Bradly McGarr
IT. Politics. Science. Religion. A Nerd and a Blog.
The Mystery of Twitter: Why Some People Are Confused
Aug 11th
If you spend much time on forums, in places like Digg, etc., you’ll notice a trend: there’s a group of people who cannot see why people use Twitter.
There are different uses for Twitter. Companies and Celebrities alike have found it as a way to reach out directly to their masses, 140 characters at a time.
However, for the average user, there are many more ways to use Twitter. But to use Twitter properly, you have to understand what Twitter is.
Imagine, for a moment, Twitter as the offspring of SMS, RSS, and Social Networking. SMS is the technical term for Text Messaging. RSS is short for Really Simple Syndication, and it’s used by websites to update you the end user with their content through an RSS feed (basically, an RSS feed finds the stuff you want for you). And finally, most people know what social networking is.
So, outside of things you follow like your favorite Clebs, the USGS, NASA, etc., you can also follow your friends. You can also select some friends for mobile following, meaning their tweets are sent to you by text message, and you can update by text or phone app. Like RSS, it finds things posted by friends More >
Trying out Poster for WordPress on Palm WebOS
Jul 23rd
This is a test post using Poster for Palm WebOS on my palm Pixi. I don’t imagine myself doing a great deal of blogging on my phone, but having the option is always a good thing. The app costs $1 and supports multiple blogs, self hosted or wordpress.com accounts. It offers some basic RTE functions and attachments. If you have ever used a Pixi you know the device is small. This makes doing a long post uncomfortable, however being able to post updates remotely outweights the discomfort. Although Poster should probably not be used as a primary means of updating.
The only feature missing is geolocation.
If you are a serious WP user and run WebOS, Poster fills the mobile blogging need.
//Website Development and Public Safety
Jul 21st
Why not putting your public safety division online is putting you behind
The Internet is an obvious destination for anyone looking to start a business. Many times, planning around web-branding is now one of the first steps towards starting a business. However, what about web development for the Public Safety domain? What about for small or volunteer organizations that cannot afford an IT Program?
The truth is, your department cannot afford to not to venture onto the internet. In reality, the cost for setting up, running, and developing a low cost but professional website for your department is minimal, often less than $200 a year. That is a significant investment in public education and communications.
I run the website for Chelan County Fire District 1, an suburban/rural fire department in Central Washington serving the unincorporated areas around Wenatchee and the hamlet of Malaga. The department is able to provide residents with critical public education information, briefings on regulations, preparedness, and, in the case of significant emergencies, provide reliable updates including mobile text alerts. All for a few hours of setup and about $200 a year.
The Internet, and social media, are new frontiers for smaller departments. There is apprehension in diving into the WorldWideWeb, from virus and security threats, More >
It’s been a while
Jul 19th
So, it’s been entirely too long since I logged into my WordPress account. News from the Pvt. in training, he’s done with BCT and moved on to AIT. He’s passed everything so far, and doing well.
I think that’s all I’ll be able to get in right now. Seems as we have another fire. The scanner’s going off again.
//Annual Independence Day Open Letter for 2010
Jul 3rd
In speaking on Labor Day at the annual fair of the New York State Agricultural Association, it is natural to keep especially in mind the two bodies who compose the majority of our people and upon whose welfare depends the welfare of the entire State. If circumstances are such that thrift, energy, industry, and forethought enable the farmer, the tiller of the soil, on the one hand, and the wage-worker on the other, to keep themselves, their wives, and their children in reasonable comfort, then the State is well off, and we can be assured that the other classes in the community will likewise prosper. On the other hand, if there is in the long run a lack of prosperity among the two classes named, then all other prosperity is sure to be more seeming than real.
It has been our profound good fortune as a nation that hitherto, disregarding exceptional periods of depression and the normal and inevitable fluctuations, there has been on the whole from the beginning of our government to the present day a progressive betterment alike in the condition of the tiller of the soil and in the condition of the man who, by his manual skill More >
Soccer and the State of the US: Correlation Much?
Jun 28th
A Soccer (football) Match outside the US (2005 fadaguiga/sxc.hu)
So, you might be thinking for a moment: ‘What in the hell does Soccer have to do with the State of the USA?’ Well, correct, they don’t have any direct correlation. In fact, it is not specifically soccer that I am talking about.
I’m instead talking about much of the popular attitude and reaction toward soccer. Go to a sports bar, or a newspaper website, and ask about soccer. You’ll quickly get kind of a standard reaction from a lot of people:
Soccer sucks.
Most of the people making these comments have never seen a soccer game before, let alone taken the time to learn about the sport. What is clear to many of the individuals is this:
- Soccer ends in ties: American sports don’t end in ties – there MUST be a winner, and a sorry loser
- Soccer is ‘wimpy’, it lacks full body contact like football
- Soccer did not originate in the US, it is foreign; unlike Baseball, Basketball, or American Football (which, FYI, is a bastardization of rugby)
- Soccer is boring, a bunch of men kicking a ball back and forth; which is less appealing than 500 miles of left turns
- Soccer is a sport loved by upity-Europeans and More >
As Promised…My Research
Jun 22nd
I received an excellent grade on my final paper for my ENG/203 class at Wenatchee Valley College, and as promised, I have uploaded my research paper for your reading pleasure. Unlike most things I write, this is strictly ©2010 Bradly L. McGarr, All Rights Reserved, printing or plagiarism forbidden under penalty allowed by law.
//
A Request for Help
Jun 5th
My little Brother is graduating from National Guard Basic Training on July 8th in Fort Benning. This is the first graduation he’s going to get since he never graduated from High School. He’s done amazingly well in Basic Training and we’re all proud of him. Sadly, because I was laid off in November and have not been able to find work beyond volunteer work in the Fire District, I am not able to afford to go to Fort Benning to see his graduation.
Pvt. McGarr, WA National Guard
I’m turning to the Internet to see if I can raise the money to go to Fort Benning for his graduation and surprise him (since he thinks none of us can go). It would make him very happy to have someone from the family see him Graduate from Basic Training. As it is he’s going to be mentioned specifically since he has done exceptionally well and has even been Squad Leader and will be so until Graduation.
If you would like to help, you can make a donation (not tax deductible, sadly) via PayPal:
Or directly through PayPal using recipient email: brad@bradlymcgarr.com
If I don’t come close to hitting my target (About $2,000), I will donate whatever funds I do More >
Loading ...
Journalism and the Future
Aug 31st
Posted by Brad in Commentary
No comments
The closure of newspapers means for us as Americans that we will have less accountability, less access to information, and just generally less. Journalists are an important piece of the puzzle in our country.
However, this is a scene that doesn’t need to happen. The outright closure of a newspaper never needs to occur, even if that is what the corporate bodies upstairs decide.
Journalism in our country needs to take a refreshing evaluation of itself and realizes different mediums call for different types of reporting:
Truth be told, part of the reason newspapers are dying is because they are focusing on the wrong stories. They try to report stories that are instant, immediate, and not suitable for the morning after. Newspapers are an amazing medium for in-depth investigative journalism. Not weather, not sports scores, but serious hard hitting journalism that takes a page and a half to discuss and dive into.
My advice? Newspapers in our country need to move from daily editions to weekly editions in areas that are not lucritive. I fully expect daily editions of NYT, LAT, and a few other big name papers, but by and large, most papers don’t need to More >