In this illuminating and inspiring book, Biz Stone reveals the success behind Twitter. It boils down to two words: empathy and humanity. As a designer and co-founder, Stone helped shaped the culture at Twitter by placing empathy and humanity before technology and money. It’s a recommended read for designers.

Live from the Ville, streaming on NetFlix, lives up to Cedric’s nickname: It’s entertaining. His deep voice helps when he incorporates singing into his routine. He has lots of funny lines, but doesn’t delve deep into a particular topic. For instance, I was hoping for more than a white dude who eats lots of Cheetos when he makes fun of Trump. It’s enjoyable, but not quite fulfilling.

Loving the short videos on grammar from The New Yorker’s Comma Queen.

1. Art Direction for the Web, by Andy Clarke, is a good start if you want to make memorable web experiences.
2. The Brand Gap, by Marty Neumeier, is an informing read on branding because of the author’s concise writing and clear illustrations.
3. Branding: In Five and a Half Steps, by Michael Johnson, is a must-have guide for creating successful branding in any industry.
4. Build Your Brand Like You Give a Shit, by Bobby Gillespie, is for you if you give a shit about building your brand through leadership and compassion.
5. Designing Brand Identity, by Alina Wheeler, is a comprehensive reference on brand design and development.
6. Don’t Make Me Think, Revisited, by Steve Krug, is the go-to guide for user-experience design.
7. Ordering Disorder, by Khôi Vinh, is the first book that taught me the concept of grid design.
8. Seeing is Forgetting the Name of the Thing One Sees, by Lawrence Weschler, consists of conversations with Robert Irwin whose work had been stripped down to its pure essence: lines, dots, discs, and light.
9. Things a Little Bird Told Me, by Biz Stone, shares the co-founder’s experience in shaping the culture at Twitter, which puts empathy and humanity before technology and money.

Dallas Morning News Editorial:

There is only one serious candidate on the presidential ballot in November. We recommend Hillary Clinton.

We don’t come to this decision easily. This newspaper has not recommended a Democrat for the nation’s highest office since before World War II — if you’re counting, that’s more than 75 years and nearly 20 elections.

This is a powerful endorsement.

Couple weeks ago, we flew out of Reagan National Airport and needed to park our car for a week. I kept circling the airport trying to find its long term economy parking because I didn’t know that it doesn’t one. I had to park in its general parking and pay the maximum of $25 a day. In other airports such as BWI, its long term parking only cost $8 a day.

Needless to say I was not too happy with RNA’s parking fee. Then it occurred to me how would it know if I parked there in a few hours or few weeks? So I decided to test out the system, which was naive of me. When it came time to leave the parking, I told the cashier that I lost my ticket. He asked me when did I parked? I told him a couple of hours but I was willing to pay the maximum fee. He took down my license plate info and made a phone call. I could hear he laughed over the phone and rung up $200.

With a bit of an embarrassment, I pulled out my credit card to pay. He said, “You told me that you were in here for only a few hours.” I replied, “I know. I thought I could get away with the system too since Donald Trump gets away with it everyday.” We both laughed it off.

Hua Hsu:

At the Voice, Tate became known for the slangy erudition he brought to bear on a range of topics, not just hip-hop and jazz but also science fiction, literary theory, movies, city politics, and police brutality. His best paragraphs throbbed like a party and chattered like a salon; they were stylishly jam-packed with names and reference points that shouldn’t have got along but did, a trans-everything collision of pop stars, filmmakers, subterranean graffiti artists, Ivory Tower theorists, and Tate’s personal buddies, who often came across as the wisest of the bunch.

I read Flyboy in the Buttermilk several times. Can’t wait to get my hands on Flyboy 2.

Vài tháng qua tôi bị quấy rầy bởi những chuyện phiền phức nhỏ nhặt. Tuy biết ngoài sự kiềm chế của mình nhưng tôi vẫn ôm những vấn đề đó vào lòng. Tôi đâm ra chán nản và bực bội làm ảnh hướng đến giấc ngủ và tin thần.

Hai tuần nay tôi suy nghỉ lại và tự sửa chữa bản thân. Tôi không để ý đến việc làm của người khác cho dù là những người thân trong gia đình. Không muốn nghe và cũng không muốn nói gì về người khác mặt dù là người trong gia đình. Ai lợi dụng ai hay ai đối sữ không công bằng với ai tự họ giải quyết. Ai tốt hay xấu tự họ biết tấm lòng của họ.

Khi không còn suy nghỉ hoặc lo lắng đến những điều tôi không thể thay đổi được tôi cảm thấy nhẹ nhàng và bình yên hơn. Không cần thiết tôi sẽ không nói. Không tham gia vào những cuộc trò chuyện chỉ trích người khác. Không xét đoán hoặc chê bai ai. Không lợi dụng hoặc ganh ghét ai.

Sống thoải mái nhẹ nhàng bên cạnh những người thân yêu là quá đủ rồi. Không đòi hỏi hoặc tranh đua ai.

When the 10K Apart contest first announced, I was excited, but I was not planning on participate. I didn’t have time and I had no idea what I would do.

When I was on vacation, however, I redesigned this blog. I ended up creating The 10K WordPress Theme. After I submitted that project, I felt it was not inspiring at all. I asked to withdraw, but it was too late.

Around the same time, another concept came to me and I felt motivated. Jay Z On Designs is the result of it. Because 10K Apart allows participants to enter up to three entries, I just submitted another one. You can read more about the project on my portfolio or just go straight to it. Wish me luck.

This morning I got upset at my wife for leaving the minivan running for sixteen hours. I meant to remind her, but I vent at her instead. I drove to work feeling terrible. Why did I let such a stupid little thing got to me? I immediately apologized when I arrived at work.

In the past few months, I noticed a change in me. I get irritated easily about every little thing and it is fucking up my head. How have I become this way? Stress? Anxiety? Lack of sleep? I am not making any excuse for myself and my behavior. I need to change. I need to refocus my priorities. Letting go of all the things that are out of my control.

Two weeks ago while on vacation, I came across the book that could help me fight my demon. I picked up Richard Carlson’s Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff… and it’s all small stuff out of a bargain bin. The book has 100 advices and each one makes a good blog post, which is perfect for quick reads. The advices that speak to me include: “Ask yourself the Question, ‘Will This Matter a Year From Now?’,” “Surrender to the Fact that Life Isn’t Fair,” “Resist the Urge to Criticize,” “Think of What You Have Instead of What You Want,” “Practice Ignoring Your Negative Thoughts,” and “Be Happy Where You Are.”

Like what I had done this morning, I am applying these advices into my life. I am working out my flaws, emotions, and irritations. I can do it if I can let go off the little things that do nothing good for me except driving me crazy.