2014 – Page 12 – Patrick Rhone

Items Of Interest #15

Another fun collection of things I’ve come across in my Internet travels…

If you are a Field Notes fan, or even just a fan of the stories behind products (as I am), you are going to love these “behind the scenes” videos of every Field Notes seasonal release.
A great post from Seth Godin regarding the things you should steal instead of inventing. More often than not, there’s no sense in inventing something that someone else has already done pretty well.
Sara Benincasa reminds all artists that even if you have a day job, you are still a “real” artist. A must read for any artist â€” day job or not.
That said, a “real” artist makes art. As my dear friend Randy Murray reminds us, “Make writing your default. Itâ€™s what you do. Thatâ€™s when youâ€™ll know that youâ€™re a writer and how youâ€™ll knowâ€”youâ€™re a writer because writing is what you do.”
I’ve recently had a renewed love and obsession with literary journals. The Fog Horn is an iOS based one that looks great.
Petrolicious has quickly become one of those sites I check in on several times a week. In fact, what it really is is a love affair with the classic automobile that we readers have the pleasure of voyeuristically watching. It is beautifully designed all around but I’m really deep in it for [the videos]. The videos are great stories about cars and the people that love them. All are well produced, shot, and edited. I’m always up for seeing stories about people passionate about, well, anything. But especially craftsmanship and preservation.
Nick Wynja reminds us that our tasks list should be about something greater than that tasks themselves. As he puts it, “The Work is important but what are you working towards? Whatâ€™s the point of your work?”. I agree so much with this.
I’m currently reading Choose Yourself by James Altucher and it’s fantastic so far. I’ll have a longer review forthcoming (actually, a whole series of related books and tools like it). But, don’t wait. Get and read this now. Seriously.

OK, That’s all for now. Happy trails.

A Brief Review â€” Levenger Bomber Jacket Messenger

I was not expecting to like this bag as much as I do. When Levenger reached out to me to ask if I wanted to review their Bomber Jacket Messenger, I wasn’t so sure. I have a lot of bags â€” more than enough. It’s one of the places where my natural minimalistic tendencies fly out the window. To that end, I have worked very hard to settle on just few bags that are built to last a lifetime. Included in that group is a Levenger Stanley Briefbag (now-discontinued). So, I certainly don’t need another bag.

But I sure do love this bag. It’s a great size. It’s not meant to hold everything. It is more square than rectangular so even a lot of laptops are out of the question. That said, it has two large compartments so more than enough room for a full size iPad. It has a some organizational pockets for a phone, pens, business cards, etc. It also has two zippered pockets â€” one inside and one outside that are roomy and deep. In other words, it can actually hold a fair amount of stuff and keep it organized without losing it’s trim shape. There is also a nice little hook inside for your keys that attaches with a snap. I used the heck out of that.

The Bomber Jacket leather and plaid interior just plain look good as well. Rugged yet elegant. Equally at home with a t-shirt and jeans or a suit. I’ve been using it almost daily since I got it a few weeks back and it still looks brand new.

I’ve been a Levenger customer for over twenty years. I have never been disappointed by anything I have purchased there. The commitment to quality, service, and usefulness of their offerings is beyond compare.

So, if you are looking for a versatile bag for your daily commute, yet don’t need a full laptop bag, this is well worth a look. That said, if you do like the looks of this bag but wished it were a little bit larger to accommodate a laptop, they make a version for that too which I can only assume is just as great.

Extending Dash/Plus

New Dash/Plus Items

Joshua Ginter shared his wonderful review of my Dash/Plus system with me earlier today. It’s great and you should check it out. He even covers the Dash/Plus app a bit too.

Yet, he ultimately decides it won’t work for the way he takes notes. Mainly because of a couple of things my original system doesn’t address. He states:

Much of the jargon scribbled across my books are semi-coherent thoughts which merely record my thinking at that point in time. They don’t necessarily need action or fit within a simple or defined list system.

And that’s true. The system as I first conceived it did not take such things into consideration. That was even a hole that affected me for a while. So, over a year ago, I added a couple of new metadata items to cover exactly that for me.

Idea â€” I change the dash into a lightbulb.
Diary/Thought â€” I change the dash into an asterisks.

I’ve been doing this for a long while and just never bothered to share this tweak with the rest of the world. The reason: It never really occurred to me that it might be useful to others. Crazy, I know.

The thing is that the Dash/Plus system is such a natural part of the way I work that I forget that other people use it as well. It is like breathing or blinking. Consciously, I know I do it and that others do it as well but I’m not really aware I’m doing it until I stop to think about the fact I am.

Here’s the other thing: I kind of expect that someone will take the basics of the Dash/Plus system and extend and change it in ways that work for them. Please do. I welcome it. Even better if you write about it and let me know what you’ve done so I can share it with others. I’m sorry I failed to do so myself until now.