Ubiquity, was a hot recommendation from and internal IBM blogger that I followed up on. It certainly looks like it has great potential, so I’ll be trying it out and tracking it’s progress. Have a look.
Ubiquity for Firefox from Aza Raskin on Vimeo.
Category: Technology
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Open Id
en route to serving up my blog to twitter via twitterfeed, I succumbed to OpenID. Seems like a great idea and I hope more sites start using this kind of technology. I really have way to many userid/passwords already and anything that will simplify this plus increase security, I’m all for it.
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A little site maintenance
I’ve just upgraded my blog to WordPress 2.5 and all seems to have gone well, whic is a good thing since I’m going to bed now and really didn’t want to have to stay up to sort things out. I’ve had enough issues with upgrading PC software lately.
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Apple is insidious
Just doing a little blog reading and idle surfing with a cup of coffee and up pops the Apple Software Updater window. “Hey”, is says, “I’ve got something new for you!”. But, it’s not the usual update to iTunes or Quicktime, but a cross proportional up sell to try and switch me to Safari. For some reason I click “accept”. You’d think I’d learn after spending a better part of a week trying to track down why my computer would automatically re-boot on it’s own ever 3-4 hours. Why just yesterday I told myself, “Self, no more installing random software, at least not without backing up everything is sight first”. So much for that resolution
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Mindmaps and brainstroming
I’m a fan of using mind mapping techniques in brainstorming sessions and for lots of other tasks. I’ve purchased MindManager from Mindjet after seeing a demonstration at a conference. While it has a lot of capability, it’s not inexpensive either. For a lot of the more basic mind mapping activities bubbl.us is very impressive and free, which is generally a good thing.
bubbl.us – free web application for brainstorming online
What is it?
Bubbl.us is a simple and free web application that lets you brainstorm online.Why use bubbl.us?
Because you can:
* Create colorful mind maps online
* Share and work with friends
* Embed your mind map in your blog or website
* Email and print your mind map
* Save your mind map as an image
And it’s FREE!
UPDATE: It seems there are several good mindmapping web apps out there, and Mind42 doesn’t have advertising. So, how do they make money, and why do they put these kinds of applicaitons out there?
mind42.com
In Mind42, 42 is not only the answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything! 42 means FOR TWO and indicates the collaborative character of mind42, because that is exactly what mind42 is: A collaborative browser-based online mind mapping tool.
It allows you to manage all your ideas, whether alone, twosome or working together with the whole world. As mind42 runs inside the browser, installing mind mapping tools is no longer needed – for a hassle-free mindmapping experience. Just open the browser and launch the application when needed – it behaves like a classical desktop application!
Mind42 is a web application – however, this doesn’t mean yout have to set your comfort aside. Mind42 is a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) mind map editor supporting keyboard shortcuts, drag and drop, zooming and much more. No forms and lists which are generally used in web application. A real application – within your browser.
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The Story of Stuff
Hsve a look at this presentation. Quite well done, funny & scary all at the same time.
The Story of Stuff with Annie Leonard
From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It’ll teach you something, it’ll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.
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GTD and Inbox Zero
I’ve been working at getting my “stuff” under control and as part of that I’ve read GTD and am working at getting is implemented and established as a habit in my life. So far, it’s going fairly well, but time will tell. Hey Google, runs GTD courses for it’s employees!
An empty email in-box seems like a nirvana goal, and it has some appeal to me. My work email has over 200 things in the in-box that may have been read, but not processes. I’m reading the series in 43 Folders and just watched the video. It’s good stuff.
43 Folders Series: Inbox Zero | 43 Folders
New: Merlin’s Inbox Zero Presentation
Merlin does a live presentation on Inbox Zero from time to time. The latest version of the presentation was delivered on July 23, 2007 at a Google Tech Talk in Mountain View, CA. You can download a PDF of the slides for the presentation and can watch the 58-minute video of the talk and Q&A right here:
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Microsoft and Surface Computing
Check it out, very interesting. I especially liked the photo transfer from the camera to the cell phone. More information on the Microsoft Surface site.
Technorati Tags: Microsoft, Surface Computing
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CIBC Online Banking Frustration
I’m at the lake and needed to check out some info on my CIBC chequing account. So, no problem, signon to their online banking system like usual and …
We are Sorry …
We were unable to validate your card number and password. You will need
to reset your password to regain access to Online Banking.Please call Online Banking Customer Support at
1-888-872-2422 (Canada and U.S.) or
1-800-872-2422 (
select countries
outside Canada or the U.S.) To use this number, dial the country code
from which you’re calling, then the toll free number, followed by 1.
For example: 044-1-800-872-2422-1. From all other countries outside Canada or the U.S., call902-420-2422 (collect calls accepted).
Sorry my ….
I’ve got the right account number and password, but they have detected something “funny”.
Anyway, I call the number, go through IVR hell until I mess it up so bad an operator comes on the line. This should be easy eh?
Well Sir we need to verify your identity, can you tell me your account balance?
No, that’s what online banking is for, I don’t memorize these things
No problem Sir, can you tell me a recent debit card transaction?
No, I still don’t memorize that stuff, I rarely do debit transactions, and that’s what online banking is for, it keeps track of all that stuff.
No problem Sir, do you have a CIBC credit card?
Yes.
Can you tell me the amount of a recent transaction?
Smoke is now pouring out my ears. I recite some of the previous answers, plus I rarely use that card, I use my MasterCard, perhaps I’ll switch banks all together!
He’s sorry
Then I remember that my Starbucks card reloads from the CIBC credit card, hey I can remember a recent transaction! I try to tell the guy.
I’m sorry, but you flunked the security quiz and I can’t take any more answers, you must now show up in person at a CIBC branch to straighten this out.
I tell him I’m mad and frustrated.
He’s sorry.
Technorati Tags: cibc, banking, online banking, frustration
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Time consuming
I’m at home, alone. Shirley is working, Scott is gone. It’s quiet, and the morning is almost gone. I’ve had many cups of coffee as I work on a building a presentation for Monday.
I have the bulk of the presentation material and I’m just creating two custom slides. How long can it take? Longer that I’d like. One slide has a lot of animation. Yeah, I know, not a good move for a presentation, but it should work and be a lot of fun.
The harder one has been lifting a mySpace video in FLV format and converting it to something I can put into Powerpoint. Well, after 3 hrs of hacking around and getting video with no audio, audio with no video and video with audio that sounds like the chipmunks, and getting some help from a friend I bought some FLV to AVI software. Free is not always better and the demo version worked for me quick & easy. So, it’s a company expense because this was all about a company presentations.
Technorati Tags: mySpace, FLV, AVI, FLV to AVI