production

Have two Gmail accounts that you want to keep open at the same time in the same browser? Check out CookiePie, a simple browser extension that will fool your browser's cookie manager into thinking you've got one account open. Once installed, you can have several instances of Gmail, Google Docs, or any other service that doesn't let you have two windows or tabs open with different accounts.

What makes the extension nice is that you can toggle it on and off with a simple right-click on any tab. My test with Gmail got me to the point … Read more

There are a few things I look at when considering a music gadget for personal use--OK, who am I kidding? I look at everything. But some key points top my list. One of them is design; I prefer devices that are stylish or unique in some way without sacrificing usability. Other necessary features include solid sound quality, a customizable interface, and handy features.

The 32GB Creative Zen scores high in most categories. It's a high-capacity device with a slim, compact design, a large screen, and a customizable interface; it sounds fantastic; and it's a breeze to operate. It … Read more

When it comes to most endeavors, preparation is everything. Without the proper ingredients lined up, your major project will be dogged by inefficiencies. Segue to Celtx for Windows and Mac. The free preproduction application helps intermediate-to-advanced amateurs and professional creative teams plan out scripts, props, camera angles, and storyboards, and share them with teammates before any film is loaded, actor takes the stage, or cartoon is sketched.

Celtx 1.0, the first software release, delivers a few substantial improvements over the beta version. For one, it runs on a more finely tuned scheduling database in which the data you enter--props, … Read more

Rob Walker, the author of the just-released "Buying in," is a marketing connoisseur, an expert in reading the cultural underpinnings of commerce. In his Consumed column for the New York Times Magazine, he examines how technology shapes consumer culture and vice versa. In tomorrow's piece he elaborates on the history of headphones, and how their role evolved in modern society, from the first Bose set to the Sony Walkman to the iPod earbuds.

With the miniaturization of devices, the public exposure of personal space increased. I remember that when I was 14, I came home from school, … Read more

Online-productivity suite Zoho announced on Wednesday that it now accepts Google and Yahoo logins. An executive from Zoho parent company AdventNet announced last month that Google login compatibility was on the way.

"For Google and Yahoo users who are curious about Zoho but don't want to set up another account, we've removed that hurdle," Zoho 'evangelist' Raju Vegsna said in a release Wednesday. "Users don't have to create a Zoho account to use Zoho applications. We want to make it as easy as possible for everyone to try our online apps."

In addition … Read more

It's unfortunate that Ubuntu's Mark Shuttleworth doesn't blog more often, because when he does, it's invariably insightful. As a case in point, Mark's post about the superiority of open source at hitting release dates is wonderful. He writes:

Most people would assume that precise release management would depend on having total control of all the moving parts - and hence only be possible in a proprietary setting. Microsoft writes (almost) every line of code in Windows, so you would think they would be able to set, and hit, a precise target date for delivery.

But in fact the reverse is true - free software distributions or OSV's can provide much better assurances with regard to delivery dates than proprietary OSV's, because we can focus on the critical role of component selection, integration, testing, patch management and distribution rather than the pieces which upstream projects are better able to handle - core component feature development.

Unfortunately, it may not be true. At least, not the extent that I'd wish it. … Read more

A few weeks back at the Web 2.0 Expo, I got to catch up with Amit Mital, general manager of Microsoft's Live Mesh (review), and formerly of Office Live Meeting and BizTalk who told me some of the ways he deals with the hundreds of e-mails he gets every day. His solution deals with Outlook specifically, but the same techniques could be used to manage an in-box in Thunderbird, Apple Mail, or even Gmail with good use of its labels and filters. With Outlook helper Xobni opening up its doors to all today (story) I thought it would … Read more

In an insightful post, Paul Young calls into question the viability of open source's utility for average end-user applications when not tempered by product management. It's a long, well-reasoned argument, one that I highly recommend everyone read.

In speaking about the Pidgin controversy, Young writes:

Obviously, there is a huge gap between the expectations of the users and the developers [on the Pidgin project]. Who normally bridges that gap? Product Management.… Read more

These seem to be apocalyptic times for designers. If you happen to be a member of this threatened species, you better look for another calling. We had just put Pillippe Starck's "Design is dead" fatalism to bed, and then I read Peter Merholz's essay from 2007: "Stop designing products!"

What sounds like another shocker initially, however, turns out to be a milder riff on an old and well-known theme that Merholz himself has been promoting for two years now: "Experience is the product -- and the only thing users care about:"

"… Read more