Incredibly Inspirational

An incredibly inspirational lecture by Peter Diamandis at the TED conference. His optimism about technology and the world in general is refreshing when so many are so grim. It's important to remember the sky has been falling for the past 12,000 years, and each generation sure it was the last with any sense, or able to avoid disaster.

Regarding Windows

So, today, this article turned up in my RSS feed Windows 8 Consumer Preview: No Going Back from Gizmodo , and that's what we'll be discussing today.

I've read some reviews of Windows 8 and have seen some usage and the first thing that struck me was "dayum, that is pretty." Because it really really is. I mean, just look:

That's gorgeous! This is Microsoft finally paying attention to their products looking finished and cohesive across all brands. Note that you can find this same design principle- the Metro UI- across all of Microsoft's properties: Windows Phone 7, XBOX, Zune, and now Windows 8. It's minimalistic, sleek, and symmetrical. This is a departure from the recent movement by industry design leaders (read: Apple) to embrace skeumorphism (an example of a skeumorphism is a calendar application that looks exactly like a calendar on your wall; real life allegories in a digital environment) as a design principle. It'll be interesting to see which comes out on top, but for my money I prefer non-skeumorphic.

It looks nice, and by all accounts- I have not used it, so this is not a hands on review- it's quite snappy and responsive. There is an active community quickly developing apps for the system, and they're mostly free. So that's all good.

However, there are some issues. This is a touch based operating system. It was definitely designed touch first. From what I've seen and heard, using it on a desktop is almost entirely like using Windows 7, which is pleasant- it's the best Windows to date- but that means this upgrade might not be necessary for most. It also means that where the touch environment is most notable- the Start screen (pictured above) and Windows 8 apps- it may be difficult to navigate via keyboard and mouse. Lifehacker tested this with a keyboard and mouse, and while it seemed that they figured it out and it worked well, the point is that it isn't intuitive, out of the box, you would likely spend some time figuring this stuff out. What I'd really like to see is hardware that catches up to this software. A multitouch trackpad if they could get it passed Apple's lawyers, and perhaps a capacitive touch screen if they can't. That would actually be pretty interesting, it could display notifications, and integrate or perhaps be replaced by your Windows Phone.

I like what I've seen so far, and if it's at least as good as Windows 7 and Windows Phone 7, then I'm sure it will do well.

My Productivity System

Since is the first post of its type, I feel no shame in conducting some original research. I don't have a formal job right now- all my current freelance work is strictly short term- so I don't have a very set work schedule. So my productivity notes will be strictly Writing, Speech, and Schoolwork based

• Writing- With my writing, a big portion of "productivity" is sticking to a schedule. Even though I don't write professionally, I still like to keep up the quality of my work. So I have time blocked off every day to write; for this I use Google Calendar. In my personal calendar, I have my most creative time- between one and three, jacked up on caffeine- blocked off for serious writing every day. That means prose, letters, speeches, or essays. To keep my writing backed up, I use Dropbox. This is also handy because if I ever need to get reviews or feedback, I can get an easily share-able link. Highly recommend. To make sure that I'm actually on track, I use the Pomodoro Technique: which is essentially sprint working.You intensely for a short period of time, and then take a break. Very effective. To implement this, I use a Chrome extension: Strict Pomodoro. It blocks distracting sites while I work, and times me. To actually write, I use Focus Writer, a freeware tool from a great developer.
• Speech- Speech sometimes gets enveloped in writing, as I do indeed have to write speeches. However, there is a more fine grain approach to it. Starting with speech ideas, I use Evernote to keep track of any idea I have, tagged with which type of speech it is, and what season I'm hoping to use it for. Once the ideas are compiled, I forget them. Then, when I need a speech, there they are. After that, I use Google for research, and compile the research in Evernote, again. Tagged and in a separate notebook. Then I use my writing techniques to outline, write, draft, re-draft, and re-draft my speech. Pomodoro practice tops it off. Tournament schedules get plugged into Google Calendar, and since I need to pack the same things several times, I keep them separate and in a plastic storage bin. 
• One of my events is called Extemporaneous Speech, and for that I need to have articles from well respected publications available as sources. Since I only have 1/2 an hour to prepare, and no internet access, they have to be available on my computer in as organized a way as possible. Once again, Evernote. This system is complex, ordered list time!
1. Find source
2. Find RSS feed
3. Plug RSS feed into Full Feed Extractor (because some of them suck and only give previews)
4. Take new feed and plug it into If This, Then That. If This, Then That is a tool that automates web applications based on triggers. For example, if someone tags you in a photo on Facebook, it downloads the image to Dropbox. Highly recommend. In this case, I have a "New Feed Item" trigger, then it puts the feed item into Evernote
5. Make sure feed shows up in Evernote.
6. That's it
• Schoolwork- I do actually do my schoolwork! Those that know me will find this remarkable. Notes are all either typed directly into Evernote- every class has its own notebook- or transcribed out of a notebook. Evernote makes compiling exam reviews a breeze. Whenever I get an assignment, the due date is instantly put into Google Calendar, and I get reminders with a week left, a day left, twelve hours left, an hour left, and fifteen minutes left. It borders on paranoia/OCD, but it works. For physical handouts, printed material, and paper copies of notes, every class has a folder. They cost me $.50 from a dollar store.

That's it, that's how I manage being a college student.

The Coffee House Journals: What and Why

In every coffee house across the United States and Western Europe, there is a person between 16 and 31 years old, tapping away on a Macbook and smugly smiling at people trying to get their caffeine fix. If you ask them what they're writing, they'll respond with a condescending summary of a screenplay, novel, or business plan. These people are pretentious. I am also pretentious, but too cheap to go out and get coffee. So the writings and smugness end up here.

The "why" of things is very simple: I was told to. But, because I have a low tolerance for boredom and an impish and contrary nature, I'll try to have fun with it.

The "what" is somewhat more complicated. I've tried keeping blogs before, and the world has yet to recognize my genius. So, instead of random musings, we'll try structure and a semblance of reason.

• Monday- Speech. I have tournaments over the weekends, so new ideas for speeches, tournament rankings, and the interesting people involved will be covered on Mondays
• Tuesday- Productivity and Collaboration. I have the class this day, so it should be good.
• Wednesday- A response to an article in my RSS feed. They're generally about tech, but I have some recipe feeds, productivity feeds, and fashion feeds. I'll link to and properly attribute every article.
• Thursday- Writing prompts. I like writing, so I'll find an inspiration every week and put my response here. I would enjoy seeing others in comments.
• Friday- Grab bag. Friday will be interesting, I promise.
• Saturday/Sunday- Screw you I'm not doing homework on the weekends