Books… How Do I Know? 6 Jun 2011 A friend asked today, "How do I know if anyone wants to read what I'm going to write?" Great question! Here are my first three thoughts about that: 1) You…
Change the World… Friday Flick: Virtual Choir 3 Jun 2011 We're so glad Eric Whitacre did not make it as a pop star. Here's a TED talk on his composing and creating influences: Mozart and a fan on YouTube. It's…
Books… Rhyme Time 2 Jun 20112 Jun 2011 Children's book editors conventionally whine about rhyme. It's so hard to write tight in rhythm and rhyme, they'd rather not brave it. Then they have children of their own, and…
Art Books… Book Surgeon 30 May 2011 "Book doctor" may be one of my roles, but you should meet The Book Surgeon! More than a typical altered book artist, Brian Dettmer literally carves books into new designs,…
Creativity… Friday Flick: Marriage Proposal 27 May 201127 May 2011 Usually, I cringe over public marriage proposals. Somehow this one seems different, maybe because the theme of Matt and Ginny's courtship has been "Making the Movies Jealous," it has high…
Academic Writing… Cultured Men Healthier and Happier 25 May 201124 May 2011 A Norwegian study has suggested that people who attend cultural events are healthier and happier, and that men may benefit most. Norwegian support for the arts already stands on the assumption…
Baby Boomers… Have you seen this woman? 26 Apr 201126 Apr 2011 Photographer Bruce Davidson took this photo of a teenaged girl holding a kitten 50 years ago. Now as he receives the Outstanding Contribution to Photography award, he would like to…
Business… Handwritten E-mail 25 Apr 201123 Apr 2011 Handwritten E-mail--what a lovely idea! Pilot, maker of traditional pens, is working on it. It isn't perfected yet--this is still beta testing--but they have a beautiful goal. I suggest you watch…
Blogging… Random Unexpected Blog of Awesomeness 21 Apr 201121 Apr 2011 Younger son's blog idea: "It's time for your random blog of the month." I didn't know I had such a thing. He explained, "Oh, you just write about Pokemon cards…
Blogging… “Show Me Difficult” 20 Apr 201122 Apr 2011 Werner Erhard often talks about things that exist only in language: "Show me Difficult. Whales do not find anything Difficult." And he also says something like, "I don't have 'too…
Children… Square Inch Journaling 16 Apr 201116 Apr 2011 One of my favorite baby gifts was an undated one-year calendar with stickers for baby milestones: first bath, first tooth, first word. When my second baby arrived, I realized that…
Creativity… Friday Flick: One Man Disney Movie 15 Apr 201115 Apr 2011 Here's Nick Pitera's One Man Disney Movie. Can you imagine a Disney plot without the Christopher Vogler influence (Writer's Journey from Joseph Campbell's Hero with a Thousand Faces)? That could…