Have you ever wished that giving someone your contact information with an iPhone or Android were as simple as handing them a business card?

With Bump, it is.

Bump uses the built in GPS in modern smart phones to tell when two such devices are in the same place at the same time. If they both vibrate at once (say, by bumping one against the other) it will let you connect your phones to transfer contacts cards, event invitations, photos, and social media account information.

In other words, just about anything you might want to put on your business card …

Trick-or-Treating has been part of the American Halloween tradition for about 80 years, and part of the Scottish Halloween tradition for even longer. October 31 is not the only day known for fancy dress, but if you say the word costume, it is the holiday that will most likely come to mind.

But why do we dress up for holidays? On the one hand, it’s an escape, a way present yourself in a different light. On the other hand, it is a conspicuous way to mark those holidays and traditions you find valuable; few things are more conspicuous than overhauling your …

There was a time when campers would spend their lengthening autumn nights huddled about the laptop, warming their hands above the processor and letting the eerie blue glow of the monitor light their faces from beneath. It was during hours such as these that people would take turns telling tales about digital gremlins and computer projects gone wrong. Here are just a few excerpts from those half-told tales.
“The Next Day, It Was Gone!”
Who hasn’t heard the story of the phantom server? Hour after hour of labor poured in to perfecting a website until it is a resource for one and …

Like it or not, practical jokes have been a long-standing part of the US Halloween tradition. While you cannot TP a website, other gags have gained traction as a way to “pull one over” on online visitors.
Screamers
A screamer is a variation on the classic “cat scare” from film and television. At first glance a screamer will appear to be a normal video or picture accompanied by some text prompting you to pay close attention, or possibly turn up your sound. Then, without warning, the screen will switch to a monstrosity or a face contorted in terror as your speakers “scream” …

Looking for original artwork, but don’t have an in-house designer?  DeviantArt (dA) is definitely a good place to start.

Since 2000, dA has been providing an interactive community for artists of all sorts.  The includes the following key features:

• a categorized and searchable gallery of artwork
• feedback space for every work of art in the gallery
• e-commerce interface for artists ready for digital sales

Admittedly, not every artist is prepared to sell their work over the internet, but this does not have to be a dead end.  The deviantArt gallery also includes contact information for the contributing artists, giving you the …

This just in: You are fallible!

Based on a scrupulously scientific study I conducted on everyone I have known for more than six months, 102% of them have failed at perfection in either speech, writing or good taste.

Embrace your ineptitude! Strive for adequacy!

As a reformed perfectionist, I follow General Patton’s advice: A good solution applied with vigor now is better than a perfect solution applied ten minutes later.
The path toward perfection is a trail of tears
You aren’t perfect and you never will be. Stop trying.

You can be excellent. You can even be exceptional. Even though you are very good at some …

Every so often I hear something on KQED Radio that speaks for itself.

Listen to Michael Krasny, Kara Swisher, Laura Sydell, and Marc Rotenberg discussing the recent Wall Street Journal article that revealed how frequently Facebook fails to live up to its own privacy policies.

There is more to life than time clocks, profit margins, and marketing campaigns.

Thankfully the Internet also has resources to help with your after-hours planning. One of my favorites is TIX Bay Area (@tixbayarea on Twitter), a clearinghouse of half-price theater tickets on all sides of the San Francisco bay (and even inland a little ways).

In addition to providing great same-day discount tickets all year round, TIX Bay Area is also an outlet for Free Night of Theater California, a series of no-cost performance throughout the month of October.

If you’re looking for …

“Next,” “next,” “next,” if you’re like most people, your eyes probably glazed over after the second slide, perhaps even sooner. Imagine, then, how difficult it would be to capture your audience’s attention if you are the second presenter, or third, or tenth….

Prezi (www.prezi.com), provides a different way to organize and present your visual support. Instead of making several distinct slides, a Prezi presentation consists of a single large image that contains the whole of your visual presentation. Instead of advancing slides, you can zoom in on one part of your image to focus on one aspect of the …

Here are more acronyms to add to parts 1 and 2.

PPC - Pay Per Click

PPC is one of the three main models of paid online advertisement. In the PPC model you pay the site or service hosting your ad every time someone follows a link placed in the ad. This means that universally appealing teaser ads are actually a bad idea as you will attract clicks from people who will never convert to sales or participants. On the other hand, an add that’s been well tailored to your service will actually cover you through a few false starts …