Web/Tech

  • TechTracker is Worth a Look

    090830 TechTracker Logo Staying up-to-date just got a little easier.  CNet launched a new service that scans your PC and checks your installed programs to see if updates are available to you.

    I tried TechTracker and found it to be fast, accurate and helpful.  They are coming out with a Mac version soon.  Here is an example screenshot showing what it alerted me to update.

    090830 TechTracker Scan

    Other Info:

    I use a few other services, like this, that are worth a look also.

  • PC Prices – An Offer I Couldn’t Refuse

    Does it make sense to try and fix a broken PC?  I used to think so; now I’m not so sure.

    I’m often early adopter of technology. That’s kind of code for “I’ve had to reformat my computer many times over many years”. And when it came to hardware, let’s just say that the local CompUSA people smiled when I walked in the door. I love technology; and it seems that I never met a faster video card, bigger hard drive, or clever invention that I didn’t want to buy.

    Your Rules of Thumb May Be 090802 PC Retailers Out-Dated.  Mine Were.

    Over the years, I developed a strategy for acquiring new computers.
    I typically bought the absolute top-of-the-line, as soon as the second
    version of it came out. Oh, I bought many when the first version came
    out; but that’s how I developed a strategy to buy one-step back from
    the newest and best.

    A lot has changed in the PC industry.  For example, our local CompUSA and Circuit City stores are now closed, and today I got a pretty good idea why that happened.

    My laptop finally gave out; and all of my software utilities, Internet searches and efforts had failed to bring it back to life. My wife made me promise to go get a new machine before I drove myself (or her) crazy.

    What Kind of Deals are Available Today?

    So this morning I walked into my local Best Buy determined to find a worthy replacement. I was quite surprised to find that I walked out the door with a brand-new laptop, much more powerful than the one that had broken, for less than $500.

    I also found a desktop machine with Intel’s newest chip, 9-gigs of memory and a terabyte hard disk for about $1,000.

    That means hardware is becoming disposable. There comes a point where it’s literally not worth trying to fix something, or re-load an operating system and your programs to make something work reasonably well, when you can upgrade to a newer more stable platform for so little money.

    What Does This Mean For You?

    The point is technology is now cheap enough that you should look at your business and think about the point of diminishing returns. Which machines are calling-out to you that they are past their prime, and it’s time to replace them with something new?

    The PC manufacturers are trying to get rid of their Vista machines … because the new Windows 7 operating system officially comes out this fall. I recommend you take this opportunity to investigate what is out there … and bring some of it home.

  • PC Prices – An Offer I Couldn’t Refuse

    Does it make sense to try and fix a broken PC?  I used to think so; now I’m not so sure.

    I’m often early adopter of technology. That’s kind of code for “I’ve had to reformat my computer many times over many years”. And when it came to hardware, let’s just say that the local CompUSA people smiled when I walked in the door. I love technology; and it seems that I never met a faster video card, bigger hard drive, or clever invention that I didn’t want to buy.

    Your Rules of Thumb May Be 090802 PC Retailers Out-Dated.  Mine Were.

    Over the years, I developed a strategy for acquiring new computers.
    I typically bought the absolute top-of-the-line, as soon as the second
    version of it came out. Oh, I bought many when the first version came
    out; but that’s how I developed a strategy to buy one-step back from
    the newest and best.

    A lot has changed in the PC industry.  For example, our local CompUSA and Circuit City stores are now closed, and today I got a pretty good idea why that happened.

    My laptop finally gave out; and all of my software utilities, Internet searches and efforts had failed to bring it back to life. My wife made me promise to go get a new machine before I drove myself (or her) crazy.

    What Kind of Deals are Available Today?

    So this morning I walked into my local Best Buy determined to find a worthy replacement. I was quite surprised to find that I walked out the door with a brand-new laptop, much more powerful than the one that had broken, for less than $500.

    I also found a desktop machine with Intel’s newest chip, 9-gigs of memory and a terabyte hard disk for about $1,000.

    That means hardware is becoming disposable. There comes a point where it’s literally not worth trying to fix something, or re-load an operating system and your programs to make something work reasonably well, when you can upgrade to a newer more stable platform for so little money.

    What Does This Mean For You?

    The point is technology is now cheap enough that you should look at your business and think about the point of diminishing returns. Which machines are calling-out to you that they are past their prime, and it’s time to replace them with something new?

    The PC manufacturers are trying to get rid of their Vista machines … because the new Windows 7 operating system officially comes out this fall. I recommend you take this opportunity to investigate what is out there … and bring some of it home.

  • Xobni: Looking at Your Inbox Backwards

    I think Xobni is a great tool.  Here is a video demo showing how it can help you.

    Microsoft Outlook is one of the most important computer programs that I use. I say this because so much of my day is spent interacting with it.

    I'm not the kind of person who watches for each incoming e-mail message, and constantly re-prioritizes my day. Nonetheless, I subscribe to a number of newsletters and alert services, and interact with many people throughout the day (some via e-mail, others by phone). That means Outlook is my hub, and I find myself there many times a day. So finding tools to help organize, search, and make better use of this type of information better is  important to me.

    090802 Xobni Logo One of the tools that I've come to rely on is called Xobni. In case you're not familiar with it, that spells "in-box", only backwards. And the reason is that it gives you a totally different perspective on your in-box and how you access and manage your personal information.

    This tool has gone through several iterations, and I consider it fairly mature. It adds the ability to see all the information about the person who sent you an e-mail including all prior e-mails, their contact information,  a live link to their Linked-In and Facebook information streams; any files exchanged, a list of related contacts, and a bunch of other features. Rather than try to describe all that for you here. Take a look at the video; it does a pretty good job of explaining why this can save you time and make your experience with Outlook easier and more productive.

    090802

    Here is a link to Xobni's Product Page.

    Here is the announcement of Xobni Plus.

  • Xobni: Looking at Your Inbox Backwards

    I think Xobni is a great tool.  Here is a video demo showing how it can help you.

    Microsoft Outlook is one of the most important computer programs that I use. I say this because so much of my day is spent interacting with it.

    I'm not the kind of person who watches for each incoming e-mail message, and constantly re-prioritizes my day. Nonetheless, I subscribe to a number of newsletters and alert services, and interact with many people throughout the day (some via e-mail, others by phone). That means Outlook is my hub, and I find myself there many times a day. So finding tools to help organize, search, and make better use of this type of information better is  important to me.

    090802 Xobni Logo One of the tools that I've come to rely on is called Xobni. In case you're not familiar with it, that spells "in-box", only backwards. And the reason is that it gives you a totally different perspective on your in-box and how you access and manage your personal information.

    This tool has gone through several iterations, and I consider it fairly mature. It adds the ability to see all the information about the person who sent you an e-mail including all prior e-mails, their contact information,  a live link to their Linked-In and Facebook information streams; any files exchanged, a list of related contacts, and a bunch of other features. Rather than try to describe all that for you here. Take a look at the video; it does a pretty good job of explaining why this can save you time and make your experience with Outlook easier and more productive.

    090802

    Here is a link to Xobni's Product Page.

    Here is the announcement of Xobni Plus.

  • Bezos’ Video About the Zappos Acquisition

    Amazon acquired Zappos this week.  What follows is a terrific video where Jeff Bezos says he shares “Everything I Know” about business, and offers a peek inside the entrepreneurial spirit and culture of Amazon.

    The four main points are:

    Obsess Over Customers. While they pay attention to the competitive marketplace, they don’t let competitors determine what they do. Instead, it is the customer that drives their strategy.

    Invent. A critical part of what Amazon does is to invent solutions for, and on behalf of, their customers.

    Think Long-Term. Amazon strategists take a long-term perspective. They are willing to take actions that quickly offer benefits to customers, even if those actions don’t offer a pay-off for the company or its investors for five to seven years.

    It’s Always Day One. There is always a bigger future and more opportunities to invent for customers. It’s never over, or too late.

    Yes, it is a simple list.  Still, it is worth watching. 

    It gave me a sense that Amazon not only preaches these principles, but practices them as well.

    Also, here is a link to Zappos’ CEO, Tony Hsieh’s letter about the acquisition.

    And here is a link to Four Questions About the Acquisition.

  • Bezos’ Video About the Zappos Acquisition

    Amazon acquired Zappos this week.  What follows is a terrific video where Jeff Bezos says he shares “Everything I Know” about business, and offers a peek inside the entrepreneurial spirit and culture of Amazon.

    The four main points are:

    Obsess Over Customers. While they pay attention to the competitive marketplace, they don’t let competitors determine what they do. Instead, it is the customer that drives their strategy.

    Invent. A critical part of what Amazon does is to invent solutions for, and on behalf of, their customers.

    Think Long-Term. Amazon strategists take a long-term perspective. They are willing to take actions that quickly offer benefits to customers, even if those actions don’t offer a pay-off for the company or its investors for five to seven years.

    It’s Always Day One. There is always a bigger future and more opportunities to invent for customers. It’s never over, or too late.

    Yes, it is a simple list.  Still, it is worth watching. 

    It gave me a sense that Amazon not only preaches these principles, but practices them as well.

    Also, here is a link to Zappos’ CEO, Tony Hsieh’s letter about the acquisition.

    And here is a link to Four Questions About the Acquisition.

  • Impressions About the New iPhone

    Hello, my name is Howard; and I'm a gadget addict. This week I went out and upgraded to the new Apple iPhone 3GS, even though my 3G worked fine. I had to, though; didn't I?

    090712 iPhone impressions It's the fastest, most powerful iPhone yet. It has video, and my old phone didn't have video. It has a compass; and you know I need a compass. Okay, I don't need a compass; but apparently the new turn-by-turn mapping capability needs a compass to understand which direction you're turning (and that's pretty cool). It has voice control to dial the phone, play music, and otherwise avoid typing. And it has double the storage capacity, which I'm sure still won't be enough.

    Actually, I'm very happy with the new phone and the upgrade process. I connected it to my computer, and all the applications and settings from my prior version migrated all by themselves. Even the high score lists for games I play transferred. More importantly, the phone does everything I expected, and seems faster.

    And, of course, I no longer have iPhone envy. The fact that I waited a week after it came out to order mine took amazing willpower. I thought about it so many times that it was no longer worth it to wait. So Happy Birthday to me, a few weeks early.

    Joking aside, the iPhone has become an important business tool for me. I am more surprised about how much less I use my laptop, than I am about how much I use the iPhone.

    Even when I'm in a meeting, I have access to the internet. I can search Google.  Or even better, I can use Twitter or Facebook to crowd-source an answer. It's almost like being able to "Call a Friend" or "Ask the Audience" on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire".

    One of the features I like best, is being able to use my voice instead of typing. So, I can quickly look-up a contact by saying their name. It's surprising how many places voice control like this comes in handy. For example, Google has an iPhone application that allows you to search by speaking. So I could speak an address, and the Google map comes up. Or, I could say "stock price for Apple", and the current quote and chart comes up. Similarly, I use an application called Jott to verbally capture tasks, ideas, and to-do items. The service transcribes what I say and puts it into my task list. It's important because I'm now capturing things that used to slip through the cracks.

    I'll review some of the more helpful iPhone applications in a later post. In the meantime, if you don't have the new iPhone, I recommend you go check them out. It's a very fine piece of technology.

  • Impressions About the New iPhone

    Hello, my name is Howard; and I'm a gadget addict. This week I went out and upgraded to the new Apple iPhone 3GS, even though my 3G worked fine. I had to, though; didn't I?

    090712 iPhone impressions It's the fastest, most powerful iPhone yet. It has video, and my old phone didn't have video. It has a compass; and you know I need a compass. Okay, I don't need a compass; but apparently the new turn-by-turn mapping capability needs a compass to understand which direction you're turning (and that's pretty cool). It has voice control to dial the phone, play music, and otherwise avoid typing. And it has double the storage capacity, which I'm sure still won't be enough.

    Actually, I'm very happy with the new phone and the upgrade process. I connected it to my computer, and all the applications and settings from my prior version migrated all by themselves. Even the high score lists for games I play transferred. More importantly, the phone does everything I expected, and seems faster.

    And, of course, I no longer have iPhone envy. The fact that I waited a week after it came out to order mine took amazing willpower. I thought about it so many times that it was no longer worth it to wait. So Happy Birthday to me, a few weeks early.

    Joking aside, the iPhone has become an important business tool for me. I am more surprised about how much less I use my laptop, than I am about how much I use the iPhone.

    Even when I'm in a meeting, I have access to the internet. I can search Google.  Or even better, I can use Twitter or Facebook to crowd-source an answer. It's almost like being able to "Call a Friend" or "Ask the Audience" on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire".

    One of the features I like best, is being able to use my voice instead of typing. So, I can quickly look-up a contact by saying their name. It's surprising how many places voice control like this comes in handy. For example, Google has an iPhone application that allows you to search by speaking. So I could speak an address, and the Google map comes up. Or, I could say "stock price for Apple", and the current quote and chart comes up. Similarly, I use an application called Jott to verbally capture tasks, ideas, and to-do items. The service transcribes what I say and puts it into my task list. It's important because I'm now capturing things that used to slip through the cracks.

    I'll review some of the more helpful iPhone applications in a later post. In the meantime, if you don't have the new iPhone, I recommend you go check them out. It's a very fine piece of technology.

  • Capitalogix Commentary 07/12/09

    Obama told the G8 that the "World has Staved Off Economic Disaster." So, it's all good now.  You are safe to jump back in the pool.  If there was still risk, he couldn't have said that in front of world leaders, right?

    Is This the New Normal … Or Just the Calm Before the Storm?

    Here is a chart that shows how volatility has reduced recently.  Putting on my curmudgeon hat for a moment, I remember the old trader's adage that lack of volatility begets volatility.

    090711 Volatility is Down

    That chart whispers "beware the calm before the storm" to me.  Others may see a return to normal.  What do you think?

    A Look At the Markets.

    The markets have given back close to 25% of their recent gains in the last four weeks. In many respects that was a healthy move. The news has been bad enough that I expected a bigger and steeper downswing.

    Also, there's been a lot of talk about the potential of a head and shoulders top. But when you look at a composite of the five U.S. Equity Indices (shown in the bottom-half of the chart, below), we haven't broken the neckline, yet.

    In addition, the 200-day moving average (red line) continues to provide support. If we don't have a sustained break beneath this level, the 200-day moving average will act as support.  Click the chart to see a full-size image.

    090711 SP500 and Composite

    With that said, sentiment is getting more bearish, and the move down
    has not created a spike in the VIX. So, again, there are clues that lead me to suspect that we might be witnessing the calm
    before the storm.  Earnings Season is starting; and a move down would trigger the head-and-shoulders topping pattern and the 200-day moving average would become overhead resistance.  And fear would increase … you get the picture.

    Sometimes, the right picture can be worth a thousand words.

    Dow's Dead-Cat Bounce from GuidePostings

    So short-term, a bounce wouldn't surprise me. Nonetheless, a bigger correction still seems likely.

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

    • Businessman Pays $2.1 million for Lunch with Buffet; Banks More (DigitalJournal)
    • 11 Places With a Worse Economy Than Ours. (USNews)
    • Currency Funds Crushed on Dearth of Market Trends. (Bloomberg)
    • The Dollar's role in the global economy is Safe From the Yuan, for Now (WSJ)
    • Ex-Goldman Sachs Employee Arrested Stealing Secret Trading Codes. (StreetInsider)
    • Citadel Sues Firm Linked to Alleged Goldman Software Theft. (FinAlternatives)
    • Mark Cuban on Business Models: Succeed with Free, Die by Free. (BlogMaverick)
    • More Posts Moving the Markets.

    Lighter Ideas and Fun Links that I Found Interesting This Week