This is part two of my ten most favorite digital things. In the first part, I listed down in no particular order five digital things that I really loved. I had the Yahoo finance pages with the advanced charting techniques, the Windows Live Services, my MacBookPro and OSX Leopard, my Nokia E90 phone, and the New Outlook and OneNote 2007 - all of which I really loved and enjoyed using.
Now, I am off to name the second set of the digital things that I really love - and I start off with...
Number 6: C++. I know, I know. It's not really something that I am good at - and it's not even something that I can see me using in the next couple of years. But I am hinging on the possibility that with the more information coming my way - in the form of usage patterns, raw data on how people are using information on the net and how they are interacting with different sites - I think C++ will come in handy. I have finished the first five chapters of my book - and am now into learning more about classes and objects.
Now some will probably say that C++ is too old - and that there are far too many other, more important and more up-to-date programming languages. But for some reason, I have some affinity with C++. It's probably because it's easy to understand - and from what I gathered, Office was built on C++. (I could be wrong - don't shoot me!)
So I think that C++ will remain to be one of my favorite things - even if its applicability remains to be seen. At least, I will have learned something.
7. XLSTAT and XLMINER
I have personal subscriptions to XLSTAT and XLMINER - and when embedded into the new Excel 2007, XLSTAT becomes a real power-house. I have not tried XLMINER on Excel 2007 - but the ability of Excel 2007 to manage so many rows and columns makes it easier for me to analyze different sets of data. Back then, with Excel 2003 which I think accommodates only about 255 columns, I had to break down all my files into different sheets.
These days, I work and run my XLSTAT with ease on big files.
XLMINER, which still runs on my Office 2003 at my old personal PC, is still a gem. Its neural networking capabilities, logistic regression, and classification routines are simply good and easy to navigate. It's one helluva of tool that every data miner should have in their PC. And I would gladly recommend it to someone interested in the field of datamining.
My only gripe with XLMINER? It can't manage much of the qualitative variables - or at least, I have not unlocked how to use qualitative variables just yet. But all in all: thumbs-up to both software programs.
8. Apple Airport
I bought it, unboxed it, fired up the Mac, and set it up - all within 15 minutes. Me the klutz when it comes to wires and setting up things managed to get it running. And yes, it's now linking two personal laptops and two mobile phones in my apartment.
9. Live.Com
Friends have been encouraging me to use Google Reader - but for some reason, I find it too ... blah. Perhaps, it's just my personality. I need some colors, some photos, some life in my news reader. And Live.Com gives me that.
It allows me to customize my site (yes, I know - iGoogle does the same thing - but still... it's... bland!) I like Live.Com: it's now the default home-page on my laptop both at home and at work. It summarizes the days news for me in various tabs - and the good thing about it: I can preview the contents of the different subscriptions I have (and I have lots!). If indeed the abstracts of the things I read intrigue me, then I would go off and read them.
10. Lifehack.Org
OK. I am one who does not really want to be told. But seriously, LifeHack.Org gives me so many ideas on so many things. Some of the articles I really like - like the latest entry on what to do if you're not really celebrating Christmas. Others are way-off my field, I guess. But that's the beauty of LifeHack.Org - it touches on things that are important to you directly, on things that may not necessarily be important to you now but could possibly be in the future. My Del.Icio.Us account is full of LifeHack.Org tags.
I don't think any other website has been as cool LifeHack.Org.
Additional Stuff that I really liked...
I know the title says 10, but I need to mention two other services that I really liked: LinkedIn.Com and PickTheBrain.Com. You are probably very familiar with LinkedIn.Com - and if you are not, better go to LinkedIn.Com now and create your own profile. I think of the different networking sites that I have joined, LinkedIn.Com perhaps was the most profitable in terms of generating "returns" on my efforts. I have had several requests for interviews and consulting projects through LinkedIn - all of which I had to turn down due to some reason or another.
PickTheBrain.Com is rather a different breed. It's more of the personal-development site, minus the preaching. I am too hard-headed to be preached to - and I guess too cynical to even consider the "field" or the "spirituality that surrounds us all". But PickTheBrain.Com is quite interesting as it focuses on achieving balance. Their latest entry as of this writing talks about Self-Actualization and exercising, which I thought made sense.
I am sure there will be more useful stuff coming around and bubbling up in the near future.
My needs? They're very simple, really. Anything that would get me going and make me more efficient in managing my life and achieving that balance between work and personal life - that's good with me. (Oh, Facebook is cool - but for now, I guess I don't really see the value in it for me save for wasting some time in the office when there's a lull in between projects - or mass-broadcasting everybody to leave me alone as I am trying to beat a deadline.)
That's it for now!
