My favorite Twitter Tools

I’m officially addicted to Twitter. It’s a great way to connect with others of similar interests. I also use the same way I used to use IRC but asking questions when I need help or a recommendation. I’ve found the people to be super friendly for the most part. If someone is a dork, Twitter makes it easy to block them.

Several friends have asked what I use to access Twitter. I’ll send messages in three different ways:

  1. Twitter.com – The place to go to add followers and make changes to your profile.
  2. Twhirl – This is my favorite desktop Twitter application. It runs on Windows and OSX and is based on Adobe Air. 
  3. M.Twitter.com – The Twitter website formatted for mobile phones.

A lot of people also use SMS to send updates but I find M.Twitter.com just as easy. I use Twhirl the most because it color codes the messages as they arrive so I visually see the difference between a message send to everyone vs. just to me or even a direct message.

I’ve found myself using two website recently that attempt to rank Twitter users. Twitterposter has been around a while and shows icons based on how many followers a person has. The bigger the icon, the more followers someone has. At times, I’m not sure that it’s still being updated, but it’s pretty cool.

Tweeterboard is the one I’ve been checking more often. It ranks the top 100 users using what the creator calls a person “reputation score”. I haven’t looked into it much but I was surprised to see myself listed at #67 yesterday afternoon. By evening I was off the list and right now I’m back on at #97. I don’t know that it means anything but it’s sort of fun to track occasionally.

I still check Twittervision a couple of times a week. If you want to find out where a Twitter user lives give Twittermap a try.

Those are the tools I use regularly. The most comprehensive list of Twitter tools I’ve found was put together by Stan Schroeder at Frantic Industries.

Pixoo review

I signed up for the Pixoo beta a while back and finally received my invitation yesterday. The concept is so simple it’s hard to imagine I’ve not come across a similar service till now. Basically, you send Pixoo a picture of your self and they touch it up and then format it for 49 difference online communities such as Digg, Facebook, Flickr, LindedIN, MSN Messenger, Revver, Twitter, Yahoo Mail and many others.

The number of fixes Pixoo can make to your picture is extensive. Just a few of the fixes include changing the background, removing blemishes, changing your clothing, removing distractions, whiten your teeth, and even touch up your mustache or beard. There are many things they can do. There’s an area on the picture submission where you can give them any special instructions if your fix isn’t listed.

Here is the picture I submitted to Pixoo

brett 

I asked  Pixoo to lighten the background, remove the shadows, remove skin blemishes and make me look professional. Basically, make me look like Brad Pitt. That’s not too much to ask!  Here is what they sent back about 12 hours later.

brettn

They did a great job. I love the background. They also removed the shadows and they made me look look better than I do in person. A few of my Twitter pals and coworkers told me I look like a weatherman. Ok, not the look I was after. Some figured I was interviewing for another job. The picture looked a bit on the formal side, but Pixoo makes it easy to send it back for additional touch up at no extra cost.

This time I told Pixoo to keep the background but put me in a Steve Jobs approved, black mock turtleneck shirt. Here’s what they sent back about eight hours later.

brettcasuaul

Hey, that’s more like it! When I told Pixoo this would work, they sent me to a page that was filled with all versions of this photo. That page looks like this:

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The pages includes several nice touches. First, they show a preview of how the picture will look on the different services. You can download each picture individually (Not sure why anyone would want to do this) or one can download a ZIP file that contains all 49.

I believe the pricing for the service is $20 per picture. If you’re accepted into the beta program they charge $10. The service is so impressive that even 20 bucks feels like a bargain.

One other thing. I never realized till today how often I use a picture icon like this. I went around to the different services I use and updated my picture. Almost immediately I received feedback on the picture. If you blog or you Twitter or whatever that little picture is your brand. It’s often the first thing someone sees as they come across your profile.

I’m sure many people already have a high quality picture of themselves. If you do, great. If you don’t I highly recommend Pixoo.

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Timbuk2 Order Confirmation

I order a lot of items online and most of the time I barely look at the order confirmations that arrive by email. Sometimes I’ll search the email for the tracking number but that’s about it.

Today I ordered a bag from Timbuk2 and received this confirmation which made me laugh. This sounds like a fun place to work. Would your company allow a little flavor of your culture to come through in such correspondence or do they play it safe?

I’ve X-ed out the personal details.

Thanks for picking us. Your new bag is gonna ROCK!

Here is your order summary email.

We suggest that you actually read it and like it because this is what you are getting and the Lucky One’s address below is where we are going to send it. If you must be That Person, we can TRY our best to make changes or cancel your order. This is only if we have had enough coffee and our warehouse hasn’t. You will need to send your email to changeorder@timbuk2.com. Remember, this is only if your order is NOT IN PRODUCTION. Once your order makes it to our production line, we can’t change it for you and if it’s custom, we can’t take it back. Not because we don’t love you; but because we already have really, really nice custom made Messenger bags from Timbuk2. It’s part of the uniform.

Your order number is XXXXX

ORDER SUMMARY:

WHO PAID

Brett Nordquist

Auburn, WA United States, 98092

THE LUCKY ONE

Brett Nordquist

Auburn, WA United States, 98092

WHATCHURGETTING

1 Medium Original Cargo Tote $100.00 ea.

Waxed Canvas black-field tan-hunter orange

HOW MUCH YOU SHELLED OUT

Visa – number: 4XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX – $113.95

Subtotal: $100.00

Shipping: $13.95

Tax: $0.00

Total: $113.95

Now here’s the part you really want to read.

When will my order ship?

Your order is being sent to the warehouse right now. Orders are fulfilled and out the door in up to 3 business days. It all depends on how many orders are in line in front of yours. If you selected an expedited shipping method like Second Day or Next Day Air, your order will ship within 1 to 2 business days. Business means Monday through Friday and excludes most US holidays, just in case you didn’t know. Now you do. FYI custom bags do not require any additional processing time.

How long will it take my order to get to my loving, waiting arms?

Once your order ships via UPS it will take 3 to 7 business days to arrive depending on where you call home. You can track your order on our website using your order number and clicking here or you can be patient and wait for UPS to send you a notification of shipment indicating that your order has left the building. Please note that your item must ship before anyone can track it and it can take up to 48 hours for your tracking information to trickle down from UPS to our systems.

What if I live across the pond?

International orders are shipped via UPS International Express.

Transit times average 3-5 business days for delivery.

**International Express price does not include Duty, Customs Adjustment or VAT.

Up to $75 additional charges in VAT and duties may apply upon delivery of the product.

What if I entered my email address in wrong?

Our deepest sympathies are being sent to you via UPS because you haven’t read any of this.

Much Love,

Timbuk2 Designs

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My Last 7 Job Titles

  1. Technical Operations Manager
  2. Group Program Manager
  3. Marketing Manager
  4. Product Manager
  5. Support Engineer
  6. Store Manager
  7. Video Store Clerk

The only one that even remotely describes the actual job I did is Video Store Clerk. I had this job while I was attending college and it consisted of the following responsibilities:

  • *Suggest John Hughes movies
  • *Collect late fees

That’s it. My first day on the job, my boss made it clear that these were the two most important parts of the job. This is what would determine my success or failure. If I could do both well, I’d have a promising future in the video rental business! Wow! image

Some may ask why anyone would suggest a John Hughes movie when so many other movies were available. The thinking goes like this: People wandering around video stores late at night aren’t looking for a movie like Memento that requires a fair amount of attention. If a couple came in late it night it usually meant they were just looking for something easy to follow with a good soundtrack. So I become quite skilled at suggesting movies like Home Alone, Pretty in Pink, or even the Breakfast Club if they looked a little rugged. 

But I hated to collect late fees. New Releases were only one day rentals and at least 40% of them came in late. Our boss required that we collect at least half the late fee on new releases, but we could waive any fees on older movies, most of which were 5-day rentals.

The only late fees we were never allowed to discount were those on Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis systems. We had to collect the full amount and the fees were hefty! Sometimes the late fees on these exceeded the replacement cost of the system. Unlike the movies that people could shove through our night return (hole in the door) renters of these gaming consoles would sneak into the store during peak times, quietly place everything on the counter and make a MAD DASH for the door!

I never felt like it was a good idea to act like a hero and run after them. What’s the worst I could do if I actually caught one? Make them watch Point Break? There was no time for that foolishness. I had customers to help, John Hughes movies to suggest and teens to keep out of the adult area.

A Diaper Bag even dads will carry

Although we have four kids now, we’ve never invested in a very good diaper bag. When Luca was born we bought a light blue bag from Lands End that was too small and looked more a 2nd grader’s lunch box. All it needed was the Dora the Explorer decals.

When Anna came along we picked up a red bag that was still too small but was better quality than the blue one. We carried it everywhere until it fell apart last year.

So when Kai was born we started looking around for another bag. Kim wanted a bigger model that would hold her purse along with all the baby supplies. She also wanted a waterproof interior, a few pockets and zipper up top instead of snaps or magnets.

My one requirement was that the new bag wouldn’t make me look like a total doofus when I carried it around. I asked around on Twitter and received a number of excellent recommendations. Many people told me to just buy a backpack or gym bag. Those would probably work just fine but I doubt Kim would want to carry either around.

screen_2007-12-10 00.27.57Kim has a couple nice Coach bags and I love my Tumi bag, but neither made a bag like we envisioned. Years ago when I drove a Xootr scooter around Seattle, I bought a messenger bag from Timbuk2 that I still have today. It’s held up very well and still looks stylish. I decided to check out their website to see if they had a decent sized tote bag that might work. Sure enough, they had several models that seemed to fit the bill. I couldn’t decided between the Cargo Tote and the Original Cargo Tote.

I checked out a number of reviews online and came across many examples of people using the Timbuk2 Cargo Totes as diaper bags, so I decided to order one of the “Original Cargo Totes” today. I went with it over the Cargo Tote because it has a “ballistic boot bottom” which means it should hold up well when it’s packed to the brim.

It should arrive next week. I’ll write up a review after I’ve used it for a few weeks.

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Underpants Gnomes Business Model

Is your company built on a business model similar to that of the Underpants Gnomes who introduced their innovative business model during the 2nd season of South Park?

image 

I worked for a couple (Rocketpipe, Petplace) of start-ups that were built on such a model. We were collecting users (we called it “building community) instead of underpants and were hoping to figure out how we could parlay that into profit. Yet we had NO IDEA what Phase 2 would entail. We had an idea and figured eventually it would lead to big profits so why bother bridging the idea to profit with a plan of any kind?

One would assume this type of business plan would have been shelved after the first internet bubble, but that doesn’t appear to be the case with hundreds of startups springing to life on an idea and a prayer. It’s that pesky phase 2 that’s the killer.

What companies come to mind when you think of this business model? Technorati? Twitter? Mahalo?

The 20 things I know at 40 that I didn’t at 20

  1. Classic Rock isn’t the only genre of music.
  2. Few things in life are absolute. e.g. “I’ll never drive a minivan!!”
  3. Jobs titles don’t mean jack squat.
  4. How much someone earns is a poor indicator of their happiness.
  5. Staying home on a Friday night isn’t the end of the world
  6. Raising kids is harder than it looks and more enjoyable than I would have ever thought.
  7. I now believe what a German friend told me: “One has as many true friends as fingers on a single hand”
  8. It feels better to let someone merge than it does to cut them off.
  9. I’m more like my dad than I thought. That’s a good thing.
  10. Nobody cares about my college major.  They only care that I stuck it out long enough to earn a degree.
  11. Finding a good mentor is more important then the company, position or pay.
  12. Burning bridges is one of the dumbest things a person can do.
  13. A diet of Cap’N Crunch, M&M’s and Cherry Coke doesn’t have staying power.
  14. Most valuable course I took in HS was typing.
  15. Passing on my Sony Walkman to my kids won’t be as cool as I thought it would be.
  16. Watching someone play an instrument is as enjoyable as watching someone play a sport.
  17. Those “required” college courses that I despised make watching Jeopardy almost enjoyable.
  18. Sometimes the news is more opinion than news.
  19. Being the first one to say, “I’m sorry, I made a mistake” doesn’t make one weak.
  20. Giving people the benefit of the doubt is better than assuming they intentionally tried to offend.

Our kids favorite toys of the year

My father bought our kids two Kettler “Kettcars” this summer and it’s become their favorite activity. We live on a cul-de-sac with a grass island which gives the kids plenty of room to cruise around in these well-made pedal cars.

The first Kettcar he bought is called the Classic Flyer. Its looks are old school, but it’s a seriously fast racing machine. It’s perfect for smaller kids, but three of our kids (ages 6, 4, 3) all love it and fit well. One feature I like about this model is the seat takes just seconds to adjust as no tools are needed. This makes for an ideal choice when you have different ages who will be sharing time behind the wheel.  It includes a hand brake that works well when the kids remember it’s there.

Here’s a picture of Lincoln on the Classic Flyer. He probably shouldn’t be wearing his Croks to pedal, but at least he’s wearing his sister’s Dora helmet.

image

After we had the Classic Flyer for a few weeks my father decided that we needed one to grow into. So he ordered the Grand Prix model. This one has bigger wheels and looks very sporty. The older neighborhood kids show up when we pull this out. It also sits off the ground a bit higher and is perfect for kids ages 5-9 or so. The seat is adjustable too but requires basic tools to do so. The kids loved placing the many stickers on the Grand Prix. In fact, it took longer to place the stickers than it did to assemble.

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Our kids have driven these Kettcars for hours on end. Having two is a lot of fun because they can invite friends over and race around the grass island. I like these pedal cars a lot better than the battery operated models you find at Target because the kids have to pedal to get them moving which results in a good amount of exercise. And you’ll get exercise too as you try to chase them down because they won’t want to stop.

The Classic Flyer can be found online for around $140 while the Grand Prix runs about $170. Both can be found at Growing Tree Toys or Amazon.

Note: A friend of mine has told me that the Kettler tricycles are great too.