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There are some items in my digital toolbox that are qualified as “must haves”.  You know – the kind where you get a new hard drive or computer and after booting it up, this is one of the first things you install?

“Evernote” is one of those tools for me.  I use it to take notes during sermons, keep up with tasks, ideas, Bible Study thoughts, and blog ideas.  That’s fairly typical usage but I’ve surprised quite a few people when I tell them that Evernote is one of my primary tools in songwriting.

I can’t begin to tell you how many times I’ve had a song idea pass through my mind.  Usually, those ideas can leave my mind about as quickly as they came in!  That’s where Evernote comes in handy.

Because Evernote is installed on ALL of my Mac computers and on my Android-based Motorola DroidX phone, I have a digital “notebook” at my disposal all the time.  Since the notes sync automatically, my ideas are always available.

Case in point:

Village Creek Landing, St. Simons Island GA

The other day I was sitting in one of my favorite “solitude spots”.  (aka “Village Creek Landing” on St. Simons Island, GA).  I was reading in Titus and was inspired by the text.  I immediately had a catchy “hook” in my mind … “Glorious Grace Appear”.

Keep in mind, I’m sitting in my 1996 Ford Explorer with the windows down and moon roof open – soaking in the morning sun – studying the Word, praying, and meditating on what I’m reading.  I’m not in the studio.  I don’t have a moleskin handy (OK, I don’t OWN a moleskin) and I don’t think there is a pen in my truck at all.

I pick up my phone, launch the Evernote App, open my “Song Ideas” folder and tap “new note”.  Jot down the Scripture reference, a few phrases, and save the note.

Then, the most powerful feature yet – the voice memo!  I’ve lost more hooks than I’ve kept, so I edit the note, click the voice memo button, and start singing away.

Now I have my idea captured so that I can revisit it while in the studio or at the piano.

Here’s a peek at my “Songs” notebook in Evernote:

So, that’s my songwriting usage of Evernote.  You’ve seen a glimpse into my vault … and now, I’ve got to discipline myself to take these ideas to the next level – actually writing the song!

UPDATE:
The night before this blog entry was scheduled to be published, I had an interesting twitter exchange with one of my favorite bloggers, Michael Hyatt.  He’d just had a blog post about Evernote featured.  I replied and told him about my pending article and others chimed in about their Evernote usage.  So check out their articles as well!

Michael Hyatt:  “A Better Filing System for Public Speakers and Writers”
David Santistevan:  “Use Evernote To Help You Write Songs”

I have waited for a couple of years now for the announcement.  Finally … it came.  Verizon Wireless will have the Apple iPhone in February 2011.  Less than a month away.  Woo Hoo?

If you’ve followed me for any length of time you know that I’m an Apple addict.  I’ve had Mac-only computers since I graduated from college.  My first Mac was a Centris 610.  On yeah.  Then I graduated to a Quadra.  There are (6) Macs in my home right now, believe it or not.  (some are just stored in the attic, awaiting the day I take the time to sell them on Ebay).

So it’s only natural that I’d have an iPhone, right?  Well … not exactly.  The truth is, AT&T’s coverage in our location is spotty at best.  I can’t even make a call in my own home.  So I’ve stuck with Verizon who gives me signal in almost every place I’ve ever been in the USA. (and that’s a lot of places)  So I got tired of waiting for the Verizon iPhone and got the Motorola Droid X last Summer.

So here’s a few reasons why I’m NOT planning on buying a Verizon iPhone in February:

#1.  I’m in a new 2-year contract with only 6 months used at Verizon since buying the DroidX, so … checkout my price:

#2.  I actually LIKE my DroidX.  It’s not without it’s glitches, but the phone is only 6 months old.

#3.  I’ve gotten used to (and love) syncing with the Google Cloud – I really don’t even use Apple’s “MobileMe” anymore.  “MobileMe” is $99 … Google is FREE.

#4.  I can use my phone as an internet modem for my laptop or computer for no extra fee (thanks to PDANet)

#5.  So far … there are no must-have apps for my daily use that I can’t get on Android.

That being said – Let me say, I think the iPhone is one of the most amazing technological devices made.  I love it.  I still “want one” … but I don’t “need one”.

And lastly – my official disclaimer that I may eventually get the iPhone anyway.  I’m just not going to be rushing to the Verizon Store on Day #1.  For now, my DroidX does everything I need.  (with the exception of giving me the iPhone coolness vibe).

How ’bout you … will you be switching?

So … this online friend, Diane Goodwin (blog | twitter) has been making “paper me’s” … paper cutout versions of her online (and real) friends.  More and more folks have been changing their online avatars to their “paper me”.

Jokingly, I asked Diane where my “me” was and despite having a huge demand for them, she was gracious enough to make one.  Granted, we’ve never met.  She’s never seen me.  (well, unless you count online photos, right!?).  She’s in Belfast, Ireland.  (how cool is that).

The inside story here is that having these creates discussions … awareness, to a cause.  These avatars and pictures really “stand out”.  So when people ask about this, I can say that Diane did this, at no charge, for a cause – and that cause is “StandOut International“.

“StandOut International” exists to tackle the problem of child sexual exploitation head-on.  Read more about “StandOut” and consider making a donation.  I’ve just made mine!

So … here’s the “paper me”.  I never looked so good, right?

I’ve got a personal rule:
If you’re going to blast a company in public, you’d better be prepared to praise them.

A few weeks ago my internet speed at home took a drastic nosedive.  My upload speed was non-existent and it was taking forever for sites to load.  Dreading the automated phone tree and “Tier 1″ techs who, with all due respect, make me do everything I’ve already done … I made the call.  As expected, I pushed all the buttons on the phone tree only to hold for 20 minutes and finally get redirected back to the “main menu” for no reason.

Long story short … the Tech says that my modem is so old, it’s not supported anymore … it’s “end of life”.  His suggestion?  Go down to the local Comcast office and swap it out for a new modem.

So I get up bright and early so I can be in Brunswick (about a 30-minute drive, one way) when the local Comcast office opens.  And what do I discover?

“Oh, I’m sorry … we don’t have any modems here, they are all gone”.
“We will call you if we get any in”.  (still haven’t received that phone call)
“And we don’t have a number you can call locally to make sure we have them in stock before driving over here”.

As you can imagine, I’m pretty ticked off.  So I vent … publicly … via Twitter.

My tweet went something like this:
“Comcast, thanks for wasting the first hour of my day” #comcastfail

Let’s face it, folks.  Sometimes, things just go wrong.  I own a company, and I get the blunt of both positive and negative feedback EVERY SINGLE DAY on our Ebay, Amazon, and Buy.Com accounts.  Negative feedback hurts … really.  But … even if we screw up … even if we fall short … what really counts is this:

HOW DO WE RESPOND?  HOW TO WE RESOLVE?

It’s no secret that companies have folks whose job it is to search Twitter and Facebook for references to their names and trademarks. So what happened next is pretty fascinating.

About an hour after my tweet I get this @reply on Comcast:
from @comcastMelissa:  that’s terrible, how can we help?

In a bit of a sarcastic jab, I reply:
“I seriously doubt you can help, unless you want to OVERNIGHT a BRAND NEW MODEM to me since our local office has none”.

About 3o minutes later, I get this:
from @ComcastBill:  hey, please follow me so I can get your account info and dm you.

I followed Bill’s instructions, and within an hour, I have a UPS tracking number for a BRAND NEW MODEM, being sent NEXT DAY AIR to my home.

Comcast may have been lacking in the local office and their phone support was a bit frustrating … but as for the team of Comcast folks who are utilizing social networking platforms to monitor their brand and provide customer service, all I can say is …. HOME RUN.

That’s how you keep a customer for life, Comcast.  Great job.  Thanks a million.
By the way – my internet is FLYING fast!