It’s amazing how complex life can become. Writing, it seems, is more difficult every day. I love to write, but whenever I sit down to do that (especially creative writing) I find myself torn by the constant dings of this program or flashing notifications of that one.

Sure, I should be more disciplined when I write. I should ignore all that noise. I should be able to just mentally turn it off — but I can’t.

Alternatively, I should be able to physically turn off all the distractions, disable the notifications, log out of all the programs that clamor for my attention before I even begin a serious attempt at writing…

But I won’t. I don’t. It’s too much trouble. Besides, once I’m finished, I’d have to go back and try to remember everything I turned off and flip it all back on. What a hassle. So… I tell myself:

“Maybe it’s just better to wait until things are quiet to write. Now’s not really the best time… later I’ll be more focused…”

And that’s how the writing I really want to do never actually happens.

Now, I have a way to do it all — keep all my techie stuff up and working and have a clean slate to do my writing without distraction. I’ve looked at several of the “blackout” programs that take your stuff off-screen and give you a blank slate for writing.

Most of them look like one of the old computers my father built in the late 70s and early 80s. So, there’s an attractiveness for me to that black background/green text look. It reminds me of the Multi-mate program I used when I was first hired as a reporter at the newspaper in St. Mary’s County, MD.

So, it has some sentimental value and a offers me a reminiscent feel that others may not enjoy.

Today, I tripped across one that was free! And it’s multi-platform. So no matter if you are a Mac user, a Windows buff or a Linux fan — there’s a version for you. You can change some of the colors to fit your own preferences and there’s even a PDF Manual available for those who need to know everything about a program.

This writer’s tool is called JDarkRoom. Check it out for yourself.

It’s not really a word processor. It’s not going to tell you if you have spelling errors or grammatical issues. It’s basically a typewriter — a distraction-free environment for those who take writing seriously and need a place on their computer to slip into the creative “zone” for a few minutes… or a few hours.It delivers your writing in a plain text file that you can then import into a word processor for editing, spellcheck and format tasks.

Personally, I find it terribly alluring. It’s already got a place of honor on my iMac’s Doc. I love it.

While the price of doing business (and everything else from driving a car to buying groceries) continues to soar, there are several new developments that make it easier to do business from any location.

Many of these mobile tools are remarkably effective and some of them I consider essential. Even better (considering today’s economy) many of them are low-cost or free!

Take advantage of online apps

You all know about some of the more popular online web-apps like Google’s suite (Gmail, Google Docs and GCal), but you may not know some of the more recent additions.

Desktop: Interested in having a web-based desktop that you can customize and access from anywhere you can launch a web-browser? That dream is now a reality thanks to the good folks at eyeOS. A simple log in will create your personal desktop that is universally accessible. It’s an awesome idea, and it’s brand new.

Music: Pandora lets you carry your favorite music with you and listen from any browser. You can sample your favorite artists and get exposed to new ones based on your tastes. By ranking the songs in your personal “radio stations” the system learns what you like. I work with music and this helps me to feel “right at home” anywhere I’m working. It’s wonderful — and it’s free.

Accounting/Timer: Keeping the books and keeping up with your billable time has never been easier. I can work from any Internet capable machine by simply logging into my Cashboard account. The timer keeps my records, and I can shoot off invoices and get an instant overview of my accounts (who owes me money and who I owe time). Working somewhere else isn’t the hassle it once was. This one isn’t free, but it’s reasonable and it adds enormous flexibility.

Thumb drives are cheap and convenient

If aren’t an early adopter, you may not have an ongoing love affair with your own personal “lipstick” (aka “jump” or “thumb”) drive yet. Today, with the prices plummeting on these little gems and the available storage space moving up, it’s time to begin the romance.

Owning one will open up new mobile worlds. If you are buying your first one, get the largest one you can comfortably afford. An 8 gig is ideal.

If you are worried about security, consider TrueCrypt. It’s not a simple setup, but it’s bulletproof. Be sure to back up your thumb drive to your computer once a week.

Keep your personal stuff with you

Bookmarks: If you feel lost without your Firefox bookmarks, you can now take your bookmarks with you too!

You can use Foxmarks to sync your bookmarks from anywhere to anywhere else or you can use a portable version of my favorite browser to carry it all with you on your thumb drive, external hard drive or iPod. I’ve tried several bookmark sync extensions over the years, but none are as sweet as Foxmarks and you can access them from any webbrowser (even IE) by logging into My Foxmarks, once you set up your account.

Quicklaunch: The bookmark toolbar in Firefox is probably one of the most productive tools I’ve ever set up. I use it to keep my most often visited sites a single click away. Syncing with Foxmarks or using my portable Firefox means I have this information at fingertip access. I use this for my Google calendar, Remember the Milk (task list program that merges with GCal), Cashboard, twitter, Facebook, financial sites, Pandora, W3 validation site and my own websites.

Email: By setting up IMAP email, and running it through gmail, I’m able to take full advantage of the superior spam filtering and search options offered by Gmail and I an access my email from the web from anywhere. I can also check it from the portable version of Thunderbird I keep resident on my thumbdrive.

IMAP means that I’m looking at the most up-to-date version of my email from everywhere. The changes you make on one machine are visible anywhere you log into your email accounts. Ask your host if IMAP is available for you. It’s a bit tricky to get it set up, but once it’s running, it’s maintenance free.

Research: I adore Zotero! If you do online research and use multiple machines, get Zotero and store your database on your thumbdrive and take it with you wherever you go.

As such, I can point my Linux Firefox browser to the same collection area that I use in my Windows Firefox browser. If I’m at someone else’s machine who doesn’t have Firefox, I can boot my portable Firefox and use the same database from inside my thumb drive without leaving a trail of personal information on a machine that doesn’t belong to me. Unfortunately, for IE lovers, this genius Addon is available for FireFox only.

Passwords: Do you find that you often get out and need tiny snippets of personal information, usernames, and passwords? KeePass Portable to the rescue!

I use the same method for keeping a central (and always up-to-date) database in KeePass as I do in Zotero — I have the Linux version and the Windows version both point to the database on my thumbdrive. I also carry a portable copy of this secure, opensource program on my thumbdrive, in case I’m using someone else’s machine when I realize I need the info. It really is one password to rule them all!

As open source programs, web-based apps and compact media storage continue to improve, so does the ease with which technology workers can live and work. Now that’s nice!

I’m seriously considering moving from Kubuntu to Ubuntu. If I do so, I’ll want to use Evolution to handle my email and to serve as my PIM. Before I make that move, I wanted to try Evolution on Kubuntu.

First snag? Getting my email moved over.

I have all my essential information under a data storage file folder on my home folder — so I always know where my most important data is stored. This means when I set up a new system (or do a re-gen of a current OS) I point my programs to where the data is always stored so I don’t have to “hunt and peck” to find my mission critical info. I also don’t have to spend an afternoon Googling “where does ______ store ______” over and over again.

Since I’m just testing the Evolution, I made sure that the accounts I set up were marked to leave the email on the server — that way they will all still “land” in the Kontact system, until I make a decision.

To move my current email files from Kontact to Evolution, I took the following steps:

1. Copied my Kontact emails into a new folder (so I didn’t hose my current emails accidentally).
2. Created a new account in Evolution:
   1. Go to Edit, Preferences, Mail Accounts (and hit the plus sign to the right).
   2. Add in bogus information, calling the account “import”
   3. Select server type “Maildir-format mail directories”
   4. Under configuration, select other and add a path that leads to the top-most folder copied from your Kontact (called ‘mail’ unless you renamed it)
   5. Be sure this isn’t your actual Kontact data, but is a copy.
   6. Add in bogus information to complete the account.
   7. Open up the “import” account and all your emails should be present.
3. Move the emails (and folders) into your actual email account on Evolution.
4. Once all the emails are moved over, delete the “import” account.

Hope this makes it easier to move over and give Evolution a try, if you have been using Kontact. I’d love to hear the pros and cons of this move from others who have (or are) making the move.

I’ve been tweaking all my systems lately and I wanted to share the list of firefox addons I’ve settled in to use. These are all tried and true — no browser-breakers here. (more…)

This weekend, I met with my favorite book keeper. Despite the differences in our talents, I still like her. I met with her for three days to get my books switched over to a new system. Few things in life leave me as cold, frustrated and “put upon” feeling as having to do the books. Did I mention that my old MS Accounting program doesn’t offer a standard “export” format? Did I mention that everything had to be converted ONE LINE AT A TIME for the ENTIRE YEAR TO DATE?!?!

I despise accounting. I think I would rather have splinters shoved under my fingernails than have to endure accounting. I hate it. Having to do it makes me hate life. I simply can’t overstate this fact. (more…)

I have been working with my own personal “Linux coach” lately — aka Keith Burton. He’s a family friend and a bloody genius when it comes to all things technical. I go to my father, usually, when I have a weighty tech/hardware question. Pops and Keith use each other as resources on different topics and individual special areas of interest. Having them both available is one of the things that makes my life easier.

Keith has helped me to solve several Linux issues that have been bugging the crap outta me. I’ll be sharing some of the wisdom he’s passed on to me as well as some that I’ve picked up from Pops, some discovered on my own and some through online research in this and upcoming Linux posts.

First, the thing you need to know when you get everything tweaked just the way you want it — a FULL system backup! Although I’m still in the market for a GUI version, this command line will do the trick to get my system backed up to an external drive. (more…)

I’m brilliant. I’ve learned so very much about Linux in the last few weeks. Every day I learn something new and exciting. For instance, I’ve learned that you don’t want to go and uninstall things you don’t personally use… or THINK that you don’t personally use.

Case in point… Just because you don’t plan to learn to program in Python doesn’t mean you can safely remove that from your list of programs in Ubuntu or Kubuntu. (more…)

I finally made the switch from my paid password manager program, eWallet (which I loved, but which doesn’t offer a Linux version), to a nice freebie program, which I find quite palatable.

I keep up with far too many username/password combinations, logons and critical (but sensitive) information in my work-a-day world to try to remember them all. Unlike many people, I don’t keep all passwords the same — that’s too risky.

Granted, I had to copy all the information from the old program to the new one (which was a royal pain and took me a couple hours), but now I have all my information on a new program that will work on Windows, Linux, or even on a flash drive! (more…)

After much struggling, and much guilt about how far behind I’m falling in all my work, I finally got Kubuntu working. To be fair, much of the time was spent converting over my data and getting all my programs working. Some time was spent (ok, A LOT of time) trying to determine if I could find programs in Linux that would replace all my essential programs. The answer to that question is now a firm “maybe” — and I’m hopeful.

But this is how my life was on Friday… (more…)

Ok, I’ve been trying to sail without a tailwind of late. So much to do, but so many things that I try to do require me to go and do three other things first. For instance, when my Windows OS died, I figured this was a great opportunity for me to begin learning about Linux.

When I got a system up and running, I was amazed at how easy it was. I have 80% of my mission critical stuff working on Linux now. But that 20% that isn’t working is about to drive me batty. (more…)

If you are a remote services provider, a virtual assistant or a freelancer, you may be interested in cutting corners on software costs — so long as you keep the best, most effective tools in your “virtual” shed.

I recently joined a panel of other remote consultants and virtual assistants for a RemoteProfessionals.com teleconference on starting to work with real estate professionals. During this free “how-to” seminar, I also distributed a handout listing what I consider to be the “Essential Open-Source Products” for those in this business.

If you would like your own copy of this PDF… (more…)

Today, I’d like to share a couple great sites sites that are cool in their own right and are cool because of the entertaining product descriptions and the unexpected resources that spring spontaneously from them via comment fields.

So if you want to branch out from the product overload of Amazon and eBay, try on these single-shot sites! (more…)

Interested in a few tiny programs that really make a difference in your productivity? Want to save a few keystrokes? Would you like to avoid opening unnecessary programs to do what you need? Want to keep things light, so your computer’s performance stays high?

Check out this week’s Five Fantastic Friday Finds! (more…)

I wanted to be sure I could take my calendar information with me on my iPhone. Since I’m not a Microsoft Outlook user anymore, I had to find another way to sync up my information.

Recently, the latest calendar plug-in for Thunderbird (Lightning) was released and after the upgrade, I also added this Thunderbird plugin to allow bi-directional updates to Google Calendar directly from my Lightning calendar. (more…)

Surf on over to Dell’s open source page if you would like to view a video introduction to Linux in general and Ubuntu in particular in under five minutes.
Ubuntu is the Linux version both my children are using on their machines (my 17-year-old installed and maintains those systems) and is the OS of choice for Dell in the open source arena.

Dell is also offering a DOS OS on some of their machines for those “old hands” out there that are still running (or who miss running) the old DOS programs.

Thanks to Richard Huston’s Blog for the heads up on the new video!

While doing my usual thing today, I found a great resource for tricking out Firefox. Now this list isn’t for the faint of heart, but for those geeks among us, it’s a cool list to take Firefox to the next level of customization and performance!

Dell is shipping a few models of their mainstream computers with the Ubuntu operating system. (Coincidentally, the same OS my son recently booted on his own Linux box and used to create a machine for his kid sister.)

This is a huge victory for the open source community and quite a blow to Microsoft, IMHO. Personally, I’m thrilled to see this go mainstream for consumer machines, following suit with government and military uses of Linux. Looks like the wave of the future is here!

Read more on Dell’s decision to use Linux on Machines.

I’ve been looking for some way to replace OneNote. It’s not that I mind paying for the software — even to Microsoft. After all, I can graciously admit this is one program that they do EXTREMELY well. And, nothing else I’ve seen in the opensource world even comes close. I have reviewed a couple other paid TabletPC-centric notes programs (like Evernote). I didn’t like them as much. And, OneNote 2007 is far superior to the 2003 version of the same program. (more…)

Ok, as if it’s not cool enough to have found the Open Clip Art Library, I’ve found a search tool for it that’s not only useful, it’s actually FUN!

Check out this “sketch it and we will match it” search tool for the open source image library. Just pick the color you are seeking and draw a really quick sketch on the black box (this is easier if you have a Tablet PC) and watch it do an auto-magic search. Even if you are a lousy artist like me, you get cool results.

Take it for a spin, and then tip-toe over to the open source font library — if you have enough space left on your hard drive to become a collector. I’m feeling a new external hard drive purchase coming on!

Recently, I announced that I’m going to Linux. And I bellyache about Vista to my family. What happens? My father goes to Linux on one of his machines… then converts three more. (He likes his computers.) Now, my 17-year old has taken an old box I pulled from the discard pile at a client site and has reworked it with a Linux operating system.

They are telling me that Linux has gotten alot easier. They tell me there is very little required to get the OS working other than “dropping in” Ubuntu.

Now, suddenly, my son and father have both joined forces and started giving me crap (in stereo) for not having switched over already.

I’m running a business. I can’t just up and switch without a bit of research, some product testing and getting all my systems and software in place and under my belt…FIRST. I can’t just “go Linux” tomorrow and decide not to worry about all the functionality I need that won’t immediately work.

Why? I’m glad you asked… (more…)