If you’ve not yet come across Remember the Milk then it’s highly recommended. RTM (as it’s called) is a simple, but powerful, to-do/reminder facility. There’s also lots of plugins to access it.

If you’re memory is as bad as mine, then it’s a god-send.

As I say, they publish lots of ways to quickly access it, but I’m using one more. If you can put up with Internet Explorer, then here’s a quick way to launch a specific page in an application-style window. It can be changed to whatever you want, but I use it for RTM.

First of all create a file with the following content…

Dim objIE,ArgObj, var1
Set ArgObj = WScript.Arguments
Set objIE = WScript.CreateObject ("InternetExplorer.Application")
var1 = ArgObj(0)
ObjIE.Toolbar = false
objIE.Navigate var1
objIE.Visible = true

Name is something such as iewindow.vbs - the .vbs on the end if the important bit.

Now create a shortcut to this program and pass the website you wish to display as a parameter.

So, in my case, to display my RTM entries I pass this as a shortcut - http://www.rememberthemilk.com/home/dartiss/

How I use this, then, is that when I boot my computer I have a startup shortcut to the weekly planner, giving me an overhead of what’s coming up over the next week. In my case the planner URL is http://www.rememberthemilk.com/printplanner/dartiss/

Today I’ve stumbled across the blog of a web design company, who just happened to list this website as one of a number that they berate.

Why?

Well, some time ago I put my name forward for the UK Web Design Association. My portfolio at the time was Engments, BMTG and Copy+ (which as since changed URL). They were (certainly at the time) working nicely and validated. I got approved and so list this credential at the bottom of the site.

At the time of submission I was running these via my Artiss Web Design business. I’ve since closed this up, so have diverted links to here, my personal site.

Now, MinuteDesigns, who are based in Derby, have submitted their site to UKWDA and been rejected. Why? I have no idea. Nor do they. Their site, I have to say, is pretty damn good. As are the sites they create. However, what they’ve done, obviously with a bitter taste in their mouth, is list nearby Web Design companies who have got this “award” and berated them. That includes Artiss.co.uk (well, they don’t berate it, just refer to is as “some dudes blog” with the suggestion that why should I be a member of the Association for that).

Nice.

I came off lightly actually, as many other sites had far more ferocious comments directed at them. They include pointing out those where sites no longer exist, etc, forgetting that the UKWDA is given out based on the submission at the time - it’s not reviewed regularly (remember - this is a free membership).

Anyway, I’ve left them a comment (wonder whether they’ll authorise it?) pointing out their mistake and that Artiss.co.uk is not why I’m a member. I’m sure they’ll visit the other sites now and tear those apart. Such is life.

It’s all a shame really because, as I say, MinuteDesigns seems to be a really good company, and they really didn’t have to lower themselves to half-researched bashing.