Relax! You’ll Be More Productive

I’ve got a lot of busy work to do this week. I’m going to try setting a 90 minute alarm and seeing if that helps.

The difference is that during the day we move from a state of alertness progressively into physiological fatigue approximately every 90 minutes. Our bodies regularly tell us to take a break, but we often override these signals and instead stoke ourselves up with caffeine, sugar and our own emergency reserves — the stress hormones adrenaline, noradrenaline and cortisol.

Working in 90-minute intervals turns out to be a prescription for maximizing productivity. Professor K. Anders Ericsson and his colleagues at Florida State University have studied elite performers, including musicians, athletes, actors and chess players. In each of these fields, Dr. Ericsson found that the best performers typically practice in uninterrupted sessions that last no more than 90 minutes. They begin in the morning, take a break between sessions, and rarely work for more than four and a half hours in any given day.

Source: Relax! You’ll Be More Productive

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Annie Glenn

After this year of “celebrity rapture”, as one friend called it, hearing of a 90 year old man’s slipping out of existence registers little more than a vale, but since the man in question was the lovely John Glenn, my second thought was of his wife. I knew of her because of The Right Stuff, where their relationship was beautifully portrayed, but I had no idea of her history after the spaceflight era. Turns out she went from a crippling stutter to a professor. Fans of etymology will understand the significance of that. She’s a tough broad and I mourn for the good man and the great relationship she lost.

After years of cruel slurs, of being overlooked by strangers, Annie Glenn seeks out the handicapped. In a crowd, she heads straight for those in wheelchairs. She has a sort of radar; finds the shyest person in the room and takes the time to draw him out. A group of deaf people were in the audience at one of her husband’s speeches. Afterward, Annie Glenn went over to them and soon was learning sign language. As the press crowded around Glenn, he looked over at his wife, who was signing “I Love You” to the deaf. “That’s what you should be covering,” he told the reporters.

Source: Annie Glenn: ‘When I called John, he cried. People just couldn’t believe that I could really talk.’ – The Washington Post

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Feathery Dinosaur

2016 has been a total shitshow, but at the very least we end the year with one shining bright spot: Dinosaurs were once fuzzy. Day made!

The rare specimen provides new insights into how feathers came to be

Source: This 99-Million-Year-Old Dinosaur Tail Trapped in Amber Hints at Feather Evolution | Smart News | Smithsonian

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God Save the Free

I’m a British citizen but don’t have much patriotic devotion to the country. Unless, of course, you count its commitment to culture and the arts. The decision to make museums and galleries free was a wonderful one, and much appreciated. Wish more countries would follow suit.

Fifteen years ago today National Museums around the country opened their doors and welcomed visitors in free of charge.

On that day people in London, Manchester, York and many more places could visit the Victoria and Albert, the Museum of Science and Industry and the National Railway Museum without paying a penny.

It was one of Labour’s boldest initiatives and one of its most enduring legacies.

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Michael Dean | Turner Prize 2016

He didn’t win the Turner Prize, but all the press around him has been a wonderful way to spend time (virtually) with my friend Michael. So great to see someone who has worked so hard for so long finally get the recognition and the success he’s due.

Source: Michael Dean | Turner Prize 2016 | TateShots | Tate

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British Humour

I’m a dual citizen, but the only time I ever feel truly British is when I see something like this (the replies, that is – not the hateful bile that inspired them).

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Flogsta Scream

File under: Local traditions.

Every evening at approximately 10 p.m., the “Flogsta scream” (Flogstavrålet in Swedish) may be heard, when students individually or collectively let out screams and howls from windows, balconies and roof tops.

According to Uppsala University, the collective screaming acts as “a much needed safety valve” and “a cry of angst” for students stressed by the demands of university life.

Source: Flogsta – Wikipedia

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Trevor Noah on Trump’s victory

We’ve reached a point where the comedians have become sombre. America has some rough seas ahead of it.

https://youtu.be/hSIUZFM3VVA

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The Remarkable History Of The Humble Pencil

Someone at NPR has stumbled upon my favourite Wikipedia page: The Pencil. Believe it or not, it’s full of geopolitics, historical significance, hilarious facts, and so many famous names-cum-art-brands that it reads like fan fiction.

The classroom writing implement has roots in exploding stars, the French Revolution, the British crown jewels and Walden Pond.

Source: Trace The Remarkable History Of The Humble Pencil

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Suffragette Sisterhood

This election has been a mess, but I’m hoping against hope that Hillary wins tonight. Stories like this move me to tears, and give me such hope for the future.

For the first time in American history, a woman has been nominated by a major party and stands a real chance of becoming our next president. The moment has huge historical significance for millions of American women, including some over the age of 96 who lived before women even had the right to vote. As a result, many are taking to real and virtual grave sites to thank the suffragettes who made women’s suffrage possible. Stories and images of the long line to place an “I Voted” sticker on Susan B. Anthony’s tombstone have made their way around the Internet, but equally moving are the tributes women are posting on suffragist Ida B. Wells’ virtual grave site.

Source: People Are Leaving Tributes On Ida B. Wells’ Virtual Grave & Thanking Her For All That She Did

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