Newley Purnell

Misc.

Excellent OS X Writing and Project Management App

Post author By Newley
Post date July 18, 2007
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Scrivener is a remarkably useful Mac-only project management and writing application. I started using it a few months ago, and it’s quickly become a must-have.

First off: if you mostly write memos or simple documents that require strict formatting, then you should stick with Word. But if you’re a Mac user looking for something to help you manage complex writing projects — a novel, a screenplay, a book, or simply a long article — then you should take a look at this application.

For me, Scrivener’s best features, as I go about assembling my writing projects, are: 1) the ability to import and reference multiple documents and Web pages from within the main window; and 2) the split screen feature that allows me to consult two documents at once within that window.

No more toggling between multiple drafts in separate Word documents. No more consulting various Web sites and PDFs and then returning to Word. Everything now lives in one place, and all of my drafts and other materials are organized by folder.

I also really like Scrivener’s look and feel. It’s an OS X application designed and developed by a writer. And the community of users is also lively and passionate.

Here’s a recent Macworld review. And here’s what Merlin at 43 Folders says about Scrivener.

It’s free to download and use for a trial period; 35 smackers and it’s yours for life.

(Cartoon via.)

Tags Macs, Technology, Writing

My Buddy Lands a Deer — A Mile Offshore

Post author By Newley
Post date July 13, 2007
1 Comment on My Buddy Lands a Deer — A Mile Offshore

My good friend and ex-Washington, DC roommate, Chad C., sends along this incredible story about how he and a pal saved Bambi from a watery death:

The Outdoor News Hound blog says:

Chad Campbell and pal Bo Warren weren’t having much luck trolling for striped bass about a mile offshore on Chesapeake Bay last Saturday. But, despite poor fishing, they were successful catching and boating a good-sized button buck.

In an article appearing on The Bay Net Web site, Campbell wrote that when he and Warren investigated something in the water behind their boat last week, they were amazed to discover it was a swimming—and quite exhausted—whitetail deer.

“He was desperate and barely staying afloat,” Campbell wrote. “I’ve seen deer swim a river or bayou before. When you see that, the first thing you notice is that they are powerful swimmers. Their heads and shoulders are out of the water and they make surprisingly good headway.”

Since the fish weren’t cooperating, the two decided to rope the floundering deer.

“It turns out Bo grew up around cows and was really handy with a bowline. He lassoed the deer on the first try,” Campbell wrote. “(Then) Bo grabbed his neck, I grabbed the flank, and we barreled (him) over backwards into the boat. Before I knew it, Bo was on top of him and had him tied up just like a calf.”

Understanding the importance of catch-and-release deer fishing (especially out of season), the men hightailed it to shore, where they carefully unloaded the weary whitetail, untied its legs and placed it on the beach.

Campbell wrote that they didn’t see the buck get up and run away, but they assumed it took some time for it to recuperate from its long, watery journey.

Amazing stuff. Well done, Chad and Bo.

Pet Peek

Post author By Newley
Post date July 11, 2007
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Taylor Gifts sells some astounding products. Case in point: the Pet Peek, above, which is designed to “satisfy your pup’s curiosity and help reduce barking, scratching and digging every time he senses something on the other side of the fence.”

I also quite like the Cooler Scoop and the Heated Taco Bar.

Tags Food and Drink, Funny Products

The Low-Information Diet

Tim Ferriss’s Low-Information Diet is based on the principle that in order to be most productive, we should spend as little time emailing — and as much time actually working — as possible.

Tags Technology

Kim Jong, Ill?

CNN:

How ill is Kim Jong Il? Talk of the reclusive North Korean leader’s health emerged anew this week when he made a rare public appearance Tuesday in a surprise meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi in Pyongyang. Chinese television footage showed Kim shaking hands with the guest and brandishing a big smile.

That image was the first publicly available video of the secretive Kim since late April when he reviewed a massive military parade from a balcony over Pyongyang’s main plaza, clapping and waving to his troops as they hysterically shouted cheers, appearing deeply moved by a rare glimpse of Kim.

The 65-year-old leader — revered as a near-demigod in the totalitarian nation — looked generally well in the latest footage. But compared with the April clip, he appeared a bit thinner and had less hair. Some South Korean media made similar observations, and engaged in renewed speculation about his health.

(Via.)

Tags Korea, Politics

Edward Tufte on Megan Jaegerman’s News Graphics

Post author By Newley
Post date July 5, 2007
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Edward Tufte:

Megan Jaegerman produced some of the best news graphics ever while working at The New York Times from 1990 to 1998. Her work is smart, finely detailed, elegant, witty, inventive, informative. A fierce researcher and reporter, she writes gracefully and precisely. Megan has the soul of a news reporter, who happens to use graphs, tables, and illustrations–as well as words–to explain the news. Her best work is the best work in news graphics.

I like her graphic, above, that illustrates how hockey goaltenders stop shots.

Tags Journalism

Bangkok 8: Coming to the Big Screen

Post author By Newley
Post date July 2, 2007
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Variety:

Millennium Films has optioned “Bangkok 8,” the first in a three-book bestselling mystery series by John Burdett. “V For Vendetta” helmer James McTeigue is attached to direct.

In “Bangkok 8,” a detective with the Royal Thai Police Force tracks the murderers of his partner, and also a U.S. Marine. The trail leads through Bangkok’s drug and sex trade, and corrupt colleagues. Burdett, who just published “Bangkok Haunts,” the third Thai-flavored novel in the series, lives in Bangkok and knows the terrain. ICM auctioned the books last week, and Millennium’s Avi Lerner stepped up and got the property over several studios. Lerner will produce with Boaz Davidson, John Thompson and Joe Gatta.

The intention is to adapt several of the books and shoot in Thailand.

I recommend Burdett’s books highly.

And by the way, speaking of Thai-related flicks, when does that new Rambo movie open? May of 2008, according to Wikipedia.

Tags Bangkok, Books, Movies, Thailand

Misc.

My Short Item in The Magazine

Post author By Newley
Post date June 28, 2007
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The current issue of The Magazine (pictured above), a bi-monthly glossy published by the Bangkok Post, contains a very brief item I wrote about Wilco’s Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. (You’ve heard me mention Wilco before, no doubt.) In each issue, various folks are asked to weigh in on their favorite album, book, or movie. The item isn’t online, sadly, but interested Bangkokians can find my thoughts on page eight.