Clutter

Al Gore rocks multiple monitors

This looks like a lovely work arrangement - is it 3 big screens - but look at the desk - I am trying NOT to be like that - it is hard.
I don't think this works either Tina Fey organises with Post-Its
but least it gets you looking at Lifehacker Australia | Tech tips to help you at work and play
as well as things about putting power boards and cables in boxes with holes drilled
and they had a post to
Getting Things Done Guru David Allen and His Cult of Hyperefficiency

The essence seems to be

THREE RULES

1. Collect and describe all the stuff. Everything must be inventoried without distinction or prejudice. Errands, emails, a problem with a friend: It all must be noted for processing. Small objects, such as an invitation or a receipt, go into a pile. Everything else can be represented with a few words on a piece of paper ("find keys," "change jobs"). Once the stuff is collected, processing begins. Anything that requires two minutes or less is handled on the spot. The remainder is governed by the second rule.

2. All stuff must be handled in a precise way. Allen offers dozens of clever tricks for classifying, labeling, and retrieving stuff. Expert users of GTD never leave old emails cluttering their inbox, for instance. Nor do they have to rifle through a bunch of paper to see if there's anything crucial they've left undone. Emails to be answered are in a separate folder from emails that merely have to be read; there's a file for every colleague and friend; stuff that must be done has been identified and placed on one of several kinds of to-do lists. Allen calls his to-do lists next-action lists, which are subject to the third rule.

3. Items on next-action lists should be described as concretely as possible. Breaking down stuff into physical actions, Allen says, is the key to getting things done.

I know these arer so similar to other systems but something has to work

Whoops that is TWO minutes - now for something else

Phones - VOIP - Skype

Optus is getting unrealistic on price

I am starting to look at land line options

Skype starter kit: update - from Cnet.au


Engin

GoTalk launches unlimited VoIP calls to mobiles | APC Magazine

Talk is cheap and easy - Troubleshooter - Opinion - Technology - smh.com.au

Coffee

Perhaps this is the way to go

The coffee Premium Blends and the Art of Espresso by Nespresso (Australia)

little buckets of coffee ready for a cup and price 64 cents to 69

machines can be inexpensive


Must check what the forum has to say Coffeesnobs

3 Easy Ways to Improve Your Brain Power

3 Easy Ways to Improve Your Brain Power - Dumb Little Man


I am trying the mouse with the Other Hand - phew - cut&paste is tricky but perhaps this will work

Window free stuff I might install

Lightning - Project Home Thunderbird Calendar

Defrag Individual Files with Defraggler | Lifehacker Australia

MediaCoder - more than a universal audio/video transcoder


Winamp Media Player Overview

Monitor Your Bandwith Usage with SurplusMeter | Lifehacker Australia

Burn CDs and DVDs with CDBurnerXP | Lifehacker Australia

These look good

Sumatra PDF viewer by Krzysztof Kowalczyk

Documentation Project | GnuCash

those from OpenDisc and they have more

AppSnap - get your apps in a snap

Get your photos on the Web for free - Internet Applications Software

Top 10 Free Video Rippers, Encoders, and Converters | Lifehacker Australia some of these I have

MAC Photo Editors and iPhoto

iPhoto has a major limitation to me - you can import photos from an External hard drive but when the External is not connected iPhoto is liable to go into "not responding" and you have to Force Quit. Yuk that is not good.

Seem to be a couple of solutions - which instead of one big Library, allow you to have several
Fat Cat Software - iPhoto Library Manager
but I see many comments that prefer iPhoto Buddy so I am installing

looking at iPhoto library I can see that my external photos are there but only as 4kb thumbnails presumably linked to the external if that is connected. It will take a while to sort out which is my fully imported folders versus these thumbnail only. Yuk I like to be able to easily backup my folders . And I was a Master folder and a Working folder. I want to keep the Masters in their raw condition.

So I am also looking into other editors for MAC OS X

which also have a library approach - ie a preview pane with all the photos and then select the ones to edit


Download ImageWell Now - It's Free!

hmmmm - has an interesting interface - not sure it has clicked with me


Welcome to GIMPShop dot Net

The GIMP under X11 but seems to blend well - powerful photo editting - a kind of preview pane -


Overview | digiKam - KDE Photo Management Linux but rumours a OS X version coming

Seashore A shortened version of GIMP - similar comment to Gimpshop

So iPhoto is still looking like the housekeeping program - it preview pane with Zoom etc works well - I 'll see if the Buddy program solves the MONSTROUS Library "issue". Everything says it does and that it should load faster as no LARGE library

Xee 2.0 - MacUpdate

Xee takes over from Preview - says it handles multiple files - use mouse scrowl wheel and crops - just installed will see

Lifehacker is a most interesting RSS

I have them on my Bloglines and picking up all manner of useful stuff

Just read on how to put a power board into a box with holes on top so all my charging stuff in one uncluttered place

clutter | Lifehacker Australia

Lots more

Mirror Your Mac on a Bootable External Drive

Mirror Your Mac on a Bootable External Drive | Lifehacker Australia

Geek to Live: Complete, free Mac backup - Lifehacker

The Happiness Project: A simple, easy, cheap way to fight the clutter that appears on your desk.

The Happiness Project: A simple, easy, cheap way to fight the clutter that appears on your desk.

I like this - one pad , write all things for that day on it- do something with the page at the end of the day.

I'd say a Book and you can tear/rip pages out.

Phone numbers make sure you write WHOSE - so often I find a number on a paper and no idea who it was

How to Turn Cheap “Choice” Steaks into Gourmet

Saw this link on intriguing item on Lifehacker Australia

How to Turn Cheap “Choice” Steaks into Gucci “Prime” Steaks

It involve "soaking" the steak in SALT and up to an hour and then washing it off.
Might be worth trying

Pullquotes

I always liked how my son's wife Joy of Lankshear Design when setting up magazine articles uses pullquotes.

Pullquotes are Cool

A poster on FrontPage-L Resources highlighted
Snazzy Pullquotes for Your Blog — Pearsonified
which looks really cool. But I had trouble getting it to work

Then I found a simpler version Increase Your Blog’s Readability
which worked straight off. Not sure why that worked and other was difficult as the pullquote tags look the same.

The first blog I used it on was GO Russell - What are you doing Morris

GO Russell - What are you doing Morris

Well done South Sydney Club

The news is saying that Russell Crowe and Peter Holmes a Court are removing pokies (one armed bandits) from the South Sydney club. That is tremendous Russell and Peter - I do pray that your club succeeds. Pokies just take money away from people.


Note: When I worked at Rosebery in late 1970s I did go to Souths for lunch and won a big jackpot ($50) on a Friday on which I was going on vacation so it was most welcome. BUT although winning is most pleasant - losing is the pits.

Back then they did a great seafood buffet - I can remember the Balmain Bugs. And I gather the new club will provide great food.

Not so good State Government

This same day NSW Premier Iemma is allowing Keno into pubs.
Keno is appalling - the odds so favour the people who run it. Its an annoyance in clubs as the TV screens are continually pushing its nonsense. Now pubs - is there no end to State Government Greed - note State Governments are ALP which is supposed to represent the 'workers'. Hardly this is exploiting the workers and the retired. Morris said the revenue from Keno - would enable the clubs (presumably he meant pubs) to continue to provide the services they currently provide. Well of course it will Mr Iemma except they will make more profit - which is the name of the "game".


The same day Kev Rudd could not enunciate the correct tax thresholds - neither could I but I am not putting myself up as a potential Prime Minister

Then next morning
Now you can gamble at the corner store - National - smh.com.au
Lottery and Scratch tickets in 7-11 stores
Includes Iemma saying the ALP state government has reduced the number of pokies in the state but he did not have any details of numbers or how etc.

2 days later
Seems that Iemma got it wrong - the Minister is allowing more pokies

Overhaul opens way for pokies and hours - National - smh.com.au

Jottit

My Jottit

and I agree with the title of their message

That was easy!

Here's your new site. Be sure to bookmark it so you can find it again. To change it, just press the edit button at the bottom of the page. Enjoy!

and this is all it took

I am just trying which I read about on rojo.com At http://jottit.com/ a box appears in which I am typing and I am about to click "create a page" let's see

And up came my page and I selected a password and then its either public or private or open to all

And I just changed the URL

Ron's Jottings: Home

http://ronlankshear.jottit.com/

Kingdom of Heaven - a film I wanted to see

Bio - Kingdom of Heaven (film) Wikipedia RSS Feed
A detailed study of the film and I must agree the acting is good especially the King (Baldwin IV) and Saladin. The people all appear to be historical. Baldwin V was it seems in the film but disappeared in the cutting. The siege of Jerusalem is great spectacle.

Kingdom of Heaven - Wikiquote
has this

Saladin:: Will you yield the city?

Balian of Ibelin:: Before I lose it, I will burn it to the ground. Your holy places - ours. Every last thing in Jerusalem that drives men mad.

Saladin:: I wonder if it would not be better if you did.

Sort of sums up the issue - the film closes with a line about 1,000 years later and Jerusalem still driving men mad.

The film's message appears to be that the religions who value Jerusalem all should be able to live together. Muslim do use similar words to Christians when talking about their God. And the film discusses what is the purpose of life. Seems to be summed up in this quote

Hospitaller: I put no stock in Religion. By the word of religion, I've seen the lunacy of fanatics of every denomination be called the "Will of God". Holiness is in right action and courage on behalf of those who cannot defend themselves. And goodness - what God desires - [pointing at his head then heart] is here and here. By what you decide to do every day, you will be a good man [smiles] or not.

So depends on your world view - what am I trying to do whilst here on earth. Do you think there is life after death? Do you believe in a God? Are you forgiven?

Why not check out Ron Lankshear's Faith Page

DiffMerge

SourceGear | DiffMerge | downloads

DiffMerge is an application to visually compare and merge files for Windows, Mac OS X and Unix.
One feature also interests me
Folder Diff. Performs a side-by-side comparison of 2 folders, showing which files are only present in one file or the other, as well as file pairs which are identical or different.

Just downloaded and tried and it looks good
Could be great for keeping my external HD and Macbook and Desktop in sync

Our Election - just in case not enough on the tele already

2007 Australian Federal Election Google

Federal Election.com.au - warning it talks to you

Yum Cha and the election

Different brain function between ALP and the Liberals

Brain function different between liberals, conservatives: study - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

This is interesting on How research can be fudged.

And of course the Word Liberal versus liberal

Jihad - what does it mean

A jihad for understanding. 15 Aug 2007. ABC Central Victoria. (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

This tells me that Ms Chopra says it's upsetting that Muslims have to suffer because of other people's ignorance about Islam.

She says the word jihad does not mean 'holy war', as is often reported. Instead, she says it means 'struggle' and most Muslims understand the word on a personal basis.

Well I keep hearing that from Muslims - one on 702 the other day I think from Islamic Council. And to some it may well mean spiritual struggle as in not having food breaks in Ramadan. However there are clearly Muslims who mean it as Holy War in the sense of actual violence.

In the same way in the Middle Ages c1100 AD Christians used to go on Crusades which meant getting back Jerusalem from Muslims by war. In WW2 the media talked about Crusade in Europe ie the war against Hitler. Please note that was not a usage by Christians. However nowadays to Christians having a Crusade means having meetings at which the Good News about Jesus Christ is presented. Christians do not now use the word Crusade to mean an active war.

So Muslims I do urge and pray that you do stop the Jihad of a Holy War and concentrate on seeking a spiritual answer to the problems of life.

Jihad - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
and also
What is Jihad? - article by Daniel Pipes
and also
Jihad: The Fight Over Meaning: Harvard student's commencement speech on jihad causes controversy

What is the the truth on Charles and Diana

September 2007 have a ghastly cold and got a lot of humour from reading Sarah Goodall "The Palace Diaries". It is very racy but I wanted to find out what a Palace secretary knew about events. Not a lot I gather . Most of what Sarah passes on to us is gossip from "friends" that she keeps anonymous. Such as she says Diana had a lot more blokes but she only tells us the ones already published elsewhere. After all she started there in 1988 after the marriage had already broken down so could not have observed the "reasons" and being in the office in her early days did not see much of the Boss and Bossette anyway.

Much of the book is about Sarah eating and drinking having various affairs which may all be "fiction" well the names are anyway. And how badly paid she was but she stayed because of her love of the status etc.

A long review with quotes in the Scotsman and an interview in the Shropshire Star
Sarah is from Shropshire and article does say that her father was not pleased with the book and I can well understand that he would be not be pleased.

I like this brief review in Aristocracy Anecdotes it fits well with the tone of the book

Sarah received the MVO member of Royal Victorian Order for her work and then a year later and after 12 years gets sacked. She seems to think Camilla took exception to her familiarity with HRH. Perhaps this has more bearing
Re A case that Charles took to stop some publication of his "private papers"

on Page 143 she recounts a commitee that she kept minutes for but due to the drinks was often too tipsy to remember "who said what about what and to whom". The whole book could be like that too.

I did like the story of her falling asleep at a film show in HRH's lounge room - a large G&T at fault. Anyhow next morning Charles much amused says how everyone was amazed that she took her earrings off put them on a side table and then went to sleep.

Sarah seems to like Charles and thinks that Diana let him down and that Camilla is good for Charles. It is hard to say which version of all that is the real Sarah.

I had to look up references to Sarah - at first I thought the book could be a satire and I was slightly amazed to find that Sarah is real. Whilst I was checking her I found this story
More on what a ghastly choice Diana made in James Hewitt
whereas This seems to quench that story

So Diana remains a mystery in the sense of Why was there a marriage breakdown - whose fault was it. This seems a good summary on what was Diana really like

Whatever else her sons said it all at the recent memorial service. Bless them.

Farewell - Luciano Pavarotti

I saw a news ticker this morning that he was seriously ill and then on 702 driving home they were giving tributes.
What else can I say but that
Luciano Pavarotti was the BEST I have ever heard.

A quote from Placido Domingo
"I always admired the God-given glory of his voice - that unmistakable special timbre from the bottom up to the very top of the tenor range,''

Peace in Palestine

August 2007 I read Palestine : peace not apartheid / Jimmy Carter.

Yes the Jimmy who was President of USA 1977-1980 and who negotiated with Anwar Sadat and Menachem Begin to obtain the Camp David accord which brought peace between Israel and Egypt.

Wiki repeats the first points that Jimmy makes in his Summary chapter

[1] Some Israelis believe they have the right to confiscate and colonize Palestinian land and try to justify the sustained subjugation and persecution of increasingly hopeless and aggravated Palestinians; and
[2] Some Palestinians react by honoring suicide bombers as martyrs to be rewarded in heaven and consider the killing of Israelis as victories.

It is hard not to agree with those points. Recently I saw a doco and a Jewish West Bank settler was very strong on her rights to be where she was. But UN Resolution 242 is clear on withdrawal to 1967 borders and Israel really has to face up to that. What those borders are in detail should be open to negotiation.

And then I just do not understand the "mad" behaviour of some Palestinians. I just cannot accept their continued resort to such extreme violence.

I knew about the Wall that Israel has been building and thought it divided Israelis from Palestinians BUT Jimmy writes that the Wall is not just one line but several and that it goes around Palestinian villages and separates them from their farms. And is also along the Jordan valley. This does not sound a reasonable project at all.

Jimmy lists key requirements for the Roadmap to Peace
a. the security of Israel must be guaranteed
b. the internal debate within Israel must be resolved in order to define Israel's permanent legal boundary
c. The sovereignty of all Middle East nations and sanctity of international borders must be honoured

My only trip to Israel was in 1965. Christine and Ron met on a cruise that stopped at Haifa and we were getting to know each other during a few days in the Holy Land. Old Jerusalem was then part of the Kingdom of Jordan and off bounds for tourists in Israel. We did visit Galilee and Nazareth and Capernaum. The Arabs we saw in Israel seemed to be at peace. Although I understood about the Palestinian refugees and that problem seemed to me to be caused by the surrounding Arab nations who encouraged the war against Israel and then when the war was won by Israel took over land that might be considered Palestinian and treated the Palestinians ,who had fled from territory that was now Israeli because of the war they wanted, as refugees rather than as fellow Arabs.

Israel seemed to be under threat from its neighbours and around Lake Tiberius it was awful that Syria could shell them the Golan Heights. Then 1967 it looked like Egypt and Syria were going to attack Israel and we now know of course that Israel decided to attack first and were able to seize so much land including Jerusalem. Some land was given back but so much remains under Israel control.

None of this has easy solutions - Israel "needs" the Golan Heights for security and Jerusalem it would be unthinkable for them not to be there. Note: Islam has authority over its mosques on Temple Mount. But the other land looks like it needs to negotiated and not gradually settled. Jimmy makes a strong case.