Dopp Juice Archive

This just made my day:

http://www.lightsphere.com/dev/web20.html

Impressively simple, yet disturbingly relevant.

I’ve been recently reminded that if you don’t tell the Universe (or Blogosphere, if you will) what you need, it doesn’t know what to give you. So here’s what’s missing in my life.

I’m looking for…

• A converter that transfers content smoothly back and forth between:
  • WEB: DokuWiki syntax, XHTML, copy-the-text-from-my-browser-page
  • TRADITIONAL: Word Doc format w/styles (ideal) or RTF
• Graphic designers and web programmers who
  • work quickly and accurately.
  • learn new skills efficiently on their own.
  • are available for immediate contract work (projects last anywhere from 2 weeks to 4 months).
  • can work on-site in the SF East Bay (BART-accessible offices).
  • have experience with corporate websites, backed up by references and portfolio pieces.

  (You can consider this an unofficial job posting. Please email me for more info only if you fit this criteria.)

• A To-Do List system that allows me to
  • log AND categorize tasks via SMS text-messaging
  • view and use the lists easily in a mobile web browser (or a Palm OS application, which would actually resolve the first need, too).
  • view and use the lists on my Mac in an application outside of a web browser (kinda like Twitterific for Twitter.  Does anyone make something like this for Remember the Milk?).
  • categorize, prioritize, and set deadlines for tasks (the ability to put one task in multiple categories would also help).
  • view finished tasks an archived area, away from the unfinished tasks
• A Treo (Palm OS) application for blogging, specifically to
  • WordPress (with category control)
  • Livejournal (with custom filter control)
• A pair of shoes that
  • fits a left foot, high arch, size 10, wide toes, narrow ankle
  • fits a right foot, low arch, size 10 1/2, wide toes, narrow ankle
  • wears comfortably for lots of walking
  • looks good in the office with brown or black pants

  (I’m wearing hiking sandals to client meetings, people — this is becoming ridiculous!)

• Renter’s Insurance that
  • I can sign up for easily over the internet
  • doesn’t require that I already have an account with the company (I don’t have car insurance or AAA — that seems to rule out a lot of the easy options).
• An investment account service that
  • I can manage easily over the Internet.
  • doesn’t treat me like I know everything about Wall Street.
  • doesn’t treat me like I’m an idiot.
  • has lots of user-focused interface options that make my life easier.
  • basically functions on Web 2.0 principles.

You now know all of my weaknesses. If we were in battle, you would easily win. But since we’re friends, how about you just throw me a bone?

Or maybe it’s time you put your Wish List out to the Universe/Blogosphere, too?

How can I put this?

As I write this, I’m vacuuming. (Well, that’s not entirely true.)

As I write this, my home is being vacuumed, and I’m the only one home. (Well, that doesn’t feel so true, either.)

As a write this, an artificial intelligence robot is running amok in my living room, gobbling up everything in its sight. (Yes, that’s it.)

I bought an iRobot Roomba Scheduler (not an affiliate link) from Woot.com as a birthday present to myself. I set it up today and am equally impressed and entertained. It’s so cute, running around my floor going “gimme! gimme! gimme! gimme!” to all my dirt (no, it doesn’t actually have sound effects — I just feel so connected to my Roomba after the first twenty minutes that I believe we now speak the same language).

(It just found my kitchen — look at it go on the linoleum floor! How long has it been since I’ve swept over there?!)

Every creative genius has an Achilles’ heel. Housecleaning is mine. Still too stubborn to admit defeat and hire assistance for the task, I tend to just let the dirt just pile up. I can already tell that the Roomba and I are going to be great friends. This model comes with a scheduler, which means I can program it to clean every day (or less often, if I’m feeling lazy) while I’m at work. And since vacuums can’t clean under scattered laundry, this will force me to pick up more regularly, lest I anger my new AI roommate. Hey — double victory!

(Right now it’s navigating the underside of my futon, choking on electrical cords and freeing itself from the madness without crying for help.)

The other thing I’m proud of — I bought this puppy for $130 when it retails for $330. Have you heard about Woot.com yet? (If not, don’t feel bad — I just found out about it last week). It’s a geek-oriented shopping site that only sells one item per day. “One Day, One Deal” is their motto. The item is almost always super cheap and super cool. They’ve got an impressive business model:

A) Negotiate with companies for a low price on a really cool item that you can guarantee to sell a lot of in a really short period of time.

B) Build a community around a promise to provide the coolest, cheapest products on a daily basis through a really user-friendly and focused website.

C) Put non-obtrusive ads on the site.

If you’re a twitterer, you can find out about the latest buys on woot via tweets (wow, out of context, that sentence sounds really strange).

Expect a more critical review of the Roomba after I’ve played with it more. It ain’t perfect, but it’s a heckuva lot better than what I had going for me before.