Yesterday, we finally launched our latest project. Smithsonian Channel is a new TV network designed to showcase the Smithsonian’s amazing collections and ongoing work. We developed their iPad app to enable people to encounter the Channel in a new way, and drive discovery of new shows. Check it out!
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May
02
Childhood ends the moment you ask someone else to press an elevator button for you, instead of doing it yourself.
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Apr
13
14 hours in Pittsburgh.
iPhone. Black Lincoln. iPad. Airbus 380. Red Explorer. MacBook Pro. PPT. CMU. The studio for creative inquiry. Golan and Suguru. Rain. Black Cadillac. Airbus 380. DirectTV. Lightning Strike. Black Lincoln. Cindy.
Public Life
I am following @TigerWoods. I am twittering (again). More than temporary experiment, I think that being active in social networks supports a new kind of interaction. A valuable level of consciousness, above un-, just past sub-, but not quite full- consciousness. To be aware of what is going on in people’s lives is part of the network effect, but participation allows you subtlety in your ability to become part of people’s lives and feel part of people’s lives. I think that it is a firehose of content that can overwhelm, and its sheer volume fueled my initial reaction to run away. Also, I still don’t really understand how to write for an audience that includes complete strangers, close friends, work colleagues, cousins, and people I haven’t seen in 20 years or more. It is really quite a strange audience to write for. For an obsessive personality like mine, who likes to be aware of everything, this will require a new level of intention. I intend to be somewhat informed, but in a way that does not take away time from all the other things I want to do.
Experience and expectation
Expectation. You want to deliver on it. It can also paralyze you. There are studies that show that kids who were told they were “really smart” perform worse on tests beyond their ability than those told that they were “great workers.” Even kids subconsciously feel that if they don’t get something immediately, they must not be smart, so why bother trying? This phenomenon does not stop with kids, it just starts there.
Where the real paralysis lies is when your own experience is what is telling you that “you are smart.” Your expectations of yourself are so high that rather than fail, you don’t move.
Then inevitably, a crutch will come along, and give you an excuse to move, but the underlying tension is there. How to move past this cycle of tension/re-tension?
Being in the moment tries to release you from the expectations of past experience, while letting you access that experience. Without thinking about sooner or later, you access now.
For me, this is an elusive feeling, but something I intend to actively engage. We’ll see if I can make a change.
Intention vs Outcome
I’m reading my first book on Golf, my most recent obsession. I have been an avid rock climber, and its intense fear factor naturally engages intense focus. This book is not really about technique or swing mechanics, it is about how to engage this kind of focus in golf, which is almost designed to cause you to zone out and lose focus. Unlike other games, there is no one else cheering you on, no constancy of action to keep you engaged, nor are there many opportunities to score (shoot a basket, etc.), and every mistake is counted against you. In fact, by the rules of golf, if you swing at the ball, and completely miss it, even if the ball doesn’t move at all, if you INTENDED to hit it, the stroke counts against you. The game of golf is all in your head, as much as it is in your swing.
This book teaches that every move from the time you open the door to your car to go golfing, from the smile you hold as you make your last putt, you should be be INTENTIONALLY dircting your actions, attitude, body, and mind towards a perfect outcome. However, you should not focus on the OUTCOME, the final score, or other things out of control, but instead on the moment to moment decisions you make, and making a clear delineation between thinking and executing. Every action you execute should have intention, and should LEAD TOWARDS YOUR DESIRED OUTCOME.
Although this was written towards my golf game, the authors do not shy away from stating that this is really a life philosophy. It is the “Promise,” in golf form.
I have already been thinking about how applying this to my decisions at Potion might make me more efficient, rather than chasing every lead, answering every phone call, and doing every event, all of which sap precious attention and energy—of which there is a limited supply, Right now we spend a lot of time doing things we don’t want to do, and why would that be? We should maintain our focus on the things we want to achieve. However, the counterargument is that we may not know exactly where the next opportunity comes from, and shouldn’t we chase every Cheshire Cat and see where they lead?
Every Shot Must Have Purpose
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000OVLIQ0/ref=kinw_myk_ro_title
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Mar
09
It’s been so long since I pulled my last all-nighter. It’s funny how everything slows down. Your judgement changes. Your perception changes. I think that it brings out the best in people. It’s good to do now and again.
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