First you shape the system, then the system shapes you?

Not really. First they shape FB, then they shape you!

In a bid to have good conversations with all the friends 'befriended' on FB, a few minutes back I was engaged in calibrating the Notification Preferences of my FB account.

After my clicking some "unfollowing" buttons, FB throws a message:

"It looks like you’re using this feature in a way it wasn’t meant to be used. Please slow down, or you could be blocked from using it."

Funny this is, they've built a system in which users might end up taking up such an activity. And if FB has throw such a message, clearly they dislike such an activity or perhaps they didn't anticipate such an activity. Hurts their business, does it?

The verbiage of the warning message above is an interesting one. Read again:

"It looks like you’re using this feature in a way it wasn’t meant to be used. Please slow down, or you could be blocked from using it."

What do they mean 'it wasn't meant to'? Are they the arbiters and judges of meaning?

'Slow down'. What's that? Are they to decide how fast or how slow should I be operating the system?

As easy as it is to consume and post the rubbish that appears on our newsfeed, FB is alright if we suffer from infobesity. FB doesn't want us to get fitter however.

Web-driven Learning Checklist for the Autodidact

When I want to learn/learn about something, I typically find myself referring to these, not necessarily in the same order:

1. www.Dictionary.com - Recently I found myself exploring the subject of 'friction' and I came across the word 'Tribology'. Unaware of the precise meaning, it helped to check dictionary dot com before trying to explore the subject further.
2. www.Amazon.com - Have this peculiar habit of checking books on the subject before googling it or checking it on Wikipedia.
3. Kindle ebook samples - If one has a smartphone and has downloaded the Kindle app, it proves to be an amazing resources for sampling the subject in fairly good detail without committing monetary resources.
4. www.Wikipedia.com - It's a no-brainer. You want a good view at almost work or subject under the sun, you might find this a very helpful resource almost every single time. Though, certain technical areas which we are not exposed to at all might be difficult to follow on occasions.
5. www.Google.com - Search = Google. I don't need to say much. But so often I refer to it after I've checked the above 4 resources.
6. Google Images - Typically, when I am researching a physical object, firstly I like to see its different avatars, its forms, shapes and so on. Going through the images is like enabling instant awareness and invoking associations.
7. www.Youtube.com - Video always convinces. Captures attention easily and facilitates concentration sometimes through entertaining and moving presentation of concepts.
8. Twitter handles and FB pages dedicated to the term/the subject are good reminders. But they don't yet seem to aid us in learning like the other resources do.