Issue 24
  1. A beautiful, wooden laptop stand
  2. A flexible writing app
  3. A paper notebook for your to-dos
  4. An app for better surveys
  5. A (physical) timer for better time management
  6. A Chrome extension to discover Earth

Hey friends!

It's another guest-edited issue of TMD! This week Katie Zhu shares some of her favourite apps and accessories with us. Thanks Katie!

I spent most of last week in The Swamp. It's an awful feeling and I'm hopeful that this week will be kinder to me. 

A couple of videos I wanted to share with you: This TED talk on how self-driving cars see the road is truly mindboggling. We really are living in the future! And this short video with audio from David Foster Wallace on what we worship and some great visuals from NYC is definitely worth the two minutes.

Have a great (hopefully less swampy) week. :) 

Kai

 

Our Guest Editor

Katie Zhu

Katie does product and engineering for Medium. She’s interested in media and technology’s ability to strengthen connections among individuals and telling stories that matter to people. She writes with no apparent frequency at ktzine.com.

 

This Weekʼs Line-Up

A beautiful, wooden laptop stand
01

Okay, I know this is a crazy amount of money for what’s basically a nicely polished piece of wood, but damn  it looks really slick. The hollow interior is perfect for storing extra desk supplies (or minimising the space taken up by your keyboard and mouse). I love the contrast between the wood and the sleek metal of my laptop.

 
A flexible writing app
02

I love writing. There’s a lot of great tools available today, the company I work for being one, but I love Ulysses because it feels less like a writing tool geared solely towards publishing and more like a creative workspace. It can be as organised or as messy as I like .  I have a few folders (essays, work, stray observations) and a couple smart filters for product, media, and other areas of interest. I’ve configured Dropbox syncing so I can use it across devices (they only make a Mac and iPad app but I use iA writer on my phone). As an added customisation bonus, there’s a library full of themes to choose from, and you can export text to a variety of formats (HTML, PDF, ePub, etc.)

 
A paper notebook for your to-dos
03

I’m pretty crazy when it comes to to-do apps. I try every single new one, each time hoping it will unlock some magical heightened level of productivity. But time and time again, I find I’m never able to stick with one. The best 'app' for me is old-school pen and paper, which is why I love this nicely designed pocket notebook  –  perfect for lists of things I need to get done, but with enough flexibility for stray thoughts and ideas.

 
An app for better surveys
04

Good riddance to Google Forms. Typeform is a beautifully designed, functional form and survey tool that works well across platforms. Creation is straightforward and they provide a decent set of analytics: visits broken down by platform, completion rates, and completion times. I’ve only used the free version, which has been enough for my needs, but they have a pro plan available too.

 
A (physical) timer for better time management
05

While I don’t strictly adhere to the Pomodoro technique, I still find it useful to timebox my work. Breaking projects up into smaller, discrete tasks forces me to make estimates about how long each thing will take, which helps me stay focused and be realistic about how much I can take on in a day. I’ve tried a few timer apps, but I love the tacticality of this big physical one. It’s also a nice addition to any workspace.

 
A Chrome extension to discover Earth
06

It took a long time for me to replace Currently as my browser furniture, but getting a beautiful Google Earth satellite image every time you open a new tab is a pretty delightful experience. I love the serendipity – you never know what location you’ll get to discover — and it’s always so fun when you recognise the place :)