For the last couple of months I’ve been beavering away on my first open source application and I’m pleased to say that the first version has now been released.
The project is called KPInator, it’s a business intelligence application that displays key performance indicators (KPIs) in a web browser. In addition the user can set up charts to display historical data.
If you’re in business then you just have to know what your key performance indicators are and what their current values are. If you don’t have this information to hand then you’ve no real idea as to how well your business is doing at any one time. For example, if your business manufactures widgets then you might have a KPI that measures widget production per hour. If widget production per hour falls below a certain level then KPInator will flag this by changing colour.
The application release 0.1.0 is fully functional, if a little rough around the edges. Over the next few weeks I’ll have the sand paper out plus I’ll be enhancing the existing feature set. Please check the KPInator project web site for more updates.
I’ve been a keen birder, twitcher if you will, from an early age. Whilst I don’t have much time in the field at present I’ve decided to embark on a project that I’ve had on the back burner ever since I first go into web applications about 10 years ago; a web based birders log.
So BirdSpotter.org has been born. Check out the blog on the site for announcements and information about design and features. If there’s anything you’d like to see then leave a comment over on the blog and I’ll add it to the list.
A face lift, but no new functionality to speak of, doesn’t warrant the hefty upgrade fee for this goal tracking software.
Review of Goalpro 2008
Rated as 2/5 on Dec 30 2007 by David Hollingworth
It was some time ago that I stopped using Goalpro 6 in favour of MyLifeOrganized (MLO) for organizing my goals and getting things done. At the time I felt that Goalpro had an outdated user interface and lacked certain functions that GTD requires such as contexts. Whilst Goalpro has some nice features, like the scratch pad, it just didn’t cut it for me as a tool for day to day use.
I was interested to try out the new Goalpro 2008 version released recently to see if there was any new functionality that would tempt me back to Goalpro. I have to say that I was very disappointed with what I found. Sure there’s a new set of icons that give the tired user interface a bit of a face lift; but really that’s where it ends. The “what’s new” list give a few other items that have changed like the ‘completely revised journal’; but when I looked at the journal it looked exactly the same as the previous version. Other examples include new Calendar and Success Tree options; but it fails to say what those options are and again the Success Tree and Calendar look exactly the same as in Goalpro 6 with the exception on new icons.
Then you come to the price. A purchase isn’t cheap at $89.95; but if this software fits your requirements then it’s worth paying the price. It’s the upgrade price that gets me; a whopping $59.95 for no new functionality. That is nothing short of a rip off and is certainly very, very poor value for money. I, for one, won’t be upgrading.
Goals, Reviews, Tools
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Calendar, goal, Goalpro, GTD, journal, LouderVoice, MyLifeOrganized, Review, Success, todo
When we set a goal it has to be a challenge. A goal that’s set too easy has little motivational impact; there’s little reward from achieving something that’s very easy and so there’s not much to motivate us.
On the other hand setting a goal that’s too hard is also demotivating. If we don’t believe we can achieve a goal then we won’t put any determination into getting them done.
Setting a goal is therefore a balance between setting it too easy and setting it too hard. This is where the A (Attainable) in SMART goals comes into play. We have to believe we can attain a goal and yet not set that goal too easy; it has to be a challenge.
How do you know when you’ve set a goal that’s too easy or too hard? Leave a comment and share your experiences.
If you’re like me then you need a gentle prod every so often to remind you to work on the targets you’ve set for yourself. If this is the case then the Hassle Me site might be good for you.
A very simple idea, you provide the frequency you want to be hassled in days, the text of the hassle, like “Go for a ride on your bike”; and a number of email addresses. HassleMe then emails you a reminder at roughly (not exactly) the number of days you’ve asked to be hassled. The slight randomness helps to prevent the hassle just becoming part of the routine “select / delete” part of email processing.
Try out the service (it’s free). If it works for you then great, if not then simply put it back on the shelf.
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Themocracy