Pajama Entrepreneur

Beautiful desktop wallpaper for the Mac: July 2009

Esme Vos — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 21:55:18 +0000

Smashing Magazine posts their favorite desktop wallpapers at the beginning of every month. The wallpapers contain the month’s calendar. Most of the wallpaper designers also provide a non-calendar option so you can use it throughout the year. This month is special to me because my birthday falls on the 1st. The image above, which is my favorite, comes from Vladislav Gerasimov from Irkutsk, Russia.

Where can you find 50 Mbps broadband for $45 a month?

Esme Vos — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 16:06:22 +0000

If you are in San Francisco and live in an apartment building, check out Webpass, a local ISP that delivers really fast broadband (upstream and downstream) service. I am getting around 50 Mbps symmetrical speeds. Read my review on Muniwireless: Webpass delivers over 50 Mbps down, 47 Mbps up in San Francisco.

Wordpress works on Safari 4 – finally

Esme Vos — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 01:13:02 +0000

I can finally use the Wordpress admin on Safari 4 after many months of waiting. I downloaded the latest version of Safari for the Mac and wonder of wonders, I can post articles via the Wordpress admin page. Many Wordpress users have been plagued with problems when they use the Visual Editor, especially when they try to upload photos or video, or even highlight a word or phrase and try to add a link. Now I don’t have to go back to Firefox when I have to post an article using Wordpress admin.

Billmonitor: find and compare mobile phone plans in the UK

Esme Vos — Thu, 21 May 2009 15:50:34 +0000

If you are in the UK and want to find the best mobile phone plan that fits your calling/texting/data habits, make sure to check out Billmonitor.com, a price finding and comparison site for mobile phone plans. I am impressed by the clean, uncluttered interface and the ease of use. It’s the only mobile comparison calculator accredited by Ofcom, the UK telecoms regulator.

iPhones, netbooks, smartphones, dongles equals 3G network outages

Esme Vos — Mon, 18 May 2009 16:24:02 +0000

Cellular operators seem to have discovered a new cash cow: the iPhone (and for those who don’t carry it, a variety of smartphones and netbooks all to be given away for free or at low cost). Coupled with cheaper data subscriptions, it seems like a fiesta for gadget freaks like us until we find out that telcos like AT&T still use ancient DSL/copper networks as backhaul for many of their cellular base stations and worse, given constraints in the equity and debt markets (plus the NIMBY attitudes of many communities), they’re not rushing to upgrade the networks to ad capacity.

Read The coming 3G network Armageddon.

I hate Hulu and Pandora

Esme Vos — Mon, 18 May 2009 15:17:19 +0000

And every other website that thinks the Internet is broken up into regions and countries and blocks you from seeing video or listening to music as soon as you have stepped outside the boundaries of the United States. But it’s not just Hulu and Pandora. There are websites in France, the Netherlands and other countries that block you from seeing video when you are abroad. Who is to blame for this mess? The copyright cartel, the rights licensing bodies, and most of all, the various countries’ legislative bodies for utterly failing to live in this century and for kissing the feet of powerful media companies.

I travel a lot and work from many locations in different countries. So do many people. I want to be able to view video or listen to music wherever I am. The way sites like Hulu and Pandora work, they pretend it’s still 1960 and we’re all stuck in front of the TV or radio and never travel overseas. Does anyone every wonder why there’s so much content piracy and so many ways that people are devising to listen to music and watch video at their own convenience no matter where they are on the planet?

Stunning desktop wallpaper for the Mac

Esme Vos — Fri, 01 May 2009 15:08:52 +0000

On the first day of every month, I check Smashing Magazine for new desktop wallpaper. All of them include the monthly calendar, although some allow you to download the version without the calendar so you can use the wallpaper even after the month is over. Here’s a sample of this month’s wallpaper:

Go to Smashing Magazine for the May 2009 desktop calendars:

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/04/30/desktop-wallpaper-calendar-may-2009/

How to look like a cool geek

Esme Vos — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 23:34:52 +0000

Like many of you, I own a lot of gadgets. I love gadgets and can’t resist the latest and greatest phones, iPods, laptops, netbooks, anything small and electronic that makes funny little noises. When I travel or walk around the city, I want to be able to carry my little companions in something that does not scream “Geek Who Spends Weekends at Fry’s”. Fortunately, design stores have come out with new products that can make you look cool:

Hard Graft

http://www.shopplr.com/2009/04/cool-laptop-sleeves-from-hard-graft/

Rickshaw Bags

http://www.shopplr.com/2008/12/rickshaw-bagworks-messenger-bags/

Skype for iPod Touch plus prepaid phone plan equals huge savings

Esme Vos — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 19:38:03 +0000

I just downloaded Skype to my iPod Touch and it works very well. I got an iPod Touch instead of an iPhone a few months ago because I HATE long-term mobile phone contracts. I’ve been using the iPod Touch with Wi-Fi plus my T-Mobile prepaid plan ($25 every two months or $12.50 per month on phone calls) for my communications needs.

For an entrepreneur who is keen on saving as much money during these difficult times, this combination is unbeatable. People who think prepaid plans end up being more expensive are often wrong. Most people do NOT use up their minutes. You need to figure out exactly how many minutes you use every month and use applications like Skype — tailor your working life to save money! Long-term contracts should NOT be the default mode.

Download Skype now for your iPhone or iPod Touch.

405 Club: New York’s premier and fastest growing club for the unemployed

Esme Vos — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 19:09:53 +0000

Sounds like a swanky, Studio 54-like hangout, doesn’t it? Actually the 405 Club is “New York’s Official Unemployment Benefit Collection Club”. 405 stands for the $405 maximum unemployment benefit per week that the jobless masses can enjoy while reading news reports of bank executives crying about their slashed multi-million dollar bonuses. Since misery loves company, anyone who has been laid off and feels down and blue, should definitely go to: www.the405club.com. Entrepreneurs who have lost clients or whose clients aren’t paying will probably feel very welcome at the 405.

Here’s an idea for clubs like these: organize a “mass-buying club” that negotiates very low prices with merchants for everyday needs like toilet paper, sugar, butter, rice and so on. Maybe they can even organize to “buy” inexpensive health insurance (that would be nice).