Articles
More crafted pieces of writing.
The Joy of Stumbling | Metropolis Magazine
http://www.metropolismag.com/story/20090218/the-joy-of-stumbling
From the page: “He argued that as the Internet takes over from television as the dominant medium, the ability to find content you didn’t know you were looking for becomes crucial. “
Read MoreTake a bigger bite out of your Apple
How to get the most out of OS X
Recently I stumbled upon an article about Google’s latest desktop search interface, the Google Quick Search Box for Mac. This looks like an interesting new tool that could be of some use – and it’s quite refreshing after Chrome’s PC-only launch to see Google launch something only for the Mac. I was more intrigued to read though, that it’s made by the creator of the OS X quick launching application, Quicksilver. Quicksilver is something I’d read a little about before, and I soon started digging via some links on the page to find out more. Quicksilver is one of a growing set of applications that are designed to make your life easier, but are completely new types of application – and therefore very hard to get your head around. If you tell me you’ve got a great new spreadsheet or diary application, I can easily picture what that is, but if you say you’ve got a launcher, the thought that occurs is “What the heck is that? Why would I want one?”. Quicksilver had definitely caught my interest but I’d never quite got my head round it. Which brings me to the main point of this post:
I would like to highly recommend The Apple Blog if you’ve ever been interested to get more out of your Apple Mac. Myself, ever since I moved from Windows to Mac 2 years ago, I’ve thought that OS X offers far more effective ways of getting things done than Windows; unfortunately though, 15 years of using Windows has drummed the Windows way of thinking so heavily in to me that I find it hard to know how to do things “the Mac way”. I have had the nagging sense that I’m just using it like Windows and missing out on quite a lot. If you’ve ever had these kind of thoughts, or are just interested in moving from “beginner” to “power user” then I think you will find this site to be a veritable gold mine.
Putting users first
SMS Haircut Reminders
My hairdresser, The Green Room, recently took an innovative step forwards; it now texts customers a reminder the day before their appointment. It struck me that this is a very smart move on their part, and a great example of how listening to your users – in this case people coming for haircuts – can not only improve their experience of your product but also help your business.
I chatted to Scott, the manager, about the process. He’d mentioned that they were having lots of problems with people not turning up for appointments. This was causing an impact to his business because those slots were lost business – which could not be refilled at such short notice. Also it meant that staff would have nothing to do during those slots.
Read MoreKeeping in touch in the digital age
Using ooVoo for three way family webcam chats
I live in Hampshire, my brother lives in Scotland, and my parents live in Northumberland. Not ideal really, but that’s the way it’s ended up. This generally means we only get to see each other altogether about twice a year – not as often as we’d like. As you may know, my wife and I are moving to Canada next year, even further away – so I decided it was time to do something to make sure we get to see each other often. I don’t want to have even less contact due to being overseas!
First we experimented with Windows Live Messenger (MSN), Yahoo Messenger and Skype, which didn’t do the job for various reasons – we needed something that would work on Windows XP and Mac OS X, and which would allow more than two participants at a time.
We eventually found the ideal piece of software for having webcam & voice chats with more than two participants. It’s a great piece of software called ooVoo. It runs on Mac or PC, is a free 15Mb download, and is very easy to set up.
So now we can have 3 way video-conferences (in fact, ooVoo supports up to six participants) at a set time every week – which will make the distances seem a lot less. It’s so much more than just a phone conversation, it is much more like seeing your family in person. Problem solved! I love it when technology actually improves your life! If your family or friends are far away, I recommend you give it a go.
Read MoreSpeed up Windows Boot Time with StartupDelayer
Maybe you still need those apps, but do you need them right away?
I recently read this article about how US employees are suing their employers over lost hours due to the time it takes Windows to boot. It’s also struck me I really should do something about my Thinkpad’s Windows XP boot time. It typically takes me the the best part of 15 minutes from power on to “ready to work” state. So it was good news when I came across a piece of software that can really help me gain some of that time back each day!
Some of the delay is due to the so-called “quick launch” applications that the likes of Adobe, RealPlayer and QuickTime install without asking. Many of these can be shut off but there are many drivers, applications and Windows services which are less obvious and think they need to load after Windows boots: anti-virus programs, Thinkpad drivers for Touchpad, TrackPoint etc, various corporate spyware apps my company makes me install, not to mention the applications I do need to use now and then – such as Messenger, printer drivers, Nokia phone software, Bluetooth support etc.
There are programs that let you optimize your system by removing/disabling some of these. A good write up of this is on Lifehacker here. You do need to make extensive use of Google to work out what a given EXE or DLL actually does. I see that they have improved this a bit in Windows Vista which provides more information on process names in its task list.
Read MoreWall•E: Top-notch entertainment!
Pixar does it again!
I know there are many reviews saying great things about WALL•E, the latest creation from Pixar, but I want to add mine into the mix.
Films that really stand out seem to come along less and less often these days, as the Hollywood money machine churns out more and more sequels to scrape the maximum profits from each franchise (the trailers before the film seemed to confirm this – High School Musical 3, Madagascar 2 and Ice Age 3). Which makes it all the more refreshing when a really original and thoroughly entertaining film like WALL•E comes out. Pixar really did save Disney!
It’s hard to know what to say without spoiling the film; it certainly has a very engaging plot which is presented in a very believable way. What’s amazing is how animated blocks of metal can be brought to life so convincingly.
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