How the New Particls Sidebar Changed my Life

I think Particls just changed my life. I’ve replaced my Microsoft Windows Vista Sidebar with this new version of Particls. Having Particls watch the web for me keeps me on-the-ball, more than caffeine. Well, almost.

Having interviewed Chris and Ashley from Particls, and visited their lair in Brisvegas, I knew these guys where onto something.

Upon returning from my 2 weeks off work on holiday, I had a couple of thousand feed items all demanding my instant attention. Holidays are a mechanism for adjusting your personal APML. Along with two cats and a bag full of washing: it was difficult to prioritize what was/was not important.

Chris Saad let me into their secret: a new Sidebar-focused version of Particls

Feeding the mountain through Particls, the important stuff popped onto the top.

Living my working life online in the intarwebs, it is way too easy to lose those nuggets and jewels in the streams and tubes.

Why turn off the Vista Sidebar? On my laptop, screen real-estate is precious, and what is most important needs to be flowing in front of me to grab my attention. My eyes move focus to movement (think hunter, not gatherer) – and with Particls ‘moving’ items as they flow in, it grabs my attention.

Gadgets that I have used in Vista have been static information; or at least something that I am happy to view once per hour or so.

So, these static pieces of information can stay in Internet Explorer as favourites, Windows Live, and therefore in online services.

Particls is no gadget. It is now a must-have desktop application with the screen space it deserves.

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Some Monday Links

Alivetec (That’s the Gold Coast health gadget guys) go larger than The Geek Stories: ABC’s Good Morning America. MSR + Australian goodness goes really large! A phone that tells you when you are not breathing. W00t!

John Lam gives an update on IronRuby. The first drop is available now. LOLCODE, Ruby, Python. A difficult choice!

Want to step out with Silverlight in Brisbane? Pop me an email and I’ll connect you up.

AMD Dual Core (2007) vs. Mac Plus (1986). Interesting comments on “large software” — as I actually remember using Mac Plus’s for hard work (word processing, spreadsheets) and System6.0.8; I should write up what the Mac could not do in 1986. Meh.  The Mac was only throwing around 22K of graphics (512 x 384 pixels / 8 bits as the Mac was only B&W) ; Word didn’t even repaginate in the background. This Mac could not have TCP/IP’d as there wasn’t enough memory on the logic board (1Mb hardwired, no upgrades) or speed in the SCC (serial controller for the RS423 on the Macs).  An interesting read to see how far we’ve come.

Underdog Blog

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Swollenpickles (swollenpickledonions?) rates this blog, and 24 others as “underdog blogs.” The article is positively titled “25 of the lowest ranked top 100 Australian blogs”

What’s more, I loved to watch Underdog on the TV. Now there is a lame-arse Disney movie coming in August. Another of my childhood icons destroyed!

Great way to link link backs and boost yourself above that fateful 75th position, I reckon.

Interestingly, this blog is categorised as “geek stuff”. KTHXBAI

frankarr detritus to give away

Trinkets to giveaway

Each of these individual items need a good home.

  • 0 x Foam head “Tablet PC” guys
  • 0 x C# shot glasses (need washing)
  • -1 x geek button-pins

ALL over at 12:33pm

Qualifications: First email to nhodge@microsoft.com. Nominiate your item. I will only send to AU or NZ. Non-Microsoft people only. One per person. I will pack the C# shot glasses as best I can but cannot guarantee they will arrive in one piece.

Lost in Microsoft

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Up, to work. Parking easy as everyone is somewhere else. Frankarr on the internal TV system not doing LOLCATS. Speaking Shakespeare to promote TechEd. Even when Frankarr is not in the building, his Hamlet-ian ghost haunts us.

On way to desk, speak to Jeffa about his two way cool posts: Windows Server 2008 and the new cool roadshow demo hardware case.

I’m however, I am still Lost in Microsoft. Resolution: Need coffee. Need Neil Finn

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Get a way cool email from my very own high school Ferris Bueller: Paul Dalby. Not only was he smart, he was funny. Everyone wanted to be Dalby. Paul sends me a link to Sam de Brito’s blog post: “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and the secret to life”

‘…life moves pretty fast… you don’t stop to look around once and while, you could miss it.’

Crowded House and Ferris Bueller, and we’re away.

This is not the darkside, the moss is just greener here.

Moss is greener after 2 weeks away

Japan 2.0: Dear Japan…

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Dear Japan

I think I really like you as a friend, but I am no longer in love.

It’s not you, it’s me. The love of the new, the unknown, the forbidden is gone.

It is not the great public transport, the very friendly and courteous people. The wall-to-wall shopping.

I am sure we can still be friends.

My third trip to Japan, even with the earthquake and typhoon, was pleasant enough. I think however that to know you better, I would have to move in with you and learn your language. At this stage in my life, it’s a commitment I cannot make. I am just too tired and grumpy for that.

My genes are calling me to follow my DNA back in time. Germany and Scotland call.

This begs the question of why I travelled to Japan in the first place. Good question. I think I should have had a holiday while I was not working.

You have shown me the future: it’s vertical and it’s mobile. Even the geek (otaku) side of Japan was interesting – but not engaging enough unless you like manga, gundam universe and other slices of culture I cannot explain.

Yours

Nick

 

Microsoft Office Shinjuku

Japan 2.0: Maps

Exits are numbered and are important in the Tokyo subway system. A1-10, B1-12, C1-16. Yes, there are that many exits.

Thankfully the organisers of Japan have nice maps virtually everywhere, and you should not get lost.

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Ginza is the home to shopping in brand-name stores. Today we visited the Sony, Nissan, Canon and Apple stores.

After visiting Yodobashi, and the Sony store, I am of the belief that we get the crappiest stuff in Australia. The Toshiba and Sony laptops in Japan are beautiful. In Australia, everything is grey and horrible. The above is a small PC with wireless, bluetooth, TV and a whole bunch of things running in Vista. Do Want! Oh, that’s right. Not in Australia.

 

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Buying food from pictures is one thing, but pharmaceutical items? It’s a hoot – you are likely to get almost anything.

 

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Paul Macartney playing in the Starbucks, Ginza Matsuya-dori is putting everyone to sleep. (note: this Starbucks in now 10 years old!). Why Starbucks? You can taste the distance between the coffee in Japanese coffee. Starbucks is denser.

 

Funny paper pirates, Canon Store, Ginza

The new Canon store just a way down from the Starbucks has excellent photos, and displays of their devices. Above is a paper model of Pirates. Excellent way of selling more printers, inks and paper.

 

 

Nick goes Apple Store, Ginza

And yes, before heading back to the hotel, I visited teh Apple Store Ginza and refrained from purchasing anything. Might get one of them new MacBook Pros when I return to Australia if I can find a new owner for my old one. The store looks a little bare without the iPhone. Way more sales people than customers. Very non-Ginza.