— I want to fix programming - jonbho
Last year on Dec 31, I wrote a post: Favorite Companies to Watch in 2011
I had fun doing it so decided I’d give it a go again this year. But first, a quick recap of last year’s selections before the 2012 predictions.
foursquare - I’m biased, but I think we have had a fantastic year. 15+MM…
Agree with the opportunity in sensor applications. Preferably some pattern recognition so these devices can begin to help me with repetitive tasks.
“The first and best victory is to conquer self; to be conquered by self is of all things most shameful and vile.” -Plato
Circumstances have me thinking a lot lately about discipline. At 33, career well under way, family about to grow by +1, I have new influences on how to spend my time and ways to focus my energy.
Here’s the problem. I don’t have any discipline. My interest alone was enough to see projects through. This works fine for a single guy with zero dependents and zero reports. No timeline is required, so none is followed. Now I’m constantly interrupted. As a result, I accomplish far less than I used to.
The only way I see to fix this is to “conquer self”. There is some allowance for “this is how my brain works”, but so long as I’m not achieving things I’d like to, there’s a problem.
How I’m going to change things isn’t completely clear yet, but I’ve started my first step. Time. Becoming more aware of time passing. Floating along has made me terribly unaware of the passage of time, even if it was beneficial (12 hour coding marathons). To change this, I’ve started timing small tasks. Errands, chores, walks for coffee. It’s been about a week since I’ve started this and already I feel more clear minded while taking something on.
Pictures Under Glass is an interaction paradigm of permanent numbness. It’s a Novocaine drip to the wrist. It denies our hands what they do best. And yet, it’s the star player in every Vision Of The Future.
To me, claiming that Pictures Under Glass is the future of interaction is like claiming that black-and-white is the future of photography. It’s obviously a transitional technology. And the sooner we transition, the better.
"— Bret Victor, A Brief Rant On The Future Of Interactive Design
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- Brad Bowling, Bullitt Mustang – Discovery
After seeing Drive this weekend, I got into a car mood and discovered that the original Bullitt Mustang has a bit of mystery surrounding it.
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Douglas Rushkoff, “Are jobs obsolete?”
Being a software engineer employed full time, I feel somewhat like a paradox. Able to replicate my work a near infinite number of times, yet I’m still at the office 40 hours a week.
Day trip to surf museum in Santa Cruz
The work and play of Christopher D Thompson christopherthomps@gmail.com
