A while back I created an invitation for Maria's birthday party. Inspired by a birthday card created by the incredibly talented Ben Schlitter, I wanted to add a personal touch to the invitations. I wanted something beyond the usual hand-lettering which let people know an invitation was hand-made, but didn't want it to look too amateurish. Granted, this invitation was technically computer-made, but you know what I mean. With a Mexican theme to the party, I went to work.
Read more...
It's the Year of MMIX, and you need to be making a mix. We've already talked about this. I don't just want say you need to make a mix, but I've now spun up the first disc to get this party started… or jam session. It's just shy of six months since I created the previous G2 album, but I'm back with another. Breaking from the norm, this album has less to do with my love for my wife, but more to do with a theme of music. I really aimed for music one could just chill out, lounge around, put this album on, sip a drink, enjoy some conversation and good company… and be perfect. Additionally, it'd be something that I think I could play if/when Maria and I sit out on the deck in the evenings together.
Read more...
You need to make a mix. It's that simple. I've wasted four whole months of one of the best years for the next thousand years. While looking at the artwork for (one of my recently linked-to items) Ben Folds Presents: University a Cappaella! I noticed the roman numerals for 2009 are MMIX. It struck me… The Year of the MMix. Your elementary school brain may have suppressed roman numerals along with other bad memories, but this isn't the year to let that get you down. I just can't let this year go by (nor the mention of school) – I'm giving you homework.
When's the last time you made a mix? Seriously. I'm not talking about firing up iTunes and letting it make you a playlist via iTunes DJ or Genius. I'm talking about a heartfelt “This song actually means something to me/us or I want to share it.” type of mix. Whenever it was, it's time to make another one. Honestly now. Don't think I'm just bringing this up once. I'll be harping on this for the rest of the year.
You're 20-something? 30-something? 40-something? 50-something? 60-something? I don't care. It's time. It's time to take advantage of the MMix year. Find a theme, start picking out songs, keep it to CD-length, burn a disc, print a track list, and for extra credit, give it to somebody. Here are some ideas for you:
- The Soundtrack of Your Life – Very few of you were actually reading my site over four years ago when I posted this. I can't give a higher recommendation for a musical activity than this one. It really is very cool to make.
- G2 mixes – More of you may have read my exhaustive documentation about these mixes which I continue to make for Maria. You probably shouldn't make a mix for her, but you could make one for somebody else in your life. I could almost guarantee you they would appreciate it.
- Other themes – I just started making another mix just last week (right before this revelation hit me). I'm aiming for more low-key songs—one might even say chill-out music. It's gonna be slick.
You could do any of these (or all of these), or something totally different. The point here is to make a mix this year. I'd LOVE to hear back from you on this. Post a comment here. Put the track list here if you don't want to post it somewhere else. Get your friends to make a mix this year.
Making mixes isn't just for teenagers and bloggers still in love with their spouse.
You didn't even need to ask. I could just tell by the way you looked at my site that you wanted more material from me. Sure, my kids are awesome, my wife is amazing, and you love reading my entries about other topics, but what you really want are links to other sites, so you don't have to read my original material. I read a number of things on the interweb, both through feeds as well as random surfing. I like to keep track of some of that stuff – stuff that is either of interest to me, or which I think others might enjoy (or both).
Previously, I used a service called ma.gnolia to keep track this stuff. Unfortunately, ma.gnolia went down in a flaming fire (they suffered massive data loss and nobody was keeping backups (me included)). Instead of using another third party, I decided to let Movable Type's awesomenessocity track my awesome links, right here on this site.
You may like the material, you may not. Subscribe to the feed and see what you think of it. The title leads you to the material, and you can see my own comments and sources where applicable. Additionally, I've incorporated the links into the site, and you may notice some changes as I work to further accomplish that. (P.S. Thanks to Andy Baio for answering some question about how his links work)
Currently the headline here reads “Polar bear attacks woman at Berlin Zoo” but let's take a look at the very first paragraph…
A polar bear attacked a woman at Berlin Zoo Friday afternoon after she climbed a fence and jumped into its habitat during feeding time…
The woman did what? The bears are actively feeding, and the woman climbs a fence then jumps into their habitat, and we're blaming the polar bears for attacking her? Pay no attention to the pure stupidity of the woman, and her brave attempts to remove her genes from the gene pool… let's focus on the bears and the crazy ways they follow their animal instincts.