Holiday Gift Guide #21 - Speck Products ToughSkin for iPod

My fellow Friend in Tech, Victor Caijo over at the Typical PC User Podcast made a specific effort to buy on of these iPod cases for his new iPod Video while we at the Podcast Expo a few weeks ago. He gave a glowing review to me for the protection and ease of use these covers provide.

Link: #21 Speck Products ToughSkin for iPod

Link: Find a Speck Cover for your iPod model

See also:

Holiday Gift Guide Items 11-20
Holiday Gift Guide Items 1-10

Holiday Gift Guide #20 - Linksys Wireless-G Internet Video Camera

Do you have an area you need to monitor for security or other reasons? Do you already have a wireless network for your Internet connection? If so, plug this camera into any power outlet, connect it to your wireless network and you can view it directly on your computer screen, from your home computer, your laptop or anywhere with an Internet connection.

Link: Linksys Wireless-G Internet Video Camera

Link: More Wireless Cameras

See also:

#19 APC 1000VA UPS and More Uninterruptable Power Supplies
#18 Sony Playstation Portable
#17 Poppy Laptop Sleeves and A host of Laptop Sleeves
#16 Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss
#15 TomTom GO 300 Portable GPS Navigation System
#14 Linksys WRT54G Wireless Cable/DSL Router
#13 Brother P-Touch Labeler
#12 Thinking for a Change by John C. Maxwell
#11 Free Prize Inside by Seth Godin

Holiday Gift Guide Items 1-10

Event: Los Angeles Harbor Holiday Afloat Parade

Los Angeles Harbor Holiday Afloat Parade

This annual parade of lighted and decorated boats is a festive start to the
holiday season. Public viewing areas along the Main Channel including
Banning’s Landing (100 E. Water St.), Los Angeles Maritime Museum
(Berth 84), and Ports O’Call in San Pedro (Berth 76-79).

W H E N : December 3, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
S I T E : Port of Los Angeles Main Channel, San Pedro
C O S T : Free
S P O N S O R : L.A. Harbor Holiday Afloat Committee
I N F O : 310-549-8111, 1-800-831-PORT

From the Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department Festival Guide

Holiday Gift Guide #19 - Uninterruptable Power Supplies (UPS)

As you probably already know, laptops have a big advantage when there is a power outage in your home or office. The battery power simply takes over and you keep working until the power returns. When using a desktop machine, though, you aren't so lucky. When the power goes out, your computer shuts down and you lose everything you haven't yet saved.

There is a way to protect yourself, though, if your home or office is plagued with bad power, an uninterruptable power supply or UPS. These are basically battery packs which automatically take over when the power fails. They can power your computer and monitor for 10-30 minutes, allowing you to save your work and shut down your computer normally.

These used to be very expensive devices, but now, for under $100 in some cases, you can have your own UPS protecting your equipment and your data.

Link: APC 1000VA UPS

Link: More Uninterruptable Power Supplies

See also:

#18 Sony Playstation Portable
#17 Poppy Laptop Sleeves and A host of Laptop Sleeves
#16 Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss
#15 TomTom GO 300 Portable GPS Navigation System
#14 Linksys WRT54G Wireless Cable/DSL Router
#13 Brother P-Touch Labeler
#12 Thinking for a Change by John C. Maxwell
#11 Free Prize Inside by Seth Godin

Holiday Gift Guide Items 1-10

The Ultimate Paper Airplane

One more in a long line of "ultimate", "perfect" and "best" paper airplanes. I love making paper airplanes, but sometimes the instructions can leave me a bit confused. It is so hard to build a 3-d object based on a 2-D description and photos. This one looks straightforward enough, if a bit "fiddley" in its design. I might have a go at it when I need a break from more focused endeavors.

"Ultimate paper plane takes to skies By Ben Webster

A group of students have impressed judges but upset purists with their design, which echoes Concorde

A TEAM of young scientists has created what they believe to be the perfect paper plane.
It can fly more than 100ft (30m) and remain aloft for about 20 seconds. Most importantly, it is easy to make. The plane, named Avenger, has been judged by academics to contain the ideal balance between complex aerodynamic principles and simplicity of design. Its looks may also have helped: the delta wing is reminiscent of Concorde." (continued)

Link: The Times article

Link: Pictures with Instructions

Holiday Gift Guide #18 - Sony Playstation Portable

I am not a gamer by any stretch of the imagination, but I finally got lay hands on a PSP the other day at my local Starbucks. Two of the employees were sitting on the patio with their units and let me have a spin. The video quality is great and the game play is amazing. You can also use the unit to play podcasts and other mp3 files. Perfect little entertainment device for those long commutes on the bus, carpool or train.

Link: Sony Playstation Portable

See also:

#17 Poppy Laptop Sleeves and A host of Laptop Sleeves
#16 Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss
#15 TomTom GO 300 Portable GPS Navigation System
#14 Linksys WRT54G Wireless Cable/DSL Router
#13 Brother P-Touch Labeler
#12 Thinking for a Change by John C. Maxwell
#11 Free Prize Inside by Seth Godin

Holiday Gift Guide Items 1-10

Douglas on the Typical PC User Podcast

My latest segement on Victor Caijo's Typical PC User Podcast is on Computers and Obsolesence.

Listen

Holiday Gift Guide #17 - Laptop Sleeves and other cases

Whenever anyone buys a laptop, PDA, iPod or other portable electronic device, the first advice I give is "GET A CASE....NOW! Electronic devices, especially those with LCD screens are more rugged than your average home device, but they are still easily damaged when dropped. They are also more exposed to dust, dirt and weather than other devices and any protection you can provide is going to increase the life span of the device.

So, before you leave the store, or before you take your new toy on its first outing into the cold, cruel world, give it a little TLC and wrap it up in something nice.

Link: Poppy Laptop Sleeves
Link: A host of Laptop Sleeves

See also:

#16 Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss
#15 TomTom GO 300 Portable GPS Navigation System
#14 Linksys WRT54G Wireless Cable/DSL Router
#13 Brother P-Touch Labeler
#12 Thinking for a Change by John C. Maxwell
#11 Free Prize Inside by Seth Godin

Holiday Gift Guide Items 1-10

Holiday Gift Guide #16 - Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss

Even techies need to speak and write well. This book might be the single best source for a an English language refresher.

My Review of Eats, Shoots and Leaves

Link: Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss

See also:

#15 TomTom GO 300 Portable GPS Navigation System
#14 Linksys WRT54G Wireless Cable/DSL Router
#13 Brother P-Touch Labeler
#12 Thinking for a Change by John C. Maxwell
#11 Free Prize Inside by Seth Godin

Holiday Gift Guide Items 1-10

Holiday Gift Guide #15 - TomTom GO 300 Portable GPS Navigation System

One of the best reviewed navigation systems for your car. If you don't have the option of having one added to your vehicle as an option, this might be the one to buy.


Link: TomTom GO 300 Portable GPS Navigation System

See also:

#14 Linksys WRT54G Wireless Cable/DSL Router
#13 Brother P-Touch Labeler
#12 Thinking for a Change by John C. Maxwell
#11 Free Prize Inside by Seth Godin

Holiday Gift Guide Items 1-10

Holiday Gift Guide #14 - Linksys WRT54G Wireless Cable/DSL Router

This is the router that I install for all my clients who are adding broadband to their home or office. Setup is simple and straightforward while still allowing advanced features for special needs. It simply works and works simply. What more can I say.

Link: Linksys WRT54G Wireless Cable/DSL Router

See also:

#13 Brother P-Touch Labeler
#12 Thinking for a Change by John C. Maxwell
#11 Free Prize Inside by Seth Godin

Holiday Gift Guide Items 1-10

Computer Science Classes courtesy of Harvard University

Want to learn a bit more about computer? Want good introductory classes for your staff, clients or family members? Watch Computer Science E-1 with Instructor David J. Malan from the comfort of your own home.

Harvard University Extension produces each class as both an audio and video podcast which you can download directly to your computer and then move to your iPod.



Link: Computer Science E-1 with Instructor David J. Malan

Holiday Gift Guide #13 - Brother P-Touch Labeler

Label your way to an organized life. If you are a fan of "Getting Things Done", the book by David Allen, you know he recommends a labler like this for organizing your files. It is a cheap and simple way to add a little organization to your life.

Link: Brother P-Touch Labeler

See also:

#12 Thinking for a Change by John C. Maxwell
#11 Free Prize Inside by Seth Godin

Holiday Gift Guide Items 1-10

Make a snowflake

The holiday fun keeps coming. Remember making snowflakes out of paper. Now you can do it online, share your creation with others and even download the snowflake as a printable file.

Link: Make-A-Flake Online

Holiday Gift Guide #12 - Thinking for a Change by John C. Maxwell

This is on the short list of books which I will buy for my firends and aquaintances whenever they come to me with issues with organization or managing their time. Maxwell has a series of books and each one has its own strengths, but I have found that this one provides me the biggest triggers for further thought.

Link : Thinking for a Change by John C. Maxwell

See also:

#11 Free Prize Inside by Seth Godin

Holiday Gift Guide Items 1-10

End of the Baseball Season

The Fall Little League season has come to an end. There was something about the light that afternoon that lent itself to taking some nostalgic pictures. In between cheering and shouting advice to my son, I snapped a few shots that, I think, came out very well.

Link: End of the Season Gallery

Holiday Gift Guide #11 - Free Prize Inside by Seth Godin

Another great book from Seth Godin. Learn how to make your customers find the Free Prize Inside your product or service. Lots of new thoughts, but also great practical ideas.

See also:

Holiday Gift Guide Items 1-10

Holiday Gift Guide #10 - Roku SoundBridge

Connect the SoundBridge to your stereo system and you can enjoy your entire music library, wirelessly, from your Mac or PC. You can also play Internet Radio stations and control all its features via remote control. You can even take it out to the patio for your parties and family get-togethers.

Link: Roku SoundBridge

See also:

#9 Reimagine by Tom Peters
#8 Maxtor OneTouch Backup
#7 Apple iPod Video
#6 Getting Things Done by David Allen
#5 Flash (Keychain) Drives
#4 iRiver 799T MP3 Player
#3 Radical Careering
#2 Apple Mac Mini
#1 Palm TX Handheld

Hoiday Gift Guide #9 - Reimagine by Tom Peters

A master work and a must-read regardless of your profession. Peter's brings together all of his business insight over the last 20 years into a book that seems to touch on the past, the future and everything in-between.

Link: Reimagine by Tom Peters

See also:

#8 Maxtor OneTouch Backup
#7 Apple iPod Video
#6 Getting Things Done by David Allen
#5 Flash (Keychain) Drives
#4 iRiver 799T MP3 Player
#3 Radical Careering
#2 Apple Mac Mini
#1 Palm TX Handheld

Holiday Gift Guide #8 - Maxtor OneTouch Backup

There are 2 types of hard drives...those that have crashed and those that will. Don't let a hardware failure destory your data. Use this OneTouch Backup unit to easily backup your data to its external 120GB hard disk. Then you can rest assured that your data is safer than it was before. For the highest levels of protection, get 2 units and store one at another location.

Link: Maxtor OneTouch Backup

See also:

#7 Apple iPod Video
#6 Getting Things Done by David Allen
#5 Flash (Keychain) Drives
#4 iRiver 799T MP3 Player
#3 Radical Careering
#2 Apple Mac Mini
#1 Palm TX Handheld

Holiday Gift Guide #7 - Apple iPod Video

I saw so many of these at the Podcast Expo. It was the ultimate geek podcaster accessory. While you can buy and download a limited number of videos from Apple iTunes, people all over the world are creating easy ways to bring other video to the iPod. You can load up DVD movies, video podcasts and more.

See also:

#6 Getting Things Done by David Allen
#5 Flash (Keychain) Drives
#4 iRiver 799T MP3 Player
#3 Radical Careering
#2 Apple Mac Mini
#1 Palm TX Handheld

Holiday Gift Guide #6 - Getting Things Done by David Allen

I've talked about this book before. It is one of the few books I will buy for anyone who feels they are having organizational issues.

Get it! Read it! Get it done!

Link: Getting Things Done by David Allen

Link: Flash Drives

See also:

#5 Flash (Keychain) Drives
#4 iRiver 799T MP3 Player
#3 Radical Careering
#2 Apple Mac Mini
#1 Palm TX Handheld

Holiday Gift Guide #5 - Flash (Keychain) Drives

Flash Drives are the greatest thing since the floppy disk, and are a whole lot more useful. Today, you can make a word processing file that is too large to fit on a floppy disk, but with Flash drives ranging from 64MB to 2 GB (and beyond, soon), there is no longer a reason to forgoe backups or moving your files from one computer to another. Heck, with a large enough drive, you can even take your whole PC -- operating system, software and files -- with you wherever you go.

Link: Flash Drives

See also:

#4 iRiver 799T MP3 Player
#3 Radical Careering
#2 Apple Mac Mini
#1 Palm TX Handheld

Portable Media Expo and Podcasting Conference

I spent this weekend at the Portable Media Expo and Podcasting Conference in Ontario. It was a great chance to speak, confer and otherwise hobnob with my fellow wiz....er, podcasters.

The Los Angeles Times has an extensive article on conference and podcasting overall...

Holy hard drive! It's an invasion of pod people! -- The fledgling podcast industry and its minions descend on Ontario, plotting nothing short of global domination.

I had a great time and met all the "big names" in podcasting. As with many "first meetings", this conference was personable, friendly and something like a geek Woodstock. As the years go by I am sure we will all look back on it fondly.

You can check out my podcast, Career Opportunities, here.

Holiday Gift Guide #4 - iRiver 799T

Everyone seemed to be walking around the Podcast Expo this weekend with one of these around their neck like geek bling. For podcasters, this is a sweet device as it allows them to record audio directly via the Line In port so they can do interviews anywhere. For your average user, it stores up to 1 GB of MP3 files in something about the size of a pack of gum. Unlike Apple's iPod Shuffle, though, the iRiver has a display to show you track information and allow you access to menus, etc.

See also:

#3 Radical Careering
#2 Apple Mac Mini
#1 Palm TX Handheld

Holiday Gift Guide #3 - Radical Careering

Some books offer a careful presentation of facts and figures leading up to the dramatic conclusions of the final chapters. Others are the literary equivalent of "A Whack on the Side of the Head," to quote author, Roger van Oech. Radical Careering: 100 truths to jumpstart your job, your career and your life falls firmly into the latter camp. It is a breath of fresh air in the sometimes stale atmosphere of career books.

People who have been "there and back again" are often the best source of frank and useful information, and author, Sally Hogshead has delivered the wealth of her experience in a straightforward and extremely useful fashion.

Radical Careering is divided into "100 truths", each 1-2 small pages in length. While some might take issue with the "truth" of each item, I found myself nodding in agreement on almost every page. Hogshead has distilled the essence of each topic down to small, useful nuggets that really jumpstart your thinking.

Read more of this book review

See also:

#2 - Apple Mac Mini
#1 - Palm TX Handheld

WelchWrite Holiday Gift Guide #2 - Apple Mac Mini

This is the machine I am looking at to replace my current PowerMac G4/450. I have so many program running at once these days and I am severely over-taxing its processor. The Mac Mini makes a good replacement as it is powerful, yet inexpensive and allows me to re-use my current monitor, ketboard and mouse. If you are replacing a older iMac, you would probably want to look at the iMacs, but for an exisiting "tower" system, this fits my needs exactly.

Of course, if I had the money available, I would probably move up to a high-end Mac Powerbook and use it as my only machine. As free Wi-Fi becomes more and more available around Los Angeles, carrying a laptop makes more and more sense. Of course, the price difference between a Mac Mini and a Powerbook have made my decision for me at this point. I need a new computer, but I simply can't afford the ~$2000 price tag at this time.

See also:

#2 - Apple Mac Mini
#1 - Palm TX Handheld

WelchWrite Holiday Gift Guide #1

Welcome to the first installment of the WelchWrite Holiday Gift Guide. Each day I will post a new gift recommendation for the favorite high-tech geeks on your shopping list.

Today we start our list with the Palm TX handheld, the latest entry in a long line of handheld computers from Palm, Inc.

My venerable Treo 90 has developed screen problems over the last few months, so it is about time to replace it. I don't normally carry a laptop with me when I travel or work at a client's site. My current laptop is way to large to be comfortable and 99% of the information I need can be contained in my Treo. That said, it would be nice to be able to receive email and browse the web when I am out, yet still near a Wi-Fi access point. Since many of my clients have wireless routers, this would be a great way to keep up with my email, even when I am away from the office. Sure, I could upgrade to a Blackberry, but since I would use other features more than the email, it seem a bit pricey for my needs.

Link: Palm TX Handheld from Amazon.com

Anthro eNook

A came across an ad for the eNook in this months issue of Dwell magazine.

This could be just the item for people who are trying to corral all their digital gadgets in one place, including the ability to hide all the chargers and cables.

You can use the eNook as a holding place or as a workstation in homes where space is of a premium.

Organized Christmas.com

The holidays are supposed to be a happy time, not filled with frenetic rush and hassle. Perhaps this site can help you get a handle on your typical holiday issues and make this a bit more enjoyable.

I know that I often forget this or that thing that I want to do until the last minute. Then, it either doesn't get done, or I stress over the final preparations. I am using OrganizedChristmas.com to put some of the fun back in the holiday.

Get your computer questions answered...

...at the Friends in Tech Combined Forums!

Do you have computer issue that's getting your down. Visit the Friends in Tech Forums and post your questions. The hosts of various podcasts, including yours truly and your fellow computer users, will chime in with possible solutions to your problems.

Come join the fun...and learn something, too!

Douglas on the Typical PC User Podcast

My review of the RokuLabs SoundBridge and PhtobridgeHD appears today in the Typical PC User Podcast with Victor Caijo. There is lots of great content in this show, as well.

TPCU66-11-05-2005 5th Gen iPod review, Sweet Buttery Roku and much, much more

What do you want to do with your computer?

Sometimes you may not even know the question, let alone the answer. Here is an excellent resource of free things you can do with the Internet, some of which you probably didn't even know were possible.

I want to ...
by Phil Bradley (http://www.philb.com/iwantto.htm)

"I want to..." or "I need to" or "How do I?" These are all questions we all ask all the time. This is a small collection of resources that will help to answer those questions. It is not complete, nor will it ever be. I will be adding to this on a regular basis, so feel free to bookmark it and come back and visit.