Most popular posts and pages for 2007

I took a few moments with my statistics today and pulled out the most popular blog posts and pages at WelchWrite.com. Did you miss any of these?

Most popular blog posts and pages on WelchWrite.com for 2007

My Word: Elsewhere Online: 10 Ways to Add Variety to Your Digital Photography
My Word: Norton Internet Security Problems
Career Opportunities: The Right Way to Resign
Career Opportunities: Leave Voicemail Feedback for Free
My Word: California Wildfire Viewer
Career Opportunities: Time for you
My Word: Total Lunar Eclipse - March 3
Career Opportunities: Zoom In
How-To: LAN Server Rooms
A Gardener's Notebook: Preparing your garden for a vacation
My Word: Computer Tip: Don’t lose your CDs
Career Opportunities: When Opportunity Knocks
Photo: Leaving the dock
A Gardener's Notebook: Guest Post: Beneficial Wild Creatures in Your Garden
My Word: A Chat with Nolan Bushnell
Elsewhere Online: 100+ Ways to Write a Great Resume Cover Letter
The Ultimate Paper Airplane
Casting concrete leaves from/for the garden
Book Review: Book: The Lost Gardens by Anthony Eglin
My Word: A rare warning - Avoid 1and1.com web hosting
Career Opportunities: Who are you talking too?
My Word: YUM! - Ferrero Rocher reviewed on CandyBlog
My Word: Make a desktop trebuchet

Wordpress Automatic Upgrade plugin

Wow! This plugin steps you through the entire process of upgrading your Wordpress installs -- from checking and backing up the database to downloading the latest version from Wordpress to putting everything back together. It made my day a whole lot simpler than I ever thought it could be.

Wordpress Automatic Upgrade plugin

Wordpress Automatic Upgrade is a plugin that automatically upgrades your wordpress version to the latest files provided by wordpress.org using the 5 steps provided in the wordpress upgrade instructions.

WPAU as I call it helps you easily upgrading you to easily upgrade your wordpress installation to the latest version provided by wordpress, without having to download or upload any files.

In addition to this it automatically backups your current file and database and provides you with a link to download those. De-activates your plugins and remembers them so that after upgrading files it will re-activate those without you having to make any notes for which plugins you de-activated and the biggest saves you headaches of upgrading your wordpress installation.

(Via Techie-Buzz.com.)

Audio: LIVE from the Library - December 27, 2007

Listen to the audio from my most recent LIVE from the Library Internet Seminar.

Listen: LIVE from the Library - December 27, 2007

LIVE from the Library - December 27, 2007

Video from my latest Internet Seminar

Utterz: Get your finances in order for 2008

Mobile post sent by douglaswelch using Utterz.  Replies.  mp3

Audio: 2nd Annual LIVE Reading of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

A grand time was had by all as we read A Christmas Carol and sent it out, live, over both Talkshoe.com and uStream.tv. Below is the audio version for your listening pleasure. If you would like to see a partial video if the reading, you can watch it on my uStream.tv page.

Listen:
2nd Annual LIVE Reading of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

A Christmas Carol - A LIVE reading featuring YOU! - Dec. 22, 2007

Saturday, December 22, 2007 at 6 pm, I will be hosting our 2nd Annual LIVE reading of Dicken's A Christmas Carol LIVE on Talkshoe.com. This is a service that allows LIVE call-in talk shows with audience participation.

You can join us in reading the story by visiting http://talkshoe.com and setting up a FREE account. Now you can JOIN IN for free, using just your computer.

I will be joined by my wife, Rosanne, some friends and anyone who calls in and wishes to read a section of the story. We will be using a condensed version of A Christmas Carol, created by Dickens for his own public readings.

If you think you might like to join us, as a listener or a reader, please RSVP to douglas@welchwrite.com, so I can get a feel for how many core readers we will have.

Link: Download the script now

A Christmas Carol - A LIVE reading featuring YOU!
Saturday, December 22, 2007 -- 6 PM PST/9 PM EST

Christmas Light Extravaganza

My friend Ric, in Santa Clarita is at it again this Christmas season. His holiday light show recently got a mention in Gizmodo, where the blogger calls it "...true artistry. Spectacular."

See it for yourself in this YouTube video or, if you are in the LA area on Philbrook Ave in Santa Clarita.

Project: Crazy little toothbrush robot

This is so cool! A robot that with about 4 parts that works amazingly well. Check out the video below to see how you can make your own. Once again, this could be the beginning of a very cool science fair project.

An Audio Christmas Card from Douglas, Rosanne and Joseph at WelchWrite.com

Wishing you a Merry Christmas, a Happy Holidays and the very best for your New Year!

Listen: Silent Night - Performed by Douglas E. Welch

A Friend of the Welchs - TedTalks: Arthur Benjamin

Our friend, Art Benjamin went to high school with my wife, Rosanne, and several years ago we all re-connected out here in Los Angeles.

Below is Art's TedTalk from 2005, based on a similar act he regularly performs at The Magic Castle in Hollywood and for school kids around the world. Watch his "MathMagic" and be amazed. Even better, his books will show you how to do it yourself. (SMILE)

Audio: LIVE from the Library - December 13, 2007

This is the audio version of my latest twice-monthly LIVE from the Library Internet Seminar. You can watch the video stream in an earlier post and join us LIVE on December 27, 2007 for my next seminar.

Listen: : LIVE from the Library - December 13, 2007

Video: Live from the Library - December 13, 2007

From Thursday, December 13, 2007 here is the video for our latest Internet Seminar at the Sherman Oaks Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library.



Technorati Tags: california, howto, how-to, podcast, podcasting, tutorial, events, losangeles, technology, learning, education, library

Demo Utter from LIVE from the Library

Mobile post sent by douglaswelch using Utterz.  Replies.  mp3

LIVE from the Library - This Thursday, Dec 13 @ 630 PM PST/930 EST

Join me Thursday, December 13, 2007 for our next Internet Seminar at the Sherman Oaks Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library.

Can't make it in person? You can watch live using the player and chat room below.






Technorati Tags: california, howto, how-to, podcast, podcasting, tutorial, events, losangeles, technology, learning, education, library

What's on My Wish List #10

Instead of my typical holiday guide, this year I present a selection of items that I would love to receive for Christmas. Although I am a big technology hound, I don't often buy it for myself, so many of these items are sure to remain "wishes" for another year. -- Douglas

That doesn't mean the you might not find these items a great gift for yourself or someone you love.

---

#10 HDTV and Accessories

I love the look of HDTV and would love to have one of my own. Of course, I would love to see some reduction in the costs of these units. I also see the ability to plug my computer into the screen as a big plus over older televisions.





#09 Western Digital My Book Premium 500 GB External Hard Drive

As I continue to make more and more video content I am eating up hard disk space at an alarming rate. In this case, I couldn't wait any longer and bought this for myself today, but it, or something like it has been on my wish list for a long time. Expect more videos now that I have the space to edit them.



#08 Sennheiser HD 25 Dynamic Compact Professional Monitoring Headphone

I spend a lot of time wearing headphones, with all this podcasting work I am doing lately, so having a nice set of headphones would certainly be an improvement. Not only must headphones sounds good, they have to be comfortable, too, and Sennheiser tends to make headphones which are both.



#7 Moleskine Large Ruled Notebook

There are certain gifts that will make people happy regardless. For my wife, it is coffee, chocolate and books. For myself, coffee, wine and a nice Moleskine Journal like this. I always carry a book around with me wherever I go and the Moleskine books hold up better than anything else I have owned. They keep their covers, they have that nice elastic band to hold them shut and the paper quality is top-notch. Get one for yourself...and pick one up for me! (SMILE)



#6 Aliph Jawbone Noise Shield Bluetooth Headset- Black

If any of you have talked on the phone with me, you know my current Bluetooth headset tends to pick up everything in the room. Enter The Jawbone, with its high-end noise cancellation features. You can see a great demo on their web site.



Items #01-05

#05 Victorinox 10-Inch Chef's Knife
#04 TomTom GO 720 Navigation System
#03 Nikon D40X, 10 MP SLR Digital Camera
#02 iPod Touch
# 01 Apple iPhone and iPhone Accesories

---

You'll find some other great gift ideas in The WelchWrite Store in association with Amazon.com.



Check out Douglas' Personal Wish List

What's on My Wish List #09

Instead of my typical holiday guide, this year I present a selection of items that I would love to receive for Christmas. Although I am a big technology hound, I don't often buy it for myself, so many of these items are sure to remain "wishes" for another year. -- Douglas

That doesn't mean the you might not find these items a great gift for yourself or someone you love.

---

#09 Western Digital My Book Premium 500 GB External Hard Drive

As I continue to make more and more video content I am eating up hard disk space at an alarming rate. In this case, I couldn't wait any longer and bought this for myself today, but it, or something like it has been on my wish list for a long time. Expect more videos now that I have the space to edit them.




#08 Sennheiser HD 25 Dynamic Compact Professional Monitoring Headphone

I spend a lot of time wearing headphones, with all this podcasting work I am doing lately, so having a nice set of headphones would certainly be an improvement. Not only must headphones sounds good, they have to be comfortable, too, and Sennheiser tends to make headphones which are both.




#7 Moleskine Large Ruled Notebook

There are certain gifts that will make people happy regardless. For my wife, it is coffee, chocolate and books. For myself, coffee, wine and a nice Moleskine Journal like this. I always carry a book around with me wherever I go and the Moleskine books hold up better than anything else I have owned. They keep their covers, they have that nice elastic band to hold them shut and the paper quality is top-notch. Get one for yourself...and pick one up for me! (SMILE)




#6 Aliph Jawbone Noise Shield Bluetooth Headset- Black

If any of you have talked on the phone with me, you know my current Bluetooth headset tends to pick up everything in the room. Enter The Jawbone, with its high-end noise cancellation features. You can see a great demo on their web site.




Items #01-05

#05 Victorinox 10-Inch Chef's Knife
#04 TomTom GO 720 Navigation System
#03 Nikon D40X, 10 MP SLR Digital Camera
#02 iPod Touch
# 01 Apple iPhone and iPhone Accesories

---

You'll find some other great gift ideas in The WelchWrite Store in association with Amazon.com.



Check out Douglas' Personal Wish List

Start Podcasting in Minutes using Utterz.com

I have been playing around with a new, free service called Utterz.com and I quickly realized that it can be used to create an instant podcast by anyone who wants to try a podcast without jumping through a lot of hoops. Here's what to do:

• Create an account at Utterz.com and follow the instructions to connect it to your cell phone or landline
  
• Call in and make your first post
  
• After you make you first post you can upload text, video or pictures from your phone or the web site to annotate your post
  
• People can subscribe to your Utterz, either though the web site or using iTunes by subscribing to the RSS feed listed at the top of your MyUtterz page

What could be simpler than that?

Of course, if you already have a web site, or accounts on social networking sites, like Facebook, you can have Utterz post your Utterz automatically, so all your friends can find them wherever it is convenient for them.

If you have ever wanted to try out podcasting, for free, take a look at Utterz and have fun!

What's on My Wish List #08

Instead of my typical holiday guide, this year I present a selection of items that I would love to receive for Christmas. Although I am a big technology hound, I don't often buy it for myself, so many of these items are sure to remain "wishes" for another year. -- Douglas

That doesn't mean the you might not find these items a great gift for yourself or someone you love.

---

#08 Sennheiser HD 25 Dynamic Compact Professional Monitoring Headphone

I spend a lot of time wearing headphones, with all this podcasting work I am doing lately, so having a nice set of headphones would certainly be an improvement. Not only must headphones sounds good, they have to be comfortable, too, and Sennheiser tends to make headphones which are both.




#7 Moleskine Large Ruled Notebook

There are certain gifts that will make people happy regardless. For my wife, it is coffee, chocolate and books. For myself, coffee, wine and a nice Moleskine Journal like this. I always carry a book around with me wherever I go and the Moleskine books hold up better than anything else I have owned. They keep their covers, they have that nice elastic band to hold them shut and the paper quality is top-notch. Get one for yourself...and pick one up for me! (SMILE)




#6 Aliph Jawbone Noise Shield Bluetooth Headset- Black

If any of you have talked on the phone with me, you know my current Bluetooth headset tends to pick up everything in the room. Enter The Jawbone, with its high-end noise cancellation features. You can see a great demo on their web site.




Items #01-05

#05 Victorinox 10-Inch Chef's Knife
#04 TomTom GO 720 Navigation System
#03 Nikon D40X, 10 MP SLR Digital Camera
#02 iPod Touch
# 01 Apple iPhone and iPhone Accesories

---

You'll find some other great gift ideas in The WelchWrite Store in association with Amazon.com.



Check out Douglas' Personal Wish List

What's on my Wish List #07

Instead of my typical holiday guide, this year I present a selection of items that I would love to receive for Christmas. Although I am a big technology hound, I don't often buy it for myself, so many of these items are sure to remain "wishes" for another year. -- Douglas

That doesn't mean the you might not find these items a great gift for yourself or someone you love.

---

#7 Moleskine Large Ruled Notebook

There are certain gifts that will make people happy regardless. For my wife, it is coffee, chocolate and books. For myself, coffee, wine and a nice Moleskine Journal like this. I always carry a book around with me wherever I go and the Moleskine books hold up better than anything else I have owned. They keep their covers, they have that nice elastic band to hold them shut and the paper quality is top-notch. Get one for yourself...and pick one up for me! (SMILE)




#6 Aliph Jawbone Noise Shield Bluetooth Headset- Black

If any of you have talked on the phone with me, you know my current Bluetooth headset tends to pick up everything in the room. Enter The Jawbone, with its high-end noise cancellation features. You can see a great demo on their web site.




Items #01-05

#05 Victorinox 10-Inch Chef's Knife
#04 TomTom GO 720 Navigation System
#03 Nikon D40X, 10 MP SLR Digital Camera
#02 iPod Touch
# 01 Apple iPhone and iPhone Accesories

---

You'll find some other great gift ideas in The WelchWrite Store in association with Amazon.com.



Check out Douglas' Personal Wish List

What's on my Wish List #07

Instead of my typical holiday guide, this year I present a selection of items that I would love to receive for Christmas. Although I am a big technology hound, I don't often buy it for myself, so many of these items are sure to remain "wishes" for another year. -- Douglas

That doesn't mean the you might not find these items a great gift for yourself or someone you love.

---

#7 Moleskine Large Ruled Notebook

There are certain gifts that will make people happy regardless. For my wife, it is coffee, chocolate and books. For myself, coffee, wine and a nice Moleskine Journal like this. I always carry a book around with me wherever I go and the Moleskine books hold up better than anything else I have owned. They keep their covers, they have that nice elastic band to hold them shut and the paper quality is top-notch. Get one for yourself...and pick one up for me! (SMILE)




#6 Aliph Jawbone Noise Shield Bluetooth Headset- Black

If any of you have talked on the phone with me, you know my current Bluetooth headset tends to pick up everything in the room. Enter The Jawbone, with its high-end noise cancellation features. You can see a great demo on their web site.




Items #01-05

#05 Victorinox 10-Inch Chef's Knife
#04 TomTom GO 720 Navigation System
#03 Nikon D40X, 10 MP SLR Digital Camera
#02 iPod Touch
# 01 Apple iPhone and iPhone Accesories

---

You'll find some other great gift ideas in The WelchWrite Store in association with Amazon.com.



Check out Douglas' Personal Wish List

What's on my Wish List #06

Instead of my typical holiday guide, this year I present a selection of items that I would love to receive for Christmas. Although I am a big technology hound, I don't often buy it for myself, so many of these items are sure to remain "wishes" for another year. -- Douglas

That doesn't mean the you might not find these items a great gift for yourself or someone you love.

---

#6 Aliph Jawbone Noise Shield Bluetooth Headset- Black

If any of you have talked on the phone with me, you know my current Bluetooth headset tends to pick up everything in the room. Enter The Jawbone, with its high-end noise cancellation features. You can see a great demo on their web site.




Items #01-05

#05 Victorinox 10-Inch Chef's Knife
#04 TomTom GO 720 Navigation System
#03 Nikon D40X, 10 MP SLR Digital Camera
#02 iPod Touch
# 01 Apple iPhone and iPhone Accesories

---

You'll find some other great gift ideas in The WelchWrite Store in association with Amazon.com.



Check out Douglas' Personal Wish List

What's on my Wish List #05

Instead of my typical holiday guide, this year I present a selection of items that I would love to receive for Christmas. Although I am a big technology hound, I don't often buy it for myself, so many of these items are sure to remain "wishes" for another year. -- Douglas

That doesn't mean the you might not find these items a great gift for yourself or someone you love.

---

#05 Victorinox 10-Inch Chef's Knife

I love to cook and I would really like some nice knives to speed my way through onions, potatoes and other raw ingredients. Most knives cost an arm and a leg, but recently Cooks Illustrated Magazine and America's Test Kitchen television show and book rated this knife as one of its top recommendations. Cool! Good AND cheap. Who can complain with that? Heck, for that price I would buy 2 or 3.

See also:
Victorinox Stainless-Steel 8-inch Chef's Knife




#04 TomTom GO 720 Navigation System

I have a pretty good sense of direction, but I also like to know where I am going and how long it is going to take to get there. I have been drooling over these high-end navigation systems for a while. Good to see some of them are starting to come down in price.




#03 Nikon D40X, 10 MP SLR Digital Camera

Heck, I'd settled for nearly any SLR-based digital camera at this point, but this one caught my eye in some ads in Sunday's paper. Time to step up in my photo quality, I think.



#02 iPod Touch

If can't get an iPhone I would gladly "fallback" to an iPod Touch. It has many of the great iPhone features,, but without the relatively expensive cell phone contract. It also has more storage than the current iPhone for podcasts and video.




# 01 Apple iPhone and iPhone Accesories

Always-on web connectivity, cell phone, music/video player and PDA in one. Who could ask for anything more? Especially since the big price cut a few months ago.

---

You'll find some other great gift ideas in The WelchWrite Store in association with Amazon.com.



Check out Douglas' Personal Wish List

What's on my Wish List #04

Instead of my typical holiday guide, this year I present a selection of items that I would love to receive for Christmas. Although I am a big technology hound, I don't often buy it for myself, so many of these items are sure to remain "wishes" for another year. -- Douglas

That doesn't mean the you might not find these items a great gift for yourself or someone you love.

---

#04 TomTom GO 720 Navigation System

I have a pretty good sense of direction, but I also like to know where I am going and how long it is going to take to get there. I have been drooling over these high-end navigation systems for a while. Good to see some of them are starting to come down in price.




#03 Nikon D40X, 10 MP SLR Digital Camera

Heck, I'd settled for nearly any SLR-based digital camera at this point, but this one caught my eye in some ads in Sunday's paper. Time to step up in my photo quality, I think.



#02 iPod Touch

If can't get an iPhone I would gladly "fallback" to an iPod Touch. It has many of the great iPhone features,, but without the relatively expensive cell phone contract. It also has more storage than the current iPhone for podcasts and video.




# 01 Apple iPhone and iPhone Accesories

Always-on web connectivity, cell phone, music/video player and PDA in one. Who could ask for anything more? Especially since the big price cut a few months ago.

---

You'll find some other great gift ideas in The WelchWrite Store in association with Amazon.com.



Check out Douglas' Personal Wish List

Elsewhere Online: Thanks for calling, please go away

Seth Godin had a lousy experience with PayPal and it seems hundreds of others have, too. While publicizing customer service failures can be useful, it begs the question, "What is the next step?" How do we get companies to "feel our pain" and actually change the way they operate?

Frequently, there seems to be no way to resolve the issues until the situation gets so bad the company finally goes out of business. This seems a ridiculous situation when, theoretically, these companies are supposed to be working for us.

One another note, how do people continue to work for companies where their entire job is obfuscation, delay and deny? I can't imagine they would like the tactics were they the focus of behavior similar to that they dish out on a daily basis. We, as workers, are responsible for the continued dismal state of business if we don't refuse to work for companies that abuse their customers.

Thanks for calling, please go away

Most customer service organizations are architected around a simple idea: interacting with customers is expensive, driving costs down is a good thing, thus getting people to go away is beneficial.

(Continues on web site)

(Via Seth's Blog.)

What's on my Wish List #03

Instead of my typical holiday guide, this year I present a selection of items that I would love to receive for Christmas. Although I am a big technology hound, I don't often buy it for myself, so many of these items are sure to remain "wishes" for another year. -- Douglas

That doesn't mean the you might not find these items a great gift for yourself or someone you love.

---

#03 Nikon D40X, 10 MP SLR Digital Camera

Heck, I'd settled for nearly any SLR-based digital camera at this point, but this one caught my eye in some ads in Sunday's paper. Time to step up in my photo quality, I think.



#02 iPod Touch

If can't get an iPhone I would gladly "fallback" to an iPod Touch. It has many of the great iPhone features,, but without the relatively expensive cell phone contract. It also has more storage than the current iPhone for podcasts and video.




# 01 Apple iPhone and iPhone Accesories

Always-on web connectivity, cell phone, music/video player and PDA in one. Who could ask for anything more? Especially since the big price cut a few months ago.

---

You'll find some other great gift ideas in The WelchWrite Store in association with Amazon.com.



Check out Douglas' Personal Wish List

Grant's Advent Calendar Video Podcast 2007

Back for another great year, Grant's Advent Calendar Video Podcast is greater than ever. Watch breathless as Grant opens each door, little knowing what's inside. Could it be money? Pens? Paper clips? Fidgert? No one knows for sure! Tune in to find out!

Grant's Advent Calendar Video Podcast 2007

Converting audio files using iTunes

Click the small TV icon to expand to Full Screen

What's on my Wish List #02

Instead of my typical holiday guide, I present a selection of items that I would love to receive this Christmas. Although I am a big technology hound, I don't often buy it for myself, so many of these items are sure to remain "wishes" for another year. -- Douglas

That doesn't mean the you might not find these items a great gift for yourself or someone you love.

---

#02 iPod Touch

If can't get an iPhone I would gladly "fallback" to an iPod Touch. It has many of the great iPhone features,, but without the relatively expensive cell phone contract. It also has more storage than the current iPhone for podcasts and video.




# 01 Apple iPhone and iPhone Accesories

Always-on web connectivity, cell phone, music/video player and PDA in one. Who could ask for anything more? Especially since the big price cut a few months ago.

---

You'll find some other great gift ideas in The WelchWrite Store in association with Amazon.com.



Check out Douglas' Personal Wish List

What's on my Wish List #01

Instead of my typical holiday guide, I present a selection of items that I would love to receive this Christmas. Although I am a big technology hound, I don't often buy it for myself, so many of these items are sure to remain "wishes" for another year. -- Douglas

That doesn't mean the you might not find these items a great gift for yourself or someone you love.

---

# 01 Apple iPhone and iPhone Accesories

Always-on web connectivity, cell phone, music/video player and PDA in one. Who could ask for anything more? Especially since the big price cut a few months ago.

---

You'll find some other great gift ideas in The WelchWrite Store in association with Amazon.com.



Check out Douglas' Personal Wish List

The Wish Book - Starts December 1st

Remember the Christmas catalogs of the past. They were often called Wish Books and I and my sisters would spend hours pouring over them "wishing" for almost everything. Friends in Tech has collected a series of stories and memories about the Wish Book and is presenting them throughout the month of December.

Hear the stories on Friends in Tech.com, subscribe to the Friends in Tech RSS feed using your favorite RSS reader or subscribe in iTunes to get every episode automatically.

If you hurry, you can even share your own Wish Book memories.

Submit your own story!

Hurry, though, Christmas is almost here!