self-start

Parts Unknown

Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown (CNN) is (simplistically) a better No Reservations – if the rest of the episodes are like Ep.1: Myanmar, this could be a really great series. 

Thoughts after watching Myanmar episode:

beautiful cinematography (both raw and pristine).

deeper narrative more in line with Bourdain's insightful and reflective travelogue books – far less punches pulled.

more documentary and by all signs, honest coverage – thoughtful and engaging scenes, precise editing and pacing.

great, diverse interviews and local expertise.

clearly a solid set of producers as the shows backbone.

solid multimedia features on series page with maps, info, inside looks – more would be welcome.

Watch Episode 1: Myanmar

Guru Point of View / Life Upgrades

Conquer Your To-Do List

Author David Allen provides his great tips with this tasteful animation about getting things done.

We should all walk away with a new perspective of our tasks while hopefully realizing the premise of having a method to simply pour things out of our head.

Guru Point of View

The Greater Cause

Media Appetite

Paperman

Guru Point of View

Keep Going and Keep Learning!

All the respect to David Liu for putting this kinetic typography piece together. Ira Glass certainly set a standard in radio broadcasting, but this diatribe applies to all of us, regardless of our creative mediums.

Media Appetite

100% Open Design

As designers (and humans) it's sometimes hard to let go of individual ownership of what we make but the benefits of low-barrier collaboration and idea exchange are pretty undeniable.

Innovator Spotlight

Kid from Sierra Leone Invents from Refuse and Melts Your Heart with Love for His Community

Self-taught inventor Kelvin Doe, AKA DJ Focus, assembled electronics from junk parts – like batteries to remedy the fact that he only has electricity once a week and an FM radio transmitter to make the youth heard.

In this THNKR video, the reverse engineer artist leaves Sierra Leone for the first time to work with David Sengeh and other mentors at MIT's Media Lab.

"Alright for sure in the meantime don't forget DJ man Focus comin thru... your satisfaction is guaranteed for your ultimate priority."

Guru Point of View

The Sweet Taste of Rejection!

Daniel and I had the pleasure of attending the 2013 TEDxAustin conference. This was our favorite presentation of the entire day.

In a previous post, Steve Jobs talks about the concept of simply asking people for what you want. He mentions that we will be surprised by the success that follows the straightforward procedure of aggressively getting what you need. 

Guru Point of View

Space-Time Music Box

Guru Point of View / Media Appetite

New Rules for the New Economy

Kevin Kelly is an incredibly prolific author with hundreds of articles and several choice books, one of the original founders of Wired magazine, board member of The Long Now Foundation, and generally one of the most creative and incisive thinkers on a wide range of subjects. I assure you that diving through his vast assemblage of content is a thoroughly fruitful thinking experience and I'll be highlighting some favorites here on self-start (in no particular order).

This post highlights Kelly's New Rules for the New Economy (written in 1998!) in which he describes the decentralization of control centers, the inverting of traditional business models, and maximizing the value of the network, enabling it to become self-feeding.

Have an Awesome Day!

The forumla to having a great day is pretty simple according to our fellow self-starter, Jessica.

You + Mirror + Bathroom Counter + Appreciation + Attitude  = EPIC DAY

Remember, if you had a bad day it is because you decided to have one. Sure, we all will be presented with a variety of hardships at times, but those hurdles can be overcome with controlling your mindset and the formula our dear Jessica has exemplified. 

Guru Point of View

Steve's Beard of Wisdom

This interview had a profound effect on me when I watched it for the first time. His first point was a fellow epiphany I had when growing up in the country. I thought if people could harvest crops and mend fences, then we could also create everything else around us. His second point is easy to understand but sometimes difficult to act upon.

Lessons: 

YOU CAN CREATE YOUR VISIONS

USE YOUR COMMUNICATION TOOLS TO MAKE IT HAPPEN

Innovator Spotlight

HarvestGeek to Boost Artisanal Farming with Smart Tech

HarvestGeek's inventor and engineer, Mike Alt, is the guy you want on-side to boost your small-scale artisanal farm to compete with the big farms who usually smack you around with economies of scale.

His Kickstarter project hopes to realize the HarvestBot – an open-source device that monitors environmental conditions to give the grower the intelligent data to improve. That coupled with the online platform of users sharing techniques and benefiting from each others' data will help small-farms grow smarter with higher yields and improved efficiency.

Plus, the open-source attitude means tinkerers are likely to continuously improve the product for mutual benefit... and for the most glorious bunch of multicolored heirloom carrots the size of your arm.

Life Upgrades

Where Do You Stand?

Sure the Hawaii Chair is about as awesome as a mule ride to the Molokai Seacliffs, but I like to challenge the concept of sitting while working.

I started working at a standing desk about 6 months ago and have sworn to myself that, as long as I stay able, I won't ever go back to the seat as a constant means for working. The benefits of it have been covered, but I suggest trying it regardless and see if it works for you.

A small amount of sitting is needed for resting your joints and legs, but I get 2 hours of that with lunch and meetings throughout the day. 

Innovator Spotlight

Running Wild to Escape the Human Zoo

Erwan Le Corre, one of the fittest men in the world according to Men's Health, developed MovNat to get back to the raw basics of strength, balance, endurance, and focus... plus, it's a hell of a lot more fun than hanging out at a gym.