Jonny the Recovering Technophiliac

07.14.01 – TWA Terminal at JFK Airport

Originally uploaded by bluePantone292

i remember flying to miami in 98 on TWA…this takes me back so much…i love traveling

Welcome to The Plug, where i like to give a review to anything tech and non-tech that i feel needs a shameless plug due to my liking.

This week i wish to discuss something i love to do…write.  If i did not like to write, then i’d probably not be maintaining a blog nor even having a twitter account…then again to write a tweet is the same as writing a text message…so never mind i said that.  I have a different editor to suit my needs…i use Word for general distributable docs, Textmate for coding and basic editing, and Scrivener for major writing such as short stories.  However, whether i’m writing a blog post, or a long chapter that requires my 110% attention, i dont like to be distracted.  Sure i could put my phone on airplane mode and close iTunes, but lately the typical windows/mac desktop contains so many things that could distract anyone…icons, system tray pop-ups, widgets, gadgets.  Even maximizing Word still shows me a plethora of buttons and options i can click with ease…truth be told, i love buttons and blinking lights…that’s how i got interested in tech and gadgets to begin with.

Enter WriteRoom from Hog Bay Software (mac only).  it’s essential, simplified, distraction-free writing.  Double-clicking on the app presents with a full black screen with green lettering…no buttons, no gimmicks, and the menu bar appears only when you point the mouse to it. Now lets talk about the iphone version…as far as text editors for phones are concerned, there’s so much you can do.  But for WR, i love it.  It does autosave, portrait, landscape, 3 buttons (left/right navigation, one to export), AND it’s distraction-free…well, provided i put the phone on airplane mode.  The only downside is that it doesn’t have any sync capabilities btween phone and desktop as well as with it’s Writeroom.ws service. It allows you to make it as a web-server so you can edit the doc from a browser, which isn’t steller if you can’t sync.

But i know what you’re thinking

why not just use notes.app?

Well it does have a minimal set of buttons, and it looks simplified.  The main difference is that the notes can be synced with Apple Mail and i’m sure Outlook for windows as well(i think…i need to verify that).  In the end, if syncing’s the big issue, stick to notes.  Otherwise, WriteRoom can offer you the best in simplified, distraction-free writing on the iPhone.

And don’t worry, as much as i’m a mac guy, i haven’t abandoned my windows bretheren.  For distraction-free writing, i use DarkRoom.

As I tiredly type on my iPhone in the comfort of my bed, it gave me time to reflect on the events of today. On a hot summer day in 2006, I graduated from CUNY Queens College… a huge milestone given the weight I was carrying ( i.e. mourning the death if my dad not too long ago). For the next two and a half years I have worked very briefly but spent most of my time running my business, JK Design. I didnt mind bieng my own boss, but the long-term persuit for me was always seeking a steadier job. My brother Kev was lucky and landed a job with Bank Of America. Mind you, I say “lucky” not as in literal luck. He worked hard and on his own steam for it. I say “luck” as in the timing. I won’t get into politics, but let’s just say that certain politicians and executives made some dumb decisions that caused a huge chunk of the nation to lose their jobs. So for all of us, the job market was and is essentially slim pickens.

The thought occurred to me to go for graduate school, but the first thing I thought was

where will I find the bloody money for it?

If I had a better job then that wouldn’t be a concern. More on that later. Today I visited NYU-Polytechnic University in Brooklyn for a graduate information session to get my feet wet in a possible return to academia. Well let me tell you, when I finished undergrad I did not want to know a damn thing about school…after straight studying since pre-k, I needed a break. But this time, my enthusiasm to return to grad school is purely out of my own will. I’m actually excited to study again. I know…let it settle in. I want to persue grad school NOT just to build up on my educational background while the job market heals. But above all, I want to return because I simply want to. And I’m a firm believer that when you enjoy something and show eagerness to do something, chances are you’ll end up doing it right. I recall one time during undergrad when I started a semester with a 7am calculus class. It was rainy, I was tired…but also unenthusiastic. Right then and there I had a feeling that the semester would not be so great…and I was right. The following semester I was eager and excited…the opposite effect was achieved.

So I’m seeking to take advantage of my eagerness and gusto to get back on the a ademic grind, and get into the mindset that anythjhg is possible…which leads me to that question that I’d always ask myself when thinking if grad school:

where will I find the bloody money for it?

The way I see it, we’re always going to be repaying something or someone (mortgages, car loans, bills, etc). To claim a debt-free life would be just lying. So if that’s the case, might as well get a loan…I can pay it back, and maybe the promise of a job will help make the payback process easier…always does.

Welcome to The Plug, where i like to give a review to anything tech and non-tech that i feel needs a shameless plug due to my liking.

This week along with my browsing of blogs and articles, i passed on this page from my friend Paul.  He lists the applications, products and services he personally uses on a regular basis, not because he was paid to, but because he just felt a mention was warranted.  So for this blog post, i’ll might as well join the bandwagon and write my own basic list too.  If i get enough things to add on, i’ll probably turn this into a page, who knows.  Anyway, on with the show:

Software

• NetNewsWire for my RSS news
• Adium for AIM, GTalk, and Twittering
• Safari 4 & Firefox 3 for web browsing.
• iCal for my calendar
• Things for my to-do lists
• iStat Menus for my system monitor tools
• Textmate for text-editing
• Subethaedit for collaborative text-editing
• 1Password for password management
• Transmit for FTP
• Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Soundbooth CS4
• Writeroom for distraction-free writing
• VLC
• hulu Desktop
• Transmission
• Flip4Mac WMV
• Growl
• SuperDuper
• AppZapper
• Sequel Pro
• Final Cut Express 4
• UnRarX
• The Unarchiver
• Microsoft Office 2008
• VMware Fusion with Windows XP & Windows 7
• Keyboard Cleaner
• ScreenFlow
• Quicksilver
• AudialHub
• VisualHub
• Rosetta Stone 3 with Greek (i got my reasons! lol)
• Pixelmator
• pzizz
• Macfusion

Services

• Google Apps for my domain (jkdesign)
• Roadrunner broadband
• Google Voice
• MobileMe
• 1and1.com VPS
• Skribit account
• T-mobile for iPhone EDGE service

Computer Setup

• 13-inch 2GHz MacBook (Black) with 2 GB of RAM and an 120 GB SATA hard drive.
• pirate skull crossbones under the apple logo on the back (see photo)
• LaCie 250 GB FireWire portable hard drive, designed by F.A. Porsche
• ThinkGeek.com Bi-Color LED Blow On-Off Candle
• Targus 4-port portable USB hub
• Targus USB laptop light
• Plantronics .Audio 400 DSP foldable stereo headset

Hardware/Gadgets

• Plain ‘ol CRT Toshiba SDTV (i don’t watch much tv anyway, just online)
• Plain ‘ol Aiwa 3-CD 2-Deck AM/FM Stereo System (i don’t listen to much radio anyway, just online)
• Canon PowerShot SD700 IS Digital Elph with 2GB SD card
• Linksys WRT54G (version 5) wireless router
• 32 GB iPhone 3GS unlocked with T-Mobile
• 30 GB IPod Classic White