Minimal Universe

Minimal Universe collect posts from our favorite minimal-related blogs listed on the right.
  • Simplenote - A letter to our users: Simplenote is now free

    Simplenote - A letter to our users: Simplenote is now free:

    Just like is says on the tin. With a little help from the fine folks at Fusion, my favorite iPhone app is now free.

  • Digital Downsizing

    Digital Downsizing:

    zenhabits:

    When you stop and name your inboxes - from voicemail to email to junk mail to feed readers - it becomes clear. Many of us are in overload mode much of the day.

  • "By knowing things that exist, you can know that which does not exist"

    “By knowing things that exist, you can know that which does not exist”

  • Please leave.

    mmnml:

    if you’re feeling that distracted, the last thing you need is a web site about minimalism.

    please really think about this for at least 20 seconds.

    then, close this window, and go disappear into your real work.

    instead of repeatedly visiting a web site about how to avoid distractions.

    good work.

  • Please leave.

    mmnml:

    if you’re feeling that distracted, the last thing you need is a web site about minimalism.

    please really think about this for at least 20 seconds.

    then, close this window, and go disappear into your real work.

    instead of repeatedly visiting a web site about how to avoid distractions.

    good work.

    He is right you know. I have even said this before.

  • We don't need roads - Working without distraction : my minimalist Macintosh experience

    We don’t need roads - Working without distraction : my minimalist Macintosh experience:

    This is such a great post outlining step by step tips on how Kevin created his perfect computing environment. (P.S. Thanks for the shout out at the end).

  • Working without distraction : my minimalist Macintosh experience

    A fantastic post and very useful tips

    wedontneedroads:

    I hate to be disturbed. I try to end every day with an empty “Today” list in Things and an empty Inbox in Gmail. I don’t want to be interrupted while I’m working on one task. Most of the points below are tricks that help me empty my Things inbox and complete projects. In other words : they help me get things done.

    About the Finder :

    • I use a dark background (the fewer details the better) and the Mac OS Graphite theme so that only the colors get my attention (that means notification in the Dock).
    • I dumped most of the icons from my task bar : I don’t care about the volume (I have three dedicated keys on my keyboard), I don’t care about how much battery I have unless the icon turns red. Jumpcut is a very useful utility for clipboard history.
    • I removed most of the icons from my Dock : I only left the applications that are always launched (Tweetie already has an icon in the task bar, but we can’t remove the one from the Dock, yet). I use Spotlight to launch the other applications.
    • I use Command-Option-H to hide every application but the one I’m using : I almost never need more than one window to focus on.
    • I don’t use any notification system : no Growl, no Gmail Notifier, no Facebook notifier, and Tweetie task bar icon is set to never turn blue except when I got a direct message.
    • I don’t use NetNewsWire on my Mac anymore. I only check my RSS feeds in the morning during my commute to work, using the new iPhone app. Breaking news make it through Twitter. Interesting-but-long articles go into Instapaper, I read them before going to sleep.
    • Hazel’s default configuration help me empty my Downloads folder.

    Safari :

    • I removed the previous/next buttons : I use trackpad gestures for that.
    • I removed the bookmarks bar : Command-L is my friend, and for the small amounts of bookmarklets I use, they’re all in the dedicated bookmarks menu.
    • I hide the status bar. The prefpane Secrets offers the possibility to show a link’s URL if you move the mouse over the link.
    • My homepage is Start.io : it’s clean and shows the links I open in the morning when I sit in front of my Mac.
    • I watch YouTube videos within Quietube : video without the distractions.
    • I read ugly online newspapers within Readability.
    • I use ClickToFlash to get rid of the worst thing that happened to the web : Flash.

    Gmail :

    • I realized I don’t either need to read my e-mails every minute, nor to answer e-mails the minute I received them : I only check my e-mails when I’m not focused on a task. It’s more productive and less intrusive than a Growl notification.
    • I make a smart use of Gmail filters so that only important e-mails get to the Inbox, and I immediately archive the one I read (and answered if needed). Gmail Labs provide a useful “Send and archive” button for that.
    • j/k/x/e are my friends : I use these keys to quickly select and archive e-mails.

    Interested in uncluttering your Mac? Read Minimal Mac.

  • Tips for a minimal office - Repost

    Tips for a minimal office - Repost

  • Photo





  • Case-Real’s Tube Amp

    Koichi Futatsumata (Case-Real) designed this rather compact tube amplifier for Japanese electronics kit manufacturer Elekit.

    Whilst the discerning audiophile is likely to pursue the natural sound produced by a tube (or valve) amplifier, they can be bulky, monstrous looking things with all the elegance of Dr. Frankenstein’s toaster.

    Futatsumata, however, has managed to squeeze the required high-end components into a neat package. Coupled with its simple interface, Elekit may very well have a product that can appeal to the iPod generation.




  • Mac desktop (via @willimac)



    Mac desktop (via @willimac)



  • Daring Fireball: The Original Tablet

    Daring Fireball: The Original Tablet:

    Our “desktop” computers’ human interfaces haven’t fundamentally changed since 1984 — keyboard and mouse/trackpad for input, overlapping draggable resizable windows on-screen, and a hierarchical file system where you create and manage “document files”. Have you ever sat back, scratched your chin, and wondered when the computer industry will break free of these current interfaces — which can be a hassle even for experts, and downright confusing (e.g. click vs. double-click) for the non-experts? Surely no one expects the computer interfaces of, say, 50 years hence to be based on these same metaphors and input methods. What’s the next step?

    Further things to think about.

  • wedontneedroads: Dreaming of an Apple Tablet This is exactly...



    wedontneedroads:

    Dreaming of an Apple Tablet

    This is exactly what I was waiting for when Apple introduced the MacBook Air two years ago, because that week, I saw this patent, and I started dreaming.



  • "I think that we need a cultural/social shift in our approach to life. Poverty isn’t the problem,..."

    “I think that we need a cultural/social shift in our approach to life. Poverty isn’t the problem, affluence is. Most of us need to get our own houses in order and live less consumptive lives and choose ‘less/cleaner/more-efficient’ every time we make a decision.”

    - Barry Blanchard

  • Body Cavity Scanners

    Body Cavity Scanners:

    Sorry but I felt like I needed to post this here as well. I’ll remove it tomorrow.

    modernsecurity:

    This is what’s going to happen next:

    A terrorist wako will hide the explosives in his cavity. The TSA will start searching everyone’s cavity. Have a pleasant flight.

    I can’t deal with stupidity!

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