Filed under: Software, Productivity
NYTimes: Thinking Tools for the Mac
James Fallows has a nice write-up in the New York Times today about some of the thinking tools that exist for the Macintosh platform---software tools that allow you to better organize or outline your thoughts, thought processes, notes, scribbles, browsing, and more. The software tools he talks about are Devonthink, Tinderbox, OmniOutliner, NoteTaker, and NoteBook from CircusPonies.My favorite "thinking tool" is VoodooPad. I'm surprised it was missed in this article as it has quite a following. What tools do you use to keep your notes and thoughts organized?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Euan said 2:11PM on 12-04-2005
VoodoPad here too - wouldn't be without it.
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iJavaJoe said 7:47PM on 12-04-2005
I use 2 different tools, one for text note taking: iNotePad, and one for working on designs and projects: Curio. I tried most of the others and found one tool would not fit all my needs. Curio is for the creative part of me, iNotePad for my memory.
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Stridey said 2:49PM on 12-04-2005
Another VoodooPad vote. It's the only app that makes me unafraid to write down everything I think and not worry about finding it again later.
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Dan Bruno said 3:07PM on 12-04-2005
I love VoodooPad, but I haven't tried any of the apps mentioned in the article. I have an open mind, though -- any recommendations?
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YJChiao said 4:43PM on 12-04-2005
I'm a Tinderbox user, using it largely for collecting and keeping track of the hundreds of reading notes that I write for my thesis. I have yet to fully utilize its potential and learning as I go, but it serves me quite well at the moment.
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Wry Cooter said 6:12PM on 12-04-2005
I have considered voodoo pad, but am so used to popping things into BBEdit in a similar fashion, that I don't think I would ever use it. Sure, they may be totally different animals even, but the habit with BBEdit is already built in on the meat interface.
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iomatic said 10:47AM on 12-05-2005
StickyBrain with Palm sync.
Rock on.
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George Sudarkoff said 7:40PM on 12-04-2005
I'm using a combination of tools. It's iCal/remind with a couple of custom AppleScripts that keep certain aspects of these two in sync, Hog Bay Noteboook, Omni Outliner Pro + kGTD and finally a few flat text files.
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Dan said 8:09PM on 12-04-2005
I also love Voodoopad - but I wonder if I am getting the most out of it. It would be great if there was a way people could post tips, but even more, strategies for managing VP. Screen shots would also be appreciated. Any thoughts on where that could be?
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Steve Nipper said 10:57PM on 12-04-2005
The program I'm looking forward to is MindManager (http://www.mindjet.com) for the Mac (which is rumored to be coming out next year...they have a beta sign-up page somewhere on their site that includes "Mac OS-X" as an option...)
Also, if you are using NYT URLs, you might consider using this to keep the NYT from breaking your link down the road. http://nytimes.blogspace.com/genlink
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femmebot said 2:06AM on 12-05-2005
I like Notational Velocity. Lean and simple.
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ToeKnee said 11:16AM on 12-05-2005
Like many creatives, I have ADD (ADHD without the hyperactivity), and I have been looking for a program like this for a long time. Problem is, I never can make a decision. Are there any that are better suited to easily distracted folks? Color coding is one feature I would be looking for. Thanks.
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David said 10:43AM on 12-05-2005
I'm a long-time Voodoo user, and I like it. But I keep worrying that I'm missing something with a different package. I'm oddly drawn to DevonThink. Maybe it's just because it's new and shiny. Oohhh, so shiny!
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Jason said 9:52PM on 12-05-2005
StickyBrain user here, too. Tried out DevonThink but found StickyBrain better suited to my needs.
But with so many VodooPad users on board, I might give that a try, too.
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