First-time blogging and Tumblr

“Blogging” is such a huge, insurmountable concept for most people. Even if they journal or write regularly, the thought of trying to produce a blog – the technicalities, the how-to’s, etc. are overwhelming. After all, for someone who simply wants to type something in and have it show up in an attractive fashion on the net, there’s few options.

Even services like Typepad, Multiply, Vox, WordPress.com, and others offer so many features, that a first-timer can go cross-eyed and in a sudden case of info-overload, give up. Yet, there are probably thousands of folks like that who could make invaluable contributions to friends, family and the globe if they could be encouraged to “take the next step.”

That’s why I recommend Tumblr for first-timers. It’s wonderfully easy, and very intuitive. For instance, this is what I see when I log into my Tumblr dashboard:

Pretty simple, huh. If I want to post a simple paragaph or two, I click “Text.” If a photo, then voila, click “Photo.” It’s that easy.

Now for the really cool part… some of you have been following the Lifestream series with interest, and Tumblr allows you to combine the different services you use and have them all posted in your Tumblog (the name given to a blog on Tumblr). While most first-time bloggers aren’t using Twitter or YouTube or Flickr, they might in the future, and Tumblr lets you import your information in the form of an RSS feed from those services. Most of the stuff in my Tumblr are feeds imported from other places. I actually don’t input directly into Tumblr that often. It may be one of the best Lifestream compilers out there – since you can customize its look and feel.

So… for those of you would-be bloggers out there, stop by Tumblr today, and create your first Tumblog. Send me the link, and I’ll be sure to publish it here so you’ll get some initial traffic and feedback! If you do stop by, mention my name, and you’ll get a good seat…

For further reference and resources:

• Theme customization:
  - wisdump.com – 5 Tumblr themes
  - tumblrthemes.com – Nice assortment of attractive Tumblr themes
  -And, of course, you can always Google “Tumblr themes”

WordPress theme winner, blog commenting, and networking

Woohoo! Just got word this past week that I won a premium WordPress theme from ithemes.com. Many thanks to Ian Stewart over at themeshaper.com for the contest. All you had to do was…

Just let the community know what you think the next WordPress default theme should be like. All you have to do is leave a comment here with your great idea or ideas. Any idea is fine. You don’t need to be a theme developer, all you need is an opinion. Not enough room? Write a post on your own blog outlining your ideas (and to make sure I find it, leave a comment here with a link to your post). The three best ideas/proposals, as judged by iThemes and ThemeShaper, will be awarded the prizes. If we think they’re good ideas, you win! Simple.

A couple of thoughts about this process…

1. Commenting on blogs is important. For reasons that I’ve listed before, I prefer having interaction with readers and authors. There are only a couple of blogs that I read that disallow commenting. The authors’ reasons for doing this (for the specific two I refer to) are to enable them to focus on quality content. My contention, however, is that content is augmented and enhanced by the comments of others. It also allows readers to feel more ownership and to feel like they’re contributing to that particular blog’s community.
2. If I hadn’t commented, I wouldn’t have won.
3. There is network value in blog participation. Readers who see my/your comment on someone else’s blog – if it is an insightful or significant one – will often swing by your site to see who you are/what you’ve written. Every now and then, one of those will become a regular reader of your own site.

Here was my contribution to the contest:

I think the next theme should be able to teach beginning users of WordPress more about the basics of WordPress. Rather than simply clicking on the theme, I think it would be awesome if the next them contained a mini database of WordPress how-to’s that the user could peruse at his own leisure.I also think the header should be more customizable. I’d vote for something like Derek Punsalan’s Grid Focus.

I threw it out as a kind of pie-in-the-sky idea. Anything that could be built into WordPress to facilitate an easier blogging experience for beginners is better for all of us. I’ve been blogging for more than two years – regularly – and although my blog hasn’t ever hit the “big time,” I do consistently hear from friends, colleagues, former classmates, church members and others that I wouldn’t hear from otherwise.

I began on Typepad, fell in love with the discipline of writing and the generation of a network that I wouldn’t have otherwise. Blogging has enabled me to begin several online friendships, build a better business network and meet some really sharp pastors and Christian leaders from across the globe as a result of blogging.

My idea about making the next default theme of WordPress a built-in tutorial for bloggers would make an immense contribution to the blog world. It would make it easier for others jump into the global conversation. Some of you out there who have always been readers to this point have wonderful things in your head. You might not ever be a daily blogger, but perhaps your weekly or monthly contribution to your own blog would generate its own following.

So WordPress gurus out there, please give this idea some thought. The WordPress Codex is a great contribution and resource, but it’s generally difficult to navigate unless you know what you’re looking for. At present, you need to be able to speak “WordPress” or php in order to find what you need. A more user-friendly introduction and walk-through would be a wonderful help for us all.

Thanks to those over at themeshaper.com who left encouraging and kind comments about my idea as well. Digg it. Who knows? It might catch on.

Compiling social website lifestreams

Over the past few weeks, I’ve used several sites to test out their lifestream capabilities. You can see some of them in other entries in this series. However, I wanted to comment on three in particular here: FriendFeed, Plaxo, and MyBlogLog.

Each of the three are able to take the different social networks you use and compile them into one RSS stream. You can see the result in the image below from my Plaxo feed:

Of those three, I would say that Plaxo and FriendFeed do the best job. MyBlogLog kept missing things, inexplicably. Also, with the first two, you can actually subscribe to this compiled RSS feed so that friends and family who have no life and want to live vicariously through you can subscribe to your lifestream feed from one of these services.

I continue to use the Actionstream plugin to pull my various feeds into my column on the right, but I suppose I could simply pull in one of the feeds from these two services above, rather than enter all the different feeds individually in the plugin. I am also using the RSS Stream plugin to generate the feeds on this page.

I’ve yet to decide which service I’ll use the most. I find myself using Plaxo to help sync my contacts the most – it works great with Mac Address Book. Google has yet to develop a nice lifestream or a way to sync contacts with the Mac well, or I would probably be using it because with BusySync (review to come later), I can now sync my Google calendars with my iCal from either end.

I think there’s a lifestream race on at the moment. The service that compiles all of these features into one of easy integration with your computer and portable device will win out. (Hello, iPhone?)

Oh, and of course, there’s Tumblr…

Lifestream plugins

I’ve been trying out four different lifestream plugins and wanted to offer a review of them. The four I tried are SimpleLife, RSS Stream, Lifestream Manager, and Actionstream. The picture below is how each showed up in a page created for them in my theme.

• Simplelife… It’s implementation was buggy and gave me the following crazy stuff in the plugin window. Too plain for me, but it did work right after I activated and created a page template with the proper code in it (but I’d like to see simple code copy and paste).
• Tried RSS Stream… I really like how you can customize the icon in the added feeds. It has some built in, but I added icons for Tumblr and Youtube. It was through this plug-in that I realized I could simply do Tumblr and Youtube, and that would cover my whole lifesteam… Come to think of it, if I import my Youtube feed into Tumblr… The RSS-Feed interface was the most user-friendly. B
• Lifestream Manager plugin by Chris J. Davis was relatively easy to set up, but I couldn’t get the icons to show up properly. I DO like how the backgrounds to each service are colorcoded. You can also do this with SimpleLife manually in the options window, but I could never get it to work. It’s not supported by the author any longer. Here’s another link to the plugin with some more information. C+
• Actionstream plugin is the one I’m currently using. Download and easy instructions here. The author has been extremely helpful and responsive in dealing with some setup issues. However, now all is working well, and you can see the Lifestream it generates in the column to the right. The icons from each service show up well, but not in my page. B+

I fully expect more development on all of the above as Lifestreaming becomes more popular. I think you’ll also see some newer plugins created as well. Features I’d like to see automatically included are:

1. automatic icon insertion (with option to create your own) for imported feeds
2. feed import by user name rather than feed address (with option for feed address for non-supported services or blog entries)
3. checkbox inclusion for services (much like Hellotxt.com)
4. smart importation (if my Twitter status and Facebook status are the same, import only one or include icons from both?)
5. thumbnail display for services like Flickr and Youtube

BTW: In reviewing this and deactivating the plugins I’m not using, I discovered that it was the SimpleLife plugin that had caused my InSeries plugin to stop working. Users be aware.

New look for Notes

I’ve switched to a new WordPress theme called Wp-Poloroid by Adii after much tweaking. I think I’m going to really enjoy using it for the next several months. I loved the Grid-Focus theme I was using by Derek Punsalan, but like all designers, I was ready for a change.I’d love to hear your thoughts and input on the new look. Any feature suggestions? 

Hellotxt.com – one stop updating for all services

I am completely sold on hellotxt.com. I’ve been using it for the past three days, and have had no issues with it at all. It does exactly what it says. With one entry, I can update ALL of the following services with a single click: Twitter, Pownce, Facebook, Jaiku, LinkedIn, Tumblr, and Plaxo.

That’s pretty amazing! Gone are the days of updating Facebook when I happen to be on it (which is more and more these days) and a random Twitter from my cell while I’m on the road. Now I can send the same status update to all services (if I wish). The only thing that is a small hitch is for my Tumblr blog which I have set to import updates from many of these. Unfortunately, now it means that the same status is duplicated for them. Where before my Facebook status was different from my Twitter status, now they’re the same (unless I choose to simply send it to a specified selection of the above services rather than all of them).

I can heartily and highly recommend this fantastic service!

Lifestreaming…

It’s going to be the big net buzzword of 2008, I predict. Lifestream. Ooooooo. Say it again. “Lifestream.” Sends chills down your mouse, doesn’t it?

Let me describe this for you if the concept isn’t familiar to you. In today’s net-world, many folks have all kinds of services that they use to post pictures, update their status, check their news, etc. Each time you update your status over at Facebook, Twitter, Jaiku, etc., you’re leaving a footprint. Some would argue whether all of it is a waste of time. However, it’s becoming a significant way that people can keep up with their friends and family without having to call and say, “Hey… what are you doing?”

According to wordspy.com:

lifestreaming n. An online record of a person’s daily activities, either via direct video feed or via aggregating the person’s online content such as blog posts, social network updates, and online photos.
—lifestreamer n.
—lifestream v., n.

Privacy issues aside, the concept of Lifestreaming comes into play when you attempt to collect all these multiple footprints and internet tracks into one location. Imagine being able to go to your friend’s blog or Lifestream page and in one place get an idea of recent news, happenings, status updates, pictures, videos, etc. Rather than spending ridiculous time coasting between Flickr, Youtube, Twitter, Facebook and the like, you are able to see it all at one time. Attractive?

Well, there are several lifestream services that have now sprung up, and I’m in process of testing out a few. So far, they include Friendfeed, Iminta, and Spokeo. Of course, I’ve been using Tumblr for quite a while now, and I still think it has the friendliest interface and most easy to use and attractive way to display all your feeds in a blog style. (You can see my Tumblr here.)

Also, you can stop by the excellent Lifestream Blog to get an idea of what is possible with this concept. In addition, here are a few bloggers who have already begun to implement lifestreaming into their personal blogs:

• Pras Sarkar
• Mark Krynsky (also authors the Lifestream blog)
• Chris Davis
• Adactio

In addition, ReadWriteWeb has composed a monster list of 35 Lifestreaming tools.

Hopefully my next step: install a WordPress plugin into my blog that will create a lifestream in a sidebar or separate page for the insanely curious.

What makes Lifestreaming so significant is best summed up in a paragraph over at Logic+Emotion:

But here’s what I find really interesting about Lifestreams. What the visual here shows is that our streams do have a source. Us. Network aside—it’s the individual that produces a stream of data whether it be media, text or other. And what’s becoming increasingly important is the array of multiple digital platforms that we use to create the streams. Most of the aforementioned platforms have some type of mobile support. Add advances in technology like the iPhone and the increasing pervasiveness of wireless digital networks and you’ve got the perfect storm. Soon, most participants will be looking for ways to make sense out of there multiple streams—not just the early adopters like Rubel.

I truly like the idea of being to keep up with some of my friends and colleagues in this way. It’s kind of a relational Ciffnotes. One glance at a person’s lifestream can say a lot and provoke a well-timed phone call or encouraging email. It also has a lot of potential from the other side too – imagine being able to simply post in one place, and a website take care of updating your status in all the sites that you use… (Can you say hello.txt?)

Stay tuned as I continue on the search for lifesteaming and streamlining our internet experience. Less is more, while more is… well, more.

Apple and video gaming

I said when the Mac Mini’s were first introduced that Apple should convert the Mini to being a video gaming system. The power, portability and form factor were stunning and had wonderful potential for that. We never saw it come to fruition. However, I truly think a Mac Mini-ish gaming system would quickly replace at least the PS3 and later the Xbox 360 as the gaming system of choice… if Apple wanted to head that direction.

However, with the iPhone SDK out and developers typing away for new software, it appears that the iPhone may be positioned to take over the mobile gaming market?

I just don’t think so. I like buttons. Those are conspicuously absent on the iPhone. I’ve tried to play some NES roms on my jailbroken iPhone, and it’s just not very satisfying punching the screen where the virtual controller resides. No feedback. No “clicky” sound.

I do think it will be a big hit, and some games will obviously do well. I just don’t share the same thought as a recent writer over at 9to5mac.com had:

Apple’s iPhone will become one of the world’s leading mobile gaming platforms, as games developers worldwide make plans to deliver titles for the platform, now the iPhone 2.0 SDK (beta) has been made available. Like RIM with its Blackberry in the enterprise market, Sony, Nokia and other manufacturers creating mobile gaming devices (such as the PSP or Java-enabled mobile phones) face a tough battle as Apple makes its biggest move yet into the gaming market. Gamers can look forward to a wide selection of titles come June when the iPhone is finally enabled for third-party applications. Developers Feral Interactive, Artificial Life, Sega, iD Software, Gameloft, Aspyr, Freeverse, and Pangea Software have all confirmed hopes to deliver games for the platform.

iPhone SDK event and implications

In the concluding remarks of Apple’s SDK event/announcement today for the iPhone, venture capitalist John Doerr introduced Steve Jobs as “supreme commander of the rebels”. Doerr will be providing funding for new startup companies who wish to develop for the iPhone.

That is a hefty coup and commitment by Apple and others to making the iPhone the undisputed technological innovation of today and tomorrow.

In brief, here is what we all heard/read about today’s iPhone development:

• In June, we will get another software upgrade for our iPhones which basically transforms our current device into a stunningly cool and useful handheld computer, data, and gaming system.
• The development of programs for the iPhone is relatively easy (for those who know what they’re doing). Many of the new applications shown today at the event were developed in just a few days after receiving the necessary development kit info from Apple.
• For software writers, you will be able to pay Apple $99, and that will allow you to test your code on iPod touch and iPhone, receive tech support and get your software distributed!
• The SDK beta is being released TODAY! The final version will be in June.

Now for the rest of us:

• We will be able to download applications for the iPhone, both free and pay-for directly from the iPhone! (much like the jailbreak interaction with Installer, but we all expect much cooler and more… well, “Appler.”).
• The “AppStore” will feature all kinds of new applications for download – commercial products like a Microsoft Office for iPhone to freeware.
• Imagine the gaming applications that turn the iPhone’s revolutionary touch technology into a handheld game controller that responds to your movements and touch – like a Wii controller, but all-in-one.
  
  One Sega representative said, “We had to fly in a developer to upscale the art for iPhone. It’s a full console game–we underestimated the power of the device.”
• There is also a lot of clever marketing being done to particular business segments – like the medical world – that currently use Palm devices and software. For instance, there is a PDA medical software called Epocrates which will now be available on the iPhone. Every doctor is going to want one now.
• What we’ve all been waiting for – true IM chat coming! AIM is ready for the iPhone! In addition, we’ll be seeing the ability to add multitouch events, an accelerometer, a better people picker, camera, alerts. Add to that the features of push contacts/calendar/email, global address list, and it’s understandable why Blackberry (RIM) stock dipped during the Apple event!
• Business folks will love the fact that with the new package comes Exchange compatibility!

Consider these phenomenal statistics (and remember, the iPhone is less than a year old!!!!!):

• For mobile browsers, Safari owns 71% of the market.
• The iPhone has 28% of the Smartphone market. RIM has 41%.

Here’s a great article in Wired on the shocking takeover/innovation/advance of the cellular and mobile world by one device and one company in less than a year. Consider this quote from the article:

It may appear that the carriers’ nightmares have been realized, that the iPhone has given all the power to consumers, developers, and manufacturers, while turning wireless networks into dumb pipes. But by fostering more innovation, carriers’ networks could get more valuable, not less. Consumers will spend more time on devices, and thus on networks, racking up bigger bills and generating more revenue for everyone. According to Paul Roth, AT&T’s president of marketing, the carrier is exploring new products and services — like mobile banking — that take advantage of the iPhone’s capabilities. “We’re thinking about the market differently,” Roth says. In other words, the very development that wireless carriers feared for so long may prove to be exactly what they need. It took Steve Jobs to show them that.

I don’t know what the implications are for the jailbreakers like me. I imagine that jailbreaking an iPhone may be pretty pointless after June? I’d love to hear your thoughts on it. However, I’m very grateful to the incredibly brilliant people who have worked tirelessly to make the iPhone all that it is and is going to be (both inside and outside of Apple!).

It’s remarkable to note that while there are only a few official carriers for iPhones worldwide, unlocking the iPhone has become an international pastime. According to Market Share:

We’ve heard the rumors that many iPhones are being used outside the officially sanctioned countries.  So, we decided to check it out and surprise, surprise, it’s true.  The iPhone has a presence in almost every country on earth. (See the list here.)

It’s a great day to be an Apple user. Former hard-core PC users are trying not to be seen with their shiny new iPhones and iMacs.

Redesign itch

I’m getting the itch for a blog overhaul, and I wanted to get my readers’ input on what they enjoy most and what they’d like to see more of. It’s not just a graphic redesign, but I’m considering content and interactivity as well.

Found a great poll feature over at polldaddy.com, so if you’d be so kind as to take a few minutes…

Take a few moments and respond to the survey.

Jailbreak Saga 2.0

This actually could have been 3.0, but for the sake of friendship, I won’t discuss here a frustrating, wasted day trying to jailbreak a friend’s iPhone before I found out that you couldn‘t jailbreak an iPhone that came “out of the box” with firmware 1.1.2 or above (at that time). The first chapter of the saga is here.

In the past three weeks, however, major breakthroughs were made on a full and complete jailbreak for all iPhone versions, including the latest 1.1.3. Since I had jailbroken mine up to 1.1.2, I decided this a.m. to bite the bullet and see just how hard it was to upgrade to 1.1.3 and then jailbreak it.

Imagine my astonishment and surprise when I was done, with a fully functioning iPhone, in less than 5 minutes!!

Thanks to the ingenuity of iJailbreak, a nifty little program written and designed by – get this – a 13 year-old! Don’t we all feel rather Flintstone-ish.

One caveat – the latest version of iJailbreak (0.5.3) only works with Max OS X Leopard.

But since I have the feline beast purring in my iMac… YABBADABBADOOOOOOOO!

Election updates from Google and Twitter

Tumblr

I’ve enjoyed using Tumblr for a while. It’s a great way to kwik-blog. Just thoughts, photos, quotes or craziness. You can see the link on the right of this blog.

Imagine my chagrin when I discovered that it’s hardly visited. So… visit my Tumblog at journeyguy.tumblr.com and tell me what you think. It’s so simple that it may even inspire a few of you to sign up and try it.

My iPhone jailbreak saga

This is going to put many of you to sleep. So, if it’s late and the kids are in bed, fire up this entry and you’ll be nodding off in no time. However, if you’re interested in jailbreaking your phone and you’ve upgraded to the 1.1.2 firmware already, my experience might be helpful.

Here was my setup…

• iTunes 7.6
• iPhone upgraded to 1.1.2

I made the mistake a week ago of updating to 1.1.2. I don’t know why I did. I had held out doing so for soooo long, thinking that I was going to jailbreak my iPhone.

After seeing the rather unimpressive offerings yesterday at MacWorld for the iPhone, I made the decision. Jailbreak here I come.

Why, you ask?
For starters, the iPhone is capable of SO MUCH! Why in the world it’s taken Apple almost 8 months to give users what has already been proven possible is beyond me. I really don’t think Apple’s Jobs-ian culture was prepared for the demanding mobile market. We don’t just want a phone. We want… it all.

Combine that with incredibly talented hackers of goodwill (I’m amazed at how helpful folks have been walking the iPhone faithful through the process) and you have a recipe or revolution.

When the iPhone update yesterday only gave us Google GPS, multiple SMS and the ability to customize your home screen, I was deeply frustrated. That pushed me over.

Yes, I know that in February, we will supposedly begin to see third-part software “blessed” by Apple, but heck, that’s been available since last AUGUST or before!

So, here’s my iPhone jailbreak saga:

I downloaded 1.1.1 firmware. (http://wiki.howardforums.com/index.php/IPhone_Firmware_Downloads)

I put my iPhone into plug mode and then option-clicked Restore in iTunes to downgrade. I was then stuck in plug-in mode and needed to use Independence. (Get it here: http://independence.googlecode.com/files/iNdependence_v1.3_beta2.dmg)

I then had to download something for iTunes. (Mobile Device 7.4.2 Frameware). This was because I had unthinkingly upgraded to iTunes 7.6 and didn’t know that successive versions iTunes make yoiu lose the ability to use previous firmware. I used Independence’s MobDev tool to link it to Independence. Independence then kicked my iPhone out of plug in mode.

MAKE SURE YOU READ ALL THE readme.txt’s that come with these downloads. Very helpful stuff.

Then I went to jailbreakme.com and it worked flawlessly. I spent too long putting stuff on the phone to see if it would work. All did.

Then I noticed my phone wasn’t working…

That’s apparently normal, but I went about 4 hours today without the phone use while I tried to figure out what happened. If I’d just read the read me doc that came with Conceited Software’s deal below, I’d have known that I just needed to continue to the next step and upgrade the firmware to 1.1.2.

I found firmware here:
http://wiki.howardforums.com/index.php/IPhone_Firmware_Downloads

Since I had upgraded to iTunes 7.6, I had to trash iTunes and download 7.5 (found here: http://www.oldapps.com/download_iTunes_mac.php) to get it to go to 1.1.2. (or so I thought… all I had to do was option-click on Upgrade and pick the 1.1.2 firmware where it had downloaded on my hard drive.)

Who knew how hard it would be to uninstall iTunes 7.6 and go back to 7.5? You also have to uninstall the AppleMobibleDevice stuff… Look at these two links for help in uninstalling iTunes and all the assorted junk:
http://www.iphoneatlas.com/2007/09/07/iphone-syncing-problems-under-itunes-74-fixes/
http://www.iphoneatlas.com/2007/10/03/iphone-or-ipod-touch-not-recognized-restartreinstall-apple-mobile-device-service/

After doing that, iTunes started back up with NO SONGS.. Aaaah. [I knew my songs were still on my HD, but I had thankfully put my iTunes Library in the previous library folder before I started, just in case. After I finished this whole process, I'll update to 7.6 again, and then replace the newly created iTunes Libarary in the Music>iTunes folders with the one I drug into the Previous iTunes Library folder.]

I could now option-click on UPDATE – NOT RESTORE – and begin the process of going to 1.1.2.

NOW, I could finally run the software from Conceited Software to jailbreak it in 1.1.2. With Itunes quit, I run jailbreak.jar and simply wait.
It’s here:
http://conceitedsoftware.com/iphone/site/112jb.html

VOILA AND EUREKA!! After messing with this a good part of the day, I am back to 1.1.2 and a jailbroke iPhone! Away I go to install all kinds of goodies (especially productivity generators like Solitaire and Othello!).

Helpful Site:
After it was almost all said and done, I found this site which could have saved me HOURS. Oh well.

Jobs not jobs… (Macworld ’08)

The most pressing revelation in the country today was not jobs, as in unemployment, but Jobs, as in Steve.

Today was MacWorld 2008 , with Steve’s annual jaw-dropping keynote presentation. What was unveiled? Well, go to Apple’s website for all details, but for one, where am I gonna get $1700?

Introducing the new MacBookAir...

Apple has also unrolled some pretty nifty features of the revised Apple TV, including online movie rentals!

If you don’t have a Mac now, when do you plan on switching over?

iPhone revolutionizes mobile web browsing

I called it here many moons ago, but the numbers are in, and they’re startling.

Consider this article and this quote:

In 5 short months, the iPhone not only matched, but opened up a huge lead on Microsoft, Symbian and Palm COMBINED. These are platforms that have been around for up to a decade…when the net was first catching on in the mobile space.

You can read the news report from Net Applications here.

iPod winner!

Shelley Smith is the lucky winner of the iPod Nano! She submitted my post When it’s time to leave your church, and it received 22 votes over at the Squidoo lens.Thanks to all those who participated!I was a little disappointed that more folks didn’t take advantage of the contest, and I was wondering if it might be having to navigate through stuff over at Squidoo? Any thoughts?By the way, you can also vote for Journey Church as an “innovative” church over at the Squidoo lens here. 

In search of mental discipline; or trying out Omnifocus for the Mac

You may recall my recent comparison of K.I.T. and Yojimbo. Verdict: K.I.T. wins hands-down. However, I just couldn’t work it into my digi-lifestyle.

However, thanks to Richard’s recent post concerning OmniFocus, I’m going to give it a try.

What do all these software packages have in common? They promise to help the regular user get more organized, think linearly and as a result, get things done. (No, I still haven’t read the book, but it’s on my wish list!)

I had hoped that iCal’s new connectivity with Apple’s Mail might revolutionize how I approach my tasks. Then I moved to Remember the Milk, and that has been a fair substitute.

I’m willing to look into OmniFocus and will keep you updated as to its integration.

For anyone who wears multiple hats as I do, anything that can help me focus and keep my tasks and goals prioritized is a huge help. However, what I keep coming back to is… drumroll… my brain. I work in a very fluid thought-stream kind of way. I always have. I don’t necessarily like that, and I’m open to change; however, it has defined my work habits for so long that I think it’s going to be an uphill struggle.

I’m interested to know if there is material out there about the benefits of the thought-stream approach (my wording).

It’s best described by someone who is a practitioner. Here is how I see it operating:

• The ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously
• Easily distracted; therefore, practitioners must discipline themselves to ignore what might interrupt their thought-stream
• If a reader, you usually are reading more than one book at a time.
• If a computer-geek, you most definitely have multiple windows and programs open at a time.
• You are an early adopter of all things geeky and technical, often opting for the untried and unproven in the hopes that you might “discover” something, sometimes only for the joy of being in “no man’s land.”
• You have an astounding ability to concentrate on whatever is before you – at that moment. You may switch between thoughts and projects frequently in an hour or so, but whatever is in front of you has your full attention.
• You daydream and envision better ways of doing things frequently. Often, you feel like the methods you currently use can’t be the best, and so you’re constantly on the lookout for a better way. (Thus, being an early adopter.)
• You frequently “awaken” from intense concentration to realize that your kids have created a bowling alley in your living room (right under your nose) or that your spouse has called your name several times, and the most recent call had an uncomfortably-threatening decibel level to it).

Uh… now what was I saying? (I paused to listen to what was happening in the kitchen…)

iPhone changes viewing habits

I don’t think I really began to understand how revolutionary the iPhone, iPod Touch, and yesterday’s iPod video really are until the past two weeks. I was eating lunch with Taylor, and he began to show off all the video podcasts that he’d put on his iPhone.

Now, I have subscriptions to several church podcasts and a few others, but I had never really paid any attention to video podcasts. I was quite pleasantly surprised to discover that every major news network produced a daily video podcast. As I began searching the web and iTunes, I began to discover other video podcasts and within an hour, I had clicked “Subscribe” to about 20 different feeds.

Since then, I find myself watching the ABC Nightly News… when I want to. Usually it’s when I’m lying down to go to sleep. It’s nice to put the earphones on, catch up with the day, and even to pray for leaders, situations, and world events as I quiet my mind and heart.

I have also begun putting the TV shows that I follow (Smallville, Heroes, etc.) on my iPhone to watch the episodes that I’ve missed. Combine that with other video podcasts from churches, technology sites, etc., and I have a wealth of information in my palm that defies my ability to take it all in.

Since my subscription spree the other day, I’ve been paring down the amount of podcasts that I subscribe to, simply for the sake of time; however, I’m confident that my viewing habits have been radically changed. I used to not enjoy watching anything (movies, favorite shows) unless I could do so with my surround sound (no, I don’t have a plasma, LCD or big screen – still just a Sanyo 27″ analog tube). However, with my iPhone and ear buds, I have found that my audiovisual experience does not really suffer in the least. It’s startling to realize the crisp clarity of the iPhone screen and the sound that you can enjoy with ear buds.

Once in the morning, I’ll tell iTunes to refresh my podcasts so that it will catch the newest video podcast of Good Morning America, and then in the evening, I update my podcasts again so that I have the newest evening news episode.

Update: Another thing that has proved to be wonderful and could be done with any other phone these days is the strategic use of Twitter and Flickr. I use Twitter regularly to encourage, have fun, and simply update folks on my whereabouts, thoughts, and activities. It’s posted instantly on my WordPress blog thanks to the Simple Twitter plugin. In addition, I use the email address Flickr provides for my account and send pictures that I’ve taken with my iPhone. I’ve set them to automatically be tagged so that they appear on my picture stream on my blog as well (using FlickrRSS plugin).

I’m curious for the rest of you tech geeks out there… how have you found portable media players such as the iPod changing your media and viewing habits?

USA Today’s Candidate Match Game

I played the Candidate Match Game at USA Today’s site, as recommended by a friend, and I wasn’t surprised at the results… Mike Huckabee. I particularly like his ideas about national tax reform. Who are you interested in currently and why?