When time management takes too much time
Posted on August 31, 2007
Filed Under Internet & Technology | 2 Comments
Mike Gunderloy has a great post on Web Worker Daily today entitled, “Why Time Management?” He makes a great point:
It’s easy to get so distracted by all the neat management ideas and systems coming along that you spend all your time setting up and managing systems.
I’m attracted to the shiny shiny. I admit it. That got me my job on Web Worker Daily and that job more than feeds my addiction. While I’ll play with a new task management system for a while and marvel in its bells & whistles, I’ve found in the long run that simplicity wins. Despite the fact that I’ve reviewed and played with more task management systems than I can possibly count, the one that I use day in and day out is Toodledo.
I’ve whittled down the settings so when I log in to the page this is all I see to enter a task:
Task, folder, due date, repeat. That’s all I need. The software has many more features, but I found that the time I was taking to manage those features wasn’t paying me back in increased productivity. I like Toodledo over basic list managers because everything appears on a single page. I can access my list using my phone, email tasks into the list, have the task list emailed to me every morning, have the task list appear on my Google start page and add tasks via a Firefox plug-in. All with very little clicking or effort.
In other words, it’s in my face enough to continually remind me what needs to be done, but simple enough that it quickly gets out of my way.
For C3, we’re getting a great deal of use out of Basecamp for project management…setting milestones, check lists, and dealing with the files that accumulate as we’re working through a project.
I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve had a love/hate relationship with Basecamp over the years. Now I’ve found peace. Is it the most robust project management application out there? No. Not even close. It doesn’t do more than it does, and for some of what it does it works in a very rigid way. But what I used to curse about Basecamp is now what I embrace. When I add a new user to a project, I’m not spending all my time changing settings and futzing with buttons and dials and explaining to our non-tech geeks how to do stuff. They get it immediately, and it doesn’t require a huge departure from the workflow they’re already used to. They’re actively using the application and we’re generally on time with all our projects.
It’s one thing to review something interesting for a blog site. But when I’m looking at tools that I’ll actually use in my own personal and professional life, I’ve learned to make sure the new shiny shiny is truly an answer to “My problem is…” in the most simple and straight-forward way, and not just about “Wouldn’t it be cool if…”
Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis
Posted on August 31, 2007
Filed Under Kids, Life | Leave a Comment
It’s been quite a summer.
Laini had her 11th birthday check-up last Spring, and during the “bend over touch your toes” part that all girls have to do the pediatrician noted a problem. She sent us for x-rays which confirmed the diagnosis of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. Now that I know it’s there, you can see that Laini’s right butt cheek sits a tiny bit higher than the left. It developed quickly. She was fine at her 10 year checkup the previous year.
Laini’s is the “S” type (curve at top and bottom) with 11 degrees at the top and 28 degrees at the bottom. We visited a pediatric orthopedist in June. The top part is not a concern, but the 28 degree at the bottom needs to be treated. As Laini is just beginning puberty the curve will likely get worse without intervention. If it gets towards 50 degrees, we’re talking spinal surgery. So the goal now is to halt the progression of the condition.
On August 20, Laini started wearing a Thoraco-Lumbo-Sacral-Orthosis (TLSO) brace (commonly known as a “Boston” brace) for 20 hours per day. The brace won’t reverse the curve. But if she can make it to high school with a curve no worse than 30 degrees, she’ll be okay.
This is it:
I’d say it weighs around 3-5 lbs. give or take. Laini says it feels like she’s carrying a backpack all the time. She also said it feels like one of Grandma’s hugs. She’ll have to wear the brace for approx. 3 years. Thank goodness our insurance has covered 100% of the expenses, considering we are constantly fighting with them about her Autism-related treatment.
My daughter has been amazing. Never once has she cried or complained about any of this. She’s had so many challenges in her life, that this is simply one more for the pile. The words, “why me?” have never escaped her lips. I thought she would have trouble getting up and down her bunk bed with the brace on, but she managed to do it easily. She’s lost a bit of her independence that she has managed to build up because she relies on us to get the brace on and off so she has to wait for a parent before getting dressed in the morning.
Laini will be in a small private school this year, so our plan is to work with the school nurse to help Laini in and out of the brace before and after gym. She wears the brace over an undershirt, but under her underwear and pants. She takes it off for sports, occupational therapy, swimming and baths. We pick her 4 hour “free” window depending on what is going on that day.
I read Deenie as a kid. I thought the brace would make my already stand-out-as-different kid stand out more, but times have changed. With loose-fitting shirts, I have to tap Laini’s tummy to tell if she’s wearing the brace or not.
How using a beta web application can bite
Posted on August 17, 2007
Filed Under Internet & Technology | 21 Comments
No, this isn’t about data loss, the obvious danger of using anything with “beta” stamped on it.
I love GrandCentral. When we left Vonage, I was able to get a phone number in the same area code as the C3 office that followed me wherever I went. After a bit of quiet testing, I felt confident in putting my GrandCentral number on my business cards. I believed the company had something special and would be in it for the long haul. I wasn’t entirely surprised or concerned when the company sold out to Google, either.
My heart lurched when I saw this subject line sitting in my inbox a few minutes ago:
Important update - Change to your GrandCentral number
Oh no, no, no I thought as I clicked on the message. Please let it not be what I think it is. Yup, it was.
Dear Judi Sohn,
We are sorry to inform you that your GrandCentral number (703) xxx-xxxx will need to be changed as of August 25, 2007. As part of our beta testing, we are continually evaluating different solutions and partners to create the best quality service possible. Unfortunately, a very small number of users have been assigned numbers that are not performing to our quality standards and are being replaced with higher quality services. To ease the transition to a new number, we have already added (703) yyy-yyyy as a replacement number to your account. Both of these numbers will ring your GrandCentral account until the 25th of August, at which point only the (703) yyy-yyyy number will remain active. Your login and everything else regarding your account will remain the same, including all your settings, voicemails, and contacts. If you have any questions or would like to request a different number, please reply to this email and we’ll do our best to accomodate you.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and hope you continue to enjoy the GrandCentral service.
Sincerely,
Craig Walker & Vincent Paquet
GrandCentral Founders
“One number for life.” Not so much, huh?
I appreciate that Google is working hard on the quality of the service. I really do. I knew what I was doing when I put such faith in a beta service, but then again how long has Gmail been in beta? How would you feel if Google changed your email address on you, beta or not?
I replied that I didn’t like the replacement number they assigned. I also asked if there is any way that I can have more than a week to transition. I can change the voicemail message to let people know that the number is changing as of August 25th, but then I also have to let anyone who calls know of the change. And I have to get new cards. Again.
My other complaint is that there is absolutely no indication of this when I log in to my GrandCentral admin page. This new number doesn’t appear anywhere, nor does this note they sent me. If for any reason I didn’t receive the email, I’d have no clue until my number stopped working on August 25.
Unfortunately, I don’t know of another way to get a cheap (free) phone number in the 703 area code that can follow me to my actual phone number in the 609 area code the way GrandCentral can. Certainly not without putting my faith in another “beta” startup.
Update: GrandCentral support replied with a choice of 3 alternate numbers to choose from. In addition to another apology, they offered to pay for the expense of reprinting my business cards. That was nice of them.
Update 2: GrandCentral’s blog is updated with details on what happened. Craig and Vincent have gone out of their way to make this as painless as they could. I only wish I had more than a few days to transition. I have to wonder what was special about my number and the 433 others that it couldn’t port as planned. Worst comes to worst, folks will call the C3 main office and my voicemail there has the new number.
Honestly, I’m not suicidal over this. Annoyed? Sure. This is a crazy week for me and it’s one more thing to do that I didn’t need to deal with. But I knew what “beta” meant when I signed up and started giving the number out, and that I was taking a risk putting faith in a startup. How are you supposed to “beta test” a phone number without giving it out anyway? In the end, I’m happier with the new number (easier to remember) and I hope that this one sticks around longer.
Cheap Quicken now a one-time deal. Thanks for nothin’ Intuit.
Posted on August 17, 2007
Filed Under Misc. | 6 Comments
I’ve been a long time Quicken user, 95% of that on the PC side. I tried the Mac version once years ago, found it to be a horrid experience and quickly went back to using it only on Windows. I use the software very simply, mostly as an electronic register linked to my online bank account. Checking, savings, a couple of credit accounts, etc. Bill pay and scheduled transactions. Am I running out of money or month first? I use categories so at the end of the year I can give Eric what he needs to do our taxes, and that’s about it.
Last year, I liked the new features in Quicken 2007, but decided it was silly to spend the $60 for the Deluxe version and went for the $30 Basic version instead. Works great, and does everything I need it to do and nothing more. Now Quicken 2008 is out and the Basic version I enjoyed this past year is no longer. I looked at the Starter edition which seems like the comparable product to the Basic version I currently use. No reason whatsoever to upgrade this round, as the only difference I can tell is a slightly rearranged layout. But then something caught my eye in the FAQ:
Can I import existing Quicken data into Quicken Starter Edition?
Quicken Starter Edition will not import data from any Quicken product. Existing Quicken users should not purchase Starter Edition 2008. Existing Quicken users should purchase Quicken Deluxe, Premier or Home & Business.
Excuse me? I was able to move from Deluxe 2005 to Basic 2007 last year and my data carried across perfectly. Now you’re telling me that I get one shot at the $30 version as a brand new customer, and after that I have no choice but to pay the $60 for functionality I don’t want nor need in order to keep current? I’m not giving Intuit a hard time for not offering something. I’m giving them a hard time for offering something as a carrot and then yanking it away. It was bad enough that Intuit did away with upgrade pricing and expected customers to pay full price each year, and now this? No one is forcing anyone to upgrade, but when you stagnate with Quicken versions there’s a catch…if you sync with your bank, eventually it will stop working with older versions. They getcha at every turn.
Added to to-do list over the next year: Find financial management software from a company that doesn’t hold its users’ data hostage (that runs on a Mac, preferably, since Quicken is one of the last reasons I still launch Parallels) and will import the 4 years of Quicken data I have and work seamlessly with my online accounts. If such an animal exists, I am so there. Suggestions?
Nice move, Intuit. Instead of keeping a happy customer that was willing to pay you a small amount steadily each year, you now have a customer who will go out of her way to never give you another dime.
22 days with Harry Potter
Posted on August 15, 2007
Filed Under Entertainment | 1 Comment
Over the past few years, I watched all the Harry Potter hype with a bit of amusement. My girls never got into the stories. They’re not the wizards and magic type. I’d roll my eyes at all the world going gaga over childrens’ stories. I knew bits & pieces of the plot, but for the most part I didn’t know my Horcruxes from my Hufflepuffs.
Three weeks ago, the day after Deathly Hallows came out, the girls and I were visiting friends when conversation turned to “the book.” My friend, who is around my age, was talking about how anxious she was to read Book 7 and how she had planned her Sunday around it. I revealed that I never read the books or saw the movies. Eric enjoyed the movies, but I never bothered. I mentioned that I did plan to read the books eventually since everyone was talking about them so much. My friend offered to lend me her copies of books 1 and 2.
Eric was out of town that night, so I started reading. They sucked me in. Completely and thoroughly. I read one book after another, often finishing a book and immediately picking up the next. One long, magnificent epic, with the storytelling maturing as the main characters were. I finished Deathly Hallows on Monday, 22 days after I started Sorcerer’s Stone. Remember, I have 2 jobs and a couple of kids taking up some time! My favorite book was a toss-up between Goblet of Fire and Deathly Hallows. I also managed to watch all 5 movies. Emily and I saw Order of the Phoenix Monday night. She still isn’t interested in the books, but she likes the movies well enough. I truly believe that my grandchildren and great grandchildren will be reading these books and will consider them classics. I had no idea when I was reading The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe when I was around 12 that it was written nearly 20 years before I was born. It didn’t matter. And it doesn’t matter now that I fell in love with a childrens’ book series where I have more in common with Mrs. Weasley than I do with Hermoine.
(spoiler warning just in case I’m not the last person to have read all the books)
Now I’ll be joining the rest of the world rushing to see Half Blood Prince when it comes out next November. Of all the movies, I was most disappointed in Chamber of Secrets. You have to accept that a movie won’t have all the detail of the book, but Chamber felt soul-less compared to the book. All the texture was gone. Order of the Phoenix was better. I enjoyed most of the movies as long as my mind was able to fill in the gaps of what I knew was really happening from the book. Honestly, I couldn’t imagine the movies making any sense on their own, as so much was left out. I wonder how they’re going to deal with the plot points that were dropped when they get to film Deathly Hallows? Will Ron and Hermoine’s first real kiss be as entertaining without S.P.E.W.? And I’m a bit sad that Dobby won’t get a fitting visual funeral, since the character was dropped after the 3rd movie.
I know it won’t be long until I’m reading the series again.
My favorite quote, from Chamber of Secrets:
Never trust anything that can think for itself if you can’t see where it keeps its brain.
