T11M

RSS feeds are one of the greatest inventions of the web. Rather than having to go from page to page on the web an RSS feed allows you to sit back and aggregate all of the news you want into one place. This one place being your RSS reader of choice. I am a long time Google Reader user and advocate. I love it. All of my news, blogs, and other syndicated internet content in one handy location that is viewable from anywhere I connect to the web. Until recently there have been no desktop RSS readers I was willing to even consider, but then NetNewsWire released its latest version (3.2) which touts full Google Reader synchronization. I had to give it a try, and let me tell you, I’m pleasantly surprised.

First the desktop app is a well designed, sleek looking Mac app. It has the standard easy to use buttons, straightforward configuration that every Mac user looks for and loves. Set up is a breeze and synchronization with Google Reader was simple. It even brings down the folder arrangement I have in Google Reader and allows me to browse by feed, by folder, or by the last 24 hours of news (which by the way is a feature Google Reader should add). I often fall behind in keeping up with my RSS feeds and the 24 hour view allows me to get up to speed on that days news quickly. Then I can go back at my convenience to read up on what I have missed.

Second NetNewsWire has built in tabbed browsing functionality or it easily sends links to your default browser. I prefer to open all of the news stories in NetNewsWire and thereby never leave the app. In fact, after using NetNewsWire for some time, I don’t even realize at that I have been surfing the web from within it. I can click links and browse just like a web browser.

Third is built in functionality to post directly to a blog (via my choice of blogging software) or post to Delicious with just the push of a button. This functionality makes it incredibly easy for me to read a story and immediately blog about it.

Lastly it provides me with reports about the feeds I am subscribed to – how often they update, the bandwidth they take, etc. The stats aren’t that important to me, but it is extremely interesting to see what feeds provide me the most content and which ones I read the most. Absolutely perfect for a guy like me who enjoys the numbers.

Overall, I don’t think I will ever go back to using the Google Reader web interface except when viewing my feeds from a computer other than my Mac. Especially since NetNewsWire also is available as an iPhone app with a much easier interface to use than Google Reader on the phone via Safari. Best part is it’s all free as long as you are willing to put up with a few tastefully displayed adds. If not the desktop app is only $9.99 and the iPhone app is just $1.99.

Download NetNewsWire Mac App

Download NetNewsWire iPhone App

OS X, Personal, Software

BlackBerry Desktop Software Syncs Your BlackBerry with Macs and PCs [Downloads]: “Windows/Mac OS X: BlackBerry Desktop Software effortlessly syncs your BlackBerry with your Mac or PC, including music, contacts, and appointments. The Windows version isn’t new, but the app just hit…”

(Via Lifehacker.)

OS X, Software

Personal, Web

I don’t often take to a new application instantly, but this app has been great ever since I installed it.  Quick, free, and open-source, Notational Velocity (NV) allows me to quickly create, edit, and search through my notes.  I’ve been using TextMate and Spotlight for this purpose, but it gets very difficult to manage all the different text files and often Spotlight doesn’t immediately pinpoint the correct file.  NV however has proven to be incredibly fast, stable, and efficient for managing all of those little notes I want to jot down and keep but not manage.  While being a very simple app it has a couple key features that I like.  First you can choose whether to store your data in an NV database or divided into individual text files.  Second you can enable encryption to securely store your notes – allowing you to manage passwords and other more sensitive information without hesitation.  Lastly there are a number of easy keyboard shortcuts that help speed the creation, search, and formatting of notes.  All in all I’ve found Notational Velocity a complete replacement for my old text file storage method.  Unfortunately it is Mac only and currently has no built in syncing (However you can change the storage location for the notational data it would be very easy to sync via a third party app like DropBox or even iDisk).  Check it out here and as with any open-source project they are also looking for contributors.

OS X, Software

So I played around with VMWare tonight and figured out how to resize the disk without data loss or too much trouble.  First time took about 30 minutes.  Second time took about 10.  I used GParted Live but you can use Partition Magic or any other third party software that comes on a bootable ISO that will do active partition resizing.

BACKUP THE USER DATA JUST IN CASE!!!

1. Shutdown the VM and go into VMWare Settings -> Hard Disks -> resize the disk to the desired size. (unfortunately Windows won’t just recognize the increase in space to the boot partition so you must do the steps listed below)
2. Download the GParted Live CD ISO (http://gparted.sourceforge.net/download.php)
3. Attach the ISO to the VM as a CD/DVD
4. At VM boot press F2 to go into setup and change the boot order so that cd is before HD.  (This is really hard since you only have about a 1 second window and you have to make sure that you are directing the keyboard input into the VM).
5. You should now be able to boot to the GParted ISO.  Go with the default settings for booting into the ISO.
6. Launch GParted and click move/resize disk
7. Resize the disk to the new size you want Windows to see and apply the change.
8. Disconnect the ISO, reboot and check in Windows to ensure that it recognizes the change.  Chkdsk should run before Windows startup which is normal since Windows recognizes a change to the boot disk.

***Be sure to take a snapshot prior to making these changes so that you can roll back if necessary.  I did test the snapshot functionality with rolling back after the change and it does work.***

I think I like VMWare Fusion.  Still not sure about Windows though…

Software VMWare Fusion

So I’ve sorta dropped off the map lately. This is due mainly to the hectic work hours I’ve been keeping. By the time I’m done with work, have eaten dinner, gone to the gym and watched a little TV with Kendra it’s about time to go to bed. Anyway – now that I’m back in front of my computer typing I just wanted to put something up to try to get back on track.

I’ve been reading a lot of RSS feeds (as usual) but one that I have really found worthwhile is Technibble. The guys over there seem to have a really good grasp on both running a small business and actually doing the tech work necessary to compete in the marketplace.  I’ve taken much of their advice into account when dealing with customers and it has proved to be very sound.  I also love the Tech Tool of the Week issue they do.  I have gotten so many good apps that I have immediately put to use.

Another blog I’ve been reading is Zen Habits.  While I’m not a big fan of self help reading I’ve found this blog to be fairly insightful and not full of useless mush.   The author, Leo, tends to give very good examples and tips for how to be more productive, less stressed, and just all around better at life.  I’d encourage anyone to read some of his posts to get a feel for what it has to offer.  Obviously you don’t want to read too much at one time – I can only handle about one post a day, but that’s all he offers so it fits me perfectly.

Anyway, I plan on blogging again – so look for updates!

Personal

Check out these links I’ve found!

• Uninstall / Remove Webmin Software –
• Thomas verdict: willful infringement, $1.92 million penalty – OUTRAGEOUS!!! Why can technology savvy people never end up on these juries.
• BitBlinder: free, anonymous torrenting may be a reality –
• A Beginner’s Guide to Image Sharpening [Image Editing] –
• Use Automotive Window Tint to Make a Glass Desk Mouse-Friendly [Clever Uses] –
• Chinese Filter Software Opens Hacking Risk –
• 15 Effective Tips and Tricks from the Masters of CSS –
• Lawyers plan class-action to reclaim “$100M+” RIAA “stole” –
• Swedish Pirate Party headed to European Parliament –
• Monticello, MN beats the phone company; Internet a “utility” –
• Study: P2P customers are Hollywood's best friends—really! –
• The Ultimate Drupal Toolbox: 150+ Themes, Modules & Resources –
• Dear EU: Please quit whining about browsers already –
• Canada IP battlelines: “plagiarized” report, piracy “guesses” –
• Easily put Google services on your site with Web Elements –

OS X, Personal Links

You’ve got to watch this.  It’s hilarious, but holds a very valuable point.

Personal

Check out these links I’ve found!

• Landmark study: DRM truly does make pirates out of us all –
• 40 Exceptional “CMS Enabling” WordPress Plugins –
• Nesson speaks: Inside P2P’s “David v. Goliath” story –
• Linux Limit CPU Usage Per Process –
• Nielsen: Mobile, Online Video Hasn’t Put A Dent in TV Viewing –
• Doom + Heretic + Hexen (in your browser) = Epic Win – Time Waster –
• Conficker Keeps Growing And Growing –
• Lawyer: RIAA must pay back all $100M it has collected –
• Copyleft v. Copyright: FSF, RIAA face off in court –
• CSS3 Exciting Functions and Features: 30+ Useful Tutorials –
• Big Content appeals Pirate Bay case—damages were too low –
• 15+ programs you don’t have to miss when you switch to Linux –
• Zilla PDF to TXT Converter Plain-Texts Your PDF Files in Bulk [Downloads] –
• Another 6,400 workers to lose jobs at HP – Maybe why the quality of their computers is tanking?
• Harvard prof tells judge that P2P filesharing is "fair use" – I didn't see that defense coming…

OS X, Personal Links

Adium is an outstanding application.  Unfortunately it is currently Mac only.  However, for you Mac users, if you haven’t downloaded Adium you need to right now.  It is the only chat application to support multiple chat protocols including AIM, MobileMe, Google Talk, IRQ, IRC, Twitter, Facebook, and a number of others.  At any one moment I am logged in to 6 different chat protocols and am able to communicate with my contacts on each of them from a single client.  The user interface for Adium is very efficient and user friendly, allowing for quick chatting with multiple contacts.  Adium is also extensible with plugins, emoticon packs, and scripts.  In my opinion Adium is the casual users perfect client and the power users dream.  Check it out here.

Personal