So why am I talking about reactive vs. proactive? In case you haven’t seen it yet, AT&T recently came out with an app called AT&T Mark The Spot. The idea behind the app is that if you have a dropped call or bad reception, that you open the app, click your problem and it will mark the spot by sending the information to AT&T. I am still not entirely sure how this app works in an area where there is NO reception, how does it know where you are to tell AT&T?

But I guess that’s a little beside my point. My point is that if AT&T had done this when no one was complaining of service issues, they would be considered geniuses. But since they waited until Verizon was taking potshots at them with their 3G map commercials and New York and San Francisco (the 2 locations in the US with the highest density of AT&T smart phones) started having serious connectivity, coverage, and consistency issues, it was reactive and borderline pathetic. One thing that should be noted is that AT&T is not doing this in replacement of testing their own network. I have no idea where that myth came from and can’t imagine why it holds any credibility. Because they are being reactive with this tool, they are considered trying to recover.

I actually think that although they are behind the power curve, this is actually fairly ingenious. This is a classic case of the squeaky wheel gets the grease. The places with the most common issues will likely get the most attention the quickest. It’s a good customer service move but might be a bit too late to save a lot of customers.

In the future, being proactive instead of reactive (no matter how nifty your reactiveness is) is the way to go. It can not only save you customers (if that’s the business you are in), but it can also get you a leg up in your market or your job. Plan ahead and act ahead.

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First go check out the Google Code repository for Web Shell. Webshell is written in Python and is based on Ajaxterm. All that’s required is SSL And Python 2.3 or greater. It works on any browser that has Javascript and can make use of AJAX.

The way Web Shell works is you start it up on a server and then can use a web browser to access only that machine over SSH. The works best if you have a gateway server to a network and use a single point of entry to access the rest of the servers. Web Shell runs on HTTPS on port 8022. Reading the README will lead you through the same set of instructions I used below. Once installed, we connect by using a web browser: https://server.com:8022/

You’ll notice that while it is possible to run the terminal without SSL, it is just not in our best interest. So let’s go ahead and install it. I use Debian on my servers. So in my case, it’s as simple as:

Then we run the server:

I’ve included a screenshot from my iPhone below. The background is interchangeable with any other transparent background image. If you’re in need of a quick SSH or someone else’s smart phone has service and yours doesn’t with your fancy SSH programs, then this is definitely a cool and viable alternative.

Web Shell SSH on iPhone

Web Shell SSH with keyboard out

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All you would have to do is open the app on your phone and you’d be able to control the mouse on your screen. You can control your lights from your phone and your iTunes from your phone, so why not your mouse? For all i know the app might already be out there. If it is, someone tell me, otherwise, someone write it .

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Things by Cultured Code does come with a high price tag. But it is by far the most useful todo app that I have come across.

Let’s do a quick salient point pro/con analysis of this. One of my favorite parts of Things is the concept of context. When you create a todo item, you can tag it with what context it is in. Then you can sort or show your todo’s by context. You can sort by multiple tags. This can be shown with the following example, “How can I see what phone calls I have to make for work?” You can click on the items tagged with work and phone. Then you’ll have which phone calls to make.

The biggest con here is the hefty price tag. It definitely does cause some sticker shock. Between the USD $10 for iPhone app and the USD $50 for the laptop/desktop version, USD $60 can be quite a bit for the simplicity of a todo app.

I have found that since spending the USD $60, I have become a lot more efficient and productive. There are also a lot fewer things that fall through the cracks. I have to face facts that I have a pretty poor memory. So when I have something to do, I immediately put it into Things and then sync it as soon as I am in the same place as my laptop again.

One of the beautiful aspects of Things is its simplicity. It has a simple interface and a very succinct group of menus. The only thing that I believe that Things is missing is alerts. I like the iCal sync and iPhone sync, but I would like it to integrate into Growl. This would be even more useful if you could give specific times that you want the Growl notifications to pop up. I know this isn’t possible in the current state of the iPhone OS (until push notifications from the background are available). But this is certainly an available on the laptop/desktop setup.

I am a big believer in FOSS and Open Source in general. However, I am also a big believer in the right tool for the right job. Sometimes that tool costs a little bit of money. Although it may not be the right tool for everyone, it happened to be a tool that made me a more efficient worker and person.

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Enter Tooble. Tooble is the answer. You give it a URL and it downloads the movie, converts it and dumps it straight into iTunes. Great work. Clean and simple.

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