Watching this TED video last night Diana Laufenberg: How to learn? From mistakes got me to thinking. I really like what she had to say and it makes sense. I hate bubble tests. Bet let me skew the point a different way.

Where I tend to get the most frustrated at failure isn't really at the failure though. I produce Web sites and write applications. I work in code. Most of the time my code works, but I can't stop there. The code has to be "right." Right as defined by the experts. Use the "right" code to do what I'm doing not just code that works. Sounds crazy and it is a little bit crazy. But I do like to feel that my code is "right" not just "it works."

And that isn't the big picture Diana talks about, but it is something that I pulled out. How do we teach ourselves, our kids and each other how to fail well? How do we give each other room to go out on the proverbial limb and take risks without holding them over the fire for it.

We're all going to fail. A lot. But instead of focusing on the failure learn from it. Let it teach you.

In programming there's a group that focuses on something called Test Driven Development or TDD. That means that we test our code with code before we write the code. Basically we write test cases first. Then write code to make those tests pass. We start with failure. Then do the least we can to get the test to pass and move on to the next failure.

I wish I could apply this principle to life. But I can't. Life isn't testable. You can't really test the water without getting in the water and experiencing the water. Most of the time we look at it as right or wrong, yes or no without anything in between. But most of the time it isn't that way. Motives outweigh actions. Why is more important than what. Other things have to be considered before we really decide if we failed or not.

We should expect to fail. To not be perfect all the time. Then, when we fail, we can learn from it and be better for it. And help others when they fail. Just remember that failure has levels and isn't always bad.

I was given a book Bad Dogs Have More Fun by John Grogan (author of Marly and Me and journalist for the Philadelphia Inquirer) for Christmas named. It's a collection of stories. The first is about Caitlin, an 11-year-old girl born deaf, performing her first violin recital. She played Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Mary had a Little Lamb. According to the article her timing and sound were perfect. Grogan says this:

A girl without hearing tackled an instrument that has everything to do with hearing, and she didn't give up. For the determined, she learned, even the steepest mountains can be scaled, one step at a time.

Caitlin went to a typical school that had classes for the deaf. She would see other hearing students with musical instruments. She decided she wanted to play. And she did.

There's something about being a kid. As kids we could all draw, paint, dance and sing. We grow older and learn—or maybe we're taught—that we can't. Kids also have an amazing ability to believe. To trust. To create. To forgive.

Christ once said that we are to come to him with faith like a child. As I tacked another year on yesterday may we all be reminded to believe like a child and in some ways think like a child. Not abandoning maturity but accepting ourselves and those around us and letting our imaginations run so that we not only create, but believe that what we create is amazing and beautiful.

Are you an analog or a digital person? Do you keep you todo list in your head? on paper? or with software? I fight between the options. Try to find what works best. But I think in reality I'm just trying to find the one that is the least effort and the easiest to ignore.

When I really want to focus on getting things done I resort to paper. Writing things down. Then when those things don't get done I manually have to rewrite them the next day. The process of writing the task again and again and again when I've failed to do it that day makes me feel the pain of not getting something done.

Digitally it just falls through to the next day or gets put on some form of a more urgent list. Easy to ignore.

I also prioritize better on paper. It doesn't get easier than drawing a arrow or using a number to reorder things on a written list.

Don't get me wrong, I love digital. It's what I do. I build those apps that help us accomplish tasks. But the perfect todo list just doesn't exist. At least not one that is as easy to use as a paper and a pen.

Of course what works for you is what you should do. Share. What does work for you?

Been on the New York Times Web site a bit more than usually lately reading through a few articles.

The first time I saw this feature I kinda missed it. The second time I used it and the third time I realized what a good idea it is.

Take a look at one of their articles. (Here's one that might amuse you a bit.) As you near the bottom of the article a box will slide in from the right side of your browser window. (see the image below)

This box has headlines and links in to related stories. If you scroll back up the article page the box will slide back out of view. 

Nice feature and unobtrusively guides the reader to related or featured content. And gets out of the way when the reader is looking to stay on this page longer.

Imagine what we can make together if we share relentlessly.

I've been working on a project and needed to look up some documentation for a code library I'm using. The above quote was on the creator's Web site. Rails developers may recognize it, but everyone can learn something from it. 

Think about it for a minute. A full minute. Now, share. 

Sure he [made wrong decisions]. And he owned those decisions. But he never felt guilty about them because he knew that you can't move forward in the face of uncertainty if you aren't willing to make mistakes. And gradually, he made fewer and fewer mistakes. In fact, people said he developed an amazing ability to make good decisions without enough information. They thought he was really smart.

from The Five Temptations of a CEO - a Leadership Fable by Patrick Lencioni

Is any decision is better than no decision?

It's really easy to get bogged down in details and keep from making a decision. I've always been pretty good at making decisions quickly. I've made a lot of decisions I regret, but most of the decisions I've made I'm glad that I made them when I did. 

I'm not saying that you should make rash decisions. I'm suggesting that you don't have to know the answer to every question before you make a decision. Don't be stupid, for sure, but don't be afraid either. Ever business decision has side effects. And no decision will be 100% correct. Our "guts" are often smarter than we give them credit for.

Is fear the reason for your delay?

I'm usually pretty quick and good at making decisions. I don't have a perfect track record and some decisions definitely take me longer to make than others. 

If I wanted to really be honest with myself I'd have to say that the decisions that take the longest to make or the ones I'm afraid to make. I'm usually afraid of any of the options. 

It is okay to be wrong

Most decisions we delay to make are because we don't want to be wrong. That's rational. I can't think of anybody who wants to be wrong, but being wrong isn't the end of the world. 

The best thing to do when you make a wrong decision is to admit it - quickly. You may not even need to apoligize. Just admit it, learn from it, correct it and move on.

Again, don't be stupid or rash. Don't burn bridges, But please don't let fear of being wrong keep you from making important decisions.

Share your thoughts. What decisions are you procrasitinating on?

Heard of StumbleUpon?

I have, but I don't use it. Not regularly anyway. Heck, I don't really use any social tool regularly although I'm starting to.

Here's a description of StumbleUpon from StumbleUpon

Discover photos, videos, and web pages recommended by friends and people sharing your interests. StumbleUpon learns what you like, so you only see what's interesting to you from across the web.

According to this article on Search Engine Land StumbleUpon generated more links to sites than Facebook or Twitter. Facebook and Twitter are definitely more popular among typical Web users, but if you're trying to generate links to your site then you should be turning your attention to other social sites.

Here's the data

Take a look at the chart. Facebook was the champ for most of last year. The uptick of StumbleUpon may be temporary. But it is still way above all the other social media outlets (almost combined).

Note: I'm using Mac OS X Snow Leopard. Windows user's you'll have to do something else with CygWin or the like.

You're working on HTML, CSS and JavaScript files on your local machine and hate having to upload to a server to test or using file:/// to review the work. Somethings just don't work (most JS in some browsers) from the file protocol and having to upload to a remote server for simple tweaks is just a pain in the rear.

If you're on a Mac like I am this is just use a quick script to server up a directory. (sorry, but you will have to use the console.)

From the console and in directory you want to serve type:

$ python -m SimpleHTTPServer 8080 

Then browse to http://localhost:8080/ in your browser.

Yep, that's pretty simple. That's a lot type ever time so lets make it a bit simpler.

You'll have to edit the .profile (Mac OS X) file in your user folder. You can use Vim (vi) or TextMate or anything else that can edit plain text files. Just add the following line at the end:

alias server="open http://localhost:8080/ && python -m SimpleHTTPServer 8080"

Save the file. Log out of any console sessions you have going and start a new one. Now you can just type:

$ server

from the console prompt in the directory you want to serve. Your default browser will open to the right URL for you. How cool is that.

Want to get a bit more adventurous?

$ python -m CGIHTTPServer 8080 

Now you can serve up .py files as well - Yep, there are still Python devs out there and some of them are doing cool stuff.

I know this isn't a game changer

.NET and Ruby already have ways to review their sites using a unique port on localhost using tools provided within those frameworks. This makes it simple for front end developers to test in a proper context.

Thanks

Thanks to @rem and @mathias for Tweeting this. Just thought I share a bit more information. It's out there in other places, but now I'll always know where to find it.

Have you downloaded that new productivity app yet?

As [people], we can often rationalize spending time on shopping by telling ourselves that we’re investing our time, energy, and money in a new tool – [it’s] going to catapult our [productivity] to the next level. Maybe it’s a new computer, maybe it’s a musical instrument, maybe it’s [an office] of one’s own. Once you get that new thing, you think, you’ll have a superior means to complete your work

from Is Consumerism Killing Our Creativity? at the 99% *I’ve replaced creativity with productivity in these quotes. Yes I know the two aren’t the same, but they are closely related.

I always want the latest tool or gadget or software or app that I think will help me complete my task, be more productive or enjoy life more. I’m looking for that one thing – book, article, tool – that will give me the “aha” moment and all the things I’ve learned over the years will come together and I’ll be exponentially more productive in life and work.

It’s a myth, I know. There is no such product, but still I think it will happen, hope it will happen.

This can’t be true, can it?

It’s a false promise, of course. A means of procrastination baked into our consumerist culture. No external thing can prompt [productivity], and there’s no substitute for just getting down to doing the work.

“A means of procrastination.” Ouch! The truth hurts, doesn’t it?

In fact, it’s been proven that hardship – being deprived of things – stimulates [productivity] more than being well-off. A recent Newsweek article on America’s declining creativity reported

About six months ago I simplified my life a bit. I changed the layout of my office, the computers that I used. I removed anything extra that I could. It has gotten cluttered again and again and I fight it off every time. I also changed my business focus. I made decisions as to where I would spend my time and how I would spend my time, what I would think about and read, what work I would look for and take.

It hasn’t been easy and I haven’t been perfect. I’ve made many mistakes. It is a process not an overnight change.

Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler. – A. Einstein

That is the challenge. How simple can I live? Do I really need all the stuff, gadgets, software, apps that I’ve collected over the years?They may not take up physical space but what about mental space? Which is more valuable – mental or physical?

Starting comes before finishing

I find that as I simplify my task it becomes easier to start. And it’s obvious that to finish I actually have to start at some point.

I still have problems finishing, but I have less problems starting.

Where should I start?

Hmm. Tough question. And you have to answer it for yourself. But answering this first may help: Where’s your heart? Your passion? You can’t stray far from that and be productive.