January 2011

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Microsoft Office for Mac 2011

January 31, 2011 in Writing Tools | No comments

I caught this interesting tidbit from SiliconValley.com this morning:

“The long-running collaboration between Apple and Microsoft — one of the oddest pairings in Silicon Valley — represents something of a technological detente between warring camps. Engineers from both companies regularly huddle so that Microsoft can create Macintosh versions of its popular productivity suite, Office, the latest version of which is considered the best ever.”

I have to second this endorsement. While I know some people despise Office since the big change with version 2007, I like it, and I really like Word 2010.

But I really, really like Word 2011 for the Mac, and I love PowerPoint 2011 for the Mac.

Too bad I can’t use the 2011 PowerPoint at work.

Also, having stated my affection for the Mac version of Word, it hasn’t pulled me away from using Scrivener 2.0 for my book length manuscript writing.

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Early Bird, Worm, Coffee … what?

January 24, 2011 in Recently Observed | 5 comments

I got up at 3AM this morning.

My hours this weekend were weird. My sleeping and waking patterns seem to have become totally random. But I have come to like getting up early, even though I don’t really like going to bed early. You have to do one before you do the other, though, or you’ll end up killing yourself.

Anyway, I did some work on a manuscript (I’m going to stop saying “my novel” because I have three started and I jump back and forth between them, depending on my mood and interest — and this is thanks to the Scrivener software by the way, which keeps track of everything so you don’t get confused). Speaking of confused, I just confused myself. What was I going to say? Oh! Yes. I worked on the manuscript, and then did some updating of blogs (software in the background) and for some reason started looking over this one. Specifically back in the 2006 entries, this was a very chatty little blog, kind of like what I’m doing right now.

For some reason I’d stopped being so chatty and “updatey” (I just coined a term!) and my entries have been more like articles. It took me a while to figure out why: Facebook.

Instead of proper “blogging” I now seem to channel this need to overshare to a constant stream of little updates to a closed group of people, instead of broadcasting it out to the world. Maybe that’s a good thing. Maybe not. I’ve been blogging since before the term was invented (I had an “Internet Journal” way back when, back when GeoCities ruled) and if I’m a blogger I need to properly blog. Especially since it’s become a true profession — I may be blogging for my employer starting later this year.

I still say that despite everything, this is the best time in history to be a writer. The publishing and newspaper industries may be in their death throes, but there’s a need for writing everywhere, and more than ever. Same with film making.

Speaking of which, I have video to shoot this week. I’m helping my company with some interviews we’re doing for a big presentation.

Now if I can just stay awake for it.

The Thumb Always Strikes Twice

January 22, 2011 in Writing Misadventures | 2 comments

I touch type.

I’m not a speed demon but I’m not bad, either. My fingers dance around the keyboard with a gentle and loving familiarity. Being that I literally type for a living, I’m as proficient as you’d think I need to be.

That being so, I’m having a really hard time retraining myself to only put one space after a period. I knew it was going to be an ordeal, but I thought I’d lick it in just a few days. Alas, it appears I will be battling this for quite some time. I now have to think about the typing instead of thinking about the words, and having my fingers deftly translate the thoughts to keystrokes.

I know this is a rather mundane thing to share, but I felt compelled to do so anyway.

Here’s sending you all my gratitude for reading this. Without you, dear reader, I’m a mute. I’m beginning to wonder if I rely to much on this form of expression.

IN A RELATED NOTE: I was just interviewed this week for my employer’s global magazine. This publication — even though it’s internal — has a circulation surpassing many external magazines, and they’re all my peers. I was so nervous during the interview that my voice quavered and I did a lot of babbling and stammering. You see, I’m perfectly comfortable turning the spotlight on anyone around me, but having it turned on me? Yikes. I  haven’t been interviewed since the NY Times did a piece on my former Time-Warner publisher back in 2001 — and that didn’t turn out so well.

So, yes, I’m a bit nervous.

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