Ideas That Changed the World

I was given this book many years back. The author, Felipe Fernandez Armesto, portrays human history in terms of a series of intellectual and conceptual discoveries, adopted and understood by civilizations over time. I think it almost works better than a regular history book in the sense that history as a discipline is too much of a backward narrative for me. One tends to think of history as

event-facts

. But events are almost entirely the result of ideas, or sub-ideas (like the idea that say, the Archduke Franz Ferdinand needs to die).

When I see the world in terms of ideas and ages, and ages made from ideas, then everything makes so much more sense. Something like the whole of religion looks like just another man made idea, like cooking one's food, or democratic rule.

As the book begins from prehistoric time, one already is given a sense of the

whole

of humanity and what it means to be a race that grows off/with/out of planet earth.

By understanding, in this way, the ages and every smaller increment of time possible, I believe one is in a far better position to make educated predictions about the cycles or ages of at least the relatively near future. At least that's how I see it.

Check it out on

Goodreads

Something something

Marge:

“Sweetie, you could still go to McGill. The Harvard of Canada.”

Lisa:

“Anything that's the something of something isn't really the anything of anything.”

License to Kill

If you enjoy a quality turn of phrase as much as the next guy, or as I do, look no further than one of my favourite angry old men, Christopher Hitchens.

His book God is not Great is quite addictive and conveniently available as an audiobook. I like it not so much because I'm interested in the debate or the history, which is obviously highly engaging, but more because the debate is long gone and it's just nice to hear the burn. Listening to him read his own words is a treat not to be missed.

You should probably be somewhat of a fan already, though, and as one reviewer puts it, "he often delivers his ideas like he's trying to splash his martini across your face at a party." He is by no means for everyone.

While you may be inclined to listen while multitasking(!) you will likely find yourself stopping whatever you're doing and rewinding(!) certain parts over and over, just to bathe in his sparkling correctness. If you're not convinced yet, maybe this Amazon review will tip the scales:


Listen here

Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Now here is a chap that you should follow on facebook (at the very least) for his illuminating and thought provoking ideas. I first read Fooled by Randomness about two years ago and was mightily impressed. I have since been following him on facebook and on his website. This is a sample of his interesting (and topical) thinking:

For one of the smartest big-picture conversations out there, listen to this 45 min Interview. He talks mostly about the deleveraging of the banks, proper global finacial leadership, and risk in general, from the perspective of someone who truly has the survival of humanity at heart.

I like everywhere that this man's head is at. Nassim Taleb will make you smarter and more interesting

This has to be the most relaxing house in the world

A-cero

or maybe this is

or this

Music bits

A couple of tracks have been on rotation on my ipod and in my head for quite some time now. I think there is definitely a certain creative thread through all of these...

I saw Gorillaz at Madison Square Garden last year and it was easily one of my top five gigs of all time. Started out slow, but by the end it was like being inside a circus. Unbelievable.

Love the 80s-ness but not quite-ness.

Just plain fookin creative. The man is a genius.

Air France is the business as it is. The first time I heard this I was in an apartment 49 floors up, in the middle of a snow storm. One of those how-did-this-turn-into-a-party-oh-wait-now-I-remember nights...

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And finally, this reminds me of closing time at the coolest hole-in-the-wall restaurant in NYC. Good times...

The sciences ask, why.

The arts ask, why not.

Has someone said that already? I dig it.

Absolut bottle tops and Illy tin lids. Wait, what?

Go find an Absolut bottle and twist the lid on and off a few times. Now go and do the same with a tin of Illy coffee. Sick!

Is this a kinetic aesthetic? Whatever it is, more of this vibe is needed everywah.

If You Think In Pictures:

Check out my tumblr blog here

Photos are up!

Check out some of my photographic bits and pieces here: http://myvibe.zenfolio.com/

Postcard from America

Friends,

I hope this card finds you in good health. Things are well across the pond. Manhattan and its perculiarly evolved inhabitants have been more than hospitable to me and my work here. I have managed to immerse myself and mingle nicely over the months. In fact, I look forward to my first

blackout Wednesday

this evening in Pennsylvania - a tradition as old as pain itself I'm told.

While the physical threats and dangers of the African continent we know only too well, it seems instead that dangers here on the island are of the more emotional kind [I know!] and can creep up on a person faster than one can say

I feel like...

Thus, the local people are very generous with their prescription pharmaceuticals and many a time friends of mine have sent me on my way with a pocketful of Aderall or Xanax "just in case".

One thing, however, that will certainly not be tempered by such freely available chemical compounds, and of primary concern to me and my staff, is the positively cursed problem of "football". This rugby-substitute sport seems to have gained far too much traction here, especially on days such as Thanksgiving.

It seems that they simply choose to ignore the superior flow and complexity of rugby for lack of athletes capable of playing two forty minute halves without stopping. This cannot go on forever and we can only pray that the certain arrival of the metric system, and beer fit for consumption, will bring with them the great sport of rugby union.

During my time here I also noted a few things that might be of interest:

People stand in

lines

and only the office printer has a queue. If you ask someone if they are in the queue you will be met with only blank expressions.

The term

excuse me

is not meant to excuse any behaviour or to ask permission, it means

Get out of my way. Please.

Between the months of June and September the underground trains are as godforsaken as a Brazzaville marketplace, and are best avoided at these times.

German automobiles are entirely unknown and someone ought to bring them here immediately!

Fondest regards,

Everybody is betting their life on something

I came across another smart person saying smart things again - on one of those smart people websites with the videos. He said: "Everybody is betting their life on something."

Man. It really is one of the most succinct, and frankly mindblowing thoughts I've heard in ages. Some tight copy right there.

Life is a gamble in many ways, and so often risk is the one thing that determines results and success more than anything. For instance, you cannot question someone else's love for you without first committing your own (another thing that brands ought to have learned by now). It's like a signal to the universe stating your intention to live, and deep down you know it's a gamble you have to take. Quite likely that the more risky option is to not risk anything at all, as people often can see the intention behind the action and find that all the more endearing.

But these are mostly not guesses or blind gambles. Like the quote says, the bet is on something, and that thing is inside you, like a skill or personality trait or worldview. Most likely it is a composite of those things, a broader intuition of life that grows and refines as you age. You say to yourself "I think I get it, and that's why I'm going to live like this, because that way will get me far.

Maybe you're super driven, maybe you just want to be a good person. It's about understanding and then believing, then forgetting everything you learned and going ahead and laying your shit on the line.

And I find that fascinating.

A little something I drew for you

A few nights ago, while I waited for my meal at some achingly hip Tribeca eatery, I asked one of the models for a sketch pad and some charcoal so that I could try to express my boredom more artistically. I was in a "state of flow" as we call it now.

To my surprise she brought me a crayon and said I could draw on the the tablecloth.

Anyhow I quite like the outcome. I'm considering showing it to my shrink.

Blazing good conversation

Had a great chat with Iwan the other day after a spot of longboarding down the windy paths of Prospect Park. We just chilled on the grass and let rip with the craziest ideas for a good two hours. You know when all your shit is in sync - philosophy, creativity, similar viewpoints in life... A conversation like that really does wonders for your wellbeing. Need more of those.

New vibe: hollow ice

The weather outside is 32 degrees and at 100% humidity. Which means it's the same inside, I guess.

As I sit in my bedroom in Brooklyn, fan blowing loudly, ass stuck to the chair, I finally made it to the kitchen to get some water. Of course the ice in the freezer had not frozen through yet, but I did notice how it was in fact exactly half-frozen.

Which is actually pretty awesome. You get to have not just a top layer frozen, mind, but a complete hard shell of ice. While the almost frozen water from the center you can pour into your glass, making the overall temperature lower than if you had used just regular tap water. Do you know how much better hollow ice sounds in the glass?

Those perfect little shards stay so beautifully frozen for the entire duration of my beverage sipping, and make me feel like a James Bond villain in a Lanvin suit, uh... whose ass is not stuck to a chair.