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Thoughts and things I care to shareApril Header Uploaded Early
I just couldn’t stand it any longer, winter is receding quickly and warm weather is flooding into Minnesota. We’ve lost almost all our snow cover and, personally, I can’t wait for spring to come into full bloom. So with that notion, I’ve updated the blog header with my selection for April a little early. I hope to get a few good ones from my Connections Conference in Florida next month.
Custom Twitter Sidebar Widget
I’ve just created my first WordPress sidebar widget!
Thank you! thank you!
Seriously, I really just figured out how to create a wrapper for Alex King’s Twitter Tools WordPress Plugin, and one of Twitter’s JavaScript Badges. The plugin is built into my current theme; the net result is displayed on the sidebar, right below my “About” information.
You can view my Twitter Profile here.
Better’n Outlook? Microsoft’s IP Telephony
Now this has little to do about being an email client, which is something I think will disappear in the coming years, but really about a big development in communications tools for productivity workers. Yes Microsoft is at it again, playing its hand at convergence, and positioning itself to again enter and then dominate a market.
While the established incumbents (Avaya, Cisco, Nortel, Siemens, etc…) have little to fear in the short term from Microsoft. The long term, on the other hand, is where Microsoft traditionally kicks ass. The advantage that the current situation presents for the existing vendors is that they have Microsoft’s playbook to learn from and adapt to, long before Microsoft’s product matures and penetrates the market to the point where they are no longer relevant. To do this, Microsoft has to have missed important features in the product, has stability problems out of the gate, does not scale well, and so on. Further, current vendors also need to take their existing products and cut costs, trim the need for hardwired phones, promote the utility of softphones, and demonstrate QoS on their system over Microsoft’s.
If the current vendors don’t change and adapt to the Microsoft “threat”, they’ll follow the same trend as other software and service markets Microsoft has entered. Microsoft dominates a market because it brings “good enough” functionality to large numbers of customers, at very competitive pricing.
No matter what, this is an important move by Microsoft, and will bring the competition to the IP Telephony market that it has long been missing. Innovation by all parties should follow with better products at better price points. The integration of VoIP (along with IM and Web Conferencing) into the Office System family products will bring another level of productivity and efficiency to productivity workers.
Via: ars technica – New Office Communications Server 2007—most important communications tool since Outlook?
links for 2007-03-20
- This article is exactly what I’ve been thinking is going to happen this year. The growth market is the low to mid-range business. There is an opportunity for consulting in this area of the industry since it’s been ignored for so long by the big companie
- Barts PE Builder helps you build a BartPE (Bart Preinstalled Environment) bootable Windows CD-Rom or DVD from the original Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 installation/setup CD, very suitable for PC maintenance tasks.
Lots of Links Lately
So I guess I’ve been finding a lot of news items to link to over the past week. I got around to taking a look at my blog and all I found was mainly links. Sorry about that – getting too caught up in Twittering and reading news to have written some decent posts.
We’ll try to rectify that this week.
Blog vs. Twitter
I’ve been thinking quite a bit on how to handle my Twitter page in addition to my blog. I’ve always had issues posting “inane” posts about myself or what I’m doing, preferring to post about news topics, items of interest personally or commenting on discussions in the blogosphere.
Since joining Twitter about two weeks ago and watching the Twitter explosion at SXSW 2007, I’ve started formulating a plan going forward. Similar to how Steve Rubel is balancing Twitter/blogging, I’m going to Twitter about daily events, opinions, comments, and things going on in the Twittershpere, and then will keep posting on my blog about things of interest that take more explanation and time.
My blog will be refocused back to writing about things of interest, commenting & interacting in the ongoing conversations in the blogosphere, and be an extension of my interests. It may be technical at times, it may be about hobbies and relaxation, but it will continue to have more robust content.
My Twitter page, however, will be the day-to-day stuff and interactions with my Twitter “friends”. There is a live conversation going on at Twitter, similar to attending a meeting where there is many discussions happening at once. Depending on who you follow or include as friends to your account, the discussion can range depending on the interests and whims of the group.
If you haven’t tried Twitter, I’d recommend gathering a group of friends and associates and get them all on the service. It’s amazing what kind of news and information get traded in real time – better than IM as you’re conversing as a group rather than one on one.
links for 2007-03-19
- Another major vendor announcing the availability of shipping Flash-HDD equipped tablet/notebook PCs. I could really go for one of those P1610’s that Fujitsu has. 🙂
- Interesting critique by Om Malik on the quality of VoIP – by the carriers that is. Yes we all know the quality issues on your Broadband based Vonage/Skype service. But what about Sprint, AT&T, MCI, etc..? They have been providing voice service on POTS
- Another new UMPC this spring – can’t wait to read more about this little beauty!
- While I’ve only read a little on this new product from Adobe, the basic concept sounds incredibly useful. This is the component the mobile web needs to compete with fat clients.
- More Google Reader customizations. Makes it interesting for getting GReader content onto your blog.
- Seems like Adobe either wants more licensing revenue, is having issues updating the current products to be Vista compatible, or simply are more interested in coding the new versions. At any rate, it’s a pain for existing Adobe users.
- Lots of mashup action going on lately. From corporate uses to the frivolous.
links for 2007-03-18
- Talk about nifty cool! With a dedicated architecture, UMPCs will become an important slice of the market for manufacturers.
Offline Blues
My cable connection is down again today, not sure why and have not called in to find out. Frustrating – Charter seems to have these issues frequently, where Comcast did not.
links for 2007-03-17
- More Twitter analysis – pretty good piece.
@MAC_Arms Pay taxes when you make your money, pay taxes when you spend your money, pay taxes when you successfully invest your money, pay taxes when you save enough taxed money to afford a house, pay taxes to live in your house, pay taxes when you sell the house that you paid taxes on to
Yup, taxes are criminal and we need serious reforms. I've always said that if you want to see a tax revolt, make withholdings illegal and have Americans write a tax check every payday. They'll revolt for sure. You don't miss what you never had.
I think it’s safe to say that @GovEvers should stop blocking audits in Wisconsin and open the books…
“Only AMERICAN citizens should vote.”
Sen. @berniemoreno says voter ID and proof of citizenship are simply common sense.
“We’re talking about a very low threshold — identify who you are and prove you’re a U.S. citizen when you register to vote. I think we’re getting closer to
Wrong. Democrats are solely responsible for hours-long airport lines.
They voted to defund TSA three times and won’t even entertain a conversation about reopening it. Why?
They’re using it as leverage to stop enforcing immigration laws.