The Myth of Effortless | Design for Mankind
Our favorite guitarists appear to strum effortlessly. Ballerinas dance with ease and grace. Designers make it look simple. And we watch, clapping, cheering – wondering when we’ll arrive at their destination. Wondering when it will all seem effortless to us.
This post from Erin a few weeks ago really struck a chord with me.
Too Busy for Motherhood | The Little Things We Do
I didn’t know the Bible story referenced here, but whoa. I am a Martha — always busy, always bustling, always with something on my plate. I’m not sure if I have always been this way, or if it has become worse in recent years, and since becoming a parent. There are advantages to this type of mindset, but some big disadvantages too. I never feel like I have done “enough.” I never feel like I can truly sit down and relax.
My “Martha-ness,” as I’ll call it in this context, is perhaps the biggest challenge I’m currently dealing with, way bigger than the career-related uncertainties I continue to ramble about. I haven’t talked about it a lot here (or anywhere) because I don’t really know how…but it is on my mind, and has been for months.
Space Travel and Sandwich Wrappers | Reuters/Shamil Zhumatov
This was a neat look at some of the set up that goes into a great rocket launch photo. Photographers can’t stand around the pad during launch for obvious reasons, so they have to get pretty creative.
Risk Tolerance | Wayne Hale
As usual, former space shuttle program manager Wayne Hale hits the nail on the head.
…How good an analogy is early aviation to the current state of space exploration? And how much risk are we willing to take to go to space these days? A prudent amount? What does that mean? Is your standard the same as mine? And what will the lawyers say when the heirs file their lawsuits? And who will be the next Lindbergh? 2014 is not 1927. Hopefully nobody will repeat those days… Sadly, nobody will repeat those days…
The Greatest Paper Map of the United States You’ll Ever See…Made by one guy in Oregon | Slate
This object—painstakingly sculpted by a lone, impractical fellow—is a triumph of indie over corporate. Of analog over digital. Of quirk and caprice over templates and algorithms. It is delightful to look at. Edifying to study. And it may be the last important paper map ever to depict our country.
Hooray for maps! I heart them. This is an older article (early 2012) that I just came across, and now I totally want to buy this guy’s maps and plaster them all over our walls.
