Newsletter the Thirteenth

I used to rollerskate around the streets of London. My kids giggle unbelievingly when I mention it, but it's true. I lived in a little Bayswater flat for about 10 months, during college, and I was never particularly good at skating backward or pirouettes or anything fancy. What I enjoyed was skating terrain you weren't supposed to be able to skate.

I skated on cobblestone, down steps, through grocery stores. I would wear my skates down the insanely long escalators into tube stations, and skate slowly through the twists and turns toward the underground trains. Sometimes I skated right onto the train, though often someone officious would make me remove them first.

I'm not sure I can say for sure why I enjoyed this so much. Certainly, I liked the challenge, and doing something which was stupidly dangerous. I think I also enjoyed being 3 or 4 inches taller — it provided quite a different view! And there's no doubt I enjoyed the stares of the ruffled Londoners and tourists as I skated around the West End and into the lobbies of theatres (where even I knew I had to take them off, to pad down the aisles or up to the cheap seats in my socks).

Today, my skates live in the closet by the front door, covered with a sad layer of dust. But I'm still skating… just in different ways.

The DAO of Driving

Driving requires three simultaneous behaviors: be defensive, be aggressive, and be oblivious. Sounds crazy, but here's why:

?? Defensive: Everyone knows there are crazy people out there, and you have to be eternally vigilant to avoid people turning into your lane unexpectedly, or pedestrians jumping into the street, or something like that. Be careful!

?? Aggressive: Sometimes you need to be a little pushy, or else you're just not going to get anywhere. Like, have you ever seen someone try to merge onto a freeway while at the same time giving way to every single car that is coming? It's crazy-making! Note that aggressive doesn't mean "angry"… it just means confident. Chutzpah without being obnoxious!

?? Oblivious: Here's the thing… Life is overwhelmingly, horribly, insanely complex and dangerous. Whether you're driving a car, or buying a pet, or getting married, or running a business, you need to be just a little bit oblivious — because if we really stopped to think about all the ramifications, there's just no way we'd do any of it.

So when you're driving (or undertaking any other activity) be vigilant… have some chutzpah… and don't think too hard about it!

(Bonus: I just realized that these words create the initialism DAO — which is how the word tao is pronounced — "the way" or "the path" in Chinese.)

Essential Mac Utilities

If you use a Mac professionally and don't have Default Folder installed, you're just not being efficient. That's one of a handful of utilities and tools that I rely on. Similarly, for maximum productivity it's crazy not to use a keyboard shortcut ("macro") editor; the one I use is Keyboard Maestro.

Almost a decade ago, I wrote about both of these, along with some others, in this blog post. It's amazing how many of these I still use.

Some are a little redundant… for example, I don't use SizeUp or Launchbar anymore because I've programmed Keyboard Maestro to do most of the same things.

Tell me in the comments what tools you can't live without.

Mmmmm… bollard sleeves…

Some people ogle at Victoria's Secret catalogs, others at Zillow postings of exotic villas… I love flipping through Uline catalogs. There's something so tantalizing about these products, virtually none of which I need — or even want, honestly.

Need power-free finger cots with excellent fingertip dexterity? Quick-release steel dumping hoppers? Ribbed yellow 6" bollard sleeves? I don't even know what the heck much of this stuff is, but it tugs at me… and Uline's got 'em!

Perhaps the pull is that virtually everything I produce or work with is digital, not analog. I don't need a pallet loader for my zeros and ones, but part of me wishes I did — the kid inside who used to play with Tonka trucks… or maybe the adult who wonders what'll happen when the electricity goes out.

(Of course, I get far too many of these dang catalogs… does anyone really need more than 1 or 2 of these a year?! And yes, I understand the owners, Liz and Dick Uihlein, are extremely politically conservative. But that won't stop me from flipping through these catalogs they've paid to have printed… mmm…)

Thank You!

I enjoy sharing my musings… and I enjoy hearing yours! Feel free to follow this newsletter, share it with a friend, follow me on LinkedIn, and send me feedback. You can always reach me at [email protected]