Ian's Messy Desk

USATODAY.com - Bible written for cellphones

Bible written for cellphones
ADELAIDE, Australia (AP) — "In da Bginnin God cre8d da heavens & da earth."

That's according to a new version of the Bible translated into the text message language of cellphone users.

The Bible Society in Australia on Thursday launched its translation of all 31,173 verses of the Bible in the modern, abbreviated language of text messages.

link from TP! Wire Service

• E-mail
  • Use the two-minute rule to process your e-mail. If it takes less than two minutes to answer a message, do it then file or delete the message.
  • Use folders to organize messages.
  • IMMEDIATELY delete any messages you do not need to keep.
  • Use follow-up flags or dated calendar alarms to bring forward e-mail when it needs attention.
• Voice Mail
  • Review your voice messages, take notes and delete them.
  • Respond to those that fit the two-minute rule.
  • Schedule the others for follow-up, as appropriate.
• Postal mail
  • Open your post once a day.
  • Toss the junk or the unneeded paper into the bin.
  • Use the two-minute rule.
  • File those that are just for information. Delegate what you can. Place in rest in a follow-up system, so that it comes to your attention, when you need it and not before.

Feeling even more shame than Richard, I have pulled the contact form out from under that stack of papers on Ian's Messy Desk. ;)

New Mindjet MindManager Pro 6 Helps Business Users Create Visual “Blueprints for Action”

I've been playing around with a beta version of this for a few weeks now and it's a great upgrade to a great product.

Larkspur, Calif., Sept. 13, 2005 - Mindjet Corporation, the leading provider of software for visualizing and managing information, today announced availability of Mindjet® MindManager® Pro 6, the newest version of its flagship application for business professionals and teams. Available September 20, 2005, MindManager Pro 6 is a tool for graphically representing the core communications of business: from capturing meeting notes to creating sales campaigns and drafting business plans in an “at-a-glance” view. Now with enhanced integration with Microsoft® Office, each resulting Mindjet MindManager Pro 6 “map” can contain additional information via hyperlinks to documents, spreadsheets and presentations. Maps can also be connected to corporate applications and databases, and to Web services.

New Mindjet MindManager Pro 6 features include:

* New Microsoft Excel integration: Embed spreadsheet information into maps

* New Microsoft Visio export: Quickly create flow charts, map out processes

* Improved Microsoft PowerPoint integration: Quickly create and preview slides

* New editable outline view: Switch from map mode to standard linear mode

* New “Add Attachments”: Add multiple documents, URLs to each map topic

* New Topic Alerts: Receive alarms for appointments created in your maps

* New Organizational Chart view: Create dynamic, data-rich org charts

* New Ink-enabled Notes: Adds new power to mapping on a Tablet PC

* Improved Map Formatting commands: Make maps look better than ever-fast!

If you've not given much thought to mind mapping, you can find a post on the effectiveness of mind maps at Between Seeing.

We all face the fact that there are times when we demands on our time that exceeds our ability to handle them. Learning to say "No" is a critical --yet difficult-- skill that needs to be mastered. Taking on more than you can manage only leads to frustration as nothing gets done very well. Here are a list of web articles on learning to say no:

• Oprah.com >>http://www.oprah.com/spiritself/lybl/control/ss_lybl_control_08.jhtml
• The New Nation >>http://nation.ittefaq.com/artman/publish/article_21344.shtml
• Web4Health >>http://web4health.info/en/answers/child-say-no.htm
• Detroit News >>http://www.detnews.com/2005/money/0507/23/C02-250668.htm
• SmartBiz >>http://www.smartbiz.com/article/articleview/615/1/3/
• Life in Motion >>http://www.lifeinmotioncoaches.com/articles_files/page0005.htm

• How to send e-mails from any address using Gmail's SMTP server
• How to Make Your Speaking Easier and More Effective
• Meeting Agenda Template
• D*I*Y Planner | Paper, productivity & passion

Blogging Toward a Postmodern Faith with Brian McLaren, Mabiala Kenzo, Bruce Ellis Benson, Ellen Haroutunian and Myron Penner.

This blog-book will discuss what a postmodern evangelical faith looks like. The blog format will make it possible to allow you the reader, to participate in the writing of both the blog and the eventual published book to follow by Paternoster Press. Be a part of this experiment in conversation by adding your voice to the discussion.

“A New Kind of Conversation” begins on Sept 15th 2005.

Sign up to be notified when the blog starts

Kat posts some thoughts on redunancy -- "My definition of a redundancy is an air-bag in a politician's car."

The announcer filled air space at the Sox game last night by telling us the pitcher was getting ready to warm up after the rain delay. What in the heck did that mean, getting ready to warm up? Well, I found my answer when the camera panned: it showed Clement standing. I guessed he was ready to get ready.

I'm on Google Talk.

They say talk is cheap. Google thinks it should be free. Google Talk enables you to call or send instant messages to your friends for free–anytime, anywhere in the world. Google Talk offers you:

• Choice: Get in touch how and when you want to–over email, IM or a call
• Quality: Talk through your computer but hear your friends as if they were in the same room
• Convenience: Your Gmail contacts are pre-loaded into Google Talk so inviting or talking to your friends is just a click away
• Google Talk is in beta and requires a Gmail username and password.

You can contact me via my Gmail address - ian.mckenzie AT gmail.com

Richard points to the first podcast from the Methodist Church in Great Britain.

"The first podcast from the Methodist Church. A discussion on: a first timer's view of the Methodist Conference, websites, Pray Without Ceasing. You can listen to this using i-tunes podcasting software (or similar) or use the links below to stream or download. If you want to use podcasting software click the 'RSS PODCAST' (not the XML) link at the top of the page and use that URL."

• Rambling
• Speaking in a monotone
• Appearing to have limited topic knowledge
• Showing no energy, no passion
• Using a lot of non-words
• Poor eye contact
• Pacing, wandering or fidgeting
• Using profanity or questionable humor
• Lack of preparation
• Poor storytelling skills

(Taken From Ty Boyd's Leader's Zipline Newsletter)

Tags: communication, presentations, leadership, public-speaking

How To Use Wikis For Business

Content management systems will always have their place in the publishing world, but they've never been the best tools for business collaboration. A simple open-source app called the wiki may soon rule the knowledge management roost.

From Michael Hyatt:

"Tom Peters has a nifty little slide show called 56 Ideas/Suggestions for Presentation Excellence. The content is great. The slides themselves are pretty weak. Ironically, he violates his own rules (e.g., “Only one point per slide”). Nevertheless, the content is great and well worth downloading."

Tom Peters on Presentation Excellence

As luck would have it — just in the nick of time and at the eleventh hour — I’ve been burning the midnight oil to dig up a site that is sure to keep you as busy as a bee. Without beating around the bush any longer, I’m happy to announce that good things come to those who wait.

The Cliche site is full of — you guessed it — cliches. From A to Z or “a rose by any other name would smell as sweet” to “zoo, what a.” So, stop waiting for the dust to settle or the other shoe to drop…wake up and smell the coffee. Go ahead, take a walk on the wild side and whoop it up at the Cliche site where what you see is what you get.