Mind Mapping

I find nothing better for brainstorming and working on projects than Mind Mapping. FreeMind is an open source solution for creating mind maps incorporating text, symbols and arrows in multiple colors. It will allow you to link to other files and locations. You really need to give it a try to truly understand what it is capable of. FreeMind is a free download for Windows, Linux, Mac.

FreeMind has made it as a finalist for the 2009 Community Choice Award in the category "Most likely to change the way you do everything"!!

Mind Like Water

In karate there is an image that’s used to define the position of perfect readiness: "mind like water." Imagine throwing a pebble into a still pond. How does the water respond? The answer is, totally appropriately to the force and mass of the input; then it returns to calm. It doesn’t overreact or underreact.

Anything that causes you to overreact or underreact can control you, and often does. Responding inappropriately to your e-mail, your staff, your projects, your unread magazines, your thoughts about what you need to do, your children, or your boss will lead to less effective results than you’d like. Most people give either more or less attention to things than they deserve, simply because they don’t operate with a "mind like water."
-David Allen from the book "Getting Things Done"

Organizational Power and Energy

In organizations, real power and energy is generated through relationships. The patterns of relationships and the capacities to form them are more important than tasks, functions, roles, and positions.
- Margaret Wheat -

Recipe Managers

Need a software application to help sort and manage your recipes. Here are a few open source options available to you.

HMCsoft Recipe Database
At the very basic end of the spectrum is Recipe Database. With Recipe Database all your recipes will be safely stored on your computer, ready at a moments notice.

Gourmet Recipe Manager
Gourmet allows you to collect, search and organize your recipes, and to automatically generate shopping lists from your collection. The latest version also allows you to calculate nutritional information for your recipes using the USDA food database (or entering custom information by hand)

Taco Recipe Manager
With Taco you can download recipes from different web services or create your own. After you have set up a repository of recipes, Taco will suggest what to cook based on the ingredients that you have at home.

Bon Appetit.