Quote of the day
Systematically surround ourselves with people likely to want to know us, learn from us, and help us.
~MARK SCHAEFER, author of The Tao of Twitter: Changing Your Life and Business 140 Characters at a Time
SELF-IMPROVEMENT
How to get smarter, Barking up the wrong tree | Tweet
Wouldn’t you like to know how to get smarter? Of course. I’ve looked at the science on the subject many times in the past and there are some simple methods — like, believe it or not, exercise and even chewing gum.
→The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich
PSYCHOLOGY
Story envy: When we borrow other people’s personal anecdotes, The British Psychological Society | Tweet
Admit it, have you ever told a cracking story to your friends but failed to include the crucial (but perhaps boring) caveat that the amusing events actually happened to someone else?
FOOD
The violent secret of meat, Esquire | Tweet
My problem with meat was that I was too nice to it. Like a lot of tentative amateur cooks, I was intimidated by meat, especially great meat — its heft and grandeur, its copious marbling, its protruding bones and prohibitive cost. The idea of ruining it scared the hell out of me, like a jittery milquetoast pushed by his buddies to approach a model.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Twitter data show that a few powerful users can control the conversation, Quartz | Tweet
Twitter advocates like to talk about how Twitter gives everyone a voice. But we should have no illusions that all voices are equal.
→The Tao of Twitter: Changing Your Life and Business 140 Characters at a Time
BOOKS
Review: The Wright Brothers, NYT | Tweet
A lot of books about the Wright Brothers are written for children. Maybe that’s because these two aviation pioneers are better known for their work than for anything personal.
WRITING
Anatomy of a Best-Selling story–Structure: Part One, Kristen Lamb’s Blog | Tweet
Writers must understand structure if they hope to be successful. Yes, it might take five years to finish the first novel, but if we land a three book deal, we don’t have 15 years to turn in our books. Also, in the new paradigm of publishing, writers who produce more content have greater odds of making money at this writing thing.
→Rise of the Machines: Human Authors in a Digital World
3 Writing tips you can learn from Avengers: Age of Ultron, The Write Practice | Tweet
When I heard that author, director and all-around nerd royalty Joss Whedon was reprising his dual roles in the screenwriter’s and director’s chairs for Avengers: Age of Ultron, I came to the theater armed with a notepad, figuring I could take home some stellar writing tips from the guy who poured so much of himself into this film that he nearly died of exhaustion.
