Pearls Before Breakfast - washingtonpost.com

HE EMERGED FROM THE METRO AT THE L'ENFANT PLAZA STATION AND POSITIONED HIMSELF AGAINST A WALL BESIDE A TRASH BASKET. By most measures, he was nondescript: a youngish white man in jeans, a long-sleeved T-shirt and a Washington Nationals baseball cap. From a small case, he removed a violin. Placing the open case at his feet, he shrewdly threw in a few dollars and pocket change as seed money, swiveled it to face pedestrian traffic, and began to play. It was 7:51 a.m. on Friday, January 12, the middle of the morning rush hour. Each passerby had a quick choice to make, one familiar to commuters in any urban area where the occasional street performer is part of the cityscape: Do you stop and listen? On that Friday in January, those private questions would be answered in an unusually public way. The musician did not play popular tunes whose familiarity alone might have drawn interest. The acoustics proved surprisingly kind. So, what do you think happened? So, a crowd would gather? "Oh, yes."

Tips for creative success from Pixar Randy Nelson is Dean of Pixar University and gives a really nice 9-min talk below with important content for all professionals and students. The talk is called Learning and Working in the Collaborative Age. Pixar is the kind of company that focuses hard on the development of its people, and Nelson is someone who has a lot of experience helping very creative people communicate and collaborate better. I like the way Nelson expresses his ideas on stage and connects with his audience at this Apple Education Leadership Summit, but it's his ideas that are really the takeaway here. Below the video, I summarize some of his key points for your review. Improv and collaboration Pixar uses improv as a mechanism of collaboration. What should we be looking for? Aptitudes for success in a creative world (1) Mastery of subject (depth). Collaboration and education There are lessons to be learned from Pixar. H/T @SirKenRobinson

The Two Things compiled and organized by Glen Whitman [UPDATE, added 15 June 2004: This page has been linked in some prominent places recently, and as a result I've received many submissions for inclusion in The Two Things List. Although I can't respond to everyone individually, I want to thank you all for your contributions. I hope that I will be able to update the list to include the new submissions sometime in the near future.] The Story of the Two ThingsThe Two Things about the Two ThingsThe Two Things List Business Computers Humanities International Relations Law Natural Sciences Philosophy Professions Social Sciences Miscellaneous The Story of the Two Things A few years ago, I was chatting with a stranger in a bar. “Huh?” “You know, the Two Things. “Oh,” I said. Ever since that evening, I’ve been playing the Two Things game. The Two Things about the Two Things 1. Business The Two Things about Accounting: 1. The Two Things about Managerial Accounting 1. The Two Things about Human Relations: 1. Law