Today Apple announced it would be replacing their .Mac service with a new subscription service called MobileMe. It is “Exchange for the rest of us.” It will allow for push calendars, e-mail, and contacts for anyone who can’t afford the thousands of dollars to build their own Microsoft Exchange server. It runs the same price as .Mac at $99, but here is how to get it for only $69!

Right now, and there is no telling how long this will go for, but you can buy .Mac 5.0 (the version doesn’t matter as it is an online subscription) for $69 on Amazon*.

On top of all of the great new MobileMe features, which allow you to sync between your PC, Mac and iPhone seamlessly over the air, all of the other great .Mac features are still included. Things like publishing your iWeb sites, sharing photos and movies from iLife, syncin your Mac computers,  accessing your iDisk from the Finder, and find your Mac remotely with Back to My Mac.

Here is the page that details your .Mac account will be automatically upgraded and switched to a MobileMe account just as soon as the service launches (roughly early July).

So, if you want to get all of the great features that MobileMe is going to provide for your new iPhone 3G, as well as the great features .Mac has been offering for years, why not buy it and save over 30% off the price Apple is charging.

*If you use the links for .Mac on Amazon through this post I get a few bucks.

Major weight update I MET MY GOAL OF 160 AND THEN SOME… Click here to read details…and stay subscribed to my personal blog via RSS here.

This has got to be one of the most thought out posts I have ever written. I never thought I would be writing this, but here it is…. When I moved to California, I had several agendas for leaving everything and everyone I ever knew. I wanted to be around the tech sector and all of the great people who are involved in the community out here. I enjoy going to all of the great Web 2.0 parties in the area, and I have made some great friends since being here.

I also wanted to find a job where I could feel free to express myself that would be an extension of all of my passions. I took the first job I was offered after moving and was very happy there, but I didn’t like that it was located 25 miles away from the city I drove 3,000 miles to be close to, and that I was living even further outside of San Francisco. I didn’t feel free to come and go as I wanted. Three weeks ago I gave my notice at my previous job providing 3 weeks of lead time for them to find someone to hire, and I could train my replacement before I left.

At the same time, I have accepted a job offer in a field which some may or may not understand. I mentioned earlier, I wanted a job that completely encapsulated what I care about, what I enjoy doing, and who I am. The job is essentially the same as the last company I was with, in that I am managing multiple servers, websites, newsletters, and all of the IT backend. I will also be handling AV aspects of the company, including video streaming, etc. This is a great opportunity to branch out my knowledge and passion for video which I has laid dormant since my high school days.

I really feel that my love of visual media, and love of technology management make this a great move in companies, but there is one other factor which plays into my choice in working for this company. The company is very involved in promoting the messages of safe and consensual sex between men. This is something I harp on daily on other sites where I write. I think the prevention of spreading sexually transmitted diseases is a message that needs to be expressed in the gay/bi/lesbian/straight community. This company provides a safe and secure location, as well as protection for everyone who visit their locations.

They also provide weekly testing and even someone who comes in and will sit down one-on-one to offer advice or someone to just talk to about your concerns. The company works closely with Public Health Departments, Community Based Organizations, county and state HIV/STD officials, the CDC (in U.S.), the research community (UCSF, UIC, CAPS) and many others - to create collaborative relationships which support and expand HIV and STD awareness and testing programs while also maintaining outreach initiatives that are effective, user friendly, and creatively inspired.

This is who I am as a person, and I don’t want to lie or be ashamed about that. Many people have asked me about this in the past, and until now I have been less then upfront and honest, mostly because I was afraid of what others might think. I now honestly don’t care. I have always tried to be a very open person about my life, and don’t know many people who openly admit to living in their car for over a year or any of the other crazy things I have done. I feel that in the spirit of being open and honest that I would like to express that I am bisexual. While I have never had a relationship with a guy, I feel as if I would be ready to if that opportunity presented itself, but likewise the same goes for a woman. I don’t feel as if a person’s sexuality should stop you from caring about someone for who they are.

The company you work for should be an expression of your own passions, and I feel as if I have found one that has truly allowed me use my talents while at the same time not having to hide who I am. I understand that this news might shock some people, and others not so much. I have not said any of this sooner, because up until now I have felt too scared to. Even as I write this I am trembling. Due to the nature of who I am, and based on past experiences, I do not wish to disclose the name of the company which I will be working for, and hope that you can respect this. The company is very reputable and has offices in the US and Canada, which will allow for some travel with the job as well; something I am looking forward to greatly. I will be working in the heart of San Francisco’s Castro district and have found a place to live within walking distance of my new job.

That being said, I appreciate the support of those who have found out this information through various means, you have helped me more then you could know. This is something which is very difficult to do, and I am glad to have such great friends to help me through this time. I look forward to your comments and feel free to drop me a line anytime.

Thanks for listening,

Nick Starr

Okay, as you all very well know I am a fan of Twitter, the 140 character micro-blogging platform. I also am a fan of the iPhone. Well until now I have been using Twitter via SMS and getting about 1,000 people’s updates via text message….that is until today.

A new iPhone app (for jailbroken iPhones) was launched today called Twinkle. This program reminds me of look and feel of my favorite Twitter program, Twitterific. It auto-updates every few minutes (keeping in accordance with the Twitter API), shows your @’s and Directs with a nice highlight and icon…but here’s the sweet part. It is location aware, so it can help you find people who are twittering anywhere from 1-252,000 miles from you. This uses the iPhones “Locate Me” feature built into Google Maps.

I will be using this great new program, and you should too, over the next few days to see how well I like it, but as of now I think it is the first thing which could totally replace Twitter SMS for me (which last month I had over 100,000 sms’s). Check some of the screenshots after the jump.

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Well today is CSS Naked Day, and I’m not really sure why the heck I’m participating, but hey why not go with the flow…There is a plugin which automagically has stripped all of the CSS from my site for today only, without impacting the theme. Apparently this is the 3rd year for this “event”, and apparentlyt he event is setup to promote Web Standards. This includes proper use of (x)html, semantic markup, a good hierarchy structure, and of course, a good ‘ol play on words. It’s time to show off your <body>.

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I admit, I have dropped the ball quite a bit in terms of blogging and keeping up with updates on here. I am pretty occupied these days with work and trying to make it out here in the San Francisco area. In doing so, I haven’t really been keeping up that much with friend requests, etc from all of the various social media sites out there.

Obviously my favorite is Twitter. It is a site where you can “micro-blog” your thoughts, what you are doing, where you are going, etc in 140 characters from a mobile phone, computer, etc. If you want you can add me as a friend on Twitter. You can also read the NY Times article about me and Twitter which was published a few months back.

Facebook is pretty much the biggest in terms of being the talk of the town. There are so many plugin programs and add-ons that make Facebook a cool place to get lost in for hours. Add me as a Facebook friend.

Pownce is a service created by Leah Culver. It is similiar to Twitter, but you can send files and reply to others posts. I tend to not use this service as much, but with Ping.fm I am now posting my updates to the site, and responding when others reply to a post. Add me as a Pownce friend.

Jaiku is similar to Pownce and Twitter just not as popular in the US. Add me as a Jaiku friend.

FriendFeed brings all of the major sites together in one place. I’m not a huge fan of this service right now, but it is getting a huge buzz. It is sort of a river of friends. Add me as a FriendFeed friend.

LinkedIn is a professional type Facebook. It is all about business contacts, making new connections, and building your network on a professional level. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, you should get one. They are one of the fastest growing sites around and sign up over 1 new person per second. Add me as a LinkedIn friend.

Last.fm is a great site for connecting your music taste with those around you. It was recently bought by CBS, but hasn’t lost any of its amazing features. It also “scrobbles” your music that is playing in iTunes, WMP, etc and helps you track your listening habits. Add me as a Last.fm friend.

Upcoming is a great way to find out to help you get out of the house and find the great parties of the night. Concerts, parties, events, meetups, etc are all found on Upcoming in your area. You can check out who will be there, and see a map of where it is. Add me as an Upcoming friend.

Yelp is an amazing service. It is full of user reviews of restaurants, shops, laundry mats, hair stylist, bar, and any other business you can think of in the area. It is started as most social media sites and startups in the San Francisco area, and it has really taken off here. The downside is that it hasn’t taken off in many other areas. If you are moving to SF, or even just want to check out some new places to eat/hangout Yelp is a great service. Add me as a Yelp friend.

All of that being said, I am in the process of redesigning the website to have more a Web 2.0 / Social Media type feel and vibe. I am sort of happy with the redesign so far, but need to spice it up a bit more. Hopefully the changes will be live on the site within the next few weeks. In doing so, I also hope to further intergrate the various social media sites I do use with the blog here to bring more content to all that have faithfully subscribed to my site for the long time it has been running.

Well I hope to make some new connections, and find some old one that I might of forgotten. Add me to your favorite social media site, and email me AT NickStarr dot com with any thoughts on other sites you like or think I should try out.

It is rare to find a good .fm site…well I honestly only knew of one before today, Last.fm (which is great for the whole social music experience). Well I got a beta invite code to a new service called Ping.fm. I had honestly no idea what it was but saw some buzz about it thru the Twitterverse today.

I signed up and found the ability to import my other social microbloggging platforms. So of course I add Twitter, Pownce, Jaiku, Tumblr, and Facebook (although I update my Facebook status thru a Twitter program). Adding all the services was drop dead simple and took only a few minutes as some sites require API keys.

Once I was up and running, apparently it sends out a message thru the service to make sure it is working and to tell all your friends of the new service you are trying out. There is even an AIM interface where you can post thru IM and they give you a unique email address to send your updates to.

If you have used HelloTXT.com, Twitterfeed.com, or any of the other services that pretty much stink on ice try out Ping.fm. It is fast, reliable, and hasn’t lost a single message yet.

USE BETA CODE: nickstarr, but there are only a VERY limited number of invites…so hurry and sign up NOW! (Sign up here)