Looking at the state of the personal website seems to be dropping in the younger generation. Generation Myspace tends to uses social media, social networks, texting, Youtube to share their thoughts, causes and achievements.

I dont’ think there is anything wrong with those services and I use them myself, but I still think there is something to having your own stand alone site. A website allows a person to push the limits in styles, technology and exchange where all social media has limits on just how much customization you are allowed to do. The true downside to all this is that the generation losing an opportunity to create a unique identity online, something all teenagers yearn to do in their real worlds lives.

The only way I can see them to return is incorporate feeds from those social sites. Myspace and Facebook are both adding applications to pull data in and few to none to allow the data to follow out of their networks. This should be an easy undertaking to do, but I doubt the larger networks want to offer services that would take away viewers to their advertising inventory.

I had started building a website for my Dad’s business and found the traffic was fair, but once I integrated Twitter, Facebook and a blog to the site the traffic increase was huge. Overnight the site started seeing new eyeballs arriving from those social media sites that I worked in links out the companies website. Reflecting on the new customer opportunities that have came along I’ve started constructing a lifestream for the business. Once I’ve got it finished I’ll share the URL of the site to allow everyone see the irony of that last statement.

I usually hate to do just a commercial post, but a lot of you have went crazy over some of the especially the bare bones servers. I’ll try to have these on when I have one that fits the tech and gadget theme. As we get closer to Christmas I’ve heard rumors that cheap laptops and HD TVs will make the line-up of 1 Day Deals

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I was reading a report in the local paper about the rumors that Berkline, the biggest manufacturer in town, was going to be laying off a large amount of it’s employees. I don’t work at Berkline, but I know several people that work there, have worked there or work in other places that are vendors that are in the orbit Berkline’s supply line in some manner. The company has fed thousands of families in the Lakeway area with it’s payroll over the last 73 years. While the company hasn’t laid off in mass as the rumors have told it, there has been some layoffs. They have said that the economy has forced the company to make changes to stay open. If the factory did have to lay off the bulk of their workers the  butterfly economics from this would lead other employers having in this part of east Tennessee.

Berkline is a furniture manufacturer that was started in Springfield, Massachusetts by Jacob Popkin in 1928. In 1935 Berkline opened a plant here in Morristown, Tennessee and since then Morristown has remained the headquarters to the company.  Today the furniture maker builds recliners, sofas, sectionals and home theater products. All these items have a place in every home. The home theater seating is something I loved to add into my media room, when I finally get a media room.

It’s no secret that the economy is stagnant and that is the main reason that Berkline has reached this point. People are not buying furniture. They are choosing to not go in debt for the purchase or spend what money they have. All of us can live without furniture, just not as comfortable. Even the people whot the recession has not touched just aren’t spending as much these days.

What I’d like to ask everyone that reads this is to consider giving a Berkline product for Christmas this years if you’re already considering furniture as a present. If you can’t decide what you’re going to give this year you should take a look at a Berkline piece. Take one step forward, tell your friends and family about the Berkline story and ask them to consider buying a Berkline when they make a furniture purchase. Not only will be giving a great gift to someone you know, in part you’ll be giving a  gift to a whole community.

Now here’s a challenge for all the other bloggers out there. Start looking at companies in your area that are on the bubble of making layoffs or closing that manufacture products that would be a purchase people would make for a Christmas present. When you find that company write a post telling everyone a bout the company and what they have to offer this Christmas. An investment of few hundred words could be the economic stimulus package your home town needs. If you do decide to do this drop me a line at jethro <at> gizmotastic <dot> com and I would be glad to spread the word here also.

No Internet. My wireless router died. After the puppy jump through all the hoops tech support makes it was decided. It’s Dead Jim. It had a long and meaningful life. There was period of denial that I went into. I recovered a quick pick-up of new wireless router at Office Depot I was back online. The bad thing was I got behind on e-mails. To best conserve my time and make sure everyone gets answered, I’ll reply to some here.

Claire-

No I didn’t name my blog after my cat Gizmo. The cat who I call Gizmo showed up about four years after the Gizmotastic thing. I named him Gizmo after the Gizmo the movie Gremlins. When Gizmo came to the house and I ended up taking him in after a month He became fond of an old Gizmo stuffed animal my oldest son, Chuck, had when he was younger. After living in the household for a month without a name the moniker Gizmo came because of his attachment to the stuffed toy.

Eric-

I get to Newport the first of next week. Don’t install anything more or order anything that somebody who’s you can remember told you too. The fix is easier for me to do than to explain over the phone.

Mrs.Yoshiko Ishii-

I would love to make a couple million dollars. I really don’t have time to have my identity stolen in the process of being drug down you path of deceit. If you do find someone that allows to pulls USD out of their accounts spend some of that money on White Smoke. It show you how to write a business letter with proper English. Using Google Translate just doesn’t cut it. Example:

My name is Mrs.Yoshiko Ishii, I am from Japan my fatherwas
into real-estate lease business before he died in 2004. Now
i andmy sister her facing Tax Problem here in Japan since
Wednesday March 2008

Your sentence structure couldn’t pass the keen eyes of a second grader in America.

Dad-

I’m not running up my long distance the phone calling you. So quite worrying about it and cutting the call short and then sending me an e-mailing you wanted to get off the phone because you thought it would run me bill up. Get a great deal with unlimited local + long distance with Charter Digital Voice and you can talk it up too.
Daughter (name changed to protect the guilty)-

Your puppy is fine. My furniture, not so well. I’m doing O.K. just in case your forgot to ask.

I’ve tried not to say much about Governor Sarah Palin since the election. I figured that things were best left unsaid, but there is something about these Victory Laps she’s been taking on the broadcast circuit that is just too surreal. She’s cooking on one show, correcting us that Read the rest of this entry »

I came across two things of interest this morning. The first is that an Iraqi soldier has attacked and killed at least two U.S. soldier that they were serving with.

Geeks has a One Day Deal on 7″ Polaroid IDF-0750 Widescreen Digital Photo Frame is $24.99Check it out @ Geeks.com. There is a limit of one per person so I’d grab one soon if one these is on your Christmas shopping list.

Joe Johnston has been signed to direct “The First Avenger: Captain America“. Johnson is probably known for having directed October Sky. I will still be a little cautious of this film and how they handle the

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Sometime back I started watching Morning Joe instead of the other morning talks shows. The reason was I became tired of the dry format they had. Morning Joe has your morning dose of polictics. The host and guest are passionate about the topics. It has a much smaller budget of the other shows the raw emotions made it interesting. Well this clip is one probably why a lot more people might start watching the show also. Read the rest of this entry »

If you were following the Mars Phoenix Lander on Twitter you might recognize the headline as the last message the probe sent out. The machine code message, that translated english said Read the rest of this entry »