Author Archives: brownstudy7975

Piano prodigy on focus and flow

TED | Talks | Jennifer Lin: Magical improv from 14-year-old pianist (video) This video from the 2004 TED Conference is extraordinary for a few reasons. First, the prepared performances by then-14-year-old composer and pianist Jennifer Lin are lovely and technically very accomplished. And — wow — the improvisation she creates on the spot (16:45) is …

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Self Improvement: How to change things in your life for the better

Making changes, no matter how big or small, can be difficult. Psychology Today has put together the six principles of change that can help you accomplish what needs to be done. Summed up, they look like this: 1) The belief that you can change is the key to change. 2) The type of treatment is …

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Taxonomy matters

It is my mission to correctly re-shelve books to the appropriate section of the bookstore.  For example, “Darwin’s Black Box”, the famous psuedo-science book by the non-evolutionary non-scientist Michael Behe, should not be in the “Evolutionary Biology” section, but something more appropriate, such as “New Age”, “Religion”, “Christianity”, or even “Fiction”.  You get the idea. …

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MacGyver Tip: Laminate with clear packing tape

Reader TB writes in: I made some wallet-sized schedules for visitors we were hosting at the office. I don’t have easy access to a lamination machine, but I wanted to make them a little sturdier, so I used clear plastic packing tape. Pulled off a long strip, placed the schedule on the sticky side, folded …

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Tip of the Week: Create an Idea Bank

Angela Booth suggests that experienced writers can use journals as their idea banks: If you’ve been writing for a few years, your journal acts as your idea bank. It’s best to maintain several journals: one for ideas, another for essays, as well as a journal for a long project like a book. If you’re writing …

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