What does it really mean to be plugged in? Technology is moving faster and faster, how do we gauge our techno-savvyness? How do we keep up? How do we start?

A lot of us face these issues every day as we try to balance our lives, our careers, our families, and our hobbies with the newest fads, the newest trends, and our increasing addiction to being “plugged in.”

Recently I lost my internet connection in my house and I was literally lost… I am undeniably reliant on having the resources always at my fingertips, the ability to learn anything from the fact that earwigs have two penises (I had no idea, nor why I came across that fact and yes, I know… weird) to the newest wine trends in seconds. What do you do if you don’t have it?

And it has been a fast transition to this state of spoiledness…I remember when I got my first email account in college and phoned my parents from a payphone while backpacking in Europe (And no, I am not that old!)

But without internet  I have become a lurker. I never ever in my life thought that I would categorize myself as a lurker, yet as I continually battled with the internet company to fix my, oh so treasured wifi, I found myself wandering from my apartment building’s lobby to internet cafe… to internet cafe in search of a steady stream of reliable internet routing. And not only that, I was constantly battling the ability to catch up, as I was losing precious time. I had taken for granted always being connected.

It’s not just my addiction to connecting with people, but its also my addiction to learning that led me on this crusade. Living in Argentina, I have become reliant on news channel websites for the latest news as well as reading blogs and posts of people that are both inspirational and insightful. I found a blog post from Chase Jarvis about an article from the blog The Future of Media about an indie band that was recently picked up by the UK media. (whew that was a mouthfull)

Its says:

Interestingly enough, the video created using this footage (included after the jump) was originally uploaded to YouTube in December of last year, but recent coverage by the Telegraph and by BoingBoing has spurred an resurrected interest in it and the video has appeared a second time on the site, gaining an extra 20,000 views in the span of about 24 hours.

That is the awesome power of social media (and actually I like this video)- to create a community of followers based on inspiration and word of mouth.

Is it being in the right place at the right time or is it about social awareness and influencers? In reality, it is the basic concept that brings the value of recommendation back into the spotlight. We live in a world of transparency where we need to access our clientele and provide value innovation.

Thus, we can translate this to almost every aspect of our lives, why it is important for us in the wine business to create wines that we can all talk about, that our friends can talk about, and that we want to share. Because you never know how we can create an influence that will cause that critical mass and tipping point, for our passions and interests to be shared and allow those that have never before been “plugged in” to join the wine revolution. And amazingly Murphy Goode has created this bridge with the world of wine, placing it in the heart of social media where, “no man (in the wine business) has gone before.” Kudos to them for grasping this power and connecting.

Cheers!

So this is when I really start to miss the US and the music scene. What can be better than the sweet sounds of jazz, wine, and a vineyard setting. Granted I live in Argentina where the romance and passion of tango abound, and I am currently in the regaeton craze, albeit while laughing the entire time…really, you want me to do that with my hips??

And although the Festival has come to a close check out the Friday night Jazz at the Murphy Goode Tasting Room through August! Tomorrow from 5-7:30 is the John Simon Quartet!

So, while I am in the midst of flu and the winter season here in Mendoza,  Jazz in Healdsburg is in full swing. So I implore you, if you can, to go enjoy, dance, and feel the rhythm, do a little toe-tapping yourself.

Friday Evening Jazz at the Murphy-Goode Tasting Room

Address: Location: 20 Matheson Street, Healdsburg
Phone: 707 431-7644

And while you’re at it, why don’t you make me green with envy and hit up the farmers market teeming with natures best!

So here is The wikipedia version for all of you dying to get the inside scoop as well as all of the rules!

Liar’s dice, or Liar dice, with roots originating in South America and popularized in early Spanish History, was brought to Spain by the Spanish conqueror Francisco Pizarro during the 16th century.^[1] Liar’s Dice is known for being a game in pirate history, and a name for a class of dice games for two or more players. They are easy to learn, require little equipment, and can be played as gambling or drinking games. Playing them well requires the ability to deceive and detect an opponent’s deception.

Versions of the game are known as Dudo or Cachito in South America. The equivalent drinking game is sometimes called Mexicali or Mexican in the United States; the latter term may be a corruption of Mäxchen (“Little Max”), the name by which the game is known in Germany.

There are at least three different versions of Liar’s Dice; it’s uncertain which version is the original. In all of them, dice are rolled in a concealed fashion and bids made about the result of the roll. Players must then either raise the bid or challenge the previous bid in turn. For the purposes of this article, the three versions discussed are referred to as “individual hand”, “common hand”, and “Mexican”.

In “common hand”, each player has a set of dice, all players roll one and the bids relate to the dice each player can see (their hand) plus all the concealed dice (the other players’ hands).

In “individual hand”, there is one set of dice which is passed from player to player. The bids relate to the dice as they are in front of the bidder after selected dice have been re-rolled.