Gina Trapani Champions Keyboard Shortcuts, Low Tech Tools

GeekSugar — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 07:30:00 PDT

I might like to feature male tech titans and their ladies, but I know you're more interested in tech girls! Gina Trapani, whose book, Upgrade Your Life which I mentioned a couple of months ago, is a geek girl role model for us all - as a web developer and programmer and editor of Lifehacker.

In an interview with the New York Times, she does a Q&A with advice on what her book and blog is about, and all of it is refreshingly simple. The most basic of her tech advice is to learn keyboard shortcuts to reclaim wasted time going from peripheral to peripheral:

"Moving your hand from keyboard to mouse, double clicking, moving the pointer, putting your hand back - that’s a lot of movement and it’s inefficient versus just hitting the keyboard combinations while your hands are on the keys."

To hear the old-fashioned device Trapani calls "the ultimate tool" just

read more. I like that she is not completely go-go-gadget and appreciates low-tech options - she mentions the most simple of tools: a pen and paper.

"Technology is deeply embedded in my life, but nothing can replace the feel of a pen against paper. . . It’s the ultimate tool. It’s affordable, compatible with everything, widely available."

Source

Read Lifehacker Editor Gina Trapani's New Book!

GeekSugar — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 04:45:35 PDT

Geeky girl, Lifehacker founder and editor Gina Trapani has released a new book full of the kind of tips that has made Lifehacker a phenomenal one-stop Internet shop and me a devotee, called Upgrade Your Life.

I've always appreciated the way Lifehacker has not only made an impact on the geek community by writing awesome extensions (they're perennially in Download of the Day), but the site also gives you ways to hack your real life, away from your computer, with DIYs and simple tips, like the awesome iPod cord detangler trick.

On that note, take some time away from your computer screen, order Upgrade Your Life, and sit down for a great read. In 3-D.