Alex's Blog - Life from an IT consultant's POV

Instant Messaging

2008-09-25T15:04:00.003+02:00

Ich habe gewechselt, mal sehen ob auf Dauer:

Ziemlich lange habe ich Pidgin genutzt, bin jetzt aber (mal wieder) umgestigen auf Digsby (Announcement auf deren Blog für den aktuellen Build 32).

Digsby hatte ich vorher schon mal ausprobiert, aber wieder deinstalliert, da es viel zu viel Speicher gefressen hat, was sich nun aber merklich verbessert hat. Bei hat Digsby derzeit weniger Speicherbedarf als Pidgin.

Nett finde ich vor allem die Integration mit Social Networking - ich nutze Facebook, LinkedIn und Twitter. Vielleicht fange ich ja doch noch an regelmäßiger zu twittern :-)

Es wird noch MySpace unterstützt, aber das ist eine der wenigen Web 2.0 Seiten auf denen ich nicht vertreten bin ;-)

TED 2008 - Jill Bolte Taylor - Stroke of insight

2008-03-22T20:49:00.004+01:00

Nachdem ich jetzt schon an mehreren Stellen im Netz von dem Vortrag gelesen habe, habe ich mir jetzt endlich die Zeit genommen ihn mal anzugucken: Jill Bolte Taylor - My stroke of insight
Wirklich ein beeindruckender Erlebnisbericht einer Gehirnspezialistin über einen Schlaganfall den sie erlitten hat.

long time no see

2008-03-14T19:44:00.003+01:00

und schon wieder 3 Monate rum, ohne was zu bloggen :-(
Dabei wird es doch mal wieder Zeit für News von der Tool-Front

Bin gerade dabei Xobni den ersten Indizierungslauf machen zu lassen. Bin ganz schön gespannt, wie sich das Tool machen wird.
Wer von Xobni noch nichts gehört hat: unbedingt das product video gucken - sehr vielversprechendes EMail-Analyse-Werkzeug.

kleines Update: hier zwei Links zu Reviews zu Xobni:
NoGeekLeftBehind
Your Suspect

IPhone Lautsprecher/Töne gehen nicht

2007-12-04T08:50:00.001+01:00

Tolles Phänomen gerade eben: Hörbuch im Auto gehört, ausgeschalten und ausgestiegen. Da fällt mir auf, dass keine Töne mehr kommen, wenn man das IPhone entsperrt/sperrt.

Also mal IPod aufgerufen -> nix zu hören.
Schon leichten Anflug von Panik bekommen. In die Klingeltöne gegangen -> Marimba (der Originalklingelton) funktioniert.
Die Panik weicht einer Verwunderung.
Andere Klingeltöne gehen aber nicht mehr -> und doch wieder Panik.
In die Signaltöne hereingegangen -> Hupe, Ente und wie sie alle heißen: funktionieren

In einem Anflug von Ratlosigkeit die Kopfhörer reingesteckt -> es geht alles. Kopfhörer wieder raus => es geht wieder :-)

Hörbuch hatte ich ebenfalls über Kopfhörer gehört, aus irgendeinem Grund hat das IPhone einfach nicht mitbekommen, dass ich sie ausgesteckt habe.

My current productivity tool set

2007-07-21T19:35:00.000+02:00

Quick overview of my current software tools for GTD and personal productivity

MyLifeOrganized
Inbox, list of next actions, tasks with a due date
Outlook
email: inbox, reference files (folders are structured by clients and projects)
calendar: appointments (meetings), deadlines/milestone dates
WikidPad
everything :-)
lists, notes, articles, ...
FreeMind
used for brainstorming, project planning, ...
the results are transferred to WikidPad
tag2find
new tool for me (I use it for 1 week now), with this tool you are able to tag files in your filesystem (i think it only works with NTFS) - if you use it consequently it's better than a desktop search (btw: I use Microsoft Desktop Search, 'cause I had to install it for my Outlook 2007, before I had Google Desktop Search installed)
PersonalBrain
also new, PersonalBrain 4 was released a few days ago and I give it a try again, since they also have a free version of it now
del.icio.us
bookmarks - I think everyone knows del.icio.us by now
FreeCommander
my file manager
Launchy
I can't remember the last time I used the "normal" Windows start-up menu ;-)
AutoHotKey
used for text substitutions, some scripts for managing startup procedures and tagging
GoogleReader
RSS feed reader (I subscribed about 250 feeds)
KeePass
Password manager - I will never ever use a week password again ;-)
... to be continued

Miro

2007-07-21T19:10:00.000+02:00

I just installed Miro - and I have to admit I became instantly a fan of this tool.
Not because of the tool itself (it's just to buggy, e.g. I get an XML-error when trying to edit the options so I'm unable to change them) but because I realized just how much there is to watch and learn out there.
The first channels I added are Google Videos (engEDU), TED, 2 channels with film trailers and the German Tagesschau
My favorite features in the moment are
- background downloading of new videos
- old videos are automatically deleted (days to keep are configured per feed)
- integrated search engine for YouTube, Google Video...

I know that there are similar tools out there but I will stay with Miro for a while.

Optimus Maximus keyboard

2007-04-27T21:25:00.000+02:00

Das Optimus Maximus keyboard kommt jetzt wohl wirklich. Allerdings zu einem heftigen Preis: 1564 USD. (Preis laut Ankündigung in deren Blog)
Die Tastatur würde mich schon arg reizen, wenn ich mir allerdings für das Geld einen ganzen Rechner kaufen kann ...
Bei Golem gibt es hier noch ein paar Infos dazu.

del.icio.us: recently bookmarked

2007-04-13T11:10:00.000+02:00

30 usd in euro - Google Search
[Note] Google rechnet um: Betrag Währung IN währung im Suchfeld eingeben
[tags] währungsumrechner
Tak: The Great Juju Challenge
[Note] xbox game walkthrough
[tags] xbox
KeePass Password Safe
[Note] Password manager
[tags] security,tools
Graphviz
[Note] Graph visualization is a way of representing structural information as diagrams of abstract graphs and networks.
[tags] graphic,visualization,wikidpad
Gepaeckliste.de
[Note] Schnell und kostenlos eine praktische Gepäckliste, passend zu Ihrer Reise.
[tags] reise,travel
ploticus: welcome
[Note] producing plots, charts and graphics from data
[tags] graphic,wikidpad,visualization
heise online-Preisvergleich: Heise Preisvergleich / Deutschland
[Note] undefined
[tags] preisvergleich
ConnectedText - Welcome
[Note] ConnectedText is a simple but powerful personal Wiki system.
[tags] software,wiki
O'Reilly School of Technology
[Note] Online Courses, ~400$ per course
[tags] education,programming,learning
Happiness Formula Wiki
[Note] The Dilbert Blog
[tags] happiness,life,health
Happiness Formula
[Note] The Dilbert Blog (Scott Adams)
[tags] happiness,health,life
Getting Serious About Happiness | TIME
[Note] Time article about happiness
[tags] happiness,health,life
TIME
[Note] Breaking News, Analysis, Opinions, Multimedia and Blogs
[tags] news,magazine
YouTube - How to paint the MONA LISA with MS PAINT
[Note] unbelievable
[tags] video,fun,youtube
Free and Open Source Collection
[Note] Mohawke's Best of the Best Free and Open Source Software Collection: Mac OS X and Windows software Collection
found via lifehacker.com
[tags] freeware,opensource,tools
FreeComputerBooks.com
[Note] Free Computer Books, Tutorials & Lecture Notes
[tags] ebooks
Wedding Ring Coffin
[Note] The Wedding Ring Coffin is the perfect gift for yourself or a loved one for bringing closure after a divorce
found via ehrensenf.tv
[tags] humor,fun,gift-idea
XING - Start
[Note] Business Community
[tags] community,networking,_regular
Lebensqualität: Die 50 besten Städte der Welt - Wirtschaft - SPIEGEL ONLINE - Nachrichten
[Note] ...Studie der Beratungsgesellschaft Mercer Human Resourcce Consulting. Unter 215 untersuchten Metropolen schafft es Düsseldorf auf Rang fünf,...
[tags] duesseldorf

Test blog entry via Google Documents

2007-04-09T15:00:00.000+02:00

Had some problems configuring this feature - blogger is out of beta, but you have to choose "Blogger (beta)" in the options.
btw: why do I have to provide the credentials? I'm always a little bit surprised how smooth I can switch between different Google applications, Google always know me. But in Google Documents I have to provide my Google credentials for integration with Google Blogger.

updated: the option to use the document title as blog post title seems not to work
tags (Google Documents) are not used as labels (Blogger)

IM - Gaim is now known as Pidgin

2007-04-08T09:49:00.000+02:00

Found this on Slashdot: My (currently) favorite IM client Gaim is now known as Pidgin.
Interesting: they moved their development from sourceforge to a trac based system.

Wikipedia is also updated - this speed is fascinating.

Drahtlos Handy & Co aufladen

2007-04-07T17:33:00.000+02:00

Gerade auf Spiegel Online gefunden: die Firma Powercast soll eine Technik entwickelt haben, mit der man ohne Kabel kleine Geräte aufladen kann. Dabei kooperieren sie mit Philips - angeblich dieses Jahr noch sollen die ersten Produkte auf den Markt kommen. Zuerst "nur" eine Taschenlampe, in 2008 dann Dinge wie Tastatur...

Da bin ich ja mal echt gespannt - ich würde mich über sowas freuen und es nutzen. Darauf, wie Leute reagieren, die jetzt schon ein "Wellenproblem" haben (Handy-Masten...), bin ich auch schon gespannt.

delicious: recently bookmarked

2007-04-05T16:41:00.001+02:00

How to Blow Smoke Rings - WikiHow
[Note] The ability to blow thick, full, even smoke rings that will travel as far and as fast as you want them to is really not as hard as you think.
[tags] humor,tobacco
<img src="http://www.clipperz.com/favicon.ico" border="0" height="16">&nbsp;Clipperz&nbsp;<i><small>(www.clipperz.com)</small></i>
[Note] found via lifehacker.com
[tags] security,_regular
Google Personal Home
[Note] Personalized Google Home Page
[tags] google,_standard,firefox:toolbar
eBooks: Download Them, or Make Your Own (May 01)
[Note] Learn about the tools and tricks you need to create your own elegant eBooks
MS Reader -> .lit files
[tags] ebook,pocketpc
YouTube - Kiwi!
[Note] Spiegel.de: Anbetungswürdigstes Video: Kiwi von Madyeti47. Kleiner Kiwi erfüllt sich einen großen Wunsch: Einmal fliegen wie ein richtiger Vogel. So traurig, so süß.
[tags] video,youtube
iwantsandy
[Note] Hi! I'm Sandy, your free email assistant.
I'll help you get organized and stay productive by adding smarts to the email you're already sending.
found via boingboing.net
from the people who also made stikkit.com
[tags] email,productivity
Meteoalarm - Alerting Europe for extreme Weather
[Note] found via Ehrensenf.tv
[tags] wetter
FlyakiteOSX - Modify . Simplify . Aquafy [The Official Site]
[Note] MacOS X Feeling für Windows XP
found via lifehack.org
[tags] mac,windows,themes

del.icio.us: recently bookmarked

2007-03-22T21:36:00.000+01:00

Ehrensenf Internet TV
[Note] Recht unterhaltsames INetTV über Netzfundstücke
[tags] humor,video
Parleys - The Belgian Java User Group
[Note] videos from Java-Related talks (thanks to Martin - martinklinke.com)
[tags] java,presentation,video,architecture,programming
Buddi - Personal budget software for the rest of us
[Note] Buddi is a personal finance and budgeting program, aimed at those who have little or no financial background. Found via lifehacker.com
[tags] fina,finance,tools
Agile Database Techniques: Data Doesn’t Have To Be A Four-Letter Word Anymore
[Note] via Martin - http://www.martinklinke.com (thank you)
[tags] database,agile
Google Book Search
[Note] Google Book Search
[tags] google,ebooks
Refactoring Databases
[Note] home of the Refactoring Databases Book by Scott W. Ambler and Pramod Sadalage
[tags] database,refactoring
InfoQ: Database Refactoring
[Note] Presentation by Scott W. Ambler
[tags] database,refactoring
Google Calendar
[Note] Google Calendar
[tags] google
Richard St. John on TED Talks
[Note] Richard St. John compacts seven years of research on successful people into an unmissable 3-minute slideshow on the real secrets of success
[tags] talks,success,innovation
TEDTalks (audio, video)
[Note] Each year, TED hosts some of the world's most fascinating people: ...
found via Guy Kawasaki's blog http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2007/03/new_ted_talks_a.html

[tags] talks
Katzenhotel Miau
[Note] Katzenpension in 91346 Wiesenttal-Muggendorf
[tags] katze
Tierpensionen in Deutschland
[Note] Hunde- und Katzenpensionen, Deutschlandweit
[tags] hund,katze

IM - next try

2007-03-18T12:46:00.000+01:00

Since PSI didn't meet my expectations (ICQ connection was not reliable, I had to manually check if I'm still connected) I switched again.
Now I'm using Gaim for ICQ and GoogleTalk.

del.icio.us: recently bookmarked

2007-03-16T21:06:00.000+01:00

http://iwpr.net/?apc_state=henh&s=o&o=top_galleries_index.html
[Note] Institute for War and Peace Reporting - Photojournalism
Found via Ehrensenf.tv
[tags] photo,politics
IZArc - The Ultimate Archive Utility
[Note] With a modern easy-to-use interface, IZArc provides support for most compressed and encoded files. Freeware
[tags] freeware,utilities,compression
Zork - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
[Note] Zork was one of the first interactive fiction computer games and an early descendant of Colossal Cave Adventure.
Researched after reading "Spiele für die Ewigkeit" (http://www.spiegel.de/netzwelt/spielzeug/0,1518,471201,00.html)
[tags] games
Best Tool For the Job » 10 Ways
[Note] 10 Ways to Improve Your Quality of Life - found via Lifehack.org
[tags] life

Del.icio.us: 10 latest bookmarks

2007-03-15T21:09:00.000+01:00

LifeDev Productivity Videos- lifehacks, how-tos and instructional videos
[Note] undefined
[tags] productivity
Open source software testing tools
[Note] undefined
[tags] opensource
Google Talk
[Note] undefined
[tags] google,im
Many Eyes
[Note] undefined
[tags] visualization
Hotels in Deutschland. Deutschland
[Note] undefined
[tags] hotel,reise,travel
BigBlueBall - MSN Messenger, AIM, Yahoo, ICQ, Trillian, Google Talk, Skype and more IM -
[Note] undefined
[tags] im
Psi Jabber Client:: home
[Note] undefined
[tags] im
Powerset, Inc.
[Note] undefined
[tags] search
Arch2Arch Online: By Architects, For Architects
[Note] undefined
[tags] soa,architecture,bea
HRS (Hotel Reservation Service)
[Note] undefined
[tags] reise,hotel,travel

IM - GoogleTalk, ICQ

2007-03-14T19:58:00.000+01:00

Hooray - a new post from me ;-)
It always annoyed me to have 3 IM-tools constantly running (GoogleTalk, Skype, Trillian for ICQ and MSN).
Up to now I'm not aware of any alternative clients for Skype.
Since GoogleTalk is based on Jabber and Jabber supports ICQ I searched for a good Jabber client. Once I tried to integrate GoogleTalk with ICQ and took a look at Gaim - I failed miserably loosing a lot of time - I just didn't want to try it again.
While gathering some information about Jabber I stumbled over Psi.
Setup for GoogleTalk was no problem - the Wiki at the Psi-Homepage provided detailed information.
Biggest problem was to find a Jabber server supporting ICQ - every list I found (jabber.org, xmpp.org) provided no details about supported transports. After reading some forum and blog posts I got the impression that everyone who is using Jabber runs his own server.
Now I'm using jabber.belnet.be. Seems to be a reliable service.

The greatest pain during the transition was caused by the ICQ contact list import.
Every contact required several mouse clicks - for every contact you get an event stating that the user xyz wants to be authorized -> Clicking add/authorize -> waiting -> next event with the confirmation.
I also had to group and rename all contacts - the configuration of my Trillian was local.
Unfortunately the hover help on a contact does not reveal icq user information -> right click / user info is needed :-(

Und wieder zurück

2007-01-07T11:16:00.000+01:00

Bin wieder da - da ich Bloglines eh nicht mehr zum Feed lesen nutze (da nehme ich seit geraumer Zeit den GoogleReader) und ich, bis jetzt zumindest, mir auch nicht allzu viele Sorgen über die Datenkrake Google mache.

Umzug

2006-03-30T23:34:00.000+02:00

Umzug: (ob von Dauer wird sich zeigen)
http://www.bloglines.com/blog/alexbt

Newsreader Attensa

2005-10-10T22:20:00.000+02:00

Ich habe mal wieder meinen Newsreader gewechselt.
Jetzt nutze ich einen mit Outlook-Integration und Blogger-Anbindung: attensa
Ist leider noch ein bisschen buggy - macht aber insgesamt einen guten Eindruck

I changed my newsreader (again).
Now I use one with Outlook integration and support for Blogger: attensa
Unfortunately it's a little bit buggy yet - but in general it makes a good impression

del.icio.us

2005-05-21T17:11:00.000+02:00

Ich konnte mich endlich aufraffen und mir bei del.icio.us ein Linksammlung zulegen. Diese ist hier zu finden - aber halt noch recht jungfräulich.

Some things to think about during a lifetime

2005-01-13T19:55:00.000+01:00

Today I've gone through some files on my harddrive and found this text (I think I got it from a forum)

1 - Most Important Lesson
During my second month of nursing school, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions, until I read the last one:

"What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?" Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank.

Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade. "Absolutely," said the professor. "In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say 'hello'."

I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.

2 - Second Important Lesson - Pickup in the Rain
One night, at 11:30 PM, an older African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rain storm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car.

A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 1960s. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxi cab. She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him.

Seven days went by and a knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a giant console colour TV was delivered to his home. A special note was attached. It read: "Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband's bedside just before he passed away. God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others." Sincerely, Mrs. Nat King Cole.

3 - Third Important Lesson - Always remember those who serve.
In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10 year old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. She put a glass of water in front of him.

"How much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked. "Fifty cents," replied the waitress. The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it."Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he inquired.

By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient."Thirty-five cents," she brusquely replied." The little boy again counted his coins. "I'll have the plain ice cream," he said. The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away.

The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies.

You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.

4 - Fourth Important Lesson - The Obstacle in Our Path
In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the king for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the
stone out of the way.

Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of
the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the king indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway.

The peasant learned what many of us never understand. Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.

5 - Fifth Important Lesson - Giving When it Counts
Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare and serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness.

The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, "Yes, I'll do it if it will save her."

As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the colour returning to her cheeks. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away?"

Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her. You see, attitude and understanding are everything.

Remember.....

"Work like you don't need the money, love like you've never been hurt and dance like you do when nobody's watching."

First blog entry

2005-01-12T22:42:00.000+01:00

I just read this at Bash.org:
*** _Melody_ has been kicked off channel #unix by Snooze (it's your wedding night, get off irc)
*** _Melody_ (melody@ignite.blackened.net) has joined channel #unix
<_melody_> oh
<_melody_> we already had the sex

Well, I hope I will never behave like this - but it made me think about myself and my relation to the net. And since I spent so much time online, I decided to give this blogging stuff a try and contribute to the community.

Alex's Blog - Life from an IT consultant's POV

Instant Messaging

TED 2008 - Jill Bolte Taylor - Stroke of insight

long time no see

IPhone Lautsprecher/Töne gehen nicht

My current productivity tool set

Miro

Optimus Maximus keyboard

del.icio.us: recently bookmarked

Test blog entry via Google Documents

IM - Gaim is now known as Pidgin

Drahtlos Handy & Co aufladen

delicious: recently bookmarked

del.icio.us: recently bookmarked

IM - next try

del.icio.us: recently bookmarked

Del.icio.us: 10 latest bookmarks

IM - GoogleTalk, ICQ

Und wieder zurück

Umzug

Newsreader Attensa

TagCloud

del.icio.us

Some things to think about during a lifetime

First blog entry