Converticon is a simple icon utility. It can import ICO, PNG, GIF, and JPEG formats and export to high-quality PNG or ICO files. There is no software to download and it’s 100% free.

Looks good to me, did a couple of sample tests. Need to try this on some project work and see what I think.

Follow me on Twitter. This post originally appeared at:

Converticon!

Google Opt Out Feature Lets Users Protect Privacy By Moving To Remote Village

Follow me on Twitter. This post originally appeared at:

Google Makes Privacy Easy

I recently read Predictably Irrational, Revised and Expanded Edition: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions, by Dan Ariely. This book is well written, and easy to read.

If you think you’re a rational person, read this book as soon as possible. It will help you understand how we are wired and/or conditioned to be irrational, and we typically aren’t even aware of it. This concept can be a bit disheartening, but the good news is that we can fix at least some of this irrationality by being aware of how it can occur and by making a steady effort to compensate for it. The key, it seems, is increasing our awareness and planning to be irrational (this concept is explored in-depth in The Black Swan
as well).

Not only is this book very interesting and enlightening, but I found it to be quite entertaining as well. I would put this one near the top of your reading list.

Finished 7/13/09, Rating: 9/10

Follow me on Twitter. This post originally appeared at:

Predictably Irrational, The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions

48 Days to the Work You Love will likely help you find inspiration, motivation, and just may spark a few ideas. However, there isn’t much ‘meat’ to the book. It only glosses over these topics at a high level and leaves you still to do the work of figuring out the details and coming up with a plan for finding new work or making money on the side. It offers nothing that you can’t find on hundreds of websites for free, but if you want to spend some money on this book you’ll have it packaged into an easy-to-read, paper format.

If you think that earning an hourly wage, working for someone else is the only way to make a living, you can certainly benefit from reading this book. If you already know that isn’t your only option, and/or you are already earning money on the side, you probably won’t find anything new here. I’d say it’s worth reading if you think you need some help finding a new direction with your work and income. If you already have that part figured out, there isn’t anything else for you here.

Finished reading on 7/15/09, Rating: 7/10

Follow me on Twitter. This post originally appeared at:

48 Days to the Work You Love

You could spend time reading up on the changes and crafting your own, thoughtful privacy policy that addresses every issue, written personally to your readers. Or, you could use this template from JenSense to quickly meet the requirements from Google and get on with your day.

I updated seven sites with this privacy policy template last night. Sure, it may not sound like it was written by me or in my site’s voice, but it gets the job done…and do you really think people are reading your privacy policy anyway? I don’t.

Follow me on Twitter. This post originally appeared at:

Privacy Policy Template

Below are a few highlights from the guide:

When performing link building research, specifically to determine the value of a link (as opposed to relevance), the important thing to look for are URLs that have the qualities and qualifications of a rank-influencing link. [http://link-building-guide.com/Analyzing_URL_Link_Value]

One of the greatest opportunities you have for quickly finding large scale link opportunities is to look at what websites link to your competitors. [http://link-building-guide.com/Competitor_Backlink_Gathering_Tools]

We recommend a 2-step approach in the qualification stage. First, use automated methods to focus on easily measurable factors to cull the list down to those URLs most beneficial to your goals. Then use a by-hand, human review to further qualify and segment the best link opportunities. [http://link-building-guide.com/Two_Step_Link_Qualification_Approach]

There is a lot more to it of course. Be sure to read the whole guide if you want help building links.

Follow me on Twitter. This post originally appeared at:

Comprehensive Link Building Guide

Anyway, regardless of the reason for reading it, A Wrinke in Time is a great book and a quick, easy read. It has an interesting combination of a sort of fantasy and sci-fi theme. I don’t want to give away any of the details, so I’ll leave it at that. I sort of got a C.S. Lewis, Chronicles of Narnia feeling from the book. I can definitely see a relationship to Lost as well, again I won’t mention any details in case you haven’t read the book or seen Lost.

I enjoyed it very much and I definitely recommend reading it.

Follow me on Twitter. This post originally appeared at:

A Wrinkle in Time

I just finished reading The Pixar Touch: The Making of a Company
, by David A. Price. This was an interesting book, starting with the history of Pixar (I had no idea Pixar was started about 30 years ago) and finishing with Pixar’s current state of success, shortly after the merger with Disney and just before launching Ratatouille.

One big theme in the book is conflict. Steve Jobs is obviously difficult at times and Disney, particularly Michael Eisner, proved to be just as difficult to work with. In the end, Jobs and Pixar definitely won, though Disney Animation was also saved in the process when Disney acquired Pixar. Surprisingly, this deal was also what made Steve Jobs a billionaire, not his involvement with Apple.

Not to imply Jobs was only a negative influence on Pixar. I’m quite amazed that he had the vision to see what Pixar could become and put his money at risk on what was at the time a completely unproven company in 1986 (though clearly Pixar was loaded with brilliant, creative people).

In my mind, John Lasseter emerged as the creative force most responsible for the amazing success of Pixar’s movies. What is even more interesting is that he was fired from Disney (where he was an animator) prior to his joining Pixar. Disney had a real problem seeing the future of animation and computers and couldn’t let go of it’s old 2D animation dogma until long after seeing Pixar’s success.

I read this book looking for business lessons, not because I’m a fan of Pixar (I’ve seen most of its movies but not all). This book is long on the history of Pixar, but maybe a little short on the business details. However, I thought one of the greatest business lessons found is the importance of having the ability to look outside your circle of expertise (where Disney animation was stuck for a long time) and see what is changing in the world around you (fast rate of technology growth changing the way animation would be done in the future).

I think the other key lesson to be learned from this book is to not let personal grudges get in the way of business. A lot of money was left on the table due to stubborness or personal vendettas. This was a problem for virtually all parties involved—clearly the ability to put these issues aside could provide a huge advantage in business.

Overall I enjoyed the book. If you are a fan of both technology and business (or just a Pixar junkie) you’ll definitely enjoy it.

Follow me on Twitter. This post originally appeared at:

The Pixar Touch – The Making of a Company

Follow me on Twitter. This post originally appeared at:

Alice in Wonderland

I just finished reading Common Sense Economics: What Everyone Should Know About Wealth and Prosperity. This book is an introduction to the key fundamentals of Economics, as well as a bit of Personal Finance. It’s a relatively small book too, one you can easily read in a day. This is a great book to read if you are new to Economics, haven’t studied Economics for a long time, or if you are currently clueless about your money and/or the Economy.

I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. I borrowed it from the library, but I intend to purchase my own copy soon. Both for future reference and so I can loan it to friends. It makes for a great Economics primer and the section on Government’s role in Economics is excellent, and quite timely given the current insanity in our nation’s bailout-addicted political climate.

Follow me on Twitter. This post originally appeared at:

Common Sense Economics