Windows-Spaces.com RSS Feeds http://windows-spaces.com/portal Sun, 07 Sep 2008 17:06:54 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/images/M_images/joomla_rss.png http://windows-spaces.com/portal Windows-Spaces.com RSS Feeds http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23850/9/ MyBlog - MyBlog Thu, 18 Jan 2007 09:58:56 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23849/9/ News - Latest Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:00:00 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23848/9/ News - Latest Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:00:00 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23847/9/ News - Latest Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:00:00 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23846/9/ News - Latest Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:00:00 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23845/9/ News - Latest Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:00:00 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23844/9/ News - Latest Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:00:00 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23843/9/ News - Latest Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:00:00 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23842/9/ News - Latest Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:00:00 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23841/9/ News - Latest Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:00:00 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23840/9/ News - Latest Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:00:00 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23839/9/ News - Latest Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:00:00 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23838/9/ News - Latest Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:00:00 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23837/9/ News - Latest Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:00:00 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23836/9/ Artist: Astro & GlydeTitle: Love BassGenre: HouseCatNo: OMNIS025Label: Omnis RecordingsQuality: 320kbps CBR - 44100HzReleaseDate: 24-01-2008Size: 74.23 MBUploaded: Zippyshare News - Latest Fri, 01 Feb 2008 07:51:55 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23835/9/ Label: Sheffield TunesFormat: CD SingleCountry: GermanyRelease date: 01 Feb 2008Style: HardstyleQuality: VBR kbpsLength: 19:16minSize: 28.5mbUploaded: RapideShare / LetitBit-=???????? ????????? ???? + ???????=- News - Latest Fri, 01 Feb 2008 08:04:33 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23834/9/ Artist: Benny BlazinTitle: Fly PeopleGenre: HouseCatNo: DRUM027 Label: Drum Central RecordingsQuality: 320kbps CBR - 44100HzReleaseDate: 24-01-2008Size: 36.41 MBUploaded: Zippyshare News - Latest Fri, 01 Feb 2008 08:23:05 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23833/9/ Artist: VISIONARY Title: One Foot SkankingLabel: Rock & Groove Cat: RAG 002Format: 12" promoReleased: 2008/02/01Genre: Drum & BassUploaded: rapidshareFollowing up the first release on his own Rock & Groove imprint (Around The World feat. Peter Rankin), Marcus Visionary steps up to deliver another lovely slice of Reggae soaked D&B pie... or perhaps a patty? News - Latest Fri, 01 Feb 2008 08:33:24 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23832/9/ Label: Kingdom Kome Cuts Released: 8 January, 2008Genre: Electro house/ElectroclashCat: ULS 942-XFormat: Unmixed CDQuality: 320 kbps / 44.1kHz / Joint-StereoTracks: 15Size: 233 mbUploaded: zippyshare.com News - Latest Fri, 01 Feb 2008 08:35:36 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23831/9/ Artist: BluelessTitle: Groove MeLabel: Capture RecordsCat#: CAP 006Style: HouseQuality: VBRkbps / 44.1kHz / JointSize: 35,93 MBRls.Date: 2008-01-23Uploaded: Zippyshare News - Latest Fri, 01 Feb 2008 08:47:46 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23830/9/ Label: Trance NRGCatalog#: TNR004Source: Vinyl, 12"Release date: Jan-2008Format: mp3Quality: VBRkbps / 44.1kHz / Joint-StereoSize: ~35 MBGenre: ElectronicStyle: TranceUploaded: freakenergy.ifolder.ru / zippyshare.com NRG TANCE News - Latest Fri, 01 Feb 2008 09:12:39 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23829/9/ Artist: Johnny CrockettAlbum: Theme from ShoutLabel:Time SPAGenre: HouseRip date: Jan-24-2008Quality: VBRkbps 44,1Hz JoinStereoSize: 27,4 MBUploaded: Zippyshare News - Latest Fri, 01 Feb 2008 09:27:24 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23828/9/ Label: RococoCatalog#: ROCO012CDSource: CD SingleRelease date: Feb-04-2008Format: mp3Quality: VBRkbps / 44.1kHz / Joint-StereoSize: ~28 MBGenre: ElectronicStyle: HouseUploaded: freakenergy.ifolder.ru / zippyshare.com News - Latest Fri, 01 Feb 2008 09:33:51 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23827/9/ Artist: KrieceTitle: Hot BoxGenre: HouseCatNo: SP1247Label: Spinifex RecordingsQuality: 320kbps CBR - 44100HzReleaseDate: 23-01-2008Size: 19.21 MBUploaded: Zippyshare?????? ?????!!! News - Latest Fri, 01 Feb 2008 09:46:56 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23826/9/ Artist: VATitle: Jump Parade Vol. VISize: 73.1 1 mbTracks: 19Duration: 76:06Audio Coder: MPEG 1 Layer IIIEncoder: FhGQuality: 128 kbps/ 44 kHz/ Joint StereoID3'v tags: V1 + V2Genre: ElectronicStyle: Hardstyle, JumpstyleUploaded: zippyshare.com News - Latest Fri, 01 Feb 2008 09:50:33 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23825/9/ Label: World Club MusicCatalog#: PRZCD70633Source: CDMRelease date: Feb-2008Format: mp3Quality: VBRkbps / 44.1kHz / Joint-StereoSize: ~99 MBGenre: ElectronicStyle: TranceUploaded: freakenergy.ifolder.ru / zippyshare.com NEW FULL RELEASE News - Latest Fri, 01 Feb 2008 10:00:47 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23824/9/ Artist: LutzenkirchenTitle: Micro Box EPGenre: ElectronicLabel: FLASHReleaseDate: 24-01-2008Quality: VBRkbps / 44,1kHz / Joint-StereoSize: 28,4 MBUploaded: Zippyshare News - Latest Fri, 01 Feb 2008 10:09:56 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23823/9/ Artist: Roel SapphireTitle: Bada Bing EPGenre: TechnoCatNo: MGN006Label: Magnitude RecordingsQuality: 320kbps CBR - 44100HzReleaseDate: 24-01-2008Size: 60.14 MBUploaded: Zippyshare News - Latest Fri, 01 Feb 2008 10:50:23 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23822/9/ All of us want to be useful to others in some way. We want to feel needed, competent — like we’re making a difference, in some small way. Some people, though, are insanely useful. They are the go-to people whenever someone needs help. They’re the people that make us feel useful because we know them — when someone needs something done, we can say “Oh, I know just the person!” It’s not necessarily that they’re smarter, better connected, or more competent — what makes someone insanely useful is their attitude. The not only help, but they make the people they help feel better about themselves, not worse. Needing help makes us feel vulnerable and worthless — insanely useful people counteract that and leave us feeling enriched. Here are a few things you can do to make yourself insanely useful: Share what you know: Be open with people about your strengths and knowledge. Let people know that you have special skills and that you can help when they’re in a jam. Lots of people know how to do things, but don’t bother telling anyone else — which is about the same as not knowing it at all, since when their special skills are needed, nobody knows to ask them and whatever it is that needs doing doesn’t get done (or gets done badly). Be confident in yourself: Know that what you know is needed and valuable — and that nobody’s going to reject a helping hand in their time of need. When we lack confidence, we make excuses for not helping, because we’re afraid to put ourselves on the line. Insanely useful people don’t make excuses — they jump in and do things to the best of their ability. Solve the current problem: Help people with the immediate problem they’re facing, without questioning the judgment that got them into trouble and without worrying about the problems that lie down the road. In a moment of crisis, lend your efforts to resolving the crisis. Once the problem is solved, you can offer your advice for the future or your evaluation of the situation — in a way that makes people stronger, not weaker. Remember, neither you nor they can fix the problem they had last week, last month, or last year; the best you can do is offer some advice for avoiding those problems in the future. Give willingly — even when it’s your job: We always remember (and seek out) the people who went “the extra mile” in helping us. We also remember (and try to avoid) the people who helped us grudgingly, because they had to. Show through your actions that it’s your pleasure to help — even when (maybe especially when) you’re being paid for your time. Satisfy your own curiosity: Look on each opportunity to help out as a chance to learn something new, to expand your own knowledge and competency. Listen to others: People’s inability to do something often causes them real emotional pain; listen to them, both to provide a shoulder but also to let them let you know what they’ve tried and where they think they went wrong. This gives them an opportunity — and it shows that you value their efforts. Think of how demeaning it is when you call customer service with a complex computer problem and they tell you to check if the power’s on — it feels bad when the people helping us belittle the knowledge we do have and assume we’re too stupid to handle even the basics. Don’t take over: It can be tempting to push someone out of the way and just do it yourself. This almost inevitably makes people feel bad. Whenever possible, work with them and show that you value their expertise and perspective on the task at hand. Know when to stop: Likewise, once an immediate problem is solved, turn it back over to the person you’re helping. Chances are, they know what to do once they get past the tricky part — give them a chance to demonstrate their own ability and talent. Teach, don’t tell: As much as possible, explain what you’re doing and why. Leave the people you helped feeling a little bit better informed and more capable to handle the problem if it should arise again (or at least to identify it, if handling it is above their abilities). Don’t assume that because you’re the expert, you’re the only one who can understand what to do. (At the same time, be sensitive to things that really are beyond all but the experts — don’t make them feel dumb because they don’t understand a word you’re saying!) Be sensitive to people’s feelings and shortcomings: I’ve said this several different ways already, but it bears repeating — help people feel better about the situation, not worse. Know that when people need help, it strikes deep at their sense of individual pride and competence. Don’t put them down in any way, and don’t let them put themselves down. Ask for help: Give other people a chance to shine in their areas of expertise by asking for help when you need it. You don’t have to be good at everything to be insanely useful — build the sharing of assistance into your relationships with other people by letting them be useful when they can. Model best practices: Show through your actions what it means to be open and available to help others. Be open about how you do things so that others can learn by emulating you. Be reliable: Once you commit to helping someone out, follow through. Never let yourself feel that because you’re doing someone a favor, they have to accept it on your terms. This demonstrates that you have the power in the relationship and makes them feel even weaker and more vulnerable than they probably already do. It might get the job done in the end, but it won’t make you insanely useful. Being useful, even insanely useful, doesn’t mean allowing yourself to be used. It means offering what you can, when you can, and doing so gladly. This applies whether you’re doing favors for friends, working with a team at work, writing instructions, or anything else — set limits, but within those limits, be wholly available. Lots of people are useful — they do the things they need to do, solve the problems they need to solve, and keep things chugging along. People that are insanelyuseful are in high demand by the companies they work for, the organizations they take part in, the clients they serve, their friends and family, and society in general because they not only solve problems and make things work but they add value to every relationship they take part in. Who do you know that’s insanely useful? What have you learned from them in your own life? Let us know! Dustin M. Wax is a contributing editor and project manager at lifehack.org. He is also an anthropology and women's studies professor in Las Vegas, NV where he lives with his partner and three children. His personal site can be found at dwax.org (http://www.dwax.org).Bookmark or Share this with a friend! (http://www.lifehack.org/?p=5193 akst_action=share-this) Related PostsBuild Your Platform: How to Show You’re the Right Person for Any Job (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/build-your-platform-how-to-show-youre-the-right-person-for-any-job.html)What Kind Of Leader Are You To Your Team? 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Trust (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifehack/putting-your-trust-in-trust.html) News - Latest Wed, 30 Jan 2008 05:30:10 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23821/9/ (photo from flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/slapjack/69258299/)) A few months ago, I had a terrible time sleeping and getting up. After a party one night, I slept late and for the next 20 days, couldn’t get my sleeping pattern back on track. I fell asleep very late every night at around 3 AM and wasn’t able to get up till at least 11 AM each day. For someone like me who usually sleeps by midnight and gets up at 6 AM, I didn’t enjoy this. I was eventually able to overcome that problem and now have a way to get a good night’s sleep anytime I need to get back in the habit I enjoy. I did all that without taking drugs or sleeping pills. Here are ten ways you can get a good nights sleep naturally. Try to implement one or more together and you’ll get better sleeping patterns, deep sleep and body rest. Stick to a schedule. Mum was right when she set a time we always had to go to sleep as kids. Sticking to a schedule allows your body to set its internal rhythm so you can get up at the time you want, consistently, every single day. Also, make sure you try to keep the same schedule on weekends too, otherwise the next morning, you’d wake later and feel overly tired. Sleep only at night. Avoid daytime sleep if possible. Daytime naps steal hours from nighttime slumber. Limit daytime sleep to 20-minute, power naps. Exercise. It’s actually known to help you sleep better. Your body uses the sleep period to recover its muscles and joints that have been exercised. Twenty to thirty minutes of exercise every day can help you sleep, but be sure to exercise in the morning or afternoon. Exercise stimulates the body and aerobic activity before bedtime may make falling asleep more difficult. Taking a hot shower or bath before bed helps bring on sleep because they can relax tense muscles. Avoid eating just before bed. Give yourself at least 2 hours from when you eat to when you sleep. This allows for digestion to happen (or at least start) well before you go to sleep so your body can rest well during the night, rather than churning away your food. Avoid caffeine. It keeps you awake and that’s now what you want for a good nights sleep. We all know that. Read a fiction book. It takes you to a whole new world if you really get into it. And then take some time to ponder over the book as you fall asleep. I find as I read more and more, regardless of the book, I get more tired at night and so find it easier to fall asleep. Different for others? Have the room slightly cooler. I prefer this to a hot room. I prefer to turn off the heat and allow the coolness to circulate in and out of the windows. If I get cold, I wear warmer clothes. It also saves on the bills as you’re not going to require the heat all night long. Sleep in silence. I find sleeping with no music or TV on more easy and restful. I guess others are different, but sleep with no distractions is best for a clearer mind. Avoid alcohol before bedtime. It’s a depressant; although it may make it easier to fall asleep, it causes you to wake up during the night. As alcohol is digested your body goes into withdrawal from the alcohol, causing nighttime awakenings and often nightmares for some people. What do you do to get better sleep? Please share… Kavit Haria is the author of a new book, How to Live Healthy in an Unhealthy World which can be downloaded free from his website, Wellness Junction (http://www.wellness-junction.com).Bookmark or Share this with a friend! 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While digital filing can eliminate the need for bulky filing cabinets for a visually pleasing office, the chaos of digital files looms on your hard drive, your external drives and however many CD?s/DVD?s you have with ?stuff? on them. But whether you are attempting paperless or still using the old-fashioned method of papers in a filing cabinet, there are ways to clean up your financial documents. With the new year rolling in and tax season upon us, why not set aside some time to make sure you are keeping what you really need? I have set up some guidelines for what to keep and what you can safely put in the trash bin. Toss Every Month ATM And bank-deposit slips, after you’ve recorded the amounts in your check register and checked them against your monthly bank statement. Credit-card receipts, after you’ve checked to make sure the item appears correctly on your monthly statement. Sales receipts for minor purchases, after you’ve satisfactorily used the item and if it has no warranty (and is not deductable). Phone and utility bills (unless you deduct them as business expenses.) Cable or other service bills can safely be tossed every month. Toss After One Year Monthly bank and credit-card statement (if you don’t itemize deductions). Monthly or quarterly brokerage and mutual-fund statements, after you’ve reconciled them with your year-end summary. Monthly mortgage statements, as long as your year-end statement clearly shows the total amount you’ve paid in interest and property taxes over the course of the year. Phone and utility bills (as long as you don’t have a home office, use your phone for business calls, or anticipate any need to prove long-term residency). Paycheck stubs, after you’ve reconciled them with your annual W-2 or 1099 forms. Retain for Seven Years W-2 AND 1099 forms. Year-end statements from credit-card companies and banks. Phone and utility bills (only if you deduct any portion for business expenses, have more than one home, or have moved within the past few years). Canceled checks and receipts/statements for: annual mortgage interest and property taxes, deductible business expenses, child-care bills, out-of-pocket medical costs, or any other tax-deductible expense. Keep Indefinitely Your annual tax returns./li> Your year-end summaries from financial-services companies. Confirmation slips that list the purchase price of any investments you own. Home-improvement records. Receipts for major purchases. (Any item whose replacement cost exceeds the deductible on your homeowners’ or renters’ insurance policy). Beneficiary designations. Keeping files and papers that you don?t need just create more clutter. It leads to less productivity because you spend more time sifting through thousands of papers to find that needle in a haystack. Now that you have some guidelines, don?t you think it?s time you go through your files for a cleaner, more productive workspace? AJ West (http://amandajwest.wordpress.com/) has years of writing under her belt for a variety of mass media, artists and musicians. AJ specializes in press kits and releases, biographies, websites and magazines. She has certificates in creative and technical writing. She is a featured writer on Talentspeaks (http://www.talentspeaks.com/) and a poet on Talent Database (http://www.talentdatabase.com/channels/20-Writing/profiles/3502-AJ-West).Bookmark or Share this with a friend! 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(http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/is-your-business-card-really-you.html) News - Latest Thu, 31 Jan 2008 06:00:09 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23819/9/ In a world full of information we seem to be constantly toggling between managing all the new impressions we get on a daily basis and feeling totally overwhelmed by information overload. With the arrival of the Internet we were told that things would become easier - less paper clutter to worry about and more time to enjoy life. But this isn’t so, as we’ve all found out in recent years. Paper clutter en masse, email inboxes bursting with unanswered mails, tasks pending for the sheer pressure of having too much to do - you name it, it has all become part of our reality. Modern technology is the cause of all (evil) Since the invention of the Internet, we have to deal with a lot more information than ever before. One reason is the need to keep backup files of everything. After all, we think, when our hard drive crashes we have nothing left. So we create masses of duplicate copy to be sure “just in case”. Also the readiness of information is mind numbing at times. We feel overwhelmed with where to look and what to do. So on we go on with the quest of finding success nirvana, only to turn in circles. Modern life has also brought a never ending influx of choices like private TV channel subscriptions, TV gaming, SMS, mobile phones, RSS subscriptions, a never-ending stream of offline and online publications, our favorite blogs and websites, and more. Despite their intentions, these inventions have not just served to make life easier. The irony here is that they have actually made life harder — creating information overload and the added pressure of being reachable 24/7. Gone are the days when I was a little girl waiting for a great book to be published or channel surfing the 5 or so TV channels we had in those days. Back then we weren’t ruled by information at all. It was actually a lot harder to come by information which gave us plenty of breathing space. Dealing with information overload has become a by-product of living in a digital age and the problem won’t go away fast. However, I have found simple ways to help me keep control on my information intake. It is the only way for me to deal with this, otherwise I would go mental. Data control and how you can master it To take control of the influx of constant data that enters your life, you can do several things. These are all easy to implement and will make a huge difference in how you deal with the information that enters your mind. Much like a computer, we only have space for so much, until our own hard drive (mind) starts to act up. If it is overloaded, then our system management will shut down one by one until… Take these action steps to deal with information overload: Email: Since most of us are using the Internet, we will need to take measures to get back in control. To start with, we need to ruthlessly eliminate all the non-relevant stuff that sits in our inbox. Those “later” things are not important enough to keep clogging up space. Also be strict with the time you devote to your email inbox. One hour a day should be more than ample for most. TV: TV probably accounts for a huge deal of information overload. Despite the fact that we watch TV to relax, it is actually counter productive as we soak up a lot of information through our subconscious. Mobile Phones: I know, it’s pretty cool to be the proud owner of the latest gadget mobile phone. I also love gadgets but regardless of how cool they look and how sexy they feel, I turn my mobile off at night and sometimes even during the day. The reason I bought a mobile phone in the first place was to be able to call others in case I was stranded somewhere. Plus the annoyance of getting more and more call center calls to my mobile only makes me more determined to hit that off switch. Unwatched Recorded Shows: Uhh, yeah, I used to be a sucker for not missing my favorite show to the extent of recording them, only to end up with days’ worth of recording and not enough time to watch them all. Take a hint - throw them in the bin. RSS Feeds: With the invention of RSS feeds we were supposed to be saving time, reading our favorite blogs. The reality however looks a lot different. Because it is so easy to hit that subscribe button, we now do ourselves another dis-service by subscribing to a gazillion blogs we don’t even like anyway. I clean out my RSS feeds at least once a month. Those I haven’t read in that time will have to go. Backups: Are essential for anybody who uses a computer and stores data. To keep control of the backed up data, why not burn all the photos and videos onto a DVD? It will take up less storage than having to buy more and more external HDs to keep backing up. Also, one backup should normally be enough and for those of us who need two, maybe a written copy (passwords, login data) will be more useful. Meditate: I purposely left this for last, since meditation can help us immensely with information overload. Preferably you will want to meditate once a day just before bed. Even if it is just for 5 minutes, with meditation we can stop that ever constant chatter that goes on in our head and indulge into the restful sleep we so desperately need. Monika Mundell is a passionate freelance writer and pro-blogger. Her extensive knowledge about the Internet allows her to work with many clients worldwide, serving their needs for better web content. Her passion to write is reflected in her blog Freelance Writing (http://www.thewritersmanifesto.com/blog). Learn more on her Portfolio (http://www.monikamundell.com/) site.Bookmark or Share this with a friend! (http://www.lifehack.org/?p=5205 akst_action=share-this) Related PostsOrganizing Paper and Information: 7 Mistakes that Sabotage Your Productivity (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifehack/organizing-paper-and-information-7-mistakes-that-sabotage-your-productivity.html)What’s Your List Type? (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifehack/whats-your-list-type.html)Opening Your Mind (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifehack/opening-your-mind.html)Competition Re-visited (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifehack/competition-re-visited.html)How Civilized is Your Workplace? (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifehack/how-civilized-is-your-workplace.html)True Darwinism (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifehack/true-darwinism.html)How Useful Is the Pareto Principle? (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifehack/how-useful-is-the-pareto-principle.html)Slow Down, Don’t Lead So Fast (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifehack/slow-down-dont-lead-so-fast.html)How to Use a Todo List to Make 2008 Your Best Year Ever (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/how-to-use-a-todo-list-to-make-2008-your-best-year-ever.html)Year in Review: Lifehacks, lifehack.org, and Your Changing Life (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/site-news/year-in-review-lifehacks-lifehackorg-and-your-changing-life.html)We Ask, You Answer: GTD 2.0 (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/polls/we-ask-you-answer-gtd-20.html)Review: Leo Babauta’s Ebook Zen to Done (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/review-leo-babautas-ebook-zen-to-done.html)11 Tips for Nuking Laziness Without Becoming a Workaholic (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifehack/11-tips-for-nuking-laziness-without-becoming-a-workaholic.html)The Top 4 Misapplications of the 80/20 Rule (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/the-top-4-misapplications-of-the-8020-rule.html)15 Tips to Make Today the Day You Finish Your To-Do List (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/15-tips-to-make-today-the-day-you-finish-your-to-do-list.html) News - Latest Thu, 31 Jan 2008 06:00:55 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23818/9/ This is the last week of our db clay giveaway — very special thanks to db clay for offering such fun and beautiful prizes! To take things out with a bang, they offered to kick it up a notch for the last week, so this week’s prize is something <even more special: a limited-edition, one-of-a-kind wallet from their “Puzzle” line. db clay’s Puzzle wallets (http://www.dbclay.com/puzzle/) are mailed of the same durable, eco-friendly “Tope” fabric as their other wallets. But each one is hand-printed, using a unique combination of design elements and colors. There are only 500 wallets in the series, and each one is individually numbered. How can you get in on the action? Easy: leave a comment on this post with your tip for being or staying creative. It’s only fitting, after all, that we celebrate creativity and encourage it to grow, given the nature of these all-original works of pocket-sized art. We won’t judge tips — the winner will be randomly selected, and we?ll let you know if you won by the end of next week. But since you’re here, we thought it would be nice to get your thoughts on what makes us and keeps us creative. Of course, this being the web and all, we do have to keep up our usual spam filtering, and entries deemed ?spam? by our filters will be approved only at the will of our administrators. We?ll do our best to make sure all legitimate entries are counted. Entries must be in by next Wednesday (February 6) at midnight (Pacific Standard Time). db clay has agreed to ship the prizes directly, and they?ve been really good about filling winners? requests. To learn more about db clay wallets, check out their website at dbclay.com (http://dbclay.com), and check out their blog, evil backwards (http://www.evilbackwards.com/). Let us know your creativity tips in this post?s comments to be entered in this week?s drawing. Good luck! Dustin M. Wax is a contributing editor and project manager at lifehack.org. He is also an anthropology and women's studies professor in Las Vegas, NV where he lives with his partner and three children. His personal site can be found at dwax.org (http://www.dwax.org).Bookmark or Share this with a friend! (http://www.lifehack.org/?p=5213 akst_action=share-this) Related PostsWe Have Another Winner! (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/site-news/we-have-another-winner.html)Lifehack Live for January 28, 2008 (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/podcast/lifehack-live-for-january-28-2008.html)Lifehack.org Giveaway, Week 4: We’re Not Done Yet! (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/site-news/lifehackorg-giveaway-week-4-were-not-done-yet.html)Key to Innovation: Becoming an Observer (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/key-to-innovation-becoming-an-observer.html)Are you as creative as you want to be? (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/are-you-as-creative-as-you-want-to-be.html)We Have Another Winner: Week Two! (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/site-news/we-have-another-winner-week-two.html)Lifehack.org Giveaway, Week Three: Yet Another Chance to Win! (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/site-news/lifehackorg-giveaway-week-three-yet-another-chance-to-win.html)How To Use Your Blog To Make 2008 Your Best Year Ever! (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/how-to-use-your-blog-to-make-2008-your-best-year-ever.html)11 Tips to Carve Out More Time to Think (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifehack/11-tips-to-carve-out-more-time-to-think.html)Lifehack.org Giveaway, Week Two: Another Chance to Win a db clay Wallet (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/site-news/lifehackorg-giveaway-week-two-another-chance-to-win-a-db-clay-wallet.html)Lifehack.org Giveaway: db clay Wallet (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/site-news/another-lifehackorg-giveaway-db-clay-wallet.html)How Reserving a Domain Name Can Boost Creativity (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/how-reserving-a-domain-name-can-boost-creativity.html)Improvise Like a Jazz Musician (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/improvise-like-a-jazz-musician.html)How to Boost Your Creative Output (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifehack/how-to-boost-your-creative-output.html)4 Reasons Why Curiosity is Important and How to Develop It (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/4-reasons-why-curiosity-is-important-and-how-to-develop-it.html) News - Latest Thu, 31 Jan 2008 07:33:08 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23817/9/ We’ll be recording our podcast Lifehack Live (http://blogtalkradio.com/lifehack) this morning at 10am Pacific Standard Time. This week, I’ll be chatting with author, teacher, hypnotherapist, and creativity expert Jurgen Wolff (http://www.timetowrite.blogs.com/) about writing, being creative, and brainstorming. You can be part of the show by calling in at (347) 838-8244 with your questions and comments (note: normal long distance charges may apply). Or join the chat room while listening to the show’s live stream at blogtalkradio.com/lifehack (http://www.blogtalkradio.com/lifehack). And don’t forget to subscribe to the Lifehack Podcast Feed via RSS (http://www.lifehack.org/feed/podcast) or iTunes (http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewGenre?id=26). Talk to you soon! Dustin M. Wax is a contributing editor and project manager at lifehack.org. He is also an anthropology and women's studies professor in Las Vegas, NV where he lives with his partner and three children. His personal site can be found at dwax.org (http://www.dwax.org).Bookmark or Share this with a friend! (http://www.lifehack.org/?p=5218 akst_action=share-this) Related PostsLifehack Live for January 28, 2008 (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/podcast/lifehack-live-for-january-28-2008.html)Lifehack Live Recording 10am PST Today — Guest: Liz Strauss of Successful Blog (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/podcast/lifehack-live-recording-10am-pst-today-guest-liz-strauss-of-successful-blog.html)Re-release of Lifehack Live for Jan 21 (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/podcast/re-release-of-lifehack-live-for-jan-21.html)Lifehack Live Recording 10am PST Today — Guest: Susan Sabo of Productivity Cafe (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/site-news/lifehack-live-recording-10am-pst-today-guest-susan-sabo-of-productivity-cafe.html)Lifehack Live recording 10am PST today. Guest: Jonathan Fields (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/podcast/lifehack-live-recording-10am-pst-today-guest-jonathan-fields.html)Lifehack Live for January 7, 2008 (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/podcast/lifehack-live-for-january-7-2008.html)Lifehack Live Recording Tonight (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/podcast/lifehack-live-recording-tonight.html)Introducing Our New Podcast: Lifehack Live (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/introducing-our-new-podcast-lifehack-live.html)Lifehack.org Podcast Episode 8 - Trial By Fire Productivity 3: Dustin Wax (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/podcast/lifehackorg-podcast-episode-8-trial-by-fire-productivity-3-dustin-wax.html)The lifehack.org User’s Guide (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/technology/the-lifehackorg-users-guide.html)Lifehack.org Podcast Episode 7 - Trial By Fire Productivity Episode 2: Leon Ho (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/podcast/lifehackorg-podcast-episode-7-trial-by-fire-productivity-episode-2-leon-ho.html)Lifehack.org Podcast Episode 6 - Trial By Fire Productivity Introduction (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/podcast/lifehackorg-podcast-episode-6-trial-by-fire-productivity-introduction.html)Send Future Email (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/technology/send-future-email.html)GTD for Firefox (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/gtd-for-firefox.html)Free University Podcast Collection (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/free-university-podcast-collection.html) News - Latest Thu, 31 Jan 2008 07:48:25 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23816/9/ David Sellers is the winner of this week’s drawing for a free db clay wallet (http://dbclay.com). His advice to budget-minded folks everywhere: “wishing for more just drains what you have.” Well, now he has a db clay wallet, so even if he accidentally wishes for more and it hopefully he won’t have any need to wish for more. You still ahve one more chane to win. Be sure to enter our Grand Finale (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/site-news/lifehackorg-db-clay-giveaway-grand-finale.html) for your chance to win a one-of-a-kind, limited edition, hand-printed db clay “Puzzle” wallet. Dustin M. Wax is a contributing editor and project manager at lifehack.org. He is also an anthropology and women's studies professor in Las Vegas, NV where he lives with his partner and three children. His personal site can be found at dwax.org (http://www.dwax.org).Bookmark or Share this with a friend! (http://www.lifehack.org/?p=5221 akst_action=share-this) Related PostsLifehack.org Giveaway, Week 4: We’re Not Done Yet! (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/site-news/lifehackorg-giveaway-week-4-were-not-done-yet.html)We Have Another Winner: Week Two! (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/site-news/we-have-another-winner-week-two.html)Lifehack.org Giveaway, Week Three: Yet Another Chance to Win! (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/site-news/lifehackorg-giveaway-week-three-yet-another-chance-to-win.html)Lifehack.org Giveaway, Week Two: Another Chance to Win a db clay Wallet (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/site-news/lifehackorg-giveaway-week-two-another-chance-to-win-a-db-clay-wallet.html)Lifehack.org Giveaway: db clay Wallet (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/site-news/another-lifehackorg-giveaway-db-clay-wallet.html)Lifehack.org db clay Giveaway Grand Finale! (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/site-news/lifehackorg-db-clay-giveaway-grand-finale.html)We Have a Winner! (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/site-news/we-have-a-winner.html) News - Latest Fri, 01 Feb 2008 05:00:44 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23815/9/ Procrastination is a dirty word. It doesn?t need to be. Procrastination that stems from a lack of discipline, causes you to lose sight of your goals, and results in decreased productivity deserves a bad rap. But what about postponing or avoiding things that can otherwise cause us pain and frustration if we apply the go-forward, ?get it done? approach? Is this type of procrastination such a bad thing? We don?t see it as a bad thing. In fact, we suggest that you include strategic procrastination among your most important tools for increased productivity. Let?s take today?s postponement as an example. We were scheduled to travel into a remote part of British Columbia to visit a pulp mill construction site tomorrow. Actually, it is a deconstruction site because the mill is being dismantled and shipped to China for reconstruction. It snowed in the area last night and is expected to snow again tomorrow. We could still visit the site because the weather hasn?t been bad enough to shut it down. We simply figured that the place is dangerous enough as it is with all sorts of concrete and steel debris sticking up from the frozen ground. Adding a blanket of snow makes it worse. The travel to and from the site is also harder. We decided to put it off until next week and to cancel it altogether if things got worse in the meantime. This is an obvious example but the idea applies to more subtle things just as well. There are a few good reasons to postpone things. Here is a list of seven places where you should consider applying a strategic postponement: Where problems go away with time. The above weather example is a typical instance of where time makes a problem go away. Snow melts and evaporates. Many medical problems go away with time. Don?t be too quick to order a back surgery when natural healing processes can do a much better job if given enough time. Where problems are best ignored. Email spam and quasi-spam is a great example of this. Going out and trying to stop the spammers and beating up on friends and associates who send you stuff you don?t want is likely going to be a waste of time and effort leading to increased frustration for everyone involved. Just ignore the spam and delay the responses to email that comes in multiples. A delayed but polite and short response to a group of emails from a friend or associate received over days, weeks or longer can save you time, effort and frustration. Where you have good back-up and support systems in place. Don?t feel overly obligated to arrange or attend a meeting where you have others who can take part or all of the load if you simply postpone the meeting. Many urgent meetings, whether scheduled or not, deserve to be postponed. Sometimes they become effectively canceled after a postponement because a constructive solution appears in the meantime. Where something more important comes up. Be careful to properly assess the relative importance of things that come up. Skipping lunch to take an urgent call from your stockbroker is probably more important if you are being asked to sell than to buy. Postpone the call rather than skip lunch if you value your health. Where you are getting into a deal. Most Japanese business people are experts at procrastinating when being asked to get into a new deal or venture. This gives them time to carefully consider the relevant aspects and prepare for whatever consequences there are. Once in the deal, you should be fully prepared to follow through. Don?t be too quick to buy into stuff. Where you are tired, hungry or angry. This should be obvious but often isn?t. If you need to rest, sleep or cool down, postpone whatever it is that is preventing you from obtaining your basic needs. For instance, if you haven?t slept more than four hours in the past day or if you are feeling ill, it would probably be a good idea to postpone any major decisions. Where people are on your back because you are known to be a doer. Rather than going ahead and doing everything you are asked to do every time, depending on your position and priorities, procrastinate once in a while. Sometimes a good approach is to use someone else?s tendency to procrastinate in your defense. For example, if someone asks you to do something right away, respond by requesting a prerequisite to your going ahead. Maybe request an approval, budget, briefing paper or other useful piece that will help with the overall outcome. Be careful not to create useless work by asking for something irrelevant that does not add value to the process. There is no need to sweat all the stuff that comes your way as soon as it comes. By applying these Strategic Postponement tools, you will be able to increase your overall productivity, enhance your well-being, and more effectively move toward your goals at a pace of your choosing. Feel free to occasionally say ?Not now, maybe later.? Peter Paul Roosen and Tatsuya Nakagawa (http://www.linkedin.com/in/tatsuya) are co-founders of Atomica Creative Group (http://www.atomicacreative.com/) , a specialized strategic product marketing firm. Through leading edge insight and research, sound strategic planning and effective project management, Atomica helps companies achieve greater success in bringing new products to market and in improving their existing businesses. They have co-authored Overcoming Inventoritis: The Silent Killer of Innovation (http://www.happyabout.info/overcoming-inventoritis.php), now available.Bookmark or Share this with a friend! (http://www.lifehack.org/?p=5209 akst_action=share-this) Related Posts6 Rules to Work Less and Get More Accomplished (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/6-rules-to-work-less-and-get-more-accomplished.html)10 Ways to Conquer Boredom (and Feeling Too Busy) (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifehack/10-ways-to-conquer-boredom-and-feeling-too-busy.html)Overcome Procrastination Once and For All (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/overcome-procrastination-once-and-for-all.html)Are you late? (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/are-you-late.html)Results Only Work Environment (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/results-only-work-environment.html)Tired in the morning and awake at night? Here is a REAL solution. (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/tired-in-the-morning-and-awake-at-night-here-is-a-real-solution.html) News - Latest Fri, 01 Feb 2008 06:00:24 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23814/9/ I’ve written recently about starting (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/whats-stopping-you-from-getting-started-and-what-to-do-about-it.html) and finishing (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/getting-past-done-what-to-do-after-youve-finished-a-big-project.html) the big projects in your life, which leaves the big, wide middle — the day-to-day slog of working steadily to get to done. When we start something new, we often have a huge burst of enthusiasm and energy that carries us through the early stages. But eventually the newness wears off, and the project settles down into a daily grind. We reach a sticking point of one kind or another and get hung up. A sticking point is the point in your project where your energy and excitement level are not enough to overcome whatever resistance the project poses. There are lots of different kinds of sticking points, but for simplicity’s sake, we can categorize them into two types: External: Obstacles placed in your way by people and situations you do not control, such as your work situation, family members, illness, etc.; and Internal: Obstacles of our own making, that arise out of our own thought processes, insecurities, lack of knowledge or understanding, and so on. External Sticking Points As much as we might hate to admit it, as humans living in society, we are subject to pressures from all around us. Co-workers, family members, bosses, teachers, friends, investors, organizations, governments, the media, and society itself all play a role in our lives — and any one can occasionally throw a barrier in our way. Short of barricading ourselves somewhere away from the outside world, there are only two things to do about external obstacles: Minimize them as much as possible, or Deal with them and move on. Here are some of the external pressures that become sticking points, and some tips on dealing with them: Finances: The number one reason most businesses fail is lack of available funds, and the same holds true for lots of other kinds of projects. Financial advisers suggest setting up a reserve fund with several months of operating expenses in it; for personal projects, it’s a good idea to add a small amount to a “project fund” to carry you through any rough spots. Bootstrapping principles also apply: is there a way to make some interim money from the part you’ve finished so far? Could you organize a class or workshop to make use of the expertise you’ve developed in pursuing your project? Is there a physical product that could be developed — a website or e-book with tips, maybe? Depending on the project, you may be able to secure outside funding. Writers can often get grants, projects with commercial potential can often get investors, and so on. Sometimes it’s even worth getting a loan, though you’ll want to borrow against the project’s returns, not against your own already-stressed personal finances. What I mean is, don’t borrow more than your project can reasonably be expected to make, because if you’re having trouble dealing with finances now, chances are you’ll have trouble dealing with them deferred into the future. Time: Finding time to work can be a hassle, especially when your schedule changes or new commitments come up. Make sure you maintain a reasonable amount of time to work in your schedule as a “hard” commitment — that is, a time that’s fixed in your calendar — so you can say “Between 8am and 10am I work on x; I can do y after that.” Lots of people run into time problems because they haven’t set a fixed time to work on their projects; they figure they’ll work on them “in their spare time” or “whenever the opportunity presents itself.” Well, there is no spare time — there’s the same 24 hours in every day! And the opportunity never presents itself — we have to make the opportunity, or we lose it. Interruptions: Unless you’re a hermit, other people have a claim to at least some of your time. Your friends want to go out, your family wants quality time with you, your boss wants that report, and so it goes. Along with setting a fixed time to work, try to set up an “interruption-free zone” — explain to others that when you’re in this place at this time you’re working on something very important to you. Turn off the phone, close your browser and email, shut the door, and work. Ask someone else to be your gatekeeper in those times (a spouse, an older child, a roommate, a co-worker; perhaps you can return the favor when they’re working on their stuff?). You’re going to have to develop some discipline, too — get in the habit of asking, when temptation arises, if the lost time is worth the rewards of succumbing. Explain that you’re free after whatever time you’ve set aside. And schedule time for goofing off — if you know that Friday nights or Wednesday mornings are time when you’re “allowed” to be interrupted, you won’t feel quite so bad about ignoring interruptions Friday afternoon or Tuesday evening. Competition: Finding out that someone is working on a project similar to yours, or seeing someone else’s work in the marketplace, can be daunting. Writers, musicians, and other artists often find someone else’s work so good that they feel they can’t possibly do better, so they give up. Remember that competition is healthy — it shows that there’s an active niche developed around your specialty. Remember, too, that the main thing that your audience, market, or employer wants is you — your personal take on a problem, your personal voice, your personal perspective — and nobody else can offer quite what you do. Consider the iPod — there is lots of competition, and many of the competitors are, feature for feature, better than iPods, but people respond to the particular Apple style, the vision Apple has brought to its products. At the same time, the existence of the iPod hasn’t stopped other companies from producing players — several companies are doing quite well in the particular niche they’ve carved out for themselves. Figure out what your particular niche is, what differentiates your project from whatever anyone else is doing, and refocus your efforts to develop those specific qualities. Criticism: Criticism from others, especially those whose opinions we value, can immediately sap our energy and desire to continue. Some people offer constructive criticism, which can actually help if we know they have our best interests at heart. But others offer destructive criticism in the guise of helpfulness — even people close to us might want to protect us from the disappointment they are afraid you’ll feel when you fail. Explain to these people that they aren’t showing much faith in you and that even though they might have the best intentions, they are actually not helping. Try redirecting them, asking “What do you think I need to do to make this succeed?” Then there’s the people who offer negative criticism for the sheer pleasure of it, because they literally don’t want to see you succeed. They might be jealous, the might be projecting their own lack of confidence in themselves, or they might simply enjoy undermining people. Not only can you safely ignore their criticism (which is really about them, not you or your work) but you can and even must ignore these people. Get them out of your life, pronto! If this is impossible — maybe you’re related to them or they’re co-workers — you have to take every effort to minimize the extent of your relationship. First and foremost, don’t share your work with them — even when it’s done. They’re not going to suddenly “see the light” when you’re rich and famous, so don’t even try. Internal Sticking Points The sticking points that rise up out of our own thoughts and feelings are in many ways even more insidious and dangerous than the external sticking points listed above. They are, after all, part of who you are, and getting around them takes a concerted effort to change something about yourself. Or, at times, to change something about the project — which is often just as hard! Ethical objections: Sometimes we find ourself working on a project that suddenly starts setting off morality alarms. For example, you may need a piece of information about someone that you discover isn’t public, or someone might question the effect that your project’s outcome might have on some group of people. This happened to me when I was doing fieldwork; I had promised something to someone and another anthropologist suggested that following through on my promise might really hurt the community I was studying. I would never advise setting these feelings to the side and plowing through anyway. Even if you’re successful, you’ll regret it later — and chances are, the negative effects will be realized and people will be hurt. What you need, though, before continuing, is some perspective. Here’s some things to do: Ask for others’ advice. Explain your situation to two or three people whose opinion you value and ask what they would do. Do some research. Go to the library and look through the sections on ethics and also on the field your project is in. Many professions have a Code of Ethics that will offer some guidelines for dealing with potentially difficult situations. Ask the people it effects. If possible, discuss your concerns with the people who might be affected by it. Lay out everything you think is possible, and how likely you think it is that it will happen. Look inside. Take a good, hard look at your situation. Write down your worries and how you feel about them. There is never a pat answer to ethical dilemmas (if there were, they wouldn’t be dilemmas!); ethics is a set of processes and reflections, rather than a set of rules. You may decide to go through with your project “as is”; if you do, you’ll do so knowing that you’ve considered all the angles and that morality is unlikely to rise up as a sticking point. Or you may decide to make changes in your plan. In some instances, you might scrap the project altogether, but you’ll do so knowing there’s a good reason to quit — it won’t be something you’ll regret. Lack of vision: It may be that you simply can’t imagine finishing, or you can’t imagine yourself having finished. As you get closer to the end of your project, you unconsciously start holding onto it, checking and re-checking everything, revising and re-planning, even going back to the drawing board to start over. If you find yourself in this pattern, first of all pay attention. Realizing we’re sabotaging ourself is often a powerful enough experience to get us going again. Second, take a few minutes to remind yourself of your goals and of the positive changes you expect to occur when you’re done. Third, write down a paragraph or two, or even just a list, of how you see your life when you’re done. Write a vision statement if you haven’t ever before. If applicable, write down how the people closest to you will be affected, too — knowing others hold a stake in your success can often motivate us profoundly. Self-criticism: Unlike the negativity of others, there’s no door we can close to get away from the negativity in ourselves, the Inner Critic who tells us our work is not good enough or important enough to waste time on, that we lack the skills and talent to pull it off, and even that we don’t deserve to succeed. In some extreme cases, therapy is called for, but everyone faces an Inner Critic, even the most prolific creators. It’s sounds glib to say “just ignore it”, and yet, ultimately that’s what you have to do. Just like the criticism of others, you have to ask your Inner Critic to either help you figure out how to succeed or tell it to go away. One thing that helps is telling yourself that it’s fine to suck — that, in fact, lots of incredible creators, even geniuses, felt their own work sucked. Give yourself permission to suck, and the Inner Critic sort of runs out of steam — what’s it going to say, “You don’t suck good enough?” Lack of planning: A lot of time we’re stuck because we haven’t planned our way through all the steps and we don’t know what to do next, or the plan we originally wrote (or otherwise conceived) doesn’t seem to apply. At times, you need to re-plan — to reconceive your project according to what you know now, not what you knew when you started. I often tell students that the best time to start their big papers is write after they’ve finished — you learn so much doing a big project that you always know much more when its done than when you began. Priorities: If you suffer from several of these internal and external sticking points — you don’t have time, your family and friends aren’t supportive, you don’t know what to do next, etc. — it may well be that your project is not a very high priority for you. IF you find yourself spinning your wheels for more than a few days, you’d better start asking yourself if you really want this — not just “someday”, but right now. Because you’re spending not just time but energy worrying about why you aren’t getting done. Now, something can be your very last priority and not be a waste of time. If you’d like to write a novel but you have a family to feed and care for, writing that novel probably shouldn’t be at the top of your list! But know and accept that it’s a low priority and that other things have to come first, so you don’t feel guilty about not working on it — and so that, when you do work on it, you know that you can devote yourself wholly to it because everything else important is taken care of. These are just a few of the things that stop us in our tracks. Each of us faces a slightly different struggle depending on the nature of our tasks and the nature of ourselves. What’s your sticking point? Dustin M. Wax is a contributing editor and project manager at lifehack.org. He is also an anthropology and women's studies professor in Las Vegas, NV where he lives with his partner and three children. His personal site can be found at dwax.org (http://www.dwax.org).Bookmark or Share this with a friend! (http://www.lifehack.org/?p=5219 akst_action=share-this) Related PostsGetting Past Done: What to Do After You’ve Finished a Big Project (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/getting-past-done-what-to-do-after-youve-finished-a-big-project.html)What’s Stopping You from Getting Started (and What to Do About It) (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/whats-stopping-you-from-getting-started-and-what-to-do-about-it.html)Introducing Our New Podcast: Lifehack Live (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/introducing-our-new-podcast-lifehack-live.html)Effective is Not the Same as Efficient (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/effective-is-not-the-same-as-efficient.html)Advice for students: Staple! (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/advice-for-students-staple.html)7 Steps To Finally Complete That Project (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/7-steps-to-finally-complete-that-project.html)What Are Your Talking Points? (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/what-are-your-talking-points.html)Seven Things That Keep Us From Getting Home on Time (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/seven-things-that-keep-us-from-getting-home-on-time.html)Why Your Plans Fail (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/why-your-plans-fail.html)How to close off a project properly (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/management/how-to-close-off-a-project-properly.html)10 Ways to Conquer Boredom (and Feeling Too Busy) (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifehack/10-ways-to-conquer-boredom-and-feeling-too-busy.html)Lead, Follow, and Get Out of the Way (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/management/lead-follow-and-get-out-of-the-way.html)The Two F-Words You Should Love (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/management/the-two-f-words-you-should-love.html)Handling the bad stuff (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifehack/handling-the-bad-stuff.html)Basecamp Project Integration (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/technology/basecamp-project-integration.html) News - Latest Fri, 01 Feb 2008 06:30:40 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23813/9/ Meteorologists in China say that that if necessary they will modify the weather on August 8 so it doesn't rain on the 2008 Summer Olympics opening ceremonies. From the Los Angeles Times: Training with the Olympics in mind, the meteorologists have been practicing their "rain mitigation" techniques since 2006. They have had a couple of dry runs, so to speak -- a China-Africa summit and a panda festival in Sichuan province, among others. The bureau of weather modification was established in the 1980s and is now believed to be the largest in the world. It has a reserve army of 37,000 people -- most of them sort of weekend warriors who are called to duty during unusual droughts. The bureau has 30 aircraft, 4,000 rocket launchers and 7,000 antiaircraft guns, said Wang Guohe, director of weather modification for the Chinese Academy of Meteorology. "We have the largest program in the world with the most people involved and the most equipment, but it is not really the most advanced," Wang said. That honor belongs to the Russians, who he says used sophisticated cloud-seeding in 1986 to prevent radioactive rain from the Chernobyl reactor accident from reaching Moscow. Link (http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-rain31jan31,0,39372.story) (Thanks, Sean Ness (http://hubber.blogspot.com/)!) News - Latest Thu, 31 Jan 2008 10:53:01 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23812/9/ Our favorite federal administration, the TSA, has just launched a blog, called Evolution of Security. It kicks off with a cheerful message from Kip Hawley. I applaud his reason for launching the blog: One of my major goals of 2008 is to get TSA and passengers back on the same side, working together. We need your help to get the checkpoint to be a better environment for us to do our security job and for you to get through quickly and onto your flight. Seems like the way to get that going is for us to open up and hear your feedback... The 270 comments following Hawley's introductory post contain a mix of congratulatory messages (most of these are from proud TSA employees), accounts of bad experiences with the TSA, general and specific questions, and suggestions for improvement. Here's a typical comment from a citizen: DHS and TSA are fundamentally broken. Disband both immediately and return our civil liberties. Thank goodness Richard Reid did not conceal something in his underpants or these people would be strip-searching every poor grandma from here to Branson. Would someone please explain to these people that putting shoes through an x-ray does not mean they don't contain an explosive? And honestly-- Refusing a valid ID because it is "expired"? Confiscating deodorant and sun block? Does anyone believe that this kabuki security theater really makes us safer? If you guys are serious about your responsibility to protect the country I suggest you start by (1) not cutting off "TSA approved" locks anymore (2) learning and sticking to your own rules and regs especially those pertaining to passengers with medical problems (3) not trying to intimidate anyone who asks for a complaint form and (4) immediately crack down on the threatening screeners who shout "do you want to fly today?" anytime their crazy made-up-on-the-spot orders are questioned by passengers--who in my opinion often know the rules better than the screeners themselves. Oh and by the way your first amendment rights to free speech don't stop when you enter an airport screening area, even at MKE. Another citizen: Traveling through Chicago I set off the metal detactor. I'm an almost 60 year female. I stopped dead in my tracts, afraid of what I had done. The TSA lady (??) barked at me worse way than how I talk to my large dog. All she kept yelling at me was, "BACK!" I'm not that used to traveling and didn't know what she meant. Why cannot you not talk to us as if we are 'people'? You say that you yourselves are people...I doubt that! And here's a typical comment from a TSA employee: As a LTSO I have very proud to work for TSA. I understand that some of the passengers do not like taking off their shoes or surrendering their toothpaste, however, there are many passengers that thank us for what we do. We must all remember that 9/11 happened and we are just trying to make the air safe for everyone. Flying is not a right granted under the Bill of Rights and due to the state of the world today, we must all make smart decisions. I am proud of what we do and what we represent. Thank you Mr. Hawley!! The comments make for entertaining reading, but I'm skeptical that any positive changes to TSA policies will be made as a result. Link (http://www.tsa.gov/blog/) News - Latest Thu, 31 Jan 2008 11:36:16 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23811/9/ Todd says: "Isabella Rossellini has made a series of short films in which she dresses up like insects (always the males, for some reason) and acts out bug sex. You'll find a quartet of stills at the link." Link (http://twitchfilm.net/site/view/isabella-rossellini-does-bug-porn/) News - Latest Thu, 31 Jan 2008 11:46:14 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23810/9/ A Mexican hen named Rabanita has become quite an attraction in the village of Cuautitlan since she started laying green eggs last month. Apparently the hen, owned by Elvira Romero, eats a regular diet. From the Associated Press: Scientists believe that shell colour - which does not affect the colour or flavour of the yolk or white - is determined by the genes, and say blue or green shells are frequently found in the Araucana chicken strain. Green egg layers attract a premium in some parts of South America, where poultry breeders aim to produce chickens, which lay nothing else. Link (http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/showflipped.aspx?id=FLIEN20080039849) News - Latest Thu, 31 Jan 2008 11:50:24 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23809/9/ The Mindscape of Alan Moore (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mindscape_of_Alan_Moore), a documentary about the creator of such comix masterpieces as Watchmen and V For Vendetta, is now viewable at AlterTube. Link (http://www.altertube.tv/view_video.php?viewkey=31b55aa50c06529eaa21&page=1&viewtype=&category=mr) to video, Link (http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%3Furl%3Dsearch-alias%253Daps%26field-keywords%3Dalan%2Bmoore%26x%3D0%26y%3D0&tag=boingboing0e-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325) to Alan Moore titles on Amazon (via Cabinet of Wonders (http://www.wunderkabinett.co.uk/damndata/index.php?/archives/1254-Comic-turns.html)) Previously on BB: ? Alan Moore is a magick man Link (http://www.boingboing.net/2002/02/07/alan-moore-is-a-magi.html) ? Free download: Alan Moore's Swamp Thing, Issue #21 Link (http://www.boingboing.net/2008/01/30/free-download-alan-m.html) ? More on Alan Moore Link (http://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&domains=boingboing.net&sitesearch=boingboing.net&q=alan+moore&btnG=Search) News - Latest Thu, 31 Jan 2008 12:20:37 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23808/9/ A Rio samba group built a Carnival float that is piled with naked mannequins meant to look like Holocaust victims. The group, Viradouro, reportedly also planned for the float to be topped with one or more dancers in Hitler costume. After the Jewish Federation of Rio de Janeiro filed a lawsuit, a judge issued an injunction banning the float as it is now from the parade. From the Associated Press (click image for full photo by Vanderlei Almeida / AFP-Getty Images): Link (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22934625) UPDATE: From a BBC News article: Viradouro's creative director, Paulo Barros, said the float was a "very respectful" reminder of the Holocaust and a reminder that such an atrocity should never be repeated. "This an extremely serious work, and people think we're mocking," said Mr Barros, who was in tears as his team started dismantling the float. Link (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7220436.stm) News - Latest Thu, 31 Jan 2008 12:42:25 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23807/9/ Matt Jones from Dopplr (a social networking site for travelers) sez, "We've been chewing some of the data from our first year of Dopplr, and just spat out some infonuggets about the year in travels, including a socially-generated map of the globe... Google has the zeitgeist (spirit of the times), but we have the Raumzeitgeist (The spirit of Spacetime!)" The top ten trips were: * London to Paris * San Francisco to New York * Helsinki to London * London to New York * San Francisco to Los Angeles * New York to San Francisco * Boston to New York * Los Angeles to San Francisco * London to Amsterdam * London to San Francisco Link (http://blog.dopplr.com/index.php/2008/01/31/dopplr-raumzeitgeist-2007-where-we-went-last-year/) (Thanks, Matt (http://www.dopplr.com/)!) News - Latest Thu, 31 Jan 2008 12:48:50 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23806/9/ Amazon's just bought audiobook provider Audible, the exclusive provider of audiobooks to iTunes, Amazon's rival for audio downloads. Even though Apple says it prefers that its suppliers deliver non-DRM media (and even though Audible's DRM does nothing to prevent piracy), Audible has a mandatory DRM policy for the books it sells. That is to say, even if they author doesn't want DRM on his or her books, Audible will only deliver those books with DRM on them. As part of the deal, an Amazon spokesman said: Audible's audio books are wrapped in a layer of DRM, which Amazon does not plan to remove unless customers start to complain. Mike adds, "Audible audio books are the last source of media I purchase that includes DRM I can't easily bypass. Books, of all things, should be open and protected. I shouldn't have to wear special glasses to read a particular novel - nor should I need a special player to listen to a particular novel. What do people recommend we do to show Amazon the advantage of releasing audiobooks without DRM?" It's a good question. I'm an audiobook junkie -- I've spent thousands of dollars on Audible books over the years, hoping that the problem of DRM would never bite me in the ass. Of course, it did -- when I switched away from iTunes, I had to spend a solid month, running two Powerbooks, full time, to get the DRM off my Audible audiobooks by playing them back in realtime while capturing the audio with Audio Hijack Pro (http://www.rogueamoeba.com/audiohijack/). Since then, I've learned my lesson: I order my audiobooks on CD and rip them manually, which is a huge pain in the ass, but way more future-proof than Audible's products. Let's hope that Amazon does the right thing here, following the DRM-free ethos in its music store -- and the DRM-free ethos in the CD audiobooks it sells (I've diverted all the money I used to spent on Audible audiobooks to buying audiobooks on CD from Amazon anyway). Link (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/31/AR2008013101662.html) (Thanks, Mike (http://mikeshea.net/)!) News - Latest Thu, 31 Jan 2008 13:59:38 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23805/9/ An oral surgeon-turned-nurse-turned-organlegger has been busted in Philadelphia for buying corpses from funeral directors, extracting their valuable tissues, and selling them on to be used in surgery in the US and Canada: Link (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Organ-stealing_racket_busted_in_US/rssarticleshow/2747292.cms) (Image: Roll Up for Your Dentures! (http://flickr.com/photos/meanestindian/221581069/), a Creative Commons Attribution licensed photo from Meanest Indian's Flickr stream) News - Latest Fri, 01 Feb 2008 07:59:20 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23804/9/ Tony C Smith says: StarShipSofa is a weekly podcast that has started to put out Hugo Winning audio stories for free. Last week we put up David Brin's 1985 Hugo winning story "The Crystal Spheres." This week we put up Bruce Sterling's 1989 story "We See Things Differently." Other narrated stories include 2007 Hugo nominee Peter Watts and Michael Moorcock. A host of SF writers have offered to let the StarShipSofa narrate their works. Writers who have already donated their work include Ian Watson, Pat Cadigan, Harry Harrison, Joe Haldeman, Joan D Vinge, Norman Spinrad, Ian MacDonald, J D Nordley, Gweneth Jones, Alastair Reynolds, Jerry Pournelle, Landon Jones, John Varley, Pat Murphy, John Kessel, Laurel Winter, Jeff Vandermeer, Kevin J Anderson, Bradley Denton and Matthew Hughes. Link (http://www.starshipsofa.com/audios) News - Latest Thu, 31 Jan 2008 15:44:06 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23803/9/ Noah Shachtman at Wired's Danger Room blog writes. A leading general is pleading with the armed services to let troops blog and post to YouTube. Too bad the video site is banned on military nets, and Army rules squeeze military bloggers, hard. Link (http://blog.wired.com/defense/2008/01/a-leading-gener.html) Previously on Boing Boing: Army's new regulations may restrict soldiers' blogs (NPR Xeni Tech) (http://www.boingboing.net/2007/05/07/armys-new-regulation.html) US Army: reporters are "threat," just like Al Qaeda; milblogs = "therapy" (http://www.boingboing.net/2007/05/03/us-army-reporters-ar.html) Army audits show official sites breach security, not milblogs (http://www.boingboing.net/2007/08/17/army-audits-show-off.html) Under fire, soldiers kill blogs: Pentagon milblog crackdown (http://www.boingboing.net/2006/10/29/under-fire-soldiers-.html) Pentagon Sued Over Milblog-Monitoring (http://www.boingboing.net/2007/02/08/pentagon-sued-over-m.html) News - Latest Thu, 31 Jan 2008 17:43:06 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23802/9/ A community of 'long-necked' Burmese refugees in Thailand are being denied resettlement in other counties by Thai authorities, according to this BBC article. The women wear traditional, stacked metal neck rings that elongate their necks -- they've become a tourist attraction in Thailand, on display what is described as a 'human zoo'. The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) says that for the past two years, the Thai authorities have refused to allow a group of 20 Kayan to leave the country, despite firm offers to resettle them in Finland and New Zealand. The suspicion is that the women are being kept in Thailand because of the central role they play in the local tourism industry. Link (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7215182.stm). (thanks, Kendra / image: BBC News) News - Latest Thu, 31 Jan 2008 19:12:46 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23801/9/ I thought it was silly when a TSA agent at the Oakland airport asked me with concern in her voice to remove my thin cotton sweater before walking through the metal detector this afternoon, but it sounds like things are even sillier at San Francisco Airport. Scott Beale reports: Wow, flying out of SFO just became much worse. While traveling this morning I surprised to find out that TSA is now requiring that you remove all electronic devices from your carry-on bags, including cables etc. and place them in a separate bin to be scanned at the security checkpoints. Along with slowing down the line to a crawl, this will undoubtedly lead to people losing expensive equipment, not to mention the possiblity for your stuff to be accidentally taken by someone else or even stolen. Of course none of this information is mentioned on either the TSA or SFO websites. Does anyone know if TSA is requiring this at any other airports? Link (http://laughingsquid.com/tsa-now-requiring-all-electronic-items-placed-in-bins-at-sfo/) News - Latest Thu, 31 Jan 2008 20:24:59 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23800/9/ We Make Money Not Art (http://www.we-make-money-not-art.com) has a post up about DIY tractors in rural Poland, photographed by ?ukasz Sk?pski. ?ak Gallery in Berlin (http://www.zak-gallery.com/news.php?lang=en) is currently showing prints of Sk?pski's photos, and there's video of interviews with the farmer-tinkerers circulating somewhere, too. Snip: In the '60s Poland it was almost impossible to acquire a tractor in Poland. Agricultural machines produced by the country were available mainly for state-owned enterprises. For private farmers these tractors were too expensive and they weren't even robust or efficient enough for the mountain region. Out of necessity they constructed their own machines using spare parts and bits and pieces from whatever machines they could find. Including decommissioned army vehicles and pre-WWI German machines. Link (http://www.we-make-money-not-art.com/archives/2008/01/the-zak-gallery-in-berlin.php). News - Latest Thu, 31 Jan 2008 22:34:56 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23799/9/ Shepard Fairey, the artist behind "Andre The Giant Has A Posse," created this poster to show his support of Barack Obama. Apparently, the limited edition prints sold out in moments. It appears that Obama has a posse too. Link (http://obeygiant.com/post/obama#more-541) News - Latest Thu, 31 Jan 2008 22:39:49 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23798/9/ Mark Allen from Machine Project (http://machineproject.com) says, This Saturday from 8-10pm at Machine Project in Los Angeles we have a new performance by Brody Condon (the same artist who staged a medieval battle inside the gallery in 2004). This time 10 performers outfitted in medieval/space/fantasy armor re-create Bruce Nauman?s 1973 work ?Tony Sinking into the Floor, Face Up and Face Down?. Performed in slow motion and combined with movements based on computer game death animations, this piece is accompanied by a high volume binaural beats reputed to induce out of body experiences. Link (http://machineproject.com/2008/01/14/condon-nauman/) to the event page with photos, video and more information. Other projects by Brody Condon include his series of "self-playing" modifications of Northern European Late Medieval religious paintings of 15th century using the Unreal game engine, which can be seen on his website (http://tmpspace.com). News - Latest Thu, 31 Jan 2008 23:12:21 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23797/9/ The Gough Map (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1851240225/downandoutint-20) is a new book that details the fascinating history of the oldest accurate map of Britain, which is amazingly accurate (except for the Scotland bits), especially considering that it was made around 1360. It's also extremely lovely: "There are 600-odd places and, if you compare it with a modern map, most of them are in pretty much the right spot," says Millea. "We don't know whether they did the coastline first then filled in the interior, or whether it was done by word of mouth - a verbal map - so they put in London then worked outwards, adding places they knew." Nick Crane, topographer and presenter of TV series Map Man, thinks they may have used an astrolabe - a highly technical instrument used by classical astronomers, navigators and astrologers which involved checking the horizon, the stars, the sun and all sorts of angles. "This could be the beginning of mathematical map-making - some of the points of latitude have probably been measured through astronomy," he says. Michael notes, "As a bonus, there doesn't seem to be a Wikipedia entry about this map yet - a nice little task for someone who feels like getting their cartographic vibe on." Link (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=511605&in_page_id=1770), The Gough Map: The Earliest Road Map of Britain? on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1851240225/downandoutint-20) (Thanks, Michael (http://michaelocc.com/) News - Latest Thu, 31 Jan 2008 23:39:40 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23796/9/ These ten rules from the Immaculate Heart College Art Department are incredibly good advice for just about everything you do in life: 6. Nothing is a mistake. There is no win and no fail. There is only make. 7. The only rule is work. If you work it will lead to something. It's the people who do all of the work all the time who eventually catch on to things. 8. Don't try to create and analyse at the same time. They're different processes. 9. Be happy whenever you can manage it. Enjoy yourself. It's lighter than you think. Link to image (http://hi-and-low.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/01/a-new-year.html), Link to text (http://mike.teczno.com/notes/art-rules.html) (via Kottke (http://kottke.org)) Update: Karen (http://verbatim.blogs.com/) sez, "These were compiled by students of Sister Corita Kent (http://www.corita.org/coritalesson.html)." News - Latest Fri, 01 Feb 2008 07:40:19 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23795/9/ Peggy is an "open source lighted pegboard design" from Evil Mad Scientist Labs, released to coincide with the anniversary of the Great Boston Mooninite Scare of 2007, when law enforcement mistook lite-brites advertising a cartoon for terrorist paraphernalia and spent $2,000,000 running around, flapping their arms, screaming, and pulling their hair. This is an easy way to drive a lot of LEDs-- up to 625-- in a big matrix. You can make an LED sign for your window, a geeky valentine for your sweetie, one bad-ass birthday card, or freak the holy bejesus out of Boston. Your call. It's a versatile, high-brightness display. The display can run off an AC adapter or batteries (3 'D' cells), and is designed to run as many green/blue/white/violet LEDs as you care to solder into the holes, all with excellent brightness. The board can accommodate LEDs in several common sizes: 3mm, 5 mm (standard T-1 3/4 size), and 10 mm. A photosensor is provided that can automatically turn off the display in bright daylight or incandescent light. Link (http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/peggy) See also: Nevar Fergit! 1-31-07. (http://www.boingboing.net/2008/01/31/nevar-fergit-13107.html) Deconstructing the Great ATHF Freak Out of 2007 (http://www.boingboing.net/2007/02/08/deconstructing-the-g.html) Mooninite on the Haunted Mansion (http://www.boingboing.net/2007/02/04/mooninite_on_the_hau.html) Hoaxdevices.com (http://www.boingboing.net/2007/02/03/hoaxdevicescom.html) Stickers: This is engineering, not bomb-making (http://www.boingboing.net/2007/02/01/stickers_this_is_eng.html) State of Massachusetts insists on calling ATHF ads "hoax devices" (http://www.boingboing.net/2007/02/02/state_of_massachuset.html) Boston LED terror scare: a message to the media (http://www.boingboing.net/2007/02/01/boston_led_terror_sc.html) Mark on ABC news about Mooninite devices (http://www.boingboing.net/2007/02/01/mark_on_abc_news_abo.html) Fake pipe bombs found in Boston (http://www.boingboing.net/2007/02/01/fake_pipe_bombs_foun.html) Video of Mooninite menaces (http://www.boingboing.net/2007/02/01/video_of_mooninite_m.html) Boston Mooninite installer arrested (http://www.boingboing.net/2007/01/31/boston_mooninite_ins.html) Boston Channel photoshops Mooninite LED signs (http://www.boingboing.net/2007/01/31/boston_channel_photo.html) Aqua Teen Hunger Force is the Bomb T-Shirts (http://www.boingboing.net/2007/01/31/aqua_teen_hunger_for.html) LED ad campaign ignites terrorism scare in Boston (http://www.boingboing.net/2007/01/31/led_ad_campaign_igni.html) News - Latest Thu, 31 Jan 2008 23:59:51 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23794/9/ Today in my ongoing series of photos from my travels over the years, this shot of a statue depicting "filial piety" (a young mother allows her motherfather-in-law to nurse at her breast while her son cheers her on) from the awesomely weird Haw-Par Villa (http://www.visitsingapore.com/publish/stbportal/en/home/what_to_see/themed___other_attractions/haw_par_villa.html), a Tiger Balm-sponsored statue-garden/Confucianist theme-park in Singapore and Hong Kong. I've heard rumours that it's now defunct, which is a crine shame. Link (http://flickr.com/photos/doctorow/41376752/), Link to more photos of Haw-Par Villa (http://flickr.com/photos/doctorow/sets/925506/) News - Latest Fri, 01 Feb 2008 07:52:11 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23793/9/ Chinese dissident Hu Jia was placed under house arrest in Beijing in 2006. He has spent the time since recording the movements of "secret" police officers who surround his house, harassing his wife, acting like thugs, falling asleep on the job, playing cards, and grinning up at him. It's a kind of dissident's Rear Window, and the footage is haunting and unforgettable -- especially the sequence starting around 1:48, where a grinning, hulking cop on a phone plays the "Oh, sorry, was I standing in front of you? I'll move. Whoops! I'm still blocking your way. Ha ha." game with Zeng Jinyan, Hu Jia's wife, acting for all the world like a seventh-grade bully. Link (http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/video/2008/feb/01/hu.jia?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfront) News - Latest Fri, 01 Feb 2008 07:45:47 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23792/9/ Here's a quick and clever HOWTO for making a camera-stabilizer out of some twine, a screw and a washer. Tie the string around the screw, screw it into the tripod mount on your camera, drop the other end of the twine (with the washer attached) onto the ground and stamp on it. Pull up on the camera until the twine is taut and vertical shake is a thing of the past, along with significant dampening of horizontal shake. Link (http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1041948/1_image_stabilizer_for_any_camera_lose_the_tripod/) (Thanks, Fipi Lele!) News - Latest Fri, 01 Feb 2008 08:15:21 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23791/9/ Michael sez, "According to this splendid article in the British Medical Journal, the recent redesign of two popular British chocolate snacks has disrupted a simple, affordable teaching method used to assess 'testicular volume' in pubescent boys." We previously reported that two chocolates -- Teasers and Truffles -- were strikingly similar to the 8 ml bead of the orchidometer used to assess testicular volume. We therefore suggested that they could be used to stage puberty in males and, because of their wide availability and low cost, commended their use. We were recently dismayed to discover that the manufacturer has changed the shape of both these chocolates. Both are now flat bottomed, and even non-specialists will notice that they bear little resemblance to testes. More disturbingly, they are no longer much use for assessing testicular volume. Only one of six paediatric endocrine specialists (comprising trainees, consultants, and specialist nurses) felt confident that they could use the new Teasers or Truffles to gauge testicular volume relative to the 8 ml cut-off which indicates that puberty is proceeding satisfactorily. Link (http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/335/7633/1287?fmr) (Thanks, Michael (http://michaelocc.com/)!) News - Latest Fri, 01 Feb 2008 09:30:40 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23790/9/ In this video clip, the Improv Everywhere group brings 207 apparently normal people into Grand Central Station, whereupon they all freeze, at exactly the same instant, for five minutes, standing stock still, as though they were caught in some kind of time-loop. Around them, the Grand Central crowd looks on in wonderment, trying to figure out what's going on -- a little scared, but delighted too. When the frozen hundreds all begin to move again at the same instant, the crowd gives them a standing ovation. We got great reactions from the folks who encountered us. Strangers started talking to each other, trying to figure out what was going on. With wireless microphones hidden in our shirts, a few agents and I struck up conversations with folks. I convinced one guy to grab a cell phone from a frozen woman's hand. He did it, laughing uncontrollably as he gently put it back in her hand. My favorite reaction was from a female cop who witnessed the whole thing from behind her NYPD recruitment booth: Me: Do you know what that was? Cop: I have no idea! That is the craziest shit I've ever seen in my life, AND I'M A COP! Me: Ha. Yeah, it was weird. Cop: You wanna sign up to be in the NYPD? Me: No thanks. Link (http://www.improveverywhere.com/2008/01/31/frozen-grand-central/) (via Kottke (http://kottke.org)) News - Latest Fri, 01 Feb 2008 09:31:14 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23789/9/ Cory Silverberg, About.com's Sexuality editor (http://sexuality.about.com), points to a hilarious local news segment in Mississippi titled "Adult Store Caught Selling Illegal Sex Toys." After hearing rumors that the ?Adult Video and Books? boutique on McDowell Road, which had previously been busted for selling sex toys, was at it again, the intrepid Kandiss Crone from the 3 On Your Side ?news? team decided to go undercover. Based on the secret audio recording, it sounds like she was confronted with a helpful sales person who sold her a vibrator (she chose ?the purple one?). She then went back to confront an unimpressed but entirely pleasant store owner who tried to explain to Ms. Crone all the different places on your body you can use a vibrator (the one?s not prohibited by law in Mississippi). You really have to watch the segment to believe it. I?ve watched it twice, and am left with several thoughts: 1. I love that the store is wheelchair accessible. I live in a major city and 90% of the stores here aren?t. Bravo ?Adult Video and Books?. 2. How pathetic was it that they couldn?t even get the cops interested in the store? It seems like the ?3 On Your Side? team are the only ones who care about this sex store selling sex toys. This begs the question; whose side are they on? 3. The ?reporter? chose a vibrator that matched her sweater. Coincidence? Link (http://sexuality.about.com/b/2008/01/31/if-its-illegal-to-sell-sex-toys-are-sex-toys-illegal.htm) to Cory Silverberg's post, and Link (http://www.wlbt.com/Global/story.asp?S=7803180 nav=menu119_2) to the video (WMV). News - Latest Fri, 01 Feb 2008 09:29:31 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23788/9/ "RoBo (http://igargoyle.com/)," an ordinary nerd dude who likes to tinker with wearable computing in his free time, goes to a sex products expo in Hollywood. Hijinks ensue. Link to BBtv post (http://tv.boingboing.net/2008/02/01/robo-goes-to-a-sex-e.html) with video and discussion. RoBo previously appeared, mit wearable gizmos, in the BBtv episode "Wearable Computing / Sensors and Sensibility (http://tv.boingboing.net/2007/11/14/wearable-computing-s.html)." News - Latest Thu, 31 Jan 2008 22:20:34 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23787/9/ News (http://gadgets.boingboing.net/2008/02/01/microsoft-offers-to.html), news (http://valleywag.com/tag/yahoo/acquisitions/), news (http://dealbook.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/01/microsofts-yahoo-bid-whats-next/index.html?ex=1359608400 en=e90d62ae7593693b ei=5088 partner=rssnyt emc=rss), news (http://dealbook.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/01/how-microsoft-could-go-hostile/index.html?ex=1359608400 en=195e3e3fd478886f ei=5088 partner=rssnyt emc=rss), and Merlin Mann (http://www.merlinmann.com/)'s analysis, spotted on Twitter (http://twitter.com/hotdogsladies): News - Latest Fri, 01 Feb 2008 09:59:47 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23786/9/ The Pointess Museum has a complete scan of The Usborne Book of the Future: A Trip in Time to the Year 2000 and Beyond (1979), by Kenneth Gatland and David Jefferis. A Boing Boing reader says: "The Usborne Book of the Future was a beautifully optimistic look at the future, from the 1970s. See the robots, machines and cities of the future, and then travel to the stars." Link (http://www.pointlessmuseum.com/museum/usbornebookofthefutureindex.php) News - Latest Fri, 01 Feb 2008 10:27:31 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23785/9/ Inside Terrorism: The X-Ray Project is an art exhibition of X-rays and CT-scans from Jerusalem hospitals depicting civilian injuries from terrorist attacks. The full text accompanying the piece shown here reads, "I was in college then, riding the bus to campus. When he exploded, his watch blasted into my neck. Some of the shrapnel tore through my cartoid artery, which carries blood to my brain." The following is from artist Diane Covert's statement about the project: The idea for Inside Terrorism began to coalesce in my mind in 2002 as a personal response to terrorism and to my discomfort with the way terrorism has been justified in some circles. This is a documentary of survivors of terrorism. Much like photographer Mathew Brady documented the Civil War, people in emergency rooms today are documenting the effects of terrorism. The exhibit is another form of "straight" photography - that is photographs made with an unaltered spectrum of light. With that technology, we are able to look inside terrorism. Link (http://www.x-rayproject.org) (Thanks, Mark Pescovitz (http://www.surgery.medicine.iu.edu/people/detail.php?perID=40)!) News - Latest Fri, 01 Feb 2008 10:32:34 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23784/9/ The Guardian has a silly article about George Bush's favorite painting, a 1916 cowboy scene by WHD Koerner. The painting hangs in his office, and he tells people that it's a "beautiful painting of a horseman determinedly charging up what appears to be a steep and rough trail. This is us." The painting first appeared in the Saturday Evening Post in 1916 "to illustrate a story about a horse thief, and captioned as a picture of his flight from the law. Only later did it illustrate a story about Methodism." The paper showed the painting to four people: a professor of gender studies, a psychoanalyst, a military historian, and a "psychotherapist and ex-Labour spin doctor," and asked them to analyze the President based on the painting and his story about it. Derek Draper, psychotherapist and ex-Labour spin doctor: "Most revealing, though, is the simple fact that a healthy mind would look at this image and not be certain what it depicted. Bush, though, as he once told Senator Joe Biden, doesn't "do nuance". Instead he invariably replaces "not-knowing" with prejudiced certainty. A foolish psychological mindset when it comes to art or life; a catastrophic one in politics." It's interesting that these analysts are taking Bush to task for inventing a story about the painting, instead of having ambiguous feelings about it. As the article states, it has been used at least twice to illustrate two very different stories. What's wrong with coming up with your own interpretation of what a painting means? This is probably the first time in my life that I'm on the President's side. (Also, it's a wonderful painting.) Go, Bush! Link (http://arts.guardian.co.uk/art/visualart/story/0,,2250558,00.html) (Thanks, Jane!) News - Latest Fri, 01 Feb 2008 10:45:09 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23783/9/ Marie Ngu Playboys College Girls Ohlone College Age: 21 Waitress Marie loves to go go go as in go-go dancing. She is a student who is very honest and spontaneous. Marie likes to read trashy romance novels. She says they get her motor running if you know what we mean. Maries current fantasy is to be with 2 guys at the same time. Hmm sounds good to us. To find out Maries perfect guy check out her interview video in the members area. News - Latest Thu, 31 Jan 2008 08:40:34 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23782/9/ Shanis McGhee Playboys All Naturals Reading, PA Age: 19 Shanis is our rockstar surfer girl. She plays guitar any time she sees the guitar close by. She is definitely a guys girl in that she likes to get down and dirty. She is an active sports person. She plays hockey, basketball and has been surfing since she was 8 yrs old. And yes guys she has played guitar in the nude. Guys with tattoos and piercings really turn her on, as well as a guy in a uniform. Oh and did we tell you she's a beautiful woman also. News - Latest Thu, 31 Jan 2008 08:44:09 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23781/9/ Diane DeLuna from Woman of Playboy Las Vegas, NV AGE: 19 HAIR COLOR: Blonde HEIGHT: 5ft 8in WEIGHT: 125 BREAST: 34C MEASUREMENTS: 34C-24-33 Diane is one perky gal. As she spoke we wondered if she would leave time to breathe. She said her favorite part of foreplay is all the kissing and more kissing and more kissing. As you might have guessed she likes a lot of kissing. She told us she is personable, friendly and sexy. And we have to aggree. If you see a light on in a office building after hours it might mean Diane is hard at work enjoying one of her hobbies... Office sex! News - Latest Thu, 31 Jan 2008 08:47:55 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23780/9/ Kelly Monaco Miss April 1997 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA BUST: 34 D WAIST: 21 1/2 HIPS: 31 1/2 HEIGHT: 5' 3 WEIGHT: 95 lbs she has grace and a famous name, but ms. monaco is very much her own person Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains, with their resort hotels, have the reputation of being a honeymoon paradise. Growing up there, Kelly Monaco knew another part of paradise -- the great outdoors. With a home on the boundary of a state game preserve, Kelly and her four sisters put in plenty of time hiking, climbing trees, fishing, camping and swimming. They were taught to skate by their mother, a former Olympic hopeful and figure-skating instructor. They even helped their father, an avid hunter, build tree stands. As a result, Miss April developed into tip-top shape. And when Kelly did resort to working at a resort, she obtained a job as a lifeguard. Her duties involved more than merely working on her tan, though she also did an excellent job of that. One night, I had to make three saves, she says. There's this adrenaline rush that I can't explain. One of her rescues was a boy who had lost consciousness. It's an amazing feeling to know that if you hadn't been there, this person may have died, she says. And what an amazing feeling it must have been for the kid to wake up and find Kelly reviving him. Perhaps he thought he had died and gone to heaven. A middle child, Kelly says she enjoys being the center of attention. I've always wanted to be a star. Growing up, I wanted to be an actress. With four years of high school drama classes and five years of lifeguarding under her bikini, might Kelly be destined to follow the path of Playmate predecessors Pamela Anderson and Donna D'Errico to the set of Baywatch? Kelly would like that very much. But if it doesn't happen, we're sure she'll find a way to make waves on her own. News - Latest Thu, 31 Jan 2008 08:50:55 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23779/9/ Rebecca Matheson Playboys College Girls California University Northridge Age: 24 Rebecca spends her time traveling and searching for rare antique finds to restore for her interior design firm. She loves everything French, and is practicing the language whenever she can before her trip to France this summer. Rebecca also loves horseback riding, sports, and ballet, but she especially loves intense and passionate men! News - Latest Fri, 01 Feb 2008 09:27:20 +0100 http://windows-spaces.com/portal/content/view/23778/9/ Amy Gregg Playboys Busty Babes Sandy, UT Age: 25 Bartender