Can't Stop The Music

I am actively blogging again... and will be posting all my updates at http://davejaworski.posterous.com going forward. Please follow me there.

You can also keep up with my family and I at http://jaworski.net

Wishing you and yours the best in 2011!

Dave

Eye Time - No need for Visine - An important tip for heavy computer users

Just a few hours into the day and the eyes are dry and tired already. I came across this great post from Digital Inspiration and thought it might be helpful for you too. Give your eyes the rest they need and you can continue to put in the time necessary on your computer, tablet, iPad, etc...

Digital Inspiration: The 20 - 20 - 20 Rule (http://www.labnol.org/software/computer-eye-exercise/14069/)

Enjoy!

Posted via email from Dave Jaworski

The Nashville Flood - Music City Responds with Music and More

Nashville area waters have returned to normal levels while the city continues to help those impacted by the flood in their recovery. Many Churches and the teams at Hands On Nashville continue to coordinate the volunteer efforts that are so needed. Service organizations including Salvation Army, American Red Cross, Second Harvest and HopeForce have been busy since the flooding began.

One group that has been impacted like many of their neighbors are the singers and songwriters of Music City. Many experienced flooding in their homes. And many lost their music instruments when Sound Check, a storage facility in downtown Nashville, succumbed to the rising Cumberland River's floodwaters.

Music City has been particularly busy using its talents to help those in need. Over $1.7MM was raised in a WSMV (Channel 4) telethon featuring "Vince Gill and friends" that showcased the talent and the heart of Nashville and the surrounding area. Even in the face of personal loss, the musicians came together to give a message of hope and support through their gifting. Vince and Amy Grant also contributed $100K to the fundraiser. Reba gave $100K. Nissan, now a "resident" of the Cool Springs area with their North American headquarters gave $300K. And Taylor Swift showed her heart for the area with a $500K gift!

While the telethon was airing, Anderson Cooper's 360 on CNN showed the destructive power of the water and featured interviews with Brad Paisley, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, and others including the many volunteers who are selflessly giving to help those in need.

Brad Paisley went on to play the Opry from the Ryman Auditorium in downtown Nashville on Friday May 7. Thursday evening Brad tweeted, "Can't wait to play the Opry tomorrow night. Feels about as important to me as the very first time I ever played it, somehow."

Even the Nashville Symphony, which suffered damage to Nashville's new Schermerhorn Symphony Center, provided a free concert for the public on Friday.

Many concerts that were already scheduled became instant benefit concerts as Nashville worked to rebound from the watery surprise. -- http://www.examiner.com/x-11988-Nashville-Festivals-Examiner~y2010m5d5-Benefi...

And that was just the beginning. Nashville's music community continues to reach out. If you love great music, you have many opportunities to be entertained while raising money for those impacted by the flooding. It doesn't matter what genre of music you enjoy -- there is something for everyone in the many offerings going on around town in country, rock, christian, classical music and more.

Here are just a few of the events going on to continue the musical support for the flood recovery efforts:

• Monday, May 10 6:30pm at 12th and Porter: Ryan Michaels Band w/Maureen Murphy, Brennin & Kendra Chantelle to benefit Hands On Nashville -- http://www.facebook.com/OpryMills#!/event.php?eid=115301871830667&index=1
• Wednesday, May 12 at Center Stage - Kenny Olson (truly one of the best rock guitarists in the world; launched "Kid Rock") plays with an all star group of friends. Bring canned goods to benefit flood victims.
• Sunday, May 16 - Great American Country Television ("GAC") has announced a live national telethon at the historic Ryman Auditorium to benefit the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, an organization that’s already on the scene helping out. Brad Paisley, Lady Antebellum, Dierks Bentley, and Rodney Atkins are already scheduled to perform, and more acts are being added. The telethon will air commercial free from 8 p.m. – 10 p.m.
• June 10-13 CMA Fest - Country Music's biggest annual festival. Held in Nashville. 50% of proceeds will go to Flood Relief.
• June 16 Ke$ha Nashville Flood Benefit Concert - Ke$ha is playing a benefit for her hometown of Nashville at the Limelight. 100 percent of the profits "going to relief for humans as well as animals."
• Being Scheduled: Concerts 4 A Cause -- http://www.facebook.com/pages/Concerts-4-A-Cause/104603202911581

Are you a songwriter? A "Songwriting Competition To Raise Money For Flood Victims" is underway.  http://nashvillebenefits.com/2010/05/songwriting-competition-to-raise-money-f...
Entries must be postmarked no later than July 15, 2010. As they say in Nashville, "It all starts with a song."

You can also improve your wardrobe to help: Cool People Care is selling a T-Shirt with "We Are Nashville" to raise money for those impacted by the flood. -- http://store.coolpeoplecare.org/products/we-are-nashville-t-shirt

Bands and Artists including @nashmusicians are also jumping in to help by donating their iTunes download revenue for May.

Nashville photographers have left us stunning images of the past week: http://www.flickr.com/search/show/?q=nashville+flooding&ss=1. You can also check out the videos from my blog last week at http://cantstopthemusic.typepad.com/cantstopthemusic/2010/05/nashvilles-i-24-...

Social networking continues to play a big part in connecting the community and keeping people informed. For example, Opry Mills' Facebook page is providing updates on the devastated Mall as well as where those now unemployed can get help -- http://www.facebook.com/OpryMills

Search Twitter hashtags for a stream of activity all about the flood. A few of the popular hashtags on Twitter include: #nashvilleflood, #othersituation2010 and #wearenashville.

I also recommend following @HONashville, @NashBenefits, @NashvilleEst, @NESPower, @tndotcom, @NashvilleAlerts and @WSMV on Twitter.

Is there a silver lining? In addition to seeing the great spirit of the people of Nashville, Bellevue, Franklin, Brentwood, Antioch and all surrounding areas, new jobs are being created. For example, Contract Labor Solutions plans to hire 2,500 workers -- http://www.wkrn.com/global/story.asp?s=12443546 for flood cleanup.

For More Information:

Grand Ole Opry stage sat under 2 feet of water
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_TENNESSEE_FLOODS?SITE=DCTMS&SEC...

Musicians lose millions in gear in Nashville flood
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_TENNESSEE_FLOODS_MUSICAL_MESS?SITE=...

Floodwater Leaves Wake Of Damaged Homes
http://www.wsmv.com/weather/23502385/detail.html

Nashville Symphony: http://www.nashvillesymphony.org

CMA Fest: http://www.cmafest.com/

Organizations:
Hand On Nashville: http://www.hon.org  (Twitter: @HONashville)

Salvation Army: http://salvationarmyusa.org

American Red Cross in Nashville: http://www.nashvilleredcross.org

Second Harvest  Food Bank Of Middle Tennessee: http://www.secondharvest.org

HopeForce International: http://www.hopeforce.org

Cool People Care: http://www.coolpeoplecare.org

Please let me know of any other helpful links, Twitter ID's to follow, Facebook links, etc. Thanks to all of the many volunteers who have been and continue to help. We Are Nashville. We truly are the Volunteer State! May God bless America and May God bless Nashville and the surrounding area in this time of loss and rebuilding.

Nashville's I-24 becomes Lake I-24

Serious storm today in Nashville. Tornado sirens were going off. And flooding proved to be the major problem...

This was our street:

And this is Interstate 24:

We've never seen anything like this since we moved here.Quite the storm. A friend of a friend had six feet of water in his basement. I went over to help him. The water came rushing up into his yard. The back door to his yard goes to a daylight basement. The water rushing against it was so powerful that the door split in two and the water came rushing in. His garage is on the lower level as well and his car is under water.

This is a good day to live on a hill. Praying for all those impacted by the storm.

Posted via web from Dave Jaworski

Apple's iPad or Microsoft Surface or ???

Thanks to my friend Sampson, I had the opportunity to see how a tech wiz is putting Apple's iPad to work. I left our coffee meeting this week with many ideas and reflections on the device that has captured the media's attention and has already led 700,000+ people to part with their hard earned cash.

One thought that has not left me... Microsoft demonstrated their Surface technology platform a few years back. While Surface can let you interact in the proposed spaces of a mobile phone sales floor (T-Mobile was the demonstration case) or a Casino or a bar or other innovative scenarios, its cost is prohibitive. Apple's iPad offers most of what Surface offers for a tiny fraction of the price. And it takes the technology to the field in a way that makes you want to engage with it. So why the link to Surface?

One of the great potential benefits cited by Surface was the ability to use it in a variety of customer and sales situations. The only problem (beyond the cost)? It requires a huge table. The interactive features are awesome and make you want to touch and engage. And we've all heard how using more of your senses draws you deeper into an experience. iPad brings all of these benefits in a great and portable package and weighs in at less than 2 lbs. Retail experiences, Real Estate sales people, direct marketing companies, pharmaceutical sales people, Doctors and Nurses, and just about anyone in sales or service that presents information and interacts in 1:1 or 1:few situations with their clients or the public can benefit from this "easy to add to your toolbox" form factor.

An iPhone or Android phone has many of these benefits yet are too small to become immersive or to have two (or a few more) people gather around it. Pointing and touching and dragging and sizing...  A laptop or Tablet PC is okay, yet nowhere near as engaging as an iPad. If you don't believe me, you have not seen an iPad in person.

Will the upcoming devices based on Microsoft's Slate or tablets based on Google's Android operating system provide competition? Sure. For some. Regardless of your like or dislike for Steve Jobs, we need to tip our hats to him and his iPad. He has done it again. I hope that Microsoft and Google-based devices do raise the bar. Competition is a great thing that will benefit all and can accelerate this new platform. In the meantime, I look forward to seeing the many creative uses of the iPad in sales and service.

What creative uses are you seeing? What creative applications do you need? Will you buy the iPad? If not, why not? If so, what drove your decision?

Posted via web from Can't Stop The Music

Microsoft and the Cloud

This report from the Seattle Daily Tech Flash was also reported in TechCrunch today... Given the discussion on life in the clouds here in past blogs and with friends, I found this of note. Microsoft certainly seems to be subscribing to the "better late than never" approach. Google snapped up several document collaboration technologies in the past few months including DocVerse (http://www.docverse.com), announced today, and Etherpad (http://www.etherpad.com), announced in December. Both appear aimed at strengthening Google's online collaboration tools including Google Apps and Google Wave. Microsoft's Office 2010 promises more cloud-based options for Office users. Will the missive from Redmond be enough? 

At this stage of the game Google definitely appears well ahead of Redmond in the innovation and acquisition department. Yet a customer base of approximately 700 million users lets Microsoft be late to the party and still come out strong IF (and this is a big "IF") Office customers see enough value in staying with Microsoft versus the many new options -- many of which are low cost or free. Time will tell...

Email: Ballmer tells Microsoft employees to embrace cloud
By Todd Bishop on Thursday, March 4, 2010, 5:28pm PST

Every once in a while, Microsoft's top executives mark big shifts in technology or corporate strategy with internal memos that serve as a call to arms for employees, and send a signal to the rest of the industry when they inevitably leak out. Probably the most famous was Bill Gates' 1995 Internet Tidal Wave memo (PDF) in which the Microsoft chairman turned the company's attention to the rise of the online world.

This won't rank up there with that one, but Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer today issued an email underscoring the company's cloud-computing strategy, echoing the themes from his speech at the University of Washington earlier today. TechCrunch published the memo earlier today, and we were able to confirm its authenticity and obtain a copy of our own. Continue reading for the full text.

READ FULL ARTICLE

Posted via email from Dave Jaworski

Keep small furry animals inside... Bobcat sighting

These are the kind of neighborhood notices you take seriously… especially when there is photographic evidence. Yikes!

That is one healthy looking Bobcat in our neighborhood!

Posted via email from Dave Jaworski

The Fountain of Youth? Words of wisdom from the people who've lived the longest

I thought about the many workout programs like "Insanity" and other similar programs that are rising in popularity as I read the first answer below. Much food for thought in this book by Dan Buettner... Thanks to Scott Baldwin and Verne Harnisch for bringing it to my attention.

The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who've Lived the Longest 

Dan Buettner's book offers simple advice to living longer and having a higher quality of life.

Question: In your book, you identify the "Power 9": nine habits or behaviors all Blue Zone populations have in common. Could you talk about one or two that the average American takes most for granted?

Dan Buettner: Many Americans exercise too hard. The life expectancy of our species, for 99.9% of human history, was about 30 years. The fact that medicine has pushed life expectancy to age 78 doesn't mean our bodies were designed for three-quarters of a century of pounding. Muscles tear, joints wear out, backs go out. The world's longest-lived people tend to do regular, low intensity physical activity, like walking with friends, gardening and playing with their children. The key is to do something light every day.

I also think the trend toward isolation is a mistake. Drive down any American street at 9:00 pm and you can see the greenish glow of the television or the computer in people's window. We've become an increasingly isolated society. Fifteen years ago, the average American had three good friends. Now it's down to two. We know that isolation shaves good years off of your life. In The Blue Zones, I advocate reconnecting with your religious community and proactively building friendships with the right people.

Question: Is there something about the physical landscape that contributes to an area being a Blue Zone, or can people make their own personal Blue Zones, regardless of where they live?

Dan Buettner: Staying young and living long is mostly a function of your environment... and the good news is that to a great extent, we each have control over that environment. In the Blue Zones around the world, people live in places where walking is the main means of transportation, where the sun shines strong all year long so they get enough vitamin D; where they have established social norms that bring people together in supportive groups or clubs. The Blue Zones book shows you how to take about two hours and set up your home, your social life and your work place to help you get up to 10 more good years out of life (and look younger along the way!).

Question: Are Blue Zones about living longer, or living better?

Dan Buettner: Both. The same things that get you to a healthy 100 get you there better. The Blue Zones offers a completely different way to think about longevity and youth maintenance. If you look at the Power9—the common denominators of the longest-lived people—you see that they tend to put their families first, they belong to a faith-based community and they know their sense of purpose. All of these behaviors are associated with 3-6 years of life (which is better than any diet can promise) and they're good years. In other words, the same Blue Zone tenets that will help you get to a healthy age 90 will help ensure those years are vital and enriching.

Question: If considering all nine habits at once seems overwhelming, what's the first step someone could take toward living a more enriching, longer life?

Dan Buettner: The good news is that the Power9 is an a la carte menu: by no means do you have to do all nine to gain more good years out of life. In fact, do six of them and get about 90% of the benefit. The most important thing you can do is building your own Right Tribe. Which is to say, all of the world's longest-lived people were born into, or consciously chose to associate with, the right people. The Framingham Studies show us that if your three best friends are obese, there's a 50% better chance that you'll be obese. The reverse is true too. If you dine with people who eat healthy food, you're more likely to eat healthy food; if the friends you spend the most time with play a sport, you're more likely to join them. As your mother said, "You're known by the company you keep." You're also likely to resemble them.

(Interview above posted at Amazon.com)

- - - 

No matter what age you are today, at some point you will start to think about your priorities and what will get you to the highest quality of life while we are on earth. I believe in eternity with God through faith in Jesus Christ. At the same time, I believe we are given free will and we can have a higher quality life by making healthy and wise choices. We don't know how long we have. Why not make great choices and make the best of the time we do have?!

There is no magic "Fountain of Youth" in Dan Buettner's book. There is great wisdom. You can order the book here:

The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who've Lived the Longest

You can also read and see more including Dan's talk at TEDxTC from September 2009:

http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/01/26/buettner.long.life/index.html?hpt=C2

Want more? I recommend grabbing a Bible and reading "Ecclesiastes" - the wisdom of Solomon. It inspired a great song by the Byrds. It has inspired many great authors and poets. It, like Dan Buettner's book, may inspire you as well. It holds great wisdom about the journey of life and making the most of it. 

Enjoy!

Posted via email from Dave Jaworski

How an iPad *can* give you multi-tasking and more - iPad's "Killer App"

Want to run mail, calendar, contacts, the web and more at the same time on your iPad? 

One of the issues with the iPad is the lack of multi-tasking. It is limited in the same way that an iPhone or iPod Touch is limited. Many applications simply stop functioning when you switch away from them. In many ways, this opens a wide gaping hole for Google Android-based devices, Windows devices and Linux devices. Yet, before you close the door to the thought of owning an iPad, here is a way to make multi-tasking and more work. And it can work whether you have a desktop/laptop Mac or PC. 

Your Mac or PC already can do multi-tasking. They can also give you access to your files and information on the network where your desktop or laptop lives. Using an iPad to access your desktop or laptop computer, even when you are in a different location, requires a one-time setup, an internet connection and software from a company called "jugaari."

Run Jaadu RDP on the iPad if you are a desktop/laptop Mac user. (http://www.jaadurdp.com/) 

At the time of this writing this application is $24.99 in the App store.

Run Jaadu VNC on the iPad  if you are a desktop/laptop Windows user. (http://www.jaaduvnc.com/)

At the time of this writing this application is $24.99 in the App store.

When you compare Jaadu's products to GoToMyPC or any other applications like this that charge a monthly fee, the one time fee is worth it. I have used both of these applications extensively over a long period of time. I tested their competitors. They are rock solid and work as designed. If you are not technical, you may want to find a technical friend to help you with the setup. Or you can watch the videos at Jaadu's site and reference the linked videos below.

Here are YouTube video demos of each of these:
    Mac users:


    Windows users:


And here is a demo showing how to setup Jaadu VNC to work with your Mac:


Perhaps an iPad is an option after all...

Posted via email from Dave Jaworski

Apple iPad - Now Available? And only $9.99!

Apple's iPad announcement yesterday inspired many and disappointed others (myself included in the latter.) Thinking about what was actually delivered, it became apparent that some of the iPad's limitations could be solved and the "product" could be made available starting today for only $9.99! 

Even as Engadget provided a live blog stream from the event (http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/27/live-from-the-apple-tablet-latest-creation-event/), our engineers went to work. In less than one day they were able to develop the product AND address one of the flaws of the iPad (pixelation of many iPod/iPhone applications when zoomed to double their normal size.)

Photo: CONFIDENTIAL Sneak Peak image from planned TV advertising campaign

Features:

• Screen replacement costs are reduced to the same costs as an iPod or iPhone versus the more expensive (and limited quantity) display on the iPad
• Smooth zooming from normal size to sizes even larger that of the Apple iPad
• Lighter than an iPad
• More portable than an iPad
• So inexpensive you can actually afford to have one at home and at the office (In fact, our marketing team is considering a "Buy one, get one" offer to promote it)
• Fits in a purse or large pocket
• 100% compatible with all iPhone and iPod applications
• No software upgrade required

I could go on, however it would start to sound like we are bragging. The price is so reasonable, you can try it yourself to see if you can come up with more features and benefits. (That's what the comment feature on this blog is for.)

"Operators are standing by. For a limited time, get a free cleaner for your screen - the amazing Sham Wow!" (just kidding) 

Posted via email from Dave Jaworski