• Desiring God – This one will be dormant for a while as John Piper is taking extended leave but there is a lot you can listen to from the archives.  You can expect wonderfully God-centered preaching that challenges every aspect of you life and calls you to a closer relationship with Christ.  [updated weekly]
• Dave Ramsey – This is a fairly recent find for me.  Apparently they put about an hour of Dave’s show on money management up as a podcast.  There is always good money advice to be had here.  [updated semi-daily]
• Tech Stuff – This is a wonderful show put on by HowStuffWorks.com.  You get around a half hour of explanation and discussion on different technology topics.  Each show they tackle a new one.  Great information and great fun. [updated every Tuesday and Thursday]
• Stuff You Missed In History Class – Another one from HowStuffWorks.com.  I have always enjoyed history and this podcast attempts to pick up the interesting and tasty crumbs that fall off the table of the normal history class.
• Writing Excuses – This is the podcast that got me hooked on listening to podcasts at work.  But since it is only 15 minutes long and updated once per week I had to find other ones to fill the gaps.  Any writer or aspiring writer should listen to this podcast.  The three hosts do a great job of tackling a writing topic in a short period of time.  [updated on Mondays]
• Engadget – Do you want gadget news?  Look no further!  They cover the whole spectrum of gadgets from phones, computers, operating systems, etc.  If any of those things interest you check this podcast out.  [updated weekly, usually]
• Joystiq – Video game news and discussion.  And it is entertaining.  [updated weekly]
• Freakonomics – This is the newest addition to my list.  I read the original Freakonomics book and really enjoyed it.  The podcast takes a look at the hidden side of everything.  For example, the most recent one looked at faking it; how people in society fake being things they are not in order to be accepted in society.  Very interesting. [updated every couple weeks]

So, what podcasts do you listen to?  I am always on the look out for something interesting to pass the time.

I am sure many of you are very aware of the shift in how we are using our computers and our time these days.  Social media is all the rage and people are connecting to more people via the internet than ever before.  I am pretty sure my dad is more active on Facebook than I am.  A sobering thought.

Another new trend is cloud computing.  No longer do you have to start up a word processor to create documents or open your daily newspaper to get news.  Most of the things you do on your computer can be moved to web applications that act in a similar manner.

What I want to give you today is a list of some of the applications I use to stay connected on the web and make it a productive and easier place to be.

• Dropbox:  This is one of my newest discoveries.  Dropbox offers a great way to backup files to the internet and to keep your important files at your fingertips where ever you roam.  It is a simple but elegant idea.  You install the Dropbox software on your computer and it creates a folder called “My Dropbox”.  Anything you put in that folder will immediately be synced up to their servers effectively backing it up for safe keeping.  The file still resides on your computer as well.  If you were to install Dropbox on another computer and link it to your account it would keep all your files synced between the two computers and the web.  Anytime you change a file on one computer it automatically update the one on the web and the other computer as well.  If you don’t have access to one of these computers you can always log into their site and get the file you need.  This means that you always have access to the most recent version of the file where ever you are and they are safely backed up as well.  I am using this thing quite a bit.
• Google Wave:  The newest addition to all of the great Google products, Wave promises to be very useful once more people are on it.  It is a great way to communicate and collaborate with several people at the same time in real time.  If it gets a strong enough user base it will definitely take off.  I wrote an extensive post on it here if you want to read more.
• Google Docs:  Don’t have Word and want to create a document?  Look no further.  Google Docs allows you to create, edit, and store all kinds of documents all on the web.  There is no application to install.  As long as you have Google account (which is free) you can access this.  Docs also supports spreadsheet files, presentations, and forms.  And all you files are available to you where ever you have an internet connection.
• Gmail:  I know I have mentioned this one before.  Gmail is, in my opinion, the best email service out there.  Period.  And it is on the web so you have access to it anywhere.
• Google Reader:  Another reason to have a Google account.  Do you ever find yourself browsing multiple blogs or news websites?  I used to go to each one and it takes time to keep up with them all.  I ended up with so many that I wanted to keep track of that it got discouraging.  This is where Reader comes in.  Think of it as an Inbox for all the news stories and blog posts from all the websites you read.  Each time one of these sites if updated that story will come to your Reader.  Then you can go to your Reader and browse through all the the stuff  in that Inbox, deciding what you want to read or don’t, and all in one place.  No more jumping around from site to site.  A great tool for people who, like me, are information junkies.
• Photoshop.com:  The advent of digital cameras and huge amounts of storage means lots of pictures these days.  Have you ever wanted to do a quick edit to some of you pictures but haven’t wanted to fork over the cash for one of the fancy editing programs?  Photoshop.com is your answer.  It offers up some of most common editing options all online.  And it is free!
• WordPress:  I can’t say enough about this one.  Wordpress is the software that makes my blog possible.  It is easy to use and under heavy development which means that they are constantly improving it.  If you are looking to create a blog, this is what you want to use.  Head over to WordPress.com for a free blog or WordPress.org to get the software to host your own.
• Google Chrome:  I realize that this isn’t a web application but it is just as important.  The browser you are using to access these web apps matters.  Google Chrome just happens to be the fastest browser out there.  It is also very well designed so as to maximize your browsing space.  It is currently only available for PCs but it should be out for Mac before the end of the year.

So there you have it.   What are some of your favorite web applications?

Brian

The easiest way to think about Wave is like instant messaging and email put together in one interface.  You don’t have to switch between your messenger app and your email app.  Both are in a seamless interface.

Messages are displayed immediately to all users that have been invited to the wave who are actively viewing it.  The same messages will be available to users that aren’t present later on as well.  Because of this, Wave can be both real-time communication (instant messaging) and delayed communication (email).

It is also a powerful collaboration tool, which could be used effectively in the business world and casually.  For example, you want your friends to see and interact with that map you are looking at online to plan your trip.  Put the map into the wave you have going with your friends and all of you can interact with it, at the same time.

In email and instant messaging, once a message is sent it cannot be changed.  Not so with Wave.  Users in a wave can simultaneously edit or annotate any text that has been entered into that wave.  This creates an extremely flexible conversation where email or instant messaging is rigid.

Since things are editable, how can someone know what really went on in the discussion?  Enter the Playback function.  By clicking the playback button you get access to every iteration of the conversation starting at the beginning.  This includes all of the edits.  So someone coming in late can easily catch up by seeing exactly how the discussion came to be.

Communication doesn’t have to be all done through multi-user waves.  You can also ping someone or have a private one on one chat.  This can be done either outside the wave structure or inside another wave.

Another big advantage Wave has over its predecessors is robots.  Robots are little programs you can invite to your wave to perform certain functions.  For example, let’s say you are in wave with someone who doesn’t speak your language.  There is a robot that can translate for you as you type so that the other person can read in their language what you just said.  And that is only the beginning.  Some robots are games, some modify or moderate the wave in some way.  This is one of the things that I think will make Wave a very useful service when it is complete.

If you have read this far you are probably wondering how to get in on this action.  As of right now there aren’t many ways to since it is only open to people who received invites to this “preview”.  Google sent out invites to around 100,000 people and these people had a certain number of invites they could send out.  I was fortunate enough to get one from a friend.  Even though they are testing the service out on a small scale I am sure it will be open to all fairly soon.  For an application that is in the alpha stage of development it already looks good and works well.

Wave is all the ways you would normally communicate with people on the internet wrapped into one flexible and powerful package.   The question is will it be able to successfully replace the older technologies?  Personally, I hope so, but we will see.

Brian

I just wanted to give a quick plug to the (not so new, but new to me) service, Twitter.  I have had an account there for a while (brian_casey if you want to follow me) but I haven’t really used it much until recently. Before I was just using it to broadcast that I had a new blog post, but if you know anything about Twitter, it doesn’t really work well in that capacity unless you have some followers.

Since many other people I know started using it I joined the fray.  It really is a good way to network with others and find information quickly since updates come almost instantly.  It is also pretty concise since you are limited to 140 characters per post.  Probably the most fun I have had with it revolved around something called #tweettheauthor.  One of my favorite authors, Brandon Sanderson, was going to be taking questions through this, so I got to follow along and read the answers he gave.

So, if you haven’t given it a try, you should.  I will be looking for more ways to use this service and if I find something interesting I will let you know.  Until then you can check out my twitter feed to the right or follow me.

brian_casey

I am sure everyone reading this is familiar with Google.  You want to find something on the web, you go to Google.  But one thing Google doesn’t do well is provide succinct, quantifiable information.  You can probably get this information from it’s search results but it would take combing through pages of information.  This is where Wolfram Alpha comes in.

Where Google is a search engine, Wolfram Alpha is a knowledge engine.  When you search for something on Wolfram Alpha it doesn’t redirect you to other websites to find the information you need.  It queries a huge data base to find the answer for you.  It does things like providing information on a specific subject (search for “Jupiter” and you get stats about the planet), mathematics (it solves equations), linguistics, and comparisons.  If you want to know the scope of things it can do go to the examples page and look around.  It is pretty astounding.

It also seems to have a sense of humor.  I asked it “Why?” and it responded, “Why not?”.  I asked it “Who is on first?” and it responded “I don’t give a darn.”.  Quite fun to play with.  So head on over to WolframAlpha.com, put in your birthday and see what it comes up with.

For the person wanting  a quick piece of statistical data or if you need help with a calculus problem, this seems the place to go.  I know I will put it to good use.

Brian

I have recently discovered Pandora.  I know.  Most of you know know about this music service but I am late in coming to the party.  In short, it is a great way to find music that I like (and some I really don’t – the cool thing is you can tell it so).  If you haven’t tried Pandora, don’t be like me and wait forever to discover why so many people use it.  Try it.  If you have an iPhone I would highly recommend you try Pandora on it.

Another new thing.  My wife and I have started exercising together.  I am very excited about this.  Right now it is in the form of walking (fast) together on the school’s track that is near our house.  It feels really good to get outside and be active but it feels even better to be doing this with my wife.  We are working toward being able to run together and who knows where it could go from there.  Being active is an integral part of being healthy.  And to be able to exercise with my wife is even better.

Last new thing for this post.  I have decided to take control of my stupid-huge yard.  I have never claimed to have as much as a green pinkie but I am going to give it a shot this spring/summer.  I figure I can at least try to make it a yard you can walk in bare-footed without getting millions of stickers in your feet.  We will see how this goes.

And I am all out of new things (that I can think of).  Hope you enjoyed!

Remember, today is the day that the Lord made, so rejoicing is in order!

Brian

He may be mad, but there’s method in his madness. There nearly always is method in madness. It’s what drives men mad, being methodical.
- GK Chesterton

Bureaucracy defends the status quo long past the time when the quo has lost its status.
- Laurence J. Peter

People ask for criticism, but they only want praise.
- W. Somerset Maugham

There’s always somebody who is paid too much, and taxed too little – and it’s always somebody else.
- Cullen Hightower

A national debt, if it is not excessive, will be to us a national blessing.
- Alexander Hamilton

As to the last quote, if only Mr. Hamilton knew where we were today.

Brian

In this game you play as barbarian tribes invading the collapsing Roman Empire.  You go through two stages in the game: first plundering, then conquering.  Many of the mechanics still exist from Settlers that make it recognizable but there are many new additions as well making it a great new experience with a mix of elements you are familiar with.  We finished our first game of Catan Histories last night with some friends.  This first full play through took quite a bit of time as we were still ironing out the rules as we went but Settlers was the same way.  I expect that the more we play it the shorter the games will get.

If you enjoyed Settlers of Catan you just like a good strategy game you should try this one out.  If you are looking for a good place to purchase board games that you might not find in a local retail store, you should try out Fun Again Games.  They have the largest selection I have found.  Amazon.com would be another spot to check. Occasionally they have better prices than FunAgain.  Happy gaming!

Brian

For example, you can put my blog into Bloglines reader so that you don’t have to come to my site all the time to see if something new and exciting has been posted along with the local weather and news sites you normally check.  Bingo!  You can now read them all from a single source.

As the title suggests, I have found a new and interesting reader called Feed Journal.  This reader will take all of your feeds and put them into a newspaper format.  You can print it out and read it like it is your own personalized newspaper with all your favorite items.  I don’t see myself stopping the use of Bloglines but I can definitely see the potential in Feed Journal.  I haven’t tried this feature out yet but it will allow you to publish your own content in a similar format to send to your readers.  Pretty neat.

I highly recommend getting some sort of feed reader.  There is so much information out there that is good.  The modern television and print media filter the information that you get either out of agenda or time constraint.  There are many stories out there that you will never find out about from these sources.  Granted, you must find news and information outlets on the internet that are reliable.  I am sure there is much out there that isn’t so just be discerning. 

One more thing.  I really appreciate all of you that think enough of me to read my thoughts.  As much as I write this thing as an outlet for me I really enjoy being able to share with you.  Thanks for reading.

Brian

P.S.  If you don’t use a feed reader and would still like to be updated on when I post something new sign up here or type in your email address in the box at the top right of the page.