Things of note for the week ending September 12th, 2014.
Apologies for the delay this week, kids. A trip to Ireland mid-week (for the rather fantastic Measurement.ie Conference), plus a shed load of work upon my return, threw my writing schedule out of whack.
It’s nothing to do with Destiny being out this week at all. No sir ree bob.
Also: lots of recommended reading this week.
Enjoy –
1. Love is not enough.
This is a hard read.
This is a tough read.
This is a good read.
Mark Manson on Love.
2. Sound of Net
I think I’ve written about Warren Ellis’ ‘Morning, Computer‘ blog before but a) this is lovely and b) no harm in recommending it again.
There are lightbulbs that are also wireless bluetooth speakers. Imagine being able to send robot text to one. A lightbulb that quietly recites The Shipping Forecast, or Dark Sky local rain alerts, or pings from the IFTTT Space Channel that tells you when an astronaut goes into orbit, or calendar tasks or any number of things. One of the many things I wish I knew how to make. I stopped being able to parse code somewhere between HTML 2.0 and CSS. It may be just as well that my ability to cause things is way, way below my ability to annoyingly conceive of things. Existing in a constant condition of low-level frustration with the small things in life probably prevents me from obsessing on the big things and then building bombs. Which anyone can do.
–
If I’d been able to make that thing, it would have been whispering “hashtag Ferguson†all night.
You should read it all.
3. Werner Herzog on Creativity
I picked this next piece up from the rather excellent ‘Brain Pickings‘ blog of Maria Popova. The article in question is a selection of highlights from Werner Herzog‘s new book ‘A guide for the Perplexed‘ and it’s not only a) brilliant reading but b) a collections of reasons to buy said book; this stuff is gold.
For example, when asked how he sees his ideal film school, Herzog says:
You would be allowed to submit an application only after having travelled, alone and on foot, let’s say from Madrid to Kiev, a distance of nearly two thousand miles. While walking, write about your experiences, then give me your notebooks. I would immediately be able to tell who had really walked and who had not. You would learn more about filmmaking during your journey than if you spent five years at film school. Your experiences would be the very opposite of academic knowledge, for academia is the death of cinema. Somebody who has been a boxer in Africa would be better trained as a filmmaker than if he had graduated from one of the “best†film schools in the world. All that counts is real life.-
I know, right? He goes on
My film school would allow you to experience a certain climate of excitement of the mind, and would produce people with spirit, a furious inner excitement, a burning flame within. This is what ultimately creates films. Technical knowledge inevitably becomes dated; the ability to adapt to change will always be more important. At my utopian film academy there would be a vast loft with a boxing ring in one corner. Participants, working every day with a trainer, would learn to somersault, juggle and perform magic tricks. Whether you would be a filmmaker by the end I couldn’t say, but at least you would emerge as a confident and fearless athlete. After this vigorous physical work, sit quietly and master as many languages as possible. The end result would be like the knights of old who knew how to ride a horse, wield a sword and play the lute.
Sold. Gold.
Read the whole piece. Then buy the book.
4. IKEA Instructions gone wrong (right?)
These instructions on how to be a monster and more are excellent.
More, via Beautiful Decay.
5. Why Amazon has no profits (and why it works)
Informative post from one of the smarter brains on the planet, Ben Evans, talking about the economics of Amazon. Admittedly, it can kinda be summed up in one image –
But the whole article is worth reading.
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Bonuses this week are all music-related:
- Mumford & Sons – The Cave (Florian Paetzold Edit)
- Maribou State & Pedestrian – Bestival Desert Island Mix
- Maroon 5 at the iTunes Festival (yeah, and?)
Until next week.