Ok, I certainly have my favorite places to eat, and of course like some more than others, but when it comes to lunch time around here I usually just go wherever anybody wants to go. I just don’t care that much, and am not a picky eater, so I’ll always find something to eat. However, I have a new obsession and this will always go on my list of can we? Can we please go here again??? Please?!

Yes, I’m talking about a fabulous new place called Modmarket. It’s located in the 29th Street Mall, next to Noodles, over by the Staples. I’ll admit I was a little hesitant to try it, since I didn’t actually realize it was a restaurant from the outside. I thought maybe it was an actual market for shopping or even a furniture store. Don’t ask why. I’m not really sure.

Anyway, every Friday, the Imulus owners take us out to lunch. Yay! And someone suggested we try this new place. We’re all hooked. I highly suggest you go check it out for yourself, but let me tell you a few of my favorite aspects.

LOVE the menu. It’s mostly salad, soup, and pizza. But, it’s unique. I have been getting a side salad called the Wintergreen (although I’ve tried the tomato basil soup, the cashew butternut squash soup, and the goat cheese pizza, and all are amazing!) Anyway, the Wintergreen salad is a hefty proportion for even a side salad (and I like my food), and it has mixed greens, walnuts, apples, roasted potato, goat cheese, fat-free honey herb dressing. See? Different? But, melts in your mouth. Amazing.

Let’s also take a moment to praise the $2 glass of wine. Not a little sippy cup full. A GLASS of wine. Good stuff too. To [sort of] quote the cashier, “Other places charge as much for a glass of wine that they spent on the bottle itself. We think that’s crap.”

After I received my receipt, right there on the print out is all of the nutrient information. I love it. An honest place, trying to do the right thing, and help everyone out.

Anyway, my wintergreen salad:

• Cost: $4.75
• Calories: 230
• Fat (g): 16
• Carbs (g): 17
• Protein (g): 9

The restaurant’s decor is also great. Very clean, modern, a little funky. It’s kind of narrow, and it’s not huge, but there are still plenty of places to sit and people are in and out pretty quickly. It’s also a great place to grab and go, since they are super fast. (The pizza takes a bit longer since it has to be made, but a salad from start to payment takes all of 3 minutes.)

Other fabulous items: the menu changes often (so you know the ingredients are fresh), they offer free wifi, even the silverware and plastic-ware were clearly chosen with an eye for detail.

Ok, enough gushing. Try it out for yourself. Just try to prove me wrong.

Note: I wrote this post on a personal blog a few years ago, but I think it still pertains to developers using Coda or any all-in-one application.

…Panic software (the makers of Transmit FTP) have released a new “all in one” web site management application called Coda. The basic goal of this app is to take a bunch of things needed to build websites and place them all together in one application. Now, pardon my skepticism and negativity, but the best part about using an operating system, particularly one like Mac OS X, is that I can easily use multiple simple or complex applications in a quick fashion to complete projects. And to put it in short, I just don’t get the point of putting everything together in one app, even if it is developed by some of the best software makers around.

In fact, the whole idea seems to go against all the benefits of running OS X, much less running multiple applications targeted to exactly what I need. Granted, some apps get a little intense and do more than I may need. For example, I can’t say I use scripting in many apps that support it, but that’s because I don’t have to. An application like TextMate gives me the opportunity to pick and choose exactly what I want from a text editor. It isn’t trying to do too much, particularly because if it did it would interrupt the way I work. The things I don’t use don’t get in my way, and the things I do use are easy to get to. Sure, there are applications out there .. iTunes .. hut…hum.. that do handle tons of tasks all under one umbrella. But guess what, advanced music creators probably don’t use iTunes to do the majority of their composing, editing, and refining. Even though it may have the capability to do some of these tasks. This is why Apple created iWeb for novice web builders, because it allows them to do what they need without getting drug into the depths of web development. The problem is, Coda is iWeb for pros, which is a paradox in and of itself.

Here’s the gist of what I am getting at — the ideal application should be great at handling everything you need to do and shouldn’t get in the way if you don’t use every feature it offers.

Coda, to me, doesn’t seem to follow this line of logic. Rather, it forces the developer to use everything it provides and it doesn’t give much leeway in one direction or the other. For instance, Coda comes with Transmit FTP built in. Which sounds great until you want to connect to a client’s site to update one tiny PDF file. Suddenly you find yourself launching the entire client web project just to make one tiny update, an update that won’t even require 80% of the tools that Coda brings up. It’s like using photoshop to casually view pictures, no one wants to do it! Having an application that does too much is like having a beautiful piece of jewelry that weighs too much to wear. It may look great but dealing with it first hand just seems like a waste of time and comfort.

Over the last several years I’ve tried a number of different approaches to make my day to day life more manageable. And, while I’ve found nice solutions for most challenges I deal with (remembering contact info, keeping appointments and meetings, managing tasks) I’ve still had one giant void.

A clean and easy way to take down and synchronize notes.

In my book a notes app only needs three things:

1. A nice simple mobile interface (this includes a nice typeface, ie: Helvetica.)
2. An easy way to access the app from any computer or device.
3. Easy and instant synching between mobile devices, computers, and the web. It’s only text after all!

In essence, let me write and access notes from anywhere without getting in my way.

For a while I tried to use Apple’s default Notes application. And, to be frank, it was one of the worst experiences I have ever had using an Apple product. For one, the Notes application is absolutely hideous. Second, it requires me using Mail App to manage notes from my computer. Now, I don’t know if you have ever used Mail App to do anything, but it sucks. It’s slow, clunky, and especially frustrating to use if you aren’t working with basic email.

Beyond just the default Notes app I also dabbled with EverNote. Now, to be fair, EverNote seems like a good application for certain uses. The problem I have with it is that it tries to do too much. I don’t need photos, voice notes, text transcribing, or any other of the other options it offers. The more options provided the more things to get in my way.

A Simpler Way

About a month and half ago I decided to start using Simplenote, a small, extremely simple, note taking application for the iPhone.

On top of a wonderfully simple interface Simplenote also has API access for third-party developers. This means there are several options for desktop based note applications. My personal choice is JustNotes, although I’ve also installed and used Notational Velocity and it’s a great choice as well. If you’re a dashboard fan you can try out DashNote.

The final benefit of Simplenote is website access your notes. In essence, allowing you to gain access to your notes from any computer on the web. While I don’t use this often (I always have my iPhone) I like the peace of mind it provides.

Over the last month and half simple note has drastically changed the way I record and access quick bits of information. It’s managed to squeak itself onto my iPhone’s home screen and even has a global shortcut on my Mac. I couldn’t be happier with the implementation.

Last week I had the pleasure of visiting one of the companies I truly admire for their ability to create great company with outstanding values; CH2M Hill. For those unfamiliar with them, I’ll quote their site:

As a global leader in full-service engineering, consulting, construction, and operations, CH2M HILL has the human and technical resources, the international footprint, and the depth of know-how and experience to help clients achieve success in any corner of the world.

There are over 23,000 employees at CH2M Hill. Each of them have been given a copy of the “Little Yellow Book.” It was written in 1982 by the original founder and CEO, James Howland with the purpose of capturing the values on which the firm was built. It’s only 10 pages long, but it really communicates a company with compassion, vision and focus.

Enjoy it!