“Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning, but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us”

- Hal Borland, well known American author

  

First of all let me say thank you to each and every one of you that have been reading this little column every other week.  It’s been a lot of fun pointing out the best and brightest of the new sites and services we uncover every month at Catalyst:SF and we appreciate your feedback and suggestions so please keep them coming!

As good old Hal says above, the end of the year is nothing but a continuance.  It’s the opportunity to learn your lessons and make adjustments so that the coming year will benefit from that which you learned the year before.  Try not to make the same mistakes twice and try to integrate the key knowledge from your previous successes, ensuring growth and maturity of the mind.  This past year was a tumultuous ride, but 2009 has the scent of optimism to it and I for one am looking forward to it!  As they say when a new day dawns, get ready for the light!

And with that, let’s put on our sunglasses and check out some of the best of the last two weeks!

Maybe 2009 will be the year you decide to get out and travel.  The dollar is a little stronger and you’ve saved some money, so why not see the world?  You might need to check out WAYN (http://www.wayn.com/).  WAYN stands for “Where Are You Now” and is a social network and travelogue that allows you to keep track of your travels, get suggestions from other travelers and let everyone else know where you are!   Lots of people do this through email and photo essays, but WAYN is an organized way to get your inner-Magellan on.

If you’re thinking of turning over a new leaf and doing the whole “new year’s resolution” thing, maybe you’ll decide this year you’ll read more?  If so, check out BOOKCROSSING (http://www.bookcrossing.com/).  I have always believed that the soul of a book should be shared outward into the world and these guys make it happen!  Sign up and when you’re done reading your books, pass them along for others to read.  BookCrossing keeps track of these books and helps them on their international journey for fulfillment!  Plus you can interact with other book readers.  Pretty cool!

Maybe the New Year will include a pledge to help save the environment?  If so, check out PROQUO (http://www.proquo.com/).  Pro Quo will help you stop the delivery of junk mail to your house.  In doing so you save some paper and save the environment, at least that’s their goal.  I signed up and am looking forward to less junk in my mail box.  I hope they can stop that unsolicited “Soldier of Fortune Magazine” catalogue I keep getting.   I only had to replace my night vision goggles once.  I’m not interested anymore! 

If the New Year finds you getting more involved with the Internet, then check out YOURMINIS (http://www.yourminis.com/).  These guys help you find widgets and applications to put on your web pages.  Widgets may be yesterday’s news, but the application space is still heating up!

Speaking of applications, check out APPALANCHE (http://www.adpinion.com/app/appalanche) and find out what iPhone apps are of interest to you!  The interface is simple and easy.  Almost too simple!  I played with it and lost about 10 minutes of my life that I’ll never get back!  Alas, at least I uncovered some more apps to use!

Speaking of iPhone Apps, here are some of my favorites this past week.  SEARCHME finally launched their visual search app and it is well worth the weight.  SNAPTELL launched theirs and it’s a really great way to learn more about books, dvd’s and etc. by snapping a picture of the cover.  And don’t overlook the branded KODAK GALLERY app that lets you access your Kodak Gallery pages on your iPhone!

That’s it for this week and this year!  Make sure to make your New Year’s resolutions for the industry!  And have a happy holiday season!  Thanks!!

This week it’s a potluck, in honor of the upcoming Thanksgiving holidays! 

Thanksgiving is a time to sit back and acknowledge the great things in your illustrious life and recognize all who do what they do for you!  In that theme, I want to point out that all the highlights in this edition were submitted from readers of this column on Jack Myers’ website and in our Digital Influentials Facebook group.  We value your submissions and we really do check them all out, so please be sure to keep ‘em coming.  Let us know what you think are some of the most interesting new innovations online by sending them to me in the Facebook group at “The Digital Influentials” or emailing me at cory@catalystsf.com. 

Let’s jump right into it shall we?

Have you ever wished you could cut and paste a web page to send to a friend?  Then you should check out SNIPD (http://www.snipd.com/).  Snipd is a tool that does exactly what it sounds like; it allows you to “grab and save pieces of pages”.  Take snippets of ads you saw online or articles you read on a topic and share it with your friends.  I started using it and found a bunch of bugs initially, but the site is still in beta and hopefully they’ll work out those bugs very soon.  The promise of the site is very exciting and they can already count me as a fan!

Another cool tool is KALLOUT (http://www.kallout.com/).  KallOut creates a search engine using your mouse.  You highlight a set of words in any program like Outlook or Powerpoint, as well as in your browser, and KallOut brings recommended search results to you immediately.  I love the idea of bringing search into all of your computer functions; check out the tutorial video on their site and see what I mean!

Speaking of cool tools, check out JAJAH (http://www.jajah.com).  Jajah is a beautiful marriage between Skype and your home or cell phone.  Using Jajah you can create an IP-based call that is funneled through your home or cell phone to another person on the other end.  All incoming calls to your cell are typically free and the outgoing call can be as low as $0.01 per minute.   My issue with internet telephony has always been that it tied you to a computer, but now Jajah frees you up!

If you’re calling your friends or family using Jajah, why not also share some pictures of your kids online and expand the connection!  That’s where WEE WEB (http://wee-web.com/) comes in.  For those of you with kids, you know that everyone wants to see the updates.  It can be overwhelming, unless you use Wee Web!  It’s a centralized hub for sharing with your friends and family.  Simple.  Easy.  Brilliant!  The Thanksgiving holidays are all about family and friends, so share your family!

The last service we found for this week was MYTHINGS (http://www.mythings.com/).  I admit this is a strange one, but for those of you who live by the immortal words of the late George Carlin (it’s all about having “stuff”), this is a service for you!   Keep track of your stuff.  Find out the value of your stuff.  Organize your stuff.  I started playing with the site and being an organization junkie, I started to find value.  Check it out – you may too!

As for our iPhone Apps update!  I love the new WEBMD app for finding what ails me.  I also dig the FIELDRUNNERS game for a fun and interesting way to waste time at the airport.  If you’re having a baby, the EXPECTING app is a fun one to keep track of where you are in the pregnancy.  Download these now and see what you think!

Have a great week and enjoy the world of digital media!  Oh – and Thanks for reading!!