Articles by Benoit Beauchamp

Open Last Document in Drafts

One of the best features of Drafts for iOS is how it almost always opens to a blank document ready from me to type. This is a double edged sword though. Sometimes I come back from doing a web search and the document I was working on has been replaced with a blank screen.

You can go to his website for the link and I think its clever. I wish I would have known about this when I subscribed to the Drafts app. Its a big time saver to be able to open the last document with a keyboard shortcut.

It’s good to remember that other human beings are like us. We are born the same way; we die the same way. While we’re alive it’s better to be able to trust each other as friends. We earn other people’s trust when we show a genuine concern for their well-being.

-Dalaï-Lama

Anger and fear undermine our immune system, while warm-heartedness brings peace of mind. Therefore, just as we teach children to comply with physical hygiene for the good of their health, we should also counsel them in a kind of hygiene of the emotions.

-Dalaï-Lama

What Happens When Five Sober Chefs Share a Kitchen?

Julia Bainbridge writes about a gathering of the top chefs in Portland. It's an interesting read and I hope one that we will see more often, a booze free environment that is celebrated in a positive way.

None of the men involved in the dinner know what the effect will be, but “if one chef de partie in the US decides to get clean and sober after this, that’s enough of a reason to do it,” says Solomonov. According to Brock, “I want [sobriety] to be something people are proud of rather than shameful of. The simple fact that you have made the decision to take better care of yourself? That should be the proudest moment of your day.”

In the present circumstances, no one can afford to assume that someone else will solve their problems. Each one of us has a responsibility to help guide our global family in the right direction. Good wishes are not sufficient; we must become actively engaged.

— Dalaï-Lama

A noob’s attempt at reverse engineering Google’s Cash

Here Nihal Pasham walks us through his process to figure out how Google cash works. Basically the app uses near ultrasonic sound to process payment when nearby. It's an interesting read.

If we were really to see one another as brothers and sisters, there would be no basis for division, cheating and exploitation among us. Therefore it’s important to promote the idea of the oneness of humanity, that in being human we are all the same.

— Dalaï-Lama

be more compassionate

Irrespective of whether we have faith in religion or not, it’s good to be more compassionate. It makes us happier as individuals with a positive influence on our families and the neighborhood where we live.

— Dalaï-Lama

Amy Winehouse Documentary

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Talking about addiction, I watched Amy Winehouse documentary last night. It was beautifully shot. We could get glimpse of her life before things got out of hand. Alcohol and drugs will eventually take over if you can't stop and it doesn't matter who you are. Some people will be there quicker then other but it's only a matter of time until it wreak havoc on your body. Your body might not be a temple, but its surly not immune to alcohol and drugs.

Can we talk about alcoholism and Anthony Bourdain?

Jo Ann Towle wrote in the Chicago Tribune and I agree with the article. Alcoholism is a problem that one view only as a thing that you push under the rug. I would also put mental health in the same boat. I think we need to tackle with them. It will only get bigger as we move forward.

I didn't know Anthony Bourdain, but felt like I did in one small important way. In him, I saw a drinking alcoholic with a front-stage vigorous attempt to do it successfully. His was a fantastic life-embracing show, with drinking taking a prominent role in the joie de vivre, and sometimes that made it hard for me to watch.

When he threw back shots, indeed got wasted, I saw a fellow alcoholic living dangerously whereas most viewers, I imagine, saw “a man who knew how to drink, knew how to live.” His state of mind will be called depression, and who can argue with that in the wake of his suicide. But can we please, people, start connecting the dots to alcoholism (also a disease of the mind), at least when it is screamingly evident?