All Things Cahill

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  • Avatar II – The Trailer

    This is hilarious!

    [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkDQttVdSks[/youtube]

  • On the Fly Website Translation in Google Chrome

    I stumbled on this neat trick the other day while having a look for information on a Russian website.  If you are browsing using the Google Chrome Browser and open Google Translate in one tab, when you surf to any foreign language sites, it will offer to translate the site for you.  You click yes, and bang, you’ve got that site in English. The actual translation is as good as the library they have, hence Spanish is pretty good, while you can probably bet that Urdu or Swahili will offer mixed results.

    I’m now using Chrome for most of my browsing although I do use Firefox for css debug, and IE just to be sure my work is accessible in all browsers.  I expect we’ll see Chrome really take off this year.

  • The Localized SEO Project Yeilds Fruit

    2 weeks after go live, BayStatePowerWashing.com is now fully indexed in Google.  The site initially had Google position only for it’s own name, due to the use for frames in the old site design.  Here is a sample of some of the results:

    • residential power washing massachusetts – #1
    • commercial power washing massachusetts – #3
    • power washing weston ma – #1
    • power washing shrewsbury ma – #1

    Excellent progress.  Even better news is that the site owner has the ability now to create new pages which will target other local search terms.  In other words, he has the ability to be where he needs to be.  On top of that, he’s working on fine tuning the marketing message, so we’ve got the fuel to get Google position, and the content to provide the potential customer the right message when they get to the site.  A potent combination.

    The even better news is these results are all “white hat” – we’re not using any nefarious techniques to fool Google.

  • New Netcast: A History of the World in 100 Objects

    I’ve been listening to this netcast for the past two days on the way to work, a major savior for me since the weather has made for epic commutes.  It comes from the folks at the BBC and the British Museum and it’s called “A History of the World in 100 Objects.”

    From their “about” page:

    At the heart of the project is the BBC Radio 4 series A History of the World in 100 objects. 100 programmes, written and narrated by Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum, and focusing on 100 objects from the British Museum’s collection.

    The programmes will travel through two million years from the earliest object in the collection to retell the history of humanity through the objects we have made. Each week will be tied to a particular theme, such as ‘after the ice age’ or ‘the beginning of science and literature’, and the programmes will broadcast in three blocks, in January, May and September.

    Yup, I can hear my daughters sighing from here…it’s history.  The thing is, this is really different.  It’s not the story of how one group enslaved another, but more it’s a history of how we developed across the globe as people.  It’s told through the artifacts we left behind, and in those objects, they find the way to show us our own evolution.  A truly different look at the world, and all in installments of about 15 minutes each.

    Whereas I’d usually throw a “if you like history…” disclaimer on a post like this, it’s really not necessary.  If you’re interested in people, or what’s made us who we are, this netcast is a winner for you.  It has excellent audio production quality, gets right to the point, and generally is something everyone should take the time to listen to.

    You can download the netcast direct from iTunes or get it right off their site here.

  • Friday Music Video: John Coltrane – Greensleeves

    Not really a video…but certainly one of my favorite songs of all time.  Note how it combines an optimistic theme with a strong blues undertone.  In 35 years, I still hear something new every time.

    [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugAuYzKgrrA[/youtube]

  • Designing for the iPad?

    I was listening to a netcast this morning (This Week in Media) and the host Alec Lindsey put forward the suggestion that many content related businesses were planning on developing specific content for the iPad.  I had a couple thoughts…

    • Why would you funnel development dollars into creating something for a single platform, when that platform has not yet been released.
    • How could you develop effectively for a platform, when that platform has not yet been released.
    • The suggestion was made that there would be 5 million iPads in the wild within the year.  Maybe, but I wouldn’t count on that…and even at that, 5 million is a mere drop in the bucket compared with the internet at large.
    • Specific versions for ANOTHER platform?  C’mon, we’re back to the old Mac vs. Pc, Netscape vs. IE battles here.  We have a common mode of delivery for these types of devices, it’s HTML, have you ever heard of it?

    If the iPad becomes wildly popular, I’ll have a look at developing specific content for it, but for now, I’ll expect users with that device to fire up Safari and visit the old fashioned way.  We’ll get an idea today as preordering started about 9 minutes ago for the wi-fi version of the product.

  • New Site: BayStatePowerWashing.com

    BayStatePowerWashing.com

    Over the past few weeks I pulled together a new site for my friend Ryan Mowry, owner of BayState Power Washing.  The site is built in wordpress and uses a fairly standard template.  Points to consider:

    • This is a test of a new localized SEO tactic.
    • The site hadn’t been indexed yet by Google yesterday, the last time I checked.
    • Site is fully editable by Ryan.
    • We did include a blog, where Ryan will be posting information of use to Massachusetts home owners.
    • I’m not a fan of 100% width sites…

    Give the site a check – especially if you’re looking for the best power washing service in Massachusetts for your home or business.

  • Random Boat Show Thoughts

    The Edgewater 35ex

    I should (hopefully…fingers crossed) have a vidcast from the floor of the boat show for you tomorrow.  Depending on my ability to edit it down into something approximating a coherent effort.  Which is a bit of a tall order, seeing as I shot the whole thing on my iPhone.

    The good  stuff will be in the video.  But for now a few random observations:

    • Attendance appeared to be on par with last year.
    • Admission price was less, at $13 per adult, including a magazine subscription to Motor Boating, Yachting, or Ski.
    • Lots off smaller booths this year with non-marine products like knives and such.  Other semi-marine products like “Rescue Tape” also had fair presence.
    • They had an “Affordibility Pavilion” – one notable entry among the 16′ ski boats there was the 18′ Maritime Skiff, coming in with a price tag of $29,000.  That’s a whole bunch of money for a bay boat.
    • On the other end of the hall, the bigger power boats were smaller this year.  42′ seemed to be about the biggest.  The prices, however appear to have continued to grow, economy be damned…
    • Boston Whaler had a ’37 Outrage that looked like the space shuttle, with a price in the same ballpark at $449,000.  Question: aside from Powerball Winners and the AIG Bonus Brigade, who can afford that kind of stuff?  And who wants to sling a bleeding bluefish over the side of a boat in that price range?
    • Sealegs: it’s a boat with wheels.  Insert your own snark here…
    • I ran into my ex-Brother in Law Brad Pierce and his son Bill at the show – hadn’t seen them in something like 16 years.  Wonderful to see them after 16 years!

  • Derek Trucks – I’d Rather Be Blind, Crippled and Crazy

    [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSbcpLLadX0[/youtube]

    Another great video of Derek Trucks

  • iCoffin

    [metacafe]http://www.metacafe.com/watch/yt-IRoGhu5I5Cg/icoffin/[/metacafe]

    I’ve got no words for this one.  Brilliant…