constant partial attention

"You need people around you that you can trust to say “that’s a shit idea". Every McCartney..."

Fri, 26 Jul 2013 12:48:12 -0700

“You need people around you that you can trust to say “that’s a shit idea". Every McCartney needs a Lennon.”

- — World-famous advertising creative Sir John Hegarty on how to be and stay creative. (via fastcompany)

Photo

Wed, 17 Jul 2013 14:18:56 -0700

Why you should move that button 3px to the left

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 14:48:15 -0700

Why you should move that button 3px to the left:

parislemon:

Braden Kowitz on the importance of the details in design:

There’s a curious brain hack at work here. Our minds are deeply tied to emotional states. Being frustrated or happy changes the way we approach problems. I have certainly been in a bad mood, gotten confused by a product, and found myself repeatedly smashing a button to no effect. In my frustration, I try the same thing, justharder. But it doesn’t help me accomplish my goal.

When we’re happy, using an interface feels like play. The world looks like a puzzle, not a battle. So when we get confused, we’re more likely to explore and find other paths to success. There’s a whole book on this topic: Emotional Design by Don Norman. But here’s the important bit: Getting design details right can create positive emotional states that actually make products easier to use.

timeshaiku: A haiku from the article: Beyond Profit: A Talk...

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 14:47:56 -0700

timeshaiku:

A haiku from the article: Beyond Profit: A Talk With Muhammad Yunus

"It pays off in your life when you’re in an elevator and people are uncomfortable. You can just say,..."

Wed, 28 Nov 2012 15:42:04 -0800

“It pays off in your life when you’re in an elevator and people are uncomfortable. You can just say, “That’s a beautiful scarf.” It’s just thinking about making someone else feel comfortable. You don’t worry about yourself, because we’re vibrating together. If I can make yours just a little bit groovier, it’ll affect me. It comes back, somehow.”

- Bill Murray, Star of ‘Hyde Park on Hudson’ - NYTimes.com (via rickwebb)

"The goal of a marketing interaction isn’t to close the sale, any more than the goal of a first..."

Thu, 22 Nov 2012 10:09:25 -0800

“The goal of a marketing interaction isn’t to close the sale, any more than the goal of a first date is to get married. No, the opportunity is to move forward, to earn attention and trust and curiosity and conversation.”

- Seth’s Blog: Free coffee, next exit

Things startups do and don't need

Thu, 04 Oct 2012 14:23:33 -0700

Things startups do and don't need:

Things startups do need

Sunny office

Windows that open

Democratically controlled music system

Two forms of internet access

Beer on fridays

EVDO cards

Video game system

Good coffee maker

Proximity to public transportation

Proximity to park

Heating that goes all night

Health care plans…

Buy good things.

Tue, 28 Aug 2012 22:29:51 -0700

Buy good things.

"Pay attention to the fact that all the links you click on Twitter, on Facebook, on Pinterest, all..."

Tue, 14 Aug 2012 18:09:16 -0700

“Pay attention to the fact that all the links you click on Twitter, on Facebook, on Pinterest, all take you to out of the simple flow of those apps and into a jarring, cluttered experience where the most appealing option is the back button. Stop being one of those dead-end experiences and start being more like what users have repeatedly demonstrated they prefer.”

- Stop Publishing Web Pages - Anil Dash

Exactly –> Seth’s Blog: The circles of marketing

Wed, 25 Jul 2012 11:03:11 -0700

Exactly –> Seth’s Blog: The circles of marketing

"If it excites you and scares the crap out of you at the same time, it probably means you should do..."

Sun, 15 Jul 2012 21:26:15 -0700

“If it excites you and scares the crap out of you at the same time, it probably means you should do it.”

- Jack Cheng

"secrets about human behavior, which provide insights into the way people act even though they can’t..."

Tue, 26 Jun 2012 12:47:50 -0700

“secrets about human behavior, which provide insights into the way people act even though they can’t tell you why, are levers for creating user habits and competitive advantage”

- The Next Secrets Of The Web | TechCrunch

Periodic Table of Social Media

Wed, 20 Jun 2012 13:05:00 -0700

Periodic Table of Social Media:

Paul Adams explains What People Share (on Facebook)

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 23:13:54 -0700

Paul Adams explains What People Share (on Facebook)

“To improve is to change. To be perfect is to change...

Sun, 17 Jun 2012 13:49:10 -0700

“To improve is to change. To be perfect is to change often.” - Sir Winston Churchill

The 25-year Anniversary of the GIF

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 13:45:27 -0700

The 25-year Anniversary of the GIF:

The Social Software Inflection Point

Mon, 11 Jun 2012 10:19:00 -0700

Paraphrasing Zuck in this video of his talk at Startup School 2011:

In five years people won’t remember Facebook for the site itself. They’ll remember it for all the apps and services that were built on top of it. The last five years were about getting people connected, now the question becomes, what are all the things you can build now that you have all these connections in place?

He compares CD-ROM software (think AOL, MS Office, Quicken) with internet software (think Google, Mint, 37signals) in the 90’s/early 00’s. There was a point where people were selling both, and if you were going to create something new, you had to choose — old way or new way. Eventually there was a tipping point, and it became a no-brainer to make internet software.

We’re a that tipping point with social software – software that is “social by design,” that uses social graph data and connections fuel the experience. You can choose to not to build on top of the social graph, and just build internet software, but doing so will increasingly be a losing strategy.

Ex: Internet Software = traditional ecommerce, Social Software = The Fancy & Pinterest
Ex: Internet Software = flickr, Social Software = Facebook Photos & Instagram
Ex: Internet Software = addictinggames.com, Social Software = Farmville and Draw Something

The Unlived Life

Thu, 07 Jun 2012 08:17:43 -0700

Earlier this week I read The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. The book is full of motivating words and useful tips for overcoming procrastination (or more accurately, overcoming the cause of procrastination, which is something Pressfield calls the Resistance).

One statement really stuck with me:

Most of us live two lives. The life we live, and the unlived life within us. Between the two stands Resistance.

Procrastination (the Resistance) has a bigger effect than causing us to wait to the last minute to do something. It literally prevents us from becoming the people we’re supposed to be.

This thought really inspired me to dig deep within myself to overcome my own Resistance. It’s so important to become the your authentic self, to find and be the person you were meant to be, to live your unlived life.

It’s less about finding success, or achieving a goal. It’s about sitting down and doing “your work” every single day, because that’s what you were put on this earth to do, because that’s what makes you human, and that’s what feeds you. Because if you don’t do it, deep down you will always feel miserable, and the misery will bleed into every part of your life.

The message: Don’t be afraid. Don’t give in and don’t give up. Just get to it.

"Your ability to learn faster than your competition is your only sustainable competitive advantage."

Wed, 06 Jun 2012 16:45:52 -0700

“Your ability to learn faster than your competition is your only sustainable competitive advantage.”

-

- Arie de Geus

"The fact is that yesterday’s approach to business, marketing and communications are simply not..."

Tue, 05 Jun 2012 23:00:40 -0700

“The fact is that yesterday’s approach to business, marketing and communications are simply not enough for a digitally disrupted world. The future won’t be easy on those who simply strive to build a better mouse trap.”

- Mary Meeker’s 2012 Trends Take-Away: Get Ready to Re-Imagine Business - Forbes