Time Off

Yes! Have spent the last 10 days plus on leave from work! Have been spending a lot time working in and around the yard, I am sure it has been harder then what I would have been doing if I was actually at work :)

Most of the outdoor work is done now, so I am turning my attention to trying to find something worth watching on TV (failing), and watching some presentations on the TED.com site. I have not watched TED presentations for a few months, and forgot how good they can be.

Next week, back to work, fired up after the break, will have to dust off the blackberry (really, its covered in dust at the moment).

The little red light

Anyone else got a blackberry or similar phone with a little flashing LED when the phone wants attention? You know the one, the little light blinks on and off when you have a new Email, or SMS, or IM, or something. Do you find yourself looking at the phone, waiting for the light to come on, and jumping on the phone when you see that little light blinking on and off?

I am starting to feel like I have been trained like a puppy, looking for the light and jumping on the phone to check what message may be waiting for me, its time to change!

Looking for the light is not helping anyone, and responding quickly is doing nothing but generating another Email in return, I am not actually achieving anything productive in this behavior.

So its time to get smart, time to turn the little red light off! Lets see what happens without being a slave to the little red light for a while, I figure not a lot, the world will keep turning, I will check Email as and when I need to, and everything will be fine :)

I need a new phone

So I need to get a new phone. Not in a great rush, but a new phone is still required. I am however paralysed with choice!

I have used a blackberry Curve for a while now as my corporate phone, and it has been a great phone. Its solid, and apart for a few "random" re-boots it has served me well.

But now I have a choice of what phone I may like to use and I find this confusing, so any ideas would be helpful!

I am currently thinking about either -

• Blackberry (curve again I think)
• iPhone (of course)
• HTC Dream

I like being able to access the net while I am out, however Email and Calendar are the real "must have" apps. I really like the tactile keyboard on the Blackberry and the HTC, but I hear the battery life on the HTC (and iPhone) is not fantastic.

Twittering is also a requirement!

I might actually like to make calls on the phone from time to time also!

Any thoughts? Any pros and Cons I should look out for? And given I will be paying for this myself, any ideas on who has the best mobile plans in Australia?!?!

Exploring the cultural impact of Blackberries

I just finished watching an interesting presentation from MIT on the cultural and business impact on the use of Blackberries within the enterprise environment.

The presentation is based on research into the use of Blackberries in a medium sized enterprise, and to be honest, if you are a Blackberry user there are no surprises here. Any Blackberry user will be away of the urge to check the device constantly, and how the use of the tool makes others expect you will be available constantly. They also touch on the blurring of lines as to when the work day ends (if ever).

Its worth watching if you have time.