Merlins Tower

Taking Notes - A Few NON Analog Suggestions

Posted on October 25th, 2006 by Merlin.
Categories: Communication, Computing, Consulting, GTD, Hack, Web Service.

As most of you know I like using analog tools for most of my notetaking. I am constantly writing notes and Ideas for things I am currently working on. Even though analog (Pencil and Paper Journals) are good, there definately is a time and place for all technologies even online digital ones.

But which ones are the best to use? This started a small quest to see how many online notetaking services there are. Well let me tell you there are quite a few out there to choose from. Let me start this by asking everyone to please post in the comments section your favorite to use and I will take a look and write up some reviews on them. But more importantly I would like to see your take on some of these services. Why do you use the ones that you use - Ease of Use - Storage space? - Pretty Looking? Tell me I would like to know.

One of the ones I use is Google Notebook - www.Google.com/notebook - I like this one as I can clip interesting notes to it by using the add-on for firefox also available for IE as well. Or you can just start typing in a note on that page. Google Notebook also alows for sections in the notebook and the ability to use google search to search the notes that you wrote. A pretty plain jane easy to use notebook.

See you next time with another online notebook selection. - And The Previous link is now fixed. - Thanks Sunkman

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WebService: Jump2Mail - Read Multiple Accounts and More

Posted on October 10th, 2006 by Merlin.
Categories: Anything Else, Communication, Computing, Freeware, Hack, Web Service.

Today I found an interesting site: Jump2Mail.

Jump2Mail as stated on their site is:

Jump2Mail is a free web-based email retrieval application, check all your email-box from one central place - completely free, from any computer, anywhere in the world. This multi account or multi pop webmail allows you to read all your mailboxes without limit.

Jump2Mail also Gives you the following:

The webmail jump2Mail also integrates the following functions :

- Planning/Diary.
- Reminder.
- Task Manager.
- Filtering Anti-Spam.
- Personnal rules.
- Contact management System.
- Bookmark manager (in Ajax).
- RSS Reader (in Ajax).
- RSS Feed of the new malls (in progress).
- Available in 7 different languages.
- 5 different graphic topics.

Again that was taken from their site - They said it better then I could have.

But I signed up and have been looking it over and it is quite robust and easy to work with. It really is nice having all my emails all in one location - I am not always at my main PC where I have my inbox working for me - This really is pretty quite useful to see my contacts, emails, RSS feeds, ect on one screen. Best of all this is FREE - Yes, Free to use.

I will not recommend anything that I don't use - and I will be using this quite a bit while out on the road. I like services that combine multiple uses in one like Meebo.com

This will be going into my links to use on the road - or even at home/office if in a hurry and don't want to run another program.

Tags: Web Service, Free, Email, Communication, GTD, Hack 

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Tiny - Extreemly Small 1 GB USB Drive

Posted on September 24th, 2006 by Merlin.
Categories: Computing, GTD, Gadgets, USB.

This drive really is pretty tiny and will easily fit on a keychain for EDC (Every Day Carry) - Even though I like my PQI drive this might be a better option as it has a better cover to protect it from damage. That black cover is just that a cover - The full drive fits inside the usb plug so opening and closing it will not break any wires etc with use like some folding devices do after many uses (ie. Cell Phones) This drive is USB 2.0 and is Plug-and-Play Ready. It will hold 1 gb of data. The price seems to be around $35 from a few places on the net. So I can not wait to possibly pick up one of these to add to my collection. I love using portable tools and apps and I have found these drive a nice addtion to my GTD by always having at hand or keychain all my personal info that I don’t want to loose or have written down in plain ink. Even though I use alot of paper planners there are still somethings that need to be stored on a memory device to carry around. This way I can alway have my backup of all my Contacts, Passwords, etc… and still have plenty of room for the portable apps or items I carry to consulting jobs.

Addtional Resources: OCZ Website

Tags: OCZ, Roadster, Flash, Drive, Flash Drive, USB, Gadget, Portable, EDC, Every, Day, Carry, Digital

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AA Rechargable Battery - With a Twist Built in USB Port

Posted on September 22nd, 2006 by Merlin.
Categories: Computing, Gadgets, USB.

Yes, this has to be the coolest rechargable battery that I have ever seen. I can’t wait to purchase a few of these. Don’t know how long we have to wait as it looks like you can only purchase these in the UK right now. But I am pretty sure we will start seeing these in the US and across the world soon as this is the coolest way to use and re-use as the charger is built into the battery itself. The only draw back I see but it really is not that big of a deal is that the battery only is a 1300ma battery. Where a lot of the newer rechargable batteries are 2300ma - But they all require you to have a battery charger with you to charge them. This little battery only requires you to pop the top and plug into the usb port and charge away. They can even plugged into a usb hub. or anything that outputs the 5v required to charge it. They are like any other battery the charge time takes about 5 hours for a full charge from a totally drained state. But you can plug them in anytime to get them back up to life. Plus these are NiMH Batteries and don’t have the “Memory” issue that older Rechargable batteries have.

More Photos

Additional Resources:
USBCell.com for More info

Tags: USB, Rechargable, Battery, AA, NiMH, Portable, Tech

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Top Ten: Worst Tech Based Movies

Posted on September 22nd, 2006 by Merlin.
Categories: Anything Else, Computing, Gadgets, Movies, Weird Stuff.

Yup, I love movies - You know I love Tech - But I find it fun to make fun at the bad portrayal of tech in movies. Below is a list of the Worst Portrayals of Technology in Film - This list is from GideonTech.

10) Wargames (1983) - Talking Computers Thru Hacking and It was the 80’s
09) The Italian Job (2003) - One Word NAPSTER!
08) Antitrust (2001) - Bill Gates ish Movie - Security Ideas
07) Hackers (1995) - Pre Internet - Lack of Believable Tech
06) Transporter 2 (2005) - Car Gadgets
05) Swordfish (2001) - Ultimate Hacker - Computer Virus that look like germs
04) Goldeneye (1995) - Boris and Ability to “Spike” a computer
03) Mission: Impossible (1996) - Strange Formatted Email Address (Max@Job 3:14)
02) Jurassic Park (1993) - 10 Year old girl in 1993 knowing UNIX
01) ………. Visit the site ………

Not a bad list and I would recommend checking out GideonTech for the complete list with Screen Shots and more detail about what is happening.

Tags: Movies, Technology, Top, Ten, Worst

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Happy Birthday: Hard Drive

Posted on September 18th, 2006 by Merlin.
Categories: Anything Else, Computing, Weird Stuff.

Well - Belated Birthday !

On Sept 13th, 1956 - The First IBM Hard Drive - RAMAC (Random Access Method of Accounting and Control) - Drive was Shipped and Installed. - This date was the begining of it all.

For a comparison:
Your MP3 Player -
    Size: 2" x 1" x 5" Aprox depending on player.
    Cost: $300 dollars
    Capacity: 40 GB (Enough for Several Thousand songs 7,500 Again Aprox)

OR USB Drive:
    Size: 1" x .25" x .5"
    Cost: $35
    Capacity:  2 GB or 2,000 MB Aprox

The First RAMAC Drive:
    Size:  This thing weighed a ton - Yes, a full ton and the size of two large refrigerators.
    Cost:  Only $250,000 in todays dollars PER Year (This device was leased from IBM)
    Capacity: 5 Million 7-Bit Characters or about 4.4 MBin todays standards or     (About 1 to possibly 2 MP3 songs)
    Note: This drive did require an air compressor to protect the moving heads.
    this drive had 50 24 Inch - iron-oxide-coated disks
    This was the first device that allowed true random access to the data - before this all data was stored on data tapes and had to wind backwards and forwards to get to the requested data.

This is what it would have looked like:

Technorati Tags: History, Birthday, IBM, Hard Drive, Hard, Drive, Comparison

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Great Stock Photos - FREE!

Posted on June 29th, 2006 by Merlin.
Categories: Art, Computing, Craft, Freeware, Photography, Photoshop, Uncategorized, Web Service.

Everyone needs some stock photos on their website or presentation or even school report. Well A Digital Dreamer has some very nice high resolution photo files that can be used. They ask to link to them if possible. They have 12 different albums with over 400 photos ranging from 1200 x 900 to 1600 x 1200. And yes these really are ROYALTY FREE. Some of the albums they have are as follows: Photographic Textures, Animals and Insects, Technology Stock, Landscapes and Scenery Stock, Flowers Stock, Trees and Plants Stock Photography, Cloud Stock and more…..

These would can be used as a great resource for your desktop wallpaper, backdrops in presentations, or as some graphics for websites.

Enjoy as I did - I used the one of the technology shots on the cover of my Hipster PDA.

Tags: FREE, STOCK, PHOTOGRAPHY, PHOTO, STOCK+PHOTO, SCREENSAVER, DESKTOP, WALLPAPER, FREEWARE

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