Anklebuster

Short story writer, aspiring game designer, bad chess player.

Silicon Footprint Reduction

I checked the web to see if this term is in wide-spread use. I only found it on the Urban Dictionary:The amount of server space your files take up on a shared network, too much of which can cost your company excess storage fees or cause "insufficient space" error messages.{by MILatino, November 1, 2011}So, with that credit acknowledged, let's get into why I'm using this term. Over the years, I have acquired uncountable files, created hundreds of online accounts and generated thousands of pieces ...
Read post

Leaving Workona

I tried to submit my "exit interview" when I canceled my subscription but, the web page froze. Oh, well!I have a habit of copying my responses before hitting the Submit button. So, here is my answer to "Why did you decide to cancel?"I wasn't very organized. Collected too many tabs and turned Workona into an expensive Bookmark manager :(Ironically, Workona made it too easy to save tabs, but not easy enough to retrieve them. The onus is on the user to have good organizational skills BEFORE startin...
Read post

789 Links From Workona Database (!)

I finally got around to parsing the Workona bookmarks. I had 789 bookmarks! I'm going to look at this list every day until I deal with each one. Some will be saved to Reader and given appropriate tags. Others will go in my TiddlyWiki for quick reference on Puzzles and KDP.In a way, I think bookmarks are antiquated. If your browser has autocomplete enabled, that serves as a 1st-tier bookmarking service! I type the first letter or first few letters to reach frequently visited sites. Of course, I n...
Read post

Ending the Workona Experiment (What's Next?)

I recently exported all of my data from Workona and canceled my recurring subscription. Based on how I work, Workona became little more than a 2nd-tier bookmark repository. I'm not even sure if that is the proper way to describe how my good intentions were overrun by persistent bad habits. I had a chance to explain myself during Workona's exit interview. Normally, I wouldn't bother telling the company why I'd canceled; however, over the past few years, I've corresponded with people who work at W...
Read post

When Will I Learn?

I lost some information in a program called Infobase. When you stop laughing, I'll tell you how I got it back. Are you done? Okay, so, I've been testing Infobase since late January, 2022. It's clunky and weird, but I liked having my notes in a single window for reasons. Whenever I'm doing research, I open a plain text editor to paste links and jot notes. I will save the text file until I have time to clean it up and store it in Infobase. After I move text file contents, I often keep the...
Read post

Psychological Benefits of Decluttering

Disclaimer: This is an unscientific opinion piece. I could be full of beans.It turns out that, exactly one year ago, I was hand-wringing my way through a major transition from Evernote to Standard Notes and the issue then was the huge volume of notes.This evening, I uninstalled GloboNote after importing just two dozen random notes. What a difference a year makes! So, in celebration, let's look at the psychological benefits of decluttering.Don't Put Off Until Tomorrow ...One of the biggest declut...
Read post

Infobase to Replace Globonotes

Digital clutter is not just about the mess of files, folders and storage devices overwhelming us. It's also about the visual clutter on our monitors and laptops. Personally, I can only take so much. That's why I'm happy to have found a freeware app called Infobase, thanks to Deanna McElveen, at OlderGeeks.com.The main issue I have with the otherwise excellent Globonotes is that, if I choose to keep my notes visible, each one is an individual "sticky note" on my secondary monitor. I could hide no...
Read post

Thanks for the Memory Sticks

This is going to be short and sweet.Over the years, I have acquired more than half a dozen USB keys (flash drives, memory sticks, plastic thingies.) I just ran most of them through a secure eraser app.They've been retired to a little plastic box, just in case ...Whatever will I do when I need to transfer a huge file?Dropbox. ...
Read post

Digital Diet 2022

With the new year comes my usual resistance to resolutions. I have nothing against those declarations; I merely refuse to regurgitate the same list of unsustainable objectives that I failed at 25 years ago.But, my resolve to declutter my digital world has gathered steam. I'm happy to expound on this topic for the benefit of the five people who read this blog.First, I had to define the parameters of decluttering. Bookmarking, File Maintenance and Email Management represented the three major sourc...
Read post

Destruction of Filters

What if we attempted to live a filter-free digital life? I'm not talking about artistic filters or cigarettes, though the latter would probably be a really bad idea. No, I'm talking about Gmail filters.Some filters in Gmail are downright useful. Being able to delete unwanted email, sight unseen, is a time-saver. However, the filters that "move" incoming email from the inbox to arbitrary labels seem to invite us to spend more time clicking from label to label than just reading the emails one afte...
Read post

Crumbling Cookies

I use a service that helps me keep my websites GDPR-compliant. In early October, 2021, the service alerted me to changes in the GDPR that mandated logging cookie consent.Remember Sarbanes-Oxley? I'm sure the financial institutions have come to grips with it but, when it first came out, businesses complained that it was too onerous.Well, this latest GDPR requirement seems entirely too onerous! Obviously, I'm not set up to do my own logging, otherwise, I wouldn't be writing this. The issue, for me...
Read post

Wiki? Wacky!

Digital clutter is in the eye of the beholder. One man's heap is another man's folder. Mo' software, mo' problems. If you need 10,000 hours to master something (spoiler: you don't), you would need a decade to master just ten programs! During that span, nine of them would have become obsolete and the other one would have become so far removed from its origins that you still wouldn't be able to use it to its full potential.The solution, of course, is to master the art of creating a wiki. Not just ...
Read post

Facing Down the Gnarly Beast

I just realized that the key enabler for Shiny Object Syndrome is curiosity. While that may seem obvious, I promise you that I hadn't considered it until just now. Curiosity is not a bad thing, nothwithstanding its relationship with "morbid". I think that it simply needs boundaries.Rule #1: Don't Give Scissors to a CatIf a tool is not useful, why have it? Unless you are a collector, you should save your money and closet space for other things.Rule #2: If the Cat Must Have Scissors, Choose Plasti...
Read post

A Magic Wand Called "Unsubscribe"

I tend to make too much of relatively trivial things. It's a mindset thing, so I am not going to bore you with why. Instead, let me bore you with a brief discourse about the most mundane tool in the Digital Diet's arsenal:UNSUBSCRIBEThe ability to unsubscribe is tempered by the phantom Fear of Missing Out. I've remained on lists in hopes that the content would someday be life-changing. I've stayed in forums to nurture imaginary relationships. Bah! Unsubscribe.Shiny Object SyndromeSince impulse p...
Read post

Workona vs Pinned Tabs

Since this is not a review post, here is the tl;dr (411):Workona wins!Workona has workspaces, within which I can save tabs as well as bookmarks called resources. Whenever I switch to a different workspace, the open tabs are swapped out with whatever tabs I had open the last time I viewed the workspace. That's nice and all, but I have a few tabs that I would like to be available at all times.This goes against the core philosophy of Workona, which aims to enhance focus by removing distractions. So...
Read post

Demote Evernote

Ugh! I can't bring myself to delete my account. Luckily, I don't have to. I'm just going to stop paying for it. One of these days, I may actually close it. For now, I don't need to make a hasty decision, since Evernote basically can become free cloud storage:This is the key bit, from the Evernote Help & Learning Center:Your subscription won't change until your current billing cycle ends. Once your subscription runs out, your subscription will be canceled, and your account will automatically ...
Read post

Install Microsoft Office

Microsoft Office is a glorious suite of productivity software, supported by the same clown car that swerves over everything that Microsoft owns. Let's see who the clowns are, crammed into the 1990 Volkswagen Beetle:Accounts - I have personal and business accounts, each with it own, MS enforced email addressCrapware - It's not exactly crap, but most laptops come with a trial of some version of OfficeAuthentication - This is actually good, but causes confusion, because both accounts authenticate t...
Read post

Deliberations are Self-defining!

That headline is a bit of wordplay: considering things at length is actually the opposite of liberating. Essentially, it leads to analysis paralysis. That's where I am this summer.First of all, I bought a new laptop. I wanted something more modern. I have a 2 TB solid state drive. From my understanding, SSD's have some disconcerting properties. Since I may be misguided, I will not repeat my thoughts here. Suffice it to say that I am hesitant about loading it up with software.Secondly, I'm in the...
Read post

Ditto: The App that Made Me Go "Hmmmm..."

I was just talking to my friend, Mitch Mitchell, about clipboard replacement apps.This is not going to be about clipboard replacement apps. Do your own research. LOLNo, what I want to mention is that I may have yet another tool in the Digital Diet arsenal. During our conversation, I noted that I used to use Quick Cliq then switched to Ditto. In the very next sentence, I said, "But I must not need it, because I never reinstalled it."There. Try turning off a program or two and see if you can get b...
Read post

Digital Sticky Notes

I need a new sticky note application. Globonote is great, but... [note, I found a solution!!]Warning! If you have multiple displays, Globonote might not be for you.At first, I loved Globonote. It replaced my physical Post-it notes with little windows. I used it for everything from reminders, to-do's and blog post notes to webinar notes and my ever-changing Johnny Decimal Index.Every once in a while, Windows 10 forgets that I have two displays. Or it switches them. When this happens, application ...
Read post

Note to self - Getting Started with Johnny.Decimal

You can ignore this post, unless you are interested in learning about Johnny.Decimal.I posted in the Johnny.Decimal forum, sharing my intention to use TiddlyWiki for my JD Index. [update: I decided to use this app, instead]A JD Index is a vital component of the Johnny.Decimal system. With it, you are able to track your numbers, which means that you'll always know the next available number in each AC (Area / Category)Here is part of the thread, where I expanded on pre-pending the AC.ID to each fi...
Read post

The Essence of a Digital Diet

I was so impressed by an article that I feel compelled to write about it.First, here is the article: How I Got Out of Idea DebtI consider myself to be a creator, with all the god-like omniscience that implies. Games, programs and stories. Lately, I've been focusing on puzzles: the Venn Diagram intersection of those three interests.Over the years, I have outlined more than a dozen puzzle concepts, even to the point where a whole series of interconnected challenges were set up, just waiting for me...
Read post

The Great Folder Debate

Okay, so the debate is taking place only in my head. Let's listen in (no affiliate links in this post):Elby is analytical and into efficiency. Arby is whimsical and full of creative ideas.Elby: So, this cabinet metaphor is creaking under the weight of information overload.Arby: The forest metaphor isn't much better. I like contextual searches.Elby: I ain't got all day for that! Every document should be two clicks away.Arby: That's over a mile!Elby: Stop playing around. We need to find a better w...
Read post

Shingle

To the extent that our web hosting and Internet service providers allow it, our domains and websites are the ideal "storefront" upon which to hang our shingle. The irony in that, of course, is the flaw in the analogy. In cyberspace, no one sees our shingle. there is no Main street.Instead of a shingle, we need a bullhorn. Most folks use Google to shout, "Look at me!" Some folks piggyback on popular platforms, such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Pinterest. Whatever bullhorn we use, the experts tell us...
Read post

The Simpler Days

Everything is trying to become the tag-end for the ubiquitous phrase, there's an app for that. In so doing, companies are forcing its customers away from the desktop and traditional browser-based connectivity.You can call AAA Motor Club and navigate an insane, computer-led menu or, you could download the app before you need help.You could call a taxi and wait forever or, you could use the Lyft app.You can call your local pizza shop and hope the order-taker correctly transcribes your request, or ...
Read post

Cloaking Devices

Sorry, Trekkers and Harry Potter fans, I'm going to be talking about URL redirects.Many years ago, when I still believed that I was going to become an Online Money Mogul, I joined a membership site called WealthyAffiliate. (Kyle and Carson, are still at it, bless their hearts.)One of my favorite features of WA was the ability to create those cool links that--when you hovered over them--looked like this:www.mysite.com/go/productyoumustseewhen you clicked one of those links, you would be redirecte...
Read post

Passage of the Week

I don't plan to make this a thing because then, it would become a chore. One of the coolest things I've read this week comes from David Weliver, of MoneyUnder30.com:I could give you 800 pages on the mechanics of personal finance— how to budget, pinch pennies, use snowball techniques to pay down debt, and perfectly allocate your retirement portfolio for age and risk tolerance. Most of you wouldn’t read it. Why would you? That stuff’s boring as hell. Let’s face it, some of you would read it and co...
Read post

Burner Mail Saved Me Some Money (LOL)

I just got an unanticipated bonus from Burner Mail. A few days ago, I signed up for access to "An Important Report." I used a Burner Mail mailbox, so that the emails would not be forwarded to me.Then, I promptly forgot about it.When I finally logged in to the mailbox, I discovered that the report was attached to a subscription offer at 75% off. Also, it expired last night.Oh well!Burner Mail just might be the cure for Shiny Object Syndrome! The urge to click can be satisfied, guilt-free, as long...
Read post

Email Filter Shmilter

Over the past two weeks, I've noticed a wonderful side-effect of using the Burner Mail web service: I get so little email directly, that new, unfiltered stuff no longer overwhelms my default inbox in Gmail! Why is this a big deal? Well, it means that my email workflow has stabilized. Here is the significance:I can be sure that I will not miss anything important in my filtered emailsI no longer have to update those filters to add new addressesI can get through my Inbox in less than a minuteFilter...
Read post

Forget the Cloud!

Cloud storage is neat. I love having a way to collaborate with clients and to see random spreadsheets created by number-crunching gamers. On the other hand, I hate OneDrive. LOL. I feel like a broken record on that note, but whatever.I suspect that people who suffer from Shiny Object Syndrome love all the free storage on offer. But, unless you have a business need for cloud storage, I believe you're better off using iDrive to backup your most important stuff and then buying some large, portable ...
Read post