Remember The Milk

rtmIt seems that no matter how hard I try, I am never as organized as I want to be. There’s always something I didn’t get around to doing, or something new inevitably comes up. I am getting better though, and there’s a few tools I use to make it easier. I use Outlook 2007 every day for my email and calendar, but I’ve never been a big fan of the tasks functionality in Outlook. For that, I’m an extremely happy user of Remember The Milk.

Remember The Milk (RTM) is a web-based task management application. Here’s what they say on their about page:

We created Remember The Milk so that you no longer have to write your to-do lists on sticky notes, whiteboards, random scraps of paper, or the back of your hand. Remember The Milk makes managing tasks an enjoyable experience.

You’ve really got to try RTM to understand why it’s so awesome, but here are three of my favorite features:

  1. Keyboard Shortcuts
    That’s right, this web application supports keyboard shortcuts! It takes some getting used to, I suppose, but once you know the shortcuts you’re set. Pressing “t” will open a text box to allow you to type a new task. Pressing “n” deselects all the tasks in the current view, etc. Very handy.
  2. Smart Due Dates
    In most applications, selecting a due date is a pain in the ass. You’ve got to open a little calendar control, navigate to the month you want, and then click on the day. With RTM, you get a text box that you can type virtually anything into. Seriously. Want to make the task due tomorrow? Simply type “tomorrow” or even “tmr”. How about next Friday? Simply type “next friday”. Once you’ve used this, you’ll wonder how calendar apps could ever have worked any differently.
  3. Twitter Support
    As a self-described Twitter addict, I was incredibly happy to see RTM add Twitter support recently. Now I don’t even have to be near a computing device to use RTM! Instead, I can simply send a text message via Twitter to add new tasks, find out what’s due today, and more. Twitter’s direct message feature is what allows this magic to happen. Once you have RTM configured and added as a friend on Twitter, you can simply send “d rtm pick up milk” to add new tasks. Makes task management on the go a cinch.

You can learn more about RTM here. RTM supports multiple languages, task list sharing, offline access, and tons of other cool stuff. Did I mention that RTM is free? Quite amazing really, though they did recently launch a “Pro” account that costs $25 per year. With the Pro account you get priority support, new features (none as of yet), and “a warm fuzzy feeling for supporting RTM”. Heh.

If you’re looking for a good task management application, I definitely recommend Remember The Milk.

Read: RTM

Notes for 9/9/2007

Here are my weekly notes:

  • Dad was in town for the weekend for business. Was nice to hang out with him and do some shopping. Oh and I went to get my eyes tested for the first time in eight years – doctor said I had very minor changes in my prescription…boo yah!
  • I am using Windows Live Writer for this post which I haven’t used since the early betas. Just downloaded and installed it using the new integrated Windows Live installer. All the apps say Version 2008 and sport a very nice “Vista” look.
  • Speaking of Vista, I got a new computer this weekend that has Windows Vista Business on it. I’ll post more about this later, but so far, I think the wireless support in Vista sucks compared to XPSP2. My computer is awesome though 🙂
  • Twitter is doing some cool stuff for the MTV Video Music Awards…congrats!
  • Windows Live Translator is on the way! Online translation hasn’t changed much in years…I hope the Live team has some good ideas for improvements.
  • I detest coins smaller than 25 cents, so I absolutely think we should get rid of the penny.
  • Like Dave Winer, I wish synching was a thing of the past. The iPod with Wi-Fi gets us one step closer, but there’s lots of work to do.

I think it’s safe to say that Windows Live Writer is my new favorite blogging client!

I'm not usually an Apple fanboy but…

Yes, today Apple launched the iPod Touch. They also dropped the price of the iPhone by $200, which is certainly one way to thank early adopters. The official iPod Touch site is here, Engadget’s coverage is here, and there’s plenty more discussion here.

Multi-touch interface, 3.5-inch widescreen display, Wi-Fi web browsing with Safari, and more. Drool…

In January I said that “the launch of the iPhone bodes well for podcasting.” Today I was proven correct. Without the iPhone, there would be no touch iPod with Wi-Fi, and make no mistake about it, the new iPod Touch is pretty much the ultimate podcasting device.

Read: Engadget

Incompetence is painful to watch

Post ImageDid you see the video clip last week of Miss Teen USA contestant Caitlin Upton yammering incomprehensibly after someone asked her a question? If not, you can check it out on YouTube, but beware – it is painful to watch. That said, you really do have to see it to believe it. How that girl has made it this far in life is beyond me.

In his post about the video today, Mathew Ingram attempted to show that Caitlin has made the best of her mishap, and may actually be benefiting from it:

Caitlin, meanwhile, has gotten at least as much positive mileage out of her televised confusion as she has negative coverage…

Can anyone remember the name of the Miss Teen USA winner? Unlikely.

Mathew notes that Caitlin appeared on The Today Show to explain what happened, and that she has also taken part in several events that poked fun at her blooper. As the old saying goes, there’s no such thing as bad publicity.

Except that there is such a thing as bad publicity. True, there are more people who know Caitlin’s name than the name of whoever won the contest, but how important is that? At the end of the day, Caitlin still displayed some incredible incompetence on national television. Not everyone will be able to see past that. I think Caitlin has her work cut out for her.

Just imagine Caitlin going to a job interview now. Even if she does well in the interview, how can the potential employer look past her “answer” at the competition? Caitlin is lucky she’s still in high school, as that may make it easier to forget about what happened.

What do you think? Has Caitlin really helped herself by not shying away from the publicity? In general I think tackling publicity head on (as Caitlin has) is the way to go, but I’m not sure it makes a difference when the publicity is all about how stupid you are.

Read: Mathew Ingram

Notes for 9/3/2007

Weekly notes, this time on holiday Monday:

  • Can’t believe it’s already September!
  • On that note…I’m so happy I don’t have to go to school this week. I can honestly say I don’t miss going to class at all. I admit I’m somewhat curious to see what has changed on campus over the summer.
  • For those of you in Calgary: have you ever been to Yardhouse Restaurant? A friend sent me this blog post which says that the Yardhouse has 100 wings for $15!!! Definitely going to have to check that out next time I’m in Calgary.
  • Russell Beattie says: Buy Opera. I love the desktop browser, but Russell says the company is valuable mainly because of Opera Mini.
  • I’m guilty of having lots of electronics in my bedroom – cell phone, computer(s), TV, Xbox, etc. Interesting story (though not surprising) that all of those gadgets in the bedroom lead to “junk sleep” in teenagers.
  • Is Vancouver Canada’s greatest startup city? There’s certainly lots of cool stuff happening there.
  • Hope you had a good long weekend! Mine was pretty good. Dickson & Andrew hosted a pretty awesome BBQ yesterday. Jane moved into her own place on Saturday and a bunch of us helped. Tom was up in Edmonton for a soccer tournament this weekend (they finished 4th). Got a haircut, washed my car, did some other random things.

Talking Tech with pacificIT Radio

I was invited recently to be a guest on Robert Sanzalone’s pacificIT Radio, a “fun, casual tech talk show where listeners from all over the world share their questions and experiences on tech.” We recorded the episode live last night using Talkshoe, with me here in Edmonton and Robert all the way around the world in Japan. I started out using my cell phone, and switched over to Skype about fifteen minutes in. Amazing what the technology allows us to do!

We chatted about podcasting, Paramagnus, Canadian entrepreneurship, and micro-media, among other things. It was fun to do, and I hope if you listen to the recording that you get something out of it. You can download the MP3 here, and be sure to check out pacificIT Radio for more information and other episodes. Thanks for having me as a guest Robert!

Read: pacificIT Radio

Edmonton Public Library & U of A Libraries at Facebook

Post ImageLast October I wrote a post about some radio ads the Edmonton Public Library (EPL) was running at the time. My argument was that the EPL’s advertising just wasn’t “with it” and that they should take a good long look at what would appeal to younger patrons. Here is what I wrote:

The goal is clearly to try and bring young people into the library. Instead of some hokey ad about an adventure, why not highlight the aspects of the library that appeal to young people? Things like public computers, excellent study and workspaces, a Second Cup built right in (for the downtown location at least), power outlets for your laptop, and wireless Internet (do they have this?).

I could have saved myself some characters if I had simply written “things like technology.” I wonder if someone at the EPL read my post, because they certainly got the hint. Tris Hussey (editor of the excellent blognation Canada) posted about the EPL’s new Facebook application this week:

…it looks like the Edmonton Public Library is the first public library to have a Facebook application! Taking a quick look at the EPL site, they seem to have “gotten” Web 2.0 . they have RSS feeds for events, you can add a catalogue search to you Google homepage, pretty darn cool.

That’s all true, but the main EPL site is still ugly as hell! I bet Jakob Nielsen likes it though.

Kudos to the EPL for diving into Facebook! Dickson remarked during lunch today that libraries don’t get enough credit for being technologically savvy, and I have to agree. And wouldn’t you know it, the University of Alberta Libraries has a Facebook application too. Very similar functionality to the EPL application.

I wonder how many other libraries have Facebook applications? What other kinds of organizations should create Facebook apps? I’d love to see a Starbucks app, where I can manage my card and fill up someone else’s card all within Facebook. As Tris said, “something that people can use. Something that is simple.”

Read: catech

Justin Timberlake – FutureSex/LoveSounds in Edmonton

Around this time last night I was at Rexall Place to see Justin Timberlake. I was so excited for the concert! Jane, Megan and I got tickets the moment they went on sale months ago, which was good because it sold out almost immediately. We ended up selling two, and Jane’s friend Sarah came so there was four of us in all. That’s right, three gals and one guy. Fairly representative of the audience I’d say – there were far more women than men. Age was much more distributed though.

The place was absolutely packed! And keep in mind this was a concert-in-the-round, which means all 16,000+ seats were filled. Ours were really good, and Jane’s camera worked pretty well in the dark, so here’s a decent shot that she snapped:

This is probably the biggest concert I’ve ever been to, and it was nothing if not a spectacle. Velvet Revolver was quite the show as well, but even it was nothing compared to JT. The lights, stage, screens, smoke, dancers, instruments, everything, it was just awesome. I was really impressed. The one thing that surprised me was how adult-oriented the show was. I remember seeing a few younger kids with their parents, and I’m sure the parents weren’t thrilled with the mostly naked dancers or the heavy gyrating and sexually suggestive dancing.

I think one of the reasons the concert was so good was the venue. As hockey fans will know, Rexall Place is fairly unique. Justin remarked that Edmonton was the loudest crowd of the tour, and even if he was just saying that at first, the resulting noise would have made it true. It was LOUD! Seeing thousands of cameras flash at once was pretty neat, as was seeing thousands of cell phones swaying for the ballad. I really can’t imagine a new hockey arena being any better than Rexall Place…anyway, back to the concert.

I would have been happy if Justin had only sung “What Goes Around…” and called it a night, but fortunately he sang quite a few songs. I particularly liked his rendition of “LoveStoned”. And for the “intermission” there was a special guest – Timbaland! I had heard he wasn’t going to be there, so it was definitely a surprise to see him join JT on stage. He did a number of popular songs like Kelly Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone” and a few Nelly Furtado songs, and he did the obligatory Aaliyah tribute. He also performed his popular single, “The Way I Are”.

One of the songs Timbaland used in his mix was Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” and it really stuck out for me. I think it’s because Justin incorporates a lot of what made MJ successful into his show. Lots of dancing? Check. Fancy footwork? Check. Distinct fashion? Check. Fedora hat? Check. Falsetto? Check. Crotch grab? Check. One needs to be careful when making comparisons to Michael Jackson, and I’m not saying that JT is the new MJ, but I do think he’s smart for adopting some of the trademark aspects of Jackson’s performances.

Justin came back to perform “(Another Song) All Over Again” for the encore, and as he was finishing, a young woman appeared out of nowhere on stage. The security guard looked like he was going to tackle her (how did she sneak by in the first place?) but Justin stuck up his hand, and proceeded to handle the situation extremely well. He got her to help finish the song, but also took the opportunity to call her crazy and tell her “you scared the shit out of me, you know that right?” Heh.

All the dancers, musicians, and backup singers joined JT on stage at the very end for a big group bow which I thought was kinda cool. Then left alone on stage, Justin ran from side to side and waved to the crowd. Much better than some shows I’ve been to, where the performer just disappears.

I had a great time, and I’d wouldn’t hesitate if I got the chance to see JT in concert again!

UPDATE: For those of you with Facebook, this video that Jane uploaded of JT dancing during “My Love” is pretty wicked.

Get ready for micro-media

I wrote another guest post for the Vidfest blog, this time on micro-media. It’s a topic I expect to be talking about a lot more in the coming weeks and months. While relatively new, the concept of micro-media is incredibly powerful, and I think micro-media services will have a massive impact on the way we live and work. I’m already addicted.

Take tonight, for example. I went to the Justin Timberlake concert here in Edmonton (it absolutely rocked btw, more on that later) and I was able to communicate my thoughts in real-time at Twitter, Tumblr, Jaiku, and others. That’s not all though – other people were able to communicate with me too!

Another example is news. I really don’t like newspapers, and I find myself reading online news sites less and less. The reason? I get all the headlines via the BBC and NYTimes streams on Twitter.

There’s some cool stuff happening, and I’ve given it a lot of thought lately. I like where micro-media is going so far.

Anyway, check out my post, and let me know what you think!

Read: Vidfest

Notes for 8/26/2007

Here are my weekly notes:

  • We finally got around to doing a long-planned server move this weekend. It went quite well, all things considered!
  • Sharon and I went to see another Fringe play on Friday, called Out of Pocket. I liked it, even if the story was sort of expected. The female actress switched between her characters amazingly well.
  • Have you seen Tafiti? Cool demonstration of Silverlight technology, not very useful though.
  • Here’s a handy list of tools for web developers working with Internet Explorer.
  • My favorite t-shirt is missing 😦
  • Justin Timberlake concert is Tuesday! I’m excited 🙂