leftsider

Overwhelm

2010-03-05T18:47:50Z

/found here

Wonderful Shadows

2010-03-04T04:13:16Z

The playful work of Kumi Yamashita

Small Living: Sliding Apartment

2010-03-04T03:56:26Z

Architect Gary Chang has lived in the same 32 square meter apartment since he was 14 years old, over 30 years ago.

link

The Secret to Luck

2010-02-28T20:35:40Z

Be lucky - it’s an easy skill to learn says Richard Wiseman. It would seem luck is not as lucky as it seems.

/found via @Mr_Darling and @stuyparker (among others)

Best Animated Gif EVER

2010-02-26T20:58:00Z

They entitled it “Best Animated Gif Ever 2,” but there’s no question in my mind this one is not only superior but unmatched.

/found here. Oh how great it is. :D

Starting off on the wrong footer

2010-02-25T21:11:19Z

For those who read this and connect my personal and professional life, you may have noticed that one of the sites I maintain, the Adventist News Network has a new look. Possibly wondered why I didn’t make any sort of big announcement here or on Twitter noting the transition or detailing the process.

The reason, reader, is because I don’t like the site. there’s about 10-15% of me that is bitter because I recommended and started development on a different version. The other 85-90% of me is bitter because the new style, which is nice, took over a year to move from concept to deliverable, and the deliverable was so poorly done…

Getting things up to snuff was hard, but I found reward in the way a few teammates went above and beyond the usual workload to see this thing go live (probably because they were as tired of it as I was). It was the first time I felt a sense of team on a web project in the 18 months I’ve been here, and it felt so good..

ANN’s new design still has a ton of issues, enough that I’m fixing and releasing them en masse like a version release. We’re actually calling it “ANN 2.1” and it will largely be an optimization of code and css. We’ll also push the release more appropriate of an Movable Type-powered site—as a template set.

Rather than risking an visible issue as we “upgrade” the design, I thought it’d be nice to stage the entire site on a developmental server and test things first. Problem is, I didn’t have a server environment that matched precisely; ideally it’d be best to mirror the old site, make the changes, and then point the domain to the improved version. So I asked my IT department for a new virtual server.

They kindly obliged earlier this month, and once I got things squared away with the template set, I set out building the server to specifications. One thing I can say about this job: it has broadened my understanding of server administration and Apache configuration. Playing around in a fresh server, googling solutions, and discovering through error is a great way to learn little things you never realized. I’m officially a terminal man now. :)

With nothing really set up as far as web strategy, design process, or even mac hardware tech support for my department, life has been one big problem after another. But now that I’m nearing the end of the worst of it, I’m finding myself more capable and more confident about the methods and systems I came with. Soon, I’ll be able to push forward with a more visible manner—one that I’ll be proud of.

Haiti a month on

2010-02-25T14:34:26Z

Saying “I told you so” doesn’t make the tremendous drop in Haiti coverage any less depressing. I’m appreciative that there are still many relief efforts and humanitarian aid providers on the scene, yet I cringe at the thought that Haiti was in our prayers only as long as it was before our eyes.

With the torrential storm season fast approaching, and tens of thousands still living outside, I fear the worst is not yet over for this impoverished nation.

Link from The Economist

What Makes Cities Happy

2010-02-24T22:31:13Z

I’m happy that my metropolitan area made second place in the level of well-bing US cities (cited in the article), but it is more interesting to see the correlation between specific things and feelings of well-being. For a measure of clarity (especially for those unaccustomed to looking at charts of this type) it would have been nice to see a few areas that were considered (or discovered) to be non-essential to metropolitan well being.

All together very interesting.

The Most Sinful Nation on Earth

2010-02-24T02:56:45Z

BBC Focus Magazine apparently conducted a (relatively flimsy) research assignment which measured countries according to the presence of a modern variant of the seven deadly sins. The article is no longer available, but the image tells you all you need to know.

/found here

Why Are You So Terribly Disappointing?

2010-02-23T23:55:07Z

If he hadn’t gone overboard on the paragraphs of mock whining, this would echo my recent feelings very well.

In Pursuit of Happiness and a Pleasant Meal

2010-02-15T00:33:44Z

Leftsider tweeted, “At Original Pancake House with James and Nerise. Apparently, Aussies eat pancakes with ice cream and maple syrup! http://yfrog.com/3lycxmj”

Not only do they regularly eat pancakes with ice cream, they do so regularly at a place around Sydney called Pancakes on the Rocks. Additionally, they consider this “a very American thing to do.” Fru and I watched in amazement as Nerise poured a polite amount of maple syrup over her special plate.

The plate was only partially special because of its unusualness—the waitress told us of a regular customer that was fond of ice cream on pancakes. What made this plate special was it was the last dish on the table—and when we looked into its absence we discovered that a member of the kitchen staff had run to a nearby grocery to fulfill our order.

When the waitress heard us mention the oddity of ice cream on pancakes and shared her experience of other customers, she also saw the slight disappointment in Nerise’s face that this was not to be expected. So she took extra initiative to make her customer happy. In fact, she praised James’ choice of the nutella pancakes (her fav), got Nerise exactly what she wanted, accepted my credit card and brought back my receipt (this is a place that is strictly “pay as you exit”) and wished us all a happy Valentine’s Day with a smile.

Customer service is about making people happy, as much as is eating waffles and pancakes at Sunday brunch. Growing up, pancakes were homemade Sunday food, and waffles were a rare occasion—generally where we found ourselves 20 miles away from home and my dad in a cheerful mood. So in many instances (especially when eating out), the meal is also the pursuit of happiness.

]]> There are a few pancake establishments here on the east, the most famous being, of course, IHOP. It wasn’t until middle school that I recognized the difference between them—and not until high school until I recognized the the southern stand-by that is Waffle House. But for me, apart from the great customer service received today at the location walking distance from my house, the best is and will always be the Original Pancake House. It does it because of the pleasant atmosphere that accompanies the happy-making food.

I have this experience with another food establishment—Silver Diner. I didn’t do diners until after high school, and the one all my friends frequented (and worked at) was SD. The fact that they did such a good job at a warm, clean, pleasant environment was driven home when I went to a more “authentic diner.” I was afraid to pick up the menu, let a lone order from it.

In all these things, there is a battle: the battle between efficiency and luxury. Do you focus on functionality or sensuality? Are we here just to survive or also to enjoy? And do these decisions stop at our personal experience or extend to the experiences we create in others?

Swinging back to today’s experience, today was Nerise’s first day in America; she arrived last night from Australia where she and James live. I imagine it’s nice to be completely catered to while stuffing your face on your idea of an american meal (whose portions are BIG, as you dreamed but didn’t expect).

Even James, who has been here on research since the beginning of the year, was impressed by the service—and happy to see his wife happy on her first day here. He’s been surviving these past two months without struggle, but it’s nice to enjoy a meal with one you love.

And for us: how do we know James? We sat next to him at our church one sabbath and discovered he was staying in our apartment building by himself—subleasing from a friend’s friend, with no mobile phone, no tv and no acquaintances besides the people helping him in the lab. So for the past month or so, every weekend has included James as our special guest; this weekend we were happy to add Nerise as if she was as natural a part of our weekend as James has come to feel.

Because it’s not just customer service: life itself is about the pursuit of happiness—and the pursuit of happiness is predicated upon extending happiness into the life of others. It is unfortunate that businesses have found this for profit purposes before we as a society have found it to our civic benefit.

Taijiquan

2010-02-11T02:45:24Z

Image via Wikipedia

As the snow falls this evening, I’m in my living room moving slowly. I’m slightly perspiring, my hands are in front of me; my weight is entirely on one foot. After a couple minutes, I shift slightly to the other foot and turn gently.

No, I’m not re-enacting The Karate Kid…

…but I am practicing a martial art. For about seven months I’ve been studying a Yang-style of Taijiquan (better known as Tai Chi) at Great River Taoist Center in downtown DC. I really like it, and I thought I’d explain why.

Taiji is a system. Like any system, there are parts—and these parts’ value diminish when taken in isolation. I found this out when I breifly became interested in yoga. Yoga is also a system developed by Hindu practitioners for greater control of the body—meditation’s greatest distraction—not for health or fitness. You will not find this basis in most of the yoga studios you visit. Of all the people who I know who have practiced or are studying, only one have I seen progress into the actual deeper application. Taiji was developed as a fighting style. There are poses or forms, that when given application, can be used in physical engagement(be it fixed routines or free sparring). Thus, practitioners gain mindfulness as well has heath and martial benefits. GRTC is the first place I’ve found of any such kind that presents a full system rather than the more popular (and profitable) packaged parts.
Taiji is slow and laborious. I am not a fast person, and I appreciate taking my time. Everyone wants to be great, but very few care how they become great. People balk at the idea of dedicating extensive time to fully understanding something; it’s much more common to hear “give me the basic points” than “let’s cover each point in detail.” Taijiquan’s famous slow progression through forms is specifically to highlight every point, and to establish the structure that will support (later) fast movement. It also provides room for reflection, while the cyclical practices make review a norm. You will always learn something new, and you can always extend your understanding of even the most basic concepts. Taiji seems to be designed with this in mind (in fact, the center’s director advocates giving a school “about 2 years” to see if its teachings are sound!). In this streaming, always-on, multitasking world, taijiquan brings repose without inactivity. I have no goal to make, no record to beat; only myself to improve—and all the time in the world.
Taijiquan avoids a focus on strength, instead embracing right intent and application. I grew up in a relatively rural, where strong guys abound. But unlike the swollen gym rats that scurry around DC streets, most of these guys are not huge. They know how to correctly apply their strength, and this does not require obscene bulges. Taiji emphasizes proper structure over big muscles—the center’s favorite phrase is “steel wrapped in cotton”—which makes it accessible to all sizes, ages and genders. It also makes note of key areas in application which make less effort work more.

Image via Wikipedia

A New Approach to Twitter

2010-02-05T23:38:33Z

I’ll be changing my usage of twitter. Again.

Every twitter account I’m even remotely intrigued by, I will follow. I am cultivating my own public timeline. I want to expand what I hear from the twitter community from my own valuations (rather than external suggestions or trends)
I will use twitter’s “lists” feature to focus on specific twitterers that, for one reason or another, catch my attention. If anyone from twitter reads this, it’d be a great feature to have the ability to select a “list” as your “home” page. I want to easily cut the noise and receive the signal, making twitter actually useful.
The “reply” feature will be deprecated. If I need to reply to someone, it will be a complete tweet thought that can stand alone; otherwise, I’ll defer to the “direct message” feature. I now think the twitter team had the right idea when they “fixed replies”; without context, replies lose usefulness. Now that I stream my tweets on Leftsider, and Google shows tweets in search results, my tweets are being asked to mature a bit.

As I have pretty much abandoned twitter SMS usage (thanks, iPhone apps!), it no longer is important that I keep my following number low—especially since twitter now allows me to select which tweets to send. A lot of people who were snubbed or axed by my notorious “following 79” rule may find themselves back on board. This, I expect, will also affect my recent follower plateau.

From a few random strangers to practically everyone I meet these days, twitter certainly is a different animal. I’d be interested in knowing how other people are taming the beast.

The Remarkable Accuracy of Drew Brees

2010-01-23T01:24:16Z

I’m not really into these kinds of shows (because I’m always put off by how long they stretch with b-roll and computer graphics a bit of information that could have fit in 1/10th the time) but this is pretty cool. Who knew quarterbacks were so accurate? guess I made the right choice in not trying out that career…

found here)

Understanding Charity from the Crisis in Haiti

2010-01-18T14:10:49Z

Image by United Nations Development Programme via Flickr

One of the more interesting dynamics of humanity lies within the concept of charity. I have three points that should influence our thinking in giving aid to Haiti.

Charity is defined as the voluntary giving of help, but in modern practice there is rarely an offer of assistance without motive or expectation. How many hot meals, for example, would you hand out in your neighborhood if you knew that half the recipients would drop the meal on the ground and spit in your face? Despite the other appreciative half who would benefit, few would endure such disrespect.

It is also worth noting that there are no intrinsic guarantees our charity will be used as anticipated or received at all. From the Korean peninsula to the Middle East region to the African continent we see examples of this.

Finally, it is naive to offer charity without understanding the recipient’s perception of the giver. If your benefactor is also your oppressor, there’s less appreciation. If your angel is in worse straits than you (like when North Korea offered aid to Katrina victims), there may be a devaluation of sincerity.

So what does this all have to do with Haiti? Just as much as it does with your reason for giving. You see stories and pictures of travesty and send money; meanwhile, people in the streets of Port-au-Prince yell, “More doctors, fewer journalists!”

Consider the mix of emotions of a person whose family is lying dead on the street, who sleeps next to them because their house is no longer safe to inhabit. Consider them bathing in the streets in unclean water while you come by with big trucks and cameras. Perhaps you’d understand why they’d say “Put down  the camera and help us.”

Now consider that much of the international aid that is not given by NGOs is offered with considerable requirements—to ensure expectations and political motives are met. This has NOTHING to do with helping people, and is essentially the reason why Haiti as a nation is unable to respond to its own needs. I repeat: Haiti is a result of foreign occupation and oppression by the same people who are providing aid right now.

So when your country has been getting royally violated for the the last 70 years by foreign aid, how would you respond? If you weren’t an effective humanitarian but you knew people who were suffering—dying—what would you do?

/via @jody_kiely

Perhaps new thinking is required. Better yet: new action. And a much better understanding and implementation of charity—and reparation. Starting with our brothers and sisters in Haiti, let history be consulted but not repeated. Let’s think beyond what the pictures show us, and let us encourage and assist those who are seeking to commit their energies to improvement while we throw dollars and criticisms from the comfort of our text messages and tweets.

And by all means, keep giving. Better yet: plan to visit Haiti later this year when the media has found something else to show and the country is till poor, still needing, still suffering (like it was before the quake). Show that your heart is connected to your hands and not just your wallet. And to your brain as well; generate awareness and be active in campaigns to forgive debts Haiti has with IMF, World Bank, IDB and others. These points should define our giving and caring as we look to Haiti