Noisy Deadlines

“I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.” – Douglas Adams

The other day I was watching this TED talk on “Mindfulness, Technology and Attention Activism” by Jay Vidyarthi and he mentions this quote from Herbert A. Simon back in the 60'/70's.

Simon, a Nobel prize winner, was onto something here and I wonder what he would say about the world today... 🤔

“What information consumes is rather obvious: it consumes the attention of its recipients. Hence a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention, and a need to allocate that attention efficiently among the overabundance of information sources that might consume it.” —Simon, H. A. (1971) “Designing Organizations for an Information-Rich World” in: Martin Greenberger, Computers, Communication, and the Public Interest, Baltimore. MD: The Johns Hopkins Press. pp. 40–41.

#attentionresistance #quote

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

My good old Kindle

I challenged myself to read 52 books this year. And I have a plan... 🧐

...Read more “Hell, Yeah!” books.

The past few years I was experimenting a lot and reading books I would not really pick up at first glance. And looking back I saw that my average rating for all the books I read was 3.9. I think that's low. That means I didn't read enough books that I thought were really exciting. I read lots of “meh” books. You can see a list of all my read books here.

This year I want to read books that have been on my “to be read list” for some time because they are sequels to stories I already love.

Also, I was inspired by the Reading Glasses challenge (great podcast about Book Culture, BTW) and borrowed some of their ideas to my Reader Goals:

  • Read a graphic novel (or two...)
  • Read more of authors I already know and love
  • Read a book by a trans author
  • Listen to 1 audiobook per month (non-fiction)
  • Listen to 1 fiction audiobook [never tried it before!]

  • Read sequels of the Series I already love:

  • The Expanse by James S. A. Corey (#4 to #7)

  • Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells (#3)

  • Old Man's War by John Scalzi (#2 to #6)

  • Parasol Protectorate by Gail Carriger (#2 to #5)

  • The Witcher by Andrzej Sapkowski

  • Start Reading The Dresden Files Series by Jim Butcher [never read it before! Wanna try!]

  • Read books I've already have purchased/pre-ordered:

    • The Armored Saint by Myke Cole
    • Paladin of Souls (World of the Five Gods #2) by Lois McMaster Bujold
    • Changeless (Parasol Protectorate #2) by Gail Carriger
    • Enough by Patrick Rhone (Kindle Unlimited)
    • Drive by Daniel H. Pink
    • Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport [pre-ordered]
    • Team Human by Douglas Rushkoff [pre-ordered]
    • Blood, Sweat, and Pixels: The Triumphant, Turbulent Stories Behind How Video Games Are Made by Jason Schreier

  • Read some picks from The Sword and Laser Bookclub and Vaginal Fantasy Bookclub throughout the year, because they are awesome (love their podcast)!

  • Also read some picks from Vaginal Fantasy

I am sure I'll keep adding titles to this list but I will try to consider this my priority list for 2019 😎

#reading #books #readinglist #ReaderGoals

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

Window frost patterns at my window this morning.

Window frost Window frost

#winter

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

Why have sports events became a huge advertisement show?

Disclaimer

I went to a hockey game the other day. As a newcomer in Canada this was one of the experiences I wanted to try. Hockey is like soccer for Brazil: almost everybody has a favorite hockey team and it is constantly in the news. I am not a big sports fan. Actually I don't like watching sports and I don't have any favorite teams. But it was nice to have the opportunity to see a hockey game.

And what I saw was...

... less about the sport and more about...advertising. I was overwhelmed by the number of screens and banners showing ads all the time!

It seemed to me it was a big marketing show that had some guys playing hockey in the background.

The sound system was extremely loud and I ended up with a terrible headache afterwards. The only moments with silence were when the players were actually playing, and as soon as there was a pause, the super loud music would come up and a countdown telling everybody to make some noise would appear before the puck was on the ground again. And they would squeeze as much advertisement as possible during these short breaks.

I think I must have seen thousands of ads coming from various sources, non-stop. I counted at least 8 locations where advertisement was displayed. It just seemed to me that the goal of the game was to get us to buy (more) stuff, rather than enjoy a sports match. Hockey game and ads locations

Maybe I've been away from big stadiums shows and events for too long because I was shocked with the spectacle and how my attention was being forcibly drawn to all those screens.

It was a 3+ hour event, with two 20 minutes intervals that had a DJ with exceedingly loud music and advertisement insertions throughout. And also the camera would catch people from the audience to appear at the big screen in the middle of the stadium. Like, a 30 seconds moment of fame competition with air guitar performances, dancing and people just being goofy.

I don't know if it's me, but it was too much! Too much noise, too much ads, too much non-focused attention.

Are all the sports events like this now?

#ads #noisymusings

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

Headphones

I decided to try Audible for 90 days. I never understood the appeal of listening to a book. For me, reading is a calming experience and depending on the book I will slow down or speed up my reading. I will stop and just look at the world around me when a phrase inspires me. I highlight and take notes (yes, we can do that with an e-reader). Could I do that with an audiobook?

I am used to Podcasts. I normally listen to them when I am walking towards an errand, doing the dishes, running at the gym or, occasionally, driving. When I am listening to a Podcast I sometimes catch myself wondering about my to-do list or remembering a past event. Then I realized I've been distracted and I come back to the listening. But that's okay because it's not a book, I don't need to follow every sentence to understand the message. When I get lost I just move on.

Now, books... I like to pay attention to every sentence. It's a contemplative experience to me. And that's why I always thought that “listening” to a book would ruin the introspection. This article from the New York times got me thinking about the differences between reading and listening to a book:

Is Listening to a Book the Same Thing as Reading It?

Basically the conclusion is, it depends:

Print may be best for lingering over words or ideas, but audiobooks add literacy to moments where there would otherwise be none.

So I am trying it for myself and I will see how it goes!

I chose the book The Attention Merchants: The Epic Scramble to Get Inside Our Heads by Tim Wu as a first try.

The first thing I noticed is that the narrator was too slow. So I am listening at 1.25x speed. It's better.

#reading #audiobooks #books

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

Every year I set myself a reading challenge on Goodreads.

Goodreads is a kind of a book cataloging network, with discussion groups, lists, reviews and book recommendations. I like using it because of the bookclubs and the integration with my e-reader (Kindle).

Books in 2018

I've been doing the Reading Challenge since 2012 and I broke my record in 2018 reading 52 books in total: an average of about 1 book per week. 🤘🎉

2018 Reading Challenge

I read 15,432 pages across 52 books

I can say that I read more because I decided to cut back time on other activities, like browsing social media. I realized that I was swapping reading time with mindless scrolling and that made me take a step back and evaluate how social media was affecting my habits.

That led me to uninstall all social media apps from my phone, delete accounts and use my “idle” time to read on my Kindle. During my bus commute, instead of checking Twitter on my phone I would take my Kindle. Instead of sitting down at home after work and check my phone I would open my Kindle. I decided to ignore the urge to be online receiving updates all the time. I wanted to retrain my brain to be able to deep focus. And reading requires focused attention.

Average length

The cool thing about the Goodreads Reading Challenge is that by the end of the year we get a report with some stats and the complete list of the books read. It's nice to look back and remember all the books I experienced!

Books in 2018

Here goes a list of my favorite books in 2018:

For 2019 my challenge will be to read 52 books!

Books in 2018

#books #readingchallenge

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

“Do not wait; the time will never be “just right”. Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along” -George Herbert

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

(for the record, -12°C – feels like -18°C – Ottawa)

Lovely winter day - Ottawa, Britannia Bay

#winter #photo #noisymusings

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

All the books I read
Ariadne's book recommendations, liked quotes, book clubs, book trivia, book lists (read shelf)

2018

  • Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion – Sam Harris, 257p
  • Rising Strong: How the Ability to Reset Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead – Brené Brown, 312p
  • The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life – Mark Manson , 229p
  • The Night Masquerade (Binti #3) – Nnedi Okorafor, 205p
  • The 30 Day Heartburn Solution: A 3-Step Nutrition Program to Stop Acid Reflux Without Drugs – Craig Fear, 179p
  • Scoundrel (The Blades of the Rose, #2) – Zoe Archer, 400p
  • The Easy Acid Reflux Cookbook: Comforting 30-Minute Recipes to Soothe GERD & LPR – Karen Frazier, 196p
  • Beyond Shame (Beyond, #1) – Kit Rocha,355p
  • Night's Master (Tales from the Flat Earth, #1) – Tanith Lee , 244p
  • What to Say When You Talk to Yourself- Shad Helmstetter, 256p
  • Your Digital Life 2.0: Everything you need to know to get your life organised and your technology working for you – Carl Pullein, 242p
  • American Queen (New Camelot Trilogy, #1) -Sierra Simone, 392p
  • Pestilence (The Four Horsemen, #1) – Laura Thalassa, 381p
  • We Are Legion – We Are Bob (Bobiverse, #1) – Dennis E. Taylor, 304p
  • For We Are Many (Bobiverse, #2) – Dennis E. Taylor, 321p
  • Change Your Brain, Change Your Life: The Breakthrough Program for Conquering Anxiety, Depression, Obsessiveness, Anger, and Impulsiveness -Daniel G. Amen, 352p
  • Earth's End (Air Awakens, #3) – Elise Kova, 348p
  • Home (Binti, #2) – Nnedi Okorafor, 176p
  • Fire Falling (Air Awakens, #2) – Elise Kova, 380p
  • The Year of Less: How I Stopped Shopping, Gave Away My Belongings, and Discovered Life Is Worth More Than Anything You Can Buy in a Store – Cait Flanders, 189p
  • Air Awakens (Air Awakens, #1) – Elise Kova, 330p
  • The Night Masquerade (Binti, #3) – Nnedi Okorafor, 208p
  • Jade City (The Green Bone Saga, #1) -Fonda Lee, 512p
  • The Happy Mind: A Simple Guide to Living a Happier Life Starting Today- Kevin Horsley, 127p
  • Fast Focus: A Quick-Start Guide To Mastering Your Attention, Ignoring Distractions, And Getting More Done In Less Time! – Damon Zahariades, 153p
  • Stranger (The Blades of the Rose, #4) – Zoe Archer, 463p
  • Abaddon's Gate (Expanse, #3) James S.A. Corey -547p
  • Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now – Jaron Lanier, 160p
  • Trabalho organizado: Encontre equilÍbrio e significado num mundo cada vez mais sobrecarregado – Thais Godinho, 283p
  • Fast Tract Digestion Heartburn – Norman Robillard, 217p
  • Caliban's War (The Expanse, #2) – James S.A. Corey, 595p
  • All These Worlds (Bobiverse, #3) – Dennis E. Taylor, 260p
  • Effortless Journaling: How to Start a Journal, Make It a Habit, and Find Endless Writing Topics – S.J. Scott,158p
  • Artificial Condition (The Murderbot Diaries, #2) -Martha Wells, 160p
  • Magic Burns (Kate Daniels, #2) – Ilona Andrews, 260p
  • Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones – James Clear, 319p
  • Zeroes -Chuck Wendig, 437p
  • Kissing Sin (Riley Jenson Guardian #2) – Keri Arthur, 355p
  • Getting Results the Agile Way: A Personal Results System for Work and Life – J.D. Meier, 274p
  • All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries, #1) -Martha Wells, 156p
  • Personal Kanban: Mapping Work | Navigating Life -Jim  Benson,218p
  • Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics: A 10% Happier How-To Book – Jeff Warren, 288p
  • Autonomous – Annalee Newitz, 298p
  • Getting Things Done with Todoist – Daniel LeFebvre, 87p
  • You Are Not A Gadget – Jaron Lanier, 224p
  • Rebel (The Blades of the Rose, #3) – Zoe Archer, 398p
  • The Fiery Cross (Outlander, #5) – Diana Gabaldon, 1456p
  • Binti (Binti, #1) – Nnedi Okorafor, 96p
  • Soulful Simplicity: How Living with Less Can Lead to So Much More – Courtney Carver, 255p
  • The Minimalist Vegan: A Simple Manifesto On Why To Live With Less Stuff And More Compassion – Michael Ofei, 147p.

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

I have always loved stories about robots, AI's, bots or any sentient like machine. This book reminded me again why I love these stories. It is excellent!

All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries, #1) by Martha Wells

One thing that happened to me while reading the first chapters is that I automatically assigned a female gender to Murderbot. I don't why I did it, but Murderbot was so relatable to me, I created empathy for all its fears, anxiety and social awkwardness. But then it is clear that Murderbot doesn't have a gender, because it is a security bot, not a sexbot. I wonder if the book cover led me to think that. Although I showed it to my husband and he told it was a totally gender neutral bot in that cover.

Maybe that is proof of how engaging and well written the character is. It's all about what it means to be alive, what it means to exist and think, no matter what or who you are. It was so interesting to be inside this bot's head and find out that it doesn't know what it wants, kinda like a human mind, all confused and asking why the universe existed:

It’s wrong to think of a construct as half bot, half human. It makes it sound like the halves are discrete, like the bot half should want to obey orders and do its job and the human half should want to protect itself and get the hell out of here. As opposed to the reality, which was that I was one whole confused entity, with no idea what I wanted to do. What I should do. What I needed to do.

I loved that Murderbot enjoyed watching television series:

And in their corner all they had was Murderbot, who just wanted everyone to shut up and leave it alone so it could watch the entertainment feed all day.

And I already started reading the sequel, because this is one of those “Hell, yeah” kind of stories.

Highly recommended!

Book info:

#books #bookreview

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

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