Cloud computing for the home user is a big mistake in my opinion and like with anything, if it seems too good to be true, it likely is. Google and other on-line services make mobile computing easy and safely store all your data remotely so you don't have to worry about it. Seems nice, but these guys are not in it because they care about your data. They are making money.

I haven't written in awhile, but I've got some major changes going on at work and just haven't been motivated lately. This has led my to write a diary to keep a log of my personal feelings and reflections that I can look back on. I don't necessarily want to keep it in document or note format so I looked up "dairy" for my iPhone.

After using the diary application on the phone for awhile I wondered if a good diary application existed for Linux. I looked a bit and found a couple, but they were dated or required some setup to get security and database working. I don't want to spend hours on something so trivial!

The application I use on the iPhone is simply called My Diary so I Googled "mydiary linux" and found myDiary 4.0 for Gnome, in a deb package no less. Installed perfectly on Ubuntu 9.04 and has all the basics you will need in a diary tool - calender, search, spell check, and password protection! Also, if you would like to use this on Windows you're in luck. Unfortunately I was unable to find the authors site.

I did happen on this gem called RedNotebook, which allows images along with all the other standard diary features, but it lacks password protection. What it lacks in security it makes up every where else, plus the files are stored in text so with a little work you can secure them if you like. This application can be just about anything you need like a note taker, journal, thought organizer, or personal diary. Very nicely done.

As for KDE it has a Journal that can be used as a diary built into the PIM so take a look in the menus.

I think the iPhone is a great platform for learning so I thought I'd share a list of my favorite reference and learning applications, most of which are free. I find myself learning something new just about everyday with the iPhone running these great applications simply due to the fact that they make learning so convenient and accessible. Now when I wait for my doctor I'm not stuck reading outdated entertainment news!

This isn't only true for adults either. When I upgraded from the 2g to the 3g S I gave my four year old son my old phone and bought him a bunch of children's educational applications. I find him using these educational applications on his own. When he is not playing he is typically relaxing on the couch learning how to read, write, or do math on his own and I think this is just awesome. I should make a list of the applications he uses at some point also.

On to the list...