When I'm working on code, most of the time it's really hard for me to sit still and just do it. Most of the time I have to have some other enjoyable thing going on at the same time. I surf, watch videos, listen to music... Sometimes I find a great balance and get a lot done, but sometimes these secondary activities get too distracting and affect my productivity badly. I recently created a nice playlist that could keep my hyperactive side at bay, but after a while the songs got too familiar and started to be distracting.

In quest to find the best working supplement, I started to listen to the in-game musics of Warcraft III. They definitely are composed to supplement some other mind-intensive action, game playing. They are not distracting, but supplementing and feeding with feelings like glory and victory. So far it is working very very nicely and I get a lot done while listening to them. Highly recommended for anybody looking for something to do while engaging in mind-intensive tasks such as coding.

I know it's lame to repeatedly post things from the same source in your blog, but ted.com is so great I can't help it. He makes a beautiful case on how the existing laws are limiting creativity and driving people to be unlawful. A great side effect lesson is the lesson that you can't make your kids do something by force.
Enjoy.

Self tuning guitar... and the German developers

Ok it was on Crunchgear, now it's on NY Times and digg. They tell you to open your iPod to fix the booting problem. It probably is getting the job done, but opening your iPod will make it loose. There is an easy way to make your iPod work again without opening it up.

Symptoms: When you connect your iPod to the USB cable, you see the white Apple logo on black screen, but the iPod won't work.

Solution: Follow these steps below to fix your iPod. I'll explain why afterwards.

1. Connect the iPod to the computer
2. Push the middle button and menu button together and keep them pushed till you see the screen go blank.
3. Right when you see the white Apple logo, push the middle button and the left(rewind) button together and keep them pushed till you see the diagnostic screen.
4. If you failed step 3, go back to step 2.
5. Let the iPod rest in this diagnostic menu for a long time, a couple hours to be sure. If it does not work, try longer next time
6. Push the middle button and menu button together and keep them pushed till you see the screen go blank (just like step 2).
7. Congratulations, you just got your iPod fixed

I did a little recording with ardour today to learn how it works. Apparently it's a pretty nice and easy to use program. Enjoy the attachment:)

Look what last.fm brought my way:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wagon_Christ

Todo:
Write up a small last.fm review. Topics: different radios, submitting own music, ripping info, clients

Sometimes I find great songs to listen on repeat when I'm coding. Sometimes there are great songs I love but they are not as good for repeated listening. Here is a breakdown of the last couple of days' songs:

Gorillaz - Double Bass
I can listen to this forever-best of the best. But somehow it ignites the feeling of being late sometimes.

Tori Amos - Cruel
Takes too much of my attention. The drums mess my thinking up.

Tori Amos - Iieee
Great one, moves me through the code. The feelings it gives can be distracting.

Boyz II Men - Jezzebel
It was great the first couple of days, now it heats my head. That weird feeling of headache mixed with too much warmth.

Wanna get to know you
Don't know your nationality
Can we converse and see
When a good time to get together
Baby...am I being a little fast
No, I don't know
Maybe so I don't think so
In fact I don't care
All I want to do is touch your hair
And taste your air
What perfume are you wearing
Oh, oh the smell

Insanin ilk asik oldugu zamanlarda dinledigi sarkilar ne derin etki birakiyo be. Cok saglam ama yok boyle bi grup artik.