Fascinating conversation about the making of 3-D movies & making the Hobbit with Peter Jackman:

Go ahead. Give it a watch. I know you want to!

Race in America:

“At the time, my son was eleven months old – on the cusp of trying out his first words. On an outing with him in his stroller through downtown, I saw a large crowd. I was told a KKK rally was being held at the Capitol building. Suddenly the two of us were swept into an anti-KKK demonstration moving swiftly up Main Street. Briefly I thought this must be a flashback – perhaps I had inadvertently time-travelled to an earlier ugly era.

But no, the Klansmen had assembled in their iconic white gowns and steepled hoods before the State House, staging their event in full view of the state’s seat of legislative power. Policemen advised me to keep at a distance. Upon seeing the KKK’s gowns, my son, perched high in his stroller, thought it an appropriate moment to attempt speech. His words were not the usual “cat,” “dog,”  or “Mommy,” but a marchers’ chant.

“K-K-K, Go a-way!” he shouted.

It was a six-syllable rhyme as easy as a Dr. Seuss verse. He recited it for many days to come.”

This is a beautifully written essay about the rarely discussed actual experience of race in America. The author’s fondness for the book  Black Like Me shade this piece in unmistakable human sepia. — White like me by Pricilla Hart (I can’t find a link for her)

Stop waiting for Congress:

“And yet we keep waiting for Congress to come up with solutions to our problems. Right now, we’re waiting for them to do something to spur job growth. We’re waiting for a Super Committee to find at least $1.2 trillion in budget cuts. Many are waiting for the political Messiah to appear in the form of a Republican candidate.

We might as well be waiting for Godot.

To be fair, not everyone is merely waiting. Some are occupying public squares and parks. Or having tea parties. A large number of us are still voting. We’re trying to participate, but the problem is we’re doing all the same things we’ve always done and expecting different results.” — Stop waiting for Washington by Jim Sollish.

Ok, to be fair? I like this piece because of this line: “We might as well be waiting for Godot.” And I like that line because I sat through an almost unbearably bad performance of Waiting for Godot to support a family-less client when I was a psychotherapist. And, I think he has some interesting ideas. I don’t love his solutions, but I agree with the assessment of the problem. 

Bad Lip Reading : An interview

These videos are some of the funniest things on the web. And no one knows who makes them.  Click here to read an interview with the creator.

Don’t know what I’m talking about? Check this one out:

“When I buy stickers for folks in prison, I bring milk and not backyard meth. It’s a prison party.”

Found by Bridget Pilloud and posted to her Facebook page.
Bridget is an incredible intuit who runs this amazing special during the holidays. Called an ‘intuitive cupcake‘,
she can break down your hairiest problem and find help you fix it. They are $45. If she has any left, you don’t want to miss this.

Pollinators

The hidden world of polinators

I’ve posted this video before. It was sent to me by a friend this week. It still makes me weep with the beauty of the world we live in. This is a video of the pollinators. There’s an amazing shot of beloved bees and even a bat with a baby clinging to her body while she feeds. If you want to skip ahead, the gorgeous video starts at 3:15; bees at 4:15; that baby bat at 5:54. But you’ll want to watch the whole thing.

Thoughts:

“There are no shortcuts. NONE. With all of this craziness in the stock and financial markets, there will be scams popping up left and right. The less money you have, the more likely someone will come at you with some scheme. The schemes will guarantee returns, use multi-level marketing, or be something crazy that is now “backed by the US Government.” Please ignore them. Always remember this: if a deal is a great deal, they aren’t going to share it with you.

I don’t broadcast my great deals. I keep them all to myself. Also, if the person selling the deal was so smart, they would be rich beyond rich rather than trolling the streets looking to turn you into a sucker. There are no shortcuts.” Mark Cuban in “How to Get Rich”

This is true about everything – writing, marketing, getting rich, gardening, everything you can think of. If someone tells you there’s a short cut, you should ask yourself what they are selling.

My all new peacock award:

Male peacocks flash their feathers for the sole purpose of to getting the attention of a female.

This week’s peacock award goes to Kim Kardashian for not knowing that divorcing someone after 72 days (no matter what the reason) is not “lov(ing) with all of my heart and soul.” It’s just not.

I found a bunch of really cool things this week.

This is a perspective picture. Is he looking to the left? Is he looking straight ahead? What do you think?

This is about the coolest thing I’ve seen – maybe ever. It’s a slow motion video of an owl landing on a perch. It’s 59 second. Yes, you have time to watch.

Enjoy!

What is Daily Ted? Daily Ted is reviews of great videos posted on Ted.com. When I find them, I’ll post them.

Video Synopsis: This video is so visually stunning it pulls at my heart every time I see it. We live on such an unbelievably amazing planet. There are not words to describe the beauty. The video is high speed time-lapse photographs taken 24 hours a day for over 25 years by Louie Schwartzberg. It’s so beautiful, it doesn’t look real. The video highlights pollinators – bees, bats, butterflies, and hummingbirds – all of which threatened with extinction.

Time: 7:40
Recorded: March 2011
Where: Ted2011

What is Daily Ted? Daily Ted is reviews of great videos posted on Ted.com. When I find them, I’ll post them.

Video Synopsis: Everyone knows how apathetic voters are. But ask yourself. Do you know anyone who’s truly apathetic about issues? I know a lot of people and I can tell you that no one I know is apathetic; hopeless, helpless, overwhelmed, but not apathetic. Why do people seem apathetic? Dave Meslin has some ideas. This short video has a lot of great ideas on how to open government.

Time: 7:05
Recorded: October 2010
Where: TedxToronto

Ok, it’s been a while. I’ve been immersed in the Queen of Cool. I’m still working out and still watching TEDs. As I can, I’ll continue to review and post them.

What is Daily Ted? Daily Ted is reviews of great videos posted on Ted.com. When I find them, I’ll post them.

Video Synopsis: The title of this talk is ‘making movies that matter.’ I mean really who cares about movies? The talk is so much more than than. Mr. Skoll discusses his passion for making a difference and his bumbling, silly, undirected way toward changing the world. I highly recommend this video for anyone who’s journey has been bumbling (like mine).

Time: 15:37
Recorded: March 2007
Where: August 2007

What is Daily Ted? Daily Ted is reviews of great videos posted on Ted.com. When I find them, I’ll post them.

Video Synopsis: Let’s face it. No Westerner really understands China. Martin Jacques gives us a peek into Chinese culture and projects into the future when China becomes a major world player. What makes this video unique is Jacques capacity to translate how Chinese people feel about themselves and the world. And, in someways, what it means to be Chinese.

Time: 21:31
Recorded: October 2010
Where: TedLondon 2010