Category — travel & technology

[UPDATE:

The gods of the internets are against me today. And for you. As of now, Xobni is directly available for you to test and indulge - which of course means that there is no real incentive anymore for you to jump through any hoops at the KillerConsultant to get it. Which blows my great idea of some semi-forced audience interaction.

But if you really like the KC, you will tell the rest of the world how you like your Xobni plugin in the comments anyway, right?!]

Hey there,

it is Monday, let’s see if we can get a conversation going. The deal is simple: I have five invites for Xobni to give away.
Xobni, if you have not heard of it yet, is a cool new plugin for Outlook which gives you a whole new look on your email experience: In a sidebar, it shows you all sorts of information about the person whose email you are just reading. When in the day, for example, you get most email from that person, their phone number, their contacts, a list of recent conversations and files received from them. Apart from that, Xobni also does a whole lot of statistics-voodoo on your mail - but that main sidebar in itself really is something you should try. I might go as far as saying that this could make email management fun again!

Xobni is in invitation-only beta right now… and you can get one of these invitations.
There are only one and a half conditions:

• Within a week of receiving the invite, you write a paragraph worth of your experiences with Xobni - what you liked, what you thought was cool, what features you missed, and if you’d recommend it. I’ll publish those short reviews here, of course with your name and a link to your website, if you want.
• The “half” condition: I’d prefer consultants to get the invites, of course - but if in the next days there are no consultants to be found reading this site (darnit!), I’ll open the tickets up for everybody else.

Go, sign up in the comments!
I am looking forward to seeing how you guys like / use / see Xobni.

The little device that is praised and demonized so often: The CrackBlackberry. For most consultants, this device is a constant companion, at least during the work week. In worst cases, it is within reach 24/7, and you get all tingly when it has not rang or buzzed for your attention for half an hour… even at night. But that is your personal business, really.

Today I’ll give you some hints towards making the Blackberry do more stuff that you want (because it can already show you stuff that you are supposed to do - aka mails from your boss - and that is just an imbalance we cannot tolerate!).

First of all - a small disclaimer. I have a BB Curve, the 83something, and as I am telling you about my setup, all software mentioned has obviously not been tested for any other Blackberry device. So if you still cling to the old paperweight, or opted for a Pearl because it is “slimmer” (and because you did not know that typing on it would be a complete pain) - your mileage may vary.

Apps

• Google Maps Mobile - now it even detects where (roughly) you are, and you can get a route planned from there. Good when the nav of your rental car brakes down (like it did for me yesterday). Free.
• Gmail Mobile - awesome. Just tell it to fetch your private email (if it is not already on Gmail anyway), and woosh, you got your corporate AND your private mail on the Blackberry. Free.
• Opera Browser - OperaMini is a free browser for your Blackberry. Why, you ask? The Blackberry webbrowser is terribly rudimentary. It manages websites well that are designed for mobiles, but everything else is a pain. Opera handles those sites gracefully, as well, and also integrates with desktop Opera installs, should you run it on your PC as well. Free.
• The built in media player - I know, it is not an iPod. Neither has it the capabilities. But with the built in memory of the new Blackberrys and the media player, you can darn well put some music and some podcasts on it. Standard headphone jack on the device means you can plug in your own (probably higher quality) headphones and rock on! Free (already on your device, if it has the new software)

Webapps/Websites

• Qype mobile: Especially good in Germany, but catching up in other countries as well. Qype is user generated yellow pages, with great articles on everything you might look for in a city - from Aspirin to Zoo.
• Google Reader: Good mobile version. Have a few minutes spare time? See what your favourite news feeds are doing! (And of course, find the newest entry on KillerConsultant.com waiting for you… what, you did not subscribe to the newsfeed yet? Shame! Klick the orange button on the upper right-NOW!)
• Twitter mobile: See what your friends are doing and update them on your next night shift.
• Dopplr mobile: Good stripped down version of dopplr - enter your next trip, see who of your friends is in the area. Might give you back some of your social life!
• Instapaper: Great little tool in combination with Opera. Instapaper lets you add things you want to read later in any browser with a little bookmarklet, and when you then go to the site, your reading list is waiting for you.

Now who would have thought that there is some real life quality enhancement hidden in your blackberry? Now go, try stuff out! I am looking forward to your comments - also tell me about great stuff that belongs on the list!

Today is travel & technology day - let’s take travel!

Most of us tend to fly a lot… like, twice a week, sometimes more. So we all have to go through those tedious routines again and again and again - it is like riding the bus, but you have to be at the queue at least thirty minutes before it arrives, and people tell you that bringing more than 100ml of fluid with you is a big threat for everybody.

In the last days, there has been this site of Wired in the news, which tells you how to “fly through airport security“. It was rebutted by David Pogue shortly after… but reading both articles and the discussions that go with them should give you a good picture of what does and what does not get you through security faster. Both articles are targeting the crazy-crazy-crazy USA regulations… in Europe it is not _that_ bad, just almost.

From my own experience, there are a few things you can do to be faster and/or happier on the way to your seat:

• Check in online, if possible. Although a no-brainer in my book, there are still people not doing that. Especially good if you are in danger of running late (always?). Most airlines let you check in online the day before the flight, which most of the time gives you access to good seats, as well. Saves you time on the way out of the plane.
• Mark not only your luggage, but your laptop! I was amazed how many people before and behind me in line had the same model ThinkPads. I just Taped my business card underneath mine (not blocking the vents of course) and turn it when they put it through the X-Ray, so there are no mistakes.
• Men: When wearing a jacket and a coat, just slip out of the jacket with the arms still in the coat. Saves you half the time putting it off and on. (Ladies: Feel free to take as much time as you want, if you are pretty, in front of me in line, and I am not in a hurry)
• Put all those small items (stuff in your pockets, phone(s), wallet, etc.) in the front pocket of your carry-on while in the queue - saves you time at the X-Ray as well.
• There will be times when you are running late and have no time to check your luggage. So it is a good idea to have no bag larger than “carry-on-size”, and to pack your shampoo, toothpaste, etc. only in bottles under 100ml (and a transparent bag under one liter size, to be optimal) - so that when you have to, you can take it with you

And for heaven’s sake, could you please decide what stuff from the carry-on you need at the seat and what to put in the overhead compartment? Because I sure don’t like waiting behind you while you are searching for your book/lipgloss/iPod.

What are your secret tips for having less stress at the airport?