Linking it all together

Wednesday, 03 September 2008 11:52 Written by Guy Davies

So I am a bit of a gadget freak… I am not a nerd (I think) but perhaps something worse…a wannabe nerd. I am not quite knowledgeable to hold down the nerd title… But I do try to make best use of new technologies and concepts.

For example, using my tablet PC in a wireless network is amazing, as it enables me to be anywhere around my house / office, and use the PC in a natural manner. I have made the technology adapt to me, and not the other way around. And that is the trick...too many people allow the technology to dictate the environment.

But I have more than one office, and several other people that I need to share information with. We all have our individual computers / laptops / cell phones, but how best to link all these together so that they make sense…

We all have MS Office, and the like, and we looked at Virtual Private Networks (but they can be expensive). Presently we use a lot of Google (free!) products. Presently, my different browsers (on different computers, in different locations) use iGoogle as the start point. This is a great customizable resource. We also have shared files in Google Documents (that we can all access, and modify & share). We have linked Google calendars, so we can see when each of us is free (I can see what my different colleagues have planned, and even what my son is up to on his travels). I have linked that (using Calendar Synch to my Outlook calendar, which in turn is linked via Nokia PC Suite to my cell phone (via bluetooth). So any appointment put in any of these three places is automatically updated to the other two. The only downside can be if I have set a an alarm then everything bleeps at once! I can even get automatic alarms when there is something good to watch on TV (OK, not very likely...but there is always National Geographic & Discovery channels!!).

If we do need to "meet" then we usually use Skype or similar. I am trying to get Truphone to work on my Nokia...but I am not enough of a nerd... And presently have no resident experts (teenagers) in the house to assist...

Oh, and via iPod agent, my iPod also has the same info forced into it…along with the latest episodes of the various podcasts that I listen to automatically downloaded.

I share photos with family / friends using Flickr. Brilliant! As the little people come in with trophies / bruises / new events, I can capture them and literally within seconds, crumblies living on another continent can witness the event... I have another feed letting me know when other friends or family have updated their own photos via Flickr or Picasso, ar wherever.

In the same way, almost all of my surfing of the net is done "automatically" using RSS feeds. They troll the net, looking at all the usual websites that I may visit, and also stretching their searches much further than I would ever go. I have certain search terms, and the clever technology lets me know if when and where these terms are met, and sends me a short summary of the latest info, along with all the necessary links…

Linking all this together can be tiresome, as different technologies sometimes don't seem to want to talk like the manufacturers claim. But when it all works it is amazing! Working cleverer, getting more done, and less wasted time are the outcomes. It enables me to be more connected, to people who may even be on the other side of the world.

Comments (9) Add Comment

Subscribe to this comment's feed