Apple Reminders – GTD App Worth Using

ioS-6-Reminders-600x450As a big fan of the Getting Things Done (GTD) methodology I make a lot of lists.  Lists are a simple way to get things out of your head and off your mind so you can focus on what needs to be done now.

In the past I’ve always used the Tasks feature in Outlook and synced it with whatever smart phone I was using at the time.  Now that I’m 99% Apple (I still run windows on the Mac using Parallels for certain Windows only apps I need for work) I’ve switched to using the Reminders application available on iOS and OSX.

Reminders is a simple to-do application that wirelessly syncs across all of my devices using iCloud.  Those of you with an iPhone have probably used the app in one form or another & are saying to yourself “yeah, so what?”…

So… Have you used Location based reminders yet?  This single feature got me to dump Outlook tasks and immediately switch to the Reminders App.

Most people have a few different types of reminders (tasks) they’re keeping track of.  Some with due dates and some without.  Once the due date/time hits you get an alert and you either do it, snooze it or ignore it.  How would you like to get an alert any time you arrive or depart a particular location even if the reminder has a date/time alert or not?

This is the one feature that made the switch worth it.  Here an example.  The trash at my house is picked up every Thursday morning.  I like to have a alert on Wednesday evening to remind me to set the bins out.  In the past I would set a weekly reminder for 7pm every Wednesday night.  That’s great if I’m home but if I’m not I’d probably just dismiss the alert & forget about it by the time I got home.  Or I’d get home, park in the garage, go inside, & then remember.  Having to back the car out to get the bins out…

With location based reminders I get an alert as soon as I pull into my driveway every Wednesday!  It’s not based on a time, it’s based on a day & location (the date is optional).  This works well for a lot of things.  If I need to talk to someone as soon as I get to the office I’ll get a reminder when I pull into the parking lot, no matter what day of the week or time it is.

While this is a great feature there are a few quirks that keep the application from being perfect.  Options for recurring tasks are somewhat limited and it’s not integrated with Outlook (Mac or Windows version).  There’s no snooze option on iOS but there is on OSX…

That being said, it’s a lightweight application that syncs almost instantly between my Mac & iPad.  Entering multiple items is a easy as pressing Enter to separate each reminder.  You can create unlimited contexts (categories) to group your reminders.  Finally, you can share your reminders and lists with other iOS users.  This is great for team tasks or sharing within a household.

All in all this is great app for those of us that like to make GTD lists and need a place to keep them organized and accessible among several devices.

If you’re interested in learning how to use Siri to create reminders check out the video below from TeachMeiOS.com

Fukushima’s Operator Claims Radiation Was Not the Cause of Death

343927-fukushima-reactorThe man who led Fukushima’s meltdown battle has died. Masao Yoshida, who selflessly stayed to direct staff at the Japanese nuclear facility in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami, succumbed to cancer at age 58. Fukushima’s operator claimed that radiation was not the cause.

Um, yeah…  Right…

Forecast.io is One of the Best Weather App to Date

Always on the lookout for cool applications, Forecast.io was recommended to me by a coworker. It’s one of the first HTML5 web applications I’ve used that acts like an installed application.

To access the application all you need to do is point your internet browser to http://forecast.io and follow the on-screen instructions (if any). In the case of the iPhone you create a link on your home screen and access that app from there going forward.

Visually the application is clean and gives a glimpse of what the new iOS7 will look like when it’s released later this year.

20130701-183722.jpg

From a functionality standpoint it covers all the basics and has a few little twists that I’ve already found useful (like the small chart that shows the timing and intensity of rain in the next hour).  It’s worth checking out of you want something different from what you’re currently using.

First it Was Cell Phones, Now This?

 

blogspot

U.S. Postal Service Logging All Mail for Law Enforcement [Link to NY Times article]

Cell phones are tracked, Internet usage is tracked, Cars are tracked, now we find out Snail Mail is tracked…  These must be some unbelievably big databases and data centers to store this kind of information.

Guess it’s time for me to pull the shades, break out the frequency counter, and start looking for the bugs around the house…  I have nothing to hide & this still scares the hell out of me!  Anyone have a cabin in the woods they’re looking to sell?

Happy “Independence” Day everyone!

Broad Ripple Farmers Market

One sure sign of summer is the sight of the various Farmers Markets around town.  I’m fortunate to be in close proximity to several during the week and check them out as often as I can.  Last Saturday was no exception.

2013-06-29 09.57.29

After getting rained out at an Indian’s game the night before I found a break in the clouds long enough to make it down to the Broad Ripple Farmers Market.  This one is always well attended and has a great mix of vendors selling everything from bread to veggies to Hickory Syrup (good stuff).

2013-06-29 09.56.03

Picked up some veggies for a Farro Salad I was making for a cookout later that evening & even bought some breakfast.  All in all it’s worth the trip to the Village.  If you can’t find what you want there’s a produce stand on Allisonville and another farmers market on Binford Ave.2013-06-29 09.56.23

Batter Up!

Took the boy to an Indian’s game last Friday night.  I was hoping the bad weather would miss us and then this happened in the bottom of the 6th…2013-06-28 20.52.35Then the sky opened up and let loose a pretty big downpour.  We were just far enough up in the lower level box seats to have some cover.  We waited around for an hour & called a night.  Hoping to go back for another Friday night game and see the post-game fireworks!