Interesting – “Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture”

This is pretty amazing stuff. More here.

“When you have a working knowledge of economics, it’s like having a mild super power”

Scott Adams applies economic thinking to everday life at this post.

The Dilbert Guide to Personal Finance

Via FireVault:
According to Adams, everything you need to know about financial planning boils down to these eight principles:
- Make a will.
- Pay off your credit cards.
- Get term life insurance if you have a family to support.
- Fund your 401(k) to the maximum.
- Fund your IRA to the maximum.
- Buy a house if you want [...]

Why Smart People Defend Bad Ideas

A buddy sent me this link entitled Why smart people defend bad ideas from scottberkun.com. It has some gems like:
We all know someone who’s intelligent, but who occasionally defends obviously bad ideas. Why does this happen? How can smart people take up positions that defy any reasonable logic? Having spent many years working with [...]

5-sentence email?

43 Folders has a short post Guy Kawasaki & the art of the 5-sentence email.
I have many times had problems when writing very short emails. Since most human communication is non-verbal, often my short email has been interpreted by co-workers as being curt or standoff-ish or mean or evil (yes, evil).
Mostly, I have been trying [...]

Better Email Usage? Maybe: TamingEmail.com

PurpleSlog commentator kusswords hip’d me to a resource on making better use of email: http://www.tamingemail.com
Here is a Table of Contents of sorts.
I have just started going through it – I have yet to adopt any of their ideas.
Feel free to share any suggestions, links, or comments for making better use of email.

Shredding for Better Personal Information Security

The David M. Piscitello Blog has a post on Shredding:
Before you toss these items in the recycling, consider shredding them:

Credit card, loan, bank statements and any correspondence on which a complete account number is printed.
Insurance, medical plan, and any other correspondence on which a complete social security number, claim number, or record of service is [...]

Why I Like Affirmative References to Chomsky In Other People’s Posts…

…is a strong signal to me that I need not read farther looking for useful information or analysis.

Flow and Hikaru Dorodango

Via REDDIT – Dorodango.com says:
Hikaru dorodango are balls of mud, molded by hand into perfect spheres, dried, and polished to an unbelievable luster. The process is simple, but the result makes it seem like alchemy.
…
As I’ve experimented with dorodango over the past few years, I’m struck by how these objects, created from such humble material, [...]

Lazy Computer System Administrators Rocks

From Approach.Botonomy.Com (ht REDDIT), an article of the philosophy of successful computer systems administrators:
This is also a case of something being good for the team and good for the individual at the same time. For the team, process automation yields greater consistency and predictability. For the individual team member, automated builds, scripted deployments, and the [...]

Sounds Like Personal OODA Loop Tuning

Dr Sanity Writes:
Occasionally, I find no corroborating evidence in their behavior for such feelings, and in those cases I simply file the emotional data away and make a conscious decision not to act on it for the time being. Sometimes I find negative evidence that contradicts my primal emotional response. Both situations are cues to [...]

Elevator/Lift Hacking Reference

Hacking Elevators:

“The designers of some elevators include a hidden feature that is very handy if you’re in a hurry or it’s a busy time in the building (like check-out time in a hotel). While some elevators require a key, others can be put into “Express” mode by pressing the “Door Close” and “Floor” buttons at
the [...]

Amtrak Traveling

Ted Tang is taking an Amtrak traing to Las Vegas for a trade show. He is planning on…
…bring both my NAVMAN GPS and my Delorme, because it would be nice to just whip something out and see where you are and the Delorme is so small anyways. I loaded all the maps onto the SD [...]

Sudoku Template [Updated]

Update 11/22/2007: Go here to get the blank grid as a PDF.
Sudoku Template

Use the full-size view through Flick to get a larger grid.
I originally made this in MS word, and usually print it out when I need a blank puzzle sheet.
Send me an email if you want a copy as a PDF.

Occam’s Razor

Noted: Occam's Razor explained.

Crunch Mode

Via REDDIT: Why Crunch Mode Doesn't Work: 6 Lessons.
Here is the Executive Summary:
When used long-term, Crunch Mode slows development and creates more bugs when compared with 40-hour weeks.
More than a century of studies show that long-term useful worker output is maximized near a five-day, 40-hour workweek. Productivity drops immediately upon starting overtime and continues to [...]