http://www.crapmonkey.com Movies, Music, Technology, Beer, and Seattle. Fri, 25 Jul 2008 18:09:24 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en   Day one of the Oregon Brewers Festival has come and gone.  We didn't get into Oregon until late on Thursday afternoon so I was unable to attend the Brewers Dinner on Wednesday night or the Widmer Brunch on Thursday morning (that is followed by a "parade" of beer brewers and lovers ... http://www.crapmonkey.com/archives/182 I installed beta2 of Extensions for Windows and I am pretty impressed.  The exstensions suite is customizable in the sense that users may install only the utilities that are desired, but I find that I have uses for all that are included.  Extensions offered out of the gate include a Screen ... http://www.crapmonkey.com/archives/181 In mid-July, Microsoft will begin selling office programs to consumers on a subscription basis.   This is a bold new business model for Office that is rumored to start at about $70 per year.  The price seems reasonable for what you get (especially when I consider that I spend over $100/month ... http://www.crapmonkey.com/archives/180 It's hot in Seattle!  I'm not complaining, but it's a short show cause it's just too hot in the Crapmonkey "Studio" to stay for any length of time.  Looking for something to do this weekend?  The Rails to Ales Brewfest is coming up in Cle Elum on Saturday, July 12th.  If ... http://www.crapmonkey.com/archives/179 In face-to-face conversations, sometimes our thoughts get ahead of us and things come out wrong.  In the Twitterverse, there are even more ways to trip over yourself and convey the wrong message.  However, Twitter has the added feature of archiving that stumble for generations to come.  Following are the top five ways to flub with ... http://www.crapmonkey.com/archives/178 So, this isn't the most politically correct idea I've ever had, but it seems handy nonetheless.  I've launched the first in my series of "the f@#K Out of it" properties designed to provide more value around the sites you leverage everyday.  The first is dedicated to Twitter.  Try it out and ... http://www.crapmonkey.com/archives/176 From time to time I speak to classrooms and groups about Podcasting and RSS.  When doing so, I've always struggled to communicate the impact of XML over the traditional HTML that defined the web for so long.  Today at Podcamp Seattle, Eric Weaver played this video in his presentation and I was extremely impressed at how well it delivers the message.  ... http://www.crapmonkey.com/archives/175 Well, I finally did a refresh of content in the CrapMonkey Store.  Show your CrapMonkey Love with logo merchandise.  Shirts, hats, mugs, mousepads and more (you can even get some thong underware if it suits you).  Just click here or on the cash register in the CrapMonkey.com sidebar. http://www.crapmonkey.com/archives/174 Thanks to rising oil prices and increased costs of food, many folks are feeling the squeeze in their grocery budgets.  As such, Spam had over a 14% increase in sales this quarter as people look for cheaper ways to feed their families.  Spam, of course, is also the product credited ... http://www.crapmonkey.com/archives/173 Let's face it, right out of the box, Windows PocketPC phones don't seem quite as sexy as the iPhone.  That said, these devices pack a lot of power and flexibility so with a few of the right programs installed, PocketPC phones can become pretty fun to use.  I have the ... http://www.crapmonkey.com/archives/172