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

Going Digital

This is a two-parter...

#1 Background

I had been using a Moleskine to keep a perpetual daily log, which was later to be transported to an electronic version, part of which would in turn be posted on my blog. However, the log would get backed up and I never seemed to reach the point of making it digital.

So, what I started doing lately is to just keep it digitally. I have vim open all the time with my log text file and I just add to it incrementally as the day goes by. Example:

#11305 12/12/06 Tue -

* 11:15 PM - Now I have to figure out how to realign my sleep.
* 12:33 AM - Hubert and I are at IHOP. The roads are so bare. I guess everyone is either gone or studying. I decided to get a chicken fried steak. I wonder when the food I've been eating will take it's toll -- I weighed myself earlier and showed no particular signs of damage. Hubert and I discussed our mutual need for a creative outlet.
* 07:11 AM - Amazing that so much time has passed. Here at home I ended up putting a song together (you wouldn't like it -- it's too noisy -- but you can listen if you want). I also gave The Name of the Rose a try, but I think I am going to opt for the "His Dark Materials":http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/His_Dark_Materials trilogy instead.

#2 Question

The other way I keep this beast in check is to have the log file open on my PDA whenever I am away from my computer (the text file lives on an SD card I move back and forth). I had been trying different ways of inputting information, and eventually settled on the keyboard. I use a Pocket PC and it works pretty great with the word completion.

However, I just discovered Fitaly, which uses a different keyboard configuration (the most used keys are in the center) that is designed for typing with a single finger or stylus: http://fitaly.com/wince/pocketpcfitaly.htm

Anybody have any thoughts on or experiences with this?

Webb's picture

One way or another you have to process it

I used fitaly for years, and it greatly helped my writing speed on the palm. My newer palm has a keyboard, so I've dropped fitaly.

If you're not processing your log, making that log digial won't help, though. At some point you've got to process it.

I've given up on digital for capture. But, then, I'm not much of a blogger.

Webb

GOD;7170 wrote:
This is a two-parter...

#1 Background

I had been using a Moleskine to keep a perpetual daily log, which was later to be transported to an electronic version, part of which would in turn be posted on my blog. However, the log would get backed up and I never seemed to reach the point of making it digital.

...

However, I just discovered Fitaly, which uses a different keyboard configuration (the most used keys are in the center) that is designed for typing with a single finger or stylus: http://fitaly.com/wince/pocketpcfitaly.htm

Anybody have any thoughts on or experiences with this?

 
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