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Archive for the ‘Random!’ Category
The (Not So) Romantic Side of Search
Amanda Moshier | August 19th, 2009
Whether victims of Blackberry addiction, iPhone obsession, or a Facebook mobile twitch, we all know someone who can’t seem to put down their cell/iPhone/PDA/whatever it is. Some accept this behavior as part of Gen-Y technophile culture, but not every offender falls into the Generation Y demographic. Some feel the aforementioned behavior suggests an underlying anxiety which may or may not be triggered by certain social situations. Some say those tethered to their mobile, Internet-enabled devices are simply doing so out of habit, and others simply deem them rude. In any case, it is hard to deny we have a problem. We’ve all become so attached to our technology, we find it difficult to let go, even in the midst of human-to-human contact, even in the presence of someone we love. Now scientists are suggesting there may be more to our compulsion to stay connected than meets the eye. Turns out dopamine, the natural chemical found in human brains often referenced to explain the rush of energy and goal-oriented behavior we experience when in love, plays a large role in our constant drive to seek and share information, and activities like Google searching, texting, twittering, and updating our Facebook status fire up the same reward center in the brain activated when we fall in love. More on dopamine Dopamine itself is responsible for reward-seeking behaviors: it stimulates the pleasure centers in the brain and causes us to continually seek behaviors that provide that pleasure. From activities like eating that the brain Continue reading…
3 Things I’ve Learned About Productivity In the Past Week
Amanda Moshier | July 15th, 2009
Hello, loyal readers! I’ve missed you. I realize you haven’t heard from me in a while and that is because I’ve been knee deep in a project that’s taken up the majority of my time. Still no excuse, and this post is coming 2 days late, but hey, it’s coming! And I think you might even find what I have to say useful at some point, so keep reading. It gets good. I promise. Before I get into my recent discoveries on getting things done, let me share with you one of my favorite resources on productivity in all areas of life, ZenHabits. Just in case my post leaves you wanting more…check it out. It is great stuff. Onward, I’ve been down in the trenches lately, working on a project with an undefined scope and shifting deliverables. Not only has this meant lots of hard work and concentration, but also, critical thinking regarding what is necessary and when. Looking back I realize I’ve made some smart choices, while other choices I likely would have made differently knowing what I know now. Here are 3 things I learned overall that I hope will help next time you take on a huge project with little idea of when or how it will end. Let’s go! 1 – Know the forest, but stay focused on the trees An essential part of any large project is planning. Without some idea of where you are headed and when you want to arrive, any action taken Continue reading…
Tags: creative work, creativity, getting things done, GTD, productivity, project management, project planning, to-do-lists
Posted in Editorial, Random! | 4 Comments
I Have Interests Volume 5: Mid Century Modern
Jeff Pickett | June 12th, 2009
I don’t recall where I originally stumbled upon this photo, but I immediately saved a copy to my hard drive: L to R we have: George Nelson, Edward Wormley, Eero Saarinen, Harry Bertoia, Charles Eames and Jens Risom. In case you didn’t know (and I’ll presume you don’t), all six of those names would probably land in the top ten designers of the 20th century. Look them up. They are each responsible for some of the most iconic home and office furnishings in existence, not to mention their architecture… The fact that they are all featured in a single photograph, I find almost astonishing. If only Arne Jacobsen could have been there! I don’t know if it’s my fascination with spy movies, old rock n roll, or my general appreciation of good design, but I have long held an interest in “modern design” of the 1940s, 50s, and 60s; commonly referred to as “Mid-Century Modern.” Everything from the Case Study Homes to chairs with fun names like: Egg, Swan, Womb, Diamond, Drop, Tulip and so forth. This stuff will cost you an arm and a leg, but the designs are inspirational. Last fall I was upset to miss a tour of the Sheats/Goldstein House designed by John Lautner while traveling in Scandinavia. I made up for it by geeking out in various design museums in Stockholm and Copenhagen. To this day, collectors hunt down pieces of “Danish Modern” and “Swedish Modern” furniture. It’s a little out of my price range… Continue reading…
Tags: arne jacobsen, case study homes, case study houses, charles eames, coast modern, coast modern film, coast modern movie, danish design, danish modern, diamond chair, drop chair, edward wormley, eero saarinen, egg chair, george nelson, goldstein home, goldstein house, grain edit, harry bertoia, jens risom, john lautner, mid century modern, modern classics, sheats goldstein, swan chair, swedish design, swedish modern, tulip chair, womb chair
Posted in Blogging, Editorial, Random! | 3 Comments
Productivity Tips For Working Writers
Erik Cisler | June 11th, 2009
When you’re writing for your livelihood, sometimes you just gotta produce. You don’t necessarily have the luxury of lingering over a single sentence for hours until you get it just right; your employers are expecting something by the deadline, and you need to make it. Here are a few tips for producing good work on time. Set a Time and Stick To It Writing is your job. Jobs have schedules. They have hours. Now, if you’re writing from home you can set your own hours, but you absolutely do need to abide by a schedule. Now, I like to wake up early and write as the sun comes up. That’s my thing, and it works for me. What’s important is that you get into a groove – and sitting down in front of the computer at a set time each day helps get your mind into writing mode. Get Something Down Now that you have a schedule set up, don’t dawdle in front of an empty screen for hours. Don’t obsess over and overanalyze everything. Yeah, your writing has to be good, but it also has to be visible and present! Start writing. Just get anything down on the page, even if it’s a stream of consciousness rant better suited for a teen ‘s blog. It’s all about getting those fingers loose for when the real writing starts to flow. Change Your Environment If sitting in your office just isn’t working, grab your laptop and head elsewhere. Go sit in Continue reading…
I Have Interests Volume 4: Photo Blogs
Jeff Pickett | May 1st, 2009
I’m feeling a little braindead this week. Let’s just chalk it up to a little too much time spent on the internet, OK? I know you were really looking forward to reading another in depth analysis of the decline of western civilization or some other such luddite rant, but I haven’t read any articles to spark such an entry in some time. Instead, I’ve been spending my free internet time enjoying some of my favorite photo blogs. To fill the void left where my lengthy ramblings often reside, I might recommend a few (click images to visit site): Logcabineer – wherein a Swedish man takes photos of his everyday hobbies, chores, scenery, etc. in and around his remote cabin 5 hours outside Stockholm. Stunning. Shorpy – The tagline says it all: “Always something interesting.” This blog is full of spectacular scans of old photographs from all corners of the US. All eras from the mid-19th to mid-20th centuries are represented here. Sometimes the submissions are from personal archives and they don’t always offer some greater cultural insight (like the above, where a beach police officer measures a young lady’s leg to see if her swimsuit is “legal”) but they are “always something interesting.” It’s fascinating to see how people used to live. 2 or 3 Things I Know – Perhaps my favorite blog on the entire internet, and the most difficult to categorize. I don’t know if this is necessarily a “photo” blog, as much as an appreciation-of-all-things-beautiful blog. People, Continue reading…
Tags: 2 or 3 Things I Know, Log Cabineer, Scott Schuman, Shorpy, The Sartorialist
Posted in Blogging, Editorial, Random! | 5 Comments
3 Life Lessons I’ve Learned Since Becoming An SEO Writer
Erik Cisler | April 8th, 2009
Any massive new career realignment will teach you a few things about life. I’d even venture to say that our jobs have become our most defining characteristic, for good or bad. When you meet someone at a party, what’s the first bit of info you usually exchange? “So, what do you do?” No one actually comes out and says, “Describe your current employment,” but that’s exactly what they mean. And it makes total sense. Our employment determines our purchasing power, our ability to support ourselves, and the way we spend most of our days – to it’d be nice if we could be judged purely on the content of our characters, or on our hobbies, or our personal moral code, but none of those things will get you a decent interest rate on a loan. For the intents and purposes of banks/the government/future employers, our employment is a pretty good barometer of where we are in life, our goals, and our standing. Like it or not, them’s the breaks. Becoming an SEO writer was a pretty huge career change for me. I’d previously waited tables, performed manual labor, and worked as a secretary, and in school I studied American literature. I wrote loads of torturous essays while somehow still retaining my overarching goal to become a writer. Of course, I didn’t know a thing about SEO or marketing, and I never imagined I’d be going into this field. But novel writing is a daunting task, and print media is disappearing. Continue reading…
