iPod notes syncing–not

I purchased the iPod touch 3.1 update yesterday. One feature I wanted was notes syncing that was not server dependent. Notes syncing requires Leopard and I am still using Tiger. I wish Apple had mentioned that in the documentation.

Upgradeitis

“If it ain’t broke, don’t upgrade it”. This is an interesting article from Macworld. Artist Bob Staake has been using Photoshop 3 since 1994.

The idea of using such outdated software is foreign to many technophiles who, in this era of instant gratification when songs, movies, and software updates are never more than a click away, rarely seem to use programs that are older than a couple of months. So when Staake posted a video of his process for creating the cover of The New Yorker’s recent politics issue, the news that he was using software over a decade old spread faster than celebrity gossip.

Of course, Staake has upgraded some of his equipment over the years, despite his use of Photoshop 3.0 and older versions of Adobe PageMill and FileMaker Pro. “Believe me, I am anything but a technophobe,” he said. “I rarely ever upgrade because I’m usually inundated with work and simply don’t have the time to learn new versions. For me, it is simply a matter of pragmatism.” The 7100 has now been replaced as his workhorse by a PowerMac G5 running Mac OS X 10.4.11, necessitating that he run his beloved Photoshop 3.0 in Mac OS 9.2.1 via the Classic emulation environment (and not, as several blog posts about his New Yorker cover erroneously stated, in System 7).

This is not something that you hear a great deal about in our consumer culture, where new is always better and if you want to remain competitive, beautiful, accepted you’ve got to get with the latest and greatest. This is the great lie of the consumer culture – the constant need to upgrade. Mr.Staake did not fall for the fallacy of needing the constant upgrade to keep producing successfully.

Learning new versions of photoshop might make his work easier or faster. But for this artist, it did not really matter. He tried newer versions and simply found them lacking. He knows his tools inside and out and they do what he wants from them. Knowing the quirks of your tools and the things you need to do to work around them is the productive side of not upgrading. Any perceived adavantage of a novel system is negated by the fiddle time – that is the time it takes to get productive again. I have lost years to fiddle time.

There is nothing wrong with the upgrade or learning something new. But, I think it becomes counter productive when you assume that an upgrade is needed to keep producing or to keep competitive. To fully evaluate an upgrade or product, you need to divorce it from the glamour of “newness”. I am always thinking that the newest version will have that much “needed” feature or just be that much whiz bang better. But, what does the new software or hardware deliver that can not be done now ? Is this ability worth the time and monetary cost ? I find that if I do ask this question I am much less likely to decide to upgrade (unless it is free-then what the heck).

I like learning new systems and I like playing with new toys. I think one can get more creative learning novel systems. But, if the goal is to create and one just keeps learning new tools, is that any different than procrastinating by any other method ? Mr. Staake solved the problem by sticking with his original goal – just making his art.

Using the TrackMan Marble Fx with Mac OS X

I have been trying to use my decade old Trackman Marble Fx . This is a great deal less stressful than the traditional pronated (plams downward) position. I had tried a standard USB adapter. The iBook had no idea anything was connected. The death of my Marble Trackman Wheel forced me to go from casual search to active hunt, or continue using the dreaded mouse.

I needed a converter not an adapter to inform the system that a ps/2 device was connected. I briefly tasted success with a $50 converter advertised at Memory Express’s website. The server was puzzled as the computer listed the part available, but none were to be had. The server’s puzzlement extended to condolences but no actual reordering. I am not sure what they are teaching the kids in the store these days to let a $50 sale disappear.

It worked out well as I bought a $14 Sabrent USB to 2-Port PS/2 Splitter Cable Converter . This worked beautifully. I was using the trackball in minutes, without any need for additional drivers. It lasted a day.

I really missed the scroll wheel. I had no idea how much I used the thing. I tried to use streemouse, to see if I could emulate a scroll, but was not successful. However, I am using a newer model of the trackman wheel, also ordered from Tiger Direct, which is a ergonomically better than the older model. It places my hand in a more supine position, although less so than the Marble Fx, but I have the scroll wheel back.

I like using trackballs, because I am not picking something up and driving all over my desktop. With two screens this becomes even less fun. I am not really sure why mice seem popular and trackballs seemed to have languished. Logitech’s current line up of trackballs is quite inadequate. What is the point of a wireless trackball ? Anyway, I am glad to be using a trackball again.

Scrivener and Non-Linear Writing

I write more deeply if I don’t focus on writing about a topic and instead concentrate on one idea and then the next. Scrivener helps me write as if I had ADD. With this Mac OS X program, I can write in a non-linear manner with an ease that is refreshing. Each snippet(text grouping) of writing can exist in one project. A snippet can be as small or as large as you want—from chapters to paragraphs. Collections of snippets can be further grouped in folders. By narrowing the focus to one idea rather than a whole blog or paper, a topic can be explored it great detail, one idea at a time. Stringing ideas together can come later, the most important part initially is getting them down in the first place no matter how they appear.

Antc-consumerism or A Cheap Ergonomic Trackball

My wife often accuses me of solving my problems by buying more stuff. I have a tendency to think of new products to meet perceived needs rather than trying to think a little harder and develop a cheaper solution from the material at hand. Part of the problem is that I do not perceive myself as being very handy. But, today I thought outside of the store.