Mo Beta Blues

Looking to keep up on the latest and greatest tools available on the web?  Check out the Museum of Modern Betas, a collection of newly released programs.   There are big names (Google, flickr, Yahoo) and hundreds of exciting newcomers.  The site has great information about each tool, along with a screen shot from the site.  There is also a "random beta" button available if you just want to bump around the site.  I recognize many of the sites listed, and am curious to find out about many more of them.  I signed up for the RSS feed so that I will be kept informed as new sites are added, which of course I will then pass my favorites on to you.  Check it out for yourself. 

MoMB

What’s Going On? Find out with Eventful!

Ever feel like you are out of the loop? Wish you were more in tune with what was happening in your community? Struggling to figure out what to do on your summer vacation? Check out Eventful. This site is a repository for coming events all across the country. You can search eventful by location (Dayton), venue (Fraze), event type (Concert), or virtually anything else (artist name, book name, store name, professional fields, religious affiliation, etc…)

Trying to generate awareness of an upcoming event? Enter it into Eventful by simply creating an account. It is totally free and it takes about 10 seconds to do. All they require you to provide is a user name, email address, and password. Enter that info and you are up and running. This is a great tool for small business owners, volunteer organizations, sports leagues, or anyone trying to generate publicity for an event.

You can also create specific searches and then subscribe to the RSS feed for your search. Doing this will keep you posted as new events that fall within your search terms are added to the site. In addition, if you find something you would like to attend, it only takes a few simple clicks to put the event right onto your Google (or outlook, yahoo, ical) calendar. I just discovered this site today, and have created an account, subscribed to a feed, and placed Eventful squarely rooted in my bookmarked sites. A great resource for finding something to do near your home or far away.

Eventful: Events

Send Google Local Info Directly to Your Phone

I was trying to locate the work number for one of my friends today, so I went to Google Local to do a search on his business. Typed in the name of the business and the city, and up popped several options, the second of which was the one I was seeking. No big deal. But upon clicking on the name of the company, up popped a window with the option to send the information via text message to a phone directly. I am sure this has been around forever, but I had never noticed it. Wow! That is a great tool. I was immediately taken back to a conversation I had with my brother a few weeks ago. He was driving the family south for vacation, and needed to call an audible to the plans. He called me from the road and was having me look-up information for him about events and hotels in the new destination. Looking up the information for him was no big deal, but he was having to jot down the info or memorize it while driving down I-75. Had I known about this, I could have sent him text messages with all the info he needed from my desktop right to his phone. Very slick. I love that I am amazed daily by the world in which we live. If you happen to be on Google local, check out this feature. Incidentally, you can also have Google calendar send text message reminders of events right to your phone too. Great stuff.

On an aside, did you know you can customize the google homepage just by creating a Google account? It is so easy to do, and it makes Google so much more entertaining. You can put various modules on your Google Homepage. I have my gmail, calendar of events, several RSS feeds, a weather forecast, and a magic 8 ball (amongst other items) on mine. They are always adding new modules, putting much of what you need from the web in one place. Create an account today.
Google

Now is the time on Sprockets when we dance!

The band Pearl Jam has placed the video for their latest single "Life Wasted" on Google video. You can watch and download the video for free until June 1st. The video is very dark and reminds me of the award winning video "Ants" from Mike Myers sprockets sketches on SNL - The episode was "Germany's most disturbing home videos. "Ants" had a man laying down with ants crawling all over his face. I think it beat out a guy getting kicked in the groin for the grand prize, but don't quote me on that. All kidding aside the video is pretty cool and the song rocks. I respect Pearl Jam for putting their music out there for the world to listen to and for continuing to write great songs.

Pearl Jam - Life Wasted - Google Video

182 Ways To Come Up With A Great Idea

I had no idea what I was going to write about today…until I went to Mycoted.com.  Mycoted.com has a directory of creative techniques currently featuring 182 methods for generating ideas. From Brainstorming to Fishbone, Mind Maps to SCAMPER, this site has it covered. The site resembles Wikipedia in its appearance, and has other interesting sections as well. There is a section featuring books on creativity, (Thinkertoys is great!) creativity games, quotations, and more. Not sure which technique is right for you? Try the "Random Page" tab which will randomly choose one of the creativity tools in the directory for you. The site is worth bookmarking so that the next time you are stumped, you will be just a click away from that breakthrough moment.

Category:Creativity Techniques - Mycoted

Burgers fit for a king!

While this is not a cooking site, I feel compelled to pass along an awesome grilling recipe for you to enjoy this summer. I tried this out last night and shortened my lifespan with these tasty treats. King's Hawaiian Burgers. Very simple to make. Take a package of King's Hawaiian Rolls and slice each roll in half horizontally. (like a hamburger buns) In a big bowl, mix together a couple pounds of ground beef, a couple eggs, a handful of breadcrumbs, a few shakes of Worcestershire sauce, a heaping spoonful of minced garlic, a few shakes of minced onions, a few more shakes of onion powder, cumin, chili powder, black pepper, salt, and Montreal Steak Seasoning. Take meat mixture and form meatballs equivalent to the size of a golf ball. Then one by one smash them into little burger patties. Grill those juicy little burgers to your desired temp. I went with medium. Take off the grill, slap onto the Hawaiian rolls, garnish as desired, and commence grubbing. Try serving with some corn on the cob, cold Moosehead Beer, and a fist full of chips. Delicious!

King's Hawaiian Bread

Children’s Discovery Garden - Wegerzyn Gardens - Dayton, OH

Knowing that many who frequent this site reside in and around Dayton, and that many of those same people have young children, I would like to point you toward the new Children’s Discovery Garden at Wegerzyn Gardens metro-park in Dayton.  We visited this new attraction over the weekend, and I recommend it highly.  There is no charge to visit the park, and we managed to score a free sunflower, free begonia, a maraca from the music tent, lots of stickers and even more great memories.  The park was clean, there were helpful people everywhere, and lots of things to do.  I particularly liked the musical garden which had lots of shiny metal objects that you could bang on and listen to.  The dragonfly pond and the mini caverns were a hit too.  I was amazed that there was no admission fee.  The landscaping was beautiful, and I really enjoyed taking in the beautiful horticultural displays.  My daughter was thrilled with the trip, which for a dad is all that really matters.  We are looking forward to making some return trips this summer to see the changes as the plants begin blooming.  If you are looking for a great way to spend a morning, check out the Children’s Discovery Garden.

Children’s Discovery Garden - Five Rivers MetroParks - Dayton, OH

The great debate: Pop vs Soda

Who says you don't learn anything in school?  Last night, one of my professors informed the class about a very important resource for information.  This site is so compelling that I feel obligated to share it with you- popvssoda.com.  This site compiles geographical data on where people in the United States and Canada call a carbonated beverage a Pop, a Soda, or a Coke based upon responses of visitors.   No surprise; Ohio is a Pop state. Soda is strong in the Northeast, while Coke rules the South.  Something fun to check out.  Cast your vote.  Soda? Pop? Coke?  The debate rages on…

The Pop vs. Soda Page

The Next Wave goes Geurrilla

My friend David Esrati owns the best advertising agency in Dayton, The Next Wave. On his site, he publishes a listing of all of his competitors, and if you do a Google search on most of them, you will wind up at The Next Wave first. Why? Because David, unlike most of his competition, understands the web. He knows how to maximize a site so that it is visible to people who search for it, without having to pay for performance. He uses his skill to help his clients built sites that are not only appealing, but also effective. David runs a great seminar, blogosopher, that explains his philosophy on maximizing your web site's performance. I attended it back in February, and I learned a great deal. I highly recommend attending it .

Well, David went all "guerrilla marketing" at yesterday's Dayton Ad Club meeting, where he handed out flyers "offering to teach [his] competition how to build a site that will get their customers to find them- instead of [The Next Wave]" I was not there to witness it in person, but I laughed out loud when I heard about it. Read all about it on his site. His idea was brilliant not to mention hilarious. If you are interested in generating more web traffic for your business, fire your agency, contact David, and reap the rewards.

The Next Wave

Mario Lives!

For those of you who are old enough to remember the original Super Mario, check out this real life re-enactment of level one of the game.  This was performed in the Golden Goose Talent Show by a group at Gordon College in Massachusetts.  I have no idea how long it took them to put this together, but it was worth it.  Four and 1/2 minutes of fun, brought courtesy of Google Video.

Mario - Live - Google Video

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