Mind Mapping my organised mess - working well for less

My desk is a mess, a collection of memos, letters, reports and print-outs. My organized mess of work. You sure can't lose anything when you throw it on top of all that and somehow I like it that way.

To a certain degree, my thoughts are often jumbled up like that. Meshed together in a mess that at times may not be organized. And it is this chaotic string thoughts that I plan to organize in the coming weeks.

In my search for Mind-Mapping tools, I came across Get-It-Done's article "Manage Life with a Personal Dashboard" and it struck me with its simplicity and ability to organize chaos.

I've been using mind-mapping to map out ideas and minute meetings but I've yet to use it to manage my life by organizing thoughts and events and tasks. In my initial mind-map, I found that putting down my tasks and everyday work items into a visual form is fantastic. It allows me to see the amount of work, the number of tasks and relationship the tasks have with each other. Anything can be thrown into this mix and then organized into its own section or category. For now, I am trying hard not to complicate my current mind-map with unneccessary nonsense. Most projects start off well but get swallowed up in un-needed complexity that it grinds to a halt and ends up dead in the water.

Give this a try and see where it takes you. Free mind-mapping toosl you can use are FreeMind (Mac OS X, Windows) or MindNode (Mac OS X) or iMindMap (iPhone) or VUE.

Cheers!.

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Idiots do Multitasking, Geniuses Single-task.

"Multi-tasking". Say it...say it. What the hell does it mean? Seriously, take time, now, to just ponder the meaning of that word. "Multi-tasking", what does it mean and imply?

Seriously, I don't do multi-tasking because it's for idiots. The smart people in the world single-task and that's really the natural order of things. Human beings were never made to multi-task. Multi-tasking in the office was a cheap way to cut down on employing more people and to enforce a form of slavery in the modern office. Yup, slavery is not confine to third-world countries, you can find it in modern air-conditioned offices. And the slaves are those of us who ever got slap with the "you-can-multi-task" stick on note.

Single-tasking is the way we were meant to be. Because we are single-track-minded beings. Our linear minds are most efficient handling a SINGLE train of thought instead of jumping from track to track. It's just the way we are hardwired in the nugging.

Leave the multi-tasking to computers and machines, why? Because that's why we invented them. Computers have multi-threaded capabilities embedded into their CPUs. They are built to handle several data streams at one instance. Multi-tasking was meant for the computers. How on earth, did this virus jump from the computer to human species is beyond me. But I bet it was some idiotic HR manager who wanted to save on paying for an extra employee.

So next time someone pushes the "You can multi-task" line into your face, do the smart thing. Reply back, "I'm single track minded, so I work best on a single-tasking model."

Cheers!

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Minimalism approach to my iPhone. Less is More.

About a week ago, I embarked on a quest to see what apps would take up residence on the HomeScreen of my iPhone. And up till now, only four (4) apps have made the cut and they are:

1. Contacts


2. Calculator


3. Notes


4. Calendar

On my Dock resides :

1. iPod


2. biteSMS


3. Phone

The Calculator app is close to being kicked out and I may have only three (3) apps residing on my HomeScreen. It basically shows what the iPhone's main task is in my life.

1. Texting


2. Answering Calls


3. Scheduling my meetings, appointments


4. Taking down notes

Playing games and tinkering with apps take a backseat ride on this boat. So isn't that what we all use our hand-phones for? So no matter if you have a below par handphone (non-smartphone, brick-like and lacks MMS), you still do the same things as an above par handphone user (smartphone, web browser, push email and ability to make coffee).

Cheers!

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Mods on my iPhone

Someone asked me over FaceBook if the iPhone is a good phone. HELL YA!! Once you got your hands on an iPhone, there's no looking at any other phone. It becomes an extension of your personality. A tool of zen-like quality.

Anyway, I've been busy with it the last few weeks and this is the current state of my trusty iPhone; I call 'It'.

2G Model, 16GB HDD,


Firmware Roadmap: OS 2.1 to 3.0 to 3.1.2 to OS version 3.1.3.


2G tethering, bluetooth and MMS enable via OS patch.

Favourites I can't live without:

1. biteSMS,


2. Notes,


3. Mobile Terminal,


4. WinterBoard,


5. SSB Settings,


6. TweekDeck


7. Facebook

There you have it. What? You think the list is too short? Minimal. That's the approach I'm taking with this phone. If I don't really use it for two (2) days, then the app gets a spot on my 2nd screen. All games are on the 3rd and 4th screen respectively. And my HomeScreen holds just four (4) apps.

I've currently got SMS Delivery Notification running but it's bloody annoying. Appearing as a text message each time a SMS is delivered. A good way to represent this is to have an icon indicator on the SMS itself, showing that it has been delivered. Something I bet someone else has thought of.

Well, there you have it. A look into the friend I call 'It' who gets an upgrade every time something new pop up on the iPhone hacking bulletin boards. And I must say, an iPhone is a Geek's best friend.

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My FaceBook Persona is not Me.

Listening to Prof. Bibo White talk on the future of social networking, where FaceBook leads the way with over 400 million members, actually making it the 3rd largest country in the world (in terms of population); I started thinking how my FaceBook account has taken over my life.

Every morning, I open FaceBook before my office email. I run TweekDeck; which allows me to update FaceBook and Twitter; without the need to visit the websites and browse through the status updates sof my friends. Yup, I am part of the FaceBook nation but how much of what I put on FaceBook really represents me?

FaceBook is my online persona, and it may or may not be true to who I am. I can safely hide behind a digital mask and none would be the wiser to me. And I am beginning to catch myself telling people I meet to search me on FaceBook. I don't carry name-cards anymore, choosing instead to ask people to Google my name and it will lead them to my blog.

But FaceBook is not me. It represents me, yet it is not me. It doesn't capture me as a person. Instead, you read what I want you to read. And I can make up whatever I want you to read. I can be a hard-convict in prison and online, I can make myself to be the granny that lives next door you to you.

And looking at my FaceBook account, I have almost 500 friends yet in everyday life, I tend to talk to only 3 people. And these 3 people know me as I am, not the FaceBook persona but me as a human being.

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biteSMS 4.6 Full version

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NW5oGErX-Bs]

The above WORKS! Enough said. The tutorial is for biteSMS 4.1 but it will also work for version 4.6.

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Rumor has it - multitasking on iPhone OS 4.0. I don't think its needed.

I was away at a workshop discussing the future of the web, namely Web 2.0 but I did manage a peek at my FaceBook and post an entry on this blog but I did not manage to comment on this article by Apple Insider, where it was reported that Apple's iPhone 4.0 would deliver multitasking.

It has been a screaming point for most users of the iPhone, that we can multi-task as compared to the other Windong powered smartphones out there. I screamed along with the We-Want-iPhone-Multitasking posse for a while until I started to seriously use my iPhone.

Currently, I'm trying to get MMS to run on my legacy 2G iPhone via hacking the plist rather then running 3rd party software. Anyway, multitasking on the iPhone. Do we really need it?

Switching between applications, without the need to switch one, seems like a great thing especially on a computer but on a hand-held device such as a handphone; it may not take the cake. I've own Nokias for a long time and the Symbian OS is a joy when it comes to multitasking. You could run several apps and switching between them is a breeze; but you tend to forget how many apps are running at one time and this hampers performance. On the Symbian, you have to manually turn off the apps, if not they will run in memory for as long as the phone is still turned on. This eats into your battery life.

Hence, the main reason multitasking is a bane to hand-held devices is performance and battery life.

Iwill not need multitasking if it eats away at my battery life and hampers the performance of my iPhone.

Secondly, humans are not multitasking beings. We have to be focus and single-tracked minded; if we are to be really productive. Sure, I would love to switch between my game and checking my latest text message with ease, returning to my game without the need to restart the game, but it's still a single-tracked process. Some would argue that having a radio app running in the background while you surf or check email is valid enough to have multitasking, but would you spend a huge amount of time doing that?

I would argue for semi-multitasking. Make it easy to switch between apps and have the current state of the apps reside in memory. Long enough for one to switch back. But having 10 apps running simultaneously in memory may not be good for the iPhone.

The real reason games and apps run brightly on the iPhone is because all the iPhone's resources are focused to run that singular game or app as you play it or view it. Being focus on one app at a time actually gives back better images, sound and performance.

So would you sacrifice performance and battery life, so that your iPhone can be like any other multitasking phone out there?

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The Best Wristwatch for A Man - 3 Rules to choose a wristwatch.

Men are such unfortunate beings. We don't go far when it comes to fashion. How many ways can you fashion a white button down shirt? And how many ways can you wear khaki pants? Or that faded coduroy blazer you got hanging in your ward-robe?

And we can't wear make-up. Though I've seen some metro-sexual friends attempt nail-polish but I just don't dig that style.

Now, the one accessory that would truly show your status among men is the humble wristwatch. Trust me, a good wristwatch says a lot about you; just ask James Bond. How many times has his wristwatch saved his back? And wristwatches come in several flavors, though you may want to put some thought into it before splashing out serious money for one.

So here I lay down my watch inspired rules to choosing the best wristwatch a man can have (if you don't agree, shoot me).

Rule 1: Go for function

Watches tell more than just time, they come with a lot dials and tell you stuff from dates to temperature, to alttitude and tidal cycles. So ask yourself, What will I use my watch for?

Raymond Weil Freelancer Chronograph

A favourite watch to have is a chronograph and almost all watch brands have a version of this form of watch. A chronograph is a stop watch and on some models, you can tell how face your car is moving by running the chronograph. Now, chronographs are great watches to have (I have two of these) yet, when would you actually use one? After a while, you'll realize you dished out serious money for a function, you only used the first few days of owning your watch. The rest of the time, you're just looking at your watch to, well, tell time. So buying a chronograph may not be real value for your bucks, unless you fly a small aircraft every other day.

So what do you get, in terms of function?

Seiko Premier Perpectual Calendar

Here's my suggestion - a perpectual calendar wristwatch. I own two of these watches and boy do I love them. Why? You only have to set the date once and the watch will take care of the rest. And it even count leap years. Most brands carry a version of this type of watch and it makes more sense then a chronograph. I currently own the Seiko Premier Perpectual Calendar and its a time-less elegant watch. I purposely went around looking for the above model, it was release in 2007 and is the first model of this kind in the Premier line, making it a collector's item of sorts.

Rule 2: Go Automatic


Seiko was the culprit that broke the back of most european wristwatch makers when they introduced quartz technology back in the 1969. Basically, it meant that watches can now run in little batteries, making them more realiable and durable. And cheaper to produce. This revolutionized the watch industry and the wristwatch became standard issue apparel (much like underwear). Heck, James Bond wore a Seiko in four movies and I think it was Sean Connery who wore a digital Seiko in Never Say Never Again.

I own several quartz, yet any chance I get; I'll but automatic. Why? Better resale value. Collectors love automatics and they are willing to pay for it. So if ever you feel like off-loading a watch, automatics will get buyers.

Quartz watches do have revalue but unless you own the following quartz watches, selling them would be hard.

Seiko Holo - only 2000 sold, can fetch USD1000 on eBay

Seiko 7a28 - worn by Lt. Ripley in Alien. Extremely rare.


This one sold for USD410

So in short, buy automatic. They sell well and you can pass it down to your grand-children.

Rule 3 : Buy metal bracelet and leather


Wristwatches come in metal bracelets and leather bands. Have both. Why? A metal bracelet watch can be your everday wear. A leather band is for those moments you need a subtle touch, like going for a dinner or meeting.

Switching watches around can be fun and it shows off your character as someone who's not monotonous.

There you have it, three (3) rules you can apply to choosing a wristwatch. I did not mention brand nor size (wristwatch normally come in 3 sizes) or shape. These factors are very subjective and really depends on individual taste.

If you have any more rules we all can apply to buying a wristwatch (especially for men) do drop me a comment.

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