Skip to main content

Widgets...everywhere!

By
In case you are not aware, I'm a big fan of Widgets. What are Widgets? Essentially, small, single purpose elements that display key information in a very small real estate. For instance, on a typical desk, the clock would be considered a Widget. In the computer world, widgets can be SO much more. Arlo Rose started the whole thing with Konfabulator, originally a Mac app; so successful, Apple stole it for their Dashboard. Yahoo saw the potential, and bought Konfabulator, renaming it as Yahoo Widget Engine. Now Microsoft is coming out with Gadgets for Windows Vista. Widgets are everywhere, and they keep coming!

I use Yahoo Widget Engine for my home computer; in fact, my second monitor is pretty much just devoted to Widgets. Examples:
  • Doppler Radar weather info for the Bay Area and the Boston Area
  • A rotating view of various webcams in Venice, Italy
  • Up to the moment hot deals from WiredDeals

At work, I use Google Desktop for my Widgets. Not nearly as comprehensive as YWE, but I need Google Desktop for my email so much, it's worth the price. And it's getting better. WiFi strength, calendar, even processor output all there.

Now, I can even add widgets to my blog! Widgetbox is populating the content in the bottom of the right column of this blog. For instance, my Netflix queue, my Skype status, and even the ability to send me an SMS. I just dropped one piece of code on my blog template, then use Widgetbox to select the modules I want; I can change them or add to them at any time, with no additional code.

Heck, I even have widgets on my cellphone! BluePulse allows me to have an IM list, weather, news, and more in small, easy to consume microapplications. Restaurant reviews? Check. Traffic? Got it. RSS feeds? Done.

What's next for widgets? Chumby, a soon to be released clock radio that is actually a computer that runs (what else?) widgets! Sounds stupid? Ok, think of this: a clock radio that not only stays perfectly in sync with the Atomic Clock, and plays your favorite song to wake by. But also shows you today's weather, your stock's performance, the traffic for your commute, and more. The possibilities are limitless.

All hail the mighty Widgets!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Loyalty Review: Kohl's Yes2You

By
 As some of you know, I've spent over 15 years in the customer loyalty space. So, when I come across a new retail loyalty program, I can't help but see the pluses and minuses. After this many years, it's kind of ingrained. Periodically, I'll share my thoughts with you. Today, it's Kohl's turn under the scope. Let's have a look, shall we? I've divided the review up into three sections: what's good about the program, what's bad about the program, and what I'd change about it. That last one has some actual value: I charged hundreds of dollars per hour for loyalty program consulting, and had over a dozen clients, before I moved to JustAnswer FT. But, being a pandemic and all, I'm giving it away for free here. Kohl's, you're welcome. Here we go! The Good Sign up is opt in Seems odd to praise Kohl's for this, but in department store loyalty, this is a rarity, and a smart one. It means the customers who are opted in are already prime...
1 comment
Read more

Revisiting Star Trek: The Next Generation: Season 1

By
I recently started rewatching Star Trek: The Next Generation from the beginning. I have nothing but fond memories of the original run in the 1980s, given how excited I was for a new Trek series in my lifetime (I had only reruns and the movies to stoke my Trek interest), and it recently occurred to me that, while I diligently consumed every TNG episode, I had not experienced the series since it's original run.  Why did I do this? Well, a few reasons: With the triumphant return of Sir Patrick Stewart to the smaller screen as the venerable Jean Luc Picard , I thought it would be interesting to contrast this version with the previous, and see how far he has come. It would add color to the character, as well as Sir Patrick. Frankly, with the COVID19 lockdown, the series I have binged upon have been intense, dark, and disturbing. Combined with the activity of the world, including insane politics, homicidal police who seem to view people of color as "prey," rather than their ch...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Icarus Effect

By
This morning's news started with the latest grim proof of overdevelopment in a tough sector: SkyBus Airlines shut down , less than year from when it started. Never heard of Skybus? Not surprising; they chose to focus on trips from Ohio to the West Coast for ridiculously low fares. Yes, you read that right: the airlines' unique niche was that they focused on trips from Ohio . Was air travel such an amazingly profitable business that we needed that much segmentation and focus? Of course not. A year ago, when Skybus was just getting off the ground (har har), fuel costs were at an all time high. United was still in bankruptcy; Delta, a fellow airline with a major hub in Ohio, was just exiting Chapter 11. And yet, "irrational exuberance" led investors like Nationwide Mutual Capital, Huntington Capital Investment Co., and Battelle Services Co. to ignore the obvious signs of risk, and dive into what was a dubious investment. Today, they, and the passengers who were lured by ...
Post a Comment
Read more