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Articles for tag: charts, creating, efficiency, flowcharts, graphs, learning, maps, mindmaps, thinking, tools, yEd

yEd graph editor promotional banner with diagram screenshots

Learning yEd: A Working Reference

After many years of working with all sorts of flow charting and mapping software, I recently discovered yED quite by accident. If Draw.io is a Jaguar, then yED is a Rolls Royce and a Lambo all in one. Teslas are not in this race! 😊 What’s in the ‘tin’? It’s best to say how it ...

Computer monitor displaying glowing AI mind map interface

3D Mindmaps in Blender

Overview It’s fair to say that most people don’t know what Blender is, and won’t go near it with a barge pole. Okay – so it’s some geek-thing that can create from simple 3D objects to whole movies! The learning curve is punishing. I’ve wrestled with it for around 3 years. But now – Blender ...

1985 office contrasts with modern AI workspace

The Confession of Human Agency in the Age of Automated Tools

In 1985, the word processor changed everything. It automated margins, line spacing, and spellchecking. Yet, no one ever read a brilliant legal brief and thanked the computer screen. Nobody praised the very basic CPUs of the time for expanding the solicitor’s intellect. The software provided the grid. The human provided the argument. Everyone understood the ...

Visual Studio Code for Authors: A Modern Approach to Manuscript Management

Visual Studio Code (VS Code) is widely recognised as the industry standard for software development. However, its core strength—managing complex text files with precision—makes it an exceptionally powerful tool for authors of fiction and non-fiction alike. Luddites and lazy folk should stop right now – leave this blog and get back to Netflix, Instagram and ...

Person using AI on computer for better answers.

Getting better answers from AI

1. The challenge of communicating with AI Many people, especially those using unpaid AI plans, unknowingly exhaust limited tokens by submitting very short, vague prompts. These models are powerful, but they cannot make accurate assumptions about a user’s goals without deliberate guidance. By applying a few basic principles, users on free tiers can obtain deeper, ...

Scrivener – for the writer in you

As ‘some’ may have realised, something is happening in the background. So, I’m sharing Scrivener which is a nifty piece of software – or an ‘app’ for those who like the new terminology. This post is not a software review. Before anyone goes there, I derive no pecuniary or other advantages (in the past, present ...