How I Got Two iPhone Apps Refunded.

29Jun09

Holy Moly, Apple does return and refund iPhone apps!!

I am THE biggest stickler for value:money (ratio), and firmly believe in “You get what you pay for.” Upon recommendation, I forked over cash for Beejive –an IM application, when iPhone OS 3.0 was released; mainly for the push function. (Push is notification of new activity, even when the application is closed).

Long story short, Beejive is still extremely buggy and utterly useless. i.e. super crashy, couldn’t log on with mutiple accounts, server errors galore…I just had all sorts of issues with it.

I felt ripped off.

$10 bucks for an iPhone app is HELLA money in my book. For 10bucks, I can get four iced espressos at Starbucks, eight bags of Swedish Fish, 9 soft serves from McDonald’s, or nine 99cent iPhone apps, etc., etc., you get the picture right? So I spent a few days complaining on Twitter about how much Beejive sucks.

On Saturday, I couldn’t take Beejive’s suckiness anymore so I Tweeted: “Dear Beejive, I would like a refund.”

I assumed iPhone application returns and or refunds were near impossible…iTunes and Apple’s site are clustermesses and for the life of me, I could not figure out how to request a refund. Seriously, try “Search” on both, it works but seriously needs help. People were sharing their personal nightmare experiences with Apple refunds, and Sean even got locked out of his iTunes account.

It looked like a refund wasn’t happening…until FriendFeeders Drew and Kisha linked me to two successful refund stories. I followed the directions and requested refunds for (1) Beejive and (2) Chocolatier –a game I purchased by “accident”. ;) hehehe.

These are the steps I followed to request a refund:

1. Open iTunes
2. Log on to your account
3. Go to purchase history
4. Report a problem
5. Fill out form with reason for refund (nicely)
6. Wait

Apple resolved my issues with a quick turn around time, hassle free, and was really really nice about it, too. And I am not going to lie, it shocked the crap out of me! …It may have helped I was clear and concise: “Beejive is not working out for me because x and x. Therefore, I would like x.” Manners and politeness can be advantageous, too. :)

At any rate, thank you, once again, to the wonderful FriendFeed and Twitter communities for helping me out and offering advice, as well as sharing your own personal experiences. Though it is hard to respond to every single @reply and comment, I read every single one of them and appreciate the insight you guys provide. :)

Reason no. 98273948379823 Social Networks RULE.

*if you are interested, there is discussion on apps and personal experiences with Beejive here. Beejive sucked for me, but there are many who experience no issues.
**Apple’s iTunes help web form’s direct link is here.

Filed under: Apps, Personal, Social Networking, apple, iPhone   |  22 Comments
Tags: apple, application, iphone, refund

Damn Straight Michael Jackson’s Passing is Personal.

25Jun09

…but beyond the memories of my mom, to me, Michael Jackson has always been more than the King of Pop.

You see, my growth chart is synonymous with his discography.
A huge piece of me is all things MJ.

So his songs have always meant more than the magic formula for instant success.
MJ’s creativity, showmanship, plus talents, more than pure entertainment and his accomplishments, far beyond just a mark in history.

His existence was…and is still a part of me; his death highly personal.

I do not expect anyone to comprehend or even begin to understand how or what I feel. Nor am I asking you to feel the same way I do towards Michael Jackson.

But I am asking all of you to please respect my wishes of keeping jokes, judgments, and negative comments about MJ far away from me for a very long time.

To insult him, is like insulting me.

If you think I am overreacting, remember, that as much as you think you may know me, you do not. Like I said, MJ is highly personal and the whys are for me to know and for you to find out if I choose to share. :)

Thank you in advance for your respect.

Filed under: Personal   |  9 Comments
Tags: michael jackson

Why Facebook Usernames are Such a Big Deal.

09Jun09

Simple: you will be Googleable*.

Take it a step further, and you can potentially turn your Facebook into your business card…or personal website…or where you send your family and friends to keep up with your life. The possibilities are endless.

One of the best things about Facebook is consolidating a lot of your web stuff into one place. You can do it from your wall by clicking “Settings”. Then the sites available for importing will pull up: i.e. YouTube, Flickr, Yelp, etc. like this: (points below)

So instead of directing people all over the web, just point them to your Facebook page for a one stop shop. Awesome.

But the most important thing to know, are your privacy settings**.
If you don’t want people to see your activities, set your privacy!! (Settings -> Privacy Settings -> Profile) I only allow tagged photos and videos to be seen by my eyes only — don’t want incriminating stuff floating around the web. ;)

I’m super excited because I know all the crap my peers had to go through in order to generate traffic to their various sites. We have it so frickin’ easy, it makes me respect the Internet OGs even more. Chris, Dave, and Scoble, I’m looking at you guys!

You better believe I am drinking Facebook’s Google Juice.
Frankly, I’ll be chugging it down!

* Expanded discussion on how you will be “Googleable” on my Facebook.
** Nick also has a DOPE write-up about privacy: “10 Privacy Settings Every Facebook User Should Know.“

Filed under: Facebook, Social Networking   |  15 Comments

Dating 101: Just Say NO to Digital Hickeys

08Jun09

Remember hickeys? I do.

I’ve had two hickeys my whole entire life and both were pretty unpleasant experiences. The first, I was around 14ish (I think) and happy to finally be included in the hickey club. All the cool kids were in that club, so I felt cool too…until I realized how much effort was required to hide the damn thing. It hit me early on, that outside of school hickeys were just big, purple, markings faaaar from cool and well…simply gross. I stopped talking to the guy who gave it to me and made it clear to those who came after him, if they dared even attempted leaving a hickey, I’d drop kick them in the head.

The second, was in my early 20s.
I was going on an all girl Vegas trip and my bf at that time left the biggest, meanest, purplest, most disgusting hickey on my left neckline a day before the trip. I remember the shock of being so caught off guard. We were in our 20s. Who leaves hickeys? WHO? …and (really) blurted out of irritation: WTF am I? A frickin’ fire hydrant? Don’t mark your territory like an EFin dog! before kicking him to the curb. As much as I liked him, insecurity* = do. not. want, and  to this day, he still thinks I am a nut-job who broke up with him over a hickey (not confirmed).

So in my mind, hickeys are GROSS.

Nowadays, hickeys have stepped its game up and gone digital. It’s allllll about subtly marking territories on Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, et al., by leaving detailed wall posts spilling personal business for all to see, or uploading and tagging photos of the two of you. The various ways people leave digital bits is pretty hilarious and telling. All I know is, digital or not, hickeys = DO NOT WANT.

That said, dating is now a lot easier, thanks to social networking sites. Filtering potentials is so much easier. I can tell a lot about another person just by their Facebook or Myspace pages. If a guy I just met had digital hickeys all over their pages, I would definitely run the other way.

Reason no. 897928374 I really really love the Internet. ;)

*Just in case he’s reading this, he wasn’t all that insecure. We were together during my peak partying years. I was working a 9-5, bartending for fun at clubs on the weekend, and partying when I wasn’t working or bartending… so I understand. But as wild as I came off, I never did anything to make anyone be insecure.

Filed under: Personal, Rants, Social Networking   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: digital hickeys, facebook, Myspace, Social Networking

Our Country is in Deep Sh*t

29May09

Enough is enough.

I Tweeted the article on Bay Area summer schools getting cut and the response was well, let me put it this way. All I heard were crickets chirping at the tumbleweeds rolling across my monitor.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t fault anyone for their silences. I mean, how do you respond to something like that? I don’t know either, but sometimes, I can’t help but to wonder: do we (our nation) even care?

Pardon the profanity, but our country is in deep shit. Our educational system – the foundation of this country, is an utter failure.

• San Jose Unified cuts their summer school from 4 weeks to 12 days this year to save money.
• Seattle School system cut their after school programs.
• “Currently 6,000 of the nation’s 95,000 schools are labeled as needing corrective action or restructuring because they have fallen short of testing targets under the federal law. via The SF K Files.
• There are schools in the US that asks parents to equip. their kids with basic supplies ie: toilet paper.
• Detroit has shut down their school libraries for a semester, for example, when there was enough (private) funding to pay $41 million to their NFL draft pick.

…and those are only a few examples from people I correspond with. Google “budget cuts education” and the number of news articles that pull up are ridiculous.

These budget cuts are unacceptable.

Especially, since I learned the United States is tied for first place with Switzerland for annual spending per student on its public schools*. I don’t know about you, but “not enough funding” sounds like a load of crap to me.

How is our failed educational system ok?

Well, it is not. Something MUST be done.

…I just don’t know what (yet).
But enough is enough.

*via Wikipedia and OECD
**Further discussion on my Facebook and FriendFeed.

Filed under: Rants   |  3 Comments
Tags: education reform, rant, USA FAIL

Make Your Life Easier: Replace Why with How

22May09

According to my parents, I almost institutionalized them with my non-stop questions.

You know, the normal kid questions i.e. Why can’t I chew gum that’s been spit-up? Why don’t people eat the crust (sandwiches)? Why is my face so flat? (all questions I’ve asked, btw), so naturally, “Why?” was the initial word that would come out of mouth for a loooong time.

Several years ago, I noticed most “Why” questions lead to “How” questions.

For example:
“Crap. X and x, now xyz!”, followed by “WHY”s. Why did this happen? Why would it happen? Why couldn’t we prevent it? …and more often times than not, followed by finger pointing, blame, and focusing on what went wrong and frankly, talking in circles.

Once the dust (and panic) settles, we move on to solutions:

• How did this happen?
• How can we properly execute this?
• How can we effectively communicate this?
• How could we have prevented it?
• How can we ensure this never happens again?

By consciously asking more “How” instead of “Why”s right off the bat, I’ve reached solutions more efficiently and quicker …or simply: my life became a trillion times easier.

Since my how question method, emails have been drastically cut down, there are faster turn-arounds, almost always on schedule, etc., etc., because you see, the “how” is often buried in the “why”s.

So for my peers that read this (if you guys still do…I haven’t been updating) – try it, and let me know if I’m load of crap. :)
Image courtesy of Natalie Dee…god I LOVE her!

Filed under: Personal, Rants   |  3 Comments
Tags: cut crap out your life, make your life easier, management

I am Addicted to Undercover Douchebags.

06May09

I have the absolute worst taste in men.

Lumping the men I dig into the “douchebag” category is a bit harsh, since they do not look like the common douchebags. i.e. greasy hair, designer clothes wearin, name dropping, flashy car driving, guido-ish, Myspacing…douchebags. The douchebags I am attracted to, are undercover douchebags.

Filed under: Personal   |  8 Comments
Tags: dating, douchebags

My Baloney has a First Name: DO NOT EAT

09Mar09

So we are discussing best sandwiches on FriendFeed and Twitter. I suddenly remembered baloney. Since I hadn’t thought about baloney in YEARS, it was like I discovered it for the first time — again.

Conclusion: American bologna is just plain wrong.
ESPECIALLY Oscar Mayer’s version
Check this out:

(image borrowed from oscar mayer’s site)

Look at the very first ingredient!!
Mechanically separated chicken and pork

WTF?

Now I am no tree hugging-KFC-boycotting-throwing crap at celebrities animal activist but “mechanically separated” animal parts made my imagination kick off.

The only thing i could picture was this:

Filed under: LOLs and WTFs, Rants   |  13 Comments
Tags: Baloney, Do Not Want. EPIC FAIL, wtf

Vanilla Ice Apologizes to the World for His Existence

04Mar09

Is this satire?
If not, there is something wrong with him.
Why would anyone apologize for being successful?

What a loser.
No wonder he FAILed.

Filed under: FAIL-POD, LOLs and WTFs   |  6 Comments
Tags: douchebag, EPIC FAIL, FAIL, loser, Vanilla Ice

Spare Time on Computers

27Feb09

OMG how true is this?
Thanks, Yashin!

Filed under: LOLs and WTFs   |  8 Comments
Tags: funny pictures, LOL, SO TRUE

Bullet Proof Yo’ Dome with a Cheap Ass Weave

20Feb09

Some woman got shot in the head but her weave stopped the bullet.
Seriously, I need to invest in a weave… not that I’m in danger of getting shot in the head or anything, but still. This is crazy.

Filed under: LOLs and WTFs, Uncategorized   |  2 Comments
Tags: ghetto, holy shit, LOL, OH HELL NO, wtf

Facebook Change of Policy: Why You Should Care

16Feb09

Basically, they are saying:

“What’s yours is mine and what’s mine is mine.”

Now it’s no secret TOS (Terms of Service) concerns didn’t start with Facebook. Facebook also isn’t the only site telling users: “Hey, we own your content.” My problem is with the licensing and sub-licensing and what they can do with content we put on their site. But the worst part is, Facebook makes sharing everything SO easy.

So why is this relevant to you? Picture this:

• A video that you uploaded of your baby eating was so cute, it became super popular in the say – Mommy Application you installed. If Facebook catches wind of that, they can sell it to like say… Gerber to turn into a commercial/ad. Who gets paid? FACEBOOK.

• You write poetry and upload to your Facebook notes and blog. You write more poetry and upload to Facebook notes and blog. Your poetry becomes popular and published. So who really owns the rights to the book?

• That one picture of your dog is so damn cute, people are sharing it with everyone else. Facebook finds out about it and decides to sell the image to saaay – Alpo. That commercial becomes super popular. Who gets paid? FACEBOOK.

See the pattern?
If you think things don’t spread, you are wrong. Take the 25 Things, for example. People were complaining about how stupid it was, but fact remains, it spread. Even TIME Magazine wrote an article about it. No one can predict what will spread.

I am not trying to make you paranoid nor am I trying to start a TOS revolution. All I’m saying is remember the next time you upload or import something to share, Facebook WILL own it and you have given them the right to redistribute – and profit.

Further discussions on my Facebook here and on FriendFeed here and Mike has a great example of why we need to be aware in: “Facebook Lays an Egg“
Edit: Mark Zuckerberg’s response here. And usual, Duncan Riley of the Inquisitr says it best: “Word of advice: get your blog content off Facebook ASAP .

Edit 2/18 Facebook Reverts TOS

Filed under: Facebook   |  31 Comments
Tags: facebook, tos

What to do with your boss’ Facebook request.

09Feb09

So the day comes when you log into your Facebook and see that one friend request you never wanted to see: from your boss.

You stare at it for a few seconds, stuck on stupid, trying to decide what to do. There are a trillion things racing through your head: “Should I accept it? … but what about all my incriminating party pictures? Or the extremely personal things written on my wall – I don’t want my boss to see that! How do I politely decline without getting fired? Should I just pretend I didn’t see it? What if I hit accept and he/she finds out I am sitting on Facebook all day? What should I do? F*CK.”

There is only one answer: Deny.

It doesn’t matter if your partying days are long over and incriminating drunk photos are irrelevant to you. Or you live the most conservative life style, and  a complete open book. Remember, all it takes is one photo, comment, or wall comment to tarnish your reputation FOREVER. People are judgmental and unforgiving. The best option here is to ignore, deny, or pretend you never saw the request.  It is always better to be safe than sorry.

However, some people have bosses that follow up on their request. If they do, here are a few suggestions to get you out of that extremely awkward situation:

Filed under: Facebook, Social Networking   |  1 Comment
Tags: do not want. la la la i can't hear you, facebook, how to, how to deny, what to do if boss sends request

We All Fail, Get Used To It

05Feb09

I am not strong.
I learned to be strong.

In May 2007 after my mom died, I said:

“Never be too afraid to take risks, for what may hurt you will only make you stronger.”

In July 2007, Kanye West released “Stronger” and said the same thing:

“Not that don’t kill me, Can only make me stronger.”

A year later, Dave McClure said it more detailed:

“on average, YOU ARE GOING TO FAIL. MULTIPLE TIMES, in NEW & INTERESTING ways.

GET USED TO IT.

in fact, the more you are used to failing — and failing fast, with data on how you fail — the better off you will be.”

Dave is on point.

Now you may not be a big pimpin’ VC like Dave. You also may not be a big time recording artist like Kanye. And your mom – or whoever your rock is, may very well be alive. But all of us (even you) have one thing in common: we are human.

Everything we face in life is a challenge. We will fail. We will also succeed. But life goes on.
You can be whoever and whatever you want.

So why not move forward with life instead of holding on to the bad?

If anyone’s wondering what brought this on, lemme break it down real quick. Recently, things have been goin’ on that are quite baffling. In fact, I haven’t experienced this kind of awkwardness since growing up.  I should be used to it by now since you see, I’ve always been different than other people. I have been called every name in the book, shunned, and made fun of. In theory, I should be used to the hate by now. But I am not. I am human. And I have feelings too. The negativity, judging, and name calling does take a toll. The only difference is, I choose to worry about me.

So to the people holding their own pity parties or sympathy fests and turning around taking the negativity out on other people? GET OVER IT. Life doesn’t always go our ways. There are things that suck, and suck hard.
Try taking the energy spent on other people to do something for yourself. Take risks. You can do whatever you choose to do and be whoever you choose to be.

Because not that don’t kill you, can only make you stronger.

Filed under: Personal, Rants   |  6 Comments
Tags: FAIL, haters, we all fail

Google Chrome Commercial [YouTube]

01Feb09

Google Japan made a Chrome Commercial. Wow.

via YouTube.

Filed under: Google, awesome   |  3 Comments
Tags: chrome, commercial, Google, japan

Self Portrait Whores, this iPhone App is for You

30Jan09

I am way too cheap to buy apps and don’t do product/app reviews, since they are so time consuming (taking screen shots, explaining, etc) but this I have to share. I found this neat iPhone app by GAM products and it’s nothing like I’ve ever seen.

It’s a filter that applies light to iPhone photos.
Confused? Well, see for yourself:

Ta-daa
iTunes link: Light . It’s only two bucks.
Images from digitalfilmtools

BTW whoever says the iPhone’s camera sucks is WRONG. Proof is here.

Filed under: Apps, apple, iPhone, mobile   |  11 Comments
Tags: app, apple, iphone

Woes of a Single Girl Geek

28Jan09

Being a geek girl rocks, but at the same time sucks. There are way too many assumptions and conversations take too long because I have to start by explaining and or proving myself. Otherwise, people are condescending.

ie:

“Aw, there’s something wrong with your PC? Is it plugged in?”

Please do not address me like a grandma on AOL. I’ve clean installed Windows, set up home networks and  servers. Wha chu kno ’bout that?

“How cute, you like the Palm Pre. Not sure if it comes in pink.”

Pink + mobile = Microsoft’s Pink – and that is not happening. Otherwise, does not compute. I happen to be a huge mobile junkie and interested in more than just its looks.

“You should install this browser called Firefox and rid IE, you know.”

Uh, I switched to Firefox in 2003. Been using WebKit’s nightly build for quite some time now, thank you very much.

…on and on, the rude comments continue.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind AS much but people freak out when I can VPN, know how to get into terminal, troubleshoot CSS (if need be), use Google’s unofficial shell, know that cloud computing isn’t a computer thrown away by tossing into the sky, and hold my own in OpenSource, enterprise convos. I even have Dave Winer’s OPML editor installed and running a beta tool.

And yes, I am aware I wrote a paragraph justifying myself.

Anyway, as if that’s not enough to deal with, it sucks even more being a SINGLE geek girl. Why? Well:

Filed under: Personal, Rants, Uncategorized   |  27 Comments
Tags: EPIC FAIL, FAIL, geek, girl geek, single, woe is me

STFU, Valleywag. Just SHUT. UP.

26Jan09

Pardon while I rant really quick but Valleywag’s “Marissa Mayer Sticking to Google Like Icing on a Cupcake” piece pissed me off – check out how it starts:

“Google will never be free of Marissa Mayer, the cupcake-loving gigglepuss VP who oversees the company’s multibillion-dollar search engine. Or so says Marissa Mayer.”

Now I understand Valleywag is a gossip rag and controversy increases page views (read: $$$), so I don’t read them. At all. But today, I did. Why? Rizzn shared it on FriendFeed and despite better judgment, I looked. Big mistake.  As a female in tech, this type of mockery pisses me teh EF off.

Say and think what you want about Marissa Mayer, but she knows her stuff. Her passion for Google’s products / services are clear when she talks, and most importantly, when she is on the mic, she is: PROFESSIONAL.

Whatever, Valleywag’s a bunch of haters anyway.

So why does this bug me so much? Well you see, we females – especially in tech, are categorized itn two groups: the hard ass bitch – where we’re called “butch” or “bitches with balls” behind our backs or cheerleaders. Well, in Valleywag terms:  “cupcake-loving gigglepusses” Read: a no win situation.

WTF are we supposed to do? How are we supposed to act? Truth is, it doesn’t matter, since we (females) get talked about anyway – and Valleywag isn’t helping any. Especially picking on someone like Marissa Mayer.

So Valleywag? STFU. Just SHUT. UP.

Filed under: Personal, Rants   |  10 Comments
Tags: STFU

How to Survive a Bad First Date (long version)

24Jan09

Ok. I lied. I didn’t run. Running away would’ve been horrible. My foot isn’t healed and the date would’ve caught up to me. Plus I may have been mistaken for a dine and ditcher – a bad date is not worth landing on Inside Edition. But most of all, it would’ve been bad manners.

However, I came up with five ways that’ll keep you occupied on a horrible date.

Get date to talk about themselves. Answer all questions with one word and throw the question back at him/her – this should keep your date occupied until the end of the night, which will give you freedom to:

• Count ceiling lights.
• Start a mental game of “I Spy”.
• Count the number of servers and bus boys.
• Memorize the menu (Wine menu included).
• Try to figure out the other patron’s drinks (cocktails are always fun)

And this should be enough to keep one busy through drinks and dinner. Tonight, I was reminded (once again) why I thoroughly screen – more on that later.

PREVENTION = KEY!

(image via nataliedee)

For those interested, details after jump.

Filed under: Personal   |  13 Comments
Tags: bad date, dating, DO NOT WANT, EPIC FAIL, FAIL, HORRIBLE, How To Survive a bad date, NO THANK YOU, UGH

How to Survive a Bad First Date

24Jan09

RUN

Details to follow.

Filed under: Personal, Uncategorized   |  2 Comments
Tags: bad date, date, EPIC FAIL, FAIL, HELL NO, NO THANK YOU