Bruce’s Journal

sometimes 140 characters just isn't enough 

BREIN: Pirate Bay Does Not Appeal

Re this news story:
http://www.slyck.com/story1886_BREIN_Pirate_Bay_Does_Not_Appeal

Well, by BREIN's logic.... If LINKING to "illegal content" is a
crime... then:

(1) Google is the largest criminal organization in the world.

(2) Nearly EVERY web site on the internet is a co-conspirator, and
therefore, also a criminal organization.

By BREIN's logic.... It sounds almost like the ONLY organization in
the world that is, in fact, NOT breaking the law....... is BREIN
itself...

Pray that Big Brother dies.

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"V 2009"... One of our new favorite shows.

"V 2009"... One of our new favorite shows...

           
Click here to download:
V_2009..._One_of_our_new_favor.zip (5347 KB)

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How dangerous is it that ALL - and I do mean ALL - OF YOUR INFORMATION will be known and owned by Big Brother Google?

You need to know that "Google Open Source" is ~NOT~ Free Open
Source.... It's NOT about Software Freedom.... Quite the Opposite!

Google has manipulated Linux to make the OS ( Android / Chrome )
COMPLETELY Closed and Proprietary!

The OS may technically be "open source".... But.......

If you change ONE BYTE of Chrome OS on your netbook... It will
automatically erase the entire OS and reinstall a fresh copy from
Google!

Chrome/Android is heading toward Google's goal of... you owning
NOTHING.... but a GOOGLE TERMINAL.... accessing Big Brother Google
and NOTHING ELSE.

Please take a look at this article:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/nov/25/google-chrome-cloud-computing

I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic.

How dangerous is it that ALL -- and I do mean ALL -- OF YOUR
INFORMATION will be totally owned by, and stored at, Big Brother
Google....?

The only way this could be remotely acceptable.... would be if you
could create your OWN "cloud".... on our OWN home computer....
INSTEAD of using Google's Big Brother Mainframe.

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Keep One MagicJack Unregistered Forever and Use it to Keep Checking available Vanity Numbers Forever?

According to this Chat Session... Apparently, this can be done.

____________________________________________________________________


Please wait for a site operator to respond.

You are now chatting with 'Lex'

Chat InformationYour Issue ID for this chat is LTK419084961376X

Lex: Hello, how may I help you?

Bruce: Hi

Bruce: Is there any way to see what vanity numbers are available
without BUYING a brand new magicjack?

Lex: I do apologize Bruce but that cannot be possible because you can
only able to see it during the registration.

Bruce: I already own 14 MagicJacks... but I now want to see which
other "vanity numbers" are currently available...

Bruce: So the ONLY way to see what vanity numbers are available is...
I would have to go out and buy ANOTHER magicjack???

Lex: Yes Bruce

Bruce: Can you look up a number and see if it is available as a vanity number?

Lex: No, we can't determined it Bruce but lets try.

Lex: Can I have the phone number please?

Bruce: 867-5309 (in any area code)

Lex: Can I have a complete phone number?

Bruce: 646-867-5309

Bruce: 917-867-5309

Bruce: 347-867-5309

Bruce: (in any area code is ok)

Lex: As I checked here in our end, those combination is still
available or vacant.

Bruce: Another Question: How long can I have a MagicJack, and continue
checking the list of available "vanity" numbers..... before I must
register it?

Bruce: Can I keep one MagicJack just for checking available vanity
numbers..... FOREVER.... without registering it... as long as I don't
actually register it...?

Lex: Bruce, I still cannot assure that you can use those combination
you gave me. The registration page will check that combination too and
if you our system will grant you that combination you created.

Bruce: Above, you said.... "those combination is still available". Do
you mean that I CAN get a xxx-867-5309 number on a new MagicJack?

Lex: Because maybe our system will not also allow it

Bruce: Another Question: How long can I have a MagicJack, and continue
checking the list of available "vanity" numbers..... before I must
register it? Can I keep one MagicJack just for checking available
vanity numbers..... FOREVER.... without registering it... as long as I
don't actually register it...?

Lex: No, it will not expired if you will not registered it.

Bruce: I can keep it unregistered FOREVER...?

Bruce: And then... I can keep checking for available vanity numbers
every day.... FOREVER...?

Lex: Yes

Lex: Yes

Bruce: And then... if I keep it unregistered.... I can keep checking
for available vanity numbers every day.... FOREVER...?

Lex: Yes

Bruce: Ok. Thank you. :)

Bruce: What city are you in?

Lex: West Palm Beach

Lex: Is there anything else I may help you with today?

Bruce: Oh ok.

Bruce: No.

Bruce: Thank you.

Lex: Thank you for stopping by to chat, I hope I did a good job at
addressing your concerns. Please take a second to answer a one
question survey about the service I provided. Please click the word
"CLOSE" button on the top right of this screen and the survey will
appear. Thanks again!

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How to Back up ALL of your Gmail - Automatically - Just in Case

In my last article here, I explained how IMPORTANT it is to:

>> Back up all of your data contained within your Google / Gmail account, and...

>> Have a "Front End" for your Own email address and your Own telephone number...

......Just In Case..... anything were to happen to your Google Account.

In my last article (on http://brucewagner.posterous.com ), I described
how to create an external email account on GoDaddy, and then receive
all of your incoming email -- through it -- into your Gmail account.
And how to send all email from within your Gmail account -- out
through your GoDaddy email account.

Well, here's a simple way to set things up to AUTOMATICALLY backup all
of your actual email:

(1) Create that email account on GoDaddy (i.e. in my case, it's
called email@brucewagner.com ).

(2) Set up your Gmail account to SEND mail out using GoDaddy's SMTP
server (see my last article for instructions).

(3) Set up your Gmail account to RECEIVE mail via POP3 from that
same GoDaddy email account..., (but to NOT delete messages from the
GoDaddy account as they are retrieved).

(4) Set up "email forwarding accounts" for one -- or as many email
addresses as you want -- to forward TO email@brucewagner.com ( for
example, I have bruce@brucewagner.com set up to FORWARD to
email@brucewagner.com .... and I also have contact@bredmedia.com
set up to FORWARD to email@brucewagner.com )

(5) Finally, create a NEW Gmail account.... strictly for the
purpose of back-up. (Try not to tie it to your original account in
any way. Don't use the same mobile number to verify it, etc.) Set
that Gmail account to retrieve all email from that SAME GoDaddy email
account (email@brucewagner.com in my case), (but to NOT delete
messages from the GoDaddy account as they are retrieved).

(6) Once a week, or once a month..... Log in to your GoDaddy
email account (at http://email.brucewagner.com in my case) and DELETE
ALL of your email. This will prevent your GoDaddy mailbox from
becoming full. (You normally get 1GB of storage for free.)

NOW, ALL of your email will also be backed up on your ALTERNATE BACKUP
Gmail account.... Just in case anything were to happen to your main
Gmail / Google Account. The most recent 1GB will be in your GoDaddy
account. And the most recent 7GB will be in your Alternate Backup
Gmail account....

And, once it's set up... it's totally automatic.

Cool, eh?

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My outgoing email is being BLOCKED by my own gmail account for no reason, and with no explanation!

This is a CRITICAL problem....

If Google / Gmail's anti-spam robots mistakenly target YOU at any
point.... You may suddenly find your own Google / Gmail account
suspended...

You may find yourself LOCKED OUT of your own Email, Gmail Contacts,
Google Calendar, Google Docs documents, Google Voice, even your own
Google Voice TELEPHONE NUMBER.... among all the other Google
services... Feedburner, the list goes on and on and on...

Good Luck fighting with Google to get it back!

I know about this because it has happened to me..... TWICE now....

At first I've been very hesitant of going back to Google.... and
relying on Google for services.... especially my TELEPHONE NUMBER
(Google Voice), my Contacts, (Gmail), Email, Docs, Calendar, etc...

But....

I think I Found a Solution!

(1) Get your own domain name ( like, YourOwnName.com ) at
GoDaddy.com Note that GoDaddy has excellent support. You can call
480-505-8877 any time 24 hours a day and they will talk you through
any of these steps over the phone.

(2) Set up a free email account (comes with your dot-com domain
registration) at GoDaddy.

(3) Configure Gmail to send outgong email as you@yourownname.com (
See Settings-->Accounts and Import-->Send Mail As )

(4) Select the option to send mail out through your OWN "smtp
server" rather than Gmail's server....

(5) Enter the SMTP Server as: smtpout.secureserver.net

(6) Enter the Username as: email@yourownname.com ( whatever
email account you created on YourOwnDomain.com on GoDaddy.com in step
2 above )

(7) Enter the Password: ( the same password you selected when you
created the email account on GoDaddy.com )

(8) Select Port: 465

(9) Select "Always Use SSL" to ON ( checkmark the box )

(10) Click "Save".

Now, whenever you send mail FROM you@yourownname.com (from within
Gmail), your outgoing email will go through GoDadddy's email servers
(smtp servers) instead of Gmail's servers... And that means that
Gmail CAN NOT block your outgoing email...

This means that Google / Gmail's overzealous anti-spam robots can not
target you and block your outgoing email.... which could lead to your
Gmail / Google account being suspended...

Some other side benefits include: The recipients of your email will
never get your Gmail address in the headers of the email you send.
They will only get your professional you@yourownname.com email
address.

You can also set up as many alias email addresses as you want on
GoDaddy.com.... (for different businesses, for example)... all
forwarding to your email@yourownname.com GoDaddy email account. Then,
use POP3 to import them all into your Gmail account. ( See:
Settings-->Accounts and Import-->Check Mail Using POP3 )

For example, I have many GoDaddy Email FORWARDING accounts (for
example, one is called contact@bredmedia.com) each of which FORWARDS
to email@brucewagner.com (my single GoDaddy email account). Then, my
Gmail account retrieves all email from that account via POP3.

With this configuration, Google could lock me out of my account at any
time, and I would still be able to access all of my email at
GoDaddy.com instantly.

Note that I do something very similar with my telephone number. See
my other article about how you can go to Best Buy and buy a MagicJack,
pay $10 extra for an amazing vanity number (mine is 646-368-0000),
then call-forward that number to your Google Voice number..... and
simply put that MagicJack in a drawer..... This gives Google NO
CONTROL over your actual phone number... Only you and MagicJack
control your phone number. (You can even use the Number Portability
Act to transfer that number to another phone company in the future if
you ever decide to.)

Google never controls my actual email address, bruce@brucewagner.com

Google never controls my actual telephone number, 646-368-0000

BOTTOM LINE: At this point, Google's services are irresistible.
However, I recommend using them only with the following two
prerequisites.

First, back up all of your data at least weekly, on your own computer
hard drive. This includes your Gmail Contacts addressbook, your
Google Calendars, your Google Docs, etc... everything.

Second, you must always use a "front end" with Google -- which you
publish, and which only YOU control. This means, use your own email
address (hosted at godadddy and forwarded or POP3'ed into Gmail, for
example)... And use your own telephone number (a magicjack number
forwarded to Google Voice, for example).

Questions, feel free to ask in the comments below.... Or call or
email me. ( You have all my contact details within this article. :)

Bruce

http://brucewagner.com

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Some Phones Cannot Call My Google Voice Number! Help!

I found a GREAT SOLUTION to this problem... finally....

(1) Go to Best Buy and buy a MagicJack.
(2) Pay $10 extra for a "vanity number" when registering it, if you
want to. (It's well worth it!)
(3) Activate the call-forwarding feature and FORWARD your new
magicjack number to your Google Voice number.
(4) Unplug your magicjack and put it away in a drawer.
(5) Give out your new vanity magicjack number to everyone!

NOW, .....

(A) Everyone can call your number.... because calls are going to
your magicjack number.... then forwarding to your GV number....
(B) All calls still go into, and through, your Google Voice...
(C) Even if Google messes with your Google Account (i.e. their
anti-spam robots wrongly shut your account down!), you still control
YOUR main (advertised) number! You can redirect where calls go... on
magicjack.com with one click!

Optionally, buy a second magicjack to actually USE as your home
landline phone service (and have your GV ring on it as well)...

Magicjack service costs less than $1.60 per month and is EXCELLENT!


Bruce Wagner
http://brucewagner.com

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Digital Domain - Why Google Doesn’t Like Its Phone Bill - NYTimes.com

What do callers get when their call is blocked? Do they get a
recording of some sort?

I think Google should have blocked calls answered by a recording which
tells the caller,

"Your call has been blocked due to traffic pumping. Call or write to
the FCC to complain and ask the FCC to eliminate local access charges
to rural carriers."

I totally think the FCC should eliminate local access charges to rural carriers.

If people in rural areas need phone service.... then THEY should pay
higher subscription rates.... NOT the callers!

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/01/business/01digi.html?_r=2

stross@nytimes.com


Bruce Wagner

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Why I Love MetroPCS Cell Phone Service so Much

I have been using MetroPCS for about one year now, here in New York
City. I also travel all over the country with it.

I love MetroPCS. It's service quality is THE BEST! It's the ONLY
service that works IN THE ELEVATORS in our building... Even (the 2nd
best) Verizon can't do that!

Calls are NEVER dropped. Calls are NEVER missed.

I love this service. It has worked in every area I've traveled to, in the USA.

Most rate plans INCLUDE the unlimited Nationwide Roaming ... so there
are NEVER any per minute charges. Also, free unlimited INTERNATIONAL
CALLING... Also, free unlimited INTERNATIONAL TEXTING...

It's awesome.

And whoever was going on about how you're going to get a surprise big
bill from MetroPCS for roaming charges KNOWS NOTHING about what he's
talking. MetroPCS CAN NOT BILL ME. They don't send bills. They don't
even know my name & address!! THEY CAN NOT BILL ME!

No Contract. No Bills. No extra charges Ever. Unlimited Everything.

It's the best by far.

I'm not totally in love with their smartphone offerings so far.... As
I have told them loud & clear... However, I know that that will
improve. They are one of only two providers in the USA who are
launching LTE networks immediately! I am hoping Samsung + MetroPCS
will come out with an Open Source smarphone platform that can hold a
candle to the iPhone 3Gs. (Most people Despise AT&T... and most all of
the other US carriers too.)

Questions? Ask me: bruce@brucewagner.com

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Why I Stopped Using Google Voice Permanently

and....      

Why I Changed my Phone Number 38 Times in the last 6 Months

I've changed my phone number so many times that it's become a standing joke with my friends.  

At first it was, "Why did you change your phone number again?"   Eventually, I would grow weary of explaining the whole boring saga again and again... putting them to sleep in the process... so I would reply, "Because it's Wednesday."

Google Voice's tag line slogan,  "one phone number for life"  has become the joke of the year in my life.

Now the new line has simply shortened to become...  "What's your phone number today?"

Those of you who know me well.... know....  I like to try new things.  .....when it comes to technology.

I am always trying new things...  running them through the paces.  I never take anyone's word for it.  I have to TRY it myself...  in the real world...  in my day-to-day life...  before I will give something my 'seal of approval' and say,  "It is good."   :)

Then, I come up with new ways to use these new technologies....   new systems...  combined in new ways....   that I come up with myself.

It's for this reason that I've been playing with Google Voice intensively for 6 months now.  

I first signed up for it about 3 1/2 years ago, when it was still just a start-up not even owned by Google yet, called GrandCentral.com.  But about 6 months ago I discovered a bunch of new features that Google added to it.   All the features are very impressive....  especially when combined together.....   Cool...  and exciting.   The new features can even be addicting.

I loved Google Voice!   I told everyone who would listen....   It's awesome!

I've set up Google Voice accounts for every purpose.  In all sorts of combinations... kind of like building blocks...   for myself and others.   Where, for example, you have two Google Voice accounts - one for business and one for personal - which both ring in on all your phones - home, cell, etc...  But business only rings during certain hours, etc., etc.  It's very sophisticated.  And the sms text messages come in via email, and your gmail account then forwards them to your cell phone's "sms email address"... so that you get text messages, as text messages, even when you have multiple GV accounts ringing in on your cell phone...    I've even bought GV invites on eBay and set up 22 accounts for one guy's business use...   As you can imagine - kind of like telephone system Legos - the possibilities are endless and can become very complex.

However....   After six months of monkeying around with it....  and learning all of it's idiosyncrasies....  and continuous improvement...  

I've decided not to use Google Voice at all.....  for anything.

Here's why:

(1)   It doesn't always work.   This is very bad for any type of telephone system.   You need reliability - first and foremost - no matter whether for business telephone service or personal.  With all the options we have today, there is no reason to put up with a system that is not reliable.

       (1a)   Google Voice has outages.  Sometimes the entire system has simply gone down.   Who ya gonna call to complain to?

       (1b)   About 30% of the time, lately, when a call comes in through Google Voice, we can hear the caller....  but the caller cannot hear us.  We end up having to call him/her back from another phone.

       (1c)   Often, callers complain of a "bad connection", or hearing loud clicking on the line, etc.

       (1d)   When it does work, and we have a long conversion....   after a certain amount of time (an hour?), the call is always dropped....  for no apparent reason.  This happens consistently...  giving the impression that it has a built-in "time limit" for conversations.

       (1e)   There is always a noticeably long delay in hearing each other.  (This is called, latency, in technical jargon.)  This delay causes us to talk on top of each other... again and again...  and it's very annoying, and distracting, to everyone.....  and to the effectiveness of the conversation.

(2)   When you get locked out of your Google Account, you lose access to your own telephone number.... and it can be permanent.  It's beyond your control.

       I probably wouldn't bring this up, if it hadn't happened to me personally.  But now that it has happened to me personally AND several others I know....   on several completely separate gmail accounts....  It has truly become the deal-breaker.

      Gmail's own anti-spam "robots" (automated software to prevent the use of their system to send out spam) have become so virulent that they are disabling Gmail accounts....  sometimes temporarily - requiring you to enter a cell phone number, receive a special code by text message, in order to regain access....  sometimes permanently - requiring you to fill out a form complaining, and then just wait and hope and pray that google restores access to your account to you.   Both of these events have happened to me personally, and to others I know and where I have seen it happen first-hand.

      When this happens, you have lost all access to all of your Google services - including Gmail, Google Voice, your Google Voice phone number, your Contacts, your Google Calendar, your Google Docs, and on and on..... ALL Google services.... associated with that account.

      This is one of the reasons I've changed my phone number so many times.   At first, it was simply because I found a number I liked better.  Then, it was because I wanted the number associated with a different Gmail account name I liked better.  Then, it was because I found a structure I liked better.   But finally, it was because I got locked out of my own Google / Gmail account....  more than once!

      So, I got to thinking.   My email address (bruce@brucewagner.com) has never changed.   Why?  Because I have it hosted at an extremely reliable hosting service (GoDaddy), and it simply forwards all mail to whatever account I set it to (Gmail, at the moment).   If anything ever happens to Gmail, or to my Gmail account specifically, I can switch where GoDaddy forwards my mail to.... within seconds.

      Why not do the same thing with my phone number?

      Because of Google's virulent anti-spam robots and their automated disabling of innocent Gmail accounts....   and Google's "No-Customer-Service-Whatsoever" policy....  It is extremely dangerous to tie your own telephone number to a Google Account.  

      In other words, everything about Google Voice is designed for you to Stop using your existing phone numbers, and to Start using (advertising, telling your friends, family, colleagues, customers) your "new" Google Voice telephone number.   The problem is.....   It's extremely dangerous to do that!   If / when you get locked out of your Gmail / Google account, you have just lost access and control of that phone number!   .....with no real recourse.

     So.....  as of yesterday, here is what I have done:   I simply use my MagicJack number (totally reliable and very nearly free) as my "Home phone" number....  and my MetroPCS phone (totally reliable and very cheap) as my "Cell phone" number.   Whenever I leave home, I press one button to enable call-forwarding from my MagicJack "Home phone" to my MetroPCS "Cell phone".  That's it.   Done.

     Friends will get exactly what they would expect....  a "home phone" and a "cell phone" for me.   And of course, only the cell phone accepts text messages.  I'll normally only give out my "home phone" number.  Unless I text them.... then it will come from my "cell phone".

     As for Business phone numbers, you can buy as many MagicJacks as you want - no limit - for $1.60 per month - and call-forward them all to your one "home phone" MagicJack number.  This gives you as many business phone numbers as you need (for as many businesses as you have)......  all ringing in to your super-reliable Home MagicJack phone.   ...which you then forward to your super-reliable MetroPCS cell phone whenever you are out.

     It's Brilliant.  Simple.  Cheap.  Excellent Sound Quality.  ...and Super Reliable.

    My MagicJack voicemail sends me every voicemail message, as WAV file, to my email address...  so I can play it from anywhere...  in addition to being able to call in to retrieve messages the normal way.  Of course, when I leave I call-forward my MagicJack to my MetroPCS phone... so my MetroPCS voicemail answers, and it alerts me the normal cell phone way...

    I still continue to use Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Docs, and other Google services...  However, I am not TIED to them!  If anything happens to my Google / Gmail account, I can change where my email goes within seconds (on GoDaddy.com)...   And my phone number is owned and controlled by ME -- not Google!  I can contact MagicJack customer service 24/7 if I were to ever have a problem.  (I've never had a problem with it though.)

    I actually still leave the Google Voice screen open, in another tab, just for quick access to my Contacts page.  I still use Gmail / Google Voice for my Contacts (my master address book).  When my phone rings, I can quickly type in the caller's phone number into the Contacts Search box, and it instantly brings up my record for that person.... complete with notes from every conversation I've had with them.  It's all tied in with Gmail too.

MAKE LOCAL BACKUPS OF ALL YOUR DATA CONTAINED IN YOUR GOOGLE ACCOUNT

    However, I do NOT count on it completely.  For this reason, I have a strict WEEKLY BACKUP policy.  Every week, on Saturday, I backup all of my data contained within my Google Account:   My Contacts Address Book, My Gmail Filters, My Google Docs, and my Google Calendar.

    Fortunately, it's easy and takes only seconds to do.  Simply go to your Gmail Contacts page and click "EXPORT", then "Everyone", as a Google CSV File.   It will save all of your address book as a CSV file onto your local computer's hard drive.  Do the same thing to export your Gmail Filters, your Google Calendars, and also save local copies of all of your Google Docs documents....  at least Weekly.  If anything were to happen to my Google / Gmail Account, I could be up and running on a new Gmail / Google Account within moments.

    MagicJack is available at Best Buy (with a 30-day return policy) or at MagicJack.com  and MetroPCS is available at MetroPCS.com ...

     Questions?   Leave 'em in the comments below, or email me:   bruce@brucewagner.com

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