New users of the Lyft App can get $10 credit toward their first ride

Since driving at rush hour and parking downtown may be challenging, if you have never taken a Lyft ride, you can use my referral link below for a $10 credit toward your first ride using the Lyft app (free ride if ride would have been less than $10 anyway): https://www.lyft.com/invited/ROB...­

As an added bonus, using the Lyft app may give you new ideas for your own apps :-)


Some background from Lyft themselves:

What is Lyft?

Lyft is like having a friend with a car whenever you need one. Use the link below

https://www.lyft.com/invited/ROBERT8702?utm_medium=Email&utm_source=ExactTarget&utm_campaign=66775836

to download the app, and you'll be on your way in minutes with a friendly, background-checked community driver. It's more fun and costs less than a cab.     

• Friendly
• You ask for a ride, it rolls up, you get into the front seat and your driver welcomes you with a fist bump.

• Affordable

  You’ll never have to worry about having enough cash because all payments are made with a credit card in the app, and best of all: Lyft is more affordable than a cab!

Comparison of Brick and Mortar Electronic Stores Prices

I did a mini-study of the best prices for External Hard Drives at the major brick and mortar electronics stores in Silicon Valley. 

Based on the prices for External Hard Drives, the pricing comparison (from lowest price to highest price) showed:
1. Frys Electronics has the best prices
2. Best Buy has the 2nd best prices
3. Staples and Office Depot are tied for 3rd best prices

500GB:
1. Frys V-Drive 500GB USB2.0 for $39
2. Best Buy Toshiba Canvio Slim II 500GB External USB 3.0/2.0  for $50
3. Staples or Office Depot Toshiba Canvio Connect Portable USB 3.0 for $59.99 = $60

1TB:
1. Frys Toshiba 1TB Convio V6 for $49.99 approx. $50
2. Best Buy Memorex 1TB External for $58.09 approx. $60
3. Staples or Office Depot WD MyPassport portable for PC for $69.99 = $70

What to do if your iPhone is stolen at 24 hour fitness

What should you do if your iPhone is stolen at 24 hour fitness? Unfortunately, I have personal knowledge since I've fallen victim to this.

When I visited the 24 hour fitness manager and reported my phone stolen, this is what the manager advised:

1. Keep trying to track your phone with "Find my iPhone". Unfortunately, the thief knew to turn off my phone as soon as he stole it. However, I did notice that he did try on two occasions to use it. If I had kept trying "Find my iPhone" I may have been able to catch him during the time he had it on.

2. Check whether home insurance will cover the theft of your phone. Unfortunately for me, my phone was stolen at 24 hour fitness, not from home, so I assume home insurance wouldn't cover my loss.

3. Utilize the face recognition technology that is in place at the newer 24 hour fitness clubs.

4. Check the 24 hour fitness security cameras. They store 2 months of video at low resolution and 2 weeks of video at high resolution. Therefore, you should report your stolen phone ASAP, before they no longer have the video.

5. Call the police. The police will help if the theft is over $500 because that's a felony. They have tracking ability. The police also pose as buyers because they know the thief will try to sell your phone on eBay and craigslist.

Good luck. If you have had or ever get your phone stolen, I hope you get yours back.

Simple video explaining "Cloud Computing"

Bill Lodin of IT Mentors posted a very good tutorial video series on YouTube explaining what "Cloud Computing" really means and how "Windows Azure" helps Software Developers do their thing on the Cloud.

Tablet looks cool but not the best device for every profession

It's great to walk around with a nice tablet to impress potential clients with your coolness factor, but as far as practically, they might not the best device for every profession.

I'm a real estate agent. Tablets have some drawbacks for me.

1. I like to type my notes because my typing is much fast and more readable than my freehand notes.

Tablet drawbacks:
Do not have real keyboards. (However, you could pair your tablet with a Bluetooth keyboard.)

Image keyboards occupy too much of their limited screen size
Image keyboards don't have the same sense of touch as do real keyboards
Tablet screens are capacitive in nature. Therefore, you need a capacitive stylus. You cannot use an ordinary plastic stylus.
10 inch screen models costs at least $500 and for that price you can buy a fast laptop.
7 inch screen models often cost less than $200. These models typically run older versions of the Android OS and have limited (or no) support for Android Market. This means you might not be able to run the apps you want.

Tablet advantages:
iPad2 is slim, versatile
iPad2 is backed by enough REALTOR-friendly apps to justify its price tag
have built-in cameras, internet connectivity
fast operation

Plain Old HTML Stuff

This is just plain old HTML stuff.

"Pinch Me" Button

value = "Pinch me"
onClick="alert('OUCH!!')" >