When I started reading Deep Work [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1455586692/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1455586692&linkCode=as2&tag=four0b-20&linkId=I3V4JG7WNWFHSQC5] , I first started to read it on my iPad. The reading experience on the iPad is okay, but I was having a hard time focusing on reading the book for very long because of the screen brightness. Turning it down or turning on the new night shift mode (to be released in the next version of iOS) helped a...
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iPad As New Literacy
> Anything that is truly new must feel unfamiliar; if it doesn’t feel unfamiliar it is not truly new. Merlin Mann, Back to Work Podcast 259 [http://5by5.tv/b2w/259] Merlin and Dan had an interesting conversation about a problem I have been struggling with: how much time do you allow children to use an iPad?1 My daughter, Kylie, makes good use of my iPad, almost more than I do. The main app she uses is Netflix, because it allows her greater freedom to pause a show or to select a show based on...
It’s All Coming Together Now - Mindfulness, Focus, and Deep Work
> Discipline means getting into what is happening. That is just saying that you have to involve yourself in the situations you encounter in life. We have to go through the process of being part of a situation; otherwise we will not be exposed to this richness. In order to see the delight in a situation, we have to become involved in it. We have to really feel it; we have to touch the whole texture of the complete situation. Then we will be able to relate properly with the actual work involve...
Turning 6 Years Old
> She leaves a lasting impression on their lives in that short amount of time like she has done with me on a nearly daily basis the past five years. I could not be happier and prouder. Happy 5th birthday, Kylie [https://www.foursides.ca/Number-5/] The fifth year of a person’s life seems to be a big turning point. More independent, able to make better choices, and a young personality starts to really shine through. The base of a personality always seems to be there from a very young age wh...
The Journey of 2015
> Do not think “I’ll go as I please!” when taking a journey. Rather, think, “I may have some problems.” and you’ll be free as a bird. — Yasumi Roan I finished reading Walking the Kiso Road [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1611801257/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1611801257&linkCode=as2&tag=four0b-20&linkId=EVRYLKREUDNV5VXD] by William Scott Wilson this morning. It is his personal guide to walking along this ancient road in central Japan, telling stories...
Frosty Weather
After how pleased I was with my Line of Trade canvas bag [https://medium.com/@four_sides/line-of-trade-briefcase-9a16af24032f#.pio27yqo8] that arrived last month, I decided to continue on with Bespoke Post [https://bespokepost.com/r/04a5a099]1 to see what the next offerings would be. I settled on ordering their Frost box and it arrived a few days ago. I was quite excited to open it up because the feature item was a pair of lambskin leather gloves from Gilded Age. Simply put: these gloves are a...
36 - What Took You So Long
> There have only been roughly 18,000 players in the history of Major League Baseball. How many out of that number have played in a playoff game? One third maybe? I’ve played over 1,400 games, and that was my first playoff series. Out of those 6,000 or so, how many players have been lucky enough to be in a position to change the outcome of a playoff series with one swing? Maybe 10 percent? And how many have succeeded? None of this math was going through my head when I was standing at the plate....
Fifty Thousand Words
> I’ve known about NaNoWriMo for years, but the thing is: 50,000. That’s a big number, like almost an insurmountable number. I’ve never felt like I wanted to participate, but I always was impressed with those who did manage to at least try. So this year I am going to do it. But I’m not writing a novel. Ben Brooks [https://brooksreview.net/2015/11/fifty-thousand/], My NaNoWriMo Challenge When I mentioned earlier [https://www.foursides.ca/i-made-a-thing] that I was considering taking up the N...
Dispatch
Starting a bit of a social experiment: publishing smaller pieces to Medium and working on lengthier pieces here. First one was published, Dispatch [https://medium.com/@four_sides/dispatch-fc586deb2b62#.s7dxq2i04]: > I thought it fitting that the word dispatch has multiple meanings that can tie into Hume and my own exploratory writings. The definition of the word can mean a short message sent quickly, or the dismissal or rejection of something. Two things that I hope to accomplish with writing...
Ego And Work
> If there is that kind of communication going on between yourself and the object, then ego doesn’t get a chance to digest anything; it doesn’t get a report back from you and your work. When your work becomes natural and spontaneous communication, ego doesn’t get a chance to act as a middle man. Generally what happens, however, is that ego has messengers that bring information back to its switchboard. Then ego accepts or rejects. Everything depends on the pleasure of ego. On the other hand, if y...
