10 Creative Rituals You Should Steal Benjamin Franklin made sure to end every day by asking “What good have I done today?” Maya Angelou only wrote in tiny hotel rooms. Jack Kerouac made sure to touch the ground nine times before writing. Sustained creativity doesn’t come from a flash of brilliance or a single afternoon of inspiration. Venture capitalist Brad Feld takes a week off every three months: The most impactful thing I’ve done is to take a week off the grid every quarter. Read the entire interview here. Former Obama campaign CTO Harper Reed the importance of the daily “retrospective”: [The presidential campaign] had a really good team dynamic that relied quite a bit on the “retrospective” meeting at the end of a project that allowed us to stop and say: “What was it like to launch? Read the entire interview here. Best-selling author Cheryl Strayed on the importance of writing daily: I often recommend writing as a tool for self-discovery because it’s helped me so much. Read the entire interview here. How about you?
Las 6 reglas no escritas de la prueba de sonido - MúsicoDIY Cuando llegas a la sala para tocar, sabes los pasos para la prueba de sonido? MúsicoDIY tiene algunos tips para ayudarte con el proceso. Artículo aparecido originalmente en el blog de Sonicbids] Te has pasado horas apretujado en una furgoneta cargada de suciedad y malos olores junto a tus compañeros de banda, que resulta que comparten dichas cualidades. Has dado vueltas por las (no siempre) glamurosas carreteras secundarias, y lo has superado todo, desde atascos de tráfico a mal tiempo, y esa comida rápida que no te ha sentado demasiado bien. Hecho polvo, cansado, finalmente llegas a la sala para el concierto de esta noche. Llegar a la sala significa prepararse para la prueba de sonido, un ritual que demasiadas bandas se toman como un tiempo para hacer el tonto antes del concierto. Monta tu equipo con rapidez y eficiencia Es de sentido común, ¿verdad? Trata al personal como profesionales Haz la prueban con las mismas canciones todas las noches Define el backline lo antes posible
Do It Yourself Doodler So I am many things in this world, but an artist is not one of them. However, David Jablow is just that, and an impressive one no less. His Flickr stream is hands down one of the most impressive I’ve ever seen. He’s taken a 1950′s style Peggy Sue magazine model and put different worlds around her using a single template. The creativity and artistic detail are spectacular. You should definitely go check out his Flickr stream, but here are some you’ll find there. Blank This is the basic template used for the entire portfolio. Ninja Barn Angel v Devil Devil 1, Angel 0 Escapee Riveter There can be no distractions while working the high steel. The Dig I think I know how this ends for our favorite doodle. Trapeeze Painter Picasso he ain’t. Getaway Mermaid I would buy this match on pay-per-view. Mud Papoose’s Revenge Just supporting my statement that babies and toddlers are jerks. Brawl Weresquirrel Mr. Cat Burglar Spacegirl ———- Advertisement ———- ———- Advertisement ———- Fire Drop Body Slam Watcha gonna do brother!?
TransportarOnline Raises Investment from Ex DHL Exec Latin American logistics and shipping marketplace TransportarOnline has received an undisclosed amount of angel investment from former DHL’s CEO for Global Customer Solutions, Hans Hickler, the company announced today. Previously known as MercadoTransporte, the online freight broker was one of the finalists at TNW Latin America Conference’s Startup Battle (see a video of their pitch). It was also during our event that the team met Hickler, who became an advisor to the company before investing in it. According to TransportarOnline CEO, Federico Vega, this contribution goes well beyond capital. Hickler’s investment comes in addition to the $185k seed capital that TransportarOnline had already received from NXTP Labs, Start-Up Chile, Fundación Chile and its own founders. TransportarOnline is still early-stage, and says that around 250 transactions have been completed on the platform since its launch in August 2012. Image credit: Thinkstock
Japan's DoCoMo Partners 500 Startups on Japan Incubator Japanese operator NTT DoCoMo has announced that it is investing in 500 Startups, as part of a deal that sees it launch its own mobile-focused incubator in Japan in partnership with the US company. DoCoMo revealed plans for its own startup-focused venture last October, and it says that the project is worth 10 billion yen — that’s approximately $109 million today, though the conversion was $125 million when first announced last year. Now the operator has confirmed that it has launched the program today, via a new operating company and with support from 500 Startups. The new DoCoMo incubator program is focused on tablet and smartphone related startups in Japan, as you’d well expect from a mobile operator. As well as mobile, DoCoMo says it is keen to recruit startups in the following fields: media/content, finance/payments, commerce, medical/healthcare, machine-to-machine (M2M), aggregation/platforms, environment/ecology and security/safety. Headline image via PHILIPPE LOPEZ/Getty Images