Google+ Review and Invites

Google+ has been around for "field testing" for just over a month.  There is tremendous buzz about the social networking product (unlike Google's last attempt at a Facebook killer, Google Buzz, which crashed and burned after a privacy backlash).  Google+ is up over 25 million users already, a staggering growth rate, but still far from the massive user bases of Facebook and Twitter, both of which it challenges in aspects of its functionality.  All this, it is still a closed, invite-only beta.

If you haven't gotten an invite yet, here's a link to sign up for the first 150 readers to click it:

https://plus.google.com/_/notifications/ngemlink?path=%2F%3Fgpinv%3D4ZZL4MQWqug%3AObznSkvj69M

If you do follow the link, please make sure to give me a +1!


On to the review - Google+ could definitely be the Facebook killer.  The interface is clean, without the games, surveys, quizzes and advertising which have come to dominate Facebook.  Sharing information, status updates, photos and video is a snap.  Google wraps in its Picasa and Youtube properties and provides pretty much unlimited space to save your photos and videos.

MLB.tv Blackout - Truth in Advertising At Last!

A while back I wrote a post about Major Leage Baseball's archaic blackout policies which disallow fans from watching their own home team over streaming services.  One of the mnost annoying things was the marketing from Major Leaguye Baseball which promised fans the ability to "Watch Baseball Everywhere".  It looks like MLB has finally gotten the message:

Of course, thousands of unhappy subscribers and complaints may have had something to do with it.

MLBTV - Truth in Advertising At Last!

A while back I wrote a post about Major Leage Baseball's archaic blackout policies which disallow fans from watching their own home team over streaming services.  One of the mnost annoying things was the marketing from Major Leaguye Baseball which promised fans the ability to "Watch Baseball Everywhere".  It looks like MLB has finally gotten the message:

Of course, thousands of unhappy subscribers and complaints may have had something to do with it.

Podcasts 101 - How to Subcribe and Listen to Podcasts in iTunes

I listen to podcasts on a daily basis and they have pretty much replaced talk radio for me. The ability to listen to shows on specific topics that you are interested in is amazing.  There are podcasts on finance, technology, sports teams, TV shows, movies, sciences, humor - just about anything you can think of. Most of them are free, as well!

I find that when I mention in conversation that I heard something on a podcast, I get a blank stare most of the time.  Simply put, podcasts are audio and in some cases video shows which are posted with an RSS subcription feed, so that you automatically get the new episodes as they become available.

Podcasts have yet to completely hit the mainstream, even though programs such as iTunes make it easy to find, subscribe to and listen to them.  There are audio-only podcasts, as well as video podcasts.  I prefer audio for use in the car, where its probably better not to have the distraction of video.  Here's a quick guide to get started:

1. Open iTunes and click on "iTunes Store" in the left navigation panel: