cobweb

It's very easy though to procrastinate when in 'command' of a web browser.

Removing the device removes the temptation.

Typically I can be in the middle of something else, sit down in front of the laptop to quickly check the news or something, and end up walking away from it a few hours later. It's very easy to get sucked in. I guess I'm weak minded.

I can easily go a bit tab mad. And noticed this in myself ages ago. At work I vowed not to look at sites that weren't work related. And instead checked personal email/sites before or after work. I was more organised. I even used to sit on the train and plan my days work. And it paid off.

These days I'm more and more distracted, have issues concentrating, and I don't have a smartphone, which I'd probably gravitate towards. It is in part, why I don't own one.

I also have congnitive difficulty reading from the screen, so if I stumble across something I think is worth reading, I send it to my e-reader. There I have a ton of unread articles. But I do tend to do one at a time, and it sticks better.

The young ones seem to be able to happily multitask, they sit next to each other on the bus or in cafes talking and surfing simultaneously. I find multi-tasking increasingly difficult, they don't, what gives?

Quiet contemplation. That thing you used to do when you got an early night, that may have helped your brain get into order, or possibly aroused the senses, and led to panic.

My partner monopolises the main living space, and always switches the TV on. She's out with the tablet and surfing in seconds. I don't have a mobile internet device at hand. So it can feel lonely and desolate. Once I also pulled out my laptop alongside the telly. So do get it. It does feel rude if one sided. Especially when you are left watching some crap that you wouldn't put on yourself. I could fetch my book, but I find it difficult to read while the telly is on. One day I might challenge her to a conversation.

I enjoy space and silence. In the garden I can just stand and listen for an hour or so at a time. I'm almost completely vacant. It feels good, but I'm not sure if it is good for the brain.

The home vs shop bought items rings true. I can make a bean burger without much effort. And I have a good idea what went into it. But if I buy one, I'm not sure how old the ingredients are, how long they have been stored and what other processes those foods have been through.

I have gotten it into my head that these are pretty much low-nutrition non-foods, and as such, I only eat them on the rare occasion.

If I ever buy shop bought tomato pasta sauces, there is a flavour in most that repulses me. It's something I can't recreate with home cooking. So this post does make me think that it could be something like a flavour pack. I always thought it was a preservative.

Is this a U.S. thing? Is it the same in the U.K.?

Fibre is more than roughage, it helps nurture the microbiome.

That's a shame. I was wondering if I could use a Pi0 with an old USB camera as a cheap IPCam.

Configuration can be a pain. Sane defaults help and smart UIs help not to mention good documentation.

I've been playing with some software over the last week that has wiki for documentation and an active user forum with people willing to help. But it's completely disordered and incredibly hard to discover. Half the battle with usability is making it easy to use and understand.

That's what I do. Once to get rid of food debris. Then start with toothpaste. Then floss, rinse, and a quick brush again with toothpaste. But sadly too little too late with my teeth. They are screwed.

I rarely ate sweets as a child and avoid sugar. I rarely eat processed foods. Drink is another matter. I most likely have harmed my teeth from drinking beer/wine/smoothies and from being too rough when cleaning. I really miss my younger healthy teeth.

My teeth have felt horrible ever since they failed and were drilled and filled. And now bring me a lot of misery. Look after your teeth! Healthy teeth are incredibly attractive. IMHO.

I was excited to find your robot brick layer link, but it didn't look that great. There was still a chap doing some of the finishing work sitting alongside. I prefer the idea of programming the robots, leaving the site, and then returning to find your house complete! The 3d printing using concrete made more sense. http://www.theguardian.com/technology/video/2014/apr/29/3d-p...

Wood is a renewable and a carbon trap. On site, dirt is a good choice for a building material. You can also use it to bulk mass. You just need a digger and some grunt work. See building with rammed earth.

I've a friend who has just added to his 17th century thatched cottage with like materials: oak timber frame, timber cladding and wattle and daub, which is dirt and wood/hay/hair. It's lovely and solid. Sadly planning officials insisted on an over the top concrete foundation that negated all his hard work with his sympathetic build.

The wood is good!

A bit of web history, mention some static site generators, end by saying their tool is the babel fish of static site generation.

Cheers, I have tried that, it might suit a symmetrical keyboard a little better or a tenkeyless, but the keyboard feels a little low still. And slightly wrong. It's the pointer that's also a pain. I recline with a laptop on my lap and that's okayish as the touchpad is accessible, but still not great. Like you, I'm keyboard focused mainly, with the occasional use of the pointer. I don't have one place in the house which is particularly comfortable to use a PC at, and I'd need a new room for that chair! On my laptop I have the nipple in the middle, but it requires a bit too much stress for it to be comfortable. Otherwise that could be a great addition to any keyboard.

Could you repurpose a gaming chair?

I had such bad pains in my neck and shoulders that I had to lie down alot, and from that position I learnt how to touch type and use vim. I thought the position had some merit, and that a light recline might be good. About five years on and I still struggle sitting and typing on 'standard desks'. It just feels ergonomically wrong.

Yes but no but. Originally tlds had meaning but slowly became watered down for general purpose use.

Well that sounds better. But perhaps a poor choice of name. VisitorId might have been more appropriate.

Does she vocalise her deliberation? Or ask involve you in the opinion making?

I love to be made a drink. And love a surprise, partly because it saves me having to make a decision.

From my limited knowledge of BrowserId, it feels slightly wrong to me to place my identity in the web browser. What happens if someone borrows my PC, or I have multiple identitiesL This is still a bit of a 'mare for me when swapping between web browsers. Perhaps you should be able to hook an identity into any running app, via an identity manager/authentication agent.

Off topic:

Pocket turned up in my Firefox. I don't even know what it is, and why it's there. It weirdly replaced my Readability icon. (Goes off to read).

Okay so it's ReadItLater. Which I assume is something like Readability. Or is it bookmarking or shared bookmarking? What is it and why is it in Firefox?

Mozilla pared down their suite to a barebones browser. With the option of add-ons. Now it looks as if Firefox are adding services/features back in the browser. I think I'd prefer Mozilla work on a better bookmarking/history api.

And hopefully given a good API, I could drop in a provider that I could set up in any browser.

No it doesn't prove it, it was just a remark.

I wish there was a sandwich I'd like to eat, but there never is. Perhaps that's what it is. But yes I've been meaning to upgrade my laptop with an SSD for about a year, and still can't decide on size, make or model.

As a Brit, then yes I think most people would rather a renationalisation, even the Tories. But it's weirdly complex, because Network Rail is back under public ownership. So the infrastructure is backed and bailed out by the tax payer.

http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/aug/28/network-rail...

As a user it's a shambles. The network hit capacity back in the Blair years, and there has been a drive to get people off of trains as a result.

A little ingenuity wouldn't go amiss. Like cheap, and cheaper tickets for off peak travelling etc. I know using the trains on the Brighton main line, isn't much fun.

I remember hearing or reading an article that said that suggested that making a choice/decision was tiring, and it pays to save your strength for important choices. Rather than deliberate over which beverage you are going to drink in the morning. Similarly if you have a standard place for your wallet, watch and keys you can save brain time by not having to search for them.

And they have their own brands: a basic and a finest. Less choice may be a win for them.

Other companies swamp you with choice. Hotpoint washing machines come in loads of different forms. And I'm sure for most people, they don't really care. I'm not quite sure about the logic behind this. Have you a better chance of getting more products on the shop floor?

I assume you are referring to the mathmatician. It's odd because reading what you said makes me think I'd rather a diversity of product types, but I care less about having more than one of each type. Having said that, Tesco stock a Jamaican stout (Dragon), and for about a year, they didn't stock it. And it intrinsically annoyed me. They did replace with a like product after a while (Guiness version), but I didn't like that.

Which makes me aware that you can get fussy over different brands/tastes. Beer is a good example actually.

There was something that really bugged me about being offered the product and then having it withdrawn, it's replacement wasn't enough.

Supermarket choice is a triumph of capitalism and choice should be celebrated.

And yet they were found to be price rigging in the UK.

To be honest, I get anxious when choosing a company to buy my rail ticket. Not to mention the whole horrible process of trying to find a suitable ticket. Splitting journey's etc, trying to work out the cheapest route etc. That's in the UK.

And I have a feeling of dread each year when it's time for broadband renewel. I can waste a couple of hours going through the options. Then present choices to my partner, who will most likely do the same.

Agree it's an article about decision paralysis/fatigue, with some tenuous examples/zeitgeist links.