Mich Mosh #1: Lynda.com, Sleep and Links In Case You're Bored

I haven't been in the mood to blog lately, which is the reason for the infrequent posts. So this entry will truly be a "mich mosh" of material. I've signed up for a subscription on Lynda.com and have been spending lots of time taking the online tutorials. It's a great site and one that I highly recommend for anyone who's looking to learn any of a number of software programs or computer languages. The price is a steal compared to a traditional class at any technical college given that you have access to hundreds of online courses. The instructors present the material very clearly and are enjoyable to listen to. I only wish I had signed up earlier.

Quite interestingly, I saw Lynda Weinman at the Adobe Max conference in between sessions and wanted very much to meet her and tell her how much I enjoyed her site. But she was deep in conversation with another person and I didn't want to be rude and interrupt so I thought I'd stop by her booth at the pavilion later. Well, unfortunately she wasn't there when I stopped by, but i got a great t-shirt. I guess you can say I'm a fan, however nerdy that sounds, but it was Lynda's book - Designing Web Graphics - that I picked up in college and got me hooked on designing for the web. I've experienced all types of learning programs, online and offline and this is one of the best. 

NY Times has a great series of articles on the subject of sleep ranging from why we dream to children sharing their parent's bed. Did you know that birds can fly for days without sleep? One of the articles describes how sleep is linked to memory and learning. That may not be news to anyone, but scientists have done experiments that show what the optimal sleep patterns are for certain types of activites. For example, if you're cramming for a test you would remember more if you went to bed early and woke up early, whereas if you're an athlete, you would perform better if you stayed up late rather than wake up early to practice. 

Here are some other links to check out if you're bored.

CSS Remix - CSS designed sites

PSDTuts - Photoshop tutorials 

Kuler - Share and download color themes 

Fallen Art - Amazing short animation

Lifted - Funny Pixar animation

Russell Peters - Funny comedian