Ideas-for-Life

More reason to be careful about your twitter activity - The twitter ‘joke’ that’s been blown out of proportion.. iPhone apps that could save your marriage? The mean gene.: apparently one in four people have this gene.. Taking email (and the internet too seriously)… Laptops and male fertility.. Interesting piece over at Wired Science… Another take on the Yahoo vs Gmail argument…Gmail appears to be inherently ‘safer’.. (HT Trae Days) Interesting take on the Marine Corps, Appearance and Tradition over at The Art of Manliness.. Ribadu is interviewed on the Economist’s Africa blog. Amazon briefly lists the inappropriately named ‘The Pedophile’s Guide to Love and Pleasure: a Child-lover’s Code of Conduct’ before bowing to pressure and taking it down.. Skype wedding? The possibilities are endless… (HT The Daily Dish)

I survived the week of going meatless… Needless to say, I’ll not be repeating it anytime soon.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLGlMbi7w3g] via @GoodPlanet

Via XKCD:

What I learned since July 10, 2009 The whole “every disappointment is a blessing” is cliche 9 times out of 10 - the one occasion it is not more than makes up for all the other times… Above a certain level of pay, autonomy and a sense of truly contributing are the most important considerations for job satisfaction….. for me.. People usually mean well when they try to commiserate - most of the time they just need to shut the fuck up. Brooke Fraser’s Shadowfeet is the coolest song ever…. Every bloke needs a bizzle - the one chic who has the guts to give it to you straight from the hips ( no double etendre there). It’s always helpful to get your ego brought down a notch or two. The ladder theory works - however sad - blokes just need to get with the program. Female bosses are so not it - woe betide you if you have a Technical review when its that time of the month - red ink everywhere… sigh..

One of the more creative jokes about England’s demise at the World Cup I’ve seen so far…..

When you bill per the hour, looking busy is of paramount importance… The criticality of this black art is never more obvious than when you sit in full view of the Oga and can ill afford to be found playing solitaire, surfing the internet mindlessly, blogging, or God help you - being nabbed on ogling the goodies on offer on Page 3. Below are the top tips I have gleaned from the best – trust me I’ve learned from the very best - a stellar cast of international pedigree.. ...

Barry Schwartz, writing in The Paradox of Choice makes a compelling argument - to my mind - for cutting down the options.. One paragraph on the subject of life and partners grabbed my attention. .. inevitably, you will find people who are younger, better looking, funnier, smarter, or seemingly more understanding and empathetic than your wife or husband. But finding a life partner is not a matter of comparison shopping and ’trading up’. The only way to find happiness and stability in the presence of seemingly attractive and tempting options is to say, “I’m simply not going there' ...

HT: XKCD

In retrospect…. Life happens.. With or without our consents…. And in its wake often comes change.. which we by default detest. Over time, we develop safe routines, coping mechanisms and default positions to deal with life - ultimately acquiring some semblance of balance. Sometimes change is subtle; imperceptibly modifying the place where we are on the continuum of life, instigating minor perturbations - little oscillations if you like - around our equilibrium positions. The pragmatic thing to do then is to try to hold the fort, to resist change and maintain the status quo. ...