How have I functioned as an adult for so long without knowing that this plugin exists?
Thank you for sharing, I am going to download this immediately. My current algorithm for passwords is human based so it is an unfortunately simple algo. It provides some additional security over raw reuse but not enough for me to be comfortable.
I have used that exact Wake-Up light model for about a year. It has had a marginal effect, in that I wake "naturally" (before the sound alarm goes off) about 1 night in 20. As a simple source of bright light, it performs as you would expect -- with the extra benefit that my tired morning self does not have to bother with turning it on.
I would rank its usefulness above 0, but below a consistent bed time, and so far, below vitamin D (3250 IU in the morning).
"You teach them." Well, no. You set up a framework of information and activities which allows the individual to learn.
It could be beneficial to adopt this view, prominent in education, for software documentation as well. (The article seems to agree, but it is useful to have you language reflect the student as the active party.) We could actually look educational strategies such as constructive alignment [1] here: define the measurable learning outcomes, and provide activities aligned with those outcomes.
The tutorial comes to mind as a potentially successful component of documentation. Executed well, it gives at a glance information, while simultaneously providing natural entry points for hands on activity. Add more options for self-assessment and soon you will have a very pedagogically sound learning instrument.
Everything in your comment really resonates with me—except I feel mostly powerless on getting to the second state. It either happens or it doesn't.
I can easily recognize the down periods, but like segmondy, I can't (or won't) do anything about them. In a free work environment, it's easy to rationalize not working right now with "I'm listless, it's better in the long run to rest." But too many of those occasions point to larges issues, such as not really caring about the work.
I self-identify with being intrinsically driven, as well as caring about my work. So now there's the meta-guilt of not being interested and motivated enough. Along with the normal guilt of "why won't you just harden the F up and do something."
Anyway, if you have written anything else along these lines, please post a link. I'd be very interested in reading it!
Something that has helped me. I do it regardless if I want to work on it or not.
I stopped making a choice if I work on this project. I work on the project for an hour. Not because I want too (I might not) but because that is what I do.
When I hear those voices in my head that want to put it off, or I'm too tired, or let's just skip it today, we can make it up tomorrow. I (struggle sometimes to) ignore them. This isn't a question about wanting to spend that hour on the project. There isn't a question to have. I just do it.
Once you start the voice tends to go away because I'm too busy actually doing it.
I think this is why offices work the way they do. You are not given a choice. You show up to work and you have 8 hours to do it. Someone even does the planning for you! So you have nothing else to do, so it's not a choice. You just do.
As lame as it sounds, the Nike slogan in correct. (If you look you'll see all sorts of famous people with the same motto.) You just do it. Nothing else matters. That's the trick. It's incredibly hard and most people won't. But if you really want too succeed, then you will just do it.
And if not, then maybe you are beating yourself up over something that doesn't really matter to you. It's a valid question. Do you honestly want it? Or maybe something else is pushing you to want it, but you don't really care.
You just described the core of the analogy: experience.
There are many cases where I and others choose much more expensive applications to which there are fine inexpensive (or free) alternatives. Just knowing the amount of “unnecessary” design or development work may be enough to increase pleasure of use.
Of course, the extra work may also have directly beneficial effects, functional, esthetic, or otherwise. Fine dining tends to be tasty.
Agreed. Plenty of free programs do the job, but "costs" one way or another (ex.: ads). I'll pay (more) for programs which improve the experience by not distracting me with ads or irritating user interfaces (looking at you SONY). I'm old enough to start realizing life is finite; better to pay more for a good experience on top of getting something done (be it remote data access or topping off my nutrition for the day).
The short answer: it's why Apple is making boatloads of cash. "But you can get an equivalent machine for a fraction of the price!" arguments abound; nonetheless, its that "fine dining" attention to detail which rakes in tens of billions of $$$ profit per quarter.
As a data point, 15 percent of Swedish university funds come from private donations [1]. That's supposed to be equal to the US, though I imagine that other types of educational institutions get considerably less in Sweden.
While 4G isn't available here, I was at least happy to see 15 mbps reliably on 3G. For my typical use case, e.g. checking tweets and casual browsing, I don't miss a better connection. (For tethering it sure would be nice, though.)
