A great guide from Leo Babauta to start of year 2012. Instead of coming up with resolutions that may not last, consider starting smaller and just try creating a new habit.
Success is determined by what you do between 8pm and 10pm. Is that true?
October 2nd, 2011 by joel 1 comment »
Saw this quote recently (translated from Chinese):
“The difference in people lies in how they use spare time, and a person’s fate is determined by how he/she uses the 2 hours between 8pm and 10pm. By spending those two hours reading, studying, thinking or engaging in meaningful discussions, you will see a change in life; persist for several years and success will be waving at you.”
The above quote is just a metaphor. While those two hours alone do not determine one’s success, they probably show one’s competitiveness. There are people who sits in front of a TV or computer not doing much after work, and there are some who make use of those same two hours to think and learn while still getting plenty of rest. During the weekends they exercise and also read a bit at the library.
I am convinced that over time, the latter group will do better at work and lead a brighter life, and people with a learning habit will come ahead of others. Start planning your evening hours today!
(Photo credit: desierk)
Twitter is a good personal learning tool
September 25th, 2011 by joel No comments »
You may have tried to establish yourself on micro-blogs – Twitter, Weibo and the like – and are giving up. Well don’t give up just yet!
Micro-blogging is a relatively new concept, and is one that many people don’t get. I think of micro-blogs as parties where you share tidbits of information about things that interests you, and in return you receive tidbits of information on things you may want to know more about.
The use for Twitter is endless and depends on your creativity. It can be your daily news source, your job search tool, and even your daily dose of inspiration and motivation.
It may appear that a lot of tweets (Twitter posts) are about what people had for lunch, but that is not all Twitter is about. If you follow a bunch of people and that’s all they share, chances are you have followed the wrong people.
Follow people who you can learn from and be inspired by, and who you may be able to help. Social media is about giving and helping and learning from others.
Ask questions that leads to thought-provoking conversations. When you see a tweet that interests you, retweet it to share with others. If someone inspires you, let them know by sending them a tweet. Your retweets will catch the eyes of others and soon you will become part of a community with similar interest in the topic.
Make friends, learn, inspire others, and be inspired. Enjoy the ride and have fun!
(Photo credit: fumi)
A Trip In The Wayback Machine
September 22nd, 2011 by joel No comments »Do you remember the first web site you have ever read? Back in 1996, Internet Archive, a U.S. non-profit organization, has silently flipped on the “The Wayback Machine“…
Today, fifteen years later, the Wayback Machine has become a massive online archive that lets us see how major web sites looked like over the years (click on thumbnails to enlarge):
Yahoo.com in 1996. With today’s download speed, it should only take split-second to load, right?
Yahoo.com in 2000 was already a news portal and comprehensive online directory.
MSN.com had only a few links back in 1996.
In 2000 it has become a news & lifestyle information portal.
And how can we forget Google! This was 1998.
Netvigator.com, the portal of my ISP. I frequented this site when I got my first computer in 1996. It was also my lab as I spent a lot of time reverse-engineering this site to teach myself web design.
My first web site was hosted at Geocities, but sadly it wasn’t popular enough to be archived by the Wayback Machine. I probably deserved this as I only had my name, age and gender listed on the site. Nothing to call home about!
From simple websites in the 90′s to informaton portal in the early 2000′s, to the rise of social networking sites and e-Commerce in the mid- to late- 2000′s, to all these mobile apps we are using nowadays. The result of such giant leaps in technological developments is breath-taking.
Try looking up your favorite web site on The Wayback Machine. You will be surprised.
常用流行手機 防勞損運動（下）
March 20th, 2011 by joel No comments »(星島日報報道) 上期示範如何進行手部伸展運動，預防可能因重複使用觸碰式手機和平板電腦而出現的筋腱勞損。今期繼續由香港物理治療學會會長潘綺紅指導，示範肩頸伸展運動，預防因姿勢不良而出現的疲累感覺。
正用三大貼士
- 避免長時間低頭使用電話或平板電腦，手肘可向上屈曲，讓視線與熒幕成直角。
- 腰背挺直，避免引致腰背疼痛。
- 連續使用電話或平板電腦十分鐘便應稍作休息，避免長時間使用。
肩頸伸展運動
功效：有助保持肌肉柔軟性，亦有助紓緩肌肉疲勞，減低受傷機會。
- 將雙手放在背後。
- 肩膀盡量向後伸展，維持動作約十秒後放鬆，再重複以上動作三至五次。
註：《自療運動》逢周四刊登，下期示範適合糖尿病 患者的體重控制運動，當然一般人也可一同練習。
（自療運動）
常用流行手機 防勞損運動（上）
March 20th, 2011 by joel No comments »(星島日報報道) 觸碰式手機和平板電腦大行其道，不少人無論乘車、吃飯時，也會在熒幕上「左推右撥」，令手指經常作重複性動作，因而易致勞損。有見及此，香港物理治療學會會長潘綺紅，於今期特指導大家，可於平日練習的簡單手指伸展運動，以預防手部筋腱勞損。
舒展手指及掌心
- 雙手合上，兩掌緊貼。
- 將手心和手肘向外伸展，以牽引手指，維持動作約十秒後放鬆，重複以上動作三至五次。
伸展虎口與拇指
- 張開雙手虎口，拇指頭互貼，食指頭互貼。
- 拇指和食指互壓，伸展虎口位置，維持動作十秒後放鬆，重複以上動作三至五次。
註：《自療運動》逢周四刊登，下期繼續示範相關的伸展運動，預防因經常使用流行觸碰式手機或平板電腦而出現的勞損。
功效：以上手指運動均有助保持肌肉柔韌性，使肌肉對即將進行的重複性動作有充足準備，以及紓緩肌肉疲勞，減低受傷機會。
