Chris Brogan wrote a great post entitled 12 things to stop doing in 2009.

The ideas are good, but the “clever part” is that Chris encourages us to focus on doing some new things in 2009 instead of merely throwing out some of the cluttered thinking and actions we’ve accumulated in 2008.

Just six things, too, but boy they’re both inspiring and challenging.

1. Find a new way to improve someone’s day (and determine if there’s value in it).
2. Synthesise new ideas from outside your audience’s circle (and help us make meaning from them).
3. Promote the great people out there (and keep doing it).
4. Learn from brilliant people (and share what you learn).
5. Work on interesting projects that matter to you (and empower others to participate).
6. Discover your passions (and share them openly).

There’s some serious meatiness in there, but it fits with a lot of what I’ve been thinking.

I got very caught up in minutiae and admin towards the end of 2008, and came very close to burning out. It’s one reason that things slowed down a lot during December (including a complete absence from several sites).

I’m determined not to let that happen this year.

Apparently, these idiots who claim to represent the US police force believe they have the right to “taser” a perfectly respectable, respectful student who had every right to ask John Kerry questions.

Absolutely outrageous, and appalling, and all of the police officers involved in that incident should be severely disciplined.

Of course, they probably won’t be. After all, it’s only some pathetic little US citizen, eh? So much for the First Amendment, eh?

Warning: there is some swearing towards the end of the video — you probably would too if you were being pinned to the floor and electrocuted.

UPDATE: Apparently, the police say he was trying to “incite a riot”. No, actually it’s the violent, sadistic actions of the police force who tried to do that.

Bit of a “crisis” knocked me off course for part of the morning, so post count is down a bit today. Might do a bit later on.

Blogging

• UK politician wins party’s blog of the year award

Tech: General

• Destroy the world, or just plug in four USB gadgets, with the Self Destruction USB hub
• LED Alarm Clock made from movable, stackable cubes: not for the easily confused
• Display your old-fashioned shiny discs as wall tiles
• TwinMOS launches miniBooM iPod docking and speaker system with FM and DAB radio
• Mystere launches ia11 and ia21 valve amps
• HANNspree launches XM “Boston” designer monitor

Tech: iPhone

• iPhone UK: What’s the 3G deal?
• iPhone UK: O2′s monthly tariffs
• iPhone to get “TV out” functionality?
• GEAR4 launches iVak case for iPhone
• DIY iPhone repairs for the brave: fix a broken screen
• Phones4U put on brave face regarding UK iPhone
• iPhone coming to Germany and Austria, November 9th, T-Mobile

Tech: Music

• Yamaha intros MODUS H01 stylish, compact digital piano
• Yamaha intros new arranger workstations: PSR-S700, PSR-S900, PSR-OR700

Before you groan at yet another post about BlogRush (which I’m trying out at my Family Relationships blog right now) this post may be a little different.

Though the primary aim of BlogRush is to get your articles displayed on other web sites within your niche, based on how many people visit your own web site, I’ve found that the widget is quite a useful snapshot of other relevant blogs and articles that I don’t already have in my feed reader.

I’ve already found several new web sites, or at least useful articles, as a result of simply clicking through what was displayed on the widget when I visited my home page (I’ll admit I was looking to see if one of my own articles was being shown – it wasn’t).

Fortunately there’s no penalty for clicking through on these links as there would be for something like AdSense. Neither do I keep refreshing my home page for more impressions (I’m sure these would get filtered out to stop people trying to game the system).

Just thought I’d share this little discovery.

Here’s a link list to all the articles I’ve written today. Enjoy.

Tech: Web 2.0

• Yahoo Mash: late to the social network party, mashes up popular services into its own
• Google may be developing offline version of Gmail, challenge to Microsoft?
• iLike now includes UK, Ireland, Australian music concerts

Tech: High Definition

• Big three TV makers to study technology to reduce LCD TV energy consumption
• Warner delay Total HD discs indefinitely
• SIM2 unveils Grand Cinema HT380 1080p projector
• Toshiba: 51GB HD DVD not yet official… quite
• Sky/Virgin Media CEO’s agree against “gifted” HD spectrum

Tech: iPhone

• O2′s UK iPhone deal speculations continue
• New research: iPhone is just precursor to future mobile Internet devices
• Apple preparing another iPhone software update?
• Putting SSH on the iPhone
• Deutsche Telekom reportedly gains rights to sell iPhone in five European countries
• $100 “early adopter” rebate can be used on iTunes

Family

• Daily Mail columnist tirades against environmentally unfriendly mothers
• Baking: the latest craze for kids?
• Toddlers’ TV favourites to feature on new interactive web site for preschoolers

Music

• Korg announces Kaossilator dynamic phrase synthesizer
• NowPlayIt.com: interesting but limited piano tutorials from star musicians
• Third Annual Austin Analog Synthesizer Party: 13 Oct 2007
• Native Instruments announce KOMPLETE software instrument/effect bundles
• Musical listening test study – testing musical perception ability
• Tenori-on exclusively testing in the UK

Personal

• New blogging efficiency and productivity regime started today

Generally, lists of “Top x (insert profession here)” are bound to spark controversy – some are purely created as linkbait – so I’m not going to get too riled about NxE’s Fifty Most Influential Bloggers.

It’s not a terrible list.

• I agree with a number of blogger entries on the list.
• I can understand why a number of other bloggers are on the list, based on the “30 second rundown” and “Why He/She Matters” sections

However:

1. It’s horrendously skewed towards technology and US politics
2. It’s skewed towards US bloggers
3. It’s skewed towards male bloggers
4. At least two of the entries are / have been involved in black-hat / dodgy SEO/SEM tactics (I don’t agree with rewarding that)

Let’s take those points in turn:

1. It’s horrendously skewed towards technology and US politics

Unfortunately, it seems that (with the exception of pornography and sex), technology and US politics rule the roost online. At least, they’re the only ones that “are influential beyond the norm” and “are the people to watch and listen to”.

I’m not sure how much specific inspiration a craft, or music, or sports blogger will get from someone talking North American politics.

We need to dig a little deeper and look for the other major audiences, and find inspiration in other niches.

2. It’s skewed towards US bloggers

Granted, the US is way ahead of the curve when it comes to blogging.

There are several notable bloggers from other nations, which is good to see, but perhaps some international bloggers should compile a more world-friendly list.

3. It’s skewed towards male bloggers

Again, many technology geeks are men (though there’s a notable absence of any British female bloggers who’ll give the guys a run for their money).

Perhaps widening the search to other subject areas would have yielded more influential women bloggers.

4. At least two of the entries are / have been involved in black-hat / dodgy SEO/SEM tactics (I don’t agree with rewarding that)

They know who they are, and you probably do as well.

I suppose that doesn’t stop them being influential, though I’d rather not see those encouraged who flagrantly and openly cheat their way up the search engine rankings (at the expense of others, I might add).

Given that “their success stories hold for us a key to and an inspiration for our own success” this is a little perverse.

I also take exception to one of the entries which claims that the blogger “matters most because of a single post he wrote in May 2006″. Not really the mark of a great blogger. One hit wonder, perhaps.

But maybe that’s just me. I wholeheartedly agree with some of the entries. I won’t embarrass them, or the others, by naming them.

Does anyone have any decent information on terminating an application in Mac OS X when it refuses to quit by any known method?

I’m talking about EyeTV, which every so often hangs during playback (spinning beach ball), but refuses to quit.

Here’s what I’ve tried, all to no avail:

1. “Force Quit” icon on dock
2. Run "kill -9 $pid" from the Terminal command line (where process ID is found using ps aux | grep EyeTV

When using the second method, I get this kind of output:

andy 576 0.0 0.0 0 0 ?? E Mon10PM 0:00.00 (EyeTV)

The “E” status means that the application is in the process of ending.

Only it never does. The only way I can quit or relaunch it is to restart (or log out), which is really annoying if I’ve got a lot of other applications open.

EyeTV is the only application that does this. I’ve done all the usual housekeeping stuff I can think of (repairing permissions, etc).

Does anyone have any ideas? It’s a real pain.

I read the following comment over at the Full Or Partial RSS Feeds – The Great Feed Debate (yes, people are still debating it).

I always end up unsubscribing from partial feeds. It breaks me feed reading flow.

I do still read LifeHacker by visiting the web site, but to be honest that’s the *only* site I do that with. Every other site has lost me as a reader.

I’m a very active commenter, and user of delicious, stumbleupon, reddit and digg so if I’m not reading your site because of partial feeds then you’re missing out on more than just 1 reader. You’re also missing out on access to my word of mouth network.

And that’s true for every potential RSS subscriber out there.

Wow, how arrogant is that?

Not only is the guy saying that he will remove his oh so powerful favour from any web site which dares to publish partial RSS feeds (so self-important is he), but he’s also telling everyone else that’s the way they think too.

Sorry, but that isn’t true for every potential RSS subscriber, because I’m an RSS subscriber and will happily read partial feeds from sources that have valuable information.

We all have our own ways of consuming news and information from blogs and other sites, so please don’t pigeonhole us all in the same box as you.

If you – like Scoble – are so set in the mentality that partial RSS feeds are evil and you won’t deign to read the sites that indulge in them, well fine. Spite your face by cutting off your nose, but don’t assume everyone else feels the same.

PS I do publish full RSS feeds, by the way, but not to satisfy the likes of that attitude.

Darren Rowse recently did a video tour of his office, and then explored 27 other workspaces submitted by his readers.

My “office” was far too cluttered to even dare take a picture, but now I’ve tidied up the desk (at least) so you can take a look at where I spend most of my day:

My setup is:

• 17-inch Core 2 Duo iMac
• 19-inch Hanns-G monitor (second display)
• Powerbook G4 (doesn’t always live here)

Fairly simple, really.

What you can’t see is a collection of old equipment, stacks of CDs and DVDs, review gadgets, and paperwork.

What you might catch a glimpse of is the lovely view. At least, lovely for SW London — a large tree in our garden and woodland beyond. Quite therapeutic to look out, even if it’s raining, and see some nature. It’s also a lot quieter at the back of the house where the office is.

So there you go. That’s my ProBlogging base for now. Maybe if I ever reach a time that blogging pays for a house, I’ll be able to expand, and have more space to organise my junk!