Buffer's Transparency Dashboard
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
Victoire Cycles 29er MTB
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.
New Han Solo Film Announced
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
Need a Better Workspace?
Tools & Toys have you covered. Definitely getting me a NeuYear calendar for next year.
Right Intention, Wrong Store
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.