Merlin Mann’s Great Discontent Interview

The Great Discontent did a great job on this interview with Merlin Mann. There is a lot worth quoting here but this passage really resonates with me.

 

“Over the years, I’ve learned to be a little bit easier on myself while simultaneously trying to be more realistic about what I can actually do. I think a lot about do-ability with whatever silly project I want to do next. I don’t think about whether something is easy or not: I think about what trade-offs I have to accept in order to do it well, on time, and on budget.”

 

I still find saying “no” and making hard decisions about what projects to take on extremely difficult. Merlin was the first person that confronted me on this issue and I’m grateful for that. My own neurosis aside, this is a great read.

Philippine Relief Fund Through iTunes


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I’ve not said or written much about it but 20 years ago, I had the good fortune to marry into a Filipino family. I’m not bragging when I say I have the best in-laws in the world. Filipino culture is amazing. There is great food, and love, and compassion for one another without reserve. We celebrate each other’s victories and cry each other’s tears. Don’t believe me? Here is my mother in law last Christmas, who decided to jump on the coffee table to model her new jacket.

So I’m sure you can understand we’ve all been watching the tragedy in the Philippines with a lot of concern. I am contributing to the relief fund today through iTunes.

The Email Field Guide

I just published the fourth MacSparky Field Guide. This one is all about email. I’ve spent most of the past year looking very closely at email and how it works. This new book explains the best methods, technologies, services, apps, and workflows to make email work for you.

There are over 300 pages and nearly 1.5 hours of video screencasts and 200 screenshots as I walk you through. I’ve also included several audio interviews with friends including Serenity Caldwell, Rob Corddry, Merlin Mann, Fraser Speirs, Jeff Taekman, Aisha Tyler, David Wain, and Gabe Weatherhead, that provide even more perspective on the best ways to tackle email.

The book features a new craftsman-style design and is illustrated by Mike Rohde. In a lot of ways, this book feels like the culmination of everything I’ve learned along the way. I’m really proud of this book and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed creating it. It is available in the iBooks Store and PDF for $9.99.

 

Buy the iBooks Store Version of the Email Field Guide

 

Buy the PDF Version of the Email Field Guide

 

Visit the Website

The Field Guide Mailing List

You may not know it but there is a mailing list for the MacSparky Field Guides. My goals is for it to be one of the lowest volume mailing lists on the Internet. All that being said, if you are interested in learning about new Field Guides and big updates, today would be an excellent day to sign up for it.

“Desktop-Class”

Speaking of Fraser Speirs, he wrote up his new iPad Air and is impressed. 

“I don’t want to bury the lede here: the major story about the iPad Air is not the reduction in size and weight but the increase in performance. It is, to put it simply, an utter delight to use. “

I’ve heard a similar version of this from all of my friends driving iPad Airs. What is even more interesting than how fast the A7 is making existing  apps, is what kind of new apps developers will create to harness this power.

 

MPU 163: Education and iPads with Fraser Speirs

This week Fraser Speirs joined us to update us on the progress of the 1 to 1 iPad program he has been administering for several years. Fraser has unique insight on the iPad and education and this one is a great listen for that alone. We also talked at some length concerning his impressions and thoughts on the new iPad Air.

 

Sponsor: Rocket Matter and Free 60 Apps Book

This week I’d like to thank Rocket Matter for sponsoring MacSparky.com. This week Rocket Matter is giving away a free ebook, 60 Apps Every Lawyer Needs to KnowThe book has some great app recommendations for anyone that works in a profession where their time is their stock-in-trade.

Rocket Matter is the innovative leader in cloud-based legal services. If you run or work in a law firm and you are tired of dealing with all of the hassles, go check out Rocket Matter that gives you calendaring, document management, billing, task management, and all the other bits it takes to practice law in one gorgeously designed web interface and a really spiffy iPhone application. Thanks Rocket Matter.