Yes spent more time write short sentences. Basically using twitter as a notepad to collect divergent and even convergent thoughts together in the one location. The interruption in the train of thought brought about by tweets from others triggers ideas, and refreshes memory of thoughts past gone and which I failed to write down. Or if a did write them down those ideas are lost in a pile of paper: well several piles of paper, and a multitude of computer files.
Which is a point, I was going to trace through past computer files, and grab the essays and start posting them to this blog. Got side tracked however, copying files off memory stick back onto hard disk. That took longer than expected about 2 hours (8 GB stick).
After finished copying, also got side tracked from making a start on the accounts. This week need to make a start getting back to normal, ready to get back into the office next week.
A major task for this break being to start getting rid of the mountain of paper I am buried in. May have to sort some stuff out to photocopy/scan into pdf files. Not so much of a problem now got a copier with autofeed sheet feeder, though so far on most jobs, spent a great deal of time sorting through and inserting missing pages for paper reports.
Which is another issue, to start moving away from paper reports and where possible only produce electronic documents. Not so easy, since typically a lot easier to solve new problems with pencil and paper, and do not have the time to rewrite the solutions up on a computer. Printing to pdf file from software produces smaller files, than scanning handwritten documents. So to keep small and manageable it is better to do as much work as possible on the computer.
Anycase potential exists to eliminate large piles of paper. Though do have something of a problem where to put the paperm after it has been computerised. Also most was printed from a computer in the first place, so much doesn't need to be kept on paper. Though reports are built up from various software sources, so do need a copy of the final report as issued. Which so far as been done on paper. But since buried in books and paper, want to get rid of some of this paper.
Also increasingly finding more information on the internet, howver books are still easuer to read and use in general As is also a pencil and paper. I just find it easier to pick up a pencil and start writing than to switch computer on. If the computer is on already then not a problem, I will write on the computer. But if start on the computer then I will only write. The benefit of pencil and paper is that it easy to switch from writing, to calculations, to drawing. With computer need different types of software. Sure most software has features to allow writing, drawing and calculating, but they are typically good at one task only, the othe tasks are cumbersome. So pick up AutoCAD tend to stick to drawing, Word stick to writing, and Excel crunching numbers. Though also use Excel extensively working in the VBA editor, controlling other software. Then there is the occasional use of powerpoint or visio when attempting to write, draw and/or chart ideas. But then the output of the work effort gets locked into a specific kind of presentation.
So still trying to get into using the computer as dominant means of recording ideas, and avoiding use of pencil and paper. Been considering replacing mouse with a lightpen or digital pen. That such may then allow me to write on paper, but also record on computer at the same time.
Most importantly however is the organisation of my ideas, and their divergence but connectivity. I have not really got into using TreePad or Personal Brain, nor CMAPS. So otherwise hoping this year marks another major shift in approach to doing things, and getting things done. Start pulling everything together and build an integrated whole, out of all the stuff written and created thus far. Expect things to start slowly, and then to cascade into place, with speed of operations increasing exponentially. So that by the end of the year will be even faster than ever before: not just the calculations this time but also drawings and other technical documentation. With expanded ability to write custom structural software: for pre-engineered structural building products. For which I hope to have clearly defined the requirements for.
All wishingful thinking of course and depends on the onslaught of technical bushfires to fight due to people leaving design until the last minute.
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