Mens Rea

Jott

I stumbled upon this gem of a service today. I am shocked that more people do not know about it. Essentially Jott is a message keeper. You sign up for this FREE service with your email and your cell phone. You call a toll-free number (not that it would matter with a cell phone usually) and then a voice prompt asks you "Who do you want to Jott?" So, I am using this for reminding me of things or to capture a thought, so I say "Me." It acknowledges that it was to be sent to me and then prompts you to speak your message, so I say "put Jott.com on my Spam Assassin IMAP whitelist." You wait about 3 minutes and you'll receive a text version of your spoken message. I was astonished that it even knew IMAP (wherein I pronounced it "I- Map". This is particularly useful for people like me who are moving around a lot and may be in the car. It is perfect when you do not have a pen and paper handy (or even if you do, you now have a digital copy) which makes it that much simpler to put into your organizational system you hopefully have. Additionally, when you have a paragraph of "stuff" you want to vomit out, it is FAR faster to speak it than type it OR type on a BlackBerry or other PDA. Brilliant

Technorati Tags: Jott

iGTD updates

I really like iGTD, especially now with Quicksilver (yes, I am not with my Moleskin yet- still figuring it out- ironic that the analog version is more complex). A few things that I wish the developer would address. First and foremost is the fact that in your inbox you have the options of displaying your "maybe" "pending to dos" and "waiting for" but unfortunately you do not know in which category they are in, thereby forcing you to click on each one. Additionally, if you are waiting for something, you are not, of course, performing the task, but you are most assuredly processing the task. Thus having the "maybe" and "waiting for" within the inbox seems inconsistent with the aims of GTD. The central aim is to process each item in the Inbox within 2 minutes. Thus, you need to make a decision on whether to defer the task until you know more about it, placing it in a 'waiting for' folder with a proper ticker, or finally determine that this will require some action, but more than the limit of 2 minutes. If you've determined that it will take more than this time, you should then place the N/A (next action=to dos in GTD parlance) in the proper context and possibly with the proper project. The developer SERIOUSLY needs to fix the issue with figuring out where your Inbox stuff is. On one side you have "pending", "maybe" and "flagged" and on the other you have "to-do" and "waiting". Thus you have six choices to make to find your stuff. Considering the integration of Quicksilver, does this not defeat the purpose?

Perhaps I am using it incorrectly. I will examine the forums and see if there is something I am missing.

UPDATE
I think I figured it out why the developer has the designations, but I still think that while in the Inbox there should be a notation beside which category so you don't have to literally guess. iGTD adds a bit more sophistication to the picture by adding the 'maybe' and 'waiting for' tabs within a project. Have not experimented much with them to see how they will show up in the big picture. I guess from my reading of GTD, it seems that you would want a central depository for your "delegated", "someday/maybes", and "waiting fors" so that when you tickle yourself for a review, you can go through them all, rather than parsing through each separate project. Again, I must play with this more. The worst case scenario is you just disregard this 'feature' altogether and use the David Allen approach to creating a context for these, which iGTD seems more than capable of handling.

Technorati Tags: GTD, iGTD, Moleskin, Quicksilver, tag

What good is a PDA?

Like my previous entry intimated, I have geek tendencies. No, actually, I am full fledged geek! Thus, I feel the sense of NEED for a PDA. Why? Well, I HAVE to have all my information with me, don't I? Well, over the last few month, my answer is yes AND no.

Technorati Tags: GTD, Dell Axim x51v, Sony Ericsson k800i

Quicksilver...Finally!

I have been hearing about Quicksilver for years. I've probably downloaded it over twenty times over this period. I have always been impressed how neat it looks. But when it came to actually implementing it, I was lost. Of course, it is not just me. Quicksilver is one of the least understood and least intuitive products on the market. Yet, it will revolutionize the way you work. If this seems like a paradox, it is because it is. People are put off from using the program because they do not grasp its power. I just figured it could launch a program (and with that learning curve, what was the point, right?). To be sure, it is a launching program. But it is, oh, so much more. As part of my 'epiphany" post, I suggested that simplicity is the way to go. With that in mind, I have long heard many an efficiency expert extoll the virtues of keyboard shortcuts. The mouse, while one of the best inventions in computing, is very inefficient and grating on the nerves (both literally and figuratively). Enter Quicksilver. Quicksilver can serve as the entry port to almost any program you can think of. If you want to add a task to iGTD for example, all that you have to do is start typing the t- do with the @XXXX where XXXX is a project you have previously named. Total time of entry? About 10 seconds. Compare this with mouse clicks and you'll be amazed at how much time you'll save. People do not realize but when you can add something that quickly, they're bound to use it. Loading up (or even switching between) programs takes time. You have to make that mental shift, despite our perception that it is seamless. Further, you must mouse-click where all the way through the process, from "add contact" to "save contact" to "insert fields" et al. Quicksilver totally eliminates these "extra" steps. Moreover, this removes my reluctence to switch to the iLife suite as they were three separate programs. In reality, I use all three, but during the course of a day, I do not have to switch between them as I thought I might. I can be in Mail.App and quickly enter a to-do from the email, never touching iGTD (which seamlessly pushes this information to my PDA). I can create a contact using a fabulous new program called Address Book Quick Entry without ever launching Address Book. This is a particularly good program because one of the major shortcomings in Apple's Address Book is the inability to quickly add an entry. Address Quick Entry streamlines is so that you can quickly tab between all the fields. Using Quicksilver, I do not even have to use the mouse (which is even better if you are on a laptop). I am still a baby novice to using Quicksilver, but I finally figured out what all the fuss was about. The big hurdle is learning the commands. From what I have read, it takes a few days of use before it becomes habitual. We have been habituated with the mouse for 20 years (at least I have); thus this is a particularly difficult habit to break.

[posted with ecto]

CURRENTLY LISTENING TO:
El Capitan from the album "Warning - Promises" by Idlewild

Technorati Tags: GTD, Quicksilver, Address Book Quick Entry

A GTD epiphany

I blog a lot about productivity suites and GTD-type programs that I finally realized I had missed the point of David Allen's Getting Things Done approach. You see, it is not necessarily about having a unified program to keep track of every piece of information, rather it is a system to determine what the next actions of a given project are. I had this "epiphany" while reading a blog entry about how you should start off with a paper-based system first, so you understand the core concept of the GTD methodology. GTD appeals to the geek-class, of which I am a card-carrying member. But, being a geek, makes me want to tinker with everything under the sun. Sometimes the KISS system is best (Keep It Simple Stupid for those who have been living under a rock). It is precisely why kGTD and iGTD sparked my enthusiasm I could not completely grasp how to use them. They always seemed to missing something. Thus I began exploring more "involved" and "comprehensive" programs such as Entourage, Daylite, or any number of other programs. You see, I have been conditioned since the original Outlook to have a unified system. While Outlook is not the demon or pariah many have labeled it, it leads many of us to search only for a unified solution.

Therein lies the *DING DING DING* moment. Why David Allen's approach gets so much attention is that it is a paradigm shift. In reading the book a few times, I never could quite figure out what the shift was. Then, while reading the blog entry it dawned on me that it is not the program. It is not the day-timer; it is about a change in the way you think. Brainstorming is central to the system. Brainstorming is agnostic with respect to how it is done. It does not matter whether its on a napkin or on a sophisticated piece of software. The point is, use it. This means that a low-tech implementation is just as effective as the most cutting edge device. Determining your tasks is the key to getting things done. A calendar is not for to-dos, it is for appointments. A calendar may have a reminder that a given task is coming due or that action may be needed, but your calendar should be tidy. Additionally, David Allen suggests that you have to have confidence in your system. That it is bulletproof. For me, this has been the hiccup. I get nervous about missing something so much that I lose confidence in the system and then stop using it. I have always said that I am one great secretary away from doing great things. A cop-out? Perhaps. But, such is not my forte. I can get things done quickly when they are quantifiable, microchunked and determinable. But, I also need that gentle reminder to follow up on things.

This is precisely what iGTD and kGTD are all about. David Allen does not speak about your address book or "logging" emails. Rather, he 'processes' these items as they come through your mail inbox or your desk. Touch each item once and then figure out what to do with it then and there. This what iGTD allows you to do. It allows you to create the mystical Inbox that you, in turn, process by the Perform, Delegate, Defer. Of course you have to add some additional programs such as MailTags and MailActOn are all about. Let's face it, in today's world, 85% of your "mail" is in the form of email. Thus, a letter requesting a response is a Task. Therefore, while it is your email, you need to process that to determine if there are any actionable items. If so, what? You then have two checks and balance to ensure they get done. First, you have sent your Task to your Task Program. Second, in creating a GTD system within your mail client, you can 'check' them off from within your mail. Some may argue that this is a duplication. It is. However, for people like myself who have difficulty in the small follow up stuff, it is a lifesaver. I can confidently ensure that I won't miss anything.

So... in light of this epiphany, I will use a Moleskin notebook to process all of my Next Actions and Projects. Unfortunately, despite the great idea to go entirely paperless, I can't with email. However, despite the extra steps involved, all Tasks derived from my Mail will be filtered into my notebook. Who knows, perhaps I will like this better than any other system. Time will tell. But I agree with the premise. Start with the "old-fashioned" way first. Similar to an artists learning from the Old Masters, or a kid in algebra class forced to compute by hand, you must learn the foundations before you can develop on your own and automate things.

I will continue to blog about GTD. I am starting to "get it." This, after over two years! I have always said, some people are just born organized. Whereas others it is a skill to be learned like any other. My 'success' in my earlier stages of life (i.e. undergrad, law school and my first 8 years working) were because of my very good short to mid-term memory. I can hold a lot of information at once and process it quickly. However, law is an exponential increase in information and task management. You can quickly see your task list go into the hundreds. Unfortunately, I crash under its weight. Coming from my own business where we were reliant on a complex project management software (even now this would still be needed if I were running an office of 17 due to the collaborative nature of an office) which only amplified my search for a perfect (yet complex) system. Alas, all along it was right under my nose- it was a legal pad!

Technorati Tags: David Allen, GTD, Mac, Mac Mail , MacBook Pro, Moleskin, Technology

Introductory Thoughts on iGTD and GTD Programs

KINKLESS ENTOURAGE

Everyone knows that I like testing out GTD programs. Perhaps it is the search for the Holy Grail of office efficiency, but I think it is more a way for me to really learn what works for me. It is known that I currently use the "Kinkless Entourage" system that borrows from the philosophy of kGTD but uses Entourage as its foundation. It works, but there are some issues I am having with it. First, despite the fact that the Kinkless Entourage script writer has done an excellent job customizing it, there are handicaps. First, there is no way to complete a project, at least I have not seen one. I suppose you could delete it, but I would not mind an archived project list for reference purposes. Second, Entourage does not do IMAP well. I was almost freaking out this afternoon looking for an email from a client about a month ago. It was not there. Then I loaded up Mail.App and *presto* it was there. The search method within Entourage mail sucks royally. Yes, I can use Spotlight but this seems cumbersome. It is why Apple chose to have a search window within Mail as well as Spotlight. The lack of ability to have sub-projects annoys me. The author argues that you either have a project or you have a task. I disagree. It greatly assists the workflow for long-term projects that are interrelated by having a hierarchical structure to see. That's the whole point of an outline. I do not think that this, in any way, takes away from David Allen's philosophy. To me, you are trading a million "to-dos" into a million projects. The point of GTD is to determine your next action. When you have parallel sub-projects it assists me to view them from the perspective (not context as that word is a term of art in GTD nomenclature) of the whole project so that if a client calls me I can quickly give them an update without having to switch between different project lists. The Projects in Entourage SEEM good, but they are far from optimal. I wish Mac developers would look at some of Time Matters strengths like Projects/Cases and the ability to link email automatically. The problem that Time Matters suffers is the same as Entourage, it is time consuming to enter Next Actions. Very time consuming. If they built an iGTD-type front-end it would be brilliant. But they wont. Time Matters is a micromanager's wet dream, but in my opinion, thwarts brainstorming and is very slow to enter tasks.

iGTD

So, now I am testing out a new product called iGTD. I have only used it briefly, but it seems surprisingly streamlined. Like I have stated previously, I liked the quickness and the facilitating nature of kGTD, I just did not like the cost ($70ish for OmniOutliner Pro) and there were some stability and sync issues. Outlines encourage brainstorming, period. It seems that iGTD syncs perfectly.

It can't print. I suppose it really doesn't matter because you could print via iCal. It also does not seem to have the ability to make appointments. Perhaps it is my obsession of finding a one trick pony that gets in the way here. I guess the thought of using 4 different programs (mail, iGTD, iCal and Address Book) seems a bit convoluted to me. However, there are some interesting things that perhaps could make iGTD the starting point of any project. Use iCal when I have an actual appointment and use Mail (which has a plug-in to push "to-dos" into iGTD (which of course will later push into iCal). Address book will be used on an as needed basis. I like all the iLife programs individually. They're great. Again, I really wish there was some ability to integrate them. However, one of the downsides to my current setup using Entourage is that I don't brainstorm well because of the way Entourage operates. Even with my scripts, it does not flow. I guess for me, an outline-type setting promotes thought and I can capture all of my Next Actions. I really like iGTD's ability to have projects and sub-projects (or Super Projects in GTD parlance)- it helps me view things in their proper perspective. All in all, perhaps this IS the proper method. Like many people, you have a lot more tasks than you do appointments. So it really is not a big deal to use iCal. Using some filtering and smart folders in Mail.app can organize my mail similar to Entourage's projects would do the trick. One really neat feature of iGTD is the ability to add a prefix or suffix of the project. Beautiful (this comes right from Time Matters, not that they knew that). This is fantastic because if you are on your PDA you can quickly see the context AND the project. In other systems I found myself having multiple entries Research Case Law not being able to determine what case.

CONTACTIZER (AGAIN)

I wish the folks at Contactizer would get off their high horse and realize that they have something pretty special. How difficult would it be to just mirror iGTD in their product. There are two central complaints about Contactizer. First, its synching is primitive at best. It brings in all of your to-dos and appointments under the iCal called "Contactizer." This negates the ability to sort through contexts on a PDA or phone. The whole point of having such a product is to provide reminders of appointments to you SANS computer. Based on Contactizer's philosophy, I would have to sift through tons of "Next Actions" trying to figure out what the context is. Rather than streamlining it by having the proper categories embedded. How I use this is that if I am in the car and I have to make a call as a to-do I can quickly see my scheduled phone calls and chip away at them based on my ability to make the calls. Also, I have already blogged about Contactizer's absolutely sickening customer service. Go look at Version Tracker under Contactizer and you will, once again, see deplorable customer service bordering on the paranoid. One reviewer said some nice things but pointed out some deficiencies. The developer shot back accusing the person of being a competitor. Absolutely a deal breaker for me. No matter if they created a flawless product next go-around, unless they did some MAJOR damage control (such as firing the PR person) I wont buy it.

[posted with ecto]

Technorati Tags: Contactizer, GTD, iLife, Mac, Kinkless Entourage, iGTD

Mac Office 2008

First, to anyone reading this, I do not have any information on this- my point for writing this post.

A few months ago, Microsoft informed the Mac community that they will be releasing Office 2008 (I guess the Mac and PC versions have to be one year apart) in the fall. So, of course, like anyone I was anxious to see what it was like. Most of the information I read I was rather impressed with. It seems that they are adopting the "ribbon" interface which I found great on the PC version. They indicated that Word will have more desktop publishing capabilities. Many Mac users may say "so what?" I say that is great. Considering that most people spend 90% of their time on a word processor or Excel, that is the program they will know the best. Look, I am a long time user of Adobe's fabulous InDesign program and am relatively comfortable with their interface, but let's face it, the learning curve is oft-putting. Having the ability to control more features within Word would make my life simpler as I am sure it will many other people.

The one thing that annoys me is that they have not released much information on Entourage. With the exception of the anti-Microsoft legion, I love Office as most Mac users do. As anyone who reads this blog knows, I have been using Entourage as my organizer for about 6-8 months. It works, but hardly optimal. in '04 I used Exchange and was very disappointed in Entourage's ability to connect properly with the Exchange server. For many corporate folks, this was a deal breaker. Perhaps the cynic in me think that MS did that on purpose to get you to use Outlook and go to Vista. So far the only information I have seen on Entourage is that they have this Daily list. Big deal. I mean Outlook has had that since Office '97 (yes, it wasn't all Aqua like, but the point is this is not a ground breaking change). What I want to know is does it handle Projects better? Is the interface improved. As I stated previously the current version leaves a bit to be desired. I know some utilitarians out there will say "who cares?" But I do. I like things that are aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Of course, there is no doubt that I will use what works the best when I comes down to it.

This has been an exciting time in PIM development for Mac. I think the moral is that it is best to wait until the end of the year to really make a decision. I personally think that MS is foolish not to release some additional information. Many people are growing quite ansy. For years there were only a few options available, now that there is a plethora, I would suggest that companies get their act together and start releasing specs on their software and make sure that it does not turn into vaporware.

Technorati Tags: Mac, Microsoft, Microsoft Office 2008, Mac Office 2008, puppy

Iovine and LimeWire

I had never heard of LimeWire until I bought my PowerBook in '03. It was their version of Kazaa I thought. Of course LimeWire is available on all formats, but it was pushed more for us Mac users. My point of bringing this up is that in a post by Leftsetz, he suggests that Jimmy Iovine is leaving Universal to run LimeWire or to acquire a stake in the company. I've known about Iovine for many years, for he, and Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons were singularly responsible for moving hip hop to the major leagues. Jimmy is one of the last old-style record label moguls. However, despite his slightly ruthless reputation, he has also had his finger in the air and has proven himself quite capable of determining trends in music. So recently Jimmy stuck his finger out of his office in Hollywood and finally saw the light that distribution is the new paradigm. Well... actually it is not so simple. He began to speak to Steve Jobs about these things. Perhaps Jobs', in an over enthusiastic moment, gave him an inside track at how the magic man of technology visualizes this new business and Iovine never looked back.

So anyways, the idea is that there will be a completely restructured deal with the majors for distribution rights so that the revenue sharing will be altered in the first time in nearly a century. Only a man with the background of Iovine could pull this off. Despite his enormous success, Jobs is not from that scene. He is an outsider, always will be. You see, you cannot just buy your way into the ancient monolith of the record industry. It is tempestuous creature and will disembowel the unwary. Iovine has always shown he has the moves and the timing to pull this off. Another thing he has is that the artists like him. Not easy to do in that environment. So much so that Bono is apparently willing to provide a single to LimeWire. Personally, that is not a turn-on as U2 is the true band where they are larger than the sum of their parts, but I digress. It proves the point that Iovine could do it. I for one, would love it if they started to have real competition in this field. Lower the cost. Let the grassroots control. Have the bands increase revenue by touring (like they used to). But the last sticking point is TicketMaster. AS part of these negotiations, someone needs to figure out a way to side-step these fuckers and render them to the dustbins of monopolistic history.

Technorati Tags: A&R, Consumer Behavior, iTMS, Jimmy Iovine, Leftsetz, Music, Distribution , TicketMaster, Steve Jobs

Apple and EMI and DRM

Steve Jobs is in London today to issue a joint statement with EMI, the large U.K. music company. To non-music lovers this may not be a big deal, but this is effectively the holy grail of on-line music- The Beatles. The Beatles were are and will be the largest band in the world. You only have to go back to 2000 when their 1 sold over 10,000,000 some 30 years AFTER they broke up. Their outake 6 disk series sold in the millions and recently the mashed up Love went multi-platinum. Think about that. A CD with 40 year old songs is selling more than Justin Timerlake, now that is power. There is, after all, only one group that could do this and that is why their back catalog is so important to Steve Jobs. Despite Apple Computer (now Apple, Inc) and Apple Corps (the Beatles own label) litigious history, I think they are both members of MAS (mutual affection society). It is only fitting that the company that showed the world how to "SELL" music on the web legally would score the biggest exclusive catch. This is supposed to be the big news story. But for me, there is a potential for more.

Rumor has it that Apple and EMI will work out some type of deal to sell non DRM (digital rights management) songs. If that happens, in one fell swoop, Apple's entire operation and iPod synergy needs to be re-worked, re-evaluated. Everything that Microsoft is doing with the Zune will be called into question. You see, since Apple launched iTMS, the argument has been that it forces people to buy an iPod or makes them locked. This is all bunk Statistics have shown that the average iPod user has purchased a little over 20 tunes- hardly an anchor to keep with the iPod. Sure there was some synergy, but surely this is not the reason for the iPods incredible success. When I purchased my first 3G there was no Music Store. So why did I buy an iPod? Well... I am an Apple freak of course, but also, I had already tried products from creative, Dell, Intel (yes, intel made a flash-based player) and Sony. Some were passable, whereas the others sucked. Apple nailed the iPod, it is that simple. So, back to this non-DRM deal. If this were Microsoft I would say that perhaps they missed the boat as they've done quite frequently in the past (a little late to the game- i.e. Zune). However, do you really think that Jobs would have announced 2 months ago in an editorial that DRM was thrust upon them by the RIAA, if he did not have a way to use this to his benefit? I could be hugely mistaken here, but Jobs does not miscalculate often, and when he does, history shows that he was ahead of everyone else (i.e. Next Computers). So, how will non-DRM work with iTMS? How will they reduce widespread piracy? I don't know. All i DO know is that it exists already and sending nasty grams by the RIAA only makes people more pissed off at the RIAA.

The lesson here is that the ENTIRE music industry needs to start over. You can't see if your methods will eventually work. They wont. It's over. Figure out a new way to make money. Figure out a new way to break an artists. The indie acts are giving you all the answers... look to them, they'll show you the way. But put away your condescending arrogance for one moment and see what is happening around you. If you can't then I suggest that you either move to Nashville to work the Country scene or stay with urban, R&B and hip-hop- nothing else will make any money for the labels. Oh, to be sure, people are consuming music at record levels. The average 12 year old has more music than I did when I was 25 so do not tell me that the demand or interest is not there. Figure out a way to monetize it without killing it. Think back to the 70's when the super acts emerged, like Zeppelin and the prog bands. They did it their own way. They got paid, they had artistic freedom. And guess what, everyone made a small fortune. So you dumbass A&R guy, leave the artists alone until you can figure out how to help them... not package them.

Technorati Tags: Apple, Beatles, EMI, Non-DRM, iTMS, puppy, A&R

All in One Color Lasers

I have a Brother MFC-8500 monochrome printer. I have had it for about 5-6 years now. It is a beast. It is, of course, not enterprise class, but I'd put its reliability against far more expensive and massive printers. It works flawlessly with both my Mac and my PCs. It scans reliability and the fax could not be better. However, after these years, one thing that I do notice is... SPEED. Like many small business owners I tended to discount print speed as I figured the savings in time are not worth the corresponding increase in price. However, here's my mistake. Did you ever notice that you need speed when you are slammed? In other words, you don't need the speed for day-to-day duties, but, you most assuredly do when the proverbial shit hits the fan. This is why I am looking at some new multifunction color laser printers.

I am very aware of how insanely expensive color toner cartridges are, however expensive they are, they are cheaper than 8 ink-jet cartridges that last 120 pages not to mention the snail-like pace they print at. I don't print a lot in color, mostly business plans and some occasional exhibits, so I suspect that I wont burn through the color cartridges. The three that I am looking at are by Brother, Dell and Epson. They are all switching models so I will have to sit down to figure them out. Why not HP? Why? HP stopped making good small-business equipment in '99 as far as I am concerned. I have a 2200n that kicks mighty ass and still plows through whatever I can through at it. However, I had a 3200 that sucked royally, a 1200 that sucked even worse. Also, go find new drivers on HP's website... oh, that's right, they are not there. You have to order the fucking CD. Are you kidding me? They suck. I don't say that about all HP products, but printers I do. Who knows, maybe that was a 3-4 blip.

CURRENTLY LISTENING TO:
Jacqueline from the album "Franz Ferdinand" by Franz Ferdinand

Technorati Tags: Brother, Dell, Epson, HP, Color Laser Printer, puppy