Special hat tip to Buffer for their transparency dashboard. This is the kind of business I would love to work for.

One study found that taking notes on a computer leads us to transcribe lectures or talks verbatim, which doesn't help us understand the material as well. This happened even when study participants were asked to avoid verbatim note taking—€”they couldn't help it. Even worse, the participants who took verbatim notes on their computers worsened their test scores by studying their notes later.

— How to Take Effective Notes by Zapier

Having ridden the 650b wheel size for the last three months, I've been impressed with the larger wheel size. I can only imagine how much fun riding the bigger 29 inch wheels will be. Especially on this beautifully built Victoire Cycles hardtail.

via CycleEXIF

If I unfollowed you on Twitter then don't panic. I've got a bunch of you on lists.

When we talk about tools that make us productive, we often refer to products and services that automate things for us. They do the leg work for a specific task while we move on with something else. While this is a nice idea in theory, too often than not, we find ourselves swept up by emails, messages, phone calls, social networks and other digital interruptions rather than moving on with that other task.

The best tools aren't just tools that automate work for us (although they do help), they also let us do with the work without interruptions. These tools don't rely on network connections, the Internet or any other digital highway to work. They just work, with or without an Internet connection. A few examples of tools spring to mind. For me tools like, Byword, Marked 2, Vim and Sublime Text are great tools for working offline, but being able to work offline aren't the biggest selling feature.

As a software engineer I do a lot of reading of manuals, technical and programmming books. I also read a lot of programming language and framework documentation through the day. My memory isn't as sharp as it used to be, so I might refer to the docs for a programming language or framework when I'm writing code. Most of these docs are available online. I'm not always online though. Which is why I love using Dash. It's a document browser that allows to the documentation of various programming languages and frameworks offline. So whether I'm online or not, I can always be sure to get access to the documentation I need when I'm working.

There's a huge number of apps now that try to keep us in a state of being permanently connected to the Internet, but it comes at a cost. Being online means being connected, being connected means being distracted and being distracted is how we fail do the work we intended to do. When it comes to being productive, look for tools that work offline. Turn off your wi-fi and get working. It's surprising how much work you get done.

A film about the early life of Han Solo has been announced by Disney. Good to see that Disney are moving forwards with Star Wars.

via Kottke.org

Tools & Toys have you covered. Definitely getting me a NeuYear calendar for next year.

It happens to me more times than I care to admit. I take my iPhone out of my pocket, fully intending to do something — look up an address or take down a note to capture a thought — and suddenly I find myself minutes later deep into checking my Twitter stream or Facebook feed. And the alarming thing is that I’m not even entirely sure how I got there. The choice to check social media was a semi-conscious one born of habit. It even takes me a few seconds to remember the purpose I took my iPhone out for. It’s more than a bit embarrassing.

— Right Intention by Patrick Rhone

Patrick's analogy of liking his use of Twitter to a mall is spot on. All too often it feels like I'm visiting the wrong parts of Twitter. Time for a change.

Offers of freelance work have been overflowing in the last couple of days. Good to see.

Be honest.

I'd be surprised if most organisations managed to even get three out of seven on Nicholas Bate's seven point audit.

From my experience the best company I've worked in managed five of these points. However, each company has failed on the parking. For some reason the director had to be the nearest parking space to the door. Maybe he/she just wanted to be first out the door.

This post highlights the benefits that youngsters get from playing golf. Ethan's first year on the junior team has been a huge learning experience for him. Learning etiquette, being responsible and managing your emotions have been at the forefront.

I'm glad to see Ethan developing with his golf. It's definitely a great sport for youngsters.

I recently read Kurt Harden's list of products he hasn't regretted owning. I decided to carry on this theme with my own list off products that I have no regrets of owning.

Amazon Kindle - I bought Amazon's Kindle 3G model when it first came out. I've read lots of books on it. Due to a technical fault with though I've had to replace it with a Kindle Paperwhite. No keyboard on the Paperwhite but the touch screen makes up for it.

Apple iPhone - I was relatively late to the iPhone party. My first iPhone was the iPhone 5. Two iPhones later and I still love the flexbility that the iPhone offers. Mobile phone, music player, camera and reading device. All the essentials covered in a slimline device that fits in my pocket.

Moleskine Notebooks - Like Kurt, I'm another huge fan of these wonderful notebooks. I've got three on my desk I use everyday and a pocket notebook I carry everywhere. Despite the increase in different brands in the market now, Moleskine is still my goto choice for notebooks. Expensive yes, but the initial cost is worth it in terms of the life expectancy of these notebooks.

Nock Hightower - What did I do before I purchased my Nock Hightower? I carried a notebook and pen with me everywhere but I frequently lost pens and ended up with very distressed notebooks that had curled up corners. Now though they get a slimline sleeve that I also use to carry a spare USB fob and my headphones.

Specialized Langster - Back in the day, I wanted a singlespeed bike with the option for a fixed wheel. My 2006 Specialized Langster has since been my trusty steed. I managed a year of running it as a singlespeed before I flipped it to a fixed wheel. It's been through a number of different updates over the years. Different forks, bars and gear ratios, but the minimal nature of a bike makes it the one reliable bike that I can use in all conditions.

Fossil watches - I've bought three Fossil watches over the years. The first one I bought in Canada about 10 years ago. It's sadly missing a couple of screws in the back. I've replaced it in the last couple of years with two more Fossil watches. No, they're not smartwatches but they look good and they're robust enough to suffer a few knocks.

YNOT Gulper - Straight from the streets of Toronto, this backpack is everything I need for a robust backpack that works on and off the bike. Massive amounts of room, weather proof for the Scottish rain and extremely durable.

I could go on with list of books, music, films, clothing items and other products but for me these are the essentials of this list.

Off to the cinema tonight with Ethan to see Jurassic World. Should be good.

And do you need to be?

via Nicholas Bate

I'm writing again. Trying to get into the habit of writing (not typing) 750 words every morning and keeping a written log of each day as well. Going well so far.

Interesting insights about how we can solve problems by disproving ideas rather than proving them.

Who doesn't love titanium?

via FGGT, photo by Father Tu

... with Nicholas Bate's In Three series.

What are you going to do on vacation?

Ethan played in the Junior Open at Elderslie Golf Club yesterday. He had a good time but it was a long slog for him. Playing off the longer yellow tees made some of the holes extremely difficult for him. Good experience for him though.

The study indicated that those spending time on their cellphones just before bedtime resulted in a feeling of more sleepiness versus those who avoided looking at their cellphone or laptop screens at least one hour before going to sleep.

— Cellphone usage before bedtime is really bad for your sleep
by Try Modern

I like this idea of a secure, self-hosted mailbox.

ADN doesn't have enough people. Twitter is too short. Facebook is too big. I don't have a Google account. So why am I not posting shorter posts here for your perusal?

I'm going with Jason Rehmus and I'm going to start posting smaller posts here. Read them or ignore them. It's up to you.