Thursday the 27th of April, 2006 | Ideas | Resources | Tech | Web Apps |
I believe this is the way the internet is going. My friends have been calling me out for always having to be on the internet, whether I’m doing something productive or not. I feel I have to be constantly available to the people that need to communicate with me.
Unlike most people, I work all day every day in very short spurts. I have developers and clients all over the world and they need to contact me at different times during the day. Not having access to my email or chat for more than a few hours slows down my developers if they have a question or run into a snag. I’m also one man that has to provide customer service to my clients whenever they need it via the forums.
What’s the solution?
Within the coming months, I will make the switch to a PDA/Smartphone. With a mini computer platform with internet access like this I’ll be able to:
- send and recieve emails
- be able to check Posima’s signup and visitor stats
- access my Blinksale account to see what my cashflow is like
- answer support requests via the forums
- check on updates to projects in development via my Basecamp account
...and I’ll be able to do this whenever, wherever.
The only problem is, now my friends and family will REALLY think I don’t do anything all day.
Wednesday the 22nd of March, 2006 | Business | Humor | Tech |
In the latest Wired magazine there is a compilation of quotes from the past few hundred years about the impact of new technologies on our youth. Here are some amusing quotes about new technologies corrupting our youth.
Novels
"The free access which many young people have to romances, novels, and plays has poisoned the mind and corrupted the morals of many a promising youth; and prevented others from improving their minds in useful knowledge. Parents take care to feed their children with wholesome diet; and yet how unconcerned about the provision for the mind, whether they are furnished with salutary food, or with trash, chaff, or poison?”
- Reverend Enos Hitchcock, Memoirs of the Bloomsgrove Family, 1790
The Waltz
"The indecent foreign dance called the Waltz was introduced ... at the English Court on Friday last ... It is quite sufficient to cast one’s eyes on the voluptuous inter twining of the limbs, and close com pressure of the bodies ... to see that it is far indeed removed from the modest reserve which has hitherto been considered distinctive of English females. So long as this obscene display was con fined to prostitutes and adulteresses, we did not think it deserving of notice; but now that it is ... forced on the respectable classes of society by the evil example of their superiors, we feel it a duty to warn every parent against exposing his daughter to so fatal a contagion.”
- The Times of London, 1816
Movies
"This new form of entertainment has gone far to blast maidenhood ... Depraved adults with candies and pennies beguile children with the inevitable result. The Society has prosecuted many for leading girls astray through these picture shows, but GOD alone knows how many are leading dissolute lives begun at the ‘moving pictures.’”
- The Annual Report of the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, 1909
The Telephone
"Does the telephone make men more active or more lazy? Does [it] break up home life and the old practice of visiting friends?”
- Survey conducted by the Knights of Columbus Adult Education Committee, San Francisco Bay Area, 1926
Comic Books
"Many adults think that the crimes described in comic books are so far removed from the child’s life that for children they are merely something imaginative or fantastic. But we have found this to be a great error. Comic books and life are connected. A bank robbery is easily translated into the rifling of a candy store. Delinquencies formerly restricted to adults are increasingly committed by young people and children ... All child drug addicts, and all children drawn into the narcotics traffic as messengers, with whom we have had contact, were inveterate comic-book readers This kind of thing is not good mental nourishment for children!”
- Fredric Wertham, Seduction of the Innocent, 1954
Rock and Roll
"The effect of rock and roll on young people, is to turn them into devil worshippers; to stimulate self-expression through sex; to provoke lawlessness; impair nervous stability and destroy the sanctity of marriage. It is an evil influence on the youth of our country.”
- Minister Albert Carter, 1956
Videogames
"The disturbing material in Grand Theft Auto and other games like it is stealing the innocence of our children and it’s making the difficult job of being a parent even harder ... I believe that the ability of our children to access pornographic and outrageously violent material on video games rated for adults is spiraling out of control.”
- US senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, 2005
The Bottom Line
The interesting thing is, studies are now showing that videogames are educational. They are helping kids multitask more efficiently as well as helping them learn how to work together and interact in virtual commerce with large role-playing games such as World of Warcraft. I think it’s time we begin embracing videogames as interactive tools to help us learn rather than let the current group of “moral crusaders” stunt its potential positive impact on our youth.
Friday the 3rd of March, 2006 | Business | Marketing | Tech | Tools |
Many search engines are now providing a telephone icon next to their search results. This new technology called “Pay-Per-Click” allows the search engine to connect both the advertiser and advertisee via a phone call. This market proves to be the 800lb gorilla in the online advertising arena. Why? Greg Sterling of the Kelsey Group says,
Consumers are accustomed to making phone calls to contact local businesses and local businesses are similarly used to closing leads over the phone. A performance-based online medium that delivers calls rather than clicks therefore makes sense for the local market.
In my opinion, this is the best kind of new technology. It melds the newest technology with a way of communicating that people are already comfortable with. Pay-Per-Call also seems to be a great way to prevent click fraud. If the two parties don’t connect over the phone, the advertiser doesn’t pay.
Thursday the 26th of January, 2006 | Business | Tech | Tools | Web Apps |
While choosing a restaurant for Valentine’s Day last night, I found a website called OpenTable.com. With a few clicks I had reservations at a very desirable establishment for Feb 14th. I was intrigued by the ease of the process and wasn’t sure it was real. After some investigating I found the website is an added benefit for purchasing the company’s reservation software.
OpenTable.com’s software automates all the steps involved in taking reservations (online or on the fly), seating patrons, figuring average turnover time of a table, and laying out which tables belong to which servers. Here’s a list of features from their site:
Reservation Management
Easily enter or modify reservations while viewing guest histories
Capture phone numbers, email and mailing addresses
Allow management blocking and VIP pre-assignments
Reduce no-shows with enhanced customer tracking
Take reservations from your website or OpenTable 24 hours a day
Table Management
Maximize seat utilization with walk-in and waitlist functionality
Instantly track covers for more efficient kitchen and server management
Increase table turns by tracking party status
Store multiple reservation sheets for holidays and special events
Hold and combine tables for large parties
Record and view shift notes for each day
Guest Management
Identify regulars and VIPs
Track customer preferences to meet and anticipate special requests
View customer reservation histories at-a-glance
Track special occasions such as guest birthdays and anniversaries
Marketing Management
Conduct powerful email marketing campaigns to increase repeat business
Print mailing labels to reach select target audiences
Track and reward concierge business
Increase control
Manage reservations from the back-office or any other location simultaneously
Control multiple restaurants from key centralized locations
Leverage the power of Microsoft’s reliable SQL Server 2000 software architecture
Share guest data across sister restaurants
If you’re a restaurant that relies heavily on reservations or has frequent wait-lists, I would definitely take a closer look into their offerings.
Monday the 23rd of January, 2006 | Must Read | Tech |
I’ve just stumbled upon a story that debunks many myths about surge protectors. As most others, my surge protection knowledge comes from the usual channels such as the increasingly naive salesman at large electronics stores such as Best Buy. I highly suggest reading this article to make sure your hardware is protected from such attacks. Here are some interesting excerpts:
Myth #1. ANY SURGE PROTECTION IS BETTER THAN NO SURGE PROTECTION.
This is perhaps the most reasonable, yet the most misleading of all. With no surge protection at all, incoming surges will hit only the computer’s power supply (which is considerably more surge tolerant than the data line circuitry), and will not affect the system ground level at all.
Myth #2. A UPS WILL PROVIDE DEPENDABLE SURGE PROTECTION
Because a UPS costs far more than a surge protector, it is often assumed to provide better surge protection. However, virtually all UPS units designed for microcomputers simply combine an inexpensive MOV surge suppressor with a battery backup power source.
Myth #8. THE ONLY RISK FROM THE POWER LINE IS HARDWARE DAMAGE.
Computers are vulnerable to data alterations as bit streams pass through microprocessors. Stray power surges can alter data or programs, causing data errors or lock-ups which cannot be traced. The consequential cost of such soft damage can be very high, especially if errors are not found and data files are contaminated.
Myth #9. SURGE PROTECTORS ARE PERMANENT DEVICES.
Most point-of-use surge protectors use metal oxide varistors as their primary protection component. Despite all its strengths, this inexp- ensive (15 cent) component wears out a little with each surge above a very modest threshold… a threshold that is exceeded mant times a day in most environments. Thus MOVs wear out and should be replaced periodically.
Myth #11. YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.
The assumption that higher priced surge protectors provide greater effect- iveness and reliability is often not valid. Almost all surge suppressors priced under $200 rely on the same fundamental MOV components.
Monday the 23rd of January, 2006 | Articles | Business | Tech |
Many individuals as well as small businesses are led to believe that they have proper tech support provided by their computer manufacturer. From personal experience I can tell you that is not the case. No matter who you buy your computer from, it’s almost impossible for a large company to take care of their individual and/or small business customers. Dell for example, uses a third party that will come to your house or office. I’ve heard many complaints that these Dell techs zip in and zip. Many times having to come back to the same house multiple times. The problem is, the third party gets paid per computer they fix and the tech guy running around the city has a quota he must meet every day. This doesn’t allow for proper diagnosis of problems, merely quick fixes.
Your best bet for a solution is a local tech. Forget about the extended warranty from your computer manufacturer and spend a little time finding the right local that will provide you with the service you need. It’s not always the cheapest route, but it is often the better one. Would you prefer to pay $150 and have your computer up and running the same day or go with the $150 4-year warranty and spend most of your time on the phone trying to coerce the tech guys to come help you?
To find a support provider, you can ask clients, peers, fellow small business owners or you can visit your local chamber of commerce for a list of companies. Try to find someone who has a local shop and will give you the personal service you need, unlike a national franchise such as Geek Squad. Once you find a provider, they may run a hardware and software audit on your system to better understand what your future issues may be.
If you own a Mac, I can tell you from personal experience that your local Apple Store is a great bet. I’ve also had success with a service called Doctor Mac Direct. Doctor Mac will have someone actually tap into your computer remotely to fix the problem while they discuss with you what they are doing. It is all live and you can see the tech moving your mouse around the screen. It’s pretty neat.
Monday the 5th of December, 2005 | Tech |
Whispers are beginning to surface about the next tech boom. Rumor is that Google kicked it off last summer with its very successful IPO. Venture Capitalists are investing the same amount as in 1994, the year I’ll call “the calm before the storm.” If this is true, what does it mean for small businesses, startups and veterans alike? It means a lot of exciting new technologies to help us work more efficiently. Let’s hope this means more free time or at the very least more money in the bank.
This time around things should be a little different. Hopefully the Venture Capitalists won’t blow it like they did last time by investing in every company that boasted a .com in their name. Web 2.0 seems to be more about making money rather than spending it building unneccessary bloated infrastructure (see startup.com). Had this mindset been in place last time, we would have seen a much longer and more prosperous golden age.
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