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...

This is part one of my series of experiments on happiness using Track your Happiness, a “scientific research project that aims to use modern technology” to help you understand what makes you happy. It is the project of doctoral candidate Matt Killingsworth at Harvard University. During the course of many...

I’ve received a few requests for this post, so here it is: my approach to focus. It is not an end-all be-all solution for everybody, but rather a look at the key underlying ways you can keep yourself moving towards a task. The tricks here should work well for anybody,...

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...

Malcolm Gladwell uses the term “Outliers” to describe people who are exceptional in some way. His point is well made, but at the end of the day we tend to forget that outliers are people who are different. Strange. Weird.     To have unusual success, you need to be...

How many times have you put off starting something? How many times did that same task end up being relatively easy, once you finally got started?   In chemistry, activation energy is the “minimum energy required to start a chemical reaction.” What is fascinating about the concept is that this...

I once read an article that called my generation the “Mr. Rogers’ Generation…” and it was not a compliment.   The author’s point was that our generation has a sense of entitlement that has not been earned. We have been told “you are special” so many times that we began...

A while back, I made the statement that spontaneity is wanting what you get. Recently I had another adventure which has caused me to append to this statement: spontaneity is also knowing how to spot an opportunity.   Too often, we are paralyzed by the fear of the unknown. When...

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...