Welcome the newest update to the Web site

Introducing… the long-overdue Projects feature! I know, I know… it’s been a long time coming. Check it out on pretty much any page, except for this one. In case you don’t know what I mean, follow this link (www.columnbreak.com/japan/joso.html), click the glossy-looking button titled “Stuff,” and click “Projects.”

Voila! Now you know what I work on outside of my 9am–5pm (or 8am–4pm in the summertime) job.

Now, let’s see how long it takes for me to update the “Favorites” link…

Proof that not all companies are invincible in tough times

I’m sure that most of you know that Microsoft announced 5,000 layoffs today—1,400 of those which are effective immediately. I feel really bad for those who lost their jobs there today… it’s such a hard place to get into, that when you have it, I’m sure that just being there is incomparable to other corporate jobs. Unfortunately, my chances of ever landing a job at Microsoft—which I’ve been trying to land since early 2006—took a significant hit today, but that’s secondary to what happened today. Here’s hoping to swift job creation in the near future!

Note to those at Microsoft who lost their jobs today: Be thankful for your health and look forward to your next adventure! Your experience at Microsoft is invaluable, and you’ll all find jobs soon enough. :)

The device that I never leave home without: An intimate introduction

Other than the obligatory necessities that one can never manage without having when venturing out into the public, such as a wallet; keys; purse, backpack, manbag, or fanny pack; and the occasional jacket, I’d like to focus on my cell phone.

Since early July, I’ve had an HTC Touch Dual. I went all out and bought it straight up without any AT&T branding, which is nice if I want to switch over to T-Mobile or if I want to use it overseas with a prepaid SIM card. I had to get an unlimited data plan because I knew I’d use the bananas out of it—and I have. Since January 2, I’ve used 557.61 MB of data for uploading and downloading. I guess streaming live video gets pretty intensive.

I’m not sure what I’m going to do for my next mobile device, though. I’d like to stick with Windows Mobile because it syncs with my computer really easily. Android looks neat, but I don’t use any Google products, except for Gmail, so I’m not sure how useful it’d be to me. I’m not an Apple or iPhone guy and have no need for a farting application. The Palm Pre is pretty intriguing, especially since the mobile operating system is based on HTML and CSS, making in fairly easy to develop programs for that mobile platform.

I’m really digging phones like the HTC Touch HD and the HTC Touch Diamond, but I just dropped three three-and-a-half-Thursdays worth of pay before taxes to buy the phone I have now, which is still pretty top-of-the-line. It’s set up pretty nicely, too. Some mobile applications include:

• Bluehoo for social Bluetooth networking.
• Fring for messaging and as a Skype alternative because Skype only works when I use the speakerphone.
• Google Maps to find directions, specifically to find directions by bus.
• Iris Browser just because Skyfire doesn’t work for me sometimes.
• Japanese Pocket Dictionary for those Japanese words that I don’t understand.
• Kinoma Play for superb quality of YouTube videos and Internet radio.
• Live Search to find places and directions.
• Microsoft Tag Reader for when/if Microsoft Tags become widely used.
• NetFront Browser, which is one of the best mobile browsers out there. It even shows Japanese characters! W00T!
• Qik for shooting live streaming video.
• QuickMark for reading QR Codes.
• Resco Explorer for document management and FTP access (to post or delete content from my Web site)
• Skyfire Beta Browser for a complete, desktop browser experience.
• Skype for hoping that one day, it’ll support Bluetooth headsets on my phone.
• TinyTwitter for my ColumnBreak Twitter feeds.
• Viigo for RSS feeds.
• TV Guide for when I actually want to watch other TV shows besides MSNBC, The History Channel, Food Network, VH1, and Comedy Central.

Well, that was pretty exhaustive. I don’t want to run into any legal issues with posting downloadable links as a middle man, so you’ll have to get them yourself (if they’re available) on the product pages provided above.

A neat, all-in-one hotel finder

I recently found out about this site called HotelsCombined, and it seems to offer some reasonable prices on hotel rooms. I specifically looked for accommodations in Japan—where hotels can be pretty pricey if you just show up in person or go through the hotel’s Web site—and was glad to see that some decent to high-end hotels were offered at significant discounts.

The Web site’s user interface is really friendly and provides reviews from others who have stayed at a particular hotel, maps, pictures, and details about the hotels and their surroundings. You can also narrow your search through a variety of options, such as star ratings, price, and hotel name. Overall, it’s very easy to use and is visually pleasing.

On my next trip over to Japan, I think I’m going to give HotelsCombined a shot at finding me a place to stay.

New sleeping grounds... er... heights

We got our new bed today—the Thomasville delivery folks dropped it off and set it up in our bedroom this morning. I didn't think it'd be so high, though. It's the box spring that throws me off; what about using just a flat board? To give you a hint, look in the above picture: The bed is as high as the bottom of the window!

It's going to take some time getting used to this monster, especially since the last thing I want to worry about in the morning is a sprained ankle.

*This entry was posted from my Windows Mobile device.

ShoZu for Windows Mobile - A worthy mobile app?

I'm going that ShoZu for Windows Mobile will inspire me to blog in a different way, without me having to use my text messages. It looks like I can even tag my entries, which is a very nice touch. Guess we'll see how this goes in the next couple of weeks. Hm... I can't make a new paragraph... that might be a deal breaker.

Obvious product naming takes a step back

Was there no other name to choose for this product? A product following the naming convention of "baby carrots" and "baby corn" would have been suitable.

Maybe Farman's was looking for a name that would grab consumers' attention. If that's the case, then I'm just another victim to the food company's marketing... le sigh...

*This entry was posted from my Windows Mobile device.

Updates to the home page

If you haven’t noticed, I made a significant change on the home page; the videos should now be viewable in Mozilla Firefox 3. I originally created it in Microsoft Silverlight, but I had a few issues with that:

• I wasn’t sure when Microsoft Expression Blend (the program that I used to customize the video player) would no longer be available as a free trial.
• There’s less of a developer circle for Silverlight.
• Adobe Flash already has a solid user base and is installed on most computers.

Let me know if you experience any problems with the new video player. Enjoy!

What’s the RIAA up to?

If you haven’t read lately, the RIAA—the folks who have sued single mothers and a whole mess of college students—announced that it will no longer pursue legal action against individuals who illegally download media, such as music, videos, and other copyrighted material. Sounds great, right? Sure, sounds good for now.

Here’s what I think about the RIAA backing off of threatening legal action:

• Maybe the RIAA decided that suing someone for $4,000 wasn’t worth the legal fees and that allowing Internet service providers (ISPs), like Comcast and Qwest, to shut off a subscriber’s service if they were suspected in downloading copyrighted material would be a good idea.
• Maybe instead of shutting off a user’s service if he or she is suspected in illegally downloading, ISPs might start charging a tax that in turn goes directly to the RIAA, theoretically making downloading illegal material, well… legal.

What do you think? Were you affected at all by the RIAA? Have you and will you continue to download copyrighted material? Are you a law-abiding citizen who buys your own music from the Amazon MP3 online store (which, might I add, is seriously the best place to download DRM-free music)?