Month: September 2013

A while back, one of my favorite little curated deal sites,[Huckberry][1] ((Sign up with that link and you get $5 and I get $10 when/if you buy something.)) , was selling the [TGT Americana 2.0 wallet][2]. I don’t remember what I paid, but the wallet is sold through TGT for `$34.00`.

Until I got this wallet I had been using the [ill-fated Supr Slim][3] wallet — not a huge fan of that wallet. The TGT is another elastic band type of wallet, but it offers two differences that intrigued me:

1. Instead of the cards sliding into a pouch, they are free on the ends, more like how a band holds something. For some dumb reason this sounded like a huge improvement to me. (Spoiler: *meh*.)
2. What I liked more was that the wallet added a little pouch in which you can store a couple of bills (e.g. cash money). I don’t often have cash, but it is nice to be able to carry a bill or two when I need to carry it.

This wallet is substantially better than the Slim, it works easier and holds things in a secure, but yet more useable manner. I like it — I don’t love it, but I like it. Of course, before I get into why we need to address the shortcomings:

– The wallet looks more [French flag][4] than “Americana” — which would be fine, except that (for no good reason at all) I loathe French things.
– The leather pouch for holding your cash has a bad habit of sticking to your iPhone and thus causing the wallet to fly out of your pocket when you grab your phone. This is by far the biggest issue with the wallet.
– Like any elasticky wallet, it’s near impossible to elegantly get at the cards stuck in the middle of the stack in and out of the wallet.

I carry about six cards in the wallet, one being a business card, and it feels comfortable with that much stuff. I could carry less, but that’s what is in the wallet right now. I have carried up to eight cards with no issues.

I’ve come to really like the cash pouch on the wallet and now consider such a compartment to be a must have for any of my future wallets. If that pouch was nylon on this wallet, it would be much better.

If you like elastic band type wallets, this is the best I have used. For me it is acceptable, and leaps better than the Supr Slim, but I am still looking.

[1]: https://secure.huckberry.com/referral/86b0679362
[2]: http://www.tightstore.com/collections/all-products/products/americana-2-0
[3]: http://hypertext.net/2012/12/supr-slim-wallet/
[4]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_France

[Daniel Markovitz arguing for less todo lists and more calendaring][1]:

> Putting your work in the calendar enables you to better determine whether or not you can (or should) say yes to a new project. And if you do say yes, you can better determine when you realistically might be able to get it done.

On the flip side, super productive guy, [Justin Blanton][2]:

> These days I throw *everything* into OmniFocus: projects/tasks (obviously), birthdays, anniversaries, meetings, etc. Why split any of this stuff across two different apps (*if* you can get away with using just one)?

I think both are getting at the same point: everything needs to be in one view so you get a better idea of what you actually have to do. This is one of the reasons why the OmniFocus Forecast view (showing your tasks and calendars) is so powerful. Getting to see both at once is extremely helpful, but to date no app has done a very good job at this (even OmniFocus’ attempt is limited).

I have tried both methods mentioned above, the timeboxing-ish method that Markovitz is arguing for is stifling from a creative standpoint for me. Whereas Blanton’s method worked a little bit better for me, I still found it feeling a bit like the wild-wild-west. (Though I will say I love keeping birthdays and anniversaries in OmniFocus, that’s an excellent use.)

The problem that both are trying to solve is finding an intelligent and workable way to tell you one thing: how busy am I, and can I do this too? I wish I could say there was a software solution, or a workflow solution to this, but as far as I have found there isn’t. Instead I just consistently say I am too busy, and hope for the best.

Every solution I have come up with adds a massive amount of “upfront” burden on the workflow. Meaning you need contexts, projects, start dates, due dates, reminders, and time estimates in order to get a good sense for how busy you are. And it hinges on your time estimates being accurate. I suck at being accurate on most time estimates.

[1]: http://blogs.hbr.org/2012/01/to-do-lists-dont-work/
[2]: http://hypertext.net/2011/05/fantastical/

[Marco Arment on the paid iOS market][1]:

> The market has shown that free apps will be downloaded at least an order of magnitude more than paid-up-front apps, and smart use of in-app purchase in a free app is likely to make more money. Over time, this trend has only become stronger and more clear.

The real question is how to integrate in-app purchases in a way that is compelling to users, but not nagging of users. The more subtle, the less money you make. The more aggressive the nag, the shitty the app you make.

[1]: http://www.marco.org/2013/09/28/underscore-price-dynamics

[Roberto Baldwin][1]:

> Cadex Electronics CEO Isidor Buchmann told WIRED that ideally everyone would charge their batteries to 80 percent then let them drain to about 40 percent. This will prolong the life of your battery — in some cases by as much as four times.

I bet he’s right, but why bother? As Buchmann mentions near the end of the article, it would be extremely cumbersome to do this. I actually poked around Keyboard Maestro a bit to see if I could whip up a warning system, but after about 10 minutes I gave up.

I looked up what it would likely cost to replace the battery on my retina MacBook Pro, the best data I could find was a year old, but listed the price as `$199` plus taxes. That’s about `$220` at the end of the day here. My battery life isn’t noticeably bad right now, but let’s assume that a MacBook Pro battery will only last the average person 2.5 years. That equates to an `$88` per year expense, or `$7.34` a month expense for battery life.

The point is this: would you rather agonize over when to start and stop charging your battery — having to remember to top it off when you know you might need a full battery — or would you rather just *use* your computer?

For `$7.33`, I’d rather just use the damned computer and take my chances on having to replace my battery sooner than I *might* have to replace it if I were being anal-retentive about monitoring the battery usage and charge percentages.

[1]: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2013/09/laptop-battery/

Lately I’ve been thinking about the three bags I own. The revered Tom Bihn Smart Alec, the rugged GORUCK GR1, and the sexy Hard Graft Flat Pack. I love each in their own right, but I began to wonder which I’d choose if I could only have one. Which is the best?

I’m talking about the choice I’d make if my wife decided that I have to get rid of one before I buy another: ((Ok, that may be pretty close to reality in my house.)) We’re not talking about doomsday decisions, or Sophie’s Choice.

I suspect this choice is of interest to my fellow bag lovers, because not all of you want to spend a grand on bags to only use one at a time.

I initially figured that the Tom Bihn was the correct call, because it truly is a fantastic bag, but the more I thought about it the less sure I became. Each of these bags have clear strengths and subjective weaknesses.

While the GR1 is an outwardly tough bag, I wouldn’t hesitate to take the Smart Alec hiking. But then what of the Flat Pack? In so many situations I prefer the Flat Pack over the other backpacks.

My goal today is to recommend a bag based on the assumption that you can only own one of the three contenders, and you’re going to use that bag for everything. (I will exclude extreme use-cases, like carrying bricks through mud, and hiking).

So, which bag should you buy?

The two backpacks are both bulky but travel well. You can put a lot of stuff in the backpacks, whereas the Flat Pack won’t hold much more than an iPad, pen, and laptop. In fact in all the months of owning all three bags the Flat Pack is the least used, by a huge margin.

The only reason I use the Flat Pack less is that I worry about the consequences of carrying a smaller bag. What if I need that adapter? How about that extra pen? That backup battery? Shouldn’t I bring both iPads just in case? With the Flat Pack, I don’t pack any of these extra items because they simply don’t fit in the bag. In a single-bag world the Flat Pack is far too limited and I can’t recommend it.

That leaves us with a question I’m frequently asked: Which bag is better, Ben? The Smart Alec or the GR1?

While both are (or can be) black backpacks, they are actually very different bags (as long as you aren’t my Wife, who… never mind). The GR1 has military inspired styling and opens completely with a dedicated laptop compartment. The Smart Alec is more subtle in its styling, opens and loads only from the top and comes with a comprehensive selection of modular padding and pouches.

Having traveled with both bags and used them day-to-day I can say with complete confidence that I use the Smart Alec more often. It really feels like the Smart Alec should be the winner here, but let’s discuss my reservations with the GR1 and see if they remain valid in a more general (not-specific-to-me) sense.

My GR1 reservations:

1. Styling. I love the look of the bag, but the military inspired design certainly has its “out of place” moments. I live next to a very large military base and still feel that way. I’d have a hard time wearing this bag in countries that aren’t very US friendly (are there any US-friendlies left? Well Canada, I guess…) and likewise it would feel out of place at a formal business meeting.
2. I wish there was a way to cinch the bag a bit smaller when it’s empty. I love that the Smart Alec can do it, but this is a minor complaint as the GR1 seems to “wear” smaller than the Smart Alec. ((Meaning that when the bag is on your back it feels like a smaller bag than the Smart Alec, even though it isn’t.))

If the GR1 had a little less military style (like say the SK26, which was released after I bought my GR1) then it would be my choice hands-down.

If I had to pick only one of the bags that I currently own it would be the Smart Alec, which is a fantastic bag all around. The Smart Alec’s modular pockets make it exceedingly versatile and less likely to become obsolete when your tech-gear changes.

Given the choice of any bag on the market I would choose the GORUCK SK26 (I might even choose the sand color). ((If a noble reader wants to get me one, or loan me one, I’d be happy to fully weigh in on this. But as far as I know it is identical to the GR1 just lacking the MOLLE.))

Why choose the SK26? Here are a few reasons (in no particular order):

• It’s exceedingly tough and I have no doubt this bag could be handed down to younger generations. GORUCK bags feel like they were made to be around for generations.
• Its design is very well suited for utilizing space — top loaders make that a bit harder.
• When I travel, my GR1 is the bag I prefer to use, and the SK26 is essentially the same bag.
• I love the GORUCK zippers.
• The shoulder straps are wider and more padded, making them much more comfortable.
• The bag feels “broken in”, whereas the Smart Alec always feels kind of new. That’s not always a bad thing, mind you.

You can’t go wrong with any of these bags, truly (even the Flat Pack), but if forced, now you know where I stand: GORUCK SK26 is the bag you should be looking at.

Inevitable Caveats

I don’t know how you use bags typically, so this is based on my typical usage which is:

• 90% home to office travel, via a car that I drive.
• 6% Travel where I won’t be staying at my home that night.
• 1% Day hiking.
• 3% Other shit.

If I only ever went to and from the office the Flat Pack would be a much better contender. I just wish it could also hold a bottle of water and my GX1 camera — that’s the deal killer for me.

The Smart Alec offers phenomenal protection for your laptop, but without additional padded compartments it offers no protection for iPads. The GR1/SK26 has a decent suspended pouch to hold your iPad, which I prefer.

[Ben Richmond reporting on Judge Lucy Koh’s decision to let the case move forward][1]:

> She wrote in her decision that, “a reasonable Gmail user who read the Privacy Policies would not have necessarily understood that her emails were being intercepted to create user profiles or to provide targeted advertisements.”

And:

> “Google has cited no case that stands for the proposition that users who send emails impliedly consent to interceptions and use of their communications by third parties other than the intended recipient of the email,” Koh wrote.

In other words Google is going to have to defend against federal and state wiretap laws, as Koh sees it, because: a) it’s not easily understandable by any layperson reading the privacy policy that this email scanning happens; and b) that it certainly is not reasonable to expect people emailing Gmail users to expect their emails are being scanned.

This is going to be a huge decision and will have huge ramifications to all online service providers. We all know I loathe Google (to put it mildly), but I hope this works out badly for Google for no other reason than the good it would likely bring to the openness of privacy policies. Of course, it could just be bad all the way around.

[1]: http://motherboard.vice.com/blog/federal-court-allows-lawsuit-against-googles-email-scanning-to-proceed

I had a long post penned defending this stance, but after some really great conversations on App.net and in my inbox, I am changing my stance a bit. While I still feel it is disingenuous to call something wireless when it needs a dongle, I do concede that perhaps a better overall approach is to simply label whether or not things include a dongle.

[David Krauser on App.net][1]:

> @benbrooks @dlehman that’s one thing I’d like to see on packaging: whether or not a dongle is required/included. As it stands now, if you buy something dubbed ‘wireless’, you have no idea what you’re getting.

[Dave Lehman][2]:

> @palimondo @benbrooks @dtk I definitely agree that a “dongle-free” designation would be a selling point.

> “Wireless” is like saying “calorie-reduced”– it’s not nearly telling the whole story.

This pretty well encapsulates what I failed to clearly convey yesterday.

[1]: https://alpha.app.net/dtk/post/11652285
[2]: https://alpha.app.net/dlehman/post/11653153

I posted recently about the launch of Editorially, but I didn’t expand very much on my thoughts (the launch caught me by surprise). I have been using Editorially from almost the moment that they opened for beta testing. It’s a tool that I use daily, and in fact Editorially has its own icon on my iOS home screens. Kyle and I used it a ton in collaborating on Begin. James Martin and I use it to edit most long form articles on this site before I hit publish.

It’s a fantastic tool, so let me tell you why.

To understand why writers like Editorially so much you have to understand what, or how, “we” were getting work edited before. Pre-Editorially James and I were exchanging text files via email. I would send him the `.txt` file and he would send me the edited file back. I would then open TextMate or Kaleidoscope and diff the two files so I could see the changes.

There was no way, then, for me to post a blog article that had been edited from anything but my Mac, unless I wanted to fully accept all James’ changes. That was unsettling. Even though I accept all of his changes 90% of the time.

The only other alternative was Pages/Word with track changes, and I would rather shoot myself in the toe — it seems like that would hurt a lot.

Editorially eliminates the need for a lot of crappy tools. ((Kaledioscope is not crappy.)) I don’t usually write directly in Editorially, but once I have something ready to be seen by others, the rest of the work is done on the Editorially site.

### To the Future

I don’t know much about the future plans of Editorially, but I think it has massive potential. I would love to see some of these features added:

– Ability to have predefined teams. This way I can add a group of people to a document all at once instead of just one person at a time.
– The ability to publish from Editorially to different platforms. To export to Word documents and Pages files, or WordPress.
– The ability to archive old writings so that I don’t have to see them without deleting them.
– But most of all I want it to act more like a service — for example, the way Github does. Wouldn’t it be great if writing apps could integrate Editorially support like they do with Dropbox? You pull down the latest version and it is checked out until you are done editing — then it is pushed back up for others to edit and review changes. You could write in your favorite app, but have the full power of collaboration. In my mind that is where these tools need to be heading and I’d post with exclamation points upon this vision being realized.

### Concluding Characters

I like Editorially as it stands today, but it’s my optimism about Editorially’s future potential that keeps me coming back to the app.

At the end of August, [Marco posted his review][1] of Microsoft’s Sculpt Ergonomic Keyboard. It actually looked like a good keyboard — so I went ahead and picked one up to try out.

I have had the keyboard for only a short time, but I am returning it. It’s not so much an issue with the split layout, but a philosophical issue with how keyboards should work.

Before I get into that I see two major issues with the Sculpt:

1. As Marco noted the F1-F12 keys are the biggest piles of shit I have seen on a keyboard before. I’d like to meet the guy who made that decision so that I can tell him I’d rather typeset my website in Comic Sans than touch one of those keys. And, as it turns out, I actually use those keys quite often — something you don’t likely notice until you so loathe touching those keys.
2. The keyboard is wireless, but still requires one of those stupid RF things to be plugged into your USB port. Honestly, if that is the route you have taken, I don’t think it is fair to call the keyboard wireless. Wireless means Bluetooth — to say otherwise is to be a liar.

Ok, so back to my philosophical problem with the keyboard.

My biggest issue with this keyboard isn’t technically the fault of the keyboard — it’s the natural layout. I’ve never used such a layout before this keyboard, but was excited to try. It doesn’t take long to get used to the layout, but — and this is the philosophical issue I have — why should I have to get used to it?

I get that every keyboard takes a bit of an adjustment to get used to, but the natural layout eschews everything I have spent the last 20 years learning so that I may type faster. Why should I have to conform to the “way you should type”, if hitting `B` with my right hand, or `Y` with my left hand is simply faster for me?

More so than any other keyboard I have ever used, the Microsoft Sculpt is constantly telling me: “You’re doing it wrong.”

That bugs me more than anything else.

Yes, I could have predicted this had I thought longer about it, and yes I just should stay away from natural keyboards. All of that is true, but what’s also true is that I despise this keyboard because it seems preachy about how I should type — I don’t think keyboards should ever be preachy — just let me type the way I type. I also hate those damned F keys.

[1]: http://www.marco.org/2013/08/30/sculpt-ergonomic-keyboard-review

Google is trying to encrypt all search traffic, which is fantastic news for users. [Pamela Vaughan is outraged][1]:

> This means marketers won’t even be able to get keyword data for searches conducted by users who aren’t even signed in. (Cue marketers everywhere raising their fists in fits of rage.) 

Her entire post is a whine-fest over losing access to search keywords — WHAT’S A MARKETER TO DO! How can this world be so unfair that Google is seeking to protect its users in a way that hurts marketing activities? I guess all those SEO-experts have a job again.

[1]: http://blog.hubspot.com/google-encrypting-all-searches-nj

[Matt Mullenweg has a great post up with a little Q&A about the revised Simplenote.][1] [Shawn Blanc also loves it][2] — as do countless others. I used Simplenote for a very long time before switching to Notesy, but as [most of you][3] know now I have [deleted][4] my Dropbox account. I did so without even considering note taking and how that would be affected.

Obviously, not using Dropbox means that I can’t use 99% ((I did no math to arrive at that number.)) of the nerdy note taking apps in the App Store. I had been trying just the iOS clients for ownCloud and BitTorrent Sync, as I figured I didn’t actually use notes as much as I thought.

*Wrong*.

As it turns out I still use note apps quite a lot, at least enough that both of those file manager apps tuned out to be shitty solutions.

When I saw the new Simplenote I thought two things:

1. Man that looks great.
2. Oh yeah, they are owned by Automattic now.

That meant one big thing to me: I had reason to trust the syncing engine that Simplenote uses, because I trust Automattic ((I likely trust them more than I should out of respect for Mullenweg himself. Based on nothing more than what I know about the man from reading about him, and using his products.))

I can’t say that I am 100% sold on Simplenote just yet, as I am not 100% sold on the idea of not “owning” or controlling the syncing engine. That said these apps are simply fantastic. There’s a few things wrong with each, but with each day that passes the Simplenote suite is steadily winning me over.

And this quote from Mullenweg might have just tipped me fully into the Simplenote camp:

> You will start to see the Simperium engine make its way into almost everything we do.

I can’t wait.

[1]: http://ma.tt/2013/09/on-the-new-simplenote/
[2]: http://shawnblanc.net/2013/09/the-new-simplenote-apps/
[3]: https://brooksreview.net/2013/09/goodbye-dropbox/
[4]: https://brooksreview.net/2013/09/dropbox-opens-your-files/