Web/Tech

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Here are the iPhone Business Apps I Use Most

    This week I'm listing the iPhone business and productivity apps that I find worth using.
    Click here to explore last week's list of the fun stuff.

    At first I wanted to create a list of the coolest iPhone apps. However, cool doesn't necessarily mean useful. Instead, this is a list of the applications that I use most. I limited myself to the top two applications per category.

    For more information about these applications, click the links to go to the developer's site.  Even if you don't have an iPhone, check-out the links to see what is
    available.  I am amazed at how much of my computing and basic research
    are now done on my phone (as opposed to laptop or desktop computers).

    Stock Market Info

    090919 iPhone Apps

    Business News

    General News

    Reference

    To-Do Lists

    Calculators

    Conversions

    Ideas

    Travel

    That's it for now.  Let me know if I forgot your favorite or you found something worth sharing.

  • Here are the iPhone Business Apps I Use Most

    This week I'm listing the iPhone business and productivity apps that I find worth using.
    Click here to explore last week's list of the fun stuff.

    At first I wanted to create a list of the coolest iPhone apps. However, cool doesn't necessarily mean useful. Instead, this is a list of the applications that I use most. I limited myself to the top two applications per category.

    For more information about these applications, click the links to go to the developer's site.  Even if you don't have an iPhone, check-out the links to see what is
    available.  I am amazed at how much of my computing and basic research
    are now done on my phone (as opposed to laptop or desktop computers).

    Stock Market Info

    090919 iPhone Apps

    Business News

    General News

    Reference

    To-Do Lists

    Calculators

    Conversions

    Ideas

    Travel

    That's it for now.  Let me know if I forgot your favorite or you found something worth sharing.

  • Capitalogix Commentary 09/20/09

    Another week of strong performance by the markets leaves me searching for clues and signs of weakness. It's not that I don't like how the markets are reacting; because this has been a nice traders market. However, trading is about risk management and doing your best to recognize fear or greed.

    So, one of the indicators I use to probe beneath the surface of the market is a measure of what the largest traders, Mutual Funds, are doing. There is a phrase that explains this well. Elephants leave tracks.

    090920 Mutual Fund Selling

    As you can see, while the markets continue to make new highs, Long-term mutual fund investors have reversed this month; selling shares, rather than dumping money in. Based on the first two weeks of the month, September's outflows will be bigger than the inflows seen in the last three months combined.

    It's not surprising that commercial traders are far less bullish than retail investors at this point of the rally.  This Dilbert cartoon sums up the way traders have been playing: "Forage during daylight and Hide at Night."

    090920 Dilbert Forage By Day and Hide at Night

    More telling, perhaps, is that company insiders have been doing their best to sell recently. For example, in August, each dollar of insider buying was dramatically overshadowed by $30 of insider selling.  Here is a chart from Insidercow showing how bearish insiders are right now.

    090920 Insiders Selling Not Buying

    Another indicator of indecision shown by the Japanese candlestick pattern called a Doji. It forms when the market opens and closes at approximately the same price, despite having gone higher and lower throughout the day. It indicates a fundamental disagreement between buyers and sellers, and as you can see by the chart below, often marks a reversal point.  In the daily chart of the NASDAQ, below, I marked Doji reversals.

    090920 NasdaqDoji

    None of this means that the market is going to make new lows. Instead, they're just clues. In my experience though, it's better to prepare for a storm before it hits. If it passes without incident, the planning and preparation are probably still worthwhile.

    If remember the every trade is the result of a disagreement, someone is betting that the price will go up, while someone else is betting that prices going down. Being able to see a trade from both perspectives is a good skill to develop. If you're bullish right now, use the opportunity to understand what a short seller might be seeing at this point in time. And if you're convinced the market is going down, then remember the adage don't fight the Fed and how important sentiment is. Look for areas of breakout to the upside.

    Business Posts Moving the Markets that I Found Interesting This Week:

    Lighter Ideas and Fun Links that I Found Interesting This Week

  • Capitalogix Commentary 09/20/09

    Another week of strong performance by the markets leaves me searching for clues and signs of weakness. It's not that I don't like how the markets are reacting; because this has been a nice traders market. However, trading is about risk management and doing your best to recognize fear or greed.

    So, one of the indicators I use to probe beneath the surface of the market is a measure of what the largest traders, Mutual Funds, are doing. There is a phrase that explains this well. Elephants leave tracks.

    090920 Mutual Fund Selling

    As you can see, while the markets continue to make new highs, Long-term mutual fund investors have reversed this month; selling shares, rather than dumping money in. Based on the first two weeks of the month, September's outflows will be bigger than the inflows seen in the last three months combined.

    It's not surprising that commercial traders are far less bullish than retail investors at this point of the rally.  This Dilbert cartoon sums up the way traders have been playing: "Forage during daylight and Hide at Night."

    090920 Dilbert Forage By Day and Hide at Night

    More telling, perhaps, is that company insiders have been doing their best to sell recently. For example, in August, each dollar of insider buying was dramatically overshadowed by $30 of insider selling.  Here is a chart from Insidercow showing how bearish insiders are right now.

    090920 Insiders Selling Not Buying

    Another indicator of indecision shown by the Japanese candlestick pattern called a Doji. It forms when the market opens and closes at approximately the same price, despite having gone higher and lower throughout the day. It indicates a fundamental disagreement between buyers and sellers, and as you can see by the chart below, often marks a reversal point.  In the daily chart of the NASDAQ, below, I marked Doji reversals.

    090920 NasdaqDoji

    None of this means that the market is going to make new lows. Instead, they're just clues. In my experience though, it's better to prepare for a storm before it hits. If it passes without incident, the planning and preparation are probably still worthwhile.

    If remember the every trade is the result of a disagreement, someone is betting that the price will go up, while someone else is betting that prices going down. Being able to see a trade from both perspectives is a good skill to develop. If you're bullish right now, use the opportunity to understand what a short seller might be seeing at this point in time. And if you're convinced the market is going down, then remember the adage don't fight the Fed and how important sentiment is. Look for areas of breakout to the upside.

    Business Posts Moving the Markets that I Found Interesting This Week:

    Lighter Ideas and Fun Links that I Found Interesting This Week

  • Here’s a List of Fun iPhone Apps Worth Using

    I wanted to create a list of the coolest iPhone apps. However, cool doesn't necessarily mean useful. Instead, this is a list of the applications that I use most.

    This week I'm listing the lighter and more fun iPhone apps.  Here is the link to the list the business and productivity apps that I use most.

    I limited myself to the top two applications per category.  Hope you find some cool stuff in here.

    Social Media

    Food & Fun Finders

    090913 iPhone Apps

    Games: Strategy

    Games: Puzzle

    Games: Pattern Matching

    Games: Text

    Music

    Photo Fun

    Health & Fitness

    Relaxation

    Sports News

    Shopping

    Even if you don't have an iPhone, check-out the links to see what is available.  I am amazed at how much of my computing and basic research are now done on a Smartphone.

    That's it for now.  Let me know if I forgot your favorite or you found something worth sharing.