Scriptwriting in the UK: Joss Whedon's Top 10 Writing Tips
http://dannystack.blogspot.com/2009/01/joss-whedons-top-10-writing-tips.html

mostly applicable to any sort of writing

1

Whether you get to choose or not, there are aspects of management that you need to understand.

There will be drama. And there be those precious seconds when there is no one in your office wanting… something.

All about management in software dev companies...

the months I spent suffering that fool 12 years ago would have been better spent building my portfolio and hustling to find better clients. All the time you spend working for an asshole is time you’re not spending to find a gig that will, in the long run, pay you better, teach you more, and make you happier.

"Nine times out of ten, the first impression someone gives you is exactly who they are. We choose not to see it because we need the money, or we want the situation to be different. But if someone rubs you the wrong way at the first meeting, chances are, it’s only going to get worse."

It can be very intimidating to turn down work, especially in these uncertain economic times. But the months I spent suffering that fool 12 years ago would have been better spent building my portfolio and hustling to find better clients. All the time you spend working for an asshole is time you’re not spending to find a gig that will, in the long run, pay you better, teach you more, and make you happier.

Crude advice, but very salient. We take the stick because we need the money, but the rude client ends up hitting us over the head with it.

"But the biggest lesson I learned? Don’t work for assholes."

So you’re a skilled developer or design freelancer who has established a handful of customers who pay your bills and provide you with an income. That’s great. You may wish to keep things just the way they are or you might want to build on this and build up your own small business. If you’re opting for the later then here are a few tips to help you ride the bumpy road from freelancer to fully-fledged small business.

Ready to jump into Twitter, but don't know how to get started? Follow these 10 tips and you'll fit right in.

Most guides on management are written for big bosses at big companies, not people starting something new who want their team to be as effective as possible. (Hi, startup founders!) So herewith, a guide to effective non-hierarchical management.

Vary responsibilities (not efficient, but unhappy = worse efficiency) * Delegate responsibility (develop the team... either manage or work, not both) * Competent people get things done anyway. Ineffective ones let the excuses pile up. * proactive as well. People tend to suffer quietly * Part of your job is helping people decide what to tackle first. * stop procrastination is to sit down with someone and come up with the next concrete step they have to take and then start doing it together. * people are much happier and more productive when they have control over the way they work. Never take that away. * And if people fight back, know when to step back and say “look, you’re the expert. I was just giving my two cents.” (Hint: It’s right after they start fighting back.) * not to dictate or micromanage, but to have a Socratic dialogue to help figure out what the best answer is. *

A better way to think of a manager is as a servant, like an editor or a personal assistant. Everyone wants to be effective; a manager’s job is to do everything they can to make that happen. The ideal manager is someone everyone would want to have.

Good advice on applying for jobs electronically.

Great Study in Style, Tone, Content and Energy of a Cover Letter

Cover letters are still necessary, and in a competitive market they can give you a serious edge.

One of the things I always tell startups is a principle I learned from Paul Buchheit: it's better to make a few people really happy than to make a lot of people semi-happy. I was saying recently to a reporter that if I could only tell startups 10 things, this would be one of them. Then I thought: what would the other 9 be?

comparing a good presentation to

Tips on making a better presentation.

I’ve been thinking about the anatomy of presentations, and what we can do to improve how we’re doing what we do.

From tweeting about the artistic process to sharing upcoming gallery news, here are 10 ways artists can better connect with their followers on Twitter.

y

diseñador de braun en los 60s

Genius: "The aesthetic quality of a product – and the fascination it inspires – is an integral part of the its utility."

Back in the early 1980s, Dieter Rams was becoming increasingly concerned by the state of the world around him – “an impenetrable confusion of forms, colours and noises.” Aware that he was a significant contributor to that world, he asked himself an important question: is my design good design? As good design cannot be measured in a finite way he set about expressing the ten most important criteria for what he considered was good design. Subsequently they have become known as the ‘Ten commandments’. Here they are.

tricks to get out of bed..

Geekdad from Wired.com

Those of us who run businesses, departments, or teams are faced with this question all the time. How can we distinguish the stars from the merely competent? Of all the candidates whose resumés we receive, how do we place our bet on the one who will stand out from the rest?

Tips For Students with a Bachelors in Computer Science

1143

rson whom auto salespeople want to persuade to buy an expensive car. You can afford something fancy ($35K+ car), but don’t do it. For one thing, ex

Three things you need if you want more customers Seth Godin I går, 12:26 PM If you want to grow, you need new customers. And if you want new customers, you need three things: 1. A group of possible customers you can identify and reach. 2. A group with a problem they want to solve using your solution. 3. A group with the desire and ability to spend money to solve that problem.

You'd be amazed at how often new businesses or new ventures have none of these. The first one is critical, because if you don't have permission, or knowledge, or word of mouth, you're invisible.

productivity

Dumb Little Man shares ideas to make the everyday person more productive in life. Expect to read tips on finance, saving money, business, and some DIY for the house.

There are three types of amateur entrepreneurs out there, and in my young life, I’ve been every single one of them. By coming to terms with my failures, I’m more prepared to classify which type of amateur entrepreneur I am, and thus preventing myself from failing in the same way again.

Type 1 Amateur Entrepreneur: All ideas, no implementation. Type 2 Amateur Entrepreneur: Lots of ideas and half assed implementations.

There is a difference between an excuse and a reason, know the difference.

Moral lesson

save

"It seems like a fool-proof plan: start up with a close friend. You’ll get along (obviously), and you’ll get to share the exciting, fantastic, scary experience of starting up with someone you care about. It’s not a bad idea, but there are a few caveats that you should be aware of before you proceed..."

Good advice on the early stages. This is targeted at friends starting up but also good for anybody starting with somebody else.

Interesting article about how to found a startup with friends.

lmost cost us our friendship. We got through this thanks to the help and mediation of anot

"Getting up on stage and speaking is a difficult and demanding thing to do. It’s natural to be nervous and for that nervousness to show. It’s also hard to know how what you are doing up there on stage is perceived by the audience."

Tips for presenters form a conference photographer. Good advice.

Some advice for speakers

Thoughts from a conference photographer on speaking... (as he photographed speakers)

terest rates have dropped by 1% from your current mortgage. As always, use t

handy

Get Rich Slowly — recently named most inspiring money blog by Money magazine — is devoted to sensible personal finance. You will not find any get-rich-quick schemes here. Nor will you find multi-level marketing fads or hot stock tips. I am not pitching any product or book. Instead, you’ll find daily information about personal finance and related topics. I share stories about debt elimination, saving money, and practical investing. I also post occasional reviews of books, magazines, and software. And, of course, I scour the web for the latest personal finance tools and articles. Please note that I am not a financial professional. I’m just an average guy who found himself deep in debt. When it finally became too overwhelming, I began reading personal finance books, hoping to find answers. I wanted swift solutions to my problems. My research revealed that few people get rich quickly, but almost anyone can get rich slowly by patiently following some simple rules.

Some people were born to haggle, negotiate, cajole, whatever you call it. The rest of us need some guidance. Here are 10 great negotiating tactics to use next time you want to get more for less.

Here's a common question I get from startups, especially in the early stages: when should we launch? My answer is almost always the same: don't. First off, what does it mean to launch? Generally, we conflate two unrelated concepts into the term, which is important to clarify right up front. 1. Announce a new product, start its PR campaign, and engage in buzz marketing activities. (Marketing launch) 2. Make a new product available to customers in the general public. (Product launch) In today's world, there is no reason you have to do these two things at the same time. In fact, in most situations it's a bad idea for startups to synchronize these events.

good info about using tools to streamline your tweets

Super tips on using Twitter

We called it the Rubber Duck method of debugging. It goes like this:

We called it the Rubber Duck method of debugging. It goes like this: 1) Beg, borrow, steal, buy, fabricate or otherwise obtain a rubber duck (bathtub variety) 2) Place rubber duck on desk and inform it you are just going to go over some code with it, if that's all right. 3) Explain to the duck what you code is supposed to do, and then go into detail and explain things line by line 4) At some point you will tell the duck what you are doing next and then realise that that is not in fact what you are actually doing. The duck will sit there serenely, happy in the knowledge that it has helped you on your way.

"We called it the Rubber Duck method of debugging. It goes like this:"

rubber duck method of debugging

we call it the rubber duck method of debugging

My favorite.

The rubber duck debugging method

I have to get a rubber duck.

> There is an entire development methodology (whose name escapes me at the moment) that makes use of that very phenomenon. We called it the Rubber Duck method of debugging. It goes like this:

Mistä saisin sopivan ankan?

twitter

seven nice ones

by Mihaela Lica "Please note that the “Googlers are delighted” when sites are optimized for search. The moral: know your SEO!"

Optimize Your Site

Does Google care for SEO? Yes, it does: from Google’s SEO Starter Guide (pdf) to help provided in the Google Webmaster Help Forum, the search engine is pretty transparent when it comes to how it prefers you to optimize your site for inclusion. We’ll be discussing URL structure, TrustRank and duplicate content issues.

SitePoint.com - » How Google Really Wants You to Optimize Your Site

Merchant account

test

Describe the pain of getting a merchant account with a bank. Give some tips on how to do it.

"guide to obtaining a merchant account, from the cash-strapped start-up’s point of view". chargebacks, 3D-secure, AVS/CV2, PCI-DSS. Start the process early; Apply to several banks; Exaggerate your volumes (realistically); Know all about fraud; Be serious to ensure the bank feels you’re a trustworthy business; Read the fine print and negotiate the terms.

Good little article on using HTML special characters on your site.

One of the most under–rated elements of beautiful Web design is the subtle art of typography. Part of this, I know, is a lack of a solid font support for Web sites. But never fear! Today I’ll show you some quick things you can do to appear to be a type master.

To read and use.

go fast do less

1. Learn something. Become an expert. 2. Earn a following and reputation. Use social networking tools to connect to people for no good reason.

A lot of corporations have seen dramatic decreases in revenue and have cut back projects as well. In many cases, this is accompanied by layoffs, and so everyone is working far harder. But in other organizations, and for a lot...

1. Learn something. Become an expert. For free, using nothing but time, you can become a master of CSS or HTML or learn Python. You can hit the library and read the entire works of important authors, or you can borrow some books from a friend and master Analytics or discover case studies and corporate histories that will be invaluable in a year. You could learn to become fluent in Spanish...

What can you build over the next year that will take time now and pay off later? How can you invest the slack to build a marketing asset that you'll own forever?

So, my best advice is to say, "Today, right now, your contribution is worth 5% of the company and my creation of the company is worth 5%. The other 90% is based on what each of us does over the next 18 months. Here's a list of what has to get done, and what we agree it's worth..."

my best advice is to say, "Today, right now, your contribution is worth 5% of the company and my creation of the company is worth 5%. The other 90% is based on what each of us does over the next 18 months. Here's a list of what has to get done, and what we agree it's worth..."

Viral Marketing Guru

GET SICK!

Some great apps to help you deal with Twitter and get most out of it

It’s an illness. It’s a disease that attacks the brain, affecting the response of your fingers on the keyboard and mouse. “Stop clicking,” you say to yourself as another follow button has turned into a green-checked following icon. The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem: you’re a followholic and you can’t stay away from a Twitter user’s follow button. (Say it out loud: My name is ______, and I’m a followholic.)

ollow you back, but they never did. Manage incoming followers: First, turn off auto-follow in whatever program you’re using to do it. There is no possible w

Business tips on how to stop wasting time. Create efficiencies.

good tips by Seth Godin

start a business by finding ten people who are interested in what you're doing. They will find other people they can interest in your work

This, in two words, is the secret of the new marketing. Find ten people. Ten people who trust you/respect you/need you/listen to you... Those ten people need what you have to sell, or want it. And if they love it,...

Twitter power users have many thousands of people following their tweets. Here are their tips and insight to gaining so many followers.

It just seemed interesting to me. I have no school now and, I don't know, this article just interested me.

牛人文章

solidifies my arguments against college

In large corporations, almost everything new is impossible. Try to do anything new, and typically you are met with dozens of reasons why it can’t be done. As a consultant (which I was throughout my time in the corporate world), however, you’ve been hired to get something specific done, so you don’t get to echo the “it can’t be done” line back to your client. Your job is, effectively, to do the impossible.

Good article about a business plan, taking offers and for freelancers

Share with students (and administrators and teachers....)

A presentation is a precious opportunity. It's a powerful arrangement... one speaker, an attentive audience, all in their seats, all paying attention (at least at first). Don't waste it. The purpose of a presentation is to change minds. That's the only reason I can think of to spend the time and resources. If your goal isn't to change minds, perhaps you should consider a different approach.

Whether you’re traveling to another city,.

1. How will you reach a massive audience? - Every Net entrepreneur should answer these questions: How do we get to one million users? Then how do we get to 10 million users? Then how will you get deep engagement by your users. 2. What is your unique value proposition? 3. Will your business be capital efficient?

ages. How does a company rise above the noise to attract massive discovery and adoption? YouTube did it through existing channels like MySpace, which already reached millions. Yelp had strong SEO, which found them a mass audience searching for restaurants and nightlife. Facebook’s University-centric approach landed them 80% adoption across a campus within 60 days of launch. Every Net entrepreneur should answer these questions: How do we get to one million users? Then how do we get to 10 million users? Then how will you get deep engagement by your users.

"take as much risk as you can as early as you can"

+ excellent quote: “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” —Jim Rohn.

“Learn from the best, or die like the rest.” Sobering words for a freelancer! In this article we try to discover what separates the best from the rest. What are the world’s top freelancers doing that the rest of us aren’t? Some of the advice you read here might seem surprising or counter-intuitive. You may read hints you have never tried. The question is: Will you give them a go? 1. “End every prospect meeting or phone call with an agreed-upon next step.” - Ed Gandia Ed Gandia is a freelance copywriter with a lot of experience. Starting his business life as an entrepreneur at age eight, he spent eleven years as a sales professional and senior account executive before starting starting his copyrighting business which focuses on software and high-tech industries. This melding of sales experience and successful freelancing makes Ed a voice worth listening to. Ed’s advice could come straight from a David Allen “Getting Things Done” book. In his article “The Power of the Next Step“, Ed

I've been working with a lot of newcomers to SEO lately thanks to our PRO membership Q+A (BTW - sorry for the delays, the volume's tripled in the last 3 weeks, so we're a bit overwhelmed). It's been a great learning experience and I've gotten to see many of the struggles and misconceptions that affect entrants to the subject.

We “finished” and the launch came and went. We were not making as much money as we thought we would. We weren’t even getting as many signups as we anticipated. People demanded grandiose features we didn’t have the time to implement. Our cash reserves were running low and we soon needed to return to consulting. Which was always part of the plan, but I had hoped we’d be optimistic about FamSpam’s future when that time came. We were not.

keynote from Startup Riot 2009, about how to become successful - do what you want!

Text of Chris Wanstrath's from Github's keynote at Startup Riot 2009

the most amazing features imaginable would make us money. We had no data available on whether building features specifically to make money would work.

startupriot.textile

The panhandler's secret /Seth's Blog/ - When there were old-school parking meters in New York, quarters were ... http://tinyurl.com/dcm4ub [from http://twitter.com/jorgefsb/statuses/1257713242]

I love this story. Brief, worthwhile.

Great way to solicit donations. http://is.gd/l5kT [from http://twitter.com/davidwees/statuses/1303875101]

The panhandler's secret: "Do you have a dollar for four quarters?" and then "Can you spare a quarter?" Smart man.

No time for pri-twos. In project parlance, a "pri-one" is a work item that is essential to the success of the project. Bootstrapped companies don't have any pri-twos. Once you determine that a task is a pri-two, forget about it forever. Sadly, this is why Urbanspoon still doesn't have "hours of operation" for our restaurants.

hat they wish they could do more of, and the answer is literally always the same: “I wish I could travel more.” Yet when you remove all the excuses, few people actually do. I don’t have enough vacation days! It’s too expensive. My friends don’t want to go with me.

You’ve gotten pretty far in a job discussion. You like them. They like you. And it's getting down to the nitty gritty. Then your prospective employer pops the question you’ve been dreading: “So what are you making now?” (or some variation like, “What were you making in your last position?”) You freeze. You know that answering the question can only hurt you. It might peg you at a salary you feel you’ve outgrown or that you improperly negotiated. And you know that you’re always supposed to let the other person name a price first in any negotiation. So what do you do?

Making the choice to go freelance (or independent as I prefer to call it) is a tough choice, I wish I had more knowledge about the pros vs cons when I made the

FOUR MORE YEARS.

When you reach 25, it's finally time to fully grow up and be an adult.

If you have reached the age of 25, I have a bit of bad news for you, to wit: it is time, if you have not already done so, for you to emerge from your cocoon of post-adolescent dithering and self-absorption and join the rest of us in the world. Past the quarter-century mark, you see, certain actions, attitudes, and behaviors will simply no longer do, and while it might seem unpleasant to feign a maturity and solicitousness towards others that you may not genuinely feel, it is not only appreciated by others but necessary for your continued survival. Continuing to insist past that point that good manners, thoughtfulness, and grooming oppress you in some way is inappropriate and irritating.

a classic. via Kottke

Easy Solutions #1 So, you're in love with one of your friends, but she has a boyfriend and probably wouldn't have sex with you anyway. What you will need: 1 x knife, 1 x ring, access to a sunbed, the ability to grow a beard.

So, you're in love with one of your friends, but she has a boyfriend and probably wouldn't have sex with you anyway.

Step Nine: Upon hearing the year say the words 'It worked.' Pretend to lose consciousness again for a few seconds, implying that whatever it is that has worked took a great effort.

So, you're in love with one of your friends, but she has a boyfriend and probably wouldn't have sex with you anyway. (

Thanks Cormier!

JavaDOC

Thirteen key characteristics of a great startup culture

Thirteen key characteristics of a great startup culture - TechFlash: Seattle's Technology News Source

salary negotiations

If you've gone on more than one job interview, you know you can count on hearing many of the same questions at each. Make sure you've got these 10 answers down pat before you head out the door to your next interview.

cosas que puedes hacer después de la universidad

Article on a book I'd like to read

“The beat of my heart has grown deeper, more active, and yet more peaceful, and it is as if I were all the time storing up inner riches…My [life] is one long sequence of inner miracles.”

Well written piece.

If you’re the kind of person who prefers freedom to security, who feels more comfortable in a small room than a large one and who finds that happiness comes from matching your wants to your needs, then running to stand still isn’t where your joy lies. In New York, a part of me was always somewhere else, thinking of what a simple life in Japan might be like. Now I’m there, I find that I almost never think of Rockefeller Center or Park Avenue at all.

happiness, like peace or passion, comes most freely when it isn’t pursued.

t

Always ask what can go wrong (Porterfield);

very cool summary of important things you should learn in b-school but that people don't seem to anymore...

If you haven't seen the dancing guy, yet, watch it. You can also read Derek Sivers analysis of the dancing guy. Seth Godin even took a stab at it. If you are really curious, watch a longer version of the dancing guy and listen to the comments from the camera drivers. His revolution was a long time in the making. I think it may have had a lot to do with the song itself, which is Santigold's Unstoppable. I had never heard the song before, but I love it and have listened to it at least 30 times since seeing Derek Sivers's post a few days ago at Hacker News. It's a great and inspiring story, even just the unfolding of this sensation itself, but that's not my focus here. Unstoppable doesn't mean you create a huge following, that's a consequence. The Dancing Guy wasn't thinking, "I want to get a huge dance party going." He was thinking, "I want to dance!" With that in mind, here's...

yet another follow-up to the dancing guy phenomenon .. this one more complete and personalized :)

"list of recommendations for using cryptography which, if followed, will make sure you get things right in the vast majority of situations"

Thanks to my background as FreeBSD Security Officer, as a cryptographic researcher, and as the author of the Tarsnap secure online backup system, I am frequently asked for advice on using cryptography as a component in secure systems. While some people argue that you should never use cryptographic primitives directly and that trying to teach people cryptography just makes them more likely to shoot themselves in their proverbial feet, I come from a proud academic background and am sufficiently optimistic about humankind that I think it's a good idea to spread some knowledge around. In light of this, I've put together a list of "Cryptographically Right Answers" -- which is to say, a list of recommendations for using cryptography which, if followed, will make sure you get things right in the vast majority of situations.

Recommendations about cryptography

Tailoring, tailoring-tailoring. Take the best suit money can buy, and leave off good tailoring and it'll hang on your body like a cheap suit. Buy a suit at Target and have it finely tailored ... ... and it'll look fantastic. It won't wear or dryclean great, but it'll fit you like a champ. I'm from the old school of suit wearing, allow me to impart my sage advice. ;) 1. Find a good local tailor, have 'em measure you. 2. Try on a few suit coats with said measurement, make sure they hang about right. Same with slacks. 3. Cuffs are good - contrary to belief they're never "out", and they have a functional advantage, they make slacks hang just right. They keep the pant legs from hanging getting caught in your shoes as well. 4. Dryclean the suit coat *and* the slacks at the same time. If you wear the suit on Saturday, get some gunk on the slacks, do NOT have just the slacks only cleaned. Even the best suit can fade a teeny tad with a cleaning, so keep the wear/fading even - clean both at th

buying suits

"Take Heed"

But really, it takes no extra effort, just some forethought. And so I will always season lamb shanks the day before they go into the braise. I will try to season chickens the day before, but if I don’t have the chance, I won’t sweat it; and I will season steaks and pork roasts right before searing.

I wanted to know what was practical and reasonable when making everyday meals at home. Buying and seasoning a chicken the day before you plan to roast it couldn’t be easier. But the question remained: Is it tastier?

Success and Motivation

"Should Print Out and Bound"

Oh this really helps my life

Keeping up momentum in a tough market and tough times

I connected deeply with this blog post by Mark Cuban, very inspiring personally. Favorite line: "The cheaper you can live, the greater your options. Remember that."

To be read

Become a Gmail Ninja Learn tips and tricks to save time, increase your productivity, and manage your email efficiently. Start with the tips that are right for you, based on how much email you get each day.

photography traveling

Summer is here, the kids are out of school, and everyone is counting down the days until the summer trip. No matter where you’re going — the beach, the mountains, a foreign country or a town just down the road — you’ll be snapping photos.

Lists several articles...

If there’s an underlying theme throughout Zen Habits, besides simplifying your life, it’s finding happiness. I’ve written dozens of articles on different ways to be happy, but it all boils down to one thing: be happy now — don’t wait for it

If there’s an underlying theme throughout Zen Habits, besides simplifying your life, it’s finding happiness. I’ve written dozens of articles on different ways to be happy, but it all boils down to one thing: be happy now — don’t wait for it. Still, for those who want more depth, I’ve compiled a couple dozen of my favorite happiness articles from the archives. I hope you enjoy them! (If not, you’ve missed the point.)

3. Happiness Must be Shared The other night I was watching the movie adaptation of Into the Wild, the true story of Chris McCandless (see above photo which is a self-portrait found undeveloped in McCandless's camera after his death). Fed up with the rat race, McCandless graduated college in the early 1990's, left his worried parents in the dust, sold all his belongings, and ventured deep into the Alaskan wilderness. Before dying of starvation, he seemed to regre

3. Happiness Must be Shared The other night I was watching the movie adaptation of Into the Wild, the true story of Chris McCandless (see above photo which is a self-portrait found undeveloped in McCandless's camera after his death). Fed up with the rat race, McCandless graduated college in the early 1990's, left his worried parents in the dust, sold all his belongings, and ventured deep into the Alaskan wilderness. Before dying of starvation, he seemed to regret his isolationist ways and wrote these last words in his journal, “Happiness only real when shared.”

We’ve all heard countless studies, articles and TV interviews on happiness. But the other day I stumbled upon something that is just now being revealed to the media for the first time.* It's a 72 year old study that began all the way back in 1937 when 268 Harvard University sophomores were asked to participate in a study measuring “a formula-some mix of love, work, and adaptation-for a good life.” And while many of those who were college sophomores in 1937 are now dying or in their fading twilight, this study continues to be diligently maintained to this very day.

resume guidelines

short but sweet bit of advice from Trent Reznor, applicable to all sorts of fields not just music.

Great thoughts by Trent Reznor from Nine Inch Nails.

Among the tidbits offered, the article suggests networking in person. Though perhaps intuitive and inviting for the more gregarious worker, this is an especially important step for the shy employee who may prefer to limit the crux of his communications to emails and IM chats. While both are important to establishing and maintaining a relationship, meeting up in-person is vital. The NYT bluntly says to force yourself to do so. Making a bee line to the bar or buffet, if there is one, is a classic way to get the ball rolling. The article also claims that being an introvert can even help your networking efforts. Introverts are intuitive and analytical. Use that skill. After you have been networking for a while, ask, "What is working? What isn't? Where do you get the most bang for your buck?"

From NYTimes.com, Paul B Brown. Networking tips

What not to do when applying for library jobs.

Pick one measurable definition of success and work on it relentlessly.

To succeed, focus on one small, entry-level venue. Succeed at that over and over until you master then. Only then move up to big leagues - you'll be too good to be ignored.

read it

Behaviour and customs vary greatly from country to country. We discuss the correct travel etiquette so that you won't be caught out.

reading the Facebook rules regarding business accounts.

first bookmark

Facebookをビジネスで利用する32の手順

Psychology

Why is this no big surprise? "EVER wondered why the pundits who failed to predict the current economic crisis are still being paid for their opinions? It's a consequence of the way human psychology works in a free market, according to a study of how people's self-confidence affects the way others respond to their advice."

good stuff

Digital designers advice on going into the field ...

A series of short video posts giving designers advice - many prominent people in the field...

'she sought out the advice of digital designers and designer conspirers far and wide, to ask them to respond to the following: "So you’re thinking about becoming a designer? If I could tell you only one thing about going into the field, my advice would be ___________ ."'

"So instead of being arrogant, take every opportunity you get to learn new things. Whether it is from an experienced entrepreneur who has been around the block, or a 16-year-old kid, everyone can teach you something. You just have to learn what to take away from a conversation because there are going to be some things that are going to benefit you and others that won’t."

what's not to like about a piece of advice that says you don't have to be perfect to succeed?

“The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources.” - Albert Einstein

Whether you're buying a new computer, building your own or upgrading an old one, the process of choosing a new graphics card can be daunting. Integrated graphics solutions—the kind that come standard with many PCs—have trouble playing games from three years ago, let alone today, and will put you at a disadvantage when future technologies like GPGPU computing, which essentially uses your graphics card as an additional processor, finally take hold. On top of all this, we're in the middle of a price dip—it's objectively a great time to buy. (Assuming you're settled on a desktop. Ahem.) The point is, you'll want to make the right choice. But how?

There are plenty of great graphics cards out there, no matter what you're looking for. Thing is, the odds are seemingly stacked against you ever finding the right one. It doesn't have to be that hard.

"You're looking for a card that is a) an option on whatever system you're buying and b) can handle the game well—at a high resolution and high texture quality—which, generally speaking, is a comfortable 60 frames per second." Great overview. I didn't know that 60 fps was considered a minimum these days.

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practical tips for writing when you think you can't really write

Dumb Little Man shares ideas to make the everyday person more productive in life. Expect to read tips on finance, saving money, business, and some DIY for the house.

You are not writing for Amazon, or to fit a staff proofreader’s vacation schedule. You are writing for readers. The world is already choking on half-considered, squeezed-out shit. There’s no need to add to the pile. If you want to be great, or at least to be better, start by breathing, taking breaks, and working intensely when the mood is on.

This is interesting, but it's easy to imagine people feeling tired most of the time and there fore always resting

Jeffrey Zeldman shares the simple secret to maintaining quality.

Great piece by Zeldman

"You are writing for readers, a duty as sacred, in its way, as parenting. If you don’t believe the previous sentence, if you think writing is mainly about getting paid, I’m sorry you wasted your time reading this page, and I hope you find another way to earn a living soon. The world is already choking on half-considered, squeezed-out shit. There’s no need to add to the pile. If you want to be great, or at least to be better, start by breathing, taking breaks, and working intensely when the mood is on."

"Write when inspired; rest when tired" –Jeffery Zeldman. Amen.

Ask anybody why they use Facebook, and most people will respond with reasons like staying in touch with friends, or being able to share pictures. Rarely does one’s professional life ever get mentioned when describing the social network. When it comes to business networking, LinkedIn (LinkedIn) tends to take all the thunder, and Facebook (facebook) is generally written off as a place just for fun. Yet, perhaps that’s a mistake.

Ask anybody why they use Facebook, and most people will respond with reasons like staying in touch with friends, or being able to share pictures. Rarely does one’s professional life ever get mentioned when describing the social network. When it comes to business networking, LinkedIn tends to take all the thunder, and Facebook is generally written off as a place just for fun. Yet, perhaps that’s a mistake. Facebook, after all, has 250 million active users compared to about 44 million for LinkedIn, and even though the atmosphere is clearly not as focused on business, there are still a ton of opportunities for professional networking that business users would be remiss to pass up. Once you look beyond the obvious social features like sharing pictures and poking friends, there are plenty of ways to tap into the professional community on the world’s largest social network.

Under no circumstances should you...Write A Long Business Plan

# Who are you? # What is the problem you are going to solve? # What is your solution? # Why will the market accept your solution? # What does the competition look like? # Who are your customers? # What are the details of your product? # How will you acquire customers? # What is your best approximation for the financials of the business? # What are the risks/challenges? # What’s the timeline? # Bonus: What’s The Exit Plan?

While business plans are important, writing a long one isn't such a good idea. It makes sense really, especially for new businesses there is so much uncertainty that big complex models of revenue and cost projections can be nothing but farcical.

n set your login url to something more cryptic. This won’t secure your website

WordPress for Beginners Beginners Guide Plugins Showcase Themes Tutorials Contact Free Wordpress Blog Setup

As we continued to emphasize the security of your WordPress admin panel due to the recent attack on our site, we have compiled a fully detailed article that will highlight some of the must have security measures for your WordPress Admin Area.

los siete pecados de blogear

Don't miss these guys at Copyblogger. It's a gold mine!

from Copyblogger

Interesting article with links to related info

August 19, 2009: Copyblogger writing a great blog post is like running a relay race. Your headline starts the race, but then it passes the baton to your opening paragraph, and its job is done. Sure, it’s important to start the race well, but if the next guy falls on his face, then how well the first guy did doesn’t much matter, does it? Every piece has to do its part.

how to write headlines that get attention

Just about everyone wants to do great work, look good in the eyes of their boss, and earn the respect of their peers.

A few months ago I was tipped off to world of Steve Blank and customer development. Simply put, if you’re an entrepreneur understanding these concepts will likely mean the difference between success and failure. Steve personally has taken five companies through this process to IPO. Not a bad track record. While there’s a ton of great stuff about customer development on the Web I wanted to gather up all of the resources and put them together in one place. I’ll update this post over time as I come across stuff (please add any additional resources you find in the comments so I can add them to the post) so bookmark it and check back from time to time (or just subscribe to the RSS feed).

Customer Development: The Definitive Resource w/tons of links

Even before I had a single customer, I "knew" it was important to look professional. My website would need to look and feel like a "real company." I need culture-neutral language complimenting culturally-diverse clip-art photos of frighteningly chipper co-workers huddled around a laptop, awash with the thrill and delight of configuring a JDBC connection to SQL Server 2008.

Why small companies should look and act like small companies instead of fluffing their feathers

ade $800,000 in their first year of operations, so don't tell me "big companies" need to hear garbage PR/marketing language. Balsamiq got 100 product reviews during their first six weeks of operation, so don't tell me "a couple of guys in a studio" isn't a good public persona.

- Blog - Startups + Marketing + Geekery

4. Pitch it to another Twitter User. This is similar to pitching another blogger but can have a great impact as well. In fact I recently had a link from a blogger who both posted on his blog and tweeted the link and the Tweet converted much better for me in terms of traffic.

I do most of these things, but still, I confess that my mom often comprises 100% of my readers :P

Algo que todos los blogueros deberíamos saber

With all that noise on the Web how’s a reader supposed to find your latest blog post? Luck? Serendipity? Jedi mind control? Forget it. ProBlogger has nine ways to ensure your mom isn’t your blog’s only reader.

Reading: 9 Things to Do To Make Sure Your Next Blog Post is Read by More than Your Mom http://bit.ly/JG1QO [from http://twitter.com/nickdaws/statuses/3717834267]

Pre-alpha book release

# Fulfill Your Ambitions with Open Source by Richard Monson-Haefel # Comment Only What the Code Cannot Say by Kevlin Henney

Twitter is a tool that all small business owners should use as part of their overall efforts to build a distributed social media footprint.

A good description of how twitter is being used in business.

20 Must Read Beginner Twitter Tips for Small Business Owners

How to Write a Short Story http://bit.ly/3O6Mu2 [from http://twitter.com/inti/statuses/3721938391]

With the overload of information and advice still ringing in my ears from a recently attended writers festival and seminar, I thought it might be useful to share a basic “How To…” from my notes.

UPGRADE! sorry. didn't mean to yell. But cleaning your corrupted install sucks a nut.

Wordpress under attack?

OkCupid study using the messages sent by its users.

Online Dating Advice: Exactly What To Say In A First Message

Mmmmm stats applied to online dating - fascinating looking at what words work best. I wonder if similar principles apply to blog posts.

We analyzed over 500,000 first contacts on our dating site, OkCupid. Our program looked at keywords and phrases, how they affected reply rates, and what trends were statistically significant. The result: a set of rules for what you should and shouldn’t say when introducing yourself online. This is the second post of our statistical investigation into the optimal online dating message

Scathing

It rarely takes more than a page to recognize that you're in the presence of someone who can write, but it only takes a sentence to know you're dealing with someone who can't. (By the way, here's a simple way to find out if you're a writer. If you disagree with that statement, you're not a writer. Because, you see, writers are also readers.)

Recently on Twitter I’ve been posting short tips and tricks on various ways to become a better designer by setting up your computer and using various programs to their full advantage.

Recently on Twitter I’ve been posting short tips and tricks on various ways to become a better designer by setting up your computer and using various programs to their full advantage. Below are various techniques I use to keep my computer organized, accessible and favorable that help me be more effective, proficient and more informed designer.

Should you spend your money on a home security system? A look inside a burglar's mind might help you decide.

Orrick's Start-Up Tool Kit is a comprehensive set of resources designed to aid start-ups and their founders on the journey from the "garage" to the global marketplace. Use our Start-Up Tool Kit to memorialize agreements with co-founders or potential investors, understand the terms and terminology of key legal documents, and network and learn business strategy and the latest industry news.

This guest post was written by Meebo CEO Seth Sternberg. It is the first in a series of posts he's writing about the ...

From Nothing To Something. How To Get There.

experience Entrepreneurship from Meebo founder

Focus on your immediate resources to make something plausible working as fast as you can rather than waiting for something allegedly genial to grow by itself. It never happened and it will never happen.

Creating a blog for your small business isn’t easy; it requires hard work and the ability to think creatively about your work. But if you avoid the five big mistakes laid out in this post, your chances of building a successful business blog will be much better.

Some of the most well known people I know never assume people they talk to know who they are. Sequoia Capital partner Roelof Botha, for example, introduces himself to me every time I see him, and asks if now is a good time to talk. I’ve known him since 2006, and it’s far from necessary. But I always appreciate how polite he is. Want to be like Roelof someday? A good start is basic business etiquette. Just because someone can’t register your face, name and workplace in less than the second it takes for you to say hello to them doesn’t mean they don’t want to help you out. Just help to avoid that awkward moment by giving them all the information they need. And then watch body language for your cue to wrap things up.

An article on business etiquette for conferences, etc.

Good advice from @arrington to startup CEOs everywhere http://bit.ly/VrM3e [from http://twitter.com/pkedrosky/statuses/4133209865]

It’s time for a quick primer on the proper way to interact at conferences and other business events. Since I just came back from one of those types of events, this is on top of mind for me. By Arrington

Best way to introduce yourself to a powerful person at an event or conference

Good practice on how to approach people politely during conferences, etc.

Writing an outline: 30 minutes First draft of content: 4 hours Adding some graphics: 1 hour 30 mins (mostly my boyfriend’s work!) Redrafting and editing, inserting all links: 3 hours Appendix of resources: 1 hour Creating a cover: 1 hour 30 mins Converting to pdf: almost instant! Final proof-read and link-checking: 15 minutes Launching and spreading the word: 1 hour 15 minutes

Excellent article chock full of down-to-earth advice.

Despite the fact that the year isn't over yet, I have learned some valuable lessons that have helped me grow ...

Much more important than working hard is knowing how to find the right thing to work on. Paying attention to what is going on in the world. Seeing patterns. Seeing things as they are rather than how you want them to be. Being able to read what people want. Putting yourself in the right place where information is flowing freely and interesting new juxtapositions can be seen. But you can save yourself a lot of time by working on the right thing. Working hard, even, if that's what you like to do.

"Much more important than working hard is knowing how to find the right thing to work on"

When we were building Flickr, we worked very hard. We worked all waking hours, we didn't stop. My Hunch cofounder Chris Dixon and I were talking about how hard we worked on our first startups, his being Site Advisor, acquired by McAfee -- 14-18 hours a day. We agreed that a lot of what we then considered "working hard" was actually "freaking out". Freaking out included panicking, working on things just to be working on something, not knowing what we were doing, fearing failure, worrying about things we needn't have worried about, thinking about fund raising rather than product building, building too many features, getting distracted by competitors, being at the office since just being there seemed productive even if it wasn't -- and other time-consuming activities. This time around we have eliminated a lot of freaking out time. We seem to be working less hard this time, even making it home in time for dinner.

"Edison, of the "Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration" quote, tried thousands of materials looking for the right filament for the electric bulb. That might have been hard work, and the fact that he persisted through many failures is key to making something work, but he was also working on the right problem. So often people are working hard at the wrong thing. Working on the right thing is probably more important than working hard."

"So often people are working hard at the wrong thing. Working on the right thing is probably more important than working hard."

So true. I can think of a few people I think need to read this.

“Writing Wednesdays” Future “Writing Wednesdays” articles will be inspired by quotes from The War of Art.

Nobody wants to read your shit. There’s a phenomenon in advertising called Client’s Disease. Every client is in love with his own product. The mistake he makes is believing that, because he loves it, everyone else will too. What’s your answer to that? 1) Reduce your message to its simplest, clearest, easiest-to-understand form. 2) Make it fun. Or sexy or interesting or informative. 3) Apply that to all forms of writing or art or commerce. You acquire that skill which is indispensable to all artists and entrepreneurs: the ability to switch back and forth in your imagination from your own point of view as writer/painter/seller to the point of view of your imagined reader/gallery-goer/customer.

Nobody wants to read your shit.

comments as well

There are really only a few times to use a cover letter: 1. When you know the name of the person hiring 2. When you know something about the job requirement 3. When you've been personally referred (which might include 1 and 2) Under those conditions, you can help your cause by doing some of the résumé analysis for your potential new boss. To illustrate, here's the best cover letter I ever received: Dear David: I am writing in response to the opening for xxxx, which I believe may report to you. I can offer you seven years of experience managing communications for top-tier xxxx firms, excellent project-management skills, and a great eye for detail, all of which should make me an ideal candidate for this opening. I have attached my résumé for your review and would welcome the chance to speak with you sometime. Best regards, Here's what I like about this cover letter: It's short. It sums up the résumé as it relates to the job. It asks for the job.

In my last post I talked about how to make your résumé more likely to catch the attention of a hiring manager. As a follow up, I'd like to discuss cover letters. Here's my basic philosophy on them: don't bother.

e that a lot of people go through that starts when people go a little crazy as a result of all that, gradually realize that it's all a little illusory and that what they have instead of friends is a lot of the same awkward party conversations over and over, start working a little too hard to recapture the former glory, and end up burnt out and jaded. I'm not saying all of this can't be avoided, but to do so, I think you have to come in with more skepticism and awareness than the typical wide-eyed SF hipster-techie transplant does. Perhaps if I had come to SF with Caroline's wariness and your advice, I would have had a better time.

I don't think the world should look like San Francisco, nor do I think that it should be home for everyone. But if you're going to come here, even if it's only for a year, you should make the most of it. And to do that (and this really goes for anywhere) you need to embrace what's unique about it.

http://emptyage.honan.net/mth/2009/07/are-you-going-to-san-francisco.html

How to make the most of living in SF. Wouldn't that be very lovely? Anyway, I think these could probably be generalised as to how to enjoy any city. (via Kottke)

Must read -

slightly annoying, but still good ideas for uncluttering your life.

Photojojo

Photojojo has a great article exploring the pros and cons of starting your own photography business.

business

Last night I posted the video of Mint CEO Aaron Patzer’s 45 minute presentation on building startups from the ground up. If you are an aspiring startup entrepreneur, you’ll want to watch that more than a few times. The candid disclosures and advice he gives is rarely seen in Silicon Valley. Some readers requested to see the presentation deck as well, so here it is. Patzer shows how he raised and spent money, and generated revenue, throughout the lifecycle of Mint, from the very beginning to the $170 million acquisition. He also showed historical slides from early presentations to investors and compares those to the actual results.

Startups 101: The Complete Mint Presentation

Last night I posted the video of Mint CEO Aaron Patzer's 45 minute presentation on building startups from the ground up. If you ...

T. Kendall

Writing about a place is difficult. You can spend months, years, even a lifetime in a city and still not really know it. More challenging still, everyone experiences a place differently. Two people who’ve grown up in the same place might fundamentally disagree on what the most scenic landmarks are, if the locals are friendly, the best places to eat, and so on.

I’m going to skip right to the heart of what I want to say about this city: if you’ve never lived in a major city before, you’ll probably like San Francisco. However, if you’re coming from another notable city, you may be disappointed. Hopefully, that’s pretty uncontroversial.

sive, and cold. As above, it’s easy to meet people through work or a common

Alex describes why he will leave SF when he can. Me, I'm leaving for these and more complex reasons. He's so in the tech bubble and the world of food and art, he never mentions California's political mess, or the desertification going on. He's the sort of person he is warning us about: "oung white men with high technical proficiency and lots of disposable income."

"Time taken to process an n-word sentence is proportional to n^3, or more." :)

"There are four basic components to a successful web page design: Research; Design; Copy and Testing and Modification."

you have to dice part of an onion

ck or two here and there may not seem like a big deal. But if you're frequenting ATMs outside your bank's network

9. The universal rule of taxi haggling, for both driver and passenger, is that once both sides agree on a fare before setting off, neither side can reopen negotiations once you’re en route. You should not try to get a better deal nor should you accept any increase in the fare from the driver after the journey has started

How to Create a Highly Viral Blog

Viral is one of the biggest buzzwords these days in blogging world. Everyone wants to create something viral, so their blog or product will “market itself.” Despite all the buzz about creating “viral content” and a “viral blog,” not many people really understand how this is done. I’ll be honest, I’m not quite sure I’ve got it all figured out. There aren’t really any secrets. But, there are a lot of little tactics that can add up to creating something contagious.

some good advice here, if you're into that sort of thing....

use 'via @' instead of 'RT @' and more details

Tips for using “via @”

Could this be the next RT?

There’s a Better Way to ReTweet! - http://tinyurl.com/dflfo2 [from http://twitter.com/FredericMartin/statuses/1354855281]

by Miles Tinsley - follow him at @milestinsley Retweeting is a popular way to share a useful or interesting tweet. The concept is beautifully simple, but

via or RT http://is.gd/nRcA I guess via is the better way, time to start trying it out [from http://twitter.com/afoster/statuses/1517730628]

An article on the difficulties and surprises in starting a startup.

Really good ideas and facts about starting a startup.

Skip blithely between tenses: "I sit at my desk with my head in my hands and sighed. It is only three days until the deadline, I think, and Im going to have had to finished everything before then. If only I have finish this now, I thought and lean back on my chair. Just then, the phone has rung. I am answering it."

Write thinly-veiled, self-aggrandising autobiographical fiction: Joe Stockley paced the floor of his office and cursed under his breath. Dammit, he thought, why am I such a brilliant writer that no-one ever understands the depth and complexity of my work?

Social media advertising

5 Ways to Attract and #Empower Your #Crowd http://ow.ly/oaRC [from http://twitter.com/schulezweinull/statuses/3819609045]

What I can do!

"Working from home sounds like a very simple concept. But there are a lot of built-in structures and boundaries inherent in a going-to-the-office job that we often take for granted. Recreating those boundaries when our home and work is one and the same is a crucial part of achieving a work-life balance."

Working from home sounds like a very simple concept. But there are a lot of built-in structures and boundaries inherent in a going-to-the-office job that we often take for granted. Recreating those boundaries when our home and work is one and the same is a crucial part of achieving a work-life balance. The personal battle One common trap of working from home is allowing your personal life to bleed into your work. A lack of discipline and motivation as well as a myriad of temptations lurking in every corner of your home can affect your productivity big time. This is the most obvious situation (and the one most often addressed) when considering the pitfalls of working from home. But there is a lot of support and feedback (in fact an entire industry) for this problem, and can be remedied by a host of productivity tools and exercises.

All successful standards are as simple as possible, not as hard as possible.

joes

Etiquettes

As I was looking for bloggers to contact, I found some posts/articles that were extremely relevant to what I was doing. In other words, these are posts that people looking for a tool like mine would find and read.

Some useful stuff about blogger outreach

take it for what it is, a description of what I have done so far. Implement at your own risk! ;)

Startup Marketing Advice from Balsamiq Studio

Great marketing tips from Balsamiq, made much greater by the fact that his micro-startup has been awesomely successful.

important feedback in the comments, good stuff

Useful tips about keeping your skills up in software development to stay employed .. and employable

s you uniqu

Whether you’re fresh out of college and looking for work or trying to get back in the workforce, unemployment can be quite a predicament. Chances are, you’ll need all the help you can get. Make use of these lifehacks to make your unemployed life just a bit easier.

Advanced game theory is exceptionally useful. Basic game theory is dangerous — because it assumes that you’re dealing with a bunch of rational “players”. It’s like trying to design a real car that’s going to be driven on a theoretically frictionless surface, with no air resistance and no idiots on the road.

ory is exceptionally useful. Basic game theory is dangerous — because it assumes that you’re dealing with a bunch of rational “players”. It’s like trying to design a real car that’s going to be driven on a theoretically frictionless surface, with no air resistance and no idiots on the road.

"No amount of strategic planning will ever substitute for managing your cash flow" - "There are always more things to do than there is time to do them" - "It helps not to call people “human resources”. They’re people. And, as it turns out, people like to be treated like people. Go figure" - "There’s a lot of value to being likable" - "Advanced game theory is exceptionally useful. Basic game theory is dangerous — because it assumes that you’re dealing with a bunch of rational “players”.

PLEASE READ

This article outlines how to promote and market a newly launched small-business website, in 3 months.

针对小企业的优化推广

It’s hard to express just how much settling those questions has galvanized Redfin to attack the monsters under our bed. Sure, we were dimly aware of those problems before, but we existed in a state of seething, unacknowledged tentativeness. Weeks of contemplating what it will take for us to win prepared Redfin to swallow the red pill, stuff the TaunTaun, hack the Kobayashi Maru. At very few moments in a company’s history does it makes its way so deliberately. Like the recovered patient who saw while sick everything she had always meant to do, we want to make the most of our new lease on life.

For me, the most important point is that whatever questions others ask about your business are worth recording, cataloguing and quantifying

" the questions VCs asked Redfin that changed how we think about our business."

FACETIOUSLY POSITIONING HIMSELF AS A "LAZY" DESIGNER, MICHAEL BIERUT, THE PROLIFIC FOUNDER OF DESIGN OBSERVER AND PARTNER AT PENTAGRAM’S NEW YORK OFFICE, SHARES HIS SEVEN STEPS TO SUCCESS.

http://bhuvans.wordpress.com/2006/08/19/50-common-interview-qa/

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Critical Mistakes Freelancers Make

#30 may be true, but I can't see it myself.

Inspirational

It's really good for me ,huh. It's really necessary to renew my life patterns again.

Click Here

duct tape, handwerkschoenen, opdraaibare zaklamp, reservegeld

Whether you're a student, teacher, or parent, I think you'll appreciate this story of how one teacher can completely and permanently change someone's life in only a few lessons.

Gadgets can be both useful and cheap — they can help even budget travelers make the most of their adventures. Here is a list of the 10 gadgets, all under $50, that I either own or have been lusting after.

From iPods to noise-canceling headphones, from digital cameras to GPS trackers, they take up space, can consume electricity and distract us from actually enjoying the trip. Gadgets also tend to be expensive, small and easy-to-lose. But gadgets can be both useful and cheap — they can help even budget travelers make the most of their adventures. Here is a list of the 10 gadgets, all under $50, that I either own or have been lusting after.

If you're planning a trip to New York City, you need travel advice from someone who knows her way around. Because while there's a lot to do in New York Cityplenty of iconic places to eat and drink and seethere are also a lot of things not to do...

How to get 18,000 beta users in 4 weeks

The work is: Only Collect; that is to say, collect everything, indiscriminately. You're five years old. Don't presume too much to know what’s important and what isn’t. Photocopy journal articles, photograph archives; create bibliographies, buy books; make notes on every article or book you read, even if it's just one line saying "Never read this again"; collect newspaper clippings and email them to yourself; collect quotes; save your ideas for future papers, future projects, future conferences, even if they seem wildly implausible now. Hoarding must become instinctual, it must be an uncontrollable, primal urge. And the higher, civilizing impulse that kicks in after the fact is organization, or librarianship.

his should be a fledgling historian’s maxim & I wish someone had told me this earlier. When you start out studying history — when you begin as a graduate historian, you are nothing; you are not even the history books you’ve already read, because you’ve probably misunderstood or not appreciated some fundamental aspect of them.

I've long held this philosophy. "You’re five years old. Don’t presume too much to know what’s important and what isn’t. Photocopy journal articles, photograph archives; create bibliographies, buy books; make notes on every article or book you read, even if it’s just one line saying “Never read this again”; collect newspaper clippings and email them to yourself; collect quotes; save your ideas for future papers, future projects, future conferences, even if they seem wildly implausible now. Hoarding must become instinctual, it must be an uncontrollable, primal urge."

"Here, there’s one more point I could make: time fine-tunes your collecting habits. You are a predator of sources. Over time, things will start to jump out at you. For a lionness in the savannah on the hunt, the merest movement in the grass is a stimulus to action, but she has learned to distinguish between the random twitches of the landscape and the presence of prey. In the library and the archive, the hunt is as much a matter of skill as of instinct. In short, until you’re an adult lion, jump at everything"

# To the optimist, the glass is half full. To the pessimist, the glass is half empty. To the engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

NEVER loan out your copies of: * `The Art of Electronics' (Horowitz & Hill, Cambridge University Press) (you do HAVE a copy don't you?) * 'Illustrated Sourcebook of Mechanical Components or Ingenious Mechanisms for Designers and Inventors * The Art of Computer Programming, Volumes 1..3 Boxed Set

Coming up on five years (and many teams) at Microsoft, there are a few things I’ve picked up along the way that I definitely didn’t know about when I left college. Call them core values, things I’ve learned, lessons learned, things I scream at my friends to do more of, whatever - they’ve served me well. Some of these are Microsoft-specific but most will apply to any team/corporate environment. Some of these are tricky - they can get you fired (or worse) if you don’t know what you’re doing.

Most advice to entrepreneurs focuses on what they should do: build a great product, assemble a great team, provide great service. All are “duhis

A wealth of resources for business owners — videos, articles, blogs, and expert advice to boost your business, sponsored by American Express OPEN.

Good article!

for anyone who needs to learn about Twitter

Therapists don't tell you what to do. Rather, they ask probing questions that get you to discover for yourself what is true for you, your situation, and what you want. Similarly, these ten questions will force you to make the important decisions about your business. Ask them of yourself every month instead of writing a useless business plan.

mfortable speaking wi

Ted didn't know--or care--what anyone outside the investment team did. The senior managers were the people to impress, and his fellow analysts were the people to keep ahead of. He sometimes had a hard time getting the administrative team's help in closing trades, but he didn't let that stop him. In fact, he'd often mention his disappointment with administrative staffers at his interruptions--er, meetings--with senior managers.

The wise moves that outpaced a wily and ambitious colleague.

This is a true tale about two acquaintances of mine. One knew instinctively exactly how to get ahead in the workplace. The other thought he knew--and was dead wrong. Alot of us would probably act pretty much the way the latter did. I believe their experiences hold lessons for all of us.

** Posted using Viigo: Mobile RSS, Sports, Current Events and more ** The wise moves that outpaced a wily and ambitious colleague.

Great idea this.

children is called The Greatest Blogg

Have you lost your camera recently? Mislaid it somewhere in a national park? Left it in a taxi? Dropped it in the gorilla pit? Anyone can be a victim of the thoughtlessness and/or sleepiness that can lead to Camera Loss.

Here are the some of the rules that evolved that seemed to work for our family.

"This life isn’t practice for the next one" "What will your epitaph say?"

Metcalfs Law, Streisand Effect, Long Tail

In the many thousands of articles advising entrepreneurs on what they have to focus on to build successful startups, much has been written about three key

e lead

From David Meerman Scott

"In his book Bagombo Snuff Box: Uncollected Short Fiction, Vonnegut listed eight rules for writing a short story..."

Kurt Vonnegut's eight rules for writing short stories.

Every sentence must do one of two things—reveal character or advance the action. Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.

health soda

There remain some concerns over aspartame, the low-calorie chemical used to give diet sodas their flavor.

Good pointers.

improve the way layouts were selected

refactoring

So you just found out that you have a job interview tomorrow and unfortunately procrastination is a weaknesses you haven’t yet conquered. Here are the down and dirty tips to pull it together at the last minute.

As a self confirmed conference junkie I speak at a dozen events each year, and attend many more. As such I’ve probably seen close to a thousand talks over the last five years. Because of this I’ve got a pretty good idea what makes for an exciting talk and how you can guarantee your session will suck. As somebody who also organises two conferences, UX London and dConstruct I’m really keen on getting new talent into the speaking circuit while still maintaining quality. As such I’ve put together a quick guide to help both new and experienced speakers kick arse/ass. Most of these tips aren’t new, but you’ll be surprised how few people actually follow them. However if you do, you’ll be well on your way to being the next Jeff Veen, Jared Spool or Jason Santa Maria.

Defer renting space

Interesting productivity trick. I think I'll try it out for awhile.

'1. Set a duration of how long you think it should take to solve a problem; 2. A language is a language is a language; 3. Don't over-"design pattern" applications; 4. Always backup your code; 5. You are not the best at programming. Live with it; 6. Learn to learn more; 7. Change is constant; 8. Support Junior; 9. Simplify the algorithm; 10. Document your code; 11. Test, Test, Test; 12. Celebrate every success; 13. Have Code Reviews Frequently; 14. Reminisce about your code; 15. Humor is necessary; 16. Beware the know-it-all, possessive coder, and the inexperienced coder; 17. No project is ever simple; 18. Never take anything for granted; 19. Software is never finished; 20. Patience is definitely a virtue'

Une vingtaine de conseils d'un routard avec 20 ans d'expérience au sujet de la programmation.

For fifteen years, I was a book packager. It has nothing to do with packaging and a bit more to do with books, but it's a great gig and there are useful lessons, because there are dozens of industries just waiting for you to do something like this. Let me explain:

An excellent piece of writing.

Struggling with this article...

A reminder why I don't always feel guilty about coming off as a little bit arrogant

Skip the 11 o'clock news, respect your mouth and 18 other stay-healthy mustsYou've heard it before: Eat a healthy diet, exercise and don't smoke, and you'll add years to your life. In fact, one study found that more than half of all deaths from chronic di

"Here's what I realized: 1. My perfect is not their perfect. 2. They don't have a perfect. In fact, there is no they. There are 2000 individuals, each of whom wants something a little different. 3. The more perfect I think it is, the less willing I'll be to let anyone change it. 4. The only way to make it useful to everyone is to allow each person to change it to suit him or herself. 5. The only way people will use it is if they do change it in some way. 6. The only way I will encourage them to change it and make it their own is if I make it imperfect.

Unfinished, Half-finished, half-baked is sometimes best.

"Why won't this work for you?" -- a powerful question to ask, at the right moment. Really thought-provoking article exploring why perfection is so hard, and hinting at why projects fail.

More and more small business folks are giving in to what seems like an insurmountable mountain of hype and jumping on the twitter bandwagon. Lke all social media and marketing tactics, before you can determine if something makes sense you need to analyze your objectives. So, instead of asking why you would use it, ask how it might help you achieve some other already stated objectives.

This guy works for aaron wall >>>>> One way I’ve found to cut down on support requests is to make sure I write publicly about any issue that keeps coming up for my customers. Other small companies contact me for advice fairly frequently, and that also tends to retread the same issues, so I’m going to blog it in depth once rather than giving fifteen people 30% of my thoughts on the same issue. One common issue is “How do I improve our SEO?”

Lots of good tips on marketing ISV and other stuff.

the keyword-rich anchor text link isn't counted by Google because the first link is the image. You can use the brilliant First Link Checker tool to find out quickly and easily if this is a problem for your sit

For the first of my guest posts for Econsultancy I wanted to take a step beyond the generic, oft-rehashed ‘SEO tips’ (you know, things like “include keywords in your page titles” and “create great content”) and contribute something based on my experience of working across a number of e-commerce sites.

cool website, and cool downloads.

Having a Twitter account may be all the rage, however there is something to be said for the power of focus.

If you think user testing is time consuming and expensive, ThinkVitamin.com will change your mind with their article on cheap, effective testing, allowing you to get back to designing for your audience.

Quotes from Steve Krug and Jakob Neilsen

This morning I found myself lying around, enjoying a lazy weekend with my wife and kids, basking in the peaceful simplicity of today. It’s in these moments that I find not only my greatest happiness, but my purpose in life. I am here not to achieve or even to change the world, but simply to live. Life is a gift, and I’m happy to accept every moment of it. And so, in this spirit, I thought I’d dig through my archives and share a few favorite posts, to help others find this peace. A lot of Zen Habits readers are new, and haven’t taken the time to peruse the 800+ posts I’ve written. Shame on you! :) Here’s a good way to get started. If you want more, check out the Beginner’s Guide to Zen Habits, or see the newly revamped Zen Habits archives for every post ever published here. 12 Classic Posts You Might Not Have Read Don’t read these all at once: 1. Peaceful Simplicity: How to Live a Life of Contentment 2. The Four Laws of Simplicity, and How to Apply Them to Life 3. The Cu

experience

Our readers have requested that Smashing Magazine conduct an interview with industry leaders on issues that are relevant to students and those just starting off in...

your portfolio. Do free websites for your mates’ bands or your Mum’s friend’s wool shop. It might not be glamorous work, but doing as much as you can builds up your portfolio, and you’ll learn loads on every project. When I left university and got my first job, my portfolio was made up almost entirely of stuff I’d done on an extracurricular basis, not really the course work itself. But also don’t forget that it’s about quality, not quantity, and a good portfolio strikes a balance between variety (showing that you’re versatile) and continuity (showing that you have your own identity as a designer).

goal setting, motivation

Established authors provide writing tips. Elmore Leonard: 'Never use an adverb to modify the verb "said".' Margaret Atwood: "Take something to write on. Paper is good. In a pinch, pieces of wood or your arm will do." Roddy Doyle: "Do not place a photograph of your ­favourite author on your desk, especially if the author is one of the famous ones who committed suicide." There are many more serious tips, too.

Inspired by Elmore Leonard's 10 Rules of Writing, our survey of established authors' tips for successful authorship continues.

10 Rules for Writing Fiction - Part 2

I completely agree here with Steve's comments on what matters when measuring startups, and it's not balance sheets and income statements

Startups that are searching for a business model need to keep score differently than large companies that are executing a known business model. Yet most entrepreneurs and their VC’s make startups use financial models and spreadsheets that actually hinder their success.

to read

SEO for Startups: Top 7 Lessons + A Trip to YCombinator http://bit.ly/c4onTX

Next, since it's hard to do any slide deck justice with just the slides, a list of top advice and recommendations, not just from the slide deck, but from many years of interactions, consulting and Q+A help for startups:

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Developers Passionate Able to Learn, Unlearn and Re-learn Balance Principle and Practice Keep It Simple Software (KISS) If You Don't Know the Answer, Know Someone Who Does Focus on Value Puts the Needs of the Many Before the Needs of the One

Being intelligent is like having a knife. If you train every day in using the knife, you will be invincible. If you think that just having a knife will make you win any battle you fight, then you will fail. This believe in your own inherent ability is what will kill your startup. Success comes from the work and ability you put in becoming better than the others, and not from some brilliance you feel you may have within you.

#beinghuman #maths #math #toread How to think like a statistician without the math http://to.ly/1lt0

// We made a selection of inspiring interviews with outstanding personalities, must reads for every freelancer, designer, webpreneur, & co. There are

h the state of ease that lets an "f-bomb" escape your lips, you've gone too far.

It's a rather sad state of affairs that a list like this has to even exist.

Some of these really left me speechless - I cannot believe that people actually do them in an interview situation. Worth a read, though - especially if you're having a tough time job hunting.

EAV

I don't aree with all of them, but still...

Bad habits in interviewing

50 Worst of the Worst (and Most Common) Job Interview Mistakes

Simple list of 50 things you shouldn't do on your job interview- such as : Don't badmouth your old boss, and don't smell like smoke.

A bit Americanised but some good (and funny) tips for interviews.

A summary of some exercise and diet rule that seem to make a lot of sense.

Consider what you give your attention to each day. It’s a precious resource, & determines the shape of your life.

If instead, you choose to give your attention to work you’re passionate about, that you feel is important, that will change your life and the world in some small way … this will become your life

A great little post on paring down to the essential in everyday life.

How to do a good presentation

Carsonified

I’ve been lucky enough to make public speaking part of my career. It’s something I love doing and enjoy every second of, but that’s not the case for everybody. For many of you, the thought of standing up on stage fills you with vomit-inducing fear.

ThinkVitamin - Carsonified's blog about the web

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1206649

Unit

Ah, the dreaded cover letter. Boring to write, difficult to get right, and you’re usually preoccupied by other things (such as the portfolio and resume, which are also really important).  Unfortunately, your cover letter is a company’s first exposure to you, and it determines whether your application is trashed or fast-tracked to the company’s to-hire list.

Michael practices proximity management. Every month he meets informally with each employee group. No agenda. No speeches. Just conversation. That helps him solve problems: for example, the time guest check-in was being mysteriously delayed.

zen The Fine Art of Decision-Making – 7 Tips for Getting Decisions Made Easier: Get to decisions quickly and.. http://tinyurl.com/cd8qye [from http://twitter.com/maxOz/statuses/1347428173]

Reading about decision making: http://budurl.com/3sux [from http://twitter.com/gideonking/statuses/1379167330]

I usually just read these and go "that's nice" and move on. But I think I might put these into practice. and the masses go "yeah right Jay, I'll believe #5 when I see it"

More often than not, these agreements are made through email which is far from perfect. Noted tech blogger Robert Scoble suggested last October that the number of emails required to get something done is equal to the number of people involved squared, i.e. eight people results in 64 emails. Sounds about right to me.

Getty Images Part-time work is on the rise, and it's no surprise. People are taking on extra jobs to make up for hours or income lost, an out-of-work partner, or even a business facing hard times. But part-time jobs can me more than a stop-gap…

It’s true that building a business requires plenty of time and effort. But the idea that you need to quit your job to do it right is misguided.

I don't believe in evolution.

Hanging on to your day job gives you a longer period of time to build your idea. It lets you give a sustained effort over time. There’s no get rich quick option. You build it slowly, one day at a time.

"Some have doubted our advice that you should hold on to your day job and start something on the side. They argue building a business requires such persistent effort that you need to devote all your time to it to do it right. And it’s true that building a business requires plenty of time and effort. But the idea that you need to quit your job to do it right is misguided. If you quit your job, you shift everything. You don’t gain time, you lose it. You put a shot clock on your business. You box yourself into a position where you have to profit immediately or the whole thing goes under. You’ve got to make it work now or give up forever."

Some have doubted our advice that you should hold on to your day job and start something on the side. They argue building a business requires such persistent effort that you need to devote all your time to it to do it right.

Reality Check #1: Do one thing well If your startup tries to do too much, you’ll lose. Guy told me, “I meet companies every day who say, ‘well we’re software services, and we’re also consulting. And we are a social networking site, but we also do white labeling in case you want to use our technology to do your own social network.’ And you know what, it’s hard to do any one of those things, try doing four.”

State your message in one sentence. That is your title. Write one paragraph justifying the message. That is your abstract. Circle each phrase in the abstract that needs clarification or more context. Write a paragraph or two for each such phrase. That is the body of your report. Identify each sentence in the body that needs clarification and write a paragraph or two in the appendix. Include your contact information for readers who require further detail.

NOT JUST ENGINEERS

Making a connection when you first start dating is generally easy compared to maintaining the connection in the long term. Here, the country's top love experts offer up their best advice -- for free!

“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.”

ZenHabits

Have you ever really wanted to do something, but you just weren’t motivated enough to do it? This is always my number one reason for not taking action, as I’m sure it’s probably yours too. If you’re not motivated, you just don’t have the energy or the drive to do what you need to do, right? Simple enough

10 Simple Google Search Tricks http://nyti.ms/cNQ0xO /via @DesignerDepot

really helpful and inspirational

Be generous and list many, even if they sound silly. Example, “I love that you always know how to make your salads so colorful and appetizing.”, “I love that you have the discipline to go to the gym regularly, and you really take care of your body.”, “I love that you are so neat, and can keep your desk so organized.”

"My last employer had to make a series of budget cuts, and I was laid off. I have been on the job hunt since then; however in the meantime I have begun freelancing as a Web developer. This is my first time in this role and so I would like the ask the Slashdot community: are there any best practices for freelance developers? What kind of process should I use when dealing with clients? Should I bill by the hour or provide a fixed quote on a per-project basis? What kind of assurances should I get from the client before I begin work? What is the best way to create accurate time estimates? I'm also wondering if there are any good open source tools for freelancers, such as for time-tracking and invoice creation (aside from simply using a spreadsheet). Any suggestions or insights would be welcome."

Some interesting views.

An article on freelance development best practices.

These pages are saved from the Delicious website.

Essential syntax.

I'm always amazed that more people don't know the little tricks you can use to get more out of a simple Google search. Here are

Ignore your critics /Seth's Blog/ - If you find 100 comments on a blog post or 100 reviews of a new book or ... http://tinyurl.com/cupjf9 [from http://twitter.com/jorgefsb/statuses/1411642918]

something to think about

So, who should you listen to? Your sneezers. You should listen to the people who tell the most people about you. Listen to the people who thrive on sharing your good works with others. If you delight these people, you grow.

Ignore your critics and fans...You should listen to the people who tell the most people about you. Listen to the people who thrive on sharing your good works with others. If you delight these people, you grow.

Ignore your critics. Ignore your fans. Listen to your sneezers. You should listen to the people who tell the most people about you. Listen to the people who thrive on sharing your good works with others. If you delight these people, you grow.

Hi Lyle, I think that's what he's getting at; Listen to your fans as they will get you more fans. He's a bit difficult to understand sometimes. There is a god point he made a while ago; Don't listen to those people that make the most noise, but those people that bring you the money. I have found that working with the 'shouters' takes up much more time than your good clients and costs you as lot more. Something to keep in mind for when you start working. Cheers, Ian All understood and agreed, i understand that its not wise to listen and take what they say to heart but what of your fans? Are they not the ones you seek to please? Can they not offer you constructive criticism?

失敗する時

consejo: no soltar en el ruedo a los programadores junior

Should journalists learn to code?

What’s really important is to not understand how to do magical things with code, but to learn what magical things are possible, what the necessary inputs for that magic are, and who to ask to do it. Identify the repetitive tasks that computers are good at. Yes, they’re good at find-and-replace, but tools like regular expressions are even handier, and I’m amazed how few people understand that find-and-replace is the beginning, not the end, of text processing. (And yes, I’m aware that regex are a quick way to give yourself two problems.)

Useful advise to anyone looking to work with online tools. I can't write a computer program but my understanding of the fundamentals has helped me no end.

"It requires you to learn to translate intent into code, to know what’s possible, to know what’s easy and what’s hard, and to know what to do when third-party things you’re glueing together don’t work." "Computers are really good at processing regular data, and they are really, really good at repetitive tasks. Every time I watched someone in an office doing a repetitive, regular task I despaired, because that’s exactly the kind of thing we have computers for." "…nowadays, computers are a sort of primary source too. You’ve got to learn to interrogate them effectively - and quote them meaningfully - too." A sibling suggestion would be ‘Learn to explore inquisitively’. One of the reasons only 20% of an application’s functionality is used by the majority of users is that their major motivation when they start using an application is ‘How do I do [x] in [y]?’, as opposed ‘What [x]s can [y] do for me?’

What’s really important is to not understand how to do magical things with code, but to learn what magical things are possible, what the necessary inputs for that magic are, and who to ask to do it.

The more I talk to academics, the more I echo the following sentiment: "I remain convinced there’s an interesting book on “doing smart stuff with computers that isn’t quite programming but isn’t far off”, because let’s face it, most people deal with data all the time now, and have the ideal tool for working with it on their desks."

The 4-hour work-week guy

Para compartir con Freslys y lograr Fitness

The journey of transforming your body from out of shape to fit as a fiddle is a long one with many twists and turns.

Via @orian

I work with and associate with a lot of talented people in this space. On a rare occasion people mistake me for talented. This post is a great reminder that it’s okay to say no to some requests, in fact, sometime it’s a game changer.

Saying no to loud people gives you the resources to say yes to important opportunities.

I hate the pansies who whine that “it takes money to make money.” No it doesn’t! It takes a sense of mission. If you’re on a mission, you’ll find a way. When I didn’t have money to start my company, I called up J.Crew and asked if they’d take back the clothes I bought from them over the years and give me a refund. Believe it or not, they said, “sure.” That J.Crew refund check helped put me in business.

The chances are, you probably haven't heard of the name Andrew Warner. And if you have, all you will see ...

"Felix Dennis, publishing tycoon, has written a guide to becoming a multi-millionaire. All you need is thick skin, cunning - and a work ethic"

Good quote: "If you are unwilling to fail, sometimes publicly, and even catastrophically, you stand little chance of ever getting rich." Reminds me of this quote from Lazarus Long: "People who go broke in a big way never miss any meals. It is the poor jerk who is shy a half slug who must tighten his belt." As a bit of a pod who sometimes finds it all too easy to "turn off" my human concerns, and an on-again-off-again workaholic who was literally ridiculed by my friends for my study and work habits, I am very inspired by what he has to say.

excerpt from publishing tycoon Felix Dennis's book about how to get rich

List of resources on how to learn graphic design-type stuff.

Ten years ago, you had a wide range of excuses for being a lousy visuals person. Starting with no talent, leading to no skill and going from there. But now, in a world where it is expected that professionals will be able to make beautiful powerpoint slides, handsome business cards, clever bio photos and a decent website, it's as important as driving. And easier to learn and do, and requiring less talent.

No, in fact I’m awful at graphic design. If you’re like me and you have trouble with spacial relations, are borderline color blind, etc. and graphical design, creating power points, etc. is your weak spot consider checking out the resources Seth’s put together. Let’s stop making excuses, okay?

Why aren't you (really) good at graphic design? /Seth's Blog/ - Ten years ago, you had a wide range of ... http://tinyurl.com/dm5uf9 [from http://twitter.com/jorgefsb/statuses/1423593339]

graphic design for blogs, books, sites

chapter 8

Sounds so simple (and it is) but Seth is great at giving simple truths

Marketing Strategy

"If you want to grow the size of your customer base, you need to confront the buffet dilemma" Great post by Seth Godin http://bit.ly/Q9Don [from http://twitter.com/r1tz/statuses/2003329906]

This is a great analogy featuring buffets that really simplify two different business approaches that could significantly impact your business and attract more customers.

Dealing with negativity online can be tough, which was why we were all ears when Tim Ferriss, author of The Four Hour Work Week, took the stage at The Next Web ‘10 event in Amsterdam to discuss how to learn to love haters. While Mashable recently offered you advice on how to deal with negative feedback specifically in the social media realm, Ferriss takes the concept a step further with advice on how to contend with — and benefit from — criticism across all platforms. We caught up with Ferriss backstage at the event to find out more about his seven principles for dealing with haters. Read on for some interesting ideas and let us know which work for you — as well as your own strategies — in the comments below.

Tim Ferriss' "7 Tips for Dealing with Haters" is brilliant. I'd just add "listen well enough to know when you're wrong" http://bit.ly/cRbab2 – Chris Anderson (chr1sa) http://twitter.com/chr1sa/statuses/13312105642

Qual'è il modo migliore di gestire i titoli di pagina?

Cual es la mejor manera de poner los titulos de las paginas?

-How to work with “stupid” people http://j.mp/d8Qteb

Jay Fields' Thoughts: Questions To Ask an Interviewer

seth_godin advertising marketing

just about every successful product or service is the result of smart marketing thinking first, followed by a great product that makes the marketing story come true.

This is only sort of true. The danger with starting the marketing first is that its very easy to over promise and under deliver. Just ask Microsoft. However, marketing clearly plays an important role in every product and subsequent launch.

Marketing FTW.

Marketing is not the same as advertising. Advertising is a tiny slice of what marketing is today, and in fact, it's pretty clear that the marketing has to come before the product, not after.

I’m agitated. This kind of publish is probably crabby. Certainly not the usual ticket. By pass it

To do with privacy .read

TED Talks About Leadership

Video about the first follower

I still remember that person... http://tinyurl.com/c67zl6 [from http://twitter.com/mrdoubleb/statuses/1380242864]

Yeah, but he really knows his stuff... /Seth's Blog/ - Every organization worth its salt has at least one ... http://tinyurl.com/d3x8pl [from http://twitter.com/jorgefsb/statuses/1365156152]

Deep technical competency is overrated compared with the ability to make excellent decisions and to create a culture where forward motion is valued and personal initiative is rewarded. The good news is that the bully knows this, and the only reason he gets away with being a bully is that he thinks he's got you bluffed. Call his bluff and odds are you'll have a much more cooperative team, top to bottom.

Deep technical competency is overrated compared with the ability to make excellent decisions and to create a culture where forward motion is valued and personal initiative is rewarded.

Every organization worth its salt has at least one guy like this. Someone who knows every technical detail, or has vast expertise in the parliamentary procedure. Perhaps he's the coot who knows every verse of the Bible or is the...

Advice on why you should launch softly.

Too bad. You don’t need a big bang – slow evolution is what you want. Unless you absolutely must “open wide,” abandon the mass introduction strategy. Instead, launch softly.

Now on to a brief summary of some tenants that I've learned and live by.

Blog article on the lessons of someone having programmed for the last thirty years.

Good Article on ReTweets.

Tweet unto others as you would like to be tweeted.

May 20, 2009

I don't love her, but she sure says it like it is. Nice Q & A on investing, student loans, debts, etc..

When someone tells you to invest in a stock because it was up 40 percent in two months, ask yourself: “is that normal?” When someone tells you to put all your money in technology stocks because they have doubled in value in one year, ask yourself: “is that return normal?” When you buy a home on the expectation that values will rise 20 percent per year, ask yourself: “is that normal?”

Great financial advice to refer back to from time to time

Earlier this week, we solicited your questions for Suze Orman. You asked about paying college debt, choosing a good retirement plan, and — especially with a week like this — how safe your money is. In her answers below, Orman also offers a question to ask whenever deciding what to do with your money:

great freezing tips

How to organize and use your freezer better.

Annotated link http://www.diigo.com/bookmark/http%3A%2F%2Flifehacker.com%2F5539907%2Fa-savvy-travelers-guide-to-vacationing-abroad

10 Types of Bad Clients and How To Avoid Them

iancr's confessional on diet, exercise and self-discipline

Great tips on staying fit and eating healthy. Also a great recommendation for the book "The End of Overeating" by David Kessler which shows why so many Americans are getting fat and what to do about it.

“…LOOK AT ME I’M SKINNY…” DIET, EXERCISE, NATURE, AND NURTURE

interesting article about ian rogers' relationship with food and exercise and being a 'skinny guy'.

Just as our bodies are wired to react to stress, we're all also programmed to know how to wind down, whether it's by watching a funny movie, sitting in the sauna, sipping some chamomile tea (while dunking a cookie, of course!) or drinking a glass (or two) of wine with dinner. These activities switch on the brain's pleasure centers, blocking the production of the stress hormone cortisol and churning out happiness-inducing chemicals like serotonin instead.

Try a few of these instant soothers, and watch your own stress go from ARGH! to Ahhh.

Optimiser ses courriels

with passenger and git

Deploying a Rails app used to suck. Reverse proxies, Mongrel clusters, Monit, etc. Capistrano helped out a lot (once you set it up the first time), but all in

10 design rules to keep in mind (1) Communicate — don't decorate. (2) Speak with a visual voice. (3) Use two typeface families maximum. OK, maybe three. (4) Pick colors on purpose. (5) If you can do it with less, then do it. (6) Negative space is magical — create it, don't just fill it up! (7) Treat the type as image, as though it's just as important. (8) Be universal; remember that it's not about you. (9) Be decisive. Do it on purpose — or don't do it at all. (10) Symmetry is the ultimate evil.

What makes a boss great? It's a question I've been researching for a while now. In June 2009, I offered some analysis in HBR on the subject, and more recently I've been hard at work on a book called Good Boss, Bad Boss (forthcoming in September from Business Plus).

css reset

RT @draenews: Del Top 10 Strategies for Surviving Airports and Airplanes: http://bit.ly/9fMWQI

RT @lifehacker Top 10 Strategies for Surviving Airports and Airplanes http://bit.ly/9G24Tf

Search Engine Optimisation SEO Search Engine Marketing SEM and Internet Marketing IM

success story story of routinefor Leo Kaytes Ford

Helpful.

Long post, but good read (headline says it all).

Great job advice article!

How To Become a Millionaire In Three Years | Jason L. Baptiste http://bit.ly/apxllI

forget about the headline - these advices are simple and clever

A list of strategies an entrepreneur should employ. Some of them seem to contradict each other but worthy of occasional review.

presentation tips

“Our networks in here are always unpredictable, so...I have no idea what we're going to find,” he said. “They are slow today.” What Jobs did next, according to Carmine Gallo, author of The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs, was vintage Jobs (and a model for how presenters should deal with stage crises): He did not panic. He did not look hot under the collar of his trademark turtleneck. His hours of practice and intimate knowledge of every inch of every slide made him comfortable enough so that he could jump around to another part of the presentation (in this case, to look at photos).

Tipps für App-Advertising Websites

If you have an app available, you probably have an accompanying website for it. As someone who tries and buys a lot of software, I see many such websites during the average week. Some are great, but most make the same few mistakes again and again. I want to share some tips for making software product websites that don’t turn customers away.

2) Writing a plan makes you feel in control of things you don’t actually control.

product

Earlier this year, I had a chance to attend SxSW. One of the highlights of my trip was a startup dinner which included Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, the founders of 37signals. At the time, they had just come out with their new book "Rework". I had downloaded a copy to my Kindle, but hadn't had a chance to read it yet. Now I have. Twice. It's a great book. Lots of practical advice for entrepreneurs. I highly recommend it. My second time through, I decided to pull out some of my favorite parts. onstartups rework You're encouraged to share your favorite insight by using the convenient "tweet" links next to each one. 37 "Signals" From 37 Signals

Very, very smart way to get retweets back to a particular page. He excerpted chunks from "Rework" and added pre-made "Tweet" links next to it. Need to add some CTA on the page and you have a winner

en anglès

In fact, when you think about it, we only need to be motivated for a few short moments. Between those moments, momentum or habit or unconscious focus takes over.

"I didn't need to be motivated for long," I laughed. "Just long enough to get outside." Because once I was already in the rain, it took no discipline to keep riding. Getting started was the hard part. Like getting into a cold pool. Once you're in, it's fine. It's getting in that takes motivation.

First comment is the best.

21 Things You Should Never Buy New - Yahoo! Finance - http://goo.gl/8CWU

Don't be rude,

When done right, social media can be a valuable source for customer acquisition, retention and satisfaction. Here a few reasons to help drive the value home.

This post was originally part of my “Ask the Attorney” series which I am writing for VentureBeat (one of the most popular websites for entrepreneurs). Below is a longer, more comprehensive version — with ten mistakes, instead of six. Question My buddy and I are coding up a new site and we will be ready to launch the beta in about a month. We have a couple of angel investors who are interested, and we don’t want to screw anything up. What are the biggest mistakes that you’ve seen guys like us make? Answer

This post was originally part of my “Ask the Attorney” series which I am writing for VentureBeat (one of the most popular websites for entrepreneurs).  Below is a longer, more comprehensive version — with ten mistakes, instead of six.

I had the privilege of Jared Spool attending and critiquing some of my recent talks, and in preparation for a UIE webinar I’m giving, he took time to rip me apart give me some awesome feedback. His advice reminded me of notes I took almost ten years ago at an Edward Tufte seminar about giving great talks, and so the next logical step was to make old-timey boxing photos of them both and write a mashup of their talking tips. RIGHT? Both Jared Spool and Edward Tufte are known to be kick-ass speakers in the technology field – Tufte is all up in the freaking white house, and Jared speaks roughly 400 days a year around the world. I think we can learn a lot from their advice, and despite the artificial conflict introduced with boxing pictures, their tips are mostly complimentary.

Jared Spool vs. Edward Tufte

advice on presentations - could also apply to posts

"I had the privilege of Jared Spool attending and critiquing some of my recent talks, and in preparation for a UIE webinar I’m giving, he took time to give me some awesome feedback."

jor focus in any design, but here we are more talking about your established readers, not just every user. The main difference is that when you are talking about every user you are

Een post waarin kort wordt uitgelegd waar je op moet letten bij een redesign van een reeds bestaande website

indic

By Robert Bowen There is a season for all things, and this holds true in the world of web design too. Naturally with the technologies and languages evolving at the...

如何称为一个成功的rubyist

funny, and surprisingly apt.

6. Business: Success = Meeting the Right People All of those successful people you see around town, with their convertibles and huge televisions? Approximately 100 percent of them got where they are because they had three things. All three are absolutely essential, but one of them is almost never mentioned. They are: * Talent * Hard Work * Randomly Meeting the Right People and Not Pissing Them Off The autobiographies of famous people will do everything they can to downplay that third part, because it has the element of sheer luck. People get offended when you mention it, because they think it somehow undermines the first two. But remember, we said you need all three. For instance, let's take maybe the most successful movie actor of all time, Harrison Ford. He farted around Hollywood for nine years, taking bit parts without anything major ever coming his way. Clearly talented, very hard-working. Yet not once did anybody look at him and say, "This guy will sell several billi

Can't believe I'm linking to cracked magazine, but this is pretty good.

A great essay on writing, especially large projects.

"There’s a painful threshold when you’re roughly two-thirds of the way through the book where you need an extra shove. My advice is to not write an article about this experience, but rather print out the whole damned book. That’s right. Every single page. If you haven’t already invested in a home laser printer, now is the time. You’re almost an author, dammit. Seeing all of your work spread out on the floor of your office is cathartic."

A great essay on writing, especially large projects.

Azzarello revamped the team, re-invented its operating mode, and reduced the software cycle to nine months. The successful delivery of the new software lifecycle’s first product coincided with Azzarello’s annual performance review, and she expected to receive a healthy raise as the economy was strong, HP was performing well, and Azzarello herself was awarding significant raises to her top employees. Azzarello’s own raise, however, was zero. When Azzarello asked her boss why she wasn’t receiving a raise, he replied, “Because nobody knows you.”

which can change), promote yourself and your accomplishments, and build relationships with mentors and fellow employees.

Yahoo! Shopping is the best place to comparison shop for Yahoo! Shopping - Find Great Products Online, Compare, Shop & Save Compare products, compare prices, read reviews and merchant ratings..

절대로 중고로 사면 안되는 물건들,,, 돈 아끼려다가 돈 더 나갑니다. 제값주고 사는제 남는거임..

Mattresses! (pillows too :-) )

10 writing tips everyone can benefit from: http://bit.ly/bSS1zX (h/t @kottke)

ooo! gonna come back to this: 10 rules for writers http://bit.ly/9ytXAU (via @jkottke) #bookmark

1. Write the sentence, not just the story. 2. Pick a better verb. 3. Kill the cliché. 4. Variety is the key. 5. Explore sentences using dependent clauses. 6. Use the landscape.  7. Smarten up your protagonist.  9. Write in scenes.  10. Torture your protagonist.

Some of the best creative writing advice I have seen

1. Write the sentence, not just the story 2. Pick a better verb 3. Kill the cliché. 4. Variety is the key. 5. Explore sentences using dependent clauses. 6. Use the landscape. 7. Smarten up your protagonist. 8. Learn to write dialogue. 9. Write in scenes. 10. Torture your protagonist.

Good rules for any writer.

Click here to find out more!