Yearly Archives: 2013

My Daily Posting Workflow

It has been a week or so since I started post daily here, so I thought it would be a good time to talk about my workflow and some of the tools I’m using to get the job done. First, just because you are reading this today and it was posted today does not mean I wrote it today. In fact, I wrote this several days ago. I try to write at least 2-4 days in advance. I queue these up to post at 8am every day and keep track of what is posting when (and drag and drop to re-arrange them if needed) using a wonderful WordPress |yafzd|referrer|rfhht
plugin called Editorial Calendar. One of the ways I can try to keep commitment to post daily here is to have a few in the hopper ahead of time. That way, if something comes up on a day and I don’t have time to write I don’t have to sweat it too much.

I’m mostly writing each post using PlainText for iOS and most are written on my iPad mini. That said, It is not unusual for me to write them on my iPhone or Mac (using Byword there) if that is where I happen to be when the muse strikes. That said, before the iPad mini (which is really great by the way), I wrote most sub–1000 word pieces on my iPhone. The difference is likely due to the novelty and newness of the iPad mini and, therefore, is likely to change back to being mostly iPhone at some point. The bottom line: If I happen to have an idea and the time to flesh out the first draft, I do it with whatever tool is most available.

But, when I don’t have the time, I capture it by any means necessary. Most of the time that is using pen and paper. Lately, having a Field Notes notebook in my back pocket has been the place of choice. That said, a 3×5 card or the iPhone are occasional stand-ins. What matters is that any idea that even smells like something to write about gets captured somewhere. All ideas matter.

Once captured, the goal is to get it to first draft state as soon as time allows and refine from there. Once a post is ready to go, how it gets into the queue largely depends on where I’m at and what additional tools might be needed. I’ve been using the official WordPress app on the iPad mini and it works well enough in a pinch. On my Mac, I log in to the WordPress Dashboard and use that. If the post has significant Markdown formatting and I’m posting into WordPress from my iPad, I copy and paste from PlainText to Drafts for iOS and use the tools there to copy to clipboard as HTML. Then, I paste that into the WordPress app. Works for me.

Now, I’m sure I’ll get more questions about the details not covered here or why I don’t do certain things (because this is working for me so far) or have I thought of something-or-other (the answer is likely “yes”). That said, as always, I do invite your feedback and commentary via email or on App.net if you have one.

Book Review: Atlas of Remote Islands

atlas-remote-islands

It is high time for cartography to take its place among the arts, and for the atlas to be recognized as literature, for it is more than worthy of its original aim: theatrum orbis terrarum, the theatre of the world. — Judith Schalansky

With this declaration in the preface of the book, the author then proceeds to create such a perfect final argument for her case. If there ever was or is to be map making as art and atlas as literature, this is it.

Atlas of Remote Islands is a stunning achievement. It is a book for lovers of geography, students of history, and dreamers of far-away places. But is is also an intelligent and compellingly written series of essays about each of the fifty remote islands presented. Instead of bland truths and interesting anecdotes one might find in a proper scholarly work, the author takes both factual details and myths and interweaves them into compelling narratives. She whisks you away to a time and a place that is literally in the middle of nowhere. She spins yarns of triumph and heartbreak. She addresses the practical and the fanciful with equal regard in doing so. Unlike any other Atlas you may have encountered, this is a work to be both studied and read.

The preface tells of the author’s life long love of maps and dreams of travel. She was born in East Germany, not long before the fall of the Berlin Wall and the subsequent reunification. Therefore, her perspective of going from dreams of travel that, under Soviet rule, would remain thus to suddenly having the dreams made possibility simply because someone had decided to change the lines on a map is very compelling. Thus her approach to maps is one where lines and borders are imaginary and impractical as any tale one might conjure. She understands that things such as history, maps, and borders are at the will of those that claim them.

This makes all the more sense when she says, “That’s why the question of whether these stores are ‘true’ is misleading. All the text in the book is based on extensive research and every detail stems from factual sources. I have not invented anything. However I was the discoverer of the sources, researching them through ancient and rare books and I have transformed the texts and appropriated them as sailors appropriate the lands they discover.”

This book is a wonder and a true gem. I highly recommend you appropriate it as a treasure for your collection.

Buy It: Atlas of Remote Islands by Judith Schalansky

Happy Accidents

When it comes to taking photos, I have long been one of those amateurs that takes 10 shots in rapid succession hoping that at least one of them will turn out OK. Generally, when I do this, I’ll quickly scan through them at my earliest opportunity, choose the one I want, and delete the rest.

Lately, though, I’ve been trying to delete the “bad ones” less quickly. The reason is this: While some of those shots may be imperfect to my eye at first pass, I often find that many grow on me if I let them sit and come back to them later. In fact, I come to love them more than the original.

Here a few examples of photos I’m glad I did not toss at first pass…

bubbles

I |ibsnf|referrer|zrfsk
almost deleted this one because I was trying to capture Beatrix’s face (Oh, that face!). That said, I love the motion and framing of this one so much. It exudes fun. Far better than the one I was going for.

climbing

This was too blurry to my eyes at first pass. Yet, I decided to keep it and revisit it. Once again, it is my now my favorite of these shots. Not sure if it’s the movement or where the focus falls but I like it.

running

Once again, action shots should have action. They shouldn’t be perfect. They shouldn’t be still. They should be blurry and full of energy. Glad I did not toss this one.

The lesson I have learned here is to not be so quick to judge. These judgments are often clouded by desires or goals that we may have in one moment that, revisited in hindsight, may not be the best choice. That, sometimes, we may find beauty in exactly the places we least expect it if we look with a less reactive eye.