Sun, 01 Jan 2012

Things I wonder about

OMG Facts cited this study of why strings like your headphones get tied into knots in your pocket. It's one of those things that I have always wondered about. Why, when you put away the Christmas lights neatly at the end of the season do they come out of the box next season all tied into knots. Well, someone has obviously too much time on their hands and actually performed a scientific study to give us the answer. I didn't read the entire study -- I don't have that sort of free time, but, they performed 3,415 trials to answer this question. As it turns out

It is well known that a jostled string tends to become knotted; yet the factors governing the “spontaneous” formation of various knots are unclear. We performed experiments in which a string was tumbled inside a box and found that complex knots often form within seconds. We used mathematical knot theory to analyze the knots. Above a critical string length, the probability P of knotting at first increased sharply with length but then saturated below 100%. This behavior differs from that of mathematical self-avoiding random walks, where P has been proven to approach 100%. Finite agitation time and jamming of the string due to its stiffness result in lower probability, but P approaches 100% with long, flexible strings.

I'm not certain what a selfpavoiding random walks are, but your headphones are long, flexible strings. Now if they could just study Breedlove's law of plugs which states

A plug will always plug into the socket in the opposite direction that it naturally lays.

posted 08:43 [/SimpleThings] permanent link

Tue, 07 Sep 2010

Thirteen Things Your Burglar Won't Tell You

I normally don't forward these sorts of e-mails, but I found this one very interesting. Common sense applied in a vigorous way.

1. Of course I look familiar. I was here just last week cleaning your carpets, painting your shutters, or delivering your new refrigerator.
2. Hey, thanks for letting me use the bathroom when I was working in your yard last week. While I was in there, I unlatched the back window to make my return a little easier.
3. Love those flowers. That tells me you have taste... and taste means there are nice things inside. Those yard toys your kids leave out always make me wonder what type of gaming system they have.
4. Yes, I really do look for newspapers piled up on the driveway. And I might leave a pizza flyer in your front door to see how long it takes you to remove it..
5. If it snows while you're out of town, get a neighbor to create car and foot tracks into the house. Virgin drifts in the driveway are a dead giveaway.
6. If decorative glass is part of your front entrance, don't let your alarm company install the control pad where I can see if it's set. That makes it too easy.
7. A good security company alarms the window over the sink. And the windows on the second floor, which often access the master bedroom - and your jewelry. It's not a bad idea to put motion detectors up there too.
8. It's raining, you're fumbling with your umbrella, and you forget to lock your door - understandable. But understand this: I don't take a day off because of bad weather.
9. I always knock first. If you answer, I'll ask for directions somewhere or offer to clean your gutters. (Don't take me up on it.)
10. Do you really think I won't look in your sock drawer? I always check dresser drawers, the bedside table, and the medicine cabinet.
11. Here's a helpful hint: I almost never go into kids' rooms.
12. You're right: I won't have enough time to break into that safe where you keep your valuables. But if it's not bolted down, I'll take it with me.
13. A loud TV or radio can be a better deterrent than the best alarm system .
    

8 More Things A Burglar Won't Tell You:

1. Sometimes, I carry a clipboard. Sometimes, I dress like a lawn guy and carry a rake. I do my best to never, ever look like a crook.
2. The two things I hate most: loud dogs and nosy neighbors.
3. I'll break a window to get in, even if it makes a little noise. If your neighbor hears one loud sound, he'll stop what he's doing and wait to hear it again.. If he doesn't hear it again, he'll just go back to what he was doing. It's human nature.
4. I'm not complaining, but why would you pay all that money for a fancy alarm system and leave your house without setting it?
5. I love looking in your windows. I'm looking for signs that you're home, and for flat screen TVs or gaming systems I'd like. I'll drive or walk through your neighborhood at night, before you close the blinds, just to pick my targets.
6. Avoid announcing your vacation on your Facebook page. It's easier than you think to look up your address.
7. To you, leaving that window open just a crack during the day is a way to let in a little fresh air. To me, it's an invitation.
8. If you don't answer when I knock, I try the door. Occasionally, I hit the jackpot and walk right in.

posted 08:12 [/SimpleThings] permanent link

Sun, 21 Feb 2010

Task lists are pockets, not attics . . .

Take a look here -- quoting:

. . . our inbox/outbox trays (physical or digital) are not filing cabinets. The idea is that data goes in one tray, and out the other, and the goal is to keep both trays empty (meaning you’ve processed the data as it came in, and then shipped it on its way once you’ve finished with it).

It's frustrating when a supervisor, co-worker, business associate does this. You send an e-mail requesting information or action and later, follow up on it, only to find that they have missed it in the thousands that they have in their in box. I just can't work that way.

The first thing I do in the morning is "morning review". I go through my inbox and quickly go through my e-mail to categorize it, create tasks from it, and move it out of the way into the appropriate folders. It takes about 15 minutes maximum and makes sure that new e-mails are noticed when they arrive. Throughout the day, I try to mark and organize my e-mails to keep the inbox as empty as I can.

One other trick is the answer simple e-mails. Often, it is easier to quickly reply to an e-mail when I have the knowledge at my fingertips than to move it around, file it and, later, come back to it.

This helps me. Perhaps I'm just not a multi-tasker, but it works to keep me organized and working toward what is needful.

posted 09:29 [/SimpleThings] permanent link

Thu, 26 Nov 2009

We are blessed. . .

This month, we lost a blessing in our family. Yaya (grandmother) passed away. She went to sleep and never woke up. Yaya was the only grandparent my children knew. She lived with us and we were blessed by it. As God reviewed the movie of her life, I'm sure he said, "Well done good and faithful servant!" (Matthew 25:21)

posted 10:35 [/SimpleThings] permanent link

Sun, 22 Nov 2009

Willing to be Changed . . .

You are only really listening when you are willing to be changed by what you hear.

I heard this statement in an interview with Alan Alda, the actor, and it has stuck with me. I think, all too often, people come into a conversation with their minds made up and nothing which is said will change that. In that case, they don't really listen to the other person, but are preparing what they are going to say, regardless of the thoughts of the other. It is pervasive, parents and children, teachers and students, politicians and their constituents, ambassador and rulers, . . ., and it's leading to a world where no one is willing to compromise. The change you are willing to make doesn't have to be large. You don't have to give up your principles. Any little change you make or are willing to make brings you closer to understanding what the other person is saying.

So, the next time you go into a conversation, really listen and prepare to be changed . . .

posted 09:25 [/SimpleThings] permanent link

Thu, 10 Sep 2009

Simple Things: I am blessed

I sound like one of those inspirational speakers when I write it, but I am. It's one of the basic things that I have to keep in mind when I deal with the world.

posted 06:52 [/SimpleThings] permanent link

Mon, 07 Sep 2009

Simple Things . . .

. . . can change the world.

Do you get discouraged when you see the state of the world? Remember that simple things can change it, one thing at a time.

Model the behavior you'd like to receive from others.

. . . It's a powerful thing.

posted 14:05 [/SimpleThings] permanent link