John McGehee

  We all have instruction manuals and documentation for our stuff. Where do you put them so you can easily retrieve them? File instruction manuals alphabetically by manufacturer name in an A-Z expanding file. Just put them in the pocket for the first letter of the manufacturer name without further sorting within the pocket. While filing by manufacturer name might seem disorganized or arbitrary, it is actually a simple hash table , which in computer science is well known for efficiency. I recommend the Smead 70121 A-Z expanding file . Order online—retail office stores usually stock only a cheaper, harder-to-use store brand.

The subtle distinction between Japanese particles は (wa) and が (ga) makes it difficult to choose between them. Here I will show you a simple way to get it right every time. Professor Eleanor Jorden of Cornell University taught me that we actually have the same thing in spoken English. We stress words in a sentence to emphasize them. Consider: " THIS is delicious " emphasizes that this one is the delicious one, as compared to others. In this situation you use が (ga) ; これ が おいしい。    (Kore ga oishii.) Be careful to offer kind words about the others so that nobody feels left out: それも食べたいですね。    ( Sore mo tabetai desu ne.) " This is DELICIOUS " emphasizes the taste; the thing being tasted is already established. In this situation you use は (wa) ;  これ は おいしい。    (Kore wa oishii.) Since the thing that is delicious is clear, Japanese speakers commonly drop これは and just say,  おいしい。   (Oishii.) As demonstrated by the above examples, が (ga) emphasizes the word t

We have all seen someone try to take undeserved credit for leadership of a project. Or, you step up and do someone else's job for them, but they still want the recognition for the work you did. Let me share a political maneuver you can use to preserve your position as the project leader. First and foremost, do a good job. This strategy is only effective for a successful project. As success becomes imminent, prepare a thoughtful email in which you: Declare the project a success Heap praise on the project participants. Feel free to exaggerate a bit. Use an vague term like "team" that includes the largest possible number of people including your opponent. Say nothing about your opponent or yourself as individuals Just as the project finishes, send the email to the project participants, your opponent and everyone's managers. Timing is important—your email must appear in the recipients' mailbox before any such email from your opponent. This is why you prepare the ema

When preparing for my first bike tour, the packing lists I found on the Internet really helped me. Now that I have a bit of experience, my own bicycle touring packing list is good enough to share.

  There is plenty of good  general advice on how to prepare for termination : build up cash, warm up you network, control your emotions, don't sign anything. In this article I share more specific tips on how tech workers can prepare. In my 14 years as a consultant I must have been "laid off" 30 times; it just means that it's time to move on to deliver value at the next place. So when a layoff became imminent at my last company, I prepared the way I always do. The approach Act like a vendor who lost this sale, but still wants repeat business in the future. No matter what happens, you will see some of your coworkers again. Conduct yourself lawfully with professionalism and honor. In particular, do not take any company property, intellectual or physical; do not violate your NDA or employment agreement. It's not just wrong, I have personally seen people go to jail for it. Begin your preparation as soon as you think your position may be affected. You will do nothing mo

When faced with a problem, you naturally start thinking of a solution. By immediately jumping to the solution space, you forgo a deeper understanding of the real problem. One of the most famous ( actually, mythical ) examples is the Space Pen: legend has it that NASA commissioned a special  pen  that can write in zero gravity. Meanwhile the Soviets recognized that Cosmonauts would need  something  that can write in zero gravity: a pencil. Extending this example a bit, the Cosmonauts' pencils have a smaller problem space: What if the ink leaks? What if they lose the cap? Those questions do not even exist. Back here on Earth, you sometimes have the opportunity to create a rule that slices off a big chunk of your problem space; a simple thing you can do to eliminate a whole class of problems. It does not matter how infrequent such problems are now. The point is to make a set of problems impossible forever . You'll always have problems, but in a smaller problem space, you

A relative recently fell victim to the virtual kidnapping scam, where criminals demand ransom for a loved one whom they only claim to have kidnapped.  To make their claim more convincing, the perpetrators make their ransom demand when the purported kidnapping victim cannot be contacted.  They might simply know when the person is isolated and unavailable, or they might force them to go incommunicado by stealing their mobile phone.