daynemay

This weekend, I got stuck into another IMified bot, “Lister”. Lister is nothing to swoon over, just a little “list management tool”¹.

To give it a shot, you’ll need an XMPP instant messaging account – I use my Gmail address.

Add “lister@bot.im” as a buddy/friend/contact/homey/peep/whatever.

Once you’ve done that, I’ll let Lister’s online help speak for itself:

(3:16:34 PM) Lister: Type…

…”shop”, to make a new list called “shop”
…”shop”, to display an existing list called “shop”

…”shop milk bread”, to add “milk” and “bread” items to the “shop” list
…”shop -milk”, to remove “milk” item from the “shop” list
…”shop eggs -bread”, to add an “eggs” item and remove a “bread” item from the “shop” list

…”lists”, to show all of your lists (alternative: “ls”)
…”clear shop”, to empty the “shop” list (alternatives: “clr shop” or “cl shop”)
…”delete shop”, to delete the “shop” list (alternatives: “del shop”, “dl shop”, “rm shop”, “-shop”)

(to see that again, send Lister a message saying “help”)

To be perfectly honest, I’m not even 100% sure that I’ll use it right now – Use Case #1 is “accumulate a shopping list by adding items to my “shop” list when they occur to me, then retrieve it from a mobile IM client when I’m actually at the shop”. However, Hurdle #1 is “I have neither a mobile IM client, nor a device upon which to run one”.

The astute reader may therefore realise that yes, this project was more an exercise in justifying the purchase of a cool new phone than anything else. But if someone else can get some use out of it in the meantime, then you, Sir or Madam, may rock on.

I keep intending to put together instructive screencasts for these little projects of mine, and upload them to the ‘Tube. I still haven’t pulled my finger out though. If (the hypothetical) you would find this useful, let (the real) me know in the comments. No promises, but it might be a nudge in the right direction.

Thanks again to my buddies/friends/contacts/homeys/peeps at IMified for a sweet and simple platform.

¹ “List management tool” – Winner, 2008: Blandest description in the English language.

“We have met the enemy, and he is us.”

It’s good that Google Chrome was able to detect that Google Mail is insecure. But I have a little suggestion for the makers of either one of those products…

I may not do the kind of work that involves writing memos about fisting, but I’ll take my lowbrow laughs where I can get ‘em.

Case in point: this email that went around earlier today:

I was reading Scott McCloud‘s introductory comic about Google Chrome just now. For reasons we won’t go into, I was interested in the “private” mode – similar to what the kids are calling “porn mode” in the new release of Internet Explorer.

There were a few panels talking about it – it’s for keeping surprise gifts a secret, of course. But here’s a question: am I just being paranoid when I point out the qualifiers: “on your computer” and “in your browser” in these two panels? I mean, there are other places (um… suggestions anyone?) that that stuff could be stored.