Aug 31
2011

Anyone who’s read this blog, used my projects or has talked to me about anything nerdy for more than five minutes knows I’m a fan of Markdown. The question doesn’t come up often, but occasionally someone dares to ask–despite the apparent probability that it will lead to a lengthy explanation–why I use Markdown in so many of my workflows. I give just about the same response…

Aug 29
2011

I’ve heard complaints over the last year that apps such as nvALT and Marked slow down when handling large documents. I’m constantly working to optimize the code and the preview processes, but here’s a tip that I hope will be taken to heart: split your longer text documents into manageable portions.

Aug 26
2011

In the interest of actually getting going on app reviews on this blog, I’m mentioning a somewhat obvious one: Byword. While I still write my drafts in nvALT and do the heavy lifting and linking in TextMate with my Blogsmith Bundle, Byword has quickly become the place where I actually do my writing.

May 22
2011

Courtesy of Buzan Center Australia.

Most of my projects start out as mind maps (which I may have mentioned before). Whether it’s a packing list, a blog post or a TextMate bundle, I find it easiest to organize my (often scattered) thoughts using what Tony Buzan calls radiant thinking. Lists and outlines are rarely as effective as the non-linear format…

Mar 18
2011

I use TextMate for editing most of my Markdown. I could name a dozen reasons why this is the case, but let’s leave it at auto-pairing, wrapping and the Blogsmith Bundle features. Anyhow, I got a bug yesterday to make TextMate work in “concentration” mode (ala WriteRoom). Not because I think that will improve my writing habits, I just wanted to see if it was possible. A few…

Jan 29
2010

I’m sitting at the airport in Minneapolis, waiting for a flight to Atlanta. I’m headed for Big Nerd Ranch for a week-long crash course in iPhone programming. I’ve done a little, but I think it will be a great way to start from the basics and fill in all of the holes in my knowledge. The thing is, I’m a little torn about the circumstances; Big Nerd Ranch is paying for this…