Zen for the Desktop
I am loving Ommwriter! The product’s inventors—the marketing and writing gurus of Barcelona-based creative agency, Herraiz Soto & Co—tout it as a potential cure for writer’s block.
For the low price of free for their Dana I version and the reasonable price of a donation of $4.11 or up for Dana II, anyone can benefit from giving Ommwriter a try. It’s a great tool for brainstorming, writing code or just blocking out the noises and annoyances of a crowded office.
When the program is open, it takes focus on your desktop, minimizing your other windows and programs and providing you with a small text box, a calming scene and soothing music. (Another hidden benefit: It’s a quick way to clear your screen from prying eyes.)
You can also use its features outside of the writer—select one of the images as your desktop and add the soothing sounds and music to your playlist. And it’s available for PC, Mac and iPad.
Calm the storm on your desktop. Omm …
Christoph Niemann charts the elements of happiness and creativity at work.
Saw this on another blog today … one of my favorites. When you need inspiration, you need to set the mood. :)
14 Punctuation Marks That You Never Knew Existed
What’s not to love here 
An ode to the interrobang, irony mark, exclamation comma and other lesser-known punctuation marks.
For more forgotten punctuation, like the love point I used above, check out this article by Tanya Hall.
And while you’re at it, mark your calendar: National Punctuation Day, September 24, 2012!
File under: Things to try on a rainy day … or while asleep
Check out more anti-gravity self-portraits from Tokyo photojournalist “yowayowa”
Planning Tools
It seems like at least a couple of times a year I get bored with the way I track my projects and minute daily tasks. At any given time, my desk is cluttered with several notebooks, loose papers, sticky notes and hardbound journals all filled with to-do lists, meeting notes, project ideas and even some long-term goals. I’m forever looking for one system that will capture my attention and keep it.
Today I was revisiting some tools from David Seah that I really like, but have only ever partially implemented. I’m definitely a little “old school” in that I like to write my tasks out and rarely commit to any digital form of tracking unless there’s a large project involved (and, as a software developer, I’ve even developed a few of these tracking systems).
Do you have any tried-and-true methods for tracking daily to-do’s? Here are some tools that I keep bookmarked for a rainy day:
http://davidseah.com/node/the-concrete-goals-tracker/
http://www.diyplanner.com/templates/official/classic
And for those of you who prefer the digital route, here are a couple of suggestions for tracking daily goals and projects:
Need to calculate probabilities? Try this Murphy’s Law formula.
While most of us appreciate Murphy’s Law for its ability to explain our sense of helplessness during certain events, others see it as a tool. At least one person sees it as a mathematical equation that can predict the chances of processes going awry. Joel Pel, a biological engineer at the University of British Columbia created a formula that predicts the occurrence of Murphy’s Law.
The formula uses a constant equal to one, a factor that is unconstant, and a few variables. In this formula, Pel uses the importance of the event (I), the complexity of the system involved (C), the urgency of the need for the system to work (U) and the frequency the system is used (F).
Are you happy?
I love this chart.
Google Algorithm Change
More changes to Google’s algorithm mean websites need to work harder and/or change tactics to gain/keep high rankings. What does it take to make it to the top? For starters: Fresh, relevant content; social networking and interaction; and quality backlinks. Will your website sink or swim following the changes? Are you “feeling lucky”?
Goodbye fences, hello sandy toes
I don’t know about you, but when I picture the metaphorical “grass is greener on the other side,” there’s usually a fence, and on my side of the fence, the grass is more than a little parched. As much as I dreaded my short-lived days running the 330 hurdles in track, give me a fence and I immediately get sweaty palms and start wondering not only what’s on the other side, but just how I’m going to get over that thing.
But here’s what’s really got me thinking: Why is that my image? It doesn’t have to be, does it? I think it’s time to knock down that fence and take a look from another perspective.
So here goes: The greener grass now meets gently with what I’m discovering wasn’t parched grass but the softest, snow white sand. At the shore, crystal blue waves reach out to cool the warm sand; a low chair, shaded by a colorful umbrella, sits nearby awaiting someone (maybe me?) and I swear it says, “Come, join me, curl your toes in the sand,” but maybe it was just a breeze. I turn to see a game of volleyball, and what’s that smell? A small snack stand is just beyond, serving up my favorite treats. And could that be more green grass on the horizon? I squint to look for it, but there’s not a fence in sight.
Get this mini Chicago Manual of Style printable ornament for your tree! Are you excited? I’m sort of excited. :)
This means I’m going to have to put a tree on my desk. It’s going to need some geeky grammar ornaments. And some code snippet ornaments, too. I see a new holiday tradition in the making!
Have you taken your grammar (or coding) obsession to this extreme? Do tell and send photos.
The Gift of Prayer
Mary Lou Quinlan’s article in this month’s Real Simple got me thinking that maybe the best gifts really are free. Well, as free as scrap paper, an old box and a conversation with God. A perfect gift idea for yourself or someone you love.
A penny for your thoughts
I love this cute cup cozy on Etsy!
Inspiration: I made these cute cupcake bites as gifts for my daughter’s teachers. The Michael Miller fabric was an inspiration for the colors and was also the inspiration for my daughter’s bedroom design. Learn to make these at Bakerella.com.
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