#inqscribe

The best return to Uni is when you download a bunch of applications you never knew existed. But even more fun is actually learning how to use them!

Program #1 Inqscribe (http://inqscribe.com/)

This is a transcribing software, and is amazing…if you have the full version. If you don’t some problems you’ll have, the inability to:

Save the file OR export it

This is easily fixed by buying it (AUD99) or trialing it, for which I am much too cheap to do. Despite that I managed to get the time codes pretty accurately for:

Block B’s (블락비) HER(헐)

Despite getting sidetracked pretty massively by P.O. listening to Korean at x1.6 slower than it is usually spoken (at times even slower) the outcomes were pretty awesome. I didn’t even mind creating the .srt file manually.

Result? Inqscribe is definitely a must have for those new to the dubbing, subbing and transcribing world!

HARDWARE

*Energizer XP18000 portable battery—Suppose you're using your netbook to take notes in a meeting for your next writing project  when your battery runs low and there are no outlets nearby. Perhaps you're interviewing someone and your audio recorder runs out of juice. Or maybe you're simply driving to a conference and discover that you need to charge your cell phone and run a GPS at the same time with only one DC port and no extender. Times like these are when you need the XP18000. What is it? 

about the size and weight of a paperback book

powerful enough to charge large devices like your laptop comptuer, iPad or projector

versatile enough to charge smaller devices like cameras, Bluetooth devices and music players

*Tablet (specific examples given will be for the iPad, a device I own)—The tablet scarcely existed 10 years ago, why should we care about it now? The diversity of available applications and accessories will renew the value of a tablet device again and again, making it well worth your investment in this writer's opinion. Here's a breakdown.

ACCESSORIES

A stylus (e.g., the Maglus magnetic stylus from ApplyIdea) transforms your tablet into a sketch pad for brainstorming or a handout reader for PDFs that makes your documents markable, annotatable and instantly sharable.

A Bluetooth keyboard (e.g., the ZAGG Folio or the Targus Versavu) turns your tablet into a laptop computer screen if you're not comfortable with the on-screen keyboard. However, note that if you don't mind an on-screen keyboard, the ability to enter text silently is often convenient in lecture and interview settings.

APPS

Remotely wake and fully access computers via LAN and WiFi, enabling you to access projects on a computer literally miles away (WakeUp, Splashtop 2).

Still waiting for your next cash advance on a writing assignment? Save green in the meantime using free calls and texts (Talkatone).

Conduct interviews using note-taking apps that integrate photographs, text entry and audio recording in one slick interface (Notability).

Peruse books and conduct research with PDFs using reader applications that offer highlighting, annotation and syncing to the web (pdf-notes, Kindle app, iBooks). Note that Audiobooks are also available via Audible, Google Play and the App Store.

Beyond books and PDFs, the tablet makes reading material instantly accessible, no matter       where you are. In your spare time, sharpen your craft by becoming a ravenous consumer of the written word, not just a producer. Look into apps that deliver news and magazine content, wherever you are (Newsstand, Flipboard, BBC News).

For group projects, take advantage of apps that allow collaborative editing (Google Drive,       MobileNoter).

Use voice memo recording apps to conduct interviews or run them in conjunction with reading apps, "behind the scenes." Verbally highlight main points of an article, recording only your voice and eliminating pauses to create a condensed synopsis. Then convert your voice to text for convenient use in your own projects (AudioMemos, Dragon Dictation).

Photopraph editing and sharing apps, as well as blogging and social media tools enable you to engage with your online audience while on-the-go (Twitter, Hootsuite, Facebook, Instragram).

Use device-syncing Bible apps that offer entire bookshelves' worth of additional resources for writing devotions (Logos Bible).

*Headset (i.e., Jawbone Era Bluetooth headset, Sennheiser OfficeRunner)—Randy Pausch, famous for his "Last Lecture" at Carnegie Mellon      University, delivered another message entitled "Time Management" in which he advocated a wireless headset as the most important time-saving tool in his arsenal. Use it for music when you need to tune out noise and get work done. Use it to conduct Video conference interviews with privacy. Or even use it to make hands-free calls while you're on the go or behind the wheel.

*LiveScribe Smart Pen—As you take notes on paper, this pen records everything you hear and links it to what you write. Press your pen on a particular note and the LiveScribe replays audio from that point in the recording. Also, a camera within the pen's frame records video of the pen tip and stores a digital copy of your notes, even though you're writing them on paper, enabling you to share electronic copies of your notes with friends. The pen also has a number of quirky features that you can explore on the LiveScribe website: .

  SOFTWARE

*Carbonite Online Backup—It's a good idea to back up your computer on an external hard drive, but what if there's a fire? If your computer is stolen, what's to stop a thief from taking your external hard drive too? Carbonite works behind the scenes on your computer, saving photos, documents, videos, emails and other files without delivering pop -up messages or asking for permissions. In fact, you'll forget Carbonite is there—until your hard work is permanently deleted. $150 pays itself off quickly in moments like these.

*Microsoft OneNote—This software is far more than just a resource to take notes. The most convenient aspect of OneNote is its design: based on filing system composed of crates and file folders (that contain notes or even another tier of folders).  The extent of multi-level complexity in a OneNote journal can be infinitely complex or infinitely simple, depending on the user's preference.

OneNote has some Word-processing similarities to Word.

It integrates with Outlook calendar and task-scheduling.

It provides customizable tags for your notes.

It offers annotation, audio recording, screen clipping, image-to-text and full searchability.

PDF's, video files, Word documents and spread sheets can be drug onto a OneNote page as if it were a folder, so even when you're working on a project that lends itself to the features of another software, you can still store your project within OneNote's organizational structure when you're done.

*Scrivener—This software is similar to OneNote in some ways, but it's particularly useful for writers. Store all your research (articles, videos, etc.) storyboards, planning materials and scene/chapter drafts in single, smooth interface that offers a variety of functionality for labelling, re-ordering and merging content, as well as text-entry modes designed specifically with career writers in mind. The Mac version is particularly strong in this writer's opinion. 

*InqScribe—If you've recorded an interview or a voice memo and you need to transcribe it, use this free tool, which offers the ability to slow down and speed up your audio, as well as keyboard shortcuts for play, pause and 5-second skipback.