There are a couple of nice plotting apps out there for MacOSX. Ⅰ have been using [Plot](http://plot.micw.eu/Main/HomePage) myself for much of my thesis and related work, but [this review](http://www.macresearch.org/application_review_dataplot) has shown a great alternative: [DataPlot](http://www.visualdatatools.com/DataPlot/index.html), which could be mistaken for [DataPlot](http://www.itl.nist.gov/div898/software/dataplot/) (a free multi-platform software for plotting and data analysis created by [NIST](http://www.nist.gov/). And actually this app seems to be doing very many cool things, including Design of Experiments and related… In any way: this is just a UNIX-app and runs on top of X11, so be prepared for an extraterrestrial experience). Now, the OSX DataPlot is very cool and integrated with most OSX technology, almost guaranteeing nice graphs and mac look and feel. Check it out!
science application, link, macosx, plot
Having [recently acquired](http://macheist.com) [1passwd](http://1passwd.com „1passwd.com“) (as well as some other neat apps like [Cha-Ching](http://www.chachingapp.com/) and [Soulver](http://www.acqualia.com/soulver/)) Ⅰ am still testing it. But so far it seems great and very cool. Finally there is password sychronicity between [Firefox](http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/), Safari and [DevonAgent](http://www.devon-technologies.com/). Especially DevonAgent, being my browser of choice for many things, has had bad luck with the keychain and other neat features that Safari supports, but it makes up for this by giving me almost infinite flexibility for web searches, their parsing and evaluation, or just simple things like accessing links from a web page… and very cool AppleScript support. (see for example my Automator workflow for retrieving OpenBC/Xing contact’s vcards via DevonAgent).
My recommendation to everyone: check out 1passwd. It is free from MacHeist.com or can also be tested via the free version that is available on [1passwd](http://1passwd.com „1passwd.com“).
links
After 10 years of smart womanizer bond movies that somehow felt like all other [Pierce Brosnan](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000112/) movies (such as [Remmington Steele](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083470/), [The Thomas Crown Affair](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0155267/), you name them) we are confronted with a new bond.
[BBC](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6116286.stm) summarizes some of the press comments about the new addition to this very old and successful series:
> Bond, but not as we’ve known it
> The guns and action are there… the girls are certainly there… but the clonking double entendres of the old days are gone – in their place is a much more teasing, smartly written prospect
Now: can we trust movie reviews? What can we expect from this new bond movie?`Just looking back, the last installment was grand and unexpected. [Die Another Day](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0246460/) featured a broken and captured James Bond, a dark setting and the underlying assumption that Bond has been broken. Will this move away from black/white continue in the „[Casino Royale](http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/casinoroyale/)“?
We are certainly up for a surprise: actor [Daniel Craig](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0185819/) (known from [Munich](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0408306/)) continues the Bond Saga, hopefully bringing freshness and depth to the character. Supposedly Daniel can act — and his upcoming release [I, Lucifer](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0444646/) (btw: also starring [Ewan McGregor](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000191/)), where he plays the role of Lucifer himself may sound promising.
The movie will start November 14th in the US and November 23rd in [Germany](http://www.sonypictures.de/index.html/landing/casino-royale/index.html). Until then check out the [official blog](http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/casinoroyale/blog/)
links movies
Over at [WorldChanging](http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/005233.html) there is a lengthy and very interesting article about Japan: being a nation with almost no resources, limited space and high population density — yet very productive and one of the world’s technological leaders. Why is that so?
WorldChanging is a blog about sustainability, limited resources as well as ecology — and Ⅰ am very interested to see what else will be written…
> Japan is a nation that understands limits, and has proven that it can accommodate a life of prosperity within them. Moreover, Ⅰ think we will see that as concerns about shrinking global resources mount, Japan will demonstrate how a flourishing country can tread with an increasingly careful ecological footprint.
links japan, sustainability
The business networking platform [openBC](http://www.openbc.com/) (soon to be named [Xing](http://www.xing.com)) has a nice plugin for synching one’s address book on windows working with Outlook, but as of now there is no useful alternative for [MacOSX](http://www.apple.com/macosx/).
However, a clever use of [DEVONagent](http://www.devon-technologies.com/) and [Automator](http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/automator/) helps to export all [vcard](http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/VCard)s of one’s contacts on OpenBC, which can then be opened and imported into iCal or any other address book application.
The workflow looks a bit like this: (and can be downloaded here)
Ⅰ believe a similar workflow may be created with other tools, but if you are serious about web research you should check out DEVONagent nevertheless!
Uncategorized applescript, automator, devonagent, openbc, xing
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