Did you know cotton candy will, given enough time, solidify into weird looking sugar bricks? #Parenting
May 2013
9 posts
WIREDInsider: YOU CAN DROP THIS PHONE IN THE TOILET →
wiredinsider.tumblr.com
Image via YouTube
Technically, Sony’s new Android smartphone is being advertised for its ability to take underwater HD videos and photos, which is way cool. But when you say “waterproof” I think “toilet proof,” and that’s even cooler.
How many times have you put your phone in your…
Cool!
My morning blog post →
notjustseattle.com
A few thoughts about the businesses in this region.
Peter Nixey: Dear Apple, let’s talk about photos →
peternixey.com
We’ve been managing our photos together for almost a decade now. Things were nice and simple at the start and we both knew what to expect from each other - I pulled my photos off my camera on the computer, imported them into iPhoto and arranged them. Life was good.
But then you came and…
Yes, yes, yes!
“I’ve keep planning to mediate upon work’s meaning in our society. This will be part of that framework.
Workaholics are driven by fear, and I have not found myself in a position where I need to spend six or eight more hours at work because I’m trying to make everything okay.
[…]
If you’re in this frame of mind and need control, being a workaholic is a socially acceptable way to try to achieve that. Your boss thinks it’s great, and you can get a raise for doing it. In the short run, it works really well because you can — at some level — control what you’re doing and keep pushing the ball forward. You get into trouble when you get better at your work, and there’s an increase in the number of people who want to interact with you and have you do more. So this kind of working method doesn’t scale— you end up exploding.
The people who are doing great art and having an impact on the world aren’t approaching their work in this way. I recently did an interview with the architect Michael Graves. Michael Graves works a lot. He’s been in a wheelchair for more than seven years. He would be excused if he decided to scale back now after what’s been an amazing career. But, instead, he’s working on a multibillion-dollar development in Singapore, etc., etc. If you look at the way Michael works, he brings a good heart and the right attitudes to his projects at all times. He is doing important work — work that changes things. But he’s not a workaholic because he’s not doing it defensively. He’s doing it productively.
” —Seth Godin on the difference between workaholism and all-consuming purposeful work.
Also see how to avoid work and find your purpose.
(via explore-blog)
March 2013
1 post
I really wish Spotify and Shazam connected.
February 2013
25 posts
Thought of the Day
A bad haircut is temporary, but the pictures are forever. #21stCenturyProblems
Marvelous moose masticate maniacal monkeys. #silliness
“You don’t have to be powerful in the ordinary sense to be effective”
—Hazel Henderson, Planetary Citizenship p.59 (via revnaomiking)
There are many illusions about effectiveness
Am I the only one who sees the irony of the Macho Man sung by remarkably un-macho men?
As I’ve become enamored with Spotify’s model, I wonder if we could build something like that for readers. There are so many books that I want to read, but have little interest in owning. I know I’ll only read them the one time. Having a subscription where I could read everything in a library sound marvelous. Add magazines and I’d be quite happy.
All right, here’s the deal! I’m meeting Jordan Witzigreuter (The Ready Set) on March 2nd. So if you like or reblog this post before March 2nd, I’ll write your URL in a notebook that I’m gonna give to Jordan at the meet and greet. (: So like and reblog it uppp! =P
Enjoy!
Pet peeve: emailing me an invitation for a conference, but the only information I get is a link. No date or locale, no clicky on your linky. Good day!
I’m thinking of launching a goth themed pedicab pedicure company. It’ll be Death Pedicab For Cuticles.
my annual valentine's day screed
It’s the first week in February, which means it’s time for my annual Valentine’s Day screed (I used to post this on my blog every year. I think the original version – since updated – was written in 2002. Keep your tongue in your cheek, ok?).
Not that you need a reminder, what with all the storefronts decorated with sickening pink and red hearts and little cherubs with pointy weapons, but V Day approaches.
I don’t like this holiday. People who do not have significant others do not corner the market on disliking Valentine’s Day.
Valentine’s Day is not a day of amnesty. It is not a day where a guy or girl can say “Well, I’ve been shitty to my partner all year long, but if I buy them a huge bouquet of flowers on February 14th, I’m off the hook!” It doesn’t work that way.
Amen.
Reflecting on the future
Is the guy who brings a magazine to the bathroom going to bring a tablet in the future? Will doctors stop investing in magazine subscriptions when we all carry our favorites wherever we go (and the most current editions, too). And what will that mean to the magazine industry?
I seek to be a force of relentless good.
People who read directions and follow them make my life so much easier.
WIREDInsider: FITNESS TRACKERS: FAD OR FAB? →
wiredinsider.tumblr.com
Image via Flickr
We’ve covered everything from Basis to Jawbone’s Up, but the question remains: do these activity-tracking bracelets actually help you get fit and lose weight?
The reality is that there aren’t many studies tracking the effectiveness of these digital health gadgets….
These are powerful tools, if used. They might make exercise more fun, but that’s most likely if you’re already having fun. Their power is holding yourself accountable to your goals. I still think the best tool is am app that tracks capture calorie intake & exercise.
There’s a fad element. However, those committed to fitness will provide a solid base for the most effective tools.
Quote of the Day
“Showing up is overrated. Necessary but not nearly sufficient.” ~ Seth Godin
Effectiveness
One challenge for me: saying “no”. I’m getting better at selecting projects. Next on my list? Data. I love learning. But getting hundreds of daily emails with new tends in a multitude of industries, I got buried quickly. I’m slowly working on focus. Refining my view to ensure maximum effectiveness. I will continue to explore new ideas. Just can’t study EVERYTHING. (Tempted to add “right now” to that really, though, that’s a never.)
It’s painful to admit I can’t study everything. Yet I know that’s a hallmark of effectiveness; clarified vision, focus and discipline. We might have abundance, but not infinite resources, especially time. I want what I do to count.
Inflexibility is socially corrosive.
Glutinous Cranius -> disorder affecting multitudes of Seattle drivers.
Major internet age pet peeve: websites demanding I create an account before I can view ANYTHING! No can do. Make a great site, with great content, then make me WANT to sign up.
Internet Access In The Age Of Bring Your Own Device
My office’s network has become painfully slow. Ultimately, the issues have been due to scalability (we’ve outgrown our capacity…fantastic problem). Though we’re working on solving, this made me wonder: is company provided internet access to be expected in the future?
With cellular internet service increasing speed rapidly, and more and more folks bringing their own devices to work, will I want to rely on a third-party provider to grant me adequate access?
It’s not hard to imagine having sim cards in my laptop, tablet, etc, and getting my access through those plans.
My intellectual capacity is directly proportional to the amount of coffee I’ve consumed.
January 2013
24 posts
Clorox Mocks ‘Ridiculous Green’ Consumers · Environmental Management & Energy News · Environmental Leader →
environmentalleader.com
I find the headline annoying, however…
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57565376-94/samsung-ativ-odyssey-travelling-to-verizon-tomorrow/ →
news.cnet.com
Samsung’s Windows Phone 8 smartphone hits Verizon Jan. 24 for $50. Read this article by Brian Bennett on CNET News.
I’ve liked the style and structure of Windows Phones. Maybe party of that was due to my working at MSFT during the launch and living the hype. But I truly find the interface design fantastic. It’s the lack of apps that’s most problematic, as I see it.
I’ve had mixed feelings about removable batteries since the iPhone came out. I get how much slimmer and lighter devices are with the intrinsic battery. For me, and probably most phone users, the need for additional range is probably a non-issue. I think that’s really an issue for n power users and heavy travelers. I noticed that, since I spend most days at a desk, with my iPhone on a charger, battery swapping isn’t an issue.
Anyway, this looks like a fine mid-level device if you’re on Verizon.
Swartz Victim of Prosecutorial Overreach? →
news.cnet.com
The late Internet activist was facing a stern warning from local prosecutors. But then the U.S. Attorney’s office, run by Carmen Ortiz, chose to make an example of Aaron Swartz, a new report says. Read this article by Declan McCullagh on CNET News.
Looks to me a classic case of a prosecutor making their name at the expense of logic and compassion. Our system rewards that, more often than not. We love the ” tough on crime” hyperbole. Ortiz & co probably didn’t count on the public sympathy Swartz would engender.
Side note: I find the allusion of the JSTOR download to breaking and entering way too similar to RIAA invective.
I wonder if Ortiz, et al, ” deserve” the internet evisceration that’s really just getting started. Ultimately, our culture needs to take a look at how we encourage this behavior before we destroy those carrying b out or will haplessly against n someone who accidentally elicits public sympathy.
CBS Working Hard To Destroy CNET? →
techdirt.com
Why is it that lawyers seem to be even more short-sighted than even Wall -$treet bankers? Seems they’re willing to not only kill the golden egg laying goose, but make faux-gras. Of course they’ll whine and moan that their not making any money shortly.
Ultimately, a major weakness of corporatized news.
@angryafrican, what do you think of this? : McDonald’s to Serve Only Eco-Labeled Fish →
reddit.com
Looks like promising news, though I don’t know MSC. I usually think of Monterrey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program.
“
Suicide is not only about proximate causes.
[…]
The reasons someone commits suicide at a particular moment aren’t all the reasons they commit suicide. Often those aren’t even the most important reasons. No one likes this part of the explanation. It makes an event that’s already as awful as it can be more awful, because it renders it inexplicable. Most of us, even with our occasional desires for the ground to swallow us up, can sympathize but never really empathize.
” —Poignant piece by Clay Shirky on the complexities of suicide in light of Aaron Swartz’s heartbreaking death. (via explore-blog)
Thoughtful reflections by Clay Shirky.
open areas: this year. →
openareas.tumblr.com
A few years ago I wrote a long post about the fear of doing. I had this idea in my head that I would one day quit my civil service job, get a part time job doing something less stressful and spend the rest of my time making money by writing. Which is the only thing I ever wanted to do my entire…
An additional thing I’ve found is that my dreams have morphed as my fears subsided. When I no longer focused solely on financial fears, for instance.
Every so often I’m stunned by how hard it us to coordinate a simple get-together anymore. Texts, emails, etc, just for a ply date. I don’t think it was this hard to negotiate the fiscal cliff.
A Letter To The Guy Who Harassed Me Outside The Bar →
rolereboot.org
“Ask your female friends, if you have any, if they’ve ever walked home late at night with a key pushed through their knuckles, just in case, if they’ve ever crossed the street to avoid a stranger, just in case, if they’ve ever taken the long way home because of the weird guy on the corner, just in case. Ask them if they’ve ever made up a boyfriend to get a guy to leave them alone, if they’ve ever gotten off a train car and moved to the next because you just never know, if they’ve ever shelled out for a cab because men like you were at the bus stop.”
I just received a great reminder that, even in today’s age of technological communications, sometimes the simple act of appearing in front of someone is powerful and effective. And in an extremely productive way.
Slimming Your Wallet →
us.bellroy.com
Clever little deal shoring you how to make your pockets less bulky. Your back will thank you.
Me and My Nexus 7
I’ve only had this a few days, but I already feel how transformative it is. The main reason I wanted it was work related. And its doing great work there. Quickly logging into email, checking my project websites and such have been great. I see myself using this as a reader too.
This will become my primary computing tool shortly, when adding my home life stuff. Work-wise? No. The power of my desktop is still crucial. I am confident, though, that the tablet is the next direction in personal computing.
Bellevue's Planetary Resources shrinks asteroid-hunting craft →
seattlepi.com
A local company does amazing things for space research.
