rcmnd

Mandy Brown

Writer, editor and coach; co-founder and editor of A Book Apart and a former contributing editor at A List Apart.

15 things

TextExpanderSoftware SmileOnMyMac

loved

TextExpander is like a magical assistant. I honestly don't know what I did without it.

The Setup (usesthis.com) interview, given while she was communications director at Typekit.

2012-03-19·usesthis.com ↗

nvALT 2Software

loved

I recently started using nvALT 2 to take notes and I'm smitten. The Markdown support, keyboard-centric design, searching, and autosave are all excellent. I'm taking more and better notes as a result.

The Setup (usesthis.com) interview, given while she was communications director at Typekit.

2012-03-19·usesthis.com ↗

DropboxService Dropbox

loved

Nearly everything I work on is stored in Dropbox. I feel good knowing my laptop could be stolen or smashed, and I could pick up a new machine, hook it up to Dropbox, and get back to work moments later.

The Setup (usesthis.com) interview, given while she was communications director at Typekit.

2012-03-19·usesthis.com ↗

FirebugSoftware

loved

I keep Firefox around for testing and because Firebug is still the best way to debug a site.

The Setup (usesthis.com) interview, given while she was communications director at Typekit.

2012-03-19·usesthis.com ↗

ThingsSoftware Cultured Code

liked

Things remains my to-do app, especially now that the cloud sync is in public beta. I like the way it lets me organize to-dos into different projects; when you have a lot of projects, that bit of separation is key.

The Setup (usesthis.com) interview, given while she was communications director at Typekit.

2012-03-19·usesthis.com ↗

TextMateSoftware

liked

I use TextMate to code; I don't even really care that it hasn't been updated in a while - it suits my purposes as is.

The Setup (usesthis.com) interview, given while she was communications director at Typekit.

2012-03-19·usesthis.com ↗

1PasswordSoftware AgileBits

uses

I use 1Password to log in everywhere. It's completely insane how many logins one person can acquire.

The Setup (usesthis.com) interview, given while she was communications director at Typekit.

2012-03-19·usesthis.com ↗

CrashplanService

uses

I keep Crashplan installed as an extra level of backup.

The Setup (usesthis.com) interview, given while she was communications director at Typekit.

2012-03-19·usesthis.com ↗

SafariSoftware Apple

uses

I spend a lot of my time in a browser; usually Safari. Chrome is arguably a better browser, but I seem to be sticking with Safari out of inertia and appreciation for its stronger visual polish.

The Setup (usesthis.com) interview, given while she was communications director at Typekit.

2012-03-19·usesthis.com ↗

Moop messenger bagOther

uses

I carry everything around in a Moop messenger bag; there's enough room for the Macbook, a Moleskin, and a print book.

The Setup (usesthis.com) interview, given while she was communications director at Typekit.

2012-03-19·usesthis.com ↗

PropaneSoftware

uses

I use Propane to connect to Typekit's Campfire account; we're virtual, with folks spread out between San Francisco and Berlin, so this is where much of our work happens.

The Setup (usesthis.com) interview, given while she was communications director at Typekit.

2012-03-19·usesthis.com ↗

TweetbotSoftware Tapbots

uses

On my iPhone, I use TweetBot, and mute posts from Foursquare and the like.

The Setup (usesthis.com) interview, given while she was communications director at Typekit.

2012-03-19·usesthis.com ↗

GoodReaderSoftware

uses

My iPad is almost exclusively an Instapaper device, though I also use GoodReader for reviewing manuscripts.

The Setup (usesthis.com) interview, given while she was communications director at Typekit.

2012-03-19·usesthis.com ↗

IA WriterSoftware

mixed

I've been using IA Writer a bit lately for writing; I love the look of it, but find myself going back to Writeboards in my Backpack account out of a need to mark and compare versions.

The Setup (usesthis.com) interview, given while she was communications director at Typekit.

2012-03-19·usesthis.com ↗

WordSoftware Microsoft

disliked

Editing for the books usually happens in either Word or Pages; I have no love for either, but Word plays nicely with InDesign, so we're a little but stuck with it for now.

The Setup (usesthis.com) interview, given while she was communications director at Typekit.

2012-03-19·usesthis.com ↗

Every entry is a verbatim quote and a link to the public post it came from. Nothing is paraphrased. If it is not on record somewhere public, it is not here.

The verdict is what they actually said: loved and liked are explicit; recommended means they told others to get it; uses means they only say they use it; read is a book on their public shelf with no verdict; mixed and disliked are kept too.

A dashed affiliate link, sponsored or their own label means the post disclosed a relationship. It is shown, never hidden.

The shading behind a date shows how dated a recommendation is for its kind of thing.

The shading behind a date shows how dated a recommendation is, for its kind of thing. Fully green is recent. It drains a quarter at a time as the post gets older, and is empty once it reads as dated.

What counts as old depends on the thing. A laptop praised four years ago has been replaced twice; a book loved twenty years ago is probably still loved. The shading is gone after about:

Stripes mean the post carries no date and the date shown is an estimate. No date at all, no shading.