Social networking messaging. Greatest thing ever or biggest time wasting tool? I’m on three of them [not counting Facebook or any of those type of sites]: Twitter, Pownce and Plurk. Most of my regular visitors are Twittering, Powncing or Plurking…. or doing all three.

There’s at least 30 or so Twitter-clones that have popped up over the last couple of years, like FriendFeed and Jaiku, but I really don’t have much interest in joining any more of them. If I bitch about the time I spend on the three I’m on now, imagine how much time would get consumed between just 10 of them. I just don’t want to know.

For now, I’ll give you my take on the main three.

The first site I joined, back in April 2008. Twitter is the king of the castle, when it comes to social networking messaging. A lot of people use it over all of the other ones. And with a multitude of applications, web interfaces, iPhone apps and mobile web access, there’s no shortage of options for sending Tweets [or as Hilly and Winter like to call them: Twats.]

LOVE

• Easy to send quick notes on what I’m doing
• Share a link to a site or article that I like
• Reply either to the public timeline or using direct message

HATE

• Need to use multiple interfaces/applications to be effective and useful
• Replies get lost in the mix using the default web interface
• The site can be down a lot [although it's been stable lately]

Regardless of the mix of loves and hates, Twitter isn’t all that bad. And they’ve even added an Election 2008 piece that shows all of the Twitter messages that are election subjected. My only hope is that all of the servers can handle this increased and continued traffic without blowing up.

This site is the brainchild of many people, Kevin Rose [of Digg.com fame] being one of them. Curiously, Kevin’s a very popular Twitter member…. you would think he would want to promote this site over Twitter. Oh well. For me, I think Pownce is a great site. The interface is clean and looks nice and it’s easy to navigate. You can reply to each Pownce post, with the replies kept with the post. There’s obviously less people here, compared to Twitter, which is nice in a reduced-traffic sort of way. You also have the option to go PRO, which costs extra per year. But it gives you increased message size and the ability to post more than just text and web links.

LOVE

• The site is hardly ever down
• There’s an iPhone/iPod touch app that works nice.
• Mobile web interface looks nice and easy to use

HATE

• Not as many people as Twitter [maybe I've just not found everyone yet]
• Mobile web interface is slooooow

I would like to use Pownce more, but need more people to migrate over. Until that happens, and they fix some of the mobile slowness, I will spend the majority of my time over on Twitter.

This has been a johnny-come-lately site, but it’s starting to stake some claim. The interface is a timeline, showing each person’s plurk post. You can also reply to each plurk post, similar to Pownce. This can get messy if you follow a lot of Plurkers, but I would imagine it’s manageable [I only have 17 friends so far]. Also, the more you Plurk, the more karma you get. Plurk less and your karma goes down. It’s a different concept of getting people to post more often [not that some people need an excuse]. There’s a mobile interface, too

LOVE

• Timeline interface is easy to follow
• Reply to individual plurk posts

HATE

• Karma increments slower once you reach 50
• Mobile web interface sucks… errors out a lot
• No separate mobile or desktop Plurk apps

Plurk is different, and that’s good. But as with Pownce, they really need to improve the mobile web interface [and allow some desktop and phone applications to be developed] before I’ll start using it more often. I log in each day and post a few things here and there, but holding back on the flood gates.

As a side note, Ping.fm is a site that lets you post to multiple social networking sites all at once. There’s a few people that I follow on multiple sites that I know use this. While it’s cool and works for some, right now, it’s not something I would like to do. I tend to personalize each service I’m on. While that’s some work, it’s something I don’t mind doing to take some of that “one size fits all” away from my messaging.

Where are you at?

Are you on either of these? I know most of you regulars are. Are there other sites I should check out? Any Twitter, Pownce or Plurk software that you’ve got installed on your computer or phone that makes any of these easier to use? Chat me up in the comments.

One of the current topics of today is gas prices. You can’t turn on the TV or open a newspaper without finding a story about how much gas costs. Consumers everywhere are making changes. I ride my scooter as much as I can to help reduce how much gas I use for my commute. My car – a 2001 Nissan Sentra GXE – which I paid off in March 2008 and gets around 30 mpg on the average. I don’t have an exact figure of how much I’ve saved, both gas and money, but I’m sure it’s a nice sized dent of what others are spending that drive bigger cars or get less miles-per-gallon with their vehicles.

With the price of a gallon of gas at $4 [give or take 10-20 cents nationwide], people are wanting change. They want to save money. They are tired of big oil. But other than the ten or so models of hybrid and electric cars available today, there is not a large selection of options for someone who is both environmentally conscious and wants to reduce their reliance on gasoline for their daily commute. Change is coming, but not soon enough.

Chevy Volt

Original image found at chevy-volt.net

More than a year ago, GM announced the Chevy Volt, an electric car of hybrid proportions. It’s not a 100% electric car, as there is a gas engine under the hood. Technically, this makes it a hybrid. The talking heads at GM have been downplaying the word “hyrbrid” as to not lump it in with the current breed of hyrbrid vehicles on the market now. The Volt is technically defined as a plug-in hybrid, meaning you can charge the batteries without using the gas engine to charge them. You have a charging station installed in your garage that you plug into the Volt nightly, which takes approx. 6-8 hours for a full charge. Then when you drive off the next morning, you get about 40 miles of run time on electricity before the gas engine kicks in and starts charging the batteries.

The Volt will be available in 2010 and according to recent reports, more than 30,000 people are lining up to get one. And at a estimated cost of $40,000, it’s almost double what an average economy car costs, but (obviously) more efficient. Exciting, but two years is a long time to wait. Gas could easily be $5 a gallon by then. What consumers want is change now.

It Could Have Been Better By Now

General Motors, who recently posted a $15 billion loss, is trying to scramble, like all of the car makers, to produce cars that are either more fuel efficient or vehicles that use an alternative form of fuel. And many of them are announcing vehicles, like the Volt, that won’t be available for a couple more years. Personally, while I applaud their efforts, it’s a bit late in the game. A deathbed repentance if you will, to try and make things better. Well, back in 1996, a lot of companies like GM had their chance to make a change. GM was at the forefront of change with the electric car.

GM EV1

Original image found at Modern Racer

In 1996, General Motors came out with the EV1, an all-electric vehicle. I won’t bore you with all of the details, which you can read here. But just to summarize, it was a leased vehicle that had a strong following at the beginning. It was the start of what would have been the change to alternative fueled mainstream cars. There were some glitches and other shortcomings [like a short run time on each battery charge], but over the years, that all could have been worked out, getting these out there to consumers. But GM deemed it a failure and by summer of 2003, all cars were recalled, removed from the roads and either donated to schools or destroyed. There is a great documentary film called “Who Killed The Electric Car?” that brilliantly documents what happened, complete with first-hand accounts, discussions with owners, official statements from those that worked on the project and the group that attended the final protest/standoff when they hauled the cars away.

Now GM is claiming the Volt is the next step from the EV1, even going so far to announce that people who worked on the EV1 project are part of this new endeavor. An expected announcement, since it is a given that anyone that was familiar with the events surrounding the demise of the EV1 would be soured on any future work that GM would be involved in. Which is the same sour expression I had when I first heard about the Volt. My thoughts were, “Well, there’s 11 years that we could have been so much further along towards adopting electric cars.”

Don’t get me wrong. I really am happy about any progress made towards reducing our reliance on fossil fuels for transportation, regardless of who is behind it. But you have to wonder how serious people are taking GM for this Volt project and the longevity of it. I’m sure some are being open-minded, but the company is in a different place than they were 12 years ago. They are hurting big time. They have no choice but to finally embrace a change of how they make cars. It’s too bad they couldn’t have been smarter, because if they would have, it could have been them at the top of the heap, producing reasonable electric cars that most of the buying public could afford. But this is where we are today, everyone rushing to be part of the “me too” marketplace and still a couple of years out before they can deliver an overpriced product for the consumer.

Nissan Puts Their Plug Into The Electrical Outlet

Original image found in the post on Jalopnik.com

While we are on the subject of ‘vehicles a couple years out’, Nissan just announced their all-electric car a couple of weeks ago. The test model they showed looks very similar to a Scion xB. While I’m not that fond of the boxy design, I’m really looking forward to seeing what the final specs will be when it comes to the US in 2010. Yes, this one is also two years away, but it’s another option we will have at that time. I’m a fan of Nissan and I could see myself being an owner, quickly getting over my dislike for the body style in favor of driving a car that uses NO GAS.

My Plans For the Future

So you ask.. what are my plans for the future for personal transportation vehicles? Let me outline what I am thinking about.

• Riding my scooter – As most of the regular visitors to this blog know the love I profess of my Honda Metro scooter in my Scooter Sunday posts, it has been the biggest thing I’ve used so far to change my commuting habits. I take it instead of my car to work, to the store, to run small errands and it has become my vehicle of choice when I need to go somewhere [when I am not required to carry large items or additional passengers]. We are planning on getting a second scooter for my wife next year, which will help her save energy and money in her local travels. We are looking at both gas and electric models, depending on what is both practical and affordable at the time of purchase.
• Reducing trips – When we do take either my car or my wife’s truck, we do what we can to reduce multiple trips. If we are out, we plan to get all of the items we need in one trip, not driving all over to save a buck on some item. It’s much more cost effective to pay a little more and just purchase the products we need at one or two stores. Believe me, this helps a lot and goes a long way to not only reducing the gas we use, but reducing the effect on the air and environment.
• Walking – I need to exercise. As I recently told another blogger, I plan to start an exercise program that will help me reduce some of the load I’ve let collect on my body. Why get in the car to go 4-6 blocks when you can walk. My step-daughter lives 4 blocks away. Where possible, when we go over, we walk. Of course, with winter coming in four months, that may not be as feasible, but while it’s 80-90 degrees out, we plan to walk instead of drive. Same with some store visits. We live about 4 blocks from a couple of stores and the last couple of trips we made were on foot. So not only do we get exercise, we also leave the car and truck at home, further reducing our oil consumption.
• A new blog site – In an effort to really stretch myself thin with yet another project, I am working on a new blog that I will launch soon. It’s going to be based on cars, vehicles, transportation and everything that has to do with how we get around. I’ll announce it here on this blog when it’s ready.

Let’s Hear From You

So what have you done to reduce driving? Walking? Biking? Scooter? Bus? Train? Tell me. I really want to know. And the more details, the better.

It’s another Scooter Sunday. Thanks to the fucking winds we get here in Utah, the ride almost didn’t happen. But unless it’s snowing, I’m going on a ride.

Today’s ride was going to Best Buy. I was looking to try out a Palm Centro and look at a new camcorder – the Canon HV30. There was no Centro. In fact, their entire selection of cell phones was pretty dismal. Not only that, but I stood there with 20 other people to look at cell phones while watching the sales guy fumble about with an impatient customer. Fortunately, they did have the HV30 on display. This is a kick ass camcorder. For under $1,000, it’s pretty nice and loaded with some cool features. And it records HD on MiniDV tapes. But I need to find it for less before it becomes a replacement for my Canon ZR500.

 
American Idol
 

Yep… that’s my daughter in front of a giant banner

I admit it. I really am not a fan of reality TV shows. And American Idol is part of those shows I really don’t care for. That doesn’t undermine the fact that the contestants have talent. And one of the final three is from Utah. So Utah declares last Friday David Archuleta day. My daughter decided she wanted to be a part of it by going to the various events. I dropped her off at Murray High School, walking with her into the area where they were setting up for a performance by the American Idol contestant.

That better be Orange Kool-Aid that guy is drinking

I never realized how many people watch this show. Well, that’s a lie. I know it’s watched by millions. It’s obvious the home crowd watches him, and I admit, he does have a great voice. Win or lose [you know he's going to win], he’s got a nice start to a music career. But I hope he can rise above the curse that seems to befall a lot of the winners… only time will tell. The important part in all of this is that my daughter had fun.

 
The Race For The Cure – SLC
 

 

Both my fiance and I lost our mothers to cancer. Her mom died of breast cancer and my mom died of melanoma. Her sister-in-law also lost her mother to breast cancer. It’s a terrible scourge that affects many lives. Each year, the Susan G. Komen Foundation has a Race For The Cure here in Salt Lake, held on the Saturday before Mother’s Day. This was my second year walking in it. Very worthy cause, and the added bonus I got (other than helping donate to fighting cancer) was a 5K walk. Much needed exercise.

 
Another Ending

And that ends another Scooter Sunday. Stay tuned to this blog for more entries.

Yep. All those devices are mine. And that’s not all of them. Those were just the ones I cared to remove from my backpack. But for a time, one of them was missing… my white iPod.

On most trips, I tend to pack the things I want/need. It’s frustrating to be away from home and not being able to find the one thing you are wanting. So it’s best to be safe and pack as much as I can. Our most recent trip was no exception. And since I tend to carry a lot of shit around with me on a daily basis, all I needed to do was bring my backpack. Problem solved.

I had added some new songs and podcasts to iTunes the other day and wanted to update all of my iPods (I have 4, including a Shuffle not pictured above). I grabbed each one out of my bag and proceeded to go through the update process:

silver Shuffle. Check

orange Shuffle. Check

blue nano. Check

30gb iPod. Uh oh… where the hell is it??

Tracing back my steps since the last time I used it, I tried to think of places it might have been. In the past, I had a habit of leaving various electronics behind when I travel, which prompted me to contact all of the hotels we stayed at on our trip.

Nothing.

I then started thinking of places inside the house I might have used my iPod.

Nothing.

At this point, I started to worry, that maybe it really was gone. I started to picture where it might be now….

Seeing my frustration, my fiance asked, “Did you check all of your bags?” Well, of course I did. I always do that. But just to rule out the option that I might have missed a bag or two, I did one last search….

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Now how long it had been in a bag that I rarely use (and one that didn’t go with me on my last trip), who knows. But it didn’t matter at this point. It was found.

But it did prompt me to consider the following… do I really need to carry four iPods with me? I mean, how many songs and podcasts could I listen to at one point? Can’t one of these things fill my needs? If I only had to keep track of one iPod, then I wouldn’t need to wonder where the other three are and can avoid time-consuming searches for a misplaced gadget.

Time to think and re-evaluate what I have and pack around with me.

Stay tuned.