Blog
Thoughts and things I care to shareWorking with Pocket SharpMT on the MDA
Today is a blogging day using the Pocket SharpMT blogging client for Pocket PC. I’ve used the software before, but had not really pushed it’s limits yet.
So here today, I’m using it for a few posts – and to make good on my last post about not writing about more day to day items. Like what I do at the real job (it is daytime isn’t it?)
The main interface of SharpMT on the Pocket PC is the post creation interface that frankly is quite bare. Its out of necessity of course, there is very little space on a QVGA screen for all the fancy buttons and options normally shown on a WYSIWYG editor that most blogging clients have. All the basic post creation tools are here – bold, italic, links, etc…
The biggest thing that I had a problem with was getting the picture embedded. There as no obvious tool available to do this until I dug a bit deeper. Then I found the functionality to specify a file to upload – I just hope I set it up correctly. 😉
So that’s it for now, I’ll probably post a bit more on SharpMT as I use it more. This was mostly an experimental post to see what I can and can’t do with the tool. The one last test was adding the Technorati tag info at the bottom of the post.
UPDATE: I did have to manually tweak the tags below – it got all goofed up. Kind of cool though.
Technorati tags: pocket+sharpmt
links for 2007-01-29
- Nifty registry tweaking tool available via msmobiles.com. Some new registry features are listed, as are refinements to the app itself.
So why don’t I blog about what I do?
That is an excellent question. I’ve really never blogged much about what I actually do in my day job, and I’m not sure why. It’s something I’ve been doing for over 15 years, and yet I haven’t really talked much about it in this space.
You may have found a brief overview on my About page, but it doesn’t really hit the day to day items that I get involved in. I’ve recently realized that without a good picture of my daily routine, its hard for anyone to really take my perspectives and professional advice seriously.
Part of the reason that I haven’t blogged about my day job is because I take very seriously, the public image, integrity and intellectual property of my employer. However, that does not stop me from talking about the technical and personal triumphs and setbacks that everyone experiences in their professional life.
So starting this week, I’m going to be putting those experiences and thoughts here on the blog for all to read. There are many times I’ve had items I wished I could blog about, but stopped myself from doing to because I thought there was a conflict of interest. Now, after two+ full years of blogging (I had a few false starts), I’ve got the perspective on how to do this, providing interesting content here, and respecting my employer as well.
As I mentioned in a post on Friday, I’m gong to be creating a custom theme for RickMahn.com, and will post the “development” URL when the base theme is ready to view. It’s a renewed push here to get more experience in design and layout. Feedback is welcome!
Where is my custom WordPress theme?
I’ve been using some very nice (I think) themes from very creative developers in the WordPress community. They all have had some design component that I really like, maybe the full use of space on one, the clean uncluttered look of another, the graphics on a third, the font/type/CSS creativity of a fourth, and so on.
However, I’ve not found that one theme that I can be happy with and just leave alone. Sure, I could hire a professional designer to create a real professional theme just for my site, but I can’t justify paying a couple thousand for a good design. Not that they are not worth the money, I just am too cheap to do it.
The nice thing about all these different themes that I’ve tried or tested, is that I’ve learned a lot about CSS and a little about PHP. Each one has taught me a little more about how to manipulate each section, where to place an add, how to wrap objects in the proper tags, and much more.
So with that said, I’m going to start work on my first custom WordPress theme, complete with custom graphics designed by yours-truly. Though, the graphic part is probably the only area that anyone should be worried about – I’m not a graphical designer, nor played one on TV – :). It might look really bad – guess we’ll find out.
So, in short, there may be a few posts focusing on the trials and tribulations of theme development as I blow off steam. Or there may be cryptically giddy posts about something working. Either way, I would really enjoy feedback about what your likes/dislikes about the sites you visit, or the themes/layouts that you use yourself and, of course, your opinion of how the new theme is turning out.
I’ll be developing the theme on a separate development blog that I’ll post about later, so it won’t effect the day-to-day usage of my main site. Maybe from there I can work on a few others for another site or two I work with.
Thanks for stopping by today!
T-Mobile Ranks Highest in Customer Service. Again
Some question why I stick with T-Mobile when there are so many other choices. Many mobile service providers have better phone selections or provide faster mobile data services.
One of the reasons is that the service I get from their support teams is unmatched. The other big reason is the very competitive pricing compared to the other national carriers. 3G will come along in due time – I have no desire (or the pocketbook) to pay bleeding-edge prices for mobile data. I’ve also got the phone that I had been waiting nearly 5 years for.
Though, 2007 seems like it will be a great year for T-Mobile again as they have the wireless spectrum to roll out 3G services. They are also focusing on bringing the best phones in price/performance to their lineup. Their work on getting the BlackBerry Pearl, and the Windows Mobile based Dash are examples of this. Affordable phones that fit the needs of their customers, not just the 1% that want’s the latest phone to hit the FCC website.
My T-Mobile MDA will be a year old in March, though I have been using one since Oct. 2005. It has been everything that I’d ever wanted in a phone since PDAs started morphing into the phone category. And with T-Mobile’s continued effort in customer satisfaction, I’ll remain a Tmo customer with their upcoming network upgrades and phone selection.
Via: Wireless Week – T-Mobile Ranks Highest in Customer Service. Again.
links for 2007-01-25
- Well, well, a new name for an old OS. While the Palm, er, Garnet OS 5 is stable and pervasive on Treos, it is in dire need of some modernization of features.
3 Month free T-Mobile WiFi for Vista Users
Ah, finally have the full skinny on the free T-Mobile WiFi Hotspot offer for new Windows Vista Users. The offer is for 3 months of service only starting this Friday. While the rumor of this news was spreading around the web this morning, there was no additional information on the length of the offer.
Even for 3 months this is a great chance to try out the hotspot service at your favorite coffee shop.
Via: Information Week – T-Mobile Offers Three Months Free Hotspot Access To Vista Users
links for 2007-01-24
- Interesting concept – being able to track a URL that you send to anyone. Who clicks it, from where, when, how often, etc…
- Site to track links that you forward on to other people.
Web Worker Daily Asks: Does Telecommuting Kill Your Career?
Its a good question that, of course, I have no answer to having never really been a telecommuter. However, I have an intense interest in becoming one. 😉
In my pursuit to become a better blogger, there is always a thought in the back of my mind about being able to do more remotely. Becoming more focused on writing than on the “day job”. It’s always a temptation to move in that direction.
Some of the comments on the post at Web Worker Daily relate to experiences of lack of office politics, or more involvement by managers simply because you’re “out of site” and its not obvious what you’re working on. The aspect of lack of advancement to me is a non-starter as the farther up the ladder I move, the less interested in the ladder I become.
Personally I think that a person should find the right mix of work and life that is unique to them. While that should be obvious, it is way to easy to fall into the “corporate ladder” mentality. That is, once in that environment, it has the potential to become the most important aspect of your life. That’s something I’m struggling with at this stage in my career – what is more important, the career or simply doing things that you enjoy (and still bring home the bacon).
Via: Web Worker Daily – Does Telecommuting Kill Your Career?
Non-DRM’ed MP3s from the major Record Labels?
It could happen as early as this year according to this article in the NYT. While it would certainly take some time for the entire recording industry to come around to the idea, it sounds like at least one record company will try marketing tunes in unrestricted MP3 format in the next few months.
Again, I echo what I said in The Inevitable Death of DRM post, that DRM is doomed to fail. Give the users what they want – don’t keep trying to rape them on price and keep control of how they can use the product. Give your customers control and you will win accolades on usability and working with customers.
Set the user free and see how it pays you back in return.
Via: The New York Times – Record Labels Contemplate Unrestricted Digital Music
@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.