This is me.

I'm taking a tip from my friend V, who owns-and-manages Jetsetters and Globetrotters (a travel blog)...although I'm always ratting on her about updating more often. At the end of each post she includes a small photo of herself, and I think it adds an entertaining, personal touch.

So I'm going to start doing the same. I hope you--my readers--enjoy this little feature, and that it helps you be a little more connected to me and my blog (after all, isn't that what blogging is all about?).

Back in the day

I've mentioned my friend V several times here on the blog. She runs a travel blog called Globetrotting V, although she doesn't post nearly as often as I'd like. But that's neither here nor there.

V brought a Polaroid camera with her to the office today. Of course we had a great time snapping photos, and it reminded me of being a young child.

Here's our picture:

Now maybe I can find someone who has an old school Atari console, and they can bring that in to the office for some Friday fun.

I love the Paparazzi!

My friend Globetrotting V recently shared a new web page screenshot application called Paparazzi. It's been around for a while apparently but I'm just now learning about it.

The great thing about Paparazzi is it allows web users to take a full capture of any web page. This is a fantastic thing for me--particularly when at work--because I work off of a MacBrook Pro laptop and I can't always view an entire page on my screen. While Paparazzi is user-friendly and convenient it's, unfortunately, only currently available for Mac users.

Using Paparazzi is quick and simple:

1. Download the application to your laptop or computer.
2. Save it to your "Applications" folder.
3. Find the application and open it up.
4. Enter the url of the web page you want to capture into the URL window of the Paparazzi widget.
5. Hit the "Capture" button.
6. Save the screengrab into the preferred format.
7. Use saved file as needed.

One thing I really enjoy about Paparazzi is that is has a cropping feature. The standard web sizes are already preset into the application but there are fields that allow you to customize your size. To do this simply type in the measurements of the screen shot you'd like and you're good to go. I've provided a few examples here:

No specified measurements (a full screenshot):


800x600:


800x150:


Now the last one is somewhat of an odd measurement but it proves Paparazzi can accommodate any of your screen capture needs. Enjoy Paparazzi!

Season Three of 'Weeds' is Lit Up!

I don't mind admitting that I have an addiction to the Showtime Original Series "Weeds." The award-winning show premiered its third season this past week, on August 13th. Made of ticky-tacky, the compelling cable dramedy follows the life of widowed Suburban housewife Nancy Botwin. To maintain the life her family is accustomed to, Nancy--played effortlessly by Mary-Louise Parker--becomes the prime marijuana dealer to the residents of sleepy Southern Californian suburb Agrestic.

One of the primary reasons I'm drawn to the show is for the clever writing. Not only is it witty and edgy, the writers approach the subject matter in a way that--whether or not one agrees with Nancy's illegal practices--viewers arrive in a place of non-judgement. You can watch the show and almost understand why Nancy makes the decisions she does. While I'm certainly not a television writer, it would seem difficult for any writer to actually achieve this level.

The addiction to "Weeds" doesn't stop with each half-hour episode. The "Weeds" section of Sho.com is a great example of how a website can engage its users...beyond the small screen. Check-out all of the interactive features they offer:

BLOG BUZZ:
Fairly self-explanatory, this area provides insight about what folks are talking about in blogosphere. (I'm secretly hoping this post might make its way onto the site.)

DOWNLOADS:
Wallpapers, IM icons, and blog photos are available for users to display their "Weeds" pride.

VIDEO:
In addition to accessing snippets of various episodes, the video features area also provides exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes footage and more.

E-MAIL & WIRELESS:
For the folks who are jonesin' for more...or simply need their "Weeds" on-the-go.

For the ultimate fan:

Many sites try to create a viral campaign for whatever they're promoting, but some are not any good at it. Sho.com seems to have the right idea, by soliciting user-involvement via creating their own music video...to the tune of "Little Boxes," no less. I wanted to enlist my friend Globetrotting V to make our own video but I don't think we'll have time to get around to it. It'l definitely be interesting to see all of the submissions though.