Issue #210 | Subscribe

Software engineers sometimes use a problem-solving approach that might seem weird to others but can actually help reach a solution.

It's called rubber duck debugging, and it works like this:

When someone writing software gets stuck on a bug they can't fix with standard approaches, explaining the problem and how the code works to an inanimate object, such as a rubber duck, can help get them unstuck.

But why?

When we're too tunnelled into fixing a problem, we often miss the obvious solutions that are hiding in plain sight.

Explaining the problem to a person, to yourself, or even to an object helps us tread step-by-step through the problem territory and reveal our mistakes.

This isn't limited to software engineering. I've solved problems in my head while I explained them to a coworker or a friend.

Therefore, the next time you're stuck at a problem you can't seem to climb out of, try explaining it to a person or even an object.

You might figure things out on your own as you explain the situation.

Now, before you move on to the rest of this newsletter issue, here are a few words from:

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Your Next Read

Skills

The Next Conversation

Even with the best of intentions, we often tank conversations by choosing the wrong word or tone. This book will teach you how to have more productive conversations.

Apps & Services

Resurf

A space to save things you find useful

How often do you scramble to find an appropriate place to save the interesting things you come across? This app can be that place for you. Clip and save notes, texts, links, design ideas, articles and more, and then find them easily with a Spotlight-like search. Available on macOS for $49 one-time. Hulry Plus members get flat 40% off on a license. Become a member to access more deals like this.
How It Wears

A fun tool to see how your clothes wear over time

Take a photo of your clothes’ label, upload it to this app, and it’ll analyse and tell you the fabric composition, how it wears over the years and how to care for it. You can also use the Cost-per-wear calculator to estimate whether your purchase was value for money. Available on the Web for free.
ReKindle

Add a suite of tools to your Kindle

The idea here is to open this app in a Kindle's Web browser and turn it into a multipurpose E Ink device. But it also works on a regular phone or laptop and displays tools like an RSS reader, Reddit, timers, habit trackers, etc., in a cool, minimal E Ink style. Available on the Web for free.

Handy Shortcut

⌘

⌥

Esc

Choose an app to force quit on macOS.

Interesting Reads

100 Tips for a Better Life

13 min read

This column is a lovely collection of short, practical advice spanning almost every corner of our lives. I loved this common-sense but helpful advice: “Procrastination comes naturally, so apply it to bad things. ‘I want a smoke now, so in half an hour I’ll go have a smoke.’ Then repeat. Much like our good plans fall apart while we delay them, so can our bad plans.”
Why You Should Stop Caring What Other People Think

20 min read

Tim Urban is well-known for deconstructing complex topics into fun-to-read articles, and this one's no different. We should all learn to tame that mammoth inside us and let our authentic selves grow.
The Myth of “It Doesn't Hurt To Ask”

2 min read

This applies not only to emails but also to private messages and in-person asks. I wouldn’t say a long message is always better, but we need to aim for the sweet spot of laying out the details as concisely as we can.
How to Create Your Own University Course to Teach Yourself Almost Anything

14 min read

Parker has written a thorough and very structured guide on how to learn (or at least get a decent grasp on the subject) through a tried and tested process within a few weeks of on-and-off studying. Try this out if you’ve been thinking of picking up a new skill or learning a subject.

Watch Next

If you have an hour to spare, this video tells one hell of a story about how one person engineered a backdoor that could've taken down the Internet.

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