Keyboard Karma ~ a blog by Helen Crozier

Amazon Kindle Software for PC - no Kindle required!

 

Amazon released Kindle Software for the PC today (MAC coming!) and I'm loving it. I've owned my kindle for a couple of weeks and am still getting used to it. I love the size - makes it very easy to thrown into my handbag so I'm sure I've always got something great to read. I'm also loving the bookmark, highlight and notes facility. I find it a little too easy to download books sometimes but so far I only have five which considering the temptation available isn't so bad.

The new software released by Amazon is great. I've downloaded all the books to my laptop.They are in glorious colour and all the hyperlinks to websites work. Links to websites on the kindle do NOT work but you know I don't really mind that. It means that I feel far more like I'm disconnected and reading a 'proper book' when I can't suddenly go off surfing the web at the merest whim. Highlighting and bookmarks/notes made on the kindle synchronise to the pc which is excellent if you are researching/writing.

I think it's a smart thing for Amazon to do this. You can download the software and purchase books without a kindle - gathering up your library and then when you finally do give in and go the way of the kindle your library will be ready and waiting for you!!

As an aside I clicked in the wrong place and downloaded a book that I didn't want yesterday - Amazon issued a credit within 5 hours and removed the book from the kindle. I have had great experiences with Amazon customer service - they lead the way in taking care of their customers. Hooray!! My only wish is for the iphone kindle app - why can't Australia have that??

Tungle puts your calendar on steroids to seriously help!

 

I'm so loving the latest answer to scheduling nightmares - a free website called Tungle. I've not seen such a feature rich service with all the doodahs and gadgets in a long time. Sign up for free at www.tungle.com.

The complete feature list is below:

Calendar & Contact Syncing
Outlook, Google Calendar, Apple iCal and Entourage for Mac (beta).

Calendar Sharing
Share across calendar and company boundaries. Your choice of free/busy or full details.

Create a personal link to your public free/busy calendar where others can schedule meetings with you.

Propose multiple meeting times
The more you propose, the easier it is to get your meeting booked.

Double-booking prevention
Schedule over times proposed in other invitations. Tungle will adjust to prevent conflicts in your calendar.

Invite anyone – No sign up required!
No matter what calendar or platform – all they need is email and a browser.

Quick links (Outlook & Google)
One-click start from your calendar or email inbox.

Time zone auto-adjust
Propose times and relax. Tungle will auto-adjust for invitees in other time zones.

Auto-add to calendar
A meeting gets booked and it’s added to your calendar. Simple as that.

RSS feed
Get your meeting updates in real time

I can't tell you how easy it is to set up and use. There are now widgets that you can add into your blog (as in above) or Facebook - the green 'light' indicates that you are available and Tungle keeps an eye on your calendar in real time turning red when you are busy. You can have your own 'tungle me' link which in my case is www.tungle.me/helencrozier. I chose as well to buy an easy to remember domain so now whenever I say "go to www.bookhelen.com" clients and friends will be taken to my tungle availability page as I've set up a redirect.

Bliss! I'm just waiting and hoping patiently for a working hours box to set up in the options. I don't like the calendar showing me as 'available' when I am actually asleep -people in other time zones might not realise that and could give me a call in the middle of the night!! Tungle promised me it would be possible to specify availability hours in the next major release.

Until then jump on board and enjoy the freedom of not playing telephone/email tag when trying to get someone to commit to an appointment!

When is good? An easy way to see when everyone is free for your next event or meeting

 "When is Good?" is a free site that makes coordinating an event or meeting so much easier! After the demise of www.iwantsandy.com I'm a tad reluctant to 'sell' similar online services. I particularly feel for the devotees of that particular site - the learning time involved, getting used to a system and then having it pulled from under your feet. Not GOOD!.

"When is good" is hopefully not in the same boat. It doesn't require long hours to learn how to use it. It's a sort of get in, do the job then get out site. I do like it though and am determined to make use of it for future scheduling issues.

Here are the instructions......

 1.  Visit www.whenisgood.net
 2.  Click the grid for all the times that are good for you
 3.  Email the link to your invitees.
 4.  They see your proposed times and click on when they are free.
 5.  You visit your results page and see when everyone can do.
 No sign-up form. No password to choose. No fuss at all. This is a brilliant tool to overcome those backwards & forwards emails - use it for your next marketing meeting or book club dinner.

Google Video Chat

Well this is interesting. Google Video Chat has finally arrived.

We've been having huge problems with Skype when trying to link to family in England so I'm looking forward to testing this out.

Will need to do it at the office however as my bandwidth is on slow speed due to being hacked? yesterday.

Check it out here and I'd love to hear what it's like.

Sydney RTA Traffic Cams on iPhone

This morning was a nightmare for those commuters unfortunate to be travelling over the harbour bridge. A poor man had to be cut out of a car - imagine having an accident at 6am in the morning! Terrible.... the bridge was affected for hours.

The RTA have had their webcams available for some time. Strategically placed eyes surveying our clogged roads have provided insight to occasionally make decisions about whether it's possible or even wise to attempt a journey across the city.Images are updated every 60 seconds but that makes them only useful as you walk out the door. Between the time you do that and get part way to the camera things could have changed as they often do in a split second.

This morning I happened to find and download a free iPhone application (SydTraffic) which sends images of all the cameras to your iPhone. Now that's much more useful. I just sneaked a look at the Harbour Bridge as you can see below and all seems quiet...... For those of you in other states - put pressure on your local authorities to provide the same service - it's the least they can do!

 

Information Overload Tip: Use Google Reader to capture news/blog articles & have a life

I am a huge fan of Google Reader for  RSS (really simple syndication) - in other words a place that captures news/blog articles as soon as they are published thereby saving you a trip to that particular site to see what's been written. Google Reader constantly checks your favorite news sites and blogs for new content. Whether a site updates daily or monthly, you can be sure that you won't miss a thing.  It also shows you all of your favourite sites in one convenient spot. It's like a personalized inbox for the entire web. You have the added advantage of the Google search facility. Save all the articles - even if you don't have time to read them all you will be able to search for a particular item when you need it via the all familiar Google search box. Google Reader is a free tool that comes with every Gmail account. You don't have to use the gmail part of it but I'd strongly suggest you do - even if it is just to keep a safety deposit box to store all your emails thereby a handy backup facility.

Firefox 3 - it's the best!

Firefox 3 is simply the best browsing experience. 

Clearly it's more secure but it's also faster to use. I love being able to type the first couple of letters in the address bar to be given a selection of possible url's to click on.

I've tidied my browsing area up - it looks so clean and inviting. I loved it back on version 1.5 but now  Firefox totally has me at 3. I guess 8 million downloads in the first 24 hours of release proves there is a bit of a following.

Absurd to think there were 'launch parties' happening last week to celebrate! I had a bit too much going on I'm afraid.. and no I wasn't sleeping outside the Apple Store :-)

Download Firefox here.

Tooble YouTube Favorites into iTunes

It's now definitely worth signing up to YouTube even if you are over 18 :-) because there's this great new utility with another weird name which transfers your favorite YouTube videos onto your ipod with just a couple of clicks.

The software from Tooble  is free and available for PC or Mac - download it from www.tooble.tv. Word of advice - avoid installing the Yahoo Toolbar and any other freebie software that's thrown in with the installation. Sign up to YouTube so that you can add any clips you like to your list of favourites.

Install Tooble and provide your userid. You will then be able to select which of your favorite clips you would like to download onto you computer. When you next open iTunes they will be under 'Movies'. Simple & brilliant!

Why would you bother?? Well as you know YouTube has millions of clips and it's not ALL rubbish. There is a lot of good information on there if you know what you are looking for.  A girlfriend of mine is getting married in Spain in September - some of the hotels she recommended have video's on YouTube showing you around the grounds and inside.... You could also upload a video about a product or service you offer - promote yourself.... carrying the videos around in your iPod is v ery portable.... it's a great service and it's completely free so don't write it off as something for Gen Y only... I may be the mother of Gen Y's but even I have a good library of useful videos that are worth referring to :-).....

Super Cook: the best thing since sliced bread (for when you want more than toast for dinner!)

So web browsing is far more pleasant without the annoying ads and you've found some space in your diary. What next? Spontaneously invite someone over for a meal. No food in the cupboard & no idea what to cook? Head over to Super Cook. Sign up and quickly add the contents of your fridge & pantry to your 'kitchen'. Instantaneously you will get a list of what's possible with what you've got. A vast choice of great recipes will pop up and you can select from starters, entrees (they mean mains), or desserts. Absolutely brilliant and intuitive to use - this will help me with my weekly meal planning (a big stress reducer). Quick tip: enter ingredients straight from supermarket docket.

Use Firefox 2 to browse the internet for advertising-free web pages - bliss!!

Firefox has long been considered safer than Microsoft's Internet Explorer - less security/hacking type vulnerabilities. Most IT experts shudder in horror if they find anyone using Internet Explorer. One fabulous advantage to using Firefox however is that you can install an add-on that automatically zaps most adverts off the page!! No more flashing banners urging you to buy, click or join. If you haven't already, download & install Firefox 2 from here. Next install Adblock Plus. Finally install the Easy List/Easy Element Filters. It works everywhere - including social networking sites & Google search results.  Why not write and tell me how happy you are to have such uncluttered web pages!

Last.fm radio: your musical taste completely organized

Last year I visited last.fm and liked what I saw. It's a social networking site for music with free/paid membership - so very useful and inspiring. On my blog (just below the zen habits info there is now a 'player' "Helen's Calm Playlist where I've tagged some of my most favourite tracks and they are available now to listen by clicking on the 'play' button'. Feel free to listen while you explore my blog or just keep the window open while you work! I've found some great new bands/vocalists in the last week or two - Duffy, Phoenix Foundation, etc. Go check last.fm out. You can sign up as a member, download the free software and then every time you play a track on your computer or ipod your music profile will be added to - you will then receive recommendations - a great way to broaden your musical knowledge/library beyond iTunes. After an hour or two on here you will be able to compete with your teenagers & their MySpace I promise you!

Adobe Photoshop Express: wow!!!

Yet another online photosharing/editing application introduced this week but look who it's from! None other than the professionals - Adobe Photoshop Express. How wild.... in September I purchased the update to Adobe Photoshop Elements and I loved the interface/ease of use. Now you can sign up and get a basic version of what they offer for free.

I've grabbed a few accounts - work, personal, one for each child :-).... just in case they want one. When you register it says "United States only" but it didn't seem to stop me being able to register. I find it quite stunning and potentially a good replacement for Picasa if you can cope with 2g storage (I suspect you will be able to add to this further down the track at a cost).  Picasa is great but can be confusing. This looks easier for the digital photography novice and it's such a great price!

Links to photos sent by email arrive looking like an old-school polaroid. You can play around with "pop colours". Albums and rating systems are all straight forward. Have a play - join and upload a special project - you've got nothing to lose!

https://www.photoshop.com/express/

Google Docs: collaboration cuts down on emails

At our school reunion in February there was a scrappy blue piece of paper being passed around with contact information and email addresses. This was a very valuable piece of paper because a lot of us had been out of touch for THIRTY years and we were really quite emotional about being back together. I put my hand up and said 'Yes leave it to me, I'll take care of it!" It's in terrible shape - this paper - wine/coffee stains.... I could barely read it so I kept postponing the job of typing it up and distributing the list.

Two emails came today saying quite rightly "Hey where's the list?" - so I took the plunge and after much squinting and guessing put together a spreadsheet. I decided to use Google Docs. Why is this good idea? Well I'm figuring my translation may leave a lot to be desired and there will be corrections. It has 17 contacts on it and if there are mistakes I could potentially get 17 emails back asking for things to be fixed. By using Google Docs I have been able to send it out to the 16 other girls as 'collaborators' who have the power to do their own changes to the spreadsheet online. No backwards and fowards of documents with revisions - we just keep it there and update it as we move or change email address. The spreadsheet doesn't move anywhere -  the  collaborators all just receive a link to it where they can view, make changes or print.

How can you use Google Docs? All you need is a gmail account. Once you have Gmail you have access to a lot of google applications - Google Docs is completely free and gives you online access and storage of word processing, spreadsheet & presentation docs without the complete bells and whistles of Microsoft Office but with more simplicity. I store frequently used documents in the google account in case I ever need to access them when I'm on the road and for some reason without my portable hard drive. Perfect!!

Pingg - now I am motivated to become more social!

Had a return visit to Pingg tonight and loved it so much I signed up straight away and sent out an invite. It seems so difficult to track people down these days and get them to commit what with such busy lives etc so I'm over the moon about this gorgeous tool.

Similar sites do exist eg myinvites.com.au but in my view Pingg is far superior to anything I've seen - here are some of the highlights

• Stunningly beautiful design and interface - despite the fact that email invites are free there are NO BANNER ADS!! (hallelujah.... have you noticed by the way how I refuse to put those on THIS blog!!)
• Very easy to use for host and invitees (you can check out who has opened your invite, who has responded yes, no or maybe)
• Option to add location google map as a link so your guests don't get lost
• Possible to upload your own images and pdf files
• Each event gets its own web page where the host and guests can communicate to each other (less email clutter)
• After a guest has responded they can download the invitation to their desktop or web calendar (how easy is that?)
• Reminders & thank-you notes quickly & effortlessly sent with just a couple of clicks
• Import contacts from any existing address book

SMS & print facilities for postcard invitations seem to be available at a reasonable price but I've yet to determine from the FAQ whether or not this would apply to users outside USA. It will be possible in the near future it seems to collect payments via paypal which will remove the headaches often associated with organizing any events with money involved!

Here's a little snapshot of an invite I just sent out .... 

I just can't wait to use this to the max.... Think of how simple it will be now to organise book club meetings, dinner parties, movie nights, board game tournaments.... thanks so much Lorien Gabel for such a beautiful web tool!

Yugma: I want to marry it!!

I've been a subscriber to this very cool application called Yugma for a few months and last weekend there was a very sexy upgrade.

I use it to screen share with my clients - it's so much easier to be able to give instructions or help in a technical situation without having to visualize but actually having their screen right in front of you.

Cross platform too which is the answer to my prayers. A basic advertisement supported free version is available but by subscribing you get extra features such as annotation tools, white board, screen recording etc.

In the next few days I'll be launching my online booking system and you will have the opportunity to spend an hour with me testing it out and solving your tech irritations!

Oh in case you were wondering about the strange name.... Yugma = togetherness in sanskrit - move over George Clooney!

TED.COM: ideas definitely worth spreading

TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from those three worlds. Since then its scope has become ever broader.  

The annual conference now brings together the world's most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes).

This site makes the best talks and performances from TED available to the public, for free. Almost 200 talks from our archive are now available, with more added each week. These videos are released under a Creative Commons license, so they can be freely shared and reposted.

Browse the site and find talks by Isabel Allende, Richard Branson, Al Gore + many other interesting people of our time. Watch the videos on the web, download to your desktop or iPod or even upload to your own website or blog. A wonderful treasure of human intelligence and entertainment.

Gmail: why you need it!

I'm always flabbergasted when I come across a friend or client who does NOT have a Gmail account!  I opened my first  account in September 2004. So far it contains a mere 5104 emails and I've only used 5% of my 6.5GB (free) storage. This account is my personal one. I'd strongly suggest everyone have their own Gmail account and they use it instead of their usual email provider email address. Why? Well it's easy to fall out of love with our internet service providers - we might abandon them and go to someone with a better deal, faster connection or friendlier customer service. By using a Gmail account this doesn't matter - you can keep the same email address for the rest of your life - we don't' have to go through the tedious process of doing a "I've changed my address' email which no-one takes any notice of anyway! If you love using Outlook or any other mail program you can still use it and download your Gmail into it. Not a problem.

I've opened a separate Gmail account to collect my business email. With 6.5GB free storage that's a good few years of emails that can be stored online and searched with the greatest of ease via the familiar google search box shown above. The interface is far more user-friendly than the usual web-mail facilities given by your host so it's far more pleasant to use when you are away from your computer.

TECH TRICK: Use Gmail as a memory jogger.

Send an email to yourself as you think of gift ideas for family/friends or remind yourself where you have stored important documents and family treasures.

Take a photo of your television/video set-up - thousands of cords and all - attach it to an email with the subject - tv/video set-up. When you re-arrange the furniture type in the Gmail search box "tv/video" and voila up will pop a list of all emails containing the words tv/video - including your email with the attached photo of how to put it all back together again. Oh happy days!!

With a Gmail account you of course get access to the incredibly useful Google Docs, Google Reader & Google Notes - to be explored at a later date.

Copernic Desktop Search still a favourite

Copernic Desktop Search is a free  & useful tool for Windows XP users.   After installation it will index your emails, files, music, pictures, video contacts, favorites and history. From the taskbar you will be able to type in your search query and it will very quickly locate all items with those words in it on your hard drive. Turn the Preview Pane on via 'View' and you will be able to see the contents of the items without actually opening them. Similar to Google Desktop Search but more efficient - download it from www.copernic.com.  The last client who installed it after my recommendation called it 'a dream'.        

Mytickets.com.au - save time planning your entertainment

I like this search engine for things that are on in Australia. Nice interface - great place to start if you've heard a 'whisper' of someone touring but you weren't sure who the promoter was. Don't know if it's the 'orange' that hooks me but it's where I go to find out what's happening. I quite like their 'cheap thrills' section for under $25.  Signup is free and you can register an alert to find out when George Clooney's coming to town or whoever else takes your fancy :-) - with over 1000 registered ticket sellers it's got to be a big time saver.

MyTickets - Australia's Only Ticket Search Engine Over 8000 Events Online Register Now - It's FREE!

Good Reads: Easily keeps track of your literary side

GoodReads is a great website that allows you to see what your friends are reading. Members list their favourite books, discuss literature, forum groups and connect with others.  Kind of like a FaceBook but actually for books. It's fun going through your bookshelves and listing what you've read - I think we keep books just to remind ourselves that we've read them - with GoodReads you can give your books away knowing your reading history is recorded.  Great way to document what you've done in your offline book club. Tell me you've joined and I'll add you!!

Plaxo is a godsend if you use multiple computers or webmail accounts

Plaxo is free software that synchronises information between different computers and/or webmail accounts. How often have you needed the contact details of someone but it was on 'the home pc' or 'the office pc'? Plaxo automatically synchronises contacts, appointments, tasks & notes almost instantaneously between the different locations. Your information can also be accessed via the web & if you update your own contact details the address books of your Plaxo network will also automatically update with the changes. Use it to take control of your partner's calendar so there are no excuses for missed events! Sign up for an account at Plaxo.com

Lasoo gets rid of catalogues and saves you money

 Catalogues seem to breed around this house so I'm happy to find this website called Lasoo which acts as a pre-shopping search engine. Free membership gives you the ability to store four favourite shopping centres. You can also receive alerts, add to wishlists and reviews. All the catalogues available are searchable - try searching for 'ipod' for instance and it will give you all the prices at the stores in your area. No online shopping facility but definitely cuts down on research time before you head off to the over-crowded mall.

UPDATE: Still going strong and as useful as ever - this website has a companion iPhone application which is brilliant if you are out shopping and the store you are in does price matching!

Plaxo is such a big helper!!

It's only a few days since I moved my office but I'm still adjusting and finding out what works, what doesn't, what's here, what's there.... I've set up a separate user on ET's grumpy old Dell which is a handmedown from a client - for the odd occasion that I need to access or finish something off. So tonight I opened up Outlook and it was of course completely empty. Not to worry.... I downloaded Plaxo which I've been using to synchronise my desktop Outlook information to my travelling laptop. I then accessed my plaxo user account and told it to synchronise to this PC. Sure enough it started to download all my Outlook contacts, appointments, tasks and notes into the empty Outlook. Within three minutes or so it was all downloaded. I'm so happy with Plaxo - it's free unless you want a backup service or de-duplicate ... in which case it's $50 dollars a year for premium. I've chosen not to pay as I backup via Beinsync. The great thing is that if I get a few moments to do some data entry (business cards, appointments etc) I can do so, knowing that when I log onto my computer at work it will automatically download all the new information. Love it to bits!!!

ABC Melbourne Podtours

Wow!! This is such a nice idea and I'm cross that I didn't find it before I was in Melbourne last month.
I will check this whole 'podtour' thing out and see what other destinations have them.

ABC Melbourne Podtours

774 ABC Melbourne invites you to put on your walking shoes, turn on your MP3 player and discover Melbourne’s secrets with the ABC Melbourne Podtours: Eat, Drink Melbourne, Death, Dirt & Disease and Showbiz, Sexy Spectacles and Sideshows.

Whether you are a visitor to the city or a born and bred local, you’ll be surprised at the stories you'll uncover in Melbourne’s hidden lanes and historical buildings.

Join Derek Guille, Jon Faine and Red Symons as they guide you through the sights, sounds and smells of Melbourne town with the free audio tours that you can download to your MP3 player.

The tours are a co-production with the University of Melbourne's Cultural Heritage Unit.

Podtouring in 3 Easy Steps
1 - Download the tour and map of your choice
2 - Load the tour onto your MP3 player and print your map
3 - Pop on your headphones and hit the street with your 774 ABC Melbourne tour guide

Jet Star to sell 5 cent fares tomorrow night!

 

The Qantas low-cost offshoot, Jetstar,  plans to sell 5000 five cent fares (including taxes) on its website from 7pm tomorrow night on a handful of its routes. There will be a $2 credit card fee but $2.05 for a holiday is cheap by any standards. I've got a hair appointment right at that time so am wondering how I'm going to snap up some of these seats... The thought of relying on others worries me. On your marks! More details in today's paper.
www.jetstar.com