Hendrik Morkel

2013 is almost half way through already, and it's time to note down the books read so far this year.

The fifth Elephant - Fun Pratchett book.

The illustrated Eric - Brought along for my son, read it myself.

Soul Music - Music with Rocks in it.

Witches Abroad - Fairy Godmothers on the road.

The Fractal Prince - The best book of 2013?

The War of the Worlds - A Scifi Classic.

Manhood for Amateurs - Entertaining.

Ignore Everybody - Getting creative.

Troll - Finnish literature set in Tampere.

The Case of Charles Dexter Ward - H.P. Lovecraft Graphic Novel.

A Study in Scarlett - Sherlock Holmes Graphic Novel.

The Valley of Fear - Sherlock Holmes Graphic Novel II.

The hound of the Baskervilles - Another Sherlock Holmes Graphic Novel.

The Sign of the Four - And the fourth Sherlock Holmes Graphic Novel. All four were great.

The Last Englishmen - Entertaining hiking novel.

Currently reading

The Responsible Company - Learning for Business.

The Egyptian - A Finnish Classic.

Schoßgebete - Liked her first book.

9 out of 10 Climbers make the same Mistakes - To not make the same mistakes.

Dropbox + Markdown = Blogging

http://godrop.it/

http://www.markbox.io/

http://marquee.by/

http://skrivr.com/

http://calepin.co/

http://scriptogr.am/

Since my return from the Ultralight Summit in Slovenia, I have adopted a new digital diet. Before I was checking Emails and Twitter already before breakfast, and sat till late in the evenings in front of the computer, answering Emails, surfing, writing articles, editing videos and photos.

It wasn't good. Checking Email and Twitter before breakfast didn't increase my productivity, and it often meant that I got the Mac out to answer Emails and reply to comments before I even had a cup of coffee. Or so it felt. After I cam home in the evening, I'd sit in short bursts in front of the computer between taking care of my son, for more of the same, till it was time to go to sleep.

The UL Summit was a bit of a detox in that matter, and once I was back in Finland I decided to continue with it. My new digital diet means I don't check my Emails or Twitter before 8:00 o'clock (and seldom answer any Emails before late in the afternoon), and once I leave work (work being renovating my house at the moment) I head to the public library where I open my Mac, answer Emails, write articles for magazines, for Hiking in Finland and other stuff I need the Mac for. Once I leave the library - usually around 18 o'clock, which gives me around two hours for all of the stuff - the Mac stays in my backpack, until the next day. At home I now don't do digital work anymore, and concentrate on my family. When the little one is in bed, I spent time with my wife or grab a book and read.

I sleep better. I spend more time with my loved ones, and my wife and son both get more of the attention they deserve. I am happier & more creative. I feel I write more meaningful content, and can focus better on the tasks I need to do. Some people might wait for weeks for an Email reply, though if it is urgent, they usually call either way. Some things, like writing articles for HIF, takes longer, but they are better in the end, which is worth it, in my opinion.

If you feel that your digital life is taking over your real one, try a similar approach. Just not checking Emails, Twitter and other Social Media channels before 8:00 in the morning will give you more time to read, have a good breakfast and socialize with your family.

I have been a long time Spotify subscriber, it is for me just the most convenient method to listen to music - at home and on the go. I have often thought that they would need a embed button so it would be easier to share music on my blog, and am delighted that that's now a possibility. Expect more music to accompany Hiking in Finland articles in the future! How? With the Spotify Play Button!

Im Internet kann in den bekannten sozialen Medien und Foren die so genannte many-to-many-Kommunikation betrieben werden, in der jeder gleichberechtigt Rezipient und Produzent von Informationen und Meinungen ist. Das Internet ist dadurch Demokratie pur. Jeder kann unabhängig von Position, Status, Einfluss und Erfahrung seinen Beitrag leisten, Qualität setzt sich durch, heiße Luft verpufft (im Idealfall und von Shitstorms mal abgesehen).

Source

Understanding the culture of Web 2.0, and what effects it has (can have) on society, politics and culture as a whole.

I'm happy that we have the Pirates. As the author of the above quote writes, they bring us back to the basics of politics, and what it means: To improve the world. It does not matter if they're not yet fully ready with programmes et al. - this makes them more human, more like you and me. I personally can't wait for them to join parliments around the world, and bring democracy back into these rooms.

After nine days of Twitter abstinence I'm back (testing Tweetbot on the iPhone as well, so far liking it). I decided to set my account to private and see if it has an effect; I doubt this will be permanent - I'm all for transparency & openness - though it is a experiment. So while I experiment, please bear with me and excuse that you can't easily Retweet me.

Scriptogr.am, the platform I host my blog on, does not have a comment function. I do not find this a short coming; if someone wants to comment about a post I write here, I recommend to contact me via Twitter or Google+, or use good old Email.

I decided to take an abstinence from Twitter for a bit; in action since last week Saturday. Updates via Instagram and Instapaper will pop up in my stream, though I won't check my timeline. I will reply to @ queries once I'm back; in the meanwhile you can reach me via good old Email if it is important.

abstinence |ˈabstənəns|
noun
the fact or practice of restraining oneself from indulging in something, typically alcohol: I started drinking again after six years of abstinence.

In January I read the Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins, all three books in less than a week - yes, it is that exciting and addicting. After having read Steve Jobs on the Kindle I decided to get these books also in a digital format, it was cheaper and faster than waiting for the physical books (which do look amazing, though).

An exciting Thriller/ Adventure story set in a post-apocalpsye USA it tells how Katniss becomes a participant in the Hunger Games, a sort of 21st century version of the Roman Gladiator Games in which a boy and a girl from each of the twelve districts are brought to the Capitol, the ruler of the tweleve districts, and the kids need to battle to the death in an high-tech arena till there is only on survivor. The story takes many interesting turns over the course of the three books, from romance, intrigue, and unheard of alliances to the destruction of the Capitol, the finding of the lost 13th District and ultimately the freedom of all the districts and its inhabitants. It is good entertainment for in between if you like this kind of futuristic scifi fare, and I found it a good read.

The story recently also got made into a movie (which I haven't seen yet) so it might be that you have heard about the book in the last couple of months. I do always like to read the books before the movies, so if you plan to see it, consider picking up a copy of the book first.

In December I read the autobiography of the year - Steve Jobs. I got the hardcover book when it came out in October, but didn't get around reading it until this month, and then, after my wife wanted to 'have a look' she got hooked as well and hence I also got a Kindle copy (which I also bought because the book is huge, and on a trip to Tallinn the iPad was easier to transport than a big book) which allowed her to enjoy the print edition, while I could read the digital version.

As you might know, I'm an Apple afficionado - I've been an Apple user since 2006 - so this book could be considered 'required reading' for me. And after Steve's untimely passing it got even more interesting, because the book offers a look behind the scenes, at the Steve Jobs how he isn't at a Keynote. The book doesn't disappoint in that respect, and offers a lot of insight at how Steve became the man he was - from his youth over his twenties to the man who took over Apple again in 1997 after being ousted a decade earlier.

While the book isn't without mistakes - Isascson possibly misinterpret/ misunderstood some things or simply wasn't aware of them - it offers a fascinating insight at Jobs - the Entrepreneur, private person, family man, friend and boss. It sheds light on how he became who he was, and does so in a very entertaing way; it was hard for me to put the book down. I don't really want to spill to much, and if you're an entrepreneur, Apple afficionado or just interested in Steve Jobs, you probably will have read the book already. For all others I still consider this an interesting book to read, because it gives a great insight at one of the most respected and inspiring persons of our time.