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Thirteen years of coffee and commentary. Tridecaphobes, beware.

Author Archives: deCadmus

March 8, 2013
by deCadmus
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Amanda Palmer’s Viral TED Talk: The Art of Asking

March 7, 2013 by deCadmus | 2 Comments

I watched Amanda Palmer’s TED talk — a talk about fairness, and reciprocity, and art — and was struck by just how deeply I miss making connections with people as a performer… kinetic, buzzing, random, wholly improbable and sometimes strange interactions. And I realized (or remembered) how very much trust plays a role in making the whole thing work.

Watch. Enjoy. And Amanda… thank-you.

February 24, 2013
by deCadmus
0 comments

  • A high-school basketball game features a twist of sportsmanship that makes it the feel-good story of the week. (Reported by CBS’ Steve Hartman, who now has totally inherited the legacy of the late, great Charles Kuralt.)
  • Steven Brill’s Bitter Pill: Why Medical Bills Are Killing Us is Time Magazine’s  cover story and this week’s must-read:

    “What are the reasons, good or bad, that cancer means a half-million- or million-dollar tab? Why should a trip to the emergency room for chest pains that turn out to be indigestion bring a bill that can exceed the cost of a semester of college? What makes a single dose of even the most wonderful wonder drug cost thousands of dollars? Why does simple lab work done during a few days in a hospital cost more than a car? And what is so different about the medical ecosystem that causes technology advances to drive bills up instead of down?”

    Why, indeed.

  • And, because the medical billing story is almost certain to raise your blood pressure, here’s 15 Hedgehogs With Things That Look Like Hedgehogs as therapy.

February 23, 2013
by deCadmus
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“No matter your genre, lack of playfulness can drain the creativity out of your writing faster than a leaky bathtub drains chocolate milk and Lucky Charms. The best way to introduce more childlike fun to your writing is to follow Shakespeare’s advice: ‘The play’s the thing.’ Of course, he meant this in another context—but this article is about taking things out of context, so go for it! Play with your children or your pets. Take an improv class. Dance badly to your favorite music. Take recess instead of a coffee break. Just make sure your inner 5-year-old has a chance to play at least once a day, and even more often when you’re facing a writing deadline.”

The contents of comment SPAM I received this week. So far as advice goes, I like it, though I don’t see any reason you couldn’t have your coffee and recess, too.1

Notes and Links

  1. And a little Googling suggests it first appeared in a Writer’s Digest article by Leigh Ann Jasheway. ↩