Silverlight is a cross-browser, cross-platform plug-in for delivering the next generation of media experiences and rich interactive applications (RIAs) for the Web. - Microsoft

They just don’t seem to get it! Microsoft has released Silverlight as a rival to Adobe Flash, yet I can’t help but feel this product is doomed. I went over to the Silverlight microsite this morning to see what all the buzz was about. My dismay started immediately when I couldn’t watch the video on my Mac, but wait, isn’t this supposed to be a cross-platform / cross-browser product. Then why can’t I learn about it on my Mac?

I’m sort of used to this kind of thing from Microsoft so I went over to my XP machine and IE7 locked up on me when I went to the site. Next, I tried Firefox 2.0 on the PC and I could finally see the video. Given the fact they made me work so hard to see this video, it better be worth it…. but it wasn’t.

The video shows impressive visualization but I finished the video only more confused then when I first visited the site. Is this tool a video editing tool? Does it do 3D visualization like Anark Studio? Is it a 100% clone of Flash?

God, I wish Microsoft would innovate something worthwhile or at the very least if they are going to rip off rival products then at least make them better!

I’ve now been using SantexQ beta for 24 hours and thus far, pretty darn good for beta and all-in-all a useful tool. I was introduced to SantexQ by one of the comments posted by a reader of our BaseCamp article. The comment couldn’t of come at a better time. We are currently working on our own task management program developed around the way we work. We are developing it out of a need to replace BaseCamp (we’ve outgrown it’s use) and to offer yet another program for task management.

Pros:

I like the overall organization of the system and how it places tasks at the center of the project management process. It is easy to setup and start using. In under 15 minutes I added our team, a few clients and a handful of tasks. Best of all the system is free. I hope it stays that way.

Cons:

The date selector on tasks didn’t allow me to directly enter the date, I was forced to use the calendar tool instead. I feel like the task add page could have been shortened up if organized more efficently and I also wasn’t a fan of the fact it required me to add various fields, like a description. In some instances, a subject is sufficent enough.

I didn’t look at the tool’s billing / time-tracking features because we use ClickTime, and that product is hands down the best tool for time-tracking.

I certainly encourage our readers to give it a try, especially since it’s free.

Chris Jordan has completed a series of work which helps to visualize large statistical measures in our society. My favorite is the plastic bag series.

“Depicts 60,000 plastic bags, the number used in the US every five seconds.”

Now in our 5th year of business I’m starting to learn the difference between working more vs working smarter. It seems that with each passing year our careers keep cutting into our private time. Our latest technology gadgets seem to help extend the work day and cut a bit deeper into our private time.

With respected companies like Google and Microsoft averaging a 60 hour work week it becomes ease to feel that 40 hours just ain’t enough. Countries like Mexico, Korea, Germany and Japan all work more hours then the United States. It’s as if we have an inferiority complex telling us we need to put in more hours or we are just “slacking off.”

There is a major difference between quantity vs quality. It has been my own experience that for the weeks where I’ve put in well over 40 hours, I’ve felt drained. I love my job but I also don’t want to sacrifice my family life or my personal health.

By constraining my hours to 40 hours per week it forces me to make each hour count. To schedule my time and to ignore distractions. All of these actions help to increase productivity. If I know I’ll be in the office for 12 hours instead of 8 then I start to lose motivation and I’ll let tasks increase to the time I have available to me.

In my book, working smarter is always better then putting in more hours and I refuse to believe that you can sustain 60 hour work weeks, high-productivity and remain well balanaced in life.

In this line of work we are approached by all kinds of people with the next get rich quick online business idea. I’m not talking about existing businesses looking to add services, build custom web-apps or redesigning their website. I’m talking about individuals or small groups who think they have something really hot, but I know in my heart that it is likely doomed.

I love to encourage business ideas and I really enjoy uncovering new ways to do things. However, how do you professionally shoot a business idea which is ultimately going to die a slow and painful death?