I don't carry around a planner or use online calendars or even my software office package to keep track of appointments or todo items. I either send myself a quick email or text message, scribble it on a piece of paper, or just hope i remember it when it's time (although the later method often gets me into trouble...)

Funny, considering that i work with computers all day. But it looks like i'm not alone. There's an emerging trend of people who want all the reminders and organization that a traditional calendaring/todo system can give you, but without the overhead and burden of actually having to deal with filling it out. Enter text-based computing and natural language processing. A number of (for now) free offerings allow you to just type (web), text (sms), or say (phone) what you want, using natural speech ("Lunch with Luann tomorrow afternoon"), and it generates your calendar for you, and will even send you reminders (via phone/sms/email) when its time to do something.

Here are a few quotes from the article:

The problem with to-do lists and schedules is that you need to fill them out.

Most organizational systems break your flow. They try to make you do something else for a moment [add a calendar entry, todo, etc..], and then you can go back to whatever you were doing in the first place.

For two decades, software has been dominated by graphical user interfaces, which employ visual features like windows and icons to convey information. ... The command line is making a comeback--and increasingly, natural-language processing is bringing the ease and simplicity of text-based computing to the non-tech-savvy.

There are going to be more and more applications which are less monolithic screens, and more dashing off quick missives.

Original Article

A voice recognition "note to self" calendar system that knows what I want to do, when I want to do it, and reminds me? It sounds like the perfect system.

It sounds like a WIFE! :)

You know the old line that you don't really know something until you can explain it to your grandmother? Well, you don't really have a widely useful technical device until it makes sense to me (or other nubes like me.) This may make an electronic calendar finally work for me.

Well... I guess I am still the only person on the planet that has lists, and more lists. I would be lost without them, and all mine are handwritten. It takes longer to try and figure out how to add something to my phone, etc. I feel very organized, so I guess it works for me. Technology and me just don't work out too well. If it wasn't for you Scott, I wouldn't even know how to use my computer to send this comment. E-mail still amazes me and I still don't understand how it, or FAX machines work!!!!!!

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