Making walls better with moulding


While you can do interesting things with paint or wall paper to your walls, another idea is to use simple moulding to break up boring walls. The woman featured in this post, Charlotte’s Budget Beauty — House Call | Apartment Therapy, has  it throughout her place, and I think it looks great.

Want more ideas on how to do that? Here you go 🙂  http://lmgtfy.com/?q=add+moulding+to+walls

Helpful advice in preparing for dealing with the death of a parent

If you are fortunate, your parents are living and you have a good relationship with them. The dreaded day will come, though, when they die. It will be hard to deal with, no matter what advice you get, but this piece of advice will certainly help: Things I Wish I Had Known When My Mother Died :: YummyMummyClub.ca.

I would add: expect to deal with a lot of administrative tasks that will seem surreal at times. There is much more of it then you think. At best it will seem bizarre. At worst, it will be agony. Either way, it must get done, and if you don’t think you will be able to do it, consider who you would lean on to help you with it when the time comes.

(Thanks to Emma W for the pointer to this.)

Is there no limit to how small computers can get?

Right now it doesn’t seem it when I see a general purpose computer shrunk down to this size:

You can find out more about that computer here: Inverse Path – USB armory.

I believe that soon everything you buy will come with computing built into it, by defaul. When this occurs,people may find it weird to think about non-digital devices, just like younger people might find it weird to see people working from previous generations doing work and not using computers.

Ello, we must be off.

I thought: I better share some thoughts on Ello before it is too late!

Here are two views on Ello. First one, negative: Aral Balkan — Ello, goodbye. Second one, affirmative: How To Ello In 5 Easy Steps.

My own view is that people are not going to adopt a new social network unless there are significant benefits to doing so. The last one that I have seen that was successful was Instagram. In the meantime there has been a number that have not taken off, from Google Wave and Google+, to app.net and Yo. I suspect that Ello will join the latter group, rather than Instagram.

For people with big todo lists and/or like to draw on walls

I give you this:

I really like this idea, but then I am an IT architect and we like to stand up and draw on walls (ok, whiteboards). A whiteboard would also work, but if you have kids, there may be times when you want to save anything they did. Or never mind kids: maybe your own doodle was keep sake worthy.

By the way, you can get such paper dispensers at IKEA. Most people mount them on a table, but clearly the wall is an option too.

Wall-Mounted Kraft Paper Roll Dispenser – Design Milk.

If you think being vegan will limit you in your attemps to build muscle and compete in sports…

Then you need read this article. If that doesn’t convince you, then head on over to this site to see just how great you can get on a vegan diet.

If anything, being vegan may help you, depending on your current diet and other factors that may be limiting your ability to improve.

Some thoughts on the lost guitar solo from Here Comes The Sun

This post is fantastic:  Here Comes The Sun: The Lost Guitar Solo by George Harrison, from the blog Open Culture.

Not only do you get to hear the lost guitar solo, but you get to do so with Dhani Harrison (George’s son), George Martin and Giles Martin (the son of the great producer)

Even better, you get a sense of what George Martin was working with at the time, and you get a sense, at least I did, of how Martin thinks about what he is hearing.

A must for Beatles fan and anyone who appreciates popular music and how it is made.

Some of the best things in Paris are free


And the Guardian has a list of them.  If you are going to Paris, take a quick peek and take notes. Yes, many you may have heard of, as I had. One I hadn’t is pictured above and is relatively new:

Opened in 1993, six years before New York’s similar High Line project, La Promenade Plantee is a tree-lined walkway on an old elevated railway line in east Paris. The 4.5km trail is a wonderful way to explore the city, taking you up and down staircases, across viaducts, above the streets and offering the occasional chance to wave back at the lucky Parisians whose apartments overlook it. The walkway also runs over the Viaduc des Arts, a bridge in which the arches are now occupied by galleries.

• 12th arrondissemen, promenade-plantee.org

For more from the list, see 10 best free things to do in Paris | Travel | theguardian.com.

Bonus: here’s a piece from the Globe and Mail how to eat like a Parisian. Since you’ll be enjoying all these free things in Paris, you’ll have more money for food.

It’s Thursday: you can use some puns. Including some from a master.

Last night I shot an elephant in my pyjamas. No, actually, last night a friend of mine sent me this very punny version of “That’s amore” (see below) and it reminded me of the very funny (and punny) Groucho Marx. Here’s both: such a bargain!

When the moon hits your eye
like a big pizza pie
that’s amore.

When an eel bites your hand
with a pain you can’t stand
that’s a moray.

When our habits are strange
and our customs deranged
that’s our mores.

When your horse munches straw
and the bales total four
that’s some more hay.

When a beam from the sun
lights the heath where we run
that’s a moor ray.

When a sand-coated board
buffs your nails, yes milord,
that’s emory.

And our friend Mitch Albom
every Tuesday would come
to hear Morrie.

A New Zealander lad
sports tatoos by his dad.
That’s a Maori.

When a glacier’s retreat
piles up stones at its feet
that’s a moraine.

When two patterns of lines
cross to form new designs,
that’s a moiré.

The briefest of pauses
in poetic clauses,
they are morae.

What the palest young man
needs to get a good tan,
that’s some more rays.

When Othello’s poor wife,
she gets stabbed with a knife
that’s a Moor, eh?

A great whale in the sea
chases Raymond and me.
That’s Shamu, Ray.

When a Japanese knight
used a sword in a fight
that’s Samurai.

P.S. Here’s a link to the Groucho Marx video on YouTube.

Economic inequality is rising, plain and simple.

As this piece at Vox shows , economic inequality really is rising, no matter how you fuss with the data. Possibly because of the skepticism from some, Vox explores this using differing analysis. The conclusion is always the same: economically, things are getting worse.

Data aside, this anecdotal argument at the end of the piece nails it for me:

Outside the sphere of political debate, you also see the real world impact of inequality. Merrill Lynch recommends an investment strategy to its clients based on the growing economic clout of plutocrats, Singapore Airlines is now selling $18,400 first class cabin tickets, and observers think Apple is going to start selling a $10,000 watch. Conversely, Walmart is now primarily worried about competition from dollar stores. The executives at these companies are not hysterical liberals trying to drum up paranoia about inequality, they are trying to respond to real economic conditions — conditions that have entailed very poor wage growth paired with decent returns for those proserous enough to own lots of shares of stock.

Worthwhile and recommended.

Are you trying to learn to code? Are you finding it difficult?

It’s likely not you. As this piece argues, Learnable Programming, there are limits to the approaches that online sites have which many can get by, but some cannot. If you are in the latter group, give this piece a read. Afterwards you might think: aha! That’s why I couldn’t get it!

With technology, if you don’t understand something, don’t assume the problem lies with you. It may, but most of the time, the problem lies with the technology.

Looking for a new job? You need to tell a good story

Or, more likely, fifteen good stories, according to Lifehacker.

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I’d recommend anyone looking for a new job should consider having these stories and rehearsing them so that when asked you have good answers and don’t fumble as you tell them. Plus it always looks good to be prepared.

If you are looking for a new job, go to Lifehacker/LinkedIn for more guidance.

It’s Tuesday. You need some inspiration

If you are following this blog, yesterday you fixed up your (Windows) machine. You got a new todo list. Excellent. Now, perhaps, you need something inspiring for your desktop wallpaper.

If you agree, check out these wallpapers from Design Milk. There should be one to appeal to you, regardless of whether or not you are a designer.

VPN 101: what it is, how to set it up (quick links)

Here’s a collection of links on VPN, and VPN tunneling. Not authoritative, and not meant to endorse any one approach over another or even how to use the technology.

  1. Networking 101: Understanding Tunneling (obvious)
  2. Ensuring Network Security with a VPN (Virtual Private Network) – For Dummies
  3. VPN Tunnels Tutorial – Types of VPNS, Protocol & More (via About.com)
  4. What A VPN Tunnel Is & How To Set One Up (seems more oriented towards PCs than servers)
  5. How to Tunnel Web Traffic with SSH Secure Shell (oriented towards Linux servers)
  6. How to Set Up a Secure Web Tunnel | PCWorld (similar to #5)
  7. How to setup VPN server (PPTP on CentOS, RedHat and Ubuntu)? – Knowledgebase – PhotonVPS (if you want to set up a server)

Not the shortest but the most beautiful route to take

I found this piece awhile ago and think it’s fascinating: Forget the Shortest Route Across a City; New Algorithm Finds the Most Beautiful from MIT Technology Review.

I would love to see algorithms and other such means to find the best a city has to offer. And it’s not all that far fetched. For a long time flickr.com had a feature that featured photos viewers found the most interesting. If something similar was available for cities, a whole new generation of flaneurs and happier tourists might result. It might even spur improvements to areas deemed less beautiful.

The best todo list ever? Certainly the simplest. Likely the one you need.

By now you’ve had a chance to go over the things you need to do this week. Quite possibly it is looking overwhelming. Even though you are working hard, you don’t feel like you are accomplishing things. If so, try stepping back, take a minute, and read this: If you do this and only this, today will be a good day.

It really is a good way to approach your day. (And yes, it’s fine if you do more than one thing.)

It’s Monday. Your Windows computer sucks. Here’s how to make it less sucky!

First, take this list: 25 tricks to make working with Windows faster, better and more fun.

Second, apply as many as you can. Even if you aren’t technically savvy or comfortable with changing things, look through the long list and find some you are comfortable with and apply them.

Third, ask for help with the ones you can’t do (either because you aren’t comfortable or their are restrictions regarding what you can change on your computer).

There! Your computer is better and less sucky already. And a less sucky computer means a less sucky work week.

Good luck! Thank me later! 🙂 Also thank ITBusiness, which is where I found it.

Are you dreading going to work tomorrow? Maybe the problem is your work location


There are lots of reasons to dread going to work, from the work itself to the commute to and from. While I can’t help you with all of that, if you live in Toronto and you have flexible working locations, I highly recommend this list from blogTO: The top 10 places to work or study in Toronto. (If you don’t live in Toronto, check it out for ideas and then look for similar places in your city.)

If you find yourself cooped up in your home or from force of habit going to the same ole same ole coffee shop, go through that list and aim to work at different spots. Working at a new and better spot should help alleviate some of that negative feeling you have towards your workday.

P.S. One place not on this top 10 list is the Toronto Reference Library (seen in the photo). It’s a great spot to work from. I like the top floors with great views overlooking the city. Also free wifi. Did I mention Balzac’s coffee shop on the ground floor? All the things you need to be productive in a good setting.

Should you go to (film) school? Some brief thoughts on education

If you read this Open Culture post, Director Robert Rodriguez Teaches The Basics of Filmmaking in Under 10 Minutes, you’d be inclined to say “no”. As for me, I appreciate the points raised in the piece. Much of directed learning in school is less than valuable. That said, there are many ways to learn: experience, reading and watching how others do things, schools and teachers. The idea of limiting yourself to one way of learning is to deprive yourself unnecessarily. Learn any which way you can.

Beautifying the dreadful rental closet door

If you live in a high rise apartment, you likely have big sliding doors hiding clothes in your closet. It’s bland at best. (That’s being kind.) If you want to tackle this and make it into something more attactive, then go here and steal some ideas: 5 DIY Ways to Upgrade Rental Closet Doors — Renters Solutions | Apartment Therapy.

By the way, I highly recommend Apartment Therapy and Renters Solutions for people in apartments that want to make the space look more attactive. It can be done! 🙂

A fantastic story: how Andrew Hyde Hosted 138 Dinners in a Year

I love this. Andrew Hyde made a decision. He decided

to cook dinner for people. A year later I’ve hosted 138 dinners. The average dinner had 14 guests which means I’ve made 1932 dinners for friends and strangers.

I highly recommend this post of his describing it:  Dinner At My House (How I Hosted 138 Dinners in a Year) by Andrew Hyde. It makes me want to try and do something similar.

Some thoughts on mining twitter for art

There was a lot of talk when Cory Archangel published the book above.  Essentially it is a collection of tweets from others tweeting about…well, working on their novel! It’s clever, but it made me think that it is just the beginning of works of arts that could be mined from the colossal amount of tweets each day.  There’s gold in there amongst all the twitter rage and minutiae about people’s day. It deserves better.

Meanwhile, more about that book, here: A Novel Compiled From Crowd Sourced Tweets About Writing A Novel | MAKE.

Marketers! Here’s a way to get extremely valuable ad space for next to nothing

How? Use this idea from this great food blog, Chocolate & Zucchini. What Caroline Mignot has done is create attractive monthly calendars for people to use as their desktop background.

Think about this: what is the one thing people stare at up to 40 hours a week or longer? That’s right: their computer! Most people have not so great backgrounds. Make them an attractive one with some message you want to communicate and you will have them thinking about it all the time.

Add pattern to your walls and floor (and every where else)

Paint may be the easiest and cheapest way to change the look of your place (even if you are rich, getting a designer to do it is more work than you think…trust me). But paint shouldn’t be the only thing you try. Rugs are also an option. While they can seem expensive, places like IKEA have them for well under $100.

Paint and rugs aside, there’s wallpaper. You don’t have to cover the whole room: you can do a backsplash, a closet, a ceiling, even part of a wall. Also, wall paper is alot more varied both in patterns and material than you might suppose. You can get wall paper for any where.

If you are nervous about wallpaper, consider the paint rollers from The Painted House. You get beautiful patterns that you can apply as easily as paint, because it is painting.

That said, I would encourage you to try wallpaper. It definitely helps to have two people do it, as well as having patience. Try and make it a social event. The results are worth it.

Unconvinced? See this: Subtle Yet Striking: 5 Understated Ways to Use Wallpaper | Apartment Therapy.

Thinking and thinking better about scarcity (time, money, love, etc.)

We all suffer from scarcity. If you are poor, this is a given. But there are other types of scarcity too, including scarcity of time and even scarcity of affection. Regardless of the form it comes in, it affects you in ways you might not expect and prevents you from making the better choices. This book, Scarcity: Why Having Too Little Means So Much, explorers scarcity from all these angles, and it made me realize the effect scarcity has on me. People think they can rationalize in the face of scarcity, but as the authors argue, it is much harder to do than we think. I highly recommend it. (It comes across as a book in the business book genre, but it is much better than that.)

Part of the problem resulting from dealing with scarcity is that we adopt a scarcity mindset. I do that sometimes, either by choice or out of ignorance. (e.g. “You mean I have many choices? I thought I had only one choice?” If you ask yourself questions like that, you may have a scarcity mindset.) It would help if there were ways to dealing with this.

One way of dealing with it is in this article: From the Scarcity Mindset to the Abundance Mindset at The Simple Dollar. It gives you some ways to avoid the scarcity mindset and move towards a mindset of abundance. Try the article: you’ll be surprised, I believe, just how often you assume a mindset of scarcity. You will also have to work at having a mindset of abundance, but it is worth the effort.

Finally, I don’t mean to trivialize people’s real needs and lack of resources they have to fill them. I do think we often make matters worse because of the way we think about what we have and what we could have. This book and this article can help with this.

You can get the book from book sellers like indigo.ca.

How to give a great — exceptionally great — presentation?

Follow the steps that Marc Ensign outlines here: The Tale of Inspiration, Perspiration, Preparation and Celebration.

I am convinced that people who give a great presentation do it because they put this much into the presentation. For people who give so-so to good presentations, including myself, you likely just manage to get it done. For people who give great presentations, they do all the things that Marc outlines here.

If you are wondering is it worth it, I can say that it is. I have given a small number of really good presentations, and every time I have, they were good because I went through a process similar to Marc’s. What strikes me is that years later, I am still happy and proud to think of those talks that I gave.  That’s what makes me think it’s worth  doing all of the things that Marc talks about.

Needless to say, I highly recommend this advice and Marc’s piece. Bonus: he’s funny.