I’m pleased to welcome back Tinderbox as this week’s sponsor. While software to calculate numbers or layout a page of text have been around a long time, we are in the early days of applications that help you think. I’m fascinated by applications that can help you unravel your thoughts and put them back together in new and interesting ways.

One of the finest in this category is Tinderbox. I’ve never really used anything like Tinderbox before. It starts out as a place to collect and organize your notes. While there are plenty of apps that let you write stuff down, Tinderbox stands out in the ways it shows you your data. You can link different notes together and display them back in different formats. There are outline, map, and chart views that you can easily jump between, letting both the right and left sides of your brain have a look. There is also a built in timeline tool that can create an interactive timeline among dated notes. Tinderbox can even collect and report on data it accumulates from its own file.

Version 6.4 is now out and it ads footnotes, word clouds, gorgeous outline export, and all sorts of fresh support for DEVONthink Office Pro, Delicious Library, and your calendar.

I’ve been using Tinderbox in the legal practice to track facts and issues arising out of litigation matters. I’ve also used it to plan and negotiate complex contracts. Tinderbox is flexible and you can sculpt it to your own needs. 

Tinderbox can make a difference for you too. Head over to the Tinderbox website to check out further details and screenshots.

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