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	<title>Russ Wittmann &#187; General</title>
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	<link>http://www.russwittmann.com</link>
	<description>Social Media Engineer - Interactive Marketer</description>
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		<title>Illegal Immigrants and The Law</title>
		<link>http://www.russwittmann.com/2010/05/05/illegal-immigrants-and-the-law/</link>
		<comments>http://www.russwittmann.com/2010/05/05/illegal-immigrants-and-the-law/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 05 May 2010 23:34:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Russ Wittmann</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.russwittmann.com/?p=130</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Arizona just passed one of the best laws I have seen in a long time and its law in Arizona. Now why would San Diego Council and Mayor go sticking their nose in Arizona politics? Yea I have no idea either, so I decided to send an email to them. Below is my email, I [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Arizona just passed one of the best laws I have seen in a long time and its law in Arizona.  Now why would San Diego Council and Mayor go sticking their nose in Arizona politics? Yea I have no idea either, so I decided to send an email to them.</p>
<p>Below is my email, I will update this post with with response received.<br />
<span id="more-130"></span></p>
<blockquote><p>
Dear Council Members &#038; Mayor,</p>
<p>Worry about San Diego, not Arizona!! You don&#8217;t live in Arizona!  Quit wasting San Diego tax payers money.<br />
2/3 of the american people support Arizona&#8217;s law and in a democracy that stands!<br />
Yes I used to work for that silly organization you call a municipality (City of San Diego), and everyday I see the council getting its nose in business it does not belong in I am reminded why I left.</p>
<p>Next thing you know you will be getting involved in the <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/03/10/critics-blast-transborder-immigrant-tool-irresponsible-use-technology/">Transborder Immigrant Tools project</a>.</p>
<p>Remember Illegal is not a race, it&#8217;s a crime.  We don&#8217;t tolerate people breaking in to our homes, why should we tolerate them breaking into our country?</p>
<p>Thank You,<br />
Russ Wittmann</p>
<p>My name is Russ Wittmann and I support this message
</p></blockquote>
<p>A response form the mayor</p>
<blockquote><p>
Thank you for your recent e-mail to the Office of the Mayor. Due to the high volume of e-mails, I am unable to respond to every message received.</p>
<p>However, please know that your input is important to me and my staff will be compiling your comments, suggestions and ideas for my review. I believe that it is important to view all sides of the complex issues that are facing the City of San Diego before taking any action, and your input is a valuable part of that process.</p>
<p>Thank you for taking the time to communicate with me.</p>
<p>Sincerely,</p>
<p>JERRY SANDERS<br />
Mayor<br />
City of San Diego
</p></blockquote>
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		<title>National Cherry Blossom Festival in DC</title>
		<link>http://www.russwittmann.com/2010/04/05/national-cherry-blossom-festival-in-dc/</link>
		<comments>http://www.russwittmann.com/2010/04/05/national-cherry-blossom-festival-in-dc/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 06 Apr 2010 00:20:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Russ Wittmann</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.russwittmann.com/?p=129</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Cherry Blossom in DC is home to The National Cherry Blossom Festival (501(3)(c) non-profit). The festival is a two-week, annual event that celebrates springtime in Washington, DC as well as the 1912 gift of the cherry blossom trees and the long lasting friendship between the people of the United States and Japan. The event [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The <a href="http://www.crimemuseum.org/cherry_blossom_festival.html">Cherry Blossom in DC</a> is home to The National Cherry Blossom Festival (501(3)(c) non-profit). The festival is a two-week, annual event that celebrates springtime in Washington, DC as well as the 1912 gift of the cherry blossom trees and the long lasting friendship between the people of the United States and Japan. The event begins March 27th through April 11th, with a parade on Saturday, April 10th beginning at 10am.</p>
<p>Prior to this intangible peace treaty, 19th century imperialism drew clear lines of separation between these two great nations. Through it&#8217;s strict policy of isolation, Japan remained untouched by western ways until the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Amity_and_Commerce">Treaty of Amity</a> (1854). Although, feelings of mistrust and resentment continued to ride due to early U.S. Naval Leaders gunboat diplomacy upon Japan. In order to lessen tensions and restore peace, mutual Cherry and Flowering Dogwood tree offerings were given.</p>
<p>DC Attractions include multiple festivals, museums, monuments, and more.  The National Cherry Blossom Festival, Inc., is a 501(c)(3) organization that coordinates, produces, and supports creative and diverse activities promoting traditional and contemporary arts and culture, natural beauty and the environment, and community spirit and youth education. It&#8217;s also begins peak season for an influx of tourists to Washington, also brought in by the thousands of historical landmarks, museums, and other buildings. Some of the most popular <a href="http://www.crimemuseum.org/">DC Tours</a> include Hop-On-Off Double-Decker Bus, Discover DC Segway Safari, <a href="http://www.mountvernon.org/"></a> &amp; <a>Arlington Cemetery</a>, and Washington DC After Dark.</p>
<p>The National Museum of Crime &amp; Punishment, located in Washington, D.C. contains excellent depictions of historically famous crime scenes along detailed information concerning past wars, forensics, organized crime, and more. Feel free to stop by our website and get a preview of some of the most notoriously famous crime scenes in U.S. History. There&#8217;s plenty of information on featured exhibits in our crime library along with a vast amount of Crime Data at our <a href="http://www.crimemuseum.org/blog/">Forensic blog</a>.</p>
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		<title>Pet Meds Online</title>
		<link>http://www.russwittmann.com/2008/07/31/pet-meds-online/</link>
		<comments>http://www.russwittmann.com/2008/07/31/pet-meds-online/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 01 Aug 2008 00:11:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Russ Wittmann</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Play]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.russwittmann.com/?p=127</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Has anyone ever had a pet with constant problems?  A problem like a re-occurring ear infection or dry skin. You know the cure for it, but the vet constantly requires you to bring him into his office for a large fee just to get his pet meds.  I found myself wondering if there is any [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Has anyone ever had a <a title="Pet" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pet" target="_blank">pet</a> with constant problems?  A problem like a re-occurring ear infection or dry skin. You know the cure for it, but the vet constantly requires you to bring him into his office for a large fee just to get his <strong>pet meds</strong>.  I found myself wondering if there is any other way to cut the vet out of the middle and just get the simple meds. Wouldn&#8217;t buying <strong>pet meds online</strong> make life a lot easier?</p>
<p>Recently, my dog had an ear infection again. He&#8217;s a floppy eared dog and he gets these constantly. We have taken him to the <a title="Vets" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veterinarian" target="_blank">vets</a> time and time again, to discover he only needs the ear infection antibiotic ointment and he&#8217;ll be fine.  We happened to be watching TV and saw a commercial for a place to get the basic <strong>pet meds online</strong> for your pet and they were reasonable at that. So this time knowing all we needed was the meds for his ear infection, we decided to search for <strong>pet meds online</strong>. Which we did and boy was it ever a lifesaver.</p>
<p>I have found that buying <strong>pet meds online</strong> really takes the financial burden off my pocket book and lets me help my dog quicker with his ear problems. Of course, if there was more to his condition, I wouldn&#8217;t recommend giving up going to the vet completely.</p>
<p><strong>Pet meds online</strong> is not only a time saver, but you can find a lot of <strong>pet meds</strong> that the local pet place may or may not have available yet. The ear infection meds were the exact match to what our vet would prescribe to our dog and the price was only ¼ of the price the vet charges me normally. Couldn&#8217;t believe it.</p>
<p>There are a lot of places to buy <strong>pet meds online. </strong>So I recommend you research the Internet and try to find the right pet med store that meets your needs. I found on some of the sites, you can even send emails requesting information about the pet medicine and they&#8217;ll respond back answering any questions you may have.</p>
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		<title>Medical Billing Training</title>
		<link>http://www.russwittmann.com/2008/07/26/medical-billing-training/</link>
		<comments>http://www.russwittmann.com/2008/07/26/medical-billing-training/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 26 Jul 2008 08:30:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Russ Wittmann</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.russwittmann.com/?p=125</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[If there is any organization that needs medical billing training, it is Kaiser Permanente.  The other day I took my son to the Lab to have some blood work done basically to make sure his new medicines aren&#8217;t affecting his liver or kidneys.  The lady at the front counter told me the co-pay would be [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>If there is any organization that needs <strong>medical billing training</strong>, it is <a title="Kaiser Permanente" href="http://www.kp.org" target="_blank">Kaiser Permanente</a>.  The other day I took my son to the Lab to have some blood work done basically to make sure his new medicines aren&#8217;t affecting his liver or kidneys.  The lady at the front counter told me the co-pay would be $10 for my sons lab work.</p>
<p>I graciously took out my wallet to pay for it, even though I know Kaiser&#8217;s <a title="Medical Billing" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_billing" target="_blank">medical billing</a> process is terrible. They definitely need <strong>medical billing training</strong> fast.  So remembering all the <a title="billing hassles" href="http://jabberjuls.com/2008/06/05/kaiser-billing-saga-continues/" target="_blank">billing hassles</a> I&#8217;ve already faced, I decided to ask what labs were being processed for my son and if I could get a receipt to prove what I&#8217;m paying towards. I explained how Kaiser&#8217;s <strong>medical billing</strong> process has double charged us in the past for the same lab work and we would like some kind of receipt and written documentation of what was being done and what we are paying towards.</p>
<p>The lady behind the counter proceeded to tell me that she could not give me that information because my son was between the ages of 12 and 17 years old, due to the children&#8217;s medical privacy act that <a title="HIPAA" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIPAA" target="_blank">HIPAA</a> has made law. How can that be possible? To be forced to pay for something without having any idea of what I&#8217;m paying for. My son even asked to know what he was being tested for and gave permission for the woman to share the information with us, because he wanted our advice about the tests before they were done. She still refused to even give my son the receipt and printout of what lab work was being performed on him. So frustrated and in dismay, I expressed how ridiculous that was and went to wait.</p>
<p>As I went to sit down, I thought to myself this is going to be a <strong>medical billing</strong> nightmare and I decided to re-approach the <strong>medical billing</strong> agent.  As I walked up to the counter with my wallet in hand, I slightly tripped and my wallet flew over the counter. She jumped in exaggerated horror and proceeded to call security, as if I deliberately threw my wallet at her to hurt her. This <strong>medical billing</strong> agent moved back so fast I almost thought she was a fouled NBA star.</p>
<p>The supervising <strong>medical billing</strong> agent came out and immediately proceeded to help me, by explaining to me their process of billing procedures and the medical privacy act from HIPAA. Realizing that my son gave permission to us, the Parents, to know what tests were taking place and recognizing he was asking for our advice. The supervisor helped us not only to understand the <strong>medical billing</strong> &#8220;bull s**t&#8221;, but she got the written documentation I requested and told all of us what the labs were for.</p>
<p>If Kaiser is out there listening, I suggest you get your <strong>Medial Billing Training</strong> done properly and be sure to clarify to your <strong>medical billing</strong> agents that the children&#8217;s privacy act is basically voided when the child gives permission to the parents to have the information and give the child advise. I would also consider providing documentation of what someone is paying for at the time of service, no matter what. I&#8217;m sure you&#8217;re breaking some kind of law by blindly billing a client and trying to claim they owe whatever amount you want to claim they owe, hiding behind HIPPA. I&#8217;m sick and tired of paying for charges and then months later you being charged again for the same items. Worse yet, Kaiser&#8217;s <strong>medical billing</strong> department isn&#8217;t able to provide me receipts for where my payments were applied either. There is definitely something wrong with this system.</p>
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		<title>Laser Hair Removal</title>
		<link>http://www.russwittmann.com/2008/07/25/laser-hair-removal/</link>
		<comments>http://www.russwittmann.com/2008/07/25/laser-hair-removal/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 25 Jul 2008 17:46:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Russ Wittmann</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.russwittmann.com/?p=123</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Yesterday, I had a consultation with a laser hair removal company in Brooklyn.  They we interested in doing some landing pages on their website for the terms &#8220;Laser Hair Removal Brooklyn&#8220;.  After talking with them, I found out just how demanding laser hair removal is. Laser hair removal is pretty popular these days. The company [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Yesterday, I had a consultation with a <a title="Laser Hair Removal" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_hair_removal" target="_blank">laser hair removal</a> company in <strong>Brooklyn</strong>.  They we interested in doing some landing pages on their website for the terms &#8220;<strong>Laser Hair Removal Brooklyn</strong>&#8220;.  After talking with them, I found out just how demanding laser hair removal is.</p>
<p><strong>Laser hair removal</strong> is pretty popular these days. The company was interested in doing some trade out work; I thought to myself should I have laser <strong>hair removal</strong> done on my face?  I thought about for a moment and decided against it. The <strong>laser hair removal</strong> process wasn&#8217;t my thing.</p>
<p><strong>Laser hair removal</strong> seems to be a very interesting <a title="Process" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Process" target="_blank">process</a>. I searched the Internet to see what kind of information I could find on it. There is a lot of information out there.  If you&#8217;re interested in having <strong>laser hair removal</strong>, I suggest you do your research before selecting a <strong>laser hair removal</strong> company.</p>
<p><strong>Laser hair remova</strong>l companies are located all over the country, including <strong>Brooklyn</strong>, <strong>New York</strong> and <strong>California</strong>, just to name a few. Something to consider if you really want unsightly hairs removed through the <strong>laser hair removal</strong> process.</p>
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		<title>Student Loan Consolidation</title>
		<link>http://www.russwittmann.com/2008/07/23/student-loan-consolidation/</link>
		<comments>http://www.russwittmann.com/2008/07/23/student-loan-consolidation/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 24 Jul 2008 06:49:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Russ Wittmann</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Consolidation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Student Loan]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.russwittmann.com/?p=121</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[What is student loan consolidation?  Do you have any student loan consolidation tips or student loan consolidation info that would be helpful for today&#8217;s student loans? Share it with me. Well, I have learned my fair share about student loans recently. I have a son that I sent to college in Phoenix around September of [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>What is <a title="Student Loan Consolidation" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_student_loan_consolidation" target="_blank">student loan consolidation</a>?  Do you have any <strong>student loan consolidation tips </strong>or <strong>student loan consolidation info</strong> that would be helpful for today&#8217;s <strong>student loans</strong>? Share it with me.</p>
<p>Well, I have learned my fair share about <strong>student loans</strong> recently. I have a son that I sent to college in Phoenix around September of 2007. It wasn&#8217;t until then that I figured out how the whole <strong>student loan</strong> process worked. Believe me&#8211; it was a nightmare process sending him to college compared to when I attended college. I didn&#8217;t need my parents to help me go to college.  Now-a-days kids aren&#8217;t treated like adults even at 18 years old when applying for college. The government makes parents hold their hands financially through the whole process. What&#8217;s that all about?</p>
<p>Now that my son has dropped out of college, we will be looking for a <strong>student loan consolidation</strong>. You might ask what is <strong>student loan consolidation</strong>?  It&#8217;s the process of combining all the <a title="Loan" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loans" target="_blank">loans</a> received into one big consolidated loan.</p>
<p>I&#8217;m also looking for some sites that might have some <strong>student loan consolidation comparisons</strong> on them, since it is getting close to payback time. Especially with all the eye-catching offers coming in the mail lately that seem to be offering great rates. I&#8217;m starting to wonder if c<strong>onsolidating</strong> is my best option? What would you consider the best route possible for <strong>student loan consolidation</strong>?</p>
<p>Are there any <strong>student loan consolidation rules</strong> I should be aware of? How about any s<strong>tudent loan consolidation loans</strong> at great interest rates? I hear there are even <strong>student loan consolidation rebates</strong>.</p>
<p>If anyone has any ideas on any of this, I would appreciate hearing your insight on the issue.</p>
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		<title>Outsourced Call Centers</title>
		<link>http://www.russwittmann.com/2008/07/22/outsourced-call-centers/</link>
		<comments>http://www.russwittmann.com/2008/07/22/outsourced-call-centers/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 23 Jul 2008 05:11:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Russ Wittmann</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Apple]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.russwittmann.com/?p=118</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This week, I had my really first bad experience with outsourced call centers.  On Monday, my son came to me because our Xbox 360 encountered the red rings of death; a hardware issue affecting a lot of Xbox 360 consumers. So many Xboxes were affected that Microsoft has extended the warranty for an additional 2 [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This week, I had my really first bad experience with <a title="Outsourcing" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outsourcing" target="_blank">outsourced</a> <strong>call centers</strong>.  On Monday, my son came to me because our Xbox 360 encountered the red rings of death; a hardware issue affecting a lot of Xbox 360 consumers. So many Xboxes were affected that <a title="Microsoft" href="http://www.microsoft.com">Microsoft</a> has extended the warranty for an additional 2 years.</p>
<p>After verifying it was a true red ring of death and taking a picture, I immediately called Microsoft and was routed to an <strong>outsourced call center</strong>.  During this conversation, I started to talk with the <strong>outsourced</strong> support agent.  The agent kept telling me &#8220;Thank you for your problem&#8221; and then couldn&#8217;t stop telling me &#8220;thank you,&#8221; &#8220;Please be patient,&#8221; and &#8220;We will solve you&#8221;. Seemed really odd, but hilarious.</p>
<p>After 45 minutes of waiting on hold for the <strong>outsourced call center</strong> agent to find a solution, he finally came back on the line with an answer of &#8220;Thank you for your problem and I am glad to solve you.&#8221; Trying to hold back my laughter, I said, &#8220;How did you solve me?&#8221;</p>
<p>The <strong>outsourced call center</strong> agent said, &#8220;Your device is out of warranty, but we have extended it to solve your problem and will fix it.&#8221;  The only thing I would have to do is get my own box for shipping the system back to them.</p>
<p>I found myself relating this whole experience to a movie I recently watched called &#8220;<a title="Outsourced" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outsourced" target="_blank">Outsourced</a>.&#8221; In the movie, a company <strong>outsourced</strong> their <strong>call center</strong> to India. Which seems to be exactly what Microsoft has done with their support.  One part of the call was extremely familiar, because I asked the support rep where he was located and he told me Chi&#8230;caaaaa..go. That was one of the classic scenes in the &#8220;<strong>Outsourced</strong>&#8221; movie itself.</p>
<p><strong>Outsourcing</strong> is Bad for American business. <strong>Outsourced call centers</strong> are even worse for a hard American worker like myself to deal with. Just dealing with a rep about a broken product is difficult enough in itself, but add an extreme <a title="language barrier" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Language_barrier" target="_blank">language barrier</a> of an <strong>outsourced call center</strong> agent and you&#8217;ve created and instantly unbearable situation.</p>
<p>One company that I highly respect, <a title="Apple" href="http://www.apple.com" target="_blank">Apple</a>, hasn&#8217;t resorted to <strong>outsourcing</strong> their <strong>call centers</strong> to a foreign county. Apple seems to know that customer service and the ability to understand the representative your talking to is vitally important to keeping customers.</p>
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		<title>The Dark Knight Was Awesome</title>
		<link>http://www.russwittmann.com/2008/07/19/the-dark-knight-was-awesome/</link>
		<comments>http://www.russwittmann.com/2008/07/19/the-dark-knight-was-awesome/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 19 Jul 2008 17:41:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Russ Wittmann</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Entertainment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Movies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.russwittmann.com/?p=111</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Last night, I took the family out to see the The Dark Knight. This movie had it all: action, drama and an all out thrill ride! My son Luke really enjoyed the movie. His comment after the movie was &#8220;Heath Ledger has redeemed himself and I no longer look at him as a Gay Cowboy.&#8221;  The entire theater [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Last night, I took the family out to see the <a title="The Dark Knight" href="http://thedarkknight.warnerbros.com/" target="_blank">The Dark Knight</a>. This movie had it all: action, drama and an all out thrill ride!</p>
<p>My son Luke really enjoyed the movie. His comment after the movie was &#8220;<a title="Heath Ledger" href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005132/" target="_blank">Heath Ledger</a> has redeemed himself and I no longer look at him as a Gay Cowboy.&#8221;  The entire theater busted out laughing.</p>
<p><strong>Heath Ledger</strong> in fact did play the role of his life in this movie. If I were on the <a title="Academy Award" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_Award" target="_blank">Oscar&#8217;s</a> committee, it sure would be time to deal one out for an action movie. It sure is a shame that Heath Ledger couldn&#8217;t be around to see the excitement generated from his excellent role as <a title="The Joker" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joker_%28comics%29" target="_blank">The Joker</a>.</p>
<p><span id="more-111"></span>As a kid, my all time favorite <strong>Batman</strong> villain<strong> </strong>was <strong>The Joker.</strong> I loved Jack Nicholson&#8217;s role as The Joker in the first batman movie and had my doubts about Heath Ledger pulling the role off. Much to my surprise, Heath played The Joker role to a new level and is now my favorite Joker character.</p>
<p>Characters are key to any film and it took <strong>The Dark Knight</strong> to help me really realize that <a title="Christian Bale" href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000288/" target="_blank">Christian Bale</a> is truly the best Batman I have seen yet.  He portrays the dark character so well with his mysterious weirdness.</p>
<p>If you haven&#8217;t had a chance to see <strong>The Dark Knight</strong>, get to the theater, stand in line, get a ticket, and enjoy the movie. If you are any kind of Batman fan you will love this movie as I did.</p>
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		<title>iTunes 7.7 is here</title>
		<link>http://www.russwittmann.com/2008/07/09/itunes-77-here/</link>
		<comments>http://www.russwittmann.com/2008/07/09/itunes-77-here/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 10 Jul 2008 07:59:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Russ Wittmann</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Apple]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[iPhone]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.russwittmann.com/?p=108</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Well it&#8217;s official, Apple has release iTunes 7.7 tonight, I was online before crashing for the evening and what pops up in my software update you ask, iTunes 7.7 update. What&#8217;s new you ask?  Well not much, other then a new item on the sidebar called applications, at first I got excited and looked to see if the [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Well it&#8217;s official, <strong>Apple</strong> has release <a title="iTunes 7.7" href="http://www.apple.com/itunes/" target="_blank">iTunes 7.7</a> tonight, I was online before crashing for the evening and what pops up in my <a title="software update" href="http://www.apple.com/softwareupdate/" target="_blank">software update</a> you ask, <strong>iTunes 7.7</strong> update.</p>
<p>What&#8217;s new you ask?  Well not much, other then a new item on the sidebar called <a title="Applications" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Application_software" target="_blank">applications</a>, at first I got excited and looked to see if the <a title="Apple App Store" href="http://www.apple.com/iphone/features/appstore.html" target="_blank">App Store</a> was online, and disappointedly it was not!</p>
<p><span id="more-108"></span></p>
<p>Speaking of the <strong>app store</strong> I&#8217;m totally excited to see what&#8217;s there.  I&#8217;m really looking forward to a <a title="Twitterriffic" href="http://iconfactory.com/software/twitterrific" target="_blank">twitterriffic</a> application or better yet a <a title="Socialthing!" href="http://socialthing.com" target="_blank">socialthing</a>! application.</p>
<p>I&#8217;m curious as to whether or not Apple will release the new firmware for the iPhone tomorrow, or wait until the launch date of the iPhone 3G.</p>
<p>Well nothing to exciting to see tonight from <strong>Apple</strong>, Ill probably miss it all later tonight.</p>
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		<item>
		<title>Mobile Me Almost Here</title>
		<link>http://www.russwittmann.com/2008/07/08/mobile-me-almost-here/</link>
		<comments>http://www.russwittmann.com/2008/07/08/mobile-me-almost-here/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 09 Jul 2008 05:52:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Russ Wittmann</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Apple]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Play]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Work]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.russwittmann.com/?p=107</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Apples new Mobile Me service is almost here!  All of us Mac users can soon rejoice with Apples new push technology for devices. Apple likes to call it &#8220;Exchange for the rest of us&#8221;.  I call it plain cool. Mobile me appears to be launching July 9th from 6 p.m until 12 a.m. PT,  Apple has just [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Apples new <a title="Mobile Me" href="http://www.me.com" target="_blank">Mobile Me</a> service is <strong>almost here</strong>!  All of us <strong>Mac</strong> users can soon rejoice with Apples new push technology for devices.</p>
<p>Apple likes to call it &#8220;Exchange for the rest of us&#8221;.  I call it plain cool.</p>
<p>Mobile me appears to be launching July 9th from 6 p.m until 12 a.m. PT,  Apple has just updated the .Mac status page with that date/time for the .Mac to MobileMe switch. So, for those of you wondering <em><span style="font-style: normal;">when</span></em> Apple might start the switch, you will not have to wonder any longer.<span id="more-107"></span>Apple says that during the switch, users will be unable to access www.mac.com or any .Mac services, with the exception of .Mac Mail accessed via a <a title="Application software" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Application_software" target="_blank">desktop application</a>.</p>
<p>Apple also says it hopes to have <strong>mobile me</strong> available as soon possible during the maintenance times, lets all hope so.</p>
<p>For those of you looking to purchase a mobile me subscription, look to <a title="mobile me at amazon.com" href="http://www.amazon.com/Apple-MB611Z-A-MobileMe/dp/B001BY45QO/ref=pd_bbs_3?ie=UTF8&amp;s=software&amp;qid=1215492140&amp;sr=8-3">amazon.com</a> they are offering mobile me for $89.99 a whole $10.00 cheaper then Apple.</p>
<p>I&#8217;ll try to stay on top of this launch but with all the excitement I might forget.</p>
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