This PSA was created by the Sussex Safer Roads Partnership, UK. Really fantastic work.

So I’m into day 4 of my Twitter exile. Sometime late Sunday I was actually on the Twitter website, logged into my @johnnydiggz account and the website logged me out mid-session.

When I went to log in again it said “Wrong Username/email and password combination”

This struck me as odd because I hadn’t changed my password and my browser was set to auto-log me in. I retyped my username and password several times to no avail. So I tried the next step: Twitter’s password recovery tool.

I went to that page, filled out the form and got this message:

Ok, we’ve sent the instructions to your email. Go check it!
You can keep this page open while you check your email. If you don’t receive the instructions within a minute or two try Re-sending the instructions

The problem is I never received this email. So I waited a day and tried it again…no dice. I tried logging into ANOTHER Twitter account…worked just fine.

Then I noticed this post on PCWorld Twitter Password Resets Linked to Torrent Sites. Was my account somehow part of this reset? The timing seemed about right, but I don’t belong to any Torrent Sites. This made little sense, but it was all I had.

THEN I went to Twitter’s support page and saw this: Reason #4132 for Changing Your Password. Okay…so something’s going down with Passwords. I get it. Whatever. Can I have my Twitter account back now? Where’s my password reset email???

Now it’s DAY 4. I’ve tried resetting my password, I’ve tried contacting Twitter Support (there’s an oxymoron for ya!) to no avail. I did find this post Unable to receive password reset emails that seems to describe maybe what’s happening.

Finally…after many attempts, I finally got some support from Twitter, in the form of an email (see…I told you my email was working!). Here is what they had to say…after 3 days…

Hi JohnnyDiggz,

Thanks for contacting us about your login issue. We have received your message and will respond as soon as possible.

Thanks!
Twitter Support

—–

I really wish I could Tweet my frustration. Perhaps someone would listen. If you’re out there in Twitter Land, please RT this.

*** Update DAY 6 ***

I’m still locked out. No additional responses from Twitter Support. I enlisted the help my friend @JeffPulver to see if he can help and I’ve noticed a bunch of people have been retweeting this post and even started a hashtag #lockedout. Thanks for your help…especially @PurpleCar @pfmonaco @Jfavreau @JadoreAlmore @pfmonaco

@PurpleCar Know anyone who has been and is currently locked out of Twitter? Let’s start a hashtag, maybe Twitter will notice. http://is.gd/7NEeX #lockedout @johnnydiggz

*** Update DAY 7 ***

I’m back in! I just tried the password reset tool for the umpteenth time and this time I received an email! I’m back in Twitter. Still no word from Twitter Support.

If half the things they say about Spray-on liquid glass are true, then it’s the best thing since sliced bread.  Spray-on liquid glass is transparent, non-toxic, and can protect virtually any surface against almost any damage from hazards such as water, UV radiation, dirt, heat, and bacterial infections. The coating is also flexible and breathable, which makes it suitable for use on an enormous array of products.

MEDICAL APPLICATIONS: A year-long medical trial of the spray discovered many applications including coatings for equipment, medical implants, catheters, sutures and bandages.

NO MORE GRAFFITI: The war graves association in the UK is investigating using the spray to treat stone monuments and grave stones, since trials have shown the coating protects against weathering and graffiti. Trials in Turkey are testing the product on monuments such as the Ataturk Mausoleum in Ankara.

HAVE YOUR WINE BEFORE ITS TIME: Trials in vineyards have found spraying vines increases their resistance to fungal diseases, while other tests have shown sprayed seeds germinate and grow faster than untreated seeds, and coated wood is not attacked by termites. Other vineyard applications include coating corks with liquid glass to prevent “corking” and contamination of wine.

NO MORE CHINESE SECRETS: The spray cannot be seen by the naked eye, which means it could also be used to treat clothing and other materials to make them stain-resistant.

BYE BYE DAWN: In the home, spray-on glass would eliminate the need for scrubbing and make most cleaning products obsolete. Since it is available in both water-based and alcohol-based solutions, it can be used in the oven, in bathrooms, tiles, sinks, and almost every other surface in the home, and one spray is said to last a year.

Spray-on liquid glass is about to revolutionize almost everything.

I’ve heard quite a bit of ruckus, both positive and negative since Obama’s State of the Union announcement that Central Florida would be receiving $1.25 Billion in Federal funding to connect a high speed rail between Tampa and Orlando.

Initially I thought this was awesome…but as the details unfold, I became less enthusiastic about the project.   Primarily because it doesn’t really connect Tampa to Orlando…it connects Downtown Tampa to the Orlando International Airport (stopping in Lakeland, Disney and International Drive).

Downtown Orlando, which is a good 25 minutes from the Orlando International Airport is not part of the equation.   This troubles me greatly…. because that’s where I live.

AND, there are no plans to connect the recently approved SunRail Commuter train to any of the stops on the proposed HSR line.

Hopefully this is just a temporary disconnect.  I don’t think the SunRail designers knew that the HSR would be approved.  But is it too late to do anything about it?

High-speed rail: How will downtown Orlando fit into high-speed rail – OrlandoSentinel.com.

“When Chekhov saw the long winter, he saw a winter bleak and dark and bereft of hope. Yet we know that winter is just another step in the cycle of life. But standing here among the people of Punxsutawney and basking in the warmth of their hearths and hearts, I couldn’t imagine a better fate than a long and lustrous winter. ”

YouTube – three cheeseburgers….

I just downloaded this RedLaser iPhone App (Search for Occipital in the App Store).  It’s $1.99 but already I can see its value.

You hold anything with a UPC code up to the camera on your iPhone, and it will search the database of over 400,000 products (and growing) to find your match.  Then it gives you the results of the item in Google Product Search and TheFind.   It will also show you prices and the nearest store where you can buy the product.

After installing it, I literally grabbed the closest retail product with a barcode on it, a can of Lemon Pledge.  In a relatively dark room it correctly scanned the item in seconds, and told me that I could buy  it from the Walgreens 2 miles away for $5.79.

That’s pretty slick.  And that’s just scratching the surface of this app.  After receiving the comment below from Vikas Reddy at Occipital, I grabbed the nearest book, scanned the UPC and got this:

Occipital RedLaser iPhone UPC Code App

It appears Microsoft is taking a bit of an edgier direction with their Marketing….

Another Webisode of my favorite online show.  If you haven’t seen the rest, check out the Mr. Deity Channel on YouTube

YouTube – Mr. Deity and the Promised Land.

Han shot first.

A tactic familiar from insect behaviour seems to give viruses the edge in the eternal battle between them and their host.

New video catches viruses only a few hundred nanometres in size in the act of hopping over cells that are already infected. This allows them to concentrate their energies on previously uninfected cells, accelerating the spread of infection fivefold.

Viruses use ‘hive intelligence’ to focus their attack – life – 21 January 2010 – New Scientist.