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“Make yourself into a human optical illusion.” Another inspiring but sad story about the life of a professional YouTuber. Billions of clicks. Millions of fans. Few real friends. Is that the tradeoff we’re all clamoring for? Yikes. “Reality is under no such obligation.” Rushkoff’slatest book discusses the gap between our beloved expectations and life’s actual intentions. As much as we’d like to watch our lives play out like movies, sometimes the…

“Do we want to get rocked to sleep, or do we want to get rocked?” I first fell in love with David Carr when I watched Page One, the documentary about the dying medium of print. In his latest interview, he discusses the future of media and journalism. I am smitten once again.  “I merely float on a tsunami of acceptance of anything life throws at me.” The Edge is the reason the web…

“You can dine here without a dictionary.” Simplicity is eloquence. And delicious. If I owned a pizza joint, this is exactly the kind of review I would want. Too many businesses these days confuse the hell out of their customers in the name of looking cool. “Her male counterparts marveled at the artistry of her cape work.” Obituary for Patricia McCormick, the pioneer of female bullfighting. Possibly the greatest sentence I’ve ever read in…

“A careless whisper in my body.” Pretty sweet line from a pretty dopey flick. Which reminds me, when did everybody become a professional movie critic? Look, if a movie entertained you for two hours and made you feel emotions you wouldn’t have felt otherwise, it was a good movie. It’s not that complicated. “Anything after noon is yesterday’s news.” The guy at the front desk said that to me last night, and…

“How are we to imagine anything if the images are always provided for us?” This question comes from a speech Adrien Brody gives in Detachment. Reminds me how important is to get lost, to wonder and to tap into the analog device known as my imagination. “Humans have this propensity to use new technology to inflate our sense that we are gods.” I am constantly amazed at the way people depend on…

“Summon those innovation juices when you need them.” Hugh Macleod takes us to theedges, where the best ideas happen. That’s a huge part of my job at POKE. Taking clients to places they’re scared to go at first, but once you get there, they’re glad you took them there. “Angels in a human guise, usually unrecognized.” Cool article about singing sacred songs in secular spots. Very trojan horsey. The odds of…

“Can an algorithm iron out the kinks in our existence?” Fascinating article about using smartphones for therapy. As a person who’s tried everything from therapy to meditation to hypnosis to guided imagery, I dig any tool that enhances your repertoire of meaningfulness.  “Creating my own breadcrumb trail so that I don’t get lost.” Picked this one up fromPostSecret. Paints a picture of the simultaneous beauty and terror of getting lost….

“Being in love is one of the only times when life is anything like art.” Having recently gotten engaged, I couldn’t agree more. Thanks to Tim for this gem. “Being religious about how you make your money is the quickest way to go out of business.” Yet another piece of advice that would have done me good about five years ago. From the brain of Gary Vee. “Childhood wishes often reappear…

“Automobiles are tools, not symbols of power and status.” Selling my car was one of the most liberating, joyful, satisfying moments of my life. This video helps explain why. “It’s not about a lot of people loving you from a distance, it’s about a few people loving you up close, and about those people being enough.” Amanda Palmer’s TED talk is inspiring as hell. Wish I could have watched it ten…

“All the bottles I threw into the ocean are coming back.” Not sure where this sentence came from, but it’s a nice window into the excruciating patience of self-employment. “Create a sense of before, during and after.” Fascinating interview with Julia Cameron, one of my writing heroes, on the fear of flying.  “Every little bit of hope you stumble across is real.” In Rob Bell’s audio book, someone asked him to define Christianity in…