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Yahoo groups is driving me up the wall and through the chimney. Just sayin... |
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While I am a huge gadget lover, I find this to be really, really dumb. Most of the times I see someone doing something really dangerous while driving, they are using a hand held phone - either talking or texting. Having any kind of Internet access on the dashboard would make drivers even more distracted than they already are. |
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There are many, sometimes hairy, sometimes sordid, sometimes sad reasons for the control Microsoft had exercised over many aspects of the IT world. When I would risk self scalping while waiting for Windows to shut down or update itself in the middle of important work (lost), I would exercise a measure of self honesty and admit that "yea, while it sucks on so many levels, still there are the reasons while it has some dominance (friendly to developers - more software written for it, works on cheaper hardware than the Mac (well, until they changed chip architecture), de facto standard, etc.). Whenever I would run through the litany, I would get the feeling of yes, that is true, for now. The "for now" feeling was coming out of how Microsoft was behaving. There was always a sense that came through from Microsoft that at the end of the day there was really no other option for people than Windows. No, I mean, mean REALLY no other option. The corollary of that attitude was that using Windows as such was key to user experience, and users had to shoehorn themselves and their hardware to fit with whatever Windows and other MS products demanded off of them. Nothing lasts for ever, or so we are told, and a position of dominance always relies on something to maintain itself - very often the dominated themselves. Looking at the various news pieces I am getting regarding CES and my own experience with various widgets, I am observing that MS and Windows is becoming more and more irrelevant as its slowly relinquishes its dominance. With the rest of the non Luddites of the world I want computing, not necessarily computers. I want data and information, I want a way to communicate, and I want to do it in the fastest, easiest most fun way possible. Does my "device" have to be a laptop that can support the demands of MS Windows? Not at all, I want a device that supports my need to figure out how to get to an address, who wrote the Marseillaise, how to smoke salmon, let my mother know I am 5 minutes away from her house, capture an idea for a poem I just had, determine whether I need to buy eggs, etc. Last year we saw the popularity of netbooks - small computers for under $500 (and often under $300) that were not as powerful as full blown laptops (sometimes) but were incredibly portable (though not as convenient to type on). The combination of price and extreme portability made netbooks a hit - and in quite a few instances people that could not afford laptops would use them as primary machines. Vista was too much of a hog to run on netbooks, so they would usually run some flavor of Unix or Windows XP. Windows could not offer a new OS that would actually run on these useful devices. Now we are seeing the emergence of various types of tablets - devices that try to be more portable, more convenient and more useful by having longer battery life. The battery life is key, and a new chip technology called ARM is used more and more in such devices. The trick behind ARM is that chips that run it don't suck as much electricity, but those chips are not powerful enough to support Windows, while they are plenty powerful to support leaner, better architected operating systems. Microsoft just showcased an HP tablet running some slimmed down version of Windows 7. The sense I am getting from reading about it is - "what's the point?" And even "why is MS showcasing the device - we care about the device, not the OS that is running on it" - here are a couple of examples: Why HP Doesn't Need The Microsoft Tablet < http://www.google.com/url?sa=X&q=http://katonda.com/blog/459/why-hp-doesnt-need-microsoft-tablet&ct=ga&cd=kaH_lX6IrGM&usg=AFQjCNHPqF95Yq2naEUCcO01rdEjff12kg> Will next-gen e-readers disrupt magazine publishing? < http://www.google.com/url?sa=X&q=http://www.infoworld.com/d/open-source/will-next-gen-e-readers-disrupt-magazine-publishing-264&ct=ga&cd=kaH_lX6IrGM&usg=AFQjCNFC5IMsRq9tRgJYoCHBE72FxSWp2A> InfoWorld But a color tablet, whether from Apple or running Windows, *Ubuntu* or Android, could be just what's needed. I think the fundamental problem with Microsoft and its software is not necessarily the software itself, but the attitude that brings about the software. Reality has a way of catching with us (q.v., ignoring a bill). I think Microsoft is about the get a major reality check. ..
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Old trashy looking woman, going to young singles bar. Me, commenting to Theron as she passes: "She's a cougar, what do you expect?" Theron: "She's not a cougar, she's an alley cat." |
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It took me a few days to garner enough mental gonads to write about tasks (I didn't set a due date to myself so put those snickers away). The reason - it's tricky. So before I melt to wax rhapsodical about what a task is (for me) and how they get generated, let me give a summary of how plan to manage the stuff. This is very much a conceptual work in progress, so I expect the picture I draw here to morph a number of times over the next few weeks. On some level, the balance is between efficiency and economy. Ideally, all my tasks will reside in the same data store - but in order to do that, I would been to do more typing than I feel is warranted - I could be wrong/missing something obvious (or not so obvious), so if you see where I am missing a shortcut and a good way of going about something that I am currently not doing - call me on it. I want to see my tasks whenever I might need to execute them, so once again, ubiquity is key. I found that the most widely available task data store is an online application called Remember The Milk, or RTM for short ( http://www.rememberthemilk.com/). So first, how do tasks get in electronically? - I can fairly easily create RTM tasks using my computer whether I am connected to the Internet or not (RTM can sync to my machine).
- I can enter tasks using my phone - there is a free Android software called Astrid that syncs with the RTM data store on the web, as well as an RTM Android software for which you will need to get an RTM Pro account ($25).
- RTM created plugins for gmail and Google calendar that allow me to enter tasks from within emails and calendar events - more on that below.
Naturally, if all I have is a piece of paper... well you know that part. I find that in the course of my day I need to do a great many things. Doing all of them as they come up will f--k with my priority sans both lube and consent, which means I need to capture tasks and VERY QUICKLY prioritize them. The capturing needs to be done in such a way so that the task does not get lost in some list or folder. I need to make sure that at the right moment I am reminded that there is something I need to do. The organization of tasks and reminder process will take another post - if I write about it now I am guaranteed not to accomplish anything else today :-) What I do want to talk about is all the data that potentially does not become an actual RTM task, but is a task nevertheless. The most obvious example is emails. I would get an email that has a great deal of background information about something I need to do. The natural flow would be to click on something from within the email which would either turn it into a task, or generate a task that links to it. The RTM gmail plugin does that - to a degree; the resulting RTM task maintains the link to the original email only when viewed through the gmail plugin (so if I look at it through the native RTM website, Astrid, or any other tool that connects and syncs with RTM, I don't see the orignial email. The other problem with the gmail plugin is that sometimes it stops working when Google makes changes to the gmail code (which happens fairly often). A much more natural way of generating tasks from within gmail is to use Google tasks. The problem with that is that Google tasks don't sync with RTM. My email client - Thunderbird - has a task functionality, but it is limited to the Thunderbird application and is not accessible in any other way. So sometimes what is more convenient is to take an email, and to file it is such a way that it acts like a task - in the sense of telling me what to do, and reminding me of it at the right time and under the right circumstances. Once again, I will talk about the filing system in a subsequent post, but if the filing process takes less than the generation of the new task, and actually works, then I save time and achieve the desired result - knowing what I need to do when I need to do it. Then there are task lists. For instance - things to get at a pharmacy, things to get at supermarket. Very often there is no need to put a priority or a due date, but simply to have the list at hand, so when I happen to be at a CVS, I can see all the things I need to get there. These are certainly tasks, but I find that it might be excessive to create a separate task entry every for getting shaving cream or OJ (matter of opinion, and certainly open to debate). Instead, I am generating lists (and there are other, not strictly task related uses for lists, of which there will be a separate post) with entries. So I have a CVS list, a Whole Foods list, etc. Here accessibility is key. An argument could be made for keeping such lists on paper, but I am taking the electronic route. I really like a note taking application called Tomboy, and have been using it fairly expensively for ad hoc notes taking. Tomboy has many good things going for it in terms of interface, usability, ability to link notes together, and sychronization across different computers as well as being able to access notes on the Web (through a free version of UbuntuOne). Unfortunately it misses a solid Android version. I don't expect to have a computer and or Internet access available when I am at the pharmacy, whereas I am very likely to have my phone with me. So, for the time being I will use Google Docs which are available universally through the web, sync to local computers and to my Android machine. So, at the end of the day I have: - RTM tasks accessible through the web (RTM web page, gmail, Google Calendar) , and a variety of applications (Thunderbird) and devices (Android phone)
- Emails - appropriately filed (of which much more later)
- Lists in the forms of Google docs that I can access on a computer (whether I am connected to the Internet or not) and my Android phone.
Okay, back to actually getting things done rather than just talking about them. As I mentioned above, I am yet to discuss task and email filing and the additional usage of lists, but I think that next time I will talk about the process of dealing the the dreaded In Box.. |
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phrase of the day: "those numbers are exquisitely not-bad." lunch with ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) jadia is a great goodness. so is a sandwich with fresh mozarella, tomato, basil, herb mayo and bacon. don't go drinking at soundbites. the deserted peace and quiet is not worth the miserable liquor selection and being kicked out before 10pm. on the other hand, the contrast when one then stumbles to gargoyles and gets a drink by the good bartender is quite delicious. i just used a 18" adjustable wrench to remove a 5/8" bolt. i'm a fan of wretched excess, but that's just ridiculous. our flight to chicago this evening was randomly cancelled, and apparently we've been rebooked on one at 6am tomorrow. nevermind the hotel room we'd paid for for tonight, or how much that will trash our day tomorrow with the lack of sleep. wtf, united? (i sincerely hope to return from chicago with all my bits, none of them frozen off. whose bright idea was it to go to chicago in january?) your moment of geeky zen. |
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Theron and I are watching a porn documentary on CNBC. Narrator: [Something about some prolific director who makes porn for DVD, the internet, and cell phones.]
Me, amazed: You can get porn on your cell phone?
Theron, chewing: Apparently. Gives a whole new meaning to "touch screen." |
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Guess who's Editor's Pick again? Not that it's hard, but still, it's nice to see some recognition. But apparently my titles suck. They always change them. Must work on titling. Titling? That just looks dirty. Titleing? Nope, that's not it either. Oh well. Must work on naming things better. Point is, go read me because I'm all smart and shit. Or if you don't believe that, go read me because I revealed my two celebrity crushes. Oh, and Theron? Yeah, you really need to blog on OS. What do I need to do to convince you? |
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In light of the whole Newark Airport overreaction fiasco the other day, here's something I overheard in the Nashville airport last week. Something which is sure to offend, because I'm in that sort of mood. And apparently so was the guy who said it. Random guy putting his shoes back on after security checkpoint: "This is ridiculous! I don't care if it's not PC...if he's brown, search him! You don't see middle class white people blowing up airplanes!" File this one under Things You Might Not Want To Say Out Loud In Public. |
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To keep track on what I need to get done I need the following: 1. A calendar that tells me what is going on today (meetings, appointments, and the like) 2. A list of tasks I need to do 3. Supporting materials I might need to refer to so that I can accomplish whatever I am supposed to do today. Ideally, the calendar, task list and supporting information would reside in the same system or application. And when I say "application" I am referring, of course, to software (hence, to a degree is the difficulty). While I am sometimes tempted to go to an all paper system, where I can stick any piece of paper into a file, a pure paper system is impractical - I would be spending most of my day keeping my calendar up to date! The thing is that the structure of my personal and professional life is such, that I must use an electronic calendar to understand what world I am living in. I have a personal Google calendar, as well as a professional Google calendar (we use Google for calendaring at work); most, if not all of the people I am involved with personally, have Google calendars; all my colleagues have Google calendars (through work). To keep track of what I and anyone else is doing, I simply add the right calendar to my view and presto! Accomplishing the same with paper would be painfully tedious. The thing that appeals to me about Google calendar, and many other calendaring services and applications, is that they use standard formats and protocols; what it means is that more often than not, I can view a calendar regardless of what technology I happen to be using - I happen to use browsers, so I can see my and others' calendars through the Google Calendar url, as well as Mozilla Thunderbird with Lightning, Evolution and Apple's iCal. Not only can I see all the calendaring info in any of the above applications, but I can also see them on the fly through my mobile phone (I use the Google phone, running the Android OS (which, I guess, is what makes it a Google phone)). I can naturally access calendaring info if I am using my computer. Even if I don't have Internet access, I can view the data locally through Evolution/Thunderbird/iCal. Conversely, if I don't have my computer, but have access to the Internet through any other computer, all I need to do is log to my gmail account, and all the calendars are there. If I have neither, I can access the data through my phone. If I am out of reach of any wireless networks I have access to or phone reception, I can still view the most recent data, since it is stored locally on the phone. Thus, the likelihood of not having access to my data is slim - no computers, non Internet, no phone. While it is possible to happen, it is less likely than for me to lose a paper calendar (that admittedly does not require electricity or Internet access). So, any reason for me to use a paper system? Next - Tasks - but for now, back to bill paying work... |
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This LJ blog is for friends only, with the exception of the list of books I read and am reading this year. If we know each other - electronically or in person, and you are interested, please let me know. imlad. |
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I can't say that I have been coasting through life - I am NOT one of those people who did well in school whether they studies or not (you know who you are, and I love you - heck, I am even married to one of you). The same goes for work (the bill paying variety). I have always taken something approaching an unhealthy delight in planning, organization, creation of lists, etc. None of the systems/planners/approaches ever proved satisfactory, until I stumbled upon David Allen's "Getting Things Done." The appealing thing about the methodology he describes (which is based on common sense and experience) is the not only how to get things done, but the realization that one needs to get things done ONE'S WAY. Rather embarrassingly, the first time I read the book, I didn't finish it, and certainly did not implement the methodology in my day to day work. So this December I ploughed through the book and started the cleaning and organizing process. I know that quite a few people I know read the book, and have been applying it this way or another. As I try my hand at processing stuff as it comes (flies, explodes) my way, without anything lurking in task management limbo, waiting to pounce upon me, I will try to share thoughts, experiences and conclusions as to what works and what doesn't. I would be very interested in people feedback about the approach in general, as well as the specific issues I am encountering and will be blogging here about. |
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Completed
"Getting things done " David Allen
"The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana" Umberto Eco
Currently reading
"A History of Western Philosophy" Bertrand Russell
"Random Harvest" James Hilton
"One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest" Ken Kesey
"Russian Reader" Vail & Genis
"The Confusion" Neal Stephenson
"The Yiddish Policemen's Union" Michael Chabon |
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It never occurred to me that it was a new decade for everyone until they started coming out with the Best/Worst _____ of the Decade lists. Then I realized it was, I guess (if you count ten year increments from 0-9 and not 1-0) and it surprised me. I was so focused on my own personal new decade that I sort of forgot about the rest of the world, as I'm so adept at doing. I was born in 1980, so I’ll always be celebrating the new decades on two levels.
( Lessons Learned )
Moving on, I have high hopes and a lot of energy for the coming years. I am in a good place as a writer. I have two novels progressing nicely, and I’m experimenting with other forms. I have more and more short stories. I’m still forcing myself to practice poetry, and even though I don’t have a good intuitive grasp of it, I do love to read it, even if I’m a mediocre at writing it. I have an OpenSalon blog now, which is writing for a public community – a very different thing, as others have noted, and something I’m enjoying. I have way more posts written than I’ve actually posted. I’m pacing myself. As mentioned above, I love my job, as I see *real* results from the work which I and my coworkers do, rather than living in a world of theory and nonsensical pseudo-intellectual blathering. Yes, I am rather hard on academia, but I am so because I’ve been there, tasted it, lived with it, been related to it, and have found very little redeeming about it in its modern manifestation. And since I am no leader and no revolutionary, I have instead found a world in which I am infinitely more useful. For me, it’s all about doing something useful. Useful work, useful output. I will positively affect more people doing the work I do forty hours a week than by teaching apathetic freshmen and schmoozing with egotistical colleagues. I will reach more people with short stories and novels than I will by blathering on about theory in an academic publication which maybe five-hundred other people will read and understand, or spending years on a dissertation in which I am essentially talking to myself (for I consider most academics to be a singular hive-mind rather than a collection of creative individuals.) Teaching I would reconsider, as long as it was a writing course. Preferably in a non-traditional setting. I have Things To Say about writing, and I fully intend to say them. Someday. It’s a long-term goal. In the short term, I am satisfied with my job, satisfied with my writing, satisfied with what I’m learning from each, satisfied that I have transcended my academic background and become a useful and vastly more content person. I am getting a tattoo when I’m 30. Nothing low-class, nowhere visible – I’m not ready to take the step to visibility – this is for me. I'm really into body art, piercing, tattooing, etc. What holds me back from indulging more than I already have is that I'm also really into being a responsible adult, and that means adhering to company dress code policies. It is likely that at least one child will make his/her appearance in the next…oh…few years. I want to keep the element of surprise on my side with the timing, but someday, you'll all be greeted with that news. I feel capable of parenting now. I didn't a few years ago. I just have a few more things I need to do first, but I'm well on my way to being where I know I need to be. And…lots of other things. Travel and new experiences and new skills and new people and new achievements. I want to start converting all of those someday I’ll… into actual experiences. I feel like I’ve got some momentum pushing me into the coming years. Excitement, things to look forward to, things to realize. It won’t all be good, but I’m much more capable of handling the bad, much more self-confident, much more at ease with life’s up and downs and not at all the trembling ball of anxiety I was ten years ago. (On a side note, anxiety can be identified and overcome - *looks at a certain person in Boston* - so don’t give up. These things take time. Sometimes a lot of time. Sometimes you’ll feel like you’re not getting anywhere and you’re doomed to be trapped inside of it forever. I’ve been there, so I sympathize. What’s important is to persevere, even when you can’t see the end of the road. You’ll be a much better person for having had the existential crisis than you would have been had you been born self-assured.) I think, if I have anything to say about being successful at life in the coming years, it’s that life is a hands-on thing. You need to dig in, get dirty, take risks, and overcome fear if you’re going to get anywhere worth being. I have found that it’s the laziest people of my acquaintance who are the most vocal about feeling like they were “meant” to do something, “meant” to be remembered for something, “meant” to be great. They’re the ones who sit back and wait for life to happen, who want the rewards but aren’t willing to do the work, the ones who always have some excuse to be stagnant - they're sick, they're injured, they're depressed, they're having mommy/daddy issues, they're having boyfriend/girlfriend issues, they're not getting enough love/support/money/cuddling/attention/praise, etc. But by god, someday someone will discover their amazingness and they'll be great at something! *eyeroll*
No, gentle readers. If you’re meant to do something, then go do it. Work for it, fight for it, learn about it, practice it, get better at it. Don't expect to reap the rewards your first time out - expect to fail, and be happy when you do. It makes you better in the long run, it makes you smarter, and it makes the wins taste a hell of a lot sweeter when they happen.
That’s what I did - acted, worked, learned - and look what happened: I became exactly who I wanted to be, and I'm starting out my 30s, decade no. 4, feeling stronger and more capable than I ever have.
Imagine that. :-) |
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Bruce and Theron and I are in Wal-Mart. Theron: As long as we're here, we should get some Velveeta and salsa and make some trailer park queso.
Bruce: We should get Cheetos.Theron, laughing: White trash fondue! We can dip them in the queso!* * * * * * * Spent the day museuming and lunching at famous Denver dives and seeing movies and walking dogs and stopping by Wal-Mark and now relaxing and introducing Bruce to www.peopleofwalmart.com and tomorrow making a huge breakfast before Bruce zips off to his mysterious romantic appointment. Speaking of, I have another QOTD. I'm going to post it friends only so as not to break one of my cardinal LJ rules. I am starting off the year Doing The Right Thing. Go me. Happy 2010! :-> |
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strangely, i feel little need or ability to sum up my 2009. it... was. it was neither the best year of my life, nor the worst. i re-read my last year's summing up post... "2008 feels like it was a lot about resting and regrouping for me -- i hope 2009 is as nourishing, but i want to seek out more direction and purpose to go along with it. i want to give more, seek more... and hopefully also be in a place where i can rely on and accept more support." 2009 also felt somewhat fallow for me, like a repeat with a little more depth. this afternoon i made my new year's outfit with major help/encouragement/expertise from doeeyedbunny. it was more technically challenging than i normally would tackle, and i ended up completing it well before we were supposed to leave for the evening's parties, and it fits me stunningly well. i want more of that in 2010 -- challenging myself, being creative, finishing things, feeling in the zone, and the satisfaction from doing something right. i'm going to go back to jewelry studio (which i haven't entered since may), and make more art. i'm going to get a better violin and see where that allows me to go with my music. i want to dance more, cook more, and keep and strengthen the connections to people that were important to me this year. ...but right now, i'm going to go to bed and snuggle eric. |
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I don't have a lot this year. 2009 didn't really suck for me the way it seemed to for a lot of others, so I think I'm in a pretty good spot. I don't have a lot of things I need to stop or start, mostly just things I'd like to continue. I've met a lot of my goals from last year, and 2010 is going to be a continuance of those goals, seeing them out to their inevitable conclusions. It's kind of a bridge year. I won't be taking on anything new, just taking the next steps with writing and career goals. Still, I think this is a really good exercise to do periodically. And since I'm too damn tired to wax poetic about the new decade, here it is. * * * STOP Listening too much to others when my instincts are telling me something else entirely. This is a big one - I need to not second guess myself so much. START Trying out different kinds of writing – essays, etc. Attending writer’s conferences, at least one by September. Maybe expanding my cooking repertoire a bit. I have a blank recipe book I just started filling out the other day.
Formally querying my work. CONTINUE Writing novels! Blogging on OpenSalon (I’m KCMorley if you’re interested.)
Sending out poems/short stories/essays for publication. Challenging myself to keep doing things that scare me, with the end goal of not turning into a person ruled by fear. I have, in the past, had entirely too high of a tolerance for bad behavior and phoniness. So I will continue pushing people out of my life who are not good people and not good for me. Rid myself of the last vestiges of badness this year, so I think I’m good for a while. Fitness/weight maintenance. I’m in a good spot after 11 weeks of personal training earlier this year, need to keep up the energy.
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