Time behind the wheel is some of the most welcome "down time" during my day.  Because I'm relaxed and not thinking about tasks too much, I often get flashes and ideas while driving.  But, I lose a lot of those thoughts because I don't have a way to capture them.

If you have a similar dilemma, Jott.com might be the answer.  Officially in public beta, here's how it works:

• You register your cell phone and email address at Jott.
• When you want to send yourself a note, you dial Jott's toll free number from your cell phone.
• Jott recognizes your phone, records your voice note, converts it to text and emails it to you.

I've used it a few times already and found it to be really helpful.

There are some other features that allow you to JottCast to others, etc.

Check it out.

Mark Cuban has an interesting post over at Blog Maverick on the differences between online video and television.

Snack or Meal?

There has been a near hysteria about online video since the YouTube phenomenon and the merger with Google.  It seems that ultimately the internet will become the repository of the majority of digital content.  There will be a convergence of screens as new devices allow people to access content on their computers and view it on their wall mounted flat screens.

There is continuing fragmentation of the video viewing audience.  Downloads to video iPods, YouTube, Google Video... but, there is not yet a mass movement of people who are watching traditional television programming online. More people  are watching video online, but as Cuban says, it's snacks and not meals.

Keep this in mind if you produce video for the web.  Shorter is generally better.  People online tend to go into Attention Deficit Syndrome and usually don't have the mindset to watch a 30-minute or longer program.  Produce for the medium.  Don't expect one edit of content to work across all platforms.  Good digital content producers must understand the medium and produce content that is friendly to the users of that medium.

I foresee a great need for video editors and online video producers who understand the differences between browser-based video and television.

I found this video fascinating.  The world of communication is morphing quickly and we are just now in the early stages of the impact on our culture.  I wonder what higher education will look like in ten years.  How are high-priced institutions of learning going to stay relevant and needed when there are much less expensive ways of delivering information and instruction?  Why pay $179 for a textbook when there is so much information available online for free? 

Will the classroom of tomorrow be a room?  Will a diploma have the same weight as it does today?  The institutions of education are no longer such exclusive repositories of knowledge.  What will keep colleges relevant?  Perhaps it will be having professors who can actually teach.  Most of us have had professors who had knowledge, but were inept in conveying it.  Now, a brilliant professor who can actually teach and communicate might be able to instruct thousands of students instead of dozens.  And the primary beneficiary would be the students (customers).

Think about the other areas of society.  How will this shift of power from institutions to people affect your kernel of existence?

Interesting article over at Anabula.com on using Mind Mapping to re-read a book in less than 15 minutes.

Several good links from the article as well.

I started using Mindjet's MindManager software a few months ago and really like it.  I am going to take a look at iMindMap when I switch over to the new MacBook Pro.

LG announces that they are producing what is believed to be the first dual-format player that will playback either Blu-Ray or HD-DVD discs.  Will this end the hi-def DVD format wars, or will the economic pressure of handling and inventorying two formats lead to the ultimate survival of only one format? 

Article

Stay tuned.  My prediction - only one format will ultimately prevail.  The eventual winner?  I think it will be Blu-Ray.  But, I think they would have improved the brand name by calling it Blu-Ray HD and piggybacking on all the buzz HDTV will be generating in the coming months and years.

The HD-DVD brand is more descriptive, but Blu-Ray has more "sex appeal."  It should be a great case study in 3 to 4 years.

In the next week or so I will be switching from my loyal (but recently sluggish) ThinkPad to a MacBook Pro.  I'm looking forward to the change and in my preparations ran across this article -  A Guide for Switching to a Mac. 

Perhaps some others out there are making the move and will find this helpful.

Update 01-03 -- Here's another helpful article Ten Things I Wish I Had Known Before I Switched to OS X.

Interesting article from Information Week about why businesses should blog.

Blogging strips away the polished veneer of official company communications and can put you and your company in front of the marketplace in a more authentic light.  If more light would be good for your business, then blog.  If lurking in the shadows behind authorized sound bytes seems to fit your company culture better, then by all means avoid the blogosphere.

And prepare for irrelevance.

Technorati tags: Blogging, Blogs, Blogosphere

Thanks to Larry Scott for the point on this article.

Google and Yahoo are making aggressive plans to move beyond the browser screen to the television screen.

From the New York Times - "The two companies, already the most popular services for searching and organizing the vast information on the World Wide Web, want to perform the same function for television, which will increasingly be delivered over the Internet.

Indeed, much of the innovation at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, where top executives of both companies are speaking today, revolves around video gadgets of all sizes that connect online to new programming services."

Full NYT article

Yahoo! Go unveiled at yahoo.com - See Yahoo's presentation on how this new product will enable you to tie together your PC, your TV and your mobile device (including cell phone).

More at Reuters

Technorati Tags: Google, Yahoo, television, Yahoo Go, CES

from Reuters -

Chairman Bill Gates took the wraps off its next-generation operating system known as Windows Vista on Wednesday, displaying features aimed at positioning the software giant as the entertainment hub for a future of digitally connected homes.

Among the features of the much anticipated upgrade to Microsoft's flagship operating system is one that will allow users to plug their digital cable directly into their PC to watch and record high-definition cable content.

Link 1

Link 2

Technorati Tags: Windows Vista, Bill Gates, Microsoft, Vista

Windows Vista is a registered trademark of Microsoft.

An interesting article about how 2005 will be remembered by Mike Yamamoto over at cNet -

link (article is in left column)