Stay Curious » Rock On

Another Balancing Act

Karyn — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 03:14:59 +0000

I went away this past weekend for a private retreat after ScienceOnline2012. During some of the time I worked on balancing some rocks. These rocks are smooth, round, river rocks and are much more difficult to balance than the rocks I usually try to balance. I love the focus that it takes. I close my eyes and “feel” the weight of the rocks, move them until they “sink” into balance with gravity. Simple pleasures. Fleeting works of art (the wind or other vibrations will knock them over soon enough).

Looks simple... but there is only a small area of contact.

Here's the point of contact. Kind of like balancing two balls.

Scrivener

Karyn — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 06:06:50 +0000

I write (although I wouldn’t consider myself a writer). I am supposed to write a good deal. Many of my projects are large. I am not a linear writer. In other words, I don’t start at the beginning and just keep going until I get to the end (and then edit, edit, edit). Instead, I visualize the entire project and see an outline or skeleton. As I find resources, material, quotes, literature and even websites that I need to include, I try to place them on an appropriate “hook” in the outline in my mind. This can get crazy. Especially if you are juggling several projects. So, I went on a search. Now, don’t get me wrong. I have an exceptional wordprocessor (Mellel, which, by the way, has a new update. Get it!) and I use InDesign for extensive design and layout work. But, that doesn’t help me when I am organizing thoughts and working on various parts of a project (typically out of linear order). So, the search eventually led me to an amazing application which is the subject of this post: Scrivener.

What is a scrivener?

But what is Scrivener?

Ah, I’m glad you asked! It is one of the most amazing programs for writers that exists. I have been trying it out for a bit now and I am ready to say that at $39.95 you should just go ahead and buy it. But, as Levar Burton would say, “You don’t have to take my word for it”… so you should try it for free for 30 days. Then if it isn’t what you want, the lovely people (all two of them) at Literature&Latte (can you think of a more wonderful name?) will give you advice and links to help you find something better suited to what you might want to do. Wow.

I like to buy my food locally. I like to encourage small, local businesses. This is a small business with a global scope. Just read their “About Us” page and you will wish you could meet this UK duo. They are based in Truro in Cornwall, England. Need I say more? OK, OK, I guess I do.

Take a look at the features on the website’s summary page (I couldn’t do a better job). I will emphasize one aspect that is exceedingly helpful. Keeping relevant research visible while writing is always a struggle when you have digital forms of the research. With Scrivener, you don’t need to keep switching between programs and screen views. Everything can be visible at the same time (oh joy). As their website says:

No more switching between multiple applications to refer to research files: keep all of your research – image files, PDF documents, movies, sound files and web pages – right inside Scrivener. And unlike in other programs that only let you see one document in a window at a time, in Scrivener you can view a research document in one pane and compose your text in another right alongside it. Transcribe an interview, make notes about a picture, or just refer back to another chapter, all from within the same program.

You see, that is really amazing. On my computer I have folders and subfolders and subfolders organizing articles and other literature that I will eventually need to use. But, short of using the Apple Spotlight function, it is hit or miss if I will find what I want. Or if I even remember that I have saved something that I want to find again! With Scrivener, as soon as I find something I want to use I can plunk it down in the section where I will want to reference it. Then later I can go back to write and find all the research that I had been accumulating. At that point I can cull and use only what is truly appropriate.

There is one caveat. Actually, a big one. Scrivener only works on a Mac. But, you should be using a Mac anyway!!

So, please check it out and let me know what you think. If you decide to use it, what functions are most useful to you? What kind of writing will you use the application for?

(A few of) Karyn’s Essential Non-Digital Tools

Karyn — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 04:47:05 +0000

This collection was actually harder to compile than my digital tools list. I’ve decided to limit this short list to items that help keep me and my office stuff productive.

RadTech ScreenSavrz
This little piece of miracle cloth will keep everything that builds up on your laptop keyboard from getting on your display. Moisten the microfiber cloth and you can clean the display and case. Soaks up spills before they cause a nightmare situation. At $16.95, you can’t afford to be without it. I have the leopard skin version, but you have your choice of several solid colors too. While you are at the RadTech site, check out their Portectorz and maintenance items.

Post-it Brand Flags
I prefer the translucent flags and I use hundreds of them. I mark books, articles, notes. I like to write brief reminders on the flags. When I’m organized I will read a book and notate in different colors as I read (be sure to keep a color key for each book you mark), then I can easily go back and find what I need to type up quotes, citations, and ideas.

WaterField bags
Made in San Francisco, these laptop bags and gear pouches are outstanding. I use the VertiGo (Mambo Combo) and several of the Cableguy and Gear Pouches. Exquisite design and meticulous workmanship. Phenomenal customer service (truly). You may have to save up to afford a purchase, but you won’t have to buy something again for a very, very long time. If you like to keep your cables, cords, and accessories organized and at hand, this is a great option.

[Warning: Do not laugh] Isokinetics Ball Chair
You will have to trust me on this one. A real conversation starter. I sit at my computer for hours and hours at a time and often ended up with sore neck, shoulder, and back muscles. I needed something to help me improve my posture. This chair promotes “active sitting” and I love it.

Tiny Colored Pencils
It’s no secret that I like small things. One practical item is the Ministaff colored pencil kit. It is the size of a credit card (and less than .25″ thick). It includes a pencil sharpener and eraser! Easy to carry along in the smallest tote. Useful for quick notations, sketches, etc. Also cheap enough to give away to the kid in the airplane who is sitting next to you for several hours and who has nothing to do. You will both be happier. The link above is for a wholesaler, but you can find them in paper, art, and specialty stores.

Staple Free Stapler
The folks at ThinkGeek.com are on top of things with this item. Just put the corner of your papers in this gadget and it cuts a tiny flap in the paper, folds it in on itself, and tucks the flap in a tiny paper pocket. Works on up to about 5 pieces of paper. It won’t eliminate staples from my life, but for small jobs, it’s great (and ecologically friendly). While you are at thinkgeek.com, check out the origami sticky notes. UPDATE: A few of you have asked to see what the paper looks like after it is “stapled.” Ask and you shall receive.

Ikea Knuff Magazine File
I use these wood magazine file boxes to store projects upright and on a shelf instead of creating piles around my office that might rival a small cityscape (I know several people who seem to take this to an artform). I place folders, necessary journals, and notes for each project into its own box. These can then be easily grabbed off the shelf to tackle one project at a time. All of my writing projects have their own box. I even have one for taxes. The wood holds up much better than similar cardboard boxes. You will have to go to an Ikea store to get these, as you can’t order them online.

PlePle Wrap Pencil Case
I like to always have highlighters, mechanical pencils, a few choice pens, and a variety of color Sakura Pigma Micron pens with me. This wrap pencil case keeps everything organized and easy to find.

2 bits ain’t worth what it used to be

Karyn — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 00:35:07 +0000

You might be living under a rock if you are unaware of all the financial woes of the last year. It is hard to find someone who is not directly affected (or has a friend/family member affected) by unemployment, housing issues, or a loss in the stock market. But even if you are aware, do you really understand what’s going on and how we got into (some of) this mess? The folks at NPR‘s This American Life have boiled down some of the issues and done a superb job of making very complicated systems understandable.

I recommend two episodes in particular. The first is an explanation of the housing/mortgage crisis (The Giant Pool of Money, May 2008) and the second is an explanation of the collapse of the banking system (Bad Bank, Feb 2009). Each episode is 60 minutes (well worth the time) but you can also download a transcript to read at your leisure.

If you like their ability to explain financial things, you should check out their blog, Planet Money, or their podcast.

Keep Reading (Hebrew, that is)

Karyn — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 01:34:16 +0000

One of the greatest challenges after a few semesters of Biblical Hebrew is to maintain your skills. Even more critical is to improve your skills! The single most efficient way to maintain and increase your BH is to read! But too many folks never find a way to make that happen. While there are many suggestions I could make (and will in the future!), today I want to encourage you to use one tool that should be in your BH toolbox. What? You have misplaced your toolbox? Get another one started!

Zondervan’s A Reader’s Hebrew Bible is an easy way to read more. If you have learned vocabulary by frequency, then you probably have learned down to at least the 100+ level (in other words, all the vocabulary that occurs 100 times or more in the Hebrew Bible). This is only 328 words! All other vocabulary is footnoted on each page of this bible. Here are some of the features that Zondervan mentions:

Complete text of the Hebrew and Aramaic Bible using the Leningrad Codex (minus critical apparatus)
Shaded Hebrew names that occur less than 100 times
Footnoted definitions of all Hebrew words occurring 100 times or less (twenty-five or less for Aramaic words)
Context-specific glosses
Stem-specific glossed definitions for verb forms (Qal, Piel, Hiphil, and so forth)

Now, don’t get me wrong, I still want to encourage you to study your BHS, but this Reader’s Hebrew Bible is very helpful for reading larger passages. You can move more quickly through the text. You won’t waste time trying to parse names you are unfamiliar with. If you take my advice and start reading more, you will soon begin to pick up vocabulary from context clues.

Want to try it? Zondervan provides sample chapters of Genesis!

The Rock On! section of this blog will feature recommended reading, so check back as I begin to add to the list.