In the world we now live in, there’s no shortage of information. The problem is making sense of all the information we have. Everywhere you turn, you face datasets, ranging from simply complex to seriously complex. And the problem isn’t just the amount of information, it’s the kind as well.
Consider for a moment the complexity of things like worldwide military spending, media buzz, or what we might learn about human behavior from Facebook status updates… Is it possible to better understand this data by transforming it into simple, beautiful diagrams? David McCandless thinks so, and he believes that it allows him to tease out unseen patterns and connections.
Spend a few minutes watching this video and I think you’ll agree. Fascinating stuff…
Over the past couple of years, several close friends have been diagnosed with some form of cancer, including a young friend of Lily’s. All of us feel a little helpless at times like this, naturally feeling that there’s little we can do outside of delivering some meals, helping care for little ones, and praying.
It’s also natural that kids would feel just as helpless, so you can imagine the excitement that Lily felt when she found out about Locks of Love from one of her friends. Locks of Love is a non-profit group that takes in donations of hair in lengths of ten inches or more and handcrafts hairpieces for children suffering from long term or permanent hair loss. The way they make these is pretty cool, in that they don’t require glue or tape to stay on, but instead create a vacuum seal against the scalp that only the child can break. This eliminates the worry about other kids pulling them off or losing them during sports.
So late last year, Lily decided that she was going to grow her hair long enough to donate. On Tuesday, having realized that it was finally long enough, Char packed everyone up and headed down to Bambu for the cut.
It’s been an interesting journey, one which has captivated Lily at every step of the way: She was thrilled to be growing her hair, thrilled that it was long enough to cut, thrilled to be able to make the donation, and thrilled with her new do.
I received an email today from Adidas Golf telling me about the exciting plans for “THE WORLD’S FIRST 360 HOLE PLAYOFF” featuring two guys I’ve never heard of playing golf for 50 days across nine continents with the ultimate prize hanging in the balance: a job at Adidas Golf.
My first thought: “Who cares?” And even though they were imploring me to follow it online, the more I considered it, the less I felt the whole thing was relevant to me or anyone I know.
Then I noticed that “throughout the entire challenge” (ed. note: playing golf for a month and a half is a ‘challenge’? It sounds like a vacation. But I digress…) Anyway, “throughout the entire challenge, the athletes will put adidas Golf apparel and footwear in play, testing our industry-leading performance technologies in a range of conditions…” On second thought, aside from their mothers, who could possibly care?
Just in case the hook isn’t set yet, you should know that the “two golfers will also compete in a series of competitions off the course.” I’m guessing beer pong. Maybe foosball.
I would be amazed– utterly amazed– if they get enough people following this ‘event’ to call it a success. Can’t wait to hear the results.
In June 2005, Steve Jobs delivered the commencement address at Stanford. It was a talk where he promised to tell “only three stories about my life. No big deal. Just three stories…” In these three stories, he encompasses formative moments that helped make him what he is and he outlines several notions these recent graduates would do well to remember. They include:
Find what you love.
“You’ve got to find what you love. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.”
Live each day as if it were your last.
“When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: ‘If you live each day as if it was you’re last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.’ It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I’ve looked in the mirror every day and asked myself, “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer is “no” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something. Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything, all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure, these things all fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.”
Stay hungry. Stay foolish.
“No one wants to die. And yet, death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It’s Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new.”
“Right now, the new is you. But someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it’s quite true. Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And, most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become.”
It’s a very good speech, and I recommend you watch it:
A couple of days early, admittedly, but well worth the read. In this brief article, Edward Klink, senior editor of Horsesmouth, a company dedicated to helping financial advisors be more successful, looks at seven lessons to be learned from The American Revolution.
Trying to summarize his thoughts would simply cheapen the experience. Instead, I encourage you to download and read it for yourself.
We had the opportunity a few weeks ago to venture through Marrott Park and down to Williams Creek with Scout. This was her first real opportunity to be a water dog and the pure joy was unmistakable…
Video cameras have become totally ubiquitous (I think that’s redundant, but it does serve to make the point.) Not only are tiny video recorders like the Flip and Kodak zi8 the new norm, more and more smartphones have the ability to record video, most of them much better than you would imagine.
So with all of this ability to record events literally at our fingertips, it should come as no surprise that we’re drowning in lots and lots of really bad recordings. Spend any five free minutes on YouTube and you’ll agree.
In my opinion, all of this crap desensitizes us so much that it’s easy to become overwhelmed when you see something that is really, really good. And the difference, I think, is in the creative process. These two videos were sent to me recently by my sister. Both were great ideas. One is beautifully realized, the other is just so damn good that it doesn’t require any sophisticated production at all.
Take a look. I’ll be interested to know what you think.
There have been some reports lately of people experiencing odd Wi-Fi connection issues with their iPads. These issues included intermittent loss of connection, frequent login requests, and just poor reception.
Like many technical issues that become hard to diagnose, there seemed to be little rhyme or reason to why some were affected and others (including myself) had no troubles at all.
Now Apple has updated their Knowledge Base article to point to a seemingly odd solution for this vexing issue: increase your screen brightness. As reported in a recent TidBITS article:
“Apple has quietly updated a Knowledge Base article about issues that iPads have when connecting to Wi-Fi networks. Initially, the article offered only basic suggestions, like making sure your Wi-Fi router’s firmware was up to date, and using WPA or WPA2 instead of WEP. While I’m sure using current firmware and modern encryption approaches are a good idea, they really weren’t related to most of the problems.
“In the updated article, Apple now suggests that having the screen brightness at its lowest setting could be related, which sounds truly weird. However, commenter Eugen notes that common methods of dimming LEDs could result in oscillations that could interfere with other radiation, such as Wi-Fi signals. And I’ve heard from a reader that raising the screen brightness on his iPad did indeed solve his particular Wi-Fi connection problem.”
They do report that an upcoming software update will address the issue. In the meantime, if you’re experiencing intermittent connection loss with Wi-Fi on your iPad, try adjusting the brightness of your screen. It just might be the (unusual) fix you’re looking for.
The constellation "American Avocet" as seen in the skies of the Northern Hemisphere in April
If you were born between April 20 & May 20, you may have thought you were a Taurus. It’s a common mistake. You’re actually an American Avocet.
A few months ago, I decided it would be nice to recognize family & friends on their birthdays. After all, who doesn’t love a rousing rendition of “Happy Birthday” first thing in the morning? Turns out, quite a few people. Most of whom have changed their phone numbers. So I decided to use e-mail instead.
But I realized something was missing. Yes, it was nice to have a little acknowledgement that you survived another year, but I wanted to do something more. It was then that I decided to write horoscopes for everyone. And, having been affiliated with Rare Bird for quite a while, I decided to write them with a bird theme. I call them ‘avascopes’. Corny, I know.
After a few weeks of research into the habits of particular birds, I settled in to write. Strangely, in retrospect, it seems they kind of wrote themselves, but I’ll still take some of the credit. If you’d like to get your birthday email with your avascope included, send me an email with your birthday (the year isn’t necessary, so you can remain 29 as long as you wish.)
In the meantime, I thought you might be interested to know what’s in store for people born under the sign of the American Avocet:
You are unique. Born under the sign of the Avocet, your elegant stature and adaptability set you apart from the rest. Your confidence and bearing put you at ease in the most difficult and trying circumstances. You adjust to shifting realities with aplomb and the duress this might cause others simply rolls off your back.
Avocets are creative and resourceful. When faced with a difficult or trying circumstance, you marshal your inherent skills of persuasion to help others see the benefits of your viewpoint.
What to expect for the coming year? For Avocets, it matters little. Should things be coming up roses, you’ll enjoy the spoils of your efforts as well as anyone else. If things don’t go your way, you’ll simply fall back on your ability to adapt to the shifting environment and make the most of available resources. So regardless of what’s in store, you’ll be fine.
