Creative producer. Nonprofit Techie. Gadget connoisseur. Native New Yorker. Total Japanophile.
| Flickr: Wheelforce |
| Photo credit: sam_churchill |
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If you've still been unsuccessful in scoring a Google Wave invite, I have some good news for you - JoeSaidSo.com has TEN more invites to give away! To snag one, here's all you have to do:
Here's a fun tidbit that most people don't know. You can send text messages for free via e-mail. That's right, every cell phone is actually assigned an e-mail address based on the service provider. All you need to know your friend's phone number and who they pay every month. Simply substitute the #'s with your friend's digits and you're good to go!
AT&T: ##########@txt.att.net
Sprint: ##########@messaging.sprintpcs.com
T-Mobile: ##########@tmomail.net
Verizon: ##########@vtext.com
If you're a Gmail user, you can also send text messages via chat as long as you have your contact's phone number in your address book. Simply click on the "Video & more" button and select "Send SMS". Voila. Free text messages via IM!
Joe Says: While sending text messages via e-mail is free for you, be considerate of the person on the receiving end. Not everyone has an unlimited text messaging plan and the recipient may be charged per message.
This is Joe, signing off.
All the kids are doing it nowadays. Just ask CBS.
A friend of mine recently asked for advice on finding a foreign language tutor online. Rather than pointing her to Craigslist and other classified ad sites, I found myself urging her to explore the social media route.
My reasoning? Well, for starters, interacting with a network of people offers more exposure to a language than a weekly meeting with a teacher. You have the option of sending e-mails, instant messaging, talking on the phone and even video conferencing (perfect for sign language). Secondly, learning a language socially is practically free - a real selling point in this economy.
There are plenty of options on the Internet, but I've narrowed them down to my two favorites, Babbel and Meetup.
Babbel is a social network, much like Facebook and MySpace, that offers free online language courses. The lessons are actually similar to those of Rosetta Stone (flash card-style), though not as intense (hey, it's free). While the exercises are great, the best part of Babbel is that it allows you to connect with people from other countries that speak your language of choice. It's like having thousands of virtual pen pals! Talk about immersion, right? As I mentioned, Babbel is free, however, it is only available in English, German, Spanish, French and Italian.
If in-person interaction is what you crave, then Meetup.com is probably for you. Believe it or not, there are tons of Meetup groups that meet to learn and/or practice foreign languages. For a while I was part of a Japanese language learning group that met over sushi and sake - it doesn't get much better than that! Meetup is free, though some groups may charge a small membership fee (still way cheaper than a tutor).
So that's it! Which language do you want to learn and where do you plan to learn it? Let's hear it on the comments! :)
Joe Says: If you still prefer to take a course or work privately with a tutor, why not include social media as a supplement? It'll certainly enrich your learning experience :)
This is Joe, signing off.
It’s crazy to think about how much can happen in the course of a decade - how many people can impact your life, how much you can learn, how much you can laugh, how much you can love. I’m sorry that those who perished on 9|11 could not experience all that happened in the past ten years. And I am sorry that we could not experience them and what they might’ve contributed to the world. I am truly grateful for my life, my family, my friends, and my love. I won’t ever take it for granted.
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| Flickr: Wheelforce |
Have you been to Baked by Melissa? Those mini cupcakes are what I imagine crack to be like. (Taken with picplz in Manhattan, NY.)