Month: February 2012
Pistachio-crusted tuna
This was phenomenal. The sweet potatoes that came with it were also delicious. Props to the Sundae Cafe and to Jane.
Deploy. An essay by Mandy Brown that asks how we can more effectively create living texts.
The business of bookmarking. Maciej Ceglowski covers the basics of Pinboard’s business. Fascinating look at what goes in to making Pinboard run effectively and profitably. (via Marco Arment)
Solitude and Leadership
I find for myself that my first thought is never my best thought. My first thought is always someone else’s; it’s always what I’ve already heard about the subject, always the conventional wisdom. It’s only by concentrating, sticking to the question, being patient, letting all the parts of my mind come into play, that I arrive at an original idea. By giving my brain a chance to make associations, draw connections, take me by surprise. And often even that idea doesn’t turn out to be very good. I need time to think about it, too, to make mistakes and recognize them, to make false starts and correct them, to outlast my impulses, to defeat my desire to declare the job done and move on to the next thing.
William Deresiewicz – Solitude and Leadership.
Doing What You (Don’t) Love
To clarify, doing what you love doesn’t mean you love every single aspect of a profession. Every job has drudgery. When I say doing what you love, I mean you wake up in the morning looking forward to going to do whatever it is you do to provide for yourself [and your family]. And you feel that way 9 days out of 10.
Back to the cost then. It’s simply this: when you do what you love, it can often lead to being all that you do. It’s what you think about when you wake up, when you’re in the shower, in the moments of peace and quiet, and as you close your eyes at the end of the day.
As far as work is concerned, that’s not a bad thing. But you have to realize that other areas of your life will pay the cost. There may be hobbies like woodworking, gardening or cycling that interest you, but you never get around to picking up. There are the missed family events. Or, even worse, you’re present in body only, your mind on the ‘thing you love’.
Chris Bowler – Doing What You Don’t Love.
Don’t hesitate to make a beginning
Men generally hesitate to make a beginning if they feel that the objective cannot be had in its entirety. Such an attitude of mind is in reality a bar to progress.
Gandhi – “Equal Distribution Through Non-Violence”.
Made Better in Japan. Fascinating look at food, service, and fashion in Japan. Focuses on the obsessive approach to quality that many places adopt. Japan is among the top countries on my list to visit.
On Content: less is more. Sean Blanda nails it here. Great set of guidelines for any writer to aspire to. I wish more publications understood and followed these ideas.