Protonotes Improves Client Communication (3)
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WebWorkerDaily (440)
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There are few things more frustrating for a remote web worker than trying to get concrete feedback from a client who can’t quite explain what they mean. This is particular evident - at least for me - in web development and design engagements. Having someone at the opposite end of a phone line saying “no, this bit right here doesn’t line up on my browser” leads to comedic but non-useful conversations. I’ve mailed a lot ...
Protecting Your Laptop Investment (1)
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For many web workers, the most expensive piece of gear is the laptop computer. For some of us, it’s even more than expensive: it’s essential, because it’s our only computer. But have you ever thought about how you’re protecting that investment? Here’s a rundown on the ways you can keep your laptop a bit safer. Buy a Ruggedized Model. Some laptops are simply more resistant to physical damage than others. If you’re doing to do ...
Aviary: Ambitious Online Image Suite (4)
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4 days, 4 hours
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While looking into the Operation Foxbook story, I ran across Aviary - an application interesting enough to deserve some notice on its own. Aviary bills itself as “a suite of powerful creative applications that you can use right in your web browser,” and although they’re certainly no Creative Suite replacement, for Flash-based tools they’re pretty good - as well as affordable. Right now there are three tools in the suite: Phoenix, a layer-based image editor ...
1Password + Dropbox = Password Sync (9)
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1 week, 1 day
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We always like a good utility here at WWD. But we like it even better when two of our favorite utilities start working well together. That’s the case with 1Password and Dropbox: if you’re storing your passwords (and other confidential information) in 1Password, you can now use Dropbox to keep those passwords synchronized across multiple computers. Here’s how. The first thing you need to do is install 1Password on all the computers where you want ...
WebWorkerDaily » Archive Operation Foxbook: Could You Do It? « (3)
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1 week, 3 days
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Over at Technologizer, Harry McCracken is in the midst of an experiment that he calls Operation Foxbook. The idea is simple: to forego desktop applications entirely for a period of time, doing everything on a netbook-class machine using Firefox. McCracken’s initial progress report is encouraging, though as he points out, he’s hit a few roadblocks on the way. Moving stuff like blogging, email, and scheduling into the browser didn’t raise any issues. The tough application ...
Web Working: Not a Niche (1)
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1 week, 5 days
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At WWD, we’ve long recognized that there are many types of web workers: though the stereotypical web worker may be the always-on-the-go, device-laden, “digital bedouin,” there are millions of others in home offices and cubicles who couldn’t do their job without constant internet use. The latest survey from the Pew Internet & American Life Project, “Networked Workers,” shows just how pervasive web work has become. It’s becoming clear that web work, by our expansive definition, ...
VerticalMouse: Surprisingly Comfortable (1)
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2 weeks
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I don’t know how many different pointing devices I’ve gone through in the past 25 years, but it’s a lot. In part, this is because I find that one of the easiest ways to avoid RSI is to switch keyboards and pointing devices from time to time, giving new muscles a workout. Recently I switched to an Evoluent VerticalMouse, and after a couple of weeks of use, I give it a definite thumbs up. The ...
Telepresence: State of the (Affordable) Art (1)
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2 weeks, 1 day
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We’ve written before about some of the big-ticket telepresence systems - and our skepticism about their place in the average web worker’s life. But between the super-expensive systems and the cheapest of webcams, there seems to be another level of telepresence emerging - systems that are good enough to be worth using, and not so hideously pricey as to be out of reach for everyone. A recent blog posting by Microsoft’s Scott Hanselman gives a ...
Android Phones: Here We Go Again? (3)
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2 weeks, 6 days
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It’s been widely reported that the first phone using Google’s “Android” operating system will be announced for sale by T-Mobile this month - perhaps as soon as Tuesday. With a full-fledged operating system aimed squarely at web users, it’s worth thinking about the impact that this announcement will have on web workers. The obvious competitor to match Android phones up with is the Apple iPhone, which has become the new darling of many high-tech workers. ...
Virtual Conferences: Wave of the Future? (6)
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3 weeks
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One of our more popular articles is A Conference Survival Guide for the Web Worker - full of tips on how to pay for, pack for, and get the most out of one of the many conferences out there. But what if there was an even easier way to attend a conference: by sitting in front of your computer? That’s the proposition behind vConferenceOnline, which is putting on a big purely-online conference for SSWUG in ...
Save Some Bucks on a MacBook (2)
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3 weeks, 2 days
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Have you been wishing you could join the ranks of the Mac-enabled mobile workforce, but not wanting to spend the money to buy a MacBook? Now might be the time to reconsider, because Apple has updated their Refurbished Mac page with some fresh deals, including: MacBook Air markdowns from $1800 to $1400 and $2100 to $2300 15″ MacBook Pro models starting at $1700 insead of $2000 17″ MacBook Pro models starting at $2300 They also ...
3 Ways to Improve del.icio.us Search (18)
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3 weeks, 4 days
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Despite the existence of dozens of competing services, del.icio.us remains the standard for bookmark storage for many web workers - if only because it’s been around so long that we’ve accumulated hundreds or thousands of bookmarks there. But one of the big annoyances of del.icio.us is its rather lackluster search feature: you can search for text in the title or tags of your bookmarks, but if you only remember a word or phrase from somewhere ...
Cisco Virtual Office Highlights Security (3)
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4 weeks
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As covered on our sister blog Earth2Tech, Cisco is out with an integrated set of product offerings dubbed the Cisco Virtual Office. This is turnkey telecommuting for companies with a bit of money in the bank: Earth2Tech got ballpark estimates of a couple of hundred thousand dollars to spin up an installation. For that price, you get secure routers, IP phones, and software designed to enforce corporate security policies across the widely-distributed enterprise - right ...
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mitchgroup said:
interesting questions posed here. i think most companies assume that because you're on their relatively secure asset that things are going to be OK. what if u r operating an unsecured wireless access point and sending gobs of bank data around the neighborhood??? hum.
Yotify: Baby Steps Towards Software Agents (2)
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4 weeks
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The promise of intelligent software agents has been floating around for a long time. Yotify is the latest to try to deliver on this promise. The idea is fairly simple: you tell Yotify what you’re interested in, and it scours the web and sends you daily updates. For example, you could tell Yotify to instantiate a “scout” that follows Craigslist job postings on your behalf, or one that updates you on the latest search results ...
Envision Your Week for Productivity (9)
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4 weeks, 1 day
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Are you one of those people who, despite the best intentions, just can’t seem to make a to-do list work? Don’t despair: you’re not alone. Fortunately, there are alternatives. Laura Fitton, of Pistachio Consulting, has been experimenting with a different way to keep herself on track. Rather than concentrate on the myriad little tasks of the week, she’s started envisioning the results. I caught up with her recently for a chat about this technique. WWD: ...
Happy Birthday, Google (8)
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Or more precisely, happy tenth birthday, Google. It was ten years ago this week that the little search engine company that could (and did) filed for incorporation - in part so they could cash a $100,000 check that had been made out to the then-nonexistent corporation. From that small start, they’ve grown into the juggernaut that we know today. How would your life as a web worker be different today if there were no Google? ...
Django 1.0 Ships (2)
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1 month
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As predicted on the project's road map months ago, Django 1.0 is out. Though this Python-backed web application framework has been around for quite a while, declaring it to be 1.0 is an important milestone - and a big accomplishment for a dedicated community of developers. Django 1.0 includes quite a few features that are new since the 0.96 release that many sites have been using. These include improved Unicode handling, an improved and refactored ...
Dell Launches a Machine for the Nomad (11)
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As we noted last month, Dell is starting to target “digital nomads” heavily as a market. Today’s launch of the Inspiron Mini 9 shows a product aimed squarely at that market: an inexpensive, light, slick little machine optimized for on-the-go connectivity rather than heavy work. The Mini 9 is available for order immediately, at a base price of $349 (though I suspect most interested web workers would go for options that put it in the ...
Ubiquity Slowly Catching On (9)
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Last month Mozilla introduced Ubiquity, a keyboard interface for entering commands to your browser - I covered it on our sister site OStatic. One of the big features of this command line for the web is that it can be extended by anyone who cares to write a Ubiquity command - and the list of such commands has been growing. Among the things you can do that may be of web worker interest: Check whether ...
Digging into Chrome's Licensing (1)
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There's been a great foofooraw in the press the last few days over the license terms for Google's new Chrome browser. Various folks were concerned that the EULA for Chrome would give Google ownership of their web postings; Google has admitted that was a mistake, and they fixed the offending clause. But of course, from the open source side of things, our interest in licenses is a bit different. The original PR for Chrome only ...
