Our minds only have so much ability to readily store information and my mind has so decided that it will have no part of everyday events, where I put my keys/wallet/phone, mundane occurances, things you put on to-do lists, important dates etc… My mind just isn’t any good at remembering this sort of thing. It’s not knowing when things are or what they are about that is the problem, I can list off the birthdays of family/friends, but when it comes down to the day, I will forget to call the person every time. It is this type of thing that has gotten me into trouble in school, at work, with family, with friends, and even with significant others.

So, as an effort to help others that may be in the same boat as I am when it comes to everday things and as a way for me to express my love for intangible objects, I present my personal lifehacks. A list of software that I love (yes love) because it enhances my life, it makes me a better person, makes others like me more, and most importantly, allows me to do and manage many more things in my life than I otherwise would be able to.

I personally vouch for and use regularly everything listed here to make my life better, which when it really comes down to it, is what all software really *should* do. Also they are all web-based or can be web-based, which means you can just use them from your web browser at home, work, or anywhere else.

• Backpack - This is a lifesaver. If it weren’t for Backpack, no idea I ever have would ever be remembered nor would I ever get anything done. A company called 37signals makes it. I use it to make to-do lists, manage work projects, send reminders to myself and generally manage information. I have pages for all the different subjects I’m thinking about and projects I’m working on and everytime I have a thought on a subject, I just add it to the corresponding page. The coolest feature though is text message reminders. You can set reminders (such as Mom’s Birthday) and the software will send a text message to your phone with the reminder on the date and time you specify. This has saved my butt a number of times. I set up reminders for everything from birthdays to picking up milk. They offer free accounts, but I use the $5 a month plan, which is well worth the upgrade.
• JumpBid - A guy from my work made this. I just started using it, but I can already see how it is going to be extremely useful. What it does is search ebay for you and then send you a text message and/or email to inform you when items that fit your criteria come up. For example you can create a search for Apple Powerbooks with less than 1 hour remaining and are currently priced between 1000 and 1300 dollars. Everytime any items on ebay fit your criteria, you get an email and/or text message. Best part about it is it’s free (thanks Wayne).
• Del.icio.us - I’ve always been annoyed by having my bookmarks tied to my computer. I would add a bookmark at work and then not have it on my computer at home. Also, I always have trouble remembering which folder I put the bookmark in. Del.icio.us solves this. I just add bookmarks to my del.icio.us account and can view them from any computer, anywhere. So the next time I want to show a friend a great article I found online, but don’t have my computer with me, I can just login and share the wealth. It also uses tags rather than folders, so I can assign multiple descriptors to a bookmark. You can also subscribe to RSS feeds of friend’s del.icio.us accounts so that everytime they add a bookmark to their account, you get notified.
• RSS feeds - Not really a software, but a technology. Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds are like automatic updaters for Web sites. so when a Web site adds a new article or a blog adds a new post, the RSS feed updates and you are updated through an RSS reader. There are a number of RSS readers out there. I recommend NetNewswire for Macs, Feedreader for PC’s and NewsGator as a Web-based reader. Once you have an RSS reader, you need to subscribe to the feeds that you want to be updated on. To subscribe to RSS feeds, look for logos on Web sites. For more information see Wikipedia’s entry on RSS.
• Google Alerts - A great way to keep up-to-date on happenings in the news. You enter search terms and anytime those search terms show up in a news article, Google sends you an email. Very cool way to keep up on current events. It is especially good for obscure topics that may not make it onto the front pages of news sites. Go to Google News and click on News Alerts on the left.
• Wikipedia - The online, free encyclopedia. Just as good as any printed encyclopedia, but free. Also it tends to be more up-to-date since it gets updated on a regular basis. Also has tons of subjects that would never make it into a printed encyclopedia.

So there you have it. Software that makes my life better. If anyone wants to start using any of these and needs help, feel free to let me know.

Categories: Software