I've returned to using an iPad after a period of about five years. I don’t have any kind of a full-fledged review, but I do have a collection of thoughts that have come to mind in my usage. The keyboard I went inexpensive on this purchase, grabbing the base model of the new iPad. That means the Magic Keyboard was not an option. Instead, I purchased a Smart Keyboard and a Pencil. While most people in my circles are raving about the Magic Keyboard, I’ll say I like the cheaper option. When I fir…
When it comes to my pen & paper tools, I came to appreciate a blank canvas over the years. My preference is for a nice grid paper that lets me sketch out a layout that works for me. I’ve shared a few of these over the years. So when it comes time to get a new notebook, the Confidant from Baron Fig is usually my choice. I love the build quality and overall design of these notebooks. However, I have a slew of lesser quality notebooks, and I was determined at the start of the year to make use…
Switching gears here, I enjoyed this interview on the Crossway blog. They talk to Dane Ortlund, author of Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers [https://www.crossway.org/books/gentle-and-lowly-hcj/]. The post resonated with me because I’m the kind of person who needs constant reminders of God’s love and affection for his children. I’m the kind of Christian who finds it far too easy to envision God as a stern heavenly father who is constantly correcting his flock (guess…
Well, that escalated quickly. I went from disinterested when I first heard about Roam from Drew Coffman, to mildly curious when I saw a lot of chatter about it, to pretty sold on the idea. I’ve been using it consistently for a little over two weeks and I can see it’s likely a better tool for creating a Zettelkasten than any other product I've explored. But one aspect that has caught my attention is the community using the tool. It reminds me a little of the hype of Slack in its early days, or m…
I've referred to Drew Coffman a lot recently. That's partly because we share similar interests, but it's also due to his use of Roam (he's writing a lot more). Anyway, he talks about Apple's iPad Pro Magic Keyboard in this post. Well, he refers to it, but spends most of his time talking about the original Smart Keyboard for the iPad Pro. > The original Smart Keyboard was not a folio case like what we have today, instead it covered only the front of the screen and hid the keyboard…
I continue to hear a lot of positive feedback about Roam Research [https://roamresearch.com]. And although I'm hesitant to embrace new web apps that are VC funded, the number of people saying good things about this one has me intrigued (but it would have to be a life-changing tool to get me to invest my time and energy in a funded team that is not charging for their product). Here are a few related items: * Roam: Why I Love It and How I Use It [https://www.nateliason.com/blog/roam] by Nat…
The last two weeks have been odd, to say the least. I mean, for me, the day-to-day rhythm feels pretty close to normal. Staying at home for days in a row is something I'm used to. But in every other sense, things have changed. Rather than been annoyed or frustrated, I've tried to approach this entire situation as an opportunity to rest. That can be hard when you have young kids at home, but I am finding not having to drive people to various events fives nights a week has been peaceful. We've de…
Joe Buhlig makes some good points about using GTD in this post. As someone who’s followed the basic principles for a long time, he knows where he struggles to be consistent in the process. I definitely get where he’s coming from as I have my points where I could always use some improvement. This caught my eye in particular: > It’s one thing to collect items on a someday/maybe list. It’s another to put them to work. I can capture ideas all day long every day of the week. But incubating them, cu…