Did you know NASA has been posting an astronomy picture every day since June 16, 1995? Prepare to spend some time here. Like here, and here, and here. Oh, and here. (Via Coudal.)

You learn something new (from Brett Terpstra) every day.

Peter Bregman’s approach to email is very similar to the new routine I established for myself about 2 weeks ago. And I’ll say this: after 14 days it seems to be working very well.

The whole article is an ultra-geeky rundown of all the various apps and services he uses for writing. Personally, I can’t get enough from this stuff. Since I too write for a living, I learn something new every time I read about other people’s setups.

What I especially liked was Viticci’s concluding paragraph:

In thinking about a proper conclusion for this post, it occurred to me that the best way to sum up the possibilities offered by Dropbox to writers and note-takers is this: with just a folder, you can fine-tune your workflow using the apps you prefer. It’s a liberating effect: the text is there, and it will be there no matter how many apps you try or how much you tinker.

As detailed and geeky as the Dropbox-connected-writing-apps discussion may get, it’s still just plain text files saved in a folder.

Reminds me of my high school math class.

Nothing internet-related at all, starting today:

In my wild fantasies, leaving the internet will make me better with my time, vastly more creative, a better friend, a better son and brother… a better Paul. In reality, I’ll still be the same person, just with a huge professional and personal handicap.

It sounds fun and challenging. I love his reasoning behind the trek:

Now I want to see the internet at a distance. By separating myself from the constant connectivity, I can see which aspects are truly valuable, which are distractions for me, and which parts are corrupting my very soul. What I worry is that I’m so “adept” at the internet that I’ve found ways to fill every crevice of my life with it, and I’m pretty sure the internet has invaded some places where it doesn’t belong.

Growing up, my best friend’s family and my family would do what we called “Pilgrim Month” every November. For 30 days we used electricity as little as possible (considering we lived in a suburban home). We kept the refrigerator plugged in, but otherwise we used no lights, no microwave, no stereo, no television, no computer, etc. It took only a few days to adapt, and the month was filled with much reading and playing of board games by candlelight.

There is no way I could get by without the internet for a year because my entire career is tied to the Web. Giving up the Internet would mean quitting my job.

If, however, that were not the case, the challenge and change of pace to give up the Internet for a year, or even just a month, sounds fun. It would be a lot like giving up electricity.