Mindful Ink     Life, Living and Productivity

This continues the series on using an eBook reader academically.

Of course, as fun as a shiny new piece of technology is, we must make it work for us. “Geek to live, not live to geek” and all that.You have a few options when it comes to acquiring content for your device.

1. Buy It
2. Scan It
3. Download it from a free source

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Well, I ended up not going to my doc appt and (unrelatedly) stayed home to follow the keynote.

All I can say is wow… not because of the keynote, but because it was a strange thing to watch the internet implode. I was watching a few sites (necessary since they kept crashing) to see what was going on and Gizmodo, Engadget, and The Unofficial Apple Weblog all puttered and died at various times. A million people hitting “Refresh” has to do some pretty brutal things to your bandwidth.

No tablet from Apple, though - so, I’m crushed. Don’t they know I want to hurry up and live in the future? I guess I will put all my birthday money into Amazon’s Kindle (if they ever start shipping them).  I’m a bit torn, though.  The idea of being able to get to almost any book I may want instantly is ridiculously appealing, more to the point - the ability to keep a lot of books with me easily is very appealing (I tend to be reading 4-5 books at a time, aside from school books).  Unfortunately, I’m one of those that absolutely hates reading anything very long on a screen.  E-Ink evidently fixes that problem.  At the same time, the Kindle is ugly as sin and reeks of “first gen device.”  Of course, color e-ink is a ways off…. so no telling when we’ll see the next real version of the ebook reader.

What can I say, I’m a technophile…  I’ve no substantial vices except a desire to access all of my(and the world’s) information as easily as possible whenever I want.  That’s not too much to ask, is it? 

 Any of you used the Kindle? Have any experience with it?  You see the MacBookAir or follow the keynote?  Let me know in the comments! 

With Lifehacker discussing the “Go Bag” a lot lately, it made me think about what people take in their backpacks to school.

Some students seem to have nothing with them but a notebook, while others carry mammoth behemoths on their backs - looking more snail than student. Some of this cannot be avoided. Many classes, science and math classes in particular, not only require you to bring the text with you - but the text is also huge. I swear my girlfriend’s Calculus book weighs like seven pounds, easy. Now, without going into the ethics of asking your students to drag books like this around a campus that may be a square mile or bigger - we shall discuss ways to keep you light as possible.

First things first, invest in a good bag. I know those bags at Wal-Mart are cheap, but they also break if you look at them funny. Do some research, you can find a good bag for under 50 bucks usually (and I can tell you from experience, these Swiss Army backpacks are amazing - but mostly quite big.) You need something no bigger than you need, light weight and comfortable as possible. I prefer a messenger bag (I use this Andrew Christian one - cheap and study, just order early, mine showed up about three weeks after it was supposed to), but finding a sturdy one can be tricky. Look for thick canvas, but still supple - and pay attention to how the clasps are attached. That’s what tends to break off.

Now, what to bring? Well, my bag, as you can see, isn’t terribly big. I’ve got 5 pockets to work with - two very small, two nice sized pockets, and then the main compartment (and a tiny zipper pocket within.) We have to break it down to essentials - you’ll be dragging this around all day.Now, I have a German class daily - it has a large book and we use it in class, so that has to come. My other classes, and I imagine many of yours as well, the book is optional. You may discuss the book, but largely it is lecture. You may need your book occasionally, or for certain topics, but generally - it can and should be left at home.

So, what else? Well, I bring my pendaflex folder. It’s small, unless I have a ton of things in it (which I never do), and does a great job protecting my assignments and miscellaneous papers. In here I have:

• Hard copies of all my classes syllabuses, documents I need to have with me, assignment sheets, etc.
• Some loose leaf paper - about 20 sheets
• Some blue books (about 3)
• Some scan-trons (about 3)
• And anything I have to turn in that day

The pentaflex works like a charm. If you want to keep binders for each subject, that’s fine, but keep them at home.I put my Macbook in a sleeve and stick it in - I take all my notes on this and can access all the assignments I’m working on. This the bulk of what I carry daily. As needed I may add one or two small books, and sometimes a book to read casually.

As to the front pockets. Well, in one goes a small pocket umbrella and usually some trail mix or granola bars. I also tend to keep some pens in here. There are days when I just don’t have time to stop and eat. The other goes my index card case, where I keep German flashcards. The two side pockets? One a large water bottle fits snuggly in. If you’re the thirsty type, bringing an insulated water bottle like this will save you a lot of money. Stop in at the campus canteen to refill it when you need to. It’s almost always free. The other goes my glasses case with some sunglasses and usually some sort of gum.

And sometimes, just sometimes, if I know I’m going to have a lot of time on my hands and don’t have much to study - I bring my PSP.And that’s it. My bag is rarely huge and unwieldy.

We’ve certainly seen our share of school supply lists lately, but this will b e no different, but I’d like to focus on some of the more lifehacky sorts of supplies, the ones no one ever tells you about but can make a world of difference in your day to day life.

1. The Pendaflex Folder

This is, by far, the most useful thing I’ve ever purchased regarding my education, with the obvious exception of my laptop. I really wish I had found this wonderful product when I was first starting school.

The link above doesn’t go to this particular model, which is canvas and has a velcro strap. I prefer this model, but they’re all about the same. You can easily find these at your local office store.

Screw folders and binders, especially a handful for various classes…. and don’t even mention spiral notebooks with pockets. No forgetting to pick up the right one, not putting that test review in the wrong one. It’s in one place. Get one of these, and I promise you, you’re life (and your back) will thank you.

2. The Index Card Case

The link above isn’t your best bet, most likely. Go to your local office store and find one for a buck or so. These are great, though. As I mentioned in our little series about flash cards - they’re still pretty much the best way to learn quite a lot of information.

A cheap case like this will allow you to keep them in your backpack without them becoming destroyed. Not a bad idea to grab a little index card container for later filing, too.

3. The iPod

Originally this article was going to be called the “unusual, cheap things” but that went out the door when I added the ipod. Still, a Nano will be just fine for most your needs.The iPod, besides being a dandy way to listen to your tunes, has four major things to offer a student.

1. Podcasts and Audiobooks
2. Recordings of your lectures
3. All your contacts and address book info
4. Your calendar and to-do list
5. Personal harddrive

If you record your classes with any sort of digitial audio, putting the file on your ipod is no different than any other mp3 file. And there is a wealth of audiobooks and handy podcasts out there. (Open Culture is a favorite site of mine)

4. Laptop Sleeve

It’s always handy to have a laptop case or bag. Why I suggest this particular type is because it is water resistant and slim and allows you to avoid having to get a laptop bag and use a much more handy standard backpack. Face it, most laptop bags are not made with your Calculus book in mind, this will allow you to slip your laptop in your bag like anything else.

5. And last but not least, a small umbrella

Yeah, I know, that seems like an odd thing for this list. But face it, if you’re on a campus you are likely walking a lot. Also, it will rain. These particular umbrellas are tiny, and compared to everything else in your bag, take up little space. And when you have to hike that half-mile to your Bio Lab, you won’t have to spend the next three hours soaking wet.