Only Network » software

KidZui: An interface for kids

Owen — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 23:14:28 +0000

It’s been great watching Arthur, my 4-year old son, start exploring technology and getting up to speed on his computer. But we all know there are dangers online, so I’m trying out an interface designed for kids called KidZui. Here’s what you need to know about the software:

The KidZui Browser was designed from the ground-up to allow children to safely and independently search, share and discover more than 2 million parent and teacher approved websites, pictures, games and videos.

KidZui’s purpose is to keep kids safe online, empower their curiosity, and engage parents with their kids’ interests (through weekly parental emails and parental controls). In addition to the core service, the KidZui Web Network includes ZuiGames (the best site for child-appropriate flash games on the web) and ZuiTube (the best site for kids to watch and explore kid-appropriate YouTube videos).

Looks great huh? We even have his laptop set up in the corner of the sitting room using preschool furniture so he’s ergonomically settled while he’s playing on his laptop.

Now .. when shall I start teaching him to code?

Switched to Tweetdeck

Owen — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 19:25:54 +0000

: Image via CrunchBase

I’ve switched Twitter clients and I’m giving Tweetdeck a try. My previous favourite client was Twhirl which has some great features; but I think Tweetdeck has topped these features. I am quite peculiar on how I use the client, preferring a single column view running permanently on my desktop, and Tweetdeck can do this too for me. It does let you define multiple columns and switch between them as the need may arise. I’m on an ADSL connection here, so can handle the volume of tweets I want really easily, but if you’re on a different type of connection, cable or business satellite internet, you might want to check. Can’t imagine it’s much fun on dial-up though.

Need to learn Linux

Owen — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:28:48 +0000

Well, I’m finding that I keep bumping into Linux at every turn. My phone runs Android, which has a Linux core and I’ve spent a few geeky days playing with my Dreambox, which also runs Linux. I’m finding I’m learning new stuff all the time and I can’t help but feel that it’s a great way to be learning a new technology. Obviously, it’s hard; moving out of one’s comfort zone does make one feel more vulnerable and uncertain, but I also know I’ll be stronger for it, my skill set is growing. Learning is one thing that no one can take away, good thing you can’t get the equivalent of weight loss pills for learning.

In the meantime, maybe I should get myself a book on Linux …

WordPress vs Joomla

Owen — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:29:05 +0000

I had an interesting conversation today with a colleague of mine who has decided to build a site in Joomla. We were comparing the relative merits of Joomla and WordPress. I tend to prefer WordPress because it’s a simpler product, I’ve had a great experience with it and well, that’s where my skill set lies now. Joomla is interesting for me, because it presents a growth avenue, but there’s also the risk that it takes me longer to deliver what I need to deliver. So, if I had to put together a simple site, say for a life insurance company, WordPress would be my product of choice.

Which do you prefer WordPress or Joomla?

Google Listen on Android

Owen — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 20:03:07 +0000

One of the applications I have been using most on my Android phone recently is an app by Google called Google Listen. Here’s what the blurb says:

Listen from Google Labs brings podcasts and web audio to your Android-powered device. It lets you search, subscribe, download and stream. By subscribing to programs and search terms it will create a personalized audio-magazine loaded with fresh shows and news stories whenever you listen. In this release Listen is indexing thousands of popular English-only audio sources.

I’ve found it a great way to listen to podcasts when I’m sweating on the elliptical trainer at the gym. Favourite podcast at the moment is TWiT – This Week in Tech. If you get a chance, give it a listen.

Thunderbird – Spam control

Owen — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 20:59:37 +0000

I came across an interesting post on spam control in Thunderbird, my current mail client. Well, I’ve been using it for around 5-6 years now, so current might be an understatement. Anyway, the article talks about junk control in Thunderbird and I think it’s mandatory reading for anyone using Thunderbird.

Unwanted mail can be a bit of a pain. You may be interested in “How to lose belly fat“, but then again, maybe you don’t. You may be interested in how to get taller, but then again, maybe you don’t. Best if you read through the article and see if it can help you out.

Are you riding the Wave?

Owen — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 21:53:28 +0000

Are you one of the lucky few who has been sent a Wave invite? If so, you may want to hook up with me at owen.cutajar@googlewave.com. It’s a brand new way of communicating with people, letting you talk about whatever you want in something that’s a cross between email and instant messaging. Here’s a video that will explain a bit more:

You can use it to talk about anything you like, whether it’s the latest news that Obama has received a Nobel Prize or debating the best weight loss pill on the market. If I have any invites to give out, I’ll blog about it; just let me know if you’re interested.

The Ballet Shop – the first few days

Owen — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 23:18:29 +0000

It’s been great to watch The Ballet Shop start to blossom using Magento as it’s new software. I’m more and more impressed by this e-commerce package every day I use it. Not only is the feature set outstanding, but there’s a vibrant community pushing it forward, developing add ons for it and participating in the forums. It’s not tied to a particular range, you can use it to sell services as well as products like loose diamonds and other physical goods. It’s more geared towards the physical goods side though, and includes modules for shipping, invoicing and all the other bits that you would expect from the back-end of an online store.

Well, one thing is for sure. If I ever have to build an e-commerce site again in the future, Magento will be my product of choice!

Playing with Magento

Owen — Fri, 29 May 2009 21:32:40 +0000

I’ve had the opportunity to play a bit with Magento over the last few days. It’s an Open Source shopping platform that is just awesome in the amount of features it offers. Everything you can think a shopping site would need has been included; features like cross-sells and upsells, customer reviews, custom promotions, stock management, configurable products, invoicing, everything.

The website I’m working on is The Ballet Shop, a website that came to life a few years ago based on some ASP/Access code I had developed. It ticked over nicely for a few years, but now needed a major overhaul. So rather than rebuilding it from scratch, I decided to investigate the open source option, and I’ve been blown away by this package. It works for any online shop you’d like to try, whether it’s a dance shop or a website focusing on Green shopping. If you decided to try and put your business online it comes very much recommended.

In the meantime, watch this space; I’ll let you know when the site launches.

Awesome Bar

Owen — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 23:39:54 +0000

: Image via Wikipedia

I’ve been using FireFox 3 for some time now, and the more I use it, the more I love the “Awesome Bar”. That’s the name that they gave the address bar where you can type in the URL of the website you’d like to visit. But it does more than that. You can also type a word from the title or the URL and FireFox will look at the pages you’ve visited so far, and suggest pages you can go to.

For example, if I went to a diet page, but all I remember is that it talked about Leptovox for example, you can just type the word in and Firefox will suggest pages that might have contained that word for you to work through.

The interesting thing is that I’ve found myself using this feature more and more! Great work guys.