Climbing...

I managed to get into some trees last weekend. This was a huge step for me. I haven't felt comfortable with working my abs that hard since surgery. I needed to do some major arborist type stuff. I have an ash tree which thankfully hasn't yet sucombed to the dreaded bore.

Anyway...it was a good thing. I was exhausted...but in a very good way.

- Scott

Cool / Free software

From the "more cool software for free" category. Here are a handful of tools that I use on a regular basis that are free...or close to it.

blogspot - this is what the Minards are using for the racetograce blog
Jeff's blog
My blog


Aqua Data Studio - very nice cross-platform query analyzer - use for iSeries/SQL Server/whatever

Taco HTML Editor - html editor for Mac OSX

Delicious - bookmarking site...very nice

Firefox - web browser (need I say more?)
Thunderbird - mail client
Lightning - calendaring for Thunderbird

OpenOffice - great MS Office replacement
NeoOffice - OpenOffice, packaged for Mac OSX


VMWare Server - virtualization software - can create virtual images - amazing!!!
VMWare Player - plays virtual images with the server


I haven't tried these yet...but I'm thinking about.
Wink - demo software - like Captivate...but free
WordPress - blogging

Steamboat - First Snow...

Steamboat had their first snow on the morning of 9/18. I'll let the picture speak for itself.

Changing Temps and Refocusing

The last week has been a whirlwind. It might be the weather changing with the shift to fall, but I've caught a big burst of creative energy. In the last week I've been chasing alot of different things. I'm digging into Laszlo pretty heavy. If you're not familiar with it, Laszlo is a very unique web application development toolset. The beauty is in the interface. Laszlo creates Flash-based interfaces that allow a web application to perform as a true application rather than a bunch of page refreshes.

Fall - thinking of Winter

The weather turned pretty sharply here in the Midwest in the last few days. It's been grey and rainy and in the low 60's during the day. This is actually my favorite time of the year. The crisp air and turning leaves makes me think about skiing. I'm trying to pick up my leg work to prep for my December Steamboat trip. Last year I worked my legs pretty heavy with squats and presses and it really paid off.

I'm still planning on running the 25K next spring...so that's another reason to get my leg workout a little more dialed in.

Labeler

I picked up a Brother QT500EC last week. This was a little pricey, and before using it, I did a quick price check online. I found that this is marketed as the QT500 most places, but Staples sells a bundled package which includes a handheld labeler. I found the QT500 on sale at OfficeMax for $59. It was $129 at Staples. Staples actually price-matched it! There's still a $10 rebate at Staples, and Brother has a $20 rebate. So I may end up getting this for just $29. Nice $100 savings.

Now I just have to put this in place.

More GTD...keeping/getting on track

I'm still struggling with getting on track with using GTD. I'll get on-track with email, but fall behind on the paper side of things. I need to get better with weekly reviews. Tonight I put in place a failsafe. I was feeling many things on my mind...and feeling the stress. I cleared my mind...but I put it all in a single email to myself. This was a quick and dirty approach. The single email is in my inbox...and it arguably could've have been multiple items, but this took much less time and help me keep my momentum.

Flickr/iStockPhoto

This has been a big week for trying out services. I signed up for Blogger, Flickr and iStockPhoto all in the same week.

Most people are familiar with Blogger and Flickr, but iStockPhoto is a little more under the radar. iStockPhoto is a "royalty free image distribution" service. You can browse and buy photos that have been contributed by artists around the World. I did some searches on Steamboat and found 16 images that I've put in my "Lightbox" for review and to potentially buy. You can buy a large scale image for just $5 and print and frame the image on your own.

The side of this that caught my attention though is the contribution portion. You can apply to become an iStockPhoto contributor. When people buy your images you receive cash which can then be taken as cash, or converted into credits to purchase other images.

I'm by no means a stellar photographer, but this might push me enough to step my game up. I have some decent equipment to start with...so maybe I just need to start experimenting some more.

Ski/Snowboarding Trips...

This may turn out to be a great year for Steamboat trips. I'll be there 12/3-12/7 and then again 1/18-1/22. I also have a couples trip planned for 2/6 - 2/13. The family trip will be sometime in March.

I can't ask for more. These aren't long trips, but at least I get to play!

Salmon Fishing

Fishing Little Traverse Bay in Petoskey, Michigan is becoming an annual Labor Day ritual for my Dad and my two brothers. The fishing was rough this year. The weather had changed a few days before we were up and the surface temp of the water was a chilly 46 degrees F. We have new downriggers, but it ended up being a dipsy-diver that got my king. I caught a 36 inch / 16 lb King Salmon, on a green skirted fly in about 50 ft of water.

Mmmm...salmon steaks one night, followed by filets the next.

GTD adoption

One of the things I'm currently struggling with is organization. I consider myself a very productive person, but I'm also striving for constant improvement.

I stumbled across GTD after initially finding the Tiny MCE Wiki tool. The drive for better personal wiki tools lead me to 43 Folders which then lead to GTD. I bought the book, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Most of GTD is really common sense, but it puts some common thinking into print, and debunks many classic views on project management.

Back to organization...
I'm grinding thru my implementation of GTD, and this has done wonders for my email inbox. I push for zero...but usually end up with a few dozen left. This is down from many thousands that used to sit in my inbox.

The problem I'm now having is grinding thru the paper. This is an issue both at home and work. Home and work often have blurry lines, which is likely why I struggle with this.

I'm curious what others do to get thru the initial GTD adoption in terms of paper?

Introduction

My name is Scott Zuke.

In this corner of the web you'll find my thoughts on the following:

• Information Technology - with an emphasis on the technologies related to ERP systems
• Open Source Software - both the use of and contributions to
• Personal Productivity - the use of GTD and various attempts at automation
• Consulting - related to ERP Implementation and being a Solutions Provider

...as well as some personal interests, such as:

• Jeeping
• Tree-climbing - this one probably caught you by surprise
• Skiing/Snowboarding - I have a love affair with spending time in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. We now own two slopeside condos there, contact me for rental info.

Stay tuned...I'll try to keep in interesting.

- Scott