Filed under: Macintosh, Productivity, Freeware

MindNode is a free app for Mac OS X that can be used to create clean, elegant concept maps like brainstorms, writing outlines, or timelines. Each maps starts with a main concept to which branch nodes can easily be added. Primary branches are colored differently so one’s eye can easily follow a consistent path.

You can have multiple maps on the same “canvas” which can be helpful for comparing or contrasting ideas. Fonts and colors are customizable, and you can change the line stroke (solid, dashed, dotted). MindNode also lets you export your finished map to a .tiff or .pdf to share your brilliant ideas with the world.

[Via i use this]

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Filed under: Office, Productivity, Web services, web 2.0

Checkser is niche application of the wiki concept: users create/edit checklists for topics ranging from “What to look for when buying a home” to “Things to do before leaving for a vacation.” The checklists are useable (you can click checkboxes to mark items), and editable anonymously or with an OpenID signature.

While editing a checklist, you can drag/drop list items in whatever order you select. You can also provide a “Read More…” link in case you want to offer a preview of a more extensive list found elsewhere.

Like any good wiki, you can view the history of edits for the checklists. Our favorite list so far is the Web 2.0 checklist.

[Thanks Marijn Deurloo]

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Filed under: Marketing and advertising, Bank of America (BAC), Housing

With a large portion of the blame for the housing slump being placed squarely on the shoulders of aggressive mortgage salesmen, you might think the industry would crawl under a rock and wait for the bad headlines to pass.

But their continued aggressive marketing indicates otherwise, with the mortgage industry as a whole making no reduction in its advertising budget since the heady days of the bubble. Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) is still pitching ads urging homeowners to refinance to “get the cash you need, when you need it,” according to the New York Times.

That banks are still looking to provide cash for buying homes and refinancing is a bullish indicator. The zeal with which they’re marketing these products might mean that consumers are being unduly timid about entering the housing market in the face of considerable headline shock.

Alternatively, it could just mean that the lenders still haven’t learned their lessons.

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