Listening to: Johnny Costa Plays Mister Rogers' Neighborhood by Johnny Costa

After listening to Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood coming back from vacation (the kids were watching it in the backseat), I became aware of the piano in the background. It added a new, wonderful dimension to an already great show.

“Savings in time feel like simplicity.” -John Maeda

I haven’t read his book The Laws of Simplicity, but I find this statement compelling - especially as there is a continued push for convenience (especially in certain sectors of Retail) which leads to a more complex “back of house” to create the simple feeling “front of house.”

I like the concept of sharing “Minimum Viable Ideas,” riffing off the Minimum Viable Product (MVP). It creates a space to share and get feedback without the expectation of the idea being fully worked out. This would land somewhere between a brainstorm and refining of concepts. 🤔

First Brodie and now SVG returning to join him at Indy. Then throw in IndyCar with Scott McLaughlin, Will Power, Scott Dixon, and Marcus Armstrong. Any chance “Enforcer and the Dude” will show up?🏎️🤔

After reading this from Ted Gioia, I think the quantity approach to AI is a dead end. Nobody has time, or wants to, consume all of that content. Sharing and debating ideas with other people has greater potential to have a good outcome than a whole lot of random stuff nobody asked for. If AI can assist with that effort, then maybe it will be useful in the future. 🤔

I now prefer thinking of future events in terms of potential and probability vs expectation. Potential acknowledges the probability of outside forces to disrupt, while to expect something assumes a higher probability than is (typically) reasonable. 🤔

I love the Tamiya Wild One Max concept. I wish more cars were as simple, clean, and straightforward as this. Well, it looks like it would be a lot of fun to drive (responsibly) too… 🚗

Currently reading: How To Think: A Survival Guide For A World At Odds by Jacobs, Alan , 1958- (author.) 📚 Why this book? Looking for a counterpoint to De Bono on creative thinking. Both authors touch on dealing with polarization (in different ways) and how to keep an open mind. Creative thinking is, after all, thinking…

Listening to: [Best of Ladysmith Black Mambazo] (https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-best-of-ladysmith-black-mambazo-shanachie--mw0000617085) 🎵 No collaborations, just the group by itself. I love it.

Currently reading: Lateral Thinking by Edward de Bono 📚 A solid tactical book (so far) exploring creativity from the angle of lateral thinking. I like how de Bono connects lateral thinking with both insight and humor.

Paused for Later: The Rise by Sarah Lewis 📚 I appreciate the key theme of this book, but only scanned it as it is full of stories. Nothing against stories, but sometimes I prefer to get to the point. The last chapter pointed to Angela Duckworth’s book Grit. Looking forward to checking that book out.

Currently reading: The Inevitable by Kevin Kelly 📚 Starting to scan this book. I like the emphasis on forces vs specific technologies but am not impressed by the idea that we must all submit to wherever tech is taking us - as if the forces of tech are somehow stronger than the forces of the world in which we live (aka. reality).

Looking forward to seeing SVG coming to NASCAR for the street race in Chicago. Also interesting to see will be how much carnage there will be with the concrete barriers… 🤔🏎️

What was “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” seems to be “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Innovate” (usually with a digital solution). Recycling and Innovation seem to be a longshot, while Reducing and Reusing have potential to make an impact. But they also require a cultural and (dare I say) spiritual shift… 🤔

Listening to: Handsome Boy Modeling School’s White People (Instrumentals) 🎵 I have been exploring instrumental hip hop albums for background music while working. I like to avoid vocals when possible. 🤫

Listening to: Brian Eno + David Byrne’s My Life in the Bush of Ghosts 🎵 I initially heard about the album through Steven Johnson’s book Where Good Ideas Come From. It’s an interesting album to explore, but since then, better examples of using sampled voices have come along.

Listening to: Hania Rani’s Biala Flaga 🎵

Listening to: North Star by Philip Glass. I did not expect to hear the track “River Run” and connect the dots to a sample in Handsome Boy Modeling School’s “Rock ‘N Roll (Could Never Hip Hop Like This).” It fits quite well as a sample on that track. 🤷‍♂️

Currently Listening To: Steven Johnson Collection 3 Books Set (Where Good Ideas Come From, The Ghost Map, How We Got to Now) by Steven Johnson 📚The concept of the “slow hunch” is compelling. It’s also a bit humorous how people look back and only recognize the eureka moment and not all of the work that let to it.

Listening to: Steve Reich: The ECM Recordings 🎵

Listening to: Methany Meldau 🎵

Full of some great passages and one-liners like “Maybe the best idea is the one you’re going to come up with this evening.” It can be a little too therapeutic vs practical for me at times but seeing that many books on creativity are focused on tactics, this approach could be seen as a bit of fresh air. Finished reading: The Creative Act by Rick Rubin 📚

Currently reading: The Creative Act by Rick Rubin 📚 Off to a good start so far. The beginning of Rick Rubin’s account relates to Ted Gioia’s post on “What Did Robert Johnson Encounter at the Crossroads? (Part 1 of 2)". Creativity tends to push, or pull, you beyond yourself.