I don't remember exactly what compelled me to walk into my first yoga studio sometime in February 2000 and sign up for my first Hatha class, but it is something I'll be eternally grateful for. I was hooked from the start, attending as much as I could. My tendency to share what I love with others I love lead to me bringing friend after friend down to the studio so they could experience how wonderful it made me feel. I brought so many friends with me to the studio that my teacher offered to teach a private free class to me and as many friends as I could bring one enjoyable night. I think we had a class of 12-15.

I'm beginning to get worried about our reliance on Facebook as our only method of communication with those close in our lives. Anybody that knows me knows that I'm a fan of the ways Social Networks, especially Facebook, allow us to revive and keep alive connections that would of atrophied away under classic circumstances, where friends afar can fade away. However, I believe that Facebook should only be an extra layer of communication added onto the ones we already have: phone conversations, texts, emails, letters, and most importantly: face to face conversation.

I'm moving out of Missoula, MT to Portland, OR this week. I've been looking forward to this move for about 3 years now and am now in the position to be able to make it out. For my entire life I've watched the rest of the world run while Montana walks. Fortunately, the Internet is awesome and I've been able to keep up (that and traveling out many times). But let's face it, that's like running on a treadmill at home, while you could be out with others running. That all being said, I've love Montana and the people here dearly. An appreciation for walking will always be held by me (believe it or not), and I feel that after a while running with the world, I'll implore them to slow down and soak in what is amazing around them. Sorry for the loose analogy, but it somehow feels appropriate. Anyway, I'm currently still doing freelance Web Design work, but am looking for a part time or full time web job with an established agency. If you're interested, please visit my Portfolio and get a hold of me if interested. Other than that, I'm looking forward to soaking in the city and using that wonderful public transport to check out those amazing breweries I hear so much about (not like we don't have great beer in Montana...). Also, I'm really looking forward to driving around the surrounding 90 miles and seeing what I can see, hiking some hills, and sleeping in some old growth forests. So if anyone's curious, here's roughly where I'm living. I threw if off a couple of blocks, so don't even think of robbing these guys after I check in on Foursquare somewhere ;)

I clocked myself using my iPhone's GPS & a 99 cent app going down Paradise at Montana Snowbowl outside Missoula. Check out the screenshot's Max Speed. So interesting to put an objective figure to a subjective feeling. I'd like to hit 55, but I don't really feel the need to go much faster than that. Something about going highway speed...

Well, there was enough interest for last month's First Foursquare First Friday, where we played Foursquare (Learn what Foursquare is here) during Missoula's First Friday downtown, that we'll be doing it again. @MontanaMonica went to the most art galleries from 4 pm - 8 pm and won a growler of beer from me.

The second Foursquare First Friday (let's use #4sqFF to discuss this on Twitter) will take place this coming Friday the 5th of March, 2010, from 4-8pm in Missoula, MT. Whoever checks into the most art galleries, wins. Only checkins into art galleries count. No checkins to other non-gallery businesses, homes, cars, or secret lairs. What do we count as art galleries? Well, any venues on Foursquare tagged "gallery". To make it easier on the judges (ie Me), just try to refrain from checking into other places while downtown for First Friday. That being said, if you end up stopping at Liquid Planet (or someplace else) for a break during the art walk, then by all means: checkin. It'll just make it easier to count checkins later if they all are galleries. Also, when you checkin to your 10th gallery, you should get the Warhol badge. I got 8 galleries last month, so I'm hoping to get mine early in the night this week. :)

I like to think of Foursquare as a Serendipity Enhancer, a Game that makes you move, a way to meet people you normally wouldn't, and a way to explore your everyday neighborhood in a way that you normally wouldn't. Foursquare First Friday is a great way to experience that. While you're downtown, be sure to post where your favorite art is, where the good food and drink is, and make an effort to meet up with the people you see checking in nearby. Also, don't forget that we're all out to see some art, meet some people, and have a good time, so try not to spend the whole time looking at your phone instead of enjoying your surroundings. (I'm guilty of this). Of course, it'll be impossible to not look at it, but I always try to strike a balance.

Lastly, these are the Foursquare venues currently set up that are tagged "gallery". There's enough there to get the Warhol badge from scratch, but anybody can feel free to tag any other venues that are galleries.

Zoo Town Brew
121 W Broadway St

Rocky Mountain School of Photography
216 N Higgins

Dana Gallery
246 N Higgins

The Artist's Shop
304 N. Higgins

The Celtic Connection
114 East Main Street

EDIT(Mar 8, 2011):Well, now that the iPhone is available on Verizon, Montana's biggest cell carrier, this post is more of just an archived look at what we used to have to deal with during the 4 dark years of a mainly iPhone-less Montana. I have an iPhone 3G in Montana with a (406) area code phone number that I brought over from Verizon (the phone number, not the iPhone) with me about a year ago. It works great! It took a little bit of work to get it rolling, but it's actually not too hard. If you're willing to jump through a few hoops, I'll explain in plain English how to get the coolest piece of technology in existence. Before we begin, a minor background on the situation for the uninitiated. iPhones are currently only sold in the US on AT&T. AT&T is not available in Montana. The main option here is Verizon Wireless, which most of the Montanans I know have. The reason you can't get an iPhone on Verizon is because the iPhone & AT&T "speaks" GSM and Verizon & it's phones "speak" CDMA. However, Cellular One is in Montana and does "speak" GSM, so you can get an iPhone on Montana's Cell One. To allow an iPhone to get on a cell carrier that speaks it's language (GSM), there is a process called "unlocking" that allows your phone to get on any network. Unlocking is not illegal. So, here's what you need to do to get an iPhone in Montana.

1. Buy an iPhone. In order of preferred method: ask your friends, check the Craigslist for your area, or buy one off eBay. It doesn't have to be an "unlocked" one you see frequently on eBay. That just means that the next step is taken care of for you, which is the hardest, but still doable.
2. Unlock it. So there's jailbreaking and there's unlocking. Jailbreaking is the process that allows one to run anything you want on a device, like an application that will unlock your phone and allow it on any network. (More info on Jailbreaking here-great info). So you jailbreak so you can get unlocked from AT&T. To start, Go here and select a tutorial that matches the iPhone you got and the Operating System you have. Follow it. You might have to try it a couple times, but don't worry about messing it up because you can always just restore your iPhone's Operating System and start over. If you're having problems, listen to what the iPhone Dev team has to say as they are the grand masters. Oh, and never pay for an unlocking software.
3. Setup service with Cellular One. If you want to keep your number, tell Cell One that and they'll prepare the paperwork to send to your current cell carrier. Tell them that you already have a phone and you just need a SIM card. The plan I have is unlimited data/unlimited voice/unlimited texts for $89/month. I should note that a major drawback to this whole plan is that Cell One doesn't have service outside of Montana. You can roam, but you can't use your data plan (ie no Google Maps), which TOTALLY SUCKS, I know, but is a con I'm personally willing to accept for all the pros I get from an iPhone while I'm in Montana (which is 99% of the time). The suggested course of action is to get roaming credits before any out of state trip as that is much cheaper than paying roaming fees after the fact. Also, it should be noted that you don't have to sign a contract since you own your own phone. I'm on a month-to-month contract and can leave with my iPhone at any time :)
4. Insert Cell One SIM card into unlocked iPhone. Test call someone. Brag that you got an iPhone. Hopefully you didn't piss them off, because you'll want them to call you back to test incoming calls too.
5. Setup Picture Messaging & Data Network. Under Settings>General>Network>Cellular Data Network Cellular Data APN: internet.chinookwireless.net Username: blank Password: blank MMS APN: wapgw.chinookwireless.net Username: blank Password: blank MMSC: http://mms.cellonenation.net/mms/ MMS Proxy: 204.181.155.195:8080
6. Test Text & Pic Messages. Send one of each to some asking them to send a test one back. Picture messages take a little bit to send. Be patient.
7. Test Anywhere Internet. Go into settings and turn off your WiFi if you're by some. You'll see and "E" in the top indicating that you're connected to Cell One's EDGE network. Open Safari and go somewhere. If it's not working, go back into your Network Settings and check the Settings again, sometimes they don't stick.
8. Rejoice!

OK, that wraps it up I think. If there's anything I missed, leave it in the comments and I'll edit the post to integrate the info. Also, I just wanted to say that I am in NO WAY involved with Cellular One or Apple, nor am I making any money off this, I just want to share with you this method as it is our only way to get an iPhone working in Montana. Well, besides getting an iPhone from AT&T in another state and just roaming in Montana, which isn't that bad of an idea. I have friends that do that and don't have any big problems, they just have crappier reception than I do. Finally, if you followed this post and wanted to say thanks, just leave a comment at the bottom so I know that it was appreciated. Hope this helped!

My buddy and I had an email back and forth that pretty much sums up my thoughts on the newly released iPad. On Jan 27, 2010, at 1:04 PM, Flavio Loetscher wrote: Apple once again shows the well elaborated line between user and hardware. A beauty of an iPad, I gotta say. It must be super awesome to read books on that device, share videos & pics, or even read the NewYorkTimes and use the apps. Starting with 499$ this is a great deal but in my opinion a bit unnecessary for iPhone users... having an iPhone is awesome, linking to your mac is even better - iPad truly is a new category of devices... it's pretty much luxury to watch videos on iPad when you could watch them on your macbook. And to type longer messages, I am not really optimistic with the iPad. Furthermore the apps will need to be updated in order to make them look good on the iPad. I am really really looking forward to holding one of those babies in my hands. I kinda see a easy-going sunday in front of me - purchasing a book from the ibookstore, checking out newspapers and watching videos with it, nothing more. Or a great tool for conferences or in the kitchen for recipes... I am still very very happy with my Macbook pro and iphone which perfectly fit together. I see iPad as an additional tool for luxury. No money right now but if I bought one it would just be for fun :) Good job Steve! I really love the user interface and how it is design and created to push the user experience on a new level. Big up. What do you think about it? Flav

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I agree with most of what you said. I do think that there will be another "goldrush" with all the new apps that could come out. Now that there's more advanced hardware & a bigger screen, some of the apps that weren't really appropriate can be made available on the iPad. The fact that Apple put out iWork on it shows that the iPad is ready to take on that middle ground of apps between laptops & iPhone. No one would take class notes on an iPhone. Also, the Brushes app shows this as well. I think that since all iPhone apps will work on it is a really good thing as the iPad will be able to hit the ground running. Just think: an un-updated Evernote. That'd be nice, huh? Having that full keyboard will really speed up data entry nicely. Also, since you can move photos/videos directly onto the iPad via SD card/USB, that'll be really nice for photographers and videographers in the field. Also, that same group of people have a GREAT portfolio showing off device. The iBooks will do well, but I still think that the Kindle is a superior reading device as it doesn't shoot light into your eyes. Have you got to hold a Kindle? Much better way to read text. The eyes instantly feel more relaxed. Overall, I think that people will end up using there computer for recreation less and less and end up just using for work. I can see iPhone/iPad being the preferred and most enjoyed way to consume News, Photos, Videos, Social Media, & other leisurely media. The students will definitely be using this, that's for sure. But, with all the creative professionals: still using a Mac Laptop/Desktop for the majority of their work. And finally, I think that the $499 price tag for the entry model sounds better than what I thought. I have a feeling that most reviews will end with: "considering all the pros & cons of the iPad, we think that it's all a great entry into the Apple lineup with it's price". Cheers, Evan PS I'll probably get one if I can sell off some tech equipment that'll get me to the 32GB WiFi model.

As I'm sure you know, I've been a big fan of Foursquare, the location based game. And recently it has started to catch more interest in the Missoula Twitter community. I think that it would be a fun idea to play a game of Foursquare during Missoula's First Friday, the downtown art walk that takes place the first Friday of every month. The two ideas of what is being done is practically duplicated: going to multiple places, checking out new venues, and hopefully running into friends and other interesting people.

So here's what I propose: the person who gets the most points on Foursquare on Friday the 5th of February 2009 in Missoula, MT from 4pm - 8pm, I will give a growler of any beer from any brewery in Missoula. You can even keep the glass container. I know it's not too much, but I thought that it'd be fun for everyone who played the Foursquare First Friday game could met up at the brewery of the winner's choice the next day around 6pm-ish and all hang out, enjoy a beer, and chat. And of course, so I can give a growler of beer to the winner. To make it more interesting I was hoping more people would be willing to put up another small prize. Just mention it in the comments below.

So I just wanted to mention a few things about points on Foursquare quickly. You get 5 points for stopping at any place you've never been to, you get 5 points for adding any venue that Foursquare doesn't have yet, and you get 1 point for each place you've checked into that day. So if the 3rd place you check into is a place that you've never been and Foursquare doesn't have it, you'll get 13 points for that. So if someone wanted to have an unfair advantage on this day, then they'd just check into several places before First Friday started, then all their checkins during 4-8pm would be worth more points, therefore being unfair to the other participants. So the only way I can see it working fair is if you are participating then you can't check in at any place till 4pm. I'm open to hearing other ways around this and other opinions on what rules to have (ie only counting checkins at art galleries).

Oh, and also since you can't see a leaderboard for the general Missoula area, to be eligible you'll have to friend me on Foursquare. I'll be taking screenshots of my leaderboard at 4pm and 8pm (those are the general First Friday hours, right?) and then doing the math to see how many points were earned.

So what do you think? Does it sound interesting? Let me know in the comments below, and be sure to tick the sharing option on your comment if you want to blast your comment out to your network too. If you want to of course. Thanks for hearing me out!

Lately, I have been really digging Foursquare. I'm pumped that they made it available in any city now. If you're not sure what it is, then you should check out what @TheRealClint posted up about Foursquare on his blog. It covers the introduction bases well and even goes on to talk about why it's important for businesses to take advantage of it. I highly recommend reading it. My favorite point he makes is that if you become "Mayor" of a place and they give you a free coffee/beer/treat, you'll be inclined to come back. And then others will be visiting more often to see if they can take the Mayor spot from you. This, obviously, results in an increase of customers coming by. The point I want to make is that when you check-in to a place via Foursquare you have the option to push it out as a Facebook and/or Twitter status update to let your friends know that you're at the place in hopes that they stop by if they're in the area. Basically this boils down to wonderful word of mouth free advertising from a trusted source to your network of friends for the business. The average person who's decently into Social Networking has at least 300-500 friends on there combined Facebook/Twitter friend list, if not significantly more. Being able to get out to that many people, through a trusted source, for the price of a free cup of coffee, is an amazing deal to businesses. People are SICK of traditional advertising. They've built up a resistance to it. Friends telling them where the great place to go is, what there favorite product is, and what meaningful, relevant news they should pay attention to, is quickly replacing traditional advertising. If businesses can't excite their customer base to the point that they get excited enough to share it with their friends, then they've lost on a big opportunity. Social Media fans have long known this, but the new element that Foursquare is bringing to the table is they are tying status updates to a location. Tying the digital update to a real physical location is key for this to work. It's a new push into Geosocial Networking. More information about Foursquare can be found on there site, their Wikipedia page, their blog, or on Twitter: @Foursquare.

 

There is a lot of confusion and poor documentation surrounding the proper preparation of Yerba Maté, I would like to share my method here. I'm not saying that my method is the perfect method and all others are wrong. I can only share what I know and use, and that I like it and it works well. I prefer using the traditional method using the Gourd and Bombilla (the Metal Filtered Straw), but there are many, many ways to prepare Maté.

1. Boil Water
2. Clean out yesterday's gourd. (Sad, but very true step to my method)
3. Pour water into thermos, adding cold water to get the desired temp. I usually test this by putting my finger in to get an idea. I've also found out the I like water at about 150° F/65° C by using an Espresso Thermometer
4. Put loose Yerba Maté into gourd, my favorite Maté being Cruz de Malta
5. Shake Maté so that it creates an opening to the bottom of the gourd, then put the bombilla all the way to the bottom, then "fold" the Maté over the bombilla. This method is better seen than described, so I posted a quick video on YouTube, which can be viewed below.
6. Pour cold water into the gourd. Let it soak in. Sip the gourd dry. The cold water prevents the hot water from "shocking" the nutrients from the tea.
7. Pour hot water from the thermos into the gourd, making sure to pour the water onto the bombilla, so that it slides down it and into the gourd. This is better than pouring the water directly onto the herb as that will create a micro-splash-crater and disturb the herb. This first sip will be an inconsistent temp as it will still be grabbing some of the cold water. Only the 2nd or maybe the 3rd fill will be a good indicator of the temperature that the rest of the people enjoying the Maté will be experiencing. As the person preparing the Maté session, known as the servador, you are responsible for making sure that everything is of high quality for your guests, and that they will not be burning their tongues.
8. Fill the gourd, point the bombilla towards the recipient, let them enjoy the entire gourd, then they hand it back to you, the servador, then you fill it again, handing it to the next person enjoying the session with you.
9. Repeat