Thought of the Day - Life As A Laboratory

Something a lot of people seem to find strange about me is that i experiment with things, not only that but i actually call them experiments. I don't just buy a new pair of shoes, i experiment with near-barefoot walking. I don't become a Vegan, i experiment with my diet. I don't wake up early, i experiment with my sleep.

To me life is a laboratory, all parts of my life can be optimised, improved and if necessary changed wholesale. On the other hand i think a lot of people get into a (un)happy rut and don't see the need to change, to try new things. While i am sure that i am guilty of that in some areas of my life it doesn't stop me looking to change in others. The great thing about experimenting is that if it doesn't work out you aren't committed to the path, you were just trying it out. It also doesn't preclude the possibility of future improvements or changes. For me one of the most reassuring things about science is that scientists can admit when they were not exactly right or even outright wrong. There are no absolutes, it only takes one exception to break the rules and set you looking for new rules.

I'm sure other people experiment with things and maybe it is because my experiments tend to be a little more extreme, but most people i discuss my experiments see me as strange or at best eccentric. What convinces me that i am on the right path is a lot of the most interesting people that i've met and authors who's books i've read have had a similar attitude to experimentation.

Thought of the Day - Hacking

I love the spirit of hacking (the traditional rather than computer definition of the word), taking something and making it fit your needs. Alas i there are limitations to my hacking ability: computers, electronics, mechanical things; sure, more traditional craft things; not so much.

I bought a pair of Vibram Five Fingers shoes and while they are very comfortable i can't really use them everywhere without socks. Normal socks won't stretch and separate enough around my toes, so i thought i could hack them (literally) into shape. Alas my sewing skills are not quite up to par, after an hour i had neatly sewed lines in so i could cut toe sized slots in the socks. While i did manage to get 5 pockets, unfortunately only 3 of them were large enough to accommodate my toes ... Doh!

The moral of the story is while £60 seems a lot for socks, the time and effort (and socks) i would have wasted perfecting this hack would be better spent on other things. Fortunately Injinji make some lovely high performance socks that fit my needs perfectly, so time to bite the financial bullet.