Life = Thinking

Mysterious "Other" folder occupying huge space in MacOS

2020-09-22T20:25:00.004+05:30

The macOS shows up a mysterious huge space for "Other" when we get into manage storage.

It is quite a bit of headache for folks with low SSD space (128/256 GB).

My search went in vain for a long time until I spotted about Grandperspective on an old archived reddit post.

Though there are tons of other apps that claim to clean your mac space, I specifically suggest you to go for Grandperspective.

Why Grandperspective ?

Open source
Decent reviews

You do get a free version outside of App Store too. I downloaded through App Store though.

What does it actually do ?

It gives a visual representation of files according to the size. Be careful when you are deleting stuff. Delete only stuff that you are sure of no use. I discovered one of my app was storing a lot of info in temporary cache that ran into GBs.

Twitter: delete a retweet or undo a retweet !!!

2020-04-13T15:17:00.002+05:30

Holy twitter!!! I had accidentally retweeted one post. How do you remove that retweet from my profile. Twitter has a confusing UI. And my Google search took more than few clicks to the top pages to final get the trouble shoot.
As easy as retweeting and exactly opposite !!!
Just press on retweet again on the tweet you have retweeted. Magic, you get the option to undo the retweet as below.
I cracked it and hopefully many you also will be able to do it swiftly.

Permanent tattooing: How does this occur ?

2019-07-31T17:21:00.001+05:30

A TedEd video on how permanent tattooing occur.

Personally I am against permanent tattooing. Not that I have anything against tattooing but everything against permanency of it. What if you do not like it after few years? What is the need to alter your look permanently? I would theorize the most vocal proponents of permanent tattooing are deeply insecure about something. They might not be in tune with their own appearance or psychological image.
If a pro tattoo individual is enraged by my words, then the above theory holds good for them. If they are not, then every theory has a corollary. They are the ones who deserve to have permanent tattoos.

Just created a new label called "HABITS"

2019-07-24T13:06:00.001+05:30

I think this is very important in anyone's life. How many of the good things have you automated (read habit formation) in your life.
The growth happens when you have a net positive automated tasks in your life.
Exponential growth occurs when you have only positive automated tasks most of the times with minimal/nil negative automated thoughts.
The brain and the synaptic plasticity
Synaptic plasticity was one of the amazing feature that I read about in my post graduation days. Probably when I was reading about some CNS pharmacology. Will go and learn more about this in the coming days. Yeah will use it positively in the coming days ;)

Automate the habits

2019-07-24T12:59:00.003+05:30

Automate the decision process: the default is "YES"

Get up early in the morning: YES
Do exercise: YES
Keep room tidy: YES

Only under exceptional circumstances, we need to change the "YES" to "NO". This saves a ton of energy on your decision making muscle.

I have been experimenting with these ideas for long. Let me see how these things turn on the long run.

As of now, I have excellent results in the short-medium run.
Highest distance covered in a week/month/year biking. Hopefully I adopt 20 kms (12.5 miles)/ day as default "YES" in the coming days.

Mindset: FIxed vs Growth

2019-07-24T12:53:00.001+05:30

An excellent illustration of fixed vs growth mindset.
"Never mind if you had failed ever, get up now and try again".

File ITR-2 if you are a company director

2019-07-19T18:30:00.001+05:30

FY 2018-2019/ Assessment year 2019-2020
File ITR-2 for your income tax returns if you are a director of the company. According to this cleartax article, it is clear that director's of a company needs to file this ITR-2 form.
More, more and more paper work
Sweat the individuals more and more so that they do not cheat the system. I do not in my opinion think that this is ever going to help the economy. But instead why not simplify it. Why have so many filings to MoCA, and same filings to IT department. The MoCA has director's DIN and PAN. Why not autofill it in the ITR form. Why so many forms? Youtube videos guiding us which ITR form to fill gets tons of views. Why not make it easier for taxpayers to file returns.
Well it is a kind of rant. The process should be simplified 1000 times. Automated at 100 levels. Automatically fill up details like how TRACES works for TDS. When are we going to see this happen ?

Did this random thing in procreate ...

2019-07-04T17:51:00.003+05:30

The learning from the audiobook I am listening to ...
Can I crack the illustration world.
The parrot that I wrote by seeing the chart...
I still remember that I loved my art a lot but none cared. Is it a creation bias ? Nah I had an unique talent. The following picture proves. Yes!!! I have become hilarious with age !!!

If you start enjoying the journey...

2019-07-03T15:45:00.003+05:30

No I have not yet reached the absolute bliss phase yet. I still yearn for some destinations; but I have started enjoying the journey for sure.
Throwing the hat on cliff
I still remember the day when I made this decision. I had written on a paper that I must quit to face my fears. Had to regret that decision multiple times. But what a journey after that. I saw the life, the utter despair, regret. Sometimes you live through them to emerge stronger.
The unexpected timing advantage
Things changed but rather slowly. May be I was not aggressive enough to catch that. But some things like Instagram marketing channel discovery occured at the exact pace.
Future: scaling the heights
I am at this juncture where I need to be more aggressive than ever. May be I need to be 100x aggressive. Let me see how things unfold from here...

Throwback: amazed that I was the author of some of these posts

2019-07-03T15:38:00.002+05:30

I was going through some of my previous posts especially related to politics. I am amazed that I was authoring these posts. Number of posts related to politics had crossed 100.
Some of the posts where I made some prediction is coming true. I wonder how far I have moved away from following Indian politics. Contemplating whether I should write again on it. May be a crisp short blog sometime.

Losers give excuses; winners progress

2019-07-03T15:31:00.000+05:30

Losers give excuses; winners progress
What a wonderful quote I heard today. I heard this from audible audiobook No excuses: The power of Self-discipline by Brain Tracy.
Hope I would be getting more such gems from this book.
I have to work a lot at improving my self-discipline. I am hoping that I take measures to achieve that. Will be posting more often now...

Life = thinking is my blog's name !!!

2019-06-05T17:37:00.002+05:30

I recently stumbled upon my own blog. I was amazed that I used to write a blog. Especially the politics related post. Off late, I have stopped posting any new things. But why not begin again?
I have come a long way now ...
The entrepreneur in me awaits a pen to share the exercise. Ahh !!! It could be only keystrokes !!!
And it could be amazing or boring too...
I was always shy of promoting my blog to my acquaintances/ friends. The primary reason was my blog did not address any particular niche. It was a scrambling of things that I was doing in tech/ reading about politics and many other things. Probably, one of my friend did question the intent of the blog.
I was more comfortable getting viewers from search sites. They would just get that piece of info and leave. There was no other incentive for them to come back. My only monetization was Adsense that I had set up.
So what did this blog achieve in my life. I received my first check from Google Adsense. Real money from internet. I have experimented with plenty of other things; some of them are hilariously spam kind of stuff too. And once tried to team up with a friend to create a ponzy scheme albiet an ethical one. Sounds confusing right? Yeah my journey is and always been confusing. And it will continue to do so.
P.S: Do not follow me in this blog. This blog will never have any niche. If you come here looking for something, do get that info and leave. I will continue with my tryst with destiny. (P.P.S: I wanted to say "I will continue with my confused and unrelated topics".
Signing off for now. Bye
Dr. Nishith R S
MBBS MD
Founder Scoopmed

Relationship between sleep and memory/ learning

2019-06-05T17:23:00.004+05:30

I was always amazed at the relationship between sleep and memory/ learning. A good quality sleep always induced a sense of clarity in me. Some hectic days, my brain was processing a lot of information. Those were the days when I used to read a ton of things for my medical examinations.
Those processing during sleep: was my brain processing information into long term memory?
Most probably it is true. Even the present research concludes that a good quality sleep enhances long term memory and learning. Today I just stumbled upon this TedEx video in Youtube. Hope you will all enjoy this. Cheers.

Temple Colors

2019-03-03T00:30:00.002+05:30

Pleasant surprise was waiting for me. I really liked the colors.

My Yogabar (protein bar) experience: Part 1

2018-10-13T15:41:00.000+05:30

Sharing my experience about Yogabar protein bars available in India. In my opinion, this is one of the finest protein bars available in India. I tasted it a few months back. Slowly the bars have silently filled my everyday snacks. [Buy Yogabars from here]

Why Yogabar: the protein bar ?
It all started when one of my friend became an avid follower of ketogenic diet. Now, I was not too much convinced to follow it completely. But why not cherry pick some of the good points from the principle of ketogenic diet. "A protein filled diet means more satiety and less hunger and cravings."

Did it achieve anything for me ?

Sugar cravings has almost gone to nil. Yogabars too have carbohydrates and tends to have less with higher protein content bars.
Modest weight loss (3 Kgs): Since I am on no snacks and fast foods and only on Yogabars for snacks.
More sense of well being physically .
I will update later on these parameters once I finish a month. At present, this findings is for 15 days.

Which yogabars to choose from ?
My personal choice is for 20 gram bars.

6 varieties of 20g each is my personal favorite. Buy it from here.

You can double the same but the second box is full of only baked brownie flavor. If you liked it, do buy this from here.

The 8 gram bars are also quite filling but I usually combine it with 5 gram bars on days when I do not want 20 gram bars.

6 varieties of 8g each is what I have got and I love the flavors too. You can buy it from here.

The 5g bars are just for getting over your hunger attacks for few minutes.
10 varieties of 5g each is great with different varieties.

And presently I have cashew orange zest flavor box (5g); I would suggest to buy variety box before you order for a single flavor.

Note: I usually have either a single 20 grams protein bar a day or 8 gram bar with a 5 gram bar a day. This helps me to avoid snacks and fast food. All the other part of a typical South Indian adult male diet continues in my schedule. No fasting but this is accompanied by a moderate amount of physical exercise (yoga/biking).

Disclaimer: This is not at a medical/ nutritional advice. I am just sharing my experience and it would be apt for anyone especially those with any clinical condition to consult your physician/ nutritionist before taking any supplements.

Other combinations that you can buy. Or try it from here for the list of combinations available.

[Book review]: Triggers by Marshall Goldsmith

2017-07-27T10:45:00.001+05:30

Triggers is a book that actually triggers your thinking toward a new dimension of approaching a goal.

The gist is very simple and straightforward
"Many times we fail because we are too much goal or target oriented, but that can be over come by changing the focus to effort"
Changing the question from "was I happy today?"to "did I put my maximum effort to be happy today?"
Such type of approach can be applied to many aspects of professional and personal life.
The author gives numerous practical suggestions and illustrations on how this approach works.
The concept of daily questions elaborated in the book are a great way to change behaviour and make it permanent. After reading about it, I already have daily questions now. I don't see any reason why anyone will not have a similar daily questions once they finish reading this book.

Why you have to read this book ?

If you are struggling to start a new habit or maintain it, this is the best book on the shelf.
An intense depth is provided on psychological aspect of behaviour change with practical illustrations.
Anyone can read this book even those who doesn't want behavioural change. You might find something which needs to be changed once you start reading this book.

[Video]: Game theory in real life

2017-07-18T12:02:00.002+05:30

Ever wondered how game theory works in real life? Here is an animation video that aptly demonstrates the application of game theory in real life.

Linking your aadhar card with PAN

2017-06-01T08:12:00.002+05:30

Linking aadhar card with PAN is mandatory according to the recent changes in the legislation. Though the issue is being heard by the Supreme court of India, the government has gone ahead with the process.

"Section 139AA of the Income-tax Act, 1961 which was introduced by the Finance Act, 2017 makes it mandatory to quote your Aadhaar number in order to file your income tax returns (ITR). In other words you need to link you Aadhaar card to your PAN card if you want to file returns from now on."

There are 3 ways to do this only if your name matches in both the documents.

Through SMS
Through online: without registering
Through online: with registered account

You can find more details here.

But what if your names does not match.

You need to change the name in either of the database so that it can match and get linked.

The process of change in aadhar seems to be easier and hassle free than attempting to change in PAN database as of now.

To update your Aadhaar card details, visit UIDAI portal

https://ssup.uidai.gov.in/web/guest/update

To update your PAN details, visit NSDL portal

https://www.onlineservices.nsdl.com/paam/endUserRegisterContact.html

[Spam alert]: Chevrolet car funds now

2017-06-01T07:49:00.002+05:30

Earlier I used to post many of the spam messages that I used to get so that there is awareness of such frauds. I clearly remember the day when one of my friend dragged me out of the library. The next moment he was sharing his secret of winning millions and how he had got the mail.
Today I am sharing a chevrolet car fund and it is a SMS spam.
TOU ARE SELECTED TO GET 3CRORE 35LAKH INR FROM CHEVROLET CAR COMPANY.TO GET FUNDS SEND NAME,MOBILE NO,AGE,OCCUPATION,ADDRESS TO xxxxxxx409@gmail.com
P.S: They cant even spell the basic words properly.

[Book review]: Austin Kleon's Steal like an artist: 10 things nobody told you baout being creative

2017-05-11T18:28:00.001+05:30

Good artists copy; great artists steal *
Steve Jobs has quoted the above quote but again it might have been Picasso who has originally quoted it.
Yeah great artists steal and make it unique.
That uniqueness may be in modification, improvisation, combination and/ or just marketing it rightly.
"Austin Kleon's Steal like an artist: 10 things nobody told you about being creative" gives you general ideas on how and what to steal. Being a book on stealing, I am pretty sure most of the stuff are stolen. But what makes it a great book is the way it is presented. *

The book has several tips on how to be creative. Two things that got my attention.

Shun digital and use digits
Using hands and real movements to be creative.
Well, I had heard it somewhere.
May be Mastery by Robert Greene.

Real creativity isn't immediately recognized
If you are creative, initially people think you are mad.
The importance of your creative work will be only realised later.
May be sometimes it takes a lifetime.
Just get into the flow and be creative; sooner or later it will be recognised.
The philosophical point of the long latent period of creativity recognition seems to be from Osho's Creativity: unleashing the forces within.

I am not suggesting that above two are stolen from that book. But they could be stolen from a book that has stolen from this book.
But never mind "Austin Kleon's Steal like an artist: 10 things nobody told you about being creative" book is a must read as he has stolen only the gems.

A must my read: why ?
A small book: an entire lunch break can be sufficient for a fast reader.
Big takeaways: practical lessons like maintaining a scratch pad for jotting the ideas.

"Dutch Reach" for opening the door

2017-05-02T13:01:00.002+05:30

The following message about "Dutch Reach" was received as a Whatsapp message. I think it is quite practical and life saving to include this habit while opening the car doors. I hope it helps you folks.

Many car drivers do not check the surrounding while opening the door of the vehicle. Seeing if something is coming from the behind before opening the door is crucial. One way to make sure that you always do that is to adopt and practice the technique called “Dutch Reach”.

Now, what exactly is ‘Dutch Reach’, and how does it save lives?

The Dutch Reach is a safety habit that is taught in the driving schools in Netherlands. The method states that you should always reach for the door handle with the farthest hand while getting out of the car. For example, if you’re sitting on the driver seat and want to get out, use your left hand to pull the door handle instead of right.

Using this technique will automatically ensure that head turns towards the door, with your eyes glancing for moving obstacles coming from behind. This way, you’ll be able to spot if some other vehicle or pedestrian is approaching from the rear. Following this method and making this a habit can save a lot of accidents that are caused due to carelessness.

Dear 9-5 future entrepreneurs: a gentle warning

2017-03-14T09:53:00.001+05:30

Bored of your 9-5 job ? Want to throw yourself into your passion and be your own boss ? Well if you are ready to abandon your comfort zone, then that's just the beginning of your uncomfort zone. I bet you will feel many times that comfort zone would have been better.
Not easy as it looks
Being your own boss seems blissful. That's exactly because you are looking at other side and seeing the greener grass. No it isn't; being your own boss will give you more responsibilities than ever before. You will do the things that are not at all related to your passion. You are on your own; your HR, marketing, PR, sales, idea generation and iteration and umpteen other things are solely your headache.
Will freak you at the core
I bet most of the successful entrepreneurs have gone through this phase. You would most probably go through this phase.
"Everything that can go wrong will...."
Murphy's law
Yes and this applies to entrepreneurship. You have a great team, idea, product and initial traction. Can it go wrong now ? Yes it can because it can go wrong. And you can't even help it. You need to be persistent. That's called GRIT.

Creativity is not the ultimatum
So this is a fairly common misconception; my present field is not encouraging me to be creative and you jump on startup bandwagon to create something. You are definitely in with a bit wrongly placed notation. Your creativity can take a massive hit and mundane things may fill up your free time many times. Creativity is just a part of entrepreneurship. There is lot many things important in entrepreneurship; learning, managing, persistence, intuition. And they all are not as glamorous as being creative with a paint and brush.
I am not being negative about entrepreneurship. I am just being practical. But still you can jump, because at the end, "It will be all worth it"

[Book review]: Mossad: The great operations of Isreal's secret service

2017-03-12T16:56:00.003+05:30

Mossad: The great operation of Isreal's secret service
So what should I call this book? A thriller roller coaster ride. The perfect and genuine description of the world's most ferocious intelligence agency. The author provides a neutral and gripping narrative of the accounts.
Many successes intermingled with some albeit serious failures of the Mossad has been elegantly converted into a book. Start reading and I would bet that you don't need to watch some spy action thrillers for days. Every chapter in the book is an episode of some action thriller series. The narrative and the incidents; both are elegant and make this book a must read for all the undercover bookworms ;) Go read it and be a witness to the action that unfolds just in front of your eyes; world's most successful and ferocious yet fascinating intelligence agency's story.
A bit idea about the geopolitical issue pertaining to Isreal and surrounding Arab countries is essential. If not just read about them as you go or else you will be bit tad lost in the details.

[Book review]: The art of persuasion: winning without intimidation

2017-02-21T12:41:00.000+05:30

"Respond don't react"

The above quote is quoted ubiquitously but how to respond is not illustrated as much as the quote.

This Bob Burg's book gives us a lot of practical examples on how to respond to situations with other known or anonymous individuals. The author's understanding of the issue is so clear cut that he sometimes use the technique mentioned on readers too.
The only drawback of this awesome book is the feeling of redundancy of some topics. But a cup of coffee will certainly get past those hiccups. It's a must read for all those who are short tempered and tend to lose or gain nothing from other people because of their negative traits. If you aren't that type, then chill back and read to enhance the quality of your interactions.
The real life examples are nice but may not be applicable to all culture. So, take the advice with a pinch of salt in case you start applying the techniques en block.
The book is worth a read and I would like my readers not to react by just reading this, but to respond by buying and reading this book. Ah! I have acquired quite a bit of persuasion from this book.

[Book review]: Hooked: How to build habit forming products

2017-02-15T10:09:00.001+05:30

"Behaviors done with little or no conscious thought "
The above is the definition of habit and this book describes how to recreate them in customers.
Nir Eyal's "Hooked" is a must read for those who are working on products that have the potential to make an impact on masses.
The detailed strategies used by the companies that are habit forming are clearly mentioned.
The book can be read with two main objectives
- Learn about how to build habit forming products
- Know the psychology behind habit forming products and try to avoid the trap
The remember and share section combined with do this now section will give a lot of headway into applying the concepts practically.
I tried to follow one of them and saw 4-5 people mindlessly juggling through Facebook stream. But at the end of the day, I was also doing the same sometime. But now that I am aware of it, probably will be reducing/stopping that mindless act soon. Well I have reached one of the objective, go ahead and read to fulfill your objectives.