Apr

30

My GTD weekly review killed off my morning

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Ok, as I said previously, I’ve fallen off the Getting Things Done (GTD)My GTD weekly review killed off my morning (image: ) bandwagon and am slowly climbing back on.

Today, being a Monday, it’s my day to do my Weekly — gather up all the outstanding items, tasks, projects, and other unorganized ’stuff’, process it, and then EVERYTHING.

“Hello, Afternoon? Yes, it’s Brad here, I’m afraid I’m going to have to cancel all the things I had planned for you today as my Weekly took far longer than I anticipated, we can reschedule for tomorrow ‘eh?”

And that’s how it went. From past , I know this is normal, but man, did I ever forget how long that first one takes.

But boy, do I now feel much better about my stuff, and I do know where my towel is.

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Apr

27

Latest Ubuntu release unleashes my laptop

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Latest Ubuntu release unleashes my laptop (image: c00290658)As some of you may know, my household server and my ageing Compaq Presario R3230CA laptop both run Ubuntu. Well imagine my surprise when the latest upgrade to Ubuntu (7.04 Feisty Fawn) activated the dormant WiFi . Previous Ubuntu versions didn’t support the Broadcom 802.11g wireless, but judging from my happy results, the Feisty Fawn release does!

Woot!

I’d been keeping on the system to support my WiFi, but now, I can actually nuke it and run this puppy purely on Ubuntu. Sounds like an interesting experiment.

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Apr

26

Great tool for the savvy website developer

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If you work in the website field and use firefox (as you should) then make sure you and install this handy Search Status toolbar, which I found whilst reading Chris Garret’s site.

I’m not one to jump on the  ‘new ’ bandwagon just because someone say’s it’s , but this one is an exception for me.

Once installed, you easily have an instant Engine Optimization or technical perspective of any page displayed in your browser; PageRank, Alexa, meta tags, nofollow , robots.txt file dump, and website whois detail.

Now, you likely have bookmarks for all these resources all over your browser, but this toolbar brings them all into one handy, and live display…very !

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Apr

25

Getting things done with your iPod Nano

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Getting things done with your iPod Nano (image: 403mr0g)I’ve been an on-again off-again user of David Allen’s Getting Things DoneGetting things done with your iPod Nano (image: ) () system for a few years now. If you follow the system, you’ll be aware that one of the things to do is create a system that is easy and always available. This has been my downfall on more than one occasion.

Currently, I’m using my iPod NanoGetting things done with your iPod Nano (image: ) as my actionable storage container. It’s smaller than my Palm TXGetting things done with your iPod Nano (image: ), always with me, and able to store notes, appointments, contact information, and almost anything else you’d need to take advantage of those context-sensitive opportunities.

The downside is that it’s more difficult to add or edit data in the unit when you’re away from your .

Here’s a few of the things possible with the /:

  • Listen to GTD Audio booksGetting things done with your iPod Nano (image: ) to concepts and processes
  • Timeshift - listen to your podcasts (especially For Immediate Release) while driving, using an FM Transmitter. There’s a long story and a whole other post on this topic.
  • Calendar - sync your appointments and todos with Outlook and other calendaring programs.
  • Notes - Use it as a read-only PDA. Store numbers, addresses and other information.
  • Clock/Alarm - Built into the Nano. Great for keeping you on task and on time.

I’m sure there are more ideas, but my Nano is beeping at me telling me I’ve spent enough time creating this blog post. Time to move on to my next task.

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Apr

24

Web Dogma — is it still relevant?

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Last year I linked to an interview with Eric Reiss over at Boxes and Arrows. The interview explores the thoughts that went into creating the Dogma:

Dogma ˜06

  1. Anything that exists only to satisfy the internal politics of the site owner must be eliminated.
  2. Anything that exists only to satisfy the ego of the designer must be eliminated.
  3. Anything that is irrelevant within the context of the page must be eliminated.
  4. Any feature or technique that reduces the visitor’s ability to navigate freely must be reworked or eliminated.
  5. Any interactive object that forces the visitor to guess its meaning must be reworked or eliminated.
  6. No , apart from the browser itself, must be required to get the site to work correctly.
  7. must be readable first, printable second, downloadable third.
  8. Usability must never be sacrificed for the sake of a style guide.
  9. No visitor must be forced to register or surrender personal data unless the site owner is unable to provide a or complete a transaction without it.
  10. Break any of these rules sooner than do anything outright barbarous.

It’s been a year since it was created, and I’m wondering if it still has the same relevance as it did last year…especially with the increasing inclusion of more interactivity (AJAX and elements) on , and a greater trend away from pure ‘’ into more hybrid sites.

For example, item 7 doesn’t really work within the context of Spreadsheet. Item 9, the surrendering of personal data, is becoming more of a norm in the world where businesses need to recoup the ROI of an property.

And do we need another item that deals with an code of conduct, as evidenced by the Kathy Sierra incident?

So what do the big brains think? I think it’s mostly relevant, maybe needs a bit of dusting off, etc, but for the most part, it works, which is why it’s still on my cube wall.

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Apr

23

When do you own the gear you buy?

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Two articles recently crossed my desk:

  • Content in lockdown - Tom Yager, InfoWorld.com
    I’m increasingly aghast at the erosion of the traditional freedom we’ve enjoyed to do whatever we please with our personal — but intrigued by the behind it.
  • Your Right to Repair - CAA Driver’s Seat
    Imagine taking your vehicle to your long-time independent provider only to be told he can’t fix your car. You have to take it to a dealership because he can’t access the repair information.

Both from completely different fields, yet both dealing with the same issue; your right to access the information on the you’ve purchased. This is not a new issue, but these two articles, from different perspectives, seem to intersect at the same issue; your right to do what you want, with stuff you’ve bought.

At first glance, this doesn’t even seem to be an issue at all. You paid for the , you should be able to do whatever you want with the . To make a analogy, you buy the pie, you eat the pie, or share the pie, or throw it out.

Ah, yes, but the developers would have you believe that the issue is really not that , with reasons like these:

  • Yes, paid money and have the in your possession, but what you really bought was a piece of paper with lots of legal text giving you the right to actually USE the . And no, once you’ve used the , you’ve implicitly agreed to abide by the terms of the licence… which clearly state that you can only have the serviced at a licensed centre.
  • The in our is super-secret. Only skilled, trained and licenced technicians really know how to fix our . Anyone else is just tinkering with your investment…and may actually break it!
  • We’ve invested significant research and dollars in creating your . If we allowed anyone to access it, why, they could easily copy it, or even make it better and compete with us.
  • You’re a thief. You only want to use our to copy the that our presents. You want to take dollars away from our licenced centres, our partners, and give it to other pirates. To keep you from copying our , we’re not going to let you access it, unless you can prove that you’ve paid a special fee to access it.

The list goes on, but you see the point. developers have invested a significant amount of money in product . Society has allowed them to put in place legal mechanisms that keep you from fixing your own car, copying your own , or making your computer work better.

Personally, I’m on the side of openness…freeing up the systems and to the benefit of all. But (cue the poll) what do you think?

{democracy:7}

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Apr

14

Guilty vacation pleasures — here’s my top 10 list

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Being on vacation is not really conducive to creating a blog post; it’s more about unwinding, relaxing and having . So, since I am on vacation, I thought I’d blog about some of the guilty vacation pleasures I’m enjoying…things you don’t normally find the time to do in your everyday hustle and bustle. So, in no particular order:

  1. Become reacquainted with my camera — this is . Last year my loving wife surprised me with a Panasonic Lumix FZ-30. Yes, I’d been drooling over it for a while and fully expected to get one before Christmas. Was I ever pleased that she picked one up for me last spring! I’ve had the year to become comfortable with it, but being on vacation allows me to spend some significant time applying some of the things I’d read about over the last year.
  2. Visit the relatives — I’ve got some inlaws in the BC Okanagan. It’s great to hook up with them again, find out what they’ve been doing, and share a good meal or two.
  3. the personal Five Year Plan — ah yes. time to think about where I’m going and what I’m going to be doing in five years. I should probably do this more often, but it seems I rarely get enough time to clean out the work-crap that builds up in my head…it takes me about a week to get clear of it. But once I am clear, then I find it easier to build a plan to focus on the future.
  4. Start to get back into shape — This last eight months has seen me fall off the fitness wagon. Again, the time afforded by a vacation lets me start getting back on. And I have time to explore new fitness routines..etc. Get rid of the Chub Rub.
  5. Catch up on my podcasts — This is kind-of work related, but I never have enough time to listen to For Immediate Release in my daily commutes.
  6. Play computer games — Ok, so this is something I do when not on vacation too; I’m a Guild WarsGuilty vacation pleasures -- heres my top 10 list (image: ) gamer, regularly playing with our good friends and former neighbours. We have a very tiny personal Guild (http://hairymoofers.com). But, what do I do when on vacation? This guilty pleasure revolves around Warhammer: 40000Guilty vacation pleasures -- heres my top 10 list (image: ) Dawn of WarGuilty vacation pleasures -- heres my top 10 list (image: ). It’s a neat real-time strategy (RTS) game in an interesting universe. The three expansions all add new characters and units. if you like that sort of thing.
  7. Spend the day — a few years back I discovered the EisenhornGuilty vacation pleasures -- heres my top 10 list (image: )omnibus, a collection of three Warhammer 40000 novels by Dan Abnett. Another guilty pleasure.
  8. Go to a play or musical — Just saw GodspellGuilty vacation pleasures -- heres my top 10 list (image: )last night. !
  9. Enjoy a at two in the afternoon — especially a that you’ve not tried before.
  10. Spend quality time with the ones you love — and this is the best part. Doing things together is more than apart.

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