Life
Updating Feedburner
I haven’t logged into Feedburner for a long, long time but had to look into some RSS feed errors I began seeing after installing the 404 Notifier. Seems like Google’s FeedFetcher is looking for Pulpconnection RSS feeds at:
https://www.pulpconnection.net/feeds/posts/default
But since I use Feedburner, my feed location should be:
http://feeds2.feedburner.com/pulpconnection
To fix this, I had to update Feedburner, now that they are more integrated with Google. And I also installed the FD Feedburner plugin which is supposed to redirect all RSS feed calls to my Feedburner feed instead.
We’ll see if these changes makes any difference.
Wow, I Need Me a Mi-Fi!
Now this is cool and absolutely makes sense! Geeks all over are going to want a Mi-Fi device that creates a small Wi-Fi cloud fed by a cellular data connection. Read the article for a better understanding.
Hands Free Starting July 1
Get your hands free mobile phone technology going with the impending ban of using electronic devices while driving. You need to get one of these!
Ha! This pic is from 2005!
UH Basketball Recruits Looking Good (on Paper)
So far, the recent recruits of the UH Men’s Basketball team look good on paper. Joining guards Jeremy Lay and Dwain Williams is 7-footer Douglas Kurtz. He’s no stick at 270 pounds and can shoot (.671 field goal and .847 free throw percentage).
Hope this Juco player can contribute at the D1 level for two years
Am I a Glutton?
Am I a glutton for cacophony? Or maybe it’s just my weak mind, but I was compelled to give 93.9 and 98.5 another evaluation this morning. The result? Better but not near status quo.
Starting with 93.9, I tune in only to hear Maleko having technical difficulties during a contest. The contestant couldn’t hear the game. Fail! Later, Maleko blames malfunctioning equipment for the miscue. Double fail!! I know it’s still a transition time for all, but please, own up to having some troubles, and don’t take the easy route of blaming the equipment.
Later in the programming, Maleko started a listener call-in with an abstract topic. It started with swine flu then having Governor Linda Lingle quarantining all of Hawaii. Then the story shifted to having to repopulate the rest of the (decimated I guess) world and naming a celebrity you’d like to “procreate” with. Wha?
After several songs and commercials, the responses I heard were “Edward Cullen” and “Oprah.” Triple fail!!! Edward Cullen, the make believe vampire from Twilight?! This topic was off-the-wall to begin with but naming a fictitious character and The Oprah was too much.
Things on 98.5 were better with the return of the ringleader aka Rory Wild. He was back on air running the show and guiding Gregg Hammer to his excellent impersonations. Seemed like the duo were making up for yesterday’s sucky show with too much improv, but it was great to have Rory running the show again. Crystal Akana got to step her game up and keep up. Hint, hint, Crystal, when Gregg starts Reggae Time, you gotta get into it and accompany the party that is Reggae Time.
Still though, I just can’t get into the music format of Island 98.5 and even the revamped playlist of 93.9. I’ll be listening to my iPod in the mornings more and more it seems.
Birthday Party at Kualoa Ranch
Not my birthday but went to a birthday party at Kualoa Ranch. It was my first time there and got to enjoy the party along with a tour of movie sites filmed at the ranch.
Pop Tarts Are Hip and Healthy
The ecosystem of Pop Tarts continues to evolve to keep with the times. This instant breakfast is now healthier for you featuring fiber enriched toaster pastries!
And while you’re getting your daily intake of whole grain, you might be able to win $10 in iTunes.
Sadly, I’ll be eating 48 Pop Tarts without winning any iTunes music. 🙁
Cacophony on the Airwaves
Ugh, what a mess on the airwaves this morning. Last week, I heard about the shakeup on Hot 93.9 and Island 98.5 amongst others. For this Monday morning drive, I listened to both stations to understand the wisdom behind these decisions. My first thought:
Cacophony
What a mess at both stations! Out of reverence, I started with Rory and Gregg of the displaced Wake Up Crew on 98.5. I validated my personal selection of music and Island reggae ain’t it. No offense, but just not my style, and I don’t know if it’s the Wake Up Crew style as well. First off, where was Rory? I didn’t hear the Wake Up Crew leader during my entire drive. As you know, Rory is the stage setter who masterfully synergizes the show and its personalities.
Listening to the 98.5-version of the Wake Up Crew was a downer. No energy exuded from the show. Maybe it’s the mellow music and laid back lifestyle the station is geared towards. The background music was dull, and I know it’s still early, but the interaction of Gregg and Crystal Akana just isn’t there (yet?). I also felt that Gregg was “dumbing it down.” I don’t know if this was on purpose, but Hammer’s an akamai guy who seemed to be catering his delivery this morning.
Over on 93.9, I didn’t hear from Maleko or Natasha for some time. I know people complain about not enough music on the airwaves, but I think this was too much. For too long of a stretch, I only heard songs and mainly commercials or station promos. To make things worse, the handling of all of this was a mess. Very abrupt and harsh transitions without any sense of flow. Song plays then cuts off at the end, a commercial, followed by a 93.9 promo, then a commercial then another song – the transition between them very disjointed.
Around 8:00, there was a teaser with Hammer making a vocal appearance on 93.9. Was he returning home? Nope, just doing a promotion for his Mother’s Day show at Dave and Busters. He sounded so natural on 93.9, amicably bickering with Natasha…
What I really miss from the Wake Up Crew in the morning is their perspective, experience, and antics. I want to hear their views of topics and events, not just the straight up news. I’m not a boxing fan but really want to hear their rendition of the Pacquiao fight. It’s their spin of the news intertwined with their own experiences that make the Wake Up Crew great.
Rory and Gregg might be able to find their magic on 98.5, but I regret I’ll be missing it.
The Wake Up Crew No More?
Completely missed this shakeup on the Hawaii radio waves this week. Of most significance to me is the move of Rory Wild and Gregg Hammer from Hot 93.9 to Island 98.5. Taking the duos place on the morning show is Maleko who teams with holdover Natasha. Not sure what happened to Kreyz Oshiro.
The Wake Up Crew has been a staple on my morning commutes for years. While I’m glad the pair is still together since they synergize so well, I doubt I’ll ever listen to them again since I’m not an island/reggae music listener. I don’t even have 98.5 programmed into my radio. Heck, I didn’t even know this station existed.
It was a good run Wake Up Crew.
Looking at Pulpconnection Stats
I haven’t been really looking at web stats for Pulpconnection for some time. Visits haven’t been the same since the move to WordPress. Couple the move with less and inconsistent blog posting, and the stats ain’t going to look pretty.
For the month of April 2009, here is the top content:
- Ace of Cakes LOST in Hawaii
- Team Jacob Getting Pumped
- Bella’s Lullaby on Sheet Music
- Taylor Lautner, the Next Calvin Klein Underwear Model?
- Club 939 tag
- Rory Wild Back with the Wakeup Crew
- My 15-Minute Review of Tweetie for the Mac
- More Heat from Abercrombie & Fitch
- The LOST Cake Revealed
- GoGirl Lets Women Pee Standing Up
Top traffic sources:
- Google images
- cakecentral.com
- sitemeter.com
- Yahoo
- MSN Live
- Ginx
- MSN
Wow, I don’t know if I like the message looking at the top content – a few Twilight things, a few LOST items, controversial ads from Abercrombie & Fitch, and Club 939?!
Looking at the traffic sources demonstrates the changes of social networking. Facebook, Twitter, and Ginx are now valid sources of traffic, albeit small compared to the search engines.
Gotta keep plugging away and see how things go.