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I read a post on BoingBoing a few weeks ago about an organization tool called a "Hipster PDA." It's comprised of index cards held together with a metal clip, and serves as a means for recording thoughts, reminders or tasks whenever inspiration strikes. The idea is derived from the book "Getting Things Done," which I've since purchased and found very useful.

Judging from the posts I've seen on the 43 Folders discussion site, everyone seems to have their own interpretation of how the Hipster PDA ought to be designed. In "Getting Things Done," the author suggests any system that makes the user most effective at collecting, and later processing, their tasks. The simplicity of the Hipster PDA makes it very adaptable, contrary to most digital PDA's that offer very little room for personalization.

Following is a photo of the Hipster PDA I've been using for the last two weeks:

Posted by Scott at 9:13 AM | Permalink

I've deployed my first publicly-available Objective-C application for Mac OS X. It's called 'Improved Outlook' and is capable of importing address book records from Microsoft Outlook into the Mac OS Address Book application. I love working in Objective-C, and this application has been a real joy to develop. I'm amazed by all of the API's made available by Apple for interfacing with their applications (Mail, Address Book, etc.).

Improved Outlook on SourceForge.net

Posted by Scott at 9:30 AM | Permalink

We are enjoying the benefits of wireless broadband after toning & probing our apartment phone line and getting rid of my improvised wiring setup. I've long pondered the merits of sharing wireless. For a couple of weeks we were enjoying an unprotected access point adjacent to our residence. It offered reasonable speed and reception, and was free. We really appreciated it till it vanished. Hmm...

I considered opening up my access point (AP) when our broadband was activated. My AP (Linksys WRT54GS) offers Wireless Isolation, which prevents wireless users from snooping on the traffic of other users or accessing other machines on the wireless network. This would provide a reasonably safe way of allowing others to use my wireless network. But would they abuse the bandwidth? It's hard to say.

It'll be great when individuals and communities open their networks to create a single, redundant network accessible from outside the boundaries of the home or workplace. But, just as in the days of medieval fiefdoms, open doors represent an open invitation to hostility. It'll take a change in the attitudes of users (sense of community and trust), and improved security features (doors with locks but open roads and gates) to get us there.

Posted by Scott at 9:41 AM | Permalink