From the desk (and BlackBerry) of Keith Parnell

One of the great things about having been a blogger for over eight years is being able to see how topics and waves have changed over time.

Below are the top 10 most popular posts from my blog from 2009.

1. Barry - BlackBerry Tether & Synchronization for Linux
2. PocketCop & BlackBerry - Quick Information in the Hands of Law Enforcement on the Street
3. Who has the best 3G coverage in most US large metro areas?
4. Twitter Makes Sense for Me Now
5. Try Reading the Rules Shankopotamus
6. What if it were you hanging up on this wall?
7. Clapton / Winwood Tour
8. Top 10 Ad Spenders in 2008
9. Be a Penny Picker Upper
10. Ever wonder how a roadway tunnel is built underwater?

RSS and Facebook readers: click here to view and enter comments.

On Twitter? Follow me at @parnellk63.

Listening to Running on Faith by Eric Clapton.

2009 Advertising Apple BlackBerry blog Brand CEO Christ Christmas CIO Coffee with the CEO commercial economy email Facebook God Google IT JASE JASE Group JASE Marketing JASEzone Javelin Jesus Keith Parnell Linux Lord Marketing Microsoft Norfolk Pearl RSS small business social community Social Media social network T-mobile Technology tv Twitter VA Video Windows Wireless YouTube

The Linux Foundation is taking over Linux.com. We couldn’t be more excited to work with you on building a community resource for Linux users worldwide.

For the community, by the community, Linux.com will be the central source for Linux information, software, documentation and answers across the server, desktop/netbook, mobile, and embedded areas.

Much like Linux itself, Linux.com will rely on the community to create and drive the content and conversation. While the Linux Foundation will provide the collaborative forum, we hope you - the real experts on Linux - will provide the content. Starting now, we’d like to hear your suggestions on what you’d like to see in the new Linux.com. We’ve created an IdeaForge for you to post, vote and discuss these ideas.

The official Ubuntu website is conducting a brainstorming session in which anybody can participate. Ever wish there were a particular feature or wish one functioned more efficiently?

Suggest a new (or upgrade to a) feature by creating an account at the Ubuntu Brainstorm website and then submitting your wish. Other visitors to the site can the vote on your wishes.

Ubuntu is saying if your wish receives a number of votes to deem it top popular, then it will have a very good chance of getting integrated in the next release.

Current most popular ideas that were submitted -
- Play button should change to pause button on Rhythmbox.
- OpenOffice Documents Thumbnails in Nautilus.
- Improve speed of the thumbnail feature in Nautilus.
- Compiz Effect Preview.
- Window previews for closed windows (compiz fusion).

Ever wanted to tether your Linux notebook to your BlackBerry? Well, now you can.

Barry is an open source application that allows you to tether your Linux machine to your BlackBerry for Internet access, to sychronize data, backup and restore, and program management.

Here is a list of Barry’s possibilities from their website:

• Charge your Blackberry’s battery from your USB port.
• Retrieve Address Book, Email, Calendar, Service Book, Memos, Tasks, PIN Messages, Saved Email, and Folders.
• Export Address Book contacts in text or LDAP LDIF format.
• Make full data backups and restores of your device using a GUI.
• Synchronize contacts and calendar items using the OpenSync framework.
• Use the Blackberry as a modem.

To download Barry to your Linux machine, click here.

I threw out a comment to my microblogging network this weekend about my challenges with organizing the results of self-brainstorming sessions. And just as reliable as the sun coming up every morning, I received suggestions on resolving my challenges. FreeMind was the consensus recommendation.

I now have FreeMind version 0.8.1 running on an Ubuntu Linux machine and the results of my using the mind mapping software have been positive and productive. This tool gets a solid recommendation from me. The FreeMind software can be downloaded from their website here.

Here is how the conversation went this weekend on JZ / Twitter -

parnellk63 - My marketing self-brainstorming won’t stop. I keep running to the whiteboard to write down new action items for new client. 1/17/2009 1:29 AM

lamarjmorgan - @parnellk63 Ever use mind mapping when brain-storming? 1/17/2009 1:31 AM

parnellk63 - @lamarjmorgan - Absolutely. Mind mapping is a wonderful exercise. I don’t know how many lost ideas have come to light this way. You? 1/17/2009 1:36 AM

lamarjmorgan - @parnellk63 The Free Mind open source software for mind-mapping is awesome. I wish I understood it better than I do. 1/17/2009 1:40 AM

parnellk63 - @lamarjmorgan - Interesting. I’ll check it out. 1/17/2009 1:49 AM

thekid416 - @parnellk63 Free Mind is a great little “free” mind-mapping software. Helps un-tangle ideas! 1/17/2009 1:52 AM

parnellk63 - @thekid416 - I received the same recommendation from @lamarjmorgan. Thanks both of you for the unsolicited suggestion. Love my network! 1/17/2009 1:56 AM

parnellk63 - Enjoyed my first experience with FreeMind, the open source mind-mapping software, earlier today. 1/17/2009 10:52 PM

JeffreyJDavis - @parnellk63 You will find Mindmapping to be a very valuable tool for innovation, organization 1/17/2009 10:56 PM

sscarver - @parnellk63 I’ve been curious about mind-mapping for several months. Just can’t figure it out. Did you like the software? 1/17/2009 10:57 PM

Aboundlessworld - @parnellk63 Really? how was it? I’ve been interested in mind mapping for quite some time. 1/17/2009 10:57 PM

parnellk63 - @JeffreyJDavis @sscarver @Aboundlessworld - I’m looking forward to using it more. My wild self-brainstorming can finally be captured! 1/17/2009 10:59 PM

FreeMind - free mind mapping software
FreeMind is a premier free mind-mapping software written in Java. The recent development has hopefully turned it into high productivity tool. We are proud that the operation and navigation of FreeMind is faster than that of MindManager because of one-click “fold / unfold” and “follow link” operations.

Google released its Chrome web browser about 3 months ago for public use. Windows users have been able to test, play and report bugs back to Google at their leisure.

No Mac version is available. No Linux version is available.

Honestly though, I believe that’s a smart move on Google’s part. Better to launch on the most popular platform (Windows) so you get the most constructive feedback than to haphazardly not be able to standardize the public testing process. Mac and Linux versions will come later.

So what do you think 3 months later? Yes? No? Shows promise?

Steven J. Vaughan-nichols recently tested the newest released versions of Canonical Ubuntu, Red Hat Fedora and Novell openSuse Linux. He wrote about his findings for LinuxWorld here.

This one’s a good read for the Linux-heads. Steven gives recommendations on how the types of users align with which type of Linux. He also touches a bit on OpenOffice 3.0.

Alexandra Krasne of PC World recently wrote an article for LinuxWorld with suggestions on ways to save money for your organization.

Are there others you can think of to share?

1. Use open-source and free software: When you’re trying to keep your business afloat, plunking down lots of cash for off-the-shelf software can really hurt. While not as polished as Microsoft’s Office suite, OpenOffice.org is a free, open-source alternative with a full suite of applications for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, and databases that are compatible with Microsoft Office formats.
2. Telecommute: Working at home lets you save on gas costs, yet you can remain just as productive when telecommuting thanks to tools that permit you to connect and collaborate almost as if you were in the office.
3. Hold online meetings: Why fly out to see a client when you can save time and money by holding the meeting in cyberspace? Using free videoconferencing software such as Skype you need only a Webcam, a PC, and an Internet connection– saving money not only on travel costs, but on long-distance as well.
4. Make Strategic Purchases: If your employees are complaining about slow computers, buying entirely new machines may not be the best way to fix their problems. Very often, an old (Pentium-3/4 class) computer is more than capable of typical office tasks–if it had enough RAM.

Read Alexandra’s complete story for LinuxWorld here.

Get the details here.