Intentionality #focus

#Leadercast yesterday was an overdue wake-up call. Earlier this year I said I needed to be intentional, and then since then, I have been anything but.

I have done that which I did not want to do and I have not done that which I wanted to do.

I have absolutely and totally failed to be intentional.  (I failed to focus.)

It isn't that life is always up, up, up, but if it's less up than down, then I'm headed in the wrong direction.

I'm headed in the wrong direction.

It's time to change that.

I can't snap my fingers and change that, but I need to figure out how to get those regular doses of that which redirects me back up.

Lots swirling around in my head right now. I think there's probably going to be some posts on the idea of fear, passion, opportunity, stuff like that, as well as a one on Leadercast itself and what I got from it.

Here I am today. Is it where I want to be? Some yes, some no. I should look into my reasons (ahem, excuses) at some point, I suppose.

It's time to change that.

Feed Sift (05/09/2014)

Five things from around the web that I wanted to share...

TWISTED SIFTER -- This Pharmacy Prescribes Monster Spray to Kids that are Scared of the Dark

GIZMONDO -- Why Roku Matters More Than Ever

EXCELJET -- How to build a search box with conditional formatting

ENGADGET -- Watch filmmakers render realistic CG on the fly using $14k of graphics cards

SETH GODIN -- Thinking lifetime (don't break the chain)

Moo

"We give our animals the greenest pastures and they give you delicious and nutritious milk."

Your ANIMALS? You mean cows? 

Or are these mutant twelve-udder milk producing hybrids that can't be legally called cows?

Week 57 (Final)

Sunday 3:40 pm -- Wrapping up this week. 224 done. That's fine. I am happy with what I got done. I'm feeling prickly at the moment so I'm hiding in our room with headphones on. I want to put some effort into next week's list to make sure that I end up at the end of the week with very little incomplete. But I won't have a lot of time within which to prepare, so let's see what I can come up with quickly.

Book Review: Outpost

Outpost (Razorland Trilogy) by Ann Aguirre

Ah, a trilogy's middle book... By the nature of its position as #2 and in this case, the name of book three (Horde), you know how this is going to end before it begins. Outpost is the story of our young heroes attempting to integrate into life in the town of Salvation. Of course, you know that can't last. The mutants are growing in number, and getting smarter. An isolationist strategy can't last. As all things tend towards chaos, you know chaos is coming.

Outpost is a slow burn. There's no hurry to get to the end, but that's to be expected because while we know it's coming, the inhabitants of the town don't. Sure, there are alarming events that worry those who are paying attention, but it's not like they're bracing for the inevitable, because they've lived there for generations. I didn't find myself wanting to hurry it up because the story was interesting as our heroes grew, learned more about civilization, adulthood, and tested boundaries. The community also grapples with gender roles, religion and some of the societal norms. All while the threat grows.

When all heck finally breaks loose, it's not exactly a surprise, but it definitely makes sense. I have really appreciated that this author has really thought through the story she wanted to tell and mapped it out from end-to-end. And in some ways, by the time you get to the end of Outpost, things are just heating up.

Don't read the author's notes at the end, though. In her attempt to reassure you that she's thought things through I think she actually gives you a spoiler that you don't need.


Enclave (My Review, Amazon.com)


Outpost (Amazon.com)

An @Amazon Horror Story

Driving home from our date last night in Seattle, we looked at the Amazon building up on the hill and we joked as we always did about how someone needs to film a horror movie there.

from seattletimes.com

And I was struck with an idea... what if there was a horror film, but it took place at Amazon? What if there was a basement dark basement fulfillment warehouse with narrow, dusty shelves of creepy books, kitchen knives and the shelves themselves were robots that could move around and so the walls were constantly shifting.  At one point they think they've escape the building only to be chased by killer Amazon flying drones.

Someone want to write that?

Feed Sift (05/02/2014)

Hello, world! Here's a few things pulled from my feed that I thought were worth passing along.

-1-

LIFEHACKER -- Feasibility Matters More Than Excitement When Giving Great Gifts

-2-

A LIST APART -- People Skills for Web Workers

-3-