Google's New Personalized Homepage Themes Add Joy to My Life

I am a voracious user of Google's Personalized Homepage.
All my reading, all my fun bits, all my organization is centered around this handy application.  Say what you want about Google Reader, it's the Personal Homepage that floats my boat.

This morning, when the day looked bleak, a new, innocuous link on the Personal Page caught my eye. What.... NEW! Select Themes. I had to... select... a... theme.  There aren't too many available right now: Classic (ho-hum), Beach, Bus Stop, City Scape, Sweet Dreams, Tea House and Seasonal Scape.

I went for the Tea House on a whim.  I was asked to input what time zone I was in, in order to customize the theme to the movement of the sun. Curious, I thought, but what the heck.

Imagine my delight, there was a wee fox, and his activities corresponded with the time of the day. At one point he was eating a picnic lunch in an orchard, then he was rowing across the lake in the afternoon.  Now he's doing his laundry in the lake.

I agree - it sounds a little cutesy and perhaps a little too over-produced, but damn, that wee fox has made my day.
Nicely done Google!!

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Wireless Services for the Young Generation - Amp'd Canada

Imagine: games, entertainment, videos, audios, and interactive applications. In the palm of your hand. Created especially for YOUR generation, with YOUR interests and what is current in mind. It’s a niche market, but sometimes it’s the niches that end up being the sweetest spots.

Amp’d Mobile launched last week.  It’s the first MVNO [Mobile Virtual Network Operator] that TELUS has escorted into the marketplace. Their schtick is all about handheld, wireless entertainment and content.  Custom content, for that matter, specific to the Good, Canadian Kids. They’ve let TELUS do the heavy EVDO network bits, so they can concentrate on getting the right content to the kids.

Chris Houston, Amp’d Canada’s president has some really good insights into the differences between Amp’d and TELUS’ Spark offerings. Amp’d has a much narrower, specific focus. Spark appeals to a much broader audience.  (I’m on the Spark side of the fence, and not just because I’m 35 30-ish. Well, ok, maybe that has something to do with it.

Their packages aren’t cheap, and the content isn’t free, but the quality and variety looks impressive.  Their target audience is between 19 and 30, with gobs of disposable income to splurge on digital joy.

I only feel the slightest bit aged….


Technorati Tags: TELUS, Amp’d Canada, EVDO, MVNO

Suburb at Sunrise

Suburb at Sunrise
Originally uploaded by julebule.

For a few minutes this morning, it was beautiful on the morraine…..
And now…. grey.

Still, the potential is there…. 

10 Things I Can't Live Without

There are certain things you pick up along the way, that you realize you come to rely on.  Things, that the idea of giving up, send shivers down your spine and make your forehead sweaty…… Of course, this list excludes people and animals.  Those entities are designated list proof ;-)

My list:

1. Chapstick: really any lip balm/moisturizer. I have emergency lip balm stashed away everywhere in my house, car, coats, bags.
2. Coffee: I’m not even particular any more. Once I discovered the Maxwell House singles, I keep an emergency pack in my bag.
3. My Blackberry.
4. Coke: the backup to coffee.
   
5. Newton’s Telecom Dictionary.  You never know when you need to know what  a DNIS is.
6. My Canon Digital Elph. This wee guy comes with me all the time.  Just in case.
7. Hair Elastics. Elastics follow the same migratory pattern as lip balms.
8. Slippers…. wnter, spring, summer and fall.
9. Hand Cream. Also follows the path of the lip balm.
10. Music: be it portable radio, MP3 player or CD based. Let there be sound.

Your List?
I tag: Rain of Frogs, Barking Space, The Idea Dude, Zazzafooky,Kill The Goat,and Technology Evangelist


Technorati Tags: Things I can’t Live Without Meme

Corporate Responsibility In the Age of Public Participation

How does one define politically correct corporations?  How does a corporation become loved by the public? How does a company move from being “one of the bad guys” to “revered by all”? What companies are considered “the good guys”? Sun? Saturn? Dove? The Body Shoppe? Tim Horton’s? Is it all about perception and mis-perception?
I work with very cool, very smart, very dedicated people. I work on teams where the member participation ranges from Vancouver to Rimouski… Those Rimouski guys are ridiculously smart!! :-) Teammates that have families and interests and compassion. At the executive level, the passion and intensity is even more evident. The laughter, sharing, support and recognition of individual and team contributions is contagious. I’m in a small microcosm of “good guys”. Does that traslate into an over-arching goodness?

Still, as I work internally with groups to determine corporate blogging strategies, it makes me wonder if there is much more at stake than a marketing answer to a web 2.0 initiative. A corporte blog strategy has got to take into account the mandate to improve external relationships, even with folks who are not customers, and folks who may never become customers. It’s a fine line between the perception that the guys on the left have, and the rest of the community.

Companies have got to expect that if one person has a “bad guy ” perception, there’s got to be more. The only way to change that perception is to provide content and context that allows folks to get a better look inside companies. To challenge corporate PR, if you will… To challenge the whole public conversation.  I know - it sounds a litte nutty for a big company to think of such innovation.

The irony? In this day and age, companies can’t help but have this conversation on their radar. It needs to be a conversation that includes highlighting the little people, working like berserk, making things and caring about customers and the community. The Million Dollar Question, how does an organization change perceptions?  Can it be a fast road or a slippery slope?

Can one take such a naive position as this and make it acceptable? Can naivety and corporate optimism be joined to create something better? 

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Reflections of the Internet

It's one of my secret enjoyments - days when Dooce publishes some of the hate e-mail gems that she gets, and then colourfuly responds to each in her own Dooce-y way. 

Somehow the internet continues to amaze me.  The silly people, the nutty people, the flat out mean people. Dooce's hate mail and subsequent commentary is a giant plant sized microscope on humanity.  And really, the closer you look at something, the grosser it likey is to get.

You tend to forget about the pettiness, the ignorance and the intolerance of the human species. And then Dooce shows it to you, in all its hideous glory.

:-)

The Pitfalls of Corporate Email

There’s been a bit of a buzz on the goings-on inside the NHLPA (NHL Players Association) on the “email scandal”. Michael Geist has a worthy commentary on the implications of email surveilance at the troubled organization. He too questions the legal implications, and asks whether or not surreptitious monitoring crosses the line, when the players weren’t made aware of the possibility.

The NHLPA is a corporate union organization, right?  The NHL Players essentially are employees (union menmbers)…. in EVERY other corporate organization, the email belongs to the corporation, and it’s very clear that your email will/can/could/might be read/stored/used against you… and to govern yourselves accordingly. Why would this missive be any different for hockey players?
If you are going to talk/share/collaborate, and it’s about subjects you really don’t want your employer to have any knowledge about, why wouldn’t you and your friends get gmail or hotmail accounts?  Why would you use your *work email* ?  Oh… right, they are hockey players. Gotcha.

Ottawa Senators defenceman Chris Phillips said: “If something was goin gon like that, a lot of guys are going to be upset. There’s an assumption that our email accounts are private.”

I’m betting that there’s a corporate email policy, and that the contents of email on the NHLPA servers are owned by the NHLPA. If there isn’t such a policy; then shame on the NHLPA. If there is, shame on the players who are complaining that their digital rights are being violated.
If your email isn’t secure, it’s not like there’s not 13 different alternatives.

Now that the NHLPA Executive Director, Ted Saskin has been placed on paid leave,
it makes me wonder what sort of corporate policies there really are at the hockey union. In this day and age, the NHLPA should have a standard corporate IT Policy, if only for security and disclosure.


If one warning comes out of this situation, it’s the highlight that corporate, work email is just that - corporate. If you are discussing topics that have corporate implications, it’s best to take them off the corporate servers. It really is that simple. Welcome to the 21st century, hockey guys.


Technorati Tags: NHLPA, email monitoring, privacy, Ted Saskin

It Smells Like Spring

The first coffee of the new year, on the deck, sans warm coat. It *must be spring*.
Hearing birds that had been absent for over 4 months. It *must be spring*.
Seeing bits of lawn that had been previously blanketed with white. It *must be spring*.
Realizing my dog has been off the deck 3 times a day, every day, for the past 4 months, and I haven't. It *must be spring*.  Knowing that I've soon got to find a shovel. Shrug, it must be spring.
:-)




Technorati Tags: spring cleanup

Let Your Numbers Be Free!!

It’s here. Wireless number portability. I don’t feel different, and my phone still looks the same. Nonetheless it’s the dawning of a new era in Canadian Wireless communications.  Aside from a whirlwind of activity in the papers this past week, it’s been pretty quiet up to now on the significance of March 14th 2007 as to the impacts for Canadian consumers. It hasn’t been obvious that freedom was going to arrive at12:01 am.

Bell refused comment on the impact of number portability,Rogers said it will be “business as usual” while Telus called the change a “positive” opportunity.

I camped outside a Bell Mobility store at christmas, handing out WNP leaflets to unsuspecting folks, suggesting that they should postpone that new cellphone purchase for a few more months…. no, wait, just kidding. I considered the implications and then headed off in search of a Booser Juice;-) Unless you were really paying attention in the past 6 months,chances are that if your cell phone was ready to be replaced, or your service was ready to be renewed, you went ahead and recontracted for 2to 3 years. Sorry about that. Catherine McLean,from the Globe and Mail, has a great series of questions and answers on WNP.  Questions sent in from the pubic indicate a VERY wide gap in understanding cell phone service. Mark Goldberg mentions that most folks aren’t fully aware of the all the changes and potential upside/downside to number portability.  He had a great idea tho - move your cell phone to your VoIP provider, and get funky with the follow me features…. great idea Mark!!!

I expect the next few months are going to be quite lively.

globeandmail.com: Number portability

Tomorrow,cellphone users in parts of the country will be able to transfer their current phone numbers from one provider to another.

Technorati Tags: WNP, wireless, canada, Booster Juice

My Fingers are Tingling...

And not in a good way.  After months of continuous sitting at a laptop and working 10 to 12 hours a day, something has finally cracked. My fingers feel like they are constantly on pins and needles. Of course, I couldn't possibly have a more inappropriate office space.  There are NO ergonomics for miles around.  Depending on who is working where, some days I get the kitchen table, and some days I get the office. That being said, elbows are always resting on the tabletop, on the laptop. Usually I have a resonable chair.

So - can I attribute the tingling - it's just 2 fingers right now, on my left hand - my baby finger and ring finger to the fact that i'm typing and working and being ergonomically incorrect for extended periods of time? It's not even my mouse hand!!  Any suggestions?  I think that just by installing a lowered keyboard, that could solve everything.  That, and maybe resigning and going into the interpretive dance field.




Technorati Tags: ergonomics, tingling fingers, owerworked

FixYa Fixer Upper

In my recent scans through the world for a project-y manager-y application, I stumbed across FixYa. An environment where you can ask questions and get help on just about everything you could have a problem with.  If you are scratching your head on how to tweak your digital camera, or have a problem with your TV, this is the absolute neatest place to go.  Peer support, troubleshooting and answers. If you are a fixed-upper, there's lots of folks looking for answers - share your knowledge and be recognized. Here's the giggle - if you can't figure out how to fix what you've got, they will sell you a new one!  I just shared some expertise on my silly Sony NW-A1000 mp3 player.  It's a sexy device, but it's high maintenance.


FixYa.com - Consumer Electronics support, repair, manuals, faq, problems and solutions

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The Greatest Domain Name Scam Ever!!!!!!!!

The Domain Registry of Canada is sending out notices to all domain owners whose domain names are due for renewal this year.  Not by email, but by regular post.

If you aren’t on the technical side, or if you happen to be one of the thousands of Canadians who have domain names, and don’t really keep track of where the domain is (sometimes i can be accused of this), it looks like a very official and professional warning. It’s VERY ballsy.

I got an email the other day from them, saying that they needed me to unlock one of the domains that I had with Network Solutions. I send them a polite no-thank you response, assuming that it was a domain hijack attempt. A lame one, at that.

I didn’t think anything more of it, until today, and they responded with a “but we have your money” answer and I was floored.  The notice was mailed to the company who I registered the domain for, and they had received the notice, thinking it was official and regular and important.  Everyone and their granny now knows the importance of keeping your domain name paid up.  It’s almost as critical as your mortgage.

Anyways, the cheque had been sent. And now the DROC wanted to get its grubby hands on the domain.

I don’t think Hell is cold enough for that little trick to fly.

I immediately called them tonight, canceled the move request, gave the customer service fellow a terse warning and extracted the refund.  It’s not illegal, but it’s certainly not good business, nor is it even playing fair. Nasty bit of work. Watch out for the Domain Registry of Canada. Oh, and they’ve got a sister organization, the Domain Registry of America.  Snappy name. Misleading name.

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I Need a 21st Century Doctor - STAT

How is it that in 2007 my doctor's office has a space, 20x40 and packed to the ceiling with analog information.  Why is there a huge filing area for folders of new patient information? Why do I only see one computer in the reception/administration area? Why is my doctor writing down everything with paper and pen?  This information is going to disappear, and likely will never get backed up, or updated or handed off if I switch doctors. 

You know what I mean - you move cities, you want your medical history to follow.  The new doctor never really gets around to giving you all the paperwork needed to transfer your file from your old doctor's office to the new one?

This is a brand new doctor's office, less than 5 years old, why would they not have adopted more of the SSHA - Smart Systems for Health Agency features and technology? SSHA's mandate is to bring more focus to technology in the Ontario Health Care industry.

SSHA is an agency of the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care from which it receives 100 per cent of its funding. Its products and services are free for publicly-funded health care organizations and professionals.

If this is the case, why has there been such a delay in the adoption of new technology?  Tablets, wireless devices, self serve patient applications? Geeze, atleast get a digital pen!

I sat in the waiting room for 40 minutes for a 12 minute appointment.  I had some time to invest in watching how this office worked...So much time and energy was wasted on finding and returning patient files, I thought my head was going to pop off.  The booking of appointments - it's done in a LEDGER for Pete's sake. Please, please book me in something digital!  No wonder it takes 10 minutes for the receptionist to check you in.  No wonder so much time is wasted on the phone making an appointment.

I asked for a referral to a dermatologist - what did I get?  A piece of paper.  "Please take this to the receptionist". What did I get then? Another piece of paper. "Please call back in a week for your appointment information". Huh? There's so many things wrong with this scenario, I can't even begin to rant.


It's 2007.  Even my auto mechanic has more technological innovation than my doctor's office. He will email me when it's time for an oil change, and I can book my appointment online.  Why can't Ontario doctors have the same technology as Midas?  It's not rocket science.  I don't need a brain surgeon.

Technorati Tags: SSHA, Ontario Heath Industry

Creating a 100 Day Plan - Web 2.0 Style

It happens every year - the 100 Day Plan.  Of course - it quickly becomes the 300 Day Plan, but that’s another story. It’s a living, breathing document that helps define how my future will unfold. This year, instead of doing one in word or in excel, I thought I’d try and do it in a web 2.0 app. It would be easier to update, it would be shareable with the boss-man and the folks on my team.  One of the objectives of the 100 day plan is to get some buzz around it with executive types, so they know what your priorities are.

Last night I spent a some time checking out the different planning apps, todo lists, and even a new wiki. None of them seem to fit the bill.  It looks like I’m going to have to expand my search.  The platform needs to have:

• lists
• dates
• times and timers/reminders/schedule
  
• the ability to add a bunch of info associated with list items
• it needs to be shareable
• it needs to be collaborative-able
• it needs to be able to accept attachments
• I don’t want people to have to create an account on the platform to be able to see my Plan
• I’d like to be able to have a summary view, as well as the ability to nest tasks within tasks.

It looks like I’m going to need a project management and collaboration tool, based on what I want.  Any suggestions? I can’t be the only one who’s looking for this.


Technorati Tags: 100 Day Plan, Planning software, todo lists, wikis

IP-PBXes, Soft Switches, SBCs... Oh My!

I'm back on the trail of the illusive VoIP Network - deciphering components and applications and interoperability. It's 7:55 pm and one eye is becoming twitchy from all the diagrams and scaleability issues and white papers and nonsense I've read through in the past 3 hours.

I've been everywhere.
Except for VoIP Nirvana; I don't think that place exists.
Cisco, Avaya, Nortel, Asterisk, UTStarcom, Siemens. Oh la la, it's too much right now ;-)
I'm more advanced than this
I'm not convinced that the IEC documents are still current.
The VoIP User Forum was reasonable.

I miss the good old days of just fixing someone's DNS and walking away happy ;-)




Technorati Tags: VoIP, Siemens, Nortel, Cisco, Avaya

Watch for Falling Ice

tower & dome
Originally uploaded by julebule.

The Gardiner Expressway has just been shut down, westbound, throughout the city of Toronto because of ice falling off the CN tower. Imagine the impact, this is more than a math question of how much damage a penny can make when you drop it off the CN tower. This would be bags and bags of pennies.

Akin to being shot at, likely, if you were driving, and a piece of ice hit your car. They’ve only shut down the westbound lanes - the ones closest to the tower, they’ve left the eastbound lanes open. Makes you think, if you were going eastbound, are you going to take the chance that a gust of wind isn’t going to blow an ice bullet another 8 feet into *your* lanes? Methinks that smart drivers will opt out as well, even if unofficially.

In the Quest for Canadian On-Line Retailers

While sniffing out interesting canadian to add to North of the 49th, I came across the London Drugs site. It's fantastic.  It's got options. It's Canadian. It completely rocks, with an easy design and interface, the online selection is better than most I've seen.  And for those of us who are east of Manitoba, London Drugs isn't really drugs, it's a WHOLE lot more.


Technorati Tags: Canadian online retail, London Drugs

Like a Kid in a Camera Store

The call finaly came this week - the go ahead to replace all the camera gear that was stolen in Cancun. Finally. After almost 2 months, I was going to be all decked out, and everything was going to be right with the world. The trip to Henry’s was magical. Just like christmas. Yes, some things simply had to be upgraded.  That’s just the way these things work. And my favourite Henry’s superhero took care of me.

“Now Julie, we’ve got to change some of these things around. You’ve got to trust me, I want ti fix this for you.” Holy cow, can it get any better than this, I thought? We added, removed, upgraded and swapped. She wouldn’t let me get a red camera bag, it didn’t have a good history, and people had complained about it before. I’ve got a sexy black one now. My wee point and shoot digicam - upgraded. One lens, swapped out. It was the best hour ever.


And now - the sun is out, the snow has the faintest sparkle. And I’m ready. Again.




Technorati Tags: camera, Canon, Henry’s

Wireless Number Portability Pushes New Bell Incentives

Interesting news today out of the Globe and Mail - Bell is finally doing something interesting in terms of stemming what could be some significant churn when wireless number portability turns up next week. For $10/month you can call any bell number, wireless or wireline, and it doesn't eat your monthly mobility minutes. I like it.

globeandmail.com: Bell upstages wireless competition with new plan

Bell Canada, confronting intense competition from cable-TV companies and other rising entrants in the phone business, is offering a new rate plan allowing Bell Mobility clients unlimited local calls to and from other Bell mobile and fixed-line phones.The so-called Bell to Bell plan, starting at $10 a month, lets users conduct as many local calls between Bell numbers as they want at any time of day without using airtime minutes in their rate plans.

Technorati Tags: Bell, Wireless number portability

In the Market for a New Set of Wheels

The wiz and I are die hard lease-take-over people. After being burned more times than we can count on purchases and repairs and silliness, we have become fans of sites such as releaseme.ca and leasebusters.

These 2 Canadian sites are fantastic for pairing up folks who need to get out of a lease with folks who want to get into a lease, with less contract, less upfront cost... you get the picture.  We've re-leased an Xterra, a Jetta and a Pathfinder. Because the vehicles have low mileage, we haven't had to do more than an oil change and a tire rotation during the term of the new lease. It's perfect. And it keeps us from being committed to a vehicle for a long time.  Cars are becoming more and more disposable (akin to the iPod, I suppose), and unless you are getting a Volvo, their aftermarket resale value leaves little to be desired.

We are on our 3rd vehicle, and are looking for the 4th. It's perfect. Let someone else pay a down payment on a leased vehicle, and then decide 16 months later that they don't want it any more, and we prance in. The lease on our 2004 Jetta is up in another month. The trick is all in paying attention and being focused. For the past month we've been looking, but not with any sort of consistency. Now, with  only 3 weeks left, we have to be dedicated, disciplined and QUICK.

It's like a automobile taste test, with no extra calories.

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