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Using iPhone notes as a digital Hipster PDA

Need a simple todo app on the iPhone? Use Notes.app as a Hipster PDA. One note per thought. View all for list. Delete as processed.

I was recently reminded of this long-winded, shaky, and blurry video I did a couple of years ago (Thanks, Kristopher). There now exist many great task apps for the iPhone and Notes.app now includes “sync” through Mail.app on the desktop. Still, I thought it would be a good reminder here as many of core principles are still sound. Namely:

• Having a checkbox does not a todo list make (turning actionable ideas into completed items does).

• In many cases (and I would argue, most), the less features an application has the more flexible it is.

• Always look first to the built in applications to see if they can be fitted to do the job at hand.

• Next, look for the next best application for the task that has the features you need and as few as possible as you don’t. Even if the app was not necessarily meant for the purpose you are fitting it to (who cares as long as it gets the job done without friction).

Note: I’m getting some reports this is not able to play on the iPhone. This is Vimeo’s fault, not mine. I’m trying to look into it though. (P.S. Works on the iPad just fine)

Trickle | A Twitter display for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad [Sponsor]:

Very happy to welcome Trickle as this weeks RSS Feed sponsor. Trickle is a “Twitter Display” for iPhone and iPad purpose built to auto scroll through each tweet as your iDevice sits in a dock. It can handle multiple accounts and, now, also supports search terms to add to your stream. It’s a great way to passively keep up with Twitter. It’s also what is running on my iPad in the previous post.

Plus, it’s “cheap as chips” and, frankly, that resolution you made says you should buy this and not the chips.

If you haven’t yet managed to find yourself a suitable minimalist piece of outerwear for this winter, have a look at Aether apparel.

Aether specializes in producing technical performance outerwear in a clean cut minimalist design. It was founded less than a year ago by two former film producers from Los Angeles. They felt there was a gap in the market:

We could either go to the obvious performance-driven clothing lines, thus sacrificing design and style, or shop the more aesthetically pleasing lines and sacrifice performance.

And so they created Aether: clothing that does combine technical fabrics with sophisticated design.

Owning one of these myself I can really say: this one’s a winner!

This series of portraits, started in early 2008 was an instant success. Sharon Montrose is a photographer with a passion for animals. The portraits features the animals on an empty slate, which brings out something that we don’t normally see in these beautiful creatures.

These photos really brings warmth to my heart. They are now also available for purchase!

Héctor Ruiz Velázquez always surprises me with his ability to redefine my perception of space. The omission of the usual separation of spaces, then addition of fluid geometric forms which build a sense of continuity and freedom.

So far so good. Serrano’s penthouse, in Madrid is designed by Spanish architect, Hector Ruiz Velázquez. The penthouse’s abstract nature is an enticement to a Zen-like life with minimum consumption and without clumsy fingerprints on white walls—beyond most of us. The curvy volumes create a loosened up and flirtatious space with an illusion of no barriers—a metaphor for goodness and intense contemplative reflection.

Openness and freedom are fantasies I can buy into and celebrate. And I can’t think of a better way to send off 2010 with sparkle and many clumsy fingerprints that reveal something about me—it’s just another shade of white.

Best wishes for a Happy New Year!

Happy Dumpster Day!:

I’ll be using today to step back from the computer and to empty the two drawers on my desk, to review client files, and to pick up everything that’s not nailed down and put it all in my inbox. Then I’ll process everything out. I’m betting a lot of it will end up in the dumpster (or recycling bin, when appropriate). As I look around my office right now I can see I have a few hours of sorting, but I’m looking forward to it. Oh, and don’t forget to do the same thing for your computer desktop and your email inbox. Be ruthless.

An annual favorite from my friend Randy. This is always a good day to do this because, let’s be honest, no one is really working today are they?

Watch company Ziiiro has just released a minimalist watch with no distracting elements in the design. Without hands or markings.

The Ziiiro Gravity uses a combination of two rings keep spinning to make a temporal distinction. The tip of the inner ring represents an hour, while the tip of the outer ring indicates minutes, and the gradient fade tracks the passage of time.

The watch allows the actual time-telling part to pop out to mix and match colors with a silicone band that clamps to your hand like a flexible wristband.

Very cool.