StackSocial

College Students and Startups: a Young Love Affair

It’s Spring which means the weather is getting warmer, Venice Beach is getter even stranger and college seniors everywhere are beginning to realize that they’ll need to support themselves soon. If they’re like many college students across the country they’re probably considering an option that their parents and professors would’ve never thought of… going to work for a startup business.

 There are several factors behind the recent emergence of startup companies’ popularity among college students including a struggling economy, a changing educational system and the phenomenal success and media portrayal of companies such as Facebook.  Add into the mix the celebritization of the Silicon Valley god Steve Jobs and his 2005 Stanford Commencement address that has had college students everywhere ready to hang up the suit their mom bought them for their Goldman Sachs internship to go to work in someone’s basement.

 There are several advantages to working for a startup including a more laidback atmosphere, an overwhelming need for creativity and innovation and the possibility of being involved in the early stages of a company before it experiences success (this adds an element of street cred to any young resume).  Startup companies are a great option for self-starters, people who can assign their own tasks and perceive company needs and potential problems without a supervisor pointing them out. Young companies also provide the perfect environment for teamwork, but this loose supervision requires workers who can “get things done” efficiently and effectively on their own terms.

 The old advice was to work for a large corporation immediately after graduation to “learn the ropes.” College undergrads are now asking, why learn the ropes of a huge rigid company if I eventually want to start my own company? This question has lead many graduating go-getters to decide to jump right into working for the small exciting startup to prepare for someday making their own dream’s come true—wannapreneurs learning to be entrepreneurs.

 Obviously we here at StackSocial are in full support of this startup movement. In fact, we’re looking for some awesome self-starters interested in working in sales for a rapidly expanding company.

Check out our job posting here.

Project Management Software That’s Made Our Lives Easier…and it’s FREE!

Project management software that’s made our lives easier…and it’s Free.

 Workflow is a new buzzword in the tech community and Asana wants to see to it that more than just techie twenty-five year olds know just how much simpler social workflow software can make peoples’ work and personal lives.  

 The purpose of workflow software is to aggregate all of your documents and social media channels into a single stream. You’ll no longer need to sift through your work email to find that spreadsheet from a week ago to send to a coworker from a different address with a bullet point list of tasks.   Asana combines your personal email, dropbox, google docs and other other apps (Evernote, Simplenote) into a single, easy-to-use place to communicate and get work done.

 We we’re immediately hooked when we heard the one phrase that has turned into the Holy Grail of workspaces everywhere: ONE inbox. 

 Yes, please.

 Here’s how Asana works:

Workspaces

These are somewhat like channels in that they allow you to control who sees what and where you will put each projects and task. Common workspaces are “personal,” “family,” and “professional.” Whoever you share that workspace with is allowed to see your activity therein.

Projects

Projects can be viewed by priority, by assignee, or by associated tags.  Asana’s incredible level of customization in project management distinguishes them from other workflow software.  Once you’ve created a project you can share it with whoever you like so tasks can be delegated and communication can be optimized.

Tasks

Tasks are essentially to-do lists and can be made in Asana or imported from another app.  You can add a due date to an individual task and teammates can communicate with each other via the comments section.

The Inbox

The inbox shows all the tasks that have been assigned to you by others or yourself. It’s as if you sat down and went through your entire email inbox to make a list of things to accomplish.  Tasks need to be done outside of the inbox, meaning you will literally be forced to put them in a workspace and (yes) complete them.

…the catch…

 You will only see the full benefits of Asana if everyone in your life is using it. Team members who chose to use the software will all reap the benefits of this efficient method of collaboration, but that one special someone who is in love with Google Docs and refuses to make the switch will hold everyone back (because you’ll have to log back into your email…download that document…update that Google calendar). 

 Like all new technology it will take a while to catch on, and we have full faith that it will…consolidation please? 

5 Ways to Keep your Customers Happy

First off, allow me to introduce myself – my name is Mark Swiggum (call me Swiggs if you’d like) and I’m the gorilla glue here at Team Stack.  I’m engulfed in the life of a fun and exciting startup – wearing tons of hats and drinking obscene amounts of redbull; it’s my second startup experience and I’m loving every second of it.

In the e-commerce game it’s easy for support to get lost in the hustle and bustle of startup life, but here at StackSocial we make it a TOP priority to deliver the best support we possibly can because we know that without our customers, we wouldn’t have anything!   At the end of the day, even if you have a great product, if you’re not putting your customers first, you’re not doing it right.

FIVE tips I’ve come up with based on my experiences here at StackSocial:

1.     Care.  I know what you’re thinking – well, isn’t that a given?  The answer to that is – it should be, but that’s not always the case. Some people think it’s okay to put off responses when it comes to support over the web, but it’s exactly the OPPOSITE.  It means that much more because you only have so many chances to win over your customers.  Treat them with the SAME love and respect that you’d treat your best friends with and win them over the FIRST time. If you really CARE about CARING for your customer it will show – and they’ll see it.

2.     Be authentic.  Don’t be afraid to show some personality.  Add your unique personality into the mix as much as you can because the faster a customer gets to know you as an individual, the better off your company will be.  We’re tech nerds and we’re going to let you know it!

3.     FAST and FRIENDLY wins the race.  Be Responsive.  With the e-world it’s easy for customers to feel distant to the cool brands they surf on a given day – but try not to let that happen.  Technology has given you the ability to let customers know that you are there to answer their questions at any time of day—take advantage of that! It’s one more way to make your brand stand out.

4.     Never assume things – Know things.  Plain and simple – if you’re not 100% sure about something don’t press that send key.   It’s easy to make assumptions to get those emails out of your inbox, but don’t.  Go that extra mile and solve the customer’s issue to the best of your ability, and if you don’t have the answer – simply find it (that little thing called Google). Being wrong can make you sound illegitimate and could possibly send a message to your customers that you’re not on your A game. 

5.     The POWER of Positivity.  This can be your SECRET WEAPON and gives an awesome platform to let your brand’s personality shine! Bumps in the road are bound to happen so you might as well make the most out of them; this is your best shot to not only solve the problem at hand, but also more importantly make a lasting impression on your customer (surprises are good).  Do everything in your power to put a smile on their face cause if you can do that via the web, your customers will know you’re the real deal.  Get them smiling and they’ll want to come back. 

Now what do all these points have in common?  It’s simple – they all help build TRUST amongst your customers and once your customers start to trust you, you’ll know you’re on the right path.

Here at StackSocial, our TEAM holds customer support to an astronomical standard because we know how important it is.

Thanks so much for reading and please don’t ever hesitate to contact me at any time – even if it’s at 4 in the morning - my email is mark@stacksocial.com.

With much love from Team Stack!

-Swiggs

22-year-olds Build Incredible Social Media App.

Buffer is a hot new startup focused on Twitter optimization  and we here at StackSocial are impressed with them in more ways than one.

 Buffer’s main product, Bufferapp main function is to schedule your tweets to avoid bombarding your followers with a day’s worth of tweets in a five-minute period. This is perfect for businesses (or any power user) using Twitter for marketing because it breaks the ball-and-chain relationship with the computer.  All you have to do to install the Bufferapp extension is go through the simple instructions on their site and the Bufferapp icon will be automatically installed at the top of your browser (Chrome, Safari or Firefox).  You can then click on the icon anytime you are on a site or reading an article that you would like to tweet and Buffer will either post is immediately or any scheduled time in the future.  This means that you can now sit down at your computer for ten minutes every morning, read through your blogroll and schedule your tweets for the entire day.

Buffer has emphasized that their product is meant to optimize Twitter use, not automate it. Its awesome analytics provide users with information about followers’ engagement such as click-thrus and overall “reach,” allowing users to adjust and tweak their marketing and content strategies to gain more followers and more conversion. Who doesn’t love an app that makes social media use easier and more effective?

Some of the app’s best features:

• Supports multiple Twitter profiles
•  Supports multiple Facebook pages
• Don’t have to chose specific time for scheduling (like Hootsuite), rather you simply drop the tweet into a queue that the app will space out throughout the day
•  Bufferapp extensions with Chrome, Safari and Firefox
• Bufferapp blog buttons available
• Ton of integration options at Bufferapp Goodies page    

The Buffer team also runs a blog that gives insider tips and insights into the social media and tech communities, which not so ironically is blowing up all over Twitter.  These “new kids on the block” have definitely proven themselves to be something to watch on the social media scene.  When we say “kids”  what we really mean is prodigies…Buffer was founded by two 22-year-olds in October of 2012 and was a part of the AngelPad incubator in SF.  

 StackSocial rating:  5 out of 5 STACKS 

The Setup Series: What do people use to get stuff done?

Kevin ‘Lomokev’ Meredith

Photographer, teacher

Who are you, and what do you do?

I am a photographer, writer and teacher. I have written 3 books on photography, I also blog and run monthly photography courses. I am best known for my work using a cult classic Russian film camera, the Lomo LC-A. I slowly changed my career to photography through my use of Flickr where I can be found as Lomokev. I can also be found on Twitter and Tumblr as Lomokev too.

What hardware are you using?

When it comes to photography, I have a ton of cameras but the ones used the most are my trusted Lomo LC-As and LC-A+s. Most of the time I will carry 2 Lomo LC-As (with different film loaded). I have also recently acquired the new Lomo LC-W. The W is for wide, it has a 17mm lens instead of the LC-A’s 32mm. If you want to know more about this camera you can read my slightly biased review. I will also sometimes carry slightly more technologically advanced film cameras that have, wait for it: Auto focus! This will either be the Contax T2 that produces über sharp photos or the smallerOlympus Mju ii. When it comes to film photography it’s not just about the cameras, image quality is down to film as well. I mostly use: Lomography’s 100 chrome xpro film, Kodak Portra 400 VC, Fuji Reala 100 and I still have about 40 rolls of refrigerated Agfa Ultra that expired in 2008 that I bring out for special occasions.

I also have some digital cameras as well. I use a Canon 5D (Mark 1) with a28mm - 70mm 2.8 L lens. I got the 28mm - 70mm two years ago, it was my 1st L lens and I love it. Since getting it I have not really used other lenses as it’s a great all-rounder - I don’t even use my 50mm 1.4 anymore.

My main computer is a Mac Pro with 2 x 2.26 GHz quad core Xeon processors with 8 Gb of RAM. The first thing I did when I got it was to put 2x 1 Gb Western Digital Caviar Black drives to make a stripped RAID, which in theory makes saving files almost 2x fast when compared to using one drive. Because I have a stripped RAID, I am twice as likely to lose data in the instance of a hard drive failure. So for this reason, I am super anal about back-up. I use Time Machine to backup to a 1st gen Drobo. I have had my Drobo since September 2007 and find it reliable but sometimes the fan sounds like a jet engine, so I have to turn it off when it gets too annoying. I also use Crashplan as an online back-up, I used to used Mozy but when they hiked their prices I left, and have been really happy with Crashplan.

I have a 26” Apple monitor which looks beautiful, but I think it’s lacking a few things. Namely I really wish it had a headphone jack as when the Mac Pro is on the ground the headphone jack is just too far away for some headphones. An off switch would not go amiss, as sometimes you might set off a render or a back-up and just want to turn off the monitor but you can’t.

I love the Magic Mouse that my Mac Pro came with. In fact, I love it so much I have one for my MacBook too. It’s such a step up from the Mighty Mouse with the rollerball that only worked for a month and the stupid side buttons! Apple does not have a good track record with mice. What was the hockey puck mouse from the late 90’s all about? And for a long time there was no right click, but with the Magic Mouse I think they have finally cracked it.

I also have a 15” unibody MacBook Pro with 4GB of RAM that I use at home and on the road. I find it great for most things, but when working on large Photoshop files or After Effects I find myself pining after my Mac Pro. I don’t think I could ever go back to just purely mobile computing.

I don’t own an iPad as I have an iPhone 4, a MacBook Pro and a Mac Pro. My commute is a 10 minute cycle so I don’t have a place for one in my life. I also have a 1st gen Intel Mac Mini under the TV for watching iPlayer and other Internet video on a big screen.

And what software?

I shoot a lot on the iPhone 4 but my iPhone shots will rarely end up on Flickr. I like to keep my iPhone apps lean. For photography, I use Instagram andEveryday. I used to use Hipstamatic, but I prefer Instagram because of the social element.

As for my non-photography iPhone apps, I could not live without Evernote for note-taking, whether it be text or a photo. I have DropBox which is great if I want to preview some of my computer documents on the go. I use the Twitter app to tweet and TidesPlan 10 to tell me what the tides are doing when planing sea swims. I think my most expensive app (£5) is Train Times, really simple but very useful for UK train times and it will even tell you what platform a train is leaving from. I love it because it lets you know whether you need to run for your train or not.

I am a big fan of Lightroom 3. I’m constantly amazed at photographers that don’t use it. I have 100,000 images in my library and it runs smoothly. If I need to do anything out of the ordinary, photo editing-wise, I will launch Photoshop CS5. I use After Effects CS5 to put together time lapse videos. I give a lot of talks, so I could not live without Keynote - the more I learn about that app the more I love it. For my writing, I use Pages. I used to use Google Docs all the time, I was quite an early adopter as I was a Writely user before they were taken over by Google. Now I just prefer desktop apps coupled with DropBox so I can get at my docs anywhere. I use Numbers to keep track of my course attendees and accounts.

I keep all the projects I am currently working on in DropBox and I use it to send large files to people. I really don’t understand why some folks still use YouSendIt or FTP. I could not live without the public folder feature that lets you share docs easily with other DropBox users. Some of the lesser known apps I use are Typinator, JumpCut and Skitch.

Typinator lets you have shortcuts for commonly used bits of text, so if I want to tag a lowdown photo on Flickr instead of typing: “ground, rats eye view, low, ground level”, I just type my shortcut “fllow” and it will swap it from my tags. I also have it set to auto correct 1000 of my most misspelled words. Because I am dyslexic, I can sometimes spell a word 10 different ways that are not recognized by a spellchecker. I take my different spellings and then input them into Typinator, so when typing as soon as I hit space after spelling words wrong they are auto-corrected. All my Typinator data is stored on Dropbox so that all my machines update text in the same way. Jumpcut is really simple, it remembers your copy history so, jumping between applications, copying and pasting can be less tedious. You can copy, copy, copy and then selectively paste from your copy history via a menu bar icon. Sketch is a fav of mine for taking screen grabs that you can then add notes to.

For some of my tasks, I really don’t see the point in having an app for something that can be done in a browser. When I tweet, I tweet fromtwitter.com. When I look at my email, it’s though mail.google.com and I upload all my photos to Flickr via their upload page. I have not used bookmarks in a browser for years as I use delicious. Because of Firefox’sappetite for RAM I have just dumped it for Chrome which I am finding easily uses 80% less RAM, but its URL bar is nowhere near as awesome. Might give Safari a spin but again it takes way more memory than Chrome.

For blogging I use a self-hosted Wordpress installation. My top tips for WP Plugins are: ‘Share Buttons Simple Use’ adds Facebook and Twitter share buttons to posts and pages. ‘Redirection’ lets you add 303 redirects without touching .htaccess. ‘jQuery lazy load’ stops images below the fold loading to improv page load times, and then only loads when you scroll down. ‘Broken Link Checker’ tells you if a page you have linked to is a dead URL or a 404 - because of this plugin I have been able to tell friends that their site has gone down before they knew. ‘Are You Sure’ stops you accidently posting when you just meant to save a draft, by asking if you are sure every time you hit publish. ‘After The Deadline’ is a spell checker. Last but not least ‘WordPress SEO’ by Yoast is a new SEO plugin that gives you preview of what the search result will look like in Google’s search pages as you input the page title and meta description.

What would be your dream setup?

I am tempted to put an SSD in my Mac Pro just as a system disk because of app launch times. I would also love to get the new 27” Apple LED display as it has a resolution of 2560 by 1440px which means you can view 2 web pages side by side. I have the raw power of my Mac Pro so it would make total sense to replace my MacBook Pro for a MacBook Air as you can get them with 4GB of RAM. When they just had 2GB it was not an option for me as Lightroom and Photoshop on 2GB is no fun.

I would love a new Mac Mini as my one does not read DVDs anymore, which means I can’t install Snow Leopard easily. So it’s stuck on Mac OS 10.4 and some new software won’t run on it, plus it struggles with some HD content. I can’t really justify it as my Drobo is only for back-up, but if the new models have quieter fans I’d really be happy with a new one. Actually as the Drobo is just for back-up and this is a dream setup a Gigabit Internet connection would not go amiss as I could all keep all my files on DropBox and also back-up to Crashplan instantly.

I wish Lightroom had facial recognition, geo-tagging and a light table like Apple’s Aperture does. Also I wish the Flickr uploader feature would better sync titles and descriptions instead of wiping them from Flickr when changed in Lightroom! That said, I am glad I am not an Aperture user after seeing how Apple has screwed pro users of Final Cut Pro - I know a few professional editors, and they’re all pulling their hair out.

As for my photo setup, I would love to get my hands on one of Lytro’s Light Field cameras when they launch to see if they are as magical as they are making them out to be. I have also been meaning to use Kodak’s new Portra film since Kodak took Portra NC and VC and blended them into Portra but I am still working my way though a stock pile of VC.

I am not bothered about getting a 5D Mark 2, but seeing as the Mark 3 must be just round the corner I would love to have one of those. The only thing that bugs me about my 5D is the exposure latitude could be better.

As this is a dream setup I would like to own The Vault, which is the photo lab I use, and all the kit in it. Plus a pile of cash so I could keep Dave and Mark on as my lab technicians. Also this is pie in the sky but I would love a digital sensor sticking out of a 35mm canister. That form factor should be big enough for Micro SD? It would allow me to capture digital images on any 35mm camera - that would be sweet!

This post is part of our The Setup Series, made possible by the folks at UsesThis. 

(Source http://kevin.meredith.usesthis.com/) 

Apple Introduces the New heatPad 3 

You might have heard of the recent Consumer Report claiming that the iPad 3 has been found to heat up to as much as 116 degrees Fahrenheit while running games.  When questioned about their new Heat Plate 3, Apple responded:

 The new iPad delivers a stunning Retina display, A5X chip, support for 4G LTE plus 10 hours of battery life, all while operating well within our thermal specifications. If customers have any concerns they should contact AppleCare.

 We know that you are shocked and impressed at Apple’s ability to dodge criticism while simultaneously sandwiching their rebuttal in a commercial for their product. If you have a problem with their sarcasm you can contact AppleCare. 

 We here at StackSocial don’t really understand the concern with the heat. Haven’t you ever accidently grabbed the handle of a cast iron skillet or placed your flat, open hand onto a steaming clothing iron?  How much does gaming mean to you? What are you willing to sacrifice to play Angry Birds with a stunning Retina display?

These are the kinds of questions that iPad 3 users should be asking themselves.  Isn’t it a plus that these new devices can both melt crayons and stay on for 10 hours?

 Just something to think about. 

The Setup Series: What do people use to get stuff done?

Mark Jardine

Designer (Tapbots)

Who are you, and what do you do?

My name is Mark Jardine. Most people know me from my work at Tapbots, a tiny iOS software company. I’m sort of a jack of all trades, master of none kind of guy. I struggled as a web designer for 10 years and finally realized that I’m a tiny bit better at designing user interfaces for software. In another life I’d be an illustrator or photographer.

What hardware are you using?

On my desk I have a 27” Core i7 iMac with 8 GB of ram. I interface with it via an Apple Wireless Keyboard and Magic Mouse. I also have a Magic Trackpadbut don’t use it often. My desktop is extended to an external 24” Apple LED Cinema Display and the audio is sent to a pair of M-Audio Studiophile AV40’s. My system is backed up to a 1TB Lacie d2 Quadra over FW800 and my work is archived to a Drobo with about 6TB’s of space. I’ll occasionally have myAudio Technica AT2020 USB Condenser Mic connected when being a guest on a podcast or for recording voiceovers in demo videos. Once in awhile I’ll connect my Microkorg XL or M-Audio Radium 61 keyboard to play around in Logic or Garageband.

When I boot into Windows (via Boot Camp) to play Bad Company 2, I grab my Logitech MX1000 and communicate with friends over my Creative Fatality USB Headset.

When I’m on the go, I choose between my second generation iPad or my 11” Macbook Air depending on the type of work I plan to get done. It’s a good thing they both fit into my tiny Tom Bihn Ristretto: bag (though not at the same time). I also never forget my Shure SE530 earbuds to drown out the outside world.

Related to my portable life, I also have a Sony PSP-Go and a Nintendo 3DS. But I rarely take them anywhere since my trusty iPhone 4 is what I always have on me. I take it EVERYWHERE except for in the shower. If only it were waterproof.

When I feel like pretending to be a photographer, I take out my trusty Canon 5D Mark II. People think I’m a real photographer when I set up my 430ex and580ex Speedlites on stands firing through 2 shoot-through umbrellas. And I really impress them with my 35mm 1.4L, 50mm 1.2L, 16-35 2.8L, and 70-200mm 2.8L IS lenses. When it comes to video, I’ll occasionally use mySteadicam Merlin or indislider Pro.

And what software?

Obviously, my main OS of choice is Mac OS X. I try to stay away from 3rd party software as much as I can. Apple’s software just works and works great for my needs. I love Safari. It syncs bookmarks to my iOS devices and I think it renders text the best out of all the browsers. I rely heavily on iCal,Address Book, and Mail. They all work very well with each other and with my iOS devices. I also use iChat for IM. I think it’s the best chat client by far.

I keep my notes in Notational Velocity because it’s fast and it syncs withSimpleNote on iOS. Also, life would be unbearable without Dropbox. It is the key to being able to own and use more than one computer. I usually haveTwitter for Mac running, but I don’t have much time to keep up with it these days. iTunes is the center of my media life. Besides music, I keep all the ripped (that I own) and digitally downloaded movies in iTunes format so they can play on my iOS devices as well as on both of my Apple TV’s in the house.

On the work side of things, Photoshop is key. 99% of my design work is done in Photoshop. For more complicated vectors, I’ll launch Illustrator. When marking up websites, I switch between Coda, Espresso, and Textmate, but the latter is my pick if I could only use one. Transmit is also a very handy tool that gets a good workout on occasion.

When dabbling in video, I use the full Final Cut Studio suite. I import all my photos to Aperture, but still rely on Photoshop for my heavy image editing. I’m trying to learn Logic, but I always get frustrated and drop back down toGarageband. I really do love Apple’s Pro Apps.

What would be your dream setup?

Two “27” Cinema Displays connected to the top of the line Mac Pro with 16GB of ram, a big SSD drive for the system and a redundant raid setup for my data. Oh, and for gaming, I’d want to build my own top-spec PC. But in reality, I just hope the next generation iMacs are significantly faster with some sort of SSD + HDD setup. I think they provide the best bang for the buck.

This post is part of our The Setup Series, made possible by the folks at UsesThis.

(Source: mark.jardine.usesthis.com)

The Setup Series: What do people use to get stuff done?

Vijay Pande 

Stanford Professor and Director of the Folding@home Distributed Computing Project 

Who are you, and what do you do?

I’m a professor of Chemistry, Structural Biology, and Computer Science at Stanford University and Director of its Biophysics Program, but I’m perhaps best known as the Director of the Folding@home Distributed Computing project. Folding@home brings together millions of computers throughout the world to perform calculations in biophysics and medicine that would other wise be impossible.

What hardware are you using? 

Currently it’s a late 2009 17” Macbook Pro with a 3GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 8GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD. I carry it in a Kenneth Cole brown shoulder bag, which looks slim but yet holds this (relatively big) laptop. When in my office, the laptop is supplemented by a 30” Apple monitor, a multi-drive 4TB RAID (for storing data and backup), and an Apple wirelesskeyboard and mouse.

My phone is a 32GB iPhone 4. I use it heavily during the day writing emails and keeping track of pending issues and often doing video Skype calls. This drains the battery pretty heavily, but I’m happy that I rarely drain it completely and it holds up much better than my previous iPhone 3G.

I also use a flash drive almost daily and so having it be high performance and high density is important. I use a PATRIOT drive, although I wish it wasn’t so wide since it can’t sit in the Macbook Pro’s USB slot and still allow neighboring slots to be used.

I also use a 64GB iPad 2 daily, usually at home in the early morning and late evening to read email and keep track of various web sites. I like using it since I don’t have to drag out the laptop, especially since I’m usually covered with cats or kids in the mornings and evenings and using my laptop seems to be too dangerous in that line of fire. The iPad works great in that setting, but I also find it really useful on long, international flights such as SFO to Frankfurt, Germany, which comes up surprisingly frequently.

And what software?

I’m using OS X 10.6.8, but waiting for 10.7.2 to come out to upgrade the OS. I use Word 2011 pretty heavily, since a lot of my work involves writing or editing papers and grant proposals. I like Word’s markup capabilities for editing very much and use them frequently. 
I also give a lot of presentations and use Keynote ‘09 (looking forward to upgrading that too). I find Keynote much more elegant to use than Powerpoint as well as faster and more responsive, which is important for fast editing which I frequently do. I also really like its transitions.

The Papers app is also a fundamental part of my day, helping organize scientific journal articles, which otherwise would be a major mess. I’ve been curious about Papers 2.0, but haven’t seen a compelling reason to upgrade just yet.

I use Evernote pretty heavily for just about everything, from todo lists to notes, to shopping lists. Its ability to sync on all of my platforms allows me to capture information quickly (even on my phone, even with taking pictures with the camera), but have it everywhere (laptop, phone, iPad). I use the free version for now, but am curious about the pay version to allow for sharing of notes.

Finally, I use the standard Mac tools for the rest, including its address book,calendar, and mail. All of them sync nicely with Stanford University’s core mail and calendar tools as well as integrating with each other well. I do use the Letterbox extension to make Mail.app usable and useful on big screens and am curious what OS X Lion will bring in terms of all of these.

What would be your dream setup?

I’m waiting and dreaming of a 15” Macbook Air/Pro, i.e. a 15” Macbook Air style machine, but lots of RAM (at least 8GB) and a big drive (at least 512GB), connected to two 27” screens and a very fast RAID via Thunderbolt. That would allow me to have an amazing powerful machine that doesn’t give me shoulder pain on the way back and forth from home to work.

This post is part of our The Setup Series, made possible by the folks at UsesThis. 

(Source: vijay.pande.usesthis.com)

5 Kickstarter Projects We Love.

Kickstarter just might be the hottest new investment trend in technology. Recently the founder of the site said that Kickstarter receives about 250 proposals everyday, 60% of which are accepted and posted to the site.  By the end of 2011 over 150,000 projects had been submitted and over $125 million worth of funds were raised to try and get those projects off the ground.

 We’ll admit it; we’re impressed. Here are a few of our favorite projects: 

Dash 

Dash is a car stereo run by your smartphone.  It is made of a “faceplate” that is fitted to whichever kind of smartphone you have (meaning it can easily be changed if you get a new phone) and a stereo body which is installed in your car, replacing your current stereo. It also charges your phone making it possible to drive from one side of Los Angeles to the other in rush hour traffic without your phone dying. Sign us up. 

Check it out here. 

Timelapse+

Timelapse+ is a intervalometer (timer device) for SLR cameras.  It can connect to any camera with a cable release and has Bluetooth Low Energy technology for connecting with accessories. This device will allow photographers to control the interval, length of exposure in tenths of a second, the number of exposures per interval (for HDR) and a different duration for each exposure.  

Check it out here.

SolMate

Ever been hiking in the woods when your phone suddenly dies? Maybe not, but it could happen. This case uses solar technology to charge an iPhone. A great thing to have in the great outdoors or to keep in your car in case of emergency. As we’ve all learned the hard way: you never know when your phone might die; now there’s an environmentally friendly way to deal with it. 

Check it out here. 

Node 

Node uses Bluetooth Low Energy technologyto allow the “code-literate techie to the simple home owner” to enjoy the fun and power of sensors.  The “Kore” features allows you to use Node to hang pictures or as a motion-based remote control. “Clima” allows you to measure your climate while “Luma” can turn your phone into a flashlight. This may just be one the most practicals apps yet. 

Check it out here.

Mail Pilot 

Email…perhaps the best and worst thing that has happened to humanity in the past 20 years. Mail Pilot allows you to finally get control without having to store your information anywhere but your current server. This app allows you to mark messages as read/unread, organize review lists and browse through your emails for efficiently and accurately. The best past is that it’s compatible with all major email servers so you don’t need to get a new address. That’s one less thing to have to worry about! 

Check it out here. 

SXSW Interactive, it’s spring break for nerds.

It’s spring break for college students everywhere and its spring break for the tech world! Unlike the flocks of 20-year-olds boarding flights to Cabo, entrepreneurs and techies are heading to Austin, Texas for the festival of all things innovative and emerging, South by Southwest.  The festival, made famous by its incredible headlining musical acts, has also been a Mecca for young companies looking to make a splash at South by Southwest Interactive (don’t you dare call it a tradeshow). In 2007 Twitter made a huge publicity launch at the festival.  Last year was all about the group messaging services; this year it looks as if mobile apps such as Highlight are stealing the limelight.

Interactive, which has been endearingly nicknamed “spring break for nerds” is one of the best networking opportunities for entrepreneurs in the country.  With over 20,000 participants and 1,000 panels, the techie festival serves as a weekend community of idea sharing and brainstorming.  It’s events like this that prove that the American start-up culture is on the rise.  People with great ideas are looking for the best ways to turn them into profitable companies and the idea of the entrepreneur is rapidly changing and evolving.

Along with the emergence of this community of entrepreneurs have come many different books and philosophies of the best way to run a start-up. On the forefront of start-up advice is Eric Ries, author of The Lean Start-Up and propagator of the “fail fast” methodology. We are offering a video course based off his book for $150. Check out Eric and the online series here.