-- Post From My iPhone
Friday, December 11, 2009
Monday, August 31, 2009
Station Fire: Where to get accurate information
Where can you get credible information on the Station Fire burning in Southern California online?
Twitter
Accounts that I know to be official News Sources or Fire Fighter Sources;@LAFDtalk @LAFD @CalFireNews @eneitzel @AngelesNF @latimesfires @ktla @ABC7 @CJamz
*@LAFD & @LAFDTalk are for the City of Los Angeles and not the account for the Los Angeles County Fire Department. However, there is no verified @LACo account on Twitter.
Accounts that I know to be trustworthy Citizens spreading information;
@winecountrydog @twnstar2 @socalincidents @ChopperKat
Mike Brown, @plutokiller, is live tweeting the top floor of Caltech library.
Bio: Astronomer, planet hunter, Pluto killer.
RT @plutokiller: OK, all, I'm going mobile. From roof I have line of sight to Mt. Wilson towers & scopes. Stay tuned. #station
Blogs
Webcams
News Stations
Websites
On Facebook
RT @latimesnystrom: Want to help with SoCal fires? Here's how http://bit.ly/WIrsJ via @lanow @latimesfires @latimescitydesk
The Station Fire burning in Los Angeles County has claimed the lives of two fire fighters, Captain Tedmund "Ted" Hall and Firefighter Specialist Arnaldo "Arnie" Quinones.
Quinones was a soon to be first-time-father.
Five people have refused to evacuate their home and are reportedly trapped at a ranch near Gold Creek. I was listening to the L.A. County Fire and EMS scanner when they decided it was simply too dangerous to send personnel back into Gold Creek to evacuate them. Steve Whitmore, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County sheriff said a helicopter was unable to immediately reach them because of intensity of the fire but that they would try after the flames passed through.
Note: As I am typing this, I am listening to the scanner and hearing that the five people in the Gold Creek area are still being defiant. Not sure if I heard correctly that it is either the Hathaway house or if that was the name of the road that these five people are holding out on.
Last night when I went to bed, the Station Fire had burned approximately 45,500 acres and by the time I got back to the laptop, around 9am today, it had nearly doubled in size to 85,760 acres. Just a few hours later, it reached 105,000 acres. Currently, the fire is only 5% contained and the estimated containment is date is September 15th.
I am sure there are many other resources out there that you can use, but really, this is plenty enough to follow.
- UCLA Dept of Physics & Astronomy webcam View of Mt. Wilson. *Due to heavy visitor traffic to the site, you may have to refresh several times. I have found better success with my iPhone app: WorldView Live (Search iTunes app store for that)
Websites
- InciWeb -Incident Information System
- Station Fire Evacuation, Road Closure and General Information
- County of Los Angeles Fire Department
Online Scanner
On Facebook
iPhone as a Scanner
- Emer. Radio app (Los Angeles County (Santa Clarita Valley) Fire, Sheriff and EMS)
How you can help
National Fallen Firefighters Foundation: Honors all firefighters across the nation http://www.firehero.org/RT @latimesnystrom: Want to help with SoCal fires? Here's how http://bit.ly/WIrsJ via @lanow @latimesfires @latimescitydesk
The Station Fire burning in Los Angeles County has claimed the lives of two fire fighters, Captain Tedmund "Ted" Hall and Firefighter Specialist Arnaldo "Arnie" Quinones.
Quinones was a soon to be first-time-father.
Five people have refused to evacuate their home and are reportedly trapped at a ranch near Gold Creek. I was listening to the L.A. County Fire and EMS scanner when they decided it was simply too dangerous to send personnel back into Gold Creek to evacuate them. Steve Whitmore, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County sheriff said a helicopter was unable to immediately reach them because of intensity of the fire but that they would try after the flames passed through.
Note: As I am typing this, I am listening to the scanner and hearing that the five people in the Gold Creek area are still being defiant. Not sure if I heard correctly that it is either the Hathaway house or if that was the name of the road that these five people are holding out on.
Last night when I went to bed, the Station Fire had burned approximately 45,500 acres and by the time I got back to the laptop, around 9am today, it had nearly doubled in size to 85,760 acres. Just a few hours later, it reached 105,000 acres. Currently, the fire is only 5% contained and the estimated containment is date is September 15th.
I am sure there are many other resources out there that you can use, but really, this is plenty enough to follow.
Note: The title image is not mine and can be found via Yahoo search; Station Fire + Images
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Josie Faye Hall "Uccellina"
A dear friend of many is losing her battle with cancer. She has a soul & heart that shines like the Sun. We are rallying around her and we know that she knows we are all thinking about her & sending love her way.
She shut her Twitter account, @winkfromblueyes, down last night. This is why we are using the hashtag: #winkfromblueyes
Terry Travers (@TqNews) has a blog where there are some pics and loving thoughts for http://redjanebird.blogspot.com/
There is not much more I want to say on this right now. I am very upset.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Ummm....it's nothing. Really.
Thoughts for today
- If you leave an open bottle of white wine in the fridge for a month, it goes bad. Like REAL bad.
- Monavie and Vodka is DELICIOUS!
- Think I am getting less concerned about Saving the Trees the more I have to wash dishes by hand.
- "You're gonna love my nuts" makes me laugh EVERY time I hear the Slap Chop/ShamWow guy say it.
- One of my Twitter friends, @Arktist is a very talented artist, although I NEVER saw him tweet about his work. Very cool guy! Here's some of his sketches.
- Even though @Calamari and I are not dating any more, I am glad I met him because he is a TRUE friend. Even helped me with my Rez Zoom May today! What a sweetie!
- Thanks to Obit Wheelchair spam email, I am now aware that I MAY qualify for an electric wheelchair at little or no cost. Good cause I was tired of this whole 'walking' thing and I *should* invest in my retirement.
- Monavie and Vodka is REALLY DELICIOUS!
- The price of NYMEX crude seriously needs to come back to reality. People with NO jobs CAN and WILL decide to drive less furthering the rise in inventory. Just sayin.
- I am NOT an SEO or Social Media expert and I think that NObody is. You're either smart & 'get it' or you don't. It isn't magical.
- We MAY be able to save our HOME because we FORCED our lender into modification talks by not paying our mortgage for 6 months. I didn't have to pay any fees or get screwed by any scam artists.
- I don't know what the word "debian" means and I am too lazy to look it up.
- Talk show radio hosts who say that Twitter is lame and vain have little to no followers because in reality, they are pissed that no one gave a crap what they had to say.
- I can't figure out why people give a crap what I tweet about.
- Tweets like this are a total #Fail for me: RT @nbcbayareacom: Presented By: http://bit.ly/101GPY
- Tweets like this I actually LEARN something from: RT @dkmashino: http://twitpic.com/bzps8 - Pink Palace & the place in which Pave Paradise was penned apparently.
- My dad was out of his mind when he kept telling me "You catch more flies with honey than you will with vinegar." Really, dad? Who the hell wants flies??
- I have something in my eye and NO it is NOT my finger.
- Our #CABudget sucks, but hey...budgets suck. Period.
- There's only ONE thing that could make this Monavie Vodka cocktail even better...It could clone itself so I don't get my butt up and make another!Note: I do not sell Monavie. I just like the taste of it.
Friday, July 3, 2009
#FollowFriday for July 3rd
Happy Independence Day Weekend America!
Please be sure to not only have a fun & safe fourth of July weekend, but be sure to take a moment to reflect on how fortunate we are to have the freedoms & liberties that we do have here in the U.S.. For all of our bitching & complaining, we really do have it plush here.
I come from the Lee's & Dean's of old Virginia on my maternal side, so Independence Day has a really cool & personal meaning to me. Not that it doesn't hold significant meaning for ALL of us...just sayin'.
My G-G-G-G-G-G (eh, too many G's) Grand Uncle was George Washington. My GGGGGGG (whatever) Grandfather was Henry Lee III
who fought in the American Revolutionary War.
Mind you, some of my maternal ancestors are ones that enslaved, raped, killed, et cetera some of my paternal ancestors, but that is all water under the bridge now. It is what it is.
From my ancestors that are indiginous to this continent to the ones that helped shape our government, to the soldiers that have fought & those that continue to fight for our freedom & the freedom of others, to the firefighters, the law enforcemment, doctors, nurses, teachers, to those that bust their humps working hard every day, to those out of work & eager to find a job, to the bum in the streets, the activists, the pacifists, to the children & all others I may have left out...
I am SO proud to be an American. Sometimes embaressed, yes, but very proud nonetheless. This is OUR country because we make it what it is.
Now, on with my #FollowFriday Suggestions...
I come from the Lee's & Dean's of old Virginia on my maternal side, so Independence Day has a really cool & personal meaning to me. Not that it doesn't hold significant meaning for ALL of us...just sayin'.
My G-G-G-G-G-G (eh, too many G's) Grand Uncle was George Washington. My GGGGGGG (whatever) Grandfather was Henry Lee III
who fought in the American Revolutionary War.
Mind you, some of my maternal ancestors are ones that enslaved, raped, killed, et cetera some of my paternal ancestors, but that is all water under the bridge now. It is what it is.
From my ancestors that are indiginous to this continent to the ones that helped shape our government, to the soldiers that have fought & those that continue to fight for our freedom & the freedom of others, to the firefighters, the law enforcemment, doctors, nurses, teachers, to those that bust their humps working hard every day, to those out of work & eager to find a job, to the bum in the streets, the activists, the pacifists, to the children & all others I may have left out...
- "This land is your land, this land is my land
- From California to the New York Island
- From the Redwood Forest to the Gulf Stream waters
- This land was made for you and me." -Woodie Guthrie
I am SO proud to be an American. Sometimes embaressed, yes, but very proud nonetheless. This is OUR country because we make it what it is.
Happy Independence Day America!
Now, on with my #FollowFriday Suggestions...
I follow a lot of ppl. Of course I can not catch every tweet they post, I am able to keep tabs on them pretty well. This is a list of SOME folks on Twitter that I look forward to chatting with and/or reading their tweets. Some are controversial. Some are informative. Some are just plain ol' Chatty Cathy's (or Chad's if applicable). Point being, if you add 1/2 of these ppl to your following list, you will A) Never be bored on Twitter. B) Learn something new. C) Make some great contacts. D) Smile & laugh.
Give 'em a shot & check them out!
@bnmeeks @LATimescitydesk @AdrielHampton @LATimesNystrom @markbriggs @tnsltwn @Art_News @winkfromblueyes @aNorthernSoul @Arktist @AlohaArleen @RayBeckerman @terri5me2000 @ZAGrrl @JDrive @andrewhuntre @Letiitaa @Zacharycohen @zachflauaus @Monkfishy @Adrigonzo @SaschaScarpulla @hlooman @tracy2be @Robert_Banghart @guruvan @ZAGrrl @mactavish @PhilHarrison @marquearts @verwon @egratto @CJamz @BilleBaty @Walterpic @nelsonmaud @wahliaodotcom @dreadw @drewtipton @pussreboots @motheringrocks @Adriel4Congress @gmkerwin @WriterLeeAnne @bhavinm @jonkolbe @smellycents @Meghan1018 @Irishrose54 @GumpB @DrDuran @thetalesend @christinajade @LishaBisha @judithsthoughts @Halibutron@@chrisblake @TankaBar_Linda @gregcollier joebrooks @TradingGoddess@Clifsoulo @ianryerson @Zab @zaibatsu@smashadv @purplehayz @JimMacMillan @entreprediva @3amjosh @aileen2u2 @QueenofSpain @TheExpert @FizzyDuck @bhavinm @littlefoxy @taosmesa @swellyn @campingblogger @Armageddontime @CHARLIEFOGG @pixel_jockey @LittleFoxy @LishaBisha @Calamari @BasilLeaf @ckanal @ocicat_bengals @elocio @infidelsarecool
*I didn't have time to hyperlink the names. Your mousing hand could use the copy/paste exercise. ;-)
SO sorry if I left anyone out. Please understand that I try to get as many ppl in as possible over the course of many #FollowFriday's. That and I am pressed for time. Running away to Lake Tahoe for the weekend! ;-)
Be safe & have fun!
*I didn't have time to hyperlink the names. Your mousing hand could use the copy/paste exercise. ;-)
SO sorry if I left anyone out. Please understand that I try to get as many ppl in as possible over the course of many #FollowFriday's. That and I am pressed for time. Running away to Lake Tahoe for the weekend! ;-)
Be safe & have fun!
Friday, May 15, 2009
#FollowFriday
My top #FollowFriday ppl for this week?
Those that helped get important info out to the public during the #JesusitaFire in Santa Barbara.
Those that helped get important info out to the public during the #JesusitaFire in Santa Barbara.
It was tough, at first, to determine who was giving accurate info out. I knew mine was since I was listening to Santa Barbara PD/FD scanners, watching streaming chopper coverage and that I get all of these BNO News emails.
Quickly the key players figured out who the right sources were.
RT @Cjamz Throughout the night PLEASE follow @Alonis, @socalincidents, @KCSB, @LATimescitydesk and @SBRedCross and more #jesusitafire
@Cjamz was on location and posted URGENT tweets about the fire. Every time he tweeted in ALL CAPS I knew it was important:
RT @Alonis: #jesusitafire ACK! RT @CJamz: @Alonis HERE WE GO AGAIN! Western Flank EXPLODING! FIRE HAS JUMPED CONTAINMENT LINES ON WESTERN FLANK!
@LATimesCityDesk posted very useful information like this:
RT @LATimescitydesk: Check it out: Our interactive map of the Santa Barbara fire has been updated. It's packed with useful info. http://tr.im/kTuz #jesusitafire
@Cjamz would post the evac orders on Twitter, but that wasn't going to work for me.
I had received them directly from sources such as KSBY and the City of Santa Barbara's PIO. (I've since deleted them because they are no longer needed.)
I couldn't flood all of my followers with evacuation orders in 140 bits. Instead, I posted them here on my blog & then would post them on Twitter with the proper hashtag, #Jesusita so those watching the fire via Twitter Search could link to it right away.
When all of the fire fighter's hard work began to pay off and the fire started to come under control, I realized I had connected with some great ppl.
RT @CJamz: @Alonis ALWAYS my dear! It's REALLY a pleasure to work with u and everyone else! All my best 2 you! #jesusitafire
RT @Alonis: @CJamz Keep up the great work! Be safe. Know that everyone's thoughts and prayers are with all of you guys! #jesusitafire
Nita Lelyveld runs the @LATimesCityDesk acct.
I also was trading DMs with @LATimesNystrom while he left work to go on vaca on Friday night. I got to know him a bit, as a regular person.
Nita Lelyveld runs the @LATimesCityDesk acct.
I also was trading DMs with @LATimesNystrom while he left work to go on vaca on Friday night. I got to know him a bit, as a regular person.
Great guy with ties to the Bay Area! Kewl!
Oh, and follow @ENeitzel - National PIO, Incident Social Media (ISM) cause he not only will let you know when & where the roof is on fire but he's a pretty damn funny guy!
You get a real chance to see how genuine and goodhearted ppl are during times of crisis. This was one of those times & these are some PPL with BIG hearts. :-)
Here are some other #FollowFridays that I love on Twitter but can't spend all day blogging about WHY I enjoy following them. Check them out!
@tnsltwn @FizzyDuck @NMHill @entreprediva @purplehayz @lynndorman @TradingGoddess @missdestructo @adrielhampton @pixel_jockey @scorpusmaximus @TheExpert @TheyCallMeEllis @kitson @natetang @Stardragonca @MissSimone @ocicat_bengalsterri5me2000 @vaxen_var @midalioness7 @twnstar2 @Robert_Banghart @SherrieKeysdetnews @StockJockey @mangonocturna @TigerMel @Letiitaa @BelieveAnyway @KimPossible40 @skunkhair
And last but surely not least, my sister @TenayaLeDeux
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Twitter Rule Book Volume 2
Really, I don't think I can top my first 25 rules but here is a list of other things that I think people should know & some of the things that bother me the most on Twitter.The first 25 are really basic. These are a bit more in-depth. I guess this is more like a Guide Book instead of a Rule Book.
26. Auto-DMs: Are you using these? Don't! Too late? Consider this as your Cease & Desist letter. KNOCK IT OFF!
27. Do not DM me about how to gain more followers or about your blog. If I want to read your blog, I will. DMs about gaining more followers is SPAM. It's also a quick way to LOSE followers. *doh*
28. Grammar: Ok, I'm SO guilty of making grammatical errors on Twitter. Some times my fingers fly across the keyboard faster than I can think. I get a too excited & hit the update button without re-reading the post. I get over it eventually, the "grammar nazis" should too. I don't have an editor hovering over my shoulder to tweet. Do you?
29. Cursing: I think it's fine to use swear words, if you want. Just do so with tact. No one wants to read the 'F-bomb' being dropped in every post of yours. I curse from time to time on Twitter so I try to do it in style. Eg: "@ss" or "sh*t". It let's ppl know I'm fired up over a topic, but yet I want to still be a lady. (Don't roll your eyes! I CAN be a lady...I think.)
30. Acronyms of the New WWW Order 2.0: PPL, AFK, STFU, FML, FTW, IMHO, etc. are used frequently. Need to look any up? Try "Internet Acronyms Dictionary" Best resource I have found yet.
31. How 2 report spammers: 1. Follow @spam 2. DM details to @Spam 3. Block spammer
(This tip comes from @Twitter_Tips Follow them!)
Also, you can call ppl out when they are spam Twitter accts. @TradingGoddess does this frequently with her "How to NOT market your schtuff" tweets. It's part of maintaining 'Community Awareness' on Twitter. Hopefully those ppl get the hint. Doubt it.
.
32. Blast bad customer service! Get results. I freaked out on Twitter sometime ago over my mortgage statement. I took it all out on @Wachovia, my note holder. Result? They DM'd me a personal msg requesting my email addy so they could put me in touch with their Corporate VP of Customer Service. (Still hate them tho. LOL).
However, I have had NO success with my blasts of ATT, but I have found comfort with those that hate ATT as well.
33. Rant/Rave. If you rant about some thing, why not rave about another? If you just went to a new theme park, concert, art exhibit & really enjoyed it, rave about it! Balance is being a Negative Nelly AND a Positive Polly.
34. Twitter.com, aka Twitter Web, is the LEAST efficient way to use Twitter. Try a 3rd party desktop app such as TweetDeck, Seesmic, Twirhl, etc. Save yourself from the ppl like me that Tweet 17 hours a day. They auto refresh. There is DM & @reply notifications so ppl don't have to use the now classic Twitter phrase "Check your DMs".
35. The LATER half of 'Social Networking' is just as important as the first part. Network! 'Meet' strangers, make friends, introduce others. Know a few ppl on Twitter that live in the same town or work in the same industries? Introduce them, publicly, on Twitter.
36. Tweet & Run? I hate those. That is when someone follows you for a short bit because you said something interesting about an event. Could be that you witnessed a plane crash, a natural disaster, etc. You posted a 'keyword' so they start to follow you. Then when the event is over, they un-follow. I wish these ppl would just stick to following an event thru Twitter search.
37. Help out & ask for help. There's no shame in asking for help. A lot of ppl on Twitter are happy to assist you, if you just ask. Also, if you see someone struggling on Twitter, throw them an @reply 'life-ring' by offering your help.
38. Follower, Followee: A hotly debated topic on Twitter is the Follower/Following ratio of an acct. Here is MY take on it: I follow almost EVERY ONE back because I want to be sure that they can DM me if need be. (see rule #19 - The Art of DMs) Also, why not follow back? I have learned A LOT from ppl that I didn't think would be worth a follow at first. You may as well.
FYI: I follow accts that do NOT follow me back. I do so because I find them to be interesting. Really, there is no reason for @JimmyFallon to follow you back. Don't like? Don't follow.
39. Can we stop the silly words like Tweeple and Tweeps?! omg. So sick of those.
40. Hashtag alert: Some PPL, such as myself, make up hashtags for reasons beyond comprehension. Don't worry if you do not understand the tag. As Steve Winwood would say, "Roll with it, baby."
41. My GAWD! I have come up with 41 rules? Someone call the Twitter police. This is outta control. Moving on to #42!
42. Keywords: If you say 'it' on @Twitter, they will find you.
Tweet the word "Free"...see how many bogus (spam) accts start to follow you. Just be aware of it.
43. FAIL/#FAIL: If ANYTHING, and I DO mean ANYTHING, sucks or leaves you hangin' ppl use the #hashtag #Fail. That's all that it means.
44. Pls RT: Stop asking for RT's. If it's 'good enough' it WILL get RT'd sooner or later. When I see the "Pls RT", I am instantly turned off. PPL don't need to be prodded to share GOOD information.
45. Thank you for the RT's! Take it easy on these, will ya? Yes, thank ppl for sharing your info, just do so sparingly. Why not just do one simple post saying "Thank you all for the RT's." instead of spaming my timeline with you thanking every one individually. K? K. Thx.
Consider returning the favor & RT something of value that THEY posted.
That, to me, is a much better way to thank someone.
46. CAPS. Some times, they are warranted. Eg; OMFG. TWO PLANES JUST CRASHED INTO THE WORLD TRADE CENTERS. Other than that, CAPS are used to EMPHASIZE a word. Don't abuse the CAPS. It's an OLD internet common courtesy.
@BasilLeaf showed me a GREAT site that turns ALL CAPS posts into ones that use their 'indoor voices'. I truly love her more so than ever for that. ;-) http://titlecase.com/
47. Don't always be so serious! Enjoy a random RT: These are just fun, silly RTs that lighten the mood. One time a group of friends & I RT'd each other one right after the other & it was nothing but RT@username RT @username RT @username RT @username until we filled the 140 character limit. Eh, we had fun doing it. That's all that matters.
48. RT @So-So: @Alonis: "Hi!"
WTH is that? Can't you say something better? My reply will not be "Hi!" back. I usually ignore those. I don't use Twitter like instant messaging. Engage me, dammit.
49. RSS Feeds: For the most part, I can NOT stand RSS feeds. However, I understand why big accts like @CNN do it. I don't follow a lot of feed accts, just a few scanner ones w/legit emergency info like @LAFD
(FYI- @CNNbrk is just an RSS feed acct that some guy, not related to CNN, created that fed CNN's breaking headlines into a Twitter acct. @CNN acquired the acct during the lame 'Race to One Million' fiasco on Twitter. You've been had.)
50. Twitter Elite are NO better than you or I: @GuyKawasaki @Scobleizer @KimSherrell @Zaibatsu and the likes remind of the Brat Pack...only in social media-geeky-kinda way. Out of the 4 I mentioned, I unfollowed all but @Zaibatsu. Reason? They irritated me to know end by being either WAY too social (Kim) or NOT social enough (Guy).
@KimSherrell & I even had a bit of a Twitter Fight. It was fun. I unfollowed her. Haven't missed a thing since.
RT @Alonis: @kimsherrell I don't care HOW many followers you have. When someone POLITELY asks you a question, you should be able to reply appropriately.
@Zaibatsu tweets A TON, but he balances his interactive posts along with ones that share content AND I have the power of TweetDeck, so what the hay! ;-) He also helps out ANY ONE.
That's it folks. If there are others I should add or ones you do not agree with, let me know. I MAY tell you to take a hike. Then again, I may learn something new and add it here.
-Alonis
Update as of 5/19/09:
@Kimsherrell and I have since decided to start over with a clean slate. Here's to learning & cultivating Social Media and networking relationships, one step at a time.
Update as of 5/19/09:
@Kimsherrell and I have since decided to start over with a clean slate. Here's to learning & cultivating Social Media and networking relationships, one step at a time.
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