When I was younger, one of my favorite websites to waste time on was Lifehacker’s “This is How I Work.” Even now, searching for that link, I am starting to get sidetracked looking at all the great authors and what type of laptop they use. I am pulled by the notion of, “if I just… Continue reading Mastery
Category: improvement
Continuous Process Improvement (CPI)
Remember when you were a kid and your dad used the same sayings or lectures or aphorisms over and over again? One phrase my dad used was, “Always improve your foxhole.” He is a former Marine and that was a phrase they used to remind themselves to continue to improve their defensive fighting position. Things… Continue reading Continuous Process Improvement (CPI)
Caveat emptor
When I was a kid, I watched G.I. Joe, Thundercats, Skyhawks, and played out in the woods behind my house. On weekends, my dad and I would often go on short trips together, sometimes collecting soda cans for the recycling money. During these car rides, my dad would impress upon me two things: don’t use… Continue reading Caveat emptor
Habits
In September I finished reading Atomic Habits by James Clear. I had been reading his blog posts for some time and find it laudable that he includes weight training into his annual assessment. Part of the title of the book (the supra-title?) is “Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results” which sums up the chapters nicely. The point… Continue reading Habits
Toastmasters
I officially joined Toastmasters International back in December. I first heard about the speech-giving organization seventeen years ago and it was recommended to me again a few years ago to improve my speaking ability. My natural approach ranges from silence to curt-monotone to brief-direct-scowl, so I am embracing this opportunity to learn some vocal and… Continue reading Toastmasters
Networking from home
As many other people around the country are experiencing, I am teleworking and my kids are teleschooling. This means that in between Microsoft Teams calls and teleconferences I get to play IT helpdesk and system administrator. Unfortunately my home only has one operating coaxial connection (no thank you splitters!) so I purchased the TP Link… Continue reading Networking from home
Touchpad
If you have a touchpad on your laptop and use Ubuntu, this is how you can disable the device. I keep bumping the trackpad and moving my cursor or paging up or down. No longer.
Work
I recently had a discussion with another officer about the value of work and the hours we spend in the office. This is relevant now as we spend most of our time working from home and finding balance between the activities done at work, those done at home, and the driving in between. The main… Continue reading Work
WFH
Since most if not all of us have been working from home, here are several more working from home resources you might find helpful. Stimulus check calculator: Washington Post & Go Curry Cracker Plex Live TV Plex coloring book (it’s fun for adults too!) MITRE updates and a white paper NPR Kids comic Frugalwoods reader… Continue reading WFH
Python
My first exposure to programming was, of course, using BASIC on my DOS 6.22 machine in 1995. Then I played around with C from a book my friend bought me. My last two years of high school found me learning the fundamentals of C++, but I didn’t get much further than simple if-else functions. This… Continue reading Python