My Thermos

So I signed up for this Twitter thing ages ago but wasn't active at all.* I remember staring at the 140 character text box wondering just what I could enter there that anyone would be interested in.



In the last couple of weeks I've come to a realization of sorts about Twitter though. Now I see the 140 character box as a challenge. Can I distill down my thoughts into a concise statement that fits into this box. Is it interesting? Does it provide any value to anyone who might read it?

But it isn't what I enter in that text box that is the value, it's what other folks enter. Folks that I know, folks who work for companies that provide services that I use, industry folks, fellow bloggers, and other interesting folks who might have interesting things to say.

Really though, Twitter is nothing more than a stream of thoughts, links, and other ramblings. Twitter is often the equivalent of the stuff I used to overhear cubicle neighbors chatting about. As a web worker, I often don't have a lot of interaction with others. No chats by the coffee pot, no hallway encounters, even lunch is often a solo venture. Twitter isn't life changing, it isn't critical (although it can be), rather it's noise that keeps me grounded and keeps me connected.

So if you're interesting, leave your twitter name in the comments. If you think you might be interested in what I might have to say you can view my profile and follow me. I'm not as connected as some, but I am slowly assembling a good group of people to follow.

Is anyone else finding Twitter useful? How do you use it?

SB

* If you aren't familiar with Twitter, watch this excellent video from Commoncraft

The folks at Microsoft have released some very cool technology that does on the fly language translations. It is still currently in beta and part of their "Windows Live" series of products.

There are a couple of different interfaces for it. Here I just copied and pasted some text into the boxes, selected my language and it did the translation for me.



Hey - I didn't know I could write in Italian!! Continue reading "MyThermos Goes Multilingual" »

Recent things I've found in my internet travels:

Seasonshot - Ammunition made of seasoning. It kills and seasons. Has it really taken us this long to invent this. I am sort of embarassed by that.

Pastafarians - The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. You'll either laugh, scratch your head in disbelief, or get really angry. Perhaps all of the above.

The Moby Equation - Find out just how badly your favorite artist is selling out. Brilliant!!

Rackmas - It's The Holiday of Office Cheer. We would so be doing this if I still worked at Computershare.

Will Return Clock - A new take on the "Be Right Back" sign.

Sandy - A really handy web service / assistant. Works with email for reminders and notifications. I'm starting to find it really useful.

SB

I imagine anyone who really wanted one has already figured out a way to get them, but I just got a bunch more Pownce invites if there is anyone out there who might still need one.

They sure don't do me any good

SB

Actually this is just a place for my stuff, ya know? That's all, a little place for my stuff. That's all I want, that's all you need in life, is a little place for your stuff, ya know?

George Carlin



I am a big fan of web apps of all sorts and am always looking for my holy grail solution - the one that will induce the organizational nirvana that I am searching for, the singular "place for my stuff."

Until the day I find that, I'll be using Backpack

Continue reading "Hiking The Organizational Trail With My Backpack" »

So since my last review, I have had a chance to play around with Jango some more. While it isn't as social as I had hoped, once I adjusted my expectations accordingly, I am actually listening a bit more often.

The Good:

I am getting to like the "on demand" type functionality. For example, while listening to Traveling Wilburys just now on my Esoteric Thermos station, it showed me some Dylan songs that were "playing" on other stations. A quick click on "Don't Think Twice..." and it fired right up. Very Nice.

Also, the app actually performs pretty well - very few bufffer dropouts or errors.

Other user stations can be pretty diverse. Allows me to rate stuff not playing on my stations.

The Bad:

Other user stations can be pretty diverse. I know that I just called this a good thing. Sometimes it is a bad thing too though.

My stations are still too limited. I have added songs, added artists, rated songs, etc.. but I still can only listen a relatively short time without hearing repeats.

I can't find any indication if I have rated a song previously, and what that rating may have been. I also am pretty sure it is ignoring my "Never Play This Song Again" rating, something I use judiciously.

There is still no Gov't Mule. I honestly can't, in good conscience, recommend any music service with such a glaring omission.

I don't know how to save or bookmark a station that I like. There must be a way but for the life of me, I just can't do it. Brings up the bigger issue of general lack of documentation or an FAQ.

I can't seem to give away my invites. I still have 7 left and although I get a lot of traffic to my Jango related posts, no one has asked for them.

I still think Jango shows promise. It has some rough edges but that is to be expected in a limited beta period. I would say give it a shot if you get the chance (and if you are among the first 7 to request such a chance in the comments, I'll send along an invite)

SB

I've recently been asked to contribute content to a great new blog called TechFires. Featuring Rapid Fire Reviews of Hot Technology, it is a great place to keep up to date on the cool tech stuff we are finding, all presented to you in bite size chunks. A screenie, some basic info, a link out, and you're done.

Response has been great so far, I'm honored to be a part of it.

SB