Video Games: Some Musical Insights

Cruise Elroy is a self-proclaimed “blog about video games and, especially, video game music.” It combines a spartan page design, solid insights, and embedded musical examples to give the reader a stronger appreciation of the artistic merit of video games.

Of all the blogs I subscribe to, this one gives the biggest return in terms of content. Take this particular insight from a post on “Irregular meter in video games”:

“Remember the race results screen in Mario Kart 64? Most likely you skipped past it with barely a glance at the scoreboard, but if you stuck around for a moment you’d have heard this gem from composer Kenta Nagata… Despite being in 11/8, I think this rhythm feels pretty natural. Kudos to Nagata for smoothing over the strange time signature.”

The skill required to take an unusual time signature and make it sound altogether natural should not be underestimated. (Dave Brubeck’s classic jazz album Time Out is one of the most famous explorations of this concept). We are conditioned to “hear” things in 4/4 or 3/4 time. It’s the rhythmic basis for most popular music, and the easiest rhythm to learn (at least to my Western ears). Irregular meter feels unnatural at first, which leads me to believe that composers writing in an odd time signature are simply not thinking about the time signature. It’s akin to writing a novel without thinking about the conventions of punctuation and paragraph structure, or painting with complete disregard for the nature of the paint and brushes.

Here’s another great insight regarding one of my favorite tunes from Sonic the Hedgehog, in the post “Spring Yard Zone”:

“Why does this work? I suspect that years of jazz and pop harmony have trained our ears to accept all kinds of modifications to ii-V-I chords: sevenths, tritone substitutions, altered chords, and so on. Given that context, using m9 in place of m7♭5 doesn’t seem like such a big deal. The Spring Yard Zone theme does push its luck, as it were, by prominently featuring the F♯ in the melody, but I found that to be a pleasant dissonance and not an ugly one.”

Here’s to filling our lives with pleasant dissonances and not ugly ones.

Musical Insights

The TED Conferences (self-described as “riveting talks by remarkable people, free to the world”) are a highly acclaimed series of presentations from the world’s most influential thinkers, innovators, and artists. Brilliant minds speaking about important topics in an approachable way.

I wanted to draw attention to one music-focused talk that I found particularly interesting. Watching the video would probably be one of the better uses of 20 minutes you ever spend in your life, but I wanted to point out some highlights and insights:

Benjamin Zander on music and passion

• Zander, in a compellingly funny and animated way, attempts to prove that A.) no one is tone deaf, and B.) that classical music is not dead. Both lofty ideas that are convincingly explained.
• “I’m not gonna go on until every single person in this room, downstairs, and in Aspen, and everybody else looking, will come to love and understand classical music.” You may be skeptical at this point, but aside from that: why does this statement matter? He goes on: “You’ll notice there’s not the slightest doubt in my mind that this is gonna work… it’s one of the characteristics of a leader that he not doubt for one moment the capacity of the people he’s leading to realize whatever he’s dreaming. Imagine if Martin Luther King said ‘I have a dream!…. of course I’m not sure they’ll be up to it…’ “
• He proceeds to play a Chopin prelude and, with some explanation (“This is a B, and this is a C. And the job of the C is to make the B sound sad.”) and one simple seed of an idea, transforms the listener into fully appreciating the piece on an emotional level. He includes comparisons to Shakespeare, Nelson Mandela, birds, Irish street kids, and an Auschwitz survivor along the way.
• “The conductor of an orchestra doesn’t make a sound… he depends for his power on his ability to make other people powerful. My job was to awaken possibility in other people.”

While music is one of the best ways to tap into emotions and creativity, I also argue that music is another form of philosophy. It’s one of the reasons I chose to study music at a university level, and why I continue to apply musical theory to almost every endeavor I take on. It’s a facet that Zander seems to appreciate as well. Studying and listening to music can unlock and refine a whole array of skills that are as useful in the music world as they are in other disciplines.

• The sheer art of listening (which is a learned skill, mind you, and requires lots of practice…) is probably the most essential ability one can possess when working with colleagues or holding a leadership position. Studying music teaches you to listen differently, more carefully, and to be perceptive of nuance and subtlety.
• Playing music with other people makes apparent the necessity for generosity, trust, cooperation, and teamwork. None of these things are ever mentioned when playing a 12-bar blues with some friends, but the best musicians (and leaders) practice all of them at all times.
• Music theory blends mathematical concepts with imagination, emotion, and creativity. This delicate balance of structural integrity and freedom is a struggle faced by most entrepreneurs and CEO’s the world over. Building an organization, whether it’s a church or school or community or business, requires a successful balance of Policy and Ideas. Procedure and Dreaming. This is something musicians practice daily.

Music-as-Philosophy is a topic best saved for a separate post, but the point is: music appreciation leads to the appreciation of other facets of life. Music is simply a means to an insightful end.

From The Basement

Here are some fresh, live acts From The Basement.

This site is a great example of what happens when you synergize design and performance. It’s not enough to have a website full of exclusive clips of great artists. Here are some reasons From The Basement engages the viewer, besides the quality performances:

• The link to each performance is a screenshot of said performance, and the photo is LARGE. Large photos are inviting and compelling, and the fact that it’s a screenshot gives the site an honest, transparent quality.
• The look and feel of each screenshot (and, therefore, each performance) is consistent. This is not a collection of random performances at different venues. Each act performs in the same space, giving the whole site cohesion.
• There are not a lot of words. Actions and visuals  speak louder. The site is as immediate and up-front as a live performance.
• The artist selections were clearly governed by taste and preference, not charts and numbers. I find it appealing that the selection of artists is not Top 40, and not strictly independent, but a carefully chosen hybrid of the two. This site is not trying to please the masses, they are trying to please themselves.

There is an inherent sense of quality in the choices made on this website. Content is not always king. The way in which you deliver content matters.

Tracks on a Map

Tracksonamap.com is a new interface for interacting with music from around the world. It’s definitely worth a quick go-round to get a feel for the timbres and rhythms that make up the global sonic landscape right now.

For more on the soundscape concept and defining locales by their sounds, check out my related post, “Travelsong“

Interference

The summer grabbed hold of me in August—interference of the highest degree—so instead of writing about creativity and music I decided to live it for a bit. This Interference may have interrupted my routine and writing schedule, but it also fostered a restless mental energy that I’m finally getting around to scribing.

The Interference led to the following thoughts and discoveries I accumulated during the hiatus. They are scattered but pertinent…

I discovered Capo thanks to Michael over at Daily Exhaust, and lamented never having it a decade ago while learning guitar. Dubbed “a musician’s best friend,” Capo lets you “slow down your favorite songs, so you can hear the notes and learn how they are played.” This is exactly what I sought after while struggling to learn music, but always had to settle for a MIDI-based guitar tablature playback program. Capo lets you change tempo and pitch (!), and incorporates markers to “bookmark” the portion of a tune you’re attempting to learn. You can even export your adjusted track and upload it to your iPod, for portable practice sessions. It’s a bit pricey ($49) but I would have bought it in a heartbeat if it meant bringing down Stevie Ray Vaughan’s “Little Wing” to a manageable speed and tuning while learning it in college. I probably could have saved hundreds of hours in frustrated practice sessions…

I’ve be evaluating and re-evaluating the fate of the music industry these days. It is truly an Industry in Decline, and this NYTimes Op-Ed piece makes this clear. The article is concise and prescient (“…This is part of a much broader shift in media consumption by young people. They’re moving from an acquisition model to an access model.”), but it’s the graphic outlining music sales that is particularly sobering. People just aren’t buying music in physical format anymore. They’re barely buying at all. It makes you wonder if there is an industry for music outside of the live performance space. I’m beginning to doubt it…

As long as you’ve read the Op-Ed piece above, check out the following, also on the NYTimes website: Artists Find Backers as Labels Wane.

The Father of the Electric Guitar, Les Paul, passed away on August 13th, 2009 at the age of 94. Despite the minor resurgence that arose in the wake of his death, his contribution to music is still vastly unappreciated and unrecognized. You must realize that this man not only pioneered overdubbing, reverb, and phasing effects, he invented multitrack recording. For those unfamiliar: multi-track recording is recording as we know it today. Those large consoles in recording studios, and Garageband, would not have been possible without Les Paul’s innovations. He also has his name on one of the most popular electric guitars ever: the Gibson Les Paul. Living in New York City, I had the chance of seeing Les Paul play at his legendary weekly gig at the Iridium Jazz Club in Times Square. I never bought a ticket—the price seemed too steep for someone just starting out in such an expensive town—but now it seems like an absolute bargain. There’s a lesson in there I’ll never forget…

I’m gearing up for another ramp-up of QuikCallus marketing, as more and more users are sending positive feedback my way. Looking to bring QuikCallus to the next level in 2010, and I’m laying the groundwork now. Also syncing up with colleagues to launch a new entrepreneurial initiative centered around budding business owners. I’ve been digging the promise of Creative Entrepreneurship these days, and am looking to bring it to the forefront. Exciting things to come…

The iPhone has changed my life. For all you guitarists out there: download the Guitar Toolkit. Tuner, metronome, fretboard, and chord dictionary all in one. It’s cheaper, more robust, and more portable than any tuner you could buy in a guitar shop. And at $9.99 you can’t beat the price.

If you aren’t on Twitter yet, get on it. I’m posting there more frequently than BlogSounds, and am always looking for feedback and suggestions from followers. Fire up an account and start following stockyturtle (@stockyturtle). I’ll make it worth your while.

The Perfect iTunes EQ

Check out Merlin Mann’s entry over at 43 folders: “Perfect” iTunes equalizer setting

Kate Earl – Best New Artist of 2009

Photo by Todd V. Wolfson, © All rights reserved

I’m 1 for 1 on Best New Artist predictions so far (proof here in 2008…), so I suggest you take heed.

Her name is Kate Earl, and she just released her EP on June 9th. You can pick it up on iTunes or AmazonMP3: Introducing Kate Earl – EP

The EP is a playful and layered mixture: on top is Kate’s delicately powerful vocals, which are a foil to the beats and syncopation trading blows below. The tunes have dub-appeal—there’s a hint of reggae infused in there somewhere, but it’s the catchy (sometimes haunting) melodies that stand alone, and separate Kate from her peers on the music scene these days.

It’s soulful and  fun and relevant, but the reason I am predicting Kate’s profound success this year is because of her songwriting. These songs are hers, and the glossy pop brilliance is rooted in deceptively mature taste and craftsmanship. What I’m getting at is this: these songs hold up without the production, which is a notoriously difficult quality to find these days, especially in great singers. If you need proof, check out the video below which features Kate on solo piano playing her song “Melody:”

Soundtrack for a Book

The website for the band Concave Scream (I have never heard of them before either…) is astounding. Crank up your speakers, click the link, and get lost in it all. It’s pure inspiration: Soundtrack for a Book

Tip: Play with the levels in the upper-righthand corner!

(Post courtesy of Daily Exhaust)

Goethe’s Faust and The Beatles’ Abbey Road

This is a topic first introduced to me by one of my college professors in a Gustav Mahler seminar. He mentioned it only in passing, essentially a very raw footnote to some other point I’ve since forgotten. This forced me to connect the dots myself.

But first, a glossary:

• Johann Wolfgang von Goethe – (1749-1832) Arguably Germany’s greatest writer. Contemporary of Arthur Schopenhauer, a German philosopher whose concept of the “will” (i.e. man’s basic motivation and desire) formed the foundation of his ideas.
• Gustav Mahler – (1860-1911) Austrian composer and conductor. One of the most influential late-Romantic composers known for his rich and distinct use of the orchestra and all its colors. Many of the ideas of Goethe and Schopenhauer have made their way into Mahler’s work.
• Goethe’s Faust – His magnum opus. A tragic play in two parts, based on the German legend of a man who makes a pact with the Devil in exchange for knowledge. Also the inspiration for the second movement of Mahler’s 8th Symphony.
• Abbey Road – One of The Beatles’ finest albums, featuring the songs, “Come Together,” “Something,” “Oh! Darling,” and “Here Comes The Sun.”

The idea here is that Abbey Road has very strong connections to both Faust and Mahler’s 8th. Much like the supposed parallels between The Wizard of Oz and Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, the connection between The Beatles and Germanic philosophical closet drama are likely equal parts serendipity, synchronicity, and unconscious inspiration.

The concept is best explained by making our way through Abbey Road’s sequential track listing:

1. Come Together – Taken literally, the title of the first track mirrors the meeting of God and The Devil, propelling the album into the crux of the plot (The Devil bets God he can tempt Faust away from his ideals and pursuits). Through the lens of Mahler, it can also come to mirror the duality of his 8th Symphony–Part I being the setting of a hymn, and Part II being the setting of Faust. God and Goethe. Latin and German… both coming together to create one whole. I should also note that the first word of the first movement of Mahler’s 8th is “Veni,” the latin word for “Come.”
2. Something – This is a love song, and pulls from Mahler’s hymn in its description of God’s love.
3. Maxwell’s Silver Hammer – The cheekily bouncy tune describes Maxwell Edison, medical student, killing several people with a hammer, including the judge condemning him to prison. It juxtaposes nicely against the scholar Faust in his study late at night, pondering violent fantasies out of frustration.
4. Oh! Darling – This song is a reassurance, an apology of sorts, that the singer will “never do you no harm.” I imagine Maxwell singing this song after awakening from his silver hammer daydreams, much like Faust is pulled away from his murderous reverie by the sound of an Easter celebration outside his window.
5. Octopus’s Garden – An octopus’s garden, in which Ringo Starr sings that “we will be warm, below the storm, in our little hideaway beneath the waves,” is a sales pitch. Ringo is trying to convince the listener that “below” is where we should all spend our days. After Faust’s reverie is broken, he is approached by Mephistopheles in the same persuasive manner. This is when the Devil makes his offer.
6. I Want You (She’s So Heavy) – This long, aching, humid tune is the epitome of raw desire. It mirrors perfectly Faust’s efforts to free Gretchen from prison and eventual death.
7. Here Comes The Sun – This song opens up Side 2 of the Abbey Road LP. Part 2 of Faust opens with Faust awakening in a field of fairies, symbolizing a new beginning and a fresh start. The fact that both themes kick off the second part of their respective works is one of the more solid anchors of this theory.
8. Because – This song echoes Mahler’s 8th more than Faust directly. The similarity is in the harmonies: Lennon, McCartney and Harrison all sing harmony parts that are tripled, thus sounding like 9 singers instead of 3. The second part of Mahler’s 8th is very much a “choral symphony.” In fact, Mahler once described it this way: “Try to imagine the whole universe beginning to ring and resound. These are no longer human voices, but planets and suns revolving.” Coincidentally (?), the song “Because” begins with the lyrics “Because the world is round…”
9. You Never Give Me Your Money/Sun King/Mean Mr. Mustard/Polythene Pam/She Came in Through the Bathroom Window – These songs are short, interweaving pieces that form a “suite” of sorts and work together to build drama toward a theme of trancendence. This is the very same theme and technique employed by Mahler to set Faust in the second part of his 8th Symphony. The “here comes the sun king” lyric echoes the earlier song “Here Comes The Sun” and points to a higher power. In fact, the second part of Goethe’s Faust is said to be comprised of 5 acts—distinct episodes—”each representing a different theme.”
10. Golden Slumbers – This song sits separately from the medley described above. It is not segued into, and introduces Faust to his “golden slumber”… that is, his final slumber, if you will…
11. Carry That Weight – This song picks right up from “Golden Slumbers” and describes Faust’s striving and effort (this is Schopenhauer’s ‘will’). Goethe’s Faust is a troubled intellectual seeking “more than earthly meat and drink.” Mahler’s 8th describes the angels bringing Faust’s soul up to heaven. They even declare: “He who strives on and lives to strive/ Can earn redemption still.” The striving, this being Schopenhauer’s ‘will,’ is the “Weight” that Faust carried the whole time. It also features the vocals of all 4 of The Beatles, which is a fitting comparison to Mahler’s 8th, also referred to as the “Symphony of a Thousand” for its enormous use of singers and musicians. Themes from “You Never Give Me Your Money” are recalled, and the horns ring in a true transcendental sound.
12. The End – “In the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.” This is how The Beatles brought their work to a close, and it’s as fitting an end as Goethe could have ever hoped for.
13. (Her Majesty) – This curious track was “hidden” on the original Beatles album. It’s not even listed on the first printing of the album cover. In this way, it stands apart from the underlying theme described here. But consider this: Mahler’s 8th symphony had strong themes that dealt with the Sacred Feminine, and was dedicated to his wife, Alma Maria. Also consider this portion of a note Mahler wrote to Alma in June 1906, describing his 8th Symphony:

That which draws us by its mystic force, what every created thing, perhaps even the very stones, feels with absolute certainty as the center of its being, what Goethe here—again employing an image—calls the eternal feminine—that is to say, the resting-place, the goal, in opposition to the striving and struggling towards the goal (the eternal masculine)—you are quite right in calling the force of love. Goethe … expresses it with a growing clearness and certainty right on to the Mater Gloriosa—the personification of the eternal feminine!

This last quote by Mahler himself describes the end of his own work, as well as the end of Abbey Road: “Carry That Weight,” “The End,” “Her Majesty”… all three referenced nicely in the context of Goethe’s symbolism.

Coincidence?

My WebApp Suite – The Best Free Solutions for Creative Work

A recent post explains my firm belief that any impediment to create can halt creation altogether. Frustration breeds abandonment. This principle applies not just for music but the creation of anything, from businessess to photographs, paintings to school essays.

My major barriers to invention  are the following:

1. Memory. I’ll have a great idea for a song, a book, or a blogpost, but I rarely remember it at the end of the day if I don’t log it somehow. Also, attempting to remember everything I need to do for a given day/week on top of any creative ideas I generate can be overwhelming. My head hurts and I begin to stress. Also, interestingly, nothing gets done in the end anyway.
2. Money. I make a comfortable living, but all of the recommended hardware and software needed to create professional works and maintain businesses can get very expensive very fast. For many people, this is often the biggest reason to avoid delving into these areas altogether, along with ongoing subscription fees or service dues.
3. Not enough time. Some of my days are packed with tasks and activities, with little time to unwind or relax. These are rare, but can snowball into a nasty habit of trying to fit too much into too little.

These obstacles, especially when taken together, usually result in tasks that take far to long to complete, if they are completed at all. Typically they are tossed out altogether to make room for other, more pressing needs. None of this is good. It’s a gigantic barrier to creativity and productivity. Unlike errands and simple to-do’s, creating a work of art or piece of music requires sustained effort over a long period of time. (See a related post here.) Good habits are key, but so are eliminating barriers and frustration points.

I’ve begun using a specific array of web-based software applications  to get my work done. It leaves little barrier to the creative process and reduces the amount of things weighing on my mind. You may be familiar with some of these, but it is the way I use them together that makes the result so powerful (Make sure to read through the whole post!)

My Personal WebApp Suite:

LISTS:

• gubb.net – This is the best list-making application I’ve seen so far. I’ve created several: To-Do, Goals for 2009, Places to Check Out in NYC, Business Links, Travel Destinations, Ongoing Projects to Investigate, Groceries, New Words… You can use SMS texting to add items to each of these lists, and also retrieve a copy of the lists via text as well. I check my gubb.net page daily, and use it to dump all my tasks, long-term and short-term.
• Google Calendar – I add everything from major events to my usual after-work routine to Google Calendar. It helps to keep me on a schedule, and I set up SMS text reminders to be sent 1 hour before each task/event. This eliminates the need to remember all the things I need to do and when. I simply add it to Google Calendar, and I will get texted later.

IDEAS:

• Evernote – I use this to dump ideas surrounding a particular project. Photos, web clippings, text… I simply tag it to Evernote and associate it with the particular notebook I created for that project. Once filed, I don’t have to think about it and can move on with my day. (I don’t have an iPhone, but this program has a great iPhone App that makes filing easier.) This is great for individual projects too. You can clip quotes, photos, and pages for a book, album, or website you’re working on and file it in that particular “notebook.”
• Twitter – I use this as a mini-blog, and to keep an eye on up-to-date info and news. You can text messages to your Twitter account as you think of them, which I will later read over at the end of the day to generate full blog post ideas. As a bonus, anyone following you on Twitter can comment and react to your post, giving you more potential content. I ask questions and get great recommendations this way.
• bubbl.us – This is a mind-mapping program, and I use it for generating ideas with friends and colleagues. One big time-suck is meetings, and this includes “meeting up” with people to bounce ideas off of each other and share a couple drinks. Instead, use bubbl.us to deposit ideas and develop them. Each person can contribute and modify in their spare time, adding notes along the way. This way, you can use the spaces of downtime in your day to hold your meetings, and keep your free time free.
• WordPress.com – WordPress is a fully-loaded, hosted blog platform requiring no programming skills whatsoever. There is no barrier to creating content, and no cost. Ideal for those not wanting to pay for, program, and host their own blog domain.
• Gmail – Often I resort to e-mailing myself ideas from my blackberry. I then file them in my Evernote notebook at the end of the day and delete the e-mail. Whatever it takes to log the idea immediately before it fades into oblivion.
• Google Reader – Rather than going to 20 different websites and blogs for my news and reading, I simply add each website’s URL into my Google Reader and file each appropriately. Google Reader feeds me updates automatically, bringing my daily site visit from 20 to 1.

TIME MANAGEMENT:

• RescueTime – This is an application that runs in the background of your computer. I have it loaded on my home and work computers. It automatically tracks how much time you spend on certain applications and websites. I use this to keep an eye on notorious time-wasters (like Facebook), and to maintain ongoing statistics and metrics about my behavior that is just plain interested (I later log this data into my Daytum profile). You can have reports automatically sent to you regularly.

FINANCES

• tweetwhatyouspend.com – This is a web application that works in conjunction with your Twitter account. Simply send a direct Tweet to “twys” with an item you purchased and how much it cost. It will add the purchase to your page, allowing you to track and monitor your spending throughout the day/week/month. This is particularly good for cash purchases, which are always tough to keep track of. Now you can Tweet your purchase as you buy it, and check your twys account regularly to review. For instance, I allot myself a certain amount of spending money, and I use this application to keep track of all my purchases to make sure I don’t go over that limit.
• Mint.com – The best free software for tracking your personal expenses. Add your various accounts to the site (credit cards, savings, checking, investments) and Mint aggregates all of the data. You get sent reminders for bill due dates, and graphs for tracking your spending habits. All automatic, all dynamically updated. Mint.com saves you from checking 5 different financial websites. More time for you to spend on that verse you’ve been working on. You can also take your twys data and split out your ATM withdrawls on Mint, consolidating ALL your spending into your Mint.com account.
• GnuCash – This is not web-based, but it is open-source, free, business accounting software that I use for keeping the books on my company, QuikCallus LLC. The Mac version needs to be compiled manually, and is a major time-suck that requires some technical know-how. Stick with the PC version if at all possible, which has an easy install process. Remember, reduce holdups and delays whenever possible.

DESIGN:

• Picnik – Many are familiar with Picnik as a sister-application to Facebook. It is a quick and easy way to tweak photos and optimize images. You may be surprised at the amount of features this web app contains, as I’ve used it to do professional-quality enhancements to images.
• Aviary – This a web-based alternative to Adobe Illustrator. The power in the Aviary suite of applications is staggering. Create logos, t-shirt designs, website banners… All vector-based, and all without a single bit of software to install.

MUSIC DISCOVERY/INSPIRATION:

• Last.fm – It’s Facebook for music lovers. Discover new music, listen to free streaming radio based on your preferences, and track your listening habits (A Last.fm “Scrobbler” tracks the music you listen to on your PC and your ipod, sending the data to your Last.fm account and generating recommendations and other users’ with similar tastes.) I leverage Last.fm to discover fresh sounds that keep me engaged.
• StumbleUpon – Go to StumbleUpon.com. Install the browser plugin. Select your preferences. Press the “Stumble” button. You will be sent to a great website you’ve probably never heard of, rated by you and other users for quality control. Stumbling has sparked countless ideas for me, as well as blog post ideas.

THE TRICK:

I’ve listed 16 apps here, but you can do some major consolidation by introducing the final piece of the puzzle:

iGoogle – iGoogle is a custom home page you create, that you can break out into “tabs” that contain specific tpyes of information. iGoogle is my primary portal I go to at the beginning of each day to kick things off. I have six different tabs set up:  Home, News, Finances, Sports, Feeds, and Music.

In each tab I add “widgets,” which are mini applications I can spread out and organize into an appealing interface. So my home page has general stuff, such as weather, a link to my gubb.net lists, and my Google Calendar. News contains general news stories from various sources. Sports has sports scores and news. Finances has various financial news reports and the stock info I’m tracking. Feeds contain a Twitter widget (so I don’t need to go to Twitter.com) and a Ping.fm widget (which I use to send status updates that populate in Twitter, Facebook, or both!).

My Feeds tab also includes a Google Reader widget. That’s right, you can check your RSS feed right from the iGoogle homepage, eliminating the need to go to yet another site for your content.

SUMMARY:

Every one of these applications is free (I don’t own copies of Illustrator, Photoshop, or Quicken as a result). Some are automatic and run in the background (like RescueTime and Last.fm) freeing up some more mental real estate. And some simply aggregate and consolidate the benfits of individual sites (Google Reader brings all your feeds into one place, and iGoogle puts Google Reader on your homepage. Mint.com brings all your financial data into one place as well…).

Each of these products used individually could be unwieldy, and may cause more work for you to do in the end. But by tying each together you are utilizing technology to create efficiency rather than simply waste more of your time.

This is just an example of the system I have set up. What solutions have YOU come up with? Let me know!