Adrian’s Microblog

Great 24m review of the 2015 Subaru Forester.

Gotta say, I recently purchased one (not the XT model featured here) and really like it after a couple months of driving – Subaru’s focus is ‘safety, versatility, and reliability’, and I think they do a good job of accomplishing it. I pretty much agree with all the reviewer’s assessments, and as he mentions, while there’s a small on-road compromise, I was willing to give that up for the better ruggedness performance.

And on a related note, Alex on Autos seems like a great YouTube channel to get good in-depth breakdowns of vehicles, with practical insights into how it would work in real life.

B showed this to me a few months back – neat stunt driving tricks with a Subaru WRX I believe. Some of the later tricks are really neat. Enjoy! :)

The best summer sandal imho: the Chaco Zong.

Easy to slip into and kick off, toe loop for great hold and maneuverability, built of rugged materials so long-lasting, fully adjustable continuous webbing for perfect fit, and nice bright color.

Getting ready to replace the pair I’ve had for a long time – ah, the memories. :)

(Bonus material: You can ReChaco your sandals for repairs/adjustments, and also follow these care tips.)

by yours truly; with C

Another lap around the sun! :) 2015 holds many good things - here we go, and love you C!

He’s coming! :)

(via ayjay)

Brewer House, Wanaka, New Zealand

I like this modern-styled house, because I think it’s different from a lot of the contemporary/minimalist attempts out there. To me, it respects the design principles of nature, not flouts them. It follows the randomness, that also belies pattern-ness. And in my opinion, is more harmonious as a result.

Other modern houses are just jarring, made for visual dissonance, which gets old in the long run. They have no internal strength because they are derivative; their existence is by reference once removed, not consonance one step closer.

Anywho, hope you enjoy. :)

(via nonconcept, via Sarah Scott Architects, photography Mickey Ross)

What an excellent presentation style: Hans Roslin tells a story, uses a variety of visuals, integrates emotion, integrates intellect, and shapes thoughts for us to think about. All while talking about a washing machine.

Other talks he’s known for are:

–200 Countries, 200 Years, 4 minutes

–The Shortest TEDx Talk, at less than a minute

(via sufficientlyantique, via explore-blog)

Okay, so this is funny. ;p

What would Christmas be for the last three years without a Pentatonix Christmas cover – herewith, a church hallway version of Silent Night, with the Pentatonix twist.

Hope you enjoy! :)

suchtango:

(via How to Build the World’s Simplest Electric Train | Colossal)

Perhaps the great struggle of knowing God’s plan for your life is being comfortable not knowing the plan. Maybe our belief in his Providence is made full when we cease to desire the details of the plan and simply trust that there is one. — Part of a recent conversation. (via churchjanitor)

“The Creative Life”, a 9m video by Shawn Blanc as part of his Delight is in the Details kit.

He does a good job of capturing essences of the creative process. And in the process, creating inspiration. I bought the toolkit too – haven’t been through all of it, but I look at it as an inspiration reservoir I’ll be going back to from time to time to push me forward.

And now for some pretty photos… :)

(via definitelydope, by Vladimir German)

I dunno, Austin Kleon has just been hitting all my buttons recently. This post (extended version) is no exception.

(via austinkleon)

I like this idea of keeping a logbook – not a diary, not a journal, but a logbook. Just like on the ships, or weather takers.

Seems a good way to briefly recap the day, process it ever so slightly, and release it to go to sleep. Think I’ll start doing it today with one of those unused journals lying around…

Phil Libin’s keynote at the 2014 Evernote Conference.

Evernote is trying to change the way people work – which is an audacious goal. But I think they’re onto something.

I watched the first and last 15 minutes of this video, where Phil explains that, despite living in the digital world now for 30+ years, we’re still using the symbols of the non-digital world, and it’s holding us back. Things like typewriters, file cabinets, and projectors.

The Evernote team is re-thinking the flow of work, and building its software around collecting, finding, writing, and presenting. And that they can all happen in the same space. And be collaborative.

Watching the videos at the end (and especially combined with yesterday’s post) really emphasized for me the shift from “competitive and hoarding” to “collaborative and sharing”. And Evernote is enabling that.

Their new tagline: “For your life’s work”, and I know for me: I couldn’t do my work half as effectively without it.

For most of history, success meant success at zero-sum games. And in most of them meanness was not a handicap but probably an advantage. That is changing. Increasingly the games that matter are not zero-sum. Increasingly you win not by fighting to get control of a scarce resource, but by having new ideas and building new things. —

Paul Graham, in his latest post, Mean People Fail.

The creative economy works on different principles.

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