bookmeister

BT Openzone wifi iPhone annoyance

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 04:16:22 -0400

If you are using your iPhone while walking the streets or on the train the iPhone often connects to a public wifi network called BT Openzone.

This buggers up your experience of connecting to the 3G network of the mobile operator you use such as Orange, o2, Vodafone etc.

Customers of BT who have a “Homehub” by default broadcast their wifi using an SSID called BT Openzone, when you launch a mobile browser you are taken to a BT website called FON where they expect you to pay to use the home users broadband connection to access the web, the BT user can get money from BT for people who connect in that way.

In order to stop this from happening each time you can change the iPhone WI-FI settings.

Click the settings icon on the home page -> Wi-Fi -> and when connected to any BT Openzone network (SSID) click do not connect.

This should solve the issue. If you are in a Starbucks for example and want to connect to the free wifi from BT Openzone that you get with iPhone subscriptions you will have to manually connect each time. In my opinion a small price to pay for not getting interupted all the time.

REWORK and the emerging power of social media in selling books

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 02:00:00 -0500

REWORK and the emerging power of social media in selling books.

I knew of 37 signals vaguely, I had certainly heard of basecamp and thanks to Laura Kalbag my designer mate had some experience of the project management software in use.

Then I saw some tweets last night about a new book called rework from the 37 signals guys, that sounds interesting I thought.

Being a bit of a social media saddo when @ryancarson and @garyvaynerchuk tweet about a book its probably going to be ok.

So I reply to all to the message ( I had to use my iPhone to do that because tweetie on mac has no reply to all function, see previous post ) and ask if there is an audiobook version. Sure enough one of the 37 signals staff replied straight away with a link to audible. I am in the UK so had to search the UK store but sure enough there was the book. My credit was in and so I bought it there and then.

The emerging power of social media in selling books (audio, ebook or otherwise).

What do you think about SM and selling / recommending books?

Tweetie Mac Desktop App

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:45:19 -0500

I have been using Tweetie for about a year now. I thought it was the best twitter app for mac by far. I used TweetDeck for a while but it got a bit frustrating and overwhelming.

But I may need to go back to TweetDeck or find another app for mac. I want new features in tweetie.

I use Tweetie 2 for iPhone and love it. I want the following features to be added to Tweetie for Mac as soon as possible.

Lists - I love the single swim lane of tweetie it makes using twitter during the working day acceptable and passive and somewhat ambient.

Reply to all - in tweetie 2 you can reply to all mentions in a tweet in tweetie you cannot. This means I reach for the iPhone to tweet rather than using my macbook.

Is this strategy from atebits?, the developer of tweetie and tweetie for iphone. Do they want to encourage the purchase of the iPhone app - is this their Freemium model?

What other mac os twitter apps have you used that are good? What features do you want adding to Tweetie for Mac?

"If given a choice between investing in someone who has read REWORK or has an MBA, I’m investing in..."

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:31:35 -0500

““If given a choice between investing in someone who has read REWORK or has an MBA,
I’m investing in REWORK every time. A must read for every entrepreneur.”
-Mark Cuban, co-founder HDNet, owner of the Dallas Mavericks”

- http://37signals.com/rework/

7 Habits - Stephen Covey

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:24:55 -0500

I have been listening to the 7 habits of highly effective people audiobook, its long and difficult to listen to.

I first read the book in 1998, it was a fundemental book in the growth and management training within Orange where I worked at the time.

I really invested time into that book then and the principles I learned really helped me to grow as a new graduate and get management positions at orange.

Now I am running my own business and thought it would be a good time to go over that material again. I am really glad I have, its still difficult, its a detailed book with lots of information and stories built into it. I really have enjoyed some shorter form business books recently especially Gary Veynerchuk - Crush It but sometimes you need some depth to learn some key principles.

I dont like some of the religious overtones but if you can see through some of that there are great learning to be had.

I really enjoyed remembering habit 5 - seek first to understand, then be understood. Its a less obvious habit but very very valuable.

I have a copy of 7 habits of highly effective families that i will read soon, my wife has read it and liked it even though she cannot stand business / personal development books.

Have you read it? What did you think? Have you tried the audiobook?

Whats the best business / personal development audiobook you have read?

SHANK the film

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 07:16:13 -0500

SHANK the film