The long read: Work has ruled our lives for centuries, and it does so today more than ever. But a new generation of thinkers insists there is an alternative

http://bluehackers.org/…/post-work-the-radical-idea-of-a-wo…

An inspirational song from an Australian youngster. He explains his background at the start.

http://bluehackers.org/…/creative-kids-piano-vocal-composit…

Right now, one in seven new fathers experiences high levels of psychological distress and as many as one in ten experience depression or anxiety. Often distressed fathers remain unidentified and unsupported due to both a reluctance to seek help for themselves and low levels of community understanding that the transition to parenthood is a difficult period for fathers, as well as mothers. [ 78 more words ]

http://bluehackers.org/…/mental-health-resources-for-new-da…

In May 2017, James Williams, a former Google employee and doctoral candidate researching design ethics at Oxford University, won the inaugural Nine Dots Prize. James argues that digital technologies privilege our impulses over our intentions, and are gradually diminishing our ability to engage with the issues we most care about. Possibly a neat followup on our earlier post on "busy-ness".

http://bluehackers.org/2017/08/22/the-attention-economy

Benjamin Cardullo writes about an issue that we really have to take (more) seriously. Particularly with mobile devices enabling us to be "connected" 24/7, being busy (or available) all of that time is not a good thing at all. How do we measure professional success? Is it by the location of our office or the size of our paycheck? Is it measured by the dimensions of our home or the speed of our car? [ 55 more words ]

http://bluehackers.org/…/busyness-a-modern-health-crisis-li…

If you're fortunate enough to be in Tasmania for Linux.conf.au 2017 then you will be pleased to hear that we're holding another BlueHackers BoF (Birds of a Feather) session on Monday evening, straight after the Linux Australia AGM. The room is yet to be confirmed, but all details will be updated on the conference wiki at the following address: We hope to see you there!

http://bluehackers.org/…/bluehackers-session-at-linux-conf-…

The relationship between insomnia and mental illness is bidirectional: about 50% of adults with insomnia have a mental health problem; up to 90% of adults with depression have sleep problems.

http://bluehackers.org/…/explainer-whats-the-link-between-i…

Participate in a survey about how mental health is viewed within the tech/IT workplace, and the prevalence of certain mental health disorders within the tech industry.

http://bluehackers.org/…/osmi-mental-health-in-tech-survey-…

Most people experience anxiety in their lives. For some, it is just a bad, passing feeling, but, for many, anxiety rules their day-to-day lives, even to the point of taking over the decisions they make. Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh have discovered a mechanism for how anxiety may disrupt decision making. In a study published in The Journal of Neuroscience, they report that anxiety disengages a region of the brain called the prefrontal cortex (PFC), which is critical for flexible decision making. [ 49 more words. ]

http://bluehackers.org/…/just-made-a-bad-decision-perhaps-a…

Although Western medicine has radically transformed our world for the better, and given rise to some of the most remarkable breakthroughs in human history, in some ways it is still scratching at the lower slopes of the bigger picture. Only recently have our health systems begun to embrace the healing power of some ancient Eastern traditions such as meditation, for example… [ 755 more words. ]

http://bluehackers.org/…/science-on-high-iq-empathy-and-soc…

On this year's World Mental Health Day, some info from Lifeline and Mental Health Australia: Mental Health Begins with Me Did you know 70% of people with mental health issues don't seek help? [...] As a community we can encourage others to take care of their mental health by breaking down the barriers that stop people seeking help when they need it. [ 106 more words. ]

http://bluehackers.org/20…/…/10/world-mental-health-day-2015

Interesting find: [...] interactive flow chart for people who struggle with self care, executive dysfunction, and/or who have trouble reading internal signals. It's designed to take as much of the weight off of you as possible, so each decision is very easy and doesn't require much judgement. Some readers may find it of use. I think it'd be useful to have the source code for this available so that a broad group of people can tweak and improve it, or make personalised versions.

http://bluehackers.org/2015/…/27/interactive-self-care-guide

This is something that I feel quite strongly about. Both of my parents have tried to commit suicide when I was young, at different times and stages of my life. The first one was when I was about 11 and I don't remember too much about it, there was a lot of pain flying around the family at that time and I was probably shielded from the details. [ 583 more words. ]

http://bluehackers.org/…/suicide-doesnt-take-away-the-pain-…

Staring at screens right before sleep turns out to be a lot worse than previously thought. Dr. Dan Siegel, clinical professor of psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine, lays out all of the negative effects that bedtime screen viewing can have on the brain and body. And of course, that's aside from the effects of the contents! If you read any news, you may find yourself all riled up and annoyed at something you can do absolutely nothing about (or at least not at that moment). If you check your work email, just as problematic.

http://bluehackers.org/…/the-effect-of-screens-before-bedti…

I walked out of the loading dock, through a cloud of rotting garbage, and into the alleyway behind the theater. A curtain of rain fell between me and my destination, a little over a block away. “Do you want to wait here, while I get you an umbrella?” Liz, the producer from Wizards of the Coast, asked me. “No,” I said, stepping into the rain, extending my arms outward and turning my palms and face to the sky, “it’s been so long since I felt rain fall on my body, I’m not going to let this opportunity pass me by.” [ 169 more words. ]

http://bluehackers.org/2015/09/02/tears-in-rain-wil-wheaton