So, today I needed to show some web dev stuff to a client. Figuring this would be great time to try GoToMeeting, the service that is advertised ad nauseam on almost all of the podcasts I listen to, I fired up the browser and headed that way.

After a quick sign up for an account, I was presented with the request for a credit card number that can be charged in case I forget to cancel my account. Umm… no. I set out to find a free alternative.

Enter Yumga. A quick setup and install of the Yumga application yielded no request for credit card numbers nor birth certificates. However, testing showed serious problems… Like the lack of audio and laggy performance of screen refreshing.

I went back to GoToMeeting, entered in a number from an old debit card with maybe $12 in the account, and set about testing. The performance was better, but the audio still gave us fits. The best solution ended up being a combination of screen sharing with audio transmitted via the ancient phone system. It worked but was far from elegant.

So, my question is: Why is it that in 2010, with broadband connections on both ends, screen sharing (let alone video conferencing at the same time) is so difficult to accomplish? Seasoned veterans of technology were involved here, and we still resorted to POTS.

No wonder people hate computers. =)

Hey, I kinda like this new look to my site. What do YOU think?

I’ve been trying out quite a few themes lately, but none of them had the right mix for what I was looking for. But I dragged out an old folder of themes, blew the dust off, and found this gem.

Sure, there are a few things that I’m not too crazy about, but it’s a solid foundation and I’ll be able to clean it up. Got a better suggestion? Please email me or leave a comment.

Thanks again for stopping by!

Well, I’m done with my first class. It went really well, if I do say so myself.

I had seven students and several brought questions that I hadn’t anticipated. I felt well prepared to answer most but I could more experience, I’m sure.

The next class is in two weeks and it’s a different subject, so I have a bit of time to prepare. Then the flood gates open wide and late February and early March get real busy!

It’s 10pm on Wednesday night and I teach my first class tomorrow at 6pm. Yep, 20 hours from now. I’m working on finishing up the notes for my Keynote presentation and hoping that I have enough material to talk for a couple of hours!

Everyone tells me that I’ll have TOO much prepared for the first few classes, but right now I’m hoping that the students bring questions. Better yet, they’ll hopefully bring questions that I can answer.

Well, I should probably stop worrying about the blog and start worrying about finishing this up… and getting some serious sleep.

Hey everyone! Just wanted to let you know that I made my second appearance on The Bottom Line on the excellent web site known as TechVi. Other than my complete mental breakdown in the middle of a sentence, things went well. We talked about the Google tablet concept and multitouch finally coming to the Nexus One.

I really enjoy being on the show, although I know I’m not great at it. I’m not trying to be pseudo-modest, just honest. But it was fun and I got to “meet” a person that I enjoy listening to on the podcast TechStuff, HowStuffWorks.com’s Senior Writer Jonathan Strickland. Cool!

Thanks to Iyaz, with his mad hostin’ skillz, for inviting me to be on. Hopefully I didn’t scare away too many TechVi viewers… I’d like to be on again!

Oh, you can watch the show here: http://tcvi.me/1hr. Don’t forget to pop some popcorn first!

Not in my stupidest dream did I think that Apple would name it’s tablet iPad. When others talked about it before last week’s announcement, I laughed with the rest of the world.

“Not only is it a lame name that would open the oft-ridiculed company up for even more teasing from non-fanboys, but Fujitsu owns the name,” I thought. Apple wouldn’t dare.

Dare it did, and the result was exactly as one would have predicted. The trending topics on Twitter the rest of Announcement Day reflected the junior high mentality I admittedly share with my fellow Internet users: iTampon, MaxiPad and MADtv. The latter was in reference to the comedy show’s 2006 skit making fun of Apple’s naming convention and seemingly dominance in high-tech gadgets. Even they MADtv thought the name ridiculous.

But, sadly, my adopted tech godfather Steve chose to ignore the jokes and label his latest creation the iPad. Seriously, someone should talk with him. And not just the yes-men.