A Higher Level has now become jstamant.com and moved here: jstamant.com

I have finally decided to go all out and get my own independent website. Thank you all for visiting A Higher Level, adding it to your blog rolls, subscribing to the RSS feed, etc. I would like to invite you now to check out jstamant.com for the more, better content.

I’ll see you there!

There aren’t too many people these days who don’t know about open sourcing. As open source projects like Linux, Firefox, and Wikipedia grow, more and more people begin to learn about how open sourcing can change the world. However, as this population grows so does the misconceptions about open sourcing itself. To combat ignorance and for the overall betterment of the intelligential community, the following are ten open sourcing myths debunked.

Technorati Tags: GNU, linux, open source, open sourcing, web 2.0

Myth #1: Open Sourcing is a hobby

Due to its humble beginnings many believe that open sourcing is simply a geeky hobby that hackers work on during the weekend between gaming and D&D quests. This cannot be farther from the truth. Actually open sourcing, for many, is a career, and for others a lifestyle.

This myth stems from a smaller truth. Many people do in fact work on open source projects as a hobby. Others tweak existing open source projects for fun. However, most of the pioneers in the open sourcing movement are doing it as a profession. For example, Mozilla’s web browser “Firefox”, and offshoot of Netscape, is a big money maker for the Mozilla corporation and its developers make good money constantly cranking out new releases.

Myth #2: No one uses stuff that is open sourced

Since most open sourced projects don’t run around with a banner screaming “I AM OPEN SOURCED” many do not realize that there is so much software out there which is actually open sourced. Because of this people assume that open source projects are small and underutilized by the general public. This, I’m please to say, is simply a myth.

In fact, millions of people use open source software whether they know it or not. For example, Linux, an open sourced operating system, is one of the fastest growing operating systems available. While Apple and Microsoft face off across the board Linux quietly grows in popularity and user-base. In fact, most estimate that there are over 30 million Linux users out there. Additionally, this is not just the case for Linux, with Firefox winning the browser wars, and other open source projects taking off the number of people in the world that use open sourced software, programs, and services is unimaginable.

Myth #3: Open Source > Closed Source

I loathe this line of thinking the most. People believe that open source software is worse than the closed source counterpart just because it is less main stream. For instance, Microsoft Word is the standard for businesses so it has to be better right? WRONG! The open source counterpart OpenOffice is just as powerful if not more so, not to mention it’s free. OpenOffice is simply a reversed-engineered open source version of Microsoft Word, add that to the fact that developers can adjust OpenOffice to make it a better product and you soon realize that the in this case the open sourcing wins out.

Though it is true that some times the open source version of a project is lesser known than the proprietary version that does not make it second rate. Many open source projects are way ahead of the curve in their respective fields and cannot be blamed for mankind’s resistance to change.

Moreover, I would like to interject a small note here. I am not trying to suggest that every open source version of a piece of software or product is better. For example, Adobe’s Photoshop is far superior to the open source replacement Gimp. Sometimes the proprietary version is the best, it just works out that way. However, this is not the case 100 percent of the time, so just don’t judge a book by its cover.

Myth #4: Open Sourcing Hates Corporations

The open source movement stands behind an amazing philosophy which keeps in mind the free exchange of ideas. Often people believe that offering a free version of something is open source’s way of sticking it to the man. People believe that open source developers just want to lash out at big corporations who hoard money by selling shotty goods and services. Well, while this is probably true, it is not always the case.

The open source movement is not on a rampaging mission to screw over corporations. Instead, it is a movement to allow for the free flow of ideas and information. Some times corporations themselves, like Mozilla and Netscape, produce open source products. Some times open source corporations can be just as, if not more, competitive as proprietary corporations.

However, the tipping point in which proprietary corporations fall to open sourcing is in the philosophy. People from both camps may be looking for an easy way to earn money, but at least the open source camp has a noble philosophy in its origins. That philosophy makes things like the One Laptop Per Child project a reality. It is that same philosophy which enables open sourcing groups to leap over proprietary groups.

Myth #5: Open Sourcing Relates to Computers Only

Alright, this one I can understand. Open sourcing has its roots in the world of electronics so many people believe that all open sourcing relates to computers. Actually, any product that lets people know its original source and opens it up for change under creative commons is considered open source. For example, there is an open source beer on the market. The open sourcing movement may deal primarily in software, but is not its only outlet.

What’s another open source myth? Post a comment and let me know!

From what I understand web users typically agree that there are two main reasons why bloggers blog. Basically people do it for fun or for money. Although those reasons are valid and constitute a substantial portion of the blog-o-sphere there is a third reasons why bloggers blog, to spread ideas. This blogging motivator is in many ways like the Open Source Project and more bloggers should take into account the reasoning mentioned here and apply it to their own blogging convictions.

Technorati Tags: web 2.0, blogging motivation, puppy, GNU, blog, feeds, linux, newsvine, open source, open sourcing

Blogging: The Motivators

As I previously mentioned there are already basically two predominant reasons bloggers blog. The first is for monetary purposes. Ever since the invention of the god awful click ad, bloggers have been attempting to turn their part time hobby into a full time profession. Now it seems that every darkened street you turn down in the blog-o-sphere there are more and more ads popping up left and right. Some blogs manage this well, others shamefully peddle any half-brained service that is offered to them through their ad clients.

Listen, I don’t want to be mistaken here. I think it is great that people are trying to gain a bit of cash from their hard efforts, but this should not be the mission of a blogger and soon you will see just why that is.

Additionally, the second motivation is simply for fun. Most people’s blogs have one reader, the author. Oh yeah, their mom might scoot over to the site during a boring PTA meeting, but besides that there is relatively no traffic coming to some people’s blogs and they could care less. For some, blogging is a means of relieving stress. For others, it is a tool for chronicling one’s life. Either way, these people don’t worry themselves with traffic, one hit a month or one hundred thousand hits a week, it makes no difference.

Again, there is a purpose here, it just might not be the most lofty.

Blogging and The Open Source Project

Alright, so let me first explain a bit about the Open Source Project. Basically, ever since Bill Gates pretty much invented the idea of proprietary software there has been a need out there for hobbyists to tinker with software. Eventually, a new idea emerged, The Open Source Project. Since that time hackers everywhere have been opening code to everything from operating systems, to browsers, to apps in order to share ideas and create something big from the ideas of the common collective. The basic idea here is to share a common commitment to achieving a common goal towards the free flow of information for the common good.

Proponents of the Open Source Project are all about what is known as “copyleft” (the opposite of copyright). Copyleft is basically the creative commons license. What that means is that you can tweak an application, copy it, distribute it, so long as you don’t sell it, and you let everyone else know that it’s open source.

The world is shaping itself around this movement and I believe that bloggers need to catch on. No, I am not suggesting that bloggers not have any protection of their ideas in their posts. What I mean is that bloggers need to embrace the open source spirit as their motivation for blogging.

Case Study: Myself

I started this blog a few months ago with no other intention but to make my ideas heard. I stood by for some time and read the blogs of others and enjoyed the ideas and contributions they made. What I didn’t like was the motivations they had.

Don’t get me wrong, many bloggers that write with the motivations I mentioned earlier are doing a great service for other many people. Some collect advertising and still help out countless individuals with the wisdom of their blogs. Others simply blog away practically hidden from the rest of us, and that is exactly as planned it.

I, on the other hand, want to be seen, but not for the sake of profit. I want my blog to be read and my information to be digested in the true spirit of the open source project. I can care less if I make money from my blog (which is great because I use wordpress to host A Higher Level), but I want my ideas to spread. I want people to become inspired by my posts like I have been inspired by so many others. I want people to read my blog for the sole purpose of the free exchange of ideas. I want to be a part of a community who shares comments and suggestions with each other in order to form a more perfect blog-o-sphere.

What you do now

Think about your motivation for blogging. What the main reason you blog? If your answers is because you want to make money that’s just fine. Your type will continue to flourish with the praise of the collective, however, try not to get too wrapped up in feed stats, technorati scores, page hits, and the rest. Enjoy your blogging experience. So many people get burned out with blogging because they are constantly trying to make their blog more marketable and earn more money. Take a break once in a while and allow yourself to fall in love with ideas, specifically your own. There is nothing wrong with being an egotistical blogger, having confidence in yourself is the first step towards writing your next great post. All-in-all realize that there is more to blogging than the cash.

On the other hand, if you are one of those bloggers that just blog for the sake of it I suggest you think about the impact that your could make on the world. If you want to write about your life that’s just fine, but try to find an angle that you can share with others. If you are going through a rough time, try to use your blog not only as a tool to vent frustrations but also help others dig their way out of the avalanche as well. Use your blog as you see fit, I’m not here to tell you otherwise, but I want you to be aware of the potential impact you could have on a world looking for your advice and your guidance.

Finally, here is one last tip on spending the money you make from blogging. If you have a blog and don’t already have ads on it then I suggest you get some. If peddling ads is not your thing and you don’t care about the money, fine, but if you are going to make an easy buck from a major corporation and don’t really want it then consider giving back. Donate your money to charity. Writers over at Newsvine earn cash for their contributions through ad revenue, its not a lot in most cases, but it adds up. The Newsvine team has a one-click option of donating all or part of that money earned to needy organizations where it can do more good than buy you a pizza or something. At the end of this blog there will be a few links to those organizations. Also, if you do already make money from your blog because that is how your earn your living, I would still suggest giving back in some way, shape, or form.

To conclude, I don’t want to come down on anyone for how they blog or why. It is mostly my intention to offer a middle passage between the hardcore path (making money) and the softcore path (”fun”). So keep in mind the open source spirit as your blog, I hope this post was helpful.

charitable foundations:

The American Red Cross

Child Abuse Prevention Center

Wildlife Conservation Society

Mac users everywhere love order, simplicity, and style. These traits embody much of Apple’s philosophy so it only makes since that Mac users would want their desktop to fall along the same guidelines. Unfortunately too many Mac users have just don’t maximize their desktop potential. Its alright, fortunately, there are a few suggestions which will really bring out the best in your desktop and keep you clean and organized.

Technorati Tags: productivity, icons, Apple, mac, flickr, wallpapers, web 2.0

Get Inspired

Even with these tips to truly pimp your desktop it is important to reach deep inside and pull out your own creative instincts. If you have trouble doing this don’t worry about it there are tools out there to help.

There are two basic tips I have for getting inspired. Something that really helps me is creating some sort of creativity clipboard. All you need to do is just gather a bunch of stuff together which looks great to you visually. Just go around the web and find anything that strikes your eye. When you put it all together you will have some idea about what direction you want to take in the beautification of your desktop.

Secondly, I like to use Flickr to see what other people are doing. There are so many great screen shots out there by some pretty clever people. Make sure you check for tags on the photos. Usually pictures of desktops have tags saying what a particular program is or what an icon is standing for, etc. Also, scroll down the the comments section. Often people have questions about wallpapers or icons or whatever the the author’s answers can help you with your project as well. Additionally, if you would like to leave a comment most users are helpful and prompt with their responses.

The Background

After getting the creative juices flowing the first step to pimping out your desktop is finding a suitable wallpaper picture. There are literally hundreds of thousands of sites dedicated to this so I won’t waist my time and yours listing a million links. However, my biggest tip for finding the best wallpaper sites is simply searching for them on Digg.com. If you do a simple search setting the criteria to look for the most popular submissions then you should have no trouble finding a few good quality sites with some stunning wallpaper designs.

Just because, here is where I got my Mozilla Firefox wallpaper.

And just because I can here is another resource.

Iconography

So no beautification process would be complete without a bit of iconography. The ability to have customizable icons is part of what makes being a Mac user just so fun. Shortly I will offer a list of a few great resources but your really can’t get the most out of this without Panic’s Candybar. Its well worth the $13.00 for the ability to have custom icons for all the apps that usually don’t allow themselves to be switched out.

With that in mind, there is still icons out there that you can freely place on your desktop or in your doc. Shawn from The Fight Spot places custom folder icons on his doc to increase productivity. Check out this post to see how he did it.

Finally, as promised, here is a couple of links for some great icons:

IconFactory

Interfacelift

Clean Up

Alright, now by this point its time to do some spring cleaning. You just got that great new background and overhauled your HD icon, but what’s the use if it is all cluttered with other junk laying around your desktop. Well here are a couple of quick tips to get clean and organized and stay that way.

1. Derek at 5thirtyone posted a great suggestion to keep your desktop clean when downloading online. Here’s what he has to say:

“Much of the desktop clutter that I find myself dealing with pertain to miscellaneous internet downloads. These very files are often temporary and soon find their way into the trash. Assign a specific “Download” folder for Safari or Firefox to dump files differentiating disposable files from the rest. Check out Hazel if you’re interested in automating the process of maintaining a clutter free Desktop.”

*Tip: Folders on your desktop essentially act as open applications which can slow down your computers speed.

2. Also, it is important to find a place for everything. Most people want to have their icons on their desktop to find them quickly before launch. Yeah I’m talking to you new Mac users. Instead use the dock as your go-to spot for launching apps, or use the more popular approach by launching your apps with QuickSilver. It saves time, effort, and keeps your desktop clean.

*Tip: Don’t go over board here. Sometimes it is better to keep a few icons on the desktop that are frequently used. If you want to do this and not make the mistake of trashing the wrong alias then check out this post.

3. Minimize, minimize, and then minimize some more. A common error some newbie mac users run into is that they want their apps to take up to more precious desktop space while running. Cut down the size of your windows, send passive apps (iTunes, RSS aggregators, etc) to the dock, and keep your desktop visible. Macs are set up to be powerhouses with the ability to run a lot of programs developers might need. Keep those windows small and you won’t be pressing F9-11 so often.

*Tip: Until Leopard’s “Spaces” arrives check out virtual desktops to keep your desktop clutter free. Having multiple work spaces really helps me have piece of mind about my desktop organization and also allows me to be more productive. You can find this type of application free here or purchase a more powerful version here.

Tweak

With all the available tweaks that Apple allows with OSX there are still a few options that you won’t typically have yet might want. For example, I quickly got fed up that I could only position my Doc on the left, right, or in the center. If you are like me and want more options then I suggest you download Onyx. This is a seriously powerful app which has much more useful applications than just moving your doc around, but it still allows for much more tweaking than Apple offers.

Can you think of any other ways to pimp out the desktop? What’s your best tip? Post a comment and let me know!

Also, when your done working out your desktop go online to Flickr and post a screenshot to let others see and get inspired.

This is my entry for Problogger’s “Top 5 Group Writing Project.”

As the blogging bubble is on the cusp of bursting a new wave of online posting is becoming more and more popular. This new style web 2.0 trend is called microblogging, and all the hot shots are doing it. As microblogging increases in popularity many services are becoming available to aid you with your microblogging needs and beyond. So lets take a look at some of the new directions microblogging is headed.

Technorati Tags: blog, endo, feeds, micro-blogging, microblogging, TWiT, puppy, RSS, RSS reader, web 2.0

Let the self obsession begin

They call themselves “online presence services” and the leader of the pack is the increasingly popular Twitter. If you have never heard of Twitter then you might need to re-evaluate which websites you are checking on your RSS feed. Twitter might not have created the microblogging concept, but they sure took the scene by storm. Twitter is the essence of microblogging. Basically you go to the site, set up an account, and then start posting a brief sentence or two about what is going on in your life right now.

This may sound like a simple, almost silly form of communication, but considering the tech world’s biggest names are behind the movement, “twitter-ing” is starting to demand more and more attention.

However, Twitter is not the only service out there for the self obsessed. Recently Facebook began offering the same service. The difference here is that the Facebook network is a bit more exclusive than than Twitter’s. Whereas I might actually want to know what is going on with some of my actual friends, I might not be as concerned with what is going on with other random people. Facebook’s service seems like a great plan to get people more connected, Twitter is something else.

Since Twitter opened up its API fans have started putting widgets on their sites. Now when I am checking out a blog I can also see what the author is up to during that time. Is this necessary? Probably not. Is it an interesting way of communication. Defiantly.

Also, speaking of blogging, thanks to the ability to link text in Twitter it becomes a new way to drive traffic to your blog. Recently I wrote a post on endo (a mac RSS reader). After that I started noticing incoming links from Twitter. Apparently one of the developers of endo linked to my blog in one of his Twitter posts. This is web 2.0 in action and it gets better.

Microblogging 2.0

Since the on set of microblogging more and more amazing ideas have come to the forefront. Today, people have more than just Twitter’s API to keep them satisfied. If you are big into Twitter, now you can follow your favorite users through your RSS reader, which apparently is not just for news anymore.

Maybe your not into words and consider yourself more of a photo person (they are worth a 1000 words). Groups like Radar offer a “micro-photoblogging” service. Yeah it’s that cool.

Each and every day more start ups announce themselves as groups within the microblogging genre. Soon we are going to start seeing a bigger flux of users in this realm of communication. That being said, though the market for microblogging 2.0 enhancements is a bit small right now, this market is poised to explode in the near future.

And speaking of the future…

The next big thing

Developers are discovering that though Twitter might be a popular service, there is a market out there for users that want something more. So quickly, here is the three top “next big thing” microblogging sites.

Tumblr:
This service claims to be the scrapbook of blogging. You can post just about anything to share with others. Plus, according to Tumblr staff:

“Tumblebogs are the refreshingly simple way to share anything you find, love, hate, or create.”

iStalkr:
Here’s an interesting concept, why not stalk yourself? You can polish your own ego and build your web presence at the same time with iStalkr. Here’s what they’re saying:

“iStalkr is a web app that allows you to create a lifestream (based on Jeremy Keith’s Lifestream concept) tracking all your RSS and ATOM feeds for services you use, like Digg, Del.icio.us, Ma.gnolia, Flickr, Last.fm, Google Reader’s Shared Items, Tumblr, Twitter , etc, and create a time line of your activities. You can paste this time line data into on your blog or use the data in other apps. iStalkr then utilizes that data socially, like twitter, where you can monitor your friends time lines and other people can monitor yours.”

Jaiku
The Twitter community was up in arms recently about Leo Laporte, host of This Week in Tech, leaving Twitter for its competitor Jakiu. The fuss was mostly about Laporte’s lame reason that he didn’t want TWiT to be confused with Twitter. Anyway, here’s a bit about Leo’s new favorite microblogging service:

“Jaiku acts as more of an ‘online presence,’ allowing you to do things like import RSS feeds from any of your other web properties (including photo feeds from the likes of Flickr) in addition to its fundamental feature of allowing you to post 140-character, SMS-friendly updates of what you’re thinking or doing. Jaiku also has refreshing bits of genius sprinkled everywhere, such as the ability to group update notifications via email instead of sending single notices every time any contact posts something.”

So there you have. As this concept grows to macro scales the status that I am most interested in keep track of it that of microblogging.

Stop right now and go dump out the entire contents of your backpack, messenger bag, purse, or whatever. Then organize that into interesting little clusters, snap a photo, and post it to online to show the world. You have just participated in one of the most interesting photo meme’s thats lightening up the pages of Flickr daily. So lets take a look at what makes the “what’s in your” meme so popular.

Technorati Tags: airplane-essentials, Apple, flickr, moleskin, productivity, ipod, meme, whats-in-my-bag

Find out about new stuff

If advertisers could figure out how to capitalize on this thing they would make bank. Checking out what other people keep as their daily “must have” items is a great way to see not only what is hot on the market, but also it gives you a general idea about the usefulness of the product.

Additionally, this applies to items beyond things like a cellphone or iPod. You are able to see what books people are reading and even down to what pen they use with what moleskin they have in their bag.

Due to the tagging feature provided by Flickr, you can look at the brief descriptions people offer about the contents of their bag. This is great because you can then read exactly what kind of digital camera that is, or which generation iPod. Serious, this is some of the best product research you can do, its like word-of-mouth 2.0.

Creativity and Productivity

I’m a big sucker for productivity p0rn which is essentially why I specifically like this meme. I can check out all the neat productivity items people carry around with them, but more importantly I am able to become inspired in two ways, creatively and productively.

On the creative end I am able to check out how people are designing their stuff and thus become inspired. For example, one user shows his laptop and it has a lot of cool designs on it. That then helps to get my own creative juices flowing.

Secondly, on the productivity side I am able to get ideas about how people are organizing their stuff. I am able to become better organized by simply checking out what works for others and even what items others have that help them stay organized.

Subgroups

The last interesting bit about this meme is the subgroups embedded within the overall meme. For example, some people chose to only show airplane essentials. Furthermore, others like to show off all of their photography equipment. You can find collections of moleskins, or even Apple related products. Whatever you are into there is certainly a subgroup to meet your tastes.

Why you would want to know

Common, it just human nature to covet thy neighbors bag contents. For me, it is mostly curiosity. I spend hours just looking at the junk other people carry around with them. Certainly I can’t be the only people in the world that is into this kind of thing. I highly recommend that if you are not participating in this particular meme that you give it a try, or at the very least check it out for yourself.

Happy hunting!

Newsvine, a popular news aggregation website similar to Digg, upgraded their website’s design today with many new rich features and customizable abilities. To the cheers and salutations of many of it members the site successfully launched their largest update in the site’s history. As a member of Newsvine I should be excited and thrilled about all these great changes, right? Well I don’t feel that way and the following is a list of reasons why I am not impressed.

Technorati Tags: digg, web 2.0, blog editor, ecto, endo, feeds, Apple, OS X, blog, RSS, RSS reader, mac, blog client, newsvine

Too Many Modules

From the comments I have seen on the site a majority of people are really all Newsvine going “evergreen”. I just can’t get on board. The new modules is what really gets me. The site now offers customizable modules which can be added or removed from the main page. By customizable I mean you can change their location on the page and what sort of functions they have. The problem with this is that the layout becomes cluttered and irritating. As a fan of web 2.0 design I really just can’t handle sites that look like the New York Times website or any of the Gannett sites. Its just so busy and chunky that I don’t even know what to do with myself. The previous design solved this problem with paralleled elements. Then it was nice, now it is madness.

Gain and inch, lose a yard

So a few new features are included in Newsvine’s new design. One that I can’t complain about is the “News through pictures” module which is actually pretty terrific photojournalism. However, there are a few new modules that I already can’t stand. The first one is the “Newsvis”. This is a multicolored bar that shows me what is popular and what isn’t. The colors become very similar at times, and it reminds me of the terror alert system. The difference between red and dark red is a couple of votes or comments, but is orange better than red? Or is green better than light green/yellow. I don’t know, and to tell you the truth I don’t really care. Newsvis is pretty useless.

Additionally, a slightly older but newly revisited module put into effect to clutter my home page today is Newsvine Live. Before that particular feature was banished somewhere in the catacombs of Newsvine to be watched by those who really cared to see every little action that was taking place on Newsvine. Imagine if you had a stream-of-consciousness pop-up on your computer which continuously showed your your own thoughts as they popped into your head, then make that pop-up “2.0″ and you have Newsvine Live. This is a pretty silly feature, and it bothers me that the Newsvine team is wasting their time with this kind of thing (as well as Newsvis).

Too many, yet too few

Alright, this jeer is a bit less series but it needs to be pointed out. The previous Newsvine front page offered a health section. Sure, it wasn’t extremely popular, but one could really get a good look at what what going on in the world of health. Articles about eating healthy, seeds about mad cow disease, and other posts like this really enriched the Newsvine front page. Now, not only is that module gone, but it cannot be added. Other modules which don’t originally show up on your front page like “politics”, “world news”, and “technology” can be added, however health has now been moved behind the front page. If you understand sites like these then you know, if its not on the front page, it will never gat attention. I just don’t understand why this module is not offered? It doesn’t make since to take away a staple module.

Whats it all mean?

Basically, the lesson here is to slow down the momentum a bit. For example, people on these sites are always yelling for more features, and (in time) many of those features are added, but slowly. What bothers me is that Newsvine just hit their users with a brick. Anyone remember the Facebook.com incident that made national news?

Perhaps I am simply overwhelmed. Maybe I am completely alone here. What do you think? Please leave me a comment and let me know your thoughts on this issue. If I am wrong I want to know why. If am I not I want to know that someone out there agrees with me. Thanks.

From the same amazing people who brought you ecto, an OS X blogger client, comes the best mac RSS reader you’ve probably never heard about before. RSS readers are a dime a dozen, and Mac exclusive apps are becoming a wildly popular trend. With that in mind, it takes a little something extra to compete in this market. As you will soon see endo really picks up where other RSS readers leave you wanting.

Technorati Tags: Apple, blog client, blog editor, ecto, endo, mac, OS X, feeds, RSS, RSS reader, web 2.0

Endo at a glance

Feed burners are becoming more and more of a commodity as of late. Some aggregators are versatile, like Google Reader, and you can check your feeds from any online port. Other aggregators work with bloggers, like Feedburner, and help you manage and track who is looking at your blog. Then there is specialized readers for Mac’s which have the style and flare of a mac app. NewsFire, notably, is one of these Mac apps. However, despite its rampant success, Newsfire isn’t for everyone, and this is where endo steps in.

As a mac app endo lives up to its predecessors.The typical attributes all hold up. Endo is visually stunning, more so (in my opinion) than NewsFire. Also endo packs a pretty powerful punch. Mac users who are familiar with ecto know how this company can really deliver, endo is no different. Its organizational management is fantastically intuitive. Also, endo has many tweaks and hacks to fine tune this app for your personal preferences. For example, if you like a tolerable bit of nag-ware you can tweak how much endo talks back.

In general, this app is really stunning.

Customize

One of the greatest aspects of endo that deserves special recognition is its customizable skins known as “styles.” If you like the sleek look of a mac app, but don’t want to be locked into one standard theme endo can help.

Right now the number of styles to choose from is in the teens, however, as endo gains momentum more users will contribute. Also, the current styles are amazing. You can go with the minimalist version with “newspaper style” or let out your true Mac-ness with “Tiger.” As for the sports fans out there an “NBA” style is available for you.

Endo’s styles feature is truly novel. I really wish more apps would have this ability. Of course a lot of apps have the ability to be hacked, but that takes a lot of time and attention. Endo lets the user just plug in a new style according to their tastes

Honorable Mention

Alright, so if you aren’t convinced just yet by what I’ve told you take a look at the following reviews from prestigious Mac blogs

Mac User

MacWorld

Also, Darren Rowse, author of Problogger.net (top dog blogging resource), lists endo in this post.

Take a look and learn for yourself about endo, the best Mac RSS reader you’ve never heard of.

Download endo demo or make your purchase here.

To see other posts about great stuff you’ve never heard off click here.

Blog: The Fight Spot

No, this is not the blog where heavy-hitters come to pound on each other, however, The Fight Spot does pack quite a punch as one of those blogs you just can’t miss out on. With the rich, interesting content and the amazing design my bet is that in the first round of visits The Fight Spot will knock you out with what it has to offer. So lets get ready to review one of my newest favorite blogs, The Fight Spot.

In This Corner

Shawn Blanc, author and designer of The Fight Spot, is more than your average blogger. For instance, he really shouldn’t quit his day job. Blanc is a missionary in Kansas City, Mo., but that doesn’t really strike you during first impressions. Sure, his blog’s title is “a savvy blend of christianity, personality, and nerdery” yet the “savvy” part really shines through the rest.

To be honest I haven’t read up on much of Blanc’s work in the christianity category, but I’m sure if it is anything like his “nerdery” posts then it serves as a fantastic niche group. Actually, this is what I like most about Blanc’s blog. It seems like this guy is just an average WASP with a blogging hobby. From what I see there are no hidden agenda’s, so if the religious thing turns you off you won’t have to worry about that, just skip it and check out what else he is doing (i’ll get to that in a minute). However, if you do enjoy religious topics and theology, The Fight Spot can offer you some pretty interesting words of wisdom.

Alright, so now that we’ve got that out of the way lets move on to…

The Main Event

I have just recently been diving into the content of The Fight Spot. I first stumbled upon this blog looking for reviews of ecto, what I found was another amazing blog to add to my RSS reader. The content on this blog is among the best I’ve ever had the pleasure to read. The most refreshing part is that it is all either original thoughts or prefect synopsis. Actually, when I first started reading the content I though Blanc was much older than I believe he is. His writing shows wisdom beyond his years, and an intellect that is truly a step above the rest.

Design, blogging, WordPress, mac apps, all are blog topics under the collective umbrella of “nerdery.” Let me just say, this is some of the coolest stuff I’ve seen.

For example, The Fight Spot has a post called “The QuickSilver Table of Contents” which is a collection of links to posts about QuickSilver (powerful yet underutilized mac app) usage. From a beginner user to a QuickSilver expert (or as close to that as you can get) this TOC has the post you want to read. This post alone justifies this blog in my eyes, what a service Blanc has done.

Additionally, the different series that The Fight Spot offers are really interesting. I especially like the “Tour my mac” series which is a stylish look at how Blanc uses his Apple notebook. This series gave me a lot of ideas about how to tweak my own Mac to make it more efficient for my personal usage.

Also, the “Rock Your Blog” series is a real winner. If you’re like me then you are constantly scanning through post in an effort to better your own blog. The Rock Your Blog series is pretty powerful stuff in this area, and has really helped me perk up my own blog.

Awesome content, amazing series, and even great general posts, what more can I say about this blog? Well…

The One-Two Punch

I can’t finish up my review without talking a bit about design. The Fight Club has a sleek two column design, but the personal touches that Blanc adds to his site really proves his weight as a designer. The design of The Fight Spot is more than you are expecting. Everything thats cool is the little things all over the blog that really make it stand out. Also, its on a basic white background which is right up my alley as a fan of minimalism.

You really have to check this site out. The Fight Spot is one heavy-weight blog that is bobbing and weaving its way up in the world. If you aren’t reading this blog, you should be.

To learn about other blogs in this series click here

If you have ever contemplated designing a web site for fun or even plan on designing as a profession then you probably know what it takes to become a good designer. Its not just the expensive computer, the cool apps, or even a good eye for design. Truly becoming a designer takes one thing more than all the rest, practice. So today we are going to look at how one designer is shifting the paradigm on web design.

Free web design with a catch

There are two words that, when written in a specific order, perk any blogger’s interest–those words, “free design”. Alright, so maybe “apple phone” catches the eye a bit more often, but who doesn’t want free web design? Well 22-year-old college senior Teddy Hwang is offering just that, the holy grail of free stuff, design. Its no secret that any sort of design is going to be costly. Personally, as an advertisement designer for a local newspaper I understand why there is such a high cost on intellectual property. It really takes a lot of hard work and attention to countless details to make something worthy to be seen by the general public, not to mention the hours of study in specialized applications.

Alright, so we are getting a great deal, free web design, but what’s the catch? The answer to that question is the concept behind Hwang’s Project Grow

Growth in three stages

“Project Grow is not a project or service to sell,” said Hwang in his Project Grow over view. He further explains the three phases of the project. Right now Project Grow is on phase one which means Hwang is still “building awareness” and promoting his idea. Soon the second phase will “reach out” to small businesses in need of this type of service.. Finally phase three will comply to the needs of general bloggers. This means that by at least the third phase you could probably get a free design, no strings attached, and the ability to turn down the services at any time (just in cases).

A Revolutionary Concept

The best aspect of this whole project is not just one guy giving out free design, it’s the fact that this guy is offering his services for free in order to become a better designer. Its seems to be a very “open source-ish” way of development. I think that Hwang really has something going here, not just a good project but a good over all idea. What would things be like if more people who were developing themselves in tech-specific fields would give their work freely to the public?

Certainly this type of thing wouldn’t work on a grand scheme, but for lower level work I really hope this is something that catches on. If all the beginner bloggers out there who are serious about their work could link up with beginner designers the wave that would hit the internet community would be very substantial.

The continuing possibilities with an idea like this is really exciting. Take a closer look at Hwang’s blog here if you aren’t convinced already.

If you would like to know more about Project Grow click here.

If you would like to see more projects from Hwang click here.

Want to see more great content click here for more of my stuff concerning technology.

Milk is not just doing the body good, these days it’s doing the Mac some good as well. No, this is not the same milk that goes great with cereal, its the kind of milk that goes great with your personal apple computer. Quite simply this is probably the coolest Mac accessory that I have seen in a while.

So what is milk

Milk is productivity p0rn at its finest. Its no secret that people who own Mac’s have a certain appreciation for aesthetic beauty (sorry PC’ers…its true). Those Mac fanatics not only have sleek computers, but also other sleek gadgetry as well. However, milk is the calumniation of all of these things.

Milk is not a desktop accessory, it is a desktop. In fact, Milk is a the the only desktop that I know of which is made 100% for Mac’s. I can’t even call it “compatible” because by their own words thats an understatement. So I’ll just call milk what the makers are calling it, true love. Of course, there is no other word out there besides insanity which would drive someone to make a throne of which to host its king, the Apple computer.

Seriously, this thing is stunning, and probably the ultimate Apple accessory. I mean seriously, to claim that you bought a desk because it was made specifically for your Mac is really the trump card in any geeky battle (I don’t mean to offend when I say “geek” its just any battle where you have to thrown down about your Apple and its accessories is probably something close to geeky.) Right.

What’s so great about a desk

This is not just a desk, this is a tribute to workflow. Beyond the shiny sleek outer core is a probably the most efficiently designed desk I’ve ever seen. Think about all the qualities you’ve ever wished your desk would have. Now go and click here to see how even your imagination cannot assemble something so useful.

It really has everything, from a place to store your pens to a meditation fish tank, this desk just makes working worth it all. Milk is my new dream accessory on the geeky wish list I’ve never made until now.

Alright, so I can only harp on this thing for so long before I run out of words to describe how great this desk is. So why don’t you make your way to milk.dk and see take a look for yourself. Let me know if you decide to buy it because I’d like to know how much it costs. I’ve looked around and there is no price tag available until at least after I give up a lot of my personal information, and from experience that puts Milk right out of my price range.

Ah well, at least as I enjoy my breakfast cereal, spot some cows on the side of the road, or catch one of those boring commercials with actors who have white mustaches, I will sign and know that no…I don’t “got” milk.

Jay Baker

Guest Blogger
Over the past few years, there have been two main developments in software that I believe will change the world: “Web 2.0″ and open source software. Songbird makes use of both of them.

What is it? Well, Songbird is an open source media player built on the Firefox source that aims to do for music what Firefox did for Web browsing.

What’s the Big Deal?

Well, Songbird has a couple of really cool features which help it take advantage of the many changes in the music and internet world. First, Songbird lets you “play the Web,” as their Web site calls it. Some of you blog purveyors out there may have noticed that there are quite a few mp3 blogs out there as of late. Really cool, I know, but isn’t it a pain to download all of those mp3’s, or open them in WMP or iTunes only to have to download/open the next song? Well Songbird, being built on the Firefox source, is a browser too. Just head back to the same blog and Songbird lets you play those files as if they were on your harddrive, with full start/stop/pause/volume/tracking/skip functionality. It even searches the site and creates a playlist of all the media there. If you like the song, just drag it over to your library and it’s yours for keeps.

Ever listened to a song on some mp3 blog and really like it only to forget the blog later? Songbird even keeps a history of all the songs you play from mp3 sites in a “Web library.” This way, even if you forget the site, you can come back later. Or if you find an mp3 blog you really like, you can subscribe to it and Songbird will update a playlist everyday with whatever media it find on your favorite site.

More perks

Songbird has some other niceties too. Switching between skins, or “feathers” as they’re called in the Songbird universe, is extremely easy and can even be done mid-song. And just like Firefox developers have made add-ons to enhance your Songbird experience. I just got the AudioScrobbler add-on, to keep my last.fm profile updated with my Songbird listens.

The Catch

The only downside to Songbird is that it’s still in its infancy. The latest release is the 0.2.5 developer preview. Not having hatched to 1.0 yet, Songbird still has a few issues. It crashes randomly (although, WMP does too, so that’s not so bad) and can sometimes be a little slow. Still, Songbird promises to be a great media player, one that I can’t wait to replace my other ones.

Bottom Line

Songbird is definetly worth checking out. If you’re not afraid of a few crashes while you wait for the kinks to be worked out, go for it. Otherwise, wait for 1.0.

Blogging is all about getting your name out there, marketing and networking. There are several tips and tricks out there to market your blog in an effective way. For example, commenting on the blogs of others is helpful in establishing contacts, making friends, and driving traffic to your blog. However, one way to network your blog which is usually not written about as much is blogging communities.

Finding the right community for you and your blog is essential. Often people assume that simply posing to digg or chatting up enough peer bloggers will be sufficient to meet their blogging goals, but in today’s Web 2.0 world communities are the trend for killing two birds with one stone. With blogging communities one is able to not only market his or her blog but also network with a group of people looking for the same thing. In essence blogging communities is one hand washing the other and everyone comes out clean.

The trick, of course, is finding the right blogging community that is the most highly suited for your particular blog. So, in order to help you I will review five of the web’s best blogging communities. From there you can pick which one(s) best suit your needs.

Lets look at it this way, blogging communities are a lot like baseball teams, a unique position for every player. So lets take a look at the all-star, the tool man, the rookie, the veteran, and the bench-warmrer.

The Line Up

The All Star

#1 Community: 9rules

This one is really killer. I have found some of my favorite blogs through the 9rules network. The site was started in 2003 with a set of 9 rules to follow (hence the name). Since then it has climbed the ranks as one of the best blogging communities on the web. One of the greatest aspects of the 9rules network is its exclusivity. Sure, there are communities out there who want traffic of their own, but instead 9rules tries to earn it by only providing community access to the best blogs. Also, a huge factor in their decision making process is adhering to the 9 rules established for themselves. Many believe that 9rules is like the holy grail of blogging communities which is why it ranks as all star and #1 on this list.

The Tool Man

#2 Community: MyBlogLog

If you are a fan of baseball then you’ve probably heard of the term “tool man.” This refers to the player who can pretty much jump into any position you need them too and excel there. Well, MyBlogLog is the tool man of blogging communities. MyBlogLog has been around for a while now, and has always been pretty popular, however, since its acquisition by Yahoo, MyBlogLog has really blown up. First, it is a very decent blogging community. Some sites let you do all the work in building a network of friends within the community, MyBlogLog aides you in the process. With one click you can be added to several different sub communities within MyBlogLog. This process groups you with hundreds of other like-minded bloggers which is a great way not only to generate traffic to your own blog, but also find great blogs to learn from. Also, living up to its tool man status, MyBlogLog generates personalized stats for your site so you can see how much joining MyBlogLog has paid off. Every team has its all-star but its number two man and the number two community on this list is tool man MyBlogLog.

The Rookie

#3 Community: FuelMyBlog

As a rookie to the world of blogging communities FuelMyBlog has been hitting a lot of home-runs lately. In fact, KillerStartups has positioned FuelMyBlog as a potential internet sensation. Though new to the game, FuelMyBlog offers a great minimalist community for people who want to be seen. Their front site, “the great wall of blogs” can really jump start your blog’s success, should you manage to make it to the top. Right now FuelMyBlog is pretty small so its a great time to get in while it’s hot. Personally, I like FuelMyBlog because it looks really cool, you might like it for these reasons:

“-You can add your blog and an image
-Vote for (”fuel this blog”) other blogs that you like to read
-Introduce yourself, chat and discuss issues on our forum
-Take part in our radio show
-Find more readers for your blog”

So keep an eye out on our rookie and number three on this list, FuelMyBlog.

The Veteran

#4 Community: Technorati

This blogging community is truly a seasoned professional, and like all vet’s you’ve probably heard of it. Carving a niche as a site which can discover the success of your blog, Technorati has long since made a name for itself. With a 71 million blog register it might be tough to really stand out and make a name for yourself in this community, however, with enough work comes a very high pay off. Finding yourself in the top 100,000 of Technorati’s 71+ blogs can really drive your traffic, but by then that probably won’t be your biggest concern. However, I still use Technorati as a networking tool. To play in the major leagues you have to act like a major-leager. So even though Technorati might not get a lot of playing time from you it is still useful in your line up which is why the ol’ Great Bambino of Blogging ranks number 4 on my roster.

The Bench Warmer

#5 Community: Squidoo

Managers always get a lot of flack when they bench their players as I am sure I will get some heat for benching Squidoo. It is true that Squidoo is receiving a lot of attention these days, and quite a few people have taken note. The reason for my decision has mainly to do with all the other potential out there. The four names in the list above is a prime example of that. In my opinion Squidoo has done one thing right and made it work for them. They have managed to weed out the trends in what people expect from web 2.0 and played them to their advantage. Squidoo is fun, sleek, refreshing, interesting and even has one of those wierd names no one quite gets. So yeah, they get a lot of attention, but as a blogging community I don’t see them really traveling in a upward direction. I really think that Squidoo is going to eventually drop the ball which is why I have to put this bench-warmer as number five on the list.

Postgame Wrap-Up

So there you have it. There is the roster for the top five web blogging communities. Feel free to check them out and find out which one(s) fits best in your roster. If you disagree with my opinion or can name a few more communities to add to the list please feel free to provide a comment and let me know. For now, I’m Jon-Michael at A Higher Level saying “Good night sports fans!”

Blog: Organize It

Summer 2006, like millions of others I too fell into the Getting Things Done trap. I don’t know what it is that makes this system such a draw. Maybe I just wanted to have a black belt in something and productivity seemed easy enough. Since then I have pretty much staturated myself in blogs upon blogs of GTD information. However, eventually it just became too much and I had to purge my feed reader. I managed to keep some of the standards like 43Folders and Lifehacker, but there was one lesser known blog that I just couldn’t get rid of, Organize It. Soon you will understand why.

Over View

Organize It is not your typical GTD blog. In fact, it is not really (see: technically) a GTD blog at all. No, instead of pointing at the trendy new hacks and going nuts over productivity p0rn, Organize It offers a simple service to all its readers, good tips and tricks for getting your life organized. Yes, some times that means implementing GTD and its various phases, but it also mean other things like learning how to delegate and getting rid of clutter. This is why I can’t live without Organize It. There is a lot more to life than the GTD system (GASP!), and Organize It really fills the void opened up by other sites. Organize It gives advice on “organized living through life hacks and GTD”, but it is the life hacks that has brought it the success it has earned recently and for good reason.

The Man Behind the Magic

The author of Organize It is James, a 23-year-old UK native. As a fan of the GTD magic James wanted to move from reading about GTD to sharing his own ideas, Organize It is the spawn of that plan.

“Organize IT was really my first proper attempt at a blog and as I got more into lifehacking, GTD, etc I found I enjoyed writing about it, sharing my own thoughts and developing my own ideas on the subject,” said James.

James’ site was “discovered” when his Clutter 101 series was featured on Lifehack.org, and his site accelerated to the top 10 on the popular bookmarking website, del.icio.us.

“[Clutter 101] continues to send lots of hits my way. Clearly de-cluttering their homes is a big deal for people,” muses James.

As far as other projects, James has two other sites he is currently working on besides Organize It. He has a clever Nintendo Wii/gaming blog, as well as the site Creating Worlds, which is best explained on the site itself.

The Content

Organize It has some of the best general life advice that I have seen on any other site of this type. There are posts on all sorts of different subjects pertaining to organization in many key areas of life. For example, the site offers a series on “getting creative” where it displays the importance of things like locations and having the right tools in the creative process.

“I try to position Organize IT so that it offers precise, actionable advice regarding all the key areas of life, such as career, finances and personal-growth,” said James.”

Additionally, this site offers posts in categories from inspiration to health. Truly the advice and tips offered on this site, whatever the category, can help you to improve your own life. I have follow many of the suggestions this site has offered and continue to see real results. This guy just has ideas that work, plain and simple. If you are interested in reliable advice which you just can’t find anywhere else then you really need to keep an eye on Organize It.

Site Design

The design of Organize It falls right in line for a blog with its purpose. The site itself is nothing super fantastic which is great because it shoves the content out at the reader. The content of this site is its best quality, and what I like about the design is that it doesn’t try to distract you. Trust me, for a guy who needs GTD to stay focused, it is important to me that I don’t have any more distractions in life when I am trying to learn how to live without them!

The site is easy to navigate with its two panel design. On the right hand site is everything you need to get around easily enough and all the different elements are placed perfectly so that one can find what they need. Unfortunately, a block of text ads divides a lot of those elements, but I understand that income is an important part of independent blogging so I can’t jeer too much.

Check it out

CLICK! I promise you won’t be disappointed. This site is great, really. GTD guru, maybe not, but certainly one of the smartest blogs out there that isn’t getting the attention it deserves.

Other blogs in this series:
5thirtyOne
HyalineSkies
The Qwertyrash Blogs
Moleskinerie
The Blog Joint

To see some other stuff I have written click here,.

Blog: The Blog Joint

If you are looking for technology news in the world then don’t miss out on The Blog Joint. This blog is all about “tech news, reviews, and how to’s”, and I just can’t keep my eyes off it. The Blog Joint has been a personal favorite of mine for a few months now. The site has helped me learn about so many different aspects of blogging and general technology. Also, the humor and wit it delivers is simply unbeatable.

Meet the team

As the name suggests this blog has multiple writers (you weren’t thinking of the other joint right?) which comes in handy for a continuous stream of content. As opposed to some blogs which have one writer whose interest in the site may fade, one can count on this blog for good solid posts frequently.

Vlad Akilov, the original author of The Blog Joint, is a computer science major and sports nut at The City College in New York, and only recently founded this project. Since then Akilov has brought in Phil Mosley, Marcus Price, and Delta Taph to help him continually improve his blog, and let me tell you these guys are not your usual suspects.

For instance, how about Taph is only 12 years old and from Manchester. This kid is great. He works on blogs like Tech.co.nr and Profy.com (pretty cool blogs in themselves). It gets better. Going from one extreme to another the blog also hosts a 4th team member, 46 year old IT professional, ALex Rodriguez who lives in Nor. Cal.

With the variety of writers displayed in this blogger there is certainly something for everyone as far as content is concerned.

Learn more about The Blog Joint’s team here.

The Meat

The sheer variety offered in this blog is enough to keep any hungry minds salivating. Their previews of up coming Google apps (like this one) are really helpful for getting to know Google’s online arsenal better. Additionally, they also offer help on all sorts of blogging related topics (click) which are splendid. Not to mention a bit of humor is thrown in the mix giving the blog a rich texture.

When I first found The Blog Joint I was amazed at how sticky it was. The content is just amazing and I find myself gazing through their archives for hours. There is no telling how much I have learned from this site that I just don’t get from pro blogs in the same field.

Ohhhh pretty

Honestly, I’ve seen a lot of professional blogs, but this one ranks highest for its amazing simplicity and aesthetic beauty. The Blog Joint is designed in a two column format which is really easy on the eyes. The right side bar has a clean set up, and is generally unobtrusive in their advertising.

Nothing here is really bothersome which is nice considering a lot of people these days are getting carried away. One jeer that I have is that the front page doesn’t give me an categories list, you actually have to click a post to see this so it can take some digging to find the particular content you need. Also the archives list isn’t confusing which, again, practically hands you the shovel.

On the flip side, you really have to check out their logo. As far as web 2.0-esc logos are concerned this one is my personal favorite.

The only thing left is…

…For you to go check it out. This is one of those blogs that doesn’t get the attention it deserves and that is a shame. If you are not reading this blog then you’d better start, your hungry mind will thank you later.

Other posts in this series:

5thirtyOne

HyalineSkies

Qwertyrash Blog

Moleskinerie

Take a look at what else is going on here.

Ever since I started getting interested in blogging I’ve tried to find a good reliable host to eventually move my site over to. For now, wordpress (dot com) is fine, but pretty soon I am plan to step up to the next phase of building my own site.

In a constant pursuit for the best web host I have narrowed my search down to five legitimate solutions for web hosting. Hopefully from this list you will be able to make an informed decision as to which host is right for you. Having a blog hosted by a third party can really open a lot of doors. Not only can you create and customize your own individual site, but also there are essentially no rules or guidelines that you have to follow. You can have as many ads as you want, or none at all. You can pick form countless templates, or design your own. In the end, your own website means the freedom to really dive into the world of blogging, which for me is the logical next step.

(Disclosure) the plans that I am reviewing are all the lowest per month plans offered, however, even at those prices they are very decent plans.

So in no particular order:

MidPhase

The Specs
Price: $7.95/mo.
Space: 200 GB
Bandwidth: 3k GB
Free domain name for life
Free “Ad Credits”
Free Setup

I found out about MidPhase from the blog Personified. The author of this blog has a great review here (better than I can do). A couple of things to note about MidPhase. One, it is really easy to get started with these guys. Two, a free domain for life is certainly amazing. Three, if the price is a bit out of your ball park then their sister company AN Hosting has the same plan for a $1 less per month.

DreamHost

The Specs
Price: $7.95/mo
Space: 160 GB
Bandwidth: 1.6 TB
Free domain hosting and registration
Web-based control panel
On-click installations

What I like about DreamHost is the their exceptional customer support and user forums. I was able to browse that particular area for a while when I was researching them as a web host and it seemed as if their customers not only had small issues, but that those issues were taken care of in a concise manner within one or two posts. This host is also featured at wordress.org and you can check out their recommendation here.

ix Web Hosting

The Specs
Price: $4.95/mo
Space: 300 GB
Bandwidth: 3,000 GB
Free domain registration for life
Free Site Builder
Free 24/7 Support

Alright, this web host isn’t the best but for the price it is pretty competitive. Simply, it is hard to beat the $4.95/mo price with any other host, and if you are a beginner at the whole website thing it is probably your best bet. However, and here’s the downside, it does not offer MySQL or phpMyAdmin (two very popular databases) with this plan. If you want to opt for the $7.95/mo plan then you get all those services and more. Although, if you are going to go with the higher price, other web hosts are better.

(mt) MediaTemple

The Specs
Price: $20.00/mo
Space: 100 GB
Bandwidth: 1 TB
Host up to 100 sites
1,000 e-mail accounts
Enhanced MYSQL

This one is for the big boys. MediaTemple’s Grid Server packs a real punch as it rightly should for the price you are paying. However, if you really want to kick your website into high gear then Grid Server is for you. From day one you can have multiple expansive sites which can all run smoothly and efficiently on GS. Also, if you need a customizable plan then MT’s Complex Hosting is available to tweak your plan to meet the needs you might not find anywhere else.

Blue Host

The Specs
Price: $6.95/mo
Space: 300 GB
Bandwidth: 3,000 GB/mo
Host unlimited domains
New Drag and Drop site builder
24/7 Support

Here is another recommended host from wordpress.org. This host seems practical for the price. It will meet all your basic needs, and can handle WordPress from the start. Additionally, if you want to try it out they have a free live demo you can check out. If you want to learn more WordPress has a great synopsis here.

Make It Happen

Hopefully this list helped you out in your journey to making your own site. Soon enough I will choose which one is right for me, and maybe then you can check back and see how it worked out, but with the feature rich hosting in this group I’m sure I won’t experience any buyers remorse.

Know of a great host I failed to mention? Leave me a comment and I would be glad to take a look!

Also, if you liked this review take a look at some others I’ve written.

Blog: Moleskinerie

Alright so this blog is coming from out of no where considering the last few posts have been pretty tech slanted. Well, I’ll return to that angle tomorrow, but for today I would like to present one of the best niche blogs out there, Moleskinerie. Admittedly you may have heard of this blog. It ranks just under 5,000 over at Technorati, but there is still a chance that you are not reading this blog and should be.

About six months ago I got into the whole moleskin craze when I implemented Eston Bond’s GTD Moleskin hack (Bond’s blog featured here). As soon as I bought my new notebook I learned quickly what all the fuss was about. However, this isn’t a post about my moleskin passion, its one about another man’s, Armand B. Frasco, original owner of Moleskinerie.

Frasco claims that not all notebooks are created equal, and this site certainly pontificates that fact. Also, recently Moleskinerie was bought by Kikkerland Design, Inc., and has excelled further since.

Alright so maybe you’re not the biggest fan of moleskins

That’s okay! You should probably still read this blog. Truly the multiple daily submissions really stir the creative juices. There have been several times when I have just began to feel creatively stifled, and believe that I just can’t get over this wall I’ve built up. When that happens I just pop open Moleskinerie and take a look at the sheer brilliance of others, and I am instantly inspired.

Then again, maybe you are a moleskin maniac

Great! This site has more than enough content for you to devour. Not only are there posts about moleskin products and reviews, but there is also a plethora of other material. I like reading about what other people are doing with their moleskins, its not all GTD hacks you know. Also, I love checking out the latest moleskin accessory. Additionally, many of the submission are pretty clever, and others practically comedic.

This site is like a walk in the park in early spring, or a drive past the lake on a autumn day. Truthfully. There is not a lot of savvy posts about tech this or 2.0 that, its just an interesting peek at a subculture of highly intelligent and uber-creative people. You really should check it out. If moleskins were good enough for Hemingway then the product itself must be pretty awesome, and this site really does it just.

So go take a look, your creative unconscious is begging you to!

In the words of Frasco, no moles were harmed in the making of this posts.

The Qwertyrash Blogs

There are literally millions of blogs out there about blogging itself, and sometimes it becomes very difficult to weed though all the bad content and half-baked tips and tricks. This is why The Qwertyrash Blogs was such a pleasure to find. This blog really has it all for the blogger/tech savvy reader.

From way down–well way down for me–in Australia one of the blogosphere’s most under-acclaimed authors emerges. Chris Howard, blogger in question, is a self proclaimed “key board junkie.” Interestingly enough this is where his clever blog title gets its name. A QwertyRash is a skin affliction affecting the fingertips resulting from prolonged activity, according to the site’s about section. Regardless of this condition’s validity there is no question about how impressive Howard’s blog truly is.

I first stumbled upon Qwertyrash when I began my blogging research. This site has just about everything you need to know whether you are a beginner blogger or a seasoned pro. From WordPress to blog news and even a “Blossary” this blog has it all.

The site itself is set up with minimalism in mind. It is super easy to navigate, and the sections are specific enough to find anything you are looking for swiftly and efficiently. The lack of obtrusive ads is also a plus and makes reading the blog a true pleasure. Also, concerning design, the blog is set up in such a way that at the end of one post a group of links to similar posts are clustered which is nice for finding posts that you might otherwise have to dig around for.

Furthermore, content-wise, Howard shots it straight. The tips he gives are both impressive and innovative. Most blogs of this type seem to shine up the same old junk with a fresh coat of wax, but Qwertyrash provides unique insight that is just brilliant. Certainly this is to be expected from such a writer as Howard who has a weekly column at Apple Matters.

Howard is an avid Mac fanboy after becoming a “refugee of the Windows world.” If all things Apple is your type of blog you can get more than enough of Howard’s excellent posts about the subject as well as Apple products, Linux, and software reviews. I’ve read most of the posts in this area, and I have to say that I have come to trust Howard about as much as David Pogue, New York Times technology columnist.

Additionally, what really brings this blog to life is not just the tech and blogging end, but the other more general topics. For a long time now I have enjoyed the posts in the humor section as well as his general musing. Howard really has a bit of a comedian in him which makes his posts light hearted and amusing to say the least.

After checking out Qwertyrash’s Technorati stats which rank it somewhere in the range of 300,000 I felt that it was time to help out the cause of this under-read blog. For too long Qwertyrash has been one of those blogs that I really liked to keep to myself, but if you are not reading this blog then you are defiantly missing out.

For other blogs you should be reading check out the series here.

Growing in the deep dark labs at Google headquarters is a plethora of applications which have taken hold of the online community to the sound of praise and applause. With the growing trend of using Google apps in place of other similar standards a simple question arises; “With Google what else do you need!?”

It seems like Google really has cornered the market on free where ever apps, however, though quite impressive, some competitors of these apps really pick up where users of Google apps are left wanting.

I have fallen into the hype and tried out 5 Google apps that some swear they cannot live without, and checked out how some other highly esteemed apps stack up. Some apps cost more than Google’s free versions, however, in some cases the price is justified. So lets take a look at how the competition fares against Google.

Google Reader:

Google’s RSS aggregator is pretty decent I must admit. Many use this app to read their daily feeds from home and away, and Google is continually updating this product for maximum satisfaction. However, I have found a better choice.

The stunningly beautiful NewsFire RSS reader trumps Google RSS Reader. Quite simply the NewsFire is the best reader on the market. Not only is it more organized than Google Reader, but it also works more effectively. Whenever my feeds are updated NewsFire lets me know by bouncing a couple of times on my dock and “chiming” in. Also, I can organize my posts into categories to maximize the RSS experience.

NewsFire also has an extremely useful “smart feeds” option. What are smart feeds? BlogBidge has the answer

“Smart Feeds are magic! They are created based on rules that you specify. An example should make this clear: What if you could search all blogs at any time for occurrences of the word “Microsoft”? Wouldn’t that be useful? And what if that search just ran all the time, and you got the results of the search as a feed? A Smart Feed!”

There are a couple of downsides to NewsFire. First, it costs $20 to purchase. Secondly, you can only use it on your personal computer, unlike Google where you can get your feeds from anywhere. Finally, for those of you who are not Mac users you are out of luck. However, these are minor draw backs to an otherwise must have dream app.

NewsFire
cost: $20

Gmail

I have been using Gmail for a little over a year now so I am pretty much locked into it. However, if I wasn’t using Google for my e-mail service provider my next choice would be Thunderbird. Most of you have heard about this e-mail app, but wow what a program. Not only is Thunderbird hosted by the open source giant Mozilla, but, like many of the company’s other apps, Thunderbird is free.

Thunderbird also offers high powered protection, reliability, and is customizable. However, when up against such a hard hitter as Gmail Thunderbird gets its wings clipped. Gmail now has unlimited storage, its integration with Google calendar is impressive and time saving, and its “conversation” style delivery helps cut down the clutter.

Google has made a lot of updates to Gmail over the past year and even up against a formidable opponent such as Thunderbird, Gmail really shines.

Thunderbird
cost: Free

Google Docs

Lately people all over the internet are flocking to Google Docs. This handy little program is excellent for word processing. Not only is it free, but it also saves over Google’s server and can be retrieved anywhere. However, as a word processing tool it is pretty shallow.

For Mac users you just cannot beat Pages. The abilities this program has is exhausting to say the least. While working for my college newspaper some colleagues even used Pages for design purposes. As a word processor it is one powerful app.

For Windows users the new version of Microsoft Word is incredible. Gates and his gang really stepped it up with this one. We use a demo of the new Word at the office, and it has been a real pleasure considering the fact that our previous word processor was Word 2003! The new version is beefed up not only in its abilities but also its aesthetic quality. I’m not much of Microsoft fan, but the new Word 2007 is defiantly a hit.

So as far as word processing, sorry Google, I guess you are trumped on this one.

Pages and Word
cost: Varies

Blogger

When I began blogging I started off with Google’s Blogger. At that time is was pretty weak and under Google’s tutelage has really blossomed. Blogger has a strong hold in the personal blogging community even with powerful rivals, however one such rival has managed to out muscle Google’s blogging platform. That rival–WordPress. Now, I am a bit biased here, and many might disagree with me on this one, however, I believe WordPress is just more in tune with the aesthetics of the internet right now. Its minimalist, pretty, and powerful. As a blogging client WordPress is unmatched. The only quasi-downside to an otherwise perfect program is that WordPress (the .com version) does not allow ads on their sites. Blogger easily integrates Google AdSense, and those on the Blogger network can make money with their blog. This is not necessarily a good thing, I have seen some Blogger pages which are really cluttered with ads, and they were not even that great to begin with. In my personal opinion working with ads should be left to the big boys who have their own sites independently hosted, at least in most cases those guys know what they are doing–sometimes.

The winner here is WordPress.

WordPress
cost: Free

Google Calendar

The last app on this list is Google Calendar. The limits of this app are boundless, not to mention that the calendar syncs with a list of other Google Apps. In the lists upon lists of top web calendars Google Calendar hits the top on almost all that I’ve seen. Certainly Microsoft’s Outlook pales in comparison. Even Mac’s highly evolved iCal falls short. Truthfully there really isn’t a competition here. Maybe in a few years some interesting startups, like this one, will become a tough rival, but for now Google Calendar just gets the job done. Hands down this app takes the cake.

Tally

Google: 2
Others: 3

How do you think Google stacks up? Add your comment and let me know!

Recently I have had bit of success on my blog so I am claiming my blog on My Technorati Profile. The hits haven’t been great, a mere 50-80 a day, but by claiming I hope to generate a bit more interest or at least get to know some more about my blog.

If you would also like to claim your blog simply go here.

If you have been keeping up with my posts recently here on A Higher Level I would like to extend my gratitude. I will continue to offer worthwhile posts for the enjoyment of others. There are so many blogs out there and I enjoy reading them all. If you know of a blog or have a blog yourself worth checking out please let me know. Finding rich new content is a constant enjoyment.

Thanks,

Jon-Michael