ZIPDeCode

ZIPDeCode is a very cool Java app that displays the location of a zip code, visually. Try it. It's very cool.

Creative Commons

If you are a creative individual (and most everyone bothering to read this blog is) then you need to know about the Creative Commons.The Creative Commons is the creation of Lawrence Lessig, the Stanford School of Law, Harvard Law School, and many others, that allows people to license their works in ways that actually make sense. You can create something, be it text, music, video, images, etc. and then pick out a Creative Commons license that makes sense for you; options for licensing include granting all rights, granting all non-commercial rights, or combinations thereof. It's sort of the creative equivalent of the GPL/Open Source thing software developers have been using for their projects, and I think much good can come of it. Check it out.

GPL: License or Contract?

Today, Groklaw has an excellent piece on the GPL, which does a good job of discussing why the FUD surrounding the GPL is unwarranted, and talks about the difference between a contract and a license. This is of critical importance, not only to software developers, but anyone who deals with a product that is principally intellectual property vs. some tangible thing. Check it

Treo 600

Well, I got my Treo 600 a little over a week ago, so I've been using it and getting to know all the features. I have to say that this is hands down, the best phone/PDA combo I've ever used. It is a triumph of industrial design.

I thought the loss of the cover would bother me, but have screen protector, will travel. And I certainly don't miss the rocker on the side of the unit, which has been replaced with the awesome "four way" rocker, that allows you to just about everything short of typing with only one hand. Menu navigation, quick dialing, it's all a snap.

The keyboard is smaller than the 300, but honestly, it's still very usable for a chiclet keyboard. I can thumb almost 30 wpm. :)

There are some drawbacks, which are actually a little silly:

The camera has no flash
The screen isn't high-res

Considering how much obvious thought and effort went into this design, to leave those two things out seems really stupid, actually. The are the only things stopping this from being a perfect combo for me. I'm not sure what they were thinking.

But overall, I love the thing, and would recommend upgrading to anyone with a 180/270/300... and if you are considering a cell phone/PDA combo, the Treo 600 is definitely one to take a very close look at.