November 2011
1 post
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"After 541 Years in Nashville" (Letter Art...
Here’s the result of my Nashville Letter Art Project: “After 541 Years in Nashville.”
I asked folks to send me letters and answer the following question. After so many years in Nashville, what did you learn?
I added up the collective experience you mailed in and it came out to 541 years. I’ve been fascinated how letter writing contrasts usual writing on the web. Letters...
September 2011
1 post
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Dear Nashville, write me letters so I can make you...
I dreamed up this Nashville lettering-writing art project and now I need your help!
Coud you write me a letter? I’ll write you back in the form of digital art you can print out and hang on that blank wall in your bathroom. The prompt is:
After [number] years in Nashville, I learned _______.
The above image is a quick example of how I’ll build the art. I’ll add up the years...
August 2011
1 post
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Should I join Google+?
The new social networking site from Google, Google+, promotes segmenting shares and potentially lowers your reach to smaller audiences, but this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It all depends on your goal.
On Facebook or Twitter, most people share to all their friends or even the world. It all depends how you use the tool, but as a general rule, Facebook Lists are inferior to Google+...
July 2011
2 posts
5 tags
Weekstart comes after the Weekend
I’ve been playing with the idea of “Weekstart.”
Just as the weekend is the last two days of the week, weekstart is the first two: Monday and Tuesday. During the weekstart I block out any commitments after work for both Monday and Tuesday night.
See, I’ve been asking too much of my weekends. During the week I find peace in knowing I have time over the weekend to do item A,...
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Creative Date Ideas #1: The "Gift Card Date"
Find all the gift cards lying in your purse or stacked in the back of your wallet. Combine them and choose your adventure. It’s inexpensive, and the restrictions create a game-like challenge.
Are you going to buy a game or movie at Target, or do you need to save the Target card for food since that would leave you with only Starbucks muffins for dinner? Or… do you really like...
June 2011
4 posts
2 tags
Is your writing more original if you read others...
A few of my friends have said not reading others makes his or her writing more original. They’re not copying anyone so his or her work is original, yeah?
Bollocks.
Reading widely makes you a more original writer. Let’s start with what makes one a competent writer. Professional writers speak in a unified voice when they say you become a better writer by writing and reading more.
...
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Let's play irl Four Square on a ship
See this pirate ship thing in Centennial Park? Take a look from the top. It’s perfect for Four Square—not the social network. NERD. Put that phone in your pocket. It’s time to mingle and sweat in a competitive setting. I’m talking about some In Real Life (irl) Four Square. I’ll bring the chalk and a ball that bounces. You in? Wednesday’s a great day, as once it...
Road Trip Discussion Topics
How would modern architecture change if dinosaurs still roamed the earth?
How would those in your car rise to political power during a zombie uprising and instate a philosopher king among you?
How long would it take the members of your car to find a Con Man you don’t know, then con him?
If the members in your car immediately quit their jobs and pooled $15,000, how would you start a...
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Homebrewed Recipes for Monday Night Brewing
My brother and his partners are launching a new line of beer in Atlanta called Monday Night Brewing. I’ve seen him work on this for years. It’s quite, quite exciting.
The recipes have been finalized, and I recently was able to secure a few beers before they’re available to the public—whatever, jealous much? All you need is a brother who brews beer like it’s his...
May 2011
1 post
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Domesticating Dinosaurs For Farm Life: The...
I had a question. In a hypothetical world in which dinosaurs and humans were alive during the same time, which dinosaurs would be good candidates for domestication? Luckily, I knew who to ask. Meet Dinosaur Enthusiast David Chaniott
Since a young age, David Chaniott has been intrigued by dinosaurs. In fact, at age 13, a homeschooling group asked David to teach a middle school class on the...
April 2011
1 post
4 tags
Nashville's Belmont University: A Review for...
I get emails from parents of prospective Belmont University students fairly regularly. I thought I’d move the conversation online so there’s a place for the conversation to grow.
First, some context…
My Bias: I blow a kiss every time I drive by Belmont since I enjoyed it so much. Be warned my sentiment is overall positive. Some of my peers have other positions. It was a good...
March 2011
2 posts
4 tags
It took a robbery for me to meet my neighbor
My house was robbed over Thanksgiving. They caught the alleged robber, so this morning I’m going to court to testify.
Here’s an edited excerpt of what I wrote some friends after I was robbed:
Happy Thanksgiving!
Today I’m thankful I finally met my first neighbor, Willy. That I get to spend time with my family. That I don’t have to work till Monday. That I’m not...
Saturday's City Crossword prizes include a print... →
February 2011
2 posts
1 tag
Fight Up
Take fighting.
To become a better fighter, you fight. Then you become stronger. If your enemies are stronger, you don’t challenge them at the start. You train.
To safely get better at fighting you train with a friend. You regularly fight someone who (1) is more powerful and wise and (2) doesn’t want to kill you.
You get better at fighting by fighting up. This concept applies to a whole...
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Thanks, Sitemason
After three great years, today is my last day at Sitemason. Next week I’ll be working alongside the team at Raven Internet Marketing Tools.
A Word About Sitemason
(Here I am with Team Sitemason wearing a fake bowtie. I’ve grown a lot as a person since this photo was taken.)
It’s not fully accurate to say I’ve worked with Sitemason for three years.
In high school I interned...
January 2011
1 post
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My 2011 goals
Become a motorcycle owner again.
Shave with a straight razor.
Clean my room.
December 2010
3 posts
1 tag
The First City Crossword is 3pm Saturday!
This New Year, Saturday January 1, at 3:00 p.m. go to www.CityCrossword.com and the first City Crossword game will open.
City Crossword is an online game that you solve as a group. All riddles are local trivia and based on news, history, sports and more. You can win prizes from local businesses and artists by solving the last riddle or by solving the most riddles. Prizes will be announced...
Racetrack
I hear the far off drone of a racetrack: the roar of engines, occasional squeals of tires, and also the wind lifting these sounds to my ears.
Odometers across the city are clicking to the next mile and wheels are spinning, spinning, spinning, but cars aren’t moving.
Wheels are spinning in icy grooves, past bent mailboxes, and at the edges of lonely stretches of white highway.
Before...
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Tumblr was down when I launched my Internet...
Monday I launched City Crossword.
It’s the first city-powered crossword experience where players can win prizes from local businesses and artists.
I began testing the idea over a year ago and it’s ready to move forward with some frequency.
Each month I’ll be responding to feedback and making the game stronger. I hope you’ll join in on the fun.
So, RSVP for...
November 2010
4 posts
7 tags
Belmont Pranksters Form "Be You Crew" (Highlight...
Thank God for creative college kids with video cameras.
A group of Belmont University kids have formed a new prank-heavy performance art group called Be You Crew. The crew has only been putting out videos for a month, and I’m already impressed. Give then video ideas at beyoucrew.com, where they also highlight Belmont music and students.
Here are the funniest things they’ve done so...
The Best of Nashville Award the Zombies Don't Want... →
I wrote a quest post for Dixie Downturn after doing some important local research about how prepared we are for a zombie uprising. Check it out!
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Stalking is not an information organization issue....
Facebook recently released a Friendship Pages feature that allows you to view the activity between you and a friend or two mutual friends.
The information has always been public to you. Now you just have a more powerful filtering tool than manually combing over someone’s Facebook history.
Most people are saying this is a stalky feature. I’m cool with it. You can’t discount...
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I'm writing 30 Love Poems in November
November is National Novel Writing Month. I want to participate in some way, but I’m not prepared for a long-form commitment, so I’ll write a poem a day.
Why love poems? Since I started blogging I’ve been surprised how often the topic of love kept popping up.
I might as well own it and see if this structure leads to some self-discovery and growth as a poet.
(And as a indicator...
October 2010
4 posts
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The "Total Pwnage Of Passive Mediums Society" Is...
I’m embarking on a social experiment.
I was able to recruit a group of 10 willing folks last night after tweeting:
“Anyone want to experiment encouraging less tv & more reading/writing via facebook group accountability? (e.g. read a book, win a movie pass)”
Here’s the idea:
Inaugural members of the “Total Pwnage Of Passive Mediums Society” are laying...
4 tags
Information Overload BarCamp Nashville session...
Why and how you should filter out noise to unearth relevant and meaningful information
Chip Hayner and I presented at 9:50 am, Oct. 16 in the RockBar room at Cadillac Ranch, 305 Broadway.
We discussed theories on how to deal with information overload. This wasn’t a talk just about how to filter email and google reader.
It had practical applications, but it started by explaining why...
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Win A Free Copy Of My Dad's New Book On Managing
My dad wrote his first book. I’m proud and excited. Let me explain why you should be excited too.
A Biased And True Biography Of My Father
He’s a badass.
He founded Recourses, where he speaks, writes, and consults marketing firms. Basically, he helps creatives learn the nuances of running an efficient business. He:
Has worked with more than 600 creative firms.
Travels the world and...
September 2010
3 posts
5 tags
Dixie Downturn: New Nashville Blog For Broke...
There’s a new Nashville blog in town by and for broke 20-somethings called Dixie Downturn. The broke 20-somethings are Lance Conzett and Michelle Korn.
I’m excited to have more eyes on the side streets of Nashville. So far, they’ve been urban art crawling to local graffiti spots and sharing the art of drinking free beer.
If you’re a devote reader of my blog, you may...
6 tags
Painting Over The Vandal's Graffiti
I recently saw WKRN’s story, “Local painter works hard to beat graffiti vandals,” and I felt compelled to respond.
Let me start by saying I respect this man. He’s found a creative way to use his skills to help out. When he removes graffiti from places like store fronts, our community becomes more beautiful.
And as news this is solid, especially for a less than two...
11 tags
The Responding To Panhandlers Manifesto
1. I will give money to a panhandler if I am convicted it is the right thing to do.
If I can imagine a situation in which I would legitimately ask money from a stranger, I will not adopt a policy of never giving money to a stranger.
2. If I’m not sure it’s right, I will not give money to a panhandler unless I learn about the person’s true needs.
Money is not always the best...
August 2010
3 posts
4 tags
What Grows From Power Lines
Follow this train of thought like you’re taking a walk with me.
Know how you can be walking and you smell one thing—then in the next step it’s all different?
Like how this lady smells moths balls when she walks by the bush that grows into the fence, but as her left foot hits the ground, she smells laundry sheets: It’s probably coming from the vent in that brick basement.
I...
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Blanket The Park
It’s a picnic—remixed. And you’re invited!
Bring a blanket, pack a lunch, and here’s the catch: Bring one item to share per blanket. Blanket hopping is encouraged.
Noon, Sat. August 21, Centennial Park in front of the Parthenon.
RSVP
Your item could be…
Homemade cookies
Ants On A Log
Hummus and pita bread
A cooler of fruit tea with frozen strawberry ice
Two bags of...
July 2010
8 posts
7 tags
Your Inner Child Wants to Create Things
Ever watched kids at play in a room full of toys or at their grandparent’s farm? —really looked.
When kids are given the space, they create culture like demigods.
They are creating worlds, forming relationships, making sense of their space with created law, discovering all that things can do:
Now there’s a Rube Goldberg machine at the top of the slide; a hut forming in the woods...
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Learning How to Write From Children's Books
By: Nathan T. Baker
Guest Editor: Jacklyn Johnston
It’s fascinating to study how children’s authors tackle the challenge of taking a meaningful message and packaging it into a concise and intriguing read.
In fact, I collect children’s books to see how authors do it. When I was in Rome recently with my family, I found myself exploring the children’s section of a used bookstore.
My favorite...
1 tag
Seth Godin Books Are Case Studies
By: Nathan T. Baker
Guest Editor: Tom Cheredar
For years, I’ve been trying to understand my perhaps irrational disdain for the popularity of Seth Godin.
I think I’m getting closer to an explanation for the disdain. Godin is a brilliant thinker and it’s not entirely his fault. However, sometimes he doesn’t spend enough time explaining how his ideas should be used.
His...
1 tag
Nashville is Rising Billboard (animated gif)
(direct image address) I thought the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee’s billboard was epic when I first watched orange-shirted men slip the panels into place.
I’m not sure how I didn’t catch it was a three-sign message. Here are the messages together if you don’t happen to catch this one at West End and 29th Ave. North. Bravo to Bohan for donating billboard design...
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From Florence (Italy) to Florence (Alabama)
Three things I did in Italy
I learned advanced busking techniques. For instance, street performers who put cute puppies in their tip hats are more likely to make money.
I hung out with my friends Dave and Daniel who happen to be in the Rome, Italy area with a seperate group.
We busked in the streets of Rome and made 10 cents in euros. So… like 12.6 cents, which is pretty impressive if you...
June 2010
3 posts
6 tags
Ideascape: Where you see what hasn't been done
A specific section of Warren Ellis’ “Do Anything. Thoughts on Comics and Things” struck me.
He explains the idea of ideascape, the place of our individual and collective creativity. He attributes the term to Alan Moore and then fleshes it out using primarily ‘jungle’ as a metaphor. Here’s the part I loved. Ideascape is…
A place where everything connects...
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Creativity is a Discipline
If we were to make charts and graphs comparing me to my immediate family members, I would rank high on creativity and low on discipline.
(Yes, I’ve actually done this.)
Unfortunately for me, creativity is a discipline, so capitalizing on a strength means coming to terms with a weakness.
Here’s one perception of the source of creativity: Lightning bolts strike certain lucky...
May 2010
6 posts
6 tags
I ♥ Legos in Space
A Word On Creative Collaboration: Ugly Prom is a community house party my friends put on each year. I wanted to setup a website in a night to help with promotions.
—Hey listen, if you live in Nashville come kick it with us at Ugly Prom on June 5.
So nothing had been designed at this point, and I didn’t have time to design from scratch, so I turned to flickr for inspiration.
I...
6 tags
Secondhand Smoke
We finally escaped the madness for a time, at a restaurant that taught you Italian words in the bathroom.
Over bread we resolved to keep each other strong; We wouldn’t turn to smoking like those few months in college.
Over pasta we realized how foolish it was to think we could stand by our neighbors in need, without taking care of each other.
We walked out the side door where the...
6 tags
Room in The Inn after Flooding in Nashville
I teach a class on Fridays at Room In the Inn. Today no one showed up for class.
After major flooding in Nashville, things aren’t back to normal for Nashville’s homeless—whatever that means.
I was hoping to ask folks to share stories about how the flood has impacted them so their viewpoints aren’t lost in the shuffle. We may have to wait on that.
All I have is one:...
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Nashville, breathe
Nashville is hurting from flooding. It’s time to act, but remember it’s going to take weeks and months of work for things to get back to normal.
Pace yourself.
Remember to Breathe.
We need to act quickly. But don’t forget the calm word. We need to calmly act quickly. We need calming influences to stay sane. Breathe deeply and others will follow; This is our long-term...
1 tag
The Water Tower
Bringing visitors was a sacred act.
He led her to where the first fence ended by a young sampling tree.
On the path he held two things: her hand, and a swiss army knife tucked in his pocket.
Rolling it, he was always conscious of when the blade touched his fingers or thumb.
The tree hanging funny had a face. Its branches creaked like a door.
They could smell the river. It turned through...
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Tragedy and Jokes: A Nashville flooding roundup
May 1, 2010 was an emotional day in Nashville. In some moments I cried—not from allergies this time, but from hearing a firsthand account of loss. In other moments I laughed after someone perfectly captured the ridiculousness of it all.
In an attempt to process all this, I put the tragedy and jokes juxtaposed in two columns. Their proximity is cruel, but somehow healing.
Tragedy
“A...