Tune In and Turn On … Online
August 1, 2008 | 2 Comments
The line between information, entertainment, broadcast and internet is continuing to blur all the time. You may have started watching video clips from YouTube on your PC or downloading digital music to your computer and iPod via iTunes.
Last week the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) blurred the line even further by announcing iView. Through iView the ABC have expanded past their ABC1 and ABC2 channels that are broadcast through more the traditional TV medium, and are now offering six new web-based channels that you watch via your PC. So now it makes sense to have that 24″ wide screen computer monitor 
In the past you’ve been able to watch TV channels on your computer by having a TV tuner card installed in the PC. Now you don’t need the TV tuner card and instead of plugging it into a traditional TV aerial you just plug into your broadband connection.
iView is an online streaming platform that provides full-screen viewing, as opposed to the small window that previous video streaming platforms have provided.
The free service includes a channel featuring the ABC’s flagship news and current affairs programs as well as a childrens channel and “catch-up” service, which shows a range of programs currently screening on ABC1 and ABC2. Other channels include a a documentary channel, ABC shop and an arts channel.
iView works best if you have -
- Pentium 4 PC or PowerMac
- Free Adobe Flash Plugin 9.0124.0
- Fast Broadband, ADSL2
You will need to make sure that you have a broadband plan with a large download limit as watching the high quality video that you get on iView could chew up most of your download limit after just a couple of hours (unless you use iiNet as your ISP - they have negotiated with the ABC so that iView is unmetered content).
Even if you’re not Australian you can catch up on some great Australian TV/Internet programming.
I’m going to spend some time over the weekend and watch Double Happiness: The Marriage of Commerce and Culture. If you get a chance to have a look at iView drop me a note and let me know how you found it.
5 Tips on Adding Simplicity to Your Technology
July 1, 2008 | 2 Comments
Your digital world can get very complicated and out of control if you don’t take the time to look after it. Here are 5 easy wasy to keep things simple with your technology.
1. Label your Cables
Whether it be your computer or your home entertainment system it can be frustrating and time wasting to have to work out which cable goes with which device. I’m sure that you’ve had the experience of getting a new widget that has yet another charging cable, a cable to connect it to others devices and any number of other cables.
You can use labelling machines (I’ve got a Brother P-Touch 55 which I love), permanent marker if it is a light coloured cable, or even plastic bread tags.
2. Match Your Digital Filing to your Paper Filing
A quick way to find things is to have you document filing be consistent, regardless of whether it is digital or paper based. So if you have a folder in your filing cabinet called “tax 2008″ for your taxation paperwork then make sure you also have a folder on your hard drive called “tax 2008″. Simple and consistent is what works best here.
3. Simplify your backup procedure
When it comes to backing up digital data my experience is “if it’s not easy it doesn’t happen”. Are you willing to loose all your files, photos and audio downloads (that you paid good money for) for the sake of not having an easy to use backup system?
You could get an external hard drive like the Maxtor One-Touch range where backing up is as simple as pressing a button on the front of the unit. You may prefer an off line option like Carbonite - it loads a piece of software on your computer that backs up modified files while the computer is idle and you are doing other things.
4. Get a regular 10,000kms service
Just like you service other regularly used machines to keep them running well unless you give your computer a regular service the hard drive can slow down, the RAM can get clogged up and your frustration levels can rise. Many people believe that it might be time for a new computer when this happens when in fact all that is needed is a regular service.
If you are an everyday user of your computer then I would suggest a monthly clean-up and defragmentation of your hard drive using the systems tools that came with your computer. Every 6 months I would suggest a visit by your favourite technician to clean up the registry, make sure that there aren’t unnecessary processes running and to maximise the speed of the machine.
5. Keep it Clean
You may not thing about it much but dust, condensation and even mold can get into your technology and reek havoc with it. Most technology needs nothing more than a regular dust to keep it in top condition. The fans on your computer are especially susceptible to drawing in all the nasties in the environment (especially if your desktop computer is actually a floor residing one). You can use your vacuum cleaner on low with the upholstery brush to clean the dust from the back of your computer. While you’re at it the same attachment works wonders on the keyboard.
Never use commercial cleaning products on any part of your technology, especially screens (it sends them cloudy) and if you are unsure always consult the user documentation or the manufacturer’s website.
EXTRA TIP :
There is of course one place where you don’t want to simplify things when it comes to technology - your passwords!
Make sure that any password you have contains a mixture of upper and lowercase characters, numbers and if permitted characters such as !@#*.
Try to avoid words that are commonly found in the dictionary and definitely DON’T use birthdays or drivers license numbers.
So there you have it 5 tips to keep things simple when it comes to your technology and one way that simple can get your technology in trouble.
What are your simple tips for better technology?
Cut the Technology Umbilical Cord
June 2, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Over the last few years the case in favour of laptop computers has been growing. They are now reasonably priced, use less power than a traditional dektop, give you access to the same data wherever you are, and now with more reliable high-speed wireless broadband services you can access the network without being tethered to the dreaded blue ethernet cable.
As winter starts here in the southern hemisphere and summer breaks through in the northern hemisphere our desire to be at our desks is waning in favour of being tucked up under a warm blanket or out enjoying the warm days.
So instead of following my challenge from last month’s article and “walking away from your computer”, why not unplug the cable, walk away from your desk and go wireless this month.
Some Things To Consider When Going Wireless
Security
The first thing to consider when using your computer away from the desk is security. You need to consider the physical security of your computer as well as securing the information that is travelling via the airwaves.
- Always be aware of where you laptop or laptop bag is
- Use a startup password
- Don’t access secure information (like banking details or sensitive personal / business information) via wireless connections that you don’t know
- Use WEP, WPA or WPA2 authentication to protect the data transmission (if you’re unsure of this you local IT support should be able to help you with this)
Wireless Broadband
If you want to have access to your own wireless broadband connection then there are many telecom carriers offering a range of plans and options. There are 3 main types of wireless options - a USB modem connection, a Laptop modem card or a Desktop modem.
Here are a couple of questions to ask yourself :
What is your main reason for choosing wireless broadband?
A USB Modem connection or a Laptop Modem card is a great option if you require true mobile access, whereas a desktop modem is a suitable for a person that is frequently changing physical locations but only wants to conenct where there is power.
Do you need wireless access to work in transport?
If you wish to use your wireless access on the train, bus, car (not if you are the driver 
) or ferry, it is important to choose a wireless service and modem that will provide a fluid connection when you are on the move. There are some wireless services that are more suitable to providing you with a mobile connection and some only work well as a static connection.
Where do you need to use your wireless connection?
Determine the locations that you will be using the wireless connection and make sure that these are included in the coverage areas of your wireless provider. Don’t assume that because you are in a major city that wireless broadband is available. At this stage wireless broadband access is still limited in many rural or unpopulated locations.
What speed do you require?
Like regular broadband, wireless broadband is available in a variety of speeds, but don’t expect that just because it is called “wireless broadband” it has the same speeds as your cabled broadband. If you are downloading large files, you may need to consider a faster speed, however if you are using your connection just to check your email a slower speed may be adequate. Download speeds (bringing data from the network to you) will always be faster than upload speeds (sending data from your computer to the network). Either way determine what you own personal level of patience is and choose a speed that fits your expectations.
How much data do you expect to use?
Most wireless broadband plans are a combination of the speed of the conenction and the download limit.
Wireless broadband services don’t generally allow the same size download limit as many of the fixed broadband solutions. This may mean that you use your monthly download limit more quickly and potentially get hit for extra usage. This means that you need to minimise the amount of large downloads that you do while you are wireless. Many people are using the option to turn off images while accessing the web via wireless (which also means your website needs to look good and work without the images).
Power
Being without wires doesn’t just effect your connection to the telecommunications network but also the power network as well. If you are out and about for short periods then this should not be much of a concern but if you plan to be away from the desk for longer periods you might have to come up with some contingencies. Here are some ways to keep the power going :
- Purchase a laptop with a long power life
- Have a second laptop battery that you can swap out when the first one is used up
- Schedule breaks in places where you can access a power point - cafes, hotel lobbies and airport terminals often have access to power and are sometimes happy to let you access the points as long as you are a customer
Words of Warning
- Don’t expect it to be as realiable as your fixed internet connection
- Do expect that it will drop out or grind to a halt occassionally
- Don’t expect to use it for gaming or VOIP (eg Skype) voice calls
- Do make sure that your computer and connection is as secure as possible
So this month I challenge you to get away from the desk BUT this time with technology in hand. While you’re out there drop me a comment below and let me know your best, or worst, wireless technology story.
Get a Little Balance in Your Tech Life
May 1, 2008 | 5 Comments
This month’s Calm Space topic is one that I can sometimes find hard to achieve - Balance - and when it comes to balancing my digital life then it gets especially hard.
Time is elastic, malliable and stretches very easily when I’m absorbed in my technology. It can be so easy to loose track of time that before I know it hours have passed. Ever had that experience?
Once absorbed in the computer all thoughts about getting up and moving, eating lunch at an appropriate time or completing other tasks that need doing seem to disappear. When I’m doing something I love, learning something new or solving a problem online it’s the only world that seems to exist. And quite frankly there is no balance in that.
So I’m going to keep this article short and sweet this month, because in reading this article you are at your computer and absorbed in techology. There is one sure way to get balance in your digital life - turn it off and walk away!!!!
That’s right … “step away from the technology and put your hands on the wall”!!! Right now is the time to stretch, go for a walk, play with the dog, have your lunch, have a glass of water, or just get out the paper and pen and get creative in an analog way.
Are you still reading? I thought I made it clear to get balance in your digital life you need to turn the technology off. You know what to do just …… [bye]
It’s Not Easy Being Green in Technology
April 1, 2008 | 5 Comments
It may not be easy to be green in the current digital world but it’s not impossible either!
When it comes to passion there are 2 things that really strike to the core of who I am - technology and sustainability. Now you might think that in the digital age where computers, phones and other devices are chewing up more and more energy, and being thrown away as soon as a new one comes along, that renewal ideas aren’t compatible with technology. Well I’m here to offer you a few ideas that might just start you down a different path.
Evidence That Change is Afoot
CeBIT Australia is Australasia’s leading Information & Communications Technology (ICT) event each year and this year they are introducing a Clean Tech Expo at the 2008 exhibition in Sydney. As the attention of users, governments and the technology suppliers themselves turn to ways of increasing the sustainability of ICT products this expo will be an interesting event.
Green Technology Expo at CeBIT Australia 2008 provides a specialist showcase of product and service innovations aimed squarely at the Green market. From new energy efficient hardware, to software monitoring systems, to communications and collaboration solutions, the Green Technology Expo at CeBIT Australia 2008 aims to provide a platform for companies to display environment-friendly innovation.
Products
Recharge from the sun
Solio is a portable, renewable power source that draws energy from sunlight, storing it in an internal battery and using it to charge virtually all mobile electronic devices, including any that can connect to a computer via a USB cable (mobile Phones, iPods / MP3 players, PDA, Game Players & Digital Cameras).
It works by absorbing power from the Sun (or a wall socket if it’s cloudy) and stors the energy in the internal battery. It is also best friend in a girl’s handbag as it saves you carrying around multiple chargers for all of your gadgets. One hour of sun gives you enough juice to play your iPod for about an hour. The Solio takes between 8 - 10 hours to charge. When fully charged it can store enough power to charge a typical mobile phone at least two times.
More details from www.todae.com.au
Light Up Via Some Elbow Grease
Not really technology but still a battery buster …the Dynamo Flashlight and Charger uses muscle power from manually cracking the handle and stores it in an inbuilt rechargeable battery. There is no batteries or bulbs required for the life of the torch. Just turn the crank for one minute and get up to 60 minutes of light!
Matched with different connectors, it can be used to charge correspondent mobile phones. 3 min cranking can offer 2-8 min talk time, or 20-50 min stand-by time.
More details from www.todae.com.au
Water Powered Calculator
Unscrew the “antenna” and fill with ordinary tap water, wait a few minutes and the calculator will become usable. The calculator only needs topping up on average once a month, and offers a full range of functions.
It works by simulating a basic battery concept where two electrodes consisting of specially formulated alloys, one positive the other negative, are immersed in water. As soon as water comes in contact with both electrodes an electrochemical reaction takes place resulting in the production of electrical energy. To maintain a constant supply of energy simply refill as the water evaporates.
More details at www.biome.com.au
Services
Green Hosting
Many businesses are looking at finding ways in which they can become more conscious of the resources they consume and those of their suppliers. One of those input sources for most small business is their website and email hosting provider. The Calm Space uses the green hosting offered by Dreamhost. What are your service providers doing to get green?
Resources & Ideas
As Karen posted in The Happening Space recently, last weekend was Earth Hour. Last year it was something that Sydneysiders did but this year all around the world and participated in Earth Hour. Personally I made it into Earth Evening and turned off all the non-essential electric items all night (it was time for a nice candle lit BBQ). What commitment did you make to Earth Hour?
The Electronic Product Environmental Asset Tool can help you discover the most environmentally sound desktop, laptop and monitor
http://epeat.net
You can also check how your current computer performs, using power management tool like LocalCooling for Windows or monitor your CO2 output on an Apple OSX machine using SusiClimate. Both of these tools are free.
Waste Not Want Not
There are an estimated 9.2 million computers in use around Australia. It is expected that this year a further 2.1 million computers will enter the market, while 3 million will reach the end of their life and either be dumped or just gather dust. This amounts to thousands of tonnes of ‘e-waste’ made up of obsolete computers along with broken monitors, used toner and ink cartridges, modems, printers and a range of other peripherals and consumables. Here are a few options for recycling in Australia (if you are elsewhere in the world there is bound to be options nearby).
- If you are looking for ways to recycle your technology use the Recycling Near You Website
- Use the Mobile Muster or Aussie Recycling Program for your unwanted mobile phone
- If your phone is still in working order and you just did an upgrade consider donating your phone to a local charity, women’s shelter or community group (just make sure you wipe all your data off it first).
- When it comes to general waste look at using a service like Reverse Garabage here in Sydney.
[image by Extra Ketchup]
So there you have it … ways of combining digital and sustainable. It’s not easy but it’s definitely not impossible either. So it’s over to you now, what are you going to do to make your technology more sustainable?
Free Technology? Dream no longer
March 3, 2008 | 4 Comments
Having you ever dreamt about getting some new technology but all you could see were dollars signs flashing before your eyes?
Well dream no longer.
The current edition of Wired Chris Anderson talks about “Free! Why $0.00 Is the Future of Business” -
It’s now clear that practically everything Web technology touches starts down the path to gratis, at least as far as we consumers are concerned.
Some of the businesses jumping on the “freeconomics” bandwagon are technology companies. Here are just a few.
Office Software
For many years we all thought that the only way to have quality “office” software was to fork out the big bikkies for the Microsoft product. You now have an endless number of options for free office-suite applications. Some of the more popular ones include -
OpenOffice - is a multiplatform and multilingual office suite and is compatible with all other major office suites (which is a biggie). It has word processing, presentation, spreadsheet, database and drawing applications in built.
Google Docs - provides web-based word processing and spreadsheet applications that you can use alone or collaborate with others across the web.
Zoho Suite - offers an office suite, which includes Writer, Projects, Sheet, CRM, Show, Creator, Wiki, Planner, Suite, Notebook, Chat, Meeting and Mail.
Thunderbird - is the sister product to the Firefox browser (also free). It is a fully featured, secure and highly usable email application, as well as having an inbuilt RSS feed reader. It also filters away junk mail accurately and can be upgraded with many add-ons (also free).
Images - Software & Sharing
Irfanview - is a lightweight, lightning fast image viewer, editor, and processor that is the darling of many web-based business owners.
Picnik - is another image editing application that allows you to tweak, edit and get creative with your images. It has a great range of one-click filters as well as creative tweaks that are normally only found in some of the larger box-based tools.
Picassa - is Google’s free image management application. It allows you to locate and organise all the photos on your computer, edit and add effects and share the images via email or the web.
Animoto - this is one of my favourite web-based applications of 2008. Have a look at the write up that I did about Animoto here. These guys are definitely going somewhere.
Personal Productivity
Remember the Milk - there are a plethora of web-based task managers that have been released in the past couple of years. According to Lifehacker, “Remember the Milk stands head and shoulders above the rest”.
Telecoms
Skype - is my main telecommunications provider and has been for more than 3 years now. It is simple - free calls from one skype user to any other skype user anywhere in the world. You can also have conference calls with up to 10 people. They now have Skype mobile as well - the Skypephone is provided by ‘3′ and lets you call and instant message people on Skype, free wherever they are in the world.
Talkster - You can make free international and long distance calls from your mobile phone, landline, or computer. No registration or credit card is required and you don’t need any new software or downloads to use Talkster’s service. A short advertisement or offer covers the cost of each call without being disruptive to callers.
So what now?
I think that there is enough free technology there to keep you going until at least July I’m interested to know if you have any free favourites. Let me know below.
You gotta love technology
February 1, 2008 | 10 Comments
Maybe not everyone loves technology but I DO!
Let me step up on my soapbox and talk to you about something that is dear to my heart - the love or hate relationship that people have with technology.
You see I believe that our relationship with technology is all about our attitude to technology. With attitudes such as “I can’t make it work” or “I don’t get it” or “It is just a waste of time” it is no suprise to me that some people can easily have a hate-based relationship with technology. Why would it be any other way?
Isn’t it interesting that the people that say they love technology also seem to understand it, are open to the new developments and accepting of the changes that technology brings? The people that love technology are curious and not afraid to play with it.
And when I speak of technology I’m not restricting it to just the regular computer technology. I believe that if you can accept some forms of technology then you have the capacity to learn to love others. My mother comes to mind …. she was a wizz at programming her brand new oven so that it started and stopped even when she wasn’t at home, but when it came to using the stereo she swore black and blue that she couldn’t change it from CD to radio and back again (so she used whatever thing the stereo was switched to). She loved the oven technology but hated the stereo technology.
I believe that if you are able to learn and use (even love) one type of technology then you have the capacity to expand that love - share it around!
So what technology do you love?
For me technology love comes in many shapes and forms - the bureau of meterology website (www.bom.gov.au) and their radar pages, good sound systems, Wordpress, Illustrator, iTunes and iPods, websites that let me having a football tipping competition with my husband (www.footytips.com.au), Skype, Dreamweaver, istockphotos, the Canon EOS 40D, the ABC and all their technology (www.abc.net.au) and the list continues …….
Lots of people love their technology. In recent times Char at Essential Keystrokes has asked some of her favourite online contacts to share their “essential tools” (sound more like love than essentials to me some times. Pop over and have a look at some of the technology love going on there.)
As I step off the soapbox of technology love-hate I’d love you to share your technology loves (and hates) below. I’m genuinely interested.
2008 - A Year of Learning Challenges
January 1, 2008 | 3 Comments
Welcome to 2008! If you don’t believe that 2008 puts you smack bang in the middle of the digital age then think again. All you need to do is to read articles like the one that appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald this morning (10 Things That Will Change Your Future)
It all might sound a little far fetched, or even something that you don’t need to concern yourself with but as each new year ticks over the children that are fluent speakers of “technology” (and think technology like a native of the digital land) are getting one year old and one year closer to being the major influencers not just in technology but also in the business landscape.
So if you feel that you are a little behind in the digital landscape then 2008 is the year for you to learn more. What do you really have to loose?
Here are some easy to do monthly technology challenges for you to take on. If you already feel comfortable with the challenge then just take that topic to the next level. I can guarantee you that even after more than 20 years in technology industries I’m still learning a huge amount of new things each year.
January
Do something more with all the great photos that you took over Christmas. Learn to resize them, manage and file them on the computer in a better way or how to be creative with photo editing software.
February
Get your email under control. If you thought that your email exploded last year then just wait for the overflow this year. Make sure you understand and are taking advantage of the email software you use, get a “public” email address (eg. gmail, yahoo) for all those things you subscribe to and keep your main inbox spam to a minimum or even use an application like SpeedFiler to help keep your inbox under control.
March
Learn more about RSS (Really Simple Syndication). If you have little or no idea about RSS and need a starting point then have a look at this video.
If you already use RSS to subscribe to updates, news and information then take this task to the next level. Maybe learn about how you can share the interesting things that you read with others.
April
Find out what all the buzz is about with “social networking” (it will get more broadly spread in the coming year). Find out more about LinkedIn, Facebook or any of the other many social networking sites. Get in there and have a play around and make up your own mind if connecting online is for you. As you do this remember that you can give away a little too much about yourself at times with these sites. Just as you would be careful who you invite into you home, be wary of who you are sharing personal information with.
May
Start a blog! Many of you will roll your eyes about this being an old idea or one that just isn’t for you but just hear me out. A blog is one of the easiest ways I know to share information or your ideas amoung a group of people. Those people may be your target market, current clients, your family, friends or community group. It doesn’t even need to be public - maybe a departmental information sharing tool, or a family roster or what’s been happening. The ability to quickly and easily publish information is fast becoming one of the major communication tools of the digital age. Are you skilled up for this one or not?
June
Learn more about the ever-growing repository of digital media being provided by the ABC (Australia’s national broadcaster). For a couple of years now various ABC radio and television programs have been making it possible for you to listen/view extracts of your favourite shows at times that worked for you, and recently they launched ABC Now.
Digital media being presented to you to to listen/watch at a time that suits you will be one of the big movers in the next couple of years. This is just the low definition version of the high-definition (HD) TV that is here (for the early adopters) or just around the corner (for most people).
July
Learn some basic HTML coding. Now I know that this will be stretch for some people but HTML (and CSS) is more and more becoming the language that makes the online world look pretty. This is what gives your HTML emails, blogs posts and web pages their good looks. You don’t need to become a full blown programmer but by understanding the basics you can have more control over the look and feel of the information that you put online.
August
Get into digital music. In 1979 when British band The Buggles sang “video killed the radio star” video and CDs were the new technology - they were the move from analogue records to digital media. These days the need to even produce a physical CD is not required for a “record” to be success (Radiohead’s latest release “In Rainbows” is a case in point).
You don’t need to have an MP3 digital music player - you can do that straight from your computer. I find iTunes a great way to put my CDs into digital form and organise them in a manageable way. By using iTunes to play the music that normally just sits in the cabinet in the living room via my computer my work day is much more enjoyable.
September
Have a conversation with someone under 20 and ask them to show you their favourite piece of technology. Ask them why it is great and why it is important in their life. Don’t dismiss their answer as just stuff for young people. These are the people that will be making decisions about how we live our lives in the next 20 years. What they do, know and like now is an important guide to the future.
October
Get a little more jargon under your belt. Now I’m the first to admit the technology jargon can get a little out of hand with all those acronyms. But when does it stop being jargon and start being everyday language? Set yourself the task to unconver the true meaning of technology jargon. Depending on you level of understanding, time available or inclination, set yourself a target of one new word/acronym every day or week.
November and December
Don’t let the year finish up with you still wondering about how to better use a piece of technology you already own or wanting to know more about something that you’ve heard about. Set yourself a learning plan over these last 8 weeks and get up to scratch.
I promise that if you follow even 50% of these challenges you will be in a more confident place with technology at the end of 2008 than you are today, at the beginning of a new year filled with opportunities for learning.
Techie Gifts that you will love
December 2, 2007 | 7 Comments
With Christmas almost upon us, I’ve seen the usual Christmas Gift Guides popping up in magazines, newspapers, on TV and online. When I start paying attention to the “techie” gifts they always seem to be targeted towards men or teenage boys (actually I can’t tell the difference sometimes between those two buying groups).
So I decided that for the December Celebration edition of The Calm Space I would put together a list of so-called techie gifts that most women would love to get.
iPod shuffle
As you know the iPod has been around for a few years now. If you have kids they were probably begging you for one for the last couple of years. Well much of the hype, and some of the teething problems, have settled down and now they are just a great way to carrying your music around with you.
In my book the iPod Shuffle is the perfect gift for the woman who loves music, audio books, or listening to her favourite podcasts without being tethered to the computer. It is small and doesn’t scream “look at me I’ve got an iPod!”
It can handle up to 240 songs and has a battery life of around 12 hours - more than enough time to escape the loud demands of others and slip into your own world for a while.
As an added extra benefit if you purchase one of the (PRODUCT) Red Special Edition ones, Apple gives its portion to the Global Fund’s fight against AIDS in Africa.
Not bad for an all up price of $99.
Digital Picture Frames
No longer do your digital photos have to be printed before you pop them in a frame and put them out on display. Now you can pop the photos you want to display onto a memory card (just like the one in your digital camera) and then put the memory card into the digital frame.
You also get the added bonus of being able to display either a single photo or a slideshow of several images (so there will be no getting bored with the same old photo any more).
The frames are still at the luxury end of the gift scale with most of the quality frames costing between $180 and $400.
There are a variety of models on the market from well-known manufacturers such as Phillips and Kasier Bass, as well as some new names like Sun and Rock being distributed by DigiVista.
Some things you need to be aware of :
Power - all are powered either via batteries (which will only last about 1 hour before you need to recharge or replace) or via a 240v mains connection (so you will need to have a powerpoint nearby and some way to hide the cable).
Memory Card - Unless you want to be using either your camera or the digital picture frame you will need to get another memory card to store the photos you want to display.
Image Resolution and Type - Most frames will require that the image be a jpeg and will require you to reduce the size from the original size taken by the camera (most required 640×480 pixels). But if you are handy with some image software like Google’s Picassa or the one that came with your camera then this should be a breeze.
Replace a Mouse with a Pen
Did you know that most mouse designs can be a big pain in the wrist (and arm/should/neck) if you use them for long periods at a time? And when it come to precision pointing then a mouse can leave a lot to be desired.
A pen tablet used to be the domain of serious designers with serious price tags to match, but not any any longer. Wacom have brought out the Bamboo tablet targeted at the everday computer user. This is not just a replacement for your mouse but can also be used for taking hand-written notes that will be transferred straight into your computer and also a great tool for any of those photo touch-ups you might want to do over the holidays. From $129 there is now no excuse to be stuck with that painful mouse.
Funky Laptop Bag
While technically a laptop bag is not a “techie” gift, it definitely is technology related - after all why must we women be stuck with ugly grey laptop bags? I’m sure the standard ones were designed by the same geeks that designed the computer.
Some of the most refreshingly different laptop bags I’ve found online in Australia are at Rushfaster (I think they need to get a little Calm Space about that name).
If you can’t find a laptop bag there that really expresses you and your personality then I don’t think you are looking hard enough. They even have a lovely range of soothing calm colours, just perfect for the Calm Space reader run off her feet at the computer all day.
Friendship in the Online World: How People Are Growing Their Communities
November 1, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Do you remember back when you were a teenager? If your life was anything like mine friendships were restricted to your local community. If you were lucky you might have also befriended the people where you had holidays or a pen-pal.
Little more than 10 or 15 years ago your community and your friendships were restricted by your location (unless you were a geek using bulletin boards). BUT things have changed! The rapid expansion of internet technologies and personal computer hardware has provided true global communications to anyone able to access it (not just the geeks).
Built on the back of easily accessible internet technologies many friendships were being sustained online through the growing popularity of email since the early 90s. In the past 5 years a more recent phenomenon has been the growth of web-based services that are collectively called social networking.
A social network service focuses on the building and verifying of online social networks for communities of people who share interests and activities, or who are interested in exploring the interests and activities of others, and which necessitates the use of software.
Most social network services are primarily web based and provide a collection of various ways for users to interact, such as chat, messaging, email, video, voice chat, file sharing, blogging, discussion groups, and so on.
Here is a quick overview of some of the more popular services (it would be impossible to document them all here) that you might have heard of.
LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com)
- A business-oriented social networking site primarily as an alternative to traditional business networking
- Populated by professionals, business owners and corporate employees
- As of October 2007 it had more than 15 million registered users in 150 industries
- Known to be used by recruiters in sourcing candidates for roles
- An interesting tool to be aware of who your contacts know
- Based on the principle that everyone in the world is connected by no more than six degrees of separation
Myspace (www.myspace.com)
- Launched in August 2003 (and purchased in July 2005 by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation)
- Primarily the domain of teenagers and performing artists
- It has become an increasingly influential part of contemporary popular culture, especially in English speaking countries
- As of early September 2007 there are over 200 million accounts
- It includes tools to share writing/thoughts, music, photos and other interactive media (very attractive to performing artists looking to grow a following)
- Has the ability to restrict who is able to read your profile and comment on your site (one of the reasons that it is loved by teenagers and worries “blocked” parents)
Facebook (www.facebook.com)
- Launched on February, 2004, it is a recent entrant to this space and generally considered the mature sibiling of MySpace
- Initially the membership was restricted to students of Harvard College and then was subsequently expanded to other Boston area schools but in September 2006 it was released to the general public
- Primarily used by people across the mid 20s to late 40s age groups
- As of early October it had over 42 million active members worldwide and expects to pass 60 million users by the end of the year
- Allows users to share what they are up to with people in their group of contacts, including quick notes on “walls”, sharing photos, ideas and opinions
- Provides the ability for people to setup or join common interest groups of other members as a way of growing their community
Twitter (www.twitter.com)
- What do you call a person that uses Twitter?
- Launched in March 2006 it is a service that allows users to send “updates” (text-based posts, up to 140 characters long) to the Twitter website, via SMS, instant messaging, email, or an application such as Twitterrific
- Updates are displayed on the user’s profile page and instantly delivered to other users who have signed up to receive them
- It can be compared to applications like web chat or instant messaging (IM) but instead of it being one-to-one it is one-to-many communication
So do these tools increase your community and your ability to connect with friends?
Well just like any form of communication with friends, the more you are actively communicating the more you will get out of it. There are many, many people who now have a community of like-minded people around the world thanks to some of these (and other online tools). The contributors and readers of this online magazine are living proof that online networking works.
A few words of warning :
- Be careful with the information that you share - social networking sites have become a great source for identity theft and cyber-stalking.
- Don’t give your real birth date to a site where you don’t know how it will be stored and used (this is a very important piece of personal information)
- Don’t post pictures that contain other people unless you have their permission (wouldn’t you just love some of those embarassing shots of you loaded on the web somewhere)
- Be careful about the requests to connect/be friends that you might receive - be ruthless in saying no to people you don’t know.
- These sites are known to distort time and suck away a whole afternoon
So why not give some form of social networking a try …. if you are careful with your details all you have to loose is your time.
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