Christopher Manning

If you were to look at my keyboard, you would notice some keys missing. Specifically the Caps Lock and Insert keys.

I never use either of these keys. That wouldn’t be reason enough to pop them out of my keyboard, but the frustration caused by accidentally clicking them is.

These keys are remnants of the typewriter generation. As we have an appendix, keyboards are still plagued by these evolutionary leftovers. I have yet to hear a compelling argument for keeping these keys on the modern keyboard.

While I am at it, stop cramming a Fn button in the Ctrl Windows Alt section of my laptop keyboard. I know for certain the placement of the Fn and Ctrl are swapped on Dell and Lenovo laptops. Unfortunately, I prefer the Dell placement (between the Ctrl and Windows keys). On my Lenovo I have to contort my pinky to hold Ctrl.

This may mark the first instance of ‘Control Pinky’.

There is a saying out there, ‘be careful what you wish for’, and I really hate it.

Partly because it is a hindsight statement. One of those pithy quotes that only really works after something has gone wrong. It is passed off as wisdom when, in actuality, it is more insult than anything. It is said by a naysayers who launch these poisoned phrases to anyone within earshot.

Statements like these stealthily sneak into our collective psyche and create unnecessary limiting beliefs for ourselves.

Wishes can be seen as our dreams. When it comes to our dreams, we should not be careful of what we dream for ourselves. We should dream beyond reality, hope for what is seemingly impossible and strive for the absolute best in all we can accomplish.

Whether we wish, dream, hope or pray, do not take the careful path; be bold, be brave, be more than who you are today.

I am addicted to chewing gum after meals.

Obviously this sent my gum consumption through the roof.

Then I realized that there is no reason to chew an entire piece.

Now I only take a little nibble of gum so now a stick of gum can last me five or more times.

After this change, chewing a whole piece of gum feels like way too much and I get more out of the gum I buy.

Over the past years I have come upon a few lost phones that have been left in Taxis or restaurants. Usually I just hand the phone over to the manager of the restaurant or the taxi driver, but sometimes that isn’t an option. In the latter case I flip through the phone looking for a number to call to inform about the phone. Usually there is no ideal listing in contacts that says ‘call me’.

This is why I have added to my phone contact list a ‘.Call if lost’ number. The period at the beginning sorts the entry to the top of the list and makes it very obvious whom too call if your phone is lost and someone tries to call you to return it.

I have recently changed financial institutions. I received my new debit card the other day which reminded me of a strategy of mine.

I carry my debit card in my pocket and, in past iterations, my signature line would smear off causing problems at the checkout.

Now, when I get a new debit card, I make sure to take a strip of scotch tape and cover over the signed signature area on the back of the card.

Once the tape is in place, it is trimmed to size. My previous debit card’s signature line is still in as good of shape as it was when I attached it two years ago.

Previously I attempted to tape over more areas to preserve the number shine and the magnetic stripe, but those proved to cause errors in scan reads or elicit peculiar looks at the POS.