Posts tagged Culture

Stop capturing moments, start enjoying them

We’ve all no doubt seen the growing trend of everyone using their cameras more and more. Thanks to our smart phones now having pretty amazing cameras inside them, we’re all taking more and more photos. This is a good thing. I love going back through all my photos after an event.

I’ve just returned from Portugal where I attended my brother-in-laws wedding. It was a fabulous beach wedding that was truly amazing. And, since the wedding it has been great to relive the moments thanks to all the photos we took—and the video too.

I love this. I love the ease at which I can show other people our photos and let them have a taste of what I’m experiencing as well. There are so many positives that I can find with this proliferation of photo taking.

But there is a downside I’m noticing more and more too. We are so busy taking photos of all the moments we experience that we’re actually missing the moments themselves. We are so focused on capturing a moment to savour later that we miss out on truly experiencing and enjoying what’s happening whilst it actually happens.

This makes me sad. And I’m as guilty as anyone. I’ve already found myself failing to fully savour moments with my new born baby because I’m so busy trying to capture that first smile on camera to share with others.

I’m not suggesting we do away with our cameras. Far from it. But it is something we should at least think about. So much inspiration is found by fully entering into moments and experiencing them deeply. If we end up totally experiencing life through the lens of our camera we run the risk of missing out on so much of life.

Crave: Calgary

The lads' mag I edited turned a generation on to porn - and now I'm a father I bitterly regret it

I rarely - never?! - link to the Daily Mail but, regardless of your take on government role in policing access to porn, this is an interesting perspective from the former editor of Loaded magazine.

Zadie Smith's writing advice

Zadie Smith, quoted at kottke.org:

When you finish your novel, if money is not a desperate priority, if you do not need to sell it at once or be published that very second — put it in a drawer. For as long as you can manage. A year of more is ideal — but even three months will do. Step away from the vehicle. The secret to editing your work is simple: you need to become its reader instead of its writer.

Great advice for writers.

Starbucks' Power Over Us Is Bigger Than Coffee: It's Personal

Interesting. I’ve not seen the mentioned changes in any UK store yet—and I hope I don’t—but it would bring about a significant shift in how Starbucks is perceived.

Seth Godin's latest book (and gadget) recommendations

I regularly choose reading material from Seth’s book list recommendations. Worth a look.

FREE 8 Week Improv Comedy Foundation Course

My good friends Isaac Randall and Ryan Offutt run an improv comedy group called Monkey Butler (MB Improv). This is part of Vox Sheffield, the not-for-profit organisation I oversee.

And I’m very excited about the latest venture which is to offer a free foundation course for anyone in the South Yorkshire region. Here’s the details from Isaac:

Hi all, some very very very exciting news from MB Improv - we are running an 8 week Improv Foundation Course which starts with 2 taster sessions so that YOU can try it out first!!!!! The even better new is that it is FREE. All the key info is below:

MB Improv Foundation Course - give Improv a Try! FREE!

MB Improv is running an improv comedy foundation course for anyone with absolutely any level of improvising or performing experience (down to zero).

The course includes the following:

Two taster sessions:

  • Tuesday 15th May, 7:00pm - 8:15pm
  • Tuesday, 22nd May, 7:00pm - 8:15pm

Followed by an 8-week foundation course (FREE, with £20 deposit)

Tuesday, 29th May - Tuesday, 24th July, 7:00pm - 8:15pm

All Sessions held at Showroom Cinema, Cinema 5 (15 Paternoster Row, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S1 2BX))

You will learn the foundations of great improvisational comedy.

Activities include:

  • Spontaneity through improvisation – being ‘in the moment’
  • Thinking and acting without knowing what comes next
  • Exercises that boost listening and unlock creativity
  • Collaboration games
  • Building teamwork and trust (‘yes and…’)
  • Making others look amazing
  • We believe that anxiety can block creativity and improvisation - that’s why we create a fun, relaxed environment where you can really go for it and enjoy all of the activities and games.

Through the MB Improv Foundation Course you will:

  • Develop a solid improv foundation
  • Learn the skills to build an amazing improv comedy scene
  • Boost your creativity and spontaneity
  • Improve your listening and public speaking skills
  • Build your self-confidence
  • Scratch your comedy itch
  • Most importantly, have a great time with a bunch of fantastic people!

You can register for the course - or request any further information - by emailing Isaac.

Season 2 of Homeland is definitely coming

RadioTimes:

US cable channel Showtime will premiere season two on 30 September - but UK viewers will almost certainly have to wait a bit longer to see answers to the questions raised by the tense season one finale.

I’ve absolutely loved season one of Homeland. It’s been thoroughly engrossing television. And now that we’ve been left - unsurprisingly - in suspense, I was very keen to know when we would get to see season two. The good news is that it’s definitely being made. The other good news is that the US even as a season premiere date. Now we just need to wait and see when we’ll get it here in the UK.

Please don’t make us wait too long Channel 4!

Taking Lunch: How a real lunch break can transform your day

Ryan Offutt:

Researchers have found that workers who take breaks within the work day and stop working report a greater sense of well-being. After a long period of work, a lunch break lets people recover. Those who work through lunch don’t recover at all; in fact, they carry on using their intellectual and emotional resources, leaving themselves drained (we all know what that feels like. Ugh).

Ryan is a very good friend of mine and, after a little nudging, he has - finally - started a new blog called ‘Mind Games’. He’ll be writing about psychology, work, play, creativity, improvisation, collaboration, and fun.

This is his first post and it’s a good one. He challenges you to spend the next month taking a proper lunch break and monitoring the effect it has on you. The post if full of suggestions for also making sure you make the most of the time.

Scientists restore sight in blind mice

BBC News:

Scientists have taken a crucial step towards restoring the sight of people suffering from degenerative eye diseases like retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration.

“This is a landmark study” says Professor Robin Ali who led the research. “We’ve shown for the first time that transplanted photoreceptors can integrate successfully with the retinal circuitry, making synaptic connections, and truly improving vision”.

Always great to hear about these kind of breakthroughs.

Modern civilisation is a cage

Dean Sharp:

Modern civilization is a cage—a recently developed artificial habitat for humans who’ve spent the previous 2,000,000 years living in close connection with the earth.

Don’t think you’re in a cage? You sleep on a nice comfy bed, live in a temperature controlled box, drink water from bottles, sit around most of the time … and as far as exercise goes, exactly what’s the difference between a treadmill and a hamster wheel?

But don’t despair. Like any other animal born in captivity, you can manage to live a long healthy life as long as you make sure you get enough exercise, have some bright shiny toys to play with, and don’t let your keepers overfeed you or feed you anything other than what your species has evolved to eat in its natural habitat.

Thought-provoking post from my friend, Dean.

The difference willpower makes

Roy Baumeister and John Tierney:

People with stronger willpower are more altruistic. They’re more likely to donate to charity, to do volunteer work, and to offer their own homes as shelter to someone with no place to go. Willpower evolved because it was crucial for our ancestors to get along with the rest of the clan, and it’s still serving that purpose today. Inner discipline still leads to outer kindness.

I mentioned a few months ago that I was interested in reading this book and, though it’s taken me a while, I finally finished it last night.

Honestly, it’s been one of the most enjoyable books I’ve read in quite a while. Each chapter is filled with so many insights on topics ranging from decision making to finances, to parenting and dieting. And, for a book of this type, it’s thoroughly practical too. I can’t remember the last time I found myself highlighting so many sections of a book.

The premise of the book is this: Willpower is like a muscle that can be strengthened with practice and improved over time. The latest laboratory work shows that self-control has a physical basis to it and so is dramatically affected by simple things such as eating and sleeping - to the extent that a life-changing decision may go in different directions depending on whether it’s made before or after lunch.

It was intriguing to see, as part of their conclusion, the link between willpower and altruism as quoted above. All in all, the point that the books seems to make is that if we want to have a better life, and if we want to live in a better work, then willpower needs to be a muscle that we take time to develop and build up.

All in all, highly recommended and a definite thumbs up from me.

Earning attention

Chris Brogan:

It took me 8 years to get my first 100 readers.

Great post on the right and wrong ways to go about earning attention for the content you create.

Caine’s Arcade

— This video is so beautiful and inspiring. If you don’t feel happier after watching this, something is wrong with you!