Merlins Tower

Google Update: Gmail Custom Time

Posted on April 1st, 2008 by Merlin.
Categories: Email, Free, Google, Human, Life, Office, Web Service.

Google today announced a brand new feature to Gmail - You have got to love this new feature. It is called the GMAIL Custom Time™

Ever wish you could go back in time and send that crucial email that could have changed everything — if only it hadn’t slipped your mind? Gmail can now help you wiht those missed deadlines, missed birthdays and missed Opportunities.

Yes there are web services that will send you and email dated in the future- but now you can back date an email and make it look like it came from the past. Blame Technology - Hey it was the computer that didn’t send it right away and look at the date it was sent. You should have had it by now.

But you have to make this messages count - As you can only do this 10 times in a calendar year.

So the next time you forgot your girlfriends birthday or you forgot to send a report to your boss and you need to have it look like it came from the past. Here is your chance to make it work.

See the screen shot below to see what I am talking about.

Great Job Google - Keep the improvements coming.

Merlin and Have a Great Day 4-1

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TAGS: April Fools Googles Big Joke

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Cool Tool: Jott - Now in Open Beta

Posted on March 29th, 2007 by Merlin.
Categories: Analog, Communication, Computing, Email, Free, Notetaking, Web Service.

I just came across a new online service called Jott.

Jott has to be one of the most useful online web applications I have come across. I know I will be using this service as this solves many issues of being out and about and not being able to jott an (Such as an Idea, Phone Number, Web Address, Email to a Friend or Colleague, Note to Remember)

Basically Jott is the electronic version of the Post-It note on Steroids. This service is better then any PDA or SmartPhone because instead of having to
(1) pull out your PDA -
(2) then turning it on -
(3) pulling out the stylus -
(4) jotting the note down -
(5) saving and
(6) turningthe PDA off -

All you do is
(1) call a toll-free number and
(2) answer who you want to Jott - Such as by saying “Me” and
(3) then you are given a beep and you can record your message (Up to 30 Seconds) that will be transcribed and sent to your email.

What can be simpler.

And it is just as easy to send and email to a friend and or a colleague as well.

Jott is just as easy to setup and get started as well - Visit their site and register - It will take you under 5 mins to signup and verify your email and phone number. During this setup you get a chance to send your first test message to yourself to see how quickly this system works.

I went ahead and used the service to send several messages and several notes to myself today and found that I got the transcribes notes in my inbox under 15 mins. Plus you also get to listen to the original message on your Jott page inbox as well as being able to read the transcribed note.

So if you want to try out a free (Currently) service that will help you send and email, take a note and free up some time for you. Then Jott is for you.

Technorati Tags: jott, notetaking, transcription, trascribe, cellphone, service, beta, testing, email, note, free,

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Cool Product for the Office - Paper Email

Posted on March 19th, 2007 by Merlin.
Categories: Analog, Communication, Email, Gadgets, Notetaking, Office, Shopping, Weird Stuff.

Yes you saw that right - PAPER EMAIL - now you can have paper email in the office instead of those little pink pads that people write their memos on or while you were out pads. This is just a fun replacement for some of your office supplies that you normally take for granted. Honestly I think this pad is easier to read then the standard pink telephone call memo pad. Plus this Give you all the information in a standard format (EMAIL )

Just something to have some fun with while at work.

Technorati Tags: Adult, Office+Pron, Email, Analog, Weird+Stuff, paper, products, notepad

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Sim Aquarium - Free Simulation Game

Posted on January 24th, 2007 by Merlin.
Categories: Anything Else, Art, Email, Free, Gadgets, Opera.

For some strange reason I enjoy relaxing while looking at some fish swim by and when I was using my Opera Browser the other day I got to play with SimAquarium.

I usually switch up between Firefox or Opera depending on what I am doing. (Yes, I rarely use IE much anymore - And I suggest the same to you - Check out BrowseHappy.com and See why IE is NOT SAFE)

The Opera Browser has what they call Opera Widgets that you can use to enhance the Opera Browser. One of the new and popular widgets is the SimAquarium - This aquarium gives you $100 to start out with - where you have to purchase some fish - and hope they breed. After you have a few baby fish you can sell them back to the store to allow you to upgrade your lights, backgrounds, filters, and buy other types of fish.

Bonus - Build up your Money and get to purchase a Dolphin for your Aquarium.

Screenshot 1 - ScreenShot 2 - ScreeShot 3

Technorati Tags: simaquarium, aquarium, free, fish, opera, browser, browse+happy, Hate, IE, Security, Risk

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Cool Idea - The 20GB Time Capsule

Posted on January 5th, 2007 by Merlin.
Categories: Anything Else, Communication, Email, Free, Web Service.

Catching up on a few of my RSS Feeds and I came across this interesting idea where a person is going to gather up 20GB of various data and put it onto a hard drive to be stored and then looked at again in 30 Years. He is asking to keep the file length under 10mb (Plus the file can not be NSFW, Racist or Prejudiced) You can Send a JPG, GIF, OR, PDF. No EXE as who would be able to run them, No Podcasts, and No Videos. 

Well This got me to thinking - What would I contribute that would mean something to me today and worthy enough to be re-read and looked at in 30 years. I have a few Ideas - One is to do a PDF file documenting my family and friends through the photographs and information I currently have. I may even just do this as a larger JPG file and make it a collage. I think this would be a pretty cool thing. Otherwise I am stumped as what to submit.

Here is where I ask you the readers - What would you include in this timecapsule?

Please submit a comment below and lets get a few good ideas that I can send or any one else here. If you do submit something. Let us know that as well. Sorry, Just being nebby.

Technorati Tags: 20gb, hard, drive, hard+drive, time, capsule, time+capsule, digital, photo, pdf, art, document

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Happy New Year! From Merlin’s Tower!!!

Posted on December 31st, 2006 by Merlin.
Categories: Announcement, Art, Communication, Email, Free, GTD, Hack.

As the year comes to a close today - I would like to thank the hundreds of people that have decided to read Merlin's Tower each day. I am always look forward making new friends through this page and love hearing from my old acquaintances. As always I would love to hear your suggestions and ideas to make this a better site for all or what you would like me to write about. I know these things I write about are items that interest myself and seem to interest the readers and I would like to take this time to invite all to make a new years resolution to comment on the articles and let me know what you would like to see here at Merlin's Tower. You can do so my adding a comment or sending me an email. (Thanks to Gmail Signature Generator for the email Signature) - Now it is time to run off to a party and enjoy the year's end and new beginning. Don't Forget to sing that new years favorite. (more on Auld Lang Syne) Midi at Bottom Of MusicCat Page

 Auld Lang Syne

Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind ?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and old long time?

And surely you’ll buy your pint cup !
And surely I’ll buy mine !
And we'll take a cup o’ kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

We two have run about the hills,
and pulled the daisies fine ;
But we’ve wandered many a weary foot,
since old long time.

We two have paddled in the stream,
from morning sun till dine (dinner time) ;
But seas between us broad have roared
since old long time.

And there’s a hand my trusty friend !
And give us a hand o’ thine !
And we’ll take a right good-will draught,
for old long time.

TAGS: New Year New+Years Resolutions GTD Hack Analog Comment Comments New+Years+Resolutions Auld Lang Syne Auld+Lang+Syne

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Stikkit - A New Way to Organize Online

Posted on December 3rd, 2006 by Merlin.
Categories: Communication, Computing, Consulting, Email, Free, Freeware, GTD, Hack, Notetaking, Web Service.

Stikkit.com - A new online organizer in Beta testing.

First a little Blurb from Stikkit:

Stikkit gives you the digital equivalent of a sticky note: the easiest thing you can grab to jot down an idea or reminder. As you type, Stikkit watches for appointments, to-dos, people, bookmarks and more, magically extracting and organizing the important details. It's like having a personal assistant following along after you.

What does this mean to you? Well after taking the 2 mins that it took to signup and activate your account you can start using it right away - Press the Shift-ALT-N and you get a nice blank note to type something in?

Meeting with Vet for Java for Shots on Jan 22 2007 3pm @VET @JAVA @APPOINTMENT

This created a Appointment (1-22-2007 @ 3pm) And Tagged the note with 3 different TAGS VET, JAVA, Appointment  

Whats nice it that it integrated the Notes with Appointments and  Tagging System

BOB SMITH 212-555-1212 bobsmith@yeahright.com 

This Created a Peep (Contact) with his contact info in there.

You can also visit the setting page for your Stikkit Account and they will give you a Secret Email address that you can add to your cellphone and then when out on the road you can Text an Apointment, Note, etc to your account.

Plus say you are visiting a webpage and wanted to jot a note about something you saw? Well if you already created a shortcut on your bookmark toolbar  you can press it and it will automatically note the page/time and Whatever notes you want to store on stikkit page.

Each Section of your stikkit has its own RSS feed. So you can read your contacts, appointments or general Notes in your RSS Reader.

Plus if you turned on the SMS feature of Stikkit it can sent you an SMS message when you have an appointment. 

TAGS: STIKKIT stickit note todo calendar organizer online sms email organization

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