The Right App For The Job.

Much like how a carpenter needs the right tool for the right job, each app is best suited for a specific job.
Here is a list of apps and how I have been using them.

• Dropbox I have been using this as a way to access and read Pdf files. I can access Dropbox files from my iPhone, my home computer or from the web. One drawback is that I cannot highlight text or make notes within text. I use this over the iBook Pdf veiwer becasue it's more mobile. If i really need to make notes I load the pdf into iBooks.
• Evernote  I have used this more for personal things. This is really useful on the iPhone as a way to log ideas or images for latter use. For instance, I have used this to take pictures of endnotes in order to track down primary sources. The big drawback is that you can only acces what you capture on your computer. This is where Dropbox comes in handy.
• Siri This app is not really useful to me personally. Basically Siri acts like a personally assistant. You can give the app voice commands and it will look up local restaurants and movie times. I use it to make reminders about things I need to do. It kinda lacks in this function but it was free! and I feel like Ender Wiggin talking to Jane.
• Calender is of course an essential but the interface is limited. I really like Google Calender for imputing due dates with recurring reminders. Depending on the size of the project I set reminders to repeat every week so I don't slack off. Google Calender allows you to set up more complicated events the the the iPhone's calender.

I am needing to round out my workflow and will be updating the blog on how my research methods are evolving.

Using my IPhone for Scholastic Work.

Research and Writing in the digital age. 

I am starting a new experiment in my academic life. I am going to try and use only digital resources to research, catalogue sources and write my research paper. Also, I am going to try and center my research process around my iPhone. It will be my research journal and primary word processor.  I am also going to use digital source card software to keep track of sources. When I finally put everything together I will try to use Google Documents or open office. 

The inspiration for this experiment was first sparked when I took digital history and new media in the spring of 08. Since then I have become very interested in how technology is shaping our society. Right now we are In the throws of societal shift where old ways of thinking about the role of personal electronics as primarily entertainment is being replaced with modern notions connectivity and efficiency. I like to think of this new usage as super productivity, the ability to use one device for every aspect of work and leisure.  I am wanting to show how smartphones are more then a fast way to relieve a social networking fix by doing serious work with mine. 

I began this experiment by accident the second week of September. I was running behind as usual on a paper that was due the next day. My time was further shortened because I had to work that night. Desperate to make head way on my paper I decided to use my phone at work to text my ideas to my email address. With most jobs iv had, this one included, texting on the job is a big no-no. I find this immensely hypocritical because every jobs makes out like multitasking is an essential skill. This rule is also part of the notion that smart-phones are primarily entertainment devices and distractions. 

So I began to text myself notes and then whole paragraphs while still effectively doing my job. At some point I realize that I can actually text faster then I type. Also as I type I often loose track of ideas because I have to think about typing. Because of this I often write out what I am wanting to type in legal pads first, creating double the work. This is a problem I will address in a minute. I text far more fluidly then I type. This got me thinking about the possibilities of writing my paper primarily on my phone. 

Now, back to the problem of retyping what I write in legal pads. I love legal pads. Partly because of their utility but mostly because they make me feel important. The problem I face with legal pads is that I fill them up and have to sink time into typing and rephrasing. The paper I worked on in secret at work was half done on legal pads before i had to leave the library. 

A few months back I downloaded dragon dictation to my iPhone. I like trying out different apps to see what utility I can squeeze from them. Dragon dictation was one such download. I played with it when I downloaded it and thought it was really accurate which impressed me, but I really found little actual personal use. Fast forward to my my legal pad issue. I decided to try to use dragon dictation to digitize the words written in my legal pad. The process took a little time to work out effectively.  Once I got going I was dictating my words and rapidly rephrasing sentences. 

After dictating my legal pad notes to dragon dictation and texting ideas from my phone to my gmail account I used open office to piece everything together in a final draft. I successfully wrote a paper in very new way, personally speaking. 

What I want to do is continue this process and refine using my iPhone for research and writing.

I will be posting more on this blog about what I an learning and how I am developing my mobile skills. 

Kasey King, via iPhone.

Runing of the Dogs, and One Sentence About an App I like

Today I went for a run with my dogs. When me and Martha got our first dog Rosie as a pup I could not wait for her to get a little older so we could run together. I pictured in my mind how she would trot along side me encouraging me to push on with her boundless canine endurance. A year later and although I have started running again my image of Rosie as a running mate has faded. Off leash she is a dynamo of boundless energy. On leash she is a tripping hazard. Also, on a hot day, which is basically everyday in south Alabama during the summer, she decides it's time for a little break in the shade at every tree. This as you can imagine can really break your stride. Just as I get going I have dead weight on the leash at every tree or bush. Not that her little breaks keep me from taking for runs.

Now back in march Martha and I took in another dog named Scarlet. I was really impressed with just how well she did on a leash. But then one day the nature of her bread reared it's ugly head. Scarlett is a English springer spaniel and her ancestors were used to spring up at birds to make them take flight and be captured by English nobility for sport. Nowadays days other then still being a superior bird dog, he genes make her tear down pillows to shreds and lunge at birds constantly. Also, Rosie's habit of giving up on a run has rubbed off on Scarlett.

So neither one of my dogs fit the bill as a good running mate. However, I still like taking them with me. Mostly because it's good for them but also because sometimes they really spur me to run harder. For moments at a time their canine endurance shows up and it's really cool to have them running beside me.



Other then running with my dogs, and occassionally tripping over them, I use Runmeter to track my runs. 
Really usefull App. 


Here is a link to Its web page. Runmeter