* So, you’re digging through your start menu trying to find that application you want to launch to get your work done, but you forget where it is. On a Mac, you’d be using “QuickSilver”:http://quicksilver.blacktree.com, but what about on a PC? Enter “Launchy”:http://www.launchy.net/. Hit Ctrl + Space, type the name of your app, and — boom — it launches. Sweet. (”via Lifehacker”:http://www.lifehacker.com/software/keyword-launcher/download-of-the-day-launchy-172527.php)
* “NetNewsWire 2.1 Released”:http://ranchero.com/netnewswire/changenotes/netnewswire2.1.php. Syncing with NewsGator, performance enhancements and bugfixes: the best news reader for the Mac just got better.
* “Jode is psyched”:http://existential-stillborn.net/?p=3 about the “Moleskine Bible”:http://www.esv.org/blog/2006/04/journaling.bible.coming (”so is Alissa”:http://www.alissaclark.com/?p=309) and links over to a “web 2.0 eBible”:http://ebible.com/ application set to launch whenever. They’ve even “got a Typo-powered blog”:http://blog.ebible.com/, but aren’t really saying _what_ it will be. Hm.
* “Google Trends”:http://google.com/trends?q=newark&ctab=0&geo=all&date=all is out and provides very basic tracking on search terms. At first, I thought this was huge (online marketers _drool_ over statistics like this), but then I saw that they’re not providing any numbers — just graphing trends. (”via LifeHacker”:http://www.lifehacker.com/software/google/google-morning-google-trends-173038.php)
* “Alissa notes”:http://www.alissaclark.com/?p=319 that the Da Vinci Code movie just sucks. I lean towards the church on the issues of Dan Brown’s stirring up the Gnostic gospels debate (our pastor “just podcasted about this”:http://www.villagechurchnyc.com/worship/sermons/2006/05/the-life-of-jesus-christ-from-afar/ if you want to hear some defense of that argument), so I can’t say I’m sorry. But you know when Tom Hanks starts making fun of the marketing machine behind the movie, like he did on NPR’s “Wait, Wait — Don’t Tell Me”:http://www.npr.org/templates/rundowns/rundown.php?prgId=35&prgDate=05-13-2006&view=storyview, that it’s just another massively hyped Hollywood snore.
* “Slashdot reports”:http://rss.slashdot.org/Slashdot/slashdot?m=5413 that the sequel to my favorite game ever, ever, ever will be available on the Nintendo Wii, and it “looks totally awesome”:http://media.revolution.ign.com/media/748/748545/imgs_1.html. ;-)
* Apple’s got “a new MacBook out”:http://www.apple.com/macbook/macbook.html which I totally want (can you believe I only got my 12″ PowerBook G4 a year ago?), and a new store on Fifth Avenue which “looks incredible”:http://www.macworld.com/news/2006/05/18/pictures/index.php. Anyone want to go to the store this weekend?
* Speaking of the PowerBook, I love “this photo of us”:http://www.flickr.com/photos/82312386@N00/52530035/ that Tom took of us at the Poleys.
* ??Sam Anderson?? for ??Slate??: “By the Power of Grayskull!”:http://www.slate.com/id/2141626/ Hilarious reflections on a show I used to love while growing up.
* “JGNash”:http://jgnash.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Road_Map is an interesting cash management and budgeting application with a miserable name. It stores its data in an open XML format and, since it runs on Java, is cross-platform. I’ve been using Microsoft Money since 1999 (!) and have, at times, wrestled with being hopelessly dependant on yet another Microsoft application — Money is the only app that I haven’t replaced since moving to a Mac. Switching to a new application would require a huge effort, and very little actual benefit to our household finances, so we’re not making the jump. But, if you’re starting from scratch…
* Speaking of finances, Sarah and I loved the little “filter your selection”:http://www201.americanexpress.com/apply/Fmacfservlet?csi=0/22000/b/2/1258083950/13720005790/20/n&from=0 user interface provided by American Express to figure out which card is best for you.
* ??NPR??: “Beyond Frou Frou”:http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5200569. Imogen Heap, who is my new favorite self-produced, plays-everything artist (in the vein of Trent Reznor and Billy Corgan) was featured on WXPN’s World Cafe. I first heard of Imogen on Steven Garrity’s “Acts of Volition Radio (Session 24)”:http://actsofvolition.com/archives/2006/april/actsofvolition, which ends with one of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard. Check her out, then “buy her music on iTunes”:http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=83486513&s=143441.
* “Our photos on Flickr”:http://flickr.com/photos/kennsarah/. It took me a LONG time to grok Flickr, which speaks poorly of my ability to commune with the force. Truth be told, I had initially thought I could find photo-hosting software that I could publish here and style myself to produce “wonderful, stunning photo albums”:http://dbowman.com/photos/london05/. Shortly after that, though, I realized that not all of us could be Doug Bowman and “outsourced our site design”:http://kennsarah.net/2005/12/22/facelift/. Only then was I willing to use a photo-sharing service like Flickr — and, man, did I see what I was missing. Very, very cool app. If you’ve got a Mac, check out “Flickr Export”:http://connectedflow.com/flickrexport/ to upload your photos from iPhoto with ease. If you’re the PC-type, check out this article how to “upload your photos from Picasa”:http://www.lifehacker.com/software/digital-photos/upload-images-to-flickr-with-picasa-and-gmail-039095.php.
* “Graeme Hinde on Myspace”:http://www.myspace.com/graemehinde. About two weeks ago I get an email from Myspace telling me I’ve got a new friend request. Thinking it was just spam, I was very pleased to find out that it was, in fact, one of my oldest friends from growing up. He’s landed in an apartment in Brooklyn, so we hooked up for breakfast in the Village. As we caught up on life and mutual acquaintences, it was good to find out that, in many ways, he’s the same Graeme and that I’m the same Ken.
* ??Heather Armstrong??: “Superior cleaning power”:http://www.dooce.com/archives/nubbin/05_19_2006.html. I, too, am in this market demographic.
* ??Mark Pilgrim??: “Digital cameras, again”:http://diveintomark.org/archives/2006/05/19/digital-cameras-again. Mark’s looking to upgrade his camera. I’ve also got a budget item that I’m trying to get through the Walker Household Budget Committee for a “new digital camera”:http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canonsd450/. Our Sony Cybershot has served us well over the past four years that we’ve been married, but, with plans to visit Europe this fall, I’d like something way more portable, with way more battery life, and way more capacity.
3 Comments
Ken,
Being addicted to Microsoft Money is like being addicted to air. Don’t feel bad about it. My addiction had been disrupted by the little poop machine, though. Citibank credit card payment totally skipped my mind. They were pretty understanding of the whole thing.
About credit cards: How about this killer app…click here for a list of the American Express cards which will work best for you. Hint, the list is the same as the list I compiled of well-written sentences and non-predictable plot twists in Dan Brown’s abysmal novel. Click here.
Fascinatin’ eh? Try AT&T rewards.
I listened to the podcast and read the quotes. Dan Brown is so fluffy-like Josh McDowell for the lazy agnostic. Why bother? When you’re sitting on a jury deciding on a crime that was not caught on camera, there is only the careful weighing of evidence. No gotchas, no conspiracy.
Russ, thanks for the tip on the AT&T Rewards card.
I have no on-the-record opinion of Citibank, but we did just set up a new checking account, and it wasn’t with them.
The Da Vinci Code is for a/Gnostics what “Left Behind”:http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/left_behind/ is for Christians: poorly written, over-simplifying, brain-candy drivel for folks who already Think Like I Do. Both require a helmet while watching because both are going to bash you over the head with a message. I agree, if we’re going to have a piece of art that will delve into serious spiritual and social questions, it has to be both artistic in its level of quality, and it has to encourage dialog. Both of these films are guilty of doing neither.
He-Man rocks.
Nuff said.