Comments on: 5 Digital Technologies That Improved My Life in 2008

By: These Are a Few of My Favorite (Tech) Things

These Are a Few of My Favorite (Tech) Things — Sat, 22 May 2010 19:50:05 +0000

[...] what I think are spectacular innovations in the field. I usually do so at the end of the year, like this. But I there’s no reason to wait for end of the year lists. So here are a few things that are [...]

By: Adam Marcus

Adam Marcus — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 23:02:33 +0000

The CoinStar machines used to spit out actual plastic gift cards, but the last time I used one it just printed a paper receipt with a special code on it. That was for Amazon. I don't know if it does the same for Starbucks.

By: Adam Marcus

Adam Marcus — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 19:02:33 +0000

By: Adam Marcus

Adam Marcus — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 18:02:33 +0000

By: Adam Thierer

Adam Thierer — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 22:32:29 +0000

I see that Coinstar now also offers vouchers for Starbucks or iTunes. How do you redeem the voucher with Starbucks? Do they give you a Starbucks card? Regardless, I've got a lot of coffee coming my way once I get this figured out. I've got buckets of change sitting all over my house.

By: Adam Thierer

Adam Thierer — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 20:18:32 +0000

Dude, I'm just joking with you Applebees. Chill.

And yes, the stylus is soooo 1994. But some things from the past are worth preserving.

By: Adam Marcus

Adam Marcus — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 16:22:12 +0000

My top 5:

1. AutoHotKey - This is a simple yet powerful macro scripting program for Windows. I created a simple one-line script (MButton::Media_Play_Pause) so that whenever I click the scroll wheel button on my mouse (which I never used), it instead is interpreted as the pause button on multimedia keyboards (which is already understood by most media applications). Since I already have my hand on the mouse most of the time, it allows me to pause my music near-instantly whenever someone comes into my office or the phone rings. And when I'm browsing the Web and come across a page with audio or video, I can pause my background music while I listen to what's on the page, and then un-pause the background music when its done. There's lots more that AutoHotKey can do, but I just compiled my little "MouseMiddleButtonMediaPause" script into a 200kb executable that runs automatically when Windows starts and I don't think any more about it. The truly excellent tools are the ones you forget about. Other than the icon in the system tray, you'd think that was always what the scroll wheel button was for.

2. Digsby - This is an integrated IM and social networking client that supports AIM, Yahoo, Google Talk, MSN Messenger, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and MySpace. It also alerts me when I get new email on my Gmail account so I don't have to constantly check it manually.

3. Motorola MOTOROKR S9 Bluetooth stereo headphones - I've been using my phone (see below for more on the phone) as my mobile music player, and the addition of these headphones makes the experience that much more enjoyable. I don't have to worry about snagging the cord or breaking the jack on my phone, and I can also adjust the volume and skip and pause tracks without having to get my phone out of my pocket.

4. HTC Apache (AKA Sprint PPC-6700 and Verizon VX-6700) - With the addition of some third party software, this phone is an amazingly useful device. It's my portable media player, email client, calendar, notepad, camera, flashlight, portable flash drive, and more. Here are just two especially noteworthy examples of what I've used it for in the past year.

Updated a website - For a while I worked at a place that really locked down its computers. I received an urgent email with a website update I needed to make ASAP, and at first I thought I'd have to run home over my lunch break to do it. But then I realized what I could do with my phone. I downloaded the update (sent as an email attachment) to the phone, used a FTP client for the phone to download the webpage I needed to update, connected the phone to my office computer using an application that makes the phone appear as a flash memory device, moved the text from the saved email attachment into the downloaded webpage in Notepad on the office computer, transferred the updated file back to the phone, and then FTPed it to the website straight from the phone. I could have done everything on the phone itself, but it was just a bit easier to use the full-size keyboard and full-resolution screen of my work computer.

Got directions - One time I went to get a Zipcar I had reserved but it wasn't there. I called the company to find that because of the Marine Corps Marathon, the car had been parked a few blocks away. They gave me the address, and using Google Maps I figured out how to get to the car. When I don't have an adddress already, I often use Microsoft Live Search to get it. Microsoft Live Search will also map the results.

5. Coinstar - I hate pocket change. When I get change, it goes in my pocket (or in a compartment in my messenger bag) and there it sits until I get home, at which time I dump it all into a small jar on my nightstand. When the jar starts to get full, I just take it to a grocery store that a Coinstar machine. In 10 minutes, I have an empty jar and a voucher for the online merchant of my choice. Counting and rolling change is a complete waste of time that I'd happily pay to have someone else do for me. Coinstar is happy to charge you a fee if you want to turn your coins into cash, but the service is completely free if you opt instead for the voucher. And who can't find a use for a voucher to Amazon.com?

By: tim

tim — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 14:39:29 +0000

“Don’t understand how you iPhone zombies get along without one.”

It does not help your argument any when you insist on insulting users of another device. You arguments come off as irrational …

Also – “stylus”?!? – what is this 1994? Its what I always hated about palm devices and thankfully touch screen technology will assign them to the discount bin. I and millions get buy without them