What I've learned in one year of tech writing | PandoDaily

By Nathaniel Mott
On December 28, 2012

Just a few weeks from now marks my first anniversary as a full-time writer. After leaving college early to avoid crippling student debt, working at a local grocery store, freelancing for a network of app-centric sites, and almost nine months at PandoDaily, I?ll be able to blow out the candle on my dream?s birthday.

Unlike some people, who find themselves writing almost by accident, I?ve always wanted to string words together and tell stories. The format has changed over time ? I started dreaming of becoming a novelist, shifted to poetry and short stories, and finally landed on journalism ? but the words have never stopped coming.

I?ve learned a lot over the last year. I learned how to leave a job on good terms with my employer not once but twice. I learned how to cut unnecessary words (well, most of ?em, anyway) and get to the point, and I learned how to interview people and write about them and their work.

Still, there are plenty of things I have yet to grok. I?m still learning how to report and research stories. I?ve yet to figure out how to write a headline. And I?m pretty sure I?ll never learn how to stop my heart from aching every time I read Kurt Vonnegut, bitter and ecstatic and relieved all at once every time I read the words, ?So it goes.?

Perhaps the hardest thing to learn is how we define ?technology.? Some people lean towards hardware and apps and shiny things that promise to make our lives better, if only until the next thing is released. Others love the business aspect, the hunt for revenue models and stretching budgets and finding out who raised money from which firm. Still others love the people, the network more pervasive than any Web service could ever hope to be.

In the same way that I?ve learned when not to use a semicolon (read: rarely, according to my editors) and when to use a full stop and how many times it?s appropriate to swear or joke in an article, I?ve learned that the hardware can?t be separated from the business or the people who built it. That was a revelation to me.

Previously I just cared about the hardware, the shine. But as I?ve gotten to know the people who work in this field and as I?ve learned more about revenues and venture capital and how those fancy toys are paid for, I?ve realized that it?s all connected. You can?t have one without the other ? a cool tool without a business model is a feature, not a product, and the best tools are built by people who have a problem they want solved and the know-how to do it themselves or find someone who can.

I?m sure that that seems like a silly revelation to many of you, the people who live in this ecosystem, who eat Ramen noodles and hope Google doesn?t change its search algorithms or Apple doesn?t change its App Store guidelines. Many ?normal? people ? a demographic I belonged to until just a year ago ? might not consider where their products come from, or who had to go without sleep to ship an app that crashes due to an unforeseeable bug. Others might imagine that the Valley (by which I mean the technology ecosystem, not the physical valley) is dominated by 20-somethings who party with tigers and burn money and other such bullshit.

Learning how to write good (Ha! Get it?) has been important. I?ve learned lessons this last year that I can apply directly to my craft for the rest of my life ? or until they pull the keyboard, or however we will ?write? in the future, from my cold, dead hands. But those lessons haven?t shaped this year as much as getting to know technology beyond the app icon or shiny new toy.

That was my 2012. 10-year-old me would be proud. Not because I?m learning how to tell stories, but because I?m finally realizing which stories are worth telling.

[Image courtesy?Kristine Vintervold]

Nathaniel Mott

Nathaniel Mott is a staff writer for PandoDaily, covering startups and technology from New York.

Source: http://pandodaily.com/2012/12/28/what-ive-learned-in-one-year-of-tech-writing/

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Jordan says can handle any Syrian chemical threat

AMMAN, Jordan (AP) ? Jordan says it is prepared to deal with any potential chemical weapon threat posed by the ongoing violence in neighboring Syria, but adds it will not enter "any alliance" to protect itself.

Jordan, the U.S. and others have expressed concern that Syrian President Bashar Assad could use chemical weapons in a last-ditch effort to save his regime.

Information Minister Sameeh Maaytah did not provide details on Jordan's capabilities to thwart a chemical attack in remarks carried by the official Petra news agency Sunday.

But other Jordanian officials have said U.S. and British military experts have provided training in protecting civilians in case of a chemical attack on Jordanian territory.

Maaytah also said the 21-month Syrian crisis has put enormous pressure on Jordan's infrastructure as it now hosts 275,000 refugees.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-12-30-Jordan-Syria/id-66927a0e59554f87af255d4ed4a695e4

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Texas builds 'hurricane domes' for double-duty

EDNA, Texas (AP) ? Texas is building specially designed "hurricane domes" along its Gulf Coast that will offer shelter during major storms and serve the rest of the time as gyms or community centers.

The proposed 28 domes are part of the Texas Safe Shelter Initiative, created to protect sick and elderly residents who can't evacuate ahead of a hurricane. First-responders will also be able to use the facilities, which are being funded mostly by the federal government.

The school district in the town of Edna, about 100 miles southwest of Houston, is building a hurricane dome that will be nearly 20,000 square feet and able to withstand winds up to 200 mph.

When not needed for a storm, it will be used mainly as a high school gym.

Source: http://www.sandiego6.com/news/national-world/185078571.html

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Storm blows through East, 200,000 in the dark

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) ? A muted version of a winter storm that has killed more than a dozen people across the eastern half of the country plodded across the Northeast on Thursday, trapping airliners in snow or mud and frustrating travelers still trying to return home after Christmas.

The storm, which was blamed for at least 16 deaths farther south and west, brought plenty of wind, rain and snow to the Northeast when it blew in Wednesday night. Lights generally remained on and cars mostly stayed on the road, unlike many harder-hit places including Arkansas, where 200,000 homes and businesses lost power.

By afternoon, the precipitation had stopped in parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Massachusetts, though snow continued to fall in upstate New York and northern New England. Parts of snow-savvy New Hampshire expected as much as 18 inches.

Dale Lamprey, who was clearing off the sidewalk outside the legislative office building in Concord, already had several hours of shoveling under his belt by 8:30 a.m. Thursday and didn't expect it to get much better.

"I'm going to be shoveling all day, just trying to keep up with the snow," he said. "Which is impossible."

The Northeast's heaviest snowfall was expected to be in northern Pennsylvania, upstate New York and inland sections of several New England states before the storm heads into Canada on Friday, National Weather Service spokesman David Roth said.

While the East Coast's largest cities ? New York, Philadelphia and Boston ? saw mostly high winds and cold rain, other areas experienced a messy mix of rain and snow that slowed commuters and those still heading home from holiday trips. Some inbound flights were delayed in Philadelphia and New York's LaGuardia, but the weather wasn't leading to delays at other major East Coast airports.

Forty-two students traveling to London and Dublin were stuck in the Nashville airport thanks to weather in the Northeast. The frustrated students, from universities in Tennessee and Kentucky, were supposed to leave Wednesday and arrive in London on Thursday.

Joe Woolley, spokesman for the Cooperative Center for Study Abroad, said he hopes he can get them there just one day late. "It's a two-week program, so it's shortened already," he said.

On New York's Long Island, a Southwest Airlines jet bound for Tampa, Fla., veered off a taxiway and got stuck in mud Thursday morning. Officials said there were no injuries to the 129 passengers and five crew members. Though the area received heavy rain overnight, Southwest spokesman Paul Flanigan said it wasn't clear whether that played a role.

In Pittsburgh, a flight that landed safely during the storm Wednesday night got stuck in several inches of snow on the tarmac about two hours. The American Airlines flight arrived between 8 and 9 p.m., but then ran over a snow patch and got stuck.

Earlier, the storm system spawned tornadoes on Christmas along the Gulf Coast, startling people like Bob and Sherry Sims of Mobile, Ala., who had just finished dinner.

"We heard that very distinct sound, like a freight train," said Bob Sims, who lost electricity but was grateful that he fared better than neighbors whose roofs were peeled away and porches smashed by falling trees. In Georgiana, Ala., an 81-year-old man died Wednesday, a day after a tree fell on his home, emergency officials said.

Deaths from wind-toppled trees also were reported in Texas and Louisiana, but car crashes caused most of the fatalities. Two people were killed in Kentucky crashes, a New York man was killed after his pickup truck skidded on an icy road in northwest Pennsylvania, and an Ohio teenager died after losing control of her car and smashing into an oncoming snowplow.

In Arkansas, where two people died in a head-on collision, some of those who lost electricity could be without it for as long as a week because of snapped poles and wires after ice and 10 inches of snow coated power lines, said the state's largest utility, Entergy Arkansas.

Farther east, the storm knocked out power to more than 7,000 homes and businesses in Maryland, and utilities were preparing for more outages as the wind picked up. In New Jersey, gusts of more than 70 mph were recorded along the coast, and the weather service issued a flood warning for some coastal areas. There were about 800 power outages in Vermont, but only a handful in neighboring New Hampshire.

Schools on break and workers taking holiday vacations meant that many people could avoid messy commutes, but those who had to travel were urged to avoid it.

Few truckers were stopping into a TravelCenters of America truck stop in Willington, Conn., near the Massachusetts border early Thursday. Usually 20 to 30 an hour stop in overnight, but high winds and slushy roads had cut that to two to three people an hour.

"A lot of people are staying off the road," said Louis Zalewa, 31, who works there selling gasoline and staffing the store. "I think people are being smart."

___

Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Jennifer Peltz in New York; Jim Van Anglen in Mobile, Ala.; Kelly P. Kissel in Little Rock, Ark.; Travis Loller in Nashville; Ben Nuckols in Washington; Dave Porter in Newark, N.J.; Dave Gram in Montpelier, Vt.; and Janet McMillan in Philadelphia.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/storm-blows-east-200k-dark-arkansas-195516939.html

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Your Guide To Commercial Real Estate Success In This Era. The ...

You probably have a better chance at making a profit in the commercial real estate market than in the residential real estate market. Finding good opportunities can be quite difficult, however. Here are a variety of tips that will help you get the most from your commercial real estate venture.

Bring your digital camera along, and use it. Be sure the photos capture any defects that exist in the unit, such as holes in the wall, and damaged or dirty carpets.

When starting out in commercial real estate, it is important you understand the measurement labeled Net Operating Income, or NOI for short. You need to keep your numbers positive if you are going to be successful.

TIP! Investors of commercial properties should be mindful that the specter of massive inflation always looms on the horizon of the coming years. The days when leases used regular adjustments to protect you against inflation are over.

Take a tour of properties you are considering. When looking at a property that you are thinking of purchasing, it?s a good idea to have a licensed contractor accompany you. Submit a first offer and solicit counteroffers. Before making any commitment, you should carefully evaluate each offer and counteroffer.

Take the time to be certain you are satisfied with a piece of real estate before you purchase it. Do not go into an investment out of haste. You are at risk of making poor decisions when rushing into things, and if your property investment does not work out, you will regret it. Stay patient; it could take a year or more for the perfect property to materialize.

Figure out where you are going to obtain your loan prior to submitting a commercial real estate offer. Speak with friends and some other investors to make a list of the greatest lenders of your area. Do a little research and select one that will meet your needs, before you even begin the process of purchasing commercial real estate. Taking your time to organize your paperwork will help to ensure that you get the loan.

TIP! Make sure that the commercial property has access to all utilities needed. You will need access to electricity, water, sewer and maybe gas in addition to any unique need that your business has.

Be sure you position yourself well when it comes to negotiating any lease for commercial real estate, you want to do things like decrease what could be considered as a default event. This lowers the chance that the person renting will fail to uphold their end of the lease. This type of situation is considered very undesirable.

You need to be able to spot good deals to be able to make them advantageous to you. Good deals are easily recognized by real estate professionals. Part of their expert knowledge includes knowing when not to make a deal and preparing an exit strategy to extricate themselves. In addition, they can quickly spot areas that need repair, and they can estimate financial risk to ensure they will not lose money on the deal.

Certain facets of commercial loans separate them from their residential counterparts, like how much greater a percentage of the overall asking price must be covered in a down payment. Try to locate the best lenders; then try asking for any quality investments. Both of these are a great way for you to increase your changes of qualifying for a commercial loan.

TIP! Add a blog to your website to develop your good reputation. You will then have a better chance of locating people who want to purchase your properties or lease space from you.

You should have a better understanding of real estate by now. You should remember to stay on your toes when it comes to commercial real estate. This will put you in a position where you can capitalize on amazing opportunities which others miss, and end up making a deal which brings you great profits.

When purchasing commercial real estate, it?s important that you understand the property you?re purchasing may be a lifelong investment. If you think the property will last forever, you won?t include repair expenses in your plans and might end up losing a lot of money because of your lack of preparation. The property might be in need of new roofing, or utility upgrades like wiring. All buildings eventually need maintenance to maintain the quality of your investment. Plan for these repairs as they will happen in the future.

TIP! You should take into account any potential environmental concerns. For instance, your property could be endangered by the presence of hazardous waste.

You can be much happier now that you?ve learned more about fl keys commercial real estate. Good thing you?ve been learning about it. Knowledge is power in many aspects of life; it does not only apply to fl keys commercial real estate. Keep in mind all that you?ve read and learned here, and when you have to deal with fl keys commercial real estate again, you will know how to handle it.

Source: http://www.keywestlifestyle.com/blog/key-west-commercial-real-estate/your-guide-to-commercial-real-estate-success-in-this-era-the-best-tips-available/

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Benefits Of Postcard Direct Mailing Marketing

Many businesses have started using postcard direct mailing as an important tool of marketing. They are not only efficient tool of marketing but at the same time very cost effective. They are used to advertise products, services, announcing latest promotions, events, celebrations and even to send anniversary or birthday greetings.

There are many companies that offer postcard direct mailing service according to a certain scheduled time suitable to their clients. They print and mail on behalf of their clients so that their customers don't have to go through the hassle of waiting for their shipment. The best thing about these companies is that most of them offer simple and easy to use design tools which their customers can use to create their own designs.

A business can take advantage of such tool to advertise their services and products on offer. Even those areas that are difficult to reach physically can be reached without any trouble with such marketing asset. Being economical is another demand made by many businesses and it is a great way to do that.

When it comes to color and design, there is an endless selection to choose from. It totally depends on personal taste and preference that what type of style is chosen. Some people go for more contemporary design while others prefer a bit of funky look. For those customers who prefer to get their product ready, they can opt for already designed cards.

Some people prefer to use postcard direct mailing to celebrate special occasions that come into their lives. Whether one wants to celebrate his birthday, wedding anniversary or any other special occasion these are used very commonly. They are sometimes even used as a form of invite to those people who live far away. No doubt, it is an excellent way of marking certain special occasions.

Many people think that this form of marketing is uncommon now and electronic media has taken its place this is not true. Because despite the frequent use of electronic media and advertisement this type of advertisement has its own place in today's world. The good thing about it is that it is free of spam or junk mail as compared to emails which people find hard to trust. This is the reason why emails in junk folders are hardly read by their recipients.

On the other hand when an individual receives a card in his mail, even if he wants to throw it away he still has to look through it and many times people get attracted to promotions offered by companies. Instead of spending huge amount of budget on expensive marketing strategies if money is spent wisely on this type of marketing it can prove to be very fruitful.

Therefore, it can be said that postcard direct mailing has become and essential form of advertisement. People and organisations all across the world take advantage of it in order to promote individual or business goals. The economical benefit attached to it makes it more favorable as compared to other methods of promotions and advertisements.

Source: http://story-nice.blogspot.com/2012/12/benefits-of-postcard-direct-mailing.html

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iOS apps see Christmas sales spike shrink in 2012

For a moment there, we almost believed it: Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz's radical solution for the ongoing fiscal cliff nightmare, and maybe politics entirely, was going to work. Scrawling a vaguely political message on paper cups containing overpriced coffee would deliver us from partisan politics, from disagreement itself. We were going to Come Together? while consuming a Trenta vanilla soy half-caf latte?with extra chocolate drizzle.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ios-apps-see-christmas-sales-spike-shrink-2012-204053585.html

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