Comments on: The sharpest tool in the shed http://www.dystel.com/blog/2010/11/the-sharpest-tool-in-the-shed/ Mon, 26 Jun 2017 15:15:14 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.15 By: DGLM http://www.dystel.com/blog/2010/11/the-sharpest-tool-in-the-shed/comment-page-1/#comment-19644 Mon, 08 Nov 2010 19:02:30 +0000 http://032453b.netsolhost.com/blog/2010/11/the-sharpest-tool-in-the-shed/#comment-19644 Thanks, guys! A lot of great tips here, and some of them should be helpful to me, too, even though I'm not a writer!

I also fantasize about iPads, but I try to pretend that's not true, because it's quite clear that I don't actually need one and will therefore never convince myself to part with teh cold hard cash to buy it.

Tamara, thanks for the rec on Irfanview–I feel like that'll come in handy.

MA Leslie, thanks for the tip! We'd actually started archiving onto separate folders on the server (because we back that up instead of our hard drives), but then had to upgrade our server anyway since we'd basically killed the old one with our copious email. There's no limit on the size of Outlook on the new server software, fortunately!

]]> By: Liz Hollar http://www.dystel.com/blog/2010/11/the-sharpest-tool-in-the-shed/comment-page-1/#comment-19640 Mon, 08 Nov 2010 03:31:24 +0000 http://032453b.netsolhost.com/blog/2010/11/the-sharpest-tool-in-the-shed/#comment-19640 I love meetup.com and all the internet groups for writers to find critique partners and just other writers.

I like timer programs – On tough to write days they force me to fulfill my quota. On writing fast days, they force me to step back and figure out where to go next before I write myself into a hole.

I don't have one, but I fantasize about iPads.

]]> By: Che Gilson http://www.dystel.com/blog/2010/11/the-sharpest-tool-in-the-shed/comment-page-1/#comment-19639 Sat, 06 Nov 2010 23:22:02 +0000 http://032453b.netsolhost.com/blog/2010/11/the-sharpest-tool-in-the-shed/#comment-19639 Pencil and paper. I'm not kidding. I am woefully not up with technology.

I enjoy Livejournal because it doesn't have a word limit like Facebook. I don't have Twitter because I won't pay for internet on mycell phone.

I am dying to get a Kindle but realized that I would also need the money not only to buy one but also to put books on it.

I adore Photoshop but I use it for my art :)

iPad looks like fun but I really need a new laptop more.

]]> By: Mike Mullin http://www.dystel.com/blog/2010/11/the-sharpest-tool-in-the-shed/comment-page-1/#comment-19635 Sat, 06 Nov 2010 02:04:58 +0000 http://032453b.netsolhost.com/blog/2010/11/the-sharpest-tool-in-the-shed/#comment-19635 Dropbox.com. Creates a secure online backup of my work-in-progress and syncs the version on my laptop with the one on my desktop automatically.

]]> By: jseliger.com http://www.dystel.com/blog/2010/11/the-sharpest-tool-in-the-shed/comment-page-1/#comment-19634 Sat, 06 Nov 2010 01:35:03 +0000 http://032453b.netsolhost.com/blog/2010/11/the-sharpest-tool-in-the-shed/#comment-19634 So I'm wondering, as writers or editors or readers, what technological tools do you find that you couldn't live without?

Devonthink Pro, as described by Steven Berlin Johnson here. Especially in conjunction with the Best Book Stand Jasmine.

]]> By: Suzi McGowen http://www.dystel.com/blog/2010/11/the-sharpest-tool-in-the-shed/comment-page-1/#comment-19632 Fri, 05 Nov 2010 20:16:19 +0000 http://032453b.netsolhost.com/blog/2010/11/the-sharpest-tool-in-the-shed/#comment-19632 Document Map in Word. I don't know how I did anything without it. In the years since I've learned of it, I *can't* do anything without it!

]]> By: Liesl http://www.dystel.com/blog/2010/11/the-sharpest-tool-in-the-shed/comment-page-1/#comment-19629 Fri, 05 Nov 2010 19:02:37 +0000 http://032453b.netsolhost.com/blog/2010/11/the-sharpest-tool-in-the-shed/#comment-19629 Find and Replace is my friend.

And Gmail is my friend. Never delete emails and I can find anything in my email with their search tool.

And I love my Macbook. No blue screen of death!

]]> By: M.A.Leslie http://www.dystel.com/blog/2010/11/the-sharpest-tool-in-the-shed/comment-page-1/#comment-19628 Fri, 05 Nov 2010 18:07:59 +0000 http://032453b.netsolhost.com/blog/2010/11/the-sharpest-tool-in-the-shed/#comment-19628 I think if you create personal folders on your outlook they will not effect the server and save directly to your harddrive. In doing so you won't screw up the system.

]]> By: Victoria Laurie http://www.dystel.com/blog/2010/11/the-sharpest-tool-in-the-shed/comment-page-1/#comment-19627 Fri, 05 Nov 2010 17:49:59 +0000 http://032453b.netsolhost.com/blog/2010/11/the-sharpest-tool-in-the-shed/#comment-19627 I'm a gadget girl, and when the iPad came out I was all over it like white on rice! I primarily wanted it for the eReader function, but I've found it offers so much more. One function that I absolutely love is that it's allowed me to completely give up the 17 million notebooks I used to keep on hand, strategically placed all around the house just in case I was in a room other than my office and inspiration struck while I was say…folding laundry. (Yep, I even had a notebook over the washing machine!)
As my iPad is never far away, (it's sitting right next to me in fact) I just grab it, type the idea or note into my Notebooks app and I am off to the races! I've saved a tree (or ten) and my sanity all in one cool little gadget! :)

]]> By: Tamara http://www.dystel.com/blog/2010/11/the-sharpest-tool-in-the-shed/comment-page-1/#comment-19626 Fri, 05 Nov 2010 17:45:01 +0000 http://032453b.netsolhost.com/blog/2010/11/the-sharpest-tool-in-the-shed/#comment-19626 Tweetdeck! Definitely. I didn't get Twitter until I installed it. Plus it's easier to follow Facebook and other social networks.

For those who don't have Photoshop: Irfanview, a free image editing software.

And of course everyone knows about control-C (to copy), control-V (to paste), and control-X (to cut)? An easy way to get text between programs.

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