Archive | October, 2007

Get More From Google Notebook Guide

Google Notebook Tips

Google Notebook for me has been a life saver in more than one occasion. Right now I use it mainly to manage work related stuff, like quick responses to often asked questions but there are a million and one ways you could get a lot out of it. It is a powerful for just about any job.

googlnote.gif Google Notebook Tools

Get the Google Notebook Firefox Extension – The Firefox extension makes a handy helper if you find yourself diving into Google Notebook a lot during your day. It gives you a little popup menu to manage your notebooks in the bottom right hand corner of the browser.

Open Google Notebook in Firefox Sidebar – This is a hack I guess you could say that I stumbled upon several months ago. Still useful if you like to use the Firefox sidebar function a lot.

Google Notebook for your iGoogle Homepage – If your first stop in your browser is Google, then this iGoogle gadget is a perfect one-two punch to your note saving ways.

googlnote.gif Google Notebook Tasks and Tips

Search Google Notebooks – Always interesting to see what information has been made public and searchable via Google Notebooks.

Getting Things Done with Google Notebook – If not saving isn’t your deal – then you might want to look at using it as a to do list instead. This article from Lifehacker will help you becoming a “getting things done” guru.

Recover Lost Notes from Trash – One handy feature this is still new to Google Notebook is the ability to recover deleted notes and notebooks. Say you have a change of heart about deleting one of your collections, you can recover it here – as long as 30 days hasn’t passed.

Note Your Google Search Results – After using Google Notebook for the first time you should have a new selection under your Google search results to “Note This”. This will add the search result to your notes for safe keeping.

Add “Sections” Back to Notebooks – After the latest redesign, the “sections” seemed to be lost from Google Notebook. To get them back – click on the “New Note” button and then where it says, “Type, paste or add section” click on the blue link for section and you should give yourself back the divider for your single notebook. Organization rocks!

Google Notebook: Use the Privacy Option – Make sure you are not sharing information you don’t want to have public! Since this posts was written I think the default for notebooks is the “private” setting.

Know of anymore tips? If this becomes as popular as the Google Reader guide I did, might have to keep it updated with suggestions if you have them.

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Another Gmail Apple Theme?

While waiting for the Gmail folks to upgrade my account – figured I’d go out and look at some of the alternative themes out there for it. This one I found over at Userstyles.org – the home for scripts used with the Stylish Firefox extension (or with some, Greasemonkey).

Gmail.app

I do have to say it looks pretty slick.

+ Check Out Gmail.app (Mac Os Style) on Userstyles.org!

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Page Rank Debate and cPanel Backups

Almost lost my voice doing yesterday’s podcast recording, so appreciate my excitement about getting this put out there for the public and my lack of probably common sense to stop talking when I should have. On this week’s edition of the Web Hosting Show I covered the following:

  • Google PageRank Updates and Debate
  • Discrimination Against Southerners in Hosting
  • How to Backup Using cPanel
  • Best of the Forum Scripts
  • ICANN Investigates Insider Domain Registrations

Should be a podcast everybody can get something out of. If not, you can have your money back! Jokes on you though, you can listen for free.

+ Listen to Episode 129 of the Web Hosting Show!

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Feeding Twitter Google Reader’s Shared Posts

Mitch on TwitterI used to do the shared links here on my site, but decided to take them down due to some layout problems and I really wasn’t a big fan of all the javascript action that was going on. I till like sharing my shared links from Google Reader though.

So what is a link loving geek to do?

Well I decided to figure out a way to post my shared posts form Google Reader into my Twitter posts.

1. Grab your Google Reader shared items RSS feed. This can be done by clicking on the “Shared Items” link in the Google Reader sidebar and then grab the RSS feed it gives you at the top of the next page.

2. Login to TwitterFeed.com (with an OpenID) and setup the feed to Twitter settings. Make sure the checkmark for Include item link (if unchecked, sends tweet without the tinyurl link) is selected.

Now Google Reader’s shared items should be showing up on your Twitter profile. My Twitter is now a little better.

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I Want Sandy – Personal Assistant via E-mail

I Want Sandy!Having a hard time remembering certain things that you don’t really have time to write down? Well, if you are one of those people who live in their e-mail inbox IWantSandy.com might be the service for you.

Using this service could not get any easier. You get you own e-mail to contact Sandy at and she will then remember or remind you of certain things. For an example if you send her an e-mail saying, “Remind me to post about Sandy on Mitchelaneous in 15 minutes” then in 15 minutes you will get an e-mail back reminding you of the task you need to do.

The service (trying my best to stop calling the service “she” and “her”) knows the words remember and remind the best. Here is a little more information.

When you signed up, I sent you a “Welcome” message containing your own personal Sandy email address. You send me stuff by writing to me at that address, either directly or by Cc’ing me on a message to someone else. You can write to me in the subject line or the body of an email message — I pay attention to both.

More details about the service can be found on the official web site.

All in all I think this is a neat service, and I am currently trying to find reasons to use it more and more. If you need a little help getting your projects (and/or life) in order you might want Sandy too.

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Samsung 226BW 22-Inch Widescreen LCD Monitor

Samsung SyncMaster 226BWSo far I have been so happy with my new Samsung 226BW 22-Inch Digital/Analog Widescreen LCD Monitor. Look at it – it is just so darn pretty I could cry!

I had to get rid of my old monitor – not because it wore out but because I needed a bigger work space on my desktop and the back stand for the old one just didn’t work the way it should anymore. It is kind of hard to put into words – but I had to stick a hacky sack behind the monitor so that the monitor’s face wouldn’t tilt down so low I had to sit on the floor to use it and type.

I had heard a few bad reviews about this same model after I bought it so I am happy to hear I apparently got one of the good ones. Best thing about the deal was at Amazon – the price after rebate was only $254.97. Now that is a bargain! With this being my second Samsung, I have to say they have done well by my standards yet again.

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Best URL Shortener is urlTea

urlTea - better URL shortenerIt is my opinion that everybody should have a URL shortener handy from whatever browser you use. I still use TinyURL from time to time – but I have found one that has replaced this mini-url titan on my links bar. The new service I have been using is urlTea.

They have an easy to use bookmarklet which makes shortening URLs brain dead simple. It also automatically copies the new shorter URL to your clipboard too – which saves on an extra step or two. Also you can IM your URLs into a special address (teabot@urltea.com) using Jabber or Google Talk to get a urlTea URL.

The current base of TinyURL clones out there are still lacking. This service at least looks like it has a unique vision for it’s present and future – and that is never a bad thing.

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Web Dev and Hosting Podcast

This week’s edition of the Web Hosting Show is up and running, and we have a little ‘bit of something for everybody. For webmasters, for hosting pros – I promise that nobody is left out of the loop.

Here are just a few topics from this week’s episode of the Web Hosting Show.

  • Domain Name Keyword Tools!
  • Dedicated Web Hosting for Web 2.0!
  • Best Ways to Get Videos Read for the Web?
  • Optimize Your Web Site Images and Flash!
  • What is a Reseller Web Hosting Account?

So go check out the show notes and listen for yourself on the Web Hosting Show web site! Episode 128 is on the air and ready for download.

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Mitch Starts to Twitter

Ok, before you give me a hard time because of how lame I once said Twitter is, remember – its my birthday so you have to be nice to me! I have decided to jump on the bandwagon after becoming bored with Pownce and see what all the buzz was about.

https://twitter.com/mitchkeeler

Come on, come twitter with me. You know you want to!

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Green Hosting, Sales Term of the Future?

Green Web HostingI have a lot of mixed feelings about green web hosting. There are many companies doing it many different ways, but to wrap it up in a nutshell you could say this. Green hosting is an action taken by a web host to balance their waste with something good for the environment.

Carbon credit scams are nothing more than a well worked shell game.

Let me give you an example of how things should not be done. Lets say I am a real jerk. I treat people like crap and I like to kick them when they are down. I am the kind of guy that would rather lead an only lady into on coming traffic than help her get across the street.

Now there is another company that comes along and says, “You don’t have to stop being a jerk, but for $100 a year you can buy nice credits from people who are too nice.” With these nice credits I can claim to be nice, and I really don’t have to be? This is brilliant! I can keep being a jerk and then tell all my friends I am the geeky male version of Mother Teresa.

Doesn’t that sound silly? Unfortunately that is pretty much how these carbon credits work that web hosts buy from other companies.

So what can you do to become a real green web host? I say take the action in your own hands. Don’t go buy credits – do something without getting an officially recognized seal. You could have all of your employees go out once a month and clean up trash along the high way. You could plan community recycling events in your area. You could go out and buy a acre of land and plant a tree or two each year. There are more than a few ways to really help the planet.

So is green hosting nothing more than the sales term of the future? Hard to tell. I do think that people should really do their homework though before signing up with any web host who claims to be green to see what they are really doing. Are they getting out there and getting to work or are they just buying useless credits from some other company?

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