Posts from — September 2008

I’ve now been a happy paying customer for 37signals’ Backpack for well over 2 years. Over that time the app has become far more convenient and polished to use and I’ve personally found better and better ways to get value out of it.

Case in point, planning a trip. Now I’m certainly not the only one to use Backpack for this purpose but I’d like to share the ways I find it most valuable.

Glimpse of What’s Coming
The first thing you’ll find is that when travel is in the works, I create a page with a consistent naming convention and add it to my sidebar such that the upcoming trips sort chronologically. This isn’t a direct replacement for my calendar, just a quick look at where we’re pretty busy and when we have some down time. Plus it’s a great unobtrusive reminder that something is getting closer and needs to be looked at more closely.

Capture the Basics Early On
With Backpack, I can create a page far in advance to capture the basics of the trip. I was recently at a conference in Copenhagen for example where I had registered about 6 months in advance. I created the page, forwarded my registration confirmation to it, and the info was there waiting for me to polish off the details later on when the event was closer.

Flush Out the Details with Rich Content
With the ability to forward emails directly to Backpack, create links, add images, and more, Backpack is incredibly robust in capturing a range of information. You can even embed live Google Maps which is absolutely brilliant for travel. For my parents’ trip coming up we started with some basic ideas and gradually filled in the blanks.

Sharing
Speaking of my parents’ trip, thanks to the newish sharing features (also brilliant), I can securely share the page with my folks so they can access and contribute to all the information without even having to sign up for an account.

All in One Place Ready to Go
Finally, and one of my favorite parts. When it’s time to head out, I open the page, embedded email attachments, and maps, and print them out to take with me. They’re all in one place so it only takes a few minutes and it saves having to hunt through old emails for reservations and flight confirmations. Easy peasy!

Even better still, as with all 37signals apps, you can sign up for a limited account for free for as long as you like and then upgrade later if you need the extra space or features.

Full disclosure: 37signals does have an affiliate program so if you click some of the links and end up signing up, I will receive a small credit. Not to worry however, I’ve been singing the praises of Backpack long before this more recent development!

Family, Friends, and anyone else who cares to listen,

Over the next few weeks I will be writing a series of posts as to why I feel it’s so important to vote for Barack Obama for President. I understand we’re all probably being barraged by TV ads and other media, but for what it’s worth, I wanted to make my voice heard directly. If you’re not interested, please feel free to let me know and I won’t send anything further.

Over the last 8 years I’ve gradually been turned off to politics and what’s been happening in the world around me. The system has felt out of control to myself and lots of regular American’s who’s voices weren’t being heard. Today… after years of missteps, we the American people get to choose new management. You don’t normally have the opportunity to pick a new boss at work, but thank goodness we get to in the USA. The trick is not to blow it.

Now we each have to draw from our own unique thoughts and perspectives to make that choice. For me it’s clear and simple, Barack Obama and Joe Biden are my pick all the way.

My basic reasons are listed here but I’ll go into each in more detail in a later post.

Inspiration
Getting tens of millions of people interested and participating in the future of their Country again, has to be worth something. From the beginning, Obama’s campaign has been about us, the people. It is powered by the people volunteering, registering new voters, and donating hard earned money to someone they believe in, all because we’ve been encouraged once again to believe in the promise, hopes, and dreams of America.

Proven Record and Experience
With how inspirational Obama is, it is sometimes easy to forget that his experience is equally strong. After college he started his career by passing on a high-paying Wall Street job to instead focus on fighting for lower income communities in Chicago. He later was elected President of the prestigious Harvard Law Review while attending Harvard Law. Since then he’s served as an Illinois State Senator for 8 years and most recently as a US Senator for nearly 4 more while fighting to reform ethics and health care legislation, and fighting against nuclear proliferation and predatory lending.
Biography – Barack Obama

Policies on Energy, Healthcare, Taxes, and Women’s Rights
There couldn’t be more contrast between the parties this year. Obama has proposed ways to develop US energy independence that creates jobs, provided a health care plan for the uninsured, supported a woman’s right to choose, and offered a tax plan that, among other things, gives a $500 tax cut per person to 150 million middle and low income workers. Contrast this with McCain who’s “actual energy plan contains no new money for renewable energy”, who’s health care proposal was found to leave 17 million more American’s uninsured than Obama’s, who is opposed to insurance covering contraception [YouTube video] and to abortion in ALL situations, not to mention who continues to propose tax cuts for the wealthiest 1% of Americans.
References: New York Times & FactCheck.org

Bringing People Together Rather Than Tearing Them Apart
Obama’s campaign and convention focused on the issues and bringing people together whereas McCain and the republican’s just slung mud. Look around the next time they’re on TV. For Obama you’ll see young, old, Black, White, Asian, Hispanic, north, south, etc. For McCain it’s almost always white and older. and in a humorous note, the photos of Blacks that were featured in McCain’s convention speech were from stock photography found online… not real supporters. You can’t make this stuff up!

Respected Leader in the World
The US hasn’t been doing so well on the world stage lately. Obama has advocated for more collaboration with our allies rather than always trying to go it alone. “America, we are better than these last eight years. We are a better country than this”, he said in his acceptance speech. With our military stretched thin and blowing about 4 billion dollars a week in Iraq we need someone who can work with the leaders of the world to solve the problems of today, not create new ones.

Understands the World Today
This one is near and dear to my heart. Obama’s proposals often involve taking advantage of improvements in technology to do something better, whether it’s reducing the cost of health care or improving the US’s energy independence. John McCain on the other hand, has admitted he doesn’t do email and is only just starting to use the internet but “will have that down fairly soon.” It’s hard for me to picture him really understanding how to solve the problems of today when he hasn’t kept up with what’s changed in the world over the years.

Reasonableness
No matter who we vote for, we’re bound to have a difference of opinion on some of the issues as there are just too many for us all to agree. I’ve always been impressed however, that when taking a side on an issue, Obama doesn’t just dismiss the other view. To me, he always comes across as willing to listen to what others think so that common ground can be found, and common goals achieved.

He had this to say about abortion:

“I am pro choice and I believe in Roe v. Wade and I come to that conclusion not because I’m pro abortion but because ultimately I don’t think women make these decisions casually. I think they wrestle with these things in profound ways. For me the goal right now should be how do we reduce the number of abortions. If you believe that life begins at conception then I can’t argue with you on that. What I can do is say, are there ways we can work together to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies?”

Change
Last but not least, Obama truly represents a much needed change of leadership in Washington. Despite McCain trying to portray himself as being an agent of change, he seems to have forgotten that he’s been in Washington these last couple of decades. If he hasn’t made the changes we need by now, why should we think he will in the next 4 years?

—
That’s it for today, thanks for reading. If you want to dig more I’ve linked to other articles and references throughout this introduction.

Don’t forget. Regardless of your preference… Register to Vote.

Previous posts:
Barack Obama: Debunking the Conservative Propaganda
Here’s your chance Ohio. Make it count.