Archive for the ‘productivity’ tag
Open Source Software: time-to-market enhancer
I asked a coworker of mine what he thought about open source software. He said he “didn’t get it”. I should point out at this point that the said coworker leans to the left. He viewed the open-source movement as communistic, and questioned why software should be free.
I view things a bit differently. Indeed, I agree that the idea that software should be free is communistic. However, I also think that open-source software fills a unique function in a capitalist society.
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The non-utility of twitter | Mark Horstman: “Twitter, I Don’t Like It”
For me, the problem isn’t so much attention, it’s SNR (signal-to-noise ratio). There’s just too much noise in Twitter to make out any signal. And that’s why it’s not worth following while you work.
Why I like the Manager Tools Podcast
I’ve been listening to Manager Tools Podcast for a couple years now. I really enjoy it, because the direction is specific, yet one can generalize the specifics to form concrete principles.
The podcast presents everything in very basic steps. If the topic is hosting a meeting, they tell you (in a dozen or so steps) exactly what to do. I mean exactly.
It occurred to me a week or so ago that I’m an unlikely fan since I’m not in a role to execute any of their detailed steps.
I realized early this week why I like it so much: by being presented with these basic steps so often, one can generalize on them and gain very insightful principles.
For example, while detailing a discussion about feedback, they tell the story of Shamu–and how Shamu only gets positive feedback yet learns to jump over a rope suspended above the water.
I realized immediately that I don’t give enough positive feedback to my peers nor my children (nor do I receive enough from my bosses). After realizing this deficiency, it became very easy to compensate for it–both at home and at work.