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Pickup Basketball in San Diego
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- July 6, 2010 – 5:07 pm
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Native Facebook App For the iPad
I have heard many people complaining that Facebook hasn’t released a native iPad app yet, and while that is true, it doesn’t stop some of us from a exploiting a good work around.
Step 1
The Spirit Jailbreak for the iPad is required for this work around. It’s the simplest and easiest jailbreak yet. I have been running it for the last 30 days and it’s rock solid. Head over to SpiritJB.com on your Mac or PC and run the quick install. If you need this spelled out for you, please see ReadWriteWeb’s blog post on JailBreaking your iPad.
Step 2
Once you are jailbroken, pull up Cydia and search for Full Force. Install the app and restart your iPad.
Step 3
Install the Facebook iPhone app on the iPad, if you haven’t done so already.
Step 4
Go into your settings menu and select FullForce, find the Facebook option, and turn the slider to “ON”.
Step 5
You’re done! Go into Facebook and your app will be automagically converted from iPhone to iPad ready.
It takes about 10 minutes at most for this quick and easy ‘hack’ to get Facebook running natively on your iPad and you will go from this:
To this:
It even works in landscape mode.
Enjoy. Oh, and if you are looking for a quicker work around, try touch.facebook.com.
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- June 21, 2010 – 7:50 am
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Dad’s Day: The Gift That Keeps On Giving
I am typing this post from Caffe Calabria this morning, surrounded by Dad’s watching the Italy-New Zealand World Cup matchup. It’s a great morning, and for no reason in particular. As my coffee cools to a temperature close to ‘room’, Italy just caromed the tying goal off the post, and the crowd deflates as I bury my head in this post.
Father’s day makes me proud to be a Dad. I realize there is no more important role for me to play in life, than to be a the best Father and parent I can be. And this day reminds me of the gravity of my responsibility and makes me proud to have hefted the load.
You’ve got expecting Dads, first time Dads, sons and daughters missing their Dads, and family men of all sorts who will get the ritualistic Hallmark card and remote control meat thermometer that dispenses beer or whatever Brookstone has decided that we want this year. Those endless gift ideas won’t really bring Dad what he wants, which is just a big “Thank You.”
Father’s day is about recognizing the men in your life and the contributions they’ve made to your family. You could be the Father of a pug, or a fish, or a 3 year old kid, but you are all committed to supporting and caring for your ‘family’–and for that–this is your day!
Let’s face it, Father’s day doesn’t compare Mother’s day, but in end, the message is the same. Show your genuine appreciation for the men that lift you up and provide the foundation for you to achieve. If you’re not brimming with appreciation today, you could use today as an opportunity to forgive and move on. Use today to say something you otherwise wouldn’t.
Dad’s aren’t perfect, and that’s beyond stating the obvious. But I’d attest they are perfectly imperfect; and your family has molded itself around those imperfections in a way that shapes generation after generation.
Families are a reflection of the men that support and propel them; and the women that hold them together. So, save the meat thermometer for that blind holiday gift exchange, and just give Dad a genuine Thank You. And if you effectively communicate genuine appreciation, there’s no greater gift to get.
It’s now about 8:15am on Sunday, Emma is probably just waking up and I am going to head to brunch with the ‘fam.’ Italy has leveled their match with New Zealand and my coffee is now cold. The crowd at the cafe is cheering and supporting their team; meanwhile I am going back home, to applause of the ultimate fans, my family.
Photo courtesy of Boston.com
Tagged: dad, family, father's day, holiday, reflections
Honda Ruckus GY6 Engine Swap
I am currently shopping for a stock 150cc GY6 engine to swap with my Honda Ruckus NPS50. I have found some pretty good deals on eBay, but I am still researching whether or not I should buy an engine from a donor scooter, a rebuilt engine, or a complete kit that encompasses the back wheel and muffler.
Right now I am leaning towards buying an engine on eBay, a mount on Buggy Depot and wiring harness on Ruckus Life.
Meanwhile, as I save up $$$ for what I need, I am looking for a good mechanic in San Diego that can help me with the swap. I plan to start a thread on Total Ruckus or Craigslist asking for assistance, but if you know someone, please direct them my way.
It will probably take me 4-6 weeks to obtain the parts and find the right mechanic, but I will do my best to keep you posted along the way.
When all is said and I done, my scooter will go from 35 mph on the flats to about 55 mph. My ride to work consists of double digit grade hills and my ‘Ruck only goes about 10 mph up those and usually forces me into the bike lane; I can’t wait to have some real power on my commute to work everyday.
Ruckus engine swap FTMFW!
[Photo courtesy of Aubrey Arenas]
Tagged: engine swap, gy6, ruckus nps50
A Summer of Discovery
This blog is almost 10 years old, and marks a decade long career in web publishing and Internet marketing. Over those 10 years I’ve seen the advent and rise in popularity of Google, Facebook, YouTube, and many of web services that today, we couldn’t live without. However, this post isn’t about reflections, it’s about taking some personal time for discovery.
The web has advanced my career, enriched my personal life, and fed my hungry appetite for knowledge. I am very grateful for the Internet and it’s ‘magical ways’ (thanks Steve Jobs). Nevertheless, I need to take a break right now and use the Internet as a vehicle rather than the destination.
Said another way, instead of blogging about social media, tech events, and general marketing-shit (which is of questionable value due to the randomness of the information I provide), I am going to focus on writing about a couple personal projects that exist outside of the inter-webs.
So, it’s time for mattbrowne.com to change gears and reflect this new phase of discovery.
I’ve been passionate about two things recently, Chess and Scooters; now before you rail on me, let me explain.
I got into Chess because of ‘Chess with Friends‘ on the iPhone. I started learning some killer opening moves from JRobi Chess and middle game strategies from his YouTube collection. Chess is much more interesting with study aids like YouTube and interactive websites that coach you along the way. If you know a good place to play online, please leave me a comment.
The other hobby I have been geekin’ out on recently is, tuning my Honda Ruckus. I have been all over sites like Battle Scooter, Total Ruckus and Ruckus Life. Another good Ruckus resource is BowlsLA. The major modification I am after right now is speed. My 49cc engine is cutting it up the hills of La Jolla and in words of Tim Allen, “I need more power.” Buying a new bike isn’t an option at the moment, so I am doing the next best thing, an engine swap. With the right modifications, I can practically double the speed and power of my scoot without doubling the cost.
After I take care of the velocity issue, I will move on to vanity, customizing the look and feel of my ride. I am excited because I am not accustomed to working with tools and tuning my bike is going to be a great learning experience. While I won’t be doing the engine swap myself, I will be doing many of the body modifications myself. This is my go at ‘shop class’ and I am eager for new hobby.
So, if you hear more about Chess strategies or Ruckus mods on this blog throughout the summer, I’ve warned you. It’s just me branching out, and exploring my passion outside of technology or social media. Frankly, the path I was on, was leading toward burn out. This is my effort of injecting a little balance into my life.
And of course, If you’d like to play a game of chess, or go for a weekend ride in San Diego, hit me up! If you own a Ruckus and live in San Diego, you also might want to check out this Ruckus ‘club’: http://bit.ly/sdruckus
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- June 15, 2010 – 5:52 pm
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Testing Out a New Theme
Testing out a new Theme called Sator-ii by Felipe Lavín running WordPress 3.0 (RC)
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- June 5, 2010 – 1:17 am
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SXSWi – Why I go, What I take away
Southby Recap 2010
This year’s show seemed much different than year’s past. Not sure if it’s the evolution of the show, or Matt Browne, or both.
The last two shows I was blown away by the content of the panels and keynotes. I literally couldn’t take notes fast enough. I was consistently taken aback by the creativity and accomplishments of the randoms strangers I met serendipitously.
Durring a video taping of @SocialMediaClub someone said it best, “you first come to Southby for the content, and you keep coming back for the relationships.” I agree!
For me, this year was more about relationships than curating the next big idea. As much as this conference caters to early adopters in tech, their purpose has dramatically increased in scope. Now Southby Southwest Interactive is becoming the place to launch your mainstream consumer product to an highly influential audience. Evident by Chevy, Pepsi, and Microsoft’s presence; whom all were vying for the attention of the tech elite and making big investments to do so.
I will remember this year as the year Southby shed it’s geek image and mainstream marketers were certainly the catalyst to this change.
Just watch Pepsi vs. Coke. Or Chevy vs. Ford. I would bet that brands that are making the investment in Southby will show strong awareness and equity in next 12-24 months.
Tip of the hat goes off to the Southby organizers for scaling so well. The volunteer staff was absolutely amazing. Lines were longer, but didn’t seem to go any slower. Charging stations were _everywhere_. They even had charging lockers, where you could lock your electronics up for free and come back to a full battery. AT&T, that was brilliant!
The parties were out of control this year (but that’s not really new). If you weren’t on a VIP list, you might as well enjoy your spot in line. I literally saw some of the longest lines I have ever seen, some being over 5 city blocks long. The Mashable party had close to 10,000 RSVPs; sufficed to say more of us were disappointed than not. On the last night Evan Williams and Ashton Kutcher were spotted hanging out at the FourSquare party in the VIP, which was pretty cool.
As far as the tangible updates coming from the show, the most profound announcement was that of Twitter’s new platform called @Anywhere. In the same vain as Facebook Connect, you can now extend the viral success of Twitter on your own site, without asking your visitors to leave and go somewhere else. Though Evan’s announcement lacked the passion you’d expect from a CEO making a large announcement at a keynote, it didn’t take away from the impact this update will have.
Twitter’s API is widely known in the development community as much more stable and well documented than Facebook. This, combined with the sheer power of Twitter’s simple features, make the @Anywhere platform something that will catch on fast, potentially quicker than Facebook connect.
My two favorite talks this year were by Ze Frank and Clay Shirky. If you haven’t seen either of their TedTalks, I’d start there. If you have, then I’ll tell you these guys are even more amazing in person. They both commanded the attention of the room and delivered on the greatness their reputation promises.
People often ask me why I make such a big deal about Southby and what I hope to get out of it– and that’s a really good question. I supposed it’s changed over the years. At first I came to this show to put my little startup on the edge of the tech and social universes. However, now my focus is a little different.
I come to Southby now to fill my creative cup. I come for vision. I come to humble myself. I come for inspiration. I come because I believe it has been one of the most important conferences in technology, social media, and mobile. I believe more innovation happens, ideas hatched, and _real_ relationships cemented in Austin than anywhere else all year long.
The sheer serendipity of a chance meeting with Jeff Jarvis or Tony Hsieh is what I enjoy most. Or better yet, someone you’d never heard of–that will change your future–and you’d have never met them any other way. It’s all about putting yourself in the realm of possibility where greatness come to get even better.
I love all of my Southby peeps. Thanks for making this year so memorable and something I’ll always come back for.
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- March 17, 2010 – 9:01 am
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Business Cards Are Viral
Ya know, I’ve been doing a lot thinking about the simple question, ‘to carry business cards, or not to carry business cards.’
For some it’s not even thought. It a corporate requirement, or right of self passage, or whatever. You don’t think about these things. And don’t want to. And you probably should abandon this post now. For those that don’t take certain assumptions for granted, you’re my kind of people. That said, I’ve always been the kind of person that hated carrying business cards.
I liked the thought of remaining incognito; if someone wanted to find me they had to put for a little bit of effort into it. I liked that. That subtle barrier kept out people that weren’t motivated beyond arms reach, which allowed me to focus my energy being proactive, charting my own course.
And then it went from incognito to just plain lazy. In the era of Twitter, I found it quite convenient that 6 characters separates you from my identity and complete contact information – aka “sdMatt”. So, I relied heavily on that. I have to admit, I’ve been fearless about not having cards. Some people would get embarrassed, not me. Never. If I ever ran into the situation where it was obvious I should have had a card, I just shrug it off. “I ran out…” I’d say… thinking, I ran out without cards on purpose.
Really, I never cared about the title on cards. It just didn’t matter. I’ve funded a business with a multimillion dollar valuation, I’ve cash flowed another business doing hundreds of thousands in revenue, and I’ve never needed a card to get by. Never. Not once. In fact, many startups form before branding, colors, card stock, and code.. they start on a napkin or a white board. It’s all about ideas. “And ideas don’t have cards…” I’d tell myself.
Maybe my renegade status is waining, because for the first time in my business career I am excited about ordering some cards. And not because I’ve succumb to the doldrums of a public company, far from it. Because I’ve changed my perspective on the business card.
Business cards are viral.
When I realized this, cards became avant garde again.
Here’s the thing. When someone asks for your business card in person, there’s usually three or four other people around. When someone asks for your card in front of other people, those individuals are likely to say, “hey can I get one of those too?”
And there by taking your card through a viral expansion loop. You do that 10-20 times throughout a tradeshow, and that’s how you can run through more cards than you brought.
It must be my 30′s, but I am long passed worrying about being incognito. I can take comfort in knowing that others know how to get a hold of me easily. Overall, yes- I’ll say it- I am being more responsible.
So, I am going to mix it up and try something new. I think am going to roll with standard size Moo cards, because I love that company and I can count on the cardstock, print quality, and price. (Plus, they’re giving away 50 free cards, ATM)
Oh, and If you see me out and about, be sure to ask me for my card. I’ll know you read this post and I’ll smile.
Tagged: business cards, viral loop
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- February 28, 2010 – 8:00 am
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#influenceSD Now Accepting Nominees
We are now accepting nominees for the first annual #influenceSD awards. On April 7th influencers from all disciplines, from sports and entertainment to government and non-profits, will be recognized for the best uses of new media in our local community.
Whatever real time platform you choose to publish on, blogs, podcasts, Twitter, Facebook, Buzz, or YouTube, we proudly accept your nominations to celebrate Champions in New Media.
We will be accepting nominees until 3/24, at which point the judges will select the winner from the top 5 nominees in each category.
Our event will be held at Anthology in Little Italy. We have a mailing list started and we will let you know as soon as tickets go on sale.
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- February 13, 2010 – 11:12 am
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The Facebook Redesign
Compliments of @BenParr from Mashable, we get an internal perspective on the Facebook redesign. They launched this update to 60 million users and Facebook recently celebrated their 400 million user milestone. Facebook has made a lot of news this week celebrating, their 6th birthday and launching a new browser based photo plugin.
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- February 6, 2010 – 2:24 am
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