Three Cups of Tea

I recently finished this remarkable non-fiction book about Greg Mortenson, who after getting lost on a mountain climbing expedition in Afghanistan, is taken in by a local village and nursed back to health. After waiting out the winter, regaining his strength and learning the local ways of life, he commits himself to returning one day to build a much-desired school for the village's children. It is an amazing and inspiring real-life example of human beings making their own realities and finding their own paths to living a life of service. In addition to the inspiration the story offers, I really enjoyed the pictures painted about Afghani culture and Mortenson's travel adventures—a pleasant escape of sorts, but also a brush with reality of a very serious and relevant nature.

Gen We Video

I picked up a copy of Generation We, the book, yesterday at Barnes & Noble! It is exciting to see the fruits of our (Designpool's) labor in print at a major bookstore. (You'll find me in the Acknowledgements) Here is the video promoting the book and it's message. I can't seem to figure out who made it, but I think they did a nice job.

Where my bees at?

This is hilarious, I LOVE watching the dancers, they are so talented! Interesting how far removed it is from the advertiser, Haagen Dazs, huh? You don't even know it's a product advertisement unless you go to the website. 

Is this tricky or clever? I find I'm willing to overlook any perceived trickiness because it makes me laugh, I appreciate the creativity and I like the overt message about bees. It was produced by Goodbye, Silverstein & Partners which is responsible for the "Got Milk?" ad campaign & which is right in my hood!

What do you think?

When you have left over cream cheese...

David Lebowitz's Cheesecake Brownies
Originally uploaded by Madeline & Ryosuke

make cheesecake brownies! These turned out so well; rich and gooey! Recipe on David Lebovitz's blog:
http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2008/10/cheesecake_brownies.html

World Changing

This book is amazing! I came across it at work today and could have spent all day delving in. There are so many topics of interest that I've been wanting/needing more info on, from how to travel more responsibly to what types of green materials are available for home renovations to innovative urban planning techniques in practice now in North America. The design is gorgeous and was done by Sagmeister, Inc., in NYC—definitely a who's who in contemporary graphic design, for obvious reasons.