Maybe its just me. But I’ve got a problem with people who use the express lane like a cruise lane. If you want to go slow, use one of the other lanes. Just because you qualify for the express lane, doesn’t mean you need to drive there. Its really okay to drive in the right lanes. That way for those of us who want to drive slightly faster than the speed limit in a safe manner, we can do so with out waiting for you to exit the lane when you feel that you’re done using it.

After all, your not in a hurry, why do you care if you have to wait behind another driver?  Did you know the express lane  is the LEFT lane, generally used for faster drivers who want to get where they’re going.  Most of the time I really don’t care, I cruse along just like you.  I take my time, but when I do, I do so in the middle lanes or the right lanes, and just move along as I see fit.

But when the time comes that Id prefer to “get there”, please do us a favor and move over.  Now, if the freeway is very busy, I have no problem if you want to be in the express lane, even if you’re not going the speed limit.  But when the free way is wide open, really, its okay, you don’t need to be in the express lane.

Now that I’ve properly vented, my level of road rage is subdued, and I’ll be able to handle this situation several times, before my frustration level increases once again, and I rant a bit on this subject another time.  I feel better somehow now.

The # symbol, called a hashtag, is used to mark keywords or topics in a Tweet. It was created by Twitter users as a way to categorize messages into subjects, so they can be easily searched.  Now I get the simplicity of this, however, it seems to me a step backward.   Why can’t Twitter be “search smart”.  Shouldn’t they be able to “group and sort” messages based on context and replies and such, rather than require users to hashtag their content.

I think its a bit complex to have users always type #hashtag or #rant, just for Twitter to be able to read such tags.  Maybe its because the message volume is simply overwhelming, or they’re giving users control over keywords in their Tweet content.  I suppose its no different than using the @ symbol to direct attention to a particular individual.  But the @ symbol at least means “at”, while the # symbol doesn’t have such a meeting.

Maybe I’m just older, and Tweeting is next-gen communication.  At least that’s what my kids tell me.  But it seems to me we can do better.  After all, having written (or typed) language descend into symbol based descriptors, to enumerate intent, topic and directives, seems a bit of  a step backwards.  But technology will evolve.  Twitter to me has always seemed like a good concept for micro-blogging, but is it too %technical for the *average user to &use?

Ok, its rather technical, forgive me for “geeking” out on you, but I love Objective C, but I really think, the NSString object is overly complex.  Some simple overrides (like those offered in C# with the String Class) would be very helpful.

For those who don’t know, Objective C is the mainstay development language for Apple’s iOS, and C# widely popular on Microsoft .NET development platforms.  I get that Objective C is a purist object oriented language, but it goes way over the top on strings, using methods and operators that require verbose usage and operation. Lets compare:

In .NET a simple string concatenation would be:

The same thing now in Objective C using NSString

Now I’m not overly concerned, but when it gets complex, its just too much.  For example:

vs.. the same thing now in Objective C using NSString

Now I understand the .NET Class has Format() functions, that are mostly comparable, but where are the shortcuts? The same thing exists with comparisons, substitutions, and a variety of string functions. And of course .NET provides a series of helpful functions and methods like ToString() or even casts things rather nicely without a lot of extra coding. Now the NSMutableString class provides some help. However, it would be nice, if it was .NET String Class simple. Maybe I just like shortcuts. Having said all that, I LOVE the XCode development environment, and I really like what iOS and the frameworks. But with strings, well .NET takes the win here. </rant>

Happiness

I recently had a church lesson, of all things on the 12 Things Happy People Do Differently. I found it rather provocative, and extremely practical, so I thought Id echo the points here, and add my two cents.  These are vitally true.  I think life, and they way we view it, is often seen through the lens we create. We live in a negative world, where people just “want to share”, but often these things drag us down, and lead our minds into avenues of despair and frustration.  Of course life gives us a set of challenges, its up to us what we do with them.

I’ve quoted the four points from this website ( http://www.marcandangel.com/2011/08/30/12-things-happy-people-do-differently/)

1. Express gratitude. – When you appreciate what you have, what you have appreciates in value.  Kinda cool right?  So basically, being grateful for the goodness that is already evident in your life will bring you a deeper sense of happiness.  And that’s without having to go out and buy anything.  It makes sense.  We’re gonna have a hard time ever being happy if we aren’t thankful for what we already have.
2. Cultivate optimism. – Winners have the ability to manufacture their own optimism.  No matter what the situation, the successful diva is the chick who will always find a way to put an optimistic spin on it.  She knows failure only as an opportunity to grow and learn a new lesson from life.  People who think optimistically see the world as a place packed with endless opportunities, especially in trying times.
3. Avoid over-thinking and social comparison. – Comparing yourself to someone else can be poisonous.  If we’re somehow ‘better’ than the person that we’re comparing ourselves to, it gives us an unhealthy sense of superiority.  Our ego inflates – KABOOM – our inner Kanye West comes out!  If we’re ‘worse’ than the person that we’re comparing ourselves to, we usually discredit the hard work that we’ve done and dismiss all the progress that we’ve made.  What I’ve found is that the majority of the time this type of social comparison doesn’t stem from a healthy place.  If you feel called to compare yourself to something, compare yourself to an earlier version of yourself.
4. Practice acts of kindness. – Performing an act of kindness releases serotonin in your brain.  (Serotonin is a substance that has TREMENDOUS health benefits, including making us feel more blissful.)  Selflessly helping someone is a super powerful way to feel good inside.  What’s even cooler about this kindness kick is that not only will you feel better, but so will people watching the act of kindness.  How extraordinary is that?  Bystanders will be blessed with a release of serotonin just by watching what’s going on.  A side note is that the job of most anti-depressants is to release more serotonin.  Move over Pfizer, kindness is kicking ass and taking names.
5. Nurture social relationships. – The happiest people on the planet are the ones who have deep, meaningful relationships.  Did you know studies show that people’s mortality rates are DOUBLED when they’re lonely?  WHOA!  There’s a warm fuzzy feeling that comes from having an active circle of good friends who you can share your experiences with.  We feel connected and a part of something more meaningful than our lonesome existence.
6. Develop strategies for coping. – How you respond to the ‘craptastic’ moments is what shapes your character.  Sometimes crap happens – it’s inevitable.  Forrest Gump knows the deal.  It can be hard to come up with creative solutions in the moment when manure is making its way up toward the fan.  It helps to have healthy strategies for coping pre-rehearsed, on-call, and in your arsenal at your disposal.
7. Learn to forgive. – Harboring feelings of hatred is horrible for your well-being.  You see, your mind doesn’t know the difference between past and present emotion.  When you ‘hate’ someone, and you’re continuously thinking about it, those negative emotions are eating away at your immune system.  You put yourself in a state of sucker-ism (technical term) and it stays with you throughout your day.
8. Increase flow experiences. – Flow is a state in which it feels like time stands still.  It’s when you’re so focused on what you’re doing that you become one with the task.  Action and awareness are merged.  You’re not hungry, sleepy, or emotional.  You’re just completely engaged in the activity that you’re doing.  Nothing is distracting you or competing for your focus.
9. Savor life’s joys. – Deep happiness cannot exist without slowing down to enjoy the joy.  It’s easy in a world of wild stimuli and omnipresent movement to forget to embrace life’s enjoyable experiences.  When we neglect to appreciate, we rob the moment of its magic.  It’s the simple things in life that can be the most rewarding if we remember to fully experience them.
10. Commit to your goals. – Being wholeheartedly dedicated to doing something comes fully-equipped with an ineffable force.  Magical things start happening when we commit ourselves to doing whatever it takes to get somewhere.  When you’re fully committed to doing something, you have no choice but to do that thing.  Counter-intuitively, having no option – where you can’t change your mind – subconsciously makes humans happier because they know part of their purpose.
11. Practice spirituality. – When we practice spirituality or religion, we recognize that life is bigger than us.  We surrender the silly idea that we are the mightiest thing ever.  It enables us to connect to the source of all creation and embrace a contentedness with everything that exists.  Some of the most accomplished people I know feel that they’re here doing work they’re “called to do.”
12. Take care of your body. – Taking care of your body is crucial to being the happiest person you can be.  If you don’t have your physical energy in good shape, then your mental energy (your focus), your emotional energy (your feelings), and your spiritual energy (your purpose) will all be negatively affected.  Did you know that studies conducted on people who were clinically depressed showed that consistent exercise raises happiness levels just as much as Zoloft?  Not only that, but here’s the double whammy… Six months later, the people who participated in exercise were less likely to relapse because they had a higher sense of self-accomplishment and self-worth.

If you find these interesting, I recommend getting this book “The How of Happiness” by  Sonja Lyubomirsky.

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/08/why-is-the-price-of-gold-falling/261273/

Unlike commodities such as wheat or oil, which you can at least eat or burn for fuel, gold pretty much lacks any inherent value beyond what the market assigns to it.

I’ve been saying this for a long time. What is gold good for? Its just a medium. In very hard times, who needs it? Gold will hold value only if somebody else finds value in it, and most people only find value in it, to preserve value. Once that value is gone, its worthless. Well maybe not entirely.

With India and China changing the market demand, we now see that the value of gold is changing. Something to think about.