Sunday, November 18, 2007

Does Place Matter?



Benjamin and I talk about the 'text' of place as often as the caprice of the weather is observed and felt. Which is daily, of course. The message of ths story is that place, indeed, doth matter!

While technology and the internet allow us to have easy access to many thing in the world and to communicate sans frontiers, the very place in which we find ourselves is hugely important as well.

According to Richard Florida's new upcoming book "Who's Your City," place is not only important, it’s more important than ever. He observes that,

'Globalization is not flattening the world; on the contrary, the world is spiky. Place is becoming more relevant to the global economy and our individual lives. The choice of where to live, therefore, is not an arbitrary one. It is arguably the most important decision we make, as important as choosing a spouse or a career. In fact, place exerts powerful influence over the jobs and careers we have access to, the people meet and our “mating markets” and our ability to lead happy and fulfilled lives.'

The bottom line is that we all face our daily realities in our respective locations and the quotidian cannot be bypassed by technology. And there can only be one or a small few egg places that know how to make your brunch menu just so.

I am looking forward to the book which is scheduled to come out in March of 2008.



graph per Richard Florida's blog

Creative Mind

What makes a creative person creative?









via Richard Florida's blog

Music I'm Currently Enjoying: BritPop and The Kaiser Chiefs



I'm currently listening to the following BritPop bands and their respective 2007 albums.

1) The Klaxons and their "Myths of the Near Future."

2) The Arctic Monkeys' "Favourite Worst Nightmare."

3) Maximo Park's "Our Earthly Pleasures."

4) Dirty Pretty Things' "Waterloo to Anywhere."

However, my most played remains "Yours Truly Angry Mob" by the Kaiser Chiefs. The sound of this Leeds-based band is honest and informed.

And one of the best tracks of their new album is "Everything is Average Nowadays." It has good pace, appropriate bass, and equally impressive lyrics.

For similar sounds refer to the following bands:

Franz Ferdinand
Pull Tiger Tail
The Twang
The Rakes
Eastern Lane
The Futureheads
Bloc Party
The Departure
The Blueskins
The Needles
and
The Motorettes



graph per amazon