I had a date with an old ‘flame’ this past week…
- Image via Wikipedia
Not really — it just felt that way! David Sauter of Envano gave me a Powerbook G4 for a project we’re working on and it was the first time I had used a fast Mac running a current version of OS X. Ever…
I left the Mac back in 2002 — finally got that one job that insisted I move to Windows and left the platform. Prior to that, I had been a Mac user for 15 years — even worked 3 years for Apple — and I was a sold out Mac fanatic. Eventually, I had to leave my first computing love and I didn’t have a chance to look back until this week…
So how did it feel? Meh. That’s it, just meh! I wasn’t overcome by nostalgic feelings of love for my long lost platform and I didn’t get teary-eyed as I touched the keyboard again. Don’t get me wrong — Apple makes a nice notebook and OS X runs well. The big difference? Thanks to Apple’s success there are more hardware/software solutions available than when I worked at Apple during the dark ‘pre-Think Different’ days.
The one thing that make me really happy, though, was to see how well my current strategy of using tools that are cross platform Windows/Mac/Ubuntu is working. I’ve written recently about how for me, the hardware platform is becoming increasingly irrelevant — it’s all about how fast you can get into the ‘cloud’ and get your work done online! For me it’s all about Firefox and other free open source tools that are available for the price of a download. Here are some of the tools that I use and recommend:
You can grab the map and move it around or view it full screen. All of these tools work exceedingly well, run on Windows/Mac/Ubuntu, and are free. Free. And Ubuntu is a free operating system that runs Linux in a way that’s similar to Mac OS X.
The balance of power in the computing space is shifting and I’m glad that I made the move to the cloud and started using Ubuntu and free open source software. Contact me — I’ll be happy to talk with you about the impact this could have on you and your work…
Continue reading “I had a date with an old ‘flame’ this past week…”
Google Factory Tour of Search
Cool stuff in image searching…
Blogging for small business owners…
- Image via CrunchBase
I had a conversation last night with a friend and business owner who is struggling to get his mind around blogging and social media. I couldn’t help but think of him when I saw this…
“It’s quite easy for small business owners to become distracted by their day-to-day responsibilities. But in this competitive economy you can’t afford to miss out on the newest business innovations.
That’s why we asked 50 of the top small business bloggers to share their best tips for small business owners. Their response was incredible. While some shared nuggets of wisdom, others gave us actionable tips you can use right away. Here’s your crib sheet to the best business advice the blogosphere has to offer.” 101 Tips From Top 50 Small Business Bloggers | Wise Bread
Personally? I believe that a blog connected to social media is the single most important weapon a business owner or thought leader can have! Everyone has a point of view — that point of view needs to be PUBLIC to have an impact…
Each thoughtful post on your blog is a public demonstration of your thought leadership, personal integrity, humor, and professional insights. Source: HubSpot
The truth is, you don’t have time NOT to blog…
The question is, how to get started. For example, there are over 300 tools for managing your Twitter account. Which one[s] is/are right for you? That’s where having a guide to social media land can help. You can reach me via the contact page — I’ll be happy to talk you through it…
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- Image via Wikipedia
…for three main reasons: speed, extensibility, and safety. I found this great post this morning on “6 Reasons Why Mozilla Firefox Is Safe” and I want to share it with you…
“While statistics put Internet Explorer clearly ahead as the most widely used web browser, it’s clear to many people that it is not due to the excellent programming. Subject to more than one official inquiry in Europe, and numerous columns, both online and in print, the practice of ‘bundling’ the infamous browser with the every copy of the operating system represents the primary reason behind its crushing dominance.
Alternative web browsers are aplenty and have a low barrier of entry even for less technically savvy computer users, but people are generally not keen to change their habits or spending time researching, downloading and installing another application – especially when the one that comes preloaded appears to be working just fine.” Source: 6 Reasons Why Mozilla Firefox Is Safe Compared To Internet Explorer
You’ll have to go to the source to read all six reasons, but it’s worth the trip…
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- EU to hit Microsoft, again (dailyfinance.com)
Hmmm. Texting while driving — food for thought…
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22425001/vp/32549978#32549978
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Rapleaf Study of Social Network Users vs. Age
New information on social networking usage…
“It’s no surprise that social media is still dominated by 14-24 year olds.
Rapleaf conducted a study on 49.3 million people in our database (aged 14-74), looking at social graph information across social networks such as Myspace, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Flickr. The following are some of the highlights of the information extracted” Rapleaf Business: Press – Rapleaf Study of Social Network Users vs. Age. Click the link to go to the source of this quote…
Worth the read…
Open source in schools could save the taxpayer billions | ComputerworldUK blogs
Although this post was written in the UK, it’s applicable here…
“In a 2005 report the Government quango Becta showed that schools could effect considerable savings by making use of Free Open Source software such as Open Office. In their study they simply looked at “like for like” software replacement using existing networks and computers.
Since this study we have seen the emergence of the new breed of ultra-portable Linux-based computers aimed squarely at the education sector and the inexorable build of Web 2 services such as Google Apps.
This week the Elonex One, a Linux-based laptop costing less than £100, was launched at the Education Show in Birmingham causing much excitement amongst the visitors and a very serious discussion about how best to support this new breed of Linux laptops in schools.
So much has changed so quickly that a model of Open Source school computing is emerging which could save the UK taxpayer billions of pounds and provide enormous opportunities for the home-grown technology sector based around Open Source software.”
Local school districts would do well to shed their expensive Microsoft licenses and move to open source. Not only would it reduce costs, but it would also breath life into aging equipment as Linux is much more efficient than the bloated Windows operating system. Click the title to read more…
Using Google Reader?
Is there a good reason why you’re not? Using Google Reader, that is…
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Executive Coaching for Leadership Bad Behaviors: Habits That Hold You Back | Working Resources Blog
“When there are conflicts in the workplace it is usually because of poor communication or interpersonal communication challenges. Leaders are challenged on a daily basis to interact effectively with others. The most successful leaders are emotionally intelligent agile. They know how to read people and are savvy in their communications.
In my executive coaching practice over the last twenty years, I have noticed a consistent pattern of bad behaviors displayed by less socially intelligent leaders. These ‘bad behaviors’ can be unlearned and a more effective communication style developed.
The good news is that better interpersonal skills can be learned and emotional intelligence improved.” Click the title to read more…
Blogs Surpass Newspapers & Magazines in Popularity on Google
“Google Trends, a service that lets you compare the world’s relative interest in particular topics, suggests that blogs’ popularity have surpassed that of newspapers or magazines, at least on Google.
And this gap between blogs vs newspapers and magazines is much wider in California and India.” Click the title to see a close-up screenshot with data for the last 30 days…
Bright, shiny objects! 