Stumbled Upon: The Most Beautiful and Famous Trees on Earth

Trees are calming...and for me remind me of reflection.

Check out the pictures here.

Cherry Blossom: Sakura Tokyo via Green-Landscape.com

Random: Arnold Schwarzenegger Soundboard

Sometimes we just need some random fun.

Do you need an Arnold quote? Do you want to reference his favorite lines with a simple click?

Check out the Arnold Soundboard

Video: Learn More About That Song That Always Plays During Fireworks

Being curious is important.

Photo: Daily Job Moods

Enough said.

Something to Ponder by George Carlin

SOMETHING TO PONDER by George Carlin

George Carlin's wife died early in 2008 and George followed her, dying in July 2008. It is ironic George Carlin - comedian of the 70's and 80's - could write something so very eloquent and so very appropriate. An observation by George Carlin:

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness. 

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom. 

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things. 

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less. 

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete. 

Remember to spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.

Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side. 

Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.

Remember, to say, 'I love you' to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you. 

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.

Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

And always remember, life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by those moments that take our breath away.

George Carlin

Random: 23 Insane Things You Should Know About Snack Foods

Check out this Random Article: 23 Insane Things You Should Know About Snack Foods

As the article explains "Chips and soda are addictive, and it's not by accident. Here's a taste of what investigative reporter Michael Moss uncovered in Salt, Sugar, Fat, an eye-opening book about America's food industry."

A few excerpts  "Studies show that salt is addictive in some of the same ways as cigarettes or hard drugs, and food companies pack it into their products in astonishing amounts."

Or "20. Cheez Whiz does not list cheese as an ingredient."

For the full story, buy a copy of Michael Moss's new book. You can also find an excerpt that was recently published in the New York Times Magazine.

Great Article: Your 2013 April Fool’s Day Prank Spoiler

Check out even more April Fool's day pranks here at Life Hacker's "Your 2013 April Fool’s Day Prank Spoiler"

Random: How to Use a Gamepad for Any iOS Game (Not Just Emulators)

If you like video games I recommend checking out: "How to Use a Gamepad for Any iOS Game (Not Just Emulators)"

As the article explains:
"The iPhone and iPad are fantastic gaming devices, but unfortunately a lot of games still try to emulate gamepads with onscreen buttons on the touch screen and it just doesn't work that well. Thankfully, a jailbreak app called Blutrol lets you turn a handful of different gamepads into controllers for any game with touchscreen buttons. Here's how to set it up."

Check out the article to learn more.

Random: Why Is One Of The NBA's All-Time Greatest Scorers Working As A Crossing Guard Now?

I enjoy random articles that make you want to read more - that have that great hook I try to impart to all my students.

The article from Deadspin forced me to click and read more with the title "Why Is One Of The NBA's All-Time Greatest Scorers Working As A Crossing Guard Now?"

Check out the article here - I recommend you reading more.

Random: Nine of the Best Ways to Boost Creative Thinking

My favorite number is nine - and I am often struggling to formulate anything resembling creativity. This article provided a nice outline of how to boost the creativity we all have somewhere in us - some have it every where - for others like me it is hiding lost in the purple haze of darkness.

Check out the nine concepts are fully articluated in the article but they are:
1 Restrict Yourself,
2. Re-Conceptualize the Problem,
3. Create Psychological Distance,
4. Daydream...and then Get Back to Work!,
5. Embrace Something Absurd,
6. Separate Work from Consumption,
7. Create During a Powerful Mood,
8. Get Moving,
and 9. Ask "What Might Have Been?"

Random: Pick the Right Color for Design or Decorating with This Color Psychology Chart

I just find colors fascinating and the different emotions they invoke to me seem more individualized - but this chart explains I am wrong.

This quote:
"Mere color, unspoiled by meaning, and unallied with definite form, can speak to the soul in a thousand different ways." Oscar Wilde

And this paragraph summarizing the chart:

"If used effectively color theory is one of the most powerful tools a designer can wield. Colors are a form of non verbal communication that can speak volumes in a fraction of a second. They can instantly set a mood, convey an emotion, invoke a physiological reaction or inspire people to take action. When we harness the right color emotion to help tell a client's story it can have a powerful effect. Below is a list of the PMS colors and their associated moods."

Make this a must visit site.

Everyone knows my color - purple!

Wine: Why We Can’t Tell Good Wine From Bad

I teach about perception - and the power of point of view. This article also ties in a great adult beverage to explain an important point. I recommend checking out "Why We Can’t Tell Good Wine From Bad"

As the article opens:
"The Misconception: Wine is a complicated elixir, full of subtle flavors only an expert can truly distinguish, and experienced tasters are impervious to deception. The Truth: Wine experts and consumers can be fooled by altering their expectations."

The article gives wine experts credit in blind taste tests but explains:

courtesy of LifeHacker

"A wine expert's objectivity and powers of taste under normal circumstance might be amazing, but Brochet's manipulations of the environment misled his subjects enough to dampen their acumen. An expert's own expectation can act like Kryptonite on their superpowers. Expectation, as it turns out, is just as important as raw sensation. The build up to an experience can completely change how you interpret the information reaching your brain from your otherwise objective senses. In psychology, true objectivity is pretty much considered to be impossible. Memories, emotions, conditioning, and all sorts of other mental flotsam taint every new experience you gain."

Random Article: Pixar’s 22 Rules of Storytelling

Check out the post here.

For the 22 Rules of StoryTelling:

"These rules were originally tweeted by Emma Coates, Pixar’s Story Artist.

1. You admire a character for trying more than for their successes.
2. You gotta keep in mind what’s interesting to you as an audience, not what’s fun to do as a writer. They can be very different.
3. Trying for theme is important, but you won’t see what the story is actually about til you’re at the end of it. Now rewrite.
4. Once upon a time there was ___. Every day, ___. One day ___. Because of that, ___. Because of that, ___. Until finally ___.
5. Simplify. Focus. Combine characters. Hop over detours. You’ll feel like you’re losing valuable stuff but it sets you free.
6. What is your character good at, comfortable with? Throw the polar opposite at them. Challenge them. How do they deal?
7. Come up with your ending before you figure out your middle. Seriously. Endings are hard, get yours working up front.
8. Finish your story, let go even if it’s not perfect. In an ideal world you have both, but move on. Do better next time.
9. When you’re stuck, make a list of what WOULDN’T happen next. Lots of times the material to get you unstuck will show up.
10. Pull apart the stories you like. What you like in them is a part of you; you’ve got to recognize it before you can use it.
11. Putting it on paper lets you start fixing it. If it stays in your head, a perfect idea, you’ll never share it with anyone.
12. Discount the 1st thing that comes to mind. And the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th – get the obvious out of the way. Surprise yourself.
13. Give your characters opinions. Passive/malleable might seem likable to you as you write, but it’s poison to the audience.
14. Why must you tell THIS story? What’s the belief burning within you that your story feeds off of? That’s the heart of it.
15. If you were your character, in this situation, how would you feel? Honesty lends credibility to unbelievable situations.
16. What are the stakes? Give us reason to root for the character. What happens if they don’t succeed? Stack the odds against.
17. No work is ever wasted. If it’s not working, let go and move on – it’ll come back around to be useful later.
18. You have to know yourself: the difference between doing your best & fussing. Story is testing, not refining.
19. Coincidences to get characters into trouble are great; coincidences to get them out of it are cheating.
20. Exercise: take the building blocks of a movie you dislike. How d’you rearrange them into what you DO like?
21. You gotta identify with your situation/characters, can’t just write ‘cool’. What would make YOU act that way?
22. What’s the essence of your story? Most economical telling of it? If you know that, you can build out from there."

Random: Some People Really Can Taste The Rainbow

The article explains "Plenty of us got our fill of green-colored food on St. Patrick's Day. (Green beer, anyone?) But for some people, associating taste with color is more than just a once-a-year experience. These people have synesthesia — a neurological condition in which stimulation of one sense (e.g., taste) produces experiences in a totally different sense (e.g., sight). According to researcher Sean Day, approximately one in 27 people has some form of synesthesia."

Check out this article: Some People Really Can Taste The Rainbow

Video: Give Me the Ball

Nike Ad: Give Me the Ball

What does this ad tell you? What does this ad make you think?

Random: Video Butter Vs. Margarine

Check out this Random: Video Butter Vs. Margarine.

My dietary beliefs are explained in this video. Give me natural.

Random: 3 Things Every Developer Needs to Know about Content Management

Looking at the article "3 Things Every Developer Needs to Know about Content Management" the three lessons mentioned are critical to remember. I will paraphrase my take aways.

First, "Design! = Function"; this article states "Why do we lump them together? Because we looove when useful functionality is combined with a beautiful design. If it’s pretty, it’s more likely that people want to use it. We apply this concept to furniture, shoes, clothing…so why not to software?"


Second, "it's about making workflow easier for the users." It is essential to remember technology is supposed to make life easier. This is especially true for educators.

Third, organization is key and determines how the content will be used.

Random: At $113,000 A Year, This Swiss Boarding School Is The Most Expensive Private School In The World

I stumbled across this article and found it quite amazing - "At $113,000 A Year, This Swiss Boarding School Is The Most Expensive Private School In The World"

"Institut Le Rosey, also known as the "School of Kings" for its royal and distinguished alumni, is the most expensive private school in the world, with an annual tuition (including boarding) of $113,000, according to CNBC."

Random: British man becomes first to visit all 201 without using a plane

Random: Top 10 NBA Draft Busts

Great illustration - http://hoopism.com/?p=2186