April 8, 2008
productive mess, tools
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Ever notice that the first ten hits on google are almost identical, no matter the search term? The first link is wikipedia and the remaining nine are commercial sites. Getting tired of that yet? I know I am.
The book The Perfect Mess suggests a different kind of search engine: Banana Slug. Banana Slug bills itself as the ‘long tail’ search engine. When you type in your search query, Banana Slug adds one random word before scanning its index. Type in ‘Wellington Grey’ and Banana Slug will actually search for ‘Wellington Grey +Foxtrot’. It’s amazing how well adding this bit of noise cuts through the usual search result cruft.
While I still use google for most things, Banana Slug has become an excellent backup and a great assistance when I just can’t quite find something on google.
[Click here to try Banana Slug]
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Header photograph by David Sifry
April 3, 2008
tips
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How many times have you been waiting for a train or plane without a book and looked around a bookstore knowing full well that you’ve been recommended many books, but now can’t think of a single one? Or perhaps you’ve been in a hotel and wanted to rent a movie, but can’t remember the title that your friend suggested.
Well, here’s a little tip to make those situations less frustrating: keep book and movie lists on your iPod. For many, their iPod is one of the devices that is always with them. Why not use it to store useful information?
Here’s how to keep book and movie lists easily on your iPod:
- If you haven’t already, get your address book synchronized with iTunes. Connect your iPod to iTunes. On the main page, click the ‘contacts’ tab. Then check the box labeled ‘sync address book contacts’
- In Address Book create new contacts called ‘book list’ and ‘movie list’. Add your books and movies in the ‘notes’ section.
- Sync your iPod and you’re done. To access the lists on your iPod go to ‘extras’ then ‘contacts’.
As long as you keep the lists updated (don’t forget that ubiquitous capture) you’ll never be lost in a bookstore or video shop again.
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Header photograph by generated
April 1, 2008
the horror, videos
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Possessed is a short documentary available for free online about four people with clinical compulsive hoarding. From the website:
‘POSSESSED’ enters the complicated worlds of four hoarders; people whose lives are dominated by their relationship to possessions… When does collecting become hoarding and why do possessions exert such an influence on our lives?
[Click here to view ‘possessed’]
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Story via Boing Boing
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