The Best Entertainment Distractions that Easily fit into your Computer Bag
September 19, 2008
Being a frequent traveler you quickly have to learn how to relax on a daily 30 minute commute or a 5 hour cross country flight without carrying a 20lb backpack.
I’ve played with many distractions over time, and these are the best way to entertain yourself for minutes or hours that will easily slip into into your bag.
Personal Video Player
Archos 605 WiFi. This small video player did something unique; its basic version is not that expensive allowing a low cost to entry; and it has many add-ons which do raise the price - but you don’t have to pay for it you’ll never use them. It’s main purpose - watching video. A clear crisp screen and decent battery life will allow you to watch several TV shows or movies on your flight. It supports quite a few formats, more than most players and doesn’t lock you into a single provider like the next selection.
iPod Touch. This is the iPhone for those who don’t want AT&T. While it doesn’t make calls, it’s other features (WiFi, music, video) are top notch. I only have two complaints about the touch. The first is that you’re locked into iTunes (one of the biggest walled gardens ever created). The second is that it does not have stereo Bluetooth support. When it has bluetooth 2.0; this product might leapfrog the Archos just due to the simplicity of use.
CNet did a great prizefight between these two products.
The only product that can be considered in 3rd place is the new Cowon. The last product worth considering is the 80gig Video iPod, especially if you connect it to a set of video glasses. Note: Some people (including me) hate video glasses; they just don’t look right. Some people love them. Make sure you have the option of returning them.
<added>Since I wrote this post, Archos launched a new set of products. They are more focused around being an internet tablet than just a PVP player, however, they are worth a look.</added>
Free Video
For those of you who want free *legal* video; there is absolutely one best option - TiVo.
TiVo offers a desktop software which will let you transfer (via the net) files from your TiVo to your computer. If you don’t have an encoding program, you can also use the upgraded TiVo software to create mp4 files for your iPod that can be managed via iTunes. Easily auto-schedule your favorite shows and movies to be moved to your computer.
Which headset to choose?
Everywhere you look around first class you will see the Bose noise canceling headsets. While they are decent headsets (and heavily promoted by the affiliate-minded airlines) - they are too big to easily fit into our commuter bag. Here’s the best of the small headsets.
The best bluetooth stereo headset is from Jaybird Gear. This headset has nice sound, and easily pairs with bluetooth 1.0 and 2.0 devices. You can also buy bluetooth receivers that work with an iPod, iPhone (which also isn’t bluetooth stereo), or any device with a standard headset jack. If you ride a train everyday, the lack of wires between your iPod and headset that catch on things will make your life much easier.
My favorite bluetooth headset for my phone (while Jaybird gear is a great stereo headset, I don’t find it’s noise canceling technology great for calls) is the Jawbone II. My only complaint is that it does not fit everyone’s ears perfectly; and if you’re trying to adjust the fit, you can accidentally make a phone call.
Since you can’t use bluetooth on a plane, there is a need for a corded headset with a small footprint that sounds great. The Sennheiser earbuds have been my favorite - but not just for the sound. The street and sport earbuds have a version that does not actually fit in your ear. It has a twist clip at the top of the earbud that easily fits into the ear without having to push them into the ear. I find this is better for the changing ear pressure of a plane. Best of all, they’re under $50.
If you want top of the line small footprint earphones, the Shure e3 or e4 doesn’t have a comparison. They are also $300+ depending on the model you choose. Due to the air pressure of planes, I’ve found that my ears will actually push these out of my ear on decent making them unusable for me. So, the Sennheiser’s are 1/4th the price and almost as good for a few hundred dollars less.
Music
If you choose the iTouch under video; you’re probably done picking music. If you choose the Archos, there’s only one reason to carry a second music device - size (the larger Archos isn’t always jeans pocket friendly).
There’s been so much written about iPod vs Zune vs Creative, etc - I’m not gong to rehash the conversation. However, if you carry a larger PVP device, you might want to also carry a small iPod or Zune for music listening; this can be useful if you’re working on a laptop and just want some extra music to drown out the neighbors on a plane.
Portable Games
Nintendo DS vs PSP. While the Nintendo DS does have some interesting abilities to connect DSs together. The PSP has Wi-Fi, has been known to be hacked for Skype, and includes more mainstream games. Overall, if this is your first portable gaming unit - take a look at the types of games available for each system - that will help you decide more than a feature comparision list.
Reading - Carry Thousands of Books with You
Don’t want to carry 10 books with you? Don’t even want to carry one heavy book? I don’t blame you; I now carry hundreds of books with me. How? The magical Amazon Kindle. I can’t say enough good things about this device. Easy-to-read screen interface. No LDC to wear out the eyes. Due to the ink technology, I’ve had the battery last two weeks before recharging. Need a new book? Use the built-in wireless technology to shop for new books on Amazon from the device. You can even send your PDF files to the Kindle so you can catch up on all the eBooks you download but don’t read.
There are rumors of a new one coming out before Christmas, so while you might want to hold off buying one; I’d recommend the first generation if they go on sale when the next gen is released.
Speed up Wordpress by Trimming Your Bloated Database
September 12, 2008
<new>I’m slowly cleaning up old drafts. This is one from 5 months ago before the redesign (and I’ve not reintegrated Google search yet). However, for those wordpress users - it’s a worthwhile read.</new>
I love analytics. No where else on the web can you get lost in the purity of statistics.
However, there’s a dark side to analytics - storage space.
Admittedly, I don’t take good care of this blog. However, when I went to back up my database today it was 950 mb. Yes, that’s correct, the database was nearing a one gig in size! It wasn’t spam, it wasn’t the huge amount of content on the site, it wasn’t hacked - it was wordpress analytics programs storing stats in the database.
While it’s fun to have access to every possible analytic stat, there’s also something to be said about the speed of your blog (not to mention one should be more concerned about actionable data).
Using phpMyAdmin I removed shortstat, slimstat, and counterize II tables from my database which brought it down to a much more reasonable 50mb; which still seemed large to me. So, after some more rummaging around the database, it seems that Search Meter (a nice plug-in that saves all the searches conducted on your blog) was taking up the last unnecessary 20+ mb in the database.
It was a tough decision to actually put an ad back on the blog. But, the best alternate to the wordpress search was to add a Google custom search. I haven’t figured out the correct layout for the search yet as on some browsers part of the search box is obscured which I’m sure is against the Google TOS - but I’ve not figured out an OK looking CSS yet. However, searches on this site will now have some ads from Google on them. However, I can now get search stats in my AdSense reporting. Unfortunately, that’s not integrated with any other analytics programs yet. I’m waiting for the day Google’s CSE is integrated into Google analytics. That seems the next logical step. One of the best places for keyword research is search results on your own site.
So, after removing those plug-ins, I made sure that both Microsoft Analytics (review here) and Google Analytics (and soon IndexTools by Yahoo) are installed in the blog for full stats. (More free stat programs found via SEMMYs.)
When installing these scripts, please put them in the footer tag (or just above the </body> tag) so that your content loads immediately. It’s ok if you don’t track all your visitors because the tracking script didn’t load. It’s not ok to have your content not load because some tracking script is taking too long to load.
The accomplishment? This blog is loading about 70% faster than previously. A leaner database means a faster site.
P.S. Please use absolute URls for your Favicons. If you use relative paths, the icons will not show up on all pages of your blog.
links for 2008-05-16
May 15, 2008
links for 2008-05-15
May 14, 2008
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Excellent article about closing the loop between bidding and actual sales margins.
Primer: How to host your own online applications for non-techies
May 13, 2008
Do you like the functionality of Google Docs, Flickr, Zoho, and Basecamp but don’t like paying subscription fees? Or, are you worried about the applications losing or deleting your accounts?
There’s a simple solution - host it yourself.
While hosting your own applications seems it’s only within the realm of techies, even non-techies can achieve application hosting prowess with some simple steps.
Find a VPS Host
The first step to hosting your own applications is to find a host provider that meets your needs.
What your are looking for is a host that:
- Has virtual server plans
- Uses Linux
- Has Fantistico installed
- Have an FTP program
The reasons for the above list are quite simple and let’s look at each in detail.
Has virtual server plans
A virtual server allows you the functionality of having your own dedicated server without some of the programming and maintenance requirements. Personally, I like cPanel WHM as the control panel for the virtual server. You don’t need to know the technical specs of cPanel WHM; you just need to see what VPS control panel your host is using. With a virtual server, you can set up and control multiple domains. This is important as once you learn how easy it is to host your own applications, you might have might have sites such as:
- Personal blog
- Personal applications (that’s not on your blog domain so it has a bit more security)
- A friends and family forum
- Company applications
- etc…
- It becomes simple to quickly expand how many sites you want to run, and the possibilities of each
Please note that you should use a different host than domain registrar.
Uses Linux
While many arguments can be made about windows vs linux hosting, for free hosting applications for non-techies there are two main reasons to use linux:
- Many freeware apps are easier for non-techies to install on linux
- .htaccess will be your best friend
Sites such as Source Forge are open communities of developers and create applications that are easy to install yourself.
.htaccess can be used to set up redirects, password protect files, use includes, and handle some CGI. This is the only ‘programming’ that you will have to learn. However, it’s really not programming, it’s simply writing some instructions for your server. Most of what you’ll want to learn is already on the net and you are just a couple copies and pastes away from having a complete .htaccess file.
Has Fantistico Installed
This is the key to installing your own apps for non-techies. Fantastico is a preinstalled program that sits on your VPS and allows one click installs of many of the top free applications on the web. In fact, applications are so easy to install, you may find yourself installing several types of similar applications just to see which one will become your favorite. Have you always wanted to try Drupal, Joomla, or Mambo but didn’t know where to start? Now it’s easy; a few clicks and your applications will be installed and ready for testing.
Have an FTP program
While you can use a stand alone FTP program, if you are truly a non-techie, you might want something even simpler. FireFTP is a plug-in for Firefox that let’s you run your FTP program within your browser.
Choose Your Applications for Instillation
Once you have your domains setup, it’s time to install some applications. For Fantastico installs, the setup is this easy:
- Choose where the application will live (subdomain, folder, etc)
- If it’s a subdomain, then create the subdomain in your control panel (which is generally a couple clicks, one open form, and a submit button)
- Navigate to Fantastico
- Choose the application you want to install
- List the install location (dotproject.example.com)
- Hit the install button
- Follow any additional instructions (username, passwords, email notification, etc)
I would suggest starting with dotProject. This is a fantastic project management software with additional plug-ins and an active community. Once its installed, then you can start to create projects around all of the other software you want to install and test.
Here are my favorite Fantastico installs:
- Wordpress for blogging
- SMF for bulletin boards
- TikiWiki for groupware (Wiki, Blogs, Images, etc, in a single application)
- Coppermine for photo sharing
- phpAdsNew for ad serving
- Moodle for learning environments
Here’s the full list of Fantastico application installs.
That’s It - Your New Apps are Installed!
Did that sound way too simple? If you already have a hosting account, a website, and Fantastico on your servers - it really is that simple.
If you don’t, then you do need to buy a domain name, choose a host provider, become familiar with your host’s control panel, and if you go the VPS route, learn a bit about that control panel as well. However, learning these interfaces is no more difficult than learning any other desktop application. There’s no programming required, just a familiarity with the settings and what they control.
Additional Considerations
When deciding on which applications you wish to run on your servers, there are some additional considerations that should factor into your final decisions.
How active is the open source community?
Some products are complete and do not need new development. Other products have large communities releasing new features, plug-ins, and security patches. In addition, if your company is relying on some of these applications, you might wish to pay a developer to add some custom functionality to these applications.
Security
As a general rule, if you are non-techie installing and running these applications do not store sensitive information within these applications.
You may wish to pay a security expert to check on your server security and make sure that your applications are as protected as possible. For less sensitive information, many control panels also have some method of password protecting files.
Upgrading
Some applications are free for you to install yourself; however, there are commercial versions that you can upgrade to if your business requires even more from the application. It’s worth investigating if the program is supported by a community or an actual business behind the scenes. An example is Open Office. The application might be similar to a free version of Microsoft Office; however, Sun does have a business model around giving away a free product. (Related article: Wired’s Freemium by Chris Anderson)
Total Needed Space
It’s hard to beat Picass’a 400GB of image hosting for a measly $500 per year. However, most people aren’t hosting hundreds of gigs of files on the web. If you’d like to get a quick snapshot of how many files and file sizes each of your folders contain on your PC to form a webhost comparison, download Windows Directory Statistics.
Advantages of Using Hosted Online Apps
It should also be said that there are definite advantages to using 3rd party hosted apps, such as:
- You automatically have access to new features when they are developed
- Tech Support
- Cross product integration (ZoHo is getting good at this, Google has a ways to go)
- Usually receive more total space
- Predication: soon open source software will have options to utilize Amazon’s S3 storage
- Generally low cost or free options
- Generally good security
- Generally good backup of your data
Advantages of Hosting Your Own Apps
Conversely, there are advantages to hosting it yourself, such as:
- Your account shouldn’t be deleted
- You don’t have to pay for multiple licenses, installs, etc
- You can backup your data whenever you want
- You can try out many types of software to see what you really like
- If you need more space, just buy a larger hosting plan
- Experimentation. When hosting your own apps, it’s easier to just play with some apps to see which one really fits your needs
- Easy to brand as your own business
Personally, I use a mix of 3rd party hosted and self-hosted. dotProject fulfills my project management needs; and since I always have 25+ projects running, I don’t want to pay a 3rd party by the project list. However, I also like GMail; but want to maintain some branding control, so I use Google Apps for some of my email.
Final Notes on Open Source Applications
I’m a fan of open source software, especially for non-programmers who do rely on others for improvement. For small businesses and personal information usage; nothing can beat free. However, always know when the software or information is so critical that you should be either paying for the software support or paying an individual to monitor your servers and open source software. That’s just good business.
Free is nice. Having all your business records hacked is not.
However, if you want to create a forum for your friends, run a blog, keep the big ‘to-do’ list semi-updated, put the house projects in a project management environment, or even put up a shared calendar for your employees to use, nothing beats some free open source software.
Links for 2008-05-09
May 8, 2008
- WebGuild: Beginner’s Guide To Using Twitter
Nice overview and guide to Twitter.
links for 2008-05-07
May 6, 2008
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I’m always amazed at products MS produces that no one knows about. Want to program a robot? Use MS robotics studio.
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Nice checklist for not only finding ads, but some good articles about adCenter and ad copy.
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KPIs are often misunderstood. This is a good read toward moving in the proper analytics direction.
” For a metric to be useful, it must be actionable. If you can’t influence it, for good or ill, it’s makes no difference.”
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How to run an invalid clicks report on YSM.
You Host Provider can Paralyze your Website. Your Registrar can put you Out of Business.
May 6, 2008
Hosts and registrar’s have different responsibilities. They both have supreme control your visibility online, and one should not use the same company for both - ever.
A host’s duties are to make sure your website is up, running, responsive, and give you support when something goes wrong.
A registrar’s duties are to keep your domain name safe, alert you when there are problems, and keep you in the loop on anything strange going on with your domain names. We’ve all heard stories about hosts who suddenly turn off a site and put the domain name on hold. If you host with the same company as is your registrar, you can lose both in a single moment.
If you keep your host and registrar separate, then if the website goes away, you can easily setup your site somewhere else (assuming you make regular backups) and change the DNS at your registrar. If you have many websites, use multiple hosts and keeping your website backed up at another host (behind a login so it can’t be spidered). If the site goes down at one host, change your DNS at your registrar and your site should be back up in a matter of hours (these days it takes a max of 24 hours for a DNS to re-propagate, and sometimes you can see it in a matter of a couple hours).
If your registrar freezes your domain, you’re in big trouble. Always keep another TLD or two of your site (and it’s good practice to own the .net, .com, etc of your websites) so that you can use another version why you work out the problems.
Use more than one registrar for those alternate TLDs. If you keep the .com name with your favorite registrar, the .net with a second registrar, and the .org with yet a third - you can usually recover while the resolution process is ongoing.
Own the alternate versions of your domain (at a different registrar) name pointing to your website. Make sure that those domain names 301 to your site and do not get indexed (you don’t want example.com and example.net both indexed with the same content as that will cause many SEO issues).
If your main domain is going to be down for a while (such as weeks or months during a lawsuit or a shady registrar); remove the 301 and let your site be re-indexed at the new domain. Unfortunately, you will lose most of your traffic as this will be considered a new domain and you can’t setup a 301 from a domain you don’t control (i.e. you can’t 301 your old domain to your new one as you no longer control that domain). When (or if) you regain control of your domain name, put the 301s back in place and return to your original DNS configuration.
If you have PPC or other media campaigns, change them to the new domain immediately. Don’t pay for traffic going to nowhere.
For information about 301 vs 302 see Matt’s post, you should be familiar with the difference depending on the circumstances of your site or domain being unavailable.
I’d also recommend trying to own the .com of your domain (which isn’t always possible).
My favorite registrar is Moniker.com. Register.com has one of the best APIs for bulk managing domain names and DNS entries. Both Google and Yahoo use MarkMonitor.com these days, which is good for large domains where you want to monitor a variety of domain uses (if this is your goal, also check out CSC Corporate Domains, INC which manages live.com). Google has a close relationship with enom.com, which has been a fairly reliable system. (Note: I have relationships with some of the above companies, but as with all my posts, this info is solely my opinions and I don’t receive funds from the above companies).
Worthwhile read (warning PDF file), http://www.cscprotectsbrands.com/pdf/029-031-TW-March_08-Searche.pdf, about domain tasting and searching for domain names.
Hosts can be cheap, and some cheap hosts are just fine depending on your goals and traffic. As with most things, you get a level of support based upon how much you’re paying. Pay for a cheap registrar, and you usually get zero support. When comparing hosts vs registrars, some people can get away with a cheap host. If you site goes down, it’s not that bid of a deal to move websites. Losing or having a domain name suspended can be devastating. Pay for a good registrar. Know your registrar’s policies. It’s easy to recover from a bad host, a bad registrar can ruin a business.
links for 2008-05-06
May 5, 2008
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Nice presentation on global social trends.
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If you use google analytics, give this script a try.
links for 2008-05-05
May 4, 2008
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Good read about how PPC trademark resoltion can get in the way for companies.
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