Just not everyone acts on them.  And even fewer follow-through with them.

For example, as the 2009 New Year approaches, many people traditionally make a New Year resolution.  Which will most probably be abandoned within a months’ time.

This is sad.  For I believe that everyone wants to change something about themselves to grow and become a better person.

Better people inspire and develop environments that are more conducive to better living.  Businesses work the exact same way; after all, they are made up of people.

The greatest challenge then isn’t about choosing a New Year resolution: it is instead that you follow-through with it to completion.

The secret being: focus.

F-ollow
O-ne
C-ourse
U-ntil
S-uccessful

At journey’s end you will then have gained an attitude that will be worth a lot more than any New Year resolution.

So lets make 2009 a great year!  Start something… and finish it.

All the best and warm wishes to you all this holiday season.

Cheers,

Sebastian Dwornik
Appliedpda.com

With the focus on the environment and a suffering economy these days, the best way to adapt is by becoming more resourceful.  Old PDA hardware, for example that would normally be viewed as obsolete, can gain a resurgence with the right new software.  This is how PocketCRON was born.


PDA Controlled Christmas Tree Lights

I enjoy the glitter and sparkle of holiday lighting that decorates houses, banisters, and trees.  What I do not particularly enjoy is the added maintenance of turning ON and OFF those lights when the house goes to sleep.

So in comes home automation.

A few years ago I purchased an Insteon PowerLinc serial controller with a single LampLinc plug-in module to control my Christmas tree lights.  I also happen to have a spare Dell Axim X50 PDA that wasn't doing anything; until now.

I have said it before, and I’ll keep saying it, “user feedback is the single most important driver behind new features and improvements in my products”.  It doesn’t get simpler than that.

Most of the software I develop for Applied PDA is primarily for my own initial use.  Why build something that I won’t directly benefit from?

As the software gets used internally more each day though, various designs and features change.  It quickly becomes apparent that it is not enough to create something that only I can use, but that others can intuitively utilize as well.

So before anything gets released, it has to pass what I call I.B.U.T, “inside the building usability test”.   This is a hack title for a process which simply means that until everyone in the building can intuitively understand the software and are not afraid (or annoyed) to use it, it does not leave the building.

This enforces an active role to get local user feedback and in a way, requires an approval from everyone who might potentially be supporting the software.  A common software term for this is called “dogfooding”.

Such a process can delay the release of software for a short while.  But it also ingrains an attitude that the product is open to suggestions from its users, and that real people stand behind its virtual skin to provide a service in supporting its growth and maturity.

The formula is simple:  You talk + I listen = Better Software.

Many years ago there existed a gap between mobile PDA's and cellular phones.  The phone was essentially a mobile radio, and the PDA was a little computer that held all of your data, calendars, contacts, etc.

Then as time went on, the mobile phone absorbed most of these PDA functions.  The evolution of the phone turned it into a PDA with a cellular radio.  The PDA became a phone, and the phone became a PDA.  They are both the same thing now, branded as the new PDA.

No matter what you call it though, the point is that it is a versatile handheld instrument, used for communication with other people and machines (e.g. The internet).  This is the platform which will open access to computing in every corner of the world, and with it also, bring a piece of our software to empower people and their imaginations.

My vision is to have handheld instruments that are ubiquitous, intelligent, and indispensable to your exploration adventures around the world.  And the most important component of it I believe, is the software.

I enjoy hearing stories of people who give feedback of where they took my software.  From Antarctica, through the many ocean studies, to military equipment and robotics, it brings me much fulfillment to know that my software running on handheld devices has aided people in their exploration of our planet.

If you have a good story then please share it with us.  It just might inspire new development for more great applications.

Happy adventuring!