Digital Bibliography

Here’s a video in three sections. In the first, I explain why I like PDFs on the iPad so much and introduce my workflow. In the second part, I explain how Dropbox keeps files sync’d across multiple computers, including the iPad, and how the iPad fits into that work flow. In the third part, I walk through the interface for Dropbox and iAnnotate on the iPad to demonstrate how easy (sorta) it is to use PDFs on the iPad.

Key Words: ipad, pdf, pdfs, dropbox, iannotate, email, tutorial, highlighting, marginalia, notes.

(p.s. Apologies for the screen-capture audio. I had the wrong microphone enabled. It picked up all the wrong acoustics from from desk.)

Um…. So… I bought an iPad. Yep. Some of you might remember that at one point I had high hopes for the iPad, though only fueled by pre-announcement, speculative fantasy. And you might or might not have read my angry rant about all the ways the iPad fell short of what I had hoped it would be. And now, to complete my solipsistic little trilogy, let me explain to you why I drove over to BestBuy and snagged one.

It’s a toy. Techno candy. And I deserve it.

Now the disclaimers. First, apologies to Steve Krause. He’s done such a great job of explaining how he’s worked the iPad into a productive role in his life. His practices and reflections are really quite interesting and convincing. Actually, I’m convinced that I, too, can be productive with the little gadget. And I’ve talked with several other people who also are genuinely exploring the practical aspects of these machines. I applaud them. Sincerely. It’s just not my own primary motivation. Read the rest of this entry »