Month: March 2009

Vote Predictor Paints Me Afrikaner

Post author By Shaun
Post date 2009-03-30
8 Comments on Vote Predictor Paints Me Afrikaner

Hahahaha, so I just ran through the Mail&Guardian ‘s online election “vote predictor” which tells you who you should be voting for. I must say I was a little surprised at the results.

I really did think I’d get shoved in with all the middle class whiteys in the DA, but no, the Afrikaner blood must be running thick today, because the Freedom Front Plus are apparently my peeps.

To be perfectly honest I never once considered voting FF+, or even ACDP for that matter. Now I have to re-think my vote…!!! Clearly the influence of living in the Jacaranda City is having its effect on me.

Tags Add new tag, Campaigns and Elections, Freedom Front Plus, Mail & Guardian, Middle class, politics, Society and Culture, Voting

Computing Technology

Xobni Makes Outlook Rock

: Image via Wikipedia

If you’re like me, you often find yourself stuck using tools dictated by corporate policy and tradition. One of my pet peeves in this area is Microsoft Exchange and the enforced use of Microsoft Outlook that Exchange brings with it. Yeah sure, nowadays you can actually use the free Evolution client, but sometimes that is just not an option. So what do you do when you’re stuck with Outlook and Exchange and data hidden in the murky depths that .pst files are? You get yourself a Xobni install. (Yes, duh, that’s Inbox, spelt backwards).

I’ve been using and testing Xobni for about a year now and I will never go back to using plain old vanilla Outlook. Xobni’s mail search feature is the shit, and the attachment handling is a godsend. Xobni takes Outlook and turns it into a useful, responsive and helpful application. It improves your access to the data in your mailbox, rather than hindering that access, which is what Outlook is traditionally so good at.

The latest release alongside LinkedIn also boasts Facebook and Skype integration, turning Xobni into even more of a social tool, and making email that much more useful. And as a cherry on top there’s the analytics features which should prove useful in making your email time a bit more GTD friendly.

If you’re using Outlook, you’d better go download Xobni now.

Xobni Demo Video

Permalink

Tags client, cool, Evolution, facebook, inbox, LinkedIn, mail, microsoft, Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft Outlook, outlook, search, Skype, xobni, Xobni Insight

Computing Technology

GMail Labs Undo Send

If you’re like me you’re prone to whacking out a couple of scorching hot emails when you’ve found yourself angry about something. Of course within a few seconds or minutes you fully regret it and wish you could take it back. We’ve all had the person on the office exchange server who attempts to “recall” a bad message, only to discover that once it’s open on the client side, it’s open forever.

Or you’ve had to send that duplicate mail because you forget to add the damn attachment. Again. I’ve gone as far as forgetting to attach a file, going back to resend the message and simply forgetting to attach the file again…

Anyway, the new Gmail Labs feature, Undo Send, should help us email morons reduce this problem to a fair extent. Once you’ve activated it in Google Labs, you’ll see an Undo link next to the “message has been sent” alert. Hit the Undo within 5 seconds and you’ll have saved yourself from the notoriety that is email-retardation.

[Via: Gmail Blog]
Permalink

Google Labs launches ‘Offline Gmail’ (mydigitalwhiteboard.wordpress.com)
Gmail gives users ‘Multiple Inboxes’ (news.cnet.com)

Tags gmail, google, Google Labs, lans, mail, Search Engines, send, undo

finance

How To Buy A New Car and Not Get Screwed

Post author By Shaun
Post date 2009-03-19
No Comments on How To Buy A New Car and Not Get Screwed

There’s some excellent advice in this 6 minute presentation by Rob Gruhl. Basically its a summary of the best approach to take when on the hunt for a vehicle. I especially like the part about getting your own finance – not relying on the dealer – it just makes sense and should save a bunch of headaches and admin fees.

Rob Gruhl – How to Buy a New Car – Ignite Seattle 2007

Here’s a short summary if you don’t want to watch the whole 5 minutes:

Take your time and use two full weekends – they’re under more pressure to make the sale than you are to buy.
Get financing from your own choice of bank – A dealer may be colluding with their own banking partners.
Don’t sell your old car to the same dealer – You’ll always get screwed on a trade-in.
Pick at least three different cars as options – It gives you the flexibility to toy around and compare.
Test drive! Test drive! Test drive! Then go home. Don’t buy.
Always try to play dealers off against each other on the final price.
Get the “drive it off the lot” price – That’s the final number with all the fees added in.
Confirm availability – Make sure the car is in stock, i.e. get the VIN number
Don’t sign until everything is absolutely clear and the vehicle is ready.
The visit to the office – Do NOT but any of the add-on insurances, top-ups or extras they try to milk you for. They’re all overinflated in price.
In general, just be a pain in the ass. Don’t let them walk over you.