I helped edit the first 4 chapters. One benefit of the book is it's short. All the information you need is condensed into 150 pages.
It starts out being immediately applicable (Chapter 2: Write Tests First), giving you systematic methods to measure various happiness qualities. After that, it helps you define what would make your life happier. From there it talks about specific ways to address the types of problems people run into when trying to improve their happiness.
Throughout the whole book, it tries to relate the concepts to programming ideas (testing, specs, debugging, etc). This isn't a general public self-help book, it's specifically for people who program or are technically minded. That's what makes it unique.
If I had to knock the book, I'd say that some of the metaphors are stretched a little bit. Overall the concepts map well, but every so often you're kind of like, "huh... yeah, I guess those are the same things..."
This book is by a programmer, for programmers, to help them quantify their happiness and take action to improve it, instead of focusing on churning widgets (GTD) or whatever it is you focus on.
I'm not sure you actually understand my phrase 'quantifying their happiness'. It uses tests derived from The Feeling Good Handbook, Dr. David Burns and Beck Anxiety Inventory, Dr. Aaron Beck to track emotional well being over time.
It makes it possible to compare how you feel with various points in the past to track an overall improvement or regression.
Oprius Software - Victoria, BC, Canada - Full Time, remote
Position: Chief Technical Officer
Oprius' Chief Technical Officer is responsible for the maintenance and development of the Oprius web-based software.
Oprius is a CRM web app designed specifically for individual sales people. It is designed to be approachable by people without a lot of computer experience and yet still powerful. It tracks contacts, appointments, calls, tasks, and emails; lets users create complex sales processes; and includes a powerful phone assistant for use during calls.
This position is a work-from-home/telecommute position.
I feel like the OP misconstrued things like "doesn't work out of the box". What he meant was, "I needed to install the package to get my video driver and sound driver working".
Generally Arch doesn't install something until you ask it to.
It starts out being immediately applicable (Chapter 2: Write Tests First), giving you systematic methods to measure various happiness qualities. After that, it helps you define what would make your life happier. From there it talks about specific ways to address the types of problems people run into when trying to improve their happiness.
Throughout the whole book, it tries to relate the concepts to programming ideas (testing, specs, debugging, etc). This isn't a general public self-help book, it's specifically for people who program or are technically minded. That's what makes it unique.
If I had to knock the book, I'd say that some of the metaphors are stretched a little bit. Overall the concepts map well, but every so often you're kind of like, "huh... yeah, I guess those are the same things..."
Edit: Added something negative to say.