Friday Links 07-08-10

From the Web

Negative Media? – John Place has a great article about how to avoid succumbing to the negative information in the media. Just gathering information isn’t enough, I agree with John that you need to actively process information you receive so it works towards you instead of turning you into a materialistic, self-obsessed individual.

21 Ways to Add More Hours to the Day – An article I did for lifehack.org

Blogging Self-Defence? – Tim Ferriss does a great job discussing how to deal with personal attacks in an online setting. I get my fair share of feedback from honest criticism to hate mail. I appreciate the feedback, but you also need to know how to diffuse and manage personal attacks.

How to Have More Social Success – A blog pointed to me by a friend of mine. Communication skills (unlike say wealth or fitness) seem to be a source of shame for people who want to improve. Although I’m no expert, I have considerably more social success now than I did a few years ago. I applaud sites like these for giving rational analysis to a topic that tends to get distorted by crap advice like “be yourself” and “have confidence.”

From the Archives

Nine Steps to a More Interesting Life – “Boredom is the enemy.” – Timothy Ferriss.

From the Shelf

Infinite Jest – Okay, so I’m not quite finished it yet. But the book is over a thousand pages long! David Foster Wallace’s book that covers the themes of entertainment, addiction and life. A challenging read I’m expecting at least another week or two to finish it off.