Finding it difficult to make a choice?

Neera

You are not alone.

We, humans, are strange. We like to say we want as many options as possible, but when we get them, we get confused and can’t decide.

Ever heard of Hick’s law?

It is as prevalent as Murphy’s Law and Puerto’s principle and is widely used in the design world.

Image Source

I must admit I hadn’t heard of it until Krisztina Szerovay introduced it to me through the above sketch in her Sketching for UX Designers course on Udemy.

Hick’s Law states, “The time it takes for a person to make a decision as a result of the possible choices he or she has. Increasing the number of choices will increase the decision time logarithmically.”

We are bombarded with choices. Studies show that on an average day, we make at least 70 choices. When there are too many things to choose from, we either procrastinate or stick with a narrow range.

Think of your remote control. Do you know what each of the buttons does? How many buttons do you actually use?

There is a very interesting TED Talk on the topic by Sheena Iyengar.

Hicks Law applies to time management too. With too much to do and too many attractive options demanding our attention, we spread ourselves thin and do not concentrate on what is important or what we really want to do.

Remedy? Have lesser choices.

Choose only a select few books and make sure you read them.

Have lesser hobbies, but make sure you give them time regularly.

Use only one source of getting news – TV or newspaper or computer.

Top Image Source: Krisztina Szerovay at Sketching for UX Designers.

Most important American novel of its time

Neera

Last night I stayed up till midnight watching Ron Howard’s 2015 movie ‘In the Heart of the Sea.’ based on Nathaniel Philbrick‘s non-fiction book of the same name, about the sinking of the American whaling ship Essex in 1820. 

The movie starts with Herman Melville, author of the novel Moby Dick, considered one of the most important American novels of its time, meeting the sole survivor of the whaling ship to find out what truly happened. He then creates a masterpiece fiction work of 600 pages.

Contrary to Herman’s expectations, the book was not well received during his lifetime, having sold little over 3000 copies.

It was only when the book was reprinted, on his death, that it got rave reviews from Carl Van Doren and D. H. Lawrence.

I have a copy sitting on my bookshelf, which I didn’t have the courage to pick up and start reading. It’s sheer size intimidated me. But after the movie, I couldn’t wait to start it. I have already read two chapters. There are 133 more to go! 

It is not an easy read for lazy readers. Herman has used many literary devices including Shakespearean language. But it is the first-person narrative of the fictional character Ishmael that gives the book the legendary status. Who can forget the all-time most famous first line, “Call me Ishmael.” and equally compelling first paragraph to follow.

“Call me Ishmael. Some years ago – never mind how long precisely – having little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me on shore, I thought I would sail about a little and see the watery part of the world. It is a way I have of driving off the spleen, and regulating the circulation. Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet; and especially whenever my hypos get such an upper hand of me, that it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me from deliberately stepping into the street, and methodically knocking people’s hats off – then, I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can. This is my substitute for pistol and ball. With a philosophical flourish Cato throws himself upon his sword; I quietly take to the ship.”

I am thoroughly enjoying it.

Almost there…

Neera

Now that NaNoWriMo is close to finishing, I am ready to come out of self-imposed hibernation feeling relieved and ecstatic. Just short of 6751 words to win the challenge at the time of writing this post, I am fairly certain that I will be able to knock these down in the next two nights.

Now the question is – are these words any good? This question bothers many new participants and many of them do not return because they can’t see the point of all those late nights, social boycotts, and agonizing hours if by the end of it, they don’t even have a book they can publish.

I have three words for them: “they are dreaming!” If they entered the challenge with that thought in mind they better stay away from the challenge next year as well. No one, and let me repeat, no one, writes a novel in the first draft. It is true many seasoned writers are now aligning the writing of their first draft with NaNoWriMo, to channel in the energy generated by writers all over the world, but they too do several rewrites before getting to the stage where they can send it to a publisher.

These 50,000 words are exactly what they are supposed to be, and what Anne Lamott author of Bird By Bird calls them ‘shitty drafts.’ They are ‘shitty’ but they are on paper. A month before they were not even there. And that is a big achievement.

A participant from the last eight years and a winner for three (including this year) I am finding that the challenge gets easier with each attempt. For once, I am typing faster than eight years ago. I know more tips and tricks for the words to keep pouring in. For the past four years, I worked on the plot and structure prior to starting the challenge, which made writing easy. And this year I used 750 Words to pace myself, keep the word count, and keep my writing in one place. But the biggest trick I learned this year was: it is harder to write 1667 words in one sitting, but it is much easier to write 600 words three times a day.

I am exhausted but I am also excited that I will concentrate on the blog now.

Art Bus

Neera

I walk out of the workplace at lunchtime and find a colorful bus parked in the middle of the city walk. There is no sign next to explain what it was other than the sign on the head of the bus that says ART BUS.

What a treat! I take some photos and then hit the net to find out what it was about.

Australian National Capital Artists Inc. (ANCA) has transformed a retired Action Bus into a mobile contemporary gallery and studio space. What a great idea!

Once a humble local bus has been stripped of its seats and fitted out with gallery walls, lighting, and new external paintwork by local artist Riley Beaumont and turned into a mobile gallery. It is heartening to know that the ACT Government and Transport Canberra are supporting this initiative by ANCA.

ART BUS will be at three different sites across Canberra’s City Centre showcasing contemporary art by local artists and interactive art workshops for children.

Each artist will take over the ANCA Art Bus for a month at a time.

In November, it will display artist Ruby Berry’s work. Ruby is a textile-based artist working with three-dimensional sculptural textile works and sensory engagement.

December’s artist is Dionisia Salas, who has been working with repeated marks and patterns and has experimented with painting, silkscreen printing, burning techniques into paper surfaces, and collage.

In January 2019, Tom Buckland, a sculptor and multi-media artist focusing strongly on making and materiality, will exhibit his work.

This is what the Canberra Times is saying about it.

I would like to see more of these art buses parked at various public places in Canberra.