T. Rowe Price “Ink” from Jason Conradt on Vimeo.
The Help
Jan 15
New York apartment number 2
Jan 12
As you might know I’m kind of obsessed with New York and New York apartments. Here’s a nice one I found in New York Times, Great Homes and Destinations. Nicely designed and a great way to use a small space.
I came upon this article about a New York “flat”. Looks decent, but I would like something a little more extravagant if I’m going to drag my family all the way to the Big Apple.
The Central Park views are okay, but aren’t marble floors so like NOT trendy?
And by the way, what 22-year-old needs seven walk-in closets? I’ll be happy with five and I’m soon thirty!
At the same time, I’m reading my birthday gift from Lenah, Rafa, tennis player Rafael Nadal‘s autobiography. I’ve read a LOT of tennis biographies and although my favorite so far is Andre Agassi‘s Open, Rafa is definitely an insightful look into one of the strongest minds on a tennis court (but a very superstitious and sensitive one outside it!).
On the fiction side I’m about halfway through the mastodont 19Q4 by Japanese author Haruki Murakami, which is really a riveting tale with one foot in the supernatural and the other one in harsh reality. It’s a lengthy but captivating story and despite being a few hundred pages in, I feel I’ve only skimmed the surface of it.
Whatever style of book you like, I can actually recommend all of these three books, but the one that will have the biggest impact on your life is definitely The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson. What a refreshing brain-energizer that is!
The Tallest Man on Earth
Dec 25
I’ve been listening a lot to this excellent singer/songwriter the last few days; The Tallest Man on Earth (real name Kristian Mattsson) and I’m very impressed by his lyrics and way of crafting irresistible melodies. Some people might find his voice too “Dylanesque” but it does grow on you and makes the acoustic guitar, as basically the only instrumentation used, feel more raw and real than what a Joan Baez voice could ever make it.
If you like acoustic guitar and appreciate really good songwriting, then I think you should check him out. Best idea is to just search The Tallest Man on Earth on Youtube because I think he’s even better live than in the recorded versions. There are loads of great live videos online so you sure have a treat ahead of you!
Here are some performances I like myself:
The Tallest Man on Earth on NPR Tiny Desk Concerts
The Tallest Man on Earth on Shoot The Player
The Tallest Man on Earth Live at Paste
The Tallest Man on Earth Live at Western Washington University
I wouldn’t say the TV series Mad Men is very close to The Wake-Up Call but there’s something about the cover to series 4 that gives me that Jack Reynolds-feeling from this scene:
Stepping inside my ridiculously large and luxurious office immediately makes me feel a tiny bit better. It’s supposed to be the warmest welcome you can get to your workday and it’s somewhat comforting that it still does to me. You see, I was always a sucker for the Wall Street movies, from Gordon Gekko to Patrick Bateman (yeah, although he’s a psycho you’ve got to admit the guy’s got class) and I always wanted floor-to-ceiling panoramic windows, big expensive art on the walls and a large dominating desk giving you the feeling that here works one of the most powerful men in New York. The view from here, on the 34th floor, is breathtaking. Everything in it is carefully thought out, has a price tag that blows your mind and screams POWER. If you’re in a salary discussion with me and you’re not intimidated, then I am.
Mad Men is by the way an excellent series with a score of 8.9 out of 10 on IMDB.
Today’s Christmas inspired interactive Google logo is a must see :) Merry Xmas everyone!
The previous e-book cover wonderfully executed by Joakim Wiborn didn’t have enough high-res components and that’s why I abused another designer friend of mine, Daniel Jacobsson, into creating the current cover and the one that’s going to print for The Wake-Up Call
I hope you like it!
Big thanks to both Joakim and Daniel for the excellent work!
Photograph by Navid Baraty for the National Geographic Photo Contest