A post from The Simple Dollar
Pros: a great source of motivation, when used wisely
Cons: can lead to short-term decisions with very bad long-term consequences
This need for recognition runs through our lives. It feels a lot better to get positive attention from other people than it does to be met with indifference or with negative attention. It drives a lot of the little choices we make, too.
The painful truth, though, is that such recognition is fleeting. After the impressed people have gone away and your big purchase is forgotten about, you’re left with some big bills and a budget that’s being stretched to its limit to cover it. The recognition is over but you’re still paying for it.
Consider another path. Go for the low end on your purchases. Get that late model used car instead of the new one. Buy a smaller house. These purchases won’t get you that immediate recognition, but it does earn you several other things. You’re not stuck with the big bills, giving you breathing room to save for the future. That can directly lead you to an earlier retirement or to other things that you personally value - travel, financial security, and so on.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Quotes on Religion
With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion.
- Steven Weinberg
Science flies you to the moon. Religion flies you into buildings.
- Victor Stenger
A one sentence definition of mythology? "Mythology" is what we call someone else's religion
- Joseph Campbell
- Steven Weinberg
Science flies you to the moon. Religion flies you into buildings.
- Victor Stenger
A one sentence definition of mythology? "Mythology" is what we call someone else's religion
- Joseph Campbell
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Roombas on steroids
Wired.com article about autonomous warehouse robots
The comment about auto-tuning warehouses is particularly interesting:
The system adjusts to the nature of the products and workers, too. In a typical setup, the humans are placed around the edges of the room. As the robots pick up loads of products and put them back, they adjust the warehouse for greater efficiency. More popular products end up around the edges of the warehouse while more obscure products, like those acid-washed bell bottoms, end up buried deep in the stacks. The self-tuning nature of the system creates big efficiencies.
"We find that it's two to four times more efficient [than the average warehouse]," said Wurman. "A big chunk of the benefit comes from the fact that we've eliminated all of the walking."
And an additional benefit:
That allows warehouse operators to switch off the lights and climate controls in the large areas of the warehouse that are patrolled solely by robots, cutting energy costs by as much as 50 percent over a standard warehouse.
The comment about auto-tuning warehouses is particularly interesting:
The system adjusts to the nature of the products and workers, too. In a typical setup, the humans are placed around the edges of the room. As the robots pick up loads of products and put them back, they adjust the warehouse for greater efficiency. More popular products end up around the edges of the warehouse while more obscure products, like those acid-washed bell bottoms, end up buried deep in the stacks. The self-tuning nature of the system creates big efficiencies.
"We find that it's two to four times more efficient [than the average warehouse]," said Wurman. "A big chunk of the benefit comes from the fact that we've eliminated all of the walking."
And an additional benefit:
That allows warehouse operators to switch off the lights and climate controls in the large areas of the warehouse that are patrolled solely by robots, cutting energy costs by as much as 50 percent over a standard warehouse.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Favorite web tools
List of my favorite web tools
- PBwiki - easy to use wiki with great customer service
- Remember The Milk - to-do lists done right, with keyboard shortcuts, powerful functionality
- Gmail - a necessity
- Google Reader - keep up with news, blogs
Resume advice in two words: Be Specific
It seems to me that this entire post can be boiled down to two words:
Be Specific
Use actual numbers from your past experience, and for bonus points, be prepared with documentation or proof of your specific examples. Easy to say, but hard to do as it requires ongoing maintenance of your resume, rather than throwing one together prior to a job hunt.
Be Specific
Use actual numbers from your past experience, and for bonus points, be prepared with documentation or proof of your specific examples. Easy to say, but hard to do as it requires ongoing maintenance of your resume, rather than throwing one together prior to a job hunt.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Men resist food more easily than women?
Link to a Time.com article
... as often happens, the husband drops the weight a lot faster than the wife does. Well, guess what, guys? It's not your steely resolve or your trips to the gym or your superior genes that are entirely behind it. It might just be your brain.
What the men could do that the women couldn't was quit ruminating on food, successfully suppressing — if only temporarily — the conscious desire to eat. The women continued experiencing emotional cravings even if their hunger had subsided.
... as often happens, the husband drops the weight a lot faster than the wife does. Well, guess what, guys? It's not your steely resolve or your trips to the gym or your superior genes that are entirely behind it. It might just be your brain.
What the men could do that the women couldn't was quit ruminating on food, successfully suppressing — if only temporarily — the conscious desire to eat. The women continued experiencing emotional cravings even if their hunger had subsided.
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