The bFeedMe Theme is a two-column green and yellow theme based on the old design of cooking and recipe blog bFeedMe.

There’s a widgetized sidebar to the right optimized for those tall skyscraper ads, as well as support for the usual WordPress features out of the box, from post thumbnails to threaded comments. Twitter and Facebook like buttons are also built in. View Demo »

bFeedMe Theme
(zip, 53.97 kB)

I’m happy to share the news that I’ll be taking over the helm at Freelance Writing Jobs as the managing editor.  I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to follow in Deb’s footsteps.  She has built an amazing community at Freelance Writing Jobs, many of whom I know well having worked with them and interacted with them over the years across the social Web.

I’m confident that Splashpress Media will keep the spirit of Freelance Writing Jobs going in the way the audience has grown to expect from the brand, but I’m equally excited to see how the community will evolve as part of the phenomenal Splashpress Media publishing network.

Freelance Writing Jobs has helped to launch many freelance writing businesses as the comments on Deb’s post announcing the sale to Splashpress Media clearly demonstrate.  I won’t be taking over Deb’s duties at the site until July 1st, but in the meantime, take a moment to visit Freelance Writing Jobs, and poke around to see what the site has to offer.  I’d imagine it will get a facelift when it moves into the Splashpress Media family, but the content and community will remain the same.

As one of the top fifty affiliate networks in Website Magazine, Logical Media has reached a standard of customer service that many affiliate sites are simply unable to attain. Through the use of excellent placed ads, customer service and daily updates throughout the ads which are placed on the website, there are many reasons that you should consider Logical Media for marketing that can begin to earn you money from the moment you begin using the program.

With the added incentive that bloggers are equipped with, to earn twenty five dollars for signing up for the service, the blogger can begin to make money right away. With many other services, it seems that you are waiting weeks and even months for money to accrue within the account. However, with the instant twenty five dollars, just for signing up – you can begin to see an immediate profit!

With an easy to set-up and user-friendly interface, you can be up and running within a matter of minutes. Through the information which is provided and targeted keywords, ads will be developed that will be suited to your blog, your readers and your genre.

There are many other services which are offered to bloggers, in addition to the paid ad placement that can be taken advantage of throughout the blog. Through the use of valuable referral programs, in which the referrer can earn up to five percent through each referral and the real-time reports which the blogger will have access to, there are many ways that the blogger can learn to better the site – All while getting paid!

There are very few other paid ad placement companies that offer a high sign-up bonus. With the twenty five dollars that is offered to new customers you can begin to see your account move upward, through each click which is made on the ads placed within the blog. Are you seeking a program that enables you to track these movements in real time, while making real money? If this is the kind of program that you think would work for you, consider Logical Media, as the services offered are one of the many reasons more bloggers are choosing the company.

When it is time to get paid, bloggers always get paid on time, and the right amount. Through the use of intricate bookkeeping, bloggers are kept happy with accurate payments, regular payments and a variety of methods which are used to complete payments to bloggers that have signed up for the program. A reliable way to monetize your blog, more and more bloggers are choosing Logical Media.

There are many ways that you can add to the subscribers list, or the email list. Here are four of the most effective ways to convert readers into subscribers, by adding these subscribers to the email list:

1. Give viewers a reason to sign up for the list. Incentive is essential when building the blog list. Use incentive through the use of valuable information, subscriber only offers and specialized information which can provide the reader with something positive. Using incentive, you can substantially increase the blog subscriber list.

2. Make the list easily accessible to readers to join. Use bars that contain simple forms like name and email address in order to subscribe. Making the subscription process long can be a deterrent for members that spend only mere seconds viewing and judging a blog.

3. Narrow the list by using a confirmation link within an email that must be clicked upon in order to complete the registration to the list. This does not inhibit the list, but will ensure that those signing up for the list are genuinely interested in the services and information which is being offered, which will convert better into sales.

4. Keep the number of emails which are sent to the subscribers low. This can help to maintain the list, and reduce the amount of subscribers that make the decision to unsubscribe as there are too many emails being sent from the blog. Send only emails that contain updates at various intervals, key information and special offers available to subscribers.

One trend I’ve been noticing is that website owners are adding forums on their business site to go along with their existing business blog.

If you’ve read this blog, you know that I definitely think having a blog is a good idea. But what about forums?

Why Forums are Great

Forums in general are a great tool.

First, they build community on your site. Second, you get free content that can drive traffic through the search engines. Third, you’ll increase repeat visitors since people will be coming back to see if anyone replies to their posts. Fourth, as people create content and participate on your forums, they’ll have sense of belonging and involvement. This often leads them to tell their friends to check out their posts and participate on the forum.

Forums Need a Critical Mass of Users

Despite all these great benefits, it’s not enough to just add forum software to your site and wait for people to show up and start conversing.

To make a forum work, you have to have the right foundation in place. Here are some of the things to consider.

Forums need a critical mass of users to work. When I say users, I mean people that actually participate in the forum and create content. Even if you have a lot of traffic, that doesn’t mean that your forum will do well.

Many people will be glad to read forum posts but they don’t want to participate. I would check your blog and see if you get a lot of blog comments. If you do, that’s a good sign.

Also, if you have regular commenters, that’s another good sign since forums thrive when there is a group of regular users that form the backbone of the forum community.

Finally, unless you have a huge amount of comments like 20+ per post, you may want to shut down your blog comments and just have a forum section where people can respond to your blog posts. After you close your blog comments, start creating a forum thread for each of your new blog posts and then link to the appropriate thread at the end of each blog post.

Over to You

What do you think of forums?

Do you participate on them? Have you ever tried running one?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Every fourth Thursday in November in the United States, people get together to eat a lot of food (especially turkey) and hang out with family and friends. Also, they share things they are thankful for.

My Quick Story

It only seemed like yesterday that I started working full-time online. About three years ago, my brother told me about this thing called blogging and using it to make money online. As an accounting grad and a lover of business books, I was familiar with business and wanted to start my own (or at least work at home).

I had a couple years on my belt as a corporate worker. But I found that it was too stifling. So, for the next year and a half, I spent most of my spare time learning and research about making money online. I read about SEO, social media, blogging, and internet marketing. I also bought multiple domain names to apply what I was learning.

After that time, I saw an ad for a full time search marketing position at Sea Waves. I applied, got the job, and happily gave my two weeks notice to my corporate boss. While most of my work was doing SEO, I did get a chance to write on the company’s blog.

I’d like to point out the blog post I wrote last Thanksgiving. In this post, I gave 8 reasons why business people should be thankful for the internet.

1. Global Customer Base
2. Global Employee Base
3. Low Competition
4. Low Barrier of Entry
5. Work at Home
6. Work Anywhere
7. Work Anytime
8. Precise Metrics

Click here to read the whole post.

I left Sea Waves a couple months ago on good terms. Much thanks to Ryan Caldwell over at Sea Waves for giving me my first full-time online job as well as connecting me to other big players online. Also, thanks to Mark Saunders at Splashpress for hiring me run this blog.

My point in writing all this is that if you are willing to go online with your business, there is a huge opportunity increase your sales. It will take some time and effort and you’ll probably have to rethink some business fundamentals because online business can be very different from its offline counterpart. But, as I’ve said before, the rewards are definitely worth it.

I hope you tune in to learn tips and principles to help your business succeed online. I just recently got a small part time job to do consulting and marketing for two websites. This will help me stay on top of my game.

I don’t want to be like the business college professor that’s clueless about the “real business world” because he stopped applying the things he was teaching. This caused his skills to atrophy and also caused him not to realize the relevant changes that were happening in the business landscape.

You may have read some of my old posts back when I blogged at Smart SEO Blog, Net Business Blog, or Performancing.  Also, I’ve done internet marketing and SEO work for great companies such as Sea Waves Technology and Setfire Media.

My plans for this blog is write about the great fit that is small business and blogging.  I’ll be posting a couple times a week.  I’ll be talking about reasons why your business needs a blog.  For those who already have a blog, I’ll give tips and strategies for using your blog to drive traffic, improve branding, and ultimately, make more sales.

We’ll continue to have blog design and development services.  If you need a blog for your business, feel free to check us out.  We’ve got a great team of designers and developers.  Also, I’ll be working on creating a small business blogging training program that should be launched after six months.

Small Business Blogging Niche

I’m excited to write for the the small business blogging niche.  I think it’s an underserved niche that has a lot of potential.

There is a lot of information about becoming a “problogger”.  Also, many people have talked about using blogs in big corporate companies.  However, there is not much information about small business blogging. This is unfortunate because small businesses are positioned very well to take advantage of the benefits blogs offer.

While many aspiring probloggers struggle to earn money because of low CPMs and cheap AdSense clicks, small businesses have a great monetization strategy.  They sell products and services.

Blogs often work better in small businesses than big corporations because there is less red tape and communication flows much better in small businesses.  Also, blogs work well if they are personal.  Small businesses are usually more personal than big corporations.

If you have a small business or are thinking of starting one, feel free to bookmark this site and check back often.  Also, you can get our latest updates by subscribing to our RSS feed.

Why then, do so many companies invest hundreds of thousands of dollars in figuring out how to promote themselves with traditional media, and then hire mediocre people to be the face and voice of their company?

John Windsor, author of Beyond the Brand, relates an experience that left a last impression on him:

When I asked Chipper how to get there, Chipper started off by saying, “You’ve got it bro, ” and then gave me detailed, simple instructions on how to get there. When I told Chipper thanks, he said “Believe it!” It was magical.

Soon after we talked, I realized I was going to be early so I called back looking for a friend to borrow a surfboard and get some exercise before my meeting. I called Chipper back and he paged my friend. Unfortunately, my buddy was in a meeting. When Chipper asked what I needed, I told him I wanted to borrow a surfboard. Chipper said, “No worries, come see me and I’ll have a board ready for ya, bro!”

When I arrived, there was Chipper, stoked to see me with a board ready to ride.

Who is this mysterious “Chipper” guy? He’s the receptionist for Patagonia, an outdoor apparel and gear company.

If you saw a tremendously expensive ad for Patagonia products in a glossy outdoor sports magazine, you probably wouldn’t remember it for more than a few seconds. John Winsor, however, will probably remember Chipper for the rest of his life, as well as the positive mental associations he brought to the Patagonia brand.

Many years ago, I did most of my banking through a small supermarket branch of Wells Fargo. I usually went after work, when the branch manager wasn’t there. The late-shift tellers were young and notoriously silly. They laughed, exchanged jokes with customers, and had a great time doing their job. I loved going there.

I remember walking in one afternoon and finding them more somber than usual. I asked one of them what was up, and she indicated that they had been “caught” by the branch manager, who had arranged a secret shopper to observe their behavior after he left.

Now my favorite banking experience was reduced to boring sterility. They went back to calling me “Mr. Archer.” Banking was returned to its previous status of being a necessary chore, rather than a pleasant experience.

From a business perspective, that branch manager probably congratulated himself on making his tellers more efficient and professional. He optimized their performance by removing the minutes they spent chatting with each customer.

He also lost at least one customer, as I no longer had any particular attachment to Wells Fargo (and the wonderful human brand those tellers had created), and I eventually switched to Bank of America.

As social animals, our brains are hardwired to understand and appreciate the people around us. We respond to them on a profound level that can’t be approached by mailers, television commercials, or viral ad campaigns.

Who is the voice of your business? Are they imperfect? Are they memorable? Are they lovable?

Or are they merely professional?

“My reason was simple: I needed something that would sync consistently with my Mac. My Blackberry-to-Mac sync has been hit or miss for the past year (though I’ve been testing a beta of the new PocketMac and it is quite good) and I’m fed up. I just want something that works.”

I’ve had an iPhone since Day One and I think people who don’t like the iPhone may simply change their tune when they handle it, use it, and analyze the overall device when it’s in their hands. Like many others have said, it’s difficult to compare an iPhone against Competitor X by solely looking at a feature comparison chart because the overall experience of the iPhone goes far deeper than just features. It’s lacking some tangible things like a 3G radio, Flash, MMS, but it has many positives like “best UI on any phone”, “simple to figure out how to do things” which are difficult to measure on any kind of chart.

Much has been made of the iPhone SDK and what is and is not allowed, and I believe that it’s just too early to be throwing platitudes around since much will be changing in the next few months leading up to the 2.0 software update. I’ve already found bugs in the SDK and have been in touch with engineers at Apple, and they have assured me that a fix is in the works. The SDK is in beta so Apple may still be figuring out a solution to allow background application processing, who knows. So many people are upset about not being able to run interpreted code but that’s like getting a brand new car and being upset it doesn’t have seat warmers; so much is offered up front and yet the angry voices of the few rise up against the happy developers mainly because those happy developers are under NDA and are busy creating killer applications.

So if you’re in the market for a new phone and need it do more than just make calls, I suggest taking a look at the iPhone. There are refurbished iPhones available for less than the normal cost, so if price is a factor perhaps take a look at those deals. I actually saved about $9 per month when switching from my Blackberry plan to the iPhone’s plan, so for me, getting an iPhone was also an economical decision!

This is especially interesting to me because I’ve been a reader of Think Secret for many years, essentially since the site started, and followed the lawsuit from its genesis to now. Nick is actually a few years younger than I am, is still in college, so seeing him go up against a giant company like Apple is interesting for me since I’ve enjoyed his reporting over the years.

As part of the press release that Think Secret posted, it said that a “positive solution” had been reached for both sides. To me, that means the lawsuit has been dropped and perhaps Nick got a payoff to stop writing. I don’t know what type of payoff, perhaps Apple paid his legal fees plus some cash, but maybe it was larger than that. Maybe once the EFF got behind Nick’s case Apple realized they were going to lose, so they decided to turn the tables and stop that from happening. If Nick won then other rumor sites could safely pursue information inside of a protective Apple NDA without worrying about the legal consequences, so by Apple paying off Nick it stopped the forthcoming rumor flood.

Ars Technica mirrors my sentiments in that they also believe he got a nice payday:

“Apple was faced with losing the case and having to pay attorney’s fees,” explained Opsahl, which is likely part of the reason why it decided to settle instead of continuing to pursue it. As for Ciarelli, “We understand that Nick is very satisfied with the outcome of the case,” Opsahl said. “We hope that Apple learns a lesson over this.”

With a wad of cash in his pocket and some real journalistic work experience behind him, Nick can no move forward and has many opportunities to choose from. Of course those opportunities don’t include writing about Apple rumors, but there could be far worse outcomes to this story.

Because your goal should be to differentiate yourself from other blogs out there, you need to think past your initial instincts when it comes to naming your blog. Most people will tend to come up with the same sorts of names, and by avoiding those same traps, you start to set yourself apart from the mob.

Here’s what Elliot found:

The top ten names to avoid:
* blog
* life
* weblog
* world
* from
* journal
* news
* thoughts
* with
* daily

This isn’t to say that using those words will necessarily damage your brand, but rather that if you find yourself coming back to these same keywords, you’re probably thinking in fairly predictable ways. Break out, go crazy, and get creative with your blog name!

(If you need some extra help, Wordlab is a great place to start.)

Sounds reasonable, right?

The problem is that blogging, by its nature, isn’t the kind of thing that works well in short-term trials. Blogging is hard, confusing, subtle, complex, challenging, and relatively new (in the grand scheme of things). If you go into it with the mentality that you’re going to bail out if it doesn’t work, then you probably will bail out once things get a little hairy, and you’ll miss all the great benefits that come as a result of that initial sacrifice.

Blogging is a lot like marriage. The results can be spectacular, but you’ve got to go all in and stick with it through the rough times, or you’ll never make it to the good stuff.

Here are some things you can do right now to renew your commitment to blogging:

• Stop “trying it out”: Blogging works. It’s good for you, it’s good for your business, and it’s good for your customers. There’s ample precedent for this. Get rid of your foot-halfway-out-the-door mentality and just go for it.
• Schedule blogging time: It doesn’t have to be daily, but whatever your schedule is, stick to it. Put it on the calendar. Block out the time.
• Make it a reflex: Try blogging at the same time of day, in the same context. After your morning shower, on your lunch break, or before Ninja Warrior starts…it doesn’t matter when, it just matters that you set up triggers for your reflex. Pretty soon, your brain will start to get into blogging mode on its own.
• Enjoy the hard times: Every blogger has questioned themselves at some point. Maybe it’s when your stats tell you only have 8 regular readers (and half of them are you from various computers). Maybe it’s when you start getting negative comments and e-mails. Maybe it’s when your spouse points out your typos. Your reaction to these events depends entirely on your perspective. Having only a handful of regular readers means that you can establish a more personal relationship with them while you’re building your long-term archive (which future readers will eventually find). Receiving negative comments just means that you’re learning about what other people think, which will improve your ability to communicate with them in the future. And having someone point out your typos means that you just became a better writer. You can cry or you can celebrate; it’s totally up to you.
• Don’t take breaks: Taking a “break from blogging” is typically just a non-committal way to give up on it without burning bridges. If you’re going to quit, quit. Otherwise, get back in there and think of something to write. Writing is much more about determination than inspiration.

Your mom keeps asking when you’re going to settle down and really commit yourself to blogging. Make today that day!

Anyone looking to make good home business income has many choices for him. He can easily start domain hosting services by purchasing dedicated hosting services. Along with it he can offer free email hosting to make his business a success. Similarly he can offer people to buy domain from him. He should also offer the facility to search domains on his website. Finally the success of his hosting business will depend on data backup guarantee as it will make him a good competitor in the market.

Blogging on City Time Interests Taxpayers
“In this day and age of instant electronic communication, any elected official ignores blogs at his own peril because rumors could get started, false information could get disseminated very quickly…”

Copeland stopped from blogging
“Police drummer Stewart Copeland has been relieved of his job as The Police’s blogger after making fun of his band and frontman Sting in an early posting….”

Blogging the Backstory
“Reporters who are wondering what to blog about, take note of … how a reporter’s blog can tie together past and ongoing stories, to give readers insight into the process of reporting.”

Blogging Pedophile Taunts Parents
“The New York Times recently reported on the online activities of a California pedophile named Jack McClellan. He has blogged about how and where he trolls for children, but because he has no record, he can’t be barred from places where children congregate…”

How To Find Time To Blog (When It’s Not Your Day Job)
“The one question I am asked most often by people who are considering starting their own blog or struggling to keep momentum up on a blog they have already created is how to find the time to do it…”

Popular Malaysian blogger turns politician
“One of Malaysia’s most widely-read bloggers has launched a new blog in conjunction with his announcement to enter the political realm by joining the country’s opposition party…”

State politicians are still neophytes in world of blogging
“‘Elected officials seem to be slow on the uptake on this,’ said state Rep. Michael Lawlor, D-East Haven, who began participating in political blogs this year….”

“Advertisers come to me because I get a lot of traffic. I get a lot of traffic because I work hard,” says Mario Lavandeira, Perez [Hilton]‘s creator. By “a lot” he means as many as 4 million unique visits a day, according to Lavandeira, although independent estimates put his traffic much lower. How much does that translate into cash from the Blogads on his site? Lavandeira stays uncharacteristically mum on the subject of exactly how much cash he rakes in, but Blogads lists a one-day “takeover” (all three banner ads on the site, plus a custom wallpaper) for $40,000.

• The iPhone hype is so intense that there is no way Apple could possibly deliver on what fanboys and fangirls are hoping for.
• The cellphone marketplace is so saturated that it’s impossible for a company to come out with one device that redefines the entire industry.

For starters, the iPhone hype was more intense for the 6+ months prior to its unveiling that it makes the current buzz about it sound like a dull roar. How many international news outlets and stock analysts “predicted” the iPhone months before it came out? How many millions of people worldwide had far-fetched preconceived features that they wanted Apple to pull together? And after it debuted, how many people sat back, watched Jobs give the demo, and said “man, that sucks, it’s totally not what I wanted”. Gee, a handful? None? The hype was answered loud and clear. Apple delivered on everyone’s magical wishes.

So the only thing now that could go wrong is if the dozens of demos and videos of the iPhone are all false and misleading, and once you buy it, it boots into the Newton OS. Other than that, the people who hold it in their hands and use it are going to love it.

John seems to be forgetting that what Apple does best is redefine markets and make everyone look like they’re running with two broken legs. Since the iPod debuted, no one has come close to the market dominance that Apple has had, and if you believe John’s article, that’s only because Apple advertised the iPod well. Oh really? That sounds like a cogent argument to me. Or maybe it’s because the blend of hardware and software usability and aesthetics has not been matched in the world of MP3 players, and possibly never will.

Remember the Motrola Razr and the absolute all-out dominance it had in the mobile industry? It started that dominance back when the Razr was over $400, and now that it’s given away free with mobile contracts, its appeal is kicking in once again. Compare that dominance with the impending iPhone’s launch, and please tell me how John’s argument that one single phone cannot dominate a landscape holds any water.

The problem with comparing the iPhone to what’s out there is that it’s not like anything that’s out there in terms of overall appeal, aesthetics, usability, industrial design, and user interface design. The total package is not currently available in any form, and when consumers see what they’ve been missing when the iPhone launches, they will flock to it in droves. Me included.

BTW: The pics of the giant hand holding the iPhone should not make you think this device is large at all. I just compared the size of my Blackberry 8700c to that of the iPhone and the Apple device is nearly twice as thin, only 0.2″ longer than my Blackberry, and 0.3″ less wide which in my book makes it a smaller form factor. The thin iPhone will be even easier to slip into a pocket so I see absolutely no negatives at all with the size of the device.

But forget all of that, here’s a shitload of cool illustrations and mockups of what it could look like. (All these images are © their respective copyright holders.)

Helium Report Dominates Online Luxury News Industry
Helium Report is an independent guide for wealthy consumers interested in items like destination clubs, fractional real estate, private jets, yachts, and more. I’ve been associated with the great team at Helium Report for many months now, and their online presence is just killer, especially when I’m working with two other kingpins in the industry Dan Rubin and Dan Benjamin. In only the short time that Helium Report has been around (less than a year) they’ve already surpassed luxury heavyweight Robb Report over at Alexa which is no surprise to me since Robb Report’s website is awful. Helium Report even has a user-written reviews area (that one is about Exclusive Resorts, one of the biggest inthe industry) where normal people can review companies and have their opinions show up front and center. We’re not resting on our heels either, a revamped homepage and site design offering even more user interactivity is set to launch soon, so I can’t wait to see how that’s going to impact traffic.

9rules Reaches 10,000 Notes and 2,000 Notes Accounts
We unleashed 9rules Notes back in July with the goal of bringing more constant traffic to our 30+ communities (thus increasing outgoing traffic to our members) and in the 5 months that Notes has been live it’s really taken off. We have a lot of additions and improvements schedule for the beginning of the new year, so make sure hop over and get yourself a Notes account if you don’t already have one.

Danny Sullivan’s Search Engine Land Launches
Search engine master guru Danny Sullivan’s new site Search Engine Land just launched, and already the content is fantastic. Danny is one of the pioneers in the SEO industry after starting Search Engine Watch in 1996. He was nice enough to give me a shoutout in his welcome entry, thanks!!

• No iPhone. I say this one more because I hope I’m proved wrong, but to be honest, I don’t think it’s coming on Monday. New cellphones have to be approved by the FCC prior to getting the right to use certain radio frequencies, and nearly all phones that are highly anticipated are “found” on the FCC website prior to launch and leaked to major gadget blogs. Just like totally random Apple patent filings are found on the USPTO website, I’m sure that some Apple fan sleuths would have found an iPhone FCC approval by now if it were going to be publicly released this week.
• No crazy video iPod with WiFi, kitchen sink. One of the major problems with the current iPod (and iPod nano) is that Apple took a ton of flack for people scratching the hell out of their iPods just be putting them in their pockets and walking around (or something like that) so I don’t see Apple putting a screen on the entire length and width of an iPod anytime soon without a completely adjusted form-factor or hardcase sleeve. I do believe that an updated iPod nano with an increased storage capacity and possibly a new coating (scratch-resistant aluminum?) is coming though, so look for that.
• No gigantic displays/TVs. I don’t see Apple releasing a display greater than 30″ just because it doesn’t really fit into their lineup at this current point. I would like to see Apple Cinema Displays with greater contrast ratios (1000:1 has been mentioned in the rumor mill) and iSight cameras built-in, but we’ll have to wait and see.
• No Windows applications launching directly into 10.5 Leopard. This rumor has probably been the most far-fetched I’ve seen in the past few months, but I can’t see it happening. Too many wheels would need engineering and turning before this could happen, so I honestly can’t see it.
• No Google Maps competitor. I think that GPS capabilities will be built into Apple laptops at some point, but not right now. My guess is that if Apple were to include some type of real-time mapping application ala Google Earth, they’d simply partner with Google and release a sleeker version of that application rather than designing a brand new one.
• No iChat VoIP/Skype integration. “Calling” from iChat to somebody’s telephone would be pretty slick, but I can’t see it happening right now.

As for what I think is going to be released? I think we’ll see the Mac Pro’s introduction with only slight case changes, MacBook Pro speed bumps, and Leopard preview with some slick Mail and Safari enhancements among other things.

• This new computer could be Apple’s first co-branded machine ever, at least as far back as I can remember. Apple currently is doing deals with Nike and U2 to extend the reach of their iPod, so a computer partnership seems to be the next step.
• Apple seems to be down for doing anything that will sell more iPods, and a partnership with 50 Cent in any way would definitely do that. The entire iTunes Music Store is in place only to sell more iPods (higher profit margin) so why not do a co-branded computer that does the same thing?
• Apple’s current lowend computer is the eMac, however at the moment only educational customers can purchase it.

The New eMac

Back at the end of May, Apple Insider wrote about a new eMac currently in development for launch (presumably) before this year’s school season in August/September. What held the eMac back in the past is that the bulbous and bulky CRT monitor was the most expensive part of the computer to manufacture, and also because of its weight it cost more to ship and pack. In order for the new Apple eMac to be successful and improve the bottomline, Apple is probably going to incorporate existing LCD screens from its current computer lineup (either from the iMac or MacBook) into this new computer. Also, the reduced weight and size with the new LCD screen will save on shipping costs, further driving down the price.

I think that this new 50 Cent partnership is based around the eMac replacement (or whatever they call it…. MacSmall, MacHome, MacCheap, etc.) and will be co-branded in some fashion for a home audience. I highly doubt that schools will want to purchase an Apple 50 Cent eMac, simply because of his lyrics and gangster appearance, but young kids would definitely dig it.

Do not buy a MacBook Pro if you are a Photoshop user. Period.

CNET just reviewed the MacBook Pro’s performance when running a variety of applications on both Mac OS X and Windows XP, and although the article was geared more towards Windows benchmarks on the Mac, they had this graph which caused me to do a double take:

Because Photoshop has to run using Rosetta emulation (at least until April 2007, if not longer) it’s going to be really slow. The author of the CNET article even said that Photoshop on the MacBook Pro is slower than Photoshop on a 12″ iBook. Wow. I’m using a 12″ iBook right now, and I can tell you that is *not* good.

Now this is not a fault entry. I fully realize that porting Photoshop over to a Universal Binary is not a trivial task, and I also know that first generation hardware has its quirks. But as a designer who has Photoshop open on his computer all day long, and makes a living from the usage of that software, I would strongly advise everyone not to purchase a MacBook Pro if you intend to use it as your Photoshop workhorse. Not only is it slow, but I’ve heard from numerous friends saying that it is buggy and prone to crashing when switching back and forth between Photoshop and other applications. If you need a portable Photoshop machine, I’d suggest picking up a 15″ or 17″ Aluminum Powerbook G4, or wait a year from now when MacBook Pro prices drop and Adobe CS3 is released.

So far I’m incredibly impressed with its size, ridiculous display (I’ve already got a custom 9rules background on it!), web browsing capabilities and CSS rendering, speed, industrial design, and just about everything else that I could be impressed by. I’ve even got a Bluetooth keyboard up and running with absolutely no hassle at all. I can’t *wait* to start diving into the window management files and changing the entire user interface! Stay tuned for a real review, as soon as I stop drooling.

I don’t know about you guys, but I’m going to see this movie the INSTANT it comes out! It’s got such an all-star cast, how in the world could it possibly fail? This is totally a Movies 2.0 movie because it’s like other movies but adds more cool stuff! More drama, more comedy, more sex, more action! But wait, not MORE more as in “more is better” but more as in “less is more” so it’ll actually have less cool stuff, which makes it even MORE cool!

I heard from my friend’s friend’s girlfriend that you’ll be able to go to a place called a “movie theater” and be able to interact with other people who are watching The Flock at the very same time as you! So, like, you can talk to people who are watching The Flock and see what they like and dislike, ask what their IM name is, and maybe even grab a map of their neighborhood in case you want to visit! So cool! But in a less cool kinda way, which is even better.

I don’t know about you guys, but I’m going to wait outside the FTP server the movie theater to watch this new Movies 2.0 movie because it’s going to be so 733t everybody is going to want to watch it. Keep your eyes peeled folks!

UPDATE: My favorite actor Termie will not be appearing in this movie like previously thought. Very upsetting.

Well now that we got the Church and State separation stuff packed directly into the sewer, what’s next? I personally think that the home economics teachers should start testing students on their favorite recipes for manna, and maybe math teachers can explain to their kids that if they pray hard enough, that integral in front of them will just figure itself out. All alternate theories (provable or not) must be taught now, so why stop with just Intelligent Design?

May the Flying Spaghetti Monster take root in Kansas and pummel the Board of Education ID advocates with its meatballs.