Dwahzon's Village

The power of writing and other things

Sat, 03 Jul 2010 10:14:51 -0500

Roger Ebert (@ebertchicago) retweeted this post on Twitter and I must agree with him.

Okay, this is good, funny, REAL writing: http://bit.ly/d8ygcM "On Breasts, Identity, and Refusing to Hate Ourselves"

Amazing how much power women's bodies have. Roger also pointed out this video:

This is the Bechtel Test that people are always referring to. How many of *your* favorite movies can pass it? http://j.mp/cdsaHD

Bobby McFerrin Demonstrates the Power of the Pentatonic Scale

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 07:39:50 -0500

It's amazing how fast Bobby McFerrin gets the audience to sing an unknown song with no words spoken at the World Science Festival 2009:

Another clever creative

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 11:53:24 -0500

American Airlines wanted to advertise its direct flight from NYC to Sydney, Australia. [via]

Indexed

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 14:07:25 -0500

What one person does with an index card while waiting for the coffee to brew in the morning. Anyone who knows me "knows" that I do not do witty anything while the coffee brews (actually that's while I make my morning latte). It's best just to ignore that you see me in the kitchen unless, of course, you're closely related enough that you give me a kiss on the cheek. As for conversation, not the best time. I don't know how she does it.

Leopard seal feeds photographer

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:30:02 -0500

This is just cool.

Sometimes life is really surprising. [via boing-boing]

Creative Appreciation Break

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 09:39:50 -0500

One of the graphic design / web design people that I keep an eye, Veerle Pieters, on is on Flickr and posted a picture of her contribution to the Traveling Moleskine which is a moleskine (one of several) that was handed off to artists/creative people. Each was told to fill in one or more pages and pass it onto another creative person. At the end of September they're all supposed to be returned to the person who started the project and they're going to have a party and display of all the artwork. In the meantime, some scans of the Traveling Moleskines are up on Flickr.

This one by Sylvie Van Hulle struck me as particularly beautiful and it led me to her blog where she posts her sketches and watercolors along with some notes and commentary. Here's some of her work on Flickr. I think you'll like it.

A creative book intro

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 10:18:33 -0500

Here's an interesting way to introduce a new book -- via Cory Doctorow at Boingboing.

From Jeffrey Carver's website:

"The prologue to my SF novel Sunborn (Tor Books), [is] narrated to an animated video sequence drawn from a slew of NASA images from Hubble, Chandra, etc. In the case of this particular prologue, the astronomical images actually do reflect the story of one Deeaab, explorer from across the brane-boundary. I think it's pretty cool, which is not entirely bragging, as the real video wizardry was done by a fellow named Adam Guzewicz. Created for a local arts festival, I decided to see if it might be an interesting way to introduce a book to new readers."

The book can be downloaded as an ebook from his website or purchased via Amazon or your local bookseller.

How many myths did they bury in 'Milk Medusa gets married'?

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 12:22:05 -0500

Sarah Haskins gets it. Too bad that the advertising - branding types don't. via @randomdeanna

For those who read in bed

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 08:43:31 -0500

If you're a Kindle owner, xkcd has invented what you need for the ultimate read-in-bed-and-fall-asleep experience. Check it out.

Yes 1 or 2 kids can make a difference

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 08:26:34 -0500

Here's a wonderful story about 2 girls who made a huge difference in their community.

Think one or two people can't make a difference? Then you don't know about Amanda Huhman and Libby Burks. The two animal lovers double-handedly rallied an entire community to support a cause they believe in. Because of their efforts, the deteriorating, crammed-full Central Missouri Humane Society won a nationwide shelter-makeover contest Monday worth up to $1 million in cash and services. Did I mention yet that Amanda and Libby are 13 years old? [...] The seventh-graders, who have been volunteer dog-walkers and kitty-cuddlers at the shelter since age 9, got it into their heads in January that their coming-apart-at-the-seams shelter was the perfect candidate for the Zootoo makeover contest they read about in a magazine. They approached the shelter director to get her blessing and then they got to work. The rest, as they say, is history. But that's not to suggest it was easy. By the time the girls had learned about the contest, conducted by Zootoo, an online community of animal lovers, it had already been going on for months. Late-starter CMHS was in 859th place in mid-January.

The article goes on to outline all the girls did and their activities could serve as a guide for any successful community effort.

Is there a chance this could have happened without the efforts of the two girls? "That's a big, fat, absolute no," [shelter director] Forister declares. The two teens were a compelling catalyst who presented a case in ways officialdom couldn't. The girls are "personable and professional," says Forister, and "their enthusiasm was absolutely infectious." [...] Forister regards all that has happened in four short months as an object lesson for parents ... for the world, really. "If a child wants to do something she's passionate about, supporting that effort and watching it bloom can bring unimaginable reward."

Way to go girls. Congratulations to you and to your parents who gave you a terrific foundation of values and support from which to act.

The Secret to Happiness, According to Justice O'Connor

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 11:05:56 -0500

Here's an interesting post by a former law clerk of Justice O'Connor.

Daily Routines

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 09:15:28 -0500

An interesting look at the daily routines of writers, artists and assorted other creatives and charismatic leaders.

Her Morning Elegance

Sat, 21 Mar 2009 09:23:15 -0500

It's delightful.

Her Morning Elegance Directed by: Oren Lavie, Yuval & Merav Nathan Featuring: Shir Shomron Photography: Eyal Landesman Color: Todd Iorio at Resolution © 2009 A Quarter Past Wonderful "Her Morning Elegance" written and produced by Oren Lavie, from the Oren Lavie album The Opposite Side of the Sea © 2009 A Quarter Past Wonderful/Adrenaline under license from Tuition

Thanks Dove

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 14:19:52 -0500

I watched this all the way through 3 times in a row. I thought the digital touchups at the end were most interesting. It should be required viewing for all young American girls.

Cold is beautiful

Sat, 07 Feb 2009 15:32:18 -0500

This photoblog post reminds me of Wisconsin winters. There is beauty and if you're dressed for the weather, you can even stand to be out in it and enjoy it. Though I do have to say that standing outside for 5 hours during cross-country ski races waiting for my kids to come in did stretch the comfort end of it a little.