Lunch for breakfast at an airport.
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Travel Food
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Stack of iPads
I thought my days of stacked iPads getting ready for an event were over. At least I do it from a comfy poolside setup these days. (-:
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Users…
There are only two industries that call their customers ‘users’: illegal drugs and software.
Edward Tufte
Recently I’ve been blessed to spend a lot of times with Marines. The owners of these rifles were amazing young men and I was fortunate to spend the better part of a week with them.
Article:
TLDR:
Getting cold triggers body stress responses that are good for you. Cold plunges are good for this, but not very accessible. Cold showers are readily available to most of us, and this article tells you how to build a habit of taking cold showers.
Ken’s Take:
I also do sauna for similar stress response benefits. I used to balance sauna with cold afterwards (either plunge or shower) but recently I learned that the cold afterwards stops some of the benefits of the sauna stress.
So I’m flipping this, and doing sauna and cold on opposite parts of the day. If I do sauna in the morning, I do a cold shower that night, and vice versa.
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#tweetsIlike: Linear Algebra ftw
I don’t “use” it everyday. I use things that use it every day. And it’s super useful to be aware of it, know how it works, know its core principles, and to be able to know where/how it will be useful.
“Programming is not about typing, it’s about thinking.” – Rich Hickey
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Mom and Pop Place Quietly Pushes Back
Recently, while traveling in a lockdown state, we visited a non-chain, family owned, Italian restaurant that was open for business as usual. We sat inside, maskless, with attentive waiters, fine wine, and great fresh made in house pasta, and a veal recommended by the owner and his son.
This must have been what it was like, sort of, to visit a speakeasy back during prohibition. The food was great. The service great. But was my perception tilted by what we were really doing? Living life, as it should be, ignoring ridiculous edicts from politicians and bureaucrats? Probably so. And I’d do it again – I hope very soon.
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No News is Good For You
Article:
TLDR: News is mostly negative, and increasingly visual and shocking. Your brain is wired to prioritize threat detections, news outlets (including social media) take advantage of that to gain your attention. Consuming it regularly adds to your stress but not, really, to your ability to do anything about the perceived threats and is bad for your mental health.
Ken’s Take:
I’m largely news free for about 2 weeks now. I’ve been TV news/ Radio news free for years. Most of my “news” came from accidental osmosis in friend’s social media timelines and as I searched for things to read that were actually interesting to me.
The basic problem with “news” is that it’s not really correct information – it’s designed to grab your attention, to wrap around the ad in the timeline or somewhere below the clickbait title. In many cases it’s flat out propaganda designed to organize you as the political class wants.
Hop off. You aren’t really “informed” by reading it. You are definitely stressed by it. And what can you do about what you read? Absolutely nothing. Which adds to the stress.
Put it down. Don’t click.
Instead… Read blogs that interest you. Listen to podcasts. Read books. Take the dog for a walk. Talk to whoever is in the room, or across the table, from you.
Take back your attention.
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SGT Thomas A. Baker, MOH
I recall reading his story when I was a kid. This portion stuck with me:
At his request, his comrades left him propped against a tree and gave him a pistol, which had eight bullets remaining. When American forces retook the position, they found the pistol, then empty, and eight dead Japanese soldiers around Baker’s body.[2]
At some point, I want to get a military handgun marksmanship award named in honor of Sgt Thomas A. Baker. I’m in a position, oddly, where I will probably be working with people that could make that happen. This is a public reminder to me to get it done!