Going from A to B

As mentioned in a previous post, I've been helping my mother get up and running on her new MacBook Air. While doing so, however, I've been sort of reexamining my own Mac usage. Not directly related to this, but also happening at the same time, I've been reexamining the system that I use to track tasks and to do's and all that. 

I'm very interested in David Allen's GTD system and many of the spin-offs that have been created and I'm trying to implement a modification of it for myself. I'm trying to find what works, and what doesn't, and fashion a system that works for me. 

While helping my mother get her Mac set up, I've noticed peculiar habits that I have and things that I do on my Mac, most often without really thinking about them. I go from A to Z without really thinking about A to B. Helping my mother (and in general helping or talking about this stuff with anyone other than myself) has really made me analyze this stuff A to B. I've really realized the truth behind what Merlin Mann says about talking to other people about productivity systems. To paraphrase what he said on the Apple Phone Show #65, talking to people about a lot of this productivity stuff is like trying to sell them on your favorite condiment, when it gets down to it, it's really a matter of personal choice. 

So I'm going to write a series of posts on things of this sort, as I try to deconstruct A to B... 

My iPhone Apps

I thought I'd give a quick rundown of some of the iPhone applications that I have right now and what I think of them. Here goes:

MobileFinder ($1.99): This application, previously available for download on jailbroken iPhones and iPod Touches, gives you a file browser much like the Finder on your Mac. You add files to your device via SSH over the WiFi. The app was only released days ago, so the documentation that I've found has been spotty. I've been able to figure out a decent amount of it, however, and so far it seems like it has promise. One key feature that might prove to be important is the ability to edit text files. I've heard that some issues will be addressed in a coming update, such as the ability to view files in landscape mode, hopefully this comes soon. In the meantime it should be interesting seeing what else this app can do.  

NetNewsWire (free): One of my favorite iPhone apps so far, this has been excellent. A rather simple RSS reader, NetNewsWire syncs via NewsGator. After setting up an account on NewsGator, you manage your feeds on the desktop, and it's all synced to the iPhone. It's worked great so far. Downloading feeds is fairly quick, even over EDGE. It also includes a rudimentary browser to view the articles as well. If you use NetNewsWire for the desktop, its a great mobile option.

Cube Runner (free): This is a simple game in whcih you fly your spaceship through a landscape strewn with colored blocks. You steer left and right by tipping the iPhone to either side. It's a simple game but one that is addicting and fun. It's an enjoyable accelerometer game that's well worth a download.

Twitterrific (free): I'm using the free version of this app which, partly because I'm not a complete Twitter addict, works great for me. The difference between the free and paid version is that the free version occasionally shows an ad. They are unobtrusive, however, and often I don't even really notice them. It's a really pleasing interface to keep up with all the tweets you follow.

These are some of the apps I'm most happy with. I have several others that I'm playing with as well. One of these is Evernote, which I find endlessly frustrating because I know that there is some excellent use for this application and its capabilities, I just can't seem to figure out what it is.

Nicholas Jitkoff's Google Code Page

Nicholas's Google Code Page

In the latest episode of MacBreak Weekly (episode 100), the featured guest was Nicholas Jitkoff, known to many as Alcor, the creator of that world-changing Mac app called Quicksilver.

One of the things referred to in the interview was his Google code page (he's now working at Google). On it, it lists all his current projects. It's really interesting and I thought I'd provide a quick link to it.

Yes iPhone!

I had posted before why I hadn't gotten an iPhone. Well, with all the excitement over the new iPhone 3G, I finally broke down and got one. I didn't, however, get the 3G.

I bought a first generation model on eBay. So far I am loving it. I have the 2.0 software and have installed a number of apps. Aside from a few random application crashes, I haven't experienced any of the major problems that other people have complained of.

To avoid these problems with the 3rd party applications, I've pretty much been downloading applications and updates exclusively in iTunes and syncing them to the phone. On episode 100 of MacBreak Weekly, it was said that buying and updating apps on the phone might be the cause of a lot of these problems. This was before the 2.0.1 update, however, and its possible that that update solved the problem. Regardless, for now I'm sticking with the app store in iTunes.

My adventures with IMAP mail in Gmail and syncing with Mail.app and the iPhone have been pretty extensive in recent weeks. After much fiddling I have, however, found the magic voodoo to get all three working in sync, I'll share all the settings and the method for doing it in the next post. 

Apps for the New Mac User

Finally, my mother is coming over from the Dark Side. She's ditching her two PCs and just bought a MacBook Air. Not only am I excited that she finally saw the light and switched to Apple, it'll also be pretty cool to have an Air in the house.

Looking through the apps on my computer, I decided to come up with a list of applications that I feel any Mac user shouldn't be without. These are the main ones I'm recommending to her as she begins her happy relationship with her Mac. I've used them all for quite some time now and I thoroughly enjoy them.

1Password ($35) = All in one password, secure note, and sensitive data vault. Excellent browser integration. In addition to the desktop app, there is an application for the iPhone available.

AppZapper ($13) = An uninstaller that deletes not only the app, but also all the miscellaneous files that the app installed across your hard drive, excellent for comprehensive housecleaning.

ImageTool (Free) = Very simply utility to resize images, allows export in numerous formats.

HandBrake (Free) = Invaluable utility that allows you to rip DVDs to your hard drive.

TubeTV (Free) = Grabs videos off of YouTube and other video sharing sites and saves them to your hard drive.

iSquint (Free) = Converts numerous video file formats into MP4, the format most compatible with iPods/iPhones.

Flip4Mac (Free) = Installs a plug-in for Quicktime that allows you to play Windows Media files.

So there you have it, the essentials for any new Mac user. In a later post, I'll give a list of applications more suited for the experienced Mac-user.

For the Unix geeks...

Leopard's Unix Tricks

This is a good article on Macworld.com about the Terminal in Leopard. 

As someone who is very interested in learning the Unix core at the heart of Mac OS X, this type of thing always makes for interesting reading.

Do GTD with the tools built into your Mac

An interesting article on Dennis Best's blog about ditching the plethora of GTD apps that are popping up everywhere and going back to basics: using the apps that are built right into your Mac. 

Personally, I've tried several of the GTD apps out there and haven't had much luck. I might try some of these suggestions and see if I can get more functionality out of what I already have.

Putting a damper on my SSD hopes...

So, the Macbook Air is pretty cool I guess. For most its really only a viable option as a mobile complement to a desktop computer at home, but its still a cool product. I have to say though that I am a bit disappointed in the price of the 64GB SSD drive option for the Air. 

$999 is very steep for 1TB drive, let alone a 64GB drive. Maybe I was just overly optimistic (or misinformed) but I was hoping that these drives would be a bit cheaper. For me at least, someone who's interested in using a SSD for my laptop, 64GB is the absolute lowest that I'd go. My iTunes library alone would fill about half that. I know I can offload it to an external drive and then reference it in iTunes, but I really want to be able to have my complete library with me at all times. Right now I have a 120GB drive with about 80GB full.

As file sizes for media grow larger and larger, it'll be interesting to see how this coincides with advances in hard drive design. It seems to me at least that solid-state drives are the future and yet they are seriously lagging behind in terms of capacity. SSD is a great idea and probably is the hard drive of the future, but the capacity is going to have to go up substantially and the prices down for it to gain widespread use. Perhaps its only a matter of time, but right now at least, SSD seems to be lagging quite far behind the needs of consumers.

Solid State Laptop Hard Drives in Early 2008!

Lexar Media has announced plans to release 32GB and 64GB SSD Flash laptop hard drives (2.5 inch) sometime in the first quarter of '08. Here is the link to the story in Macworld.

I'm really excited about this and the possibility of having a flash drive in my notebook. On Engadget here is an article talking about having a flash drive in a notebook. There are some other articles out there about testing flash drives in laptops as well. It sounds like a pretty good experience.

The only downside to these drives could be price; they could end up being quite pricey. We'll see though... 

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...

For those of us who are just nosy...

I like seeing how other people work. I think it's fascinating seeing what other people's workflows are and how they set up their workspace. That's why I love the thread called Perpetual Pictures of Your Rig on the Macintosh Achaia forums.

Users basically post picture of their Mac hardware setups. It's really interesting to see how other Mac users set up their workspace. Although I haven't posted my Rig up on the thread, I'm thinking about it...

College Kids and Their Batteries

Maybe it's just me, but I can't help noticing how nearly every single college student I see here on campus or around at the various coffeeshops in the area has to have their laptop plugged in. Don't they know that their computer has a battery?

I realize that sometimes they're working on a really long paper or something and need to be using the computer for a long time, but a most of the time I would guess the people that I see aren't going to be there (and using their computer) for the around 2.5 hours that their battery would last.

This is really a minor thing, I know. But it's kind of thing that I've started to notice and really wonder about. Perhaps I'll never know...

iPod Touch Jailbreak Resources

Here are some links that I found helpful while I was jailbreaking my Touch:

Touchdev guide on jailbreaking the Touch (this is a different procedure, but there are parts that can be helpful after the initial jailbreak).
Helpful Forum post on SSH (SFTP) into the Touch (needed to add files to the Touch as well as NES ROMs).
Haven't really looked at this guide but it looks like it could be useful.
Once you have it jailbroken, Erica Sadun from TUAW gives a nice guide for some further ideas here.

Nintendo Emulator:
NES Emulator
NES ROMs

Also... I've been using the Cyberduck FTP client to access my iPod, it works like a charm, I'd recommend it.

iPod Touch and iPhone Easy Jailbreak!

Here The Unofficial Apple Weblog Erica Sadun posted a super easy jailbreak for the iPod Touch and iPhone. I did it to my iPod Touch and didn't have any major problems. I'll post a step-by-step as soon as possible. Basically all you do for this one is point your iPod Touch or iPhone browser to http://jailbreakme.com and scroll to the bottom and click confirm.

Another great thing is that a Restore in iTunes totally wipes whatever you've done and gets you back to the factory settings. I've tried it and it does work. Sorry for the bad picture.

My Use for Finder Colors and Smart Folders!

In the Mac OS, Finder colors especially get a bad rap. They are often totally ignored as an archaic and useless feature. I thought so, until I discovered how well they work with Smart Folders!

So here's my problem: one of the things I like to do is save interesting news articles and other things from the web as PDFs, something that I love is so easy to do on the Mac. So I have a huge folder of these that I keep on my hard drive. Now I don't have time to read all these right when I get them, so I needed a tagging system with which I could mark the articles for later perusal. I also wanted to keep them all in the same big folder.

And here's my solution: I tag the articles I haven't read yet Green (using the Finder colors). I then have a Smart Folder set up to find all files marked in Green. So then whenever I have some spare time, I can work my way through this folder. Another great feature is that in the Finder (or in my case Path Finder) when you remove the label from a file in a Smart Folder, it disappears from the folder immediately, so in my case it updates my "to read" in real-time.

This can be applied to numerous other things as well. I'm a student right now so let's say I'm working on a big project and I have a bunch of different files scattered all over my hard drive. I can mark any file that has to do with that project with a certain color and then put a Smart Folder somewhere, like on the Desktop for example) and "bam!" it's right there. So give this a shot and give the Finder colors a chance!

Where has the MacUser podcast gone?

Unless my iTunes podcast list is broken, I haven't gotten a new MacUser podcast since June 13th. Now for me, two months is simply too long to go without hearing from Dan, Derik, and the rest of the crew.
This is one of my favorite Mac podcasts, right along with MacBreak Weekly. I love how it's basically a bunch of Mac geeks sitting around talking about Macs (and other interesting tangents that come up).
Ironically, I actually discovered it, as well as many other great Mac podcasts, while I was in China last Fall and Winter. For different reasons I had to travel all the way across Beijing (where I was living) and it was fantastic to listen to on the Beijing subway (or 北京地铁 for all you Chinese speakers out there).
Hopefully they'll get another one out soon, come on guys!

Merlin Mann's Talk at Google

Inbox Zero at Google
Everybody's favorite productivity guru, Merlin Mann, gave a great talk at Google recently on a concept he calls Inbox Zero. It incorporates elements of the GTD system and other methods to deal with a massive e-mail inbox. It's interesting and a great way to process your inbox, especially if you're anything like the people at Google, who apparently get upwards of 300-400 emails per day. Check it out.

Great Intro to Getting Things Done

43Folders Interview With David Allen

This is a great series of podcasts with the founder of GTD, David Allen. They talk about implementing the Getting Things Done system, and if you are using the system, how to plugany possible holes you might have in it. In addition to being educational and informative, its just plain entertaining as well.

To Begin...My Favorite Links!

1. Blacktree - Site of the greatest application ever invented: Quicksilver. It's for the Mac only but I seriously cannot imagine using my computer without it. If you have a Mac, you have to at least try it.
2. 43folders.com - Great productivity site. Centered on the Mac and the Getting Things done system. Check it out.
   
3. macuser.com - Great Mac news and other tidbits site. Check out the podcasts too, they're very entertaining.
4. My friend Dan's music review blog.
   
5. My friend Dave's art, etc. blog.
6. InterfaceLIFT - This is a great site for wallpaper and icons and other stuff; I'm kind of a wallpaper freak and I go here often to get new ones.