- A Complete Guide to the Handful of Proper Nouns Anna Wiener Uses in Uncanny Valley
It is necessary to have such a guide. While not naming the software companies, brands, apps etc is perhaps a way to get to the point without the baggage of labels, sometimes the curiosity just gets to me and I end up guessing / searching the internet. But I do wonder, if it were me, how many words would I use to describe Facebook? -
We are now getting articles about the downsides of working from home.
It ought to be clear that it has its pros and cons, and no one is saying WFH has no downsides. So there is no need to take the extreme end of any argument. I hope employers truly structure in more autonomy and flexibility, because that is for the greater good in the longer term. -
I Replaced my Phone and Laptop with an iPad Mini. Here’s How it Went
Sometimes a half-assed, likely-lousy idea pops up in your head, and you can definitely count on there being a YouTube who has thought it, tested it and made a video on it. - The Photos app in iOS 17 is apparently able to read your laundry labels. Sweet.
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Japanese firm develops solution to eradicate mosquitoes without insecticides
I am looking forward to the day we can open the doors and windows without a care for dengue. -
Lonely people see the world differently
“Our results suggest that lonely people process the world idiosyncratically, which may contribute to the reduced sense of being understood that often accompanies loneliness”. For all the misunderstood people out there… I hope you find someone who you feel understands you.
Monthly Archives: July 2023
📖 On Reading – the early 2020s
I used to read one book at a time. But in the last few years, coincidentally with my weaning myself off physical books, I began to read more than one book at a time. Sometimes, I had 2 or 3 books I consider myself to be actively reading. Perhaps it became necessary because borrowing e-books sometimes requires one to wait for the book to be released.
I also decided to read 1000-page things (Russian epics; WWII) and series (Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings), and decided these efforts would be better aided by having physical books. So I ended up between e-books (mostly on Libby, sometimes on Kindle or the Books app) and physical books. And in a way, I am glad that I moved on from single-mindedness to this … flexibility. Sometimes you just want something different. And sometimes, in the midst of battling a big tome, you need a break.
For the past 5 years, I finished 32.8 books per year on average. I have 84 “currently reading” titles on Goodreads (I started tracking my reading in late-2017). Which seems about right, because I “touch” around 50 books a year. I used to try to finish books I started, but then decided life’s too short to finish books you don’t care to finish.
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Already this year is shaping up to be different from the past 5 years. It is the end of June, and I have already finished 33 books. Perhaps it’s because of a confluence of: a stronger urge for reading this year; lowered running volume; a less busy year at work.
PS. I cannot believe we are “in the early 2020s”.