How To Archives - NowTHINK!AboutIt

6 Truths About Thinking, 3 Ways To Think

September 20, 2021 by EnnisP Leave a Comment

A brain should never be used as a sponge.

Auto-Think Will Never Keep You Safe

Everyone thinks.

I do. You do. Bright people do and even the less bright do.

No groups or individuals hold exclusive rights to thinking.

We all entertain ideas, consider possibilities, and we do this constantly.

The only people who don’t process thoughts are either comatose or dead.

But those observations raise many questions. If we’re all thinking, why don’t we all come to the same conclusion? Why don’t we all arrive at the correct answer? Why do we readily, with eyes wide open make bad decisions?

The Brain Is A Tool

Simply put, the brain is a tool. A very important tool. We couldn’t live without it and it does many things automatically. The brain controls breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, and more without our involvement even when we sleep.

The brain also has a manual setting. We can engage it deliberately to make it work for us. Like items in a toolbox, we can pick the brain up and apply it to specific problems as they arise.

When we do that it’s called thinking.

The problem is, though universal and necessary, thinking doesn’t always lead to solutions.

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We employ the brain to help us solve problems but nothing’s guaranteed. Use your brain the wrong way or incorrectly or haphazardly and you’re likely to get into trouble.

Can you imagine using a drill as a hammer or a shovel as a screwdriver? We don’t typically use rakes to paint walls?

By the same token, a brain should never be left on autopilot and should never be used as a sponge. [Read more…] about 6 Truths About Thinking, 3 Ways To Think

The Line Connecting Anti-Trust And Public Benefit

March 5, 2021 by EnnisP Leave a Comment

Competition And Fair Pricing
Are Alive And Well With Big Tech

Apple is being investigated in the EU, UK, and the USA regarding anti-trust rules. Investigators are focused on Apple’s App platform, motivated specifically by the allegation that Apple manipulates the platform to reduce competition with apps developed by Apple. The biggest (but not the only) complaint behind the allegation comes from Spotify.

A second developer, Epic, is stirring the pot with the same complaint. Now that they have gained momentum, they no longer want to pay for the right to sell on the store. Apple gets 30% of the first year’s subscription price. Developers agree to this upfront and then when they gain traction, it hurts losing all that money to Apple.

The reading gets a bit thick at times but I found Apple’s response to Spotify thought-provoking.

Addressing Spotify’s Claims, dated March 14, 2019.

I can see both sides but lean heavily toward Apple. Both complaints come from industry hefties whose growth was made possible by the Apple gateway.

And it’s true. Apple offers a great option for developers to get their brand before the public. The fees associated with being in the store are agreed to upfront and the rules are clear. At this point, the suit seems like a “he said, she said” sort of scenario but hopefully, the angst will be sorted soon and the rest of us can get on with life.

Apple, of course, is just one of several being targeted by Anti-Trust investigations. Google, Amazon, and Facebook are all under pressure.

Personally, I don’t use Facebook much but many people do, not only for social benefit but for business promotion also. All these companies serve useful purposes that benefit a large number of people.

The Public Benefit

Data indicates that 197 million people worldwide visit Amazon every month. More than one billion people use Google’s products and services. And Facebook has roughly 2.8 billion active users every month, more than a third of the world’s population. I might add that many of the people using Facebook, Google and Apple are in third world cultures. The benefit is astounding.

CORRECTION: I was recently notified by a “good neighbor” from FRACTL that the numbers have radically changed. Instead of 197 million, Amazon now boasts 2.7 billion monthly searches as of the end of 2021. You can find many other very interesting numbers for Amazon’s amazing growth at CouponFollow.

Personally, I do use Amazon, a lot, and Google, and I’m writing this post using my trusted Apple desktop computer which I consider one of my primary tools for daily productivity. I used PC’s for years before converting but now I can’t imagine anything but Apple.

Sorry, Mr. Gates. I mean no insult. You brought personal computing to the world and I can’t say how much that changed my life so you’re among the heroes too.

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I’m not alone, though. In fact, I would venture to guess that the investigators are probably using Apple devices of one kind or another to write their reports and more than likely employing Google search to access data all while munching on snacks they ordered from Amazon. And, of course, keeping in touch through Facebook or one of many varied social apps offered on Apple. [Read more…] about The Line Connecting Anti-Trust And Public Benefit

5 Truths About The Changes God Makes

August 30, 2016 by EnnisP Leave a Comment

Every One Changes
Every Day

Change is what we do. It can’t be avoided. The problem is we don’t always change in the best ways or the right direction.

Sometimes abilities lay dormant. We don’t make the effort to develop them.

Sometimes abilities diminish. We develop them and then don’t use them.

Sometimes we take on bad habits or waste energy attempting to be things we can’t or shouldn’t. Not wrong things but things outside the limitations of our talent set.

Sometimes and worst of all – but strangely acceptable to most – we plateau. We reach above-average, rest on our laurels and stop forging ahead.

The Bible gives us many reasons to see Change differently. [Read more…] about 5 Truths About The Changes God Makes

4 Important Things You Must Do Everyday

August 15, 2016 by EnnisP Leave a Comment

Thinking
Is Never A Waste

With fast paced schedules and relentless demands, life can be hectic. Battle, chaos, tumult all round. Overload! Confusing!

It’s easy to get lost in the melee and feel the ground slipping at the end of each day. But all is not lost. In fact, very little. Your sense of frustration, your lack of accomplishment may be more a matter of perspective than reality.

The way to feeling a sense of balance, if not accomplishment, requires nothing more than a map. Include the following four items in your daily life, in no particular order, and your sense of accomplishment will improve.

Be Relational

When it comes to relationship nature, we are all different, but when it comes to relationship needs, we are all the same.

Everyone needs acceptance and affirmation. But to receive that, you must give it.

But what is that, other than two sides of the same coin. Can you affirm a person without accepting them? Can you accept a person and not affirm them? Acceptance happens when: [Read more…] about 4 Important Things You Must Do Everyday

7 Reasons Wattbikes Beat Trainers

August 11, 2016 by EnnisP Leave a Comment

Set Up Is Easy
Training Is Sophisticated

To be clear, there are basically two options for indoor cycle training: stationary bikes or trainers.

A Trainer is an apparatus – like the one pictured here – that allows you to train indoors using your outdoor bike whether it’s road or mountain.

The Trainer pictured here is CycleOps, which is one of the better brands, but there are many brands and styles to choose from.

A Stationary Bike is stand alone. It doesn’t attach to your bike and needs no other equipment.

The variety of stationary bikes is also endless: spinning, upright, recumbent, moving handles and more.

Some bikes come with computers and some don’t.

Amazon.co.uk Widgets

Some are designed to mimic the feel of outdoor cycling and some not. That’s important because if you’re interested in augmenting your road training, you want a bike that produces the same feel.

One warning, though. If cross training is your aim, then stay clear of strangely designed bikes. There are better ways to cross train.

The Wattbike pictured above is considered the cream of the crop. It’s used by pros and amateurs alike. They are standard equipment in gyms these days but can be purchased for home use as well.

Trainers vs Stationary Bikes

I only discovered this recently, but there seems to be debate over which is better: trainers or stationary bikes. [Read more…] about 7 Reasons Wattbikes Beat Trainers