KonoLive
With more government agencies experimenting with a mobile work force, facilitating employee collaboration can be challenging. There are a great number of benefits to having employees work remotely, but many still value the face time workers get in a traditional work environment. Fortunately every niche problem seems to have a niche solution in the world of Web 2.0.
Regardless of a project's size or the user's location, KonoLive creates a central environment for everyone involved to meet and share ideas in real time. Whether the project spans the globe or involves just two people, KonoLive claims it can "help you get the job done quickly and efficiently."
Note: KonoLive is currently available only on Windows XP. Vista and Mac applications are in development.
Fuelly
Although gas prices have seen a downward trend lately, it still isn't cheap to fill up. With Fuelly, you can easily track and analyze your gas mileage over time and use that data to help make better decisions about your driving habits.
Fuelly went online just a few months ago and is extremely easy to use. Once you've created a free account, you're asked to add information about the vehicle you want to track. I signed up and added my 2002 Nissan Xterra -- a 4x4 SUV not known for being particularly fuel-efficient. Once you decide how you want to track your mileage -- either by odometer or when you fill up -- you're ready to start. I choose to track by "fuel-up" date. Fuelly asked me to enter the miles I've driven since my last fuel-up, the amount of fuel I added, the price per gallon and the date, plus any tags or other metadata I felt like including. The next time I fuel-up, Fuelly will detail my driving habits. For example, a user named Arthur has tracked the last four times he fueled up his 1996 Chrysler Sebring. Arthur's profile now shows, among other things, his total fuel-ups, the average miles per fuel-up, the average price per fuel-up -- per gallon and per mile -- the total amount spent and the best price he paid. The data is also charted, and Fuelly gives Arthur tips on what he can do to get better mileage.
Fuelly is a simple tool that clearly illustrates your fuel consumption. The site also stacks your data against the Environmental Protection Agency estimates for your vehicle, helping you determine if, say, you need to check your tire pressure, to optimize your fuel efficiency.
Read last week's Weekly Web 2.0.