The round bright moon was hard to miss during my evening walk, in sharp contrast to Melon the black neighborhood cat.
2022-10-12
2022-10-10
Custom bone ash urn design
Inspired by life vessels that mixed clay with human bone ashes, I envisioned a custom-designed urn decorated with drawings made by a different composition of bone ashes and clay over the base material.
For best results, forget the bonus
Bumped into this 1993 NYT article via hacker news yesterday about the pitfalls of incentives not aligned with the tasks, which prompted the question: what should the employees do under the current incentive system (which lets assume can only be changed by the management)?
One strategy that seems to work for me (which I have been executing at a subconscious level) is to focus on “doing this” without thinking too much (if at all) about “getting that”. Specifically, do we want to do this even without that?
For example, I worked on SIGGRAPH papers because it was a fun and exciting experience, not because I needed them to get tenure or promotion. (I used to tell people that I have the best job in the world because I get paid to do what I like.)
2022-10-09
A pair of shoes with colorful interior
On the doormat rested this pair of shoes bathing in sunlight shining through the door glass.
What is the design intention for their colorful interior and bland exterior, maybe giving the wearer the internal confidence that she doesn’t have to show off to the outside world?
Robert Blomfield’s photography
Quote from this article:
… he considered becoming a pro photographer. However, fearing that working on commission would blunt the spontaneity of his images, he decided to continue in his chosen career in the medical profession.
2022-10-07
The faces of Ruth Asawa
I felt these faces making expressions when looking at them in the exhibition.
2022-10-04
Your life experience is no less valuable than your career achievement
In a meeting with a collaborator she told me that she is starting her post-doc in Tokyo and plans to work on an additional project during her spare time. I shared my thoughts about exploring Tokyo (and Japan in general) and how I regret for not even visiting the great wall during my 3-year stay in Beijing (I was considered a workaholic in MSR Asia).
If you just relocated for a new job, explore the new city/country/culture/food/people/etc. instead of just your work. As I progress in my life I miss more about not exploring a place than having an extra career achievement.
2022-10-01
2022-09-28
Sunset with pink horizon and sickle moon
I did a very quick (in seconds) watercolor painting based on visual impression of a sunset I just saw, and let stable diffusion create variations from it.