A protein shaker can mix more than protein

My protein shaker has become one of my most used kitchen tools.

Just because it’s made for protein, it doesn’t mean it can’t be used to shake other things. Pretty obvious, right?

Not only do you use a single tool for mixing and dispensing, but it’s also a ready storage container, should you need it.

Since this epiphany, I never use anything but my shaker for making pancake batter and scrambled eggs.

BBC is telling me to download their stuff illegally

I just received a DVD box set of “In the Night Garden”, which I ordered for my little boy.

All the other parents are downloading it for free, but for some strange reason I decided to actually buy this BBC Children’s production.

So how does BBC thank me for paying for their product, instead of “stealing” it?

Do they thank me? No!

Instead I must suffer through an intro text “WARNING! COPYRIGHT NOTICE!” etc, with the silent implication that they expect whoever buys their product to be up to no good.

Do I get instant and easy access to the content? Hell, no!

I have to sit through their horrendous mix of trailers promoting their other productions.

With this spectacularly awful customer experience, BBC are sending me a one-word message: Download!

Unsubscribe email rule

Yesterday I set a new rule in my email application.

Any email containing the word unsubscribe is marked red.

That way I know what action is required. It takes a second or two to determine whether this is something  I want to continue receiving, and the answer is usually no. I search for the text unsubscribe, I click the unsubscribe link, and I’m done with it.

There are other ways to do it but this is a drop-dead simple way to combine automation with manual review and high efficiency.

 

Fit Forever by Dolph Lundgren – Review

Fit Forever is the fitness book (for lack of a better term) by action star Dolph Lundgren.

The book is both a training manual and a biography, where the open and self-disclosing stories of his life serve as both a relevant background as well as a motivation to the workout routines.

As far as the physical part goes, it’s pretty much what can be expected. Some general personal advice and examples, some workout programs and some nutritional tips.

What sets the book apart from many others like it, is that it doesn’t assume that the reader will be able to rearrange his life to completely and live by the book’s gospel. It rather tells of how to keep the best routine you can while dealing with all the distractions and intrusions of a busy life.

So my favorite part of the book is the No Excuses workout program. It’s a short intense workout that requires no training tools, and is designed to be performed when you don’t have time to go to the gym. 15 exercises for the whole body in 15 minutes including warm-up. According to Dolph these aren’t just a bunch of standard exercises for the whole body, but an ultimate combo that he has experimented with and worked hard to perfect over many years to get maximum results.

I perform the No Excuses workout several times a week, usually at 6.30 in the morning while my 11-month-old son sits next to me on the floor raking though his toys, enjoying a fresh diaper.

At the time of this writing the book is only available in Swedish, but an international edition is expected in 2012.

Simple calculation of what your time is worth

Most people don’t seem to value their time in money, which is weird since having a job means trading time for money.

The monetary value of your time is pretty easy to calculate.

( monthly income after taxes) /  (average work hours per month) = your value of an hour

You simply divide your monthly income after taxes by your average work hours per month, which gives you how much you bring in per worked hour.

That is the price at which you sell your average hour. So, you should buy your hours at the same or preferably a lower price.

Some example calculations at $20/hour:

• Paying $100 extra on an airplane ticket that means a 7 hours shorter flight – $40 gain.
• Paying $20 for a cab ride when the walk is 30 minutes – $10 loss. (If the circumstances make the cab ride a safer option is a factor not taken into account here.)
• Saving $800 on a cheaper computer that means 100 hours of extra maintenance, slower work, lost work etc. over time – $1200 loss.

Pretty simple, right?

Bear in mind though that this calculation is for assessing time that is lost or gained. Quality of life and time is an entirely different matter, for which I have no formulas.

Three phrases that disqualify you for user experience decisions

If you’ve ever uttered any of these phrases, you are the kind of person that should never ever under any circumstances make any decision regarding user experience, for as long as you live.

“Is it really that difficult to…”

“My users are smart, they don’t need to…”

“Surely people can can figure out how to…”

Decisions per minute during a meeting.

A (not scientifically substantiated) graph of how the speed of decision making increases during a typical meeting.

Never answer the same telemarketer twice

A drop dead simple lifehack for never answering a telemarketer twice, which I’ve been using for years.

• Create a contact named Telemarketer in your phone.
• Get a call from a telemarketer, and you more ore less politely tell him or her that you are not interested in buying anything.
• Every time a new telemarketer calls you, you add their number to that contact.

So if a telemarketer calls from the same number again, it shows up at Telemarketer and you simply don’t answer.

If you like, you may also set a custom ringtone for that contact.

Simple and works on most phones.

The icon of the nasty green telemarketer is by Michael Gullbrandson  and is used by permission.

Take your presentation to the next level

Here are some ideas for those of you who feel you are decently experienced with giving presentations, and want some tips on how to take it to the next level, whether you use Keynote, Impress or Powerpoint.

This not about general presentation tips. There are plenty of those on the web, just google.

Rehearse your presentation at the exact location you will be giving it

This is a good technique for any kind of performance. If you rehearse on the stage, you can find and deal with certain problems beforehand. Maybe you need an extension cord to stand where you planned, maybe the WiFi login is cumbersome, maybe you need an extra stage light to show something on the stage.

Also you can be prepared for things that would otherwise have distracted you during your presentation. Maybe there’s an odd echo in the room, or maybe it’s really easy to stumble when stepping onto the stage.

Present on a second screen and utilize “presenter’s view”

This is maybe the most underestimated and overlooked feature of Keynote and Powerpoint. The presenter’s view is a dashboard on the presenter’s screen while the presentation runs on another. It provides much more control, since you can see the next slides, see notes you made for the current slide, and jump directly to any slide without flickering through the ones in between.

If you know exactly what’s next, you can talk your way into the next slide.  Otherwise you tend to look at the screen and go “Err right…next I’m gonna talk about…”

Also there’s no reason to show your desktop. As soon as people see someone else’s desktop, they get curious and try to draw conclusions as to who they think that person is. Imagine how people can judge you, before your presentation even begins, by:

• What files and folders are on your desktop
• If you charged your battery sufficiently.
• How well organized you are when finding your presentation documents.
• Any alerts on new instant messages or email, or old virus definitions.

Using a second screen takes a bit of getting used to, if you haven’t done it before. Practice beforehand and play around with the settings.

Change slide if you have a discussion on a different topic

The current side should always reflect what you are talking about. It should frame the topic. If you’re talking about agricultural irrigation and the discussion strays to insurance fraud, don’t let the slide about agricultural irrigation stay on.

If your questions refer to an earlier slide, put that slide on.

You can obviously not have a slide for every conceivable topic that might come up, but you can have a neutral slide, preferably an empty slide with the title of the presentation.

And with the use of Presenter’s View, slide switching is a cakewalk.

Use an intro slide

An intro slide is great for presentations when people are walking in. By showing the intro of the presentation, usually title and your name, people who walk in can immediately see that they’re in the right place. You also project that you have taken command of the stage and are waiting for the audience to sit down.

Play some music before the presentation

If music is playing while an intro slide is on you give the feeling of a well planned event. And if you have a shy (Nordic) crowd, it’s easier for them to chitchat and get comfortable under cover of music, instead of an absolute silence.

Stopping the music also makes a great cue for people that the presentation is beginning and it’s time to turn their attention to the stage.

Don’t play your favorite music! Play something neutral, not too upbeat, not too loud. The music is should create a setting for the presentation, not promote your favorite band. Or, good grief, your own band…

And only do this when there are decent speakers available. Music out of computer speakers only gets irritating.

Enough already with the successful attempts

I think it’s time stop using the words successful and attempt, when referring to mundane everyday tasks.

It’s standard lingo for interface dialogues saying things like Attempting to log in, Login successful.

To attempt something, is to perform a task with a substantial probability of failing.

You attempt starting a new business, climbing a mountain or hitting the waste basket from across the room.

You don’t attempt pouring coffee, unlocking a door or ordering pizza, those are things you just do. In the unlikely and rare event that you do fail, so be it. It may fail but it’s never expected.

Attempting an everyday task, to me signals extremely low expectations and ambition.

When you are successful in something it usually means that there is some level of achievement.

You can be successful in starting a new business, climbing a mountain or hitting the waste basked from across the room.

You can’t really be successful in pouring coffee, unlocking a door or ordering pizza. Those are things you just do.

It’s even more obvious in the full sentences “I attempted starting a new business and was successful.” versus “I attempted pouring a cup of coffee and was successful”.

If your waiter said “I will attempt to place you order with the kitchen, Sir” and then came back very excited saying “I succeeded!” Wouldn’t you start to wonder about the quality of the food? I’d probably reply “I will attempt to give a tip, let’s hope I’m successful.”

When using words like attempt and successful in this manner you are sending a subconscious signal to the user that the system is poor and unreliable and that even the simplest tasks are difficult and often fail.

Just say “Logging in” and “Logged in”. That’s it.

Unsuccessful attempt to get some coffee.