Tag Archives: mind

Multitasking

I know someone who are very good at multitasking. They can do many things at the same time. I found that I can’t really multitask very well. I can only time-slice my tasks. When I am working on one task and want to switch to another task, I have to put down the on-going task first. I can swap tasks back and forth but it takes quite some time for me to get back on to an effective working state of the task. I found that it is easier to swap between tasks if the tasks are very different. I think human brain operates like a computer, it has different processing units dedicate for each type of tasks. The same type of tasks use the same processing unit. If you switch from one task to another, you have to first unload the old task and then load the new task to the processing unit. That can explain why my idea for writing blog entries dry up in the past few days. I have an 2000 words philosophy essay due on Tuesday. My processing unit for writing is blocked out by this demanding tasks.

Interrupt

Sometimes, you will come across task that is literally impossible to get done. You try very hard to finish the task, come up with clever (you think) solutions to work around the problem but all effort fails. Then you take a closer look at the problem and realize it really can’t be done. You can even prove it mathematically no feasible solution can ever exist. You will find yourself really stupid and wish you had spend more time analyzing the problem in the beginning instead of diving into the problem full throttle.

After spending 3 days writing several thousands lines of code that eventually have to throw away, I learn one valuable lesson: never make any attempt to create an accurate interrupt checker. It is impossible to model the exact moment when an interrupt is triggered and when it is cleared by the microprocessor.

Possessions

Possessions are different than assets. Asset has monetary value. It is very liquidate, you can turn your asset back into money in no time. Possessions are simply something you own, you may value them very much, but it may worthy nothing to other people. I am moving in with Pat, so I am clean my apartment. I am surprise by amount of things in my little apartment. I have accumulated lots of things over the years. My life in Vancouver is in big contrast with my life in India. I have so many things here, but I am able live off with only two suit cases in India. Sometimes, I wonder how much thing a person really needs, probably not much.

In some African tribes, people don’t have any possessions. They only value things that can be carried with them from one place to another. Human start to have possessions when we settle down in a place and have the means to take all our belongs with us everything we move. In modern society, people love to have many possessions. We just love to own stuffs We keep accumulating furniture, clothes, books, CDs, DVDs, collectibles in our home, although we probably won’t use all of them in foreseeable future. Strictly speaking, possessions are useless things somehow make us happy. I guess all we want is just a sense of ownership.