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Growth of User Efficiency Over Time

We recently measured user efficiency with a few custom web-based search tools. So that we can level set performance against our existing tools, with which the users have significantly more experience,...

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How do I know if I have too much work or if I'm incompetent?

My job consumes most every waking hour of my life, and--though I generally enjoy what I do--causes me immense amounts of stress. I want better balance, but I'm having trouble parsing whether this...

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How to embed exercise into one's lifestyle?

I try to latch exercise into my day so that it seamlessly fits in. I'm looking for more ways to do this. Examples include: working close enough to home so walking is easier. Other examples include: -...

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Syncing to the cloud in a developing country

Wondering if anyone has any advice on the best way to design an app that efficiently sends data to an online DB in a country where folks conserve their data carefully on 10 MB/day SIM cards....

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Upgrade part or whole of gas hot water system?

We have a gas boiler and an indirect water heater. Boiler seems to date to 2002, and water heater from 2001. Water heater has a leak in the port for the aquastat, and we were told it needs to be...

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Hints and tips for teachers?

I'm an experienced teacher and am about to move schools. What things have made you a better, more efficient teacher? For example: One thing that made my life easier is creating rubrics for all the...

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Help me find podcast episode about jobs that can't be more efficient.

I'm looking for a specific episode of a podcast which contained a comment about how certain industries - medicine and education - for example, can't always be made more efficient or productive. I...

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90 days to...

What can I accomplish in 90 days in Japan, with a car, without my baby, during the hours of 8 am to 7 pm? I am all over the place inside, help me focus! I have been given a gift, that is at least how I...

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Sending an idea to a car manufacturer

I have a way of increasing increasing the range of vehicle (ICE or electric) by 5% or so. I'm only interested in the idea going to Nissan or Tesla (with preference for the latter). How would I go about...

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Seeking tips for increasing productivity and saving time in daily life

The question title pretty much says it all (how's that for efficiency!), but more details below. I'd like to get a lot more done in my life than I do, and getting some good tips for increasing...

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Choose two: good, cheap, or fast.

How do I become a faster graphic designer? I've been the in-house visual designer for a small marketing team for about three years. I am largely self-taught, but I can handle a lot of various kinds of...

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Resource for choosing the right sump pump?

We need a sump pump for a crawl space that gets a puddle. I want to be able to select one that's not too noisy, that's energy efficient, and that will only pump if water gets to within a few inches of...

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There must be a better way! Please help me be efficient at work!

At my job, I have many slips that I must fill out every day, with the following information: student name, teacher name, class period, and the next day’s date. The information changes daily, as I do...

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The physics of maple sap reduction

We use a wood stove for heat. We tap a single maple tree for fun. Before boiling the sap down in the kitchen, we passively reduce it most of the way in a pot on the wood stove. I'm wondering whether it...

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Bring me your most-loved shortcuts for unloveable Microsoft and Google!

I'm planning a Shortcuts Fest for my team, where we share our fave little workarounds - like SHIFT + F3 for changing case, CTRL + L to go to the Chrome address bar. With 2020 being 2020, I've learned a...

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Efficiency

"Biking is the most efficient transportation." Be more specific, and/or cite your reliable source. I first heard this like 20 years ago, a friend of mine did, too. Rather than spouting a factoid, I'd...

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How to become more efficient?

I'd like to become more efficient and productive in both home and work life but am struggling with how to start this journey. Mental health aside, I think I'm a natural ponderer, I've always been a bit...

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Water in the basement, but just a tiny bit.

I had a high efficiency tank-less waster heater installed when I had the heating boiler replaced. It didn't seem smart to run the big boiler year round just for hot water. After it was installed, I...

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How to be a Road Warrior, 201-level

I am in a new job that is about 50% travel. This is the first time I've had this kind of arrangement, and while I know that it will take me a bit to come up with systems that work for me, I would like...

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Where are the low-watt server motherboards of yester year?

I'm looking for a new motherboard to put in a place with cheap bandwidth and very expensive power. Peak use must stay below 30 watts, including 2 2.5 SSDs. I also need 16+ G of ram, serial console, and...

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How to restructure the polls...

So, I've worked retail / customer service for 35+ years (mostly as manager or owner of stores). I have a well-honed skill of spotting inefficiencies. This week, I worked in the polls during the recent...

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Cuts to resources increase inefficiency - what is this called?

Staff cuts/layoffs/redundancies create a leaner, more efficient workforce, right?* But what if staff cuts cause increased administrative burden and more work at the same time as decreasing the quality...

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Getting more comfortable with driving, without driving (a lot)

I live in a place where I generally don't need a car. I got my driver's license as an adult after much badgering from my family, and have literally never gotten behind the wheel since passing my road...

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Gotta go fast

Has anyone got any advice on turning around bits of work quickly? I work as a data scientist / sort of coder / sort of engineer. I find that it often takes me ages to get things done, compared to...

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Energy efficiency grants for schools

What grants are available to private non-profit schools for building energy upgrades in Washington State, specifically in Seattle? I’ve found a few promising things by Googling, but when I’ve reached...

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