Friday Four

1. Writer/programmer Josh Earl has described how you, too, can have a collapsible, wall-mounted standing desk for less than $50.00.

This desk is nothing fancy, but for the price it's well constructed. It's solid wood with a clear satin finish. The surface doesn't flex or bounce when extended, even thought the desk top itself is only about 1" thick. When folded, it protrudes about 4" from the wall, making it quite unobtrusive.

Like me, Earl had been interested in trying a standing desk for some time, but his living space was too cramped. Mine is currently too cramped even to try his idea, but after we move to the Midwest later this year, I think that will change. My goal is to set one up close to my sitting desk to allow for quick, easy alternation between sitting and standing.

2. Headhunter Nick Corcodillos nicely explains why "job clubs" and networking are not the same thing:

So, here you are -- a bunch of unemployed people, coming to meetings where you expect other unemployed people to give you job leads...

Earlier, he notes that not all job leads are equal: "[G]etting a lead at a meeting might seem more personal, [but] it's very different from a personal referral from some who knows, respects, and trusts you -- and who has true insider connections."

3. This Onion article neatly summarizes how I came to see religion and its apologists during college, but with much more humor: "Capricious God Violently Shakes Ant Farm Day After Bestowing Orange Slices Upon Colony".

4. Aaron Huslage, who has extensive experience with bringing Internet connectivity to areas reeling from recent natural disasters, is working on a hardware setup that would allow aid workers to easily go online from anywhere in the world.

And so, after getting laid off from his day job last January ("Actually, I laid myself off," Huslage jokes), he decided to work full-time on the development of tethr. What he and his team have come up with is a package of hardware that fits into a case about 6in-long, 4in-wide and 3-in tall (15cmx10cmx7.5cm). It contains the hardware necessary to connect to the net via satellite modem, wi-fi, 3G, ethernet and even dial-up. It also comes with OpenBTS, an open-source GSM messaging box and platform. This prototype runs with a version of the open-source operating system Ubuntu Linux. The software could be tailored to any situation, but right now, Huslage has it loaded up with a database, VOIP software similar to Skype, Ushahidi, and Open Street Map. The user interface, Huslage says, is like a webpage, and is designed to allow the user maximum control over what type of connections to use for certain tasks, and also giving simple instructions on how to, say, point the satellite modem in the right direction. [link dropped]

Huslage claims that the whole thing would cost somewhere between $500.00 and $2000.00 once production ramped up. 

-- CAV