Telling A Good Story

To all of us who, as children, built thousands of forts, went on countless adventures down the Amazon, explored the wilds of the Yukon... Caines Arcade rules.

To all of us who want to tell stories about the power of a child's imagination, or how strong is our inner drive to create something concrete from the ideas swimming around our heads... Nirvan Mullick shows us how to do so with mastery.

The best part though, or maybe it is just the cherry on top, is the song at the end. Can you imagine having a song written about you?

A living worth scraping

“If I can only scrape a living, at least it will be a living worth scraping.” Mickey Smith

A while ago, I posted this video of Mickey Smith called, Dark Side of the Lens. The photography, music, and text are all done by this extraordinary man, who obviously/obsessively loves the wilds of nature.


Dark Side of the Lens from Astray Films on Vimeo

Today I stumbled upon his talk at Do Lectures. The Dark Side of the Lens is also presented during his talk. It is interesting to hear him tell of his childhood on the Cornish coast. Hearing how these experiences and the inquiring of his sister made him do the film, somehow makes the film even more brilliant than before.



He mentions at one point in his presentation how he lived one year by the flip of the coin. It was a strange year with a lot of adventures.

Even though I don't think I would ever be crazy/reckless/spontaneous enough to live like this, it really would be fun to do so on the occasion. What do you think, would you give it ago?

I am putting it on my to-do list of this year.

Do Lectures is a fine site to while away your time on. If you do so and find a presentation that is especially inspiring, please tell me.

Zero Inbox

Years ago, I watched this video of Merlin Martin explaining his method of Zero Inbox. I was intrigued with the idea of making instant, quick, possibly radical, decisions daily about how to handle the constant flow of information arriving in my inbox. So, for a while, I followed his methods (more or less).

Then like most practices stemming from good intentions, I digressed and even regressed into bad behaviour. Things went from bad to worse, when I tried embracing a new idea, "only touch once". This idea states you should only handle a piece of information once. Read, think, respond, act. No previewing. No hesitation.

If you get an email or phone message on your voice mail and you know that you are not in the position to act upon the information given, don't open it. Do so when you can complete the task. If you only partially read an email and have to go back later to look at it, you are wasting time that first glance (previewing).

"Touch on once" does make sense on many levels. Yet, it also means that I amassed nearly 100 unread emails in the last six months.

Today was my day allocated to reading my nearly 100 "unread mails" and zeroing my inbox. Mission Accomplished!

Being Alone

I left home to boarding school at 14, went alone to live in France at 16, and proceeded to choreograph a life of my own, on my own until I was 32 and my son entered my life. Nearly 20 years were spent figuring out the different hues of solitude, alone, and lonely.

Once you are on your own, no matter if you are alone or sharing a space with others temporarily, you are both the choreographer and dancer of your days.

There were times of sharing apartments with friends and strangers alike. Some friends stayed friends. Some strangers became friends. Some of both just disappeared into the dusty archive of "chalk it up to experience".

Most of all though, over those 20 years, I woke up alone and wandered out into the day.

I stumbled across Tanya Davis and Andrea Dorfman video poem a while ago and then again today. It speaks volumes of wisdom from someone who possesses equal portions of lion-heart and frightening vulnerability.

The poem is wonderful reminder of all those moments and years of finding the right rhythm within myself.

Divine Storytelling

The powerful words, the tonality of your deep voice, your inward journey escaping silent restraints... dupiously blessed by experiences that eventually find their way into divine storytelling.

If you wish for more...

Such Richness of Sound

"This September 2011, Hassan Wargui (Imanaren) from south Morocco met the group Nettle from New York City in Tangiers. A week of collaborative songwriting and recording led up to a concert outside the Cinematheque de Tanger in the medina. This is "L'Avion", one of the songs they wrote during this time."

My next dream job

Oh, did I laugh at this video. So very 1970s, don't you think? And to all you readers out there not from Germany... the type of jokes and bits of humour in the video are not typical of what passes for humour here. Germans can be really funny. Honest.

That all aside, wouldn't you love to work on the project? I would. 260 people employed on the project currently... wonder whether they need 261. I've never liked watching model landscapes, but I'd love to build them.

The Arduino Project

I've been meaning to look at the six documentaries noted down in this blog post for a while now. First, well-made documentaries are fascinating to watch whatever the topic. Secondly, not so many years ago, I worked as a researcher in a great project promoting creative uses of digital technology in schools. If you share any of these two interests, please watch the video above.

The film outlines the Arduino project that provides students with a cost effective single-board microcontroller for controlling design projects. It is an open source hardware project that could become a very valuable learning tool for high school students. Basically, Arduino could be for hardware design what Alice is for object-oriented programming.

Even if you are not a teacher or not a parent of teenagers or not a technology buff... watch the video anyways. It will give you a glimpse into a world where innovation and creativity is a reality and not just a possibility.

Fine Quality

It is hard to tell people back in Canada what makes people tick here in Germany... well, this video almost captures the feeling of a job well done that is what makes so many people here happy.

Something New And Magical

LG (smartphones) and Google went out of their way coming up with this advert/product launch/art installation... whoever was behind the idea and the production has come up with something very unique. Wouldn't you have loved to have been there?

The building coming alive starts out very mechanical, so do stay with the show, for it eventually goes into the natural, fantastical, magical.

Totally Awesome / Totally Insane

I Believe I can Fly ( flight of the frenchies ). Free segment from sebastien montaz-rosset on Vimeo.

Don't think there is any need of words...

Poetry In Motion

Even though I promised myself not to embed so many videos from The Guardian, I just can not resist publishing this beautiful video on how to make sushi. Pure poetry in motion...

As Time Passes Quietly

Dear Sister, Dear Friend, and to
Those of Us who remember... days
Of hopeful anticipation, butterflies,
That prickling sensation, those
Moments before flight, when there
Was air under my feet, oh the joy,
Oh the lightness of breath… stepping
Forward into an adventure. Knowing
I'd never really know, but still...
Leaping, prancing, twirling with
Abandon, because life was spring
All was new and my spirit was free.

Now my dreams are muffled in
Coats of daily challenges, whether
Fair or not, it does not matter,
Really, truly, they do not define my
Self. Time slowly, quietly dances
Amongst the leaves of such splendor,
Such sublime lightness. The falling.
Who would have known? Certainly not
Me of the past. Thank God for that.

Green Flash

Seeing a green flash is somewhat similar to sighting a whale or having an iguana silently approach you while you sit still and silent at its water source... it is magic.

I am not sure you can capture the moment, or even should try. The green flash is all about anticipation. How can that possibly be anything by flighty?

The Strange Thing Is...

The strange thing is that most of my friends and many of my acquaintances are under the false impression that I am very computer suave. Sure, I've been at this a long time, but that does not mean that I necessarily know what I am doing.

What my friends do not realise is that sooooo often my son receives calls from me similar, truly, similar to these spoken on Byran's voicemail,



Dearest Long Suffering Son of Mine, thank you for your amazing patience when it comes to all the troubleshooting you have done over the years. Thank you for sending the link of the video above to your mother.

I don't know if there was any hint-hint-nudge-nudge intended... even if, you message well taken.

Rambunctious Fun

Sometimes making music is a rambunctious sweaty fun sort of affair where the noise and foot stomping lends its vibes to the music on stage. Video in point. Can you feel the audience jumping up and down on each others toes?

Fashion Dork

Somewhere along the way from metamorphosing from a child who liked to climb trees and didn't give a thought to whether my socks were matched or my t-shirts were on the right way around, and becoming an adult who was trying to make herself as attractive as possible the James Dean types out there, I missed a critical step... learning about fashion.

Last Friday I attended my first fashion show. Actually, I attended the general rehearsal for that evening's fashion show. I spent more time wondering what drives the (amateur) models to want to become models than I paid attention to what they were wearing.

Danny Macaskill- Doing what he does best

I'm sure I've shown one or two of Danny Macaskill's cycle stunt odysseys. My son sent me the link to this one, The Industrial Revolutions, and I was struck how marvelous the film team managed to gather a balance between intricate and sweeping movements, between the mind and gut feelings.


Danny Macaskill - Industrial Revolutions (by cutmedia1)

I'm not sure what made Macaskill the hero of a brigade of young people who spend their lives doing stunt cycling... but I am glad he is succeeding in doing what he wants in life.

Different Perspective

Flying in a motorized paraglider over one of the most diverse continents in the world, George Steinmetz captures in his photographs the stunning beauty, potential and hope of Africa's landscapes and people. See the project at http://mediastorm.com/publication/african-air

This last winter, I saw a photo exhibit of George Steinmetz in Berlin. It was a series of macro-organisms (animals, birds, insects) motifs. Stunning.

One thing that was puzzling about some of the photos the place they were taken from. The perspective of up above, but close gave a remarkable viewpoint. In this video, I discovered why. Make sure you look at the video full screen.

Wonderful Day

DARK SIDE OF THE LENS from Astray Films on Vimeo.


Stupendous! In support of Mickey Smith's mastery, please watch, enjoy, and spread his work onwards into the world. For as he explains,

"It's an art form in itself. (We are) Silent work horses of the surfing world... Most folk don't even know who we are, what we do, or how we even do it, let alone want to pay us for it."