progress

EpicWin!

This is new. I don’t mean that in a “it just came out” sort of way…though it basically did. I mean, I have tried a lot of productivity, task management, to do list and GTD1 applications in my time and this is the first time I’ve tried one that actually hides within the disguise of an RPG.2

EpicWin! is an iPhone app that allows you to assign yourself tasks, schedule repeating chores and set priorities like any other task management app, but it does so by rewarding task completion with XP3 and “loot.” Your tasks are categorized as feats of strength, stamina, intellect, social or spirit and you can set the priority by the amount of “Epicness” the task is worth upon completion.

You start EpicWin by creating your character: choose its race, its name and then you send it out on quests…like “Do the laundry”…”Mow the lawn”…or “Pick up the dry cleaning” As you complete those tasks your character levels up and acquires treasures which your friends on Twitter and Facebook can receive announcements about if you wish.

It’s a really imaginative idea and I hope the folks at SuperMono develop it further. I’d like to see them offer an online database for you to store your tasks and your progress like Remember The Milk and the ability to compete and share progress with other EpicWinners. Maybe they could allow multiple players to share a task together as an EpicWin epic quest!

The app sells for $2.99 US for the iPhone. What do you use to get things done?

No Flash? No problem—click here!»

  1. Getting Things Done EpicWin! []
  2. Role Playing Game …get to know your acronyms!! []
  3. Experience Points []

MacBook Air transplanted into Mac Keyboard/Magic Trackpad combo

4893004792 9db606f2b0 318x157 MacBook Air transplanted into Mac Keyboard/Magic Trackpad combo

What you see above is a 1.6Ghz Core 2 Duo Mac with 2GB of RAM and 80GB hard drive. Don’t believe me? I’m not so sure I believe it either but here’s a look at the innards.1

4892426127 192defe0b6 318x211 MacBook Air transplanted into Mac Keyboard/Magic Trackpad combo

As the story goes, Bart Reardon ( @bartreardon ) was given a broken MacBook Air.

Bart had seen the motherboard for the MacBook Air way back when Steve Jobs first held it up at the announcement keynote and thought it should fit in one of those old white plastic Apple keyboards. Now he had his chance to find out!

You can follow Bart’s progress on his blog.

Tell me; is this Mac awesomeness? Would you dig a Mac/Keyboard combo? Leave a comment and we’ll chat.

  1. yes, that’s black duct tape …aka gaffer’s tape []

Streaks Seinfeld-esque time management app for iPhone

themes Streaks Seinfeld esque time management app for iPhoneI love to sleep in. I sleep in so long I waste away weekends. It’s a problem and I seriously need to solve it. My goal is to get myself out of bed at 6am every morning. Yes, 6am! It’s going to be tough, but if I can get momentum, I know I can make this my routine.

That’s why I was glad when I came across Streaks – Motivational Calendar in the iPhone Apps Store. It works on the same motivational principle as Jerry Seinfeld uses to be a better comic; he writes every day and keeps tabs of his progress on a calendar. Then, after several days of consecutive productivity, if he feels a bit lazy and wants to slack off that day, a glance over at the calendar motivates him to write in order to not break the streak. The more days that are marked off on the calendar, the more of a let down it would be if you had to break that streak.

Streaks – Motivational Calendar by Fanzter is a light-weight answer to this call for your iPhone and iPod touch (and iPad if you like the zoom-mode). It provides multiple calendars to track all your goals, be they “Exercise,” “Write in My Journal,” or in my case “Get Up At 6am.” Fantzer has outfitted Streaks with four themes for your calendars (unfortunately, you must choose one theme that will be for all your calendars) and a numerical icon badge that shows you the current streak your on with the first calendar in your list.

Get a handle on your goals; download Streaks for US$1.99

What goal do you want to achieve? Please let me know in the comments…maybe we can start an accountability group icon wink Streaks Seinfeld esque time management app for iPhone