Month: February 2012

I’ve been building yet another todo list/task management application called Task Hub. It’s my take on the Getting Things Done methodology. So why yet another productivity tool? Here’s my thinking…

As for as I am concerned there are two main ways of building something new

– Lean Startup
– Scratch Your Own Itch

I think the Lean Startup method works great if you are building a product for other people. A number of times however I have found myself working on a Minimum Viable Product, testing it out and getting some initial traction only to find it is something that doesn’t really interest me.

When starting anything which may turn into a long term project or business I’ve started considering whether I would want to be doing this in 5 years time. Also is it a project that could be successfully run by just a single person? And this is where I’ve stepped back a little bit and thought more about ‘scratching your own itch’ ie building something for myself.

Of course this might be why so many programmers build yet another bug tracking solution or task management app, but you know I don’t think it matters. If the idea interests you and it is something you are going to use yourself then why not build it? It is better to use your time to build something that will improve your life than sit there and wait for divine intervention/inspiration. And of course building something for yourself allows you to dog food your own product. It may be likely you are your own products biggest evangelist and user! It may be that you end up being the only person to ever use your software – but it doesn’t matter, as it scratches your itch and makes your life better.

As a programmer it’s also good to have a ‘real’ project to try new things. Found a new javascript library you want to learn? Use it on your own project. There are only so many sample projects you can create – you will only really start learning something when you put it into production. Even if the only real user in production is you.

After reading 2 Jack Reacher books in a row I decided I wanted to read something a bit different. I really liked the Dan Brown books and so was attracted to The Medici Secret as it has a similar type cover and seemed like it would be a similar type, fast action paced book…

The book annoyed me a bit as it kept jumping around different centuries/years which I sometimes struggled to keep up with. There were quite a lot of different characters in it too which was sometimes confusing, but if you didn’t remember all the details it didn’t seem to matter as I followed the story along OK. The author tried to put in the usual surprise/twist at the end, but to be honest it didn’t really make that much difference to the story! Every book I read now I keep wondering what the attempted twist will be at the end…

A good read, not the best book of the last 12 months but not the worst either.

Finished reading Tripwire by Lee Child recently. This is the second Jack Reacher book I’ve read in succession and I think I need a break before reading anymore. Tripwire was certainly a good book, but a little bit too long for me. It was also a bit weird that the first Jack Reacher was written in the first person, but this one was in the third.

Anyhow – a good book I’d certainly recommend to people. Will be going back to Jack Reacher after a little break reading a few other things.

I have gone backwards and forwards many times over whether to buy books in print or electronically via Amazon Kindle. I think I’ve finally come to a conclusion though!
Many people who have switched to eBooks and their favourite ebook reader who I know do a lot of traveling. It makes sense to carry the books you want to read on a Kindle rather than in your suitcase or backpack, and of course with a Kindle device/app you have access to your entire catalogue of ebooks in case you want to re-read or reference something.

But there’s something about paper that I still like. There are certain situations when a paper book still beats an ebook.

The problem I have had with books is I read too many of them! Especially non-fiction. Quite often I would read a book, and after a week forgotten most things about it. I’m sure if there was something important it would be in the back of my memory waiting to jump out when it was needed – but I did kind of feel I was waisting my time doing all the reading. I tried underlining sections, keeping notes in the inside cover – but as soon as I finished the book and put it back on the shelf that was it. I didn’t pick it up to review those notes or highlights.

This is where Kindle really wins. All of the highlights and notes you make while reading with the Kindle app get stored and synchronized to http://kindle.amazon.com
Now once a week – usually first thing on a Monday I can click through and review all the highlights from the books I’ve read electronically and remember all the important points. A really good thing to do before you get yourself deep into the working week as you can remember what’s important to you and plan accordingly.

I don’t actually own a Kindle device yet. I’ve got an iPad 1.0 with the Kindle App installed, plus make use of the apps on my iPhone and Windows Phone 7.
I’m still not sure it’s a good idea to read on the iPad before bedtime – the bright light and all not being too good for you. I’ve also started reading more fiction before bedtime as well, which fits in nicely – so I’m probably going to stick to Kindle App for non-fiction, and paper for fiction and bedtime reading.

I can just dream that one day when you buy a paper version of a book you get the electronic version as well. If publishers want to stop amazon eating their dinner it’s something they should consider.