I found a couple links. This first one is a blog post on Ego Development (I found it through a Lifehacker post though). It's titled "10 Exercises for Better Focus and Concentration." I read the post and it is very good. I am not sure, exactly how or why these tricks would make you concentrate better, but I can see how you would pay attention more to detail. Either way, it couldn't hurt to try it. Right? Another one, on the subject of tests and concentrating, is a post from Degree Directory titled "How to Cram for a College Exam." Although the title may be limiting, I am sure it could work for any test. Although, in some testing situations, cramming might not be the best, the sleep might be more important, otherwise you might not be able to focus. But check them out anyways.
Prism. Perfect name for it's, almost, perfect program. Prism is from Mozilla Labs and is great.
"Prism now provides a cross-platform way to integrate the web platform with the desktop environment, and developers don’t have to lift a finger to desktop-enable their web applications, while users have the choice to use their favorite web apps in their browser, on their desktop of choice, or in both places."
It is now a prototype downloadable for Mac and Linux, whereas previously it was only available for Windows. So YEAH for all you other users out there. It is really really REALLY useful. It's used like a browser window, but for a specific website. For example, one that only opens to Facebook. You can do everything you could with a regular browser window (except navigate back and forth, and no tabs either) while not doing it on your browser. Instead of having to open up your browser and then finding the site, either through bookmarks, or god forbid typing it, and going that way; Prism skips the middleman and goes straight to the website in question. It's great. The only thing I have a problem with (besides the ones in parenthesis above) is that I will soon have too many to keep track of, and, it could just be me, but I don't know how to get icons. It could be that I am using an older version, but I really have no idea how to get a specific favicon to go with the webpage I want to open.
So that's it for today.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Writing Techniques/Ideas - Fitting Words
I was recently looking over a great site called TED.com. This is a video hosting site, but unlike any you have seen before (or will see for some time to come), this site has hundreds of talks (videos) from hundreds of really smart people. These "smart people" meet once a year and tell all the other "smart people" their ideas. This is a remarkable method of sharing ideas, have people with a passion for what they are doing explain what they are doing to other people who maybe able to help, not to mention the good PR they must be getting. Before, these talks were only available to those who went to these talks, or those who were willing to fork over some money. Now, these talks are free to everyone, and downloadable. Check it out.
One of the videos I watched was by Vilayanur Ramachandran and he talked about the brain and how it works and what happens (and why) when it doesn't.
Here:
Towards the end he talks about about Synthesis. This is basically when two senses mingle: you see a number as a color, or hear a musical note as a color, or something like that. This is really common among writers/poets/artists/musicians/etc. This is not because they use the mixed senses to be good at what they do, but because the mixed senses make them good at what they do. At the end he explains how we are all synthesiacs but in denial. He shows a picture of two shapes, one curvy and wavy and the other jagged and sharp-edged. He said they are two letters of the Martian alphabet and that one was "booboo" and the other "keekee." Most people in the audience associated the sharp, jagged figure to represent "keekee." Why? Our brain registers the "K" sound and associates it with a sharp and jagged image. The picture it forms in our brains corresponds with the way the word sounds.
How does this relate to writing? I think that, in poetry and music especially, if you are going to write something, the words have to match the meaning in definition and sound. Meaning a scary word has to mean scary and sound and look scary. It makes the meaning be more concrete, and, well, meaningful. Need help? This page will tell you some of the most beautiful words.
I realize, also, that writing in this manner can drive you insane trying to find the right words with the right meaning. It would drive me crazy. I would suggest using it for short writing, or to emphasize a certain point within a longer writing, and, most especially, for titles. No matter what you are writing about, the title can make or break your writing. The title is what hooks people into the story. I read somewhere that you can't a good book by it's cover, but a bad book has a bad cover (and that would include a title).
In Recap:
One of the videos I watched was by Vilayanur Ramachandran and he talked about the brain and how it works and what happens (and why) when it doesn't.
Here:
Towards the end he talks about about Synthesis. This is basically when two senses mingle: you see a number as a color, or hear a musical note as a color, or something like that. This is really common among writers/poets/artists/musicians/etc. This is not because they use the mixed senses to be good at what they do, but because the mixed senses make them good at what they do. At the end he explains how we are all synthesiacs but in denial. He shows a picture of two shapes, one curvy and wavy and the other jagged and sharp-edged. He said they are two letters of the Martian alphabet and that one was "booboo" and the other "keekee." Most people in the audience associated the sharp, jagged figure to represent "keekee." Why? Our brain registers the "K" sound and associates it with a sharp and jagged image. The picture it forms in our brains corresponds with the way the word sounds.
How does this relate to writing? I think that, in poetry and music especially, if you are going to write something, the words have to match the meaning in definition and sound. Meaning a scary word has to mean scary and sound and look scary. It makes the meaning be more concrete, and, well, meaningful. Need help? This page will tell you some of the most beautiful words.
I realize, also, that writing in this manner can drive you insane trying to find the right words with the right meaning. It would drive me crazy. I would suggest using it for short writing, or to emphasize a certain point within a longer writing, and, most especially, for titles. No matter what you are writing about, the title can make or break your writing. The title is what hooks people into the story. I read somewhere that you can't a good book by it's cover, but a bad book has a bad cover (and that would include a title).
In Recap:
- use beautiful looking words for beautiful meaning words when writing "beautiful"
- don't use all the time, only for short stuff (i.e. songs, poems, special points within longer writings, TITLES)
- practice
Story
I have been itching to do is to write a story. I really don't care what it is about (as long as it isn't non-fiction, I can't write all the possible semantics of non-fiction) as long as it will be consuming and entertaining. I just need to write something. But what?
That is the main question many writers face when writing a story: WHAT? What happens? What is the setting? What happens next? What, what, what whatwhatwhat? How do they solve it? I sure would like to know. It would be real helpful for all writing.
One of the answers that a Google search will tell you is inspiration. You have to be inspired to come up with stuff. Inspiration could come with anywhere. A song, a line from a book, something you see, the way someone looks at you, something someone says...anything really. But the problem is that it isn't labeled: "INSPIRATION," which I am sure you will all agree it should. So then, without the ability to recognize inspiration in our everyday lives, we must find alternative means of finding inspiration.
I did a quick Google search (you gotta love Google, although it is becoming a kind of monopoly) and looked through a couple of the sites. I have come up with a list of sites that I found to be useful.
This first one is a blog post, by David D Friedman.com, that basically has story ideas...free for the taking. And it says so in the title. These story ideas should be stories in themselves, the way they are written and the ideas in them...whoo! Check it out because these would be some great stories if someone would write them out in long form.
This second one is a story generator from Seventh Sanctum.com. It tells you the main character, the event, the main object, the ending type. It's really vague, but if you want to write a quick story just to write it, this site would be most helpful. It does, occasionally, come up with something interesting.
This third one is an entire site devoted to "flashes of inspiration." It's called Short Story Ideas.com (how convenient). This has a limited array of random characters, scenarios, titles, images (if you get inspired from pictures), random, and first lines. It is like a rotating dial, it continually spins and whenever you click, the one it is on at that moment is shown (while continuously rotating as well) and when you click for a new one, it shows whatever one it is on at that moment, etc., etc. I thought it was pretty useful, especially the first line generator.
I have started to write a story; so far I have a few potential first lines, a story idea and a basic outline for the story. I'll give it to you in small doses, whenever I get to writing the actual story.
Happy Writing! and Get Inspired!
That is the main question many writers face when writing a story: WHAT? What happens? What is the setting? What happens next? What, what, what whatwhatwhat? How do they solve it? I sure would like to know. It would be real helpful for all writing.
One of the answers that a Google search will tell you is inspiration. You have to be inspired to come up with stuff. Inspiration could come with anywhere. A song, a line from a book, something you see, the way someone looks at you, something someone says...anything really. But the problem is that it isn't labeled: "INSPIRATION," which I am sure you will all agree it should. So then, without the ability to recognize inspiration in our everyday lives, we must find alternative means of finding inspiration.
I did a quick Google search (you gotta love Google, although it is becoming a kind of monopoly) and looked through a couple of the sites. I have come up with a list of sites that I found to be useful.
This first one is a blog post, by David D Friedman.com, that basically has story ideas...free for the taking. And it says so in the title. These story ideas should be stories in themselves, the way they are written and the ideas in them...whoo! Check it out because these would be some great stories if someone would write them out in long form.
This second one is a story generator from Seventh Sanctum.com. It tells you the main character, the event, the main object, the ending type. It's really vague, but if you want to write a quick story just to write it, this site would be most helpful. It does, occasionally, come up with something interesting.
This third one is an entire site devoted to "flashes of inspiration." It's called Short Story Ideas.com (how convenient). This has a limited array of random characters, scenarios, titles, images (if you get inspired from pictures), random, and first lines. It is like a rotating dial, it continually spins and whenever you click, the one it is on at that moment is shown (while continuously rotating as well) and when you click for a new one, it shows whatever one it is on at that moment, etc., etc. I thought it was pretty useful, especially the first line generator.
I have started to write a story; so far I have a few potential first lines, a story idea and a basic outline for the story. I'll give it to you in small doses, whenever I get to writing the actual story.
Happy Writing! and Get Inspired!
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Bookmarkables
In following with the theme of keeping to a schedule I will show you a handy little site that keeps tabs on your schedule.
I have tried Google Calendar. I have tried Mozilla Sunbird. I have tried...well that is about all I have tried in terms of scheduling. But neither of these had the mobility and connectivity I needed. I needed to know something when I needed to know it. I didn't want to have to look it up. So I found Sandy. Sandy is a web application/site that acts like a personal assistant. You email her the phrase "Remind me to [do whatever] in [ex: 10 minutes, or tomorrow at 10am]." or "Remember that [name]'s [birthday/email/phone number/anything] is [whatever it is]." Then Sandy will send you an email when you asked her to, telling you what you wanted to be told. So far I have used it for little things like friends birthdays and small tasks like cleaning my mouse's cage once a month. But the potential is so much more.
How is it different than Google Calendar or Remember the Milk? Well, in addition to getting an email, you can sign up to get a text message to your phone telling you what you wanted to be told; or your Twitter account, if your there more often. I have found that the emails aren't really helpful. Yes, they do tell you what you want, but you have to dig through a whole bunch of other junk to get to it. If I could fix it, I would have it say just what you want it tell you, not all the other stuff that is added. I, also, rarely check my emails, probably once or twice a day, so that isn't really a useful function for me anyways. Solution? Texts. You can tell Sandy that you want all your reminders to be sent to your phone, then you get a text from her at the time specified with the content you want. This way has less words to it, mostly just what you want, but there is a couple lines that say who it's from and some other junk, but much fewer than emails. If you don't want to have to sift through all that text then I suggest getting a Twitter account (if you don't already have one) and telling Sandy that you want all your reminders sent to your Twitter account, and for even more mobility, tell Twitter to send all your messages from Sandy to your phone. This way you get very little "extra text", and a lot more of what you really want, even though there are quite a few steps involved. Also, it can get really annoying if you sign up for, both, texts from Sandy and Twitter, both saying the same thing, so cancel one if you are going to use the other. In recap:
I have tried Google Calendar. I have tried Mozilla Sunbird. I have tried...well that is about all I have tried in terms of scheduling. But neither of these had the mobility and connectivity I needed. I needed to know something when I needed to know it. I didn't want to have to look it up. So I found Sandy. Sandy is a web application/site that acts like a personal assistant. You email her the phrase "Remind me to [do whatever] in [ex: 10 minutes, or tomorrow at 10am]." or "Remember that [name]'s [birthday/email/phone number/anything] is [whatever it is]." Then Sandy will send you an email when you asked her to, telling you what you wanted to be told. So far I have used it for little things like friends birthdays and small tasks like cleaning my mouse's cage once a month. But the potential is so much more.
How is it different than Google Calendar or Remember the Milk? Well, in addition to getting an email, you can sign up to get a text message to your phone telling you what you wanted to be told; or your Twitter account, if your there more often. I have found that the emails aren't really helpful. Yes, they do tell you what you want, but you have to dig through a whole bunch of other junk to get to it. If I could fix it, I would have it say just what you want it tell you, not all the other stuff that is added. I, also, rarely check my emails, probably once or twice a day, so that isn't really a useful function for me anyways. Solution? Texts. You can tell Sandy that you want all your reminders to be sent to your phone, then you get a text from her at the time specified with the content you want. This way has less words to it, mostly just what you want, but there is a couple lines that say who it's from and some other junk, but much fewer than emails. If you don't want to have to sift through all that text then I suggest getting a Twitter account (if you don't already have one) and telling Sandy that you want all your reminders sent to your Twitter account, and for even more mobility, tell Twitter to send all your messages from Sandy to your phone. This way you get very little "extra text", and a lot more of what you really want, even though there are quite a few steps involved. Also, it can get really annoying if you sign up for, both, texts from Sandy and Twitter, both saying the same thing, so cancel one if you are going to use the other. In recap:
- get a Sandy account
- tell her what you want
- sign up you phone for text alerts OR get Twitter account
- IF Twitter:
- sign up your phone
- tell Sandy to tell Twitter the stuff
- tell Twitter to text the stuff to your phone
- Enjoy the freedom of not having to worry about remembering anything
Forming a Habit - [How to]
How to form a habit. In 3 steps.
Something, I think, pertains to a lot of readers out there. Perhaps it's for your New Year's Resolution (the one you gave up after a week but still want to try). Maybe it's for that nervous thing you do (like biting your nails) and want to get rid of it. Maybe, like me, you think you aren't organized, or scheduled, enough.
The definition of a habit, according to Merriam-Webster's online dictionary, is:
...
7 a: a behavior pattern acquired by frequent repetition or physiologic exposure that shows itself in regularity or increased facility of performance b: an acquired mode of behavior that has become nearly or completely involuntaryhabit> c: addiction habit>
...
So that tells you what a habit is (basically, something you do frequently, and, often, without thinking about it), but doesn't give you enough information to tell you how to make one.That is where my plan comes in.
STEP 1: Finding a Habit.
As the name says, this is where you pick which habit you want to work on. Maybe you want to work out everyday. Maybe you want to study more. Maybe you want to do all your homework. Maybe you want to stop biting your nails. Whatever it is that you want to change, write it down. This makes it permanent. It sets your goal in stone, saying, "You Committed To Do This."
My goal is to keep my desk area clean, and stick to a schedule so I don't have to be up until midnight to finish my homework.
STEP 2: The Countdown
I have read, and heard, a couple times that it takes anywhere between 21 and 28 days to form a habit. It should vary from person to person, but generally, people are pretty much the same (I am making that statement without any schooling about the subject, so if I am wrong, I give you full permission to comment nastily).
I think that 28 days is too allusive to 28 Days Later, and 21 days is too much like Blackjack--the card game. Besides neither one of them is a nice, round number; so I am going to work with 25 days.
I have tried to make habits in the past, and the trouble I have found is that there aren't constant reminders that tell you "You Are Trying NOT To Do That!" or "You Are Trying TO DO That." Since you can't have someone following you the entire time telling you this, I came up with something that would be a little bit more remind-ful.
Since I am trying to keep my desk clean, I need something that is on my desk that says, "Hey! Do Your Work, Don't Be Stupid."
I came up with a countdown kind of thing to help me remember that I am working on a habit.
Materials:
First, use the Sharpie to write the numbers (one number per card) 1-25 on the flash cards. Next use the hole puncher to punch one or two holes into the top of the card. For one hole, punch in the middle, for two punch in the corners. Be sure that you aren't putting the holes too close to the edges, you wouldn't want them to rip accidentally. Next put the key ring through the hole(s) and here is some pictures of the finished product:
http://flickr.com/photos/tags/habitcountdown/
This Countdown thing (should probably come up with new name) is great because once you are done with first habit, you can use it for another, or for any other countdown you may need.
STEP 3: Use
This step is, undeniably, the hardest. This step takes persistence. You have to keep at it, no matter how hard it gets. NOTE: DON'T schedule this at inconvenient times. For example, if you are doing a dieting habit, don't start this a week before Thanksgiving, it would be hard to resist all the food everywhere. So pick a time (close to now) when you can start and stop without too many interuptions.
Possible Problems:
To answer all of the possible problems, I am going to test it out. I will spend the next 25 days keeping my desk clean and following my schedule. I will post all the feelings I encounter (feelings to rebel, feelings to quit, feelings to continue) over the course of the next 25 days. I will also attempt to post here everyday. After the 25 days are over I will continue to post about how the whole "habit formation" thing worked--i.e. if I still feel the need to follow it, if it didn't work, why it didn't (or at why I think), and how to improve on it, how much my desk clutters up, etc.
If you don't want to wait all that time you can just go ahead and start without me. Please leave comments on how it worked for you.
Something, I think, pertains to a lot of readers out there. Perhaps it's for your New Year's Resolution (the one you gave up after a week but still want to try). Maybe it's for that nervous thing you do (like biting your nails) and want to get rid of it. Maybe, like me, you think you aren't organized, or scheduled, enough.
The definition of a habit, according to Merriam-Webster's online dictionary, is:
...
7 a: a behavior pattern acquired by frequent repetition or physiologic exposure that shows itself in regularity or increased facility of performance b: an acquired mode of behavior that has become nearly or completely involuntary
...
So that tells you what a habit is (basically, something you do frequently, and, often, without thinking about it), but doesn't give you enough information to tell you how to make one.That is where my plan comes in.
STEP 1: Finding a Habit.
As the name says, this is where you pick which habit you want to work on. Maybe you want to work out everyday. Maybe you want to study more. Maybe you want to do all your homework. Maybe you want to stop biting your nails. Whatever it is that you want to change, write it down. This makes it permanent. It sets your goal in stone, saying, "You Committed To Do This."
My goal is to keep my desk area clean, and stick to a schedule so I don't have to be up until midnight to finish my homework.
STEP 2: The Countdown
I have read, and heard, a couple times that it takes anywhere between 21 and 28 days to form a habit. It should vary from person to person, but generally, people are pretty much the same (I am making that statement without any schooling about the subject, so if I am wrong, I give you full permission to comment nastily).
I think that 28 days is too allusive to 28 Days Later, and 21 days is too much like Blackjack--the card game. Besides neither one of them is a nice, round number; so I am going to work with 25 days.
I have tried to make habits in the past, and the trouble I have found is that there aren't constant reminders that tell you "You Are Trying NOT To Do That!" or "You Are Trying TO DO That." Since you can't have someone following you the entire time telling you this, I came up with something that would be a little bit more remind-ful.
Since I am trying to keep my desk clean, I need something that is on my desk that says, "Hey! Do Your Work, Don't Be Stupid."
I came up with a countdown kind of thing to help me remember that I am working on a habit.
Materials:
First, use the Sharpie to write the numbers (one number per card) 1-25 on the flash cards. Next use the hole puncher to punch one or two holes into the top of the card. For one hole, punch in the middle, for two punch in the corners. Be sure that you aren't putting the holes too close to the edges, you wouldn't want them to rip accidentally. Next put the key ring through the hole(s) and here is some pictures of the finished product:
http://flickr.com/photos/tags/habitcountdown/This Countdown thing (should probably come up with new name) is great because once you are done with first habit, you can use it for another, or for any other countdown you may need.
STEP 3: Use
This step is, undeniably, the hardest. This step takes persistence. You have to keep at it, no matter how hard it gets. NOTE: DON'T schedule this at inconvenient times. For example, if you are doing a dieting habit, don't start this a week before Thanksgiving, it would be hard to resist all the food everywhere. So pick a time (close to now) when you can start and stop without too many interuptions.
Possible Problems:
- Doesn't take 21 days to form habit
- Habit doesn't actually form
- Lose Countdown (although, easily replaceable)
- Don't follow through
- Scheduling Error
To answer all of the possible problems, I am going to test it out. I will spend the next 25 days keeping my desk clean and following my schedule. I will post all the feelings I encounter (feelings to rebel, feelings to quit, feelings to continue) over the course of the next 25 days. I will also attempt to post here everyday. After the 25 days are over I will continue to post about how the whole "habit formation" thing worked--i.e. if I still feel the need to follow it, if it didn't work, why it didn't (or at why I think), and how to improve on it, how much my desk clutters up, etc.
If you don't want to wait all that time you can just go ahead and start without me. Please leave comments on how it worked for you.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Reputations - via Lifehacker
I've only just started this blog, so this post by Lifehacker is of particular interest to me. If you've just started a blog of your own, you should check out this post. A lot of it is free--actually all of it is--and it is pretty simple to follow.
If you have a blog, or anything that has your name attached to it on the web; or have been into some scandalous actions in your past, this post will help you overcome the "bad things" posted about you, and allow you to make your own name out there. It would be useful for those seeking a job.
It's pretty useful, but really, just covers the basics. The main article overlooks some pretty simple ideas on how to avoid a bad reputation. One real simple way to keep your name clean is to use aliases. I have 3. One is my name which I use for school and friends and if I apply for a job. I have another for just socializing on the web, or just surfing; it's the name I use if I don't want people to know it is me, but I want people to know I am there. And then I have this name (jimmyknits42) for all things related to this blog. So, If you want some real-er info, check out the comments because they readers know what they are talking about too.
If you are just starting that is a great way to keep your reputation clean, but if you have been using the internet in..."bad" ways, then you have a lot of work to do.
In recap:
Use Aliases
Check out their post, and others
Obviously don't do anything "Bad" with your Real Name
If you have a blog, or anything that has your name attached to it on the web; or have been into some scandalous actions in your past, this post will help you overcome the "bad things" posted about you, and allow you to make your own name out there. It would be useful for those seeking a job.
It's pretty useful, but really, just covers the basics. The main article overlooks some pretty simple ideas on how to avoid a bad reputation. One real simple way to keep your name clean is to use aliases. I have 3. One is my name which I use for school and friends and if I apply for a job. I have another for just socializing on the web, or just surfing; it's the name I use if I don't want people to know it is me, but I want people to know I am there. And then I have this name (jimmyknits42) for all things related to this blog. So, If you want some real-er info, check out the comments because they readers know what they are talking about too.
If you are just starting that is a great way to keep your reputation clean, but if you have been using the internet in..."bad" ways, then you have a lot of work to do.
In recap:
Use Aliases
Check out their post, and others
Obviously don't do anything "Bad" with your Real Name
Sunday, February 24, 2008
My First Essay Post
This is an essay from my sophomore year in high school. It is an assignment for school. We were supposed to write an essay about the culture of some society in the past. I chose to do mine on Babylon because that is where the written word originated. I thought it was ironic and comedic that I did my essay (using words) about the culture that invented words, or at least writing them down.
A word of warning:
Some of the information may or may not be false. I did cite information from books and internet sites that had it, but in the process of writing it the night before it was due, I may have...put in some...wrong information. This is just as a precaution. So if you are going to cite this info in an essay of yours be aware that it may not all be true. Also, on the subject of citing, don't be an idiot and copy the whole essay without citing so. In school, at least in mine, we use this cite called Turnitin.com. This cite measures how much of the document submitted is plagiarized, or stolen from someone else. So don't be stupid, write it yourself.
Also, I apologize for the formatting error. This was my first submission, I am still learning how it all works, but at least I got it up, right?
Tell me what you think in the comments section, I am dying to know what people think of my writing style and essays.
A word of warning:
Some of the information may or may not be false. I did cite information from books and internet sites that had it, but in the process of writing it the night before it was due, I may have...put in some...wrong information. This is just as a precaution. So if you are going to cite this info in an essay of yours be aware that it may not all be true. Also, on the subject of citing, don't be an idiot and copy the whole essay without citing so. In school, at least in mine, we use this cite called Turnitin.com. This cite measures how much of the document submitted is plagiarized, or stolen from someone else. So don't be stupid, write it yourself.
Also, I apologize for the formatting error. This was my first submission, I am still learning how it all works, but at least I got it up, right?
Tell me what you think in the comments section, I am dying to know what people think of my writing style and essays.
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