Author: Adam Clare

Easily get Inspired to Make Change

Previously I’ve posted about getting into the action habit and hopefully everyone is now action-orientated. I’m still trying to get into the habit. To help me get into that good habit I should be eating 11 foods that will kick start my day in the right mood, but I’m vegetarian which cuts some foods from that list. So it goes.

If you’re in a slump there’s no reason to fret as there are 16 things you can do to “get off your butt”!

Even the most motivated of us — you, me, Tony Robbins — can feel unmotivated at times. In fact, sometimes we get into such a slump that even thinking about making positive changes seems too difficult.

But it’s not hopeless: with some small steps, baby ones in fact, you can get started down the road to positive change.

Yes, I know, it seems impossible at times. You don’t feel like doing anything. I’ve been there, and in fact I still feel that way from time to time. You’re not alone. But I’ve learned a few ways to break out of a slump, and we’ll take a look at those today.

Keep it Cool with no Energy

The other day in Vancouver I was discussing the inefficiencies of refrigeration and now it seems kinda freaky that the headline “MAGNETIC REFRIGERATOR NEEDS NO ELECTRICITY” appeared on my monitor the next day. To get straight to the meat of the matter:

The new method uses opposing magnetic fields to increase the temperature of the materials employed. The heat energy is transported through a non-volatile fluid, such as water, and then thermodynamically reversed to a cold temperature. The scientists have already been able to cool a 20° C room to 11°C using the new technology.

Learn More by Studying Less

I’m back in Toronto now and discovered a bunch of people are starting their school year; so to celebrate their return to education I figured a post on studying is needed.

The ever helpful ZenHabits strikes again with a good overview of how to study and retain knowledge. They focus on a holistic approach to studying, which may or may not work for you. The key is to figure out what does work for you and role with it.

For example, the last thing they suggest happens to be a waste of my studying time but the same thing is essential for one of my friends:

Write – Take a piece of paper and write out the connections in the information. Reorganize the information into different patterns. The key here is the writing, not the final product. So don’t waste your time making a pretty picture. Scribble and use abbreviations to link the ideas together.

Green Computing is Open Source

Using opensource technology is better for the environment. Yay for free stuff and protecting that thing I love!

Free software is often usable on older hardware, more secure, more easily customized, less expensive, and available in more languages. These are substantial benefits, but they are all a natural result of the most important considerations—freedom and independence. The celebrated power of the Internet as a tool for political action depends on the ability of ordinary people to have uncensored control over the tools they use to participate in society. If the tools used by activists are proprietary, they will be inherently limited in what they can challenge and change by those who make and exclusively own the tools.

ArtCamp Vancouver

Here in Vancouver they got themselves a pretty groovy idea called ArtCamp
based off of other “unconferences”. An unconference is a conference that is organized by the participants and this proves to be no exception (well, if we ignore the funding they’re getting).

From their wiki’s About page:

ArtCamp 07 follows on ArtCamp 06 ArtCamp06, the World’s First Un-Conference on Art, was a groundbreaking day-long event co-produced by New Forms Festival and Upgrade! Vancouver in September, 2006, which was attended by over a hundred artists, designers, programmers, critics, theorists, curators and practitioners from all fields who presented over 30 workshops, talks and hybrid events throughout a single inspiration-filled day.

By the way, I’m sorry about the irregular posting while I’m in Vancouver. If you’re in Vancouver you should come out to Manhunt Vancouver tonight to get inspired for ArtCamp!