If This Then That: How To Automate Your Web
December 11, 2011There's a cool new web application that you may want to check out. It's called "If This Then That", and it lets you connect your social media and web application accounts and create "triggers" that...
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Putting Alcohol In My Gas Tank
January 8, 2011I've been reading this really exciting book called Alcohol Can Be A Gas, and it argues that the technology for a sustainable fuel economy is already here, and we can start driving on carbon-seq...
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Applescript: Fade iTunes to Selected Track
January 21, 2008Ever playing music for other people from iTunes? And want to change the song without everyone noticing? Trying to do a manual fade is tough. This script lets you select the next song you want to pl...
Read moreIf This Then That: How To Automate Your Web
There's a cool new web application that you may want to check out. It's called "If This Then That", and it lets you connect your social media and web application accounts and create "triggers" that will automatically do things for you. The possibilities are endless, you can basically do anything with this tool. Like, for example: You can set up an auto-response when you get a new follower on Twitter. You can automatically email yourself when the weather forecast says it's going to rain. And you can automatically move files between different services including DropBox, YouTube, and Photo sharing services...
It's kind of hard to explain, it's probably best to just try it yourself. The website is http://ifttt.com. Have fun! And feel free to ask me questions in the comments if you need help figuring it out.
If newspapers really want to “Get Digital”
Update: Google updated Google Goggles today to include a feature which makes the big first step in this direction:
Let’s say you’re reading a magazine article you really like and want to share it with your friends. Just point Goggles at a part of the page, and instantly find a link to an online version to share immediately or read again later. You won’t even need the entire article in the frame. Goggles will also pull up more information from pages around the web where that text is mentioned, so its easier to learn about what you’re seeing. more
Original Post:
So... It seems to me that if Newspapers truly wanted to get “hip”, they would not just use social networks to let their readers spam their friends, but actually integrate with social networks to let their readers connect with their friends and co-comment on articles and create and foster real discussion about the issues presented.
Picture this: For every article in the newspaper, you can scan it with your phone and pull up the online version.. Check in with facebook or twitter or your newspaper website account, and see which friends have read, liked, commented or shared, and then be able to join the conversation either on site or link through to the 3rd party site.
Or how about scanning the front of the newspaper to see which of the articles your friends have read/liked/shared/commented, and then being able to jump to the article on your phone, or see which page it’s on?
This sounds like an epic iPhone/Android/MobileWeb application dev project for any local or major newspaper that wants to not only stay relevant, but be the leader in connecting the physical paper experience with the digital world.
I'd love to work with a local paper on this. 
How Do You Sleep At Night?
Do you ever worry about the problems in the world? Would you consider yourself "concerned" about Global Warming? Do you ever wonder what your daily actions are contributing to the bigger picture? Are you comfortable with the way you are living now or is it a guessing game of greenwashing and faux sustainability? I'm here to blast through all the bullshit and get back to basics with you, right here right now.
So basically, here's what you want to do...
In the words of Mahatma Ghandi: "Be The Change"
And in the words of Marie Curie:
"Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less."
So read up! Educate yourself. And do everything that you can live your life in a way that affects the most positive reality around you.
My suggestions? Meditate. Breathe deeply. Focus on what you can change. Drink water. Eat for nutrition. (Raw Vegan is best). Give yourself rest. Love often.
Blessings!
+Rex
Hello!
I'm Rex. I write about personal technology and I fix computers.
Having tech problems? Send me a message if you are interested in my Personal Tech Assistance.
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