Friends at school can attest to watching me invent the original “palm pilot,” jotting essay length messages on the back of my hand each day. Eventually, stained skin and tempting an ink poisoned death got old. The trend for years now has been to pocket a blank sheet of paper and pen wherever I go. It’s not that I have a bad memory, but more like the cache has been disabled. I’m so focused on thinking and planning for tomorrow that yesterday never really gets cataloged.
Often, a good ride home or trip away from the ordinary is what generates some of the best thoughts for me. Catch is, the gears are turning 24 hours a day so for ideas to keep rolling, they have to be recorded to allow for less memorizing and more brainstorming. Much like an assembly line, if there is a back up at any stage of production, the whole process gets put on hold. A snippet of the Island Test essay by Paul Graham says it best:
The notebook and pen are professional equipment, as it were. Though actually there is something druglike about them, in the sense that their main purpose is to make me feel better. I hardly ever go back and read stuff I write down in notebooks. It’s just that if I can’t write things down, worrying about remembering one idea gets in the way of having the next. Pen and paper wick ideas.
A preference of mine for writing on the computer is to wear headphones and play music just loud enough to cover the sound of clacking keys. I’m particular about the lyrics, the best being in foreign languages or having no vocals at all (anything that doesn’t make me think). Also, something I’ve toyed with this past semester is putting one or two songs on continuous loop. Ultimately, I get accustomed to the repetitious sounds and use the music to create an external barrier. Seems odd, using sound to eliminate sound, but I favor the consistency that becomes a comfortable expectation with no surprises. It’s not that I’m very interested in the book that just fell off the shelf or that woman screaming on tv, but these are the audible items that are likely to grab my attention away from work. A good pair of headphones, even with no music at all, can aid in reducing an innate curiosity to investigate distractions.
I couldn’t work with the sound of a sitcom coming through the wall, or a car in the street playing thump-thump music. And of course there’s another kind of thinking, when you’re starting something new, that requires complete quiet. You never know when this will strike. It’s just as well to carry plugs.
Another good, quality post from A. I like this frequent posting thing you got going on, now if only I and a few others can get on that with my site.
Comment by Jason — July 16, 2006 @ 12:56 am
I love to write and with all that’s going on this summer, it seems a good way to keep record and share the news. Hopefully the trend will continue and yes, you should get back to updates!
Comment by Adrian — July 16, 2006 @ 4:30 pm
Another question, who do you use for hosting now? I’m looking to drop cnhhosting, as it’s now costing me more than it should be and I want to just get a normal host for my sites.
Comment by Jason — July 16, 2006 @ 10:08 pm
LunarPages. Great rates, good uptime, and a support team and forum that answer all of my questions within the day. Awesome overall service.
Comment by Adrian — July 17, 2006 @ 8:00 am
I just set my uncle up with Lunarpages. They seem to be pretty good thus far. “Bulletproof Web Design” just arrived in the mail, so I’m thinking I have some good bed time reading now. Man, I miss doing design work. I haven’t really drawn or designed anything for months. I don’t have a good work environment, being that my computer is located in the kitchen.
Hope your keeping busy and enjoying that internship (and summertime CSC).
Comment by ChrisHP — July 19, 2006 @ 2:34 pm
Awesome. After the internship yesterday, I worked on setting up a domain my brother wanted and, I have to say it again, LunarPages‘ support is phenomenal. I kept getting responses to my e-mails within minutes.
Yes! Read Cederholm’s book. Worth every penny.
Internship is great. My boss and I discussed a few new projects that I’m loving. Summer is winding down unfortunately but it’ll be cool to have free time at school for one more year and work on some personal projects. Crossing my fingers that I’ll be able to maintain a lot of the contacts I’ve gained this summer and continue work through senior year.
Hope all is well, keep in touch.
Comment by Adrian — July 19, 2006 @ 2:55 pm
I got some plenty of foreign music for you. Norwegian, German, Italian. Take your pick. I miss you bunches, haha!
Comment by JUnit — July 20, 2006 @ 10:03 am
I know exactly what you mean about zoning out and getting things done. I havent allowed myself to do that in ages. I used to listen to salsa music. Fast enough to keep me moving but still incomprehensible to my ears. I also like to have a good 4 or 5 hour stretch of time that I know is interrupt free.
Comment by Travis — July 20, 2006 @ 7:04 pm
Really good point about time. Because of my schedule last semester, I always had a hard time starting homework during the day with under-an-hour breaks in between classes.
Comment by Adrian — July 20, 2006 @ 7:12 pm
I saw this post had nine comments so I figured I’d round it off.
Oh…and yeah, the post was good too.
A minimum of two free hours and thoughtless music is the only way to get things done.
I also find a cool bottle of water or drink helps.
On a separate note, your dad stopped by the other day. I sold him some high quality Windswept Maples Farm mulch hay.-consider yourself lucky.
Comment by Sambo — July 21, 2006 @ 1:41 pm
Thanks Sam
Food helps. If it’s not there in front of me and I get into “code head,” I’ll probably be missing a meal or two.
Hay? No telling what he’s up to now. I know it aint for the chickens, wonder if dad got some more animals I haven’t seen yet. Wait, I do know! haha, it’s for the pup.
Comment by Adrian — July 21, 2006 @ 9:21 pm
I checked out LunarPages, and they seem really together, unfortunatly they don’t offer enough space for me. My site is running on almost 5gigs as it is, and if I get into podcasting that is only going to go up. I could go with the business hosting, but that is almost 4x the prices and a little to steep for me. I have found some other good hosts, and offer similar features, for similar price but allow more space. Thanks though
Comment by Jason — July 22, 2006 @ 12:41 pm
I also just found this site, might want to check it out.
http://www.posticky.com/
Comment by Jason — July 22, 2006 @ 12:51 pm
Last time I checked dogs don’t eat hay…
That’s ok though, you wouldn’t know that being non-farmer and all.
No, He said it was to cover a new septic system.
Oh and let me just say that is the coolest dog house ever.
Comment by Sambo — July 22, 2006 @ 1:48 pm
@Jason: Cool, let me know how it works out. Thanks for the link as well.
@Sam: haha, look at the picture, the pup sleeps on hay, she doesn’t floss with the stuff! Nice soft bed, that doghouse is better than most hotels.
The grass came in nice on our septic so this might be for the land in Maine, I think my parents were heading up there soon.
Comment by Adrian — July 22, 2006 @ 2:33 pm
Wow 15 comments. Wish my site would get that many!
Comment by ChrisHP — July 22, 2006 @ 9:10 pm
Yea Chris, you aren’t the only one.
Comment by Jason — July 23, 2006 @ 2:39 am
Wait, we can use the toilet at the cabin now?! Hooray!
Comment by JUnit — July 23, 2006 @ 7:38 pm
HAHA, yes! The bathroom is the best part of the house, jacuzzi and all. Inside of the cabin still needs the finishing touches but I have my internship and dad is shifting attention back to equipment and away from carpentry for now. Hey, remember taking a rag and long screwdriver to pry open your ice ridden car door last time?
Don’t think that happens in the summer time.
Comment by Adrian — July 23, 2006 @ 8:02 pm
That dog house is adorable!
And I got some great Japanese music from Pat and Charlie that I now listen to whenever I’m writing papers – one of us will have to give it to you when school starts up.
Comment by Sarah — July 24, 2006 @ 9:46 pm
Just to let you know – I think the timestamp on the replies are an hour off – it’s 10:45 P.M.
Comment by Sarah — July 24, 2006 @ 9:48 pm
Thanks for the comment and sharp eye, Sarah! I’ve updated the timestamp.
Comment by Adrian — July 25, 2006 @ 8:08 am
[...] Unfortunately, my computer speakers died the first week I returned to school this year. On the plus side, headphones are what I would recommend for helping drown out distractions from other kids, cars, or whatever your situation may include. Also, I find that I can type faster if I can’t hear the sound of the keys clacking (weird, huh?). The type of music is crucial, which I explain in further detail in a previous post about writing. Basically, pick songs that utilize more acoustic instruments than vocals. You don’t want to be processing what the band is singing about, but instead use their tunes to block outside noises. [...]
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