Zen-like Christmas decorations, Waxahachie, Texas
The Zen rule for becoming happier: Change one thing
1. Start very small.
2. Do only one change at a time.
3. Be present and enjoy the activity (don’t focus on results).
4. Be grateful for every step you take.
Crepe Myrtle trunk in the snow
Train Your Body to Work Out—or Just Hang Out—in Colder Weather
So you hate the cold.
With coronavirus surging, restaurants and bars closed and the homes of even friends and family off-limits, does that mean your winter social life is doomed?
No, according to a host of scientists, professors and trainers who are experts on the physiological impact of frigid weather on humans. Adapting to cold isn’t fun— who loves to shiver?—but it’s possible, scientists say. And as a bonus: Cold, like exercise, makes you healthier.
Window washing job I couldn’t do
Downtown Dallas, Texas
The computers rejecting your job application
A professional journalist, I had recently applied for a new job, and for the first part of the recruitment process the publisher made me play a number of simple online games from the comfort of my own home.
These included having to quickly count the number of dots in two boxes, inflating a balloon before it burst to win money, and matching emotions to facial expressions. Then an artificial intelligence (AI) software system assessed my personality, and either passed or failed me. No human had a look-in.
I wondered: is it fair for a computer alone to accept or reject your job application?
Welcome to the fast-growing world of AI recruitment.
The Window at Molly’s, the street (Decatur) unusually quiet, with notebook, vintage Esterbrook pen, and Molly’s frozen Irish Coffee
How to Write a Novel, According to 10 Really Good Novelists
Take notes everywhere, embrace Wikipedia wormholes and other handy tips
Morning Dallashenge from the triple underpass in Dealey Plaza.
The Six Morning Routines that Will Make You Happier, Healthier and More Productive
Of all the different things you can try to improve your productivity, a morning routine is one of the most effective.
There are a few reasons why morning routines are so useful. The first is obvious to anyone who has ever procrastinated, just getting started is often the hardest part. If you can start out with the right momentum towards your goals, you’ll avoid wrestling with yourself in the morning to get started.
Mojo Coffee, Magazine Street, New Orleans, Louisiana
(click to enlarge)
Our 14 favorite gadgets and hacks for working at home
From mesh networks to lap desks, here’s how The Verge’s staffers create their workspaces
Display at main Half-Price Books, Dallas, Texas
The Use and Abuse of ‘They’
Journalists and essayists in recent years somehow formed the impression that the academic study of English grammar is partitioned into two mutually hostile tribes: descriptivists and prescriptivists. Both are portrayed in cartoonish stereotypes.
The descriptivists allegedly think that anything uttered by English speakers is ipso facto good English and can never be erroneous. So if people sometimes say, “It’s in the, the . . . the hall closet,” we must deem that correct, and posit noun phrases with three definite articles in a row. This insane view is purportedly associated with the political Left.
But the other tribe seems just as deranged. Its members won’t change their minds about the sacred edicts of grammar regardless of evidence. No matter how many great writers may have committed some solecism, they say, it’s still wrong if the rules of correct grammar say it is. This view gets tagged as conservative.
Bill Chance 