The Log

One Bucket to Rule Them All

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 18:37:34 -0700

This post makes use of terminology from the ancient black art of GTD (Getting Things Done). If you are unfamiliar with this nefarious practice, good for you. I urge you to stop reading now. If self-abuse is your thing, you can learn more about GTD and its creator here.

Recently, Shawn Blanc succinctly and eloquently summed up a number of my thoughts on the topic of inboxes and task management. In his post, Shawn lists a few different issues that many of us experience when coming across bits of information of various types from various sources on various devices. This has been an irritating problems that has also vexed me for some time.

I’m not alone in this. I’ve had readers and online acquaintances complain of the same issue. Josh Cody, a fellow web worker, expressed his frustration well:

All of this is just off-the-top-of-my-head talk. I’ve just been thinking about trying to build something better for me, and I’m not even sure what I want or am frustrated with, I just know I’m not happy.

That’s a good way to word it — nothing is more frustrating than an unidentified source of frustration. And I believe Shawn puts it even better under III in the article I reference above:

It seems as if every day I bump into things while reading feeds, Twitter, the Web, or email — things I want to download, buy, research, and etcetera. But often I’m unable to take action at that moment. How then can I save it for later?

It’s hard to pinpoint the exact issue. After quite a bit of thought, I would describe it as such:

We have various sources of useful information, but of various types, each requiring different actions.

An example may help. I could spend 10 minutes on twitter, from whatever client I use to access the stream, and come across a mention of a wallet I may want to purchase, a link to some slides I would like to peruse, and a link to a blog post that I’d like to read later. Each requires a slightly different action from me: some are tasks, some are a piece of information to reference later, and some are just curiosity.

And for those immersed in the ecosystem of Apple, this means you have two or three devices on which you might come across these bits of information. And with each device comes a different context — your ability to perform each required action is not the same on each device.

The problem is multi-faceted, due to the types of information and the different levels of ability on a given device.

In his article, Shawn proposed a solution that was web based, similar to Instapaper, but focused on tasks. His premise is that you reduce your system to one overall bucket of collection, to which I say amen. I think he has the right idea — instead of one tool to file/archive/act-on for each item, what we need is one place to collect it all (and it must be accessible from the desktop, the iPhone and the iPad). From there, the user can perform whatever each required action in the comfortable, familiar tools of their choice.

And although Shawn is hoping someone will build this service, I think we have a really good option already.

My Choice: OmniFocus

Lest I start a holy war, let me start with this: I do not have a hard line stance that OmniFocus is so much better than Things or TeuxDeux or any other task management solution available today. It is simply my belief that OmniFocus is currently the best option to give Mac users the tool to capture everything in one place. With a client on all three devices, and their own cloud based syncing service (still in beta), I believe OmniGroup is in the position to dominate this arena.

I didn’t feel this way until I started to use the iPad client. It is by far the best of the three. Why do I feel like OF solves the issues I and others have stated?

It’s on all three devices we Apple fans use
It syncs flawlessly
It’s accessible via all the apps that are our sources of information

The first item is self-explanatory.

For the second item, although OmniFocus gives you multiple methods to sync your data between clients, I believe their Omni Sync Server is the option that will win people to the platform. (Yes, I would consider it a platform since it lives in the cloud and syncs with a client for each device. Like Simplenote, it’s a proprietary platform, but a platform nonetheless). Who knows — perhaps in time the OmniGroup will also make your OmniFocus items accessible as a web app.

For item 3, the ability to dump links and reference information into your OF bucket is essential. As Shawn references to in his post, he cannot add items to Things on the iPhone or iPad as he can on his mac. Thanks to the Safari bookmarklet available in OF, this is not an issue for me.

Now, it’s true that one cannot add items straight from my iPad Twitter client or Instapaper on my iPhone. But I can from Safari. In Shawn’s post, he mentions that his proposed service, if adopted by developers as Instapaper has been, would meet the need of being available from all the apps we use regularly.

The archive mechanism in Safari meets this need now.

Every app that I use that is a source of archivable/actionable information gives the option to view each item in Safari. Reeder: check. Instapaper: check. Every Twitter client I’ve used: check. Sure, having to exit and re-enter the original app is a small bit of friction. But I can still do what I need and collect the piece of knowledge I have deemed necessary. And when iOS 4’s multitasking comes to the iPad (today?), this workflow will improve even more and the small bit of friction will be reduced to nothing.

An Aside

I may be running the risk of turning this post into an OmniFocus iPad review, but there are two items worth mentioning here. I stated above that this OmniFocus iPad is the best of the three. It is indeed, but I’ll go one further: it’s the best task management tool that I’ve used. Period.

This is partly due because the platform itself is present — and usable — on the three main devices I use. But I must profess my love for the Forecast feature that was added to this client. It is not present on the Mac or the iPhone clients.

After a couple of days of using the Forecast ‘view’, I asked myself, “Why has no other Mac task application used this exact interface?” Indeed, even the Mac client for OmniFocus pales in my usage. The ability to quickly see a timeline of what’s coming down the pipe, no matter the project or context — has been a boon to my tool belt. To have all overdue items available in one quick glance is also beneficial.

Don’t let my use of a task management app dissuade you here. The problem I — and others — have encountered is one of collection. The fact that OmniFocus deals with tasks is handy in that I can manage my tasks as well as archiving information in the same collection bucket. But it’s a great solution even for those who don’t give a hoot about managing tasks. Of course, with the total cost of all three clients coming in at $140, it’s a little steep for only collecting items.

But I don’t believe that’s the target audience in question here. Folks who work on a Mac all day, do just that — work. And since you have to manage tasks and information, OmniFocus is a great option. In my mind, it’s the best option and it’s already here.

chrisleboe: Tchesinkut Lake, BC in the late afternoon. Nice...

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 15:40:34 -0700

chrisleboe:

Tchesinkut Lake, BC in the late afternoon.

Nice catch by my friend, Chris Leboe.

"The site is different now. It used to have to hold pictures. Now, it has to hold ideas, and that,..."

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 17:58:58 -0700

“The site is different now. It used to have to hold pictures. Now, it has to hold ideas, and that, decidedly, must look different. I’m still trying to grok what that means, but with each change I feel like I’m getting a little closer. You know how clothes start to feel better as you grow into them? That.”

- Frank Chimero

Simplenote: Updated

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 06:33:47 -0700

Shawn Blanc posted an excellent review of the new Simplenote. It’s a good summary of the added features in version 3, while also giving folks who don’t use the app a variety of reasons of why they should be.

ColorBlendy

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 12:37:00 -0700

An entry in the 10K Apart contest, ColorBlendy is a nicely implemented tool. Bookmarked.

Where’s My Vertical Margin?

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 05:42:00 -0700

Where’s My Vertical Margin?:

Motherfuton pens a nice refresher on CSS and the difference between block and inline elements. This a good explanation that gives clarity for the novice front end developer.

"Thoughtfulness is free and burns on time and empathy."

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 08:53:18 -0700

“Thoughtfulness is free and burns on time and empathy.”

- Frank Chimero

Six Degrees of Dan Cederholm

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 12:01:00 -0700

Nathan Smith tweeted about a small tool he built using the Dribbble API. It allows you to see who drafted a ‘player’ into Dribbble.

I took a quick look and entered in my name, which showed that I was drafted by Noah Stokes. And with Nathan’s setup, there is an arrow beside the drafter’s name with which you can see who drafted them. A couple of clicks later, I arrived at the Godfather!

Cool. And how did I get there? In four easy steps: chrisbowler > motherfuton > beep > simplebits. Unrelated: I obviously need a cooler handle …

4 degrees of separation. Let’s play a game: how many degrees are you from Dan?

Idea Cafe

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 11:58:03 -0700

It was a pleasure to finally launch a new personal project on Tuesday. A big reason for my lack of posting here, this project was an absolute blast. There is so much pleasure in taking a mere idea to a full fledged implementation. Hopefully one that will be a success at some point as well. And if it’s not, there was a metric ton of learning along the way, so I will consider it time well spent regardless.

The biggest lesson I took away from Idea Cafe was this: involve others. Especially in a personal project like this, having the voice and opinion of others is vital. When you are responsible from everything from the branding to the design to creation of business processes, you will lose perspective. When you are knee deep in domain names, product pictures, shipping costs, web store software, and vendor agreements, nothing helps you regain a sense of the big picture like quality feedback.

As the old Proverb says:

Without counsel, plans go awry, but in the multitude of counselors they are established.

Thankfully, I’ve been blessed to come in contact with so many talented folks around this big world we call the internet. And so I say a big thank you to Noah Stokes, Phil Coffman, Sean Sperte, Shawn Blanc, Michael Mistretta and Patrick Rhone for their spot-on feedback and criticism. When these people talk, you listen carefully.

An even bigger thank you to two other folks who had a big part in the creative items. Aaron Mahnke was the creator of the gorgeous logo and a handful of other graphics. The logo itself goes so far to establish the brand. Thanks Aaron.

And a big thank you to my good friend and photographer, Dezene Huber. Dezene was responsible for all the product photos used in the store. Dezene has said before that the problem with amateur photographers is that they have no stamina. I can attest to that when it comes to taking a myriad of photos of notebooks sitting in one spot. Way to pull me though Dez, and thank you!

And so, while I’m happy to finally launch the store, there are a lot of improvements needed. I’m never satisfied, but that’s part of the joy of creating — and improving — your own brand. It never ends.

If you’re into notebooks and other creative tools, follow us here.

Minimal Mac: New Year. New Logo.

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 13:09:42 -0700

Minimal Mac: New Year. New Logo.:

Designed with love, care, and a lot of fiddling due to my misdirection and honest attempt to finally have a staring spot on Clients from Hell, by Aaron Mahnke of Wet Frog Studios

Lovely new logo for MinimalMac by Aaron (click through to see it for yourself. I can attest to Aaron’s skills — he also created the logo for Idea Cafe.

It seems all I post here these days are snapshots of lovely web...

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 15:27:00 -0700

It seems all I post here these days are snapshots of lovely web pages … here’s another. Amazing typography, a nice grid, and coffee. What more could you ask for?

Peculiar

Fri, 06 Aug 2010 09:01:05 -0700

A nice set of icons built in CSS rather than as images.

In Defense Of …

Thu, 05 Aug 2010 15:02:00 -0700

I have to stand up and again say a few words in defense of my favorite publishing platform. Khoi Vinh posted a good review of Tumblr, and Cameron Moll followed up. They both make good points — they are after all their personal opinions — but there were a couple of items I feel compelled to respond to.

First off, Khoi comments about the identity crisis inherent in Tumblr:

Tumblr discourages identity. Or, to be more specific, it promotes shallow identity. Moreso than other blogging systems like WordPress or ExpressionEngine, Tumblr blogs frequently offer only scant few details about their authors.

This may be true when spending some time perusing various blogs built upon Tumblr, but once again I believe it is a misdirected complaint. It is up to the author (or site owner) to make themselves known, not the platform. Tumblr offers a description element as well as pages to share more about yourself. In many authors don’t take the time to do so, we cannot fault Tumblr. I would offer my own site as an example: the links above will allow the reader to get to know me a little better.

Cameron, who uses Tumblr himself, raises two issues pertaining to the Tumblr Dashboard:

… the dashboard is virtually useless. If you’re following any more than a handful of active Tumblr users, you’ll be inundated with posts, not to mention trying to track down your own posts among the mix. Also, I dare you to try finding a link to the original Tumblr user’s post from within the dashboard. Not the index page of the user’s site or the media they linked to, but the post they created for that media or text.

Both of these are incorrect.

A Tumblr user can follow many folks if they choose to. But if they do not want a Dashboard full of other people’s posts, they can subscribe to those blogs they enjoy with a good old fashioned RSS feed that Tumblr provides with each account. And if you do follow people using the Tumblr service, you only have to click the link in the sidebar to see only your own posts.

And if you don’t like seeing all the notification as shown here, there is a preference to uncheck. You can have just what you want.

Lastly, the permalink for each post is not obvious, but it is available. Simply hover over the top right corner of each post in the Dashboard and watch for the page fold. I use this all the time as I prefer to read most posts in the design the author intended.

My apologies if I’ve misunderstood Cameron’s complaint, but I believe he was referring to the permalink for each post.

Dear reader, please understand — I am merely responding to the quoted sections above, not the articles in their entirety. I have much respect for the authors and their opinions. Nor do I wish to spend more time on the subject of comments. But I really feel the platform has nothing to do with the quality of the writing or content on a blog — it starts and ends with the person behind the site, not the tool.

You get out what you put into it.

Another awesome design, this time courtesy of fellow Canadian,...

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 12:39:07 -0700

Another awesome design, this time courtesy of fellow Canadian, Dave Ruiz of Foundation Six.

LiveReload: xrefresh for Safari & Chrome

Mon, 02 Aug 2010 09:08:31 -0700

LiveReload: xrefresh for Safari & Chrome:

jessedodds:

LiveReload is a Safari/Chrome extension + a command-line tool that: Applies CSS and JavaScript file changes without reloading a page. Automatically reloads a page when any other file changes (html, image, server-side script, etc). Watch an awesome screencast by Gregg Pollack at envylabs.com.

What an incredibly useful looking tool. Downloading now …

Oh my, what a lovely redesign by Noah Stokes. Of course, any...

Sun, 01 Aug 2010 14:26:27 -0700

Oh my, what a lovely redesign by Noah Stokes. Of course, any site using a background image of a beautiful Canadian city is a winner in my books, but this one has a special place in my heart.

OmniFocus for the iPad

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 08:55:34 -0700

Since I already own versions of OmniFocus for the iPhone and desktop, this looks like an easy sell for me. I love Things as well, but the lack of a OTA sync has been extremely frustrating with three clients. So much so that I’ve basically stopped using it.

So I found it interesting that the page for OmniFocus for the iPad states:

It’s simple to maintain one task management database across several devices with any of our several options for syncing wirelessly.

That is an interesting opening statement. Not sure I need to spend another $40 on a task management app though …

Just a little taste of a personal project that should be...

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 12:38:19 -0700

Just a little taste of a personal project that should be launching early next week. Follow on Twitter for more details.

"But before other children were born, when I was an only child, I had the backseat to myself. Road..."

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 11:32:37 -0700

“But before other children were born, when I was an only child, I had the backseat to myself. Road trips found me there, using the entire wooly backseat as my drafting table for giant coloring books and blank paper and hours ahead with crayons. At that time, the contours of my knowing were what I saw out the car window as we rolled down the summer highway. Spaces for coloring all my own.”

- Liz Danzico in Coloring spaces. An excellent illustration of why I was so happy to have Liz join the Fusion network.

"Knocking out a stringent todo list is a piece of cake when wielding these two tools [self control..."

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 12:27:23 -0700

“Knocking out a stringent todo list is a piece of cake when wielding these two tools [self control & focus]. The best part is they’re free, but they’re not cheap.”

- Productivity Guaranteed | Adam Spooner