I resolved to blog more in 2008, and I am not doing so. This could be taken as evidence that lists don't work, and by extension that resolutions are useless.
I disagree.
The simple fact is that 'write blog' is no longer appearing on my to do lists. I am simply too busy, and I am recognising this fact on a daily basis. It is not the priority it was, because I have new priorities.
This supports my contention that we must review our to do lists with absolute rigour. To do lists represent our life. Would you be happy with today's to do list as a template for your life? As an obituary? Does it contain the main themes which you want represented in your life? Does it reflect the style in which you want to live your life?
I am not blogging regularly, because blogging has become slightly less important to me than other things. It is this decision which needs analysis, not the practice of list making or goal setting itself.
Sunday, 9 March 2008
Wednesday, 5 March 2008
Inaction
Hello, my People. I do consider you my people as well. You may have noticed that I have not posted for a while and that, indeed 2008 has been a complete washout in terms of both quality and quantity of posts. 2007 seems like the golden age of blogging.
What I wonder is whether the gap between posts is at all normally distributed? In other words, if I were to time the gap between posts would I have a few that followed immediately, a few more after a day and the most after, let's say 1.35 days (my approximate 2007 average) and then a steady decline?
I think it probably is normal, with two exceptions. It's probably more likely that if I post I am slightly more likely to post again immediately than to post in half a day as would be expected in a normnal distribution. Second, after a certain period (let's say a week?) I am statistically less likely to post again for another week which would leave me with a 'long tail' in my distribution. This is what happened in February.
I realise that this is utterly pointless, but Dan might like it.
What I wonder is whether the gap between posts is at all normally distributed? In other words, if I were to time the gap between posts would I have a few that followed immediately, a few more after a day and the most after, let's say 1.35 days (my approximate 2007 average) and then a steady decline?
I think it probably is normal, with two exceptions. It's probably more likely that if I post I am slightly more likely to post again immediately than to post in half a day as would be expected in a normnal distribution. Second, after a certain period (let's say a week?) I am statistically less likely to post again for another week which would leave me with a 'long tail' in my distribution. This is what happened in February.
I realise that this is utterly pointless, but Dan might like it.
Friday, 15 February 2008
Wednesday, 13 February 2008
Psychology reminder #1
For years psychologists could not explain why some tasks proved more difficult in front of an audience and some proved easier.
Zajonc (1965) unified this apparent contradiciton by proposing that audiences produce arousal within those performing the tasks. Quite simply, arousal makes easy tasks easier and hard tasks harder.
Preparation really is the key to successful presentations.
Zajonc (1965) unified this apparent contradiciton by proposing that audiences produce arousal within those performing the tasks. Quite simply, arousal makes easy tasks easier and hard tasks harder.
Preparation really is the key to successful presentations.
Thursday, 7 February 2008
Saturday, 2 February 2008
The wonder of London
London is amazing. Today I met Gloria Coates on the tube. She's a composer. I told her about the long tail and why it might help explain why she is selling so many downloads (I hope I'm right...).
She was off to Wapping and I advised her to get out at Tower Hill and catch a cab so that hopefully she could see Tower Bridge at night. I hope I was right about that too...Although not well-known (not to a peasant like me), due to the enjoyment of our discussion she easily makes my top 10 celebrity 'moments' whilst in London.
The full list is here, for your reading pleasure:
1. Meeting - and shaking hands with - Nelson Mandela outside the Cabinet War Rooms.
2. Doing a comedy scene about Bobby the dog with Harry Hill on Harry Hill's TV Burp
3. Jude Law winking at me - yes winking - when I left the Oxo Tower with a particularly attractive young lady. And yes, I smiled back.
4. Jogging past Gordon Ramsey nearly every Sunday whilst training for two London marathons.
5. Sharing a sofa with Vernon Kay (and, erm, Danny Baker) on GMTV
6. Studying psychology with Martin Sixsmith, who nearly brought down a Government.
7. Making Naomi Campbell laugh on a road outside Victoria Park. She clearly wanted me. I didn't fancy it.
8. Playing street cricket with the England bowler Ed Giddens outside Lords. Truly bizarre. We were all very pissed and used a stick and a crushed up can. At one point we all ran to get on a bus and Ed Giddens did too but no one knew why or where any of us was going.
9.Being in a meeting with Jack Straw. He asked me a question right at the outset of the meeting. I didn't really know what he meant and sort of stammered an answer which was totally inappropriate.
10. Meeting and chatting with Gloria Coates on the District line.
She was off to Wapping and I advised her to get out at Tower Hill and catch a cab so that hopefully she could see Tower Bridge at night. I hope I was right about that too...Although not well-known (not to a peasant like me), due to the enjoyment of our discussion she easily makes my top 10 celebrity 'moments' whilst in London.
The full list is here, for your reading pleasure:
1. Meeting - and shaking hands with - Nelson Mandela outside the Cabinet War Rooms.
2. Doing a comedy scene about Bobby the dog with Harry Hill on Harry Hill's TV Burp
3. Jude Law winking at me - yes winking - when I left the Oxo Tower with a particularly attractive young lady. And yes, I smiled back.
4. Jogging past Gordon Ramsey nearly every Sunday whilst training for two London marathons.
5. Sharing a sofa with Vernon Kay (and, erm, Danny Baker) on GMTV
6. Studying psychology with Martin Sixsmith, who nearly brought down a Government.
7. Making Naomi Campbell laugh on a road outside Victoria Park. She clearly wanted me. I didn't fancy it.
8. Playing street cricket with the England bowler Ed Giddens outside Lords. Truly bizarre. We were all very pissed and used a stick and a crushed up can. At one point we all ran to get on a bus and Ed Giddens did too but no one knew why or where any of us was going.
9.Being in a meeting with Jack Straw. He asked me a question right at the outset of the meeting. I didn't really know what he meant and sort of stammered an answer which was totally inappropriate.
10. Meeting and chatting with Gloria Coates on the District line.
Friday, 1 February 2008
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