12.26.07

program ICE into your phone

Posted in News at 10:40 am by Paloma Cruz

In case of an emergency, ‘ICE’ can be a lifeline
Cell phone entry may help a hospital locate victim’s loved one
– Houston Chronicle2

[snip]

Allen is among a growing number of people who are putting ICE, or “in case of emergency,” telephone numbers in cell phones that could assist emergency personnel in case of an accident or illness.

“It’s nice to know that they (emergency personnel) know exactly what to look for,” she said. “They know to look for ‘ICE’ rather than husband, son or daughter-in-law.”

The practice requires a person to program ICE before a relative’s or friend’s number in the phone. If a patient is unconscious or nonresponsive, a paramedic or emergency room worker will look in the phone’s address book for an ICE number.

ICE is known worldwide. In Houston, however, it is only slowly catching on.

“I think the ICE thing is very, very important,” Allen said, “and I think it needs to be publicized more.”

Emergency personnel in Houston are aware of ICE. But Houston paramedics don’t use it as much as hospital emergency room workers.

[snip]

Footnotes
2 = article may expire in a few weeks

Amber Alert via MySpace

Posted in News at 10:05 am by Paloma Cruz

I logged into my MySpace account this morning and was greeted with a notice of an Amber Alert in my area. I didin’t know that this was a feature MySpace offered. I’m impressed, despite my regular cynicism about online services.

12.20.07

Workshop: Got Social Media?

Posted in General at 10:54 pm by Paloma Cruz

I can’t go to this, but recommend it to anyone who can. The list of presenters looks very interesting.

Got Social Media?
A Conference About Communication

Where?
Houston Technology Center
410 Pierce Street
Houston, TX 77002

When?
January 24th, 2008
10:00 AM - 7:00 PM

Resources:

12.18.07

spending on cell phones outpaces land lines

Posted in News at 10:18 am by Paloma Cruz

Customers spending more on cell phones than on land lines
– Houston Chronicle2

With Americans cutting the cord to their land lines, 2007 is likely
to be the first calendar year in which U.S. households spend more on
cell phone services, industry and government officials say.

The most recent government data show that households spent $524, on
average, on cell phone bills in 2006, compared with $542 for
residential and pay-phone services. By now, though, consumers almost
certainly spend more on their cell phone bills, several telecom
industry analysts and officials said.

[snip]

Footnotes
2 = article may expire in a few weeks

12.13.07

Top 10 Books for Web Workers 2007

Posted in General at 4:09 pm by Paloma Cruz

From WebWorkerDaily, a list of the top 10 books for Web workers for 2007.

  1. Rule the Web: How to Do Anything and Everything on the Internet–Better, Faster, Easier by Mark Frauenfelder.
  2. Lifehacker: 88 Tech Tricks to Turbocharge Your Day by Gina Trapani.
  3. One Person/Multiple Careers: A New Model for Work/Life Success by Marci Alboher
  4. Brazen Careerist: The New Rules for Success by Penelope Trunk.
  5. The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Timothy Ferriss.
  6. Beyond Buzz: The Next Generation of Word-of-Mouth Marketing by Lois Kelly.
  7. Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
  8. The Myths of Innovation by Scott Berkun.
  9. Everything is Miscellaneous: The Power of the New Digital Disorder by David Weinberger.
  10. Smart World: Breakthrough Creativity and the New Science of Ideas by Richard Ogle.

Found via Foghound.

12.05.07

Kindle is a “nice try” but books will remain

Posted in News at 12:28 pm by Paloma Cruz

Kindle a nice try but a real book is a more solid value
– Houston Chronicle2

[snip]

While the idea of being able to carry a couple hundred books around
in your pocket (and it would have to be a mighty big pocket in the
Kindle’s case) is attractive, people have a physical and emotional
attachment to books. The Kindle is just one plastic device, and while
it can do cool things, it cannot compete with the aesthetic appeal of a
full bookshelf.

But just as radio didn’t kill print, TV didn’t kill radio and the
Internet won’t kill off any other media, e-books and “real” books will
co-exist, side-by-side, in the long run. E-books have a long way to go,
but eventually, they’ll become as friendly and as useful as their
wood-pulp-and-ink predecessors.

[snip]

Footnotes
2 = article may expire in a few weeks