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  • 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

« You Can Never Have Enough Dubious Insularity | Main | Wham! Bam! Bam! Bam! In Search of the Lost Shortcut »

December 16, 2004

Today's Tangelo Tip:
Hybrid Solution or Devil's Spawn?

drmoreau2It's like this: I'm in the midst of overhauling the structure of my blogging notebook in preparation for the next installment to this, the techno-equivalent of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. And, as I was working out the pre-fab structure of my newly minted page-per-day approach, well, my attention wandered down to my desktop's dock. Lurking there was a brace of Graphic Visualization Stuff, including the NovaMind and the superlative OmniGraffle (which has produced most of the charts on this site).

I looked at the simple outline I was creating in NoteTaker and then at the GV Stuff. I looked at the GV Stuff and then at the NT outline. And even though I realized I was meddling with things Man Was Meant To Leave Alone, the urge clearly had me--there was no going back: I had to see my NoteTaker outline in glorious Technicolor and CinemaScope.

I began by exporting my NT outline as OPML (XML). The next step was firing-up NovaMind, my favorite mindmapping software. Then came The Moment: Opening up the NT-generated OPML with NovaMind. And damn--it worked; NoteTaker was now a mindmap. Simple as that. For your viewing pleasure, here's the result:

Nt To Novamind

Of course, by now I was thoroughly drunk with power (aka It's Alive! It's Alive!). If I could easily mate NoteTaker with NovaMind, creating a litter of OmniGraffle/NoteTaker puppies would only take a few moments. Or not.

I couldn't get OmniGraffle to recognize the NoteTaker OPML document that NovaMind had no trouble with. On the other side of a couple new attempts to generate new NoteTaker OPML, all to no OmniGraffle-esque avail, I was chastened. Obviously, I was only a demi Mad Scientist; a half-baked Dr. Moreau. And then I saw OmniGraffle's dock mate, OmniOutline. Perhaps family members would be on better speaking terms . . .

Encouragingly, OmniOutliner had no trouble importing the NoteTaker OPML document. And after saving the imported outline, lo, OmniGraffle immediately liked the look of FrankenDocument. The resulting visualization initially took the form of a tree outline, but after the Technicolor and CinemaScope Treatment, the following was achieved:

Nt To Omnigraffle-1

It's about at this point that the inevitable Moral of the Story pops up. And yes, even though two other applications need to be tapped, the whole widescreen NoteTaker thing is both cool and useful. But I gotta be honest, the real point of this odd interlude is that I won the equivalent of a bar bet with myself.

Next on NT Blogging: Cross-breeding Excel and GarageBand to compute future royalties on the song being composed. Or not.

Thursday, December 16, 2004 1:21:29 AM

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Comments

Dr. Reichel

Hi the picuters in this doc doesnt load.
Jochen

Posted by: Dr. Reichel | December 16, 2004 at 02:42 AM

The comments to this entry are closed.

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