Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-08-30

August 30, 2009 by JD · Comments Off
Filed under: Twitter

@barbaraling Good morning, Barbara. I slept until nearly 3:00 am! I’m running late. (grin) It’s a beautiful day here in the mountains. #
@barbaraling I’m in NC, so it’s pitch-black here, too. It’s a cool morning and the stars are bright. Time for more coffee… #
New: Aug 26, Directory: John Dilbeck is building a small directory of hand-picked websites, blogs, and forum.. http://bit.ly/3j8ewR #
@TimSomers Good morning, Tim. How are you today? Thanks for the retweet! Act on your dream! JD #
What is social networking? http://bit.ly/2spGpt #
New: Aug 26, What is social networking?: What is social networking? People are social creatures and we enjoy.. http://bit.ly/3EdQKe #
Murphy Gold News: Aug 29, Murphy Gold Special Offers: Murphy Gold Special Offers – Ge.. http://bit.ly/5cQSl
#MurphyNC #
Murphy Gold News: Aug 29, Murphy Gold News – Subscribe today!: Murphy Gold News – Sub.. http://bit.ly/4Ctnio
#MurphyNC #
Murphy Gold News: Aug 29, Murphy Gold News – First issue has been published: The very.. http://bit.ly/17ZNyo
#MurphyNC #
@ExtremeEzine Good afternoon, Brian. Thanks a bunch for the retweet! #
Murphy Gold News: Aug 30, Images By Courtnie – Family Photography in Murphy, NC: Imag.. http://bit.ly/16g2o5
#MurphyNC #

Tags: tweets, Twitter

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-08-23

August 23, 2009 by JD · Comments Off
Filed under: Twitter

Who is online in Murphy, NC? #MurphyNC – Join us at http://MurphyConnections.com #
New: Aug 17, Share Your Success Story: Share your success story – provide motivation and inspiration for oth.. http://bit.ly/LSoee #
New: Aug 18, Site Build It Webmasters: Site Build It webmasters are building online business success in the .. #
New: Aug 18, Delicious Tag Cloud: John L. Dilbeck presents a tag cloud linking to his favorite pages that ar.. http://bit.ly/OCmUJ #
New: Aug 18, Visitor Demographics Survey: Visitor Demographics Survey – help us learn, in general terms, who.. http://bit.ly/sGbd4 #
New: Aug 18, Your Dream: Your Dream – Do you have a dream? Do you have a purpose in life that you want to ac.. http://bit.ly/10Hd7f #
@patinkc I agree, Pat. Ads in direct messages are dumb. I usually unfollow and may block those who do this. #
@GrowWear Good morning, Mimi! I hope you;re doing well today. #
@chrisblake Hi Chris. My grandkids call me “grand-dude.” (grin) #
Murphy Gold News: Jul 26, Rumors Clothing – Trendy Juniors Clothing in Murphy, NC: Ru..
#MurphyNC #
What are the fifteen books you’ve read that will always stick with you? http://bit.ly/Fifteen-Books #
I no longer open email with subjects that include words like sneaky, exclusive, tricks, secrets, hurry, and so on. #
@aj1996 I agree. I’m finding those words to be quite annoying this morning, for some reason. Straw, camel, back? #
@ExtremeEzine Hi Brian. I’m being dense this morning. I don’t understand. #
@ExtremeEzine (grin) I understand that. You said, “many email clients spam emails with words like that automatically.” Which email clients? #
Just published latest issue of Act On Your Dream! newsletter. http://bit.ly/RHeju #
@Mitch_M Good afternoon, Mitch. Thanks for the retweet! How did the poker tournament go? #
@Mitch_M Even though you didn’t leave with a pile of cash, I hope you had lots of fun! #
@uptone Good evening, John. Thanks for the retweet! #
@daveingram Good evening, Dave. Thanks for the retweet. #
Recommended: Mark Hayward on 25 Ways to Create Your Social Media Footprint Today – http://bit.ly/RHzLZ #
Recommended: DoshDosh on Social Media Marketing Campaigns: How to Set Goals and Define Your Target Market – http://bit.ly/Cd46b #
New: Aug 22, New Issue – Act On Your Dream! Newsletter: I just published a new issue of my Act On Your Dream.. http://bit.ly/1PRSzz #
Recommended: Becky McCray on 18 Blog post ideas for any small business – http://bit.ly/16rElN #
Recommended: Chris Brogan on 50 Blog Topics Marketers Could Write For Their Companies – http://bit.ly/OW5Gq #
What is one thing you have always wanted to do in your life but have not done yet? – http://bit.ly/things-to-do #
@mark_hayward Hi Mark. I mentioned you and your Palmetto Guesthouse in my forum today. – http://bit.ly/things-to-do #
Recommended: Mark Hayward on What the hell can social media do for me? – http://bit.ly/TmiX2 #
Recommended: Mark Hayward on 31 Blog Post Ideas For Small Businesses – http://bit.ly/pgdhv #
@uptone I don’t know. Apparently it looks like something others are interested in, too. #
@patinkc I know what you mean. I love living in the mountains! #
@uptone Hi John. You’re probably right. #
@ExtremeEzine Hi Brian, It looks like we missed each other. I blogged about email subject lines at http://bit.ly/12TSyM #
@ExtremeEzine Thank you for your excellent comment, Brian. I agree with what you said. #
Theresa Victa announced Customer Appreciation Day Sept. 5, 2009 at Mountain Spirit Essentials in Murphy, NC. #MurphyNC http://bit.ly/kmh7Y #

Tags: tweets, Twitter

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-08-17

August 16, 2009 by JD · Comments Off
Filed under: Twitter

@lindamiller Good morning, Linda! I was just walking around in the rain a few minutes ago. It’s a beautiful morning in the mountains. #
Muffy Kerber just reminded us: Wednesday nights are Team Trivia Night at ShoeBooties Cafe, downtown Murphy, NC, 828-837-4589. #MurphyNC #
What’s happening in Murphy, NC? Come join us and make new friends and connect with old ones. #MurphyNC – http://MurphyConnections.com #
@aj1996 Re: “net etiquette”… One can tweet as many times as one wants on the same topic every day. We vote by following or unfollowing. #
I just setup @EzineArticles to tweet my newly published articles: http://Twitter.EzineArticles.com/ #
@MarkEdwardBrown Happy anniversary to you and your wife, Mark! #
Reading Seth Godin’s Blog: Willfully ignorant vs. aggressively skeptical – http://bit.ly/Rq1uS #
New: Aug 16, Murphy NC: Murphy NC is a growing community that still has small town charm and friendly people. http://bit.ly/2G3OCg #

Tags: tweets, Twitter

Arguing against your limitations

August 11, 2009 by JD · 4 Comments
Filed under: Musings

First, I want to thank Susan Murphy for tweeting about her new favorite blog post. Otherwise, I probably never would have seen it.

Today, Christopher S. Penn wrote a great blog post about Arguing against your limitations, and I recommend that you read it.

All of us has something that holds us back, even if it exists only in our own thoughts. It doesn’t have to be this way.

Why accept your own self-imposed limitations?

I also enjoyed reading his thoughts on blue ocean marketing strategies. I think many people who do online marketing should think about this. Maybe you?

It won’t take long to read his post and the comments are interesting, too.

Act on your dream!

Tags: blue ocean marketing, limitations, self-limiting thoughts

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-08-09

August 9, 2009 by JD · Comments Off
Filed under: Twitter

New: Aug 3, Dreams Can Come True: Dreams can come true. What are your dreams? What makes you feel energized?.. http://bit.ly/MDSf0 #
New: Aug 3, Home Business Information: Home business information to help you start your successful home base.. http://bit.ly/FFZ8r #
New: Aug 4, Living As A Victim: Living As a Victim? – Are you living your life as a victim instead of someon.. http://bit.ly/5e6zE #
New: Aug 4, Make Your Own T-Shirts: Make your own t-shirts by creating your unique designs and selling them .. http://bit.ly/4kx2Go #
@iwilker Hey Ian. Hope you had a great time in the cabin. I love this area. I live in Murphy, NC. #
@iwilker I love the Joyce Kilmer forest, too. Years ago, I was there when one of those giant trees fell. It shook the ground a 1/4-mile away #
@iwilker I used to visit WNC every change I got. Then, I moved here 25 years ago and love it. #
RT @copyblogger – Free Report: Authority Rules – http://bit.ly/KxTv6 #
Reading this: Workshifting from a Small Town http://bit.ly/14Mp3Q #
RT @RichOwings #ncaffiliatetax passed House & Senate tonight. Final vote tomorrow. (snip to fit) Sometimes it’s just not enough to be right. #

Tags: tweets, Twitter

Printing 3-D models in stainless steel

August 4, 2009 by JD · Comments Off
Filed under: Arts and Crafts, Musings

At one point in my life, I wanted to be an engineer. Well, yes, the kind that drives steam engine locomotives, but that’s not what I’m talking about here. I wanted to be the kind of engineer that used a slide rule when I was young and then moved to computers, later.

I’ve been fascinated with mathematics and doing practical things using math.

It turned out that I just wasn’t suited to be an engineer. But, I still love practical applications involving mathematics.

One such application is CAD/CAM (computer-aided drafting and manufacturing). I taught myself how to use a couple of CAD programs about 20 years ago and enjoyed it, but not much more than drafting using a big table and plastic triangles. It just isn’t for me.

Along the way, I learned a bit about 2.5-D and 3-D CAD.

Just as I’ve always wanted to be a sculptor, but lacked the talent, I’ve always wanted to build 3-D models, but lack the talent for that, too. So, I’ve remained an outside observer, watching the developments and learning a bit, here and there.

I’ve watched as it became possible to print a 3-D model in resin and plastic. In fact, I have a small, plastic sculpture of a human head that was printed using one of these techniques sitting on a bookshelf across the room.

Today, I ran across a company called Shapeways and loved their slogan, “Passionate about creating.”

What intrigued me, initially, about Shapeways is that it is kind of a Zazzle or CafePress for 3-D model designers. You can upload your model and they’ll print it for you. You can then have it shipped to you or even sell it in a Shapeways shop.

As I said, I don’t have the talent to do this, but I enjoyed looking at some of the galleries.

A friend of mine, who is a sculptor, and I spent some time experimenting with creating what are actually 2-D models with depth using a laser engraver many years ago. I could do the drawings for that and we tried printing the products in plastic and wood. We even tested creating wax models from the originals and casting them in silver and pewter.

It was intriguing and had some nice possibilities, but that was about the time Mom became sick and I chose to close my metalsmithing business and become her full-time caretaker. So, we never really did much with it, after that.

Still, every now and then, he sends me a link to a website or an article cut from one of the many magazines he reads that talks about new developments with laser engravers and 3-D model printing.

This time, I get to send him a link to something he may not know about.

One thing that really caught my attention is that Shapeways now offers the ability to print 3-D models in stainless steel.

That’s a huge jump forward, as far as I know.

It’s an interesting process. They print the model using layer after layer of stainless steel powder that is bound with some kind of binding material. When printing the model is completed, it is heated and cured, and then infused with bronze. After that, it is polished and ready for delivery.

One thing I really liked is their section on Expectation Management talking about the limitations of the process and the requirements for successful printing in stainless steel. It shows, to me, that they have caring people there who want you to be happy with the results you’ll obtain.

I know absolutely nothing about Shapeways other than what I read this morning. This is not a personal recommendation. However, if you have the talent to create 3-D CAD designs, Shapeways may be something to look into for fabricating your models.

It’s not something I’ll be doing, but I do find it fascinating.

Act on your dream!

Tags: 3-D, fabrication, metal, models, printing, sculpting, stainless steel

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-08-03

August 2, 2009 by JD · Comments Off
Filed under: Twitter

I just finished rebuilding one of my sites that has been sadly neglected for a couple of years. #MurphyNC http://cherokeecountync.com/ #
@Mitch_M Hi Mitch. Nobody likes the greens and blues that I do, and a white background seems to please most, even me. #
@Mitch_M Green and blue are my two favorite colors! But, they may not be the best for websites. I’m liking the plain white for now. #
@patinkc Awww, Pat. That’s so nice. I’m blessed by knowing you, too! #
Who felt the earthquake near Murphy, NC this morning? #MurphyNC http://bit.ly/11ol7h #