Archive for August, 2007

Makin’ Bacn!

So this weekend I had the great fortune of traveling to Pittsburgh for Podcamp Pittsburgh 2. What a blast. Double points, and timbits, to Locobone for the ride from Niagra Falls. Thanks again.
PodcampPGH2 didn’t disappoint. In addition to meeting a bunch of new people, I got to learn things, talk tech/web (Something that doesn’t happen [...]

So this weekend I had the great fortune of traveling to Pittsburgh for Podcamp Pittsburgh 2. What a blast. Double points, and timbits, to Locobone for the ride from Niagra Falls. Thanks again.

PodcampPGH2 didn’t disappoint. In addition to meeting a bunch of new people, I got to learn things, talk tech/web (Something that doesn’t happen often enough in K-town), be pointed to what sounds to be a really cool day from Adobe, and hang out with existing friends.

I also got to present a new presentation from TalkShoe, ‘Your First Shoes’. I’ll have the slides on the web soon. It went over pretty well to an ever-growing group finalizing around 30 people.

And I helped coin ‘bacn’. Oops.

So bacn, if you don’t already know, is the mail you want… But not right now. It’s the middle class of email. Emails from your mom are not bacn - that’s a good, legitimate email. Emails alerting you that you won a foreign lottery is not bacn - that’s spam. What about the Facebook notifications? Or Twitter notifications? Or the Amazon recommendations? Or the countless newsletters? Those emails, while informational, aren’t something you generally have time for. That middle class, the emails you want, just not right now, are bacn.

Now, bacn does have a web site. And it has a forum. And a PSA. But most of the publicity has come from the many many many many many posts around the internet. Wow.

Was a good weekend. Who wants to send me to Boston?

New Media … And Birthdays

So I went and let the cat out of the bag last night with a Twitter post announcing that it was my birthday. Now, my birthday is no big secret. I’ll answer honestly when someone asks “When is your birthday?”… It’s posted in my Skype profile. It’s up on my facebook page. I just figured [...]

So I went and let the cat out of the bag last night with a Twitter post announcing that it was my birthday. Now, my birthday is no big secret. I’ll answer honestly when someone asks “When is your birthday?”… It’s posted in my Skype profile. It’s up on my facebook page. I just figured I’d beat a few auto-notifiers to the punch and twitter it.

Thank you.

You know, the funny thing about this new media/social media thing is that you’re friends with everyone. Don’t get me wrong - I adore meeting new people and forming new connections with them, but what do friends do when your birthday comes around? Why, they wish you a happy birthday, of course!

Thank you.

And the thing with having the several hundred people who know who I am, and communicate with me through TalkShoe, and having all of my friends that I’ve met at various events such as PAB and PodCamps (Amongst others) and the people who they’ve introduced me to, is that ALL of them want to wish me a happy birthday.

Thank you.

Now, I generally consider myself a pretty polite guy. When someone says ‘Thank you’, I say ‘You’re welcome’. When I order fast food, I often start with “Could I please get”. When the bank machine gives me money, I occasionally thank it. So all of these people … all of the happy birthday wishes… In my book, at least, need to be recognized. They need to be noted and appreciated. And the messenger, the friend who has taken the time out to notice it’s my birthday and pass along well wishes, deserves the feeling of knowing they’ve made me smile.

Thank you.

So I’m thanking each person in the medium they’re choosing to wish me a happy birthday. Some have sent SMS messages, or emails, or Twitter @s or Facebook wall posts, or skype IMs or forum posts… And each gets a thank you. And the best part - is that I’m generally quite happy letting my birthday slip by un-noticed. Though, in this instant-alert world of the web, that seems to be less and less possible.

Your shirt. My iMac.

OK. Here’s the deal. I know this blog has been … well… inactive for a while. I’ve been a little wrapped up in getting married. That’ll all wrap up soon though and I’ll be back.
But I need to dust it off right now. I twittered this: “Offer: Buy me a new iMac (Low end is [...]

OK. Here’s the deal. I know this blog has been … well… inactive for a while. I’ve been a little wrapped up in getting married. That’ll all wrap up soon though and I’ll be back.

But I need to dust it off right now. I twittered this: “Offer: Buy me a new iMac (Low end is fine) and I wear your company t-shirt for a year.” and it pulled a few responses. Both as replies (@s) and in direct messages. And I want to clarify one thing.

I’m serious.

I will wear your company shirt(s) every day for 365 days in exchange for one of the new iMacs. Even the low end. Delivered to my door. A few questions have come up that I’ll address here and update as time goes on.

Are you serious? Yes. You deliver me an iMac. I’ll wear your shirt(s).

So… you’ll never take it off? Well… no. I will simply replace my shirt collection with your shirt(s). I won’t shower in it, or swim in it… I often don’t sleep in shirts either. But when I wear a shirt, it will be yours.

What about special events? An event with a dress code (Weddings, funerals, locations that require specific attire) will be exempted. But for every one day that one of these occurs, I’ll tack on one at the end. So if I don’t wear your shirt for one day due to a wedding, you get 366 days, not 365.

Always the same shirt? I’m willing to purchase TWO shirt, in different patterns or colors. Feel free to provide me with more though. Want a different shirt every day? My closet can hold 365 shirts if it needs to.

Aren’t you going to start to smell funny? No. I’ll still be showering, and the shirt(s) … at least 2… at most… who knows… Will be washed after one wear… So they’ll always be clean.

How will we know you’re wearing it? Trust? I’ll flickr photos, I can youtube, I’ll blog. It’d also be my first mac… So frequent updates, all sponsored by you or your company, will be likely.

Will you cover up the shirt? I’ll accessorize, sure. I may, as I do occasionally, wear a button-up shirt over it (unbuttoned) if the mood strikes me. Jackets, of course, during rain and snow would hide the shirt too.

What else? We can work out additional details, pending additional hardware. More days of shirt wearing? Guaranteed exposure? More blog/video/audio posts? How about a wireless keyboard and mouse? More hard drive? A longer warranty? Software?

I’m in this for sure. If you have questions, or want to take me up on this or make an offer, my email is tommy -at- tommyvallier -dot- com. I’d love to talk.