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With everyone furiously googling for information on today’s hot topic, I figured I would put together a few places people can look to get the best information possible about the Swine Flu outbreak that has hit Mexico and parts of the United States. This information isn’t from me, as I am not a doctor, but it is information that I have gathered from reputable sites. I have also included the links to the information so the sources can be checked out.

What is it?

From the Centers For Disease Control: Swine Influenza (swine flu) is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza virus that regularly causes outbreaks of influenza in pigs. Swine flu viruses cause high levels of illness and low death rates in pigs. Swine influenza viruses may circulate among swine throughout the year, but most outbreaks occur during the late fall and winter months similar to outbreaks in humans. The classical swine flu virus (an influenza type A H1N1 virus) was first isolated from a pig in 1930.

Why do Humans Get it?

Since the flu is a virus, it can be spread from pigs to humans. Obviously, this starts out with those people in direct contact with effected pigs, but since it is very contageous, it can spread quickly from person to person. It cannot be spread through eating pork products, even if the source pig was infected. Usually it is spread from an infected person sneezing or coughing, or touching a surface that someone else touches and then touches their own nose or mouth.

Where has it been found?

So far, in the United States, cases have been confirmed in California, Texas, Ohio, Kansas, and New York. In NYC alone, there have been 28 cases confirmed. There have been no deaths attributed to the virus in the United States, but nearly 150 deaths in Mexico have been blamed on the virus.

Getting more information:

From the World Health Organization

Bloomberg.com

Wall Street Journal

Perceptive Automation announced last week that its Mac OS X home automation software will now work with the iPhone to control INSTEON and X10 adapters over Wi-Fi or mobile broadband.
Indigo 4.0

PERCEPTIVE AUTOMATION RELEASES INDIGO 4.0, INTELLIGENT HOME AUTOMATION SERVER FOR MAC OS X

New Indigo Touch provides native iPhone/iPod touch control of home automation; Indigo Lite lowers the cost of entry for first time Home Automation buyers

Dallas, TX – April 21, 2009 – Perceptive Automation, the leading provider of Mac-based home automation software, today announced the immediate availability of Indigo version 4.0, a major update to the company’s intelligent home control and automation server for Mac OS X. With Indigo, users can easily control lights, appliances, thermostats, lawn sprinklers and dozens of other items found in the home, thereby helping to reduce energy usage.

New with this release is support for Indigo Touch, a native iPhone and iPod touch application, which allows a user to control their home automation system from anywhere using WiFi, 3G, or Edge connectivity. Indigo Touch is optimized for mobile use by providing instant single-touch access to lighting, appliances, sprinklers and thermostats. Its unique use of both Bonjour and the GoPrism.com subscription service allows secure remote access from anywhere with no firewall or router configuration needed. Indigo Touch is available as a free download from the iTunes App Store.

Go here for more information: perceptiveautomation.com

With more and more people moving towards consolidating their electronics in their home automation projects, more software like this will be coming in the near future. After just a little research, I found several applications for the iPhone that would control different PC and Mac based automation software packages, and even a couple that would work on the newer versions of the BlackBerry. Amazingly, these devices allow you to monitor statistics on various measurements in your home and then do something about it from anywhere with a wireless network. For example, if you are heading home after a hard workout, you might hit the button to warm up the hot tub at home to make sure it will be ready for you as soon as you get there.

Given the affordability of the software and the devices they run, the only thing stopping you from complete  remote control of your home environment will be your own imagination.

In a move to both answer the complaints some iPhone users have had over the last year, and to prepare for the release of the next iPhone version, AT&T is doubling the capacity of the 3G network that the popular smart phone runs on. Well, they aren’t didn’t come out and say that it is all for the iPhone, but come on, what other 3G device has AT&T exclusivity and so much of the market share?

The Apple iPhone3.0  is set to be released sometimes this summer, and some are suggesting that the lack of set date is due to the fact that they wanted to release this information about the network before the masses started screaming about slow download speeds and an overburdened network.

The company spokesman who made the announcement said that this would be the last enhancement of the HSPA (high-speed packet access) network before they begin their migration to what the industry is calling evolved 3G and eventually 4G, which will triple the bandwidth from this upgrade. This upgrade increases the downlink capacity from 3.6 megabits per second to 7.2 through software upgrades at the base station. So far, this has been done in a select few markets, but they plan to move this out to all markets soon.

AT& T also announced that they are soon going to be releasing new devices that will use this system to allow wireless uploads to remote locations. One of the products mentioned would be a camera that would allow you to send pictures directly to a frame at your home or office. Sprint uses this technology to allow the Kindle e-book reader to download books directly from Amazon.

Other companies and advances are sure to follow, but some experts are hoping that developers and device manufacturers work more closely this time so that the devices released for the evolved 3G and 4G networks can handle the capacity that these networks will offer.

For the last few of years, telecommuting went from a hot topic that everyone was talking about, to the way of doing business to a select few lucky people. With the recent economic downturn, more and more people are ‘getting lucky’ and are having to move out of the big nice building downtown, to whatever corner of their home that hasn’t been claimed by other family members and their clutter. The benefits of working at home are obvious; saving money on gas, not having to dress for work every day, and the fact that breaks can come at any time and in the places you are most comfortable.

What aren’t so obvious are the drawbacks that people usually don’t realize until they’ve committed to being a remote employee. Since most of us don’t buy or build our houses with work in mind, our office rooms, even when planned for, aren’t usually designed for real workplace situations. They aren’t all that quiet, aren’t very comfortable, and aren’t always conducive for complete concentration. After a while, you either feel like going back to the office to get something done, or you want to change the space to be less livable and more workable.

These days, your only choice may be to just bite the bullet and change your space to suit your needs. If you are forced to work from home, your corporate headquarters may be in a different city, or completely nonexistent.  When you do make the adjustments, you should take your time and make sure any changes you make will not damage the value of your biggest investment. A good idea is to consult with an interior designer who specializes in home-office renovations, and do a good bit of your shopping online, so you can save the exorbitant costs you’ll find in your local boutique and big-box outlets.

Summertime is coming and while the kids are itching to get out of school for those glorious few weeks, their parents’ relaxing daydreams of changing seasons and warm weather are starting to turn into feelings of doom and gloom. Everyone is feeling the pinch of tighter budgets and smaller amounts of extra money; so many families are scrapping summer vacation plans and are starting to prepare their offspring for the long summer of nothing to do. Maybe you can’t take that trip to Europe this year, or that cruise to Hawaii, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a fun away from home, and you won’t have to sell your house to afford it. Here are two destinations you can plan that won’t break the bank.
Washington, DC – The District of Columbia isn’t for everyone, but for those families with kids that love to learn and experience history, this is one of the best and inexpensive destinations there is. Hotels in the area (and in safe locations) can be found for below $100 a night and nearly all of the most popular sites are free and open to the public. You can spend a day getting lost in the Smithsonian, and kids are very impressed with the sheer size of the monuments and buildings around the city.
State Parks – When I was a kid, my family went on a lot of camping trips. We would ‘rough it’ in the site closest to the bathhouse and would make sure there was an outlet so we could plug in our radio or television set. Camp site rentals are very cheap, and you can get tents on sale from most national retail chains. You can even rent equipment from stores like REI if you have one in your area. A word of caution: the most popular parks (like the ones next to the ocean) fill up very fast, so you should plan now to get a good space.
If you have other places you like to go, feel free to comment!

Written by Ben Hirsch

About two years ago, I made the decision to purchase a BlackBerry Curve. It was a conscious decision and one that I avoided making for quite some time, because I didn’t want to have a way for people to contact me whenever they wanted and them expect me to get back with them no matter where I am or what I am doing. I enjoyed the space I had, and the fact that I when I was out of the office, people knew not to bother me unless it was something major.
As you get older and more established in your career, the line between your time and your work time starts to blur, so I figured I needed a way to keep in touch whenever I needed to. I didn’t forget the expectations people would have, but it didn’t outweigh the need to be able to update or keep tabs on others.
I chose the BlackBerry Curve over other smart phones, mainly because I got the device from my provider at an incredible discount. I added the unlimited data plan, but didn’t get the texting plan or the BlackBerry email service, so my service is pretty affordable for the amount of time and data I use in the course of a month. I like the BlackBerry and the RIM software that comes on it, but the device itself is a bit flimsy and in need of repair. I guess I am pretty hard on the phone, because the roller ball doesn’t work and the paint is chipping off all over the thing.
Over these two years, I have found a few sites that have provided me with several new applications and customizations that make my phone mine. Some of the things found there are purely aesthetical, but others are real timesavers. Check out these sites:
Crackberry.com – This is the source for RIM downloads, device wallpapers, and community technical support. If I have a problem with my phone, this is the first place I look for answers.
BBGeeks.com – A great blog and online store that does a good job in keeping you up-to-date with what is new and exciting in the world of BlackBerry. They often run specials and discounts, so check their site often.
BlackBerryForums.com – A community-driven discussion forum that should help you find what you need when looking for info about your phone and what it can do. It has been optimized for use on your default BB browser.

Written by Ben Hirsch

When I was a kid, my dad and I would don our jerseys and head down to Fulton County stadium to watch the Braves plan on their home opener. I loved sitting out in the outfield where I could sit near my baseball hero, Dale Murphy, and cheer as loud as I could for him. We would eat, laugh, and watch our favorite team play ball. It was amazing. And I am lying.
I grew up several hundred miles away from the closest major league stadium. I did go to see the Braves play at least once a year, but it was never on opening day, and it was always a major trip that my family planned for months in advance. Dale Murphy was certainly my baseball hero growing up, but I can’t remember ever getting the seats near him, though I did try my best to get down as close as I could, usually over there near Chief Knock-a-homa’s teepee. I was a distant fan, and in my case this kept a damper on my zeal.
Sure I had friends who were huge baseball fans, but it wasn’t anything like the guys I know now who describe their childhood summers spent around the big league stadiums. While they were there living it, I would sit at home and watch a game every now and then, or listen to a game on the radio while I was outside working in the yard. In our area, college football was king and we didn’t go nuts until September. Don’t get me wrong, I respect all of the men and women who watch each and every game they can, but I hope they’ll forgive me if I just catch up on SportsCenter or in the paper the next day. Call me a fair-weather fan, a bandwagoner, or whatever, but I still wore a Braves hat during the 80s when everyone laughed at me, and still wore one during the 14 year streak of division championships. I didn’t live in Atlanta, but I too felt the pain and basked in the glory.

Written by Ben Hirsch

Last month, Builder Magazine released its findings in a study that teamed them up with Hanley Wood Marketing Intelligence. You can read some background for the study and a full list of their findings on the Builder Magazine website: Builder Magazine.
Some of the interesting findings that really stood out were the fact that people are still spending money on housing, and they are spending it in prime locations. Pretty obvious, right? What is interesting though is that the interesting aspects are pretty wide-ranging, but the geographic locations are not. Areas close to major universities, traditional ‘play areas’ such as beaches and mountains, and areas known for their innovation all ranked very high and are sure to lead the way when the market returns. As for the geographic distribution, read the list and pick out the pattern. Here are the top 15 healthiest housing markets for 2009:
Myrtle Beach, SC
Wilmington, NC
Charlotte, NC
Denver, Co
Nashville, TN
Washington, DC
Fayetteville, AR
Indianapolis, IN
Seattle, WA
Raleigh, NC
Dallas, TX
San Antonio, TX
Fort Worth, TX
Austin, TX
Houston, TX
With Texas having the top 5 spots and the Carolinas and Arkansas taking up 5 more, it is clear that the experts feel that the deep south is the place people want to be. The article doesn’t get into the reason people are actively buying in those areas, instead relying on facts such as median home price and number of building permits to judge the activity in the area. Sure affordable housing makes the market more active (In Indianapolis, the median home price for 2008 was only around $111,000) but several of the locations had median prices above and well above the national average. What do the southern states have that others don’t? Is it the atmosphere, the weather, or the often-mentioned casual atmosphere you find in some of those towns? Or is it just that that’s where the jobs are and that’s why there is still a housing market. I wonder what the list of the best job markets would look like and how closely it would resemble this list.

Written by Ben Hirsch

A few days ago, I was presented with a task: Download and try the application Artisteer to see how well it can be used to create a unique Wordpress template. When you go to the site Artisteer.com (http://www.artisteer.com) you can watch a demo video about the application and what it can do. You can read about it in the forums and find out what the marketing team wants you to know, but the only way to truly get experience with a product is to download it and try it.
It didn’t take long to download the trial version, so I had it installed and ready to go in no time. The process is simple and it even allows you to try out the different versions on a single download. The Home Edition allows you to create Wordpress and HTML templates, while the Standard Edition have several other CMS and code base options to setup and export to. The Standard Edition also has a larger image library, and more color and font schemes already set up for you. Both editions allow you to add your own images and schemes.
I tried out the Standard Edition and in just a few minutes of pointing and clicking was able to generate a pretty basic Wordpress theme. It has some very nice features as a part of the layout potions (transparent layers, rounded corners, and other advanced CSS techniques) but you can only do so much with it. I’ll get to that more in a bit.
The interface has been made to look and feel like Microsoft Word 2007, complete with ribbons and buttons. If you know the latest version of Word, it should be very easy for you to figure out how to set the various options and make the selections you need to make your template. It also has a feature where you can have the application randomize your layout or any specific layout aspect. So, if you get stuck trying to figure out how many columns and where you want them, just click the Suggest button and have it show you what you could do.
I would have really liked it if Artisteer had the ability for you to click and drag elements or resize columns and headers by dragging sizing bars. It seems that you can only set things manually, having to figure out the math yourself for size and aspect ratio.
I suggest that you play with Artisteer as much as possible during your 30-day evaluation. During that time, any output will have a watermark all over the template, making it unusable, but you certainly will get a great idea of what your template will look like based on the UI version. If you decide to buy it, Artisteer runs $49.95 for the Home Edition and $129.95 for the Standard.

Written by Ben Hirsch

I am always surprised when people are surprised by a product not living up to their expectations. For years, we have had sites on the web to give us reviews on everything from books to roofing companies. These sites get tons of traffic, and even online stores have tried to capture some of the magic of customer reviews by placing them right next to their online offerings. Go to any online mega store and you will see a link to view and submit consumer ratings, right near the link to buy. On one hand this makes the company seem like they care about their customers and what they have to say, and on the other, they could just be tired of having to give refunds on expensive pieces of trash. If Bob from Idaho can warn Jim from California about the loud noise coming from his fridge, maybe Jim won’t have to waste Sears’ time in having them come back to pick up the heavy thing.

I find it funny that some of my friends, who are well versed in how to use the Internet, still don’t know about or use the sites out there when they go make their purchases. Maybe they don’t know about the sites, or maybe they don’t trust what other people have to say. Maybe they just think they know better and trust that the product description written by the company will always be truthful and not leave anything out. Yeah, right.

As a general rule, before I go out and buy anything that I would consider to be an investment, or spend any amount of money that would impact my family budget, I jump online and see what others are saying. Here is a list of some of my favorite sites and what types of info you’ll find there.

Kudzu.com – This site is the best place to get reviews on services and businesses in your area. I don’t hire anyone for anything until checking it out.

CNet.com – If you are looking for the latest gadget, TV, or other electronic device, CNet is my top choice in review sites. You get expert reviews from their editors, along with really detailed user reviews. Be careful not to get too lost in the many comments made on some of the more popular types of device, such as digital cameras.

ZDNet.com – Similar to CNet, but they also pull in reviews from across the web. This helps for items that have limited distribution or only sold in a certain chain.

Epinions.com – What you lack in expert reviews is more than made up for in the passion of the user base. You can get reviews here on just about anything you can think of.

ConsumerReports.com – The old guy on the block still has some juice when it comes to reviewing products and services. A good idea to see if what you are buying has a review here.

Written by Ben Hirsch