Outlook
Yes, I still read and write email, and I try to keep my
Inbox as near zero as possible. I also use Outlook as
my central store for contacts and calendar. I use it
for Notes/Journal much less now that I use a Moleskin or MindManager for
notes.
GreatNews
This is my current news aggregator, and I am generally happy
with it.
BlogJet
This is my blog-writing tool. It's a
decent WYSIWYG editor, and it gives me a nice way to
archive my posts on my computer.
ActiveWords
This is one of the behind-the-scenes applications that I
miss terribly when I use someone else's computer. I've
got shortcut words that do nearly all of my routine tasks,
from a Google search to searching my desktop to finding a
contact to checking the weather at frequent destinations.
All those actions are started via ActiveWords.
PersonalBrain
This is my filing and general organizing system, which I've
been using even longer than ActiveWords.
PersonalBrain is built on the ideas of concept
mapping, where any one idea might have multiple
connections (parents, children and related). This
is as opposed to a mind map, which is organized
around a central idea.
MindManager
This is a mind mapping tool, and I use it for most "output"
work that isn't blogging or email. I
outline papers; setup presentations; drive
presentations; record notes at conferences and
seminars. I may use a word processor or
presentation application to round out the production
work, but it is MindManager where I get most of the
work done.
twitter I
wasn't sure if this was going to make it into the list.
I've been
Tweeting for a couple weeks, and the
microblogging idea certainly has its draw. The best
description I've seen is that it is like "group IM"
that can be used on a phone.
emacs for Windows This
is another of those semi-hidden applications. At its
core, emacs is a
text editing application. But the core has been
given many, many appendages. I used to read mail
and Usenet news within emacs, but now I use it for
quick editing and scanning text documents.
Sometimes I'll use emacs to capture raw text, if I
don't want to deal with Word or other applications.
If I have to deal with HTML, it is within emacs.
Any fancy text processing is done in emacs too
(complicated search and replace).
Lookout (no longer available) /
Google Desktop. Another pair of tools that
hide in the background and find a lot of use
when I'm hunting around for that thing I
know I have. Both are supposed to
index and search my entire computer,
including Outlook. I find Lookout somewhat
inconsistent with files and GDS inconsistent
with finding items in Outlook. So, I use
both. I've tried
X1
and
never became comfortable with their
interface. Should I try Microsoft Desktop
Search?
Firefox
All my browsing is via Firefox, and
Firefox is open as one of the first several
applications that I start. But Firefox itself isn't
the central tool, its the websites and web services
that I visit: search, blogs,
Facebook, etc.
What are your
Top 10 tools - for
your own personal working and learning
and/or
creating, delivering or supporting others' learning?
Let us know
