Jul 16, 2008 | 10:23 AM
Category:
News
Who am I kidding, right? I can't stop blogging, even though I'm moving out of town!
So I heard about a phone company that wants to playback 5 to 10-second advertising messages over your cell phone before you place any calls. They are hoping this service will in turn make cell phone calls free. It's an untapped area of advertising, yet has millions of alert ears. Mobile phones these days are more like handheld computers and consumers
spend as much as eight to 10 hours a day talking, texting and using the
Web on these devices, advertising becomes a viable form of subsidy.
Please vote in the poll and leave comments below.
Jul 11, 2008 | 9:14 AM
Category:
News
This
will be my last blog and the hardest one to write, because I have
announced my resignation as Senior Web Producer for FOX 2. I've spent
nine years at the station, dating back to 1999 when we launched
fox2ktvi.com. The last two years have been the most rewarding. I've
enjoyed sharing my life with you. You were all strangers before
September 14, 2006 when myFOXstl.com launched, and some of you have
become the best of friends--or the worst of enemies. No matter how you
look at it though, it's truly been remarkable to see the family created
here. It's impossible to say goodbye to each and every one of you, so
I hope this blog will suffice since I am not only leaving FOX 2, but
leaving the St. Louis area.
An incredible opportunity awaits me in Washington, DC where I will become a department head for
WUSA 9.
My position will be Digital Development Director. The station is a
legend there, and it serves 5.3 million people making it the 9th
largest TV market in the country. The station is building an online
community similar to what has been established here, and I will manage
several teams that will grow that community in addition to operating
many other websites created by the station.
My last day at FOX 2 will be Friday, July 25th.
Most
importantly in this whole life and career change, I will finally be
with Lindsey, who will be making the move with me. She is a morning
show anchor in southern Illinois and is eager to advance her career in
a larger market. We've spent 5 years living long distance, and we are
excited to grow together in the same city.
You will all be missed so dearly!
Ms_Vera,
JillSTL,
AngelaHutti and
MaryMo
are outstanding web producers who will continue to grow FOX 2 online.
With new TV station ownership, a re-launch of the moms site and more
development in the coming months, they are fully prepared to keep the
site full of great content and interactivity.
You are the largest online blogging community FOX has in the country! Be proud!
POB
Jul 5, 2008 | 8:59 PM
Category:
Music
Every now and then I come across a product that just captivates me. That last time this happened was the
Camelbak water bottle, and you can read my review on the link. I don't do reviews often, but when I really feel good about something--and it changes my way of thinking--I have to spread the word.
I have been an audio and music geek my whole life. I played trumpet and piano in middle and high school, even minoring in Music Composition in college. I graduated with a degree in Audio Production and have always made sound an integral part of my life. Why does all this matter? Because I finally found a set of headphones that in my opinion are comparable to the professional quality I've heard in studios!
I've NEVER EVER EVER been a fan of ear buds. I have gone through a lot of headphones in my life so far (mostly thanks to the cat chewing the cords to shreds), but none of them have ever been ear buds. My theory was that going straight to the ear canal was not natural, since the outer part of the ear is as much a part of the listening experience as the ear drum itself. The way sound reflects off your outer ear and gathers inside was a natural design that could never be replicated in any technology. In the past, I've purchased headphones over $300 that do their best at replicating--truly professional audio engineer quality--and always thought ear buds could not give that natural sound since it skipped the outer ear.
I've changed my mind. The
JBL Reference 220 ear buds are nothing short of phenomenal. My nickname for JBL has always been "Just Big & Loud" and these definitely fit the bill.
So many people have ear buds now thanks to iPods, and I felt like I've been missing out having the big bulky headphones all the time. Even when running, I wore the sporty Nike ones that set behind the ear.
They fit nicely inside the ear, they isolate any sounds around me, and the audio quality is superb, EVEN THE BASS (which has notoriously been bad for ear buds).
The specs on these JBLs say 20Hz – 20kHz for frequency response, which means it covers the low end of the bass. Normally I see ear buds that stop at 60Hz, but these go deeper and are much more powerful. And you don't lose the highs with these. The mid-range is nice as well. I can definitely hear the difference between MP3 quality and ripped-from-CD WAV quality.
As a bonus, these buds come with a case and all different sizes of buds (for different ear sizes), and has over the ear clips and even a behind-the-head attachment.
I suggest doing a Google search for "JBL Reference 220" and do your own shopping there instead of buying them at a local store. After I bought them, I realized I paid twice as much in store as they were online, but now that I have them, I can't give them up.
Jul 5, 2008 | 8:22 PM
Category:
Traffic
It's been over a month now since the Missouri Department of Transportation turned on this experiment along I-270. MoDOT is claiming this will keep traffic flowing smoothly on the state's busiest highway. They also said that reducing the speed limit during peak times will reduce the
stop-and-go traffic that can increase travel times and the likelihood
of accidents.
Sooooo, how has it been so far?
Jul 3, 2008 | 11:32 PM
Category:
News
There were 8,002,530 downloads of Firefox 3 back on June 18th, and I was one of them! Mozilla has announced that they’ve officially been added to the Guinness World Records for most downloads in a 24-hour period.
So, do I get an official certificate? Should I add this into the "OTHER" category on my resume? I don't know how to effectively add my new accomplishment to my personal history book!
If you haven't tried Firefox--the best web browser EVER--download it for free
HERE.
Jul 3, 2008 | 1:17 PM
Category:
Entertainment
What more is there to say?
Jun 30, 2008 | 9:54 PM
Category:
Music
Tired of being tied to your Xbox, just to play Guitar Hero?
Now there's a Guitar Hero mini-game widget that you can embed in your own blog or web page.
The widget, played with the keyboard, contains three different songs: "Cult
of Personality" by Living Colour, "School's Out" by Alice Cooper, and "Metal
Heavy Lady" by Lions. Each is set at only one difficulty level: Easy, Medium,
and Hard, respectively.
Just use the 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 keys as frets and the Enter button to strum. Fun!
Jun 30, 2008 | 3:36 PM
Category:
Entertainment
The world's biggest discount retailer is
changing its famous logo and how the company spells its name. Wal-Mart will now be Walmart (no hyphen). And the star is going away too and will be replaced by a starburst.
The Wall Street Journal obtained a mockup of the new logo which is to be unveiled next week. But here's a preview, thanks to our friends at
myFOXPhilly.com:
Jun 27, 2008 | 10:49 AM
Category:
Entertainment
My personal trainer is friends with some bouncers at a few nightclubs here in St. Louis. In the middle of my workout this morning, he tells me that ladies purses are now being checked as they enter the bar--for a can of green beans and a tube sock.
It's a form of self-defense where they assemble the two once in the bar by dropping the can into the sock, then when they feel threatened, they whip it out , swing it around like a lasso and whack the guy giving them a hard time.
Just imagining this in the bar made me laugh hysterically (especially when trying to lift heavy weights), but after some thought, I wanted to bring this up to the bloggers and get your thoughts on it.
What happened to the days of mace? Is it the economy that's causing us to come up with "cheaper" ways of self-defense? Some ladies must have performed this ninja magic enough times so bars are finally making it their policy to prevent it.
Jun 25, 2008 | 10:29 AM
Category:
News
Nothing can explain just how awesome this idea is. I only wish it would be closer, like Vegas. There are plans for the world's first revolving tower, which will be located in Dubai.
According to
Building.co.uk, the
80-story tower would offer residents an ever-shifting view of the Persian Gulf
as the floors spin round a central core. A few superior
penthouses would be fitted with voice activation technology, allowing
inhabitants to control movement. Other floors would be choreographed to
create a constantly-changing silhouette. And the whole building is powered by wind turbines installed between every floor.
Other awesome images:
Jun 19, 2008 | 12:25 PM
Category:
Entertainment
I fail at this. Maybe I need a flat surface. Seems so simple. I may just leave the clothes in the hamper and pull them out as needed. Who knows. Best of luck to anyone who succeeds in quick folding.
Jun 18, 2008 | 3:55 PM
Category:
Entertainment
How many five year olds could you take in a fight? Seriously, that's the name of the website:
http://www.howmanyfiveyearoldscouldyoutakeinafight.com
While flying to Dallas a couple weeks ago, I was reading over the shoulder of the guy next to me, and this web site appeared in the
Southwest Airlines magazine. You should be proud of me by the way--I had nothing to write on, and had to remember this exhaustively long domain name until the plane landed and I could email myself the name.
So I had time to ponder what this site could be about. Such a long website name, and it sounded instantly in poor taste. And after viewing the site, it still leaves a bad impression. Are the creators trying to be funny? I filled out their form to see just how many I could take in a fight, and after a quick (and slightly funny questionnaire), my results showed I could take 15 in a fight.
But now what do I do with that knowledge? Concerned, yet don't really care.
Jun 16, 2008 | 6:17 PM
Category:
News
This is a follow-up blog to my
original post about Google's Street View application. I've noticed now that parts of the St. Louis area are part of the feature where you can explore cityscapes, landmarks, points of interest from a street perspective. Find shops, restaurants, parks, hotels and more.
Here's Google's snapshot of the famous Mom's Deli at Jamieson near Landsdowne in the city.
Click here for St. Louis' Street View.Happy browsing!
May 30, 2008 | 1:38 PM
Category:
Entertainment
ChaCha.com's TXT service is amazing!
Our 6:00pm news producer Alicia Bumpus introduced me to Cha Cha today. Sounds so silly, but it's one of the best FREE applications for TXT I've seen. All you do is TXT 242 242 with your question, and within 3 minutes you get an answer. It can be about anything! I tested it's knowledge today with these three questions:
My Question: What are the primary colors?
ChaCha's Answer: Red, green, and blue are the primary colors.
My Question: How many Facebook accounts are there?
ChaCha's Answer: Several million
My Question: How many episodes of Family Guy are there?
ChaCha's Answer: I'm finding 110 episodes of Family Guy.
Cool! I haven't asked quirky things like "How deep is your love?" or "How do you throw away a trash can?" or what's Klingon for "Where's your bathroom?" but if I get bored, I may.
Have you tried it? Are you trying it now? Have I piqued your interest?
May 20, 2008 | 3:32 PM
Category:
Sports
Yahoo! Sports NFL Columnist Mike Silver has reported that the St. Louis Rams may be on the market for a new owner and a new home. Silver reports that former San Francisco 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo may be eyeing the Rams with the possibility of moving them to Los Angeles.
However,
the Associated Press is reporting that Rams co-owner Chip Rosenbloom is
refuting the idea that the team will be sold and moved back to Southern California.
Georgia Frontiere moved the Rams from Los Angeles to St. Louis in 1995. Frontiere died in January. The team is now owned by her children, Chip Rosenbloom and Lucia Rodriguez.
In a written statement,
Rosenbloom says the owners have been approached about a possible sale.
But he says he and his sister "have every intention of keeping the Rams
in St. Louis."
What do you think about all this?
