January 2012
28 posts
Why are famous abstract artists good at drawing?
I remember being very surprised when learning that abstract artists like Jackson Pollock, Pablo Picasso, and Donald Judd had done figurative works when they were young. I’d always assumed that abstract art was something apart from figurative art, rather than something born of figurative art. Anyway, here is an interesting passage on the topic from a random blog:
I will give an analogy from...
MURK AVENUE: I FOUND ICE CUBES 'GOOD DAY' →
Shout out to the hip hop armchair scholars. (Hat tip @shtat)
murkavenue:
CLUE 1: “went to short dogs house, they was watching Yo MTV RAPS” Yo MTV RAPS first aired: Aug 6th 1988 CLUE 2: Ice Cubes single “today was a good day” released on: Feb 23 1993 CLUE 3: ”The Lakers beat the Super Sonics” Dates between Yo MTV Raps air date AUGUST 6 1988 and the release…
Airplane Hacks
1) You don’t need ID
I’ve blogged about this before, but it bears repeating: you do not need ID to fly on an airplane!
I had to do it again recently and the process varies a little bit from airport to airport, but it doesn’t take more than 5 - 10 minutes extra. If you forget your ID on the way to the airport, you do have the option to just press forward without ID.
2) You...
They turned the poignancy up to 11 for this song....
“Works of art are received and valued on different planes. Two polar types stand...”
– Walter Benjamin, “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction”, 1936.
The way the idea of “authenticity” is being transformed by commerce, specifically e-commerce, is awesome and exciting. I’ve blogged about this in the past with J.Crew and was reminded of...
Cursus honorum
I’m not trying to “Break into Wall Street” but I recently bought an advanced Excel course targeted towards those folks. The site also has fun articles dispassionately describing how crazy banking is, knowing full well that readers are committed to the cause and very little could dampen their desire for a job in a finance. If you like Goldman Sachs Elevator Gossip, you’ll...
Ali Bosworth
Daniel Everett
Wish he would make this into a song
I used to subscribe to this idea, but its not sustainable. In 2012 I’m on my NPR / yoga / green tea startup grind.
The McKinsey Way
A light overview of how McKinsey approaches analytic problems and client relations. I was interested because I never considered working in consulting but I work alongside a lot of former consultants. The book is more interesting as context on a storied firm, most stuff can’t be directly applied. This passage is a pretty good encapsulation of the book:
3. Structure.
To be readily...
Aurel Schmidt
The Elasticity of Memory
I’ve always been amazed at what I’ll call “the elasticity of memory”. If you care about something — facts, numbers, experiences — you’re more likely to remember it. Of course, we all remember our first kiss. Not only is is emotionally significant, but its a unique episodic memory. Compare that to a baseball player’s batting average. As a non-sports...
Venture Capital & Private Equity: A Casebook
This is the course book for the VC & PE class at Harvard Business School. I read it over vacation and learned a crazy amount. I understand how venture capitalists make decisions so much better now. If decisions made by venture capitalists affect your life, you must read this book.
Mixtapes
Its Cam’ron & Vado, more of the same, either you like it or you don’t. [Unreleased, you can find it on PirateBay]
Recommended. I think Meek Mill will be big in 2012. [Dat Piff dl link]
Highly anticipated mixtape moment. Lots of great Diddy appearances. Worth a listen. [DatPiff dl link]
Lying by Sam Harris
Far from perfect, but his meditation on lying is a worthwhile read. A Louis CK standup has more appreciation for the actual nuances of the human condition, but this secular humanist treatise does pose a ton of interesting questions.
How to Win at the Sport of Business
Page turner success story from a likeable douchebag (kinda like a Jersey Shore castmember) with inspiring and useful tidbits along the way.
