How We Caught Missing Wired Magazine Writer Evan Ratliff

In case you missed it, I helped track Evan Ratliff to New Orleans and notified Naked Pizza, an amazing group of folks, who then tracked Evan down in person at a nearby book reading to win the contest.

Please check out the following links:

• How We Caught Missing Wired Magazine Writer Evan Ratliff

• Media Roundup of all the Post-Vanish Contest Appearances by Evan, et al.

• NewsCloud Launches Quick Response VanishTeam Facebook Application to Find Evan Ratliff in Wired's Vanish Competition

Injinji Five Toed Performance Socks Rock!

I was amazed at the comfort of the Injinji five toed socks. I bought an extra pair right away. Give them a try - you'll be impressed. The way they space out your toes seems to relax your foot muscles in a new way. Btw, my Vibram Five Fingers are awaiting a size replacement - the first size they sent was too snug for me. Yes, you can wear both together.

Who knew? Different postal rates for stiff vs. flexible

Due to the Hot Dish Action Team lately, I've been shipping lots of stuff through the post office.

I've had numerous items which I've weighed, priced and posted at the counter returned to me for insufficient postage - twice. 

I've had items weighed, priced and posted at the automated machine returned to me for insufficient postage.

It's kind of bizarre how complex their pricing structure has become.

For instance, today I learned that the rates are different for shipping large envelopes if the contents are stiff vs. flexible - regardless of thickness and weight.

Last week, I learned that the rates are different if the envelope is not uniformly thick.

I've also had items with the correct postage returned to me. Numerous times this week they've had to place 0.00 cent printed stamps on my items to keep them from being returned more than once.

Obama, at the bottom of your list... you can make sending stuff at the post office simpler.  

Launching a new personal blog

It's become clear to me this past year that technical blogging - like much of what I've posted at Idealog, doesn't really mix with topics I care about more personally. I also have realized that Idealog is not as suitable a forum for writing longer form material.

So, after much delay, I have set up a new personal blog at http://blog.reifman.org. It may take me a while to get rolling, but I hope you enjoy it and please post your comments!

It's become clear to me this past year that technical blogging - like much of what I've posted at Idealog, doesn't really mix with topics I care about more personally. I also have realized that Idealog is not as suitable a forum for writing longer form material.

So, after much delay, I have set up a new personal blog at http://blog.reifman.org. It may take me a while to get rolling, but I hope you enjoy it and please post your comments!

Can't wait until this project is done...

I'll finally have time to do fun stuff, like my taxes.

Wander and Scrawl: Pet Photography in Seattle

I would like to encourage folks considering pet or family photography to talk to my friend Heather McCutchen of Wander and Scrawl. Heather came by the house a few weeks ago and shot pictures of me and my cats. She did a great job and I highly recommend her:

New Facebook Applications to Engage Youth in News

I am very excited to share today's press announcement with friends and readers of Idealog:

New Facebook Applications to Engage Youth in News
Knight Foundation grant to support research highlighting social networking’s impact on teens and young adults

MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL—University of Minnesota researcher Christine Greenhow and Seattle-based news aggregator NewsCloud will test new ways to engage youth in news and information by launching two social media publications on the popular social networking site Facebook. The project is being made possible by a $249,529 grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. 

U of M researchers,  led by Greenhow, will investigate how online social network sites such as Facebook can engage youth in world events, build community and generate real world impact. Greenhow’s previous work investigated the learning benefits of online social networking sites (MySpace, Facebook) for teenagers.

“Understanding how youth not only consume online information but manipulate, produce and talk through it for social and educational purposes will move us closer to understanding how to design and develop successful media-rich environments,” Greenhow said.  

The study, which will be published next year, will seek to discover which strategies work best to engage 16 to 25 year-olds in current events and how the Internet can be used to deliver educational materials in innovative and effective ways.

Read the full release here

The cost of justice via small claims court in Seattle

I recently won a default judgment in small claims court for $5,000. The defendant won't pay but my goal all along was to assign a lien to their property in King County - so that I will eventually be paid when they sell.

How much did it cost? Well, $25 to file, $9.79 to try to serve them via certified mail with return receipt, $75 to serve them via process server when they didn't respond and then it becomes a bit silly.

After the judgment, you send King County $20 to issue a transcript of the judgment (despite having one signed by the judge in court) then another $20 to transfer the case to Superior Court. After they send you these documents, you send them back to King County with $44 to file a lien. These steps are totally ambiguously documented on the Web site and required no less than four phone calls to sort out.

Total costs of peace of mind: $193.79.    

p.s. I should also add that I asked the defendant to place the lien voluntarily before filing the suit. They did not respond.

This is why: don't shop on an empty stomach

I just returned from shopping on an empty stomach and realized how ridiculous my purchases are. I am not a diabetic or am alcoholic but I don't like to run out of chocolate.

iPhone Applications for Trick and Treating

If the iPhone had been invented when I was still trick or treating, me and my friends could have made a haul (that's me on the right, note the empty pumpkin). Combining the iPhone's connectivity, GPS, Google Maps, SMS and some basic Web 2.0 features could add up to a pretty serious candy gathering device.

The Trick or Treating iPhone application of the future will let kids track each other's friends (see Loopt), following each other around with GPS, cataloging the kinds of candy (think GroceryIQ optimized for candy) at each house, and digg-style rating them as they go along. Using the 34G network, kids will follow a real time Google Map (aerial night vision view) showing them where the best take is closest to them. SMS text messages will highlight important alerts!

Houses with fruit will go dim on the map. Houses that run out of candy will go dark. Not home? skull and crossbones. There will even be a metal detector built-in to scan apples for razor blades (the candy lobby would never have gotten away with such a blatant ploy in the age of Snopes).

Future smart mobs of kids with iPhone-like devices are going to make fast work of neighborhoods like mine. Beware, if you don't stock your house with the good candy - expect to be blacklisted on some Halloween Worst Houses web site - complete with photos and links to your social security number.

Ding dong, gotta run...