Cameron Moll's Blog, page 35
January 13, 2011
Turning Adversity to Advantage
The Dalai Lama:
Murder, scandal, and deceit all have their origin in disturbing emotions.
This inevitably gives rise to the question — can we train the mind? There are many methods by which to do this. Among these, in the Buddhist tradition, is a special instruction called mind training, which focuses on cultivating concern for others and turning adversity to advantage. It is this pattern of thought, transforming problems into happiness that has enabled the Tibetan people to maintain their dignity and spirit in the face of great difficulties. Indeed I have found this advice of great practical benefit in my own life.
January 11, 2011
How Nike's Visual Tricks Made Oregon Look Fast
Ah ha, so at least there was some strategic thinking behind Oregon's brightly colored socks in last night's game:
'Oregon is one of the fastest teams in the nation, and we wanted them to look fast,' Todd Van Horn, Nike's top football uniform designer, tells us…. Visually, the colorway of the uniforms is meant to bring your eyes to the fastest moving parts of the player's bodies — the hands, and in particular the shins, which move twice as fast as the thighs do while running. The bright yellow socks, which blended seamlessly into the cleats, drew attention to that fact.
Despite the visual trickery, Oregon lost 19-22 to Auburn in an excellent match that was decided only in the final seconds. Congrats to both teams — and to all of college football — for an exciting 2010 season. (And say what you will about the socks, but I thought Oregon's helmets looked fantastic.)
The Shepard Tone, a "Sonic Barber's Pole"
Wikipedia:
The auditory illusion of a tone that continually ascends or descends in pitch, yet which ultimately seems to get no higher or lower. It has been described as a 'sonic barber's pole'.
Click the embedded audio sample. It's a pretty wild acoustic trick that I'd not heard of until today.
/via @H_FJ
Backyard Office by Deeds Design
Earlier today a former colleague tweeted he's beginning the build for a backyard office. I've contemplated doing the same before, and I finally have a home with a enough yard to make it a possibility. Coincidentally, I just stumbled on the above-linked slideshow showing the backyard office of architect Sarah Deeds. It's absolutely stunning. I'm convinced to give a serious look at building my own.
TUAW: Verizon iPhone News
TUAW (The Unofficial Apple Weblog) has some good coverage of today's Verizon iPhone announcement and related stories — the mobile hotspot feature for up to 5 devices, why it won't handle data and voice simultaneously, subtle changes to the antenna and button placement, and (linked from the last article) why some existing cases won't fit the new Verizon iPhone.
HTML5 Mania
A gallery of sites using HTML5.
For Sale: Mid-Century Home from "Ferris Bueller's Day Off"
Designed by architects A. James Speyer and David Haid. 5,300 square feet of cantilevered steel-and-glass living space on a one-acre lot. Pretty reasonable at $1.65 million, if you ask me.
BrickCase for iPhone
This $20 case makes your iPhone compatible with LEGO and similar brick building systems. Stupendous. As if kids didn't already have enough reasons to ask for mom/dad's phone. (Also available in white and clear.)
/via Daring Fireball
January 10, 2011
TED: Your Brain on Improv
An enjoyable 17-minute presentation by surgeon, musician, and researcher Charles Limb. Wondering how the brain works during musical improvisation, he put jazz musicians and rappers in an fMRI scanner to find out. The talk is just as much about the nature of creativity as it is about the research results.
"The Danger is Not Distraction, It's the Ability to Hide"
Seth Godin:
I've become a big fan of tools like Freedom, which effortlessly permit you to turn off the noise. An hour after you haven't kept up with the world, you may or may not have work product to show as a result. If you don't, you've just called your bluff, haven't you? And if you do, then you've discovered how powerful confronting the fear (by turning off the noise) can be.
Ten years ago, no one was lost in this world. You had to play dungeons and dragons in a storm pipe to do that. Now there are millions and millions of us busy polishing our connections, reaching out, reacting, responding and hiding. What happens to your productivity (and your fear) when you turn it off for a while?
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