How to convert between Celsius and Fahrenheit in your head
When I lived in the Netherlands, along with my attempts to learn Dutch I also tried to get used to thinking of temperatures in Celsius instead of Fahrenheit. Of course, I’d grown up with the formula $latex F = 1.8 C + 32$ for converting from Celsius to Fahrenheit, so in principle, anytime someone mentioned […]
Optimization takes effort
I love optimization—both the general principle of trying to make things the best they can be, as well as the specific techniques that go into making that happen. In an alliterative-adjective icebreaker game, I even introduced myself as “Optimizing Owen,” which somehow did not surprise my Intro Calculus students. But optimization has a cost—it takes […]
The magnetism of language
It’s one of the great wonders of our universe that certain chemicals make electricity, and electricity makes magnetism, and magnetism makes things move. One of the classic experiments is to run an electric current through a wire to see the needle on a nearby compass swing around: I remember doing this experiment as a child, […]
What we can’t spend
Some things, like money, time, and effort, are scarce resources that need careful budgeting to be used optimally. Some of those, like effort and attention, can return stronger after resting from difficult use, as if they’ve been built up like a muscle through exercise, which makes the calculus of optimizing how much and when to […]
What we spend
Ever since I learned that the Dutch word for “to spend” (besteden) is used not just with time and money, as in English, but also with attention, I’ve started to wonder what else we have that we spend, and could be spending more wisely. Here is an incomplete list I’ve compiled: Money (of course). Time. […]
Closing mental parentheses
On our drive back from seeing the solar eclipse last year, Clara and I listened to Solving the Procrastination Puzzle, a short book in which Timothy Pychyl outlines why we procrastinate, why it’s a problem, and what to do about it. Most of his advice is solid and helpful, but in chapter 6, “The Power of Getting […]
The Commonplace Book #4: “Scroll down / Scroll up”
If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you may have seen some of my commonplace book posts, where I take a short piece of clever writing, try to understand how it works, and make my own version. Today’s piece of writing is this poem I saw making the rounds on social media, which […]
Completing partial activities
I love reading, and audiobooks are the next best thing for when I’m driving or doing chores. On the other hand, sometimes I get fidgety while watching TV, and it helps to have some simple knitting occupy my fingers. Both of these pairings seem perfectly complementary: Boring chores occupy my hands and eyes but leave […]
Lose the Training Wheels: Automating Habits, Part 3
This is the conclusion of a three-part series on automating habits. Click here for the introduction, part 1, and part 2. Let’s review: In part 1, we talked about how to choose exactly what your new habit will consist of (the behavior) and when exactly you’ll do it (the cue). In part 2, we covered […]
Build Consistency: Automating Habits, Part 2
This post is part 2 of a three-part series on automating habits. Here are links to the introduction, part 1, and part 3. There’s a little gremlin who lives in my car. He doesn’t mess with the wiring, and he doesn’t leave a mess; all he does is take down the reflective screen I put in […]