Grad. School Supplies?

[Songbird222]

On 4/7/2016 at 8:21 PM, ihatechoosingusernames said:

I know a few pages back there was some discussion about a LiveScribe pen to take/digitize notes and record lectures. I just saw that Moleskine came out with their Smart Writing Set that transfers your hand written notes to their app, and from there you can automatically transcribe them to type and download them as a PDF. You can also record lectures with the app as well. It also uploads to Google Docs and syncs with Evernote, if you happen to use that  I'm seriously considering this! I like to handwrite my notes, and but I'd like to be able to convert it all to text and easily search through my notes later!

I am also seriously considering buying the Smart Writing Set, but I'm torn, because I've been reading some great things about the Livescribe pen as well. Would love to hear other thoughts on this!

[eternallyephemeral]

On 03/05/2016 at 1:01 PM, Songbird222 said:

Thanks for recommending Corso Como, I'm definitely going to check this out. 

I have owned several pairs of Danskos, and I highly recommend them, especially as they have begun to come out with new styles. These are definitely not for everyone, but they will help out with arch support, and you could get away with working in these, traveling, and going to meetings/classes. I think it depends on your outfit that day, but a good pair of black Danskos will last a long time.

No problem! I actually just bought a pair of their heels are they are extremely comfortable. The company is also very socially and environmentally conscious, which is a great bonus.

However, make sure you have a good return policy or you try them on in store, because I tried one pair and the one I received (which was the same identical size) was much bigger.

[Sorawit]

On ‎5‎/‎3‎/‎2016 at 0:03 PM, Songbird222 said:

I am also seriously considering buying the Smart Writing Set, but I'm torn, because I've been reading some great things about the Livescribe pen as well. Would love to hear other thoughts on this!

That's very interesting. I feel like that would save me some $$ for my note-taking. But at the same time, I honestly feel like digital notebook + handwriting-enabled tablet/PC like Surfaces or iPad would work more seamlessly, despite the higher price.

Thoughts?

[rhombusbombus]

In case anyone was wondering, the Purple Mattress now offers financing! It's definitely made it a more viable option! I don't mind giving them a little bit each month instead of having to cough up a grand at one time!

[EmmaJava]

On 5/2/2016 at 11:03 AM, puyple said:

In my undergraduate English courses, most of my professors had a technology-free policy (this included e-readers; they wanted everyone to buy the actual books).  Is this common for English grad seminars, or was my department just a little weird?  I'd like to type my notes of the discussion and, like AP said, make them searchable.  

I seem to recall that you're going to Boulder, right? I did my MA in English there, and laptops and tablets were common in grad seminars, and I never heard any professor say not to use them. I think that typing your notes will work out just fine. By the way, that's a fantastic program on a lot of fronts and especially to set you up for PhD applications afterward (if that's what you're gunning for), and in the meantime it's an absolutely beautiful place to live and study with no shortage of extracurricular options. I say this as someone who also came to Colorado from the Dallas area (as you appear to be doing). I'm really excited for you, let me know if you want any other Boulder-related info. 

[easybreezy]

Hey everyone! Any suggestions on the best kind of laptop to buy for grad school? Or would it be a better investment to purchase an actual PC? Does anyone still have a PC? Lol.

Also, when would you suggest buying books? My booklist is available already and not too expensive surprisingly.

[MarineBluePsy]

2 hours ago, easybreezy said:

Hey everyone! Any suggestions on the best kind of laptop to buy for grad school? Or would it be a better investment to purchase an actual PC? Does anyone still have a PC? Lol.

Also, when would you suggest buying books? My booklist is available already and not too expensive surprisingly.

I'm no tech expert so others will hopefully chime in, but I am mostly a PC (you mean a desktop right?) user and shop around on sites like New Egg and Tiger Direct until I find a refurbished one that is priced right and has the components I need.  I recently got a laptop and went the same route to get it.  The laptop will be for trips home or to conferences mostly since when I'm on campus I'm fine using the computer labs there.  The bulk of my work is done on my PC at home.

As for when to buy books, I personally buy them as soon as I have the funds especially if I have to order them, so usually 6-8 weeks early.  I can't stand to not have my books in advance because I dislike seeming unprepared.  Also I've had multiple experiences where online vendors aren't forthcoming about their inventory and after my payment has cleared I'm told my books are on backorder.  Buying ahead of time also gives me time to comparison shop between the campus bookstore and online sites.

[Levon3]

On 5/1/2016 at 10:33 PM, puyple said:

I've noticed that a lot of the stuff I've found on wayfair.com has incredibly low reviews and appears of very low quality.  Has anyone gotten any of the cheaper items on wayfair and been happy with it?

I bought a bed on wayfair.com because it was affordable and fit in my tiny space. It lasted a year, which is all I needed it to, but it was pretty poor quality (came missing a few crucial holes) and fell apart when the movers tried to move it.

[easybreezy]

On 6/28/2016 at 4:45 PM, MarineBluePsy said:

I'm no tech expert so others will hopefully chime in, but I am mostly a PC (you mean a desktop right?) user and shop around on sites like New Egg and Tiger Direct until I find a refurbished one that is priced right and has the components I need.  I recently got a laptop and went the same route to get it.  The laptop will be for trips home or to conferences mostly since when I'm on campus I'm fine using the computer labs there.  The bulk of my work is done on my PC at home.

As for when to buy books, I personally buy them as soon as I have the funds especially if I have to order them, so usually 6-8 weeks early.  I can't stand to not have my books in advance because I dislike seeming unprepared.  Also I've had multiple experiences where online vendors aren't forthcoming about their inventory and after my payment has cleared I'm told my books are on backorder.  Buying ahead of time also gives me time to comparison shop between the campus bookstore and online sites.

Thanks so much @MarineBluePsy!! I'll have to check those out.  I've been debating between getting a desktop or a new laptop and just utilizing computer labs like you said.  A lot of friends have recommended Mac Books, but those prices are definitely intimidating lol.  I'm still looking to find a refurbished one.  I have a Chromebook right now, but when I'm on the go without wifi - it's practically useless.  One of the main reasons I want a laptop is because I'll be commuting via train and bus.

[MarineBluePsy]

5 hours ago, easybreezy said:

Thanks so much @MarineBluePsy!! I'll have to check those out.  I've been debating between getting a desktop or a new laptop and just utilizing computer labs like you said.  A lot of friends have recommended Mac Books, but those prices are definitely intimidating lol.  I'm still looking to find a refurbished one.  I have a Chromebook right now, but when I'm on the go without wifi - it's practically useless.  One of the main reasons I want a laptop is because I'll be commuting via train and bus.

I loathe the word processing software on Mac and that ridiculous Doogie Howser diary style font on everything so for me they were never an option.  I'm happy with my desktop - laptop - computer lab combo so far.  Don't rush through the purchase, study reviews and price comparison shop so you're more likely to be happy in the end.

[Hollyz1020]

Any recommendations for good, nice, thin notebooks for seminar? (humanities). I never find a laptop necessary, but do take notes. I am thinking either Rhodia softcover notebooks, Rifle Paper Co. notebooks, or leuchturmm jottbooks. Any other suggestions?

Suggestions based on previous questions:

I have a small macbook air and a mac desktop and it works great.

I have a cambridge satchel for everyday, and then when things get crazy I use a hershel backpack.

I have a ikea armchair found on craigslist, it is great for reading! 

I have a target bookshelf that I got for about a 100 dollars and it is wonderful.

Pens are so important! lots of pens designed for artists are wonderful!

And for planners, I love Erin Condren, the Passion Planner, Ban.do, Rifle Paper Co. if you want something simple. so many options 

[ETRXRock]

I bought the HP spectra 360 and love it!! I downloaded all the software I will be using and started getting some folders organized.

I also have an HP printer that I have had for years but still works great.

I have one of those hard cover books with a table of contents for a lab journal to get my data organized.

For note taking, I like pen and paper. Then I rewrite my notes in another hardcover journal. I have been doing this my entire undergrad and its good to refer back to.

Of course, lots of sticky notes, pens, pencils, and highlighters.

A good planner is a must. Mine is layed out in time slots versus just a blank slate for each day to help me stay more organized.

 

 

[Songbird222]

On 5/3/2016 at 10:03 AM, Songbird222 said:

I am also seriously considering buying the Smart Writing Set, but I'm torn, because I've been reading some great things about the Livescribe pen as well. Would love to hear other thoughts on this!

I just read up a little more about the Smart Writing Set, and it's not currently available in Android (which I use). So, it looks like I'm not investing in this item for now.

[ediblestranger]

On 7/25/2016 at 1:16 AM, Songbird222 said:

I just read up a little more about the Smart Writing Set, and it's not currently available in Android (which I use). So, it looks like I'm not investing in this item for now.

Does anyone know if there is a good alternative to Livescribe other than the Smart Writing Set?  I too have Android so the Smart Writing Set won't work for me.  I have read over and over that the Livescribe pens are useless unless you are able to continually edit content to make it readable.  Plus the pens look huge which I don't think would work for me.  Anyone have a different experience?  If not, anyone have a recommendation for a good alternative?

[Psychologyandpizza]

On July 5, 2016 at 10:05 AM, easybreezy said:

Thanks so much @MarineBluePsy!! I'll have to check those out.  I've been debating between getting a desktop or a new laptop and just utilizing computer labs like you said.  A lot of friends have recommended Mac Books, but those prices are definitely intimidating lol.  I'm still looking to find a refurbished one.  I have a Chromebook right now, but when I'm on the go without wifi - it's practically useless.  One of the main reasons I want a laptop is because I'll be commuting via train and bus.

I definitely recommend a MacBook. I bought my pro during my junior year of high school, I'm now a grad student and it still works GREAT. Never had a virus or anything, absolutely no complaints. I'm a customer for life now because it literally is amazing. 

[jujubea]

On 9/12/2016 at 5:54 PM, Psychologyandpizza said:

I definitely recommend a MacBook. I bought my pro during my junior year of high school, I'm now a grad student and it still works GREAT. Never had a virus or anything, absolutely no complaints. I'm a customer for life now because it literally is amazing. 

(grumbling audibly)... I've been through four PCs in seven years. I finally decided to stop getting "real" PCs and just got a little step up from a netbook for nothing dollars, since it's going to die on me in two years anyway. I back everything up on an external HD now too. 

Some day a Mac though I think is in order... 

[SJ.Koeh]

Definitely going with the above comments, get a mac! Unless you have a nice desktop at home that can run software quickly/has more storage than anyone could fill(and you won't be missing it while on campus), get an iPad/surface. Surfaces also run software (iPads can only run apps), but it definitely slows down everything to run something like R or SPSS on it. 

If you know someone extra-techy, get them to turn a mac-mini into a server for you (or just buy a server if you can afford it). It is well worth the trouble! I love coming home and knowing that I never HAVE to manually back up my computer. It automatically 'syncs' every night. I back it up to an external hard drive as well once a week, but really could rely on the server if needed. 

[Adelaide9216]

I am a SW major, and a prof told me that I should buy sociology dictionarys. I've found those by Oxford pretty useful.

I also found out that my university provides business cards. Might be useful. There is probably the same thing at your university as well.

Edited April 14, 2017 by Adelaide9216

[MinaminoTeku]

Things to have/things I plan on buying myself when I leave this year:

- High powered computer that will survive the grad school years (invest in a good machine so you don't have to worry about it during school. Because nothing would suck more than your computer crapping out on you midway through your journey)

- Laptop for on-the-go work (I wouldn't go with a tablet as they are limited in their ability to perform, but it also depends on what you need it for and how you study. I found that tablets that double as entertainment devices are distracting more than they are helpful, but that's because I have no self-control)

- Business cards (you will be giving out a lot of them)

- A decent home printer (for when you can't get to the office and print stuff out for free)

- Desk with drawers for office supplies (for staying organized. Plus I have a slight fetish for office supplies kek kek)

- Destressing stuff (video games, sports equipment, art supplies, whatever it is you need to destress)

[Neist]

Now that I've spent my first year in graduate school, I'd like to chime in and emphasize the importance of buying a good backpack.

Buy a good bag. One that's comfortable, meets all your needs, and is at least passable as professional.

I've struggled with packs this year, and I think I'm going to have to invest a couple of hundred dollars into something that fits my needs. Should have done this initially.

[Adelaide9216]

Do you need both the ext. hard drive and the flash usb key? 

[avflinsch]

12 hours ago, Adelaide9216 said:

Do you need both the ext. hard drive and the flash usb key? 

Yes, and preferably multiples of both.

The external hard drive is for backups, make sure to keep backups, you never know what is going to happen. My external has saved my ass at least twice when the one in my laptop crashed, and when the laptop died a few weeks ago. The backups are also good when you want to refer to a version of some document that you wrote 3 months ago.

The usb keys are for transferring documents between computers in those places where you can't use the cloud for storage.

 

 

[spacecheetah]

I created an account just to respond to this topic, after reading the first 15 pages and enjoying not only the thoughtful responses, but the evolution in recommendations alongside tech. I am chiming in with what works for me. I was a non-trad undergrad and begin graduate work in a Humanities program (literature concentration; apparently I want to be poor forever) this coming fall. The ink is barely dry on last semester's final papers, and I'm already nerding out hard about school supplies.

When I was first giving college a try (mumble) years ago, I just used any old crap, as long as it was cheap. Now that I'm older, and have wasted about a Brazilian dollars replacing cheap junk, I believe in "Buy once, cry once." After much trial and error, this is what worked for me as an undergrad, and what didn't.

Osprey Celeste Backpack -- Amazon reviews made me choose this over North Face. For one, it's lighter. For two, it was much cheaper. I paid about $60 for it. I got a year-old model on Amazon for extra savings. It's perfect in every way. Has a pocket for everything, carries a bunch of stuff (I think 29 L?) but is compact in size. Also came in Candy Orange. (Orange makes me happy. It's the little things.) Super durable, looks and behaves good as new after two semesters of hard use.

Moleskine Cahier Journals -- Spirals are the worst. By the end of a semester they come apart on me.  I get the new XXL size cahier, which is about notebook paper size, and after my brother's Barnes and Noble employee 30% discount and including tax, I pay a little over $5 a piece for them. One notebook holds an entire semester's worth of notes for 15 hours worth of classes, two semesters in a row. Plus my husband, who has some artistic ability, has fun decorating the plain kraft brown cover for me. I love how smooth and fine the paper is, and how narrow the lines. I also use a smaller Moleskine journal for notes on each major paper I'm writing. (Little bit of trivia: I had to call Moleskine customer service once, and inadvertently found out how they pronounce the name: mole-uh-SKEE-nuh. Who knew?!)

Moleskine Planner -- I got the 18 month weekly academic planner. It's my bible. I have used it for two semesters, and will use it this summer and in the fall, at which point I will probably switch to a 12-month daily. It's been great, but I think having a full page for each day will be even better. I got the Peanuts edition because Snoopy makes me happy and, again, it's the little things.

Stabilo colored pens -- My husband had a set of these that lasted 20 years. I found them in the garage, necromanced them, and used them for a semester, when they started to finally dry out, so I got another set. I use them to color code my planner. Each semester I assign a color to each course so when I write in my planner I know which class the item is for at a glance. I use that same color to head and date note pages in my Moleskine. There are enough colors that I don't have to reuse the same color two semesters in a row, so I don't get confused. They also come in a durable, attractive little striped plastic case.

Stabilo Boss highlighters -- I wouldn't believe Amazon reviews that these last 10+ years if I hadn't experienced Stabilo pens. These highlighters are smooth, vibrant, and perfect. After a semester of heavy use, still going strong.

Columbia Regretless rain jacket -- These are $100 or so retail but I found one for $20 on Amazon. It lives, rolled up, in the bottom of my backpack. Super light, so I forget it's there until I need it. This has saved me a million times over on my half-mile treks to/from the parking lot. Much better than an umbrella. It zips up all the way up to your nose and the hood tightens down with a drawstring and has a little visor over your face. I stay bone dry from the hips up in this thing.

Skechers waterproof work boots -- These look like ugly-adorable hiking boots but are actually mens workboots. If it rains, even though these aren't my favorite shoes fashion-wise, I wear these and they never fail me.

Teva sandals -- Or anything comfortable. Essential in Texas where it's hot 9 months out of the year.

Contigo 20 oz. Autoseal tumbler -- I just lost this the other day after a year of hard use and almost cried. It has never ever leaked, it's easy to clean, and it keeps hot stuff hot and cold stuff cold for hours. You need a bottle brush to clean the inside thoroughly.

Trader Joe Spiced Chai tea -- I gave up coffee in January b/c my OBGYN said it can mess with hormones. I didn't die. Instead I drink tea now and this is my fave. Other chai tastes like medicine. This is $2.50 a box for 20 tea bags. Add a dash of heavy cream, stays hot for hours in my Contigo.

Brown Betty tea pot -- If you're a tea drinker, this original ceramic pot handmade in England is not expensive and makes the best pot of tea ever. Might still be available on Amazon.

Google Drive -- I am ashamed to say I only discovered Google docs and Google Drive this semester and I don't know how I lived without them. My kindle Fire has trouble with it but I edit on my iPhone. I love being able to hop on a computer in the school library and pull up all my work without lugging a laptop around.

Google Docs -- Why would I ever pay for MS Office again?

Kindle books -- Have saved me a lot of money, plus you only have to remember one item. I think my kindle might be dying, though, so I may be going back to paper for a while. It can be a pain when page numbers don't sync up with the prof's edition, but I love being able to search the entire book rather than flip through page after page. Really helps when writing papers.

Bic Atlantis pens -- Smooth, bold line without being too bulky. (The Bic Velocity was too thick and messy.) Inexpensive. I may switch to Pilot G2 though.

Avery Six-Pocket Organizer -- This is basically 3 folders in one with six transparent pockets. I used to carry a big binder with a divider for each course but it was bulky. Now I carry this to keep syllabi for each class (all instantly visible in the transparent pockets) and stick handouts behind them. Very slim, light. My notes stay in my Moleskine. I often need to print out journal articles, so I keep a separate slim binder for each individual research paper, and only bring it with me when I need it.

Lap desk - Really handy if you use a wireless mouse with your laptop.

Netflix/Hulu/Amazon Prime -- Essential.

Amazon Prime for Students -- A discount on Amazon Prime. Check it out.

Evernote -- I've been paying the $6/month for premium but I may stop. For a semester I religiously scanned and uploaded every page of notes, but I didn't use the digital versions enough to make it worth it. This semester I stopped using it almost altogether, and didn't miss it. I use Google Docs way more now.

External wireless mouse and keyboard -- Makes using a laptop more flexible and comfortable

Bluetooth keyboard -- Works great with my kindle. Wouldn't use it for big jobs like writing papers, but for my Digital Humanities course where we needed to bring a machine, it was more convenient than lugging my craptop.

Noise-cancelling earbuds - I found some good ones on Amazon for $9.99. Now I can go to the Pub on campus for lunch and barely register the terrible pop music.

Friends -- I have two "school BFFs." We have basically nothing in common outside of school but we don't need it. We have our suffering to unite us. Find buddies and support each other. It helps.

Things I plan to acquire:

Lenovo Thinkpad - I need to replace my old craptop and my brother, who teaches computer programming, recommended this. A lot of his students use it.

WD 1TB external hard drive -- I will probably use this when I start my TA-ship next year. For now Google Drive is fine.

Dry erase board with markers -- My husband uses this at work and wants us to get one, put a week's worth of more detailed planning on it alongside our regular monthly calendar.

Avery Multiuse Ultratabs -- I will probably get these for my Moleskine daily planner because it doesn't have tabs and I like to be able to see the months at a glance.

Moleskine Chapters Journal -- I'm considering doing a bullet journal type thing so I can organize non-academic aspects of my life, which for a while have been woefully underrepresented. This has several sections and a table of contents page, so you can have sections for finances, household, fitness, medical, etc.

Brother laser printer -- We have a Canon MG 5200 Inkjet with a scanner and copier that prints color. Ink is EXPENSIVE. I can get a monochrome Brother that duplex prints for $79 refurbished on Amazon, and I think it will save a lot of money. We'll keep the Canon for fancier jobs.

Chacos sandals -- These are a sorority girl staple but they're popular for a reason. Waterproof, adjustable straps, last forever, lifetime guarantee with free repairs. Worth the hundred bucks, especially in this climate where it's hot but it flash-floods often.

Believe it or not, I could add more, but this is long enough. I hope it helps someone.

Kristen

[avflinsch]

20 hours ago, spacecheetah said:

I believe in "Buy once, cry once." After much trial and error, this is what worked for me as an undergrad, and what didn't.

I am a firm believer in the 'buy once, cry once' concept, and I was a non-trad undergrad also. I am finishing the masters now before starting on the PhD in the fall. Some of your comments are good, but I found otherwise on others.

Big backpack - I used to do this, but I realized that the bigger the backpack I used, meant the more crap that I shoved into it. More stuff = heavier, and heavy is not good. I switched to a smaller briefcase, one that is just big enough to hold my laptop, kindle, a notebook and a few folders. My back is much happier now.

Stabilo colored pens - I love these for drawing, but not so much for writing. For writing I like fountain pens, the way that you hold them and the way that the ink flows is way better for my RSI issues, plus my handwriting has improved dramatically since going old school.

Highlighters - I used them during my undergrad, but when I started my masters most of the reading was journal articles in PDF format. I just highlighted within the Acrobat reader app, and added sticky notes.

Kindle + E-books - definitely!!! I purchased one of the older models with the integrated keyboard while in undergrad, the cost of the device + the ebook was less than the printed copy of the book. It died recently and I replaced it with the HD Fire. As for page numbers not being aligned with the printed version, I just asked the prof for a photocopy of the table of contents of the printed version at the start of the semester, and marked up the photocopy to sync the two.

Moleskine pads - the paper in these can be inconsistent, and sometimes the fountain pens bleed thru the paper. I prefer the Red & Black hardcover spiral bound notebooks, better paper and very consistent quality. Spiral bounds can be awkward, but I get around the running into the spiral by only writing on one side of a page, and when I hit the end of the book, I just flip it over and write on the reverse side. This way my hand never runs into the spiral.

Planner - no paper here, I have my iCal, Outlook and Google calendars all synced and color coded. Enter it in one place, and I can see it everywhere.

Sandals - not for me, I need to dress somewhat professionally in the office during the day, but I do keep a set of waterproof boots in the trunk of my car, along with an EMS Stasher rain jacket (similar concept to the Columbia).

Google drive - I personally prefer OneDrive, as the documents are stored both locally on my laptop, home & work desktops, wherever I am, I have access to anything I am currently working on.

Lenovo Thinkpad - no comment, I use Macs exclusively. For the few odd applications that are Windows only I run a Parallels VM on my iMac.

External drive - is 1TB big enough? I personally prefer to have my external backup drive to be at least 2-3x the size of the internal drive and do continual backups. Having multiple revisions of documents has saved my butt more than once. I would also suggest getting a bunch of USB sticks, you can get a box of 10 8GB ones on Amazon for around $30, these are good for passing around documents, and at $3 each, I don't worry if someone else loses one.

Dry erase whiteboard - I have a big wall mounted one and a smaller one at work, and I will be getting one for home also. These are great for planning things out. We also have part of our kitchen wall covered in blackboard paint, which is good for leaving notes to one another, although the chalk dust can get annoying.

Amazon Prime for Students - I don't use it anymore, I don't really watch much of the streaming content. If I purchase anything from Amazon, it usually gets to me same or next day anyway (one of their big shipping centers is in the next town over).

Laser printer - this I agree with, I need to get one myself, the inkjets are expensive in the long run.

[spacecheetah]

Thanks for the thoughtful comments, avflinsch.

The backpack -- Of course, everybody's needs are going to be different, so from my POV it's pretty small, actually. True, it holds a lot, but I rarely pack it full. Nice to know I can if I need to, though. I have upper back and shoulder problems, so messenger bags, totes, briefcases, shoulder bags, anything that pulls me to one side, even if it's fairly light, seriously jacks up my upper back and shoulder blade. This backpack distributes weight so that I have zero pain, which is the main reason I carry it.

Fountain pens -- I have tried a few of these, most recently the Lamy Safari, which my husband swears by. I cannot get the ink to flow comfortably for me. It's ok if I write slowly, but I'm a fast writer and I take a lot of handwritten notes in class, and I can't really slow down. Maybe I haven't found the right fountain pen for me. Handwritten notes help me focus and aid recall, so I don't plan to stop taking them anytime soon.

Stabilo pens -- You may be right! I don't use them for note-taking, just for dating/heading notes and color-coding my planner, so I write with them fairly seldom.

The highlighters -- I still print most articles out. I do kindle books but for some reason I can't properly articulate I like to highlight journal articles by hand.

The Kindle -- I'm considering replacing mine. You're right, they save so much money and hassle. I also love that the books are searchable so easily. Asking the prof for TOC is a great idea!

Moleskine -- Hmm, I've never run into problems with the paper, maybe because I don't use fountain pens? I did try Black 'n Red as well as Rhodia but I just haven't found anything I like as much as Moleskine. Something about the paper feel, color, lines -- it just does it for me.

Planner -- I'm so old school about a paper planner. It's just the most satisfying process -- picking it out, setting it all up, choosing the colors, writing things down, crossing them off when they're done. I don't know if I'll ever be able to give it up.

External drive -- 1 TB is more than big enough for me right now! YMMV

Amazon -- I still watch a lot of their streaming content, and do a lot of shopping on their site. Like, maybe too much. It might be a problem, actually...