Finding a function call in a haystack
Via Phil Pearson, Koders is a search engine for source code. For example a search for GPL Ruby code using delegation. Quite specific.
Friday, May 13, 2005
Control your destiny or somebody else will.
Scoble nails my view on corporate blogging:
...
So, why are we bringing them here? We're bringing them here to find out what they think and to start an interesting new conversation. One that we can't control.
As I met with Boeing and Target over the past few days that's what I told them too. You can't control this new world. At best you can participate in it. Just like if you hear someone talking about you at a cocktail party. You can't make them stop. You can't make them change their minds about you. At best you can join in the conversation and make sure they have a complete picture of who you are. [Watch out for that Scoble guy, he's just trying to control your mind]
Guess I'll have to buy his book after all ;-)
You have my attention
For a flavour of the sort of thing I'm working on I have uploaded a concept map of attention which I am working on. Attention is one of the key topics I am studying for the Cognitive Psychology exam on Monday. I picked it because it is a compact topic with close links to Memory, another topic I am studying. I'm building concept maps from my notes because my reading in memory suggests that incidental learning through organisation is very effective.
It's good, but the price is too high
Anu's getting fed up with being locked out of his GMail mailbox. Like me he loves the GMail interface but thinks the price may be too high. I've been using GMail for about 8 months and, despite it's flaws, think it's a great interface. But my feelings about Google have gone through an inflection during this time. They're not a company to whom I want to give anything any more. I'm looking out for the company who can eat Google's lunch.
My plan is to move my mail service over to my mattmower.com domain (where it belongs anyway) and use the GMail account as a backup. But I'll sure miss this great web interface.
Life is but a dream
Damn. I've just realised that I've run out of rope for next weeks title. Oh well...
Just back from my second floating session at the London Float Centre. This was a completely different experience to the first float. Last week I was nervous about doing something new and my body was so tense it was an effort to relax. This week I was more confident of what I was doing and my body is in much better shape (it has been ever since the last float). I slipped into the tank and was comfortable almost immediately.
As the music died down I found I could put my arms over my head which is very comfortable (I couldn't do it last time) and lie back and I lost the sensation of my body being there except momentarily. I used a headrest this time which was good and bad, I'd use it again because the support for my neck was nice but next time a little less inflated.
My mind has been racing all week and I guess it didn't really stop so much as slow down and learn to meander all over the place. It was nice, just drifting...
Then. Bam! The music was there again. It was hard to believe an hour had passed. Unlike last time when I felt the time passing and was more or less ready to come out this time it seemed to pass in the blink of an eye and I was inclined, for a moment, to barricade myself in.
Afterwards in the lounge over herbal tea I considered attention which is one of the topics I am studying for the exam on monday. Attention is all about how we handle the many stimuli rushing at us all the time. In the tank maybe 90% of those stimuli just aren't there. Without weight, without action, without stimuli - your brain is free.
Now I'm back home and feeling very calm and relaxed. It's a very un-2-days-before-an-exam-like feeling and only time will tell if that's a good thing. For now though I am happy.