Best apps ever.

I was reading ProfHacker column in the Chronicle of Higher Ed today. It's kind of a cool column, some tech savvy professors trying to give help to the benighted, with tech stuff that applies to teaching, scholarship, and other educational productivity blah blzzzzzzzzz what? Right: productivity.

One of the ProfHacker posters recommended tools, some tech-related (Evernote), some not (a fancy kind of notebook I can't remember and now I can't find the post again--FRUSTRATING), some of which I explored for a minute or an hour or two while I was also "grading." Which leads me now to consider my favorite apps, in the spirit of sharing and helping, because I am all about that. Forthwith:

Apps of Glory.

App 1. Fountain pen. Yes, the fountain pen represents nothing so much as the possibility that ink could explode (or 'splode, as I like to say, in homage to the way I think Ricky Ricardo might say it in a beloved yet elusive episode of I Love Lucy) all over your bad self. But on a good day, here are two things the fountain pen will do for you: (a) dignify every motherloving word you write with ink flowing elegantly from a nib (Yes! Nib!), and (b) provoke the envy of your peers. I recommend a child's fountain pen, such as the Pelikan Pelicano Junior. It is fat, it is comfortable to hold, it is sassy.

"But is it an app?" you say.

"Why, yes," I reply. "It allows for the application of ink to paper. Also the application of attitude to any situation. What definition of 'app' are you using?"

App 2. Notebook. Someone on that ProfHacker post (gone to time, gone to the black hole of the internets, oh post of yore or this afternoon, where have you skedaddled to?) made a snide remark about the Moleskine notebook being pretentious. Yes, I know that the Moleskine is something white people love. Yes, yes, yes, go on ahead. But the Moleskine has one great thing going for it: that elastic band that keeps it shut. No, two things: the color of the paper is creamy ivory. Three things: also, the texture of the paper is extremely fine--smooth, beautiful to write on. With your fountain pen. Four things: the pocket. Trendy, pretentious, whatever. It's a damn fine notebook. I am currently filling the Reporter's Notebook with my deep, deep, complicated thoughts. I recommend that you do likewise. I like my notebooks without ruled lines, because my thoughts are deep and complicated enough that lines would constrain them. I'm sure you know exactly what I mean.

"But is it an app?" you query.

"Why yes, it is," I reply. "It is an application for storing your deep, deep, complicated thoughts on creamy ivory paper of an illustrious texture, and for your receipts and other doodads in the pocket, and out of which nothing will ever be lost, because: elastic band."

App 3. Genius function on iTunes. OMG I love the Genius. Today I started with the Grandaddy cover of the Beatles "Revolution,"

Revolution - Grandaddy

and before you know it I was hearing good stuff like nobody's business. Moreover, while I was hearing a song by Iron and Wine, I thought to myself, I wonder if Rufus Wainwright will show up in this playlist. And what do you know, the very next song was "Poses."

Poses - Rufus Wainwright

What I'm saying, the people, is: my Genius can read my mind.

"But is it an app?" you ask.

"Of course it's an app," I reply. "It's on my iPod."

tags: app, cool shit, stuff