February 2012
1 post
Weekend Recap
“We almost got run over by a bike.”
- The almost last words of a punk teenager as I cruised by on Thorondor (my bike) Friday night. He and his posse were dilly-dallying in the not-cross-walk.
In other news, Daisy has learned that we come over to her when she poops (to clean it up) and has begun to use this strategically to get our attention. Clever girl.
And, Mitzi and I really...
January 2012
3 posts
Lunchtime Links
Marketing
Zaaz Interactive Agency
W5 Insight
Automotive Shopping Behavior Study
Bad reviews improve conversion rates by 67%
Zeus Jones
You Can Motivate People, Or You Can Just Make It Easier
A Simple Approach to Account Planning
Culture
The Chrysanthemum and The Sword
You Never Marry The Right Person
Or, as Tolkien put it:
Nearly all marriages, even happy ones, are mistakes: in the...
Rules for Myself Concerning Poetry
When breaking the rules of grammar, a poem should never force the reader to reinterpret the rules of the language in use.
Broken rules should serve a purpose and not cause the reader to stumble in the slightest.
Poetry is not a linguistic puzzle for the academic, but a medium for clear and powerful expression.
“If they act too hip, you know they can’t play sh*t.”
– Miles Davis
December 2011
5 posts
Welcome Daisy
Daisy is the newest member of the family. She’s a Brown-necked African Cape Parrot.
Her previous owner is going through a divorce and can no longer afford to take care of her (financially and socially.)
Besides being cute, Capes are a good fit for us for a number of reasons. They are generally (compared to other parrots):
Laid back
Independent
Playful
Known for not biting
We hope...
The Great Shift in Japanese Pop Culture
How marginal subcultures have become the plurality in cultural taste and production in Japan, and how this bodes for the Japanese economy.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Can Technology Help You Slow Down?
Something to consider. I think the answer is yes. It usually happens when you run across a new world, which is completely possible online, but unfortunately due to people’s social instincts and the reinforcing nature of circles on the web, doesn’t happen as often as it should.
His Name Wasn't Jesus
Fun lingual facts
http://www.jesuspolice.com/common_error.php?id=1
http://seeingwhatyoubelieve.blogspot.com/2008/09/jesus-iesous-and-yahshua.html
November 2011
16 posts
Think Before You Speak - 4 Times
Ask yourself, does this need to be said? Does what I’m thinking about saying really need to be said? Then ask yourself does it really need to be said right now? And then, does it really need to be said right now, by me?
Rick Anwyl, Atlanta Creative Mornings
A Business About Business
It’s not about graphics. What we do – it’s a business about business, alright. That’s really important. What we – the way that we survive – is by understanding businesses. Understanding their goals and objectives, and helping them communicate. Ok. So, the more we understand about businesses, the more successful we are going to be.
Rick Anwyl, Atlanta Creative Mornings
Birds of North America →
I get excited about things like this.
Shoppin Around
What People Don't Get About My Job
Great piece by The Atlantic. People voice the misconceptions about their job roles.
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2011/09/what-people-dont-get-about-my-job-from-a-rmy-soldier-to-z-ookeeper/244231/3/?single_page=true
My top 3 are:
The Bass Player
The Construction Worker
The IRS guy
Google Reader
I’m pretty much done with Google Reader without the share functionality. I don’t want to use Google Buzz.
The word Buzz in and of itself irks me, like it’s a bee in my ear distracting me from what I should be focusing on while in my inbox.
That being said, and correct me if I’m wrong, but Google Reader wasn’t making Google any money. RSS adoption is abysmal....
“There is practically nothing that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a...”
– Thomas Carlyle (via Drake’s of London)
Toothpick Swords: When life gives you lemon twists →
toothpickswords:
Cocktail enthusiasm has a number of advantages. You can make parties, holidays and pretty much anything else that happens within 50 feet of liquor a lot more fun. You can unlock knowledge to impress dates or embarrass poseurs who are clouding your valuable bar space with misinformation.
But it’s…
The Rise of "Planning"
My official title now at work is “Account Planner.”
Above me and one unit over is another account planner.
One more unit over is a media planner.
One more unit over is an event planner.
In Ben’s words, it’s definitely a thing.
October 2011
14 posts
“When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything...”
– John Muir
Reflections on Columbus Day
I took Columbus Day off to go camping with a friend (who actually had the day off) and it got me thinking.
Why do we celebrate Columbus? What’s there to celebrate?
Forget the easy ad hominem (see quotes below.) Perhaps he really was a great guy who just made a few mistakes, like we all do. Let’s talk about whether or not his crowning achievement - discovering America - is worth...
“So each mile you live from work steals $795 per year from you in commuting...”
– The True Cost of Commuting | Mr. Money Mustache
via @lessin & msg
(via tiffehr)
“Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be...”
– C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (via paulisakson)
“My father was very sure about certain matters pertaining to the universe. To him...”
– Norman Maclean (via bestmadeco)
“Derived from the Latin term validitas, meaning “strength,” validity is a term...”
– Research Methodology Explained for Everyday People, Paul L. Gerhardt
Good.is Email Newsletter Today
Yelp Helps
More often than not, if you want to find a good restaurant, you’re going to Yelp it. While the individual reviewers may not be the most charming, in aggregate, they’re changing the restaurant market, creating new business for well-reviewed companies and cutting into the market share of chains.
Researcher Michael Luca at Harvard Business School analyzed data [PDF] from Yelp and...
I Believe in You
I don’t believe in superstars, Organic food and foreign cars. I don’t believe the price of gold; The certainty of growing old. That right is right and left is wrong, That north and south can’t get along. That east is east and west is west. And being first is always best. But I believe in love. I believe in babies. I believe in Mom and Dad. And I believe in you. ...
It must be claimed
Yet another marketer talking yet again about how brands are like people.
But they really are. Case in point:
You cannot bestow upon a brand purpose, life and meaning. You can highlight opportunities and gaps. You can point it in the right direction. But unless the brand claims a purpose of its own accord, the crew will mutiny, rations will run short, and the ship will veer from the path you drew...
September 2011
18 posts
Loving What You Do
I don’t disagree with the idea that “doing what you love” makes you happier, but I also think it’s partially over-hyped as a symptom of society flailing in search for happiness. The truth is, work is always work. You have to work hard. There’s no dodging it if you want to do good work and it doesn’t just become “not work” in my opinion.
Also, I...
Politicians are people.
I’m as guilty of this as anyone, but let’s be real: politicians are people, too. Celebrities are people. Everybody is a freaking person.
Just because they are in the limelight doesn’t mean your comments are detached from their life and have no affect on them, especially if you are making comments in public.
When you say cruel, stupid shit, you are saying it about a real person...
As Long as Grass Grows or Water Runs
The proper tactic had now been found. The Indians would not be “forced” to go West. But if they chose to stay they would have to abide by state laws, which destroyed their tribal and personal rights and made them subject to endless harassment and invasion by white settlers coveting their land. If they left, however, the federal government would give them financial support and...
You Dumb Americans
After recently admitting that I like America (crazy, right?), I have to say that it seems the makers of premium tequila are not doing a very good job calling out our general ignorance.
After visiting a tequila bar last night and tasting a round of blanco, reposado, and anejo, ( no mixto!) it’s clear that tequila is not all created equal. But, the general impression of tequila here in the...
“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.”
– T.S. Eliot via Ken Hamm
Learning a Language
If you were going to learn a new language, which would it be? Why?
The Continuum of Change
Sometimes change is fast. I recently witnessed a coworker shift roles in less than a week.
Sometimes change is slow. We are still waiting for our landscape at the condo to evolve into an Eden. Plants demand patience.
“This city is what it is because our citizens are what they are.”
– Plato via Craig