Hasta La Ideas

Reader Bev submitted the following to Ask Unclutterer:

The company I went to work for in March has both Macs and PCs (me=graphic designer, Mac). The IT department has all of us using Entourage to keep us on a consistent system. I know that Entourage has features to help organize e-mail and create tasks, but I’m not using them yet. Help–please!

Bev, either you’re a plant, or you have the best timing in the universe. Last week, Microsoft arranged for me to have a phone call with Peter Walsh about Entourage for Mac. I’m not kidding. So, even though I’m not an Entourage user, I have a little more insight into the product than I did before the call.

For starters, Microsoft has fantastic Office 2008, which includes the program. And, as Walsh said, “If it works, great. If not, move onto what works best for you.”

However, Bev, at work you don’t have much of a choice about the program that you use. So, learn all that you can from the videos and take advantage of the planning features in the program. Peter Walsh seems to like them, and that is an organized endorsement if I ever heard one.

Thank you for submitting your question for our Ask Unclutterer column. Good luck getting your e-mail under control, and check out our other posts on e-mail management for non-program specific ideas.

Do you have a question relating to organizing, cleaning, home and office projects, productivity, or any problems you think the Unclutterer team could help you solve? To submit your questions to Ask Unclutterer, go to our contact page and type your question in the content field. Please list the subject of your e-mail as “Ask Unclutterer.” If you feel comfortable sharing images of the spaces that trouble you, let us know about them. The more information we have about your specific issue, the better.

The Infrastructurist, a blog started in 2009 to report on American Infrastructure, recently launched F** This!, “a place for residents of America’s largest city to identify and fix problems with the local infrastructure.” The project uses software from SeeClickFix, and allows users to report on problems, watch problem areas, vote for repairs, and close tickets. The project is still in a very early stage, but we encourage you to test it out and help The Infrastructurist iron out the kinks!

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The Last iPhone

What if you are holding the last iPhone ever made?
What if the 3G-S looked no different than the 3G?
What if the 4G looked no different than the 3G-S and so on…?
What if all iPhones looked the same from now on?

What if it didn’t matter that the iPhone could be made 1/16″ thinner next year?
What if it didn’t matter that the iPhone could be produced in a host of different colors and metallic finishes?
What if the design could not be improved upon?
What if Apple stopped releasing new iPhones?

What if you could expand the capabilities of the iPhone infinitely through software?
What if there were a billion different apps available to download instantly?
What if you could plug-in new hardware modules to extend the capabilities even further?
What if you could send in your iPhone to have the internal components upgraded each year?

What if you subscribed to the iPhone instead of owning it?
What if the iPhone was guaranteed for life?
What if you never bought another phone?
What if Apple really decided to think differently?

(What would you be willing to pay for a Continuously-Upgraded-iPhone-for-Life? I would love to hear your answers…)

Robert Fabricant is the VP of Creative at frog design

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