What I Learnt Today

What you need for Uni : Part Two

Is there something you need to remember?

Evernote is the king of note taking apps.

Evernote allows you to –

• Type your lecture notes in Evernote. 
• Take a photo of a Powerpoint slide. (the text is recognised by the app, so you can search for it later)
• Record a voice message ( and have it converted to text)
• Clip and save a webpage or email

Evernote is available for Mac, iPhone, iPad and Windows. You can create as many notebooks as you need. All the Notes you take are stored ‘in the cloud’, which means every device on which you have Evernote is automatically ‘synced’. So take a photo on your iPhone, and it is available immediately on your iPad and MacBook. Take lecture notes with your iPad, and they will be available on your iMac back in your room.

I use Evernote extensively, especially for ‘What I Learnt Today’. For example, I can dictate an idea I hear in the car and know that it will be available wherever I need it. Or start an article on my iPad at Il Portino, edit at work, and post it from home that night.

There is a video which acts as an introduction to Evernote. There are also a number of plug-ins and attachments that add capability available from ‘the trunk‘. For example, Voice2Note will convert your dictated spoken voice notes into text.

What’s more, Evernote is free!

 A completely new version of the Evernote iPhone app was released yesterday.

 It is available in the iTunes App Store as is the iPad version.

You can download Mac and PC versions from the Evernote site.

 

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What Its Like to Own an Apple Product – The Oatmeal.com

Today in San Francsico, Steve Jobs announced the imminent release of the iPad 2.

Jobs has been on medical leave since January due to complications of pancreatic cancer, so it was a surprise for the crowd at the ‘Apple Event’ when he walked on to the stage. He received a 2 minute standing ovation. Unfortunately, he now needs a much smaller skivvy than In previous years.

The keynote address is available on the apple site.

The iPad has defined the tablet computer, and is my preferred way of browsing the web, checking emails, reading books, subscribing to magazines, looking at photos and playing games.

Apple has sold 15 million iPads since it was introduced 9 months ago. This has generated $9.5 billion in revenue! There are 350,000 apps available for the iPhone and iPad, 65,000 of them developed especially for the latter.

The iPad 2 is thinner and lighter. It has a faster chip and faster graphics display. It can now plug directly into a TV, or stream wirelessly to a TV using AppleTV.

It also has front and rear facing cameras, which enables video-conferencing between Macs, iPhones and iPads (has anyone ever actually used this?) An updated iMovie app will enable editing of video filmed on the iPad. A new GarageBand for iPad looks cool, and will turn the device into a virtual piano, guitar or drum kit.

The iPad 2 is designed to use one of the groovy ( but not cheap ) iPad Smart Covers, ‘available in aniline or Italian leather’. These connect to the iPad via magnets.

 

The iPad 2 will be available in the US on March 12th and in Australia on March 25th. US pricing is the same as current models. Australian pricing has not yet been announced. Given the strength of the dollar, it should be less than the previous pricing. (wishful thinking, probably)

If you’ve been waiting for iPad 2 before jumping on the iPad wagon, now’s your time. The iPad 3 is likely to be another year away. If you have an iPad already, I don’t feel the new features are compelling enough to replace it with a new one – unless there is someone in the family who would be happy to receive a slightly used second hand iPad. Happy Birthday, Cath.

 

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Seth Godin launched the Domino Project today.

Seth is a prolific author. 

He has written thirteen books, the most recent being today’s ‘Poke the Box‘. His blog is hyperactive, and I enjoy the daily entertaining read.

He is known as an expert on marketing. When driving with his family around France, they were at first entranced by the picture perfect scenery of black and white cows against the green fields. After a few days, the cows blended into the background. In his book ‘The Purple Cow’, Seth makes the point that in today’s sophisticated markets, you need to be a purple cow to stand out.

More recently his books (Tribes, Linchpins) have been about leadership, and overcoming fear.

This theme is continued in ‘Poke the Box‘, which is about ‘ go ‘. Start a project, make a ruckus, take a risk, leap, commit. Make something happen. Ship. Show initiative.

“The challenge, it turns out, isn’t in perfecting your ability to know when to start and when to stand by. The challenge is getting into the habit of starting.”

Seth’s style is not for everyone. To work out whether it is for you, you can subscribe to Seth’s blog. His books feel and read like a series of blog posts.

The Domino Project aims to deliver small books with high quality ideas made to spread. Speed triumphs – speed to market and speed to respond to readers.

My Kindle Ediition of ‘Poke the Box‘ arrived today. (The special pre-order price was $1! It has returned to its usual price of $4.99 today. Guess I should have made this post last week).

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What you Need for Uni – Part One

Today is the first day of University! (were they the longest holidays in history, or what?)

Over the last few weeks, Alex Kidman and the readers of the excellent Lifehacker site have complied a 2011 University Success Guide

The series of articles include –

• Your Uni PC: Netbook versus Notebook
• My Lecturer Lets You Rate University Courses
• How To Buy University Textbooks On The Cheap
• Edward Radke’s Golden Rules For University Study
• What’s Available From Australian Universities On iTunes U?
• Let Your Smartphone Write Bibliographies For You
• Asking Lots Of Questions Is The Key To University Success
  (Cathy tells me that knowing lots of answers is actually the key to University success – she agrees with rhyme’s comment. Less polite people might suggest that you should RTFM! )
• Essential Software For University Students

Have you got any tips for our Fresher Friends? Let us know in the comments and we’ll compile our own Uni Success Guide.

Tip for Fresher Shanks – Don’t lose your ID on the first night in the pub if you want to go to the pub on the second night.

 

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Last Christmas Eve, we went on a birdwalk in Uralba Nature Reserve with birding expertsAlastair and Mike. Just as we finished, we heard, and then saw, Menura Alberti – the Albert’s Lyrebird.

For birdwatchers such as Alastair and Mike, this is reason to celebrate.

The Albert’s Lyrebird’s habitat is very small, living just in SE Qld and Northern NSW. The Uralba Nature Reserve is the southern most place they have been sighted. Albert’s Lyrebird is classified as ‘Near Threatened’.

Like its cousin, the Superb Lyrebird (Menura novaehollandiae), they are very shy and seldom seen. They also share the family skill of being excellent mimics.

On David Atenborough’s eightieth birthday, there was a popular vote to select the best wildlife footage he had produced. Out of the 150 hours of television he has made over 50 years, the winner was……. his footage of a Superb Lyrebird demonstrating its skills as a mimic –  as seen in “Life of Birds”.

That’s the real version – so this next clip must be the  Weird Al Yancovic version

 

 

 

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