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Top 10 iPod Touch and iPhone Productivity Apps

18 Aug

iPod Touch image

I like my iPod Touch – it is a first generation unit that was bought when they first came out. I use it every day and take it with me pretty much everywhere, particularly when I don't want to (or can't) bring my laptop.  I have a "jailbroken" unit because I run apps that Apple won't allow in the iTunes store. For example, I was using cut and paste at least six months before Apple finally included that basic functionality in an upgrade.

 Today though, I am going to restrict this post to nine "official apps" that I use regularly and the "tenth" is an unofficial but equally indispensable app.  I can honestly say these apps are useful enough that if my iPod Touch broke tomorrow I would quickly buy a replacement unit just to keep them running.

I primarily use a Windows laptop in my day to day computing  and my top iPod Touch applications also happen to be ones that integrate well with my laptop. The following applications are listed in order of importance based on how frequently I use them.

Read the rest of this entry »

 
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Posted in News, Review

 

What is #HireFriday?

13 Aug

help wanted ad I just stumbled onto the #HireFriday hashtag a week ago. The hashtag is a tweet that contains the term e.g my tweet for today:   “IT & Project manager: Infrastructure, Network and Web.  Hands-on technical or analysis  http://tinyurl.com/yhq6ynh”.
Essentially the #HireFriday hashtag appears to be a spontaneous Twitter movement (@HRmargo)  to get recruiters to actually engage with and help job seekers. The #HireFriday Twitter community encourages cross-over communications to sites like LinkedIn and of course lots of blogs which is only natural because your Twitter PR moment STILL has to fit within about 120 characters (you need to leave room in the 140 character maximum for your message to be RETWEETED by others).  If the recruiters (at least on #HireFriday) just respond to job seekers and clear out their in-box by responding to applicants it would be a good start.

  1. Unfortunately, the current modus operandi is one where recruiters have no problem requesting and accepting resumes they just seem to be incapable of responding to them. This leads to the common complaint from job-seekers that we submit resumes or are even asked by recruiters to submit resumes and then no response, complete silence, or if we get an interview there is frequently not even the minimal common courtesy of communicating back to the applicants.

When you add-in job boards and web sites with expired jobs and fake jobs, recruiters (and job boards) that sell information on to email lists and spammers – well not only isn’t the playing field level its completely flooded.

So, #HireFriday is a small attempt to bring some semblance of balance back to the process by leveraging social media. It’s too early to tell but today is Friday – you can catch my #HireFriday hashtag on Twitter @WinstonLawrence and I would LOVE to hear from other #HireFriday users – leave a comment – point to your LinkedIn profile or online resume but more importantly tell me if #HireFriday is working for you or not.

My tweet for today: IT & Project manager: Infrastructure, Network and Web.  Hands-on technical or analysis  http://tinyurl.com/yhq6ynh

 
3 Comments

Posted in Job Market, News, Observations

 

Internet: A series of Tubes

10 Aug

Former Senator Ted Stevens died yesterday (August 9th) in a plane crash.

From wikipedia: He was a United States Senator from Alaska, serving from December 24, 1968, until January 3, 2009. Stevens was President pro tempore in the 108th and 109th Congresses from January 3, 2003, to January 3, 2007. Stevens was the longest-serving Republican senator in history and seventh longest-serving senator in history.

This may not be a part of the legacy that he had expected to leave, but much like when Al Gore “invented” the internet – Senator Stevens defined it in a speech that launched numerous music videos.

The Internet is Tubes

 
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Posted in News, Observations

 

Why I am not on Facebook

09 Aug

Facebook non s'il vous plaitJust in the past month or so I have received emails from people I know and some who I don’t remember ever meeting asking why I haven’t responded to their  FaceBook requests.

So, this post is just to set the record straight this particular Winston Lawrence is not on Facebook and whoever you all are “Liking” on Facebook, is probably a really cool character with lots of insanely great street cred (after all we share the name), but, sorry to disillusion you  – it isn’t me.  I am also not one of the dozen or so folks still using MySpace either.  In their favor, MySpace folks are either much more laid back or just less insecure about being “Liked” or connecting up.  I’m not completely anti-social though – you can find me hanging out on LinkedIn.

I understand that a lot, millions even, of people swear by Facebook and some folks swear at Facebook because of security issues or privacy issues or social problems encountered  by rejecting “Like” requests from your boss (or  employees). I am just basically agnostic where Facebook is concerned. I don’t really care about it and I don’t see why I should spend time updating my status or re-assuring casual aquaintances and even worse, companies, that I really do like them.

If you want to know what I’m up to then read the blog, or send me an email, tweet me on Twitter or TEXT me some deet’s. Just don’t try to “poke” me or anything as it will be somebody else and I take no responsibility if they will ever “Like” you nor how they will respond to being “Poked”.

 
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Posted in Just Business, News

 

Job Market counselors – job seekers beware

02 Aug

The job market is tough, which of course is news to no one, particularly job seekers and while the internet does offer a lot of tools to help with a job search, it also makes it a lot easier to be distracted. If you spend any time on the social networks then one obvious distraction is the Job Market Counselor or Career Advice expert.  I am not talking about legitimate, professional  job counselors and career advisors who actually do help people.  I am talking about the folks who were selling real estate or used cars last month and this month are hanging out an internet shingle or tweeting  their credentials  as a Job Market Counselor and career advice guru.

Job Seekers Beware

One recent ‘expert’ was touting how to add more followers on Twitter and Facebook to expand your job search network and of course the fact that you could conveniently download their $9.95 ebook on how to increase Twitter followers was just a happy coincidence.  I have also seen tweets that link to blog articles on how to “gift yourself employment.”  probably part of an upcoming series like “gift yourself car repair” and “gift yourself real-estate”.  In short, there is no quick answer – and I am by no means an expert, other than being one with the seekers these days but here goes: Read the rest of this entry »

 
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Posted in Job Market, Just Business, News