The Walker Library of Human Imagination

Best. Museum. Ever.

The Walker Library of Human Imagination.

Jay Walker, founder of Priceline.com, has collected an amazing set of items that represent human ingenuity. 3 stories, mood lighting, carefully curated for maximum creative stimulus. At TED 2008, he gave a historical walkthrough of some of his favorites.

What I like most is that this library so clearly reflects Walker’s own perspectives and the connections he sees. I’d love to walk through the libraries that each of my friends create, and I’d love to create my own. To me, this blog is my current library, and hopefully I’ll make it easier to “walk through” soon.

For now, though, take a tour of Jay’s:

A fun day in Accra

This was really cool to be part of: AfricaNews – Google Trader launch stuns Accra. Congrats to the team!

A man of value

> Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value. – [Albert Einstein](http://zenhabits.net/anti-success)

The Aero Ace lives!

…in Europe, under the name Silverlit X-Twin Mini Biplane 2. Time for a trip to the UK, I’d say…

Identifying peak moments

I’ve long been a proponent of [designing experiences for peak moments](http://www.ryskamp.org/brain/?p=207)–after all, that’s what you’ll remember about them later.

But personally it makes sense to spend some time identifying what your own peak moments have been, in the hope of discovering how to experience more of them. The articles [Peak Moments](http://chrisguillebeau.com/3×5/peak-moments/) and [Peak Creative Moments](http://the99percent.com/tips/6951/peak-creative-moments) suggest 60-second exercises to do just that.

I found several unexpected and valuable traits of my peak moment experiences:

* They are with lots of other people–despite my tendency to work and play alone
* They result from lots of planning and preparation–despite my aversion to both
* Many were not pleasant in the moment (painful, stressful), but very rewarding afterward
* They all involved substantial risk, to my career or myself

Also reminds me of [Peter Drucker’s advice in Managing Oneself](http://www.sld.cu/galerias/pdf/sitios/revsalud/managing_oneself.pdf) that “the only way to discover your strengths is through feedback analysis.”

The Desk

Several creative people talk about their desks. Lots of different approaches, from Einstein’s clutter to Massimo Vignelli’s minimalism.

“I like to start the day fresh. If I start the day with things left over, it’s like starting dinner with leftovers — it kills your appetite.” – [Massimo Vignelli](http://observatory.designobserver.com/entry.html?entry=15088)

Sounds like a country song

Yesterday, I lost my house, my job, my wife left me, and I went hungry.

I finally understand country music.

Ok, so technically we moved out of our house on the way to Switzerland, I finished my project at work with a presentation to the founders, my wife went on a 1-day trip, and I skipped lunch to work on my presentation. Still pretty hard though.

Help people help you

Elad Gil wrote a great piece on how to benefit from your investors, but I think the advice holds true for getting help from any advisor. I know friends who have a personal “board of advisors”, and others who schedule regular checkins with their mentors.

Playtime 101

Sometimes adults need help with this:

> This week thirty of us have promised to keep a daily crayon journal, build a fort or play with bubbles, and go out of our way to notice and welcome any children we see.

I love ReIMAGINE.

Work/life “balance” seems less like an arrangement of two objects than an understanding of how to prioritize all the parts of life when they conflict. Less a schedule, more a decision-making tool.