the cart with air freshners! Seriously though, what has to happen for you to decide you want a mullet, a flannel, and 3,472 cats to hang out with? If Mackenzie Phillips doesn’t have a house full of cats, then you can’t possibly have a good reason to either.

Wisconsin

Send Free Postcards...from your phone?!

When's the last time you've sent a postcard? I couldn't tell you when the last time I've sent one, but thanks to the new application, Hippopost, I'll be sending them a lot more often.

Hippopost is a new service that allows users to send post cards for free via facebook, mobile smartphones, or their website. Hippopost pays for the printing and postage thanks to their sponsorship agreements with companies whose advertisements appear on the postcards. There is a limit of 2 postcards per day. Of course, you'd have to be some kind of weirdo to need to send more than 2 post cards per day. (for those of you who are bad at math, that's an allowance of over 700 postcards in a year)

If you're a blackberry owner (like me), you can download the blackberry app at http://mobile.hippost.com

In Preparation for Movember...

Great Deals on Amazing TV's

For those of you readers who might be looking for a TV in the near future I've discovered a great resource where you can get some amazing TV's.  SonyStyle.com offers refurbished and clearance TV's through the outlet page on their website.

While most of these are refurbished, they are still amazing TV's and you can purchase extended warranties, up to 6 years, for cheap compared to what you would be paying at Best Buy. 

In addition to the already great prices on SonyStyle's outlet site, you can also find coupons to cut even more off the price.  Where's the best place to find coupons?  Twitter.  All you need to do is sign up for twitter or check out Sony's Outlet twitter page.  I'm not a big Twitter guy, but I do follow my favorite retailers and organizations, which in turn has given me access to special online sales and promotions.

TV's aren't the only deals you can get on Sony's outlet site.  You can also get cameras, speakers, and other electronics at significant discounts.

Getting Rid of Vices

A former co-worker has decided to give up smoking and I could not be more happy for her. She has made it twenty days and has not had a single cigarette, which I think is incredible. She has inspired me and I, too, am going to give up a vice. Problem is I can't think of one. I could give up drinking but that is going to come to a stop for a while for reasons I don't need to talk about in this forum. I could stop eating fast food but is that a vice? I guess it is keeping me being a fat piece of crap so I suppose I could give that up...

Maybe I could start doing something instead of giving something up. Maybe volunteer around the community or maybe just start running or something. I've got to do something.

Give me your suggestions. I'd be interested in hearing some advice. Additionally, let's keep this clean.

And speaking of vices...

Lessons Learned in Vlogging

Drinking and video recording don't mix. Hard to believe, I know. I haven't owned this camcorder for a week and I'm already realizing that not every situation calls for video footage. I have no plans to bring the camcorder back to Iowa City. There are some things that don't need to be documented. I also realized that I can't drink like I used to in college. Lessons aside, I had an amazing time and can't wait for the football season to begin. Go HAWKS!

After recovering from a great night in Iowa City I must turn my attention to a greater priority, which is work. It's after 11:00 p.m. and I'm at the office printing off a series of projects that need to get done. I leave for Colorado tomorrow afternoon and project deadlines must be met prior to my departure. That leaves me in a shitty situation that I would like to avoid, but inevitably the work needs to be completed. Just like my experience in Iowa City, there are also lessons to be learned from my procrastination here at work:

1. Vacations are fun, but are more enjoyable if you're not worried about the work you didn't complete prior to leaving.
2. A little planning goes a long way: I've known for weeks what I will be doing each day on vacation, but couldn't have told you two weeks ago when exactly I would be finished with my post-season project.
3. Dependability: A co-worker is depending on my work to be completed in order for him to effectively do his job. By not completing my work I would be effecting someone else's work which in turn could be effecting many others.
   

Each of these is pretty obvious but they seem a lot more apparent when you are stuck at work into the wee hours of the night.

As far as the Colorado trip goes, you can expect some blogging and/or footage posted while I'm on the trip. While I can't predict what will go down during this adventure, I can tell you that the many fun/interesting occurrences will make an appearance on this blog.

I think I'm 25% done with my work for the night, no big shake.

Now Playing on No Big Shake

I recently purchased a camcorder to document my upcoming trip to Colorado with a few other friends. As I searched for camcorders online, I realized that this would also be a great way to add video to NoBigShake.com.

I haven't given a lot of thought to what kinds of videos I will post. There will be a few updates on my half-marathon training which I recently started. I will also be posting some highlights from my upcoming trip to Colorado. Whatever videos I add, my goal is to make them fun and interesting.

With that said, here is my introductory video blog (vlog). I realized that the online reviews were correct when users claimed that it doesn't shoot well in low-light areas. Bear with the crappy video of this first post. It is bound to get better.

Twitter Creates Full-Time Jobs

I hope by including Twitter in the title of this post you don't automatically dismiss this article. Even though it's mostly about the social craze and microblogging site, it's also about companies reaching out to their customers in unique ways and providing a valuable resource in the process.

A large part of my job is digital marketing via the Menace's website, email newsletters, facebook, and Twitter. I add new stories to our site, update photo galleries, sent out invites and post tweets about upcoming Menace events and promotions. I like to think that I do a pretty good job at what I do, but there is always room for improvement. This was very apparent to me when I stumbled upon Panchero's Twitter page.

Reid is the social marketing guru for Panchero's and his full-time job revolves around Twitter. Although "tweeting" isn't the only thing he does, it seems to me that his job wouldn't exist without Twitter. In addition to connecting to Panchero's fans via Twitter, Reid also runs a blog for Panchero's which contained a few interesting marketing initiatives:

• Vlogs (video blogs) of weekly trivia questions and the winners who receive free gift cards
• Free Burrito Tour: Reid includes details about where the Panchero's Hummer will be each week to hand out free burritos
• Burrito Eating Contest: There was also a story about Panchero's third annual eating contest where the winner won free burritos for a year!

Each of these are simple ideas that Panchero's carried out using Twitter and a blog and is creating some great marketing opportunities for their organization.



Best Buy has also started a Twitter initiative with the creation of the Twelpforce that consists of Best Buy associates answering any and every question submitted through Twitter. It's free to use, and a great way to connect with customers who are in need of technology support. The twelpforce also helps to highlight Best Buy's major strengths, knowledge and customer service, compared to other electronic retailers (ie: Wal-Mart) who exhibit little to no knowledge about the products they sell.

Best Buy and Panchero's are just two examples of companies who have used social networking to their advantage and helped them connect to their customers. It's more than just tweeting but developing creative ways to connect via Twitter. Because Twitter provides a way to connect to many customers in an effective way, social networking jobs have been created at many companies.

Thumbs up to both companies for their use of social networking, and thanks to Panchero's for the free steak burrito!

TetherBerry

We have all seen the iPhone commercials that highlight the many amazing apps (applications) for the iPhone. It is truly a remarkable device that seems to have no limits. I don't care what phone you own or where your smart phone loyalty lies, you can't not be impressed with the iPhone.

With that being said, I have discovered an amazing BlackBerry tool that I hope other BlackBerry users or "CrackBerrys" will try out. It's called TetherBerry and it's an application that you can download on your BlackBerry. TetherBerry allows you to connect your BlackBerry to your Mac or PC laptop and receive an internet connection through your phone. It works anywhere as long as you have a signal on your phone. I have only tried this on my MacBook Pro, so I'm assuming it will work just as well on a crappy PC.

I realize that tethering is also a feature on the iPhone but there are a couple of major differences. First off, AT&T has yet to offer tethering to iPhone users in the U.S. Secondly, when it does become available, you will most likely have to pay an additional monthly fee to use this feature. This is not the case with TetherBerry.

TetherBerry has released a Beta version that will be free to use for 7 days, after that you will have to fork over $50 (well worth it in my opinion), to get the full version. The $50 is a ONE-TIME fee for the application and won't be a monthly charge. For those of you who travel or take your laptop everywhere you go, this is a must-have for your BlackBerry.

Time for an Actual Laugh

Dan's most recent post entitled "Funny Joke," did nothing for me and probably didn't bring much laughter in your life either. Well hopefully this post will.

I watch a lot of Seinfeld reruns during the late hours of the night and caught one of my favorite episodes last week. While it's impossible to label my one favorite Seinfeld episode, I can say that the rental car clip is one of my favorite all-time Seinfeld scenes. Enjoy.

My Apologies

So I feel awful about neglecting the blog for the past few weeks and as far as my co-contributor goes, don't get me started. But I would like to say that I have some legitimate excuses for depriving you of all the fascinating and interesting stuff that NoBigShake.com usually offers.

A. It's Menace season:
So this is an obvious one and it hasn't stopped me before, but this weekend is playoffs so it's been pretty crazy around the office and I've had a few late nights. When you add Menace season to a second job it equals 3 days off in two months. I would love to hear if anyone has gone on a similar working stretch. It's kind of nuts, but I feel like it's preparing me for something bigger and better down the road.

B. Real World, Rescue Me, & NetFlix
A new season of Real World has begun, so I once again have a show that I like to watch religiously along with Rescue Me. For a guy who has as little free time as I, spending it on TV isn't a great idea, but I enjoy being lazy when I can.

C. Sand Volleyball
7 more weeks of sand volleyball make a total of 14 weeks this summer. It's been an amazing summer meeting a few new people out at Sand's and continuing new friendships with teammates who I barely new 2 months ago.


So that's all I have for now. I hope to be posting soon about something crazy, awesome and exciting such as a possible vacation to Colorado and Chicago in the same week. Don't give up on this blog just yet. NBS

Funny Joke

My wife and I are watching Who Wants To Be A Millionaire while we were in bed. I turned to her and said, "Do you want to have sex?"

"No," she answered.

I then said, "Is that your final answer?"

She didn't even look at me this time, simply saying "Yes."

So I said, "Then I'd like to phone a friend."

And that's when the fight started....

Musical Insight

I'm taking a page out of the Les & Nic playbook to share some musical insight to those willing to listen. I've been expanding my music collection lately and iTunes has been my primary source for downloading.

You may not believe me but I recently stole music off of iTunes. Well, I didn't actually steal it, but it felt illegal to pay only $16.99 for 38 of Michael Jackson's hits on The Essential. The Essential contains many of MJ's hits including tracks from the Jackson 5, the Jackson's and his many solo albums. It's no surprise that this album is currently #1 on the top albums list on iTunes.

While I can't single out my favorite all-time MJ song, I can leave you with the song i've been jamming to most recently...(warning: this is just the music, he never made a video for this song)

MyLifeIsAverage.com

"I'm not that interesting and I don't think people want to read about how lame my life is." This is exactly what I told a friend of mine regarding my blog. When Dan and I first decided to turn NoBigShake.com into a blog, I told him I had no clue what I would write about but I wanted to keep it interesting and fun. My life, at it's best, is mildly entertaining. This is why I spare the audience about stories of taking a mascot costume to the dry cleaners or what it's like to share a cubicle with a guy who only speaks in puns.

Yesterday, I was told about MyLifeIsAverage.com and it instantly hit home with me. It's similar to TFLN (textsfromlastnight.com) & FML (fmylife.com), only nothing exciting happens (just like my life). Some posts will make you laugh out loud while others will leave you wondering why someone took the time to submit their story. Either way, I thought I should share this website with others who feel their life is as average or lame as mine.

Thanks for reading,
Bobby