reveal

Weekend read: You Are What You Listen To

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Just typing that title makes me suddenly suspect this is going to be about talking yourself into things or positive reinforcement stuff. No. This is more specific. It’s more specific about music and what our preferences tell us about ourselves – and maybe show others about us too.

What are the personality attributes of people with these different preferences? If you are a fan of Sophisticated or Intense music, you tend to be very high on Openness to Experience—curious, creative, welcoming of new perspectives—and politically liberal; the difference is that people who prefer Sophisticated music tend to be docile in social interactions whereas people that prefer Intense music tend to be dominant with an impulsive communication style (what we might call “blirtatiousness”). Of all the musical preferences, those who like Intense music tend to be the least Conscientious—spontaneous, disorganized, lacking in self-restraint.

You Are What You Listen To – Todd B Kashdan, The Creativity Post (13 March 2015)

Read the full piece.

Windows 10 to be unveiled tomorrow (Wednesday 21 January)

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Okay, hand on heart, I thought it already had been revealed. But no, only the fact that Microsoft is skipping Windows 9 to go straight to 10 has been announced. Tomorrow is the big day.

I wouldn’t normally talk about this because there’s nothing to say beyond “it’s on tomorrow”. However, the reason I assumed it had been revealed is the same reason why I may simply not notice when it actually comes out. You can put that down to my being an Apple user but it is truly a long, long time since I even had to think about Windows. That’s nice for me. Business Insider says that’s what it’s like for ever more people:

On Wednesday, Microsoft will show off Windows 10, the next version of its decades-old operating system.

There’s a lot at stake. This may be Microsoft’s last chance to prove to the world that Windows still matters.

A decade ago more than 90% of devices on the internet ran Windows. With the rise of smartphones, and tablets running smartphone operating systems like iOS and Android, that number is down to 15 percent. Developers had to develop for Windows if they wanted to make money. Now, it’s one of many choices, and in mobile it’s an afterthought.

Windows 10 Preview – Matt Rosoff, Business Insider (20 January 2015)

True, Business Insider has a wobbly reputation for accuracy but from 90% to 15%? That is partly that the pot has grown so much: there are now all these extra billions of phones that count as computers. Nobody expects Windows to run on a phone, although Microsoft wishes to God that everyone would. But there is also the fact that usage of Windows is dropping on computers too. This will be on account of how you don’t use Windows, you fix it. You don’t work with Windows, you work around it.

If Windows were a TV show, it would’ve been cancelled.

Read the full piece.