I was wandering around the contents of my head recently, trying to find some intellectual granite block with which to chip out the shape of another blog post that would be interesting and engaging. It took a little bit longer than expected, but here we are; Can the internet really provide you with suitable companionship, and how transferrable are the qualities of in-person friendships versus those that you germinate online? The definition of the question is key here, and …
Category: Life
Fear of missing out on work I am invested in outcomes. In the beginning, the sense of a job well done could be measured in days. I would rock up, hack out some code and by close of business, be able to test it. Daily outcome complete. Now, my outcomes seldom manage to be less than three months from one side to the other, often half years or even years; by way of example, having a complete feature built, …
I have spent a long time playing computer games; quite how long is probably not worth documenting here, largely because my significant other might finally have an answer to the question of why a large number of home improvement projects remain un-started. It seems obvious, but it’s worth mentioning that at the heart of computer games are systems. Players begin with little knowledge of the system. Equally, players are ill-equipped to beat the system, and hence progression is required. Progression …
The Over Burger Syndrome of Recommendations Algorithms Recommendations save both time and mistakes. This, for me, is practically important when choosing a restaurant; you really don’t want to meet me after poor service, mediocre food, and an expensive bill have skidded to a halt. Much better to avoid this blustering version of Phil and see a slightly larger dimensioned version after a satisfying eating experience recommended by a friend. As many of you will note, the internet is not your …
Getting stuck in the process of getting stuck in. It seems like I’ve managed to go off-piste with my writing recently, skimming down the imaginary snowy slopes on fresh powder unincumbered by the need to stay in my figurative writing lane. It’s been quite refreshing, if I’m honest with you. In a burst of hubris, I’ve decided to go even further out on a limb which brings me nicely to the topic of this post, routine. As an ardent user …
I have read what would probably amount to a reasonably embarrassing number of books on how to write fiction. There are two fundamentals I have taken from this corpus of writing on writing which are relevant not only to an ardent scribe but also to what I think of as broader life lessons. The first one, which is subject to every motivational YouTube video ever, is “do the work”. You cannot become slimmer, happier, more engaged in life, a better …