The Secret to Luck
Be lucky - it’s an easy skill to learn says Richard Wiseman. It would seem luck is not as lucky as it seems.
/found via @Mr_Darling and @stuyparker (among others)
Best Animated Gif EVER
They entitled it “Best Animated Gif Ever 2,” but there’s no question in my mind this one is not only superior but unmatched.
/found here. Oh how great it is. :D
Starting off on the wrong footer
For those who read this and connect my personal and professional life, you may have noticed that one of the sites I maintain, the Adventist News Network has a new look. Possibly wondered why I didn’t make any sort of big announcement here or on Twitter noting the transition or detailing the process.
The reason, reader, is because I don’t like the site. there’s about 10-15% of me that is bitter because I recommended and started development on a different version. The other 85-90% of me is bitter because the new style, which is nice, took over a year to move from concept to deliverable, and the deliverable was so poorly done…
Getting things up to snuff was hard, but I found reward in the way a few teammates went above and beyond the usual workload to see this thing go live (probably because they were as tired of it as I was). It was the first time I felt a sense of team on a web project in the 18 months I’ve been here, and it felt so good..
ANN’s new design still has a ton of issues, enough that I’m fixing and releasing them en masse like a version release. We’re actually calling it “ANN 2.1” and it will largely be an optimization of code and css. We’ll also push the release more appropriate of an Movable Type-powered site—as a template set.
Rather than risking an visible issue as we “upgrade” the design, I thought it’d be nice to stage the entire site on a developmental server and test things first. Problem is, I didn’t have a server environment that matched precisely; ideally it’d be best to mirror the old site, make the changes, and then point the domain to the improved version. So I asked my IT department for a new virtual server.
They kindly obliged earlier this month, and once I got things squared away with the template set, I set out building the server to specifications. One thing I can say about this job: it has broadened my understanding of server administration and Apache configuration. Playing around in a fresh server, googling solutions, and discovering through error is a great way to learn little things you never realized. I’m officially a terminal man now. :)
With nothing really set up as far as web strategy, design process, or even mac hardware tech support for my department, life has been one big problem after another. But now that I’m nearing the end of the worst of it, I’m finding myself more capable and more confident about the methods and systems I came with. Soon, I’ll be able to push forward with a more visible manner—one that I’ll be proud of.
Haiti a month on
Saying “I told you so” doesn’t make the tremendous drop in Haiti coverage any less depressing. I’m appreciative that there are still many relief efforts and humanitarian aid providers on the scene, yet I cringe at the thought that Haiti was in our prayers only as long as it was before our eyes.
With the torrential storm season fast approaching, and tens of thousands still living outside, I fear the worst is not yet over for this impoverished nation.
Link from The Economist
What Makes Cities Happy
I’m happy that my metropolitan area made second place in the level of well-bing US cities (cited in the article), but it is more interesting to see the correlation between specific things and feelings of well-being. For a measure of clarity (especially for those unaccustomed to looking at charts of this type) it would have been nice to see a few areas that were considered (or discovered) to be non-essential to metropolitan well being.
All together very interesting.
The Most Sinful Nation on Earth
BBC Focus Magazine apparently conducted a (relatively flimsy) research assignment which measured countries according to the presence of a modern variant of the seven deadly sins. The article is no longer available, but the image tells you all you need to know.
/found here
Why Are You So Terribly Disappointing?
If he hadn’t gone overboard on the paragraphs of mock whining, this would echo my recent feelings very well.
In Pursuit of Happiness and a Pleasant Meal
Not only do they regularly eat pancakes with ice cream, they do so regularly at a place around Sydney called Pancakes on the Rocks. Additionally, they consider this “a very American thing to do.” Fru and I watched in amazement as Nerise poured a polite amount of maple syrup over her special plate.
The plate was only partially special because of its unusualness—the waitress told us of a regular customer that was fond of ice cream on pancakes. What made this plate special was it was the last dish on the table—and when we looked into its absence we discovered that a member of the kitchen staff had run to a nearby grocery to fulfill our order.
When the waitress heard us mention the oddity of ice cream on pancakes and shared her experience of other customers, she also saw the slight disappointment in Nerise’s face that this was not to be expected. So she took extra initiative to make her customer happy. In fact, she praised James’ choice of the nutella pancakes (her fav), got Nerise exactly what she wanted, accepted my credit card and brought back my receipt (this is a place that is strictly “pay as you exit”) and wished us all a happy Valentine’s Day with a smile.
Customer service is about making people happy, as much as is eating waffles and pancakes at Sunday brunch. Growing up, pancakes were homemade Sunday food, and waffles were a rare occasion—generally where we found ourselves 20 miles away from home and my dad in a cheerful mood. So in many instances (especially when eating out), the meal is also the pursuit of happiness.
There are a few pancake establishments here on the east, the most famous being, of course, IHOP. It wasn’t until middle school that I recognized the difference between them—and not until high school until I recognized the the southern stand-by that is Waffle House. But for me, apart from the great customer service received today at the location walking distance from my house, the best is and will always be the Original Pancake House. It does it because of the pleasant atmosphere that accompanies the happy-making food.
I have this experience with another food establishment—Silver Diner. I didn’t do diners until after high school, and the one all my friends frequented (and worked at) was SD. The fact that they did such a good job at a warm, clean, pleasant environment was driven home when I went to a more “authentic diner.” I was afraid to pick up the menu, let a lone order from it.
In all these things, there is a battle: the battle between efficiency and luxury. Do you focus on functionality or sensuality? Are we here just to survive or also to enjoy? And do these decisions stop at our personal experience or extend to the experiences we create in others?
Swinging back to today’s experience, today was Nerise’s first day in America; she arrived last night from Australia where she and James live. I imagine it’s nice to be completely catered to while stuffing your face on your idea of an american meal (whose portions are BIG, as you dreamed but didn’t expect).
Even James, who has been here on research since the beginning of the year, was impressed by the service—and happy to see his wife happy on her first day here. He’s been surviving these past two months without struggle, but it’s nice to enjoy a meal with one you love.
And for us: how do we know James? We sat next to him at our church one sabbath and discovered he was staying in our apartment building by himself—subleasing from a friend’s friend, with no mobile phone, no tv and no acquaintances besides the people helping him in the lab. So for the past month or so, every weekend has included James as our special guest; this weekend we were happy to add Nerise as if she was as natural a part of our weekend as James has come to feel.
Because it’s not just customer service: life itself is about the pursuit of happiness—and the pursuit of happiness is predicated upon extending happiness into the life of others. It is unfortunate that businesses have found this for profit purposes before we as a society have found it to our civic benefit.
Taijiquan
Image via Wikipedia
As the snow falls this evening, I’m in my living room moving slowly. I’m slightly perspiring, my hands are in front of me; my weight is entirely on one foot. After a couple minutes, I shift slightly to the other foot and turn gently.
No, I’m not re-enacting The Karate Kid…
…but I am practicing a martial art. For about seven months I’ve been studying a Yang-style of Taijiquan (better known as Tai Chi) at Great River Taoist Center in downtown DC. I really like it, and I thought I’d explain why.
Taiji is a system. Like any system, there are parts—and these parts’ value diminish when taken in isolation. I found this out when I breifly became interested in yoga. Yoga is also a system developed by Hindu practitioners for greater control of the body—meditation’s greatest distraction—not for health or fitness. You will not find this basis in most of the yoga studios you visit. Of all the people who I know who have practiced or are studying, only one have I seen progress into the actual deeper application. Taiji was developed as a fighting style. There are poses or forms, that when given application, can be used in physical engagement(be it fixed routines or free sparring). Thus, practitioners gain mindfulness as well has heath and martial benefits. GRTC is the first place I’ve found of any such kind that presents a full system rather than the more popular (and profitable) packaged parts.
Taiji is slow and laborious. I am not a fast person, and I appreciate taking my time. Everyone wants to be great, but very few care how they become great. People balk at the idea of dedicating extensive time to fully understanding something; it’s much more common to hear “give me the basic points” than “let’s cover each point in detail.” Taijiquan’s famous slow progression through forms is specifically to highlight every point, and to establish the structure that will support (later) fast movement. It also provides room for reflection, while the cyclical practices make review a norm. You will always learn something new, and you can always extend your understanding of even the most basic concepts. Taiji seems to be designed with this in mind (in fact, the center’s director advocates giving a school “about 2 years” to see if its teachings are sound!). In this streaming, always-on, multitasking world, taijiquan brings repose without inactivity. I have no goal to make, no record to beat; only myself to improve—and all the time in the world.
Taijiquan avoids a focus on strength, instead embracing right intent and application. I grew up in a relatively rural, where strong guys abound. But unlike the swollen gym rats that scurry around DC streets, most of these guys are not huge. They know how to correctly apply their strength, and this does not require obscene bulges. Taiji emphasizes proper structure over big muscles—the center’s favorite phrase is “steel wrapped in cotton”—which makes it accessible to all sizes, ages and genders. It also makes note of key areas in application which make less effort work more.
Image via Wikipedia
A New Approach to Twitter
I’ll be changing my usage of twitter. Again.
- Every twitter account I’m even remotely intrigued by, I will follow. I am cultivating my own public timeline. I want to expand what I hear from the twitter community from my own valuations (rather than external suggestions or trends)
- I will use twitter’s “lists” feature to focus on specific twitterers that, for one reason or another, catch my attention. If anyone from twitter reads this, it’d be a great feature to have the ability to select a “list” as your “home” page. I want to easily cut the noise and receive the signal, making twitter actually useful.
- The “reply” feature will be deprecated. If I need to reply to someone, it will be a complete tweet thought that can stand alone; otherwise, I’ll defer to the “direct message” feature. I now think the twitter team had the right idea when they “fixed replies”; without context, replies lose usefulness. Now that I stream my tweets on Leftsider, and Google shows tweets in search results, my tweets are being asked to mature a bit.
As I have pretty much abandoned twitter SMS usage (thanks, iPhone apps!), it no longer is important that I keep my following number low—especially since twitter now allows me to select which tweets to send. A lot of people who were snubbed or axed by my notorious “following 79” rule may find themselves back on board. This, I expect, will also affect my recent follower plateau.
From a few random strangers to practically everyone I meet these days, twitter certainly is a different animal. I’d be interested in knowing how other people are taming the beast.
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