For The Sake of Clarity - The Digital Tavern

Going to South America

allan — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 00:58:46 +0000

This is a quick update that I am doing via my iPhone using Siri. For some of the words may not exactly get translated. But I’m sitting here at Dallas Fort Worth international airport awaiting for a flight to Argentina. I will be joining my friend Rob Rill and going to Argentina, Chile and Peru. Rob is competing in the [...]

The Baseball That I Remember

allan — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 04:43:41 +0000

As a boy growing up in a Connecticut suburb of New York City, nothing mattered more to me than baseball. My father, my brother Bob, my grandfather, my uncle, my other brothers — all of us passionate about America’s pastime. Perhaps before I was swayed by those passions that emerged and strengthened as I grew older, like girls, music [...]

iPhone 4S Siri – Meet Your Digital Assistant

allan — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 04:00:48 +0000

iPhone 4S Siri - Meet Your Personal Digital Assistant

The Apple iPhone 4S may not look like a new phone, but the power is within. I put iPhone Siri Digital Assistant, now a crucial part of the iPhone 4S through its punches and converse, command and chat with Siri.

Siri [...]

iPhone 4S Camera & Sample Photos / Images

allan — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 00:48:00 +0000

iPhone 4S Camera: Samples & Siri Digital Assistant

Have you checked out the new iPhone 4S camera? Just about a week after the phone became available, I was happy to see the FedEx guy walk up to my door and hand me my new iPhone 4S. For the last few hours I’ve been putting it through the punches and testing both [...]

Social Media Faux Pas – Direct Message New Twitter Followers

allan — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 05:10:18 +0000

Around The World Alone — On A Bicycle.

allan — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 17:09:32 +0000

Ok. So you know I traveled around the world for three years alone—on a motorcycle. And I really didn’t see everything. There are still plenty of places waiting for my visit. Or at least I’d like to think so. Truth is, there are a lot of places I’m waiting to visit. But [...]

Corks. Love ‘em. Hate ‘em. You?

allan — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 23:19:42 +0000

Apple Slammed With Lawsuits & Apple Slamming Lawsuits On Copycats

allan — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 15:38:36 +0000

I don’t expect that most readers are as interested in the ongoing patent wars that involve Apple, Google, Motorola, Samsung, Nokia and others. But I’ve been following the Samsung conflict with Apple. The issues of the lawsuits and the patent disputes are well beyond any discussion here. For those of you interested feel free to browse the links following this [...]

Web Apps, Apple Magic Mouse and Safari Gestures: A Bad Combo

allan — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 19:51:51 +0000

For Mac users that have upgraded to Lion and are using any web-based applications such as Basecamp, WordPress, Tungle or just about any webpage with a form, I’ve got a personal pet peeve.

I use the Apple Magic mouse. Essentially the surface of this mouse mimics a touch or track pad (taking advantage of the [...]

Wake Up & Smell The Coffee Beans

allan — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 20:15:52 +0000

Does Starbucks Recommend Excessive Amount of Ground Coffee for Brewing?

My love for coffee started at an early age. That is, I loved Continue Reading

Can Social Media Be A Bridge To True Connections & Real Relationships?

allan — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 01:22:01 +0000

Torres del Paine National Park, Chile - Are Your Social Media Relationships Superficial?

Last week I attended the NSA (National Speakers Association) national conference in Anaheim. This was the second consecutive year I attended the event and though this year’s program was much different, I came out of the conference energized and excited. [...]

Mac OS X Lion. 10 Important Impressions After One Week.

allan — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 04:55:40 +0000

I jumped in head first. I bought the latest update to Apple’s OS X operating system the day it was released. Though this can be a risky move because OS X 10.7 (aka Lion) is a major upgrade and, as such, incorporates a number of dramatic changes to the code as well as the staple applications that make up [...]

The Most Precious Gift.

allan — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 20:53:45 +0000

Those who know me well have heard me say this time and time and again. The most precious gift you can give anyone is your time. Likewise, time is the most precious thing someone can give you.

Simple, right? Yet sometimes the idea and value of giving and receiving time is forgotten or unrecognized. Think about it. [...]

Vintage Steve Jobs

allan — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 07:07:54 +0000

I was happy to find that Gizmodo reprinted (posted) an interview from Playboy Magazine with Steve Jobs from sometime in the mid-1980 ‘s. I guess there is some controversy as to the actual date of the interview. Suffice to say this interview took place just before Steve Jobs turned 30 years [...]

The Ethics of PR, Freelancers and The Media

allan — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 00:13:05 +0000

Ever read David Pogue? You know, the New York Times leading techno-geek. Yeah, the guy who reviews all the cool gadgets that you’d like to toy with if you like toys and are equally geeky, or the gadgets you will run backwards away from holding your index fingers in a cross as if you’re warding away the devil or your [...]

When Price Is All You Can Sell, Your Value Will Spiral Down the Deep Abyss

allan — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 00:29:38 +0000

Last night over a good glass of wine, food and a dose of marketing and sales brainstorming with a client and friend the conversation headed down the road of fees, costs and pricing. My client has been battling a sales force already battered down by a sluggish economy that wants to make deals or downward adjustments in pricing in order [...]

Everything Must Change–> 20 Reasons Why Change Is Good.

allan — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 02:56:11 +0000

Why is it that so many of us have difficulty in dealing with change? Change comes in a variety of sizes, shapes and flavors. Whether your job has been eliminated, a competitor just outflanked you with a new product, you’ve had a personal loss or rules have evolved as have the way you do things, it’s how you choose to [...]

Dave Alvin Pleases and Delivers on his 11th Solo Release

allan — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 07:45:01 +0000

I can’t remember how I was turned onto the music of Dave Alvin. I liked the rockabilly and catchy music of the Blasters, the band he and and his brother Phil founded while growing up in the eastern Los Angeles community of Downey. I never saw nor bought any of the roots music recorded by the [...]

There’s Alcohol In That Wine You’re Tasting. How much? Reviewers now drink & tell!

allan — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 20:48:36 +0000

It hit me some years ago when while tasting and reading a bottle of Turley Zinfandel. I nearly dropped the bottle when I realized the alcohol level recorded on the label indicated 17%. That’s nearly port, I thought. Since then the alcohol levels of wines beyond zinfandel have been steadily climbing. So much so that [...]

The Wild World of Restaurant Wine Corkage Policies

allan — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 19:38:33 +0000

Watch Out For This Pitfall In Online Banking & BillPay.

allan — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 19:33:46 +0000

Though I’m not sure the era of the truly paperless office, or personal life will ever come to fruition in my lifetime, I am committed to making it a reality in my life. Though I still hold an emotional attachment to traditional printed newspapers, magazines and newsletters, when it comes to invoices, bills, annual reports, tax returns and checks, I’m [...]