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Month: December 2006

“Spread your tiny wings and fly away…

…And make your way back home again…

For some reason, the song Snowbird is rattling around in my mind today. But I’m certainly not heading off to the deep South!

I’m flying back to Regina (my hometown) for a few days, so blogging may be light for a few days. (That’s what all the A-list bloggers say when they travel.)

Of course, despite the title of this publication, blogging is often light around here, as regular readers will have noticed. But since I have an excuse this time, I thought I’d let you know.

Now, if I can just find my long underwear and mittens, I’ll be on my way…

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More ways to use Google Search

Now that we’ve worked our way through Tod Maffin’s video series on how to get more our of Google, I thought I’d point you to a few more tips.

Exploring Google’s Hidden Features, over at Informit.com, lists 15 things that Google knows how to do.

Some of the 15 things were covered by Tod, but there’s a few new ones here as well.

Plus, it’s nice to have a list of things that Google does, so that you can print it out and keep it handy by your keyboard.

Thanks to Lifehacker, where I found this pointer.

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Handy way to create and edit lists (and check them twice)


It’s Christmas time again and that means lots of list-making is happening all over the place. So I thought it would be a good time to point you to one of my favourite little on-line apps, TadaList.com.

This little gem is exactly what it says it is.

You just sign up, and presto! You’ll be creating lists, checking things off and feeling very up-to-date and plugged in, to boot!

It’s easy, fast and free. And you can print out your lists, send them to other people and even share the list with others, including letting them add to it. Want to see my list?

It’s a handy little utility. I use it all the time.

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Friday fun

Since the weekend is almost here, I’ve got some fun things for today, which I really need, after the tragic news about CNET editor James Kim. There’s a wonderful video tribute to him posted on the CNET site. What a sad story.

I wasn’t sure whether a Friday fun post was appropriate this week, given the preceding paragraph. But then I figured that laughter really is the best medicine. So here’s hoping we’ll all feel better soon.


Weird Al Yankovich – White & Nerdy

First up — a music video. Over the years, you’ve always been able to count on Weird Al Yankovich to make you smile. This clever rap is sheer genius. A master at work.

What if Microsoft acquired Firefox?

We’ve seen marketing spoofs like this before (remember the Microsoft Ipod packaging video?) but rarely have I seen a gag taken to this extreme level of detail. Check out the website, all the links and especially some of the videos. I’ve no idea who is behind it, but they’ve gone to a lot of effort to make it very, very funny. Almost makes me want to order it!

Here’s the link.

Chris Prillo compares video sites

Chris Prillo is the driving force behind Lockergnome. And if you don’t know what that is, don’t worry about it. Today, he’s an experimental video blogger who’s trying to figure out which of the three top video services — YouTube, Google or Revver — offer the best features.

The way this works is you need to scroll until you can see all three screens in your browser. Then hit the play button on all of them one after the other, so all three feeds are playing at once. You’ll see what I mean as soon as it starts. I’m not sure it proves anything, but it is kind of fun. And it is Friday, after all.

(If this doesn’t work properly from this page, here’s the link to Chris’s blog, where you can try it too.)

Enjoy!

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Series on books from Forbes well worth reading

If you like reading and especially if you like reading about reading, and writing and books and booksellers, then you’re going to love this series.


Forbes.com has published a special report on books. And what a treat it is.

But a word of warning. You could end up spending a lot of time working your way through this, so make sure you’ve carved some time out of your hectic schedule first. I’ve only begun to work my way through the many articles in this great series, but it’s something worth bookmarking and returning to at your leisure.

Here’s a snippet from the introduction:

Are books in danger?

The conventional wisdom would say yes. After all, more and more media–the Internet, cable television, satellite radio, videogames–compete for our time. And the Web in particular, with its emphasis on textual snippets, skimming and collaborative creation, seems ill-suited to nurture the sustained, authoritative transmission of complex ideas that has been the historical purview of the printed page.

But surprise–the conventional wisdom is wrong. Our special report on books and the future of publishing is brim-full of reasons to be optimistic. People are reading more, not less. The Internet is fueling literacy. Giving books away online increases off-line readership. New forms of expression–wikis, networked books–are blossoming in a digital hothouse.

People still burn books. But that only means that books are still dangerous enough to destroy. And if people want to destroy them, they are valuable enough that they will endure.

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Get more out of Google

If you use Google for research (and who doesn’t?) you should check out Secret Google Tips for Researchers.

It’s a series of 10-minute videos that CBC Technology reporter Tod Maffin is running this week on InsidetheCBC.com, the CBC’s official blog.

The videos are full of great tips about how to use Google more effectively. I guarantee you’ll find something that you’ll start using right away.

The series started on Dec 3, and continues for the rest of this week.

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Friday fun

It’s the weekend again…and time for something to make us smile.

This week, I’ve got a couple of video clips that should get you in the right mood for the holidays.

First up is a video, and a website, dedicated to “That Phone Guy,” that annoying person we’ve all run into in a restaurant, or on the train or in a movie house. They just can’t believe that everyone isn’t as interested in hearing their voice as they are.

(Just for fun, take a close look at what kind of a phone he’s using.)

That Phone Guy

If you like that one, check out the rest on his website. It gets better when you watch more than one.

And for those of you who aren’t GTD geeks, and might not recognize him, the phone guy is really Merlin Mann, who runs the 43 Folders website.

Friday Fun #2

For our second smile of the week, check out this demonstration of what happens when you mix a popular candy with a soft drink. These guys have come up with a winning formula for viral marketing. They apparently shopped around this video to get the best deal. I apologize for the quality. (Video is something that Google just can’t seem to get right, isn’t it?)

Also, there’s a commercial at the end, which you can skip. But it’s worth it, in my mind, to see the video.

The Mentos guys are back

Have a great weekend!

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