Archive for February 2010

Image by erjkprunczyk via Flickr

I can remember being big on the Olympics back to 1976 watching gymnastics and pretending to be one of the Romanian gymnasts with a friend of mine. We even made our own banners with the country on it. Then when I went to basketball camp in 1984, I went to the TV room to catch whatever I could. Well, to my surprise, my younger two kids took an interest in the 2010 Winter Olympic Games and I let them watch it even when TV watching time was over. I think I finally understand Curling.

What are your favorite Olympic stories or memories?

Brain food…

• New Tools for a New Writing World: Lists some free and low cost classes for freelance writers.
• I’ve Got Rhythm, I’ve Got Writing, I’ve Got My Work, Who Could Ask for Anything More? Great title and greater post.
• 9 Best Websites for Designing Your Logos Online for Free: But really… no substitute for professional design.
• On word counts and interesting books: Of course, word count isn’t a priority in writing a story… but it helps in goal setting and when working with a publisher.
• 11 Ways to Get People Addicted to Your Blog: [Subliminal message: You like it here. You will visit here daily. You will tell others about it. You will smile now.] [Link: Simon]

And for fun because we’re allowed…

• Top 10 Worst Figure Skating Costumes: Heh… I was thinking the same about the ones mentioned from Vancouver 2010.
• 15 Funny and Creative 404 Pages: More goodness.
• 12 Coolest Sheets and Blankets = Good times in bed.
• 10 Unusual Clocks.

Google has already apologized for some of the problems with Google Buzz. One of those being Buzz automatically followed some users, a big no-no. The company may have said it was limited to people you emailed frequently, but that wasn’t the case for most of us.

Aside from that, Buzz has mixed reviews and a long list of things that need changing. I’ve listened. I’ve participated. I’ve complained. Yet, Buzz still has my attention. Like an infant, it has cute moments and messy ones. It still needs nourishing before determining what it will be when it grows up.

Using Buzz

Because I always have Gmail open, the growing number of new Buzz is distracting as it grows much faster than email even in spite of my being very selective about who I follow. I’m organized when it comes to my email and maintain inbox zero. It’s easy to see why the new Buzz messages annoy and frustrate people especially when the number climbed to 100.

It took a week to get used to that in the same way I let my newsletters and alerts labels sit with over 100 new messages. Those two labels have hundreds of new messages because those messages are “as needed” messages. So I applied the concept to Buzz and the annoyance factor dropped. Or I click “Buzz” and the number starts over.

Although some folks said they turned off Buzz soon after trying it out, I haven’t written it off because it’s new and evolving. First, I want to understand it better and figure out how to use it efficiently should it find its way. Twitter wasn’t a smash hit in the beginning. Neither were blogs. Facebook was limited to college students. Second, I’m stricter about the people I follow in Buzz than I am in Twitter. If I find someone I follow is Buzzing a lot of useless content, then I stop following without regret.

I haven’t decided if it’s a good idea to funnel my tweets into Buzz. I don’t blog daily, so tweets keep me out there. I’ve created new Buzz a couple of times and comment on Buzzworthy items. I haven’t tried using Buzz for any articles I write.

One-way Interaction

Buzz can import your blog entries, tweets and other content. However, if you reply to any of these, they stay right in Buzz. Well, when I see a tweet from Twitter in Buzz, I go in Twitter and reply there instead of within Buzz. Google lost an opportunity here. What if Google adds a checkbox that asks if I want the reply to go to the original source. Hence, if the source is from Twitter, the reply shows up in Twitter.

Google likely did it this way on purpose to keep people in Buzz. But some will go around it like I did. I hardly think I’m the only one to think of this.

Yes, Facebook lets you import the same information and keeps replies right inside Facebook. I just expect more from Google because many of Facebook’s users don’t use other social media applications.

Twitter Fail Whale = Buzzportunity

Recently, Twitter experienced serious fail whaling. People asked if Twitter was failing in Facebook and Google Buzz. Buzz was a better place to find out than Facebook. Again, so many people in Facebook don’t touch Twitter or any other social media. Those of us in conversation mode buzzed about other things knowing Twitter whaled out.

Multi-communication Integration

I don’t think Google, Facebook and Microsoft are onto anything in combining status/buzz with email. (Facebook is trying to build up email to become a powerhouse like Gmail.) When I want Twitter updates, I go receive them and nothing else. Not email. Not trivia. Not games. Nothing. Just short status updates and direct messages (DM). Of course, I could be wrong about this.

Buzz integration with email doesn’t work for many. It creates more noise and people haven’t come to the point where they want multi-communication opportunities thrown at them. They would rather have a choice, but a choice that goes beyond turning off Buzz. Perhaps, a way  to access Buzz outside of Gmail.

I remember when Newsgator would deliver feeds as Outlook email. I never liked that idea. When I tried it briefly, it overwhelmed me more than Buzz because it took more effort to delete those messages.

Social Media Expert: Is There Such a Thing?

Buzz demonstrates exactly why no one can be an expert in social media. Social media evolves and fast. New things pop up. You can’t become an expert on what works and doesn’t work as soon as it comes out. You have to see how people respond to it as they learn their way around.

Nonetheless, Google has accomplished one thing for itself — Buzz keeps people in Gmail longer as several have admitted this.

What do you think lies ahead for Google Buzz and unborn social media?

Related articles

• 10 Things You Should Know About Google Buzz (eweek.com)
• 30+ Google Buzz How Tos, Tools and other Resources (SEOptimize.com)
• Google Buzz No Facebook , No Twitter Killer, Google Exec Says (eweek.com)

Congratulations to George Angus for winning Laura Cross’ book tour contest! Y’all can still win a book from Elisa Lorello. Interesting that it’s President’s Day week. My 5th grade son has to do a report on Gerald Ford.

Brain food!

• Wordnik: Make word lists, comment on and tag words, record pronunciations, etc. [Link: Michael C. Cordell]
• Value of School Visits: Enjoyed reading this author’s story about visiting schools. This is one reason why I wish I’ve authored a children’s book. I think it’d make the visit more entertaining for the kids when I speak to them about people with differences. Several school visits have made a big difference in how the kids view people who sound different from them. Apparently, after I spoke to my son’s first grade class, they treated him like a king. That’s why I do it. For my kids. To avoid the second grade incident with my daughter.
• Why Google Buzz Is Brilliant and Deadly to Social Media 1.0: Incredible insight I had not considered.
• How to Write Effectively for Twitter and the Social Web: Collection of resources sorted by categories.
• The BS Litmus Test: My first priority is to always keep my current clients happy because really — the easiest and best clients are the ones you already have. I’ve already weeded out the ones where I didn’t enjoy the work. It’s also easier to keep the current clients than go looking for new ones that may not be a good match. I know what my current clients like and don’t like. It takes time to figure that out with every new client.

And for fun because we’re allowed…

• 100 Cupcakes Game: Guess what game each cupcake represents. Brilliant. And great artistry.
• Slightly off-color joke: An author passes a bookstore…
• 20 Funny Examples of Graffiti and 10 Funny Pie Charts [Links: Jason Pollock]
• 12 Most Controversial Video Games: These are NOT the kind of games I cover.
• A Brief History of Pretty Much Everything: Hope they recycled all that paper.
• How Those Famous Websites Have Evolved Throughout the Years: I found Amazon in 1995, I believe (when it was just a bookstore). The screen shot is definitely not the oldest. [Link: bkmacdaddy]

Diner Dash 5: Boom Collector’s Edition blows up today, that is, it’s available for downloading for club members. Diner Dash’s Flo’s Diner is smashed to bits. Flo needs cash to renovate her restaurant within a week or deal with some serious repercussions. So help Flo seat, serve and save the day in the time management game that involves dealing with weird weather conditions in outdoor settings. You can also build a unique diner with 1000 combinations.

Can you believe Flo first captured customers’ stomachs five years ago? “Since the debut of the franchise in 2004, the Diner Dash series has been downloaded more than 550 million times,” says PlayFirst.

Diner Dash 5: Boom Collector’s Edition includes:

• Five advanced levels of exclusive game play.
• Strategy guide and walk-through to reach expert level.
• Behind-the-scenes concept art book.
• Animated screen saver and wallpapers.
• “Flo Over Time” historical retrospective.

Not much information about the game is out there yet as people could not download it until today.

Kenny Shea Dinkin, PlayFirst’s Chief Creative Officer, says the company wanted to ensure the latest edition remains fresh and innovative without feeling like “the same ol’.” So what does PlayFirst do? Blow up the dinner and give players 50 levels of outdoor dining around DinerTown’s neighborhoods. Since her debut five years ago, Flo has found her way on iPhones, Xbox Live Arcade, Nintendeo DS, PlayStation Network and WiiWare. Wowii! Here are some of the Diner Dash games available on Amazon.

If you’d rather save the dough, a standard $6.99 version will come along later.

Mac fans! A Diner Dash 5: Boom Collector’s Edition Mac edition is available.

Download Diner Dash 5: Boom Collector’s Edition for Windows or Diner Dash 5: Boom Collector’s Edition for Mac

FYI: Big Fish Game Club is a monthly membership that lets you get the daily deal game for $2.99, credit every month to redeem for most games on the site and play “Tomorrow’s Game” today. The club costs $6.99 on a monthly basis and you can cancel membership anytime. I had no trouble canceling membership.

Howdy, all! Thanks for sticking with me. I know I have not reviewed a game in a while — for a good reason. I’ve had eye pain that interferes with playing games on top of the regular work I do on the computer all day, every day. So for now, I’m bringing you updates and what I think are good games. Does that work for you?

Social Gaming Survey

PopCap Games shares the results of a social gaming survey [pdf file]. I admit I used to be hooked on Facebook’s Bejeweled Blitz, but finally kicked the habit. It’s a great game to play when you need a stress break or can’t think. That is the only social game that has sucked me in. I avoid discovering new ones as I do not have time for this stuff! It’s easier with downloadable PC games because you generally have a start and finish.

The survey says that a population of about 100 million in the U.S. and U.K. play games on social media sites like Facebook and MySpace. And the cool news? The average social gamer is a 43-year old woman. That’s good news for PopCap Games because it’s the company behind the addiction of many of my friends: Facebook Bejeweled Blitz.

New Releases from Big Fish Games

Black Circle: A Carol Reed Mystery: Summer arrives and a neighbor asks English private detective Carol Reed to look into the discovery of a dead body that mysteriously disappears. In this hidden object game, Carol interviews suspects and helpful residents to get to the bottom of this stranger’s death. What starts as a routine investigation quickly becomes something more as Carol uncovers broken alliances and a cult long thought to be inactive.

Aveyond: The Lost Orb: Continuation of the popular Aveyond adventure game series. Mel’s wedding day isn’t going according to plan. Her worst enemy stole her man, and a mysterious ghost appears to tell Mel that her evil ancestor, Mordred Darkthrop, has passed down his most precious possession to her: a magical orb with the power of death. Wanting nothing to do with her wicked ancestor, Mel must now seek out the orb and destroy it, before someone else with the power to use it discovers its location.

Ancient Rome: In this time management game, you help grow the ancient Roman Empire by setting up cities and providing valuable resources throughout the land. Produce goods, construct new buildings and attract new workers as you expand the reach of the Roman Empire, a fast-paced strategy game. Meet your goals and accept valuable rewards from the emperor to set up your own piece of land and carve your name into the annals of history.

Awakening: The Dreamless Castle: After awakening in a mysterious castle it’s up to you to collect clues and valuable items needed to solve perplexing puzzles and escape. Listen to the fairy as she guides you towards the exit. The game comes with minigames and lock puzzles that lead you to the next room in the castle. In this hidden object game, you search for the next hint and discover a young Princess’ destiny.

Play anything good lately?

Welcome to meryl’s notes blog (this here place you’re lookin’ at) in Plano, Texas. We’re honored to be a stop in Elisa Lorello’s WOW! Women On Writing Blog tour. We’re giving away a copy of her book Ordinary World. Read on to see how you can win.

About Elisa Lorello: She grew up on Long Island, NY as the baby to six older siblings. Growing up during the ’80s, Elisa covered her walls with Duran Duran posters and used lots of hairspray. She explored many passions, including drawing, tennis, and music, but in her early 20’s, exercised her gossiping skills while working as a manicurist. She now lives in North Carolina where she teaches academic writing at North Carolina State. In 2004, Elisa began her first novel, Faking It. Since then, Elisa has written a sequel, Ordinary World, and is currently co-writing a third novel with friend and former student, S.R. Paquette. That is, when she can tear herself away from her favorite form of entertainment–Facebook.

From Faking It to Ordinary World: The evolution of a character by Elisa Lorello

Andi Cutrone was conceived back in 1999 after I watched a brand new show that was taking popular culture by storm called Sex and the City. I had written an essay about how I envied Carrie and company for their boldness to talk about subjects that had been so taboo when I was growing up. A what-if had entered my mind: What if there was a woman who was so inhibited about sex that she needed someone to teach her the things she never learned and was too afraid to ask? And what if the person to teach her was a male escort?

It wasn’t until five years later that I actually did something about this what-if. Its original title was “The Escort”; three quarters into the first draft, I changed the name to Faking It. Because I didn’t believe myself to be a fiction writer (which is why it took me so long to start, but the idea just wouldn’t go away), I figured nothing was ever going to come of this project — no one would ever see it, and I would continue my academic career without a hitch.

So I relied on what I knew. Fresh out of my masters program, it seemed natural that Andi would be a rising star in rhetoric and writing studies, and my idealism came shining through. (It wasn’t until I was well into the novel that I saw the happy accident of this decision.)

Andi Cutrone resembled me in other ways — short, native Long Islander, Italian-American background, Gen-Xer. We liked the same foods and the same music. We both lived in southeastern Massachusetts. I gave her two overprotective brothers who were also musicians. I could relate, being the youngest of five brothers and a sister in a musical family.

Those were the jumping off points between which I could then draw a storyline. But the resemblance pretty much ended there. For all those similarities, there were many differences. I spent way less time in Manhattan than she did, for starters. I get along with my parents. I don’t know any escorts. I’m much less insecure. She’s much more scholarly. I’m a bit more optimistic. She’s a bit more sarcastic.

Truth is, Andi had come to life, and it was a life and voice all her own. Rather than my deciding where she should go and how she should behave, she told me her secrets and why she reacted the way she did. She talked to me a lot. I didn’t always want to go where she took me, but I had no choice but to listen to her. There was a truth to be told, but it was to be told on her terms, not mine.

By the time I started Ordinary World, Andi looked and sounded very little, if nothing, like me. She had lived a life that was nothing like mine. She was married, had an advanced career, and shed many of the insecurities that had plagued her in Faking It.

In short, she had it all. And thus, the next what-if was conceived: What if she lost it all?

I love Ordinary World because it contains much more depth and complexity than Faking It, and that’s not to say that Faking It was shallow and predictable. But Andi is confronted with how she’s going to get through the day rather than how her outfit looks. She’s faced not with trying to keep up appearances, but trying to find even a modicum of normality. Instead of wanting to be loved, she resists love. Whereas Faking It was about Andi coming to terms with who she really was, Ordinary World was about her growing into a new sense of self under extraordinary circumstances.

There were times when I wanted to grab a cup of coffee with Andi and talk teaching. There were times I thought she was way bolder than she gave herself credit for. There were times when I didn’t like her behavior, when I wanted to knock some sense into her. There were times I wanted to hug her close and be her sister. I loved her that much. Still do.

As I said, when I’d first started Faking It, I didn’t believe myself to be a fiction writer. The only thing I promised was that I would write the book I would want to read. I succeeded. By Ordinary World, I knew I was a fiction writer. I still use a lot of what I know, but I’ve learned to surrender to my characters. They’re the real storytellers. I’m just the one getting it on the page.

Win: For a chance to win a copy of Ordinary World, please leave a comment at least 50 words long about a character you want to create or have created. Or write about your favorite character in a book. You have until 11:59pm on February 23, 2010 to qualify for the drawing. The unbiased and robotic Random.org has the honor of picking the winner.

I’m “terribly temper tantrum” mad. OK, I’m not really that mad, but I’ve always wanted to write that after reading Art Spiegelman’s Open Me… I’m a Dog. The book’s words sung to me and stuck with me all these years since I first read it to my oldest when she was younger — shes’ now 16-years-old. Nonetheless, I’m frustrated. Before going further, please know this isn’t a complaining post. Instead, it’s about adapting when things get in the way of your writing or work like my thumb injury.

I’m also not looking for a cure. It’s most likely a side effect of medicine that is helping me get over bad allergies and an infection. I have faith all will be fine soon enough.

My eyes ache. They’ve been aching for a few weeks, and I could get through the day without any problems. I stopped using the computer in the evenings — sacrificing Twitter chat time — and it helped the eyes. Everything stayed under control and I completed my work.

Then last week, the eyes hurt almost all day. It’s no problem to write this post without looking at the screen. It doesn’t call for researching, reading resources or anything else. But much of my work does.

To adapt, I write my articles without looking at the screen and fill in the gaps later so I’m not staring at the screen for too long. I take more breaks that take me away from the computer.

You’d think a career in writing would not encounter barriers that keep you from writing other than illnesses like the flu or severe vertigo, which I had after my cochlear implant surgery. (I couldn’t even handle watching TV.) I can work through a cold — just in shorter sittings. Writing is not a physically demanding job beyond the frequent use of our digits and eyes.

Good news: I took the entire weekend off from the computer plus most of Thursday and Friday due to the snow, yet my eyes still hurt. This tells me it’s not a problem related to the monitors.

How did you adapt to a situation that interfered with your daily activities?

Image via Wikipedia

Big Fish Games is offering 30% off all games (except Collector’s Edition games) through February 15, 2010 in honor of President’s Day.

Use the code: PREZSALE

The following games will be discounted next week on Game du Jour, the first ‘one-deal-a-day’ website dedicated to indie and casual games:

Mon. February 15th: 50% off on Born Into Darkness

Tue. February 16th: 65% off on The Clumsys 2: Butterfly Effect

Wed. February 17th: 65% off on Evoly

Thu. February 18th: 50% off on Many Years Ago

Fri. February 19th: 65% off on Farm Mania 2

Sat. February 20th: 65% off on Azteca

Sun. February 21st: 65% off on Green Valley – Fun on the Farm

My oldest and only daughter turned 16 on Wednesday. Now I don’t have to schlep her to school when she wants to go early. When she was younger, we captured her on video saying that she didn’t want to drive. Of course, that changed and she was itching for her birthday to arrive.

That’s me next to her car. The first day she has everything she needs to drive the car to school… and it snows. So I took her and posed with her car for posterity. I’ve yet to get a picture of her and her car together. I will! It makes sense that this happened… considering the story of her arrival.

She was born in Alexandria, VA, on a night when we had snow and ice. AND Dallas-Fort Worth — where first time Grandma and Grandpa lived and waited for us to call when I was about to have the baby — also had ice. Yet, Grandma walked in my hospital room four hours before my daughter arrived. She lucked out in catching a late plane just before it pulled away. The airline staff said, “Hold up! First-time Grandma coming.”

If you’re like many of us — stuck at home because of the snow — it’s a great time to play some games.

Brain food…

• Generating Likeability Through the Mail: I am a big believer in handwritten notes. I loved reading this unusual example. Who can you write a thank you note to right now? [Link: Bob Burg]
• How to Respond to the Most Overused Objections in Social Media: No more excuses, people!
• 51 Questions That Will Take Your Book from Good to Great: Excellent questions to ask those who take a look at your work.
• How to Launch a Book with No Traditional Media Like Seth Godin: Best bet: Think far ahead. Start building relationships before you do the proposal.
• C-level Social Media Ignorance: Do you know what your marketing and PR folks are doing in your company’s name?
• Would You Consider Self-Publishing?: The process in a neat package from a conversation with a publisher.

And for fun because we’re allowed…

• Game Board Storage Art: Brilliant! But I don’t think I have enough wall space to hang up half of ours.
• Coverspy: Tweeting a book by its cover. Twitter account that spies on what people seen on the New York subway are reading and provides their basic info. Another vote for Kindles and Nooks not taking over the reading world. I discovered Gilmore Girls a few months ago and am making my way through all the seasons. One thing I love about it is seeing what books the book-loving characters are reading.
• Valentine Day Movie Posters: Red hot love via creative graphic design techniques [Link: bkmacdaddy designs].
• Moleskine art: Being a southpaw didn’t gift me with the ability to draw beautiful and creative work like these talented folks.
• The Awesomeness of the Best Google Custom Logos: Google was brilliant in coming up with creative works of its logos and now many join in.
• 23 Grossly Unnecessary Upgrades to Modern Products: Fake items, but valuable lesson.
• 31 Cool 404 Error Pages: Ah, seen many a funny 404 and here are more.