Monday, January 30, 2006, 7:05 AM // 1 comments

Our Hearts and Prayers Go Out to...


Bob and Doug

Friday, January 20, 2006, 7:33 AM // 1 comments

Funky Friday: Wilson Pickett

Funky FridayAs the music world mourns the loss of Wilson Pickett today you won't have to listen to the radio too long before you hear one of his soul classics. Songs like "In the Midnight Hour" and "Mustang Sally" are two of the most recognizible songs of the soul era. If he had never recorded anything other than these two songs wicked wicked Wilson Pickett would still be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

But there was a lot more to Wilson Pickett, who died Thursday at the age of 64, than those two songs which is why today's Funky Friday podcast will feature lesser known Wilson Pickett songs: "Sit Down and Talk This Over," "Save Me," and "A Man and a Half" are taken from Pickett's 1969 Hey Jude album and features Duane Allman on guitar and the Muscle Shoals horns. The last song "Ninety-Nine And A Half (Won't Do)" is from his second album, "The Exciting Wilson Pickett," a song co-written with Eddie Floyd and Steve Cropper (from Stax Records house band Booker T. and the M.G.'s).

I like to extend a special thank you to Suzanne Miller who inspired me to turn Funky Friday into a podcast and my brother, Stephen Altobello, for song suggestions.


Listen/Download
Funky Friday: Wilson Pickett

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Tuesday, January 17, 2006, 9:02 AM // 0 comments

Joey's 1st photo shoot

Brings new meaning to the phrase, "Work with me, babe."

Joey AltobelliJoey AltobelliJoey Altobelli

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Monday, January 16, 2006, 4:44 PM // 0 comments

Happy Birthday Dr. King

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.
Listen/Download
Mr. Fingers - Can You Feel It (Martin Luther King Mix)
John Coltrane - Alabama - Coltrane composed this for the four young African-American girls who died in a 1963 Birmingham church bombing. This unfortunate attack happened directly after the August 28, 1963 march on Washington and King's "I Have A Dream" speech.

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Sunday, January 15, 2006, 9:06 AM // 0 comments

Bluetooth: Not Available

bluetooth logoSince installling Tiger I've noticed a problem regarding Bluetooth. Sometimes it's there and sometimes it's not. And not only is it not there its says: Bluetooth: Not Available. I searched around the web and found this on the macosxhints site. Follow these steps and you'll be bluetoothing in a matter of moments.

1) Unplug ALL USB devices
2) Power down the computer
3) Leave the computer off for 1 minute
4) Reboot the computer
5) Bluetooth should now be working again

Friday, January 13, 2006, 10:50 AM // 0 comments

Mr. & Mrs. Kenneth Crain

Ken CrainLauren Crain

Add Google Maps’ Directions to Your Site

This actually is a blog entry I found on another site: malevolent design weblog. As you'll notice, I modified it slightly.

If you have a business which gets visitors to its premises you’ve probably created some kind of map yourself and maybe tried to write some generalised directions, but it can be tricky to get right. Using a simple form on your site you can also offer users a personalised map and directions courtesy of Google Maps. Just modify the appropriate code snippet below to include the destination and any extra formatting markup needed.

(Developer Bonus: Google has now released the Google Maps API for embedding maps and adding your own data.)

USA
<form action="http://maps.google.com/maps" method="get">
<p><label for="saddr">Your ZIP code</label>
<input type="text" name="saddr" id="saddr" value="" />
<input type="submit" value="Go" />
<input type="hidden" name="daddr" value="[destination]" />
<input type="hidden" name="hl" value="en" /></p>
</form>

Example: Directions to Mont-Tremblant, QC, Canada





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Thursday, January 12, 2006, 9:58 AM // 0 comments

New club for baseball fans...

From the April 29, 2005 Philadelphia Business Journal print edition--better late than never
altobelliPeter Key, Staff Writer

When Paul Altobelli took his 11-year-old daughter Rachel to a Philadelphia Phillies game a few weeks ago, she was disappointed that she didn't get to meet any of the players. The following week, he got a chance to cure her disappointment.

Altobelli, a Cherry Hill resident, brought her to the first area event held by Players Choice Platinum Club, which gives baseball fans a chance to get up close and personal with members of their favorite team.

Rachel got to socialize and have her picture taken with Phillies second baseman Chase Utley, outfielder Jason Michaels and shortstop Jimmy Rollins.

"She just thought I was the greatest daddy ever," Altobelli said.

That's the type of reaction Ravi Kothare hopes the Platinum Club will evoke frequently in the years ahead.

Kothare, a New York financial planner who lives in Voorhees, N.J., launched the club earlier this year as the first venture of Affinity Club Network LLC, a Philadelphia business he heads.

The club, which is the only organization of its kind licensed by the Major League Baseball Players Association, charges members $19.95 a month, although Kothare said he's thinking of having annual memberships for less.

Members get to attend, for a fee, meet-and-greets, such as the one Altobelli went to with his daughter, and other events, including dinners, golf tournaments and baseball and softball clinics. They also can buy discounted merchandise at the club's online store. And they can earn points for discounts on events and special merchandise.

Players are paid to attend the events, but they get something out of them besides money.
Rachel AltobellRachel Altobell
Rachel Altobell
Rachel Altobell

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Wednesday, January 11, 2006, 10:33 PM // 0 comments

Hello Baby



Come on, admit it, he's cute ain't he?

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MoreVisibility: Client Spotlight

Speaking With: Paul Altobelli, Director of Internet Marketing
mont-tremblant hotelwww.chateaubeauvallon.com
Located in the heart of Québec's Laurentians, Château Beauvallon (www.chateaubeauvallon.com) is the region's newest luxury resort hotel. The 70-suite, private lakeside oasis offers a gateway to peace and relaxation, just steps away from the excitement of Mont-Tremblant, Eastern Canada's premier year-round travel destination. Château Beauvallon is privileged to be Eastern Canada's first and only member of the 'Small Luxury Hotels of the World'-a distinction held by approximately 300 hotels in over 50 countries, all carefully selected for their style and sophistication. With its country chic and contemporary casual elegance, Château Beauvallon boasts the finest in personal service, signature comforts and modern amenities.

Immediately after I chose MoreVisibility as my Search Engine Marketing & Optimization firm, I began to see results. Specifically, my Client Relations Account Manager, Marni Haas, Drew Nevelos, and the rest of the MoreVisibility team instructed me to optimize my Web site by building links to landing pages to create a relevance for targeting keywords. I learned about how to write effective Web site copy and Meta titles and descriptions. All of which resulted in greater "natural" search-engine positioning. This visibility directly impacted the increase in traffic to www.chateaubeauvallon.com and it's Français counterpart www.chateaubeauvallon.ca. I was very pleased with the quick and effective results, and I feel that due to the boost in sales and traffic that MoreVisibility helped to generate, I was able to bring in an additional project-www.333sherbrooke.com.

From the sales team to client relations, working with MoreVisibility has been a great pleasure. I am very pleased with their performance and look forward to continuing our relationship.

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Saturday, January 07, 2006, 5:02 PM // 1 comments

The Blizzard of '96

The Blizzard of '96It was ten years ago this weekend that Philadelphia and parts of New Jersey were hammered by the greatest one-storm, snowfall totals ever. In Philadelphia, the storm left 30.7 inches of snow, breaking the old one-storm snowfall total by 9.4 inches - the previous record was the Feb. 11-12, 1983, storm that blanketed the City of Brotherly Love with 21.3 inches of snow. This week's blizzard exceeded the 12 inches of snow left during 1993's so-called "Storm of the Century."

Central Park in New York City recorded 20.2 inches of snow in this storm, making it the third highest snowfall ever there. On parts of nearby Staten Island, N.Y., more than 27 inches of snow fell. LaGuardia International Airport, N.Y., recorded 24 inches of snow, which exceeds the normal for the entire season of 22.6 inches.



Here's some video from that first day of snow:


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Friday, January 06, 2006, 8:02 PM // 1 comments

Funky Friday: The JB's

The JB'sThe J.B.'s were the legendary supporting cast of musicians behind James Brown, earning a well-deserved reputation as the tightest, best-drilled instrumental ensemble in all of funk. The name J.B.'s is most often associated with three hornmen in particular -- saxophonists Maceo Parker and Alfred "Pee Wee" Ellis, and trombonist Fred Wesley, all of whom originally joined Brown's backing band at various points during the '60s. As a recording entity unto themselves, however, the J.B.'s enjoyed a distinctly defined heyday from 1970-1975, under the musical directorship of Wesley (though Brown, naturally, remained a strong presence). The J.B.'s were billed under a variety of alternate names on their own singles and albums -- Fred Wesley and the J.B.'s, Maceo and the Macks, Fred and the New J.B.'s, the James Brown Soul Train, the Last Word, the First Family, and more. The core group of personnel, despite some turnover on the periphery, remained fairly steady from 1971 on, at least until Brown's creative downturn precipitated several important defections.
Ladies and gentlemen there are seven acknowledged Wonders of the World. You are about to listen to the eighth. Standing in the spotlight on showcase are 12 young men, who brought you such tunes as The Grunt, Pass The Peas, Gimmie Some More. Ladies and Gentlemen without no doubt these are the JB's. Hit it!
(Introduction of James Brown and the JBs, recorded January 9,1973)

Listen / Download
The Grunt - The JB's
Pass The Peas - The JB's
Gimmie Some More - The JB's
The Chicken - The JB's
Hot Pants Road - The JB's

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Thursday, January 05, 2006, 9:40 PM // 4 comments

My Boy is a Friggin' Genius

Paul AltobellMy son, Michael, is two and a half years old. He's just learning to speak now and I must say his vobcabulary is quite extensive. Just about any word you say he'll repeat. And then sometime later he'll say the word again in its proper context. I'm very proud of my little man. Today, however, he blew us away. There we were sitting at the table and we hear Michael talking. After a moment we realized he wasn't just talking he was counting. Really counting! Click here to listen to The Boy Genius.

Listen / Download
Michael Counts - Michael Altobelli
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 - Billy Bragg & The Blokes

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Monday, January 02, 2006, 1:09 AM // 0 comments

Redskins 31, Eagels 20

Steve Oakley and I saw our first Eagles game at Lincoln Financial Field. A friend of mine, Van Morris, called me late Friday and asked if I wanted some free tickets to see the Eagles last game of the season. It was the Eagles chance to play the part of the spolier and keep the Redskins out of the playoffs. The first half was pretty good. The Eagles held their own and the 'Skins looked like they were choking on eagles feathers. The second half the Skins turned it around and ended up winning and advancing to the playoffs. The Eagles finished the season 6-10 and went 0-6 in the NFC East in 2005, the second time in team history they've not won a game in the division. The other season was in 1973, when they went 0-7-1 in the NFC East and finished 5-8-1 in the season.

More exciting than the game were our seats. Van hooked us up with two tickets in the Chrysler Premier Club. Steve and I agreed that if we were going to go to a bullshit game then this was the way to go: private entrance, drinks and food are served to you while you watch the game, exclusive club lounge, premium bars and flat screens everywhere. Thanks Van.

Redskins 31, Eagels 20 - Jan 1, 2006Redskins 31, Eagels 20 - Jan 1, 2006Redskins 31, Eagels 20 - Jan 1, 2006Redskins 31, Eagels 20 - Jan 1, 2006

About Paul Altobelli

Paul Altobelli is a veteran Internet, marketing and technology professional with considerable expertise in search engine marketing, web site development, design, implementation and project management. [more]

Flickr Photos