Montaigne lived in the Dordogne; he was a local politician at a time of civil war and religious strife. One day he had a riding accident and nearly died. He became obsessed with death. Then he realised that you can never experience your own death. What a relief! Later, he wrote, superbly, about more or less everything, and Bakewell, in this book, which was shortlisted in for last year's Costa Biography award, is excellent at teasing out why he was able to do so.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Book review: How to live by Sarah Bakewell
Michel de Montaigne, the 16th-century French nobleman, was the first person to write an account of his thoughts in the first person.
Gang of Smart Mini-Copters Learns How to Build Stuff [VIDEO ]
Look out everyone, because there's a gang of miniature, four-rotor electric helicopters that's figured out how to work together and build a simple structure. This could be just the beginning of what they can do.
Those clever programmers at the GRASP (General Robotics, Automation, Sensing and Perception) Lab at the University of Pennsylvania have made these quadrotor helicopters autonomous, teaching them how to work together while building things. Heck, most people can't do that.
The robot builders simply tell the copters which structure to build, and then, according to a GRASP technician, the quadrotors cooperatively "figure out the assembly plan and then build it." The flying bots even have the ability to go for another attempt if the magnetic parts don't snap together quite right.
Even though the clever programmers have created simple modules for the helicopters to construct, nevertheless, this is the first glimpse of cooperative flying robot construction on a larger scale. Imagine if these mini copters were scaled up to 100 times their size, putting together skyscrapers, bridges, or the components of Skynet.
Experimentation with these brainy choppers has been going on for a long time. When we saw videos of the quadrotors performing autonomous feats early last year, we were immediately impressed. They were downright aggressive, flying through thin slots and moving hoops with spectacular precision. A few months later, they got even more sophisticated. Now, they're getting downright scary.
What about it, readers? Should we be afraid yet?
[Via Hacked Gadgets]
How to become TV5 Willing Willie studio audience
We are receiving a lot of emails and comments from the previous post entitled Willie Revillame Wiling Wili Kami New Variety Show on TV5 asking how to watch Willing Willie live in studio.
In response to your request, here’s how to become TV5 Willing Willie studio audience.
For bookings and reservation. Look For Martin and call 355-5530 from 12:30-2:30pm Mon-Fri You may send your email to willingwillie@ymail.com and ask them how to become a studio audienceor Fill up the application available HereWilling Willie is an early evening variety gameshow broadcast by TV5. The show is airing weekdays from Monday to Friday (6:30pm to 9:00pm after Aksyon News) and Saturdays (5:00pm to 7:30pm after 5Maxx Movies).
For the latest updates on Willing Willie, visit their Twitter account at @WWTV5
Willing Willie is located at #730 Quirino Highway, San Bartolome, Novaliches, Quezon City.
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How to Delegate Authority
The old adage that if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself doesn't belong in the modern workplace. Workers today can't afford to try tackling every task on their own if they hope to keep up with the pace of business. Under these circumstances, being a good delegator is not only helpful, but necessary.
"A lot of leaders can't get to this point because they either don't know how to or they're afraid of delegating. Maybe they think it will take too long to train someone effectively, or if they delegate too much, they'll have nothing left to do," BNET explains. "And often the more competent they are, the harder it is to delegate. They're afraid the work won't get done at all, or more likely, it won't be done according to their high standards."
It can be difficult to cede responsibility to someone else, but learning to do so is the first step toward effective delegation. It's important to remember that even when handing duties over to an employee, final authority for a given project rests with the manager.
"Delegation is not abdication. The manager still has the ultimate accountability for the assignment. That's why it is important for you to establish appropriate controls and checkpoints to monitor progress," small business guide Directory Journal notes. "Besides, managers should give delegatees the appropriate authority to act along with clear expectations including any boundaries or criteria. The manager, however, should try to avoid prescribing HOW the assignment should be completed."
Avoiding micromanagement is crucial when delegating appropriately. Hovering over an employee and trying to control their work through every step of the process is not an efficient use of time or energy, and may actually impede progress on the assignment. Instead, checking in after an agreed upon interval, such as at the mid-point of the project, can be a much more effective way of monitoring performance.
"If, at that point, you find the person or team way off base, you may be tempted to micromanage the remainder of the project or task," Bloomberg BusinessWeek says. "Don't. Instead, reassess whether you made a crystal clear request and whether your people are capable and motivated. If you need to clarify your task then do so. If your people are not capable and motivated, then reassign the task."
For those new to delegating or leaders who have trouble passing on responsibilities, delegating effectively can seem daunting. But it's a manageable process when broken down into a clear set of steps. Career development firm MindTools offers the following tips for delegating properly:
Clearly articulate goals and boundaries. Employees should know the desired outcome for the project and have the end goal in mind. They should also be told the constraints and limits in the project in terms of lines of authority and when to take initiative versus asking for guidance or permission.Include people in the process. Whenever possible, it helps to empower employees to decide which tasks should be delegated to them and when it should happen.Match responsibility with authority. A greater amount of delegated responsibility should come with a corresponding level of authority to make decisions. However, remember that the final accountability rests with the manager.Delegate to the lowest possible level. The people closest to the work are best suited for handling it because they have intimate knowledge of the day-to-day requirements needed to accomplish the task.Provide support. To improve the odds of success, maintain ongoing communication with team members, periodically monitor progress and be open to answering questions, as well as sharing credit for the work.Focus on results. Pay closer attention to what is accomplished than how the work is done. Your way of doing things may not be the only way — or the best way — of reaching the goal.Avoid reverse delegation. If a mistake is made, don't let an employee shift the blame back onto you. Instead, look for solutions from the people directly involved in the work.Build commitment. Motivate workers by emphasizing how their project will affect the company's success or open up new opportunities for the future. Remember to provide recognition whenever it is due.Maintain control. Don't forget about your involvement in the assignment. Discuss and establish clear deadlines, set a schedule for checking in, be sure to review all completed work and make adjustments to the plan when needed."Managers delegate work not to just relieve their workload, but to allow the employees they supervise to grow professionally. Effective delegation is a two-way discussion and understanding," Career Know-How explains. "Use effective delegation to benefit both yourself and the person to whom you delegate."
Earlier
Why Workaholics Make Bad Workers
How to Kick the Micromanaging Habit
Not Enough Hours in the Day?
Resources
How to Become an Efficient Delegator
by Jay Steinfeld
BNET, July 21, 2010
How to Delegate Effectively
by Hasan
Directory Journal, June 23, 2007
How to Delegate Effectively
by Rod Kurtz
Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Jan. 18, 2007
Successful Delegation
MindTools
How to Delegate Effectively
by Gregory P. Smith
Career Know-How
How to Get Smart About Weight Loss
SUNDAY, Jan. 23 (HealthDay News) -- By this point, New Year's resolutions might be a dim memory -- which makes it a good time for fine-tuning, especially for those who resolved to lose weight.
Brittany Glassett, a registered dietitian with Porter Adventist Hospital in Denver, suggests using what she calls the "SMART" system to create goals for yourself -- with "smart" being an acronym for goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely.
In the area of specificity, for example, don't just plan to "eat better." Make a specific goal, such as eating fast food three fewer times a month.
Write down your goals and focus on just one or two at a time to avoid becoming overwhelmed. Then keep working on those one or two goals until you've made a change, remembering that it takes about three weeks to adopt a new habit.
Glassett also suggests thinking about mini-goals. Instead of saying you'll lose 50 pounds, consider losing 5 pounds over the next four weeks.
And get support from family and friends: Let them know about your goals and tell them to hold you accountable.
Glassett also has created a list of what she calls six small changes that make a big difference:
Eat more whole grains, which contain heart-healthy fiber along with vitamins and minerals. Fiber can help you stay full between meals.Add color to your plate through such foods as fruits and vegetables. Try putting three colors on the plate that aren't white, cream or yellow.Don't skip meals. And consider having smaller meals every three or four hours rather than bigger ones less often. Cut down on soda, juice and high-calorie coffee drinks, which are full of empty calories. Replace vegetable oil with canola oil and olive oil, which are better for your heart.Keep a food diary, if only for a couple days a week. Studies have shown that people who keep track of what they eat have more success losing weight and keeping it off.More information
The American Academy of Family Physicians has more on what it takes to lose weight.
How to spend $1,000 on your Verizon iPhone without even trying
Verizon customers will be able to switch to an iPhone 4, but it might get costly.The costs of switching to an iPhone on Verizon could add upRecent Verizon phone buyers would get a $200 rebate, but could lose the iPhone discount
Early-termination fees, new data plans could also pile onEditor's note: Amy Gahran writes about mobile tech for CNN.com. She is a San Francisco Bay Area writer and media consultant whose blog, Contentious.com, explores how people communicate in the online age.
(CNN) -- Now that Verizon is about to start selling the iPhone 4, there's a lot of buyer's remorse in the air.
Over the recent holiday season, many people purchased Android, BlackBerry, and other smartphone models from Verizon.
In an apparent attempt to ease (or perhaps capitalize on) customer grousing, Verizon is offering to reduce the cost of switching to its iPhone 4. On Tuesday, Boy Genius Report noted that Verizon's iPhone 4 FAQ page now includes this item:
Q: I just purchased a new smartphone during the holiday season, but if I knew that iPhone 4 was going to be available soon I would have waited. What are my options now?
A: Current Verizon customers who purchased and activated new smartphones, feature phones or certified pre-owned phones between Nov. 26, 2010, and Jan. 10 2011, are eligible to receive up to a $200 Visa debit card when they purchase an iPhone 4 at full retail price by Feb. 28, 2011 and return their existing phone. Note: This offer is only available on consumer accounts with five lines or less, who are purchasing iPhone 4 through Verizon Wireless retail stores, telesales, or through verizonwireless.com.
So, what's the "full retail price?" According to Verizon Wireless, iPhone 4 prices start at $200 for the 16GB model. But that's the subsidized promotional price that comes with a new two-year contract.
Farther down in the FAQ, they note that the "iPhone 4 will also be available for purchase at full retail price: $649.99 for the 16GB model, and $749.99 for the 32GB model."
That's a pretty steep price tag. I doubt many customers would think getting a $200 rebate would sufficiently offset that expense.
But for any smartphone, the cost for the device is only the beginning. Data plan costs -- and their associated terms, limitations, and extra fees -- constitute most of what users pay over the life of the phone.
So far, Verizon has not revealed prices and terms for data plans for its iPhone 4. If some of the carrier's existing plans for other smartphones are applied to the iPhone 4, then it's likely that customers already on those plans would just be able to swap their phones.
However, if you'd need to switch to a new plan in order to use the iPhone 4, it's unclear whether early termination fees would apply. These can run as high as several hundred dollars, especially for recently purchased phones.
Verizon's advanced devices page notes that its early termination fees can run up to $350. Generally, early termination fees are higher the sooner after purchase that you cancel a contract -- which would be the case for Verizon smartphones purchased over the period covered by this rebate.
You could sell your current Verizon smartphone on eBay or Craigslist, and probably get more than $200 for it. But you'd still be stuck with your existing Verizon contract, which you may or may not be able to use with a Verizon iPhone4. And Verizon's $200 trade-in rebate requires that you return your old phone. So unless you sell your current phone for well over $200, this probably wouldn't be a good deal.
So here's the bottom line:
Say you bought a Motorola Droid Pro from Verizon on Dec. 24, 2010. You paid $180 for this device after a $100 mail-in rebate (which means that right now you're probably still waiting to receive that rebate debit card, even if you remembered to file the paperwork promptly).
But you really, really want a Verizon iPhone 4. So you select a package of talk, text, and data service that, with fees and taxes, ends up costing about $110 per month for 24 months.
When Verizon's iPhone 4 comes out, you swap in your phone and wait to get your $200 rebate card. In the meantime you're $650 out of pocket on the new phone.
If you're lucky, the iPhone 4 plan will cost no more than your current plan. But if you have to cancel your old contract and get a new one, you might have to pay another $350 for early termination.
So that's $930 in total device costs, minus $300 in total rebates due, for $630 in net device costs. Plus a possible ETF penalty of $350. That brings the total potential iPhone 4 swap cost to $980. And meanwhile, you're paying $110 per month or so for service. (The economics could be better for Verizon customers with family plans.)
Bottom line is: that $200 rebate probably won't really make this switch cheap, or even affordable, for most Verizon customers. Some people will still do it, of course -- and the phone-swap rebate might be enough to nudge some people over the edge into iPhone territory.
But I'm sure they'll still grouse about it.
The opinions expressed in this post are solely those of Amy Gahran. Thanks to Lisa Williams of Placeblogger for suggesting this headline.Sunday, January 23, 2011
How to Update a Camera's Firmware
Much of your digital camera, including its sensor, LCD screen, lens, buffer, and autofocus, is controlled by microprocessors running firmware. Firmware is essentially the operating system of a digital camera, whether it's a point-and-shoot or a DSLR. And just as a trip to Software Update can give you downloads that fix OS or software glitches and add functionality, some camera manufacturers polish the user experience after a camera has been released with firmware updates.
Firmware updates are not always necessary. If you find an update for your camera, but it doesn't have any bug fixes and the added features don't apply to you (such as a new language you don't speak), you may want to skip the upgrade altogether. But more often these updates fix bugs or add cool new features and improvements. For example, the latest Sony NEX 5 firmware update makes major updates to the user interface, allows the softkey function to be customized for quick settings access in creative exposure modes, gives the camera 3D Sweep Panorama abilities, and adds autofocus support for fourteen Sony SSM and SAM lenses.
Step 1: Set an update schedule
It is a good practice to check for updates right after buying a new camera, and then check again three or four times a year. Unfortunately, camera manufacturers don't usually put resources into developing firmware for older models, so once your camera is two generations old you can check less frequently. But don't give up completely--the Canon Rebel XS, a 2008 beginner's DSLR model that has seen 7 Canon DLSR brothers released since, received a firmware update as recently as October 2010.
Step 2: Find the Firmware Page for Your Camera
Though many point-and-shoot and DSLR cameras allow firmware updates, not all cameras display the current version in the same place. Generally, the information is buried in the settings menu, the last option among the date setting and LCD brightness. Instructions for finding the firmware version number for individual camera models can be found in the manufacturer's update instructions.
Step 3: Find the firmware page for your camera
Once you have this information, the next step is to check the camera manufacturer's support and downloads site. Browse or do a keyword search for the camera model, and the download links and install instructions should be simple to find. To help you find the latest firmware versions for your model, we've compiled a list of the download pages for 12 major camera brands. Firmware updates are sometimes located in Drivers, Downloads, or Software sections.
Canon
Nikon
Olympus (Download the Olympus Digital Camera Updater application)
Sony
Panasonic (Or go to this one-page index of Panasonic firmware updates)
Kodak
Pentax
Casio
FujiFilm
Samsung
Leica
Sigma
Step 4: Read directions and take precautions
It is extremely important to read the exact update directions for your camera carefully, as the process varies from camera to camera, is usually permanent, and if something goes wrong it cannot be easily fixed. This shouldn't discourage camera owners from updating their cameras, as the process is safe when directions are followed to the letter.
To ensure that everything goes as smoothly as possible there are a couple common safety measures you can take: Always make sure to have fresh batteries in the camera and do not turn it off during the update--if this power-hungry process is interrupted, the dead batteries could equal a dead camera that will need to be serviced. And make sure you use the recommended equipment such as specific memory cards or particular brands of USB cords.
Step 5: Install the firmware
Some manufacturers make the firmware update process really simple. For example, Olympus owners can download the Olympus Digital Camera Updater application, which will automatically check a connected camera for outdated firmware and walk the user step-by-step through the update.
For most brands, however, you have to do a bit more work. The exact process varies depending on your camera brand and model, and each manufacturer provides detailed instructions on their site explaining exactly what to do when you locate an update for your camera.
The typical update process goes something like this: A compressed file or installation application that contains the firmware update (or updates, if it comes in two parts) specific to your camera is download to your computer. After downloading, the firmware can be dropped onto the top level of a blank, freshly formatted memory card. Next, eject the card from card reader, insert it into the camera, and follow the directions for initiating the update from the camera's menu.
With some brands the camera can be plugged in with a USB cord and the firmware updated directly from your computer. The camera companies that provide an updater application use this method.
If you are not comfortable updating your own firmware, or if something goes wrong during the update process, take the camera to an authorized dealer or contact customer service for your brand.
For more Macintosh computing news, visit Macworld. Story copyright © 2010 Mac Publishing LLC. All rights reserved.
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