Predictions and Trends for 2021:
- Work from home for real… like it or not businesses have been forced to permit employees to work from home. For some companies, they have experienced an improvement in performance. But, it’s not for everyone. Slow internet, a lack of proper equipment or just a good place to work has been a hindrance. Some people embrace the idea, but it takes a change in workflow and recognition that a loss of face to face contact is problematic. Zoom and its competitors work well, but people still miss hanging out at the water cooler. There is going to be a fundamental change in how we work and businesses may need less office space in the future as we work through this making changes in how and where work is performed. Gig workers will likely increase and platforms that connect service providers with service consumers will improve. Cloud services may be where your applications and data reside so to work you may only need a “terminal”. This seems to be a contrast to ever more powerful laptops and tablets.
- Data as an asset… data volumes have exploded in the past few years and companies that can mine this and make sense of it will pull away from their competitors. Companies need to protect and secure data and improve employees ability to glean knowledge from what’s collected. We’ll see more improvement in understanding “big data”, AI (artificial intelligence) and machine learning. As more data is “mined” our privacy ebbs away. There are trade-offs with free products, but at what price?
- Business innovation and automation… leaders are reflecting on what they offer and how to move forward so they can prosper (or stay in business). Hospitality, travel, and events industries are among the two hardest hit in 2020. Being able to pivot and deliver your product or services helped restaurants via takeout. Some manufacturing companies delved into making medial products (ventilators) which were not part of typical operations enabling them to survive and provide a much needed product. Automation will allow companies to take some employees out of the equation when they don’t add enough value. Even white collar workers such as doctors or lawyers could see some displacement as telemedicine and chat bots make inroads into more mundane tasks. We may see more virtual interfaces to allow customers to “try before you buy” with eyewear, clothing, or even home decorating. Covid disruption of supply chains may bring manufacturing and local sourcing closer to home especially with increased interest in environmental awareness such as reduced carbon output or less water usage.
- Younger generations… a renewed and increased interest in sustainability will likely continue. Those entering the workforce in the future will want to work for a company with meaningful purpose and ethical concerns that were ignored or minimized in the past. People will demand more authentic presence on social media, and we’ll likely see more pushback against curated content while some providers like Facebook and Twitter throttle free speech. We’ll see. More influencers will be driving conversations on social platforms.
- Government regulations… the new administration will roll back many orders from the Trump term. Big Tech companies will be in the cross-hairs here and in Europe and we may see a breakup or partial breakup of companies who appear to be too powerful such as Google, Amazon, Apple to name a few. Regulators see these huge companies as cash cows and go after them with enormous fines for allegedly violating competitive rules. Governments and business will likely install monitoring systems (cameras, RFID tags, and other sensors) to check on people to see if they are complying with work or health related rules under the guise of public safety. “Gartner predicts that by the end of 2025, more than half of the world’s population will be subject to at least one IoB program” (Internet of Behavior). It seems that this could expand and include monitoring on where you go and whom you associate with as is done in China. George Orwell may have been right.
- 5G… this term is going to take on more meaning in 2021 and beyond as the new phone/communications technology becomes pervasive. Cars will “talk” to each other to lessen traffic and reduce accidents. Sensors in more and more things will tell us things like: farmers learn where fields need more water or fertilizer; smarter homes, offices, and hospitals; virtual reality augmentation with applications in entertainment and education; manufacturing and distribution and on and on.
- Apple Tech… the company has recently released some new laptops or “minis” that use an Apple designed chip instead of Intel’s chip. This, coupled with the design of the new Big Sur OS, leads to rather startling performance and battery life improvement. More MacBook Pros will be coming in 2021 with this new chip. Apple’s control of the OS and hardware makes for tight integration in the ecosystem that user’s like and find very useful.
Another new release is Apple Fitness+ that combines features in the Apple Watch working with iPhone and iPads. Personally, I have not tried it yet, as it requires a Series 3 watch or higher and a phone series 6 or higher, but here is a summary from Apple. “The first fitness experience built around Apple Watch, is available today, bringing inclusive and welcoming studio-style workouts to iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV so users can work out anytime, anywhere. Fitness+ intelligently and seamlessly incorporates key workout metrics users love from Apple Watch directly to iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV alongside inspiring workout content for an unparalleled, highly personalized, immersive experience, set to motivating music from the world’s top artists. Whether users are looking for a daily routine, want to try something new, know what they like to do, or are just getting started, Fitness+ offers workouts for everyone from a team of celebrated, charismatic, and passionate trainers who are specialists in their fields, and are inspired to coach all levels, from beginners to fitness enthusiasts. All of the workouts also include a trainer demonstrating modifications, so there’s always someone to follow, no matter a user’s ability.”
Siri…
14 essential Siri time-savers you may have overlooked.
Yes, Siri can set timers, alarms, and reminders. But Apple’s voice-enabled AI assistant is much more capable than you might think. The problem is that Apple hasn’t published a definitive list of all the things Siri can do. And while such a list would likely be overwhelmingly massive, here’s a list of lesser-known commands that are truly useful when it comes to making your day a bit easier.
“OPEN [APP NAME]”
Your iPhone’s home screen is an unfortunate mess of folders and apps numbering into the zillions. One result is you can never seem to find those apps you downloaded years ago but only need to use once in a while—there’s just no muscle memory involved.
For those times, a quick “Hey, Siri—open Couch to 5K” instantly opens up your virtually-cobwebbed fitness app without requiring you to flick through screen after screen to find it.
“TAKE ME HOME”
This one’s a godsend for the perpetually lost—especially when in the car. The phrase opens up Maps and starts navigating you back to the comfort of your abode.
“SPLIT A CHECK [NUMBER] WAYS”
You’re out eating with friends or coworkers and nobody’s itching to pick up the tab. Not only can you ask Siri to split the check for you—just insert the number of ways you need it split—but the service will also help you factor in how much to tip by percentage.
“PLAY ME MY LATEST VOICEMAIL”
Remember voicemail? When someone has the audacity to call you instead of text you, and you invariably don’t answer the phone, asking Siri to play your latest voicemail does just that. No need to tap your way to it first.
“ANY NEW EMAIL FROM [PERSON’S NAME]?”
You’re waiting for an important email from your boss, but you’ve got both your hands busy kneading a salmonella-infused pile of cookie dough. Keep checking in to see if important emails have arrived by asking Siri if a particular person has emailed.
“WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE NEWS?”
Depressing though the news may be, sometimes a quick perusal of the top headlines is just what you need to bring you up to speed. Ask Siri, and it’ll serve up five of the latest newsworthy items for your perusal.
“WHERE IS MY [APPLE DEVICE]?”
You might as well have your iPhone stapled to your hip, but all your other Apple gadgets live wherever you last left them— especially those tiny AirPods. Just ask Siri where they are, and the service will do her best to track them down for you. Oh, and your iPad is in between the couch cushions and your MacBook is on top of the fridge.
“NEXT TIME I’M AT [PLACE], REMIND ME TO [ACTION]”
This is a favorite in the many households because we always forget stuff when we’re at the grocery store. Setting a location-based reminder—such as “The next time I’m at Whole Foods, remind me to buy sugar”—keeps us from having to make return trips for forgotten supplies.
“WHERE’S THE NEAREST [PLACE]?”
It’s dark, you’re out on the open road, and your fuel light just came on. What to do? Instead of fumbling around with typed searches for nearby gas stations, just ask. You’ll get a quick list of the closest options, and a quick tap later, the Maps app will navigate you to your destination.
“HOW MANY [MEASUREMENTS] IN [OTHER MEASUREMENT]?”
Googling “How many ounces in two cups?” takes too long, a frustration exacerbated by the nagging feeling that had I paid better attention in school, I’d just know these things.
“HOW MANY CALORIES IN [FOOD]?”
The holidays are in full swing, which means many of us will be repeatedly stress-testing our daily caloric limits. To keep yourself in check, ask Siri how many calories are in that gingerbread latte you’re about to inhale. With any luck, you might be nudged toward a more sensible black coffee instead.
“DID THE [SPORTS TEAM] WIN?”
Yes, you could navigate to your sports app and find your way to the final score of the Patriots-Cardinals nail-biter, but it’s a lot easier and quicker to just ask if the Patriots won. (They did—on a last-second field goal.)
“WHAT’S THIS SONG?”
Let’s face it: You’re probably saying this out loud anyway. So the next time you hear a song that just speaks to you, ask Siri what it is, and Apple will leverage the miracle of modern technology to identify it for you.
“WHAT CAN YOU DO?”
Want to discover some additional ways Siri can save you time? Just ask the service what it can do, and she’ll get you over to Apple’s Siri support page, where you can find additional phrases of interest.
Evernote 10 – this is a revisit to the comment in November
For the less techie inclined, you may want to wait a while before installing v10. IF YOU HAVE already installed v10, you can roll back to the legacy version. See this link. Not sure how long it will be available, and it will not have any updates some commentators say. https://help.evernote.com/hc/en-us/articles/360052560314
The conversation continues on this major update with many on-line commentors praising or condemning the change. I get it, change is hard, especially when it’s major. Some will accept it and move on. Some folks are fault finders and threaten to leave but not before maligning a program with a couple of hundred million users. Yes, it’s a bit frustrating as some features seem to have disappeared. Some have and will be brought back, some are just in a different place. The goal was to have a unified base across all platforms as mentioned previously. Hang in Evernote users (I’ve been one since 2008), things will get better. Ian Small, the CEO, gives some background to what’s going on.
Personally, I updated to V10 with my 7k notes and have not had any major problems. Some things look different, and I have to search for a feature that is buried. Some old features I liked are “missing”. Some will be brought back and some will not. I believe that it will continue to be a popular program for holding your “stuff” and finding it. It’s search feature is still a major strong point.
Getting Things Done…
The concept was developed by David Allen in his easy to read book, Getting Things Done. The book is a short read, easy to follow and has been a best seller for those interested in personal productivity. The five core principles are:
Capture – your brain is for thinking and being creative, not so much for holding disparate pieces of information. Get all your “stuff” in one trusted place. Stuff means, to-do items, phone calls, anniversary dates, important documents, projects, journals, and so on. Nearly anything can be digitized. First put it in an “inbox”. As you can see from the illustration following, anything that you need to remember, like to read, save for reference, just because, and so on. Of course this shows things going into Evernote, but you can put it in any note taking app that you prefer.
Clarify – now, ask yourself, what is this? What does it mean to me? What do I need to do with it? Define it by an ACTION word (file, delegate it, save for the future, do it!) Be detailed in deciding so you will really know.
Organize – put a date on so you’ll know when you first handed it. Then put a deadline on it if needed. Is it a Project (takes more than one, may two steps)? Now put it into folders/notebooks that make sense to you. Give each “note/document” a name that will tell you quickly what it is? Some systems let you also tag (or multiple tags) each note so that it has more context (family, home, office, computer, high, place name, etc.) The goal here with naming conventions and tags is that you will be able to find it in the future when you need it.
Reflect – each week and then again each month to look at your system. Are you comfortable and do you trust the way you are doing this, can you find your things, anything slipping through the crack? If your answer is essentially yes to these then relax, as that is the whole point. Things will pop up with reminders (your app will show you how to do this) when they need attention. You will likely also use a calendar or a simple task manager to supplement as no one app is perfect for everything. The main app for placing your stuff (Evernote, OneNote, Notion, Obsidian and others) is for holding things for future reference and use.
Engage – once you are making this work for you, as things come due, then DO IT or delegate it. Things that are multiple step are Projects and will require more thinking and panning an input and collaboration from others is llikely. You will have to go back and forth on these to see that forward progress is being made.
Roam Research – This is a relatively new program which has been around only since 2019. See https://roamresearch.com/ The application is essentially a note taking tool for networked thought. You create pages and using it’s features, you can link the page/or note/or comment to another page upon which you can also expand and add comment. This application seems most useful to researchers or writers who need to link what they are doing to supporting information. It’s strength is the backward/forward linking between pages. It’s very streamlined and seems simple but has potential for serious writing and insight.
Thought for today:
- When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened for us… Helen Keller
Next time: looking at Notion another recent newcomer to note taking. As always, let me know if you have a suggestion for a topic.