Mark Sisson's New Book

Today, Mark Sisson released his new book, The Primal Blueprint 21-Day Total Body Transformation:

If you are new to the Primal scene, this book is one-stop shopping for all you need to know to enjoy the most life-altering benefits of living Primally within 21 days. If you are currently Primal-aligned and wish that somehow, some way, you could bestow the “secret” onto family or friends who are too reluctant or too busy, this book should definitely do the trick. It’s beautifully designed and illustrated and packed with over 100 color photos and concise section summaries – a page-turner even for the most attention- challenged among us in the digital age.

It’s available in paperback and on the Kindle. I’m almost halfway through it already, and I’m excited to pass it along to others.

Between my thesis, work, the changing season, and everything that’s happened at Apple recently, I’ve been a bit lazy with my Primal living, so I’m looking forward to getting back on the path.

Instapaper 4.0

As you might have learned in your internet travels today, Instapaper 4.0 has been released for the iPhone and the iPad, and it is tasty. Be sure to read Marco’s post about the whats and whys of the update.

If you don’t know what Instapaper is, then shame on you, and prepare to have your life altered for the better.

Instapaper is a read-it-later service created by Marco Arment. After getting a free account on Instapaper.com, you get access to the Read Later bookmarklet (i.e. button), which sits in your browser’s bookmark toolbar. Whenever you come across something you’d like to read, but don’t have time to do so at that moment, you click the Read Later button. The article gets sent straight to your Instapaper account, where you can read it at your leisure. It strips away everything but the text and any relevant pictures, which creates an ideal distraction-free reading environment.

This is huge. Even if you don’t understand what’s so great about what I just described, you owe it to yourself to give Instapaper a try. Instapaper is one of those things you didn’t know you needed until you actually start using it. Then, it becomes invaluable.

Why?

Because I always have something good to read no matter where I am. In line at the store. On the train to NYC. In bed before I go to sleep. Anywhere.

Instapaper is available as a website, an iPhone and iPad app, and it also supports Kindle subscriptions. In addition to the browser bookmarklet, many Twitter clients and RSS readers support Instapaper. You can even email articles to your account, so it’s easy to to fill Instapaper with things that you find intriguing.

It’s a refreshing respite from the breakneck pace of the internet. As Marco explains, Instapaper encourages you to become absorbed in a single piece of writing, rather than skimming through things as fast as you can just to clear your news feed. It allows you to get back to enjoying the act of reading.

About 90% of what I read comes from the internet. Fortunately/unfortunately, I don’t sit at my computer all day, so I often don’t have time to read the amazing things I come across. Instapaper is the perfect solution. It’s your “instant newspaper”, and it’s only filled with articles that interest you. As Merlin Mann wrote, Instapaper lets you decide what, when, and where to read. Its flexibility and ease-of-use remove all excuses for not reading.

If you like to read, you’ll love Instapaper. It’s as simple as that.

On a personal note, I’d like to say that Marco himself is someone you should know. He was the lead developer of Tumblr for four years, and now Instapaper is his full-time job. His creation has made thousands of people’s lives more enjoyable, and he’s an inspiration for anyone looking to make a living from their own creativity.

Instapaper fundamentally changed the way I browse the web. 4.0 is a fantastic update with new features and an improved interface. There’s no better time to start using this app. You should get a free account and/or buy it right now.

Thanks, Marco.

Shawn Blanc: Why We Began Blogging

Shawn Blanc, way back in 2007, on why we began blogging:

Those of us that do blog started our sites because we had a hint of creativity or passion or hope that simmered up inside us. There was that moment when the spark of inspiration hit us and we realized that we would love an outlet to share our passions: graphic design, language arts, technology and gadgets, or even sewing. A weblog is a perfect outlet for anyone to cultivate their passions and share them with the world.

Via Write for Your Life

Smothered Verbs

Mark Nichol over at Daily Writing Tips:

In the interests of trying to help prevent the smothering deaths of countless sentences, here’s a public-service announcement about how to avoid this senseless tragedy: If a noun phrase (verb plus preposition plus article plus noun, though variations are frequent) can be condensed by converting the noun to a verb and deleting the other words in the phrase, do it.

The examples seem so obvious:

“I’m glad they’ve come to an agreement.”
“I’m glad they agree.”

“The committee will perform an assessment of the situation.”
“The committee will assess the situation.”

“Are you interested in submitting an application?”
“Are you interested in applying?”

Omit unnecessary words.

The Atomic Powerpoint

Seth Godin explains the atomic method of creating a Powerpoint presentation:

The typical person speaks 10 or 12 sentences a minute.

The atomic method requires you to create a slide for each sentence. For a five minute talk, that’s 50 slides.

Each slide must have either a single word, a single image or a single idea.

Make all 50 slides. Force yourself to break each concept into the smallest possible atom. If it’s not worthy of a slide, don’t say it.

Really cool, and it eliminates the need for slides full of bullet points. The audience’s attention should be on you, not the slides.

Andy Ihnatko on Writer's Block

Andy Ihnatko says there’s no such thing as writer’s block:

As a writer, you are never “blocked.”

The fact that you’re not actually writing doesn’t mean that you’re not actually working. You’re also working when you’re thinking. Figure out what the problems are and solve them. Solve them in a half-assed way if you have to; slap enough duct tape over the problem that you can proceed to the next step. Go back later and improve it in the editing process.

Sometimes, writer’s block is part of the process.

Relationships Are Like Smartphones

Note: This post is equal parts facetious and serious.

I was eating food with a friend earlier this evening, and three quarters of a quesadilla into the meal, we concluded that relationships are a lot like smartphones.

I know. Hear me out.

Most people (read: non-nerds) are uneducated about the smartphone market. They’ve heard of the iPhone, but they don’t know anything about operating systems, RAM, or megapixels. As such, when they go into the phone store, they’re vulnerable to this: “Here. This is an Android phone. It’s pretty much the same thing as the iPhone, but it has a bigger touchscreen. And it’s only [a cheaper price than the iPhone].”

But, as most iPhone owners know, it’s not pretty much the same thing as an iPhone.

This scenario comes down to one thing: not knowing any better.

Sure, there are some solid Android phones out there. Maybe they only have a few annoyances. Maybe the scrolling isn’t perfectly smooth, or an app crashes here or there, or the email application is kind of a pain. But it’s totally useable. It’s good enough.

Most people are like Android phones. There are a ton of them out there.

Similarly, there are over six billion people on the planet. That means it’s impossible to know everybody. Since the human brain can only manage a finite amount of relationships at one time, making sure each one counts is essential. Each relationship should contribute something positive and amazing to your life.

Those people, who you love and keep closest to you, are like iPhones. These relationships don’t cause you stress or anxiety. They’re loyal and reliable, and they provide nothing but love and support. They are awesome.

Now, the iPhone only has 5% of the mobile phone market. That figure is analogous to the amount of awesome people on Earth. Most people are not awesome. I mean, they’re fine. They’re good enough. But, you’re not going to gain much from having relationships with them. And that’s OK. You can’t know everybody.

This is going to sound dumb, but listen, because this article isn’t about cellphones.

Making the switch from an Android phone to an iPhone is like meeting your future wife/husband after years of tried-and-failed relationships. When you meet that person, you realize how much better they are than anything you’ve ever had before. All that fighting and compromising and struggling fades away with a tremendous sigh of relief. A feeling of “Finally! This is how it should be.” A feeling of “Why didn’t I find you sooner?” A feeling of “This just feels right.” The relationship just works.

Up until that point, we often settle because we don’t know for certain that someone better is out there. We’re comfortable with what we have now, and even though it’s not perfect, we fight for it because it’s all we know. We’re afraid that maybe this is the best we can do.

We don’t know any better.

I’m assuming that you, being a reader of this site, are like an iPhone: awesome. The problem with being awesome, though, is that we’re outnumbered. There are way more dumb people out there than awesome people. It’s unfortunate, but that’s the tradeoff for not being average.

Dumb people are a dime-a-dozen. You can walk down the street and bump into fifty dumb people. That’s why that guy (“THAT guy?!”) is happy and you’re still single. There’s nothing wrong with you, it’s just easy for one dumb person to find another dumb person. It takes a lot more effort and luck for two awesome people to meet because there are fewer of us out there. It takes longer for us to find one another.

Again, this is not about cellphones or which one is better. If you think the iPhone is stupid, that’s fine. Just replace “iPhone” with something else you love.

The lesson here is simple: “Keep looking. Don’t settle.”

Using your phone does not have to be a pain in the ass, and you don’t have to bend over backwards to make a relationship work. Don’t waste your time and energy fighting for something that’s flawed just because it’s familiar.

You can find something better if you have the confidence and the courage to look for it. There is someone out there who is as awesome as you are. Finding them requires patience, and it takes having faith in the fact that it’s only a matter of time.

Unplggd: Distraction-Free Desktop

Cerentha Harris has a great idea for creating a distraction-free desktop:

It’s all too easy to get distracted from work on the computer. But there’s a simple technique to help regain focus: create a new User account, one specifically designed for getting work done. That means creating a desktop stripped of extraneous bookmarks, applications, music and movie files, plug-ins, extensions…unless they’re designed for task management or your work related projects. Think of this desktop as your work persona. Creating a dedicated account for work related tasks is like having a work outfit compared to the comfy-cozy sweatpants of leisurely online time.

I keep my desktop pretty distraction-free at all times, but this is an awesome strategy, and one that I would recommend to my non-minimalist friends. Check the full post for step-by-step instructions.

Via Minimal Mac

Steve

The morning after Steve Jobs died, I was sitting at a traffic light, watching cars go by on the Berlin Turnpike.

I had woken up sad, with a feeling of “Oh no… that really happened.” I didn’t know I could feel such emotion over the death of a public figure, but then, it doesn’t seem to happen very often. I wasn’t even a thought in my parents’ minds when President Kennedy was assassinated. I wasn’t alive for Elvis or John Lennon. I thought Michael Jackson’s death was unfortunate, but I wasn’t close enough to his music to be affected in the way millions of others were.

But the morning after Steve Jobs died, I found myself wondering if those people in their cars knew what had happened. “Does that person know? Does that person? Or that person?” I wondered if they felt the way I did, or if they had just frowned and said, “That’s too bad” before going about their lives.

It’s weird when someone dies because everything still looks the same. If someone was looking down on Earth from space, nothing would appear out of the ordinary. They wouldn’t be able to tell that anything had happened. But today, you don’t need to go any further than Google’s homepage to realize that something is wrong. Someone is missing.

I’m a young member of the Apple community in the sense that I’ve only been cognizant of the company’s existence for maybe seven or eight years. I got my first iPod in high school, but I never used a Mac until I got to college. My university had outfitted all of us with Lenovo ThinkPads, so it wasn’t until I applied to Apple’s Campus Rep program that I received a glossy black MacBook and subsequently saw the light. I had to give that machine back when the program ended just a few months later, but I had already been converted. I received my first Mac, a 2009 15” MacBook Pro, as a graduation present, and it’s still my main machine today. Like so many others, I’ll never go back.

If you were to construct a pie chart of my identity, it would be composed of several things. One slice would be for karate. Another would be for music. Another would be for eastern philosophy. And another would be for Apple. Each one was added to the pie chart in a moment of discovery, when it changed my life and shaped who I am today. These moments are the foundation of my identity. The day my parents dragged me into a karate studio, which led to fifteen years in the martial arts as a student and instructor. The day I came home to find a Dave Matthews Band DVD playing through the home entertainment system, which led to an intense passion for good music and nearly ten years of learning how to play the bass guitar. The day my college philosophy professor walked into class and taught me that we aren’t just bags of skin, which began instilling the tenets of Buddhism and Taoism that continue to bring me comfort and inner peace on a daily basis.

Apple, too, changed my life. The day I opened up my first MacBook, I started to care about things I previously had no knowledge of. Things like design, typography, simplicity, and minimalism. Stuff like creating things that are insanely great. Paying attention to detail. How to give a great presentation. Making sure everything in my life contributes positively to it in some way. Eliminating things that don’t, things that have no meaning for me. Without Apple, I wouldn’t have discovered all of my favorite writers who inspire me every day. I wouldn’t know that computing can be a joyful experience. I wouldn’t know that no one needs permission to be awesome.

Steve Jobs’ spirit drives Apple, and it will continue to do so many years into the future. So, to say that Steve Jobs changed my life is not an exaggeration.

I can understand why some people don’t get it. For them, Steve Jobs was just a businessman, a CEO of a technology company. He made consumer electronics. I don’t ask anything of these people other than that they stay quiet for the people who do get it. For millions of nerds and geeks around the world, this is our Kennedy, our Elvis, our Lennon. It’s been said that Steve Jobs didn’t just create a company. He created a culture. For people who wanted to think different, and for people who cared about changing the world.

I use his creations every day. To communicate with friends and family. To make things I’m proud of, like this website. To learn and satisfy my curiosities about new things. To listen to music I’m obsessed with. Every day, Steve’s creations make my life easier, simpler, and more fun. They inspire me every time I pick one up. But most of all, they never fail to bring me joy.

So many great things have been written about Steve since Wednesday. My emotional blathering here is only a drop in the bucket, but I felt the need to say something. I can’t really express how thankful I am to be a part of this community, and I am proud to consider Apple a part of my identity. I have Steve to thank for that. While we never came close to meeting, I am privileged to have lived alongside him, on the same planet, at the same time. I will miss him, and I’ll continue to remember him in my quest to do great things.

Thank you, Steve, for showing us it’s possible to put a ding in the universe.

Required Reading: Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish.

Required Reading is a series of articles, videos, podcasts, etc. that I consider to be unmissable. These are the things that have inspired me the most, and they’re the things I keep coming back to for repeated readings, viewings, and listens.

Steve Jobs’ 2005 Commencement Address at Stanford University:

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

The full text is here, and the video is here.

We’ll miss you, Steve.

Steve Jobs, 1955-2011

This morning, my iPhone woke me up.

I used it to listen to a podcast on the way to work, and then to take notes during a meeting.

When I got home, I spent the afternoon typing away at my thesis on my MacBook Pro.

I listened to The Long Winters on my iPhone while I drove to my mom’s house.

I spent the evening reading on my iPad before dinner.

I was discussing the iPhone 4S with my mom’s boyfriend when I got a voicemail from my grandmother telling me the news.

Rest in peace, Steve. And thanks.

iPhone Expectations

In just a few minutes, Apple will begin its on-campus “Let’s Talk iPhone” event in Cupertino, CA.

Like all Apple product announcements, it’s a big day for nerds all over the world, but this one has a particularly high level of anticipation because it’s been almost seventeen months since the iPhone 4 was announced. Traditionally, Apple unveiled a new iPhone every year at WWDC, but this year’s conference was dedicated entirely to software: OS X Lion, iOS 5, and iCloud. There were no new hardware announcements. Thus, the Apple community has been starved for a new iPhone for longer than usual.

Notably, this will be the first product announcement with (presumably) Tim Cook at the helm as CEO. It’s also being held in Apple’s on-campus Town Hall auditorium, rather than at a huge convention center.

Rumors and speculation about new products is part of Apple fan culture. It’s fun and exciting, because Apple’s products mean a lot to people in ways that other phones, computers, music players, and software don’t. It’s easy to get caught up in the hype.

As Stephen M. Hackett wrote in his article, “On Expectations and New iPhones”, it’s important to recognize the value of managing your expectations and not letting them run too wild.

Some of this year’s rumors include multiple iPhone models, improved voice control, a faster A5 processor, 4G compatibility, and so on. With all the speculation flying around, people become increasingly vulnerable to disappointment. If you’re really looking forward to one special feature, and Apple doesn’t include it, you’re going to feel like a sad trombone.

The better strategy is to look forward to the announcement, knowing that this new iPhone, whether it’s a 4S or a 5, will be a great device. It has to be, or Apple wouldn’t release it. However, the only certainty is that it will be better than the iPhone 4. How much better will be the subject of debate for the next few weeks. Since we’ve had to wait an extra long time, there’s an additional expectation that this new iPhone needs to be leaps and bounds better than the iPhone 4. It doesn’t. The iPhone 4 is still a tremendous success today, seventeen months later.

Apple itself seems to be downplaying today’s event. The press invitation for the announcement suggests there will only be one new iPhone announced. The event is being held at a much smaller and intimate venue. The event’s tagline, “Let’s Talk iPhone”, suggests that that will be the singular focus.

That’s good strategy. It’s all about managing expectations. It’s much easier to under-promise and over-deliver than it is to set a bar so high that it becomes unreachable.

For me, even if the new iPhone only features the A5 chip and an improved camera, it’s still an exciting day to be an Apple nerd. I’m not due for an upgrade until February, so I probably won’t own this generation of iPhone. That’s fine, because I’m still perfectly happy with my iPhone 4, and I’ll get to enjoy the iPhone 6 when it’s announced next year. I’m not saying I won’t be drooling over whatever gets announced today, because I almost certainly will, but I like to keep things in perspective.

Whatever gets announced today, just remember that we’re lucky to have a company that produces such consistently fantastic products at such consistently reliable intervals. No matter what happens, it’s a great day to be part of the Apple community.

Put This On: The Shady Series

The guys over at Put This On are halfway through their Shady Series, which is all about sunglasses:

Although many people think of sunglasses only as a summer accessory, they’re actually important year-round. You should wear them in the fall whenever it’s clear and sunny, and in the winter when glare is reflected off of the snow. In both cases, proper sunglasses will provide important protection for your eyes.

Thus, a good friend of mine, Agyesh Madan, and I thought we’d publish a special five-part series on sunglasses. Together, we’ll discuss how to determine quality and what models you should consider. We’ll also cover how you can choose an appropriate pair of frames, as well as how to maintain your glasses once you get them.

I’ve been wearing the same pair of sunglasses since I was probably 17, so I’m looking forward to taking their advice when I invest in some grownup eyewear.

Ev Bogue: Theories or Experiences?

Ev Bogue talks about two types of writers:

The first writer has theories about everything. They’re making up their own philosophy about how the world works, and then telling everyone about it.

The second writer has conducted experiments and can tell from experience.

I’d like to think I write from experience, but seeing as I’m only 24 years old, my theories will probably change as I grow older. I can’t say definitively whether my theories are correct, and I don’t claim that they are. What I can say, however, is that my theories work for me now at 24.

One of my theories is that simplicity helps to create a calmer and happier life. Based on my experience with trying to implement simplicity, that’s true. Right now, simplicity works for me. Maybe it won’t at some point in the future, but at this point, it does.

I don’t pretend to have all the answers, or that my way is the best way. All of the advice I offer here is really advice I’m giving myself. I’m thinking aloud, so to speak. I’m saying, “Here’s a problem. Here’s what I’ve tried that has worked or not worked. Maybe that information will be useful to you, too.”

As time goes on, I’ll only gain more experience with which to support or adjust my theories.

James Shelley: Success

James Shelley on Success:

Herein lies the culmination of our review: “success” is an illusion. Granted, the human experience is full of tantalizing tokens, symbols and rituals to represent this apparently highly-sought status. But every diploma, certification, award, medal, pay-grade promotion and recognition is simply another construct of this brilliantly (and humanly) crafted mythology.

The whole thing is superb.

Paying for Good Software

J. Eddie Smith, IV on the cost of not buying good software:

Good software is virtually free, regardless of its purchase price, because the payback dwarfs the investment. If your time is worth something, you’d be rational to pay hundreds of dollars for applications you use every day.

This is why I don’t hesitate to pay the $4.99 to remove ads from Twitterrific. I use the app probably thirty times a day. Giving the developer five bucks not only gives me a better experience, it’s the best way for me to say thank you.

Iain Broome: 2000

Iain Broome just hit 2,000 subscribers on his website, Write for Your Life. I’m psyched for him.

He also took the time to write about blogging and where he wants to take his site next. I love Iain’s advice:

I intend not to worry too much about how many people read this site. Instead, I shall simply write about and link to the things that I’m interested in and know a little about. That’s writing, reading, computers and stuff.

However, if you’re just starting out with blogging, and you really do want some blogging advice, all I have is the following. And to my mind, this is all that matters.

Write good stuff. Be nice to people.

Required Reading: Merlin & Gruber at SxSW

Required Reading is a series of articles, videos, podcasts, etc. that I consider to be unmissable. These are the things that have inspired me the most, and they’re the things I keep coming back to for repeated readings, viewings, and listens.

In 2009, John Gruber and Merlin Mann, two of my foremost internet heroes, gave a talk at South by Southwest. It’s mostly about blogging, but their advice is applicable to virtually any creative endeavor, whether you’re a photographer, chef, inventor, or anything in between.

There are so many great quotes to choose from: John’s story about meeting Phil Schiller. Merlin’s Ira Glass impression. Why you should give stuff away for free. How to not mess up the reasons people like you.

But, if I had to pick one, I’d go with Merlin’s advice of obsession times voice:

Topic times Voice. Or, if you’re a little bit more of a maverick, Obsession times Voice. So what does that mean? I think almost all of the best nonfiction that has ever been made comes from the result of somebody who can’t stop thinking about a certain topic — a very specific aspect, in some cases, of a certain topic. And second, they got really good at figuring out what they had to say about it.

I haven’t found anything that inspires me to get better more than this talk. I probably listen to it once a month.

My recommendation:

1. Read John Gruber’s introduction on Daring Fireball.
2. Listen to the talk.
3. Watch Yuvi Zalkow’s video tribute, which has some great animations and quotes from the talk.
4. Read Marco Arment’s article, “Celebrity”, in which he talks about being in the audience and meeting Merlin, Gruber, and his other internet heroes for the first time.

Two of my favorite writers telling the rest of us how to do it right. It’s unmissable.

On Caffeine & Alcohol

The other day, a friend asked me how my fondness for simplicity and minimalism affects my stance on things like caffeine and alcohol. Good question.

I don’t partake in either. Obviously, the two substances aren’t synonymous, but my reasons for abstaining apply to both.

1. Consumption. A central focus of minimalism is to break free from the bonds of our material-oriented, advertising-driven society. Minimalism is built on the concepts of less and enough. The goal is to stop consuming things you don’t need. This includes making unnecessary purchases and eating unhealthy foods just because a television commercial says you should. Consuming less frees you to do other things. Consuming less also helps you save money, and I would hate to make a habit of spending $4 at Starbucks every day or however many dollars at the liquor store every weekend. Water satiates all of my liquid-consuming needs, and it’s free.

2. Dependence. I never want to be in a situation where I need caffeine or alcohol to function properly. I never want to be one of those people who is “useless until I’ve had my coffee”. I don’t want to have to have a drink to become the life of the party, if I was actually interested in being that person. Dependence is limiting. By not needing these things, I become a little more free, and my life is a little bit simpler.

3. Health. This post isn’t meant to be a self-righteous indictment of people who enjoy caffeinated or alcoholic beverages. If it was, I’d have no friends. Clearly, there are appropriate ways to enjoy these things, i.e. in moderation. Several health-related websites I follow actually advocate caffeine for its purported health benefits, and you can find plenty of articles discussing the benefits of a glass of red wine with dinner. For my part, I certainly do enjoy a cup of tea once or twice a week. Alcohol, on the other hand, is poisonous to the human body, but I can understand how some people enjoy its effects, taste, or other properties. Being healthy in today’s society is challenging enough, though, and I’d rather avoid the added difficulty altogether.

4. Personal. Coffee smells delicious, but most of that stuff is disgusting. I make no apologies for this position. As for alcohol, I’ve just never seen the point, for all the above reasons. I’m not a party-goer, so I don’t need the boost in social skills. I can’t speak for taste, but most of it doesn’t smell good. The concept of being drunk holds no appeal to me because I can’t possibly fathom how you would want to voluntarily give up control of the one thing you actually have control over, which is your mind. Plus, my dad’s been a recovering alcoholic for many, many years, and since I’m a lot like him, I feel its best to follow his example and avoid any alcoholism in my family’s history entirely.

I think that sums it up. Again, these are just my opinions, and I encourage you to do what works for you.

Coincidentally, Ev Bogue just posted about why he untethered from alcohol. It’s a good read.

Simplicity, Clutter, Compassion, & Love

Patrick Rhone on dealing with not-so-minimal loved ones:

All I’m saying here is that our goal of uncluttered simplicity is likely just as strange and wrong and foreign to those who are the opposite as they are to us. Compassion and acceptance are required on both sides.