Following on the heels of my prior post about Things, Jonathan Christopher, extols the virtues of OmniFocus.
Things Reviewed
I’ve been drinking the OmniFocus Kool-Aid since it was in Alpha. That application has become such a part of my daily routine that losing it would have a similar emotional reaction on me to burning a 3-year old’s favorite blanky in front of him. Nevertheless, I’ve been hearing a lot of positive things about the new kid on the block, Things. Several readers have happily switched over to Things saying it is not as complicated as OmniFocus. I use the hell out of OmniFocus so I’m not sure I could give up those advanced features. Nevertheless, for those interested, there is an excellent review of Things right here. Thanks to reader Landya for the link.
In Praise of ChronoSync
One of my many failings is an obsession with backing up data. I’d like to say this is a result of my growing up with data storage devices like cassette tapes that scarred me with a lifelong mistrust for all backups. However when you come down to it, I’m just a little bit crazy. Anyway, one of my backup regimens includes copying all of my essential documents onto an 8 gig encrypted thumb drive once a month. The best application for this job is ChronoSync. I bought my ChronoSync license years ago and was really pleased this week to find out that: a) they released a new version 4 with several significant upgrades; and, b) ChronoSync developer, Econ Technologies, does not charge for upgrades, ever.
If you want to sync two folders or make sure a limited portion of your “stuff” gets copied to some other place, take a look at ChronoSync. I’ve been using it a long time and never had a problem.
Mac Use Still on the Rise
AppleInsider reports Net Applications’ web tracking shows Mac web share hit 9.9 percent for January. I’ve always felt that as web applications become more prominent, the Windows operating system stranglehold will weaken.
Hitting the Big Goals with Aspire
I often struggle with separating myself from the flying bullets of the daily task list to see how everything fits with the big picture. Unifiq recently released a beta of Aspire, their new life-goal planning application. It takes a unique and innovative approach, providing a visual workspace to brainstorm, prioritize, review, refine, track and help improve anyone’s life goals and long-term plans. This isn’t a task planning application. It is more of a goal management applicaiton. I’m going to download the beta and see if it helps.
LED Football Free This Weekend
In celebration of the Super Bowl, the gang over at touchGrove have made their excellent retro game, LED Football, free for the weekend. As I’ve explained before, I like this game a lot. Now is your chance to get it for free.
MacSparky at ABA TechShow 2009
Every year the American Bar Association sponsors its premier technology conference and exposition in Chicago called the TechShow. Recognizing the increasing use of Macs in the practice of law, this year they have added a Mac track where lawyers can learn the advantages of using a Macintosh in their practice along with some particular software and hardware skills.
I’m pleased to announce that I’ll be teaching part of it. My fellow “Mac track” instructors are Ben Stevens from TheMacLawyer, Reid Trautz, the director of the Practice & Professionalism Center for American Immigration Lawyers Association and a frequent lecturer on law practice management, and Brett Burney from BurneyConsultants.
The legal industry has always been slow to adopt new technology. I was dragging my projector to the courthouse long before the term “PowerPoint” became a verb (i.e. “He PowerPointed me to death!”) I also have been using a Mac at the courthouse long enough to witness my use of Apple hardware go from freakish curiosity to accepted alternative. I’m eager to go to Chicago April 2-4 and speak with more like minded, tech friendly attorneys and professionals. Of course, I’ll be using Keynote ’09.
iPhone LED Football 2 – Even More Chocolate
I wrote about LED Football awhile back. I explained how much I loved that game as it took me back my favorite handheld of all time, my trusty Mattel Football. What I didn’t talk about was the sequel, Football 2. This follow up handheld added passing and the ability to run backward. It was like taking your favorite food and pouring on extra chocolate. I didn’t have one back in the day but boy did I sure want it. Now you can have it on your iPhone for just 99 cents.
I’m trying to figure out if these retro games are just something for people of my generation or if everyone likes them. Regardless, I keep both versions of LED Football on my iPhone at all times. They are both some of my favorite “go to” time wasters. Check it out.
Mac Founders’ 25th Anniversary Party
Famous Mac software evangelist Guy Kawasaki did a great post following his attendance of the 25th Anniversary party held by a group of mostly former Apple employees who worked on the original Macintosh project. It’s nice seeing the people behind the tech.
Continue readingMacSparky Headquarters Update
I’ve been receiving emails from screencast subscribers and readers asking what’s up with slow screencast release schedule. To be honest, dealing with the holidays, Macworld, and adding estate planning to my law practice (along with the other detritus of life) have been keeping me on my toes.
Hang in there with me troops. I do have some interesting Screencasts planned. I also made some further friends, connections, and associations at Macworld this year that are very interesting. Stay tuned for an announcement regarding future expansion. That is all I can say for now.