Ryan's Universe

5 Reasons to Ditch Internet Explorer for Firefox

It's no secret that Microsoft's Internet Explorer is the most widely-used browser out there. It comes pre-installed on all Windows machines, and to your average computer user, "does the job." Most users don't really know that there are alternatives available to them (hell, most folks aren't even sure what a browser is). Some stick around for fear of the unknown, others because they feel that "if it ain't broke..." and are unaware that, in many ways, it is broken.

How is it broken, you ask? Gosh, you're impatient. I'm getting there!

1. Security

All browsers have their vulnerabilities. It would be irresponsible for me to say otherwise. However, a more important measure of browser security is how quickly these vulnerabilities are found, reported & patched. With Mozilla's Firefox being open source -- meaning the application code is freely available for people to download, view, alter and share -- it has tens of thousands of developers all over the world scouring its code for vulnerabilities and offering solutions at a much faster pace than your average proprietary application. Firefox even offers a Bug Bounty to those who report valid critical security bugs as incentive to help keep the browser as secure as possible.

Also, IE uses ActiveX to enable it to view multimedia and add functions (toolbars, etc.), which allows it to be accessed by other programs without the knowledge or consent of the user. Using this back door, the bad guys can gain access to your computer, your personal information, and even install viruses, spyware programs, and other malicious software. Conversely, Firefox uses plugins for multimedia, and extionsions for added functionality. This brings us to our next point.

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Starting a Band - Step 2: Recruiting Members

Finding other musicians to join you in your endeavor isn't always easy, and finding the right musicians can be an even greater challenge. If you've already sat down and conceptualized what you really want to achieve, you have made this next step a bit easier on yourself by narrowing down the field a bit. Here's some tips to help ease the pain of what can be an arduous task:

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Starting a Band - Step 1: Brainstorming

One of the most important, yet most often forgotten steps in the process of forming a band is the initial brainstorming and conceptualization process. There's a lot to consider, so I'll jump right in:

Questions to Ask Yourself

How Serious Are You?

One thing you must consider is your desired end result. There's absolutely nothing wrong with simply gathering a few of your musician buddies a couple times a month to just jam out for a few hours. However, some people are not satisfied with the confines of the garage and want to take their act to the stage and make a career out of it. Knowing this ahead of time is crucial in deciding your course of action as well as in the process of finding band mates.

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How To Sync Windows Mobile With Multiple Exchange Servers

Ever since my work had given the sales people our own smartphones, I've been trying to find a way to get my work email from their exchange server and my Google Contacts & Calendar from another. Ever since ActiveSync 4, support for multiple exchange servers was disabled -- however, there is a way to get around all of this without having to install any third-party software onto your phone.

After a lot of digging, googling, and ~~crying~~ hair-pulling, I finally came across a solution that worked for me.

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5 Great Spots to Find Band Mates Online

We've all been made aware at some point that finding musicians who are talented, reliable, and willing to see and contribute to a common musical vision isn't often easy. Here's a few spots across the web to make the search a little easier:

Band Mix

Bandmix is a great site to find bands and musicians. The members seem to remain pretty active, and there is no shortage of them to browse through.

CraigsList

Craig's List can be a great resource for finding a band member. They already have the site divided up by location, and while you have to question the legitimacy of some of the ads, there are quite a few good listings to be checked out. Just head over to the "Gigs" section for your city (people tend to post ads for musicians in either the "Creative" or "Talent" sections) and browse away!

Gig Score

Gig Score is yet another great source to find musicians or bands. They also offer a listing of venues and employers looking for bands and musicians, so you can find your group & book your first gig all in the same place.

Jam Connect

Jam Connect is a bit less popular than some of the sites listed here, they still do have a somewhat active stream of activity.

Join My Band

This site is primarily UK-based, but they do have an active US section as well. It's divided up by location, so finding local folks is made easy.

What Did I Miss?

Know of any other good spots on the web to find musicians to play with? Feel free to comment below with your suggestions.

Cool Cleveland Folk to Follow on Twitter

Hey everyone, it's that time of week again. This weeks Follow Friday is for some cool folks I've found around the Cleveland area on Twitter.

@JoeHaden5 - First & foremost, I hope everyone gives a warm welcome to one of the newest members of the Cleveland Browns, Joe Haden. Joe is a cornerback out of Florida, and was pretty much universally regarded as the best corner in the 2010 NFL Draft. Welcome to Cleveland, Joe. We're happy to have you.

@Dan_Stansbury - You would most likely remember Dan from The Maxwell Show on WMMS. Now that the Buzzard has hooked up with the Alan Cox Show (which, if you ask me, is about the worst thing to ever hit the airwaves), MWL has to wait for their non-compete clause to expire before they go back on air and demolish their replacements. Until then, Dan is about the only link to the show available to the public.

@deg4 - To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure if Derrick is actually a Clevelander or not, but he's a big Browns fan, and quite possibly one of the elusive 5 people in the US who actually enjoy soccer. That in itself makes him worth pointing out. Derrick also writes his own column at the Bleacher Report - a site where sports fans can post their own articles to be shared with the masses. You can see Derrick's content here.

@OfficialBrowns - The Cleveland Browns' official Twitter page. Want to get Eric Mangini's & Mike Holmgren's thoughts on the happenings of the Draft, as well as updates as to what some Browns players are up to during their off time? Give the Browns a follow, and keep yourself in the loop.

@JohnnyBTruant - I usually refrain from plugging those who call themselves "business/social media consultants" because they're usually full of shit. However, Johnny is a local guy who's received a lot of praise from some pretty highly respected people in the blogosphere (Darren Rowse of Problogger, for one), and he's not your typical "How to make your shitty video go viral" hack.

@KeithKrebs - Keith is an old buddy of mine from our high school football days @ Mentor. He is currently a cheer, tumble & stunt instructor for American Elite, and has a lot of good takes on movies, music, sports, and a lot more. Check him out.

That's all I have for now. You can also see my list of Cleveland people (which is sparingly updated) by clicking here. Also, if you know of a Clevelander that should be listed or included in one of these posts, please feel free to comment and make suggestions. You can also find me on Twitter by either clicking the logo in the right-hand column, or by clicking here.

Starting a Band - Introduction

One of the most common questions I'm asked by new musicians and experienced musicians alike is, "what do I need to consider when starting a band?" The answer, in short: Everything.

Starting a band can be a daunting task, and there is a seemingly endless list of different things to keep in mind when doing so. In the series of posts to follow, I will attempt to outline some of the most important and often overlooked aspects of such an undertaking -- from concept, to finding musicians, to rehearsal, to ~~international rock-stardom~~ playing out.

Be sure to follow along by subscribing to the RSS feed (to your right) so you don't miss a thing!

Music Buisiness "Gurus" to Follow on Twitter

Following a tip from Chris Brogan, I've decided to turn my Follow Fridays on Twitter into blog posts for a couple of reasons. First, it allows me to list as many people as I want without having to flood the timelines of my followers. Secondly, it's a cheap and easy ploy to get you to visit my blog -- duh.

In this week's edition, I present to you, in no particular order, a few people that you should be following if you're interested in making a career for yourself in the music business:

@Lefsetz - Bob Lefsetz is a no-bullshit kinda guy armed with a lot of knowledge of the music business and how it works. If you're looking for someone who's going to tell you how it is without the sweet candy coating, and offer great insights into the biz, you need to be following this man.

@artistshouse - A great place offering advice and how-to guides for musicians.

@dbrose67 - David Rose is the Managing Editor at KnowTheMusicBiz.com

@MusicianWages - as their bio explains, "How to make a living as a working musician. Written by musicians for musicians."

@solobasssteve - Steve Lawson is a UK musician who has a lot of experience in carving out a niche for himself and making a career out of it. He is full of great advice, and just about anyone looking to pursue a career making music can learn a lot from him.

@sivers - Derek Sivers is somewhat of an "indie musician's superman." He was the founder of several services for the DIY music community such as CD Baby and, more recently, Muckwork. Yet another great source for insight into the music biz.

@mountflorida - Heather McDonald is the About.com Music Careers Guide. She's written countless articles giving career advice to musicians and other folks within the music industry alike (producers, agents, managers).

@MrBuzzFactor - Bob Baker is an indie music marketing "guru" who always has good new ways to promote your music.

@davidhooper - David is another great source for ideas to market and promote your music. He is also the host of the Music Business Radio podcast.