I’ve made a big decision. In the first week of December, I’ll be moving WickedMobility.com over to WickedWordCraft.com. I’ll be combining my two separate URLs into a single site. This is step one in a revamping plan for the rest of my work, business and life.

I need a bit of streamlining in my life and, after much deliberation, I’m going to take this leap. I think I can easily offer the same content on a single site simply by organizing by topic.

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Ok, I’m a Scrooge. I’m NOT in the holiday mood. I’m decidedly all out of holiday cheer. When holiday good tidings were being passed out, I must have been working. Or sleeping. Or maybe I was just absent that day. I look at the whole holiday sham and I just have to shake my head. It bothers me. People going in debt to buy things for people that don’t need or appreciate the items, so they stress out for months after the holidays while trying to either pay off the bills or deal with the fact that they are saddled with goods they must now determine how todisplay so no feelings are hurt. Geeze!

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Ok, I did it. While I was working on another computer, I converted the
Sims 2 Pets expansion pack to a virtual CD (using Virtual Drive 9.0).
Now, I have a great little smooth-running copy of Sims 2 Pets running
on my Tablet PC.

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I think I’ve determined that the hardest thing in the world is parenting adult and/or nearly adult children. When you have tiny babies, you feel that life will be better when you can actually SLEEP again, then it will be better when they are potty trained, then when you send them to school (although you are probably all teary-eyed and sad) — at least you feel that you will have some time to call your own again. Then, you think once the puberty drama is over, life will calm down. Later, you think it will be better when they begin their own lives. You think the stress and the worry will lift.

You would be wrong…I visited my son this weekend in Georgia. He’s just completed basic training and he’s on crutches with injuries that may heal and may not. He’s also had the flu for the last couple of weeks and I had to return him to base with a fever of 103.6 and rising. We got his fever down for a few hours, but it was back on the upswing during the trip back to base. He was pale, thin, in pain whenever he moved and he was feverish and exhausted. I think sending him back, stopping the car to let him return on his crutches to the next phase of training was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.

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I got my first glimpse of the new voting machines this year. My son had already seen them (he’s 16 and not old enough to vote, but saw them at school when they were setting up for Election Day). The good people at the polling place gave me a quick tour of the new machines — which are going to be replacing the old “stand up” models I’ve grown to love over the years. Apparently, in this particular arena, I’m pretty old school. If you are interested in learning a bit more about the voting process here in America, you may want to watch this:

http://www.youtube.com/v/TtPiGIqSljE

I discussed with the poll workers that I was looking forward to being able to vote ONLINE rather than having to get out and run to a polling place. But, they assured me, that it wasn’t safe to do that… then I watched “Hacking Democracy” (part one above) and read this…There’s a known issue with the new little voting boxes. It has been described to poll workers who are troubleshooting the machines (or those that bother to read the manual). Hmmmm…and I was told that voting online wasn’t safe…. Haruummphhh!

Want to watch the rest of the videos that comprise this HBO special? See below for parts 2-9. (A couple of the sections are “skippy” but the bulk of the show is here. It’s no longer available on Google’s Video search, it’s been removed.)

http://www.youtube.com/v/nwBGgoLcTuU
http://www.youtube.com/v/ilq-KoQUMRw
http://www.youtube.com/v/nPFUNYtvg5M
http://www.youtube.com/v/-az3g0jgNqM
http://www.youtube.com/v/T3BtLxH5ACk
http://www.youtube.com/v/qUVfovXfw4o
http://www.youtube.com/v/Z6Juvpik8ks
http://www.youtube.com/v/70bR4eRwL8s

I’ve been hoarding a great little site that helps me to get any template I may ever need for OneNote… and it’s time to bring it out of the closet.

I tripped across this site several months back, but it took awhile to determine how to convert this “paper lovers” site from a “print it out on your printer and stick it in your paper organizer” resource to a digital resource to use with my own Tablet PC and my OneNote program.

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There will be a webcast tomorrow morning (hosted by Microsoft) on the use of UMPC (Ultra-Mobile-Portable-Computers) free for anyone to attend.

You don’t even need to pre-register. I’m watching with a great deal of interest as this new “next generation” of the Tablet PC phenomenon comes of age. If you want to learn more…

Visit this Page.

technorati tags: UMPC, Tablet+PC, Web+Seminar, Webinar, Microsoft+Vista, MS, Microsoft

The way my Adobe came packaged (version 7.0 Professional), it’s not particularly “Tablet PC Friendly.” I want to be able to “mark up” a PDF with my stylus the same way I would mark up a paper copy with a red ink pen.

As a writer and a marketing specialist, my clients often send me documents and marketing materials in PDF format for my review. And, when mobile, it’s the format I prefer. But it’s not that simple to mark up these PDFs and send them back to a client with recommendations with a stylus. And, it should be!

I noticed, while cruising over at JKOnTheRun, that there are programs especially designed for Tablet users who want this functionality.

In particular, they mentioned PDF Annotator: (http://www.ograhl.com/en/pdfannotator/index.php). If you don’t have the full version of Adobe, I’m sure this thing would be worth its weight in gold (and the fairly hefty price — $50–for a small piece of software that serves only one function.)

But, with my current sizable investment in the Adobe Software, I wanted to figure out how to do the same thing with existing software. I hate having duplications in software functionality. It’s wasteful!

And, I’m happy to report, I found the way…

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When you blog, you should always give serious thought to the headline.
After all, many RSS feeds will only pick up your headline for the
initial display. People browsing your blog won’t make it past a
headline that leaves them cold. And, from a search engine perspective,
the keywords in a headline are “weighted” much heavier than simple body
text.

Blog Headlines

• Keep your headlines snappy (brief and interesting) for your readers
• Use keywords, but don’t overuse them – this is the opportunity for
  you to use a variety of terms that relate to your specialty or your
  real estate niche as used in that particular blog entry
• Capture the eye of searchers who may otherwise miss your primary keywords.
• Be bold

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Last Friday, OneNote 2007 was released to manufacturing (along with the rest of the Office suite). They have blessed it as a finished product.

I’ve been beta testing this particular product (along with Outlook, Publisher, Word, Excel and … yes… even PowerPoint) for several months now and I must say it’s impressive. If you haven’t tried OneNote, or if you have previously considered it something “only for Tablet PCs” you should re-think that and give it a try.

To read the official press release on this power-house product…Click here: One Note Goes Golden.

Read OneNote guru Chris Pratley’s celebratory blog on the OneNote release.

technorati tags: Chris+Pratley, One+Note, MS, Microsoft, Released+to+Manufacturing

I love Firefox. I despise IE. I use IE only long enough to ensure that my own webs and my client’s site resolve properly using that browser. Then, lickety-split, I’m back to FireFox where I can browse in tabs, where I can worry less about security issues, where I can customize my browser to serve me the way I work, and where I can be a part of a community of software developers and users that create objects for their peers. It’s a geeky community, but an enjoyable one.

Yeah, I know the new IE 7.0 offers its own “tabbed” browsing, but they are too late to this party, IMHO.

I could wax poetic about Firefox for hours (I’m verbose that way, at times…)

But, rather than doing that, I thought you may be interested in what Firefox add-ons I use and why I love them. That way, if you want to give Firefox a spin, you will know some of the bells and whistles you can add. And, if you already adore Firefox, you can peruse a list of “must have” add-ins that are tried and true (and won’t crash your Internet sessions).

1. Want to know all the cool stuff that the new release offers (for those of you that have an old release, or those that have never used Firefox)? - Get the Scoop Here!
2. Want to give it a spin? Download the latest release Firefox 2.
3. Want to waste about six hours of your life reviewing all the widgets you can get that will customize the devil outta your own copy of Firefox? Visit the add ons Page.

Or, perhaps… you would prefer to see some of the top Ad ons — the ones I’ve tried and found to be true? Well here they are…

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Most of you have probably heard of — even played with — the new Yahoo! Real Estate Search Tool, but I’d be willing to bet that very few of you have seen a “sneak peak” of the new Google Real Estate tool.

It’s still in what I’d call “pre-alpha” — although I have no idea what the Google developers are calling it — and has been discovered via the back end by some people so geeky they make me look chic!

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In my series on reviewing some of the coolest offerings of free online tools by the daddy search engine, Google… I just love SketchUp. It’s a CAD-style drawing device available online for download. The price is right, the features are cool and it’s like creating SIMS houses! If you want to check it out…

Visit http://sketchup.google.com and have some fun. Ever want that little cabin in the woods, want to design that cool loft apartment, how about creating your perfect office space? Here’s the tool!

technorati tags: CAD+Drawing, Online+Tools, Sketch+Up, Sketchup, Google, House+design

The visual aspects of online marketing are growing as quickly as video streams and video podcasts. One of the coolest incarnations of this in a retail format is a visual “comparative” search engine. Surprisingly enough… I used it to search for that perfect bag.

I burned a good two hours of precious sleep time, but found that the set up was easy to use, enjoyable and quite comprehensive (I saw bags from several different angles, including the inside dividers, pockets and organizational highlights).

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It is my hope that others, like me, will take the opportunity of tomorrow’s election to show how important one issue can be. For instance, I’ll not be voting for Ed Whitfield tomorrow. Why? He voted NO — he voted against Net Neutrality. I wrote him earlier this year and told him my feelings on the topic. He decided to go another way, so tomorrow, I’ll go another way too.

He serves on the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and is on the Telecommunications and the Internet subcommittee. So, I’m guessing that he knows EXACTLY what’s at stake here… and yet for some reason… he voted against Kentucky citizens and in favor of the Telecoms. Things that make you go…. Hmmmmmmm.

I know it sounds simplistic, but this issue is important enough to be the ONLY issue that sways me this year when the time comes to mark my own ballot…

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I’ve tried to meditate on many occasions, but have only felt truly successful twice. Twice! Twice, in my entire life. I have a bad case of “monkey mind” — when I sit down and try to focus on the inner portions of myself, when I try to NOT think… I fail.

I’m all over the place. I’m reviewing my “to-do” list. I’m worried about the projects sitting on my desk. I think about what I need to do for a client, friend or family member. I feel guilty for not DOING something. Then I feel guilty for feeling guilty for taking a few moments to call my own and I start wondering why I am that way and I start trying to figure out what I need to do to NOT be that way.By the time I’ve tried to “still” myself for about 15 minutes, I’m disgusted and confused and feeling like this whole meditation and “quiet time” thing is just way beyond my abilities. Then I feel stupid. After all, who CAN’T just sit there? Who can’t follow the instructions, “Don’t do anything, just sit there!”?

*Raises Hand* I can’t.

I also know in the center of my soul that I really need to learn to meditate. I need to learn to “just be” — I need to find a way to conjure up a sense of peace and joy — a liquidity of being — and I need to do it regularly.

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Now THIS is what I’m talking about! Hitachi recently announced a new hard drive for portable machines… a 2.5 inch HD with 200 gigs of space and it runs at a whopping 7200 rpm. Whooo Hoooo! Now the tiny little space offered to the more portable machines available… are gonna be a thing of the past.

According to a report from one of my favorite techie blogs (jkOnTheRun), it will be available in the first half of 2007. I can’t wait! If you want to read the article over on JK… visit here:

http://jkontherun.blogs.com/jkontherun/2006/11/hitachi_plans_2.html

I smell a Tablet UPGRADE in my near future… with a cool new super-sized hard drive… oh yeah!

technorati tags: Tiny+hard+drive, portable+device+drive, Hitachi, 200+gig

As I mentioned the other day on WickedBlog, I broke my precious little, ultra portable (and great-picture-taking) Canon SD 500 Power Shot. I broke the little LCD screen. Now, although it still takes photos — I can’t see them, preview them, or sort them until I plug the sd card into my Tablet PC. So, it’s really cramping my style.

With that said, I called a client of mine (photo buff and Georgia Realtor Jeff Aughey) and asked if he knew anything about replacement of the screen — was it possible, or did I need to budget for a whole new camera? He went on his favorite forums and did some legwork for me and found the following forum post… (Thanks, Jeff!)…

Photography on the Net Forum on LCD Camera Screen Repair. These forums require a log in — but I must admit that I didn’t find them to be extremely helpful, other than learning that it could be done — and of course the phone number for ordering the part. So, I decided to write my own “how-to” to help anyone who would like a cheaper solution for a heart-breaking gadget problem.

Since the guy that posted said he hadn’t actually DONE the replacement himself, but had pulled it from another post, I thought I’d give a blow-by-blow on how this goes for me… and, just maybe, my hands will be steady enough to do the deed.

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You know, I’ve been writing for years. I started keeping a journal (at least a formal one, with a red cover and a tiny golden key) at the age of seven. I still have that original diary (although I plan to scan it in and burn it soon). Going paperless, don’tcha know…

For years I’ve written about anything and everything. I’ve taken different sides of the same story and stretched my skills to see if I can effectively argue both sides, regardless of which one I consider the “right” side. I’ve struggled with my calling, with my passion. I’ve endured the judgment of others. You know, when you are young, people may admire the fact that you write… it’s somehow “cute” or charming. Cute, that is, up until the point you decide to make it a career… then you need a “backup plan” — for when you fail.

I don’t have a problem with multiple approaches to reaching your goals… but, in my humble opinion, having a “backup plan” means that you EXPECT to fail. You don’t intend to live your dream…

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The good folks at MacRumors.com recently released information (and a sketch) from the US Trademark and Patent Office for a device that smells alot like the soon-to-be-released and much-rumored-and-conjectured larger screen iPod device.

I did a little search on my own and found the patent paperwork which includes (ironically) a Quicktime display of the supporting diagrams and materials…

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