I have family in Houston and so far the best source of information I’ve found is the Houston Chronicle’s Blog at http://blogs.chron.com/hurricanes.

If you have any other sources or additional information you’d like to share, feel free to post it in the comments area. I’ll keep this post at the top until the threat is over.

Updates:

• It looks like my mom and brother are going to stick it out. Fort Bend County hasn’t issued an evacuation and are asking people to keep the roads clear for those neededing to evacuate. As a kid, we’ve road out some tough hurricanes before. I pray this one won’t be as bad as they think it’ll be.
• Another really good storm tracking website. http://www.stormpulse.com/fullscreen/hurricane-ike-2008
• Another sent to me from my mom http://www.houstonhidefromthewind.org
• I saw this site being used on CNN http://hurricanetrack.com
• You can watch a simulcast of the news in Houston (KHOU-TV) on C-SPAN
• I’ve also been following the Dallas Weather Blog at http://weatherblog.dallasnews.com

I received this email from the CompUSA email list. There’s some good advice and being a tech guy, I know the importance of being ready. Here are some tips from the email:

With Hurricane Ike bearing down on Texas, we’d like to pass on some timely tips to help you keep your computer & electronic equipment and data safe and sound, at home or at the office.  And because the long hurricane season has only just begun, we recommend that you keep these tips handy so you can
gear into action any time a dangerous tropical storm or hurricane approaches.

1. First and foremost, back up all your important data!  Power outages are likely during severe tropical storms and hurricanes, and you’ll need to make sure all your critical data is stored.  Run a full back up
immediately!

2. If your area is forecast for a direct hit, unplug all your computer & electronics equipment well in advance of the storm.  This will keep your equipment safe from power surges.  Even if your equipment is plugged into battery backups, unplug your machines ASAP.  In addition to your computers, monitors, and printers - make sure your TVs, fax, machines, and phones are also unplugged.

3. If you’re not in the storm’s direct path, you still might be subject to power outages and surges. To safeguard your equipment against power surges, make sure all your computers, routers, and servers are connected to battery backups.  In addition to providing surge protection, battery backups provide your equipment some extra time to shut down properly.

4. Cover all your equipment with plastic and lift all your machines off of your floors to protect them against water damages.

5. Have a backup telephone handy - in addition to your cell phone - just in case your cell phone network suffers damages from the storm.

6. If you run a business, compile an emergency contact list with 24-our telephone contact numbers of your essential employees.

7. Keep your vital records of accounts, customers, personnel, administration, and tax information in a safe area where they can be relocated once the threat of the storm has passed.  If your home or business is in an area that’s vulnerable to storm surges, it’s a good idea to keep copies of your vital records off site.

8. Most importantly - make sure your hurricane emergency supplies are available in a secure area that’s accessible in an emergency.  We recommend the following supplies:
* Emergency communications equipment such as 2-way radios, CB radios, and satellite phones.
* Remote call forwarding access in case it’s necessary to temporarily reroute phone lines
* Battery operated television or radio
* Extra batteries
* Flashlights
* First Aid kit
* Emergency tool kit
* Food, water and utensils

Please don’t wait until the last minute to prepare for the onslaught of a tropical storm or hurricane, get your emergency preparedness plan into action as soon as possible.   In addition to keeping yourself safe from harm, please take some time to protect your computer and electronics equipment by following the tips we’ve provided.   Be safe.  Be prepared!

I got this text message from the Obama campaign asking everyone to donate to the Red Cross:

Barack asks that you give to the Red Cross: give 5 dollars by texting GIVE to 24357 or give more by calling 1-800-435-7669 or at redcross.org/donate. Please fwd

Now this is how you mobilize people to get things done. Before he even considered running for President, Joel introduced me to his podcast that he put together. In it he gave good information on bills and voting in the Senate we needed to be aware of. He’s definitely on top of his technology game and understands the importance of how it can be used to reach a large mass of people.

See other ways Obama has embraced technology

Just as a side note, I will be posting on the other events over the past couple of days. This is some good stuff to debate, so be on the lookout.

Earlier this month, the Electronic Village presented ‘The Arte y Pico Award‘ to this blog. I’m definitely honored because the Villager has one of the top black blogs out there and it is a testament to what online activism should entail. If you search my blog you will find a number of references to his site. He’s also one of the workshop presenters at the Blogging While Brown Conference in Atlanta this weekend.

Here are the rules of the Arte y Pico Award:

• You have to pick 5 blogs that deserve this award for their creativity, design, interesting material, and also for contributing to the blogging community, no matter what language.
• Each awardee has to have the name of the author and also a link to his or her blog to be visited by everyone.
• Each award winner has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has given her or him the award itself.
• Each award winner should provide a link to the Arte y Pico blog, so everyone will know the origin of this award

Here are five (5) blogs, in no particular order, that I think show Creativity, Fabulous Design, Interesting Material or Contribute to the blogging community:

1. Black In Business - JD is one of the first bloggers I’ve gotten to meet in person. His blog is full of good advice for business owners and he’s open and honest about his views regarding our society. I’m always interested in seeing what he’ll post next. A good guy and a good site.
2. Vanessa: Unplugged - Vanessa (I always want to call her V) has a blog that is very well written and designed. Her topics are right on point and most of the time we have the same views on things. I admire people who can write because it’s something I’ve been working on for a while. Another thing that got me hooked on her site was her commitment last year to blog every day for a year. That’s not easy to do!
3. Dallas South Blog - Shawn is a fellow Aggie, but that’s not why I selected his site. If you want to know what’s happening in South Dallas, this is the blog for you. This is another site that is well-written and he stays on top of the issues that black people need to be concerned about. Even if you don’t live in Dallas, his blog is one you should definitely check out. He will be an attendee at the Blogging While Brown Conference.
4. Black Web 2.0 - I like all things technology. This is one of the sites where I go to get my tech news fix when the need arises. Technology changes daily and there’s always something new to blog about. Angela and Markus are good at staying on top of the newest tech news and gadgets. When you visit the site you have to check out their podcast. They’ve gotten some really good interviews with some major players in the technology industry. They will also be presenting a workshop at the Blogging While Brown Conference.
5. Geeky Cyber Mom - Geeks are cool and so is this website. Anyone who carries a 4-port USB hub in their purse is alright with me. I “e-met” the Geeky Cyber Mom on Twitter. Her blog is fun to read and very informative. She also manages another blog and podcast called Tales of a Single Parent which is equally as good.

So this is my list of bloggers that deserve the award. I have more I’d like to add, but the award only calls for five. Visit their blog and let me know what you think. Thanks again to the Villager for choosing lil ol’ me.

There’s a new social networking site for people interested in creating relationships with Africa, discovering African cultures and reconnecting with Africans worldwide in a fun and dynamic environment. In my quest to “think global” I joined and I’m on my way to learning more about ways to do business in Africa.

It’s always been something I’ve been interested in, so we’ll see how it goes. I was invited by fellow blogger Benin Mwangi who has been integral in helping me learn more about the continent of Africa. I enjoy meeting people from other parts of the world and the Internet has made doing so easier.

Check out the Village at African Path and let me know what you think.

You soon won’t be able to turn around without hearing about “digital television” and its potential impact on you. Even though there is still a limited (but growing) universe of true high definition programming available over the air, Channel 8 and every other TV station in North Texas is sending out a digital signal right alongside its traditional “analog” transmission.

But all those analog signals will be switched off permanently on Feb. 17, 2009 by government mandate. That means if you’re watching Channel 8 on an older TV set and you get your picture with an off-air antenna, you’ll see nothing but snow starting on that date.

You should know, however, that old TVs can be used for years into the future with the help of a friendly little box to convert the new digital channels into an analog-friendly signal. While these converter boxes are expected to cost about $60 each, every family in the U.S. is entitled to receive up to two coupons with a value of $40 each that can be used to buy the adapters. You can sign up for the coupons starting Jan. 1, 2008.

Check out the WFAA.com DTV 2009 Countdown section for answers to questions. Don’t go into debt trying to buy a television you can’t afford. For now just use the coupon and apply for it as soon as you can. It’s been in the making for a while, so I didn’t think they would pass it and get it going as soon as they did. But the time to convert is coming and I want you to be prepared. Here are some other documents that may help also.

Digital TV Fact Sheet Contract

Preparing For The Digital TV Transition

I’m in, are you? I just signed up for the Blogging While Brown Conference in Atlanta, GA July 25-27, 2008. According to the website, the most important purpose of the conference is to share knowledge. The conference will promote intellectual, social, and cultural development of the blogging community by bringing bloggers of color together. Blogging While Brown is an opportunity to meet other bloggers and blog readers of color for the first time, discuss current issues of interest to bloggers of color, network with individuals and organizations interested in leveraging online activity with offline results, and learn about the latest technology that will assist bloggers with publishing their work and improving their readers experience by fully engaging in the newest media technology.

I’m excited because I’ll finally get the chance to meet some of the bloggers I read on a regular basis. In a way, you sort of connect with the author after reading their blog for a while, so it’ll be nice to meet them face-to-face. I also hope to learn more about blogging and ways we can all work together to benefit our communities. Since I’m not sure all who’s attending, I thought I’d call out just a few of the bloggers I want to see. If you’re registered, let me know. If not then register here. Hope to see you there.

• Angela & Markus
• Benin
• blackgivesback
• JD
• JW
• Kanute
• Marty
• Paula
• Shawn
• Vanessa
• Wayne
• Yobachi

I had a post about cre8buzz.com and wanted to let you all know the community is now open to the public. Since I’ve joined, I have noticed an increase traffic to the site and have gained a couple of readers in the process. It’s a great way to get exposure for blogs, personal, business and anything else you feel the need to share with the community. It’s a fun safe way to meet people all over the world to share ideas and opinions.

So check out the site and visit me in the People > African American community. If you want to rate my content or show your own stuff, sign up for a free account. Let me know what you think and give me a shout out after you join.

Now I’m not trying to take any listeners from my podcast, but I did want to let you know of a new show at BlackWeb 2.0. It’s their first episode where they interview Rocky Williform, CEO of StreetCred Media Group. They talk with Rocky about his new social networking group which targets the hip hop culture in an effort to bring about dialouge between the real fans of hip hop. They also talk about the future of StreetCred and how he came up with the idea behind the website.

The best thing about this interview is you don’t have to be a tech enthusiasts to enjoy it. They also talked with Rocky about how he was able to fund the project, his business philosophy and how he developed a business model around his idea. If you are an entrprenuer (or wanting to be one), there’s definitely some good information in it for you. If you check out Rocky’s bio, you’ll see this brotha is definitely about business. I like his mindset and you can tell in the interview that he is well-versed in what it takes to run a successful business. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Interview with Rocky Williform, CEO of StreetCred.com

If you listen to the podcast, then you know that I am a tech junkie. This is what originally got me into the blogger and podcaster world and I’ve met some really good people in the process. There is a major trend on the Internet dealing with social networking and the we now have the ability to communicate with people all around the world. The technology industry has come a long way and this is only the beginning. Marketing products and services is also changing and it’s easier to get the word out to more people than ever. Which brings me to the point of this post.

Through a contact of JD’s at Black in Business, I’ve been asked to help build up the African-American community for a new social networking site called Cre8buzz.com. When you sign up, you are able to showcase yourself, showoff, post your pictures, blog your opinions, and share your videos. As people view your content, they are able to provide their own ranking which allows for even more exposure (if it’s good). It’s like myspace, meets, youtube, meets flickr. The ranking system is pretty amazing and meeting people in other communities has been cool. I’ve been there for a couple of weeks and have personally talked to the Antman (yes, he’s real) and he’s all about getting exposure for the little guy. As of now, I’m the only one in the African-American community, so I’M #1!!!

I’m not trying to lose that position, so sign up and let’s create some buzz. They are still in the beta stages so the time is good to get involved. To sign up, you need an invitation, which I can email you. Just send your request to podcast[at]theojohnson.net and I’ll get it to you. I’ve already started publicizing the blog and traffic has increased. If you have any comments or suggestions on the site, let the Antman know.

Finally, when you sign up, I’m in the cre8Buzz > People > African American community. My name is tjohnson3. See you soon