posted at 15:43:04
By Flipping Heck!

Posted In
GTD/Productivity

I've recently started reading the Four Hour Work Week* (hereafter 4HWW to stop me getting RSI) by Tim Ferris and, even though I'm only on page 97 I'm already a bit annoyed by this book.

In the chapter I'm currently on, Ferris talks about regaining time by only checking email and voicemail at designated times of the day such as 12pm and 4pm - and he stresses not to check email first thing in the morning. Doing so will save you x amount of time per day - but would this actually work in the Real World? I can't see how it could.

Now, I don't know if it's the type of job that I'm in that's leading me to the conclusion I've come to, or the fact that

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Sep

10th
2008

Facebook and Google vs Privacy

posted at 08:00:00
By Flipping Heck!

Posted In
Rants

<start rant>
I've started to become a little annoyed with the sort of information tracking that Google and Facebook seem to be doing at the moment.

Okay, I know by using their products and services I've agreed to whatever terms and conditions the decided to have at the time but it's beginning to irritate me that they want to know everything about me - and appear to know everything about me.

Take this recent Facebook ad that keeps getting chucked in my face.

Okay Facebook, thanks for reminding me - like my Dad doesn't do that enough already.

If it's possible, I think Google actually annoyed me more. All I did was open an Excel sheet in Google Docs as I thought it would be quicker and more convenient to do that than download it. What does Google then do?

Saves it for me.

Without asking.

If I wanted to save it, I'd have saved it thank-you-very-much.

Then it took me about 20 minutes to figure out how to delete the blooming thing.

I know I could stop using these, but they're so entrenched and prevalent in every day "Inetrnet" life that it's difficult to get away from them.

It would be rather interesting - and frightening - to see how much, and what, information just these tw....

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Jul

1st
2008

What have you done to Gmail, Google??

posted at 09:00:00
By Flipping Heck!

Posted In
Rants

Updated: See the end of the post for the apparent solution

I've written before that I'm having issues with using Gmail over IMAP with Entourage and judging from the comments I'm not the only one (can't link to the commentor as they didn't leave a URL!) and now I'm having issues with the regular GMail web interface as well.

Originally I thought it was because of a dodgy extension I was running that was causing GMail to hang every time I clicked on a label but as it's happened on 4 different machines now I don't think an extension is the issue. I'm getting really fed up of having to force quit and restart Firefox every time I initially log in and click on something.

Seeing as I don't use the keyboard shortcuts, when I noticed they'd added a "basic html" version I though "Great, I'll use that one" but, guess what happens. Yes, GMail crashes FireFox when I click the link. Not only that, when I do get the basic html version up, Google never remembers that's my preference so I have to go through the same rigmarole every time I fire up the website.

I've written before about how I like to

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Apr

6th
2008

Ebay one of the best websites? I don't think so

posted at 21:05:07
By Flipping Heck!

Posted In
Rants

<Start Rant>

So, there are a couple of things that I wish to buy so I have a look on Amazon, they're available but not directly from Amazon but rather their market place.

"Okay" I thought, I'l see what is available on EBay. Now, I have actually never bought anything from EBay, I've bid on a couple of things but never won.

So I go to sign in.

And that's as far as I get.

Admittedly I intially forgot my password but as I haven't used the account in about 2 years, what do you expect?

Entering my email address tells me that the email has been sent with my password.

I don't receive it.

Entering another email address tells me the email is sent

It isn't.

Entering any email address, even seeminggly random ones tells me my details have been sent. Surely it's not rocket science to tell me that the email address doesn't match the one on file for my username??

I finally remember my password (Note, I still haven't received an email from EBay) and get through to a screen telling me it's not strong enough and I need to change it. I really can't be bothered at this point so I click "change it later", I then have to type in 6 digits from a rather obscurred image.

I get told I've entered the numbers wrong. I try again. They're still wrong.

Finally I get the numbers correct and get booted back to the login screen.

I re-login and select....

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Aug

23rd
2007

How NOT to run a blog contest.

posted at 17:53:31
By Flipping Heck!

Posted In
Rants

I've been thinking recently that once I've finally got the printed version of my Web Project Management eBook sorted (which will be very soon) I'd run some sort of competition here and give away a few copies.

I keep an eye on the different types of competitions run (and boy are there loads!) through the Contest Blogger website.

A few weeks ago (I can't remember when exactly as the blog doesn't do dates) Contest Blogger posted about Ashwin Kanna (I'm not even going to bother linking to the gits website) running a competition to win $2500 for simply posting a couple of links and a few lines of text on your blog. Copy Blogger was sceptical that this contest was a pile of poo, and rightly so.

The competition's just ended and who's won? An anonymous blogger with a blogger blog set up 3 days before the contest ends and 2 posts (read more about it here at the Copy Blogger round-up page).

Hmm, my spider senses are tingling....

I haven't had a good

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Jun

4th
2007

Inspired? I think not

posted at 12:50:59
By Flipping Heck!

Posted In
Design

The UK Olympics Committee unveiled the logo for the London 2012 games today. Tony Blair said:

When people see the new brand, we want them to be inspired to make a positive change in their life

The the Olympic Committee President says:

"This is a truly innovative brand logo that graphically captures
the essence of the London 2012 Olympic Games - namely to inspire young
people around the world through sport and the Olympic values.

"Each edition of the Olympic Games brings its own
flavour and touch to what is now well over a century of modern Olympic
history; the brand launched today by London 2012 is, I believe, an
early indication of the dynamism, modernity and inclusiveness with
which London 2012 will leave its Olympic mark."

And the new logo....

Am I missing the point? How is that mess supposed to inspire me? And why would it encourange me to make a positive change? I dread to think how much money this branding exercise cost.

If you're trying to get a messag....

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Jun

1st
2007