The Impromptu #61 — Spiraling Web of Insanity »
I’m finally back on the show with the larger group (sorry!) and we talk about Facebook Home’s weaknesses, then get on to iOS 7 craziness as we creep toward WWDC. Listen in, and if you have a minute please rate the show in iTunes. It’s greatly appreciated!
Google's Big, Closed Target »
Harry pretty much nails it here. We don’t always agree on everything when it comes to Google, but he’s absolutely right; they need to stop acting like they’re different from everyone else. It’s okay to control your ecosystem.
Why I Replaced OmniFocus »
Chris Martucci:
So I had it backwards. I was trying to put up a productivity system first and then use it later. But when it came time to use it, I defaulted to something completely different than the thing I had so carefully constructed.
This isn’t a post about why you should stop using OmniFocus and start using Notational Velocity. I only wanted to share my experience and the lesson that I learned: Your productivity system should be tailored to fit the way you actually work, which may be difficult to discern in the tranquil hours when you’re fiddling with your apps.
I had the same exact experience. OmniFocus is great, but I fiddled far too much. Things 2.x, despite some small gripes, has been great for me.
✱ Sorting Dropbox Camera Uploads
I’ve had some conversations lately around how people deal with using the “Camera Upload” feature in Dropbox, mostly around what the best way is to sort through this mountain of photos. I don’t have a super-sophisticated setup, but using Hazel is a great way to manage them with ease. If you’re not using Hazel, I don’t know what to tell you. We probably shouldn’t even be friends.
The easiest way I’ve found to do this takes a tad bit of manual setup in Dropbox. In my Camera Uploads folder I created folders named Screenshots and Videos. This will make it easier to parse those out from my actual images I care about. Then I made some simple Hazel rules to take the auto-uploaded photos and sort them out. Here’s the first:
This first rule takes all of the images and renames them based on the date created, then files them away in folders that Hazel will create and name based on the date added. Pretty simple. It’s not perfect since sometimes I’ll have to sift through folders to find what I’m looking for, but it’s far better than having a huge photo dump.
The next rule takes any videos and basically does the same thing I have set for photos.
And finally, a way to sort those screenshots that seem to pile up.
I also use a rule to trash the screenshots that are more than a month old so they don’t pile up in Dropbox, taking up that precious space.
That’s it in a nutshell. Like I said, I’ve been having some great discussion around this issue lately and figured I’d share how I deal with it. This workflow is only scratching the surface of what Hazel can do. If you have a cool — or better — way, don’t hesitate to give me a shout.
Limelight for iPhone »
There’s no shortage of apps that share the same goal with Limelight, but I have to say that there are very few that look this good and are this easy to use. I can’t think of any strong gripes I had while using it as the development team sent improved builds very quickly. Limelight is a gorgeous app that doesn’t try to go overboard with features; it just helps you keep track of movies you love.
I took a quick look at Limelight for iPhone, a new movie tracker from 9:42am, over at Culture Milk. It’s a very nice little app. Check it out.
Tamper »
My friend, Chris Masterson, and former Rdio developer Jeff Dlouhy have started a new app shop, and their first offering will be called Morning. I can’t wait to check it out. These guys are talented. Keep an eye out.
Remarkable Cave Houses »
Vincze Miklós at io9:
Forget putting up four walls and a roof; these homes use the stony walls of natural and human-made caves to shelter their inhabitants from the storm. Check out these incredible rocky homes, from ancient cave dwelling to modern house, to the buildings that may have inspired J.R.R. Tolkien’s Hobbiton.
There really are some incredible looking homes around the world. Stunning photos in this post.
The Incredible Cuttlefish »
If you haven’t ever heard of the cuttlefish, it’s freaking amazing.
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All Ken Cosgrove, all the time »
Rob Payne at Pajiba:
Oh, sure, there’s always Don acting like the Guy-in-the-Rated-R-Movie and Roger Sterling’s one-liners or pathetic attempts at intimacy with the wrong woman. Who can’t get enough of Pete Campbell’s tantrums and meltdowns or Peggy winning at life while everyone else around her flails miserably? Every scene with Joan is sure to be satisfying, on talent and aesthetics levels, and any sequence involving Betty and her new-ish family is rife with schadenfreude delights. And, at the end of a long week when you feel the desperate urge to punch someone, anyone, in the ear - there’s always Harry, just waiting for a chance to say or do the most cringe-worthy thing imaginable. But the character that makes me smile and damn glad I tuned in every single episode, even if (at most times) he only merits a scene or two, and often nary a line, is Aaron Staton as “Ken Cosgrove, Accounts.”
Ken is probably the only character on Mad Men that I didn’t hate at some point in the series.
iOS 7 Wish List »
Federico Viticci at MacStories:
I know what I would like to see in iOS 7 because I have been using iOS devices every day. Like every year, I have put together a list of new features, changes, and fixes I’d like to see in the next version of iOS. Some of them revolve around “big picture” concepts, some are more practical minor fixes, but all of them would contribute to improving my daily iOS experience. I think the following list contains ideas that aren’t too absurd – many of them have been appearing in pre-WWDC wish lists for years now. You can take a look at my iOS 6 article from last year to see how it went.
Read this whole piece, and take your time. Federico is exactly right on virtually every detail —and there are a lot of details.