ivantohelpyou

I've spent the last year or so writing about small business and refreshing my IT skills with hands-on experience. Now, it's time for me to get back to my core strength as a writer who not only understands how the banking system and the financial markets work, but also has a few ideas about how they could be improved through the judicious use of technology.

Accordingly, I'm blogging about technology in banking and the capital markets at my new site (and company) Taelyen. It's all big picture, with visions about how innovations in technology can benefit the capital markets and the economy. I welcome your readership and comments.

Visit the Taelyen blog: http://taelyen.com/blog.htm

Labels: taelyen

Yes, I like having a blog. But for the month-and-a-half I've been away, it was also nice to not have to think about what I would say to you each and every day. I didn't have to consider the ramifications of how you would react every time I wrote something. It was nice not worrying whether I might say something one day that would bite me in the rear later.

Who are you, anyway? Let's face it, we don't know each other very well at all. We've been seeing each other for a long time now, and it's just been a one-way conversation. It's like pulling teeth to get anything meaningful out of you readers, isn't it? Frankly, I'm tired of it. OK, maybe I'm not the best listener, and sure, I didn't have comments turned on. But still.

Sure, sometimes I would blabber on about things you may not have had any interest in whatsoever, such as the latest technology stuff or what I saw at the movies. Well, that's what was on my mind, and that's what a blog is for, right? Excuse me if not all of my thoughts are completely profound.

I think we need some time apart. So I'm going to hang out at Facebook for a while and see what happens. Meet some new people, that kind of thing. But let's face it, this blog here, it's done.

I hope we can still be friends.

Labels: blogging

Having a wonderful time, learning Czech language, culture, food, customs and more.

Almost completely unplugged for the last three weeks, will continue to be so for the next three. It's an amazing feeling, you bloggers should try it sometime.

Na zdravi!

Labels: travel

I'll be checking my SkypeIn messages from Internet café-land.

Read all about my Skype setup in the latest SmallBizResource post, and learn how you can add one of these fancy buttons to your web site:



Get Skype and call me for free.

Labels: telecom, travel, Web 2.0

For at least a couple of weeks now, I've been trying to write an article about online applications that can be used instead of Microsoft Office. But I keep running into the same problem – whenever I have an actual task to do, i.e. one that might be a good candidate for an online application, I instinctively open a Microsoft application and get to work before I realize the missed opportunity.

So now, I'm going to take a drastic step. Today, I'm going to head to the airport and board a plane for London. After a few days there, it's off to the Czech Republic. And I'm not going to bring my laptop. gasp

I'm just going to bring all the peripherals I need for the digital lifestyle using other people's computers:

• iPod shuffle
• U3 ThinkFree 1GB Smart Drive - Plug it into a Windows PC, and it boots like a CD and then mounts a storage volume. Easy access to Firefox (with your bookmarks), Thunderbird (with your e-mail), Skype (with your account) and ThinkFree Office.
• Firewire card and cable. I'll have access to a DV cam.
  
• digital camera and USB cable, plus USB battery charger
• ethernet cable, phone cable, phone/power adaptors.
  

Sure, it's a lot of stuff. But it's all REALLY LIGHT and very replaceable.

Should be easy to write that online-apps article now. Plus, I'll have enough material for a brand new article as well.

Labels: gadgets, travel

Having attended Ignite Web 2.0 Expo in San Francisco earlier this year, I was happy to see that my trip to the Bay State coincided with Ignite Boston.

Whereas the San Francisco event had the atmosphere of a poetry slam, the Boston version resembled an open-mic comedy club, complete with hecklers, an indifferent crowd and a couple of punchline-deficient routines that were almost painful to watch. Although the event had a better social vibe with the appropriate liquid lubricant, when you hold the event at a crowded bar rather than in a conference hall equipped with video monitors, you might expect a bit of discordant activity.

For next time, I'd suggest to the O'Reilly team that they arrange space at one of the local universities, followed by drinks at a nearby pub. And despite my earlier criticism of the Mozes-based voting apparatus, it really did help to set the tone of the San Francisco event, and I missed it this time around.

Anyway, I hope to have something to say for five minutes in the spotlight by the next time I show up at one of these things. Boston, though, that's a tough crowd.


Related blog posts:
Web 2.0 Expo: Poetry Slam for Geeks

Labels: Web 2.0

I'm preparing for a trip to Prague in June and July, to study the Czech language and culture.

Here's a SmallBizResource blog post about how I'm going to stay in touch while I'm abroad.

Link:
The Small Biz Road Warrior Kit

Labels: Czech, small biz, travel