tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102144272024-03-14T00:29:30.495-05:00TechnogeekboyUseful Web sites and nonsense from all corners of the web.Technogeekboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01239891680774063800noreply@blogger.comBlogger213125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10214427.post-21455158135951691102011-06-19T14:15:00.001-05:002011-06-19T14:22:26.739-05:00Pouring Beer Faster and Better with MagnetsBrilliant new beer pouring system uses magnetic discs to fill glasses from the bottom up.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/56jF6154u_g?fs=1" width="425"></iframe>Technogeekboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01239891680774063800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10214427.post-84300263222147055032011-03-26T19:31:00.000-05:002011-03-26T19:31:04.800-05:00Technogeekboy's Favorite Android Phone AppsI'm a big fan of the Android platform. It's fast, it's stable, and it's got apps. Lots of apps. In fact one of my few complaints with Android is the Android Market. Even with the recent update, it's harder to find good apps than it should it be. Here's a little help.<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>Utilities/Tools</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br />
</b></span><br />
<b><a href="https://market.android.com/details?id=com.rechild.advancedtaskkiller">Advanced Task Killer</a> <i>Free</i></b><br />
You need a task killer and this one works great. You can also set it to auto-kill background processes<br />
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<b><a href="https://market.android.com/details?id=com.lookout">Lookout</a> <i>Free</i></b><br />
Great free security suite. Includes a phone finder and backup tool.<br />
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<b><a href="https://market.android.com/details?id=com.cattailsw.quickalarm">Quick Alarm</a> <i>Free</i></b><br />
Great for quick naps or as a snooze alarm. A couple taps sets an alarm between 5 and 60 minutes from now.<br />
<br />
<b><a href="https://market.android.com/details?id=de.esoco.android.cliplite">ClipNote</a> <i>Free</i></b><br />
Simple multi-paste tool. Great for filling out forms.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Games</span></b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<a href="https://market.android.com/details?id=com.gamevil.baseball2011"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"></span></b><b>Baseball Superstars</b></a> <b><i>$</i></b><br />
There aren't a lot of good sports games in the Android Market, but this is one of the best I've played on any mobile device. Plenty of action, strategy and fun.<br />
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<b><a href="https://market.android.com/details?id=com.pikpok.kikfg">Field Goal</a> <i>Free and $</i></b><br />
A great game for a quick time kill. Nice graphics and gameplay with plenty of challenge.<br />
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<b><a href="https://market.android.com/details?id=me.zed_0xff.android.alchemy">Alchemy</a> <i>Free and $</i></b><br />
A fun and sometimes silly game that has you combining "elements" to form new things. For instance, did you know that glass+fire=lamp or fruit+pressure=juice? Well it's true.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Multimedia</span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></b><br />
<b><a href="https://market.android.com/details?id=com.snoggdoggler.android.applications.doggcatcher.v1_0">DoggCatcher</a> <i>$</i></b><br />
Pricey but invaluable tool for podcast fans.<br />
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<b><a href="https://market.android.com/details?id=com.mizusoft.relaxandsleep">Relax and Sleep</a> <i>Free and $</i></b><br />
It goes beyond any sound soother to let you build and save custom sound combinations. You can even set a separate volume level for each sound in the combo.<br />
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<b><a href="https://market.android.com/details?id=com.rhapsody">Rhapsody</a></b> <i>$ subscription</i><br />
I've been a Rhapsody subscriber for years and bringing the "listen to anything anytime" model to a phone is a truly liberating experience.<br />
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<a href="https://market.android.com/details?id=fm.last.android" style="font-weight: bold;">Last.FM</a> <i style="font-weight: bold;">Free and $ Subscription</i><br />
I'm a big fan of internet radio site Last.fm and their Android app is actually better than the Web site. It's slick, responsive and sounds great.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Productivity</span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"></span><a href="https://market.android.com/details?id=com.flufflydelusions.app.extensive_notes_donate">Extensive Notes Pro</a> <i>$</i></b><br />
Simply the best mobile note taking app out there. It also sports a wide array of extras including a to-do list, currency calculator, image sizer, weather report, lyrics search, and on an on.<br />
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<b><a href="file:///S://market.android.com/details?id=com.hootsuite.droid.full">HootSuite</a> <i>Free and $ Subscription</i></b><br />
A full-featured Twitter and Facebook manager. Post or schedule posts to accounts and pages, follow streams and messages.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Information</span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"></span><a href="https://market.android.com/details?id=com.alphonso.pulse">Pulse</a> <i>Free</i></b><br />
A very attractive news aggregator that presents news in a grid-like format with all the bells and whistles.<br />
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<b><a href="https://market.android.com/details?id=com.yelp.android">Yelp</a> <i>Free</i></b><br />
Still the best social ratings and reviews site for restaurants, venues, and more. The mobile version gives you a very clever "Monocle" real-time view of what's around you. My only quibble is that you can only draft reviews from your phone. You have to go online to publish them.<br />
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<b><a href="https://market.android.com/details?id=com.droidanalytics">DroidAnalytics</a> <i>$</i></b><br />
If you use Google Analytics for your Web site, you'd best get DroidAnalytics for your phone. Keep up to date with almost all the important traffic data about your site.<br />
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<b><a href="https://market.android.com/details?id=com.google.android.stardroid">Google Sky Map</a> <i>Free</i></b><br />
Use your phone to scan the stars in real time. Even if you're not an astronomy buff, this is one cool app.Technogeekboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01239891680774063800noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10214427.post-73786119428721786692011-03-10T19:58:00.000-06:002011-03-10T19:58:26.500-06:005 Things I Wish Apple Would Have Released Instead of the iPad 2The iPad 2 came out and the world, other than Apple Fanboyz, let out a collective yawn. Apparently it's thinner and now has two crappy cameras instead of one. So go out and buy one and sell me your "old" iPad for $50. Everybody wins.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5138/5427016297_9c0ff14aed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5138/5427016297_9c0ff14aed.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Maybe instead of releasing the iPad 2, Apple should have focused their consumer savvy on some products that we actually still need.<br />
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<b>A Next-Gen Car Stereo</b><br />
<br />
Most car stereos I see are pretty much the same. Little LCD panel, bunch of poorly named knobs and buttons, etc. Some have nifty features, but nothing tremendously different than it was 10 years ago. Couldn't Apple come up with something that looked better and did more? Maybe with 4G built in?<br />
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<b>A Brilliant Clock Radio</b><br />
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I have a pretty awesome clock radio (it's this one <a href="http://www.americaninnovative.com/products/neverlate-exec.php">here</a>). I can set two different wake times (one for me and one for my wife) each day and they can be different depending on the day. It works great but it's a real pain in the ass to set up and work with. Plus, it's nicer-looking than most clock radios, but I wouldn't consider it stylish. I would think Apple could design a brilliant clock radio. Something like the <a href="http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921666081675">Sony Dash</a> but cooler.<br />
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<b>A Watch I Don't Mind Wearing</b><br />
<br />
I stopped wearing watches many years back. Mostly because I don't like the feel of a watch, but also because it really doesn't offer much. I think most people just use their phones to tell time these days, unless they just like to wear watches. I suspect Apple could give people a reason to wear watches again. Something that looked slick and did things other than telling time. Maybe reading your vital signs or generating power kinetically for your other devices.<br />
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<b>A New Instrument</b><br />
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When was the last time someone created a new, game-changing instrument? Something you could grab as easily as a guitar to take on stage and make sounds never heard before? Sure, you could hook up a laptop to some speakers, but a laptop is inelegant and difficult to play. Imagine some white glowing tube with a few mysterious buttons or panels that sounded like whale songs or an underwater banjo.<br />
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<b>An Amazing Educational Toy</b><br />
<br />
Leapfrog makes some cool educational toys, as do other toy makers. But I haven't seen anything game changing in kids toys in a while. What if Apple put its brains behind a simple, effective educational toy that first and second grade kids could use at home and at school? Something that wasn't a computer I mean. Something devoid of a computer's distractions but rich in interactivity and education. Something that could be wirelessly updated by the teacher at the end of the day for homework. I don't know what it is, but it would be a great legacy for Steve Jobs.Technogeekboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01239891680774063800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10214427.post-10231822653557598052011-03-04T22:43:00.000-06:002011-03-04T22:43:59.352-06:00Tmail Tmail and Other Odd Popular SearchesI was looking at the Google AdWords Keyword Tool and noticed that some of the most searched-for keywords in the world don't make much sense, including <a href="http://www.gcollab.com/tmail/tmail">tmail tmail</a> which seems to be an obscure task management application that, for some reason, gets over 20,000,000 searches a month.<br />
<br />
Some other odd popular searches with numbers in the millions:<br />
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<ul><li>apple0</li>
<li>microsoft0</li>
<li>xp windo</li>
<li>erthe google</li>
<li>woff woff</li>
<li>macbood</li>
</ul><br />
Now I'm heading to Amazon to pick up a macbood for my woff woff so she can use tmail tmail.Technogeekboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01239891680774063800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10214427.post-80362548515691138132011-03-03T19:17:00.000-06:002011-03-03T19:17:19.510-06:00The Montana Family<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-F9HKufy2qSo/TXA9dKMVGjI/AAAAAAAAATs/uwGMrdnzs0U/s1600/montana-family.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-F9HKufy2qSo/TXA9dKMVGjI/AAAAAAAAATs/uwGMrdnzs0U/s1600/montana-family.jpg" /></a></div>Technogeekboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01239891680774063800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10214427.post-27359910945373577472011-02-17T13:51:00.000-06:002011-02-17T13:51:25.312-06:00In Praise of Doors<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BnsqobwFU-I/TV15gwZbPsI/AAAAAAAAATk/zuzXprHjpJc/s1600/23212336.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BnsqobwFU-I/TV15gwZbPsI/AAAAAAAAATk/zuzXprHjpJc/s1600/23212336.jpg" /></a></div>I don't have a door at work. I've had jobs where I did have a door, but at the moment I'm not only doorless, I'm in a high-traffic, utterly public cubicle. In fact, as I was typing that last sentence, a salesperson came up and started reading over my shoulder. I wish I were kidding.<br />
<br />
While cubicles are a step up from simply having desks sitting out in the open, they still lack a mechanism that has the potential to dramatically increase worker productivity -- a door. <br />
<br />
People wonder why today's office worker has the attention span of a 4th grader. They blame Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and all the other attention-sucking tentacles of the Web, but I guarantee a fair part of it has to do with never being left alone. <br />
<br />
I can shut off my email, close my browser, send my phone calls to voicemail, and still get interrupted every five minutes. It's hard to prioritize a person standing at your desk. As much as I'd like to click on him or her and set them to "Low Priority" my only option is to deal with them right now. Even if I tell them I'm busy right now and I'd be happy to stop by and interrupt them later, I have already been pulled away to tell them that and write down a note to myself.<br />
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This wouldn't happen if we all had doors. In our increasingly digital office we have a wide variety of ways to shut people out when we need to concentrate. In the real world office only certain people have doors and if they need to concentrate or have some private work time, the door gets closed. Sure, people will knock or poke their heads in sometimes, but you've cut down interruptions by a significant amount. Plus you can always lock the door and ignore the knocks. You are back in control of your own time.<br />
<br />
This is unfortunately not an easy problem to solve since office space and remodeling aren't cheap. But here's the deal. If you run a company or plan to run one some day, look for office space with plenty of offices. Don't settle for anything less. And when you move in, give offices to anyone who wants one. If you run out of offices, have people double up. It's a lot easier for two people to figure out when to leave each other alone than for an entire office.<br />
<br />
Doors should not be status symbols in an office, they should be used to make workers more productive. ALL workers.Technogeekboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01239891680774063800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10214427.post-21996508863903434972011-01-25T14:21:00.000-06:002011-01-25T14:21:02.566-06:00Writing for New Media: The New Inverted PyramidThis is probably an obvious point to anyone in Marketing these days, but I've noticed a pattern in what I do every day when it comes to content. When we have a new product or feature that we need to communicate, we start with a print piece. It's usually a two-sided page of copy that gets laid out to look nice and gets distributed to our field sales team as a hard copy and to our Web sales team as a PDF. Let's say there's about 800 words in the piece.<br />
<br />
I'm given the copy (hopefully as a Word document and not a PDF) and I rewrite it to work on a Web page. I shorten copy, remove marketing-speak, turn paragraphs into bullets, make it scannable, etc. Hopefully I've cut the copy down to about 350 words.<br />
<br />
Then I take that copy and consolidate further for an email, which, if I'm smart will link back to the Web page I just created. Now, I'm chopping out any remaining fat and selectively leaving out even some of the more important details. Now I'm down about 125 words.<br />
<br />
Next I'm taking that copy and pounding it flat as schnitzel to post on Social Media. Sure, you get 141 characters on Twitter, but who has time to read a tweet that long? I'll keep it under 100 characters.<br />
<br />
Finally, I'm taking that copy and consolidating down to three lines of text for a Google text ad. A short headline and two short lines of copy. Maybe 85 characters.<br />
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Illustrated, the process looks like this:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_FnYZjOtWsmM/TT8vVh504SI/AAAAAAAAATc/JD8E6G9D0d8/s1600/writing-for-web.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_FnYZjOtWsmM/TT8vVh504SI/AAAAAAAAATc/JD8E6G9D0d8/s400/writing-for-web.gif" width="367" /></a></div><br />
I guess this is a daily reminder of A) How we consume content and B) How important it is for today's Marketers to know how to distill a message down to its core over and over again. You have to spend a lot of time asking the questions: "Why is this really important to the intended audience?" and "How do I say that as succinctly as humanly possible?Technogeekboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01239891680774063800noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10214427.post-13517922318490141182011-01-23T13:27:00.000-06:002011-01-23T13:27:26.484-06:00Best Alt-Rock Tracks of 2010<p>After reviewing a dozen different Best of 2010 Lists, I hand-picked the following tracks. They're listed in no particular order.</p><p>1. Trace Decay - Wintersleep<br />2. Road Regrets - Dan Mangan<br />3. City With No Children - Arcade Fire<br />4. The Rake's Song - The Decemberists<br />5. Bloodbuzz Ohio - The National<br />6. We Don't Talk About It - Steve Wynn<br />7. Tell 'Em - Sleigh Bells<br />8. Cold War - The Morning Benders<br />9. Collector - Here We Go Magic<br />10. Permalight - Rogue Wave<br />11. Trouble Comes Running - Spoon<br />12. When She Comes Home - Deer Tick<br />13. Younger Us - Japandroids<br />14. O.N.E. - Yeasayer<br />15. World News - Local Natives<br />16. 2024 - Cage The Elephant<br />17. Clay - Wire<br />18. Gimme The Sweet And Lowdown - Social Distortion<br />19. Fountain Stairs - Deerhunter<br />20. Floating Vibes - Surfer Blood</p><p><a href="http://rhaplinks.real.com/rhaplink?rhapid=6994976&type=playlist&title=Playlist&from=real">Listen on Rhapsody</a></p>Technogeekboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01239891680774063800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10214427.post-89496909827380382902010-07-05T22:06:00.001-05:002010-07-05T22:06:14.472-05:00How to Survive a Shark Attack<div class='posterous_autopost'><div class="posterous_bookmarklet_entry"> <embed name="plugin" src="http://www.howcast.com/flash/howcast_player.swf?file=389585" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="400" width="500" /><div style=""><div><iframe name="POSTEROUS___bookmarklet_iframe" style="border: 0px none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; height: 100%;"></iframe></div><form method="POST" action="http://posterous.com/bookmarklet/iframe_contents" target="POSTEROUS___bookmarklet_iframe" accept-charset="utf-8"><input name="title" value="howcast_player.swf (application/x-shockwave-flash Object)" type="hidden" /><input name="linkto" value="http://www.howcast.com/flash/howcast_player.swf?file=389585" type="hidden" /><input name="selection" value="" type="hidden" /><input value="<rzorq jvqgu=" /><input name="bookmarklet_version" value="1" type="hidden" /></form></div> <div class="posterous_quote_citation">via <a href="http://www.howcast.com/flash/howcast_player.swf?file=389585">howcast.com</a></div> <p>Just in case you're one of the 1 in 11.5 Million.</p></div> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://generatorland.posterous.com/how-to-survive-a-shark-attack-0">generatorland's posterous</a> </p> </div>Technogeekboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01239891680774063800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10214427.post-36876196730738973432010-07-02T15:03:00.003-05:002010-07-02T15:31:08.681-05:00The World's Most Ambitious Hopscotch Artist<div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_FnYZjOtWsmM/TC5GaPJeqSI/AAAAAAAAAQk/R1a24df6rUQ/s1600/hopscotch.jpg"><img style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 239px; display: block; height: 400px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489402412368046370" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_FnYZjOtWsmM/TC5GaPJeqSI/AAAAAAAAAQk/R1a24df6rUQ/s400/hopscotch.jpg" border="0" /></a>Ran across this while strolling through the neighborhood. It's even longer than it looks. (Click for larger image)<br /><br /><div></div></div>Technogeekboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01239891680774063800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10214427.post-5398152170526750852010-05-05T17:39:00.003-05:002010-05-05T18:06:19.568-05:00The IRS Shoots for the SkyWhen it comes to a quality user experience, the IRS is ready to make sure you're satisfied. Not "Extremely Satisfied" or even "Very Satisfied," just satisfied.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_FnYZjOtWsmM/S-H5sOAUwjI/AAAAAAAAAQY/SCIVn9lfuWw/s1600/irs-survey.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 146px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_FnYZjOtWsmM/S-H5sOAUwjI/AAAAAAAAAQY/SCIVn9lfuWw/s400/irs-survey.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467925960673509938" border="0" /></a>Technogeekboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01239891680774063800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10214427.post-21454688331659111342009-12-09T21:37:00.001-06:002009-12-09T21:38:17.507-06:00Break Dancing Robot Wants to Kick Your AssThis robot is coming to kick your break-dancing ass.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/nYMSXV8eT0w&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/nYMSXV8eT0w&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Technogeekboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01239891680774063800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10214427.post-36911279073534825312009-11-21T15:07:00.005-06:002009-12-04T00:12:32.025-06:00Brainstorming Resources for Writers at Generator LandIn addition to its ridiculousness, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">GeneratorLand</span>.com offers some valuable writing resources for writers who need a little brain <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">kickstart</span>.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.generatorland.com/character-name-generator">Character Name Generator</a><br />Not only does it provide a name (pulled from census data), but it also provides an occupation and location. Some examples:<br /><ul><li><span id="lblCode">Benny Davis, fearless mountaineer from Saint Louis</span></li><li><span id="lblCode">Dwight <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Coppin</span>, lonely drummer from Arlington</span></li><li><span id="lblCode">Amalia <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Westrick</span>, exhibitionist street vendor from Columbus</span></li></ul><span id="lblCode"></span><a href="http://www.generatorland.com/tv-show-pitch">TV Show Pitch Generator</a><br />Helps you come up with a fairly complete TV Show concept, including cast. While some results a clearly ludicrous there are gems to be found. Some examples:<br /><ul><li><span id="lblCode">A nun with a heart of gold stalks a zoologist who cries uncontrollably. Stars Mary Tyler Moore and Christopher Lloyd. Genre: Mini-Series</span></li><li><span id="lblCode">A marijuana farmer who can't find happiness reviews bad theater with a pro football player who is accused of a murder. Stars Steven Wright and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Marg</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Helgenberger</span>. Genre: Action</span></li><li><span id="lblCode">A perennial bachelor who can't find happiness competes for a prime job against a rapper who runs a chocolate shop. Stars Chevy Chase and Nancy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">McKeon</span>. Genre: Sci-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Fi</span></span></li></ul><a href="http://www.generatorland.com/soap-digest-generator">Soap Digest Generator</a><br />Looking for a plot twist? Need to keep things fresh in an ongoing story? This might be just what you're looking for. Many of the plot devices were taken from actual soap operas. Some examples:<ul><li><span id="lblCode">Michael rescues the stalker. Todd warns Malibu in the ladies room. Bradley toys with Lucky. </span></li><li><span id="lblCode">Dylan suggests a wicked plan to Dolf. Jared foils a plot with Chloe at the bonfire party. Kelly questions Baldwin. </span></li><li><span id="lblCode">Brit urges on Olive. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Greenlee</span> has a drink and a discussion with Kayle at the farmer's market. Lulu crumples into a whimpering pile at the feet of Bliss.</span></li></ul><a href="http://www.generatorland.com/subdivision-name-generator">Subdivision Name Generator</a><br />Need a name for your story's location. If it's in the suburbs, this tool will be invaluable. Some examples:<br /><ul><li><span id="lblCode">Rustling Swan Springs</span></li><li><span id="lblCode">Sandy Quail Bay</span></li><li><span id="lblCode">Golden Brothers Farms</span></li></ul><a href="http://www.generatorland.com/first-name-generator">First Name Generator</a><br />If you want your characters to have unique first names or you're writing fantasy novels you can get them here with a few clicks. Some examples:<br /><ul><li><span id="lblCode"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Phernix</span></span></li><li><span id="lblCode"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Nalvael</span></span></li><li><span id="lblCode"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Philaver</span></span></li><li><span id="lblCode"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Christaigeal</span></span></li></ul><a href="http://www.generatorland.com/newspaper-headline-generator">Newspaper Headline Generator</a><br />Want to write a story around a specific event? While some of the "news" generated by this tool is best left for The Onion, you may <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">stumble</span> across a few very interesting situations. Some examples:<br /><ul><li><span id="lblCode"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Brodhead</span> Homecoming Queen Makes Hay About Hunter At Brothel</span></li><li><span id="lblCode">Tar Junction Man Steals Squirrel Secretly</span></li><li><span id="lblCode">Waco Hippie Vandalizes Piano At <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Crawfish</span> Boil</span></li></ul><a href="http://www.generatorland.com/horror-movie-title-generator">Horror Movie Title Generator</a><br />Need a B-Movie title? You're sure to scare up a few perfectly ridiculous ones here. For example:<br /><ul><li><span id="lblCode">The Sinister Insane Hiccup of the Undead</span></li><li><span id="lblCode">Beware the Self-Involved Chicken Part VII</span></li><li><span id="lblCode">Attack of the Gruesome Freak from Hell</span></li></ul>Technogeekboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01239891680774063800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10214427.post-74047549824112719352009-11-19T23:26:00.004-06:002009-11-19T23:48:31.483-06:00Best Free Windows Mobile Apps<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_FnYZjOtWsmM/SwYtnIWkfbI/AAAAAAAAAPY/3V89GU-6Peg/s1600/microsoft_logo.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 150px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_FnYZjOtWsmM/SwYtnIWkfbI/AAAAAAAAAPY/3V89GU-6Peg/s400/microsoft_logo.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406058552985157042" border="0" /></a>There are some great apps for Windows Mobile out there, although you wouldn't know it these days and a lot of them are free. Here's a list of some of the great free apps I've downloaded to my AT&T Tilt. Note: Check out <a href="http://www.pocketpcfreeware.com/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">pocketpcfreeware</span>.com</a> for a huge library of free WM apps.<br /><ul><li><a href="http://www.agilitylab.com/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">AgileNotes</span></a>: Great note-taking app.<br /></li><li><a href="http://www.google.com/mobile/products/maps.html#p=default">Google Maps</a>: The best mobile mapping app. If you have GPS on your phone it's even better.<br /></li><li><a href="http://www.koushikdutta.com/search/label/Klaxon">Klaxon</a>: I simple and effective alarm app.<br /></li><li><a href="http://www.freewarepocketpc.net/ppc-download-mytravelr.html"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">MyTravlr</span></a>: Surprisingly robust travel companion with weather, international clocks, and more.<br /></li><li><a href="http://www.opera.com/mobile/">Opera</a>: The second best mobile browser.<br /></li><li><a href="http://www.skyfire.com/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Skyfire</span></a>: The best mobile browser. Includes great social networking features.<br /></li><li><a href="http://www.viigo.com/home"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Viigo</span></a>: A very full-featured <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">RSS</span>/Podcast client. Amazing it's free.<br /></li><li><a href="http://code.google.com/p/pocketwit/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">PockeTwit</span></a>: A full featured, polished Twitter client.<br /></li></ul>Technogeekboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01239891680774063800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10214427.post-26497107717115693252009-04-03T14:22:00.003-05:002009-04-03T14:29:03.942-05:00GeneratorLand.com Playlist #1<a href="http://play.rhapsody.com/playlistcentral/playlistdetail?tracks=Tra.15958264+Tra.2030338+Tra.13243892+Tra.3031945+Tra.1864764+Tra.3087279+Tra.1004567+Tra.9285945+Tra.1876496+Tra.2670993+Tra.2646563+Tra.7601409+Tra.15241368+Tra.447831+Tra.1972447&title=Rhapsody+User+Playlist&lsrc=RN_htm"><img src="http://static.realone.com/rotw/images/buttons/playsm.gif" border="0" height="20" width="20" /> GeneratorLand.com Playlist #1</a><br /><br />Night Windows, Weakerthans<br />Monty Got A Raw Deal, R.E.M.<br />Objects Of My Affection, Peter Bjorn and John<br />Hitchin' A Ride, Green Day<br />Alex Chilton, The Replacements<br />I Burn For You, Sting<br />First Drag Of The Day, Bob Mould<br />You Made It, Teddy Thompson<br />Swingin Party, The Replacements<br />Head Over Heels / Broken (live), Tears for Fears<br />Femme Fatale, R.E.M.<br />Don't Lose Touch, Against Me!<br />Rhthm & Soul, Spoon<br />Mary Watches Everything, Luka Bloom<br />Pale Green Stars, EverclearTechnogeekboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01239891680774063800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10214427.post-79445629854463095502009-03-30T20:59:00.003-05:002009-03-30T21:08:09.756-05:00Turn Google News Into an Obituary Page<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_FnYZjOtWsmM/SdF6livMx9I/AAAAAAAAALg/ajJARFJWkes/s1600-h/fred.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 397px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_FnYZjOtWsmM/SdF6livMx9I/AAAAAAAAALg/ajJARFJWkes/s400/fred.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319167420299790290" border="0" /></a>Morbid thought, I know, but if you're curious about who's died recently, just go to Google News and search for "dies."<br /><br /><a href="http://news.google.com/news?um=1&ned=us&hl=en&q=dies">http://news.google.com/news?um=1&ned=us&hl=en&q=dies</a>Technogeekboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01239891680774063800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10214427.post-49202916373570710922009-03-29T15:18:00.001-05:002009-03-29T15:40:33.689-05:00The Obamanator in ActionHere's what the <a href="http://www.generatorland.com/generators/obamanator-gl.php">Obamanator</a> does.<br /><br /><object height="127" width="472"> <param name="movie" value="http://content.screencast.com/users/napdynmite/folders/Jing/media/07671aaf-d35b-44d2-b52a-470e06df7c1e/jingswfplayer.swf"> <param name="quality" value="high"> <param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF"> <param name="flashVars" value="thumb=http://content.screencast.com/users/napdynmite/folders/Jing/media/07671aaf-d35b-44d2-b52a-470e06df7c1e/FirstFrame.jpg&containerwidth=472&containerheight=127&loaderstyle=jing&content=http://content.screencast.com/users/napdynmite/folders/Jing/media/07671aaf-d35b-44d2-b52a-470e06df7c1e/2009-03-29_1512.swf"> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"> <param name="scale" value="showall"> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"> <param name="base" value="http://content.screencast.com/users/napdynmite/folders/Jing/media/07671aaf-d35b-44d2-b52a-470e06df7c1e/"> <embed src="http://content.screencast.com/users/napdynmite/folders/Jing/media/07671aaf-d35b-44d2-b52a-470e06df7c1e/jingswfplayer.swf" quality="high" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" flashvars="thumb=http://content.screencast.com/users/napdynmite/folders/Jing/media/07671aaf-d35b-44d2-b52a-470e06df7c1e/FirstFrame.jpg&containerwidth=472&containerheight=127&loaderstyle=jing&content=http://content.screencast.com/users/napdynmite/folders/Jing/media/07671aaf-d35b-44d2-b52a-470e06df7c1e/2009-03-29_1512.swf" allowfullscreen="true" base="http://content.screencast.com/users/napdynmite/folders/Jing/media/07671aaf-d35b-44d2-b52a-470e06df7c1e/" scale="showall" height="127" width="472"></embed> </object>Technogeekboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01239891680774063800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10214427.post-73727869312156223822009-03-01T14:32:00.002-06:002009-03-01T14:34:18.152-06:00Unfortunate Placement for a "Become A Police Officer" Ad<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_FnYZjOtWsmM/SarxMqHKpGI/AAAAAAAAALY/Lru_oYahTN4/s1600-h/become-a-police-officer.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 324px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_FnYZjOtWsmM/SarxMqHKpGI/AAAAAAAAALY/Lru_oYahTN4/s400/become-a-police-officer.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308320310574621794" /></a>Technogeekboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01239891680774063800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10214427.post-65985032216132902802009-02-17T07:42:00.002-06:002009-02-17T07:45:39.537-06:00I Want My Jet Pack!<embed src="http://services.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f8/1137883380" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashVars="videoId=13200053001&playerId=1137883380&viewerSecureGatewayURL=https://console.brightcove.com/services/amfgateway&servicesURL=http://services.brightcove.com/services&cdnURL=http://admin.brightcove.com&domain=embed&autoStart=false&" base="http://admin.brightcove.com" name="flashObj" width="388" height="275" seamlesstabbing="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" swLiveConnect="true" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"></embed><p>Now if they could just get rid of the tether...</p>Technogeekboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01239891680774063800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10214427.post-37238151422703688442009-02-15T10:33:00.001-06:002009-02-15T10:35:20.530-06:00New Simpsons Main Title Sequence<p>A great and long overdue main title sequence upgrade.</p><br /><br /><object width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/qZGz1Ajg7QU&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/qZGz1Ajg7QU&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="295"></embed></object>Technogeekboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01239891680774063800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10214427.post-6958107679276393312009-02-09T18:11:00.004-06:002009-02-09T20:00:01.420-06:00My Job is Easy<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_FnYZjOtWsmM/SZDGYEJ9pSI/AAAAAAAAALI/1w6_4RXYuwM/s1600-h/a01_17890753.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 251px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_FnYZjOtWsmM/SZDGYEJ9pSI/AAAAAAAAALI/1w6_4RXYuwM/s400/a01_17890753.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300954878149764386" border="0" /></a><br />Next time you think your job is hard. Make this your desktop background for a few days (click for larger).<br /><br />Update: You can find the original image and many more at: <a href="http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/02/bushfires_in_victoria_australi.html">http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/02/bushfires_in_victoria_australi.html</a>Technogeekboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01239891680774063800noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10214427.post-77937556379257865462009-01-31T10:11:00.002-06:002009-01-31T10:19:46.156-06:001&1 Hosting SucksBack in July of 2007 my site, <a href="http://technogeekboy.blogspot.com/2007/07/my-host-is-pissing-me-off.html">generatorland.com went down</a> due to a server issue with 1&1 Hosting. The site was down for about 12 hours that time when all was said and done. I lost a bunch of traffic and potential ad clicks/merchandise sales. Well, six months later it's happened again. Since that last outage our traffic has increased 50% meaning now this outage is costing me even more.<br /><br />Once again a call to their technical support "team" lead me to someone with no information and an accent so thick I had to ask them to repeat everything they said, sometimes three times. In the end they had no information for me other than there's a problem and they're working on it. They will not let me know when it's back up just as they didn't let me know that it was down.<br /><br />We've already contracted with another host and will be moving the site in a few months. Ultimately all I can do until then is warn anyone looking for a good Web host to stay away from 1&1. Their prices are great and they have some very attractive options, but don't get sucked in, just keep looking.Technogeekboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01239891680774063800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10214427.post-89624479402421625932009-01-25T16:22:00.022-06:002009-01-25T22:36:34.532-06:00Taking Notes in the Shower<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><p>I've had a decade-long quest to find a good way to take notes in the shower. As I've searched for a solution over the years I've been amazed to find that no one has already come up with a great answer. The good news is I've made progress in my search, thanks to a comment from a Facebook friend.</p><p>Other things I've tried, like grease pencils (don't clean up well) and dry erase markers (the "dry" part is obviously a problem) have failed, the main problem being the actual writing tool. Obviously it has to write despite surface moisture and it has to clean up thoroughly. If it gets wet it can't get easily washed away but if it does it can't stain. A tall order I know.</p><p>So yesterday I made a Facebook status update regarding my fruitless search and my friend Meg suggested the <a href='http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00009X41F?ie=UTF8&tag=geneland00-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00009X41F'>Crayola® Floating Art Desk</a><img height='1' border='0' width='1' style='border: medium none ! important;' alt='' src='http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=geneland00-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00009X41F'/>, which, while designed for creative toddlers in the tub, also has a "storage" feature that allows it to hang on a wall, giving non-toddlers an adjustable-height writing surface while standing. I found one at Toys R Us for about $10.</p><p>The included writing tool happens to be a specially-designed crayon, which while water-resistant, isn't a tremendously accurate writing utensil. However, it gets the job done since I'm not generally jotting down more than a few words at a time.</p><p>Oh, one more thing, the Crayola Floating Art Desk is clearly not designed to fit in with an adult bathroom and since we don't have any kids I suspect I'll be explaining things to a few curious guests. I'll be honest, it looks fairly ridiculous. I'm considering making some modifications to it, provided I can do so without completely destroying it. You'll see what I mean in the photos below:</p><br/><table cellspacing='0' cellpadding='5' border='0' width='100%'><tbody><tr><td><img hspace='5' border='0' align='left' vspace='5' style='float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;' id='BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295378646222869874' name='BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295378646222869874' alt='Shower Notes' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_FnYZjOtWsmM/SXz20pdNlXI/AAAAAAAAAKw/kAI-t6vecgY/s320/IMAG0480.jpg'/></td></tr><tr><td style='font-style: italic;'>The unit comes with a crayon storage compartment on either side.</td></tr><tr><td><img border='0' id='BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295379184278692178' alt='' style='float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;' src='http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_FnYZjOtWsmM/SXz3T93t4VI/AAAAAAAAAK4/zBS_DTfnDO0/s320/IMAG0479.jpg'/></td></tr><tr><td style='font-style: italic;'>I tried it on the tile, but it fell so I moved it to the glass door. So far so good.</td></tr><tr><td><img border='0' id='BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295379666715029426' alt='' style='float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;' src='http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_FnYZjOtWsmM/SXz3wDFgL7I/AAAAAAAAALA/uP-ZiwegWvw/s320/IMAG0481.jpg'/></td></tr><tr><td style='font-style: italic;'>The crayons are retractable. I'm not sure why.</td></tr></tbody></table>I'll give it a little while before I call this a complete success, but in the meantime I'm feeling better about saving those random brainstorms in the shower.</div>Technogeekboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01239891680774063800noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10214427.post-38011286744607562622009-01-23T12:40:00.003-06:002009-01-23T13:00:08.921-06:00Straighten Your Office 2007 Learning CurveIf you've recently switched to Office 2007 (as I have), I strongly urge you to immediately go download and install Microsoft's "Search Commands" toolbar (or "ribbon" in the new vernacular).<br /><br />The hardest part about making the switch to Office 2007 is trying to find the commands you're used to using regularly. While I think the new Office ribbon is very cool, it also takes some time to warm up to it. The Search Commands ribbon speeds the process by providing a way to quickly search for a command and then use it (see below).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_FnYZjOtWsmM/SXoRLKdZT4I/AAAAAAAAAKo/yttvwC_33oI/s1600-h/search-ribbon.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 54px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_FnYZjOtWsmM/SXoRLKdZT4I/AAAAAAAAAKo/yttvwC_33oI/s400/search-ribbon.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294563195411320706" border="0" /></a>Read more about the <a href="http://www.microsystems.com/resources/wordtips/wordtip033.php">Search Commands Toolbar</a> in Microsystems' <a href="http://www.microsystems.com/resources/word-tips-and-tricks.php">Word Tips and Tricks.</a>Technogeekboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01239891680774063800noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10214427.post-33020396506387308542009-01-18T19:43:00.006-06:002009-01-18T20:48:33.316-06:00The Best Way to Reduce Traffic Congestion and AccidentsBy promoting telecommuting and providing incentives to companies with formal telecommuting programs, the government would reduce the number of cars on the road, the "trickle down" being:<br /><ul><li>Reduced traffic congestion</li><li>More productive man hours</li><li>Reduced fuel consumption</li><li>Reduced road accidents</li><li>Reduced air pollution</li><li>Reduced wear on roads<br /></li></ul>Some facts from a 2005 article <span class="">by </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Longge</span><a href="http://www.allbusiness.com/sam-advanced-management-journal/41463-1.html" title="SAM Advanced Management Journal" relatedarticles="false" id="41463" onclick="return ab_click(3471470,'41463');"> </a><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Gao</span> in the <span style="font-style: italic;">SAM Advanced Management Journal</span>:<br /><span class=""></span><span class=""><a href="http://www.allbusiness.com/sam-advanced-management-journal/20050622/3017207-1.html" title="SAM Advanced Management Journal: 20050622" relatedarticles="false" id="3017207" onclick="return ab_click(3471470,'3017207');"></a> </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">"Telecommuting can have positive efforts on society. One is helping alleviate the number of vehicles on the road (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Harpaz</span>, 2002) and, consequently, the amount of pollution and oil consumption (Mills, Wong-Ellison, Werner, and Clay (2001). Other societal benefits include less noise pollution, less potential for accidents, less strain on the public transportation system, and an increased ability by organizations to hire employees with special needs (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Harpaz</span>, 2002)."<br /></span><br />There are, of course <a href="http://www.teleworkexchange.com/">positives</a> and <a href="http://www.networkworld.com/columnists/2008/123008-seventeen-telecommuting-pet.html?hpg1=bn">negatives</a> to telecommuting both for employees and their employers. These issues are well documented. But by asking businesses to consider it and helping them make it happen if it's a good fit, the government would be making a great step forward.<br /><br />Fortunately it appears President Obama will be looking to "<a href="http://www.barackobama.com/issues/economy/">expand flexible work arrangements</a>" including telecommuting. Here's hoping he follows through.Technogeekboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01239891680774063800noreply@blogger.com0