= awesome.

okay mac facebook users, i have found teh sick program of the day. presenting photobook :)

its a facebook photo browser for the mac. easy "add to iphoto" capability too. in the words of borat: niiiiiiiice.

linkage: photobook

i switched to the mac platform last year mainly because i noticed that some most interesting applications were coming to the mac platform. around the same time, i got hooked on "getting things done" by david allen. productivity in a knowledge based work environment has changed the way that we do work..we need tools to handle high volumes of email (see: inbox zero) and shifting from a time-based work schedule to work schedule (see: best buy's ROWE).

part of that process for me has been finding software that stays out of the way and helps me get things done. i have discovered that indie mac developers are a passionate bunch, and they raise the bar for everyone in developing awesome apps that are solid combination of style and function. i've tried a bunch of different apps in the past year: actiontastic, omnioutliner, and igtd. i thought i hit jackpot when i got the pre-release for omnifocus. but it wasn't until i taskpaper began showing up all over the place that i finally found the app that i've been looking for.

one of the biggest problems i've had with all the other programs is that i seemed to be spending more time fiddling with the program than using it to quickly see what's on my plate and start cranking widgets. my to do lists would get long and i would basically have lists that weren't getting done. i'm all about technology that helps you do whatever task in mind more effectively...definitely not about tech that makes your life more complicated.

i was up and running on taskpaper ten minutes after i downloaded it. this is very good. some of the best things about taskpaper:

• largely text interface: its a text-based format that you can port over to use with vim / textmate or any other editor (scroll to the bottom here to see).
• being able to focus in on a project: if you click on a project, a new tab opens with just that project and its tasks. focus is ze win.
• lack of being able to fiddle: this is the best part. its so simple, that it works. its kind of odd thought. i think lots of software or any other product for that matter tries so hard to please everyone or add features that you forget about what the core thing you wanted in the first place. taskpaper doesn't do that.
  

anyhow, i think this software rocks. bottom line -- if you're on a mac and looking for a way to keep track of things you need to get done and ical's todo is just not cutting it anymore, i would check out taskpaper.

(disclaimer: hog bay software offers all bloggers who post up a review a free license for the program. one thing that i've slowly gotten used to on the mac is being willing to pay for good software. i was certainly willing to throw down money for this one, but contributing to getting the word out to fantastic app seemed like a win win situation. :) )

amazon released into public beta today their mp3 music store. mp3's encoded at 256kbs and here's the kicker: its DRM free and cheaper than itunes. i've been waiting for someone to challenge the itunes behemoth that isn't russia based (mp3stor.ru, mp3search.ru, allofmp3.com) , it looks like amazon has finally got it right. they have a mac (no frigging way) and windows client.

all of emi's artists on there right now, which is about 2 million tracks (kanye, fiest, timbaland, maroon 5). look for more labels to jump on board. no more DRM! yes!

edit: i just tried the amazon mp3 downloader. grabbed a couple songs that have been sitting in my itunes shopping cart for awhile - drm free, high quality audio, and high quality album art. amazon may have a winner on their hands. song downloaded easily, automatically added to my itunes, boom baby.

Experiencing the realities of our city and finding our place in its transformation.

February 23-24 at First Presbyterian Church, San Diego. Go to jjpsd.org for more information.

I woke up this morning to find two of my favorite comic strips are going to end soon :(.

Fox Trot and For Better Or For Worse.

First Calvin & Hobbes, then The Boondocks. Sadness.

In any case....may you know Hope this day, have a merry Christmas! Let there be peace on earth...

Currently Reading: The Kite Runner