Apps for a Better Inflow

So I have an Android phone... and I'm ABSOLUTELY in love with some of the apps I have, many of them relating to cutting down the amount of information that I have to process, and being that that's what The Info Dump is all about, I thought I'd share.

First, if you have a rooted device, AdFree is a must. My least favorite type of Forced Data (Did you read the paper from the last post?) is of course Advertisements. AdFree contains a list of hosts that present ads, and removes them from your apps and browser. Less ads, less info, less overload.

Second, though not really an information app, I've found Gleeo Time Tracker to be extremely useful in enhancing my productivity. While in point of fact it really generates MORE information than eliminates it, the information that it generates is more useful than ay other app I've ever used.

Finally, for those who have to have their daily influx of blogging (This one included), Google Reader is amazing. It updates itself automatically, has a simple and streamlined interface, and still gives the full content available on most blogs.

These are just a few of the apps avaialble to optimize the data inflow to your phone, but I like them.

Check them out, Data out.

Data Systems Research Paper

It's not very often that studies on information overload are released, and when they are, they're often too long and complicated to be of any use. Someone out there, however, just released this, which appears to be a research paper they wrote on the topic. It's still a little long, but let me summarize it really quick.

Ultimately, they decide, information inflow can be broken down into three systems:

1. Passive Data, which is essentially non-intrusive and requires the user to be looking for it.
2. Active Data, which is minimally intrusive and appears with or without the user's consent, and can be ignored.
3. Forced Data, which is critically damaging to productivity, appears of its own accord, and cannot be ignored.

The rest of the essay consists of various methods to control each of the types of data systems. If it's something  you might be interested,

Check it out, Data out.

Remember Everything

So I don't know about you guys, but a lot of the time I feel like data overload comes simply from trying to remember everything at once. After a point, our brains just burn out and nothing is retained.

Evernote hopes to be a solution to this problem. With the ability to tag things anywhere, anytime, through the use of a smartphone or computer applications, it means that your brain can be dedicated to storing what it needs to, not what it doesn't.

Check it out, and Data out.

Five.Sentenc.es

So, for anyone out there having to deal with a flood of emails, here's a helpful little mantra to help out.

Five.Sentenc.es  is a new way to deal with sending email. Eliminating the junk and condensing the necessary information.

And I quote:

"five.sentenc.es is a personal policy that all email responses regardless of recipient or subject will be five sentences or less. It’s that simple."

Check it out, and Data out.

Welcome!

Hey! Welcome to The Info Dump!

What are we about?

Well, modern society is full of information. Literally, it's everywhere. On the TV, newspaper, beamed into every smartphone and MP3 player, and frankly, all of it can get a little overwhelming. The Info Dump is here to provide links to tools and sources that can help manage the inflow of information into our lives, making it useful, not harmful.