Bruce Schneier meets the TSA

This is part 1 of a 5 part interview. Priceless.
Bruce Schneier is one of my favorite security pundits. He runs the gamut from computer security, social engineering, to the current post 9/11 “security theater” that provides high visibility but dubious actual security.
Bruce Schneier: By today’s rules, I can carry on liquids in quantities of three [...]

Lost my GMAIL!

I tried to change my GMail password, and somehow lost the password in the change. Now, I can’t get into my account. I didn’t set up a secondary account, and so I can’t email myself the password.
I have to wait 5 days, then try the “forgot my password” link - then it will ask me [...]

Merlin Mann’s “Inbox Zero” presentation from Google

From Merlin Mann
Google Tech Talk: Inbox Zero
[tags]GTD, Merlin Mann, 43 folders, Inbox Zero[/tags]

Telephone Etiquette - they’re not new inventions!

I’ve been involved in telco since the late 80’s, and been paid to deal with phones since 1991. Telephones have been around for significantly longer. I’ve been on a couple of conference bridges recently dealing with technical problems, and couldn’t believe the lack of clue.
To Wit:

When you’re on a conference call, it’s worth running through [...]

e-mail - 5 sentences or less.

Mike Davidson has come up with a great way to reduce inbox insanity: Signing your emails with a note that explains that you only respond with a set number of sentences.
http://five.sentenc.es/
As a Blackberry-carryin’ technology manager in 2 or 3 time zones at any given time, I rely too heavily on email. Email has inherent limitations:

Email [...]

Introducing the Hipster GPS

With apologies to Merlin Mann:
Your shiny new iPhone doesn’t have GPS, and therefore you must actually push buttons in order to advance to the next leg of your journey. Fear not, dear readers, for I have a solution: The Hipster GPS.
Inspired by 43Folders’s Hipster PDA, the Hipster GPS takes a similarly low tech [...]

Common Sense meeting tips

I work in a connected environment where people have an amazing array on information and groupware tools available to them - video, IM, teleconferencing, LiveMeeting, groupware, workflow and business processing applications, and more.
The face to face meeting can seem to be a liability, especially when mismanaged.
Some basic principles people forget when managing meetings:

HAVE AN AGENDA [...]