Heads-up for techies. Firefox 3 beta 2 is here

Firefox 3 Beta 2 is out, and its good.

There are a lot of behind the scenes changes, but my favorite changes are:

• The new bookmarking system which lets you "star" a page (like gmail) quickly, and then lets you search through your bookmarks and history right from the address bar.

• As you search from the address bar the results get narrow -matching both the URLs and the page titles in your history and favorites. The matching parts are underlined, guiding your eye clearly to why an item is showing up in the search. The results list is uncluttered and much easier to make sense of.
  

• The ability to resume downloads - finally !

Finding my pace

Had a great walk the other day. Along one of the new roads in town, on a glorious sunny winter afternoon.

Not a very athletic pace, nor a very slow one - but the right one for me.

And it occurred to me that the best time I ever have - the most content - is when I find my own pace. And when I get it exactly right it leaves me with a warm glow inside. A feeling of contentment so pure that there is no mistaking it.

And though I don't always get it right, time is a great teacher - that's one of the privileges of getting older.

Dangerous unless proven safe ? I think not.

We've all heard that "innocent until proven guilty" is a basic tenet of justice.

How about a related concept for everyday life: "safe unless proven dangerous".

What I'm getting at is that we often worry about things that may happen in the future and might harm us. This worry translates into stress. For the most part, however, the bad things turn out to be not so bad - and even if they do, we are generally able to cope. Many times we even end up relishing the challenge of coping with them.

So why do we then often presume things to be dangerous unless proven safe - rather than the other way round ?

The problem with this thinking is that there really is no way to prove a thing safe. The world is inherently dangerous - even something as simple as crossing the road can lead to an accident - but if you look both ways and take reasonable care, the chances of this happening are statistically close to none.

I often wonder if this is the difference between an entrepreneur and a dreamer. The entrepreneur does reasonable due diligence, assumes all will be well - or that he will deal with the fallout - and plunges in. The dreamer keeps trying to come up with the infallible, bullet-proof plan - which simply does not exist.

No one would say that we walk into fire blindfolded. But even as we do the required preparation and take all precautions, the mindset needs to be positive - that the world is safe unless proven dangerous.

Don't forget to work hard too....

We've all given as well as gotten advice to "work smart - not hard", but I do think it is a bit misleading - specially the "not hard" part.

In any given field, if you ask the people who excel - really excel - it turns out they practice like heck and work long hours. It might not seem hard work to them because they often also have a passion for what they do, but it is hard work nonetheless.

Take this quote from Scientific American:

"The one thing that all expertise theorists agree on is that it takes enormous effort to build these structures in the mind. Simon coined a psychological law of his own, the 10-year rule, which states that it takes approximately a decade of heavy labor to master any field. Even child prodigies, such as Gauss in mathematics, Mozart in music and Bobby Fischer in chess, must have made an equivalent effort, perhaps by starting earlier and working harder than others.

Ericsson argues that what matters is not experience per se but "effortful study," which entails continually tackling challenges that lie just beyond one's competence. That is why it is possible for enthusiasts to spend tens of thousands of hours playing chess or golf or a musical instrument without ever advancing beyond the amateur level and why a properly trained student can overtake them in a relatively short time."

This is a well researched article which basically makes the point that experts in many fields are not just 'gifted', but more importantly 'driven'. The drive leads them on to practice their chosen skills to an extent that most people do not have the patience or desire for. And they continuously push themselves beyond their comfort zone - hard work.

Working smart can lead to short-lived victories, but true greatness almost always demands hard work too.

Blast from the Past

The Eagles have released a new album: "Long Road out of Eden" - their first full length studio release in 28 years.

Well, they sure took their time, but you know what ? its good. Pretty darn good.

Some really nice lyrics (You're not alone, Its your world now, ...), slow ballads (What do I do with my heart...) faster-paced numbers (Someone, How Long, ...) - the whole thing just flows.

It's your world now
My race is run
I'm moving on
Like the setting sun
No sad goodbyes
No tears allowed
You'll be alright
It's your world now

Sounds like the eighties - works for me !

Management by Email

I've talked about management by doing anything and by bungee jumping in the past.

Management-by-Email is another proven technique that comes in handy. In this method, the basic objective is to answer every Email within a certain time limit, by adding at least three more people in the CC., and with a new set of questions.

Doing this has several advantages:

1. It generates a lot of email, which indicates a lot of activity, which (surely!) can only be good.

2. You bring more people into the loop, at least some of them will have an idea of what to do

3. In case things go south, this technique helps to spread around the blame ("..but I Emailed everyone, no one objected")

4. It obviates the need for any face to face discussions which can often be boring and difficult.

5. In case you want to kill a project, it does not have to be unpleasant. Just keep sending back replies to ever growing numbers of people until the project owner wears down and gives up.

And best of all, it liberates you from the office. Thanks to the Blackberry you can indulge in Management by Email from the comfort of your bed. Now there's a good idea.

How to get out of bed on time

After years of painstaking research and experimentation, I've hit upon a foolproof method for waking up and getting out of bed on time every morning.

The trick is to....

[drum roll...wait for it]

...go to bed on time the previous night...


Sigh ! Mother was right all along.... !

In praise of the pointless

Right. That's what the title says.

Since its early days the web has encouraged a type of creativity which defies all utility and yet is strangely satisfying.

Here's a few websites that serve no earthly purpose that I can think of - and yet have been around for years.

http://www.virtualstapler.com/

Why would anybody like to use a virtual online stapler? Yet there it is - looks the same today as it did ages ago and still fun to use. (remember to turn up the volume when you 'staple')


http://www.purple.com/

This perhaps take the cake. No description needed, just visit above and be baffled why this site exists. And yet exist it does - and has for at least 7-8 years if memory serves.


http://www.hell.com/

Here's another one that's been around for ever. I have no idea if this is a joke or actually does anything. Except that it is sometimes strangely satisfying to go to Hell in your browser !


http://www.hat.net/abs/noclick/

This one actually does something when you go there, but I will not spoil it. As much fun today as it was a decade ago!

Well I guess this post will also have to pass into the pointless category by definition - but who's to say what is really pointless....

I know it when I see it

What's inspiration ?

How do we work 20 hour days because we don't want to stop ?

How do we know when we are in the presence of greatness?

I don't know what inspiration is. But I know it when I see it

What exactly does a Manager do...?

If you've been in software or technology companies at all, this will sound very familiar. But if you are from the pure managerial side of things, it might come as a bit of a shock.

QUOTE

What I was used to from the west coast was an attitude that management is just an annoying, mundane chore someone has to do so that the smart people can get their work done. Think of an academic department at a university, where being the chairperson of the department is actually something of a burden that nobody really wants to do; they’d much rather be doing research. That’s the Silicon Valley style of management. Managers exist to get furniture out of the way so the real talent can do brilliant work.

UNQUOTE (source here)

Personally, I've been on both sides of the equation, and I can relate to the above even though it does take a rather extreme position.

But it is worthwhile every now and then to take a good look around and to ask yourself if you are a Manager: "what is it that I actually do that makes a real difference to this company's objectives ?", and if you cannot think of a ready answer, it's probably time to start worrying.

No matter what

Lyrics from Boyzone

No matter what they tell us
No matter what they do
No matter what they teach us
What we believe is true

Good Stuff. Belief is all we have at the end of the day - it's the only reality that exists for each one of us.

Work - Don't do it.....

'A job ?'
'Yes.'
'Do you mean work ?'
'Work.'
The Voice became almost tearful in its agitation.
'Don't do it, Bill! Don't do it, o' man. You don't know what you're talking about.'

From:

Bill the Conqueror
P. G. Wodehouse