March 2010
52 posts
Helvetireader 2 ° The Hickensian ° Hicksdesign ... →
It’s a very selfish approach, but I don’t have the spare time to cater for everyone’s requirements.
I’d say this qualifies as the exact opposite approach as the last link. I respect them both equally.
Simplenote for iPad →
After we do some more testing in the coming weeks, we’ll submit a basic, working version that should hopefully become available within a month or so. This version won’t have much extra in the way of features just yet, but with time it will evolve based on your feedback, just like we did with Simplenote for iPhone.
I just checked with my friend, Mr. Tortoise, and he claims this is the...
The Bugs Me List
I recently took the time to...
50 Inspiring, Awesome & Stylish Mac Setups |... →
Warning. If you click this link valuable time that can be spent on making and doing will be wasted.
“People use equipment as a crutch. They don’t want to put in the hours on...”
– Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson
Apple - iPad - Guided Tours →
Just in case you need it. You know, for your Mom or something.
Twitter / helvetireader: Looks like Helvetireader2... →
Twitter soft launch for now but, oh so good.
Permute – The slickest video converter for the Mac →
Permute is a great example of how less user interface makes technology more approachable. Less doesn’t have to mean less functional. If I need to recommend a video converter to a new Mac user, it’s most definitely going to be Permute.
Ooh, this looks like it’s going to be good. Thanks Milind for bringing the linkage to the sexy.
Cable organization for a few pence. →
This works like a treat. My desk looks much less like a spidersweb now. (Submitted by mattyoak)
Did I see this before anyone else submitted it? Yes.
Did several people submit this? Yes.
Did I use this one because he used the word “pence” in his title and I am an unabashed Anglophile? You bet your arse!
Marco.org - More ideas than time: Logarithmic... →
The ideal view would contain today’s events in great detail, then events from the next few days in less detail, then an overview of events in the next 3-5 weeks.
Marco has some interesting and, I dare say, “what we believe in” ways to make the standard calendar metaphor even better. I like it. I want it. I’m going to fire off a few emails to see if someone I know can build it.
5000
Well, there it is folks. At some point in the time I closed my computer to fix dinner and the time I opened it just now, we hit follower number 5000 in Tumblr. That means some Sweet Schwag™ to send to a couple of lucky Tumblrs. Why a couple? Well, the person who is number 5000 will get some of course but I also wanted to pick a random other Tumblr and send them something too just for following and...
My New
“Standing Desk” – kung fu grippe →
So, maybe, at least in some small way, this stupid thing will help remind me that finishing shit means first getting off your ass and then working really hard until you know you’ve earned your keep.
Classic.
Is It April 3rd Yet? →
Just in case you were wondering. (thx to Michael Armstrong)
Delete, Recycling Bins, and Backups on the iPad |... →
I worry that this is one area where hiding the filesystem on the iPad could have detrimental effects on a user’s experience. If I am an average user, my experience has taught me that deleting a file from a folder doesn’t really mean the file is deleted; it’s in file-purgatory. If I bring this mentality to the iPad, though, it could result in devastating losses of data.
With any shifting of the...
Faith in The Future
Both my wife and I are freelance consultants. I’m a technical consultant and she’s a non-profit and arts management consultant. Because of this, our “office” is usually wherever we are. We spend many days shuffling between various locations. Our computing needs have to be highly portable and durable. We always buy the most machine for our long term needs and always purchase the piece...
Preview: Instapaper on iPad - Instapaper Blog →
While I could have taken the conservative option and waited until a month or two after the iPad’s release before launching Instapaper for it, an iPad without native Instapaper Pro is not a device I want to own.
My sentiments exactly.
Now Software Shuts Its Doors →
Very sad news that hits hard personally in a way that I never really expected, though I knew it was coming. I worked for Now Software in Quality Assurance for four years. Some of my closest friends today (including the person who was Best Ma’am at my wedding) were folks I first worked with at Now Software (formerly Power On Software).
I have, along with others, suspected this may be coming...
Simple Desks →
Of course I followed. (thx Pat Dryburgh)
Jordan's Minutiae ⨂Asking for a deal →
That’s why I like bundles: they’re impulse buys. I get lots of applications I’ll never use but a few I might and one I know I will use. Yes, it increases the number of license textfiles I maintain in Simplenote. I don’t download the ones I know I won’t use, so there’s no impact on my machine. But I’ve contributed something to the developers whose applications I think are “kind of neat” but...
Good Desktop Picture (Wallpaper) Sources
I was recently asked on Twitter about good places to find desktop pictures, especially photos (which I prefer myself). While I am no definitive source on the subject, i do have some places I go looking and ones I have found just by curating this little juke joint. Therefore, here is the list I gave on the Twitter:
Mandolux – This guy does great work, especially in his output of shots for dual...
Turn off that dock unread count - (37signals) →
Now it’s on you to go check email instead of having that count pushed upon you. A subtle shift, but one that can make a powerful difference.
What we believe in.
Stattoo Homebrew →
Chris details how he did his own homebrew version of Stattoo using GeekTool, duct tape, and elbow grease. Or something like that…
Ikea SIGNUM Cord Management | Apartment Therapy... →
Unplgdd calls attention to some nice cheap cord and cable management solutions that IKEA just rolled out. At prices like this, and with crisp Euro design, there are no more reasons for excuses.
It's not a bargain if you don't need it.
The title is taken from a line my Father said to me once in discussing my Grandmother, who thought anything worth having was worth having five of. I have remembered it ever since. I remember it every time I see a tremendous deal that seems just too good to pass up. A sweater on super cheap clearance (us Minnesotans can never have too many, right?). A printer that is practically free after rebate...
“We sometimes underestimate the influence of little things.”
– Charles W. Chesnutt
Practical Opacity →
I think it is finally time to take the wraps off another project I have been working on…
Practical Opacity
Think of it as “Minimal Social Media”. In this age where Radical Transparency is championed, I want to suggest another direction (hence the name). In this age where we are drowning in a sea of information and expected and encouraged to drown others, I want to suggest...
Nimble Design - /the/path/of/most/resistance →
Unfortunately for the average person, the file system is so complex that everything outside of the desktop and the documents folder appears to be a vast labyrinth which most likely hides booby traps and minotaurs.
That’s because it does hide booby traps and minotaurs.
Let’s just say I tell a client “That ‘Home’ folder is where all of your stuff is. The Mac likes it...
Marco.org - Overdoing the interface metaphor
... →
Functionally, it’s almost a calculator. But it’s also almost a spreadsheet and almost a list pad. By not constraining its design to that of a common physical object, it’s able to be and do much more than anything in the physical world ever could.
Marco raises some good arguments against the idea that mimicking real world objects in UI design is not always the right answer. In fact, it can also...
Yummygum Office
At Yummygum, we embrace a minimal mind set not only in our online corporate visual identity but also in our office. We’ve tried to create a minimal workspace, using the Bluelounge CableBox, a lot of whitespace and a clean and clutter free desk.
(Submitted by Yummygum)
Holy moly! This shot is just the beginning. Click the link and see the whole set. Beautiful stuff.
Simple Desktops →
I have actually linked to this site before (Oct. 19 2009 to be exact), but people keep pinging me about it every time any other blog mentions it so I’ll link to it again.
“We must strive to reach that simplicity that lies beyond sophistication.”
– John Gardner
What Apple Sells...
Apple has never really been in the business of selling product. What Apple really sells is an experience.
What Apple sells begins before you even walk in the door…
It begins before you take out your credit card…
It continues when you get back home…
To when you start it up…
My point being that, any company can sell you a product. Very few take the time and...
Tully Hansen →
Shout out to Tully, who was the 4000th follower of Minimal Mac on Tumblr. His reward: Sending him some Sweet Schwag™. Not to worry though, the schwag will be even sweeter for number 5000.
How-To: Use Time Machine Over a Network →
I love Time Machine for its simplicity and the fact that it’s free. Apple did the right thing in creating a backup utility that was integrated into the OS and was actually useful. Anyone who has fought with Windows Backup can tell you, this has been needed for a long time. Apple created a beautiful backup utility and then made money on hardware that seamlessly works with it. For the home user,...
iPad Aesthetics →
But as someone who prefers tidiness and iPhone screen real estate, I think the iPad interface is a step in the right direction
Me too. Chris makes a good simple argument (with pictures) to make the case.
A collection of favorite Mac OS X Hints tips | Mac... →
Speaking of getting to know your tools deeper… Rob Griffiths, the founder and editor of Mac OS X Hints one of my all time favorite Mac sites, is stepping down from that role to pursue other interests. While I am very sad to see him go, I know he will leave the site in good hands. Here, he recounts some of his favorite tips and tricks from over the years.
That said, part of my goal of...
Work Better and Faster by Exploring Your Tools —... →
Take some time today to really get acquainted with one specific tool that you use frequently. Poke around the menus and help files, search Google for “ tricks” and see what comes up. I think you’ll be surprised by what you find.
Excellent advice from Brett. I too am guilty of only using a few specific features of an application and not really diving in and really getting to know it. And while...