Hi David... What finally worked for you regarding Windows printing?
Regarding finding ideas - I encountered this issue frequently when I was a producer at CNN. Basically, how do you become inspired when the inspiration is not forthcoming on its own? I used to teach new producers a few simple techniques for finding story ideas, so perhaps I can adapt them to finding programming ideas. 1) Read, read, read - In news, read all the wire reports and magazine articles in your field of interest. So, in programming, read lots of articles on the topics you find interesting. I don't mean that you need to read lots of articles on programming. Programs are meant to be used in dealing with aspects of our lives. I am suggesting that you read lots of articles on things in life that you find interesting, and then ask yourself "Is there some sort of way I can apply programming to this topic?" 2) Concept associations - get a dictionary or almanac and randomly open it to different pages. When you read the items on that page, ask yourself if that item can be linked to a topic you find interesting. It may take a few tries (or a few hundred) before you hit on something you find exciting, but eventually it will work. 3) Chaotically brainstorm with others - because people often do not understand each other very well, we often misinterpret an idea that is being shared. These misinterpretations can be useful, because they are actually a new idea unto themselves. Once you get that new idea, talk it over to see if it has merit. Even if it does not have merit, the process of talking it over will produce other ideas. If you find that your communication with your brainstorming partner is working too well - that is, everything is making sense and no radically new ideas are coming from it - then try brainstorming with your brainstorming partner at a bar. I find that alcohol makes everything less logical :) 4) Use a random sentence generator - I like this one: http://www.members.aol.com/clabrack/rsg/ - Most of the sentences are foolish, but they are fun and might give you ideas if you let your mind run free while reading them. For instance, the sentence "Police wouldn't self-flagellate for a pimp" might inspire you to write brothel management software! Well, let's hope it doesn't, but you get the idea. 5) Be observant - Ask yourself "What needs to be improved in my life?" - The odds are that if you can create something that improves your life, it will be of benefit to someone else as well. Don't just ask yourself that question once and then drop it. Instead, hold that question in the back of your mind as you go about your daily life. I could also suggest some meditative techniques for finding intellectual inspiration, but I would rather do so off-list. When it comes to meditation and spiritual techniques, I believe that what works for one person may not work at all for someone else. It is highly individualistic. Good luck, Jonathan -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of David Squance Sent: Tuesday, February 22, 2005 11:01 PM To: How to use Revolution Subject: Re: OT: Help with motivation Revers: Many of you replied to this thread, and the collective wisdom of this group has once again impressed me. My problem, if it can be called a problem, is sort of the opposite. I have the motivation, but nothing to work on. Perhaps I just lack the motivation to dig for ideas, but my skills are limited, as is my time--I'm a hobbyist, and have not tackled anything very challenging at this point (except perhaps getting things to print properly under Windoze ;). Dave _______________________________________________ use-revolution mailing list use-revolution@lists.runrev.com http://lists.runrev.com/mailman/listinfo/use-revolution _______________________________________________ use-revolution mailing list use-revolution@lists.runrev.com http://lists.runrev.com/mailman/listinfo/use-revolution