John Pope's

IcePhone could give Nokia Communicator a run for its money

John Pope — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 06:53:03 +0000

When I first saw the IcePhone I thought of “another Chinese gadget” that tries to immitate something, in this case Nokia’s Communicator series, but I was wrong as IcePhone has something that no other phone has: it triple folds.

Yeap, that’s right, it folds 3 times. The first part has the 3 inch touchscreen, the second the QWERTY keyboard and the third part has dedicated keys for games and system keys. All this makes the IcePhone a micro-notebook, at least according to the manufacturer. And not forget the dual-SIM capabilities

When you hear that it triple folds you expect it to be thick, but at just 23.3mm the IcePhone seems almost normal. If you check the video below you see that the built quality seems OK, and it should be, because the price is the most unexpected surprise: 1000 $ it the amount you’ll have to spend on a micro-notebook, but that’s in the range of the Nokia Communicator so the targeted consumers won’t feel such a big difference.

A short list of specs (detailed specs here):

GSM Quadband 850/900/1800/1900, GPRS/EDGE
7.2 Mbps HSDPA UMTS 2100 connectivity
Freescale iMX31 532 Mhz CPU
3″ 240×400 px 65K color transflective TFT touchscreen
Windows Mobile 6.0 Pro OS
3.1 mpx camera with autofocus and LED flash
Built-in GPS
Wi-Fi b/g
1250 mAh battery
Dimensions: 127×60.8×23.3 mm
Weight: 210 g

Oh, and the IcePhone is presented as a accredited medical device but I don’t think people will buy if for that.

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IcePhone could give Nokia Communicator a run for its money

Black Friday sales are coming

John Pope — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 18:28:57 +0000

Since when I was a child I remember the holiday season with all the cakes my mother used to make plus the gifts I got during Christmas and 6th of December (St Nicholas). For me the holiday season was all about wishes that come true, about gifts and about family reunited.

In time thing got blurry and holiday season is now all about shopping. In US there’s Black Friday, the first Friday after Thanksgiving that marks the beginning of the holiday season, not an official holiday, but a day when people get the day off to get some shopping done for family and friends.

Black Friday is the day shops have limited offers with massive discounts and combo packages and it’s understandable why it became a special day in shoppers hears. Even with this years financial crisis that hit US and other countries there will be a shopping spree during Black Friday, as people managed to save money during last months, in expectation for e massive price drop for their favourite items.

I’m also chasing for Black Friday sales offers which apparently started to pop in shops like Amazon and Best Buy. What will you be doing during Black Friday? Shopping or working?

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Black Friday sales are coming

The Credit Crisis explained for normal people

John Pope — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 20:39:58 +0000

You all know and are aware of the financial crisis we’re living those days, but what caused it and what’s in it for you, or should I say “what’s out”. Well, I’m not much of a financial/economic guru, but I’m pretty good at listening and watching others explain the credit crisis that hit US. Check out the video below, it’s got a few minutes and it’s worth wathing [source].

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The Credit Crisis explained for normal people

How is the president of the United States elected

John Pope — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 14:45:34 +0000

If you don’t live in a box you know that today is the day the president of the United States of America is elected. But do you know how it’s done? Do you know the presidential elections process? If you don’t you should take a look at the video below that explains it in a very simple way. If you thought that the candidate with most votes wins you’re very wrong.

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How is the president of the United States elected

Why not take a job you’re not qualified for?

John Pope — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 19:29:05 +0000

Say you live in a country where corruption is still high, and influent people can facilitate you a new job, well above your personal skills. I live in such a country (you can check other posts and see where I live) and what I’ve described above is pretty much around every corner.

Luckily I’m not too influenced about this, as I think (or hope) that my personal skills and experience will make a difference anytime. Even if someone would get ahead of me because of his connections then maybe I wouldn’t want to work in a place where this kind of behavior is encouraged.

So, let’s see why me and you wouldn’t want to take a job not deserved, or which is not suited to our actual skills:

In the first day, people under you that know well what they’re doing will notice immediately your lack of expertize in what you’re supposed to be doing
The second day the same people will start making jokes, without even trying to hide this from you
The third day your boss will ask you why did you take the wrong decision the day before
The fourth day you’ll start to hate everyone at work because they read you so well
The fifth day, Friday, you’ll have to stay late at night to finish what you’ve supposed to by Wednesday

Now I didn’t find the sixth reason, the one that makes people unqualified for their jobs go th work next Monday. Maybe you can enlighten me.

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Why not take a job you’re not qualified for?

The future of movie industry

John Pope — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 10:10:22 +0000

The Cloverfield experience

I was looking past Friday for a movie cu watch and I’ve found Cloverfield, a classic monster attack of New York, or at least that’s what the IMDB synopsis said, with the little amendment, what it was a movie trying to mimic the experience as viewed from the point of view of city’s inhabitants.

The movie was pretty short, at 85 movie with final credits, but the way was filmed was what impressed me. The whole movie was meant to be a cassette from a video camera of one of the New York inhabitants, nothing more, nothing less. I really loved the idea, even if the monster was pretty ugly (not Godzilla ugly, more like giant insect ugly).

Movie industry has to change

The movie made me think that after all the movie industry still has a chance if it adapts to present needs of the audience. The old business model of selling cinema tickets, television rights and DVD versions of a title seems so unsuited today. At least for me and my friends who love seeing movies on their own computers.

I would eagerly pay to see high quality movies on my PC if the price was right. By right I don’t mean 10-20 $ per title. If the movie industry doesn’t realize that people don’t want to pay 25$ to see a movie that potentially is very bad (look at IMDB ratings of recent titles, there are a lot with ratings under 4, even 3).

Southpark is now online

Movie industry has to change or else faces a slow and painfull death. Look at Southpark model, which now can be watched online for free, each and every episode. All you have to endure are little ads, like one seen on TV. I don’t mind them, as long as there aren’t 15 minutes breaks every hours (like it happens in Romania). Plus I get to see them whenever I want, I can see even older episodes, and newer ones right when they apper.

How is this affecting the industry? Well, I’m pretty sure that Southpark publishers will sell the series to other televisions at lower price, as the interest for a show that’s broadly available will be lower too. As for DVD versions I think only collectors will venture for now to buy them.

What can be done?

My take on this matter is pretty simple: make people with Internet access pay a small fee every month, which will be distributed to movie producers (also music industry can lay their hands on some of the money). The evident problem will be how you count the money, how you divide it.

I think I have a solution to this also: movies and music should be watched online for free, at no additional costs trough special websites, that include a counter to how many times the movie/videoclip was watched in a timeframe. Then it’s pretty easy to divide the money. Also additional money can be made by selling DVD’s or Blu ray disks with the higher quality video.

This is how the movie industry and music industry can stop complaining about people not wanting to pay a lot of money for bad products and prefer to see them for free (even it’s against the law).

What do you think? Do you have a better idea on how the movie/music industry can be saved? Feel free to let us know what you think and comment below.

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The future of movie industry

Best Conspiracy Videos

John Pope — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 14:38:30 +0000

I’m pretty sure that from time to time any of you watches a few Youtube clips per day. These days I’ve came across a few conspiracy videos that made me search for more and sort them by their craziness importance. Below there’s the Top 6 of them, presented in reverse order. I hope you like them and if you have more send them to me and I’ll try to update this post.

6. Big Brother: Surveillance systems

In short there’s always a downside for surveillance systems installed for our safety as they allow someone to access all your personal information that otherwise would not have been available.

The conclusion of this video is that western societies are marching toward a police state where citizens afraid of terrorism and terror acts are willing to trade their freedom for security, or better said the idea of security, as no protection system invented yet is invulnerable.

5. NSA is copying anything on the Internet

Do you remember the funny picture below, a message of how long it takes to download the Internet?

Well, I do and it always put a smile on my face. That ended when I saw the next video, presenting an AT&T and government initiated system to spy on the American people by duplicating any Internet transmission.

It seems like a joke but they did it, till someone from inside confessed.

4. The Facebook conspiracy

This is not proven fact but some questions asked about the information people give out when using Facebook. You may say that this kind of information is protected by the law but it seems users give up their rights when signing up for Facebook.

3. The Google Master Plan

A lot of people love Google, but also it seems that enough are not, especially the competition. The next video also asks some question and rises concern about what will happen if Google changes their motto one day from “Don’t be evil” to “Be evil”.

Some sources in the video even claim that Google works hand in hand with the US government to spy on people and build a detailed profile of everyone that uses Google’s services. That’s pretty much any person with Internet access.

2. 9/11 conspiracy

The 9/11 events are surely one of the greatest tragedy that hit USA after Pearl Harbor, but here are some voices that say that also like the event that brought America intro World War 2, it was allowed by the government to persuade people on fighting a cause.

It’s very interesting to watch as it even brings some evidence, but nothing official, yet.

1. Did we really landed on the Moon

That’s got to be the most intriguing conspiracy video, as it destroys event of Moon landing. The most important exploration achievement of all times is question in this video with hard evidence that cannon be ignored. I’ve showed this video to my mom, who witnessed Live at TV the landing and she refused to take the idea of a fake landing into consideration.

Me on the other hand, a man of science, I wonder it the US government pulled this off to win the space race with the soviets. What do you think, did we really land on the Moon?

All those conspiracy videos benefit from our human nature, one that’s curious to know the truth and always finding ways to contradict what other say it’s obvious. I hope you enjoy watching those movies as much as I enjoy writing about them.

The ugly face of Facebook

Best Conspiracy Videos

Blogging from EEE PC

John Pope — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 18:53:42 +0000

This is the first post written on my EEE PC. Everybody said that EEE PC is too small and underpowered for being useful but I’m trying to prove my point. When I first way it my eyes have grown bigger as I imagined it like a small Toshiba Libretto which is ten times cheaper.

What’s even more interesting is that it is slightly bigger, allowing for a more comfortable use while providing wireless Internet access. I’m already getting used with the keyboard and I can type pretty easy. Of course I’m using Windows Live Writer, a great application for instant blogging. As you can imagine I’m using Windows XP on my EEE PC now. I’ll surely write a post about how I managed to install it as it wasn’t a nice ride.

Now back to the EEE PC experience. From what I can tell now the lower screen resolution is not an issue if you use Live Writer. If you’re planning to use the Wp-admin interface you should check how it looks like in your browser at 800 x 480 screen resolution before buying an EEE PC.

Conclusion is simple: for blogging on the move EEE PC is a very capable device with a battery which will allow you to use it around three hours at full brightness and wi-fi on.

As always, remember to come back of subscribe to my RSS feeds it you want to read more about EEE PC or other topics I cover on this blog.

Blogging from EEE PC

First 24 hours with EEE PC

John Pope — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 12:08:19 +0000

Well, it’s not my first impression, as I’ve got a hold on it a few weeks ago, but now it’s something different, as I own one, a Galaxy Black Version, which I won at a contest. I can tell you that there is a big difference between testing and owning a product.

That’s why I’ve decided to make two lists with what I like and dislike about EEE PC, after 24 hours of use. So let’s cut to the chase:

The Good

Battery lasts about 3 hours with maximum brightness and Wi-Fi on
It feels pretty fast, at least compared to a regular laptop
Doesn’t heat up and it’s also pretty silent
It can play DivX videos directly from a memory stick without shuttering and lost frames
It’s light, managing to stay a little over one kilo with charger
Pre-installed programs cover a large base of computing needs. You don’t need anything else
You can install Windows XP on it if you have an external optical drive but you can also install it from a USB memory stick (more on that later, as I’ll write a short tutorial on how you can do that)
ASUS revised its warranty statement, allowing you to upgrade and modify it
Last, but not least, it looks great in Galaxy Black

The Ugly

Battery takes about three hours to charge
The keyboard needs some time for getting used to it. Keys are pretty cramped and some are oddly placed
Open Office couldn’t manage to open a Powerpoint PPT file. I’ve tried several times but it did not manage to import it
Screen resolution is too low. You’ll feel the constrains while browing

This is how EEE PC feels like after 24 hours. I’m definitely install Windows XP later. Check back for the tutorial later.

You can purchase an EEE PC from here.

First 24 hours with EEE PC

The ugly face of Facebook

John Pope — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 15:57:16 +0000

Posting private information online via social networking websites might not be such a good idea. It’s pretty obvious why, but you don’t know everything that a website knows about you after you spend time regularly there.

The next video is a sort of Facebook conspiracy theory. It seems a little too dramatic, but also raises some questions. What do you think, will you continue to post sensitive information about yourself online? Even if you think you share it only with your friends.

Best Conspiracy Videos

The ugly face of Facebook

New dot-com bubble on its way?

John Pope — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 11:33:47 +0000

Remember the dot-com bubble from 1995-2001? I do and it seems that some folks believe it will happen again, in the not too distant future. They even made an Youtube clip to share their thoughts.

What do you thing? When’s the bubble going to burst?

New dot-com bubble on its way?

SyncToy: free backup software from Microsoft

John Pope — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 18:38:07 +0000

Microsoft isn’t exactly a freeware lover, but from time to time they release small software packages that make our lives a little better, like LiveWriter, which I use to write this post.

Today I’ve came upon a little piece of software, SyncToy, a backup utility for synchronizing folders between two storage spaces (usually an internal hard drive and an external device).

Contrary to other Microsoft software SyncToy is very intuitive to use. You set up pairs of folders and define the way they sync: any changes between them is replicated, changes are replicated only in one direction, any changes are replicated minus Delete actions (you basically continuously backup one folder, keeping all files).

To close this post I think SyncToy is a very good utility to backup your sensitive files. I’ll surely keep using it till I find something better. What software do you use for backup? I’m looking for the option to set up the folders which I want to sync by checking them in a Tree window (in SyncToy you have to manually define pairs of folders).

Windows logos and startup sounds evolution

SyncToy: free backup software from Microsoft

A day with Michael Porter

John Pope — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 13:57:45 +0000

Romania’s biggest business event of the year was “Strategy and Leadership“, with professor Michel Porter, held yesterday in Bucharest. If you don’t know who Michel E. Porter is don’t despair, neither did I till three days ago. Fortunately I’m interested in bringing up my business skills so I got the change to attend the event.

First, before Michael Porter’s presentation, some local speakers started the day, sharing with us they’re experience in the entrepreneurial field. Some were ok, others boring, but that’s not the point. The point is that I was impressed by the variety of people present there, from CEOs to entry level managers, from financial to clothing sector. Everyone paid 600 Euros to learn strategy from a two hours presentation of word’s number one business thinker: Michael Porter.

In the next few posts I’ll tell you all about setting up a strategy for your business and how to position and differentiate yourself from the crowd. I’m pretty eager to see your reaction and your thoughts for your experience, so stay tuned.

A day with Michael Porter

"A picture is worth a 1000 words" may change soon

John Pope — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 14:11:17 +0000

If you like to insert pictures into your blog post you already know how hard it is to find images without copyright. Of course there are websites which offer free downloadable pictures, but the image pool isn’t always satisfactory.

This might change as Corbis, a well known stock photography website, is currently testing a service, PicApp, which will allow bloggers to download for free pictures and embed them in their blog posts. Of course there’s a catch: each picture will display some kind of advertising. It’s not clear yet if it will be an over layer or something which will appear when users move the mouse cursor over the picture.

The only thing that I find a downside is what will happen if I embed a lower resolution image with a link to the bigger version. It isn’t clear yet how Corbis plans to track the pictures and display ads on them. Also I don’t know if they intend to share revenues with fellow bloggers. I sure hope they will.

"A picture is worth a 1000 words" may change soon

I’m not alone here

John Pope — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 13:46:36 +0000

From now on my little brother, Vlad, will join me with some special posts about future stuff (I can’t sum it up better). Till it will write something new I’ll be publishing some stuff from the FuturaLogo blog, where he posted them at first. Let’s see what we have today.

Definition

I believe tomorrow is the inevitable consequence of today. Tomorrow can only happen in one way. A way that cannot be precisely predicted because of the almost infinite variables that make it incomputable.

The human kind needs a system of beliefs to make it go around. My system is based on science. Always young, it’s always been there. Even though, it cannot predict precisely the future, based on its principles and theories, we can draw pictures of the future.

I’m not alone here

Christmas wish list - a must for holidays

John Pope — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 14:58:51 +0000

From childhood we are used to wish lists for Christmas. I even remember the times when I used to draw what I wanted and write a little story explaining to Santa why I deserved the gifts.

Time has passed, but the wish list remained, even if now I’m buying the gifts. So without furthermore tattle let’s see what I want this year.

I’ll start with less inexpensive ones and then advance to more “serious” products:

A watch - Fossil Men’s Blue watch CH2490

I had a sporty Swatch which I bought a couple of years ago but the battery emptied and the screen broke after a knock out hit from a wall (I know, technically not the wall hit my watch…).

Now I’m thinking of a Fossil, because they’re relatively cheap but precise nonetheless. The CH2490 is a perfect combination of style and spottiness. At least that’s what I believe.

Fossil CH2490’s case is made from stainless steel and is water resistant up to 100 meters. For 146$ it’s a bargain and should suit a wide range of tastes.

A portable hard drive - Western Digital Passport 250GB (Black)

A portable hard drive always comes handy, no matter if you have a laptop or not. I prefer 2.5 inch format not only because it’s smaller than 3.5 inch, but also because it doesn’t require a power cable and adaptor, so it’s easy to carry around in your vest pocket.

Western Digital Passport not only looks astonishing in black with blue power LED, but also can be found in up to 300 GB capacities. For me the 250 GB version has the best price/capacity ratio now, that’s why I’m opting for it.

A small laptop - ASUS Eee PC 4G PC (7″, 512 MB RAM), Pearl White

Even if I have a laptop I really need something smaller, thinner which isn’t a paint in the a** to carry around. Of course I want it to be cheap, a word that doesn’t go well with ultra portable, but that was true till one month ago, when ASUS released the Eee PC, a 7 inch laptop with outdated components and a very small hard drive: only 4 GB.

This didn’t stop people to buy it till it got out of stock in many shops. Even if I would prefer the 8 GB version, with rumored 10 inch screen and black paint, I’ll probably go for the Eee PC 4G version, which currently sales for under 400 bucks, 399 $ to be precise.

A new smartphone - HTC Touch Cruise

Since I’ve owned my first smartphone, the Nokia E70, I didn’t want to go back to a regular phone. Now I have an ASUS P525, which I hope to soon replace with HTC Touch Cruise, a Windows Mobile smartphone which will hit the shelves hopefully before Christmas. I’m guessing it will cost under 600 $ (or Euros in Eastern Europe, where I live).

What makes this boy special is the Touch Flo interface made by HTC. The rest of the specs are top notch, as expected from a Q4 2007 smartphone: GPS, 128 MB RAM, 3.2 megapixels camera and Windows Mobile 6 Professional. Below there’s a small video which demonstrates Touch Flo.

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Christmas wish list - a must for holidays

About page is on

John Pope — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 10:59:48 +0000

Finally the About page in on. It took me some time but now it’s done. Enjoy reading about John Pope …

I’ve also added some fake ads, to make the website more money oriented

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About page is on

First Google Android Demo looks interesting

John Pope — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 20:16:44 +0000

After announcing Android, Google released the SDK and videos that show the capabilities of the platform. I’m not so sad now that GPhone doesn’t exist, as the software capabilities of the next generation mobile OS from Google, Android, look promising enough to start saving money for my next smartphone.

As you expect from Google, their software suite will heavily interact online with the existing applications like Google Maps and their search engine. If that’s not your thing you can always write your own code, and maybe with the 10 millions dollars prize offered by Google for the best app for Android.

Watch the video after the jump to learn more, of go here for more videos about the technology behind Android.

Google preparing IMAP access for Gmail

First Google Android Demo looks interesting

Finding ideas for an online startup

John Pope — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 12:31:11 +0000

Every business starts with an idea. Then comes the business plan. Usually the latter is easier to do that finding that idea, which in time will bring you money, after all that’s what we’re after.

Don’t expect me to give you ideas about your next business. I’m just trying to guide you a little and even tell you what you shouldn’t do in the first place. So, let’ begin.

1. Don’t try something in an area that’s already overcrowded. Don’t try to make the next Facebook, search engine or video sharing website. Look at Microsoft, they can’t beat Google in search no matter what they’ve tried, and they have power, contrary to you. You have greater chances of success in a niche business, where competition is not fierce. Too small and you’ll end up the sheriff in a two people town.

2. Double check before you start. Even if your idea seems brilliant, check if you’re the first to come up with it. The phone was already invented, you know.

3. Investigate the niche where you plan to start. Start checking your next competitors, make sure your idea is different enough so that you have an advantage. Also try to estimate how much money the whole niche is worth.

4. Watch trends and try to anticipate what people will need next. No, you don’t have to be Nostradamus, but you have be able to anticipate in order to plan your moves. Always be informed about what’s happening in your niche and try to imagine what will happen in short, medium and even long term.

5. Make a good business plan. Without it you have more chances to fail, as you can’t estimate your expenses and income. If you have to borrow the money then you definitely need a strong business plan to convince someone to invest in your business.

6. Plan at least three steps. Don’t try to do everything from start. Decide what’s essential in the first place then plan for other improvements, after you’ve started your business. Also make scenarios and plans when different things happen. You don’t want to be caught with your pants down, do you?

For me, those things are common sense, without them you’ll never be able to start and maintain a successful business. If you have any other ideas please share them with me, don’t be afraid as we’re all learning here.

If you fell you need to read more about online startups I recommend you read this: Internet Riches: The Simple Money-making Secrets of Online Millionaires

Finding ideas for an online startup

What is a Technology Evangelist and how to become one

John Pope — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 14:26:09 +0000

Technology Evangelist, a term I’ve heard this year, made me investigate it a little, to see what’s really about. The Wikipedia explanation is pretty short but straightforward, but there’s always more to add about it so here’s my view on this.

Let’s start with the origin of the evangelist, which is a religious term that describes a person that preaches the word of God and converts people to Christianity. Similar to a Christian Evangelist, an Technology, or Technical Evangelist spreads the word on new technologies and tries to make people use them.

The first technology evangelist was Guy Kawasaki, who worked then for Apple Computer. The role of this often unofficial job is to pursue people in buying and using new technology, along with creating cult like fanaticism over a certain product.

Now that you’ve understand what a Technology Evangelist does let’s see what you show know in order to become one. Besides the ability to convince people you need sales and training abilities, because Evangelists are not used only to sell something but also to encourage people inside big organizations to do things in a new way, abandoning old methods.

If you want to know more I recommend you Selling the Dream: How to Promote Your Product, Company, or Ideas-And Make a Difference-Using Everyday Evangelism, a great book by Guy Kawasaki, the man who started it all.

How computers affect our health

What is a Technology Evangelist and how to become one

ASUS Eee PC, a small laptop with a big heart

John Pope — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 20:10:09 +0000

Do you like small laptops? Do you like cheap laptops? Till this year you couldn’t find one, but ASUS did it and launched the Eee PC. Basically, we have a very small notebook (7 inch screen) made from old components (conceived some years ago, not build the same time).

For around 400 $ you get the following specs [source]:

Processor: Intel Celeron M ULV 900MHz
Storage: 4GB of Flash based storage (SSD)
Memory: 512MB of RAM
OS: Linux (Asus customized)
Screen: 7-inch screen with 800 x 480 resolution
Ports: 3 USB, 1 monitor, headphone jack, microphone input, SD card reader (SDHC compatible), Kensington lock slot, Ethernet 10/100
Webcam (0.3 MP)
Battery: 4-cell 5200 mA (rated at 3.5 hours)
Wireless: 802.11b/g Atheros
Input: Keyboard and Touchpad

It doesn’t seem too much, but bear in mind that it’s enough for web browsing and Office work. It’s light: just one kilo, it’s powerful enough, and costs a fraction of a fully equiped Sony Vaio TZ. If will surely give a run for it’s money to OLPC.

There will be also other versions, with storage space ranging from 2 to 8 GB, and even Windows XP operating system. It seems that the demand for low cost laptops is there. I wouldn’t mind buying an Eee PC, but depends on how much will it cost in Eastern Europe, where I live.

But enough with the talk, let’s see a video with ASUS Eee PC made by me with the sample I’ve received today.

ASUS Eee PC, a small laptop with a big heart

How computers affect our health

John Pope — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 18:49:25 +0000

Can you remember the last day when you haven’t used your computer? Or the last week when you didn’t touch the keyboard? I’m pretty sure you can’t, as computers entered our lives fast and we are now used to use them every day.

All this sounds ok, but I’m guessing you don’t know what health problems we are exposed to if we use computers too much. A few weeks ago I’ve came across a short list of health problems caused by a geek lifestyle, but I didn’t had time to tell you about them, till today.

So, let’s take them one by one:

Sleep disorders - insomnia or often awakening during the nights. Cause is frequent use on PC or laptop right after you wake up. Resolution is pretty simple, don’t lay in bad working, just do something that doesn’t stimulate your brain too much.
Headaches - often caused by improper environment surrounding computer use. Check your screen position, room lighting, chair, glasses.
Back pain - caused by improper chair sitting position and prolonged absence of back muscles exercises
Poor attention span - that very interesting. We are used to do multitasking, working with different programs at the same time and being concentrated on several points on the screen, when feedback is expected. When we are facing only one task, we get bored faster, we can’t concentrate enough on the singular task. Meetings, when you have to be focus on the discussion is a killer. There isn’t too much you can do to correct this, as your brain takes longer to learn another work pattern.

As you can see, I’ve said "we" several times, as I consider myself an intensive computer user, with more than 10 hours a day of online time. Maybe future will solve those kind of health problems, but I’m not counting on it. I’m now trying to figure out a lifestyle that gets me enough time with my beloved computers without putting my life in danger. What do you think? Do you manage to escape the terrible force of online existence?

What is a Technology Evangelist and how to become one

How computers affect our health

Yahoo Messenger 9 Beta in here

John Pope — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 20:51:13 +0000

Here, in this part of Europe, Yahoo Messenger is the most common instant messaging program, well over Windows Live Messenger and Skype. Today Yahoo released a beta version, which brings some cosmetic changes without the Vista interface we are all waiting for some time.

Nonetheless Messenger 9 Beta is a worthy upgrade, as it seems a lot more responsive and seems to consume less memory than it’s predecessor. The new version can be downloaded from here.

The list of actual changes is pretty small but let’s see them:

more friendly look, teenagers oriented
new emoticons
flickr integration for sharing photos
youtube link recognition (it plays in the chat window)
skins that can be applied from the main window (but you cant’ add shadows in Vista)
Windows + Y shortcut brings the main window and places cursor in search contact box
emoticons in status

Below there’s a short video that highlights what has changed, or has been added. [A full review of Yahoo Messenger 9 in Romanian, if you understand it].

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Yahoo Messenger 9 Beta in here

Learn how to make the perfect business plan for a startup

John Pope — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 08:46:49 +0000

I’ve been thinking for some time about what to focus on JohnPope’s. I knew it has to be something related to Internet and computers, but I just couldn’t find the topic.

That was till two days ago, when I realized I should write about what I do and I’ll be doing at work in the near future. I haven’t told you yet, and also didn’t wrote on the About page (hopefully this will change soon), I work in Romania at one of the biggest online publishers, MediaPRO Interactiv (official website isn’t online yet, so you have to believe me we’re big).

Here I’m managing Romania’s first gadgets and lifestyle website, go4it.ro. So I’m always connected to computers, Internet, SEO, web development, management and a little bit of marketing (you can’t promote your website if you don’t know how). I’m also working on finishing some other websites, but that’s not my main occupation.

So what I propose to you, on months to come, to compose a guide to making a business plan for an online startup. Why do you need a business plan is simple: it lowers the chance of failing, without eliminating it. Without a business plan you have great chances to fail if you invest your own money or you won’t get a loan, if you haven’t got the finances to start up your business.

So, for the next post I’ll prepare some short steps, like a summary. Bear in mind that I’ve did in past business plans, but nothing too complex or correct as I want to write on JohnPope’s. That’s why I need your help. I think we all have to learn something from doing this. So don’t hesitate to contact me, write a comment and of course subscribe to my feeds, to see when I’ve got something new.

Learn how to make the perfect business plan for a startup