Categories
Web Development

Sublime Text 2

Being a nerd is an odd thing. We’re really particular about things that never even occur to The Normals. Take, for example, text editors. For a web developer or a writer well-verses in Markdown, selecting the right text editor for the task is a Very Important Thing. IDEs and GUI applications often get in the […]

Categories
Google

Productive Email With Gmail

I’m a longtime Gmail user, but between my BlackBerry and the fact that I don’t get a ton of personal email, I’ve never spent a lot of time working in its web interface. That changed recently when I began piloting Google Apps Premier Edition for me and a couple of other colleague at work – […]

Categories
Simplicity

Extensions vs Bookmarklets

I’ve been using Google Chrome since the first beta was released back in the fall of 2008, and it quickly became the default browser on my laptop. For over a year, speed and an uncluttered interface were its main selling points, as it lacked the one big thing Firefox had over it: extensions. The ability […]

Categories
Software

Three Great Uses For Dropbox

Dropbox is one of my favorite little pieces of software. It’s practically invisible, silently keeping your dropbox folder synchronized on all the computers you have it installed on (Windows, Macintosh, or Linux). I can’t recommend it highly enough. Because Dropbox is so easy to use, it’s easy to forget that it’s also very powerful. Here are two […]

Categories
Technology

Mobile Organization with Sandy and Jott

Since its release in May 2005, I had been using 37signals’ Backpack web application to keep track of pretty much anything I needed to remember. It worked well for awhile, but eventually became a burden. It became a dumping ground for everything in my head, and I began to dread logging into my account each […]

Categories
Work

How the Command Line Saved Me from 19 Hours of Tedious Work

At work the other day, I ran into a somewhat odd problem. I had a Windows server with nearly 3,000 folders, each containing a PDF file and an empty ZIP file, looking a little something like this: 2ec99d82-4b79-4454-9f4a-3b52c1cc63cc |– 2ec99d82-4b79-4454-9f4a-3b52c1cc63cc.zip |– 2ec99d82-4b79-4454-9f4a-3b52c1cc63cc.pdf Sidenote: In case you’re curious, that long, weird looking string of numbers and […]

Categories
GTD

Getting Things Done with Backpack, SMS, and Google’s Apps

I have to admit: I love the Getting Things Done productivity system, but I’m not very good at sticking with it. At some point in the process, I forget about the single, trusted place to put down all of the “stuff” in my head (ideas, to-dos, etc.) and end up with multiple dumping spots. Random […]

Categories
Software

My Favorite Firefox Extensions

One of my friends recently asked me what I’m using for extensions in Firefox 2, then suggested I share my list with the world. So, that’s exactly what I’m doing here. I’ll split them up by category so you can find the ones that apply to you. Improving the Firefox Interface Even though Firefox is […]

Categories
Fun

The Procrastinator’s Clock

Last week David Seah released the Procrastinator’s Clock, a simple clock that runs somewhere between on time and 15 minutes ahead. If you’re the type of person to set your clock 10 minutes ahead, then build that buffer into your plans anyway, it might be worth a look. Besides being fun, the Procrastinator’s Clock reminds […]

Categories
Macintosh

Quicksilver

Today I downloaded and installed Quicksilver on my PowerMac at work after about a week of curiousity. I first read about it on 43 Folders (one of my favorite new sites), which offers a bunch of “life hacks” with the aim of becoming more productive in work and life. I have to admit that I […]