Remainders: The Multiple Self, OS X plugs, a year of 43F, and Grandpa's crappy art
Merlin Mann | Sep 9 2005
- The Multiple Self - This is a post by Phillip J. Eby that I've read at least 5 times now, and I can't stop thinking about it. For some reason, it really resonates with me. I've been struggling to put together some thoughts on the Linux stream metaphor (and how it relates to a bunch of related stuff I've been thinking about), but I haven't done it justice yet. Until I do, check out the article, and see what you think. More soon.
Minuteur - Linked via del.icio.us, but this is too cool not to re-mention. Ready to kick procrastination's ass, but don't want to shell out for a kitchen timer? No sweat. Minuteur is an amazing and very flexible little timer app for OS X. Lots of control via the keyboard and control keys. Countup, countdown, or set a HH:MM alarm. Definitely read the “Minuteur help” menu for usage details. There are many non-obvious features in that weird little window. And it's free. Mais oui! [Thanks, J|RSHAW]
- Painless disk cloning - Just a quick plug for SuperDuper which may end up joining DiskWarrior as my must-have Mac utility. It does exactly two things very well: a) it creates bootable DMG clones of Mac disks and b) it lets you very easily update the disk images using boilerplate or customized scripts. Part 1 has historically been the domain of Carbon Copy Cloner--a great little app. One thing SuperDuper adds is a simple interface for scripting the items/folders you do and don't want to clone as well as how you want them to behave (new vs. changed, etc.). This basically means you now have a perfect copy of your drive that can be restored very easily in case of calamity. Ditto for doing a “safety clone” before you install a bunch of dicey system upgrades. Highly recommended utility.
- Good widgets - Dashboard developers keep coming up with useful widgets that defy my original impression of “whizzy eye candy.” Right now I'm loving Oblique Strategies (cards from Eno & Schmidt's oracle-like card deck), Gas (cheapest petrol in your 'hood), Azureus (monitor and control Azureus torrents on a remote box), and BART (a really slick trip planner and schedule viewer for BART trains).
- HPDA on the Wiki - Hipster PDA Hacks, on the wiki, has some cool tips and links collected from the web.
- Coming Monday: A better to-do list - Be sure to drop back by on Monday morning (2005-
08 09-12) for the first of a two-part series called “Building a Smarter To-do List” (part 2 runs on Tuesday, natch). Given the new folks arriving here every day, I thought it would be useful to collect and expand on a few favorite tips behind developing a lean, actionable, unintimidating to-do list. Don't miss it.
- Happy birthday to us - I would note in passing that this week marks the anniversary of 43 Folders (thanks for kicking things off with a bang, Andy). I send you all horns of rock for visiting, linking, supporting, and for telling your pals. Thanks also to the 43F posse for guidance, and encouragement. You all rock. But you knew that.
- Quote of the week - “Someone could appreciate it; it wasn't a total disaster.” -- My Mom, commenting on the dubiously executed paintings of Grandpa Mann.
About Merlin Bio
Merlin Mann is an independent writer, speaker, and broadcaster. He’s best known for being the guy who created the website you’re reading right now. He lives in San Francisco, does lots of public speaking, and helps make cool things like You Look Nice Today, Back to Work, and Kung Fu Grippe. Also? He’s writing this book, he lives with this face, he suffers from this hair, he answers these questions, and he’s had this life. So far.
Merlin’s favorite thing he’s written in the past few years is an essay entitled, “Cranking.”
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