Career Column

Career-Op: On the web
by Douglas E. Welch, ComputorEdge Magazine

If you have been reading this column for a while, you may have visited my web site on occasion. While my site is far from ideal, it does provide me a space to share my past columns as well as other information about my writing, my work and my life. The web site certainly is not as busy as most commercial web sites, but I do receive visitors from all over the world; people who might otherwise have never heard of me or my writing. This, though, is only one reason why I would recommend that you have your own web site, no matter how small. You never know who might stumble across your "front door"? and what effect they might have on your high-tech career.

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Wi-Fi Hotspot

Just by accident, today I found a Wi-Fi Internet connection right next to theplace where my son is taking the first of several art lessons.

If you happen to be in the Sherman Oaks area, Cleo and Cucci, an upscale coffee bar and cafe in the Westfield Fashion Square (formerly the Sherman Oaks Fashion Square) is a Wi-Fi hostpot. They are located on the first floor in the south side of the mall (the side closest to the parking structure.

Web

Design Dont's

If you, or someone you know, is studying design, this is a definite "must-see." It makes you wonder how someone could make such basic mistakes -- and how they could go unnoticed throughout the design process.

Via Metafilter

Computers/Macintosh

Apple iTunes 4 with Music Store

In case you have been living in an unconnected cave (SMILE), Apple has announced a new version of their iTunes music player and a new online store that allows you to by individual songs for $.99 each.

From the Apple.com web site...

iTunes lets you create your own personal digital music library, allowing you to manage and play your music collection with drag-and-drop simplicity. iTunes 4 adds the ability to share music among your Macs, play and encode AAC files, and view album art. iTunes 4 is available for Mac OS X only.

Book

They Have a Word for It: A Lighthearted Lexicon of Untranslatable Words and Phrases

I love languages. Each one has their own words and phrases that are entirely untranslatable without several sentences of explanation. As I have learned Italian over the last few years (in order to converse with my wife's relatives) I have found certain phrases in English that just don't translate into Italian directly. Now the tables are turned, as this book provides me with some Italian phrases that have a much deep meaning than might be imagined.

The author, Howard Rheingold, has collected words for a lot of different languages, including Chinese, Hindi, Italian, French and even Hawaiian. In fact, one of my favorites comes from that language -- ho'oponopono (HO-OH-poh-no-poh-no). It means "solving a problem by talking it out", something that I do on a regular basis (even if I am only talking to myself!)

Italian gives us attaccabottoni ("a doleful bore who buttonholes people and tells sad, pointless tales.") I have run into a few of these in my life, so it is nice to have a new word with which to reference them. (SMILE)

Each time I flip through the book I find more and more interesting words. Rheingold encourages you to start using the words in your vocabulary and I think I just might try. That way, the next time a friend bangs his or her thumb with a hammer you can reply "uffda", a Swedish "word of sympathy, used when someone else is in pain."

Computers/Macintosh

I am always looking for little fun things to add to my Mac. Icons are one of the easiest ways to dress up your desktop. Check out this collection of 50 odd icons based around pop culture.

Pixel : Pop 1.0 debuts; 50 pop culture icons for Mac OS X
Pixel : Pop is a vibrant set of 50 icons that take elements from popular culture and transforms them into 128x128 icons. From apps to the obscure, these icons are bound to find a place on your hard drive! form widget:widget. Get them here. [MacDailyNews]

A Thread Across the Ocean: The Heroic Story of the Trans Atlantic Cable

In today's world of instant communications, it is hard to fathom a time when news took weeks or months to travel across the Atlantic Ocean. This is the story of the band of business men who conquered the depths and brought near-instantaneous communication to America.

I am a non-fiction junky, so when I saw this book at the library I had to pick it up. It was a quick read, about 2-3 days overall. Books like this just seem to pull me through them. I find myself reading over lunch, dinner and even well into the early morning hours.