I’ve learned a lot of things this week: I’ve learned to never under-appreciate a good night’s sleep, I’ve learned that some people disappear just when you thought they were about to finally be there, I’ve learned that simply processing and responding to email can take up an entire week at work, and I’ve learned that there are so many great things to see on the web that I can’t fit them all into the Weekender.
I’m heading to Barcelona in July, so this set of wonderful photos from the city by Alix (who runs one of my favorite blogs ever) was particularly timely:
Links for the weekend.
Twilight of the Tummlers
Two of my favorite auteurs, Woody Allen and Larry David, have just made a new movie together. That fact alone has to make you excited about cinema this summer.
Play With Your Food, Just Don’t Text!
I’ve been guilty of this once in a while in the past, but in general, when you’re at the dinner table, the mobile phone needs to be put away. Seriously.
Simple Happy.
I love when people share stories of human goodness and kindness like these. That’s part of the whole reason I changed the purview of this site from a place for me to write about anything to a place for me to tell stories.
25 And Over
I linked to this article about two years ago when I turned 25, but it’s making the rounds on the web again, so I figured it would be nice for me to repost it. Every single thing on that list still holds true.
Archie commits — finally
I always knew Archie would pick Veronica, so this comes as no surprise. And while I have a soft spot for Betty (perhaps because I know what it’s like to be strung along like that), I think Archie made the right choice for his situation.
Starting with Fear, Ending with Freedom
It was a sad day when Prop 8 was held up earlier this week. Very very sad, and it made me question the human capacity for love and kindness. Amy’s post, however, reminded me that hopelessness isn’t going to solve the problem: speaking up for love and equal rights is.
For Teenagers, Hello Means ‘How About a Hug?’
I’m still figuring out how this is news enough to make the New York Times. I’ve been using the hug as my standard greeting for people I know and care about since I was a child, and still do. Then again, it’s no surprise I’m a fanof the hug.
Videos for the weekend.
This is one of the most amazing commencement speeches I’ve ever seen. My graduation speaker tried to be fun, but he was a math nerd and put me to sleep. Honestly. Ellen’s speech is just what you need if you’re about to leave school and join the real world:
Been in Silicon Valley attending the O’Reilly Where 2.0 conference all week. Spent a lot of time in planes to get out here, so I’ve amassed a pretty solid set of photos, videos, and links to share with you for this edition of the Weekender. Try and clear up a good chunk of time this weekend to get through it all.
In Pursuit of Elegance: 12 Indispensable Tips
Matthew May talks about how sometimes the best design is elegant design — when a product or tool does just enough, and not more than it has to do.
Newspaper Narcissism
Walter Pincus thinks about why people got into newspaper journalism in the first place, and how far we’ve come since then — to the detriment of the industry.
The Next iPhone
If there’s anyone I trust when it comes to all things Apple, it’s Jon Gruber. This is why I’m holding off until July to buy my new iPhone.
The Median Isn’t the Message
Stephen Jay Gould’s essay may be about statistics on its surface, but underneath its a story about resilience and determination.
The Management Myth
Ever since I considered going back to school for my MBA, I’ve been coming across a good number of articles telling me why it’s not worth it. This is one of them.
What I’ve Learned Raising a Daughter (Thus Far)
You don’t need a daughter to keep your heart from getting too hard (or maybe I’m just oddly effeminate), but I can see how raising a little girl can be one of the most amazing things in the world. One day…
The Most Interesting Man in the World
Everybody loves those Dos Equis ads, but what they do highlight is that the whole concept of interesting these days has become vanilla and boring. What’s really interesting?
One of my best friends here in DC moves across the country later today. After an exciting and wonderful week where we spent lots of valuable time together, I know I’m going to need a good rest this weekend. If you’re caught inside over the next few days, this edition of The Weekender has some good photos, video, and links to keep you occupied.
Photos for the weekend.
White Space: a wonderful gallery of paintings by Silke Schöner that leaves large parts of the landscape bathed in white for us to fill in.
Links for the weekend.
Like Mother, Like Son
Most little boys grow up emulating their fathers. Not me: my role model from the first day I have been alive has been my mother, and I couldn’t ask for a better person to serve as my inspiration and love of my life.
Best Patios in Toronto
DC has some great patios, but I have to admit that Toronto has one of the best patio cultures I’ve witnessed in North America. It’s really fantastic, and this is a good starter list to explore some of the best patios in the city.
How to Challenge Google (And Win)
I’d argue that Umair Haque is one of the greatest business thinkers of our time. Here, he demonstrates why he’s so great: he looks at what made Google successful, and offers ways that we can all adopt similar thinking.
The Optimist Conspectus
Sometimes, it’s easy to get caught up in the bad news around us and forget the wonderful things in our life. I love this site because it helps remind me that there’s always sunshine around the corner.
Don’t! The secret of self-control.
An article in the New Yorker about teaching ourselves how to think so that we can outsmart our desires. Yeah, I need to work on that.
Videos for the weekend.
Absolutely gorgeous shots of nature and wildlife as the sun sets in the horizon by Ray Paunovich. Peaceful, calming, serene, and beautiful.
Cute, fun, and really well executed. A short video by Nelson Boles that will bring a smile to your face.
I can’t believe it’s Friday. Feels like this week just flew by, which is a good thing and a bad thing all at the same time. Not a ton of content for this week’s Weekender; I’ll try and make it up next week. In the meantime, go out this weekend and have fun!
Ear Plugs to Lasers: The Science of Concentration
I don’t really have concentration problems, but I surely do need to work on focusing on one task at a time. Plus, I get too distracted by shiny and flashy things. I need to practice biased competition. (thx to Christina for the tip!)
Going Postal: The Imminent Death of the U.S. Postal Service?
As someone that has a sizable “postage budget” in his personal balance sheet, the health and future of the postal service is an important issue to me. Though it does feel like Georg Jensen is calling me callous about the environment simply because I love to send letters. Not cool Georg.
An Unschooling Manifesto
It’s no surprise that the education system as it currently stands isn’t the ideal way for young people to learn. I’ve been lucky enough to have teachers that recognized my learning styles and tailored their delivery methods and expectations so that I could succeed in a system that wasn’t built for students like me.
Videos for the weekend.
Tabish pointed me to this wonderful video of a pianist and cellist playing a lovely arrangement of Taylor Swift’s Love Story and Coldplay’s Viva La Vida. Trust me, it’s better than you’d think. I love the story at the end on how he arranged this piece for his daughter as well. Beautiful.
I’m in Toronto! Yup, I’m here for a few days getting things sorted out on the financial, medical, and family front, but I didn’t want to postpone this week’s edition of The Weekender just because I’m traveling. I just bought a new battery for my Macbook, so working while traveling is totally possible now.
Photos for the weekend.
Megan Cump’s series, Feral, is filled ominous shots of nature that will intrigue you and creep you out all at the same time. Remarkable photography.
I’m cheating a bit in the photo above and not linking to a photo set, but a web comic. Yes, it’s a about a superhero, but it’s also about innocent love and the struggles of identity. It’s beautiful, and if you have ten minutes to spare, I’d recommend checking it out.
Links for the weekend.
Pretty Sketchy
Jason Santa Maria explains why I keep a sketchbook with me all the time despite my complete inability to draw: “Sketchbooks are not about being a good artist, they’re about being a good thinker.”
End the University as We Know It
A step-by-step method to reform higher education, something I’ve been calling for for years. Some highlights: create problem-focused programs, transform the traditional dissertation, and impose mandatory retirement and abolish tenure.
Five Ways to Market Yourself During a Recession
These tips aren’t only valid during a recession. Marketing yourself, keeping your mind fresh with new projects, and networking effectively are all good things to do, whether you’re employed or not. And if you’re in the DC area and want to do breakfast, let me know. It’s my favorite meal of the day.
The Immigration Fallacy
Will Wilkinson says that more American cities need to think like Toronto and emulate its diversity in order to become truly world-class cities. I wholeheartedly agree.
Fight Club: The Return of Hobbes
An excellent analysis of how Edward Norton’s character in Fight Club is actually Calvin (from Calvin & Hobbes) all grown up and releasing his new, grown-up, inner Hobbes.
Yet another triumph in advertising video online, this Nike ad is beautiful in its simplicity. So well conceived, so well implemented, so well presented.
Apologies for the lack of posts this week. It’s a bit hard to write blog posts when your home computer stops working. But no excuses. Enjoy this edition of The Weekender, and I’ll have more original content coming next week, promise.
Photos for the weekend.
Amber Ellis’s Be Mine set has always been one of my favorite sets on Flickr, full of beauty and love in all sorts of small and forgotten places. And lots of red and pink, which always makes me smile. The photo of the bike bell I’ve used above is one of my favorite photos of all time.
Why Apple doesn’t do “Concept Products”
This article isn’t just about Apple: it’s about the whole concept of creating things to be used, to be valued, to be shipped, instead of just creating for the sake of creating. There’s value in both, but I like the way this article frames its argument.
Picking Letters, 10 a Day, That Reach Obama
Mike Kelleher picks the letters that President Obama gets to read. While I think he has an fantastic and really remarkable job, I think there’s some value in letting Obama see some of the letters that don’t make it past Kelleher’s filter from time to time.
Is The iPhone The New Newspaper?
I do almost all my reading on my iPhone now (well, did: I just lost my iPhone this week) and applications like Instapaper make that process even easier. Future of the publishing industry? Quite possibly.
What Are Friends For? A Longer Life
It’s always nice when science validates your life ethos. I’ve always told myself that the only reason I am alive and thriving is because of the friends around me. Science agrees.
If you thought the video for the new iPhone app Birdhouse (above) was hilarious — and who didn’t? — this video documentary (below), Skyward, about the impact of Birdhouse is a positively brilliant follow-up.
The sun is shining, the temperature is rising, and it’s going to be a wonderful weekend to spend some time outdoors. So why am I sending you all these links for the weekend? Do I want you to stare at your computer screen in your office?
No. Take this installment of The Weekender and put all the links on Instapaper on your iPhone and take it outside. Bask in the sun and enjoy some gems from around the web. Then, go play some frisbee. Sounds like a good idea to me.
Photos for the weekend.
Tina Roth Eisenberg decided to do a little experiment at the most recent Creative Morning in New York. Instead of creating name badges for everyone, she invited everyone to print out a “talk to me about” badge that would spur conversation. You can see a whole set of those badges on the Talk To Me About Flickr set.
Don’t know much about this photo project, but I do know that Simon Hoegsberg took some amazing photos as part of his Tower of Babel project in New York from 2003 and 2006.
Links for the weekend.
Why Do They Stay?
The issue of domestic abuse is one that is near and dear to my heart. This post takes a look at why abused women so often stay with the men that cause them harm. Heartbreaking and insightful at the same time.
50 Years of Stupid Grammar Advice
I have a copy of Strunk & White’s The Elements of Style on my desk — as most writers do — but I have grown wary of those that tend to use it as a defining scripture for grammar. Here’s an excellent article that shows I’m not the only one with such concerns.
Tweenbots
Kacie Kinzer became my hero this week by creating a project that blended adorable robots and the inherent goodness of humanity. Watch the video, read the text, and smile.
The new post-college prestige job is retail
I may not always agree with her perspective, but I love the way Penelope Trunk thinks about things in a really insightful way. I love what she’s saying here the obsolescence of grad school and the importance of camaraderie in the work place.
Twitter is Done. Tumblr is Next.
I’ve been an avid fan and user of both services for years, and I don’t quite agree that one is replacing the other. I do agree, however, that Tumblr is a much more robust platform when it comes to giving context to content.
Videos for the weekend.
Earlier this week, Matt Haughey shared this wonderful video of the cherry blossoms accompanied by a wonderful soundtrack of You and Me by Kristy London & The Other Halves. Beautiful visuals, beautiful song.
Yes folks, The Weekender is back, and once again, it has changed formats. Why? Because I can.
For the foreseeable future, my weekend link roundup will feature no more than 4-5 links (with some commentary), a Flickr set you all have to check out, and one or two videos that caught my eye. Mixing it up a little. Here goes.
Photos for the weekend.
This wonderful stream by On the set features miniature models of the sets of classic television shows like Three’s Company, The Price is Right, and Golden Girls.
Links for the weekend.
The Cool Presidency
There’s a lot of good things to say about the new President of the United States of America — one of them is that he’s the epitome of cool. It’s great to know, however, that his coolness is cultivated and not innate. Gives us all hope that we can eventually grow to be who we want to be, no matter who we are now.
The Art of Manliness Guide to Scotch Whisky
Manly-men drink scotch. If you’re looking to become a manly-man, read this great overview about the history, geography, and distinctness of this manly drink. Man up.
The Art of the Tweet
Twitter might be everyone’s favorite plaything on the web, but there’s an art to what makes a good, effective, and useful tweet. This article is a good overview of how to post original content that’s engaging, and retweets and replies that provide context. Must read for all Twitterers.
How the Web Made Me a Better Copywriter
Luckily, I started my storytelling career in age of the internet, but I have to admit that a lot of the changes mentioned here also apply to the way my storytelling techniques have changed with the advent of ubiquitous connectivity. I particularly like her remarks about em-dashes, my favorite punctuation mark that is often ignored but so useful.
Videos for the weekend.
Signs is one of my new favorite short films. Funny, sad, heartfelt, and cute at the same time. Well worth the ten minutes.
It has been a busy week: I celebrated my birthday, went to a Mos Def concert, made some new friends, started getting over a new crush, had some old friends visit, and spent too much money shopping on M Street. I think it’s time to have a relaxing few days catching up on some reading.
Some really great articles in this week’s edition of the Weekender, but if you read only one, check out the second link — Paul Graham’s What You’ll Wish You’d Known — because it is one of the most important pieces of writing I’ve read since Merlin Mann’s Better.
A product is bought in order to be used. It must serve a defined purpose – in both primary and additional functions. The most important task of design is to optimise the utility of a product.
If I were back in high school and someone asked about my plans, I’d say that my first priority was to learn what the options were. You don’t need to be in a rush to choose your life’s work. What you need to do is discover what you like. You have to work on stuff you like if you want to be good at what you do.
Human beings crave social contact and connection. We want to talk to people face to face, or at least hear their voice. Not just for the joy of it, but because we look for vocal and facial queues about how the person we are talking to feels.
For most of its history, the debate over what leads to genius has been dominated by a bitter, binary argument: is it nature or is it nurture — is genius genetically inherited, or are geniuses the products of stimulating and supportive homes?
Getting to know one another is tricky. There are a number of hurdles, various stages of awkwardness, and a bunch of baggage brought to the community table. Even friendships can be difficult, but if you’re lucky, you make it through to the other side and soon you’re splitting popcorn.
Now, audience members don’t have to wait to clarify things they don’t understand. They can tweet their question and another audience member will tweet back with the answer. Audience members who tuned out because they didn’t understand now stay engaged.
Cooking is a human universal. No society is without it. No one other than a few faddists tries to survive on raw food alone. And the consumption of a cooked meal in the evening, usually in the company of family and friends, is normal in every known society. Moreover, without cooking, the human brain could not keep running.
Each of us is, more or less, an egg. Each of us is a unique, irreplaceable soul enclosed in a fragile shell. This is true of me, and it is true of each of you.
I still find disfigurement hard, and I feel the loss of my right, normal body every day. I sometimes catch a glance in the mirror after a shower and think sadly, “Really?”
I’ll be honest. I’m too tired and too busy to write descriptions of every article I’m listing in this week’s Weekender. I’m inserting quotes from the articles instead.
To be honest, this might be of even better value to you, the reader, than my personal opinions on each piece. Let me know if you like this format better. Or not. I won’t be too upset either way.
Here we go: your weekend reading for February 20, 2009, as selected by me.
“Unless we’re willing to rethink today’s Internet,” says Nick McKeown, a Stanford engineer involved in building a new Internet, “we’re just waiting for a series of public catastrophes.”
In a major change of strategy, the new head of GlaxoSmithKline, Andrew Witty, has told the Guardian he will slash prices on all medicines in the poorest countries, give back profits to be spent on hospitals and clinics and — most ground-breaking of all — share knowledge about potential drugs that are currently protected by patents.
The Starbucks’ menu options are built on a complex framework, offering 14 dimensions along which customers can make choices to “design” their own drink.
“All you need to do is grant visas to two million Indians, Chinese and Koreans. We will buy up all the subprime homes. We will work 18 hours a day to pay for them. We will immediately improve your savings rate — no Indian bank today has more than 2 percent nonperforming loans because not paying your mortgage is considered shameful here. And we will start new companies to create our own jobs and jobs for more Americans.”
Anyone who’s given Gmail a fair shake will quickly find conversations indispensable. Going back to any other email client is agonizing and disorienting, like being knocked around and dumped out of the back of a pickup on the outskirts of a strange town.
“How long will it be before you come out of the subway and you hold up your screen to get a better view of what you’re looking at in the physical world?”
Although the specialization identified by Adam Smith creates powerful efficiency gains, [Jane] Jacobs argued that the jostling of many different professions and different types of people, all in a dense environment, is an essential spur to innovation — to the creation of things that are truly new. And innovation, in the long run, is what keeps cities vital and relevant.
Gene Siskel and I were like tuning forks. Strike one, and the other would pick up the same frequency. When we were in a group together, we were always intensely aware of one another. Sometimes this took the form of camaraderie, sometimes shared opinions, sometimes hostility. But we were aware.
It’s not just the content of our moral judgments that is often questionable, but the way we arrive at them. We like to think that when we have a conviction, there are good reasons that drove us to adopt it.
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