My Top Ten Favorite Google Products

As Google has grown as a company, its reach has extended well beyond its initial foundation as a massive search index. The company now represents many things - including a mobile handset platform, a Web browser, Web-based e-mail, a social network, and a wide variety of software programs. Like Microsoft in the 1990s, it is often hard to see a viable business where the company does not play a role - and a significant one at that.

With Danny Sullivan revealing Google CEO Eric Shmidt's favorite product is the Chrome browser, I began thinking about my own preferences, and thought I would share - inviting you to do the same.

1. Google Reader

Google Reader is my starting point for finding the day's news quickly. The RSS reader is the very best way that I know of to get all the blogs and news sources I read in one place, and it provides me with simple keyboard shortcuts to read through them rapidly, choosing to share them on my link blog to downstream social networks, including FriendFeed, Twitter, Facebook and Socialmedian.

As Google Reader has expanded its social capabilities, I have also recently enjoyed a near-explosion in active conversations on my shared feeds, and find I am spending even more time inside this product than in months past.

Though it may sound crazy, I believe the quality lead Google Reader has over its competition exceeds even that of Google Search's quality lead over its relative competition. I would rather have Reader and be forced to use Yahoo!/Bing than use Google Search and use some other RSS reader.

2. Blogger

The Blogger platform, now 10, doesn't get enough respect. The simple blog publishing and hosting product makes it easy for me to add new posts, categorize them, and update my templates, multiple times a day. Having moved well beyond its initial reputation of being something like a spam blogs haven, Google has put real effort into clamping down on bad behavior. Meanwhile, outages that used to impact the service have practically been eliminated.

Blogger is the platform of choice not just for my blog, but for my wife as well, giving us one place to log in to update either site.

3. FeedBurner

While the product hasn't seen a ton of updates since its acquisition a few years back, FeedBurner hasn't received much challenge (with the exception of FeedBlitz) when it comes to distributing RSS feeds from millions of blogs, mine included. On top of making sure that my posts get distributed, FeedBurner also keeps tabs on statistics in terms of total subscribers, click throughs and site visits, and enables the ability to customize each blog post with feedflares, adding additional interactivity.

4. Google Search and Google Blog Search

Google Search just does its job, period. Even as the Web has grown dramatically, Google's ability to return the "one right answer" solution when guessing what I am looking for is unmatched. It may lack the real-time capability of other sites, but imagining an alternative Web without Google search is daunting.

Similarly, Google Blog Search has largely replaced Technorati for most and is the default engine for finding new content on blogs around the Web.

5. GMail

While I have been using .Mac e-mail since well before GMail ever launched, the product changed the game in terms of what online e-mail represented. GMail, at its debut, offered storage space 20 times higher than the competition, integrated search and other features, such as labels and automatic filtering that make it both light and flexible. While other free e-mail products have gained a poor reputation online, seeing a GMail address doesn't make me turn away in scorn. I recommend that any business starting an online media strategy obtain a GMail account to centralize related e-mail.

6. YouTube

Though, like FeedBurner, not born at Google, YouTube is one of the most recognizable brands on the Web. Like Google Search, it has become the default service on the Web for what it does - enabling people to share videos and view videos, from silly family pictures to professionally designed music videos or corporate interviews. It is through YouTube where my wife and I share home recordings of our twins, and embed them on our sites. The ease at which we can port YouTube content to Facebook, FriendFeed and blogs is a big reason we use them above any other competitor.

7. Google Maps

Ever since I acquired a GPS unit for my car, my reliance on Google Maps has plummeted. But if in a pinch, if in another car, or needing to look up a route quickly on my iPhone, there is no substitute. While I once used Mapquest to find my frequently-lost self around town, Google Maps is now the trusted standard. As TechCrunch recently noted, only Google was sharp enough to recognize the recent closure of the Bay Bridge in San Francisco, alerting potential travelers accurately.

8. Google Chrome

A decade following the peak of the initial browser wars, between Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer, we have an interesting tussle for browser market share once again, this time involving Microsoft, Google, Mozilla and Apple. (With Opera still not dead yet) The debut of Chrome, first for Windows and Linux PCs, with stable Chromium builds for Mac here as well, introduced more stable browsing, simplified favorite pages, and speedy load times. Let not the low ranking fool you - compared to Schmidt's #1 position. For me, it's a good product, but not the market leader in the way its brethren Google Reader, FeedBurner and Search are.

9. Google Desktop

Google Desktop brings the power of Google Search to your desktop files - helping to find everything from text files and e-mails to rich media content embedded in office documents. While in years past, much of its functionality could be found in Apple's Spotlight, or the Mac's integrated search in Finder, the latter is just too slow and unreliable, with Google Desktop gives you the familiar and trusted approach you know from the Web. Its ability to crawl through previous dates to see when documents were created is especially useful.

10. Google Analytics

Few self-respecting bloggers go too far away from their Web traffic statistics, and many have two, three or more packages going simultaneously, to ensure they have enough datapoints to consider themselves experts. For no cost, Google Analytics provides detailed stastics, not just for the last 4,000 visitors (as Sitemeter does), but for all visitors, letting you compare time periods, dive deep into demographics of visitors, and see trends in your publishing and content.

Close but not included: AppSpot, iGoogle, Google AdWords, Google Earth, Google Docs, Google Finance, Google Groups, Google News

What are your top ten Google Applications? Did I miss your favorite?

Top Eight Worst Stock Moves I Ever Made

While the NASDAQ and DOW averages have done alright for themselves in 2007, my eTrade account isn't keeping up. In fact, with almost six full months through the year, I took a look at the online brokerage and it looks like I'm not too far from where I started. This got me thinking about how I had sold my Apple stock way too early this year, and that in turn reminded me of all the missteps I've made financially over the last decade or so. I thought I'd share some of the lowlights. Why only eight and not the typical ten? Let's just say that in this case, eight is enough.

1. My Not Investing in the Google IPO.

Long story short - I had the option to participate in the Dutch auction of Google stock as the company prepared to go public. In fact, I had put in a bid for 100 shares, but seeing the price debut at $85 - $90 made me think there was only one direction for the stock to go... down. Boy was I ever wrong. A quick search in my GMail reminds me of that blunder, with messages like "We are sending this notice to everyone who obtained a bidder ID, regardless of whether you have been allocated shares of Google's Class A common stock in the offering." The $9,000 or so I could have put in at the end of 2004 would be worth more than $51,000 today.

2. Getting Fleeced by WorldCom's Lies

It wasn't just the employees of Enron, Adelphia, WorldCom and others who were hit by the financial scandals that rocked thsoe firms. Years ago, as the shine started to come off the Internet bubble, we were looking for value stocks that looked like they were a cheap buy with possible near-guaranteed returns. As one friend began to hype Worldcom's amazingly low price/earnings ratio, I bought in to the hype. In May of 2002, I started accumulating Worldcom (WCOM) with 525 shares at $2.25, and dove in headfirst with 1,160 more shares a month and a half later at $1.38, as the stock dove downward. Then the scandal hit, and we were left holding the bag. By July, my 1,685 shares of Worldcom were sold away at 20 cents apiece, getting me a loss of nearly $2,500. That money loomed much larger for me five years ago, but still sticks in my craw.

3. Getting Ownage from Vonage

In June of 2006, after publicly questioning my own sanity, I opted to play the Vonage IPO. Still hurting from my missed opportunity at the Google IPO (see above), I jumped into this longshot, which was a dead duck from day one. In a week's time, I saw my 600 shares drop from a value of nearly $10,000 to just under $7,000, costing me almost $3,000. (I already chastised myself publicly here)

4. Rack 'Em Up, Stack Up the Losses

See a trend? I think I can outsmart the market by buying low and selling high. The trick is that everybody else keeps selling, and usually what goes down, must go down some more. Earlier this year, I fell for that trap again. In the first half of this year, I bought into 500 shares of Rackable at 21.15. By the end of April, I was out entirely at 12.72 a share, and it's even lower now. My total loss? More than $4,200 by the end of April. That's worse than taxes for a mid-April surprise.

5. Burst My Bubble

In January of 2006, I thought I could buy low and sell high again by riding the hype around a small stock with shaky but potentially profitable ambitions. I purchased 6000 shares of Burst (BRST) around $2 and sold for $1.60. I thought the company might actually make some cash off its suing Apple for patent infringements, but the stock had already jumped and I lost my shirt to the tune of about $2,500 in the space of 2 days. I'd rather I lost that money playing slots in Vegas somewhere.

6. Sun Rise, Sun Set

While the total value lost here wasn't tremendous, around $1,000, it sure is embarrassing for my setting a record in bad timing. From July to September of 2002, I was accumulating Sun Microsystems stock at low, low prices, first at $4.75, and later at $3.65. But the stock was in freefall after nobody wanted "the dot in dotcom". I gave up on the stock on October 4 of 2002, selling all 655 shares at $2.50 apiece. Not only is the stock more than twice as high now, nearly five years later, but $2.50 was just about as low as it ever went. (Reference: Google Finance)

7. An Apple a Day Keeps Debt Away

At the end of April, following delays in Apple's Mac OS X Leopard operating system, and concerns around iPod sell-throughs, I thought the best thing was to get out of Apple altogether. Very publicly, I sold my 200 shares of Apple stock at $94 apiece, making about $1,600 on the deal. But if you take a look at Apple stock now, just two months later, you'll see the stock is around $124 a share. Quick math says I left $6,000 on the table. (This wasn't my first wrong guess on AAPL)

8. A Half Hour Will Cost You a Grand

On September 28, 2005, Incyte Corporation had taken a big one-day dive, from the $7 range to just under $5. Looking for the inevitable bounce, I put in for 1,500 shares, with a stop loss that would prevent me from getting too fleeced. I literally took a shower, and came back to find my sale executed at $4.25 a share. All told, I had lost $1,000+ from 6:49 a.m. to 7:12 a.m. and I hadn't even had breakfast. That's a horrible way to start the day. The stock now trades around $6.38 a share.

So that's about $20,000 in real losses and $60,000 in unrealized gains. They say you're not supposed to have buyer's remorse or seller's remorse, but I just can't help it. What are some of the worst stock trades you've ever made?

Top 10 Favorite Current A's Players (May '07)

Cross-posted to Athletics Nation...

A player's popularity can rise and fall as quickly as his batting average or ERA. While as A's fans, we remain loyal to our team, our loyalty to individuals can sometimes be as fleeting as a single at-bat or one relief appearance. We've all seen Top Ten lists, and I thought it'd be a fun practice to post my top ten favorite current A's players (including position players and pitchers) as they stand right now.

Please do add on your list as well, and if this gains interest, we can do it with something resembling frequency. Please be as detailed with your descriptions as you like. You can vote players up or down based on long-term success or potential, how good they look in a uniform, or whatever you please. Nobody will be graded for right or wrong answers.

With any luck, we can be amused by changes over time or can get a collective view of AN's leanings...

And before anybody asks, yes, it is okay to include players on the DL or in the minors, if you must. But if they are traded, or waived, they cannot be listed. So please, no Todd Walker votes.

My Top 10 Favorite Current A's Players (May '07)

1. Jack Cust

Reasons: Seeming invincibility. The threat of a big home run or a walk in nearly every at bat. The story about rising from obscurity, yet the knowledge that AN knew about him "all along".

2. Travis Buck

Reasons: More extra base hits than singles. Excitement and hustle of a rookie, yet fits in extremely well with the rest of the A's squad. Looks "happy to be here". A feel good story after Spring Training success.

3. Nick Swisher

Reasons: Provides good power, plate discipline and plays well in the outfield and at 1st. A team leader despite young age, who always seems like he's having the time of his life. Gets along great with others like Bradley and Buck.

4. Milton Bradley

Reasons: Plays the game hard. Aside from Cust, Bradley is the guy I want at the plate with the game on the line. Puts fear into the hearts of the opposing pitcher and umpiring crew at the same time.

5. Dan Haren

Reasons: One of the world's best pitchers right now, period. Quietly goes about his game and somehow always keeps the opposition below 3 runs. Makes Billy Beane look like a genius for trading Mulder.

6. Eric Chavez

Reasons: Plays every single day at one of the most challenging positions on the field, and excels at it. Hits for power and functions as the team leader by example. Stayed in through 2006 despite injuries, at Beane's behest.

7. Joe Blanton

Reasons: One of the "true A's" character-wise, Blanton is a pitcher that can be counted on to go deep into a game every start, and keep his team in the game, with or without run support. Doesn't get excited when he does well or is in trouble, but remains steady.

8. Dan Johnson

Reasons: Figured out seeing one ball is better than two. After I was ready to run him out of the game last year, he is working the count, hitting for power, and causing trouble for opposing pitchers. Will probably move up if this continues.

9. Jay Marshall

Reasons: I dig the underhand style. Seeing him in Spring Training made him one to watch for me, and though his approach is unorthodox, it'll enable him to confuse batters just about every game.

10. Adam Melhuse

Reasons: Melhuse may be a surprise pick, but I can't help but root for the guy. Anytime Kendall comes up in late innings or with runners on, we're calling out for Melhuse. Seeing him at home games warming up a pitcher and quietly trotting back to the dugout is all too common. Melhuse is a guy I'm always pulling for, as a hard luck story.

So there you have it. Not always rational, but that's part of being a fan. My guess is you'll likely take issue with some of my suggestions, and have your own. Go to it, and give us what you've got.

Ten Geeky Technologies Not Coming to Our House

We may revel in our geekdom, but we have limits. Some of the more popular technology gadgets or software that don't have any place in our home, for various reasons, are below. After all, it's one thing to be nuts about technology, quite another to just be nuts. Here, we draw the line.

1. Skype or VoIP
2. Twitter
3. Linux
4. Plaxo
5. MySpace, BeBo, Piczo and the rest
6. Xbox, PS3 or Wii
7. AIM, ICQ, Jabber, Yahoo! IM or GTalk
8. Del.icio.us
9. Flickr
10. EV-DO

Top Ten louisgray.com Stories of 2006

1. ANtics Episode 2.32: Milton Bradley, Mr. Intensity (600)
2. Web 2.0 Companies Play With Error Messages (400)
3. Site Endorsement: Guy Kawasaki's Blog (400)
4. Apple's iPod, iTunes Competitors Stumbling (350)
5. Topix Launches One Year News Search (330)
6. Will Second Half of '06 Be Huge for Apple? (330)
7. Google Buys YouTube for $1.65 Billion (325)
8. A's Get Pummeled 14-0 As We Watch, Helpless (285)
9. Mac OS X 10.5 Remains a Mystery (230)
10. ANtics Episode 2.23: Intensity for the Long Haul (220)

Top Ten 2006 Site Referrals to louisgray.com

1. Athletics Nation
2. MySpace (various user pages)
3. Feedburner RSS Feed
4. Google Images
5. Web Robin 
6. BlogLines
7. Sactown Royalty
8. Mercury News: Microsoft's Plans For Handheld Game Player and "iPod Killer"
9. Google Images (Venezuela)
10. The Apple Blog

Top Ten ANtics Comics of 2006

(By full-size JPG downloads)

1. Episode 2.11: A Tale of Two Zitos (5,250)
2. Episode 2.5: Scutaro Skills (2,900)
3. Episode 2.2: A's Offense, New and Improved (2,200)
4. Episode 2.7: Crosby Wellness Clinic 101 (2,200)
5. Episode 2.4: Spring Training Pins and Needles (2,150)
6. Episode 2.8: Swish vs. the Sophomore Slump (2,000)
7. Episode 2.1: 2006: The ANtics Take On the Off-Season (1,950)
8. Episode 2.13: 3 Games of Shadows (1,900)
9. Episode 2.6: 2006 Player Predictions (1,850)
10. Episode 2.19: Eric Byrnes' Curse Continues (1,825)

Top Ten louisgray.com Pages of 2006

1. louisgray.com RSS feed (28,000+)
2. louisgray.com/live (23,000+)
3. louisgray.com/music (17,700+)
4. ANtics Comics Archive (3,800+)
5. March 2006 Archive (1,400+)
6. Sections: Technology (1,000)
7. ANtics Comics 2006 Archive (950)
8. Sections: Ramblings (900)
9. ANtics Comics 2005 Archive (700)
10. Sections: Sports (700)

Top Ten Signs We've Gotten Lazy At Chores

1. Simply turning on the Roomba to vacuum is too much effort.
2. We would rather my wife not cook, just so I don't have to do dishes.
3. "Picking up" around the house means lifting items just so the Roomba can clean under them, and then putting them back where they were.
4. If the bathroom seems dirty, instead of cleaning, I'd use the guest bathroom.
5. I'd donate clothes to goodwill rather than clean and iron them.
6. If I need more light in the room, I turn the TV on, instead of reaching for the lamp.
7. If the phone rings, I wait, knowing if it's important, they will eventually call my cell phone, which is sitting next to me.
8. I would hire the maid, but I don't want the hassle of picking one.
9. Ordering groceries from Safeway.com seems too inconvenient because they won't deliver in the next few hours.
10. If I select what's for dinner in order of how long it takes to cook it in the microwave. Lowest time wins.

Top Ten Television Shows: Winter 2006 Edition

(It's time for an update)

1. Law and Order: SVU
2. War at Home
3. Law and Order: CI
4. House
5. ER
6. CSI
7. Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
8. Arli$$ (in syndication)
9. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
10. Law and Order

Top Ten Reasons Delta Is Better than United

1. Pay Per View Movies at Your Seat
2. 25+ Live Cable Channels at Your Seat
3. CD Jukebox available at Your Seat

(note a trend here?)

4. Shortbread cookies, not roasted peanuts...
5. Lower ticket prices
6. Taller chair backrests
7. More leg room
8. Electronic check-in by credit card at every airport
9. Flight tracker at the seat
10. You can challenge other passengers at trivia

Simply put, the little built-in entertainment console in every seat on the cross-country flights make a real difference. I wasn't forced to read my book and live off the iPod Shuffle's songs to be entertained. On our flight from Atlanta to San Jose today, we saw "Click" with Adam Sandler, watched CNBC, ESPN and CNN, and sampled new tracks by Madonna, Zero 7 and Thievery Corporation.

Not too shabby. Considering it cost 70% less than United, this is something we will want to do again.

Top Ten Reasons for the A's to Become "Silicon Valley A's"

If rumors are true, the nomad-like Oakland A's are on the move again. After the franchise started its tenure in Philadelphia, the team later moved to Kansas City, before settling down in Oakland, where they've played since 1968. Economic pressures being what they are, the team now looks like they're going to make a move down to Fremont, as close to San Jose as they possibly can without running afoul of the San Francisco Giants' "territorial rights".

See: The A's May Know the Way to San Jose

But if the team moves, it's not yet clear what the franchise will be named. The Fremont A's? The East Bay A's? The San Jose A's? The Silicon Valley A's?

We present the Top Ten reasons the A's, once moved, should be named the Silicon Valley A's.

Top Ten Reasons for the A's to become "Silicon Valley A's"

1. The team could hire cheerleaders and rename them "Valley Girls".
2. Intel could sponsor the teams batting as "Dual Core".
3. High speed wireless Internet at every seat in the park.
4. Every A would wear an RFID chip to help with safe/out calls.
5. Umpires could be replaced with virtual umpires.
6. The stadium could be cleaned with an army of grass-eating Roomba mowers.
7. The team would "defrag" in the off-season.
8. Meetings on the mound could be sponsored by WebEx.
9. After a championship season, the team could IPO on the NASDAQ.
10. Silicon Valley loves three-letter acronyms. They'd be known as the SVA's.

Top Ten Artists Not Hyped on the Blog Yet

(It's time to introduce some new music...)

1. Ferry Corsten
2. Gabriel & Dresden
3. M83
4. Röyksopp
5. Ulrich Schnauss
6. Cosmic Gate
7. Snow Patrol
8. DJ Icey
9. Robbie Rivera
10. Purple Haze

Top Ten Addictions (That I'll Admit To)

1. My wife. Before I get things thrown at me, claiming I'm a sentimental sap, it's true. She just happens to be really cute, a fun companion, and smart, too! Though it's not always easy to admit it, every minute of every day, we're both darn lucky we're not single. Anybody who will put up with my other 9 addictions, in no particular order, and still manages to be unique herself, is worth keeping.

2. The Internet. Try and get me to take a vacation that doesn't involve easy access to high-speed Internet... it's not going to happen. I'm on the laptop first and last things each day.

3. My job. At each stop in my career, I've been all-consumed to exceeding expectations. If that sounds like a sorry first line to a resume, so be it. But hardly a minute goes by when I'm not either thinking about a project, or strategizing on where to take the next one. The goal is to make the company bigger and better because I've been part of it, and for them to know I helped.

4. Humor. It sounds generic, but if I'm not actively seeking out witty sarcasm through The Daily Show, The Simpsons, Arli$$, or This Modern World (to name a few), it's me making up the nonsense. I've usually got a crooked grin hiding the fact that something has internally struck me funny, and there's just not a good outlet for it yet. Other times, I let the words go, and so long as it's funny to me, that works well.

5. Competition. Again, generic. But I yearn for it. I hate losing, and I love fighting to come out on top, whether that's in a game of cribbage against my 78-year-old father in law, Trivial Pursuit against my wife, a pickup game of H-O-R-S-E with my colleagues, or in business. Competition stokes the inner fires and pushes me to get better at whatever I want to.

6. Oakland A's baseball. If the game's on, I know the score. Doesn't matter if I'm at the game, in the car, on the road, or at the office. Even if I'm not actively participating in the gameday thread at Athletics Nation, part of my mind is on the game.

7. Techno music. I almost always have some kind of techno beat in my head. Techno and electronic music is why Mozart came and died. This is the end result of all those composers who made names for themselves in history. Techno gives me energy and enjoyment for pretty much any situation.

8. Diet Coke. Now that's traditional, isn't it? In my teens, I simply didn't have enough money required to sponsor my addiction, but by the time I got to college, and into the workforce, I was only too happy to oblige. Good thing I switched away from the full-octane stuff my junior year at UC Berkeley. Otherwise, I'd be even more heavy.

9. E-mail. While you could argue that it's a subset of the Internet, it really has earned its own spot, especially with the advent and adoption of the Blackberry, which brings e-mail with me, no matter where I go. If you ever want to see a businessman fidget, take his Blackberry away. They literally will reach for it, only to see the face fall when their body realizes it's gone.

10. TiVo! Though the summer months don't help me renew my vows with TiVo as often as the rest of the year, this black, rectangular box does my bidding every day, whenever I ask, and it really does wait for me to be ready to spend time with it. It entertains me for hours, and never asks to be taken for a walk (sorry to Molly, our 16-year-old beagle) or reminds me when the mortgage is due.

Top Ten Recent Documentaries

We've seen quite a few documentaries lately, enough so that a top ten is in order, ranging from politics to nature, business and the spelling bee.

1. Fahrenheit 9/11

Still among the elite in bringing home the horror of an unforgettable day, while stirring up the knowledge we all had that more could have been done, and that our filthy, guilty administration didn't go out of their way to protect us before or afterwards.

2. An Inconvenient Truth

As covered here before, a must-see film that will change the way you look at your role in the environment. I will be getting a hybrid car now. That's almost a given.

3. Super Size Me

A hilarious send-up of big fat America with McDonalds as the star. Not that it stopped me from continuing to eat fast-food.

4. Startup.com

Often hitting way too close to home, this film covers the rise and fall of GovWorks. We cringe at the CEO's hubris and feel for the office minions who get swept up in the dream, only to see it crash down.

5. Spellbound

Brings me back to win I was garnering trophies as a geeky elementary school super-speller. I made "states" twice, but no further.

6. Outfoxed

A stinging rebuke of the idea that Fox News is "fair and balanced". Exposes the network as a crock. Which we knew already, but loved seeing.

7. The Smartest Guys in the Room

A look into how Enron stole from California, Texas and pretty much everyone.

8. Bowling for Columbine

The American gun culture is ridiculous. Michael Moore makes Charles Heston look silly in his role heading the NRA, while also showing us why we all should just up and move to Canada.

9. March of the Penguins

A cute, Antarctic story following the hopeful trek to mate and reproduce, made more difficult by frigid winds, and the fact one has to waddle for miles.

10. Going Upriver: The Long War of John Kerry

An almost-forgotten piece that tried to help Kerry when the liars behind the "Swift Boat Veterans" were running amok. Worth seeing, even now that he's lost.

Top Ten Mac OS X Arcade Games

1. Hardwood Hearts
2. Yeti Sports (Download them All!)
3. iConquer
4. Quinn
5. Classic Cribbage
6. Reckless Drivin'
7. Airburst
8. Reversi Deluxe
9. Scramble
10. RockNES (Find your own ROMs, of course)

Top Ten Dashboard Widgets

Apple's Dashboard, included in Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) utilizes mini-applications, easily customized, and hidden away for viewing at user's preference, without taking up valuable real estate. Though some thought Apple ripped off Konfabulator (now Yahoo! widgets), Apple has managed to engage the developer community well, which has seen terrific innovation. Some of my favorites, which I use with some frequency, are below.

1. Stocks
2. tremorSkimmer
3. RadarInMotion
4. Scoreboard
5. SimpsonBot
6. Gas
7. Reversi
8. Buzztracker
9. Translation
10.Technorati Ping

Listening to ''After Love (New Short Cut)'', by Piet Blank & Jaspa Jones (Play Count: 1)

My Top Ten Tools For Working Remotely

Sometimes, I think we take technology for granted. This evening, after getting home from the office, I made edits to our Web site from the comfort of my couch - even though the server is back at headquarters. While I've done this for years, technology continues to improve to make the process easier. With my heading off to another trade show this coming week, this time in Chicago, remote access will be essential. Here's how we do it.

1. The Apple iPod.

What? You thought this was a toy for listening to music and watching TV shows? You'd usually be right, but the iPod acts as my primary storage device, to and from the office. Now, any Mac with a Firewire or USB port is my office. So long as I backup the iPod to my home laptop (and I do), the data is not only portable, but safe.

2. Microsoft Outlook Webmail

This is one thing Microsoft does really well. I can access all my work e-mail from any computer, just through the Web. From the Web interface, I can not only send and receive e-mail, but sort data in folders, and send meeting invites, or view the calendar. With an acceptance that most corporations continue to use Windows and Outlook, I'm surprisingly happy with this tool.

3. Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection

Two Microsoft in a row! (Looks at the window toward the East to see any visitors...)

Remote Desktop Connection takes off where VNC ends. Though I've used a number of variants of VNC over the years, Microsoft's Remote Desktop Connection lets me log in securely to the company's Web site, and make changes. Even while running Mac OS X, I can pop open a window to the Microsoft Windows Server 2003 box and make edits - and then log out as simply as if I were standing in front of the box in our datacenter. This, and VNC before it, prevent me from having to utilize "sneakernet" and shuttle data from my local disk to the remote machine or run local scripts.

4. FTP (Fetch 4.0.3)

The old reliable... though competitors like CuteFTP and Anarchie popped up now and again, Fetch remains a strong FTP client. As with Microsoft's RDC, I can remotely log in to upload or download data. Used in combination with all those tools above, I can upload a file from the iPod, FTP it over with Fetch, and log into Microsoft RDC to move it to the right directory before testing. (Fetch is also used to manage the graphics on this site.)

5 - 8. .Mac Sync with Apple's Safari, Address Book and iCal

This probably deserves to be higher. As a .Mac member, Apple automatically synchronizes my bookmarks in Safari, my Address Book, and my calendar (iCal) between the home laptop and the desktop at the office. This way, I don't have to wish that I had all my tools at hand - instead, I know they are there, so I can run the same queries and get the same results across boxes.

9. RIM Blackberry

When away from the desktop, the Blackberry one-ups Webmail, by taking my e-mail, calendar, and cell phone with me in one device. While I'm not the type who likes sending out large messages from the Blackberry, real-time synchronization with Exchange is essential to keep up to date. Call history and Caller ID is very nice as well - something we take all too much for granted.

10. Bare Bones BBEdit

It wouldn't do me any good to take files back and forth on the iPod from the office if I couldn't mangle them the same way at home as I do from the corporate desk. BBEdit has been my text and HTML editor of choice for nearly 10 years now, and until I gain more savvy or am up for a challenge, that isn't going to change. BBEdit was built for Web editing and ensures I see the same output on any browser or operating system, whether I'm working from home, the road, or headquarters.

Listening to ''University Microfilms International (Non Album Track)'', by Stereolab (Play Count: 11)

Top Ten Reasons W. Knows Jeb Would Be Great Prez

You may have seen the news that George W. said he believes his brother Jeb Bush, current governor of Florida, would make "a great president". Well, we thought about it and, from his perspective, we have to agree. Here are the top ten reasons Jeb Bush would make "a great president".

1. In comparison to George's tenure as president, so long as Jeb doesn't sell the entire United States to Saudi Arabia for a single barrel of oil, he would probably be instantly canonized.

2. George has proven you don't even need to know how to read to be president.

3. Having already overseen the biggest voting scam in the history of the country during 2000's presidential race, Jeb is a perfect fit to follow his brother's footsteps in ignoring national law for the sake of the party.

4. Both Jeb and George have shown they can ask their secretaries of state to follow their every word, even when it makes them both contradictory and mentally vacant.

5. Number of terrorist attacks in Florida since his taking elected office? Zero.

6. Number of wars initiated from Florida based on faulty intelligence? Zero.

7. Jeb understands living nearby a hostile region, and avoiding conflict. In Florida, it's Cuba, sitting 90 miles off shore. For his brother, it's basically anybody outside of the White House. He'd adjust easily.

8. Bush - it's the new Kennedy. Only not good looking. Or smart. Or charismatic. Or likeable. Okay, it's not like the Kennedys at all.

9. Both George and Jeb are still taking orders from Daddy.

10. With George's approval rating sitting around 33%, according to most polls, Jeb could be more popular in America even if he alienated all of the women, the entire black population, and Ivy League graduates through foolish endeavors.
Listening to ''The Hand That Feeds'', by Nine Inch Nails (Play Count: 2)

Top Ten TV Shows (Updated)

This list was first posted three months ago, on January 9th, so as my fickle tastes evolve, here's the update to the idiot box rankings.

1. The West Wing (-)
2. 24 (+1)
3. War At Home (+4)
4. Law and Order, Criminal Intent (-)
5. House (NEW!)
6. The Daily Show (-4)
7. CSI (-2)
8. Conviction (NEW!)
9. Law and Order, SVU (-3)
10. Late Night With Conan O'Brien (-2)

Dropped from the list: The Colbert Report and Law and Order...

Listening to ''Dream'', by Blutonium Boy Vs DJ Session One (Play Count: 5)