I have a theory that computers can simulate creative art with a few general art rules and some randomness. When you create an image that nobody has ever seen before, you create art. But good artwork is also bounded by certain rules of design and application of art theory. The painter assesses the balance […]
General
Don’t Become a Digital Hoarder
Everything on your computer is a metaphor for something that exists in real life. If you can be a hoarder in real life, you can also be a hoarder in the digital world of your computer and the Internet. On second thought, if you are a hoarder in real life, you’re probably also a […]
Smartphones Are Killing off These Technologies
Calculators killed slide rules. Word processors killed typewriters. Automobiles killed the horse and buggy. CDs killed cassette tapes. DVDs killed VHS tapes. Streaming killed both CDs and DVDs. Technology marches on. We are always building upon past advances in technology to create new technology. New technology is always replacing old technology. As humans, we […]
Starcraft: How to Have Fun and Mess with People
I have never been a competitive person. When I play games, including sports, my main purpose is to have fun, not to win. That has always put me at a disadvantage when playing games against more competitive personalities. But I don’t care. Especially in those anonymous online games, I love coming up with weird […]
Become Perfect This Year
The battlefield at Manassas New Year’s resolutions don’t stick because people are not proactive by nature. It’s something that takes work and motivation. Individuals who aren’t proactive tend to follow the path of least resistance. They do nothing until necessary. So how can you be proactive and make your resolutions stick? Drop the usual excuses. No time? […]
How to Become a Millionaire This Year
There is at least one habit all successful people have in common. They are all avid learners. They are not necessarily traditionally educated, and they don’t necessarily read books to learn, but they all make learning a priority. The easiest way to learn is to develop a habit of reading. Read every day. Read […]
Ideas: Carbon Monoxide Detectors in Cars
What happened to a family in New Jersey after a blizzard was heartbreaking. A couple and their two children, ages 1 and 3, were trying to stay warm. The mom and the children stayed in the car with the engine running while the dad cleared snow outside. Nobody realized that the tailpipe was clogged with […]
How to Rescue Accidentally Deleted Pictures from Your Camera
This post was originally published on January 2, 2008, but is still useful and relevant today: We had a little get-together on New Year’s Eve to celebrate the coming of 2008. Naturally, we wanted to take some pictures, so we brought out the new Canon Powershot SD850 IS we got for Christmas and snapped a […]
This Is How You Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions
The reason why most New Year’s resolutions fail is that the task is too big. Most people make big resolutions. They don’t make small ones that might seem too easy or insignificant. I want to lose 100 pounds this year. I want to run a marathon this year. I want to make an extra […]
No Time to Exercise? Try This.
The top excuse people have for not exercising is that they don’t have enough time. I call bullshit. Everyone has the same 24 hours. The vast majority of people have the free will to decide how they spend those 24 hours. Now there is ample research concluding that you only need a minimum of 4 minutes […]