I saw the term “link-minded” today on the website for an upcoming conference. The exact words were:
Our aim is to attract as many like-minded thinkers as possible.
And I wondered: What does that even mean?
Don't get me wrong. I think I know what it means, but I'm still confused as how this works together with aiming for diversity. Where does the good like-minded end and the bad like-minded begin?
But let me explain:
Good like-minded: Aiming for the same goal, being able to communicate without difficulty, sharing the same interests.
Bad like-minded: Not able to think out of the box, very similar backgrounds, no disagreements, no challenges.
The bad like-minded is like a club that only accepts members after making sure that they won't disturb the peace of the club, won't question long-held beliefs and will hopefully just blend in without anyone noticing.
The good like-minded is like a community with a shared interest which is always happy to accept new members, search for new ways to look at things and will not shy away from anyone questioning them (as long as it is done in a socially acceptable way).
I'm pretty sure that what was meant on the website was the good like-minded, the one where a common goal is key and like-minded means “people who are smart and love to argue and discuss stuff and are not afraid to speak their mind, because we sure as hell aren't”.
But the fact that it started me wondering (and partly worrying) also means that it's a fine line between looking for allies in the battle for knowledge and a better world and trying to avoid those that might challenge you and make you feel uncomfortable.
A couple of months ago I got a wakemate to track my sleep. Actually, I had told my husband about it and he asked me to order one for him. When it finally arrived he didn't really bother to set it up, so I started to use it instead and now it's mine.
Here's what it does:
1. It tracks my sleep and uses the data to analyze my sleep patterns.
2. It wakes me up at the best time within a 20 minute time frame.
As you can see, the wakemate has been used a lot. I usually wear it on weekdays when I have to get up early, but also occasionally on weekends and when I'm on vacation because I'm curious how my sleep patterns change.
What it does is that it tracks my movements during the night and somehow figures out how deep my sleep is based on that. I was sceptical at first, but it seems like Actigraphy, for that is what it's called, is a standard method to measure sleep patterns.
I've also noticed that whenever I remember something about last night's sleep I can usually trace it back in the data from the wakemate. So if it takes me longer than usual to fall asleep or if I wake up in the middle of the night, I found that this is reflected in that night's sleep graph. I still can't tell whether I really had a deep sleep phase when the wakemate says I did, but since the data I can check is usually correct, I'm pretty confident that the data the wristband collects and how it is analyzed isn't complete nonsense.
As for the waking part, how it works is that you choose the time that you need to wake up the latest and the wakemate tries to find the best moment to wake you up in the twenty minutes leading up to that time without disturbing your sleep pattern. If it can't find the best moment it will just wake you up at the latest possible moment. The theory is that you will feel better and more awake when you haven't been woken in the middle of a deep sleep phase.
While this seems to work well, it unfortunately doesn't work so great for me. The problem is that I'm a big lover of the snooze button and it's not so much that I am too tired to get up, most mornings I'm just too lazy. So I ignore the wakemate alarm and just wait for my regular alarm to go off. And then I hit the snooze button three to seven times and then I get up. But that's not the wakemate's fault. I have noticed that sometimes I'm half awake and the moment my brain starts to work in consistent thoughts the wakemate alarm goes on. Which is another indicator that the movement measuring seems to work fine.
You can track your patterns on the website of the wakemate. You need some kind of mobile device (Android, Blackberry or iOS) which connects to the wakemate via Bluetooth. This device will also transmit the data to the wakemate server and also provides the alarm clock feature – basically: There's an app for that. You can then check your nightly graph, compare graphs, add tags and look at some statistics.
Basically I know now that on average:
It takes me 8 minutes to fall asleep.
I wake up 2 times a night.
I sleep for 6 1/4 hours a night.
The last one isn't quite true, since I usually sleep for at least another 30 minutes after the first wakemate alarm has gone off. Also, I don't always wear it on days when I don't have to get up in the morning, which are probably the nights I sleep a lot longer to make up for my lack of sleep during the week.
There are other devices similar to the wakemate, wristbands, but also headbands. I like the wakemate, because it's relatively hassle-free (I also haven't tried any other devices, so I can't really compare). The only complaint I have is that the band has already widened with time and I'm not sure whether that affects its measuring precision. Scott Hanselman tried the Zeo headband and wrote about it here.
I don't claim that the science is soundproof and totally accurate, but from what I can tell it works surprisingly well and is quite a fun way to check up on what's really happening when you sleep.
(It's also fun to walk into the office in the morning and with a loud voice claim that “Last night I got a sleep score of 85! Woo-hoo!”)
This year I read a lot. According to Goodreads I made a total of 73 books, missing my goal of 75 just by two books. I guess this has mostly to do with the fact that I work somewhere else than where I live and that includes a lot of time spent alone, riding trains and the fact that I finally got a Kindle in February which makes carrying books around much easier.
Somehow there were no real highlights, except one book really close to the end of the year which broke my heart in all kinds of ways but is unfortunately not (yet?) translated to English.
10. Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi
This book got into the Top Ten list mostly on cuteness. Apart from that it is a pretty standard science fiction story with some additional extraterrestial lawyer stuff. And then it's cute. because there are Fuzzies. And Fuzzies excel at cute.
In some ways the book is very much written like a movie, which you could hold against the author, but I don't. It makes for a pretty straightforward and enjoyable read and in fact it made me want to watch the (non-existing) movie. Also, Wil Wheaton is a damn good audio book narrator.
9. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Someone from the Sword and Laser book club said that this book is nothing more than a giant WoW quest. Erm, maybe, but that's what makes it so much fun!
It's a science fiction story about a massive easter egg hunt within the virtual world of OASIS and it is stuffed with 80s references. So there you go, what's not to love?
8. Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart
I didn't know what to expect from this book and it's still a bit hard to describe. A science fiction anti romance maybe? Yes, it's a love story, but often it doesn't feel like one, because nearly everyone seems so removed from any kind of honest feelings.
The really fascinating thing though was that the future world described in this book seems very far and very close at the same time. At first look it's just a strange, strange world, but once you look closer and compare it to where we have come to in the last couple of years, it doesn't seem so impossible that this is where we're actually headed. And if that's not scary, I don't know what is.
7. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
If you don't know what this book is about then you're probably not into YA dystopia books and then you probably won't read this book anyway, regardless of how good people tell you how it is.
If you don't believe the hype, make an exception. It's a really good book. I was also surprised at how much I like the trailer for the movie. In fact I seem to tear up a little every time I watch it, which I hope is a good sign for the movie.
6. Room by Emmy Donoghue
A very strange and horrifying book about a nearly unbelievable crime told from the point of view of five year old Jack. Jack lives with Ma in Room. In Room there is Table and Bed and Wardrobe and it's all Jack knows about the world.
Room is a great book and I can't really say a lot more without giving away some of the plot. Suffice to say that I could hardly put it down.
5. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
Apart from the fact that Patrick Rothfuss is a fan of Joss Whedon and seems like a generally cool guy, The Name of the Wind is also a pretty great fantasy book.
It tells the story of Kvothe, also known as the Kingkiller, who tells the story of his life to a nightly visitor. All in all you have your basic fantasy story, but it's so amazingly tight and well written, that it really stands out from the crowd.
4. Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde
I'm even more of a Jasper Fforde fan now that I've seen and heard him talk in person, and I've come to appreciate Shades of Grey more over the year. It's one of those books that are so easy to read that you don't grasp how good they really are until later.
And Jasper Fforde strikes again with an imaginative tale about a world somewhen in the future where society is based on color perception, there are flesh eating trees and self-cleaning roads and much more. Wait... WHAT? A society based on color perception? Exactly. Like I said. Just read it and appreciate the wild ride this book takes you on.
3. The Fry Chronicles by Stephen Fry
2011 was the year I discovered QI and now I firmly believe that Stephen Fry might be one of the best things the world currently has to offer.
I read The Fry Chronicles as an audio book narrated by the author (i.e. Mr. Fry) himself which is cool on more levels than is probably healthy. He tells the story of his life from his childhood (briefly) to his mid-twenties and although this seems like a pretty short span to cover, the story isn't boring for one second and Stephen Fry gets only more likable with each page (or minute, whatever).
2. Dask and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan
I don't know why exactly I love this book as much as I did. Oh, wait, I do. It has riddles and scavenger hunts and loads of books. And New York City. And Christmas.
It reminded me of books like Markus Zusak's I am the Messenger or Nicole Krauss's The History of Love, in that it is just a very simple book which is also incredibly sweet and emotional and just makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside.
1. Die Herrenausstatterin by Mariana Leky
This is just... I don't even know how to... The book was recommended to me by Isa and I would possibly never have picked it up if it hadn't been highly recommended.
It's the story of Katja whose husband has left her and died and now suddenly there's a man in her bathroom who is invisible to everyone but her and who won't leave. And there's also the fireman who suddenly turns up in her life. It's an incredibly sad book, but it's also amazingly funny and wonderful and I'll stop before this turns into a long list of enthusiastic adjectives. Just know that I bawled my eyes out and kicked my pillow because this is how great it is.
(Sadly I don't know of any English translation, existing or planned.)
So there you go. Anything you'd like to add. If not I'll see you for the special awards next week.
Yes, I know. I've been awfully quiet on this blog, but I promise I have a reason. Several reasons actually, and here are some of them:
1. Pre-Christmas obligations: We've managed to keep it simple this year, but that doesn't mean there isn't your minimum amount of Christmassy obligations. We've had my parents-in-law over last weekend, I have some kind of pre-Christmas goose dinner with my family tonight, tomorrow is the Christmas party at work and then, only two days before our flight to Scotland (yes, you heard right, we're spending Christmas and the New Year in Scotland), I'm having lunch with my best friend who's going to live in the US starting next year. So, while this is not a lot, it certainly eats away some of my time.
2. Assembling a kitchen: So, yeah, I assembled a kitchen last night. I finally got around to ordering the small IKEA pantry kitchen and it was delivered yesterday, so I spent last evening actually assembling a whole kitchen. If you are following me on Twitter you might already know that. I am pretty proud now, though my knees hurt from kneeling and crouching for nearly five hours straight and my right hand is torn from all the freaking screws I had to screw in with what is probably the tiniest screw driver in the whole world. But, hey, I assembled a freaking kitchen. Now that I have crossed this of my list, I will happily not do this ever again.
Also, I am aware, that this only explains one evening of no blog activity, but I really wanted to mention THAT I ASSEMBLED A KITCHEN. ALL BY MYSELF!
But the real reason it's been awfully quiet is this:
3. NaNoWriMo: I somehow missed this year's NaNoWriMo, although I was pretty motivated to do it. I don't know exactly why, but I just didn't get around to writing anything the first few days and then - I guess - there was stuff in my life. Whatever it was, after one week of writing less than 1,000 words, I knew that this wasn't going to happen.
I then read Chris Baty's "No Plot, No Problem" and decided that I could just as well have my personal NaNoWriMo in December, so that's what I'm doing right now. I'm at 20,000 words, and no, I won't tell you what it is about and from what I have produced so far, chances are very, very slim you will get to read it. It's not horrible, it's just in no shape to be shown to anyone. So there. With the vacation coming up, I guess that I need to push it a bit these coming days, but it's been going really great so far and I'm hopeful that I will make it and have a 50,000 word novel by New Year's Eve.
And yes, you are totally encouraged to root for me or annoy me with "So, are you still going to make it?" questions. However, as I said, you will probably not get to read the result of this adventure, so don't push it.
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And that's basically it. Also, there's work, the books I'm reading and the shows I'm watcing (basically, the usual). We also got a new camera, which means that the old Nikon D70s is now officially mine, and mine alone and I've been trying to get a bit more serious about taking pictures with it and understanding what I'm doing or should be doing.
There will be updates in the future, maybe even this year. But if it doesn't happen, this is what else is going on in my life and it will all be over in the new year and then I will hopefully have more time to take care of this blog.
Until then, have a very merry Christmas and an awesome New Year!
Due to the fact that I favorited more tweets this months than probably ever before, the November edition of the favorite tweets post will be in two parts. So here we go:
My parents are not technophobes. They're not technophiles either. They're somewhere in between.
We had our first computer in 1985 or so. We actually went through two computers, the first with green letters on black, the second orange on black before we got our first all colors Windows computer.
I distinctly remember one program where you could enter a combination of letters and numbers and you would get beautiful patterns painted on the screen. That was the green computer. If someone could identify this program (or the computer) for me, I would be much obliged.
I also remember our printer with TWO different fonts and you could buy some kind of extension to get an additional FOUR more fonts. (We never got the extension. It was very sad.)
I do remember navigating through the file system with only the keyboard, using arrows and function keys to write stuff or play games where the monsters were Hs that you needed to crush between square blocks. It was kinda awesome. And hell, I created my first database of the CDs I owned (Or was it taped videos? Whatever.) with Quattro Pro. Yeah, you heard right. Quattro Pro. At some point in my life I knew how to work with that.
So as far as I was concerned there was always a computer in the house. My mother was less interested, but she would always hold the high score in both Solitaire and Moorhuhn. (She was crazy good at Moorhuhn.) Once she found something that she liked she would learn the exact steps she needed to get it to run and then she was happy.
I tell you all this to explain that both my parents view on computers is mostly that it's something that helps them do something they like or need to do anyway and that's it. My father uses it to save and listen to the recordings he makes of bats (no kidding!), my mom uses it to research antique stuff, and from what I hear (and have witnessed myself) my father spends a lot of time browsing YouTube for music videos.
A couple of months ago we got to talk about communication and social networks. Apparently my cousin had showed them my Facebook page, and though my mother has no real objections she really doesn't see the need for something like Facebook. For her putting your personal stuff on the internet is somewhat strange and I guess she just doesn't see the point.
My parents seem to be phone and meet people. What I mean by that is that they seem to prefer phone calls and meeting in person to email or anything socially networky. Communication via email, chat or whatever else there is on the web is a very unnatural means of communication for them.
My father does have an email address - he has two actually, but I'm not sure if he's ever used the second one -, my mother has none. Sometimes I sent them little mails with links or just a short message about what I have been up to. I've learned that they don't regularly check their mail, so whenever I sent something I am well aware that it could be a week or so before they actually read it.
What I wasn't aware of was that the emotional reasons for the phone versus email thing would be so different from what I would have expected.
I don't particular enjoy phone calls. I don't know what it is exactly, but I don't specifically like to be called or to call someone. That is not to say that I hate it with a passion, it's just that I don't enjoy it. I can enjoy a specific phone call and I don't despise you for calling me. But I am not someone who calls someone up just to talk (except for my husband, my parents and my grandmother). In fact, I don't even have a mailbox because I don't want people to be able to leave me messages making me feel forced to call them back. Ugh. Never.
When I want to just say hello, how are you, what have you been up to, I would probably write a mail. Or post something on Facebook. Or whatever. For me that's saying: "Hello, thought it was time to say hi again. Nothing urgent. Let's get in touch. How are you? Reply when you find the time. Thanks. Bye."
I thought that was the normal conception: Phone is immediate. Talk to me now. I called you. Pick up. Email is relaxed. Just thought I'd say hi. Don't hurry. No rush.
For my parents somehow the emotion is reversed. When they get an email they feel pressured. They think they are somehow required to reply with a carefully put together mail. They feel like it's something at least partly official or at least formal. Especially my mother, who still needs a lot of time typing, feels pushed into doing something that she doesn't really like to do. An email, for her, is time-consuming as well. Not quite the five minutes I take to write a quick reply.
There was no special point to the discussion, but it was interesting to hear such a completely different take on way to communicate than what I feel myself. I'm not saying either of us is right or wrong. We're both right, because it's just a personal experience and preference of how to communicate with other people. I tried at least to make my parents understand that I was pretty sure that when someone was sending them an email it wasn't meant to make them feel pressured for a response, probably rather the opposite.
I'm calling this the technology gap because I'm pretty sure that it's not a generation gap. I know a lot of geeky people on the internet who are as old or older than my parents and who probably use the internet as well and heftily or even more so than I do. And I'm bad. I think it's a technology gap. It's a question of interest and whether you feel comfortable with delayed and somehow removed communication or if you prefer talking to someone directly. The gap will probably get closer but I'm not sure if it will go away completely. It's probably a good thing if it doesn't.
At least now I know a little bit more about what my parents think about communication and it actually really helps to know why they feel the way they do and why I shouldn't expect my mother to write me a mail. It's okay. I can call.
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One other thing: My mother now has an Android phone and while she's not thrilled with the touchscreen ("I always touch something that I didn't intend to touch"), she said that she planned on keeping it. She even signs up for a limited data plan whenever they're not at home to be able to access the internet when she needs to. So I'm curious to see how that works out for her.
And another thing: I'm apparently not alone in this. I once read a blog post somewhere (I really don't remember where) on the web, comparing phone calls to someone just walking into your living room and expecting you to interrupt whatever it was you were doing and TALK TO THEM NOW! And I was thinking, YES, YES! That's exactly it. I guess I am just not really a phone person.
This is the original quote and below are two links (one to the quote source and one to an article of someone who shares the feeling). Enjoy.
I am one of those people. But let me explain something to you. The telephone was an aberration in human development. It was a 70 year or so period where for some reason humans decided it was socially acceptable to ring a loud bell in someone else’s life and they were expected to come running, like dogs. This was the equivalent of thinking it was okay to walk into someone’s living room and start shouting. it was never okay. It’s less okay now. Telephone calls are rude. They are interruptive. Technology has solved this brief aberration in human behavior. We have a thing now called THE TEXT MESSAGE. It is magical, non-intrusive, optional, and, just like human speech originally was meant to be, is turn based and two way. You talk. I talk next. Then you talk. And we do it when it’s convenient for both of us.
Anne wrote this on 
