Wednesday, September 12, 2007

A First Look at the TomTom GO 720. Video: A First Look at the TomTom GO 720. The TomTom GO 720 now has access to up-to-date maps and safety information. CNET's Bonnie Cha takes a close look at these and other features. [CNET News.com] http://www.jumpingdots.com 10:17:26 PM    comment [] New nanomaterials able to cover large areas. Researchers at Northwestern University have developed a new nanomanufacturing technique which can be used to produce nanostructures measuring tens of square centimeters. This new technique, dubbed 'soft interference lithography' (SIL), can lead to nanomaterials with optical properties mimicking some metamaterials in the natural world such as peacock feathers and butterfly wings. As said the researchers, their SIL technique 'combines the ability of interference lithography to produce wafer-scale nanopatterns with the versatility of soft lithography and used it to create plasmonic metamaterials.' [Roland Piquepaille's Technology Trends] http://www.jumpingdots.com 10:14:28 PM    comment [] Should every app be a platform?. I've been pushing the idea that every app should be a platform for a long time, that in addition to a user interface, every app should have a programmatic interface. For me the idea came from growing up using Unix in the 70s, where every app is a toolkit and the operating system is a scripting language. Wiring things together is an integral part of being a Unix user. It's why programmers like Unix so much. The idea then came up again with the push to integrated software in the early 80s. Mitch Kapor and Lotus were selling the idea of an all-in-one package, Symphony, which was a word processor, database, spreadsheet, graphics and communication program, with a macro language tying it all together. Bill Gates proposed a different approach, let each app stand alone and share its data with other apps through a common scripting language. This idea was so good that I started a company in 1988, UserLand Software, to create such a scripting language for the Mac, which then had a rich user interface and a totally underdeveloped scripting interface. Today, the Macintosh has a rich tradition of interapplication communication, made possible by this simple idea that every app should have an API. http://www.jumpingdots.com This led to XML-RPC, the Internet version of apps with APIs, which led to SOAP, and then REST, which imho, will eventually lead back to XML-RPC (as people realize that standardized marshalling formats have value). However you express the API, today you can write scripts that combine the features of scriptable Internet apps such as Twitter, Flickr and various blogging platforms. And at least one VC, Fred Wilson, has caught the bug, and is investing in companies that build net-scale technology with APIs. His companies will have the kind of lock-in that will be the envy of the VC world, because when other developers build on your platform, it's mighty hard to replace what's underneath. Imagine moving a coral reef from one ocean to another and you get an idea of how strong a lock platforms have. [Scripting News] 9:40:11 PM    comment [] Defying history and stereotype, the South's schools rise. Hundreds of high schools in the region, many still under desegregation orders, have quietly become public-education powerhouses. http://www.jumpingdots.com [Christian Science Monitor | Top Stories] 9:38:09 PM    comment [] Work at Home Jobs - Making the Decision to Work at Home Making the decision to work at home is sometimes more difficult than it needs to be. Work from home jobs number in the thousands, making the decision to work at home overwhelming. The simplest way to overcome this is to make the decision to work at home. Period. Instead of sitting at home doing all the research and spending countless hours online looking for the perfect work at home job, Just make the decision. "I'm going to start a work at home business", or "I'm so excited now that I've decided to work at home". Searching through work at home directories or scouring work at home job listings isn't the way to begin. Ultimately know this, if working at home appeals to you, then at some point in the future you deserve to have a work at home job or opportunity. At least to eliminate it as an option, worse case scenario, you start a work at home job and find out you can't stand working from home. Maybe you've always associated being at home with relaxation. Maybe your home is your little safe haven. Either way you will experience better clarity knowing that you tried to work from home and it is now no longer an option. The point I'm making here is, don't look for a work at home job that will convince you to get started working from home. Sit down and make a list. " I want to work at home because".... When you have a logical list of reasons why you want to work at home these can become your motivator to getting started. As you make the list of why you want to work at home, this same list will become the evaluating criteria for the work at home job you select. Know how many hours you want to work, know how much money you want to make, will your work at home job require you to purchase items you don't currently have in your home office? You know once you know why you want to do something the how to do it reveals itself. Making the transition to a work at home job, or finding a business you can work at home is no different. Know the changes you want in your life and just maybe choosing to work at home will be an answer for you. You can visit http://www.jumpingdots.com for more general information on the benefits of a work at home job, or a home based business. Also I offer motivation, education and inspiration at http://www.myprowealths.com My name is Joe Crawford. I have been an entrepreneur for nine years and have had offices and have also worked from my home office. I currently enjoy working with individuals who are looking to have success in home based business. I am fortunate to work with a group of people who earn 30k to 50k per month. We are willing and have a vested interest in mentoring others in achieving the same results. I also am a student of personal development and offer a business opportunity in the same field. I look for straight shooters who aren't afraid to get questions answered and are motivated to earn multiple six figures.   Thanks Richard 9:33:07 PM    comment []

© Copyright 2007 Richard Walker. Last update: 10/2/2007; 8:31:51 PM.