This blog has moved… one more time

This blog has already moved twice before, but I expect this move will be the last. I’m posting all new entries right here: http://blog.jameslin.name I bet you didn’t realize .name existed, eh? That’s right, I have my very own domain, registered with directNIC and hosted by Dreamhost. I’m still using WordPress software for my blog …

Way too many editions of Office 2007

I thought five editions of Windows Vista was a bit much, but then I saw that there are eight editions of Office 2007. Take a look at the comparison matrix from Microsoft’s web site: There are holes where you wouldn’t expect*, and there is no single edition that contains every Office program. Office Ultimate lacks …

Windows Live Writer

I’m now using Windows Live Writer to compose my blog posts. I hadn’t seen the point of a standalone blog editor until yesterday, when I was blogging at work and accidentally closed the browser tab that contained the blog editor online, losing 15 minutes of work. Windows Live Writer’s user interface is straightforward and well …

Balancing privacy concerns in my photos

I’ve struggled with finding the right balance of descriptiveness and privacy in my Flickr photos account. Up to now, I’ve almost completely avoided displaying people’s names, because I think it’s a little creepy to be able to go to someone’s photos, and search for someone else to see what they’ve been doing. On the other …

A random collection of videos

It’s amazing how much time you can sink watching videos online: Robot Chicken is a satirical stop-motion animation show on Cartoon Network. For example, take a look at how the Emperor reacts when he finds out the Death Star was destroyed. (Thanks to Brian.) Line Rider is a Flash-based game where a little guy goes …

The Homebrew Mobile Phone Club

There would be more innovation in mobile phones and services if they were as open as personal computers and the Internet are today. A grassroots movement of Silicon Valley tinkerers are pushing such an agenda, the Homebrew Mobile Phone Club, whose name pays homage to the famous Homebrew Computer Club (where the Apple I was …

BayCHI talks on personal information management

I just came back from two intriguing talks from this month’s BayCHI meeting. The first talk was about Chandler, the open source PIM that seems to have been under development forever. Mimi Yin talked about Chandler’s design philosophy and how it’s different from typical e-mail/calendar programs (her slides are online). For example: There is a …