Found on Twitter

First up in my find isn’t so much an app as it is a browser bookmarklet called Readability. I didn’t find this one as an add, but from following a link in a tweet in someone I follow (apologies if this was you, it’s been a while so I do not remember). Readability is by far the handiest thing I’ve used in quite some time.

Imagine if you will, going to a website like, oh, I don’t know, this one.

That is the Droid review at PCWorld.com as viewed in Google Chrome on my Mac. What a mess, until you click on the Readability bookmarklet. Instead of that mess up there, you instead get this wonderful page to read.

Wonderful. No ads, no cruft, just the story I want to read in large type with wide margins. You can customize the experience in many ways and it only takes a few minutes to setup. Oh yea, and it’s free. You really need to try this out.

The app that I found via an advertisement in Tweetie is a brilliant interface to Gmail called MailPlane. Yes, it is a desktop app to access a web based app. But it makes using Gmail so much better! I’m not sure if any of you have tried Fluid with Gmail, but it is very similiar to that experience.

With MailPlane you get drag and drop support, multiple account support that makes switching between accounts a snap, Growl support for messages and the ability to easily make it your default mail client. I’ve been using this for almost a month on the free trial and can tell you that I will be handing over my $24.95 happily next week. I’ve been looking for something exactly like this for quite a while now and am very pleased with how it works, especially when comparing to only using Gmail in a browser.

Sadly, MailPlane is Mac only. If you are a Gmail user and a Mac user, you should take the time to download this and check it out. The first 30 days are free, so why not.

If I were to go back and modified my top 5 mac applications, these 2 would definitely make the cut. If you try them out, I’m sure the rest of the class would be interested in what you thought about them. Comment below with your thoughts or opinions.

Good customer service is not rocket science. It’s really not. Good customer service actually comes quite naturally to most people, unless you are a dick.

How I do it

One thing that I am exceptionally good at is customer service. What? You don’t believe me? Just ask and I will tell you that I am. Really. It’s a skill that I developed by working in restaurant kitchens if you can believe it. I have worked for some truly brilliant general managers when it came to service, and almost everything I know or do can be traced back to them and this simple sentence.

If you’re not serving the customer, you’d better be serving someone who is.

—Karl Albrecht

Good old Karl and his German, supermarket magnet ways. That is one of the most brilliant things I have ever learned.

What that means is that, while you may not be serving the actual customer that is giving the company money to keep doing business, you are helping the person that is helping the customer, which in turns makes that person your customer. In the restaurants working in kitchens, that meant that while I was working in the back, not interacting with the customer at all, I was working with the people that were directly serving the customers, and the level of service I was able to provide to them (my customers), helped the level of service that they were able to give to their customers.

Now, have another sip of your coffee, sit back and think about that for a minute. Don’t worry, the lightbulb will go off very soon, trust me.

And when it does, you will start to see the brilliance provided by Mr. Albrecht and how it applies to you and your customers. If you continue to think about this (like I have for the past 20 years), besides seeing the brilliance in it, you will also start to believe it and even practice it. Or, at least you should.

Much like the other, simplest-thing-you-can-do-to-impress-someone trick that I know. This one is a toughy, but I think you can handle it. Ready?

Use their name.

It’s the 21st century now and I think it’s about time that we trade in those stuffy “sir”s and “ma’am”s for a persons name. It’s dead simple to do and will make your customers feel like you really care about them and think of them as a person as opposed to another number on a screen.

Did you know that you get so many chances to get a persons name it’s not even funny? If you work retail and the customer pays by credit card, their name is right there! On the card. No foolin’. If you have a CRM open on your desktop with the customer’s account information, it’s there too, right at the top of the screen (usually).

Starbucks will ask your name when you place your order. A good employee will notice you when you come back. A better employee will great you by name when you come back for the 5th time. An employee that should be getting paid quite a bit more than they are should will even remember your drink.

2 tricks for you this fine Sunday that I hope will help you as much as they have helped me. Do you have an easy tip that helps you to get through your day? Share it below!

I live here! Amazing, and it was a perfect day for it too.

What a very interesting year 2009 was, at least for me. Amazingly I survived, but just barely.

Two Zero One Zero

Starting the new year with a brand new website gone live. Check it out at IntrepidCycles.com. Full Wordpress site, as you would expect, but will also include a shopping cart by the end of the week and a members-only section. Still all contained within Wordpress. Watch the Twitter for updates as they happen.

Besides that, I’m also starting 2010 the same way I started 2009. Unemployed. You might have seen it on Facebook already. It’s not that big of a deal really. They are a great company and I just wasn’t the right ‘fit’ for what they were looking for. At least I was able to get a few balls rolling for them to get them on their way. Still, highly recommend them for any of yourproperty management needs, especially if you are in Southern California.

That makes twice I had a job in 2009 and twice I lost the job. Time to knuckle down, revamp the resume and keep at it until something sticks. Oh yea, and get the MINI fixed.

I did some cool stuff for 2009. I got to go to England, which was pretty rad. Built a few websites. Got a new iMac. Started the 5th year of the show and met some great people.

Here’s hoping for a safe and prosperous new year. May she be a damned sight better than the last!

DonBurnside.com is open! What can we do for you today?

Turkey Soup

One thing that I do every year is say I’m going to make turkey stock with the bones and carcass from the Thanksgiving bird. Into bags the parts go, then into the freezer to wait for me to pull them out and create stock.

Who’s with me?

In reality, the bones and parts usually end up the trash, without so much as a drop of stock being made. This year, I changed that, and early to boot since our traditional meal will include Prime Rib, not turkey. So, we had turkey this weekend, and from the pieces and parts, I created one bad ass stock. Are you ready?

The Stock

• Turkey parts. Bones, carcass, neck, gizzards, skin, whatever. The wings work well here too.
• 1 onion, cut into quarters. You can leave the skin on
• 3 celery stalks, with leaves, cut into thirds
• 2-3 bay leaves
• 1 cup of salt
• As much garlic as you like
• Water to cover

Put everything in your largest stock pot. Add water to cover. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer. How long depends on how much parts you put in. 2-3 hours would be a good place to start. If you are going to make soup with this now, continue on, otherwise get it cold ASAP. You can store it in Mason jars (even frozen) for use later.

The Soup

• Turkey Stock
• Vegetables
• Noodles, beans or both
• Salt
• Herbs, spices and garlic

Pretty vague, right? I know. It’s time for you to get a little creative in the kitchen. This is something that is impossible to screw up, so go crazy!

Want spinach, tomatoes and beans? Go! More traditional carrots, celery and rice? Sure. All starch with potatoes, noodles and barley? You can do that too! The stock is, essentially, a blank canvass ready to accept whatever flavors you want to through at it. Go nuts, have fun and get the rest of the family involved. I can practically guarantee that you won’t screw it up!

This could go anywhere

Honestly. I’m sitting at my desk letting my fingers just dance across the glorious Apple keyboard that sits directly in front of my 20″ iMac. There are cables connecting the two that constantly get in the way, but I’m just too damned cheap to pony up the $80 for the bluetooth keyboard.

I’ve mentioned this keyboard many times in the past. I really enjoy using it. I mean, really enjoy it. I actually like this one better than the one that I have at the office, which is about 2 weeks old. Why? This one is all broken in. The buttons finally work as I expect them too. The keys are smooth and silky and have a pleasant feel about them as my fingers press. The action is fluid, quiet and yet, at the same time, slightly mechanical in a very satisfying way.

Yes, I do love my keyboard.

Don’t get me wrong. That old IBM keyboard that came with my 286 back in the early 90’s was a wondrous piece of gear. It was loud, solid and keying on that board was almost the same as using a typewriter back in high school. Connected with a tightly coiled cable that was forever getting in the way of something, it was still an awesome keyboard. You could get a serious rhythm going with that board and once in the groove, man, the places it could take you.

Between the boards, there have been others. I even tried one of the Microsoft Ergonomic Keyboards for a spell. While I didn’t dislike it, I’m a lazy typist that doesn’t know where the numbers are without looking, and taking a hand off of that thing to work the 10 pad was inconvenient and really slowed things down.

There was also a slew of Logitech boards with the myriads of PCs that I have used over the years. Not too bad either. Satisfying sounds and feel, wireless, comfortable and good to type on. Hell, most of the posts on this site and this one before ‘07 were made with a Logitech board. And there was some good stuff.

But, and this is just my own humble opinion, not as good as the stuff that came after.

Yes, I do love my keyboard. Is that strange? Maybe. If you don’t love yours, then perhaps you should take some time out of your day today and get to shopping. If your computer is a tool, then the keyboard is the handle and you really should find something that works for you, fits well in your hand and is pleasing to use. Otherwise, you might as well use a pencil. I shudder at that thought.

You should be able to use a keyboard like you use your car. When you reach for something, it’s just there. You didn’t have to look because your hands knew what it would find when it landed. A good keyboard is exactly like that.

And I love mine.

Web Stuff

So, yea, go ahead and click through. Just a few changes, primarily to the header. I’ve also added some javascript assisted search and category jumps. I’ve got a few more tweaks coming this week, mostly navigational in nature, so keep an eye out for that. One thing I’m seriously thinking about doing is getting rid of the Facebook integration, or replacing it with something that works a little bit better.

Just took a new Wordpress install live for the Sin City MINI Club that includes an event calendar, membership join form and flickr integration. I’m pretty pleased with how it turned out, so are they. I’ve also been tasked with redoing the AMVIV site as well, so watch for that in the next couple of weeks.

The RentToday.us blog theme is ready and I hope to take it live this week. I’m really looking forward to installation PHP and mySQL on a Windows server. No, really.

Finally, I have one more site on the go that I expect to have live sometime this week or the early part of next. This one will include shopping cart functionality and it’s replacing a Joomla install. No, it’s not Motoringbadges.com, but it will benefit that. Still shooting for mid December to get that one up and running.

Other Stuff

Just got back from SEMA as most of you already know. Besides hanging out, taking pictures of booth babes and 2-for-1 tequilla shots, I did get some great information on some very cool products and, as I type this, I’m trying to get a review unit. Trust me, it’s cool and almost everyone in the MINI community will agree.

I do have some video from SEMA, but most of it turned out poorly. If there is anything worth sharing, I will be posting it.

I took those?

I had the chance to check out the Temecula Rod Run this past Friday. It was the first day of the event, and it was cruise night. Luckily, I took my camera.

I snapped over 150 photos. From that, I pulled out the best 50. From that, I narrowed it down to the best 33. Cleaned them up, cropped them, boosted the color. You know, did my best to make them cool.

From those 33, I have a few favorites that I would like to share with you this morning.

The arch going into Old Town Temecula. I caught the wind just right, so you see Old Glory waving there as well.

Woody’s. The color and chrome really pop in this one I thought.

Ford Ranchero. Red. Chrome. Fancy magazine shooting angle. I’m very pleased with how this turned out.

The blown Nova cruising on Front Street. I actually managed to get 2 more shots of moving cars that turned out well.

There is a lot of movement here, but the passengers in the car are clear. I don’t know what it is about this photo that I like, but I do.

And, my favorite.

The color. The movement. The stationary cars. Pretty much everything about this one. Everytime I look at it I still have a hard time believing that it came from my camera, unto my computer where I edited it and uploaded. But it was.

Horn tooting is done for now. Thanks for stopping by!

Cleaning up messes

That shot was taken at a customers house this week. It’s a beautiful house. Quite large with many fancy things, including a groovy coi pond in the front. Very nice. Until I see the closet that contains what you see above.

You see, that’s a wiring panel that the home builder used as a central location for all of the homes communication cabling. Television, network and telephone all run into this particular panel. I would even imaging that when it was new, it was organized and tidy.

Until someone else came along and screwed it up.

I like to use the term half assed as much as possible. I would use it here except this wasn’t even a half assed job. It was much worse. And I see this kind of thing every day.

2 steps that were missed after a Windows install so the customer got virus’ again. 3 sentences that could have been spoken so the customer understands what just happened. Holding information that serves no other purpose than to make the holder feel like they are more important. The cabling panel above.

These are details. Small, insignificant details sure, but details nonetheless. Sometimes it takes those details to finish something all the way. To make it complete. To do something.

Sure, I do stuff half-assed all the time. Usually it’s for a reason, and always I go back and make it right. To me, it’s not done until it’s done the way I think it should be, or the way that makes the customer happy.

If you are going to bother to do something, anything, why not take the extra step and do it right? Make it cool. WOW somebody! After I was finished with the panel above, the customer was very thankful and gave me way more praise than I was comfortable receiving. It’s a small thing that had been bother him for some time and he was pleased I fixed it, Easy.

All I’m trying to say here is that if you are going to bother to do something, make an effort to do it right.

If not, call me and I will do it for you.

5 Apps that should be on every Mac

So you bought a Mac. Nicely done. I’m sure that you have already discovered why your friends and the internet won’t shut up about this damned computer. For me, it’s iPhoto, iMovie ‘08 and Preview, plus the fact that it. Just. Works.

Besides that, there are a few other apps that I think should be preinstalled on every Mac. Let’s call this my list of must have Mac applications.

First up in our hit parade has to be Skitch. Sure the Mac does screen shots out of the box very well, but Skitch takes screen shots to a new level. Easy to use, quick to start, plus you can do all kinds of neat things like add text or graphics to your snaps. Then, when you are done, you can easily share those snaps with the entire world via Flickr or Skitch.com. This is an app that should cost $50 for the Pro version. Luckily, it’s still free!

In the number 2 spot is Quicksilver. It’s an app launcher and much much more. Also free. If you are one that likes to use the keyboard more than the mouse, I highly recommend it. Once installed, set it to launch with a cmd-spacebar key* combo. Feel free to search around for other cool stuff this app can do. It’s limitless.

Coming in at numba 3 is Exposé. Ok, this one comes on every Mac already, but it’s not turned on. Go into System Preferences and do just that. Don’t forget to activate hot corners either. Being able to display all of your open windows with a simple swipe of the mouse if way handier than you think. Being able to show the desktop the same way is even handier still. For the record, I use Top right to display, botton left to show the desktop.

For you Instant Messengers out there, you need Adium. Works with AIM, Yahoo, MSN, gChat and I think ICQ. The only drawback is that it does not support video chat. Get your friends to start using Skype for that.

Of course, you have iChat already installed. It’s basically an AIM client that supports audio and video. Oh, and screen sharing that works. Great way to help or get help from your Mac friends.

If you need light image editing and don’t want to drop $700 for the latest Photoshop, I would recommend Acorn. It’s a great app, and for only $50 it’s a steal! Does almost everything Photoshop does already, is faster and easier to figure out. Sure I still use PS, but for the bulk of the image editing I do, Acorn is my go-to app.

Finally, a browser other than Safari. Sure the Mac fanboi’s are freaking out right now, but lets be honest. Safari isn’t all that and a bag of chips 100% of the time. No browser is. Always nice to have a backup, and you would be very well served by either Firefox or Camino. Unless you are an Opera person. You can run that too.

If you think I missed something, you know what to do. Comments are open! Feel free to ask questions too.

*System Preferences –> Spotlight. Uncheck the bottom 2 checkboxes. Envoke Quicksilver, press cmd+, (comma) and in the Command section, set it to cmd-spacebar.