43 Folders

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Merlin’s weekly podcast with Dan Benjamin. We talk about creativity, independence, and making things you love.

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”What’s 43 Folders?”
43Folders.com is Merlin Mann’s website about finding the time and attention to do your best creative work.

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Email belches

Fastmail.fm has been taking an unexpected dirtnap since Thursday afternoon that looks likely to stretch lazily through the weekend.

My old mail has reportedly been queued and will supposedly wind its way back to me by Monday or so; my previously unequivocal recommendations of Fastmail will not return with it.

Anyhoo, I've rerouted all my main email accounts to Gmail for now (I'm merlinmann at that particular domain), so if you've tried to send me anything important since about 14:00 PST on Thursday, please just resend it -- with my apologies.

TOPICS: Admin

Awards link scam; Truth about book-writing; Better iPhone mail; Old-timey photo maps; How I really found your site; ViaTalk? Dea

  • The software awards scam « Successful Software - Five stars! Reminds me of the ubiquitous mid-'90s "Cool Site of the Day!" awards -- the web equivalent of "World's Greatest Grandpa."
  • scottberkun: How to write a book - the short honest truth - "Writing, as opposed to publishing, requires almost no financial or physical resources. A pen, a paper and effort are all that has been required for hundreds of years."
  • CatCubed: Gmail, IMAP, and iPhones - Part 2 - The Tutorial - "As I posted previously, I’ve been experimenting with finding a my perfect iPhone email set up." Neato-sounding (if kind of complicated) setup for iPhone-friendlier email.
  • Photo-Auto Maps (1907) - "Rand McNally published what were called Photo-Auto Maps, showing photos of streets and landmarks, with arrows pointing you to the correct path leading toward your destination." Awesome. Like a photo version of a AAA TripTik.
  • Gruber’s Trick - I do this all the time too. Truth is, I’m way more likely to find a site via referrers than any other way. I don’t link to ‘em all, and it’s not out of pure ego — more like way limited time, above average signal-to-noise ratio, and the occasional unavoidably awesome serendipity. BTW, this not necessarily a suggestion for people who want a link from here: if it's crap, it sinks. More just an “annoying trick” that I’m totally fine sharing openly with you. [via: DF]
  • SunRocket Saga: Still No Happy Ending for Many - I ordered my ViaTalk service and VoIP dingus on July 20th. Half a dozen unanswered emails and 3 weeks later: nada. Not classy, ViaTalk. Not classy at all. Makes me want to open up a big-ass Can of Cory.
TOPICS: Daily Links

Circa/Rollabind cover material, or A4 covers

Circa/Rollabind cover material, or A4 covers

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TOPICS: Lofi

Interesting 43F Stats

Talking blog stats is dull, tacky stuff, so I usually avoid it like the plague. But here’s a couple data points you might find interesting.

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Merlin on MacBreak Weekly: iPhone Release Show

MacBreak Weekly 46: iDay

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Hosts: Leo Laporte, Merlin Mann, Scott Bourne, and Alex Lindsay >

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iPhones in hand our MacBreak quartet gives you their first impressions of the latest from Apple...

Here's a direct MP3 download of MBW 46.

Believe it or not, this week's episode was about Apple's iPhone. Yes, the iPhone. I know: I was surprised, too.

Also, we shot a quick MacBreak (video) on Thursday night where we visited with people queued up outside the Stockton St. store here in SF. I chatted with a bohemian clown, an expensive-looking video camera, and a man from Gizmodo who had a webcam attached to his head. Just another Thursday in Union Square.

Anyhow, the iPhone is out, it's pretty, and lots of people are buying them. For further coverage of the iPhone and the experiences of its excited new users, kindly visit the entire internet.

Marc Eisenstadt: Paying the price of email overload

Eight years of email stats, pass 1

A thought-provoking analysis on the time and attention that a growing pile of email commands. Based on looking at several years worth of archived messages. The hockey-stick spam trends ends up seeming less significant than the raw volume of extra non-email work that email generates.

Marc Eisenstadt says:

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Howard Rheingold, (Re)Sliced

Howard Rheingold, online pioneer and dapper man of the mustache and Indiana Jones hats, has started a new video blog to update his seminal 1992 essay, “A Slice of Life in my Virtual Community,” with how he spends his time online with today’s technologies. The first video is a little remedial, but what caught my eye is his promise to clue us in to his daily process, including not only his office time, but time spent on hobbies like painting and gardening. Looking back at that sentence, I know that sounds about as exciting as getting a flu shot, but I’m a sucker for watching how smart people manage their days. Should be worth a watch.

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Nice, simple 3 x 5 index card holder

I keep my notes on 3 x 5 index cards, quasi-hipster-pda style, but basically just a lump of cards with a rubber band around them. The cards keep getting bent and messed up, so I'm looking for a simple, but good-looking, card holder. I've seen Levenger's, but that's too complicated. I don't need pockets & pads.

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Rollabind/Circa vs. Legal Pads

Rollabind/Circa vs. Legal Pads

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TOPICS: Lofi
 
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Cranking

Merlin used to crank. He’s not cranking any more.

This is an essay about family, priorities, and Shakey’s Pizza, and it’s probably the best thing he’s written. »

Scared Shitless

Merlin’s scared. You’re scared. Everybody is scared.

This is the video of Merlin’s keynote at Webstock 2011. The one where he cried. You should watch it. »