The Weekly Review

Things I like

This page contains a list of things I like. This list should give you some insight into my tastes, and maybe you can find something new here that strikes your fancy. Enjoy.

Software

Where to start? Operating system of choice is whatever is the newest version that Apple has to offer. After that, whether on the desktop on on the Net, there are many pieces of software that making working on a Mac a pleasurable experience.

Desktop

In no order of importance, these are the desktop applications that bring me joy.

Mail.app	Some hate it—but it’s my email client of choice. Does everything I need.
iTunes	Possibly my favorite piece of software.
Safari	Once I switched from Firefox (on the Mac), every other browser feels like an impostor on OS X.
MarsEdit	Really starts to flex its muscles when you use it for more than one blog.
Textmate	Branded as the missing editor for OS X, it’s what the cool kids use these days.
Coda	Web development in one window, but more than simply a jack of all trades. The boys at Panic do design right.
Things	A perfect fit for the most serious GTDer and folks who think that whole GTD thing is way too complicated.
Evernote	One word—ubiquity.
Quicksilver	I’ve gone without it for periods of time, but whenever I get back into the practice of using it, it proves its indispensability. A true GTD tool because it streamlines tasks.
TextExpander	Do you like to save time? If yes, then this is for you.
iStat Menus	This handy, FREE utility lets me know when something starts hogging the CPU. Chock full of options too.
Growl	System wide notification for all the apps I love.

Web Applications

Maybe the Internet will one day replace our operating system. If it does, it will stand on the backs of apps like these.

Backpack	One place for everything, it’s the ultimate digital swiss army knife. Available wherever wifi exists.
GMail	The backbone of my email, it’s my archive. Let’s hope they really aren’t evil.
Google_Reader	I love NetNewsWire, but NewsGator leaves a bad taste in my mouth. GReader works well, has good options and most importantly, performs really well on Mobile Safari for iPhone/Touch owners.
Delicious	Love the redesign. Delicious is a great way to store your bookmarks and share your interests with others.
Flickr	The standard for keeping images online.
Harvest	Very 37signals-ish, Harvest is well designed and is a great option for tracking time and invoicing.

Bodies of Work and Other Internet Abodes of Fineness

I don’t do blog rolls, so this is as close as it gets. The list is short—you have to be really good to get on it. These sites have heavily influenced the way I think about and use the Internet.

Jon Hicks	My first experience with blogs, Mr. Hicks is partially responsible for my somewhat unhealthy obsession with the Internet/blogosphere. He also really likes cheese.
Gruber	Living the dream, and from all appearances, making a very nice living doing it.
Rands in Repose	Pound for pound, one of the best writers on the Internet. Rands makes talking about relationships at the office fun.
Signal vs. Noise	The popular, but some times controversial blog of 37signals. I want to work for this crew. Jason, call me!
Dan Benjamin	AKA the hive mind, owner of a happy webby and a seriously fine, but slightly Homer Simpson-ish avatar. Dan is one of the founding fathers of the Internet.
Coudal Partners	In my opinion, Jim Coudal is the master. Nobody has put all their projects under one roof they way CP has. From Field Notes to The Deck to the Musuem of Online Musuems to Layer Tennis—coudal.com is a time suck like no other.

Productivity

Sources of inspiration and admiration for TWR content.

43 Folders	The old version anyways—the jury is still out on Merlin’s new direction. There’s not a lot of material to go on yet.
Patrick Rhone	Patrick “Levenger is my middle name” Rhone is the nicest guy on the Internet today. Just so you know.
Unclutterer	Removing the trash from your life, one solid tip at a time.
Put Things Off	A humorous take on the cult of productivity, Nick’s writing reminds me not to take this stuff too seriously.
W.L.C.	Work.Life.Community. is a community of gurus focused on helping others make the best use of their time. Includes a lot of people who used to frequent the 43 folders forums.

Books

Quickly becoming something only “old people” do, I like to read books. Made from paper.

The Bible	THE book is the main source of inspiration here at TWR. It’s also the Code of Conduct, Mission Statement and Employee Orientation Manual. I usually prefer the New King James translation, but when online, I love the NET Bible.
GTD: The Art of Stress Free Productivity	Well, yeah. This book started it all.
C.S. Lewis	Famous for his series about the fictional land of Narnia, C.S. Lewis is one of my favorite writers. I’ve not read another author who can take complex theological concepts and discuss them at a level anyone can understand.
Wheel of Time Series	Like a lot of geeks, I enjoy fantasy fiction. In my opinion, Robert Jordan is the best fantasy writer to grace the genre and the Wheel of Time series is as good as it gets.

NFL

Peter King

I love the NFL, and Peter King adds to my enjoyment. His MMQB weekly column goes almost year round and makes Mondays something to look forward to. A truly good writer with a human touch.

Music

Rather than post a fairly long list of artists, please visit my Last.FM page to see what I’m listening to.