Talent Imitates, Genius Steals: Four Chapters on Being Creative in the Digital Age from edward boches
Making Sense: important questions
- On paying for promotion. Gina Trapani: This week, my company ThinkUp sponsored Daring Fireball. That means we paid John Gruber good bit of money, and in return we got a post about ThinkUp on Daring Fireball on Sunday night and we’ll also get a link to ThinkUp on DF on Friday. I was dubious about doing this. It was a costly investment for a small company that’s running lean. Like Gruber, I ran a high-profile tech blog for years. When I saw a cool app, I wrote about it, because it was my job. I’ve always thought that ThinkUp will get the attention it deserves for free, because it’s worthy. Because it’s an app I would’ve written about. That hasn’t turned out to be true. ThinkUp is a good product that almost no big outlet has covered (except for my alma mater). I’ve thought a lot about why this is, and there are a few reasons I can see.
- Comedian John Oliver Has Actually Produced Investigative Journalism. Talking Point Memo (via): He took some shots at Donald Trump, who owns a competing pageant. Then he zeroed in on the Miss America organization's claim of making $45 million in scholarship money available to young women each year. "Forty-five million," Oliver said. "That is an unbelievable amount of money. As in, I literally did not believe that."
Making do: applicability
- The iPhone 6 - A Practical Review. Cap Watkins: Okay let’s do this. It’s enormous. I don’t care who says you’ll “get used to it,” you’ll never be able to reach to the top left and right of the screen unless you’re a professional NBA player. It feels like they made the 6+ to be for-sure-two-handed, but the 6 feels like a tease. The link, back button, etc. are right there within your grasp. But not quite.
- The art of rejection: How to win respect at work by saying ‘no’ more often. TNW: when holding a meeting, McKeown advises: “ask what is its one key purpose—the one thing you want to have happen as a result. If there isn’t one, then don’t have the meeting. And if there is, then fight for that one thing in the meeting. And when you have got it, end the meeting.”
Making it: mindset
- Innovation Thoughts Triggered by Marshall McLuhan. Tim Kastelle: It is the framework that changes with new technology, and not just the picture within the frame. [...] This is a critical innovation issue. All of that ground that we’re taking for granted gives us great opportunities to innovate. If we change one of the things that everyone just accepts as “the way it is,” then we can change the world.
- Some Thoughts on “Privilege.” Brain Pickings: Marcus Aurelius was born into a prominent family and became Emperor of Rome. Today, he is celebrated as one of the most influential philosophers of the ages. Incidentally, he was a pupil of Epictetus and was profoundly influenced by his teacher’s ideas. Epictetus was born a slave.
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