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 What a day. Quite strong and heavy in spaces with some eureka-moments through around like confetti!

I had to clean the storage space in my bed today and it was dusty as hell. The cleaning lady, H, and I did it in turns and I'm glad I have kept up the push-up routine. Because otherwise, flipping the mattress would have thrown off my back. We cleaned and because it's an old bed, the hydraulic gear of the bed got jammed. It wouldn't come down no matter what I tried. I have to meet friends tomorrow and I think a few others would be coming over next week. So the bed was important. Having a bed frame that looked like an obtuse angle was quite unsettling. After a few tries, I told H to chuck it. I do have a roll-out sofa that is quite sweet actually. Then there's the other spartan one in the second bedroom. It is actually better for the back. But...the obtuse bed frame is what the heart wants. I asked H to make a second cup of tea for both of us. (She is really good at it - much better than my cook actually.)Then I watched some YouTube videos to locate something that might help me. And sure enough, there was. 

I found a video where a guy explained that we need to press down on the hinge area systematically, jiggle it to loosen the jammed areas, and then, if we add the mattress on top (for added weight), we can get the frame down. I tried it again and it worked.

It got me thinking about the efficacy of a really good technical video. Instructional designers are paid so much to write instructional videos, and honestly, sometimes - many times, it is not deserved at all. This guy was a cook. His explanation, walk-through of the problem, acknowledgment of variations where his solution may not apply- was so beautiful, that it helped me immediately. I understood what he was saying, he addressed the problem directly, any basic explanation he needed to give about nuts and bolts was given in context, and there was flow. Yes, I had strong intrinsic motivation to try it out immediately - but even otherwise, everything was simple, direct, helpful, free of jargon, targeted to a use-case, and relevant. 

I am working on a set of instructional technical videos now and I see how easy it is for the material to get clunky. So this video was very helpful. I think good technical video scripts are written on the basis of the following:

1. An orientation and emphasis of First Principles. It is important for an instructional designer to know what First Principles thinking is. (Understand what parts of the system are absolutely true. How would the components come together if you had to do it all over again. Avoid all fluff and jargon.)

2. Fidelity to the process in reality. So the ID needs to be acutely aware of whether the 3 steps listed are steps 1, 2, and 3 or 1, 2, and 2a. 

3. Provide a walk-through in a systematic fashion - Problem in original form and a couple of its common variations, why it is a problem (in case it is not obvious), steps for solution - main channel and variations, explanation why it is a solution (so you need to show the transformation from problem state to solution state), and tips on how to confirm that the problem has been solved for good or whether it needs follow-up, etc. Of course, several other details could be added. But this could be a robust enough skeleton for keeping the tech video crisp and relevant.

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It was lovely seeing Papa. Sometimes when I see him eating a mango or just sitting and talking on the phone, I think that he is so innocent - not clued into the slimy ways of the world. 

Had gone to the Kali mandir today. There were so many people. Got bhog - halwaa. I love it!

Survived a couple of reckless car rides with Ola drivers. So all in all, good to have survived. 

I reached out to a friend for some advice. I got it. I mulled over it a long while - mainly wrestling in my head that I couldn't do that - what he was asking of me. But - because of the resistance I felt, I think it is worth a good, solid, brave shot. If I fail, I would have failed at something worthy. If I succeed, I would have transformed.