Sunday, January 02, 2011

A Roundup

This isn't really a mental dump.

However, in the last few weeks, I've been introduced to some new tools, funny videos, and just general awesomeness that, if you don't know about them, you totally should.

1) Do you know about Evernote



Evernote is a software tool that has a downloadable desktop client, a web-based interface, and a smartphone app that keeps track of you and all the cool stuff you want to remember. Grocery lists, recipes, meeting notes, pictures, cool found websites...the possibilities are limitless. Create an account, create a new note, save it and sync it and you can access that note from anywhere with an internet connection or by using your smartphone.

And it is F-R-E-E.

This is how I use it and why I. Love. It.

I cook a lot. Many of the recipes I want to try are found on the internet. This means that I either have to print out a hard copy of the recipe or pull up the recipe on my laptop. Sometimes, ahem, recipes disappear from the internet. Since discovering Evernote (thank you, Acr0nym, once again), all I have to do is copy and paste the recipe into a new note from the web-based interface, sync my account, and then access the recipe on my smartphone when I'm ready to start cooking.

Additionally, (and why Matt suggested it to me in the first place) I was looking for some kind of web-based tool I could use to access writing-in-progress from anywhere without e-mailing myself files and potentially corrupting data or having to keep track of multiple drafts. These aren't blog entries, by the way. These are the things I write when you're not looking.

EDITED TO ADD: You can also share notebooks with other people so if you're working on a group project, this is a great way to keep everyone on the same page.

Seriously. Check it out.

2) OK. I know you aren't likely to watch these two videos:







But! Ohmygawd! I got turned onto the all-sorts-of-funny-awesomeness of these two cats by one Dah-veed via the Facebook. I have watched and watched and watched them. I have thought about them randomly. And every time I just even think about them, I start to laugh.

Seriously. Check them out.

3) And while we're talking about the You Tube, even though this isn't of the awesome variety, the December playlist for the official Stuck in My Head Song of the DayTM is there for your listening...um...pleasure. I've also posted the playlist - with a few additional notes - here.

4) Moving on. Do you know about GIMP?

GIMP is another software product - for F-R-E-E - that is a photo editing tool along the lines of Photoshop. Except it's F-R-E-E. And that's just alright with me.

Now, I've known about, and downloaded, GIMP a couple of years ago at the suggestion of the fantabulousness that is the Good Doctor Matt, but, to be honest, I'd never messed around with it much. That is, until now.

I've just begun playing around with it and, while the manual leaves much to be desired, it's got all the tools I need - and then some - to fiddle around with photo manipulation.

Did I mention it's free?

5) And finally, do you know about Pie Town, New Mexico?

There is a town in New Mexico actually incorporated as Pie Town. And there is a Pie Town Festival every year in September. Brought to my attention by the random fact brain of one Lux Obscura and enhanced by the lovely modchen who has plans in the works to make a Mayoral sash for Pie Town so that we can all take turns being the Mayor of Pie Town, there is already talk of an adventure of the New Mexico variety and, ultimately, pie.

Because ohmygawd PIE!

Speaking of pie...today's adventure is turning leftover chili into a chili pie. Inspired by the talk of Pie Town and just, you know, thinking about pie.

It's in the oven.

And I'm starving.

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