Smallist

If Mick Jagger had had this glass, he wouldn’t have needed a chorus. Anything you merely want pours out the side, leaving what you need. Of course, if we’re pouring beers here, I’d say need need versus want depends on whether you’re in a twelve-step program or not. The design is by Inna Alesina, and I found it at Treehugger.

Books are heavy. Bookshelves take up valuable wall space. And there are public libraries that will let you read anything in their collection for free. Hell, they’ll even let you take it home! So what the hell are you doing keeping these things? Now that we have the Internet, you probably don’t need them for reference, and if you have a yen to revisit the DaVinci Code in 2027, you can take your hover-car over to the library, or maybe even download it, and read it on e-ink. So here’s a way to thin your collection without feeling like you’ve given up anything valuable.

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If you’d like a refresher before the final episodes, here’s the Sopranos condensed to seven minutes. Via Metafilter.

Like many of you in the blog world, I have been seduced by David Allen’s promise of personal productivity. But like many of you, I lapse more than a nudist Catholic on a casual Friday. (note: rework joke, it makes no sense) Actually I lapse before I finish the book. I start out hopeful, enticed by the Lockean promise of the phrase “fresh paper,” and I start setting up buckets and contexts and whatnot. Then a few pages later, he uses the word “actionable,” and I have to put it down, take ten seconds, and reaffirm my basic political affiliations and instincts.

The basic problem with GTD is that for someone starting from complete disorganization, it’s too grandiose. I’m a fan of baby steps — incremental improvements that reward you enough to keep you playing.

Whence, the Writing Shit Down plan. Here are the rules:

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By popular demand:

I mentioned that, earlier in the show, a drug joke - and I hate to do that, because it creates a mess, and I’m not into drugs any more. I quit completely, and I hate people who are still into it. Well.. I do take one drug now - for fun - and, maybe you’ve heard of it, it’s a new thing, I don’t know if you have or not. It’s a new thing, it makes you small. [ indicates size with fingers ] About this big. And, you know, I’ll be home, sitting with my friends, and, uh.. we’ll be sitting around, and somebody will say, “Heeeyyy.. let’s get small!” So, you know, we get small, and uh.. the only bad thing is if some tall people come over. You’re walking around going, “Ah hahaha..!” Now, I know I shouldn’t get small when I’m driving.. but I was driving around the other day, and I said, “What the heck?” You know? So I’m driving like.. [ extends arms high in the air like he’s reaching up to a giant steering wheel ] And, uh.. a cop pulls me over. And he makes me get out, he looks at me and he says, “Heyyy.. are you small”? I said, “No-o-o! I’m not!” He said, “Well, I’m gonna have to measure you.” They have this little test they give you - they give you a balloon.. and if you can get inside of it, they know you’re small. Now, I’ve already talked it over with the cast - they’ve been working all week, it’s a tough thing to do, come out here live. Immediately after the show, we’re all gonna go out.. and get really small!

Thanks for reminding me, Matt!