Saw an interesting article on New Orleans in the San Jose Mercury News today.  New Orleans is working on raising money in all sorts of ways.  One of its latest efforts is a “Text to Give” campaign.  Using your mobile phone and your PayPal account, you can text a number and donate money to New Orleans to rebuild. New Orleans hopes to raise $1 million with its text messaging campaign.  If you want to donate but don’t know how to use text messaging, you can also click on a link on the front page of the City of New Orleans web site. 

The news article mentions that New Orleans efforts to get companies to provide sponsorships for Mardi Gras did not really work.  Not surprising since Mardi Gras is associated with controlled mayhem and fun, not to mention drinking.  Few companies, even beer distributors, want to be associated with beer-fueled parties.  They want to be associated with responsible drinking.  Let’s hope that next year its efforts to get corporate sponsorships for Mardi Gras work better as its marketing people learn better how to position Mardi Gras for corporate consumption.

If you are heading down to New Orleans for Mardi Gras, download the Geogad Mobile Tour of New Orleans French Quarter.  While there are not longer any Mardi Gras parades that travel through the French Quarter since its streets are far too narrow for the parades and crowds, the French Quarter is still crazy crowded at night.  Try getting a little sightseeing done with Geogad’s tour on your MP3 player during the morning when others are still deep in sleep.  

Technorati tags: New Orleans, Mardi Gras, Text to Give, French Quarter, Geogad Mobile Tours

Teh Geogad web site will be going through a transition as new features are added in the next few weeks.  In the meantime, I am having the fun of getting the new site set up.

It never fails to amaze me how stupid computers are.  I am really not worried about them taking over any time soon.  Just the difficulty involved in getting a computer to find a few files assures me that humanity does not have much to worry about any time soon.

I would love to get some comments from some of those lucky people who are getting ready for Mardi Gras in New Orleans.  As I program, I think, “I wish that I were there.”

If you are there, send me some photos and go ahead and rub it in. 

Technorati tags: New Orleans, Mardi Gras, programming

Saw a great ad on my way to Mobile Monday that I covered in my earlier blog. 

The ad was a huge billboard with a sophisticated woman drinking a cocktail.  The ad read “Dry? We’re never dry.”  It was then followed by the words “New Orleans”.

 New Orleans is back!  And just in time for Mardi Gras. “Laissez les bons temps rouler!” Or for all you non-Cajans, let the good times roll!

If you head that way, be sure to download Geogad’s free Mobile Tour for New Orleans French Quarter.

Technorati tags: Mardi Gras, New Orleans

Tis almost the season, Mardi Gras season in New Orleans of course, and Geogad is all prepared to help you enjoy your time in the Big Easy with its Mobile Tour of New Orleans French Quarter.  It will help you get a small perspective of New Orleans’ 300-year history. 

While Geogad’s tour of the French Quarter is great, it only scratches the surface.  Geogad could easily create 3 more tours of the French Quarter area with completely unique material.  One thing that is not explained in great detail is Mardi Gras.  A great explanation of Mardi Gras and its traditions can be found at the Louisiana Mardi Gras Museum at the Presbytere, which is covered in Geogad Mobile Tour of New Orleans French Quarter and can be downloaded for free from the Geogad web site.  If you are unable to visit the museum, then you will enjoy a short history on the founding of Mardi Gras.

As mentioned in an earlier blog, the official colors of Mardi Gras were selected in 1872 by the Russian Grand Duke Alexis Romanoff.  Now you must understand the Mardi Gras had been celebrated in this heavily Catholic city for years before.  But the visit of the Grand Duke really brought the elite of the city out to make that year’s celebration the best yet.  While the Grand Duke probably enjoyed Mardi Gras, legend has it that he was really only visiting New Orleans because his mistress, Lydia Thompson, who was a popular singer performing in a local show. 

The royalty of Mardi Gras have all the best aspects of real royalty and yet include some democracy.  The parades have their kings, queens and dukes that get to dress in expensive costumes and are cheered by crowds of people like real royalty.  But the royals are only royal for a few days a year, and there is no guarantee that you will be a royal this year even if you were a royal last year.  The royalty are selected by the members of the parade committees called krewes.  With this system, you get the pomp and circumstance of royalty without all the headaches. 

Maybe the British should consider switching to a system where you can be Queen or Prince for a year if you get enough votes.  They could make it like American Idol and let people text message their votes.  I would think that the real British royal family might like to get some time off to live like regular people for a while.

Technorati tags: Mardi Gras, New Orleans, Geogad Tours, Presbytere, royalty, krewes

It is almost Mardi Gras, so let’s check if you know your Mardi Gras trivia.

Your friend from New Orleans gives you a gift of a new jogging outfit.  It is purple, gold, and green.  Do you take this as some sort of fashion insult?

No, it is very fashionable, if you are in New Orleans during Mardi Gras.  Purple, gold, and green are the official Mardi Gras colors.  Purple represents justice, gold represents power, and green represents faith.  These were the original colors selected in 1872 by the Russian Grand Duke Alexis Romanoff.  You may be wondering why a Russian Grand Duke would be selecting New Orleans’ Mardi Gras colors.  Ah, that is a bit a trivia for another day.  Stay tuned!

Technorati tags:  New Orleans, Mardi Gras, purple gold green, Grand Duke Alexis Romanoff