Todd Clarke's Technology Corner v2.0

Most folks are not aware of the fact that Apple has a refurbished store that also sells iPads.

iPad 1st generation are available for $499

iPad 2 black 64 gig wifi are only $599

iPad 2 white 64 gig wifi are only $599

and my recommendation – the white, 64 gig, 3g iPad2 for $729, a full $100 discount from a brand new model in the store.

Todd Clarke's ideal office setup taken with iPhone 4s

Todd Clarke's ideal office setup

Todd Clarke's ideal office setup

Todd Clarke's ideal office setup

Todd Clarke's ideal office setup

I have been pursuing my ideal office for decades and this arrangement is the closest I have come to a nirvana of office productivity.

What you see here includes 7000 gigabytes (7 terabytes) of storage, 9 screens, 4 computers all controlled by one keyboard and mouse sitting on an Ikea desk. http://www.ikea.com/
Additional equipment on deck includes 2 iPads, one Kindle fire, one iPhone, a Fujitsu Scansnap S510 scanner (for going paperless), a Brother PT-2430PC labeler and of course the all-important Aeron chair.
Most of the monitors are 22” to 24” Samsung’s with a 22” Samsung USB Driven monitor a Phillips Boom Boom monitor and a Mimo 7” USB driven monitor. The desktop computers are redundant setups with a physical keyboard/mouse switch and Multiplicity software that ties them together with the MacbookAir, and the MacMini.

The computers are task driven and run software during the day based on their portability. Starting left working right they include:

I have found this setup to be very efficient. The two HP desktops run jobs that take a long time – like backups or print runs, or they are used for big projects we have going – stuff that I want to leave up (like maps). The Mac mini is used mostly for coding apps for the iPhone/iPad. The MacbookAir is my main day to day machine – so its running email, contact management, quickbooks, and document management. It is configured in such a way that on a moments notice I can pull its plug and dash out to a meeting.

The glass wall you see to the left of my desk is a 8’ wide x 4’ tall white board that we write on and/or tape things to as we work through projects .

How is your office configured?

One of my favorite blogs – Lifehacker.com has a great gallery of office setups – including this mobile one or thi sone in a barn – and this map shows where everyone is located that has made a contribution to Lifehackers Workspace show and tell.

Just a few days after I posted this article, I came across this showcase of minimalist office setups.

These two images look alike right?

Click on the images and you will see that while they are similar, they are not at all alike.

The image on the left was how this post on my blog was viewed on a landline based internet connection.

The image on the right was how the same post was viewed from 30,000 feet of altitude, or using the GoGo internet Wi-Fi on my Delta flight yesterday.

Obviously the airplane needs to compress as much of the data going through its “pipeline” to the ground, but it does make it hard to compile a PowerPoint for your next presentation!

Thanks to the MN/Dakotas CCIM chapter and SOIR for a fabulous turnout and a great session!

The list of must have iPad apps can be found here.
and the article I wrote on iPad apps can be found in the Journal of Property Management.

You can also always search our blog for iPad or Apps for the latest news.

and I’ve uploaded yesterday’s powerpoint here MN-CCIM-SIOR-Tech-SocialNetworkingWebinar-11102011.

If you have interest in taking our tech session a bit further and using social networking -click here to watch our Prezi.

While there are a lot of neat features on the new iPhone 4s (and IOS5), one of the neatest is rarely discussed and that is the ability to sync your phone over your wifi connection.

This makes you cable free! (except to charge). In addition to upgrading your phone you will also need to upgrade iTunes.

In a scene out of the book Aerotroplis: They way we will live next, Apple notified me yesterday that my iPhone 4s has left its facility in Shen Zen, China (where Foxconn makes the phones), and has passed Hong Kong and is enroute to LAX on the way to being delivered to my door this Friday.

See the Aerotroplis CCIM webinar here, or even better – see the author, Greg Lindsay, at CCIM Live This Friday August 14th, 2011 in Phoenix.

More than any other person on this planet, Steve Jobs “got it” he knew that the electronics business was not a matter of better, faster, technology, but rather, a better user experience.

Every other month, I report on the latest technology for the IREM associations Journal Of Property Management in their “gadgets” column.

This month’s issue provids coverage on the must have apps for your iPhone and/or your iPad.

Thanks again to the IREM staff for doing a phenomenal job on the layout!

Alaska Airlines recently announced that they intend to replace over 2.4 million pages and 50 pounds on every flight by allowing their pilots to go paperless (see Engadget.com article here)

The article goes on to state that they intend to use one of my favorite apps – Goodreader for managing their documents.

If you have an interesting in going paperless – this article from the CCIM institute gives you an idea of the technology and process you need get started.