list

Grayboxx is a local recommendations service that's been quietly humming along since 2005. This morning they added 100 cities to the network, bringing the grand total up to 175. Grayboxx takes aggregate customer reviews from all over, and combines them by neighborhood to serve up business recommendations, kind of like what Google has done with its search results. Grayboxx will scour the internet for references to a business (be it tagged photos, or mentions in a blog post), and give that business a certain rank based on its pervasion. However unlike Yelp and Yahoo Local, which are designed and … Read more

There's something to be said about Web services that have been set up to help people coordinate things in the least stressful way as possible. I dig sites like CircleUp (coverage) that offer a way to set up polls, or to solve quick logistical questions within a group, without requiring the creator or the users to agonize over the interface and execution. That's why MyPunchBowl's new checklist feature is pretty much the best addition to a party-planning service yet.

The idea is simple: you, as party creator, make a list of things you need for the party. … Read more

August is quiet all around...with nearly everyone on vacation, it's hard to get much work done these days.

Yet somehow, it also seems to be the season of great Top __ Lists. (Insert any number in that blank. I was going to go with 10, but they seem to vary a bit.). So this week I'll be featuring some of my favorite Top __ Lists from blogs that inspire me every day. Let's start with the Sci Fi Tech blog and its "Top 10 Toys for the Filthy Rich." With a title like that, you already know you're dying to have them all. Here's a preview: $1,150 Ultimate Ear headphones that you can use with your $7,500 Vertu phone or $19,000 gold-plate iPod Shuffle. What products would you put on your own "Top Tech Toys for the Filthy Rich" list? If you had all the money in the world? I think I'd definitely add the sold-out Porsche Design Series 1 Cayman S...and that incredible 007-esque case of designer goodies that comes with it.… Read more

What makes a cell phone more than a phone? What it can do. Software can elevate your plastic slider, candy bar, or PDA above its earthly mechanics and turn it into the kind of dream machine that entertains you and organizes your life.

Consider, for example, ListPro (for Pocket PC, Palm, and Smartphone), a handy organizer with a slew of built-in, customizable list templates for managing everything from your shopping to your calendar to the sudden surge of brilliance that will eventually lead to that multimillion-dollar idea. No really, it can do that.… Read more

As I watched Arsenal beat Ajax this afternoon, I kept an eye on an interesting piece of research from The Journal of Systems and Software written by Sowe et al. and entitled Understanding knowledge sharing activities in free/open source software projects: An empirical study [PDF]. The research revealed something that I suspected but had not yet seen data to prove: developer communities are great for developers, and not so great for anyone outside them.

What does this mean if you're an enterprise hoping to hitch a free ride on an open-source project? Well, it means that you're better off paying a little money for professional support. Free support is good up to a point, but if that point ends when your job begins, you may be in a world of hurt without it.… Read more

New York-based dude-about-town newsletter Thrillist--I've heard its founders describe it as "DailyCandy for guys," though the two are not affiliated--will be expanding further beyond its Gotham roots very soon. Today's edition of the morning read announced that sign-ups are now open for the upcoming Thrillist San Francisco list.

Presumably, it'll be like its existing Gotham and Los Angeles brethren: a mix of restaurant and bar picks with a distinct penchant for high-quality barbecue and stiff cocktails; edgy shopping picks (don't worry, boys, it's O.K. to look dashing); and the latest in … Read more

If eBay's 50 percent growth this last fiscal quarter is any indication, online auctions are still a favorite way to shuffle goods and pocket extra change. Power sellers--those eBay auctioneers who sell and gross high volumes--have gained the edge by applying their business savvy and possibly using one of the many auction software options from CNET Download.com. One popular program is AlienFiles, a listings creator and editor that supports multimedia files and helps manage your sale items.

There's plenty here for power buyers, too. Check out eBay Auction Sniper and AutoSearch, for instance, which automatically bids on … Read more

Heading down to the grocery store usually means sitting down at the kitchen table and writing out a list. With OneTrip Shopping List, you can make your grocery list on your iPhone using a well-made interface. It's especially easy to use because you can choose from common categories to find the things you need such as vegetables, meats, or fruit. Once you find the specific item, just touch it to add it to your list. The list even lets you check things off once you get to the store.

iPhone link: http://onetrip.org/onetrip/?pass&go

Web … Read more

Just about every household chore and Saturday errand is born on a list. But instead of breaking out the pad and paper, why not make your lists on the iPhone? This app is the mobile gateway to the Listingly site, which allows you to make complex, customizable lists and share them with other people. Go to the Web site link below for a quick 1-minute tour of Listingly's many uses.

iPhone link: http://www.listingly.com/iphone/

Web site link: http://www.listingly.com/