Today’s site recommendation: Visit Myrealitytech.com. Jenna Gonzalez (Twitter avatar pictured) started this site recently. I met Jenna when we both did some work on pocketnow. Her background is different than your average tech blogger; her day job is a senior fashion buyer in the Big Apple. Perhaps as a result, she has some very interesting and unique tech perspectives, particular on design issues. Check it out!
James Kendrick of jkOnTheRun likely will never be our diplomat to the United Nations. That’s a compliment. James just tells it like he sees it. If a manufacturer or vendor doesn’t like what he has to say, tough. While I might disagree with James on subjective matters, I can always count on him to give his honest opinion, untainted by any need to stay in the good graces of a manufacturer or vendor.
James calls his home Mobile Tech Manor (pictured). He has a weekly series called This Week in Mobile Tech Manor. This week’s is #66. As usual, he has some interesting observations, this time on touchscreen notebooks, the Motorola Droid, and eReaders. I’d like to discuss them with you, my readers.
Google recently released Google Wave. It’s at a preview stage. It’s also invitation only. Being excluded during my school years, even by the “out crowd”, I wanted in! One of my former students, HotDogWater, mercifully sent me an invitation. So now I’m in! But in what?
One of my readers (we’ll call him Steve) has an interesting blog called NanOsNotes. His blog header says: “I cover new technology as a user – and someone who actually buys this stuff. I don’t get free trials from manufacturers.” I can relate.
Most of his posts do concern gadgets, such as HP DreamScreen. However, there’s humor too, such as his explanation of the difference in meaning of the term “knock up” between the UK and US. Anyway, check out NanOsNotes.
I’m still trying to get all the software and drivers working in Windows 7 on my Viliv X70. The latest was the web cam software, vilivCam. The program files and registry entries were correct. But the program wouldn’t start, just reporting an error message which told me some DLLs were missing in my Windows\System32 folder. But which ones?
First thought was to reinstall the program. But the Viliv support site doesn’t include vilivCam. The support site says that with a few exceptions the S5 software will work on the X70. But there is no web cam on the S5.
I then did a Google search. The English-speaking sites didn’t have any definitive information. But my Google search also came up with hits on Chinese and Korean sites, including UMPCFever, whose neat logo is pictured. Using Google Translate, I soon learned I need to install the Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 SP1 Redistributable Package (x86). I did, and vilivCam worked!
Especially in technical matters, limiting oneself to the U.S., or even the English-speaking world, is, well, limiting. Much of the rest of the world is even with or even ahead of us in tech matters. Not being able to access their information when tech problem-solving is like fighting with one hand tied behind your back.
Twitter has a Twitter 101 for Business. This concerns how businesses can use Twitter. But much of the information also may be useful to us regular folks.
Remember, you can follow me on Twitter. Hope to see you there.
This post has nothing to do with gadgets. Rather, it concerns something far more important.
I’ve written a lot of books and courseware over the last decade. My literary agent, Margot Hutchinson, has represented me the entire time. She negotiates my contracts, runs interference with publishers, and otherwise does a wonderful job representing me.
But that’s not Margot’s most important role. She’s a wife and a mother of a beautiful family.
One of Margot’s children Sam, was diagnosed in January 2005 with Stage IV Neuroblastoma, a very serious childhood cancer. Sam’s a fighter as well as a cute kid. As you can imagine, there are good days and not so good days. Margot has chronicled the last 4 1/2 years in her blog, TeamSam.
Please drop over to TeamSam and post a comment. Thanks. Jeff
I’ve decided to join the rest of the world and tweet on Twitter. You can now follow me on Twitter. Why would you want to? Maybe to feel better that your life is more interesting than mine (for your sake I hope so). Or because I will tweet about tech stuff, including how I use tech day to day, and give updates regarding this blog. Feel free to tweet back, including with suggestions for this blog, such as subjects you want me to write about, or for improvements to my stale, recycled jokes. Otherwise I feel like I’m talking to myself, like I do often on this blog 
See you on Twitter!
Sorry for not posting for a while. In addition to the usual life stuff, and wrapping up a semester by giving and grading final exams, my wife Devvie and I have been coordinating the care of her mom (and my mother-in-law) Rachel, first reported in Windows Mobile in the Hospital.
It’s been a long and hard journey, especially for Rachel. She spent 2 months in ICU, enduring (just to list the most serious issues) pneumonia and (fortunately temporary) kidney failure.
Fortunately, Rachel, with the help of some wonderful doctors and nurses at UCLA/Ronald Reagan Hospital, overcame these life-threatening problems. Indeed, about 10 days ago Rachel was well enough to be transferred to a respiratory hospital so she can receive, for her remaining respiratory issues, care and treatment more specialized than available on the general hospital floor. There still is a ways to go, but to quote Winston Churchill, it is at least the end of the beginning.
I’m now wrapping up grading of final exams, and will be posting shortly on my impressions of the Blackberry Storm.
