Active Desktop Calendar

I had not found any other nifty software since this week. It’s called Active Desktop Calendar by XemiComputers. It stays over your desktop and shows all the scheduled appointments in your calendar.

  Best thing? It synchronizes with Google Calendar and Outlook. Yepee!Why didn’t Microsoft think about this?

You avoid having to run any program to actually see a graphical representation of your schedule. And it’s cheap!

You can add photos to the background, define how many months you want to see at a glance, activate alarms and much more.

Now Google has another application that makes their calendar synch with Outlook. Practical things are getting cross compatible quickly.

Searching for Blogs in WordPress

A difficult task. That’s what I called “Searching for Blogs in WordPress”. I have fumbled and stumbled around wordpress.com trying to find blogs of my interest to no avail. “Tag surfer” is to find things within the same blog. “Blog surfer” does not produce much from the theoretical thousands of blogs wordpress is supposed to harbor.

My way of getting around this using the advanced search capabilities of Google. It works all the time and I get other blogs solely in WordPress by specifying the “wordpress.com” domain. It should work with any domain! Great!

Slow computers, what do you do?

I call it SCS. Slow computer syndrome. I would like to know what you do when your Windows PC gets slow. Although it seldom happens to me now, it used to happen a lot in the past. It may be that anti-virus software has gotten better or that there are less out there. People are also more PC savvy and protect their PCs better,

I usually have a safe point to go back and delete all installations I have made after that point. I have been disciplined for many years in writing down the date when I install programs and the name and place where they are installed. That has helped me to pinpoint possible problematic dates. A notebook only for that is always on my desk. I can also look at Safari’s (for Windows) download feature and it shows me what I have downloaded.

A monthly virus scan and defragmentation helps to keep my PC running clean and smoothly. Cleaning cluterring files and unnesary histories, help. But this is just the basics, sometimes no matter what you do something gets in that starts to slow down your computer. 

I wish there was one key (like in a Mac) that  would make the computer start without all those memory hungry  processes so we could diagnose things; or at least  run  the PC free of interfering objects. That would make sense as an enhancement to any OS.  One could define two (or several) configurations and start the PC from any of them with a touch of a key.

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Macintosh Windows

I love my Macs, but one thing baffles me. Why is it that the windows do not stick to the width of the screen and every so often I have to resize them to fit? I am upset about this and hate it every time it happens. (I know how to correct at the moment).

I don’t hear anyone complaining about this, and no effort to correct it from the part of Apple unless they have with OS 10.4. The behavior of windows is the only think I am ecstatic about in a Windows PC . I can always rely on a best fit to any screen, any computer.

Resizing, capturing

Today nothing seems to go right, so I post a drawing that I made when nothing was going right and I managed to smile and doodle happy thoughts.

I am still battling with the configuration of MacJournal for WordPress in my Mac. I have found several blogs of people complaining about the same thing, so it is not me…These people cannot configure the server for MacJournal either.
The Mac it is running slow, so every attempt that I make to configure anything takes forever. I have a G4 notebook with standard memory and she runs fine 99% of the time, so this unusual.

On the many things that haven’t worked today, I tried again to use “Coco View” but I find it very confusing in its management of the folders and I loose my way and any sense of where I am, so I am not even going to talk about it or us eit in a long time.

The only small programs that are running right and I find pleasing are SizeRoz And SnapNDrag. SnapNDrag cost me $5. I spent the five because it would allow me to use a few hotkeys to make it grab a selection, window, screen or timed shot of the screen to several formats of image types (JPG, PNG,TIFF and GIF). I find many programs that do this in the Windows world, but not for Macs. Not at this price. And SizeRox, surprisingly, batch resizes and does it well and quickly.

Lean is better

 I don’t need the big names to create a “xxx.doc” or a “xxx.xls” file that are compatible with the world. There is 602 PC Suite. It has a wordprocessor(602 Text), a spreadsheet(602 Tab), a photo editor called 602 PC Photo and an a photo album organizer.

 

 The best of these program is that they load quickly, you do your thing and you are out in a few minutes. I don’t like to wait for Word to come up after 3 minutes, or even one. I want programs that load lightning fast.  At work, with lots of analysis to make, I use and have to use the real thing for computing intensive tasks.

Like programmable units

I am jus thinking…that we are like programmable chips, like hardware running programs. We are born like a blank slate, staring at the world without any understanding of it. For many years we are tossed around from hand to hand, then we grow up and one day, we have the awareness of being a person, a thinking entity. Or so we think.

We start to be programmed the moment we come out of the womb. Say mom, say dad… smile, Most of our lives, we don’t think. Once these programs are embedded in our brain, they are difficult to erase or modify. We are machines executing them.We have to break this cycle and start thinking hard – using a popular phrase now – out of the box. We are immersed , everywhere and all the time, in a mesh of visual and auditory programs that seduce us . We were conditioned to think as we think by many years of inputs that came from every imaginable way. We were conditioned to smoke and de-conditioned to avoid it . It only took intent, law and media. Some conditionings are good (like in the example, and some are bad).

The important thing is that we should know WHY we execute these l programs and decide WHICH reality we want to subscribe to.If you want to be free or at least be aware of your conditioned status, read and watch your environment. Don’t read what you usually read! Read anything! Watch all candidates speaking, specially those of the opposing parties. Read about other religions, specially those which are not your own or you don’t “like” . Read about other cultures… you already got the picture. Make your own judgments, try never to repeat anything you hear, or you run the risk of becoming a loud speaker.

How is your RAM doing?

Idea Knot

And now I want to talk about Idea Knot, program I installed in my Macintosh and with which I keep personal journals. It’s one of those silly little programs that once you start using them they seem indispensable for the task they were made for. I think I repeat myself too much (yes), but I like programs that do one thing and do it fast and without errors.As a matter of fact, when I hear that someone is going to release the shareware version or pay version of any freeware program, I get uneasy. That usually means they have added every possible bit of code that the beta users have suggested and more… They have made it difficult, memory consuming(SLOW), complex, full of bells and whistles and finally impractical. And they make you pay for it. That is why I have not bought the Windows version, because it is a pay version. <p>

Now, don’t get me wrong.. I paid $700 for an page design program, and paid for all the upgrades to PhotosShop, Painter that I have and have paid for Office 2003, NoteTaker, and many others… These are widely known programs and a requirement in the day to day workflow of an office. Even though with some defects, they keep improving and there is no other way to live without them for compatibility with other offices, jobs, projects, etc. But for my personal needs, I like small programs. <p>

Back to Idea Knot. Download the Free Mac version and Start journaling in your Mac. I use it to keep a log of my dreams and events on trips, recording of recurrent events, etc. The entries, organized under separate Journals as you wish, look and feel like a blog editing program with two panes, like WinJournal. The big difference is,that when you deem it necessary you can press “Combine” and all the entries combine in one file which you are then free to export in several different formats to be edited, formatted and distributed.A very good deal for a writer, I would say. Price for Macs? Zero. $20 for Windows

E-Boook Readers

 

One of those gadgets that one is tempted to buy immediately.  My questions  are:  

1. How many titles are available?
2. Are they new titles? —There can be 40,000  titles, but the kind of titles is important
3. How new? 
4. How many formats can it read?
5. Am I tied to buy eBooks from  the brand store that sells the device … for the  life of the device?
6. What about upgrades? Will they become obsolete with a new model? Is it too soon to buy?

Priced at $299 it does only one thing and that thing is pretty much constrained to the provider. I saw the Iliad, and a HP reader and I saw  that Amazon has a proprietary one, the Kindle. Still,  I wish there were more information readily available about the formats,  availability of titles and cross compatibility. Some of them don’t let you see the titles they have. I want to find books on sci-fi, travel,  art, crochet,  etc. All I can find in a physical bookstore!

 For me, the gadget will be good when:

•  Comes to be widely used and
  • price is lowered
  • reads many formats from many book  providers
  • has touch screen tecnology

• Allows me to make annotations (which I some of them do) to the e-Books
• I can draw or create notes in my own handwriting
• Connects to my PC  and I  can download my own documents
  • PDF
  • Word
  • JPG
  • PNG
  • HTML
  • Other

So far, I like a couple of the  designs but have not seen one in person which is essential to  the decision. Sturdiness, looks, ergonomics; all play a role in decision  making. 

A Matter of Ergonomics.

Ultramodern, but…Everyone knows that it has no “TO DO” list. I wish I could configure it so that when I delete e-mails I can tell it not to download any more old mails… no, please. I don’t need the old ones. What I want is  an empty Inbox.If you ask me, the only  wrong  designing went into ergonomics… Who is going to create a good case that protects the big screen area while at the same time grabs it at the back? There is no room for that. There is also no room to put your fingers around it without pressing some of the functions. But I love it. It’s 200% better than the closest best phone.

BlogDesk

 I meant to edit this but forgot, now I am doing it.

Dissatisfied with the  blog editor I paid money for, I came to BlogDesk and have been using it since. It is simple, easy to use and does the basics very well. My kind of software. I don’t like complicated programs unless I have to use them for work.

To enjoy computing (without pay) at home,  I like lean  programs  and the only criteria is ease of use. That’s how I got it pinned down to the essential requirements . FREE BlogDesk does not work with many  other popular  types of blogs, but then, I have not found one program that works with ALL types of blogs. Way to go!

I use BlogDesk  with  WordPress, although it does not save the entries in your PC. (See comments for more on this)  Jan 29, 2008: Update to answer to the first comment providedThese is is a screen capture of a partial list of the blogs systems it supports: The WordPress <2.2  was very useful since the other WP format did not  work  with my WordPress blogs.     

The Jing Project, a good experience

This program is constantly present as a yellow dot on top of all the windows and I can call on it to capture video, images, edit them, save and use immediately without leaving my active windows. I am beginning to discover how many things it can do with it.

It’s fun to work with, and the best part of it, it’s free!

(I could nto install the Mac version because I don’t use OS 10.4) It is available for Mac and Windows and it’s free, It works, and is similar to SnagIt!

It requires update to .net 3.0 , BTW… I don’t know what .net is but Microsoft thought the PC needed it and just complied.

The big problem I found: It is slow. Maybe the PC needs more RAM, maybe it uses too much of the PC resources.

My system’s pertinent data is this:

 Jan 29, 2008:

I found that it conflicts with one of my programs and bumps it out of memory. It’s a macro program that stays “awake” and executes  macros when I use the hot keys and writes whatever text I have defined.   

Thunderbird!

My PC based e-mail program is Thunderbird. I don’t like monopolies, so always lean for the unusual that works for me.

I am upset by this… Why should iPods and iPhones only synchronize with Outlook? Another way of forcing us to use Microsoft programs??? No way. I ONLY use Outlook to store contacts information for this reason. I normally export them form G-Mail and import them to Outlook, then synchronize. I feel manipulated when I use Outlook. Don’t you? I also use GMail. Reliability  on the road. 

Safari

SAFARI, I love this browser! It is good for the Mac and better in a Windows environment. Faster, elegant, productive. I like that It saves a list of all my downloads, and it can locate them in my hard disk. I use this feature often to delete the downloads I have discarded as trash.There is no reason why anyone should have to stick to Internet Explorer if there are other alternatives!

 

WinJournal

I bought WinJournal to edit my blog OFFLINE, and be more efficient. For me it was fairly inexpensive ($26) since I had already bought the same program for my Mac and they had a deal. Guess what??? It did not work with WordPress, my main blogging site!

Since I am stubburn, I tried to make it work for 4-6 days, changing settings, trying different things. All along, I was giving the company feedback about their program, which had been until recently distributed for free for Macintosh PCs. After a week of tests, innumerable e-mails back and forth , they decided to credit my credit card although they did not acknowledge that it did not work.

 

The Upside of the situation: While desperate to find one program that worked, I found the free program BlogDesk that really works with WordPress and can even upload the entries — photos included– in seconds.