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Effective use of Twitter for organizations

2011-11-19T14:33:00.000-05:00

I just attended a workshop by an organization I'm a member of, where they rolled out Twitter with great hoopla. A few things arose which informed me that this organization still doesn't understand social media, so I thought I'd put down some tips for organizations who want to get into this "new" (yes, that's sarcasm) means of communicating.

You can't control the conversation!

Social media is, by definition, participatory. The whole "Web 2.0" schtick is about user-generated content. This is crucial for organizations to understand, because it has several implications. In the old days you'd have a staff person craft a head-honcho-approved press release, and you'd send it off to the newspapers. The newspapers would then, if interested, take your carefully crafted press release and judiciously quote from it, perhaps contact your organization for further information, and in the end publish a relatively neutral piece based on the facts and without any particularly strong bias. All very clean; no mess, no debate.

The old days are behind us. Anything your organization does or produces for public consumption is entirely up for grabs. People on Twitter, Facebook, and any of dozens of other social media sites will take your fancy press release and dissect it mercilessly. They will quote from it, but not judiciously. The quotes will be sound bites taken out of context not to illustrate a point, but to further the argument being made by the person using the quote. There will be wide-ranging debate and conversation, and most of the debate participants will be completely uninformed and ignorant of your issues. Ridiculously strong biases and polarized views will be presented. Politeness will be the exception, not the norm.

The "dissenting opinions" that used to upset you will be soon be regarded as quaint, civil, polite conversations that you'll fondly recall and wish you were still dealing with. Misinformation will run rampant.

You can't Censor the conversation!

In case you haven't clued in yet, you can't censor the conversation any more than you can control it. If you think that censuring your members or employees for publicly expressing their views is going to fly, then you're still stuck in the old days. There are numerous cases where organizations censuring people for online expression has turned into a public relations nightmare.

Here in Canada, people have a constitutionally protected right to freedom of expression. That right is not limited by their employment or association membership. In a democratic free country, it's in fact not limited by much at all, as it should be. Unless the people expressing themselves hold some sort of official spokesperson capacity in your organization, you can't control what they say (nor should you try). Even if they do, they have a right to express themselves as personal individuals. So suck it up. Trying to censure people who write unflattering things about you is a fool's game. It makes you look bad and shows that you're out of step with modern technology. Simply respond with consistent messaging.

What social media has done is to give everyday people a voice. You can no longer expect your company or organization to operate in a vacuum where you're not subject to any scrutiny or criticism.

So if you can't stifle free expression by censoring the conversation, what can you do? First of all, if you're being criticized online, you need to engage in some introspection. None of us are perfect, and chances are if you're the target of criticism, then at least some of it is justified. Try to set aside your emotional reaction to what may be crudely expressed criticism, and parse out the key points being made against your organization. This will lead to a rational, effective response.

For items where the critic is correct, swallow your pride and make the necessary changes. You'll get kudos for making a change, instead of more criticism for defending a flawed status quo. If the critic is making valid points but you have specific reasons for doing things a certain way, explain yourself. Social media is about communications and interaction. You'll be respected for explaining why certain positions were taken, but you'll be reviled if you simply try to silence someone or keep secrets. Similarly, if there is misinformation or factual inaccuracies, correct them. Do it politely. Heavy-handedness won't fly in social media. In social media, everyone's voice is equal.

You can't manipulate the conversation!

Okay, you can manipulate the conversation, and people have and do. But when that manipulation is uncovered (don't be naive, it will be uncovered), it's bad for your organization's image. So don't do it.

Newbie mistakes with social media generally take the form of shallow Twitter spam. While an individual may tweet about watering their plants and other inconsequential things, an organization should avoid doing so. Twitter, just like any other medium of communications, should be part of an overall communications strategy.

If your head honcho is making a speech, you don't want one of your staff people tweeting snippets of it every two minutes. Instead, you want to have the complete text of the speech available online, and tweet that "Head Honcho is making speech about how Social Media Creates Accountability. Read it here." with a link to the text of the speech. Yes, it means you'll be making your speech available for criticism and scrutiny, and you'll be held accountable to what you say. Guess that means you better be sincere and make it good, huh?

Another newbie mistake (or unethical decision, depending on how forgiving you are) is astroturfing. Astroturfing is creating false hype for an organization, event, etc. So if we go back to the example of Head Honcho making his speech, and his assistant is tweeting excerpts every two minutes, that's one form of astroturfing. It's not genuine. It's a fake conversation. Now, if members of the audience that aren't closely tied to Head Honcho start tweeting about his speech, and other people start re-tweeting those tweets and replying to them, and people start re-tweeting your (non-astroturfing) tweet with the link to the text or video of Head Honcho's speech, that would be a genuine conversation that had arisen. Essentially, resist the temptation to make self-serving tweets. It's unprofessional.

So how do we do it right?

A large part of doing it right is being genuine. A simple way to start is to use Twitter to disseminate links to press releases and other information. You want to consistently communicate the image and character of your company or organization.

As you become more comfortable with the online presence you've created, you can begin inviting interaction. Post a question on something, or invite feedback. Expect that some of the feedback will be negative; few conversations with any substance to them are devoid of disagreement. Dissenting opinions and negative feedback are part of what makes the conversation genuine. Take them as an opportunity to clarify information, dig deeper into a topic, or perhaps revisit a stance you've taken.

Build trust by engaging in genuine conversation; don't send out canned responses. Make sure that the decision-makers in your organization are apprised of the conversations that take place. If the conversation never leaves your Twitter account and never makes it into a boardroom, then it's simply a crowd-pleasing facade. If your organization's direction is in part guided by social media, then you're utilizing it at a very high level.

The bad part of social media is not that anyone with an axe to grind can take you to task. The bad part is that social media is so completely fragmented; Twitter is just one medium of communication, but the social media universe also includes Facebook, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Blogger, WordPress, Orkut, Google+, and any of thousands upon thousands of sites where users can interact and discuss things online. A good strategy is to use various mediums for specific levels or types of conversations, and try to use your various social media outlets to funnel users towards particular places where they can engage in more in-depth conversations (your company's message boards, web site, etc).

Yes, you're right in thinking that social media is a whole lot of work. It is. If you're not prepared to deal with it, beat a hasty retreat now. People will still talk about you online anyway, though.

Can you screw up social media? Yes, you can. You can put your foot in your mouth repeatedly, you can disrespect the people who're involved in the conversation, and you can face a backlash if you're dumb enough to try silencing people. More likely, though, you'll simply just be lost in obscurity on the net. However, if you're diligent and hard-working, not to mention lucky, you might be able to build some momentum around your brand.

Upgrading to iOS5, so far not impressed...

2011-11-16T23:28:00.001-05:00

I'm in the midst of what is apparently the multi-hour upgrade to iOS5 for my iPod touch 3G. Having figured out that I can play with the iPod while iTunes is apparently locked up on "Restoring iPod apps..." (it's not locked up, just taking forever and not giving any feedback at all!), I've been looking at a bit of what's new.

iCloud. My reaction... what's the point? Seriously. I've been syncing calendar, e-mail, and contacts to Google for a couple years now, so that aspect of iCloud is worthless to me. And backing up my apps, music, video, etc. to iCloud? First, Apple is only offering 5 GB of storage for free. Secondly, I've got a 64 GB iPod that's almost full. It's going to take forever to upload all my content, and then Apple's gonna want to charge me for it. No thanks.

I will say that the pull-down notification screen is nice to have. Looks a lot like the one on my Android phone... for a company that just patented "Slide to Unlock", Apple isn't showing much innovation here...

Anyway, so far iOS5 is underwhelming. I went into settings and told it not to backup to iCloud, hoping that it would then revert to a traditional sync to my PC. No such luck. So I'm still stuck at "Restoring iPod apps..." with no end in sight whatsoever.

Tip: When prompted to use iCloud backup, say NO.

iMessage... again, what's the point? How many messaging apps do I already have? Do I need another? Besides, even as much as I like Kik, Skype, Google Talk... SMS text messages are still the only universal standard.

So far, colour me unimpressed by iOS5. I at least hope that wi-fi iTunes syncing doesn't disappoint me.

Update: After it finally completed (seriously Apple, you let such a terrible upgrade process out into the public?), I was able to try out wi-fi sync. It works beautifully, and is really the best reason to upgrade to iOS5.

One thing that didn't work so well... a lot of my apps are no longer in their folders, so I'm having to re-arrange my apps again. Some of the folders seem to have disappeared, with apps being littered throughout the home screens, and other folders were only partially populated. It does appear that all my apps restored, although I do have about 3.5 GB more free space than when I started...

Summary: Terrible process to upgrade that takes hours, and what you get out of it is an Android-style pull-down notification screen, and wireless syncing. Those two features make it worth doing, but be prepared for aggravation while you do the upgrade. Hopefully over time there'll be other niceties that reveal themselves.

Switched to Wind Mobile... how to Root and Flash an Optimus 2X (G2X).

2011-11-10T10:42:00.005-05:00

I switched to Wind Mobile for my cell phone service two days ago. The big news here is the plan I switched to... I was paying $60/month through Koodo ($25 plan, $10 CD/VM/Text add-on, $25 2GB data add-on). I will now be paying $29/month (yes, less than half!) and I'll have unlimited calling, unlimited texting, and unlimited data. My home phone and Internet are now both through my cell phone.

Incidentally, I actually called Koodo first, to give them a chance to retain me as a customer. They offered me nothing. So, duh, of course they've lost me. I'm better off with Wind, but I probably would've stayed for convenience if Koodo had made me an offer. That being said, if you don't live in a Wind zone, Koodo's still your best deal for a cell phone at the moment.

So... while the monthly plan is the big news, the big bonus with switching is that I have an incredible new phone, the LG Optimus 2X (which is actually a G2X... more on that in a moment). This phone has a dual-core processor, 4" Gorilla Glass screen, 8 GB internal memory and a microSD slot, 8mp camera that records in full HD... it's quite nice.

While the phone is very good stock, it does come loaded with only Android version 2.2.2. I'm a complete geek, so I needed the latest version (faster, better battery life, more customization, etc).

To save you the blood, sweat, and tears I went through with what should be an easy process, here's a guide to rooting and updating the ROM in your Wind Optimus 2X(G2X):

Rooting

This part is easy. It requires two things: USB Debugging must be checked in Settings-Applications-Development, and you must have a microSD card installed. Then just download and install GingerBreak, run it, and you'll be rooted in a few seconds. (Just download it in an Android browser, open the file from the browser, and Android will prompt you to install it.)

Install ClockWorkMod Recovery

If you install the ClockworkMod Recovery utility via ROM Manager (installable via Market), then ROM Manager will ask you for your phone model. This is the part where I'm going to save you from the hell I went through... DO NOT select LG Optimus 2X! If you do, you end up in a boot loop, staring at the LG logo (not fun!). You need to select the T-Mobile LG G2X for your model. It's the same phone in every way that counts, but there's a minor enough difference that you're stuck if you don't know that you're dealing with a G2X instead of a 2X. Remembering that you've got a G2X, not a 2X, will save you much aggravation.

You're not done, though. ROM Manager just sets you up with what is essentially a redirect... you'll only be able to launch ClockworkMod from a phone that's booted without problems. In order to be able to launch ClockworkMod by holding down Power and Volume Down while booting your phone, you need to flash it using One-Click ClockworkMod Recovery Flasher. It's an easy process, and will save you from thinking you've bricked your phone. ;-)

Now that you've got ClockworkMod installed, it's easy to switch from one ROM to another. Just make sure you backup your current ROM first before you do anything!

Flash a ROM

The G2X is a phone that's officially supported by CyanogenMod. CyanogenMod is a ROM based on the latest release of the Android operating system (which is open source). The CyanogenMod developers then tweak it for performance and ensure it runs on various phone models. Unfortunately, as of this writing, when I flashed CyanogenMod 7 (CM7), neither the stable nor nightly version allowed my 3G data to connect. Everything else worked fine, just not the essential part. ;-) From what I've read, I suspect it's a baseband issue. (Note: The nightly CM7 #197 now works correctly.)

However, there's good news. There's a CM7 based ROM called EaglesBlood (sorry, I have no control over the bizarre names people come up with) that does work in every way. The version that worked for me without any issues is EaglesBlood 2.4. (Note: Your mileage may vary, but EaglesBlood worked perfectly for me for about a day before data quit... thankfully the new CM7 nightly now works.)

Download the EaglesBlood .zip file to the root directory of your SD card as well as the Google apps package, then power down your phone and power up in ClockworkMod Recovery holding Power and Volume Down. Once you're in the recovery screen, you can scroll up and down using your volume up/down buttons, or the menu and home buttons. To select something, use the Search button. Assuming you've already got a backup, you'll want to do a Data Wipe/Factory Reset, Cache Wipe, then under Advanced do a Dalvik Cache wipe (there's probably some redundancy in there, but you want to clear out what's on the phone by default). Then you're going to install a file from .Zip... simply choose your EaglesBlood file and flash it, then do the same thing with the Google apps package. Once you've done that, reboot the phone.

Congratulations, you're now running an optimized version of Gingerbread 2.3.7! You'll see a big improvement in performance, battery life, and customizability over the Froyo 2.2.2 which ships with the phone.

Note: Hopefully everything went smoothly for you... the above was learned through the stressful process of thinking I'd bricked my phone a couple times. ;-) However, you flash a new ROM at your own risk. I think it's pretty hard to permanently brick your phone, but you can set yourself up for a few hours of stress if you screw up. I DO NOT provide tech support! If you experience problems, just remember that Google is your friend, and that XDA is the place for all things Android.

Addendum: As of nightly #197, Cyanogenmod is now working correctly with this phone. Follow the same instructions as above, just substituting the CM7 .zip file. Cyanogenmod is the leading after-market Android ROM, so it's what I recommend.

Recommended Software

2011-10-22T15:41:00.013-04:00

I'm often asked for software recommendations, so I've compiled them here for easy reference. All of these are free software (in price, and some in licensing as well).

What is Free Software?
Philosophy of the Free Software movement
OpenSource.org
Creative Commons

Browsers:
Google Chrome
Firefox
Opera (especially recommended if your laptop is tethered to a phone, as the Opera Turbo feature will reduce your data usage)

Office Suite:
LibreOffice - LibreOffice is a complete office suite (word processing, spreadsheet, presentations, etc.) produced using a free open source license. LibreOffice is based on OpenOffice, the differences being that it has a faster development schedule and more advanced features.
Nitro PDF Reader - Views and creates PDF files, and also allows text editing of a PDF (handy for forms).

Video and Music Players:
VLC Video Player - Plays everything. All codecs built-in.
Songbird - Great music player and Shoutcast streaming radio client.

Computer Security:
Set up Google DNS, install Avast for real-time scanning, and run the rest intermittently as on-demand backup security.
Google Public DNS
Avast Antivirus/Antispyware
(Click here to get $5 off an Avast Antivirus purchase)
Malwarebytes Antimalware
IOBit Malware Fighter
Spybot Search and Destroy
BitDefender Online Virus Scanner

Computer Privacy:
TrueCrypt - Encrypts your hard drive.
Tor - Makes your Internet traffic untraceable.
Clipperz - Online anonymous password management.
GuerillaMail - provides disposable temporarily-valid e-mail addresses to avoid spam.

Computer Performance:
IOBit Advanced Systemcare
Glary Utilities
CCleaner

Cloud Storage:
DropBox
Box.net

WiFi access when travelling:
Boingo.com

Games:
Dungeons and Dragons Online - excellent port of the game, maintains the pencil and paper feel.
PCGen - nice character generator for D&D and Pathfinder characters.
Starcraft II - Awesome.
Joana's Starcraft 2 Strategy Guide - Helpful if you want to get good.

Reiki Attunements and Training

2011-03-26T16:42:00.005-04:00

As one studies Reiki, the necessity of and type of attunement becomes a prominent issue. There are three main issues: whether an attunement must be done in person or whether it can be done via distance or by watching a video; whether distance attunements are valid "traditional" Reiki, and whether training must be received in-person to become part of a Reiki association and become an accredited practitioner.

I'll begin by describing what I believe an attunement is. Reiki is acknowledged to be universal life energy that is present in and permeates all things (just like chi, prana, the Tao), and a Reiki attunement is intended to align a student with that energy so they can be a conduit for Reiki. An attunement is only a small part of Reiki training, though. Reiki precepts, hand positions, techniques, and so forth must be learned as well.

So what does an attunement look like? Well, it looks like this (search "reiki attunement" on YouTube for more). Essentially, it's a guided meditation to introduce a student to meditation, energy work, and using intent. Since Reiki is a spiritual and mental discipline, such "attunements" are a very good idea, especially for people without any complementary background. An attunement can be repeated as many times as desired; Mikao Usui, the founder of Reiki, used to do attunements on his students every time he worked with them. They were the same process each time (called reiju) and didn't differ with one's degree of Reiki training.

So, on to the issues... I'll start with whether distance attunements are valid traditional Reiki. The easy answer to that is that no, they're not traditional, but then again, very very very very little of modern-day Reiki is traditional either. As mentioned earlier, Usui's reiju didn't differ from degree to degree, as modern-day attunements do. Nor did Mikao Usui work with chakras, prana, Angels, crystals, Tibetan or Egyptian symbols (Mikao Usui was Japanese...), spirit guides, and so forth. Even the hand positions of modern-day Reiki have changed dramatically (following the chakras, as opposed to five original positions all around the head).

So do distant attunements work? I'd say yes, though quality may vary, as is no doubt true in person (I've linked to what I think is a good one above). According to the theory of what Reiki energy is and how it works (especially given that Reiki II teaches distance healing), and since the attunement is really a guided meditation to help the student feel the energy themselves, there's really no logical reason a distant attunement can't work.

Of course, for people making buckets of money off Reiki training classes (it's typically about $1,000.00 to train up to Reiki Master/Teacher), the conclusion that distant attunements are perfectly valid hits them directly in the pocketbook. So let's talk about Reiki training. Quite frankly, in the Internet age, the concept that training must be received in person is an anachronism; you can complete university degrees through online learning, after all. Books and information are widely available, distance attunements are available, and people can practice their hand positions and techniques on themselves, friends, family, animals, and by attending local Reiki Circles. All for free or very low cost.

The main issue is quality control and assurance that students have actually done the learning, rather than becoming "Instant Reiki Masters". For individuals practicing Reiki on their own for no profit (on self, friends, family, etc.) we can simply hope that these people will continually learn more, hope that they're discerning in what they read and believe, and take responsibility as a community to mentor them and guide them towards good material and to lead by example. One Reiki author refers in the second paragraph of her first chapter to 12 source planets that originally colonized the earth (yes, this is in fact the plot of Battlestar Galactica!)... let's make sure new people get guided to more credible sources such as The Reiki Sourcebook.

For individuals who plan to practice Reiki as a business, though, some sort of externally validated accreditation is often desired. Unfortunately, current Reiki associations have taken the anachronistic stance that training must have been received in person (and at substantial cost) in order to be accredited by them. To be honest, I think it's symptomatic of the fact that spirituality and money really shouldn't be mixed; when money changes hands, things become infinitely more complicated.

The Canadian Reiki Association, for example, requires that Level 1 and 2 Reiki training must be at least eight hours long in-person training each, and that Master level be at least twelve hours long. In addition, applicants must submit practicum/case study forms to demonstrate experience in order to become certified practitioners or teachers. Most other Reiki associations follow similar guidelines.

In our bureaucratic, capitalist society, I suppose this isn't surprising. But is there a better model? I think that the idea of submitting practicum forms to demonstrate experience to become a certified practitioner is a good model. But to be a mere member and be embraced by the Reiki community, there shouldn't be such exclusionary policies as requiring education to be in-person (typically at large expense). Instead, part of the certification process should perhaps include a written exam on Reiki knowledge, and/or submission of a video of the applicant conducting a Reiki treatment session. Given that in-person classes probably vary greatly in quality, a written exam and/or video would ensure quality control just as well as requiring in-person class attendance, without putting a hefty price tag on participation in a spiritual practice.

So, for the dedicated student of Reiki, my advice is that if you're learning lots from a variety of sources, and interacting online and/or through Reiki Circles with other practitioners, then your Reiki training (including distant attunement) is probably as good or better than that received by many who've shelled out hundreds of dollars for in-person training. As long as your intent is pure, you're already on your way to being a Reiki Master in all the ways that really count.

Reiki resources:
Free Reiki International
Share Reiki International
New Awakening Reiki

Reiki and Pranic Healing treatment impressions...

2011-03-26T11:36:00.002-04:00

I recently went to a Holistic Healing and New Age show, and had the opportunity to receive Reiki and Pranic Healing sessions.

The first session was Reiki. I liked the sign they had on display defining Reiki as "a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing." Accurate, no outrageous claims, and humble. Overall, it induced the relaxation effect very well. I think there were three key aspects to this. First, you sit down and essentially give yourself permission to relax, plus you're stuck there with no choice but to relax once you've begun. Second, having another person touching you has a relaxing effect. Finally, as the hands change positions, it's like a subtle cue to relax that area of the body, so a progressive relaxation happens.

I found the experience very relaxing and reached a deep meditative state quite easily (not a trance-like or hypnotic state, a meditative state where you're still fully aware but very relaxed and with a clear mind). So I'd say that especially for people who don't meditate on their own, Reiki would be much recommended. As for healing, we know that stress is very harmful to our bodies, so a practice like Reiki that offers stress release will be helpful whether you believe in energy healing or not. As for the energy healing aspect, we can't really know for sure if it works, but it certainly doesn't hurt.

So, on to the Pranic healing session. This one was hands-off, with the practitioner going through a variety of visualizations of manipulating the energy in my aura to cleanse it of impurities. To watch it, at first glance it looks like the person is just goofily waving their hands around in front of someone. However, if you watch the animated video on the pranic healing site, it portrays through special effects the energy; this puts the hand movements in context and it no longer looks nearly so weird because you can follow what they're visualizing doing. Now, I was already nicely relaxed from the Reiki session, so I quickly returned to a meditative state while the pranic healing session was going on.

Being hands-off, I think perhaps I should have kept my eyes open, as seeing what technique the fellow was using at any particular time might have connected me to the process better. Of course, with eyes open I would have been more engaged mentally and been thinking way too much. Without the hands touching or being in close proximity, and without hands changing position, I'm inclined to think that Reiki would be better for most people until they've had experience with receiving energy healing.

Overall, it was a very interesting experience. I'm currently on a research binge... I've read The Reiki Sourcebook, Reiki for Dummies, and tons on the net. I've also got The Japanese Art of Reiki and Your Hands Can Heal You (the Pranic Healing book) to still read, and I'm working my way through Robert Bourne's New Awakening Reiki books/CDs/videos.

Thoughts on the iPad

2010-01-27T19:17:00.005-05:00

Today Apple announced the iPad, a tablet computer bearing a striking resemblance to the iPod touch (colloquially known as the iTouch).

The pricing on the iPad will range from $499 for a 16 GB model to $699 for a 64 GB model. Judging by that, and the specs released so far, I predict that while it will be moderately successful amongst those that love their iPhones/iTouches and want a bigger screen, that overall it will not be a runaway success.

Why? Let's look at the price first. For $499 you can get an iPad with 16 GB of storage, whereas for $399 you can get an iPod touch with 64 GB of storage. The iPod will have practically all the same functionality as the iPad (they both run iPhone apps), while the difference in screen size is really just personal preference as far as portability goes.

For new owners, it will no doubt be a bit of a quandary whether to buy an iPad or an iTouch. If you intend to use it as a PDA or portable MP3 player, you can't beat the iTouch for being small enough to carry on your belt or in a pocket at all times. That kind of accessibility is essential for a personal organizer or MP3 player. If you're going to primarily use it as netbook/laptop equivalent (which the iTouch can also function as, although the iPad's screen and larger keyboard will make for a nicer user experience) then the iPad will be the way to go if you can afford a few hundred dollars more or if you're willing to forego some storage space, though it should be noted that these products don't have expandable storage (although part of the price-unknown Camera Connection Kit is an SD card reader that plugs into the dock port).

If you already own an iPhone/iTouch and a laptop, then the iPad isn't going to be nearly as appealing. It's a nice product that inspires technolust to be sure, but the iPhone/iTouch are such great products that spending $500-700 for a larger screen just isn't worth it.

The one application where you could be staring at the screen for hours on end and would appreciate a larger screen is reading books (which already works well on iPhone/iTouch). But if you already own an iPhone/iTouch, you can purchase a Kindle/Sony eReader/Barnes and Noble Nook, or another dedicated e-reader, complete with a different type of screen specifically designed for reading on (it actually looks like paper), for about $200 (and in a slightly more portable size akin to that of a paperback novel).

Looking further at the iPad specs, apart from disappointing storage, we have longer battery life. Yawn. For the size of the product compared to an iPhone/iTouch, it's expected they'd be able to fit a larger battery in the device (which still isn't user-replaceable). Indeed, in that respect, 10 hours of battery life is actually disappointing.

With a screen that size, video should be great, right? Well, while Apple's screens always look great, the resolution is still only 1024x768. So you won't be able to play 1080i (1920x1080) or 720p (1280x720) high-def on it. Worse still, you're still limited to 480p (720x480) output to a television.

Beyond a bigger screen and longer battery life... there's not much. The iPhone has built-in camera and GPS, the iPad doesn't (though the more expensive 3G version may have GPS). There's a new processor in the iPad, but since Apple is notoriously tight-lipped on technical specs, we don't know whether there's been a significant increase in 3D graphics performance, for instance. There's also wi-fi N in the iPad... which the wireless chip in the iTouch supports but Apple hasn't activated yet.

With hardware that's good but not exactly magical compared to what's already in our hands, software is where I expect we'll see some big changes. When the iPad finally hits stores, it will likely be accompanied by an updated iPhone OS. Hopefully the larger screen will have spurred Apple's engineers to creative heights such that they'll have fixed existing annoyances (such as limited number of homescreens and no folders... 140,000 apps, with nowhere to go...), tweaked things, and added new innovations. Hopefully we'll get better notifications, multi-tasking, wireless N and FM radio enabled in the iTouch.

So to sum things up, the iPad is good news for iPhone/iTouch owners, as it will spur development on the iPhone platform and bring us new iPhone OS features (and hopefully new compatible hardware, such as the keyboard and SD card reader). But as a buy recommendation, I'd say that at the moment it's really only a buy if you've got spare cash to burn; a 32/64 GB iPod touch is a better deal. In the meantime, the rest of us will likely hold tight, perhaps buying dedicated e-book readers or sub-$300 netbooks if we feel the need to supplement our iPhones/iTouches with something else.

Replacing a Palm with an iPod touch 64GB

2009-10-18T02:21:00.008-04:00

I've used Palm organizers for many years. With my Palm E2 becoming long in the tooth, I decided to switch platforms and see what all the fuss was about with the iPod touch and the iPhone.

My iPod is a 3G (3rd generation) iPod touch 64GB. As a replacement for the Palm, it had to to four things exceedingly well: calendar, contacts, to-do, and memos.

Out of the box, as an organizer the iPod wasn't a match for my old Palm. The Notes application didn't do categories, and the To Do application didn't exist. The calendar was a bit different, but roughly equivalent. The Palm calendar has a nice month view where each portion of the days on the calendar is colour coded according to the category of the appointments; the iPod calendar just has a dot on each day where there are appointments, and touching the day will bring up the appointments beneath the calendar. It doesn't have the same at-a-glance functionality as the Palm, but it works.

Of course, that was before a trip to the App Store. After trying out many of the to-do and notes apps, I decided to spend some money. While DoBot ToDos was a nice free to-do app, it didn't have a desktop interface, and was fairly basic. Similarly, Note Me was a very nice memo app, but without a desktop interface. Neither had an easy way to import data from my Palm. I was going to have to shell out a few dollars to get the functionality I needed.

My solution for a To Do app was Toodledo ($3.99). Toodledo offers a feature rich to-do application that syncs my items wirelessly with my free account at Toodledo.com. I was able to export my Palm to-do items to a file using Palm Desktop, and then effortlessly import them using Toodledo.com.

To replace my Palm memo application, I chose NoteSpark ($4.99). Like Toodledo, NoteSpark surpassed the rich functionality of my Palm, and allowed effortless import of my Palm memos. Notespark also allows wireless syncing of data to a free account at NoteSpark.com, and editing of notes from any web browser.

Thrilled to have to-do and notes functionality exceeding expectations, I then moved on to calendar and contact apps. Both are built in to the iPod, but neither really shined until I discovered Google Sync. Using it, I enabled syncing of the iPod Calendar to my Google Calendar, as well as syncing of Gmail contacts to the Contacts app. Google Sync also allows syncing e-mail to the iPod Mail app, but I find that accessing the mobile version of Gmail through Safari offers more functionality.

So there you have it. An iPod touch plus $9 of software is capable of matching, or even exceeding, the gold standard for organizers set by Palm. Of course, the iPod touch goes far beyond that in its capabilities. In many ways, I've found it to be a laptop replacement.

Register your wireless router to enable iPod touch location-awareness

2009-09-23T22:46:00.008-04:00

The iPod touch, unlike the iPhone, doesn't have a GPS to help it know where it is. Yet the iPod touch manages to know its location using its wi-fi capability. How does it do this? The term "wi-fi triangulation" has been bandied about, but there's no triangulation involved.

Instead, Apple utilizes the services of a company called Skyhook Wireless. What Skyhook does is maintain a worldwide database of wi-fi hotspots containing their GPS coordinates and MAC addresses. Once you connect to a wi-fi network, your iPod can then submit the MAC address of the network's router to Skyhook's servers, and if that hotspot is registered with them, it will return the latitude and longitude of your location to your iPod touch. (You can also enable wi-fi location awareness on your laptop or desktop, by installing a plug-in here.)

What this means is that an iPod touch can benefit from most of the advantages of GPS-enabled devices without having a GPS. In fact, when in large urban areas and indoors, where it can take a long while for a GPS to acquire a satellite lock, an iPod touch can be aware of it's location in seconds.

To submit your wireless router's MAC address and location to Skyhook's database, click here. If you're a location offering wi-fi access to the public, you'll help improve the iPod's location-awareness. If you submit your home router's info, you'll enable location-awareness for your personal devices at home. You gotta admit that's kinda cool.

An Inconvenient Truth

2009-06-20T00:00:00.012-04:00

I watched An Inconvenient Truth tonight. Very well done, I highly recommend it. Watching it, though, I was really struck by how unconscionable it is that they've known about this problem for decades, and they've just sat on it, or worse, obstructed the path of people trying to fix it. An entire generation of people have stuck their heads in the sand rather than address the issue. Pathetic.

Watching AIT just three years after its debut, it was interesting to see how prophetic it is. Gore talks about how naysayers have claimed we have to choose between the economy and the environment, and then shows a chart comparing Japanese and American auto companies to demonstrate that building fuel-efficient vehicles is economically beneficial. Flash-forward to the present day, and we know how well the American auto companies are faring!

Global warming is real, and it's affecting our species' ability to live on this planet. What can you do? Well, as a unionist, I've seen and firmly believe in the power of people acting collectively. If we all do something, all our individual actions add up to something collectively huge.

Some suggestions: Buy electricity from Bullfrog Power. Support environmental groups like The Bruce Trail Conservancy. Walk or bicycle instead of using your car. Vote for political parties (such as the NDP and Green) that will actually do something meaningful to protect the planet.

There are tons of sites out there such as Lighter Footstep, One Million Acts of Green, TreeHugger, EcoGeek.org, and GreenLivingIdeas.com. Consult them, learn from them. Do something.

Here's a summary of my green lifestyle choices that I created a while back.

Participated in my first Scrabble tournament tonight...

2009-04-18T00:00:00.004-04:00

I participated in the Niagara Region Literacy Council's Scrabble for Literacy fundraising tournament tonight, my first Scrabble tournament ever. It was a ton of fun. Great buffet dinner, followed by three games of Scrabble. Silent auction, penny sale, and door prizes, too (I won a package of gourmet jelly beans -- 28 flavours!).

I had no idea of the scale of the event... there were at least a couple hundred people there, and they had a waiting list for registrations. For next year they say they've reserved double the space!

Scrabble-wise, it was a new experience. It was a team Scrabble event. 20 minute games, they provided the first word, and then each team/table worked together to fill the board. All tiles were face up. Quite a lot of fun... twenty minutes for a game, plus time to score, made me think this team Scrabble format could easily be adapted for use in schools.

So I'm definitely planning on doing it again next year. Next time, though, I'll be more organized, and get a whole team signed up, with our table reserved well in advance.

Overall, I had a blast playing Scrabble, ate a great meal, and supported a good cause. Time well spent.

My Debut as a Videographer

2009-03-09T13:23:00.007-04:00

This past Saturday, I made my debut as a videographer. Well, I ran the video camera at least. ;-) I was at the Ontario NDP leadership convention with Ish Theilheimer of StraightGoods.ca, running the camera while he conducted interviews.

It was an interesting experience. I saw a lot of familiar faces at the convention; labour activists and NDP members have a definite membership overlap. Just like going to ETFO AGM, provincial meetings of occasional teacher Locals, or my local Labour Council, attending the NDP convention helped give me a different perspective on my work. It's easy to become myopic and think all the issues we face as occasional teachers are specific to our workplace, but our issues are really universal. Attending big events lets you know you're not just a lone voice in the wilderness, and reassures you that you've got a whole lot of people with similar values standing behind you.

One of the people we interviewed was a cab driver who'd filed a complaint under the Employment Standards Act because he was being paid less than minimum wage. He won his complaint, but he never worked for that company again. His story really resonated with me, because occasional teachers who try to uphold their contract rights will never again teach in the school where they complained. The complete lack of accountability for employers, and the lack of protection and recourse for employees who are victims of this kind of passive, invisible reprisal are issues that need to be addressed.

"It’s time that part-time, casual, cultural, and migrant workers are recognized as the real workers that they are!" - Andrea Horwath

Which brings me back to the NDP convention. In her final speech to delegates prior to the commencement of voting to choose the new leader, Andrea Horwath said "It’s time that part-time, casual, cultural, and migrant workers are recognized as the real workers that they are!" I'm glad somebody is putting out this message. Part-time work is what keeps many people afloat, and we need to address the fact that part-time workers are often paid less than their full-time peers, have lesser benefits or none at all, worse working conditions, and receive much less respect from their employers. This divide between full-time and part-time workers is not acceptable.

Amazing Harvard Commencement Address by JK Rowling

2008-07-09T13:43:00.006-04:00

JK Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series, recently gave a commencement address at Harvard University and was awarded an honourary doctor of letters degree.

This is an excellent read, and gives great insight into the books. Of course, I was also happy to read that she was a Classics major (as was I). What was truly enlightening regarding the books, though, was her recounting of her experiences while working for Amnesty International. I'd say that those experiences very clearly informed the darkness present in the books.

Two themes she addresses very well are the importance of failure, and the importance and power of imagination. I strongly recommend reading this commencement address, whether you're a Harry Potter fan or would simply enjoy an insightful essay.

Addendum: Here's the video.

Business Energy Efficiency (and lack thereof)

2006-11-22T00:14:00.001-05:00

An article on The Register recently reported Intel as promoting energy efficiency in business IT departments. Purportedly, businesses are taking their environmental impact more seriously in the wake of the Stern report out of the UK. Yet empty office towers still light up the night sky.

I work the night shift in a call centre (doing tech support). There's only about ten people in the building at night, yet all the lights are left on: on the production floor, in the cafeteria, meeting rooms, hallways, and the washrooms. All the computers are left on as well (hundreds of desktop computers with nobody sitting at the desk for over 12 hours each day).

When I'm bored, I can wander through the building turning off computer monitors. Approximately 40% of the computers are not set up to power off their monitors after an inactivity period, so they run 24 hours a day (at ~100W consumption each for CRTs).

I'm certain that a much higher percentage (probably >95%) don't have their hard drives set to power down after inactivity, so that means the hard drives spin 24 hours a day too (~10W power consumption, plus hard drives die regularly).

If monitors and hard drives were set to power down after 1 hour of inactivity, they probably wouldn't inconvenience anyone by powering down at all during the work day. But those two simple settings would mean each computer would consume over 1200W less power in a day if the computer powered down for only 12 hours of the day.

Multiply by several hundred (or thousand) computers per business, multiply by the number of businesses fitting this profile, and we'd probably be able to shut down a few power plants, breathe cleaner air, meet Kyoto targets, and be seen internationally as environmental heroes. (And that's before we start turning off lights in empty buildings!)

It would be even better if workers also set their workstations to enter standby or hibernate mode after a period of time, but monitors and hard drives would be a good start. (You should do this with your home computer too.)

Just right-click on your desktop, choose Properties, go to the Screen Saver tab, and click the Power button by the EnergyStar logo. Then choose how long you want the computer to wait before it powers down when you're not using it.

Simple measures like this can really make a difference. We all need to engage our brains and act collectively for the greater good. If you need more incentive than lower taxes (power plants are extremely expensive to build and maintain), cleaner air (which reduces health care costs and saves lives), and helping to address global warming... then think of all the money you'll be saving on electricity bills.

Addendum: If you don't trust me, take it from the Google Blog.

Wikipedia, Credentialism, and Control

2006-08-13T01:49:00.001-04:00

It seems that the latest trend by defenders of the status quo is to criticize Wikipedia. Here's one such article:

http://news.com.com/2010-1038_3-6104446.html

The core criticism and theme of this article is that Wikipedia is unverified (not blessed by people with expensive pieces of paper on their walls), and therefore is not credible. That's simply faulty logic, and certainly a misunderstanding of the word credible.

Whether something is credible or not is entirely dependent upon the reasoning faculties of the person interpreting the information.

Now, "unverified" may indeed result in lower quality of information; however, for probably 95% of Wikipedia users, the quality of information present is more than sufficient to meet their needs. Due to the constant review process that's inherent to its model, it's also not exactly accurate to say that Wikipedia is unverified information.

Of course, this entire debate arises from people who are stuck in the old paradigm: the privileged few controlling and disseminating information.

Wikipedia uses a new paradigm of distributed and shared expertise. Existing hierarchies are threatened by a system in which an individual's actual knowledge counts for more than the pieces of paper on their wall and the letters after their name. Credentials are used to silence people and restrict access, yet lose their power in Wikipedia's model.

Consider how most people go through university: reading as little as possible, doing all-nighters to finish assignments they didn't bother starting till they were nearly due, cramming for exams and then promptly forgetting everything they learned as soon as the exam is finished. Really, the exalted status we give to those holding credentials is quite laughable. Of course, credentialism has been on the rise due to a confluence in recent decades of businesses abdicating their responsibility to train their own people for jobs, and of post-secondary educational institutions becoming mere businesses.

Wikipedia scoffs at credentialism, which impedes the free flow of information by restricting it to privileged classes. That is the crux of the issue. Those with a vested interest in perpetuation of old-style control of information by the few, or who prefer hierarchical organizational structures, will continue to criticize Wikipedia. People who embrace the paradigm of shared information and equal access will recognize that Wikipedia represents the future.

In a sense, it all boils down to control. Those who value telling others what to do instinctively dislike Wikipedia. Those who value freedom instinctively love it.

Addendum: Nature (the science journal) conducted a blind peer-review investigation of the accuracy of Wikipedia articles versus Encyclopaedia Britannica articles. They found that the number of errors present in each was comparable; four errors per Wikipedia article compared to three errors per Britannica article. Of all the errors found, only eight were considered serious, and they were distributed equally: four for Wikipedia, and four for Britannica. Here's the Nature article.

Internet and PC Privacy Guide

2006-03-15T10:16:00.000-05:00

I like to condense things down to their basics. That's why I like to make one-page guides to things. So here's a one-page guide to Internet and PC Privacy. I hope you find it useful.

Mark's One-Page Guide to Computer and Internet Privacy

Computer Tune-Up Guide

2006-01-29T10:59:00.000-05:00

Being a computer geek, I've often got people asking me to fix their home computers.

Now, I could be surly about it and start wearing a Thinkgeek.com "No, I will not fix your computer." t-shirt, but I'm too nice.

Unfortunately, as any geek knows, working on someone's home computer is a dreadful time sink, and there's no way anyone can possibly pay you enough for your time (especially since professional rates quickly outstrip what any home user is willing to pay).

So, I've finally gotten around to writing a one-page computer tune-up guide. It's intentionally simple, but provides enough information to help people set up some basic things to keep their computers running smoothly.

Now I can claim my legitimate excuses of not enough time and energy, and still politely provide some assistance. I've also written a one-page intro to open source software.

Here they are:

Computer Tune-Up Guide

Introduction to Open Source Software

Canada poised to elect Conservative government

2006-01-16T13:45:00.000-05:00

Uh oh. Here comes Mike Harris again.

The polls are indicating that Canada is poised to elect a Conservative government led by Stephen Harper.

For the rest of you who didn't experience the Harris years in Ontario, here's what you can expect:

Harper will keep his promises to cut taxes and do other things.

Harper will drastically downsize and privatize public services (since he will no longer have the tax revenues to pay for them, and because he believes the government should offer only a very narrow range of core services).

Harper will offload current federal services onto the provinces and municipalities, which will allow him to lower taxes federally. However, you'll pay even more at the provincial and municipal level.

Expect to pay user fees for just about everything.

Once the Conservatives are done their hack and slash, don't expect subsequent governments to be able to put the pieces back together too easily. It's much easier to tear something down than to build it.

That's how Conservative government worked out in Ontario, and Harper is cut from the same cloth as Harris.

If you're a disenfranchised Liberal, vote NDP.
If the NDP were a close second in your riding last time, vote NDP.
If you're considering voting Green, vote NDP.

The best hope we have is to get enough NDP MPs elected to force another minority government, but this time with the NDP holding a real balance of power.

Read the NDP platform. I think you'll find they're worth supporting.

Cutting through the Red Tape of Life

2005-09-12T06:39:00.000-04:00

Here's the scenario: you're driving along a desert road in the middle of nowhere. There are no trees, and you can see for ten miles in every direction. There are no other cars. A couple hundred metres ahead, there's a crossroads with a four way Stop sign.

Do you stop? According to the law, you should. But what purpose does it serve in this situation? Stop signs exist to prevent collisions at intersections. In this case, there are clearly no cars. You could stop out of principle that you should always obey the law. But I say you should look both ways, and if there's still no cars for ten miles in either direction, drive right on through.

Am I advocating lawlessness? Certainly not. What I'm pointing out is that there's a difference between immutable laws (such as don't kill people for fun and profit), and laws that are largely regulation. In blowing through that stop sign, you have not committed evil. All you've done is disregarded a regulation that had no meaning in your current situation.

You cut through the red tape of life.

Let's extend the metaphor a bit. Same situation, except that this time you've got a badly wounded man in your back seat. He's a good man, worthy of being saved. He's bleeding out quickly, and you've got to get him to the hospital that's a kilometre past the stop sign. If you stop, he dies for certain. Do you adhere to the law? In this case, I'd say that in stopping, you're committing evil. You've abdicated independent thought in favour of mindless adherence to meaningless rules, and by doing so you've let a good man die.

Let's extend it a little bit more. Same situation: desert, wounded man, except this time there's a car coming towards the intersection. I'll make it more interesting: you've got a stop sign, but the other car doesn't. Do you stop, or step on the gas, hold down the horn, and try to make it through? You're now gambling with the other driver's life too. You'll have to gauge the speed and distance, and weigh the chances of yourself, the other driver, and the wounded man dying in a crash, against the certainty of the wounded man dying if you stop. It's going to be a close call in any case, so there isn't really a correct answer to this situation.

So what was the point of this exercise? Merely to demonstrate that we can't rely on other people telling us that the law says to do this or do that. Comparatively few of our laws have anything to do with fundamental issues of good and evil; most of them are simply regulations. They're red tape, muddying the waters so many people can't see for themselves what's right and what's wrong.

You need to go through life with your eyes open, and take direction from your internal moral compass. In everyday situations, ask yourself if you're doing what's right, or if you're just rigidly following regulations and procedures that might not even apply to the situation. If you're not consciously doing what's right, then you're not free. You have no independence.

Be aware of your actions and their consequences. Think for yourself. Free your mind, and start living your life.

On Paranoia, and the Murder of Jean Charles de Menezes

2005-07-24T03:00:00.000-04:00

Jean Charles de Menezes, a Brazilian electrician legally living and working in Britain, was recently murdered by London police.

The Globe and Mail recently reported that:

Witnesses said the Brazilian was wearing a heavy, padded coat when plainclothes police chased him into a subway car, pinned him to the ground and shot him in the head and torso.

"They pushed him onto the floor and unloaded five shots into him," witness Mark Whitby told the British Broadcasting Corp. "He looked like a cornered fox. He looked petrified."

Now, pardon me if it's not politically correct to point this out, but if you have a man pinned to the ground, and then you shoot him in the head, that is murder. I don't care what you may say about terrorists and security. Summary execution of a subdued, prone prisoner is murder, plain and simple.

This incident, alas, clearly demonstrates that the terrorists won this round by creating an atmosphere of hysteria and paranoia.

Instead of responding with random bag searches and tossing out any real concept of civil rights and freedom, the UK government should have doubled the number of troops assigned to anti-terrorist activities abroad. When London was attacked again, they should have doubled the number of troops yet again.

Fomenting hysteria and paranoia is what terrorism's all about (terror, after all, being the root word of terrorism). When police summarily murder pedestrians as a result of paranoia, the terrorists have won.

When we blithely allow, or even encourage, politicians to strip us of our civil rights, the terrorists have scored a major victory. Witness how quickly and easily our rights have been eroded since 9/11/01. How many hundreds of years did it take to achieve those rights? How long do you think it will take to regain them?

In the end, are you any safer after losing so many rights? No, not at all. Most "security" is just smoke and mirrors. So, what's the net effect of all the draconian security measures and sweeping police powers we've blindly accepted since 9/11? Well, we've dramatically increased our likelihood of being unjustly (and without due process) imprisoned, beaten, tortured, or outright murdered by the same people who a few short years ago we could confidently have said were there to protect us. Legal recourse? None. We gave that up in the name of security.

Without any checks and balances, the legions upon legions of people employed to protect us have become a greater threat to us than any terrorist ever dreamt of.

Perhaps you disagree. Maybe you don't find overzealous omnipresent security to be unnerving. Maybe all the "security" makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside?

Well, let's ask Jean Charles de Menezes his opinion. Oh right, he's dead. Unaccountably murdered in the name of security.

"Those who suppress freedom always do so in the name of law and order."
- John V. Lindsay

"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
- Benjamin Franklin

Why Harry Potter isn't getting kids Hooked on Reading

2005-07-18T02:39:00.000-04:00

Harry Potter has created a tremendous surge of interest in reading. Children read Harry Potter voraciously; they even read the books over and over again. However, many children aren't moving on to enthusiastically devour their local bookstore or school library. They get stuck on Harry, and nothing else. When they're done with Harry, they go back to TV and video games, and complain that books are too long or difficult to read (despite having read hundreds of pages of Harry).

Why is this? Why doesn't reading Harry Potter translate into a general love of reading? Is Harry Potter so spectacularly head and shoulders above the rest of the literary pack? Well, not really. Harry Potter is well written and well crafted, but that's simply on par with most other fantasy fiction. I think the difference is the marketing.

Harry Potter is a marketing phenomenon, and in our herd-like trend-following jump-on-the-latest-bandwagon society, this creates an unusual situation. Children who've never seen the inside of a bookstore before, let alone a public library, are dressed up in costumes and carted off to the bookstore with the flashiest launch party for each Harry Potter. Since the books are good, and because of the collective pressure to have read Harry, the children read the books. They enjoy them tremendously, but they don't take their newfound love of reading any farther than Harry.

You see, unless a movie is made, there isn't really any marketing for books other than Harry Potter. The Lord of the Rings is now a great movie trilogy, and lo and behold, kids are reading Lord of the Rings. But they're not reading The Hobbit. Since the only thing they know about books is the advertising for Harry Potter, children don't realize that when they're done with Harry, more entertainment awaits them in their local bookstore or library.

The problem isn't that there aren't good books out there. I have hundreds of great adventures on the shelves lining the walls of my home. The problem is that our society doesn't encourage a culture of reading in the home. Right from the time they're toddlers, instead of reading to their children, parents are dropping them in front of the TV to watch the latest DVD. In our schools, the curriculum and demands on teachers are so heavy that many teachers don't feel they have the time to read long books out loud to their classes, or to design lessons around good literature. Of course, in school, most reading is considered "work". Teachers are pressured to constantly assess, measure, evaluate; so children are too seldom encouraged to read for the simple pleasure of reading. Giving children a love of reading is best done at home.

How do we create a culture of reading, so that kids know where to go beyond Harry? It's easier than you think. Read out loud to your children from the very beginning. Read them interesting books, not poorly-written drivel that will turn their brains to mush. Keep a dictionary at hand, and when they don't know a word, tell them to look it up. Long words are interesting. They're the meat of our language. The short high-frequency words emphasized in schools are the mere bones.

Take your children to the public library on a regular basis. Make it an adventure. Make it a family tradition they look forward to each week. Regular trips to the library (and the bakery next door) with my Mom are something I remember fondly from childhood. The library was my second home back then, and now that I'm an adult, my home has become a library. Speaking of adults, you also need to practice what you preach. Children won't become avid readers if they never see anyone at home reading a book. You have to model behaviour for them. If they see you reading on a regular basis, if they can talk about books with you, then they'll become readers. Simple as that.

Some reading resources:

teacher.markcarter.info

Helping your child to read

Vivicam 3545 Digital Camera

2005-02-01T01:57:00.000-05:00

Recently I bought a Vivitar Vivicam 3545 digital camera for $40 CDN. Shopping around, comparably priced cameras were limited to 640x480 and only had 8 MB memory.

The 3545 is a 1.3 megapixel (1280x1024) camera with 16 MB memory. It's a stick design, meaning you hold it vertically to take pictures. It's kind of neat, because it lets you take pictures one-handed, with either hand. That should be good for taking pictures while doing sports.

The pictures it takes are pretty good, so long as the lighting is good and bright. There's no flash on this unit, which means it's limited to outdoor and well-lighted events.

The 16 MB memory lets me keep a fair number of pictures depending on resolution and compression (JPEG) settings. Depending on settings, the camera can store anywhere from 20 to 250 pictures. Since this camera acts as a USB mass storage device in Windows, it's nice and easy to copy pictures off the camera.

The PhotoSuite software included looks fairly comprehensive, with nice features like automatic photo touchup, and the capability to remove wrinkles and blemishes.

My only real criticism of the camera is that every time you turn it on, it defaults to high-resolution high-quality mode (least memory-efficient) instead of remembering previous settings. It takes a couple seconds to switch modes to get more capacity, but this is balanced by the 3545 being pretty much an instant-on camera.

If all you need is a basic point and shoot camera, I think the Vivicam 3545 is pretty good value for the money. It's compact enough to carry around all the time, and it can produce great looking pictures, particularly if your pictures will usually be displayed on a screen.

Update: A fairly critical design flaw has reared its ugly head. This camera won't work with standard rechargeable batteries, not even high-capacity NiMH. I was, however, able to get it to work with rechargeable alkalines, which is good but not ideal. It's a rather poor design when a product won't work with rechargeable batteries. Right up there with stupid design decisions like making products that work with odd numbers of batteries. Since batteries are charged in pairs, that makes charging a pain.

What's on my Flash Drive

2005-01-20T20:53:00.000-05:00

I received a 256MB Sandisk Cruzer Micro flash drive for Christmas. I've been slowly loading it up with stuff (an ongoing process), trying to think of creative uses for it.

Here's what's on it so far:

A README.TXT file containing contact info in case I lose the flash drive.
A 20MB 128-bit Blowfish encrypted Cryptainer volume. The cryptainer volume houses my Data directory.
An unsecured data directory called Lore.
A Books directory containing eReader, a couple of Palm Doc books, and a couple of PDF books.
A MP3 directory with Coolplayer in it (but no MP3s yet).
A Games directory containing Asteroids, Tetris (both from Neave.com), and Chess-It.
A Utils directory with 7za.exe, Upx, MD5Sum, Split32, Nano, and GnuPG.
A Tools directory containing installers for AntiVir, Spybot S&D, Adaware, Firefox, Miranda, Putty, 7-Zip, Irfanview, and AxCrypt.

Any standalone executables on the drive, such as the games or utilities, have been compressed with UPX so that they use up only half as much space.

I've been thinking about putting portable versions of Firefox and other programs on the drive, but I don't want to put excessive wear on it. It's easy to carry an installer and "upgrade" any computer that doesn't have a program I need, and keeping portable working versions would take up a lot of space. As it is, I've got room to carry around some big files (like OpenOffice) and still have lots of room to spare (over 100 MB). I might try putting a copy of Slax on the drive for fun.

So, do you have any interesting uses for your flash drive?

Tsunami Death Toll a Drop in the Bucket

2005-01-05T08:47:00.000-05:00

Without a doubt, 140,000 deaths so far is certainly a tragedy. In the localities affected, the death toll and physical destruction certainly constitute a disaster.

However, on a global scale, this is not even a drop in the bucket. In fact, it's not even unusual.

There are roughly 6,000,000,000 (6 billion) people living on Earth today. To make even a minor (1%) dent in the population, we'd need to have 60,000,000 (60 million) people die.

If we inflate the tsunami numbers to 600,000 dead, that's a mere 1/100th of 1% of the world's population. If we inflate them to 6,000,000, we're still only up to 1/10 of 1% of the population.

In the time since the tsunami, roughly the same number of people have died of AIDS. Hundreds of millions of people around the world are living in abject poverty, starving, and diseased.

Where is the world's compassion for those people? It's sickening to watch the news. Ongoing problems in the world are blithely ignored, but as long as you've got a good sound bite or video clip to go with your tragedy, North Americans will cry on the news and go on and on about compassion and the need for relief funds. It shouldn't be surprising, I suppose. This myopic vision is a defining characteristic of human society.

Burgeoning human population and enthusiastic use of technology without thought of consequences has thrown the Earth's ecosystem as a whole out of balance. In just the past hundred years, humans have accounted for countless extinctions of plant and animal species, changed the Earth's climate, and dramatically increased our own population.

In many ways, natural disasters such as extreme weather (from hurricanes to droughts), earthquakes, and outbreaks of new and old diseases, can be interpreted as Mother Nature trying to restore balance to the Earth.

As a species, we need to wake up and start treating our home with respect. We have to curtail population growth, and live in a sustainable manner. We also need to devise effective solutions to ongoing problems in the world.

Otherwise we're playing chicken with Mother Nature, and we're going to be unprepared when she decides to make a major correction to human population.

What to expect from this blog...

2005-01-04T16:12:00.000-05:00

I've had my own web sites for years (since 1995... they started as gopher sites), and mostly they're done by hand (HTML in Notepad). Recently I was researching some modern tools to update the look of my web pages (Web Page Maker has a beautiful interface), and I ended up researching blogs. Then I discovered Blogger.

Blogger was so amazingly simple, and the templates created such beautiful sites, that I had to start my own blog. In fact, the blog solved an old problem for me. Originally my sites were intended to be more blog-like, but I found I needed them to provide static information. So, a blog is a perfect complement to those static sites (see my sidebar).

So, on abstract intuitive (named because that's the mode my brain works in most of the time) you'll find all sorts of stuff. I don't intend it to focus on a particular topic at this time. I'll just meander a bit and hope what I write is interesting to somebody. I'll do my best not to let it become too vapid. In general, I'll post specific stand-alone articles that can be referenced rather than wishy-washy stream of consciousness stuff.