More than anything, this space is a conduit for Jorge to share and reflect on things pertaining to the web, life, current events, photography and anything of interest. Feel free to or learn more about him.
London is a treasure chest of things to do and the only regret I have about visiting this vibrant city is not having enough time to explore it. But from what we did see, I can go as far as saying that I can envision myself living here one day when I win the lottery. Beautiful snapshot of the bustle in London and Big Ben Tower in the background to highlight it. (photograph by Matt Mawson)
Walking into a supermarket is very similar to launching your browser to navigate the web in that if you don’t establish a purpose before your visit, you inevitably spend more time trying to recall or stepping away from what you came for other than focusing on what needs to get acccomplished.
We’re all guilty of this and while having all the time in the world would be ideal for perfecting a task, that’s simply not reality, so setting up perimeters for ourselves to “getting things done” is what’s most critical. Add to that the extra effort we need to put forth in fighting for our time from all other distractions (Twiter, Youtube, etc ) that we still willingly participate in daily and things get worst.
I’m personally a time freak and especially as it pertains to anything computer related. Not by choice but because I feel like have to. Any type of activity on these machines is equivalent to walking into a dark room and the presence of having a system to manage your time on them is the railing that will bring you back to reality.
Focus Booster is this amazing, simple and elegant application I’ve been using that’s powered by Adobe AIR and it’s designed to help you eliminate the anxiety of time and enhance your focus and concentration. There’s quite a few other effectual applications that excel at the same thing but I really don’t need all the extra features that others offer.
The timer eventually changes color as time goes by as added pressure to get things done.
If you don’t feel like downloading the application to your desktop, there’s also a neat online version with identical functionalities. The application is essentially based on the principles of the Pomodoro Technique which is a time management method created by Francesco Cirillo. It can be used for any kind of task and enables you to view time as a valuable ally in acomplishing what you want to do.
The idea is to focus on one task at a time through the following steps -
The first time I applied this technique on my day off, I think I became more mentally exhausted thinking back how much I had accomplished in a day and not because I really was. I played Xbox, read chapters on my Kindle, published an article and cooked dinner all revolving around the 25min limitations. It felt great knowing there was still time left on the table to focus on other responsibilities.
I can’t highly recommend enough Focus Booster or the technique it applies. Test it out. I leave you with a passage by Keith Robinson which is what inspired me to embrace the method.
In my opinion, one of the biggest discouragements to getting things done is having a system that has to be managed. If you’re spending more time looking for new ways to help you get things done you’re missing the point. Keep it simple.
Having taken the waterproof housing for the Canon with us on vacation, I could not have left the cruise without the opportunity of going down the slide a couple times with it. Photographing in the caribbean was incredible but extending that obsession onto video and water was refreshing.
Video has really become quite another world especially with the added bonus of being able to record in HD with DSLRs. More video enthusiast are selecting them as equipment of choice in making something new and wonderful and Danfung’s incredible work as a photojournalist in Afghanistan is no exception.
His filming is both editorially and visually compelling – especially given the extreme conditions under which he works. He is currently working on his own documentary, “Battle for Hearts and Minds” and in this article he responds to the inundation of emails asking what camera rig he used to film.
The main selling point of Apple’s Magic Mouse is that it bares that much admired fruit logo branded on it that we all love, so immediately there’s no question ask or assumptions made about how wonderful the product will perform or look once we’ve gotten our hands on it.
From someone who hasn’t been a fanatic at all of any of Apple’s mouse units, without question this new edition looks remarkable and appears as refine and gracious in its packaging as in its usage. The experience with it feels almost as an extension of the gestures we’re already accustom to on our iPhone, minus the pinch/zoom feature.
View the unboxing of the Magic Mouse
Prior to the Magic Mouse, I used a Logitech device for all my scrolling but all I knew about it was that it was small, portable and got the job done but I could never confidently describe the actual model when someone asked. But why is it that when you suddenly incorporate an Apple product to your exisiting computer setup, you’re thereafter able to fully describe every detail about it including a public shout out a year later celebrating when it was first introduced?
Perhaps because “Apple doesn’t sell functional products; they sell fashionable pieces of functional art” that you in time admire and develop an emotional connection with. Apple wipes the fog that often exist with products that get you from point A to B and makes you more mindful of what it was like using their product rather than just saying you have.
When else would I have ever imagine myself drooling over a mouse much less having a thorough conversation with someone about how functional and seamless the experience with it is? Never. The amount of detail that Apple placed in the Magic Mouse is the same specifics that bring outs how much we can accomplish with a device that appears to offer less.
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