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Also

  • culturehack
    As Yoda once noted, "There is another." And so it is with my bloggy existence--truth be told, I have another cyber-family across town . . .

    CultureHack has been in mothballs almost from the day I established this little NoteTaker-based beachhead. Recently, however, I've applied the paddles to CultureHack and it seems to be breathing on its own again. Check out the "Honey, I'm Home" post over there for more details.

    The point's this: I'm feeling pretty spunky over at my first blog, and I'm extending a cordial, self-serving invitation to check-out what I'm up to. I've similarly sent the very patient CultureHack readers to pay a visit or two over here.

    As for Exploring AquaMinds NoteTaker, have no fear--it'll still be around. The only thing that's changed is when I want to let loose with with an essay that has nothing to do with NT, I'll have someplace inherently designed to accept my highly developed brand of stream-of-consciousness . . .

What

  • AppleScript
    Though not as overtly cool as contextual spell-check and tabbed browsing, one of Apple's best innovations is also it unintentional Stealth Project: AppleScript. It's is what makes the whole NoteTaker/Ecto Thing happen--and a lot more NT Goodness, to boot. Not now perhaps, but someday the itch will start--the desire for a little script mod here and a little script mod there. And when that happens, I'm trusting you'll be generous enough to share the results here.
  • AquaMinds NoteTaker Demo
    AquaMinds NoteTaker gathers, organizes and shares practically any kind of information--including files, graphics, multimedia, clippings, Web address and Web clips. It also allows the direct input of entries with the textual richness of a word processor. It does all this based upon an intutitive notebook metaphor that can be easily searched and reorganized to accomdate changing needs. I think it's a Killer App that forever changes how you think and approach computing.
  • AquaMinds NoteTaker Manual
    Questions about NoteTaker? Just want an overview of the sheer power of the application? Then this is what you want to read. The documentation is so good, I'm half-expecting that it will be optioned by a major film studio.
  • Ecto Demo
    I love Ecto. Along with NoteTaker, it runs on my desktop 24/7. Ecto is a blogging client that can handily accomodate many of the major blog service providers. But where it really shines is in the way it works with TypePad (see note, below). Ecto is at feature parity with TypePad, meaning if you can do it using the many online input screens of TypePad, you can also do it on your desktop.
  • Ecto FAQ
    Got questions about Ecto? Chances are that Ecto's got answers for you. Read this first.
  • Entourage 2004
    Legend has it that a lot of programmers that created Emailer for Fog City (and then Claris) were hired by Microsoft to work on Entourage. This fact shows. I love Apple's Mail application for a lot of reasons, but I'm beginning to love Entourage 2004 more. One of the reasons for my dalliance with the Dark Side is the fact that Entourage combines with NoteTaker in flexible and useful ways.
  • FastScripts
    Now that you've got that swank new NoteTaker/Ecto AppleScript up and running, what more could you possibly want? Well, hello? How about sending your NoteTaker entry to Ecto or your blogging service without taking your hands off the keyboard? Yup--a shortcut for the NT/Ecto script--or any other AppleScript for that matter. All of this convenience is care of the fine folks at Red Sweater Software. Eventually they will ask you to pay for their brainchild--and you will, because it really is that useful.
  • NoteTaker To Ecto
    Blogging Script
    This is the techno-magic that makes NoteTaker blogging possible. The AppleScript posts a notebook entry or entry selection to Ecto, the premier blogging client.
  • Tagging Service
    The improbably named MonkeyFood.com makes a free services applet that you're going to want know about. Using a handful of two-character triggers and a keyboard shortcut, Tagging Service makes HTML text formatting and the creation of links as easy as they can be this side of WYSIWYG. Did I mention this thing is free? Thank MonkeyFood.com profusely--even consider sending them a case of scotch.
  • TypePad Demo
    If NoteTaker has shaken the foundations of how we gather, organize and share data, then TypePad has had equally dramatic impact on content managment. Lurking below this elegant, simple blogging service are very powerful database technologies with implications that become apparent the longer you work with this amazing service.
  • TypePad Features
    Everything you always wanted to know about TypePad--well, okay, many things you wanted to know. . .

Possibilities

SearchCloud

December 06, 2004

You Can't Get There From Here:
The Dubious Insularity of Most RSS Readers

Columbo-1Accidental discoveries: You gotta love them. The possibly apocryphal history of Happy Accidents includes Ivory Soap, Silly Putty and the fact Ben Stein is funny. Unfortunately, however, there is also a long list of Uh-Oh Revelations: Asbestos-related respiratory ailments, the unintentional hard-drive havoc of a certain Apple updater and the possibly career-morphing trauma of the delayed understanding that Reply All isn't like Reply.

Add to this latter group the hypocritical insularity of many RSS readers. But before I lurch ahead with my idea-cum-rant, let's note the changed structure of this post. Usually our Quality Time here takes the form of an over-caffeinated episode of Columbo. I tend to shamble around the Observation Du Jour, rumpled and spouting seeming non-sequiturs. But by the end of the post, some previously uppity technology turns out to be the culprit--pretty much like Patrick McGoohan, if he were downloadable or thought to be a "solution."

I bring this up because I had originally intended to file one of these classic Colonel-Mustard-In-The-Library-With-The-Candlestick entries, but I tripped over a widespread, navel-gazing school of RSS content management. So let's approach this post in reverse order: First, the point I wanted to make, followed by the bloody nose meted out by most of my RSS readers.

Continue reading "You Can't Get There From Here:
The Dubious Insularity of Most RSS Readers" »

Posted by Kevin Sheridan | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

July 04, 2004

Bug In Posted Version of NT/Ecto Script

The_Idiot_ResponsibleRemember Murphy and his Law? Well, in the US, this is a long holiday weekend, with business not resuming until Tuesday, and--natch--I've just determined there's a bug in the version of the NT/Ecto script currently posted (July 4th) on the AquaMinds site.

The good news is that erstwhile AquaMinds programmers fixed the bug on the Fourth of July. The bad news is that, realistically, the fixed NT/Ecto script won't be available for download until this coming Tuesday, during California business hours.

In the meantime, here's a work-around for those of you planning to blog with NoteTaker during the next two days. For various arcane reasons, the current script works just fine if you only post messages that continue in the manner supported by TypePad. This means--until Tuesday--even if you want to send a simple two-sentence post, use the "continuation" trigger (three right-pointing carrots) and then add anything after the trigger--even "goodbye." By doing this you'll be able to successfully post until Tuesday.

The new script fixes the problem--both integral and continued posts are recognized flawlessly.

One last thing: In case it hasn't been obvious, I've taken pains and pride in making this a not-biz-as-usual site. I'm genetically encoded to question tradition and up-end useless rules. In cases like this buggy script, Conventional Corporate Behavior would be announce an "issue"--in antiseptic terms that cooly avoided taking responsibility for it ("issues" seemingly appear by magic). The other Big Dumb Ploy would be to fob off the problem on users or their computer configurations or onto hardware manufacturers.

I say nonsense to all of this "avoidance marketing." (Actually, I normally use a much more colorful synonym for "nonsense.") I was the primary tester of the flawed NT/Ecto script and I demonstrably screwed up: I tested the support of "continuation" postings, but did not double-back and retest the previously working features. So if you've been frustrated with the NT/Ecto script over the past two days, don't blame AquaMinds, don't blame Ecto--blame me. It's not your hardware, it's not your computer configuration and its not an "issue" that magically appeared. It's a flaw let through by an actual person with an actual name: one K. Sheridan. And what's more--he's promised to do better in the future.

So maybe the silver lining of this little storm cloud is that an example of sorts has been set for the computer industry. No matter how much some companies pretend, there is no such thing as infallibility. However there does exist something called responsiblity. Wouldn't it be cool if actually saying "Oops, sorry!" started a trend that eliminated evasive support people, blank stares and instructions to call The Other Guy, et. al.? Yeah, I know--okay. But I can dream, can't I?

Once again, sorry for the my screw-up. Sit tight with the work-around and check back with the AquaMinds download site after Tuesday.

PS: This post is being sent using the fixed script; I'm purposely not splitting it to demonstrate the problem is licked.

Sunday, July 4, 2004 1:32:48 PM

Posted by Kevin Sheridan | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

June 22, 2004

Updated Version of Blogging Script Released

script_icon3
The NoteTaker/Ecto AppleScript that enables blogging from notebooks has just been updated. The new version fixes a bug where the first sentence of the entry did not automatically become the posting's headline when the entry was first sent to Ecto (as opposed to sending it directly to TypePad, using Ecto as a conduit).

The crack team over at AquaMinds have posted the updated AppleScript here. And, while you're visiting their site, don't forget to check out the free NoteTaker Viewer that is also available for download, This viewer played a role in one of the productivity solutions discussed earlier.

In terms of further NoteTaker/Ecto script enhancements, keep checking back here. I'll do my best to ensure visitors to this site will be among the first to know any breaking news.

Tuesday, June 22, 2004 10:20:26 AM

Posted by Kevin Sheridan | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

June 08, 2004

Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain

WizardofOzEr, Just do your best to ignore any cryptic test postings you may find here. On occasion, as the NoteTaker/Ecto AppleScript is further improved, you may glimpse a little R&D going on. I'll do my best to keep it in the dead of the East Coast night and try to remove any evidence of testing having occurred by morning light--rather like Area 51, but oh-so-much-more banal.

Tuesday, June 8, 2004 11:39:36 PM

Posted by Kevin Sheridan | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Why

  • Same Place, Different River

    You can’t step into
    the same river twice.
    --Heraclitus

    This site is changing. And, given a very peculiar sense of fun, my first inclination is to just make the changes and say nothing--perhaps even vehemently deny that anything is even slightly different. Just to mess with you. But as weblog culture has evolved, there’s increased pressure to act grown-up--even responsibly. (This, of course, is why I tend to like my technologies interstitial as opposed to codified.) Thus, since it’s now seen as Thoroughly Wrong to mess around with visitors’ impressions, I’m here on my best, most hospitable behavior, writing this helpful, clarifying note. (Imagine Basil Fawlty, going way overboard as he welcomes guests to his hotel.)

    Until recently, this little piece of the blogosphere was known as Blogging With AquaMinds NoteTaker. And, as long we’re dealing in trivia, also know that this is a perfect example of a spontaneous, accidental weblog. Originally, this site was an exercise in self-fulfilling prophesy: I predicted NoteTaker could be used as a blogging tool and then proceeded to actually use it to blog about, well, blogging with it. (Read that last sentence again--it makes twisted sense, I promise.)

    Put another way, this weblog is basically a proof-of-concept that somehow got above itself. Much like Pinnochio aspiring to be a real boy or Bela Lugosi being buried in his Dracula cape or Joey from Friends getting his own TV series, this site is the result of a could that became a can. And although I was there at the time, I can’t say for certain how (or why) it happened. All I know is that here I am, more than a year later, still dancing with this thing.

    The first 66 posts on this site represent my initial obsession with NoteTaker as a blogging tool. And then came The Hiatus, during which I thought a lot about NoteTaker (far more than is healthy for someone who does not work for AquaMinds) in other, broader contexts.

    The main take-away from all this pondering is simply that NoteTaker is an extremely deep and multifaceted program and I feel the need to explore some of its other not-obvious uses. And yeah, blogging will continue to be one such application--but as part of a larger index of possibilities. For those who have previously visited this site, I encourage your continued pop-ins. While you won’t find wall-to-wall NT blogging tips of yesteryear, there will be a steady stream of tricks that usefully extend NoteTaker into all areas of a productive online life.

    Blogging--properly-done--is the refinement and crystallization of living; the tip of an experiential iceberg. And I currently have 66 posts that demonstrates the many ways NoteTaker can hone that tip. But what about the run-up to a blog post? All the stuff that has inspired, driven and enhanced whatever it is you’re writing about? What about the 90 percent of resources that supports the posting, yet remains invisible to your readers? The intellectual dark matter comprised of searching, compiling, thinking, annotating, collaborating and exchanging ideas--all critically assisted by local and online tools and services? How does NoteTaker fit into this Panavision and Technicolor scheme of things?

    This, my friends, is what the newly christened Exploring AquaMinds NoteTaker will be chronicling--along with continued coverage of the ways NT can be used to blog per se. I think you’ll find the new direction as helpful as the old one.

    During the next few weeks the overhaul and repositioning of this site will be unavoidable. Try to treat this as a home remodeling job--some inconvenience, a lot of dust and, inevitably, the feeling it will never be over. But, of course, it will be--and better for those successive swarms of craftspeople. Here’s an example of what I mean: While the posting categories will be expanded to accommodate the new, broader vision of NoteTaker, I’ll also be building topical descriptors into the headline of each post, putting them at the reader-friendly top-of-entry.

    Bottom line, there’s a good chance that some of the hitherto solid structuring of this blog may intermittently flicker and I beg your collective pardon in advance. What passes for normalcy in this place will be restored as soon as possible . . .

Disclosure

  • Your Miranda Rights

    While the tagline of this site successfully articulates its high concept, some additional detail is owed to you--call it the Miranda Rights of this weblog:

    (1) While I'm not an employee of AquaMinds or any of the other companies mentioned in relation to leveraging NoteTaker, I am unashamedly evangelical about the mentioned products. Thus, while I'll do my best to to ensure the content of this weblog is informative, useful and accurate, it it is in no way objective. In fact, I am biased as hell when it comes to the cited software and services.

    (2) I played a role in forging the connectivity between NoteTaker and Ecto, so it stands to reason I have a strong (and possibly warped) sense of psychological ownership regarding the new intra-application capability. This may lead to more bias (see point one, above) and, potentially, to the literal and unaffected use of the word "we."

    (3) This is a labor of love for me, not a money-making venture. If I am passionate here, it is not the strum und drang of the paid flunky. Rather, it's the vaguely dangerous enthusiasm of the amateur / advocate / fan.

    (4) Unlike Las Vegas, what's said here is unlikely to stay here, so it's important to further understand that I speak for myself only. The opinions expressed here are mine--and hopefully yours--but not necessarily those of the AquaMinds or any other developer or product with which it may have an interconnected relationship. With regard to any comments posted here, please intone Stewart Brand's digital benediction with me: You Own Your Words.

    (5) This is not my only weblog and in other online iterations I tend to be, well, waspish about most current uses of blogs and blogging. Others often refer to it as being a provocateur Know this in the spirit of Full Disclosure, but don't call me a hyocrite: Blogging is dramatically changing the nature of the Internet; I am an avid proponent of the possibilities of weblogs distinct for most of their implementations. I see the near-seamless use of NoteTaker and Ecto to post blog content as the realization of one of those possibilities. And while this capability will undoubtedly result in more Dumb Blogs, it will also facilitate greater numbers of Smart ones.

    Someone once remarked that the blog phenomenon was the equivalent of giving everyone a printing press. The integration of NoteTaker, Ecto and TypePad takes that metaphor a step further: Mindbogglingly wide publication results from simply writing in a virtual notebook. Needless to say, I expect you to use your new super powers for Good . . .

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  • Obligatory Legalese

    I freely admit to having a small fetish about using the phrase "void where prohibited by law" both in context and in a non-ironic manner. Seemingly, this is my Big Chance:

    All of the products and trademarks mentioned belong to their respective companies. The opinions expressed on this site are not necessarily those of any company that may be referenced here. When used, the tips, tricks, work-arounds and AppleScripts discussed on this site affect your data. While the intent is to improve your management of data, every computer is configured differently. No suggestion or technical tweak can take into account the specifics of every computer. You owe it to yourself to back up any critical data before you manipulate it in new and possibly unproven ways. Let's say that again: You owe it to yourself to back up any critical data before you manipulate it in new and possibly unproven ways. Put another way, before attempting to do anything suggested on this site, ALWAYS BACK UP YOUR DATA FIRST. Neither I, any contributors or the companies mentioned on this site are responsible for the loss of any data on your part.

    And oh yeah, on the off chance some sort of offerings are made on this site, they are--of course--void where prohibited by law. (I've waited a long time to say that!)

How

  • notetaker
  • ecto
  • typepad
  • AppleScript
  • marsedit
  • humanetext
  • audioblog
  • atomz
  • maccom
  • omnigraffle
  • voodoopad
  • nisusexpress
  • milesdavis
  • johncoltrane
  • endlesscoffee

Soundtrack

Who

  • Among Other Things, I Am:
    Human, male, an information architect; a computer geek; a music lover; a writer; a reader; a songwriter; a designer; a lover; a magazine-maker; a publisher; a film buff; a diagonal thinker; a scholar; a cultural anthropologist; a jazz fanatic; a reframer of questions; a drifting clarifier; a student of complexity; a conservative dresser; a bad singer; a disbeliever; a bullshit detector; at ease with myself; an organizer; a project manager; a private person; bigger-than-life; a simplifier; a creator of systems; a dismantler of myths; a failed rocker; a successful editor; a humorist; a structuralist; a conversationalist; a no-show at parties; in love with the sea; not a beach person; an American; an Anglophile; an orphan; tall, fascinated with the fashionable, never in fashion; a gardener; a cat fancier; a collector; a thinker; too patient; an intellectual brawler; a critic; a teacher; a marketer; a communicator; creative; a conceptualist; an implementer; of two centuries; a specialist; not a camper; increasingly annoyed with the media; part of the media; someone who sleeps in the nude; eclectic; passionate; learning to balance my life; seemingly smart; intuitive; logical; a right- and left-brain person; happiest on unstructured autumn Saturdays; aspiring to be a digital nomad; young-looking for my age; endlessly curious; completely disinterested in sports; a question asker; a natural consultant; appalled by reality televsion; a zealot about Apple computers; a fan of flim noir; in awe of Hitchcock's Veritigo; someone who finds smart and funny sexy; a workaholic; certain there is no such thing as objectivity . . .

    TheAuthor
    (Fig. 1) Authorial Interface

Permission

  • somerights