September 2004
Da muss ich nächste Woche einmal früher ins Bett
by Volker Weber
In den kommenden Tagen startet T-Com die Umrüstung der T-DSL Anschlüsse. Bis 31.12.2004 werden alle Anschlüsse - soweit technisch möglich - auf die neuen T-DSL Geschwindigkeiten umgestellt.
Wir bitten um Verständnis dafür, dass Sie Ihren Anschluss aus technischen Gründen am Tag der Umstellung für bis zu 30 Minuten (nachts zwischen 2:00 und 5:00 Uhr) nicht nutzen können. Genauere Informationen erhalten Sie nach Eingabe Ihrer persönlichen Daten.
Geben Sie unten Ihre Festnetz- und Ihre Kundennummer ein und Sie erhalten Zugang zu Ihren persönlichen Informationsseiten. Dort erfahren Sie, mit wie viel Highspeed Sie künftig surfen und wann genau Ihr T-DSL Anschluss umgeschaltet wird.
Excellent photos from the Xprize launch of SpaceShipOne
by Volker Weber
Jason DeFillippo has a gallery of excellent photos of yesterday's event. I think I like the Starship chase plane even better than SpaceShipOne/White Knight.
Wolfgang & Family on Flickr
by Volker Weber
Wolfgang took the plunge and uploaded a bunch of pictures on Flickr. It's good to see you there. We miss you!
Pepsi.ca to give away 2,016 iPods
by Ken Porter
Pepsi.ca and Apple Canada are going to give away one 20GB iPod every hour starting October 3rd for 84 days straight. Only Canadian residents can enter, and all the regular conditions apply. One interesting twist is that all entries are thrown out after each hourly draw. So if your up at 3am on the 26th day, it might be a good time to enter.
Import your del.icio.us bookmarks to Safari
by Volker Weber
delicious2safari is a fast, small Cocoa application to import your del.icio.us bookmarks to Safari.
Choose between importing your bookmarks as a flat list, or organizing them into folders according to their associated del.icio.us tags. Your del.icio.us bookmarks folder can be placed in your Safari Bookmarks Bar, your Safari Bookmarks Menu, or simply at the top-most level of your Safari bookmarks.
Treo 650 has new connector
by Volker Weber
Today seems to be leak-your-unreleased-palmOne-device-photos day. TreoCentral.com has a long thread with 29 blurry pictures of a pre-release Sprint Treo 650. I can't help but wonder how somebody geeky enough to try a not yet released phone is unable to turn the flashlight of his camera off and then forgets to turn on macro.
So the photos may not be pretty, the unit may not be in the final configuration, but there are a few things that can now be established:
- Bluetooth icon is visible. Nothing indicates a WLAN capability. I doubt that the BT stack is able to connect to a hotspot, but we will see when I have one in my own hands.
- The Treo 650 gets a new connector. It is not like any other palmOne connector, so all of your 600 accessories that connect at the bottom like car kits, travel charges, cradles, sync cables etc. will not work with the new device.
- The battery is removable and can thus be replaced by the user.
- Lots of smaller details like a videocam application, a Tetris game, the new phone screen, new buttons and a different keyboard layout.
Can't wait to get my hands on one.
Tungsten T5 picture leaked
by Volker Weber
BargainPDA.com grabbed this image from Amazon. If this is the T5 then it resembles the Tungsten E series very much and looks a bit dull. The specs of the new machine are still unknown. 480x320 screen and Bluetooth are confirmed. Memory is supposed to be 256 meg and WLAN currently looks unlikely.
This just in
by Volker Weber
Bruce has a preview of the Florida Election Ballot. And this company will make some money really fast.
Things to do to your colleagues while they're away
by Esther Schindler
This makes me very glad I work at home, 2000 miles from any of my coworkers.
Briefmarkeneinzelhändler
by Volker Weber
Lyssa entdeckt einen neuen Geschäftszweig:
Heute morgen wollte ich nur ganz schnell einen einzigen Brief abschicken, hatte aber keine Briefmarken mehr im Haus und ging kurzentschlossen zur Post – mit 2,50 Euro in der Hosentasche. Ein schwerer Fehler. Denn seit neuestem bekommt man bei der Post die Briefmarken nur noch im Zehnerpack, also nicht für 2,50 Euro.
Zum Glück hatte die Frau hinter mir in der Schlange mehr Geld dabei und die nötige Geistesgegenwart, gleich mehrere Zehnerpacks zu kaufen. Damit öffnete sie ihre eigene Filiale in der Filiale und verkaufte einzelne Briefmarken an genervte Kunden. Zumindest bis der Filialleiter sie wegen Störung des Betriebsablaufs vor die Tür setzte. Danach stellte sie sich vergnügt unters Vordach und fing die Kunden gleich vor der Tür ab.
Die Geburtsstunde eines neuen Geschäftszweigs: Briefmarkeneinzelhändler.
Mal was für einen langweiligen Wintertag. ;-)
30 Days, 2368 Attacks
by Volker Weber
Inquiring minds want to know
by Volker Weber
Volltexten heißt jetzt zufönen
by Volker Weber
Und krass, hammer, korrega, phat, endgeil sind ja auch schon soooo 2001. Abfetzmäßig porno, sage ich da nur. Abfetzmäßig porno.
FlickrExport for iPhoto updated to 0.9
by Volker Weber
New features:
- 'Apply to All' button for security settings
- 'Apply to All' button for resize settings
- Checkbox to open Flickr on successful export (state is remembered as a preference)
- Tags added in plugin UI are now selected for editing as they are added
Joyeux anniversaire, Mme Bardot
by Volker Weber
This week's Alex Warning
by Volker Weber
Do you plan to buy a PDA? Take a small piece of advice: Hold off that purchase for one week. I won't say more today, but you will understand next week. You can mark your calendar.
Btw: I will refer to this type of posting as an Alex Warning in the future. Alex bought a T2 just before the T3 came out. And we do not want to have this happen to vowe.net readers, do we? ;-)
Download free mp3 tracks from Mercedes-Benz
by Volker Weber
Mercedes does it again and releases Mixed Tape 03 with 15 tracks from 4 To The Bar and Inga Lühning, Adria, Flokati, Gabriela Anders, Izmar, Larissa Pop, Mocky feat. Jamie Lidell, Sestatee, Sol Uprising, Text Adventure, The Tape, Vertolaye, Virgill, Wale Oyejide, and Zagar. Mixed Tape 04 will be released on November, 23.
The tracks are ripped with excellent quality, are neatly tagged and already have the album art embedded for iTunes. Go get them.
[Thanks, Matthias]
Unwahrscheinlich
by Volker Weber
Eine Schülerin (9. Klasse) fragt, ob wir eine Praktikumsstelle bieten.
Der Brief beginnt mit folgender Anrede: "Sehr geerter Herr Rechtsanwald Vetter".
[Quelle: Udo Vetter (lawblog)]
Is that a fair question?
by Volker Weber
I cannot help but wonder how many insurgents you would have if some other nation would liberate you from your current administration.
Zugpferdchen
by Volker Weber
Notice to non-german speaking readers: The VW ad is in german, but you will get it anyway. For the curious, the slogan says: "More power. Better mileage."
Unfortunately you will have to download the zip file and then load the mov file locally.
Novell releases Evolution 2.0
by Volker Weber
This is already one week old. Novell has released Evolution 2.0.0.
Die aktuelle "brand eins"
by Volker Weber
Felix hat sich die Mühe gemacht, eine kleine Linkliste mit allen PDFs der aktuellen brand eins zusammenzustellen, die ich hier gerne einmal in etwas abgewandelter Form zitiere:
- Zeit zum Handeln
- No Budget
- Das Gesetz der Serie
- Steh auf, wenn Du am Boden liegst!
- Aus dem Bauch heraus
- Das grosse Puzzle
- Wenn der Markt schrumpft
- Annäherung an ein Delta
- Ende, ausserplanmässig
- Wie kalkuliert man eine Katastrophe?
- Auferstehung ohne Ableben
- Plan paradox
- Der lange Weg
- Der Wert der Schönheit
- Alle wollen Sex
- Wachsen tun sie alle
- "Es kommt von oben herunter. Wie Schnee."
- Der Innovator
- Was ist eigentlich der Nachhaltigkeitsfaktor?
- Der Gottesstaat
- Marketingkolumne: Heute im Angebot: Hirn
- Kulturkolumne: Weit weg und unverständlich
- Voormanns Gütertagebuch: Sport Watch Lexor Quarz. Oder: das Gute an der Aldi-Uhr
- Mikroökonomie: Ein Zahnarzt in Nepal
- Das geht: Paradies ohne Subventionen
- Die Welt in Zahlen
brand eins ist ein tolles Blatt, in dem man auch mal einen längeren Artikel lesen kann, statt sich nur mit Infoschnipseln zufrieden geben zu müssen. Kaufen!
IBM updates Lotus Notes and Domino to 6.5.3
by Volker Weber
Biggest change I could immediately spot: Notes on the Mac can now launch Safari instead of Internet Exploder. I have not tried Firefox yet ...
SubEthaFari
by Volker Weber
map calls it an ugly hack. I don't really care, because SubEthaFari lets me view the source for the currently displayed page in SubEthaEdit instead of Safari's own preview window:
The difference is stunning.
If America were Iraq, What would it be Like?
by Volker Weber
Juan Cole, Professor of History at the University of Michigan, asks:
What if the grounds of the White House and the government buildings near the Mall were constantly taking mortar fire? What if almost nobody in the State Department at Foggy Bottom, the White House, or the Pentagon dared venture out of their buildings, and considered it dangerous to go over to Crystal City or Alexandria?
What if there were private armies totalling 275,000 men, armed with machine guns, assault rifles (legal again!), rocket-propelled grenades, and mortar launchers, hiding out in dangerous urban areas of cities all over the country? What if they completely controlled Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Denver and Omaha, such that local police and Federal troops could not go into those cities?
What if all the cities in the US were wracked by a crime wave, with thousands of murders, kidnappings, burglaries, and carjackings in every major city every year?
What if the Air Force routinely (I mean daily or weekly) bombed Billings, Montana, Flint, Michigan, Watts in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Anacostia in Washington, DC, and other urban areas, attempting to target "safe houses" of "criminal gangs", but inevitably killing a lot of children and little old ladies?
Dual use
by Volker Weber
DNUG XXS
by Volker Weber
Soeben flattert diese Pressemeldung herein, deren Anfang ich gerne wiedergeben:
Erste „WebSphere Community Conference“ von Teilnehmern gut angenommen. 100 Teilnehmer und Referenten tauschten ihre Praxiserfahrungen zu IBM WebSphere aus.
Etwa 100 WebSphere-Anwender trafen sich am 20. und 21. September in Leipzig zur ersten WebSphere Community Conference, die von der Deutschen Notes User Group e.V. (DNUG) organisiert und in Zusammenarbeit mit COMMON Deutschland e.V. unter Beteiligung der German WebSphere User Group (GWUG) veranstaltet wurde.
Rechnen wir mal. Etwa 100 Teilnehmer, davon 37 Referenten sowie 9 Aussteller mit ein bis zwei Personen Standpersonal. Veranstaltet von immerhin drei Organisationen. Da wurde wohl vor allem dem Chor gepredigt. :-)
Aller Anfang ist schwer ...
Skype updates Mac OS X Beta to 0.10.0.1
by Volker Weber
How much better is a highres smartphone?
by Volker Weber
With updates for the Treo and the Tungsten in the pipe, one has to wonder how much better a higher resolution screen will be for the Treo. Let's compare a 320x320 screen to a 160x160:
This comparison is stunning, but does not do the current Treo real justice. The pixels are much larger than you see above, so the difference looks rather like this:
My early conclusion would be that the higher resolution is nice, albeit not really necessary. However that changes if you want to venture outside the classic PIM applications. Take a look at those four screens:
The color palette in the smaller TomTom image is off and I did not want to take the time to correct it. But you can still see how much more useful the higher resolution is, if you need to show something else than text. So it depends very much on your usage pattern how much more useful a higher resolution Treo 650 will be than a lowres Treo 600. If you "just" do PIM plus phone, then the 600 is just fine and you will most likely save a lot of money by going for the lowres device. I would however benefit tremendously from the higher resolution if it only were for TomTom Navigator alone. Plus I would need the BT stack anyway ...
Please disregard the occasional comment spam
by Volker Weber
Without Jay's MT-Blacklist the site would be flooded with this crap all day long. And since I do not have a cron task on my server, Stefan pings mine four times a day to update the blacklist. Occasionally you will see a piece of comment spam showing up but MT-Blacklist will remove it with two clicks.
While most of the comment spam originates from IP addresses in China and South America, I am increasingly seeing spam messages coming in from highjacked Windows machines all over the world.
In related news Microsoft has announced last week it will not provide the security fixes delivered in XP SP2 to Windows 2000.
What is new in TomTom Navigator 4.12 for palmOne?
by Volker Weber
Taken from the TomTom suppport site:
The Guam, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Alaska and Canada maps are unlocked and can be now used by owners of the USA maps for TomTom Navigator for palmOne.
Automatically tries to connect to the Holux GPS device when “Other GPS” is selected.
A much faster and therefore improved GPS discovery.
I am particularly interested in the last fix because I never leave the Tungsten in the car. But every time I want to reconnect to the BT GPS receiver, I have had great difficulties that could easily be resolved with a soft reset. This issue seems to be gone with the 4.12 release as far as early tests indicate.
Update: This looks like wishful thinking on my part. While preparing to take this picture I had this exact same problem again. I had to stop TomTom and load the ZGrab. When I reloaded TomTom, it would not connect to the receiver. There is a lesson to learn here: Bluetooth may look interesting but a plain old cable is always better. And you have to hook up everything anyway since all of these devices need power. How often are they fully charge and will operate longer than you need them? Not very likely, according to Murphy's Law.
The Money Shield
by Volker Weber
Have you noticed how former hazards are no longer that dangerous anymore? Some examples, s'il vous plait?
Notebooks with CD-ROMs or DVD-ROMs where banned by most airlines because they might interfere with the avionics of the airplane. This in no longer the case as we now have first class passengers using in-seat DVD systems.
You were not allowed to use any RF devices inside the plane. Now you can access the internet via a run-of-the-mill WLAN on Lufthansa flights, after paying your fee of course.
The use of cell-phones was strictly prohibited. It actually still is. Until the airlines have installed cells into their planes that attract business from the mobile phones. Dang, there goes the quiet time.
Similar scare tactics are used with public access points. If they are free, there may be illegal activities. That is not the case if you sell tickets to access the WLAN. Even if the user pays cash for anonymous tickets. How does that work?
I call this The Money Shield. As soon as somebody pays to use a service, it is no longer dangerous.
Do you have similar examples?
Twenty questions
by Volker Weber
What a wonderful way to waste your time:
20Q.net is an experiment in artificial intelligence. The program is very simple but its behavior is complex. Everything that it knows and all questions that it asks were entered by people playing this game. 20Q.net is a learning system; the more it is played, the smarter it gets.
[Thanks, Esther]
Die Welt in Zahlen
by Volker Weber
Teil der irakischen Bevölkerung, der die Amerikaner ein Jahr nach deren Einmarsch in den Irak für Befreier hielt: 2 Prozent
Quote of the day
by Volker Weber
Come to the edge, he said.
They said: We are afraid.
Come to the edge, he said.
They came.
He pushed them.
And they flew.
— Guillaume Apollinaire
Offline for three days
by Volker Weber
Sorry, we have been offline for three days. As you can see in the picture above, we have also not been sober at all times. :-) Thanks to Stefan for his excellent housekeeping here at vowe's magic flying circus. We now return to our regular program.
A true geek
by Volker Weber
Dave writes:
Check out this picture. It's the definition of a true geek-- he's looking at the PSP...
Indeed, Dave. :-)
W.I.F.E.
by Volker Weber
ROFLMAO
by Volker Weber
Webdesigner: Wie findste se?
Suchmaschinen-Robot: Was jetzt genau?
Webdesigner: Meine Seiten.
Suchmaschinen-Robot: Nicht.
Webdesigner: Ja wie: "Nicht"?!
Suchmaschinen-Robot: Ich finde nix.
Inspiration
by Volker Weber
Morning has broken
by Volker Weber
The Guardian reports:
WASHINGTON (AP) - A London-to-Washington flight was diverted to Maine on Tuesday when it was discovered passenger Yusuf Islam - formerly known as singer Cat Stevens - was on a government watch list and barred from entering the country, federal officials said.
United Airlines Flight 919 was en route to Dulles International Airport when the match was made between a passenger and a name on the watch list, said Nico Melendez, a spokesman for the Transportation Security Administration. The plane was met by federal agents at Maine's Bangor International Airport around 3 p.m., Melendez said.
Homeland Security Department spokesman Dennis Murphy identified the passenger as Islam. "He was interviewed and denied admission to the United States on national security grounds," Murphy said, and would be put on the first available flight out of the country Wednesday.
Officials had no details about why the peace activist might be considered a risk to the United States. Islam had visited New York in May to promote a DVD of his 1976 MajiKat tour.
A peace activist who speaks out against violence in a country at war. That sure is a dangerous thing.
Morning has broken, like the first morning
Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird
Praise for the singing, praise for the morning
Praise for the springing fresh from the world
Cat Stevens, Morning has broken, Teaser and the firecat, 1971
Nein, hatte ich nicht gemeint
by Volker Weber
Ich hatte eher das gemeint.
Vote for Bush, get blasted by hurricanes
by Volker Weber
DHL = Dauert halt länger
by Volker Weber
Wie letztens berichtet, ruft IBM eine bestimmte Charge von Thinkpad-Netzteilen zurück. Mein Austauschgerät ist letzte Woche gekommen, zusammen mit einem Stapel Papier und einer DHL-Tüte. Der Stapel Papier enthielt einige Anweisungen, wie man denn das auszutauschende Gerät wieder eintüten und beschriften soll, was in die Tüte soll und was aussen drauf. Und das gleich in vielen Sprachen, außer in deutsch. Natürlich waren ein paar überflüssige Zettel dabei, um das Sortieren nicht ganz so einfach zu machen. Auch der DHL-Frachtbrief musste noch um Dinge ergänzt werden, die für alle Rückrufgeräte gleich sind, etwa Bezeichnung und Wert des Inhaltes. Bis jetzt ist mir allerdings unklar, wie ich das Paket denn wieder los werde.
Gestern habe ich es mal bei einer Postfiliale versucht. Die Dame am Schalter hat mich angeschaut, als habe ich zwei Köpfe und hat mir erklärt, ich müsse einen Paketschein ausfüllen und den Versand bezahlen. Ich habe statt dessen dann den DHL-Fahrer vor der Tür gefragt. Eigentlich war der ja auch von der Post, aber sein LKW ist doch schon so schön mit DHL bepinselt. Der meinte, das Paket sehe wie ein UPS-Auftrag aus. Komischerweise hat er aber ein DHL-Logo.
Jetzt habe ich mal über die wunderbare DHL-Webseite eine Anfrage gestellt. Schau'n mer mal, ich habe es ja nicht so eilig, den Schrott zurückzuschicken.
Pentagon Acknowledges Censoring Casualty Sites
by Ragnar Schierholz
Eric Umansky reports:
Last week, I received an email from a marine in Iraq who said his network was blocking him from visiting icasualties.org, a site that compiles casualty figures for Americans Iraq, as well as CNN’s page on servicemembers killed in the war. [...]
Read the full message here.
Now is that freedom, is that democracy? Admitted, in the military some standards are different, but THAT different?
Presidency to be outsourced
by Ragnar Schierholz
Thinking about it, actually not too bad of an idea.
T - 22 days
by Volker Weber
Gestern abend zum ersten Mal seit 19 Jahren wieder da gewesen. Kleiner Soundcheck. Ergebnis: Der Edirol rauscht und knistert. Da brauche ich kurzfristig Ersatz. Ansonsten ist die antike Technik noch funktionsfähig. Die Matrixsteuerung ist schon zwanzig Jahre alt und geht immer noch. Auch die Strobes feuern noch. Nicht zu glauben.
Wir haben zwar noch alte Aufkleber, aber keine T-Shirts. Da wir keinem das Risiko aufhalsen können, die auf Halde zu produzieren, gibt es sie nun einzeln im Online-Shop.
Dienstag, 12.10.04, 20:00 Uhr, open end, Einlass auch ohne T-Shirt :-)
esse, trinke, schwätze
by Volker Weber
Nur echt mit Deppenapostroph
Schade
by Volker Weber
Rund ein Dutzend mal am Tag werde ich von Leuten angesprochen, der Namen ich nicht kenne. Oder deren AOL Namen ich nicht kenne. Ab und zu ist jemand dabei, der mit "Hi" anfängt und eine Antwort erwartet. Das hat wenig Aussicht auf Erfolg. :-)
Dieser Versuch war schon viel besser, ist aber aus zwei Gründen gescheitert.
- Der Anrufer war viel zu eilig. Ich bin schon mal fünf Minuten nicht da.
- Ich habe keine Ahnung, wer der Anrufer ist.
Man stelle sich das mal am Telefon vor. "Ich kenne Sie". - "Oh, das ist aber schön". Also: Wer ich bin, steht hier breit beschrieben. Aber wer bist Du?
Tungsten T5 and Treo 650 mentioned on palmOne website
by Volker Weber
The palmOne store lists a GPS Navigator by palmOne under a category called GPS Units for Tungsten T3 /T5 / Zire 72 /Treo 650. This is the first official appearance of the two new units the community has speculated about. Looks like their release is imminent.
Since the advertized GPS receiver utilizes Bluetooth, this appearance also establishes the fact that the Treo 650 indeed has a Bluetooth stack.
Kompakt
by Volker Weber
Heute auf dem Marktplatz in Darmstadt: Die örtliche Niederlassung stellt den neuesten kleinsten BMW vor. Gibt's nur mit Vierzylinder, dafür aber mit allen Extras. Den hier habe ich besonders ins Herz geschlossen. Knapp 40 Tausend für eine Hasenkiste. Und schon mal zugelassen, damit dann zweite Hand.
Zwei Zylinder mehr, zwei Sitze weniger, 4000 Euro mehr. Und schon hat man ein Auto.
Brand new shades
by Volker Weber
Yeah, right
by Volker Weber
Reverse
by Volker Weber
Guide your cursor to the goal. The movement of your cursor has been reversed.
[Thanks, Stephan]
Very handy
by Volker Weber
I believe everybody has someone to send this to.
[via Wolfgang]
Oooh. Ow!
by Volker Weber
First you have to see the video. Then you crank up that volume and listen to the techno remix.
[via mefi]
When all is said and done
by Volker Weber
Outsourcing is so yesteryear
by Volker Weber
The Register reports:
JP Morgan is canning a $5bn, seven-year outsourcing agreement with IBM. IBM won the contract ahead of EDS and CSC, taking responsibility for the investment bank's data centres, desktop support and network services.The deal was signed 30 December 2002 and was hailed by Eric Ray, vice president for financial services at IBM, as "the largest computer services deal in the financial services sector".
Four thousand JP Morgan staff moved to IBM: they are all returning to the bank, beginning January 2005.
Wie praktisch
by Volker Weber
Megawatt trifft den Fisch zwischen die Kiemen:
Helle Aufregung in Deutschlands kleiner Bloggerszene: "News" aus Frankfurt zitiert Weblogs, ohne - und jetzt kommts: ohne die Weblogbetreiber untertänigst um Erlaubnis zu bitten. Hat man sowas schön gehört! Abgesehen davon, dass man in China daran arbeitet, einen umgefallenen Sack Reis aufzurichten: Wer bloggt, begibt sich in die Öffentlichkeit, ist es nicht so? Und wer sich dort befindet, darf allemal zitiert werden. In Wahrheit sind Weblogger glücklich, wenn sie überhaupt einmal wahrgenommen werden - noch glücklicher aber, wenn sie sich mordsmäßig über irgendwas ereifern können
Danke! Das erspart mir einen eigenen Kommentar über WOM: Write Only Memory. Wolfgang berührt einen weiteren wichtigen Aspekt:
Ärgerlich finde ich die persönliche Verunglimpfung von Stephan Mosel, der als einer der erfahrerenen Blogger für NEWS arbeitet. In typisch deutscher Manier wird er als Nestbeschmutzer abgestempelt, weil er sich für so eine Aktion hergibt. Das Räsonieren über Geschäftsmöglichkeiten für Weblogs gehört zwar zu den beliebtesten Beschäftigungen von Bloggern, aber wenn einer wirklich ein bisschen Geld damit verdient, dann fällt die Meute über ihn her.
Sowohl Megawatt als auch Wolfgang sind "vom Fach".
How to lose your edge
by Volker Weber
Russell Beattie (who has lived in Spain before returning to California) says:
This morning I saw in The Reg that even though data prices are falling in Europe, the cost for GPRS data are *still* hovering around $18 per megabyte. That's *insane*. I pay $30 for all I can eat mobile data and only $0.001 per KB of tethered data (a buck a meg). For everyone else, the cost is a real disincentive to use data services. Not all services, since SMS is still pretty reasonable and if you're creating J2ME games, all you need is that one download and you're happy. But real opportunities (to me) are in mobile data services and right now it's being hindered in many parts of the world.
Ahh, but that's sort of a good thing. The fact that we've got unlimited plans here in the U.S. gives us an advantage of leapfrogging some of the other regions. Services that are out of the question to European users would be reasonable to anyone using American carriers with decent data plans.
Indeed. While T-Mobile & Co brand their telephones to force unsuspecting users online and then overcharge them, thus destroying their own market, the very same carriers serve the US with affordable flat rate pricing plans.
Think
by Volker Weber
REUTERS reports:
Secretary of State Colin Powell said on Tuesday he was concerned that sweeping political changes to fight terrorism proposed by Russian President Vladimir Putin would erode Russia's democratic reforms.
I would be more concerned about the policital changes at home.
The Freeway Blogger
by Volker Weber
Puts his messages up on the freeway.
A spooler for GMail invitations
by Volker Weber
Welcome to isnoop.net's gmail invite spooler. This page offers a place for people with Gmail invites and those who want them to come together with minimal effort and fuss.
If you have invites to share, please feel free to send them to gmail@isnoop.net. They will be added to the available pool immediately. If you would like to request an invite, simply submit your email here.
[via boing boing]
Is this madness?
by Volker Weber
If you are running WebSphere Portal in a test environment and need security enabled, perform the following steps.
Helmet with Bluetooth headset
by Volker Weber
Bikes in the Fast Lane reports:
Momodesign, the Italian manufacturers of the stylish motorcycle MOMO helmets, and Motorola, one of world's leading communications' manufacturers have announced today the production of the popular Momo Fighter helmet equipped with Motorola's HS810 Bluetooth communication product.
What this means, is that you will be able to purchase, as of the 1st Quarter of 2005, a Momodesign helmet that allows you to communicate with any Bluetooth equipped mobile phone, so not only Motorola's, but any.
Momodesign, the Italian manufacturers of the stylish motorcycle MOMO helmets, and Motorola, one of world's leading communications' manufacturers have announced today the production of the popular Momo Fighter helmet equipped with Motorola's HS810 Bluetooth communication product. I like. ;-)
Noch vier Wochen
by Volker Weber
Freisprechanlage am Steuer genauso gefährlich wie Handy
by Volker Weber
heise online berichtet:
Freisprechanlagen sind am Steuer genauso gefährlich wie Handys. Das hat eine Studie des staatlichen schwedischen Verkehrsforschungsinstituts VTI ergeben. Die Tests in einem Fahrsimulator zeigten, dass die Aufmerksamkeit beim Sprechen mit einer Freisprechanlage ebenso stark vermindert ist wie bei der Benutzung von Hand gehaltener Mobiltelefone.
Uff. Das wurde auch mal Zeit. Und wenn jetzt noch jemand klarstellen würde, dass das (verbotene) Hantieren mit einem Handy nicht gefährlicher ist als das (erlaubte) mit einer Zigarette, dann wäre mir noch wohler.
Ich werde auch weiterhin das Telefonieren während der Fahrt tunlichst unterlassen. Und wenn es sich dann wirklich nicht vermeiden lässt, sicher auf das Gefummmel mit Headsets verzichten.
Wenn jetzt noch jemand bitte allen Beifahrern erklärt, dass ich keinesfalls schlechte Laune habe, wenn ich während der Fahrt keine Geschichten erzähle. Danke.
Nonsense squared
by Volker Weber
When it leaves the factory this car is a crossover of sports car, station wagon and offroader. Built to run 150 mph and typically driven at 75 and less. Pure nonsense. And now make another crossover with the other quintessential nonsense car, a 30 foot limo.
Skype updates Mac beta
by Volker Weber
New release 0.9.0.1:
feature: you can set your birthday in your profile
change: enabled red close button in main window
change: Skype recognizes SkypeOut numbers in different formats a la (+44-55-66-77)
bugfix: auto-login should be much more stable now
bugfix: "Text" was displayed on My Skype tab, when user logged in
bugfix: proper handling of simultaneous calls (you are calling to the person who calls you)
bugfix: drawer refreshed properly in case of multiple calls
bugfix: contact view icon updated after blocking an user
bugfix: after changing your password, it will be updated in keychain as well
Kann mir nicht passieren ...
by Volker Weber
Die Techniker Krankenkasse warnt:
Krawattenträger aufgepasst: Zu eng gebundene Schlipse können die Augen schädigen. Laut einer Studie an der New Yorker Augenklinik riskieren Krawattenträger, am Grünen Star zu erkranken - dem so genannten Glaukom. Bei dem Großteil der 40 untersuchten Männer zeigte sich bereits drei Minuten nach Anlegen des Schlipses eine Erhöhung des Augeninnendrucks um bis zu 20 Prozent. Wurde die Krawatte wieder abgenommen, normalisierte sich der Augeninnendruck bereits nach wenigen Minuten.
Und das ist nicht einzige Beeinträchtigung. :-)
Treo 650 soon to be released?
by Volker Weber
The Register reports:
PalmOne's eagerly anticipated Treo 650 smart phone, successor to the current Treo 600, is set to go on sale in October following the commencement of volume shipments from contract manufacturer HTC this month.
Judging from Ute's Xda II HTC has an excellent build quality. I can't wait to get my hands on one of these. Where can I upgrade my 600? ;-)
Paparazzi takes screenshots of websites
by Volker Weber
This very simple tool takes screenshots of websites which do not fit on one screen. You specify the desired width, minimal height and the URL. The program displays a preview and you can save the screenshot to PNG. The image above is a scaled down screenshot of Apple's iMac page.
Blonde stripper
by Volker Weber
The Likudization of the World: The True Legacy of September 11
by Volker Weber
Naomi Klein about The Likudization of the World, published last Friday in The Guardian:
... he has cast the United States in the very same role in which Israel casts itself, facing the very same threat. In this narrative, the U.S. is fighting a never ending battle for its very survival against utterly irrational forces that seek nothing less than its total extermination.
And now the Likudization narrative has spread to Russia.
Aus die Maus
by Volker Weber
Jörg Schallenberg über Monza:
Der Rest der kurz nach dem Start noch so lustigen Mäuseschar fuhr da mit seinen - im Vergleich zu den Ferrari - bunten Seifenkisten längst nur noch traurig hinterher. Oder war schon längst beim Duschen gewesen. Wie Kimi Räikkönen, den dieses Mal anscheinend ein Defekt im Kühlsystem stoppte. Bei Pannenweltmeister McLaren-Mercedes möchte man in Sachen Aussetzer dieses Jahr offensichtlich demonstrieren, dass kein Teil des Autos verschont bleiben soll. Was wohl in zwei Wochen beim Grand Prix von China kaputt gehen wird? Vielleicht fällt ja zur Abwechslung einfach der Auspuff ab.
Auch der Rest des Textes ist wie immer lesenswert. Mir gefällt schon seine Selbstbeschreibung:
Jörg Schallenberg ist 34 Jahre alt, lebt in München und fährt Fiat. Allerdings keinen roten.
Don't try this at home
by Volker Weber
9-11 minus 60
by Volker Weber
A day of terror. On September, 11 more than 11000 people died. In a huge firestorm that destroyed almost 78% of the houses in this city. After an attack with 220 planes. 60 years ago. Darmstadt, Germany. Where I live today.
iVan
by Volker Weber
Flickr has a slideshow now
by Volker Weber
Just add /show to the end of the URL.
Multiheaded instant messenger for Treo and Tungsten
by Volker Weber
Causerie Messenger, an easily configurable Instant Messaging solution complete with bots, skins and a fully customizable user interface, hits the market on September 22nd. Allowing login to six accounts simultaneously, this versatile and powerful new messaging software allows login to two accounts of the same messenger type (Yahoo/MSN/AOL/ Jabber/ICQ).
Causerie Messaging server is also available for enterprise customers. Enterprise edition supports corporate Instant Messaging protocols like IBM SameTime, Jabber and Microsoft Live (beta).
Causerie has been optimized for Treo600 users and supports five-way navigation/sound/vibrate/ LED options. DIA is supported on Tungsten3 and Sony devices.
[via Shared Spaces Research & Consulting]
Tungsten World Clock on Treo
by Volker Weber
I have discussed this world clock a number of times. Short summary: The Tungsten has it, the Treo doesn't. And I do not like any of the other solutions.
The answer to the question was too easy. Transfer it from the Tungsten to the Treo. Both run on 5.21, so it should run. However, the clock is in the ROM, so you can't beam it from the OS. FileZ to the rescue. Switch on display of ROM files, transfer four files (the clock, the locations database and the language support files for both) to the Treo. Bingo.
Only one complaint: The alarm clock does not work as expected as the keyguard seems to mute it.
While I was at it, I also moved Note Pad over. The Treo has Memo Pad, which I prefer for notes, but Note Pad is sometimes handy when you need to make a quick "drawing".
The world's shortest blog
by Volker Weber
... has only one question.
STA-TT 6
by Volker Weber
Edcom mit eigener Lotusphere '05 Nachlese
by Volker Weber
In den vergangenen Jahren gab es einen Monat nach der Lotusphere stets eine Nachlese in Fürth bei SOFTWERK, an der auch edcom aus München beteiligt war. Dies Jahr gab es dann ein paar Verstimmungen, die ich nicht weiter kommentieren möchte. In der Folge veranstaltet edcom nun nächstes Jahr eine eigene Lotusphere Nachlese am 23. Februar in München, und dann noch einmal eine Woche später in Wien.
Do they multiply in the dark?
by Volker Weber
What are these people holding?
by Volker Weber
The Webcam that refuses to die
by Volker Weber
Just found this on Tom's Hardware Guide: The 3Com HomeConnect webcam, that has long since been disconnected and is now the Inside Out Networks Watchport/V.
This is by far the best webcam I ever came across. A new one is very expensive. And there is no driver development. It does run on Windows up to XP, but not on the Mac. I tried the macam drivers, but the picture they deliver is plain awful. But for the PC there is no better webcam. So if you can catch one on eBay, do not hesitate. Make sure however, you get this device. 3Com hat a cheaper camera with a similar name (and that looks very different). It was as bad as the rest of the pack.
Perfektive
by Volker Weber
Was das ist? Alisa erklärt, Wolfgang schreibt auf.
Schweizer sind schlaue Menschen
by Volker Weber
Hatte soeben einen netten Plausch mit einem netten Schweizer Herrn. 75 Jahre alt, ehemals Tontechniker, nun im Internet mit einem Apple G5 und einer iSight unterwegs. Ursprünglicher Anlass: Seine Freunde kriegen das mit den PCs nicht gebacken. Aber was sollen wir da machen? :-)
Replacing the battery in a Vespa dashboard clock
by Volker Weber
I think it takes an Italian engineer to design an instrument panel with a digital watch requiring a battery to be replaced every two years by taking off the instrument panel, which in turn requires you to remove the rear view mirrors, the headlight and pretty much else at the front.
While I was that far, I removed all the inner parts of the body to remove things that the Italian mechanic had left inside the chassis. I found two washers and one access screw. However there were two other screws missing. So I drove to the Vespa dealer, who charged me 1.02 Euro, plus VAT bringing the whole price to 1.18. I made sure he had properly entered the amount in the register and then left him with an excess 2 cents. Oh, dear.
Bluetooth theory: there's nothing more practical than a good theory!
by Ragnar Schierholz
Last night I spent about an hour trying to get an Apple Wireless Keyboard to run with an Windows XP Professional PC. Almost successful. Any help is gratefully accepted.
Tremendous growth
by Volker Weber
Half a year ago I wrote:
vowe.net has grown onehundredfold over the course of the last three years. This is unbelievable. Every time I thought we hit a ceiling there were more people coming in. Ten thousand page impressions a week, thirty, fifty, seventyfive. It boggles my mind to think where this path may lead us.
Well, last week you broke the 100,000 barrier.
Thanks for coming back, thanks to my co-editors and all commentators. This is a tremendous and joyful ride.
Don't try this at home
by Volker Weber
Moving addresses into Lotus Notes
by Volker Weber
I have long given up on syncing a Notes client with all kinds of PDA devices. I can't recall how often I had to weed out duplicates and fix repeating dates. Today I am keeping this data in tools that sync OK and that let me move data in and out via standard formats like vCard 3.0 or vCal/iCal.
But I would like to have at least all mail addresses also in a names.nsf. That does not seem to be so easy. Notes lets me import a vCard file, but only one card at a time. How useful is that if you need to import 800 addresses?
Suggestions?
My other computer is a Mac
by Volker Weber
Every Mac comes with an Apple sticker. Donate it to a friend so he can hide his PC. :-)
It does not get any better than this
by Volker Weber
I cannot remember a long stretch of weather as nice as this. Sunny, not too warm. This is already the second week. Hmmmmh, warm fuzzy feeling ...
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
by Volker Weber
This is one interesting movie. I never knew that Jim Carrey can be a serious actor. The trailer is kind of a spoiler, since it sets the story in a way the movie doesn't. Without it you need about half an hour to understand what is going on.
The music in this trailer rings quite a few memories: Jeff Lynne's composition Mr. Blue Sky, released on the 1978 Electric Light Orchestra album Out Of The Blue.
Was soll das werden?
by Volker Weber
Die Liebe zwischen Menschen, das wissen die Jüngeren unter uns noch nicht, aber die Älteren, überdauert die Phase der Verliebtheit nur, wenn sich alle Beteiligten tagtäglich in Nachsicht und Vergebung üben. Ohne pausenloses Verzeihen zwischen den Liebenden legen beide Seiten alsbald Mängellisten an. Die werden länger und länger, und vor lauter Fehlern sieht man bald das geliebte Objekt nicht mehr. Am Ende stellt einer (oder, im Idealfall, beide zugleich) fest: Wir sind einfach zu unterschiedlich. Trennung, tschüss, nächster Versuch.
Was soll das werden? Ein Autotest.
Braucht noch jemand eine GMail-Einladung?
by Volker Weber
Bitte mit vollem Namen und aktueller E-Mail-Adresse kommentieren. Keine Angst, die wird nicht veröffentlicht.
Update: Those were my GMail invites. All gone in a matter of an hour.
Lemmings Trail continues
by Volker Weber
We have played with Flickr now for a few weeks, and decided that while it is a useful service we will not abandon the Lemmings Trail.
Finally a world clock that I like
by Volker Weber
World Clock Pro shows an analog face, night and day, and spawns as many clocks as you like.
Thunderbird and Domino IMAP
by Volker Weber
I am a heavy Domino user, but a very light Notes user. As such I prefer IMAP/SMTP for my mail needs to NRPC. However, Domino gives me all kinds of headaches with IMAP clients. The mail file collects funky folders for sent files, maybe due to the fact, that the Sent folder in Notes is not really a folder but rather a view.
Thunderbird now adds a new problem. See this error message that I get after sending a mail:
When I retry, I get the same message again, and abort will give me second message that Thunderbird failed to file the sent message. I can work around the problem by using the sent mail folder on the client, but that is not what I want.
Has anybody seen this and if so, do you know a workaround?
Put down that cup of coffee first
by Volker Weber
Liaisons Dangereuses
by Volker Weber
Treffer, versenkt.
by Volker Weber
Ein Insider meint in einem Kommentar bei Nico:
Angesichts der rosigen, ja geradzu blühenden deutschen Wirtschaft gilt derzeit für viele - aber nicht alle - Fach-Verlage:
Die Journalisten findest du unter der Rubrik "freie Mitarbeiter". Die waren nämlich teuer und wurden deswegen gefeuert. Die Artikel-Verantwortlichen findest du im Impressum unter "Redaktion". Die werden nämlich grade angelernt und waren deshalb billig zu kriegen.
Langer Rede, kurzer Sinn: Wo kein freier Autor angegeben ist, findet sich meist M...
Gilt definitiv nicht für Heise. Aber woanders habe ich das auch schon gesehen. :-)
Yesterday's headlines
by Volker Weber
At least 340 siege victims in Ossetia
Iraq violence leaves 40 dead
LAX airport closes after flashlight goes off
iPod Härtetest
by Volker Weber
Schürfwunden und Prellungen überall am Körper und im Gesicht, geschwollene Knie, gebrochene Nase, gebrochene linke Schulter, mehrfach gebrochener linker Oberarm, aber der iPod geht noch.
Gute Besserung, Sebastian.
How to pick up and carry your iMac G5
by Volker Weber
Leo unveils an Apple technote #86816:
Don't know how to pick up and carry your iMac G5? It's easy.
Before moving your computer, make sure all cables and cords are disconnected.
Pick up the iMac G5 by grasping both sides of the computer. Carry it to wherever you wish.
No comment. ;-)
Early morning at the Old Mill
by Volker Weber
Kettle pot black
by Volker Weber
How can I get MSN Music downloads to play on my iPod?
Unfortunately Apple refuses to support the popular Windows Media format on the iPod, choosing to only support their own proprietary DRM format. If you are an iPod owner and are unhappy about this, please send feedback to Apple and ask them to change their policy and interoperate with other music services.
There are more than 70 portable audio devices that support MSN Music today, and we hope that someday Apple decides to join with the industry and support consumer choice.
John Gruber tries to unspin:
First, the Windows Media format is described as “popular”, but Apple’s “own format” (apparently AAC/FairPlay is that-which-shall-not-be-named in Redmond) is a “proprietary DRM” format. The truth is that all three words — popular, proprietary, and DRM — apply to both formats. But the only one they choose for themselves — “popular” — is the least apt for Windows Media, given that Apple’s AAC/FairPlay has 70 percent market share.
The second paragraph could effectively be rewritten as:
There are more than 70 portable audio devices that depend on technology licensed and controlled by Microsoft today, and we hope that someday Apple gives up on their own market-leading technology, bends over, and uses ours.
So who is right? Neither.
DRM is bad for the customer. It does not matter whether it is WMA, AAC or ATRAC. The popular format is neither of them. The popular format is [drumroll] MP3.
I do not trust Apple any more than I trust Microsoft. Keep your data in open formats. When you receive it with a lock-in to any particular scheme, then unlock it now. Otherwise you might regret it when it is too late.
You need to first create a CD with the music, and then you need to import that CD into iTunes or Media Player. Make sure, you chose MP3 as the target format, so you are free to use something else than iTunes or Media Player.
Fußfessel und Sklavenausweis
by Volker Weber
Es ist der Blackberry, die perfideste Fußfessel des modernen Menschen. Viel besser noch als ein Handy. Der Blackberry verwendet einen äußerst gemeinen und schwer zu durchschauende Trick: er gaukelt Status und Bedeutung vor – in Wirklichkeit sind Sie der Sklave. (Nur noch ein anderes Produkt hat dies geschafft: die Lufthansa Senatorcard, die eigentlich Sklavenausweis heißen müsste.)
Don't try this at home
by Volker Weber
iPhoto-To-Flickr plugin 0.7
by Volker Weber
New features in 0.7
- Remembers your username
- Uses keychain for your password
- Better (internal) management of tags
- Hopefully crashes less
New features in 0.6
- Working tag addition, editing and deletion
- Error messages
- More checks that we're not sending stupid data
- Keyboard shortcuts now work in all fields
Microsoft advances web design
by Volker Weber
Microsoft redesigns web site and receives praise for being more standards compliant and less IE-specific.
Groove Networks ends its ludicrous international pricing policy
by Volker Weber
It took Groove Networks 18 months to figure this out.
You may have noticed an important change in our web store. We've removed the price uplifts for customers located outside of North America.
We decided to stop charging an international price uplift for the time being primarily because of customer feedback. When we launched v3.0, we once again heard from people outside North America that they didn’t agree with this approach, especially since we currently don’t provide any localized versions, e.g., French, German or other non-English languages. Given this feedback, and our overall desire to simplify pricing, licensing, upgrades, etc., we decided to revert to a single worldwide price for each of our products.
Whoever had this brilliant idea in the first place ...
[via Jeroen]
Quote of the day
by Volker Weber
He may look like an idiot and talk like an idiot but don't let that fool you. He really is an idiot
[via Channeling Cupertino]
Product placement
by Volker Weber
Aren't you so ready to get an iPod? :-)
[Thanks, Alexander]
IBM ThinkPad 56 Watt AC Adapter Recall
by Volker Weber
IBM is voluntarily recalling approximately 553,000 56 watt AC adapters made for use with notebook computers shipped worldwide between January 1999 and August 2000. No other AC adapters are affected by this recall notification.
I have a number of different adapters. One of them was a type 02K6549, which is being affected by the recall. My order is already placed.
Skype users disappearing from directory
by Volker Weber
I have the impression that the Skype directory is broken. When trying to add friends that do have a Skype name, the system tells me that they don't exist. However, that might actually work as designed. From the Skype FAQ:
Q: How do I delete my Skype Name or personal profile?
A: Your profile record (except the Skype Name!) is not stored permanently. Your profile will automatically expire and will be deleted from the user directory in approximately 72 hours after you’ve last used Skype. If you login again with the Skype Name you wish to delete, the Skype Name will get refreshed and you may get the impression that the name has not disappeared yet.
This is another good reason why we would need to have this handy list of Skype IDs.
And now?
by Volker Weber
As you may be aware, Internet Service Providers can be held liable if they do not respond to claims of infringement pursuant to the requirements of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). In accordance with the DMCA, we request your assistance ...
As you may or may not be aware, Sweden is not a state in the United States of America. Sweden is a country in northern Europe. Unless you figured it out by now, US law does not apply here. For your information, no Swedish law is being violated.
Maybe it's a good thing that the liberation army is tied up in Iraq.
Want to win a Taiwanese Ferrari?
by Volker Weber
Want to win one of those red Acer Ferrari 3200 Athlon 64 (review) notebooks? You have to be a US resident, take a ten question test and finally be very lucky.
Lust auf eine kleine Umfrage?
by Volker Weber
Die T- würde gerne wissen, wie sie mit den Hottschpotts weitermachen soll. Und nicht vergessen:
We have a suspicious amount of 98-year-old Albanian millionaire grandmothers with Hotmail addresses who own 200-plus computers and head up a tech firm who are interested in reading our newspaper
Jeder Link funktioniert nur einmal.
Apple invents wireless power supply
by Volker Weber
Apple seems to agree that cables hanging from the back of the iMac do not look nice. If you watch the promotional video carefully you see the machine without a power cord, no wire between iPod dock and the machine, and also no wire to the (non-wireless) keyboard. Now as it turns around there is a picture on the screen. Hey, wireless power!
Edelschrott
by Volker Weber
Ich war heute nachmittag mal "Knöpfchen drücken" beim Mädchenmarkt Media Markt. Gleich daneben firmiert in Weiterstadt ein Elekronik-Verwerter, den ich ab sofort immer in Betracht ziehen werde, wenn jemand einen "normalen" Computer braucht. Die haben eine ganze Menge ausrangierte Rechner, wie sie von Großunternehmen gekauft werden. Sauberes Engineering, leise Lüfter, für's "Surfen" ausreichend Leistung und das für relativ kleines Geld.
Die meisten Leute wissen gar nicht, was sie da verpassen, z.B. eine IBM "Panzertastatur" für 5 Euro. Einmal alle Tasten ab und mit Spüli waschen, Gehäuse auf und den Dreck rausmachen. Ich habe erfreulicherweise noch zwei Stück davon, die ich schon seit gut 15 Jahren benutze.
Introducing the iMac G5
by Volker Weber
Skip to 01:30:00 in the stream - yes, you can do that with Quicktime. Might be choppy today due to large demand. Try again tomorrow.
10 Unwritten Rules for a Consultant to Live By
by Volker Weber
- You work for the client, not the consulting firm. No matter who cuts the payroll check, the client is the one paying for your services. Do the right thing for the client, not the consulting firm (or anyone else).
- Your network of consultants is your most important asset.
- Consultants should keep a blacklist of firms and other consultants that should be avoided, and why. Share this list with your network of consultants but not to the general public.
- Do not make negative comments about another consultant within ear shot of an employee of a client, and especially around the sales and marketing people of a consulting firm. Negative comments are fine between consultants, but, keep it "in the family". But, never break rule # 1. When dealing with non-consultants, do like your mom always told you, "if you don 't have anything nice to say about someone, don't say anything at all".
- When your consulting firm takes you out to lunch, remember, you are really the one buying lunch. It is coming out of the consulting firm's cut out of your rate, so just pretend you are picking up the check. Would you really want to pay to have lunch with this person? The same thing holds true for all events and gifts you may get from the consulting firm.
- Avoid giving consulting firms information on possible leads without first getting everything in writing (especially your commission). And even then, the contract usually isn't worth the paper it is written on. Don't expect to get any money for info on leads, so be careful who you give them out to.
- When referring another consultant to a consulting firm, expect a finder's fee. $2 per hour is the minimum that they should offer. Flat fees typically benefit the consulting firm not you, so try to avoid them. Remember, your finder's fee is coming out of the consultant's pocket. So if the consultant is part of your network, you should waive the fee. Your network keeps you employed.
- If you didn't negotiate your rate starting at the consulting firms billing rate to the client don 't try to find out what it is, unless you are prepared for the consequences. That knowledge will usually just make you disgruntled.
- Never tell the client what the consulting firm is paying you. If they need to know, it is up to the firm to disclose that info (see rules #1 and #8).
- Avoid professional days. You don't bill for hours you don't work, so you shouldn't work for hours that you don 't bill. A good project plan, with a budget to match it, is a must. Unless of course you created the project plan, then you should live with the mess that you created.
Hmmmh
by Volker Weber
Movable Type 3.1 Launched
by Volker Weber
Six Apart announces:
We're happy to announce that this afternoon we released Movable Type 3.1.
We're extremely excited about this new release, and also about how quickly this free update is coming on the heels of Movable Type 3.0 Developer Edition. Whereas it took more than a year between 2.6 and 3.0, we're now releasing 3.1 only three months after 3.0 Developer Edition. The release of 3.0, combined with the changes in licensing, has allowed us to recommit resources to Movable Type development, and that's a big reason why you're seeing major features in a free update released so soon after 3.0.
Because of those changes in licensing vowe's magic flying circus is staying on 2.661.
