Economy Mind

So I was a little bored so I started watching this Authors at Google talk by Tim Harford. He is not a good speaker but he does a good job talking about some really interesting results of using economic thinking and economic analysis to understand human behaviour. One point I particularly liked was the conclusion that people in addictive and similar circumstances are naturally inclined to do things that help them deal with their habits. The findings suggest that if a system is put in-place to help people deal with such problems they are likely to use them with the hope they will be affected. 

Also in the talk he mentions a service that offers related solutions called Stickk. Their model is to provide a way to document progress with a stake, made up of personal value, at hand. If the progress falls below a user set amount the stake is contributed to a charitable cause. This company has found that such a method can successfully motivate people to manage their own habits. 

On another note, I had to watch parts of a few other Google talks to find to one that was truly interesting. I wonder if the quality of google talks is going down. I also still wish they created a good summarisation service. 

Paper Pushing Thinking

I think nobody thinks enough. And those who think they think too much are actually just not doing anything, I think.

In any case here is a cool tool with a bunch of layouts to help various kinds of directed thought. It is a nice idea and I think the interface has been done in quite a smart way, thought it is a little messy. It is called Exploratree and I actually think that name is a bit lame. 

Music and Clean Code

I just came home from a wonderful concert. Here is some data about it:

Friday, January 25, 2008
7:30pm / Saint Augustine Church
1738 West University Avenue, Gainesville
THOMAS KRAINES RECITAL
Thomas Kraines, cello Jubilus 2008 Resident Artist
Stephen Coxe, piano

Thomas Kraines (b. 1970)
Three Etudes for Cello Alone (2001)

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Cello Suite No. 4 in E-flat major, BWV 1010 (1723)

Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992)
"Louange à l'Éternité de Jésus" from Quartet for the End of Time (1940)

Anton Webern (1883-1945)
Three Little Pieces for Cello and Piano, Op. 11 (1914)

Stephen Coxe (b. 1966)
Cello Sonata (2007) WORLD PREMIERE
I. Con moto, sempre cantabile

Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924)
Sicilienne, Op. 78 (1898)

There is to be another one on Tuesday at the same place and time with the same cellist. Everyone should go, it is free and wonderful. Here is some more info.

Also, I was looking at the whole Internet and this really cool site popped up. It is called Drawter, and it is a dynamic interface for creating really nice web code. It is by far the best such tool I have seen and it even seems to incorporate some unique interface methods. I have just spent some time building a site for work and this kind of tool would have made it a lot easier. 

If you look at it check out the screen cast too, it shoes some good techniques.

Puphones ATH-ESW9

So, a while back I mentioned Audio-Technica, more recently they brought out some new headphones in the same series as my existing ATH-EW9 Sovereign clip on phones. The new model is called the ATH-ESW9 Le Luxe and they are a full bodied headphone for portable use with luxury as a fundamental design requirement. They are made of cherry and leather so on but they are supposed to sound lovely so I am quite sure I am going to have to buy a pair. At the moment, AudioCubes has them for USD 289.99. 

Shooting Starts

As mentioned I am back in Gainesville. Here there is very little good food and almost no Korean food, however, recently a new restaurant opened called Shooting Star. They are primarily a Sushi joint and have a few really lovely Sakes. Luckily, they also sell some korean dishes including Bulgogi, Kalbi, and Bibimbap. Though I think they will not do Dolsot Bibimbap.

All in all, the food is good and the experience is good. Much less crowded than some of the other Sushi places in town and with a great vibe. At last there is somewhere to eat Korean food here. 

Now I think I will make sure they are in Google's business directory.


View Larger Map

Update: The website is down at the moment. Google directory later when it comes up and I can find the address. For anyone who is interested, it is on SW 2nd Ave, just a block or two from Main St.

America Working Looking for Work

So I am actually back in America. And that is true.

I am back working at Adaptive Equipment which is ok fun. Right now I am doing web stuff for them but I have not put up their new site yet so it is still a quite old one.

Other than that I am trying to think about a more long term job. I am not sure what you do so I am applying at a lot of the larger companies. Also back to the problem of what software to use for a good portfolio. I think I may just do it in Blogger because I need to get one online sooner rather than later. It should be ok. I can always get the rss out.