Recently I've been reading a spat of articles about how Twitter is killing RSS, or how blogging is dead etc. I don't think they have 'died'. Instead, they have only found their place on the web.
Take RSS for example. Initially we used it as a feed format to stay updated on what our favorite companies are up to. Now, Twitter is more effective at achieving that objective. However, RSS continues to be a fantastic 'standard' for organizing information about a specific piece of content as it clearly identifies titles, descriptions, authors etc.
So how about this? Next time, instead of saying something is dead, say it's achieved nirvana.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Monday, July 20, 2009
Wear yellow and join the fight
RE-join the fight against cancer. Time to take those old Nike bands out of the closet and trade them for the latest trends in community cancer bashin! Visit Nike's Live Strong microsite.
New Zealand here I come
Love the fresh take Ari New Zealand has taken on using social media. If you own a business, pay attention.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
See you in the shower
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Using Fotoflexer to edit photos
Found this amazing photo editing tool on Twitter that seems to be giving Picnik a run for it's life (for now).
Gmail love/hate relationship
I remember the day I first saw Gmail's homepage. Like a desperate techphile I searched everywhere to find a friend who would invite me to join the webmail project that I still love and hate today. Now, after years of evolution, I'm glad Gmail is out of 'beta' (so says the logo) and have adopted the 'Labs' approached to making new features accessible. This relationship is deepening with a tinch of mixed emotions:
- Forced & Optional Features
Why are some features 'forced' to the user and others optionally activated through Labs? I need to use many labels to organize my email as was extremely happy with Greasemonkey's 'Folders 4 Gmail' feature. Since Google forced us to use the new hide/show labels feature, I've not been able to reactive that plugin. - Inconsistent Features Capabilities
It gets rather annoying when someone takes you to the edge of the oasis and not lets you drink from it. Gmail's new left sidebar allows you to drag and hide/show common filters like (Spam, Trash etc). Guess what! You cannot drag and drop the 'Outbox'! Why also are the 'Contacts' and 'Tasks' buttons below the label's list and not draggable items. I don't use tasks. I don't want to see it. So frustrating. - Freak Whitespace
Recently, my Gmail interface has been creating empty pockets of space on the right side that I don't need. My editing space end up squished.
- Awesome Label/Move Feature
This has to be my all-time favorite feature for Gmail. Selecting emails and clicking the 'Move To' or 'Labels' button allows me to type-to-filter my options. This feature has saved me a lot of time scrolling to find the labels I want and then hitting the 'Archive' button. However, if Google's development of the auto-completer was in anticipation of users having large label lists, then won't it be fitting to actually add the 'Folders 4 Gmail' feature to labs instead of forcing us to just hide/show (point #1). - Suggested Recipients
This one takes the cake. I'm impressed! Conversations with my clients often include at least 4 persons on the CC list. Instead of using 'Reply To' and then changing the subject line to create new messages, I can take advantage of this feature.
In conclusion, I'm worried that Google, in it's ambition to dominate so many arenas, will simply end up a jack of all traits and master of zilch. I am not ungrateful. Gmail has saved my life many times. I think the best way to repay them is to advocate use of their systems and offer my opinion.
5 sites I visit everyday
See and download the full gallery on posterous
Smashing Magazine
Updated almost every day, this is my favorite destination to stay updated with the latest trends in web design.
Blogs @ CNET Asia
Hillary Chan's short and sweet posts on High On A Hill make for easy ready and creates interesting conversations that I actually take with me to happy hour with friends. Other great bloggers on this site are Geekonomics and The Neon Rush.
Krop Creative Database
I love the quote "You have enough friends". Krop definitely is the place to find the most creative people on the planet. Whether I'm simply viewing to appreciate or making contact, the experience is always fulfilling.
CopyBlogger
If you're planning to tune a crispier message to your audience, then this is the place for copywriting tips. My mind gets a healthy mental workout as I absorb on ponder upon every lesson presented in the latest available article.
NOTCOT
NOTCOT is extremely amusing as their slogan boasts. This site really is like a box of chocolates. From creative advertising to environmentally friendly gadgets, you're pampered for choice on which links to follow. I just love to occasional furnishing treasure.
Fined $30 for eating a sweet on the MRT
The number of ways your day can go incredibly wrong just increased by one that comes in a wrapper. Perhaps the authorities don't trust our ability to distinguish between a harmless sweet and a Carl's Junior cheese burger that can seriously create a mess.
I'm not completely shocked by this as we've innacted a lot of pretty extreme rules in our climb from 3rd world to 1st class player on a global stage. If the authorities pick on a person eating sweets but ignore the other public annoyances such as the following, we're clearly enforcing the wrong rules:
- Persons who stand in front of the yellow guide lines meant to create clear passage for alighting commuters.
- Persons who stand on the 'walking' lane of escalators/travellators and hold busy people up.
- Persons who piss all over the toilet seats in stations.
- Persons who sit on the floor near the exits.
- Persons who lean their entire bodies against support poles.
Perhaps the only leniency we're given is that the enforcers wear a hideous red outfit so you cannot say you didn't spot them 6 carriages away. When I see one of these guys, I'll start coughing (an act that gets everyone's attention) and we'll pass this codeword down the cars. The next time you're on the MRT, look around for walking 'Hong Baos' before you pop that breath mint into your mouth.
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