The Underlying Blog

The Stork is Bringing a Visual Strategist Newsletter: Let Me Know What YOU Want to Read/See

Hi Folks,

Slowly and steadily, I'm working on the Visual Strategist Newsletter. Now, I've been accused of putting out the most comprehensive set of MindManager templates EVER, the VSS Template Set, so I'm not going to let my ego reign and just send you a newsletter I think is important (whole damn sentence was an oxymoron). I want it to be what YOU want, so please, leave a comment and let me know.

Sign-up for the Visual Strategist Newsletter now.

You see, the VSS templates are the outgrowth of my decade+ experience in knowledge management and mind mapping. Simultaneously, when I put them out last year as a free download, I had no idea how many of you were going to download them. So, it's a shared experience at this point and I simply cannot in good conscience send out a VSS-based newsletter that is hurled outward via my own tunnel vision cannon. I need YOUR input so I can ensure each time you receive an e-mail from me it's chock full of content that benefits you. Again, please bombard me with comments about what you want to see.

Kyle is a Dancing Bear

Need a Youtube video of me doing inverted cartwheels? Leave a comment. Need to know more about using the VSS Template Set icons to give you database-like functionality in MindManager? Leave a comment. Want video or written text? Leave a comment. Need a recipe for killer cheesy potatoes? Leave a comment and I'll tell someone who knows what they hell they're doing.

Sign-up now and be sure to download the free VSS templates while you're at it. It's all here.

And if you're feeling truly grateful for the hard work I do, you should pickup a t-shirt to support the Free T.I.! campaign, as my creative juices couldn't flow without the hits like 'Top Back' and 'What You Know'.

Sign-up for the Visual Strategist Newsletter now.

Technorati tags: Humor, VSS Template Set, Visual Strategist Newsletter, Mindjet MindManager, T. I., Kyle McFarlin, Cheesy Potatoes

Look Mom, I'm on the Radio (and Now in Hiding for What I Said)...

It had to happen, it really did, didn't it:

I'm a Star! (FOLKS THE EGO HAS TRULY LANDED, PLEASE STAND BACK FROM THE CRASH SITE). Tony Goodson of the Productivity Show interviewed me recently... the same show David Allen, the founder of GTD, was once featured on!

Highlights include:

• Kyle's GTD: He's a heretic yet is mostly keeping his own dogfood down
• Mindjet MindManager: Pimp-out the interface 
• The World's most offensive rap album!
• Second Life: The new warzone
• GyroQ and ResultsManager: Pimp your productivity
• Top Tips for having Meaningful Relationships and Pursuits
• Get a Life

THE REAL QUESTION: How does a mind mapping guru end up talking about 'flying penises' and 'burping'?...

Listen now to the most exceedingly delightful, productivity-tip-laced, controversial Interview the mind mapping world has ever experienced:

TPN :: The Productivity Show » Blog Archive » The Productivity Show #34 - Kyle McFarlin (Visual Strategist)

Technorati tags: The Productivity Show, Kyle McFarlin, Tony Goodson, MindManager, Mindjet, Gyronix Training, Mindjet Training, GyroQ, ResultsManager, mind mapping, The Podcast Network

Achilles Heel in the New Apple iPhone?

I was excited to hear about the Apple iPhone, if nothing more because I couldn't believe they hadn't done it yet (I'm talking about an exclusive Apple offering).

That said, I think the device is gorgeous, and I worry it has an achilles heel.

A while back, I bought a Philips GoGear 30GB mp3 player device, which was aesthetically beautiful and the best offering I could find at the time for a Windows Media Player device. The problem emerged in that you had to look at the totally touch-sensitive screen to do anything at all. Now, when you're on a walk this isn't so bad, but I still remember wishing it had a scrolling device of some type. That way I could've have scrolled through using touch, only looking down occasionally.  The problem really emerged though, when driving: It felt downright unsafe to have to rely on sight completely to switch musical tracks. Not too long after I purchased the device I returned it on account of technical problems, but I know I wouldn't have continued using it while driving if it had kept on working.

And now for the main point: Most people I know who don't live in one of the US' walking cities like to use their Ipod in their cars: I'm just afraid we're going to have pileups because people have to look at their device to change tracks without the aid of a scroll wheel. Even if it's yesterday's technology, that scroll wheel gives people sensory context for where they are touching their device, alleviating the need to constantly look at it when changing tracks. I could be wrong as Apple is rarely lacking in the design dept., but if someone can't scroll through music intelligently without looking at the device, Nationwide could be on a lot of people's sides too often.

The most reassuring part I see in one of the pics in the below linked article is the device ignores unintended touches: Let's hope so.

Link to The Apple iPhone - Engadget

Illmatic - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

If your Ipod or Zune's (check out my previous rant on Microsoft's illustrious new Ipod slayer here) content is getting a bit stale lately, I want to direct your attention to one of the great albums of all time: 'Illmatic' by Queensbridge rapper Nas.

It's one of the few albums in existence of any genre where every track is strong and contributes to the overall effect the album strives to create.  If I try to describe that effect, I'd call it the trials and tribulations of a young man who grew up and triumphed over grueling urban circumstances to experience total self-expression through a mic and a beat.  Also, at 10 tracks and a total running time of about 40 minutes, 'Illmatic' is wise enough to leave you wanting more.

An incredible work of art from a man who was only 19 at the time of its release: I can't recommend it highly enough. My favorite lines from the album are from track 10, 'It Ain't Hard to Tell':

Deep like The Shinin', sparkle like a diamond
Sneak a uzi on the island in my army jacket linin
Hit the Earth like a comet, invasion
Nas is like the Afrocentric Asian, half-man, half-amazin
Cause in my physical, I can express through song
Delete stress like Motrin, then extend strong

Absolutely brilliant lyrics.

Check the link below to learn more:

Link to Illmatic - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Deadline: Read These Lyrics (To Be Read in a Stephen Colbert Voice)

I'm know I'm guilty of having not listened to Michael Jackson's 'We Are the World' in quite a while.  What about you?  If you felt somehow lacking when I asked, the best thing to do is click here.

Jeff Lynne the Internet Prophet

I was listening to Electric Light Orchestra's Time recently.  Critics killed it, but I love it.  Anyone else noticed that it's basically a concept album about the Internet/technology?

No, this is not the album with Mr. Roboto on it.

Sheila Take a Bow

I've been getting chills listening to The Smiths' "Sheila Take a Bow" all day.  Have no idea what the song is about, but absolutely brilliant musically.  For the Ipod crowd, I highly recommend.

Miami Vice

I've been driving through the snowscapes of Ohio this past week listening to selections from Jan Hammer's "Escape from Television" Album.  For those of you not familiar with Jan Hammer, he's the guy who composed the music for Miami Vice- Crockett's Theme, anyone? You know, I'm finally starting to appreciate the instant gratification I get with buying music at MSN Music.

In conclusion, Miami Vice wasn't just a great TV show, it's a warm place in all our hearts.

Dark Side of the Moon's Meditative Marketing

Okay, in this case, confused critics confuse me.  There has been endless speculation over the years regarding the insane level of popularity Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" album has experienced.  Look, I'm not trying to be condescending, but to me the answer seems massively obvious: it's the coverart.  It's really brilliant, brilliant marketing.  Take one of the most cohesive pieces of music ever, and then give it a timeless image that has a gorgeously reconciling effect.  That my friends, is marketing.  Not only does the coverart match the music, but I'm going to bet that it has functioned as an unknowing meditative object for millions of fans who've zoned out to a poster or LP sheath of Dark Side while floating in the gentle rock-jazz fusion of the album.  Marketing becomes meditative: pure genius.