Miscellaneous thoughts and links for a Sunday morning. Mainly for those of you that don’t read Squandrous on a regular basis.
(Today’s thoughts are brought to you by the letter U.)
Un-Warren-ted.
Shepard Fairey’s art is featured on the cover of TIME for their Person of the Year issue. Fairey has also been tapped to create an inaugural poster for Obama’s big ceremony next month.
Fairey has some issues with regards to Obama’s decision to ask Rick Warren to deliver an invocation during the inauguration ceremony, but instead of complaining or boycotting, he’s taking a more generous and productive step. From his post:
While I’m on the subject of gay marriage, I will be donating a chunk of the proceeds from an inauguration poster of Obama I was asked to create to the movement to overturn Prop 8. At first I was considering pulling my inauguration poster, but I think re-directing funds from it to put into a cause I care about is actually more constructive.
I understand Obama’s decision to have a diversity of voices (even those that conflict with his own) at the inauguration, but I still cannot support any individual that does not believe in the core and basic fundamental concept of equal rights for all.
Inspired by Fairey, I’ve made a small donation to No On Prop 8 as my form of protest against Rick Warren’s prominence at the inauguration ceremony as well. After all, the best form of protest is one that actually helps to solve problems instead of causing more of them.
Sometimes, it’s that easy to make a difference in someone’s life.
Unconventional
I knew my friends Jessie and Chris were absolutely amazing photographers, but their forays into video are just as — if not even more — mindblowingly fun.
Love the vibrancy and playfulness of this video. Plus, you know it would be tons of fun play in paint like that.
Uplifting
This festive season, Stories of Giving helps you measure the success of the holidays not by the amount of gifts you got or by the amount of turkey you ate, but by the amount of difference you made in the lives of others.
I’m sending smiles and hugs to all of you today, whether or not you’re celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or anything else. I hope you all take the time to tell the people in your life that you love them and appreciate having them around.
This year, I plan on buying myself a few Christmas gifts:
Miscellaneous thoughts and links for a Sunday morning. Mainly for those of you that don’t read Squandrous on a regular basis.
Silent and Stupid
I can’t be the only person that thinks the Silent Keynote idea is absolutely ridiculous, right? Seriously? Apple has a right to stop attending MacWorld, and it has nothing to do with spurning its fans. It’s business. Also, by not attending MacWorld, Steve Jobs may be doing what Apple needs to do to stay relevant: being different. For more, check out Gruber’s most awesome post here.
Yes folks, that’s how groovy your next President is going to be. What’s even more impressive, however, is his checklist of what he wants to get done in his first two years of office. Among the highlights include: help the economy recover, create jobs, expand health care coverage, shift America to a new energy economy, revitalize public school systems, close down Guantánamo in a responsible way, put a clear end to torture, rebuild foreign alliances, and reinvigorate international institutions to deal with transnational threats like climate change.
This quote, however, is the most telling of Obama’s goals:
“Outside of specific policy measures, two years from now, I want the American people to be able to say, ‘Government’s not perfect; there are some things Obama does that get on my nerves. But you know what? I feel like the government’s working for me. I feel like it’s accountable. I feel like it’s transparent. I feel that I am well informed about what government actions are being taken. I feel that this is a President and an Administration that admits when it makes mistakes and adapts itself to new information.’”
Big goals from one bad mamma jamma.
The Year, Pictured
Almost everyone has seen these already, but for those of you that haven’t: The Big Picture is recapping the year using some of the greatest photos taken in 2008. The series of photos (being presented in three parts) range from beautiful to horrifying to humorous to uplifting. Check out Part One, Part Two and Part Three. In the photo above: “The head of a male student, still alive, trapped under the debris is pictured at the scene of the church school that collapsed on the outskirts of Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince, November 7, 2008.”
We don’t condone shoe throwing, but we prefer it to war.
I prefer a lot of things to war. Most things, in fact. Anyhoo, no matter what you may think about the shoe-thrower support network, you have to admit that some of the photos in the gallery are super cute.
Monopolized
My new personal quest in life is to make sure Hasbro allows Andy Mangold to make this repackaging (via) of my favorite board game of all time and then buy it for whatever it may end up costing.
As the self-proclaimed king of Monopoly — who else do you know that has played a game of Monopoly for 53 hours straight? — I deem this to be the best board game packaging ever.
The web is a great tool for discovery, and an even better tool for sharing. In that light, I wanted to share with you some of my favorite sites on the web I’ve discovered this year — sites that I hope will pique your interest as well:
The Big Picture: I’ve always been a huge fan of photography, and this site is not only a remarkable showcase of photos, but an excellent site for visual news reporting as well.
Swiss Miss: I’m not sure why I hadn’t discovered this site before, but if you’re looking for links to all sorts of well-designed fun things, Tina’s site should be your first stop.
Blank is Like Blank: Obscure similes and metaphors make me smile, especially when they’re also funny. This site hasn’t been updated in a few months, but browse the archives, there’s a lot of gems in there.
Textism: I used to read Dean Allen’s site a few years ago before it disappeared. This year, it came back, and the content is just as beautiful as the minimal design.
The Art of the Title: A great title sequence design has always been the first sign of a good movie or television show. This site showcases some of the best title art out there. Design geeks everywhere rejoice.
1001 Rules for my Unborn Son: You may not agree with all of them (though I do agree with most) but this list of rules and accompanying photos and quotes is definitely an excellent conversation starter.
Give Me Something To Read: There’s a lot of information out there on the web, hidden in well-written but hard-to-find articles. If you’re ever stuck in front of your screen, looking for some mental nourishment, this site presents five or six links each day to some of the best writing on the internet.
That’s a quick look at some of the sites I discovered this year (check out last year’s list for the sites I discovered in 2007) that have kept me entertained over the past twelve months. Have some suggestions for new sites I’m not visiting just yet and might make it on to my 2009 list? Leave them in the comments!
A few years ago, I was sitting by a tree in Trinity-Bellwoods park, taking some time to contemplate and observe the world around me, when a scowling young man in his late teens asked me a question:
“What are you doing just sitting there?”
To which I replied that I was contemplating, reflecting, and observing. And thoroughly enjoying myself at the same time. He was unfazed:
“Whatever.”
The young man turned and started to walk away, but then suddenly doubled back:
“You mind if I sit next to you? You look pretty peaceful there, and I’ve got a lot of things to think about too.”
The young man was still sitting there when I left twenty minutes later. When he nodded his head to acknowledge my departure, I noticed that his scowl had slowly turned into a small smile.
Keeping an open mind.
Farhan Lalji tagged me in an interesting meme yesterday that originated over on the Mindapples blog. It states:
Write a post telling your readers five things you do that help keep you mentally well.
Intriguing, and not easy. Here’s my attempt at finding my five.
Writing, whether it’s on this blog or building my collection of creative non-fiction and spoken word poetry.
Singing, either in the shower or on the street or on the stage — for people or for myself.
Solving puzzles, usually the daily Washington Post crossword puzzle and the Toronto Star word jumble.
Meditating, and taking the time out to clear my head of stressful thoughts and contemplate.
Volunteering, because nothing helps your mind and spirit than helping other people.
What about you? What are the five things you do to keep yourself mentally well?
I’m ducking out of town for a few days, and will be otherwise preoccupied for a few more — not much time for blogging until Monday or Tuesday.
I do, however, have a lot of neat links sitting in my proverbial shopping cart, and I wanted to share them with you before I ran off.
Time to empty my cart.
Instant Photo Frame: A photo frame that’s cheap, easy to assemble, and looks like a Polaroid? I’m sold. Anyone want to get me one for Christmas?
The blogosphere is alive, well and kicking: Despite the fact that he uses the term “Blogging 2.0” and using almost anything “2.0” makes you lose a ton of credibility in my book these days, Duncan Riley has a point. Blogging isn’t dead, it’s just that the verb “to blog” is dead because the blurring of boundaries.
Um, don’t blog, or something: I’m not sure how this whole “blogging is dead” meme started, but Zeldman says it best when he asks, “when do we stop reducing the web to a vulgar and trivial competition between head boys, and start appreciating it as a maturing medium for real thought and expression?”
5 Additional Contacts Every Web Worker Should Have: From experience, I know for a fact that it is almost impossible to be a freelance web consultant without having someone around to take care of your legal paperwork and your finances. And if you’re working in web communications, you don’t want to worry about the technical stuff all the time — hire someone to manage your hosts, servers, development, etc.
What The F**K is Social Media? One of the best presentations on social media and its importance to companies and organizations I have ever seen. Humorous, and directly on point.
Flip Mino HD: Yeah, I’ve got a video camera. Yeah, I don’t need a Flip Mino. But hey, it’s a pretty camera, it’s small, and it’s HD. Guess what I’m buying myself for Christmas?
When Books Could Change Your Life: The two best books I ever read, I read before the age of twelve. Turns out, according to this article, some of the most important books we’ll ever read in our lives will be read before we hit the heart of adolescence.
Why Can’t Johnny Jump Tall Buildings? I’ve been thinking a lot about parenting these days (don’t ask) and one thing I remember growing up was my dad’s insistence that I can do better, no matter what I did. He was right, but it’s interesting to read articles about high parental expectations and compare them to my dad’s high expectations, which I think actually helped me in my development.
GOP should ask why U.S. is on the wrong track: I’m no Republican, but every time I hear Ron Paul speak or read something he’s written, I gain more and more respect for the man. I may not agree with everything he says, but I have to acknowledge his political acuity and deep interest in making the country a better place.
Should Every Outward Facing Employee Have a Web Presence: Chris Brogan gets it right again. “Not every employee needs a blog, and not every employee should be outward facing from a web perspective. But the folks who have jobs that put them in contact with people like me? I think you need a web presence, please.”
Oh, and before I go: KVETCH IS BACK! Now, it’s powered by Twitter. Awesome.
Alright, I’ve dumped out my shopping cart for now, time to check out. See you all in a few days.
When people ask me how I’ve been relatively lucky when it comes to my career and the opportunities I’ve had, I always tell them it’s because I’ve got great people around me and because of the law of large numbers.
Yup, the law of large numbers. Here’s an example of the law in action:
Say there are a hundred pretty women at the bar, and you’re unhappily single. The law of large numbers says that if you try and chat up all hundred of them (one at a time, discreetly and appropriately, of course) you’ve got a better chance of getting one of their phone numbers than if you just talked to two of them. Apparently, it has something to do with odds, but math was never my forte.
Silly example, perhaps, but the concept is an important one: the law of large numbers opens up more opportunities.
Don’t pre-screen yourself.
Sure, the advantages behind the law of large numbers seem evident, but just this week I’ve talked to two people who have flagrantly disregarded the law in their job searches.
Apparently, people pre-screen themselves much to closely for a job.
Now, I’m all in favor of doing some research and ruling out a position because you feel it would be a bad match for you, or you won’t be comfortable in the work environment, or even if you feel as if you won’t be sufficiently challenged. I’m not in favor of ruling out a position because you only have four years of experience and the job spec is asking for five.
If you honestly feel like you can do the job and do it well (and that you’ll enjoy and thrive in the work atmosphere), apply. Don’t pre-screen yourself. The human resources pros are paid to screen applicants, so keep them busy.
Don’t let minor qualifications get in your way. Too many people hold themselves back from opportunities because they underestimate their skills and experiences — in job searching or elsewhere. Apply to and immerse yourself in opportunities where you feel you can make a difference.
People will say no.
Sure, you’re going to have to deal with rejection. A whole lot of rejection.
Get used to it.
Every no you get is one step closer to getting a yes. If you stop after getting your first no, then you’re never going to get a yes. It’s that simple.
Just make sure you’re not the person looking in the mirror and saying no. If you know that you can do something, eventually someone else will notice it too.
There’s no harm in putting yourself out there.
In high school, I applied to 18 universities instead of 3 like everyone else. Before I launched my freelance career and I was still in school, I applied to a different job every week. Sometimes two or three.
I didn’t get in to all of the universities where I sent an application. I didn’t get most of the jobs I applied to. I did, however, get into a great school and end up with a few great jobs because I didn’t let the fear of not being qualified enough stop me from trying.
Go big. Think big. Remember the law of large numbers.
And when you finally get that job (or that phone number of that pretty girl at the bar) after 47 attempts and applications, let me know and I’ll take you out for lunch to celebrate.
This morning, I checked my email and thought that the GMail spam filter had failed me for the first time ever.
I know, the horror.
In my inbox, there was an email with the subject line:
Your manliness will be measured by the size of your important love parts.
Usually, I’d just trash any of those messages about penis enlargement that happen to seep into my inbox. For some odd reason — perhaps because the message seemed to have come from a friend of mine’s address — I decided to open this one. Inside, the message read:
And by love parts, I mean your heart and soul. What did you think I meant, you sicko?
That made me chuckle, but also made me smile to remember that some people still think that manliness is determined by love and caring.
Thanks for making me smile Melissa.
And thank you to GMail for not sending that message to my spam folder. I should never have doubted you.
Carsonified is hosting a contest to win an all-expense paid trip to any Carsonified event, and all you have to do is write a blog post about why you want to win the prize and get 25 comments on that post.
I’d say that this post was my entry for the contest, but in all honesty, getting 25 comments on any post on this blog would be a bit of a stretch. So while I’d appreciate it if you could leave a comment so that I can qualify for the contest, I’m not forcing you to comment if you don’t feel as though you have anything to say. The comments on i tell stories are for you, not for me.
I do, however, want to tell you why I’d love to go to another Carsonified event.
Last year, I had the opportunity to attend the Future of Web Design conference in New York. There, I met some wonderful people, saw some amazing speakers, and learned a whole lot.
The highlight of the conference, however, was not the speakers or workshops or even the parties. It was meeting one of my heroes — someone whose work continues to inspire me on a daily basis — after a session: Bronwyn Jones.
I’m not going to gush about Bronwyn here because I do enough of that already. Instead, I want to thank Ryan Carson and his team for facilitating that connection by creating an event where influential people in the industry (like Bronwyn) can interact and exchange ideas with common people like me.
That’s the real reason I want to go to a Carsonified event: to connect with people I would normally never have the chance to interact with on a regular basis. That golden ticket sure would be nice.
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