Period Three Blog » Random Stuff

May062009

Ten Things I Have Learned: Milton Glaser

Posted by Gene in Random Stuff

The link to this short essay by legendary designer/illustrator Milton Glaser seems to be making the rounds again, at least i’m seeing some tweets about it. Here’s the quick synopsis, it’s good for all of us I think:

01. YOU CAN ONLY WORK FOR PEOPLE THAT YOU LIKE.
I discovered that all the work I had done that was meaningful and significant came out of an affectionate relationship with a client.

02. IF YOU HAVE A CHOICE NEVER HAVE A JOB.
Never have a job, because if you have a job someday someone will take it away from you and then you will be unprepared for your old age.

03. SOME PEOPLE ARE TOXIC AVOID THEM.
There is a test to determine whether someone is toxic or nourishing in your relationship with them. Here is the test: You have spent some time with this person, either you have a drink or go for dinner or you go to a ball game. It doesn’t matter very much but at the end of that time you observe whether you are more energised or less energised. Whether you are tired or whether you are exhilarated. If you are more tired then you have been poisoned. If you have more energy you have been nourished. The test is almost infallible and I suggest that you use it for the rest of your life.

04. PROFESSIONALISM IS NOT ENOUGH or THE GOOD IS THE ENEMY OF THE GREAT.
Professionalism does not allow for that because transgression has to encompass the possibility of failure and if you are professional your instinct is not to fail, it is to repeat success. So professionalism as a lifetime aspiration is a limited goal.

05. LESS IS NOT NECESSARILY MORE.
You cannot prove to me that a solid blue rug is in any way superior. That also goes for the work of Gaudi, Persian miniatures, art nouveau and everything else. However, I have an alternative to the proposition that I believe is more appropriate. ‘Just enough is more.’

06. STYLE IS NOT TO BE TRUSTED.
But the point is that anybody who is in this for the long haul has to decide how to respond to change in the zeitgeist. What is it that people now expect that they formerly didn’t want? And how to respond to that desire in a way that doesn’t change your sense of integrity and purpose.

07. HOW YOU LIVE CHANGES YOUR BRAIN.
I am convinced that if someone was to yell at me from across the street my brain could be affected and my life might changed. That is why your mother always said, ‘Don’t hang out with those bad kids.’ Mama was right. Thought changes our life and our behaviour. I also believe that drawing works in the same way. I am a great advocate of drawing, not in order to become an illustrator, but because I believe drawing changes the brain in the same way as the search to create the right note changes the brain of a violinist. Drawing also makes you attentive. It makes you pay attention to what you are looking at, which is not so easy.

08. DOUBT IS BETTER THAN CERTAINTY.
Schools encourage the idea of not compromising and defending your work at all costs. Well, the issue at work is usually all about the nature of compromise. You just have to know what to compromise. Blind pursuit of your own ends which excludes the possibility that others may be right does not allow for the fact that in design we are always dealing with a triad – the client, the audience and you.

09. ON AGING.
Rule number one is that ‘it doesn’t matter.’ ‘It doesn’t matter that what you think. Follow this rule and it will add decades to your life.

10. TELL THE TRUTH.
‘Do no harm’ is an admonition to doctors concerning their relationship to their patients, not to their fellow practitioners or the drug companies. If we were licensed, telling the truth might become more central to what we do.

Make sure and read the whole thing if you can.

Comments (0)
Feb132009

37signals Rails and the Mac

Posted by Gene in Random Stuff, Business

I had forgotten about seeing this a year or so ago. I’m glad I found it on YouTube.

Not that I’m just a fanboy for Apple or 37signals (I kind of am) but this just sums up everything there is about being a web development firm. Insert whatever open source programming environment you like of course.

Comments (0)
Jan072009

Awesome Pie Chart

Posted by Gene in Random Stuff

Source: ffffound

Comments (0)
Sep292008

The real difference between liberals and conservatives

Posted by Gene in Random Stuff

It’s not quite 20 minutes long but you really need to watch Jonathan Haidt’s recent talk at TED. He’s a bit of a speed talker so listen carefully (not being preachy, just really, he talks fast.) Listen/watch here.

Psychologist Jonathan Haidt studies the five moral values that form the basis of our political choices, whether we’re left, right or center. In this eye-opening talk, he pinpoints the moral values that liberals and conservatives tend to honor most.

Haidt asks, “Can’t we all disagree more constructively?” He suggests we might build a more civil and productive discourse by understanding the moral psychology of those we disagree with, and committing to a more civil political process. He’s also active in the study of positive psychology and human flourishing.

Comments (0)
Sep242008

Oktoberfest

Posted by Gene in Random Stuff

So it’s officially Oktoberfest time again. I for one will be partaking in some sausage and seasonal beer sipage this weekend, just something you gotta do.

Millions of Oktoberfest fans all over the world have been waiting for this day: last Saturday the major of munich tapped the first barrel of beer and said the famous words “O’zapft is” which traditionally mark the beginning of the worlds most famous festival.

So if you can’t be in Munich this year, you can at least get yourself a Spaten and enjoy some Bratvurst.

Comments (0)
Sep192008

Talk like a pirate day 2008

Posted by Gene in Random Stuff

Once again it’s international talk like a pirate day.

Here are the five basic words that you cannot live without. Master them, and you can face Talk Like a Pirate Day with a smile on your face and a parrot on your shoulder, if that’s your thing.

Ahoy! - “Hello!”

Avast! - Stop and give attention. It can be used in a sense of surprise, “Whoa! Get a load of that!” which today makes it more of a “Check it out” or “No way!” or “Get off!”

Aye! - “Why yes, I agree most heartily with everything you just said or did.”

Aye aye! - “I’ll get right on that sir, as soon as my break is over.”

Arrr! - This one is often confused with arrrgh, which is of course the sound you make when you sit on a belaying pin. “Arrr!” can mean, variously, “yes,” “I agree,” “I’m happy,” “I’m enjoying this beer,” “My team is going to win it all,” “I saw that television show, it sucked!” and “That was a clever remark you or I just made.” And those are just a few of the myriad possibilities of Arrr!

Comments (1)
Sep052008

Take back the inbox!

Posted by Gene in Random Stuff

Seriously considering adding this list of items to my email signature for all to see and learn:

1. Reply all is usually a bad idea.  
2. If you’re cc’d, there’s no need to reply. 
3. Starting off your email in the subject line and finishing your sentence in the body of the message is confusing.
4. A short, thoughtful email gets a quicker response. Long emails are read last. 
5. If this issue cannot be resolved in 3 emails, consider scheduling a call or a meeting. 
6. Thank you. Always lovely. really not necessary.
7. Please re-read your email before you hit send…

The Blue Flavor blog has a post going on about this same thing, check it!

Comments (0)
Aug182008

Welcome to HoffSpace

Posted by Gene in Random Stuff, Social Web

So… David Haselhoff has decided to launch his own social networking website HoffSpace, I guess he didn’t like the limitations put on him by the software. He has over 11K members so far, I wonder what the percentage of Germans are of that…

HoffSpace, I’m moving to a new place!
Current mood: accomplished
Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities

Hi Guys! I have started my own social network and website. HoffSpace, located at www.davidhasselhoff.com. This is my new and official home. I won’t be interacting much more on MySpace, so come on over and join the fun on HoffSpace. It’s fun and safe.

Peace,

David
www.davidhasselhoff.com

Turns out it’s just Ning, and he hasn’t really done anything but slap up some graphics. If David Haselhoff can do social network marketing, so can you!

Comments (2)
Jul222008

Is email dead?

Posted by Gene in Random Stuff, Social Web

I’ve recently traveled to Sweden, arguably the cell-phone capital of the world (at least it seemed that way to me). I’ve also started enjoying the twitter experience a good deal lately. I use Instant Messengers of all kinds to communicate with co-workers and clients - all day. I ask the question: Is email dead?

It may not be dead yet, but it feels like a dying mode of communication to me.

Comments (0)
Jul172008

Capitalism at its worst

Posted by Gene in Random Stuff

This just hurts my head: Converse Chuck Taylor ‘Kurt Cobain’ Sneaker

Comments (0)