Despite the fact that I’m not the type of person who needs new, cool things all the time, I seem to have found my way to several new electronic devices recently. One of these devices has changed what I do so drastically that it’s my obligation to talk about it.

http://www.joshcanhelp.com/images/blog/eee/eee08_sm.jpg

Asus EEE black

I bit the bullet and bought an Asus EEE 1000H (in black) and I’m psyched about it. I’m really uninterested in giving you a walk-through of every little, tiny thing so I offer the now-answered questions that formed pre-purchase, a couple of the drawbacks, and a few things I love about it.

This thing is friggen tiny

EEE vs. Vostro

That is the whole point of these new netbook computers, in the end. My old laptop was portable, of course, but portable in a “need another bag to take it to the coffeeshop” kind of way. I stick this thing in the padded, zip-up case it came with, stuff it in my bookbag, and off we go. I barely notice it when it’s there and the charger combo is so small, it fits right in a side pocket. I’m able to have this with me more often which lets me get stuff done everywhere and stay very well connected as well.

David vs. Goliath

The trade-off, of course, is the keyboard side. Someone told me the keyboard is “92%” the size of a normal one. I found it particularly difficult to type on when I first got it (especially with respect to the odd right shift key placement you will no doubt read about again and again if you are researching this computer) but I’ve gotten MUCH better. I still have more typos than a typical keyboard but I think I can actually  type a little faster on this keyboard because of the short key travel (how little it takes to press a key down) and how little my hands have to move. I’ve also gotten used to the right shift key and it hardly bothers me anymore. FYI, I look when I type about half of the time.

I will mention, however, that the screen size is quite small and a little irritating to work with. When I bought this little guy, I was not planning on doing anything too labor intensive. The width isn’t the problem, it’s the 600px height. It’s hard to get things centered just right and surfing the web (not to mention building web pages) is a bit harder than I thought it would be. Not like “damn, I really wish this screen was bigger” hard, just “I’ll do it if I need to” hard.

Windows XP on the EEE works great

I waffled back and forth about the hard drive versus the solid state drive and whether or not I wanted Window or Ubuntu Linux installed and, in the end, went with the hard drive and XP. I’m definitely pleased with this combination. Start-up is pretty good, shut down is really quick, stand-by is a dream (seconds from on to off and back), and the performance really leaves me wanting nothing more. I should mention that I replaced the included 1 GB of RAM with a 2 GB stick. The surgery was minor and I had no problems getting it to work.

Outpatient surgery

I can definitely tell the load time for certain things is slower, the one example that sticks out in my mind being Open Office. I leave the quick start option off (I hate it when programs want to install a start-up launcher as though their program is SO important that I need quick access to it EVERY time I’m on my computer… get over yourselves) so the load time is a bit slow. On my desktop, however, it comes up about 2 or 3 times as fast. This, again, is fine depending on your expectations of this computer. I expect it to do certain things great and other things not as well. I bought it knowing that and being perfectly fine with it. If you’re expecting 3.0 GHz performance out of a 1.6 GHz machine, you will be disappointed. I am getting really crappy streaming video playback, though which is annoying. I’m going to try a movie from the hard drive and see if that makes a difference. It surfs the web as fast as my desktop and I figured the network bandwidth would be the bottleneck.

ASUS EEE Battery life is excellent

Asus claims 7 hours of battery life with this thing and I’m inclined to believe that it’s possible but maybe not optimal. On full charge, I turn the screen down as low as possible (pretty dark but still perfectly legible) and switch the mode to “Power Save” and the battery life meter says I have almost 6 hours of power remaining. I have a few programs open but I’m not really doing anything on it. I’d say 5 hours is about the most you’ll get out of it with the screen at a usable brightness and working on a couple of things. Still, 5 hours is longer than most interstate flights and longer than I can stand it at any coffeeshop.

Random thoughts

• The touchpad seems to be an area of complaint for some people online but I have not had a problem with it. I can type just fine while keeping my wrists away from it. It’s sensitive but not too sensitive and the multi-touch functioning (zoom in, scrolling, multi-finger taps) are great (when they work properly). I have not spent a lot of time setting the touchpad up so there is likely more that I can do.
• The screen is GORGEOUS. The brightness goes up so high that it’s almost hard to look at in a dim room. Clarity is great, colors are excellent, size takes some getting used to.
• I don’t know what they did with the wireless in this computer but I’ve never had a computer or a phone that linked up so quickly and stayed locked onto the signal. If I put it on standby, go somewhere else that has wifi I’ve used before, and take it out of standby, it’s usually re-connected before the desktop comes up. Doesn’t disconnect randomly, gets great reception, and is just a pleasure to use.
• Yeah, so the shiny black case gets a lot of fingerprints. Be prepared or go with the white.
• The little zip-up case it comes with is great. It’s the perfect size and the outside feels “sticky” like soft-touch rubber or something. It collects a horrendous amount of dust but if you set it on the car seat, it doesn’t slide around and fall off. If this was intentional, it was ingenious.

A+++ would buy again

I went back and forth between this particular model and its competitors (Acer, MSI, Dell). I can’t say that I like this one better because I’ve never been about to try one of the other ones out but I can say that I’m really not left wanting anything more out of this machine. Performance was better than expected, interaction is excellent, display is great, portability is a dream… what more could I want?

I would definitely recommend this to anyone that needs a second, very mobile computer. What’s great about the netbook category of computers is that you don’t have to spend a lot of money to get great functionality. If I had, say, a dual-core laptop with a big screen and a DVD drive and so on, it would be a competitor with my desktop. I don’t need complete functionality on the go, I need connectivity, ease of use, reliability, and my core programs. I don’t need to play games (though I know someone who plays an old version Age of Empires on his), I don’t need to watch DVDs on a regular basis (though I can download movies to watch just fine), and I don’t need to do 3D modeling (ever). In the end, this is exactly what I needed and exactly what I got.

Mine

Well done Asus!

Introduction

I was listening to a BBC program the other day that was talking about whether grandparents raising their grandkids was a good thing or a bad thing. Some people called in to say, yes, it was good but also bad. Other people called in to say it was bad, but also good. In the end, it seemed like the show’s host, whether on directive or personally motivated, was looking for “the truth,” in the sense that she wanted an answer - the answer. This is the format of most discourse in modern-day media, it seems, because it simplifies the issue down to the proverbial black and white. Instead of looking for some perspective on things, the conversation, apparently, always needs to come to a conclusion.

Self Help by hagner_james on flickr

I see this mentality a lot when I read the prolific “self-help” & “personal-growth” genre of blogs. There are “keys to success,” “paths to financial freedom” and, my favorite, “rock-solid ways to improve productivity.” If you’re familiar with blogs, then you’ll know the format of a catchy title, a hooky intro, and subsequent headers that are action-packed and full of information (cough). Knowing this, it’s hard to be TOO critical of the content because, hey, people are reading it and subscribing to it and linking to it and people are getting paid and everything is great. Still, there is something a bit funny about someone who discovered their path to productivity on their own but then shares it as the gospel of getting things done.

So, I’m going to share with you how I work. This method would/will drive certain people nuts. This method is not foolproof but none of them are. It also doesn’t work for absolutely everything, but none of the other ones do either. I read a lot of the productivity posts out there, internalize the message, and typically end up rejecting a lot of it. My system is probably a hybrid of all the things I’ve read about “making work happen.” Still, I modified it to be my own and, while I’m always changing and improving, it’s working well for me (ask the friends and family I don’t talk to enough).

I’m new to all of this… how can this help?

It’s so easy to get caught up on the “self-help” cycle of reading other people’s insights constantly and going nowhere in your own life. It’s also easy to get down on yourself if you just CAN’T meditate for an hour in the morning with a warm cup of white tea and visualize your day coming together. Some people work one way, some work another, and many don’t work at all. I want to tell you what I do to manage the chaos, live in the chaos, and use the chaos to my advantage. Maybe you’ll learn something, maybe you won’t but hopefully, by the end of this, you’ll at least feel OK about having your OWN system (or no system).

1. I work on what I want to work on

I’m simply incapable of being motivated and productive when I work on projects that don’t have my full interest. I’m still trying to figure out if this is just a human thing or a particular limitation of mine. Regardless if the origin is DNA- or species-related, it is something that affects my professional life profoundly.

Part of having a job of any kind is taking the good with the bad. This is, thankfully, true for rockstars, artists, programmers, teachers, and everyone else. We all have those moments, some more than others. So what to do when you get tired of something?

Move right along. Do the next thing. Stop what you’re doing before you ruin it.

If I can’t write, I don’t write and I try something different like web coding or maybe a bit of design or just run-of-the-mill organization. If I’m not feeling mentally capable, I do something repetitive. If I’m feeling competent and smart, I try to tackle something high level. Unless it’s due, people are waiting, or something’s on fire, if I don’t want to contribute, I don’t.

2. I jump from project to project, sometimes mid-sentence

This might be the most destructive of my tendencies but so far so good.

Unfinished and forgotten by Zach_ManchesterUK on flickr

I’ve been writing an email to someone, lost the motivation to type and switched to something else immediately. I wasn’t interrupted, the connection wasn’t broken, I didn’t change my mind, I just decided not to continue emailing. I often save drafts with unfinished sentences, let alone paragraphs.

Sometimes your inspiration to complete a certain task only lasts so long. Maybe the first couple paragraphs are gold and the rest are, say, crap. Instead of just pushing through for the sake of doing so, I stop and move on to come back when the motivation re-arises.

Now, there are times when it pays to sit down, drill in, and concentrate on what you’re doing. There are many things that require a strong train of thought and benefit from moving from idea to idea within a framework. There are more things, however, that simply don’t need that kind of attention. Emails in any form, documents, web pages… many things just need you to complete mental modules and then you can move on.

Never underestimate solid concentration with no interruptions for long periods of time. Don’t be afraid, however, to take microbreaks and split your project into chunks. The drip drip drip can, in many cases, lead to a better output.

3. I keep close track of (almost) everything

I’m on top of my shit, that’s all there is to it.

I stay in close contact with people and I do what I say I’m going to do. I’m frequently used by other people as their system of organization because I keep things moving and can remember where things left off. I’m not great with uber-minutia and I can’t possibly admit to always being on time, remembering anything, and making no mistakes. What I don’t do, however, is drop the ball.

I keep my inbox empty or as close as possible. I don’t move anything to a long-term to do list unless it’s a personal project. Anything client-related is up-front and center because I put it there. Things shift in priority, no doubt, but I don’t stop doing things because I forgot about them/. They either lost everyone’s interest or died off.

This helps me keep very current with everything I’m doing and helps me to consciously lose track of things that don’t matter.

4. I stay very organized

I wouldn’t say that I’m anal about everything but everything definitely has it’s place.

Emails get saved if they’re important and should stay as emails. Otherwise, their content gets stripped quickly and moved into an appropriate secondary system (like my contacts or my calendar). My USB drive is full and it’s easy to find everything that I need. My pictures are listed and sorted in a way that makes sense to my brain.

I don’t spend all day scheming up systems and sorting things around; that would defeat the purpose of having a system like mine. I take care of things immediately lest they fall off my radar. Documents are saved and sorted, bookmarks are sorted and printed to PDF if they’re THAT good, and personal information gets saved into Outlook (on my phone, synced at work, and exported into Excel to make sure I don’t lose track.

Again, I’m not the picture of organizational perfection but it’s hard for things to slip through the cracks. I make it that way so I can work the way I want to.

5. I’m quick to abandon a system that isn’t working

If my organization is the glue then this is the engineer to check to make sure my glue is holding.

I don’t “swear by” my system and I certainly would not go out of my way to recommend it (I would recommend SOME kind of system, though). I’m always on the lookout for better ways to do what I do because I always  like to save time and change is a good thing.

I try out new systems, software, methods, tools, etc but, more often than not, my day-to-day functioning doesn’t change much. This is because I re-iterate, check, and evaluate what I’m doing on a constant basis. This isn’t quite a conscious process, it’s more like something that’s in the back of my head. If a certain piece of software is pissing me off or I keep forgetting to do something or something is irritating me, a red flag appears and I’m ready to replace it.

Case in point, my email situation. I have too many damn email accounts to keep track of for no good. I have a business one that I access with my phone and Gmail. I also have a separate Gmail, separate Hotmail, separate Yahoo, and an office account. In the end, I feel no more connected because I have a million email accounts. I’m in the process of overhauling this system to make it work for me (expect a post about it).

That’s all

Yeah, just that.

Though the way I work is a bit unorthodox, I’ve shown many people how to make their lives easier using free/cheap software and a system to use it. I absolutely would not be as successful as I am without the technology that I use every day. If you’re interested in learning about getting your professional life together in a way that makes sense and isn’t a burden, get a hold of me.

** I tried to post this via email from my phone but it simply would not behave! I’ll try to fix and and post the results on here.

I read a blog post yesterday about saing money (there are a lot of them out there) and one of the sample questions I’m supposed to ask myself is ‘do I need internet access on my phone?’ In the spirit of saving money, I asked myself and here’s my answer.

- I always have something to read. Google Reader is my homepage and, as long as I stay away from the graphics heavy posts (like Design I Trust), I can breeze through a few of my feeds while waiting for class or eating lunch.

- My business email comes directly to my phone. The pros of this are mobility, quick response to clients, and the ease of being able to send an email to people I meet (so they have my address). The annoying part about this is that I have my emails sent to a Gmail account so I basically have an echo if I’m on the net (which is a good portion of the day, it seems).

- I’ve been able to get directions on the fly and find them on Google Maps. Part of this is frustration waiting for a page to load or not being able to find what I need (suring on this 250 by 500 window is frustrating). Still, I’ve gotten myself out of a few jams and for that, I’m glad.

- Some day, I’ll figure out how Evernote will work well for me. If you’ve never heard of it, got to evernote.com nd see what it’s all about. There is something to be said about a mobile repository…

- Streaming radio is actually pretty good quality as long as the 3G service is good. I’ve been able to get Shoutcast stations and play them with Windows Media player. I have a 1st gen nano for running but if I’m studying or want some music privay at work, it’s a good option. Word to the wise: streaming radio CAN be free so don’t pay for it unless you’ve searched around.

Message to anyone considering AT&T 3G or any unlimited mobile internet service:

If a budget is not an issue, do what you like. If you’re trying to keep expenditures down, though this is a write-off, it isn’t worth it unless you have an actual reason to get it (as in you’re missing email or need to be available for chat or need Gogle Maps).

To be honest, I use it less than I thought I would but I’ve become fairly reliant on it. I use it much more when I’m in school and have more downtime (between classes, etc). The speed is, for the most part, great and it’s quite rare to be without 3G service (the fast service).

In general, however, I’m always looking for ways to get more from the service. I want to manage contacts a bit better and I need a better, more universal to-do list with the ability to handle projects. It’s rare to have the time/wherewithall to research things like that thought.

• Show up early…. yes, you. Everyone needs to show up early. Depending on the amount of work that needs to be done, staff members should be on-site and setting things up AT LEAST an hour before people start showing up. Registration tables, video demos, installations, presentations… everything takes time to get ready. WHY: Because it looks silly to be dinking around with technology and paperwork while people are showing up. Have you ever gone to a great hotel and had the concierge tucking in her shirt, the computers getting installed, and the bellhop tying his shoes in the middle of the lobby? Look like you know what the heck you’re doing and be ON POINT well before the people show up.

• If you’re presenting, have some kind of back-up in case everything blows up. Have another story, have a riff on-deck, have a prop… have SOMETHING to keep that energy going. Presentations stop, internet access breaks, and wireless mouse batteries run out; be ready for it. Distract attention from the control panel windows that are going on and tell an embarrassing story about yourself. Don’t slam your OS or your software or your IT department or yourself - that gets awkward. Don’t walk people what you’re doing, multi-task. WHY: Though every great (and many good) speaker(s) can recover from a screeching halt, not everyone knows what to do DURING the screeching. If you’re lucky, there’s an IT person around who can fix the problem on the fly but you still need to keep that attention (if you even had it in the first place). Technical problems will always happen and usually at the worst times. No one is rolling their eyes at you as long as you don’t make it worse on yourself.

• Have excellent IT staff on hand. Actually, this rule is for everyone at all times. Find someone, hire someone, pay them well, treat them like they are all-important (because they are), let them work the way they want to, make sure they understand security and privacy, make sure they’re not painfully anti-social, and befriend them. WHY: There is no work-around for having a great IT guy/gal. Having someone who can quickly (and correctly) fix problems instills massive confidence. Most people (I’m talking 90% [conservatively]) don’t know how to fix fairly basic computer problems. Having someone to help these folks is very valuable. Having someone that can fix everything else as well is priceless. The IT Admin for the company I’m contracted with is smart, capable, cool, calm, collected, patient, and knows it all. It’s a pleasure to watch him work his magic.

• Does your audience need files? Documents? Installs? Data? Databases? Put all this stuff on a cheap USB and give it to them with instructions. Not possible? Sensitive data? Put all this stuff on several USBs and train your staff on how to implement. WHY: The more people armed and capable (actually capable) to help your audience, the quicker that problems will be solved and the better the conference will run.

• Give each of your staff members a pack of sugar-free gum. Tell the ones presenting that if they chew gum during the presentation that they will be fired. Then say, “Just kidding… but seriously.”

• Just saw this - if your projector isn’t fitting the whole screen on the big screen, adjust the resolution on the computer running the presentation. In Windows XP, right-click the desktop, select Properties, select the Settings tab, and drop the screen resolution down (try 800×600).

• Drink less sleep more, even if you’re having fun. WHY: Sounds ridiculous, I know, but just go with it.

Whether you’ve been here a couple of times or only once (and hopefully planning on returning), you might have seen my little tagline up in the header, “Helping You Tame Your Technology.” This should be more or less self-explanatory (as most good taglines are) but “taming,” to me, goes beyond just learning and using your electron-fueled personal possessions. Taming your technology means keeping your possessions and communications well-used, trouble-free, and to a minimum.

I’m always taking a second look at what I do and what I own (or want to own) to make sure I don’t fly off the deep end and create more work/stress for myself. Here’s what I do to keep it all together.

Taming your tech means: making it work how you want it to

The first part of this tamed tech meme is probably the most obvious. Taking control of your digital life means learning how to use what you have and using it well and fully. Buying a web-enabled phone because you want to have your email with you wherever you go and never learning how to use it or accessing your email remotely but losing the organization scheme you used before is also letting your technology tame you. Learning how to get your Gmail or Hotmail through the mail program built into your phone and managing the system when you can over the web is taming technology.

If you find a gadget, a piece of software, or a web page that can solve a nagging problem, then, naturally, you will spend the time to learn it as best you can. But so many people don’t take the extra time to learn that extra little bit and end up with more products then they need. Taming your tech means making what you buy work completely rather than throwing more money at a problem and ending up right back where you started.

How I apply this in my life/business: I do a lot of digital image manipulation and have been for quite a while (about 6 years). I pull and modify screenshots, make my personal photos look better, and make various web images. Would you believe that I just bought Photoshop? I’ve been using free programs like Paint, Paint.net, and Photofiltre. This put me at a bit of a disadvantage because, now that I actually need Photoshop, it’s hard to re-learn what I know in other systems. The upside is that I can recommend some great free programs and still got the work done.

Taming your tech means: using only what you need

This second part ties in to the first part but is more about removing than adding. Owning and using technology should do nothing but make what you’re doing perceptibly better than it was before. This could mean work, this could mean family and friends, or this could mean entertainment. If having three email accounts, two blogs, two computers, a web-enabled phone, an ipod, a digital camera, and a printer/scanner helps you do what you need to do, then it’s not a problem learning, maintaining, and replacing all of the above. If, however, having all of this only serves to distract, disturb, and annoy without improving anything, then it’s time to reconsider some or all of it.

Everyone is welcome to drown themselves in as much technology as they can wrap their paycheck around but, if your goal is productivity or a gain in personal time or effective business reach, then maybe charging and syncing everything is doing more to hold you back. Taming your technology is taking control of the gadgets you use and using only what works.

How I apply this in my life/business: My laptop is probably 7 years old, one of the PCMCIA ports doesn’t work, and is somewhat limited as to what it will run. Am I saving for a new one? Am I waiting for the right price? Is it collecting dust in the closet? None of the above. This little guy lets me write, organize files, code for the web, brainstorm, answer email, and surf the web. These are the only things I need to do while on the road these days so there is not a compelling reason to upgrade.

Taming your tech means: keeping your tech to yourself

We’ve all seen it: the cell-phone guy/gal, noise polluting an entire coffee shop; the kid with an ipod turned up so loud you can make out the lyrics; friends who talk to you while writing an email to someone else on their Blackberry. It’s so east to retreat into our own little worlds, especially when we’re fooled into thinking we’re somehow better connected because we have more channels of communication at our disposal. When we fall for this trap, though, we start to lose touch and move away from society at large. Taming your technology means being aware of the impact that your technological life has on other people. This could mean giving your phone or computer a break when you’re around others, being cognizant of the noise your device(s) are creating, or facing your gadget addiction before it saps money aware from more important things.

I’m going to take this point one step further and say that taming your technology means staying as close to sustainable as you can, even if it means making sacrifices. We all have our lives to live and our jobs to work, but if you’re leaving 2-3 computers on all night, commute in something that gets less than 20 MPG, and still replace light bulbs with incandescents, it’s time to tame your technology.

How I apply this in my life/business: I’m in the 97th percentile of energy use in my neighborhood according to the power company (LINK). I run the computer overnight sometimes but every light bulb is fluorescent, computers and electronics are on power strips that get shut off at night, and I charge things in my car (“free” electricity). When it comes to my social impact, you can find me with my phone always on vibrate, leaving the room to take a call, and my music high enough to drown out the din. I’m no Miss Manners – or Mister for that matter – but I make it a point to be aware of my surroundings enough to avoid dirty looks.

Taming your tech means: staying on top of it

Sometimes the question has to be asked: why bother? With so many work opportunities (reputation-building, networking, side projects), communication options (blogs, micro-blogs, social networks, email platforms), entertainment channels (books, social media, television, movies), productivity tools, it’s impossible to try and take it all in. It is tempting, however, to try. When we start to get mire ourselves in fabricated “have to’s” (I “have to” post on my blog, I “have to” update my profile, I “have to” sign up for that site), our priorities, work, and personal life suffer. It’s very easy to make more work for yourself by trying to be everywhere at once and keep tabs on every trend that’s remotely relevant to you. It’s also very easy to create time sinks with poor organization, poor set-up, and a lack of planning.

It’s hard for me to present a universal rule for everyone to follow but I will say this: if you’ve ever asked yourself if something should go/be replaced/be completely renovated, keep asking until it happens. If you’re not getting any benefit from it, should you keep wasting your time doing it? Also, if you can fix it or replace it for a significant benefit, what are you waiting for?

How I apply this in my life/business: I don’t spend much time on any social network and I don’t actually participate in social media beyond Digging or Stumbling the occasional site that really catches my eye (or submitting my own). I find that neither one contributes much to my life so I’m not motivated to keep them up.

A portion of my digital time is spent blogging, one of those activities that you either get and do or don’t and avoid. The few hours I spend every week staying on top of updates gives back by keeping me in touch with the industry(ies) that I’m involved in, helping my improve my writing skills, and adding a bit to my reputation by offering up a piece of myself up-front. It’s something I like to stay on top of that also serves a purpose.