Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Drive

I just finished the book "Drive" by Daniel Pink. I must say that this is one of the most interesting books I have read in quite awhile. Pink explores counterintuitive scientific research that reveals a disconnect between the motivational technique we use most often and those that are actually most effective. We are all familiar with "carrot and stick" strategies for motivation. As children we were often told, "If you don't do your chores, you won't be getting allowance." Businesses use the same motivational strategies. These strategies assume that most employees will avoid work and shirk responsibility when given the opportunity. However, scientific research shows that this type of motivation proves to be demotivating in the long run. Furthermore, these strategies often impede and deteriorate performance.

Pink argues, with scientific research at the foundation of his argument, that we all possess an internal drive that is often untapped. This drive blossoms when we are given autonomy in our work, an opportunity to pursue mastery in our tasks, and a connection to a greater purpose. This book will radically transform your perspective on how to bring out the best in yourself and others. I found it fascinating.

- Joel

Song of the Day

Maybe I'll start a new section where I post a song for the day. I'm not sure. But we'll call "Bermuda" by Kisses the song for today. The weather this week has been incredible - sunny, 70's, light breeze. The same can be said for this song - warm, light, and breezy.

- Joel

Kisses - "Bermuda"

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Wooden on Success

I ran across this video this afternoon. John Wooden, former basketball coach at UCLA and winner of 10 NCAA National Championships, offers an alternative definition of success.

- Joel

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Quote of the Day

"Hire good people, and leave them alone."

- William McKnight, President and Chairman of 3M during the 1940's, on the importance of autonomy in the workplace

Friday, March 26, 2010

Friday Tunes - Delorean, Gayngs

© Joel Thomason
It's Friday. Why not listen to new tunes to get ready for the weekend? This track from Delorean makes me think of Animal Collective. Also, Justin Vernon of Bon Iver is featured on the track from Gayngs.

- Joel

Delorean - "Stay Close"
Gayngs - "The Gaudy Side of Town"

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Yeasayer - "O.N.E."

This is a fun song. I think you'll like it. Find it on Yeasayer's recently released album Odd Blood.

- Joel

Yeasayer - "O.N.E."

Phoenix for Free

You'll want to grab this. Over at wearephoenix.com - Phoenix's official website - the band is offering a live album, 8 songs performed in Sydney, Australia, for free. Go here to download it.

- Joel

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

The Middle East

The Middle East, hailing from Australia, self-released their debut EP in their homeland back in 2008. It made its way to the United States late last year. And now it has finally arrived on this blog. I'm sure the members of the band are very excited at such an accomplishment. Listen to the album below and download my favorite two tracks.

Underdogs

In light of Northern Iowa's monumental upset over my beloved Kansas Jayhawks, I thought I'd re-post this article written by Malcolm Gladwell exploring the successful strategies underdogs employ to win. Gladwell writes, "We tell ourselves that skill is the precious resource and effort is the commodity. It's the other way around. Effort can trump ability...because relentless effort is in fact something rarer than the ability to engage in some finely tuned act of motor coordination."

Read the article entitled "How David Beats Goliath" here.

- Joel

Photographer of the Day

Mauritius 2010 © Allison V. Smith
I couldn't be more jealous - both of the trip and the photog skills. Click on the iimage to see it larger and in all its glory.

- Joel

Quote of the Day

"My daddy once told me that some of the most miserable people he ever knew were the ones that finally got what they'd always wanted."

- Cormac McCarthy in Cities Of The Plain

Monday, March 22, 2010

Jonsi Covers MGMT

Listen to Jonsi's version of MGMT's "Time to Pretend". In contract to the epic Sigur Ros sound, I am really enjoying the stripped-down nature of Jonsi's solo tracks.

- Joel

Clipse Freestyle

Clipse spitting it for Pitchfork.

- Joel

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Steve Keene

I took a trip this weekend to Oklahoma City with my good buddy/cousin Brad to watch the Jayhawks play in the 2nd round of the tournament. The trip was filled with many highlights (Indian casinos, barbeque, snow storms...) one of them being the opportunity to purchase paintings from Brooklyn-based artist Steve Keene. View some of his work below. Keene is a one-man assembly line, an art-making factory. Check out his work. It is incredibly affordable. The two that I purchased were album cover paintings - The Beatles "Revolver" and Radiohead "OK Computer".

- Joel

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Primary 1

Check out this track from British producer Joe Flory, aka Primary 1. If you like what you hear, check out his blog for lots of free music - mixtapes, albums, etc.

- Joel

Primary 1 - "The Blues (feat. Nina Persson)"

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

March Madness

Other than Christmas, this is my favorite time of year. For the remainder of March and the beginning of April, I get to watch college basketball teams all over the country compete for a National Championship. Two things make it even better every year. First, the Kansas Jayhawks, my all-time favorite sports team, typically have a good shot at winning a title (especially this year!). Second, my birthday falls a week after the national championship. So it's works out well for me.

If you need some help filling out your brackets, check out this website. It's called Bracket Science and it looks at the statistical history of the tournament to help you choose a winner. My dad showed it to me and it makes quite a few interesting, and statistically valid, claims.

- Joel

Bracket Science

Monday, March 15, 2010

Quote of the Day

"Clothes make the man. Naked people have little to no influence on society."

- Mark Twain

Photographer of the Day

© Denise Nouvion
Denise Nouvion. Denise is the lead singer of Memoryhouse. I stumbled upon her photography when I was checking out her music.

- Joel

© Denise Nouvion

© Denise Nouvion

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Two Door Cinema Club

Check out the new band Two Door Cinema Club. It won't take long for their debut album Tourist History to set your feet to tapping.

- Joel

Two Door Cinema Club - "This Is The Life"
Two Door Cinema Club - "Something Good Can Work"

Memoryhouse

As the earth, or at least the Northern Hemisphere, awakens from it's winter slumber and embraces the warmth of spring, few bands embody this battle of the seasons better than Memoryhouse. The tune below is light and airy, yet the lyrics are a bit more frigid ("Let's get cold together..."). Still, it makes for a lovely pop song.

- Joel

Memoryhouse - "Bonfire"

Remix

Check out the Javelin remix of the HEALTH track "In Heat". The song title is perfect for spring, considering the impending state of the animal kingdom....

Bad joke? Maybe.

- Joel

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Clint Eastwood

Maybe it's the fact that I love Westerns. Or maybe it's because I recently saw Unforgiven for the first time. Either way, I really enjoyed this article in the most recent edition of The New Yorker chronicling the evolution of Clint Eastwood's career in Hollywood.

- Joel

"Out of the West: Clint Eastwood's Shifting Landscape" by David Denby

Photographer of the Day


Mike Piscitelli. I think this was shot in Texas.

- Joel

Monday, March 8, 2010

Drake

Drake is probably the next big thing in hip hop. Check out the first single from his yet to be released debut Thank Me Later. FYI for those with sensitive ears: this is not the clean version.

- Joel

Drake - "Over"

In Case You Missed It...

Vampire Weekend played SNL this past weekend. Watch them perform "Cousins" and "Giving Up the Gun" below.

- Joel



Sunday, March 7, 2010

Oscar Night

The Oscars are currently airing on ABC. I saw an inordinate amount of movies this year, including five that are up for best picture. Here are trailers for the three that I would highly recommend.

- Joel





White Antelope

White Antelope, the pseudonym for music recorded by Fleet Foxes' Robin Pecknold, has appeared on this blog before. Here are two more tracks of his.

- Joel

Friday, March 5, 2010

Photographer of the Day

© Roderick Henderson
Roderick Henderson. From the Netherlands. Went on a trip around the American Southwest. Took really cool photographs.

- Joel

Agency26

If you like typography or custom lettering, you need to head over to Agency26.com to see the work of Brian Jaramillo. I'm very jealous of his abilities. Do you think he would create a customer banner for this blog? Here are some examples of his incredible work. Click on the images to view a larger version of the text. If you really like custom lettering, visit LetterCult - where Brian made a name for himself.

- Joel


Kate Bingaman Burt

I'm digging this mixtape poster by Kate Bingaman Burt. You can even buy the screenprinted poster from her etsy store. Act fast because this is sold in an edition of 25. Very cool.

- Joel

Cults

Nope, I'm not talking about David Coresh, Jim Jones, or the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints. I'm talking about a great new band, fresh out of New York. Cults is worth a listen. Follow this link to download their album. You can check out my favorite track of theirs below.

- Joel

Cults - "Go Outside"
<a href="http://cults.bandcamp.com/album/cults-7">Go Outside by Cults</a>

OK Go - "This Too Shall Pass"

OK Go makes average music but are the best at making music videos. This video for their song "This Too Shall Pass" features a Rube Goldberg machine created by the band in conjunction with Syyn Labs. What is a Rube Goldberg machine you might ask? If you've ever played the game Mouse Trap then you've used a Rube Goldberg machine. Watch the video to find out.

- Joel

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Hatch Show Print

More printmaking and letterpress work. The Austin Museum of Art in Austin, Texas is currently showing old works by Hatch Show Print, a Nashville, Tennessee letterpress company. The company, established in 1879, is still in business today creating unique prints.

- Joel




New York Miniature Video

This video reminds me of some photographs hanging on the walls of my friends Jeff and Nicole's house. The way he shoots it is crazy. This is best watched full screen in HD.

- Joel

New York Part 3

Mercy © Joel Thomason
A few more photos from New York. You can see them all on Flickr.

- Joel

Twelve and a Half © Joel Thomason

Monday, March 1, 2010

Dead Man's Bones Behind the Scenes

No matter how you feel about Ryan Gosling, this video will make you like him. He's just a normal dude that's really nice.

- Joel