My Livescribe SmartPen, 2 years later

A couple of years ago, I reviewed the LiveScribe Pulse Smartpen.  The other day, someone asked me how I like it - and specifically, how well it integrates with Evernote (which I'm always talking about, it seems).

I figured this would be a good time to provide an update on how I'm using the LiveScribe Smartpen.  First, I now have the newer model now called the Livescribe Echo Smartpen.  More storage, a bit less bulky.

Yes, I still use the LiveScribe, but not all the time.  Bottom line?  I have a love/hate relationship with it.

Why I Love the Livescribe Echo Smartpen:

• The Evernote desktop client has very clean integration with Evernote (there is a button in the LiveScribe UI that uploads the selected page automatically as a new note that becomes OCR-able).
• The Livescribe Smartpen is absolutely great for capturing notes and diagrams – it helps me to write, as writing helps me retain things better.  I'm very visual so keeping a record of my diagrams as I captured them is terrific.
• The Livescribe Smartpen's audio capture is also very handy – I can write a keyword, record, and concentrate on the conversation more fully, knowing I can go back and re-listen to all the details.
• The ability to share animated diagrams with voice annotation via their portal is way cool – though I've only done it a couple of times.  I posted an example of a recorded LiveScribe session in my last review, if you're curious.
• There is some nice built-in OCR-ish search function in the LiveScribe client software.
• The Livescribe Smartpen has really good battery life.
• Notebooks and pen refills are reasonably priced and available at Target or Amazon.

Why I Hate the Livescribe Echo Smartpen:

• The Smartpen is a bit too bulky (not so comfortable to write with for extended periods).
• The Smartpen has no reasonable way to attach to anything – that makes it a pain to carry around.  They sell a funky little carrier case for it but I can't stand it.
• I have to remember to recharge it, and it uses a microUSB cable – which I don't have many of at the moment.
• I have to remember to synch it (though it does store a lot of notes – I've never filled the pen up).
• It wasn't cheap so I feel guilty that I don't use it more often than I do.

So, that's my candid update on the Livescribe Echo Smartpen.  It is great if you take a lot of notes and want to search them, tremendous if you interview a lot of people in situations where you need very accurate recall, and it works well with both Mac and Windows.

Does your actual mileage vary from mine?  If so, I'd love to hear your opinion on this gadget.

Enabling page-turning animations on the iPad Kindle app

If you're using the Amazon Kindle app to read books on your iPad, you may be unaware that there is a new option that gives you animated page turning.  It makes it look a lot more like the iBooks application that comes with the iPad, but still lets you read all the awesome Kindle books you've bought.

To turn this setting on, go to the Home page of the Kindle app on your iPad and tap on the tiny "information" icon  in the lower right corner (you can see it in the picture below).

This will bring up a dialog where you can then select the "Settings" menu, which brings you to the dialog box you see below.  From there, all you have to do is turn "Basic reading mode" to the "Off" setting.

Now, when you're reading, the page turns will animate like a paper page turning.  Sure, it's just cosmetic, but I still like it better.  One other thing that still works:  You only have to tap the screen to turn pages in the Kindle app.

Enjoy!

Digging out from under stuff

I spent this week on the east coast of the US, where there's just been a huge snowstorm.  I ended up getting stranded for a couple of days, which disrupted quite a few aspects of my plans.  I thought this was a great metaphor for work, and came up with a few parallels.

Plan ahead

One thing I did right on this trip was check the weather report before flying from the west coast to the east coast.  I found out it was very cold, and that a snowstorm was very likely.

As a result, I was able to bring a heavy coat an gloves, plus some extra clothing in case I got stuck.  I also did some research on alternate flights and methods of transportation - just in case.

I was traveling with two colleagues, so I made sure they were aware of what was coming so they could plan, as well.

Look for options

When our flight got canceled on the first day of the snow storm, we explored our options:  wait for a flight the next day, or drive to our next city.  We asked for a lot of advice from others, looked at weather forecasts, etc. and eventually decided to stay put for the first night and wait it out.  Why?  See the next point.

We also explored options for places to stay for the next couple of nights (just in case) and booked a room at a local hotel - with free WiFi, even.

Figure out your priorities

On the first day, one of the options was to drive on to our next city (about a 4-hour drive in normal conditions).  We decided that:

• The weather was too nasty for us to safely drive - especially at night, which is what we'd have been doing;
• The meeting we were heading to was less important than our safety;
• We could still get a lot of work done from the hotel.

In other words, our meeting wasn't worth risking our necks for.

Know your limits

The next day, all flights out were cancelled again!  At this point, we got a little tired of waiting around so we ventured out in our rental car.  The roads seemed pretty good, even though the planes weren't flying.  We didn't make this decision without testing our limits to make sure we could handle the situation.

We decided to go for it, but wanted some insurance (so to speak).  Working with the most helpful Avis car rental employee I've ever met (Nancy in Clarksburg, West Virgina), we managed to swap our little car for a big 4-wheel drive SUV (the last one available because it wasn't officially available - thanks, Nancy!)

Comfortable that we could drive safely, we decided to brave the roads.

Don't be afraid to ask for help

All along the way, we asked for help from others - advice from the people at the hotel; assistance from the aforementioned Nancy at Avis; help and advice from the (also friendly) United Airlines people at the Clarsburg airport; and more.  We couldn't have been successful without their help.

And we weren't shy about asking (nicely, of course).

The payoff?

• We got to our next city in good time, safe the whole way.
• We only missed one of our meetings, and got to our destination at least a day earlier than if we'd waited for a flight.
• Nancy at Avis connected us with a couple of very nice folks who also wanted to go to our next city, and we decided to give them a ride (ironically, they didn't ask for help but they were lucky enough to have Nancy as a "matchmaker" to put us together so all 5 of us could be successful).
• We learned the value of "good people" and being open to help from other people.

To net this out, when you feel overwhelmed, stuck, and helpless, try this:

• Plan Ahead,
• Look For Options,
• Figure Out Your Priorities,
• Know Your Limits,
• Don't Be Afraid To Ask For Help.

Food as a glue

It's the night before Thanksgiving in the US, and our home is filled with the smell of pumpkin pie in the oven.  This has reminded me of food and its ability to bring people together.

I grew up in Louisiana and have come to appreciate the food even more since I've left.  Why?  Because it's so good?  Well, sure – but that's not what I mean.

What I appreciate about the food in Louisiana was its role as a "glue" for both social and business bonding.  When I think of people I hung out with, I often think of the meals we shared.  Sometimes they were crawfish boils, sometimes family dinners, sometimes business lunches – but food was always a good excuse to get together.

Another important aspect of our food was the sharing.  When someone had a death or illness in the family, their friends cooked for them and brought it over to the house.  We often took turns cooking for each other, and each of us jumped at the chance to bring your "signature dish" to someone else's food fest.  (Sometimes, there was a parallel between food and stories – just as my friend always brought her own special fruit salad every time we had a potluck, she always told pretty much the same stories).

We marked the seasons with food, too.   Gumbo when it was cold,  King cake from Epiphany through Mardi Gras day,  fish on Fridays during Lent, crawfish boils in the spring and early summer,  boudin in the fall, pecan pie at Thanksgiving, duck in the winter, etc.  And I'm just scratching the surface with this list!

Having a reason to connect makes it more fun to do so, and more likely that you'll actually do it.  I appreciate the role food has played in my life in helping me stay connected to others.  Sure the food's good, but it isn't really about the food – it's about the connections.

What can you say no to?

I'm in the midst of taking on a new role at work, and it's resulting in a lot of people vying for my time. This has forced me to up my game in prioritization and in saying "no."

One useful technique I've been trying on is to consciously avoid "maybe" or "let me think about it" responses. My queue never clears without more "no's."

The challenge is in getting alignment around the priorities, and being able to articulate how the decision was made.

Data is your friend in this process, if you can get it. Short of that, documenting your assumptions can help. That way if the issue resurfaces, you can share your assumptions and ask "Which of these assumptions are no longer true, which would warrant re-opening the issue?". The new habit I've had to begin to develop in this area is documenting my assumptions, instead of just talking about them.

What techniques have you found that help you with prioritizing and saying no?