Category Archives: Food For Thought

Kill Yourself

Posted on March 19, 2011 by AJ Kessler

I love being unproductive.  I could sit on the couch and watch football all day long.  I could play video games 12 hours a day.  I could surf and hang out at the beach for a week straight. Sometimes, we … Continue reading →

Posted in Advice, Food For Thought, Inspiration, Self-Improvement | 3 Comments

You’re Probably Not Interesting

Posted on March 18, 2011 by AJ Kessler

But you could be. The most interesting people I know, in order: Those who create Those who discover Those who do Those who read about those who create, discover, and do Those who consume It’s easy for most people to … Continue reading →

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Don’t Try to be a Renaissance Man, Yet

Posted on March 17, 2011 by AJ Kessler

I wish I had heard this advice when I was 18, but it’s still just as applicable today. Derek Silver’s commencement speech Learn a skill.  Then master that skill.  Then exploit that skill to its fullest potential.  Then, become a … Continue reading →

Posted in Advice, Food For Thought, Inspiration, Self-Improvement | 1 Comment

Doubt

Posted on March 16, 2011 by AJ Kessler

Roger Federer, perhaps the best tennis player of all time, had easily handled Andy Murray, the gifted shot-maker and #3 player in the world, 6-4, 6-4 in the first two sets of the Championship Match of the 2010 Australian Open. … Continue reading →

Posted in Advice, Creativity, Food For Thought, Inspiration, Self-Improvement | 2 Comments

Successful People Work For Free

Posted on March 15, 2011 by AJ Kessler

“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable man persists in trying to adapt the world to himself.  Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.”       ~ George Bernard Shaw I’ve worked for free for most of … Continue reading →

Posted in Advice, Food For Thought, Inspiration, Self-Improvement | Tagged | 1 Comment

Pay Enough or Don’t Pay At All

Posted on March 13, 2011 by AJ Kessler

Why might you get worse performance out of someone you’re paying than out of someone who’s doing the job for free?  If you put on your economist’s hat, you’d say this is plainly irrational.  If someone is willing to do … Continue reading →

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Confinement v. Fear

Posted on March 10, 2011 by AJ Kessler

Many people hate the process of going to their job, putting in their time, and coming home every day.  They think being self-employed would be the ultimate freedom.  “If I didn’t have a schedule, if I could work when I … Continue reading →

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How to Build a Habit

Posted on March 8, 2011 by AJ Kessler

I’ve taken vitamins every single night for years.  One day I just decided to start doing it, and I have rarely missed a day.  Contrast that with my time tracking endeavor: I found I was very consistent at doing it … Continue reading →

Posted in Advice, Food For Thought, Inspiration, Productivity, Self-Improvement | Tagged | 3 Comments

99 Percent of the Work is Never Seen

Posted on March 8, 2011 by AJ Kessler

I was talking to a little kid the other day.  “What do you want to do when you grow up?” I asked.  “I want to be a singer!” she immediately exclaimed.  “Oh? Why is that?”  “I want to be on … Continue reading →

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Pursuing Mastery

Posted on February 23, 2011 by AJ Kessler

I just stumbled across Penelope Trunk’s blog, which I’m enjoying quite a bit.  In her latest post, she discusses “mastery” and says she “will not embark on anything unless I know I can become a master at it.”  As evidence … Continue reading →

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Why I Hate HDR

Posted on February 22, 2011 by AJ Kessler

HDR stands for High Dynamic Range.  Dynamic Range, for our purposes, is the amount of information a sensor can record between the points where the sensor renders input as white and where the sensor renders input as black in any … Continue reading →

Posted in Aesthetics, Art, Creativity, Food For Thought, Photography, Style | 3 Comments

Changing Your Spots

Posted on February 16, 2011 by AJ Kessler

This is a pretty insightful little piece by landscape photographer Alain Briot that addresses a situation that nearly exactly mirrors my own. I too was drawn to the panoramic format, though my love for it actually started before I ever … Continue reading →

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Change Someone’s World

Posted on February 16, 2011 by AJ Kessler

Sometimes we forget that ordinary photos,  not just those from the front lines or inside a repressive regime, can change people’s lives. World’s Coolest Grandma If you can’t think of anyone you could help, consider joining the Help-Portrait project (http://help-portrait.com/)

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What’s the Use?

Posted on February 15, 2011 by AJ Kessler

I know more than a few landscape photographers who are photographers, mostly, because they get to be outside and see cool stuff. I know photographers who take photos because they like to call themselves photographers, or because they like the … Continue reading →

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