mindblob

Honoring Talented Earthlings

 

I just decided to create a new category dedicated to the extra-ordinary encounters made while surfing the web. Talent is everywhere and sometimes some people, their ideas, their work, their art, stand out of the crowd because they bring a new dimension to our eyes And there you dive... right into an unexpected, yet delicious... emotional landscape. Now, as a matter of fact, I realized today that del.icio.us-ing them was just not fair enough. I think they deserve a special series of posts that I'm going to share with you here. Introducing the new category :

 Honoring Talented Earthlings.

For the first post of this category, allow me to drive you through a few gems of the third kind that touched me. The first two were recently pointed by Asi Sharaby's No Man's Blog (thanks Asi!). Two little sites taking me off limits that I'd like to share here. The first being a brilliant idea at the entrance of Joe Michael Lambert Davis' website. Joe made tea. So what? Well, check it out. And don't forget to click down to the very end ">". ; )
 
  

 
The second is Miranda July's unexpected, odd, fun, playful site:  www.noonebelongsheremorethanyou.com (just had to write it). Wow again... love the idea and the personality that comes with it. Get your mouse button ready, but don't worry it is not a shoot'em up kind of thing at all. Smart & simple. Oh boy... I love the kitchen again.

The third (being the first, as it sources the image I've chosen to illustrate this post - although there is no ranking or order intended here)... is the blog o Web/UI designer ilina S. from NYC. Now I found this one while looking for an illustration on Flickr, using the keyword "website". How silly sometimes a search leads you to discover magic finds -the word "magic" is in the root of her blog!-. I saw the image announcement of her new blog and followed the link. This lead me to like the pictures I saw there and so to click back to ilina's Flickr account where I found this strangely fascinating picture:

  

  

Beautiful picture, isn't it? Well read the comments and see how much people liked it. I'd recommend also to take the time to read the legend of the picture and you'll understand that there is indeed a lot of talent between us and the balustrade. 

  

Are you... CURIOUS?

Originally uploaded by reclusivemonkey

  

Most people agree that curiosity may be interesting, depending on the circumstances, naturally. It leads you to discovering new things, it feeds creativity and it's a gate to innovation. From a personal perspective I think it works a little bit like a radar... in stand-by mode and starting to beep when you sense "something different", new or interesting.

  

I just found an interesting article of Donald Latumahina on Stepcase Lifehack. 4 reasons why curiosity is important and how to develop it. Donald's four reasons being:

1. It makes your mind active instead of passive
2. It makes your mind observant of new ideas
3. It opens up new worlds and possibilities
4. It brings excitement into your life

  
His tips to developing it are IMHO worth the read too (see complete article here):

1. Keep an open mind
2. Don’t take things as granted
3. Ask questions relentlessly
4. Don’t label something as boring
5. See learning as something fun
6. Read diverse kinds of reading

 

What does curiosity mean to you? What do you do out of it? -Forget about it? Simple smile-trigger? Waste of time? Or real driver of your work?-

  

Blog-to-Show - Share & Listen

Originally uploaded by lilpointyhat

In one of his last posts, Drew McLellan pointed to our attention Liz Strauss' initiative to feature on her Successful and Outstanding Blog(gers) blog an open list of interesting blogs to discover. Here is where her idea comes from :

At Open Comment Night last night, we talked about Creative Networking. Lots of great ideas were gathered, and that conversation got me thinking about more of them. Two years ago, we had a weekend showcase for blogs. I thought it might be fun to try it again.

So this weekend is a Successful-Blog Blog-to Show. It’s a Virtual Auto Show for Blogs. Detail your blog. Polish the trim and come show it off. We’ll line them up, look them over, and get to know each other and our blogs just that much better."

  

So, for those of you looking for inspiration or to find new blogs, I recommend to check the list Liz is SHARING with us. It is linking to very nice content AND very nice bloggers, 260 actually! Why should you check them out? Well, they all have one thing in common... they were LISTENING and heard Liz's call. Two interesting gem keywords when it comes to blogging. And if you are one member of the list and came here to visit this blog... welcome to mindblob! Please feel free to leave a little message. A very nice way to both honor Liz's idea and create new connections. : )
 

1. Kris Rowlands … Fresh Focus
2. Elaine B. … House of Luxe
3-4. John Carson … Make Johnny Cash
and Fine Print
5. Geoffrey Philip … Geoffrey Philp’s Blog Spot Blog
6. Ari Herzog … Ari Herzog
7. Debra … Contextures Blog
8-9. Karin H … Kiss2 - The Kiss Business too (2)
and 1 plus 1 makes 3
10. Mike Vizdos …Implementing Scrum
11. Keith Brooks … Lotus Evangelist
12. Susan Cartier Liebel … Building ‘Solo Practice University’
13. Delaney Kirk … Ask-Dr-Kirk
14. Romana Mirza … Find creativity in the world.
15-16. Jessica Fritsche … paper graffiti
and Daily Tech Diva
17. Rick Grant … New Media Observer
18. Tim King … J. Timothy King’s Blog
19. Beth Robinson … Inventing Elephants
20. Jonathan Fields … Jonathan Fields | Awake @ The Wheel
21. Robert Schilt … Robert@PNG
22. Tammy Lenski … Conflict Zen
23. Michael Sync … Michael Sync - Sharing our knowledge
24. Scot Herrick … Cube Rules
25. cindy lou who … CityStreams
26. C. G. Rosberg … You Ruined My Childhood
27. Julie Roads … Blogging Roads / Writing Roads
28. Andre Ward … Andre Ward’s Blog
29. Mike Kennedy … Facing Up to Your Worst Case Scenario!
30. Michelle … DivinePurposeUnleashed
31. Ann Kingman … Books on the Nightstand
32. Todd Jordan … The Broad Brush
33-34. Michael Martin … Google Android Phones Latest News + gPhone Information
and MTV Real World Road Rules News
35. Lauren Krause … Creative Curio
36. Mother Earth … Best of Mother Earth
37. JoLynn Braley … The Fit Shack
38. Alex Ramon … The Bicycle Tutor
39. isabella mori … Change Therapy
40. DB Ferguson … No Fact Zone
41-42. youlki22 … A Learner’s diary
and Reviews and ramblings around the blogsphere!
43. Lillie Ammann … A Writer’s Words, An Editor’s Eye
44. Butterfly Media … Butterfly Media Romania Blog
45. Richard … bizRichard
46. Mayank Gupta … StudioWordpress - Best WordPress Themes
47. Benjamin Ellis … WOWNDADI
48. Thomas MacEntee … Destination: Austin Family
49. Cody McKibben … Thrilling Heroics
50. David M. Scott … Web Ink Now by David Meerman Scott
51. Melinda Seckington … Miss Geeky
52. Skip Lombardi … Almost Italian
53. CMcBrown … Branding & Marketing
54. Carla Chadwick … Vintage Holiday Crafts
55. uncle wilco … Shedblog.co.uk
56. Karl Staib … Work Happy Now
57. Mark Avey … FlightSimX
58. c.a. Marks … Alabama Improper
59. Lucy Nixon … Corporate Eye
60. Karl Edwards … Working Matters
61. William Thornton … HILL COUNTRY OF MONROE COUNTRY MISSISSIPPI
62. Aneesa … Love the Game, Don’t Like Puck Bunnies
63. Genie … The Inadvertent Gardener
64. durk kooistra … Fant00m
65. AEB Lemon … lemonologie
66. Amy Boyte … Amy’s Web Log
67. Jeremy Young … ProgressiveHistorians
68. Schelly Talalay Dardashti … Tracing the Tribe - The Jewish Genealogy Blog
69. Jon Peltier … PTS Blog
70. PAMIR KICIMAN … Reiki Help Blog
71. Chuck Frey … The Mind Mapping Software Blog
72. Mad Dog … Doggy Style
73. Chris Osborne … Sapid Existence
74. Brian … “Truth is Freedom”
75. Rose-Dewy Knickers … Flash Your Knickers Here
76. Jim McGee … McGee’s Musings
77. me.allen … Home Biz Notes
78. Becky McCray … Small Biz Survival
79. Katie Konrath … Get Fresh Minds
80-81. Rachel Smith … Bitten by Books
and The Pink Ribbon Review
82. Karen Lynch … The Pink Ribbon Review
83. Abhijeet Mukherjee … Jeet Blog
84. Pelf Nyok … pelf-ism is contagious
85. Scott McArthur … McArthur’s Rant
86. Josh Klein … Josh Klein Web Strategy
87. Tim Brownson … A Daring Adventure
88. wess stewart … [ ! ] The Sugarbuzz Project
89. Allen Lam … Fun And Educational
90. Lionel Valdellon … Acid42 is the Soft Asian Enemy
91. Miranda Marquit … Yielding Wealth
92. Derek Halpern … Prevential
93. Paul Singh … Results Junkies
94. Todd Eastman … Todd’s World In 3D
95. Keith Dsouza … Techie Buzz
96. Rick Wolff … Rick Wolff
97. C Wilkerson … iPentimento
98. SpaceAgeSage … SpaceAgeSage
99. Jon Gatrell … Spatially Relevant
100. Avani-Mehta … Avani-Mehta
101. Erica Ross-Krieger … WellnessCoach.com
102. Trisha … Ideas For Women
103. Simple Sara … On Simplicity
104. Steven Grossman … Why I Failed
105. Drew McLellan … Drew’s Marketing Minute
106. Maricris G … ZenVentures
107. Ma. Merdekah Ybanez-Delid … CustServ
108. Nancy Hudgins … Civil Negotiation and Mediation
109. Sunny Schlenger … SunCoach
110. Linda Abbit … Tender Loving Eldercare
111. Zan Nordlund … NoMoWally’sintheBag
112. Vered DeLeeuw … MomGrind
113. Sarah Parker … Going Bananas Blog
114. George Krueger & Mary-Lynn Foster … Bigg Success
115. Jon Burg … Future Visions
116. Claire Tompkins … Your Organizing Coach
117. Martin Wildam … One-Two-Solved
118. Muhammad Siyab … PuttingBlogsFirst
119. Luc Debaisieux … MINDBLOB
120. Hunter Nuttall … Hunter Nuttall . com
121. Scott White … The Branding Blog by Brand Identity Guru
122. Meg Guiseppi, MRW … Executive Resume Branding Blog
123. Wayne Hurlbert … Blog Business World
124. Michael Miles … Effortless Abundance
125. Thomas Clifford … Bringing Brands to Life!
126. Barbara Ling … Barbara Ling, Personal Edge Insights
127. John Richardson … Success Begins Today
128. Terry Dagrosa … Seduction Meals
129. Gerrit Eicker … Wir sprechen Online.
130. deafmom … A Deaf Mom Shares Her World
131. Liz Scherer … Flashfree
132. John Hoff … eVentureBiz
133. Evelyn Lim … Attraction Mind Map
134. connie ragen green … Ebook Writing and Marketing Secrets
135. Dan Schawbel … Personal Branding Blog
136. Matthew Stublefield … SilverPen Publishing
137. jerry, age 70 … drannaks dribbles
138. Dex … MetaMakeMoneyOnline.com
139. Todd Ramsey … The Todd Blog
140. Mark Yokoyama … Everybody Loves Free Stuff
141. Andrew Dlugan … Six Minutes Public Speaking and Presentation Skills Blog
142. Alexander Becker … WOW: Making You Look Even Better
143. Darla F … Ultra Beauty Boutique
144. James Chartrand … Men with Pens
145. Glenda Watson Hyatt … Do It Myself Blog
146. aschmittylife … It’s A Schmitty Life
147. Dave Weinberg … Jewneric
148. Deanna. … Soul Like a Spider
149. Kelly … SHE-POWER
150. lala … Coastal Commentaries
151. Thursday Bram … ThursdayBram.com
152. Ron Stainforth … Black Dogs
153. Amy L … Earnest Parenting
154. Jeremy Biser … Discovering Dad
155. Suzie Cheel … Law of Attraction in Action
156. Mike Templeton … Payment Industry Insider
157. Robin Dearing … The Hell?
158. Jacqueline Zenn … SEOGroup Blog
159. Rhett Soveran … Epiblogger
160. Marcus Taylor … Invisible Green Photography
161-162. Robert Neville … Stage3 Consulting
and RobNeville.net
163. Angie Trigilio … angie*
164. Laural … Mamasphere
165. Heather Rast … Insights and Ingenuity
166. Melody Platz … The Happy Wanderer
167. Tomas Custer … HispanicTips
168. Sharon Gibson … Conflict to Peace in Relationships
169. Kathryn Boyle … knittsings | Machine Knitting, Passap, DesignaKnit Blog
170. Jane Deere … Type-TalkTherapy.com
171. Douglas Bell … Webmacster87.info
172-173. Mark David Gerson … The Voice of Your Muse
and Mark David Gerson’s New Earth Chronicles
174. Jeff De Cagna … Principled Innovation Blog
175. Francie Stirling … LivingLeadership
176. Jay Heyman … All you need is a good idea!
177. Anne Glamore … Tales From My Tiny Kingdom
178. AgentSully … Life Learning Today
179. Miriam Robbins Midkiff … AnceStories: The Stories of My Ancestors
180. Brett Trout … BlawgIT
181. Michael Snell … New Gay Travel Guide
182. Randy Willis … Willis Wired
183. Bamboo Forest … Pun Intended
184. Mona Weathers … HerProBlog.COM
185. Angela Maiers … Angela Maiers Educational Services
186. Ricardo Bueno … Ribeezie
187-188. Derrick Sorles … Business Blogging Tips & Web 2.0 Strategies
and Life By Design
189. Linda Sherman … It’s Different For Girls
190. Jenny Stinson … Running 4 Your Life
191. Jamie … Wishcasting
192. Amber Naslund … The BrandBox
193. Marianne Thomas … Writer-Mommy
194. Jasia … Creative Gene
195. Jeanne May … Goals and Aspirations
196. Deb Boyken … Punctuality Rules!
197. Charlene Farber … Confessions of a Barista
198. David Murray … True Education
199. David Reynolds … Book Hotels Cheaper
200. Emily … Genealem’s Genetic Genealogy
201. L. Lee Lowe … Mortal Ghost
202. Victoria Pires … Glowstars
203. Karen Townsend … Pondering Penguin
204-205. Victoria Pugh … Help Your Child Become A Phonics Reading Pro
and I Am Free America
206. Josh Mings … SolidSmack
207. Jacqueline Hernandez … Tiny Décor
208-209. Yvonne DiVita … Lip-Sticking and Scratchings and Sniffings
210. Sandra Renshaw … Purple Wren
211. Mary, mom to 10 … Owlhaven
212. Robin … PENSIEVE
213. Wyliekat … Still Life With Wyliekat
214. Scott Fox … Scott Fox’s E-Commerce Success Blog
215. Dave Lucas … Dave Lucas’ Notes
216-217. Kirsten … Exemplify and Taste Buds
218. Angie … BlogCoach.org
219. Margaret Andrews … Nanny Goats In Panties
220. Dr.N.Venkatakrishna … Stock market guide
221. Megan … FriedOkra
222. Laurin Evans … Laurin and Kelly Talk
223. Theresa Zagnoli … Visual, Verbal and Nonverbal Communication
224. Renee … Cutie Booty Cakes
225. Marelisa Fabrega … Abundance Blog at Marelisa Online
226. Barbara … Blogging Without A Blog
227. Amy Lillard … Quiet Rebel Writer
228. PsychMamma … PsychMamma
229. Rosemary Davies-Janes … Miboso Training
230. Carol Solomon … Hypnosis And Diet
231. Davina Haisell … Loving Pulse
232. Ellie Mirman … HubSpot Internet Marketing Blog
233. Dee Langdon … BloggerNewbie
234. Jonathan Harada… Up-Starts..Buenos Aires, Argentina
235. David Wetzel … Freelance Writing: Word Solutions
236. Lawrence Chiu … We Lose Weight This Way….
237. Allison Worthington … Mrs. Fusspants Guide to Life
238. Old School Tim … Kickin’ it Old School
239. Rob … THE WEEKLY SONGCAST
240. Roxanne Darling … Bare Feet Blog
241. Princess Pointful … … and hijinks ensued
242. Jane … What About Mom
243. AL … 7P Productions
244. Bob Hill … Two Texans Down Under
245. Adrian Diaconescu … Rubiqube
246. Ulla Hennig … Ulla Hennig’s Weblog
247. Amber Stults … Amber Stults – Book Reviewer and Author
248. Terry Starbucker … Terry Starbucker - Ramblings From A Glass Half Full
249. Alessio Sbrana … Drink a Drink
250. Steve Sherlock … Franklin Matters
251. Sondra Santos LaBrie … HAPPY HEALTHY HIP PARENTING
252. Anne Wayman … The Golden Pencil
253. Heather Kitty Mak … Packaging Probe
254. Barbara Rozgonyi … Wired PR Works by Barbara Rozgonyi
255-256. Cathryn Hrudicka … What’s Innovation Got to Do with It? - the Creative Sage blog
and PR, Social Media and Marketing Mentor - the Cathryn Hrudicka & Associates blog
257. Crystal Unrau … Moms In A Blog
258. Nivas … Key Life Skills that make the most of your life |Personal Development through NLP
259. Kathy Hendershot-Hurd … Virtual Impax
260. Akemi Gaines … Yes to Me

 
Nice little blog definitions and tag lines available on Liz's post here.
  

L.A. NHM (re-)visited ...by a REAL dinosaur!

From The Original Joe Fisher on Vimeo.

Imagine you are visiting the Natural History Museum of LA with your kids. You take a gentle turn into a hallway and come face-to-face... this dinosaur, looking almost as alive as you and me. I love the reaction of the adult coming from another way who seems to really freak out because of the realism of little-big-dino-boy. That... is definitely some kind of an experience.

Some will say it is way too scary for little kids. Probably right. Others will see it as an insight to learning more about these Jurassic creatures. The most important being the educational support around this thing, whether coming from parents or teachers. Kids learn fast... they just need the right answers to their questions. And I'm sure this thing is a real QUESTION GENERATOR. It is challenging people's brains and... imagination. Brilliant!

  

Animatronic T-rex at the NHM of London - uploaded by  JonathanS2  

  
A fews years ago I've been to the Natural History Museum in London were they had an animatronic tyrannosaurus rex. Scary too for kids, in a way, but definitely less "alive" and more dusty than this one. Again, what I see here is a unique experience that people will keep in mind, remember, talk about and share.

Too scary or genius? What's your take on this?

  

Artificial Dummies - From ideas to reality

ARTIFICIAL DUMMIES from todo.to.it on Vimeo.

As promised in my previous post... here is more about TODO interaction & media design, the Italian innovative company we talked about. Again coming with a very nice example of crowd fascination in front of a unique live experience. Talking about ways to give people out-of-the-ordinary experiences... here you go.

Now, maybe some of you have already seen visual things like that before and so might not find it new or innovative. But according to the "creatures" actually reacting to their environment, I see more than a simple light show behind this. That "little extra" is IMHO exactly what makes the difference and drives the live experience into an innovative and unique area. This is why I wanted to find out "how the system works?"... and guess what... TODO brings an answer to people wondering like me (check the video here under).

When the magic brought to the eyes of the public out there is obvious, the technology behind this is not. TODO did mix different theories, programs and technologies to make this happen in an unexpected context. This is what I find "innovative". That achievement (I bounced twice on them!) lead me to check their webpage out. Happy I did, it is full of brilliant ideas. I also found there a few words on the philosophy behind their way to... drive ideas into reality, that I'd like to share with you as well. Just LOVE it! Way to go guys ! And please... please, launch a blog... I'll subscribe!

 

• we ask questions

• we listen

• we research

• we take risk

• we make mistakes

• we like busted knees

• we solve problems

• we are happy

• we'll never retire

 

ARTIFICIAL DUMMIES, the process from todo.to.it on Vimeo.
   

Zygote - the interactive ball

NUday-ZYGOTE from todo.to.it on Vimeo.

 
Another focus on simple things that keep touching people. Well, this one is actually being "touched" by people. Or... how to energize and entertain a crowd, for example on a live concert, when waiting between two artists. Simply fabulous! This product is developed by Tangible Interaction Design.

Concept via TODO interaction & media design an Italian innovative company to follow. More on them coming soon in a next post. Okay... this thing is really too mindblobbing, I just can't resist sharing with you another Zygote film. People really seem to have punch a lot of fun out of it! Don't you feel like being in the crow, just under that ball now? : )

 

Zygote - interactive ball from todo.to.it on Vimeo.

 
   

PS : For those of you who remember the early seventies series (yup!), this is a FRIENDLY bubble, repeat... this is a FRIENDLY bubble. It won't try to stop you escape or swallow you!  ; )
  

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Gavin !

  
Today it's my friend Gavin Heaton's birthday. Please join me in wishing him a HAPPY BIRTHDAY ! For those of you who don't know him yet (there might be 1 or max. 2 on this planet)... just Google his name. You'll find about 29.700 results. This, because Gavin is "here" & everywhere and doesn't miss an occasion to comment on blogs, participate, support, engage conversation, all over the bloggosphere.

Originally uploaded by CK

  
Above all, Gavin is my friend. A friend all could wish to have because he is a genuine, sincere, generous, authentic person. A man with a heart, that I'm honored to know and was lucky to finally meet for the first time at Blogger Social '08. Now, the world is definitely smaller and I wish I'll meet him again soon.

JOYEUX ANNIVERSAIRE, Mate!  

Originally uploaded by Zsaj
    

The Girl Effect

via No Man's Blog by asi

Or how can animated words and music carry a simple message and touch, fascinate and let's really hope... push to action. Besides a content that is by definition extremely important, I love when stories are told that way. Well, as far as I am concerned, the film... does have an effect.

  

"Adolescent girls are uniquely capable of raising the standard of living in the developing world. Girls are the most likely agents of change, but they are often invisible to their societies and to our media.

When everyone -girls, parents, teachers, executives, artists, hairdressers, forest rangers, rock stars, presidents, investors, advertisers, skateboarders, truckers, cowboys, organizations, chefs, teenagers- knows about The Girl Effect, then real change can happen. This site is just the beginning. The end is nothing less than ending poverty."

Check The Girl Effect site HERE.
  

The Belgian 3Gs... "Geee Geee Geee!"

Who could ignore it? The iPhone 3G is about to spread the world. Wired just pointed what could seem to be a little detail when seen from a global point of view. Nevertheless... it's not for Belgians who might want to buy an iPhone.

"BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) -- Belgians finally get the chance to buy one of Apple Inc.'s coveted iPhones on Friday - at the highest prices in the world."

Check for the latest developments here, on "Belgium iPhone", a fantastic blog that popped out after the launch of the iPhone V1 with loads of precious information linked to the (ghost) Belgian market. In the meantime, I'd rather listen to that tune from The 3Gs... and agree that:  "... Belgian Cowboys... will find a way!"  ; )

 

 

Simple post...

Image via - Apollo Ideas blog

Just a thought of the day... on a Sunday evening, after being out of the agency for a week of holidays. "Simply" wondering what kind of new briefings and stories I'll get tomorrow.