White House launches iPhone/iPod Touch app - CNN video

White House launches iPhone app

It's official the White House has an iPhone app! I installed the app 1st thing this morning to see its features etc... The app is free and has no advertising associated with it. I've placed calls into my White House contacts to schedule an interview with the app developers. The app has a very clean design and very simplified interface. One feature that stands out is live video streaming. With this app you can watch White House public events live streamed! There are many times that I'd like to tune in to a press briefing or other live event and I'm not near C-span but I always have my phone with me.

For example later today I'll be on the road but I'll be tuning in to an 11:30 press briefing from my iPhone in-bewtwen meetings.

And next week it going to be interesting to watch how people react to viewing the President’s State of the Union speech next week on their phone. 1st State of the Union watched live from the 1-foot experience.

What are your thoughts on the White House making an iPhone app? Cool, a means for propaganda, useless, effective?

 

Mobile App small biz success story!

For the past couple of years I have been talking about the mobile app-development opportunity. I was expressing my concern for entreprerneurs to do whatever was necessary to learn about developing apps for the mobile platform. Fast forward to today and there are over 100,000 iPhone apps and additional Operating Systems like Android to develop for - NOW it seems everyone is developing an app or trying to but there are still some basics to success. Take a look:

2010 Digital Empowerment Summit w/Tavis Smiley, Hill Harper & Mario Armstrong

I'm honored to be a part of this event and to be moderating with Tavis Smiley and Actor, Hill Harper! The summit is entitled "The 2010 Digital Empowerment Summit" by the Alliance for Digital Equality is happening at USC this Friday Jan. 15th (you can also watch online). There will be a series of panels, sessions and tons of networking with people who still recognize that there is a digital divide still happening in our country! For those of you who can't make it to USC the SUMMIT WILL BE STREAMED LIVE on Friday. To watch the free live internet broadcast and get more info head to: http://www.alliancefordigitalequality.org/

Here's a video about the summit and ADE Chairman Julius Hollis

Get cash for recycling your old gadgets using Gazelle!

I love Gazelle.com! The idea is that you can recycle your old gadgets for money. Here's a vid on how it works. I think the greatest thing about Gazelle is offering you the ability to create an easy and free fundraising website for your fav non-profit, church maybe your school or rec league etc...

Gov. O'Malley announces Cyber Security plan!

Cybersecurity was a hot term yesterday as Gov. O'Malley released a new Cyber Security report for Maryland entitled "CyberMaryland" (see below for the link). The report was promoted as the first comprehensive inventory of any state's cybersecurity assets. The report was put together by the Dept. of Business and Economic Development. I credit DBED Secretary Johansson whose agency interviewed 50 Maryland-based Cybersecurity stakeholders to assess how to best participate in national cyber security opportunities while simultaneously developing an infrastrucuture that would create and nuture job growth in this sector and specifically in Maryland. 

Innovation and investment in R&D is key to significant job growth. In this economy many people look to save money but if we really want to dig ourselves out, 1 element that can certainly help is not to save but to invest. Remember the 60's and the launching of our Space program - millions of jobs were created- - remember when we invested in R&D for this little thing we call the internet today -- which has created too many jobs to count - so whats next? We wont know if we dont put the R&D dollars into the ideas that are circulating in Baltimore and throughout MD. We have the strongest brainpower in the country, access to resources and federal agencies and an incredible startup community just to name a few reasons.

For those of you unaware of the depth of CyberSecurity - the attacks are real --- so Cybersecurity has become increasingly important as computer hackers attempt to steal money, information and intellectual property or damage important services through computer attack. These attacks can range from the typical identity theft to shutting down power grids, transit or even traffic-control --- the list goes on.

For a wakeup call here are some recent stats:

- the number of computers infected by Malware rose 600% in 2009

- the US ranks 9th in Global PC infection report (according to PandaLabs research)

- and The Dept of Defense logged (get this) an incredible 360 MILLION hacking attempts in 2008!!!

Cybersecurity is not going away it will only significantly increase and many call it the next battlelfield.  So it absoutely makes sense for Maryland to demonstrate its ability to lead in this space. Lets take a look at a local example of a Columbia, MD-based Cyber Security company called Sourcefire. Founded in 2001 and now has over 275 employees and on their website right now are openings for another 20 positions. Ohh and the most common job title ends with the word engineer which by the way comes with a great salary attached to it. They have over 2,300 commercial customers, with 7 patents awarded and 38 patents pending.

So the CyberSecurity focus becomes pretty obvious: innovation will increase job growth!

BUT R&D wont be enough, the way I see it, its a 3-legged stool. 1. Do we have the assets? 2. Is the R&D there? and 3. What about the educational pipeline? It won't do us any good to ramp up R&D if we have not spent dedicated time increasing students interest to pursue STEM (Sci, Tech, Engineering, Math)-related careers.

I am excited about Marylands STEM Task Force, I think it took too long to create! It was launched in Sept 2008 BUT I am excited about their 7 recommendations especialy the idea to Triple the number of teachers in STEM shortage areas. I just hope that our State can also leverage the Cyber Security focus to also benefit education. For example there is an amazing opportunity for our State. The Dept. of Education is conducting a national competition among states for a $4.35 billion state incentive fund to improve education quality for which states demonstrate “strong commitments and progress in math and science education and “improve the use of science and technology in the classroom.” I hope we are in the running for this?

MY bottom line: --  Maryland is poised phenomenally well to leverage our statewide and nearby assets, we have the concentrated brainpower an awesome startup community and incredible incubators, if we can create the Cyber Security pipeline then we certainly can be the role model for the country and as Governor O'Malley puts it "the national epicenter" for cybersecurity innovation.

Do you think MD is well poised? What do you feel needs to haapen to take this from plan to action? Where do you think the $ will come from. Let us know in the comments!

LINKS:

Cyber Maryland report- http://issuu.com/cybermaryland/docs/cyberreport

Press release- http://www.gov.state.md.us/pressreleases/090806b.asp

Natl STEM competition- http://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/leg/recovery/implementation.html

Pres. Obama R&D funding comments- http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news-Obama-research-spending-042709.aspx

Ravens - Purple Friday Photo Contest

(this is a personal contest from this blog and is not affiliated with the Baltimore Ravens Team)

What: A fun contest to show off your passion for the Ravens! Win a tech gadget worth at least $100 or more (could be a Sony e-reader or other possible prizes)

Process: Show your creative spirit & Sumbit a photo showing your "Ravens Purple Friday" spirit & passion. The photo can be of u at work in your jersey or any purple sighting or a group shot - it doesn't matter just show your purple love & submit your photo by TODAY Jan. 8th 4pm EDT. Our judges (Vince of Mindgrub.com, Tom Irwin @BaltimoreTom, Erica and Jennifer of the Greater Baltimore Tech Council and myself) will drill down to the Top 3 and have you vote for the winner!

How to enter 3 ways:

1. Upload your photo to http://www.flickr.com/groups/ravenspurplefriday/

2. Send your photo via Twitter and use the hashtag #ravenspurplefri

3. Upload your image to the "Ravens Purple Friday" Facebook contest group http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=277915363031

When: Sumbit your photos Now til 4pm EDT Jan. 8th - We will announce the winner at 5pm EDT!

Why: Because the Steelers suck :-)

Why not? The NFL playoffs are here and my hometown Baltimore Ravens are in the dance! The State of Maryland is sooo pumped about our appearance & apparent SuperBowl takeover that Governor O'Malley declared tomorrow Jan. 8th "Purple Friday"! The State has purple sightings everywhere! Even the Governors website has been remixed to a Purple theme!

So get your photos in early and often -- there is no limit! Have questions email me!

Tom Joyner show Notes

Here are the tech holiday gift items I mentioned on The infamous Tom Joyner Morning Show!

IonAudio.com - Turntables to convert your old vinly into cd's or mp3 files

Keyboards and mice for Boomers and Seniors - check out ChesterCreekTech.com for the VisionBoard2 this is great for people who may be struggling with standard comouter keyboards or have hands or vision challenges

Ceiva Picture Frame - great for the family. These frames need no computer. Just plug into a phone line and pay a monthly connection fee. Then family from anywhere can email photos right to the frame so each day you can wake up to new family memories.

Gazelle.com - Recycle your old electonics for cash!

TechForLess.com - where to get technology and electronics at a discount

Verizon customers - hot phone this year for you is the Motorola Droid!

Sony E-book reader - my favorite e-book reader!

***** If you need any help or advice before buying tech for the holidays - email me here

Apple Macbook laptops power cord failure!

If you want to avoid spending BIG bucks in the Apple store then 1 tip you absolutely need to know is how to properly wrap your power cord. Yes, there is a proper way and many people each year damage their power cords easily and end up spending unnecessarily. In the short video below Dana Stibolt, CEO of MacMedics shows us how to properly wrap your MAC powercord. 

Holiday Tech Tips & Advice - heard on Y98, Russ Parr, CNN, XM

Hey everybody I'l be updating this list throughout the day but here are some websites to start you off:

CyberMonday.com

CouponCraze.com

NewEgg.com

Follow @toshibalaptops on Twitter if you want to try and win a free laptop from them today only!

Kids toys - ToysR'Us are doing big things on their facebook page join 'em

Marios' TOP 6 ONLINE SHOPPING TIPS:

1. Don't use a debit card EVER - its tied to your bank account and harder to fight claims
2. Update your web browser - I suggest using FireFox as your primary browser
3. Buy pre-paid credit gift cards at stores (just watch fine print) but these are grewat you give them the cash in exchange for a credit card for that amount, which makes it easy for you to shop online if you have bad or no credit or dont want to use existing credit cards
4. NEVER click on a link in an email - I dont care how sweet the deal! Its too easy for scammers to setup fake websites that look just like the real thing!
5. Pay attention to shipping and return policies and make sure you buy from a reputable site! If they dont have a number & mailing adress run away, like crazy fast!
6. Before entering credit card info always check to make sure the web address has httpS:// the "S" stands for secure you can also look for the padlock icon on your browser.

Tech Gadgets Holiday Gift Guide

Hey all, it's that time of year where everyone looks for new tech to impact your life. I'm a little late with this post that I am typing it from my handheld to get it done! I gotta tell ya this year I haven't really seen (as of yet) the "must have" technology! However, I do feel that there are several top candidates & technology services & devices that I truly believe can have a positive impact to your life, business or non-profit. Not listed in any particular order, ohh & check back tomorrow I'll have a video of some of the items for you to see in action.

Livescribe
Pulse Smart Pen, this pen or should I say mini-computer in a pen enables you to be a better note taker! The PulsePen has a built-in microphone that can record audio & sync the audio it captures to what you ate writing or drawing in you notebook. For example you are in a meeting or lecture hall and you are recordin audio and taking handwritten notes. Later, be it a week or months you simply tap the pen on a sentence and it will play the exact audio that was captured at that time! You can also connect it to your computer via usb and download the audio & written notes right to your computer. Costs from $149 for 2 gig version.
Bottom line: I personally use thi device and it has made me a more effective listener because I now know there are another set of ear in the room I can focus on what being said not on trying to write everything down!
Who for: Students, notetakers, teachers, biz professionals, entrepreneurs & anyone who takes alot of handwritten notes!
Online: www.livescribe.com

Beats by Dre
These headphones are insane, professionally designed, great fit & the quality of the sound is unbelievable. For those who don't know Dr. Dre is an award winning hip-hop producer who has been in the music biz for a longtime! He has produced hits for artists ranging from Snoop Dog to Eminem. He joined popular Record executive Jimmy Iovine in creating a pair of booming bass headphones with Monster! I interviewed Dr. Dre when these were launched at CES. There are 4 types of headphones. 1) The Studio version which are ideally for artists & musicians (be aware with this version you can hear the sound outside of the headphone, this is why they are really for those in a studio). The 2) Solo version which are a tad smaller and have noise-cancellation, great for music buffs & mp3 player carrying peopl who can't live without music. 3) In-ear version, these are small ear buds that the majority of folks use to listen to music on mp3 players & mobile devices. 4) they recenty announced a version for women by Lady Gaga, they are pearl white with a heart red colored shaped ear budyou are using the standard default ear buds that come with products you are really missing out on quality sound! You def need to upgrade!

Pentax
Digital Cameras are def still on the Top 5 gadget lists! The category has grown significantly, I mean point & shoot cameras with more than 12 megapixel is crazy. Megapixels aren't the only way to measure a cameras ability. Durability is also a newer factor. My fav is Pentax WS80 digital camera that's ruggedized to handle water depths of 16ft, drops from 3.3ft, coldproof & dustproof! My best features (that may annoy some ppl) are the smile & eye-blink detection. Should Just smile at the camera & when in that mode it will automatically take the shot. Blink-detection helps identify when your subject closed their eyes-a nice addition!
Online: www.Pentax.com

VR wearable HD camera
Yep a wearable camera! It can attach on your helmet, handlebars and many other contraptions. Enabling you to capture your life in 1st person mode! Can't wait to try these out skiing.

Netbooks
Hmmm, I haven't different feelings about this category. I'm not really a Netbook fan (so yes I'm a bit biased). My problem is that the screen resolution of most netbooks forces you to scroll & scroll & scroll & scroll! Web-browsing is a bit of a pain. The keyboards are about 88-92% size of a regular keyboard, which may be uncomfortable or cause typo errors for some. They are really meant for those who need Internet access, email & basic wordprocessing. The price however is why they are so appealing to people. I mean, when you can have a "laptop-like" computer for under $300 it causes you to pause & take a look. My advice is to goto the store & test drive these for several minutes.

Stocking Stuffers (coming soon)...

AOL launches new logo!

Tonite I received an email that contained new logos by AOL! Why they sent an email on a Sunday evening, I dont know BUT hey it worked right? I mean, I am up writing a blog post about it!

Bottom line what are your thoughts on the logo & their move to go independent?

What's your "app-estate"?

Location, location, location! That's what they say for a home, a business and now mobile apps! Yes, apps! It's all about location and for you smart/app phone users your prime "app-estate" is more than likely your home screen! App-estate = those apps on your home screen, you use the most!

The image above is my prime "app-estate". What is yours?

CONTEST TIME: I'm giving away a "Mario Digital Santa" gift pack to one random winner. To enter, just take a screen shot of the apps on your home screen & send it to me thru Twitter (@marioarmstrong). I'll post it here with others. Send ur pic to me at: http://www.Twitter.com/marioarmstrong

SEND SOON CONTEST ENDS WEDS NOV. 25th!

Wanna know your neighbors salary & net worth?

That's exactly what you can do online in Norway. Go online and search your neighbors name & bingo, what shows up on the screen is their 2008 tax filings! YES, their tax filings!!!

Norway believes in transparency, but publishing all of their citizens salaries is in my opinion going wayyyyy to far! Criminals are probably having a field day, co-worker boxing matches are probably inevitable & kids that love to show off probably can't wait to go to school & brag about how rich their parents are compared to others!

What are your thoughts?

Full story:
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/10/22/world/AP-EU-Norway-Money-Roll.html?_r=3

Nigeria clamps down on spammers with New project "Eagle Claw"

Will we finally see some spam relief? I sure hope so because there are still enough people that are falling for the spam emails. I mean really, do you actually think if you send money or an account number to someone that they will give you back double in a few weeks? I'm being sarcastic here because their scams have actually come along way from those days, although people really did fall for those scams! Now these scams look very close to real correspondence from banks etc... they have become way more sophisticated & there are still enough people clicking links that making the spammers realize there is still a market!

A new "fight spam" project that was recently announced is a public-private partnership that combines Nigeria officials and Microsoft. The project is called "Eagle Claw" (what would you have named it?). The plan is to stop spam a much as possible, arrest spammers & ulimately get Nigeria off the Top 10 list!

Jacqui Cheng of Ars Technica does an awesome article with all the details!

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/10/nigeria-actually-arrests-shuts-down-online-scammers.ars

A techpreneur's open letter to DBED: Take the social media lead!

It's been a little over 6 months since Governor O'Malley announced a major leadership change to the direction of the Maryland Dept. of Business and Economic Development (DBED). Recently, I spoke with this major change. His name is Christopher Johansson and he is the Secretary of DBED and reports directly to Governor O'Malley (a former boss of mine when I worked for Baltimore City). I spoke with Secretary Johansson and met some of the DBED team members at TechNite--the GBTC's "very awesome" annual technology event that celebrates the regions tech successes. It got me to thinking about DBED's 1st 6 months under Secretary Johanssons guidance and the impact DBED has had on Maryland businesses! First, a bit of background, the date was April 9th, 2009 when Johansson was sworn in by Governor O'Malley. It was a big day for Maryland and I remember going on air (not just locally but on my national show as well) talking about how this was a smart move and a great choice for the State. At the swearing-in Johansson stated “I look forward to building on our unparalleled assets – our world-class workforce, our top-rated education system and our superior business climate – to ensure that Maryland remains competitive in the global economy.” For those that don't know the mission of Marlyand's Dept of Business and Economic Development is to "create, attract and retain jobs while promoting the state's vibrant culture and history." Bottom line they are charged with helping to grow companies in the State of Maryland.

Now before we get to deep into this post I want to be upfront, it's no secret that I believe in Johansson and am an admirer of his work! He has a solid track record and is a genuine person that wants to see Maryland succeed at the highest levels, not to mention he has experience working on National programs. For example he was a member of President Obama's Executive Committee for Urban and Metropolitan Policy during the Presidential campaign and he served as an advisor to President Obama's transition team. 

I have total confidence in his ability to deliver, he's intelligent, committed and likes to win! My only gripe (yep, only one) is that I want them (DBED) to deliver more, much, much more and much, much faster to quickly capitalize on their momentum. Here's why! We all know these positions have a short shelf-life to make change and impact. We also know that traditionally it takes Government time (in some cases a very long time) to conceive, draft, review, implement and sustain new or expanded programs. And I get it, I know it's a political climate and I have the utmost appreciation and understanding to the political pressures and challenges DBED is facing. I'm probably one of the few in the technology industry who can write on this topic that has worked for DBED as Manager of IT for the Division of Tourism, Film & the Arts and has also worked for O'Malley.

We all know this is a very challenging time and budgets aren't what they used to be! Which is precisely why I think DBED should use recent wins to step up the pace and use what I call "the trampoline effect" to get their ideas & successes more bounce & more bounce nationally! Their website lists recent news and highlights.

3 recent successes I'm excited about are:

1. The opening of the 1st International Incubator in the US (located at College Park, MD) I think great possibilities could come from this type of injection to our biz tech ecosystem, I saw the international appetite for something like this 1st hand while visiting tech companies in Seoul Korea 2 years ago.
2. The openings of BioTechnology Centers in Rockville and Baltimore. Giving us much needed infrastructure.
3. The hiring of their 1st-ever Interactive Marketing Director - while I'm surprised it's their 1st. I'm more excited that Secretary Johansson and DBED saw the need and acted. 

Out of all 3 of the above, I'm most excited about the new hire. And here's where I get to finally share my 2-cents on what I think DBED needs to do to step their game up and hit my "trampoline effect". 

From my perspective, DBED needs to become more engaged in assisting the storytelling of Maryland business success through social media. Alot of neighboring state Econ Development agencies have a twitter and Facebook account. I'm glad to see that about a week after Secretary Johansson came on board they posted their 1st tweet. Their twitter account has some great posts and it's not just self-serving DBED news, which is very wise to do to build a real audience. One social media gap I see is the lack of competing State Econ Development agencies embracing the "killer app" to gain national/international attention. I'm referring to web video. In my opinion I think DBED has an opportunity to take a leadership position by launching YouTube/Vimeo/Viddler channels. This doesn't have to be an expensive program at all. This could be done very effective for small change! I've noticed several of our nearby competitors have little to no social media presence and it seems like a wide-open opportunity to have our State stand out and begin to create a national dialogue/buzz about Maryland's business climate. For example, Virginia's Economic Development YouTube presence is laughable, I mean why bother. They have 1 video and it's just their 30 sec ad of why they are the best state to house your business. Yeah, now thats real convincing! I'll be right there VA! I'm not talking about slick, highly-edited, overly-priced marketing videos. I'm talking gritty, organic and user-generated videos of the people, culture and behind the scenes video that showcases what makes MD companies & our State business environment unique and compelling.

For example when CNN Money listed Baltimore in the Top 10 places to launch your business Economic dev agencies not just DBED should have been all over that national press and maybe they could have started a campaign and asked Maryland businesses and County Econ Dev agencies to shoot an organic 2-3 minute video about benefits of their business/organization in Maryland and place it on DBED's (yet to be created) YouTube channel. Another example could be when Baltimore plays host to an international opportunity called TEDx MidAtlantic. DBED knows the value of TEDx and I'm jazzed to see they are supporters of the event BUT I want them to latch onto this international opportunity and leverage it! Another example could be when Gov. O'Malley declared October Cyber Security Awareness Month-for the month of October videos could have come from companies and the people involved in Maryland's Cyber Security industry. Then later this month when the State hosts the Computer Security Institute’s 36th annual conference at the Gaylord Resort in Maryland with computer security experts from across the country. DBED could deliver a live stream or record video of some content that will happen at the event and make that accessable via their online video channels.

The bottom line is, we all want to see Maryland grow successfully and while many competing States are waiting on the sidelines, it's the perfect time for us to institute some bottom-up strategies that can enhance our image and demonstrate some valid reasons why businesses should look at Maryland to expand or call home. 

And look DBED doesn't have to do this themselves. They could or they could support/partner with some other company or organizations to make it happen. As evidenced by all the community biz-tech outpouring of free events like BootStrapMaryland, Ignite Baltimore, Social Dev Camp East, TEDx Mid-Atlantic and more the Maryland vibe is strong with people and business owners ready to volunteer, roll their sleeves up and get involved for a common cause. I'm excited about Secretary Johansson and as an entrepreneur in Maryland I'm really pleased to hear about the new interactive marketing DBED hire and look forward to seeing what opportunities they seize and produce. 

Let's take the time we have now to our advantage and show why business in Maryland is REMARKABLE!

NAB 2009 conf - Zune & HDRadio getting tons of Buzzz

Last week I was a guest speaker at the 2009 National Assoc of Broadcasters radio conference. The conference took place in Philadelphia at the Convention Center and had a variety of radio types in attendance. From executives to sales to programmers and star talent! Some of the recurring themes over the course of the few days at the conference were MOSTLY about new technologies. I heard the words Twitter, Facebook & Digital Strategy more than I heard the word radio. The radio industry really, really, really (ok 1 more time---REALLY) needs to embrace new technologies to help reach more listeners, especially those listeners that are using new devices and platforms to tune in! One advancement on display at the show that was like the light at the end of the tunnel was HD Radio! Many stations have been embracing this technology and at the conference there was a buzz about the new Microsoft Zune HD! This is MAJOR news, because for the 1st time a .mp3 player has an HD receiver built-in. This is HUGE, I tell ya! The radio industry needs this! This basically means you can go mobile with HD Radio; walk, jog, bike or drive around and catch your fav HD radio programming on a portable device. I mean lets face it Apple just finally put in an FM radio tuner. Meanwhile Microsoft went much further and embraced HD Radio (Apple, what are you waiting for?)!

HD Radio is big for stations (over 2000 stations offer HD Radio) because it enables 1 station to deliver multiple channels of content. For example let's say your fav channel is 98.6 (with an HD Radio you could see 98.6 HD1, HD2 or HD3, this means that the 98.6 station is actually broadcasting content on those 3 HD signals. For example, 98.6 HD1 could be the content you've always got in the past BUT HD2 could be something totally different, like nonstop traffic and weather updates meanwhile HD3 could be a talk radio channel - all being broadcast by the same station. This expansion of programming choices could mean more listeners can find content better tailored to them. 

But many of you still may not have yet experienced HD Radio. Once you experience it you really begin to understand the benefits. If you haven't had a chance to discover HD Radio log on to: http://www.hdradio.com/ On the site you can learn more about how it works and even hear the difference. Which will blow you away! Imagine AM radio sounding like FM and FM sounding like CD-quality! Yep, that's what HD Radio sounds like - pretty incredible! Now get to a local store and test it out!

Mario visits HD Radio booth at NAB Radio 2009 to see new ZuneHD

I was speaking at the 2009 National Association of Broadcasters Radio show in Philadelphia so I decided to hit the exhibit hall floor on the hunt for awesome new technology that's impacting the radio biz. As I look towards the back of the hall I see this massive booth in all orange, it caught my attention. Then I saw the HD Radio logo, I jumped on my Segway and beelined over to the booth to shoot some video of the new Zune HD!

Diary: Day 1 with "Trust Agents" Chris Brogan & Julien Smith

YES!, I received my copy of "Trust Agents" (a NY Times Bestseller) by Chris Brogan & Julien Smith a couple of days ago. I've known about Chris Brogan for quite some time, from his blog & following him on Twitter http://Twitter.com/chrisbrogan

Disclaimer: I met & interviewed him this past January at the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas for my client CEA (Consumer Electronics Assoc.) as well as for my Sirius XM tech show! I gotta tell ya, it's great to meet someone who's work you respect & in person they live up to or exceed your expectations - that doesn't happen often but with Chris he's totally WYSIWYG!

Now that I have a copy of the book I'm anxious to start reading.  I'm already into chapter 2 Make Your Own Game! However for some reason with this book I decided to create a challenge to myself. I want to do more personal development so here's my chance!

So each week (for next 4 weeks) I will post about something I learned from the book that I will try and implement or work harder on! We are all learning as we go along and I know that I love helping people and love seeing people be happy! Maybe someone like you could also benefit from my personal challenge - I sure hope so! We all know that every challenge has a corny name right? Why should my challenge be any different, I'm calling it the "Agent M" challenge (I know, I know. Pretty lame name, BUT I had to think of something that would relate :-) plus I'm a "Men in Black" movie fan & there's a scene where Michael Jackson says he could be "Agent M" so there ya have it --- the "Agent M" challenge! Follow my "Agent M" updates on Twitter http://Twitter.com/marioarmstrong & let's see what we can learn from each other!

Stay tuned

BREAKING: Healthcare Broadband Discussion live online

Today! the FCC will host a workshop to discuss the role of Healthcare for the National Broadband Plan.

For those who can't attend in person they will be streaming the seminar online!

Time: 1:30 pm EDT
You’ll need to register to attend the webinar. 

Bottom line the FCC has decided to try and bring more open dialogue between the FCC and key constituents on matters important to the National Broadband Plan. According to the FCC key constituents will include service providers, equipment providers, applications providers, community groups, and other groups that have a stake in the future of broadband - that sounds like pretty much everybody! And I agree, I think we all should be way more involved and concerned about the lack of broadband competition and usage. Think of how much broadband has afforded you and how much you may take it for granted - well there are millions who are without it!

The goal of this specific workshop on Healthcare is to gather information concerning how and where broadband networks are deployed to provide telehealth services throughout the nation. In addition, workshop participants will be encouraged to provide examples of successful telehealth programs and will be asked to identify whether telehealth diagnosis and treatment is covered under medical insurance. Information and data obtained in this workshop will enhance the Commission's understanding of the barriers facing the health care community in accessing broadband telehealth connectivity as the Commission develops the National Broadband Plan.

Some of the questions that should be addressed include:

1) What benefits can broadband bring to healthcare providers? To patients? 
2) Do facilities in the health care industry have adequate access to broadband?
3) In what ways has the universal service Rural Health Care Program, including the Rural Health Care Pilot Program, increased broadband access to health facilities? 
5) To what extent do health insurance plans currently cover telemedicine diagnoses and treatments? 
6) How can broadband facilitate efficient, effective, and secure access to medical records? To the extent that greater safeguards are required, how can they be developed and implemented? 
7) What benefits can broadband bring to federal, regional, and local emergency responders? Do they have the connectivity and coordination they need, and if not, where and why not?
8) What is the cost of deploying additional broadband infrastructure to these areas, facilities, and responders?