I just found a new favourite pastime: playing the Vocabulary.com Challenge. A great example of gamification, it makes learning new words engaging and actually quite fun. I do wonder if such a similar thing exists for Chinese/Mandarin.
What Courage Is
Was on one of my regular runs today when the words "courage is not acting in the absence of fear, but in spite of it" suddenly came to mind and never left. Can't quite remember where exactly I read it or heard it, but those words have always comforted me in times of need. Here... Continue Reading →
On Analysing Big Data and Storytelling
There’s a neat post on analysing big data and storytelling on an HBR blog worth checking out. From the post: Data scientists want to believe that data has all the answer. But the most important part of our job is qualitative: asking questions, creating directives from our data, and telling its story. That’s a neat... Continue Reading →
How to read library books
There are 14 library books on my table staring back at me as I write this. Six borrowed on my card (maxed). Six borrowed on my dad's card, which I have permanently borrowed (also maxed). And two on the wife's card (not maxed, but soon to be). As the wife tidies my desk (again), she... Continue Reading →
In defence of “It Depends” (vs. “Maybe”)
"It depends" is one of those really important concepts that not many people use. Perhaps because it lives in the uncomfortable, ambiguous territory between “yes” and “no”. Sure, “maybe”, too, lives in this ambiguous territory. But “maybe” doesn’t commit to saying that ultimately a proper answer exists. “It depends” does. “It depends” is like the... Continue Reading →
How to make sure your e-mail gets read
To make sure your e-mail gets read, write less. People have a tendency to read something when it's short. It doesn't give them an excuse to read this later. To ensure that your short e-mail contains all the points that you need to put across, consider using the inverted pyramid, making sure that your most important... Continue Reading →
How to write effective e-mails to persuade and inform using the Inverted Pyramid
To write effective e-mails always assume readers are starved for time. Start with the most important points you want to put across whenever you write e-mails that are meant to inform or persuade. This ensures that as soon as your readers read the first few sentences of your writing they'll know what it's about. And even if they skim or... Continue Reading →
How to be a perfect speller
To be a perfect speller, follow these two rules: Be careful and double check -- Don't be complacent. If you have even the inkling of doubt that what you've just typed or wrote is wrong, don't risk it. Find out. Use a search engine -- In general it's faster than using an online dictionary. Most browsers... Continue Reading →
Donn, fragments 