Facebook’s 5 Core(kôr) Values

Facebook’s mission(ˈmiSHən) is to give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together. As our company grows we have 5 strong values that guide the way we work and the decisions(diˈsiZHən) we make each day to help achieve our mission.

1. Be Bold(bōld): Building great things means taking risks(risk). We have a saying: “The riskiest thing is to take no risks.” In a world that’s changing so quickly, you’re guaranteed(ˌgarənˈtē) to fail if you don’t take any risks. We encourage(-ˈkə-rij,enˈkərij) everyone to make bold decisions, even if that means being wrong some of the time.

2. Focus on Impact: To have the biggest impact, we need to focus on solving the most important problems. It sounds simple, but most companies do this poorly and waste(wāst) a lot of time. We expect everyone at Facebook to be good at finding the biggest problems to work on.

3. Move Fast(fast): Moving fast enables us to build more things and learn faster. We’re less afraid(əˈfrād) of making mistakes than we are of losing opportunities(ˌäpərˈt(y)o͞onitē) by moving too slowly. We are a culture of builders, the power is in your hands.

4. Be Open: We believe that a more open world is a better world. The same goes for our company. Informed people make better decisions and have a greater impact, which is why we work hard to make sure everyone at Facebook has access to as much information about the company as possible.

5. Build Social Value: Facebook was created to make the world more open and connected, not just to build a company. We expect everyone at Facebook to focus every day on how to build real value for the world in everything they do.

https://www.facebook.com/pg/facebookcareers/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1655178611435493

Ripe(rīp) for a kicking(ˈkikiNG): Hollywood’s(ˈhälēˌwo͝od) love-hate(hāt) relationship with Rotten(ˈrätn) Tomatoes(-ˈmätō,təˈmātō)

Twenty years after its launch, the movie-review aggregator’s(ˈagriˌgātər) verdict(ˈvərdikt) is now seen as vital(ˈvītl) to a film’s success or failure(ˈfālyər). Is the site too influential(ˌinflo͞oˈenCHəl) for its own good?

By Steve Rose

Twenty years ago, the internet was a very different place. Google was a fresh(freSH) rival(ˈrīvəl) to Alta Vista(ˈvistə) and Lycos. Apple computers looked like boiled(boil) sweets, and we dialed(ˈdī(ə)l) up to “surf(sərf) the net”, having installed the software via(ˈvēə,ˈvīə) CD-Rom. The movie world of 1998 was also somewhat different: the box office was ruled by meteorite(ˈmētēəˌrīt) movies and Adam(ˈadəm) Sandler; Harvey Weinstein(wī) was an Oscar(ˈäskər) winner; and The Avengers(əvangər) was a lame(lām), retro(ˈretrō) spy comedy(ˈkämədē) with Ralph Fiennes(fīnz) and Uma Thurman. It was into this climate(ˈklīmit) that Senh Duong launched Rotten Tomatoes – known in the business as RT – a site that has transformed both worlds, although nobody seems quite sure if it has done so for better or worse.

Duong’s idea was simple – to compile(kəmˈpīl) movie(ˈmo͞ovē) reviews – and it still drives Rotten Tomatoes. He was inspired by his love of Jackie Chan and Jet Li movies and would scour(skou(ə)r) the internet looking for reviews of them. So why not put them in one place? Duong already had a full-time job, he says. “Rotten Tomatoes was a side project I worked on in the evenings.” He single-handedly designed and coded the site in just two weeks. “It was very laborious(ləˈbôrēəs). Every page was manually(ˈmanyə(wə)l) assembled(əˈsembəl) using HTML. Every review was manually searched for, read and quoted(kwōt).”

In the same way that, say, lastminute.com and Expedia(ikspidēə) compare plane ticket prices, Rotten Tomatoes’ review aggregation has turned out to be super-useful, particularly(pə(r)ˈtikyələrlē) as it boils all those reviews down to a single, convenient(kənˈvēnyənt) percentage(pərˈsentij) score. It then boils down that score even further(ˈfərT͟Hər), to a simple graphic(ˈgrafik) of a tomato. In the same way that Siskel and Ebert(i) gave a “thumbs up” or a “thumbs down”, or the man from Del Monte(ˈmäntē) tasted(tāst) a pineapple(ˈpīˌnapəl) and said “yes” or “no”, so Rotten Tomatoes’ “Tomatometer” separates(ˈsep(ə)rit) movies into “fresh”(freSH) or “rotten”. If at least 60% of a movie’s reviews are positive, it is graded(grād) “fresh”, signified(ˈsignəˌfīd) by a ripe(rīp), red tomato. Less than 60% and it is “rotten”, signified by a green splat(splat). Over 75% gets you a “certified(ˈsərtəˌfī) fresh” logo, like a sticker(ˈstikər) on a quality(ˈkwälətē) piece(pēs) of fruit(fro͞ot). (The 1998 Avengers movie, if you were wondering, scored a supremely(so͞o-,səˈprēm) rotten 5%.)

…
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/feb/26/rotten-tomatoes-hollywood-love-hate-relationship

What Is the Perfect Color Worth?

Inside the mysterious(məˈsti(ə)rēəs) art — and big business — of color forecasting(ˈfôrˌkast).

By Bruce Falconer(fal)

Last spring, a dozen(ˈdəzən) people filtered into a sunny(ˈsənē), whitewashed(-ˌwôSH,ˈ(h)wītˌwäSH) conference(ˈkänf(ə)rəns) room on the seventh floor of the Royal College(ˈkälij) of Art, overlooking London’s Hyde(hedə) Park. Mostly Western(ˈwestərn) Europeans(ˌyo͝orə-,ˌyərəˈpēən) from different precincts(ˈprēˌsiNGkt) of the fashion industry, they had been called together by a British man named David(ˈdāvid) Shah(SHä), editor and publisher of the “Pantone(ˈpanˌtōn) View Colour Planner(ˈplanər).” The book, issued(ˈiSHo͞o) each February(ˈfeb(y)o͞oˌerē,ˈfebro͞o-) and August(ˈôgəst), is a four-ring binder(ˈbīndər) containing pigment(ˈpigmənt) and textile(ˈtekˌstīl) standards of 64 colors arranged into nine distinct palettes(ˈpalit). Geared(gi(ə)r) primarily(prīˈme(ə)rəlē) toward designers(dəˈzīnər) and manufacturers(ˌmanyəˈfakCHərər), the book forecasts color trends (whether consumers are expected to gravitate(ˈgraviˌtāt) more toward brights(brīt) or neutrals(ˈn(y)o͞otrəl), jewel(ˈjo͞oəl) tones or pastels(paˈstel)) two years in advance(ədˈvans). Each edition is centered on some forgivingly abstract theme; recent volumes(-ˌyo͞om,ˈvälyəm) have investigated(inˈvestiˌgāt) the chromatic(krōˈmatik) possibilities of “disguise(disˈgīz),” “time” and “muse(myo͞oz),” for example.

That day, as the team decided(diˈsīdid) on colors for Spring/Summer 2019, the theme(THēm) was love. It was a balmy(ˈbä(l)mē) May morning, but Shah, with thin graying(grā) hair and glasses(ˈglasiz), was dressed(dres) in a navy(ˈnāvē) blue buttoned sweater(ˈswetər) with a thick(THik) scarf(skärf) wrapped(rap) loosely around his neck(nek). He frequently interrupted with questions as the handpicked members of his team took turns presenting(priˈzent,ˈprezənt) “mood boards” they had brought with them. Like oversize pages from a scrapbook(ˈskrapˌbo͝ok), these displays included photographs(ˈfōtəˌgraf), drawings, artworks, ribbons(ˈribən), textiles(ˈtekˌstīl), paint(pānt) samples(ˈsampəl), bits of plastic(ˈplastik), lengths of rope(rōp), tourist(ˈto͝orist) tchotchkes(ˈCHäCHkə) and, in one instance(ˈinstəns), a piece of frilly(ˈfrilē) lingerie(-jə-,ˌlänZHəˈrā).

There were spirited(ˈspiritid), far-ranging discussions(disˈkəSHən) of art, film, music, theater(ˈTHēətər), books, fashion, museum(myo͞oˈzēəm) exhibitions(ˌeksəˈbiSHən) and advertising(ˈadvərˌtīziNG) — anything that might hint(hint), even remotely, at where color was headed. Amid(əˈmid) the clamor(ˈklamər) of voices, Shah asked an American forecaster in the room to give the view from across the Atlantic(at-,ətˈlantik).

“What is the zeitgeist(ˈtsītˌgīst,ˈzīt-) going on in the United(yo͞oˈnīt) States about color?” Shah asked. “Are they big colors? Are they strong colors? Prime(prīm) colors?”

…
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/28/magazine/what-is-the-perfect-color-worth.html

7 Rules for Maximizing(ˈmaksəˌmīz) Your Creative Output

By Steve Pavlina

…

Here are my 7 rules for optimizing(ˈäptəˌmīz) the highly creative flow(flō) state:

1. Define a clear purpose(ˈpərpəs)

To enter(ˈentər) the flow state, you need a goal(gōl). Decide what you want to create and why. Vague(vāg) intentions don’t trigger(ˈtrigər) the flow state.

…

2. Identify(īˈdentəˌfī) a compelling(kəmˈpeliNG) motive(ˈmōtiv)

In addition(əˈdiSHən) to a goal for your creative session, you need a reason to be creative. Why does this task matter to you personally? What difference will it make if you can be creative? Why do you care?

…

3. Architect(ˈärkiˌtekt) a worthy(ˈwərT͟Hē) challenge(ˈCHalənj)

To awaken your full creative potential(pəˈtenCHəl), the difficulty of your creative endeavor(enˈdevər) must fall within a certain(ˈsərtn) challenge spectrum(ˈspektrəm). On a scale(skāl) of 1-10, where 1 is trivially(ˈtrivēəl) easy and 10 is impossible, I’d say the optimal(ˈäptəməl) creative range is 5-9 with a 7-8 being ideal(īˈdē(ə)l).

If a task is too easy, you don’t need to be particularly(pə(r)ˈtikyələrlē) creative, so your creative self will simply say, “You can manage this one without me. Come back when you have something worthy of my attention(əˈtenCHən).”

…

4. Provide(prəˈvīd) a conducive(kənˈd(y)o͞osiv) environment

You’ll find that certain environmental conditions make it easy for you to enter the flow state, while other conditions make it nearly impossible. The optimal environment varies(ˈve(ə)rē) from person to person, so you’ll need to experiment to find what works best for you.

…

5. Allocate(ˈaləˌkāt) a committed block of time

Imagine(iˈmajən) your mind is like a computer. The more you can take advantage(ədˈvantij) of the computer’s resources, the more creativity you harness(ˈhärnis). To free up the most resources for your creative task, you first need to unload all nonessential(ˌnänəˈsenCHəl) processes(prəˈses,ˈpräsəs,ˈpräˌses,ˈprō-). This means closing programs like Ego 1.0, Physical(ˈfizikəl) Sensations(senˈsāSHən) 1.3, and Distracting Thoughts(THôt) 2.0. If you want to maximize your creativity, you need to hog(häg,hôg) as much of the CPU as you can get.

…

6. Prevent(priˈvent) interruptions and distractions

If you can’t keep yourself from being disturbed(disˈtərbd) by urgent(ˈərjənt) phone calls, emails, or drop-in visitors, you won’t consistently achieve and maintain(mānˈtān) the flow state. You must do whatever it takes to prevent unnecessary(ˌənˈnesəˌserē) interruptions during your creative periods(ˈpi(ə)rēəd). Make arrangements(əˈrānjmənt) to ensure you won’t be disturbed except in an absolute(ˈabsəˌlo͞ot,ˌabsəˈlo͞ot) emergency(iˈmərjənsē).

…

7. Master your tools

Creating a tangible(ˈtanjəbəl) piece(pēs) of creative work requires tools such as a computer, guitar(giˈtär), or pencil. Even though it may take years, you must achieve basic(ˈbāsik) competency(ˈkämpətəns) with the tools of your trade(trād) before you can consistently enter the flow state.

…
https://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2007/01/7-rules-for-maximizing-your-creative-output/

Are digital(ˈdijitl) distractions(disˈtrakSHən) harming labour(lebər) productivity(prəˌdək-,ˌprädək-,ˌprōˌdəkˈtivətē)?

The evidence(ˈevədəns) is mixed; it seems clear, however, that they are making us unhappier.

For many it is a reflex(ˈrēˌfleks) as unconscious(ˌənˈkänSHəs) as breathing(ˈbrēT͟HiNG). Hit a stumbling-block(ˈstəmbəl) during an important task (like, say, writing a column)? The hand reaches for the phone and opens the social network of choice. A blur(blər) of time passes, and half an hour or more of what ought(ôt) to have been productive effort is gone. A feeling of regret(riˈgret) is quickly displaced by the urge(ərj) to see what has happened on Twitter in the past 15 seconds. Some time after the deadline, the editor asks when exactly to expect the promised copy. Distraction is a constant these days; supplying it is the business model of some of the world’s most powerful firms(fərm). As economists(iˈkänəmist) search for explanations(ˌekspləˈnāSHən) for sagging(sag) productivity, some are asking whether the inability(ˌinəˈbilitē) to focus for longer than a minute is to blame(blām).

This column will resume(riˈzo͞om) after you have returned from checking your notifications(ˌnōtəfiˈkāSHən).

The technological(ˌteknəˈläjikəl) onslaught(ˈänˌslôt,ˈôn-) has been a long time building. Bosses no doubt(dout) found the knock(näk) of the telegraph(ˈteləˌgraf) boy or the clack(klak) of the ticker-tape(ˈtikər tāp) machine an abominable(əˈbäm(ə)nəbəl) interruption. Fixed-line desk phones were an intrusion(inˈtro͞oZHən) in their day, before the mobile phone brought work interruptions(ˌintəˈrəpSHən) into the home. But the web is different, with its unending news cycle(ˈsīkəl), social networks humming(həm) with constant conversation(ˌkänvərˈsāSHən), and news feeds algorithmically(ˈalgəˌriT͟Həm) structured to keep users scrolling(ˈskrōliNG) and sharing. The louder the din(din), the greater the distraction—and the harder to tune(t(y)o͞on) it out for fear(fi(ə)r) of missing important information.

Distractions clearly affect performance on the job. In a recent essay, Dan Nixon of the Bank of England pointed to a mass of compelling(kəmˈpeliNG) evidence(ˈevədəns) that they could also be eating into productivity growth. Depending on the study you pick, smartphone-users touch their device somewhere between twice a minute to once every seven minutes. Conducting tasks while receiving(riˈsēv) e-mails and phone calls reduces a worker’s IQ by about ten points relative(ˈrelətiv) to working in uninterrupted(ˌənˌintəˈrəptid) quiet(ˈkwīət). That is equivalent(iˈkwivələnt) to losing a night’s sleep, and twice as debilitating(diˈbiliˌtātiNG) as using marijuana(ˌmarəˈ(h)wänə). By one estimate, it takes nearly half an hour to recover focus fully for the task at hand after an interruption. What’s more, Mr Nixon notes, constant interruptions accustom(əˈkəstəm) workers to distraction, teaching them, in effect, to lose focus and seek diversions(diˈvərZHən,dī-
).

…
https://www.economist.com/news/finance-and-economics/21732141-evidence-mixed-it-seems-clear-however-they-are-making-us

Keep in touch

By Derek Sivers

When I was promoting(prəˈmōt) myself as a musician(myo͞oˈziSHən), I noticed something interesting. If I had a good conversation with somebody in the music business, then quite often they would send an opportunity my way within a day or two.

In other words, when I look back at the random opportunities that came my way, they often came from someone who I had just spoken with a day or two before.

Yes I just said this twice to emphasize(ˈemfəˌsīz) it. This is important.

Years later, when I was running CD Baby, various(ˈve(ə)rēəs) opportunities would come up where someone would ask me to recommend a musician. I almost always recommended(ˌrekəˈmend) whichever musician I had just been speaking with recently, since they came to mind first. That’s why it’s so important to keep in touch.

There were some amazing musicians whose music I loved, so I contacted them to tell them I’m a huge fan, and would love to help however I can. But if they didn’t keep in touch, they eventually fell out of my mind. It’s unfortunate(ˌənˈfôrCHənət), but that’s life.

There were some good musicians (but not amazing musicians) who were great at keeping in touch. So when opportunities came my way, guess who I thought of to recommend? Yep. That’s life.

The difference between success and failure(ˈfālyər) can be as simple as keeping in touch.

It takes effort to meet people. So once you’ve met someone, get the most out of the relationship for both of you, and keep in touch.

https://sivers.org/kit

When I Heard(hərd) the Learn’d Astronomer(əˈstränəmər)

By Walt Whitman

When I heard the learn’d astronomer,

When the proofs(pro͞of), the figures(ˈfigyər), were ranged in columns(ˈkäləm) before me,

When I was shown the charts and diagrams(ˈdīəˌgram), to add, divide(diˈvīd), and measure(ˈmeZHər) them,

When I sitting heard the astronomer where he lectured(ˈlekCHər) with much applause(əˈplôz) in the lecture-room,

How soon unaccountable(ˌənəˈkountəbəl) I became tired(tīrd) and sick(sik),

Till rising(ˈrīziNG) and gliding(ˈglīdiNG) out I wander’d off by myself,

In the mystical(ˈmistikəl) moist(moist) night-air, and from time to time,

Look’d up in perfect silence at the stars.

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45479/when-i-heard-the-learnd-astronomer

Understand

By Ted Chiang

A layer of ice; it feels rough(rəf) against my face, but not cold. I’ve got nothing to hold on to; my gloves(gləv) just keep sliding(slīd) off it. I can see people on top, running around, but they can’t do anything. I’m trying to pound the ice with my fists(fist), but my arms move in slow motion, and my lungs(ləNG) must have burst(bərst), and my head’s going fuzzy(ˈfəzē), and I feel like I’m dissolving(diˈzälv)—

I wake up, screaming(skrēm). My heart’s going like a jackhammer(ˈjakˌhamər). Christ(krīst). I pull off my blankets(ˈblaNGkit) and sit on the edge(ej) of the bed.

I couldn’t remember that before. Before I only remembered falling through the ice; the doctor said my mind had suppressed(səˈpres) the rest. Now I remember it, and it’s the worst(wərst) nightmare(ˈnītˌme(ə)r) I’ve ever had.

I’m grabbing(grab) the down comforter(ˈkəmfərtər) with my fists(fist), and I can feel myself trembling(ˈtrembəl). I try to calm(kä(l)m) down, to breathe(brēT͟H) slowly, but sobs(säb) keep forcing their way out. It was so real I could feel it: feel what it was like to die.

I was in that water for nearly an hour; I was more vegetable(ˈvejtəbəl,ˈvəjətə-) than anything else by the time they brought me up. Am I recovered? It was the first time the hospital had ever tried their new drug(drəg) on someone with so much brain(brān) damage(ˈdamij). Did it work?

—

The same nightmare, again and again. After the third time, I know I’m not going to sleep again. I spend the remaining(riˈmāniNG) hours before dawn(dän,dôn) worrying. Is this the result? Am I losing(lo͞oz) my mind?

Tomorrow is my weekly checkup with the resident(ˈrez(ə)dənt,ˈrezəˌdent) at the hospital. I hope he’ll have some answers.

https://www.amazon.cn/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?__mk_zh_CN=亚马逊网站&url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=stories+of+your+life+and+others

One Simple Shift to Turn Life Into an Adventure(adˈvenCHər,əd-)

By Leo Babauta

When I was young, I would run barefoot(ˈbe(ə)rˌfo͝ot) through the jungles(ˈjəNGgəl) of Guam(gwäm), being chased(CHās) by bad guys, imagining(iˈmajən) I was on an Indiana(ˌindēˈanə) Jones-style adventure.

The world was filled(fil) with possibility, excitement(ikˈsītmənt), discovery, exploration(ˌekspləˈrāSHən), and a delicious(diˈliSHəs) sense(sens) of danger and the unknown lurking(lərk) in the darkness(ˈdärknis). It was fun, play, and curiosity(ˌkyo͝orēˈäsitē).

Adulthood and the responsibilities of family and work all did their best to beat(bēt) out this sense of adventure, and create a sense of routine(ro͞oˈtēn) and discipline(ˈdisəplin) in me.

But I’ve always still become lit(lit) up by a sense of adventure.

One of the best discoveries I’ve made is that my entire(enˈtīr) life can be a huge adventure.

And it can be done with one simple shift: embrace(emˈbrās) the thrill(THril) of not-knowing.

Let’s take a look at a couple examples …

The Adventure of Your Commute(kəˈmyo͞ot)

So you’re driving to work in the morning. Ho hum, boring, you’ve done it a few thousand times, no one likes traffic(ˈtrafik). So maybe you try to make productive(prō-,prəˈdəktiv) use of it by listening to an audiobook(ˈôdē-ōˌbo͝ok) or making calls, squeezing(skwēz) use out of this boring time.

But what if, instead, you made it into an adventure? What if you looked for the excitement of things you didn’t know about the drive?

For example(igˈzampəl), you might drive a new way, exploring side roads. You might explore mindfulness practices on each drive, seeing what you can learn as you drive. You might use the time for contemplation(ˌkäntəmˈplāSHən) and invention(inˈvenSHən), seeing what you could create during the enforced(enˈfôrst) silence of the drive.

The Adventure of Your Work Day

We tend to just start each work day as if it were another day, launching into messages and quick tasks, meetings and calls, busywork and distraction(disˈtrakSHən).

But each day is a blank canvas, waiting for a splash(splaSH) of colorful paint! Each day is an opportunity(ˌäpərˈt(y)o͞onitē) to be seized(sēz), a life lesson waiting to be learned, full of possibility and the unknown!

What if you could ask questions throughout the day, not knowing the answer but excited(ikˈsītid) to find out more?

What if, instead of running from the uncertainty(ˌənˈsərtntē) of difficult projects, you could embrace the not-knowing of those tough tasks and savor(ˈsāvər) the deliciousness of what might emerge(iˈmərj) from them?

For example, writing a book chapter for me might cause me to want to procrastinate(prō-,prəˈkrastəˌnāt), because I don’t know what to write or how people might perceive(pərˈsēv) me once I publish the writing(ˈrītiNG). But instead of running from that uncertainty, I can say, “I have no idea what to write — how can I play around with it and see what might happen?” Or “I have no idea what people might think of this … let’s find out!”

The dangers lurking in the darkness are then turned into thrill of potential(pəˈtenCHəl) discovery.

The fear(fi(ə)r) is then excitement, wonder, a chase and a beautiful battle(ˈbatl).

…
https://zenhabits.net/adventure/

Existentialism(ˌegziˈstenCHəˌlizəm)

EXISTENTIALISM

EXT: OUTSIDE A THEATER(ˈTHēətər)

Chris is walking out of Hamlet(ˈhamlit) with his friend Rob and has become increasing upset by the nature of the play.

CHRIS

‘To be or not to be?’ is not even remotely the question. I’m sorry, I know you’re supposed to like Shakespeare(shāk spēr) and all, but I think it’s a crock(kräk). If theater is all about self-absorbed(-ˈsôrbd,əbˈzôrbd) teenagers(ˈtēnˌājər) trying to decide whether or not being a prince(prins) is good enough to stay alive, then we have failed our children. Let me solve this dilemma(diˈlemə) for you, Hamlet, you little punk(pəNGk): To be. There. That is the answer.

Can you imagine(iˈmajən) if we all did that, all the time? I wake up every morning and wonder if coffee is going to be enough to get me out the door to a job I can’t stand. My internal(inˈtərnl) conflicts mostly cover “Should I take out a second mortgage(ˈmôrgij) or keep the junker(ˈjəNGkər) car I already have?” and “If my stupid kids keep whining((h)wīn) to me about getting a bigger TV, would it be immoral(-ˈmärəl,i(m)ˈmôrəl) to sell them into slavery(ˈslāvərē)?”

Sometimes it gets to the point where I think I’m just living this life because it’s already in place(plās). What do I care about TV screen sizes? I used to have dreams. I was going to be an astronaut(ˈastrəˌnôt). Now all I want is a little peace(pēs). Maybe a good night’s sleep. That’s the real question, isn’t it: to keep slogging(släg) forward to an unknown destination(ˌdestəˈnāSHən) or to just stay where you are and try to sleep it all away?

https://www.instantmonologues.com/preview/Existentialism