Author: Paul

Sharing the shiny bits of life since I can remember. I run http://greenergrassmedia.com/.
Posted on

Of pens, pencils and social media

pencils-pen

I’ve always loved pens.

I just met Phil. He gave me a pen. (How cool is that?) He told me about the Levenger Store at Macy’s – a few blocks from the conference I attended over the weekend. Normally Levenger will assemble a small notebook for you to try out their pens on. Sadly, they were out of the paper, so I couldn’t get one. I did test drive a few of their pens. Nice. My budget wouldn’t quite stretch for the one I liked, but I did buy some pencils! My buddy Jon is analogue enough that he likes pencils, so I shared my pack with him.

One of the reasons I enjoy the social media community is that they’re very open-handed and friendly, as evidenced by Phil and Jon. Even though Chris has more than 66,000 followers on Twitter, he greeted me like a long-lost friend. (That was our first time to meet in person, though we have known each other through blogging for almost four years.) Jon, Becky, Sheila, NEENZ and I were good buddies by the end of the conference.

The social media community is a huge contrast to the graphic design community. When I finished college, I started work in Dallas. I went to several professional designers’ meetings. They seemed to be centered around achievement and ego. I never fit in. But the social media community celebrates those with disabilities that some may look down on. How refreshing!

And the pencils and pen are nice.

Takeaway: what are some ways you can be open-handed today?

FacebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmailFacebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmail
Posted on

Grimace mode

grimace

I had to laugh when I saw this little ad. Sony’s new camera has the ability to automatically detect a grimace and then take a photo without any action on your part.

FacebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmailFacebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmail
Posted on

Of bicycles and music

bicycle-music2

My brother Bill and I got seriously into rock music about the same time. I was in junior high and he was in his early high school years. We shared tunes and pushed each other deeper.

Then one weekend I took the bus down to Cambridge from our home in Woburn, Massachusetts with my buddy Bryan. We had begun enjoying racing bicycles, and The Bicycle Exchange was known for its selection of superlight Italian imports. I learned that Campagnolo was not pronounced “cam-pag-no-lo” but rather “cohm-pan-yo-lo”.

So they had deeply intriguing music playing over some warm walnut-veneered speakers. I heard Bach, followed by bluegrass, followed by Jimi Hendrix, followed by reggae. Anything was game. I asked the bearded shop expert the radio station’s name. “WBCN,” he said.

When I got home, WBCN became my staple. I was stretched over and over but learned that music was far richer and deeper than what the mainstream stations played. I still returned to those highways from time to time to get a pop fix. But I was changed forever.

Epilogue: WBCN is now one of those mainstream music outlets. The Bicycle Exchange is still operating, but they outgrew their little shop at 3 Bow Street. They’re now at 2067 Mass Ave. And my brother and I still share music.

FacebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmailFacebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmail
Posted on

Wrapper beauty

fruit-wrapper

My sister in Belgium sent me this peach wrapper. The peach came from Italy, and the woman on the wrapper may have also. In any case, I think it’s an appealing wrapper. I had to share it with you!

FacebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmailFacebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmail
Posted on

The Noticer: Book Review

noticer

The Noticer is unique: a self-help book under cover as fiction.

The story: Jones is an old man who gives advice to people. Amazingly, everyone is very open to his advice. (One or two may have balked at first.) All his advice works.

Therein we have the “suspension of disbelief” problem. I don’t balk that his advice is good, but I balk at how easily everyone accepted it. I also had a problem with how every struggle that the characters faced was wrapped up so neatly. It’s a stretch in some books to see one difficult struggle neatly solved, but thirty or fourty?

And there is a lot of advice packed into just 156 pages. Maybe that’s a good thing. I get really tired of long explanations for what should be a simple concept.

So, there is my negative reactions.

Positive? It was a very quick read. Jones had a lot of good advice. (One that was new to me that I’ll pull out at some point is for couples dating seriously – Ask your friends if they like your partner! They know you better than she or he does. And they probably aren’t infatuated with your partner like you are. That could prevent a lot of problems down the road.)

Should you buy and read the book? I dunno. Hopefully I have given you enough advice for you to make a decision.

FacebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmailFacebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmail
Posted on

Back on Alltop

kick-bass

Dunno if you’ve checked out Alltop. (You have to go to the very bottom to see me.) It’s a great portal that Guy Kawasaki started.

Well, I just found out yesterday that I’m back in their “Life” section. Surf around and find lots of interesting stuff! (There’s more than just life.)

FacebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmailFacebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmail
Posted on

National Geographic and Value

natl-geo

Many people save their National Geographic magazines. They used to be that the only magazines you’d see at Goodwill stores. What made them have such a place of honor? (I say that tongue-in-cheek, but it is an indication of their value.)

The photos have always been excellent. The writing is educational and yet interesting. The articles open the world to those who can’t travel to far-flung places. The advertising is minimal and done with taste.

Takeaway: Are there any ways you can make your creations something people will want to keep?

FacebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmailFacebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmail