Amazon Image Links – Build Your Own
I am avid reader and since I also blog it seems only natural that I should write about the books I read.
I only review the technical stuff. Fiction does little to expand one mentally, other than hone reading skills and that, only if you make an exercise of it.
Yes, reading of any kind can improve vocabulary but only with a dictionary in one hand and a writing tablet in the other and the classifications are really not that broad: well researched or not. The categories are fairly general also: children’s, mystery, romance, science fiction, horror, fantasy, thrillers, westerns and so on.
Non-fiction, however, covers an endless range of topics and often makes a point that can change your life or at least the way you think about life. For that reason I read non-fiction quite a lot and I find it helps if I write down ideas to take away from the read. Blogging is a good way to share it with others.
It also helps to let people know where they too can buy the book. For that reason I include images and links to a site – usually Amazon – where they can purchase the book inexpensively.
The problem is, Amazon image links don’t always work very nicely. To say they are “uncooperative” is an understatement especially in the platform I use, WordPress. Blogger is much more compatible with Amazon links and is a great platform for blogging but it comes with limitations. I chose to develop a stand alone blog and you can find my reasons here. Read more
Convert Videos To iPod Formats
I recently purchased DVD’s which I wanted to show to a large crowd. To do that I needed to project onto a large screen in a bigger than usual hall, not my TV lounge. I could have carried a standard size DVD player to the location but using an iPod seemed like a much easier way to accomplish my goal. The problem was getting the video files converted to an iPod format.
It wasn’t a difficult process but I couldn’t have done it without direction from the local iStore (I use a MacBook). Following is what worked for me: Read more
Email Etiquette
Computers and the advent of the internet have literally changed everything. The way we do business, research, watch movies, manage music, play games, create and socialize have been hugely affected by this technology.
Communication has never been easier. We can call (Skype), instant message or email anyone in any part of the world from any place we might be at any moment in time. Thanks to IT, information is more accessible, life is more convenient and the pace of progress has been accelerated dramatically .
There are, however, a few downsides to all these conveniences. For one, in regard to mores, all the good this technology enables can be matched equally with bad. Read more
“The Future of Management” by Gary Hamel
Normally, “management” wouldn’t be listed as one of the top ten most exciting topics to discuss on a blog but it deserves a hearing here because Gary Hamel does something revolutionary with the subject. He dismantles everything we have been taught on the issue and begins building again from the ground up (a perspective that really comes alive in the text).
His book, “The Future of Management
Gary’s writing is aimed mostly at commercial organizations but the principles are universal. They can be applied to any group of organized individuals: schools, government or even church, and the truth is, they all need to rethink how they operate.
Today’s world will be obsolete in a couple of years, at most, and for businesses to successfully survive the change – or anyone else for that matter - they will need to develop processes that are highly tuned to grass roots developments, in real time, and have the agility to respond as required. If these ideas leave you incredulous watch the video. Read more
What I Like And Dislike About My Apple
For years the only computer I used was a PC. It was the most available, the cheapest available, the easiest to have serviced and the most compatible. My first proper computer was an Olivetti which I will never buy again. I changed the motherboard three times the first year. But in those days there weren’t too many reputable companies other than IBM to choose from. Mostly “clones” and that sounded a bit scary for me. The price difference wasn’t worth it.
I was only subliminally aware there was an Apple brand and it was much later before I learned just how different it was to Microsoft. For a long time I considered it to be another version of the same thing only with an attitude. That was 25 years ago. I am more informed these days. Read more
Tim Pepper - Beautiful Frustration