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Tie Tuesday Turkey Tubular Tongue Twisting Tantrum Tazer Tuna?
I just can't keep track of all the day's themes anymore.
Seen here...
expresskarriere.blogspot.com/2010/10/ist-gutes-aussehen-i...
and here...
iPhone wallpaper specially made for productivity blog lifehacker.com. Thanks Gina for featuring my desktop on your blog. Hope you like this token of appreciation :)
[8/27/2010] Used in this Lifehacker article:
lifehacker.com/5623771/living-self+employed-online-the-ma...
I gave up using a desk about three years ago. I was developing a slouch, a curve to my back that I started noticing in myself and my colleagues.
Until recently this Barcalounger was where it all happened. I reclined with my MacBook Pro on my lap and my iPhone by my side. My back straightened out! But then I developed a sciatic condition from all the damn sitting.
Now I work standing up and all is well.
The frame was bought by someone at a police auction; I built it up using parts from a different, busted bike. The crank was modified as explained in this blog post.
Here's my desktop for June. Not sure that I like this one. Like? Dislike?
Geektool (the program used to display all information is from projects.tynsoe.org/en/geektool/
Wallpaper is by destruktive.
Geektool Scripts (and source where possible)
To use the scripts, install Geektool (link above) and enter the geektool menu from system preferences. Select 'New Entry' (button on bottom left of screen) and then choose "shell" from the dropdown menu. Then copy and paste the wanted scripts in (the ones I've used are below). NOTE: the description (ie "Day:") should NOT be included as part of the script.
Day: date +%A
Date: date +%d
Month: date +%B
Time: date +"%I:%M"
Seconds: date +%S
AM/PM: date +"%p"
Year: date +%Y
Uptime (from forums.mactalk.com.au/20/58453-learning-love- geektool-pri... = uptime | awk '{print "" $3 " " $4 " " $5 }' | sed -e 's/.$//g';
Temp: curl m.wund.com/global/stations/*****.html |sed -n '21p' | sed -e 's///g' | sed -e 's/<\/b.*//g' NOTE: Temp script shows in degrees celsius but the symbol is not shown. Can be made by using: echo "o" and echo "C"
Conditions : curl m.wund.com/global/stations/*****.html |sed -n '47p' | sed -e 's///g' | sed -e 's/ 5 {print $12, $13}'
For weather/conditions scripts, the '*****' is your zip code which can be found by going to the weather underground home page (google it) and searching your location. These scripts work best for locations other than the US. These scripts require the download and installation of cURL (don't remember link)
Ethernet/Airport -
#! /bin/bash
myen0=`ifconfig en0 | grep "inet " | grep -v 127.0.0.1 | awk '{print $2}'`
if [ "$myen0" != "" ]
then
echo "Ethernet: $myen0"
else
echo "Ethernet: INACTIVE"
fi
myen1=`ifconfig en1 | grep "inet " | grep -v 127.0.0.1 | awk '{print $2}'`
if [ "myen1" != "" ]
then
echo "AirPort: $myen1"
else
echo "Airport: INACTIVE"
fi
(cant remember source - not mine :)
The following were made using the "echo" command - "2009", ":", "o", "C", "Sys:", "Uptime I", "RAM I", "CPU I", "Trash I"
Forecast for today and tomorrow is made using Thomas Upton's yahoo weather script (and modifying it) link www.thomasupton.com/blog/?p=202
Horizontal calender is made using a text file and then linking to it in geektool
To Do List is a text file that is linked to in geektool and is appended using quicksilver.
Fonts are a mixture of Helvetica Neue UltraLight (Time, AM, secs, Sys, Day, Month, year) and Helvetica Neue Light (Vertical calender, system stats, To Do list, and date (ie 13)
Icons are a mix of Smoothicons (Blue folders) and Black System Icons
Feel free to post further comments or message me if more help is needed. Help can also be found at the MacRumors Geektool Thread link forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=628023 (I can be found under the same user name).
Windows 7 actually
Wall - vishnu-prasad.deviantart.com/art/Mild-208031951
Rainmeter - fediafedia.deviantart.com/art/Omnimo-4-0-for-Rainmeter-15... and freakquency85.deviantart.com/art/Loop-Clock-194906786
Taskbar Icons - dema04.deviantart.com/art/Suave-icons-by-Dema-213115942
Windows Theme - pisadeviant.deviantart.com/art/Zetro-VS-1-1-updated-21439...
Start Orbs - jeremebp.deviantart.com/art/Microsoft-Metro-Start-Orbs-20...
EDIT 9/7/11 thanks Lifehacker for my second feature =D
Note that the only things wireless about this setup are the keyboard and mouse (well, the ASUS netbook also has WiFi)-- everything else has a wire. How did I do at hiding them (except for the iPod sync cable and 3.5mm audio cable, of course)?
I do a bit of everything with my workstation-- I like to call this my "study"-- though mainly I write and read whether it's digitally or on paper. Literature, music, art-- it's my life force. Technology is just a very warm and fuzzy hobby.
This is a very new setup for me-- I actually redesigned my study mainly to show it off on the Lifehacker Workspace Show and Tell (and hopefully get it in as a featured workspace!), and partially because my room was cluttered and unproductive. This new setup works beautifully for me: Outside the window that my chair faces is a lovely green tree in which robins like to roost and sing. Since my brother measured the door wrong for this room, there is always good air flow when the window's open. My study is nice and open so that I can stretch out if needs be and think as I listen to Eric Whitacre pieces or Mormon Tabernacle Choir or Paul Cardall. I have plenty of space to work with, and all of my necessary tools are close at hand. My study is also enamored with various items that spruce up the overall morale of anyone who enters and helps my creative juices flow (hence the train set under the bed, the ship suspended from the ceiling, various pictures and art, action figures, vintage items, and cacti-- let's not forget the glowy blueness of my compy).
Funny fact: I bought the mini filing cabinet with the ASUS netbook atop it you see specifically for this setup. I used to have a big, bulky dresser upon which my printer used to sit. I cut that dresser up a few days ago, took off the top, and placed it on the mini filing cabinet-- it now serves beautifully as a desk for my netbook. Except for my socks and unmentionables (which go in the top drawer of the mini filing cabinet), all of my clothes now hang in the closet, and I have much more space to use in my study. The only sad thing is that there is writing in some of the drawers of that old dresser from when I was three or four. Alas. We can't hold on to everything.
I hope it wasn't too pretentious to put this little presentation together - that's just what happens when I start having fun in Photoshop.
Fellow Lifehacker readers will be interested to know that every program in the shot, visible or under the hood, is free. I spend a lot of time tweaking my desktop, so what you see here has survived a pretty rigorous natural selection process. As listed in the image:
Theme:
- SlanXP 2.0. Requires patched uxtheme.dll - patcher here.
- Wallpaper: "Reverie" by Digital Blasphemy.
Startups:
- Autohotkey. See the note in the upper-right corner.
- Launchy. My beloved.
- Yod'm 3D 1.4. Last free version before it became Deskspaces. Probably the closest thing to Compiz Fusion you can get for Windows.
- Taskbar Shuffle. I swear, it's worth it just for middle-clicking to close windows.
- Start Killer.
Programs usually running:
- Samurize. I made the config myself, which you're welcome to download here in a few different resolutions.
- Google Desktop. Solely for the gadgets.
I've added a few other details as notes. And I'd be happy to answer any questions. I love talking about this stuff.
UPDATE: Nowadays I run a Macbook Aluminium, so my desktop look somewhat different but still at least as sexy ;) When I have a nice screen shot of that, I might upload it!
My new setup of the desktop. Software I'm using:
Wallpaper is Horizon.
Not visible here is the enourmously time saving StrokeIt, mouse gestures for all Windows. My strongest recommendation!
The computer is a Lenovo Thinkpad Z60m (pics here).
My typical daily load to my intern place and/or campus. Here are the contents:
1. Three ring binder; for organizing loose papers and class materials/handouts.
2. Staples notebook for taking class notes.
3. Small notebook for taking notes on the fly.
4. Blistex lip balm.
5. Kleenex.
6. Apartment keys.
7. Dana Design Big Apple backpack. It's been discontinued.
8. Pens and mechanical pencil. The pencil can double as a straightening tool for bent pins.
9. Eraser.
10. Clif bar.
11. Advil.
12. BreathSavers mint.
13. Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex 320 GB portable hard drive. Not particularly large capacity, but I use mostly cloud storage anyway.
14. USB flash drive loaded with Portable Apps.
15. USB flash drive with Live Ubuntu Linux.
16. Micro USB cable for charging my Moto G (not pictured).
17. Wallet containing driver's license, student ID, various cards, cash.
18. Fenix E12 flashlight.
19. Leatherman Wave multitool.
20. MEElectronics M9P headset.
21. Logitech M325 mouse.
22. Gamma Ray computer glasses.
23. Nook HD+; mostly for reading ebooks and pdf files, and playing daily crossword puzzles.
24. Acer C720 Chromebook. Light and surprisingly capable laptop, especially with elementary OS installed on it using crouton.
25. Water bottle; a gift from a friend.
(For further explanation see Turntables Features)
Created using:
Startkiller
Rainmeter with slight modifications on Enigma and 10 Foot HUD skins
Rocketdock with ecqlipse 2 icons (http://chrfb.deviantart.com/art/ecqlipse-2-quot-ico-quot-66339090) on top of the default Blank skin
Fences to hide desktop icons
Wallpaper can be found here:
(http://www.flickr.com/photos/idletype/79973135/)
Inspired by The Elemental LiteStep Desktop (http://lifehacker.com/5320440/the-elemental-litestep-desktop)
Had this set-up for a while now (as you can probably tell from when I took the screen-shot). Anyway, no major changes, just playing around with the geektool configuration and the wallpapers.
Like? Dislike? Thoughts? Comments?
As usual, want to know anything - just ask (it will make me get off my ass and find out the info)
The Vika Alex cabinet forms one table support and also houses the CPU, modem and router. Although it has some ventilation I often keep the door open to avoid any heat buildup. Im thinking about putting in active ventilation. Notice the footswitch on the floor which controls the two main lamps and the LED strip lighting.
I had an IKEA ALEX drawer unit and decided to get my PC of the floor. At the same time I decided to do a summer cleaning of the inside of the PC. The mousepad has been changed - still sticking with Steelseries, but now the 4HD.
Need to do some adjusting to the back left light, as I have glued the power switch under the table in a quite unreachable position.
The wallpaper is the magnificent skyscraper shot inToronto by Matthew Wiebe at Unsplash as seen on Lifehacker earlier in August.
See the old setup: www.flickr.com/photos/jsmedemark/24358307015
as used here
www.jesuispauvre.com/2009/01/16/un-budget-doit-il-etre-co...
motivatethyself.com/what-would-you-do-with-10-million-dol...
monomoney.com/2008/08/budgets-dont-have-to-be-complicated/
plonkee.com/2008/02/14/dont-look-for-better-than-average-...
freefrombroke.com/2008/07/there-may-be-unclaimed-money-or...
www.elblogsalmon.com/2008/08/09-sera-mas-dificil-consegui...
deskback.blogspot.com/2008/12/lifehacker-2-new-entries-ea...
lifehacker.com/5099255/best-new-and-improved-software-of-...
nicksimnews.com/1233_money-and-living-the-good-life/
This is the background for my Spidermac Creation on Lifehacker.com If you have any questions or comments please leave them on the original Spidermac page located here:
www.flickr.com/photos/zackshackleton/3399610935/
Thank you!
Rainmeter:
>Elegance 2
>Enigma
Wallpaper:
> Golden Gate Bridge
www.flickr.com/photos/imageme/3133959128/
Windows VS:
>Celestica
This will probably be my last proper desktop for the year. Like Wing, it's an experimental design, not really what I'm using on a regular basis. It's a departure from my usual aesthetic - it lacks a central focal point, it uses a lot of icons, and it leaves the edges open.
I'm not sure if it's ethical to submit this to Lifehacker as an "Enigma-inspired" desktop, seeing as it's my own theme, so I'll leave that decision to them.
I used a fantastic Autohotkey script, courtesy of ryemcc, which allows me to show/hide the taskbar by pressing the sorely-neglected Pause key. As a result, virtually nothing is visible except the desktop and what's on it - namely, some superficial edits to my Rainmeter theme.
I'm experimenting with a very primitive "Launcher" skin. Adding the following line to any object (ideally an image) will allow it to run the specified command when double-clicked. I don't think that's precisely how it's intended to be used, but it works.
LeftMouseupAction=!Execute ["command"]
I do want to credit Dylan Bloom, whose desktop got me thinking about a desert look, as well as pulling the taskbar into the middle.
- - - - - - -
- Wallpaper: Fatamorgana by norbi.
- Rainmeter theme: Enigma.
- Icons: "ecqlipse 2".
- Inspiration: Desert Dreams - An "Enigma" Modification.
- Clocks: 1.
After creating the original mind.Depositor with clips and used it for a while, I found a small problem but it bugs me on regular basis. To insert and pull out the cards, it requires force, no matter how small it is, it creates stress. That's why superior Japanese stationery designs often put into considerations how to reduce user efforts. They call the practice "Universal Design".
So I set out to do a simpler version by using two pieces of leather only. I also have a practice to carry a small notepad or Field Notes to capture to-do inputs temporarily before transferring them to GTD index cards. So I'm adding a slit for the notepad and a slit to store extra blank index cards.
On the left hand side of the cover, I can put a notepad by inserting it to a slit, put blank GTD index cards in the pocket and insert a Field Notes.
On the right hand side I can put two categories of index cards (Personal and Work) into different pockets.
There is also a flap used as a bookmark or enclosure.
The whole thing becomes more compact and functional. It requires less effort to use, it is a simpler design with pleasant leather as the only material, I'm so happy with it. I especially like the color contrast of the outer white and inner brown. So check out the sections below and learn how to create your own.
Original mind.Depositor
Download mind.Depositor Index Card Templates
How to create the original mind.Depositor
How to create mind.Depositor 2
Previous cover of mind.Depositor: Lifehacker.com (followup, and Japanese version of it), GTDTimes, Moleskinerie, Koloist, David Allen Co., Lifehacking.jp, Geeks Guide To Productivity
More on Scription blog: moleskine.vox.com/library/post/minddepositor-2---leather-...
Download Enigma 3.0
- - - - - - -
This one was a long time coming. For those of you who've been waiting since December, I really appreciate your patience, and I hope it was worth the wait.
This is a milestone release of Enigma, designed to encourage modding and future expansion. Among the long list of changes:
• Stylesheets. All of the formatting information - including not only colors, fonts and images, but also sizes and positions - have been moved out of the skin files and into a separate set of files, which I call "stylesheets." Users can switch between different stylesheets by changing a single setting in the Enigma Options panel. This means it's now possible for myself (and other designers) to release new styles that completely changes Enigma's look and layout, without changing any of the fundamental code. All the user has to do is install the stylesheet and change an option.
In the near future, I hope to release one or two example stylesheets to demonstrate the kind of dramatic modification that is now possible.
• Rotating skin modes. Instead of having separate skin files for minor variations - text vs. graphic, left-aligned vs. right-aligned, that sort of thing - Enigma's individual skins now switch between up to 6 different layout modes when middle-clicked. This layout information is also contained in the stylesheet files, so modders will have a lot of freedom to redefine skin layouts.
• New Options panel. The old configuration addon was a big jump forward, but it also had a lot of problems, especially in Windows Vista and 7, which don't play nicely with strange executables. Thanks to the new InputText plugin, Enigma's user preferences can be managed entirely from within Rainmeter.
• Website. Enigma now has an official website at enigma.kaelri.com. As of now, this is where you can always go to download the latest versions of Enigma's code (both stable and beta), documentation, support links, credits, and all of the bonus addons that used to be part of this package. (The suite will also be mirrored here, and on Rainmeter.net. You'll get the same Enigma from any of those locations.)
In addition, the Enigma Home skin now has an update checker, which will either inform you that your version is up to date, or, if an upgrade is available, link you directly to the download page. New releases and patches are going to be really easy from here on out.
• Music. Thanks to the heroic efforts of the Rainmeter dev team, Enigma's music skin will now work seamlessly with AIMP, foobar2000, iTunes, MediaMonkey, MusicBee, Winamp, Windows Media Player, and even, with a few limitations, Spotify. This has been the single most-requested feature in the last six months, and I'm delighted and relieved to say that it's now a reality. The Rainmeter guys have really outdone themselves with this one.
• Got a few brand-new skins here, including search skins, using the new InputText capabilities. At the moment, they come in Google, Wikipedia and Windows Run flavors, but are trivially easy to modify. We also have a simple photo slideshow skin (another frequent request).
• Old favorites have also been significantly improved. The Google Calendar reader is finally functional again, after many hours of skirmishing with Google's feed format. The skin also rotates between up to three of your calendars, and is accompanied by a miniature version for the taskbar, showing your primary calendar's next event. The general Reader skins have also been streamlined, and no longer need to be separated between Atom and RSS - you can now toggle the format with one click in the Options panel. The App Launcher buttons have also been separated into individual skins with several layout options, although the old menu bar is still around for those who like it.
• The Sidebar and Taskbar skins, which form the backbone of any Enigma desktop, now have adjustable width and height options. Not only that, but all of your other skins will automatically adapt to the new dimensions and snap right into place! (Thanks to dragonmage for this innovation.) For Windows Vista/7 users, the bars have also been juiced up with a little Aero Blur.
• You can now double-click to refresh any skin. A small thing, but it really comes in handy.
• And with all of these additions and expansions, the whole suite package is now 40% smaller, down to a slim 1.3 MB.
I'm really proud of Enigma 3.0. It's a whole new breed of Rainmeter skin, and I really believe that some of the innovations we've put into it will continue Enigma's long tradition of proving what Rainmeter is capable of being.
- - - - - - -
Wallpaper: Ageeba
Here's something I randomly stumbled upon and found would look neat combined - Minimalistic yet informative (as I prefer my themes :D) - It is made up from the following Rainmeter skins:
- twistlemon's Social Launcher (The top shortcut bar, modified to also lead me to the C drive and my Downloads folder :) )
- Easily modifiable: Simply pick "Edit skin" from the right-click menu and find the part that says "Text links" and replace the text and links with whatever destination you want :)
- And lilshizzy's Encoded skin pack:
- Weather - Edit skin -> Find "MeasureWeatherRSS -> Line nr. 4 saying "URL" -> Switch out "USCA1192" with your own location code ( www.weather.com -> search your city of choice and read the code in the URL-bar in your browser, for example mine reads ".../Copenhagen+Denmark+DAXX0009", meaning DAXX0009 is my weather code :) )
- Power
- Uptime
- Recycle bin
- Time
- HDD - Edit skin -> Scroll to after the "-----" line under "Styles" and on all three "Drive"'s put in the HDD you want to measure -> Scroll to "HDD1 Name" and change "LeftMouseUpAction" to your drive so that it will open the drive when you click on the "X" on the skin :)
- RAM
- CPU
- Network
- Music
The wallpaper can be found at WallpapersWide
And a quick 'thank you' to Lifehacker for featuring another one of my screenshots ^_^
Update:
I just replicated this theme on my desktop Pc and created an install file, so if anyone wants a quick setup of the theme, go to my DeviantArt display and click 'Download' :) I hope it helped out somebody ^_^
OS: Windows 7 beta.
Wallpaper: visionsofart.deviantart.com/art/ASEN-84799275
Shelves added separately via a PSD file - monstrrr.deviantart.com/art/tv-room-psd-87573526
TV Icon - lapinbionic.deviantart.com/art/Bravia-32D3000-icon-Window...
The speaker icons open winamp and it is available here - fc63.deviantart.com/fs4/f/2005/137/d/d/logitech_speaker2.png
The photo frame is a slideshow program called DeskPhoto available here - www.cdartdisplay.com/forum/index.php?topic=245.0
The skin was made by myself.
The top shelf is RocketDock with these icons: mugenb16.deviantart.com/art/Massive-Media-Icons-Win-48654751
On the TV is CD Art Display with the iSome skin - www.cdartdisplay.com/forum/index.php?topic=627.0
And a program called MiniLyrics which works with most decent media players and is fully customisable - www.crintsoft.com/dl.htm
Bottom right of the taskbar is Rainmeter with the Simplicity config and Winamp tray controls.
Clock is standard windows gadget.
Enjoy :)
Edit: Thanks for the feature Lifehacker :) As for some of the comments on lifehacker, the shelves are put on what is essentially a blank canvas via the PSD file. Unfortunately it only comes with one type of shelf so it leads to perspective problems, but anybody is welcome to sort that out when putting up their own shelves if they can. As for odd lighting on the TV and shelf, again, those are separate icons and not part or designed for the original background. Admittedly it would be fairly easy to edit them to look more accurate in Photoshop and that is something you're welcome to do :)
Chronodex July - December 2013 Weekly Diary Free Download Released
Chronodex friends here you go! The July to December 2013 version is released, feel free to download and plan ahead your visual scheduling for the rest of the year.
Here are some of the places you can interact with other Chronodex users:
Chronodex
Chronodex Facebook Page
Chronodex Flickr Group
The Fountain Pen Network thread about Chronodex
Lifehacker's cover of Chronodex
Yes Chronodex is kind of weird, it looks a bit too complicated, it is not like any other traditional scheduling tools, but it is inspirational and free style. I made it so as to break the rules of scheduling, most diaries/schedule books have rigid grids and timeline which limit the available space for you to write notes related to your schedule, you can use any space on the paper to link your time specific entries thus free from the traditional constraints.
Look at our beautiful cross harbour tunnel, it is a 'grid', it is 'rigid' but it works in mass transportation because it provides a system and create order. It is dull too, especially in times of traffic jam and rainy days. What you have to dissect is that there is a difference between mass order and personal creativity. Chronodex is for your personal creativity in what seems to be a rigid time system, it is for you to exploit/explore the space nobody ever made constraints of.
I've also made Chronodex a free download to share in 2011 when my father was too old and too sick lying on bed struggling, questioning himself feeling useless. We had no way to help, prayers from all of you mysteriously helped somehow IMHO, but the thing is, I wanted to prove that everything is connected, he was not and never useless, if people appreciate Chronodex, it was because of him I existed and being educated by him into a person with inquisitive mind. He should be proud of himself, even though there was no way I could convey this to him during his deterioriation. Today on the Star Ferry lower deck, I saw a grandfather holding his grandson's T-shirt looking over the harbour an European tall ship cruising by, the light tug, the togetherness and a sense of exploration made me sob inside, recalling my own exploration with Dad and his brief time with my own kid.
Tonight, Mom told me her encounter with Dad on his 140th day of passing which happens to be my little brother's birthday. A cicada was standing weakly on the floor where Dad used to stay often, she picked it up with both hands and prayed the Great Compassion Mantra (大悲咒), bringing it to the window seam and left it there. Minutes later, it flew away energetically full of life. The scene reminds us of the Chao Shao-an (趙少昂)'s painting which my Dad loved so much and had been on our living room wall for the longest time, AND it is Lychee season now. Can you see all the connections and emotions?
The stuffs we hold dear of, always leave impressions for people close and around us, these things are proves of our existence painted over with emotions and mysterious connections.
So this coming week, like the last, I will be out of my home town heading Shanghai for a week of intensive preparation of a new store launch. Love the travel, hate the separation, enjoying everything in between.
Meanwhile, Traveler's Notebook fans in Hong Kong had a great time in the Star Ferry ride, after-party and small meet-ups. I hope to do it more often, feel free to drop by our Facebook group. Now, follow me for a 15 seconds tranquil journey across the lovely Victoria Harbour.
More on Scription blog: scription.typepad.com/blog/2013/06/chronodex-july-decembe...
I made this with rainmeter enigma and arcs. The start button is changed from start button changer v2.6.
Josh left his Blackberry phone on top of his car, and may have run over it as he backed over his spot. He managed to pick up the broken pieces and let me photograph them when he returned to the office.
Update: Featured in this story about a broken Blackberry phone owni.eu/2011/04/27/the-world-wide-mind/
And in the post about the accelerating change of technology in academia www.educationfutures.com/2009/01/26/were-always-busy-but-...
Featured photo in this story about BBM's role in the London Riots, in which potential blocks for the private network were discussed www.slashgear.com/social-media-block-for-potential-crimin...
Used in this news post about the Blackberry outages in the North America, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East during October 2011 signalnews.com/rim-blackberry-outages-spread-to-us-732
And in this post about Blackberry's decreasing market share in the U.S. www.intomobile.com/2011/11/01/blackberry-us-smartphone-ma...
Featured photo in this ArsTechnica post about determining the causes of the worldwide Blackberry Outage in October 2010 arstechnica.com/business/news/2011/11/why-rim-still-hasnt...
And in this post about the Blackberry outage www.periscopepost.com/2011/10/rim-rocked-blackberry-servi... and in this follow-up story www.periscopepost.com/2011/10/rim-offers-apps-as-compensa...
And in this post about the Japanese smartphone market whatjapanthinks.com/2012/03/05/japanese-smartphone-annoya...
And in this post about RIM's continued financial problems www.ecrans.fr/Bientot-RIP-pour-RIM,14975.html
Featured photo in this Wired blog post about Blackberry's latest struggles www.wired.com/wiredenterprise/2012/12/another-nail-in-rim...
Used in these Paperblog en.paperblog.com/rim-rocked-blackberry-service-failures-i... posts en.paperblog.com/rim-offers-apps-as-compensation-for-blac... about the 2011 Blackberry outages
Also use in this blog post about company phones and the bring-your-ow-device policies becoming more common www.citeworld.com/mobile/21557/comscore-phone-market-shar...
Featured photo in this blog post about the White House supporting the unlocking of cell phones dailylounge.com/the-daily/entry/white-house-supports-unlo...
And used in these French news posts about Blackberry's shrinking mobile market share www.zdnet.fr/actualites/gartner-les-smartphones-cartonnen... and www.ecrans.fr/Sombres-auspices-pour-Blackberry,16795.html and the-gsm-mobile.blogspot.com/2013/08/gartner-smartphones-c...
Used in this post about the value of RIM Blackberry's stock value slant.investorplace.com/2013/09/bbry-blackberry-buyout-wa...
And in this Fast Company post about Blackberry pulling their BBM app from the app store www.fastcompany.com/3018094/fast-feed/a-rough-week-gets-r...
Featured photo in this Vice story about how Blackberry may have cooperated with the NSA's spying programs www.vice.com/en_ca/read/how-has-the-nsa-been-able-to-spy-...
As seen in this blog post about how enterprise users can transition away from Blackberry phones www.citeworld.com/mobile/22547/blackberry-transition-plan
Featured photo in this Mashable post about Blackberry's difficulties in the mobile market mashable.com/2013/09/23/is-blackberry-done/
Used in this Forbes blog post about Blackberry's recent business problems, and how they might use tax refunds www.forbes.com/sites/kellyphillipserb/2013/11/06/blackber...
Featured photo in this German blog post about insurance plans for smartphones, and the most common ways phones get broken or lost detektor.fm/kultur/fortschritt-lohnt-sich-eine-handyversi...
Remixed photo in this blog post summing up the latest negative blog stories about Blackberry blogs.computerworld.com/smartphones/23308/blackberry-on-l...
Featured photo in this blog post about more quarterly losses for Blackberry www.forbes.com/sites/maggiemcgrath/2013/12/20/blackberry-...
As seen in this blog post encoruaging CEOs to smash their blackberry www.mediauk.com/article/34422/top-5-things-that-every-ceo...
Featured photo in this BoingBoing blog post about the airline security's ban on broken electronics at Heathrow airport boingboing.net/2014/07/07/tsa-tells-uk-airport-security.html
Used in this blog post about Blackberry's continued business problems, including the dealyed release of the much hyped Blackberry Classic phone www.infoworld.com/article/2878977/blackberry/blackberry-i...
Not sure what the connection is, but featured photo in this blog post about how law enforcement uses social media businessoflawblog.com/2015/03/social-media-law-enforcement/
Featured photo in this blog post about Blackberry's broken business model theoverspill.wordpress.com/2015/03/31/blackberrys-lucky-t...
Used in this ABC (Australia) blog post about how Blackberry and Nokia failed to succeed in a changing marketplace compared to more successful brands www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/drive/from-nokia-to...
Featured photo in ComputerWorld/CIO's blog post about smartphone patents and how a court order might force the destruction of smartphones in the US market www.computerworld.com/article/2943113/computer-hardware/n...
As seen in this FastCo blog post about reducing e-waste and recycling parts from consumer electronics www.fastcoexist.com/3050542/the-gold-and-silver-and-more-...
Used in this blog post about the potential effects of the Trans-Pacific trade pact on gadgets, hackers, and tinkering blog.adafruit.com/2015/10/13/tpp-threatens-tinkerers-make... and another similar post on the topic by Motherboard blog motherboard.vice.com/read/white-hat-hackers-would-have-th...
As seen in this Japanese blog post about MVNO networks and using your phone abroad hikakaku.com/blog/mvno%E3%81%AF%E6%99%AE%E5%8F%8A%E3%81%9...
Used in this post about iOS and Android fail rates www.gadgety.co.il/157628/android-ios-failure-rate-2016q1/
Picked as a great photo for use in the Consumerist blog consumerist.com/2016/06/10/consumerist-friday-flickr-find...
Featured in this blog post about whether Blackberry is making a comeback among app developers www.appmakr.com/blog/blackberry-apps-making-comeback/
Used in this Consumerist post about Blackberry's life after ceasing manufacturing hardware consumerist.com/2016/12/15/blackberry-brand-phones-return...
Featured photo in this blog post about spam and scam phone calls thoughtcatalog.com/nicole-long/2017/04/if-you-ever-get-a-...
As seen in this Japanese blog post about Blackberry's ending contract with NTT saiyasu-syuuri.com/blog/blackberry-broken-maker-repair-cost/
Used in this philosophical article www.patheos.com/blogs/rolltodisbelieve/2017/12/06/introdu...
Featured photo in this blog post about how to break up with your smartphone blog.usejournal.com/breaking-up-with-your-smartphone-e956...
As seen in this blog post about what happens to e-Waste earth911.com/eco-tech/e-waste-expose/
Featured in this Lifehacker article about how to extinguish a battery fire lifehacker.com/how-to-extinguish-a-battery-fire-1822040010 and in Japanese www.lifehacker.jp/2018/02/how-to-extinguish-a-battery-fir...
Used in this blog post about the limited growth remaining in the smartphone market www.computerworld.com/article/3278248/smartphones/flaccid...
Used in this French article about T-mobile and Blackberry users www.presse-citron.net/t-mobile-propose-une-offre-qui-fait...
As seen in my own blog post about the mobile market and smartphones www.matthewhurst.com/2013/12/late-majority-how-smartphone...
Playing around with additional monitors worked... I was able to connect 5 monitors with the 3 connectors from my video card and the two built in connectors on the mobo.
Checkout my full write-up at danielheth.com/office
Long-time listener, first-time caller to the Lifehacker Workspace Show & Tell. This is my office space at home.
27" iMac
Tizio Lamp Micro
Ikea Gustav Desk
Bungie Cord Chair from CB2
Bed for Cat from Target
You can see below the Ikea footstool and a small wire drawer set, as well as the majority of the desktop. The desk-chair is a recent addition as well.
Desk tags can be found on the other picture.
This is my newest desktop, it is heavily based off of one of Ian Michael Smith's desktops. I basically took many of his ideas and adapted them to my desktop.
Wallpaper: screenbarrier.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/batman-wallpape...
Time/Date: A basic 10 foot HUD I made, based on one by djclotz on deviantArt
Now Playing: 10 Foot Spotify (http://djclotz.deviantart.com/art/10-Foot-Spotify-152248100)
to-do list: Rainmeter config I made.
Right pane: Gnometer for Rainmeter.
Just keeping it simple. I love comics. I especially love that all the furniture items were found. Minimal. Put this together tonight.
After creating the original mind.Depositor with clips and used it for a while, I found a small problem but it bugs me on regular basis. To insert and pull out the cards, it requires force, no matter how small it is, it creates stress. That's why superior Japanese stationery designs often put into considerations how to reduce user efforts. They call the practice "Universal Design".
So I set out to do a simpler version by using two pieces of leather only. I also have a practice to carry a small notepad or Field Notes to capture to-do inputs temporarily before transferring them to GTD index cards. So I'm adding a slit for the notepad and a slit to store extra blank index cards.
On the left hand side of the cover, I can put a notepad by inserting it to a slit, put blank GTD index cards in the pocket and insert a Field Notes.
On the right hand side I can put two categories of index cards (Personal and Work) into different pockets.
There is also a flap used as a bookmark or enclosure.
The whole thing becomes more compact and functional. It requires less effort to use, it is a simpler design with pleasant leather as the only material, I'm so happy with it. I especially like the color contrast of the outer white and inner brown. So check out the sections below and learn how to create your own.
Original mind.Depositor
Download mind.Depositor Index Card Templates
How to create the original mind.Depositor
How to create mind.Depositor 2
Previous cover of mind.Depositor: Lifehacker.com (followup, and Japanese version of it), GTDTimes, Moleskinerie, Koloist, David Allen Co., Lifehacking.jp, Geeks Guide To Productivity
More on Scription blog: moleskine.vox.com/library/post/minddepositor-2---leather-...
Another minor update to my now-infamous desktop. (Please see that post, and the accompanying Lifehacker articles here and here, for more details. And thanks again. :)
I've taken my Samurize config and completely reproduced it in Rainmeter. In fact, as you can see, I've added a few tidbits. The only thing I have yet to find is a plugin for iTunes song information. (It's been two years, people! Two years! There must be a way!) So I've added a temporary media player widget to Google Desktop while I work on uncovering Rainmeter's secrets.
If you want to use my theme on this new platform, the good news is that this is far, far easier to set up. Just download the ZIP and extract the folder inside to your "C:\Program Files\Rainmeter\Skins". All you have to do then is add the configs one by one and drag them into place. And to edit the borders for a different resolution, all you have to do is tweak three little numbers - instructions included.
I basically went from knowing nothing about Rainmeter to completing this theme in 24 hours, which should tell you something about its capabilities. It's harder to build something from scratch than it is in Samurize, because there's no GUI editor; every element has to be hand-coded. And Samurize, frankly, has a lot more out-of-the-box capability than Rainmeter, which hasn't had an update in years and has neither a website nor any developer support; it's really been adopted by the modding community and warped beyond recognition.
Rainmeter's real strength is that it's modular. You're not restricted to a single cohesive theme; you can mix and match virtually whatever you want, and drag it around whereever you want. As for editing, the learning curve pays off; because it doesn't rely on a rigid editor application, Rainmeter enables creativity and customization one level deeper than Samurize.
Rainmeter's only limitation is its neglect. Its potential relies on plugins, many of which have yet to be written. Maybe I can use my tiny little bully pulpit here to encourage some more talented developers around here to make some. :)
Wallpaper in this shot is purebred Aqua. You can find it all over the place, but here's a link. I use it on my "clean" Yod'm desktop, for sandbox-type tasks like this.
After getting annoyed and giving up on my previous desktop, I spent 10 mins and ended up with this - a simple and minimal interim desktop.
Please feel free to leave any ideas, questions, comments etc below.
Note: I know this desktop is almost a month old but a couldn't be bothered uploading it earlier.
Wallpaper: (of) Seattle Harbor, found at Interfacelift.com
Tools used:
Geektool
Yahoo Widgets
Shapeshifter
I'm not dead.
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Sorry for the long absence. It may not yet be over, sadly; I still have some other projects on my plate, and desktop modding just isn't a priority. I have no intention of abandoning it entirely, however. There are still plenty of ideas that I want to play with, just don't expect a blitz for a while.
- - - - - - -
Enigma
Anyone who's e-mailed me about Enigma deserves my deepest apologies. I'm doing my best to respond to as many of you as possible, but there are still hundreds of messages that have gone unanswered, some of them for months, and I feel terrible about that. If I ever run into some money, I'll hire an assistant to respond to them all. I know it's become cliché to say something like this, but it's humbling to see how passionate and genuinely appreciative you are, and I really have read each message.
Since interest clearly has yet to die, I'm making it a goal to release Enigma 3 by the end of the year. Rather than piling on with new functions, I want to keep the focus on making it easier to set up and use:
- As I've talked about in the past, my chief objective for this is to make Enigma part of a fully-developed Litestep theme. Beyond the eye candy, this would ideally let the user switch between skins, profiles and templates using shell-integrated controls. (For those who aren't interested in a shell replacement, don't worry - the package will still and always be available as a Rainmeter module.)
- Setting modesty aside for a moment, I believe a lot of Enigma's success comes from its detailed documentation and its (albeit crude) installer tool, which made it far more accessible to the average user. The only other Rainmeter suite I've seen with any such automation is Vista Rainbar. This has been a successful policy, and if possible, I hope to continue it by streamlining the installation of Litestep and the Enigma theme as much as possible.
- I realize the existing version has some problems that need fixing. The Location skin is still plagued by servers thinking it's a web crawler and cutting it off, so the search is still on for a permanent provider. I also realize that MoxaWeather is no longer working - this is the fault of Weather.com, who shut down the convenient XML feed that we've all been using. I know there are talks going on between Weather.com and the Rainmeter community, and they've asked that skin developers refrain from exploiting a well-known loophole to fix the problem until they've worked out a deal. I'm happy to oblige.
- - - - - - -
Liquid Crystal Discourse
still exists, technically. I got to write one post, and then, naturally, Real Life™ swept in and buried it like a hurricane. I've heard from a few people who were disappointed about that, so I'm now reaffirming my commitment to the blog. My plan is to post at least once a week.
- - - - - - -
Desktop
As you can tell, another reason I haven't posted in a while is that very little has changed. I'm no longer running Google Desktop, because, well, I don't use it anymore. Autohotkey, Rainmeter and Notepad pretty much joined forces to render it obsolete.
I'm really looking forward to Windows 7, which shall, I'm sure, initiate a new stage of evolution for my dear laptop.
See the notes for more trivia.
Theme:
- NOOTO VS. Requires patched uxtheme.dll - patcher here.
- Wallpaper: Remnants, by freelancah, resized and rotated.
Startups:
- Autohotkey.
- Launchy.
Programs running:
- Rainmeter. Skin: Enigma, customized with Amana Icons.
- Yod'm 3D 1.4.
This has been my base of operations for nearly a year. Unfortunately, the business I work for is basically shuttered and on 8-13-10 I packed all of this up and put most of it into storage units.
I'll go into more detail here than in the notes, so on with the basics:
Custom built 3.066 GHz Core i7 machine w/ 12 GB ram running CentOS Linux on the left. This is my main workstation which is primarily used to run Maya 2010 and has both a 21.5" and 19" LCD monitors powered by an NVIDIA Quadro FX1800 card. No custom workstation would be complete without a vintage IBM Model M 'clicky' keyboard now would it? Oh, and in case you are wondering, yes, I am modeling a Lunar Module from the Apollo program.
In that same vicinity are my 1940s vintage Telechron red Bakelite wall clock that keeps perfectly accurate time and a Art Deco styled lady lamp named Isabel. Not pictured are my custom framed print by Andrew Bell and a 1970s vintage Honeywell computer advertisement featuring a dragon made of capacitors and chips. Also not seen, but just behind the two adjacent LCD monitors are a 7x100W Sony receiver and my turntable. These are hooked up to speakers which I placed in the ceiling grid above my desk.
Just to the right of that tower is a little white NAS box. That is a Synology DS209 with two 1TB Caviar Black drives in a RAID 1 array. This is networked storage available to each machine of the render farm for storing finished images.
Moving right from those we find an 8 port Gigabit ethernet switch for the render farm, and next a 4x KVM switch. The KVM switch connects four of the five towers on the ground to a single mouse, keyboard and 19" LCD monitor. These are the workhorses of my render farm and range from 64bit capable 3 GHz Pentium 4 machines to 3 GHz Athlon64 X2 ones. Each is maxed out with at least 4GB of ram to help handle large scenes.
Next to those is my now 'old' HP ZD8000 laptop. This was the portable workstation I bought in college. I ordered it with a 3.4 GHz Pentium 4 and I managed to later stuff 4 GB of ram into the thing. It's running the Wacom Cintiq 20WSX tablet display to the immediate right. I use this machine for any Photoshop work, drawing and painting, as a spare Maya station and as a render farm slave when needed.
Continuing down the line we find my older laptop, a Compaq 1800 with a 1 GHz Pentium III processor and all of 320 MB of ram. This is the render master and assigns scenes to each of the render slaves.
Finally, the 17" LCD monitor on the right is hooked up to any of my three really old machines. I have a Gateway 2000 P5-75 with a 75 MHz Pentium running Windows 95, a GEM machine which has the faster 150 MHz Pentium and runs Windows NT then at last the Micron Millennia Pro2 200 Rev B which I've outfitted with dual 200 MHz Pentium Pro processors and a mind boggling 256 MB of ECC Buffered DIMM RAM so that I can truly get the most out of my Windows 98 experience. These machines are just there for fun and frustration. Ever tried finding Sound Blaster drivers for 15 year old computers? When I do I'll be playing Lemmings, Freddy Pharkas and Warcraft to no end.
In front of those vintage machines sits my record collection.
At the very end we find an IKEA Helmer cabinet to store all of the cables, bits, bobs etc.... and a vintage IBM PC Server 704 being used as a bookshelf and holding my HP scanner. Oh how I love anything put out by Ballistic Publishing.
I put a lot of work into making this setup ideal for the kind of work I do. I had a comfortable layout with ample space to glide from one machine to the other, I had a few toys and decorations to liven things up a bit, every last cable was hidden neatly using under desk trays from IKEA and I was able to work efficiently but still play a bit if need be. As I was dismantling it all I couldn't help thinking "what was the point?"
For LifeHacker:
This is my City workspace at home, which is in my bedroom. Since I'm only in high-school, I don't have my own office. My desk was created with 3 tiers so that it can have as much storage space as possible. The middle tier has all my computer stuff, and the two tiers to the sides are mainly storage. Since I do a lot of video editing for my school, the 24" monitor is very handy. Plus, it's good for movies.
I just received the Henge Dock yesterday, so I still have to decide weather it's going to be useful in the future. I do, however, already have some complaints. Firstly, I need to use my brother's charger, because it doesn't support the new Apple chargers originally found on the MacBook Air. Secondly, I completely use the functionality of my webcam, which sucks. Thirdly, I lose the ability to use the display as a secondary screen. Finally, it's really aggravating that it doesn't support hardshell cases, because most people have them on their Mac's.
I got my iPad in May, because back then, I was using a Dell Latitude D630, which was given to me by my school, and seriously sucked. The iPad was a good alternative for non-school stuff. This year, however, we upgraded to Mac's.
The rest of the stuff is stuff that I got for my birthday, or stuff that I bought this summer to make the ultimate desk.