Creative White Noise

According to The Journal of Creative Research, ambient noise enhances the creative process as well as encourages adoption of new innovations. Which means that listening to ambient noise makes you more likely to be into new stuff and things.  Their research has a lot of future applications which you can read about here if you are really into that kind of thing. 

For my own use, instead of listening to my dog snore or the fridge hum while I'm writing, I have been putting on Coffitivity, an app for Android, iPhone, iPad and Mac that plays continuous ambient sounds without the actual ambient people. They are always distracting me with their conversations that I eavesdrop on.

Choose from Morning Murmur (coffee house),  Lunchtime Lounge (hungry for a sandwich?),  and University Undertones (sleeping in a carrel). By the way, it's FREE!

Nope.

Don't do it. Unless you're like me and have a perverse need to scare the shit out of yourself. Then watch it over and over again. You're welcome.

Nope. No no no.

Ebert

“Kindness covers all of my political beliefs. No need to spell them out. I believe that if, at the end, according to our abilities, we have done something to make others a little happier, and something to make ourselves a little happier, that is about the best we can do. To make others less happy is a crime. To make ourselves unhappy is where all crime starts. We must try to contribute joy to the world. That is true no matter what our problems, our health, our circumstances. We must try. I didn’t always know this and am happy I lived long enough to find it out.”

-Roger Ebert

Read more of Ebert’s wonderful essay on not fearing death at Salon

-Lauren

Image courtesy of deviantart

Buy Sell Trade

I was reading Goop (Ms. Gwyneth Paltrow’s website). It’s mostly so I can judge her/admire her bod/be charmed by her nerdness/*marvel at how completely out of touch with reality she is*. She was cleaning out her closet and sharing where her tossed off duds were going. Vaunte was the name of one. It is a very pretty website and very expensive for somebody’s old blouse.

But then….. she revealed The Real Real. It’s really real ya’ll. Prices are great, selection is vast. You can also consign with them.  I was forced to give props to Ms. Paltrow for showing me something that is actually attainable, not some organic, wheat-free, fat-free air from Indonesian monks or whatever.

P.S. Never buy someone's shoes. The end.

-Brooke

Insane Corgi

You can either tell your friends the ramp wasn’t built for them or  SHOW THEM!

-Lauren

(via Insane Corgi)