At #SXSW I was able to take a quick minute and shoot some video using Socialcam of the CEO of a hot new location-based app called Banjo. If you’ve been following me here on this website, then you probably saw the CNN piece I did recently about location-based apps, so you know how excited I was to talk to Damien about Banjo. More excited to talk, however, was Damien who claims that Banjo gives you “Superpowers.” Curious? You can grab Banjo for yourself from The App Store or Android Marketplace.
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Apps Help You Find New Friends, Connections (CNN VIDEO)
I recently appeared on CNN to talk about apps that use location data embedded in Tweets and Facebook shares as well as other social media to present you with social media info in new ways, from showing you conversations that are happening in your immediate geographical area to what’s happening anywhere in the world you want to zoom in on. These people discovery apps can help you find people and make new friends and connections, but obviously there are some privacy issues around this that we need to discuss in greater detail. Curious? You can download the two apps I talk about, Highlight and Banjo to see for yourself and draw your own conclusions about what’s happening in the social space.
Socialcam Show Episode 4 – “The Mama”
Shy and I are back again this week with the latest episode of the Socialcam Show, which aims to highlight new features and cool or funny videos on my favorite mobile video app, Socialcam. This week we watch a serious video about leaving the corporate world by AliceAnn Williams, a hilarious one by Joshua the Riot, and one from Thailand that we’ll never be able to find again.
If this is your first time tuning in to the Socialcam show, don’t despair! There’s tons more Socialcam goodness for you to check out. On Episode 3 Shy and I take a look at a bad haircut, as well as a funny solution. In Episode 2 I throw Shy’s hat and destroy our studio, and in Episode 1 you can see how it all got started, as well as enter a contest for a $50 Amazon gift card.
Want to get involved on Socialcam yourself? Download the app on iPhone or Android and start making videos today!
$39 Billion dollars stolen online in 2011
So much of the information we put online is in a dangerous position—hackers are looking to break into email accounts more than ever to get at your sensitive data. In my recent appearance on CNN, I talk about choosing a hack-free password and also give some tips on how you can find out if you’ve been hacked already. With over $39 BILLION dollars stolen from online fraud and scams in 2011, staying safe is now more important than ever. Worried already? I talk about this on CNN, but it’s worth repeating: you can use websites like pwndlist today to see if your data is already online.
And choose a good password! I can’t say this enough, but if you can’t remember strong passwords and use different, strong passwords for every important account you have (email, banking, etc.) then you need to look into a password management system. I’m not going to do your homework for you, but services like Keepass and 1password can securely manage a database of all of your passwords. But don’t take my word for it—do your own research and if you’re struggling to remember all these crazy passwords, then a password management system might be right for you.
The Socialcam Show Episode 3 – “The Hair”
It’s here! The latest episode of our weekly show dedicated to my favorite mobile video app Socialcam. If you’re just tuning in, this is Episode 3 of the show I’m doing with our web editor Shy—each week we take a look at two hot videos on Socialcam as well as explain the hottest new features. If you want to watch the original videos we talk about in this episode, here they are: “Ditching” by Trinity, and “Hey Johnny Deeper!” by none other than NEO. Make sure to check them out, and follow them both!
If this is your first time tuning in, don’t despair, you can go back and watch Episode 1 – “The Kid” as well as the disastrous Episode 2 – “The Hat” on Socialcam as well.
Like it, vote for popular, leave a comment, download the app on iPhone or Android, and most of all, enjoy it people!
Top 10 list for #marchmadness4Geeks – the NCAA MarchMadness terms get remixed by geeks
I’m a hoops fan, always have been and always will be. I stopped following the NBA closely, well that was until Linsanity showed up. Yep, it took a Silicon Valley, Palo Alto High School, Harvard geek to bring energy back to the game. Leave it up to us, we always find a way to infiltrate :-) One thing I have always watched, skipped work for, called out sick and stayed off twitter for is March Madness. What can I say, I love college hoops! If you don’t, then seriously go see a Dr. I’m sincerely worried about you! So, since this month there will be alot of basketball terms being thrown around, I figured I may as well break down how us techies interpret the terms of the sport of Basketball. Follow on twitter and make your own definitions #marchmadness4geeks
Here are my TOP 10 #marchmadness4Geeks definitions. Put your favorites or others in the comments below and tweet using #marchmadness4Geeks
1. The triple double = when you own 3 devices and 2 are from the same family (ex: iPad 1 & 2 and you have an Android phone)
2. Full court press = this person goes all out! They have a complete strategy, mapped via gps, using augmented reality and 3D to view building escape routes and underground store entrances. They download apps like Highlig.ht and Ban.jo to uncover friends who may be in a better position nearby. The goal for this person is to be no further than number 5 in line. Watch out for these people, they have done their homework, staked the joint a week ago and have spent countless hours running algorithms that analyze the competition! These people scare the heck outta me!
3. An assist = this is when you strategically waited patiently, saw the opportunity, the pick was set, you rolled and made your self open and said “hey throw me some cash, remember, you owe me $200 bucks, man” – then your bud tosses some cash your way and you go and “score” a new iPad!
4. Fast break = this is when you see people sprinting the hell out of the store. And you’re like sheez where’s the fire buddy? There’s no fire, at least not yet. You see they know all too well that lurkers could be thieves. They also know all too well that those “currently” smiling faces down the end of the line will soon turn upside down. When that happens they become irate and irate people in line start to become very devious. And when you mix irate, devious people with desperation there WILL BE A FIRE! They don’t hang around they sprint quickly down the other way, like they are doing baseline drills (a reference some may lose :-)!
5. Slam dunk = this person “hangs around”, get it—“hangs”… Anyway these types are always showing off ALL the time. They own all 3 iPads and they keep them to themselves, with no thought of sharing. Stingy bastards LOL (some might say this is a foul, but it’s not, see number 7 for that).
6. Crossover = this person owned an iPad and used to be ALL about Apple, I mean ALL ABOUT APPLE! You couldn’t tell them anything BUT now (probably due to price) they have switched to being an ALL out Android lover (ugh, I hate crossover types, they can’t be trusted – LOL)
7. Foul = this is when a friend at your house tries to “borrow” your new iPad without telling you! Yes, this happens ALL the time! I can hear it now when they are caught Apple-handed “I was only gonna borrow it for a hot minute”! You see, that’s just FOUL!
8. Rebound = when you get someones older iPad because they have enough money to splurge and buy the latest! You end up with the rebound product, the hand-me-down! Ohhh and it probably has a few dings and greasy prints all over it, this will always remind you that you have a rebounder iPad :-) Think I’m making this up? Just ask the king of rebounds, Dennis Rodman, I guarantee you he has someone else’s iPad2!
9. Final Four = this is the household who has at least 4 Apple products and has more love for Apple than Apple itself (damn! now that i think about it, that’s gotta be alot of LOVE)- these people are ecstatic to be one of the lucky few and are hoping to win it ALL, I mean own them all! Like everything iPads, MACS, Airs, Pros, Minis, Airports, Magic Mice, iPods, Nanos, Apple TVs, iPhone 9’s, you get the picture – LOL!
10. March Madness = the one time a year we all love to celebrate together! It’s the one time we ALL have something in common! The moment where it doesn’t matter if you’re chanting for the offense or defense! Humanity becomes colorblind, we remove all prejudices, stereotypes aren’t thought of! We all can agree that drinks are flowing and worker productivity is down the toilet! This is the meaning of March Madness AND IN GEEK TERMS that equals an Apple product release, yep forget the “Big Dance” the iPad release is the Big Dance! So grab a Dos Equis and everybody say it with me “Stay Apple my friends” LOL.
Interview with Scott Gerber and the Young Entrepreneur Council #FixYoungAmerica
Startups are a huge part of South by Southwest, and Scott Gerber’s organization, the Young Entrepreneur Council, aims to make sure that startups created by young people have even more opportunities for exposure and success. He’s also using Indiegogo to crowdfund the #FixYoungAmerica initiative, which aims to fix the problems of youth unemployment and underemployment, end crushing student loan debt, support young people to own and operate franchises, create more “silicon valleys,” and increase young startup founders access to capital.
They’re already raised $23,000 of their $30,000 crowdfunding goal, and seem likely to succeed with 50 full days left to raise money. So definitely check out their videos and contribute if you think it sounds good to you.
EXCLUSIVE: #SXSW Interview with @Mashable Editor-in-Chief Lance Ulanoff
I just ran into Lance Ulanoff, the editor-in-chief of Mashable, one of the biggest online sources for Internet and social media news, basically for anything that’s on the web. I’ve had the chance to write for Mashable before, and it was a humbling experience seeing my content tweeted almost a thousand times, way more than anything else I’ve ever done. So needless to say, Mashable is huge and it was an honor to get the chance to talk to Lance about his site.
Get this: despite him being a huge figure in the world of tech and news, this was Lance’s first time at #SXSW! Can you believe it? I couldn’t. Check the video below.
How To Get Your Dream Funded—3 Tips by @GogoErica from IndieGogo.com
IndieGogo is an exciting crowdfunding site that helps you fund your dream! Whatever your project or campaign, IndieGogo can be your fundraising source. I had a chance to talk to @GogoErica, and she gave me three great tips on how you can make sure your project gets funded!
Mario Armstrong talks Personal Security in the Digital Age
Here at SXSW, I just met with with Frank Abagnale Jr., the real-life check forger turned FBI security expert played by Leonardo DiCaprio in “Catch Me If You Can.” Frank warned me and CNN’s Ali Velshi, “I have nothing against those social media sites… [but] don’t give away pertinent information that you know people can take to become you.”
Then Ali turned to me and asked, “What’s the balance here… Because we want free stuff on the Internet, so we know we gotta give some information about us. There’s companies that use it, sell it to advertisers.” I took a moment to break things down and explain how you make a compromise with your personal information whenever you get something for free online. Check the video below to learn more about these little digital footprints we leave behind when we’re on the web: