WHAT an amazing time at Hotzone this year! This is such a worthwhile
conference. Where else can one go to get this quality of training and
networking?

The suicide bomber class was amazing. The take-away from it was the
response of the Israeli citizen to these horrific events. Using
volunteers, the bombing site is cleared and cleaned within FIVE hours.
Area folks are taught to take out their cell phones and take pictures
or video, immediately after the explosion. Those pictures are NOT
sent to YouTube or the blog. Those pictures are sent to the local
authorities who add them to the evidence pool.

Assistance to Fire Fighter grants process is changing. A very
informative session on the process was given at this conference.

This year, the Local Emergency Planning Committee track was VERY much
appreciated. This information helps your LEPC learn best practices.

Hotzone is over this year. Bookmark http://hotzone.org/ for next year.

On October 18, 2006, April Green, one of the characters in the TV series Jericho said "Our world has changed".


The viewing public was exposed, during that episode called "The Federal Response" to what would have the IPAWS look and feel.

During the show, every phone in the community of 5000 in western Kansas came to life with a message from the Under Secretary of Homeland Security.

The internet started working again.

The Emergency Alert System came on otherwise dark television sets.

It's unclear how the writers of Jericho came up with this idea but the inclusion in the show is forward-thinking.

The fans of the show were given some insight what the future might hold, should that disaster befall America.

For my #SMEM friends....

Sent to you by KC5FM via Google Reader:

Why No One Company Will Ever Monopolize the Internet

via Mashable! by Jonathan Rick on 10/14/11

Jonathan Rick is a social media strategist in Arlington, VA. You can follow him on Twitter @jrick and read his blog at JonathanRick.com.
The pace and power of web-fueled innovation is stunning. One day we're swearing by Outlook, the next, we can't live without Gmail. These changes exemplify the beauty of the Internet — the possibility that greener pastures are but a click away.
On the other hand, the list of tech innovations that could have been is quite long. Before we get into those, a few caveats:

• Some of the companies below may not have missed the boat so much as skipped the ride. Oftentimes, these businesses simply chose to perfect their core businesses instead of tacking on new features.
• None of these companies has been "MySpaced." To the contrary, each remains well-regarded and innovative in its own right.

So, how did tech companies miss the boat?

---

1. Google Docs missed the SlideShare boat. Sure, Google Docs can display PDFs and PPTs, but documents are slow to load, maximized by default, and can't easily be shared or embedded. By contrast, SlideShare is known as "YouTube for documents" because it's fast, user-friendly and social.
2. Google Docs missed the Dropbox boat. The search giant passed on adding synchronization to Google Docs (or GDrive). Meanwhile, Dropbox pioneered this feature, for which it's now the gold standard. And, in an ironic twist, during a five-day, company-wide hackathon, Dropbox developed the ability to sync its accounts with Google Docs. (Although Google may soon unleash a Dropbox killer.)
3. Microsoft Office missed the Google Docs boat. Only after companies, governments and non-profits had "gone Google" did Redmond release a cloud-based, collaborative version of its cash cow, Office (along with a few videos that contrast Office with Docs).
4. iTunes missed the Spotify boat. Apple cornered the digital music market years ago, but besides the all-important $0.99 per song price tag, Cupertino never really innovated with iTunes. Specifically, the software's lack of social and streaming services created massive opportunities that Spotify — and Pandora, Amazon, Google, and Facebook — pounced on. Apple now is playing catch-up with Ping (pathetic) and iCloud (promising).
5. Mapquest missed the Google Maps boat. When I was in college, "Mapquest" was so popular that we used it as a verb. Today, it seems the only people who use this site are those who still have an AOL email address. The reason: thanks to relentless innovation (mash-ups, Street View, GPS-enabled mobile apps), Google Maps has presented itself everywhere you want to travel.
6. Google Latitude missed the Foursquare boat. Ironically, the founder of Foursquare was a former Googler who left because Mountain View wouldn't allocate enough resources to his team, "leaving us to watch as other startups got to innovate in the mobile + social space." Google still hasn't made it with Latitude, whereas Foursquare's points system, partnership with American Express, and merchant features have generated growth of a million users per month. (Perhaps this is why Google may want to buy Foursquare instead of compete with it.)
7. Facebook missed the LinkedIn boat. When I learned of LinkedIn, I thought, can't you already do this with Facebook? Well, yes, but not without some hassle. Reed Hoffman, LinkedIn's founder, recognized that, while we want to be hip in our personal lives, we strive to be practical and maybe even a little boring in our careers. This is why we use one email address for pleasure and one for business, and why we use Facebook to socialize with friends and LinkedIn to network with colleagues. Recognizing this, Facebook continues to hype its business pages, while such professional credibility comes naturally to LinkedIn.
8. Facebook missed the Twitter boat. When I learned of Twitter, I thought, can't you already do this with Facebook? Indeed, at its core, Twitter is merely the Facebook status update. Yet Facebook lacked Twitter's simplicity and pith, a void that ascetic Twitter founder, Jack Dorsey, was keen to fill. Apparently, 100 million people agree.
9. Blogger and WordPress missed the Tumblr boat. Finally, when I learned of Tumblr, I thought, can't you already do this with Blogger or WordPress? Just write shorter. Again, you could, but not with Tumblr's base-bones simplicity, dynamic community and effective reblogging feature. Microblogging, it turns out, is different from blogging. (No doubt, this is why Blogger just announced Dynamic Views.)
10. Yelp missed the Foodspotting boat. Even though Yelp remains the top social network for restaurant reviews, it overlooked an essential facet of the dining experience: pictures. Foodspotting seized this opening, made it mobile, and now is expanding its focus beyond foodies.

---

So why do these examples matter?
The beauty of the web is that it dramatically lowers the traditional barriers to entry, so an entrepreneur can penetrate an already saturated market. For instance, despite heavy competition from the likes of LinkedIn, Yahoo, Facebook, Google-owned Aardvark, and Answers.com, Quora plunged into the Q&A fray. In short order, it carved out and capitalized on a niche.
Examine the above list and you arrive at an under-appreciated conclusion: Internet innovation is so fierce and constant that it undermines the notion of zero-sum market share. Instead of vying for a piece of the same fixed and static pie, webtrepreneurs bake whole new pies. Not for nothing does Jeff Bezos insist that the Kindle comprises a "different product category" than the iPad. Just because a company maintains a seeming monopoly on a market doesn't mean the market is devoid of opportunities. When there's an innovator, there's a way. With the web, Goliath is always vulnerable.
Sure, tech giants are somewhat limited. Just reference the lawsuit from the Justice Department, the investigation from the Federal Trade Commission or the hearing from Congress.
Internet innovation comes in tidal waves, big and bold. By contrast, when's the last time your microwave got a radical upgrade? Or your shower head? And how's that electric car coming along?
In the end, the web's rising tides lift the only ship that matters: the user's.
Image courtesy of iStockphoto, aluxum
More About: Business, contributor, Facebook, features, Google, itunes, Tech, tumblr

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One never knows what one will find when one goes with his brother to garage sales.  I will admit, I spent more money than he.

One @AP Stylebook was rescued from an uncertain fate.  Glad I brought my coffee.  I found a Beatles Yellow Submarine ornament for two dollars.

My brother got to spend a morning away from his work and get some cheap gas at Murphy.

One never knows what one will find when one goes with his brother to garage sales.

The Tailgater.

A man was being tailgated by a totally stressed-out woman on a busy boulevard. Suddenly, the light turned yellow, just in front of him.  He did the right thing, stopping at the crosswalk, even though he could have beaten the red light by accelerating through the intersection.

The tailgating woman hit the roof–and the horn–screaming in frustration as she missed her chance to get through the intersection. 

As she was still in mid-rant when she heard a tap on her window and looked up into the face of a very serious police officer.  The officer ordered her to exit her car with her hands up. 

He took her  to the police station where she was searched, finger printed, photographed and placed in a holding cell. 

After a couple of hours, a policeman approached the cell and opened the door. She was escorted back to the booking desk where the arresting officer was waiting with her personal effects. 

He said, “I’m very sorry for this mistake. You see, I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn, flipping off the guy in front of you, and cussing a blue streak at him. Then I noticed the ‘Choose Life’ license plate holder, the ‘What Would Jesus Do’ bumper sticker, the ‘Follow Me to Sunday School’ bumper sticker, and the chrome-plated Christian fish emblem on the trunk”.

"I assumed you had stolen the car!”

Live your faith wisely.  The world is watching.

Thanks to the tip from @W5RAW Judy and I got extra tissue for the extra butter popcorn at the movie Courageous.

Judy says "If every man in America saw this movie and did what it asks them to do, our crime rate would drop dramatically."

What it asks them to do is embrace:

THE RESOLUTION

I do solemnly resolve before God to take full responsibility for myself, my wife, and my children.

I WILL love them, protect them, serve them, and teach them the Word of God as the spiritual leader of my home.

I WILL be faithful to my wife, to love and honor her, and be willing to lay down my life for her as Jesus Christ did for me.

I WILL bless my children and teach them to love God with all of their hearts, all of their minds, and all of their strength.

I WILL train them to honor authority and live responsibly.

I WILL confront evil, pursue justice, and love mercy.

I WILL pray for others and treat them with kindness, respect, and compassion.

I WILL work diligently to provide for the needs of my family.

I WILL forgive those who have wronged me and reconcile with those I have wronged.

I WILL learn from my mistakes, repent of my sins, and walk with integrity as a man answerable to God.

I WILL seek to honor God, be faithful to His church, obey His Word, and do His will.

I WILL courageously work with the strength God provides to fulfill this resolution for the rest of my life and for His glory.

As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. – Joshua 24:15

In this movie, I saw a lot of similarities to the Promise Keepers Promises. It's the same concept except apparently more promises to keep.

I saw a lot in this movie and had a list of folks to need to see the movie.

1.  Persons who have had a child die.  It's tough.  You can't go it alone.
2.  People who need Jesus.  Isn't that all of us?
3.  People who have have good relationships with their fathers.
4.  People who did not have good relationships with their fathers.
5.  Law Enforcement Officers



Please find time to see this movie.  Take extra tissue for the popcorn.  You won't be sorry.