January 2008 Archives
FixMyMovie.com: Enhance Your CameraPhone Video Recordings
Sat, 26 Jan 2008 22:58:10
FixMyMovie.com uses the MotionDSP (which is funded by Q-Tel) video enhancement technology to enhance digital video. I uploaded a few seconds of video recorded by my T-Mobile Dash (Windows Mobile 6 smartphone) to see what it could do with the normally fuzzy video produced by this cameraphone. You can find my video test at: Test […]
Instructions for Submitting Podcasts for the Zune
Sat, 26 Jan 2008 06:19:14
From what I’ve been reading the Zune has been picking up its pace as a podcasting device. So, if you are a podcaster and want it to be available on the Zune, head over to this Zune.net web page that provides the information need to know about submitting Podcast content for the Zune. Provide Content for […]
atlarge.com: Airport WiFi Access Point Locator
Thu, 24 Jan 2008 21:20:28
atlarge.com provides information about wireless LAN access in airports around the world based on user contributed information. It also provides ratings for power outlets, comfort, and other features. So, if you’re traveling by air, you might find useful information from this site. And, if you are so inclined contribute some information.
Disney Testing Nindendo DS as Park Tour Guides
Wed, 23 Jan 2008 22:22:39
ds fanboy and other Nintendo DS and Disney focused blogs are reporting about Disney testing the idea of providing guides to their theme parks on the Nintendo DS. Taking a Closer Look at the Disney DS Guide Before you pooh-pooh (pun intended) the idea, consider this. I recall hearing or reading somewhere that the Nintendo DS Lite […]
New Microsoft Windows Mobile Marketing Corp. VP (Breath of Fresh Air?)
Tue, 22 Jan 2008 21:25:22
CNET reports that Microsoft just brought in a new Corporate VP for Windows Mobile Marketing named Todd Peters (good first name . Microsoft aims to add ‘easy’ button to Windows Mobile The article quotes him as saying: From my perspective, it’s not the marketing of Windows Mobile that needs work. It’s the software. After having […] CORRECTION: I incorrectly attributed the quoted comments to the new VP instead of the blog entry’s author. Ack…
iPhone AT&T Corporate Accounts Now Available. Windows Mobile Team: Need ActiveSync/WMDC Tools
Mon, 21 Jan 2008 17:32:01
Just read over on Engadget that… AT&T rolls out iPhone plans for business customers Hey, I commented just yesterday that Microsoft needs to fix Windows Mobile’s Internet Explorer browser to let it render iPhone-specific sites because business customers and service providers are now looking at the iPhone as a business device. Now, they have an official mechanism […]
Windows Mobile 7 Request: Let IE Render iPhone Sites
Sun, 20 Jan 2008 20:52:13
There is nothing wrong with your display. This is what the Digg.com site formatted for viewing on the iPhone (digg.com/iphone) looks like when rendered on a Windows Mobile Pocket PC Phone Edition (AKA Professional Edition). The Windows Mobile product people always ask people to give them examples or use-cases of issues outsiders bring to them. […]
Sat, 26 Jan 2008 22:58:10
FixMyMovie.com uses the MotionDSP (which is funded by Q-Tel) video enhancement technology to enhance digital video. I uploaded a few seconds of video recorded by my T-Mobile Dash (Windows Mobile 6 smartphone) to see what it could do with the normally fuzzy video produced by this cameraphone. You can find my video test at: Test […]
Instructions for Submitting Podcasts for the Zune
Sat, 26 Jan 2008 06:19:14
From what I’ve been reading the Zune has been picking up its pace as a podcasting device. So, if you are a podcaster and want it to be available on the Zune, head over to this Zune.net web page that provides the information need to know about submitting Podcast content for the Zune. Provide Content for […]
atlarge.com: Airport WiFi Access Point Locator
Thu, 24 Jan 2008 21:20:28
atlarge.com provides information about wireless LAN access in airports around the world based on user contributed information. It also provides ratings for power outlets, comfort, and other features. So, if you’re traveling by air, you might find useful information from this site. And, if you are so inclined contribute some information.
Disney Testing Nindendo DS as Park Tour Guides
Wed, 23 Jan 2008 22:22:39
ds fanboy and other Nintendo DS and Disney focused blogs are reporting about Disney testing the idea of providing guides to their theme parks on the Nintendo DS. Taking a Closer Look at the Disney DS Guide Before you pooh-pooh (pun intended) the idea, consider this. I recall hearing or reading somewhere that the Nintendo DS Lite […]
New Microsoft Windows Mobile Marketing Corp. VP (Breath of Fresh Air?)
Tue, 22 Jan 2008 21:25:22
CNET reports that Microsoft just brought in a new Corporate VP for Windows Mobile Marketing named Todd Peters (good first name . Microsoft aims to add ‘easy’ button to Windows Mobile The article quotes him as saying: From my perspective, it’s not the marketing of Windows Mobile that needs work. It’s the software. After having […] CORRECTION: I incorrectly attributed the quoted comments to the new VP instead of the blog entry’s author. Ack…
iPhone AT&T Corporate Accounts Now Available. Windows Mobile Team: Need ActiveSync/WMDC Tools
Mon, 21 Jan 2008 17:32:01
Just read over on Engadget that… AT&T rolls out iPhone plans for business customers Hey, I commented just yesterday that Microsoft needs to fix Windows Mobile’s Internet Explorer browser to let it render iPhone-specific sites because business customers and service providers are now looking at the iPhone as a business device. Now, they have an official mechanism […]
Windows Mobile 7 Request: Let IE Render iPhone Sites
Sun, 20 Jan 2008 20:52:13
There is nothing wrong with your display. This is what the Digg.com site formatted for viewing on the iPhone (digg.com/iphone) looks like when rendered on a Windows Mobile Pocket PC Phone Edition (AKA Professional Edition). The Windows Mobile product people always ask people to give them examples or use-cases of issues outsiders bring to them. […]
Northwest Airlines Exports to Outlook and Google Calendar
Sat, 19 Jan 2008 22:54:04
Sun Bought MySQL: Are You Concerned? I Am
Wed, 16 Jan 2008 23:39:40
Qipit: Optimize Text in Photos and Convert to PDF
Tue, 15 Jan 2008 23:19:47
Vimeo: HD Video Service
Mon, 14 Jan 2008 21:48:08
Bad Web Day: Flickr, Jaiku, Twitter
Sun, 13 Jan 2008 11:21:06
Odd Gmail Problems
Sun, 13 Jan 2008 10:49:10
Sat, 19 Jan 2008 22:54:04
I don’t travel much. So, I was surprised to see that Northwest Airlines provided a calendaring feature since the last time I booked a flight with them a year ago. Their Add a Calendar pop-up window gave me a choice of adding each flight to either Microsoft Outlook or Google Calendar. Since, I was on a PC running Windows with Outlook, I tried both options.
Sun Bought MySQL: Are You Concerned? I Am
Wed, 16 Jan 2008 23:39:40
The big news the day after Steve Jobs’ MacWorld keynote is that Sun bought MySQL AB (the company that drives the Open Source MySQL database server).
Qipit: Optimize Text in Photos and Convert to PDF
Tue, 15 Jan 2008 23:19:47
The Qipit free web service takes photos from cameraphones and digital cameras and converts the text in those images to PDF files. I gave an example of how it took the photo I took with a cameraphone and did a good job of converting that to a PDF on my MobileViews blog.
Vimeo: HD Video Service
Mon, 14 Jan 2008 21:48:08
Bad Web Day: Flickr, Jaiku, Twitter
Sun, 13 Jan 2008 11:21:06
It looks like free web services are really having a bad day. I’ve run into problems (see screen caps above) with Flickr, Jaiku, and Twitter so far. Wonder if there is a major data center outage somewhere.
Odd Gmail Problems
Sun, 13 Jan 2008 10:49:10
I’ve been doing a bunch of dev work inside the confines of System.Drawing as of late, an area in which I’ve spent less time than I have elsewhere, and came across the following that left me busting a gut,
No doubt there’s good reason to have the enum value PixelFormat.DontCare, but it’s still making me smile none-the-less wondering just how purple and sticky** the sky’s above Redmond are these days (or at least that day, anyway). ;-)
Enjoy your “What pixel format should I use? Ah, hell, I don’t care. Just pick one.” dev days, everyone!
** If you don’t know, don’t ask. ;-) :D
More “mobile” than “Windows Mobile” in this set of blog entries from last week. Hope you find them interesting anyway!
Cheap(er) Ultra Portables Are Hot!
Thu, 17 Jan 2008 20:18:13
A year ago the then unreleased OLPC XO seemed to have the cheap ultraportable market to itself. However, its altruistic goals limited it to non-retail sales. The idea of $100 (or even the current $200) price for an ultraportable seemed unthinkable for the retail market. Who would buy a cheap small notebook? Then Asus […]
Information Week Clears Up the Airline Battery Confusion
Thu, 17 Jan 2008 19:27:19
Information Week has an informative article clearly explaining the whole US carry-on battery issue at… Airline Passengers Can Bring Batteries Aboard, After All
PayPal Security Key
Wed, 16 Jan 2008 20:09:49
I heard about the PayPal security key on the Security Now podcast last year. I don’t actually use PayPal but I was curious about the key so I bought one for $5. It arrived today and I went through what looked like the simple activation process. But, guess what. The process didn’t work (at least […]
iPod touch January Upgrade Problems
Tue, 15 Jan 2008 23:04:00
I’ve never had an iTunes/iPod sync issue… Until this evening. I ran into problems related to the iPod touch January Upgrade released today and announced on Macworld 2008 this morning. You can read the gory details in the blog item I wrote for the O’Reilly Mac Center. I discovered one item in favor of the Windows […]
Microsoft Press Release: Survey Shows Increasing Worldwide Reliance on To-Do Lists
Mon, 14 Jan 2008 23:10:49
I saw this title in Microsoft’s press release list… Survey Shows Increasing Worldwide Reliance on To-Do Lists …then saw the subtitle… Results shed light on organizational habits and differences between men and women… and thought it might be some kind of early April Fool’s joke since it didn’t seem to mention any product or project. Then, looking […]
Google Optimized for the iPhone
Mon, 14 Jan 2008 22:14:34
Google is at it again. They optimized a bunch of their web services for the Apple iPhone and iPod touch. You don’t need a special web URL to find it. Just head over to google.com with your iPhone or iPod touch and your device will be routed to the right place. Clicking the link to […]
Qipit Good! Scan Cameraphone Photos to PDF
Sun, 13 Jan 2008 22:48:12
Qipit good!… With apologies to Devo… I signed up for the free Qipit online cameraphone to PDF scanning service today. Although I’m focusing on the cameraphone aspect today, you can upload a digital photo taken with any kind of digital camera and upload it from the desktop too. For this test, I used a T-Mobile […]
Cheap(er) Ultra Portables Are Hot!
Thu, 17 Jan 2008 20:18:13
A year ago the then unreleased OLPC XO seemed to have the cheap ultraportable market to itself. However, its altruistic goals limited it to non-retail sales. The idea of $100 (or even the current $200) price for an ultraportable seemed unthinkable for the retail market. Who would buy a cheap small notebook? Then Asus […]
Information Week Clears Up the Airline Battery Confusion
Thu, 17 Jan 2008 19:27:19
Information Week has an informative article clearly explaining the whole US carry-on battery issue at… Airline Passengers Can Bring Batteries Aboard, After All
PayPal Security Key
Wed, 16 Jan 2008 20:09:49
I heard about the PayPal security key on the Security Now podcast last year. I don’t actually use PayPal but I was curious about the key so I bought one for $5. It arrived today and I went through what looked like the simple activation process. But, guess what. The process didn’t work (at least […]
POST-POSTING NOTE: If I wasn’t clear in my original blog entry, I am currently waitig for a replacement key fob to arrive. I will try activating it after it arrives. I received email from the PayPal Sr. Product Manager for Two-Factor Authentication the day after I posted this item in my personal blog. I’m quite surprised PayPal noticed my entry. I’m guessing that they have a search engine looking for comments about them. Good idea! I wish more firms would pay attention to what customers say like PayPal does.
iPod touch January Upgrade Problems
Tue, 15 Jan 2008 23:04:00
I’ve never had an iTunes/iPod sync issue… Until this evening. I ran into problems related to the iPod touch January Upgrade released today and announced on Macworld 2008 this morning. You can read the gory details in the blog item I wrote for the O’Reilly Mac Center. I discovered one item in favor of the Windows […]
POST-POSTING NOTE: Apple appears to have refunded payments for the unsuccesful iPod touch upgrades. However, I still have not received any resolution on how to actually upgrade the 2nd iPod touch.
Microsoft Press Release: Survey Shows Increasing Worldwide Reliance on To-Do Lists
Mon, 14 Jan 2008 23:10:49
I saw this title in Microsoft’s press release list… Survey Shows Increasing Worldwide Reliance on To-Do Lists …then saw the subtitle… Results shed light on organizational habits and differences between men and women… and thought it might be some kind of early April Fool’s joke since it didn’t seem to mention any product or project. Then, looking […]
Google Optimized for the iPhone
Mon, 14 Jan 2008 22:14:34
Google is at it again. They optimized a bunch of their web services for the Apple iPhone and iPod touch. You don’t need a special web URL to find it. Just head over to google.com with your iPhone or iPod touch and your device will be routed to the right place. Clicking the link to […]
Qipit Good! Scan Cameraphone Photos to PDF
Sun, 13 Jan 2008 22:48:12
Qipit good!… With apologies to Devo… I signed up for the free Qipit online cameraphone to PDF scanning service today. Although I’m focusing on the cameraphone aspect today, you can upload a digital photo taken with any kind of digital camera and upload it from the desktop too. For this test, I used a T-Mobile […]
Bazaar: Distributed Version Control Software
Sat, 12 Jan 2008 22:36:37
Weather Channel Weather Layers for Google Maps
Thu, 10 Jan 2008 22:43:51
Publish With Blogger Using Your Own Web Host
Wed, 09 Jan 2008 23:12:59
Wik.is: Free Wiki Service from the Creators of Deki Wiki
Mon, 07 Jan 2008 22:09:41
Time Magazine: 50 Best Websites 2007
Sun, 06 Jan 2008 22:22:29
Sat, 12 Jan 2008 22:36:37
CVS, Subversion, and, now,…
Weather Channel Weather Layers for Google Maps
Thu, 10 Jan 2008 22:43:51
The Weather Channel released a Google Maps overlay (layer) recently that I really like. You can find and select it by clicking the My Maps tab in Google Maps, click on Browse the Directory, and search for Weather Channel in the Search Google Maps Content search box. The map above shows temperature bubbles for locations near one of my favorite places: Fairbanks, Alaska.
Publish With Blogger Using Your Own Web Host
Wed, 09 Jan 2008 23:12:59
I’ve been meaning to launch a Mac focused blog for a couple of months now. The domain was registered and I installed familiar blogging software. The problem is that for some reason I can’t get the comment spam module working correctly. This is odd because I’ve installed and configured it a couple of times before. So, I started considering the idea of using one of the free blogging services. The first one that came to mind was Google’s…
Wik.is: Free Wiki Service from the Creators of Deki Wiki
Mon, 07 Jan 2008 22:09:41
Time Magazine: 50 Best Websites 2007
Sun, 06 Jan 2008 22:22:29
Time Magazine created a list of what they consider the 50 best websites in 2007. Here’s a link to the first of the web services sites in the list. Unfortunately, they don’t provide a simple list of 50 sites on a page. You have to endure clicking through the sites one at a time. Gag…
Time Magazine 50 Best Web Sites 2007 - Web Services
Not all of services mentioned are free (e.g., Mozy). However, some favorites of mine (Tumblr and Twitter) made the list.
Amazing Flash Prices
Thu, 10 Jan 2008 22:14:37
I gave my spare 2GB SD card to my daughter last night to put into her OLPC XO. The SD card showed up right away and was usable from applications such as the word processor. I’m not sure how Fedora generated the card name (model number?). But, it was definitely not user friendly (e.g., /media/flash). […]
Dual Booting Linux/Windows OLPC in the Future?
Wed, 09 Jan 2008 22:58:42
Computerworld’s article… OLPC developing dual-boot Windows, Linux OS for laptops …reports that there are plans to produce an OLPC that can dual-boot Linux or Microsoft Windows. When I first heard people suggest this, I was against it. I couldn’t imagine how to shoehorn something as huge as Windows Vista or even Windows XP into the tiny flash […]
Back to Basics: Soft Reset
Tue, 08 Jan 2008 22:10:33
Have you ever found your Windows Mobile smartphone (Standard or Professional Editions) in a state best described as frozen? This can happen in several ways. The most common experience on a non-touch Standard Edition device is that it becomes so slow that I can’t seem to get any action to work on it. Can’t dial, […]
Book: Windows Mobile Data Synchronization with SQL Server 2005 and SQL Server Compact 3.1
Mon, 07 Jan 2008 20:21:43
I just read Rob Tiffany’s (a Technical Product Manager in the Microsoft Windows Mobile group) blog and noticed he has a new book out (with a very long title … Windows Mobile Data Synchronization with SQL Server 2005 and SQL Server Compact 3.1 If you need to use SQL Server held data with your WiMo smartphone. […]
Microsoft Releases iPhone Clone in 2009?
Mon, 07 Jan 2008 20:21:22
The Inside Microsoft blog has a very interesting entry titled… Windows Mobile 7 To Focus On Touch and Motion Gestures …with what looks like dozens of Windows Mobile 7 screen captures. From the looks of it Microsoft discovered the Apple iPhone and is trying to catch up to it by 2009 (Windows Mobile 7’s projected release according […]
Zune Oddities… Also 2.3 Firmware Upgrade
Mon, 07 Jan 2008 06:14:21
Microsoft seems to have been busy providing point upgrade releases since they released the Zune 2.0 firmware upgrade a few months ago with the introduction of the 2nd generation of Zune devices. The 2.3 upgrade came out in mid-December. But, I only recently plugged in my 1st generation Zune to the PC to upgrade it. […]
Thu, 10 Jan 2008 22:14:37
I gave my spare 2GB SD card to my daughter last night to put into her OLPC XO. The SD card showed up right away and was usable from applications such as the word processor. I’m not sure how Fedora generated the card name (model number?). But, it was definitely not user friendly (e.g., /media/flash). […]
Dual Booting Linux/Windows OLPC in the Future?
Wed, 09 Jan 2008 22:58:42
Computerworld’s article… OLPC developing dual-boot Windows, Linux OS for laptops …reports that there are plans to produce an OLPC that can dual-boot Linux or Microsoft Windows. When I first heard people suggest this, I was against it. I couldn’t imagine how to shoehorn something as huge as Windows Vista or even Windows XP into the tiny flash […]
Back to Basics: Soft Reset
Tue, 08 Jan 2008 22:10:33
Have you ever found your Windows Mobile smartphone (Standard or Professional Editions) in a state best described as frozen? This can happen in several ways. The most common experience on a non-touch Standard Edition device is that it becomes so slow that I can’t seem to get any action to work on it. Can’t dial, […]
Book: Windows Mobile Data Synchronization with SQL Server 2005 and SQL Server Compact 3.1
Mon, 07 Jan 2008 20:21:43
I just read Rob Tiffany’s (a Technical Product Manager in the Microsoft Windows Mobile group) blog and noticed he has a new book out (with a very long title … Windows Mobile Data Synchronization with SQL Server 2005 and SQL Server Compact 3.1 If you need to use SQL Server held data with your WiMo smartphone. […]
Microsoft Releases iPhone Clone in 2009?
Mon, 07 Jan 2008 20:21:22
The Inside Microsoft blog has a very interesting entry titled… Windows Mobile 7 To Focus On Touch and Motion Gestures …with what looks like dozens of Windows Mobile 7 screen captures. From the looks of it Microsoft discovered the Apple iPhone and is trying to catch up to it by 2009 (Windows Mobile 7’s projected release according […]
Zune Oddities… Also 2.3 Firmware Upgrade
Mon, 07 Jan 2008 06:14:21
Microsoft seems to have been busy providing point upgrade releases since they released the Zune 2.0 firmware upgrade a few months ago with the introduction of the 2nd generation of Zune devices. The 2.3 upgrade came out in mid-December. But, I only recently plugged in my 1st generation Zune to the PC to upgrade it. […]
On10.net: 10 Useful Plugins for Windows Live Writer
Fri, 04 Jan 2008 07:14:55
Received Our OLPC XO
Thu, 03 Jan 2008 23:08:15
Zoho Creator: Amazing Web Database
Wed, 02 Jan 2008 22:35:02
BlogTalkRadio: Net Talk Radio Does Not Need Client Software, Just a Phone
Wed, 02 Jan 2008 06:32:09
Happy New Year! Have a Great 2008!
Tue, 01 Jan 2008 08:07:25
Fri, 04 Jan 2008 07:14:55
From this useful list on Microsoft’s On10.net site…
10 Useful Plugins for Windows Live Writer
I didn’t even know that Microsoft’s free Windows Live Writer client-side blogging tool even had a plug-in capability. Looks like a great set of plugins for bloggers to use.
Received Our OLPC XO
Thu, 03 Jan 2008 23:08:15
The OLPC (One Laptop Per Child) XO that I ordered for my daughter under the Give One Get One (G1G1) program finally arrived. We played with it quite a bit this evening. And, after writing a long-ish mini-commentary on it… (see my mobile tech focused blog entry)…
OLPC (One Laptop Per Child) XO Arrived
Zoho Creator: Amazing Web Database
Wed, 02 Jan 2008 22:35:02
BlogTalkRadio: Net Talk Radio Does Not Need Client Software, Just a Phone
Wed, 02 Jan 2008 06:32:09
Just read about this before heading out to my office. But, it looked interesting, so I wanted to mention…
Happy New Year! Have a Great 2008!
Tue, 01 Jan 2008 08:07:25
Happy New Year! More freeware, Open Source, and free web services will be noted here soon.
As per the above link, Sam Ruby recently pointed to an announcement from S. Somasegar which stated,
We have signed an agreement to partner with NBC Universal to build a Silverlight 2.0 based web broadcast of the 2008 Summer Olympic games. This agreement also sets MSN as the official home of the 2008 Summer Olympics.
At first I didn’t get what should have been Sam’s obvious point (he attached the Moonlight logo (in SVG format, none-the-less, which for those running IE would be unable to view… That Sam Ruby, I tell ya… always the sly one ;-)) inline to the post), something he clarified in a follow-up to my follow-up,
providing a useful service that the rest of us can benefit from
Define “us”. Does it include me?
Of course “me” links to http://www.unbuntu.com, suggesting in no uncertain terms the question,
Is “Silverlight” += “Moonlight” the same thing as,
… a Silverlight 2.0 based web broadcast of the 2008 Summer Olympic games
Or in other words, will I be able to gain access to those same streams regardless of whether I am running Silverlight on Windows or Moonlight on [choose your favorite Linux distro.]?
My assumption is yes, but as Sam points out in another follow-up to my follow-up,
it seems you are suggesting that this same content will not be available to those running Moonlight.The announcement doesn’t say…
Anyone in the know care to clarify?
Hmm. Not much Windows Mobile specific blog items last week…
OLPC Info and Quick FAQ Page Created
Sat, 05 Jan 2008 21:22:21
I created a brief OLPC XO information and QuickFAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) page to help OLPC users find more information about their device. You can find the page at… MobileViews OLPC Info Here are two examples of OLPC information you might not see elsewhere: First, I tested a USB keyboard with the OLPC and found that the […]
OLPC (One Laptop Per Child) XO Arrived
Thu, 03 Jan 2008 22:43:34
My daughter’s OLPC XO finally arrived today (Jan. 3, 2008). In the photo above there is an iPod touch on top of it and an Apple Macbook beneath it to help provide a sense of scale. The first thing I want to make clear is that I think the OLPC is a great idea with […]
Zoho Creator Mobile: Simply Amazing
Wed, 02 Jan 2008 21:58:27
I wanted my first 2008 blog entry here to be a positive one. Well, I’ve got a lot of positive things to say about… Zoho Creator Mobile …which is part of the Zoho suite of web applications that includes a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation tool, note taker (somewhat like OneNote), wiki, and numerous other web based business […]
MobileViews Weekly Podcast #2
Sun, 30 Dec 2007 21:25:36
I posted the MobileViews Weekly Podcast #2 summarizing blog items here for the week ending Dec. 29, 2007.
OLPC Info and Quick FAQ Page Created
Sat, 05 Jan 2008 21:22:21
I created a brief OLPC XO information and QuickFAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) page to help OLPC users find more information about their device. You can find the page at… MobileViews OLPC Info Here are two examples of OLPC information you might not see elsewhere: First, I tested a USB keyboard with the OLPC and found that the […]
OLPC (One Laptop Per Child) XO Arrived
Thu, 03 Jan 2008 22:43:34
My daughter’s OLPC XO finally arrived today (Jan. 3, 2008). In the photo above there is an iPod touch on top of it and an Apple Macbook beneath it to help provide a sense of scale. The first thing I want to make clear is that I think the OLPC is a great idea with […]
Zoho Creator Mobile: Simply Amazing
Wed, 02 Jan 2008 21:58:27
I wanted my first 2008 blog entry here to be a positive one. Well, I’ve got a lot of positive things to say about… Zoho Creator Mobile …which is part of the Zoho suite of web applications that includes a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation tool, note taker (somewhat like OneNote), wiki, and numerous other web based business […]
MobileViews Weekly Podcast #2
Sun, 30 Dec 2007 21:25:36
I posted the MobileViews Weekly Podcast #2 summarizing blog items here for the week ending Dec. 29, 2007.
Annals of Improbable Research Articles Now Free
Sat, 29 Dec 2007 08:53:46
Witty 0.1.5: Twitter Client for Windows
Thu, 27 Dec 2007 19:49:19
Happy Holidays!
Mon, 24 Dec 2007 22:14:21
Sat, 29 Dec 2007 08:53:46
The Annals of Improbable Research magazine’s articles are now freely available on the web as well as a low-resolution PDF download. The high resolution PDF version as well as the paper version are available for a fee (seems reasonable to me :-). The magazine also sponsors the annual (and usually hilarious) Ig Nobel Prizes. A video of the 2007 event is available for viewing on their website.
Witty 0.1.5: Twitter Client for Windows
Thu, 27 Dec 2007 19:49:19
Witty 0.1.5 is a Twitter client for Windows XP and Vista built on WPF (Windows Presentation Foundation). It performs reasonably well. However, as the low version number indicates, it is still early in its development phase. The window captured part of a dialog box that wouldn’t go away at one point. And, it crashed a couple of times when I tried to refresh (running under Vista, btw). I think it will be a useful little Twitter app once it becomes a bit more stable.
Happy Holidays!
Mon, 24 Dec 2007 22:14:21
A combination of holiday busy work and being a bit under the weather (wheeze, sniffle) has me a bit behind checking out items on my list of freeware and Open Source apps for Mac OS X and Windows.
In the meantime, I hope everyone who reads this blog (all three of you :-) has a safe and happy holiday season.
Here’s wishing for more great freeware and Open Source apps in 2008.
UPDATE: John Lam has followed-up with a response on his blog. For what I assume are obvious reasons I would pay attention to what John has to say on the matter well before anything I might have to say as, again quite obviously, John kind of knows a thing or two hundred about these kinds of things. ;-)
To ensure I’m not propagating bad information I’ve integrated portions of his comments that help clarify the real picture as it is (as opposed to how I may have interpreted things to be) into the body of this post. That said, if you haven’t already I would encourage you to head on over to his post *first* and then come back here if/when time allows.
Thanks for the follow-up, John!
[Original Post]
Pat Eyler asked me a while back for my thoughts on a handful of questions related to both IronRuby and Ruby.NET. He recently posted my answers to the following questions,
* How much are the IronRuby and Ruby.NET projects working together?
* Where/how could they better cooperate?
* What’s the easiest way to get started with Ruby.NET for Windows, Mac, and Linux users?
* What are some ways the Ruby.NET team is working with the larger Ruby community?
* What more could they be doing?
* Why should we trust Microsoft?
Extending from these answers and in response to a follow-up question from Pat, it seemed appropriate to pull together a summary of the core differences between the Ruby.NET and IronRuby projects. This summary extends from the thread @ http://groups.google.com/group/RubyDOTNET/browse_thread/thread/a8c51748456a46c0/0e6ad247c1e059e9?lnk=gst&q=Ruby.NET+and+IronRuby with plenty of extended substance from Douglas Stockwell, Charles Oliver Nutter, and Dr. Wayne Kelly that is worthy of your click.
PLEASE NOTE: If anyone from either the Ruby.NET or IronRuby camps (I claim myself a member of both) feels compelled to clarify or provide either an extended and/or counter follow-up, by all means please do. If it turns out that any of what follows is either inaccurate, misleading, or in other forms doesn’t present the complete story, please let me know and if seems justified, I will incorporate the suggested changes into the body of this post.
Thanks in advance!
