Recently, I finally realized that piling on new features day after day is not the most effective way to improve software. As a programmer, it’s tempting to just keep building… but this approach does not leave room for data-based improvement.   “Growth Hacking” is a (relatively) new term in startupland....

Side projects are not just random diversions: they are a critical skill-building and rejuvenating activity everybody should actively participate in.     Programmers are especially keen on little side projects. The act of programming is, quintessentially, creating shortcuts to doing something. Many programmers got their start making little scripts to...

This post is technical in nature, and aimed at programmers. Casual readers might still get something out of this, but I’m not making any attempts to remove jargon in here.   Node.js and MongoDB are great; they’re super-scalable and a joy to work with. However, there were plenty of growth...

A number of weeks ago, I wrote the first post on hacking my own happiness. I participated in a study conducted at Harvard, and the result was a bunch of data collected from real-life about what made me happy. In the last article, I took a super-high-level look at the...

The rate at which your heart is beating is one of the most easily-quantifiable, yet informative, attributes of your body. Most people know that your heart rate increases as you strain yourself in some way, but the factors which impact heart rate are numerous. Sleep, activity level, temperature, mental or...

Regardless of if you’re hanging out with friends or running a business, you will need to make a request of your peers sooner or later. On one hand, you need to get something out of the request. On the other hand, you don’t want to be that guy.   This...

I like beef jerky a lot – especially as a travel food. It lasts a long time, does not take up much space and it is extremely rich in lean protein (so it keeps you satiated).   There are problems, though. A standard bag of beef jerky is about 3.25...

I have wanted to “be a writer” as long as I can remember. This blog is, in fact, one manifestation of that dream. At the end of the day, though, I have always wanted to write a Sci-Fi / Fantasy novel. I have made different attempts at this goal through...

Nobody wants digital learning techniques (software, games etc.) to succeed more than me. I was formally trained in computer science and video game design, and readers of the blog know that neuroscience, human learning and foreign languages are all amongst my primary interests. I’ve even created a few iPhone apps...

Ever since I first started using a computer, I have been notorious amongst friends and family for keeping a huge number of windows/applications open. Desktop backgrounds have never been very relevant to me simply because I never see them. Even amongst my fellow nerds I seem to always be doing...