going mobo

For the love of food

Chris Simon — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 19:55:01 +0000

Have you been to Paris lately? Maybe you sat down for a meal and been thoroughly disappointed by the mediocre fare? What’s happening ? It is surprising in a country like France where a good meal is a subject of conversation and food a matter of pride, that restaurants have taken a bit of nose-dive [...]

Mobile Notes

Jenz Johnson — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 19:37:26 +0000

During your normal day you may run into a number of things that catch your attention. You may see news scroll across a screen, or an article pop up in your RSS feeds. You may even save the article to read later. But with so many things happening, how can you delve deeper into the [...]

Reboot your To-Do List

Jenz Johnson — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 13:38:51 +0000

A new start I had stalled out on my to-do list. For the past week, I was staring at the same ten items, making little progress. I’d tried everything to motivate myself. For example, I promised myself a tall frozen yogurt at the end of the day if I’d completed them all. Then I’d revise [...]

Phones at the table

Jenz Johnson — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 17:41:47 +0000

There’s something quite refreshing about sitting at a table with friends, each with their mobile device, either in hand or set out next to them, and having an intense discussion. You name the topic. Everyone dives in. Fact-checking runs rampant. When one person repeats a favorite ditty from a cable station, another carefully walks through [...]

The New Smart

Jenz Johnson — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 16:37:49 +0000

We can all be smarter with a second brain, and that extra brain is right there in our hands: our smartphones! You don’t need any special programming skills. With a little savings, you can buy a smartphone and load it up with free (or at least cheap) apps. The apps are quick and easy to [...]

Taking Notes

Jenz Johnson — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 16:05:25 +0000

Cornell University published its guidelines for taking notes during lectures by emphasizing the Five R’s: Record. When you are listening to a speaker, jot down your notes in long-hand. Stay away from abbreviations which may not be decipherable later on. If you are reading online material, such as an e-book, clip important passages. Reduce. Summarize [...]

Drawing Apps

Jenz Johnson — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 14:50:01 +0000

Drawing Apps: What to look for Your tablet or phone are perfect for sketching personal roadmaps, doodling mobo sketchnotes during a talk or simply drawing. Drawing apps are key to the whole process. There are a number of choose from. Some of the important features to look for are: Layers. Drawing programs that allow you [...]

The Things You Can Do

Jenz Johnson — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 19:06:34 +0000

When your phone and other mobile devices are set up correctly, you can expand the types of things you can do on them. Many activities that were once limited to your computer, or done with a pad of paper, can be done more effectively and with better results with your mobile brain. Planning. Unlike writing [...]

Just Published!

Jenz Johnson — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 18:32:41 +0000

My book Mobo Brain: A Guide to Mobile Brainpower has just been published by Birdrock Press. If you already have a smartphone, like the Apple iPhone, Samsung Galaxy or one of many Android phones on the market, then you are well on your way to turning this small device into a second (mobo) brain. You [...]

Templates

Jenz Johnson — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 18:11:51 +0000

Templates are shortcuts to drawing maps for such things as brainstorming, planning your day or taking notes. For example, if you are brainstorming solutions to a problem, you may want to place a quick sketch of the problem at the center of the map and then represent different types of solutions around it. If you [...]