Things I Learned This Week – #25

Happy Father’s Day, Dad!

This week I learned to make my freakin’ mind up and stick to it, that there’s a lot to be said for not putting yourself in positions you know are going to be frustrating, and that you’re onto a losing battle when you try to reason with a 3-year old. :-p

http://delicious.com/dajbelshaw/TILTW25

Tech.

• Apple’s newly-revamped MobileMe looks good. If I had an iPhone anymore. And didn’t have GMail. For free.
• Americans, eh? Got to love them. Why should the US President have an internet kill switch?
• Clay Shirky’s got a new book out about technology and society. Guess what? It’s awesome (apparently).
• Google, apparently, classify mobile users as ‘repetitive now’, ‘bored now’ or ‘urgent now’. Which is probably a good way to think about it, actually.
• Not sure whether to buy a new gadget? This flow chart should sort you out.

Productivity & Inspiration

• This is the best presentation on how to do a presentation I’ve seen for a while!
• Scott Berkun’s got four factors that need to be in place for us to do our best work. And you know what? He’s right. 😀
• Here’s 10 mistakes people make when they think. I definitely over-think things.
• Need some feedback from others? Apart from using BetterMe, here’s some top tips!
• We all get bored sometimes, but it’s how you deal with it that matters. Here’s 6 pieces of advice (I like the advice r.e. ‘being a journalist’ – what about a social anthropologist?!)

• You can guarantee that at every World Cup, people will whinge about the ball. Which is why I liked this interactive New York Times feature on the evolution of the World Cup ball!

• There’s not a lot of point in information for it’s own sake. Which is why I liked this trailer for a forthcoming activism video, in itself a great example of a well-designed product!

• Who’s the best footballer in the world. Messi? Ronaldo? Nope, it’s either Sergio Ramos or Xavi Hernandez. I’ve got proof!

Misc.

• There’s an interesting response to a recent New York Times article entitled Do Not Disconnect: Wired Parenting Has Both Benefits and Costs over at the Geek Dad blog.
• Every sitcom (in the US) uses the same newspaper.
• I don’t know if anyone else spotted it, but it’s the beginning of the end of estate agents in the UK. This week Google announced that you can now hunt for properties for sale via Google Maps. As soon as there’s an easy mechanism for getting your house on there yourself, it’s game over.
• You can get a refund for iTunes store purchases. Here’s how.
• From the inevitable-but-funny department: Chatroulette Developing Genital Recognition Algorithm

Quotations

If we did the things we are capable of, we would astound ourselves. (Thomas Edison)

Things turn out best for the people who make the best out of the way things turn out. (Titus Livius)

As a general rule the most successful man in life is the man who has the best information. (Benjamin Disraeli)

Do or do not, there is no try. (Yoda)

You don’t have to get it right; you have to get it going! (Mike Litman)