.~Javier Plumey~.|Fatih, Technology, Politics, Whatever.

So we’re all slammed by waves of information that hit us every day. We have to remember passwords, profile names, interesting bits of information for work or our personal lives, movies we want to watch, books, etc. Plus those of us with the disposition to learning about the world around us have to manage all of the information so that we don’t forget it or so we can use it later.

I’m no different. I have to keep track of information for work I do on clients, for the podcast I host, for my personal life, and for all of the projects in which I am involved. So what keeps me from tearing my hair out in frustration as I try to manage all of this information? Well, today I will recommend three little tools you can use to keep your digital “mind” sane.

1. Evernote.

Evernote is awesome. It’s a free, cross-platform application that lets you store and create notes. What makes Evernote different from all of the other note taking apps out there is that there are so many ways of getting stuff into the app and that your stuff can be accessed just about anywhere. From PC’s to Macs, to the web, and to mobile devices, if there’s something you need to remember, just put it into Evernote and tag it (or not) and you can retrieve it later.

You can send it pictures from your phone or computer and it will scan the picture for text that you can use to search on later. For example, want to catalog something you wrote on a napkin at a restaurant? Simply take a picture, upload it or email it to your Evernote email address, and then in minutes (or even seconds) you can go online or launch your preferred client and you can search for any text in the image and find the image. You can clip articles from websites, you can email or SMS yourself notes, all of which are accessible from your Evernote account.

I find it really useful to create tags for topics I am researching and then clipping portions of websites or files I have downloaded into Evernote. Then I can review the topics from my phone when out and about. Because it’s so easy to get content into Evernote, I never forget an idea.

It’s all free, and you can upgrade and receive more space if you need it. This has become my indispensable tool. Go to www.evernote.com to check it out.

2. Tiddlywiki.

Tiddlywiki is a reusable non-linear personal web notebook. Think of it as a Wiki that stores everything into one, convenient, cross-browser compatible html file. According to their site:

TiddlyWiki is a single html file containing all the characteristics of a wiki
- all the content, all the functionality (including editing, saving,
tagging and searching) and the style sheet. Because it’s a single file,
it’s very portable - you can email it, put it on a web server or share
it via a USB stick.

I use Tiddlywiki in conjunction with Evernote. I use Evernote to act as my “brain” and tiddlywiki as a way to document what I’m working on. For example, I have a Tiddlywiki file that I use to track everything happening with my contract with the Social Security Administration. I store this on my work laptop, and I sync it with my USB drive. I keep track of open support issues, meeting notes, etc. It has saved me hours and hours of research because I keep everything in the one file. I can search across all the “tiddlers” (like notes) and find anything instantly.

Tiddlywikis support themes and expansion of functionality through plugins. There’s no installation, just a single file with some fancy Javascript and DHTML that stores everything locally. I’ve been a happy Tiddler for over a year.

Go to www.tiddlywiki.com for more info. This is free as well and a very useful little tool.

3. eWallet

eWallet is an excellent and secure digital wallet. With it you can store information securely using 256-bit encryption. What do I use it for? To store passwords to websites, account numbers, credit cards, and personal information I might need at any notice. I currently have the version for Windows Mobile and for Windows, but they also have a version of U3 Flash drives and soon they will be releasing their Web version (I’ve signed up for the beta but the list is long).

Right now you can sync between your device and Windows but eventually there will be a way to sync from your phone to the Web version so you can always get to your information. I can’t tell you how many times this has saved me.

eWallet is not free but a great value at $30. Go to www.iliumsoft.com for more info.

I just found this incredibly humorous video blog by Josh Whedon (Buffy, Firefly, Serenity, etc.). It’s a three-part musical about the evil, yet lovable Dr. Horrible, played by Neil Patrick Harris. Dr. Horrible is a “bad guy” whose a couple of henchmen short of an evil empire. Anyway, it’s fun and mostly clean and I think you’ll really enjoy the songs. Go check it out and see if you can spot the Harry Potter books hidden in the video.

http://www.drhorrible.com

A little good news today, as it has been reported that the California Supreme Court has unanimously thrown out a suit to strike Proposition 8 from California’s ballot in November.

At least now the future of marriage in California is up to the citizens, and not the courts!

Also, in related news, Mormon church leaders will ask its California members to join the amendment effort in California. According to AP:

A June 20 letter sent to Mormon congregation bishops and signed by
church president Thomas S. Monson and his two top counselors calls upon
Mormons to donate “means and time” to the ballot measure.

The church will work with a coalition of churches and other
conservative groups that put the California Marriage Protection Act on
the Nov. 4 ballot to assure its passage, the letter states.

“The church’s teachings and position on this moral issue are
unequivocal. Marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and
the formation of families is central to the Creator’s plan for His
children,” the four paragraph letter states.

I may have some fundamental issues with the Mormon church, but this is good news that more people are banding together to preserve marriage.

After a recent trip to Barnes and Noble, and reading recent reports on the web, it seems that there is a growing problem with national booksellers Barnes and Noble.

Here is a summary of a recent excerpt from OneMillionMoms:

In
Collierville, Tennessee, recently, an 11 year-old boy named Landon
Howse was walking through the Barnes & Noble bookstore when he
noticed a book lying open on one of the reading area tables. His dad,
Brannon Howse, was right behind him. What Landon saw were graphic
pictures of two men engaged in sex. The book was titled “Ultimate Gay
Sex,” and is one of the many sexually explicit books offered in Barnes
& Noble stores.

Mr. Howse
was obviously stunned and upset at what his young son had just been
exposed to just walking through a general bookstore. When Mr. Howse
complained to the store management that this kind of material should
not be on the bookshelves anywhere in the store, especially a store
children frequent, he was met with indifference. When he complained to
law enforcement that Barnes & Noble was in violation of the
Tennessee “harmful to minors” statute he was given the run around.

Now let’s be clear. I have a problem with Barnes and Noble providing easy access to ANY adult material, not just adult gay material. Here’s the letter that I sent to them:

Dear Chairman Riggio:

I am writing regarding an issue I have with your retail stores. It seems that there are dozens of books that contain graphic and explicit photos that can be accessed by just about anyone, even children and minors. As you know, many of your patrons like to take books off the shelves and browse them at the café or on nearby couches. Unfortunately, these books are often left there and can be picked up by just about anyone. I think your company needs to be more responsible with books of this nature. Either take them off the shelves completely or put them in special restricted areas where children cannot view them.

I would also ask that you be fair and honest in your evaluation of such books. I have seen and heard that books like “Ultimate Gay Sex,” with graphic sexual pictures, have been easily found on your shelves. Is Barnes and Noble going into the gay and pornographic market? I hope not!

Please know that your response to my concern will determine if I will continue to patronize Barnes & Noble.

I shop at Barnes and Noble (alot) and I have seen this before. I never realized how bad it was and after a quick trip there now I see there is a real problem. Please take the time to contact them and tell them they need to be more responsible with their adult materials.

I understand that many books have adult material, even the classics, but those with graphic images need to be put off-limits to minors. Even rag shops that sell hard core pornographic magazines know this. Come on Barnes and Noble, make your stories family friendly!

Mr. Stephen Riggio, CEO sriggio@bn.com
Chris Troia, Chief Information Officer ctroia@bn.com
Mary Ellen Keating, Senior V.P. of Corporate Communications and Public Affairs mkeating@bn.com
Jaime Carey, Chief Merchandising Officer jcarey@bn.com
Carolyn Brown, Director of Corporate Communications e-mail: cbrown@bn.com

http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1034635/My-bizarre-life-Madonna-Guy–BROTHER.html

I just found this interesting article, which is a small summary of some of the comments made by Christopher Ciccone, Madonna’s brother. Yes, that Madonna. Ordinarily this stuff doesn’t interest me in any way, but he has a sort of captivating style and knack for detail that I couldn’t help but read the entire article on the inner happenings of Madonna’s life. Let me tell you it’s SCARY.

The money, the power, the ego. Wow, even if half of what he says is true, I cannot imagine what really goes in the life of the super rich and powerful. I’ll have to be careful, I guess, when I make a fortune off my latest single: Like a Sinner, Going to Confession for the very first Time. You know you want to sing it, so go ahead.

An interesting factoid I just picked up from HarryT at the MobileRead forums, of which I am a huge fan and participant.

It turns out that the popular version of Jules Verne’s “Journey to the Center of the Earth” is not in fact the original story that was written by Jules Verne in French. The original story is more accurately titled “A Journey to the Interior of the Earth”.

And the difference doesn’t end there. The more popular “Center of the Earth” version has some changes in character names and even some major plot points. Having read the “Center of the Earth” version some years ago, and in anticipation of the new movie being released with the same title, I downloaded the original version, with a more accurate translation, from the MobileRead forums here.

I’m looking forward to seeing the differences and also to seeing this on the big screen!

I’ve actually had my eye on this thing for some time, but it looks like it’s going to be something you can get your hands on pretty soon. I’ve looked high and low for some decent mobile recording gear, especially since my Zoom H4 went the way of the buffalo. Not withstanding its funky appearance, if the sound quality is decent, this would make a great unit for a podcaster who does recording on the scene. I’ll have to keep an eye on the reviews and see how it shapes up.

Like Rebecca says, being pregnant is the new black. I guess Jamie Lynn Spears agrees.

While I think the world needs more kids, I don’t like the idea of kids having kids outside of marriage. The media wants to cover it as ‘news’, but really all they are doing is glorifying the fact that these young girls are having sex and children out of marriage.

For thousands of years before the twentieth century, young women have been having children at young ages. That’s no big secret. However, those societies were different and operated under strict moral codes that said that young women should be married when they have children. I have no desire to relive the days when woman couldn’t vote and were treated as property of their husbands, but in this case, God I miss the good old days!

Ok I will admit that I am sweating the new iPhone 3G. It comes out today and even though I have the cash to get it, it would mean spending more cash to cancel my T-Mobile contract. I want it. Badly.

And that’s exactly why I am going to wait to buy it. It would be very easy for me to give in to temptation and just go get it. I would be quite happy playing with the new features, uploading pictures, downloading apps, using the GPS…ok I’m getting carried away here and starting to lose my nerve!

But seriously, aren’t we as Christians supposed to be able to control our desires (whether for flesh or tech)? Shouldn’t I have enough will power to simply say, “I’ll wait until my contract is up”? Shouldn’t I be fiscally responsible for what God has given me? The answers to all of these questions is a resounding “YES”, which is exactly while I will say “NO” to the iPhone. Or at least a “later”.

Update 7-11-2008 12:01 PM EST: It now appears that the process of in-store activation has gone completely belly up! Long lines and frustrated consumers greet anyone going to by a phone today. Plus, many of them were sent home to activate because AT&T lost connectivity to the activation servers. I am glad I listened to my conscience…and my wife!

Update 7-11-20008 3:50 PM EST: So if use the iExam application on the iPhone, should I feel better? Check it out at the Curt Jester. Thanks!