Ready for my next Power BI Nibble?
#5 shows how gloriously abusing the DAX SWITCH statement is better than deeply nested IF statements.
Documentation, links, etc.: https://dataguy.it/pbinibble5
Sharing a passion for people, bringing joy to work, and data. Perpetual newbie. #LetsLearnTogether
Ready for my next Power BI Nibble?
#5 shows how gloriously abusing the DAX SWITCH statement is better than deeply nested IF statements.
Documentation, links, etc.: https://dataguy.it/pbinibble5
It’s been a while, but Power BI Nibbles are back!
#4 is a “how to” video for a quick tool I built to make it easier to compare two versions of a Power BI solution or help document code in a single one.
Documentation: https://dataguy.it/pbinibble4
More Power BI Nibbles coming…
I said, more than a few times, that I prefer non-fiction books over fiction ones. Why? Because with non-fiction, if you get 100 pages in and realize you don’t like it, you can just stop reading it and move on. Not so with fiction. If you are 100 pages in, even if the writing is horrible, you are committed. You want to know how it all plays out.
Maybe not for you, but it’s true for me, and I read relatively little fiction, because of it. (Although, I probably could be happy reading a mix of Sherlock Holmes and H.P. Lovecraft over-and-over. :-))
That’s why I had to take a step back when I read something about a beneficial effect fiction has (that non-fiction does not) in Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention–and How to Think Deeply Again, by Johann Hari. After writing this:
I like the person I become when I read a lot of books. I dislike the person I become when I spend a lot of time on social media.
He continued…
But I wondered if I was getting carried away—these were just my hunches, after all—so later, I went to the University of Toronto to interview Raymond Mar, who is a professor of psychology there. Raymond is one of the social scientists who has done most in the world to study the effects that reading books has on our consciousness, and his research has helped to open up a distinctive way of thinking about this question.
This is where it gets tricky to elaborate on, without copying too much. 🙂 Basically, Mar and his mentor, Keith Oatley, wondered:
When you read a novel, you are immersing yourself in what it’s like to be inside another person’s head. You are simulating a social situation. You are imagining other people and their experiences in a deep and complex way. So maybe, he said, if you read a lot of novels, you will become better at actually understanding other people off the page. Perhaps fiction is a kind of empathy gym, boosting your ability to empathize with other people—which is one of the most rich and precious forms of focus we have.
(Emphasis mine.)
So they figured out a way to study it…and…
When they got the results, they were clear. The more novels you read, the better you were at reading other people’s emotions. It was a huge effect. This wasn’t just a sign that you were better educated—because reading nonfiction books, by contrast, had no effect on your empathy.
Hari then shares Mar’s explanation for why this is true, including:
Each of us can only ever experience a small sliver of what it’s like to be a human being alive today, Raymond told me, but as you read fiction, you see inside other people’s experiences. That doesn’t vanish when you put down the novel. When you later meet a person in the real world, you’ll be better able to imagine what it’s like to be them. Reading a factual account may make you more knowledgeable, but it doesn’t have this empathy-expanding effect.
Thoughts?
I’m convinced enough that I am going to purposely mix more fiction into my reading. You?
I would buy Stolen Focus and read it…even if you already imbibe plenty of fiction. Perhaps you’ve avoided the attention-ruining effects of modern Internet, social media, and smartphone apps, but I suspect not. Although I haven’t finished the entire book yet, it is helping me understand why it is such a battle for me to sit and read more than ten minutes, and will give me some tools to correct it.
Well, enough writing…time to prep for my next podcast!
(Cross-posted on my Nibbles Ninja blog.)
Although I have a huge desk (that can be a normal or standing one), it gets cluttered quickly. So, I went on Amazon.com, hoping to find shelves I could put on top of the monitors to get certain, extremely important items off my desk:
I am very impressed with the “[2 Pack] Monitor Top Shelf Mounts Stand TV Computer Monitor Office Desk Partition Storage Box Stand.” Not only do they accomplish exactly what I needed, their design is impressive and they are well-built.
(Cross-posted on my Nibbles Ninja blog.)
Answering the questions that need to be asked…
As humorous as the article is, it does so to make a legit point at the end:
Jokes aside, cat-computing is the name I give to this generalized practice. In my experience, it happens quite often that when someone discovers a new feature of a language, they begin to use it everywhere, just because they can and they want to.
However, just like you can execute code using a cat but shouldn’t, it’s not because you can use a feature that you should.
P.S. The kitty in the image is Opal, before she grew up. She would even hide inside the bottom of the Christmas tree. 🙂
Cross-posted on my Nibbles Ninja blog…
My wife and visited Ichiban Buffet for the first time today and were truly amazed. Our expectations were for a “normal” buffet-level atmosphere and quality.
Ichiban delivered something many times better.
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The selection was incredible (the quick snapshots attached don’t do it justice), the food was fresh and delicious, and the service was impeccable (with a special shout out to Joseph, our server).
Proof it is as good as I say? Well, it officially became the “special day” spot for us, starting with our anniversary in a couple weeks.
Great work Ichiban!
P.S. What about price? If you go with the all-you-can-eat buffet, it varies from about $18 per person for lunch during the week to the $33 we paid (which includes premium items). All I can say is that it is well worth it regardless, but if you want to watch your wallet, visit during the cheaper times. 🙂
P.P.S. Cross-posted on my Nibbles Ninja blog.
Amazon tells me this review just went live:
I had knee surgery last month, and have been using a walking stick to provide stability while walking during my recovery. However, at physical therapy [this week], I tried a cane. It seemed to work better.
So, I did a bunch of research on Amazon and settled on this LEKI Legend Micro Carbon Walking Pole…feeling guilty about spending so much money on it when there are such less expensive alternatives.
Boy, am I glad I did. This walking pole is amazing. It is light (carbon fiber). It is portable (i.e. it can be split into two). It is strong (I am 6’3”ish and around 245 pounds).
And I think it looks good.
I’m hoping to travel next week if my knee is up to it, and this will be a perfect companion. Big thumbs up!
P.S. Please note it is not called a “cane” (it’s a “pole”), but it sure seems to be designed to be used that way. 🙂
P.P.S. The link to the walking pole in this post will bring you to Enwild, the folks who actually sold me the product through Amazon. They appear a great business to frequent for your outdoor needs.
Please note: The original draft of this was created late yesterday afternoon. Given what I say below, you can see why I waited until today to proof and post it. 🙂
One of my favorite books from last year was Creativity: A Short and Cheerful Guide, by John Cleese. It comes to mind quite often, and did again today (June 14, 2021) as I began reading a new work by Barbara Oakley and Olav Schewe, Learn Like a Pro: Science-Based Tools to Become Better at Anything. What reminded me of Cleese’s book was Oakley and Schewe recommending a mix of focus and diffuse modes for learning:
But what if you’re trying to learn something new and more difficult? Let’s say you’re trying to understand the multi-pump system of the heart or the mathematical concept of a derivative, or master a physical skill such as how to do a double kickflip on a skateboard.* You might focus hard, then harder, and then even harder, and you still can’t get it. Strangely enough, allowing yourself to take a break, whether for several hours or overnight, often works magic. It’s the magic of the diffuse mode. When you return your focus to the issue at hand, you’ll have that “aha” insight that allows you to make progress on the issue you’ve been struggling with.
Now, that approach isn’t just limited to learning, as is seen by their test taking advice: [Read more…] about Put It Aside (Even When You Don’t Need To)
One of the benefits of knee surgery is ample time to read during recovery. Now, I’ll admit that I spent most of the first week of medical leave just entertaining myself with movies, YouTube videos, and web surfing…but today I finally finished a stimulating book, Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets by Nassim Nicholas Taleb.
Forced to summarize its message in one or two lines, I would suggest that it teaches that we assume explainable cause and effect (especially afterward) when randomness is actually driving. Even if that is a fair distillation, it does not do justice Taleb’s book, which provides an immense amount intellectual value (while also being extremely entertaining).
Let’s say you have 1,000 employees who have an 20% (purely random) chance of being successful each year. At the end of the first year, you have 200 successful employees. Of those “winners,” at the end of your second year, you have 40 succeed again…of which 8 will be successful 3 years in a row. [Read more…] about “Fooled by Randomness” Review
I’ll admit, I “ugh” every time I am served up a CAPTCHA. Is this the CAPTCHA killer that will rid the word of my “ughs?” Well, at least those “ughs?” 🙂