I have good news and I have bad news, but then I also have good news about the bad news. First the bad news. The Facebook Connect that I was using here on Mike’s Blog blew up. Don’t know what happened to it, but it went crazy and I couldn’t talk any sense into it. So I had to put it down.

Now the good news. I installed a bigger and better version of the plugin. Talk about great timing that the plugin author happened to release a beta version at about the same time that I started having problems. Err, on second thought, maybe he caused those problems in the first place… hmmm.

Ok so here’s the good news about the bad news above. Nobody really loses anything because not one person from my Facebook friends list has ever posted anything to my blog. While that sucks to some extent, I will choose to consider that good news.

So to make a long story short, just hit the blue “Connect with Facebook” button over on the right, and if you’re currently logged into Facebook, you’ll automatically have an account here with the same login. If you’re not currently logged into Facebook, you’ll be prompted to do so. It’s as easy as that. Then you can comment, invite friends, heck you can even set your Facebook status directly from my blog.

Happy surfing.

New York Times tech columnist/reviewer David Pogue continues his worthy war against unnecessary, money-grabbing voicemail “instructions,” digging up an actual elimination tip for Sprint customers and a few suggestions for everyone else.

As most people know by now, cellphone voicemail systems offer “guidance” to callers on how to leave a message. You do it “after the tone,” you see, and sometimes you can even learn how to “send a numeric page.” It’s all explained to eat up the caller’s phone minutes, and each carrier seems to have their own magic button one must hit to skip straight to leaving a message.

Gina compressed those magic buttons into a single “One-Star-Pound algorithm, although it’s one that requires a good bit of active work on the caller’s part. Pogue learned that Sprint customers could join iPhone owners in having those instructions entirely eliminated:

Access your voice mail box. Press 3, for personal options.
 Press 2, for greetings.
 Press 1, to change your personal greeting.
 Press 3, to add or remove the caller instructions. Follow the prompts to turn instructions on or off.

Pogue’s readers suggested those who can’t turn off their voicemail “instructions” or “prompts” to record a personal greeting that includes the magic button, as in, “You’ve reached Kevin, hit star to leave a message.” That can come off a bit rushed and informal with the wrong recording, but it’s not a bad idea, and can definitely be construed as a courtesy by busy callers.

Read Pogue’s follow-up for a reminder on how you can contact your cell carrier and request (firmly but politely) that they eliminate voicemail instructions. While you’re feeling rebellious, leave your own voicemail work-arounds in the comments.

Take Back The Beep, Part II – Pogue’s Posts Blog – NYTimes.com [Site via Source]

Windows only: Microsoft Outlook add-on TwInbox lets you update, reply, search, and archive your Twitter messages right from your Outlook inbox.

Once you’ve installed the add-on into Outlook, you’ll need to take a trip to the Options panel to enter your Twitter account details, and you’ll probably want to choose a new folder to place incoming Twitter messages so they don’t get mixed in with your regular email. Once you’ve completed that step, you should be able to start sending, replying, or retweeting messages easily—but the really interesting feature is the ability to track keywords with a search term, and filter through those messages locally.

TwInbox is a free download for Microsoft Outlook only. For more, check out how to get better real-time Twitter search results, how to filter and manage your online social life, or read about the six ways you should be using Twitter.

Android/BlackBerry: Google’s official Google Voice app for (two) mobile phones does pretty much what one would expect. It dials out using your Google Voice number, displays new voicemail transcripts and text messages, and simply makes Google Voice easier to use.

Some, if not most, of these features have previously been available in Evan Charlton’s unofficial Voice-integrating Android app, the previously mentioned GV. Where Google Voice, as this app is called, stands above GV is in looks, nearly seamless firmware integration, and speed. Google Voice can play voicemails through the earpiece rather than the loudspeaker, a serious relief of privacy concerns, and can also access phone recordings, international call balances, and all of one’s Google Voice labels.

Read more…

While the shuttle Endeavour is having a tough time getting off of the launch pad, the Apollo 11 moon mission should proceed as scheduled later this week. Some 40 years after Neil Armstrong and a host of behind-the-scenes workers at NASA made JFK’s vision a reality, WeChooseTheMoon.org is being launched to recreate the whole spectacle. Starting a full 90 minutes prior to the 40th anniversary (that’s 8:02AM on July 16th), the site will be fully operational, tracking the capsule’s route from Earth to the moon. Reportedly, visitors will be able to peek “animated recreations of key events from the four-day mission, including when Apollo 11 first orbits the moon and when the lunar module separates from the command module.” If you’re one of those who remembers “exactly where you were on that fateful day,” you should probably queue up a Google alert and bookmark your browser to relive the whole experience again.