Web workers can work anywhere - but we all know that some settings are more pleasant than others. All other things being equal, we’d rather make use of free wi-fi at a quaint little cafe or on the beach than be stuck in some leftover cubicle at the client’s site. Working at home usually falls somewhere in the middle.
Now old economy company Roto-Rooter is offering you a chance to upgrade one part of your home office with their Pimped Out John Sweepstakes. Yes, as the name implies, you can win a toilet - but what a toilet! It includes a notebook computer (sorry, Mac folks, it’s from Gateway), 20 inch flat panel TV, TiVo, DVD player, Xbox 360, iPod, compact refrigerator with beer tap, and even a megaphone so you can yell for someone else to bring you more paper (because, you know, you’re never going to want to get up again). You can enter online once a day between now and April. Good luck!
Isn’t interesting how all Vista arguments for or against lead around to Rome, er, Apple? Even NBC’s Today Show gave almost as much attention to Steve Jobs as they did to Bill Gates in their studio on Monday, talking about the launch of the new Windows.
The reality is that it’s unrealistic to evaluate whether or not to upgrade to Vista based on a comparison to Mac OS X or Linux. If someone is talking about the state of healthcare in the United States, is moving to Canada really an option? No, there’s more to the decision to move than an opinion on the state of socialized medicine. Likewise, there’s more that goes into a computing platform switch than the operating system alone. Sometimes, you simply have to make the best of a situation, without having the option to pick the best of all situations.
So now, fellow web working Windows XP-or-earlier users who aren’t necessarily considering a fulltime switch to Mac or Linux, let’s look at 10 good reasons to consider the upgrade to Vista. While we’re at it, let’s also consider 10 reasons it may be a better idea to wait this one out. I promise not to throw in comparisons to other non-Windows operating systems if you don’t…deal?
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The odds are pretty good that as a web worker you carry a PDA (or BlackBerry or iPod or some other small piece of expensive electronics). After the first few times of having it fall out of your shirt pocket or get scratched by your keys, you’ll realize that some sort of case is necessary. While there’s no shortage of choices (a Google search turns up tens of thousands of products in this category), the vast majority tend towards “stylish” in their design. There’s nothing wrong with style, but it may not be what you want if you’re the more active sort.
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Web Worker Daily reader Nick Heppleston asks:
As an avid reader of the WWD and as a professional developer who is thinking about going solo, the one thing that is holding me back is the fear of new customers drying up. As a developer and not a salesman, can you (or any of your readers) offer any advice on marketing yourself as a freelancer and finding new customers?
The most obvious way of finding freelance work is posting your c.v. and searching listings on online contract job sites like Guru.com. This is the web worker equivalent of checking the newspaper job ads each morning and dutifully mailing off a cover letter plus resume. It’s just about as successful, too. Yes, you can find work that way–but not necessarily work that really suits you with people you like. And once your current contract ends, you might have to start all over again. Is there a better way?
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It’s bound to happen, you find yourself without an internet connection and no access to dictionary.com when you are editing emails or documents. You aren’t happy with the way your Word application is spelling certain words, or want to get the full definition before using a word in a document. What can you do?
Carry around a thick copy of the Oxford dictionary in your bag, or carry a small storage key that holds the entire Oxford English Dictionary. I’m sure you’ll choose the key in an instant. MyDisgo offers this product, and prices range from $41 US to $135 US for 512MB – 4GB keys. If you just want the application without the memory key, it’s priced at $41 US, with a 30 day free trial available. Happy spellings!
Google has always been at the forefront for those that do work online. From their easy to use free 2GB of email storage with Gmail, to Google Talk for chatting and voice calls, and most recently creating and storing Docs and Spreadsheets online. Google definitely makes it easier for people to work and stay productive from wherever there is an internet connection.
On Monday Google announced a new feature they have added into Google Docs and Spreadsheets, the ability to directly open and store files online through Documents and Spreadsheets from your Gmail as a Google document.
The file is stored and can then be opened, edited, shared and collaborated on through the appropriate online application with the click of a link. This saves not only time, but space on hard drives as the document does not have to be downloaded before its opened. Does this make for the possibility that a compact computer with no hard drive is closer than we think? Wifi networks, easy 3G, and companies like Google, Box.net, and Zoho are making this quite the possibility.
What do you think? What are your big concerns? Security and/or privacy? Would it make sense for you to move everything you usually store on your hard drive into a secure online location that can be accessed anywhere, or with a computer with no hard drive? What would it take you to do so?
Blanketed wifi, what’s better than that for a web worker. The ability to work absolutely anywhere without using a piece of equipment like Cingular’s wifi access card. The City of Atlanta is another city about to enter the muni-wifi program. They have teamed up with EarthLink to offer high speed access for anyone in the city, including businesses, home users, and visitors.
Of course there will be a fee for it, but the good news is that Atlanta will be working to provide discounted access for lower income individuals. Its great news for the city, but even greater news for workers that depend on an internet connection for business wherever they might be. Let’s hope that other cities start ramping up to jump into the municipal wifi program soon. This is after all not only a great way for cities to make some extra cash, but a way to improve infrastructures and a step closer to the future.
Making and taking notes is a daily occurrence for most people. These notes are sometimes shared between co-workers or clients in one way or another. Whether we use online note taking solutions, or transfer them between paper and online, there has to be an easy way to get them off to other individuals for feedback if required.
shortText allows users to make a note online and get a unique URL for the note. This URL can them be sent out to team members, and a string of comments can them be made on that unique URL. Tracking everything efficiently and effectively. shortText also displays the total number of views for that note, all for free, with no sign ups required.
shortText has also created a Firefox Add-on where you can simply highlight text on any given webpage, and send it through shortText to become a unique URL. Perfect if you want to share or have people comment on online articles or information.
Another such service is changetolink. This simple interface allows you to quickly create a page of information and send a unique URL to friends, however, there is no commenting feature and their ads tend to be a bit distracting.
If you have any suggestions or tips, do let us know.
