Learn Something New Today
If you read about Neural Linguistic Programming (NLP) you’ll be told that regularly learning new things builds fresh neural pathways in your brain, thereby improving everything from your mood to intelligence. I don’t know what a neurologist would say about this advice, or if well-meaning NLP practitioners are actually peddling 21st Century snake oil, but I think we can all agree learning new things is healthy.
Here’s a big list of things to keep your brain occupied this weekend.
Designers
Try playing with a CSS framework to get some fresh technical insights:
Reset sheets are good too. Here’s an introduction and guide to CSS Frameworks in case you think I’m speaking Moon language.
Also try playing around with grid tools, I like Gridmaker.
I keep a healthy list of typography blogs in my feed reader:
Why not try digging deeper into the technical side of design? I love reading Stephen Few’s books: Show Me the Numbers and Information Dashboard Design have never been more relevant if you’re working on the web today.
Developers
If you’re a Rails developer, why not try out Django to see what the Python guys have been up to? Or if you haven’t tried Ruby before, jump into Shoes to see how easy it is to build interesting cross-platform graphical apps.
I’m always looking out for emerging technologies to play with. One I keep coming back to recently is Cappuccino, which is a JavaScript framework that includes Objective-J. This will all seem familiar to you if you’re a Mac/iPhone developer.
Authors and Bloggers
Try reading some blogs about writing. You’re probably already subscribed to Copyblogger, but there’s loads more great resources out there. Daily Writing Tips is perfect for morning coffee time inspiration, and the Writer’s Technology Companion has been useful too.
Try reading William Zinsser - On Writing Well or William Strunk - The Elements of Style. The Elements of Style is commongly referenced by emerging bloggers who want to perfect their craft.
Another idea is to try another blogging engine, or consider building your own. Each blogging system has its advantages, and there’s a learning curve to all of them.
Everyone
Fascinated by iPhone apps? Try following a basic tutorial on building one, we recently published Getting Started with iPhone Development. You don’t need to be a programmer to become familiar with the basics.
Try reading one of Paul Arden’s books. He had an incredibly inspiring and witty perspective on life that always puts me in a positive mood.
