Jeffrey Kishner

Web Publisher, Ecstatic Dancer

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My Fargo Blog

  • 2014
    • December 2014
      • December 8
        • Trying Another CMS, Subscribe to My New RSS Feed
    • November 2014
      • November 21
        • Convert an Instagram Profile URL to an Instagram URL Scheme with Drafts, Launch Center Pro, and TextTool
          • If you have a profile that you frequently like to visit on Instagram on your iPhone, the quickest way to get there is via an URL scheme. The IG profile for Beyonce is http://instagram.com/beyonce, but if you tap on the following URL, it will bring you straight to her profile in the app: instagram://user?username=beyonce.
          • I keep a list of favorite IG profiles in "Drafts" but you can also put these links in a launcher like "Launch Center Pro".
          • To automate the conversion of the profile URL to the URL scheme, I have written two URL actions. To make this work, you will need Drafts, Launch Center Pro, and "TextTool". (By the way, I am currently using Drafts 3. If you are using Drafts 4, then please adjust the URL action accordingly -- put a 4 after drafts.)
          • The LCP action is as follows. (You can install it here.)
          • texttool://x-callback-url/transform?text=[clipboard]&method=split&delimiter=/&x-success={{drafts:///create?text=[[output]]&action=ig-clipboard}}
          • This action splits the profile URL at the / in TextTool, so that the username ends up on the 4th line. Then the output is sent to Drafts. You can install this action or create an URL action called ig-clipboard:
          • drafts:///create?text={{(instagram://user?username=[[line|4]])}}
          • This wraps line 4 of the draft in the IG URL scheme. I surround it by parens in case I want to precede it with square brackets to make it a Markdown link.

          • How to Make It Work

          • After you install these two actions, just copy an IG user profile to your clipboard, and tap on the IG-clipboard action in LCP. The conversion happens automatically, and you'll end up with the URL scheme in Drafts.
          • Want to comment? The permalink for this post is http://blog.jeffreykishner.com/2014/11/21/convertAnInstagramProfileUrlToAnInstagramUrlSchemeWithDraftsLaunchCenterProAndTexttool
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      • November 18
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      • November 13
        • Is Dave Grohl Bored of the Foo Fighters?
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          • Foo Fighters is one of my favorite rock bands. I have been listening to Sonic Highways this week, and it just feels uninspired to me. The best hooks seem to be lifted from The Beatles or Jethro Tull. I suspect that Dave Grohl couldn't even bring himself to record another Foo Fighters album unless he built it around a documentary (which I haven't seen, because I don't have cable). I hope I am proven wrong after future listens, but I suspect that the Foo Fighters have lost their edge.
      • November 7
        • i99repair.com Review: ★★☆☆☆
          • A couple of weeks ago I dropped my iPad mini and the screen cracked. I work in Manhattan, and although there are many local services that will repair screens, I was looking for an affordable solution -- over $150 seems like a of money to spend to replace a screen, given that I can get an entire Amazon Fire tablet for that price.
          • I eventually went with i99repair.com, because their price was only $110, and I found a $5 discount code on their Facebook business page. (In fact, I only felt comfortable enough to mail my iPad to Iowa because the Facebook comments assuaged my anxiety that i99repair might have been a scam.)
          • After I paid, the email receipt stated that I would be notified once they received my iPad. I shipped it First Class (with tracking code) for under $15. i99repair received it on a Saturday, but I did not hear from them. I left a voicemail in the middle of the following week, and having not received a reply, I emailed them. They replied that they received it and were almost done with it. That Friday, I received an automated email with a USPS tracking code for the shipped, repaired iPad. I received it the following Tuesday.
          • Excited, I opened my package, only to find that the Home button did not work. (The square on the Home button is even slightly askew.) I emailed i99repair about this, and they wrote, Ok send it back. (I have since replied, asking if they would pay for shipping, and as of this writing have not received a response.)
          • The screen replacement is fine, although there is a small speck underneath it which I know wasn't there before.
          • Needless to say, I was upset. I did some googling and found that there is a virtual button that can be activated via Assistive Touch, which can be found in Accessibility under the Settings > General. It is a persistent icon that overlays the screen, and that can be dragged just about anywhere. When I tap on it, I can tap on Home or activate Siri or access Control Center or Notification Center.
          • One thing I learned being without my iPad mini for 1.5 weeks is that I really love my iPad. I didn't particularly like reading The New Yorker on my iPhone while on the subway. So I had to decide: re-ship my still-broken iPad to Iowa and be without it for another 1.5 weeks, or just use it with Assistive Touch. For the past few days, I have been using the virtual button, and have been OK with it. I do the four finger upward swipe to switch between frequently-used apps, so I rarely have to go Home to open an app. And I rarely use Siri on my iPad anyway.
          • All in all, I regret having sent my iPad to i99repair.com, and I would not recommend them. Their reply to my complaint was rude, and they shouldn't have even sent my iPad back to me with a non-functioning Home button in the first place. If they had replied with something to the effect of, "I am so sorry that we made a mistake. Please mail it back (we will compensate you for shipping) and we will make it a priority to fix the problem," I would have felt much better about the situation.
          • Want to comment? The permalink for this post is http://blog.jeffreykishner.com/2014/11/07/i99repaircomReview
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    • October 2014
      • October 28
      • October 24
        • Get the URL Scheme for a SoundCloud Track With This Script
          • In July, I showed how you can get the URL scheme for a SoundCloud user or track from an embed code so that you can open right into that track or user in the SoundCloud iOS app from a launcher like "Launch Center Pro". Today I decided to automate the process for a track URL.
          • You can use the script here.
          • To get the embed code, go to a track on the desktop site (make sure it's not a playlist); click on the Share button; click on the Embed tab; and copy the code within the Code & Preview box and copy it to your clipboard. Paste it into the text area in my script, click the button, and get the URL scheme.
          • I have not done many test cases; I am assuming all track IDs are the same length. If this script doesn't work for you, please report in the comments section.
          • Want to comment? The permalink for this post is http://blog.jeffreykishner.com/2014/10/24/getTheUrlSchemeForASoundcloudTrackWithThisScript
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      • October 21
      • October 20
      • October 18
      • October 17
      • October 16
      • October 15
        • Import a Single Draft from Drafts 3 Into Drafts 4
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          • Just create this URL action, title it something like Send to Drafts 4: drafts4:///create?text=[[draft]]
        • How to Open Links in a Non-Default Browser from TTYtter Running on Mac OS X
          • Yesterday I blogged about opening links from TTYtter for PERL in Lynx while running the app over SSH. This morning I decided to just run the app locally on my work computer. Due to IT restrictions, I don't have access to .profile, so I just downloaded the text file to a local directory, changed the name of the file to twitter, made it executable by typing chmod +x twitter, and went through the OAuth process. Now while in that directory I can just type ./twitter to run the app.
          • A benefit of running the app on my local machine is that I can open URLs in a GUI web browser. The developer suggests that MAC OS X users can /set the urlopen parameter to open %U. For work reasons, my default browser is not the browser I use for personal browsing, so I went into the text file, and changed
          • $urlopen ||= 'echo %U';
          • to
          • $urlopen ||= 'open -a "Google Chrome" %U';
          • Now I can just type /url followed by the thread ID, and the first link in the tweet will open in Chrome.
          • Want to comment? The permalink for this post is http://blog.jeffreykishner.com/2014/10/15/howToOpenLinksInANondefaultBrowserFromTtytterRunningOnMacOsX
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        • I'm so glad that v4 of "Drafts" runs as a separate app than v3, and that they use distinct URL schemes. I can use v3 on my iPad to sync via Simperium with my iPhone (which I have not upgraded to iOS8) and still be able to play with the new iOS8-only version on my iPad.
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      • October 14
        • How to Permanently Set a Link to Open in Lynx in TTYtter for PERL
          • TTYtter is a Linux command-line app for Twitter. I use it over SSH while at the office, so (as far as I can tell) I cannot open links into a GUI browser from within the app.
          • In TTYtter, one types /url followed by an alphanumeric string to open the first link mentioned in a tweet. By default, /url is set to echo %U which just "prints" the URL out in the terminal. This is not very useful. One can set the value by typing /set urlopen followed by the app in which one wants to view the URL. I have been typing /set urlopen lynx --accept-all-cookies %U at the beginning of every session, but this gets tiresome.
          • I know nothing of PERL, but I know that this app is just one big executable text file. So I just opened it in a text editor, searched for urlopen and changed
          • $urlopen ||= 'echo %U';
          • to
          • $urlopen ||= 'lynx --accept-all-cookies %U';
          • Now I can view the link in the Lynx browser (and without having to accept cookies each and every time) without having to set the variable again.
          • Want to comment? The permalink for this post is http://blog.jeffreykishner.com/2014/10/14/howToPermanentlySetLinkToOpenInLynxInTtytterForPerl
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      • October 13
        • I brought a banana to work. Instead of eating it, I bought a package of chocolate chocolate-chip cookies and ate 1/2 the bag.
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      • October 10
      • October 9
      • October 8
      • October 7
        • Thank You, Dave
          • Dave Winer is commemorating 20 years of blogging.
          • He turned the comments off his blog post, so I'm sharing my appreciation here.
          •  
          • Dave,
          • I've been blogging since 2001. At times I've taken it in professional directions. It got me into my current line of work as a web producer. Everything I've learned -- HTML, CSS, Javascript, PHP -- I've picked up so that I could hack my own blogs.
          • I can honestly say that your work has improved my life. I learned Javascript just so I could take full advantage of Fargo. I publish this blog via Fargo even though it is rough around the edges, because I love writing in outlines.
          • I've never met you in real life, and I'm certain we've pissed each other off on mailing lists and in comments sections, but I've learned from you in these interactions that it helps a developer when a user explains a problem in as much detail as possible, so that it can be replicated. It's forced me to be more clear in my communications. And to RTFM.
          • I admire your devotion to the open internet, and to your championing of RSS and OPML as tools to distribute and organize information that can be shared across multiple platforms.
          • Lastly, I appreciate that you have been creating tools that are accessible to anyone with a Twitter account, not just to geeks. I hope your contributions live on for a very long time.
          • Want to comment? The permalink for this post is http://blog.jeffreykishner.com/2014/10/07/thankYouDave
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      • October 6
        • Dammit I have a headcold.
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        • This essay on Paula Deen was an entertaining, informative read. It was published in the online magazine Matter on Medium. I know that Medium has venture capital, but I don't understand how they can continue to fund quality, long-form journalism without either ads or a subscription model.
        •  
        • I Guess I Don't Need a New iPhone After All
          • I've been playing with Extensions and Today screen widgets in iOS 8 on my iPad, and I'm just fine still using my 4s with iOS 7. Some iOS 8 features add convenience, but a javascript bookmarklet to add an article to Instapaper works just as well as an Instapaper extension. There is currently nothing in iOS 8 that I feel I have to have on my iPhone.
          • The only app whose release I "dread" is "Drafts", because I know that it will be iOS 8-only and will sync with Cloudkit. As long as I keep my iPhone as-is, I will not be able to upgrade to Drafts even on my iPad if I want to sync notes between my devices.
          • Want to comment? The permalink for this post is http://blog.jeffreykishner.com/2014/10/06/iGuessIDontNeedANewIphoneAfterAll
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        • |link| The stunning weirdness of Ayn Rand: Why her newfound popularity makes no sense (Salon.com)
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        • Where to Linkblog?
          • I used to have a linkblog on a subdomain of Dave Winer's smallpict.com, and used the Fargo bookmarklet to quickly add links to my linkblog outline. Then when Dave released Radio3 I started using that bookmarklet to add links. However, even though with Radio3 I can have my own linkblog that cross-posts to Twitter and has an RSS feed, that's not on my own domain. If Dave released Radio3 on GitHub and I could run it from my own server, then I would feel I have more control over it. But for all his writing on silos, Radio3 itself is a silo. If Dave takes the site down, I lose my linkblog, even if all the links have been shared on Twitter.
          • So for now I'm going to share links on my regular blog. If you're reading it on the web, a shared link will be preceded by |link|. If you're reading this in a feed reader, you'll see |link| preceding the link title.
          • Whether I share something here or on Twitter (or both) will be a crapshoot. Sometimes the decision is dictated by the device I am using at the time I want to share a link. I hate using Fargo.io on mobile devices, so it's easier then to just use Tweetbot. But if I'm at a desktop computer, I'll more likely share it here -- unless I am so incensed about a story that I want to share it also (or exclusively) on Twitter. I can share a headline from Fargo on Twitter using the following script, but the tweet always needs editing before I post:
          • <%reader ("https://dl.dropbox.com/s/3fpz0pjbxy5io8s/8f327e3f7fa1a04865e7dd11bdb95a88.opml?dl=0")%>
          • "Visit the Fargo scripting page in the docs to learn how to install this script, or watch this video."
          • So, follow me on Twitter as well!
          • Want to comment? The permalink for this post is http://blog.jeffreykishner.com/2014/10/06/whereToLinkblog
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        • |link| Roxane Gay and Lena Dunham on Online Criticism (Vulture)
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      • October 3
        • How I'm Reading Feeds These Days
          • I'm enjoying reading my "rivers of news" over at Radio3 now that I'm running river.js locally. I still use Fever, but currently only to see what's Hot. Anytime I see a blog I like, I just add its feed to Fever as a "spark." Fever runs an algorithm to see what URLs are linked-to frequently among all my feeds within a specified time frame, and presents those as Hot links. So if I want to get a quick overview of what My Part of the Internet is talking about, I look at Fever. My rivers, on the other hand, include only the blogs I truly follow. I can do this just as easily with Fever groups, but right now I like my rivers.
          • Want to comment? The permalink for this post is http://blog.jeffreykishner.com/2014/10/03/howImReadingFeedsTheseDays
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      • October 2
        • "My Own Eyes"
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          • <%icon ("fa fa-quote-left")%> If this Foo Fighters style parody falls flat, it's because the Foos don't really have a style worthy of parodying. Take away Dave Grohl's songwriting chops and supremely likable personality, and you're left with rousing yet fairly bland arena rock.
             
            <%icon ("fa fa-external-link")%> 'Weird Al' Yankovic's 'Mandatory Fun': Track-by-Track Album Review
          • I came upon this album review by Kenneth Partridge after doing a Google search to prove to my daughter that "My Own Eyes" was indeed a Foo Fighters genre parody (i.e., of the band's style, not a specific song). What struck me was the line, "Take away Dave Grohl's songwriting chops." Take away his chops and you do have bland arena rock. That's why he fronts the Foo Fighters and not, say, Nickelback.
    • September 2014
      • September 30
        • The worst part of visiting the dentist: Leaving with a light spray of baking soda all over my face.
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      • September 26
        • If you want to subscribe to my blog and linkblog in the Radio3 River, here is the new JSON URL: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/ja805gz8v4lewhc/jeff.js?dl=0
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        • One of the things that suck about being hard-of-hearing in one ear: Listening to The Beatles on the headphones, when Paul or John only sing on one channel.
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        • Running River4 On the Cheap: Locally and with Dropbox
          • The latest release of River4 allows a user to bypass Amazon S3 and instead write all data to the local machine. This is big news -- the cost of bandwidth and all of the reading/writing from the node.js installation to Amazon is not cheap. Although Dave Winer has said that the "river of news" is not a feed reader, they feel equivalent enough that I don't want to be paying $20 a month just to create JSON files and host a river, when competitive feed readers are much less expensive.
          • The initial problem with running River4 locally is that one would need to use the web server as a host, and not all web servers have that capability. For instance, I am running River4 on a VPS that does not have a fixed IP address. However, there is a workaround: Dropbox. One can't view the index.html file of the river on the web (even when made shareable) but one can make all of the JSON files shareable, and plug them in where they are referenced.
          • I created a river4 subdirectory in Dropbox, put a lists folder in it, and added my OPML files. Because I have Dropbox installed on my Linux VPS, river.js can read/write to/from that subdirectory. All I had to do was go into .bashrc, put a # in front of my original s3path, and add the following line:
          • export fspath=/root/Dropbox/river4/
          • After source ~/.bashrc I stopped and restarted river.js, and the app started to write files to the Dropbox folder. I then had to make the JSON files shareable. For example, if I go to Dropbox/river4/rivers and make daveWiner.js shareable, I get https://www.dropbox.com/s/qb3vl228x7mc970/daveWiner.js?dl=0. To show the raw code, I change www to dl and hit enter, and get https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/qb3vl228x7mc970/daveWiner.js?dl=0. I can now plug this into the Settings at the Radio3 River Browser or replace the URL in the riversArray.json file in the data folder (although you'll have to do that in a copy in a different folder, otherwise the app will just rewrite over it if you add a new OPML file to the lists folder). Then I go to (as of this writing) line 706 of the index.html file and change the following line
          • readHttpFile ("data/riversArray.json", function (jsontext) {
          • such that the file that it reads points to where you are hosting the JSON file. This could be the shared Dropbox URL, if you change the URL to show the raw code.
          • Special thanks to Chris Dadswell for helping me think this through.
          • Want to comment? The permalink for this post is http://blog.jeffreykishner.com/2014/09/26/runningRiver4OnTheCheapLocallyAndWithDropbox
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      • September 25
        • I'm redirecting jeffreykishner.com/index.html to my Fargo blog -- basically communicating that the blog subdomain is my home, even if all the other pages on my WordPress site are accessible.
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        • Switching This Fargo Blog from blogHome to Stream Template
          • As an experiment I am converting this blog to the stream template (which is what Dave Winer is using at Scripting). I was looking at Chris Dadswell's blog (as well as his OPML) and realized that a stream blog can still contain type="outline" posts. For example, here is the 9/25 stream and here is one of his outline posts from 9/25. The RSS feed points to the full posts so the stream template is not a disservice to readers.
          • All I've done as of this writing is change this blog from blogHome to stream and remove everything in my <%customStylesScripts%> in the #glossary other than my Google Analytics script.
          • The downside is that the stream template does not support Markdown -- which is what I've written virtually all of my outline posts in -- so many of my posts on the home page will be presented as written (i.e., not converted to HTML). If I stick to writing in HTML then this formatting error will pass over time.
          • I will also add a permalink at the end of each post, so that if you are reading it on the home page, you can click over to the post itself.
          • Want to comment? The permalink for this post is http://blog.jeffreykishner.com/2014/09/25/switchingThisFargoBlogFromBloghomeToStreamTemplate
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      • September 24
        • Subscribe to Me in the Radio3 River Browser
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          • Dave Winer recently released his most cutting-edge product, RiverBrowser. It is the "river of news" living at Radio3.io, which is his new linkblogging tool, where you can post a link simultaneously to Twitter, Facebook, a WordPress blog, and your Radio3 page.
          • The RiverBrowser depends on River4 or earlier (e.g. River 3). River4 is software running on the node.js framework that converts OPML subscription lists (of RSS feeds) into a JSON file, that is then rendered as a river of news. Setting up River4 is pretty darn complicated if you are not comfortable with Unix and Amazon Web Services.
          • You can see the default RiverBrowser at [http://radio3.io/rivers/#](http://radio3.io/rivers/#), which contains Dave Winer's tabs. But you can follow my latest blog and linkblog posts by adding a JSON URL that I've generated in my own River4 installation.
          • When you're at the RiverBrowser page, sign on to Twitter. Then click on Rivers, and then My Rivers. Click the plus sign, and in the new row, enter `Jeff` on the left and `http://river.jeffreykishner.com/rivers/jeff.js` on the right. Save, and you'll see a new tab with any feeds that I've added to [my OPML file](https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/7tti43z92f0egsw/jeffFeeds.opml?dl=0).
        • The Week Needs a Better Copy Editor
          • ![](https://dl.dropbox.com/s/5izofoczshd6qmc/speedreads-alarmed-customers-find-out-the-iphone-6-plus-can-bend-in-your-pocket.jpg?dl=0)
          • [<%icon ("fa fa-external-link")%>](http://theweek.com/article/index/268682/speedreads-alarmed-customers-find-out-the-iphone-6-plus-can-bend-in-your-pocket)
      • September 22
        • Lev Grossman's Magicians Trilogy
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          • I just finished reading [this series](http://levgrossman.com/magicians-trilogy/). There are few novels that I feel compelled to pick up outside of my subway commute, and these books belong to that category. I did not unequivocally love them, but they were all good reads. Think _Harry Potter_ but young American adults who curse and have sex; or a dark _The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe_.
          • While reading the first two books, I really wanted magic to be real. When I was in my late twenties or early thirties I tried some candle magick, and nothing came of it. It's possible that I just was not able to summon strong enough emotional energy and will it into a change in circumstances. But then we get into tricky territory, like "Be the change you want to happen" or all that _The Secret_ philosophy. Of course that's different than shooting light out of your fingers or flying, but essentially I think magic is about our emotions and our surroundings being One.
          • One takeaway from these books is that you have to know yourself and know what you want to create something new. There is no room for ambivalence in magic, or at least if you're ambivalent the results of magic could turn out grotesque or half-formed. As a Pisces -- which is a mutable sign -- I often swim in both directions at once, so don't have the strong _I have to go in THIS direction and abandon everything else_ that I associate with a zodiac sign more suited for magic, like Scorpio. So maybe if magic _is_ real, it's just not for me. I tend to be more suited towards changing consciousness than changing matter.
      • September 19
        • Tweets from September 18, 2014
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          • I don't think my tweets are anything special, but it occurred to me last night that I can use this blog as a repository of selected tweets so that more of my microblogging can be found in the same place. Dave Winer's [Happy Friends](http://happyfriends.camp) makes it easy to copy and paste tweets into a Fargo.io blog, because it exports an opml file on the web that can be viewed as a tab in Fargo.
          • So here are yesterday's tweets in which I am not communicating with someone specific or promoting my own blog posts:
          • it is not the case that I will do anything for pastries
          • todo.txt nerds, I have a quicken question that won't fit in 140: https://t.co/ZjijRyHXGi
          • my fav part of iOS8 extensions is that they obviate the need to install javascript bookmarklets
      • September 18
        • CloudKit Dammit!
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          • I just learned that the new version of "Drafts" will be using CloudKit and will drop Simperium sync. So [if I choose not to upgrade my iPhone](http://blog.jeffreykishner.com/2014/09/18/testdrivingIos8BeforeIUpgradeMyIphone.html) and want to try the [iOS-8-only version of Drafts](https://gist.github.com/agiletortoise/044d3f20b3f1a94aa2f7) on my iPad, I will not be able to sync my drafts between the two devices.
          • @kishner Yes. Using CloudKit for sync.
          • @kishner You will have to stay on the current version (which works fine on 8).
          • I use Drafts pretty much daily, and I have written God knows how many Dropbox, Evernote and URL actions for it. Not only that, I keep it as a notes repository, storing snippets that I will never _act on_. Kind of like people use nvAlt.
          • I could choose to only use Drafts as a place to take actions on drafts, i.e., send text to other apps -- and use a Dropbox text editor for storing notes. The big changes that Greg Pierce (the developer) has in store look so enticing that it would be difficult for me _not_ to try it out on my iPad.
        • How to Add Twitter Card Support to Farg.io Blogs
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          • ![](https://dl.dropbox.com/s/wdqtukqaz5fhzyn/Screen%20Shot%202014-09-18%20at%202.48.42%20PM.png?dl=0)
          • [Twitter cards](https://dev.twitter.com/cards/getting-started) show additional information associated with a link. Twitter draws this information from meta tags on your page. Twitter cards support the open graph protocol, so there are only two additional lines of code you would need to add to your site via my [meta open graph script](http://blog.jeffreykishner.com/2014/09/12/fargoScriptToAddOpenGraphMetaTagsToYourBlogPost.html) to support a basic summary card:
          • If you want to incorporate the above meta tags, use the following updated `add meta og` script.
          • "Visit the Fargo scripting page in the docs to learn how to install this script, or watch this video."
          • <%reader ("https://dl.dropbox.com/s/bad9q1si3jwftfl/78c0df1667494ee3d824a4b83800cb70.opml?dl=0")%>
          • Make sure you replace @kishner with your own Twitter handle.
          • In addition to having the meta tags on your page, you need to get your site whitelisted by Twitter. After you've published a post with the meta tags, enter your URL in the [Card Validator](https://cards-dev.twitter.com/validator). If the card is valid but your site has not been approved, then submit for review. After your site has been approved, your Twitter cards will show up.
        • Test-Driving iOS 8 Before I Upgrade My iPhone
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          • I've been debating whether I _absolutely have to_ get a new iPhone. If I do, I'd get the year-old 5s. But for a 32gb model, that's $150 plus a $40 activation fee to renew my 2-yr contract on AT&T, unless I go with their Next plan. I haven't done the math, but it appears that [the Next plan is a ripoff](http://www.theverge.com/2013/7/16/4528404/att-next-phone-upgrade-plans-a-huge-ripoff), so I'd be paying close to $200 for a subsidized iPhone 5s.
          • Yesterday, when iOS 8 was released, I decided to install it on my iPad mini. Although the new OS can technically be installed on a 4s, I've read that the animations are choppy, and I already find the iOS 7 animations on my 4s to be slow. I am test-driving the new versions of my favorite productivity apps in iOS 8 to see if I can live without them on my iPhone.
          • So far, I've clipped an article in Safari to Evernote using the app's extension, and I've signed in to Pinner for Pinboard using the 1Password extension. The Evernote extension functionality is a big plus compared to using Everclip or a javascript bookmarklet or [this novel solution by Phillip Gruneich](http://philgr.com/blog/save-articles-from-the-web-on-evernote-from-ios). I haven't tested out the Instapaper extension yet, and I'm looking forward to trying the [new version of Drafts coming out in October](https://gist.github.com/agiletortoise/044d3f20b3f1a94aa2f7).
          • I do most of my "consumption" on the iPad anyway, so saving articles to Evernote or Instapaper would happen there. I use my iPhone mainly for task management and brain-dumping; "Launch Center Pro" and Drafts are the killer apps for me there.
          • My conscience is telling me to use my iPhone 4s until it is pretty much nonfunctional. It seems wasteful otherwise. Yes, I can upgrade to a 5s and hand my old phone down as an iPod Touch to a family member, but I'm still spending good money for a new product. And any new product uses up resources and has a labor cost as well.
      • September 12
        • Fargo Script to Add Open Graph Meta Tags to Your Blog Post
            • <%customStylesScripts%>
          • The following Fargo.io script will insert a #glossary directive followed by a customStylesScripts macro that includes open graph meta tags for title, url, and description. I have tested this in Google's [Structured Data Testing Tool](http://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/richsnippets) and Facebook's [Open Graph Object Debugger](https://developers.facebook.com/tools/debug/og/object/) and it works. With these tags in place, you should be able to post a Fargo blog post to Facebook and have the open graph meta tags properly parsed.
          • To make this work, you need to add the script below to your menubar.opml file. Write your blog post, then put the cursor on the title of the post, and choose the _add meta og_ script. Everything you need will be automatically written. By default, the description tag pulls the first line of your blog post. You can edit it afterwards if you want.
          •  
          • ![](https://dl.dropbox.com/s/o97r8euba97i24g/Screen%20Shot%202014-09-12%20at%203.28.38%20PM.png?dl=0)
          •  
          • "Visit the Fargo scripting page in the docs to learn how to install this script, or watch this video."
          • <%reader ("https://dl.dropbox.com/s/9l8qirxcvlm9119/6dd697a11b9e6ae32acc11b1b847505b.opml?dl=0")%>
      • September 11
        • Install Tiny Tiny RSS on Your Server Without Using the Command Line
            • <%customStylesScripts%>
          • [Tiny Tiny RSS](http://tt-rss.org/redmine/projects/tt-rss/wiki) is a open-source RSS reader that you can install on any LAMP server (Linux/Apache/MySQL/PHP). I installed this yesterday and it wasn't too complicated. [Lifehacker](http://lifehacker.com/5992404/how-to-build-your-own-syncing-rss-reader-with-tiny-tiny-rss-and-kick-google-reader-to-the-curb) has a tutorial, but one doesn't need any Linux or command line experience to install this application. You _do_ need to be comfortable with cPanel and FTP software.
          •  
          • Download the [tar](https://github.com/gothfox/Tiny-Tiny-RSS/archive/1.13.tar.gz) to your hard drive and extract.
          • Open the Web Host Manager for your server, and go to the cPanel for the domain onto which you are installing the application. Then go to the MySQL Database Wizard. You will need to create a new database, a new user for that database, and create a password. Then give the user all privileges. Make sure you note these all down, and then you can sign out of your Web Host Manager.
          • Next, open FTP software (like [Filezilla](https://filezilla-project.org/)). Rename the folder that you extracted from the tar to _tt-rss_, and upload the folder (and all of its contents) to the public_html directory of your domain.
          • After upload is complete, visit the install page at _http://YOUR-DOMAIN.com/tt-rss/install/_. Enter the database settings you created in the MySQL wizard, and hit the test button. If it was a success, initialize the database. The app will provide you the contents of a custom config.php file. Copy this text and paste it into a new file in a text editor. Search for SIMPLE_UPDATE_MODE in the file and change its value to _true_ so that the feeds will update every 1/2 hour while you're using the app. Save the file as config.php and upload into the _tt-rss_ directory.
          • Now you can go visit /tt-rss/ and log in initially with `admin` and `password`. You can go into preferences to change the admin password, create users, and so on.
          • Resources
          • Installation Notes
          • Updating Feeds
      • September 10
        • But Do I Need It?
            • <%customStylesScripts%>
          • Had a talk with my wife last night about the Apple event. She does not follow Apple news. She uses one of my old iPhones as an iPod Touch to play Letterpress.
          • I told her I wanted to upgrade to the 5s (which is a year old), and she asked, "But do you need it?"
          • That fact is, I don't. My 4s works fine with iOS 7. The screen isn't cracked, I can make calls, the battery life is acceptable. I don't even want new hardware, I just want a phone that will work well with iOS 8, and I fear that my 4s won't cut it. Some of the iOS 7 animation effects are already kind of sluggish on my current phone, and god knows how many apps I'd have to delete just to be able to install iOS 8 on it, given that I am constantly getting "you have no more storage left" messages.
          • I told her I just like to play with productivity apps, it appeals to my geeky side. But is it worth it to spend even $150 just so I can perform actions in Notification Center, or use 1Password from within a supported app?
          • I have a history of always buying The Next New Thing, debt be damned. After twenty years or so of adulthood, I am working on being less impetuous. My wife is from Germany, and she reminds me -- often -- that German companies make products to last, and that companies take their products back from consumers when they are no longer functioning. Here in the U.S., _planned obsolescence_ seems to be the rule rather than the exception. Also, there is something to be said for thinking about the environment. Apple's green record is improving, but if I upgrade my phone every two years even if it is working fine, in some sense I am needlessly supporting the extraction of more precious metals, and I am probably contributing to the Chinese factory worker problem.
          • This is not to say that I definitely won't upgrade this Fall, but the thought of doing so doesn't sit well with me. I may wait the release of iOS 8 out, and observe how much pain1 I endure when my favorite apps integrate iOS 8-only features.
          • ***
          • 1 This is the Fear of Missing Out (FOMA) pain of a geek who enjoys using Drafts, Launch Center Pro, Pythonista, etc. How would I feel reading blogs and not being able to _do_ what the authors outline in their URL schemes/scripts/actions?
        • Who Needs a Podcasting App?
          • The problem I have with most podcasting apps is that they assume I want to always download the most recent episodes of podcasts to which I am subscribed. I would prefer to only download episodes to which I actually want to listen. After getting frustrated tweaking settings in apps like Instacast and Overcast, I've resorted to the following routine:
          • [River4](https://github.com/scripting/river4) shows podcast enclosures. I can quickly scan the podcasts in [my river](http://river.jeffreykishner.com/?panel=podcasts) and decide what I want to listen to.
          •  
          • ![](https://dl.dropbox.com/s/ugbukvz0g59t2j2/Screen%20Shot%202014-09-10%20at%2010.03.10%20AM.png?dl=0)
          •  
          • I then right click on the mp3 link and copy the link location to my clipboard.
          • Using the [Pushbullet](http://pushbullet.com) [Chrome extension](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/pushbullet/chlffgpmiacpedhhbkiomidkjlcfhogd?hl=en), I send the link to my iPhone. I just make sure to precede the link with a `g` (explanation below).
          •  
          • ![](https://dl.dropbox.com/s/i66est3qfzosbf7/Screen%20Shot%202014-09-10%20at%2010.06.11%20AM.png?dl=0)
          •  
          • When I receive the push notification (the Pushbullet app on the iPhone is of course required), I swipe on it, and the link immediately opens to...
          • [GoodReader](http://www.goodiware.com/) is an excellent app for downloading just about any media: mp3s, movie files, images, html files, PDFs. When an URL is preceded by a `g`, it tells Safari to go to GoodReader, and then GoodReader downloads the file.
          • This app remembers where I leave off in the middle of listening to a podcast -- although I have to hit the "Stop" button after pausing the recording -- so I can easily resume the podcast just by tapping on the filename. When I'm done, I swipe to delete.
      • September 9
        • Time to Upgrade
          • I have a 16 gb iPhone 4s. I am constantly hitting my memory limits, and I fear that the phone will run sluggishly if I install iOS 8. After following today's Apple event, I am thinking of just getting a 32 gb 5s for $149. As much as I'd love a 6, knowing that 16 gb is not enough I'd have to get a 64 gb model, which costs $299. (And that's with a renewed 2-year contract!)
          • Of course, I could choose to do nothing, but I really want iOS 8. I am, after all, a major iPhone geek, and I want Extensions and Handoff.
          • I'm much more interested in the latest software than the latest hardware, but I feel I have to invest in more recent hardware to get the best out of the latest iOS update, and I think the 5s will be fine for my needs.
      • September 3
        • The Cost of River4
          • I just got my Amazon Web Services bill. It looks like the portion of it attributable to running River4 for August was a little over ten dollars. I know this is not backbreaking, but it's not free either. It's more expensive than a paid account at Newsblur or Feedly. And I'm already running [Fever](http://feedafever.com) on my VPS for no extra cost. Right now I'm _liking_ [my river](http://river.jeffreykishner.com) but the cost of the Amazon bandwidth and service requests are higher than I had anticipated.
          • I remember going through a similar experience when I was running [River2 and River3](http://blog.jeffreykishner.com/2013/09/06/isPayingForAnAmazonEc2InstanceToRunRiver23WorthIt.html). At that time, the big cost was running the EC2 instance 24/7. With River4, I'm running the software on my VPS, so it's not costing me anything extra. It's all Amazon.
        • Posting Multiple Sites with fargoPublisher on Heroku REDUX
          • [Yesterday](http://blog.jeffreykishner.com/2014/09/02/postingMultipleSitesWithFargopublisherOnHeroku.html) I blogged about fargoPublisher and Heroku but I got pretty much everything _wrong_. Thanks to clarification from Dave Winer on the Fargo2 Google group, I finally got fargoPublisher working as intended.
          • First, follow Dave's [Heroku for Poets tutorial](http://scripting.com/2014/02/06/herokuForPoetsBeta.html). I created a Heroku app, and put the domain name of that app in the CMS settings in Fargo (at the top right, where your name is), e.g., app.herokuapp.com (not the real app name).
          • I registered the domain myblogoutline.com. And created an Amazon S3 bucket called myblogoutline.com (although I think you can call the bucket whatever you want, it doesn't have to coincide with the domain name). At my domain registrar, I have a wildcard CNAME ("*") pointing to app.herokuapp.com.
          • On the Heroku dashboard for my app, under domains, it shows the name of my app. I added to it *.myoutlineblog.com.
          • I have the following set up as config variables on the same settings page (minus the Amazon secret keys):
          • fpDataPath = /myblogoutline.com/data/
          • fpDomain = myblogoutline.com
          • fpHostingPath = /myblogoutline.com/users/
          • fpRedirect = false
          • fpServerPort = 80
          • I then created a new outline in Fargo, named it (File > Name Outline...) and added a few entries. When I put the cursor on a headline and clicked on the eye icon in the left rail, Fargo successfully opened the correct URL.
          • From what I understand from Dave, Heroku does all the serving of content, Amazon just _stores_ the data.
      • September 2
        • Posting Multiple Sites with fargoPublisher on Heroku
          • _Please disregard the content below and go [here](http://blog.jeffreykishner.com/2014/09/03/postingMultipleSitesWithFargopublisherOnHerokuRedux.html) instead._
          • I have managed to successfully deploy [fargoPublisher](https://github.com/scripting/fargoPublisher) on [Heroku](http://heroku.com) using [Dave Winer's instructions](http://scripting.com/2014/02/06/herokuForPoetsBeta.html). It was surprisingly easy. (The only snag was that I had to put ****.herokuapp.com in the CMS settings globally, not per individual outline.) The difficult part has been figuring out how to actually publish the sites.
          • fargoPublisher seems to essentially be the same software used to create subdomains on smallpict.com. If you want to publish one of your outlines on your own Amazon S3 bucket, you need to "name" it. As of this writing, my Heroku app is publishing to a bucket called myoutlineblog.com (same as a domain name I registered). Theoretically, if I name an outline "blog," it will publish at blog.myoutlineblog.com. However, there are two separate DNS components necessary to make this work. First I need to point myoutlineblog.com.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com (the "endpoint") to myoutlineblog.com via CNAME. And to the best of my knowledge, I need to point a wildcard A record to the IP address of the node where I am hosting fargoPublisher. This is where the users are redirected to their subdomains. Unfortunately, Heroku apps only have dynamic IP addresses, and I don't currently see a solution to this, so I can only access my example named site at myoutlineblog.com/users/blog/, not blog.myoutlineblog.com.
          • This is problematic because links in Fargo sites are relative, e.g, `"href=2014/09/01/blogpost.html"`, and named outlines have the blog.domain.com structure. One workaround is adding a few directives in the outline: `#opmlLink "http://myoutlineblog.com/users/blog/"` and `#opmlFeed "http://myoutlineblog.com/users/blog/rss.xml"`.
          • This appears to successfully replace blog.myoutlineblog.com with myoutlineblog.com/users/blog/ in the rendered HTML, so that if I click on a link to a post from an index.html page, I will be directed to the correct path. Unfortunately, this solution is not working for #type "stream" blogs (i.e., link or note blogs like scripting.com). I believe that since you can only click on a date, Fargo is expecting the base domain, no additional directories.
          • Another problem is that the RSS feed points to the blog.domain.com address, so unless I can figure out how to fix that, any feed subscribers clicking on a feed item will be directed to a 404 page.
          • As currently implemented, this solution is definitely better than not having fargoPublisher deployed at all. I can publish all the outlines I want to my own AWS account. I just have to tweak every outline a bit to make relative links work, and I guess stream blogs are out of the question until I can find a workaround.
    • August 2014
      • August 18
        • Workflowy vs. Fargo
          • I've been occasionally using Workflowy simply because "Fargo" does not have a native iOS app, and its web app is barely serviceable: I need to close most tabs to increase responsiveness, and even with the arrow pad, writing and editing on the iPad or iPhone in Fargo is frustrating. Only Workflowy has an iOS app, and it works well.
          • Fargo is far-and-away a superior product on the desktop. Just a few of the things I can do in Fargo that I can't in Workflowy:
            • Publish a blog.
            • Add attributes other than _note.
            • Run scripts.
          • Sharing an outline is possible from both apps.
            • In Fargo, I can share the public Dropbox URL of an outline, and a reader can import that into Fargo or view it in something like Small Picture Reader.
            • In Workflowy, I can share any outline via a secret link, and even make it editable.
          • Both have pretty good keyboard shortcuts.
          • Importing and Exporting OPML
            • I can copy the full text from an OPML file in my Dropbox account (where Fargo stores outlines) and paste it into Workflowy, and Workflowy will respect the hierarchy (although not import unsupported attributes). I can also export any outline in Workflow as OPML.
            • This Fargo script allows me to import OPML into an outline:
              • add opml in dialog box (workflowy)
                • dialog.ask ("paste raw opml here", "", "", function (data) {
                  • op.insertOpml (data, down);
                  • });
              • "Visit the Fargo scripting page in the docs to learn how to install this script, or watch this video."
              • Just paste the OPML from Workflowy into the dialog box, hit Enter, and the outline will import into your current tab in Fargo.
            • You can also just import plain text into Fargo, because the app recognizes hard tabs as child nodes.
      • August 14
        • Customize Your River4 Home Page to Send Links to Instapaper
          • I've added two lines of code to my River4 homepage to let me send a link in the river to Instapaper, or to read the post on a clean page using the Instapaper parsing engine.
          •  

          • How to Add This to Your River

          • After you've installed River4 (available on GitHub), you will need to grab the HTML of the _index.html_ file in your Amazon S3 bucket. Open it in a text file, and add these two lines of code immediately after <class="actions">:
          • <li><a href="{{if item.permaLink}}${'http://instapaper.com/edit?url='+item.permaLink}{{else}}${'http://instapaper.com/edit?url='+item.link}{{/if}}" rel="external" target="_blank">Send to Instapaper</a><li>
          • <li><a href="{{if item.permaLink}}${'http://www.instapaper.com/text?u='+item.permaLink}{{else}}${'http://www.instapaper.com/text?u='+item.link}{{/if}}" rel="external" target="_blank">Instapaper Text</a></li>
          • Then save as index.html, upload to the root of your bucket, and make sure to grant "Everyone" permission to open/download (in Properties).
          • Want to comment? The permalink for this post is http://blog.jeffreykishner.com/2014/08/14/customizeYourRiver4HomePageToSendLinksToInstapaper
            • <%customStylesScripts%>
    • August 5
      • River 4
        • I got Dave Winer's [River 4](https://github.com/scripting/river4) to work on my Linux VPS. You can see it [here](http://river.jeffreykishner.com).
        • I know next to nothing about node.js; I managed to install it, as well as _npm_ and an app called _forever_ that will run river.js in the background. (Thanks to [Chris Dadswell](http://scriven.chrisdadswell.co.uk/articles/howToSetupAFargoRiverOfNews.html) and [Andrew Shell](http://blog.andrewshell.org/running-river4-with-forever/) for their blog posts about this.)
        • If you know enough to install apps in Linux, grab the above, clone river 4 via git, and run `node river.js` from within the river4 folder. If everything works, you can run `forever start river.js` in the background.
        • Honestly, the hardest part was getting my Amazon S3 bucket to work. I learned via Stack Overflow that in order to map river.jeffreykishner.com via CNAME to my bucket, I had to name the _bucket_ river.jeffreykishner.com. That was the only major hurdle.
        • I also learned that I needed to store the three environmental variables in .bashrc so that they would stay permanent.
        • The cool thing about River 4 is that one can [use _include_ to reference an OPML file that is not stored in your S3 bucket](http://river4.smallpict.com/2014/06/17/river4V088.html). As an experiment, I uploaded an OPML file that includes a link to an OPML file hosted in [Fargo](http://fargo.io). Sure enough, the feeds in the OPML file in Fargo appear in my river, so in the future, all I have to do is add a new feed to my list in Fargo instead of having to re-upload an OPML file to Amazon everytime I want to add a new feed to a tab.
  • July 2014
    • July 24
      • Command Line Script to Make Your iPhone Dial a Number
        • This is a bash script that only requires a single command in Terminal and a single swipe on your iPhone to make a phone call. It is an adaptation of my command line Pushover script, so please review that before proceeding below.
        • Create a file called callhome at /usr/local/bin with the following contents:
        •     #! /bin/bash
        • message="tel:8005551212"
        • action="Call Home"
        • url_title="Make the Call"
        • curl -s \
        • -F "token=$APP_TOKEN" \
        • -F "user=$USER_KEY" \
        • -F "title=$action" \
        • -F "message=$message" \
        • -F "url_title=$url_title" \
        • -F "url=tel:8005551212" \
        • https://api.pushover.net/1/messages.json
        • Replace the two instances of 8005551212 with a phone number, and $APP_TOKEN and $USER_KEY with your app token and user key.
        • Make the script executable: chmod +x callhome.
        • Now all you have to do is type callhome from the command line. When you get a notification on your iPhone, swipe it. Pushover will open the supplementary URL, which will dial the number.
        • Want to comment? The permalink for this post is http://blog.jeffreykishner.com/2014/07/24/commandLineScriptToMakeYourIphoneDialANumber
    • July 23
      • OPML-WordPress Plugin Now Supports Emoji
        • If you include emoji in your Fargo blog (using the [Emoji Cheat Sheet](http://www.emoji-cheat-sheet.com/) format), they will render on your WordPress page in the latest update to my [plugin](http://jeffreykishner.com/wordpress-plugins/post-opml-to-wordpress/).
    • July 18
      • Word Crimes
        • Of all the Weird Al videos that have been released so far over his 8-day streak, this one is my favorite. It's clever and well-animated.
    • July 11
      • Pushbullet: Communicate Between Your Phone and Your Computer (As Long as You Live in GoogleLand)
        • [Pushbullet](https://www.pushbullet.com/#) is the best service I've seen so far that will allow me to push info from my phone to my work computer and vice versa. (I cannot install [Command-C](http://danilo.to/command-c) at the office.) I installed the Chrome extension and the iPhone app. From the Chrome extension, I can push a note or a list to the iOS app. This in itself is unremarkable -- I use "Pushover" all the time for that. But the killer feature is that I can send a link to my phone, and the moment I swipe the notification, that URL will open in the Chrome browser. And if I send an address to my iPhone, after I swipe the notification Google Maps will open to that location.
        • Also, I can quickly send the clipboard contents on my iPhone to the desktop extension. This is a lot faster than emailing text to myself or uploading it to Dropbox via "Drafts" or "Launch Center Pro".
        • There's an [IFTTT channel](https://ifttt.com/pushbullet) that allows you to push a note, link, file or address to your iPhone. I haven't played around with this, but there are many shared recipes for the channel, and I imagine you can create a recipe to automatically send images from a feed to your device.
        • Pushbullet has [URL schemes](http://docs.pushbullet.com/iphone/). [Bachya](http://www.bachyaproductions.com/ios-url-actions-the-up-to-date-guide/) wrote this bookmarklet to send the current page in your iOS web browser to the Pushbullet app:
        • javascript:window.location='pushbullet://compose?type=link&title=' + encodeURIComponent(document.title) + '&url=' + encodeURIComponent(window.location)
        • I've been working to become less reliant on Google -- for example, [moving to Fastmail.fm](http://blog.jeffreykishner.com/2013/08/22/anotherPersonMovingToFastmailfm.html). With Pushbullet, you can only sign in with Google, and you have no choice but to open links and addresses in Google Chrome and Google Maps. Granted, their iOS maps app is my default, and I use Chrome for Mac at work, but I still would prefer to have a _choice_.
        • I have been using my [Pushover command line script](http://blog.jeffreykishner.com/2014/05/23/sendTextAndAnActionToDraftsForIosFromTheCommandLine.html) to send text to my phone, and after a recent release, now a swipe of a "Pushover" notification will open a supplementary URL (if available). This is great, because I can execute Drafts actions with a swipe of a notification. For example I can make my message an URL and the Drafts action "launch url" (which is just `launch://?url=[[draft]]`). This will open a link in Safari for iOS with a single swipe. However, it is definitely less work for me to just open the Pushbullet extension and send a link to my phone that way.
        • I will continue to use my Pushover script to execute actions in Drafts, but Pushbullet is more convenient if I just want to quickly send text or a link to my phone.
      • Three Types of Lists
        • I am constantly fidgeting with my productivity apps and system. I was engaged to "Paperless" for many months, but now I am playing with "Todo.txt" on the command line and on iOS. As a result, I've been thinking about types of lists and the most appropriate apps for each type of list.
        • These lists include only tasks that require a physical (measurable/observable) action to mark as complete. This is what the GTD system is all about. Over the years I have used Omnifocus, TaskPaper, Paperless, and now Todo.txt. I have found that -- for me -- text-file-based apps are the best (TaskPaper, Todo.txt). They both support tags/contexts (the @ sign) and projects (the + sign in Todo.txt; a string followed by a : for TaskPaper). I can open them in any text editor, or I can manipulate the text in supported apps. (Jesse Grosjean removed his "TaskPaper" app from the iOS App Store, but fortunately Ole Zorn created an excellent TaskPaper module for "Editorial".)
        • Some actionable tasks need to be done at a very specific time, or _by_ a very specific time. "Mail the DVD at 8:30am" or "Go to Trader Joe's at 6pm." These I put in "Due App" or Fantastical/iOS Reminders.
        • These are items that I want to consume: books, movies, music tracks, groceries. None of this is urgent (well, except for food). These items do require checkboxes, because once I've rented/downloaded/borrowed/purchased the item, I don't need to do it again (... except for food). I am still using Paperless for this, because the app provides a note field where I can include all the meta info I need (URLs, for example, or who suggested a particular book). And in Paperless, I can uncheck a grocery item to re-add it to my shopping list.
        • I have a list that is more-or-less called, "Things I Need to Remember to Do at Home to Avoid the Wrath of My Wife." Another is "Lunch Ideas." These items should not have checkboxes, because they are reference materials, not one-time (or even recurring) tasks. Right now I have these lists in "Listary" which pulls notes with a specific tag from "Simplenote". You can toggle a setting for a list in Paperless to remove checkboxes and just use the list as a reference. I have also used [Carbonfin Outliner](http://carbonfin.com/) with the checkboxes toggled off for these types of lists.
        • ***
        • Of course, one can store _all_ these lists in simple text files and store them in a single directory. [nvAlt](http://brettterpstra.com/projects/nvalt/) fans do this. But am I either in front of my phone or a work computer, and I cannot sync Dropbox at work. (One can sync an nvAlt folder with Dropbox.) Although I feel too spread out with my various list apps, I do believe that the ultimate test is whether my system supports both "brain dump" and "information access." Can I quickly note down an idea or todo? And can I easily find it later? Part of my problem is that I don't always recall where I put a todo. With this three-part categorical division, I hope I can better recall a todo's location. If it's actionable, it's in Todo.txt or iOS Reminders; if it's about something I want to buy, it's in Paperless; if it's an evergreen list, it's in Listary. We'll see how it goes.
      • Podcast About URL Schemes
        • If you're trying to wrap your head around url schemes, encoding and x-callback-url, listen to this [excellent podcast](http://www.pocketsizedpodcast.com/2014/04/psp152/) in which the hosts of Pocket Sized Podcast interview Alex Guyot.
        • Here's [the link to the .m4a file](http://www.pocketsizedpodcast.com/podcast/psp/PSP-152.m4a).
    • July 10
      • The Meaning of Favoriting a Tweet
        • I recently created an [IFTTT](http://ifttt.com) recipe to add the first url mentioned in a tweet to Instapaper if I favorite the tweet. Now I am concerned that someone will interpret my favorite as condoning the content of a tweet, whereas all it means is that I want to "read it later." A favorite is not the equivalent of a on Facebook.
      • 2nd Update to My LCP Todo.txt Action: Now With Priorities
        • @kishner @LaunchCenterPro i also use prioritet: (A) for today, (B) for thisweek, (C) for someday and add promp for LCP
        • The newest version of my action ([import it into LCP](https://t.co/1qrvQzVHUp)) includes priorities A-C.
        • texttool://x-callback-url/transform?text=[list|clipboard=[clipboard]|prompt=[prompt-return:tasks]]&method=affix&prefix=[-list:priorities|A=%28A%29%20|B=%28B%29%20|C=%28C%29%20|none={{}}][textexpander:ddate]%20&suffix=[-list|no context={{}}|@online=%20%40online|contexts=%20%40[prompt-list( @)]][-list|no project={{}}|+Bills=%20%2BBills|projects=%20%2B[prompt-list( +)]]&scope=lines&x-success={{drafts:///create?text=[[output]]&action=todotxt}}
        • So now you can send something like the following to Drafts:
        • (A) 2014-07-10 complete task @context +project
        • This works with the [Todo.txt](http://todotxt.com) command line interface and the iPhone app.
        • Visit the [first post in this series](http://blog.jeffreykishner.com/2014/07/08/aLaunchCenterProActionForTodotxt.html) to get the Drafts Dropbox action, and [the second one](http://blog.jeffreykishner.com/2014/07/09/updateToLaunchCenterProActionToTodotxtMultipleContextsAndProjects.html) for more about the contexts and projects.
    • July 9
      • Update to Launch Center Pro Action to Todo.txt: Multiple Contexts and Projects
        • [Yesterday](http://blog.jeffreykishner.com/2014/07/08/aLaunchCenterProActionForTodotxt.html) I posted a "Launch Center Pro" action to prepend the date and append a single tag to all the items in a list, and then append that text to a file in Dropbox. Since then, I have been using the [todo.txt command line tool](https://github.com/ginatrapani/todo.txt-cli) and decided to upgrade the action.
        • This action lets you enter a task and then enter either (a) no tag (I prefer that to "context"); (b) a tag called `@online`; (c) any number of tags; followed by (d) no project; (e) a project called `+bills`; (f) any number of projects. To enter multiple tags or projects you need to hit Return after each, and then Next only when you're done.
        • [Import the new action](https://launchcenterpro.com/z14cdz). Or enter the following in the action composer:
        • texttool://x-callback-url/transform?text=[prompt-return:tasks]&method=affix&prefix=[textexpander:ddate]%20&suffix=[-list|no tag={{}}|@online=%20%40online|tag=%20%40[prompt-list( @)]][-list|no project={{}}|+Bills=%20%2BBills|project=%20%2B[prompt-list( +)]]&scope=lines&x-success={{drafts:///create?text=[[output]]&action=todotxt}}
        • If you can decipher this action then you ought to be able to customize it, e.g., add `+work` in the projects list.
    • July 8
      • A Launch Center Pro Action for Todo.txt
        • A blog reader emailed the following question:
        • > I have texttool, draft and LCP apps on my iphone.
        • > Please help me this issue.
        • > I have todo.txt file in directory dropbox/todo/todo.txt
        • > I write in draft app one note with multiline line:
        • > Task1
        • > Task2
        • > Task3
        • > I want to add this list to shown todo.txt (each line separate) in this format:
        • > [current date] task1 @grocery
        • > [current date] task2 @grocery
        • > [current date] task3 @grocery
        • > @grocery tag optional and may be replaced with other tag.
        • > How to do this?
        • Here is a solution that adds the current date before each list item and the single tag of your choice after each list item.
        • [Import the LCP action](https://launchcenterpro.com/zlv5l6) or enter the following in the action composer:
        • texttool://x-callback-url/transform?text=[prompt-return:tasks]&method=affix&prefix=[textexpander:ddate]%20&suffix=%20%40[prompt:tag]&scope=lines
        • When I tap on this action, I enter each list item on a new line (hitting Return after each item except the last) and when I'm done I hit "Next".
        • apple
        • orange
        • banana
        • Then the next prompt asks me to enter a tag:
        • groceries
        • The action outputs the following in "TextTool":
        • 2014-07-08 apple @groceries
        • 2014-07-08 orange @groceries
        • 2014-07-08 banana @groceries
        • The above action requires that I have a "TextExpander" snippet called _ddate_ in the following format: %Y-%m-%d, and that I have imported snippets into "Launch Center Pro".
        • [Import this action](https://launchcenterpro.com/99t4yt) to prepend the output from TextTool to your _todo.txt_ file, or enter the following into the LCP action composer:
        • texttool://x-callback-url/transform?text=[prompt-return:tasks]&method=affix&prefix=[textexpander:ddate]%20&suffix=%20%40[prompt:tag]&scope=lines&x-success={{drafts:///create?text=[[output]]&action=todotxt}}
        • The above action requires that you [import this Dropbox action](drafts://x-callback-url/import_action?type=dropbox&name=todotxt&path=%2Ftodo%2F&filenametype=2&filename=todo&ext=txt&writetype=1&template=%5B%5Bdraft%5D%5D) into "Drafts". Or enter the following as a Dropbox action:
        • Name: todotxt
        • Path: /todo/
        • File (predefined): todo
        • Ext: txt
        • Write: Prepend
        • Template: [[draft]]
        • It is possible to accomplish the above without LCP. [Import this URL action](drafts://x-callback-url/import_action?type=URL&name=date-list-tag&url=texttool%3A%2F%2Fx-callback-url%2Ftransform%3Ftext%3D%5B%5Bbody%5D%5D%26method%3Daffix%26prefix%3Dddate%2520%26suffix%3D%2520%2540%5B%5Btitle%5D%5D%26scope%3Dlines%26x-success%3D%7B%7Bdrafts%3A%2F%2F%2Fcreate%3Ftext%3D%5B%5Boutput%5D%5D%26action%3Dtodotxt%7D%7D) into Drafts, or enter the following as an URL action:
        • texttool://x-callback-url/transform?text=[[body]]&method=affix&prefix=ddate%20&suffix=%20%40[[title]]&scope=lines&x-success={{drafts:///create?text=[[output]]&action=todotxt}}
        • The only difference is that you need to enter the tag name on the first line:
        • groceries
        • apple
        • orange
        • banana
        • Everything else works exactly the same. (You still need to install the Dropbox action and to import TextExpander snippets.)
      • How to Get the SoundCloud URL Schemes for Users and Tracks
        • SoundCloud has url schemes to jump to a user or a specific track in the iOS app. I have cobbled the following together after reading a few threads on Stack Overflow.
        • Let's get the url scheme for [Tasha Blank](https://soundcloud.com/tashablank). Click on the share icon then choose the Embed tab and then copy the embed code into a text editor.
        • Look for `api.soundcloud.com/users/`. Copy the numerical string immediately after that, up until the `&`. Put that string after `soundcloud://users/` and you'll get [soundcloud://users/325143](soundcloud://users/325143). If you click on this link on your iOS device, it will bring you to her page. And you can add it to "Launch Center Pro" in an action or list.
        • Let's get the url scheme for [one of Tasha's recent tracks](https://soundcloud.com/tashablank/live-the-get-down-62614). Click on the share icon then choose the Embed tab and then copy the embed code into a text editor.
        • Look for `api.soundcloud.com/tracks/`. Copy the numerical string immediately after that, up until the `&`. Put that string after `soundcloud://tracks/` and you'll get [soundcloud://tracks:156299506](soundcloud://tracks:156299506). If you click on this link on your iOS device, it will bring you to that track and start to auto-play. And you can add it to "Launch Center Pro" in an action or list.
        •  
        • I don't know how else to get track and user IDs without signing up for a developer account, but if you find a solution, please let me know in the comments or on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/kishner).
    • July 7
      • Convert Tumblr and Instagram Post Web Links to iOS URL Schemes With These Launch Center Pro Actions
        • If you're browsing the Tumblr or Instagram apps on your iOS device and want to get the share URL, they are formatted as follows:
        • http://NAME.tumblr.com/post/POST_ID/SLUG
        • http://instagram.com/p/POST_ID
        • Unfortunately, these are web links. What if you want a link that will bring you right to that post ID in the _app_? I have written a couple of "Launch Center Pro" actions to automate these processes.
        • The URL scheme for a Tumblr post (as per [GitHub](https://github.com/tumblr/TMTumblrSDK#url-schemes)) is as follows:
        • tumblr://x-callback-url/blog?blogName=NAME&postID=POST_ID
        • All the information you need is in the web link, but you need to rearrange it all to make it work.
        • [Import the Tumblr action](https://launchcenterpro.com/759n6q) or enter the following into LCP:
        • texttool://x-callback-url/transform?text=[clipboard]&method=split&delimiter=%2F&lc-icon=tumblr&x-success={{texttool://x-callback-url/transform?text=[[output]]&method=split&delimiter=.&x-success={{drafts:///create?text=[[output]]&action=tumblr-id}}}}
        • To make this action work, you will also need "TextTool" and "Drafts". And you will need to [import this URL action into Drafts](drafts://x-callback-url/import_action?type=URL&name=tumblr-id&url=drafts%3A%2F%2F%2Fcreate%3Ftext%3D%7B%7Btumblr%3A%2F%2Fx-callback-url%2Fblog%3FblogName%3D%5B%5Bline%7C3%5D%5D%26postID%3D%5B%5Bline%7C7%5D%5D%7D%7D).
        • Let's work with a random Tumblr post to see how this works:
        • http://yahoo.tumblr.com/post/90564142294/furthering-our-focus
        • Copy this URL to your iOS clipboard, and then tap on the Tumblr action in LCP. LCP sends this string to TextTool, which splits the string at the `/`:
        • http:
        • yahoo.tumblr.com
        • post
        • 90564142294
        • furthering-our-focus
        • It then takes that output and sends it back to TextTool to split at the `.`:
        • http:
        • yahoo
        • tumblr
        • com
        • post
        • 90564142294
        • furthering-our-focus
        • It then sends that output to Drafts and triggers the _tumblr-id_ URL action:
        • drafts:///create?text={{tumblr://x-callback-url/blog?blogName=[[line|3]]&postID=[[line|7]]}}
        • This action inputs lines 3 and 7 of the draft into the relevant points of the url scheme, and creates a new draft with the final result:
        • tumblr://x-callback-url/blog?blogName=yahoo&postID=90564142294
        • And just to make the action icon look nice, I added `lc-icon=tumblr`.
        • The Instagram action is more complicated. It requires "TextTool", "Drafts", and "Textastic". [Import the LCP action](https://launchcenterpro.com/w4z9z9) or enter this into a new action:
        • textastic://api.instagram.com/oembed?url=[clipboard]&lc-icon=instagram&lc-callback=[list|url=texttool://x-callback-url/transform?text=[clipboard]&method=split&delimiter=%22&x-success={{drafts:///create?text=[[output]]&action=insta-api}}|image=texttool://x-callback-url/transform?text=[clipboard]&method=split&delimiter=%22&x-success={{drafts:///create?text=[[output]]&action=insta-api-url}}]
        • Instagram's url scheme for a post is as follows (as per its [iPhone Hooks page](http://instagram.com/developer/iphone-hooks/)):
        • instagram://media?id=MEDIA_ID
        • The media ID is not part of the web URL. But we can get that info from Instagrams's [Embed API](http://instagram.com/developer/embedding/). Let's use an example post (`http://instagram.com/p/qJu0a-OHMC`) and add it after the `url=`:
        • http://api.instagram.com/oembed?url=http://instagram.com/p/qJu0a-OHMC
        • This API returns JSON:
        • {"provider_url":"http:\/\/instagram.com\/","media_id":"759343924702114562_1483611","title":"Another beautiful day in the city! \ud83d\ude0d","url":"http:\/\/photos-d.ak.instagram.com\/hphotos-ak-xfp1\/10537269_595401073912091_331298792_n.jpg","author_name":"newyorkcity","height":640,"width":640,"version":"1.0","author_url":"http:\/\/instagram.com\/newyorkcity","author_id":1483611,"type":"photo","provider_name":"Instagram"}
        • We can see that the media_id is 759343924702114562_1483611. `instagram://media?id=759343924702114562_1483611` would bring us right to that post in the app, but we need the LCP action to automate the process.
        • We first need an easy way to grab the HTML of the API results. Textastic has an [url scheme](http://www.textasticapp.com/v4/manual/x-callback-url.html) that lets you download a file and open the HTML in the editor by replacing `http://` with `textastic://`. The first part of the LCP action does just that. However, even though Textastic supports x-callback-url, it doesn't for this particular action. So we need to tap on the share button at top right of the screen after the HTML has downloaded, and choose "Copy All." Then we take advantage of a new feature introduced in LCP: lc-callback. For apps that do not support x-callback-url, this is the next best thing. We define the callback action, but instead of it triggering automatically after the first action, we double-tap on the home button (to get the app launcher) and choose LCP. Once we tap on LCP, the next action gets triggered.
        • Because the embed API also provides the raw image URL for the Instagram post, the lc-callback starts with a list. We can get the iOS url scheme ("url") or the raw image URL ("image"). Let's see what happens when you choose "url":
        • The entire HTML is sent to TextTool, which splits the string at `"`:
        • {
        • provider_url
        • :
        • http:\/\/instagram.com\/
        • ,
        • media_id
        • :
        • 759343924702114562_1483611
        • ,
        • title
        • :
        • Another beautiful day in the city! \ud83d\ude0d
        • ,
        • url
        • :
        • http:\/\/photos-d.ak.instagram.com\/hphotos-ak-xfp1\/10537269_595401073912091_331298792_n.jpg
        • ,
        • author_name
        • :
        • newyorkcity
        • ,
        • height
        • :640,
        • width
        • :640,
        • version
        • :
        • 1.0
        • ,
        • author_url
        • :
        • http:\/\/instagram.com\/newyorkcity
        • ,
        • author_id
        • :1483611,
        • type
        • :
        • photo
        • ,
        • provider_name
        • :
        • Instagram
        • }
        • This entire string is then sent to Drafts, and the _insta-api_ action is triggered. [Import it into Drafts](drafts://x-callback-url/import_action?type=URL&name=insta-api&url=drafts%3A%2F%2F%2Fcreate%3Ftext%3D%7B%7Binstagram%3A%2F%2Fmedia%3Fid%3D%5B%5Bline%7C8%5D%5D%7D%7D) or enter the following as an URL action:
        • drafts:///create?text={{instagram://media?id=[[line|8]]}}
        • It simply takes line 8 -- which contains the media_ID -- and inserts into into the URL scheme.
        • Now, if we would rather get the raw image URL, we choose "image" after the lc-callback. It also performs a `"` split and sends that output to Drafts, but it instead triggers the _insta-api-url_ action. [Import it into Drafts](drafts://x-callback-url/import_action?type=URL&name=insta-api-url&url=texttool%3A%2F%2Fx-callback-url%2Ftransform%3Ftext%3D%5B%5Bline%7C16%5D%5D%26method%3Dunescape) or enter the following URL action:
        • texttool://x-callback-url/transform?text=[[line|16]]&method=unescape
        • Line 16 -- the raw image URL -- is sent to TextTool. Why? All the forward slashes in the URL are "escaped"
        • http:\/\/photos-d.ak.instagram.com\/hphotos-ak-xfp1\/10537269_595401073912091_331298792_n.jpg
        • so we have to unescape them:
        • http://photos-d.ak.instagram.com/hphotos-ak-xfp1/10537269_595401073912091_331298792_n.jpg
        • This action stops at TextTool. It has sharing features, so you can do what you like with URL: e.g., download the image.
        • To make the action icon look nice, I added `lc-icon=instagram`.
        • Granted, this LCP action is not fluid. I think it would possible to perform the conversion without the "Copy All" and lc-callback using the JSON parser in Pythonista, but I'm not proficient enough to accomplish that as of this writing. If you write an action that accomplishes the conversion with fewer steps, I would love to hear from you in the comments section or on Twitter.
        • **Thanks** to @epramono and @youens on Twitter for helping me to understand LCP 2.3.x at a deeper level.
      • Command Line Script for "Paperless: Lists + Checklists"
        • I use "Paperless" for the majority of my list-making on my iOS devices. I've already written [how to mark an item as complete without using the app](http://blog.jeffreykishner.com/2014/02/06/how-to-mark-a-paperless-item-as-complete-without-touching-your-ios-device.html) and [how to view your lists on the web](http://blog.jeffreykishner.com/2014/01/31/view-your-paperless-lists-on-the-web.html). Today, I am going to share a unix command line bash script to "print" incomplete items from a list.
        • I created a text file called "prl" and put it in /usr/local/bin/:
        • #! /bin/bash
        • list=$1
        • grep -A 1 \\<\/dateCompleted\> ~/Dropbox/Paperless/$list.xml | sed -n 's:.*\(.*\).*:\1:p'
        • I made it executable while in that directory: `chmod +x prl`
        • Now, to view the incomplete items in any list, I just type `prl` followed by the list name. If I have a list named Bills, I just type `prl Bills` and the script will output all bills that are due. (This script does not output the notes field.)
        • All your Paperless lists are stored as XML files. I use _grep_ to look for all items for which there is no completion date: `` with _-A 1_ to also print out the lines immediately after each match (which are the list items themselves). Those results are piped into a _sed_ which extracts any string sandwiched between `` and ``.
        • If I need to see a note, I can do a quick _grep_: `grep -A 1 verizon ~/Dropbox/Paperless/Bills.xml`. This will output all lines matching _verizon_ plus the lines immediately following, including the XML tags. It's not pretty but it will get me the info I need (e.g., the due date).
        • Verizon $100.00
        • 7/7
    • July 3
      • Cloud Services and Social Networking on the Linux Command Line
        • I'm amazed at all the stuff that's available:
        • [Dropbox](https://www.dropbox.com/install?os=lnx)
        • [An Evernote Client](http://www.geeknote.me/)
        • [A Twitter Client](http://www.floodgap.com/software/ttytter/)
        • I am a keyboard-shortcut fanatic; adding a note to Evernote with syntax like
        • geeknote create --title "A Title" --content "Some content." --tags "tag1"
        • beats the evernote.com web interface hands down.
        • Granted, the cli doesn't support images, and since I'm ssh-ing into a VPS I can't open media from the command line, but for quick data input/output, nothing beats it. (I'm faster at typing on a physical keyboard than on an iPhone.)
    • July 2
      • Update to My OPML-to-WordPress Plugin
        • Today I have released v 2.0 of my plugin, which renders a Fargo OPML file on a WordPress page or blog post using a simple shortcode. The updated version supports the link-blog format (type="idea").
        • View the update and download the zip file [here](http://jeffreykishner.com/wordpress-plugins/post-opml-to-wordpress/).
    • July 1
      • Get a Direct Link to Any Note in Evernote for iOS
        • _I take credit for none of the following (other than a few personal tweaks) -- just wanting to share [this solution](https://discussion.evernote.com/topic/39792-cant-create-note-links-in-en-ios-clients/) by [Stephen May](https://plus.google.com/108788174443222624607/posts) because it's so cool._
        • Evernote does not have much of an url scheme beyond `evernote://` which is not terrible useful for productivity nerds. This solution creates a link that will bring you directly to the note of your choice. It requires "Pythonista", "Drafts", and "Launch Center Pro".
        • First, you will need to grab some personal information about your Evernote account, and the only way I know how to find it is via the Mac OS X app. In the left sidebar, [right-click on any note and get the note's link](http://blog.evernote.com/blog/2013/08/02/quick-tip-how-to-use-note-links/). At the beginning of the link, there will be a six digit string and another digit or two following an `s`. You will need this information for a future step.
        • Add the following to Pythonista. You can title it `Evernote Link` or whatever you like. Where it says `evernote:///view/123456/s4/` you will replace the six digit string and the `s4` with the information from the note link you copied from the desktop app. Where it says `https://www.evernote.com/shard/s4/sh/` replace the `s4` with the `s..` from your original note link.
        • import clipboard
        • import sys
        • import webbrowser
        • import console
        • import urllib
        • mytext = (sys.argv[1])
        • head, sep, tail = mytext.rpartition('/')
        • parttwo = head.replace('https://www.evernote.com/shard/s4/sh/', '')
        • evernoteurl = ('evernote:///view/123456/s4/' + parttwo + '/' + parttwo + '/')
        • webbrowser.open('drafts://x-callback-url/create?text=' + evernoteurl + '&action=Copy%20to%20Clipboard&afterSuccess=Nothing')
        • Then add the following action in LCP:
        • pythonista://EvernoteLink?action=run&argv=[clipboard]
        • Go to the Evernote app and tap on any note. Choose "Share " and then "Copy link." Then tap on the LCP action. After the script runs, the direct Evernote link will be in a new draft in Drafts, and also copied to the clipboard. If you make links clickable in Drafts and tap on the link, it will bring you right to that note in Evernote.
        • If you care about the privacy of your note, then tap on "Share " again and choose "Stop sharing." Your direct link will still work.
        • Want to comment? The permalink for this post is http://blog.jeffreykishner.com/2014/07/01/getADirectLinkToAnyNoteInEvernoteForIos
  • June 2014
    • June 30
      • Desktop Bookmarklet to Send Email via Fastmail With Document Title and URL
        •  Tweet This Post
        • If you're a [Fastmail.fm](http://fastmail.fm) user, you can use this bookmarklet to automatically compose an email to your favorite person in Fastmail's web interface. The subject line is the title of the web page, and the body includes the link. Then just hit Cmd-Return to send.
        • javascript:window.location='https://www.fastmail.fm/action/compose/?to=username@domain.com&subject='+encodeURIComponent(document.title)+'&body='+encodeURIComponent(location.href)
        • (Make sure to replace `username@domain.com` with a working email address.)
        • **Reference:** [Fastmail Wiki](http://fastmail.wikia.com/wiki/Mailto_url)
      • Automate a YouTube Embed Code on Your iOS Device With Drafts, TextTool, and Launch Center Pro
        •  Tweet This Post
        • Over the weekend I wanted to embed a video on my blog while on my iPad. The mobile YouTube site did not appear to offer an embed code, so I created a few actions to automate the process.
        • As an example, here is the starting URL `https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=38lY-3g6mn8`.
        • This browser bookmarklet -- I call it "TextTool Split" -- imports the URL into "Drafts" and triggers the "split" action:
        • javascript:window.location='drafts://x-callback-url/create?action=split&text='+encodeURIComponent(location.href)
        • The "split" URL action sends the URL to "TextTool" and splits the URL at the `=`.
        • texttool://x-callback-url/transform?method=split&delimiter=%3D&text=[[draft]]&x-success={{drafts://x-callback-url/create?text=[[output]]&action=line2-youtube}}
        • Import it [here](drafts://x-callback-url/import_action?type=URL&name=split&url=texttool%3A%2F%2Fx-callback-url%2Ftransform%3Fmethod%3Dsplit%26delimiter%3D%253D%26text%3D%5B%5Bdraft%5D%5D%26x-success%3D%7B%7Bdrafts%3A%2F%2Fx-callback-url%2Fcreate%3Ftext%3D%5B%5Boutput%5D%5D%26action%3Dline2-youtube%7D%7D) into Drafts.
        • The above action takes the original URL and creates a new draft:
        • https://m.youtube.com/watch?v
        • 38lY-3g6mn8
        • It then triggers the `line2-youtube` action, which takes `line 2`, sticks it in the YouTube embed code, and saves all of that to the clipboard with the help of "Launch Center Pro":
        • launch://clipboard?text={{}}
        • Import it [here](drafts://x-callback-url/import_action?type=URL&name=line2-youtube&url=launch%3A%2F%2Fclipboard%3Ftext%3D%7B%7B%3Ciframe%20width%3D%22560%22%20height%3D%22315%22%20src%3D%22%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fembed%2F%5B%5Bline%7C2%5D%5D%22%20frameborder%3D%220%22%20allowfullscreen%3E%3C%2Fiframe%3E%7D%7D) into Drafts.
        • The result will be that the following is added to your clipboard, and you can paste it into your blog CMS:
        • This action presumes that there are no additional paramaters in the URL. If your URL has something like `&list=` after the video ID, you will either have to manually remove that string or create an extra Drafts/TextTool action to split the results of `line 2` at the `&` and to take `line 1` of _that_ output.
    • June 29
      • You're My Gay Best Friend (Video)
        •  Tweet This Post
        • If you're a fan of _Frozen_, you may find this lol funny:
    • June 27
      • Embedding Happy Friends Tweets in Fargo
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        • [Happy Friends](http://happy.smallpict.com/2014/06/27/happyFriends042.html) and [Fargo](http://fargo.io/blog/2014/06/27/fargo162/) are now working together.
        • The tweet below is just a headline copied from my "watched" Happy Friends tab in Fargo. It has the following attributes associated with it:
        • ![](https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/8fg5hj5wsosefzt/Screenshot%202014-06-27%2015.59.48.png)
        • Happy Friends 0.42 has the ability to publish your outline of tweets. A feature picked up in the new Fargo. http://t.co/8bXP3DnCNv
    • June 26
      • This Blog Is Now Hosted at Github Pages
        • [Fargo](http://fargo.io) -- the CMS outliner I use to publish this site -- has the ability to [publish to GitHub Pages](http://fargo.io/docs/contentManagement/usingGithub.html). I have long wanted to do this. I don't want a *.smallpict.com blog, I want to publish to blog.jeffreykishner.com. I could do this back when Fargo was using Trex (its original CMS), but Dave Winer did a complete rewrite, and mapping a CNAME to a smallpict blog no longer worked. [FargoPublisher](https://github.com/scripting/fargoPublisher) is too complicated for me to set up, and I know _just enough_ GitHub to push commits to a repository from a subdirectory in Dropbox, so I chose the latter route.
        • The problem I've encountered for months: I don't blog at home, and I cannot sync Dropbox at the computer where I _do_ blog. Hence, I cannot push commits from `/Dropbox/Apps/smallPicture/jkishner.github.io` (where Fargo renders the HTML of my blog) to GitHub locally. I tried -- and failed -- to configure my AirPort Extreme at home to have a stable IP address so that I could SSH into my MacMini at home from another computer. That way I could sync Dropbox on my MacMini, and then push commits remotely to GitHub.
        • Only a few days ago, I realized that I have a "box" where I can do all this: the VPS that I rent from [WiredTree](http://wiredtree.com). Over the past few days, I have installed GitHub, Dropbox, and the Dropbox CLI (command line interface) into the root of my VPS. It was complicated -- WiredTree had to install a parallel version of Python so that `dropbox.py` could work, and a sysadmin there also changed a key file to allow Dropbox to monitor all the folders in my account -- but I got it to work. Now I can blog on Fargo, ssh into my root, make sure Dropbox has synced my jkishner.github.io folder, and add/commit/push changes. I set up a CNAME redirect so that jkishner.github.io will be viewable at blog.jeffreykishner.com, and it all _works_.
        • I used to use a web service called [Mover](http://mover.io) that allowed me to FTP all the files in a specific Dropbox folder to the /blog directory on jeffreykishner.com, but the GitHub solution is faster because only the updated files are uploaded -- not my entire blog -- when I want to publish.
    • June 19
      • iOS Bookmarklet to Open a Spotify Share URL into the App
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        • If you get a Spotify share URL like `http://open.spotify.com/album/3eAA4fvTVttgUlE43vRVMq` and open it in Safari for iOS, use this bookmarklet to jump directly to that artist/album/track in the app:
        • javascript:window.location='spotify:'+(window.location.href);
        • To install, you can either set it as a bookmarklet in Safari for Mac and sync with iCloud, or do the following:
        • 1. Bookmark any page in Safari for iOS and call it Spotify.
        • 2. Go to edit bookmarks, and replace the URL of that bookmark with the javascript above.
      • Draft a Text Message for Later with Launch Center Pro 2.3
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        • I've written a [previous post](http://blog.jeffreykishner.com/2014/01/10/schedule-a-text-x-minutes-from-now-with-due-and-launch-center-pro.html) on how to schedule a text message for later with "Due App" and "Launch Center Pro". However, now that LCP's encoding grammar has simplified, I'd like to revisit the topic. First off, an action to save a text in "Drafts":
        • drafts://x-callback-url/create?text={{launch://messaging?to=8005551212&body=[prompt]}}
        • Click on [this link](launch://import?url=drafts%3A%2F%2Fx-callback-url%2Fcreate%3Ftext%3D%7B%7Blaunch%3A%2F%2Fmessaging%3Fto%3D8005551212%26body%3D%5Bprompt%5D%7D%7D&title=Draft%20SMS) to import it onto your iOS device.
        • Tap on the action, enter your text message, and an encoded `launch://messaging` URL scheme is saved in Drafts. When you are ready to send the text message, just make links clickable and tap on the URL scheme. It will open the text message in Messages to the designated recipient (change 8005551212 to his or her cell number).
        • LCP now has a contact picker -- [contact] -- that will allow you to choose a contact when you start the action. I tried creating the action above by substituting the phone number with [contact] -- the action can be imported [here](https://launchcenterpro.com/z84h43) -- but it does not work.
        • drafts://x-callback-url/create?text={{launch://messaging?to=[contact]&body=[prompt]}}
        • The problem is that the body text is not encoded, so you get something like this:
        •  
        • ![](https://dl.dropbox.com/s/k8163te96f3kbk5/jk2dy.png)
        • _Screenshot by @tahewett_
        •  
        • I could not figure out how to fix this, so I wrote a pretty complicated action that _does_ do the job. (Import it [here](https://launchcenterpro.com/f11cgt)).
        • launch://x-callback-url/clipboard?text=[contact]&x-success={{texttool://x-callback-url/transform?text=[prompt:your message]&method=encode&clipboard=0&x-success={{drafts:///create?text={{launch://messaging?to=||clipboard||&body=[[output]]}}}}}}
        • First, the action asks you to pick a contact, and the number you choose is saved to the clipboard.
        • Then the action prompts you to enter your message. "TextTool" url-encodes your message, but does not save it to the clipboard (because we need the clipboard for the contact's number).
        • Then the action tells Drafts to create a new draft, the `launch://messaging` action. The body of the message is the [output] value carried from TextTool, and the `to` field is the clipboard contents, which -- because it has carried over two different x-successes -- needs to use `||clipboard||` to work, as explained [here](http://agiletortoise.com/blog/2014/02/13/updates-drafts/):
        • > /create URL scheme now supports a special “||clipboard||” tag within the text parameter, which will substitute the contents of the clipboard at the time the “create” URL is opened. This can be used in an x-success callback URL to allow capture of a clipboard value that changed before returning to Drafts. Note the pipe characters, not brackets. This tag is not evaluated other time, only on /create URLs when processed by Drafts.
    • June 18
      • How to Create an RSS Feed for an Instagram Profile
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        • [Here](http://jeffreykishner.com/simplepie/demo/?feed=https%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.pinboard.in%2Frss%2Fu%3Akishner%2Ft%3Anewyorkcity_instagram) is an example of an RSS feed for [@newyorkcity](http://instagram.com/newyorkcity). If you click on a link, you get to see the raw image. How I did it:
        • Customize [this IFTTT recipe](https://ifttt.com/recipes/183648-tag-new-instagram-photos-in-pinboard) with the Instagram profile you want to use, as well as the tag(s) you want. (Note: this recipe requires a [Pinboard](http://pinboard.in) account, which requires a one-time fee.)
        • [Here](https://pinboard.in/u:kishner/t:newyorkcity_instagram) is the `newyorkcity_instagram` tag for my Pinboard account. To get the RSS feed, I follow [these instructions](https://pinboard.in/howto/#rss) to get the following:
        • https://feeds.pinboard.in/rss/u:kishner/t:newyorkcity_instagram
    • June 16
      • Use Nested Lists in Launch Center Pro 2.3 to Open Albums by Artist in Spotify and Ecoute for iOS
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        • The latest update to "Launch Center Pro" has made it easier to create nested lists. Previously one had to use `launch://?url=` but now that is no longer necessary. Here is an abridged version of my LCP action to open albums in Ecoute:
        • ecoute://play?terms=[[list:Artist|Eminem=[list:Album|Marshall Mathers|Recovery]|Foo Fighters=[list:Albums|The Colour and the Shape|There Is Nothing Left to Lose]|Pharrell Williams={{Pharrell Williams}}|Search=[prompt:Search]]]
        • When I tap on this action, it presents a list of artists (Eminem, Foo Fighters, Pharrell Williams, and "Search"). If I tap on either of the first two, I am presented with a list of albums, and when I tap on the album name, that album auto-plays in Ecoute. If I tap on Pharrell Williams, _G I R L_ automatically plays because I only have one album by him in my library. And if I tap on Search I am presented with a prompt, and if my query matches something in my music library, then it starts playing. (Thanks to Eric Pramono @epramono for help encoding this last part.)
        • The key to this nested list is that the first list is surrounded by double brackets and the embedded lists are only surrounded by single brackets. Two brackets means _don't encode this_. Because the first list is not encoded, I have to encode Pharrell Williams in double curly brackets since his name does not included an embedded list. And the search prompt only needs single brackets because they encode the prompt text.
        • The Spotify URL scheme is a bit more complicated. Here is an abridged version of my Spotify action:
        • spotify:[[list:Pick a List|Ali Farka Touré={{http://open.spotify.com/artist/3mNygoyrEKLgo6sx0MzwOL}}|King's X=[list:|Xv=http://open.spotify.com/album/792TsZibmmEiOCL2rEoJvm|Please Come Home....Mr. Bulbous=http://open.spotify.com/album/2ZyMISUxP7MLzxZCZLHEHJ]|Yes=[list:|Fragile=http://open.spotify.com/album/4X6gq5bgpGXcHINlFWzriM|Relayer=http://open.spotify.com/album/6MK9yp7hFeOLeR7F1hsBp6]]]
        • When I click on this action I would be presented with Ali Farka Touré, King's X, and Yes. Following the pattern above, if I don't have an embedded list for an artist, I just encode that value with double curly brackets. Otherwise I just use single brackets around the embedded list.
        • The URL scheme for Spotify is spotify:SPOTIFY_URL. You can get the Spotify URL from the app (in the share settings) or via a google search. I've even written a search tool using their API [here](http://javascript.jeffreykishner.com/spotify.html).
        • One of the major downsides of LCP is that it's difficult to edit very long actions in the app's editor. However, there is a way around this. Import [this action](https://launchcenterpro.com/py6vdl) or just create a new action called Import and enter this string:
        • launch://import?url=[dropbox-text:ACTION.txt]
        • Then keep your music actions in their own text files in Dropbox. For example, I currently have my unabridged Spotify action as a text file called `spotify.txt` in the root of my Dropbox folder. I then just use the following action to import it:
        • launch://import?url=[dropbox-text:spotify.txt]
        • LCP will import that text file, and ask you if you want to add it, just like if you were to use one of the importable actions at launchcenterpro.com. This way, you can make your edits in any Dropbox text editor instead of within the app itself.
      • How to Quickly Jump to Lists in Tweetbot for iOS
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        • Tweetbot has a list of [URL schemes](http://tapbots.com/blog/development/tweetbot-url-scheme), the most recent of which is one to jump immediately to a Twitter list. I have never used it until now because I never knew how to find a list's ID. But now that I've figured it out, I'd like to share it with you.
        • The full scheme is
        • tweetbot:///list/?callback_url=
        • but you don't need to include the `?` parameter unless you want to go somewhere other than your most recent timeline view in the app.
        • Let's say I want to view my [ios Twitter list](https://twitter.com/kishner/lists/ios). To get the list ID, I view the source of the web page and search for `data-list-id`. In this example, the source code includes `data-list-id="79393622"`. I take that value and put it in the URL scheme:
        • tweetbot://kishner/list/79393622
        • If I include this as an action in "Launch Center Pro", then clicking on it will bring me right to that list.
        • If I have a preferred app I want to go to after I click the Cancel button, I can include the `callback_url` parameter, which is an encoded URL. If I want to go to Launch Center Pro:
        • tweetbot://kishner/list/79393622?callback_url=launch://
        • If I want to go to an actual website like google.com instead:
        • tweetbot://kishner/list/79393622?callback_url=http%3A%2F%2Fgoogle.com
        • Enjoy!
  • May 2014
    • May 23
      • Send Text and an Action to Drafts for iOS From the Command Line
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        • I am very much a newbie at bash scripting in Terminal, but I felt tempted to replicate the tool I built at [TaskPusher](http://taskpusher.net) for the command line: namely to send text and an optional action to "Drafts" from a Mac OS computer.
        • TaskPusher is a PHP web application that sends an url-encoded string to [Pushover](http://pushover.net), a notifications app for iOS. Pushover already provided the [code to send notifications from the Unix command line](https://pushover.net/faq#library-shell) so I only had to make a few modifications to send a message to Drafts.
        • Before we begin, I need to qualify that I literally have only started bash scripting this week, so please bear with me if there are any inefficiencies or errors. The script _works_, but if you have any suggestions please comment below in the Disqus widget or send me a [tweet](https://twitter.com/kishner).
        • The first challenge is that all the text after the Drafts URL scheme `drafts:///create?text=` needs to be url-encoded. I found a basic sed find/replace script [here](http://gimi.name/snippets/urlencode-and-urldecode-for-bash-scripting-using-sed/) and I copied the [code snippet](http://gimi.name/snippets/uploads/urlencode.sed) into this gist:
        •  
        •  
        • Just add this in a text file somewhere in your directory and call it `urlencode.sed`. I haven't gotten to move new scripts into /usr/local/bin (or what-have-you) so in the pushover script below you will have to precede `urlencode.sed` with the directory path. In my working script I replace it with `~/j/scripts/urlencode.sed`.
        • I named the following script `pushover` but you can call it whatever you want:
        •  
        •  
        • If you haven't already, [purchase Pushover in the app store](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pushover-notifications/id506088175?mt=8), create an account and get your user key. Then [create an app in Pushover](https://pushover.net/apps/build) and save the API token. Where it says $APP_TOKEN and $USER_KEY enter yours in the script.
        • Now go to Terminal. You need to set one or two variables to send to Drafts: the message and the action. The message is the actual text of your draft. The action is the _exact wording_ of any of the actions in the [Action Directory](https://agiletortoise.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/200689654-Action-Management). For example, I may want to send text to "Due App": _6pm pick up prescription_. In Drafts, the action is called Send to Due. So on the command line, I type the following:
        • export message="6pm pick up prescription"
        • export action="Send to Due"
        • pushover
        • (In my case, I type `~/j/scripts/pushover`. If Terminal says you don't have permission to run the script, type `chmod 700 pushover`.)
        • Your notification will be sent to Pushover, and you'll get a status response on the command line. When you get your notification, just swipe to open it, and tap on the URL string. In the example above, it would look like
        • drafts:///create?text=6pm%20pick%20up%20prescription&action=Send%20to%Due
        • When you tap on the URL, it will send the text to Drafts and tell Drafts to send that text to Due.
        • If you just want to send text to Drafts and not immediately act on it, just leave the action variable null. To clear the action variable from a previous notification, type `unset action`.
        • There are additional variables you can add to the script (as defined in [Pushover's API](https://pushover.net/api)) if you want to send your notification to a specific device or customize the sound. Just add an additional line in the script, like `-F "sound=cashregister" \`.
    • May 22
      • "Subscribe" to OPML Lists in Fargo
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        • I recently showed how you can [read RSS feeds in Fargo](http://blog.jeffreykishner.com/2014/05/19/usingFargoAsAFeedReader.html). Did you know that you can "subscribe" to complete OPML lists in Fargo as well? [Feedshare.net](http://feedshare.net/) is a place where people share their feed reading lists. If you want to see what [Brent Simmons](http://inessential.com/) reads, go to [his share page](http://feedshare.net/inessential/) and grab his [OPML link](http://ranchero.com/downloads/BrentSubscriptions.opml). Then go into Fargo and add this link as an _include_.
        • I just typed "Brent Simmons - Inessential" on a new headline and added the following attributes to the headline:
          • type="include"
          • url="http://ranchero.com/downloads/BrentSubscriptions.opml"
        • I then expand the headline to see all the feeds it includes:
        •  
        • ![](https://dl.dropbox.com/s/qmq9z16y893n5cf/Screen%20Shot%202014-05-22%20at%2010.38.42%20AM.png)
        •  
        • and then use the "View Feed" script (outlined in my previous blog post) to read one of the feeds:
        •  
        • ![](https://dl.dropbox.com/s/fvjzpe0ewz9pq8o/Screen%20Shot%202014-05-22%20at%2010.41.29%20AM.png)
    • May 19
      • Using Fargo as a Feed Reader
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        • [Eric Davis](https://github.com/edavis) has written a script to enable a user to read RSS feeds in [Fargo](http://fargo.io). The script does not beautifully render the contents of the description tag, but if you want a quick-and-dirty solution, this will work. For example, if you're compiling research in an outline and only plan to check a related RSS feed when you're working in that tab, you can just update the feed there.
        • At bare minimum, [you need a menubar.opml file](http://docs.fargo.io/fargoScripting). Add the following script to that outline:
        •  
        •  
        • This script calls a [longer script](https://github.com/edavis/fargo-js/blob/master/rssReader.js). I suggest you copy [this entire page](https://cdn.rawgit.com/edavis/fargo-js/master/rssReader.js) to your clipboard, paste it into a new text file, title it `rssReader.js`, and save it somewhere in your Dropbox. Then make that file shareable and replace `DOMAIN.COM/rssReader.js` in the first script with that Dropbox URL. (Mine looks like `https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/.../rssReader.js`.)
        • In any outline, type the name of a blog on a headline. Then all you need to do is add the RSS feed as the value of the `xmlUrl` attribute. You can use this script to easily add a feed:
        •  
        •  
        • _You do not need to add the `type="rss"` attribute to this headline to make it work._
        • Then go to your scripts menubar, choose View Feed, and the items will show below the headline. If you open the headline of a title, you will see the description content for that feed. (If a publisher chooses to include the entire content of a post within the description tag, it will all be formatted as one long headline, so it is not ideal for reading, but rather for getting a sense of whether you want to read the full post at the publisher's site.)
        • If I want to read the full post, I make sure the cursor is on the headline of the post title, and I view it in Instapaper without saving it, or save it to Instapaper:
        •  
        •  
        • Or I can just read the post in a new window:
        •  
        •  
        • I use a keyboard shortcut to trigger the View Feed script. If I could remember who wrote what I would provide credit, but unfortunately I don't remember -- I grabbed these ideas from one of the Fargo google groups and/or the community feed that existed when Fargo was first launched.
        • First, create a text file called `myVerbs.js` and put it in your /Apps/Fargo folder.
        • Put the following code in it:
        •  
        •  
        • (You can change `jeffVerbs` to `daveVerbs` or whatever you want as long as you use the name consistently. And make sure to replace domain.com with your shareable Dropbox URL.)
        • Then, in Fargo, click on your name at the top right, then choose Settings and go to the Code tab. Put this in the Startup field and hit Save:
        •  
        •  
        • After you reload Fargo, you should be able to have your cursor on a headline that has a feed and hit Control-E to trigger the View Feed script. (Note that this totally depends on whether there is a conflicting mapping on your computer. I use Chrome for Mac and it works for me.)
    • May 16
      • The Get Down @ Cielo
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        • I haven't "clubbed" for a long time -- I don't like stay up super-late (even on weekends) and dance clubs are not really my scene. Mostly I stay within my [5Rhythms][1] cocoon, regularly attending Tuesday and Friday classes in Manhattan.
        • However, I have followed [Tasha Blank][2] for years as she's DJ'd at more holistic spaces in the city. She started with _Get Your Dance On_ first at [Brooklyn Bowl][3] and then at various yoga studios, and over the last year she has been DJing at _The Get Down_ at [Cielo][4].
        • Cielo is an EDM dance club in the meatpacking district, where the doors don't even open until 10pm. But _The Get Down_ starts at 7, so that you can enjoy the clubbing experience and still get a decent night of sleep before going to your 9-5 job (if that's your lifestyle). But unlike the yoga studio dance experience, at Cielo you can drink (in fact you need to be at least 21 to enter) and you have to wear shoes.
        • I showed up shortly before 7 as the 1/2-hour pre-dance meditation was wrapping up. I felt in my comfort zone because a great number of people at the event were familiar faces from 5Rhythms classes or other dances hosted by Tasha. The music was great -- other DJs were Soultek and Sascha Lewis, and they were accompanied by live violinist [Jourdan Brandt](https://www.facebook.com/jourdan.brandt) and vocalists (for lack of a better word) Akil and [Elana Meta][5].
        • The floor got more progressively packed as time passed (it's not terribly large to begin with) so I danced at a peripheral location for a while and then edged myself back in. And then the vibe shifted. There were people on the dance floor holding drinks in glasses. (Maybe I just haven't been to a dance club in ages, but who brings glass onto a dance floor?) One glass broke and a few people helped pick up shards. And then more and more "civilians" started entering the space.
        • I know I am probably just being judgmental, but it seems to me that there are Dancers and then there are Muggles. Anyone who regularly goes to 5R is _to me_ a dancer. He is not dependent on alcohol to allow himself to move freely. She doesn't just stand in a circle on the dance floor with her friends. As more and more "normals" joined the floor, I felt less and less comfortable. (To begin with, I don't feel terribly safe around the combination of "traditional males" and alcohol consumption.)
        • Another element of the evening that had its pluses and minuses was when the same subset of people would take turns dancing in the middle of a circle, usually doing B-boy or hip hop moves. I'm all for spectacle, but after a while it just seems like a form of grandstanding, not to mention disruptive when there's not much space on the dance floor to begin with.
        • All in all, I danced for a good 2 1/2 hours to excellent music around many people from my dance community, so it was overall a positive experience. My assessment is that if it were not in a real dance club, most of the negatives described above would not have been present. But I can see how _The Get Down_ reaches that "happy place" for dancers who miss the clubbing experience but don't want to be up until 3am to do it.
        • [1]: http://www.5rhythms.com/
        • [2]: http://www.tashablank.com/
        • [3]: http://www.brooklynbowl.com/
        • [4]: http://www.cieloclub.com/
        • [5]: http://elanameta.com/
    • May 14
      • Homelessness and the NYC Subway
        • ![](https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/g51w27k5rhoqykq/4418277687_e2de481794_z.jpg)
        • _Photo credit: [Antonio Rosario](https://www.flickr.com/photos/amrosario/) via [Creative Commons license](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/)_
        • I live in Brooklyn and don't own a car. I like that I can travel throughout the city without one, and I feel good that my carbon footprint is smaller than that of a car owner. However, the subway can be an unpleasant experience.
        • Last night, someone was pissing right on the subway platform (at a column), in front of anyone who happened to be around. And this morning the smell of the subway car I entered was so offensive (a homeless person was sitting at one end) that I debated whether to change cars at the next stop even though this leg of my commute was only two stops.
        • I know Mayor de Blasio has a grand plan for affordable housing, and I understand that -- for a homeless person -- being "underground" is probably much safer than being on the streets. But when many people are sharing a small space, the actions (or scent) of a single person can mar everyone else's experience.
        • I know I have it much better than the people about which I am complaining, but I wish the city would do something about it.
        • End rant.
    • May 9
      • Morning Gloryville NYC
        • ![](https://dl.dropbox.com/s/vwkj1wq72824fyc/10292525_1418109595126932_8232074187052726871_n.jpg)
        • This is me dancing there in the back (wearing the elbow compression band) at an event called [Morning Gloryville NYC](https://www.facebook.com/morninggloryvillenyc). It's like clubbing, but from 6:30-10:30 am, and without alcohol.
        • [Here's a video on Instagram](http://instagram.com/p/nssgogRsiA/) and the [mp4](https://dl.dropbox.com/s/cul7b2g1g1kv6kg/10353858_502674779834031_105571347_n.mp4) or just view it below:
        • [The Daily Beast](http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/05/08/the-drug-free-breakfast-rave-is-new-york-s-latest-exercise-trend.html)
        • [Metro](http://www.metro.us/newyork/news/local/2014/05/07/dancers-morning-gloryville-sober-rave-williamsburg-high-life/)
        • [Shape](http://www.shape.com/blogs/shape-your-life/morning-gloryville-rave-your-way-day)
        • [Wall Street Journal](http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303627504579557751834704592?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702303627504579557751834704592.html)
    • May 8
      • Web Services I Pay For
        • Evernote
        • Dropbox
        • FileThis
        • Fastmail.fm
  • April 2014
    • April 28
      • Apps and Web Services I Use Regularly
        • I have used so many text iOS editors -- and have bits of information in so many Dropbox folders -- that I have given up adding notes to Dropbox. Now I just put it all in Evernote and tag notes so that I can actually find them. I also scan snail mail into Evernote and forward any important PDFs I receive via email. (I am also using a service called FileThis that sends PDFs from utility companies etc directly into Evernote). Most of the stuff I put into Evernote I hope to never look up, but I feel comfort knowing that it's there. I pay for a premium account.
        • I use Dropbox for iOS apps syncing (I don't really trust iCloud's reliability) and for uploading photos that I want to share with others. I also have my iTunes music library sync with a Music folder in Dropbox so that I can access songs from anywhere. (They won't all fit on my iPhone.) I pay for 100 GB.
        • Drafts is where I jot notes on my iOS devices and send them to other apps or services. This app is indispensable.
        • I use LCP to quickly perform automation tasks on my iOS devices. Also indispensable.
        • Although I occasionally use the iOS Reminders app, I primarily use Due to remind me to do things.
        • A browser-based outliner developed by Dave Winer. I use this app not only to blog but to organize a lot of my thoughts. All outlines are stored in OPML which is an open format shared by many other outlining and mindmapping apps.
        • My RSS reader of choice. It runs on my server. I only had to pay a one-time $35 license fee. It also supports title-less feeds.
        • Where I put stuff to read later.
        • For adding events to my calendar while I'm on my iPhone.
        • I'm using this for my personal email. I pay an annual fee. I don't like Google crawling the content of my emails.
    • April 25
      • White Guys and Alter Bridge
        •  Tweet This Post
        • Last night, my 16-year old daughter and I saw Alter Bridge live at the Best Buy Theater in Times Square. At the end of the concert, my daughter said, "Everyone here is white." I looked around, and indeed she was right. I saw absolutely no one who looked of African, Latin or Asian descent until we walked out of the auditorium, when we saw one African-American teen. There were also very few women (even though there seems to be a rabid love of Myles Kennedy among women of the internets).
        • On the train home, I was explaining why I thought the audience primarily consisted of white (and presumably straight) men. Alter Bridge's rhythm is very _straight_, by which I mean it is lacking that ineffable quality in music that makes you want to shake your booty. Alter Bridge is most definitely head-banging music. I believe that African and Latin American music is more based on movement of the hips, not the head. Hence, Alter Bridge doesn't (typically) attract people of color.
        • As a dancer who regularly practices the Five Rhythms, I know that letting go of your head is associated with the rhythm of Chaos. However, head-banging is isolated from the rest of the body (unless one is making upper arm movements into the air with one's fist), whereas in Chaos one lets go of the head _and_ everything else below the neck. One rarely sees the White Male moving his hips, unless he is comfortable moving out of his White Male box.
        • **About the Author**
        • Jeffrey Kishner is a white male, and Alter Bridge is his favorite rock band.
    • April 1
      • Use Nested Lists in Launch Center Pro to Play Albums in Ecoute
        •  Tweet This Post
        • Following up on a [previous post](http://blog.jeffreykishner.com/2014/03/25/search-queries-in-timers-and-logbook-in-due-app-using-nested-lists-in-launch-center-pro.html) using nested lists in "Launch Center Pro" to perform search queries in "Due App", I've written an action to immediately play albums in [Ecoute](http://pixiapps.com/ecouteios/).
        • If you're reading this on your iOS device, tap on [this link](http://launchcenterpro.com/gz9jxt) to install the action. You can then adapt it to your needs.
        • Here is the action:
        •  
        •  
        • The opening is standard for nested lists, it's just `launch://?url=` followed by itself, URL-encoded.
        • It's followed by a simple list:
        • [list:|Alter Bridge=|Eminem=]
        • The complicated part is the lists _inside_ the lists.
        • If we URL-decode everything between the first `=` and the `|` before Eminem, we get:
        • launch://?url=ecoute%3A%2F%2Fplay%3Fterms%3D[list:|Fortress|One Day Remains=One%20Day%20Remains]
        • It starts with yet another `launch://?url=` followed by an URL-encoded `ecoute://play?terms=`, which is the Ecoute URL scheme to play the results matching a search query. Then there's the second list. The key thing to note here is that any album title containing more than one words has to be URL-encoded, so I had to stick in the definition for _One Day Remains_.
        • Below are screenshots of what the first two steps should look like. (I added _Artists_ and _Albums_ respectively after the `list:` because LCP was for some reason putting "Brightness" at the top of the lists.)
        • ![](https://dl.dropbox.com/s/0dhahspthlrwjzd/Photo%20Apr%2001%2C%2011%2021%2055%20AM.png)
        • ![](https://dl.dropbox.com/s/h4tyjrejhfe99ws/Photo%20Apr%2001%2C%2011%2022%2038%20AM.png)
  • March 2014
    • March 28
      • Fargo Script to Insert a Google Map as Background Image in Noteblog
        •  Tweet This Post
        • The following script lets you [add a Google Map to your Fargo noteblog](http://scripting.com/2014/03/23/#a1395599072).
        • With your cursor on the date headline, choose the script, and enter the following in the dialog box, in this order: Latitude, Longitude, and mapType (each separated by commas). If Latitude is South or Longitude is West, precede the value with a minus sign. The mapTypes are _roadmap_, _satellite_, _hybrid_, and _terrain_. For example: "41.0967,-73.5522,hybrid" is what I'm using for [this post](http://links.smallpict.com/2014/03/28/).
        • Although the attribute _mapZoom_ is supported in Fargo, I am not including it in this script.
        • I don't check for errors in entry, so if there are problems, please check the instructions first. If you are still getting errors, please contact me.
        • _Disclaimer_: Dave Winer has not even written up documentation for this feature, so use "as is."
        • "Visit the Fargo scripting page in the docs to learn how to install this script, or watch this video."
        • <%reader ("https://dl.dropbox.com/s/yjcx19ng8pp60b6/3fab39ea8bc0b2c60b2835c1c1c9083f.opml")%>
        • [Here](https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/yjcx19ng8pp60b6/3fab39ea8bc0b2c60b2835c1c1c9083f.opml) is the OPML for the script.
    • March 25
      • Search Queries in Timers and Logbook in Due App Using Nested Lists in Launch Center Pro
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        • Inspired by [this LCP action](http://launchcenterpro.com/p9zl3j) by [Alex Guyot](http://unapologetic.io/), I have written a "Launch Center Pro" action to search queries in either the Timers or Logbook section of "Due App": you can install it [here](http://launchcenterpro.com/dcs1xx).
        • When you launch the action, you're presented with a choice between Timers or Logbook:
        •  
        • ![](https://dl.dropbox.com/s/wv84z6lesoqmuhs/Photo%20Mar%2025%2C%202%2053%2014%20PM.png)
        •  
        • Then, depending on your choice, you're presented with a list of queries:
        •  
        • ![](https://dl.dropbox.com/s/igrvmtqchoh330v/Photo%20Mar%2025%2C%202%2053%2017%20PM.png)
        • ![](https://dl.dropbox.com/s/sdnlg2v0a93ybwm/Photo%20Mar%2025%2C%202%2053%2021%20PM.png)
        •  
        • (Obviously, you will have to adapt for your own use. Yolanda cuts my hair.)
        • After you choose the query, Due opens with the search already completed. You can then start a timer or recycle an old reminder.
        •  
        • Here is the full string:
        •  
        •  
        • Here I will URL-decode the first list item (between `Timers=` and the `|`):
        • launchpro://?url=due%3A%2F%2Fx-callback-url%2Fsearch%3Fsection%3DTimers%26query%3D[list:Timers|Coffee|White rice|Collards|Freebird|Cauliflower|Chicken]
        • The second list (the queries) is written as you would ordinarily compose a list in LCP. The important thing to note is that, since the Due URL scheme is not included in _those_ brackets, it has to be URL-encoded after the `launchpro://?url=`:
        • due://x-callback-url/search?section=Timers&query=
    • March 10
      • Bookmarklet to Open a Tumblr from iOS Browser into the Tumblr App
        •  Tweet This Post
        • Inspired by [this post](http://philgr.com/blog/open-twitter-appnet-profiles-from-safari-in-your-favorite-client) by Phillip Gruneich, I have written the following iOS bookmarklet. If you are browsing a blog on Tumblr in a web browser, the bookmarklet will open that blog into the Tumblr for iOS app.
        • javascript:window.location='tumblr://x-callback-url/blog?blogName='+window.location.hostname.split('.')[0]
  • February 2014
    • February 11
      • Add Running Expenses to a Wiki- or Markdown-Table with These Launch Center Pro and Drafts Actions
        •  Tweet This Post
        • _The following is inspired by [Using Launch Center Pro 2, Drafts, and Dropbox to List Down My Expenses](http://thepoch.com/2013/using-launch-center-pro-2-drafts-and-dropbox-to-list-down-my-expenses.html) by Dexter Ang._
        • I am currently using a "TiddlyWiki" to keep track of spending. I have written actions for both "Launch Center Pro" and "Drafts" to enter expenses and then have the data prepended to a text file in wiki table format. At my convenience, I can then copy a row from the table and paste it into the appropriate financial category tiddler. (Note that all of the following can be used to simply add a running list of expenses into a Markdown table in a text file -- you don't need to use a wiki with these actions.)
        • A row in a wiki- or markdown-table looks like this:
        • |2014-02-12|Groceries|$14|
        • The LCP action uses the "TextExpander" snippet to enter the date, and uses prompts to enter the type of spending and the amount spent. These three fields are separated by an URL-encoded pipe (|), and then the entire string is sent to Drafts to launch the moneyWiki action. Upon success, I am sent back to LCP.
        • drafts://x-callback-url/create?text=%7C[prompt:Where and What]%7C%24[prompt-num:Amount]&action=moneyWiki&x-success={{launch:}}
        • (%7C is an URL-encoded |. %24 is an URL-encoded $.)
        • In Drafts, moneyWiki is a Dropbox action in which I prepend the following to the money.txt file in my /Apps/TWSync/Text/ folder in Dropbox:
        • |[[draft]]|
        • (The folder can be of your choosing. I use TWSync because that's where [TWEdit](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/twedit/id409607956?mt=8) syncs TiddlyWiki files.)
        • When the [[draft]] is surrounded by pipes, the result is a valid table row. The advantage of this action is that I can enter something like `2014-02-12|Groceries|$14` into Drafts, trigger the same moneyWiki action, and once again have a valid table row prepended into my money.txt file. (In other words, I can enter expenses into LCP on-the-go, or enter into Drafts so that I can act upon the draft later -- for instance, if I do not have internet access.)
        • After reading more about tables in Markdown, I've learned that Markdown proper doesn't include special formatting for tables, but extensions like [Github Flavored Markdown](https://help.github.com/articles/github-flavored-markdown) do. In this case, a table must have a header to render properly. If you're going to use a header, then obviously you cannot prepend new expenses to your text file, you will have to append instead.
    • February 7
      • Create a Javascript-Based "River of News" -- No Server Required
        •  Tweet This Post
        • I've played around with Dave Winer's [River 2](http://river2.newsriver.org/) and [River 3](http://river3.opml.org/), but ultimately these solutions are expensive because they require a server to process the RSS feeds included in an OPML file. ([Here's Dave's River](http://scripting.com/river/) so you know what it looks like.) I used to run my River using [EC2 for Poets](http://ec2.forpoets.org/) and the Amazon Web Services bill was way too high just to publish a feed reader.
        • Fotis Evangelou has developed a client-side feed reader based on javascript called [ AMJR](http://fotis.co/projects/amjr/) (Asynchronous Multifeed JavaScript Reader). I've adapted his slightly for my own ["river" about iOS Automation](http://jeffreykishner.com/ios-blogs/). All I had to do was create my own [list of feeds](http://jeffreykishner.com/ios-blogs/js/feeds.js) and do some tweaking of the CSS and HTML to remove the fixed content area on the right.
        • Like the OPML Editor River of News, there are no bells and whistles here. You can't read full feeds within the "app" or 'Send to Instapaper' or star an item to save it in Pinboard. But it's a good way to just view headlines from your favorite feeds. And because it's a [static app](http://www.staticapps.org/articles/defining-static-web-apps) and the work is done in the browser, you don't incur server costs beyond just hosting the files somewhere.
    • February 6
      • How to Mark a Paperless Item as Complete Without Touching Your iOS Device
        •  Tweet This Post
        • Plain text rocks, but I've been crushing on the list-making iOS app "Paperless" recently, and because it stores its data in XML files (at least when using Dropbox for sync), it's difficult to mark an item complete in a text editor. However, it's not impossible.
        • I would not advise the following steps to anyone other than those who are comfortable editing XML files.
        • To find the XML files, just go to the \Paperless folder in Dropbox. A typical list item will look like this:
        • ``
        • ` `
        • ` Cell phone bill`
        • ` $100`
        • ` NO`
        • ` NO`
        • ``
        • To mark as complete, we have to do two things:
        • 1. Enter a value for ``
        • 2. Change the value for ``
        • ``
        • ` 2014-02-06 15:32:11 -0500`
        • ` Cell phone bill`
        • ` $100`
        • ` NO`
        • ` YES`
        • ``
        • Above, I've changed the value of `` to YES. I've also entered a date string for ``. If you use "TextExpander", use this data math for the snippet:
        • %Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S -0500
        • The app uses +0000 UTC time, but above I've chosen -0500 because I live in New York. When I re-sync the app with Dropbox, it shows at the bottom: "Completed: Feb 6, 2014, 3:32 PM" so I know I did the date math correctly.
      • Using the Launch Center Pro URL Parameter to Launch an Action from Another App
        •  Tweet This Post
        • After reading [this Twitter conversation](https://twitter.com/welkerpatrick/status/430436207680835585) between [@welkpatrick](https://twitter.com/welkerpatrick), [@epramono](https://twitter.com/epramono) and [@Pgruneich](https://twitter.com/Pgruneich), I now have a deeper understanding of how `launch://?url=` works:
        • Combined with Federico Viticci's [Safari Action Menu In Launch Center Pro](http://www.macstories.net/tutorials/safari-action-menu-in-launch-center-pro/), it's all starting to come together: I can write a "Launch Center Pro" action, and use it from within another app entirely, _without having to have that action entered in LCP itself_.
        • For example, I have an action in LCP to add an item and optional note to "Paperless":
        • paperless://addItem?itemName=[prompt:Item]&itemNote=[prompt:Note]&toListNamed=[list:Choose a list|List1|List2|List3]
        • (You can view that URL Scheme documentation [here](http://blog.crushapps.com/2013/03/paperless-2-1-released/).)
        • Now, if I've noted something in "Drafts" and later decide I want to send it to Paperless, I can just tap on the _paperlessList_ action in the Drafts Actions menu to launch LCP with a menu of lists already open. All I have to do is tap on the list to which I want to send the task, and the task and note are imported into Paperless.
        • If you're in Drafts, tap on [this link](drafts://x-callback-url/import_action?type=URL&name=paperlessList&url=launch%3A%2F%2F%3Furl%3D%7B%7Bpaperless%3A%2F%2FaddItem%3FitemName%3D%5B%5Btitle%5D%5D%26itemNote%3D%5B%5Bbody%5D%5D%26toListNamed%3D%5Blist%3AChoose%20a%20list%7CList1%7CList2%7CList3%5D%7D%7D) to import the URL Action. And here is the action itself:
        • launch://?url={{paperless://addItem?itemName=[[title]]&itemNote=[[body]]&toListNamed=[list:Choose a list|List1|List2|List3]}}
        • The first line is the task, and any additional lines (if they exist) are added in the note field.
    • February 3
      • Chaining Three TextTool Transformations Together with X-Callback-URL
        •  Tweet This Post
        • I wrote the above "Launch Center Pro" action over the weekend. I thought it would take 15 minutes, but it took 45, because the encoding was such a challenge.
        • When I add new list items to an LCP action using the [list tag](https://contrasthelp.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/201050507-2-1-Release-Notes), I sometimes just randomly add an item after the first pipe (|) I can find. Then I notice that the order of my list items has no rhyme or reason to it, so I want to alphabetize it. This is not an easy task, cut-and-pasting in a small text area on an iPhone screen. So I decided to use "TextTool" to automate the process for me.
        • 1. Remove the pipes in a sequence like `Apples|Pears|Bananas` using the _split_ method.
        • 2. Use the _sort_ method to alphabetize the list
        • 3. Add the pipes again between each item, using the _join_ method.
        • Here is the full LCP action (click on the link in the Twitter embed above to install):
        • texttool://x-callback-url/transform?text=[clipboard]&method=split&delimiter=%7C&x-success=texttool%3A%2F%2Fx-callback-url%2Ftransform%3Ftext%3D%5B%5Boutput%5D%5D%26method%3Dsort%26x-success%3Dtexttool%253A%252F%252Fx-callback-url%252Ftransform%253Ftext%253D%25255B%25255Boutput%25255D%25255D%2526method%253Djoin%2526delimiter%253D%25257C
        • The sort transformation, URL-decoded:
        • texttool://x-callback-url/transform?text=[[output]]&method=sort
        • The join transformation, URL-decoded twice:
        • texttool://x-callback-url/transform?text=%5B%5Boutput%5D%5D&method=join&delimiter=%7C
        • Notice how, even though this action was URL-encoded twice after the second x-success parameter, the [[output]] had to be encoded _yet again_ before the entire action was URL-encoded twice. I had to add an extra %25 before each double-encoded bracket to make the complete action work.
        • **Related:** [Take a Photo, Get a Markdown Image Link with Launch Center Pro, Clean Links, and TextTool](http://jeffreykishner.com/2013/12/04/take-a-photo-get-a-markdown-image-link-with-launch-center-pro-clean-links-and-texttool/)
        • **Resources:** [TextTool x-callback-url Support page](http://blackfoggames.com/TextTool/callback.html)
      • Extract Text from an XML File Using Launch Center Pro, Drafts, and TextTool
        •  Tweet This Post
        • [Paperless](http://www.crushapps.com/paperless/) is an iOS lists app that stores its data in XML files in Dropbox (if you choose to sync). What follows is an attempt to procure the first item in a list and send it to "Due App" without having to copy and paste.
        • The first list item in any Paperless list appears to occur on line 12 of the list's XML file. It looks like this:
        • LIST ITEM
        • "Launch Center Pro"'s [dropbox tag](https://contrasthelp.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/200436178-The-dropbox-Tag) lets you get the contents of a text file, so I figured I could grab the entire contents of an XML file and push it to "Drafts". Tap on [this link](http://launchcenterpro.com/f080nd) to import into LCP, or copy the action below and adapt for your purposes:
        • drafts://x-callback-url/create?text=[dropbox-text:Paperless/Errands.xml]&action=line12
        • What this does is grab the full text from the Errands list in Paperless, send it to Drafts, and then activate the _line12_ custom URL action.
        • _line12_ uses a Drafts tag `[[line|12]]` to send line 12 of the XML file to "TextTool" and then use the _regex_ method to replace `` and `` with blank spaces. I know next to nothing about regex, but I found [here](http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?RegularExpressionExamples) that I could easily create a regex expression to match both `` and ``:
        • <(/|)itemName>
        • So the _search_ parameter in TextTool is the above URL-encoded, and the _replace_ parameter is a single space, URL-encoded:
        • texttool://x-callback-url/transform?text=[[line|12]]&method=regex&search=%3C(%2F%7C)itemName%3E&replace=%20&x-success=due%3A%2F%2Fx-callback-url%2Fadd%3Ftitle%3D%5B%5Boutput%5D%5D
        • (Tap on [this link](drafts://x-callback-url/import_action?type=URL&name=line12&url=texttool://x-callback-url/transform?text=[[line|12]]&method=regex&search=%3C(%2F%7C)itemName%3E&replace=%20&x-success=due%3A%2F%2Fx-callback-url%2Fadd%3Ftitle%3D%5B%5Boutput%5D%5D) to import into Drafts.)
        • The _x-success_ parameter above tells TextTool to take the [[output]] of that transformation and send it to Due. Here is that action URL-decoded:
        • due://x-callback-url/add?title=[[output]]
        • The final result... I tap on the LCP action, and it adds the first list item from my Errands list and sends it to Due. There are spaces preceding the text, but the XML is extracted.
        • Although the automation required to perform the above is a bit excessive (in contrast to just copying an item from Paperless and then pasting it into Due) it demonstrates the ability of the included iOS apps to accomplish pretty remarkable tasks.
        •  
        • [Here is an importable _line12_ Drafts action](drafts://x-callback-url/import_action?type=URL&name=line12&url=texttool%3A%2F%2Fx-callback-url%2Ftransform%3Ftext%3D%5B%5Bline%7C12%5D%5D%26method%3Dregex%26search%3D%253C%28%252F%257C%29itemName%253E%26replace%3D%2520%26x-success%3Dtexttool%253A%252F%252Fx-callback-url%252Ftransform%253Ftext%253D%255B%255Boutput%255D%255D%2526method%253Dtrim%2526x-success%253Ddue%25253A%25252F%25252Fx-callback-url%25252Fadd%25253Ftitle%25253D%2525255B%2525255Boutput%2525255D%2525255D) that trims the TextTool regex output before it sends the list item to Due. And here is the URL action itself:
        • texttool://x-callback-url/transform?text=[[line|12]]&method=regex&search=%3C(%2F%7C)itemName%3E&replace=%20&x-success=texttool%3A%2F%2Fx-callback-url%2Ftransform%3Ftext%3D%5B%5Boutput%5D%5D%26method%3Dtrim%26x-success%3Ddue%253A%252F%252Fx-callback-url%252Fadd%253Ftitle%253D%25255B%25255Boutput%25255D%25255D
        •  
        • [Here is an importable _line12_ Drafts action](drafts://x-callback-url/import_action?type=URL&name=line12&url=texttool%3A%2F%2Fx-callback-url%2Ftransform%3Ftext%3D%5B%5Bline%7C12%5D%5D%26method%3Dregex%26search%3D%253C%28%252F%257C%29itemName%253E%26replace%3D%2520%26x-success%3Dtexttool%253A%252F%252Fx-callback-url%252Ftransform%253Ftext%253D%255B%255Boutput%255D%255D%2526method%253Dtrim%2526x-success%253Ddue%25253A%25252F%25252Fx-callback-url%25252Fadd%25253Ftitle%25253D%2525255B%2525255Boutput%2525255D%2525255D%2525250Apaperless%2525253A%2525252F%2525252FviewList%2525253FlistName%2525253DErrands) that will include a link to the Errands list in Paperless within the Due text, so that when you complete the task, you can visit the list and check off the item there. (Thanks to [@epramono](https://twitter.com/epramono) for inspiring this.) And here is the URL action itself:
        • texttool://x-callback-url/transform?text=[[line|12]]&method=regex&search=%3C(%2F%7C)itemName%3E&replace=%20&x-success=texttool%3A%2F%2Fx-callback-url%2Ftransform%3Ftext%3D%5B%5Boutput%5D%5D%26method%3Dtrim%26x-success%3Ddue%253A%252F%252Fx-callback-url%252Fadd%253Ftitle%253D%25255B%25255Boutput%25255D%25255D%25250Apaperless%25253A%25252F%25252FviewList%25253FlistName%25253DErrands
  • January 2014
    • January 31
      • View Your Paperless Lists on the Web
        •  Tweet This Post
        • I've been using a list-making app called [Paperless](http://www.crushapps.com/paperless/). Although I'm a big supporter of apps that use plain text files, Paperless stores its lists on Dropbox in XML. No biggie. I've already written scripts to [import a list into Paperless](http://jeffreykishner.com/javascript/ImportNewListToPaperless.html) and [export a list from Paperless](http://jeffreykishner.com/javascript/paperless-export-tool.html).
        • The developer includes a stylesheet in the XML files, so that if you open one up in the browser, [it looks readable](http://jeffreykishner.com/javascript/PaperlessXMLFiles/Story%20Outline.xml). All you have to do is open an XML file in your /Paperless Dropbox folder in a web browser. Unfortunately for me, I am at an office computer all day, and I do not have my Dropbox files sitting in my hard drive. So to view those XML files I would have to download them from Dropbox to my work computer hard drive and _then_ open them in the browser.
        • To overcome this handicap, I have written a tool that will allow you to view any number of your Paperless lists online. All you have to do is make the lists you want to view shareable, and enter these URLs into a form. Shared Dropbox URLs are not easily discoverable, and if you _really_ don't want someone to accidentally come upon one of your XML files, then don't make the URL public.
        • The script I developed generates each of your lists in an HTML table. The URLs are not uploaded to any server. The script just reads your XML files locally, so you can feel secure that the view of your lists that you see in the browser is not viewable by anyone else online. You can even just download the html file to your hard drive and use it locally (that is, open it from the hard drive into your browser).
        • To see how it works, [visit the page](http://jeffreykishner.com/javascript/Paperless/), enter the following four Dropbox URLs into the input field, and then hit Publish. These are the four lists that come pre-installed when you download Paperless to your iOS device.
        • https://www.dropbox.com/s/1c3j4u1y7ajcwss/Today.xml,https://www.dropbox.com/s/9l46i1iojr6nc3t/Story%20Outline.xml,https://www.dropbox.com/s/ptj4f95md4fkkpd/Someday.xml,https://www.dropbox.com/s/fbp9iv7shwy5t0f/Groceries.xml
        • You should see four lists generated below the input form.
        • ![](https://dl.dropbox.com/s/o914ydefedf6e6j/Screen%20shot%202014-01-31%20at%201.24.14%20PM.png)
        • If you want to view your own lists, just get the shared Dropbox URL for each, and enter them as a comma-separated list.
        • This is version 1.0, and I will likely work on styling and generating more of a grid than having the lists stacked on top of each other.
    • January 29
      • How to Put a Google Calendar into the TiddlyWiki5 Sidebar
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        • I often forget today's date. This tiddler inserts an empty Google Calendar into the sidebar of my wiki so that I can quickly glance at it.
        •  
        • ![](https://dl.dropbox.com/s/ot4cxrt01mnp09r/Screen%20shot%202014-01-29%20at%2011.49.30%20AM.png)
        •  
        • Just create a new tiddler, call it "Calendar" (or whatever you want) and paste this embed code into the body of your tiddler:
        • Then -- and this is the important part -- add or create this tag: `$:/tags/SideBar`. Then save the tiddler and you ought to see a Calendar tab in your sidebar.
        • You can of course use any of your current Google Calendars -- just go to the Calendar Details tab, scroll down to Embed This Calendar, and grab the embed code.
        •  
        • ![](https://dl.dropbox.com/s/nh1p5kvzryanxp2/Screen%20shot%202014-01-29%20at%2011.52.43%20AM.png)
      • Use Launch Center Pro to Upload Last-Taken Photo to Dropbox and Send the Link to Due
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        • Inspired by Federico Viticci's "Launch Center Pro" action to [add a photo as a reminder to Fantastical 2](http://www.macstories.net/tutorials/save-photos-as-reminders-with-fantastical-and-launch-center-pro/), I've written the following to do the same with "Due App":
        • launchpro-dropbox://x-callback-url/addlastphoto?getlink=1&x-success=due%3A%2F%2F%2Fadd%3Ftitle%3D{{[prompt]}}%2520%5Bclipboard%5D
        • If you're on your iOS device, you can tap on [this link](http://launchcenterpro.com/18g7jm) to install it.
        • This action uses `/addlastphoto` but there are more recent options like `/addphoto?attach=photo:library` which will let you choose an image from your photo library. All the options are listed in LCP's [2.1 Release Notes](http://help.contrast.co/hc/en-us/articles/201050507-2-1-Release-Notes).
        • The encoding is confusing, but Viticci figured it out. When in doubt, copy. The key, really, is that [the `clipboard` prompt has to be manually encoded](http://help.contrast.co/hc/en-us/articles/200611883-x-callback-url-Support) or else LCP chooses what was originally on the clipboard before the Dropbox action.
        • Here is the x-success parameter URL-decoded:
        • due:///add?title={{[prompt]}}%20[clipboard]
        • When encoded, the URL-encoded [prompt] -- signified by the {{ }} -- should _not_ be URL-encoded _again_.
    • January 24
      • Note-Taking Bookmarklets for Fargo.io and TiddlyWiki
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        • I'm a frequent user of both "Fargo" (an outliner) and "TiddlyWiki" (a one-page wiki). As an amateur javascript coder, I've written two bookmarklets that let me grab the title, link, and selected text from a page and format them in either OPML or WikiText.
        • Let's say I want a bookmark and note from the [Fargo docs](http://docs.fargo.io/whatIsFargo):
        •  
        • ![](https://dl.dropbox.com/s/ed5jcc940slkus3/Screen%20shot%202014-01-24%20at%201.31.28%20PM.png)
        •  
        • I've selected the text, "Fargo is a simple idea outliner, notepad, todo list, project organizer."
        • Now I want to put this info in my wiki.
        • I add the following in my browser's bookmark manager, and title it "wiki"
        • javascript:window.alert('%5B%5B'+document.title+'%7C'+location.href+'%5D%5D\n\n> '+window.getSelection());
        • When I click on the bookmarklet, I get the following alert:
        •  
        • ![](https://dl.dropbox.com/s/6ft7q2hrz26ty18/Screen%20shot%202014-01-24%20at%201.35.07%20PM.png)
        •  
        • If I copy that text and paste it into a Tiddler, it looks like this:
        •  
        • ![](https://dl.dropbox.com/s/u4o7lw2nkpza8xg/Screen%20shot%202014-01-24%20at%201.36.26%20PM.png)
        •  
        • If I want to put that info into Fargo, it's a bit more complicated.
        • First I add the following in my bookmark manager and title it "opml".
        • Then I add the following to my menubar.opml file:
        • add opml in dialog box
        • dialog.ask ("paste raw opml here", "", "", function (data) {
        • op.insertOpml (data, down);
        • });
        • "Visit the Fargo scripting page in the docs to learn how to install this script, or watch this video."
        • I click on the bookmarklet and see the following alert:
        •  
        • ![](https://dl.dropbox.com/s/ke626hddjxs3wft/Screen%20shot%202014-01-24%20at%201.40.02%20PM.png)
        •  
        • Then, in the outline into which I want to insert my notes, I choose the "add opml in dialog box" script. A dialog box pops up and I paste the contents from the previous alert:
        •  
        • ![](https://dl.dropbox.com/s/ewxgjjp2f1u9hxv/Screen%20shot%202014-01-24%20at%201.41.44%20PM.png)
        •  
        • The script will insert some new OPML into my outline:
        •  
        • ![](https://dl.dropbox.com/s/txrp23nb5f6hqoj/Screen%20shot%202014-01-24%20at%201.43.21%20PM.png)
    • January 23
      • How to Incorporate Font Awesome Icons Into TiddlyWiki 5
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        • I have become a regular user of [TiddlyWiki](http://tiddlywiki.com/) and have become so accustomed to using [Font Awesome](http://fortawesome.github.io/Font-Awesome/) icons in [Fargo](http://fargo.io) that I wanted to incorporate the icons into my wikis as well.
        • After some fiddling around, I finally found out how to do it. I'm going to start with "The Hard Way" in case you want to follow the steps yourself, and then follow with "The Easy Way" in case you want to just start with an "empty" TiddlyWiki html file that has the Font Awesome stylesheet pre-installed.
        • _Please read the Addendum at the end of this post before attempting "The Hard Way."_
        • In your wiki, click on the More tab; click on System; then click on $:/boot/boot.css
        • ![](https://dl.dropbox.com/s/kwejj9p2caaahez/Screen%20shot%202014-01-23%20at%2010.07.35%20AM.png)
        • Click on the edit icon (the pencil).
        • ![](https://dl.dropbox.com/s/n1dnsvqab59lmwm/Screen%20shot%202014-01-23%20at%2010.08.36%20AM.png)
        • Copy the entire contents of [this stylesheet](http://netdna.bootstrapcdn.com/font-awesome/4.0.3/css/font-awesome.css) and paste it after the default CSS. In the beginning of the code where it says @font-face, there will be a few instances of the following: `url('../`. Replace the `..` with `http://netdna.bootstrapcdn.com/font-awesome/4.0.3`.
        • After you're done, click on the checkmark to save.
        • ![](https://dl.dropbox.com/s/tiyjmpqtiskv6lp/Screen%20shot%202014-01-23%20at%2010.12.52%20AM.png)
        • Then save your wiki by clicking on the icon that looks like . Now when you open this wiki in your browser, the Font Awesome stylesheet will "boot up." (Note that if you are working offline, the icons will not load because the stylesheet is still making calls to font files.)
        • [Click here](https://www.dropbox.com/s/qhbbehozfpkjvud/fontawesome.html) to download an "empty" TiddlyWiki html file with Font Awesome already installed. (Or view the actual wiki [here](https://dl.dropbox.com/s/qhbbehozfpkjvud/fontawesome.html).) Note that it uses TiddlyWiki 5.0.6-beta and Font Awesome 4.0.3, so if either has upgraded since this writing, you will not have the latest version.
        • In the file referenced above, I added the following to the "Getting Started" Tiddler:
        • ![](https://dl.dropbox.com/s/6bzhznkd8xuea62/Screen%20shot%202014-01-23%20at%2010.30.50%20AM.png)
        • I created that header with the following code:
        • ! Congratulations!
        • Visit the [icons](http://fortawesome.github.io/Font-Awesome/icons/) page and click on the icon you want to use -- you'll be provided with the code to use. Just copy and paste it into your Tiddler.
        • I just learned on the [TiddlyWikiDev google group](https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups=#!topic/tiddlywikidev/BXNXqKi5ulQ) that it is not necessary to post the stylesheet contents into $:/boot/boot.css. You can create any tiddler, call it whatever you want, post the stylesheet contents, and _tag_ it `$:/tags/stylesheet`. This stylesheet will also boot up when you open the wiki in the browser. (HT Eric Shulman of Tiddly Tools.) I think an advantage to this approach is that -- if you upgrade by dragging your HTML file into an empty TiddlyWiki -- you don't lose the Font Awesome stylesheet.
        • Tags: tiddlywiki, font awesome
    • January 17
      • A TiddlyWiki Filter to List Due Dates
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        • [Yesterday](http://blog.jeffreykishner.com/2014/01/16/tracking-dependencies-in-tiddlywiki.html) I wrote about tracking dependencies in "TiddlyWiki". Today, I've written another TaskManagement-related list filter to show all open tasks that have due dates, sorted by date.
        • To add a due date to a Tiddler, scroll to the bottom of a draft and enter _due_ where it says "Add a new field" and then hit the Add button.
        • ![](https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/p1umi4amahpye8k/Screen%20shot%202014-01-17%20at%2011.26.15%20AM.png)
        • Where it says "field value," type in a date. For sorting purposes, I like to use the format YYYY-MM-DD, so today would be 2014-01-17.
        • ![](https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/oei8zk2tqbk4ezd/Screen%20shot%202014-01-17%20at%2011.28.24%20AM.png)
        • In a separate Tiddler -- I use one called To Do -- enter the following filter:
        • ! Due
        • <$list filter="[has[due]!tag[done]sort[due]]">
        • <$link to={{!!title}}><$view field="title"/> | <$view field="due"/>
        • In screenshot below, I show the output of this filter, provided that I have only one task that both _has a field called "due"_ and is _not tagged "done"_. In this case, the Tiddler is called "performance review" and the value of the _due_ field is 2014-01-31. The generated anchor text is the Tiddler title and the value of the due field, separate by a pipe `|`. It links to the Tiddler.
        • ![](https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/5rrc8q0phqu0ur1/Screen%20shot%202014-01-17%20at%2011.21.13%20AM.png)
        • When a task is complete, just add the "done" tag, and it will no longer show up in this list.
        • Tags: tiddlywiki
    • January 16
      • Tracking Dependencies in TiddlyWiki
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        • I've playing around with [TiddlyWiki](http://tiddlywiki.com), a single html file run on javascript that can contain an entire wiki. You don't have to upload it to a server, it works directly in the browser. TiddlyWiki5 beta includes a script for Task Management -- I'm including the full content of that "tiddler" below:
        • TiddlyWiki5 can be used as a simple task management system without further customisation. The idea is that tasks be tagged `task`, with those that are completed also tagged `done`. In this way it is straightforward to generate task lists.
        • ! Outstanding tasks
        • <$list filter="[!has[draft.of]tag[task]!tag[done]sort[created]]">
        • <$checkbox tag="done"> <$link to={{!!title}}><$view field="title"/>
        • ! Completed tasks
        • <$list filter="[!has[draft.of]tag[task]tag[done]sort[created]]">
        • <$checkbox tag="done"> ~~<$link to={{!!title}}><$view field="title"/>~~
        • That tiddler looks like this:
        • ![](https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/y4l4wzwjlcjogjk/Screen%20shot%202014-01-16%20at%2011.22.14%20AM.png)
        • If you click on the checkbox, it automatically tags the tiddler for that task as _done_.
        • If am am waiting for someone else to complete a task before I can complete _my_ task, it is helpful to keep track of that in the Task Management tiddler. For example, if for Task A I am waiting for Mike to do something, I'll tag Task A with _waiting:Mike_.
        • In the script above, I've included the following:
        • ! Waiting
        • ''Mike''
        • <$list filter="[tag[waiting:Mike]!tag[done]]">
        • The above list filter logic says, "Generate a list of tiddlers that are tagged _waiting:Mike_ but that are NOT tagged _done_." Once Mike has done his part and I've completed the task and marked it as _done_, that tiddler will no longer be in the Waiting for Mike list.
        • Tags: tiddlywiki
    • January 10
      • The Veronica Mars Movie Poster
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        • ![Veronica Mars](https://dl.dropbox.com/s/tgivdz8zkipj2v7/unnamed.jpg)
      • Choose from Multiple Due Timers from a Launch Center Pro List
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        • "Launch Center Pro"'s new [list tag](https://contrasthelp.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/201050507-2-1-Release-Notes) allows a user the ability to enter a string into an URL scheme from a list of predetermined choices. I've earlier offered an [action to view one's favorite Instagram profiles](http://blog.jeffreykishner.com/2013/12/12/use-launch-center-pro-21-to-open-instagram-for-ios-to-your-favorite-profiles.html). The action I'm offering in this post allows a user to choose from various preset timers in "Due App".
        • If you're on your iOS device, tap on [this link](http://launchcenterpro.com/6k52f8) to install. By default, I have `White Rice|Coffee|Chicken` as choices. Anywhere in between `[list:Timer|` and the closing `]` you can put whatever you want, as long as (A) you put a pipe `|` between each one; (B) the string exactly corresponds with the name of a timer that you have already preset in Due.
        • Here is the URL scheme if you want to enter it manually:
        • due://x-callback-url/search?query=[list:Timer|White rice|Coffee|Chicken]§ion=Timers
      • Schedule a Text x Minutes From Now with Due and Launch Center Pro
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        • **Use Case**: I am on the NYC Subway with no cell phone service. I recall something I want to text my wife but I won't be above ground for another 30 minutes. With this action, I can type my text message into "Launch Center Pro" and indicate how many minutes from now I want to send the text. At that time, "Due App" will send me a notification. I click that my "task" is done, and the app will ask me to open an URL. The URL then "magically" opens the messaging app with the body and recipient already filled in. I just have to click Send.
        • While on your device, click on [this link](http://launchcenterpro.com/7mgn32) to install in Launch Center Pro. Here is the URL scheme if you want to add it manually:
        • due://x-callback-url/add?title={{launch://messaging?to=555-555-5555&body=[prompt:Message]}}&minslater=[prompt-num:Minutes]
        • This action uses the [minslater parameter in Due](http://www.dueapp.com/developer.html#paramminslater) and the [In-App Messaging System Action in LCP](https://contrasthelp.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/200611883-x-callback-url-Support).
        • _Thanks to [Phillip Gruneich](http://philgr.com/blog/get-things-done-next-saturday) and [Alex Guyot](http://theaxx.net/duelaterseries/) for thought-provoking Due actions._
    • January 8
      • Some More TaskPaper News
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        • Jesse Grosjean has [released the source code](https://github.com/jessegrosjean/NOTTaskPaperForIOS) of TaskPaper for iOS on GitHub.
        • Paul Thrasher has published an [online TaskPaper editor](https://dgiu4ye9xtr28.cloudfront.net/) that works with the /TaskPaper folder in Dropbox. [Here's the code on GitHub](https://github.com/thrashr888/dropbox-taskpaper-editor).
        • David Hilowitz has posted on GitHub some javascript to [convert TaskPaper files to HTML](https://github.com/dhilowitz/jsTaskPaper). It works with shared Dropbox URLs.
    • January 7
      • Making Two Text-File-Based iOS Todo Apps That Sync With Dropbox Work Together: Listacular and TaskAgent
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        • After the [announcement](http://blog.hogbaysoftware.com/post/72442052582/winter-2014-newsletter) that development of "TaskPaper" for iOS is being halted, I've been looking for alternative todo apps that are based on the reading and manipulation of text files and that sync with Dropbox. I've found three so far: "Listacular", "TaskAgent", and [Todo.txt](http://todotxt.com/).
        • Todo.txt is a little too command-line Terminal-y for me, but the other two are pretty user-friendly. Both support dragging of tasks and swiping or tapping to denote completion. Also, both share a similar "grammar" such that one can have both apps read text files from the same location in Dropbox.
        • In both apps, _in the actual text files_ a `-` is used to denote an open task, and an `x` is used to denote a completed task. However, TaskAgent requires that the very first character in a line contains `-` or `x`. Listacular is built to support the reading of TaskPaper files, which means that it will read a line that starts with a tab as an open task that is subordinate to either a project or a higher-order task. For both apps to successfully read tasks out of the same text file, one must avoid the use of tabs, which essentially means you cannot format the text file as an outline.
        • Listacular has many other functions that are not supported by TaskAgent.
          • "caret" Listacular lets you start a line with a `*` to denote a bullet point -- TaskAgent will add a `-` before it, thus de-rendering that formatting in Listacular.
          • "caret" Listacular supports TaskPaper-like due dates formatted as follows: `@due(2014-01-07 14:00)` (which can be interpreted as, "This task is due January 7, 2014 at 2pm.") TaskAgent will insert a space after the tag and before the parens, because anything included between parens is read as a note. If I create a task in Listacular like `pay mortgage @due(2014-02-01 10:00)` TaskAgent will make the task `pay mortgage @due` and the note accompanying the task `2014-02-01 10:00`. Because of the inconsistency between these two apps, TaskPaper-like due dates cannot be supported if both apps read the same text file.
            • "caret" As an aside, Listacular also uses @remind to schedule an alert notification. When the alert is acknowledged, it turns @remind into @reminded.
        • As of this writing, [TaskAgent is the only of these two apps that supports URL schemes and x-callback-url support](http://macrecon.com/guides/index.html#taurl). However, the developer of Listacular has [mentioned on Twitter](https://twitter.com/drewmck/status/420592024052449280) that his app will soon support URL schemes. With TaskAgent, you can open or create a list, and add a task with an optional note and/or done status using an app like "Launch Center Pro" or "Drafts".
        • TaskAgent has an Action menu for individual tasks. If you know the URL scheme of an app that you would like to send the task to, you can include the following blocks: `[task-title][task-note][task-done]`. After reading a [tweet by @benwhiting](https://twitter.com/benwhiting/status/416615732336951296), I developed the following Action, which will open an URL in the note field in Safari (requires "Launch Center Pro"):
        • launchpro://?url=[task-note]
        • TaskAgent also has a search function (requires In-App Purchase) that supports #tags.
        • Listacular has a "home page" that shows all due dates in priority order, combining all lists. And as I wrote above, it supports reminders and alerts, and is compatible with TaskPaper files. (Its only drawback with regard to TaskPaper due dates is that if the value does not include a time as well as a date, Listacular will remove the @due tag entirely -- so `@due(2014-01-07)` is unsupported.)
        • TaskAgent creates a Dropbox folder at /Apps/TaskAgent. You can read any Dropbox folder with Listacular. I am currently having Listacular point at /Apps/TaskAgent. TaskAgent only reads text files appended with .txt, whereas Listacular will read files created in TaskPaper, such as those that are appended with .taskpaper. TaskAgent does not recognize these files, which means that it won't touch them. If there are functions of Listacular that are important to me, I can create a text file ending in .taskpaper, so that I can do things like schedule reminders and have indented tasks.
        • Listacular does not do anything special with parens that are *not* associated with a tag (like @due and other TaskPaper-like tags that support values). However, it doesn't change them. So if I create a task with a note in TaskAgent (like task="Buy veggies" and note="kale, cauliflower"), in Listacular it will just read as `Buy veggies (kale, cauliflower)`.
        • In my experience so far, Listacular will remove the # if I start a task with a tag, but if I put the tag anywhere else in the task, it will leave it alone. As I wrote above, you can use TaskAgent search to pull up all tasks associated with a tag.
        • Here is one line in a text file which can easily be read by both apps:
        • - buy vinyl floor protection that comes on a roll #homeDepot (shop supplies or garage stuff)
        • I don't know yet, which is why I'm using both on (mostly) the same to-do lists. I love that TaskAgent has URL scheme and Action support. Also, TaskAgent just looks nicer and is more iOS7y (for example, swipe left to right to go to the home page). I love that Listacular supports due dates and alerts and that it works (mostly) well with TaskPaper. Please comment below or hit me up on Twitter with your assessment.
    • January 6
      • TaskPaper for iOS Will No Longer Be Developed
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        • Jesse Grosjean [just announced](http://blog.hogbaysoftware.com/post/72442052582/winter-2014-newsletter) that he has downsized his company and will no longer produce iOS apps. I'm upset, because I just started using "TaskPaper" again a few weeks ago.
        • Jesse recommends "Listacular" which supports TaskPaper format. It is another text file-based task app that syncs with Dropbox. It is much simpler than TaskPaper. There are a few additions:
          • "caret" In addition to the use of a `-` for checkboxes, you can prepend a task with `*` for a standard list bullet.
          • "caret" In addition to `@due` you can use `@remind` if you specifically want to set an alert. However, for both you need to set a time (e.g., 16:00 for 4pm) in addition to a date in YYYY-MM-DD format. For example, if I want to set an alert for 6pm today, I'd write `@remind(2014-01-06 18:00)`.
        • The downside of Listacular is that it doesn't support TaskPaper's powerful search query language. You can't pull up a specific project or sort by tags. I will try it out. I would prefer to stick with TaskPaper, but I assume that as iOS development continues, it will eventually break.
    • January 3
      • Working with Markdown in TaskPaper
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        • I've moved back to "TaskPaper" for iOS to manage my todos. However, I am at an office computer all day. Although I have a license for the Mac version of TaskPaper -- which I've installed on my desktop -- I cannot use Dropbox for sync at the office. Regardless, if I want to work with my *todo.taskpaper* file, I have to somehow get it from Dropbox and put the text file into a desktop or web app.
        • Recently, I've been using "TextDrop" -- a browser-based Dropbox text editor -- to copy the complete text file of my todo list, and then I paste the clipboard contents into [Oak Outliner](http://oakoutliner.com/), which is a browser-based outliner developed by the same team that makes TaskPaper. Oak Outliner uses local storage in the browser, it does not sync. It appears to be a place where Jesse Grosjean and his team work out their ideas for [Folding Text](http://www.foldingtext.com/). (Also check out [Mango Markdown](http://mangomarkdown.com/) which is to Markdown what Oak Outliner is to outlining.)
        • One benefit of Oak Outliner is that it supports Markdown links. If I have a task like this in TaskPaper,
        • - [google](http://google.com)
        • it will look like
        • \- google
        • in Oak Outliner.
        • I've already shared a "Launch Center Pro" action to [open a task that contains an URL](http://blog.jeffreykishner.com/2013/12/26/open-a-taskpaper-url-in-safari-using-launch-center-pro-and-texttool.html). Here is an action that will allow you to preview a link written in Markdown, replicating the functionality of Oak Outliner. Just copy the task in TaskPaper to the clipboard, tap on the LCP action `TaskPaper Markdown Preview`, and it will open the text in "Drafts" in Markdown Preview mode. (You will also need "TextTool" to make this action work.)
        • Tap on [this link](http://launchcenterpro.com/834jwp) while in LCP to install the action.
        • Here is the URL scheme:
        • texttool://x-callback-url/transform?text=[clipboard]&method=delist&style=dash&x-success=drafts%3A%2F%2F%2Fcreate%3Ftext%3D%5B%5Boutput%5D%5D%26action%3DMarkdown%253A%2520Preview
        • The above action sends the clipboard contents to TextTool, which strips the tab-dash-space preceding the task. (If you don't do this, then Markdown will think you're writing code and won't translate the text into a clickable link.) Then TextTool sends the output to Drafts and performs the `Markdown: Preview` action.
  • 2013
    • December 2013
      • December 29
        • Using Launch Center Pro to Use TextExpander Snippets in TaskPaper for iOS
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          • "TextExpander" for iOS recently had to change how it works in iOS 7, and currently "TaskPaper" does not support snippets. [According to the Google group](https://groups.google.com/forum/#!searchin/taskpaper/textexpander/taskpaper/R1KqfUh9saU/znxS0IKaLmMJ), the team is working on it but the text editing apps (like WriteRoom) are higher priority.
          • I've come up with a workaround using "Launch Center Pro". You can adapt this to your own needs. This action expands a TextExpander snippet within a TaskPaper search query, copies it to the clipboard, and opens my `todo` list in TaskPaper. If you're on your iOS device, you can tap on [this link](http://launchcenterpro.com/wgw2hr) to install it.
          • Here is the URL of the action:
          • launch://x-callback-url/clipboard?text=%40due%20%3C%20&x-success=taskpaper%3A%2F%2Fopen%2Ftodo.taskpaper
          • In TextExpander, I have a snippet called `ddue3` that uses the following TextExpander math: `%@+3D%Y-%m-%d`. This expands into YYYY-MM-DD three days from today. If today is 2013-12-29, the search query is `@due < 2014-01-01`.
          • TaskPaper uses a similar URL scheme to that of Writeroom's, so to open the app to my todo list, I use the x-success parameter from x-callback-url to go to `taskpaper://open/todo.taskpaper`. Then I just click on the search icon and paste the clipboard contents to see any tasks that are due before New Year's Day.
      • December 26
        • Open a TaskPaper URL in Safari Using Launch Center Pro and TextTool
          •  Tweet This Post
          • I've been slowly migrating back to [TaskPaper for iOS](http://www.hogbaysoftware.com/products/taskpaper) to manage my to-do list. One major gripe I have with this app is that links are not clickable. However, I've created a [Launch Center Pro](http://contrast.co/launch-center-pro/) action involving [TextTool](http://blackfoggames.com/TextTool/) that makes opening a link entered into TaskPaper manageable.
          • When you enter a task in TP, it is preceded by dash and then a space. If a task is an URL, when you select it and use the copy function, it will look like this:
          • - http://website.com
          • Pasting this into Safari (or any iOS web browser) will result in an error.
          • After copying the task, tap on the [Open TaskPaper URL](http://launchcenterpro.com/900l1p) action in Launch Center Pro (tap on that link while on your iOS device to install) .
          • LCP will send the string to TextTool, which will use the `delist` method to remove the dash and space.
          • TextTool will take that output and send it back to LCP to open the URL in Safari.
      • December 16
        • Fargo Script to Make a Headline Accord With AP Style Guide
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          • I've written a script that will transform any headline into one that follows these rules:
            • Capitalize the first word of every letter except articles, coordinating conjunctions, and prepositions of three letters or fewer. There’s one exception: Any word that is the first word in the headline or the last word should be capitalized, regardless of its part of speech.
          • The script isn't perfect: it won't keep acronyms upcapped (e.g., NSA will turn into Nsa). But it will lowercase the following words:
          • a, an, and, at, but, by, for, in, nor, of, off, on, or, out, so, the, to, up, yet
          • View the outline [here](http://reader.jeffreykishner.com/?opmlurl=https://dl.dropbox.com/s/xnaiyo5g2cwjhw3/e5f83c04346fde32bdf95820df40ea6d.opml). If you copy the headline to your clipboard, you can paste it into your menubar.
          • "Visit the Fargo scripting page in the docs to learn how to install this script, or watch this video."
          • I've also published a regular javascript version of the script [here](http://jeffreykishner.com/javascript/apstyleheadline.html).
          • I've rewritten the script to compare each word in the headline to an array of words to keep lowercase using a for loop within a for loop. You can view that version [here](http://reader.jeffreykishner.com/?opmlurl=https://dl.dropbox.com/s/g7fn4g309v7u59j/8f06a8b71e155bccad0f0c896b892dda.opml).
      • December 12
        • Use Launch Center Pro 2.1 to Open Instagram for iOS to Your Favorite Profiles
          •  Tweet This Post
          • The latest release of [Launch Center Pro](http://contrast.co/launch-center-pro/) supports lists. You can read the [release notes](http://help.contrast.co/hc/en-us/articles/201050507-2-1-Release-Notes) or Federico Viticci's [extensive post on MacStories](http://www.macstories.net/reviews/launch-center-pro-2-1-fleksy-keyboard-lists-photo-attachments-and-share-sheets/) for details. The gist is that if you find yourself entering the same terms over and over again within a prompt, you can instead choose these terms from a list.
          • I've written an Instagram action that lets you jump to one of your favorite profile pages in the Instagram iOS app. Just tap on [this link](http://launchcenterpro.com/rdl36x) while you're on your iOS device to install the action. It looks like this:
          • instagram://user?username=[list:|username1|username2]
          • Every username is separated by a pipe (|). Just substitute `username1` with your favorite profile username, `username2` with another, and so on.
        • How Much to Spend on Music?
          •  Tweet This Post
          • Spotify now lets users play any song on demand on tablets (like the iPad) for free, and will let smartphone users play shuffle on the songs by any single artist, or from a playlist.
          • I am currently paying Mog $10/month so that I can play any song on demand and download songs to my iPhone. Because I commute close to two hours per day via the subway in NYC, it's important to me to have access to music when I'm underground.
            • Although I have a large iTunes collection, there are times I don't want to spend the money to buy a song even if I have downloaded it in my Mog app for listening while I don't have an internet connection.
              • (Some songs don't last the test of time.)
          • With this Spotify news, I am thinking of ending my monthly Mog subscription, listening to Spotify on my iPad when I have wifi, listening to artists or playlists on shuffle on my iPhone when I have 3G, and drawing from my iTunes collection.
          • I need to determine if this will save me money. There are Mog downloads I listen to so much that I would feel compelled to buy the tracks or albums on iTunes for on-demand listening. Would I buy $120 worth of music if I dropped my subscription?
            • I figure if I buy less than one album per month, I will have saved money over the course of a year. The major inconvenience I anticipate is not being able to listen to any song on-demand on my iPhone while I walk from the subway to my office.
          • Apparently Spotify had to negotiate hard with the major labels to get this deal, to allow so much free ad-supported streaming. I have no idea how this will affect the artists. I have certainly read how paltry the dividends some musicians and songwriters have received from the steaming services. I also don't know if I care. I am willing to spend money on concert tickets to see Alter Bridge, and I am sure I will download *Fortress* via iTunes if I quit Mog, because it's a great album.
            • Basically, I am willing to spend money on artists if I *love them* but not if I *like* them.
      • December 11
        • Save a Markdown Link that Opens in iCab Mobile
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          • On my [I Miss My Mac](http://imissmymac.com) blog, I offered a [JavaScript bookmarklet](http://imissmymac.com/bookmarklet-to-save-a-link-and-title-in-markdown-format-and-copy-to-clipboard/) that saves the current page in an iOS web browser as a markdown link and sends it to [Drafts](http://agiletortoise.com/drafts).
          • I have been using [iCab mobile](http://www.icab.de/mobile.html) frequently, and often put markdown links in a text editor like Byword to use as a bookmark manager; here is an alternative bookmarklet/Drafts URL action that opens the markdown link in iCab.
          • javascript:window.location='drafts://x-callback-url/create?text=%5B'+encodeURIComponent(document.title)+'%5D('+encodeURIComponent(location.href)+')&action=texttool-icab';
          • (The semi-colon at the end seems to be necessary for iCab but not other iOS browsers -- feel free to experiment.)
          • 1. In your iOS browser of choice, save any page as a bookmark and retitle it (e.g., "iCab-MD").
          • 2. Open Edit Bookmarks, tap on that bookmark, and replace the former URL with the javascript above.
          • The javascript tells Drafts to implement the `texttool-icab` action. Tap on [this link](drafts://x-callback-url/import_action?type=URL&name=texttool-icab&url=texttool%3A%2F%2Fx-callback-url%2Ftransform%3Ftext%3D%5B%5Bdraft%5D%5D%26method%3Dreplace%26find%3Dhttp%26replace%3Dweb%26x-success%3Dbyword%3A) while you're on your iOS device to install it. (You must own a copy of both Drafts and [TextTool](http://blackfoggames.com/TextTool/) to make this action work. However, you don't have to set up TextTool to do anything.)
          • Here is the URL Action:
          • texttool://x-callback-url/transform?text=[[draft]]&method=replace&find=http&replace=web&x-success=byword:
          • 1. The bookmarklet sends the page's title and URL in markdown link format to Drafts.
          • 2. Drafts sends the draft to TextTool, which replaces `http` with `web` (which is the URL scheme to open a web page in iCab).
          • 3. TextTool copies the results to the clipboard, then sends the user to Byword. (If you want it to send you to a different text editor, just add its URL scheme after the `x-success=` parameter.)
      • December 10
        • A Fargo Script I Wrote for My Day Job
          • Part of my day job as a web producer involves resyndicating recipe content. I basically take a whole recipe from the original site, re-render it in HTML in a slightly different format, and post the HTML in a different CMS.
          • The format of a recipe step on the original site looks like this:
            • STEP 1
            • Whisk the eggs, sugar and flour.
          • I want it to look like this in the resyndicated format:
            • 1. Whisk the eggs, sugar and flour.
          • I've written a Fargo script to accomplish this, you can view the code here. If you select the top headline and copy it to your clipboard, you can paste the OPML straight into Fargo.
          • "Visit the Fargo scripting page in the docs to learn how to install this script, or watch this video."
          • To make it work, I just copy the text from the original site and paste it into Fargo. "STEP X" is its own headline, the instructions are the headline below it. I run the script on the first headline. If the first four characters are "STEP" I remove all the characters before the number, add a period after the number and bold these two characters, then grab the instructions, append them after the step number, and remove the instructions line.
    • September 2013
      • September 25
        • Revisiting Simplenote
          •  Tweet This Post
          • I'm debating a return to Simplenote. I used this service a few years ago until they lost a whole bunch of my notes. Since then I've been using a combination of Dropbox iOS text editors (notably Nebulous Notes, Notesy and Byword) and Drafts.
          • Drafts uses Simperium as its sync service, and Simperium is produced by Simplenote. I have found Simperium to be reliable. I use Drafts on an iPhone and an iPad and have never lost a note. Now that Simplenote has been acquired by Automattic, I have been looking at the product again. I trust WordPress, and I trust Matt Mullenweg.
          • Of course, trust means many things. I trust the ethos of Automattic, I trust the stability of their cloud (I pay them for VaultPress to backup my Sasstrology blog), I don't know if I trust them in the "create a backdoor for the NSA" sense, although I would like to believe that they are the kinds of people who would put up a fight.
          • I am not keen on using a notes service in which I do not control my data. With a self-hosted WordPress solution, my blog contents sits in a database on my own webhost. With Fargo, my OPML files are stored in a Dropbox folder on my hard drive. Same for the Dropbox iOS text editors. And I only store stuff on iCloud that I am not too attached to.
          • Simplenote does have various export options, but that's not the same as having the data stored on something that I own (or rent, in the case of web hosting). Although Simplenote uses the same sync service as Drafts, the latter is meant as a temporary holding bay for ideas that will be sent to other applications, whereas Simplenote is for archiving text notes.
          • I suppose my decision may come down to the user experience. I've read that Simplenote is blazing fast. Is it better than any of the Dropbox iOS text editors that I use?
          • I will report back when I have an answer.
          • Tags: text, sync, apps
        • The Worst Part of Being Sick
          •  Tweet This Post
          • is not being able to dance.
          • I've had a cold since last Monday, and already took two sick days. I usually dance two times per week, and unfortunately I barely have enough energy just to put in my 8-hour workday and do family-time and house cleanup.
          • Life feels incomplete without the boogie.
        • "It's Your Fault" Video
          • I found this satirical video about rape culture hard to watch. It's troubling how much women are blamed for men's actions. And this is such a universal issue -- nearly every culture is patriarchal.
          • Tags: rape, feminism, patriarchy, video
      • September 20
        • I Am a Failed Blogtrepreneur
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          • After I was laid off from my first full-time job in digital, I decided to focus completely on my blog. I had a nice sponsorship from a psychic company plus some Adsense income and rev-share from selling a dating ebook. The money I was taking in was not nearly enough to support my family, but I reasoned that just putting the rest of my expenses on credit cards until my blog was more profitable was worth it.
            • In retrospect, I was suffering from the delusion that I could earn an income comparable to that which I earned as a full-time employee. Instead, I just racked up debt.
          • I enjoyed working from home. I had company (my wife) and if I absolutely needed to get out of the basement office I could bring my laptop to the library or local cafe. I didn't have to commute or get dressed, I got to snack on food not created for consumption by Corporate America, and I had my own schedule.
          • Unfortunately, the psychic company eventually realized they were not getting enough bang for their buck, and pulled out, and I had to re-enter the workforce. Now I'm a full-time digital worker bee, publishing/editing my blog in my spare time.
          • I've reorganized my priorities on the blog such that I only do stuff that I enjoy.
            • I only work with really good writers.
            • I focus on the technical and business aspects of the blog, not the astrology.
          • Knowing What I'm Not
            • Although I read Fast Company and Inc., I don't think I will ever start a real business. I blog for self-expression or to share something geeky I wrote (an iOS URL scheme, an action in Drafts, a snippet of javascript or PHP).
            • I do not feel gung-ho about working full-time in Corporate America until I retire (if I'm lucky enough to work in digital that long), but I'm not sure I see what other options I have. I've done freelance work before (building WordPress sites); I've "consulted" (astrology readings); I was a psychotherapist working at fee-for-service clinics for a few years. I don't want to go back to counseling, and although I would not mind building WordPress sites for a living, I'm neither a designer nor an experienced coder, and I don't think I can truly stand out in the professional WP marketplace if I don't design themes or work on the backend (e.g., plugin development).
              • Don't get me wrong -- I'm grateful to have a job with benefits. I can pay my mortgage, feed my family, and pay for my daughter's braces.
            • Also, I'm not very good at hustling for clients, which limits my ability to thrive as a solopreneur
          • Knowing What I Am
            • I'm more of a jack-of-all-trades than a specialist. I can write, edit, tinker with CSS and PHP, crop and resize images, work the FTP. Basically, I can run a big blog without anybody's help.
            • If only the blog had five times the traffic, I could still work at home in my sweats.
          • Tags: career, wordpress
      • September 18
        • Bring Concord Right Into WordPress
          • The outliner part of Fargo has been open-sourced. Although Fargo gives users the ability to post a headline and all of its sub-content to WordPress, it would be cool if you could outline right within WordPress. You know how there are already "Visual" and "HTML" tabs in the editor? A plugin could add an "Outline" tab, where Concord lives. Outline your blog post right there and hit Publish.
          • The downside is that your outline lives in some mysql database instead of an OPML file in Dropbox. But the upside is that the source of your content is in the same place where you publish it.
          • I don't have the PHP skills to create this, but I invite developers to run with the idea.
          • Tags: wordpress, concord, opml
      • September 16
      • September 10
        • Don't Ask Me for Astrology Advice
          • For much of the first decade of the new millenium, I identified on the internet as an astrologer. I blogged about astrology for about a decade, and I still publish a popular astrology blog. I also "did readings" -- I stopped astrology consulting a few years ago as well.
          • It is not the case that I no longer believe in astrology, it's just that I don't want to identify as a Career Astrologer. I still get email inquiries asking for free advice, and I occasionally get referrals from colleagues. All I can do now is politely decline inquiries, or just not respond at all.
          • Astrology does not factor into my consciousness like it used to. I don't keep track of lunar cycles or where a particular planet is. If I'm curious about an incident or inner experience, I may look up my transits (the angles that current planetary positions make to the planetary positions at the moment of my birth). I don't think I will ever forget the knowledge I have acquired as a consultant and writer, even if I stop editing posts for my blog. And I don't think I will have a "crisis of faith" and one day decide that astrology is bogus. I just am not very invested in it.
          • I wish there were an easy way to make this known all over the internet. I don't think I need reputation management -- I don't believe that my association with astrology harms my current career trajectory. I just wish people wouldn't email me about it. It's over and done with. A past life.
            • I still care about my astrologer colleagues, because I have cultivated some of these relationships for close to a decade. I just don't want any new astrology colleagues (or clients) unless the association benefits my blog. (Totally utilitarian.)
          • Tags: astrology
      • September 6
        • Is Paying for an Amazon EC2 Instance to Run River 2 & 3 Worth It?
          • I've been paying Amazon about $20 per month to host a remote instance of Windows Server running the OPML Editor, which "polls" OPML files on a regular basis to produce Rivers of News (for me and my astrology blog).
          • Not sure if this is worth the money. I paid a one-time licensing fee of $35 to host Fever on my VPS. It isn't costing me extra to run the software (i.e., the added bandwidth falls within my current hosting plan).
            • The astrology river garnered less than 1000 pageviews over the past month and yielded one penny in Adsense income.
            • I mostly look at my tabbed rivers to see what Dave Winer has posted, but I can just as easily add all his feeds to Fever.
          • Tags: rss, opml
    • August 2013
      • August 22
        • Speaking of Dependence on Google...
          • The traffic to my astrology blog has dropped precipitously in the last three days. Drilling down into my analytics, it appears that I am getting less than half the Google search traffic I was getting just this past weekend.
          • Yes, I am worried. The blog brings in money. But it is also seven years old. It has over 5k fans on FB, over 2.5k followers on Twitter. I have a sizable email list (that I haven't been using since I ditched Mailchimp) that I can contact if I need to. Also, I have diversified my income streams such that I am not solely dependent on pageviews (i.e., ad impressions).
          • Nonetheless, I feel I need to keep bringing in "new eyeballs," because only a fraction of new visitors become fans. I feel helpless, and I don't want to try to divine Google's algorithmic intentions. ("What am I doing wrong, Google? Why hast thou forsaken me?") When I feel this way, I feel more determined to reduce my dependence on search traffic, yet Google is by far the biggest referrer to my site.
          • If Font Awesome had an unhappy face icon, I'd insert it here.
          • :(
          • Tags: google
        • Another Person Moving to Fastmail.fm
          • I just set up my own domain with Fastmail.fm and am going to start offering jk@jeffreykishner.com as my primary email address instead of jeffreykishner@gmail.com. It took opening tickets with both my host and Fastmail to correctly set up my MX records and my email alias, but now it is working.
          • The "straw that broke the camel's back" was this post on Groklaw about the author's choice to shut down the site (who knows how long this link will be active?) in light of recent disclosures about our current surveillance state, as well as numerous posts by Marco Arment about reducing his dependence on Google (particularly this one).
          • I have no illusions that Fastmail wouldn't make their servers available to the NSA upon a court order (although honestly I haven't read their ToS and Privacy Policy closely to even find out). But I feel they'd put up more of a fight than Google (and yes, my "feeling" may not be justified by any facts).
          • But privacy concerns aside, I would rather be a customer than a product. To Google, I am a product and the advertiser is the customer. The advertiser is paying for my attention. By choosing to pay Fastmail (by the time my 60-day trial ends) I am choosing to be the customer. They are serving me, not an advertiser. No software is reading my emails for the purpose of determining the most contextually appropriate ads to serve me.
          • I still rely on Google. I do searches while logged in. I use Maps; Calendar for my business; Drive to store some docs and spreadsheets that I frequently edit; and probably other services that are not coming to mind right now. I do not think Google is Evil, but I also don't feel that they have my best interests in mind. I don't want to just contribute to some Big Dataset in the Cloud.
          • I love the keyboard shortcuts and ease-of-use of Gmail, but Fastmail has IMAP, webmail, keyboard shortcuts, and other features. At this moment, I am willing to forego some convenience. I hope I stick with it.
          • Tags: privacy, email
      • August 20
        • Violence Against Women in Video Games
          •  
          • I learned about about this Damsels in Distress series via Wired magazine, in which the creator explores misogynist tropes in video games. Here's the first in the series; I've embedded the second video above.
          • I'm not a gamer, and although the use of the "damsel in distress" archetype in video games didn't surprise me, the second video was disturbing. I did not know that so many games require the gamer to kill a woman to proceed to the next level, and that in many cases she is literally "asking for it," i.e., asking the protagonist to kill her (usually because she has been transformed into a "beast" and needs to return to her "pure state").
          • Also upsetting: that the series creator received so much misogynistic social media hate for this project.
          • I'm a semi-conscious male. I've been aware of concepts like Patriarchy and Male Privilege for at least the last twenty years of my life, and although I'm aware that I indulge in the male gaze and objectification, I make conscious attempts not to take advantage of the inherent power I have as a man. And fortunately, my wife calls me on it when I revert to old behaviors. Having asserted that I am on occasion "part of the problem," I'm a father of a teenage girl, and I don't want her to grow up in a culture in which the tropes explored in these videos go about unquestioned by her peers. I encourage any parent to watch this series with their children (once they're old enough to understand the concepts and are mature enough to view some disturbing imagery).
          • I appreciate Anita Sarkeesian's courage and intelligence in putting herself and this message out there.
          • Tags: video
      • August 14
        • Include OPML in a WordPress Post or Page
          • I wrote a WordPress plugin that enables you to post an outline as an unordered list within a post or page. You can grab the code (and see attribution to Betsy Kimak, upon whose code this plugin is based) here. I just wrote it today so expect further development.

          • How to Install

            • Copy the gist into a text file.
            • Title it fargo2opml.php
            • Create a folder called fargo2opml
            • Drag the file into the folder
            • Compress folder as zip file
            • Install it into a self-hosted WordPress site
            • Activate the plugin
          • Or remove the opening and closing php tags and drop it in your functions.php file.

          • How to Use

          • In the content area of your WordPress post or page, just use this shortcode:
            • [opml url="OPML_URL"]
          • (Obviously, paste the URL of the OPML file between the quotes.)
          • I've tested this in a few blog installations, and for some the padding before the ul is absent, so all headlines are "flat," i.e., not nested. But it works in both posts and pages in the default 2013 theme.
          • Also if a public URL starting with https://dl.dropbox.com leads to parsing errors, paste the URL into the address bar, hit return, and use the updated URL that includes "dropboxusercontent" in the URL.
          • Tags: opml, wordpress, plugin
      • August 13
        • Alter Bridge: "Addicted to Pain"
          • My fave band's new single. The album drops October 8.
          • Tags: video
      • August 12
        • A Fargo Loop Script to Act on Every Headline in Your Outline
          • I'm so proud of myself. Can't tell you how much obsession and trial-and-error it took to get this to work.
      • August 10
        • Elysium Review
          • No plot summary here, just reporting that I maintain a "positive sentiment" about this movie 24 hours after viewing.
          • It wasn't too thrilling or creepy or funny or touching, but had enough of all these elements in just the right combination that I felt good coming out of the theater.
          • I've seen just about every sci-fi or comic book movie (except for Man of Steel) this summer. Iron Man left me feeling empty, Wolverine was too confusing. The highlight was Star Trek, and Elysium comes in second. I actually want to see it again, even though there were no box-in-a-box plot twists. A straightforward "fight to reach the goal" or "find what you are made of" film can be good -- it's all in the execution.
      • August 9
        • A One-Line Fargo Script to Add Blockquote Tags to a Headline
          • If you're writing a post that you're publishing to WordPress (or as type=html from a named outline) and want to wrap blockquotes around the complete text of a headline, add this to your Scripts menu:
            • blockquote
              • op.setLineText ("<blockquote>" + op.getLineText () + "</blockquote>");
          • This script will transform
            • <%icon ("caret-right")%> A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.
          • to
            • <%icon ("caret-right")%> <blockquote>A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.</blockquote>
          • Just put your cursor on the headline and choose the script. Highlighting a portion of the text won't do anything -- the entire headline is always surrounded by the tags.
          • "Visit the Fargo scripting page in the docs to learn how to install this script, or watch this video."
          • In response to Frank McPherson.
      • August 7
        • Updated To-Do Script for Fargo
          • This script builds on the one I offered yesterday. Click on the wedge to see changes, or read the full description below.
            • Creates an Archive headline at the bottom of an outline if it does not already exist.
            • You can apply this script to any headline no matter how nested it is, which means that you can apply it to actions within a project or sub-project. When you archive it, all its children are carried over with it.
            • When you mark a headline complete, an attribute called "completed" is added with the current date and time. You will not see this information in the headline, but you can see it by clicking on the <%icon ("suitcase")%> in the left rail of Fargo.
          • If you have an outline with to-do items (no matter how nested they are within higher-order headlines), this script does the following:
            • Choose "todoArchive" from your Scripts menu to add an empty checkbox <%icon ("check-empty")%> when you first enter the action item.
            • When you've completed the item, choose "todoArchive" to add a checkmark <%icon ("check")%> to the headline.
              • When you mark a headline complete, an attribute called "completed" is added with the current date and time. You will not see this information in the headline, but you can see it by clicking on the <%icon ("suitcase")%> in the left rail of Fargo.
            • If you don't want to see the completed item anymore, choose "todoArchive" to archive it.
              • If the final first-order headline in your outline is called "Archive," the completed item will become a child of this headline.
              • If the final first-order headline in your outline is not called "Archive," one will be created, and the completed item will become a child of this headline.
              • When the item is archived, the "Archive" headline will automatically collapse. You will need to expand it if you want to see all your archived items.
            • If your headline has any other icon value associated with it (e.g., <%icon ("star-empty")%>), "todoArchive" will do absolutely nothing to it.
            • Your outline would look something like this:
              • <%icon ("check-empty")%> incomplete to-do item
              • <%icon ("check")%> completed to-do item
              • <%icon ("caret-right")%> Archive
          • You can view the OPML here.)
          • "Visit the Fargo scripting page in the docs to learn how to install this script, or watch this video."
      • August 6
        • A To-Do Script for Fargo
          • An updated version of this script with more bells and whistles can be found here.
          • If you have an outline with only a simple list of single action to-do items (i.e, no headlines with child nodes) and an Archive headline at the very end of your outline, this script does the following:
            • Choose "todo" from your Scripts menu to add an empty checkbox <%icon ("check-empty")%> when you first enter the action item.
            • When you've completed the item, choose "todo" to add a checkmark <%icon ("check")%> to the headline.
            • If you don't want to see the completed item anymore, choose "todo" to make the headline a child of the Archive headline.
            • If your headline has any other icon value associated with it (e.g., <%icon ("star-empty")%>), "todo" will do absolutely nothing to it.
          • (If you do not see a github embed above, please refresh this page or get the raw code here.)
          • Your outline would look something like this:
            • <%icon ("check-empty")%> incomplete to-do item
            • <%icon ("check")%> completed to-do item
            • <%icon ("caret-right")%> Archive
          • If you expand the Archive headline, you will see your completed items.
          • "Visit the Fargo scripting page in the docs to learn how to install this script, or watch this video."
      • August 5
        • On Programming as a Hobby
          • I've been seriously geeking out on the internet since about 2001, when I built my first web page. Since then, I've learned enough HTML, CSS and PHP to "get by" as someone who runs a popular blog on WordPress. I pretty much only pick things up when I have to, i.e., when I want to add some look or functionality to my site but don't want to pay someone else to do it for me.
          • A year ago, I downloaded a free PHP manual onto my Kindle, and finally developed a simple web app using a CURL module. I learned what I needed to by looking stuff up online to solve my own problem.
          • Now that I'm playing around with Fargo verbs and writing my own scripts, I'm finding it not too challenging. With some basic PHP knowledge under my belt, I've just had to look up minor syntactical differences in javascript.
            • Because I already know about concepts like string replace and if-else, I know what's possible and just have to look at how it's done in a different language.
          • However, when I look at scripts written by real programmers, I am at a loss. I feel like someone who has taken a semester of French and gone abroad, only to understand 5-10% of what anyone is talking about.
          • When this happens, I hit a roadblock. I don't really want to sit down and formally read a manual on javascript. I have written what I've written for Fargo because it's fun. The moment it stops being fun, when it starts to feel like homework, I resist. It's one thing to go overcome a lack of knowledge because I feel inspired enough to search for a solution to a legitimate problem (or am just plain curious). It's another to study a language methodically because I feel I need to "catch up" with some Ideal Level of Competency.

          • Producer vs. Developer

          • I've been working in digital since 2006, mostly doing editing and web production. I love dabbling in programming, but I don't know if I'll ever make the transition to programmer or developer. It seems like a quantum leap is required to move from hobbyist to professional, and I don't know if I have the mind or the desire to make that jump.
            • Maybe out of economic necessity: if I am ever "made redundant" via technology or outsourcing, I would have to do what it takes to become more marketable in the workplace. As much as I'd love to earn a higher salary now, I feel too complacent to develop professional programming skills while I currently have a job.
          • Comment below: If you're a programmer, how did you "make the leap" or were you always doing this? And if you're a dabbler, how do you feel about coding-as-hobby?
      • August 2
        • test - please ignore
          • this is a bloghome title using the class

          • this is a title using h2

          • this is just text
          • this is green text
        • Fargo Script to Collapse Parent Node
          • When I'm moving a node around with the keyboard shortcuts and "move right" to make it a child of a collapsed headline, that headline expands and the node ends up at the bottom of the list. To collapse the parent headline, I need to either mouse up to it and click on it, or use the arrow keys to navigate to the parent. And if I'm in structure mode (where the headlines are highlighted), then I need to arrow left once I've reached the first child of the parent node. This script allows you to collapse the parent node just by choosing Collapse Parent from your scripts menu.
          • You can also append these three lines to another script if you've used the op.reorg verb to do something like move a child node to the next parent's house.
            • Collapse Parent
              • op.go (left, 1);
              • op.collapse ();
          • "Visit the Fargo scripting page in the docs to learn how to install this script, or watch this video."
      • August 1
        • Use a Keyboard Shortcut in Fargo to Activate a Custom Verb
          • I don't know if Dave would approve of the following, so apply at your own risk. If you're not savvy with javascript, please do not try this at home.
          • Thomas wrote in the scripting group how to load custom verbs. (Please read that thread before proceeding.) I then recalled that -- "back in the day" when the Fargo user community outline was active -- Colin Faulkingham wrote some javascript to use a keyboard shortcut to close the active tab. Then I thought that a script written within the menubar.opml outline could also be written in one's custom verbs file, and that Colin's script could "call" that script with a keyboard shortcut.
          • So I tried an experiment. A week ago, I wrote a script to make a headline red. I put this script in my myVerbs.js file (which is in my Fargo folder). I used Thomas' original example, added a comma after his function, and added mine:
            • var exampleVerbSet = {
              • aVerb: function () {
                • return (dialog.alert ("Verbosity!"));
                • },
              • red: function () {
                • op.attributes.setOne("cssTextClass","red");
                • }
              • }
          • According to Thomas, you need to activate the myVerbs.js file with something like this script, which he puts in the Code box in Settings, but which you can also just put in an outline and activate by running the selection:
            • file.readWholeFile ("myVerbs.js", $.globalEval);
          • I then enter the following in an outline and run the selection on this:
            • exampleVerbSet.red ();
          • Finally, I enter this script into a headline and run the selection:
            • $("body").keydown(function(e) { var commandKey = e.metaKey || e.ctrlKey; switch(e.which) { case 69: if(commandKey) { exampleVerbSet.red (); } break; } });
              • [object Object]
          • Colin's original code had fileCloseCommand(); where exampleVerbSet.red (); is now. I literally just swapped it out.
          • (By the way, one could just put all three scripts in the Code box in Settings and refresh Fargo, and all three scripts would be always active, but if you just want to play around with these for one session, just put them in a "one-liners" outline and hit Command-/ on them to make them active.)
          • Now I can put my cursor on any headline, hit Command-E, and it will turn red.
        • Fargo Script: Move Child Node to the Next Parent's House
          • This simple script takes a child node and moves it to the next "immediate parent" headline.
          • Before:
          • After:
          • Before:
          • After:
          • What it's useful for:
            • If you have a first-order headline called "Bills Due" and a first-order headline called "Bills Paid" below it, once you've paid a bill (designated as a child of the "Bills Due" headline), you can move it directly to the bottom of the list of "Bills Paid" without using navigation keys.
          • "Visit the Fargo scripting page in the docs to learn how to install this script, or watch this video."
          • (There should be a github embed above this line. If not, please reload this page or get the raw code here.)
        • A LinkBlog Script That Tweets and Adds a Date
          • This script does the following:
            • On a dedicated page in an outline (it doesn't have to be "named"), create a headline, like the title of an article. (I'm doing it here.)
            • With the cursor on that headline, choose TweetBlog from the Scripts menu.
            • A dialog box asks for an URL. Enter the link and hit OK.
            • The script adds a type=link attribute to your headline and adds the link to the url attribute. It opens a new window with the headline text and the URL pre-populated in a tweet (you have to hit the "Tweet" button to send).
            • The script inserts the date above the headline ("Posted: Thu Aug 01 2013"), adds a Twitter icon to it, then goes back to the headline and indents it.
          • "Visit the Fargo scripting page in the docs to learn how to install this script, or watch this video."
          • (There should be a github embed above this line. If not, please reload this page or get the raw code here.)
          • If you don't want to tweet the link, just remove the line that starts with window.open.
    • July 2013
      • July 31
        • Tweet Your Fargo Blog Posts from Within Fargo
          • After you install this script, put your cursor on the title of the post you just published in your named outline, and then choose Tweet Trex from your Scripts menu. A new window will pop open including the title and URL of your post. (The smallpict.com domain is always used, but if you're using domain forwarding, the URL will redirect when the user clicks on it.)
          • (There should be a github embed above this line. If not, please reload this page or get the raw code here.)
        • Send Text to Drafts for iOS from Fargo, and "Act" on It as Well
          • I work at a desktop computer all day at an office. Because I don't have personal apps installed on it, I've found it more efficient to use Drafts to take snippets of text and do stuff with it: send a text message; save a note to Evernote; add a meeting or to-do item to Fantastical or Due, respectively.
          • Many months ago, I developed a PHP web app called Taskpusher that allows me to enter some text in a form and specify an Action to perform on it in Drafts. All of this info is encoded and sent to my iPhone via an iOS app called Pushover. I get a notification on my phone, swipe it, tap on the link in Pushover, and the text I entered on my desktop computer is "pushed" into another app via the Drafts Action.
          • An example: I can create a Messaging Action in Drafts called "Message Wife." I type the text I want to send into a form on the desktop, tell the app that the Action I want to perform is "Message Wife," and hit Send. After I tap on the link in my Pushover notification, the iPhone messaging app opens with the recipient and the text already pre-filled. All I have to do is hit Send.
          • Since scripting has been enabled in Fargo, I have been learning bits of javascript, and I finally figured out how to replicate the functionality of Taskpusher in Fargo, with the help of Gmail.
          • This script does the following:
            • I enter my "draft" into a headline in Fargo.
            • I choose Gmail to Pushover from the Scripts menu.
            • A dialog box pops up. I enter the exact wording of the Drafts Action I want performed on my text. If I just want the text imported into Drafts, I enter nothing. I then hit OK.
            • A gmail compose window opens in a new tab. The recipient is my Pushover email address, which is available on the website after I've purchased the app in the store and registered an account. The subject is "draft." The body is a specially-encoded string.
            • I hit Send (or Tab + Enter], get a notification on my iPhone, swipe it, tap on the link.
            • The Drafts Action is performed.
            • Caveat: Pushover limits messages to 512 characters, including the title. Because the draft needs to be encoded and then the string needs to be modified to be successfully transferred to the body of the email, a blank space in your draft is the equivalent of four characters. Hence, your draft cannot be very long. A dialog box will pop up if your encoded draft is too long to be successfully sent to Pushover.
          • Some things you can do with this script:
            • Create a headline: "Meet Matthew Saturday 2pm"
            • Enter this action in the dialog box: "Parse in Fantastical"
            • Create a headline: "9:30pm don't forget umbrella"
            • Enter this action: "Send to Due"
            • Create a headline: "IPA is a good beer."
            • Enter this action: "Save to Evernote"
            • Above come with Drafts "out of the box," but there are lots of actions you can import into Drafts here.

          • Add These Scripts to Your Menubar

          • See the Fargo Scripting blog for info on how to set up a Scripts menubar.
          • First, make sure to get your Pushover key (buy the app and register an account) and put it in the quotes where it says "YOUR_PUSHOVER_KEY_HERE"
          • I've also created a script to get the encoded character count of a headline. This does not include the character count of the Drafts Action, but you'll get an idea if your headline is already too long.
          • I understand all of this is very complicated, but I use this script (and the Taskpusher app) all the time. If there are any points of confusion, please leave a comment and I will fill out the blog post as necessary.
        • Script to Insert an Image in Your Fargo Blog Post
          • The img attribute lets you add an image URL as a value in a headline below the title of your blog post. It is set to float right, with some padding on the left and bottom, as is Dave Winer's m.o.
            • The following is included after the image tag: style="float: right; margin-left: 25px; margin-bottom: 15px;"
          • This script lets you choose Insert Image from the Scripts menu, after which you paste the URL of an image in a dialog box. Hit OK and the image is added. (The Small Picture image to the right was added via this script.)
          • If you haven't already, create a new outline called menubar. Title the first headline Scripts. (See the Fargo Scripting blog for details.) Then paste the code below into your outline and make sure that Insert Image is indented such that it is a "child" of the Scripts headline.
            • Insert Image
              • dialog.ask ("Paste the URL of your image below", "", "here!", function (name) {
                • op.attributes.setOne("img", name);
                • });
          • After the menu reloads, go into your named outline and try it out. Just make sure to put the cursor in the body of your blog post, not the title.
          • WARNING: This script does not check that the URL you enter into the dialog box is valid. It will insert whatever you enter into the src="" following the img tag. On this headline, I entered "hi" into the dialog box, and you'll see there's a broken image to the right. If you made a mistake, click on the briefcase icon in Fargo and delete the img attribute or enter the correct image URL in the value field.
      • July 30
        • Scripts to Use Your Fargo Headline Text as a Search Query in Google, Amazon, and More
          • Fargo is a great place to keep lists of books, movies and music that you want to "consume" -- or just things you want to learn more about -- at a later date.
          • These scripts allow you to quickly learn more about the text on any headline in any of your outlines. They take the text and enter it as a search query in a new window.
          • To get going, add these scripts to your menubar outline. (Visit scripting.smallpict.com to learn how to set up.)
            • Tastekid
              • var a = op.getLineText();
              • window.open("http://www.tastekid.com/like/" + a,"_blank");
            • Google
              • var a = op.getLineText();
              • window.open("http://www.google.com/search?q=" + a,"_blank");
            • Wikipedia
              • var a = op.getLineText();
              • window.open("http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/" + a,"_blank");
            • Amazon
              • var a = op.getLineText();
              • window.open("http://www.amazon.com/s/field-keywords=" + a,"_blank");
          • Once your menubar has reloaded, just put the cursor on the headline in question, and choose the appropriate service from the menu.
          • I'm sure you're familiar with the last three. Tastekid provides a list of similar movies/authors/books/musicians to your search query.

          • Make Your Own

          • You can easily create new scripts to query other websites. Just figure out the query parameter and enter the preceding URL in the quotes in the script. For example, I enter "how far is sun from moon" in Wolfram Alpha, and see the following URL in the address bar:
          • I can see the query string follows http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=. Let's see if that works:
            • Wolfram Alpha
              • var a = op.getLineText();
              • window.open("http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=" + a,"_blank");
          • I wrote "what is the tallest building" in a headline in Fargo, chose "Wolfram Alpha" from the menu, and successfully got this page.
          • Please share your own search query URLs in the comments below.
        • Some Quickie Comments Scripts for Your Fargo Blog
          • By default, comments are enabled on Fargo blogs, but they are hidden (you have to click on "Show comments" to see them). If you want to selectively remove comments entirely on a particular post, or show comments on posts that are already generating a discussion, you have to add new attributes to the title headline.
          • To save you some time, here are some short scripts you can use. You first have to create an outline called menubar and title the top headline something like Scripts. Then paste the following below that headline, and make sure to indent them so that they are children of the Scripts headline:
            • Show Comments
              • op.attributes.setOne("flCommentsVisible", "true");
            • Remove Comments
              • op.attributes.setOne("flDisqusComments", "false");
          • A new menu bar will show up to the right of Docs. If you want to show comments or remove them, put your cursor on the title of your post, and click on the appropriate item in the menu.
      • July 29
        • The Sound of Soufulness vs the Sound of Church [link]
          • There is a moment in Bruce Broder’s delightfully engaging documentary film Chops (2007) when T.J., a very talented young trombonist, asks famed trumpeter Wynton Marsalis the difference between the sound of church in one’s horn playing and the sound of soulfulness. Marsalis offers a great response:
          • O.K., this is the difference between soulfulness and church. Soulfulness is something that everybody has. Soulfulness is the feeling that when I am around you, I don’t want to leave. That’s soulfulness. You walk into somebody’s house, man you want to sit down there forever […] And that’s a part of our music, the down home, the soulful, the warm, the inviting. Sometimes church is that, sometimes it [ain't].
          • I watched Chops on Netflix last night -- definitely worth watching if you love jazz.
        • The Quickest Way to Get Text from Your iPhone into a Fargo Outline on a Desktop Computer
          • I often jot down little text notes into Drafts on my iPhone -- a book I want to read, something I need to buy, an idea for my blog. I've previously written Drafts actions that convert text into OPML that can be imported into an outline in Fargo, but now that's no longer necessary. Dave Winer just introduced a scripting language that allows a user to add their own menu of actions. It's all based on javascript, but you don't need to know this language to get stuff from your iPhone into your Fargo outline.
          • After you follow these steps, you'll be able to jot something down in Drafts, send it to your Fargo folder using a Dropbox Action, and then insert the text wherever you want. All you need to know is the hour you initiated the Dropbox Action.

          • Create the Dropbox Action

          • If you're on your iOS device right now, tap on this link. It will import the Dropbox Action into your version of Drafts. If you'd rather create the Action yourself, here are the parameters:
            • Name: text-fargo
            • Path: /Apps/Fargo/[[date|%a %b %d %Y]]/
            • File (predefined): [[date|%I]] <-- that's an uppercase i
            • Ext: txt
            • Write: Append
            • Template: [[draft]]

          • Add the "Import Text" Script to Fargo

            • If you haven't already, create a new outline called menubar.
            • Create a headline called Scripts.
            • On the next line, hit Tab and write Import Text.
            • Paste the following as children nodes below Import Text (i.e., make sure they're indented again):
              • var d = clock.now().toDateString();
              • dialog.ask ("Enter the hour in two digits", "", "Disregard am or pm", function (name) {
                • file.readWholeFile (d + "/" + name + ".txt", function (data) {
                  • op.insert (data, down);
                  • });
                • });
            • In a few moments, a new menu bar will be created next to the Docs menu.

          • Create a Draft and Import It into Fargo

            • In Drafts, create a note.
            • Tap on the text-fargo action.
            • Put your cursor on a headline in Fargo underneath of which you would like to import your text.
            • In Fargo, open the Scripts menu and click on Import Text.
            • A dialog box will pop up. Enter the two-digit hour in which you initiated the Dropbox Action.
              • If it's 2pm, enter 02 and hit OK.
              • If it's 11am, enter 11 and hit OK.
              • If it's 11pm, enter 11 and hit OK.
              • Click this wedge if you want to know why I'm using the hour.
                • I was trying to figure out the least amount of mental effort necessary to import the contents of the text file. It defeats the purpose to enter the contents of the text file as the name of the text file; I also didn't want to use a #tag because people tag their drafts differently. For example, I might put a book title in the first line of my draft, and then #book in the second line. Do I then tell Drafts to make line 2 the title of the text file? That seems too limiting because what if my draft has multiple lines? Also I didn't want to put a tag in the first line of the draft, because naturally I put my tags at the end and I didn't want to cut and paste it into the beginning just so that I could use the first line as the title of the text file. So I decided to just use the hour in which the Dropbox Action is initiated. If I'm sitting at my computer and want to get a draft into Fargo, I know what time it is. I just hit text-fargo and enter the current two-digit hour. (Military time, e.g., 14 for 2pm, is too much work for me!)
                • The only downside to this solution is the case in which I perform a Dropbox Action more than once in the same hour. I have the action set to "Append" to the text file, so I will have imported the previous text as well as the current text. In this case, I will just have to delete the previous draft from the headline.
            • Your text will be inserted into a new headline.

          • Acknowledgements

          • Special thanks to Dave Winer for help with an earlier version of this script.
          • And Eric Davis, whose script for writers inspired me to create a folder in Dropbox with the day's date.
      • July 25
        • My Photo is Finally Showing Up in Google Searches
          • I set this up on Sasstrology ages ago (i.e., the rel=author connection). I honestly believe that it's working now because I updated my photo in Google+ after years of using the same picture of myself that I've used almost everywhere.
            • It's showing up on my Fargo blog too!
        • I Don't Want to Die Before...
          • My family is most important to me, and of course I want to see my daughter grow into an adult, but sometimes I hear about some Media Event -- a movie will premiere, an album will drop -- and I think, "I don't want to die before I see/hear [X]." Sometimes I think about all the great movies I won't see after I'm dead, and I feel a sense of loss. Why can't I be immortal, not so that I can cultivate intimacy or grow spiritually, but so that I can see Avatar 16?
          • It seems insane. But pinpointing my consciousness on a discrete work of art seems easier than on more abstract life goals.
        • Andrew Sullivan on Anthony Weiner Lying to the Public [link]
          • Once a politician has deceived people, he gets a second chance. When he deceives them a second time on the same issue, he loses whatever public trust he might have hoped for.
        • Quickly Make the Text in a Fargo Headline Red with This Script
          • Read this post for background.
            • In the Fargo Settings menu (where your name shows up at the far right), choose the CSS tab and enter the following:
              • .red {
              • color: red !important;
              • }
            • As you set up the Scripts menu, name your second order headline Red.
            • Enter the following as the child of the Red node:
              • op.attributes.setOne("cssTextClass","red");
        • Use Fargo's New Scripting Tool to Quickly Add Your Favorite Icons to Headlines
          • Dave just recently released a new tool in which you can create a new Fargo menu with short javascript functions.
          • I know javascript from Adam, but I was able to create an easy script after looking at Eric's link headline script and Dave's list of "verbs." It allows me to quickly assign one of my more frequently used Font Awesome icons to a headline without having to either open the Edit Attribute dialog (<%icon ("suitcase")%>) or scroll through the many pages of the Choose Icon picker.
            • If you haven't already, create a new outline and call it menubar.
            • At the top headline, write something like Scripts. This will be the title of a new menu bar sitting to the right of Docs in Fargo.
            • Create a child node and call it Star.
            • Then create a child node for that node, and enter the following:
              • op.attributes.setOne("icon", "star-empty");
            • Refresh your browser to load the new menu.
            • In a different outline, click on a headline then choose Star from the Scripts menu.
          • This will work for any icon, you just need to sub out star-empty with the name for any other icon from the icon cheatsheet.
      • July 24
        • The NYC Mayoral Race Drama
          • I think one can theoretically be a good mayor and "recovering from sexual compulsivity." But the lack of Anthony Weiner's integrity -- as evidenced by his consistent lies to the public (regardless of whether his denial is a "symptom" of his "disease") -- does not inspire confidence in this voter.
            • I'm not totally convinced one can apply the Addiction Model to sexually compulsive behavior, but try this thought experiment: A congressman resigns after having had some very public alcoholic "benders." He continues to have very public benders after having resigned. After he has earned his 1-year sobriety chip in AA, he runs for mayor. Would you feel comfortable voting for someone with so little sobriety under his belt?
          • I'm impressed by Bill de Blasio's commitment to keeping health care accessible, but his polling numbers are so far behind Weiner's and Quinn's that his success in this race seems unlikely. However, I would vote for him anyway.
          • I think Quinn will win the primary.
        • This Is Why I Mostly Avoid Facebook [link]
          • I would much rather read witty (or even catty) tweets than see photos of social gatherings that I did not attend.
      • July 22
        • Detroit Public Servants Lose Their Full Pensions as a Result of City Bankruptcy
          • This news is upsetting on two levels.
            • 1. Retirees who devoted their lives to jobs that they may not have otherwise taken without the promise of pensions are being screwed by the city.
            • 2. Hammers home the belief that there is no such thing as security. You pretty much have to do things for the Now because there are no promises for the Future. Other people may have the best of intentions, but they are just that -- intentions.
              • Don't trust institutions!
      • July 17
        • The OPML Directory
        • Fargo and the Social Ecosystem
          • I just checked out Hi, the new publishing platform by Craig Mod, in which a user writes a short snippet about a photo. All posts are geotagged, and a user can "extend" their narrative about the moment depicted in the photograph if she wishes. Someone can browse by location, for example: "moments in New York". I can see how a community can build pretty quickly around this platform: it's visual and it's geographic.
          • I wonder if Fargo gets little attention from the tech press because it's low on the "bells and whistles" quotient. Also, its sociability is nonobvious.
            • There is the Fargo Community River, a stream of RSS feeds of blogs published from Fargo. You can check out the outline from which any of these blogs is published by using the "Open by name..." menu item in Fargo. (For example, to see Dave Winer's outline for his dave.smallpict.com blog, just enter "dave" into the "Open by name..." field.) The social aspect of this is the ability to peek into someone else's Content Management System. Also, I can see when a named outline has changed (I'll see a <%icon ("bolt")%> icon next to it.)
            • Also, I know that I can open any public OPML file in Fargo (using the "Open by URL..." menu item). Here is an OPML file I found, Dave Winer's workspace for the World Outline. It was not created in Fargo, but I can still read it in Fargo.
            • Essentially, I can view other people's outlines. Although I have no experience with Dave's early World Outline project, I assume this is what he's getting at.
          • However, it's hard to get "viral" in this manner. You have to be pretty geeky (as I am) to think, "Oh I wonder how Eric did that on his Fargo blog, let me check out his named outline to find out!"
          • Ideally, lots of people would make content available in OPML. If someone were to, say, host a giant OPML file with a database of recipes, you could just "subscribe" to that in Fargo. If the author updates the file, you'll see the updates in Fargo. You don't have to go elsewhere to read recipes (just like with an RSS reader you don't need to go elsewhere to read many blogs).
            • How would the creator of "World Recipes" even publicize this OPML file? There needs to be a central repository where OPML people can post their public outlines. Not everything is going to be a smallpict.com blog.
          • I'm going to take a first step.
            • If you have a public outline that you want to share with the world, email me <%icon ("envelope-alt")%> the URL for the OPML file and I'll publish it. Just include a description of what it's about. (Don't send the OPML file for smallpict blogs, though, as they're already being promoted in the river. Also, I'm not interested in OPML files of RSS feeds, e.g., your export from Google Reader.)
            • The directory lives in three places:
      • July 15
        • Fargo and Google Webmaster Tools
          • I popped by Google Webmaster Tools to see how far I could get with my smallpict blog.
          • I first tried to verify blog.jeffreykishner.com, which I'm using as my domain (using the #domain directive). I obviously couldn't upload a file to the domain, but I was able to authenticate using my Google Analytics ID, since I have a #googleAnalyticsID directive set up. That worked.
          • I then found out that I can submit an RSS feed as a sitemap. I entered blog.jeffreykishner.com/rss.xml and received multiple errors because all the items in the feed link to jeffrey.smallpict.com.
          • So I then authenticated jeffrey.smallpict.com via Google Analytics, which again worked. And I submitted jeffrey.smallpict.com/rss.xml as my sitemap, which was accepted with only one error ("Missing XML tag").
          • I also set up Google Authorship, as much as I loathe linking to my Google Plus profile.
          • Hopefully the above actions will get this blog crawled a bit more frequently.
        • Celebrity Deaths
          • Sometimes I am sad for weeks, or for a day or so, or a few minutes. My emotional reaction has no bearing on one's value as a human being, or even as an artist, just on the personal impact he or she has had on me.
          • Some artists have a distinctive voice that speaks to me on a deep level, and when they are gone I feel a heart-rending ache. Others are actors whom I admire and who have performed in works that have been a part of my life for many years, and I am grateful for their "service" in bringing the joy of immersive TV to so many fans. And others apparently are entertainers who seem like parts of a machine, even if the entertainment experience produced by that machine has elicited strong emotions within me.
          • That being said, it's always sad when someone dies prematurely. I often feel like his or her best work has yet to come, and it's a shame that this potential never had the chance to realize.
            • This is all to say that I feel guilty that I don't feel very sad that Cory Monteith died.
        • Rarely do I get Facebook friend requests that make my day, but today is one of them.
        • Wishlist: Sitemap.xml for Fargo
          • Wouldn't it be cool if Trex could take all of the isFeedItem=true items in a named outline and use them to create a sitemap xml file, which a blogger could submit to Google Webmaster tools? I've read a few accounts from Fargo bloggers who notice that Google doesn't index smallpict blogs very often.
      • July 13
        • Although I would not consider having watched Pacific Rim a waste of my afternoon, I would not tell anyone to rush out to see it.
        • EC2 for iPad Poets
          • My "rivers" stopped updating two days ago, so I figured I'd have to log back in to my Amazon EC2 instance to get it going again.
          • I searched for Remote Desktop clients for the iPad, and found PocketCloud. The free version works fine -- I just had to enter the address for my EC2 instance and log in. Amazing that I can access Windows Server from my iPad! I just chose the Scan Now setting in the OPML Editor (not even sure that was necessary) to get my feeds updated.
          • I don't quite understand why the process of updating the json files discontinued, since I never stopped my instance from running. Hope I don't have to do this very often.
      • July 11
        • In the Case that SmallPicture Sunsets...
          • Adam Curry expresses concern that his Fargo blog is not hosted on his own server. Which got me thinking: what happens if this new service I've come to love shuts down?
          • I know that all my data is sitting in a Dropbox folder on my computer, so I never need to worry about data portability or exporting. But now that I'm blogging to a smallpict.com subdomain (forwarding to blog.jeffreykishner.com), what would happen to my site?
          • It wouldn't be difficult to repost my content to WordPress.
            • Create a blog.jeffreykishner.com subdomain and upload WordPress to the root folder.
            • Set up a permalink structure: /yyyy/mm/dd/blogPostName
            • Import my named OPML file into a supporting web service to make it readable. It likely won't import all the attributes, but the content will still be there. Then I can copy the content for each post, paste into WordPress, and then just edit the permalink field and paste the value of the name attribute so that the URL is exactly same as it was on my Fargo blog. (For example, WordPress would by default turn "My First Blog Post" into "my-first-blog-post" not "myFirstBlogPost".)
            • I believe I would be all set. No htaccess file necessary, as all links would still go to the correct page. The only downside is that any cool outlining tricks (like collapsed nodes) would no longer function.
        • How to Grow a Band [link]
          • I watched this documentary about the Punch Brothers on Netflix Instant. Been a long-time fine of mandolin virtuoso Chris Thile, back to his Nickel Creek days.
          • I was struck by a comment from one of his bandmates, all of whom are excellent string musicians in their own right. He wants them to be perceived as a band -- not as a Chris Thile side project -- which means that they're not just playing "staggering" Chris Thile compositions (in one of the player's words) but all creating something as a unit.
          • Watching this film, I got the impression that Thile -- who his bandmates recognize as a musical genius -- both wants to be pulled down to earth by collaborating with excellent musicians, and is in a world of his own, in which he writes beautiful, complex arrangements that even his bandmates couldn't compose. The Punch Brothers would not exist without him, yet he desperately wants a sense of brotherhood, not just to be a singularly brilliant mandolinist who is "backed up" by instrumentalists at the top of their game.
          • His bandmates regularly talked about how grateful they were to be part of Punch Brothers and that they wanted to make the most of it, because they didn't know how long it would last. After all, Chris could move on to some other project that fancied him. I sensed some "security fear" -- it's difficult to make a living as a musician even if you're great at your craft -- and also a feeling that this moment -- in which five guys are at the bleeding edge of contemporary string music -- could end at any time.
          • The film is structured around the Punch Brothers' performance of all four movements of The Blind Leaving the Blind, which is exciting but not terribly accessible music (if you're a fan of simple bluegrass song structures). I would recommend this film if you're a fan of challenging string music and/or Chris Thile, or if you want to understand the dynamics of a growing band.
      • July 10
        • <%icon ("male")%> <%icon ("heart-empty")%> <%icon ("female")%>
          • Just a story I'm working on.
          • Unfortunately, Font Awesome doesn't have a "broken heart" icon, and <strike> doesn't quite do it:
            • <%icon ("heart-empty")%>
        • View River2 OPML File in Small Picture Reader
          • I recently published an astrology river of news and I was trying to figure out how to let folks in that blogging community know if their blogs are included in the river. I recalled early in Fargo's development that an OPML file could only be viewed in Small Picture Reader if the service that hosted it had Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS) enabled. Because I am using River2 for this river and have my files hosted in an Amazon S3 bucket, I turned on CORS for that bucket in Properties > Permissions, and now I can share the list in a readable format.
      • July 9
        • My Tabbed River
        • An Idea for River4
          • It seems weird that I'm going through the trouble of running the OPML Editor 24/7 in an Amazon EC2 instance just so that I can publish a json file to an Amazon S3 bucket. The river html file can be published anywhere as long as the path to the json file is correct.
          • It would be cool if Trex -- the CMS part of Fargo -- could "read" an OPML file of RSS feeds within Fargo and automatically publish a json file every 15 minutes. Instead of worrying about the html, there could be a "river" template with an attribute pointing to the json file.
            • For example, I could have an OPML file of Fargo blog feeds, and name it "fargoblogs." In the Settings, there could be a checkbox like "convert this to json." Somewhere there's an output containing the URL to the json file.
            • I could then have a headline in a named outline called "Fargo River." In Edit Attributes, I create an attribute called "river" whose value is "http://static.scripting.com/river3/rivers/fargo.js"
            • Then I click on the <%icon ("eye-open")%> icon, and boom! I see my river of news.
          • Basically, why does one have to have a server running all the time, whether on one's own computer or in an EC2 instance, and regardless of whether you're publishing the json and html files to Dropbox or an S3 bucket? Why can't it all be in Fargo?
        • I Just Don't Care Anymore ... About What I Used to Care About
          • I read my feeds using Fever, and am still very happy with it. However, I've noticed that one group of feeds I created -- I've called it "Minimalist Tech" -- just doesn't do it for me anymore. I call this group Minimalist Tech because it includes tech blogs that have minimalist blog themes, unlike, say The Verge or TechCrunch. Sites like Marco.org or Daring Fireball. Not too long ago, I was obsessed with iOS hacks, so much so that I blogged about them and religiously read sites like MacStories. It's not that I don't still get hacky -- I recently wrote a Drafts for iOS Dropbox action to add a YouTube embed to a Fargo blog -- but I find myself just skimming through these feeds and barely opening any of them.
          • Perhaps I've just found a workflow that meets my needs well enough that I don't have to keep looking.
      • July 8
      • July 5
        • Being bored with the music is its own dance.
        • This Fargo Blog Now Has "Search"
          • If you click on the <%icon ("search")%> icon in the menu, you'll reach a page where you can do a google search of this blog only.
          • I used Import OPML... to add Dave Winer's default outline template into my named outline.
          • I then changed the "Outline" headline to "Search This Blog" and added a type=html attribute (as well as name=search).
          • I removed extraneous sections of the template like the rules (which show up as visible text in html) and the footer.
          • Went to google.com/cse to create a custom search engine for blog.jeffreykisher.com. Copied the code.
          • Replaced the bodytext macro in the template with the google code surrounded by div tags.
          • Linked the search icon to /search.
          •  
          • If you want the opml code, grab it here. Just make sure to swap out my search engine with your own.
          • Addendum (July 15): I have abandoned my original solution (which you can find here) in favor of Eric's.
      • July 4
        • "That Animal Is Boring"
          • I went to the Staten Island Zoo yesterday with my family, and overheard a guy say, "That animal is boring."
          • I thought, like, "What?! No animal is boring. You're boring!"
      • July 3
    • June 2013
      • June 30
        • Monsters University Exceeded My Expectations
          • Monsters Inc. has been one of my favorite Pixar movies. Being that MU is a sequel, I didn't expect to be wowed -- just entertained. (Better to come in with low expectations so that I am not disappointed when a sequel is not as good as the original.) However, I was profoundly moved by this film.
          • Technically, MU is a prequel. It chronicles how Sully and Mike W. met at university, where they majored in Scaring. They both failed out of the major and became antagonists: Sully was cocky about his scaring abilities -- his father was a famous scarer, and frightening was easy for Sully -- and Mike was more of a scholar, hoping that knowledge would give him an edge.
          • Unfortunately, Sully could not get by with coasting on his natural talents, and Mike had absolutely no "scare" in him, so they banded together with a fraternity of "losers" in a scare competition, and Mike made a deal with the dean -- who had failed them both out of the Scare major -- that if they won the competition, she would let them back into the major.
          • Two-thirds of the film is about how Mike trains the "rag-tag groups of misfits" into a top scaring team, and this is all fairly enjoyable, but it is not really until true crisis hits that this movie takes a turn towards intensity and a deep exploration of how a friendship is forged. I won't spoil anything, but I will say that the finale was gripping and emotional, and I left shaken up and convinced that Pixar is the only animation studio that truly knows how to create a story in which character trumps animation and silly jokes.
      • June 29
        • Don't Put Animated GIFs in Your Named Fargo Outline
          • Just like a tumblog that loads slow because it has so many gifs, so will your outline. Rather, put the gif in a separate outline, make it public, and include the opml file in a blog post. That's what I did here.
      • June 28
        • The Bling Ring
        • Use Drafts for iOS to Add a YouTube Video to Your Fargo Blog
          • Fargo.io is still somewhat difficult to use on iOS devices. This morning I saw a YouTube video I wanted to add to this blog, and I couldn't even paste text into a new node, so I had to wait until I was at a desktop computer to do so.
          • Which got me thinking: Since I've already written Drafts Dropbox actions on my I Miss My Mac blog, why can't I find an easy way to add a YouTube embed to my Fargo blog?

          • Install the Dropbox Action

          • If you're on your iOS device, tap on this link to import this Dropbox action into your version of Drafts. Here is the template code if you're curious:
          • Here are the other settings if you want to set up a Dropbox action by yourself:
            • Name: youtube2fargo
            • Path: /Apps/Fargo/
            • File: Timestamp
            • Ext: opml
            • Write: Create

          • How to Make It Work

          • In the first line of a draft, enter the video title. In the second line of the draft, enter just the string after the = sign when you copy the URL of the video.
          • If I want to feature "Add a feed item to Fargo," I see the URL in the address bar: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2obEqxjKCYQ
            • In the second line of the draft, I just enter 2obEqxjKCYQ
          • Then I go to actions and tap on "youtube2fargo"
          • A new OPML file will be added to the /Apps/Fargo folder in Dropbox.
          • In the Fargo menu, go to File > Open. You will find the new file by the timestamp. Click on it, and the file will open in a new tab. You will see just the headline (the video title).
          • Go to File > Get Public Link. Copy that link to your clipboard.
          • Go to the outline that contains your Fargo blog.
          • Click the + sign to create a new date, unless you've already blogged today. Highlight the date (e.g., "June 28") and then go to File > Import OPML. Paste the clipboard contents into that field and click OK.
          • Your new headline will be in your outline. You may have to move it (up/down/left/right) to position it so that it is the child node for today's date.
          • Your headline will already have all of the necessary attributes to make it an outline type; with a creation date; that is added to your RSS feed.

          • Customizing the Dropbox Action

          • I have mine set up such that the created attribute is for EDT. I've done testing and Fargo will correctly show the correct time stamp. If you live in a different time zone, you can go into the template for the Dropbox action and change it.
          • If you want to post the video using a different template (thread, blogpost, whatever), just change type="outline" to type="thread" or whatever.
        • Dubstep Played On Children's Toy
      • June 27
        • Queens Of The Stone Age [link]
          • ...Like Clockwork is an enjoyable listen.
          • A bit Bowie-esque.
            • <%icon ("music")%> Create a free account on MOG to hear it.
        • Fargo Enables You to Create a Good-Looking Blog
          • Fargo is a Dropbox-based outliner built by Small Picture. I've been beta testing it since it started. The team recently enabled anybody to publish on a smallpict.com subdomain. All you literally have to do is the following:
            • Create an outline and go to "Name outline" in the File menu.
            • Hit the + sign.
            • Start typing.
          • If you hit the <%icon ("eye-open")%> icon, you'll get to the page that just published. That's right, you don't have to hit "Publish" or anything, it just happens.
          • By default, the "content type" that you create is an outline template, but you don't have to worry about the HTML/CSS unless you want to. If you're savvy, you can create your own templates or copy from someone else's public outline. But to have a good-looking blog, you just need a menu (and optionally, some CSS that you can easily import).
          • This blog currently uses the default "outline" template, which I'm sure the team is still tinkering with.

          • Creating the Navigation Menu

          • In my outline, I have a menu "directive" which looks like the following:
            • #menus
              • jeffmenu
                • Jeffrey Kishner
                  • About Me
                  • Archive
                    • June 2013
                  • <i class="icon-twitter"></i>
                  • <i class="icon-envelope-alt"></i>
                  • <i class="icon-rss-sign"></i>
          • That's how I created the menu you see at the top of this page. You just have to create links by adding attributes using the Edit Attributes menu. Here are the attributes I use to link to my Twitter page:
            • type = link
            • url = http://twitter.com/kishner
          • You can use any icon that's included in the Font Awesome set. So if you want to link to your LinkedIn profile (<%icon ("linkedin")%>), you enter the following into your menu:
            • <i class="icon-linkedin"></i>
          • I then add the following headline to my outline to "call" the menu:
            • #menuName "jeffmenu"

          • Easily Import a Blog Theme

          • I use the following "directive" to use a particular CSS theme from Bootswatch.
            • #bootstrapTheme "readable"
          • You can substitute "readable" with the names of any of the free themes on that page to change the look of your blog.

          • Create a Chronological Blog Home Page

          • By default, your home page will be an outline of everything in your named outline. An index, essentially. If you want a home page with your most recent posts in descending chronological order, include the following two headlines:
            • #type "bloghome"
            • #bloghomeItemCount "10"
          • The number in the second item determines how many posts you want on the home page.
          • Unfortunately, there's no "page 2" and so on. I'm working around that limitation by linking to the month in the navigation.

          • Need Direction?

          • If you want to see everything involved in building this blog, just view this opml file: https://dl.dropbox.com/s/8lpmfklfk5w559i/jeffrey.opml. Or if you are already a Fargo user, open the "jeffrey" outline by name.
      • June 26
        • Listening to Natalie Maines' new album, all I feel is nostalgia for the Dixie Chicks.
          • A part of me thinks that if Right America didn't react so strongly to her political assertions that the Chicks weren't barred from terrestrial radio, they might still be together.
        • The Feed Reader
          • Long before Google Reader announced they were shutting down, I chose Fever, a self-hosted solution. You pay once for a license, install it on your own LAMP server, and upload your OPML file or just add feeds as you need to. The developer, Shaun Inman, pushes updates as needed, although Fever is not really his priority now, as he's working on game development.
          • The stand-out feature of Fever is that it algorithmically combs your feeds for "hot" stories, presumably by looking at hyperlinks that are included in many feed items over the same period of time. This allows me to quickly see what's hot among the blogs that I visit. In addition to being able to click on the story that many blogs link to, I can also peruse all the posts that write about the story.
          • Fever works in the browser, and although it is optimized for the iPhone, there are also two iOS apps that use the Fever API to improve the reading experience as well as allow you to download posts for reading when you're, say, on the subway: Ashes and Sunstroke. I'm not going to provide a review here of both apps. I'm partial to Sunstroke, but I haven't been following recent updates to the Ashes app.
          • Although I am intrigued by Dave Winer's River of News, I do value the ability to download feeds to my iOS device - having a browser-only reader doesn't suffice for me. (Recently, instead of using a Fever app for the subway, I've just been combing Twitter during breakfast, saving lots of links to Instapaper, and reading the articles in the Instapaper app on the subway. Sometimes I just feel that syncing all my Fever "kindling" posts to my iPad takes too long, or the app "times out.")
          • I also have FOMO ("fear of missing out") with regards to certain feeds. Like, I want to read everything from certain blogs, and if the authors of these blogs don't post frequently, I may miss their posts in a big River of News. (Of course, I could just visit the blog.) But at least with Fever, I can have a group of favorite blogs, and Fever doesn't "mark all as read" unless I want it to.
      • June 25
        • amelia
          • this is a blogpost using the amelia theme from bootswatch
          • i copied the blogpost template from xangelo and just put in a different stylesheet
      • June 22
      • June 20
      • June 19
        • The "N***** Wake-Up Call" [link]
          • David Simon responds to Pinboard founder re: NSA collection of phone call metadata.
          • Basically, privacy of phone metadata is not protected by 4th Amendment -- this recent scoop is not new news.
          • (I censored the title because I just feel really uncomfortable with the word.)
          • If Mr. Maciej wants to address not merely the programs that intrude in ways that he finds unnerving or untenable, but instead focus on process and system, then I can be enlisted. If this is about oversight and accountability and reshaping the shadow government of the FISA court, I’m in. If it’s about establishing clear, definitive laws for how the inevitable waves of new technology are to be employed, and having a real discussion about what law enforcement goals and security concerns justify what level of intrusion, I’m committed. And if it’s about all of us kicking in, and admitting that, at points, citizenship requires shared risk and shared sacrifice — if it promises a compact between all of us, and rules that equate for the country as a whole –then I understand and agree with the fight.
          • But drawing the line here, with this datapile and this program — given all the legal precedent and credible law enforcement logic that we have accepted elsewhere — feels hollow to the premise of any American collective or society, and to any ideal of a common future, a shared future that we might claim for ourselves. Fight where you wanna, but if it’s here, over this? You might as well light that now-legal joint and walk away. Mr. Mooney had your number a long time ago.
        • How to Publish a Quiz with Fargo
              • 25px
              • false
          • Follow the directions in the worknotes to publish an outline.
          • To publish a quiz so that the answers are hidden (like here), copy the following, paste it into your named outline, and change anything but the rules. Make sure to give the headline the type=outline attribute.
            • Quiz
              • <rules>
                • <rule level="1" to="infinity">
                  • <expanded>false</expanded>
                  • </rule>
                • </rules>
              • question 1
                • answer 1
              • question 2
                • answer 2
        • How to Use Redirect in Fargo
              • 25px
          • I am using the outline named "jeffrey" to publish to this blog on www.jeffreykishner.com.
          • I don't want visitors to land on jeffrey.smallpict.com, so I set up a redirect to this blog.
          • In my jeffrey outline, I created a headline called "index" and added the following attributes:
            • type=redirect
            • url=http://www.jeffreykishner.com
      • June 15
        • Why 'I Have Nothing to Hide' Is the Wrong Way to Think About Surveillance <%icon ("arrow-right")%>
          • Imagine if there were an alternate dystopian reality where law enforcement was 100% effective, such that any potential law offenders knew they would be immediately identified, apprehended, and jailed. If perfect law enforcement had been a reality in Minnesota, Colorado, and Washington since their founding in the 1850s, it seems quite unlikely that these recent changes would have ever come to pass. How could people have decided that marijuana should be legal, if nobody had ever used it? How could states decide that same sex marriage should be permitted, if nobody had ever seen or participated in a same sex relationship?
  • Pages
    • Dining Out for an Ethical Omnivore
      • some text here
      • image source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlastras/3456719415/sizes/o/
    • Brown-Bagging It
      • I've made a commitment to pack a lunch every day this week.
      • My wife has been encouraging me to do so, especially after reading this article by Mark Bittman. And after looking at my finances, brown-bagging it appears to be a sure-fire way to save about $200 per month. (A typical take-out lunch in NYC is not quite $10, but when you add snacks/drinks etc., it adds up.)
      • The primary obstacles to packing my own lunch have been (1) fear of culinary boredom; (2) discomfort with microwaves; and (3) a lack of desire to put in the prep time.
      • I don't want to eat something for lunch that I just had the night before for dinner. The lack of novelty of leftovers contributes to my lack of excitement about bringing in food I've prepared for a different meal.
      • I don't own a microwave, and at the office that's the only way to reheat food. (It is not the case that I refuse to microwave my food, but I still find the whole enterprise suspect, healthwise.) Then there's the line at the microwave problem: waiting for someone else to heat their frozen meals or canned soup or leftovers.
      • I'm not the type of guy who slams some sliced bologna and cheese on white bread and seals it in a ziplock bag. I will toast a frozen pre-sliced ciabatta roll and tear the meat off organic chicken thighs and add some sprouts or baby arugula. This just takes time; it's not insignificant. When I put in this effort, I think at that moment that it would actually take less time to get on line early at the food provider that sets up on the floor where I work -- I just have to pay the eight bucks or so for grub plus the convenience of not having to put in the prep and cleanup work.
      • I'm fortunate enough that I'm not going hungry, even if I make food that I purchased at the food coop. Why should I be complaining about boredom or inconvenience when so many people can't afford basic necessities? Also, I really do need to save money. So brown-bagging it is really about letting go of my ego, the thinking part of me that resists.
      • _[Image](http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:LentSpace_-_Food_trucks.jpg) courtesy of Creative Commons license_
    • A Meditation on 'Safety Not Guaranteed'
      • We can't undo the past, nor can we reclaim the purity or innocence of youth. Life is full of regret, and trying to force the present to conform to our ideal alternative reality is fruitless. "What if x instead of y happened?" will only ever be a theoretical question.
      • We hope for redemption, to undo the formative experiences that have caused so much pain in our lives. But who would we be if these events had not happened?
    • <%customStylesScripts%>
  • Welcome to My Fargo Blog
    • The entire contents of this blog is contained in one outline (in OPML). You can see the raw code [here](https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/8lpmfklfk5w559i/jeffrey.opml). I manage the outline in [Fargo](http://fargo.io).
    • View all my posts from [2013](/2013/).
  • snippet test
    • this is a snippet test
      • how does this render?
      • <%httpHost%><%httpPath%>?format=opml
  • Workflows
    • I have written more iOS automation workflows than I can remember -- and most of them I no longer use. Here are ones that I am currently using on a regular basis.
  • Scripts
    • These are scripts I've written that add functionality to Fargo.io.
    • Send Selected Headline to Small Picture Reader
      •  Tweet This Post
      • The following is an adaption of Dave Winer's script to generate a Reader macro.
      • How It Works
        • Place your cursor on the headline that you want to share in Small Picture Reader. (All of its subs -- or "children" -- will be included.)
        • Choose this script from the menu.
        • A new window will pop open -- Small Picture Reader -- including only that headline (not the entire outline).
        • This new OPML file is saved in a /snippets subfolder in Dropbox. Do not delete it.
      • "Visit the Fargo scripting page in the docs to learn how to install this script, or watch this video."
      • <%reader ("https://dl.dropbox.com/s/ivv92pgzoyy8rcd/1642099d745f25e8165d266de3998bdf.opml")%>
    • Add Twitter Social Sharing to Your Fargo Blog Posts
      •  Tweet This Post
      • While your cursor is on the title of your blog post, choose this script from your menu. It will insert the above "<%icon ("twitter-sign")%>Tweet This Post" link as the first line of your post.
      • "Visit the Fargo scripting page in the docs to learn how to install this script, or watch this video."
      • <%reader ("https://dl.dropbox.com/s/pp77vspbshxnubf/b3d854b9d9f81a4c66e6c6532dbb3fef.opml")%>
      • Bonus: If you insert op.attributes.deleteOne ("isComment"); in the very beginning of this script, the script will also publish your post.
    • Scripts for Fargo and Carbonfin Outliner Interoperability
      •  Tweet This Post
      • Carbonfin Outliner is an outliner for iOS that syncs with Dropbox and exports in OPML. Unlike Fargo, this app works off-line. Fargo works well for todo lists (thanks to the use of FontAwesome icons like <%icon ("check")%> and <%icon ("check-empty")%>), as does Outliner, which natively uses checkboxes. Unfortunately, Outliner does not preserve the import of attributes that it does not support. (The attributes it supports: _status and _note.) However, Fargo will preserve attributes created in Outliner, and with the help of some scripts, one can move the same OPML file between these two apps without losing any key information.

      • Moving Your OPML File Between Apps

      • It's easy to move an OPML file between these two apps. Just go to Dropbox.com, and find either your /Outliner folder or your /Apps/Fargo folder. Right-click on the file, and tell Dropbox to move it to the folder of the destination app. Or you can just drag the file from one folder to the other on your hard drive.
      • If you're moving from Fargo to Outliner, you will need to sync Outliner with Dropbox for the file to show up.
      • If you're moving from Outliner to Fargo, you will need to use the File > Open menu to locate the new file.

      • Four Scripts and Some CSS

      • For complete interoperability, four scripts are required.
        • Convert Outliner to Fargo
          • After importing an OPML file into Fargo, checkboxes are added to all headlines except for any line with the text "Archive." Status is maintained, so that if a box was checked in Outliner, it's checked in Fargo. If you wrote a note in Outliner, a small icon (<%icon ("file-alt")%>) shows up at the right of the headline. You must run this script every time you import a file from Outliner to Fargo.
        • todo
          • When you are adding new todo items in Fargo, the todo script works as follows:
            • Write your task.
            • Choose "todo" from menu.
            • An empty checkbox is added to the headline.
            • When you've completed the task, choose "todo" again. The box is now checked, and two other attributes are added to this headline: completed (with a date stamp) and _status ("checked"). The latter attribute is for Outliner to know that the task was completed. The timestamp will not carry over into Outliner, so be prepared to lose this information if you move the file between apps.
            • If you don't want to see the task anymore, choose "todo" again, and it is moved to the Archive, which has to be the final first-order headline in your outline.
        • show note
          • If you want to view a note in Fargo (you'll know there's a note because you'll see the note icon), use the "show note" script.
        • add note
          • If you want to add a note in Fargo such that it shows up as a note in Outliner, use the "add note" script.
        • Finally, for the note icon to be visible when there is a note, add some CSS in the Settings. Click on your name in the top right of Fargo, click on Settings, then drop the CSS in the CSS field.
        • Put the first four headlines in your menubar outline. Put the final headline in your CSS.
        • "Visit the Fargo scripting page in the docs to learn how to install this script, or watch this video."
        • <%reader ("https://dl.dropbox.com/s/4e2oqsnn40hkw52/fargooutliner.opml")%>
    • Fargo Loop: Perform an Action on All Headlines in an Outline
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      • This script will let you take an action on each and every node in an outline. For this example I am bolding every headline, but you can use if-else statements or what-have-you where I have defined the actionHere () function.
      • I use Dave Winer's "count headlines" script at the beginning to determine how many headlines there are. Then I use a for loop to (a) perform an action; and (b) move to the next headline in the outline.
      • The last time the for loop runs is at the penultimate headline, which brings us to the last headline. If the loop ran any longer, the script would freeze. So I repeat the action on the final headline, and I'm done.
      • <%reader ("https://dl.dropbox.com/s/a4cledfiirkk9sw/405fe6c1d6b1acbf65c8bd5c8a9149ad.opml")%>
      • "Visit the Fargo scripting page in the docs to learn how to install this script, or watch this video."
      • Changelog
        • 2103-08-12
          • Script introduced.
  • TiddlyWiki
  • TV
        • false
    • A running list of my most recently-watched episodes.
    • Archer
      • s1:e4 (in the middle)
    • Bomb Girls
      • s1:e2
    • Casmenutle
      • s5 disc 3
    • Dexter
      • finished s6
    • Glee
      • all of season 3
      • (added s4 to queue)
    • House of Cards
      • all of s1
    • Louie
      • ?
    • Luther
      • finished season 1
    • Modern Family
      • finished s3
      • (adding s4 to queue)
    • Orange Is the New Black
      • finished s1
    • Orphan Black
      • Finished s1
    • Parks & Recreation
      • s4:e8
    • Sherlock
    • United States of Tara
      • rewatching
  • Stuff I Like
    • Here I note things I'm appreciating. Usually musicians.
    • 2013-08-28
      • Katy Perry, Teenage Dream album
    • 2013-08-27
      • Age Against The Machine by Goodie Mob
    • 2013-08-19
      • Tenacious D
    • 2013-08-14
      • Christina Aguilera
        • "Express"
        • "Make the World Move"
    • 2013-08-05
    • 2013-08-04
      • Sarah Bareilles
    • 2013-07-29
      • Scott Henderson
    • 2013-07-26
    • 2013-07-17
      • Crooked Still
    • 2013-07-16
      • Projected
      • Live: Duets by Chris Thile and Mike Marshall
    • 2013-07-15
      • Title track from Punch Brothers' Who's Feeling Young Now?
      • Alter Bridge. Miles Kennedy's soaring vocals.
    • 2013-07-11
      • Sarah Jarosz
    • 2013-07-10
      • Steve Martin and Edie Brickell
      • Damn Yankees
    • 2013-06-17
      • Punch Brothers
    • 2013-06-14
      • Brendan Benson
    • 2013-04-23
      • Dave Grohl
      • Deva Premal during yoga
  • About Me
    •  
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  • June 2013
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  • Search This Blog
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  • Resume
  • Search This Blog
  • Drafts
    •  The above content was generated via the Post OPML to WordPress plugin. You can view the raw OPML file here.