Some of you know that my girlfriend @martinelli18 and I are getting two kittens. She has decided to name her kitten "Tuna". She has been begging me to name mine "Sushi". I told her I want to have some fun with choosing mine. Whats a better way than to let you all decide?

Please head on over and vote for what you think I should name him!

I will check to see what the results are at or around 7PM EST when I get back from picking up to see what you have chosen.

Thanks for having some fun with this!

Do you use Firefox? Do you use multiple computers across many locations? If you answered yes to these questions make sure you head over and check out Foxmarks.

Foxmarks gives you the ability to sync all of your bookmarks over two or more computers so you can find them quickly and effortlessly. Foxmarks has been my favorite Firefox extension since it was released. It is also the first one I install when I make a fresh install of Firefox. Give this great extension a go, I promise you will not be disappointed.

Now with TrackThis you are able to get updates on your en route packages. This great little tool will send you updates on where your packages is with the latest up to date information.

This is how it works (Direct from TrackThis)

1. Follow @trackthis

Since @trackthis uses direct messages, you must follow it so it can send direct messages to you. @trackthis will follow you back immediately so that you can send direct messages to it.

2. Send a Direct Message to @trackthis like: 123456789123 New PC

Just send a DM with the FedEx/UPS/USPS/DHL tracking code first, followed by a nickname for the package. Click here to send your message.
Example: 123456789123 Macbook Air

3. Sit Back and Wait!

We'll send you a direct message each time your package changes location. You should receive the first message within twenty minutes.

In retrospect of reaching the 7,000 tweets mark, I have decided to share some things I have learned since first diving into the Twitter phenomenon back in late December of 2007.

1. I now realize you don't have to know someone in real life to consider them a friend.
2. I have learned that people that may not even know anything about you will be there to support you if your having a bad day.
3. You do not have to know someone personally for them to make an impression on your life.
4. You can learn a lot from your Twitter buddies, you just have to listen.
5. It is very easy to be inspired by one or more of your followers.
6. You can get attached to your followers, I must say, one of my greatest followers @Schmee is going to be leaving twitter for some time soon, and I am going to miss seeing his replies....
7. Twitter is more about the people you follow than how many followers you have.
8. Everyday I am still amazed at how many great people follow me.
9. I can get news on certain things faster via Twitter than my  RSS feeds.
10. Twitter is ADDICTIVE.
11. Be unique with tweets, but not too often, Stick with something your followers came to know you for.
    
12. Tweetscan is the best place to search for people to follow.
13. I couldn't function without Twitkit to keep up to date with Twitter.
14. A Blackberry and GoogleTalk for Twitter over IM is the best way to keep up to date with Twitter while on the go.
15. If you don't do maintenance on your following to follower ratio, it can get out of hand FAST.
    
16. The best utility for doing follower maintenance is Twitter Karma.
17. It's not about stats.... but always nice to check them with Tweetstats.
18. Twitterfeed can let my followers know when I make a blog post automatically.
19. There is a Blacklist for all the Twitter Spammers.
20. Most of my friends or family I introduce to Twitter just can't "get it"

In closing Twitter has been so fun for me. I have met many great people on there and I am sure there will be many more to come. So to all of my followers.... THANK YOU!

If you happened to miss it yesterday, the folks over at Evernote gave out instant Beta access all day. If you didnt snag one up leave a comment with your email and I will gladly send invites to the first 10 people!

Enjoy!

Ever since signing up with Last.Fm I thought it would be cool to have all of the songs I mark as "loved tracks" sent to Twitter. Until today I was racking my brain on trying to find a way to do this.

I decided to take this to extremes and create a work around on my own. What I did was create a custom feed with Yahoo Pipes. Then I headed over to TwitterFeed and set it up to check every 30 minutes and post up to 3 updates. This did the trick!

If you would like to do the same, I took the initiative to publish the Pipe I created. You can find it here. Enjoy!

NOTE: I know this is pretty basic, but some people can still find it useful. This was one of my articles for my local paper.

RSS is one of the biggest tools used across the Internet. Even so, there are still many of you that are not sure what it is or what it does. RSS or "Really Simple Syndication" is a variety of used to publish frequently updated content that is published throughout the Web.

Some examples of content that utilize RSS feeds are as follows. Podcasts, blog posts, news headlines and sometimes even family photos. To explain more and put it into simpler terms, an RSS feed will pull out all articles of a certain website and deliver that content directly to you in text format.

If you're like me you have multiple websites you check routinely each day. I for one like to start my day by looking up the latest news headlines, sports scores, and my favorite podcasts. This mean I would have to visit ten to fifteen different websites before I would find all the information I needed. With RSS I could find all of this in one place.

There are two main ways to take advantage of RSS and get all of your content in one place. My favorite (which I mentioned in one of my previous posts) is a Startpage. The other option is to use a Feed Reader. A feed reader is an application that will let you add multiple feeds of your choice and turn it into a convenient all in one place for your information, and can be considered as your own "personal newspaper".

These days a good majority of websites has a published RSS feed. Most sites will have a link to there feed with a RSS logo or text. These usually can be found at the bottom, top or side of their page. If you cannot find the feed for a certain page, usually a quick search in Google will turn it up. Sometimes even your reader will go and "fetch" the feed for you.

Here are some of the best RSS Readers.

 

Google Reader

Newsgator Online

FeedDemon

They say the waiting is the hardest part. I will tell you one thing, I am experiencing that right now for sure. For the past few weeks I have been chomping at the bit to get my hands on a Blackberry Curve. That should be easy right? WRONG Verizon still hasn't released it's version yet. They are stringing me along like a carrot in front of a horse's face.

It is rumored to be scheduled for release sometime this May. I have called Verizon numerous times the past two weeks and can't even get the slightest little insight on a date. They keep stating that they are not allowed to release any information concerning future releases. Hopefully they will release some information soon however.

What makes me want this Blackberry over the 8800 that I have now is mainly it has a camera. Not a huge deal for a lot of people but I think a Blackberry with a camera, along with MMS features would be a complete phone for me. I will not stray from the Blackberry Kool-Aid I have been drinking. If you haven't ever tried out a Blackberry I highly recommend you do. You will be amazed.

Movavi is a free online service that lets you convert many video formats: AVI, MPEG, MOV, FLV, MP4, 3GP. The main reason I like this site is it's ease of use and very quick converting. Movavi will send you a link to download the converted file via email. Great free utility for all of your video converting needs!

Headphone Hack! Make You Own Noise Eliminating Headset! - Click here for the funniest movie of the week

In this video KipKay shows you how to make DIY noise canceling
headphones that will beat the performance of even the highest priced
ones you can find on store shelves.

If you have never heard of Kipkay,make sure you take the time to
check him out. The above tutorial is just a slice of what his
videos have to offer. His videos range from making a laser burning
flashlight, spy sunglasses, and even a homemade air horn.

Just thought I would post an update on the giveaway contest. As of right now we still need 38 followers, and around 58 Diggs.

I am thinking that as long as we hit the 280 follower mark I will start the giveaway. I have also decided I will be drawing for a prize once a day after meeting the requirements. This will go in order from last prize to the grand prize over the course of 7 days.

What I need you all to do is spread the word as much as you can so we can try to at least reach the 280 followers this weekend and have the first drawing on Monday April 21st. Please spread the word, and thanks so much for supporting me!

Many of you know I had an infatuation with Tweetbar. It was well deserved however with it being the only sidebar for Firefox that didn't suffer from Twitter's API request timeouts. I love Tweetbar..... Well until today.

I stumbled on a great post over at scribkin.com where I seen some nice screen shots of TwitKit, as well as a nice review. I headed on over and downloaded the add-on and installed it waiting to be wowed. This didn't happen. I couldn't find an icon or couldn't find the TwitKit application anywhere in the sidebar views either. To make a long story short, I found out the hard way that TweetBar and TwitKit do not like one another. So if your running Tweetbar make sure to uninstall it first.

I will say I have only been using it for less than an hour, but I am pretty much sure it will become a permanent fixture on the left side of my Firefox. Don't take my word for it go try it out!

I have been frequenting more and more tech blogs as of late, and one thing I notice on almost every one I come across they have a pretty fair amount of readers. One could say that I am envious of that, and they could be right. I would just like to find some better ways, or maybe something I am missing to get more people viewing my site.

Currently I utilize stumbleupon,digg, and Twitter as my main sources of traffic. What am I missing? Am I lacking in content and just not that interesting? If anyone has any tips they would like to share please feel free.


 

1. When introducing my girlfriend to friends and family I refer to her as @martinelli18
2. When I send a text message to a friend I always type @ before their name
3. I don't read the paper for local news... I just look a my local Twitter friends tweets
4. I have a Twitter shirt
5. I have another Twitter shirt
6. I find myself emailing in 140 characters or less
7. I talk more on Twitter throughout the day than in real life
8. I interact with more Twitter friends that the ones I have in real life...
9. I can't wait to buy another Twitter shirt
10. I find myself telling people at work to follow me, and they walk behind me....
    

This is my first twitter poll.... Please vote!

Today Verizon Wireless announced that it has a new unlimited data plan available to it's customers.This new plan will be priced at $29 /Month. The plan is more for those who do not have a need for corporate Email. This also includes an unlimited plan (5GB) for internet as well. The  data plan is only available for  the SMT5800, XV6800, and Motorola Q9m smart phones. Verizon is saying it hopes to add more handsets to this list in the coming months.

I think this is a HUGE step for Verizon and a great deal compared to their previous unlimited plan that hit the wallet or $59.99 /Month. I can't wait until they make the broadband cards available for $29 /Month. When this happens I will be jumping for joy! I know I am dreaming however...

In today's world music is everywhere. In your car, on your iPod, the movies you watch, and even the video games you play. There are many ways you can find new music that meets your listening standards. Even with all of the sources where you can discover new music sometimes you can still hit a rut.

I am in this rut. I recently canceled my Sirius subscription as I found myself listening to my iPod more than I was utilizing Sirius's commercial free service. Now I have reached the plateau where I need new music in my life. I love me some country music, but I am not limited to it by far. As of late their has been a lack of new country music to hit the charts. This is where my rut started. I am now looking for newer music to discover.

My question to all of you is where do you go to discover new music? I have been using Last.fm, and Pandora. They seems to be some great services but I still haven't fell in love with anything yet. So please tell me, where else do you get your music cravings fulfilled?

As you can see I have been playing with Viddler lately. I have found I like it better than any of the other video hosting sites out there. If you use Viddler make sure to add me!

Recently I have noticed I have been getting more and more follows from questionable users on Twitter. When I say questionable I mean the accounts that are following much more than they have following them. One good example was an account, (which I will not give them the pleasure of mentioning them) was following around 11,000 and had 2 followers. Little bit of a red flag there don't you think?

While this is highly annoying and disappointing I personally don't think there is any reason to panic just yet. The reason behind that is simple... You do not have to see their updates unless you want to. You have the power, and this is what makes Twitter so great.

My question for you is how do you handle these "Trolls" that are showing up all over Twitter? Me myself I have started using the block feature. It may cost me a follower but hey, I want quality not quantity. Do you use the block feature or are you switching to protected updates? I think I will stay away from protecting my updates as of right now, as I see that letting people preview your updates really enhances your chances of someone following you.

Well it's been 4 days since I announced the contest, and we are making pretty good progress. Right now we are holding steady at 36 Diggs, and  212 Followers.

This means we still need around 64 Diggs, and 68 more followers. Once we reach this I will announce more details as to when the drawing will take place . I am thinking I am going to give it 3-5 days after reaching the requirements to give more people a chance to enter.

Thanks again for all of you support! And Good Luck!

LinkBlip is a pretty handy little tool that will let you take a link and format it into a link that has trackable features. Simply put you can see if the person you sent it to has clicked on it, as well as when and where they clicked.

Direct from LinkBlip:

"LinkBlip is very simple: it's a way to monitor when someone has clicked a link you sent them. Have you ever sent someone an email and never heard back? If you send them a LinkBlip URL, you'll automatically be notified by email when they click on it.

We'll also tell you what city and state they were in when the clicked the link.

I received an email from Daniel over at Disqus and he informed my that he had fixed my template. I am very thankful for the support they gave me to get me back up and running. I am now a happy camper again and feel as if my layout is finally complete!

I came across ScratchBack a few days ago. It seems like a pretty cool feature you can add to your website or blog.

What is ScratchBack? Well for the most part it's a widget that will give your readers a chance to buy a spot on your site that displays their link. Pricing is set by you and can be as low as $5. Payment's can be made securely via Paypal.

I really like the concept and while I haven't had any purchases, I still think its a neat idea. My ads are priced at $8 for 30 days. I didn't think that was too bad of a price. If you would like you site/blog listed here click the link in the sidebar, or you can go HERE.

Head on over to ScratchBack and check them out!

Hello all!

I am very excited right now. Why? Well for a good reason of course! I am giving away some free stuff!!!

I have been planning this for a good while now. I have meet many great people through social networking across many platforms. For example, Twitter, Blogs, Digg, Justin.tv, and more. I just want to thank all of you that follow me on a daily basis. I couldn't think of a better way than show my appreciation with some free stuff to you!

Now keep in mind I am a single father of two, so there won't be any HD Flatscreens ... hut I hope you enjoy what I have up for grabs.

First of there are some conditions.... I can hear the sighs lol. It's nothing too crazy. They are as follows.

#1 The giveaway will not end until I reach at least 280 followers on Twitter. (So Spread The Word!)
#2 This blog post will need to have at least 100 Diggs DIGG HERE!
#3 You must follow me on Twitter to win. (if your following me right before the contest ends or if you are following me now) The winners will be randomly chosen 3-5 days after the requirements are met. Keep looking here for the details

Thats not too bad right?

Ok so what can you win?




7th Prize - A Youmail.com Care Package (Donated by Youmail.com)




6th Prize - IOGear WIFI HotSpot Finder




5th Prize - Kodak 1GB SD Card






4th Prize - 1GB Cruzer Titanium USB Drive




3rd Prize - 1600 Microsoft Points for Xbox Live





2nd Prize - Your own Twitter Shirt from Eatsleeptweet.com (Donated By Albert @ EatSleepTweet.com)



GRAND PRIZE - Logitech Quickcam Communicate STX Web Cam



Good luck to everyone!!! I know it's not much... But hope you enjoy!

I have to say I am very pleased with how my re-design turned out. Now don't get me wrong it wasn't easy. One of the most difficult things to do is finding a Blogger template that fits you. With more and more people switching to Wordpress, it's just hard to find good professional Web 2.0 looking templates.

Luckily after hours of relentless searching I came across MagzNetwork . I must say they have a great collection of good looking templates that are out there. Now keep in mind that if you choose a converted template that is based on Wordpress there will be more work involved and a lot of tags change from the normal Blogger code. You will also need to take heed to the install instructions as you will have to host the images for these templates on your own. Luckily Googlepages did this for me.

I also found a good TagCloud that actually loads faster than any of the others available for Blogger templates. Zoomclouds really does the trick for me, and looks pretty good.

I still have some kinks to work out with this template but all in all I am loving the look!

Excuse my mess as I do a compleate re-design...... It's going fairly smooth besides Disqus not working.....

I happened to stumble across a screenshot of someones Gmail and was blown away how great it looked. After some digging around I found out how to do it myself, so I thought I would share.

In just a few steps you can have your Gmail looking sleek, and stylish in no time. First head on over and install the Stylish 0.5.6 Firefox Add-on. Once the add on is installed restart Firefox and then head on over to userstyles.org. Here you will find Gmail Redisigned by Globex Designs. Install the script, head over to your Gmail Inbox, and Bingo you have the best looking Gmail on the block!

Youmail.com released a new feature today. They are now supporting transcriptions for your voicemails. Just when I thought their product couldn't get any better they go and add this amazing feature. The Beta give you the ability to see your transcribed voicemails on your text,email alerts as well as on your online inbox. Remember this is still in Beta and hopefully the person leaving you a message will speak clearly enough for the transcription to work efficiently.

Keep in mind any other companies out there that offer transcripted voicemails charge a pretty hefty price. As always Youmail is 100% free!!

All of you know I am addicted to Twitter. It's far from a secret. Also you know I love Web 2.0 related T-Shirts.

Well today I ran across TweetTees. I snagged one of their shirts at eatsleeptweet.com. I think the Brown and teal will look sweet! And for only $12 how can you pass it up? Get yours today!