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List of newbie questions regarding software
40hz:
... if Wikidpad is confusing I recommend trying that one out because it doesn't require any syntax ...
-Paul Keith (September 11, 2008, 04:40 AM)
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so are you saying that you understand technically how to use Wikidpad/wikis, but want to see how it is used ???
Well not technically (I didn't bother to learn the syntax) but basically, yes.
-Paul Keith (September 11, 2008, 05:11 AM)
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-tomos (September 11, 2008, 04:44 AM)
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Yeah, me too. I am beginning to think I'm the only person in the world that doesn't "get" wikis.
I've read the literature (The Wiki Way et al.). I've played with them. I've set them up for other people. But there's something about the whole wiki concept that I just can't seem to get my head around. Does that make me some kind of control freak? :tellme:
Maybe somebody who is a wiki-wonk could start a new thread to try and enlighten those of us who frankly admit to being clueless.
(BTW: I wanted to say 'paradigm' instead of concept - but I'd probably be dragged out behind DC headquarters and stoned to death with dead hard drives for uttering that word.) ;)
40hz:
re: Voice Recorders
I've finally got my feet wet and opted for Olympus instead of Sony because of their reputation and am considering the DS-50 but it is quite pricey and still no sign of whether it can handle being held by wet hands. What do you think?
-Paul Keith (September 09, 2008, 11:32 PM)
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Can't speak from much experience on Olympus since all I own is one of their micro cassette recorders. That being said, I was very happy with it - and still have it. I'll probably give it to my Mom now that I remember I own it. She likes to record things - and cassette tapes are about as complex a bit of tech as she'd be willing to put up with. ;D
I am currently using a Sony ICD-P520. It's been discontinued and superseded by other models. It does what I want it to do, and I got it for something like $25 at my local Staples' close-out counter.
One MAJOR caveat with Sony is their software. They're DRM freaks so their software has some issues when you want to burn files to CD. I guess they're worried about people recording a Brittany Spears concert. You can burn to CD, but it's a major pain.
You also MUST use their software to access recordings on the device. That would have been a showstopper for me if I knew about it beforehand. Unlike a friend's Olympus, this Sony doesn't come up on your PC as a mass storage USB device. So you can't just drag and drop files. Still, for twenty-five bucks I can't really complain. Too much anyway.
I have gotten the 520 moderately wet (rainy day walking) without ill effect. I doubt I'd want to make a habit of it however.
Talking to people I trust, there seems to be a consensus that Olympus products are a much better way to go. That will probably be what I buy when my 520 finally dies or I have some extra money to burn.
Alexis must be quite a gal to be able to mimic a wide range of voices. Haha, that's another thing I might need to search for.
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She is, although she doesn't do much in the way of dramatic interpretation. She just reads it back in that precise contralto of hers and I take it from there.
As far as searching, I'd suggest getting one of those tall outdoorsy redhead types. Got me one of those and never regretted it. Look for versatility and performance. The particular model I've have is perfectly at home either in an English saddle, or slamming out some serious blues on her Fender Strat. Goes from zero to Stevie Ray Vaughan in under four seconds flat!
Check what's available in your area. Highly recommended! :Thmbsup:
.
Paul Keith:
Maybe somebody who is a wiki-wonk could start a new thread to try and enlighten those of us who frankly admit to being clueless.
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Yeah, I second that. Would be well appreciated to see a screencast that expands beyond this video.
BTW: I wanted to say 'paradigm' instead of concept - but I'd probably be dragged out behind DC headquarters and stoned to death with dead hard drives for uttering that word.
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Haha, sounds like a great story to tell the kids.
Update:
I still haven't begun any new reorganizing as the whole new format's really making me procrastinate. Makes me wonder how programmers could handle making an entire site as just seeing that one BBCode page for just an hour is driving me nuts.
Anyways, I'm just writing this here in case anyone knows of a simple solution because I'm back to the dark days of when I was searching for a PIM (only this time I'm really looking for a PIM than a notetaker) and the more I move, the more I sink into the quicksand of features and my search for an offline Diigo has morphed back into looking for an app that combines the web capturing capabilities of Surfulater/EverNote/Scrapbook FF along with their highlight and annotation capabilities combined with the features of IdeaMason (who knew that program was hidden in a topic about diaries) and a way to print the data within them into a self formatted book for easy reading. (so yeah, it's also technically a novel writing software now.)
Frankly, I'm not sure if a program like that exists so I'm trying to stay the course of an offline Diigo but if you guys have anymore ideas even if they're through combining several different programs, please reply.
One MAJOR caveat with Sony is their software. They're DRM freaks so their software has some issues when you want to burn files to CD. I guess they're worried about people recording a Brittany Spears concert. You can burn to CD, but it's a major pain.
You also MUST use their software to access recordings on the device. That would have been a showstopper for me if I knew about it beforehand. Unlike a friend's Olympus, this Sony doesn't come up on your PC as a mass storage USB device. So you can't just drag and drop files. Still, for twenty-five bucks I can't really complain. Too much anyway.
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Yeah, I read this review before switching over to preferring Olympus.
As far as searching, I'd suggest getting one of those tall outdoorsy redhead types. Got me one of those and never regretted it. Look for versatility and performance. The particular model I've have is perfectly at home either in an English saddle, or slamming out some serious blues on her Fender Strat. Goes from zero to Stevie Ray Vaughan in under four seconds flat!
Check what's available in your area. Highly recommended!
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Haha. Unfortunately we don't get much redheads here. A blonde is rare enough but advise taken into consideration.
40hz:
re: Writing Tools
eeeek! Can't believe someone hasn't has mentioned Storybook yet! It's free and open source.
http://storybook.intertec.ch/?g_page=home&g_lang=en
Curt had a post sometime back about it:
https://www.donationcoder.com/forum/index.php?topic=11917.msg103468#msg103468
I found Storybook's interface and methodology to be a little cumbersome. But there are two people in my writer's group that think it's the best thing to happen since White-Out. MBW trying out. ;)
I'm currently in the process of getting my arms around Liquid Story Binder. I got a free copy a while back. I really want to like this app. Consequently, I'm putting a lot more effort into using it than I normally would for this type of software. My usual procedure for selecting writing software is to give the candidate app about a week's worth of exercise. If it seems useful - and it doesn't encounter any showstopper issues - I'll usually keep it. Otherwise the superb Revo Uninstaller makes it's appearance, and the little bugger is history.
Some things I like about Liquid Story Binder are:
Can be run from a USB (I'm big on portable apps.)
Uses non-proprietary file types (RFT,TXT,etc. Great for sharing with my Mac & Linux cohorts.)
Nice outlining features (Do all my brainstorming in outlines)
Full screen minimalist editor (aka WebMonkey - one of my favs)
and finally
That drop-dead gorgeous (to my eyes anyway) interface. It invariably turns a few heads whenever I'm out someplace. Perfect for striking up tech conversations; or (to return to our previous 'searching' discussion) breaking the ice with that random attractive intellectual type seated across from you. :Thmbsup: (We get inspired and motivated however we can! ;D)
LSB gathers so many neat things under one roof that I am really bent on using if I possibly can.
In case you're interested, my current Writer's Suite is:
Software:
- Dramatica Pro - IMHO the single best piece of software for writing that's out there :-*
- WebMonkey - the ultimate no-frill first draft editor
- PowerWriter - a writer's outliner on steroids
- Microsoft Office Word - the ubiquitous text tool
- FinalDraft - the sui generis script formatter. (No point fighting it. It's what gets used in 'the biz.' )
- SEO Note - yet another tree-based notes organizer. (I just happen to like this one.)
- PrimoPDF - Your basic PDF generator. Adobe Acrobat without the tariff!
- FileHamster - version control for when you don't need something as powerful as Subversion
- Allway Sync Portable - folder synchronization tool. Perfect for USB flash drives.
- USB Disk Ejector - excellent utility. The safest, easiest way to unmount your flash drives.
- A drawer full of reference CD/DVDs (dictionaries, encyclopedias, e-books, etc.)
- Dragon Naturally Speaking - voice recognition software. (See my caveats in earlier post above)
Non-software:
- My home library - as you might guess, I have a huge number of books!
- Digital voice recorder
- A ring full of 2 & 4 GB USB flash drives. One project per drive for when I'm on the road.
- A big box of index cards of various colors
- 3 Corkboards (homemade) and a big box of pushpins
- The biggest magnetic whiteboard I could afford
- Post-It Notes - used in conjunction with a whiteboard, it's an unbeatable combination
- Pilot G5 gel pens in various colors. (IMHO the best pens in the world!)
- Gevalia Coffee - my favorite poison. Ridiculously expensive. (and worth every penny as far as I'm concerned!)
Wetware:
- A bunch of 'writerly' friends - to bounce things off (and share a Guiness with)
and
- Alexis - my Blast-proof BS Detector and personal 'reality check' ;D
Wish list:
- One of those new subnotebooks to replace my aging Compaq laptop.
My current favorite is the MSI Wind. (What I actually end up getting will be determined by what's out there when I finally get around to buying one. I've been dropping hints since the holiday season is coming up. Be interesting to see if anybody takes the bait. ;D)
So there you have it! 8)
Paul Keith:
Woah man, very nice! I'm jealous. Always wanted a space large enough to host a library but I couldn't afford it.
Yeah, I can't believe I missed Storybook also because I've read that topic before. I think it was the java software that gave me amnesia but the app is surprisingly fast at least when I tried the sample but it looks like a jazzed up ywriter4 so I ended up back to it.
If sharing suites might help, here's mine currently:
Currently considering:
Storyweaver and Dramatica Pro just like I wrote in my first impressions
Currently trying to replace:
YeahWrite which replaced MS Word for me both due to speed and the fact that the color lay-out and portability makes my text flow. At times it even beats Q10 for jump starting on a story because I could just spend hours looking at the non-traditional and less strain on the eyes screen.
Incollector for snippets collecting. It might not replace EverNote for web capturing but the box based and tag based design feels more comfortable to me than the toilet paper design or sticky notes design of other applications.
Compendium for outlining. Tree-based hierarchies just don't do it for me. I feel more at home with a structure I can pattern myself.
Q10 for the nostalgia and the memories typewriting sounds give me.
ywriter4 in case I ever need to re-organize in a rigid structural way.
and finally the ubook reader for the final "read aloud" test.
Coincidentally this also functions as my productivity suite and notetaking suite currently. I know many of these are repeated points but I thought maybe posting this could help spell out better to people of what I need and the type of person that I am.
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