Thoughtopsy: [process]

...and to all a good night.

It shall come as no surprise that our new years resolution will be to raise our engagement level with this blog...the end of 2007 has been exhilaratingly crazy, for which we are grateful, but it has left some of our favorite obsessions lacking attention.  So, to make up for our void of content lately, we humbly offer a 're-gift' from our one of our favorite bands, Sigur Ros;  So as you listen to a beautiful piece of music, we hope you reflect in all the ways that 2007 was great and what a truly lucky b*stard you are....

We wish you and yours the warmest and fuzziest Holiday season ever.

Larry Lessig on Copyright

I want it all...

I have to admit that blogging is tough.  I like to think that I have enough original thoughts within a given 24 hour period that I can think of something to write about...but to find new and refreshing things that appease to an audience can be daunting.  So it becomes important to stay connected, and to be current with what's happening in the world; but have it all delivered in one concise format.

One thing a couple of us use is NetVibes.  It's an RSS aggregator that allows you to have a lot of information at your fingertips.  We have our basecamp feeds, News feeds, and weather as well as RSS feeds from our favorite blogs (Godin, Kawasaki, etc.).  Netvibes has even started a new tool called 'NetVibes Universe' where a company can show the world all of the things its interested in by making its own NetVibes page for the world to see.

All that being said, it's still not there...it's still hard to take it all in, and there's still a lot of stuff that I have to sift through to find meaningful content.  But in being ever diligent, we've stumbled upon a couple more that are kind of staggering in their ability to take a whole lot of content and condense it into a meaningful interface and presentation.  Popurls is a newer site (i think) that is a nice clean dashboard of content from the most visited sites on the net.  And to really get dizzy, try browsing Go2Web20 - every 'web 2.0' site...ever.

Good lucky, happy browsing, and I hope you stumble upon meaningful stuff...Goodness knows it's not easy.

-- brett vantil

Rainy Day Inspiration

It's a rainy day here in Grand Rapids. Nothing promotes invention like a good soaking. Here are some variations on a classic.

Double-wide Umbrella

Hands-free Umbrella

Chuck Norris' Umbrella

Beerbrella

The Classic Umbrella Hat

Bike Umbrella

Car Umbrella Drainer

Light Saber Umbrella

Forget work 'better', let's work less

Four Hour Work Week by Tim Ferris.  And that's all I have to say about that...

Son and Heir

It's 7:51am, and I'm in a hospital room, the one where our son will be born today.  Seems a bit odd to be blogging, but it's actually quiet right now (God bless modern pain management), and as we committed a more consistent effort for the blog...well, I'm trying to make good.

So, today, as I anticipate a truly miraculous event, and get ready for a life-altering addition to our lives...I hope you take a moment, breathe deep, and re-connect with what's truly important to you.  All the hyper-cool technology, work habits, and new thinking paradigms don't mean a thing when you look into the eyes of a newborn child.

Take a second, and enjoy a simple pleasure.  Work and the rest will be there when you get back...

This and That...

We'll call this a random post on things I like...

JWT, the oldest Advertising agency brand in America according to them, released the Top 70 things to look for in 2007.  Thought it was interesting.  I thought it was really interesting that the list was the Top 70. Why 70?

Here is an amazing website by Jonathan Yuen.  Flawless in delivery.  This guy has won a bunch of Webby Awards and it's easy to see why.

Here is a fantastic business card idea.  Check out the site. 

Here is a pretty good list of "33 Rules to boost your Productivity".

Here is a phenomenal article of some crazy stuff going on with soldiers in Liberia....

Here is a shortsighted and awful article about the "non-future" of e-book technology posted , of all places, on Computer World.  For a good time, read a few of the comments...

There.  That ought to keep you busy for a while. 

Everything I need to know in life...

I remember being really annoyed at a little trend a few years back.  It was the, "Everything I need to know in Life, I learned...."  I remember seeing some that were:  in kindergarten, watching Star Trek, etc...

This weekend I learned, not everything, but at least one life lesson from a bottle of juice.  I am rather ritualistic in the sense that every morning I get up, walk to the kitchen and take my daily vitamins with a glass of juice.  If you would like some good juice recommendations, feel free to contact me.  Anyway...  this weekend in the middle of my routine, I looked down at the bottle and read:  "Shake Well - Settling is Natural."

It was as though I had had been punched in the face.  How true!  Without taking the time and effort to shake up our lives, settling is unfortunately natural.  We find ourselves in quite a repetitious place.  The amount of "input" that we give ourselves is tied to our "output".  If we keep taking in the same information and doing the same thing day-in and day-out, we find that nothing new ever happens.

So, at the risk of sounding cheesy... Shake it Up.  You never know what might happen next.

- David W.

Hallmark Moment?

Reader Advisory:
If you follow this link, you may (or may not) be slightly offended...as some of the links here have, shall we say, 'colorful language'.  I stumbled upon a product that tells it how it is...and thought how nice it would be to have a business version.  These cards are offered as a convenient way to get the truth out in the open.  While the cards are harsh...and funny, I can see the business equivalent being very helpful.  Some taglines might be "you're not serious are you?" and "this sucks, I quit" or even, "wow, did I drop the ball!".  Of course, the goal is to have them safely tucked in a drawer, where they'll never be needed. :)

- brett vantil

Just Do It

I have just finished David Allen's book "Getting Things Done".  I must say that I'm excited and overwhelmed all at the same time (when / if you read it, you'll understand why). For the couple people who have not heard of GTD...it's a way of thinking (and systemic practice) that is based on the premise that if you can clear your head of all the details that are constantly swimming around up there, you are better able to focus your creativity and high-level thinking on actual work; not thinking about the things you may or may not need to do at any given moment.  A good introduction article from BNET lays out the basic structure of embarking on your own GTD journey.  And when you're a black belt of the GTD philosophy, there is no shortage of techno-phile tools to help you 'tweak' your personal system.  So, if you're stuck 'looping' an infinite number of details in your head, and feel like you're not really getting anything done, pick up a copy and then just do it.

-- brett vantil