Archive for the 'Fun' Category

Twouble with Twitters

No doubt Twitter has been hyped more that just about anything in the recent weeks, and I thought this was a pretty funny video from Current TV poking a little fun.

I can admit Twitter is a little addicting. A lot of people don’t get why you would want to tell everyone what you are having for lunch, which is what many people’s first impression of the service is. I find it is great for following other people who are experts in my industry to keep current, and as a cycling fan, my Ah Ha momment about why Twitter is so useful was during the Tour of California cycling stage race when team managers, mechanics, fans and other people watching the race were giving Twitter updates from the course and providing more information than the live TV coverage.

Another good recent video I watched about Twitter was a talk given to Google Employees that explains a little more about the why people should care about Twitter.

Five Fun Twitter Mashups

I have been using Twitter a little more recently and I have seen some fun Twitter mashups. I plan to use the Twitter API to send status messages of user activity from some of the web site I work on, and if you are considering creating a Twitter mashup using Ruby on Rails, you will want to check out Twitter4r. It is a Ruby library for the Twitter REST API that really simplifies creating a Twitter app in Rails.

Here are some fun applications that use the Twitter API:

Foamee: This is one of the originals created by Simplebits. If a friend does you a favor you can let them know you owe them a beer or coffee.

Twootball: This is a new app that combines Twitter and a love for the NFL. Tweet while you are watching an NFL game and include the name of a team in your message and it will show up on Twootball.

GoodBad.me: This is a new app created for the Rails Rumble competition. Follow @goodbadme, then if you do something good or bad include #goodme or #badme in your tweet.

Twitter Grader: Put in your Twitter username, and Grader will give you a score based on the power of your Twitter profile.

TwitterVision: This is another oldie but goodie. This is a mashup of Twitter and Google maps so you can see where in the world people are posting their tweets.

Photo with Mickey and Minnie

Mickey and Minnie were in the ESPN cafeteria yesterday …

Photo of Mickey and Minnie

Mmmm … Hamburgers

For my daughter’s birthday tomorrow my wife Melinda made these cookies. Yes they are cookies, not hamburgers. They have vanilla wafers on the outside with some honey to make the sesame seeds stick. The middle is a chocolate covered mint cookie with red and yellow frosting and green colored coconut.

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About Brent

I have been a Web Developer since the early '90s working on some of the highest traffic sites on the internet such as MSN.com and ESPN.com. Since 2007 I have been using Ruby on Rails while working for Sports Technologies, a small internet company in Connecticut, developing features for FanNation.com and Fantasy Sports applications for Sports Illustrated.

I am interested in all things related to Social Media, User Experience, and creating great Web Applications.

I am a Cycling enthusiast who raced competitively for many years, and still try to get out and ride as much as I can. I created the site BikeRide.com and have developed some other cycling related sites in the past.

I am a husband, and the father of two girls. I grew up in western Washington, but now live in Connecticut.