Web Worker Daily

Posted: 25 Aug 2008 06:00 PM CDT

If you work in Windows, you’re probably well aware of how it litters files around a hard disk, is often flaky in uninstalling applications, and just generally slows a PC down over time. I’m always experimenting with utilities that counteract this, and I’ve written before about one of my favorite free applicaitions: Glary Utilities. Now, I’ve found another good, free collection of utilities called Advanced WIndows Care Personal.

Like Glary Utilities, Advanced Windows Care Personal presents you with a whole suite of free system cleanup and protection tools, with some of them seen above. You can choose to remove spyware, tune up your Windows registry, sweep away junk files and more.

Advanced Windows Care Personal does an even better job than Glary Utilities of grabbing by the lapels and getting you to back up your Windows configuration before you run the utilities. This is especially important if you choose to clean your Windows registry, because you run the risk of jettisoning important files. With a backup, you can easily go back to where you started.

I’m actually perfectly happy with the registry cleaner in Glary Utilities, though. What shines in Advanced Windows Care Personal is the module called Junk Files Clean, which gets rid of the many files that Windows litters around a disk and recovers disk space. This utility makes the whole application worthwhile.

If you’re finding yourself staring at Windows for minutes on end upon startup, you’ll also like Advanced Windows Care Personal’s Startup Manager module, which is clean and lets you clearly see what you are launching whenever you boot up (probably more than you think you’re launching). My determination after using Glary and Advanced Windows Care Personal is that I’ll use them both, and they’re both free.

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LessProjects: Tracking for Developers

Posted: 25 Aug 2008 04:00 PM CDT

The latest online project management site to cross my radar is LessProjects, from the folks behind the LessAccounting small business accounting software. This one will be of interest mostly to software developers, particularly those using an agile process, because it focuses on iterations and spec items rather than simply tasks. LessProjects is visually attractive and features some innovative display - most notably the status display, where you move specs between stages (”Not Started”, “In QA”, “Completed” and so on) simply by drag and drop.

Other interesting features here include leveraging Google accounts rather than OpenID (though they do prompt for your Google password) and easy movement of specs from one iteration to another. If you’re running a software team and looking for a lightweight tool to match a lightweight process, this free one is worth considering.

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Internet-Enabled Autos and the Web Worker

Posted: 25 Aug 2008 02:00 PM CDT

As reported by the New York Times, it looks like Chrysler is gearing up to offer you cars with the internet built right in. The technology was actually announced in late June, and will hook up cellular web access to a rolling WiFi hotspot. The Times is not keen on this idea, citing studies that show more distractions lead to more accidents.

Personally, I think web workers are probably smart enough to not be driving with a laptop in their lap (though, after watching some Blackberry and iPhone users, I may be too optimistic there). More to the point, those of us who need traveling connectivity already have it, via EVDO modems and the like. The Chrysler UConnect system may some day make connectivity from taxicabs and limousines simpler, but for now, it looks like just another status-generating toy.

Would you pay an extra $450 for an internet-enabled car?

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Jott Leaves Free Beta

Posted: 25 Aug 2008 01:00 PM CDT

We’re all so used to completely free and beta Web 2.0 services that it’s a bit of a shock when one grows up and actually releases a paid version. The latest on this front is Jott, the voice-driven service that interfaces with email, Outlook, Twitter, Remember the Milk, I Want Sandy, and many more. We liked Jott as a free service; the question is whether enough people like it enough to pay for continued service. There’s still a free service level, but it’s now ad-supported, limits your recording to 15 seconds, and does not include connectivity with any of the productivity services or note integration with your email.

For paying users, you can choose between a $3.95 per month plan that gets you back all the services and adds Outlook integration, or $12.95 per month for one that also brings in Blackberry connectivity and a 30-second recording time. If you’re a current Jott user, you have until September 8 to decide whether you’re ready to pay, forgo the premium services, or look at less-functional (but free) alternatives like Dial2Do.

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Network Storage for the Web Worker

Posted: 25 Aug 2008 10:00 AM CDT

At our parent blog GigaOM, Om Malik is tackling a question that will be familiar to most independent web workers: what’s the best way to add a bunch of bulk storage to your network, beyond just putting a larger drive in your computer? After considering his own needs, Om pronounces the Buffalo Linkstation Mini “almost perfect.”

Of course, there’s no guarantee that your own needs match Om’s precisely. While the idea of just adding an external box with storage is attractive, you need to think carefully about what you’re going to do with it. Is it just an extra drive that you can get to from all of your computers? Is it a media server? Is it a backup device? Do you need compatibility with multiple operating systems? Do you need web or wireless access?

In addition to the sheer amount of storage (1 terabyte is getting more and more common these days), you need to understand something about the underlying technology. If a storage unit promises RAID 0, that means the failure of 1 drive will cause data loss. RAID 1 gives you complete redundancy, but it cuts the effective storage size in half. RAID 5 gives you redundancy while losing less effective storage, but it can take much longer to recover from a bad drive.

Besides the Buffalo unit, your other choices include Apple’s Time Capsule, Drobo’s products, and many more. Or, of course, you can just load up a spare computer with extra drives. If you’ve added network storage to your own home network, what did you use and how happy are you with the results?

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Web Worker 101: Working with Subcontractors

Posted: 24 Aug 2008 04:50 PM CDT

If you’ve reached the point of having more work than you can handle, there are several ways to handle the overflow. One of the easiest, in some ways, is to hire subcontractors to do part of the work for you. But before you rush out and offer part of your next job to your closest web-working buddy, there are a few things that you need to consider. Here are four of the biggest pitfalls to watch out for.

1. No Handshake Deals - If you’re going to bring on a subcontractor, make sure you both sign a contract laying out what the job is and how much you’ll be paying. I’ve sung this tune in the past, and I’ll sing it again: a contract won’t prevent all possible disagreements, but it will eliminate many and give you a basis for resolving the rest. If you ever have a job go completely sour on you, to the point where your client won’t pay, then you’ll be happy to have a contract spelling out your responsibilities in place.

2. Be Serious About Taxes. That’s a general rule of thumb for web work, of course. But it’s even more important if you’re dealing with money for multiple people. Worst case: you end up owing money because of what you’ve paid to contractors, as well as what you kept for yourself. I’m not an accountant, but at the absolute minimum, you need to get a W9 or W8 form from every subcontractor, or withhold money off the top. You also need to ensure that you don’t accidentally treat them as employees, or pay the price in increased paperwork and liability. These rules are for the US, of course, but there are analogous issues in most countries.

3. Treat Your Subs Fairly. There may be short-term profit in handing off the worst work to subcontractors and underpaying them, but that’s no way to build a long-term relationship. You’d be far better off to treat contractors the way you yourself would like to be treated in their shoes. That means paying a fair rate for the work that you sub out, as well as assuming your share of the risk.

4. Choose Subcontractors Wisely. I won’t say that you should never work with friends, but I’ve seen far more relationships busted up by going into business together than I’ve seen strengthened. You’ll also want to beware of using the job-bidding sites to send work out to the absolute cheapest subcontractor. Treat this as any other hiring opportunity: ask for references, interview people, and don’t just grab the first person you run across.

While paying attention to these four areas won’t guarantee a good subcontracting experience, ignoring them is almost certain to bring about a bad one.

What tips do you have for working with subcontractors?

image: stock.xchng user clix

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