Top 7 Tools for Bloggers
Although blogging and RSS seems to be a hot topic these days, only about five percent of American internet users actually use it.
From both a business and personal perspective though, blogs and RSS have a lot to offer for the average internet user.
The main reason is that by using RSS, you can cut down on the amount of email that you receive. You can receive a lot of your news in the form of headlines.
Blogs can tell you what people are thinking about, and what they’re really interested in. This is an effective tool for marketers. If you’re looking to meet new people, this can also be an excellent way to meet others who share common interests.
It’s not really necessary to understand what blogging and RSS are.
Blogs are nothing more than online diaries. They can be used to talk about business trends or any other topic.
RSS is a form of website code that is search engine friendly and can be read in a special type of browser called an RSS reader. As I said before, this is a great way to receive news on just about anything you’re interested in.
If the thought of keeping an online journal or using blogs to discuss your business interest you, then I have some great tools that will make your blogging experience a lot easier.
1. Blog building
Before you build a blog, you need to decide how you want to host it.
If you’re not interested in the technical aspects involved, you can always sign up for a free account on a blogging site.
The most popular is Blogger – http://www.blogger.com
If you’d like to build your own, there are several different ones you can try including Word Press ande Nucleus.
Before you choose a blogging script, I recommend you try different ones to see which one you like best.
Open Source CMS – http://www.opensourcecms.com – offers several different types of scripts you can try to find the blog script that’s the right fit for you.
The most important feature in a blog script is that it’s search engine friendly.
2. Blog editing
This may not seem that important. After all, you can just go right to your site and post.
Sounds easy right? Maybe not if editing HTML is as alien to you as the notion of learning to build a blog in the first place.
Try this tool to help you post to your blog. It offers you a WYSIWYG editor, which means that you can write and edit at the same time, and it you’ll see exactly how your blog post looks as you are writing.
Blog Editing Toolbar – http://www.aspmodules.com/at/bloginfo.asp – This tool will help you easily edit your blog without knowing HTML. All you need is IE 6, and the install is quick and easy.
3. Blog Posting
Maybe you don’t find the idea of posting online very appealing. As a writer I can’t imagine being without my word processor.
If you’d rather have a desktop tool, instead of writing your blog from the control panel, this tool is for you.
wBlogger – http://www.wblogger.com – is an excellent application for helping you create blog posts, and you don’t have to be online to write posts for your blog.
You create your post and save it for when you are ready to post. This is especially convenient if you don’t have time to write everyday.
4. Blog Subscriptions
Although RSS is slowly becoming popular, many still like to receive an email. The problem is that many of the autoresponder systems you can use either don’t include RSS, or RSS autoresponders can be expensive.
Below are two tools where you can copy and paste a subscription box onto your site and visitors can subscribe for updates.
http://www.feedblitz.com/
http://www.bloglet.com
5. RSS Generators
If your blog application doesn’t create a feed automatically, you may have to make one. It’s really much easiser than it sounds.
With this application, you just enter your information and click submit. This is especially useful if you want to create a feed for your website.
RSS Feed Generator – http://www.rsstoolchest.com/rss-feed-generator/
6. Blog and Ping Applications
You use these applications to let the blog and RSS directories know that you’ve updated your blog. This is especially important if you own a business blog because it allows you to quickly and easily notify several sites at once.
One caveat though: you should only use these applications to update the directories of new posts to your blog. Don’t use them to notify the directories that you have an RSS feed for your site. You’ll get banned.
Pingomatic – http://www.pingomatic.com
Pingoat – http://www.pingoat.com
7. RSS Promotion
Although blog and ping is great for notifying the directories that you’ve updated your blog, you usually need to submit your RSS feed to the directories first before using the update tools.
Feedsubmitter – http://www.feedsubmitter.com – is a free tool you can use to help you get your feed indexed quickly. This will save you some time because you don’t have to visit each site to get your site indexed.
Although I can’t give you any ideas to write about (although I will if you want to pay my consulting fee 
blogs are a great way to meet new people and expand your business.
Hosted Cms and the University: a Winning Solution
In an era where digital content continues to grow at an exponential rate, organizations of all shapes and sizes struggle to manage and create content. Much like large corporations, Web sites play a vital role in the marketing and communications strategies of higher education institutions. As college and university Web sites grow more complex, it is crucial to have a site that is properly managed, easy to navigate, and powered by flexible, mature content management technology.
With the right Content Management System (CMS), universities can help optimize communication with students and faculties, enhance student recruitment and retention, and maintain relationships with alumni. Content management technology is already at the core of many higher education Web infrastructures – one of the most rapidly adopted technologies, in fact. A CMS can provide a number of benefits by facilitating the efficient creation and management of Web content (news and events, course catalogs, faculty profiles, and more) throughout the entire content lifecycle. This enables content to be published with greater speed and ease – making staff more productive, operations more efficient, and content more relevant and up-to-date.
CMS: Addressing Web Challenges
While the content itself might be different, the content needs of an educational institution are not very far removed from that of a corporation. A good university CMS must provide:
• The ability to maintain consistent branding across campus-wide sites.
• The ability to decentralize content management to enable individual departments and offices to manage content.
• The ability to empower non-technical users (i.e. administrators, faculty, and staff) to easily create and publish content through an intuitive interface.
• The ability to deliver timely, targeted, up-to-date information to various audiences such as prospective and enrolled students, alumni, faculty, staff, corporate partners, and the media.
• The ability to easily integrate with external applications including Course Management, Customer Relationship Management, Enterprise Resource Planning systems, and portals.
Typical challenges with university content management
• ‘Dreamweaver’ culture
• A hodge-podge of sites
• Varied branding
• Varied accessibility levels and content
• Finding the right CMS/CMS vendor to deliver the right solution
A recent survey conducted by the University of California, Davis, brought forward some interesting facts. Highlights include:
• 60% of the institutional respondents are already using a CMS.
• Open source, custom developed and hosted solutions are more popular than traditional installed products.
• There is no clear leader in terms of which CMS product campuses are using.
Does the installed CMS do the job?
There are several reasons why a traditional CMS might not be the best fit for institutional requirements. Consider:
• Budget
An installed CMS is usually very expensive because you have individual costs for the software, implementation and support. With the latter two typically costing two to three times the initial software investment, educational institutions seldom, if ever, have the budgets to afford them.
• Implementation
Implementation of CMS architecture across campuses is generally haphazard, and the level of customization is either very low or nonexistent. Given the complexity of a traditional CMS, it is nearly impossible for institutions to use a CMS on more than a quarter of their Web sites.
• Support and Training
Most educational institutions have very few staff (if any) supporting the CMS. There is also a large number and wide variety of non-technical users, reluctant to change or any formal training. Not many CMS vendors offer technical training to users – especially so for users who might have no technical knowledge whatsoever.
These factors invariably put traditional CMS at the bottom of the requirements list at university campuses.
The case for a hosted CMS
In the academic environment, a CMS must not only be cost-effective, it must also be quick and painless to implement, manage, support, and run. It must be kept in mind that universities also have a greater diversity of users connecting with the Web site – students (current and prospective), faculty, staff, parents, the community at large, alumni, and so on.
With a hosted CMS, infrastructure burdens are minimized. There is no hardware to buy, or software to install; you simply access the application through a Web browser. Hosted solutions also provide a set of standard modules and design templates, customizable according to organizational needs. Non-technical users will appreciate the convenience of this; they can focus on the content and its presentation rather than the underlying technology.
Universities have a gamut of user types, and getting them involved early in the decision-making process is an important step in choosing a CMS. Given that hosted solutions make it much easier for users to actually adopt the system, success rates are predictably higher. Most CMS successes can also be attributed to a ‘CMS champion’ – someone really motivated about using the technology, and telling everyone else how easy it actually is to use. Finding this ‘champion’ can be easier if the CMS is actually fast and simple to learn.
A large part of traditional CMS complexity is due to fact that these systems are designed for large transaction processing. With a hosted solution, the institution can have the option of using only the CMS components it actually needs.
Hosted CMS can also be up and running much quicker, with lower training requirements. The vendor has dedicated staff deployed to handle technical issues, and the institution does not have to take on the burden of finding or employing support personnel.
Conclusion
It is important to understand the role of content management in higher education to help define and prioritize requirements consistent with system-wide objectives. From schools to colleges and universities the right CMS can have a powerful impact by enabling users at all levels.
However, it is equally important to choose a CMS with the best combination of flexibility, control, and ease-of-use for the successful operations of institutional Web sites. Together, a CMS and a sound content management strategy can combine to address the complex, everyday Web challenges of higher education.
Microsoft Access 2007: New Features
Many of us work hard to try and find new ways to improve our performance, both on a personal and a professional level. The same principle can be applied to technologies which assist us in our daily lives. Often, we hear news that a new and improved car, paint or washing powder has been released onto the market. Computer software is no different, as demonstrated by the release of a new version of Microsoft Access on 30th January 2007. By acting upon customer feedback and brainstorming new ideas, the idea was to create a more efficient and user-friendly database program. Let us review some of the new features of Microsoft Access 2007.
Introduction of Prebuilt Solutions
Conveniently, forms and reports have already been designed for immediate use by the user. The idea is to save time and allow you to begin inputting your data as soon as possible. There is also the option to customise these prebuilt solutions to further meet your requirements.
New results orientated user interface
The new interface replaces the layers of menus and toolbars found in previous editions of Access with a standard area called the ribbon. It has been designed to enhance the ease with which new applications can be created and modified as only those commands which are relevant to the task at hand are displayed at any one particular time. A new navigation pane has also been designed.
Simplification of table creation
Microsoft Access 2007 has been designed with automatic data type detection capabilities. This means that the system is able to recognise whether you are entering a date or a currency, for example. It is also possible to paste an Excel spreadsheet into Access thereby avoiding the need to retype the data.
Ability to easily share information between programs
It is possible to share data contained within an Access database with colleagues using Windows SharePoint Services. Essentially, Access data can be accessed and edited through a Web interface. This allows your work to proceed smoothly, without unnecessary holdups.
As the new edition of Microsoft Access has made some significant changes and incorporated new features, it may be worth attending a Microsoft Access training course. This can help to ensure that you are up-to-date and able to utilize the new software to its’ best advantage. Alternatively, you may be new to Microsoft Access. If this is the case, the updated software should make the principles of operating a relational database system even easier to master.
Great Plains Installation and Implementation Overview
Microsoft Dynamics GP, or also commonly known as Great Plains is Microsoft SQL Server database application and at the same time it has its own IDE and programming language, known as Great Plains Dexterity. Dexterity in turn is written on C as a shell. Recent versions, such as 10.0, 9.0 are tightly integrated with Microsoft Outlook, plus version 10.0 has integration with Sharepoint and SQL Server Reporting Services (or SRS). Having said that, however we would like to inform you that installation itself is streamlined and not overly difficult. Let’s review:
1. Server Side. When installation wizard loads application files, it launches Dexterity Utilities to create DYNAMICS and then company databases. Here you should interact and enter maximum account length and number of segments. We recommend you in order to install lesson company to have at least three segments and length of the first three should be 3, 4 and 2. If you would like to know what is really going on and which objects are installed – atomic stored procedures (needed for Dexterity engine to manage tables by Dex indexes), tables: master, setup, work, open and historical, SQL stored procedures including eConnect encrypted ones
2. Workstation. Here when you add users workstations, for versions 9.0 and newer you don’t need to create ODBC connection manually – installation does it for you. If you are curious and would like to understand technical side, please review Dynamics.set file to review modules installed. Each module, listed in this set file has three lines: one for code logic dictionary, one for modified forms dictionary and one for modified reports dictionary.
3. Implementation. As GP is mid-size business ERP application, to implement it you need professional GP implementation consultant, who should help you install software, map business processes, perform data conversion and migration from legacy MRP to GP, train users, modify reports and customize the system if required
4. Integration. It is often the case, when your new ERP should be integrated with other systems and databases. In GP you should review Integration Manager module, which allows you to integrate text files as well as connect to other databases via ODBC connection
Basic Internet Marketing
Nowdays millions of people are spending most of their time in the internet.
People need a quick and easy data or informations to fullfill their activities
in the office, at home, etc. This is a big opportunity for the internet marketer
who sold or offered products and services to the people who need it. By using
internet people could sell their product such as ebook everywhere. This is a huge
business with millions markets all over the world. The internet marketing has
changed the way people sale. The internet marketer should think and act globally
so their products could be accepted by the markets.
Several advantages of the internet marketing are that you could start the business
with a small investment, lots of customers everywhere, cash payment, work at home,
small risk and online for 24 hours.
If you are interested in becoming the internet marketer, the main factor that you
should know is how to look for the potential market. You should know which one is
the beneficial market for you and therefore you should carry out a market research.
Find the right market niche which has great power to buy what products they want.
In general, the potential market for research is everything that related with money,
increasing income, health, hobbies, sports, human relation, new technolohies, skill
improvement. Use the right keyword that is accordance with the market niche that
you are going to enter. The more you know it, the bigger your chance to be success.
The other important factor of internet marketing is the quality of the idea. Find
the right idea for the market niche that you try to enter. A simple idea that was
done seriously and presented attractively, could raised your income. Generally,
there are so many products from traditional business that you can sell by using
the internet marketing. But the most effective products that can be sold are ebook,
emagazine, audio, video, software, ecourse, training, graphic design, copy writing,
etc. This is the most effective one because you don’t need to deliver the products
directly to your customers whic sould takes times. The most important things need
are to have the internet access and email address.
After you find the right market niche and idea, create your own domain name
accordance to your market target and choose your best hosting. After that create
your website or blog and choose the right content Management System (CMS),
such as: SMF, Joomla, wordpress, etc. Then fill in your website or blog catchy
and uptodate informations to attract the visitors to come and buy. If you can’t
design your website or blog, just let the expert one to handle it for you for
the good price.
It’s time to sell now. You need traffics for the visitors to come and buy your
products. There are many ways to increse the traffics, such as by making advertising
in Google, Yahoo, MSN, Submit articles, joint and participate in social networking
site example Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, etc. Keep updating your website or blog
contents so the visitors will never get bored. Well, what are you waiting for?
Time to act. Welcome to the Internet Marketing!
Home Health Agencies
Home health care refers to skilled nursing care by licensed personnel. Many home health agencies are giving the best care for the daily health needs of people in a certain area, for health support.
Home Health Agencies provide health care services to the disabled, vulnerable, and ill individuals in their homes. Their health services enable them to live as independently as possible. The public payers, health insurance, and patient’s own resources pay for home health care.
Skilled services include:
• Nursing services
• Medical or psychological assessment
• Pain management
• Nutritional services
• Wound care
• Physical therapy
• Respiratory therapy
• Speech therapy
• Disease education and management
• Occupational therapy
• Home medical supplies and equipment
• Aide services
• Professional medical assessment services, and
• Social work services
Home Health Agencies are all licensed by the state, thus providing care within the minimum health safety standards. This is as established by the rules and regulations. The Health Department enforced standards to agencies by conducting periodically unannounced surveys.
Medicare also certifies health agencies to execute comprehensive assessments of patients that participate in the federal program of Outcome Assessment Information Set (OASIS). It may also pay for services provided by the Home Health Agencies that seek and approve certification done by the Federal Health and Human Services Centers for Medicare and Mercaid Services (CMS).
Medicaid can be available to low-income individuals and families that have been recognized by the federal law as US citizens or immigrants. Payments are directly sent to the health care providers. A small amount may be asked for medical services. Mercaid is an administered state program, which follows guidelines on eligibility and services.
2005 measures (collected via the OASIS data set) are:
• Improvement in Transferring
• Discharge to Community
• Improvement in Pain Interring with Activity
• Improvement in Bathing
• Improvement in Urinary Incontinence
• Improvement in Ambulation/Locomotion
• Emergent Care
• Acute Care Hospitalization
• Improvement in Dyspnea (Shortness of Breath)
• Improvement in Management of Oral Medication
Additional measure was previously endorsed by the NQF (National Quality Forum) that adds to Home Health Compare in December 2007 and more in 2009. There are several priorities that emerged and expected to be a part of future planning like:
• Integration of measures of process and systems
• Pay for Performance – reimbursements to delivery of care.
The United States indicates the informal nature of most home care with friends and families that provide a substantial care. In formal care, health care professionals such as nurses, the physical therapists and the home health aides are the main persons involved in the process. Skilled services of these individuals are in an intermittent basis, like a scheduled home visits to clients ordered by a physician under a plan of treatment. From this, unnecessary hospitalizations are avoided, especially hospital discharges.
Regarding payment methods, supportive services are contracted with different care agencies on a private-pay basis. Mercaid built a community-based program designed to give the elderly some personal care assistance in their homes as a preference to institutional care.
Florida, as a licensure state acquires different levels of licensing health agencies depending on the services provided.
Here are the application process requirements:
1. Complete details of Application form along with the fee given to the Office of Health Care Survey.
a. Organizational structure description – listing of agency name, administrator, directors, officers, employees, and partners
b. Address of location and phone numbers
c. Service area description and service supervision
d. Offered services
e. Washington State Patrol copy of criminal history
f. Business License copy
g. Liabilities of professional and property damage insurance
2. Reviewing information and acceptance of the application materials
3. DOH will conduct survey and inspections before the issue of license.
Here are some of the many home health agencies that render maximum services to people and comply with the licensing process application.
Home Health Care Services Sacramento, California USA
Sacramento Life Force Home Health Care
Address: 2929 Fulton Avenue, Suite 2967
This is a locally operated and a family owned non-medical Home Health Care Service Agency that is committed to the needs of clients. Dedicated support and assistance of daily life is one of the goals of this agency. It aims to provide services to any person at least 18 years and up. They were able to practice comprehensive plans in giving a 24/7 hour care from 4 hours in three days.
Services Includes:
o Personal Care
o Light Housekeeping
o Light Massage
o Doctor and Hospital Appointments
o Meal Preparation
o Errands
o Assist with Hospice Care
o Walking Companions
o Recreational Activities
o Laundry
Shopping
Passive Range of Motion Exercise
o Medication Reminders
o Fill-Ins (Vacations)
o Provide hospital & convalescent private personal care during
your stay at either facility.
o Provide services for those with Alzheimer’s, Dementia, Multiple
Sclerosis (MS), or Parkinson’s
Sacramento Life Force Home Health Care has working partners with various organizations such as Visiting Nurse Associations (VNA) with local gerontology and geriatric departments. This agency is also a member of worker’s provider network that gives services to injured workers and their families. All of their staff members are trained and supervised under the direct control, along with full compliance of employment laws and requirements.
It serves the entire Sacramento Metropolitan Region such as; California, North and South Sacramento, East and West Sacramento, City of Sacramento, Central Sacramento, County of Sacramento, City of West Sacramento, Carmichael, Greater Roseville Area, Citrus Heights, Fair Oaks, Rancho Cordova, City of Folsom and Orangevale.
Cruise Line Job Oppurtunities Available on Both Land and Sea
Do you want to work aboard a cruise ship and sail the seven seas? How about a land side corporate position with one of the major Cruise Lines? Many readers regularly ask the editor of Cruise Addicts for help in finding employment with the Cruise Lines. Below you will find information and links in obtaining your potential dream job with the worlds major Cruise Lines. The links below are the some of the official Cruise Line pages and not 3rd party recruiters or otherwise. We wish you the best and hope this information helps you get started with your new career.
Official Cruise Line Employment Information Pages
Carnival Cruise Lines – Fun Jobs – Carnival Cruise Lines has an extensive listing of positions and contact information to get your career started aboard one of the many ‘Fun Ships’ or land side jobs located around the world. To view Carnivals Employment page visit this link at:
http://www.carnival.com/CMS/Fun_Jobs/ccl_fun_jobs_landing.aspx
Royal Caribbean Career Opportunities – Royal Caribbean is known for wonderful service and beautiful ships. You can look into the many different opportunities to work for this global company on land or sea. To view Royal Caribbeans Career page visit this link at: http://www.royalcaribbean.com/ourCompany/career.do
Love the spotlight and got talent? Then take stage left to Royal Caribbean Productions page and learn how to setup an AUDITION so you can be a star at sea visit this link at: http://www.royalcaribbeanproductions.com
Princess Cruises – Princess Cruises is a premium Cruise Line that covers the globe with wonderful ships. Princess also specializes in providing wonderful tours and cruises of Alaska. So you will find many seasonal opportunities each Alaska Cruise season. You can also find a many full time opportunities on land or at sea. To view Princess Cruises Employment page visit this page at: http://www.princess.com/employment/index.html
Celebrity Cruises – Celebrity Cruises offers white glove treatment to its guest. If your interested in learning more about a career on both land and sea. To view their employment page visit this page at: http://www.celebritycruises.com/aboutceleb/dblTxtSub.do?pagename=careers
Norwegian Cruise Line – NCL has hundreds of ways to be apart of their land or sea team. So be sure to view their employment page, just visit this page at: http://www.ncl.com/nclweb/cruiser/cmsPages.html?pageId=JoinOurTeam
Disney Cruise Line – Disney Cruise Line has an extensive website complete with videos and detailed information about life as a crew member on board a ship or other DCL career opportunities. To view this impressive website just visit this page at: http://www.dcljobs.com/
Costa Cruises – Costa Cruises has a long history of cruising the world and you can be apart of their team. To view their Job Opportunities page at: http://www.costacruise.com/B2C/USA/Corporate/human/Job+Opportunities/Job_Opportunities.htm
Cunard Line – Work for this historic company, Cunard Line. You can be apart of their global team with opportunities on both land and at sea aboard one of their “World Famous Ocean Liners”. To view their employment information page at: http://cunard.com/Hr/default.asp
Holland America Line – Holland America Line has enjoyed over 134yrs of company history at sea. To look into your employment options with their amazing team. To view their employment information page at: http://hollandamerica.com/about-best-cruise-lines/Main.action?tabName=Jobs
Single-source Documentation – Docbook Versus DITA
When it comes to documentation projects, primarily technical, medical, and scientific, using XML is a no-brainer. The heavy thinking comes when deciding which flavor of XML to use: DocBook or DITA (Darwin Information Typing Architecture). I have been a steadfast supporter of DocBook for over six years. I’d tried my hand at DITA and gave it up as a fad; lots of bells and whistles, but too complicated to integrate. And couldn’t DocBook do everything DITA promised anyway?
So when Allette Systems contacted me to speak on XML standards in SydneyAustralia, I jumped at the chance to prove to the documentation world just how wonderful DocBook is and how DITA falls short. Fortunately, my in-depth research opened my eyes to the benefits and limitations of both.
In a nutshell, DocBook has the advantage of age; it’s stable, easy to setup, and created for technical documentation publications. While DITA has the advantage of youth; it’s innovative, complete with its own architecture, and created for documentation outside the book. DocBook was hatched in 1991 by HaL computer Systems and O’Reilly. In 1998, Oasis gave DocBook its own technical community. A year later, DITA began evolving from cross-department teams within IBM. Its Oasis technical community was established in 2004.
My research and experimentation with these two standards is summarized in the following table.
1. Definitions
DocBook is a document type definition (DTD) for writing technical books and articles, with the structure that such forms imply.
DITA is both a DTD and a set of rules for writing online contextual documentation such as software help files.
2. Concepts
DocBook is hierarchical by nature, and must be developed to allow for single-sourced content DocBook has a fixed element and attribute set.
DITA separates content from context, allowing multiple architectures of information DITA is extensible, allowing the definition of information types
3.Context
Docbook: book (section) oriented
DITA: topic oriented
4. Key Features
Docbook: large set of elements and attributes targeted for technical documentation
DITA: topic based, separation of content and context, specialization
5. Download and Installation
Docbook: bat, bin, dtd, etc. files and eDE able to run with as is
DITA: bat, bin, dtd, etc. files, and transformation engine
6. Document File
Docbook: regular XML file called an include file with all files included in the document
DITA: ditamap file with all files and each file’s related links
7. Output
Docbook: PDF, HTML, HTMLHelp
DITA: unrestricted, but all need development
8. Community
Docbook: well supported by the XML community
DITA: small but strong, growing community
9. Complexity
Docbook: with a little development, DocBook can do what DITA is attempting on a smaller scale
DITA is impressively engineered, but can be too industrial-strength
10. Possible Needs
Docbook: Content Management System
DITA: Publishing plug-ins
DocBook is well supported, easy to integrate, and tailored to technical documentation needs. DITA has a highly technical, innovative community, can (with development) publish to all online formats, and comes with its own architecture (content management).
So how do you decide? Well, the good news is DocBook and DITA are quite similar in basic elemental parts and XML tags. For example, DocBook is built on sections, which can be compared to DITA’s topics, as shown in the figure below (see image at http://www.livetechdocs.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/12/04_DBvDITAStructure.png).
Why is this good news? Because smaller companies, or those new to XML, you start with DocBook and graduate to DITA when and if needed.
Online communities (Oasis Open Document) and companies (Flatiron Solutions) are already attempting to facilitate compatibility between these two standards.
The table below may help you decided which standard is right for you and your company today.
1. Documentation volume
Docbook: small and medium
DITA: large
2. Documentation output
Docbook: PDF, HTML, HTMLHelp, others with development
DITA: all with development
3. Basic integration time frame (no conversion)
Docbook: one business day
DITA: one month plus
4. Budget
Docbook: small to medium
DITA: medium to large
I am always interested in your comments and experiences, especially if they differ from mine. Please feel encouraged to comment on this blog (www.livetechdocs.com/blog), or send me an email teresa.mulvihill@livetechdocs.com.
New Features of Leopard and Leopard Server
Mac OS X 10.5 server gives us a glimpse into the not-so-distant future from Apple. Speaking of, have you heard about the new features of Mac OS X 10.5? Actually, neither have we – we haven’t heard a thing about Apple’s newest operating system, called ‘Leopard,” since the time of the World Wide Developer’s Conference in August of 2006. We’ll focus on some of the new features here – this server does more to satisfy business needs than the regular desktop operating system.
DESKTOP CAPABILITIES
Time Machine:
Apple already has Backup, but has gone one better with Time Machine. Initially it makes one complete backup of your system (on an external drive or network sharepoint) and then periodically backs up files that have changed. You can retrieve past versions of files or files you’ve recently deleted by zooming your window back through time just like the name suggests.
Spotlight:
From Apple’s web site: ‘More haystacks? No problem. Spotlight for Leopard finds what you’re looking for on other Macs, including servers running Mac OS X Leopard Server. Just set up your remote Macs for file sharing and Spotlight includes results from those machines in your search. That’s one-stop searching on any Leopard machine with access to your network.’
Spaces:
Take your desktop and cadre of constantly running applications to task, and organize it. It can be pretty busy, even with Exposé to organize things. Spaces allows you to divide your running applications and items into multiple desktops; a “web” space for your browser(s), HTML authoring apps, a “creative” space for iLife and iWork, etc. The names we’ve suggested here are just that- suggestions. Your limits are your own.
In Leopard, Spotlight provides a richer syntax so you can search for more specific sets of things. Use new Boolean logic to narrow search results by entering “AND,” “OR,” and “NOT” into a search request. You can also search using specific file attributes – author, type, or keyword, for example”
Dashboard:
Perhaps one of the coolest things about dashboard in Mac OS X 10.5 is “Web clip” , which allows you to take a section of a web page and turn it into a widget all it’s own, no coding required. You really just need to see the demo of this to get how cool this is.
SERVER CAPABILITIES
Mac OS Server 10.5, Apple’s sixth OS X Server release in as many years. This new ‘Leopard’ server brings a few anticipated and unexpected features to the table with this release:
iCal Server:
This is based on the CalDAV standard, a conglomeration of existing standards allowing cross-platform calendaring, free-busy checking, and full Open Directory integration — that’s close to an SBS-killer.
Teams Directory:
Apple’s catch phrase for its built-in Wiki Server, taking their previous attempt at a blog-server (based on blojsom) one step further.
Spotlight Server:
Apple’s incredibly-fast content and meta-data search engine capability to mounted volumes, allowing for lightning-fast searches across your company’s gigabytes (or terabytes?) of shared storage. Think about the plug-in possibilities to create a shared asset server.
Also in the rumor mill is that the NSA is revising its security paper on Mac OS X 10.3 to accommodate Mac OS X 10.5.
Ask us for a “Mac-readiness” assessment of your network to see how you can take advantage of Leopard’s incredible feature set.
How to prepare for a triathlon
1981. That female triathlete crawlling over the finish line in Hawaii. Remember that? I must have seen it back then, but I don’t remember seeing it until triathlon got HUGE and magazines featured that picture as a ‘classic flashback’ to the ‘roots of the sport’. John Collins birthed the idea with a few friends while trying to decide what the hardest athletic test in the world was. That brainstorm is what drove so many of us to combine swimming, biking, and running into one sport. Triathlon.
Once you’ve decided to get in shape for any length of triathlon, and, of course, after you’ve gotten the OK from a health professional, find your baseline fitness and ability. For instance, get in a pool, and see if you remember how to swim. Can you survive a length or two? If you can’t, then I suggest you take swim lessons from the gym’s resident expert. Freestyle, or American crawl, is a very do-able stroke, and shouldn’t take a committed student longer than a month in which to be capable.
Next step is to find a bike that is road-worthy and see if you remember how to ride in a straight line. Initially, any bike will do, but there are two major types of bikes. Road bikes – narrow tires with smooth tread designed to increase speed and efficiency. Great for asphalt or concrete, but not good in sand, dirt, or gravel. Mountain bikes – wider tires with knobby tread designed for traction in sand, dirt, or gravel. Not good for speed or efficiency in a race situation held entirely on concrete or asphalt. A beginning rider, however, may like the extra stability and security that a mountain bike offers. Once you’ve become comfortable with the cycling aspect of the sport, consider upgrading to a road bike built for triathlon.
The last phase of triathlon is the running portion. Running is last so those who are exhausted can just walk, or sit down, instead of drowning (if the swim was last), or crashing off a bike (if the bike was last). Put on shoes made specifically for running, and see how far you can go. A great starter idea is to run for 5 minutes, walk until recovered, then run 5 minutes more, etc.
Once you’ve established your baseline fitness and ability, find a race to enter that is a ‘finishable’ distance for you. Find races at http://www.trifind.com/, for instance, or http://usatriathloncalendar.co m/cms/, that are close to you. Once you’ve picked a race, work backwards in your training so you know you can finish each individual distance at least a month before the race. Spend the last two weeks before the race taking it relatively easy, so you are fresh for race day.
Have a great race, and let someone know how it feels to finish.
-
Premium Web Templates - $1+ million worth of templates for instant download!
