Image by bpende via Flickr

So from time to time, I look back at my bloggy beginnings, and I’m a bit in awe of the way things have taken shape over the last couple of years.  I wish I had a saved screenshot of Topsy-Techie in it’s humble first months…it would be a hoot to do a before & after shot here!

But I also occasionally look back to my goals for what I wanted to accomplish with my blog.  I happened to think a wanna-be techie mom, raising two geeklings – - one a techie-genius and the other a techie-addict – - was somewhat hilarious, and I hoped other people might find it to be so as well.  And then, of course, I wanted to share all the fun ways I had found to integrate technology into our day-to-day homeschool lives.

In some ways, I’ve really stuck to those original ideals.  My Friday’s Hardwired Homeschool Hints series, for instance, has been a way to share my favorite educational technology for homeschoolers on a weekly basis.  But in terms of other content, I’m usually all over the map.  Maybe that’s not a bad thing…it might possibly get REALLY boring to regale you with the tales of Uber’s latest programming conquests.

But today, I’m heading back to my roots.  Gonna fill you in on a little of the true geekiness that’s been going on around here in T-T land.

• Uber loves coffee.  He loves coffee shops even more.  Our town has its fair share of ones to choose from, and several are within walking distance of our house. So, Uber starts out many of his mornings by walking to a local coffee shop and chilling.  This morning when I asked him what he did while sipping his java, he matter-of-factly explained that he was working through some hexadecimal problems and figuring out how they could apply in real-life situations.  He then told me he had given the barista there his email in case she needed some tech support.  I didn’t bat an eye at any of this.
• H-T loves video games.  You would think I mean that he loves to play them, but trust me – - that is a secondary interest.  His first love is watching videos ABOUT video games online.  Ratings, reviews, cut scenes, and sometimes people actually just acting out the game as the game characters.  Scary thing is, I’m pretty sure H-T would be making these videos himself if he weren’t so pre-occupied with watching them.  It’s the weirdest pastime I’ve ever heard of.  And he can spend HOURS at it. 

The thing about raising two geeky teens that I find the MOST hilarious, though, is listening to them call each other to their respective rooms:

“Hey Uber!  Com’ere!  You’ve got to see this new video game trailer!!

“Hey H-T!  Com’-ere!  You are going to FLIP when you see this new Linux interface!

I consider myself fairly technologically savvy, and I assure you that this is all greek geek to me.  But I adore it.  It is a unique and unusual way to live…and I wouldn’t trade it for the world!

WannaME culture/Facebragging- uploading the best version of yourself to Facebook

We all know that social media has turbo charged our connections to each other and the conversations we have, this is particularly prevalent when you think of Gen C. The last few weeks I’ve been talking to quite a few 16-21yr olds here in Sydney about their ‘digital life’ and what’s become more and more obvious, is this concept of ‘WannaME’.

WannaMe (a rip off of an Aussie slang word, Wannabe), is when young people build digital personas on Facebook and other social networking sites which show the absolute best parts of their lives. Call it Facebragging, showing off, call it what you will. It’s all about how they meticulously craft their online personas to share with the world, i order to ensure they pass judgement from other members of their tribe.It’s about creating the best version of yourself – as we all know perception equals reality.

Belonging to a tribe is and always will be a primal need for youth, but now we’re seeing youth needing to constantly upload pics, show that they’ve been invited to the right parties/concerts, be seen wearing the right clothes, hanging with the right crowd. It’s all a part of their desperate need to fit in and this competitive pressure to be in the know is overwhelming alot of young people I spoke to. It’s like the 1980’s ‘cool kids’ phenomena all over again, where you were either in or out based on how you dressed. Now it’s just dimensionalised in real time.

When you talk to these teens, you realise that the pics they’re uploading from music festivals, parties, make up about 10% of their life, but on facebook, it looks like they are uber social, connected and little party animals. One guy I spoke to even said he pulls out old pics from last summer and posts them if he doesnt have anything good to contribute to the conversations happening. So they are re-using old versions of their social life to ‘keep up with the Jones’ if you will.

The WannaME culture that has been charged by social technology has definitely also made youth more extroverted. What was unacceptable to share with friends is now completely acceptable, and Aussie kids are trying to one up each other on facebook. Boys are uploading pics of them doing risque sporting tricks eg: jumping off a bridge illegally, whereas girls are being more and more provocative with how much flesh they show. Psychologists talk about the need to highlight the  ’social risk’ in communications when you’re trying to change a certain ingrained behaviour eg: drinking driving, smoking, drug taking etc. Now it seems that this social risk is being celebrated online.

WannaME culture is permeating through pretty much all youth subcultures, it’s not just the rich urban indie kids, it’s across the board. More than ever young people are carefully crafting their digital personas and brands need to understand this mindset in order to engage with them. Thoughts?

Ich bin gerade vom GMK-Forum zum Web 2.0 zurück, das viele Anregungen gegeben hat und auch einen Überblick über die bisherigen Studien zur Nutzung des Web 2.0 vermittelte. Deutlich ist mir dabei vor allem geworden, dass der Spagat zwischen den Bedürfnis nach Selbstdarstellung im Netz und dem medienpädagogischen Zeigefinger, der vor den Gefahren des Netzes warnt, nicht so einfach ist: Auf der einen Seite haben Jugendliche das Bedürfnis, sich in ihren Profilen selbst darzustellen und auszudrücken. Doch wer seine Identität eigenwillig – vielleicht: zu krass und provokativ – ausdrückt, kann damit konfrontiert werden, dass das Netz auch nach Jahren nichts vergisst.

DIe einen aus der medienpädagogischen Szene weisen dann auf den (fiktiven) Arbeitgeber hin, der in zwanzig Jahren auf solche Informationen stösst und dies dann negativ sanktioniert. Die anderen betonen, dass ein Netz unattraktiv wird, welches den Ausdruck eigener Identität nur noch in einem feinmaschigen Sicherheitsnetz erlaubt (“fad und langweilig*). Wenn Jugendliche übers Netz z.B miteinander flirten und Beziehungen aufnehmen, so kann das für die aktuelle Entwicklungsphase wichtig sein, aber dann wenns um den EInstieg in den Arbeitsprozess geht, sind BIlder aus dieser “Vergangenheit*möglicherweise hinderlich. Denn, wie gesagt, das Netz vergisst nichts…

Was soll man da tun? Das GMK-Forum hat darauf auch an seinem Schlusspodium vom Sonntag, den 22. November keine Lösung gezeigt. Natürlich ist medienkritische Reflexion immer gut und Vorsicht angebracht. Aber wo genau die Grenzen sind, das ist oft schwierig zu sagen. Denn meist sind es nicht so einfache Fälle, wie dienigen, dass Kinder nicht gleich ihre Adresse und Teklefonnummer ins Web stellen sollen.. Wo es komplexer wird, da muss man dort weiterdenken, wo das Forum endete.

Un estudi fet per TNS a principis d’aquest any 2009 anomenat “Digital World, Digital Life“, va constatar que cada vegada dediquem més a Internet i ja ens hi passem fins a un 30% del nostre temps lliure (independentment del temps d’oci del que disposem, la proporció és sempre la mateixa). Però què hi fem exactament a la xarxa? Aquest temps que hi invertim, a quines activitats li restem? Ens dirigim cap a una societat virtual?

Segons el 45% de la població espanyola, Internet és una font d’informació; pel 43%, una eina de correu per a enviar i rebre missatges; pel 38%, quelcom imprescindible per a la seva feina o estudis, pel 10%, un canal compra-venda i, finalment, pel 30% un lloc d’esbarjo on divertir-se. Però, aquestes dades en quins serveis es concreten, què és el que més utilitzem actualment quan naveguem per Internet? La resposta és força previsible: els buscadors, els diaris digitals i els foros, però sempre per darrere de les xarxes socials. En una notícia publicada a  l’Interactive Advertising Bureau, es remarca la importància que aquestes han assolit en poc temps, especialment entre els joves. Avui en dia, sis de cada deu usuaris espanyols de xarxes socials ja s’hi connecten diàriament mentre que fins el 84% hi accedeixen, com a mínim, una vegada a la setmana.

Malgrat tot, i basant-me de nou en l’estudi de TNS, l’ús d’Internet no va en detriment de cap altra activitat. El motiu principal d’aquesta paradoxa no és, evidentment, que el temps es multipliqui, sinó que en fem un ús més eficient. La xarxa ens permet comprar, comparar, informar-nos, pagar o comunicar-nos invertint molt menys temps del que necessitaríem si haguéssim de fer qualsevol d’aquestes tasques en el món físic.

Per exemple, suposant que ens volguéssim comprar una bicicleta, hauríem d’anar a diferents botigues (que, en la majoria dels casos, no es troben porta per porta) per a mirar quin és el model que ens agrada o ens convé. Una vegada haguéssim recorregut totes les botigues de bicicletes de la nostra zona, hauríem de decidir a quina tornem per tal que la compra ens surti el més rentable possible (preu, serveis, tracte…). Finalment, un cop adquirida, encara ens quedaria el dubte de si la compra era encertada o no, doncs ens hauriem basat únicament en les opinions dels venedors per a prendre la decisió final. Per contra, si féssim la mateixa compra per internet, sense moure’ns de casa podríem: comprar models, preus, opinions de diferents experts i experiències d’usuaris i, a més, efectuar la compra.

Però, tota aquesta digitalització, ens està convertint en éssers menys sociables? La resposta que es desprèn de l’estudi “Digital world, digital life”és clara: NO! Internet és una forma de conèixer a gent que, de fet, enriqueix la nostra vida real. Les dades diuen que dos terços dels usuaris han fet servir la xarxa com a mecanisme per a conèixer gent que, posteriorment, han conegut en persona i més de la meitat han parlat amb algú per telèfon havent iniciat el contacte amb aquesta persona de forma virtual. Així doncs, les conclusions de TNS són que no estem convertint-nos en éssers aïllats, sinó que mantenim i, fins i tot, ampliem els nostres contactes ja que un 25% afirma que, gràcies a la xarxa, no només interactua més sovint amb els seus amics sinó que, fins i tot, fa nous amics més sovint.

Personalment, m’han sorprès força els resultats d’aquest estudi ja que, d’una banda, m’extranya que Internet no substitueixi (ni que sigui en un petit grau) a cap altra activitat i, de l’altra, que els contactes fets a través de la xarxa enriqueixin la nostra vida real. No ho sé…potser sí que sóc una mica escèptica, però conec ben pocs casos (per no dir que directament cap) de grans amistats que s’hagin forjat a través d’Internet.

Scary… I started typing Rupert Murdoch’s last name and three letters in and it typed the rest for me.

Love, love, love…

• I can hit double space and it puts down a period. Unfortunately,  I’ve been trying to do this this morning in e-mail and WordPress and it doesn’t seem to be working.
• Can easily create mindmaps using an ap called SimpleMind Express.
• Perfect for short messages and phrases like tweets.  Eventually I’ll get to writing in full paragraphs.
• Copy and paste works great once you get the hang of it.
• Sharing photos and diagrams I create on the phone is easy.

Absolutely abhor…

• Come on put the Delete key farther away from the Return.
• Selecting that tiny bit of text at the top of the field is a b—-.
• WordPress ap doesn’t save all my changes each time I hit save $#@#!!!!!

Best Aps…

• Facebook
• Tweetdeck
• SimpleMind Express

Although I’m thoroughly sick of making mindmaps, I think for taking brief notes while folks are talking in a preso, this is good.  It’s also excellent for real-time sharing and discussion during events.  I found myself tuning into what other people thought or were thinking during the keynote and other presos by using the #dl09 twitter feed.

As long as I am not sharing or presenting at a conference,  it’s completely possible to leave that extra 5-7 pounds at home and still participate and document things adequately.  I love simplicity.  I am taking some time to review the posts I have here and add notes or reflections on what I learned, specifically; how I might be able to apply directly or indirectly what I was able to pick up.

Overall, I think DevLearn 2009 did a pretty good job of encouraging and leveraging the connectivity via online social networks during the conference.  When asked what she learned at DL09, one woman noted that she discovered that her phone was not powerful enough.

I will say that over the weekend my iPhone sat unmolested in it’s charger most of the weekend after I came home from the conference. Good iPhone… now you can rest a bit.

Alle Podcast-Nutzer aufgepasst!

Unter podcastumfrage.de findet ihr einen kleinen, feinen Fragebogen, den ihr bitteschön ausfüllen könnt/dürft/sollt, wenn ihr schon mal einen Podcast angesehen oder angehört habt.

Alle anderen können natürlich auch auf den Link klicken, aber die Umfrage dürfte für euch dann schnell wieder vorbei sein.

Danke!

More often than not being a photographer means you get to witness very magical moments.

♦♦♦

That’s what jet-lag and sleep deprivation do to you; plenty of ideas (new and old) goes through your mind; your brain is in hyperactivity; thoughts flow like a torrent.  So instead of jotting ideas on loose pieces of paper and Post-it notes, another bright idea came through: start a blog. Oh yes, I’ve done that before several times on Blogger and probably on most new blogging systems that came along.

But today is different. Today I’m taking the bull by the horns; I’m starting my life blog to organize one corner of my digital life, put some structure, share thoughts, ideas, things I see, things I do or will do or may do one day, and let the power of the tool perform it’s magic.

C’est parti!

♣♣♣

just noticed I’ve ignored this blog since August even though it’s my homepage. Too many blogs, I guess, and the personal one takes the brunt of neglect.

You’ve heard, haven’t you??  The great news??  The news to beat all news??

Yup. 

Kindle for the PC is here!!!

Ok, perhaps that is CRAPPY news to those of you who shelled out 300 or so smackeroos for the little handheld doodad.  But for the rest of us who either were too skint to splurge, or just knew that if we waited long enough it would come, we are PSYCHED today!!

Today, we feel justified in our reverse snobbery, and are not one bit sorry for rubbing it in the faces of those elite Kindle owners. Nope. Not one bit.

So now that it is here, I find myself just a bit overwhelmed.  I mean there are THOUSANDS of books to choose from.  What do I pick first??  I could really use some input, folks.  What have you read lately that knocked your socks off? 

And please hurry.  My "Click here to Purchase” finger is twitching like crazy!!!

Twitter baru saja mengeluarkan Project Retweet dengan menambahkan fitur ikon baru ketika kita melakukan Retweet dari pesan Tweet orang lain. Retweet adalah kegiatan dimana kita mengirimkan/mem-posting kembali pesan Twitter orang lain.

Menurut Twitter Blog, rencananya fitur ini akan diluncurkan secara bertahap, sama seperti saat peluncuran Daftar Twitter, dengan adanya fitur ini nantinya kita akan dapat mengetahui siapa saja yang melakukan retweet dengan mengklik ikon Retweet yang munvul pada bagian bawah pesan Twitter kita lengkap dengan foto profile mereka,

Immer mehr private und berufliche Daten speichern wir digital. Doch wer erbt sie? Die Schweizer «Daten-Bank» DataInherit lanciert einen vererbbaren Online-Safe – mit 30% Rabatt für LIFE Leser.

Als Inhaber von Passwörtern, Networking-Profilen, Konten, Familienfotos oder sensiblen Informationen wie Arbeitsunterlagen, geistigem Eigentum oder medizinischen Unterlagen, stellt sich die Frage nach der Organisation und unverletzlichen Sicherung unseres beruflichen wie privaten digitalen Eigentums fast täglich. DSwiss AG, die Schweizer Bank für Informationswerte, hat mit DataInherit eine Lösung für die langfristige und unabhängige Datenablage entwickelt:  Sie sammelt und bündelt alle «lebenswichtigen» Daten, und leitet diese im Falle von Verhinderung oder Tod sicher an die ausgewählten Angehörigen, Geschäftspartner oder Institutionen weiter.

Mit dem Gutscheincode PZICS2S4 erhalten LIFE PRESS Leser 30% Ermässigung auf alle DataInherit Abonnemente

Die Weitergabe oder Vererbung von wichtigen Daten wird nicht ohne Vorwarnung ausgelöst: Bevor die Begünstigten Daten oder Passwörter elektronisch oder per eingeschriebenen Brief erhalten, wird der Auftraggeber elektronisch und mobil kontaktiert, um die «Datenvererbung» während einer selbst gewählten Sperrfrist noch stoppen zu können.

Höchste Sicherheit & Vertraulichkeit
Die wichtigen DataInherit-Sicherheitselemente werden in Entwicklung, Test und Produktion ständig unabhängig geprüft – die Sicherheitsstandards hier sind höher als beispielsweise das heute übliche Internetbanking anbieten kann. Die Daten der weltweiten Kunden liegen bei DataInherit in der Schweiz – DataInherit selbst hat keine Einsicht in die verschlüsselten Daten und Passwörter.

Einfache Nutzung & Datenvererbung
Die Nutzung der persönlichen Datenbank erfolgt browserbasiert und ist einfach zu bedienen. Die Datenvererbung ist in den Daten-Safe integriert  –die begünstigten Personen bzw. Aktivierungsberechtigten erhalten den Zugang zu den Daten über eine verschlüsselte E-Mail oder per eingeschriebenem Brief weltweit durch die Schweizer Post. Dieser Vorgang erfordert keinen Anwalt oder weitere Formalitäten. Eine missbräuchliche Aktivierung wird durch eine persönlich definierte Sperrfrist und Kontaktierung des Auftraggebers vor Weitergabe der Daten ausgeschlossen. Das Service ist aber nicht im juristischen Sinn als Testament zu verstehen, man kann aber den ausgedruckten Aktivierungscode dem Testament beifügen.

Daten-Safe für Unternehmen
Basierend auf der markterprobten Technologie von DataInherit bietet DSwiss zusätzlich Finanzinstituten, Versicherungen und anderen interessierten Unternehmen die Möglichkeit, einen massgeschneiderten Datensafe für ihre Kunden am Markt einzuführen. Dank der Zusatzoption einer Zwei-Faktor-Authentifizierung (TFA) und einer hochsicheren Verschlüsselung kann höchster Sicherheitsanspruch gewährleistet werden.

I think I need to start a whole weekly meme called “loose ends Tuesday”, because every Tuesday seems to be dedicated to just that, lately.  So here goes…

If you haven’t entered the October giveaways at SecularHomeschool.com yet, be sure and stop by and enter before the end of the month.  I am giving away some premium accounts at Spelling City™ and some free preschool accounts at Time4Learning™.  You need to be a member of the site to enter.

My other random giveaway-related item is from Blog2Print.  I’m thinking about taking the plunge and putting this year’s blog posts into a keepsake book.  I mean, my blog posts are pseudo journal entries, of sorts, and our family has been through lots of different things this year that I wouldn’t mind having record of. 

With Blog2Print, you can take those posts and turn them into a beautiful book layout where you get to pick the cover (hardcover or softcover), the images, the order and number of posts included, and even which comments you want to add.  You can even get just a pdf of your book!

And Blog2Print was nice enough to share a discount code with me that is good through November 9, so if you think you would like to order yourself an early Christmas present, now’s the time.  The discount code is for 20% off your finished blog book.  Here is the code: fall4b2p

I hope you take advantage of some of these opportunities! Have a totally random Tuesday everyone…

Kindle, Amazons neustes Lesetablett für elektronische Bücher, ist nun Europa tauglich, Sony Touch und Txtr aus Berlin ebenfalls. Wer eigentlich braucht denn bereits heute ein eBook?

Das 500-jährige Kulturgut Buch erhält digitale Konkurrenz vom eBook. Doch herkömmliche Bücher aus Papier sind eigentlich recht handlich und portabel. Wer braucht also ein elektronisches Lesetablett, um stets und überall die neusten Bücher herunter laden und lesen zu können?

Von eBooks sprechen Insider seit etwa 15 Jahren, doch erst das Augen und Akku schonende Graustufen-Display der amerikanischen Firma E-Ink ermöglichte ein Schriftbild, das mit bedrucktem Papier halbwegs mithalten kann. Strom brauchen solche flimmerfreien Displays nur dann, wenn eine Seite «umgeblättert» wird, wobei eine kurze Abdunkelung immer noch irritiert.

E-Plus, Swisscom, Orange & Co mit Txtr Reader?
Seit der Cebit kennt die Fachwelt nebst Kindle und Sony Touch ein drittes starkes eBook, nämlich den Reader vom Berliner Startup Txtr. An der Frankfurter Buchmesse kündigten die Berliner an, das Gerät in Deutschland ab 1. Dezember für € 319 zu verkaufen. Zwar hat Amazons neuer Kindle inzwischen einige Vorteile des Txtr Prototyps vom Frühjahr aufgeholt, so etwa die Mobilfunkanbindung. Doch punkto Offenheit (Drittentwickler, Mac, Windows, iPhone usw.) und Kooperationen (u.a. Rowohlt, S.Fischer, Kiepenheuer & Witsch, Droemer Knaur, Luchterhand, DVA, Heyne, Polyglott Cityguides und Langenscheidt) ist Txtr stark. In Deutschland hat Txtr als erstes mit dem Mobilfunkdienst E-Plus eine Kooperation vereinbart, während in der Schweiz ab 2010 eine Kooperation mit Orange oder Swisscom denkbar ist. Auch in Österreich wird der Txtr für Anfang 2010 erwartet.

Sony Touch Edition

Sony bringt mit dem Modell Touch Edition ihre zweite eBook-Generation heraus, die dank des berührungsempfindlichen Bildschirms auch Notizen und Editierungen ermöglicht. Das Gerät ist so gross wie ein Taschenbuch, wiegt 286 Gramm und kostet rund 300 Euro (449 CHF).

Amazon Kindle mit AT&T neu für Europa

Amazon verkauft die zweite Generation ihres eBooks Kindle – bisher nur in den USA erhältlich – nun auch in Europa für 279 Dollar. Das Besondere am neuen Kindle ist, dass man sich übers Mobilfunknetz von AT&T weltweit jederzeit und überall mit frischem Lesestoff versorgen kann. Die Bücher sind in einem proprietären Format gespeichert und können nicht verändert werden. Immerhin soll man auch PDF-Dateien auf den Kindle laden können. Zudem ist eine PC-Version für Kindle-Inhalte angekündigt. Zu Beginn sind bei Amazon fast nur englischsprachige eBücher erhältlich, doch erste Verlage und Medienhäuser der deutschsprachigen Welt kündigen während der Frankfurter Buchmesse Content für eBooks an.

Gadget oder Must?

Welche Lesetypen werden wohl die ersten eBooks  am virtuellen Ladentisch nachfragen?  Als Gadget bestimmt die Early Adapter unter Businessmenschen und Computerfreaks, für die das eBook ihr Smartphone als neustes Technikspielzeug und Statussymbol ablöst; als Muss, vermutlich die Informationselite («Knowledge Worker») der Web-&-Mobile-Generation, die das neuste Buch oder Medienerzeugnis stets vor den anderen haben – aber nicht unbedingt lesen – muss.  Oder ist das eBook etwa bereits der Anfang eines Trends für alle, der sich so schnell durchsetzt wie ab Mitte der 90er Jahre das Web, das Print-Periodika innerhalb einer Dekade in Bedrängnis brachte?

LIFE PRESS vermutet , dass eBooks Papierbücher eher ergänzen als verdrängen werden, weil die fleissigsten Leser das Buch als Kulturgut sehen. Echte Bücherfreunde wollen die Gesamtheit ihrer Bücher im Bücherregal stehen haben, sie dort sehen und sehen lassen, sie beim Lesen haptisch fühlen (für Tageszeitungen könnte der Umstieg schneller funktionieren). Und auch die Ergonomie muss sich weiter verbessern: Echtes umblättern ist immer noch angenehmer als elektronisch umblättern. Daher: Für typische Early Adapter sind die eBooks der zweiten Generation durchaus attraktiv – als Gadget, Statussymbol oder bequeme Gratiszeitung-Alternative. Einen kompletten Ersatz für Papierbücher und Wochenzeitungen bilden eBooks für die Mehrheit der Konsumenten wohl noch einige Jahre nicht. Und wenn auch bei eBooks der Inhalt König ist, dann wirkt das derzeitige eBook-Content-Angebot in deutscher Sprache noch zu  dünn. Mitverantwortlich dafür sind nebst den Buchverlagen primär die Medienhäuser. Werden sie auch diesen Trend verschlafen, oder werden sie diesmal pro-aktiv handeln statt nur defensiv beobachten?

NZZ: eBooks für Besserwisser

I’ve now read a book on my Kindle and feel the time has come for a brief review.  Firstly, I’m glad I purchased the device and have no reservations about the outlay of approximately $300. I am happy with the leather cover and the weight of the Kindle. The fact that one can add documents , as Judy O’Connell explains, is great.

My colleagues at work have been impressed with the potential of this e-reader, especially when travelling, for both general reading and access to travel guides. Most were surprised by the screen and appreciated the ease of downloading and the reduced prices. They found it aesthetically pleasing and liked the screensavers. The ease with which one could garner quotes and makes notes impressed.

You probably read about my first flush of enthusiasm last month and I still feel the same way. However, the biggest disappointments I list in order of annoyance:

1. No power cord. It is just dodgy that one can only charge via a computer/USB

2. The clicking sound when ‘turning the page’ (although heyjudeonline says it is possible to depress the button so it doesn’t ‘click’, I am unable to do this).

3. That many Australian titles are unavailable

4. The current unavailability of Australian newspapers, magazines and blogs at the store

5. The greater price that Australians pay compared to Americans as we pay for the ‘global roaming’ costs).

However, basically, it is a great device and I am likely to use it every night, except when borrowing an otherwise unavailable Australian book from the library.

What do other Kindle readers think?

I always enjoy listening to Mark Pesce and this talk was delivered to educators in Queensland.

Many companies out there are researching digital usage and trying to undersand how we are all using digital technology in our daily lives — but few publish their findings as part of their marketing and brand building effort.  Talk Talk has.

The Digital Anthropology Report 2009 is a well thought out and easy to digest publication. 

Interestingly it also proves an point we’ve all intrinsically believed and is typically referred to by some variant of the pareto rule:  E-ager Beavers that love downloading and reading and searching but can’t be bothered to upload, run a blog or comment heavily like Digital Extroverts are the largest tribe.  And the lurkers outnumber the publishers 3 to 1. 

Click Here to see is a great interview done by the folks at The Web.files.

Why are they wasting time on the news talking about the FCC and this “net neutrality” thing?

Why wouldn’t the FCC make it easier for people like the telephone and cable company to provide consumers with less expensive internet service options?

Why you ask? Why is this such a big deal? The debate is if this constitutes a form of censorship.

The proposal as it stands would not just allow the internet service provider to limit the amount of bandwidth a consumer had access to, but also to potentially to control a consumer’s access to specific content providers on the web. If an internet service provider can decide which service or site is accessible, and which is NOT, that places them in a position of controlling the information you can see and hear. 

To support net neutrality is to support choice that is unfiltered, unmodified, unweighted, and uncensored.

The other side of the arguement is to support varying levels of internet access. To allow internet service providers to offer plans based upon bandwidth consumption. The more bandwidth a consumer requires, the more expensive plan. This in theory would allow less expensive internet access options. It also may improve the internet experience in areas with limited physical infrastructure that supports broadband access. If internet service providers can ration the limited bandwidth in those areas, there would be more bandwidth to go around.

Want to weigh in on the debate in a meaningful way? Let the FCC know your opinion about a free and open internet by visiting OpenInternet.Gov!

I don’t know what your take on the Blu-Ray players is, but mine has always been…what’s the point?  I mean DVDs work perfectly fine.  They are definitely a step above VHS because of the whole no rewinding thing, and they take up less space in the entertainment cabinet, so I see no reason to change-over to Blu-Ray. 

UNTIL…our DVD went kaput.  Then there was a choice.  Do I plunk down money for another DVD player, OR move with the times and get a Blu-Ray?? Decisions, Decisions.  And with my birthday coming up in just a month, I knew that this new gadget would be attached to the celebration, so I decided it had better be one HECK of a gadget!!

Thus began my search.  After a while I realized that for the most part, a Blu-Ray is a Blu-Ray is a Blu-Ray. 

UNTIL…I found it.  A Blu-Ray that was most definitely NOT just a Blu-Ray.  This Blu-Ray had network access.  Which means it connects to your home network, and lets you watch YouTube, Netflix Instant Watch, and even new releases via CinemaNow.  Oh-ho-ho-ho!!  Now that was a Blu-Ray worthy of my last year in my 30’s!!

With one flick of my remote-hovering thumb I have basically TV-on-demand – - especially with YouTube offering more and more network shows, and Netflix having plenty of reruns of stuff I’ve been meaning to catch up on.

This is the way TV was meant to be.  What you want, when you want it.  Sometimes, a techie just can’t resist the temptations and seducements of the “next big thing.” 

I mean have you seen those refrigerators with the internet screen built right into the door?????

In the past, I have had to make ample use of sticky notes, or Post-it® notes. I have gone through a host of sticky note pads, reminding myself of innumerable events or things I needed to do. I simply cannot imagine the amount of paper I have thrown away to the garbage with the use of sticky notes. In this current digital age, there is a movement to go as paperless as possible and do everything in the “cloud.” Now I can eliminate all that waste by using a free service provided by Google called, Google Voice.

There is one other fundamental problem with the use of sticky notes: they require physical space. That is a problem because if they are used too liberally, they will form a mess of clutter and become the very definition of disorganization. Plus, when you have a pile of sticky notes, you can’t simply search for a key word without physically sifting through each note and scanning it for what you are looking for. It is simply inefficient; therefore, a digital replacement is necessary.

There are a host of digital sticky note solutions. In fact, 3M, the makers of the original Post-it® notes, has one such solution on their website. Apple also includes a digital sticky note application with its Mac OS X operating system, appropriately called “Stickies.” However, none of the solutions I have tried or seen match the flexibility, mobility, and usability of Google Voice.

So, how does Google Voice get used as a digital sticky note solution? They are, after all, seemingly unrelated. Well, Google Voice provides wonderful integration with Google’s mail service, Gmail. These two services combined will give you access to a great platform to store your notes, search your notes, and forward your notes to where you need them. Best of all, both of these services are free. (At the time of this writing, you will need an invitation to use Google Voice, but it should open up in the near future.)

The first thing you need to do is set up your Google Voice account to handle this task. By itself, Google Voice is up for the task, but you can make a few adjustments to your account settings to get the maximum flexibility. Log in to your Google Voice account and click the Settings link at the top of the page (you will be on the Phones tab). Click on the Voicemail & SMS tab. Look for the section labeled as SMS Forwarding. In that section, check the box to forward your SMS messages to your Gmail account.

Before I go on with this post, I would like to address some possible questions. You might be asking yourself, “Why not just use the notepad app on my phone?” or, “Why not just text message myself?” or, “Why not just e-mail myself?” Those are all good questions, and they most certainly will work, but, here are my responses: not every phone allows you to search your notes (if you have a lot of notes, it is tedious to look through all of your notes to find what you are looking for); text messaging poses the same issues; and you may not always have access to your e-mail (you may not always be sitting at a computer or have broadband access on your mobile phone). So, setting up Google Voice and Gmail together allows you to solve those issues.

Now you need to go to your Gmail and make sure all is well. Send a text message to your Google Voice number and watch as the text message goes not only to your inbox, but also back to your phone, if you have that feature enabled. The message also resides in your Google Voice account. Now you are ready to utilize the power of Gmail with these notes you are sending to yourself.

1. Create a new label and name it something like My Notes. Use whatever name you wish to use to identify your notes. For this tutorial, I will use My Notes.
2. Create a new filter to catch all of the notes you send to yourself and apply the label, My Notes, to it.
   1. In your Gmail inbox, copy the subject line of the test note you just sent yourself. (Hihglight the subject with the mouse and press Ctrl+c on the keyboard)
   2. Click on the Settings link at the top of the page.
   3. Click on the Filters tab.
   4. Below the list of filters, click the “Create a new filter” link.
   5. In the Subject field, paste the subject you copied. (Press Ctrl+v on the keyboard.)
   6. Click the Next Step button.
   7. Click the Apply Label checkbox and choose the My Notes label from the list. (You may also choose to apply any of the other options to this filter.)
   8. Click the Create Label button to finish creating the filter.

Now, when you send yourself a note to your Google Voice number, it will forward to your Gmail inbox and then apply the My Notes label to the message. Then you can utilize a great feature of Gmail and archive your notes. With your notes archived, they will not clutter your inbox. Plus, you have the option to search your notes (this can also be done in your Google Voice account) or filter your notes by displaying all messages with the My Notes label. Of course, when you’re finished with the note and no longer need it, you can simply delete it—which doesn’t fill your trash can with wads of paper.

So, how is all of this helpful? Well, no matter where you are, you can make a note for yourself and you will have a very handy means of organizing your notes. Even if you do not have network service on your phone, you can still attempt to send the message, and when service returns, the message will go out to Google Voice. You will still have the note on your phone. I suppose if you do not have a phone, or access to a computer, you might be out of luck.

Now, if that doesn’t impress you, I suppose you could do a 1-up on the text notes: send yourself a voice note—with a transcription. This is also an option available in Google Voice. Let’s say you’re in a situation where you do not have access to your mobile phone and, behold, a normal land-line phone is at hand. You can still send yourself a digital note. Unfortunately, you will not be able to use the phone number(s) tied to your Google Voice account because Google Voice will assume you are calling to check your voicemail.

Log in to your Google Voice account and click the Settings link at the top of the page. Click on the Voicemail & SMS tab. Look for the section labeled as Voicemail Notifications. In that section, check the box to e-mail your voicemail messages to your Gmail account. Next, look for the section labeled as Voicemail Transcripts. In that section, check the box to have Google Voice transcribe your voicemail. (I will admit that the transcriptions are a little flaky, if not funny. It’s not 100% accurate and you will get some odd transcriptions. However, you will also get the audio recording as a backup.) Finally, call your Google Voice number and leave yourself a message. It will be forwarded to your Gmail inbox and apply the necessary label, if you set up the filter to handle your voicemail messages.

There you have it: the ultimate solution for digital note-taking (at least, in my opinion). You can now save yourself some money and help the environment by ditching those obsolete paper-and-pen notes. Not only will you have a better system for organizing your notes, with virtually no clutter, but you will also be able to search and filter your notes to easily find the one you want when you want it. I have recently converted to this note-taking system and, despite a little work to get it started, it has made that aspect of my life easier.

I know this isn’t the only digital sticky note solution, but it’s the one I use and it works perfectly for me. What digital sticky note solution do you use? Feel free to post it in the comment section below.