Professors and Their Allowances

I watched this YouTube video the other day (saw it on Gizmodo)

http://gizmodo.com/5478032/dont-bring-laptops-to-class-or-else

It brought me back to my university days when professors would go on and on about what was and was not allowed in their classes.

Wait a minute -- aren’t they getting PAID to teach people?

So the students aren’t paying attention to your lecture -- that is up to them. They are a customer spending their money there. As long as they are not disturbing other customers let people do what they want.

I remember throughout my schooling all of the various things that were demanded:
- must be computer printed
- must be hand written
- must be on line paper
- cannot be on yellow paper
- must be 1.5 spaced
- must be double spaced
- templates indicating the margin
- cannot chew gum in class
- cannot drink beverages in class

There were so many different rules in some cases one could lose track of the actual assignment in an effort to keep the rules in check.

Cooking with a Tagine

I was in a cooking store a few weeks ago and I saw this strange shaped cooking pot by Le Creuset that the sales rep told me was a Tajine.

I had never heard of this before!

So some Google searching told me that this is a Moroccan cooking vessel and that the originals are usually made of clay, similar to a Dutch oven. I read some reviews on the Le Creuset one, and found out that it is very expensive and generally people complain about the fact that it doesn’t have a breathing hole in the top of the ‘flute’. Apparently this lets excess liquid escape that otherwise runs down the edges of the bowl.

I ended up in another cooking store (yes it seems that I frequent them in between buying gadgets) and I saw a Maxwell Williams Tagine. It seemed to fit the bill, and was relatively inexpensive (under $40).

So it came home with me.

Now what?

Google was my friend again as I searched the Net for recipes to make in it. I settled on this recipe for spicy chicken tagine with apricots. I started the tagine on the gas stove top on low heat to do the onions, oil, butter and spices. I then chopped up all the chicken bits, threw everything else in, and put the top on the tagine and stuffed it in the oven. About an hour later it was done, and smelled fantastic! It tasted even better than it smelled. Very moist, wonderful combination of flavours.

Pic of Tagine when I took it out of the oven:



















Here’s a pic of what I made:



















And another recipe I did a few days later with squash and sweet potatoes (yams):

Task Managers / To Do Applications

So I have started the search for a better to-do system.

Requirements:
- run on mac, NOT web-based
- need to be able to convert emails into tasks (clip, drag’n’drop, something like that)
- ideally needs to synch with the iphone (or have an app)

All of the notes below are by no means complete reviews. They are the things I have discovered in the hour or two that I have spent with each program and how closely they each meet my own specific needs for a task manager. If your requirements are different than mine, YMMV!!

Here’s what I have evaluated:

Notebook by Circus Ponies - $49.95 USD
- simplistic -- looks like a notebook
- you can drag email to it, but copes the entire text of the email body into it making the task list too long
- the viewing options aren’t great -- you’re basically looking at everything all the time; because of this I can’t see it being that useful -- if I only had a few tasks to manage why would I need a task manager
- program is designed for other things as well; have not looked at these features as all I need at this point is to-do’s

Taskpaper by Hog Bay Software - $29.95 USD
- also simplistic; advantage is the entire list saves as a text file--easy to backup, export, transfer between systems, cut and paste, etc
- seems very easy to use
- viewing doesn’t seem great -- again like Notebook, you end up with these long multi-screen lists without a clever way to filter them
- also seems to past the entire email into the program, rather than a link or option to see/hide the email body
- does have an iphone app, that is a plus
- has good forum and usergroup
- found an AppleScript add-on for this that pastes an HTML link to the email; this could work well
- does not seem to have any due dates or anything -- useless

EasyTask by OrionBelt - $19.99 USD
- looks clean; way too much combination of mouse and keyboard to enter a simple task
- dreadful help file -- spelling errors, broken links, very little actual information beyond the obvious
- no way that I can tell to add an email as a task -- with no forum, support page or decent help file no way to find out if this is possible
- does an online synch and can synch between multiple OS’s (Mac and Windows) as well as has an iPhone app

The Hit List by Potion Factory - $49.95 USD (pre-order, still in beta)
- the look is a bit...well....grade-school-ish
- interface is excellent; dragging emails, setting due dates, etc
- very good ‘viewing’ ports -- see easily what is due today, this week, next week
- lack of iphone version is a HUGE letdown; program works very well aside from this
- seems to have been in beta for a long time with little to no new information on the site from the developer about release, iphone version, or any sort of updates
- bit bummed out by this as I do not want to invest in something that is not supported properly, or discontinued

Things by Cultured Code - $49.95 USD
- seems to be well supported on-line with a good following
- as with Omnifocus, when you add a task and context it automatically puts it in the inbox -- should be a drop down menu for your projects and folders
- seems to be a good compromise of what I want to do

Omnifocus by The Omni Group - $79.95 USD
- odd that when you add a task and context, it still remains in the inbox for you to have to move somewhere
- this seems to be the most powerful one so far, quite strict on GTD methodology
- email integration is very good -- copies the email over using AppleScript and organizes it very well within the program
- you can read email within Omnifocus and respond to it (brings up original message in Mail when you do this)
- I do have an irritating problem that my ‘F6’ hotkey for quick entry from Mail seems to work intermittently.......

Midnight Inbox by Midnight Beep Softworks - $35.00 USD
- makes Omnifocus look unstructured -- VERY strict methodology here
- the UI is literally counter-intuitive -- right click does nothing....ever....
- love the concept of scanning my inbox, but I couldn’t get it to work properly -- could never get the amount of email it saw in the collection to match the stuff in my inbox
- also needs to do...something...with the email once you process it in Inbox -- otherwise everything is just left in a big jumble in your mail program
- really wanted to like this program but just too painful to deal with

Daylite by Market Circle - $149.00 USD
- this is a very powerful program, but I think unless you are networked and using it with a group much of the functionality is lost
- email integration is complete to the point of archiving emails within the program to track who you send things to, etc.
- to do lists good
- iphone integration requires running the program on a server
- would be nice if the offered a ‘lite’ version that was hosted or something

So after all this, I have purchased Omnifocus for the iPhone and for the desktop. I would consider a move to the Hit List if they came up with an iPhone version -- but I am leery of product support with the lack of information on their web page.

E-Book Readers

I enjoy reading.

However, I am a very fickle reader. I do not read one thing cover to cover and then move to the next thing. I typically have 5-8 different books on the go at any given time, along with magazines, and electronic articles. The eBook seemed like the ultimate thing for me as I would no longer have to carry multiple books, or end up having the book I don’t feel like reading in hand. (then but another and carry even more!)

Enter the Sony PRS505.

I got this about 18 months ago and for the first month I was very happy with it. It did not synch with my Mac, but I have a PC at home and could always put a few books on it before I went anywhere. The e-ink greyscale screen works well as does the form factor. The battery life was perfect and the device fit into things well. Except for one flaw -- content delivery. Stupid though it seems, it was a real pain to have to get on my PC, look for books, buy/download them, and then synch them to the eReader. This left the device on the shelf gathering dust.

Enter the International (including Canada) version of the Kindle 2.

The Kindle came out a while ago, but was not available in Canada (and buying one in the US meant that the wireless service wouldn’t work here). Then the Kindle 2 came out, followed by the International Version which works in Canada (among other places).

This may be the ultimate reader. It has all the good points of the Sony unit -- screen, battery life, size, ease of use -- but has the one thing that it was missing -- wireless content browsing and delivery. Now, with the use of a small clip-on LED light from Canadian Tire, I read with the Kindle 2 almost every night -- and with wireless content delivery I can be as fickle as I want!

Here’s a list of what I am currently reading:
The Nasty Bits by Anthony Bourdain
Upgrade Your Life: The Lifehacker Guide to Working Smarter, Faster, Better by Gine Trapani
Ready for Anything by David Allen
A Genius for Deception: How Cunning Helped the British Win Two World Wars by Nicholas Rankin
Paperless Joy by George Dimopoulos

Airport Scanners and Carry on baggage

So I came across this cartoon today (a friend emailed it to me).

It got me thinking about this whole airport scanner issue. Everyone goes on about privacy, invasiveness, etc. How many people really value this privacy over their own convenience?

Example... Lets say that these full body scanners become commonplace and are used at every airport. There will be those that are outraged about invasion of privacy. So, lets have 2 kinds of checkin -- you need to be there 1.5 hours before your international flight if you will submit to a full body scan, and 4 hours before your flight if prefer a manual scan and search. How many people do you think would show up to the early search?

I am betting almost zero.

The other rant that gets me going is carry on versus checked bags. Airlines have decided to start charging people for checked baggage. They are then surprised by the fact that everyone now tries to carry on everything with them. Solution? Check the 2 bags for free -- charge for the carry-on! As a business traveller I would have no problem paying $20 to carry my overnight bag on with me. When I travel for pleasure, I would rather check the bag anyways as the trip is usually longer and I bring more things with me.

This then brings me to the amount of carry-on bags. Some time ago, I was on a flight and a rather obnoxious woman boarded just ahead of me (wouldn't you know it she was sitting beside me). This woman had a massive winter coat, purse the size of a small child, notebook computer briefcase, and a rolling style carry-on. She then proceeded to put ALL of these items in the overhead bin, which filled it. I arrived at the row, took her bag out and handed it to her and placed my bag in the bin.

Suffice it to say she was not pleased.

She should not have been allowed on the plan with this much baggage, nor should she have been able to put all of it in an overhead bin.

To-Do's, Tasks and Organization

I have always had a strange, obsessive fascination with to-do lists, tasks and organizing things -- basically productivity applications.  I have played with all manner of software from internet-based, stuff on the Mac, iPhone apps, Blackberry programs, Linux tools, and even Windows programs. 

The dream is to have all of one's tasks in a single application (possibly synchronize to multiple locations).  The nature of to-dos makes this difficult.  My brother talks a bit about this in his blog.  The problem is the way that you acquire tasks.  As a salesperson, I get tasks at work via email, phone messages, my notepad, things I think of while driving, as well as all of the ways that one comes up with personal tasks.  Right now I have 3 systems running -- notepad, email and specific to-do software (at the moment, this is Things).  Too many things to keep track of, and often things that have specific dates get missed.  You can add calendar based tasks to this as well, as all of my meeting requests come in this way.

For email I used Mac Mail, and at the moment I use sub-folders under my inbox to sort tasks.  Those folders are: @ACTIONS, @DEMO, @EVENTUALLY, @READ AND REVIEW, @TO BE ENTERED, @TODAY, @WAITING FOR.  I sed to also have a @FILE folder but realized that I just jammed things into it instead of filing them properly.  Once completed, things move into off-line archive folders and are then indexed and searchable in DevonThink Pro Office. More on the folders....

@ACTIONS is where I immediately drag any emails that contain things that I need to do.  This folder is a list of tasks that I need work work on that that need to be completed relatively soon.

@DEMO is a sales specific folder where I keep 2 kinds of things -- emails from clients requesting demo gear or have demo gear, and emails from suppliers whose demo gear I have to remind me to return it.

@EVENTUALLY are tasks that I want to do at some point, but don't really have a timeline.  I look here (supposedly) when I have free time.

@ READ AND REVIEW is pretty self explanatory -- anything that I need to read over.

@ TO BE ENTERED used to have more value; was things that I had to enter somewhere to be useful; I haven't used this much lately and will probably get rid of it.

@TODAY is what I use for anything that I need to do right away.  I will also fill this folder with things at the end of the work day with anything that must be done the following day.  This folder usually has less than 5 emails in it.

@WAITING FOR is anything that I am waiting for something back to accomplish.  Maybe I am waiting for a PO from a customer, price from a supplier, or piece of technical information -- it goes here and is reviewed daily.

This system works pretty well but only takes care of things that come and go via email -- kind of leaves me locked in Mail all the time and can prove to be a bit distracting.  I tried to email myself other things and use everything in one system, but this doesn't work very well.  (not sure why, but it just doesn't seem to work).

Stuff that works well -- I can find just about anything.  DevonThink is brilliant for searching emails, and any files that I have.  I archive things into it by year and it automatically makes all my PDF's searchable. 

Stuff that doesn't work well -- if I don't religiously do the review, I can miss deadlines on things or leave things for too long in a folder.  There isn't really any kind of 'auto reminder' or anything in this system.

The next thing I am going to try is The Hit List.  However, other than nice keyboard shortcuts, I am not sure that it is much of a change from Things, and I lose the iPhone synch.  It does have the ability to drag and drop email to it to create a task -- maybe this will solve the problem.

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Man Bags

I have long toyed with the idea of the man bag.  I have tried manbags from many manufacturers including http://www.timbuk2.com, http://www.crumpler.ca, http://www.tombihn.com, and others.  I regularily scour the web for articles on the man bag, the murse, etc.  I while ago I thought that the Axible man bag http://www.manbag.com was the way.  (strangely they seem out of business as they have been out of stock on everything for the last 18+ months).

Success?  Not so much.  Many returns, things sold on Ebay, and things stacked up around the house that I have not yet had the time/motivation to sell.

The problem with the murse seems to be that too small looks like a purse, and too large becomes a briefcase or messenger bag.  I read several reviews at http://www.the-gadgeteer.com (a gadget review site that I enjoy).  However the ones reviewed there are too pursey for my liking.  The bag has to be able to be worn sling-like over both shoulders.

Many seem to tout the bag from 24 that Jack Bauer carries.  Though clearly a bag capable of a lot of whoop-ass, to me it is too big and briefcase like -- might as well carry the notebook computer while I am at it.

I need something that I can use weekday or weekend that can accompany my briefcase (either go in it, use with it, or use without it).  It should hold my wallet, notepad, phone, sunglasses, asthma puffer, Kindle, some various pills for headaches, maybe a bottle of water, and a file folder.  I think that the file folder dictates that the minim size is 8.5x11.  The list of requirements led me to the web to search for the exact item that will work for me.

On to the latest potential purchases....

My latest ideas are an Indiana Jones style bag such as http://www.magnoliclothiers.com/british-mark-vii-satchel-bags-cases-p-66.html which may be ideal -- but not so dressy for work.  The backup bag that I have come up with is from Far Horizon Traders and is made of camel skin http://www.farhorizontraders.com/servlet/the-16/Handmade-Camel-Leather-Messenger/Detail  Perhaps between these I can resolve the problem.

Are there others out there that carry the man-bag / murse? 

Tags: man bag, bag, murse, man purse, messenger bag, gear bag, briefcase

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