This quote/image about our “propensity” for certain behaviors comes from Pema Chodron’s book, Living Beautifully with Uncertainty and Change. Ms. Chodron oftens writes and speaks about “shenpa,” which I’ll describe as some combination of “things that trigger us,” along with how we react to those triggers.
Scala, Java, Unix, MacOS tutorials (page 140)
I like this tweet by the Dalai Lama. One of my favorite phrases is facta non verba — deeds, not words.
(I originally wrote this blog post in 2012, and it seems like it has held up well over time.)
One great thing I’ve learned from Scala and functional programming over the last few months is this:
Make your variables immutable, unless there’s a good reason not to.
“Immutable” means that you can’t change (mutate) your variables; you mark them as final in Java, or use the val keyword in Scala. More important than you not changing your variables is that other programmers can’t change your variables, and you can’t change theirs.
This series of images that I put together from the movie Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil reminds me of the haunted hotel in New Mexico.
“I think the big thing is don’t be afraid to fail. I think in our society today, Instagram, Twitter, it’s a highlight reel. It’s all the good things. And then when you look at it, you think like, wow, when you have a rough day or your life’s not as good as that, like, you’re failing.”
“Failure is a part of life. That’s a part of building character and growing. Without failure, who would you be? I wouldn’t be up here if I hadn’t fallen thousands of times. Made mistakes.”
“We all are human, we all have weaknesses, and I think throughout this, just being able to share that and be transparent. I know when I listen to people speak and they share their weaknesses, I’m listening. Because I can resonate.”
“So I’m not perfect. I’m not Superman. I might be in the NFL, and we might have just won the Super Bowl, but, hey, we still have daily struggles, I still have daily struggles. So that's where my faith comes in, that’s where my family comes in.”
“I think when you look at a struggle in your life, just know that’s just an opportunity for your character to grow. And that’s really just been the message. Simple. If something’s going on in your life and you’re struggling? Embrace it. Because you’re growing.”
~ Nick Foles, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback, and Super Bowl champion
I usually just encourage people to meditate so they can learn to relax, but there’s another good reason to meditate: It helps you find out who you are. Since you were born, you’ve been programmed by your parents, siblings, other relatives, friends, and teachers; meditation is a way undoing all of that programming. Once you shed that programming, what remains is your true self.
Hmm, someone is trying to sell a copy of Functional Programming, Simplified for $84.67 plus $6.99 shipping on Amazon. Not sure what that’s all about ... I recommend buying a new one from Amazon.
“I love you so much that I want you to be happy, even if that happiness no longer includes me.”
A quote from the movie, The Longest Ride. (Which, thanks to my illness, I have no memory of watching. I only know that I wrote this quote down on a piece of paper.)
Farnam Street has been an interesting blog lately, including this post about keeping a decision journal, and this post about the rules of the road of investing.
In other news, bbc.com reports that researchers have found a sprawling Maya network discovered under a Guatemalan jungle.
sixcolors.com has a nice pie chart that shows how Apple makes its money (hint: 70% comes from the iPhone, 7% from the Mac).
inc.com has this article, 21 questions Amazon asks its job candidates.
Finally, here’s a series of tweets where Alastair McAlpine “asked some of my terminal paediatric palliative care patients what they had enjoyed in life, and what gave it meaning.” (Highly recommended reading.)
Here’s a good article on Verizon’s stock. A few keys: quarterly adjusted earnings were the same as the previous year (no growth); full year adjusted earnings declined; VZ is “poised to benefit greatly under the plan,” with a positive impact to cash flow of $3.5-4B; VZ is overspending their operations (expenses > revenue); tax reform is expected to yield a 55 to 65 cent increase in EPS. (January 30, 2018)
Geno Auriemma shares his thoughts about who he recruits, and how he handles people who are sulking and always thinking about themselves. A favorite quote: “a tremendous appreciation for when teammates do something well.”
“The old adage is, ‘Bull markets don’t die of old age, they’re killed by higher interest rates.’”
~ Mike Baele, managing director at U.S. Bank Wealth Management
Zen koans often turn into humorous Abbott & Costello skits. For those new to Zen, the “It would be better if you died” reference just means that you should meditate like you’re in your coffin, which is further embodied in the Zen phrase, “Dead men have no desire.” (As long as you have desire, Zen will keep its distance from you.)
~ From the book, Zen Flesh, Zen Bones
“A business that can grow its intrinsic value at 12 to 15% over an extended period of time will create tremendous wealth for its shareholders over time.”
“Long-term competitive advantage in a stable industry is what we seek in a business. If that comes with rapid organic growth, great. But even without organic growth, such a business is rewarding.”
That’s just two of the many good quotes about investing on this valuewalk.com web page. (Features quotes from Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger.)
“Some people say, ‘Listen, listen!’ And they talk. I say nothing, it’s better. People’s opinions are the product of their karma. ‘I saw it with my own eyes, I heard it with my own ears.’ But those eyes and ears are not a reliable reflection of absolute truth. They are the eyes and ears of karma. And that’s the problem.”
~ The Way of True Zen, Taisen Deshimaru
Heleo.com has a nice interview with Walter Isaacson, who has written terrific autobiographies about Benjamin Franklin, Albert Einstein, Steve Jobs. He also wrote The Innovators, a terrific retrospective of the invention and use of computers, and recently released a biography of Leonardo da Vinci.
In the article he says that a common thread of all of these great people is curiosity across disciplines.
Yesterday a nurse told me about a Human Occupied Vehicle named Alvin. which, among many other things, made twelve voyages to the Titanic. You can read the basics here, and more here at noaa.org.
A quote from the first article: “Currently rated to 4,500m, which gives researchers in-person access to about 2/3 of the ocean floor, the most recent upgrade increased the depth rating of many of the vehicle’s systems, making it just steps away from having a depth rating of 6,500m, or approximately 98% of the seafloor.”
“Many functions in Lisp are list-eaters.”
From the book, Land of Lisp
(The same can be said about pure functions in Scala.)