Engineers, researchers, and other brainy professionals definitely get to know their share of stress. Here be some tips on managing it no matter what.
How to Write: Where Everyone Goes Wrong
A common piece of advice is to write what people want to read. In my opinion, it’s somewhat more complex than that. Here’s how to write instead.
The importance of balance
Don’t deal in extremes. Balance is crucial. Hi again. My previous post marked the introduction of the Balance category to my blog here. That particular piece was about balance with respect to food and nutrition; avoiding absolutes and lists of…
Forbidden foods you should NEVER eat
Below is a list of forbidden foods I would never eat under any conditions! You shouldn’t either. 1. Anything poisonous Nothing kills your progress more effectively than dying. Hence, I would never eat e.g. gasoline, rat poison, or the wrong…
The Importance of Middle Road
Outside highways, taking the middle lane is usually the best. Hi people, just a brief update now. A couple of days ago, I came across an awesome Facebook post by one Steve Hall. It was about the importance of the…
Beware of Hipster Bullshit
Bullshit – don’t fall for it. I’m not infallible. Far from it. Hell, the very definition of my current occupation as a researcher includes trying lots of new things. Of those things, the majority never work out. So, I try…
How to make science less popular
A couple of days ago, Wired ran a piece titled “Civil War’s Winter Soldier Couldn’t Survive This Giant Jump”. As the title suggests, the column mainly revolved around the author taking issue with the with the jump seen at the…
The Kaizen principle
If you have ever been on the internet, you may have seen the term Kaizen principle mentioned somewhere. Okay, that’s a bit of an understatement: it’s everywhere. From shady only-there-to-sell-you-something self-help sites to some actually quite good lifestyle sites to…
Pareto principle
In my previous post, I wrote about accumulated marginal benefit – how small things do count when there are enough of them. However, it would be negligent of me to not write of the polar opposite: the Pareto principle. Pareto…
Accumulated marginal benefit
A couple of posts ago, I mentioned how making a few simple improvements to your presentation technique could set you a few paces ahead your colleagues. Simply put: combing your hair, using your both your verbal and non-verbal languare in…