Coding for Communicators

I recently attended a workshop titled "Reaching your Readers," subtitled "Crafting Effective Communication at Work." This is the first time in years (decades?) that I've taken the time to actually think about the writing process. We covered the basics (grammar, punctuation and the AP Stylebook), then delved into writing for an internal audience. It was actually interesting stuff for a reluctant English major who chose a degree plan based on how to spend the maximum amount of time in the campus radio's news department.

As we walked through the rules for grammar and punctuation, I couldn't help but think of folks learning English as a second language. For every rule, there is an exception!

I also flashed back to a programming course from a years ago (UNIX anyone?) and realized that these grammar and punctuation rules were just the coding standards for writers!

After a day and a half in class, I hope I'm a more conscientious writer. And I swore to no longer end sentences with.....

Oops!

So Far So Good!

A quick update on wireless access for my iPod Touch: I'm happy to report good results with the iPass Connect program. In my first month, My iTouch has connected to the net from Starbucks, McDonalds and the Hyatt. Luckily, my travel schedule has been light so far this year so I've not had to exercise it more. Still, it's so quick and easy, it's well worth the $6.95 a month.

If you're looking for quick access to wireless, check their list of wifi spot arrangements at http://www.ipassconnect.com/servinfo_hotspots

I took a look at JLink and there are 38 wireless access points on their service within 5 miles of my neighborhood here in east Dallas! Pretty cool!

I'm happy to recommend it... it keeps my Touch in Touch!
http://www.ipassconnect.com/signup_iphone

iPod Touch Desparately Seeking Wireless

Interesting metrics from AdMob, reporting a huge spike in wireless activity after Christmas attributed to the iPod Touch. While the iPhone may get most of the media coverage, there are now zillions of Touch users like me downloading iPhone apps and searching for wireless spots! According to AdMob, "the iPod Touch is now the #2 device in the AdMob network with 4.7% share."

Luckily, there are some great apps that download data to the Touch, so are valuable even when you’re not on the net:
• NetNewsWire from Newsgator lets you read your RSS feeds. Often it’s just the abstracts, but some authors include the entire article in their feeds.
• The New York Times app downloads all their daily high interest articles, including some photos! Great stuff! Wish more newspapers did this.
• The BBC Reader app downloads its web pages so you can read them anytime.
• Instapaper allows you to download pages for reading later.
• So does Evernote, and it's easier to use.
• Air Sharing lets you download anything for reading later; I use it to keep a PDF of my new Yaesu VX-8 ham radio handie-talkie. It does so much that I need to review the manual a lot!
• Both eReader and Stanza give me access to my ebooks. I just finished "Travels with Charley," by John Steinbeck (great book by the way!)

But nothing beats being on the net, so I was glad to find out my DSL provider AT&T provides me free wifi at Starbucks. However, taking 5 minutes to log in was quite a pain until I found out about Easy Wifi. This great app allows me to store my user ID, then log in with one click even before I order my vente soy extra hot latte!

Good enough but life is sometimes even more than Starbucks! Wandering the country virtually on JiWire looking at wireless points, I ran into a mention of iPass. Their iPass Connect product looks like it would expand my access points to many hotels, airports and other spots for just $6.95 a month. It’s worth a try so I signed up. We’ll see how it works out.

RIP, Old Palm, my Friend

I’ve had a Palm PDA for so long it’s a little weird to no longer have one in my briefcase. First it was the Palm Pilot, then the breakthrough wireless Palm VII, and finally the innovative and unsung 802.11 enabled Palm Lifedrive. Along the way, several Palm programs became core apps in my life.

1- Contacts: Simple app but available from my PC and the Palm
2- Ebook reader: A few years ago, I downloaded a short story to my LifeDrive, and realized that the bright color screen allowed me to comfortably read ebooks! I opened an account on fictionwise.com, and have accumulated a whole library of books since then.
3- AvantGo: For many years, this great app downloaded the latest New York Times and other news sources each morning when I synced my Palm with my PC.
4- Two games: Bejeweled and Mahjong, to fill in those spare moments when nothing more serious would do!

Well, I’ve been watching the applications for the iPod Touch over the past year, and last month, I took the plunge, treating myself to a 32 Gb ipod Touch 2. All my music transferred from my 30Gb Classic quickly, and I was able to fill my core apps and more!

1- Contacts: I was able to move my Palm contacts over without a problem.
2- eReader Pro 1.3 is a great ebook reader, with more functionality than the Palm reader. Plus I can download books from my online library wirelessly.
3- AvantGo is not available for the Touch but I found something better, a free New York Times application. If I open it each morning while on wifi, all the articles are stored locally to my Touch. I also discovered a great program called Instapaper which allows me to store any web pages for later reading on my Touch or my PC.
4- Games: Bejeweled is there in all its colorful glory, and Moonlight Lite is a 3D Mahjong that is already driving me crazy.

Then there are the amazing number of quality applications for the Touch, with more being added every day. Many are free, others are 99 cents, and none I have seen are over ten dollars.

Anyone need a Lifedrive, and every accessory known to man? It'll be on eBay shortly!

Virtual Superbowl Party

So, I watched the Superbowl with some friends, actually a few thousand of 'em. We cheered, laughed and rated the commercials, and rocked to Tom Petty (or made wisecracks about how old he looked). We spoke English, German, Spanish, Dutch (I think), and several other languages I couldn't decipher. It was a blast! Another shared experience thanks to Twitter.

Web two dot oh

Wow... since I last blogged here, the quantity and quality of web 2.0 tools available to us have really exploded. Just this year, I'm become a regular user of:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Grand Central
• Tumblr
• Jott
• Remember the Milk
• Iwantsandy

And then there are the new Google services I have come to rely on:

• Gmail
• Google Reader
• iGoogle
• Google Gears
• Google Maps
• Google Docs
  
• Google services for the Blackberry
• And the updated Blogger, of course!

Firefox continues to get better and better, with some great extensions. I have also switched to Open Office and don't miss Microsoft Office a bit!

I now back up my data over the Internet using Mozy and Quicken, and am putting my toe in the water with Open ID.

Lastly, there's my Chumby, the first in a new breed of Internet appliance. It cycles through over 50 software widgets I've chosen, all the while streaming BBC!

What a great time to be online!

Where Magazinespotted one of my White Rock Lake Dallas photos on the For the Love of the Lake web site, and asked if they could use it in an upcoming next issue. I'm happy to, in return for a small donation to FTLOTL, a group I am proud to have worked with for several years.