My Thermos

For the past couple of weeks I've been playing around with a great app called Launchy and I decided today to give it my official yet still meaningless recommendation.

Launchy is a launcher app that indexes your start menu, programs, documents, bookmarks etc. With the default setup, an alt-space key combo brings up a basic, yet very powerful search box. Start typing until it recognizes your request (think Live Search) and then press enter to access your choice. Pause and it presents alternate choices.

I really haven't gotten into customizing it too much but there is a full assortment of themes and plugins available, and the folks over at Lifehacker have assembled some tips on how to take Launchy beyond app launching.

I've all but abandoned my beloved Object Dock which has served me very well for years. Launchy requires zero configuration of buttons and tabs, requires no screen real estate until you need it, and really seems to serve my needs quite well.

So I give it 4 Thermos!!

Download Launchy Here

SB

My favorite blogging platform, Serendipity, has just reached another milestone with the release of version 1.2 today.

As usual, my update went without a hitch. If things constantly keep going right like this I might be tempted to skip my normal pre-update backup (not really - but I get the feeling I could).

Presented as a feature consolidation release focusing on small usability enhancements, this new version features some outstanding and exciting enhancements - specifically in the design area with the new bulletproof template and smarty templating of the admin section.

I love how MyThermos is looking these days but even a quick glance at the new bulletproof template has proven to be quite a learning experience, so I wouldn't be surprised to see some things added in here over the next couple of days or weeks.

Even though it is slowly gaining in notoriety and receiving excellent reviews, Serendipity is still a relatively unkown platform. That is a shame really as in my evaluation, I found it to be the best of the bunch. The SPARTACUS system for plugin and template management is nearly foolproof, and while the options aren't as extensive as for something like wordpress, there really isn't anything that I have needed that it can't do.

It is probably not a bad idea to occasionally step out of your comfort zone for a minute and see how the landscape has changed since you made your decision. You may have made the right choice at the time - but would it be so again now? Not just for choosing software, but for any major decision. The reevaluation of the "standard" allows you to revisit your options, reframe your priorities, and make sure that you continue to use the best that is available to you.

The next time you get ready to set up a new blog for yourself, a friend, or a client - give Serendipity a look and see if it would better suit your needs - you may be surprised at the answer.

SB

I love my blogging platform Serendipity. It is easy to setup and administer. Theming is a breeze and their plug in system is a wonder.

However, I find using their online editor for posting a bit klunky. There isn't anything inherently wrong with it really. It handles media well, it supports textile or other markups, and there are wysiwyg editors available. It just isn't as easy as I would like - and my hunch is that I would find similar results with other platforms.

So I began my search for a good offline client. Windows Live Writer wouldn't even install, BlogJet didn't impress, ScribeFire had promise but just didn't feel comfortable. The search continued.

I really only had a few requirements:

• Auto photo resizing and uploading
• Post to multiple blogs (choose among and cross posting)
• Generate clean code

Enter BlogDesk. Continue reading "Quick and Easy Blogging With BlogDesk" »

It has been a while in the making but the folks at 37 Signals pushed out a major upgrade to Backpack last night.

At first glance, the changes are subtle - most of the improvements are functional rather than in the design. Of notable distinction is the addition of a search box - a long awaited feature for many.

Behind the scenes, they seem to have addressed the most oft requested features - specifically moving items around on a page or between pages. A quick drag and drop and your lists, notes etc... can be moved around to your liking - very cool.

Other improvements include:
Page Dividers
Multiple Photo Galleries
Improved Page Feeds

It also appears that they have removed the limits on reminders.

A quick list of new features and demo videos can be found on their site here.

I have tried to love Backpack as an online notebook and organization tool but my usage has always been limited - even with a brief paying subscription for access to files, images and the calendar. I just haven't been able to embrace it or commit to it fully.

What would be the killer feature for me would be to have a consolidated list of all todo items - no matter which page they appear on. This is a really nifty feature in Microsoft's One Note and seems a glaring omission in Backpack. Lists are a great feature but as they get added to multiple pages (and now multiple areas of each page) it can be difficult to keep track of them all as to-do items - being able to pull them all together in one area as a master list would be outstanding.

A quick glance over at the newly launched forums does reveal some issues with formatting, print styles, etc... but they have already addressed a lot of those and expect that to continue as they are found.

I am not sure if these changes will address everything and make Backpack the organization tool for me but it is certainly a good start - and enough to make me revisit it and give it another shot.

As a tech services provider and general computer geek, I've been following the development of Windows Vista for the past couple of years. I have read reviews, marketing info, played with beta versions, and waited patiently for it.

Now that it has officially been released to manufacturing, I think it fair to share what I think is a pretty good review / write up on Vista. An interesting read to help you understand what Vista is and what it will mean to you.

Paul Thurrott's Super Site for Windows Vista

A couple of disclaimers:

I don't usually get involved in this debate. I have never had any issues with spyware or attacks caused by my use of IE. I am a Microsoft Partner and am by no means a Mozilla Fanboy or anti MS Zealot.

With that said, I can't believe how addicting the extensions to Firefox can become. I've been testing the IE alternative for a few months now and through that time I've added some extensions to it including:

• Foxy Tunes: Allows me to control my media player from within the browser.
• Gmail Manager: Unintrusive monitoring of my gmail accounts lets me know when I have new mail without having to keep tabs open to each page.
• del.icio.us Bookmarks: Easy access to my shared bookmark library both in the sidebar and from the toolbar.
• MeasureIt: Grab pixel dimensions of any object on a web page - very handy.
• Web Developer: A myriad of useful tools for the developer. Allows you to quickly examine structure and style of any web page.
• GreaseMonkey: Allows page side scripting. I imagine that it is very powerful although I only use one script which shows additional charting options on my last.fm profile.
• Roboform Toolbar: Allows access to my roboform login passcards.

A recent upgrade glitch to the roboform extension caused me to revert to IE for a few days until I could devote time to try to recover.

I can't say that using IE was a bad experience - it performs well for me, I like the tabbed browsing, and I find it rather intuitive really. I just really missed this extra functionality that I had grown so accustomed to having available.

I did a cursory check for addons for IE and while the list is small but growing, the sheer number of extensions that are available for Firefox make it a much more customizable tool - and one that I will continue to keep using.

SB