Rant

Amazon suggests books I'd like. Pandora tells me what music I'd like. Netflix tells me what movies I'd like.  What the hell, grocery store?  Why is the one place I spend the most money each week not offering me any suggestions?

How to Care for Introverts

• Respect their need for privacy.


• Never embarrass them in public.


• Let them observe first in new situations.


• Give them time to think. Don't demand instant answers.


• Don't interrupt them.


• Give them advanced notice of expected changes in their lives.


• Give them 15 minute warnings to finish whatever they are doing before calling them to dinner or moving on to the next activity.


• Reprimand them privately.


• Teach them new skills privately rather than in public.


• Enable them to find one best friend who has similar interests and abilities; encourage this relationship even if the friend moves.


• Do not push them to make lots of friends.


• Respect their introversion. Don't try to remake them into extraverts.

Source: Tumblr

Note: If you're feeling the urge to print out this list and post it on your front door, you may enjoy Party of One: The Loners' Manifesto by Anneli S. Rufus

Rant

The toaster I use for two minutes each weekend has a removable crumb tray for convenient cleaning.  Meanwhile, the keyboard I sit at for ten hours each day requires a five dollar can of compressed air to clean, and the word "clean" is being used here very loosely.  A team of engineers needs to get on this A.S.A.P.

Rant

I ask Google all the questions I'm too embarrassed to ask other people. Google has officially played more of a role in my sex education than my school teachers, my parents, and my first three girlfriends combined.  I find that extremely frightening, because it's not what you'd call "the normals" who write in-depth articles on exotically named sex positions. 

48.) Listening too long to someone you agree with is the most dangerous thing in the world.

Seek out new ideas and fresh perspectives.  If what you believe is true, not only will opposition not sway you, it will hone your reasoning and strengthen your argument.  See confirmation bias.

The Little Rules of Action

1. Don’t overthink. Too much thinking often results in getting stuck, in going in circles. Some thinking is good — it’s good to have a clear picture of where you’re going or why you’re doing this — but don’t get stuck thinking. Just do.

2. Just start. All the planning in the world will get you nowhere. You need to take that first step, no matter how small or how shaky. My rule for motivating myself to run is: Just lace up your shoes and get out the door. The rest takes care of itself.

3. Forget perfection. Perfectionism is the enemy of action. Kill it, immediately. You can’t let perfect stop you from doing. You can turn a bad draft into a good one, but you can’t turn no draft into a good draft. So get going.

4. Don’t mistake motion for action. A common mistake. A fury of activity doesn’t mean you’re doing anything. When you find yourself moving too quickly, doing too many things at once, this is a good reminder to stop. Slow down. Focus.
5. Focus on the important actions. Clear the distractions. Pick the one most important thing you must do today, and focus on that. Exclusively. When you’re done with that, repeat the process.

6. Move slowly, consciously. Be deliberate. Action doesn’t need to be done fast. In fact, that often leads to mistakes, and while perfection isn’t at all necessary, neither is making a ridiculous amount of mistakes that could be avoided with a bit of consciousness.

7. Take small steps. Biting off more than you can chew will kill the action. Maybe because of choking, I dunno. But small steps always works. Little tiny blows that will eventually break down that mountain. And each step is a victory, that will compel you to further victories.

8. Negative thinking gets you nowhere. Seriously, stop doing that. Self doubt? The urge to quit? Telling yourself that it’s OK to be distracted and that you can always get to it later? Squash those thoughts. Well, OK, you can be distracted for a little bit, but you get the idea. Positive thinking, as corny as it sounds, really works. It’s self-talk, and what we tell ourselves has a funny habit of turning into reality.

9. Meetings aren’t action. This is a common mistake in management. They hold meetings to get things done. Meetings, unfortunately, almost always get in the way of actual doing. Stop holding those meetings!

10. Talking (usually) isn’t action. Well, unless the action you need to take is a presentation or speech or something. Or you’re a television broadcaster. But usually, talking is just talking. Communication is necessary, but don’t mistake it for actual action.

11. Planning isn’t action. Sure, you need to plan. Do it, so you’re clear about what you’re doing. Just do it quickly, and get to the actual action as quickly as you can.

12. Reading about it isn’t action. You’re reading an article about action. Ironic, I know. But let this be the last one. Now get to work!

13. Sometimes, inaction is better. This might be the most ironic thing on the list, but really, if you find yourself spinning your wheels, or you find you’re doing more harm than good, rethink whether the action is even necessary. Or better yet, do this from the beginning — is it necessary? Only do the action if it is.

Source: Leo Babauta

47.) The quality of a person's argument will often tell you far more about their trustworthiness than the actual facts of their argument.

Learn more about How to Disagree intelligently from Paul Graham.

Rant

If Thomas Jefferson were alive today, I'm pretty sure he'd be a pissed-off blogger.

46.) If you are really interested in the truth, don't settle for refuting arguments, correct your opposition's arguments.

Rant

Remember, nothing reveals more about your emotional stability than your feelings about your ex ...
even if that bitch does deserve to get stabbed in the face.

"Chance favors the connected mind." - Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation by Steven Johnson, 2010.

Rant

At thirty, I still love to build forts in my living room.  At this point in my life, I'm no longer certain whether this is youthful exuberance or honest-to-god mental illness.  Luckily, I'm sure that the men in white lab coats will never penetrate my deviously elaborate couch-cushion lair.

How to Have the Best Year of Your Life

How to Have the Best Year of Your Life (without Setting a Single Goal):

There is an alternative to setting goals that will bring you closer to the life you want. Focus on a few practices you can enjoy doing on a regular basis. The trick here is consistency. These four helped me:

• Get up early. When the world wakes up, distractions abound. If you are going to focus on creating a new life for yourself, you’ll need to find the time. The best way to do this is to work while others are sleeping. At first, I didn’t like waking up before the sun, but eventually my body adjusted and I began looking forward to the solitude.


• Over-commit. The adage “under-promise and over-deliver” is a farce. It only propagates the status quo. Real difference-makers push boundaries. They test, prod, and poke until something gives. You can do this, too, by saying “yes” to more things than you’re comfortable with. Learn to stretch yourself. You might be surprised by what you’re actually capable of. Your confidence will grow, too.


• Talk to strangers. Relationships are what make the world go round. This is true for your career, personal well-being, and inner life. When you meet new people, you make connections that can lead to all kinds of future breakthroughs. Even when it’s uncomfortable, reach out and introduce yourself to new people. The worst they can say is “no.” Fortunately, many won’t.


• Practice generosity. Give away your time, money, services, and ideas. When you do this, you will get a lot more than you give. People will learn to trust you, and if you really help them, they will tell others about you. This will build your reputation, and you will have more friends than you know what to do with. And as the saying goes, what goes around really does come around.

Source: Zen Habits

Rant

A lot gets made about the stupidity of the things people say online.  From time to time, some dumb S.O.B. will even go so far as to cast imprecations on the First Amendment that allows people to fill the web with hateful things in the first place.  I, however, think that we're blessed to live at a point in history where, for the first time ever, the words we've spoken are frozen in place where they're spoken for long enough that the people who've spoken them can outgrow the words, return, and regret them, rather than just forget them.

Forums and threads are beautiful and terrible things, my friends.

45.) Secret dreams have a way of staying secret.

It's the people brave enough to speak their dreams out loud who end up achieving them, even if they end up feeling like complete schmucks every step of the way.

Rant

Quitting Facebook is the new, adult version of running away from home.  We all know you're doing it for attention, and we all know that you'll be back.

44.) Make a new start in life as often as possible.

To the generations that has grown up identifying itself to the world with an avatar and a web handle, perhaps this bit of advice comes as a bit redundant, but it deserves saying.  One of the saddest fates in life is to look back and realize that you've only ever been one thing.