Protzman Technology solutions, LLC

CNN Push Notifications Vs. Your DVR

2010-03-25T12:24:00.000-07:00

Super Bowl XLIV
2010 Winter Olympics
2009 World Series

This is a short list of things that CNN push notifications on my iPhone has ruined for me. Like many other people I rely on my DVR to watch sporting events. It allows me to get up when I want and fast forward through annoying commentary and commercials. Naturally this means I do not know who won the game right as it ends because I have build up a little buffer on my DVR. Well thanks to CNN push notifications I have now learned who won the Gold Medals at the Winter Olympics, the winner of the Super Bowl and the winner of the World Series all in the minutes before I got to watch for myself.

Someone reading this has to be saying "Hey idiot! Don't subscribe to push notifications." I get that, but I also like to know when things like earth quakes happen or when an important political decision has been made, and CNN push notifications are the best way I have found to get that info.

So I plea: CNN, please give us categories to choose from for push notifications. At least give us the option to turn off sporting events. I rarely want to wait on my DVR to see who won a political election, but like many other people I love my DVR for sports.

What say you?

Woot giving you one more reason to check out their site every day.

2009-11-24T06:58:00.000-08:00

Joining sites like slickdeals.net, bensbargains.net and fatwallet.com Woot is entering into the bargain shoppers network as a place to find bargains on the web.

From deals.Woot.com:

What is Deals.Woot?

A place where wooters can share the latest intel about what’s cheap and where. A way for savvy, opinionated wooters to turn their rhetorical fire on everybody else’s deals for a change. An ever-flowing fountain of ecommerce champagne. If you want to discover an amazing deal, or tell the world about one you found, or just talk specs and prices with your fellow cheapskates, Deals.Woot is your playground.

When Life Imitates Art:

2009-11-19T18:24:00.000-08:00

via livejournal

Don't forget to write your Best Buy essay

2009-11-18T21:21:00.000-08:00

Fatso's Diner, Loveland, CO [not tech]

2009-11-16T13:38:00.000-08:00

This is a far cry from my typical rambling about technology, but I feel this needs to be shared.

(Fatso Burger: 3 1/4lb beef patties, 3 types of cheese, bacon, pickles, onions, tomato and lettuce)

My new favorite restaurant in Northern Colorado.

I needed Google to release a dashboard to tell me this?

2009-11-09T09:52:00.001-08:00

Apple rejects Macworld iPhone Superguide from App Store... for using the word 'iPhone'

2009-11-03T12:03:00.000-08:00

Apple rejects Macworld iPhone Superguide from App Store... for using the word 'iPhone': "

The iPhone App Store's arbitrary and inconsistent approval process continues to baffle and annoy on every level, as Macworld Editor-in-Chief Jason Snell just had his iPhone book rejected...for using the word 'iPhone' in the title. Apparently Apple doesn't like app names or icons to include the word iPhone or images of the iPhone -- which arguably makes sense on some level -- but you'd think a freaking iPhone reference manual would warrant an exception, wouldn't you? Making matters worse, it appears that one Mr. David Pogue didn't have this problem, as his iPhone: The Missing Manual was approved with title and icon intact. Sigh. Phil Schiller -- deploy!

Continue reading Apple rejects Macworld iPhone Superguide from App Store... for using the word 'iPhone'

Filed under: Cellphones

Apple rejects Macworld iPhone Superguide from App Store... for using the word 'iPhone' originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Best Buy brings back the Black Friday VIP contest for a second year

2009-11-02T13:14:00.000-08:00

Best Buy brings back the Black Friday VIP contest for a second year: "

Last year, Best Buy created what very well could have been the first contest ever where the winner gets a $1000 gift card and a chance to shop at 4:30 A.M. Well, it’s back for 2009 and it’s just as cool.

This year 25 winners not only gets the $1000 gift card, limo ride, early store admittance, but also an Insigna 2.3MP digital camcorder to record the experience. All you have to do is submit a 250 word or less essay that describes what you are most excited about this Black Friday. Chances are that writing about sleeping in and not standing in line for three hours at a Best Buy probably won’t win, but that’s what I’m most excited about after working retail for so long.

Peek goes Twitter and is now available at Blockbuster

2009-10-27T14:44:00.000-07:00

Peek goes Twitter and is now available at Blockbuster: "

Not ready to make the switch to a smart phone? Want your email on the go?

Peek, the tiny non-smartphone smartphone dedicated to email and messaging, is now available at Blockbuster stores across the nation. Peek buyers will also receive one month free of Blockbuster Total Access, a Netflix-like service that lets you rent DVDs and BR disks by mail or in-store. You can also refer a friend and get a $15 Blockbuster gift card.

The Pronto costs $59.99 with $14.99/month service. The Classic costs $19.99.

In related news, it seems the company has created a new version of the hardware with dedicated Twitter access. We’ve seen images of the box, above, and we’re asking for more info right now.

[Thanks, Nerdworld]

Photo of the Day: “Homelessness 2009″

2009-10-26T20:12:00.000-07:00

Photo of the Day: “Homelessness 2009″: "

Slowly but surely our society is becoming more technologically advanced.

Via: Imgbit.com

Windows 7 in the Wild

2009-10-07T11:28:00.000-07:00

Can't wait until October 22 to get your hands on Windows 7? Head on down to Sam's Club in Loveland Colorado and pick up a Toshiba 10.1" Mini Laptop with Windows 7 starter edition today.

Extreme FAIL: ebay Edition

2009-10-02T11:06:00.001-07:00

I started shopping thrift stores for Lacoste polo shirts to sell on ebay during my freshman year of college. Everyone wanted that little alligator. It turned into a nice little way to make some extra ~~beer~~ lunch money. After having 200+ transactions I closed my ebay account a few years later. I was tired of people not paying for things they bid on and the occasional (poorly) attempted scam was irritating.

After a few years of trash talking ebay and avoiding it at all cost, I had a few things that I wanted to sell. Craigslist is great, but it is a much smaller market for specialty items. I decided to try ebay again. Wow. They seem to have gotten their act together. The site is much easier to post on, and they even have a little button I can click that makes me feel nice and warm inside: "Block bids from buyers who might make transactions more difficult or expensive."

The following are direct quotes from emails I received after my first 3 times sold on ebay:

June 27, 2009

"Dear rprobay,

We have a little bit of a misunderstanding her. My son was
bidding on this item without me being notified. I do not want him
to have this item and furthermore I can not afford it. Is there any
way you can cancel this transaction. I understand your situation.
Thank you.

- jomamameh"

September 17, 2009

"Dear rprobay,

hello,

I am a civil worker. I won your item and want to buy it for my chat mate

in Nigeria.

I will be the payer and will pay you for it which includes your shipping

fee.

Also, i will like to know if its in good condition as she nags a lot. I

will

pay through paypal account and will do that as soon as you reply me if you

are willing to sell to me. i should have done it but i just got a call that

i will be in Guatamela tomorrow morning and i dont know when i will be

back, so please help out.

Thanks and may God bless you.

- dobuyallgoods"

October 2, 2009

"Dear rprobay,

Hi Seller,

I will be able to send you the money via PayPal i will to buy this item for my son who his studying in West Africa for is up coming graduation as a gift so i will add up the shipping cost to the fund so hope to hear from you soon.my claramalezieux@gmail.com

Thanks.

- cleokat33"

Is it possible to sell items on ebay without having to jump through hoops? Am I the only one having this problem? I doubt it. So the question arises: What will it take for ebay to fail as a company? As far as I am concerned they have already failed as an auction site.

Kindle for iPhone. What am I missing?

2009-10-01T09:15:00.000-07:00

I have been following the e-book "wars" for a while now. The technology side of these devices has me very excited. I have had many conversations over the last month regarding my dream e-book reader. I want color. I want touch screen. I want wireless content delivery. After looking over Crunch Gear's e-book reader comparison chart it was clear a winner has not arrived.

Fast forward a few weeks to a meeting I was in last night. Like any good meeting attendee I stared down at my iPhone seeking an escape from reality. My latest escape comes in the form of "cheap" apps from the iPhone App store. As I was digging around I came across Kindle for iPhone. Have I had my dream e-book reader in my pocket for every one of the dream e-book conversations I have had? I spend no less than 2 hours per day reading news, tweets and emails this way. Can I read a book like this?

I loaded up a couple of free books from the Kindle store. I read. I kept reading. I think I like this.

I'm sorry, but we have to ban music. That's just the way it is..

2009-09-25T12:39:00.001-07:00

I’m sorry, but we have to ban music. That’s just the way it is.

Compare e-book readers via CrunchGear

2009-09-23T10:42:00.000-07:00

The guys of at CrunchGear have put together a nice looking chart to compare the latest e-book readers on the market.

Take a look

Guy Clark - Somedays the Song Writes You

2009-09-22T14:35:00.000-07:00

Guy Clark's newest album, Somedays the Song Writes You, is available today.

iTunes Link

Lovely Charts Web App is Lovely

2009-09-22T07:23:00.001-07:00

I started using lovely charts after reading Lifehacker's Top 10 Underhyped Webapps, 2009 Edition. While the concept is not new, they have put together a very lovely way to develop charts on the web.

"Lovely Charts is an online diagramming appication, that allows you to creat professional looking diagrams of all kinds, such as flowcharts, sitemaps, organisation charts, wireframes, and many more... For free." - LovelyCharts.com

Skip those phone menus: Fonolo

2009-09-21T11:38:00.000-07:00

"Like you, we found it very frustrating to deal with companies over the phone. We thought there should be a better way to connect to the right person than using those dreaded touch-tone menus. We thought there should be an easier way to keep track of those calls and give feedback. Turns out, companies are just as frustrated as consumers with the limitations of the current technology! So we created a system that helps both sides of the equation by painlessly bringing existing phone menus into the 21st century." - http://fonolo.com/