and i am only me

This. All over the world please.

Mon, 20 May 2013 19:59:48 -0400

This. All over the world please.

quantumeagle: I look up — many people feel small because...

Thu, 02 May 2013 11:21:53 -0400

I look up — many people feel small because they’re small and the Universe is big — but I feel big, because my atoms came from those stars. There’s a level of connectivity.

That’s really what you want in life, you want to feel connected, you want to feel relevant, you want to feel like a participant in the goings on of activities and events around you.

That’s precisely what we are, just by being alive…

- Dr. Neil DeGrasse Tyson [ x ]

nevver: Brilliant! The Mac Monocle™

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 13:55:35 -0400

nevver:

Brilliant! The Mac Monocle™

fattyftw: I can’t Oh my.

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 22:26:22 -0400

fattyftw:

I can’t

Oh my.

What’s for lunch?

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 21:49:48 -0400

What’s for lunch?

earthday & toms ...a letter I just sent.

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 14:42:24 -0400

Hello Toms,

I had an idea today that I wanted to share with you. I have several pairs of TOMS shoes, but none that I love as much as my very first pair. They are a pair of cordones in “harbor white” canvas. They wore in beautifully, but after a few years now they’re beginning to wear out. I decided to replace them with the exact same pair, but much to my chagrin, they were a seasonal style and nobody (Internet or brick and mortar) still has them… Sad news… But I have done small repairs to them in the past, and so I pulled out the trusty needle and thread to patch them up one more time. (You’re probably starting to get how much I love these shoes).

As I was sewing, I had an idea. I recently funded a kick starter for a company called Flint & Tinder (you should check them out) who are working to re-ignite the American textile industry. The project I funded is called the “ten year hoodie” and is a hoodie they’ve built so well that they will repair it - not replace it, mind you - for ten years… for free.

The idea I had was that TOMS could do something similar. Shoes wear out. That’s a given, and I think it’s generally accepted. But what if we could hang on to them a little bit longer? What if the longer we had them the more they became uniquely our own. Better for the earth, better for us, right?

What if TOMS offered a care program that cost extra (maybe $30? $50? More? Less?) per pair, that allowed us - free of charge - to send in our TOMS so you could patch them up as best you can and send them back? I know I’d sign up!

But wait… There’s something else: what makes TOMS great is its do-good mission… So what if included in the care program was the funding of one simple sewing/repair kit… and/or one sewing lesson for somebody in need? People in need could keep their own shoes a little longer too! Now I know lots of people who would pay extra for that.

Maybe there are bigger logistical challenges to the idea. I’m sure there are, or maybe TOMS has gotten too big to do something so different. But you’ve started changing the world with the work you do, so I thought I’d share my idea with you to hopefully help you to keep doing that.

Thanks for reading.

A fan,

Michael Hollis

Photo

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 00:16:13 -0400

Photo

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 23:47:22 -0400

7 Billion World - 7 billion people on 1 page

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 20:52:14 -0400

7 Billion World - 7 billion people on 1 page:

Feeling lonely? You’re not alone. You just have to look.

The Fresh Ten Commandments: The Fresh Ten

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 17:58:55 -0400

The Fresh Ten Commandments: The Fresh Ten:

nevver:

You shall treat all people with respect regardless of race, color, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, age, or national origin.

You shall not kill, assault, nor intimidate with threats of physical violence.

You shall not rape, sexually coerce, nor intimidate with threats of sexual violence.

You shall cultivate intellectual curiosity, be open to new ideas, and respect the scientific method.

You shall not cheat, nor cheat others out of what is rightfully theirs.

You shall not lie, deceive, nor spread lies about others.

You shall not steal, that is to say take or use what rightfully belongs to another person in a manner that causes harm. (Stealing is a trickier concept than it once was. How do you say yes to Fair Use and no to software patents?)

You shall keep your promises.

You shall not waste natural resources nor pollute the shared environment.

You shall take responsibility for your actions and their consequences.

The Fresh Ten

This. Yes, please. Also, I think this list is maybe better than mine… But I’m going to keep looking for the best one possible.

Ten commandments

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 23:42:17 -0500

I grew up going to church on Sundays. We were Protestant (if that matters to you). We were told all the stories. The dos and don’ts. We were told what to believe, what was right, and what was wrong. Eventually I became me. I changed, and I decided to think for myself.

Today I am not religious. I do not have faith in things that fly in the face of reason and science and logic and common sense. I do not think that it is right or wise to adhere to the dogma of blind faith, or to judge, hate or seek violence against anyone who does not believe the way I do. I wish we all took that stance.

This is not a judgement of religion, however, or a plea for the world to abandon all faith. Everybody needs something to sustain themselves when they face the toughest challenges in life. My faith is in myself, but I do not condemn anybody for having faith in something or someone else… But when your faith demands that you treat another with anything less than compassion, love, tolerance, and acceptance, you might want to examine whether it is really worth holding on to.

I believe in no god who would condemn people for loving each other regardless of who they are, the color of their skin, their genders, their belief, the years they’ve lived, their cultures, or practically any other reason… A god that opposes love is no god at all in my book.

There are places on this planet at this very moment where these words I’ve just written are not only considered blasphemous, but are justifiable grounds for my swift execution. Just for words! So many other people might read that and righteously declare that this is why we must fight against such people until we’ve wiped them from the face of the earth… And they are no better.

But what does one do without the anchor of religion? Am I suddenly a hedonistic heathen, bent on pleasure for myself at the expense of others? Why not take what I want from those who are weaker? Why not lie? Why not cheat? Why not murder when the whim strikes me? Those are the questions that keep so many clinging to the remnants of belief in a deity… The fear of the void that would be left without one, and the fear of the chaos that might fill it.

But those fears are unfounded and as childish as a fear of made-up monsters. I can assure you that I have committed no heinous crimes because of my own lack of religion… Quite the opposite. We are social creatures, unable to survive alone. We are part of everything else on this little planet, and so anything we do to it, we do to ourselves. I try harder than ever before to be what I think might be a good person, and to do good things. I do not lie. I do not hate. I try to be tolerant, and fair, and just.

But what guides me? Where are my stone tablets full of rules?

They’re ingrained… Natural. A true moral compass of your own will always serve you better than a moral map written somebody else.

Still… after asking myself those questions, I suppose I could compile a possible list of my personal ten commandments. Maybe they’re not perfect. Maybe they’re repetitive, or maybe they’re incomplete. Maybe they are true for just today… Or maybe they make more sense than thirty five hundred years of rigid fearful doctrine full of forbidden dont’s and guilt. I’ll let you decide.

Here goes:

Love freely
Do not hate
Be selfless
Forgive
Be honest
Seek enlightenment
Never stop learning
Be present
Be simple
Live fully

I think if I could live by those guiding principals I would likely leave the world just a bit better than I found it. But maybe you have an even better list. (You are, after all, remarkable). Share it! Maybe you’ll launch a new religion of sorts. A new set of beliefs… One that brings us all closer together. One that guides us to take care of each other and ourselves.

Clack clack clack!

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 11:24:44 -0500

Clack clack clack!

nevver: The Mutants will survive

Sun, 24 Feb 2013 20:47:52 -0500

nevver:

The Mutants will survive

Love isn’t a day.

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 23:54:17 -0500

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not much a fan of holidays. Why celebrate our dads only on fathers’ day? Why celebrate moms only on mothers’ day? Give thanks only on thanksgiving? Bosses? Secretaries? Presidents? Veterans? Why does Martin Luther King, Jr. get a day, but not Louis Pasteur or Alexander Flemming? Or Ghandi? Or Einstein? Or Newton?

Why is there no universal global celebration for music? Or philanthropy? Why is there one world-wide “New Year’s” celebration when time is just a made up thing?

Why did we have to steal a holiday named for some dead guy with serious ophidiophobia to celebrate love? Why isn’t there just a world wide “love day”?

Most of all, why do we even need an arbitrary day to remind us – even obligate us – to tell the people we love how we feel? Let me tell you now… If you feel that way about somebody and you don’t tell that person you love them all the time – and make sure they both know and feel it – you’re going about love all wrong.

I’m sure there are plenty of people who would tell me I’ve got it all mixed up and backwards. They’d say, “Valentine’s day is a great excuse to show your love even more! …An extra little push to tell people that they are special to you… That they have your heart… That you love them!”

I disagree. You don’t need an excuse. Don’t wait for one. Valentines day is over for the year. Are you going to wait another whole year for every commercial on the internet, radio, television and newspaper to tell you again that it’s time to say, “I love you” again? Are you going to allow them to pressure you or make you feel broken and foolish if you don’t have a somebody else?

I hope not. I hope that you are somebody who loves because they want to love, and lets love come any time it’s right. I hope you love every day, and not just one out of every year. I hope that every single day you feel the love that exists for you. Because it does exist just as surely as your beating heart… and you deserve every bit of it.

(From http://feelgoodrevolt.com/ )

Fearlessness, trust, and caring.

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 16:50:02 -0500

Those are some magical words. More than words… Traits. Behaviors. States of being. Secret and powerful incantations… Let me explain.

We had a meeting at work about a week ago. During part of the meeting we talked about one of our primary job responsibilities, and some of us were tasked with figuring out why we’re not always great at it. We assumed that maybe we needed to clarify the expectations, so we started to list all the things that we should be doing while in that role… All the tasks, and priorities. It quickly dawned on us that every single person in the room already knew that list. They knew exactly what they were supposed to be doing, but that somehow wasn’t enough to get them to do it.

Why not? That’s the question that got us to something new. When we honestly asked ourselves that question we found out that there were three things that ultimately get in the way of being great.

Fear. So many people are afraid. They won’t admit it, because of the stigma that the word brings. Fear implies weakness and lack of control. Nobody wants to be labeled that way, but want it or not we all - every one of us - have fear. You can call it something else if you like. Sometimes it’s the obvious “I’m-being-chased-by-a-wolf” terror that anybody would know, but most often it’s something different. Something hard to recognize. It’s that quiet whisper of doubt. The small vibration of anxiety. The subtle absence of confidence. It’s just feeling uncomfortable.

We avoid those feelings. Maybe there’s a reason for that. We evolved that way. Doing something uncomfortable could be DANGEROUS! It could get us HURT or KILLED! RUN!!! …But the only times we ever learn, develop, grow, or get better is when we face those feelings and have the courage to say “No… I will not run.” We take a breath and embrace the challenge before us. We might get laughed at. Or ridiculed. Or bruised. Or sore. But we will learn and grow.

We need to stand up to our fears, big or small, and tell them they don’t get to hold us back. It’s been said that courage is not the absence of fear… it is the triumph over it.

Trust. We live in a world that constantly erodes our trust in others. It’s been built that way. So many people are overselling themselves. So many products and services are made out to be much more than they actually are. We can’t trust a friendly “hello” on the street, because it’s so often followed by a hustle of some kind. There are countless ways to be taken advantage of, and even the most savvy and wary among us have been lied to and let down again and again. We lose our trust in others.

But that’s just giving up. Giving up on trust is the same as throwing your hands up and resigning yourself to live a sad, guarded, cynical and lonely life. Who’d like to sign up for that? No? No… because it’s really is not a life at all. We need to begin with trust. No matter how many times the world might try to break our trust, we need to protect it and keep it alive. I’m not advocating gullibility, or naiveté… they’re not the same. Trust is knowing that others might fail us, and often will, but it’s making sure that we first give them at least a chance to prove otherwise. It’s still believing that if we trust in somebody to do what they should, they might just do exactly that.

Care. It is there or it isn’t. You care about what you are doing, or you don’t. People will often work tremendously hard convince themselves that they care… they rationalize that what they’re doing and the way they are doing it is important to them. That’s a poor superficial gilding that flakes and peels when put to the test. For those who are deceiving themselves, the effort it takes to keep up appearances makes work harder than it ever should be, and our self-deception makes this one of the toughest behaviors to change.

But when you really ask yourself the right questions and don’t take bullshit in the replies you get, you’ll know where you stand. Do you put everything into what you’re doing? Are you completely present? Does what you are responsible for take priority over anything else that’s tugging on your attention? Do you really believe it’s worth it? …So much that you’ll make yourself uncomfortable to get better at what you do? If you can’t answer yes to all of those, then stop. You have a decision to make. You can choose to change… Search yourself, and recommit yourself to your work. It will take effort, but it will make a tremendous difference. Or you can choose to stop for good… admit that this is not what you love and give yourself the chance to find something new that does let you say yes to all of those questions. There’s a third choice, of course. You can do nothing, but we’re not going to discuss that one, because once you know you don’t care, anything less than change is unacceptable. You’re better than that. When you truly care, you know it through to your bones. You cross a threshold and a magic thing happens where work actually isn’t work at all.

Be fearless. Trust. Care. We’ve made a great deal of progress since we’ve begun to use those filters. We keep asking ourselves if we are being fearless… If we are trusting the people we’re with… If we really care. We keep pushing ourselves to be able to honestly say yes. And something unexpected has happened. We made another discovery (one that you have probably already figured out at this point): Fearlessness, trust, and caring doesn’t just apply to the role we started out trying to improve… it applies to everything you and I do. Everybody knows what they should be doing at work or in their lives in general, but few people actually always do that. Why not?

Think about where you are and what you are doing… And ask yourself: Am I being fearless? Do I trust? Do I care? Try and see… I dare you!

nevver: The Elephants of Typography

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 23:53:50 -0500

nevver:

The Elephants of Typography

nevver: Go ask Alice

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 23:49:39 -0500

nevver:

Go ask Alice

Sometimes you see things that are too much for words. No photos...

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 23:45:59 -0500

Sometimes you see things that are too much for words. No photos can capture those moments. No retelling can give a real sense of the experience. The best thing you can do is be there and live them… Then they become a piece of who you are.

nevver: How to

Tue, 08 Jan 2013 17:25:37 -0500

nevver:

How to

"Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing."

Sun, 06 Jan 2013 13:50:14 -0500

“Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.”

- Benjamin Franklin (via theimpossiblecool)