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You Might Be A Militia Member If…

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The Missouri Information Analysis Center has put out a report called “The Modern Militia Movement” outlining some possible characteristics of a modern para-military member or a domestic terrorist.

Here’s the FYI:

You might be a militia member/domestic terrorist if… you’re anti-abortion
You might be a militia member/domestic terrorist if… you vote for third party candidates
You might be a militia member/domestic terrorist if… you voted for “a certain Republican member of Congress” (sorry Dr. Paul)
You might be a militia member/domestic terrorist if… you’re a Rush Limbaugh fan (via newsbusters.org) (according to Joy Behar) – ok, this one may not be in the report!

Oh, and heaven forbid you would have a Ron Paul or NRA bumpersticker or a “Don’t Tread On Me” flag!  (read a Glenn Beck transcript on the topic)

Well, I don’t assume these lines will show up on the script of a stand up comic any day soon but the list is still interesting!

Note, I’m sure this list is not exclusive so you may want to check the actual document for more information.

<via Foxnews.com>

Grand Central Resurrects As Google Voice – An Exclusive Review By Timmyjohnboy

As many of you have already heard, Google is finally doing something with Grandcentral. They had acquired it awhile back and the Beta has been closed to new users pretty much ever since. HOWEVER, timmyjohnboy acquired a number before they closed and I love it!

As is Google’s habit when they acquire projects, they’ve redone everything, hopefully for the better (not that I haven’t loved Grandcentral so far)!  Grandcentral went from this:

to this:

As you can see the look has definitely changed to a more “Google” type of look.  As usual, Google Voice has fewer graphics making it look pretty, however they’ve made the usability consistent with other Google services.  Is this a good thing?  If you’re used to using Google then it will be.

Let’s go over some of the features of Grandcentral and how Google Voice has changed them.

Grandcentral as a service promised people one phone number “for life.”  Basically, it gave the ability to obtain a local phone number, and forward calls to it to your other phones (ie. home, cell, work, etc.).  This way, you can give out one number and receive calls wherever you need to.  It also gave people options such as:

1. Voice mail (retrievable by calling your GC number or online),
2. Voice mail listening in (allowing you to listen as someone records a voicemail – creepy?),
3. Call recording (I believe it notifies both ends that recording has begun),
4. Call forwarding to your other numbers (answer a call on your cell that was intended for your wife?  Send it to the home number for her!),
5. Block unwanted callers (send calls to a SPAM voice mail box or block them completely and play the “This number is not in service” message),
6. Ring different phones depending on who’s calling (family can be directed to one number and work contacts can be forwarded to another, etc. – you can even use different greetings according to the person calling!),
7. Webcall Button (visitors can call you directly from your blog or website, the enter their number and Grand central would ring their phone and then connect them to you)
8. Switch calls to different phones depending on the time of day, as in after work hours, etc. (this feature was fairly limited to the times Grandcentral offered.  I’m hoping Google gives us more flexibility)

Wow!  Now that’s a lot of feaures!  The one’s I like to use are voice mail, and ring multiple phones.  I’m also using the webcall widget (check out my contact page).

As you know, Google has reworked Grandcentral into what they are calling Google Voice.  They’ve kept most of the features and have added a few of their own, including:

1. Conference calling – check out the video:
   
2. SMS – send, receive, or store text messages – check out the video:
3. Voice mail transcriptions – check out the video:

I’m sure there are more features to come and they’re working on imporving the features they already offer (for instance, the transcription service isn’t word-perfect but they are working on improvements).

Head over to Google Voice’s website and get an invite when they open back up (I think in a matter of weeks, they say).

One more thing… I want to put the transcription service to the test!  When someone calls and leaves a message for me in my Google Voice mail box, they automatically transcribe it for me (this option can be turned off).  Either head over to my contact page or use the widget I posted below and drop me a line!  I want to see if the transcription is fairly accurate.  If you are going to call, and if you want to be part of  this test, follow these guidelines:

1. Leave your first name
2. Let me know that I have your permission to post the voice clip and transcription on this blog
3. No profanity or offensive speech (I’m the sole judge) or I won’t post it
4. Tell me I am cool! (ok, this one isn’t mandatory, but I’ll be your friend!)

Thanks a bunch!

OK, here goes!  Thank you to the following readers willing to help me test Google Voice’s voice mail transcription service.  Check out the following:

• Brett:  “hey dan john button it’s your buddy brat i’m trying to go if alright johnson and i’m looking forward to whenthey go public alright thanks hope this helps” – They’ll get better, I’m sure!  Thanks Brett, nice to hear from you!
• Jessica: “hey guys it’s jessica i just wanna let you know that my sister’s just drop me off at the church but i will need a ride home so i hope you get this i’ll talk to you later bye” – Wow!  I think it only missed one word!
• Jim: “hey this is bernard test my name is jim and i know you want us to transcription service and i want to test it too thanks for taking the time to see you later” – Not the worst one so far but better than Brett’s (sorry brett)!  Nice to hear from you JIM and thanks for helping me test!

Anyone else willing to help me test Google Voice?  Use the “Call Me” widget above!

Firefox Friday – See How Websites Perform With SearchStatus Firefox Extension

Welcome to yet another Firefox Friday!

Fridays are great all on their own BUT they’re even greater with Firefox Friday!

OK, today I’m going to share yet another add-on or extension for Firefox that I hope will prove to be very useful: SearchStatus Firefox Extension.  This extension provides several rankings for any site you visit, inluding but not limited to Google PageRank and Alexa Ranking.  It places them conveniently in the bottom status bar of your Firefox browser.

Why would someone care about a site’s rankings?

Well, if a site is ranking high, it may indicate authority, meaning it may be relied on greatly by many people.  For instance, Yahoo.com’s Google PageRank is 9/10 and their Alexa Rating is 2 (second to Google.com, I believe).  This may be an indication of reliability and quality of information, etc.

Rankings are also important to advertisers which means that marketers need to keep a close eye on their sites’ (and those of their customers) ratings.

Rankings are also just fun to watch!  With this plugin/add-on/extension, you can check out the rankings of all your favorite sites!

Here’s what it looks like on the status bar:

A right click on the “q” icon will bring you a menu:

As you can see, you have quick and easy to all kinds of information on the site you are visiting, including:

1. Whois (owner info)
2. robots.txt (a file crawlers use)
3. sitemap.xml (the sitemap that crawlers generally use)
4. and much more!

Explore all of the options and see how the SearchStatus Firefox Extension can help you!

Come on back next Friday and we’ll have another Firefox Friday together!

Announcement: You Can Now Be Notified of Followup Comments Via Email!

As of today…

You can now opt to receive notification of followup comments via your email box!

What does this mean?  Well, if you post a comment on a post here on Timmyjohnboy.com, you can check the box below the comment area labeled “Notify me of followup comments via e-mail” and every time someone comments after you on that post, you’ll be notified in your email.

This is cool because if you stop by and post a comment or a question, you don’t have to keep returning to the post to see if someone has replied or answered you.  Your email will notify you!

Also, if you get sick of updates from a specific post, you can always cancel the subscription to comments on that post.

Keep the convo going and subscribe to comments!

Onsite Versus Offsite Backup Solutions… What To Do?

As some of you know,

I’ve been looking and asking around about backup solutions. As we know, there are basically two options: On-site backup solutions AND off-site backup solutions. Let me expound a bit.

First, you have the option to keep a backup on-site or in the same location as your computer. For example, you may have either an extra hard drive (or even computer containing an extra hard drive) that you use to keep a backup of all of your important data. This is an ON-SITE or local backup.

Secondly, you may opt for an off-site backup solution. You have several options here, two of which are physically backing up to an external hard drive and keeping it in another location OR you can use one of several online backup utilities and companies to keep a backup remotely “in the cloud” so to speak. Any backup that you keep anywhere other than at the same location is an OFF-SITE backup.

In my search for the best solution for my situation (which may not be the best solution for you), I’ve come to recognize that there are negatives and positives associated with both ON-SITE and OFF-SITE backup solutions.

ON-SITE:

Positives: If your backup is on-site, you have convenience. If you need to restore some lost or deleted files, you have everything you need right there. You also have control of your data. You are the one who makes sure everything is backed up properly and you pick the safe place to keep it. You take the needed steps to keep the data from being destroyed or lost.

Negatives: With on-site backup, if disaster strikes everything may be lost including the backup. For instance, if the building burns down, heaven forbid, all of your data, including the backup, may just burn with it. Not good. Also, the responsibility to do backups is on your shoulders. There is no “set it up and forget it” with this option. You must back the data up often enough and you must make sure that data stays safe.

OFF-SITE:

Positives: If disaster strikes, you have a backup somewhere else, out of the way of destruction. Also, in the case of theft of hardware (say, your laptop is stolen), you still have a copy of important data somewhere else. These positives apply to both the online remote backup solutions AND the physical hard drive you may be keeping somewhere else.

As far as the remote online solution goes, depending on the service, you usually have the “set it up and forget about it” feel. You should still keep an eye on how it’s going and the files being backed up, but for the most part the weight is taken off your shoulders. You don’t have to keep track of a physical hard drive and they usually run in the background so your work in not distracted from.

Negatives: If you are physically keeping a hard drive some place, it is quite a hassle keeping track of it and trying to backup everything often enough. And unless you have several drives, that drive can fail and leave you in danger.

The remote online services out there have some issues too. For one, they don’t do a full system backup or clone of your hard drive which can leave you with quite a bit of work if you ever do have to recover from something gone wrong (note, this may not be as much of an issue for everyone). Also, there is the idea that you are trusting someone else with you data. Some of your data can be confidential and a breach of confidentiality can be a real issue if something goes wrong. You do not have control over how safe their backups are from failure. There have been cases of failure and data loss: “Online Backup Company Carbonite Loses Customers’ Data, Blames And Sues Suppliers (Updated)”

CONCLUSION:

Your circumstances will dictate what solution you go with. Be mindful of the positives and negatives and remember that you can problem solve some of the negatives to find a solution perfect for your needs.

As for my search for a workable solution (I have a large photo/video/music collection currently being kept on an external HD for portability and not much else on my laptop other than the programs I use – I can keep installation files somewhere in case I need to do a restore at some point), I think I’ll end up using a combination of the above choices. Since my laptop doesn’t have too much critical data or unrecoverable programs, I’ll probable use an open source version Norton Ghost (a program that makes a clone or exact copy of the whole drive) and keep a local copy for the ease of recovery and I’ll use a remote service to keep an extra copy of my photos and such (I may keep another copy of these on an external drive for extra protection).

Do whatever you need to in order to keep your data safe!

What do you do to keep your data safe? What situation caused you to go with that solution? What suggestions do you have for my situation?

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One Way Obama Seeks To Take A Break From Controversy: Visit With Jay Leno

Last night Jay Leno had a very special guest on his show:  Barack Obama!  Whether you like the man or not, or whether you voted for him or not, the interview apparently was an interesting one!  I won’t go into the details because you can hit up the news or YouTube for that.  I just want your oppinion!

He said some interesting things during the interview, one of which was a joke concerning the Special Olympics where he compares it with his bowling game.  Now, as careless as the remark could have been, he arguably did not mean any disrespect towards people with disabilities OR the Special Olympics, if you give him the benefit of the doubt.  However, as the President of the United States, he MUST know the power of his words.  AND he must know the prestige, power, and importance of the office which he holds.

I have several questions concerning this interview:

1. Do you think the President has any business on a late night talk show?
2. Do you think the effects of the interview will be positive or negative?
3. Do you think there could have been a better way to garnish support for any of his policies or plans?
4. Do you think the President should be held to a higher standard for the things he says than the average American?

Let me know in the comments!

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FireFox Friday – Watch the Weather With The Weather Watcher Live Firefox Extension

TGIF!  Friday once again brings shrieks of elation and jumps for joy as work and school once again come to an end for the weekend AND FireFox Friday here at Timmyjohnboy.com!

OK, depending on your point of view, one of the above is worth more than the others, but stick around and hear about yet another FireFox Add-on I’ve tried out and found worthy of sharing!

The other day, while checking my Google Alert feed on the term “FireFox”, I came across this wonderfully unobtrusive weather add-on for FireFox.  It’s called Weather Watcher Live Firefox Extension (they also make a desktop version but because I enjoy the ability to travel with Firefox Portable on my travel drive, I like the portability and the ease of use of the Firefox extension).

Here’s the down low!  The page I came across was on Singer’s Creations’ blog on a post announcing the first release of the plugin (which means there may be some bugs along the way, which I haven’t come across yet).  It retrieves weather conditions from WeatherBug weather stations and displays the information as nifty little icons at the bottom right of the browser window (one of the icons brings you to a doplar radar display).

Hovering your mouse pointer over the icons brings up the weather details for the particular day.

Explore the options menu (with a right click of any one of the icons) and see what settings can be changed and change the display options.

Now, downloading and installing this plugin, as easy as it was, was not as automatic as many Firefox add-ons.  Visit Singer’s Creations’ announcement in their forums to find the download link.

You’ll find the link a little ways down the page (here’s a screen shot to help you recognize it):

Notice that it has the file extenxion XPI.  Save the file someplace, browse to the downloaded location, and drag and drop the file into and open Firefox window.  That should begin the installation process for you!  Easy and homemade peach cobbler!  Now, to get the current weather conditions AND forecast, all you have to do is glance and hover!  Now, isn’t Firefox the niftiest browser you’ve ever used?

Join us next Friday to kick off yet another weekend (TGIF!) with another FireFox Friday!

FireFox Friday – Browse Safer With WOT FireFox Add-on

Today, it being Firefox Friday and all, I want to share with you another FireFox add-on I’ve started using called “Web Of Trust” or WOT.

I don’t remember how I came across the WOT add-on, but it was probably the Google alert I set up in Google reader to alert me via RSS whenever “Firefox” shows up somewhere on the internet.  However, since I found it, I’ve fallen in love with the idea.

Basically, WOT offers website ratings to give you an idea of how trustworthy the site is before you visit it.  It rates according to the following categories: trustworthiness, vendor reliability, privacy, and child safety.  Their primary source of the ratings is from other users rating sites, however they also use other “carefully chosen” trusted sources such as PhishTank to help protect users from new, rapidly spreading threats.

Here’s a demonstration video showing how it works:

I encourage you to check out the WOT About Us page to get a better understanding of what WOT is all about, and then download the WOT add-on for Firefox and use it!

Once you have the add-on installed, learn how to rate sites and help out the system!

Common back next Friday for Firefox Friday!

Common Craft – “Making Complex Ideas Easy To Understand”

As you have probably noticed, while attempting to explain some difficult ideas and processes on this blog, I’ve turned to some YouTube videos created by a small company called Common Craft to help.  Today I just want to introduce you to the company, and the online video show it produces, and share some of their videos that I’ve found particularly interesting.

According to the “About Us” page on the site, the company is only made up of a husband and wife team; they seem to like it that way.  What they do is take complex and difficult to explain ideas and they make them easy to understand and digest.  I’d say that they do it in such a way that is interesting and even captivating.  They use a process they call “Paperworks” which uses paper and a whiteboard.  Check out the “Our Work” page for their explanation of their business and how they make money doing what they do (they have a store with downloads, presentation-quality videos, and commercial licenses).

Here’s a video showing how they put together a Common Craft video shoot:

And here are a few more presentations I’ve found interesting:

• Blogs In Plain English
  

• RSS In Plain English
  

• Computer Hardware In Plain English
  

So there you have it!  This company does a great job of making learning about something new really fun!  Check them out next time you need something simplified; they may have already covered it for you!

Tapeworm Quiz – What Are Your Chances?

OK, today I found a very interesting site.  You have the RARE opportunity to find out what YOUR chances are of getting a tapeworm.  You can then get a badge to post displaying your chances.  Be careful, the number may not be something for you to be proud of, depending on the results!  For your viewing pleasure, here’s my number:

OK, I know the quiz is a bit bizzare, but I couldn’t resist.  What’s your score?