Skype 1.2 iPhone Update Still Works Over 3G

Looks like the Skype team has released another update to the popular Skype iPhone app (used to make unlimited calls to Canada/USA for $3/month–read below for more info!). The contacts tab has moved to the top and there is a new SMS feature. Here is a list of the new features in Skype 1.2:

* You can set up call forwarding from your iPhone – forward Skype calls to a phone number when you’re not signed in, so you can pick up calls even when the Skype app isn’t running on your device

* Improved performance and better audio quality when making Skype-to-Skype calls

* It’s even easier to send text messages (SMS) – you can now send SMSs from the Call tab

Skype 1.2 Update Still Works Over 3G!

Currently, Skype does NOT work over 3G as it’s limited to a WiFi connection (heck, Skype isn’t even in Canada). However, there is a away around that if you have a jailbroken iPhone. Currently with my iPhone 3GS, I am using 3G Unrestrictor which still works with this latest 1.2 update. If you’re using an iPhone 3G, VoIPOver3G should work too (someone let me know). Here’s proof it’s still working over 3G:



How to Download Skype in Canada and Make the Cheapest Long Distance Calls–EVER!

1. Create a US iTunes account without a credit card.

2. Download Skype.

3. Setup a SkypeOut account and make unlimited calls to Canada/USA for $3/month (sure beats paying $0.35/min long distance)! If you have SkypeOut credit, that will enable you to send SMS and activate Caller ID (to show any mobile number).

Here is a screenshot of the Skype 1.2 update (notice the warning message is still there for modified iPhones–but it still works like a charm). The contacts button is now easily accessible up top, and the SMS icon has replaced where the contacts button used to be:



So there you have it. Skype 1.2 is safe to use if you’re one of the many using Skype over 3G on your iPhone!

Fotobounce Downloads Full Facebook and Flickr Albums in One Click [Downloads]

Windows/Mac OS X: Ever wanted to download a friend's full album from Flickr or Facebook but quickly discovered that downloading one photo at a time is an enormous pain? Free application Fotobounce aims to alleviate that pain.
(Click the image above for a closer look.)
This simple application actually does a lot more than just download albums from the two popular image sharing sites; it's actually a desktop photo organizer in its own right, supporting cool features like face recognition and mobile access to your library.
Still, if you're not looking for a new way to organize photos on your desktop, Fotobounce's Facebook and Flickr album slurping abilities are perk enough to make it a decent download.
Fotobounce is freeware, works on Windows and Mac OS X.

Fotobounce [via Digital Inspiration]

What does ‘Done’ mean in Agile Software Development?

In Agile Software Development environments, we aim to deliver ‘[potentially] shippable code’ at the end of each iteration.

In actual fact, we often settle for delivering a chunk of value at the end of each iteration.  This ‘value’ may or may not be directly attached to a piece of shippable code. 

We also aim to close each iteration with no leftovers, no dependencies – everything must be ‘done’.

I recently watched a Google Tech Talk by Jeff Sutherland where he discusses ‘Done’ (Scrum Tuning: Lessons Learned at Google). 

Jeff explained that ‘Done’ at Patient Keeper, his company, is a piece of code live to the public having received no complaints within an hour of release.  

This got me thinking.

• So, what is ’Done’?… 
• Does ‘Done’ HAVE to be ‘live with no complaints within an hour of release’?…
• Does ‘Done’ HAVE to be potentially shippable code?
• What does ‘potentially shippable’ mean?
• Does ‘Done’ HAVE to relate to the delivery of code?
• Can ‘Done’ change one a case by case basis? …

In traditional, Waterfall, environments, we follow a series of consecutive steps running between project inception and completion – we understand that we are ‘done’ when all of the steps are complete, the product is released, we disassemble the project team etc.  This is a relatively simple concept to get your head around.

In an Agile environment, however,  we follow these steps each iteration… in fact, we probably follow these steps a number of times per day.

Of course we’re interested in being ‘done’ with the project, but we’re more interested in being ‘done’ with each task, each story and ultimately each deliverable that will in turn deliver value.

So, now we need to define ‘value’! Is value *only* delivered by shipped code? Probably not.

For example, the objective of a Spike is to get a clear idea on where to go next.  ‘Done’ in this situation might be a working prototype that might end up being released – if you’re lucky.

On the other hand, the task(s) could be to deliver a series of findings that inform a decision - ‘Done’ might be a firm decision one way or another e.g. completion of the Planning and Analysis stages.. (see inset image)

As mentioned above, you may decide not to release at the end of each iteration. You may schedule releases around Minimum Marketable Features or Epics that span multiple sprints. In these cases ‘Done’ may relate to the delivery of ‘potentially shippable’ code, which has been fully-tested, acceptance tested and performance optimised (as much as possible).

So, it becomes clear that the definition of ‘Done’ may indeed neeed to vary on a case by case basis.

With that said, regardless of what your definition of ‘Done’ is, the definition must be understood by everyone involved.

From http://agile101.net/2009/09/04/what-does-done-mean-in-agile-software-development

How to style a HTML form with CSS and NO extra markup

How to style a HTML form with CSS and NO extra markup

Novothink Announces Solar Surge Integrated Solar Panel Case for iPod, iPhone 3G, 3GS

http://www.novothink.com/products/nt01/

Recently, accessory company Novothink released the Solar Surge, an integrated solar panel on the back of a case allows you to charge your iPhoneor iPod soley from sunpower without the need for any other energy source. According to inhabitat, the unit includes an additional USB cable that can help you charge your device should there be no sunlight in your vicinity.

The device includes four LED indicators let you know whether you have sufficient light source for solar charging and approximately how much charge level remains in your case. When all four indicators are green, the Surge is fully charged. And when your device is not in the case, the Solar Surge stores power in an internal battery.

These chargers are the first to be licensed by Apple and only work on the iPhone 3G and 3GS models. Novothink will have them on the shelves for fall of 2009 at a price of about $70 before shipping and handling.

Creately Makes Group-Edited Charts and Illustrations Easy [Diagrams]

If you're looking to plan out a project, share code design, or craft a funny flowchart for friends or coworkers, Creately is a free webapp that offers a no-software tool with a nice and easy learning curve.
Most of Creately's diagram and illustration tools, ranging from dead-simple flowcharts to circuit diagrams, are free for signed-up users and allow sharing, embedding, publishing, commenting, and other collaboration tools for up to five people on publicly available works (paid accounts get more shared users and private postings). Like so many web tools, it strips down the interface of desktop offerings like Visio and makes it easier for first-timers to get a grasp on things. Click on a shape or line in your Creately chart, and a context menu offers all the options of moving, reshaping, resizing, or whatever else you can do with it.
We might ask for a more updated look than the steel-gray toolbars of yore, but the end products—stamped with a subtle Creately logo, unless you fork out—are what really matter. Creately is free to sign up for and use.

Creately [via TechCrunch]

G-Map Canada Turn-by-Turn GPS iPhone App Review

G-Map Canada Turn-by-Turn GPS iPhone App Review: "

iPhone users have been craving turn-by-turn GPS apps for the longest time. For jailbroken iPhone users, we all remember how excited we were to hear about the free turn-by-turn app, xGPS. We were all waiting eagerly for Apple to approve new turn-by-turn apps.

Well, eventually Apple got turn-by-turn apps approved and one of the biggest leaders that has emerged so far, way before TomTom is the company XRoad. Their model has been to release maps for each US state or region, to save money for the consumer. A while back they released G-Map Canada and that will be reviewed today.

G-Map Canada: A Reasonably Priced Turn-by-Turn GPS–Quick Review

G-Map Canada was released back in late July and is a 162MB download for your iPhone. One of the biggest highlights of this app and many other GPS apps is that since the maps are stored locally, you can still use the GPS without a data or WiFi connection.

This will make iPhone 3G/3GS owners happy, in particular the ones who don’t want a data plan but are looking forward to using a turn-by-turn GPS app. Let’s get a brief overview of some of the major features of G-Map Canada:

- voice-prompted real-time turn-by turn GPS for iPhone and iPod Touch

- no data plan or WiFi needed; maps stored locally on iPhone

- keyword search for finding locations or points of interest

- easy to use interface, very simple

- automatic re-routing of routes; reverse routing function

- Navteq Map Data covers the following parts of Canada:

So How Does G-Map Canada Fare as a Turn by Turn GPS iPhone App?

Some GPS units out there can be quite confusing due to their complex menu interfaces. With G-Map Canada, there is simple interface to start out with that makes learning that much easier. Compared to another turn-by-turn iPhone GPS I’ve tried, Sygic, I would say the G-Map Canada layout is similar but easier to use.

What I did like with G-Map Canada over Sygic was the built in keyword search. It was much more effective in finding destinations nearby, such as a coffee shop or restaurant. Once the place was located you just click a “+” button and it will seamlessly call the number right from the iPhone–pretty neat. Also there is a route preview so you can plan your trip before going anywhere.

I used the G-Map Canada app to plot my way to Langley from Vancouver on a recent golfing excursion. I had never been to this course before so I figured, why not test out this app? The app was pretty good in notifying me when to turn and where to go. The screen has a nice interface that makes it very easy to see upcoming street names and when to turn just by taking a glimpse at the screen. The only downside is that sometimes the GPS can be a bit off; I had similar experiences with the Sygic GPS app too. Could it be the iPhone’s GPS?





G-Map Canada is the Right Price for Canadians

G-Map Canada is priced for $19.99. That is a pretty good deal in my mind if you are looking for a Canadian only GPS. Sygic North America (USA/Canada) is priced at $99 so if you think about it, this app offers great value (or Sygic is overpriced!). Also, if you’re looking for a windshield mount, XRoad also sells them too on their website ($19.99). Check out the pictures below for more info!



Once again, I did find that with the invisibleSHIELD installed, getting my iPhone into the mount was a bit difficult. So be warned!

Here’s a quick demo video of what G-Map is all about:





Anyone out there using G-Map Canada (iTunes link)? I think this would be an awesome app to take on a cross Canada road trip! It doesn’t use your data plan so if you really need directions, just use Google Maps to find the address then plug it into G-Map for turn-by-turn directions!

MMS Comes to iPhones September 25 [IPhone]

MMS Comes to iPhones September 25 [IPhone]: "
Apple and AT&T promised MMS (i.e., photo and video messaging) would make its way to the iPhone in "late summer." Apparently their idea of late summer is actually early fall—specifically, September 25th.
According to AT&T, they needed the extra time "to make sure our network is ready to handle what we expect will be a record volume of MMS traffic." Fair enough, though with the habitual bugginess of these sorts of iPhone rollouts, we'll be surprised if everything goes smoothly. (Then again, if everything does go smoothly, I guess we shouldn't necessarily be so hard on AT&T—about this, at least.)
As Gizmodo points out, users waiting for iPhone data tethering will have to keep on waiting, as no date has been set for that much wanted feature. And remember, the free MMS feature will only be available to 3G users (that leaves 1st gen folks out in the cold.) [via Gizmodo]

Wireless electricity - Coming soon

Principles behind the Waterfall Manifesto

If you want to keep your job, we strongly recommend that you follow these principles:

Your highest priority is to take no initiative for which you could be blamed. Taking no initiative at all would be even better.

Changing requirements are a pain in the ass, moreover late in development. Let it know to the customer and make him pay dearly for just thinking about change.

Do not deliver working software frequently, because this could make the customer change his mind (see above).

Business people and developers must work together as fewer times as possible throughout the project. They both have other important activities to carry to waste their precious time in meetings. Furthermore, they do not speak the same language.

Build projects around solid processes because you know that individuals are even more unreliable than software (and you know what you are talking about).

The safer method of conveying information to and within a development team is by a formal document approved by the steering committee.

Project reports and billable hours are the primary measure of progress.

Good processes promote heroes. The sponsors, developers, and users should be able to recognize that they face a difficult challenge.

Recognition of technical excellence and good design allows developers to think that they are free creative artists (and does not burden the project budget).

Complexity - the art of maximizing the amount of time needed to understand your design and code - is essential to define your value as a developer ( and to protect your job).

The best architectures, requirements and designs emerge from nowhere and should be send back there as soon as you detect them. Maintenance and evolution is where money is earned!

At regular intervals, the team should meet to eat pizzas and drink beer. It helps developers to forget that they are working in a bloody software development project and confirms that the management really cares about people. (they do not mention pizzas and beers in the other manifesto, think about it...)

From http://www.waterfallmanifesto.org/?principles

New Code of Conduct Says You Can Reject Cellular Contract Changes Or Cancel Without Fees

New Code of Conduct Says You Can Reject Cellular Contract Changes Or Cancel Without Fees: "
So here is an interesting development.

According to an entry on the Financial Post, Canada’s wireless phone companies, which include Rogers, TELUS, Bell, the new carriers and all the little guys, are going to begin to allow customers to refuse material changes made to their wireless plans while that customer is still under contract. Either that, or you can leave the contract without paying any cancellation fees whatsoever.

Good News?

This article has a lot in common with our recent coverage of terrible Rogers/Fido news (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15) and the Condition 15 news on your contract that allows you to reject a change, but only one time. In other words, it seems that something is actually being done here that will help the customer.

This also carries vibes from similar moves made by Sprint and T-Mobile earlier this year. Spring had increased the price of their administration fee and then allowed customers to cancel their contracts cancellation fee-free within a certain time frame. If customers did not cancel during that time, they accepted the change. Similarly, T-Mobile recently increased their overage rates and then allowed customers to cancel their contracts cancellation fee-free within 14 days from the effective change date.

The most interesting thing about the Spring/T-Mobile moves is that when they were making these price increases, they offered their customers a way out immediately. Contrast that with Rogers/Fido, who collectively have made approximately 15 price increases over the last few months and have given their customers no flexibility.

But looking back at the article, if you dig a little deeper, you will notice some not so good news. Apparently during the Code of Conduct negotiations, Industry Canada refused a tool that was designed to protect wireless customers because of pressure from the Wireless Industry. The tool was an online calculator that compared prices on plans across all of Canada’s Wireless Carriers but the Carriers were worried that the calculator would promote cheaper plans. So the Carriers engaged in some lobbying and got that tool destroyed.

You can check out the piece of the article below. Pathetic:

“The announcement comes as reports surfaced this week that plans on another tool designed to protect wireless customers were scuttled by Industry Canada allegedly because of pressure from the industry. University of Ottawa law professor Michael Geist reported on his blog on Monday that an online calculator that would compare prices on plans across carriers was axed in June after federal officials met with the CWTA.”

“Prof. Geist wrote that “intense lobbying” from certain carriers, which were concerned that the calculator would promote cheaper plans, resulted in it being dropped.”

However, with this new Canada-Wide Cell Phone Code of Conduct, it would seem initially that things are going to change for the better. Who doesn’t like the idea of refusing changes or ending your contract without a cancellation fee? As good as this sounds, it does raise two concerns for me.

Code of Conduct Flaws

First, the wording of being able to refuse the changes or cancel the contract is somewhat unclear. For example, if Rogers makes a change that increases a price and you call to refuse it, does that mean you get what you asked for or does Rogers simply ignore you, leaving your only choices as deal with it or cancel the contract. As many of you have read regarding Condition 15 on your Rogers Wireless Contracts, under that Condition you can refuse a change once. So this new Code of Conduct could presumably extend that to an unlimited number of contract change refusals.

Second, what stops a customer from signing up with Rogers, getting an iPhone at promotional pricing of $199, then Rogers increases its rates, so that customer cancels and takes their new iPhone with them. Then they go sign up with TELUS, and repeat the process. Then with Fido and repeat the process. If anything, this new Conduct seems to possibly serve as a method for people to easily take advantage of promotional priced handsets from the various carriers. But I have yet to expose to your the truth beyond this Code of Conduct. More on that later.

The only immediate point that can prevent this type of behavior is if Rogers, for example, stops increasing its rates, which we all know is not going to happen.

Good News?…Not So Much

But as you may have expected, this new Code of Conduct is not anything new. If you read through the fine print, you will clearly see that this “new” Code of Conduct is nothing but regurgitated information that is already in use and being enforced by the Wireless Carriers of Canada.

For example, according to the Code of Conduct, this is what Wireless Carriers must explain to customers either at the point of sale or on their websites:

Monthly base charge for the plan;

Number of airtime minutes and/or data usage included in the plan;

Rates for additional minutes or data usage;

Rates for optional services, such as long distance calling or text messaging, that may be added to your service;

Notice that roaming charges may apply within and outside Canada;

Any additional taxes, fees or surcharges that may apply;

The duration of any service period (if required), any activation fees that may apply, any early termination fees that may apply; and the

Terms of a trial period, if one is available under the plan.

Guess what? All of that information is already explained at the point of sale or the carrier website.

However, the most disturbing piece of fine print from the Code of Conduct lies in the next quote:

To continue to meet this commitment, the member carriers of the CWTA promise to:

Protect our customers’ rights when we must change contract terms

We do not change the material terms of our contracts with customers, without giving them at least 30 days’ notice. In the case of such material changes that are unfavourable to customers, we either give them the right to terminate the contract without any additional fees for early termination, or allow them to remain on the unchanged contract. This does not apply to changes that are required by law or regulation or changes to those services and features that do not have a fixed term commitment.

The Truth Will Set You Free…Maybe Not

If you read through the above quote, you will notice three things.

First, the carriers are now required to give a customer at least 30 days of notice before materially changing a customers contract. The definition of “materially” in this case is unknown. However, it is worth noting that this is common practice with Wireless Carriers today, since any changes made to your actual price plan ($25 per month), and not add-ons, is made aware to you.

Second, if a customer disagrees with a contract change, they can refuse the change (presumably for an unlimited amount of changes) and continue on an unchanged contract or end the contract without any cancellation fees. Again, it is worth noting that the this is partially in place today with regards to the refusing changes part, but as it stands today (with Rogers at least) you can only refuse one time. In terms of a cancellation fee, up until this Code of Conduct, you were paying a cancellation fee if you cancelled early.

The third part, and the most disturbing part, is that the new option of allowing customers to refuse a change or cancel their contract sans cancellation fee only applies to services that are under a contract. In other words, any changes to a wireless contract that do not have a contract attached to them can be changed at will.

The problem here is that this is already what wireless carriers are doing.

The only services that your contract protects in regard to wireless services is your base price plan (so your $25 plan for example) and any data plan contracts. Your contract does not protect add-on services such as CallerID, Voicemail, Text messaging, Value Packs, Roaming, Overage minutes, System Access Fees and so on. These services that do not have a fixed term commitment are not covered by this Code of Conduct, only services that have a contract on them are covered, which essentially renders this Code of Conduct useless since that contract already protects you from changes to your contracted services.

Wireless Carriers today cannot change your contracted services without your consent but they can change everything else that is on your account that is not covered by a contract. So in the end, this Code of Conduct simply brings to light the same practices that Wireless Carriers in Canada are already doing.

In other words, nothing has changed. Thanks for playing.

Beyond Test Driven Development: Behaviour Driven Development

La réalité augmentée insérée dans un verre de contact

Babak Amir Parvis et ses étudiants de l'université de Washington ont mis au point un prototype de verre de contact qui servirait d'interface capable de transmettre des informations visuelles à la personne qui le porte.

Afin de transformer le verre de contact en un système opérationnel, l'équipe y a intégré des antennes miniatures et différents types de circuits et de composants semi-transparents. Un dispositif sans fil portatif transmet des informations aux différents circuits de contrôle du verre de contact et ces derniers activeront les composants optoélectroniques dans le but de produire une image. Les informations apparaissant sur le verre sont superposées au champ visuel du porteur.

Pour l'instant, le prototype de verre de contact n'est doté que d'une seulediode électroluminescente (LED), mais M. Parvis prévoit que dans un avenir rapproché, ce sont des centaines de diodes qui y seront rajoutées. Les diodes permettent de produire une image et leur nombre contribue à augmenter la résolution des mots, photographies, diagrammes, etc. Plusieurs applications pratiques sont à entrevoir, comme la transcription instantanée de la parole en texte et grâce à une connexion à Internet, à obtenir des repères visuels d'un système de navigation, etc.

Cependant, l'équipe d'universitaires mise sur le développement d'applications médicales non invasives dans le but de développer un marché (très prometteur) pour la nouvelle génération de verres de contact.

En intégrant des capteurs spécialisés au système de circuits, les verres mesureraient les mêmes biomarqueurs qu'une prise de sang. Par exemple, les verres pourraient surveiller en temps réel la concentration de différents types de molécules présentes dans les larmes du porteur - glucose, cholestérol, sodium, potassium - et transmettre ces données directement au médecin.

Comme l'indique M. Parvis, «les verres de contact sont parmi les seuls produits de masse existants sur le marché à être en contact, par l'intermédiaire des fluides, avec l'intérieur du corps, et ce, pour une période prolongée. Ce sont des centaines de millions d'individus dans le monde qui portent quotidiennement des verres de contact».

par Aude Boivin Filion

From http://techno.branchez-vous.com/actualite/2009/09/realite_augmentee_verre_de_con.html

iPhone volume boost (Jailbreak only)

• Download this file
• Extract the contents somewhere convenient.
• SSH into your iPhone through WinSCP or cyberduck.
• Navigate to the /System/Library/PrivateFramework/Celestial.framework/ folder.
• Locate the file RegionalVolumeLimits.plist and rename it to RegionalVolumeLimits.bak.
• Copy over the RegionalVolumeLimits.plist file you extracted in step 2 to the iPhone's /System/Library/PrivateFramework/Celestial.framework folder
• Set permissions to the RegionalVolumeLimits.plist to 0777.
• Reboot the iPhone.
• Dance.

From http://modmyi.com/forums/file-mods/642471-volume-boost-3-0-a.html

Computer Repair with Diagnostic Flowcharts

Computer Repair with Diagnostic Flowcharts

Best 17+ Blogger Hacks Of All Time

http://w3mag.com/2009/08/31/best-17-blogger-hacks-of-all-time/

225+ Ultimate Drupal Theme Collection

225+ Ultimate Drupal Theme Collection

Scaling Scrum & Distributed Teams – Scrum Tuning: Lessons Learned at Google

A fantastic Google Tech Talk by Jeff Sutherland, one of the founders of Scrum, where he introduces Scrum, Agile and offers a lot of insight and guidance on how to scale Scrume.g. the Meta Scrum.

Google Tech Talks
December 7, 2006

ABSTRACT

Adwords introduced a Scrum implementation at Google in small steps with remarkable success. As presented at the Agile 2006 conference this exemplifies a great way to start up Scrum teams. The inventor and Co-Creator of Scrum will use this approach in building the Google Scrum implementation to describe some of the subtle aspects of Scrum along with suggested next steps that can help in distributing and scaling Scrum in a “Googly way”. Credits: Speaker:Jeff Sutherland

Jeff discusses the following points:

• History of Scrum
• Introduction to the Agile Principles
• Overview of the ‘Toyota way’
• Fujio Cho (Chairman of the Board of Toyota) interview
• Overview of the ‘Google Way’
• Distributed Teams and Google Adwords
• Scaling Organisational Social Structure (Organic, Autocracy, Leadership, Bureaucracy)
• Scrum is ‘linearly scalable’ – double the team size, double the output
• Introduction to the Product Owner
• Introduction to the ‘Meta Scrum’ – (Chief Product Owner, Stakeholders, CEO etc)
• The ‘Meta Scrum’ at Patient Keeper
• Scaling Scrum
• The Scrum Framework
• What does ‘Done’ mean at your company?
• Introduction to Scrum Documentation, Meetings and Roles
• Introduction to the Scrum Master
• Introduction to the Release Burndown Chart
• Introduction to the Scrum of Scrums
• Work In Progress is bad!
• Introduction to XP ‘Spikes’ (timeboxed R&D)
• Fitting your Testing into your sprint!
• Nokia Scrum Assessment
• Changing the scope of ‘Done’
• Introducing the Sprint Backlog
• The Daily Scrum Taskboard
• The Wisdom of Lao Tse
• Hyperproductivity in Scaling Scrums
• Isolated Scrums, Distributed Scrums and Totally Integrated Scrums
• Case study on scaling scrum – distributed teams
• Project Reporting (Scope Additions, Burn Down, Cumulative tasks in QA, Work Closed Burn Up)
• Multi-threading and implementing a ‘Type C’ Scrum – when the same team is working on multiple projects

Lean is more than a set of tools

I hear a lot of people talking about Lean as if it were just a set of tools.  I also hear a lot of people saying it doesn't make any sense to try to contrast Scrum and Lean.   If you believe the first, you will likely believe the second. This blog is an attempt to show how Lean has a set of tools, but isn't just a set of tools.  By tools, in our case, I mean the practices with which to solve problems we encounter.

Before I talk about Lean, however, let me talk about real tools - since that is the analogy I am most often given.  Let's say you are a carpenter and have a tool box.  It doesn't make sense to talk about one tool being better than another.  The question is, which tool works best in this situation.  As a carpenter, I can learn how to use the tools in different situations.  Let's say I mostly make furniture.  Then I can learn how to build dressers, how to build cabinets, how to build tables, ...  I can learn which tools to use in which certain situations.  There are quite a few number of these, but I can become fairly proficient at it in my domain. 

What, however, happens if I become a journeyman? Now, I am in a new situation.  I have experience using tools, however, so I am not lost.  I try the tools in the new situations.  I see what I did, contrast it to what I wanted, and adjust my methods accordingly. This is the "inspect and adapt" approach many agilists are so fond of.  There is some waste in the process, but results will eventually be achieved.

Now, what happens if one knows more than how the tools work, but also understands why they work.  For example, a basic carpenter knows that nails work in certain situations better than screws.  However, many carpenters don't actually know the mechanical laws on which nails hold together two boards vs the mechanics of how screws do it.   While it might be generally true that screws will provide more strength at a higher cost of implementation - it is only generally true.  Bigger nails in some situations will work better than small screws.  But too big of a nail and you might split the wood.   A carpenter will learn from experience what to use.  And in a new situation will make mistakes and correct. But if he knew the principles behind the mechanics of screws and nails, he might be able to make better decisions, more quickly, in a new situation.

In the physical world, this extra knowledge is often held in the role of an architect.  Someone who understands the forces of construction better and will figure out what is needed - letting those more proficient in practices, but less proficient in principles do the work.  In my mind this illuminates the distinction between knowledge that assists operations (practices the carpenter uses) and knowledge that assists decisions (principles being used by the architect).

This, of course, requires the belief that there is a set of laws here.  This is one of the fundamental differences in different "camps", so to speak, in the Agile community.  Many agilists don't believe there is such a set, and that what we do is more art than science.  We are in an empirical situation, to them, and we can only inspect and adapt our way through it.  On the other hand, many other agilists do believe there is such a set.  In my mind, this is one of the foundational beliefs of Lean-thinking - that there is a set of rules out there.  Plan-Do-Check-Act is based on the notion that we can plan our work based on our current understanding of how things work.  We check our results against this plan.  Part of our acting is then to redefine our understanding of the way things work.

So Lean provides practices to our Agile toolbox. Things like limit work-in-process (WIP) to capacity, don't do things until they are ready to be used (Just-In-Time), do value stream mapping, ...  This is the Lean toolset.  If one believes Lean is just this set, then picking the right tools to use is the best approach you can do.  Use Scrum practices (daily standups, sprint planning, ...) where they apply and use Lean practices when they apply.

If you understand the Lean principles underneath the Lean practices, however, much more is available to you.  First of all, all practices in software development are most likely better understood with the Lean principles. Using Lean principles, one can see how to better apply Scrum practices.  So Lean becomes a combination of Lean practices, which apply only within certain contexts, and the principles on which they are based - which can provide insights into any practice in any context.

Unfortunately, this approach does not match most people's learning or working style.  People like concrete practices to use.  One of the value of coaches is that they can relate to people in very concrete terms.  Very experienced coaches may not understand the principles on which their work is accomplished, but they have so much experience they can intuit good results.  People working with them will become more proficient.  At this level, both coach and disciple will view what is happening as following practices within particular contexts.

My view is that Lean is several layers deep.  The most visible layer is its set of practices:

• 
  
  limit work to capacity
• 
  
  use value stream mapping
• 
  
  have the people close to the work make the decisions on how to do the work
• 
  
  avoid large batches
• 
  
  continuously re-plan
• 
  
  avoid delays when possible
• 
  
  focus on getting value delivered to customers quickly more than focusing on having people always be productive

and there are many more.  But this is not Lean. This is merely a set of practices based on Lean-Thinking - or Lean Science as I sometimes call it.

Some of the Lean principles on which these practices are based are:

• delays between when an error occurs and when it is detected causes waste
• removing such delays can both achieve higher quality and lower cost
• quick feedback results in lower waste
• deferring commitments can reduce waste
• optimizing a segment of the value stream often results in increasing costs, increasing time to delivery and lowering quality

and again, this is only a partial list.

The opportunity is for people to use Lean practices while getting deeper insights into Lean principles.  This will allow them to adjust their practices when they find themselves in different situations than they have found themselves previously.  In the world of software development, we are all journeymen.  That is, we are always working on new things than the things we worked on before.  Experience is invaluable here.  But an understanding of why we have achieved the results we have can be just as valuable.

If one is interested in learning more about these concepts, I highly recommend looking at our upcoming book Lean-Agile Software Development: Achieving Enterprise Agility.  Several chapters are currently online.

Alan Shalloway

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From http://www.netobjectives.com/blogs/Lean-Is-Not-Just-A-Set-Of-Tools

35 Excellent Wireframing Resources

35 Excellent Wireframing Resources: "

Wireframing is one of the most valuable parts of any web design project. It can save a designer tons of time by hashing out the details of a site’s architecture, functionality, and content prior to actually starting a visual design. But if done inefficiently, it can end up costing more time and can even create bigger headaches for both the client and the designer.

Below are more than 35 resources for creating better wireframes, including tutorials on different methods and a variety of tools available.

1. Wireframing Articles

Here are more than twenty wireframing articles, guides, and tutorials to help you improve your wireframing process. There’s information on everything from paper wireframing techniques to using programs like Adobe Illustrator for the wireframing stage of your designs.

Wireframes Magazine
This site offers tons of resources and articles about wireframing. They include wireframe samples, UI tools, and job listings, as well as a place for designers to share their wireframes and wireframing tips. Popular articles have covered prototyping with the 960.gs grid system, graph paper sketch layouts, and wireframe moodboards.



Wire Frame Your Site
A great introduction to the benefits of wireframing from Sitepoint. It offers a three-step approach to wireframing in addition to expounding on the benefits of using wireframes, including their ability to let you foresee potential problems before you get into the nitty-gritty of designing.



Ajax Wireframing Approaches
A post in a series from Particletree about prototyping Ajax, this covers wireframing techniques. This article covers three excellent methods of wireframing dynamic content: Keyframing, stacking and TOP (Turn On Possibilities), as well as outlining the benefits and drawbacks of each.



The Importance of Wireframes in Web Design and 9 Tools to Create Wireframes
A great overview of why wireframing is a good idea, along with tools for creating your own. This is a really comprehensive article that covers everything from creating wireframes to working with clients during the wireframing process to the benefits of wireframing over visual design in the early stages of a website design.



20 Steps to Better Wireframing
An awesome collection of twenty tips for creating better wireframes. Some of the objectives covered include being clear about your objectives, getting everyone involved and avoiding over-designing your wireframe. Added up, these tips should make anyone’s wireframing process easier and more efficient.



Get Wireframing: The All-In-One Guide
A complete roundup of wireframing guides, techniques, tools, and more. It’s a great resource post with links to other sites, including a section for techniques, tools, examples, paper prototyping, and wireframing articles, among other links.



The Importance of Wireframing
A great article on why you should wireframe, along with resources to get your started. It’s a great rundown of the benefits of wireframing, including its ability to help clients focus and what they can teach you about your clients.



Pwireframing: Paper Wireframing
This is probably one of my favorite wireframing techniques. It’s a paper-based method, but goes way beyond just making some rough sketches. The photos included really help solidify the technique in your mind.



Shades of Gray: Wireframes as Thinking Device
An article detailing tne designer’s reasons for using wireframes and their purpose. It really covers the personal wireframing experience of the author, including what they get from wireframing beyond the obvious results. Examples are included (both the wireframes and final site design).



Wireframing Over the Shoulder
A video showing a full wireframing process from start to finish by From the Couch. This is an actual fast-forwarded video of a designer sketching out a complete wireframe of a real site on paper.



The ‘Boxing Glove’ Wireframing Technique
A guide to a big-picture wireframing technique. This is an incredibly simple and straight-forward technique that emphasizes three elements wireframes should help to clarify: proposition, concept, and context.



Framing the Problem
An article about wireframing from ClickZ. This article focuses on creating wireframes that answer three simple questions: What types of visitors need to be persuaded? What actions do they need to take? What information do they need to take action?



SEO Wireframing
A guide to wireframing for search engine optimization purposes from SEOmoz. It describes the wireframing process strictly from an SEO perspective and reminds designers to keep in mind things like key functions for each page and building navigation with relevant keywords.



HTML Wireframes and Prototypes: All Gain and No Pain
A guide to using HTML for wireframing and prototyping websites from Boxes and Arrows. It touts the benefits of creating HTML wireframes over visual-only types and offers up extensive information about creating your own HTML versions.



The Ancient Art of Wireframing
A look at the history and benefits of wireframing. It also looks at more modern techniques appropriate for dynamic websites and offers up new standards for contemporary wireframes.



“I Need to See It”—Wireframing for a Richer Web
A discussion of some of the issues and solutions for wireframing rich media applications. This article also talks about the benefits of both interactive and “high-fidelity” wireframes, including definitions for each and how to go about creating each.



Better Perspective in Wireframing
A huge list of tips for creating better wireframes. It outlines tips like putting functionality first, focusing on the user experience and working to a deadline.



Wireframing Using InDesign
A downloadable guide to wireframing using Adobe InDesign, along with a sample file you can experiment with. The content comes partially from a workshop that was presented at a Communication and Multimedia Design course at Rotterdam about wireframing.



I <3 Wireframes
This site aggregates wireframe images from Flickr. It’s a great place to check out if you’re not sure what method of wireframing will work best for you, or if you just want to see how other people are approaching wireframing.



Website Wireframes
This is a great overview of wireframing, including brief reviews of a number of wireframing tools. It includes tips for creating wireframes and an overview of the tools available for it.



Wireframing Web Applications
An article focused specifically on wireframing web apps as opposed to less complicated websites. This is an excellent guide to the particular challenges presented when wireframing dynamic applications and includes an overview of tools appropriate for creating dynamic wireframes.



Content Wireframing: Ducks Meet Row.
A great guide to wireframing your content. This article covers the particular challenges and requirements of wireframing a site’s content, as opposed to just it’s structure and functionality.



How to Create Website Wireframes
A complete wireframing how-to from About.com. This article is broken down into four parts: the focus of wireframes, what a wireframe should include, how to create a wireframe and the benefits of wireframing.



How to Wireframe
Here’s a video tutorial for creating a wireframe. It also includes tips on creating better wireframes, like using a grid to line everything up and adding everything you think you’ll need and then removing things afterward.



Speed Wireframing with Nick Finck
A video outlining Nick Finck’s wireframing process. The wireframe created is done using OmniGraffle and a wireframe stencil kit.

2. Wireframing and Mockup Tools

There are a number of tools available beyond just pen and paper to help you build wireframes for websites and online apps. Below are a few options, as well as some roundup posts to help you choose the right solution for you.



Pencil Project
A Firefox plugin that lets you do GUI prototyping right in your browser. It includes all the standard drawing tools you’d expect, plus it’s cross-platform compatible and can accept user-defined stencils.

Web Design: Top 5 Wireframing Tools
A review of five wireframing tools from CMS Wire. Tools included are OmniGraffle, MockupScreens, iRise, Axure, and MindJet MindManager.

iPlotz
A tool to create clickable and navigable website mockups. There are free and paid plans available, with prices ranging up to $495.

Jumpchart
Another tool for creating clickable website mockups. Jumpstart has free and paid plans, with prices ranging up to $50/month.

Wireframes
A brief article with a huge list of wireframing software, both desktop and web-based.

Hot Gloo
A wireframing app designed for designers and programmers. The beta version is currently free to use.

Building a Website Wireframe in Illustrator
A great guide to using Adobe Illustrator for your wireframes. This is a very complete tutorial, complete with screenshots taken during the process.

Balsamiq Mockups
A web-based wireframing and mockup tool. There are free and paid version available. The paid one is $79.

Wireframing Web Applications
An article comparing three different wireframing tools, both desktop and web-based, including Gliffy Online and Balsamiq Mockups.

Templatr
While Templatr is generally thought of as a template generator, it can work really well as a wireframing program. Just choose the layout you want to use and customize it as much or as little as you want.

About the author

Cameron Chapman is a professional Web and graphic designer with over 6 years of experience. She also writes for a number of blogs, including her own, Cameron Chapman On Writing. She’s also the author of the upcoming book Internet Famous.

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© Cameron Chapman for Smashing Magazine, 2009. |

TDD: Code without Fear

From http://www.testingtv.com/2009/08/31/tdd-code-without-fear/

Getting Started With HTML5: Part 1

http://www.devlounge.net/code/getting-started-with-html5-part-1

Fido Says Which Add-Ons You Can And Cannot Have

Fido Says Which Add-Ons You Can And Cannot Have: "
And for your viewing pleasure I have yet another wireless carrier blunder. However, this time it is from Fido…but wait, Rogers owns Fido, so that means we blame Rogers for this! (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)

Fido Says…”Sit Customer”

This one is juicy.

According to the Terms of Use for Fido monthly wireless plan add-ons, it is stated that certain add-ons (things like long distance, incoming calls) cannot be added to a Fido account if that plan was activated before November 4, 2008.

11. Cannot be added to monthly plans offered before November 4, 2008.

This caveat has been quite unnoticed until recently.

In other words, if you have a Fido account and your Fido wireless plan is from before November 4, 2008, then you are not allowed to add certain wireless add-ons to your account.

What could be the reason for this?

The reason is most certainly that most older plans are better than current plans (in terms of dollars to minutes; not good for Fido) and if you want these add-ons, you are going to have to change your current price plan to a plan that is available today. So if you have the KILLER CityFido plan from way back when, or any other plan pre-November 4, 2008, you cannot have the following add-ons:

• 50 minutes outside CityFido zone ($5/mth)
  
  
• Unlimited Incoming Calls ($12/mth)
  
  
• 25 minutes Canadian Long Distance ($5/mth)
  
  
• Unlimited Canadian Long Distance ($20/mth)
  
  
• Unlimited North American Long Distance ($30/mth)
  
  
• Up to 70% off International Long Distance ($5/mth)
  
  

This SUCKS!

There are hundreds of people that could benefit from reduced Long Distance fees with a Long Distance add-on and even thousands more could benefit from Unlimited Incoming Calls. But Fido says Nay! How to beat this? Install Skype on your iPhone to call unlimited long distance in Canada/USA for $3/month!

And this is great news (read: sarcasm) that goes along nicely with the recent change in your Local Calling Area.

Fido may not charge a System Access Fee or have long contract lengths, but they will get you somehow! Afterall, Fido’s big Brother is Rogers.