Seeing as How Magazine was nice enough to bring their annual design conference to Denver, I thought it made sense to go down for the day and take in a few sessions. I’ve always been a fan of How Magazine. They tend to have business focus in a lot of their articles and are less about just showing lot’s of nice design work. I have also been to a How Conference before and felt that I got a great deal of inspiration out of the experience. I still remember David Carson’s talk and his great sense of humor.

For this year’s conference I chose to attend sessions by Tony Mikes, Sam Harrison, and John January & Tug McTighe. Tony Mike’s session was titled, “Is Your Agency Interesting.” As an agency owner I was drawn to this session as we are always trying to better differentiate ourselves. I came to the conclusion that I think Imulus is interesting, but that we could probably communicate that more effectively than we are currently and we could also be doing a lot more interesting things. Tony was a very compelling speaker and I will definitely be checking out his Second Wind company.

Next came Sam Harrison’s session on “How to Sell Your Ideas to Bosses, Clients and Other Decision Makers.” An author of several books, I found Sam to be a very polished and interesting speaker. His ideas were well organized and I learned a lot that I can apply to how we present ideas at Imulus. The idea that he left us with, that it was “All About Energy,” really summed it up for me. If you put all your energy into preparing and presenting your idea your chances of success are much higher. If you aren’t excited about your own idea, how can you expect the person on the other side of the table to be excited.

By far the most unusual session was “Everything I Needed to Know About Advertising I Learned from Star Wars.” John and Tug were very entertaining in their cleverly constructed presentation. Utilizing lessons drawn from all the Star Wars films, they were able to show parallels where those lessons apply to the life of a creative. And while the lessons were good, the heart of the presentation was the humor and clever concept. I will always remember that there is a Death Star out there ready to kill my next great idea.

The resource center had some interesting booths and lots of quality shwag. Adobe was showing off CS5 and bunches of paper companies were hoping that designers will continue to design printed pieces for a bit longer. Threadless was nice enough to give out free drinks at the happy hour at the end of the day. Thanks for the beer!

Before I dive into this review, you should probably have some background information. First of all, as the title suggests, I am a graphic designer for a web design company. I spend 90% of my time on Adobe Creative Suite programs (most of that time is dedicated to Photoshop). Second of all, I am a female. This piece of information applies to this review because as a woman, I am genetically predisposed to have smaller hands than (most) men. Lastly, I have run through the gambit of Apple mouses since 2004. That being said, lets get started, shall we?

The good:

1. The size. I love the way this thing conforms to my hand. So much so, I feel like all other mouses feel too large and clumsy. I have read reviews where people have claimed this mouse is too small and light. I have not had this problem – however as stated previously, I have normal sized hands for a 5′8″ female which means they’re relatively small.

2. The scrolling. The predecessor to my Magic Mouse was of course the Mighty Mouse. One of the main problems I would have with the 360 scroll ball on the Mighty Mouse was it would become gritty and would stop being functional. This could always be cured by holding it upside-down and puffing can o’ air into the recesses of the 360 ball. Obviously this problem is cured by Magic Mouse. Please note – being a control freak while using Photoshop, I turned off the momentum scroll. I have been told this is a nice feature, but I can’t say that from personal experience.

3. The right-click. Although the right click is functional with the Mighty Mouse (as long as that is specified in the system preferences), I feel like the Magic Mouse’s right-click is more responsive and intuitive.

The bad:

1. The sensitivity. This is a double-edged sword. Sure, it’s nice when you WANT to scroll, but when you don’t it’s a pain. This rears it’s ugly head often when I am using Photoshop. An example of this is when I have the color picker window open. Notice on the screen shot the field next to the “R” (meaning red) is highlighted; this happens by default when one opens this color picker window. What happens when this field is highlighted is the scroll functionality on your mouse can easily add and subtract the color red. Many times I have barely brushed the top of the mouse and it will change my selected color without my consent. There is no clear area on your mouse where the scroll sensitivity begins, so just laying your hand on the top of the mouse can create a scroll with any slight movement.

2. The two finger swipe. This also goes back to the sensitivity problem. I had to turn this option off after I was working on code in our CMS and my fingers brushed the top of the mouse. The mouse somehow gleaned from this that I wanted to go back to the previous page in my browser, and thus losing all of the work I had just completed.

The conclusion:

After turning off the two finger swipe functionality, life has been easier along with learning how to deal with the problems in Photoshop. I haven’t yet ditched this mouse for the older Mighty Mouse (which is still in my possession), but that’s only after adapting to its downfalls. Basically my conclusion to this review is I would NOT recommend this product to a Graphic Designer, but I would recommend it to people who don’t use Adobe Creative Suite.

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.

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.

Keep in mind, I am NOT reviewing any of Simply Audiobooks’s MP3 services. I prefer my CDs because I am archaic like that.

Simply Audiobooks is a service designed for people who enjoy books differently than your typical bookworm. They send books-on-CD to your mailbox, and once you’re done listening to your selected tale, you send it back in the same package free of shipping charges. This was particularly appealing to me because I have a long commute to work (45 minutes one way on a GOOD day, yuck) and I love me a good story. I’ve been using the Simply Audiobooks “Rental Program” for over a year now, and I don’t plan on stopping.

Overall grade: B

Price: A
I didn’t research a ton before selecting Simply Audiobooks, but for their services, I believe Simply Audiobooks is the best price.

Usability: B
Pros: Overall, Simply Audiobooks is pretty usable. It’s set up similar to Netflix you search for an audiobook and you add it to your “queue” which will be sent out when it’s available (see Cons). Their queue functions similarly to Netflix where you can either drag and drop order or type in a number. Furthermore, the design is very clean and extremely well laid out.

Cons: A few nitpicky things I find from time to time is the reason usability receives a “B”. The first issue I have is unlike Netflix, you’re not guaranteed to receive the book at the top of your queue. This, however, I can let slide. Audiobooks aren’t as popular as movies by FAR and are much more expensive.

My second nit is there is an extremely short log-in period. I understand the need for security, but it’s slightly ridiculous how short it is. On top of that, when you don’t realize you’re logged off and you’re prompted for your log-in info, you’re kicked off page you were on (forcing you to search for the book all over again).

Lastly, this is for us nerdy readers who like series. It’s very unclear which book out of the series it is in or if it is in a series at all. I feel this could be remedied easily with more consistent titles for these instances. Sometimes books DO have an indication it is in a series (i.e. The The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger (Book 1)), but not always.

Customer Service: A+
I have nothing bad to say about their customer service. I would give them an A++ if I didn’t think that was tacky. Questions are answered promptly on either the site or their twitter account (@SimplyAudiobook). Not only that but they will bend backwards to make you happy. They’re always wonderfully nice, and I don’t hesitate to say they’ve given me the best customer service I’ve ever had.

Shipping: C-
My only real problem with this service. If not for this, I would give them an “A” for an overall grade. I don’t know if it’s because I am in Denver and it has to ship all the way down to Vegas, but from the day I send out my book till I receive a new one is 10-11 days. Perhaps I’ve been spoiled by Netflix, and like I said, audiobooks are way less in demand than movies. However, for my first 15 days (which was free). I didn’t receive any audiobooks. So much for my free trial.

I hate to end this review on a bad note, so I’ll reiterate what I said before: I have used this service for a year and I don’t intend on stopping. Despite their pitfalls, Simply Audiobooks makes my horrible commute much more bearable.