Archives for Technology

Self-imposed technical limitations in music production can hurt so good

A few days ago I picked up a copy of No Better Than This, the new Rounder Records debut album from John Mellencamp (AKA “Johnny Cougar,” “John Cougar,” “John Cougar Mellencamp”). I definitely wouldn’t describe myself as a fan of the Coug, but this particular collection of recordings was produced by T-Bone Burnett.

I would buy a $300 box set of audio test patterns if it was produced by T-Bone Burnett.

What’s intriguing about No Better Than This is that all the tracks on the album were recorded at historic locations with a single microphone on a 1955 Ampex portable recording machine (with no overdubs).

We’ve written before about the benefits that self-imposed limitations can bring to creative work. In the particular case, the low-tech (and deceptively simple) approach to the audio production lends many of the songs on the album a raw and honest quality that you don’t usually hear on modern recordings.

Over the years I’ve actually noticed that quite a few of my favorite studio recordings were produced this way, direct to tape with only one or two microphones:

The Trinity Session by Cowboy Junkies (1988)

It’s mind-numbing to think that this whole album was recorded (under false-pretenses) at the Church of the Holy Trinity in Ontario in just over a day with a budget of $250.

They even ended up with so much good material that not everything from the session ended up on the original Latent Records release.

A Meeting by the River by Ry Cooder and Vishwa Mohan Bhatt (1993)

This impromptu recording actually won the the Grammy Award for Best World Music Album in 1994. All the tracks on the album were entirely improvised by the four musicians involved in project. If you have any affinity for acoustic slide-guitar recordings, this Water Lily Acoustics release is a must-have. It’s also possibly the “warmest” sounding recording that I’ve ever heard.

How to Grow a Woman from the Ground by Chris Thile & the How to Grow a Band (2006)

Single-mic recordings aren’t all that uncommon for bluegrass bands trying to capture the same sound that’s present on early Bill Monroe and Flatt & Scruggs recordings. It is, however, quite rare to hear that kind of unvarnished production on bluegrass covers of angst-ridden songs by The Strokes and The White Stripes.

If anything, these recordings should definitively prove that you don’t need the newest or most-technologically advanced tools to produce great music.

Posted by PJ on Aug 28, 2010 | 18 Comments | Tweet This

Assorted links for August 19, 2010

Interesting articles on the subject of simple living:

Posted by Erin on Aug 19, 2010 | 5 Comments | Tweet This

Hide cables in rain gutters

Reader Geogriaberry tipped us off to a terrific cable clutter solution by Jonathan Crossman. Crossman reclaimed wood to build a desk, and then outfitted the desk to specifically hide cables. He drilled “access points” (notches) to feed cables through and then attached a rain gutter to hold the cables and feed them down toward the legs.

From Crossman’s website:

In the final photograph, you can see how he lined up the leg of the desk with the outlet so all of the cables are out of sight:

Rain gutters can be purchased at any home improvement store and most stores will even cut the gutters to your specified length. If you wish to match the color of the gutter to your desk, be sure to purchase paintable gutters and the appropriate spray paint. Finally, to drill notches into your desk, you can use either a jigsaw or a sharp speed bore bit or a hole saw.

Check out Crossman’s website for more pictures and a more detailed account of the work he did to complete his desk.

(Images by Jonathan Crossman.)

Posted by Erin on Aug 9, 2010 | 7 Comments | Tweet This

Unclutter unwanted callers from your phone

One of the reasons I dislike using the phone for work is because eleven years ago my number belonged to a guy named Dave. This Dave character isn’t a former employee, he’s just some bloke who has fallen on hard times with his bills and who constantly has creditors calling after him. I thought for awhile he might be using my number on new credit applications, except I once asked a caller trying to harass Dave how she got this number and she said it was the fifth number they were trying for him, one their records showed working in 1999.

No matter how many times I tell the collection people that this is not a current number for Dave, no matter how many times their calls go to voice mail and they hear my greeting, no matter what I do to get the folks to stop calling, the calls continue to pour into my phone relentlessly. And, because I don’t typically know the numbers of the legitimate people calling me, I waste time answering the collection calls and listening to the messages at least long enough to know to delete them.

Thankfully, our office phone system has a new feature on it where I can type numbers into a form and have the harassing creditors’ numbers blocked. And, there was already a service on our system where every number comes up on caller ID, even ones that the callers believe are spoofed or hidden. Unfortunately, the new blocking method means I have to get at least the initial call to be able to capture the number, and also some creditors use hundreds of outgoing numbers so it can still be a three or four day project blocking calls.

Now that the number of collection calls are starting to reduce, I’ve been wondering how people on cell phones and home landlines deal with situations like this. I can’t be the only person out there being harassed by persistent wrong numbers. So, yesterday, when Lifehacker ran their post “What’s the Best Way to Block a Number from Calling my Cellphone?” I let out a very happy squeal.

Adam Dachis, author of the post, suggests transferring your number to a Google Voice account where you have similar controls like I now have on my office phone:

  1. Log in to your Google Voice account.
  2. Find the call you want to block (or the voicemail that resulted from it).
  3. Select the checkbox next to the call or voicemail.
  4. Click the “more” link underneath the call.
  5. Select “Block Caller.”

He gives other options that don’t include transferring your cell number, and there are some really good ideas in the comments, too. If unwanted calls are cluttering up your phone line, I strongly recommend checking out Lifehacker’s “What’s the Best Way to Block a Number from Calling my Cellphone?“

Posted by Erin on Aug 4, 2010 | 36 Comments | Tweet This

It’s a table! It’s a desk! It’s a table …

There is a new addition in Ikea’s Vika build-your-own-table series that is wonderful for people who live in small spaces. The Vika Veine begins as a small table, perfect for all your small table needs:

but then transforms into a really great office for a laptop user:

The Vika Veine comes in white and a black-brown and works with the VIKA table legs. The interior of the desk includes cable outlets inside the desk unit, so only one cable runs to the table/desk. The inside lid pockets are made with a heavy felt that Ikea says “absorbs sound and can also be used as a notice board.” And, like so many of Ikea’s products, the Vika Veine is pretty reasonably priced at $100 — not too bad for two highly functional pieces of furniture.

Posted by Erin on Jul 17, 2010 | 20 Comments | Tweet This

Assorted items for July 14, 2010

Some interesting things to share:

  • I’m recording an interview about uncluttering for Renew You that should be available this Friday through next Tuesday. Renew You 2010 was a conference that occurred earlier this summer, and every few weeks the organizer of the conference sends out links to new interviews to conference attendees and people who register for the mailing list. The interviews are targeted toward women, but the information I’ll be giving is applicable for anyone. The e-mail list is free, but there are pay-to-listen areas of the site that have some cost associated with them. You shouldn’t have to pay anything to hear my piece on uncluttering. The interview should be about an hour long, so sign up if you’re interested in hearing my talk.
  • “TV business kisses HDMI goodbye” on the THINQ site leaves me with mixed feelings. I’m glad multiple manufacturers are coming together and establishing a standard cable, but it means we will all have to buy new cables. Not sure it’s simplifying anything.
  • Author Harlan Ellison decided to purge and auction off the majority of his book collection, including a signed birthday present from Neil Gaiman. The following link includes a profane word or two, but is still an interesting read about uncluttering your bookshelves: “The Great Ellison Book Purge” on the AV Club.
  • Have many errands to run at once? Lorie Marrero recommends the “optimal route planner” Route4me to determine the shortest route to take.
  • The website FreelanceSwitch offers terrific project management advice in its post “The Swiss Cheese Method of Project Scheduling.” The article is geared toward freelance programmers, but is applicable to anyone budgeting her time.

Posted by Erin on Jul 14, 2010 | 6 Comments | Tweet This

Evernote Essentials: The definitive guide to using Evernote

Brett Kelly, a champion of simple living and a member of the LifeRemix network, has authored a terrific 80-page guide to using Evernote (one of my all-time favorite digital data applications). Evernote Essentials is a “comprehensive setup guide and a sizable collection of tips, tricks and best practices to help the Evernote newbie get up to speed quickly and show the seasoned Evernote veteran a thing or two about how to become Evernote ninjas.”

I like to think of myself as a hardcore Evernote user, and even I learned a great deal from the guide. I like the conversational tone, the detailed screenshots, and the real-world examples illustrating all the ways Evernote can work for you. Here’s a chapter breakdown of what the guide offers:

  • Evernote Anatomy — Explanation of the basic structure of the service.
  • Installation and Configuration — How to setup and personalize your Evernote account.
  • A Quick Tour of the Main Evernote Window — Navigating your way through the Evernote interface.
  • Adding Stuff to Evernote — Instructions for the myriad ways you can save notes, clips, etc.
  • Evernote Organization 101 — Learn to expertly tag data so that you can quickly retrieve it.
  • Evernote Search: Seek and Ye Shall Find — In my opinion, the best chapter in the document. Kelly gives some amazing tips for retrieving data in this section.
  • Evernote on the Go — Instructions for using Evernote on your smart phone.
  • Evernote, Email and You — Advanced techniques for using Evernote with your email service.
  • Evernote and Satellites in Space — You can save data from satellites and other amazing GPS tricks, and Kelly shows you how.
  • Tagging for Superhumans — Nested tags, sorting, and maintenance tips for the advanced user.
  • Evernote for Bloggers — How to create blog posts directly from Evernote.
  • Evernote for Programmers — Using Evernote as a coding encyclopedia.
  • Evernote for Foodies — Yummy tips for managing recipes, restaurant reviews, equipment information and other topic-specific data saved in Evernote.
  • Evernote for Covert Double Agents — A humorous chapter detailing how to use Evernote to successfully compile information someone or a specific topic.
  • Evernote as an Address Book — How to use Evernote as a personal information manager.
  • Evernote as a Simple Photo Sharing Service — Detailed visuals and explanations for how to create an online photo album you can share with others.
  • Evernote as a Task Manager — One of my favorite uses for Evernote, instructions for creating a GTD-style to-do program.
  • Evernote as a Filing Cabinet — Learn to save scanned documents directly to Evernote.
  • For Longtime Users: Regaining Control of Your Evernote Database — Advice for managing your notes when you have large numbers of data in your account.

If you are a current Evernote user, or are looking for a way to better store your digital data, I recommend checking out Evernote Essentials. The guide is $25 and comes with the guarantee that if you “don’t feel like it delivers the real deal, then contact [the author] within 30 days for a full refund, no questions asked.” Best of all, you can save the guide directly to your Evernote account.

Just to let you know, we don’t receive any kickbacks or revenue from Evernote Essentials or Evernote — I’m really just a huge fan of both. Learning advanced techniques for using Evernote can greatly improve the way you organize the information in your life.

Posted by Erin on Jul 13, 2010 | 24 Comments | Tweet This

Assorted links for June 30, 2010

Articles we’ve been reading this week:

  • In the comments to “Programs for reading online content off-line” a number of readers highly recommended Read It Later to the list of Evernote, Instapaper, and ToRead off-line viewers.
  • J.D. Roth of GetRichSlowly.org has a thought-provoking piece on “The Rewards of Frugality and Thrift (or, Why We Scrimp and Save)” that I really enjoyed. It gets to the heart of what I believe is uncluttered spending.
  • The London Times (a site you have to register to read) has an article in today’s issue about the Butter by Nadia dress. The dress is one piece of fabric that can be styled to wear 15 different ways. At the very least, I’m extremely curious!
  • DIYlife has an inspiring post on “10 Uses for Leftover House Paint.”
  • When money got tight, writer Kevin Mims found that uncluttering his home and selling the items at an antiques co-op made for good money. Check out his story “Out With The Old, In With The New Beginnings” on NPR.
  • Reader Megan tipped us off to an article in this week’s Chronicle of Higher Education that discusses how to prevent feeling overwhelmed and overloaded by your work. Like so many things in life, you need to “always keep in mind what it is that you want to do, to build, to create in the world, whether that’s through a course, an article, or a new administrative structure.” The article is written for college professors and administrators, but is easily adaptable to any profession.
  • Lifehacker linked to a terrific post on Stepcase Lifehack discussing “How To Stay Organized When Life Throws You a Curveball.” It’s uncomfortable to read about what to do during a crisis, but very important if you’re in the situation.

One last thing, I accidentally switched the post order today and put up the Unitasker Wednesday post as the first one and this post in the 10:30 a.m. spot. I think this is a sign I need more coffee. Check out our 7:30 a.m. piece if you’re looking for today’s Unitasker.

Posted by Erin on Jun 30, 2010 | 8 Comments | Tweet This

Programs for reading online content off-line

Regular readers of Unclutterer and also of my book Unclutter Your Life in One Week know I am a huge fan of Evernote and Instapaper. Both programs allow you to save articles and pages you find on the web and access them later without returning to the original site or needing an active internet connection.

If something is part of an ongoing research project (like Unclutterer post ideas), I tend to save what I find to Evernote. If what I want to read later is interesting to me, but not necessarily related to a specific project, I’ll send it to Instapaper. I have both programs on my smart phone and laptop, so I can access all the documents on any device. When I know I’ll be traveling in the near future, I tend to “Read Later” a lot of documents to Instapaper so I’ll have many options to read on my journey.

This week, Lifehacker tipped me off to another program like Evernote and Instapaper, but “ToRead Sends Article Text Straight to Your [E-mail] Inbox.” I don’t like receiving e-mail, so this isn’t a program for me. However, I thought ToRead might appeal to those of you who are averse to using an unfamiliar third-party viewer.

Are you already a ToRead user? What’s your preference for reading online content when you’re without an internet connection? Tell us about your experiences in the comments.

Posted by Erin on Jun 19, 2010 | 22 Comments | Tweet This

Space-saving pop-up furniture

Dwell magazine recently published a fascinating piece on a new trend in pop-up furniture. “Pop-Up Schmop-Up” highlights mostly space-saving furniture for public spaces, but it starts with the Armin Wagner cardboard Pop Up Desk for homes and offices:

Next up is Rogier Martens’ POP-UP 2010 public benches:

My favorite item not pictured in the article, but certainly mentioned, is the Urilift public restroom. It’s a public restroom that raises and lowers out of the ground at certain times of the day. There is a not-so-safe-for-work but amazing marketing video showing exactly how the toilet operates. These pop-up restrooms would be perfect in D.C. where our public spaces have so many different uses over the course of the year — festivals, protests, inaugurations, parades, sports fields, sunbathing, tourist walkways, etc.

Check out the full article for even more amazing pop-up furniture products. These products all remind me of Gary Chang’s Incredibly Efficient Efficiency, and I’m looking forward to seeing more of these kinds of space-saving designs. I love to see designers thinking outside the box — literally, in the case of Wagner’s Pop Up Desk.

Posted by Erin on Jun 9, 2010 | 9 Comments | Tweet This

Save space with half a keyboard

The Matias company makes a computer keyboard that works well for single-arm amputees, people who suffer from carpel tunnel in one arm, and those looking for a completely unconventional way to save desktop space — The Half Keyboard:

Try out the demo software to get an idea of how it works. (Warning: The demo is addictive, like a video game.) Unlike other one-hand keyboards, this one is based fully on the QWERTY system so you don’t have to learn a new method of typing. Simply hold down the space bar when you want to switch to the keys on the alternate side of the keyboard. I think the Matias Half Keyboard is really cool and efficient, and I would love to use something like it on my work surface, but …

unfortunately, it costs $600.

I’m not really sure how half a keyboard can be so expensive compared to a traditional full-size keyboard, but my guess is that eventually the price will fall and/or single-hand QWERTY competitors will enter the market. Matias claims that with practice a typist can usually type “up to 88% as fast as your two-handed speed.” I love the space-saving qualities and productivity benefits — hold the mouse continuously in your right hand, while you type with your left.

I’m eager to see what the future holds for single-hand typing. Anyone out there already own and use one?

Posted by Erin on Jun 5, 2010 | 24 Comments | Tweet This

Simplification trends in product design

Since the dawn of time, inventors have searched for ways to build the proverbial better mousetrap. Engineers envision a society where everything is (to steal from Kanye West Daft Punk) “harder, better, faster, stronger.” Our cold relief medicines don’t just treat a runny nose, they treat “sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, stuffy-head, fever” ailments. Bring on the bells! Bring on the whistles!

A counterculture has gained prominence, however, in the technological community that is focusing their efforts on simplification instead of pure optimization. Case in point, the new Vscan from GE:

The pocket-size ultrasound imaging device is straightforward, bare-bones diagnostic equipment. It’s the ultrasound equivalent of a stethoscope and it costs under $8,000. It doesn’t do the things a six-figure, mini-fridge size, full-blown feature ultrasound machine can do, but that isn’t its purpose. Medics can carry it into crash sites and on the battle field, rural doctors can bring it directly to their patients, and primary care physicians can do preliminary scans in their offices before sending patients to specialists.

The Economist calls new products like the Vscan “frugal innovations” in their April special report on emerging markets. The article “First break all the rules” looks specifically at India and China and how manufacturers are “working backwards” to make simpler products:

Instead of adding ever more bells and whistles, they strip the products down to their bare essentials … Frugal innovation is not just about redesigning products; it involves rethinking entire production processes and business models.

The rise of simplification trends in product designs means that more people can get what they want without extraneous features, and usually at a reasonable price. Obviously, I’m a fan of this trend and I look forward to learning about what comes into the market. Be sure to check out the full article to learn about more products like the Vscan that reflect this simplification trend.

Posted by Erin on May 4, 2010 | 15 Comments | Tweet This

Five things that are bound to clutter up your day

  1. Oversleeping. Waking up just 10 minutes late has the ability to throw your entire day off schedule. Use a timer for a week and determine how long it actually takes you to get ready in the morning, commute to your office, and start working on valuable action items. Are you waking up early enough to get everything done?
  2. Getting involved in office gossip and/or office politics. I’ve said it before, and I’ll probably say it again — these negative behaviors are pure clutter.
  3. Tossing junk mail somewhere other than the trash or into a shredder. Don’t let junk mail accumulate on your dining table, desk, or anywhere else it doesn’t belong. Immediately process your mail the first time you touch it.
  4. Losing your charge. How many times have you been on a cell phone call when your phone has died? How many times have you needed a flashlight during a blackout, only to find one that is out of batteries? Create a charging station for all of your portable electronic devices that is in a place you will use it. When doing spring and fall cleaning chores, include battery tests for all items you might need in an emergency. (Go ahead and check the charge on your fire extinguisher, too.)
  5. Throwing your dirty clothes on the floor. Get ready for bed before you are tired so you have enough energy to put your clothes in the hamper or put them up on a hanger. If you throw your clothes on the floor, you’re just creating more work for yourself in the future and a possible hazard in case you need to get up in the middle of the night.

What stumbling blocks have you found that are guaranteed to clutter up your day? Add to the comments any problems you’ve encountered and the solutions you’ve discovered.

Posted by Erin on Apr 26, 2010 | 46 Comments | Tweet This

Simply-designed outboard DAC improves computer audio quality

Scot Hacker is the author of O’Reilly’s MP3: The Definitive Guide, and writes about music for Stuck Between Stations. By day, he’s a webmaster and trainer for the Knight Digital Media Center at UC Berkeley.

A few weeks ago, during a spell of unusually dry winter weather, I went to unplug a pair of Grado SR-80 headphones from my iMac. A spark of static electricity leapt from my fingers, I heard a brief crackling sound, and then… [silence]. From that moment forward, the headphone/speaker jack on the back of the Mac has refused to work, and only “Internal Speakers” showed up in the System Preferences Sound panel. My trusty work Mac had gone mute.

My only options were either to send the Mac in for repair or switch to USB audio output. I couldn’t afford to be without the Mac, and I was interested in hearing what kind of audio upgrade I’d get by bypassing the Mac’s internal Digital Audio Converter (DAC), so I hit up an audiophile friend for recommendations. I hit the jackpot when he suggested the NuForce μDAC (aka microDAC) — a handsome $99 outboard DAC that’s both minimalist in design and smaller than a pack of smokes.

The unit arrived a few days later, and turned out to be even smaller than expected (around 3″x1″). The two-tone rust and flat-black anodized aluminum casing looked distinguished, and well-crafted; NuForce really put some effort into the aesthetics on this one. The design is simple, with no unnecessary controls. Just a volume knob and a headphone output jack, nothing more.

I was blown away from the moment I plugged it in and enabled it in the Sound prefs Output panel. Digital audio has never sounded better on a computer I’ve owned. But since the original analog jack was fried, I had no way to directly compare the quality of the Mac’s native DAC with the new outboard. Today I sat down at someone else’s work Mac and did some A/B testing.

For the test, I chose two recordings:

(I chose these two because A) I love them and B) I had them on hand at 256kbps AAC, for best possible resolution).

Note: I appreciate great-sounding audio, but I’m far from a hardcore audiophile. For an audio tweak’s perspective on the μDAC, see HeadphoneAddict’s review at head-fi.org.

Just a few minutes into Cowhand, I noticed something I’d never heard before: The sound of the cork linings of the valves of Rollins’ saxophone tapping away as he played. It was subtle, but it had been there in the recording all along – I had just never noticed it. And that’s exactly the point – the differences are subtle, and you may not notice all of them unless you’re listening for them, but they’re present. And that subtlety adds up to an overall experience that’s simply more realistic, more nuanced than what you get with the cheaper DAC built into consumer PCs. It’s all about presence.

Likewise, I found the harmonies in Because fuller, richer, more bodied than they sounded through the Mac’s native DAC. The French horns far more alive and breathy, the harpsichord more twangy. Virtually everything about these two tracks sounded more engaging.

Another thing I noticed: Usually, near the end of a long day writing code, I feel the need to take the headphones off and rest my ears. I didn’t have that sensation today. I can’t say for sure, but I suspect that more natural sound is less fatiguing to the ears (and the brain’s processor).

One caveat: Because there’s no longer an analog sound channel for the computer to manipulate, you’ll lose the ability to control volume or to mute from the Mac’s keyboard. Apparently this is not true of all DACs – the driver for m-audio boxes does allow volume and mute control from the Mac keyboard, so the issue must rest in the generic Mac USB audio driver (the NuForce unit doesn’t come with an installable driver – it’s plug-and-play). In any case, the keboard habit has been ingrained for so many years I don’t even think about it, so retraining myself to adjust audio from the μDAC’s volume knob took some getting used to. However, you can still use the volume control in iTunes itself, and it may be possible to re-map the keyboard’s audio control keys to tweak iTunes’ internal volume directly.

It’s no secret that you can get better sound quality out of almost any computer by routing around the built-in audio chipset. There’s just no way Apple (or Dell, or anyone else) is going to spend more than a few dollars on high-end audio circuitry when most people are perfectly happy with 128kbps MP3s played through cheap-o speakers, and every penny counts in manufacturing bottom lines. But using an outboard DAC for signal conversion can be an expensive proposition, not to mention involving bulky, inelegant, desk-cluttering plastic boxes. The NuForce μDAC gives you high-end computer audio that’s both affordable and elegant.

Another benefit: If you’ve been considering using a dedicated digital audio file player like an AudioRequest connected to the home stereo, you’ll end up having to migrate and store another copy of your audio library, not to mention add more cabling and componentry to your entertainment center. With something like the NuForce μDAC, you can leave everything on your main computer and just route high-fidelity audio to the stereo.

In any case, the NuForce μDAC is one of the best c-notes I’ve dropped on audio gear over the years. Recommended even if you haven’t fried your analog port.

Posted by Scot on Apr 20, 2010 | 20 Comments | Tweet This

Spring cleaning tips from Lifehacker

Last week, Lifehacker jumped on the spring cleaning bandwagon and published a series of posts dedicated to uncluttering in “Lifehacker’s Ultimate Clutter Cleanout“:

All week at Lifehacker we’re putting extra focus on uncluttering your world, ranging from your home, your personal finances, your workspace, your digital world, and more. So sit back, relax, and let the clutter rinse right off.

I particularly enjoyed Kevin Purdy’s roundup of home design tools in “The Best Design Tools for Improving Your Home” and his “Top 10 Ways to Declutter Your Digital Life, 2010 Edition.” Implementing his tips on creating Gmail filters has already improved the way I process my e-mail.

I was honored to be included in the uncluttering series, and my post “Why You Hold On to Clutter” explores the science of irrationally buying (and keeping) unnecessary objects:

In “The power of touch: An examination of the effect of duration of physical contact on the valuation of objects“, researcher James Wolf reported that the longer a person touches an object, the greater the value assigned to that item. These conclusions were derived from two studies where people attended an auction and were told that they would be bidding on coffee cups. Before bidding on the items, subjects went around a room inspecting the average, nothing-special-about-them, coffee cups that were going to be put up for sale. Observers found that “examining an item for longer periods of time resulted in greater attachment to the item and thus higher valuations.” Meaning that the longer a subject touched and observed a coffee cup during the inspection period, the more likely he was to buy the cup and pay even more for it than its sticker price.

Be sure to check out “Lifehacker’s Ultimate Clutter Cleanout” for more great spring cleaning advice.

Also on the topic of spring cleaning, the May issue of Real Simple is also dedicated to the topic. It is already on newsstands, and some of the articles are online. ‘Tis the season to unclutter!

Posted by Erin on Apr 12, 2010 | 2 Comments | Tweet This

Use Twitter to keep track of new streaming movies from Netflix

Ever since we picked up a Blu-ray player that supports streaming high-definition movies from Netflix to our television, my wife and I have been watching a lot of films we missed in the theater since our baby arrived in August. Paying $8.99 a month for a 1 DVD plan that includes unlimited streaming is far less expensive than ordering on-demand movies from a cable provider, and we like not having to deal with physical media.

Unfortunately, the Netflix website makes it unnecessarily difficult to find out what new movies are available for streaming. To keep track of which films are being released for instant viewing, I follow two Twitter accounts that provide coverage of changes to the selections offered by Netflix’s “Watch Instantly” service:

If something catches my eye, I immediately add it to my queue and then it shows up right in the Netflix menu of my Blu-ray player.

Posted by PJ on Apr 10, 2010 | 12 Comments | Tweet This

Ask Unclutterer: How long should I keep bills that have been digitally scanned?

Reader Volker submitted the following to Ask Unclutterer:

I have all my papers (bills, documents etc.) digital, so its no physical clutter. But I’m not sure how long to keep digital files like itemized bills, phone bills, electricity bills, etc.?

The answer to this question, unfortunately, can be found in your responses to a few more questions:

  1. How much space do have available on a hard drive?
  2. How often do you reference your paperwork after you have scanned it?
  3. How distracting do you find digital files?

If you aren’t pressed for space on your hard drive and you aren’t distracted in any way by the digital files, I recommend keeping them. The act of sorting through each one and expending mental energy deciding which documents to save and which ones to delete can clutter up your time. Simply put, they may not be clutter.

However, if you need to free up some room on your hard drive, I’d take the following steps:

  1. Keep all digital copies of bills from the past 13 months. When your new bills arrive, it’s always a good idea to check the new ones against the previous year to see if there are any strange fluctuations.
  2. If the bill was used as a deduction for tax purposes, hold onto it for whatever amount of time your accountant recommends. This time period is usually however long a federal tax agent can go back in time for an audit. Based on the laws in your country, you may actually need these bills in physical form. Again, check with your accountant.
  3. If the bill wasn’t used for a tax deduction, I recommend keeping all annual statements for as long as the account is open.
  4. If you have closed an account, I recommend keeping the statement from the billing institution that says your account was closed in good standing. I actually recommend keeping this in physical form and not in digital form — but if you’ve already scanned it, the digital copy is better than nothing.

Unlike many of our readers, I don’t see digital data as really being clutter. At least for me, it doesn’t distract me from pursuing the life I desire or keep me from focusing on what matters most. I use Google Desktop to easily search my computer for any documents I’m seeking. Honestly, I have files on my computer from 1998 and have no plan to delete them. I also have an onsite backup and an online backup, so if my hard drive fails I won’t lose everything.

Thank you, Volker, for submitting your question for our Ask Unclutterer column. Good luck to you on your digital data project.

Do you have a question relating to organizing, cleaning, home and office projects, productivity, or any problems you think the Unclutterer team could help you solve? To submit your questions to Ask Unclutterer, go to our contact page and type your question in the content field. Please list the subject of your e-mail as “Ask Unclutterer.” If you feel comfortable sharing images of the spaces that trouble you, let us know about them. The more information we have about your specific issue, the better.

Posted by Erin on Apr 9, 2010 | 21 Comments | Tweet This

Productive meetings when participants are in different locations

Video conferencing is a simple and cost effective way to “bring” many people together for a meeting without physically bringing people together. Unfortunately, many digital meetings end up wasting more time than traditional meetings — and most traditional meetings are less-than-stellar points of productive comparison.

Productivity501′s recent article “9 Tips for Effective Video Conferences” provides considerably more than nine tips for how to run productive digital meetings. I particularly enjoyed the advice:

Assume that the technology is going to be a problem and give yourself multiple options and enough time to get everything right … Reboot your computer ahead of time. If you occasionally need to reboot your computer to keep it from getting bogged down, do this ahead of the meeting. You don’t want to force everyone to wait while you reboot your machine.

One of my biggest pet peeves during video conferences is that many people don’t treat it like work. A spouse will come on screen and wave at everyone or one person will take a call on his cell phone or it becomes obvious that someone is surfing the web, checking e-mail, or playing a video game. A good rule of thumb is that if you wouldn’t conduct yourself that way during an in-person meeting, don’t do it while on a video conference.

What advice would you add to “9 Tips for Effective Video Conferences?” I’m eager to read your suggestions. I’m also interested in hearing which video conferencing programs people prefer to use. I’ve never organized a video conference, just participated on them, so I use whatever program the coordinator chooses. I’d like to hear if some of the systems are significantly better at helping users be more productive.

Posted by Erin on Apr 6, 2010 | 6 Comments | Tweet This

Reader question: Can convenience be a detriment to simple living?

Reader Shalin wrote in this week and asked a question I hear often: Where is the line between convenience and simple living?

Honestly, I don’t believe there is a set line between convenience and simple living. They aren’t on opposite sides of a scale. What is convenient and contributes to a simple life for one person may not have the same effect for someone else.

Dish washing: I hate it with a passion. As a child, this was my chore, and I vowed as an adult never to live without an automatic dishwasher. To me, washing dishes by hand is a waste of time and steals valuable moments that I could be taking a walk with my family, playing a board game with them, or reading to my son. However, I have a friend who loves washing dishes. She enjoys having her family gather in the kitchen and everyone work together to clean up after a meal. Her family continues their conversation from dinner, each takes on a role in the chore, and washing dishes is as much a part of dinner as eating. To her, an automatic dishwasher detracts from a remarkable life.

Neither of us is correct, and neither of us is wrong. We have made decisions about a dishwasher based on what is right for our families and for our pursuits of remarkable living. The automatic dishwasher helps me to pursue the life I desire, and washing dishes by hand helps my friend to pursue hers. What is important is that both of us have taken the time to evaluate the technology and weighed its advantages and disadvantages for our specific circumstances.

Simply stated, either a product or service helps you to achieve the remarkable life you desire, or it doesn’t. Whenever you encounter a new technology or service, you need to learn about it and decide if it will help or hinder your life. Don’t worry if you’re breaking with traditions of the past or modern social norms — accept the technologies into your life that help you to focus more of your time on what matters most to you, and don’t accept those that distract from it.

Posted by Erin on Mar 31, 2010 | 16 Comments | Tweet This

Signum for cable management

Over the weekend, Lifehacker posted a great cable clutter solution from Ikea that I wanted to bring to your attention.

This Signum Cable Organiser is a black polyester pouch with two steel clips that can hook to the side of a workspace that has a 2″ or smaller edge. The clips are also convenient to remove, which means that you can have the Signum work double duty as cable carrying case. The case is 19″ long, and at just $5.00 it is a relatively inexpensive way to keep your computer or electronics cables under control.

Thanks to Lifehacker for bringing this organizer to our attention. Oh, and beware: There are at least seven products named Signum at Ikea, which is confusing.

Posted by Erin on Mar 23, 2010 | 8 Comments | Tweet This