Web Worker Daily: So Your Co-Worker Isn't Your Best Friend. Now What? �

I thought this was a pretty good article about dealing with bastards at work. I've been in the "working with a jerk" situation quite a bit and I've found a lot of these techniques really do help, especially this one that they suggest:

"Get perspective. What you’re reading as a big personal insult in an email might not be the case at all. Ask a friend who will be honest with you what they think of the email you’re sending and receiving. Do they read the same negative tone from your co-worker? Do they think you’re being particularly biting when you don’t need to be? Try and see the situation from different eyes."

Of course you could also stay late and mess with their stuff, but that wouldn't be a real mature release would it?

Web Worker Daily: So Your Co-Worker Isn't Your Best Friend. Now What?

Avoid Your Neighbors, They Might Be Sick

In case you were wondering if the ailment you're faking to get out of work is rampant in your neighborhood, visit whoissick.org. The site allows you enter your symptoms (stomach ache, runny nose, severe malaise) and then see if anyone else around you has those or any other symptoms. Or you can simply browse with morbid fascination.

You can narrow your search by symptoms, age, sex, and time period. There's also the saddest little tag cloud I've ever seen (see image above). I imagine that's what the brain of a hypochondriac looks like.

Cameroid: Best Interface I've Seen in a While

If you have a Web cam, check out Cameroid. If you're a Web interface or application developer you should check it out too. While the site's intended use is harmless fun (taking photos with effects and sharing them), the beauty lies in the drop-dead simple interface.

When you visit the site you get some intro text and a button that says "Ready? Click Here." You will likely get a security prompt as the site connects with your Web cam and then that's it. Your ugly mug appears onscreen and you get a bunch of effects to try using a simple tabbed system.

The effects are nice, but not earth shattering. Applying them is simple and the changes happen in real time. You can move around to see how the effect will look from different angles. Then you click the camera button to take the picture immediately or with a 3 second delay. All this is handled in a way simple enough to pass the "my mom could do it" test.

When you're done, you can save the image or link to it using a URL provided. You can also use it as an instant messaging avatar, email it, or add it to your blog. If you just want to download it you don't have to provide an email address.

It's a shame more Web 2.0 apps aren't this simple.