Jedi Concentrate
Free program to dim all the active window
Dark Room
simple distraction-free text program
DarkRoom
Writing for thinking
Excerpt from an essay on the problems of writing with a computer -- from 1988, and still relevant
Writing by hand
For students, on the benefits of handwriting
John Henry's pencil
Human v. machine
Homework-eating dogs
Advice for students: How to avoid problems when writing with a computer
On Microsoft's grammar checker
From "Microsoft Word Grammar Checker Are No Good, Scholar Conclude," in the Chronicle of Higher Education : If you've ever used Microsoft Wo...
"The Mail Moment"
From a New York Times article by James Fallows, "Why the Internet Isn't the Death of the Post Office": The most touching artifact among the...
"Amish computing"
I'm getting so much spam. Hundreds of messages a day trying to seduce me by appealing to my darkest lusts and my greed. So I've gone back to...
My version of Amish computing
Paul Ford's notion of "Amish computing" appeals strongly to me, especially in its emphasis on distraction-free writing. But I can't imagine...