uninteresting :: nerd

here’s a list of new & old technologies that stuck (and some that didn’t) this year:

• iPhone 3GS: it’s hard to believe i’ve only owned it since June. i swear, i must use mine at least 100 times a day. the biggest improvement over the 3G is the speed. everything is just snappier. i can’t overemphasize how much i love my iphone.
• App Store: no need to explain here. every time i go in, i find something new and amazing.
• SSDs: in April I got my first SSD, an OCZ Vertex, but I didn’t keep it and ended up with an Intel X25-M gen 2. the performance gain is so amazing, i got 2 more SSDs for my other macs. it’s the single biggest speed improvement you can make.
• Drobo gen 2: still our main storage device, for the 2 things i definitely don’t want to lose to a hard drive crash: our iPhoto and iTunes libraries. i upgraded drives this year and now have 2.5TB of space. even with all the movies i’ve got, there’s plenty of room to grow.
• google reader: still my main go-to source for keeping up with sites, blogs, craigslist searches, firmware updates, you name it. and the mobile site is awesome on the iphone.
• twitter: caught up quickly to google reader in terms of my reliance on it. the real-time web is here and it’s useful. twitter search is invaluable.
• mac mini connected to lcd tv: still super-useful as our all-purpose HTPC. upgraded to the last model so that it runs 1080p smoothly and Plex/Boxee are smooth like butter. who needs cable.
• 24″ imac: our main workhorse home computer. fast & brilliant screen. gonna upgrade to the 27″ to be even faster and more brilliant.
• macbook air: wifey uses the base model as a netbook around the house. it’s perfect for her needs. so thin & light.
• readability: i use this bookmarklet all the time to make online article readable on the screen.
• instapaper: and when i don’t have time to read the article, i click the Instapaper bookmarklet to save it for reading later (on mac or iphone).
• simplenote: it’s notational velocity on the iphone/browser. note-taking awesomeness.
• dropbox: not only to keep all my documents in sync on all my macs, but i’m increasingly using it to carry my /Library environment around so that apps like Plex, Boxee & Things all sync.
• • didn’t stick: SugarSync: totally un-Mac like.
• craigslist: i must have bought/sold about 100 times this year.
• • didn’t stick: ebay: total pain in the ass to put something up for sale. bought a few items
• PS3: Uncharted 2 is the best video game i’ve ever played.
• • didn’t stick: Xbox 360 & Rock Band
  • didn’t stick: gaming via Windows 7 via Boot Camp
• 1Password: indispensible password manager for the mac. one of the first things I install.
• launchbar:
• • didn’t stick: Quicksilver: i was reluctant to leave, but development is pretty much dead. like most who’ve switched, i’m really liking LB
• smugmug: all our baby pics & videos are posted here. way better than flickr, but you have to pay for it.
• • didn’t stick: flickr: let my pro account expire. haven’t looked back since joining smugmug
• animoto: this is imovie for the rest of us. creates amazing slideshows, really easily.
• Canon SD960is digital camera: 12mp + 720p video. fantastic pics.
• • didn’t stick: eye-fi card: it screwed up the audio of video clips, and they never posted a fix.
• yojimbo:
• • didn’t stick: evernote: i wanted so much to like it, but in the end, the UI is cluttered and your data is hard to export. the iphone app was dog slow when taking a photo note. good effort, but their windows roots are apparent.
  • didn’t stick: together: it has all the additional features a yojimbo user could want, but ultimately doesn’t feel as smooth.
  • didn’t stick: Notational Velocity: the recent upgrade is great, and forthcoming integration w/simplenote will be even better. but if i’m using yojimbo, i’m going to put everything in there.
• Omnifocus: the king of GTD apps, but really steep learning curve. I just wish iPhone syncing weren’t so slow.
• • didn’t stick: The Hit List: this app was hot for a while, but everyone’s been waiting over 6 mos for the iPhone app. it’s just a single developer, so it’s slow going.
  • didn’t stick: Things: it’s GTD for the masses; as such, it’s quite dumbed down and prettied up.
• MindManager: MM8 for Mac is being released soon. I use mindmapping all the time at work.
• Amazon Prime: renewed the expensive $80 feature, but totally worth it. free 2day shipping on most items, plus you can share it with about 4 ‘family’ members.

other things that didn’t stick:

• kindle 2: I just sold it, after 9 months with it. it’s a nice device, don’t get me wrong…it just never won the battle for my attention over the iphone.
• facebook: i went through a phase of obsessively checking it and pruning my profile. now i check every few days, and find most of the status updates boring. i’ve ‘hidden’ updates from all but a handful of people.