Have you ever wanted to have an app on your phone that told you about nearby deals and gave you points for going places? Would you like to be called the mayor of an establishment simply because you go there more than anyone else? Do you enjoy unlocking badges because you’ve accrued a certain number of points? If you answered yes to any of these questions, Foursquare may be for you.

In order to truly understand what Foursquare is all about, it’s probably best to check out their website.

As Foursquare Puts It:

Foursquare on your phone gives you & your friends new ways of exploring your city. Earn points & unlock badges for discovering new things.

Where Can You Use It?

These are the North American cities (as of November 29, 2009) where Foursquare is available:

North America: US: Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Charlotte, Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Detroit, Honolulu, Houston, Indianapolis, Kansas City (MO), Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Louisville, Memphis, Miami, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Nashville, New Haven, New York City, Oklahoma City, Omaha, Orlando, Park City, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland, Providence, Raleigh-Durham, Richmond, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, St. Louis, Tampa, Tucson, Washington D.C.

Canada: Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver.

Mexico: Mexico City

If you’d like to add your city, go here.

Some Screenshots (Courtesy of Foursquare)

Check-Ins

Tips

Badges

Mayor

Shazam makes an app (available on iPhone, Nokia, Android and BlackBerry) that identifies songs by listening to 15-seconds-or-so snippets, and it’s SHA-MAZING! I tested it on the Google Droid in 4 different instances and it worked every time! How does it work? According to Slate:

The company has a library of more than 8 million songs, and it has devised a technique to break down each track into a simple numeric signature—a code that is unique to each track. “The main thing here is creating a ‘fingerprint’ of each performance,” says Andrew Fisher, Shazam’s CEO. When you hold your phone up to a song you’d like to ID, Shazam turns your clip into a signature using the same method. Then it’s just a matter of pattern-matching—Shazam searches its library for the code it created from your clip; when it finds that bit, it knows it’s found your song.

You may think to yourself that although this is awesome, you just wouldn’t use it. I thought the same, but it’s actually got some practical uses. Here are the songs Shazam identified, and what the source of the song was.

Inside Ross (Dress for Less) Store

James Morrison – Undiscovered

As my wife and I were walking around the store, we heard a song playing over the speakers on the ceiling. You know the type: round, white, small holes in it. It wasn’t playing loudly, and there was tons of typical bargain-store background noise. And Shazam got it!

From the TV in Our Apartment

Phoenix – 1901
(as Featured in Cadillac SRX Commercial)

Although I very easily could have found out which song this was by Googling it, I never bothered to. You know how it goes, right? You see the commercial and you wonder aloud what freakin’ song that is, but you don’t take steps to find out. Shazam! Even over the narrator’s voice, it identified this song.

From the TV in Our Apartment

Nina Simone – Sinnerman
(as Featured in HTC Commercial)

This commercial’s song is so repetitive, and it gets stuck in my head every time it comes on. And yet again I had not made the effort to find out who the artist was. Once again, over the commercial’s narrator, Shazam did its thing! Another unknown song identified in 20 seconds.

From the TV in Our Apartment

Jay-Z feat. Alicia Keys – Empire State of Mind

It’s hard NOT to know this song and its artists, as it’s played everywhere. But as a test, we challenged Shazam to identify the song as performed on the American Music Awards. Now, to be fair, Jay-Z and Alicia Keys BOTH sound very close to album quality in this LIVE performance (take that Janet Jackson and Shakira!) so it’s not that surprising. I’m still impressed.

Depending where you’ve watched Cash Cab, you may or may not have seen Ben Bailey as the host. Canadians have likely seen another (lesser) host, but Americans have come to love Bailey’s exuberant and humorous personality. It wasn’t until my wife told me he was performing at The Improv that I was aware he does stand-up comedy too. We attended the show, and I must say that he was surprisingly impressive as a stand-up.

Cash Cab Canada

When I searched for “Ben Bailey” here were some of the Twitter results that I got, to reinforce people’s love for him (and dislike of the Canadian host):

Click to enlarge.

I assume they’re talking about this guy:

Now, Ben Bailey

I have come to really enjoy Cash Cab, and I don’t doubt that it is due to Ben Bailey. While the show is unique and interesting (most of the time), the host has a lot to do with its success. Before the show, I watched a clip on YouTube to see what I was getting into. I liked what I saw. Here’s a different clip that includes some material that he performed last night. Oh, lazy eye.

Ben’s bio on The Improv website tells the story of how he began his career in stand-up comedy:

Ben got his unlikely start as a stand-up comedian when he was mistaken for a comic in the green room of The Comedy Store in Los Angeles where he was hired to answer the phones. The booker seeing that the other comics in the room could not get enough of Ben’s humor booked him on the spot. After a few years of performing in Los Angeles, Ben moved back to New York and for two years consistently went to open-mic nights to hone his craft and he hasn’t stopped making people laugh since.

The Show

While I won’t get into too much detail about the show we watched (because frankly, you probably don’t care) I do want to highlight something. Despite having a handful of front row hecklers/they-just-won’t-STFU’s Ben managed to save the repeatedly derailed show.

// Begin Aside

Why is it that the people who are so hell bent on talking and being distractions ALWAYS seem to sit in the front row of these shows? Seriously, what is up with that? Stand-up comedians are already the only performers with whom these people could get away with such rudeness, but they have to make it worse by being 10 feet away from them.

// End Aside

Having performed stand-up comedy myself, I sympathized with Ben when he said (I’m paraphrasing): “You have no concept of comedic timing and momentum do you? It’s all built up to this moment, but you felt that what you had to say was more important or clever than my line.” Essentially, he had people who just would NOT stop interrupting and talking. It created (as it always does) an awkward vibe in the room, because throwing off the comedian makes him/her want to just stop trying. To his credit, he was able to bring it back and finish the show with the punchline to the 7-minute-long joke he had tried to complete earlier. It was a perfect way to end it.

ShoveBox

This neat little app lets you save all those little bits of information you don’t want to forget, but don’t necessarily have time to fully act upon. An icon sits in your menu bar, waiting for you to drag URL’s, text, and images into it. You can create text notes or simpler Quick Jots (for fast reminders), snap a photo from your iSight, and much more. You can create folders to store all your snippets, and search your shoved material. In a world where we’re inundated with information, this app makes it a little easier to keep track of it all.

WriteRoom

This unique app is a great companion to ShoveBox, in the sense that the first lets you keep track of the plethora of info being thrown at you, and WriteRoom takes you away from all those distractions. It brings you to a full screen with just a flashing green (you can change this this) cursor on a black (also changeable) background. Remember way back when word processing took place like this? Well, it’s back. No toolbars, no formatting, nothing to take you from your writing. The idea is that a writer can run into the WriteRoom and focus on their words.  I personally like having access to the Internet, my IM client and other things on my Mac, but I can see how retreating into this full screen typing mode could benefit many people.

Twitterrific

Yet another Twitter client. Although TweetDeck is more robust, this little app seems lighter and yet perfectly adequate for most users. I haven’t really used Twitter much in the past couple of months, because I essentially started to see it as a waste of time, but if you want an easy and stylish way to keep in touch with Twitter, this is a great option. I like that the icon sits in the menu bar and you can bring up Twitterrific with a hotkey stroke.

TinyGrab

I have SO many ways to get screenshots. There’s Command-Shift-3 to dump a fullscreen grab to my desktop folder, there’s my ScreenShot Plus widget and also Screengrab add-on in Firefox. Clearly, I needed another option. Enter TinyGrab. The coolest things about this app is that you can either have the screenshot (selection or fullscreen) uploaded to TinyGrab’s site with a short URL, or to your own FTP. Each of these options will benefit a particular type of user, depending how they’ll use their images.

Hordes of Orcs

I haven’t tried this one, so I’ll defer to the site’s description: “Hordes of Orcs is a Tower Defense strategy game where you build walls and towers to defend your village from orcs gone rogue. There are several different towers, each with its own unique abilities. Build Arrow Towers, Radiation Towers, Fire Towers, and more to keep your village safe from the deadly clutches of green meanies. And don’t forget your spells… cast Teleport, Fog, Bait, and Weaken spells to get yourself out of trouble at just the right time.
Hordes of Orcs has six different game variations so that you’ll be able to dominate orcs in a multitude of ways. Get ready to kick some orc-ass with Hordes of Orcs!”

BONUS: Mariner Write

If there are 500,000 downloads of this bundle, Mariner Write will become unlocked and available. Again, I haven’t tried this one (because I don’t have it). Here’s what the site says: “Mariner Write is a fast, streamlined word processor that’s useful for everyone… professional writers, educators, students, casual computer users, and everyone in-between. It has a simple, elegant user interface so that you can create beautiful documents the very first time you start using it.” Check out the site for more info.

Update

As of 5pm Pacific Standard Time on November 9th, downloads are nearing the halfway point of the necessary 500,000.

When I first heard this song I enjoyed the female vocals (mmmmm whatcha say) more than anything else. From Imogen Heap’s “Hide and Seek”, they were easily the best part of the song. Then one day I got curious and checked out more Jason Derulo, assuming he’d be another autotuned talentless hack. I was wrong. While his live performances could be better, he does appear to be more than a 1 hit wonder.

His song “Whatcha Say” is currently #2 on Billboard’s Hot 100. Not bad for a song that debuted at #54 on August 30, 2009. It’s also important to realize that he only recently turned 20, so he’s very early in his career. Whether a person likes his style of music or not, if his first major release is any indication, Jason Derulo could be around for a long time. Here are a couple of other songs of his, from YouTube (or at least I assume these are him).

An optimistic widow invites special guests to an unusual
gathering spot, but will everyone attend?

Link to Google Doc Version

FADE IN:

INT. HOTEL ROOM IN DETROIT, MICHIGAN – NIGHT

A weathered man, SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE, is asleep in a
small hotel room. He lies fully clothed on his back,
snoring, the tips of his mustache moving every time he
breathes. An alarm clock sits on the table near the window.
The time it displays is 7:29pm.

An obnoxiously loud noise pierces through the snoring,
startling Conan Doyle from his slumber.

CONAN DOYLE
What in the…who’s th…oh.

Conan Doyle throws a shoe at the alarm clock, hoping it will
stop screaming at him. He misses his target and lazily
climbs out of bed.

INT. TAXI CAB – NIGHT

Conan Doyle is holding a newspaper clipping and reading it
silently by streetlight and moonlight. His eyes move across
the words, reading:

“Harry Houdini, world famous as a magician, died at 8:07pm
on the 31st of October, 1926, after a week’s struggle for
life, in which he underwent two opera-

The TAXI DRIVER yells at Conan Doyle, interrupting his
reading.

TAXI DRIVER
Hey Mister! What’d you say the
address was on St. Aubin Street?

CONAN DOYLE
Oh, uh, let me check my itinerary,
my good man.

Conan Doyle ruffles through unorganized papers in a
briefcase. After several minutes of searching, he finds the
address but has difficulty making out his own handwriting.

CONAN DOYLE
Let me see here. Could you drop me
off at 11…1103 please?

Upon hearing the address, the Taxi Driver gives Doyle a
strange look.

TAXI DRIVER
You sure that’s the right address?

Conan Doyle puts on his reading glasses and checks again, to
make sure his aging eyes have not failed him.

CONAN DOYLE
Yes, 1103 is the correct address.

TAXI DRIVER
Whatever you say, Mister.

EXT. STREET OUTSIDE 1103 ST. AUBIN – NIGHT

Conan Doyle looks back at the taxi as it drives off,
wondering why the driver questioned him about the address.
Upon reading the sign above the doorway, he realizes why.

CONAN DOYLE
Dietrich Funeral Services? What has
Bess gotten me into?

On cue, BESS HOUDINI emerges from the large doorway, wearing
a long flowing gown. She is holding a candle in one hand and
a book in the other. While she is not a young woman, she is
not as old and worn out as Conan Doyle.

BESS
Arthur! I was beginning to worry
about you. How wonderful of you to
attend on such short notice. I
apologize, but it was of the utmost
importance that you be present.
Won’t you come in?

CONAN DOYLE
Despite my reluctance, I certainly
can not stay here in the street.
Would you be so kind as to help an
old man up the stairs?

INT. DIETRICH FUNERAL SERVICES – NIGHT

CONAN DOYLE
Can I be so bold as to ask why on
earth we’re in a funeral home on
the night of Halloween?

Before Bess can answer his question, DR. WILLIAM STONE, the
family physician, enters the foyer and greets Conan Doyle.

DR. STONE
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle! What a
pleasure to meet you. I am a great
fan of your work. I could only hope
to be as astute an observer as that
Sherlock Holmes!

BESS
Arthur, this is the man who kept my
Harry safe and healthy for so many
years. Meet Dr. Stone.

The two men exchange pleasantries as Bess ushers them into
the next room. There is a round table in the center of the
room, surrounded by three seats and holding a large brass
candelabra. There are candles lit all around the room.

CONAN DOYLE
Is this what I think it is, Bess?

BESS
Knowing your mind, Arthur, this is
very probably what you think it is.

DR. STONE
Oh, she did not tell you why you
were invited here tonight, Mr.
Conan Doyle?

BESS
I have brought you both here
tonight in the hopes that we can
contact Harry. I’ve been reading
about séances and I’m hopeful Harry
will communicate.

CONAN DOYLE
Why have you only asked the Doctor
and I to attend?
Bess looks down at the book in her trembling hand. It is
thick and the pages are worn.

BESS
I wanted to have a trinity
representing mind, body and soul.
Though you had your differences of
opinion, your creative influence
stimulated his mind. Dr. Stone
cared for his body, and I
invigorated Harry’s soul. Or at
least I would like to think so.

Arthur remains silent as he touches Bess on the arm. He
gives her a tender look of sympathy.

DR. STONE
That’s very kind of you to say,
Bess. It is true that we all
nurtured a different part of
Harry’s being.

CONAN DOYLE
I know this must be very difficult
for you, Bess. I must know, though,
why are we in this funeral home? I
see the artistic merit of the
setting, but -

BESS
I’m sorry I waited this long to
tell you, Arthur. There is
something you must know. Harry
didn’t die in the hospital from
peritonitis.
Bess struggles to continue. Her skin becomes pale and her
voice trembles.

BESS
He died while attempting a stunt in
this very funeral home. He called
it The Casket of Death.

CONAN DOYLE
Oh my! That IS ironic, is it not?

DR. STONE
You could not have written it
better yourself, I suspect.

CONAN DOYLE
Harry is far and away the most
curious and intriguing character
whom I have ever encountered.
Though our friendship disintegrated
due to our disagreements pertaining
to spiritualism, I am thankful you
requested my presence.

BESS
I know how you feel about such
things, and thought that your being
here may incite some action on
Harry’s part.

Conan Doyle turns his back to his two companions, and begins
to pace. He wrings his hands as he walks back and forth.

BESS
Arthur, it’s 8 o’clock. I would
like to begin now, in case Harry
wants to contact us at his time of
death.

CONAN DOYLE
So, that much is true? At least it
was not ALL lies.

DR. STONE
I can confirm that, Sir Conan
Doyle. I was present that night,
though I sometimes can not believe
it really happened.

CONAN DOYLE
Bess, if anyone can escape the
restraints of death, it is most
certainly Harry Houdini. Despite
his insistence that supernatural
phenomena were fraudulent, I
suspect his desire to escape the
ties that now bind him will
overcome.

BESS
I certainly hope you are correct,
Arthur.

INT. SIR CONAN DOYLE’S HOTEL ROOM – NIGHT
The ticking of a clock can be heard. Every second, another
tick. The room is then filled with the clamor of the clock’s
clanging bells. Though nobody is there to hear it, the sound
beckons the awakening. The time is 8:07pm.

Album art brought in for some pretty obscure songs

See For Yourself

Details

The app is not free, but there is a demo version that you can try out for 60 minutes of recording time. Once you’ve seen just how easy it is to listen to and record your favorite songs, it’s hard to let this one go.

Click the image below to head to the official site!

If you’ve never heard of Landon Pigg (yes, that’s his real name) then now is the time to have a listen. I was first introduced to this talented singer/songwriter while watching an AT&T commercial that hit close to home. The ad is a boy-meets-girl-while-traveling story, which is how I met my wife. We loved the song so much that put it on our wedding CD. Have a look at the commercial, which features Landon Pigg’s “Falling in Love at a Coffee Shop”.

It turns out that Landon has been around for a few years, though I was unaware. His song “Sailed On” went into heavy national rotation after it was featured on Grey’s Anatomy. Incidentally, I think that’s what many artists (especially relatively unknown ones) wish for. Here’s a fanvid featuring the song and images from Grey’s Anatomy. It may sound familiar to you, even if the name Landon Pigg isn’t.