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Design Is How It Works – Jay Greene
Case study book of companies (Porsche, Nike, Lego, Oxo, REI, Clif Bar Virgin and Ace Hotels) that excel due to attention to design. Great because methods can contradict from one to the next. Insightful and enjoyable read.
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The Stranger – Albert Camus
Quick read that you can pull meaning from as much thought as you want to put into it. I enjoyed it but should return to read it again later to pull more meaning from it.
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Sacred Hoops – Phil Jackson
A peak into Phil Jackson’s famous zen master outlook on life and glimpse into one of greatest teams in sports history.
Grab your own copy.… Read the rest
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Crossfire – Dick Francis
Fictional mystery of blackmail taking place to a race horse owner. I tend not to read fiction but may need to check out more of his work.
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The Wizard of Menlo Park – Randall Stross
Bio highlighting Edison’s life that revealed he easily could have been much more successful due to his shortcomings in business.
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A Man Without a Country – Kurt Vonnegut
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I’m a Stranger Here Myself – Bill Bryson
Series of short humerous chapters on Bill reuniting with America after living in Britain for two decades and relearning the culture.
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Eating the Dinosaur – Chuck Klosterman
I was thankful to learn this wasn’t a useless cookbook but actually a collection of culture observances. Highlights include a compare/contrast of Nirvana’s In Utero album with David Koresh’s Waco tragedy. Fascinating insights on time travel, laugh tracks and the evolution of football plays contained throughout.
Check out your own copy.… Read the rest
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Evolution of God – Robert Wright
Fascinating read on the history of the three Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) and their evolution. Wright finds the fact that God has evolved with man as proof of his existence.
Pick it up yourself.… Read the rest
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Pavements to Somewhere – Alex Bonus
“I could decide to never run again — to never put on another pair of running shoes or step onto another trail. I could call it quits and never look back.”
Great piece on an athlete questioning their love of the sport. Read the full thing here.… Read the rest
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Nonstop Dubstep Dancer
The muscle control of this dancer named Nonstop amazes me. I can’t imagine how many hours he has spent training to be able to perform like this.
Check out his video below.
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The Walking Dead – Robert Kirkman
Comic book series about zombies. Excellent storytelling and characters, less about zombies and more about living in such world. Books 1-4 I highly recommend, I read 5 and 6 but at that point the series seemed to fall off.
Start with book 1 here.… Read the rest
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Griftopia – Matt Taibbi
Latest book from regular Rolling Stone contributor that lays out what happens when big banks are so closely tied in with the White House and politics and when long term solutions are made for short term problems. Chicago has trouble meeting it’s budget for the next two years? Sell the cities parking meters to a middle east company for 75 years. Anyone curious in the last decades slide should read and be depressed for the future.
Grab yours here.… Read the rest
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On Writing – Stephen King
Stephen King explaining his thoughts on writing and the creative process in general. An excellent read I recommend to anyone interested wanting to learn their craft better. Also comes with insightful life lessons from his healing process after being hit by a car during the making of this book.
Grab your copy here.… Read the rest
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The Hot Zone – Richard Preston
I realize most read this in the 90′s but I was too busy then reading what the schools told me to, not what would make me afraid to travel into any exotic location ever again for fear of rooting up a disease that can quickly wipe out the globe through the process of liquifying one’s insides. Great read and scary that it was ever present on our land.
Grab your copy here.… Read the rest
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Dubya and Me – Walt Harrington
Great essay on George W Bush by someone who’s known him for over two decades. The man reads a ton.
Learn more about W yourself here.… Read the rest
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Jay-Z & Kanye – Otis
Do these guys know how to have fun or what? Video features two of my favorite tools, a sawzall and a concrete saw. All to be used on a Maybach. Awesomeness ensues.
Watch it below. And grab a copy of their new album here. So good.
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American Junkie – Tom Hansen
Seattle heroin user/dealer’s autobiography. He seems to have lived through the movie Requiem for a Dream. I’m always fascinated by how people push the body to it’s limits. I prefer athletic pursuits of abuse but hearing what his body survived is also incredible and difficult to read in parts. While I read the book I enjoyed looking up on youtube some of the old bands he had been in and Nirvana video from a day he talks about Kurt Cobain.
Grab a copy here.… Read the rest
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Dear American Airlines – Jonathan Miles
Funny life reflection told via a rant letter to an airline after having a connecting flight cancelled to be at his daughter’s wedding. Favorite early moment is wanting to replace the beep of passengers carts with more relaxing bird songs so he can be “run down by a twelve-foot sparrow.” Also liked “Insert your favorite cursewords here. Make sure they’re your favorites because they’re all for you.”
Pick up your copy here.… Read the rest
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Onward – Howard Schultz
Starbucks ceo on how he took control of his company again and returned to their roots to achieve great success. I’ve only been in a couple times to Starbucks but have always admired the company. This book gave me more reasons to.
Grab your own copy here.… Read the rest
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American Gods – Neil Gaiman
I tend to stay away from fiction but after a friend recommended this (granted seven years ago) knew I should check it out. Glad I did, quite enjoyed it although there were so many great characters I felt the book could have been twice as long. Story is basically about what constitutes god in our culture today but is told through a wild road trip with a battle of gods from the past and gods of today (like tv).
Recommend checking out before the tv series is made. Grab a copy here.
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Zeitoun – Dave Eggars
Wow. Zeitoun is the true story of man who stayed in New Orleans for Katrina while his family fled. He helped save a few lives in the days after before being pulled from his own house by an armed team with no explanation and put into a prison in a Greyhound station. Where he stayed with no explanation or phone call. His wife assumed he was dead. He eventually realized they believed him to be Al Qaeda. After months he was convicted of looting his own home. I could barely put down this eye-opening story of the storm aftermath.
Get … Read the rest
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Maus – Art Spiegelman
Pulitzer prize winning graphic novel about the author’s parent’s life during the Holocaust. The story is told through interviews with his father as he explains how cleverness and a great deal of luck led to their survival. Really an astounding read, should be a school textbook.
Grab your copy here.… Read the rest
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Zen of Listening – Rebecca Shafir
Subtitle reads “Mindful Communication in the Age of Distraction” and I’d say that sums the book up well. Covers thoughts on paying attention better, basically putting yourself in other’s shoes.
Grab yours here.… Read the rest
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The Fighter
Not only a great boxing movie but a great movie about obligations to a turbulent family. Based on a true story which only makes it more powerful and remarkable. Even frustrating at times with how dedicated he is to a family that is bringing him down. Highly recommend watching.
Get your own copy here.… Read the rest
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Flags of Our Fathers – James Bradley
This book was recommended to me at Thanksgiving ten years ago. I finally read it and was left with a deeper respect of all who have served. The book is great because rather than just learning about Iwo Jima I also learned about the lives of soldiers before and after and how being in that famous photograph affected them. I can’t fathom what they experienced on that island. Unfortunately the person who recommended it is no longer with us but I would love to thank him.
Highly recommend picking this up to read.… Read the rest
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A Walk in the Woods – Bill Bryson
Funny read about the author, an average middle age man attempting to take on the Appalachian Trail. His banter in a store learning expensive backpacks need straps and waterproof covers was just the start of a great book.
Pick up your own copy here.… Read the rest
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Black Swan
It’s crucial to know going into this it’s a Darren Aronofsky film. I love his stuff and his ability to capture/create raw emotions. Requiem for a Dream? It made me want to curl into a fetal position and die. Great film. This has a similar effect. Obsession with perfection that is difficult to watch at points. If you like his other stuff or thinking/arty films highly recommend. If you don’t you’ll hate this.
Grab it here.… Read the rest
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Good To Great, Built To Last – Jim Collins
Two books written by Jim Collins compiling his research of successful companies. Good to Great examines how average businesses made their breakthrough while Built to Last gives insight in maintaining that success for decades. Useful even if your business is just yourself.
Grab Good to Great and Built to Last yourself.… Read the rest
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Cinemagraphs — Jamie
Beautiful animated gifs from a New York girl named Jamie. I love the subtle caught moments, a slight breeze, taxi passing in a window reflection. Be sure to visit her site to get a full feel. Be prepared to stay for hours caught in a gaze.Check out Jamie’s website here.… Read the rest
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Rolling Through the Bay – Scott Weaver
Incredible kinetic sculpture Scott Weaver made out of 100,000 toothpicks over the course of 35 years. Ping pong balls get a quick tour of San Francisco.
Be sure to watch him explain it in the video below.
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Amazing Japanese Ad
I was surprised when I found this ad wasn’t for gravity. Pretty slick.
Watch it below.