Kendall Giles

I just created a set of 101 resolutions/goals/things-to-do that should keep me occupied for the next 1001 days.

I first read about the project, called 101 Things To Do in 1001 Days, on Robert Talbert's blog, and then visited the triplux site for more information. It seems like an interesting way to structure getting things done, so I figured it is worth a shot.

Remember, 1001 days is equivalent to about 2.75 years, so I'll be (hopefully) ticking off tasks as I accomplish them for some time to come, but if I go too long without accomplishing anything, feel free to ping me.

Also, you might want to consider joining in on the fun by creating your own set of 101 Goals or things you want to do and then, well, doing them.

Ever wanted to read more, but never seem to have the time?

If so, you may be interested in DailyLit, a site that will break up a book you want to read into easily-digestible chunks and send you one chunk per day (or more, if you like). The chunks are small enough that you can read them in less than five minutes, and so by reading a little each day, in between your moments of busyness, you can complete books that you have been meaning to read, but never quite have the time for.

The books you subscribe to can be sent to you via email or RSS. The service is free, and the books are free too.

Because if you are like us, you spend hours each day reading email but don't find the time to read books. DailyLit brings books right into your inbox in convenient small messages that take less than 5 minutes to read. This works incredibly well not just on your computer but also on a Treo, Blackberry, Sidekick or whatever the PDA of your choice. In the words of Dr. Seuss: Try it, you might like it! (Oops -- it would appear that the actual quote from Green Eggs and Ham is "You do not like them. So you say. Try them! Try them! And you may.")

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Do you believe in elves? They are not just for Tolkienites, you know.

As an Icelander, I am aware that invisible creatures are lurking about all around us. Growing up in the countryside, I lived on a farm at the foot of a mountain, where consideration toward the hidden world was as common as the courtesy you pay any other farm denizen.

"Don't touch the cows while they're milking!" 
"Don't handle the lambs or the ewes won't take to them!" 
"Don't climb up on that rock because you'll disturb the
 elves!"
"Don't feed the horses before you ride. It'll make them
 gassy."
"Don't make so much noise by that hill there. Someone 
might be trying to sleep inside it!"

I've been to Iceland, and I believe!

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Note that it's never to late to pursue your dream.

Recently, the famed guitarist for the music group Queen, 60-year old Brian May, handed in his PhD thesis, 36 years after interrupting his studies to play in the band.

His area of study is Astronomy at the Imperial College, London, and the title of his thesis is "Radial Velocities in the Zodiacal Dust Cloud". He still has to defend his thesis, which will happen on 23 August of this year. Nevertheless, the completion of his thesis, especially with such a significant gap in this studies, is a significant accomplishment.

From the BBC article:

The rock star is also preparing a concert to mark the inauguration of a telescope at the Observatory of the Roque de Los Muchachos in La Palma, Tenerife, where he completed his studies last month.

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Finally, for a bit of Lord of the Rings humor, you may find the following animated gif amusing:

http://www.blogizdat.com/lotr/walkintomordor.gif

Technorati Tags: academia, book, culture, living, spirit

So for a period of time in the near future I will be working and doing research in a place where I will not have a car. This might not be so bad if it were not for the commute back and forth to the office.

So my solution, perhaps with my engineering background showing a bit too much, was to buy a folding bike.

The bike I chose: a Downtube Mini.

In theory:

wake up --> ride folding bike to office --> fold bike and carry into office --> work --> ride folding bike back to where I am staying --> fold bike and carry inside.

This way, I have convenient transportation, the bike won't be stolen by leaving it outside chained to some bike-rack, and, perhaps best/worst of all, I will be able to carry my bike with me on the airplane!

So here is the bike:

And here is the bike in my suitcase:

But, airports being what they are these days, hopefully I will not suffer the same fate as Stephen Orsak who, upon riding his bike from the Minneapolis St Paul International Airport, enjoined discussions with the police that did not end in his favor:

As I lay still on the pavement, Officer Wingate walked over to my glasses and smashed them into the ground with his boot. I was handcuffed, body searched and baggage searched. Reinforcements were called in, a total of (4) squad cars and a paramedic unit.

So if you happen to see me in similar footage on tv, with my folded bike crumpled by the side of the road, know that at least it was a good idea, in theory.

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Technorati Tags: academia, culture, job, living, travel, work

If you ever wanted to give up your 9-5 job, if you ever wanted to stop working for someone else, or if you ever wanted to live more of your life now, rather than wait until retirement, then you might consider reading Timothy Ferriss' new book The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich.

While certainly not for everyone, for not everyone is willing to give up their secure 9-5 job of working for The Man, I think anyone can pick up a few tips or strategies they might use to add some flexibility into their worklife. For example, the book contains examples of how an employee might convince their boss to let them work from home more often. For the bolder, the book gives examples of how a person can quit their 9-5 job entirely while realizing their own ideas for a new product or company. At a minimum it gives everyone encouragement to pursue their interests and hobbies, and gives examples of what is possible from Ferriss' own life. As an aside, I recently gave up a high-paying, secure job in industry to pursue a lifelong goal. Though I did this before reading this book, it certainly confirms that I made the right decision. The book is enhanced with secret codes that can be used to access additional information on the book's website, http://www.fourhourworkweek.com.

Technorati Tags: academia, book, income, job, work