Looks like punk rock Barbie might just get her wish. #cureforcancer
Cancer Drug That Shrinks All Tumors Set To Begin Human Clinical Trials
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/28/cancer-drug-shrinks-tumors_n_2972708.html
So many things I thought I’d never see in my lifetime, the humans, the can be amazing!
This is one of the most moving pieces I’ve watched in quite some time. It’s an impeccably crafted piece. It weaves McLuhan and Jobs and the art of building together into a very powerful presentation. The things we build matter. What will we make?
Elaborate plans to see Morrissey TWICE and he cancelled again. This was communicated the morning of the event. I had just gotten a call about dinner reservations for the evening and confirmed I was coming. Then I got this email. I’m getting my money back, not going for the second reschedule (and possibly third cancel).
I remember the beginning of this year. I can safely say I had no idea what was in store and I believe that will always be the case. I’m accepting my inability to predict the future even as I live in it. I’m also accepting the biological and unavoidable fact that a “year” gets shorter each revolution. Accepting this reality has informed my new approach to daily life. I attempt to wake up grateful each and every day. I had a few good lessons about gratitude in 2012 that have taught me why this is a good way to move forward.
As the year began I was well on my way into the Skinny People Eat Salad Journey but had no idea how dramatic, revealing, heartbreaking, liberating and empowering it would become as the year marched on. I had the honor of showing my first images from the project at the Wing Young Huie Photo Salon show this fall. I’m still in the middle of that process but I experienced the bulk of transformation in 2012.
We celebrated a nephew’s birthday in March. Driving home from South Dakota we decided it was time for us to stop eating the pigs and the cows. We encountered this livestock as we drove and it was the last time I could look the animals in the eye and be ok with eating them, so I stopped. I can’t account for how anyone else feels about that and will not judge. This was personal and I personally decided at that moment I was done eating mammals. It’s that simple.*
Not only did the mammals stop but the running began. I started to run this spring. I was just beginning when I took an art vacation to NYC to visit a friend. I was feeling so strong and in shape that I walked across the Brooklyn Bridge so I could take photos of the journey. It was a great long weekend in the city walking everywhere and feeling so free and light. I even navigated by myself from the airport to my hotel near the Brooklyn Bridge. There really is nothing like navigating NYC to make you feel like a grown up. The trip was made more precious by the tragedy that beset the city and entire area from storm Sandy later in the year.
In the summer we attempted to adopt a third doggie into our home. She was so lovely and sweet but for reasons that are private we could not keep her here. It was heartbreaking and gut wrenching but ultimately it gave us a better understanding and appreciation of our situation. We are just going to hang out with our very old dogs and take good care of their special needs. I’m grateful every day I wake up and have them in my life. This is a big part of the gratitude that I now understand needs to be recognized in my life when I have it. The recognition must happen in process – because now is all we have. 
And as someone who didn’t start until late in life, I found comfort, strength and serenity in my runs. I ran so much I needed a second pair of running shoes. I’m so grateful I was running during some of the challenges life served up this year. Running balanced with yoga and nutritious food provided me with exponential additional mental and physical energy I never had before. These activities were the cumulated result of changing into a healthy person – better later than never, indeed!
We saw our last show at the 400 Bar. The Archers of Loaf came to Minneapolis for two nights. The power kept going out at the venue and since the bar closed this week, I now know why. :-/ It was amazing to see them a second time after all these years (last year in NYC) and to see them at home and at the now defunct 400 Bar. I could not have written a better John Hughesish script for that weekend. These performances were definitely a highlight of the year.
There was a family reunion in September. It was great to see almost all of my cousins, aunts, uncles, nephews, siblings and mom. I took photos at the 2011 reunion and made books and prints for family members. It was lovely to see everyone and to share.
On a less up note, grief has been in the air, not directly near me but in a general sense. Lines keep getting crossed in society that made it all feel more on edge. Not only did natural disaster reek tragic nature havoc on the east coast this year, many people died tragically in intentional ways too.
Our UPS man was killed in a workplace shooting in my neighborhood. He was part of our life for all of the time we have lived here, almost ten years. He served this neighborhood his entire UPS career, almost 30 years. This too was heartbreaking and wrenching. Life is more on edge when that gentle soul you see at least once a week in your life, a person that never complains and always has a positive attitude, that person is in the wrong place and in a minute, they are gone. I have decided to honor Keith by taking up that positive attitude as much as possible – having gratitude and bringing light to people in my interactions.
Many friends suffered loss as well. The entire nation felt this most deeply when so many children were shot and killed in CT. There was a new level of sorrow and disgust. This was followed so closely with a mentally ill person pushing a man into the path of a train motivated by unbridled hate. It just feels heightened. All of this spurs me to cherish every moment of happiness and wonder and to work hard to diminish the moments of suffering that I can control.
I’ve heard the people around me say it’s a weird year. Maybe it’s because there was so much planning for the end that when it didn’t happen we just had to keep going on… 
like you do.
For me I’ve decided to take positive nuggets, collect them, surround myself with them and fortify my attitude. The world is truly amazing right now even though the energy is intense, that because the stakes are high. I appreciate being alive right now and having been born when I was because I’ve seen epic shifts and I’m ready for more. The only guarantee is that things will change. I’m ready, willing and grateful!
Let’s go get ‘em 2013.
http://evoljennifer.com/2012/12/30/go-get-em/
* There is a story related to a wild turkey in my yard that does not turn out so well for the poultry. 
Richard Saul Wurman discussing the need for common languages and filters because they lead to allowing us to see patterns. These patterns illuminate our ability to understand the world.
I’ve been practicing the work I do for almost 18 years. I consider myself an Information Architect. Many of the people that do the kind of work I do identify with other titles. At the highest level, I’m a designer. I solve problems through experimentation, research, experience and observation. I do this with flexibility, an open mind and a willingness to continuously evolve my tactics. We’ve only just begun.
Here is the list of titles I’ve held:
Many of these practitioners have had similar titles to the list above (and many more) - The titles of all the people that help make the innertubes go is a MUCH LONGER LIST.The Google Zeitgeist is a good end of year touch stone. 2011 has ended. 2012 has begun. I’m fully in the new year now. Sometimes it takes a couple of days to make the change. Happy New Year!
People are excited to participate and connect. Many companies and services want to make this easy for us. Services such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and so many more are giving us the ability to be publishers. But you have to remember these companies are not doing this out of good will. They have motivations and they need to make money. Think how profitable it must be to own all of your information to a company. That ownership gives them the ability to sell very targeted and profitable ads because they know all about you and can serve relevancy. That is the main business model right now, but more business models around owning this information will come to fruition. The question we need to ask ourselves as individuals is do you want to own your data or do you want someone else to own it?
The point is there are implications to where and how you share. The EFF published an article about federated profiles in March. The federated profile gives you more power over the information you share with the world, your online activities, your location and many other things that could matter to you. It is better to have your own power over this data. The issue is that the notion of a Federated Social network is not the easiest to understand. When I read the article, I found the information pretty vital. I wanted to make the information shared more clear by visualizing the main points. The visualization compares a Federated social network to a company owned social network in order to make the implications easier to understand. My hope is that this visualization starts to make these very murky waters a tiny bit more clear.
Knowledge is power. Make an informed decision when you post online.
Morgan Spurlock is officially one of my heroes. Just so you know my bias as you read this entry.
His latest creation, “POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold“, examines the process of advertising and marketing in America. To be fair, the meat-making in any industry is usually not a pretty site, especially to the untrained eye. Advertising permeates our culture and even more so our entertainment options. His TED talk explains the real goal of the movie, transparency. He uses the documentary format to shed light on the process of advertising by taking the movie through the process itself. This act of transparency illuminates the process for us. Sunlight is the best disinfectant. If people are watching how you do it, you might just do it better. It’s motivating.
Embrace Transparency! Turns out that is the true meaning of it.
An entertaining and inspiring talk from one of the most intelligent, humorous and seering documentarians of our time.
Adapting to the customer sounds hard. It doesn’t have to be. Small changes can make a big difference. I recently noticed this detail in an experience I had ordering Five Guys take out and using the web site to do it.
The order experience includes a question for me. The kind of question that builds customer confidence and rapport with the brand. The experience achieves this with the device of a cleverly written preference question. “Are you an expert user?” If you think you are – skip the suggestions for future online take out ordering.
They followed 3 simple rules to make my interaction better with them and show me they are willing to adapt to me throughout the process to make me happy as a customer.
1) Rule One: Ask me a question.
In this case, it was actually an upsell ‘ “May we suggest…” but it provides an option to remove suggestions in the future.
2) Rule Two: Listen to my response
It makes you feel good about opting out. You can opt out because YOU are an expert user and don’t need to be reminded to add fries to your order.
3) Rule Three: Retain. Keep the information for later, when I come back – don’t show me the upgrade to a beverage option.
Follow these steps 1) Listen 2) Rule 3) Retain and continue to collect and build on that customer information. That’s the future of any business that wants to remain relevant.
Well done Five Guys! Quality food coupled with quality experiences will keep the customers coming back every time. It’s really no surprise that a company with such great product would extend its ‘awesomeness’ by making this effort to adapt to customer needs.
