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PIM with visualization
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Posted by quant
Jul 17, 2009 at 06:35 AM
IMO, Topicspace is a joke, it’s the same 2D flat tree looked at not directly from “above”, but at some angle ...
OTOH, I quite like TheBrain, did you try different layouts? The basic one might feel a bit unusual at the beginning.
pereh wrote:
>Hello all,
>
>triggered by next weeks’ offer of ‘Topicscape’ at ‘bitsdujour’, I would
>like to ask if there are more PIM programs (not primarily Mind Mappers) besides
>Topicscape and The Brain, who try to visualize their contents. I looked at these both
>and was not too pleased with the way topics are presented.
>
>Regards,
>Peter.
Posted by pereh
Jul 17, 2009 at 09:59 AM
Thanks to you all for your replies!
quaint: I checked The Brain, maybe I missed to try different layouts. I think it is good, but highly overpriced. I suggested it to ‘bitsdujour’, but they had no success in getting it, so far.
Regards,
Peter.
Posted by jamesofford
Jul 17, 2009 at 10:10 AM
Does anyone out there use Tinderbox routinely? I have been intrigued by it for years but have not been able to figure out how to use it. I tried it out about 5 years ago, and the learning curve was so steep I couldn’t quite fit it into a usable place.
Posted by pereh
Jul 17, 2009 at 01:01 PM
Sorry for that, but English is not my first language… The answer was for quant, of course.
pereh wrote:
>Thanks to you all for your replies!
>
>quaint: I checked The Brain, maybe I missed to try
>different layouts. I think it is good, but highly overpriced. I suggested it to
>‘bitsdujour’, but they had no success in getting it, so far.
>
>Regards,
>Peter.
Posted by Stephen Zeoli
Jul 17, 2009 at 01:38 PM
Jim wrote:
>Does anyone out there use Tinderbox routinely? I have been intrigued by it for years
>but have not been able to figure out how to use it. I tried it out about 5 years ago, and the
>learning curve was so steep I couldn’t quite fit it into a usable place.
Jim,
Like you, I had been intrigued by Tinderbox for a long time, but the high cost and the steep learning curve kept me from buying a copy. But, when it was on sale a couple of months ago my CRIMP got the better of me and I broke down and bought a license. I’ve found that it can be a pretty handy application, even if I don’t use all (or even most) of its powerful features. For example, I often use it to work through a timeline or schedule. A historic group I’m associated with is publishing a book and I’ve built a model in Tinderbox to help me get a handle on the process. Working in a map view, and using the feature called “Adornments” I have created columns representing each month for the coming year. (Adornments are simply boxes (or circles, or whatever shape you choose) that reside in the background of your model—they are useful for collecting related items.) Then I created additional adornments, which serve as rows representing aspects of the project—i.e. writing, illustration, editing, layout, printing. Then I add notes representing various tasks and steps. Each of these has a field for who is responsible. Additional functions can automatically color-code the note based on the person responsible. Then I dragged each of thes note-tasks to its place on my timeline, and in a glance I can see what steps should be due when and by whom. Of course, you can use any number of project management applications to do this same thing, but I like the fact that it is very tactile. That is, I manually move items around, which helps me think through the process. Notes about the various aspects of the project can also be easily sorted and organized in Tinderbox as well. And most of this doesn’t take a lot of skill. Just watching a few of the video tutorials should get you started.
Another example is that I keep a log of the movies I’ve watched (at least the ones worth noting), and I’ve begun using Tinderbox for this purpose. I create a note for each movie, and these notes have fields for date viewed, director, stars, and rating, as well as the main text field, where I write a short review. I’ve set up agents (which are just other notes that have the ability to collect other notes based upon criteria and then do things to them) that gather the film notes based upon my rating and then color code them by rating.
Essentially I tend to use Tinderbox as a white board for index cards, which can be either manipulated manually or automatically.
But there are so many aspects of Tinderbox that I haven’t even tried or explored yet, and may never. Tinderbox is far from perfect. In addition to the learning curve, it is also pretty quirky. I don’t know if this is more the result of user error or bugs in the program. And Tinderbox does not have the most appealing user interface.
Still, if you are not frightened off by the price, it may be worth the plunge. To appreciate TB, you really have to roll up your sleeves and use it.
Steve Z.