Letters Remain

Category: personal-development

  • Making a Significant Contribution

    Why do so few scientists make significant contributions and so many are forgotten in the long run? That was the question the noted mathematician and computer scientist Richard Hamming (he of Hamming Codes fame) asked and tried to answer in a talk he gave at Bell Labs in 1986. However his educational and inspiring talk,…

  • The Cult of Done

    The Cult of Done Manifesto is a compelling list of ‘rules’ for getting things done. I think the premise of The Cult of Done is: to do; to be unconcerned with failure; to learn from outcomes, be they good or bad. I particularly like the Rubix Cube manifesto poster. There are three states of being. Not knowing, action and…

  • What Should I Do With My Life?

    In a follow-up to his previous article on the same subject, Po Bonson asks, ‘What should I do with my life, now?’ Don’t tell me you don’t know what you want from your life. Don’t ever say that, don’t ever fool yourself into that stupor. Of course you know what you want — you know the feeling you…

  • Complex Concepts, Explained Better

    “Learn Right, Not Rote” is the tag line for Better Explained; a site explaining concepts in mathematics and programming intuitively in order to make learning easy and—God forbid—fun! For example, the explanation of natural log is excellent. via SMBC

  • Underschedule and Make Your Free Time Count

    If you underschedule you achieve time affluence, the ability (time) to master something you are not required to, and the freedom to expose yourself to ‘positive randomness’ (unexpected opportunities). Cal Newport then goes on to suggest simple but effective advice on how to make your (newfound) free time count (I paraphrase and generalise): Once a week do each of…

  • Daily Routines

    Like many others I’ve recently been captivated by the Daily Routines blog—a look at the everyday customs of a variety of successful people. A common motif is that the majority of these people wake early and look after their bodies (typically through exercise); though I feel these recurring elements are common because of something else:…

  • Work on Stuff that Matters

    Tim O’Reilly, founder of O’Reilly Media, implores business owners (and everyone else) not to follow the money, but to ‘work on stuff that matters’ by following these three principles: Work on something that matters to you more than money Create more value than you capture Take the long view I want to make clear that…

  • Rules for My Unborn Son

    Like David, I don’t think all of the rules for my unborn son are necessarily ‘good’, but if he followed them all I’d still be happy. 300: Surprise your dad at the office. Trust me, whatever I’m doing is not as important as you. via Link Banana

  • Your Personal Love–Growth–Cash Triangles

    Personal love–growth–cash triangles: a visual method for evaluating your life, your career, and everything in between. “If you have a shit job, come up with new ways to learn something out of it. If you have a hobby you’re super-excited about, try to turn it into a business. If you’re just starting a new gig,…

  • DIY Home Improvement Tips

    I suck at DIY: when it comes to manual labour common sense eludes me like originality to a James Bond script. Maybe with the help of DoItYourself.com, a website packed full of useful information on skills I really should know, this will change.