43 Folders

43 Folders feed subscription icon - Shiny!Time, Attention, and Creative Work. After 4 years and a lot of productivity pr0n, we’re shifting gears. Re-learn how to use 43 Folders. Then back to work. [»]

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

Dine-O-Matic (and the Dashboard widgets we love)

Dine-O-Matic - Dashboard - Food

I’ve never quite taken to Dashboard the way a lot of folks have. Like that completely baffling Spotlight results “window,” it seems to just kind of live off in its own little neighborhood – one that’s just far enough away to discourage frequent visits. “Jeez, Merlin, how lazy can you get about hitting F12?!?”

Annnnnnyhow, I finally found a “business case” for Dashboard today with the discovery of the perfectly-delightful Dine-O-Matic, a beautiful and free (as in beer) little widget from the graphical savants over at Iconfactory. This does precisely one thing: it chooses a random restaurant for you to eat at. That’s it. No more whiny rounds of “‘What do you want?’ and ‘No, what do you want?’” Because we now have comely robots to make these decisions for us. The dining-out singularity is near!

You just pop in the names and cuisine-types of all your local haunts, and then hit the big blue plate. The widget flashes and churns like a slot machine, then picks out the place you and your party will dine. Awesome. Yay, Dashboard.

setup results!
Dine-O-Matic Setup Dine-O-Matic Results

We haven’t talked too much about Dashboard around here, but I’d love to hear from you guys:

Which widgets have made you love Dashboard? Has Dashboard become an integrated part of your overall workflow? Or is it just a pretty amusement park? (not that this is bad)

andrew's picture

Dictionary widget? Too much work....

Dictionary widget? Too much work. Just select word, right-click, choose “Look up in Dictionary.”

I’ll put in a plug for my own widget, one I actually use all the time: “Pileup”, a visualization of the amount of stuff in your Trash as a big pile of garbage at the bottom of the Dashboard. No preferences, no interaction: http://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/games/pileupwidget.html

 
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The Podcast Feed

Inbox Zero

The original 43 Folders series looking at the skills, tools, and attitude needed to empty your email inbox — and then keep it that way. Don’t miss the free video of Merlin’s Inbox Zero presentation.

Making Time

3-part series on attention management for artists and makers. Read Bad Correspondence, The Job You Think You Have, and One Clear Line.