Never forget anything again â€¦ ever!

Posted on September 5, 2010 by Linda

OK, maybe that was a little too extreme. I get a little carried away with techno-bling that really works. And this smartpen WORKS.

It’s a fat-but-sleek ink pen that has a recorder (kinda cool), a microphone (pretty neat) and a camera (spectacular!) that will capture virtually everything you can write, draw, speak or dialogue with (OK,Â I know it’s poor grammar, but I am too excited to correct it).

I received my Livescribe Pulse smart pen (http://www NULL.livescribe NULL.com/Smartpen/index NULL.html) last week but had no time to open it until Wednesday when I took it on a spin with a long-time client. As we talked, my Pulse recorded everything we both said AND it recorded the notes I took, too. With a camera. Under the pen “nib.” Really?

At the end of the session, I stopped the recording (by touching the pen to the “stop” command printed at the bottom of the page!!) and then turned back a couple of pages. I touched the end of the pen to a word I had written 10 minutes earlier and…..my voice flowed out of the pen with words I had used EXACTLY at the moment I wrote that word. WOW. OMG. This is big. This is HUGE.

The darned camera had actually recorded my scribbles and saved them! And thank goodness, had also saved the spoken words too. That’s a blessing considering that my ADDiva handwriting leaves something to be desired (my mother swears I was a doctor in another life, but actually my doctor-husband has to decipher my notes for me!),

I was even more amazed when I put the Livescribe pen in its special holster to connect it to my computer (via USB). Not only did the audio recording upload to the special Livescribe desktop software (for either Mac or PC), it uploaded my scribbles, too,

This is about as close to perfection as I’ve seen in the technology world. And the darned thing even creates a piano that you can play!!!!

The catch is that you MUST use the special computer imprinted paper to capture the words and audio (the paper is full of little dots that tell the computer where you have made a mark, etc). I was leery of proprietary notebooks, especially about price, but they aren’t too bad.

A four-pack of notebooks with 100 pages each is about $20..that’s about $5 each which isn’t terrible. Not cheap. Not wildly expensive. And you can use (should use) both sides of the page since the pages are numbered.

Here’s the website (http://www NULL.livescribe NULL.com/en-us/)– I thought you should know!

Hugs,

(Update since I bought my pen in March — there is a new version out named the Echo … even better and still the same price)

Great apps for iPad and iPhone

Posted on July 29, 2010 by Linda

My iPad (http://www NULL.apple NULL.com/ipad/)has become my best friend – I take it everywhere I go (although I am a bit leery of the grocery store – afraid I might leave it in the cart). And since I was an "early adopter," there weren't millions of apps available when I received my iPad via FedEx back in May. That meant I could actually sort through the ones I'd like to try.

"Taska" (http://www NULL.bitalpha NULL.com/index NULL.html) is one of my favorites – it's a To Do list and project management app that has a simple, beautiful interface that I actually USE. Based on "Getting Things Done" or GTD principles, it has "Inbox," "Action List," "Next," "Someday," and "Projects" lists. But it also has a Shopping List (sorely missing from apps like THINGS for Mac), which I love.

Even better, using my iPad's GPS (I have the 3G version which lets me roam and use the internet), it uses "Context" to show me where I am located in relation to the errands I am running. For instance, if I am supposed to go to the bank which is across town and to Lowe's (I spend a lot of time at Lowe's) which is two blocks away, Taska will tell me that, so I can be more efficient with time and gas. Cool, huh?

It syncs with the popular Toodledo app (http://www NULL.toodledo NULL.com/index NULL.php?ref=td495d4c8865423)when you use it on the iPhone. But for me, the iPhone is just too darned small to be practical. I can't see it well, my big fingers always hit the wrong keys on the keyboard and it's not as pretty (granted, I have an ancient iPhone…shockingly it's two years old!!!).

Anyway, wanted to let you know about Taska. I do a lot of research about this stuff and might as well pass along my findings to you, too!

Hugs

LInda

Does your iPad need the protection of an iMaxi with wings?

Posted on March 12, 2010 by Linda

imaxi for ipad (http://www NULL.etsy NULL.com/view_listing NULL.php?ref=vl_other_1&listing_id=41828578)

The iMaxi (with wings) for the new iPad:

Ok, proof positive that my procrastination has cost me yet another post:

What I wrote in November, 2009 (but failed to post):

"As a self-professed (but absolutely legitimate) techno-gadget-creative aficionado I am constantly distracted by tantalizing online reports of new inventions that will make my life (and yours) easier, simpler and less chaotic.

My experience over the years is that not all neat-o new products actually ACHIEVE that goal. Sometimes (OK, often) the new gadgets take more time to learn and use than the original task they were designed to "improve."

I have an electronic graveyard of those useless products (sigh). Wish I hadn’t wasted the money … But when I hear renewed rumors of an Apple notebook (code name: Slate) that will likely be released in January 2010, my little kid excitement kicks in again.

Think about it: a smaller computer with a touch screen that goes with you everywhere (yes put a FOFA on it so you don’t lose it!), that has all your phone numbers and addresses, all your important documents, has internet access…. Oh. That’s already been done. The iPhone, Blackberry, et al have changed the way we handle data. But there’s a price.

Do you really LIKE using a keyboard that’s half the size of a Post-It? Maybe your fingers are skinnier than mine but I keep making typos, even in text messages (which I rarely use….waaay too much traffic for me, ala Twitter).

The new Slate will have a screen that is 7 times larger than my current (and lovely) iPhone. It will have built in wireless access and perhaps a Kindle-like bookshelf….."

Update on March 12, 2010

The Slate has morphed into the iPad. The iPad has been released for pre-order (yes, I did order one…my birthday present to me). And now the iMaxi with wings has been created to protect the iPad like, well, a soft pad.

This one is kinda gross, kinda funny. The alternate one (with a blood red lining) is just plain gross. I am torn. Is this cute or insulting? Would I put an iPad in an iMaxi with wings? Uh, I’m not sure. I have several weeks to figure it out.

But in case you’re ready, check out Hip Handmaid on Etsy. (http://www NULL.etsy NULL.com/view_listing NULL.php?ref=vl_other_1&listing_id=41828578)

Going Green… ADDiva Style

Posted on September 28, 2009 by Linda

This article first appeared in ADDitude Magazine online. (http://www NULL.additudemag NULL.com/adhdblogs/8/archive/200907 NULL.html)

I have a trunk full of reusable grocery bags. They make me feel so environmentally conscious. Until I get to the check out line and remember that they are … still in the trunk of my car.

Why can’t I remember to bring them IN to the store? (Oh yeah. ADD). Once, when there was no one in line behind me, I actually excused myself and ran outside to get them. Of course, by the time I returned, six people were glaring at me, waiting impatiently to check out. Won’t do that again.

But what’s the point of having reusable bags if I don’t, eh, USE them?

A good friend of mine unwittingly solved my ADD-ish problem with her Christmas gift last year. She gave me a ChicoBag. I love these little critters!

ChicoBags are fat little bundles that expand to full size grocery bags. Made of polyester, these mighty little sacks can hold up to 25 pounds of groceries (the larger size holds 40 pounds!).

Each one has a self-fabric storage sack sewn into the bottom seam (so ADD folks like me never lose it). And best of all, the ChicoBag has a carabiner (hook) so it attaches to your purse, belt loop, notebook, shopping list, you name it! I love the bright colors, too. Some of the newest ChicoBags are made of 99% recycled materials – even better for the environment!

I bought several more at the ChicoBag website for $5 each. What a bargain! And if you buy five, the company throws in the sixth one for free.

I attached three ChicoBags to my purse on an unused key ring. I know I look a bit like a pack animal with my pink, purple and green bags, but hey – I’m using them! Sometimes, I even use them at the hardware store or department store, too.

It’s a perfect ADD tool:

A. There are no parts to lose
B. The little hook lets me take it with me everywhere
C. Comes in bright colors so it doesn’t get lost in my piles
D. It’s cheap and good quality

I just love it when something works for me and my ADD.

I love it even more when it also helps the environment.

Viva Green ADDiva!

I Can See Clearly Now

Posted on September 14, 2009 by Linda

This article first appeared in ADDitude Magazine online. (http://www NULL.additudemag NULL.com/adhdblogs/8/archive/200907 NULL.html)

I can see clearly now — but only when I can find my glasses. So, I have discovered the best invention ever for attention deficit adults.

For the most part, I don’t mind getting older (quite possibly because I am in denial). “Age spots” don’t send shudders down my spine – they look like freckles to me. I’ve never had freckles; they seem kinda friendly, like Pippi Longstocking.

And I’ve never been obsessed about the differential between the year I was born and the year displayed on my cell phone. Birthdays, schmirthdays. Who cares? I admit, however, I’m a bit shocked that 60 is coming at me like a freight train. Oh how my attitude changes with perspective! As an adolescent, my matter-of-fact view was that by 60 you were on death’s doorstep; today, I’m convinced that 60 really IS the new 40; or 35.

But when I have to squint to read the instructions on the back of the pizza box (they made the print smaller, I swear), I’m ready to turn back the clock. Reading glasses, of course, make all the difference in my reading comprehension. Sadly, my glasses are rarely within an arm’s reach, my first criterion for actually plopping them on my face.

I thought I’d solve the problem by stashing multiple pairs of inexpensive readers all over the house (Costco kindly sells them in the convenient three-pack). But somehow the glasses migrate to my computer or bedside, under papers, stuck in drawers, tangled into a magnifying heap.

So imagine my delight when I discovered that the FOFA folks (that’s Find One Find All, the best invention ever for ADDivas) had unveiled a new locator device for glasses. Woo hoo!

A word of explanation: a couple of years ago I found a fabulous key locator in, of all places, Radio Shack (yes, yes, I “located” a key locator!). The package contained two devices, one for a key ring, the other for a wallet. Each had six buttons with numbers. I learned how to set up the locator so that when I lost the car keys, for instance, I could press “1” on the wallet device and the key ring would beep. If I lost my wallet, I could press “2” on the key ring and the wallet device would beep. Great idea, great execution. I only needed to find one thing with the beeper and I could find up to six other missing objects that were attached to a FOFA. I wanted more of them, but Radio Shack stopped selling them.

I delved into the Internet to track down the manufacturer (“made in China” was my only clue). Finally I found it, a small company in Texas owned by the “Find One, Find All” inventor.

I ordered several sets of their ‘new and improved’ FOFA model, attaching one to my camera, my van keys, my purse, my cell phone. They worked! What a miracle; I wanted to buy stock in the company. I eagerly ordered the new glasses locator.

It was, well, a disappointment. I’m sure it’s my ADD sensitivities, but I can’t stand even a tiny bit of weight around my neck. The little button panel, even shrunk down to less than half its original size, proved far too distracting for me.

So, I’m heading back to Costco today. A few more three-packs and I’ll have so many pairs of readers, they’ll always be within an arms reach. And perhaps I won’t burn the pizza next time.

Treadmill desk is perfect for ADD

Posted on January 2, 2009 by Linda

Now I walk while I work…on my own treadmill that has it’s own desk!

I got the idea from the Good Morning America show that aired a few months ago. A doctor at the Mayo Clinic created the treadmill desk for people who are on the computer a lot (like me) or on the phone (like me) or who write (like me). Problem was the darned thing cost $6000—whoa!

I knew I could do better than that, especially when I already have a little-used treadmill.

After a lot (a LOT) of research, I found a desk that works for me — the Walk N Work — and a flat screen monitor stand that goes in front of the treadmill so I can see it (laptop was too low) and a bookcase to hold all the rest of the stuff…and I am golden!

I just shot some video of this solution and will post it soon…but know that I am quite proud of the whole thing and more importantly, I am using it!!! Too many of my good ideas go to waste because they aren’t really practical…just cool. So, watch out. I am planning to be a lot more fit, thin and healthy this time next year!

Walking and working is a GOOD thing for ADDivas!

Low blue light for better sleep?

Posted on June 1, 2008 by Linda

Well, I’m always on the lookout for possible ADHD "solutions" — or more accurately, products and ideas that will support ADHD in a positive and encouraging light. So, I was de-LIGHTed to find a product that blocks the blue LIGHT waves that can suppress melatonin production, which in turn can make it difficult to go to sleep at night.

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