(Source: tumblr.com)
theglobalshed
a commentary on the changing digital landscape...and collection of other findings.
A Slow Movement
Carl Honore explained the motivation behind his book, In Praise of Slowness: While reading his son a “One-Minute Bedtime Story,” he suddenly saw the lunacy in his speed-obsessed life, and set out to explore the alternative: a worldwide slow movement that offered a different approach to eating, living, and being with each other.
(Source: ted.com)
Darren Rowse of Problogger is a ‘King’ in the blogging world and much of his guidance written to help entrepreneurial bloggers can be applied by a much wider audience of writers involved in writing optimised content for the web.
Links below:
‘Nailed’ by Hilly Fletcher (2008) part of her Eating Disorder series. (22lb Yorkshire ham leg, 150 x 11/2” galvanised clouts)
Eating Disorder is an ironic look at the relationship between food and body image in our society. Having struggled with her own body image all her life, she has decided to come out of the closet and into the kitchen!
Refreshing to hear this news and opinion…(Full article)
….Speaking in front of an audience that included the Bishop of Oxford, Mr Cameron admitted he was not a regular churchgoer but still believed the Christianity and structure of the Church of England was fundamental to British society.
“I claim no religious authority whatsoever,” he said. “I am a committed, but I have to say vaguely practising, Church of England Christian, who will stand up for the values and principles of my faith but who is full of doubts. Like many (I am) constantly grappling with the difficult questions when it comes to some of the big theological issues.”
Describing the King James Bible as “a high point of the English language” with “arresting phrases that move, challenge and inspire”, Mr Cameron said it had helped bind Britain together.
“We are a Christian country and we should not be afraid to say so,” he said. “The Bible has helped to give Britain a set of values and morals which make Britain what it is today. Values and morals we should actively stand up and defend. The alternative of moral neutrality should not be an option. You can’t fight something with nothing. If we don’t stand for something, we can’t stand against anything.”
But Mr Cameron, who was attacked over the summer by the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams for pushing through “radical” policies “for which no one voted” took the opportunity to have a gentle dig back.
“I have never really understood the argument some people make about the church not getting involved in politics,” he said. “To me, Christianity, faith, religion, the church and the Bible are all inherently involved in politics because so many political questions are moral questions. So I don’t think we should be shy or frightened of this.
“I certainly don’t object to the Archbishop of Canterbury expressing his views on politics. But just as it is legitimate for religious leaders to make political comments, he shouldn’t be surprised when I respond.
“Also it’s legitimate for political leaders to say something about religious institutions as they see them affecting our society, not least in the vital areas of equality and tolerance.”
Paying towards old-age care ‘should be compulsory’
Workers should be forced to pay towards the cost of their long-term care in old age because a voluntary contribution system will not work, the insurance industry warned.
Almost two thirds of adults have given no thought to how they would afford a place at a residential or nursing home, despite fees potentially exceeding £50,000 a year.
The Association of British Insurers (ABI) said that almost one in 10 people wrongly believed that the Government would pay for long–term care and support.
The Coalition has begun a review into how to pay the mounting bill for supporting elderly and disabled adults, which in England alone will reach an estimated £24billion a year by 2026.
The review, led by the economist Andrew Dilnot, is expected to recommend a “partnership” under which the Treasury is required to provide more funds at the same time as individuals contribute more towards their own costs.
Mr Dilnot has suggested that individuals could be asked to take out their own private insurance to protect themselves against the risk of large bills for long–term care.
Reblogged from vanityfair|2,501 notes
Without a doubt, this is our favorite freewheeling photograph of the late, great Christopher Hitchens, whose passing we can barely comprehend. So we turn to the words of Graydon Carter, who writes of this image in his touching memoriam:
“I once sent him out on a mission to break the most niggling laws still on the books in New York City. One such decree forbade riding a bicycle with your feet off the pedals. The photograph that ran with the column, of Christopher sailing a small bike through Central Park with his legs in the air, looked like something out of the Moscow Circus.”
Photograph by Christian Witkin.
The Accidental Conspiracy (15 mins) , directed by commercials director Andy Lambert while with Taylor McMillan films. I was an intern for that production company in 1996 and saw this film many many times, though this is not an amazing copy - it is the only one online. Some incredible editing sequences and gorgeous suspense. I still find the film inspiring - I guess I was at an impressionable age - 21
(Source: andy-lambert.co.uk)
Big Fish
Big Fish’ (23 mins) is an impressionistic portrait of José Nava, a Mexican artist living in London, by his eldest son, and a compelling exploration of their ambivalent relationship.
The film chronicles his strange and sometimes surreal experiences both in Mexico and ‘this cold land’, where he feels like ‘a fish in the wrong pond!’ It also explores how circumstances, including his father’s murder, have influenced Jose’s unique way of seeing.
A memorable film by commercials film director Zadoc Nava about his father - I went to a screening of this at Sony Pictures in Golden Square, Soho in 1996 with the director and producers from Taylor McMillan films whilst I was an intern (runner). I also used to distribute his showreel around Soho - many times over!
Esther B. Robinson learns that many of today’s working filmmakers have day jobs too.
Your cell phone rings. You’ve been short listed for the Oscars.
So why are you taking this call in a Home Depot parking lot, surrounded by drywall and new flooring, on your way to repair a disastrously flooded apartment?
You may be a filmmaker, but you’re also a landlord. This is the day job that makes your film career possible, and now the flood is your problem.
Welcome to a filmmaker’s glamorous life.
In this case, the filmmaker is Ross Kauffman, director of the Academy Award-winning Born Into Brothels. But it could have been any number of famous, soon-to-be-famous, or totally unknown filmmakers across the country, most of whom have second jobs.
Landlord, editor, teacher, d.p., portrait painter, casher-of-trust fund checks — the list is crazy and unpredictable. The only constant is that most independent filmmakers have an additional, non-film form of income.
Truthfully if a trust fund isn’t in your past, present or future, you’ve likely had to find other ways to support yourself besides film. Recognizing that in the new economy, even more people will be taking on second jobs, we decided this was the right time to look at what makes for a good one.
It was clear during our interviews that there is no “perfect job.” Solutions that work for one person might not translate equally for another. Some wanted short, lucrative non-film jobs that allowed them to work in bursts. Others liked the steadiness of long-term, less well-paying jobs that provided after-hours quiet for creative work. A job that suits a 20-year-old doesn’t necessarily work at 35. A gig that’s perfect during preproduction doesn’t necessarily fly during shooting. But each of the filmmakers’ “best” jobs offered a set of component parts that could be used to parse out what job is right at any given moment.
After talking with folks, four basic organizing principles emerged: cash, flexibility, opportunities and balance. These four things seem to be the driving values behind what made a job work at any given time. But each of these were valued in different ways by different people….
Empire of the Sun (1987)
A young English boy struggles to survive under Japanese occupation during World War II. Starring Christian Bale (now in Batman) and John Malkovich.
Lovely film, haunting solo from the choirboy - hugely moving storyline.
The Case for Working with Your Hands:Or Why Office Work Is Bad for Us and Fixing Things Feels Good, by Matthew Crawford.
Writer and mechanic Matthew Crawford thinks a lot of us would be better off trading in our mouse for a screwdriver. His recent book, The Case for Working With Your Hands, has been a huge hit in his native United States, praised by critics and politicians alike.
Mr Crawford, who used to run a Washington think tank but now mends motorbikes, says it is no wonder people are miserable at work. Jobs have become so specialised and process driven that it is hard to see what difference you are making. And in those rare cases where one’s impact is obvious, the result may seem pointless.
Jealousy
“A lot of us are plagued with a sense of uselessness,” he says. “I’ve created a brand - what good is that? So I’ve persuaded people to buy something they didn’t need.”
When running a think tank, he says he honestly could not see the rationale for being paid at all, and wondered what tangible goods or services he was providing to anyone.
“I just sit… and Google. It’s terrible, I wish I was a fireman”
Journalist and presenter Giles Coren
Then he opened a motorbike repair shop and was surprised to find he was not just happier, but more intellectually stimulated. The life of a tradesman is a varied existence, mixing practicality with logic and problem solving, he says.
“Imagine you’re an electrician, you’re installing a conduit pipe and have to bend around the corners to make everything line up. It’s the kind of work that requires improvisation and adaptation. It can never be reduced to following set procedures.”
Not only that, the earning potential for a tradesman is greater than in many office jobs. For instance, a skilled mechanic is likely to earn more than a sociology graduate working in publishing, he argues.
Not everything about manual work is rosy. He warns that furniture making is not a good career move - Ikea can undercut you by employing workers in China for a fraction of the price. But a range of trades that need to be done on site cannot be outsourced to low wage economies.
After new year introspection, January and February are traditionally one of the busiest periods for moving jobs. Mr Crawford believes doing a trade can make you happier.
Check out the Book
Digital Overload: Is Your Computer Frying Your Brain?
Quick: How many Internet browser tabs do you have open while reading this article? Chances are good that it’s more than one. Chances are also good that you’re chatting online, checking your text messages and maybe keeping half an eye on the television as you read these words.
Given the ever-growing array of digital distractions available, multitasking is more prevalent than ever. Unfortunately, experts say, our brains weren’t built for this onslaught. The price is attention overload that leaves us foggy-brained and less productive than before. [Digital Overload: Too Much Technology Takes a Toll]
In multitasking, “there are only disadvantages,” Stanford University communication professor Clifford Nass told LiveScience. “There’s nothing good about doing it.”
Struggling to multitask
Our ability to carry out complicated tasks like reading and reasoning lie in a brain process called working memory. Short-term memory, attention and cognitive control all come into play in keeping our brains on the ball as we take in and manipulate information.
But all of these processes have their limits. So while multitaskers might believe they’re listening to a podcast while texting a coworker, the brain can’t actually handle that sort of simultaneous processing, said Nass, the author of “The Man Who Lied to His Laptop: What Machines Teach Us About Human Relationships” (Current Hardcover, 2010).
“When we’re trying to do that, our brain is rapidly attempting to switch back and forth from one activity to the other,” he said. “That turns out to be extremely difficult.”
![Digital Overload: Is Your Computer Frying Your Brain?
Quick: How many Internet browser tabs do you have open while reading this article? Chances are good that it’s more than one. Chances are also good that you’re chatting online, checking your text messages and maybe keeping half an eye on the television as you read these words.
Given the ever-growing array of digital distractions available, multitasking is more prevalent than ever. Unfortunately, experts say, our brains weren’t built for this onslaught. The price is attention overload that leaves us foggy-brained and less productive than before. [Digital Overload: Too Much Technology Takes a Toll]
In multitasking, “there are only disadvantages,” Stanford University communication professor Clifford Nass told LiveScience. “There’s nothing good about doing it.”
Struggling to multitask
Our ability to carry out complicated tasks like reading and reasoning lie in a brain process called working memory. Short-term memory, attention and cognitive control all come into play in keeping our brains on the ball as we take in and manipulate information.
But all of these processes have their limits. So while multitaskers might believe they’re listening to a podcast while texting a coworker, the brain can’t actually handle that sort of simultaneous processing, said Nass, the author of “The Man Who Lied to His Laptop: What Machines Teach Us About Human Relationships” (Current Hardcover, 2010).
“When we’re trying to do that, our brain is rapidly attempting to switch back and forth from one activity to the other,” he said. “That turns out to be extremely difficult.”
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