Writing a novel made easier with Storyist

While I was at Macworld earlier this year, the Storyist Software booth immediately caught my attention, since I’m working on a book of my own. Storyist is a creative writing application for Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger (or later) that is designed specifically for novelists and screenwriters. This was perfect timing for me since I recently started back on my book after a one-year hiatus.

Previous to finding Storyist I was writing everything in Microsoft Word. I realize there are other book-composing software solutions out there, but this seems to be very comprehensive for my needs. For all you aspiring book writers out there, as myself, Storyist is for you . . .

It is considered the flagship product of Storyist Software and is definitely a powerful story development tool for novelists and screenwriters. It includes a word processor with a page layout view and support for headers, footers and style sheets. It allows you to view a storyboard with customizable story sheets and a project manager with fast, project-wide search capabilities.“Writing a novel or feature-length screenplay is a significant and rewarding undertaking,” said Steve Shepard, CEO of Storyist Software. “Our goal is to make the process as simple as possible - but no simpler.”

When I started using Storyist a few weeks ago, I flowed in numerous pages from my Microsoft Word document. I was impressed how easily I was able to lay everything out and break them out into the proper chapters very quickly, not to mention in the style a book publisher would look for in a manuscript. My process took less than two minutes.


If you’re comfortable using a web browser, you and the Storyist interface will cope together as a happy family. You can navigate easily between your manuscript pages, story sheets and notebook entries by simply clicking the links in your text orby using the Back and Forward buttons in the tool-bar. In addition, the Storyist word processor - with its page layout view and support for headers, footers and style sheets - is making this extremely easy for me to prepare my submission-ready manuscript. That honking big Microsoft Word document that I was working on before was a bit much to deal with, so putting it in Storyist made this much easier to cope with.

The unique storyboarding tools allow you to sketch out a story using photographs and index cards and then refine it with your customizable plot, character and setting sheets. This allows you to put a face to a name with pictures. You can import images, including from Flickr or Google Images. You can view, edit and arrange your scenes and plot points with your virtual index cards on a corkboard.

For the writers who prefer a more traditional approach, Storyist provides outlining tools to create and arrange story elements in outline form. This is a flexible tool that lets you display and edit your section summaries as well as any custom field. Customizable story sheets are also there to record information about various aspects of your story, such as the age of your character or a setting description.

Bottom line is that Storyist is definitely making my life easier writing my book. I highly recommend this to my fellow aspiring authors out there. You can download this Storyist Software for $59 at www.storyist.com. If you must have an install CD too, you can purchase the download and CD together for $69. A 15-day free trial is available if you’re looking to just try it out.

A Netflix Partnership With Roku

Last week I randomly decided to cancel my Blockbuster membership, and coincidentally a day later Netflix announced its partnership with Roku Inc., an innovator in digital media streaming technology. The result was I revived my Netflix membership so I could play with this new Netflix Player by Roku. Funny how that worked - maybe my instincts told me something was going to happen again in the movie-rental industry.

It’s interesting to think back how Netflix initially rocked the movie rental world with all those red envelopes we’ve come to know and love. Following that came the pricing wars with Blockbuster and the streaming movies online. Now we see this new player - it sort of reminds me of the Vudu box I recently wrote about. The Netflix Player allows Netflix subscribers to instantly stream the growing library of movies and TV episodes from Netflix directly to the TV. With its $99 price, it won’t break your wallet.

On the outside, it’s small - about the size of a paperback book. On the inside, it gives you instant access to more than 10,000 movies and TV episodes. “We’re excited to bring the first Netflix ready device to the market,” said Anthony Wood, CEO and founder of Roku. “The seamless integration of the Netflix service into our player has resulted in true ease of use for the consumer. Now, streaming video isn’t limited to people sitting in front of the PC; it’s ready for the TV in the living room.”


The Netflix Player by Roku can easily integrate into your home entertainment system. All it takes is connecting the player to your TV (via HDMI, composite or component) and into your high-speed Internet connection (minimum 1.5 Mbps). It’s Wi-Fi enabled (802.11 b/g), so physical placement is no problem.

“The key breakthroughs of the Netflix Player by Roku are simplicity and cost,” said Reed Hastings, chairman and CEO of Netflix. “First, it allows consumers to use the full power of theNetflix Web site to choose movies for their instant queue, and then automatically displays only those choices on the TV screen. That’s a major improvement over the clutter of trying to choose from 10,000 films on the TV. Second, there are no extra charges and no viewing restrictions. For a one-time purchase of $99, Netflix members can watch as much as they want and as often as they want without paying more or impacting the number of DVDs they receive.”

From the Netflix website you add your desired movies and TV shows to your instant queue. These choices are then displayed on your TV and can be watched instantly. Basically, the box acts as a bridge that brings these movies and TV shows to your TV with your Internet connection. You can then display them and stream them at any time. Do note that the selection consists of mainly older titles, but as time goes on, hopefully the newer ones will be available for streaming soon.

The Netflix Player is high-definition (HD) ready and capable of playing the HD content, but there’s currently no HD content available. The quality of the video you see will depend on your Internet connection speed. As long as you minimally subscribe to the $8.99/month unlimited plan, you automatically qualify to purchase the player. Netflix plans start at $4.99 a month (one title out at a time, two per month) to $47.99 (eight titles out at a time, unlimited) - www.netflix.com.

Audiovox Digital Message Center

Another award-winning product I discovered at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this year was the Audiovox Homebase Digital Message Center. As the recipient of the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) Innovation Awards 2008, it was designed to completely shake up the digital frame market.

There are two versions available - one with video recording and the other with just audio messages.

“Our new digital message centers are clearly the next step in the digital picture frame market,” said Audiovox Electronics Corporation president Tom Malone. “We’ve added a practical efficiency to a fun product and designed it for the center of the home - the kitchen. Our digital message centers not only let you display your favorite photos, but also let you record new ones. We believe that the kids especially will enjoy leaving messages for Mom and Dad, which will make keeping track of them fun.”

The Audiovox Digital Message Center features audio or audio/video messaging capability through built-in camera and recorders. Since the refrigerator is a universal place where everyone in the house goes multiple times a day, that is probably the best place you can mount your message center.You can leave audio or video messages for your family and tag them to the built-in calendar so they can be played back on a specific date.

Junk Mail Solutions

Although I do live techie and mostly paperless, I enjoy receiving snail mail from my family and friends, the magazines I subscribe to and,of course,toys I order online. Besides these,I absolutely hate going through all those pesky credit card offers, postcards from sales-people and catalogs. This takes up a good 10-15 minutes per day as I sort through and shred everything.

All these years I’ve put up with it, but with my increasingly busy schedule,my time is extremely valuable. The 15 minutes a day equals 90 minutes a week or 78 hours a year. That’s a ton of time I could be using to write my MidWeek stories or work on my book! Junk mail just tests your patience, jeopardizes your identity (which is why I shred everything) and wastes paper.

In fact, according to the Do Not Mail (donotmail.org) website, American mailboxes are inundated with more than 100 billion pieces of junk mail each year (or 800 pieces per household). In addition, more than 100 million trees a year are cut down and made into paper for junk mail. Can you believe about one-third of all mail delivered in the world is junk mail?! What a waste!

If you have my same frustrations, here are a few sites that will help give you a good start to stop your unwanted mail:

Donotmail.org (free): Sign a petition to support an easy and comprehensive way to opt out of junk mail (similar to the Do Not Call Registry). Here you can also utilize its opt-out tool. It’s a good start.

OptOutPrescreen.com (free): Reject pre-approved offers from credit card companies here. It’s the official Consumer Credit Reporting Industry to accept and process requests from consumers to Opt-In or Opt-Out of firm offers for credit or insurance. Personally this is what I receive the most of.

41pounds.org ($41 for five years): Named for the average weight in junk mail the average adult receives in a year, multiple companies will be contacted on your behalf. $15 of your fee will go to your favorite nonprofit (among the group’s nonprofit affiliates). www.catalogchoice.org (free): This is for mostly catalogs, and you can find your unwanted catalog on the database and click decline and complete the details.

You may not see results right away, but give it some time for your registrations with these companies to take effect. In the end, you’ll be a happier person with a de-cluttered mailbox.

Making Calls With magicJack

Thanks to my buddy Terence Iwamoto at Mr. Ink Plus, for the last two weeks I’ve been making phone calls using my computer. The YMax magicJack is a USB device that allows you to make phone calls with a regular analog phone (corded, cordless or headset), your home computer and a high-speed Internet connection.

Installing my magicJack was a breeze. I plugged it into my MacBook Pro, configured the preferences and input my physical address for the included 911 feature. The whole thing was ready to go in less than five minutes. I made the first phone call to my mom to discuss Mother’s Day plans. She could-n’t tell at all that I was calling from the Internet. I was thoroughly impressed with the sound quality - it sounds the same as a regular land line.

magicJack’s features include call-waiting, 411 directory assistance, conference calling, call forwarding and voice-mail. You can forward your number to Canada numbers for free, but for other countries there is a nominal fee. Most importantly, as mentioned above, a 911 feature is included. You can input different physical addresses to the magicJack preferences and select the one you’re at while you’re using it.

“The secret sauce is our proprietary system-on-a-chip and our millions of lines of software code,” says telecommunications veteran and founder of YMax Corp. Daniel Borislow. “It’s little, but it surely packs a punch. magicJack is not only for the home, second home and small business, it is also perfect for wherever you travel, including Europe, Canada, Mexico, Asia, South America - anywhere. Users can call anyone in the United States and Canada from any country or to any other magicJack user in the world, and the call is free.”


The magicJack is the only device of its kind backed by its own network. There are 42 gateway switches in major metropolitan U.S. cities and interconnection agreements across the country. This Ymax Voice is one of the newest and largest U.S. phone networks, and is one of the only competitive local exchange carrier (CLEC) networks certified in all 50 states.

“As proud as I am of my invention, the magicJack, it takes a back seat to the network we built and all the interconnections set up,” Borislow adds. “The network is what took three years to accomplish. It is something no other company has ever done before and it would be very difficult to replicate. This is the core of YMax."

“Consumers want the same high-quality voice experience they have come to expect from using their traditional home or business phones, but with much lower cost and added mobility,” says Patrick Monaghan, a senior analyst with Yankee Group’s consumer research group. “A USB telephony device backed by a real phone network takes a much-needed approach to bringing the end-user a level of service they expect.”

The magicJack is certified with the Federal Communications Commission and has five patents pending with one approved. Overall, the magicJack is well worth it, since it’s probably the cheapest phone plan in the world and simple to use. For parents, this could be an inexpensive way of rewarding your well-behaved kids with their own phone number without racking up cell phone or long distance charges on your phone bill. It’s also perfect for traveling, especially if you frequent foreign countries, or for deployed troops.

There are a few drawbacks. If you use this as a regular phone line, your computer needs to be on all the time and requires a high-speed connection. There are no 808 area codes available yet, but there soon will be. If you do need to change your area code you won’t be charged a fee the first time, but each additional change is $10. Also, since there are no 808 area codes now, others calling you will probably have to pay long distance fees (unless they’re using a cell phone).

If by chance you’ve seen the tacky magicJack infomercials late at night, trust me, this product is for real! Buy a magicJack of your own for $47 from Terence at Mr. Ink Plus (670 Auahi St. behind the former CompUSA site; 526-2465). Or, if you can’t make it down there, check out www.magicjack.com to purchase online ($39.99 plus shipping; equivalent to the same price as Mr. Ink Plus).

CellPoint’s Flamingo Music Headset

Yet another product I came across at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) earlier this year was the Swedish CellPoint Connect’s Flamingo Music headset. It was an honoree for the CES Innovations Design and Engineering Showcase 2008. If you’re one those people who can’t seem to find a perfect fit for earphones, CellPoint’s Flamingo Music headset may be for you.

“The release of the Innovation Honoree Wired Headsets is the first step in the expansion of CellPoint’s portfolio since the successful acquisition and merger of Gennum’s headset business unit,” said Katarina Henriksson, CEO of CellPoint Connect AB. “The addition of Flamingo Music to our product line represents a major step in bringing the comfort of EarClick technology to a wider demographic.” At first glance, I thought the Flamingos were big and bulky and questioned,"What’s the big deal?”

It’s the patent-pending EarClick technology that sets this apart. The EarClick is a little piece at the top that enables the earphones to “click” right into your ears. The ear buds fit firmly just outside your ear canal with a little rubber pad that nudges between the ridges of your ear. These ear buds are designed to stay secure and feel weightless, especially with active use (i.e. running or biking), and will not become uncomfortable or sore after prolonged use. Additionally, unlike other earphones, these allow outside air to flow into the ear to prevent sweat or pressure build-up.


The EarPads come in six different sizes, so you need to go through them to see which one fits you best. I went through a few before getting the perfect fit. It feels strange and a little bulky putting them in at first, but I became used to them right away. I initially took the Flamingos out on a six-mile run, and not once did they slip out of my ears. The sound is pretty good, but perhaps a little weak on the bass.

The sound comes out so clearly and close to the eardrums that it almost passes as noise cancellation. I wouldn’t exactly compare it to my Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones, but they’re very good to use while running. I wish I had these in my ears when I ran the marathon. With my ears drenched from all the rain coming down, the headphones I was wearing kept popping out of my ears. The EarClick would have easily prevented that from happening. vI also enjoy the fact that the cord is made out of a cloth material, so that it moves easily and doesn’t drag down as I run. On the downside, since it is cloth, it easily tangles and becomes knotted.

The Flamingo is designed to work with an iPhone (minus a microphone), iPod, mp3 player or other home and personal audio devices. It comes in chrome, black, red or white and sells for $59.99. Since this just came out, I haven’t seen it on the retail market yet, but we’ll start to see it soon at www.buy.com, www.ecost.com, www.newegg.com or www.staples.com. In the meantime, check out www.cellpoint.com for more information.

Clicking Away With diNovo Mini

One of my favorite products at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) earlier this year was Logitech’s diNovo Mini palm-sized remote and ClickPad. It was an honoree for the 2008 CES Innovations Award and became available for purchase in February. It’s a small keyboard that fits right in the palm of your hand, similar to a Blackberry. The diNovo provides an excellent method to control your computer or PlayStation 3 (PS3) remotely.

“The Logitech diNovo Mini keyboard extends Logitech’s tradition of developing innovative products to meet the changing times,” said Denis Pavillard, vice president of product marketing for Logitech’s keyboards and desktops. “Today, more and more people are hooking up their PCs to their TVs. The sleek, minimalist design and thoughtful function make the diNovo Mini keyboard the perfect complement to the living-room or home-theater PC.”

Out of the box, setting up the diNovo Mini is a piece of cake. I popped in the battery, plugged it in for its first charge, and while it was still plugged in, I used it to browse through my MacBook Pro and PS3. The software that comes with it says it’s compatible with Windows XP/Vista, but it’s a Bluetooth device so I had no problems with it on my Mac. I suppose if you’re using a PC it wouldn’t hurt to install the included software.


Using it on the PS3 was a different story. At first I didn’t catch it, but after awhile I realized there’s a switch on the bottom (inside, next to the battery bay) that lets you flip between PC and PS3 modes. Once I flipped it to the PS3 mode, no problem.
With the diNovo’s minimalist design, a noticeable innovation is the dual-purpose ClickPad. This round, thumb-sized ClickPad can be used as a touchpad to point, scroll and click, as well as a media remote and directional pad to navigate menus and make selections. When you’re in the touchpad mode, the ClickPad is backlit in orange. If using the media remote mode, the directional buttons are backlit in green. The keyboard keys are always backlit in orange. I think the idea is to use the touch-pad mode to navigate a webpage on your desktop, and the directional controls are better for the linear menus.

The diNovo’s Bluetooth 2.0 capability gives you access up to 30 feet away, and the backlight feature will help you see its 61-key keyboard in the dark. The battery life on one charge will last you about a month, depending on how much you use it. It’s a great little keyboard, especially if you give presentations often with a computer. This isn’t something you would want to use for everyday typing, but it certainly makes wireless web browsing, instant messaging or password entries convenient, especially on the PS3.

The diNovo Mini is available for $149.99 from Logitech (www.logitech.com) or Amazon (www.amazon.com).

Apple iTunes - Purchase New Movies Same Day As DVD Release

Earlier this month, Apple announced that new movie releases from major film studios and premier independent studios are available for purchase on the iTunes Store on the same day as their DVD release. I’m looking forward to this! Now I can load more movies on my Apple TV as soon as my faves come out. “We’re thrilled to bring iTunes Store customers new films for purchase day-and-date with the DVD release,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s vice president of iTunes. “We think movie fans will love being able to buy their favorites from major and independent studios.”

The new releases and catalog titles will be available from 20th Century Fox, The Walt Disney Studios, Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Lionsgate, Image Entertainment and First Look Studios. Your purchased movies will be viewable on your iPod with video, iPhone, Mac, PC - or my favorite (as mentioned above) on my widescreen HDTV with Apple TV.

New iTunes releases that came out last week (concurrently with its DVD release) include American Gangster and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. Other popular titles available for iTunes purchase are Juno, Cloverfield, I Am Legend, There Will Be Blood, Alvin and the Chipmunks and Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. The iTunes Store has a catalog of more than 6 million songs, 600 TV shows and more than 1,500 movies (including 200 in high definition). If you’re not using iTunes already, download it at www.itunes.com

Grand Theft Auto IV - A Must Have

Last week Rockstar Games released the much-anticipated Grand Theft Auto (GTA) IV video game for the PlayStation 3 (PS3) and Xbox 360 (including the special edition package). Most of you have probably heard of the previous GTA games, and this time you play as the Eastern European immigrant Niko Ballic, fresh off the boat and living in Liberty City (inspired by New York).

If you’re a newbie to GTA games, based on its name you can probably guess this is not a game you want to give to your kids. It’s not a “traditional driving game"- you’re living a life of crime and running red lights, stealing cars and possessing/shooting firearms. Yes, I know, that all sounds horrible, but remember, it’s not for keiki! Note it did score a perfect 10 out of 10 on two of the leading video game review websites.

“This release marks a major milestone for the series and for Rockstar Games,"said Sam Houser, founder of Rockstar Games."Grand Theft Auto IV delivers on the vision we had when we began work on the game more than three years ago. Rockstar North has created an amazing interactive entertainment experience. We hope it will resonate with our audience around the world for years to come.”

Liberty City is what sets GTAIV apart from previous releases. It has the most realistic urban environment I’ve seen in a GTA game. You walk around interacting with the city’s inhabitants, including picking fights, stealing cars or ordering food. If you focus, you can probably go through the entire game in 30-40 hours, but realistically that is difficult because of the sidetracking.


While you’re not stealing a car or causing trouble, there are tons of opportunities to veer off and do your own thing. I ended up wandering off everywhere to see different scenery and reactions from the characters (i.e. just walking up to someone and cracking a punch). You can just sit there and watch TV, sit in the car and listen to the radio, go to comedy clubs or use a computer to surf the Internet from within GTAIV. The majority of missions involve making a delivery and/or killing people. Playing with Niko makes this easier, since he’s a much more efficient killer than his predecessors. Some of his abilities include scaling fences, walls or anything on which he can secure a foothold. He is excellent at taking cover behind objects and sticking close to parked cars or walls. This is extremely helpful when you’re in a gunfight.

Since you’re breaking the law pretty much throughout the whole game, chances are you’ll run into the police at some point. They’re actually fairly easy to evade, but are quick to respond if you’re flagged with a certain wanted level. Your GPS will show you the exact locations of patrol cars and police on foot near you, and it sort of doubles as a police scanner.

One of the new GTA features is a cell phone. You’ll keep good track of your safe houses with it. It’s very simple to use - controlled with the D pad, choose your contact or what you want to talk about (work, fun activity or asking a favor). The incoming calls are the easiest, and you also can purchase ringtones and visual themes via the in-game Internet.


After you’re done goofing off in the story mode, jumping online is simple with your cell phone and choosing the multiplayer option. You’ll enter a lobby and wait for a game to start. You can play up to 15 other players (16 total). Once you’re in the game, there are weapons all over the place, so you’ll be blowing each other up in no time. If you host a multiplayer session, you can customize the game type, including variables such as friendly fire, weapons sets, police presence, radar functionality, traffic levels,where the game takes place and more.

I played GTAIV on the Xbox 360, but from what I understand, there’s not much difference between that and the PS3 version. The game is what you make it out to be. Personally, I probably ended up getting way too sidetracked within the game to actually focus, but that’s what makes it fun. There’s so much detail within the game. If you’re looking for a true car-racing game, you won’t find it here. For diehard GTA fans, this is a must-have.

Whether you choose the Xbox 360 or the PS3 version, GTAIV is rated M for Mature (ages 17-plus) and sells for $59.99 or $89.99 (Special Edition w/production art, soundtrack CD and duffel bag). Find it at your nearest Best Buy (www.bestbuy.com), GameStop (www.gamestop.com) or at Amazon (www.amazon.com).

Dyson's Touch-Free Airblade

I’m extremely picky when I wash my hands, especially if I’m using a public restroom. I go through a whole systematic routine without even thinking: Grab a paper towel (to turn off the faucet afterwards), squirt the soap in my hands, lather for exactly 15 seconds while making sure I clean out the fingernails too and, most importantly, make sure to not touch the faucet when I’m done. I absolutely refuse to touch it. This is just one of the things that cause my friends to call me “Miss Monk” (named after the obsessive-compulsive detective Mr. Monk).

Apparently my thinking matches the results of a recent national consumer survey that confirmed the reality and perception of the unsanitary condition of public restrooms. According to this survey, more than 90 percent of respondents have performed “bathroom gymnastics” to avoid their skin making any contact with surfaces in a public restroom. For example, more than a third (40 percent) of the respondents use their elbow to turn on a hand dryer. I understand completely, and for good reason: The National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) found two types of bacteria, staphylococcus aureus and coliform, on 10 percent of the paper towel dispensers and other surfaces while doing the study.

With this in mind, last year Dyson (my favorite vacuum cleaner maker) launched the Airblade, the fastest, most hygienic hand dryer available to man. I know it’s just a hand dryer, but I think it’s cool! My husband saw the Airblade in a convention center restroom while we were at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this year. Knowing how I am, and realizing how much I would love it, he came running out of the restroom to tell me about it. As much as I wanted to see it, I obviously I couldn’t go waltzing into the men’s bathroom to try it out.


Plus, there aren’t any installed here in Hawaii (as far as I know), so the folks at Dyson were nice enough to send me one to check out. The setup was difficult, but it’s not meant to be a home product. This is definitely more for your business’ bathroom or office kitchen. Worth it for a public bathroom, it uses up to 80 percent less energy than a traditional hand dryer, and dries your hands in 12 seconds (compared to other dryers at 22 seconds). “We didn’t set out to develop a hand dryer, but while developing air knives for a different project, we found that the force of air created by our Dyson Digital Motor (DDM) would scrape water from our hands, leaving them completely dry,” said James Dyson. The idea for the Dyson Airblade originally came from a Dyson engineer studying the properties of airflow. He noticed that when he placed his wet hands in front of a gust of unheated air, the water was removed in a few seconds. Realizing this concept would be great for an actual hand dryer, it took Dyson three years to develop the Airblade.

Traditional hand dryers suck up the dirty restroom air around, heat it, and blow it back onto your hands, leaving them damp and prone to spread bacteria. The Airblade is different, using a HEPA filter to remove 99.9 percent of the bacteria from the air to dry your hands. A touchless infrared sensor technology and anti-microbial additive coating also are utilized to reduce bacterial and fungal growth. The Airblade uses the DDM to produce a 400 mph stream of clean air blown through a gap that’s no thicker than an eyelash. The sheet of air acts as an invisible wind-shield wiper, whisking the moisture from your hands.

Although I had fun playing with it, the Dyson Airblade isn’t meant for home use unless you have a huge industrial-sized kitchen or open area. But for a business, it’s worth it: With an average of 500 uses per day, the cost to operate is less than $100/year compared to approximately $450 with a traditional hand dryer, or 50 times that with paper towels. The way the Airblade feels is a huge difference from a normal hand dryer. If I had a physical business office of my own, and as much as I love my paper towels, I would make the sacrifice and use my elbow to turn off the faucet and Airblade my hands dry!

If you’re interested in purchasing one for your office, the Airblade sells for $1,400. More information is available online at www.dystonairblade.com or via phone at 1-888-DYSON-AB.

A Look At Twitter

There are so many online social networks in existence - too many to count on my fingers. With my three jobs (plus writing a book), I barely have time to participate in just one of them. I probably have an account with most, but I rarely make posts, much less log on. After attending the Hawaii Geek Meet a couple weeks ago, I was convinced to join Twitter by all the Twitter-ees. Mahalo, guys - yes, you changed my mind.

I heard about Twitter when it first came out in 2006, but never really had a desire to join it because of my demanding schedule, and I didn’t want to add another thing to my plate. After the meet, I decided to take another quick look at Twitter to see if it’s worth it, with the thought of, “Is this another time-waster?” Maybe not, since its micro-blogging style actually works out perfectly for me. I just punch in a one- or two-liner of what’s going on/what I’m up to and I’m done. That’s pretty much all I have time for anyway.

Simplicity has played an important role in Twitter’s success. Since people are always eager to connect with each other, Twitter simplifies the whole process. Your simple 140-character (or fewer) answer can be sent via the website, texting from your cell phone or as an instant message. Again, perfect for my crunch schedule, as I’m sure it is for others out there with my type of routine. You can stay connected, but it’s not so time-consuming that it takes a huge chunk out of your day.


Information overload is avoided with Twitter by asking one simple question: “What Are You Doing?” You don’t necessarily expect a response when sending a Twitter message, and the updates float to your phone or to you via the web, and you can decide to ignore them or follow avidly. I primarily use the web interface, and it shows you how many people you are following, your followers, who notes you as a favorite, how many direct messages you’ve sent (to an individual Twitter user) and how many updates you’ve posted. You can choose an icon for your user picture and customize your background. At the moment, I’ve chosen a picture of my bird for the user and a nice character shot from my Super Smash Bros. Brawl Wii game.

The Twitter result equals staying connected to everyone so they have a sense of what you’re up to, but they are not expected to respond with updates unless they feel up to it. You are in complete control of whom you follow, and who follows you. You don’t necessarily have to follow each other, and you can even block someone if you don’t want them following you. You make it what you want it to be.

Twitter’s core technology is based on a device agnostic message routing system with rudimentary social networking features. Basically that means by accepting messages from the different platforms - SMS (short message service), the web, mobile web or from third party API (application programming interface) projects - it’s easy to stay connected in some way or another. Twitter also is built upon a web application called Ruby on Rails, and all the work is done on Macs. The website and user interface were designed using Omnigraffle and Photoshop. According to Twitter, Ruby on Rails was used because it allows the staff to work quickly and easily to deploy features and changes multiple times a day. It also provides skeleton code frameworks so things don’t become repetitive, such as in the sign-in form or a picture upload features.

Twitter is probably the most popular micro-blogging site. Its biggest competitor, however, is probably Pownce (http://pownce.com). I’ve heard Pownce described as “Twitter on steroids,” and is probably better to use in a business environment. You also can do forms of micro-blogging from within your Facebook or MySpace accounts, but I’m not even going to attempt that.

As a side note, earlier this month Twitter actually helped a student escape from an Egyptian jail. James Karl Buck used his mobile phone to tweet the word “Arrested” to his contacts on Twitter, and started a chain of events that eventually assisted in his freedom. Interesting ... See Truemors for more details on this story: http://truemors.com/?p=28550

Start Twitter-ing today at http://twitter.com, and you can follow me at http://twitter.com/clickchick