Came in for $5 Friday at NextSpace Union Square and got access to this (note that the floor is actually level—I was just trying to fit more into this photo and ended up titling my iPhone):
for the price of this:
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Category: appreciation
3 Creativity-Related Fears Solved by Christoph Niemann
Your goal as a creative is to open your mind so wide that you see if there’s something that clicks.
Dang, 99u—you pick some of the most amazing presenters. I love this visually delightful talk by Christoph Niemann.
How to Overcome the 3 Fears Every Creative Faces from 99U on Vimeo.
Your goal as a creative must be having the skill to pick up that idea and carry it home without breaking it.
Coworking Chronicles: Pollinate Davis
Here’s the environment $15 will get you for one day.
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Late Adopter Chronicles: the Kakuno fountain pen by Pilot
Best fountain pen on a budget, even with its (his?!) weird anthropomo branding.
Wow, the Kakuno with fine nib totally outperforms my longtime go-to fountain pen, the Lamy Safari with extrafine nib—for a third of the price. I got mine for the stunning price of 1200 yen, but it can be had in the US for about that much ($10-12 on Amazon, for instance). Writes smooth to give a generally crisp line of ink. Just wish the cap had a clip on it to secure the Kakuno to pants or backpack pockets.
The winking smiley face on the nib may add some playfulness to the pen for some, but I don’t like the idea of writing with ink coming out of the top of someone’s head.
Early Adopter Chronicles: the Apple Watch
I got it for focus, not fecundity of features.
All I do with it is check the time, weather, my physical (in)activity, reminders (with Clear or Fantastical; there’s no Apple reminders app—yet?). Occasionally it’ll alert me when VIP emails or messages have come in. Even more occasionally, I’ll Apple Pay for juice at Whole Foods. When I’d like some musical accompaniment for my jogs, I’ll play music from the watch through bluetooth headphones. That’s it.
And that’s great. It has really cut down my screen time, reducing it from an average of an hour a day to just over 20 minutes per day (as measured by Moment), allowing me to dedicate more focus to tasks at hand. Were I to use my iPhone for the tasks above, all too soon, I’d be lost in the wealth of apps and possibilities that just unlocking my iPhone and launching one app exposes me to. If one of the main goals of the Apple Watch is to limit distraction, it’s working. Sure, it’s tech to deal with tech, but I love it. I’m curious to see if it continues to keep me simultaneously connected and focused with watchOS 2.
I already feel weird not wearing this thing.
My Idea of a Corner Office
Cost effective but ergonomically taxing.
Window-counter seating at Pachamama Coffee Cooperative.
For about $20 $10 more, I could hang out in the common areas of a coworking space, but I love the opportunities to people watch and overhear conversations here. And the cold brew coffee is fantastic.
Stress can be a reflection of engagement: Kelly McGonigal’s 99u talk
Fantastic follow-up to Kelly McGonigal’s 2013 TED Talk on our relationship with stress.
Kelly McGonigal: How to Turn Stress Into an Advantage from 99U on Vimeo.
Late Adopter Chronicles: Ketchup-Flavored Chips
Wow, in the US (“the States” as some might say) we’ve been missing out on some great potato chip flaves. In addition to the delicious variety of Lay’s shown here, I also got to try out the grilled-steak-flavored Ruffles and longingly eyed a bag of bacon mac & cheese chips at Safeway. Dang…
But chip flavors have certainly come a long way in the US. There are more choice-fatiguing flavors than ever before, and among them are gems like Kettle Brand’s cheddar beer, which is great with pickles.
tsukemen: best way to eat ramen?
Maybe not the best but really good if the dipping soup(? broth?) is tasty and the noodles have a substantive chew. The downside: it’s really rough trying to drink the soup, or whatever it is, so, unless you like your soup really saline, if you want some deliciously gulpable or sippable liquid during your meal, you’ll have to order a side of miso soup.
The bowl on the left here contains white-sesame-flavored soup with sprouts, green onion and slices of pork.
Milk: pasteurized at 65 or 63C, or wild?
I think you know which one I had to get.
A Contemplative Compilation 