CNet’s Cheapskate Blog is one of my favorite sites for technology deals and very much a daily read. They recently had this article on iPodMeister. They provide you with the labels for free shipping. You simply pack up your old CDs and get a new iPod, iPhone, or hard drive. They’ll even send you a DVD with all your music back for an additional cost (more CDs).

It sounds interesting, but I have a few questions and so did commenters:

• Legality of Keeping Your old – The biggest thought in my mind is that once you sell your CD back to iPodMeister, it’s probably illegal for you to keep a copy for yourself or use their digitizing service (I use “probably” because I’m not a lawyer.) If you it were legal to keep copies for yourselves, we’d just recycle CDs on Craigslist all day. I’d pay $2 to get the used the CD and sell it back to someone else for what I paid after I copied it. The Right of First Sale was getting a lot of scrutiny in some states as far back two and a half years ago.
• Value for Your CD Collection – One commenter pointed out that you are getting less than a dollar a CD (or less) in value when a pawn shop would give you $1-2. I’m not up on the pawn shop market for CDs so I can’t verify that.
• Is iPodMeister affiliated with Apple? – Lastly (and least importantly), does iPodMeister have an affiliation with Apple? I ask only because they give out Apple products and use a derivative of the trademarked Apple iPod name in their name. Again, I’m no lawyer, just curious about these kinds of things.

The legality of the digitizing question is the big one for me. It just doesn’t seem right. Yet it seems that the Consumerist will interview them and not ask the question. Interestingly though the Consumerist asks for feedback from it’s readers on the service (largely implying that they don’t know if it’s a great deal either).

I have a pile of CDs back from my college days (Those BMG and Columbia House “deals” really got to me.) Though I’ve digitized all my CDs, I save space by putting them in binders and keeping the artwork and jewel case in the attic – of my old home in Boston. Because the service requires the artwork and cases, I couldn’t use it even if I thought it was legal. Oh well, I think I’d rather have proof of the official rights to the music anyway.

Related posts:

1. Dear iPhone: I Love You and Your New Great Price, but… … I still won’t buy you. I love the screen….
2. Why I Don’t Buy Digital Media [Caution, I’m going to get on my soapbox for this…
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Facebook is coming to a PS3 near you as part of the latest 3.10 update, which will be rolled out over the course of the next day. We knew it was coming, but Sony has been vague about exactly when the update would land. Turns out it was sooner than most people probably guessed, coming only a day after the November 17 release of Facebook’s integration with the Xbox 360.

Here are some of the features listed on the press release Sony just issued about the update:

Showcase Trophies: Instantly share trophies you earn in PS3 games in your Facebook stream. Simply sync your PS3 system and easily show off your accomplishments to friends and family.

PlayStation Store Purchase Log Publishing: Let friends and family on Facebook instantly know which PlayStation 3 games you’ve purchased. The PlayStation Store, available to PS3 and PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system owners through PlayStation Network, features over 200 downloadable games, many of which are exclusive to PS3 or PSP system owners, in addition to over 4,000 pieces of add-on game content.

Game Event: With a few quick clicks of the controller sharing select game events, progress and statistics is now easier than ever with the Facebook integration.

Some of us have kids who seem to naturally flock to sports and physical activity. And while they might not resist every food temptation typical for their age group, they somehow pull together a pretty solid diet. Still others of us have children who aren’t necessarily the best eaters or exercisers but who seem (for now) more or less immune to the weight gain that might inspire better habits. Finally, some of us parent kids who truly struggle with weight. And even while poor food choices and low activity levels clearly contribute to most children’s problems, occasionally there are kids who, despite good habits, continue the battle into adulthood.

For our part, as parents, we see both sides. We worry for our kids’ health. We hope for their social acceptance even as we encourage them not to depend on it. We want them to take good care of their bodies, enjoy the physical energy and potential of youth. We want them to be and feel their best. Meanwhile, we want them to know they’re amazing, beautiful and beloved just the way they are. We know what we want to do, how we want them to feel, but then there’s the sticky reality of it. What’s the right message exactly? How do we figure the perfect balance in communicating and cultivating all our good intentions for our kids’ health?

A New York Times article, “Parenting and Food: Eat Your Peas. Or Don’t. Whatever.”, picks up this dicey parenting issue. It’s a discussion of the blurry lines between how to foster healthy habits without inhibiting a healthy self-concept. As any parent (or person who has any recollection of the awkward adolescent years) knows, taking on this issue can involve navigating an emotional mine field. One wrong move, and you face an explosion of tempers, guilt, and other psychological shrapnel. The long-term stakes, we learn, are high. Research has shown that fathers’ communication about and even “attention to” their daughters’ weight can raise their “risk of eating disorders.” Children of parents who promoted dieting “were significantly more likely to remain overweight than those whose parents didn’t.”

Frank Bruni, the author of both the Times article and recent memoir Born Round: The Secret History of a Full-Time Eater, illustrates the precarious landscape with stories of hesitant parents attempting their best acrobatic acts. He gives us stories of parents who’ve diligently striven for “balanced meals and restrained portions.” On the other hand, Bruni gives us another angle of parental concern, a resistance to what some parents see as a tendency toward broader deprivation – a missing the forest through the trees if you will. As one mother put it, she wants to instill healthy habits but not deny her daughter the basic “psychological pleasures that come from sitting at a table and enjoying a meal.”

Bruni’s article ends by rounding up several points of expert consensus. Most are basic and commonsensical. First, of course, he says parents should model healthy eating and exercise habits. It’s the old “Do what I do, not what I say” principle. Other effectual strategies include stocking the house with healthy options and planning dinners with homemade fare. Finally, he says with a personal note, it’s important to find a substitute “activity” that can provide a “similar emotional gratification” children may have previously associated with food.

I found Bruni’s article engaging, relevant and thought-provoking. It got the Worker Bees and I talking. We had a slew of questions but few clear answers. (Isn’t that always the case in parenting though?) What do kids need and want to hear? How do parents inspire the best balance between emotional self-acceptance and physical self-investment? How much should we as parents demonstrate and divulge of our own struggles exactly?

I thought I’d take up the conversation here with you all. I’ll throw out a few thoughts, and I hope you’ll add yours to the discussion.

Clean up the family diet and environment.

A physiological point first… Parents want to help their kids make good food choices and get plenty of physical activity. However, there’s another often missed piece to the puzzle. The increasing presence of toxins in our everyday environment and food supply can contribute to a myriad of health problems, including weight issues. Toxins, particularly in children, can disrupt basic hormonal balance. This disturbance can throw off the metabolic processes responsible for energy conversion and, particularly in tandem with a poor diet, boost fat storage. It’s a good excuse for explaining why a “good diet” entails more than a menu: it means fostering an educated and thoughtful mindset toward eating and health.

Be honest (first with yourself) about your relationship with food and/or your physical self-image.

Perhaps having lived a similar experience, we can identify on some level with our kids. If we were overweight once upon a time, we can understand what it’s like to struggle with weight as a child/teenager. Yet, once in a while we have to step back and ask ourselves if our level of concern has more to do with our child or our own past? In short, are we helping or projecting – or some combination of the two? Maybe we’re still struggling with weight or other body image issues. Regardless of how we approach our health and what priorities we focus on, our children are undeniable witnesses to our lives. They see our daily endeavors, and they undeniably pick up on our self-talk. What messages are we sending (consciously and unconsciously)?

If your child is old enough, have a heart-to-heart about experiences with health, body image and weight. Divulge honestly – but selectively. You can show your kids you identify without burdening them. Most importantly, talk about where you get your sense of perspective. What guides you, motivates you and grounds you day to day? What have you learned that you wish you knew earlier in your life? What do you hope they enjoy about living a healthy life and taking care of themselves?

Talk about what health really means.

It’s pretty easy for kids to grow up not really having a clear understanding of health. Hey, most adults don’t get it either. If I’m not sick, I must be healthy, right? Health as a concept can be a random swirl of disconnected images for kids: food pyramids, sweaty gyms, sports icons, a salad bar. How do they put it together? What does it mean to be healthy? To feel healthy?

In the vast array of images and messages out there, kids have to be pretty thrown by the paradoxical shape of it all. On the one hand, there’s infinite fun to be had in downing every variety of fast food, sodas, energy drinks, chips and other snack abominations (just look at the youth-centered commercials). On the other, there are tabloid articles about celebrity crash diets and stories of their three hour a day workout routines. Our culture encourages either disregarding or punishing the body – making a joke of physical health or exercising/depriving ourselves into the ground. The result? As a culture we don’t have the most comfortable relationships with our bodies. It’s little surprise that many of our kids absorb this mindset.

Parents, unfortunately, have a lot of ground to fill in. Find a chance to talk about what health means to you personally. How did you come to learn about healthy eating? Why do you make the choices you do? What gets you motivated to stay active, to keep your stress under control? When do you feel the best physically? Ask them what makes them feel healthy, strong and rejuvenated? Is there a way you can help support those experiences (e.g. emotional support or family activities)? Let it be an open and continuing conversation. Let it be a catalyst for healthy changes and experimentation. Let it be a challenge to your family to play more, cook more, do more, get out more.

Talk about what living really means.

This website is all about health, yes. Nonetheless, I put health squarely into a large picture of happiness and vitality. Too often the messages kids get come off as instructive but less than relevant and inspiring. In the midst of navigating the social scene, figuring out an identity, and finding their way through school and other responsibilities, dry details can quickly fall on deaf ears. Consider a different angle. We hear a lot of success stories from people who have overcome serious health issues, dropped weight that they’d wanted to lose for years (or decades), and/or turned around their lifestyle to gain a whole new sense of energy in their lives. A common thread in so many of their accounts is a sense of self-investment. Whether a serious medical scare that made them realize how precious (and endangered) their lives were or the culmination of a deep soul-searching, something sparked a novel sense of ownership. Their health mattered more because they’d chosen to see it and value it in a new way.

Maybe talking to kids about real health ultimately means talking about life. Owning your health necessitates – on some level – knowing and respecting yourself. It’s a self-commitment after all. The more self-confidence and self-respect we have, the more likely we are to invest in ourselves.

For kids who struggle with weight and body image, too often the goal is outside themselves, remote and elusive. How can the goal finally be authentically personal? What does it mean to dig down and learn to tune out the noise in life – the social clamor, the media messages? What’s there to listen to once you reach the other side of the commotion? How, finally, do they see themselves there? What does their vision of a healthy and happy life look like from that vantage point? Kids, like the rest of us, shape their health a step at a time. Maybe a parent’s best role is to help them start down their own path.

And now…let me know what you think. What should kids hear growing up? How can a parent walk the line to empower their kids’ overall health and well-being? How do we avoid the traps that either alienate or enable? I look forward to reading your thoughts. Thanks for reading.

Get Free Health Tips, Recipes and Workouts Delivered to Your Inbox

Related posts:

1. Dear Mark: Weight Loss and Workout Routine
2. Dear Mark: Healthy Body Weight?
3. Trick or Treat: Yea or Nay?

According to Microsoft’s chief software architect, Ray Ozzie:

“All the apps that count will be ported to every one of them,” he said. “It’s a completely different situation from the PC market, where software’s built to run on a Windows or a Mac” he said. “Mobile apps require very little development, so it’s much easier to bring them onto every platform”.

In many ways I agree, the best programs will be popular regardless of the platform, so developers will see market opportunity and develop. What does anyone else think?

Let us only hope that Marketplace for Mobile sees a boost in submissions!

Here at Gear Live we’re big fans of MacMall. Why? Because they consistently beat Apple in terms of pricing, by way of rebates – and their rebates don’t take forever to process.  MacMall will be having a fairly nice Black Friday 2009 sale on a bunch of Apple gear, as well as a few surprises, like a GPS navigation system, video game consoles, Blu-ray players, and more. Hey, when you can pick up a new 13.3-inch MacBook Pro for $1099, you know something special is happening.

We’ve got the full list of the MacMall Black Friday deals for you, after the jump.

Continue reading Black Friday 2009: MacMall ad

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Anyone who knows anything about politics knows the true measure of a legislator isn't his or her voting record, it's how well he or she can gleam the cube (ask your parents). So last night, after grilling California Congresswoman Jackie Speier about her district's plans to cure gayness, Stephen Colbert took to the halls of Congress armed with his board and a hunger for shredding.

The Colbert Report airs Monday through Thursday at 11:30pm / 10:30c.

SACRAMENTO – Senator John Benoit (37th District) will be honored on Thursday, November 19, by the Civil Justice Association of California (CJAC) for his leadership during the 2009-10 legislative session.

“Having first-hand experience with many aspects of the legal system through my career in public safety, I have always had immense respect for the law and its important role in our society,” said Senator Benoit. “I am incredibly grateful for this prestigious honor. An effective and fair justice system requires the dedication and vigilance of all Californians.”

During this past legislative session, Benoit authored several bills that would improve California’s legal climate and help businesses, consumers, and taxpayers.

Senate Bill 39 was written in response to a California Supreme Court decision that stripped traditional liability protections from non-medical “Good Samaritans” and such volunteers providing non-medical help. The bill, which went into effect immediately, extended liability protections to any person providing help in good faith at the scene of an emergency.

Senator Benoit authored Senate Bill 187, which would have allowed employees to work four 10-hour days without being paid for overtime. This would have provided employees with flexibility and helped reduce the number of employment-related lawsuits. He also authored Senate Bill 807, which would have clarified the law on meal and rest break periods, benefitting employers and employees by reducing litigation in their area.

“Senator Benoit will receive our Civil Justice Leadership Award for his work and dedication in trying to bring fairness and balance to California’s civil justice system,” said CJAC President John H. Sullivan.

Kim Stone, CJAC’s vice president-legislation, added: “Senator Benoit’s constituents and all Californians are lucky to have him working in Sacramento to support the interests of consumers, businesses, and Good Samaritans, and to ease the burdens on our courts.”

Senator Benoit’s district is located entirely within Riverside County, encompassing more than 4,800 square miles and including more than 846,000 residents. On November 4, he was appointed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to fill the 4th District Riverside County Supervisor seat and will be sworn into that position on December 1.

The Civil Justice Association of California annually recognizes lawmakers whose commitment to balance and fairness in California’s civil justice system benefits consumers, taxpayers, and businesses of all kinds.

Contact: John H. Sullivan, President
Cynthia Lambert, Director of Communications and Research
916-443-4900

Over the weekend I had a big choice to make. As I mentioned Monday, I got a BlackBerry Tour on Saturday. After I set up all the technical aspects, I was left with a decision over which theme to choose. I went through a bunch of our theme reviews, and eventually cape upon something interesting. Apparently, I said that I’d load up the Aliencology theme once I got a Tour. So, true to my word, that’s what I picked. It’s just as awesome as I remembered. But, I still want to find alternatives. It’s not perfect, at least for me. I think there’s a perfect BlackBerry theme for everyone, and that’s part of the purpose of this feature. Let’s see if you find yours this week.

(more…)

I’m in charge of writing the e-book gift guide, but it’s sorta hard to recommend items that haven’t been released yet. That IREX reader, the nook, and the Sony Daily Edition Reader are all missing in action. Thanks, guys. Today we take a minute to ask, “Where’s the Sony Daily?”

It goes on sale (well, for pre-order) today on Sony’s Web site, but Sony says it won’t actually be shipping till sometime between December 18 and January. It won’t actually be in stores till January.

So it’s safe to say that Sony is cutting it pretty close if it wants it to be a big Christmas seller.

Things that should eventually help Sony: it’s partnered with Best Buy and Wal-Mart to sell the device there when(ever) it comes out. My elitist New York quick-take: is Wal-Mart really the place to sell a $399 e-book reader? I understand Wal-Mart is a fantastic retail partner, but I don’t really associate the Wal-Mart crowd with reading (more like affordable clothes and groceries), and with reading new-fangled e-books at that.

So, in summary, don’t be surprised if you can’t get your hands on a Sony Daily in time for Santa Claus this year. I understand waiting a few more weeks doesn’t really make a difference to you and I, but it’s the world for Sony.

By Tim Conneally, Betanews

Nokia’s intriguing N900 “pocket computer” has officially launched in the United States. The device, a smartphone that evolved out of Nokia’s Mobile Internet Device (MID) family, signifies a new era for the Finnish mobile tech leader.

Vice President of Nokia retail sales, Alessandro Lamanna summed it up in a prepared statement today: “Consumers from every segment of the population are looking for more out of their mobile device – more power, more ability, more connectivity.” So in order to deliver these results, Nokia paired the 600MHz TI OMAP 3430 chipset with the Linux-based Maemo platform, and locked it up inside a 3G phone with a 3.5″ touchscreen and QWERTY keyboard.

According to one report, Nokia said that by 2012, Maemo will have fully replaced Symbian as the operating system powering its top-end N-series devices. The N900, according to this report, marks the beginning of this transition because it is targeted at the enthusiast and developer crowd who will grow the Maemo ecosystem before it starts being marketed to the mainstream consumer. By then, Symbian will then be relegated to the mass market E- and X-Series devices.

We’ve sent an inquiry to Nokia to find out how true this report actually is, because it could have a significant impact on the smartphone market in the long term as Linux-based platforms are poised to dominate the mobile sector.

And if there was any doubt as to whom the N900 and Maemo appeals to, check out this video:

The Nokia N900 is available for $649 through Nokia’s flagship stores in New York and Chicago, and on the Web at nokiausa.com and Amazon.com. It is compatible with AT&T’s and T-Mobile’s networks in the United States.

Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2009

The rate of soldier suicides continues to concern Army leadership, with 211
active-duty and reserve-component suicides confirmed this year, the Army’s No. 2
officer told Pentagon reporters today…

Governors from Georgia, Mississippi, Oregon and Wyoming visited Soldiers and
Airmen Nov. 11 here at the Morale, Welfare and Recreation Center…

After a year-long deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, about 120
Soldiers from the Louisiana Army National Guard’s 225th Engineer Brigade were
welcomed home during a special reception here at Camp Beauregard Nov.
15…

To say family is important to Garry Dean, is to understate his level of
devotion…

The District of Columbia National Guard’s 33rd Weapons of Mass Destruction-Civil
Support Team showcased their equipment for the secretary of the Department of
Homeland Security and other senior DHS officials here today…

While I'm out of town for a few days, I have Evita Ochel here sharing some of her beautiful writing.  Evita is very wonderful friend and the author of three blogs, including:

Evolving Beings
Evolving Wellness
Evolving Scenes

I've known Evita since early on when I started this site.  In that time, I've come to love and appreciate her deeply thoughtful and introspective soul.  And she's about the kindest and most caring person I know – her heart is filled with a deep and caring compassion.   Much of what she writes about is about getting to our own truths, and connecting with that core within us.  And she does this in a way that feels right and okay, no matter what path our life is on. 

Really, I see this as a special gift she has, in how she can draw upon her experiences, and have her readers take something from that which is deeply meaningful to them.  Evita has a beautiful way of helping us to connect more personally with our own souls.  And that is a great place to visit!

You can keep up with Evita by subscribing to her blog, and following her on Twitter.

Please enjoy the wonderful writing Evita shares in…

Following The Blissful Brick Road

photo credit: Rennett Stowe

“Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors where there were only walls. “ ~ Joseph Campbell

At the Altimeter Group, I cover Customer Strategy, which encompasses not only marketing, but also support, expect our discussion to grow as social technologies impact the whole enterprise.

The Social Support movement is afoot (see opportunities), and more companies will be connecting existing marketing and support systems with the social web. Many companies, like Comcast, Wells Fargo, Intel, BestBuy, JetBLue are responding to customers and in some cases, supporting them in near real time.

The challenge is that these teams are unable to scale, even a support team of ten full time folks at Comcast will have a hard time responding to all customers in all social channels. As a result, expect companies to resort to scalable ways to respond to customers, such as:

The Four Social Support Strategies

1) Do Nothing: Use Legacy Support Channels
Some companies will not respond to customers, it’s not in their culture, exposes them to risk, have specific legal or federal restrictions in place, or simply don’t get this space. In this case, these companies may only choose to support customers in their formal forms of support in 1800 numbers or on the official company websites

2) Employee Based Support:  Employees Respond to Customers
Many companies are assigning people in their support or product teams to respond to customers in the social web. The more conservative the company, the less people are officially able to support. Take for example financial services company Wells Fargo has a handful of “Social Concierges” that tweet on the @Ask_WellsFargo account, they set expectations around hours of service (insert banker’s hours joke here) and not to disclose account information. On the flip side, Best Buy encourages their thousands and thousands of “Blue Shirt” employees to respond using a Twitter CMS system that response from the official @Twelpforce account.

3) Peer Based Support: Customer to Customer Other companies will approach this by encouraging their top customers to respond on their behalf. By creating online communities where customers can self-support each other using Q&A features like Salesforce “Answers”, or my Lithium’s unique Twitter alerting system that encourages advocates to respond to prospects.  (Lithium is an Altimeter Group client).  It’s not just on branded communities, many companies encourage support from third party sites such as Get Satisfaction, who centralizes support for all products.

4) Automated Social Support: Computer Generated Tweets
Social CRM systems are going to be intelligent, in fact, they’ll start to incorporate bot-like features you can find in web-based chat support, or the logic from interactive voice systems (IVR), and respond to customers. Support and product teams can already tweet from some CRM interfaces, so attaching an intelligence module will be the next step –it could even come from existing employee Twitter handles.

Web Strategy Matrix:  The Four Social Support Strategies

Sony Pictures’ CEO is Michael Lynton, the guy who recently claimed that “nothing good” has come from the internet, and that piracy is killing the movie business. He made that statement less than a month ago. And yet, as Dave Title points out, Sony Pictures just announced that its international box office results have already set a new record for the year, hitting $1.63 billion. The company is bragging about this new record — as it should. But it does seem a bit disingenuous to brag about revenue records just weeks after claiming that piracy was destroying your business and asking for government help to protect the business model. Someone might notice that these two things do not seem to agree.

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