Brian McNitt's Blog » twitter

Google Wave: Replacement for Email and More

Brian McNitt — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 20:18:22 +0000

If you missed the Google I/O conference last week, here is the video of Google’s largest announcement, Google Wave, which in short aims to replace the 40 year old email standard and become a new open standard for electronic communication and real-time collaboration. It’s a whole new way of thinking about online communication and there are a number of components to the system so if you work in tech it’s worth watching the video from beginning to end. Google Wave is a major power play by Google, and the biggest question is how Microsoft will embrace or deflect HTML5 in it’s browsers, a requirement for Wave, and the new Wave protocol itself.

As a side note, I was hoping Google would talk about how the new Wave system potentially ends the largest current issue with email — SPAM. It’s implied by the architecture of the system but I’m not sure everyone will grasp this and in my mind is a huge selling point for any protocol, as least in-part, aiming to replace email.

Notes from the Universe

Brian McNitt — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 21:30:41 +0000

Created by author Mike Dooley, “Notes from the Universe” is a humorous, inspirational daily email service based on the book by the same name. I first learned about Notes from the Universe several weeks ago from users on Twitter and have enjoyed receiving the emails since. Today’s note:

Brian, today, be the person of your dreams.

See life through THEIR eyes.

Make decisions with THEIR mind.

Let every thought, word, and action come from THEIR perspective, as if you had already arrived, and just watch how 2009 warps into the kind of year you talk and laugh about forever and ever and ever…

Peace, love, and green M&Ms –
The Universe

A great way to start the day, signup for the email is free. Visit www.tut.com.

How-To: Get Out of Shoveling Snow

Brian McNitt — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 18:49:42 +0000

Check out this pimp house feature in Lincoln Park, Chicago.

Your Opinion: Short or Long Hair? (Vote!)

Brian McNitt — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 23:43:55 +0000

So I’m trying to decide if I should go back to short hair or not. Figured I would create a poll.
What do you think? Vote! The fate of my hair is in your hands. Thanks for your opinion.

“Prop 8 – The Musical” starring Jack Black, more…

Brian McNitt — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 02:17:32 +0000

A viral video spreading across the social networks, Prop 8 – The Musical was created by award-winning composer Marc Shaiman (Hairspray) and stars Jack Black, John C. Reilly, and more. Shaiman’s video lampoons California’s controversial Proposition 8.

(Credit goes to Max Kiesler on Twitter for the initial discovery.)

New Blog Design

Brian McNitt — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 03:55:54 +0000

So, it has been quite awhile since my last post. 7 months and 17 days to be exact. There are a number of reasons (excuses) for this. Besides being generally busy with work and play, it seems that 2008 has been the year of the social networking sites, specifically Facebook and Twitter. With the advent of the status update, a short blurb about what you are doing at any given moment, and the wider reach of social networks, personal blogs just seem…less relevant. If you want to know what I’m up to, you can simply follow me on Twitter. Of course, there are those times when 140 characters do not suffice. The other main reason is that I started on a blog redesign earlier this year which I finally got around to finishing. Posting in the interim created an issue of version control so I opted to create less work for myself and held off on posting. There’s a bit more work to do, but some of the new blog features include:

Total custom design (not based on a pre-made blog theme)
Integration of Twitter feed (on sidebar)
List of where to find me on various social networks (“Find Me On…”)
New Subscribe page where you can subscribe by email and/or RSS. I am also creating category level feeds (i.e. – subscribe only to Triathlon posts, etc.)
An Archive page listing previous posts
Photos (linked directly to my Flickr photo stream)
A number of behind the scenes code improvements
Overall cleaner, more Zen appearance

I hope you like the new design.

Bay Area – 5.6 Twitter Quake

Brian McNitt — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 03:32:04 +0000

We just had a bit of a shaker in the San Francisco Bay Area. Magnitude 5.6
to be exact. No damage here but it was certainly felt across the twittersphere.
You know you’re a technology geek when…

Neat to see the real time responses, and glad everyone is alright. Picture
below of the shake map.

Twitter – For Yourself, Business

Brian McNitt — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 02:13:19 +0000

If you work in technology or a related field and are not Twittering, start. If you own a small business, be sure to reserve your business name on Twitter immediately; like your URL, it’s important that you claim your business name before someone else does. (Some organizations on Twitter.) Not updating your company site or blog as frequently as you should? Twitter. It’s the easiest way to start micro blogging and to stay top of mind with customers and colleagues, at the same time in a relaxed and social way. Want to know what others in technology and design are doing, eating, thinking about, or where you can join them for a beer at this very moment in time? Follow them on Twitter.

What should you be doing now? Twittering. I won’t waste any more of your time so you can get started. Oh yeah, and if you’re on a Mac install Twitterrific.

Need someone to follow? Start with me. http://twitter.com/mcnitt