Atlantans really love Facebook

Atlanta is embracing Facebook faster than any other major metropolitan area, a new study shows.

The number of Facebook users in the Atlanta area rose 142 percent the last six months, from 535,000 to nearly 1.3 million, according to a digital marketing firm called iStrategyLabs.

Los Angeles (97 percent) and Houston (71 percent) saw the next highest increases.

Peter Corbett, a 2003 Emory grad who founded iStrategyLabs, said he has no solid theories to explain the Atlanta surge. He’s analyzed Facebook usage for two years using data Facebook publicly supplies to its advertisers.

A Facebook spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In the last half of 2008, Facebook usage in the Atlanta area rose just 6.5 percent.

Overall, nearly 72 million Americans now use the social networking site, and Facebook’s demographics keep getting older.

People ages 35 to 54 comprise the biggest group, followed by those 25 to 34.

source: AJC.com

Facebook Users Scoop Up Free Starbucks Ice Cream

To introduce consumers to its new ice cream, Starbucks and Unilever are offering free pints to Facebook users.

From July 6 to July 19, participants can visit Apps.facebook.com/starbucksicecream. At the top of every hour, they will have a chance to give a pint of Starbucks ice cream to a friend or family member.

Each hour, 800 pints will be given away, with a total of 280,000 for the duration of the promotion. While the promotion encourages participants to send the treat to friends, less generous users also have the option of simply sending the coupon to themselves.

Users who don’t jump on the opportunity fast enough have to check back later if the supply of 800 has already been given away

The promotion touts the four flavors of Starbucks ice cream, which debuted in the spring. Based on Starbucks beverages, the flavors are: Caramel Macciato (coffee and vanilla ice creams with swirls of caramel), Mocha Frappuccino (coffee and chocolate ice creams), Java Chip Frappuccino (chocolate ice cream with chunks of dark chocolate) and Coffee (coffee and espresso ice creams).

Unilever signed a licensing agreement with Starbucks in September 2008 for the exclusive manufacturing, marketing and distribution of Starbucks ice cream.

source: BrandWeek.com

Even if you don’t like coffee or ice cream you can send this to someone who does and they don’t even have to be a facebook user, the coupon is mailed directly to their home.

All five living U.S. presidents to appear in special video prior to MLB All-Star Game on FOX

United States President Barack Obama along with former U.S. Presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter will appear in an unprecedented video address as part of a special ceremony prior to the 80th Major League Baseball All-Star Game on FOX, Tuesday, July 14 at 8 p.m. ET. The video will mark the first time all of the living U.S. Presidents will participate in a ceremony at a sporting event. Following the video, President Obama will throw out the ceremonial first pitch.

The Presidential video address, which will run approximately seven minutes, will be part of a pre-game celebration honoring the 30 “All-Stars Among Us,” men and women who are being recognized by Major League Baseball and PEOPLE magazine for their selfless acts of giving and service to their communities.

The 30 honorees, one representing each MLB Club, were selected by fans online at www.peopleallstars.com as part of a joint initiative between Major League Baseball and PEOPLE magazine, with nearly three quarters of a million votes cast.

read more…

Apple Patents Hint at Tactile Feedback, Fingerprint ID for Future iPhones

Recent Apple patents hint at new features that could appear in future iPhones. Most interesting is a patent detailing haptic tactile feedback for iPhone — that is, the ability for users to feel the virtual keys they’re pressing on the touchscreen.

The idea of haptic tactile feedback is such: The iPhone’s vibrations would simulate the vibrations felt when typing on a physical keyboard, so when you’re typing you can “feel” the edge of each key. This would eliminate the need to look at the screen while typing.

Another patent explains fingerprint identification on the iPhone. Not in the traditional sense to secure your iPhone (although it could probably be used for that, too) but rather fingerprint IDing as an input method to play music and navigate the iPhone menu. For example, a fingerprint from the index finger would trigger the Play and Stop buttons in the iPod. And a fingerprint from the middle finger would trigger fast-forwarding in the iPod. Pretty neat idea, huh?

A third patent covers how a radio-frequency identification (RFID) reader would work on iPhone. RFID tags are generally used for tracking items such as library books; thus, an RFID reader would more likely have business applications. Apple suggests using an RFID antenna placed in the touch sensor panel.

source: Wired.com

7.2.09

My mom is pretty sick this go round with the chemo. I sat with her a while last night and she’s really feeling bad I wish I could take some of that and spread it around so she wouldn’t have to bare it all herself. Evidently this chemo is the worse kind, but fortunately she’s only got one more of these treatments left. The doctors will be watching her blood work very closely the next 6 weeks as she is probably going to deteriorate rapidly health wise. I find it so ironic that they’ve got to 1/2 kill you to save you — really odd to think about. I know sometimes she wonders if it’s worth it– sometimes she wonders this out loud and I hate to hear that.

Thank you to all that have been praying for her. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day and Saturday better still.

Second University Requires Students to Buy iPod Touch

Some freshmen at the University of Florida are required to start school with an iPod Touch in hand.

Officials recently put “important notice” up red text on the College of Pharmacy website to warn the fall class of 2009 that they must show up for class with an iPod touch or an iPhone.

The 8G model, which will set freshmen back $229 unless they get it with the back-to-school offer, meets the minimum requirement.

The Florida decision comes a couple of months after the University of Missouri journalism school first said they required the Apple device for new students, then backed down on whether the requirement was, uh, really a requirement  or simply recommended after criticism that they were pushing Apple products and bumping up student expenses.

source: Cult of Mac

Apple Issues Heat Advisory for iPhone 3G, 3GS

Whether or not anecdotal reports of iPhones overheating are true or not, Apple has taken them seriously enough to reveal the presence of a temperature warning screen for the iPhone 3G and 3GS.

Here’s the deal: an unknown but probably very small number of iPhones have been affected by overheating, to the point that some white iPhone 3GSes have allegedly turned pink. Sascha Segan, our phone analyst, said he hasn’t seen any such problems with his iPhone 3GS, however.

Apple, however, has issued what some might call a “common sense” warning: a support document that warns users not to keep the iPhone in an environment where temperatures can exceed 113 degrees Fahrenheit, including parked cars.

But Apple also warns that CPU-intensive applications, such playing music or using the GPS while in direct sunlight may also overheat the iPhone.

In that case, actually using the iPhone in temperatures over 95 degrees can also trigger the temperature warning. “Low- or high-temperature conditions might temporarily shorten battery life or cause the device to temporarily stop working properly,” Apple warns.

Obviously, summer temperatures in many locations top 95 degrees.Las Vegas, for example, has forecasts topping 100 degrees for the next 10 days; Phoenix routinely climbs above 103.

So what will happen? Read on…