Twitter Updates for 2007-08-31

• Dropped off the boy at school. #
• @conniereece As fate would have it, I learned to crochet as a boy. The house is low on doilies; I may have to start production. #
• @mosqueda Keep an eye out for underground tag movements by the kids. #
• @conniereece toilet tissue covers? Never! #
• heading out #
• This morning’s taco was a good source of calcium with all those egg shells. #
• Sent in cover letter and resume to local congressman with an opening. #
• just tried new twitter feature to search gmail contacts #
• waiting for social media club show on blogtalkradio http://www.blogtalkradio.com/socialmediaclub #
• woohoo! I got windows media player going on the mac #
• BTR only gives you 5 incoming lines. Scoble needs a free line to get on. #
• I missed part of the show, had a visitor. #
• *sigh* I’m going to have to relisten to that show #
• I was looking for a hub and accidentally grabbed the wrong box. I got a switch instead. Fine with me. #
• just watched Tikibartv.com – The Play. Poor La La #
• We just got our T1 line installed. Now to get the connection across the building to our computers. #
• Driving home. #
• @epodcaster an evening brewcast? #
• Per @epodcaster’s suggestion got myself a Budweiser and Clamato Chelada. My Evening Brewcast. #
• P Dilly has approved my podcast. #
• San Antonio Podcasters, do you want to do an Evening Brewcast on BlogTalkRadio? Chat over beer? #

Twitter Updates for 2007-08-30

• history channel has Modern Marvels: 70s Tech #
• The Speak & Spell was the first DSP chip #
• those 70s red LED watches paved the way for modern tv displays #
• I actually remember the red LED watches. You had to push button to see the time. #
• @newmediajim Tom Costello will become one of us. Resistance is futile. #
• At a press conference by Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission at South Texas College. Kickoff of anti-underage drinking campaign. #
• Watching camera guys take video shots from different positions. #
• Wow, Texas now has keg registration to track down adults who buy beer for teens. #
• Done with luncheon. Headed to the office. #
• Almost out of McAllen, Tx #
• Send me promos for your podcast to mail at shainemata.net #
• I have the sleepies. #
• Finally in Edinburg, tx #
• I just got paid #
• I just saw a picture of me in profile somebody took. My God I let myself go! #

Watching Camera Guys Dance Around the Press Conference

Originally uploaded by shainelee.

It’s always fun watching professional camera guys at a press event. =

Twitter Updates for 2007-08-29

• @brendajos Carville is the only one who will. #
• going to bed #
• Off to leave the boy at school #
• With the boy in school waiting for teacher. #
• Pit stop at home before heading out to work. #
• Headed to work. Did 2 quick talkshoe podcasts before leaving. #
• Well coffeed up and ready to go. #
• Trying to share internet connection through my laptop. #
• Resurrected my mac. #
• @mdeleon Nothing wrong with the Mac, just didn’t have a place for it. Decided to install it at work. #
• Network just killed my Mac. Went command line from desktop. #
• I can’t figure out how to cut out a photo so I can layer on another image #
• @preppydude seashore #
• @mdeleon I want to make the area around a person transparent so that image behind it will shoe #
• show too #
• thinking of shutting down for the day. #
• Headed home. #
• Playing fetch with the dog. #

LISTENING to Talk Shows

I listen to talk radio whenever I have a chance. We have a great local radio station, KURV, which has talk shows on all day. Yes, the shows tend to be conservative. I enjoy listening to talk shows because of their content. Talk shows tend to have more discussion and ideas flying back and forth in the same amount of time it would take me to put out two or three blog posts. You can’t beat live discussions for speed. Lately, I’ve been pulled away from reading blogs and even posting to my own because I have been looking into online talk shows.

In the past, I have enjoyed talk shows as a listener. Now, I find myself listening with a different ear. I want to do my own talk show(s). Now I am listening to learn techniques and get ideas on how to deal with running a show while doing other things. I used to listen, now I am LISTENING.

I do enjoy listening to podcasts. I appreciate the time and effort it takes to record, edit, and post a podcast. The greatest thing about a podcast is that you can fix any errors you have. You can flub up and do a retake, then go back and delete. Doing live shows eliminates all the work of recording, editing, and posting; but it has its own challenges. Live shows are a performance. The show must go on and you are forced to think on your feet. It’s a trade-off. The back-end work with podcasts is replaced with the need to throw together a performance on the spot. I find myself attracted to the panic of spontaneous speech. Even though I’m a shy guy, I enjoy performing. Go figure.

Twitter Updates for 2007-08-28

• listening to Shaine OMac Radio on BTR #
• Dropped boy off at school. #
• Just saw DPS trooper finish with one stop, go across median and pull somebody else over. On a roll. #
• At the office. Getting myself installed. Coffee was worthless for waking me. #
• rounding up volunteers for class reunion planning committee #
• researching how legislative session affected reimbursement of ambulance companies by medicaid #
• Got called for an interview, but it’s a lateral move with respect to salary. #
• @vesparider thanks for wishing me luck #
• job interview is for something totally new, not involving tech in the least. #
• I could go with job that pays the same and involves tech. I think I’ll pass. #
• Been thinking of part-timing here and doing business for myself. That’s one way to earn more, maybe. #
• I realized if I don’t tweet or use the web on my phone, the battery will last two or three days. #
• distracting @conniereece from her 300+ emails #
• Turned down interview for job. A financial advisor once told me my main problem is I need to earn more. #
• We found the daughter. She tried a different way home from the bus stop. We need to talk to her. #
• In Alton, Tx – city on the grow. #
• Entering Palmhurst, Tx #
• @doctorlinguist you need to fire your worst clients and focus on your best ones according to 4 Hour Workweek. #
• @preppydude I should apply for a federal job. #
• @preppydude Thanks! Wondering if I should add insanity on my resume for federal job. #
• Bring out a tv camera and everybody is an expert. #
• Watching local news, watch out or you can get bitch-slapped by a pun (according to the Mrs). #
• @doctorlinguist that’s funny #
• @ejfisher I don’t have a promo, but I can play yours. @epodcaster @chrisdoelle @mdeleon send me promos too. #
• Caveman show previews look lame. #
• @brendajos some of the best caveman comedy is visual, not verbal. Anachronism, not one-liners. #
• One of my favorite shows of all time is The Biggest Loser. #
• @brendajos LOL. Oh geez #
• Twitter break. Back later. #

15 Minutes – Getting Out of a Rut

I was feeling a bit down tonight, so I decided to do a show to cheer me up. It’s about getting out of a rut. It was me talking to me, but I share some ideas like sports, dancing, volunteering, organizing a project, or finding some activity that gives you a story to tell people. The point is, you should go out there and do it.

You can listen at Blog Talk Radio.

Twitter Updates for 2007-08-27

• Sitting at a Starbucks uploading video. #
• @DearYvette, where is that? #
• I don’t know why I thought Google servers would take less time to encode video. Duh. #
• @DearYvette I don’t think I’ve ever been to Highland Park area. I went to trade show once. #
• Dallas airport to hotel, to trade center, to hotel, to airport. #
• I’m cold and in shorts. #
• @DearYvette I’ll put it on my list. #
• I would have left already, but uploading video to blogger requires you to wait for processing. Dumb idea #
• @doctorlinguist I know, I know. It’s 85 degrees or so outside. Starbucks is frigid. My van has no A/C. #
• well, it has A/C, but it doesn’t work. #
• getting ready to give up on blogger #
• @DearYvette it’s crunching video. Says not to close window until it’s done. I can’t leave. #
• @DearYvette Thanks, I can see how doing an enclosure would be better. #
• I’m getting out of here. Not waiting for blogger to finish. I’ll embed google video later. #
• Lesson learned, turn up video exposure on cloudy days. #
• Headed home. Nice and warm outside. #
• Stopping to get my son a couple belts. He’s skinny and his pants fall. #
• @DearYvette I was freezing in the coffee shop. I’m thawing in Texas. #
• Parking lot is full. I guess a lot of last minute back to school shopping. #
• I could not find a belt for my son. He’s going to have to manually hold up his pants. #
• Taking the boy to register in school. #

Checking Out Talkshoe

Today I experimented with Talkshoe. I had tried doing a show in Spanish the other night, but downloading and installing the client took longer than I thought, so I missed the scheduled time. This time, I got everything running before tying out the platform and I successfully did a show.

What Blog Talk Radio offers in simplicity, Talkshoe is the opposite. I like simplicity, but I can see how some podcasters could be wooed by all the features of TalkShoe. For instance, one feature that Talkshoe offers is the ability to host multiple shows with one login. The beauty of this login is that you don’t have to juggle multiple accounts to create shows on different topics. You simply title your shows differently and Talkshoe creates different episodes.

Another feature that can be appealing is the introduction of the Shoephone. This feature allows you to host the show through your client rather than calling in to the host line. Of course, the drawback is that if your talkshoe client craps out, your voice connection is gone too. There is an advantage to having your voice connection separate from your dashboard. I did try the shoephone. It worked well except for instances in which there were pauses in my speech. It may be my microphone or the shoephone, but the ambient noise in between pauses was clipped out. So, there are distracting breaks in the smoothness of my speech. I suppose this is fairly acceptable considering that Skype and other VOIP clients have their own issues as well. Calling in on a landline or may not yield the best host voices either. So, it evens out.

The chat client is also a neato mosquito factor that may attract people to Talkshoe. It’s pretty cool to follow conversations grouped by caller and thread. I think it may also be distracting while doing a show. What do I know? I’m new at this.

I suppose that Talkshoe does have a lot to offer even if it requires the installation of software on your computer. I prefer the simplicity of BlogTalkRadio, but I can see where some might enjoy all the features built into Talkshoe. If there is any draw for me, it’s the ability to use Talkshoe to host a conference call, which they call an Unlisted Group Call. This feature could prove to be handy for recording online meetings. In any case, based on your preferences, needs, and faith in your ability to connect, I could see how a podcaster could go with Talkshoe over BlogTalkRadio. In the end it will come down to personal preference.

Pay Per Post Does Not Allow Kontera Ads

I submitted my first post to Pay Per Post last week for review. On Friday, I got an email informing me that my post was rejected because of the Kontera links on the post. They asked that I remove the links and then resubmit the post. Of course, I won’t. I’ll just have to opt out of the program. The reason for discontinuing Pay Per Post is that they offer one-shot income. You post you make money. You don’t post you don’t make money. Kontera, on the other hand, is passive income. Whether I write posts, send tweets, or do nothing, Kontera still continues to generate a few cents here and there. I’d prefer a few cents here and there over the long term than one-time big payoffs.

Blogger Could Do Better With Video Uploads

I uploaded a video to one of my blogs on Blogger tonight. I know it takes some processing because it took a while for my computer to crunch it down. The video is almost an hour long. Image quality is not a big issue, so I got it down to to 65 MB. I can understand that Google would want to optimize video so that they don’t have to spend too much on storage and bandwidth, but when you upload to Blogger, you have to wait for the video to process before you leave the page.

If you are working from home or from your office, you can just minimize the browser and do other stuff while waiting for your upload to process. However, if you are doing the mobile thing, you have to sit there and wait for the upload to process before you can leave.

If you are out and about, you are better off putting video up on YouTube, your own host, Google Video, or other service where your video is processed without you having to sit there waiting for it. You can then embed the video later when you have time. Or, if you host your own stuff, you don’t have to wait; you can upload, embed, and go.

The End of Summer Vacation

Tomorrow, my children will be going to school again. Their summer vacation is over. I have split reactions from them. The boy can’t wait to go back to school. He is bored at home and looks forward to spending time with his friends. I’m taking some personal time off tomorrow to register him at school. My wife is not able to go as she teaches Head Start and has to be there for her students. It’s alright, I don’t mind.

The girl is not looking forward to going back to school. She is older and has a bit more sense than the boy. I think she realizes that going to school again means that she will have to review what she learned last year and then hit the tougher subjects. Add to that her entrance into junior high school. There is more at stake for her. We got her a mobile phone so that she can take it when she expects to stay after school. There will be rules attached with that phone. I guess, it’s my phone and she can borrow it. I don’t really need two phones, but I don’t want her to be careless with it.

We parents are ready for a whole new round of waking up early and racing to drop off the kids at school in time to get to work. It’s the end of summer vacation. It’s the start of a new phase.

Twitter Updates for 2007-08-25

• Listening to So You Want To Host Your Own TalkCast? on talkshoe #
• Tomorrow, I’m attending a No Border Wall rally on the Rio Grande. Moving show up to 1 PM due to poor cell coverage there. #
• @brendajos put that eyebrow down #
• off dwindwang #
• @DavidWard It would kill our economy here on the border. Sorry, I prefer my money to yours. #
• @brendajos I can’t roll my tongue #
• @DavidWard you want to put up a wall at my expense. I pay taxes too and my economy would suffer. #
• I would prefer more agents on the border. They spend money. #
• I can take that agent’s money and buy stuff for me. Walls don’t spend money. #
• I agree on controlling the border. But a wall, after much thought, is not the answer. #
• @DavidWard Texas Comptroller did a study that shows our state has a net gain from illegal immigration. #
• weighing contribution versus cost. I agree they are illegal, but they earn their keep #
• @DavidWard I also worked with illegals last year. They came in legally on tourist visas and never went home. #
• @DearYvette I’m sure there is. But a medium wall is just as good as no wall. #
• @1389 Sounds like a research project to find out the comptroller’s methodology. She had no reason to fudge. #
• @DearYvette I bet you have NO illegal immigrants without a border. #
• @DavidWard how many employers get rich and pay a higher tax off of illegals? What do they buy with that money? #
• No illegals, no rich americans #
• Just wait for the baby boomers to retire, folks. you’ll be screaming for immigrants. #
• the feds have to pay social security, medicaid, and prescription drugs for people who don’t contribute to the economy. #
• We’ll have old people not paying payroll taxes, clogging up ERs, and living off the government. #
• @DearYvette you guys need a border wall. #
• We should get rid of old people before they ruin our country (being absurd, don’t pelt me). #
• @DearYvette Florida needs to get a handle on illegal immigrants. Don’t you people have border patrols? #
• I am removing @dwingdwang. enough is enough #
• @DearYvette Exactly. And the disabled. They don’t work and live off our goodwill. #
• @dwingdwang is gone. Sheesh. #
• @DearYvette me too. Strong border, yes. Wall, no. It’s like drugs, would not be a problem if nobody bought them. #
• @dwingdwang is blocked too. I’m vicious. #
• @DearYvette I missed one of your tweets. Yes, let’s get rid of women who don’t work too. They just make babies and don’t pay taxes. #
• I’m signing off for tonight. Night all. Sweet American dreams. #

Twitter Updates for 2007-08-24

• finishing up coffee. will get ready to go to work soon #
• morning all. #
• Writing out my research from yesterday. #
• Made my first call to TDCJ to inquire about prisoners. Ombudsman was very helpful. #
• now to inform the family members #
• making another call to ombudsman to clarify denial of parole #
• now to inform the family why this guy isn’t eligible for parole #
• done helping constituents.. wrapping up and getting ready to go home. #

Impromptu Live Show – No Border Wall

I’m doing an impromptu Blog Talk Radio show tonight, hopefully in Spanish, to speak against the construction of a border wall. Tomorrow afternoon, there is a rally here at La Lomita, which is an old chapel constructed in 1899. The site on which it is located dates back to the 1770s and has historical significance. If you can speak Spanish or understand it, you can join me at blogtalkradio.com/shaine. You can also chat with me using GoogleTalk at shaine.mata@gmail.com.

Shaine Speaks

Listen to my blog post. You can either download the mp3 or use the audio player.

MP3 File

Twitter Updates for 2007-08-23

• was just listening to veterans issues now on blogtalkradio #
• http://www.blogtalkradio.com/veterans #
• working on knocking stuff off my vitalist things to do #
• checking prices for accessories for a dv cam on panasonic website #
• good night #
• Headed to work #
• Don’t feel well. Stopped for gatorade. #
• networking on linkedin, woohoo! #
• heading out to do some research at a real live library. Doing it old school. #
• 2 jobs with Hidalgo county I sought. One filled, one cancelled. More postings monday. #
• Was not paying attention to gauges. Almost ran out of gas. #
• Just read old article at the library about the chapel that is honored by our town Mission, Tx. #
• How far back do I go with the history of the chapel? It’s an anti border wall rally, do they care? #
• Just saw what harlequin type ichthyosis does. Yikes! #
• Wondering why windows mobile 6 does not have a RESTART option. It needs one. #

Shaine Speaks

Listen to my blog post. You can either download the mp3 or use the audio player.

MP3 File

Twitter Updates for 2007-08-22

• at home trying to figure out how to make a mambo/joomla template #
• I wish I were smarter #
• waiting for youtube download of joomla tutorial #
• @ericaogrady I wish, the client wants joomla. #
• I’d rather go with wordpress #
• @ericaogrady what are the biggest pains with joomla? #
• Setting up structure of joomla content. Should be learning how to create a template. #
• @HRBabe *sigh* long hours ahead #
• cool, twittersearch. Thanks @biz #
• the new search feature on twitter allowed me to find people who live nearby. typed name of city #
• I am not amused. #
• @doctorlinguist nope. frustrated trying to find info on how to create a joomla template. #
• @doctorlinguist I don’t know why I found that amusing, but I chuckled. #
• @doctorlinguist If only I were smart enough to write my own apps I would not have to figure out other peoples’ messes #
• @mdeleon roll my own #
• @doctorlinguist I tried coding. It causes sleepless nights, poor diet, and crankypantsness #
• working on the crankypantsness now #
• I think I found something on dev.joomla.org #
• fudge. the documentation is not fleshed out. Patience my ass, I’m going to kill something! #
• downloading a possible tutorial. Won’t know until it’s unzipped… that sounds bad. #
• @omcantu I’ll figure this out, I have to. It’s not the client, I volunteered (dumb me). #
• @omcantu Yes. Just a template. #
• @omcantu I have the layout, I just need to figure out plug in the backend into the design. #
• I found a tutorial for joomla templates http://dev.joomla.org/downloads/Joomla15TemplateTutorial.zip #
• @mdeleon so Project Spurs is custom? #
• I think I see how this works. I think I can do this renaming some CSS and throwing in some php. I’m probably wrong. #
• @mdeleon thanks. I’ll need plenty of that. #
• at work and ready to go. Nothing like listening to favorite music to get you motivated for the day. #

Searching for Mission High School Alumni

One good use for Ning, it dawned on me, is to create high school alumni sites. All the other sites give you a taste and then nail you by charging you for something really useful. Where’s the fun in that? Ning, on the other hand, is free.

I think the best feature for creating alumni sites on Ning is that you can create groups for each class. This means that they can have a smaller community within the alumni community. Ning also allows you to block people who don’t belong in the group.

If you went to school in Mission, Texas and attended Mission High School, you are welcome to join. It’s free, it’s easy, and it should be fun to connect.

Visit Mission Eagles