365 Days of Merlin

For those of you familiar with Merlin Mann, you know that his turns of phrase can be quite unique and nearly always hilarious. John Hofman complied 365 different Merlin sayings; one for each day of the year. It's available in several different formats: 

To download a PDF copy of Merlin's Mannerisms from twit.tv, click here.

On the Cranking Widgets blog there are a couple more formats available, one of which is a iCal calendar version, so you can get your little dose of Merlin on every day of 2008 (this is what I have). Check out the page here.

To fully appreciate and understand many of these quotes, it helps to be able to be familiar with Merlin, either through listening to one of the numerous podcasts that he is on (MacBreak Weekly is my favorite and actually where many of the quotes are from) or from listening to one of his talks, such as the Inbox Zero talk he recently did at Google (check it out on Google Video).

The Best Paper Planner

I'm a paper guy. I absolutely love my computer but I just haven't been able to use it (or any other electronic device) as a planner/organizer. I've tried the hipster PDA and using a Moleskine notebook, both seemingly popular options for technology and productivity geeks like myself. I've found it though, the very best paper planner/organizer that I've ever tried.

It's a PlannerPad. I absolutely love it. I love the size (I use the personal size) and the fact that it is spiral-bound, and thus easy to lay out flat on a desk or table. I like the layout of the pages and the weekly view that it gives. It is perfectly laid out to "find priorities, organize a workflow, and plan personal activities," as they put it on the website description. They describe every page as working like a funnel to work from the capture of events, priorities, thoughts, etc. and to get to scheduling what you are actually going to do.

If you're looking for a great paper planner, check them out.

No iPhone?

I was looking at this page I have here, and I thought 'hey, I have iPhone in the header but I haven't mentioned the iPhone in here once.' So I thought I'd write a bit about my thoughts on this device:

So far I honestly haven't been very interested in getting an iPhone. I have to say, given how much of a Apple fanboy I truly am, I'm surprised at myself. Part of the reason is definitely the price, which is a bit steep for a cell phone (and given my propensity to be a bit careless with my phones in the past, it probably wouldn't be a wise investment). Another reason is being bound to an AT&T data plan. I already have AT&T, so I wouldn't have the hassle of changing cell carriers, but having to pay the $20+ per month for the data plan could be a bit much, at least in my current occupation as a student.

That having been said, I am still greatly intrigued by the iPhone. I think as a platform the possibilities it presents are fascinating. It opens a new door in the realm of mobile computing and in many ways we're still only beginning to get a grasp on the potential that is there.

I would love to have an iPhone. I actually think I took a half-step there when I bought the iPod Touch. The Touch is a great product, but after some time with it, I realized I saw it mainly as a stand-in for the iPhone. I say it was a "half-step" because I feel like I was trying to get as much of the functionality of the iPhone without actually getting the device itself. The Wi-Fi was nice on the Touch, but I felt limited by it. For me at least, the type of mobile network available on the iPhone (albeit the slow EDGE rather than the newer and faster 3G) is essential to enable key features such as email and other things which really set the device apart; with these features it feels like the device is much more integrated with my life, and with a device like this, that is completely necessary.

For a really geeky example of how I view this, I see the golden standard as the datapads in Star Wars. I can't remember if they are shown at all in any detail in the movies, but they are certainly in the books. These datapads are essentially full computers in the palm of your hand that allow access to data and documents, communication, and various other things. Their multifunction capabilities are light-years ahead of the technology we have right now, but everytime I think about what this technology could be, I find my thoughts going to Star Wars. If this is the path that the iPhone and related devices are taking, that is really exciting.

New Manhattan Apple Store Pictures

AppleInsider has pictures from inside the new Apple Store on 14th Street in New York. Very cool looking, how could you go in and not want to buy something?

The Future of Quicksilver: Interview with creator Nicholas Jitkoff

Lifehacker.com posted an interview with the creator of the world-changing Mac app Quicksilver. Nicholas Jitkoff talks about the future of the app. While Jitkoff offers a somewhat somber view of the future of the app, a possible point of excitement is that the app is now open source. Let's hope developers take the opportunity to keep this great app alive.

Helpful Links:
Quicksilver (the website)
Lifehacker Beginner's Guide to Quicksilver
Lifehacker Advanced Quicksilver Users Guide

No more iPod Touch

So, I sold the iPod Touch. I loved it while it lasted, but it was time to move on. I've replaced it with a black iPod nano and I love it. The click wheel is just such a fantastic interface for a music device like this.

In the course of having the Touch, I realized that the reason I have an iPod is to play music and audio with the occasional video. I just didn't use the other features enough or need them to justify having a device with that form factor. I think I would need an iPhone and the enhanced capability of the cell phone and the EDGE enabling email and internet access and all that. The Touch just didn't work for me. For a device with that kind of form factor, I would need a smartphone.

Should I get an iPhone? Probably, but no plans right now. I'm just not all that enticed by it, yet...