Does ‘Personal Productivity’ Require New ‘Magic’ Technology?
Bizarro piece about Intentional Software, founded by Charlese Simonyi, a company developed to allow people to simply tell computers what to do, rather than how to do it. And with that grand vision, and millions from Simonyi’s long years at Microsoft — he’s a gazilionaire — the company is turning it sights on… personal productivity? Isn’t that a bit unambitious?
Seeking a Magic Tool for Personal Productivity - Steve Lohr via NYTimes.com
Eric Anderson, a software engineer, entrepreneur and chairman of Space Adventures, a space tourism pioneer, was recruited to Intentional Software less than two years ago. His mission is to find wider markets for the company’s technology.
Mr. Anderson, a devotee of the Getting Things Done regimen, got in touch with Mr. Allen and explained the potential of Intentional Software’s technology as a “meta-tool” to help organize a person’s digital life.
Mr. [David] Allen [of Getting Things Done fame] was intrigued and both sides eventually agreed to pursue the opportunity, with a partnership announced on Wednesday. Mr. Allen describes the company’s software as “a solution looking for the right problem.”
The partnership, said Mr. Anderson, will design software that sits on top of a person’s digital calendar and communications including e-mail, text messages, Facebook and Twitter feeds. Then, the software will automatically apply the G.T.D. principles of capturing, clarifying, organizing, reviewing and prioritizing the various channels of information in a person’s life.
“This could be as transformative to the way people work as Microsoft Office has been,” Mr. Anderson.
Wow. Making the world safe for to-do lists.
