Devir Kahan

My Inbox: This Time Filled With Cameras, Tweets, and Intros

// February 16th, 2010 // No Comments » // Blog, Business, Community, Computer, Education, Electronics, Emails, General, Hardware, How To, Information, Internet, Software, Tech, TechKnowledgey

Who liked my impression of “The Count” from Sesame Street? Either way, it is time once more to take a look into My Inbox! This is the segment here on TechKnowledgey where I answer some user submitted questions publicly for the benefit of all you TechKnowledgists. If you have any questions email them to me at mail@devirkahan.com – I respond to every email, but if you’re lucky, you may also see it on the next ‘My Inbox’ segment too! I try to answer questions I get frequently, or ones that I think all you TechKnowledgists will benefit from or enjoy, for everyone to see.

I would also like to formerly introduce my good friend Avi who has been helping me with TechKnowledgey since day one. So, welcome Avi, and thank you for reading the questions! This time they range from cameras, all the way to twitter!

Questions answered in this episode:

1. What camera do I use to record my YouTube videos?
2. How to set up a WordPress blog without a domain.
3. How to make weekly Twitter posts.
4. How I made my TechKnowledgey intro.
5. What web-host do I use?

My web-host: http://alsonetworks.com

Will Google Buzz?

// February 12th, 2010 // 1 Comment » // Emails, Google, Information, Internet, Reviews, Tech, TechKnowledgey

A few days ago Google announced  Google Buzz. It’s their take on real time social networking, built right in to Gmail. They seem really confident with this, but will it kill sites like Twitter and Facebook? I don’t think so, and on this episode of TechKnowledgey, I share with you my thoughts on Google’s Buzz.

First off, like Google Wave, I just don’t think this is going to go anywhere. Sure, we are seeing a lot of early adopters, but I can’t see this actually taking off. It’s too tightly integrated into Gmail, and Twitter and Facebook are too far ahead. Now, we may see the nice new features of Buzzs revolutionize email in a few years, but for now, I believe that Buzz will not really go any further. In addition, I am sure that in the mean time, Twitter will just steal the new ideas that Buzz has, and that’ll be that.

On top of all of that, Buzz is off to a bad start. It has had privacy issues since day one, allowing anyone to see the email addresses of people you follow by default – bad move! Plus, Buzz constantly bombards you with emails, even for status updates that you make! What the heck?! I’m pretty sure I know what I just typed! Worst of all, in my opinion, Google Buzz requires you to use your email as your subdomain! I don’t want everyone knowing my Gmail address? What were they thinking?

It seems like Google was upset with the failure that Wave was, and so they rushed out Buzz a little too early. There are to many problems to start out with, and with other sites that are much further ahead, I just can’t see Buzz really going anywhere. But who really knows? It may very well revolutionize the way we communicate in a few years. But for now, it’s just another premature little app from Google, that just doesn’t work the way we would all like.

No!

// February 11th, 2010 // No Comments » // Audio, Comic, Emails, Entertainment, Fun, Internet

The perfect button to press in dire situations. Of course you could make dire situations with this button as well… http://nooooooooooooooo.com/

Thank you to http://youtube.com/yankeesfan100 for passing this link along.

Sketch-O-Phone

// February 9th, 2010 // No Comments » // Apple, Electronics, Emails, Entertainment, Fun, Gadgets, Media, Reviews, Software, Tech, TechKnowledgey, iPhone

I recorded this app review a long time ago, but only got around to uploading now. The app is called Sketches and it is the absolute best way to create any sort of drawing on your iPhone or iPod Touch. It has more options than any other similar app, and tons of awesome presets and built in graphics. Sure, at 5 bucks it’s pricey (too pricey in my opinion), but this kind of app is essential for anyone who owns an iPhone or an iPod Touch. Everyone wants or has a sketching app, but if you’re gonna get one, why not get the best?

A big thank you to the guys over at LateNightSoft for sending this along for me to review! If you would like to send me an iTunes Gift Card, an app of yours or your friends’ to review, or anything at all, be sure to email me at mail@devirkahan.com.

An Email From Steve (Jobs)

// February 4th, 2010 // No Comments » // Apple, Emails, Hardware, Software, Tech, TechKnowledgey

Just a few weeks ago I had an issue with my Apple Wireless keyboard together with the new Magic Mouse. For some reason, the combination caused the batteries in the keyboard to drain within just 4-5 DAYS for many, many people. No one at Apple showed any signs of any fix being on the way, and so I decided to email no other than Steve Jobs himself.

I told him how this was very surprising from company like Apple and that they should have tested this more before they released it. Problems like these shouldn’t ever happen. (I also just told him that it’d be very cool if his name was in my inbox.) And then, lo-and-behold, I got an email back from Steve Jobs saying that he was sorry and a fix was coming soon! How cool is that?

From what I understand after looking into it a bit, there is a (large) possibility that it was just a very high-ranking tech support member who screens his emails that I got that response from, but Steve Jobs himself is known to get back to people like this… I guess we’ll never know for sure, but you gotta admit, it’s still pretty cool.

PLEASE NOTE: Apple has since fixed this issue with a software update for the keyboards not long after my email from “Steve”.

My Inbox! This Time Filled With: My Hair, Dual Monitors, and WicketPixie

// January 4th, 2010 // No Comments » // Blog, Community, Electronics, Emails, Hardware, How To, Information, Internet, Tech

As you all should know by now, I love answering your questions. I remember when I had all the questions and how much I just wanted easy answers. Well, this is not to say that I no longer have any questions, but this is to say that I started an ongoing video series called “My Inbox”!

I get many questions through email (or other places that end up in my inbox like YouTube and so on), and the answers to many of them can really benefit the community. That’s why I will be answering a selection of the questions I receive on YouTube for everyone!

Sometimes I will just reply with the answer because I don’t think it needs to be in an episode. Other times I will reply with an answer and say that I will talk more about it in the next episode of “My Inbox”. Other times still, it just may be too much information for an email and I will only be able to talk about it in a video. Whatever the case though, the questions will always be answered!

Questions answered in this episode:

1. How do I get my hair to look the way it does?
2. How did I make my old blue logo?
3. Is it possible to get WicketPixie on Blogger?
4. How can you customize the WicketPixie theme like I did?
5. How can you set up dual monitors (with only one VGA port)?
6. Will I ever talk, and give my opinions about, the news and so on?

I look forward to getting and answering many more questions in the future. The only way I can do that is if you send them, so keep them coming! My email address is mail@devirkahan.com, and My Inbox is always open.

Who Wants A Free Copy Of TuneUp 2010?

// December 14th, 2009 // No Comments » // Blog, Emails, Giveaway, Microsoft, Tech

Everyone likes free stuff – which is why everyone is going to want to win a free copy of TuneUp 2010 for their PC. Basically, I’m having a giveaway!

Whether you are working or gaming: TuneUp Utilities increases the performance of your PC. Programs that are used rarely or never are tracked down, startup processes are shortened and unwanted garbage files are eliminated. For trouble-free working on your PC.

Regular maintenance increases the stability of your PC, but is complicated and takes a lot of time when doing it manually. Spare yourself the stress! With TuneUp Utilities, you can clean up your computer and delete unnecessary files with only one click. Neat!

Give your Windows a new look with TuneUp Utilities and customize programs and system settings to meet your needs: cool new boot screens, icons, and animations provide that personalized look for your Desktop. You can easily customize the appearance of Windows and settings of many programs to your liking.

And those are  just a few of the many things TuneUp2010 does!

All that needs to happen for someone to win is for me to hit 200 subscribers. Once that happens, I will choose one person to receive the license key from my list of subscribers, so spread the word!

• I must hit 200 subscribers for anything to happen.
• Once I reach 200 subscribers I will randomly select one of my subscribers to receive the prize (TuneUp 2010) using a random number system.
• Even after I hit 200 subscribers, all subscribers after that, only until mid-night of the night after the 200th subscriber subscribes, will still be entered into the drawing.
• TuneUp 2010 retails for $49
• TuneUp 2010 is PC only. (So, if you only have a Mac, and have no other use for it, just keep that in mind if you do win.)

And, that’s it! I’m really excited to see what’s going to happen. A big thank you to http://youtube.com/MagicRevealer09 for making this possible, and I look forward to doing other giveaways in the future.

Help With WordPress Themes

// December 10th, 2009 // No Comments » // Blog, Emails, How To, Tech

The other day I got an email from Anthony asking me about my WordPress theme. Anthony said that he did not know much about WordPress, but just wanted me to give him a quick rundown about my theme.

Hi. My name is Anthony. I recently saw your Chris Pirillo screencast. You
were very funny in that video, so I decided to check out your channel. I
subscribed (ynkno13) and I checked out your website. I see you are using the
WicketPixie theme. I am a WordPress N00b, and I was wondering how you add
themes to WordPress? Do you have to download some software or is the editor
online. Also does the Wibiya toolbar come with it?

Thanks
- Anthony Guidetti

Well, thank you for your compliment and the subscription. I really appreciate it.

Now, here is the deal; the theme I am running is indeed WicketPixie. Now, WicketPixie was created by Chris Pirillo (he himself did not code it, but it is his theme). Since then, the community has developed newer versions, improving upon the first. WicketPixie is currently in version 1.2. Recently, I jumped on to the wagon of WicketPixie developers and started working on version 2.0 along with a recently acquired friend of mine, Eddie Ringle. Eddie is a lot more versed in code than I am, and he is actually doing most of the work. I myself, though, am doing a bit of the design, ad placement, error pages, and other smaller things like that. 2.0 is nearing it’s final stages and should be released sometime in 2010. I’m really excited about it, and it has a ton of awesome new features, and a much newer, cleaner look. I will, of course, talk more about it when it gets closer to being released.

Anthony also asked how to install a theme. The answer is actually fairly simple; WordPress.org has a huge selection of themes in their online database. You can browse that and download any theme that you would like. As it happens, there are a number of themes that are not in the database. Take for instance WicketPixie – you can’t download WicketPixie from WordPress’s database. You can only get it where Chris decided to host it – on Oholo. And that is the route that some theme developers choose. Some developers would prefer to host their theme on their own site, and not on WordPress’s. No matter where you download the theme from though, you will find that what you have downloaded is a folder, inside of which are all of the files that tell WordPress how to display your theme on your site. You will need to upload this folder to your ‘/themes’ folder inside of your ‘/wp-content’ folder, which would be found in your site’s root directory (sometimes though, it will be in a separate folder in the root directory if you want the WordPress blog to be located at a sub directory).

If you really don’t know much at all about FTP (server files) or code at all, then what I just explained may seem a little complicated. If that is the case, I would recommend starting out on WordPress.com (different from WordPress.org) where you can register a free blog, and change themes without any code, or need of uploading files. When you register your blog, it will look something like ‘blogname.wordpress.com’, but you can pay to get rid of the ‘.wordpress’ part and register your domain so it will be just ‘blogname.com’ like most sites. WordPress.com is an easy to use, simpler way to use WordPress for those that don’t want to deal with the hassle of code and such – and believe me – it’s a hassle.

If you did understand what I explained about uploading folders, then go ahead and find and enable a theme that you like that way. And, yes, you do need to actually enable the theme from your WordPress Admin page.

Either route you choose to take, you’ll have yourself a nice looking blog. I hope I helped and I would love to see what your site looks like once you have set it up, so be sure to let me know when it’s done.

As to the Wibiya toolbar, no – it doesn’t come with WicketPixie. You need to request an invitation (it’s in Beta), but I got one within a day or two after I requested one, so it’s not that big a deal. I will say this though: We are working on an awesome footer for WicketPixie 2.0, so you won’t necessarily need the toolbar then, although it will always be personal preference.

My email address is mail@devirkahan.com, so if any of you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, just drop me a line. With any luck, you’ll see your question answered right here on my blog. And if not, I’ll be sure to answer you just through email. Whatever the case though – my inbox is always open.

What’s The Deal With Ads?

// December 9th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // Blog, Emails, Google, Tech

Aleks from Mexico City wrote in asking:

Hey, it’s a cool blog you got here. I’ve seen some blogs that look very alike (is it the theme? WicketPixie or something?) and everyone seems to love it. But I have one complaint: ADS. I just hate it when content is in the freaking middle
of “ads by google”, it looks overloaded and really makes the header look dull. Is
it really that profitable to sacrifice design for some clicks/cents? I hope you
don’t take it bad, I just wanted to give my opinion. I repeat, it’s a cool blog you
got here, the content is pretty good ;)

First off, I absolutely don’t take it badly – I always like to hear all your thoughts and opinions. Also, for someone that mostly speaks Spanish, that’s pretty darned good English. I also just want to take the time to thank you for the comments you’ve made and your participation in this small, but growing, community.

Now, the truth is that yes, ads are indeed very important. At that same time though, I, as much as you, hate going to sites where the ads take over the content. On some sites you can hardly tell the difference between what is actual content, and what are advertisements. So, on my site I really tried, and want, to make the ads as unobtrusive as possible. I have one banner ad on the top of the site, one underneath the posts, and then there is also a little section next to every post that has ads, yes, but also is functional; with a TweetMeme link and related posts. I don’t find those very obtrusive or annoying at all – and trust me, like I said, I hate annoying ads.

You also mentioned that there were Google ads in the middle of content. That is not true – I have those little ad links that appear on keywords in posts, but again, they are not real blinking ads, or even text ads. They just kind of disappear into posts just like any other link. Again, I don’t really find these ads annoying or obtrusive at all, on both my own blog, as well as other people’s sites that I visit and have seen them on.

The truth is that as time goes on, I will probably have to add even more ads to my site, but I will always make sure they are as unobtrusive, not annoying, and discrete, as possible. I will always keep my readers and viewers in mind, and would not do something that I feel would be an inconvenience to you. At that same time though, ads bring in money – money that I need to run everything that I do online. Not having ads at all is not possible and is just out of the question.

Well Aleks, thank you very much for writing in and sharing your thoughts with me. I hope I answered your questions and explained these ads.

I really want to be as open to the community as possible, and you know you can always email me at mail@devirkahan.com. I promise to respond to every email I get (as long as it’s not spam or junk mail, of course) so, if you ever want to contact me for any reason, please do – my inbox is always open.