September 18, 2009
September 17, 2009
__
.-----..-----.| |_
| _ || -__|| _|
|___ ||_____||____|
|_____|
__
| |--..--.--..-----..-----.
| || | || _ || -__|
|__|__||___ || __||_____|
|_____||__|
__ __ __
.--.--..---.-.| | | |
| | || _ | |_| | |
|___ ||___._| |__|__|
|_____|
Not a bad idea, changing what we commonly refer to as the next next weekend to “oxt weekend”.
People often use the phrase “next weekend” to describe the future weekend, but this can lead to confusion. While some interpret “next weekend” to mean this coming weekend, others interpret it as the weekend after, hence the use of the awkward, overly wordy, “not this weekend but the weekend after.” Oxt weekend is a new phrase you can use instead of saying “not this weekend but the weekend after.”
Some examples:
A: You going somewhere this weekend? Or was it oxt weekend?
B: I’m working next weekend. And oxt weekend. I swear, I’m going to burn this whole place down some day.
A: How about oxt weekend? How about oxt weekend? You say that every week! Just admit you’d rather play WoW than go out with me. Admit it. Admit it!
And my social scene takes the examples down with them. Regardless, this is a nifty neologism that I can get behind. Plus, there’s a blog flair image, if you’re so inclined.
You have to be careful who you deal with in this life, because not everybody has your best interests at heart. There will always be people who will hurt you, always people who love you, and most people will be completely indifferent to you.
The best advice I could ever lend anyone would be to avoid mean people. Some people are just mean. On the Internet, those bad qualities are only amplified. In real life, people that are hateful drain others of their joy. There’s a compelling argument to just leave mean people alone.
There’s an old adage that says, “if somebody yells at the waitress, they’ll yell at you.” Over the years, I’ve found this to be one of the most useful pieces of advice I’ve ever received.1 What makes this proverb so clear is the first time you meet somebody that regards other people so lowly.
As I’ve been working with other people in a group setting lately (after years at a computer desk), the experience reminds me just how some people are just better to avoid. But there is a flip side to this. Seek, gravitate toward, and follow nice people.
It sounds simple to leave the bad and go to the good — and it is. But people don’t seem to do what’s in their best interests. Part of human psyche is follow our learned behaviors. Sometimes those learned behaviors need tweaking. Sometimes they need more tweaking than others.
Avoid mean people. Don’t be their friend. Tell them you are not their friend because they are mean. But don’t forget that you are a person too, and you have to be nice to other people as well.
If people keep avoiding you, now you may know why.
September 16, 2009
September 15, 2009
Then: The Gospel of MatthewJason Kottke has a whole lot more.
Now: 40 Days and a Mule: How One Man Quit His Job and Became the Boss
September 12, 2009
September 11, 2009
Following the recommendations of practically the entire Internet, I invested in a copy of Shaun Inman’s Fever (and the domain to host the application). Using it for a few days shows that when I finally learn all its secrets, I will have my own internet tracking service.
That’s important because I’m increasingly running out of time. As I grow older, more people demand more of my time. Just consider that my 30–something attitude is taking shape. Anything that can alleviate one time constraint is a bonus for both time and mental health.
I discovered this today in the preferences. As of the 1.09 update (which you can read about on the spartan update log), you can share your favorite blog posts. This is something akin to Google Reader’s ability to share items.
While I don’t think this will catch on like sharing in Google Reader has, it will be interesting to see if people are willing to set up and share their feeds. I don’t save items, so it isn’t a feature for me I would use. But it’s there and gives owners of Fever something else to brag about.
Also of note are the services that you can add or remove. You could use the syntax of any service that allows you to add content through a link, as demonstrated by the default set. Using one of the zillions of URL shorteners with metrics would be an obvious choice (i.e. Bit.ly).
Inman is already internet famous for his Mint website statistics package. Since I see internalized as being a corporate dead end, I chose not to go that direction on this site. But with the popularity of Mint, and how well Fever caters to the class of people who consume lots of RSS, I’m wondering how many sites are going to start using LAMPMF configurations.1
ADDED: I should point out the preference for an RSS feed will share your last 30 saved items using this syntax:
http://example.com/fever/?rss=saved
This is the feed that I think more people will begin sharing. It’s also the thing I think I will find most interesting.
September 10, 2009
September 9, 2009
September 8, 2009
Webster’s dictionary defines ‘deft’ as this:
Deft: neatly skillful and quick in one’s movements
I define ‘d3ft’ as this:
d3ft: a four–letter .com that sorta looks right if you squint at it the right way. Useful creating an internet identity.
And that’s as much explanation as you’re going to get.