“…it’s worth doing badly first.” It’s a good idea to keep in mind, especially if (like me) you have a tendency toward perfectionism.
Archive of posts filed under the Productivity category.
“Geek to Live: Mastering Wget”
I often take my computer and do programming in places where I don’t have an Internet connection for a few hours at a time. It generally works out well: no e-mail or IM to distract me, no fascinating web links to follow and spend time reading. Unfortunately it also means that I don’t have access [...]
“In Defense of Hard: When Easier Isn’t Better”
Before I sold it, Project Badger was ugly. Almost painfully ugly. It wasn’t a deliberate decision — I’d have made it pretty if I’d had the time — but our customers wanted what it did, not how it looked. When BigCo bought it, the first thing they did was slap a new name on it [...]
Mac OS Upgrade
Those of you who care about such things might have heard that Apple recently released a new version of it’s desktop OS, 10.7, code-named Lion. It was inevitable that I would upgrade my current system (a mid-2009 model MacBook Pro) eventually, but I wanted to put it off for a while. I’ve talked before about [...]
“Creativity”
Scott Adams points out a possible link between creativity and boredom. I can see where he’s coming from, in that when you’re bored you’re more likely to think of something creative than when you’re too busy to think, but I’m pretty sure people can be creative even without boredom, at least in the area that [...]
“What Kind of Maintenance Do I Need to Do On My Linux PC?”
As promised in yesterday’s post, this article includes a section on backups in Linux. It also has a lot of other useful stuff for Linux-users, especially newer ones, and some of the information there might just tempt Windows users (at least) to want to take Linux for a run.
“How to Back Up Your Computer”
I expect most of my readers already have at least a minimal backup system in place (you do, don’t you?), but for anyone else who stumbles onto this blog, here’s a good primer for Windows and Mac systems. (People running Linux, have patience, it’s coming. EDIT, 2011-07-03: it’s here.) Believe me, if you don’t have [...]
“Breakfast is Overrated”
You know, there’s something to this. For the last couple decades, I generally haven’t eaten breakfast, and I’ve found the morning to be my most productive time. I’ve heard other people talk about the link between being hungry and being energetic or creative too. It’s worth a thought.
3D Printing
3D printing is a really interesting technology that’s quickly gaining steam. With a 3D printer (like the RepRap), you can quickly make everything from shoes to your own parts for long-dead technology to your own action figure souvenirs. Future (and much larger) 3D printers might just build your next house for you. Today’s 3D printers [...]