My clickpath to this post…

1. Steve Jobs steps down
2. Twitter feeds from Apple Employees about Steve’s departure.
3. kenchangKen Chang  ‘ Just watched Tim Cook’s 2010 Auburn University Commencement Speech… and then I saw this… bit.ly/p2us3J (Will Ferrell, Harvard, 2003)
4. Conan O’Brien’s  2011 Dartmouth Commencement Address

[21:31]”…No specific job or career goal defines me. And it should not define you.”

[20:52]”..It is our failure to become our perceived ideal, that ultimately defines us and makes us unique. It’s not easy, but if you accept your misfortune and handle it right. Your perceived failure can become a catalyst for profound reinvention.”

[21:52]  “In 2000 I told graduates to not be afraid to fail. And I still believe that. But today I tell you that weather you fear it or not disappointment will come. The beauty is that through disappointment you can gain clarity and with clarity comes conviction and true originality.”

[23:20] “Work Hard. Be Kind and amazing things will happen.”

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Pure Joy.

You know you are blessed when little gems like this occur in your day.

Check out the people LinkedIn suggested I might know today:

Hack, Spam or otherwise. This made me laugh!

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Comedians on Moral Issues…. puh-lease

As one who loves to laugh, I often love a good comedy act. I’ve spent a fair amount of time actually understanding comedic performances, including practicing with an improv group.

Comedians have a very convenient position when it comes to moral issues.  You should never forget that their first and foremost goal is to make you laugh. They will use everything they can to make you laugh. If you think they’re making some super philosophical point, you’re the one being duped. They have the luxury of not “having” to weigh all the options or consider all the facts. They’re point is to make a statement that’s funny in any way, and present it in a way that’s entertaining. In fact to make something entertaining you must commit to one point of view/shtick. You can’t consider all the options. You must commit to one point and nail it.  So for all of those out there who think George Carlin is a philosophical genius, who by the way I think is very funny;  he’s not a philosopher he’s a comedian. He did his job very well. He built up his audience and deconstructed the rest of the world as if you say you are the smartest people in the world and we’re going to laugh about all the other F&^%#*$# out there. (I think I actually heard him say that in one of his routines.) Don’t forget that even the most genuine comedians have a performance persona. It’s not them just being smart. Even Bernie Mac who’s persona I prefer to Carlin’s must commit to a certain point of view to be entertaining. Comedians create an escape for 45 minutes that makes you feel good and laugh so you can face the real world. The one outside the theater. The one where you have to make decisions based on all the information available, not just isolated truths or opinions. So laugh, enjoy yourself, but if you’re drawing your inspiration and direction from comedians they’re the ones getting the last laugh… all the way to the bank$

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Cheap Blog – Cool Video Feed Finds

Have you ever found yourself running through the same rituals time and again?Here are some of the fun and stupid videos I find myself zoning out to over and over again.

Gotta love “Who’s line….”

App State beats Michigan. “Somebody give that kid a scholarship!”

Oooh Rah!

A little piece of home. Gotta love the Sconnie accents and blatant Democratic view points.

Gotta give props to my own videos.

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A new movie for my top 10 list.

This weekend I watched a movie I had always wanted to see. Ironically, I received the movie as a Christmas gift, having never seen it and now after watching it feel as though it should be on my list of top 10 favorites.

The movie Stranger Than Fiction, about a man with a mundane life discovers he has a narrator to his life and that the author/narrator of his life is planning to kill him off, possibly soon. Now what does he do? Such an interesting idea, because I have wondered if I had a biographical movie, who would be the narrator? Or what are the tunes to the soundtrack of my life. Or how would others talk about me at my funeral.

But more than that. This movie was a sheer pleasure, because of the script and the clever, well thought out writing which was then served by an all-star cast who to my delight were cast in roles outside their normal expectation. Will Ferrell, Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson, Queen Latifah and a few other you may recognize.

In trying to discover a way to describe this film to my friends I thought this is not particular type of film but a comedic tragedy, then I realized by every sense of the phrase this was really a tragic comedy. And yes the order makes a huge difference. But it’s just that type of difference that makes the writing in this film so insightful. Another element of this film that was truly unique and spoke to me was it’s form. As the main character Harold Crick moves through his daily activities a GUI is blended into the film in a non-intrusive way that represents all of the mundane routines he calculates throughout that day. I loved this, since I spend so much of my day trying to discover ways to create visualization for people’s experience. (I’m a UI designer). Lastly, the soundtrack truly served the story, the storytelling and the form.

If you’ve seen the movie, you can probably guess what I mean. If you haven’t this probably sounds a little over the top and vague. If you’re going to watch this movie, make sure you have the time to pay attention and watch whole thing. (that’s for all you out there in familyland with kids)

If you haven’t seen it, stop reading right now. Cause I’m going to ruin it for you.

I’m sorry, but it’s the only way I think I can communicate what I got from the film is to quote the end summation.

“…Sometimes, when we loose ourselves in fear and despair, in routine and constancy, in hopelessness and tragedy, we can thank God for Bavarian sugar cookies. And fortunately when there aren’t any cookies we can still find reassurance in a familiar hand on our skin, or a kind and loving gesture, or some encouragement, or a loving embrace, or an offer of comfort, not to mention hospital gurneys, and nose plugs, an uneaten danish, soft spoken secrets, and Fender Stratocasters, and maybe the occasional piece of fiction. And we must remember that all these things, the nuances, the anomalies, the subtleties which we assume only accessorize our days are in fact here for a much larger and nobler cause, they are here to save our lives…”

It’s wisdom like this that makes you thankful for, things like tomato pie, seeing old things with new eyes, and every interaction you have with friends, family and strangers throughout the day. My theme for 2008 so far is Gratitude makes every day great. You may still worry, you may still fear, but gratitude allows you to recognize the larger and nobler cause the nuances in our life create.

Check out this clip of the last 6 minutes of the film.

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