Jason Fried from 37Signals posts about Nature being the ultimate designer.

Reading his post, I have to say that Jason sounds religious. And I agree with him completely.

Permalink  |  Published in Uncategorized

PC World reported the winners of the 2009 Nobel Prize for Physics: Charles Kao for his work in fiber optics and Willard Boyle and George Smith for their invention of the CCD. In his report, David Coursey says,

In honoring these three today, perhaps we can also honor all those who make our technology-based lives possible.

Better, we can recommit ourselves to supporting basic science and research–hard thinking–that is so out-of-fashion in much of society today.

At a time when we need more answers than ever before, we should be concerned about how many people are capable of asking the questions and putting what they discover to use for the good of everyone…

Let’s honor these scientists by supporting math and science education and, perhaps, in another 40 years we’ll be honoring a new generation of American scientists for their life-changing achievements.

Coursey has a point.

Most of us accept modern technology, whether it be the lights that appear when we flip a switch or the charge-coupled device which we might not be able to  recognize when we see it, as though it were magic of some kind. We don’t understand it, or attempt to understand it.  Even those of us who apply these marvelous discoveries may not think much about the science behind it.

It’s fine to encourage partnerships between business and education, and to look, as we at Clevertech do every day, for the ways in which we can use technology to make working life easier and more profitable. But we also have to recognize the value of pure science.

“If tachyons do exist,” a scientist in one of Sidney Harris’s great cartoons announces to a colleague, “and if they do go faster than light, then I’m determined to find something that goes faster than tachyons.”

This attitude — the determination to learn and discover whether there’s any immediate application in view or not — can’t be lost without losing also a myriad of future applications of the kind of discovery this attitude brings about.

Permalink  |  Published in Uncategorized

When we’re all in the same office all the time, it’s easy enough to collaborate. In the real world, we’re on the go, or in different time zones to begin with.

Collaboration can be synchronous, with everyone sharing a screen and chatting. It can also be a matter of giving everyone access to a file so collaboration can take place over time as each member of the team adds and adjusts. Too often, though, it ends up being a matter of multiple iterations and emails, .27 of which get lost.

Take advantage of the technologies that make remote collaboration work better.

Here are some options:

• Adobe Share (Acrobat) and ConnectNow are easy to use and have an interface familiar to Adobe users.
• GoToMeeting is another way to share screens, with voice or chat.
• Dropbox is an easy way to send files. FileReplicationPro is the powerhouse alternative.
• Google Docs can feel clunky compared to some of the others, but it’s free and everyone has access.
• SimpleGroupware is an open source option with email, CMS, and other components. There’s a mobile version now, too.

If you try out a few possibilities and they don’t fit your needs precisely, we can build something that’s exactly right for your workflow and setting.

Permalink  |  Published in Business Strategy

This handy shelf is the Backpack from Twelve South, a gadget that attaches to the stand of your Mac and holds your hard drive in well-ventilated elegance. You can get a six-pack of these and kit out your whole office — you can actually put two on each machine, at different heights, so you might need a couple of six-packs.

You can set things that don’t actually need frequent access (like that hard drive) into a space that isn’t used much, and have your desk top for the things you really need to get your hands on — or leave the desk in Zen-like emptiness. Either way, you might find that you experience less stress and get more done if you add this little shelf to your desk.

Is this going to change your life? Probably not. But it’s an example of how a simple design decision can make a difference in your work. This is what we do every day at Clevertech. Our designs end up in your computer, not out where people can see them and be impressed, but they can revolutionize your office and your workflow –and improve your bottom line.

Permalink  |  Published in Fun Technology

It’s true: sometimes people resist new technologies. But even those who embrace them sometimes have problems making best use of them.

In the 1700s, guns were fairly inaccurate. It was possible for soldiers to line up across from one another, fire all together, and miss most of the people on the other side.

By the time of the American Civil War, guns had become much more accurate. On some level, people knew this. They hunted with more modern guns, after all, so they knew that they could aim and shoot pretty well. And yet quite a few field commanders lined their soldiers up across from each other and fired. They must have been astonished to see how many men were lost in this way.

Fairly quickly, the soldiers caught on and began to use the tactics of guerilla warfare — not unheard of during the American Revolution, but quickly to become the norm during the Civil War.

Without the stress of approaching death, many people fail to adjust to new technologies. You may know people who routinely print out emails, or print and file copies of electronic invoices. You may know people who call to ask whether an email has been received. You may even know people who keep track of data with multiple unintegrated programs or paper ledgers or Post-It notes for that matter, recording the same data many times, in many places, for many people.

Chances are you — or your staff — are doing some things by hand that your software will do. Chances are you’re repeating some actions when there’s no need or benefit for doing so.

And chances are, it isn’t a matter of life and death, as the failure of soldiers to grasp the changes in weaponry can be. But it may well be a matter of ROI, productivity, or job satisfaction.

Look around your office and see if there are places where your office culture is lagging behind your available technology. If you have trouble finding them, Clevertech can help. If in fact your technology lags behind your culture, we can help with that, too.

Permalink  |  Published in Uncategorized

We love technology. Just in principle. Technology offers the promise of a better life. True, sometimes it only delivers a better life in the sense of having a truly cool new gadget, but this is one version of a better life.

Here are our recommendations for TV shows for those who love technology as much as we do. Sometimes the tech stuff in these shows saves people’s lives. Sometimes they’re just enviably cool and possibly imaginary gadgets. No matter.

• Leverage is a stylish show about a bunch of thieves who get together to deliver justice to bad guys, always with sleek devices. Our favorite is Hardison, who often proclaims that it’s “The Age of the Geek, baby. We rule the world.”
• Burn Notice is an updated MacGyvor with spies, violence, and somewhat crazed women. The characters on this show, enjoying Miami in their rayon shirts, take ordinary objects and make them into lethal weapons and surprisingly effective spy gear.
• How Stuff Works on the Discovery Channel is a nonfiction contender which mixes history and technology in a heady concoction. Admit it, you want to know how iron works, and even if you already know how beer is made, you’ll admire the camera work.
• Mythbusters gives viewers a chance to share in the innocent pleasure of real, highly competent technophiles who get a chance to confirm or disconfirm urban myths.  Their glee when they blow things up (which they do at every opportunity) is contagious.
• Timewarp slows ordinary things down to the point at which they become an entirely new experience, and MIT’s Jeff Lieberman is there to interpret everything for our complete viewing pleasure.
• Numbers has mathematicians explaining basic things to one another in a way that would, in real life, be offensive.  Apart from that, it’s a smart crime show with unusual depth of character and relationships.
• The Big Bang Theory is at the other end of the spectrum, being a situation comedy based on popular stereotypes of physicists and engineers, but we have to admit that we find it funny. Don’t watch it in mixed company– shoo the liberal arts majors out before it comes on.
• Modern Marvels shows you the coolest stuff out there. From the skinny on James Bond gadgets to the newest sports gear, engineering disasters to weaponry, Modern Marvels bring you maximum detail.
• Popular Science’s Future Of is an in-depth examination of the future of security, sex, superhumans, and all kinds of other stuff with Baratunde Thurston. Mini-documentaries with interviews show all the wires and buttons and everything.

One of our IT guys responded to this topic with, “My People don’t watch TV.” He admitted that he watches these programs on his computer. We think maybe he’s too literal-minded.

Permalink  |  Published in Uncategorized  |  View Comments

Is it time to differentiate your business from the others? In today’s economic climate, commodities will suffer.

You might not really be selling a commodity. But if your customers — or potential customers — perceive your products and services as commodities, you may suffer anyway.

Tailoring your business systems to the exact business requirements of your company allows you to gain a competitive advantage by differentiating your business from the competition.

An exclusive Manhattan caterer used a Clevertech custom software solution to provide a special experience for their customers. The system took care of all their business needs, and at the same time offered a special interactive menu that reinforced the image of the caterer as a cutting-edge firm.

When you can say, “Our service is faster and better because we have special software that allows us to automate some decision-making according to our special 12-point system,” you show your clients that you’re savvy enough to make use of technology and valuable enough to rate an exclusive custom software system.

At the same time, your custom software is designed for your business, so you can enjoy the smooth functioning of a system designed for the way you work. And when things change (for example, when your business grows as a result of that differentiation), there’s no need to change to a new software package that might be a slightly better fit. Just have Clevertech back in to tailor your business systems to your new business reality.

Permalink  |  Published in Uncategorized

These days, businesses are working on running leaner. You may be looking to automate systems and maximize productivity. There are online programs that can help. Here are a few of the ones we like:

• Microsoft Office Live integrates with MSOffice, lets all project participants share workspaces for a given project, and gives you a place to keep all your documents.
• 37 Signals has a whole suite of productivity apps, including TaDaList, Basecamp, Backpack, and several more. They’re versatile, robust, and easy to use.
• Freshbooks is an easy invoicing application. It tracks time and integrates with some accounting programs. Billing Orchard and SmartPay are others.
• Zoho is another productivity powerhouse.
• SugarCRM helps keep customer relations on track, with some sophisticated reporting options.
• Remember the Milk is a to-do list. We find that it works well with GTD. Nozbe is designed for GTD.

All these applications can be useful. If you only need one or two for your business, and then you’re satisfied with your systems, then you’ve got an economical solution.

If you’re tired of cobbling things together and having them not quite work the way you need them to, or you don’t have time to bother with things that aren’t going to work quite the way you want them to, or if you’d need half a dozen of the programs listed above in order to meet your needs, then you’re the kind of business Clevertech is designed for.

We build custom software systems for businesses serious enough to need custom systems. Call us at (516) 869-4970 today.

Permalink  |  Published in Uncategorized

Who isn’t getting calls for donations from all kinds of charities these days? In the current economic climate, needs are greater than ever — and you certainly don’t want your money going to unnecessary overhead. How can you be sure you’re doing the most good with your donations?

Technology to the rescue! While you’re still on the line, you can check Charity Navigator’s profile of the organization.
Charity Navigator gives you an overview of a charity’s financial effectiveness. From their revenue growth to their CEO’s salary, all the details for a comprehensive assessment of the organization’s financial management practices are on the screen in front of you.

If you don’t like what you see, let the callers know that they need to clean up their act before you’ll donate.

Once you’re off the phone and have some time to explore further, you’ll find that Charity Navigator has a lot more to offer, from tax tips for giving to historical data on specific organizations.  Register for free and you can save a list of charities you’re interested in, share information with friends, and compare organizatons side by side. When you get that next phone call, you can line up the caller against organizations you’ve given to in the past and see whether you’d want to add or switch.

Do good and be smart.

Permalink  |  Published in Technology Tactics

We believe in backup. We’ve written before about programs to back up all the files on your copmputer, but sometimes you might want to back up something that’s not exactly on your computer. That’s when Lifestream backup comes into play.

Lifestream backup will automatically back up your stuff in a variety of online programs, including Flickr, Twitter, and Photobucket, with Google docs, Delicious, and WordPress coming soon.

Share your log-in info with Lifestream, and you’ll automatically get multiple backups made and stored in multiple locations, with no further effort on your part.

Where’d the name come from? Many people are now using the term “lifestream” to refer to the bits of information you leave hither and yon — in your Flickr account, on Twitter, at your blog, and so on. It’s ephemeral, really. If your blog platform goes out of business, then your blog is gone. Lifestream backup saves and replicates your lifestream for you for about a dime a day.

Permalink  |  Published in Fun Technology, Technology Tactics