Wendy Troupe's Tumblog

miketrap.com: Louis CK, Marketing Genius

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 07:56:23 -0400

miketrap.com: Louis CK, Marketing Genius:

I just got this e-mail from Louis. It’s a clinic in exactly the kind of human, authentic brand-building that works today, and one more reason to love this guy and what he’s trying to do.

Oh… and his special premieres tonight on HBO. Don’t miss it.

Hello. This is Louis C.K. I’m writing for two…

View from the croquet lawn (at southampton bermuda)

Sun, 31 Mar 2013 16:16:03 -0400

View from the croquet lawn (at southampton bermuda)

vogueparis: Olympia Le-Tan juste après son défilé automne-hiver...

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 17:10:41 -0500

vogueparis:

Olympia Le-Tan juste après son défilé automne-hiver 2013-2014 au Musée de la Chasse avec sa nouvelle minaudière inspirée du livre “Der arme Spielmann” de Franz Grillparzers.

Sir Richard - On Taking Risk

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 17:10:32 -0500

Sir Richard - On Taking Risk:

“Dream big by setting yourself seemingly impossible challenges. You then have to catch up with them.”

beingblog: “Walking as an art calls attention to the simplest...

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 18:29:34 -0500

beingblog:

“Walking as an art calls attention to the simplest aspects of the act: the way rural walking measures the body and the earth against each other, the way urban walking elicits unpredictable social encounters.

And the most complex: the rich potential relations between thinking and the body; the way one person’s act can be an invitation to another’s imagination; the way every gesture can be imagined as a brief and invisible sculpture; the way walking reshapes the world by mapping it, treading paths into it, encountering it; the way each act reflects and reinvents the culture in which it takes place.”

~Rebecca Solnit, Wanderlust: A History of Walking

Photo by Almond Dhukka / Flickr, cc by-nc-nd 2.0

"For someone like me, who’s probably never going to be involved in the Grammys or the Oscars… this is..."

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 18:29:03 -0500

““For someone like me, who’s probably never going to be involved in the Grammys or the Oscars… this is that moment where I get to stand in front of the world and say something.””

- The democratization of the music industry continues #crowdsourcing lessons

Musician Amanda Palmer continually taps into her fan base through her blog and through Twitter conversations about everything from her music to her thoughts on bullying.

http://hereandnow.wbur.org/2013/02/27/amanda-palmer-ted

instagram: Instagram Today: 100 Million People Instagram’s...

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 15:19:01 -0500

instagram.com/p/OzBUSUSFee/#dschwen

instagram.com/p/OK04dStScs/#paranorman

instagram.com/p/WNO7QyBQUY/#instagram

instagram.com/p/VuJ0gbPFJy/#alostfeather

instagram.com/p/QOMQmQLeF8/#heysp

instagram:

Instagram Today: 100 Million People

Instagram’s first office had few redeeming qualities—and insulation was not one of them. There were only two of us, so we rented desks in a co-working space on a pier over San Francisco Bay. At night, it was common to find us working in winter jackets huddled over our laptops where the air was so cold we could see our breath. It was October 2010 when we launched Instagram, and San Francisco had dealt us a particularly unforgiving and chilly fall.

One night soon after launch, about a half-mile away, Giants Stadium was full of fans cheering on their team in a race for the NLCS against the Philadelphia Phillies. You see, having so little insulation in the office had an unintended consequence of being able to hear the crowd roar every time someone hit a long ball out towards McCovey Cove. Back in the office, we’d lift our heads up from code with every eruption of the fans, wondering who was at bat, what had happened, and whether the ball had made it or not. We never knew, but that wasn’t the point.

While we may only have had a few thousand people around the world using Instagram that night, we had a sense that maybe through Instagram we could tune in to what was happening just a few steps away. With a few quick commands at his terminal, my co-founder Mike’s screen filled with images of the game: the bullpen, dugout, concession stands, cheering fans and a panoramic view from somewhere up high. In a matter of hours, the people in that stadium had recorded moments in time through Instagram and allowed us to tune into an event while we sat a half a mile away, working—winter coats and all.

For the first time, we understood why Instagram was going to be different. We understood the power of images to connect people to what was happening in the world around them. And, although Instagram had a fraction of the user base it does today, that night we saw a preview of what Instagram would enable at a much larger scale down the road.

Now, nearly two and a half years later, over 100 million people use Instagram every month. It’s easy to see this as an accomplishment for a company, but I think the truth is that it’s an accomplishment for our community. Now, more than ever, people are capturing the world in real-time using Instagram—sharing images from the farthest corners of the globe. What we see as a result is a world more connected and understood through photographs.

Of the 100 million people on Instagram, there are stories that awe us: stories like Kathryn Mahoney’s (@nineteenfiftyone). Kathryn is an aid worker for the United Nations in the most remote refugee camp in Southern Sudan. She shares vivid photos of the day-to-day life of the people who live in Yida as well as the struggles and triumphs of the UN’s work there. From thousands of miles away, Kathryn reminds us of the power of images to educate and inspire.

There are love stories that move us, like the story of Cory (@withhearts) and Bethany (@bethanyolson) who began following each other a year and a half ago at the suggestion of a mutual photographer friend. After trading likes on photos, meeting for coffee, and finally joining up for a photowalk, a mutual interest in photography turned into dating. To this day, they still go on photography adventures and explore the world together with Instagram in tow.

And there are inspiring stories of small businesses and artisans. Mission Bicycle (@missionbicycle), a small, independent manufacturer in San Francisco, has amassed nearly 50,000 followers as they share the photos from their daily work of making beautiful bicycles by hand. Similarly, Sightglass Coffee (@sightglass) shares photos from their harvesting grounds in El Salvador and Ethiopia to remind us that even a local business has global connections.

Images have the ability to connect people from all backgrounds, languages and cultures. They connect us to aid workers halfway across the world in Sudan, to entrepreneurs in San Francisco and even to events in our own backyards. Instagram, as a tool to inspire and connect, is only as powerful as the community it is made of. For this reason, we feel extremely lucky to have the chance to build this with all of you. So from our team to the hundred million people who call Instagram home, we say thank you. Thank you for sharing your world and inspiring us all to do the same.

Kevin Systrom

Co-founder, Instagram

nprfreshair: Good morning! In honor of today’s interview with...

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 09:04:51 -0500

nprfreshair:

Good morning! In honor of today’s interview with Michael Moss about his new book Salt, Sugar, Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us and the packaged and processed food industry, here’s an oldie but a goodie from Rufus Wainwright.

And a Fresh Air interview with Rufus from 2001 when Poses came out.

"You need to provide something that influencers are scaling to get their hands on. They want to talk..."

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 08:32:40 -0500

“You need to provide something that influencers are scaling to get their hands on. They want to talk to their friends about it and better yet, they want to share the news because it’s a story. It’s a brand that has provided them value or it is a brand that they know and trust. So, it’s not so much a question about waking up and saying “do we want to do influencer marketing?”, it’s about waking up and saying, “do we have a product that anyone cares about?””

- http://blog.marketo.com/blog/2013/01/digital-marketing-expert-mitch-joel-talks-about-leveraging-influencers-and-real-time-social-engagement.html

beingblog: “The seeker embarks on a journey to find what he...

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 21:20:49 -0500

beingblog:

“The seeker embarks on a journey to find what he wants and discovers along the way, what he needs.”

~Wally Lamb from The Hour I First Believed

photo by Flickr / Annais Ferreira cc by-nc-nd 2.0

Along the same lines as ‘it’s about savoring the journey’ #lifelessons

miketrap: Why Storytelling Is The Ultimate Weapon

Wed, 17 Oct 2012 12:44:09 -0400

miketrap: Why Storytelling Is The Ultimate Weapon:

miketrap:

Jonathan Gottschall, author of The Storytelling Animal, says science backs up the long-held belief that story is the most powerful means of communicating a message. 53 Comments inShare In business, storytelling is all the rage. Without a compelling story, we are told, our product, idea, or…

On the Runway: That Thing Called Good Taste

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 19:37:00 -0400

On the Runway: That Thing Called Good Taste:

‘Unfussy Elegance’ - I get that!

It’s interesting to me that despite the Mark Cross company travails — it has had several owners, including Sara Lee — the name still means something to people.

A Reprieve from Myself: What’s Revealed in a View

Sat, 10 Mar 2012 10:16:00 -0500

A Reprieve from Myself: What’s Revealed in a View:

Although soaking up a beautiful view can help you achieve a mindful state of consciousness, inner peace is only found through deep self-exploration and honesty. There is inherent beauty all around us - in color, shape, texture and unique personality. Taking a moment to appreciate it always helps to find balance in our very busy lives.

Solving the Cake-Making Blues

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 20:42:00 -0500

Found this to be the best baking insight!!!

Problem: Batter curdles and separates.
Solution: Eggs were not added one at a time and beaten thoroughly after each addition; an electric mixer was set at too high a speed; and/or the eggs were too cold. Try adding 1 Tbs. flour per egg and reducing the speed of the electric mixer.

Problem: Cake didn’t rise.
Solution: Too much or not enough fat or liquid in the batter; batter was overbeaten; and/or oven temperature was too high.

Problem: Cake is tough.
Solution: Butter and sugar were under-beaten in the early stages of mixing; batter was over-beaten after the flour was added; not enough sugar; not enough baking powder; and/or not enough fat. Try brushing cake layers with sugar syrup, or filling and frosting the layers with a generous layer of moist frosting.

Problem: Cake crumb is sticky.
Solution: Too much sugar in the batter or sugar was too coarse.

Problem: Top crust is hard.
Solution: Oven temperature was too high; cake was overbaked; and/or cake was baked too close to the top of the oven. Try slicing off the top of the cake layer before frosting.

Problem: Cake sinks in the center.
Solution: Too much fat and/or sugar or leavening; batter was overbeaten; cake pan was too small; the filled cake pan was tapped too roughly on the countertop; the oven door was banged shut; or the oven temperature was too low. Try cutting out the fallen center and treating the cake like a tube cake; or fill the depression with fruit or extra frosting.

Problem: Cake peaks in the center.
Solution: Wrong type of flour was used (contained too much gluten); batter was over-beaten; too little fat and/or sugar in the batter; and/or oven temperature was too high. Try slicing the peaked center off the cake, then frost the cake.

Problem: Tunnels run through the cake.
Solution: Not enough fat in the batter; batter was over-beaten; or wrong type of flour was used (contained too much gluten).

Problem: Crust is unevenly colored.
Solution: Too much leaven-er and/or sugar in the batter; not enough fat in the batter; oven temperature was too high or too low; oven heats unevenly. Try camouflaging with frosting.

Problem: Cake rose unevenly.
Solution: Cake layers were crowded on the oven rack and heated unevenly. Bake each layer on its own rack. Trim the layers to even them out and camouflage with frosting.

vogue: Jason Wu Fall 2012 Sleek, wearable, understated - with...

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 11:51:36 -0500

vogue:

Jason Wu Fall 2012

Sleek, wearable, understated - with ‘pony tail’ style ;-)

"While we believe that online piracy by foreign websites is a serious problem that requires a serious..."

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 08:22:15 -0500

““While we believe that online piracy by foreign websites is a serious problem that requires a serious legislative response, we will not support legislation that reduces freedom of expression, increases cybersecurity risk, or undermines the dynamic, innovative global Internet.””

- Obama for America on SOPA

(via joshuanguyen)

Yes we can.

(via bijan)

"As political theorist Jason Brennan has written, “politics teaches enlightenment in much the same..."

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 08:21:28 -0500

“As political theorist Jason Brennan has written, “politics teaches enlightenment in much the same way that fraternity parties teach temperance.” As human beings, we are subject to all kinds of rational defects and biases. And researchers like psychologist Drew Westen and political scientist Diana Mutz have shown that politics makes these defects worse, not better. We’re set up to view politics as a game of us vs. them, and in a game like that, the search for truth and new ideas does not fare well.”

- “a nation does not change just for partisan/political reasons. What has to happen is there has to be an intellectual revolution to energize the people and get people to understand the problems in economic and political terms.” - Ron Paul

katespadeny: be inspired. - I am…

Sat, 14 Jan 2012 09:00:12 -0500

katespadeny:

be inspired. - I am…

The Art of Peace: From “Conflict Resolution” to “Conflict Transformation”

Sat, 14 Jan 2012 08:52:25 -0500

The Art of Peace: From “Conflict Resolution” to “Conflict Transformation”:

You can solve a problem without resolving a conflict. It is as much the work of creativity and “moral imagination” as of dialogue and commitment. - This is an important concept to adopt especially in these politically polarizing times. In John Paul Lederach’s experience, enduring change is seeded not by large numbers of like-minded people, but by a quality of relationship between unlikely combinations of people.

"You have to show the muse that you’re serious - keep showing up even when you don’t get..."

Sun, 08 Jan 2012 07:26:27 -0500

““You have to show the muse that you’re serious - keep showing up even when you don’t get what you want and eventually it will happen.””