Trying some graphs of my inbox … a new gmail add-on (service found via @flowingdata)
So a guy has put together an extension (Chrome browser only) that lets you graph your gmail inbox. Graph your inbox? Can anything be learned by that? I tried it out and tried to come up with some graphs that might be relevant … “Meet for Coffee” The first one is a graph of the number of times the phrase “meet for coffee” shows up in my inbox. I left a full time job in April 2008, and you can generally see that I started having a lot more coffee meetings after that. Like, a lot. I clearly drink a Read more…
Priority Overload
Gmail's touting a new feature called Priority Inbox. You can see their (kind of funny) video about the product here: [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nt3gE9dGHQ?wmode=transparent] I understand where they're coming from, but this is still the wrong solution to the problem. Allow me to pull out a little GTD here … The problem with sorting by importance, as Priority Inbox does, is that the reason people feel stressed is because so much is important. And, by deferring the less important stuff to later, there's a greater likelihood it will become important down the line. If you only deal with emergencies, then … you'll Read more…
A week away from phones, Internets, Twitters, and Facebooks
Early tomorrow morning I’m stepping away from computers and phones for a week on a retreat with several great people from around Tacoma. I’m going on the American Leadership Forum’s “wilderness experience” out near Mt. Adams. Since … oh maybe 1998 I can only think of a handful of times I’ve been without email or a phone for that amount of time. I’m looking forward to it actually. Professionally speaking, since working at the Grand, it’s been rare to have a vacation that I’ve been able to completely check out of work for. Even our best vacations had a certain Read more…
To answer a question
I've had a couple people ask why a year-old phone would be worth more than a brand new phone. So I sold a used 3GS for $375. But you can buy a new 3GS for $99. Why would someone do that? Because they don't want to pay to switch to AT&T. Either because of AT&T's not-great service or because of the cost in switching from their current carrier. Any new iPhone comes with an AT&T contract, but if you don't want to switch to AT&T, then the only way to get an iPhone is to buy it used. And it turns Read more…
This is a creative use of Twitter …
Leigh Fazzina was lost in a 300-acre Connecticut wood, racing downhill on her mountain bike looking for the main road, when her front wheel hit a tree root. She flew over the handlebars and slammed into the ground, to find herself bloodied and unable to walk…and panicking. She tried screaming and calling for help on her cellphone but couldn’t connect. Then she tried Twitter, the social networking site, hoping that one of her 1000 followers might see her tweet: “I’ve had a serious injury and NEED Help! Can someone please call Winding Trails in Farmington, CT tell them I’m stuck Read more…
A post on the iPad
Some quick things I've noticed … 1) I've definitely noticed how it's replaced the laptop for a huge number of tasks. I work on the laptop, but it's nice to say, "Ok, I'm done with work now," and then pick up the iPad for the fun stuff–ie, Twitter, Facebook, and Google Reader. One of the other reasons I've migrated to the iPad for a lot of tasks is that it's nice not to have a very hot machine on my lap. My lap can't take the laptop for too long before it gets too hot. I'd taken to leaving narrow Read more…
How to turn your iPhone into a Ping Pong paddle for the weirdest game of Ping Pong ever …
via youtube.com I dunno. This video doesn’t exactly sell the concept. I especially like where they recommend you “hold on tight” to the phone.
Social Media as Performance
Here are two interrelated stories worth sharing. The first, in The New York Times, suggests that broadcasting our most mundane details is preventing us from being in the moment. We think, "I should totally tweet what I'm doing right now." Here's the start of it. On a recent lazy Saturday morning, my daughter and I lolled on a blanket in our front yard, snacking on apricots, listening to a download of E. B. White reading “The Trumpet of the Swan.” Her legs sprawled across mine; the grass tickled our ankles. It was the quintessential summer moment, and a year ago, I Read more…
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