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Seth Godin is, as usual, right on the mark — no user servicable parts inside:
That’s what it says on countless electronic and mechanical devices. “Don’t touch this,” it says, “you’re way too dumb to open it… you’ll get hurt”
The problem, of course, is that pretty soon you start looking at the entire world that way. Whether it’s web design or Google analytics or backing up your hard drive or just talking to the guys in the plant about your new ideas, it’s really easy to see the world as a black box.
Here’s a simple secret of success: ignore the sticker.
I’m a geek. I work with servers, infrastructure and network hardware. I know how a good deal of my industry’s stuff works because I was never afraid to rip the cover off and get my hands dirty — a parentally challenging (and initially somewhat destructive) habit as a child has lead to a busy and often productive work ethic as a result.
When I tackle something new, be it technology or software, I still whip the cover off for at least a brief look at the clockwork action below.
Being a New Zealand National, I forfeited the right to vote in the recent Australian Federal Elections — in losing that right as a free citizen I can only echo Cameron’s call to vote.
“Vote with whatever criteria you deem important, but please, vote.”
Never take the right to instigate change for granted, it’s a rare chance to shape the future and all it takes is stepping out the front door and pressing pen to ballot paper.
Sometimes I wish I had an editor, perhaps Jason could do with one too:
“After all, Matt Drudge is teasing the story with an invented quote: “STRAIN OF SUPERBUG ‘MAY BE NEW HIV’…” But that language doesn’t actually appear anywhere, much less in the Reuters summary to which he links..”
Says Kottke who prefaces the exposé on Drudge’s take on the Reuters story (queue editor) with the headline “The Mania Over Gay Flesh-Eating Super-Staph” — which doesn’t appear in his own commentary either.
Indeed the original source article does suggest possible bias and the need for further study and investigation as part of it’s preface.
No offence Jason, or more correctly, Choire — if you’re going to call-to-task inflammatory headlining and inventive story-telling, using such a title yourself calls into question your supposed indignation of the same.
Mr Drudge may well be inventing quotes, but I call pot-kettle-black on your headline in return — it’s no less “sensationalised”.
Update: .. and I’ll call mea-culpa on this — thanks brett — apologies to Jason Kottke, this was a piece written by Choire Sicha. The comment still stands, but I didn’t notice it was a guest writer opinion piece.
Jeff Atwood has recently written a little on how your desktop is not a destination:
“The desktop background, as I see it, is completely superfluous. My desktop “background” right now is plain black. And that doesn’t bother me in the least, because none of it is visible.”
I agree with Jeff on this point. The background shouldn’t define how we get things done.
Perhaps a little show-and-tell is in order, to illustrate. This is my current home-based workspace. I don’t have too many applications actively running right now and the desktop is pretty much devoid of all but the drive icons — it was taken during the creation of this article.
For the more curious among you, the two Kanji characters represent Ninja. From time to time I enjoy cycling out desktop imagery that doesn’t have English typography. It reminds me to think outside the square and not continuously seek the comfortable, or the known, to take risks and try new things.
Back to the subject at hand. The desktop shouldn’t be a scrap yard, where tens of dozens of icons, folders and random cruft congregate waiting for something to happen, be it recycling or eventual destruction. In such a chaotic environment resources can easily be lost, or accidentally purged.
Any gains in the ’single basket’ approach to storage are lost if the basket goes missing. Rather, the desktop should act like a lobby, providing the launch point to your next destination. Jeff observes the following:
“The desktop is like an aesthetically pleasing airport we must occasionally pass through before arriving at our real destinations: a web browser, a word processor, an IDE, a graphics editor, etcetera.”
Which neatly dovetails into a piece I wrote recently, regarding experimenting with minimalism and plain colour backgrounds. Although Jeff mentions that he has “browser windows and programs — the things I’m actually doing — covering all three monitors..” I find that keeping applications minimised when not in use frees up resources for those applications that you are using, improving the response times and resulting efficiencies.
Given Jeff has three monitors in action, the numbers of open applications that he can run concurrently without overcrowding is obviously greater than if one uses one, or even two monitors. In my case, I have a wide-screen display at home and use two at work.
When you take a break1 save your work2 and minimise any focused applications. Those two actions help improve the break quality as you won’t be tempted to worry about any current activity to the same degree. It’s saved and stowed away safely.
When you return, you’ll be greeted with a tidy workspace and a system ready to respond to your needs, not as a user forced to bend to the will of the system. I have written more in the last three days alone than in the last two weeks. Much of that can be attributed to a renewed sense of achievement that a better work space can provide.
I’ve found increased enthusiasm in using the tools I presently have and, well, I feel as though I’m getting more done, without any additional stress. And there really is nothing quite like sitting down to a system just as refreshed as it’s user, that isn’t overburdened with several applications all vying for attention and is ready to spring into action.
"I’m working today. In fact, if I’m conscious, I’m working. That’s largely because it doesn’t seem like ‘work’ today. I’d write this blog even if no one read it." — the last sentence strikes a chord; an author who simply writes, irrespective of outcome.
You’re sitting there thinking “What will I write today?” only to realise you are
entirely devoid of inspiration.
Isn’t it a trivial process when there is something to be angry about, or sad, or overjoyed? Someone pisses you off, or you read an article that cripples with total joy, you discover a new resource, or some […]
"Maintaining motivation requires paying attention to your behavior, listening to your instincts, and learning how to encourage, bargain, and even trick yourself into being creative." — the essence of content development and a great motivational tonic.
