Thursday, June 30, 2011

TV Broadcast Morning Shows Add 1.2 Million Viewers in Past Year (probably from radio)- TVNewser

Much like their evening news counterparts, America’s morning shows are on the rise as well. In the just finished second quarter, NBC’s “Today,” ABC’s “Good Morning America” and CBS’s “The Early Show” added a combined 1.2 million viewers compared to the same period last year.

ABC’s “Good Morning America” was up the most in Total Viewers ( 14.75%) and A25-54 viewers ( 8.8%). This was the show’s most-watched second quarter in six years in Total Viewers and the most-watched in three years in younger viewers.

“GMA” still trails NBC’s “Today” by an average of 700K viewers each day. The #1 morning show, which saw an anchor change earlier this month, is up 9.6% year-over-year in Total Viewers and up 5.6% in A25-54 viewers. “The Early Show” was also up in Total Viewers ( 2.4%) but it was the only show to shed A25-54 viewers (-1.21%).

The averages for Q2 2011:

  • Total Viewers: NBC: 5.60M / ABC: 4.90M / CBS: 2.51M
  • A25-54 viewers: NBC: 2.52M / ABC: 1.85M / CBS: 988K

The part in parenthesis is MY edit of the headline.

This is kind of a "closed circuit" post to my brothers and sisters in radio. Where do you think those 1.2 MILLION morning show viewers came from? And what about all the people watching the shows before the network shows? I'll give you a minute to think about that and how you're going to come up with something more compelling to keep your listeners. Wait, you'll need a LOT more than a minute to figure this problem out. We as radio broadcasters have GIVEN these listeners to TV.

Now how do we get them back?

Posted via email from Mark Edwards 3.0

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

How to Clean Your Dirty Smartphone (Without Breaking Something) - How-To Geek

We have already shown you how to clean your keyboard without breaking it, but did you know your smartphone can be just as dirty and covered with bacteria? Here is how to properly clean your smartphone.

Cell Phones have been repeatedly found to be one of the most disgusting things we regularly touch. In many tests, cell phones have tested to contain more germs than a toilet seat. Can you hear me now? You don’t want to put your head on a toilet seat. If you are going to reach out and touch someone your phone, make sure you rethink possibilities and clean your smartphone the right way.

How many germs live on your cell phone?

Created by Oatmeal

Tools You’ll need

To get started you will need to collect a few supplies:

  • Lint free microfiber cloth - You should be able to pick up a microfiber cloth from an eyeglass store or pharmacy if you don’t have one. Many computers and mobile devices come with one for free, so make sure you check your box before throwing it out.
  • Cotton swabs – We recommend either wood shafted cotton swabs or Q-tips branded cotton swabs because the shafts won’t be as flimsy as the cheap off brands.
  • Distilled water – This is for cleaning your screen and camera lens. We recommend you get distilled water because it won’t have the chemicals of tap water and won’t leave a film if it drys.
  • Rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol – This is for cleaning your keypad and hard plastic.

Household chemicals and disinfectants are too harsh for most smartphones. Make sure you don’t use window cleaners, aerosol sprays, solvents, ammonia, ajax, CLR, or abrasives. These cleaners are guaranteed to stain your phone or remove the finish.

Cleaning Your Phone

Start by turning off your phone by holding the power button or finding an option in the phone to turn off or swap the battery.

You should also remove any case or cover on your phone if you use one.

If you have the ability, remove your battery from the phone prior to cleaning.

Be careful when removing a screen protector because the peeling action can cause cracks to spread. If you have major screen cracks it is recommended you leave the screen protector on because it will help keep moisture out of the phone and hold the screen together until you can buy a replacement.

If you have a keyboard or keypad start cleaning it with a cotton swab dipped in diluted rubbing alcohol. Be careful not to rub too hard and not to get any rubbing alcohol inside the phone or under the keyboard.

Next move to the rest of the phone plastics. For large areas like the battery cover it is fine to use rubbing alcohol. Use light pressure when cleaning plastic so you don’t remove any rubber coating or clear finish.

If you have metal trim on your phone, use a water dampened cotton swab instead of rubbing alcohol.

Once the outside is clean, use a dry cotton swab to clean out any dust under the battery cover. If you have any stubborn areas under the battery cover, use a very small amount of distilled water to clean it. Immediately dry any parts you clean with water so nothing gets inside the phone.

Dampen a cotton swab with water and clean your camera lens and flash using a spinning motion. Once the lens is clean quickly dry it with the other side of the cotton swab so that water doesn’t dry on the lens.

Now that the major portions of the phone have been cleaned, flip the screen over and dampen your lint free microfiber cloth. You don’t want the cloth dripping wet; the dampness will help remove crusted on streaks.

Clean the screen in single strokes from the ear piece down to the microphone. This motion will keep from spreading dirt into your ear piece. Don’t use circular motions because this can cause circular scratches.

Be very careful if you have a cracked screen because removing a screen protector or wiping the screen with pressure can cause the crack to spread. You may also want to forgo the damp cloth and just use a dry one to prevent any moisture from getting under the screen.

Some low end and older phones have plastic screens which can easily scratch. Make sure you use light pressure when cleaning your screen to stop scratches from forming. Most new Android phones and iPhones have hardened glass screens which won’t scratch as easily.

If you removed your screen protector, follow the directions that came with the protector to apply a new one after cleaning.

If you have an iPhone 4, remember that the front and back are made of glass so clean both sides the same way.

The iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPad, Google Nexus S, and quite a few other phones have an oleophobic (literally meaning “fear of oil”) coating which repels oil from your hands and face. This coating will wear over time so make sure you don’t rub too hard or use rubbing alcohol or you might speed up the wear process.

Give the phone a few minutes to dry, then re-assemble and turn it back on. You should now have a clean phone without those nasty germs.

Clean Your Case

If you use a plastic phone cover/case use diluted rubbing alcohol and cotton swabs to clean the inside and outside.

Let the case air dry before putting it back on the phone.

If you use a leather case or pouch you can use leather cleaner designed to clean and moisturize leather. The cleaner can be purchased at many automotive, online, and discount stores. You will want to follow the specific directions on the leather cleaner to make sure your leather is clean and conditioned.

Kudos to www.howtogeek.com for this incredibly detailed and useful primer! Thanks for allowing me to share.

Posted via email from Mark Edwards 3.0

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

It’s time for fans to recognize that Wrigley Field really IS a dump - Chicago Sun-Times

It’s time for fans to recognize that Wrigley Field really IS a dump

RICK MORRISSEY rmorrissey@suntimes.com June 13, 2011 9:46PM

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    Wrigley Field beckons fans before the Chicago Cubs vs. Milwaukee Brewers MLB game Monday June 13, 2011 at Wrigley Field. | Tom Cruze~Sun-Times

    Article Extras

    Updated: June 14, 2011 2:09AM

    It was an interesting word choice. A “dump” is what MLB Network analyst Peter Gammons called Wrigley Field last week.

    The description seemed vaguely familiar. Maybe it seemed vaguely familiar because of the scorch marks I still have from using that very word to describe the ballpark.

    This was how I started a column on July 23, 2004, seven years and one newspaper ago:

    “Wrigley Field is a dump. It’s a dump with great views, lots of liquid refreshment and sporadic professional baseball, but it’s still a dump.’’

    Those words were written after chunks of concrete had fallen from underneath the upper deck and mezzanine levels at the park, but as I pointed out, it was a dump well ­before that. And even after the Cubs put up netting to keep the concrete in place, making it look like the rigging of a pirate ship, it was still a dump.

    The reaction resembled a flamethrower. Wrigley was a shrine, Wrigley was a cathedral and Morrissey was a jerk. All of that might have been true. But none of it could change the fact that Wrigley was a cathedral masquerading as a dump. There were narrow concourses, rust and odors that hinted of things better left unconsidered.

    Seven years later, not much has changed. The netting is still there. It’s a cleaner ballpark than it was in 2004. The bathrooms are nicer than they used to be, or, in the case of the men’s room, as nice as troughs can be. But there’s still rust, the concourses still resemble dark alleys and people still have to elbow their way to their seats.

    A few coats of paint can’t change any of that.

    Fans are catching on

    Oh, there’s at least one big change: Public opinion seems to be shifting. More people appear to be coming around to the idea that Wrigley is a crumbling mausoleum where baseball dreams go to die. Go online to some of the message boards about the Cubs, and you’ll see a healthy discussion about the 97-year-old ballpark. There’s as much talk about uncomfortable seats and tight quarters as there is about fond memories.

    Season after season of disappointment have opened fans’ eyes to the emperor’s buck nakedness. No one can be sure exactly when the epiphany arrived, but it might have started in 2003, when the Cubs were five outs away from going to the World Series and — stop me if you’ve heard this — fell apart.

    Anger began replacing cheery acceptance. Fans started slathering themselves in high expectations rather than suntan lotion. And what had been considered a graceful building began to be viewed more soberly, despite the heavy intake of booze.

    The best thing about Wrigley is the ivy on the outfield walls and the hand-operated scoreboard towering over center field. You can have the rest of it. It’s a great park when you’re looking at the field from your seat. It’s not so great on the way to and from your seat.

    Gammons turns on spotlight

    That Gammons is saying it now has grabbed the attention of a lot of people, including White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, who has taken great pleasure over the years in ripping the park’s small clubhouses and tweaking Cubs fans while he was at it.

    Gammons wasn’t necessarily speaking for Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts, but what he said is something any reasonable owner would be thinking. Publicly, a reasonable owner would say Wrigley is a charming ballpark in need of loving renovations. Privately, you might hear a reasonable owner utter the word “dump” now and then.

    “Obviously, we love Wrigley Field,’’ general manager Jim Hendry said Monday before the Cubs faced the Brewers. “Nobody wants the field to be any different, or the ambiance of the great atmosphere here.

    “But I don’t think it’s any secret the plans that Tom and his family have to enlighten the facilities and make it better for fans, but also make it better for the players and more productive for the players. I think that’s going to be taken care of the next few years.’’

    The Ricketts family didn’t get many favors from the previous owners, who put about as much effort into keeping up Wrigley as they did into keeping up Stonehenge. There is plenty of work to be done and revenue streams to be explored.

    But that’s all secondary now.

    The Cubs have bigger problems on the field, though Hendry said Monday he sees a bright future for the team. People aren’t buying it. The attendance has been shrinking, a stunning development at a place used to sellouts. The team’s fan base has become much more demanding. No matter how uncomfortable the seats at Wrigley might be, the lack of a winning product is a bigger burr in fans’ saddle.

    Wrigley Field is a dump. The baseball played on it is an eyesore. The latter is the real shame.

    Copyright " yr " Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

    Even I, the self-proclaimed "Biggest Cub Fan In Missouri" (or Kansas) agree with this article, especially the last paragraph. We've ALWAYS known Wrigley is a dump, I've known it for over 40 years. But the dreams, the hopes of a miracle of some sort, have helped to mask the reality of the situation.

    I remember sitting at the one playoff game the team played at Wrigley a few years ago and looking at the rusting beams supporting the Upper Deck of the "Shrine Of Baseball". With my heroes self-destructing on the field, I could see the ballpark self-destructing as well. A fresh coat of paint, a new owner as impudent as the old owner, and the same crappy baseball on he field won't fix any of these problems.

    I've been going to Cubs games for at least 48 years, and I've been a fan since birth. My father was a Cubs fan, my Grandfather was a Cubs fan, and I'm both proud and ashamed to admit that I'm a Cubs fan. But I'm getting fed up with the team and the attitude of the people who own it.

    Now the only thing I look forward to seeing at The Friendly Confines Of Wrigley Field is Paul McCartney in July.

    Posted via email from Mark Edwards 3.0

    Monday, June 06, 2011

    The iCloud Is Here, for Apple Devices ONLY. Does Google Change Its Pricing Strategy NOW?



    SAN FRANCISCO, CA - JUNE 06:  Attendees walk b...Image by Getty Images via @daylifeSo Apple finally unleashed the iCloud today, and as many had feared, unlike similar offerings from Amazon and Google, their whiz-bang service ONLY works with Apple devices.  So those of us rocking an Android phone or (heaven forbid) a Windows phone or PC are out of luck.



    Check out this graphic from the Apple iCloud site.

    There’s iCloud. And then there’s everything else.

    If music is your thing and you have the collection to prove it, iCloud with iTunes Match is the easiest, most affordable way to store and access all your music.

    FULL DISCLOSURE; I am a paying customer for the Amazon Cloud Drive and am beta testing the Google Music beta.  I'm not getting compensated for either.  But I'm also not an iOS user, with my only Apple device being an iPod Nano.  That means I can't use iCloud or iOS5.  

    I think Amazon's pricing is fair.  I do wonder what Google will charge for their service, but since I carry an Android phone by HTC (no compensation) I'm probably going tostart paying for Google Music when it's time.  Mainly because it will probably work best with my phone, although right now I prefer the Amazon Cloud Player because it has a decent equalizer. 

    So if you're Google, what are you thinking about the pricing of your music service now?  Apple is putting theirs out free, with the handy iTunes Match service (which I would pay for if I had a compatible device) for $25 a year.  Does Google undercut Apple and make their service cheaper or somehow better, like linked to Spotify?  I'm guessing they're thinking hard in Mountain View right now.

    This is going to get interesting, and it proves that the future is in the cloud. 
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    Sprint - IT'S ON: All-new HTC EVO devices are coming

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    So the question is this....after the Samsung Nexus S 4G debacle, do I go for the latest and greatest HTC phone or wait a month or two to see if the phone actually works? Thoughts????????????
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    Sunday, June 05, 2011

    Anger in America: Newsweek/Daily Beast Poll - The Daily Beast

    As unemployment hits 9.1 percent, Americans are losing their cool. A Newsweek/Daily Beast poll finds rising anger levels affecting everything from work to sex drive. Plus, great thinkers from Cornel West to Robert Reich tell us what they're angry about.

    Gas and grocery prices are soaring, the housing market is crashing to new lows, and yet another dismal jobs report has confirmed a stubbornly high unemployment rate. Could the anger fueling the Arab Spring soon bring club-wielding protesters to America?

    According to an exclusive poll by Newsweek and The Daily Beast, reality is beginning to break down Americans' normally optimistic attitude. Three-quarters of our respondents think the country is on the wrong track. A majority say the anxiety wrought by this recession has caused relationship problems and sleep deficiency. Two-thirds even report being angry at God. See the results of our poll below.

    By almost four to one, Americans say our economy is not delivering the jobs we need, 81 percent to 12 percent.

    And Obama isn't helping. 50 percent of respondents think the president has no real plan to balance the budget; 40 percent say he does.

    Republicans aren't getting any love, either. Our poll respondents say the GOP is just laying the blame on Obama rather than making their own positive proposals, 58 percent to 29 percent.

    Over half (52 percent) say their personal economic situation makes them nervous. Forty eight  percent say it makes them anxious, 44 percent say it makes them upset, and 30 percent say it makes them angry.

    Gallery: Craziest Political Rants

    Article - VIDEO Political Rants GAL LAUNCH

    Americans are even losing sleep over this: 56 percent are so angry about their personal economic situation that they have lost sleep.

    Thirteen percent say their anger has affected their sex life. Of those, 63 percent say they experienced a lower sex drive at least some of the time.

    Listen up, Republicans: Our respondents overwhelmingly say they support increasing taxes on the wealthiest as a means of balancing the budget, 68 percent to 27 percent.

    Seventy percent of Americans are nervous about their retirement because of their personal economic situation; 45 percent are nervous about being able to put their children through college; 31 percent are nervous about starting a family; and 29 percent are nervous about being able to afford to buy a home.

    Twenty seven percent say their family's economic situation has affected their health, and 26 percent of those married say it has affected their marriage.

    Of those who say their family's economic situation has affected their marriage, 57 percent say their relationship with their spouse has become worse, while 34 percent say it has become stronger.

    Douglas Schoen is a political strategist and author of the upcoming book Mad as Hell: How the Tea Party Movement is Fundamentally Remaking Our Two-Party System to be published by Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins on September 14. Schoen has worked on numerous campaigns, including those of Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Michael Bloomberg, Evan Bayh, Tony Blair, and Ed Koch.

    Like The Daily Beast on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for updates all day long.

    For inquiries, please contact The Daily Beast at editorial@thedailybeast.com.


    Very interesting read.. Head over to my account on Scribd.com to see the entire study or go to the original link.

    Posted via email from Mark Edwards 3.0

    Wednesday, June 01, 2011

    Be the first to get a Chromebook.

    I'm sending this to the Chromebook Team as well as Larry and Sergey at Google.  I'm guessing no human there will see it, so I"m posting it on many of my blogs for good measure.
    I really wanted a Chromebook.  I volunteered to beta test one.  I think it could be a great tool.  But now that I see that Samsung is making the device, I'd rather have hot steel pokers inserted into every orifice on my body than buy this item.
    Samsung has completely made my, and thousands of other Google Android OS phone users, miserable over the last few weeks with the inferior quality of the Samsung Google Sprint Nexus S 4G phone.  I won't waste time going into all the details, but I invite you to check the reviews of the phone from actual users on the Google and Sprint user forums.  You'll enjoy the 523 (and counting) complaints about this device on the Sprint forum alone.
    For Google to team up with Samsung, a company that has shown a total disregard for its customers in the Nexus S 4G debacle, is inexcusable.  To let them come to market with this long awaited computer while thousands of frustrated people deal with a clearly flawed piece of hardware with the Google and Samsung (not to mention Sprint) names on it is an insult to Google's customer base.
    Will someone please let Larry and Sergey know they should be ashamed of themselves?
    Mark Edwards :: Managing General Partner/Mark Edwards Worldwide :: https://profiles.google.com/edwardsmark :: protocol.by/MarkEdwards



    On Wed, Jun 1, 2011 at 2:46 PM, The Chrome Team <chromebook-team@google.com> wrote:

    Be the first to get a Chromebook.
    Samsung Series 5 Chromebook Since we announced the Chrome Notebook Pilot Program back in December, we’ve been humbled by the amount of interest that we’ve received from users like you.
    We’re excited about the brand-new Samsung Chromebook that goes on sale on June 15. Fortunately, we’ve managed to get our hands on a few machines a little earlier, and we’d like to make these available to you, our biggest enthusiasts.
    When you buy your Chromebook, you’ll also be getting a limited edition, custom-fit Chrome sleeve designed by Rickshaw so you can carry your new Chromebook in style.
    Our good friends over at Gilt, the premier invitation-only shopping site, have agreed to put these Chromebooks up for sale -- but only for a very limited time.
    Click here to join the sale on Wednesday, June 1 at 9:00 am PT / 12:00 pm ET.
    *Remember, you must use this email -- edwardsmark@gmail.com -- to access the sale.
    Go Get One!
    These will go fast. See you over at Gilt.
    Cheers,
    The Chrome Team



    A few months back, you asked to be notified about the availability of Chrome OS, which is why we sent you this one-time notice. You will not be emailed again regarding the availability of Chrome OS.
    Google, Inc. 1600 Amphitheatre Pkwy, Mountain View, CA 94043
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