I make this stuff up as I go.

Square peg, meet round hole.

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 14:41:09 -0700

Frustrated lately with project management systems, both on the web and applications on my Mac. There’s a disconnect between this cloud we keep trying to work in and our actual work. I have information scattered across too many systems, and too many places for it to be considered useful.

I am not trained as a project manager. I did not go to school for what I do now (gasp!), nor did I study business management. There may be a component of my troubles here that tie into a lack of some specific skill, but I doubt it. I have a feeling it is more about how creators of these tools see the way they think people should work.

If you look at the two major OS’s that I work on, iOS and OS X, there are some very impressive project management tools available. Impressive in their UI, impressive in their sales, and impressive in their marketing schtick selling them as PM tools. But truthfully, they are almost all just glorified task apps. Todo lists all of them.

Here is where the disconnect happens. I have work to do. Much of it involves completing tasks, many of which have to be done in certain order and in certain time-frames. They almost all involve clients, websites, emails, meeting times, phone calls, and any number of other project meta data. I do not need a task application. I need a way to see through all this, track all this, and form it all into completed project work. I need a way to archive it, and reference it again in the future.

I need an something that does the following:

Combine a PM and CRM tool into one. My clients are not contacts, but a vital part of my workflow.
Allow me to track my work information in many formats. Project meta data, notes, milestones, tasks, all wrapped around into project.
Show me relevant information from current and previous other projects that may pertain to this project. Smart info.
Track important date-based information and remind me in time to make it happen.
Let’s me share files easily (for me and my clients), with simple permissions (I’m a sole proprietor, remember?).
I need this on the web, not on my Mac.

Note: I’m posting this well after writing it. Since writing this, I’ve found some tools that have come close to what I need, but thought this would make a good starting point.

Mad for iPhone Inside ‘Mad Men’ Found on Twitter via...

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 13:52:54 -0700

Mad for iPhone Inside ‘Mad Men’

Found on Twitter via @davepell RT’d from @gruber

Fetch

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 16:18:23 -0700

Fetch:

Fetch is the easiest way to sell downloadable products from any website, blog, social newtwork, e-commerce system, or Shopify store.
Use Fetch to sell music, videos, photos, artwork, themes,…

Rapper Lyricist Lin-Manuel Miranda Performs in front of the...

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 15:40:23 -0700

Rapper Lyricist Lin-Manuel Miranda Performs in front of the President. This is making the rounds. Well worth a few minutes of your time.

I may or may not have let out an audible gasp when I saw this...

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 17:47:49 -0700

I may or may not have let out an audible gasp when I saw this organizational beauty.

"Your backups are stored at Amazon S3 (“Simple Storage Service”), the gold standard of..."

Sun, 22 Aug 2010 23:43:56 -0700

“Your backups are stored at Amazon S3 (“Simple Storage Service”), the gold standard of reliable online storage in the industry, backed by Amazon.com, a large stable company. Backups of your Mac are complete and accurate, including all “metadata” — something that many other online backup offerings can’t claim (see results).”

- Online Backup for Mac | Arq | Haystack Software

Found this after looking into the blog of a recent follow, Alison Gianotto @snipeyhead

NES Hard Drives My early years crashed into my grown up self and...

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 05:19:43 -0700

NES Hard Drives

My early years crashed into my grown up self and had a party when I saw this.

Ligature, Loop & Stem print (by Luke Dorny) Lovely work, as...

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 18:22:38 -0700

Ligature, Loop & Stem print (by Luke Dorny)

Lovely work, as always, from the LL&S team!

"And while we’re talking about things not to be weird about: don’t talk professional designers down..."

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 08:40:45 -0700

“And while we’re talking about things not to be weird about: don’t talk professional designers down by telling them “this will look good in your portfolio.” Designers work for a living. You don’t tell your doctor your colonoscopy will look great on his office wall. This is no different.”

- Mule Design Studio’s Blog: Tips On Buying Design

"Ideally, I would like to be able to see the basic construction in a week, make comments and..."

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 23:28:30 -0700

“Ideally, I would like to be able to see the basic construction in a week, make comments and adjustments if needed and have final in another week. Overall two week time frame.”

- Web programmer needed

My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2010-8-15)

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 09:12:41 -0700

My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2010-8-15):

Imported from Last.fm Tumblr by JoeLaz

blue striped bearded beanie L/XL by taraduff on Etsy MUST OWN....

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 12:20:52 -0700

blue striped bearded beanie L/XL by taraduff on Etsy

MUST OWN. /via @tickettohel

kevinnuut: Minimalist Wallpaper. While my desktop rotates...

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 22:42:42 -0700

kevinnuut:

Minimalist Wallpaper.

While my desktop rotates through artwork and fashion models, when it comes to my laptop, I exclusively prefer minimalist designs. With the help of HongKiat and several digital artists, I have been able to boost my collection five fold. Check them out.

Lovely.

Average Betty’s Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno POP Burger I just...

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 21:27:18 -0700

Average Betty’s Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno POP Burger

I just salivated all over my laptop. /via @sketch678 and @MarisaAlexis

HTML5 Reset

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 20:30:56 -0700

HTML5 Reset:

Like a lot of developers, we start every HTML project with the same set of HTML and CSS templates. We’ve been using these files for a long time and we’ve progressively added bits and pieces to them…

Idea Cafe. A neat little site for people who love notebooks.

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 17:52:13 -0700

Idea Cafe. A neat little site for people who love notebooks.

HTML5 video player in CSS with Silverlight and Flash : MediaElement.js

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 14:20:19 -0700

HTML5 video player in CSS with Silverlight and Flash : MediaElement.js:

HTML5 and with H.264, FLV, WMV, or MP3 on any browser.

Introducing The NEW Sharpie LIQUID PENCIL Color me intrigued.

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 09:44:13 -0700

Introducing The NEW Sharpie LIQUID PENCIL

Color me intrigued.

My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2010-8-8)

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 03:51:15 -0700

My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2010-8-8):

Imported from Last.fm Tumblr by JoeLaz

DIY Bookbinding » Why Print and Bind Your Own Books…

Sat, 07 Aug 2010 15:28:26 -0700

DIY Bookbinding » Why Print and Bind Your Own Books…