writers

So there you are nestled behind your desk, wearing your favorite roomy t-shirt and sweats, all the while pecking away at your keyboard. Your back feels great in that new ergonomic chair, the extended monitor is candy-for-your-eyes and your keyboard and mouse setup feel like an extension of your body. But what about your feet? FEET? WHO NEEDS FEET? TELL MY HOLEY SOCKS TO PRAY FOR ‘EM, I’M BUSY SPINNING GOLD WITH MY FINGERTIPS!

Seriously, I tried on a pair of these Memory Foam Slippers from The Sharper Image and my body sunk about 3/4 an inch down into a billowy cloud of bliss. These would make a great techy - but not so techy - gift for anyone.  But give these to a home-writer and they may just love you for it.

Cost: $29.99

The folks at OfficePOD believe the ability to work from home is a trend that’s here to stay.  I think their product is ideal for writers with a backyard and who are in need of "space" to write.  You wouldn’t think twice about a shed for housing the lawn tools, a greenhouse, or playhouse for the kids, so why not an office pod?  So often writers find themselves carving out work space at the kitchen table or on the couch - only to be interrupted by the kids, the dog, the telephone or solicitors banging down the front door.

There’s lots of benefits for corporate too, such as reducing commute time, more focused employees, etc, however the OfficePOD would be absolutely ideal for writers seeking solitude and a special place designated solely for the depositing of their brain droppings. The OfficePOD is energy efficient and designed in great part with recycled or recyclable products. Each pod is delivered and constructed by a specialist team and measures approximately 7′ x 7′.  To date, this brilliant idea is only available in the UK for £14,950 ($24,273).

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QWERTY computer keyboards have been accessible by consumers since the dawn of PCs (personal computers).  Sure, desktop keyboards have become more ergonomic and sleeker, but the shape of the keys has remained consistent until  now.  Well…sort of.  The new chiclet keyboard is mimicking fashion - meaning you have to go way way back to find the design in certain gadgets manufactured in the 80’s. 

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Fisher Space Pen - Packed with technology, the Space Pen is, without exception, the best pen on the market for travel.  The website offers a large selection at very reasonable prices.  When purchasing, keep in mind most writers will utilize the clip accessory for attaching the pen to journals. Starting as low as $9 - Fisher Space Pen Co.

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No need to check the calendar.  It’s true.  We are fast approaching 2010 and still the most you can hope to get out of a laptop battery is 3 - 5 hrs.  “But, but…” I know, I know, there’s a robot on Mars and a man on the moon. Go figure.

Until manufacturers can figure out the short-lived battery dilemma, external batteries remain the only key to unfetter the mobile writer.  We’ve all seen the chaos that can ensue over the lone outlet jack in the airport terminal or Starbucks cafe.  It’s an ugly site and quite frankly, degrading as much as it is ridiculous - human beings hovering over a single outlet jack like a squirrel burring a nut for the winter. Rise up from the muck and mire people and go forth hauling 20+ hours of battery life with the HyperMac extended battery.

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This blog has written at length about the advantages of tablet PCs (TPC) for writers.  In fact, the lack of writers’ awareness regarding various technologies that enhance productivity was the impetus behind LitCentral starting this blog.  Lump TPCs into the “technology that enhances writers’ productivity” bunch. If you are the type of writer that likes to map out your novel or script with handwritten notes, 3×5 cards, and Post-it stickers the TPC is a great solution.   Using software applications like OneNote and Evernote with your TPC,  you can write directly on the screen,  capturing all of your handwritten notes (all in one place) and never run out of ink or paper.  

When I first became interested in the TPC over five years ago, you could expect to pay a minimum of $2000 for the cheapest of models, and up to $4500 for the crème de la crème.   Today, prices have dropped considerably with certain models starting at $799.

LifeBook T4310

Fujitsu is one of the oldest manufacturers of tablet PCs, helping to pioneer the hardware platform over 20 years ago.  They offer the largest selection of TPCs, and recently joined the family of multi-touch tablet PCs with the introduction of the Lifebook T4310. Most tablets are built around a “mobile” platform with light weight hardware (2.4 lbs - 4 lbs) and small 12″ screens.   The T4310 is no different.  It offers the latest dual digitizer technology with pen input and multi-touch interaction, a modular bay, bi-directional display hinge, and the performance of Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor technology.

Starting at $1049, the Fujitsu LifeBook T4310 isn’t the cheapest TPC on the market, but it does not compromise on quality or technology. My only gripe is that I would prefer it have a faster FSB (1066 MHz vs 800 MHz).  Available for order late October.  Go here for more info.

Sex and the City inspired my wardrobe and influenced my choice of libation for much of my 20s and on into my 30s.  For two weeks after Six Feet Under and The Sopranos went off the air, I wore black and carried a hanky.  And true enough, it wasn’t Sunday…it was HBO.  All the while, Showtime is carrying on in the 300-channel-block of my DishNetwork, but other than a season of The LWord, and a few episodes of Weeds, nothing really maintained my interest like those HBO shows mentioned… until Nurse Jackie. 

Nurse Jackie is a 30-minute dark comedy set in an ER ensconced in the chaos of New York City.  Yeah yeah same show different city, right?  Wrong.  This isn’t a comedy spin-off of ER or House or Grey’s Anatomy or Scrubs or the countless other shows that fall under the hospital genre.  This one is different, as I’ll try to explain.

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So you finally bit the bullet and purchased a smartphone eh? There’s so much to learn about your new gadget and this "tethering" thing seems to be all the rave.  But what exactly is tethering?

Wikipedia defines tethering as: ‘using some type of mobile device to gain internet access on another device’.  Your smartphone (i.e. BlackBerry, iPhone, Treo, Palm Pre, etc) can access the internet via your cellphone plan, right?  You can then use that same internet connection to access the internet on your laptop by way of tethering (connecting) your smartphone to your laptop.  Got it?

Tethering isn’t new.  I’ve been tethering for about three years via the BlackBerry. For those of us who understand how to tether, the excessive cost of wireless PC cards and separate internet data plans are quickly becoming a way of the past.

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Just days after Barnes & Noble delighted us with free WI-FI for everyone, the Wall Street Journal reports that small  coffee shops in New York and San Francisco are putting strict time restrictions on patrons with laptops.  I actually understand the owners’ dilemma and here’s why… 

Naider’s Coffee Shop offers free internet.  In these tough economic times, folks in the neighborhood, unemployed and looking for work, have cut out their own in-house internet and are seeking out free WI-FI - and mooch wherever they can. The newly unemployed may find themselves lonely sitting at home surfing the web for employment opportunities, and would rather venture out with their laptops to do more of the same.  They enter the local coffee shop and pay a couple bucks for a cup of hot java, but proceed to nurse it for hours as they surf the net. One coffee shop owner complains he’s seen folks bring their own sandwiches and tea bags and have the nerve to ask for a free cup of hot water! The regular lunch crowd has nowhere to sit and thus small coffee shops are losing business.   Previously it wasn’t a problem because "the usual" crowd of laptop users were writers and the alike.  But now that the unemployed have joined in and the recession crowds are pinching pennies, it’s proving to be too much for small coffee shops to handle.  Some shops have covered up the electrical outlets, and others have placed limits on laptop usage.  Naider’s has specific "rules of no geekd’m" between the hours of 11:00 A.M. and 2:00 P.M. weekdays.

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There are so many things to remember when packing for an extended stay.  Whether you plan on writing when you settle in wherever you’re going, or you want to take advantage of writing time mid-flight or in between flights, make certain your gear bag has all the geekd’m you need.

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Glasses have always been a part of many writer’s couture. For the lucky few that manage to read and write tiny print for days on end and be unaffected…bravo.  But for those of you who have to wear glasses AND prefer your spectacles make a statement so bold as to enter the room before you do, follow me.

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Laptops seem to have found a diet that works, and it’s a really good fit for writers. "Ultra portable" laptops fall within certain dimensions to be deemed such.  Display size varies between 11" - 13" and the unit weighs as little as  2 lbs but no more than 4 lbs.  Realize there’s a sector of ultra portable, low performance, cheap computers called netbooks and there’s also a sector of ultra portable yet powerful laptop computers.  This article refers to the latter.  Netbooks are a low-cost alternative for mobile writers, but if you can afford the whole enchilada - go for more power.

A powerful laptop weighing around 3 lbs can galvanize your productivity because you won’t think twice about taking it with you.  The easier your access is to your laptop, the more likely you are to write.  The more you write, the better you write.  This is why ultra portable laptops are a FANTASTIC GADGET FOR WRITERS!

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I came across these typewriter key coasters while placing an order with one of my favorite online catalogs - Sundance.  Each coaster is stamped with a courier font letter of your choice and encased in glass at $8 a pop (two or more $7 each).  Order your favorite letter, piece together initials, or get creative and spell out something like LOVE or DREAM or QWERTY. These coasters would make the perfect gift and fit the decor of any writer.

Following up on our article - The Benefits of a Smartphone in a Writer’s World - we have gathered together a list of smartphone applications to help you stay productive. The links below are for BlackBerry applications, but most have an alternative for Palm and Windows smartphones.

And, let’s not forget the iPhone.  Do you realize there are over 50,000 iPhone and iPod applications  available through the App store to date (June 2009)?  It’s hard to even wrap your brain around the depth of innovation Apple has spurred by opening the pipeline to developers with one simple question in mind - If you could hold a computer in the palm of your hand, what could it do?  We’ve taken some time to comb through the App Store and come up with quite a few applications that can enhance a writer’s tool belt.

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Smartphones  are quickly propagating the cellphone landscape, making anyone who whips out a mundane flip phone appear slightly "out of touch".  The point of this article is to discuss whether or not the benefits of owning a smartphone are to the writer’s advantage.  But first, let’s answer a few general questions about the gadget.

What is a smartphone?
In a nuthshell it’s a cellphone that allows you to do a host of other things via mobile applications. 

What’s the difference between the iPhone, the Blackberry, and all the others?
In a word…OS (Operating System).  In order to access email, internet, IM, pictures, etc on your computer you need an operating system like Windows or OS X, right?  Same thing goes for  smartphones  - which are basically tiny, limited computers that allow you to easily make phone calls. The iPhone’s OS is derived from OS X.  BlackBerry has a proprietary OS created by RIM.  Treos either use Palm or Windows Mobile. Google has also entered the smartphone market with its Android operating system. In addition, each carrier has propriety operating systems on their less expensive QWERTY cellphones (i.e. VZ Navigator) that don’t quite qualify as a "smartphone" because of the limitations of the OS.

Is the smartphone an imperative tool for writers? 
Let’s put it this way; you can live in a log cabin with no indoor plumbing or electricity and create the greatest novel known to man using a 1935 Remington typewriter.  So technically, technology isn’t imperative to a writer, but it does make life easier.  That’s exactly what the smartphone does for a writer - IT MAKES LIFE EASIER - for the reasons listed below:

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In 2005 Michelle and I co-founded LitCentral Inc. and we both needed bags that were professional, durable, and functional.  When your career choice requires that you constantly have access to a computer, you become very familiar with what the laptop bag market has to offer.   One thing is for certain, while quality often equates to higher price, a higher price tag doesn’t necessarily equate to quality.  A few years ago, I paid $100 for a Victorinox backpack and it lasted less than 12 months before the fabric started to unravel and the clips broke off.  You would think paying more for a recognizable brand would equate to quality – wrong!

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May is just around the corner and graduations are nearing.  Need the perfect gift for that English Lit grad leasing a new apartment or that quick-witted screenwriter finishing up film school? The Atelier polished task lamp is a memorable gift that sends the perfect message: Your future is bright. 

For those middle of the night "bursts of brilliance", gift them a journal or notebook to keep beside the task lamp.  I love the Jenny Bick refillable SMILE journal.  Just click on your task light and jot down your thoughts. 

Lamp Price: $229      Journal Price: $29 

Although I am an advocate of mobile computing for writers, I realize some folks just prefer a desktop or want to make due with what they have.  If you split residences, travel long periods of time, etc. and you find yourself needing to routinely transport your desktop setup, iLugger has a suitable solution for protecting your gear while en route.

iLugger manufactures large computer cases geared toward iMacs ranging from 17" - 24", plus extra compartments for keyboard, mouse and power supply.   If you’re chained to a Power Mac or a Mac Mini with a Cinema display, or even a PC; there are bags to accommodate these setups as well.

iLuggers come in a range of colors with removable straps, starting at $119.

I tend to lean toward non-fiction books.  I like knowing the hours spent reading something are beneficial.  If the book is interesting I’m done in a few days - absorbing big mouthfuls like a jumbo-size tub of popcorn.  If it’s not so good I consume it like a slice of holiday fruitcake - with gracious etiquette - laboring over every bite because I feel impelled to finish what I start.  Malcolm Gladwell’s latest book Outliers was not only consumed like a jumbo-size tub of popcorn – it was deliciously smothered in butter.

First of all, I have to admit my bias.  I love Gladwell’s previous books, Tipping Point and Blink.  Both are very insightful.  But Outliers has made me view life, success and most importantly screenwriting and what we do here at LitCentral in a much different way.  In Outliers Gladwell suggests that “genius” or a high IQ has nothing (yes, I said nothing) to do with success… and even more so, extraordinary success (hence the title - Outliers).

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