The John Palm Show

My young cousins were recently lamenting the fact that old people are infiltrating their social networks like Facebook, Twitter and Flickr. Those “old people” are the rock star generation we know as Baby Boomers. Yes, Boomers are “twittering” their every move… where they eat, how they recreate, and dropping names of the big hitters with whom they hang.

Baby Boomer is twittering: Kayaking with Engelbert down Snake River laughing and discussing my overactive bladder problem.

Baby Boomer is twittering: Riding my Harley listening to Led Zepplin on my new iPhone 16GB and just passed Tom Brokaw!

As the boomers move in the kids will inevitably move out. Where? Somewhere the old people aren’t. The kids will always stay one step ahead.

Want to avoid the omnipresent Baby Boomers (at least for now) then try these:

Virb - Generally known as the designer’s MySpace, Virb lives up to the hype by offering sleek and easy-to-customize profile design.

Trig - Trig is a sweet sight for the sore eyes of a web designer/hipster who spent too many days wailing about horrid MySpace profiles. Mostly music oriented.

Pounce - Pownce has been categorized as everything: from web-based IM to a forum, so I guess that simply calling it a social network isn’t that far off. Taking the Twitter recipe and perfecting it, Pownce added some of its own flavor to the mix, and one of the features I really like about it are skins.

Pure Volume - Neat and tidy are the words that first come to mind when you first look at Purevolume. The site is purely music-oriented and the profiles are divided between artists and listeners.

Shelfari - Shelfari is a community of book lovers which you can browse by user, by interest groups or by books themselves.

Keep it on the down low… the boomers are everywhere…

I am skeptical of most new technology, but Facebook really works! Here are some thoughts on technology…

Technology that doen’t work - worst inventions:

1. Digital Cameras - I spend triple the time on photos now.

2. YouTube - time waster, but great way introduce your family to soft core porn.

3. Computers Built Into Appliances - how did we live without a plasma screen of the fridge?

4. Smart Homes - it’s just way too much effort to flip a switch.

Technology that WORKS - world’s best inventions:

1. DVRs - watch on my time frame, not the networks.

2. Facebook - simple and really works in finding old friends.

3. Cellular Phones - who could live without one? however, in 20 years we’ll probably all have ear tumors.

4. Salt Chlorine Generators - great! if you have one you know what I mean. makes owning a pool easy.

Technology (low tech)  wish list - someone invent these:

1. Oprah Deletion Device - erases Oprah shows that wife records on DVR and makes it look like an accident. what? Oprah got erased? I’m so sorry honey.

2. Security Briefs - to insure that NO ONE will touch your valuables… ever.

3. Electronic Yodelling Pickle! - you know you want one.

4. Butter Stick - enough said!

After careful consideration, I am not going to give my son the nickname “Meanus” because it rhymes with “Mean Bus”. Kids at school can be so cruel. Why take the chance?

Pioneer Human Services (Seattle, WA) is a business with a purpose. They are Entrepreneurs Who Are Changing the World according to FAST Company.

What do they do? Read it here.

It is an incredible company!

I wrote a satirical post about appropriate ages to give your children razor sharp weapons here. It originated from a photo of my oldest son holding a two-handed sword.

That single post has generated more search result hits on my blog than any other post! What? Are there really that many people searching google for the appropriate age to give their son a pocket knife or other sharp weapon?

That’s kinda scary but true.

On a personal note (and not in any way to be construed as advice) I have given my 3 of my boys their very own pocket knife. I’m a dad of 4 boys. I’m gonna let them be boys. Blood and all. I’ve trained them on how to handle a pocket knife and willing to put up with some minor cuts (and so is my wife).

Here are some other tips if your crazy enough to follow my example and give your son a pocket knife at an early age.

My humble and sometimes wrong opinion is that there is enough out there turning our boys into over-emotional, in-touch, feminized, sissy boys. Just make sure you watch the animated cartoon below before you give your son a pocket knife.

Pocket Knife for Kids Animated Cartoon

Good luck!

     

After hearing him live (acoustic) with Dana Weaver (one of the many guitarists for SonicFlood), I am convinced that Geoff Moore is the world’s most under rated Christian singer/songwriter.

Geoff Moore seems like the real deal…

If he’s NOT the real deal… then I don’t want to know. I like this guy.

I’ve been back stage with a few big name (long bearded) praise and worship artists who did NOT seem like the real deal. They were aloof, distant, snooty, rude, noses buried in the laptop computers and basically mean guys… and that was right before the worship session that they lead! If you’re that stressed and/or overworked then get off the road and take a break.

Veteran rocker Geoff Moore seems to enjoy every second of what he does. What a refreshment! Go buy Speak To Me and enjoy.

Geoff Moore MySpace Music

Your home remodel project is very important to you. The nuances of hand-made cabinetry, the price negotiations with your sub-contractor, and the magic of adding light to your space are oh so interesting. Two hours chatting about your color pallet must seem like minutes. Please go on, dear lady. I want to hear more. I want to sit at your feet and soak it in. Inscribe it on my heart. And please, write down the extra details so I can read it at home when I’m on the can.