christopherhord

Archive for the ‘Society’ Category

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Welcome Back to My Blog!

In Blog, General, Media, Music, Social Networking, Society, Technology on July 23, 2023 at 3:57 pm

Thanks for reading! I’m excited to be back blogging again, and I’ve been busy working on new projects that I can’t wait to share with you.

What to Expect
This blog caters to those who produce digital content, such as social media, websites, blogs, audio, and video. Additionally, tech enthusiasts and anyone interested in exploring new software and gadgets will find plenty of intriguing content here.

Upcoming Projects
Creativity: Explore software, hardware, and other creative tools to enhance your digital media projects. We’ll also discuss theories and concepts of creativity, applying them to our workflows.
Marketing: Self-promotion can be challenging, but we’ll delve into effective strategies for sharing your work and ideas with others.
Tech Tips: Discover hidden features and time-saving tricks in various tools and software, presented in easy-to-follow tips and occasional full-blown reviews.
Accessibility: Emphasizing the importance of making content accessible to everyone, ensuring your vision reaches a broader audience.

My Projects
I’ve released several music projects and am now actively promoting them. Additionally, I’m excited about upcoming ventures, including a Lovecraftian-themed opera – my most ambitious work to date. I’ll share insights into the tools and technology driving these projects.

Join the Conversation!
I value your input and ideas. Please leave a comment with your questions or suggestions. If you know someone who’d enjoy these topics, share this blog with them. Let’s make this space as useful as possible to as many people as we can.

Thank you for being a part of this journey!

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A modest music marketing adventure

In Arts, Internet, Marketing, Media, Music, Social Networking, Society, Technology on December 22, 2012 at 4:03 pm

I’m currently promoting a Christmas-themed song that I’m selling for charity. I’ve primarily been marketing it through social media, instead of a more formal website/press release approach, but I did want to share the information here, because it may also be helpful to you, if you are interested in marketing through social media too, or recording and releasing your own digital music.

Made It Through Christmas Again

“Made It Through Christmas Again” cover art

The song is called “Made It Through Christmas Again” and it’s a somewhat s

ardonic take on the stresses that come with the holidays. I first wrote the song around the holidays in 2010, and largely forgot about it ’til the next year’s holidays. I was writing some ebooks

on Garage Band for iPhone and iPad and, while I was setting up musical arrangements, to make screenshots, it occurred to me that I could kill two birds with one stone, by de

moing the song. The demo came out so well, I decided to release it. To spur myself to get it done, I decided to donate all my profits to the Make A Wish Foundation.

That’s where things got complex. There are an array of music services pout the

re, which all have unique individual submissions procedures. It can be quite a web to find your way through. Many people choose to pay a service to handle all of that for them. I cho

se CD Baby, and so far, they have done a fine job. There are serious arguments for their main competitor, TuneCore, but I haven’t had a chance to try them yet.

I also created a Facebook page to promote the song. So that I could use that same page to promote more than just one project, I named it “the manhattan project,” which is

a catchall name I’ve used for years, as an umbrella for creative projects. I also used my Facebook page and personal Twitter and Google+ accounts.

Frequent posts are required to keep your topic fresh, in the impermanent world

of social media, and this quickly became stressful. To manage my social media presence

better, I turned to HootSuite, a web-based app just for managing your social m

edia brands.

There’s much more to the effort than this, of course. However, there’s two much to go into in one blog post. So here’s an overview of my recent activity, and I’ll be going into more detail about some of these applications and services, as well as analyzing my successes and failures. Please check the song out. You can listen for free at a variety of places, you can find mentioned on my Facebook page. If you like it, please consider buying a copy, and supporting a great cause. It’s available at most major music “e-railers.” The best choice is probably my CD Baby store.

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10 simple security tips for web users

In Internet, Society, Technology on July 19, 2011 at 7:33 pm

It seems like I’ve been seeing more friends with hacked accounts this year. I had breach earlier this year myself. I’ve been thinking about security more these days. As more of our lives go online, techniques that used to be sufficient aren’t any more.

People like top 10 lists so here are 10 easy steps to improve your security, Even adding one will sure help. They don’t all have to be done, or done at the same time, I hope you’ll read and I hope these help:

1.    Secure your e-mail. This is key. Your e-mail is what you will use to re-set your Security is importantpasswords — and get alerts — so this needs to be secure. Do not use the same combination of username and password for your e-mail that you use for anything else. Choose a strong password.
2.    Know what makes a password strong. Make it as long as practically possible. Combine uppercase and lowercase letters. Use numbers and special characters. Make every password as strong as you can make it. Use a password generator when you can.
3.    Use a password generator. There are several options turned up in a Google search. I don’t know how secure they are. I’m sure there are reputable versions of standalone programs or apps. I’ll have to look for something. You can certainly get one included in a larger suite, such as a password manager.
4.    Get a password manager. It doesn’t have to be difficult or time-consuming to set-up and at least one major option is free. I got my start at this Lifehacker article “Five Best Password Managers” (May 2, 2010). They highlighted five programs — KeePass (Windows/Mac/Linux/Mobile, Free), Roboform (Windows, Basic: Free/Pro: $29.95), LastPass (Windows/Mac/Linux/Mobile, Basic: Free/Premium: $1/month), SplashID (Windows/Mac/Mobile, Desktop: $19.95/Mobile:$9.95), 1Password (Mac OS X/iPhone, Desktop: $39.95/iPhone:$14.95). KeePass is open source, which matters a lot to some folks. LastPass may have been hacked, which is not good, but might make them even more vigilant. The main point is, it’s important to have help, if you’re going to have a lot of unique username/password combinations.
5.    Have as many unique username/password combinations as you can. It’s this simple — any username and password combination that is used in more than one location is much less secure. And each time you re-use that combination, it gets worse. This mixes well with the previous tip, obviously, but you can easily start this one at any moment you’re online. Think of anyplace you use the same username/password combination. This info will be important to fix soon. But for now you can get by with changing the logins that are really important to you.
Read the rest of this entry »


Will your Internet break on June 8th?

In General, Hardware, Internet, Society, Technology on June 7, 2011 at 9:27 pm

Tomorrow, June 8th, is World IPv6 Day and you’ll probably be able to connect to the Internet with no problems, but you may experience unusual or unexpected issues using the ‘net. Here’s what’s going on and why.

World IPv6 Day is June 8th

World IPv6 Day June 8th!

The “IPv6” we’re talking about here is a number which is assigned to any device — like a computer or printer — that uses the Internet. If you look up information from your network or Internet service provider (ISP), somewhere in that information, you’ve probably seen an address like “172.16.254.1”. That is your IP address (and that example shows the old format, an IPv4 address). This format provides enough variations to allow about 4,294,967,296 addresses (says Wikipedia).

The only problem is that the internet has become the victim of its own success. So many devices are connected to the Internet that those 4,294,967,296 addresses will be used up this year. Therefore, many website owners and network operators are switching to a new system called IPv6. Instead of the 32-bit binary number IPv4 , IPv6 will use a 128-bit number. You don’t have to be a math whiz to figure out this is going to make oodles of new addresses available (oodles, being the technical term).

Most Internet users will not notice a difference. Your home ISP or your office network is probably being updated to provide this functionality. In addition, only a handful of the Internet’s largest sites (such as Yahoo and Google) are rolling out IPv6 tomorrow (and they’ll still have regular IPv4 servers available). If you have a standalone device, such as a wireless, Internet-capable printer, you may have to download updates to the machine. If you run your own network servers, hopefully you’re already aware of this issue. If not, get more information from the Internet Society here.

If you’d like to test your connection, you can do so at this IPv6 test site.

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10th Annual Olympia Comics Festival tomorrow!

In Arts, General, Media, Society on May 20, 2011 at 8:56 am

The 10th Annual Olympia Comifcs Festival

This year's poster

File this post under “better late than never” but you still have time! This Saturday, May 21, you can attend the 10th annual Olympia Comics Festival — and here’s why you should. I love to see the growing emphasis on growing and eating local food. I think most people are on-board with the concept that it is important to shop locally, when you can (local comics shop Danger Room, is a key sponsor, btw). And Olympia is an region that values a local art scene — and comics are an important part of that.

The main events run in downtown Olympia from 11 am to 6 pm. The morning session runs from 11 am to 1 pm at the Capitol Theater (206 5th Ave. SW, Olympia, WA) with spotlight sessions on honored guest artists. From 1:30-6 pm, Olympia Center (222 Columbia St. NW, Olympia, WA) hosts free seminars, workshops, discussions and vendors.

This year’s guests of honor are Paul Chadwick (http://www.paulchadwick.net/), Megan Kelso (http://www.girlhero.com/), and Larry Gonick (http://www.larrygonick.com/). Chadwick has won multiple Eisner Awards, a top honor in the field. Gonick became a New York Times best-selling author with titles such as The Cartoon History of the Universe — melding of academic history and playful illustrations. Kelso has won two Ignatz Awards and received a Xeric Foundation grant for her self-published Girlhero.

Now that comics’ influence has spread to movies, TV, books, videogames and more, I don’t think we really have to make the case for them as an art form anymore. But the stage is still dominated by the big superhero publishers and the handful of indies that have managed to secure reliable distribution networks. Local comics are more than that.

The spirit of the ‘zine lives in the modern indie comics scene and many communities boast an active host of artists. Not every community boasts Chelsea Baker. Local artist and comics doyenne, Chelsea is a guiding force behind the festival. That’s not to denigrate the many tireless volunteers who have been involved — although Chelsea is the first person to give me cause to use the word doyenne in an article.

On Saturday night be sure to check out the guests of honor signing at Danger Room Comics (201 4th Ave. W, Olympia, WA). Additionally, A showing of comic art debuts at The Northern art gallery (321 4th Ave. NE) Saturday night and runs through the third week of June.

For more information visit www.olympiacomicsfestival.org.

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My new 1 TB drive can has future, please?

In Society, Technology on March 7, 2011 at 9:15 pm

It still sits in its box — I’m that blase about it. The finest storage technology 2007 had to offer — my one terabyte drive. Target had a special — I could get the Seagate ST310005EXA101-RK (Just rolls of the tongue, doesn’t it?) for $60 bucks. It’s a clearance. I got my 1TB drive because it’s a little old hat now.

I admit it. I’m old. My earliest computers didn’t have a hard drive. You were limited to about 400 Kb on a floppy disk. It went to 800 Kb and we damn near lost our minds over that.

Seagate ST310005EXA101-RK hard drive

Welcome to the party, pal!

So, a terabyte is, on some fundamental level, fantastic and futuristic to me. To be able to get it for $60 at a Target clearance sale is, indeed, an indication we live in wondrous times.

More seriously, the new drive is meant to allow me to comfortably just set Time Machine up to do its thing. I run a backup every night, but I don’t even want to think about the process of backing up my desktop to an external drive anymore for a long time. Time Machine can handle that.

It’s also a test of sorts. The Seagate ST310005EXA101-RK honsetly doesn’t have stellar reviews. Some people complain about noise. Some people have had it die on them very quickly. I read questions about the quality of the electronic components. Still, with storage, it’s OK to fail upwards — it’s still probably the best drive I’ve ever had, and it has a one-year warranty.

So, expect an occasional updates on how this drive holds up. I had a bad experience on a low-end Western Digital. We’ll see how the Seagate compares.

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Computing pioneer Ken Olsen dies

In Hardware, Society, Technology on February 8, 2011 at 12:20 pm

On Sunday, computer industry pioneer Ken Olsen died but I really didn’t start thinking about it ’til yesterday. I was suddenly reminded that Olsen was one of my first big interviews when I got into journalism.

I was a young associate editor with InfromationWeek magazine. This was boomtown Boston of the “Massachusetts Miracle”-era and running the New England bureau for a somewhat influential technology magazine was not a bad place at all for a young man to be.

Olsen’s Digital Equipment Corp was pretty much the big dog in those days — more influential in that region than any company except maybe Lotus. DEC made minicomputers — computers much smaller than classic IBM-style mainframes. They were still pretty big and expensive by later standards but Olsen was a primary force in putting more computing power into the hands of actual workers, instead of a data center. He was also the force behind getting computing into the hands of mid-sized and even small businesses.

Some of those computers even found their way into the hands of individuals, helping spark the PC revolution — Bill Gates and Paul Allen are said to have written some of their first code hacking a DEC PDP-10. Sadly, Olsen vastly underrated the impact of the PC and DEC eventually fell behind the pack.

I was thinking today about the day I drove out to one of DEC’s estate-like campuses. I think it was Northampton, MA. They had originally floated the idea of sending a helicopter down to get me but the New England bureau of InformationWEEK magazine consisted of a couple of offices in a tiny professional building next to a Waltham, MA strip mall. We had no place for a helicopter to land.

Olsen was an imposing man, stocky and bald; he seemed bigger than he was. He was piercingly intelligent and, even while spearheading his company’s attempted charm offensive, it was still clear he didn’t have much patience for stupid questions. Still, he was unfailingly gracious — a CEO out of a more civilized age. He gave me about an hour — remarkable for Olsen at the time. Although we met a few other times, this would be the only time I was able to speak to him in any depth.

Ken Olsen was one of the most importing people who isn’t widely known. Good-by and godspeed.

Computer pioneer Ken Olsen dies

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Biomass Bloviations

In General, Government, Media, Society, Technology on February 1, 2011 at 9:07 pm

There has recently been a fair amount of controversy in my city — Olympia, WA — concerning the topic of Biomass Gasification. The Evergreen State College (TESC) has forged ahead with plans to build a biomass gasification plant on campus, while much larger, commercial operations are slated in nearby Shelton and Port Angeles. I learned a little about this topic doing research for a local newspaper so I figured I’d share.

Briefly put, biomass is organic stuff like wood which is broken down for energy. Only, instead of burning, the biomass is heated to very high temperatures in an oxygen-starved environment. The biomass can be heated past its burning point and broken down to release a gas that works much like natural gas, to hear some tell it.

There is still the issue that biomass still release a fair amount of particulate matter. It’s vastly cleaner than smokestacks from a wood fire, but residents are still concerned about air quality and the environment.

This week, two notices caught my eye. Tomorrow, TESC Office of Sustainability is hosting an open house on the topic. Everyone is invited to “stop in to a campus community information session on biomass gasification this Wednesday evening. We will have an open house format to allow people to drop in at any point. We will be sharing information about why we are considering this technology, as well as details about the technology itself, and some of the results from our feasibility study so far.” The open house is Weds. Feb. 2, 4-6 pm, Seminar II, A1105.

The scond is from local activists who are fighting newly introduced state legislation — Senate bill 5228 and House bill 1081. Michelle Morris, Director of Concerned Citizens of Thurston County writes, “These two bills were introduced to two weeks ago to strip county commissioners and other county planners of their authority over biomass facilities and,  if passed, they will usurp the Thurston County biomass moratorium.”

The group announced a phone call and letter writing campaign from concerned voters. For more information, visit Concerned Citizens of Thurston County.