Right Brain Ideas

A few months ago I picked up a book entitled "A Whole New Mind -- Why Right Brainers Will Rule The Future." In it, author Daniel Pink describes a historical imbalance between left-brain thinkers and workers (sequential, concrete, detailed, measurable, linear) and those dominant in right-brain thinking (abstract, contextual, simultaneous, empathetic, spatial). From his perspective, long gone are the days when the CPA's and engineers rule the professional landscape and reap all the glory. Rather, Pink sees the growing need for designers, inventors, teachers and storytellers.

I find the premise and content to be pretty compelling stuff and tend to agree with Pink most of the time. As is usually the case with prophetic & theoretical texts of this sort, I fear that when you push for a pendulum swing you run the risk of going too far. I like the idea of putting an imbalance back into balance. But, if we fully abandon the left brain and move to the extreme of a predominantly right-brain world, we might have pretty objects, creative stories and spiritual exploration, but will we still have running water, sturdy bridges and people who know how to fill out forms in triplicate? I'm just sayin . . . gotta value both.

One of the key chapters in the book focuses on the importance of design. Now I'm a sucker for design. I'll buy something that might not work or taste good, but if its wrapped in a cool package, I'm all for it. Pink included this list outlining how regular people, who aren't professional designers, can incorporate a design aesthetic into their everyday lives. The list comes from Karim Rashid and his "Karimanifesto" guide to life and design. I liked it so wanted to share with the three people who irregularly and infrequently link to my blog. You know who you are . . . . Enjoy!

1. Don't specialize
2. Before giving birth to anything physical, ask yourself if you have created an original idea, an original concept, if there is any real value in what you disseminate
3. Know everything about the history of your profession and then forget it all when you design something new.
4. Never say "I could have done that" because you didn't.
5. Consumer experiences, not things.
6. Normal is not good.
7. There are three types of beings -- those who create culture, those who buy culture, and those who don't give a shit about culture. Move between the first two.
8. Think extensively, not intensively.
9. Experience is the most important part of living, and the exchange of ideas and human contact is all life really is. Space and objects can encourage increased experiences or distract from our experiences.
10. Here and now is all we got.

Amen.

I Got Specs Appeal

Accessories are fabulous. Would you agree?

If you follow my blog ramblings then it will come as no surprise that I loves me some purses, shoes and miscellaneous flair. Yes, I said flair but not like the TGI Friday's kind. Oh no. I hate THAT flair.

Whilst on my Staycation I undertook an epic quest to find the perfect pair of eyeglass frames. My criteria for this particular accessory was as follows:

A) Suits my face shape
B) Does not pinch or otherwise constrict my nose, ears or general facial area
C) Color and shape are befitting my personal taste and rock star lifestyle
D) NO Sarah Palin look-alike specs
E) Adds major DRAMA without tragic consequences or geek factor
F) Contains dark Harry Potter-like magic charms allowing me to conjure spirits from the outer dimension, banish unsightly back fat and fill my coffers with gold dabloons (ahoy matey).

OK, so I was willing to give a little on that last one, but seriously, this was a tough job!

After trying on about a gazillion pairs of frames, annoying the store clerk with my continuous demands for "more drama" and eliminating nearly all of them due to their inability to make me look super cool and hot, I landed on these bad boys. What d'ya think?

I have to wait a week for the optician to grind down my lenses. Apparently I am almost legally blind (-925 if that means anything to ya) so I have to pay extra to have my lenses "thinned" out as much as possible. In exchange for this pricey add-on I get to avoid a major Coca-Cola bottle, inhumanely large googly eyeball effect. Yeah for me! I'm looking forward to the day when they make glasses with built in laser beams.

I'll post pictures of me sporting my new glasses so you can see the final effect. Sans laser beams, of course.