While we are on the subject of books, the one I’m currently reading is Manage Your Day-to-Day by Jocelyn K. Glei and Scott Belsky. I love simple, practical, actionable advice for creatives like myself and this has hit the mark so far. I love the idea that it leads with — putting your priorities first. Far too often, we start our day in reaction mode — responding to emails, checking voice mails, reacting to task lists. The book argues that this puts other peoples priorities first and give your creativity and back seat. I know I need to be much better at this.

I was recently surprised and delighted to find myself mentioned amongst others I enjoy in this Fast Company post on the benefits of hand writing on pen and paper. I do a fair (and increasing) bit of first drafting on paper. This post started out that way as have many others.

If you are in the market for a good (but not too good) notebook to capture your thoughts, Field Notes are always a good choice. I always have one in my back pocket to capture meeting notes and ideas for the current books I’m working on. The most recent special edition, The Night Sky, is a real stunner.

I know that privacy and security are of increasing concern given recent events here in the cradle of democracy. Therefore, I find this neat little Onion Pi project of interest. Get yourself a Raspberry Pi, a USB wifi adapter, power, and ethernet. And now you have a little secure hotspot that routes all traffic through the anonymizing Tor Network. Of course, one will need more than this to be truly anonymous and secure but, hey, it’s a good place to start (and nerdy fun too).

I generally do not like most of the conferences I have attended. Mainly because I’m an introvert and find they take more energy than the value they often provide. Therefore, I have pondered starting a conference myself before, and still might actually do so in the future. One that provides all of, and only, the parts of the things I like about conferences. That said, if I were to make a list and spell out what those things were, it would look very much like this guide to running a good conference or event. In fact, it pretty much covers it.

Speaking of events, I’ll be hosting a meet-up event for members of App.net on June 20th (This Thursday) at 6:30p at the Chatterbox Cafe in Saint Paul, MN. I would love it if you are around and joined us. Not an App.net member? Have no idea what it is? Well…

App.net is the social networking service that has largely replaced Twitter for me. It is everything Twitter used to be and should have become. App.net is normally a paid service (Which is one of the things I love about it — you are the customer!) but, the kind and generous folks there have given me some free invites to give away. Just click that link and you’ll be in like flint. I have not idea how many there are so first come first serve and they are gone when they are gone.

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• Broken Blade (A Fallen Blade Novel): Kelly McCullough — First novel in a series that follows the exploits of Aral The Shadowjack (or Kingslayer). A fast paced mashup of fantasy and hard boiled detective noir. Great start, compelling story and characters, and leaves one wanting to jump right in to the next book.

• The Art Of Not Sucking: Hugh MacLeod — Another nice ass kicker and reality bringer from Hugh.

• The Icarus Deception: How High Will You Fly?: Seth Godin — This one fell flat for me. Not quite sure why. I think it is largely because I’m already at where this book wants to encourage the reader to be. That said, it is likely great for those who need it.

• The Sketchnote Handbook Video Edition: the illustrated guide to visual note taking: Mike Rohde — The book I bugged Mike for years to write finally was released and it is better than I could have imagined. It makes the artform he pioneered accessible to every skill level to engage. So, so, good.

• Designing Disney’s Theme Parks: The Architecture of Reassurance: Karal Ann Marling — Fascinating. And confirmed many of my impressions about Disney World.

• The Willpower Instinct: How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do to Get More of It: Kelly McGonigal Ph.D. — Simply great. Real, science based actionable information. This gives you all the tools you need to build better willpower. Also, some surprising facts (like how much meditation and simply getting outside for a walk help).

• Tenth of December: Stories: George Saunders — Brilliant and mesmerizing collection of short stories. I’d give more than one appendage to write this well.

• Bared Blade (A Fallen Blade Novel): Kelly McCullough — Part two in the continuing adventurers of Aral. This book is even better than the first of the series. In this round, Aral (and the rest of the book’s world) is on the hunt of a sacred ring that, if not found, could start a great war. Of course, this means that some would rather it not found. Lots of nice twists and turns. And, you can really feel the fun that Kelly is having writing these. Strongly recommended.

It was on this date that my friend Rodney Lain took his own life. Besides being a dear friend and confidant, Rodney was also one of the most ambitious writers I knew. His take on the Apple scene, at a time when it needed champions, was daring and original. He had no problem writing the hard truths others feared to write. He would even go so far to work weekends at a computer retailer to "convert the sinners" by enticing those looking at PCs to buy Macs. He enjoyed being a truth teller and freedom fighter. But he also had personal battles that were too much for him to shoulder. So he took the only option he felt he had to fight for his own freedom. I miss him.

Today is also my wedding anniversary. I met Bethany through a mutual friend. Her Mac’s hard drive died, she was having a rough time, and he asked me to help her with it for free. I agreed and we met at his place. I had a horrible flu and was a bit too fuzzy from cold meds to notice how lovely she was. Thankfully, she insisted on thanking me by inviting me out for a play. We went out for coffee a few times after that, became friends, and soon enough realized there was something much more. She is funny and wickedly smart and clever and passionate. But most of all she is my best friend.

I’m thankful that I have had either of these remarkable people in my life at all. In too many ways to measure, they’ve made me a better me. What more can one ask for in a friend?

Now, what if your job was to find needles in haystacks? And, what if I told you the more hay you had the more needles you would find? Well, then, you might opt to add more hay. In fact, if you believed that finding those needles was a life-or-death matter, you might be inclined to add as much hay as you possibly could to increase the chance that more than one needle might be there.

Finally, what if I told you that, really, your job was not to necessarily find the needles? It was only to plant the seed of possibility that the needle might be there simply because it has been proven that a needle exists anywhere a big pile of hay does? All you have to do is collect as much hay as possible so that, should a needle be suspected, there is sufficient hay to back it up.

Now, if you watch the video on this page, at the 7:30 mark, this guy will tell you why the size of the haystack does not matter, what matters is that there is enough hay to prove a needle exists.

I love good poetry. I, thankfully, live in a city where poetry is respected. Thanks to an active sidewalk poetry program, I encounter it unexpectedly and often walking the streets. I encounter it at bookstores and stenciled on walls. I sometimes see it on bus stop posters. I even spot the occasional and unintentional haiku in a sign or flyer.

Though I write poetry much less these days, and share it even less than that, I still find that it often stops me in my tracks. When very good or, especially, when unexpected it has the power to change me. To change my notions about the world or even those I know. To stop me in my tracks and shift my direction. Any good writing can do this, yes. But a good poem can get to places inside you no other words can.

It shows in your relationships. It shows in your home. It shows in the job that you barely do. Everyone can see when the fire is out. When the spark no longer ignites the flame to make it. And when you no longer have the passion to strike the match.

The signs are seen not just in those who’ve stopped caring but also in the things they’ve stopped caring for. The work that is just now OK, yet used to meet a higher standard. The shine that is just a bit more dull. The home full of people living within that has no life. Everyone can tell.

They can tell on a larger scale too. The neighborhood that lacks it’s friendly charm. The school that lacks the excitement of learning. The town that is missing its sense of place. The nation that has lost it’s pride. All of these are due, in large part, to those who’ve stopped caring.

Yet, all it often takes to change it is one person who cares despite it all. One person to decide they are going to do just a little bit more. The one person who stands up with passion amongst the apathy is the one that stands out. The one willing to give a damn when no one else will.

Of course, if one person has the courage to care perhaps others will be inspired to care too. Then, those things they begin to care about will be better for it. The relationships will be that much stronger. The homes, that much more full of life. The neighborhoods more welcoming. The towns and cities will blossom. And a proud nation will rise up from it all.

And, everyone can see that too.

Therefore, I thought I would try to correct this by doing a regular series I’m dubbing Items Of Interest. My thinking is to offer some short commentary on a number of links in a kind of traditional weblog style. I hope this is useful. Here we go…

The Last Ice Merchant (El Último Hielero) is one of the nicest short films I have seen in a while. It’s about the last of a generation of ice harvesters on Ecuador’s Mount Chimborazo.

There’s still some time to get the Bomber Jacket Briefolio from Levenger for about $50.00 off the regular price. Those who have followed me know I’m a big fan of Levenger (and customer for over 20 years). That is because their quality and service are unmatched in a world where mediocrity is the norm. At only $79.00 for such a handsome piece that will last a lifetime, it is difficult to pass up. It would make a great Father’s Day gift.

Slip Notes look like a great way to manage your stack of index card notes. You do keep a stack of notes on index cards, right?

Of course, while we are discussing index cards, Noteboard is a pocket whiteboard that folds up into the size of one. It even comes with a handy dry-erase pen.

The link before last is thanks to my good friend and very talented human being Mike Rohde. Besides being in the thick doing illustrations for the next 37 Signals book, he somehow found the time to release what is, perhaps, the nicest handwriting font I’ve ever seen. Read all about how The Sketchnote Typeface came to be and buy the heck out of it. I already have at least one project I know I’m going to use this for.

This week, I had the pleasure of attending the latest Ignite 5 in Minneapolis. If you’ve never been to an Ignite event before, it works like this: 5 minutes, 20 slides, with each slide auto-advancing every 15 seconds. Speakers are selected from submissions and can be on just about any topic. It’s a lot of fun (I was a speaker last year). The talk that I think stuck with me the most this year was from Kevin Hendricks who read 137 books in one year and gave some real practical and actionable tips on reading books more. Of course, he wrote a book about his experience (and the Kindle version is currently free on Amazon for Prime members).

I’ve been becoming increasingly interested in online privacy. Towards that end, I’ve been using and recommending Cloak to others that are equally interested. Cloak is a VPN service and provides an easy way to protect yourself on public wi-fi hotspots and other places where you are unsure of your online privacy. The plans are pretty fair (as low as $1.99 a month) so it is a great deal too. Also, they just rolled out a new feature where you can make your connection country specific. This also means the ability to get around region blocks on certain content (BBC anyone?).

And, if you are really paranoid and value extreme privacy over browsing speed (because, well, freedom is never free), the Tor Project is for you.

Have a nice weekend.

I’m a full-time independent writer who works hard to bring you quality reading and ideas here daily. If you enjoy what you read here, please consider a free will donation of any amount.

littleBits is open source library of electronic modules that snap together with magnets for prototyping, learning and fun. We were given a starter kit by a friend who accidentally ordered two during their successful Kickstarter campaign. It’s really great. Especially for kids.

I spent some time playing with it with Beatrix last night and was quite impressed. The packaging and presentation was top notch. What you get are little modules one that magnetically snap together into various configurations and make little projects. The modules are essentially divided into four color-coded categories — Power , Input, Wire, Output. The possibilities of what to do with these are largely up to your experimentation. The instructions do provide a couple of example projects to give you an idea of how it all works but the rest is up to you. That said, there seems to be an active community of folks sharing their projects ideas. A great resource.

This is a perfect thing to get kids excited about electronic experimentation and making. Beatrix had a blast in the half hour we had to play with it before bed. She insisted in bringing it up to her bedroom so that she could remember she had it to play with in the morning. Which, in Beatrix’s world, is the best vote a toy can receive.

In his wonderful, and I would argue essential, recent post — Designing blogs for readers — by Matt Gemmell, he mentions that he has been blogging for eleven years.

John Gruber, in mentioning his latest round of T-shirts for sale, mentions that he has been writing Daring Fireball full time for seven years. He has been writing online far longer than that.

Jason Kottke has been writing at kottke.org for fifteen years. But I started reading him online well before that, when he lived here in the Twin Cities and wrote a blog called Oscill8.

And, of course, the first post on this site is November, 7 2003 (going on ten years). But the blog had been one internal to my employer at the time for about a year before that.

My point being this, I get a lot of people who are relatively new to online writing asking me what it takes to be successful at it. I think one of the main things is simply showing up and doing it for a long time. Not only are you bound to get better at it from such constant long term practice, but audiences are built reader by reader over the long term as well.

This was just as true of all of the writers mentioned above. They all started with a single post and just kept showing up year after year. If you would like similar success, that is the place to start.

I’m a full-time independent writer who works hard to bring you quality reading and ideas here daily. If you enjoy what you read here, please consider a free will donation of any amount.

There are authors and actors who only show up when they have something to sell, who hit the road to briefly entertain us, pitch us and then leave. If you love their work, then by all means, buy it! But the frequent blogger is here for another reason. He or she has something to share and is relentlessly showing up to teach and lead and connect.

If you want that to happen more, if you’re getting something out of it, buy the book.

The majority of my income comes from my writing. My books are a key source of that. Purchasing my books is a direct way to support and insure the work I do here.

Toward that goal, I have recently cleaned up the book page and added all four of the books I have written to date. Please take a look

Perhaps you have purchased one or two but have not purchased the others. First of all, thank you so much. Secondly, please consider buying another if the subject interests you or you wish to simply support the work I do here. If you enjoy the work I do here (almost) daily, I’m sure you will find the value your receive from any of them is at least equal to the amount you give.

But, regardless of whether you buy my books or not, I can tell you there are a lot of great writers posting to their blogs regularly that would benefit from the same kind of support. If they have a book for sale, buy it.