Web/Tech

  • Shopping Smarter: Where to Find the Best Deals this Season

    Here is a list of shopping tools that can save you money and time.

    These are sites I've used myself and was happy about using.  Please let me know if you have additions or suggestions.

    The suggestions fall into several main categories: Deals, Price Comparison, and Phone Apps.

    Deals:


    Price Comparison:


    Phone Apps:


    Honorable Mentions: Other Resources Worth Checking

  • Jump Point: How Network Culture is Revolutionizing Business

    This is a compelling book.  The title refers to a change in the environment, so startling that we have no choice but to re-group and re-think the future.

    When it happens, everything changes and the old trusted rules of the road to go out the window.

    The book hype says: The Web 3.0 world of “pandemic economics” is a new economy that will
    function outside the traditional laws of commerce, free from today's
    impediments to business growth, and in a world where every person is
    connected to each other. Jump Point will help you to challenge old assumptions, re-think your business
    models, and take advantage of this fast-moving, unfettered, and
    fiercely competitive environment.

    When Does It Happen?

    The economic history of the world is punctuated by Jump Points. The tricky part has been identifying them at the right time.

    Very often, we mistake the arrival of a stunning new invention for the Jump Point.  It is easy to get mesmerized by a new innovation, and to think the world has changed the day a new technology leaves the lab. But that is rarely, if ever, the case. That is not the Jump Point.

    Instead, technology revolution is a fitful process. New technologies take time to be absorbed, diffused and adopted. We are a curious species; it is human nature to tinker, and experiment, test, and play. And most inventions improve with application, adoption, and time. Therefore, most Jump Points occur well after the enthusiasm settles and the parade has passed.

    Real Jump Points most often arrive after we grow complacent about that invention, when the technology becomes routine and unremarkable, after the novelty has worn off and the technology has gone mainstream. It is then that rapid change finally happens.  Interesting.

    Jump Point: How Network Culture is Revolutionizing Business

  • Jump Point: How Network Culture is Revolutionizing Business

    This is a compelling book.  The title refers to a change in the environment, so startling that we have no choice but to re-group and re-think the future.

    When it happens, everything changes and the old trusted rules of the road to go out the window.

    The book hype says: The Web 3.0 world of “pandemic economics” is a new economy that will
    function outside the traditional laws of commerce, free from today's
    impediments to business growth, and in a world where every person is
    connected to each other. Jump Point will help you to challenge old assumptions, re-think your business
    models, and take advantage of this fast-moving, unfettered, and
    fiercely competitive environment.

    When Does It Happen?

    The economic history of the world is punctuated by Jump Points. The tricky part has been identifying them at the right time.

    Very often, we mistake the arrival of a stunning new invention for the Jump Point.  It is easy to get mesmerized by a new innovation, and to think the world has changed the day a new technology leaves the lab. But that is rarely, if ever, the case. That is not the Jump Point.

    Instead, technology revolution is a fitful process. New technologies take time to be absorbed, diffused and adopted. We are a curious species; it is human nature to tinker, and experiment, test, and play. And most inventions improve with application, adoption, and time. Therefore, most Jump Points occur well after the enthusiasm settles and the parade has passed.

    Real Jump Points most often arrive after we grow complacent about that invention, when the technology becomes routine and unremarkable, after the novelty has worn off and the technology has gone mainstream. It is then that rapid change finally happens.  Interesting.

    Jump Point: How Network Culture is Revolutionizing Business

  • Microsoft’s Surprising Windows 7 Promotion

    091031 Win 7 Burger King AdMicrosoft released Windows 7 last week.

    Being an early adopter, I found this exciting, challenging, and frustrating all in the same week.

    Speaking of Windows 7, I saw an interesting ad where Microsoft was promoting the launch in Japan through a cross-promotion with Burger King. Here's the ad.

    Who knew that the best way to promote a new operating system and your expected user experience was with seven congealing meat patties and the smell of onions? 

    Maybe Apple took out that ad?

    This is almost as funny as their Songsmith ads.

  • Microsoft’s Surprising Windows 7 Promotion

    091031 Win 7 Burger King AdMicrosoft released Windows 7 last week.

    Being an early adopter, I found this exciting, challenging, and frustrating all in the same week.

    Speaking of Windows 7, I saw an interesting ad where Microsoft was promoting the launch in Japan through a cross-promotion with Burger King. Here's the ad.

    Who knew that the best way to promote a new operating system and your expected user experience was with seven congealing meat patties and the smell of onions? 

    Maybe Apple took out that ad?

    This is almost as funny as their Songsmith ads.

  • RoboForm: the Best Password Manager and Form-Filler

    091031 RoboForm logo Here's something that I use many times, every day, and still think is a terrific piece of software.

    Besides completely automating password entry and form-filling, RoboForm it allows you to: 

    This tool will save you time and help keep you safe on an increasingly dangerous web. Here is a screenshot of the toolbar it installs in your browser.

     091031 RoboForm Screenshot

    There is no need to remember passwords anymore … and even better, it keeps track of web addresses too (like bank and credit-card sites or any site you need to enter your member credentials). Type a few letters into the RoboForm search bar, click the website it suggests, then it takes you to the appropriate address and fills in the log-in credentials, automatically. It's fast, safe, and easy.

    091031 RoboForm Awards Lots of Ways to Use It.

    RoboForm has a version that runs from a USB stick (so you can take it with you anywhere and use it without installing anything on someone else's computer). There are also versions for various smart-phones, including the iPhone. In addition, it links to their tremendous file synchronization tool, which is also worth taking a look at.

    RoboForm was named PC Magazine Editor's Choice, and CNET Download.com's Software of the Year.

    I've used this software for many years, and watched it get better and smarter. The author never tried to charge an upgrade fee, and continues to add new features and more intelligent algorithms to fill-out web forms as they continue to evolve.

    All-in-all, this is a high-quality utility worth having on your computer. Hope that helps.

  • RoboForm: the Best Password Manager and Form-Filler

    091031 RoboForm logo Here's something that I use many times, every day, and still think is a terrific piece of software.

    Besides completely automating password entry and form-filling, RoboForm it allows you to: 

    This tool will save you time and help keep you safe on an increasingly dangerous web. Here is a screenshot of the toolbar it installs in your browser.

     091031 RoboForm Screenshot

    There is no need to remember passwords anymore … and even better, it keeps track of web addresses too (like bank and credit-card sites or any site you need to enter your member credentials). Type a few letters into the RoboForm search bar, click the website it suggests, then it takes you to the appropriate address and fills in the log-in credentials, automatically. It's fast, safe, and easy.

    091031 RoboForm Awards Lots of Ways to Use It.

    RoboForm has a version that runs from a USB stick (so you can take it with you anywhere and use it without installing anything on someone else's computer). There are also versions for various smart-phones, including the iPhone. In addition, it links to their tremendous file synchronization tool, which is also worth taking a look at.

    RoboForm was named PC Magazine Editor's Choice, and CNET Download.com's Software of the Year.

    I've used this software for many years, and watched it get better and smarter. The author never tried to charge an upgrade fee, and continues to add new features and more intelligent algorithms to fill-out web forms as they continue to evolve.

    All-in-all, this is a high-quality utility worth having on your computer. Hope that helps.

  • New Version 4 of Shift Happens Video

    091025 the Getson Boys Last week I wrote that my son (and his generation) won't communicate the way we do.

    For example, he used 9,827 text messages and 564 MB of data on his phone this month.

    I'm not going to pretend that I understand how I would use that many messages … But I'm beginning to understand that he does.

    A decade ago, I couldn't have conceived the way we use trading technology today.  The scope and scale of what's possible would have seemed like an improbable science fiction plot.

    And that is the point.  Some things seem like nonsense (or magic), until they become science and way things are done.

    New Version 4 of Shift Happens Video

    Fascinating presentation of facts, stats, and insights about how technology (like the internet) has been changing the world. Some of the tech that we take for granted is now at an inflection point because of the sheer mass of late-adopters.

    It is worth watching and thinking about … as someone living in these
    changing times … and in terms of how these changing times shift the
    game and create a whole new set of opportunities.

    While similar to the post on how Social Media is changing everything … this presentation focuses on the bigger picture and has a more general business tone. 

    I like the new
    design and the added content; yet, found the music a bit distracting.

    We are moving forward more quickly than ever.  What you thought you knew about the
    economy, technology, innovation, and the world are probably
    out-of-date. I can't wait to see what comes next.

    090109 Did You Know

  • New Version 4 of Shift Happens Video

    091025 the Getson Boys Last week I wrote that my son (and his generation) won't communicate the way we do.

    For example, he used 9,827 text messages and 564 MB of data on his phone this month.

    I'm not going to pretend that I understand how I would use that many messages … But I'm beginning to understand that he does.

    A decade ago, I couldn't have conceived the way we use trading technology today.  The scope and scale of what's possible would have seemed like an improbable science fiction plot.

    And that is the point.  Some things seem like nonsense (or magic), until they become science and way things are done.

    New Version 4 of Shift Happens Video

    Fascinating presentation of facts, stats, and insights about how technology (like the internet) has been changing the world. Some of the tech that we take for granted is now at an inflection point because of the sheer mass of late-adopters.

    It is worth watching and thinking about … as someone living in these
    changing times … and in terms of how these changing times shift the
    game and create a whole new set of opportunities.

    While similar to the post on how Social Media is changing everything … this presentation focuses on the bigger picture and has a more general business tone. 

    I like the new
    design and the added content; yet, found the music a bit distracting.

    We are moving forward more quickly than ever.  What you thought you knew about the
    economy, technology, innovation, and the world are probably
    out-of-date. I can't wait to see what comes next.

    090109 Did You Know

  • Sparks of Innovation

    Here is a video reminder that a small insight can make possible radically different results.

    Was this just a proof of concept … or will it be the catalyst to more.  To some it might be little more than science fiction … to others it may have been the open door to something completely new and different.

    Thoughts Do Become Things. 

    Here is an example where a simple text-book idea really transformed lives.  And it is a good story.

    William Kamkwamba, from Malawi, is a born inventor. When he was 14, he built an electricity-producing windmill from spare parts and scrap, working from rough plans he found in a library book called "Using Energy" and modifying them to fit his needs. The windmill he built powers four lights and two radios in his family home. Now it is changing his homeland.

    Here is a link to more about William Kamkwamba and his TedTalk Videos.

    Here is a link to the book: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope.