Martham Ferry Boatyard

Every Wednesday I share five things I liked and think you might like too. Here are this week’s Five Things…

1. We all have those days when we struggle to get out of bed in the morning. The Roman emperor and Stoic philsopher Marcus Aurelius has some words of motivation for you.
    
2. Katy Ann Gilmore might just be my new favourite artist — Where Math and Nature Meet Art
    
3. A fun, animated video by The School of Life on Ludwig Wittgenstein and how to avoid some of the muddles we get into with words.
    
4. Musician Ólafur Arnalds on five things he learnt in his twenties. I particularly relate to his thoughts on live performance, which I embellished on in a blog post titled "The Beauty of Live Performance".
    
5. You might have heard of the acronym "FOMO" (the Fear Of Missing Out). It's a problem for many people that's exacerbated by our constant exposure to everyone else's "perfect lives" via social media. There might be a solution, JOMO, the Joy Of Missing Out. The excellent Note to Self podcast did an episode on this that they rebroadcast last week.

That's all for this week. If you enjoyed it, sign up to receive future posts or check out my previous Five Things posts.

Sunrise

Every Wednesday I share five things I liked and think you might like too. Here are this week’s Five Things…

1. In case you didn't know this already. Our brains are weird. Exhibit A: The movie that doesn’t exist and the Redditors who think it does.
    
2. ... Weird, and incredible. Exhibit B: Brain's party noise filter revealed by recordings.
    
3. A great interview with Brian Eno. His thoughts on the importance of creativity in education really struck a chord with me.
    
4. As 2017 rapidly approaches, it's a good time to pause and reflect on the last year. This Wait But Why post might make you think a little differently about how you spend your time next year.
    
5. "We grow out of a lot as we grow up. One of the most unfortunate things we leave behind is a regular dose of change." I love this quote from Jason Fried and his ideas in this article. — Be More Productive. Take Time Off.

That's all for this week. If you enjoyed it, sign up to receive future posts or check out my previous Five Things posts.

Somewhere or nowhere

Every Wednesday I share five things I liked and think you might like too. Here are this week’s Five Things…

1. I've watched this three or four times despite the fact it makes me feel a little on edge! Cyclist Danny MacAskill explores the roof tops of Gran Canaria on his bike. The behind the scenes videos are worth watching too. 
    
2. I'm pretending this isn't true — The Best Music for Productivity? Silence.
    
3. An excellent long read on A.I., machine learning and the team behind the new, much-improved Google Translate — The Great A.I. Awakening.
    
4. Despite the ominous title, this article is well worth reading! Alain de Botton is one of my favourite writers, I can't get his voice out of my head as I read his words — Why You Will Marry the Wrong Person.
    
5. Whoever wrote Iggy Pop and the Stooges' rider has a great sense of humour and way too much time on there hands. 

That's all for this week. If you enjoyed it, sign up to receive future posts or check out my previous Five Things posts.

Bailey the dog

Every Wednesday I share five things I liked and think you might like too. Here are this week’s Five Things…

1. Are we characters in a simulation? I've shared an article on this before, but this one uses cartoons to help explain the argument. Which obviously makes it better!
    
2. ROLI has just announced the Lightpad Block (a cool little musical instrument which I'm looking forward to getting my hands on). They are the company behind the equally cool, but way more expensive, Seaboard. Great to see a company making new instruments rather than just rehashing old ones.
    
3. The genius that is Seth Godin, strikes again — The confusion about enough
    
4. And a great post by one of my other favourite thinkers, Derek Sivers — Tilting my mirror (motivation is delicate)
    
5. Thinking of learning a new language in 2017? This might just help you learn it a little faster! I'll definitely be giving it a try in my efforts to learn German.

That's all for this week. If you enjoyed it, sign up to receive future posts or check out my previous Five Things posts.

Room with a view

Every Wednesday I share five things I liked and think you might like too. Here are this week’s Five Things…

1. As technology makes interacting with the outside world easier and easier, it's too easy to get distracted from what's important. "I worry that the closer the world gets to our fingertips, the further it gets from our hearts."
    
2. A fun thing I learnt last week. My favourite drumstick manufacturer, Vic Firth, used to make rolling pins and pepper mills!
    
3. Something I've been asked more than once.. What makes Ringo Starr such a great drummer?
    
4. This is such a great idea — A farm from a box.
    
5. Stephen Hawking putting our problems into perspective. "We are at the most dangerous moment in the development of humanity. We now have the technology to destroy the planet on which we live, but have not yet developed the ability to escape it."

That's all for this week. If you enjoyed it, sign up to receive future posts or check out my previous Five Things posts.