# Drew Shannon > Partnerships exec at YouTube, photographer, and writer in Los Angeles, CA. Writing about personal knowledge management, digital culture, and protocols. Public Ghost content for AI and LLM tooling. This file includes a bounded export of public pages first, then recent public posts. Append `.md` to any post or page URL to get the content in Markdown (for example, `/example-post.md`). ## Pages ### About Me URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/about/ Last updated: 2026-09-09T05:51:17.000Z Michigander, cyclist, photographer, and dad of 2 boys. Allergic to avocados. Work at YouTube in Los Angeles, CA. I’m an operational “[Glue Guy](https://www.theplayerstribune.com/articles/elite-glue-guys-101?ref=drewshannon.net)” who develops subject matter expertise and leverages that to build infrastructure that helps teams streamline knowledge sharing, improve productivity, and drive impact. Equally comfortable collaborating with technical and creative teams, I bring an art + science approach to delivering results. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2026/08/Untitled-2-1.jpg) As a disclaimer (that's not...like...legally-binding or anything), but anything I say here represents my personal opinion, not those of any of current, past, or future employers. ### Now URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/now/ Last updated: 2026-09-18T19:02:34.000Z *This page is my contribution to the* [*/now page movement*](https://nownownow.com/?ref=drewshannon.net) *by* [*Derek Sivers*](https://sive.rs/?ref=drewshannon.net)[*.*](https://sive.rs/?ref=drewshannon.net) ![a large blue sign on top of a tall building](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1692288791154-c433868c7ddb?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDJ8fG5vd3xlbnwwfHx8fDE3ODg0MDc3NDN8MA&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=2000) Photo by [Jon Tyson](https://unsplash.com/@jontyson?ref=drewshannon.net) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit) ***Last Updated: September 2026*** Other than juggling 2 *very* active boys (born in 2021 and 2024), here's what I've been up to lately: - Thinking a lot about Personal Knowledge Management (PKM), Information Architecture, and [similar topics](https://www.drewshannon.net/post-820162811731853312/) in the context of AI. - “[Soul files](https://soul.md/?ref=drewshannon.net)” as a way to help one understand and interrogate their own beliefs. I’m betting we will see the commercialization of digital identity frameworks within the next 2 years. - Spending a lot of time advising other [Googlers](https://cloud.google.com/gemini-enterprise?utm%5Fsource=google&utm%5Fmedium=cpc&utm%5Fcampaign=1713762-Gemini%5FEnterprise-DR-NA-US-en-Google-BKWS-EXA-GEnterprise&utm%5Fcontent=c-Hybrid+%7C+BKWS+-+MIX+%7C+Txt%5FGemini+Enterprise-189528400785&utm%5Fterm=gemini%20enterprise&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad%5Fsource=1&gad%5Fcampaignid=23370621055&gclid=Cj0KCQjwkt%5FUBhDMARIsALpnOAxBH8PHBhxgONX5nmJZVxrknCKhjdtF4ijs10poBCNxPs%5F-yIP8JGgaApflEALw%5FwcB) about using AI for productivity. - The never-ending search for the perfect pair of pants. (shoutout to the [Footwear-Ankle-Pant (F.A.P.) Interface](https://www.blackbirdspyplane.com/p/the-most-important-pants-factor?ref=drewshannon.net)) - Migrating / auditing / streamlining / upgrading my digital life: - [Omnifocus](https://www.omnigroup.com/omnifocus/?ref=drewshannon.net) \-> [Google Tasks](https://workspace.google.com/products/tasks/?ref=drewshannon.net) (Work) + [Todoist](https://bsky.app/profile/drewshannon.net?ref=drewshannon.net) (Personal) - [Squarespace](https://squarespace.com/?ref=drewshannon.net) \+ [Tumblr](https://tumblr.com/?ref=drewshannon.net) \+ [Feedburner](https://feedburner.google.com/?ref=drewshannon.net) (lol) -> [Ghost.io](https://ghost.io/?ref=drewshannon.net) - Pinterest -> [Are.na](https://www.are.na/drew-shannon-aysltwp9uqo/channels?ref=drewshannon.net) - [What I'm Reading](https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/6393011-drew?ref=drewshannon.net) - [What I'm Saving](https://www.are.na/drew-shannon-aysltwp9uqo/channels?ref=drewshannon.net) - [What I'm Working On](https://www.linkedin.com/in/drewshannon/?ref=drewshannon.net) ### Want to work at YouTube? URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/youtube/ Last updated: 2026-09-11T19:32:34.000Z *(Note: idea borrowed from* [*Sandhya Simhan @ OpenAI*](https://medium.com/@sandhyasimhan/so-you-want-to-work-at-openai-845674a8e2a8?ref=drewshannon.net)*)* *(As a disclaimer: unless I explicitly state otherwise, I'm not currently making hiring decisions at YouTube. Individual teams / orgs may have their own ways of doing things, and opinions here are my own, not that of YouTube or anyone else.)* --- If you’re interested in a referral for a role at YouTube, I’d love to help — and I want to make sure you’re set up for success from the start. I take referrals seriously because they’re a reflection of my confidence in your fit for both the role and the way YouTube / Google works. First, a brief explainer: I've worked with so many great people over the years, many of whom would love to work at YouTube and who would be a good fit, but unfortunately, a lot more people want to work at YouTube than we can actually hire. When interesting roles become available, my email and LinkedIn messages start filling up. This isn't meant to be a humblebrag or a complaint (it's an extremely privileged position that I find myself in), but just reflects the current reality. A few other important notes: - All applications must be submitted via the [Google Careers](https://www.google.com/about/careers/applications/jobs/results?ref=drewshannon.net) site. I've never seen any "back door" for getting hired. - Hiring decisions are ultimately made by the hiring manager and a hiring committee. I may think you're the greatest thing since sliced bread, but if I'm not the hiring manager, I have limited influence. Before I can confidently recommend you, here’s what I’m looking for: - **Relevant experience:** You'll need to offer either industry experience (creator economy / streaming video / premium content, etc.) or domain experience (partnerships / GTM / business operations /etc.), ideally both. *Meaning: you've either done a similar job at another company, or done a different job at a similar company.* - **Hands-on execution / bias for action:** Although YouTube is a large organization (inside an even larger organization) being strategic is useful, but being willing to dive into the work is non-negotiable. The folks who thrive at YouTube are those that can identify white space, and take the next steps required to fill those gaps. - **Role and level fit:** Read the job description closely. The requirements are there for a reason. Make sure your experience lines up with the scope and seniority of the role so you’re set up for the right level of responsibility. - **A clear resume:** Your resume should make the story easy to understand. Every bullet should explain what you did, why it mattered, and what changed because of it. If a recruiter or hiring manager has to infer the impact, you’re making the process harder than it needs to be. I want to be able to confidently vouch for anyone I refer, knowing they’re prepared, deeply curious, and excited to help build what comes next. If we’ve worked together before and you meet these criteria, I’d be happy to help you take the next step. If that's you, please don't hesitate to reach out. ### "Can we get on a call?" URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/calls/ Last updated: 2026-10-06T15:37:42.000Z > *Work, family, scene. Pick two. (*[*Ryan Holiday*](https://ryanholiday.net/work-family-scene/?ref=drewshannon.net)*)* I used to not really believe or trust people who had personal assistants. “How can you not have time to do it all?”, I wondered. Deep down, I assumed they were, at some level, a bit lazy. But that’s changed as I’ve gotten older. At this point in my life and career, I’m constantly context switching, oscillating between [Making and Managing](https://paulgraham.com/makersschedule.html?ref=drewshannon.net). Ultimately though, I optimize for getting-stuff-done, and this work requires long stretches of uninterrupted deep work time. As a result, my goal is to protect my calendar while still creating space for interesting and energy-giving conversations. --- My current priorities are (in order): 1. My Physical and Mental Health 2. My Family 3. Work Obligations to my colleagues and work partners 4. Friends 5. Hobbies 6. Exciting Opportunities, Interesting People, and Mentorship --- To protect my focus and ensure our interactions are genuinely meaningful, here are the best ways to connect with me: - **Be Specific:** When reaching out, please include specific questions or a clear agenda so I can determine how I can best contribute. If you want a job, please see [HERE](https://www.drewshannon.net/youtube/), and please don’t ask for a vague "coffee chat". I really value directness and candor in this regard. - **Asynchronous First:** I tend to favor asynchronous exchanges like detailed email threads, as they often yield more productive and thoughtful results than impromptu calls. - **Time Constraints:** I limit introductory sessions to a strict 30-minute timeframe to respect both of our schedules. ### Topics URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/topics/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T02:38:31.000Z _No content available._ ## Posts ### Your job is to replicate yourself with AI URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/your-job-is-to-replicate-yourself-with-ai/ Last updated: 2026-09-22T22:13:11.000Z (Inspired by Dan Shipper's ([Every.to](http://every.to/?ref=drewshannon.net)) recent interview on the [Access Podcast](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5IGx3Qnomg&ref=drewshannon.net) If you are a knowledge worker with subject matter expertise or deep institutional knowledge about your organization, your job is to replicate yourself with AI. I mean that quite literally; if you're one of these people, you should probably spend More Time Than Is Comfortable taking as much material out of your head and documenting it as possible (I dunno, 15% of your working time maybe?). I've been that guy, and I've worked with that guy (or gal) - the person who has the secret knowledge™, owns the complicated spreadsheet keeping the whole team's process together, or possesses a deep understanding of why the organization does things the way it does. You may even enjoy this role you’ve found yourself in and rationalize it as job security. But your expertise is being under-utilized, your value under-appreciated, and your impact limited. When you're the only person who knows how a critical system works, you aren't actually indispensable, you're a bottleneck. Maybe you naively hope that continuing to answer questions will teach the organization about your domain, as if by osmosis, but things don't change. And your job security? They say “if you can’t be replaced, you can’t be promoted”. When your institutional knowledge stays trapped in your head, your output is strictly linear. You answer the email, put out the fire, and clear the decks to get back to zero… until the next email or next fire. If 80% of your day is spent answering questions you already know the answer to, you have zero margin left for strategic thinking, deep work, skill development, or mentorship. This trap has existed for decades, but AI has finally brought the cost of fixing it nearly to zero. When you start to make the implicit explicit, you can begin building a resource that immediately makes that context available to your team and compounds over time. [Every.to](http://every.to/?ref=drewshannon.net) calls this "[Compound Engineering](https://every.to/guides/compound-engineering?ref=drewshannon.net)" - > The core philosophy of compound engineering is that each unit of engineering work should make subsequent units easier—not harder. ### Why Context Matters AI models are brilliant generalists. They've "read" nearly everything on the internet, so using marketing as an example, they know all the core principles — social, outdoor, SEO, ad buying, web design, influencer marketing, event planning, and on and on. But they don't know *anything* about *your* company and its marketing strategy. Who is your target audience? Which channels have actually worked? What is your brand voice? You have to give the LLM all of that information as context if you expect it to produce anything useful for your team. In many companies, that information isn't documented anywhere; it's trapped in someone's head. Multiply that across every team or function in an organization, and you can start to see why it can feel so difficult to bring new hires on board or get consistent work product out the door. ### What Replicating Yourself Actually Looks Like In addition to the digital exhaust your team is already producing (emails, Slacks, slide decks, documents, spreadsheets), replicating yourself is fundamentally about taking unwritten rules and writing them down in clean, structural text that can easily be read by both humans and LLMs. It should be trivial to update as facts change or new edge cases emerge, and ideally stored in a central location with the rest of your team’s docs. You can get as complicated as you need to, but keeping it simple maximizes portability and readability, while minimizing cognitive overhead. When your knowledge lives in a system that’s broadly accessible, things start to get a LOT easier: - A new hire onboards against your knowledge base instead of booking five hours on your calendar. - A teammate in a different time zone gets an answer at 2 AM without waiting until your morning standup. - The routine ping that used to eat 15 minutes of your afternoon gets handled before you ever see it. - As facts change, you update your artifacts and those changes propagate across the system. You stop being the person the team can't function without and start being the person who makes the team function better whether you're in the room or not. ### Meeting Your Team Where They Already Are A common failure mode is building a brilliant knowledge base that nobody touches because it requires logging into a separate tool. I’ve totally been guilty of this. The wiki is stale almost immediately and people forget it even exists. The good news is that the major AI tools support a bring-your-own-data approach with deep partnership ecosystems and the ability to point to local files on your computer, making it straightforward to add your own context: - If your team lives in Google Workspace, spin up a [**Gemini Gem**](https://gemini.google/overview/gems/?ref=drewshannon.net) or a [**Gemini Notebook**](https://notebook.google/?ref=drewshannon.net) with your core docs. - If you’re on Claude or OpenAI, set up a [**Claude Project**](https://support.claude.com/en/articles/9517075-what-are-projects?ref=drewshannon.net) or use [**OpenAI Plugins**](https://chatgpt.com/features/plugins/?ref=drewshannon.net) with your contextual artifacts in the system prompt. - If your company runs on Slack, connect an agent directly to a channel so people can query it in the flow of work. Your colleagues are likely already using these tools for much of their day-to-day work, but they're just using it without your context. Give their models the missing piece, and you make the whole team smarter without changing their workflow. ### How to Do It: Tactical Starting Points Here are three tactical ways to start capturing context from the work you're already doing: - **Screen record yourself**: Turn on screen recording while you do some of your most manual work at your desk, then ask your LLM to either create an artifact instructing others how to do it, or ask your AI tools for suggestions on how to build a more robust and automated solution. - **Turn meetings into institutional memory**: (With permission, and when appropriate), record meetings or use an AI notetaker. So much valuable context is shared in meetings, and you may be surprised at the number of great nuggets you can reuse for written artifacts. - **Turn one-off Slack answers into living documentation**: When someone asks you a complex "how-to" or historical question in chat, don't just reply in the thread. Answer it, copy your response, and prompt your LLM: "Turn this explanation into a reusable FAQ entry with context, step-by-step resolution, and the underlying rule." Paste it into your team's knowledge repository or system prompt. ### The Shift Moving from an answer machine to an architect doesn’t happen in a weekend. You do it brick by brick. The paradox of knowledge work right now is that hoarding what you know doesn't actually protect you, it just traps you. Making yourself replaceable for the routine stuff is the only way you get the time to do anything that actually matters. *(Regular caveats: this won’t be good advice for everyone. If your job is literally to monetize your knowledge, you’re a solopreneur, or a consultant of some kind, this may not be relevant. I’m mostly talking about people working at media / tech / entertainment / marketing / advertising companies of 10+ people here.)* ### Hello World (Again) URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/hello-world-again/ Last updated: 2026-09-15T02:14:06.000Z Re-Introducing [https://drewshannon.net](https://drewshannon.net/?ref=drewshannon.net) \- my front door on the internet. As a quick background, for the last 10–15 years, I've had a pretty kludgy [Squarespace](https://squarespace.com/?ref=drewshannon.net) \+ [Tumblr](https://tumblr.com/?ref=drewshannon.net) \+ Feedburner setup, with a brief period of sending weekly [Mailchimp](https://mailchimp.com/?ref=drewshannon.net) newsletters. The tech stack was very 2015-coded, with 1,700+ posts dating back to 2010\. I was missing a few key modern amenities and hadn't done a full refresh in awhile, so it was time. I briefly looked at the available options on the market, and quickly settled on [**Ghost**](https://ghost.io/?ref=drewshannon.net). I don’t care about monetizing my writing or photography on the internet, so its non-profit, open-source, full-featured capabilities were perfect for me. Nice templates to get started, RSS and newsletter support right out of the box, solid Admin API, support team to help with migrations, etc. Also, I would be remiss if I didn’t briefly touch on the AI of it all. Using the [Google Antigravity](https://antigravity.google/?ref=drewshannon.net) harness – primarily with [Gemini 3.8 Flash](https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/models-and-research/gemini-models/3-8-flash-and-3-8-flash-cyber/?ref=drewshannon.net) if you’re curious – has made everything a breeze. What would have previously been weeks of manual migration work has been pretty simple. A few examples of what I’ve used it for: - **Version Control:** As a non-technical user, GitHub has largely been a mystery to me until recently. But being able to ask Antigravity for changes, have those changes be updated locally and seamlessly pushed to GitHub then Ghost has felt like magic. - **Migrated 15 years of archives (4GB+) from Tumblr:** Built a Python migration engine to parse 1,700+ posts dating back to 2010, reorganize gigabytes of photography into Ghost's architecture, and map URL redirects so legacy links wouldn't break. - **Cleaned up crusty Tumblr code & author weirdness:** Scrubbed broken HTML across dozens of posts, fixed author attribution quirks, and pruned hundreds of obsolete tags using the Ghost Admin API. - **Wrote and audited accessibility alt-text for 1,900+ images:** Analyzed every photo across 1,200+ posts and wrote descriptive alt-text according to established accessibility standards. - **Complete tag audit & taxonomy overhaul:** Merged legacy tag typos, standardized casing, eliminated every single orphan post, and built out top photography collections (California, Detroit, Film, Leica) with custom hero imagery and intro copy. - **Dozens of small UI & layout tweaks:** Dialed in typography ([Newsreader serif](https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Newsreader?preview.script=Latn&categoryFilters=Serif:%2FSerif%2FTransitional&ref=drewshannon.net) \+ [JetBrains Mono](https://www.jetbrains.com/lp/mono/?ref=drewshannon.net)), moved tags to clean monospace pills at the bottom of posts, created a wordmark logo, and more. - **Dark Mode:** Launched a warm espresso/parchment dark theme with responsive desktop/mobile toggle buttons. If you have a minute, please poke around (check out the [Topics](https://www.drewshannon.net/topics/) tab to get started). Pardon the dust, but if anything looks broken or if you have thoughts on Ghost, I’d love your feedback. [TopicsA curated index of publication archives, photography collections, and writing from 2010 to present.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/icon/casey_robertson_icon_512-1-9a32150e-49f0-44f2-94fc-7947a437cbb8.png)Drew ShannonDrew Shannon![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/thumbnail/20110205-IMG_8519-5be82b3f-ed05-4796-97bb-af747e7dbb5f.jpg)](https://www.drewshannon.net/topics/) ### Free Business Idea URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/free-business-idea/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T01:32:02.000Z Free business idea: \- I like supporting my favorite teams with merch, but most sports gear sucks. \- It's usually made with polyester or some other petroleum-based material, and I'm not on the court / field - why do I need moisture-wicking and 4-way stretch? \- If it is made with 100% Cotton, it's usually very thin and poorly-made. It doesn't hold its shape or feel premium at all. Here's what I'd love to see: \- Well-designed sports merch made on thicccccc 100% cotton blanks, ideally Made in the USA, heavy GSM, premium feeling. > "Your grandchild's favorite vintage tee" ### Coming soon URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/coming-soon/ Last updated: 2026-08-27T04:49:07.000Z Please pardon the dust. I'm trying to migrate \~15 years of blog posts (my first one appears to have been published in February 2010) from Tumblr to Ghost.io, and while it's been a pretty smooth transition so far, many images are still missing and will (hopefully) be back soon. ### June 22, 2026 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-820162811731853312/ Last updated: 2026-09-12T22:49:25.000Z Some things that excite me about AI for knowledge work: Tools like **Google Antigravity**, ChatGPT Codex, and [Claude Cowork](https://claude.com/solutions/enterprise?utm%5Fsource=google&utm%5Fcampaign=ent%5Facq%5Fus%5Fcle%5Fsearch%5Fgoogle-nonbrand%5Fenta%5Fen%5Fenterprise-ai&utm%5Fmedium=cpc&utm%5Fcontent=812177502642&utm%5Fterm=enterprise%20ai%20applications&targetid=kwd-2401772765164&utm%5Fterm=enterprise%20ai%20applications&utm%5Fcampaign=B2B%5FADIR%5FUS%5FCL4W%5FSEA%5FFINS-k%5FLG%5FFINS&utm%5Fsource=adwords&utm%5Fmedium=ppc&hsa%5Facc=1412805497&hsa%5Fcam=23922064496&hsa%5Fgrp=195998986734&hsa%5Fad=812177502642&hsa%5Fsrc=g&hsa%5Ftgt=kwd-2401772765164&hsa%5Fkw=enterprise%20ai%20applications&hsa%5Fmt=b&hsa%5Fnet=adwords&hsa%5Fver=3&gad%5Fsource=1&gad%5Fcampaignid=23922064496&gbraid=0AAAAAqwcL8kewHYmYjR5n%5FlPW4%5Fz3Phlg&gclid=CjwKCAjwuuPRBhAnEiwA2Ji8evwSsTqBw3H5tZiKRb4OzefWpJDcpDN9pTCyQEy9dEVhn14jsdSGaxoCiO8QAvD%5FBwE) are giving Markdown and Text Files new lease on life. Clean, structural, hierarchical text is the perfect interface for both human readability and LLM ingestion. Taking important context from across the web and making it useful (anyone still using **[Goodreads](https://goodreads.com/?ref=drewshannon.net)**?) It’ll be interesting to see how companies balance openness with the desire to own customer data. If I’m being (perhaps naively) optimistic, perhaps a token-based economic model and bring-your-own-data functionality can re-center power back with the user. A special shoutout to the folks at **[Are.na](https://are.na/?ref=drewshannon.net)** for being a shining example here. I’ve geeked out about productivity systems and methodologies (Zettelkasten, GTD, 43 Folders, 2nd Brain, etc) for most of my career, and it feels like AI helps get us closer to the ultimate vision of human productivity than we’ve ever been. “Soul files” as a way to help one understand and interrogate their own beliefs. I’m betting we will see the commercialization of digital identity frameworks within the next 2 years. It has reduced SO much of the mindless and low-value work that knowledge workers spend a lot of time doing - summarizing meetings, cleaning up Google Sheets, cross referencing multiple versions of the same material, copy-and-pasting content from one place to another, etc. Interestingly, it has more neatly cleaved a lot of my work in 2: AI Work and Human Work. In the context of work, if I know that an AI can do a pretty good job of transcribing a meeting and writing a summary, I can feel more present in a conversation with another person. If you haven’t already been thinking about how to “make the implicit, explicit” for the purposes of your individual or team’s AI tools, now’s a great time to start. ![Presentation slide titled 'What Business Are We In?' comparing human performance and artificial intelligence across analytical, conversational, and creative tasks.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2026/06/820162811731853312_0.jpg) ### June 04, 2026 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-818516816857088000/ Last updated: 2026-09-05T05:06:35.000Z [Rec League - Share what you’re intoShare your recommendations on Rec League. The whisper network for great recs.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/icon/recleague-favicon-626a16ab-26b9-4ce1-9ebc-93b7cb4c2c09.png)Rec League![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/thumbnail/recleague-og-1-402ca31e-444f-40ac-8fdf-57bba1926896.png)](https://recleague.com/?ref=drewshannon.net) ### May 25, 2026 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-817606585142640641/ Last updated: 2026-09-12T22:47:25.000Z > A blog post is a very long and complex search query to find fascinating people and make them route interesting stuff to your inbox > > — [Henrik Karlsson](https://www.henrikkarlsson.xyz/p/search-query?ref=drewshannon.net) In that vein, here are some things I’ve been thinking about – and reading about – lately: - Taxonomies - Protocols and Common Standards - Brian Eno - Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) / Second Brain / Tools for Thought - LLMs + Productivity - Grounded AI / Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) systems - Content Bookmarking - [https://www.soul-md.xyz/](https://www.soul-md.xyz/?ref=drewshannon.net) - Dark Forest Theory of the Internet - Domestic Cozy - Digital Gardens - Commonplace Books - “If it doesn’t have a URL, it probably didn’t happen” - Technical writing / documentation - “Making the implicit explicit” - Working / Learning in public Please send interesting links and thinkers my way! ![Scenic alpine meadow with a pinto horse grazing peacefully in green grass below steep granite mountain cliffs and a distant cascading waterfall.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2026/05/817606585142640641_0.jpg) ### May 03, 2026 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-815656964367482880/ Last updated: 2026-09-11T18:18:06.000Z [The internet used to be\* funA page on Kwon.nyc![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)Kwon.nycRobert Kingett![](https://projects.kwon.nyc/images/logo.svg)](https://projects.kwon.nyc/internet-is-fun/?ref=drewshannon.net) ### April 20, 2026 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-814431602195283968/ Last updated: 2026-09-10T21:45:11.000Z [As I turn 40 and am unable to deny that I’m firmly in middle age, I’m… | Drew Shannon | 24 commentsAs I turn 40 and am unable to deny that I’m firmly in middle age, I’m reflecting on the first half of my career: one filled with a little hard work, a lot of luck, and an overwhelming amount of good people. Atlantic Records - I was pretty naive (I didn’t fully realize I signed up for an on-site 1099 contracting job and all that that entailed) and this was a pretty bleak time in the music biz (post-Napster / pre-Streaming), but was a dream job for 22-year-old me. Thanks VICTORIA CAMERA- QUINTERO, Dan Grossman, Katie Brown, Paul Sinclair. Mindshare - I regret that I only stayed in this job for 6 months, but my colleagues gave me more grace than I probably deserved, and I mostly sucked at the job. It was just not a great fit overall, but the experience here indirectly led to a future job. I mostly look back on this job with slight embarrassment and gratitude. Thanks Rachel Sharfin, Karen Bennett, Jenny Hermanson, Jessica Lenehan. Cornerstone Agency - still probably the “coolest” job I’ve ever had. It felt like we were early to the intersection of music / media / culture / influencer marketing, and I always love hearing about other interesting folks who passed through those halls at various points. It sometimes felt like the inmates were running the asylum, and I have so so much respect for what Jon Cohen and Rob Stone (RIP) have built. Thanks John Staub, Shawn Ogren, Zeena Koda, Andy Cohn, Ashley Purdum. Fullscreen - maybe the most pivotal job of my career. So many firsts for me - managing people, working in a startup environment, experiencing an acquisition, working in HR / People Ops, working on YouTube. The number (and caliber) of folks who spent parts of their career at Fullscreen over the years is staggering. Thanks George Strompolos, Ezra Cooperstein, Sheauen Park, Dustin Goot, Nancy Mendez, Scott Birnbaum, Mark Williams, Cyrus Behzadi, James V.. StyleHaul, Inc. - my first “big boy” job. I managed a larger team, had more responsibility, and bought my first house. There were so many stories that feel too unbelievable to be true, but the things I’ll remember most were the people who are still my great friends, including-most importantly-my wife. Thanks Stephanie Horbaczewski, Olivier Delfosse, Zach Vaga, Jeremiah Bates, Dustin Peña, Sarah Abelson, Andrea Alegria, Anastassia Knight. CreateTribe - Professional misstep that I learned a lot from. First and only time I’ve had severe burnout that felt like it would never go away. A few bright spots, but unfortunately, not a time I look back on fondly. Thank you Kevin B. and Katie Hajec. YouTube - the best job I’ve ever had, and I don’t plan to leave anytime soon. More professional growth and personal milestones than I can list (got married, bought & sold houses, had 2 kids, traveled the world, coaching and mentorship, Lexapro 🫠 ). Too many people to thank. I’m sure I’ve missed dozens of important people (Maximum Mention Limit) who have coached, inspired, and befriended me. THANK YOU | 24 comments on LinkedIn![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/icon/al2o9zrvru7aqj8e1x2rzsrca-3f5146dc-d414-45f5-8d22-13dec68fe8e5)LinkedIn![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/thumbnail/1776491666250-a7e13618-9fdd-47c2-a165-5efc05b36f1c)](https://www.linkedin.com/embed/feed/update/urn:li:share:7451347736311906306?collapsed=1&ref=drewshannon.net) ### March 29, 2026 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-812454031172796416/ Last updated: 2026-09-12T15:41:58.000Z > I’ve been toying in the last day or so with the idea of ‘outfluencers’ as a way to explain / express the movements of people and conversations away from typical scale-driven central gravity to a more free-floating, incentive neutral set of conditions that prioritizes non-programmatized human interaction (spontaneity), non-qualified, open participation (serendipity) and non-transactional benefit (serenity, kinda). > > Looking at ‘frictionmaxxing’ or ‘funmaxxing:’ (or various other zeitgesty trends captured in the links this week and lately) through those three vectors lends creedence to the inevitability, I think, that our shared technoanxiety is misplaced and that the natural state of AI etc will be like that of electricity; eventually invisible, omnipresent, less a consideration than an expectation. Except in places where it’s not (ie the natural world, in physical work etc), but in those it won’t be missed, either. > > “Outfluencer,” is a term that already exists, unsurprisingly, given its logical linguistic relationship to ‘influencers’; it’s used primarily (logically) by the Outdoor industry - but to describe Influencer-y behaviour in nature. I’m talking about something different: selective self-removal from big optimized system to embark spontaneously on building (or letting something be built) small. Not because it’s inherently hard, or inherently ‘anti’, but because it seems inherently (emotionally?!) logical right now. > > — Ben Dietz ### March 29, 2026 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-812453828692787200/ Last updated: 2026-09-10T21:20:01.000Z [drew. shannon | Are.nadrewshannon.net![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/icon/favicon-1708b7a1-866e-494f-acf9-1994f25c1636.png)Are.na![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/thumbnail/large_84d360a52c2849a2029adeb125e5a780-97c155a9-52f9-4f59-a5e0-15bba451ffca.jpg)](https://www.are.na/drew-shannon-aysltwp9uqo/blocks?ref=drewshannon.net) ### December 15, 2025 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-803023574838427648/ Last updated: 2026-09-10T22:12:44.000Z _No content available._ ### December 15, 2025 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-803021411124903936/ Last updated: 2026-09-12T22:49:26.000Z ![Tumblr blog anniversary notification showing an elephant illustration wearing a party hat with the text 'Congratulations, your blog drewshannon turned 15 years old!'.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2025/12/803021411124903936_0.png) Time to start blogging again? ### September 09, 2025 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-794259163431731200/ Last updated: 2026-09-12T22:39:39.000Z > Your corporate role doesn’t need to be meaningful. It needs to be useful. Useful for building skills, for funding your real projects, for buying time while you figure out what matters to you. > > The death of the corporate role isn’t a crisis. It’s freedom from having to pretend your spreadsheet about spreadsheets is your life’s work. > \- [Alex McCann](https://thestillwandering.substack.com/p/the-death-of-the-corporate-job) (Still Wandering) ### Modest Operations | Newsletter Volume 34 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/modest-operations-newsletter-volume-34/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T22:24:51.000Z **This Week's Links** *A list of things I've been reading & thinking about.*\* "Externalizing our processes is the best way to see them with clear eyes. The inefficiencies stand out like a lone tree on a desert plateau. Once the checklist is made, almost anybody in the organization can perform that operation." - [The Checklist Habit (David Perell for *David Perell*)](https://www.perell.com/blog/the-checklist-habit?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "Restaurateurs have successfully channeled California ideals into unique, thoughtful restaurants in and out of the state, but it requires serious effort not to fall back on stereotypes. Over the last few years, California, and not just LA, has begun to set the national culinary tone. Los Angeles is influential in a way it hasn’t been since the 1980s, with Japanese, Mexican, French, Middle Eastern, and Italian restaurants all gaining due recognition for their impact on dining trends there and across the country." - [The Californication of America’s Restaurants (Nick Mancall-Bitel for *Eater*)](https://www.eater.com/2019/8/15/20791929/restaurant-design-california-inspired-dining-rooms-los-angeles-aesthetic?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "As popular as he seems to be with quote-unquote regular guys, that’s how unpopular Joe Rogan is with the quote-unquote prestige wing of popular culture—Emmy voters, HBO subscribers, comedy nerds. Thought leaders. Thought followers." - [Why Is Joe Rogan So Popular? (Devin Gordon for *The Atlantic*)](https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/08/my-joe-rogan-experience/594802/?ref=drewshannon.net) ### Modest Operations | Newsletter Volume 33 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/modest-operations-newsletter-volume-33/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T22:24:50.000Z **This Week's Links** *A list of things I've been reading & thinking about.*\* "Twitter, as a company, seems to spend most of its time in various stages of existential crisis. Lately it has been rethinking everything as it tries to figure out how to address rampant harassment and hate speech and how to make its platform more conducive to civil, human conversation as opposed to dunking, trolling, and general cacophony." - [Twitter’s Redesign Isn’t About You (Will Oremus for *OneZero*)](https://onezero.medium.com/twitters-redesign-isn-t-about-you-3dd710b0f9e0?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "I also think people try to resolve their homes too quickly. It takes time! An apartment, like a wardrobe, needs to evolve, as you do." - [Interior Monologue: Design Theories (David Coggins for *The Contender*)](https://thecontender.co/blog/interior-monologue-design-theories?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "I’ve become convinced that what you need instead is a full-fledged philosophy of technology use, rooted in your deep values, that provides clear answers to the questions of what tools you should use and how you should use them and, equally important, enables you to confidently ignore everything else." - [Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World (Cal Newport)](https://www.calnewport.com/books/digital-minimalism/?ref=drewshannon.net) ### Modest Operations | Newsletter Volume 32 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/modest-operations-newsletter-volume-32/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T22:24:49.000Z **This Week's Links** *A list of things I've been reading & thinking about.*\* "Joe Torczon wrote his thesis on this pizza restaurant in New Orleans. The family had one restaurant and made so much money they all bought houses and boats. But they did not expand. And I don’t think that lacks ambition; I think it shows great ambition for what’s truly important in life, which is time." - [Tom Sachs on creative leadership and the importance of idealism (Adam Wray for *Vogue Business*)](https://www.voguebusiness.com/fashion/tom-sachs-artist-design-nike?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "Even as he followed his brother into this trend-driven, icon-imitating world, Abe worked to maintain his standard of idiosyncrasy, of standing out, freely incorporating floral patterns, vintage scarves, and the color pink into the outfits he wore into the heteronormative jaws of seventh grade." - [My Son, The Prince Of Fashion (Michael Chabon for *GQ*)](https://www.gq.com/story/my-son-the-prince-of-fashion?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "I would find out later that most of that day had been carefully calibrated to impress me." - [The Wild Ride at Babe.Net (Allison P. Davis for *The Cut*)](https://www.thecut.com/2019/06/babe-net-aziz-ansari-date-rise-and-fall.html?ref=drewshannon.net) ### Modest Operations | Newsletter Volume 31 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/modest-operations-newsletter-volume-31/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T22:24:48.000Z **This Week's Links** *A list of things I've been reading & thinking about.*\* "Their value proposition was ‘Make it whatever you want. You can choose whatever color you want.’ And I believe that’s abdicating your responsibility as a designer." - [Jonathan Ive and the Future of Apple (Ian Parker for *The New Yorker*)](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/02/23/shape-things-come?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "The way a team works has an enormous influence on what it can do. The process, the methods, the practices, the approach, the discipline, the trust, the communication style, the pace. The way—the how—is foundational and fundamental." - [Forward (Jason Fried for *Shape Up by Basecamp*)](https://basecamp.com/shapeup/0.1-foreword?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "Are you a code sensei? A customer-service rock star? Do you have a passion for sales? Will you devote your life to conference calls, leaving your family and friends behind while you camp out under your desk, ready to dial in at any time?" - [America’s Job Listings Have Gone Off the Deep End (Amanda Mull for *The Atlantic*)](https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2019/06/looking-for-a-job-americas-listings-are-inscrutable/591616/?ref=drewshannon.net) ### Modest Operations | Newsletter Volume 30 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/modest-operations-newsletter-volume-30/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T22:24:48.000Z **This Week's Links** *A list of things I've been reading & thinking about.*\* "He craved products that didn’t force adjustments of behavior, that gave what Powell Jobs called a 'feeling of gratitude that someone else actually thought this through in a way that makes your life easier.'" - [Jonathan Ive and the Future of Apple (Ian Parker for *The New Yorker*)](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/02/23/shape-things-come?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "I’m here to convince you that Google Sheets, with the proper guardrails in place, is an excellent way for colleagues outside of an analytics team to input tabular data for downstream use, even in automated transformations!" - [The ultimate guide to Google Sheets as a reliable data source (Josh Temple for *Medium*)](https://towardsdatascience.com/google-sheet-data-warehouse-c22bb2cce4b0?ref=drewshannon.net) ### Modest Operations | Newsletter Volume 29 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/modest-operations-newsletter-volume-29/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T22:24:47.000Z With the recent announcement of [Stadia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google%5FStadia?ref=drewshannon.net), as well as my large-and-growing list of monthly cloud-based subscriptions (Spotify, 1Password, Asana, Squarespace, Backblaze, Google Drive, and others), I've recently been thinking a lot about the diminished importance of computing hardware. I think it's been obvious for awhile that we're now many years into the generation of having near-infinite power & information in our pockets, but more than ever, at least in my own professional life, personal hardware is doing less and less of the heavy lifting, while a solid internet connection is all I need to do a vast majority of my work. **This Week's Links** *A list of things I've been reading & thinking about.*\* "This isn’t a golf tournament. It’s a cultural event where the Southern United States has its chest stuck out and is saying come down and visit" - [Inside the Cultish Dreamworld of Augusta National (Nick Paumgarten for *The New Yorker*)](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/06/24/inside-the-cultish-dreamworld-of-augusta-national?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "Like many major figures from the heyday of action sports, Masekela is still coming to grips with the fact that his world has lost much of its cultural and commercial cachet" - [The Unlikely Preacher of Action Sports (David Schultz for *Outside Magazine*)](https://www.outsideonline.com/2380521/unlikely-preacher-action-sports-sal-masekela?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "What makes him a good dog in people’s minds isn’t the product of some genetic lottery—it’s not luck. What they’re seeing is the product of hard work, good leadership, and unwavering devotion. I say this not to discourage you but to illustrate that anyone can do this with any dog. There is no such thing as a good dog, only a good dog owner." - [There's No Such Thing as a Good Dog (Wes Siler for *Outside Magazine*)](https://www.outsideonline.com/2177341/theres-no-such-thing-good-dog?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "I've never heard Virgil say a negative thing in my whole life. What I knew about creativity was saying no to things, but he's on the opposite flip. It's like when Virgil convinced me to be a DJ—I still don't know how to use a mixer. I said to Virgil, 'I don't know how to DJ,' and he said, 'It doesn't matter. Let's just go have some fun.'" - [The Oral History of Virgil Abloh (Thom Bettrridge for *GQ Style*)](https://www.gq.com/story/virgil-abloh-cover-story-spring-2019?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "And maybe some people will take a pause and reflect on how toxic and menacing our online discourse has become, about how quick we are to believe the worst of each other, and think about the human cost of demonizing and doxxing people, the way that Project Veritas has done to me." - [This is not how I expected Monday to go! (Jen Gennai for *Medium)*](https://medium.com/@gennai.jen/this-is-not-how-i-expected-monday-to-go-e92771c7aa82?ref=drewshannon.net) ### Modest Operations | Newsletter Volume 28 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/modest-operations-newsletter-volume-28/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T22:24:46.000Z Wedding planning and house escrow and busy work schedule, oh my! **This Week's Links** *A list of things I've been reading & thinking about.* [*BOOKSTORES: How to Read More Books in the Golden Age of Content*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLZ1kSfqQ3Y&ref=drewshannon.net) *\* "This is going to be an uncharacteristic departure for me. This story is deeply personal, for our family, and for our oldest son in particular. But it is a story he’s letting me tell, because it is a story he wants people to hear." -* [*Stay In the Game (Drew Dickson for*](https://www.albertbridgecapital.com/drew-views/2019/6/17/stay-in-the-game?ref=drewshannon.net)[Albert Bridge Capital](https://www.albertbridgecapital.com/drew-views/2019/6/17/stay-in-the-game?ref=drewshannon.net)\*) \* "Two years ago, Colonna moved to Boulder full time. His good friend Brad Feld lived there and encouraged him to come. Colonna was on the board of Naropa University, a Buddhist-inspired liberal arts college in Boulder. And as a deep introvert often pulled to be in the company of people, he craved a bit of distance; he wanted to live somewhere where he could be alone a lot and spend time in nature." - [This Man Makes Founders Cry (Jessi Hempel for *Wired*)](https://www.wired.com/2017/02/this-man-makes-founders-cry/?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "Perhaps most alarming, it’s a story about a studio in crisis." - [How BioWare's Anthem Went Wrong (Jason Schreier for *Kotaku*)](https://kotaku.com/how-biowares-anthem-went-wrong-1833731964?ref=drewshannon.net) ### Modest Operations | Newsletter Volume 27 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/modest-operations-newsletter-volume-27/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T22:24:45.000Z I've recently been making my way through Ted Chiang's newest collection of short stories called [Exhalation](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41160292-exhalation?ref=drewshannon.net), which is fantastic. If you're a fan of near-future sci-fi in the vein of Black Mirror, you'll love it. Other than that and dense real estate contracts, I haven't been reading much else this week, so a pretty light list below. Have a great week! **This Week's Links** *A list of things I've been reading & thinking about.*\* [Bon Iver - Hey, Ma (Video)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGkUq4Vn6k8&ref=drewshannon.net) \* "The energy at work in Mr Chiang’s stories is electric. The magic is their emotional resonance. His fiction may take flights of fancy, but it has a human heart." - [The Mind-Boggling World Of Short-Story Writer Mr Ted Chiang (Jonathan Durbin for *Mr. Porter*)](https://www.mrporter.com/journal/the-interview/the-mind-boggling-world-of-short-story-writer-mr-ted-chiang/4622?ref=drewshannon.net) ### Modest Operations | Newsletter Volume 26 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/modest-operations-newsletter-volume-26/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T22:24:44.000Z Back after a week away, and excited about the spring / early summer feeling in the air. Hope you had a great (hopefully) long weekend, and have a great week. **This Week's Links** *A list of things I've been reading & thinking about.*\* "Throughout, he has taught a sustained master class in conversational redirection and opacity." - [Jack Dorsey’s TED Interview and the End of an Era (Anna Wiener for *The New Yorker*)](https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-silicon-valley/jack-dorseys-ted-interview-and-the-end-of-an-era?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "I also hope you are loved and that you love others, and that you have a crew to smuggle Kettle Chips and fresh bagels and bibimbap into the hospital as needed, because all that love and all those foodstuffs saved my life." - [The Night The Lights Went Out (Drew Magary for *Deadspin*)](https://theconcourse.deadspin.com/the-night-the-lights-went-out-1834298070?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "The hunger some entrepreneurs have for unnecessary disruption can lead to widely mocked results, from complicated juicing machines that can be replicated by hand to Rogaine rebrands." - [At UNTUCKit, Clothes Make the Man, and the Man Needs Help (Hazel Cills for *Jezebel*)](https://jezebel.com/at-untuckit-clothes-make-the-man-and-the-man-needs-he-1833978437?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "This is why we love podcasts: they are the internet for our ears. Now we can be on the internet all the time." - [Friends of the Pod (The Editors for *N+1*)](https://nplusonemag.com/issue-34/the-intellectual-situation/friends-of-the-pod/?ref=drewshannon.net) ### Modest Operations | Newsletter Volume 25 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/modest-operations-newsletter-volume-25/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T22:24:44.000Z I need another productivity system like I need a hole in my head, but I recently finished listening to [Getting Things Done](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1633.Getting%5FThings%5FDone?ref=drewshannon.net) on audiobook, which I completely inhaled during every spare moment of alone time over the past few days. I haven't been at the top of my game work-wise for the past few months, so it feels like a good reset. It's simultaneously panic-inducing and inspiring, and everything in between. **This Week's Links** *A list of things I've been reading & thinking about.*\* "I think Getting Things Done appeals to geeks for a lot of reasons...geeks crave actionable items and roll their eyes at 'mission statements' and lofty management patois" - [Getting started with "Getting Things Done" (Merlin Mann for *43 Folders*)](http://www.43folders.com/2004/09/08/getting-started-with-getting-things-done?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "'Dinners help us have a better understanding of each individual person, which brings us closer to each other -- and, on the court, understand each other better,' former Spurs guard Danny Green says. On the road, whenever possible, the Spurs tend to stay over and fly out the next morning. 'So we can have that time together,' former San Antonio center Pau Gasol says. 'I haven't been a part of that anywhere else. And players know the importance of it as well -- and how important it is to Pop.'" - [Michelin restaurants and fabulous wines: Inside the secret team dinners that have built the Spurs' dynasty (Baxter Holmes for *ESPN)*](http://www.espn.com/nba/story/%5F/id/26524600?ref=drewshannon.net) ### Modest Operations | Newsletter Volume 24 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/modest-operations-newsletter-volume-24/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T22:24:43.000Z One of the most positive outcomes of my somewhat-tumultuous professional life over the last year is that it's forced me into situations of learning new skills that I didn't previously have. Most recently, as part of a data analysis project I'm working on, I've been learning SQL, which tickles my brain in all the right ways, while simultaneously twisting it into a knot. **This Week's Links** *A list of things I've been reading & thinking about.*\* "As a founder, I noticed that for every few comments, there was one that highlighted a serious issue we had, or a serious improvement we could make. It allowed employees to let out small tremors frequently as opposed to a bigger earthquake every now and then." - [(Akshay Kothari for *LinkedIn*)](https://www.linkedin.com/in/akshaykothari/?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "That’s not to suggest that we shouldn’t enjoy the way our clothes make us look, nor treat them as a vehicle for outward self-expression. According to the utilitarian playbook, though, the form of our clothes must be rationalized by an underlying function. 'Men like to be able to justify a style choice,' says Mr Stephen Mann, the stylist for this shoot and one of the creative forces behind the London-based streetwear collective AFFIX. 'The functional nature of this look is one they can feel confident explaining to their mates.'" - [Why The Utility Trend Is Here To Stay (Chris Elvidge for *Mr. Porter*)](https://www.mrporter.com/journal/the-look/why-the-utility-trend-is-here-to-stay/4525?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "What a relief to know that the people who control all of the money continue to believe in their friends, even after their disastrous, public, and allegedly criminal failures" - [One of Theranos’ first investors has learned approximately nothing from its implosion (Arimeta Diop for *The Outline*)](https://theoutline.com/post/7157/one-of-theranos-first-investors-has-learned-approximately-nothing-from-its-implosion?ref=drewshannon.net) ### Modest Operations | Newsletter Volume 23 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/modest-operations-newsletter-volume-23/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T22:24:42.000Z Can you really say that you're creating & posting content in 2019 if you're not constantly apologizing for not sticking with your agreed-upon schedule? **This Week's Links** *A list of things I've been reading & thinking about.*\* "So, is Mr. Porter just Goop for men? Absolutely." - [Is Mr. Porter Just Goop for Men? (Derek Guy for *Put This On*)](https://putthison.com/is-mr-porter-just-goop-for-men/?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "All clothes are armor, but Errolson's silhouette is literally so, in that it seems to render him impervious to even the harshest elements. Some sort of ninja god-slash-astronaut." - [Acronym Designer Errolson Hugh Sees the Future (Chris Gayomali for *GQ*)](https://www.gq.com/story/errolson-hugh-acronym-profile?ref=drewshannon.net) ### Modest Operations | Newsletter Volume 22 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/modest-operations-newsletter-volume-22/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T22:24:41.000Z Life got in the way this week (for lots of great reasons!), hence the late newsletter. It's shaping up to be an incredibly busy spring / summer, as much as I hate that "b-word", but I'm not complaining, really! There's something nice about feeling in-tune with things both personally and professionally. Lots of things are moving in the right direction just as it's starting to get warm here in LA. Have a great week, **This Week's Links** *A list of things I've been reading & thinking about. "Influencers are everyone’s new favorite people to hate, and whenever I post an ad, it’s nerve-wracking because I just don’t feel like dealing with people’s negative reactions. It’s very trendy now to 'complain about ads,' like they are some horrible injustice. Just the other day, someone was like, 'I’m unfollowing you because of ads!' And I asked, 'So basically you would prefer to continue enjoying people’s photography, writing, music, artwork, poetry, and any other form of creativity for free on this app every single day. But you have no intention of supporting those people getting paid?' I mean, if you actually think about that reaction, it’s bizarre. Like, do they never turn their TV on again because they saw a commercial one time? The fact that people think they can dictate when and how you dance like a monkey for the camera but have a fundamental problem with anyone giving you money? God, it’s a weird f*\*king world." - [So You Want to Be an Influencer: The Realities of Being Insta-Famous | (Adam Ruggiero for *GearJunkie*)](https://gearjunkie.com/brianna-madia-instagram-influencer?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "You don’t save the good parts of said capitalism by doubling down on the worst, most exploitive parts." - [Work harder or the communists will win! (David Heinemeier Hansson for *Signal v. Noise*)](https://m.signalvnoise.com/work-harder-or-the-communists-will-win/?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "'I think there are more and more people who are saying, ‘Hold on, I’m concerned about my drinking and I would love a way to work on that where I don’t have to explain it all to people,’' says Jessica Lahey, author of The Gift of Failure and a forthcoming book on addiction in kids. 'That’s what these sobriety experiments can be.'" - [The Rise of Elective Sobriety (Virginia Sole-Smith for *Elemental*)](https://elemental.medium.com/the-rise-of-elective-sobriety-8989550afbcb?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "Consider, for example, David Boies. Many aspiring litigators, myself included, were once fans, following his high-profile cases with a keen interest and holding him up as a paragon of ethics and savvy. But, as has been revealed over the course of a single, skinny year, that favorable view of Boies was woefully, almost tragically, misplaced." - [David Boies’s Fall From Grace (Scott Alan Burroughs for *Above The Law*)](https://abovethelaw.com/2018/09/david-boiess-fall-from-grace/?ref=drewshannon.net) ### Modest Operations | Newsletter Volume 21 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/modest-operations-newsletter-volume-21/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T22:24:41.000Z No long intro this week, but have a great one! **This Week's Links** *A list of things I've been reading & thinking about.*\* "It’s as if she knew something I was only beginning to understand: We’re all amateurs at just about everything, and most of us will stay amateurs. But that only matters if you let it." - [The Believer (Davy Rothbart for *California Sunday*)](https://story.californiasunday.com/elizabeth-swaney?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "Lacking famous owners, a prestige address, a brand-name architect or coverage in tabloid real estate blotters, 48-50 West 69th Street has thus far been a study in inconspicuous consumption. But it reflects extravagance of a different sort." - [That Noise? The Rich Neighbors Digging a Basement Pool in Their $100 Million Brownstone (David Margolick for *The New York Times*)](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/05/nyregion/gentrification-one-percent-manhattan.html?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "There had to be a breaking point. An incident, an argument, a loss, a moment that doomed the football marriage of Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy." - [What Happened in Green Bay (Tyler Dunne for *Bleacher Report*)](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2828649-what-happened-in-green-bay?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "It wasn’t just the plane, but it’s not a small thing when you don’t have to be patient or be around other people. It creates this notion that you’re a little bit better than they are. And for the past 40 years, everything in American culture has been reinforcing that belief. We say, 'Job creators, entrepreneurs, these are the people who make America great.' So there are people walking around with substantial wealth who think that they have it because they’re better. It’s fundamental to remember that you’re just a member of the human race, like everybody else, and there’s nothing about your money that makes you better than anyone else. If you don’t know that and you have money, it’s the road to hell, no matter how much stuff you have around you." - [What It’s Like to Grow Up With More Money Than You’ll Ever Spend (Abigail Disney for *The Cut*)](https://www.thecut.com/2019/03/abigail-disney-has-more-money-than-shell-ever-spend.html?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "Plenty has already been written about Esquire’s cover story (see The New York Times, Salon, and The Guardian, to name a few). Most of them revolve around how we talk about race, gender, and privilege in today’s society, which are beyond the scope of Put This On. On a more clothing related topic, I think Esquire’s cover reveals something deeper about the state of men’s style publishing — and how two very different men are reshaping the two biggest titles." - [How Two Men are Reshaping Men's Style Media (Derek Guy for *Put This On*)](https://putthison.com/how-two-men-are-reshaping-mens-style-media/?ref=drewshannon.net) ### Modest Operations | Newsletter Volume 20 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/modest-operations-newsletter-volume-20/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T22:24:40.000Z I'm writing this from The High Line Hotel here in New York City, where we've spent the last few days for a combination of work and family reasons. As I've often said to friends, I think I have more fun visiting than I ever did when I actually lived here. We have a complicated relationship for sure, but it's a place that holds a special place in my heart. Have a great week, **This Week's Links** *A list of things I've been reading & thinking about.*\* "Not too many of the people buying a nylon 'mini military chest rig' from Alyx know the people who actually use military chest rigs." - [From Grunt Style to “Warcore,” Civilians Are Embracing Military Fashion (Troy Patterson for *The New Yorker*)](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/on-and-off-the-avenue/from-grunt-style-to-warcore-civilians-are-embracing-military-fashion?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "One of the main reasons why Union is so special is that it romanticizes clothes. No one can make a T-shirt seem more important" - [Meet the Coolest Family in Streetwear (Mark Anthony Green for *GQ*)](https://www.gq.com/story/chris-gibbs-first-family-streetwear?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "Action addiction is an advanced sort of laziness. It keeps us busily occupied with tasks. The busier we keep ourselves, the more we avoid being confronted with questions of life and death." - [Are You Addicted to Doing? (Rasmus Hougaard and Jacqueline Carter for *Mindful)*](https://www.mindful.org/are-you-addicted-to-doing/?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "The analytics suggest a high likelihood that you’re aware there is an app named TikTok, and a similarly high likelihood that you’re not totally sure what it’s all about" - [How TikTok Is Rewriting the World (John Herrman for *The New York Times*)](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/10/style/what-is-tik-tok.html?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "This kind of manufactured backlash is all part of Barstool’s business plan. It IS the business plan. It’s a bunch of shitheels claiming it’s them against the world, when the world is in fact set up to aid them in their shitheelery." - [Stop Enabling Barstool's Shit (Drew Magary for *Deadspin*)](https://deadspin.com/stop-enabling-barstools-shit-1833092349?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "These elites turned out to be terrible stewards of innovation. Over and over again, it was mid-level workers, compliance officers, and outsiders who uncovered the Theranos deception—only to be overruled and second guessed by those at the top." - [What the Theranos Documentary Misses (Avi Asher-Schapiro for *The New Republic*)](https://newrepublic.com/article/153419/theranos-documentary-misses?ref=drewshannon.net) ### Modest Operations | Newsletter Volume 19 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/modest-operations-newsletter-volume-19/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T22:24:39.000Z I was really surprised (in a good way!) by the outpouring of support I saw last week for those affected by the StyleHaul shutdown. I made a [LinkedIn post](https://www.linkedin.com/in/drewshannon/?ref=drewshannon.net) where I asked for folks to comment if they were hiring, and received a bunch of posts from some incredibly cool companies (even from people I wasn't connected to!). If you (or someone you know) are hiring, please leave a comment there so the right people can find it. On the home front, Sarah and I are gearing up to make a cross-town move, which is stressful and exciting and everything in between. If you're looking to buy a house on the East Side of Los Angeles, get in touch. ;) Have a great week, **This Week's Links** *A list of things I've been reading & thinking about.*\* "I think I am more agnostic than atheist because I don't know. I believe in magic. I believe in superstition. I believe in different things that I don't understand and things I just don't know. But, for sure, if there is something after this, it's not this." - [Artist Tom Sachs on Sex, Sleep, Nike, and Outer Space (Mark Anthony Green for *GQ*)](https://www.gq.com/story/tom-sachs-handyman-of-high-art-interview?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "Here is photography’s ultimate irony: it can freeze time, but never stop it." - [Lee Friedlander’s Intimate Portraits of His Wife, Through Sixty Years of Marriage (Chris Wiley for *The New Yorker*)](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/photo-booth/lee-friedlanders-intimate-portraits-of-his-wife-through-sixty-years-of-marriage?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "Frasi didn’t have any e-commerce to speak of – to buy anything, you had to visit the brick-and-mortar in Florence. But its closure is an opportunity to talk about something I’ve been thinking about for a while: the importance of supporting companies that add value to your life, even if those benefits aren’t fully captured in the products and services you're receiving." - [Support Stores That Bring You Value (Derek Guy for *Die, Workwear!*)](https://dieworkwear.com/post/183619639089/support-stores-that-bring-you-value?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "Shen Yun was a Baader-Meinhof object: once I saw it, I started to see it everywhere. Shen Yun greeted me silently at the bus stop and loomed over highway exits, following me around on the physical plane of existence the way anything you shop for on the Internet starts to follow you around online." - [Stepping Into the Uncanny, Unsettling World of Shen Yun (Jia Tolentino for *The New Yorker*)](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/stepping-into-the-uncanny-unsettling-world-of-shen-yun?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "Like many good things, the internet started out small." - [👀 Noticing: Sharing 10 Good Things on the Internet This Week. 3/29/2019 (Tim Carmody for *Noticing*)](https://mailchi.mp/kottke/noticing-10-good-things-7601651?ref=drewshannon.net) ### Modest Operations | Newsletter Volume 18 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/modest-operations-newsletter-volume-18/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T22:24:38.000Z I was saddened to read [the news](https://www.tubefilter.com/2019/03/22/stylehaul-layoffs-shutdown-us-operations/?ref=drewshannon.net) late last week that StyleHaul is shuttering their US operations and moving everything to the UK. I spent nearly 3 wonderful years there, and was lucky to work with a lot of great people. If you're hiring in New York or LA, please get in touch, and I'll do my best to route all job listings to the appropriate people. Have a great week, **This Week's Links** *A list of things I've been reading & thinking about.*\* "The question Uniqlo faces now is whether it can inherit the Gap’s empire without repeating its mistakes. To do so, it will have to convince shoppers across the country of a proposition that’s radical for the industry: Fashion can be affordable without being disposable." - [Why Urban Millennials Love Uniqlo (Gillian B. White for *The Atlantic*)](https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/04/uniqlo-millennials-gap/583219/?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "In other words, newcomers to the watch world may want to heed the warning attached to brokerage advertisements on television: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Or, they may just want to buy whatever looks cool and leave it at that." - [Watches Are Yet Another Easy Way Rich People Make Their Money Into More Money (Alex Williams for The *New York Times*)](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/20/style/collectible-watches.html?ref=drewshannon.net) ### Modest Operations | Newsletter Volume 17 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/modest-operations-newsletter-volume-17/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T22:24:37.000Z Lots going on around here as we prepare for a busy travel-filled spring, settle into new jobs & work projects, and contemplate a cross-town move. All good things, but hectic nonetheless. *(Giphy <> Mailchimp integration?!)* **This Week's Links** *A list of things I've been reading & thinking about. "New research explains the psychology behind my state of mind: People who attach dollar signs to their time — or 'value time like money' — tend to be overwhelmingly less happy than those who don’t, because their nonworking hours suddenly seem less important. 'Free' time gets tainted with guilt because there’s a cost associated with it." -* [*The Psychological Trap of Freelancing (Charlotte Cowles for*](https://www.thecut.com/2019/02/why-freelancing-creates-anxiety-about-money.html?ref=drewshannon.net)[The Cut](https://www.thecut.com/2019/02/why-freelancing-creates-anxiety-about-money.html?ref=drewshannon.net)\*[)](https://www.thecut.com/2019/02/why-freelancing-creates-anxiety-about-money.html?ref=drewshannon.net) \* I'm currently enjoying Ghostly International's 20th Anniversary playlist on Spotify, which is also available on Apple Music. 11+(!) hours of music to listen to while relaxing or working. [Listen to them both here](https://ghostly.com/?ref=drewshannon.net). \* "The co-working giant’s real product isn’t office space — it’s a new kind of 'corporate culture.'" - [The Rise of the WeWorking Class (Gideon Lewis-Kraus for The *New York Times*)](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/02/21/magazine/wework-coworking-office-space.html?ref=drewshannon.net) ### Modest Operations | Newsletter Volume 16 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/modest-operations-newsletter-volume-16/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T22:24:37.000Z Coming back from vacation (a wonderful international one, at that) is always a bit tricky, and it's true what they say about one's first trip to Asia being pretty mind-expanding, but I'm happy to be back. **This Week's Links** *A list of things I've been reading & thinking about.*\* "On November 9, 2018, a dog named Mera became the first of her kind to reach the summit of Baruntse, a 23,389-foot peak in Nepal’s Himalayas, located just south of Mount Everest. The peak, often overlooked as it lies in the shadow of some of the tallest mountains in the world, is a steep, challenging climb in its own right. Other than a brief human-aided zip line down a short section of fixed line, Mera made the ascent completely unsupported." - [The First Canine Ascent of a 7,000-Meter Himalayan Peak (Anna Callaghan for *Outside*)](https://www.outsideonline.com/2390456/first-dog-ascent-baruntse-nepal?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "Once I started meeting with people, I told them about these projects, and it was a great way to show them what I was about, and to become the 'Hey, you're that guy who did that thing with the coffee..' etc. When things get slow, experiment. Find something that's interesting to you and tinker with it, try it out." - [7 Things When Work Got Slow as a Freelancer (David Sherry for *Creative Caffeine*)](https://us19.campaign-archive.com/?id=dce1932127&u=c902571b9ac0aa0e45b3cc71e&ref=drewshannon.net) \* "The reason Outlier continues to exist in such a difficult product world comes down to some decidedly unsexy reasons. They’re willing to go further and work harder to create things that aim to provide real-world value in a sea of clothing that is often forgotten in subsequent days after it leaves the front pages of the Internet." - [The Outlier Way — Clothing Unwavering Against Compromise (Eugene Kan for *Maekan*)](https://www.maekan.com/share/the-outlier-way-clothing-unwavering-in-compromise?ref=drewshannon.net) ### Modest Operations | Newsletter Volume 15 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/modest-operations-newsletter-volume-15/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T22:24:36.000Z I forgot to schedule this newsletter to automatically send out this morning (LA time), so I'm sending it now (Wednesday morning Tokyo time). Hope everyone's having a great week! Back to our regularly scheduled programming next week. **This Week's Links** *A list of things I've been reading & thinking about.*\* "The upper echelon is hoarding money and privilege to a degree not seen in decades. But that doesn’t make them happy at work." - [America’s Professional Elite: Wealthy, Successful and Miserable (Charles Duhigg for *The New York Times Magazine*)](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/02/21/magazine/elite-professionals-jobs-happiness.html?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "The world of congressional staffs is one of long hours and low pay, with much of the work shouldered by twentysomething junior aides who are learning on the job. Some members of Congress are notorious for round-the-clock phone calls, late-night email and fierce attention to their own press coverage. Ms. Klobuchar is among them, but former aides said they were especially troubled by her willingness — in excess of other senators’, they said — to embarrass staff members over minor missteps or with odd requests." - [How Amy Klobuchar Treats Her Staff](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/22/us/politics/amy-klobuchar-staff.html?ref=drewshannon.net) [(Matt Flegenheimer and Sydney Ember for *The New York Times*)](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/22/us/politics/amy-klobuchar-staff.html?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "For our Money issue, we interviewed 15 people—and asked writer Ijeoma Oluo to contribute an essay—on the subject of windfalls. How they got their money, and what they did with it, was both as intensely personal, and shaped by cultural expectations, as anything else." - [15 People Whose Lives Were Suddenly Changed by a Financial Windfall (Andy Wright, Jhoni Jackson and Haley Cohen Gilliland for *Topic*)](https://www.topic.com/financial-windfalls-15-stories-of-the-money-that-changed-everything?ref=drewshannon.net) ### Modest Operations | Newsletter Volume 14 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/modest-operations-newsletter-volume-14/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T22:24:35.000Z Hello from somewhere over the Pacific Ocean, or perhaps Alaska, on our way to Hong Kong! This was a week with lighter and more casual reads than normal, which I'm chalking up to pre-vacation mind-wandering. Have a great week. **This Week's Links** *A list of things I've been reading & thinking about.*\* "'I’ve been told by our distributor that we sell the largest quantity of Veuve Clicquot in all of North America for an individual establishment,' boasts Tommy Tollesson, Cloud Nine’s manager. He also claims that Cloud Nine earns the highest revenue per square foot of any restaurant in the U.S., even though it’s only open 135 days a year." - [Things I Never Knew About Skiing Until I Was a Private Instructor in Aspen](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2019-02-12/secrets-of-aspen-ski-instructors-from-sex-to-spilled-champagne?ref=drewshannon.net) [(Brandon Presser for Bloomberg)](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2019-02-12/secrets-of-aspen-ski-instructors-from-sex-to-spilled-champagne?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "There is no doubt that this type of health care advertising-cum-storytelling is effective — and is frequently compliant with federal regulations. But there’s a more important question we need to be asking: Is it ethical?" - ["Patient influencers" are the latest Instagram trend, and they want to sell you drugs and devices (Suzanne Zuppello for *Vox*)](https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/2/15/18211007/medical-sponcon-instagram-influencer-pharmaceutical?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "There are lots of reasons for why you’d want to start and run a business. Passion isn’t a permit you need to acquire before setting off." - [Permits of passion (David Heinemeier Hansson for *Signal vs. Noise*)](https://m.signalvnoise.com/permits-of-passion/?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "It’s insane that we raised $750,000 for fucking salmon, and I don’t even have a bank account with $20,000 in it to send my coworkers to rehabilitation. The fact is we’re a motley crew of pirates who all need to speak to someone a bit." - [My Restaurant Was the Greatest Show of Excess You’d Ever Seen, and It Almost Killed Me (David McMillan for *Bon Appetit*)](https://www.bonappetit.com/story/david-mcmillan-sober?ref=drewshannon.net) ### Modest Operations | Newsletter Volume 13 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/modest-operations-newsletter-volume-13/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T22:24:34.000Z Thanks so much to everyone for the great response to [last week's newsletter](https://drewshannon.net/modest-operations-newsletter-volume-12/?ref=drewshannon.net)! It sounds like I'm not alone in wanting a better travel logging / recommendation app, but a few people have recommended Yelp and Google Maps, which I'm eager to explore. Now, for a bit of housekeeping - as mentioned last week, Sarah and I are headed to Japan & Hong Kong next week as a getaway in between jobs for her. As of now, I'm still planning to send out newsletters while we're away, but I also reserve the right to renege on that if travel gets the better of me. We've already received some wonderful recommendations, but are still accepting them if anyone has any! **This Week's Links** *A list of things I've been reading & thinking about.*\* "One of the basic assumptions of GTD is that you are dumb—or, rather, that your subconsciousness is quite dumb when it comes to thinking about things you should have done. For example knowing you need to fix your bike before next week, but instead of reminding you when you actually drive by the bicycle shop, it implants an incessant feeling of 'I need to remember… something' in your brain." - [GTD in 15 minutes – A Pragmatic Guide to Getting Things Done (Erland Hamberg for *Hamberg.no*)](https://hamberg.no/gtd?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "You could drive yourself crazy trying to make sense of Eraserhead. Why is there a woman singing in a radiator? Why is there a half-dead foetus thing that looks like a skinned rabbit? In life, as in Lynch movies, sometimes you have to accept that strange, inexplicable things exist in this world. For humans, as pattern-seeking animals, it’s hard to accept that, sometimes, 2 + 2 = 5\. But when we do, when we see the beauty in that? Oh boy." - [10 wellness tips according to David Lynch (Oliver Lunn for *Dazed Digital*)](https://www.dazeddigital.com/soul/article/42996/1/10-wellness-tips-from-david-lynch?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "In the new world of networks, the audience model will never again be as valuable, interesting, or relevant. This fundamental truth about networks vs. audiences is the reason I’ve scratched my head over the years about the rise of BuzzFeed, Vice, and other new digital media companies that sought audiences over networks yet still positioned themselves as technology companies." - Dear digital media companies, what did you think was going to happen? [(Gina Bianchini for *LinkedIn*)](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/dear-digital-media-companies-what-did-you-think-going-gina-bianchini?ref=drewshannon.net) ### Modest Operations | Newsletter Volume 12 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/modest-operations-newsletter-volume-12/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T22:24:34.000Z Sarah and I just booked a trip to Tokyo, Kyoto, and Hong Kong later this month, which is tickling my research brain in all the right ways. Currently accepting any and all recommendations for things to eat, drink, and see! On a related note, I'm still searching for the perfect tool for bookmarking places to go while traveling (or even while at home). I've been a longtime Foursquare / Swarm user, but I have a few small gripes with it, so I'm curious to hear about what other people use. I'm looking for something that can save locations, let me add private notes about each location, display simple location metadata (address, phone number, website, etc), show my saved locations on a map, can log the places on the list that I've actually visited, and as a nice-to-have, is tied into a review database of some kind. Now that I've written that all down, it sounds like I have unreasonably high standards, but I don't *think* that's the case? **This Week's Links** *A list of things I've been reading & thinking about.*\* "Something else for my to-do list is to retune my internet. I've been taking five minutes here and there, but I need to give it a couple of hours soon. Here are the rules. Facebook is for misery, so don't use it, at all. Twitter is for news, so just read it. Instagram is for joy, for as long as Instagram lasts, so filter it well. RSS is for information, good writing, music and the Isles of Blogging." - [(Warren Ellis for *Orbital Operations*)](https://orbitaloperations.cmail19.com/t/ViewEmail/d/2CDE5076586D3C162540EF23F30FEDED/5072850640DE79178BD4C707EBCCB890?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "Under ad-driven platform capitalism, everyone to some extent has to calibrate their statements like an advertiser, and market test their positions...Ted Nelson, who is a hero of mine and invented hypertext, had a conception of the web as a series of hardcoded attributions. So if you had an idea, every instance of your thinking online could be traced back to you (this inspired Saga). What eventually won out was Tim Berners-Lee’s conception of the web, in which the individual was free to do what they wanted to, unrestricted, with whatever information they came across, attribution be damned. So the individual could now say, “I like this, and like this, and like that,” package and market it, and receive all the spoils for their curation and marketing efforts. Does that sound familiar?" - [(Philosopher and digital artist Mat Dryhurst on redesigning the system (Mat Dryhurst for *The Creative Independent*)](https://thecreativeindependent.com/people/philosopher-and-digital-artist-mat-dryhurst-on-redesigning-the-system/?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "These tools are reducing the amount of time and coding expertise required to translate an idea into something people can use. You no longer need to become a programmer to build things on the internet, empowering a new wave of makers from different backgrounds and perspectives." - [(The Rise of “No Code” – Ryan Hoover for *Medium)*](https://medium.com/@rrhoover/the-rise-of-no-code-e733d7c0944d?ref=drewshannon.net) ### Modest Operations | Newsletter Volume 11 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/modest-operations-newsletter-volume-11/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T22:24:33.000Z Pretty light week this week reading-wise, which I'm going to arbitrarily blame on the LA rain. **This Week's Links** *A list of things I've been reading & thinking about.*\* "The scandals that loom so large on Twitter don’t necessarily interest consumers; instead, the tempest of these controversies remains confined to a handful of internet teapots where a few angry voices can seem thunderously loud." - [The Toxic Drama on YA Twitter (Kat Rosenfield for *Vulture*)](https://www.vulture.com/2017/08/the-toxic-drama-of-ya-twitter.html?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "When he first arrived at the company, Christian didn’t have much to do, so he spent part of his days reading about sports. He hid it by cutting and pasting articles from the ESPN website into empty emails so that, from afar, it looked like he was absorbed in work-related correspondence." - [(John Carreyrou for *Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup*)](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37976541-bad-blood?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "Part of what makes Heather and her writing so compelling is an ability to brighten the space between striving for who we want to be, and appreciating how we currently live, messiness and all." - [Madeleine Dore for *Extraordinary Measure*s)](https://www.extraordinaryroutines.com/heather-havrilesky/?ref=drewshannon.net) ### Modest Operations | Newsletter Volume 10 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/modest-operations-newsletter-volume-10/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T22:24:32.000Z As I was putting this volume of the newsletter together, I realized that one of the unexpected side benefits of doing this on a weekly basis is that, in looking back through the quotes I've saved to [Evernote](https://evernote.com/?ref=drewshannon.net), I'm able to notice patterns about what has somehow risen to the forefront of my short attention span. If I was half as good at actually reading the items on my Instapaper list as I am at saving them, I'd be nearly superhuman in my media consumption, so I'm left to just cherry-pick the articles that pique my interest. This week, it seems to be email and writing...mixed in with politics and current events? **This Week's Links** *A list of things I've been reading & thinking about.*\* "A commonplace book is a central resource or depository for ideas, quotes, anecdotes, observations and information you come across during your life and didactic pursuits. The purpose of the book is to record and organize these gems for later use in your life, in your business, in your writing, speaking or whatever it is that you do." - [How And Why To Keep A “Commonplace Book” (Ryan Holiday for *RyanHoliday.net*)](https://ryanholiday.net/how-and-why-to-keep-a-commonplace-book/?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "We spent 12 months investigating various lawsuits and allegations against Singer. In total, we spoke with more than 50 sources, including four men who have never before told their stories to reporters." - [‘Nobody Is Going to Believe You’ (Alex French and Maximillian Potter for *The Atlantic*)](https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/03/bryan-singers-accusers-speak-out/580462/?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "It’s too easy when you’re writing full time to feel like you should stuff every single minute with writing, even when you know reading is a huge part of your job." - [The ideal routine (Austin Kleon for *AustinKleon.com*)](https://austinkleon.com/2019/01/23/the-ideal-routine/?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "A good communication architecture enables information to flow across the company (up and down, side to side) without impediment. It ensures that every person understands the organization’s strategy and priorities (and their own role in it); that people can easily access the information they need to do their job well; that people understand how to make and communicate decisions; problems are surfaced to leaders efficiently." - [The CEO’s most important operational responsibility (Gokul Rajaram for *Medium*)](https://medium.com/@gokulrajaram/designing-a-communication-architecture-the-ceos-most-important-operational-responsibility-28937bd291e8?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "To summarize, CEO emails trump other forms of one-to-many communication in authenticity and permanence. Period." - [The weekly CEO e-mail (Gokul Rajaram for *Medium*)](https://medium.com/@gokulrajaram/the-weekly-ceo-e-mail-b5eaafcee6fa?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "Email is definitely not ideal, but it is: decentralized, reliable, and not going anywhere—and more and more, those feel like quasi-magical properties." - [The 'Future Book' Is Here, but It's Not What We Expected](https://www.wired.com/story/future-book-is-here-but-not-what-we-expected/?ref=drewshannon.net) [(Craig Mod for *Wired*)](https://www.wired.com/story/future-book-is-here-but-not-what-we-expected/?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "Last weekend I tweeted out some larval thoughts about what I call 'feel-bad liberalism,' or a style of liberalism that seems mostly concerned with expanding the list of things left-of-center people should feel bad or guilty about, often in ways that (I would argue) are much less tangibly connected to improving the world and addressing injustice than certain people claim them to be, and/or which rely on rather radical notions of politics or language that have little purchase in the real world." - [Help Me Name This Thing, Send Me Questions, And A Reader Has Some Smart Thoughts On "Feel-Bad Liberalism" (Jesse Singal for *Singal-Minded*)](https://jessesingal.substack.com/p/help-me-name-this-thing-send-me-questions) ### Modest Operations | Newsletter Volume 9 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/modest-operations-newsletter-volume-9/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T22:24:31.000Z My links are a bit all over the place this week. I've recently gotten back on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/?ref=drewshannon.net) and have been catching up with what's going on over there, despite my love/hate relationship with it. I still think that it's among the best places to stay up-to-date with what's going on, but I'm not sure that that's always a good thing. I can definitely spot a correlation between increased twitter consumption and increased feelings of anxiety, so I'm trying to figure out how to stay engaged and educated, while not getting sucked into the fake gamesmanship of it all. This isn't meant to be a Politics or Current Events-focused newsletter, so I'll leave more of the analysis to the professionals. **This Week's Links** *A list of things I've been reading & thinking about.*\* "Emphasis is one problem. Associating with genuinely bad people is another. Go a click in one direction and the group is enhanced by intellectuals with tony affiliations like Steven Pinker at Harvard. But go a click in another and you’ll find alt-right figures like Stefan Molyneux and Milo Yiannopoulos and conspiracy theorists like Mike Cernovich (the #PizzaGate huckster) and Alex Jones (the Sandy Hook shooting denier)." - [Opinion | Meet the Renegades of the Intellectual Dark Web](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/08/opinion/intellectual-dark-web.html?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "Seniority is becoming less about years of experience on your resume and more about your mindset, your behaviors, and your ability to influence change in the organization, whether that’s through state-of-art interfaces or pure thought leadership and articulation...Our KPIs will start to shift from engagement-centered metrics to affinity-related ones. Ultimately, our metric will become making sure users themselves are achieving their own personal KPIs. Not because we are benevolent gods, but because it’s part of our job. And because users will demand so." - [The State of UX in 2019 (Fabricio Teixeira and Caio Braga for UX Collective)](https://trends.uxdesign.cc/?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "…I guess I’m kind of a professional hermit?" - [Why I ignore the design industry on purpose (Jonas Downey for Signal vs. Noise)](https://m.signalvnoise.com/why-i-ignore-the-design-industry-on-purpose/?ref=drewshannon.net) ### Modest Operations | Newsletter Volume 8 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/modest-operations-newsletter-volume-8/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T22:24:31.000Z It took me a few weeks to get back into the swing of things after the normal post-holiday lethargy, but I'm feeling energized and excited about 2019 so far. Since mid-December, I've been working on something that's as close to a dream project as I can imagine, and while most of my experience over the last 7 or 8 years has been with startups, this one has been with a large corporation. It's been an eye-opening reminder to get out of my bubble more often. Finally, I'm looking for some new reading material - ***what are you reading these days?*** **This Week's Links** *A list of things I've been reading & thinking about.*\* "But she, like others close to him, worries about how much time he spends on the road, and how much emotional capital he gives away. 'It feeds him in a very important ways, but because I love Andrew I am concerned about him,” she said.'" - [Andrew Zimmern’s Nonstop Road (and Food) Show (Kim Severson for The New York Times)](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/11/dining/andrew-zimmern-profile.html?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "The rundle The consumer world begins to distill to a small number of mega brands or networks that are recurring revenue bundles ('rundle'). Business has mistaken 'choice' as a good thing. Consumers want less choice, but instead confidence in the (fewer) choices presented to them. We begin to witness a finite series of consumer networks: media, apparel, travel, and health. It’s going to be an arms race, with cheap capital as the munitions, to see what brands and retailers can establish credible/compelling bundles." - [2019 Predictions (Scott Galloway for L2Inc)](https://www.l2inc.com/daily-insights/no-mercy-no-malice/2019-predictions?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "Knowing that each entity is strong enough to stand on its own has given Stone and Cohen the impetus to dismantle the barrier between the two companies in an effort to make better use of resources and to fortify the magazine/agency model they’ve pioneered–a model that has been duplicated by other outlets including Vice and its agency arm Virtue Worldwide, as well as Complex magazine’s aggressive branded content strategy." - [How Fader Magazine And Its Creative Agency Are “Bucking Traditions” To Shape Culture](https://www.fastcompany.com/40454019/how-fader-magazine-and-its-creative-agency-are-bucking-traditions-to-shape-culture?ref=drewshannon.net) [(KC Ifeanyi for Fast Company)](https://www.fastcompany.com/40454019/how-fader-magazine-and-its-creative-agency-are-bucking-traditions-to-shape-culture?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "Your first encounter with a Pomodoro will feel like a religious experience. The amount of crap you can get done without interruption is staggering; I find that on 2-pomodoro-days, I confidently wrap up my work day an hour earlier than normal. And no one’s offended that I waited 25 minutes to respond to them." - [Here's to an Epic 2019 (in 7 steps) (Khe Hy for RadReads)](https://www.khehy.com/epic-2019?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "'We’re trying to be anarchists, but I’m trying to be a good boy and do a good job for the network,' he said. What he’s engaged in now, he said, 'is this gradual progression toward me making the job fit me more — what do I like?'" - [Conan O’Brien Wants to Scare Himself with the New, Shorter ‘Conan’ (David Itzkoff for The New York Times)](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/14/arts/television/conan-obrien-tbs-show-reboot-half-hour.html?ref=drewshannon.net) ### Modest Operations | Newsletter Volume 7 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/modest-operations-newsletter-volume-7/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T22:24:30.000Z After a few weeks of admittedly half-assed newsletters due to holiday travel and a wicked case of norovirus, I'm back! I've really enjoyed reading a lot of folks' 2018 recaps over the last few weeks, but haven't had it in me to do my own. If I'm being honest, other than [a](https://austinkleon.com/2018/12/28/2018-the-year-in-reading/?ref=drewshannon.net) [few](https://craigmod.com/essays/?ref=drewshannon.net) [standouts](https://radreads.co/annual-review/?ref=drewshannon.net), 2018 was a weird / lost year that I'm to leave in the past. **This Week's Links** *A list of things I've been reading & thinking about.*\* "Even before we started making jeans ten years ago, we always tried to design with two values in mind: creating clothes that people would want to wear for a long time, and producing them to a standard that would allow them to physically hold up for years and years." - [Reflections on 15 Years. (Johan & Andrew for 3Sixteen)](https://www.3sixteen.com/blogs/news/reflections-on-15-years?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "The line between bold and reckless is thinner than people think, and you cannot believe in risk without believing in luck, because they are two sides of the same coin. They are both the simple idea that sometimes things happen that influence outcomes more than effort alone can achieve." - [The Psychology of Money (Morgan Housel for The Collaborative Fund)](http://www.collaborativefund.com/blog/the-psychology-of-money/?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "Maintenance takes time and energy that can sometimes impede other forms of progress such as learning about new things." - [These things I know for sure (Andrea Zittel for WTF.tw)](http://wtf.tw/ref/zittel.html?ref=drewshannon.net) ### Modest Operations | Newsletter Volume 6 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/modest-operations-newsletter-volume-6/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T22:24:29.000Z Happy New Year! Here's to a great 2019. **This Week's Links** *A list of things I've been reading & thinking about.*\* "When Congress created the Consumer Product Safety Commission in 1972, a Democratic lawmaker from Michigan won a provision that prohibits the federal government from regulating gun safety. Firearms are the only product for which the government cannot issue a mandatory recall." - [He Testified Against His Son, But Came to Blame the Gun (Casey Parks for The Trace)](https://www.thetrace.org/features/remington-rifle-mississippi-brothers-shooting/?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "This is because booze is really about displacement. Drinking is actually about saying ‘it’s nice to see you and I’m in a good mood and there are lots of things worrying me at the moment drinking allows me to forget briefly. Please don’t suggest I have a dependancy problem and ruin it for me.’" - [The Unifying Theory of Alcohol (Dan Kieran for Medium)](https://medium.com/@dan%5Fkieran/the-unifying-theory-of-alcohol-f9bf083b847e?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "“We’re the Tumblr band, really, in every sense,” he said, describing the demographic and conceptual overlap: “Young girls, kind of an idealistic sense of romance, edgy but actually kind of beautiful, and you can play it in your mom’s car.”" - [Can a Quote-Unquote Band Drag Rock Into the Future? The 1975 Is Trying Its Hardest (Joe Coscarelli for The New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/11/arts/music/the-1975-matty-healy-interview.html?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "But he 'wasn’t putting any seeds in the ground,' he says. 'I was in panic mode.'" - [The Search for Good Vibes: How Theophilus London Lost, Then Found His Glow (Brad Wete for Billboard)](https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/8490858/theophilus-london-profile-comeback-bebey?ref=drewshannon.net) ### Modest Operations | Newsletter Volume 5 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/modest-operations-newsletter-volume-5/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T22:24:28.000Z I'm frantically typing this and trying to get the newsletter out the door in between family holiday events and skipping a week after only 4 volumes didn't seem very auspicious, so I'll keep it brief this week. Have a wonderful holiday season. **This Week's Links** *A list of things I've been reading & thinking about.*\* "By providing a constant reminder of all the things he didn’t know, Eco’s library kept him intellectually hungry and perpetually curious. An ever-growing collection of books you haven’t yet read can do the same for you." - [Why you should surround yourself with more books than you’ll ever have time to read (Jessica Stillman for Fast Company)](https://www.fastcompany.com/90275343/why-you-should-surround-yourself-with-more-books-than-youll-ever-have-time-to-read?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "But now that you mention it, 'Hey, could you …' as an opening in a business request tactic is both widespread and irritating. I do it constantly! It’s smug, it’s fake-friendly, and it muddies the water. If you can’t really say 'No, I can’t' in response, then the question is crud. Let’s kill that, instead of reinstating the ancient 'please.' (I will try, and I will fail.)" - [Oh Please Stop Saying Please (Choire Sicha for The New York Times)](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/20/business/ghosting-your-job.html?ref=drewshannon.net) ### Modest Operations | Newsletter Volume 4 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/modest-operations-newsletter-volume-4/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T22:24:28.000Z I spent the last week in between projects, which presented a good opportunity to take care of a lot of personal & professional errands (website updates! marketing outreach! health insurance! holiday shopping! meditation! reading for fun! haircut!) and clean up a lot of the digital detritus that had accumulated over the last few years. With a new short-term-ish full-time contract starting this week, the plan is for things to just get busier from here on out, so I'm soaking up every chance to tackle personal admin stuff that I can. **This Week's Links** *A list of things I've been reading & thinking about. "Policies are part of the organizational code of a company. Not only should that code be open source, it should be tinkered with, improved, critiqued, forked, and refactored. Let’s do that." -* [*All Basecamp policies are now on GitHub and licensed under creative commons via Instapaper (David Heinemeier Hansson for Signal vs. Noise)*](https://m.signalvnoise.com/all-basecamp-policies-are-now-on-github-and-licensed-under-creative-commons-4f45d91eb5af?ref=drewshannon.net) *\* "It’s very strange that a part of the country has elevated disrespect to a kind of virtue. And I think that is inseparable from the idea that the marginalized people who are demanding respect in our society…there’s a lot of people who feel like they shouldn’t have to respect them. They are resentful of the idea that they should respect them.” -* [*Adam Serwer on white political correctness (Adam Serwer for the Ezra Klein Show)*](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-ezra-klein-show/id1081584611?ref=drewshannon.net) *\* "Regain your sanity with a minimal read-it-later app designed around minimalism, productivity, and digital wellbeing. Save your browser tabs, links, favorites, and pages you emailed yourself, that you plan to “read later” but usually never do, into an app where you can read them comfortably and efficiently, and that values your reading time."*[*(Reading Queue)*](https://readingqueue.com/?ref=drewshannon.net)(Editor's note: I haven't tried this yet, but if I was half as good at actually reading my Instapaper articles as I am at saving them, I'd be a lot more well-read, so this seems like an interesting tool)\* ### Modest Operations | Newsletter Volume 3 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/modest-operations-newsletter-volume-3/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T22:24:27.000Z We're in that weird limbo period between Thanksgiving and Christmas / NYE where everyone's hesitant to start any major new projects, but they also want to tie up any loose ends before some time off. A combination of senioritis and the two-minute drill. Have a great week. **This Week's Links** *A list of things I've been reading & thinking about. “Andrés:*\* I think Tony always saw himself as a man always on the edge of the good or the bad. It’s like a knife. It’s a very small edge, a very thin edge, but you have to be careful because you can cut yourself and you’ll never know what side of the knife’s blade you’re going to end up on.” - [The Enormous Life of Anthony Bourdain, According to Those Who Knew Him Best](https://www.gq.com/story/anthony-bourdain-men-of-the-year-tribute?ref=drewshannon.net)[(](https://www.gq.com/story/anthony-bourdain-men-of-the-year-tribute?ref=drewshannon.net)[Drew Magary for GQ)](https://www.gq.com/story/anthony-bourdain-men-of-the-year-tribute?ref=drewshannon.net) \* “A lot of the best work I’ve ever done started out as something completely different because I gave myself permission to have space around my time and expectations. It’s about being open to the idea that I’m the fucking pilot of this jet; I’m the one who has to decide all the stuff that happens in the Merlin Mann Enterprise. The more I accept that and build the relationships I want to have in order to make that work, the better off I am. It’s when I abdicate the power for that and start blaming the world for why things are the way they are that life goes tits-up.” - [Merlin Mann (Merlin Mann for The Great Discontent)](http://thegreatdiscontent.com/merlin-mann?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "If you traffic in perfect, it pays to turn your perfect into a system, not simply wing it. In the last fifty years, thanks to Deming and Crosby and others, we’ve gotten significantly better at creating perfect outputs that don’t rely on heroism and luck. Design a better system, you’ll get better outputs." - [Perfect Processes (Seth Godin for Seth's Blog)](https://seths.blog/2018/12/perfect-processes/?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "Susan and Renee ran Boat Street on a human scale, with real respect, care, and a minimum of stupid rules." - [Delancey: A Man, a Woman, a Restaurant, a Marriage (by Molly Wizenberg)](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18295824-delancey?ref=drewshannon.net) ### Modest Operations | Newsletter Volume 2 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/modest-operations-newsletter-volume-2/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T22:24:26.000Z Hopefully everyone had a nice relaxing Thanksgiving holiday with friends and family. My pants are fitting a bit tighter this week, but my bank account is still mostly in tact after successfully avoiding most of the Black Friday madness. I'll count that as a win. Work-wise, I've got some interesting projects in the works and have been having a bunch of fulfilling conversations since launching a few weeks ago. For those curious about what Modest Operations is exactly, I recently wrote a post on LinkedIn [HERE](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/drewshannon%5Fmodest-operations-email-newsletter-activity-6476192423021203456-o9D-?ref=drewshannon.net), which I'll likely be reposting on [Medium](https://medium.com/@drewshannon?ref=drewshannon.net) here in the next few days. Have a great week. **This Week's Links** *A list of things I've been reading & thinking about.*\* “I know of no more scalable way to engage a large audience than the written word. Given that, I thought it might be helpful to share some of the things that have helped me in my journey to writing more.” - [Writing Is Thinking (Andrew Bosworth for Boz.com)](http://boz.com/articles/writing-thinking.html?ref=drewshannon.net) \* “Every adult I know — or at least the ones who are depressed — continually suffers from something like sticker shock (that is, when you go shopping for something for the first time and are shocked to find it costs way, way more than you thought). Only it’s with effort. It’s Effort Shock. We have a vague idea in our head of the 'price' of certain accomplishments, how difficult it should be to get a degree, or succeed at a job, or stay in shape, or raise a kid, or build a house. And that vague idea is almost always catastrophically wrong. Accomplishing worthwhile things isn’t just a little harder than people think; it’s 10 or 20 times harder.” - [A willingness to be bad (Austin Kleon for AustinKleon.com)](https://austinkleon.com/2018/09/20/a-willingness-to-be-bad/?ref=drewshannon.net) \* “If you hate him, it’s likely because he represents what you’ve always resented about the world — that someone so utterly thoughtless and lacking evident empathy could still thrive, and worse, become wildly famous. If you like him, it’s likely because there’s something inspiring about all that success” - [Even When He Loses, Logan Paul Wins (Scaachi Koul for Buzzfeed News)](https://www.buzzfeed.com/scaachikoul/even-when-he-loses-logan-paul-wins?ref=drewshannon.net) \* “...It’s no surprise then, given the challenge, that clients tend to rely on org charts to make sense of their organizations. But org charts don’t communicate purpose. And org charts should be strategic, but strategy is nowhere to be found on an org chart. Moreover, org charts don’t tell teams how to work together. As org charts have proliferated as the de facto tool for organizational design, they’ve also had the unintended effect of training managers to think first in reporting lines or headcount and not purpose and strategies. Over the last year, we’ve struck upon a better solution. We call it The Organizational Charter.” - [How We Describe an Organization (NOBL.io)](https://nobl.io/leadership-resources/2018/2/organizational-charter?ref=drewshannon.net) \* For the last few years, I've participated in the [Goodreads Reading Challenge](https://www.goodreads.com/?ref=drewshannon.net). This year, I challenged myself to read 25 books, and if I continue my current pace, it looks like I'll hit my goal by the end of the year (but just barely). I'm usually much more of a non-fiction reader, but have recently been enjoying Nick Bilton's [American Kingpin](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31920777-american-kingpin?ref=drewshannon.net) about the story of the Silk Road. ### Modest Operations | Newsletter Volume 1 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/modest-operations-newsletter-volume-1/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T22:24:04.000Z This email newsletter is a bit of an experiment, but I hope you'll follow along with me. The basic gist is that I'll be sending a list of my favorite things across the web on a (somewhat) weekly basis. I've been doing something similar with my [personal blog](https://drewshannon.net/?ref=drewshannon.net) for the last few years, and am taking it to a new medium (and new name). I've personally been a fan of email newsletters as a medium for awhile, and I'd be remiss if I didn't mention a few of the great creators, designers, writers, friends, and colleagues I've drawn on for inspiration. Some of my favorites include - [Just Another Crowd](https://justanothercrowd.com/?ref=drewshannon.net), [Dense Discovery](https://www.densediscovery.com/?ref=drewshannon.net), [Hurry Slowly](https://hurryslowly.co/?ref=drewshannon.net), [Startup Resources](https://startupresources.io/?ref=drewshannon.net), [Royal Braun](https://royalbraun.com/?ref=drewshannon.net), [For The Interested](https://fortheinterested.com/?ref=drewshannon.net), [Stay Hipp](https://stayhipp.com/?ref=drewshannon.net), and [READ.LOOK.THINK](http://jessicastanley.com.au/category/read-look-think/?ref=drewshannon.net). Finally, you can check the footer of this email for links to the various Modest Operations social platforms. I think that most of the content will be similar across each, so don't feel like you need to go crazy and follow everything. Without further ado, here are some of the things I've been reading and thinking about lately... **This Week's Links** *A list of things I've been reading & thinking about.*\* “Writing is frightening, and so is life, with its multitude of surprises and disappointments and, too, its overwhelming pleasures. I am a sensitive person, and so I don’t remember a time when, as a defense against life — its terrors and its rich abundance — I did not crave the comfort of smallness.” - [Finding Comfort in Small Spaces (Jessica Gross For Longreads)](https://longreads.com/2018/09/24/finding-comfort-in-small-spaces/?ref=drewshannon.net) \* “Systems aren’t exciting, but they are essential. Create efficient processes and automate as many steps as possible.” - [How to Do. One. Thing. At. A. Time (Aytekin Tank for the Jotform Blog)](https://www.jotform.com/blog/do-one-thing-at-a-time?ref=drewshannon.net) \* “I have taught an introduction to organizational behavior class for more than 30 years...For years, the last day felt awkward and forced as I struggled to look back on what the class had learned, provide some closure, and end on an upbeat note. About 15 years ago, I experimented with an ending ritual: I passed out a list of 12 things that I believe, made a brief comment about each one, and thanked the class for their efforts and for putting up with my quirks and imperfections. The list contained many opinions that were related to the class. But they also drew on other work I hadn’t mentioned in class and my general perspective on life” - [14 Things I Believe: Updated for 2018 (Bob Sutton for Medium)](https://medium.com/@bobsutton/14-things-i-believe-updated-for-2018-4ad1602c106d?ref=drewshannon.net) ### November 24, 2018 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-180455001889/ Last updated: 2026-09-26T01:26:08.000Z ![Clear plastic strip curtains looking into an alley beside a 'Market: No alcohol beyond this point' sign.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/11/180455001889_0.jpg) ![Sunlit white brick facade with dark industrial doors labeled 'EAST GUSTON GALLERY' and geometric shadows.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/11/180455001889_1.jpg) ![Patrons at an outdoor restaurant bar on a sun-dappled patio with pendant lights and lush potted greenery.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/11/180455001889_2.jpg) ![Parking garage entrance with a clearance bar reading 'CLEARANCE 8'2" KEEP RIGHT' and tow signs.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/11/180455001889_3.jpg) I’m not sure if anyone reads Tumblr anymore, but things have been pretty quiet on the blog-front lately, as I’ve been busy traveling, [welcoming a new member our household](https://instagram.com/apollotakesla?ref=drewshannon.net), and beginning my “solopreneurial” experience through a new consulting business called [Modest Operations](https://modestoperations.com/?ref=drewshannon.net). As part of my new professional journey, I’m launching a new weekly email newsletter with links, news, and other tidbits. If you’ve ever been a fan of my “[This Week](https://www.drewshannon.net/tag/this-week/)” blog posts before, this will be a little like that. To follow along, please subscribe to the new email newsletter [HERE](https://modestoperations.com/newsletter1?ref=drewshannon.net). ### August 27, 2018 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-177452037224/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:16:15.000Z ![Rustic exterior of the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar in Jackson Hole with log siding and a neon bucking bronco.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/08/177452037224_0.jpg) ![Arch constructed of intertwined elk antlers framing a snowy pathway in Town Square park in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/08/177452037224_1.jpg) ![Rustic wooden sign reading 'GROS VENTRE JUNCTION' beside a snowbank along a Wyoming mountain highway.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/08/177452037224_2.jpg) ![Rolling winter hills covered in fresh snow and evergreen pines under an overcast sky in Jackson Hole.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/08/177452037224_3.jpg) ![Partially frozen winding river bordered by snowbanks and pine forests leading toward misty foothills.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/08/177452037224_4.jpg) ![Tour van reading 'GRAND TETON & YELLOWSTONE TOURS SCENIC SAFARIS' parked on a snowy road.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/08/177452037224_5.jpg) ![Snowmobilers in black thermal suits and helmets standing beside parked snowmobiles on a winter trail.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/08/177452037224_6.jpg) ![Expansive winter vista across a snow-covered valley basin leading to frosted foothills under soft gray clouds.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/08/177452037224_7.jpg) Jackson Hole, WY. January 2018 ### August 26, 2018 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-177418640349/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:16:16.000Z ![Snowy wooden patio deck with a container labeled 'SUGGESTION' and a chained 'CLOSED' sign at a ski resort.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/08/177418640349_0.jpg) ![Person in a pink jacket on a snowy balcony photographing the snow-dusted Grand Teton mountain range.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/08/177418640349_1.jpg) ![Rally attendees under the Jackson Hole elk antler arch holding signs like 'WOMEN HOLD UP HALF THE SKY'.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/08/177418640349_2.jpg) ![Snowy street in Jackson Hole with a white pickup truck in front of Pizzeria Caldera and Mangy Moose.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/08/177418640349_3.jpg) ![Demonstrators holding signs reading 'A Woman's Place is in the Revolution' and 'Shut down Trump not women'.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/08/177418640349_4.jpg) ![Demonstrator holding a 'RUN, GIRL, RUN! for Office!' sign speaks with an attendee at Jackson Hole Square.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/08/177418640349_5.jpg) ![Girl with a dog holds a sign reading 'AMERICA IS A FREE COUNTRY ISN'T RUN BY CHEETOS' at a rally.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/08/177418640349_6.jpg) ![Rally attendees hold signs reading 'I'm a whole lot MORE than a NASTY WOMAN!' and 'MAKE MERICA THINK AGAIN'.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/08/177418640349_7.jpg) ![Roadside 'GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK' entrance sign on a snowy bank amidst thick winter whiteout fog.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/08/177418640349_8.jpg) A few from Jackson Hole, WY. January 2018. ### August 14, 2018 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-176992328029/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:16:17.000Z ![Sunlit brewery taproom with roll-up garage doors, high ceilings, and patrons at a long wooden table.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/08/176992328029_0.jpg) ![Sunlit boutique shop displaying handcrafted jewelry, potted snake plants, candles, and art prints.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/08/176992328029_1.jpg) ![Person in a 'STAFF' hoodie seated at a window counter looking out at city streets and distant mountains.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/08/176992328029_2.jpg) ![Photographer in an olive parka holding a camera to his face in a mirror inside a leather goods boutique.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/08/176992328029_3.jpg) ![Golden sunlight illuminating two glasses of amber beer on a table with silhouetted patrons behind.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/08/176992328029_4.jpg) Colorado, February 2017 ### This Week - Jun 03, 2018 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2018-06-03/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:08:42.000Z > Just because it’s fun to hang out at the water cooler at work, it doesn’t mean I want to work there.... > > There’s also a subtle side effect to asynchronish business, and that is its effect on the decision making process. When work gets done over email, there’s a general expectation of a response buffer of at least an hour or two. In you, though, people can convene and decide on anything at any time. > > This is awesome for speeding up the tempo of company directives, but it also places a ton of pressure on everyone involved to maintain even MORE Slack omnipresence; if any discussion might lead to a decision being made, that provides a whole lot of incentive to be available for as many discussions as possible. > > Even worse, those with the least on their plates can maintain the most Slack presence, which leads to the most gregariously unengaged representing the majority of the discussion base while penalizing those who are fully engaged in their “real” work. > > — [Slack, I’m Breaking Up with You (Samuel Hulick for UserOnboard)](https://ux.useronboard.com/slack-i-m-breaking-up-with-you-54600ace03ea?ref=drewshannon.net) > Harmon handled it the way he handles everything: out loud, in front of strangers. It’s the way he handled his divorce (episode 167) and the complicated relationship he has with his parents (too many episodes to name). It’s how he’s confronted the estranged brother who called him a lazy piece of shit and hasn’t spoken to him in 12 years. It’s where he works out his guilt about his sister, born with the rare neurological disorder Rett syndrome, which has left her institutionalized for most of her life. ‘I feel like I was born a criminal,’ Harmon tells me. ‘With a karmic credit card that’s maxed out.’ He says these things in hope of staving off inevitable retribution. > > — [The Tortured Mind Of Dan Harmon (Sean O’Neal for GQ)](https://www.gq.com/story/dan-harmon-rick-and-morty-profile?ref=drewshannon.net) ### May 29, 2018 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-174374602087/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:16:17.000Z ![Speakeasy cocktail bar with warm backlighting behind shelves of liquor bottles and silhouetted patrons.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/05/174374602087.jpg) [Blind Barber](https://blindbarber.com/?ref=drewshannon.net), 2018\. ### May 28, 2018 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-174340678245/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:16:18.000Z ![Woman looking over her shoulder on a dark street at night with city lights glowing in soft bokeh.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/05/174340678245.jpg) Hi. 2018. ### May 27, 2018 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-174307208713/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:16:19.000Z ![Monohull sailboat under full white sail gliding across deep blue ocean waters with coastal hills beyond.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/05/174307208713_0.jpg) ![Small sailing dinghies navigating calm harbor waters beside a rocky breakwater flying an American flag.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/05/174307208713_1.jpg) ![Sailboat heeling under full sail as it cuts through choppy ocean waves against a rugged mountain coast.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/05/174307208713_2.jpg) ![Four smiling friends holding cups in the cockpit of a motorboat on a sunny day near a harbor breakwater.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/05/174307208713_3.jpg) Why Knot? 2018 ### May 26, 2018 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-174284224194/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:16:20.000Z ![Attendees waiting under shade canopies next to transport shuttles on a sunny day at Coachella in Indio.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/05/174284224194_0.jpg) ![Desert highway lined with palm trees leading toward festival grounds at Coachella seen through a bus window.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/05/174284224194_1.jpg) ![Arch of large white helium balloons floating high into a clear desert sky above Coachella festival grounds.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/05/174284224194_2.jpg) ![Attendees stroll past a rainbow geometric pavilion and shade tent on the Coachella festival grounds.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/05/174284224194_3.jpg) ![Festivalgoers under a canopy look toward a giant art installation and palm trees at Coachella.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/05/174284224194_4.jpg) ![Friends laughing and dancing on the festival lawn bathed in warm golden-hour sunlight at Coachella.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/05/174284224194_5.jpg) ![Friends sitting in a circle on the grassy lawn holding drinks and enjoying the afternoon sun at Coachella.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/05/174284224194_6.jpg) ![Concertgoers silhouetted before a blue illuminated stage with bright spotlights beaming at Coachella.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/05/174284224194_7.jpg) ![Concert stage in deep blue light featuring a giant glowing crescent moon backdrop and musicians at Coachella.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/05/174284224194_8.jpg) Coachella 2018\. More to come. ### May 26, 2018 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-174275559934/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:16:20.000Z ![High-key abstract composition with subtle diagonal motion blur and sweeping soft light.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/05/174275559934.jpg) Happy Mistakes, 2018. ### May 25, 2018 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-174245055417/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:16:21.000Z ![Wall shelves displaying 'noguchi' and 'Wolfgang Tillmans' art books with a brass vase, flowers, and candles.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/05/174245055417.jpg) Los Angeles, 2018\. ### April 16, 2018 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-172999472409/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:16:22.000Z ![Palm tree and tranquil reflecting pool lit at night in a courtyard garden at Acre Resort, San Jose del Cabo.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/04/172999472409_0.jpg) ![Illuminated garden path winding through lush palm trees and foliage at night in San Jose del Cabo.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/04/172999472409_1.jpg) ![Sign reading 'Hotel Guests Only Beyond This Point' beside a lit path through palms in San Jose del Cabo.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/04/172999472409_2.jpg) ![Geometric pointed leaves of a blue agave succulent plant against lush greenery in San Jose del Cabo.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/04/172999472409_3.jpg) ![Warmly lit restaurant patio with dining tables and overhead lights among palm fronds in San Jose del Cabo.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/04/172999472409_4.jpg) ![Chefs and kitchen staff preparing food on cutting boards in an open restaurant kitchen in San Jose del Cabo.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/04/172999472409_5.jpg) ![Kitchen staff plating fresh dishes under heat lamps on a stainless counter in San Jose del Cabo.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/04/172999472409_6.jpg) San Jose Del Cabo, 2018. ### April 15, 2018 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-172971641214/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:16:23.000Z ![Hotel El Ganzo entrance with a neon marquee sign and floral skull mural on the facade in San Jose del Cabo.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/04/172971641214_0.jpg) ![Turquoise vintage Land Rover Defender with Hotel El Ganzo goose logo beside landscaping in San Jose del Cabo.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/04/172971641214_1.jpg) ![Guests on sun loungers beside a rooftop infinity pool overlooking yachts in the San Jose del Cabo marina.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/04/172971641214_2.jpg) ![Outdoor resort staircase flanked by towering green cactus plants against a clear blue sky in San Jose del Cabo.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/04/172971641214_3.jpg) ![Sunbathers relaxing in an infinity pool overlooking boats anchored in the harbor in San Jose del Cabo.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/04/172971641214_4.jpg) ![Woman in a red floral dress and sunglasses walking along a path lined with bougainvillea in San Jose del Cabo.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/04/172971641214_5.jpg) ![Woman in a red floral print dress smiling warmly against lush tropical foliage in San Jose del Cabo.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/04/172971641214_6.jpg) ![Hungarian Vizsla dog resting comfortably on an outdoor cafe patio beside a planter box in San Jose del Cabo.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/04/172971641214_7.jpg) ![Tropical plants and a fiddle-leaf fig tree displayed against a modern textured wall in San Jose del Cabo.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/04/172971641214_8.jpg) San Jose Del Cabo, 2018. ### February 17, 2018 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-170991956824/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:16:24.000Z ![Distant peak of Mount Vesuvius rising over the Naples landscape viewed from an elevated highway in Italy.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/02/170991956824_0.jpg) ![Impressionistic motion blur of lush green hills and terraced valleys along Italy's Amalfi Coast.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/02/170991956824_1.jpg) ![Couple seated at a cafe terrace enjoying drinks before scenic Mediterranean cliffs along the Amalfi Coast.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/02/170991956824_2.jpg) ![Woman leaning casually out of an upper window above a Deutsche Bank branch on an Amalfi Coast street.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/02/170991956824_3.jpg) ![Italian gentleman with a walking cane standing beside terraced lemon groves overlooking Atrani, Italy.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/02/170991956824_4.jpg) ![Overhead view of bright blue and orange beach umbrellas on the dark sand beach of Atrani on the Amalfi Coast.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/02/170991956824_5.jpg) ![Coastal houses and church spires clinging to rugged mountainsides above the sea in Atrani on the Amalfi Coast.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/02/170991956824_6.jpg) ![Italian fishermen on a concrete dock hauling heavy mooring ropes from the water along the Amalfi Coast.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/02/170991956824_7.jpg) ![Limestone cliffs plunging steeply into the misty blue waters of the Gulf of Salerno on the Amalfi Coast.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/02/170991956824_8.jpg) ![Cliffside village of Atrani in a mountain ravine with ancient stone viaduct arches along the Amalfi Coast.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/02/170991956824_9.jpg) Amalfi Coast, 2017. ### February 04, 2018 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-170501203409/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:16:24.000Z ![Two women seated at a sunny outdoor cafe patio table in Los Angeles, one adjusting her hair.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/02/170501203409_0.jpg) ![Patrons under a yellow umbrella by a chalkboard sign reading 'Thanks for joining us' in Los Angeles.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/02/170501203409_1.jpg) ![Looking up into a lush citrus tree heavily laden with ripe oranges against a pale blue sky in Los Angeles.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/02/170501203409_2.jpg) ![Man in a Detroit Tigers cap making a playful grimace on an outdoor restaurant patio at night in Los Angeles.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/02/170501203409_3.jpg) ![Holiday canoe illuminated with string lights and balloons carrying families down the Venice Canals at sunset.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/02/170501203409_4.jpg) ![Holiday raft float carrying families and dogs passing under a festive bridge in the Venice Canals parade.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/02/170501203409_5.jpg) ![Mexican fan palm silhouetted against a fiery pink sunset sky above cottages in the Venice Canals.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/02/170501203409_6.jpg) ![Friends standing outdoors at dusk, focusing on a man in conversation holding a drink in Los Angeles.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/02/170501203409_7.jpg) ![Spectators lining the canal bank by picket fences under a pink dusk sky at the Venice Canals boat parade.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/02/170501203409_8.jpg) Los Angeles, CA. 2017 / 2018 ### February 03, 2018 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-170464016454/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:16:25.000Z ![Dimly lit bar counter in warm candlelight with votive candles reflecting off the surface as patrons socialize.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/02/170464016454_0.jpg) ![Moody bar interior with glowing spherical pendant lights illuminating patrons seated along the counter.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/02/170464016454_1.jpg) ![Glass mason jar of orange chrysanthemums and greenery beside a votive candle on a wood coffee table.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/02/170464016454_2.jpg) ![Lodge lounge with leather sofas and a wood-paneled bar where guests watch a screen under a wicker lamp.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/02/170464016454_3.jpg) ![Backlit silhouette of a woman with rim-lit hair seated in a dim room beside a glowing table lamp.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/02/170464016454_4.jpg) ![Faded orange vintage Plymouth Barracuda parked along a sunny street with palm trees and stucco buildings.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/02/170464016454_5.jpg) ![Motion blur of a vintage light blue station wagon with a white roof rack speeding past at sunset.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/02/170464016454_6.jpg) ![Broad green banana palm leaves set against a warm beige textured stucco wall.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/02/170464016454_7.jpg) ![Wood-paneled wall with string art spelling 'AMOR' accented with orange flowers above leather chairs.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/02/170464016454_8.jpg) ![Sandy beach looking toward oceanfront condos and silhouetted palm trees beneath a peach sunset sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/02/170464016454_9.jpg) Los Angeles, CA. 2017 / 2018 ### January 08, 2018 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-169476111069/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:16:26.000Z ![A glowing glass kiosk flower stand illuminated at night on a dark cobblestone piazza in Rome.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/01/169476111069_0.jpg) ![Conservator in a white coat illuminating Bernini's marble statue of Santa Bibiana with studio lights in Rome.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/01/169476111069_1.jpg) ![Tour group in a shadowed Roman brick passageway looking toward the sunlit arches of the Colosseum in Rome.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/01/169476111069_2.jpg) ![Italian and EU flags fluttering on the Quirinal Palace rooftop bell tower under a blue sky in Rome.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/01/169476111069_3.jpg) ![Exterior stone arched tiers of the Colosseum bathed in warm afternoon light against a blue sky in Rome.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/01/169476111069_4.jpg) ![Monumental travertine arches and upper attic level of the Colosseum against an evening sky in Rome.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/01/169476111069_5.jpg) ![Sunlit silvery-green branches of an olive tree bearing small olives against a bright blue sky in Rome.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/01/169476111069_6.jpg) ![Italian gentleman in a beige suit reading a paper while walking a dog in a formal garden in Rome.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2018/01/169476111069_7.jpg) Rome, 2017 ### November 28, 2017 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-167984683684/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:16:27.000Z ![Sunbathers wade in turquoise waters along Ses Illetes beach in Formentera with anchored yachts beyond.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/11/167984683684_0.jpg) ![Two women walk past beach umbrellas, one carrying a 'The Pished Fish' tote bag in Formentera.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/11/167984683684_1.jpg) ![Panzanella salad in a wooden bowl served beside chilled gazpacho and a cocktail menu on an outdoor table.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/11/167984683684_2.jpg) ![White stucco building with blue shutters above the 'Moto Rent Migjorn' shop in La Savina, Formentera.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/11/167984683684_3.jpg) ![Curving sandy beach cove with umbrellas, sunbathers, and an inflatable dinghy boat in Formentera.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/11/167984683684_4.jpg) ![Ferry crew member in a 'CREW www.capitanhook.es' shirt looking out to sea while passengers sit inside.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/11/167984683684_5.jpg) ![Couple at the stern railing of a ferry boat looking out across the sea toward coastal hills at sunset.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/11/167984683684_6.jpg) ![Black and white striped lighthouse on a rocky island across dark sea waters under sunset clouds.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/11/167984683684_7.jpg) ![Young woman in a denim jacket looking at her smartphone on a cobblestone city street lined with cars at night.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/11/167984683684_8.jpg) Missing the Formentera beaches, 2017 ### November 22, 2017 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-167772678124/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:16:28.000Z ![Pastel hillside buildings in Positano clustered beneath towering rocky cliffs seen through an open window.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/11/167772678124_0.jpg) ![Balcony view over the dark sand beach of Positano and stacked cliffside villas under cloud-capped peaks.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/11/167772678124_1.jpg) ![Rowboats stored on the dark sand beach, including one in striped canvas beside stacked chairs in Positano.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/11/167772678124_2.jpg) ![Woman in a white floral dress seated on a stone terrace wall overlooking the sea on the Amalfi Coast.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/11/167772678124_3.jpg) ![Waiter in an apron checks his phone outside Ristorante Pizzeria La Pergola on stone steps in Positano.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/11/167772678124_4.jpg) ![Looking up from the beach at colorful cliffside villas of Positano rising beneath dark storm clouds.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/11/167772678124_5.jpg) ![Dark beach of Positano with blue loungers, Santa Maria Assunta tiled dome, and hillside villas.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/11/167772678124_6.jpg) Rainy Amalfi Coast, 2017 ### November 13, 2017 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-167458516489/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:16:28.000Z ![Yellow Veuve Clicquot cruiser bicycle with chrome headlamp and leather saddle on a Madrid cobblestone street.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/11/167458516489_0.jpg) ![Silhouetted woman on a Renfe train looks at her phone with sunlight highlighting her hair and shoulder.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/11/167458516489_1.jpg) ![Woman seated inside a sunlit passenger train gazing at her smartphone with warm sunlight illuminating her.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/11/167458516489_2.jpg) ![Residential courtyard with metal railings and houseplants viewed through an open doorway in Madrid.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/11/167458516489_3.jpg) ![Potted rubber trees in a shop window reflecting Madrid streets and "Cerveceria Santa Isabel" lettering.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/11/167458516489_4.jpg) ![Cerveceria Santa Isabel storefront framed in grey stone with rubber trees reflecting Madrid streets.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/11/167458516489_5.jpg) ![Blue wooden door set in a beige stone facade under a rusty metal "MENORA" sign on a Madrid street.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/11/167458516489_6.jpg) ![Elderly woman with a walker passing outside the window counter of La Bicicleta Cafe in Madrid.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/11/167458516489_7.jpg) Madrid, 2017 ### November 09, 2017 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-167307174289/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:16:29.000Z ![Street intersection marked with road striping, showing an oil stain beside wheeled dumpster bins.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/11/167307174289_0.jpg) ![Glass tourist information kiosk glowing at night along a dark, tree-lined Madrid avenue.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/11/167307174289_1.jpg) ![Cattle grazing in a golden grass field against distant rolling hills seen from a train in Spain.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/11/167307174289_2.jpg) ![Sanitation worker pulling a red two-wheeled cart past an ancient stone wall in a sunlit Spanish alley.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/11/167307174289_3.jpg) ![Restaurante Duque tavern in Segovia with rustic wine barrels, hanging lanterns, and patrons outside.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/11/167307174289_4.jpg) ![Segovia Cathedral Gothic spires rising behind historic buildings and pedestrians in Plaza Mayor, Segovia.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/11/167307174289_5.jpg) ![Woman in a striped maxi dress on a sloping cobblestone alley framed by stone walls and ivy in Segovia.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/11/167307174289_6.jpg) ![Sunlight filtering through tree canopies and casting long shadows along a dirt promenade in Buen Retiro Park.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/11/167307174289_7.jpg) ![People lounging on sunlit lawns shaded by tall trees along gravel walkways in El Retiro Park, Madrid.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/11/167307174289_8.jpg) ![Rooftops and ornate facades of Madrid extending toward distant mountain ranges beneath a partly cloudy sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/11/167307174289_9.jpg) Madrid & Segovia, 2017 ### November 08, 2017 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-167275135449/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:16:30.000Z ![Waiter in a white service coat at the doorway of a traditional seafood restaurant in Barcelona.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/11/167275135449_0.jpg) ![Looking upward between towering apartment facades and wrought-iron balconies toward blue sky in Barcelona.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/11/167275135449_1.jpg) ![Potted rubber plant on a black wrought-iron balcony between narrow apartment buildings in Barcelona.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/11/167275135449_2.jpg) ![Modern building entrance with a lit 'Porteria' sign, reception desk, and elevator lobby in Barcelona.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/11/167275135449_3.jpg) ![Looking upward between closely spaced apartment facades toward a sharp triangular strip of sky in Barcelona.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/11/167275135449_4.jpg) ![Potted basil and fresh herbs resting on the wooden window ledge of an open cafe in Barcelona.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/11/167275135449_5.jpg) ![White grid-tiled cafe bar with wooden barstools surrounded by hanging greenery and windows in Barcelona.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/11/167275135449_6.jpg) ![People on plaza benches beside weathered apartment buildings with yellow walls and graffiti in Barcelona.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/11/167275135449_7.jpg) ![Patrons dining at orange patio chairs beneath an umbrella outside an aged apartment building in Barcelona.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/11/167275135449_8.jpg) So much verticality in Barcelona. 2017 ### November 02, 2017 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-167058710484/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:16:31.000Z ![Woman crouching low to photograph a spacious exhibition hall as visitors rest on a stone bench in Barcelona.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/11/167058710484_0.jpg) ![Person silhouetted beneath a circular chandelier in an arched entrance overlooking a Barcelona street.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/11/167058710484_1.jpg) ![Woman walking down a historic stone spiral staircase with walls covered in carved graffiti in Barcelona.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/11/167058710484_2.jpg) ![Looking down the center of a dizzying stone spiral staircase as visitors descend a historic Barcelona tower.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/11/167058710484_3.jpg) ![Overhead view of a bustling Barcelona street intersection with crosswalks, yellow taxis, and apartment blocks.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/11/167058710484_4.jpg) ![Undulating stone facade and wrought-iron balconies of Antoni Gaudí's Casa Milà under a blue Barcelona sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/11/167058710484_5.jpg) ![Stacks of salted cod fillets with price tags at a fish stall inside Mercat de la Boqueria in Barcelona.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/11/167058710484_6.jpg) ![Chrome Estrella Galicia draft beer tap on a dark cocktail bar under warm brass pendant lights in Barcelona.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/11/167058710484_7.jpg) ![Hotel lounge with yellow wicker chairs, patterned tiles, vintage rugs, and hanging lamps in Barcelona.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/11/167058710484_8.jpg) ![Forest green 'Libertine' food menu card resting in a stainless stand on a bar counter at Casa Bonay, Barcelona.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/11/167058710484_9.jpg) Barcelona, 2017 ### October 31, 2017 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-166986465109/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:16:32.000Z ![Sunlit deep blue ocean waters with a single white cloud drifting below seen from an airplane window.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/10/166986465109_0.jpg) ![Barcelona coastline, harbor docks, and sprawling cityscape backed by coastal mountains seen from an airplane.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/10/166986465109_1.jpg) ![Industrial parks, a river canal, and distant mountains approaching Barcelona seen from an airplane window.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/10/166986465109_2.jpg) ![View from an apartment balcony looking across Barcelona rooftops and historic buildings under soft evening sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/10/166986465109_3.jpg) ![Taxi driver navigating a sunny highway seen from the passenger seat with dashboard meter in Barcelona.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/10/166986465109_4.jpg) ![Terracotta apartment balcony with a potted cactus, wicker armchair, and bistro table in Barcelona.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/10/166986465109_5.jpg) ![Casa Bonay arched entrance with a glowing chandelier, neon Libertine sign, and potted plants in Barcelona.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/10/166986465109_6.jpg) ![Sunlit courtyard plaza with a person resting on stone steps seen through window slats in Barcelona.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/10/166986465109_7.jpg) ![Barcelona transit bus wrapped in a pink and red geometric pattern over yellow-striped asphalt street markings.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/10/166986465109_8.jpg) ![Green roll-up shutter draped with colorful prayer flags above wooden panel doors in Barcelona.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/10/166986465109_9.jpg) Barcelona, 2017. ### September 26, 2017 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-165765165609/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:16:32.000Z ![Light blue commuter bike with yellow rims and a wire basket locked to a rack beside a sidewalk tree.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/09/165765165609_0.jpg) ![Mint green cruiser bike parked on a sidewalk in front of a pastel geometric mural with a red circle.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/09/165765165609_1.jpg) Late Summer in Los Angeles, CA 🚲 ### August 29, 2017 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-164761275229/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:16:33.000Z ![Bushy fan palm tree planted against a minimalist white modern facade in an empty parking lot in Los Angeles.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/08/164761275229_0.jpg) ![Tall prickly cactus in a stone planter beside a brass-trimmed doorway framed in black tile in Los Angeles.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/08/164761275229_1.jpg) ![Close-up top-down view of the broad, serrated blue-green leaves and sharp spine tip of an agave succulent plant.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/08/164761275229_2.jpg) ![Detailed macro perspective along the sharp spiked edge and textured grey-green blade of an agave leaf.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/08/164761275229_3.jpg) ![Overhead view of dense, sprawling clusters of pointed green aloe vera plants with textured serrated leaf margins.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/08/164761275229_4.jpg) Los Angeles, CA, 2017 🌴🌵 ### August 29, 2017 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-164754977518/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:16:34.000Z ![Rugged mountain ridge silhouetted by bright crepuscular rays in a deep blue evening sky in Palm Springs.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/08/164754977518_0.jpg) ![Water droplets and condensation streaks running down a steamy glass shower door in a tiled bathroom.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/08/164754977518_1.jpg) ![Depth marker tile reading '7 1/2 FT' on wet concrete coping with footprints beside turquoise pool water.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/08/164754977518_2.jpg) ![Sunlight glowing through woven beige curtains with light spilling through a narrow center slit in a dark room.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/08/164754977518_3.jpg) ![Illuminated turquoise swimming pool at night with a metal handrail and floating yellow soccer ball.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/08/164754977518_4.jpg) Palm Springs, CA, 2017 ### August 28, 2017 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-164716723469/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:16:35.000Z ![Black vintage MG roadster parked under a wooden carport beside a stone mountain home in Boulder.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/08/164716723469_0.jpg) ![White vintage Land Rover Defender with roof rack and Colorado plates parked along a tree-lined street.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/08/164716723469_1.jpg) Boulder, CO ### This Week - Aug 25, 2017 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2017-08-25/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:09:32.000Z > Intellectually, you have trouble making decisions, and you struggle with circular thinking. You torture yourself with the “rightness” of your choices a lot, probably not just in this realm. And once you decide something, you feel like you have to stick by that decision or you’re weak and bad. You’re also very ethical. You take a lot of responsibility for other people. That’s not the profile of a lifelong commitment-phobe; that’s the profile of someone who’s always in danger of settling too quickly instead of watching and waiting to see how she feels and what she’s dealing with. > > — [Ask Polly: Was I Wrong to Dump My Boyfriend? (Heather Havrilesky for The Cut)](https://www.thecut.com/2017/06/ask-polly-was-i-wrong-to-dump-my-boyfriend.html?ref=drewshannon.net) > 'Medium feels like the perfect Obama-era platform: minimal, distinguished, self-important, elevated,’ Mr. Watson says. ‘But as soon as the campaigns really ramped up their efforts in the primaries, we were living in a post-Obama world, metaphorically, and then literally. And that post-Obama world holds no room for minimalist, distinguished, self-important, elevated thoughtfulness.’ > > — [‘The Internet Is Broken’: @ev Is Trying to Salvage It (David Streitfeld for The New York Times)](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/20/technology/evan-williams-medium-twitter-internet.html?%5Fr=0&ref=drewshannon.net) > Twitter is short-form, real-time, and text-based. It’s built for instant alerts and rapid consumption. It is an ideal system for delivering sips of information from an abundant stream. But the live-video effort forces you not only to leave the stream but to set aside time to watch. This is an idea that must have come from a financial guy’s head: We need to boost engagement and make money, so let’s live-stream and keep people longer and sell advertisements. The question is, does any Twitter user want this? > > — [What’s Wrong with Twitter’s Live-Video Strategy (Om Malik for The New Yorker)](http://www.newyorker.com/business/currency/whats-wrong-with-twitters-live-video-strategy?ref=drewshannon.net) > Calling ‘Idiocracy’ a documentary is one of those jokes about Donald Drumpf that was made constantly in the latter months of 2016 and now reeks of a certain strain of ineffectual liberal smugness. > > — [Mike Judge, the Bard of Suck (Willy Staley for The New York Times Magazine)](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/13/magazine/mike-judge-the-bard-of-suck.html?nytmobile=0&ref=drewshannon.net) > How many better opportunities have you missed because that project made you too busy to pursue them? Being willing to be inactive or less active means you’ll be available when something truly worthy of your best effort comes along. It also means you’ll have the time and space to go looking for those really worthwhile projects. If you’re busy being busy, you’ll miss them. > > — [Being Lazy Is the Key to Success, According to the Best-Selling Author of ‘Moneyball’ (Minda Zetlin for Inc.)](https://www.inc.com/minda-zetlin/why-being-lazy-makes-you-successful-according-to-the-bestselling-author-of-money.html?ref=drewshannon.net) ### August 24, 2017 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-164564159075/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:16:36.000Z ![Modern multi-story building atrium looking up through a square gridded glass skylight toward blue sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/08/164564159075_0.jpg) ![Contemporary building facade with black metal framing and glass panels reflecting puffy white clouds.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/08/164564159075_1.jpg) Boulder, CO ### August 23, 2017 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-164526488271/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:16:36.000Z ![Golden meadow looking toward the rugged Flatirons rock formations under an afternoon sky in Boulder.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/08/164526488271_0.jpg) ![Sunlit grassy hillside with a crest of evergreen pine trees and distant rocky ridges in Boulder, Colorado.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/08/164526488271_1.jpg) ![Rolling green meadow rising to a dense evergreen forest with rocky peaks under open skies in Boulder.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/08/164526488271_2.jpg) Boulder, CO, 2017 ### August 22, 2017 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-164488584167/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:16:37.000Z ![Looking through a chain-link gate toward a football stadium with yellow walls marked Section 111 and 112.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/08/164488584167_0.jpg) ![Person silhouetted inside a brick arch corridor checking a phone, with a sunlit courtyard outside.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/08/164488584167_1.jpg) ![Pizza chef in a red cap tending a wood-fired pizza oven with glowing orange flames in a kitchen.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/08/164488584167_2.jpg) ![Chefs in white aprons assembling artisanal pizzas with mushrooms and cheese on a marble counter.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/08/164488584167_3.jpg) ![Bartender in an apron preparing cocktails behind a marble bar, pouring ingredients into shaker tins.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/08/164488584167_4.jpg) ![Fluffy white cumulus clouds set against a deep blue sky with subtle sun rays streaming downward.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/08/164488584167_5.jpg) ![Steep pine-covered mountain ridges and rocky crags overlooking vast plains under an overcast sky in Boulder.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/08/164488584167_6.jpg) Boulder, CO, 2017 ### August 22, 2017 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-164488584132/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:16:38.000Z ![Diagonal sunlight and shadow cast across a brick wall and sidewalk with a silhouetted traffic walk sign.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/08/164488584132_0.jpg) ![Person resting with a foot propped up on the dashboard of a black van along an urban street.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/08/164488584132_1.jpg) ### August 15, 2017 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-164219707484/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:16:39.000Z ![Couple sitting in the shade of a tall palm tree on the sandy beach in Santa Monica, California.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/08/164219707484.jpg) ### August 14, 2017 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-164180578184/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:16:39.000Z ![Expansive sandy beach with distant beachgoers walking along the shore under a pale Santa Monica sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/08/164180578184.jpg) Santa Monica, CA ### August 11, 2017 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-164065677378/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:16:40.000Z ![Concertgoers gathered on the beach at twilight with city lights during the Santa Monica Pier concert.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/08/164065677378_0.jpg) ![Crowd on blankets at sunset with mounted police on horseback during the Santa Monica Pier concert.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/08/164065677378_1.jpg) [Santa Monica Twilight Concert](http://santamonicapier.org/twilightconcerts/?ref=drewshannon.net) ### August 10, 2017 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-164027739480/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:16:41.000Z ![Amber cocktail over crushed ice with an apple slice garnish on a polished dark wood bar counter.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/08/164027739480.jpg) Yum. ### August 09, 2017 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-163989545337/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:16:41.000Z ![Motion blur of a classic vintage convertible car driving along a city street past a parking meter.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/08/163989545337.jpg) ### August 08, 2017 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-163950671294/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:16:42.000Z ![Twilight sky with glowing pink clouds, a tiny crescent moon, and silhouetted buildings along the bottom.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/08/163950671294.jpg) ### July 25, 2017 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-163412428650/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:16:43.000Z ![Grassy hillside covered in tiny white wildflowers against a clear pale blue California sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/07/163412428650_0.jpg) ![Hillside blanketed in blooming orange California poppies under a blue sky during the superbloom.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/07/163412428650_1.jpg) ![Close-up of bright orange California poppies and wild grasses blooming in the sunshine.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/07/163412428650_2.jpg) ![Golden grass stalks and purple wildflowers swaying on a sun-drenched meadow hillside.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/07/163412428650_3.jpg) This spring’s Super Bloom was no joke. ### July 21, 2017 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-163265042874/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:16:44.000Z ![Yellow vintage Porsche Carrera rally car reflected in a rain puddle on wet asphalt at Luftgekühlt.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/07/163265042874_0.jpg) ![Rear bumper, taillight, and chrome hubcap of a vintage brown Porsche 911 reflected in a puddle.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/07/163265042874_1.jpg) ![Blue Luftgekühlt mirror pass inside the windshield of a classic Porsche with leather bucket seats.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/07/163265042874_2.jpg) ![Rear view of a vintage white Porsche 911 with red Fuchs wheels and motorsport rally stickers.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/07/163265042874_3.jpg) ![Green vintage Porsche 911 Safari rally car numbered 33 with Shell decals by a slatted wood wall.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/07/163265042874_4.jpg) ![Emerald green Porsche 959 surrounded by admirers and photographers at an indoor car exhibition.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/07/163265042874_5.jpg) ![Photographer's reflection holding a camera visible in the chrome hubcap of a vintage car wheel.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/07/163265042874_6.jpg) ![A vibrant red vintage Porsche 911 coupe parked on a gravel parking lot bordered by eucalyptus trees.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/07/163265042874_7.jpg) ![Front bumper and oval headlights of a Porsche 993 reflecting in rain puddles at Luftgekühlt.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/07/163265042874_8.jpg) ![Raindrops on the rear quarter window of a vintage Porsche racing car adorned with motorsport decals.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/07/163265042874_9.jpg) [Luftgekühlt 2017](https://luftgekuhlt.com/?ref=drewshannon.net) ### July 20, 2017 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-163217980044/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:16:45.000Z ![Sailboats anchored in calm waters of Morro Bay harbor under an overcast sky with distant sand dunes.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/07/163217980044.jpg) Morro Bay, CA. 2017 ### This Week - Feb 03, 2017 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2017-02-03/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:09:41.000Z > Over time, the central tension or mainspring that develops in Bourdain's writing is an almost standard-issue artist's paradox; he is an aesthete with a bone-deep love of order and belonging — mise en place is a frequently recurring theme > > — [Fiction Confidential (Maria Bustillos for Eater)](http://www.eater.com/2017/1/25/14376996/anthony-bourdain-novels-fiction?ref=drewshannon.net) ### January 27, 2017 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-156451647349/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:16:45.000Z ![Large architectural agave plant in a gravel bed before a white building and red brick warehouse.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/01/156451647349.jpg) ### January 26, 2017 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-156409005734/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:16:46.000Z ![Protester holding a sign reading 'Just say no to sex with Republicans' at the Women's March in LA.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/01/156409005734_0.jpg) ![Young girls wearing pink knit pussyhats hold handmade protest signs at the Women's March in LA.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/01/156409005734_1.jpg) ![News helicopter hovering between downtown Los Angeles buildings above the Women's March crowd.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/01/156409005734_2.jpg) ![Massive crowd holding signs fills Grand Park before the LA County Hall during the Women's March.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/01/156409005734_3.jpg) ![Silhouettes of protesters marching through 2nd Street Tunnel toward Hill Street at the Women's March.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/01/156409005734_4.jpg) ![Protester holding a sign reading 'Grab my pussy and I'll break your fucking arm' at the Women's March.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/01/156409005734_5.jpg) ![Woman in a jacket embroidered with 'BAD GIRLS CLUB' stands by an open doorway at the Women's March.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/01/156409005734_6.jpg) ![Crowds of protesters walk through the curved interior of 2nd Street Tunnel during the Women's March.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/01/156409005734_7.jpg) More from the Women’s March last Saturday. Los Angeles, CA ### January 23, 2017 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-156270226474/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:16:47.000Z ![Demonstrator holding an 'I'm with her' sign with arrows pointing outward at the Women's March in LA.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/01/156270226474_0.jpg) ![Musician in a blue tracksuit playing saxophone above a dense crowd during the Women's March in LA.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/01/156270226474_1.jpg) ![Protester holds a sign reading 'She's Someone's' with family roles crossed out at the Women's March.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/01/156270226474_2.jpg) ![Demonstrator holding a 'MY IUD IS MY BFF #Standwithpp' sign on a street corner at the Women's March.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/01/156270226474_3.jpg) ![Man in a black cap carrying a sign reading 'WHITE, MALE, CITIZEN, ... STILL SCARED' at the Women's March.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/01/156270226474_4.jpg) ![Man in a bright red suit and sunglasses talking on a phone among crowds at the Women's March in LA.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/01/156270226474_5.jpg) ![Protesters holding signs reading 'TRUMP IS NOT NICE OR COOL' and 'NOPE' outside Angelus Plaza in LA.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/01/156270226474_6.jpg) ![Protester holds a sign reading 'Support All-Female Remakes: Ghostbusters Oceans 8 2020 ELECTION' in LA.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/01/156270226474_7.jpg) ![Demonstrators in colourful outfits walking along a downtown street during the Women's March in LA.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/01/156270226474_8.jpg) ![Young child sleeping in a backpack carrier worn by a parent amid crowds at the Women's March in LA.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/01/156270226474_9.jpg) A few from the Women’s March in Los Angeles, CA. ### January 20, 2017 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-156130259074/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:16:48.000Z ![Tourists standing along an elevated wooden observation walkway overlooking snowy landscape in Iceland.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/01/156130259074.jpg) Gulfoss, Iceland ### January 19, 2017 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-156087433499/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:16:49.000Z ![Metal gate overlooking a snow-covered field with horses grazing beneath rolling hills in Iceland.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/01/156087433499_0.jpg) ![Hand with red nail polish reaching over a fence to pet the forehead of a shaggy dark Icelandic horse.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/01/156087433499_1.jpg) ![View from inside a vehicle driving down an icy, snow-covered highway across a desolate winter landscape in Iceland.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/01/156087433499_2.jpg) ![Silhouette of a driver looking out a car window at snow-covered mountain ridges across Iceland.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/01/156087433499_3.jpg) ![Modern visitor lodges and cabins on a snow-covered hill with people walking across terrain in Iceland.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/01/156087433499_4.jpg) ![Dramatic tiered cascades of Gullfoss waterfall plunging into a frozen canyon flanked by ice in Iceland.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/01/156087433499_5.jpg) Iceland is a strange, magical place. December, 2016 ### January 18, 2017 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-156042964129/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:16:50.000Z ![Hull and radar mast of Icelandic marine research vessel Bjarni Sæmundsson docked at a snowy pier.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/01/156042964129_0.jpg) ![Honeycomb glass facade of Harpa Concert Hall with colored glass panels against sky in Reykjavik.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/01/156042964129_1.jpg) ![Rope fence overlooking icy blue waters of Lake Thingvallavatn and volcanic mountains in Iceland.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/01/156042964129_2.jpg) ![View through a car window of an informational trail and park map sign for Þingvellir National Park in Iceland.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/01/156042964129_3.jpg) ![Driver silhouette looking out across a snow-covered valley toward jagged snowy mountains in Iceland.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/01/156042964129_4.jpg) A few from Iceland. December 2016 ### January 05, 2017 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-155467755129/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:16:50.000Z ![Two men standing near a slender Joshua tree in an arid desert landscape under an overcast sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2017/01/155467755129.jpg) [Joshua Tree National Park, California](https://www.instagram.com/p/BO6O7%5FADW27/?taken-by=drewshannon&ref=drewshannon.net) ### This Week - Sep 16, 2016 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2016-09-16/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:09:42.000Z > Like the body itself, a home is something both looked at and lived in, a duality that in neither case I have managed to reconcile. I retain the belief that other people’s homes are real where mine is a fabrication, just as I imagine others to live inner lives less flawed than my own. > > — [Making House: Notes on Domesticity (Rachel Cusk for The New York Times)](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/04/magazine/making-house-notes-on-domesticity.html?ref=drewshannon.net) > It’s the entire Michigan-football experience that captivates, however. The Big House has always been the largest football venue for any team, college or pro, in the country. It holds more than a hundred and seven thousand people—twenty-five thousand more than the largest stadium for a pro team, the MetLife Stadium, shared by the Giants and the Jets in New York. > > — [The Mania of Michigan Football (Robin Wright for The New Yorker)](http://www.newyorker.com/news/sporting-scene/the-mania-of-michigan-football?ref=drewshannon.net) ### September 03, 2016 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-149896270754/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:16:51.000Z ![Spanish revival white stucco balcony with X-pattern balustrade, potted ficus trees, and French doors.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2016/09/149896270754_0.jpg) ![Top floors of a modern high-rise residential tower against a blue sky with sun flare behind the roof.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2016/09/149896270754_1.jpg) ![Symmetrical upward view of a white building facade with decorative turrets and an X-patterned balcony.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2016/09/149896270754_2.jpg) Miami, 2016 ### This Week - Aug 19, 2016 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2016-08-19/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:09:43.000Z > Listen, if there isn’t something going off the rails on your team, then I know you are micro-managing them. You are really good at what you do, and if you stay in the weeds on everything, you’ll keep things going perfectly, for a while. But eventually two things will happen. One, you will burn out. And two, you will eventually start to seriously piss off your team. So I better see some things going sideways, on a fairly regular basis. > > — [How a single conversation with my boss changed my view on delegation and failure (Margaret Gould Stewart for Medium)](https://shift.newco.co/how-a-single-conversation-with-my-boss-changed-my-view-on-delegation-and-failure-ae5376451c8d?ref=drewshannon.net#.aztg6dmd1) ### This Week - Aug 12, 2016 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2016-08-12/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:09:44.000Z > How could someone with such an astute understanding of the world apparently want so little to do with it? > > — [Frank Ocean, Harper Lee, and the Reclusive Artist (Eve L. Ewing for The Atlantic)](http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/08/frank-ocean-harper-lee-and-the-reclusive-artist/494804/?curator=MusicREDEF&ref=drewshannon.net) > But such solutions will seem unrealistic to some sufferers both practically and psychologically. Practically in the sense that many of us are employed in sectors that demand punishing hours and unstinting commitment; psychologically in the sense that reducing working hours, and so taking oneself out of the highest levels of the game, is likely to induce more rather than less anxiety in someone driven relentlessly to achieve more. > > — [The way out of burnout (Josh Cohen for 1843 Magazine)](https://www.1843magazine.com/body-mind/the-daily/the-way-out-of-burnout?ref=drewshannon.net) > The exhaustion experienced in burnout combines an intense yearning for this state of completion with the tormenting sense that it cannot be attained, that there is always some demand or anxiety or distraction which can’t be silenced. > > — [Minds turned to ash (Josh Cohen for 1843 Magazine)](https://www.1843magazine.com/features/minds-turned-to-ash?ref=drewshannon.net) ### July 31, 2016 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-148262233839/ Last updated: 2016-07-31T13:53:00.000Z [](http://instagram.com/drewshannon?ref=drewshannon.net) Every-few-weekly Instagram Roundup. Follow me here: @[drewshannon](http://instagram.com/drewshannon?ref=drewshannon.net) ### This Week - Jul 22, 2016 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2016-07-22/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:09:44.000Z > They make for good headlines and they certainly sell books, but nobody seems to be able to truly accept and accommodate them. > > — [Marie Kondo and the Ruthless War on Stuff (Taffy Brodesser-Akner for The New York Times)](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/10/magazine/marie-kondo-and-the-ruthless-war-on-stuff.html?%5Fr=0&ref=drewshannon.net) > Since the slipcase is being made in Wisconsin, you are sort of on 'Wisconsin Time' and they are professional folks who keep professional hours. > > — [PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING (Aaron James Draplin for A Continuous Lean)](http://www.acontinuouslean.com/2016/06/27/pretty/?ref=drewshannon.net) > 'John \[Hughes\] had spent some of his boyhood in Detroit,' Ruck continues. '\[Hughes\] had decided that Cameron had a horrible relationship with his father, but a great relationship with his grandfather, who lived in Detroit and would take Cameron to Red Wings games. That’s all it was, and it was never explained in the movie.' > > — [Why Cameron Frye Wore a Gordie Howe Jersey in ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’ — John McDermott for MEL Magazine)](https://features.wearemel.com/why-cameron-frye-wore-a-gordie-howe-jersey-in-ferris-buellers-day-off-adfc36129fd5?ref=drewshannon.net#.t1oicmln0) ### This Week - Jun 03, 2016 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2016-06-03/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:09:45.000Z > Bitici thinks Tiger just wanted a witness to his life. > > — [The Secret History of Tiger Woods (Wright Thompson for ESPN)](http://espn.go.com/espn/feature/story/%5F/id/15278522/how-tiger-woods-life-unraveled-years-father-earl-woods-death?ref=drewshannon.net) > Productivity apps facilitate the pleasure of time management, which is ultimately the pleasure of control. > > — [The Productivity Obsession (Melissa Gregg for The Atlantic)](http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/11/be-more-productive/415821/?ref=drewshannon.net) ### April 11, 2016 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-142642559909/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:16:52.000Z ![Vintage silver race cars on raised platforms beneath museum lighting at the Petersen Automotive Museum.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2016/04/142642559909_0.jpg) ![Classic silver open-cockpit Ferrari racing car bearing number 11 at the Petersen Automotive Museum.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2016/04/142642559909_1.jpg) ![Sleek silver 1959 Corvette Stingray Racer concept car bearing number 11 in a darkened museum gallery.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2016/04/142642559909_2.jpg) ![Bare automotive unibody frame mounted on a yellow exhibition stand against a factory assembly mural.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2016/04/142642559909_3.jpg) ![Glossy red vintage convertible coupe with white top and whitewall tires on a polished museum floor.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2016/04/142642559909_4.jpg) ![Mid-century concept cars in green and copper on a reflective museum floor beneath framed design art.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2016/04/142642559909_5.jpg) A few from the [Petersen Automotive Museum](http://petersen.org/?ref=drewshannon.net). ### This Week - Apr 01, 2016 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2016-04-01/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:09:46.000Z > It's like what his friend, fellow actor Ken Page, once told Baldwin—that New York is a river, while L.A. is a lake: New York has a current that pulls you in some direction. Where L.A. has none. So you have to row your boat in LA. > > — [Alec Baldwin Is Moving To L.A., So Leave Him Alone (Juliet Bennett Rylah for LAist)](http://laist.com/2016/03/31/new%5Fneighbor%5Falec%5Fbaldwin.php?ref=drewshannon.net) > Of all the remarkable facts about Phelps, perhaps the most impressive is this: He’s not dead. > > — [Thrashed (Willy Staley for The California Sunday Magazine)](https://story.californiasunday.com/jake-phelps-thrasher?ref=drewshannon.net) > Is Twitter good for anything? Or is it just a giant garbage heap of aging millennials clamoring for validation? > > — [How to Get 1 Million Twitter Followers—By Any Means Necessary (Lauren Larson for GQ)](http://www.gq.com/story/joe-mande-one-million-twitter-followers?ref=drewshannon.net) > Inside or outside of the office, when asked how you are, do not answer “busy”. Boring people are busy. Good people are excited. > > — [You’re hired, but first, some rules (James Nord for Medium)](https://medium.com/swlh/you-re-hired-but-first-some-rules-6fdf94e64098?ref=drewshannon.net#.hvpcg1dix) ### This Week - Mar 18, 2016 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2016-03-18/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:09:47.000Z > Facebook has a heavy meeting culture–at least I know it does on my team–so I try to protect my calendar as much as I can. I will put in blocks of time so that people can’t block me out. If something is important they’ll reach out via email or messenger and I’ll open up a time. I found that helps me stay focused on the things I think I should be focused on. I have a lot of team meetings and product meetings, as is, so protecting my calendar has been a very good exercise and productivity boost for me. > > — [Geoff Teehan, Product Design Director at Facebook (Geoff Teehan for Ways We Work)](http://wayswework.io/interviews/geoff-teehan-product-design-director-at-facebook?ref=drewshannon.net) ### March 17, 2016 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-141207656659/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:16:53.000Z ![White stucco wall at dusk with multi-pane wire glass windows glowing with warm amber interior light.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2016/03/141207656659.jpg) ### March 16, 2016 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-141152239307/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:16:54.000Z ![Tall flowering agave bloom stalk rising vertically against a gradient blue evening sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2016/03/141152239307.jpg) ### March 15, 2016 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-141095857205/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:16:54.000Z ![Looking up into the green leafy canopy of an orange tree heavy with ripe round oranges against a bright sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2016/03/141095857205.jpg) ### March 14, 2016 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-141037805970/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:16:55.000Z ![Overhead full-frame texture view of a dense bed of pale blue-green succulent rosettes growing in a garden.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2016/03/141037805970.jpg) ### March 12, 2016 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-140917348934/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:16:56.000Z ![Large green banana palm leaves reaching across a minimalist peach-colored stucco exterior wall.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2016/03/140917348934_0.jpg) ![Horizontal view of arching banana palm fronds and foliage framing the left side against a pale peach stucco wall.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2016/03/140917348934_1.jpg) ### This Week - Mar 11, 2016 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2016-03-11/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:09:47.000Z > For an activity that’s so mundane, email seems to be infused with an extraordinary amount of dread and guilt. Several studies have linked frequent email-checking with higher levels of anxiety. One study found that constant email-checkers also had heart activity that suggested higher levels of cortisol, a hormone associated with stress—until they were banned from their inboxes. > > — [The Triumph of Email (Adrienne LaFrance for The Atlantic)](http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/01/what-comes-after-email/422625/?ref=drewshannon.net) > Right now, the first meal of the day in Los Angeles is arguably one of the most interesting and satisfying meals, of any sort, in the United States. If the nation has a capital of breakfast R&D, this could be it. > > — [Los Angeles: City of Breakfast (Jeff Gordinier for The New York Times)](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/24/dining/los-angeles-restaurants-breakfast.html?ref=drewshannon.net) > Hello. Tell me about you. @jonnysun: I’m @jonnysun! On Twitter I suppose I write very loosely through the perspective of an alien trying to learn his way around being a human. > > — [What It’s Really Like to Be a Popular ‘Weird Twitter’ Personality (Tom Usher for Vice)](http://www.vice.com/en%5Fuk/read/joke-twitter-celebrities-endhoos-jonnysun-dubstep4dads-keetpotato-ruinedpicnic?ref=drewshannon.net) > If you’re cold: Take a bath. If you’re sad: Take a bath. If you’re trying to drink less or eat less or send needy texts less but are so panicked that your shoulders are at your ears and you can’t stop worrying you said a weird thing in an email and your friend is trying to think of a kind way to tell you she never wants to talk to you again: Take a bath. > > — [Baths: The Key to Surviving February (Meaghan O'Connell for The Cut)](http://nymag.com/thecut/2016/02/baths-the-key-to-surviving-february.html?ref=drewshannon.net) > Maybe he was so afraid of being a bad person that when he was finally given permission by death, he was allowed the freedom to be himself. I really identify with that. I’m not selling meth. I’m not killing anybody; that’s not Mickey’s agenda. That’s not Gus’s agenda, but there’s something that Mickey does: She knows the difference between right and wrong, and sometimes she’ll make the wrong choice on purpose. Maybe the consequences for her aren’t so black and white. Maybe that’s the truth with Gus. I’m so sick of seeing the nerdy white boy as the hero to the crazy girl. I lived in that fantasy for so long, the Cinderella complex. I think Gus probably has that fantasy, too. I think he really loves the idea of being needed, being able to fix somebody. There’s a lot of anger behind that. > > — [Lesley Arfin Talks Love, On-Screen and Off (Julia Felsenthal for Vogue)](http://www.vogue.com/13403037/lesley-arfin-love-interview/?ref=drewshannon.net) ### February 20, 2016 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-139670618136/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:16:57.000Z ![Motion blur of a cyclist in a maroon shirt riding a bicycle across an asphalt city avenue past cars.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2016/02/139670618136.jpg) ### February 19, 2016 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-139610166957/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:16:57.000Z ![Slender ficus tree outside a white door and window with a yellow teapot sitting on the interior sill.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2016/02/139610166957.jpg) ### February 18, 2016 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-139551709059/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:16:58.000Z ![Alice's Beauty Salon storefront on N Virgil Avenue with painted signage and security gate under blue sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2016/02/139551709059.jpg) ### February 17, 2016 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-139493433492/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:16:59.000Z ![Mid-century two-story home with wood louvers on upper balcony over a garage with potted driveway plants.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2016/02/139493433492.jpg) ### February 16, 2016 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-139432201285/ Last updated: 2026-09-10T19:18:31.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2016/02/139432201285.gif) Hi. ### February 15, 2016 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-139367163305/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:00.000Z ![A solitary tall palm tree crown illuminated in warm evening sunset light against a pale pastel blue sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2016/02/139367163305_0.jpg) ![Upward view of tall textured trunks and spreading green fan fronds of two palm trees backlit by sun.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2016/02/139367163305_1.jpg) ### February 14, 2016 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-139298649299/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:00.000Z ![Classic black Jaguar E-Type roadster convertible with wire wheels parked outside a matte black building.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2016/02/139298649299.jpg) Hello beautiful, will you be my valentine? ### This Week - Feb 12, 2016 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2016-02-12/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:09:48.000Z > Cummings has been in Congress since 1996, and he is a firm believer in the power of government to improve industry through regulation. And yet now he was begging the former C.E.O. of a relatively minor pharmaceutical company to ‘change the system’? It seemed like an act of abdication. The Republican-led committee was no more impressive. As if to establish that Turing was unnecessarily profitable, the committee released documents showing that the company had thrown a lavish party—fireworks included—and given some executives six-figure raises. (If this now counts as corporate behavior worthy of oversight and reform, the committee may soon find its schedule overbooked.) And then there was John Mica, a Republican from Florida, who has vowed to ‘keep the government out of patients’ sick beds.’ Notwithstanding his skepticism of government intervention, he expressed alarm that some drug prices have “skyrocketed.” Even more than his colleagues, he seemed taken aback by the star witness’s recalcitrance, as if he couldn’t fathom why a private citizen wouldn’t be more deferential to his government—at one point, he threatened to move to hold Shkreli in contempt. > > — [Everyone Hates Martin Shkreli. Everyone Is Missing the Point - (Kelefa Sanneh for The New Yorker)](http://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/everyone-hates-martin-shkreli-everyone-is-missing-the-point?ref=drewshannon.net) > There are businesses out there with very deep pockets who view having a shop on that street as strictly brand building. There’s a lot of money to be made right now if you own property on Abbot Kinney. > > — [The Rise and Fall of Abbot Kinney, or, How Venice Is Dying (Dan Dunn for Thrillist)](https://www.thrillist.com/lifestyle/los-angeles/the-rise-and-fall-of-abbot-kinney?ref=drewshannon.net) ### This Week - Jan 08, 2016 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2016-01-08/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:09:49.000Z > There is literally zero chance that anyone will misconstrue this, and the great news is that if someone actually does, the Supreme Court will set them straight. > > — [The Second Amendment: Original Intent - (John Quaintance for The New Yorker)](http://www.newyorker.com/humor/daily-shouts/the-second-amendment-original-intent?ref=drewshannon.net) > Given everything, really, what our delight at their downfall truly reveals, more than anything, is how we as a consumer culture lie to ourselves about being consumers of culture. > > — [What the Mast Brothers Scandal Tells Us About Ourselves (Helen Rosner for Eater)](http://www.eater.com/2015/12/23/10657022/what-the-mast-brothers-scandal-tells-us-about-ourselves?ref=drewshannon.net) > Empathy has a downside when it makes you ashamed of what matters to you, or when it distracts you from other important emotions of your own. > > — [Got First-World Problems? Don’t Feel Guilty. (Joseph Burgo for The New York Times)](http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/12/15/got-first-world-problems-dont-feel-guilty/?%5Fr=0&ref=drewshannon.net) ### This Week - Dec 11, 2015 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2015-12-11/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:09:50.000Z > The greatest thing that could happen is to not be remembered. > > — [Tiger Woods on His Pain and Comeback (Lorne Rubenstein for Time)](http://time.com/tiger/?ref=drewshannon.net) > Megan tried to put herself in situations that challenged the intolerance she had been indoctrinated with. > > — [Conversion via Twitter (Adrian Chen for The New Yorker)](http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/11/23/conversion-via-twitter-westboro-baptist-church-megan-phelps-roper?ref=drewshannon.net) > Stop attaching meaning and worth to things arbitrarily, stop seeing everything you do as a revolt or repudiation of what came before, and simply trust your own instincts instead! > > — [Ask Polly: Should I Get a Boob Job? (Heather Havrilesky for The Cut)](http://nymag.com/thecut/2015/12/ask-polly-should-i-get-a-boob-job.html?ref=drewshannon.net) ### This Week - Dec 04, 2015 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2015-12-04/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:09:51.000Z > There is no winner. It’s just which service is less horrible, and my experience thus far is that both are equally…ungoodish. Mostly because I’ve used Rdio since 2010, have been an advocate for the service to all my friends, and am saddened (and thus acting like a jilted teenager) with the prospect of having to find something new. With either service I sacrifice something I really want, and both services are completely missing features I loved on Rdio. > > — [The Great Music Streaming Decision of 2015 (Paul Armstrong for Medium)](https://medium.com/darkchart-music/the-great-music-streaming-decision-of-2015-f30d459fd08f?ref=drewshannon.net#.kloqyes0s) > Checking out is nothing new. I’d venture that the only thing that’s new is our guilt-ridden modern ideal of a parent who is 100 percent tuned-in and engaged with their children all the time, without a break. > > — [My Child Has a Pacifier. I Have an iPhone. (Meaghan O'Connell for New York Magazine’s The Cut)](http://nymag.com/thecut/2015/11/my-child-has-a-pacifier-i-have-an-iphone.html?ref=drewshannon.net) > In sales ops, the satisfaction of a job well done often lives with you. You have to be okay with that. > > — [A Blueprint from the Woman Who Helped AdRoll Double its Sales Force and Sales (Diane Lu for First Round Review)](http://firstround.com/review/a-blueprint-from-the-woman-who-helped-adroll-double-its-sales-force-and-sales/?ref=drewshannon.net) ### This Week - Nov 09, 2015 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2015-11-09/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:09:52.000Z > But walking the floors, past silent door after silent door, it struck me as a nearly impossible task to definitively eliminate the possibility that the woman you’re looking for could be hidden on the other side of any one of them. > > — [American Horror Story: The Cecil Hotel (Josh Dean for Medium)](https://medium.com/matter/haunted-947d642a6d59?ref=drewshannon.net#.q6823wo94) > My work doesn’t allow me to simply shut off the Internet. I know that currently I let too much in, but I don’t know where the happy median is and I may only be able to find it by letting in too little for a while. > > — [Dialing Down (CGP Grey for CGP Grey)](http://www.cgpgrey.com/blog/dialing-down?ref=drewshannon.net) > Examine and interrogate your motivations, reject the money if you dare, and startup something useful. A dent in the universe is plenty. Curb your ambition. Live happily ever after. > > — [RECONSIDER (DHH for Medium)](https://medium.com/@dhh/reconsider-41adf356857f?ref=drewshannon.net) > I know that a room feels more welcoming when there’s music playing, especially music I like. I really like what music does, and I think it changes our brain chemistry. I know it does something really good for me. It feels healthy for me to listen. > > — [Rick Rubin Loves To Listen (Rick Rubin for Sonos Studio)](http://studio.sonos.com/article/rick-rubin-loves-listen?ref=drewshannon.net) ### This Week - Oct 30, 2015 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2015-10-30/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:09:52.000Z > So I took a long, hard, serious look at myself, and concluded that some things needed to change. > > — [Seven Things I Did To Reboot My Life (Wil Wheaton for WilWheaton.net)](http://wilwheaton.net/2015/10/seven-things-i-did-to-reboot-my-life/?ref=drewshannon.net) > ’People care about provenance, and they care about ethics,’ said Mr. Valenti, who at 35 is part of a generation of technology-conscious music executives with no experience of the industry’s pre-Napster days. ‘I like the idea of Ghostly as a community of people that has an ethos and an approach, and I think audiences appreciate these whimsical notions that there is an artistic attribute to doing things in this small-batch or D.I.Y. way.’ > > — [Ghostly Transcends Its Record Label Roots to Sell an Ethos (Ben Sisario for The New York Times)](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/30/business/media/ghostly-transcends-its-record-label-roots-to-sell-an-ethos.html?nytmobile=0&ref=drewshannon.net) > I think the bottom line is that most of us need a lot from other people, but we don’t always feel like we deserve much. We feel spoiled and we also feel boring. We’re furious at ourselves, furious that we can’t just enjoy what we have (the privileges we have, the embarrassment of riches around us!), furious that we can’t just join the team and play our roles enthusiastically. Why don’t I like my amazing job? Why don’t I feel connected to my caring friends? Why don’t I love my nice boyfriend? > > — [Ask Polly: Why Do You Always Tell People to Go to Therapy? (Heather Havrilesky for The Cut)](http://nymag.com/thecut/2015/10/ask-polly-why-do-you-always-recommend-therapy.html?ref=drewshannon.net) > I suppose that people who live with passion start out with an especially intense desire to complete themselves. We are the only animals who are naturally unfinished. We have to bring ourselves to fulfillment, to integration and to coherence. > > — [Lady Gaga and the Life of Passion (David Brooks for The New York Times)](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/23/opinion/lady-gaga-and-the-life-of-passion.html?ref=drewshannon.net) ### October 24, 2015 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-131850735994/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:01.000Z ![Paved roadway along a chain-link fence stretching across dry golden fields toward rolling brown hills.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/10/131850735994.jpg) ### This Week - Oct 16, 2015 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2015-10-16/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:09:53.000Z > And this is the problem with buying into The Shield, believing that athletes are or can be moral leaders, or thinking that a sheltered and not especially bright rich kid who’s only worked for one employer his entire life is going be the person who makes a difference in our country’s longstanding problem with domestic violence. All of that is just public relations. Expecting the NFL to be the difference-maker on an issue so pervasive, so morbidly commonplace in America that the CDC estimates that one out of four women will be the victim of ‘severe physical violence’ by an intimate partner, is at best incredibly optimistic, and that’s before you realize it’s Roger Goodell who’s in charge. On a more realistic level, it ignores that the NFL really only has has one purpose—making as much money as possible. > > — [Getting Mad At Greg Hardy Is The Easy Part (Diana Moskovitz for Deadspin)](http://deadspin.com/getting-mad-at-greg-hardy-is-the-easy-part-1735953891?utm%5Fcampaign=socialflow%5Fdeadspin%5Ffacebook&utm%5Fsource=deadspin%5Ffacebook&utm%5Fmedium=socialflow) ### October 08, 2015 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-130766472989/ Last updated: 2026-09-26T01:26:09.000Z ![Market street in Granada, Nicaragua with shops, pedestrians, and a vertical 'FARMACIA DEL PUEBLO' sign.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/10/130766472989_0.jpg) ![Cobalt blue building in Granada, Nicaragua with 'Café Blue' sign, bicycles, and chairs outside doorway.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/10/130766472989_1.jpg) ![Colorful vendor cart overflowing with plush teddy bears in a town plaza park in Granada, Nicaragua.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/10/130766472989_2.jpg) ![Small black and tan dog on a paved street in Granada, Nicaragua with pedestrians and a passing motorcycle.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/10/130766472989_3.jpg) ![Young man in a grey tank top leaning against a warm amber-lit stucco wall beside a ceramic urn by a pool.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/10/130766472989_4.jpg) ![Two young men in casual attire sitting in wicker chairs on an outdoor patio in warm evening light.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/10/130766472989_5.jpg) ![Passengers in a canopy boat on Lake Nicaragua with captain and a handwritten 'VOLUNTARY TIPS' sign.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/10/130766472989_6.jpg) ![Smiling young man in sunglasses and striped tote bag raising his arm in excitement in a wooden doorway.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/10/130766472989_7.jpg) ![Grinning young man in sunglasses looking back over his shoulder during a boat ride under canopy awnings.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/10/130766472989_8.jpg) ![Two horses grazing in a grassy field overlooking the vast blue expanse of Lake Nicaragua under blue sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/10/130766472989_9.jpg) A few final ones from [Granada, Nicaragua](https://www.drewshannon.net/tag/nicaragua/), 2015 ### October 07, 2015 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-130692938499/ Last updated: 2026-09-26T01:26:10.000Z ![Young athletic man in dark sunglasses and orange tank top on a sunny street in Granada, Nicaragua.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/10/130692938499_0.jpg) ![Smiling man in sunglasses with a water bottle and striped canvas tote on a sunny street in Granada.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/10/130692938499_1.jpg) ![Birds flying over ornate upper cornices of a colonial building against overcast sky in Granada, Nicaragua.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/10/130692938499_2.jpg) ![Boy in a blue Detroit Lions jersey clapping hands inside a restaurant with checkered tile floors.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/10/130692938499_3.jpg) ![Wall decorated with Detroit Lions, Tigers, and Red Wings memorabilia and a chalkboard menu in Granada.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/10/130692938499_4.jpg) ![Bearded young man in sunglasses gesturing with his hand outside a sidewalk cafe in Granada, Nicaragua.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/10/130692938499_5.jpg) ![American and Nicaraguan flags above arched doorway of a yellow colonial building in Granada, Nicaragua.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/10/130692938499_6.jpg) ![Two young men walking on a street in Granada, Nicaragua, wearing sunglasses and casual summer clothes.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/10/130692938499_7.jpg) ![Mint green Land Rover Series II with hood spare tire parked on a cobblestone street in Granada, Nicaragua.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/10/130692938499_8.jpg) ![Smiling woman and playful man standing together in the sunlit town square plaza of Granada, Nicaragua.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/10/130692938499_9.jpg) Watching the Lions at a Detroit-themed bar in [Granada, Nicaragua](https://www.drewshannon.net/tag/nicaragua/) ### October 06, 2015 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-130625957674/ Last updated: 2026-09-26T01:26:11.000Z ![Young man in an orange tank top looking back in a doorway with an ornate iron gate in Granada, Nicaragua.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/10/130625957674_0.jpg) ![Minibus navigating a narrow street beside a motorcyclist and pedestrians in Granada, Nicaragua.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/10/130625957674_1.jpg) ![Three friends gathered near an open doorway along a sunlit street in Granada, Nicaragua.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/10/130625957674_2.jpg) ![White and orange DINA commuter bus on a cobblestone street in Nicaragua with driver at the open window.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/10/130625957674_3.jpg) ![Friends walking across the stone plaza of Parque Central toward yellow Granada Cathedral in Nicaragua.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/10/130625957674_4.jpg) ![Overhead view of a wooden dining table after breakfast with pancake plates, wine glasses, and bottles.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/10/130625957674_5.jpg) ![Weathered stone dome and statue of Iglesia de la Merced in Granada, Nicaragua against a blue sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/10/130625957674_6.jpg) ![Mirror reflection showing a photographer holding a camera to his eye beside posters on a bathroom wall.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/10/130625957674_7.jpg) ![Shirtless man wiping down the side windows of a white Toyota passenger van in Granada, Nicaragua.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/10/130625957674_8.jpg) ![Bicyclist passing an arched white door with painted 'NO NO ESTACIONAR' lettering in Granada, Nicaragua.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/10/130625957674_9.jpg) More from [Granada, Nicaragua](https://www.drewshannon.net/tag/nicaragua/), 2015 ### October 05, 2015 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-130564782139/ Last updated: 2026-09-26T01:26:11.000Z ![Weathered white colonial church with tiered bell tower and red arched doors in Granada, Nicaragua.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/10/130564782139_0.jpg) ![Parque Central plaza in Granada, Nicaragua with pedestrians, cyclists, and neoclassical arcade buildings.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/10/130564782139_1.jpg) ![Rooftop view of terracotta houses and yellow Granada Cathedral domes against volcanic hills in Nicaragua.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/10/130564782139_2.jpg) ![Light brown cow grazing along the rocky, litter-strewn shoreline of Lake Nicaragua on an overcast day.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/10/130564782139_3.jpg) ![Arched doorway view onto a sunlit cobblestone courtyard and colonial buildings in Granada, Nicaragua.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/10/130564782139_4.jpg) ![View over terracotta roofs toward yellow and red domes of Granada Cathedral against rolling green hills.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/10/130564782139_5.jpg) ![Man looking out through a round grated window in the yellow wall of Granada Cathedral in Nicaragua.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/10/130564782139_6.jpg) ![Upward view of the yellow and white facade of Granada Cathedral toward its arched bell tower and dome.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/10/130564782139_7.jpg) ![Weathered concrete wall topped with jagged broken glass shards against a blue sky in Nicaragua.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/10/130564782139_8.jpg) ![Yellow and white Granada Cathedral with red-domed bell tower rising above Parque Central in Nicaragua.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/10/130564782139_9.jpg) [Granada, Nicaragua](https://www.drewshannon.net/tag/nicaragua/), 2015 ### October 02, 2015 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-130351872059/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:05.000Z ![Groom playfully carrying and spinning bride in a lace gown on the dance floor under tent string lights.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/10/130351872059_0.jpg) ![Groomsmen in suspenders and guests with arms around each other singing under tent string lights at night.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/10/130351872059_1.jpg) ![Man in suspenders and blonde woman singing passionately together under glowing tent string lights.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/10/130351872059_2.jpg) ![Smiling bride dancing with eyes closed among guests under string lights at an outdoor wedding reception.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/10/130351872059_3.jpg) ![Bearded groom in navy suit and plaid bow tie singing with eyes closed surrounded by wedding guests.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/10/130351872059_4.jpg) ![Groom dancing closely with bride in backless lace gown surrounded by smiling guests under tent lights.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/10/130351872059_5.jpg) I love these people. Michigan, 2015 ### This Week - Oct 02, 2015 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2015-10-02/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:09:54.000Z > But this Brooklynning—wherein we take something that was fine or even good, and distill it into something hip or exclusive—is all around. It started with our food. Want just a coffee from Gorilla? No luck, it’s all pour over or cold brew and you better have 10 minutes to wait for it. Ask for a well whiskey at Morgan’s BBQ? You’ll be informed that they serve only American-produced bourbon and ‘what flavor profile would you like’ When you asked for the fucking well. Then it hit music festivals. And now apparently even Stravinsky can be repackaged for the 20-something Brooklynite and no one else. > > — [Stop Brooklyning Perfectly Good Stuff (Guelda Voien for The Observer)](http://observer.com/2015/09/stop-brooklyning-perfectly-good-stuff/?ref=drewshannon.net) > Which, of course, makes me realize that much of my effort apparently wasn’t effort at all, but just ineffective stress added on top of something to make it feel like I’m doing the best I can. > > — [Relax for the same result (Derek Sivers for Sivers.org)](http://sivers.org/relax?ref=drewshannon.net) > ’I think my romantic view is that if you're dedicated to greatness, you sacrifice everything for the work’. - Max Linsky > > 'No, that's how dicks justify bad behavior'.” - Ira Glass > > — [Longform Podcast #159: Ira Glass (Ira Glass for the Longform Podcast)](http://longform.org/posts/longform-podcast-159-ira-glass?ref=drewshannon.net) ### October 01, 2015 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-130279930174/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:06.000Z ![Ornate crystal chandelier with glowing candle bulbs suspended inside a reception tent at night.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/10/130279930174_0.jpg) ![Bearded groom laughing heartily beside a groomsman under a crystal chandelier at a wedding reception.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/10/130279930174_1.jpg) ![Bride and guests dancing outdoors on a wooden floor under an illuminated tent with crystal chandelier.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/10/130279930174_2.jpg) ![Older man in glasses and beige vest dancing with wedding guests on a wooden floor inside a tent.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/10/130279930174_3.jpg) ![Groomsman in green suspenders and bow tie pointing playfully forward at a nighttime wedding reception.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/10/130279930174_4.jpg) ![Bride in lace gown pointing enthusiastically on the dance floor next to guests in a reception tent.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/10/130279930174_5.jpg) ![The bride and wedding guests dancing excitedly under an illuminated reception tent with hands raised in the air.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/10/130279930174_6.jpg) ![Groomsman in a bow tie and bright green suspenders making a humorous grimace at a wedding reception.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/10/130279930174_7.jpg) ![Groom singing along with smiling guests at a nighttime outdoor wedding reception under tent lighting.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/10/130279930174_8.jpg) ![Bride with wide-eyed expression posing closely with a groomsman in green suspenders at wedding party.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/10/130279930174_9.jpg) One for the ages. Michigan, 2015 ### September 30, 2015 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-130222098784/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:07.000Z ![Two groomsmen in navy vests and blue bow ties with arms around each other at a wedding reception.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/09/130222098784_0.jpg) ![Illuminated crystal chandelier hanging beneath gathered fabric inside a dark wedding reception tent.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/09/130222098784_1.jpg) ![Groomsman in suspenders whispering to a woman in a red dress on the reception dance floor at night.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/09/130222098784_2.jpg) ![Bride in lace gown leaning down to dance hand-in-hand with a little girl in a vibrant floral dress.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/09/130222098784_3.jpg) ![Groom in a navy blazer singing passionately with arms around two groomsmen on the dance floor at night.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/09/130222098784_4.jpg) ![Woman in coral red dress and man in suspenders slow dancing together under reception tent string lights.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/09/130222098784_5.jpg) ![Groom in navy suit and plaid bow tie shrugging with arms outstretched wide above reception dinner tables.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/09/130222098784_6.jpg) ![Bride in lace dress and guest in blue bow tie pointing playfully forward under reception lights at night.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/09/130222098784_7.jpg) ![Bride in sleeveless lace dress clapping enthusiastically on the dance floor under a reception tent.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/09/130222098784_8.jpg) ![Groom smiling in a navy suit while bride playfully flashes a peace sign behind his shoulder at reception.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/09/130222098784_9.jpg) Michigan, 2015 ### September 29, 2015 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-130140571181/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:07.000Z ![Groomsman in patterned suspenders and bow tie giving a thumbs up with a cocktail on a sunny lawn.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/09/130140571181_0.jpg) ![Golden sunlight on yellow flower petals scattered on green grass with the photographer's shadow.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/09/130140571181_1.jpg) ![Two men dancing excitedly and bumping shoulders under reception tent string lights with guests behind.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/09/130140571181_2.jpg) ![Wedding guest breakdancing on the floor with a glowing bracelet as groomsmen watch and laugh.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/09/130140571181_3.jpg) ![Man in blue shirt doing pushups on the wooden parquet dance floor at a nighttime wedding reception.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/09/130140571181_4.jpg) ![Man in suspenders performing a one-handed dance freeze on the wooden parquet floor at a wedding party.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/09/130140571181_5.jpg) ![Bald man in suspenders dancing animatedly across the floor under tent lighting with arms outstretched.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/09/130140571181_6.jpg) ![A man doing the worm dance move across the wooden parquet dance floor at a nighttime outdoor wedding reception.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/09/130140571181_7.jpg) ![Man in blue shirt laughing while bowing down on the dance floor surrounded by smiling groomsmen.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/09/130140571181_8.jpg) Not many things better than Summer Wedding Tent Dance-Offs. Michigan, 2015 ### September 28, 2015 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-130073198584/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:08.000Z ![Bearded groomsman in blue vest and striped bow tie holding a napkin-wrapped beverage on a porch.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/09/130073198584_0.jpg) ![Hand-lettered wooden pallet wedding schedule sign reading 'J+K 8-22-15' flanked by daisy pots.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/09/130073198584_1.jpg) ![Groomsman in sunglasses, bow tie, and paisley suspenders looking at his phone beside laughing woman in mint dress.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/09/130073198584_2.jpg) ![View through sliding glass doors at an outdoor wedding reception patio with guests mingling in evening.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/09/130073198584_3.jpg) ![Laughing groomsman wearing sunglasses, bow tie, and paisley suspenders before a wedding lawn and tent.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/09/130073198584_4.jpg) ![Bearded groomsman in blue shirt and bowtie smiling while holding a beer bottle with a lime wedge on a porch.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/09/130073198584_5.jpg) ![Groomsman in light blue shirt, green suspenders, and gingham bow tie patterned with orange fish skeletons.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/09/130073198584_6.jpg) ![Bearded groomsman in suspenders and plaid bow tie adjusting his shirtsleeve on a sunny outdoor patio.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/09/130073198584_7.jpg) ![Smiling groomsman with shaved head holding a water bottle in grey bow tie and paisley suspenders.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/09/130073198584_8.jpg) ![Groomsman in sunglasses, pink shirt, and blue dotted tie standing on a sloping lawn by a garden shed.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/09/130073198584_9.jpg) Summer Weddings in Michigan ### September 25, 2015 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-129862786199/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:09.000Z ![Massive stacked grey limestone boulders forming a breakwater shoreline against clear blue sky and water.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/09/129862786199_0.jpg) ![Friends gathered around lawn chairs by a lake at sunset tossing a football in Michigan.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/09/129862786199_1.jpg) ![Tall pine and deciduous tree crowns illuminated by warm golden sunset light against an evening sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/09/129862786199_2.jpg) ![Intimate candid of a person in the dark holding a glowing smartphone screen illuminating their face at night.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/09/129862786199_3.jpg) ![Distant illuminated house seen through dark silhouettes of trees at night.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/09/129862786199_4.jpg) ![Astrophotography shot showing numerous bright and faint stars twinkling in a pitch-black night sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/09/129862786199_5.jpg) ![Wooden boat dock and pontoon boat extending into calm lake water under a bright overexposed sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/09/129862786199_6.jpg) ![Long exposure light trails of distant city shoreline lights reflected over dark lake water at night.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/09/129862786199_7.jpg) ![Dramatic storm over a lake with lightning illuminating dark clouds above a dock and pontoon boat.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/09/129862786199_8.jpg) Northern Michigan, 2015 ### This Week - Sep 25, 2015 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2015-09-25/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:09:55.000Z > Achieving this much success with Peace just doesn’t feel good, which I didn’t anticipate, but probably should have. Ad blockers come with an important asterisk: while they do benefit a ton of people in major ways, they also hurt some, including many who don’t deserve the hit. > > — [Just doesn’t feel good (Marco Arment for Marco.org)](http://www.marco.org/2015/09/18/just-doesnt-feel-good?ref=drewshannon.net) > It’s not that the city’s social problems are invisible to the programming class. But in some way, they’re not important enough to bother with. Why solve homelessness in one place when you can solve it everywhere? Why fix anything locally, if the solutions can scale? > > — [What Happens Next Will Amaze You (Maciej Ceglowski for Idle Words)](http://idlewords.com/talks/what%5Fhappens%5Fnext%5Fwill%5Famaze%5Fyou.htm?ref=drewshannon.net) > He points to a tattoo on his arm, a quote from one of the Greek skeptics. ‘This says, more or less, ‘I am certain of nothing,’ and that’s how I feel. I’m pretty sure that cheese and sausage are good. Other than that, it’s a world of confusion and uncertainty.’ > > — [Anthony Bourdain's World Domination (Josh Eells for Men’s Journal)](http://www.mensjournal.com/magazine/anthony-bourdains-world-domination-20150914?ref=drewshannon.net) > #HowIQuitSpin 63\. and for all that 11:00 comes an hour after 10:00 no matter what. Even when such things seem impossible. > > — [The Epic 200-Tweet Story #HowIQuitSpin Is a Piece of Pop Culture Art (Marissa Visci for Slate)](http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2015/07/21/%5Fhowiquitspin%5Fis%5Funiversity%5Fof%5Fcalifornia%5Fdavis%5Fprofessor%5Fjoshua%5Fclover.html?ref=drewshannon.net) > The end of a relationship is a kind of high, too — there’s nothing more life-affirming, more hope-inspiring, than a fresh start. After my first long-term relationship unraveled, I started running. I would wake at five in the morning and run while the world slept. I would run until I vomited. I couldn’t get enough. I was so excited, so energized, that walking felt like sitting still. > > — [Singleminded (Diana Spechler for The New York Times)](http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/06/26/singleminded?ref=drewshannon.net) ### September 24, 2015 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-129789685884/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:10.000Z ![Abstract rippling surface of deep blue and turquoise lake water catching sky reflections.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/09/129789685884_0.jpg) ![View looking down into crystal clear lake water revealing underwater aquatic plants and weeds swaying near a dock.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/09/129789685884_1.jpg) ![Friends on a lake boat, with a man wrapped in a turquoise towel and woman flashing a peace sign.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/09/129789685884_2.jpg) ![Two smiling women on a moving boat taking a phone selfie against deep blue lake waters.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/09/129789685884_3.jpg) ![Woman in blue mirrored sunglasses sipping a canned drink on a boat riding across open blue water.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/09/129789685884_4.jpg) ![Distant white sailboat sailing across choppy deep blue lake waters under soft blue sky with fluffy white clouds.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/09/129789685884_5.jpg) ![Cruising sailboat named Grayling motoring across blue lake water toward a tree-lined shoreline.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/09/129789685884_6.jpg) ![Bearded young man in sunglasses smiling with friends in casual athletic wear on a sunny boat deck.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/09/129789685884_7.jpg) ![Young woman in dark sunglasses framed between two young men riding in a boat across churning lake water.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/09/129789685884_8.jpg) ![Blonde woman in sunglasses and a young man seated on a boat under bright sunlit overexposed daylight.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/09/129789685884_9.jpg) Northern Michigan, 2015 ### September 23, 2015 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-129720729429/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:10.000Z ![Wooden cruising sailboat with tall yellow mast moored on calm blue lake water against tree-lined hills.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/09/129720729429_0.jpg) ![Young man in sunglasses and printed button-down shirt giving a confident thumbs-up against a blue sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/09/129720729429_1.jpg) ![Smiling young woman in sunglasses leaning close to a smiling man in aviators on a boat.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/09/129720729429_2.jpg) ![Smiling woman in sunglasses holding a glass of white wine while chatting with friends on a boat seat.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/09/129720729429_3.jpg) ![Dynamic close-up shot of frothy white water churning and splashing in the wake of a motorboat.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/09/129720729429_4.jpg) ![Foamy white and blue wake streaming behind a speeding motorboat flying a small American flag from its stern.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/09/129720729429_5.jpg) ![Three friends seated together on a boat under a bright blue sky, with a young man gazing into distance.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/09/129720729429_6.jpg) ![Close portrait of a smiling woman in gold aviator sunglasses reflecting a photographer holding a camera.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/09/129720729429_7.jpg) ![Close-up of hands using a paring knife to slice a fresh green lime on a wooden cutting board aboard a boat.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/09/129720729429_8.jpg) ![Small blue-hulled sailboat moored on calm lake waters beneath dramatic dark storm clouds and a forested shoreline.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/09/129720729429_9.jpg) A recent family trip to Northern Michigan - one of my favorite places on the entire planet. ### This Week - Sep 05, 2015 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2015-09-05/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:09:55.000Z > Socality Barbie has amassed more than 7,000 followers so far, adding more each day. ‘I think it’s because she’s so relatable,’ the photographer says. ‘Either your Instagram photos looks just like her’s or you know at least one person who does.’ > > — [Hipster Barbie Is So Much Better at Instagram Than You (Taylor Glascock for Wired)](http://www.wired.com/2015/09/hipster-barbie-much-better-instagram/?ref=drewshannon.net) > When the Very British Problems Twitter feed already has its own TV show, do we really need Dismaland? > > — [Dismaland Is a Smug, Clichéd Monument to Banksy’s Dated Agenda (Joe Bish for Vice)](http://www.vice.com/read/dismaland-isnt-what-you-think-it-is-or-what-it-thinks-it-is-292?ref=drewshannon.net) > I suspect that the way I feel now, at summer’s end, is about how I’ll feel at the end of my life, assuming I have time and mind enough to reflect: bewildered by how unexpectedly everything turned out, regretful about all the things I didn’t get around to, clutching the handful of friends and funny stories I’ve amassed, and wondering where it all went. And I’ll probably still be evading the same truth I’m evading now: that the life I ended up with, much as I complain about it, was pretty much the one I chose. And my dissatisfactions with it are really with my own character, with my hesitation and timidity. > > — [The Summer That Never Was (Tim Kreider for The New York Times)](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/30/opinion/sunday/the-summer-that-never-was.html?%5Fr=0&ref=drewshannon.net) > When Sacks died this week at 82, he was memorialized as a brilliant doctor and author — the man immortalized by Robin Williams in the film ‘Awakenings.’ Yet, many tributes gave short shrift to an astonishing fact about a man who seemed so empathetic when trying to puzzle through his patients’ most debilitating neurological afflictions and open about his own depression and drug use: He lived in self-imposed celibacy for more than three decades, only coming out in the past few months. And it didn’t sound all that fun. > > — [The tragic story of Oliver Sacks’s celibacy (Justin Wm. Moyer for The Washington Post)](http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/08/31/the-tragic-story-of-oliver-sackss-celibacy-and-homosexuality/?ref=drewshannon.net) > An hour or so up the road, we rolled into the outskirts of Petoskey, Hemingway Country. The writer loved resorts. If he wrote about a place, you know it was one of the “in” places of the moment. In the 1920s, it was Paris. In the 1930s, it was Key West. In his early years, it was this lakefront vacation town. His family had a house nearby, in Horton Bay. Hemlock forests and streams, lumber mills, swamps — boyhood adventure condensed to a perfume. I can’t help but see it through the eyes of Nick Adams, the alter-ego who wandered those dazzling early stories: 'Up in Michigan,' 'The Three Day Blow,' 'Big Two-Hearted River.' When Hemingway first published nearly 90 years ago, the town was scandalized. He’d written real gossip about real people. He was persona non grata. Now, of course, all is forgiven. > > — [A Tour of Lake Michigan, My Inland Sea (Rich Cohen for The New York Times)](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/30/travel/lake-michigan-tour.html?ref=drewshannon.net) ### This Week - Aug 28, 2015 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2015-08-28/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:09:56.000Z > I think it’s because the article tapped into a deep-seated, almost existential fear that runs through many of our lives — not just in the technology world, but elsewhere too: Namely, the fear that the ways we work now are harming and/or killing us. > > — [That Amazon story: We are afraid our work is killing us (Mathew Ingram for Fortune)](http://fortune.com/2015/08/20/amazon-overwork/?ref=drewshannon.net) > Feeling busy is not something to brag about. Ask the most important people in the world how they are, and they’ll almost never say, ‘busy.’ It’s not a complaint you’re likely to hear from President Obama or Rupert Murdoch. They are, by most people’s definition, pretty busy. They’re consistently making high-level strategic decisions, about a variety of topics, with a large impact. > > — [Can We Ban “Busy”? (Dina Kaplan for Tue/Night)](http://tuenight.com/2014/09/can-we-ban-busy/?ref=drewshannon.net) ### This Week - Jul 31, 2015 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2015-07-31/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:09:57.000Z > Our lack of action as a country suggests that we don’t value the lives of innocent Americans over the minutes of inconvenience that potential gun buyers might face. So unless we are willing to start telling our elected leaders to pass background check reform, we might as well continue to just haggle over the price of innocent lives. > > — [We’re Just Haggling Over Price (Eric Conrad for Medium)](https://medium.com/@EricConradFL/we-re-just-haggling-over-price-185f80b79f07?ref=drewshannon.net) > At some point within the last decade or two, the local-food mantra had rooted itself so inextricably into Californian food culture that, without realizing it, the city’s dining community within area code 415 had become wary of foods made by international artisans. > > — [Has the Locally Made Movement Gone Too Far? (Christine Ciarmello for Saveur)](http://www.saveur.com/has-locally-made-movement-gone-too-far?ref=drewshannon.net) ### This Week - Jul 24, 2015 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2015-07-24/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:09:58.000Z > It’s amazing how many layers of subtle pressure, guilt, manipulation, expectation, and people-pleasing our desires are wrapped up in. Unwrapping this mess and getting to the core — the real you, with your real, unique desires — is tough work, and requires a lot of ‘no’ along the way. > > — [How I Learned to Get a Lot Done Without Being Busy (Isaac Morehouse for Medium)](https://medium.com/on-breaking-the-mold/how-i-learned-to-get-a-lot-done-without-being-busy-7989f7b300de?ref=drewshannon.net) > I LOVE BAKING CAKES. I HAVE FEELINGS. I AM NOT COOL. I WILL NEVER BE COOL. I AM MADE OF MAGIC. > > — [Ask Polly: I’m 36—Did I Miss My Chance for Love? (Heather Havrilesky for The Cut)](http://nymag.com/thecut/2015/07/ask-polly-im-36did-i-miss-my-chance-for-love.html?ref=drewshannon.net) > **How do you spot them?** > > Anybody who talks big in meetings with big statements but doesn’t follow up. On the other hand, there are some that are quiet and 'thinking' throughout and say 'let’s think on that' because they have no idea what’s going on. The worst are thought-leaders. I always think what a great job they have, 'leading thought.' Wow. What does their Monday morning look like? They think so big they can never be accountable. I think every company needs to have like a chief bullshit officer to sniff those people out. > > — [Confessions of a frustrated marketer (Shareen Pathak for Digiday)](http://digiday.com/brands/confessions-agency-expat-turned-client-easier-fraud-agency/?ref=drewshannon.net) > I’m writing because the justification for this story offered by Gawker editor-in-chief Max Read is utterly laughable, and it’s grounded in a premise that is very common when people want to wallow in others’ private lives, yet incredibly toxic. > > — [Max Read’s Moralizing Justification for Gawker’s Vile Article (Glenn Greenwald for FirstLook.Org)](https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2015/07/17/max-reads-justification-gawkers-incomparably-vile-article/?ref=drewshannon.net) ### This Week - Jul 17, 2015 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2015-07-17/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:09:59.000Z > I believe that in a few years 2 or 3 person companies will replace companies that have 40 or 50 employees. > > — [Small Companies & Google Adsense is the future (Markus Frind for Plenty of Fish Blog)](https://plentyoffish.wordpress.com/2006/06/07/small-companies-google-adsense-is-the-future/?ref=drewshannon.net) > What does that say about the state of your website when the default communities are brimming with toxicity and hatred? What does that say about the "front page of the internet' where the toxic miasma of hatred is the very essence for which it is known for? > > — [Are you going to push the button? (/u/mach-2 on Reddit)](https://www.reddit.com/r/announcements/comments/3djjxw/lets%5Ftalk%5Fcontent%5Fama/ct5qs11?ref=drewshannon.net) ### July 13, 2015 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-123990721089/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:11.000Z ![Shaft of warm golden sunlight illuminating a young woman's face inside a dark airplane cabin during flight.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/07/123990721089_0.jpg) ![Passenger resting his head in a darkened airplane cabin with golden sunlight catching his forehead.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/07/123990721089_1.jpg) Good Morning ### July 12, 2015 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-123913195479/ Last updated: 2026-09-26T01:26:12.000Z ![Lone Wolfs surf shop facade at night with graffiti on the glass door reading 'CAN'T STEAL OUR VIBE'.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/07/123913195479.jpg) Can’t Steal Our Vibe [From A Car](https://www.drewshannon.net/tag/from-a-car/) ### This Week - Jul 12, 2015 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2015-07-12/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:09:59.000Z > We are failing to elevate Mr. Mullen’s seminal invention. It is stagnating in the country of its birth. The Japanese, on the other hand, are master kickflippers. Like a pair of jeans from seventy years ago, they give every nuance perverse amounts of attention before creating their own. They probably look for hidden pockets in the concave of a board that we haven’t even noticed yet, or perform sophisticated toe exercises to improve flick capabilities. The average Japanese kickflip is not average. > > — [Jiro Dreams of Kickflips: How Japan Mastered One of America’s Greatest Inventions (Quartersnacks)](http://quartersnacks.com/2015/07/jiro-dreams-of-kickflips-how-japan-mastered-one-of-americas-greatest-inventions/?ref=drewshannon.net) > If I like a song (or dislike a song), I have to explain -- to myself -- why that feeling exists. If I’m writing about the song in a public forum, I have to explain it to other people. But my explanation is never accurate unless I flatly declare, ‘I like this and I don’t know why’ or ‘I dislike this for reasons that can’t be quantified.’ Every other response is the process of taking an abstract feeling and figuring out how I can fit it into a lexicon that matches whatever I already want to believe. My mind is not my own. And once that realization calcified internally, there is no going back. Once you realize you can’t control how you feel, it’s impossible to believe any of your own opinions. > > — [Chuck Klosterman in I Wear The Black Hat](http://www.amazon.com/Wear-Black-Hat-Grappling-Villains/dp/143918450X/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&qid=1436722047&sr=8-1&keywords=i+wear+the+black+hat&linkCode=sl1&tag=drewshannon-20&linkId=9bc9bfeb5e99f62269f9c1bde0a75f1b&ref=drewshannon.net) ### This Week - Jul 06, 2015 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2015-07-06/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:00.000Z > Before transitioning off the team, I did my best to help my replacements understand the system we had built. I walked them through the decisions that had allowed the system to scale. I shared advice on what to change and the roadmap we expected to follow. Six months later I checked in with the team. They had ignored everything I told them – and built something much, much better. > > — [Shoshin (Andrew Bosworth for Boz)](http://boz.com/articles/shoshin.html?ref=drewshannon.net) > ’I’m shy,’ Ive said. His London accent is intact after more than twenty years away. ‘I’m always focussed on the actual work, and I think that’s a much more succinct way to describe what you care about than any speech I could ever make.’ He sounded calm, but he was fidgeting with his hands, as if trying to flick gum from his fingertips. > > — [Jonathan Ive and the Future of Apple - (Ian Parker for The New Yorker)](http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/02/23/shape-things-come?ref=drewshannon.net) ### June 25, 2015 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-122430963087/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:13.000Z ![Immaculate black interior of a vintage Chevrolet with custom white-knob shifter and polished dashboard.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/06/122430963087_0.jpg) ![View along mint green door and chrome mirror into the steering wheel and cabin of a vintage car.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/06/122430963087_1.jpg) ![Sage green classic car with quad headlights, chrome bumper, and wire wheels with whitewall tires.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/06/122430963087_2.jpg) ![Passenger-side view of chrome three-spoke steering wheel and white floor shifter in a classic car.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/06/122430963087_3.jpg) ![Detail of rounded front fender, headlights, and gleaming chrome bumper of a vintage sage green car.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/06/122430963087_4.jpg) ![High-angle view of restored metallic teal classic car with chrome grille and twin headlamps.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/06/122430963087_5.jpg) ![Chrome grille, dual headlights, and bumper of an olive green vintage car with whitewall tires.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/06/122430963087_6.jpg) Hi ### June 23, 2015 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-122266925729/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:14.000Z ![Vibrant orange and gold cirrus sunset clouds sweeping diagonally across a twilight sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/06/122266925729_0.jpg) ![Soft pastel pink and dusty purple wispy sunset clouds filling a peaceful evening sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/06/122266925729_1.jpg) ![Silhouette of a lone palm tree crown set against soft pink and blue pastel twilight sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/06/122266925729_2.jpg) ![Warm amber and fiery golden clouds swirling dramatically in a glowing sunset sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/06/122266925729_3.jpg) ![Gentle pink clouds drifting across a calming muted blue twilight sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/06/122266925729_4.jpg) ### This Week - Jun 20, 2015 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2015-06-20/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:01.000Z > We can’t all run away, join the circus, sail off into the horizon, or go to space, but each and everyone of us can make an effort to cut time away from the things we don’t enjoy and spend more time on the things we do. > > — [(Dylan Nord for Find Your Fast)](http://findyourfast.tumblr.com/post/121657077569/this-is-another-post-about-a-bike-ride-an-after?ref=drewshannon.net) > This allure of an omniscient voice, or a persona who can anticipate what you need to hear (and feel) is only earned by having skin in the game. There has to be risk involved: Anna Wintour can’t pick a dud without potential damage to her image. To be a curator, you must be placing yourself on the line. > > — [Last Life A DJ Saved My Night (Sam Valenti for Medium)](https://medium.com/@drip/last-life-a-dj-saved-my-night-802b1f7f17a5?ref=drewshannon.net) > A couple of years ago, I was getting sent this article, ‘Creative People Say No,’ at least twice a day. The idea was that creative geniuses say ‘no’ to a lot of requests (like, a psychology professor researching processes of creative genius) in order to get their work done, so if you want to be a creative genius, you have to say no a lot so you can get your work done. A bunch of people asked me what I thought about it, and I said, ‘It’s good advice for the rich and famous. Creative people say yes until they have enough work that they can say no.’ > > — [How to graciously say no to anyone (Austin Kleon for Austin Kleon)](http://tumblr.austinkleon.com/post/120472862666?ref=drewshannon.net) 2 of my favorite podcasters, [John Siracusa](http://hypercritical.co/?ref=drewshannon.net) and [Merlin Mann](http://www.merlinmann.com/?ref=drewshannon.net), have finally joined forces to create a podcast together. It might not make a ton of sense if you’re not familiar with their previous work, but I’m in nerd heaven. [Reconcilable Differences.](http://www.relay.fm/rd?ref=drewshannon.net) ### June 19, 2015 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-121947075544/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:15.000Z ![Glass skyscraper with a suspended window washing rig beside a tall palm tree under a clear blue sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/06/121947075544.jpg) Oh hai ### This Week - Jun 12, 2015 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2015-06-12/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:02.000Z > The tidbit that stood out to me regarding Recode is that they had 44 full-time employees — plus a few contractors. That’s not lean and mean. The advantage the internet provides to new publishers is that there’s so little overhead. You can go really far with a really small talented team. 44 employees sounds like Recode was trying to go head-to-head with the Wall Street Journal on the business/tech beat. Rather than start small and grow big organically, they wanted to start big. And so to start big they took on investors, and next thing you know, they had to sell. > > — [The Big News Sites Still Rule (John Gruber for Daring Fireball)](http://daringfireball.net/linked/2015/05/28/lefsetz-news?ref=drewshannon.net) > Yes, I ended up getting the car and the home. I’ve bought hundreds of pairs of sneakers that put Quincy Smith’s collection to shame. I’ve traveled to all sorts of great places. I love buying stuff for my nieces and nephew. I’ve pretended to be an angel investor… And yes, of course, I’ve donated to causes (I’m not totally selfish)… mostly having to do with education (see [www.cfy.org](http://www.cfy.org/?ref=drewshannon.net)). But these are the 2 things I remember most. > > — [You Sold Your Company, What Did You Buy First? Here’s What I Did. (Jason Hirschhorn for REDEF)](http://redef.com/item/53b9435374b1325f4e9280ad?curator=MediaREDEF&ref=drewshannon.net) > I don’t think I was ever outright mean to anyone. I was just callously indifferent and on a long enough timeline that is indistinguishable from being mean. In a cruel twist of irony I thought that was what it meant to be professional. > > — [Be Kind (Andrew Bosworth for Boz)](http://boz.com/articles/be-kind.html?ref=drewshannon.net) > The New Yorker, in a review of research on this nouveau workplace design, determined that the benefits in building camaraderie simply mask the negative effects on work performance. While employees feel like they’re part of a laid-back, innovative enterprise, the environment ultimately damages workers’ attention spans, productivity, creative thinking, and satisfaction. Furthermore, a sense of privacy boosts job performance, while the opposite can cause feelings of helplessness. > > — [Google got it wrong. The open-office trend is destroying the workplace. (Lindsey Kaufman for Washington Post)](http://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2014/12/30/google-got-it-wrong-the-open-office-trend-is-destroying-the-workplace/?ref=drewshannon.net) > I’m into commencement addresses lately. They’re a weird genre at which dark, tortured souls seem to unexpectedly excel. Maybe there’s something about asking them to be light but heady; to indulge in scaring grads without immobilizing them with the futility of it all; to elegantly handle the fact that a graduation speech is both an honor and awkwardly off-brand for the type of person worth having. > > — [I’m into commencement addresses lately. (Sarah Agudo for Medium)](https://medium.com/message/i-m-into-commencement-addresses-lately-they-re-a-weird-genre-at-which-dark-tortured-souls-seem-to-ff3fd55ff40?ref=drewshannon.net) ### June 01, 2015 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-120451707703/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:15.000Z ![Collage of California scenes including gold FULLSCREEN balloons and 'A RECORD STORE' street stencil.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/06/120451707703.jpg) Every-few-weekly Instagram Roundup. Follow me here: @[drewshannon](http://instagram.com/drewshannon?ref=drewshannon.net) ### This Week - May 22, 2015 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2015-05-22/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:03.000Z > As a new father, I find it rather astounding that Musk managed to write that without getting punched in the face. Even in pure cutthroat business terms, it’s difficult to imagine that Tesla is going to be able to attract and retain engineering talent over the long run if this is genuinely the CEO’s attitude toward his staff. > > — [Elon Musk denies reports he scolded an employee for skipping a work event to watch the birth of his child (Matthew Yglesias for Vox)](http://www.vox.com/2015/5/11/8587485/elon-musk-once-scolded-an-employee-for-skipping-a-work-event-to-watch?ref=drewshannon.net) > Sure, the topic of cyberbullying is not new, but it feels different this time. The debate is happening everywhere: on radio shows, movies, books, talks, TV shows, blogs, book reviews and especially on social media. > > — [When the Cyberbully Is You (Nick Bilton for The New York Times)](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/30/style/when-the-cyberbully-is-you.html?%5Fr=0&gwh=16A7C2A678BB0D7C8BF5BCDE41A00A4A&gwt=pay&assetType=nyt%5Fnow&ref=drewshannon.net) > ’Watch Dave,’ one player once told me as he played nearby. ‘He wins without bluster and bluffing, but he always wins.’ > > — [Does Silicon Valley Have a Soul? It Did – as Well as a Heart – in Dave Goldberg. (Kara Swisher for Re/code)](http://recode.net/2015/05/02/does-silicon-valley-have-a-soul-it-did-as-well-as-a-heart-in-dave-goldberg/?ref=drewshannon.net) > Romance shouldn’t feel like a routine. I don’t think online dating is the enemy, but I do think that the amount of options we have is so overwhelming that we’re reducing the experience of dating to a seriously forgettable series of interviews for jobs we don’t even want. > > — [A New Dating Manifesto For 2015 (Taylor Davies for Medium)](https://medium.com/@shutupilovethat/a-new-dating-manifesto-for-2015-9eb84a4f476e?ref=drewshannon.net) > What I like about Los Angeles is that it allows everyone to live his or her own lifestyle. Drive around the hills and you find a Moorish castle next to a Swiss chalet sitting beside a house shaped like a UFO. > > — [Werner Herzog's Thoughts On Los Angeles Are Pretty Great (Emma G. Gallegos for Laist)](http://laist.com/2015/05/04/werner%5Fherzogs%5Ftake%5Fon%5Flos%5Fangeles.php?ref=drewshannon.net) ### This Week - Apr 17, 2015 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2015-04-17/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:03.000Z > Every scroll through Instagram puts someone’s good day in front of me. > > — [Look and Feel and Feel (Jason Fried for Signals vs. Noise)](https://signalvnoise.com/posts/3868-look-and-feel-and-feel?ref=drewshannon.net) > In the eleven years since I’ve tried to recreate that dinner many times, but the results have never held the same magic as that night, when I was young and homesick and full of cream sauce and New York felt, for the first time, like maybe it was my home. > > — [Alone with a Bowl of Gnocchi (Cara Nicoletti for Saveur)](http://www.saveur.com/article/blog/alone-with-a-bowl-of-gnocchi?ref=drewshannon.net) > There is more at stake here than a management push to defend a friend and former boss whose reputation has been supposedly posthumously sullied. Conscious of the pressure that the gigantic Apple bubble could burst one day, Cook is a man on a crusade. The aim is to remake the image of the tech behemoth, marketing-style, by ramping up the well-known Apple penchant to portray its enterprise as a a divine mission. In the post-apocryphal holy book Cook is the freshly anointed charismatic leader pitching for converts to his new covenant Apple Watch wearable device like Cupertino Christ Superstar, accompanied by the Renaissance Madonna-like supermodel Christy Turlington. > > — [The canonization of St. Steve of Cupertino (Emma-Kate Symons for QZ)](http://qz.com/369161/the-canonization-of-st-steve-of-cupertino/?ref=drewshannon.net) > The button began its life as an April Fools’ joke, but 10 days later the community surrounding the Reddit social experiment is still going strong. On Friday morning, the community reached a new milestone, as users started earning coveted yellow flair. > > — [The button: the fascinating social experiment driving Reddit crazy (Timothy B. Lee for Vox)](http://www.vox.com/2015/4/10/8383165/reddit-button-explained?ref=drewshannon.net) > It occurred to me that there were two sets of virtues, the résumé virtues and the eulogy virtues. The résumé virtues are the skills you bring to the marketplace. The eulogy virtues are the ones that are talked about at your funeral — whether you were kind, brave, honest or faithful. Were you capable of deep love? > > — [The Moral Bucket List (David Brooks for The New York Times)](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/12/opinion/sunday/david-brooks-the-moral-bucket-list.html?ref=drewshannon.net) ### April 16, 2015 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-116539813124/ Last updated: 2015-04-16T00:12:00.000Z **[numberonefestivalcherryblossom](https://numberonefestivalcherryblossom.tumblr.com/?ref=drewshannon.net):** Hello, here's Don from Beautifull Halo, we are now having a program cooperating with talented bloggers. The participants could receive cash or store credits only by posting our products' pictures on their platform. If you want to join us, please send me your regular email address and you could know more details，Thanks! ### This Week - Apr 10, 2015 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2015-04-10/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:04.000Z > It’s not that we need a man to be complete, it’s just that for some of us, we’ve been obsessive social ethnographers for so long, that falling in love feels like not only a wonderful gushy gorgeous thing, but also the completion of many years of research. Falling in love is the equivalent to discovering the Holy Grail for Indy Jones... not that it’s the centerpiece of your entire being, but damnit, the obsessive itch you’ve had for years is now scratched. > > — [Confessions of a Former Romantic Obsessive (Emily V. Gordon for XOJane)](http://www.xojane.com/sex/confessions-former-romantic-obsessive?ref=drewshannon.net) > The goal of substance treatment isn’t necessarily to demand abstinence as much as it is to help someone manage their life in a manner where substances are no longer interfering in a negative way. > > — [Can Weed Really Help Addicts Recover from Alcoholism and Hard Drug Use? (Sophie Saint Thomas for VICE)](http://www.vice.com/read/could-marijuana-help-addicts-recover-from-alcoholism-and-hard-drug-use-234?ref=drewshannon.net) > All this has led to a new orthodoxy embraced by the upper-middle-brow, in the form of the Michelin Guide and the San Pellegrino list, and by the high-brow/hipster, in the form of the MAD symposium or Ferran Adria’s El Bulli Foundation: Restaurants, bars and coffee shops around the world have started to follow the same template, from preparation to plating, soundtrack to sous-vide, hand-soap to hanger steak. They have begun to look, taste, sound, and smell more and more the same. > > — [Why Are All ‘Good’ Restaurants Around the World Starting To Look the Same? (Tom Downey for Medium)](https://medium.com/gone/why-are-all-good-restaurants-around-the-world-starting-to-look-the-same-d03f454c137d?ref=drewshannon.net) > The siren call for many entrepreneurs isn’t money, it’s freedom. The freedom to chart your own path, the freedom to build what you want with the people you love. Taking money, building a board, and raising rounds takes away that freedom little by little. When you take venture money, you work for your investors, not yourself. > > — [Unicorns vs. Horses (Andrew Wilkinson for Medium)](https://medium.com/@awilkinson/unicorns-vs-horses-f81d8dd61f17?ref=drewshannon.net) > Allow me to spare you the rest of the truths. But the short answer is simply that I could not find a good argument to tell Tamar we should wait any longer for us to grab our backpacks and hit the road — celebrate our last 25 years together by turning the page and enjoy a perfectly fine mid life crisis full of bliss and beauty, and leave the door open to serendipity for our next leadership opportunities, once our long list of travels and adventures is exhausted. > > — [‘So When Is It Going to Be Time?’ Now, as Google CFO Pichette to Retire From Search Giant. (Kara Swisher for Re/Code)](http://recode.net/2015/03/10/google-cfo-patrick-pichette-to-retire-from-search-giant/?ref=drewshannon.net) ### April 10, 2015 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-116038554634/ Last updated: 2026-09-26T01:26:13.000Z ![Modern open office with rows of light wood desks, privacy dividers, ergonomic chairs, and sunlit windows.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/04/116038554634_0.jpg) ![Man in a black shirt leans back in a red chair at a meeting table inside a glass conference room.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/04/116038554634_1.jpg) ![Three office colleagues in ergonomic chairs working on monitors along a bright window-lit aisle.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/04/116038554634_2.jpg) ![Conference room with light wood table, speakerphone puck, and bright orange chairs on teal carpet.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/04/116038554634_3.jpg) ![Glass-door refrigerator showing Coca-Cola cans set into vibrant turquoise office kitchenette walls.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/04/116038554634_4.jpg) Last few photos of [Fullscreen’s](http://fullscreen.com/?ref=drewshannon.net) new office [Part I](https://www.drewshannon.net/post-115683621279/) [Part II](https://www.drewshannon.net/post-115770377988/) [Part III](https://www.drewshannon.net/post-115953448759/) ### April 09, 2015 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-115953448759/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:17.000Z ![Built-in corner bench with geometric cushions on light wood base beside floor-to-ceiling office windows.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/04/115953448759_0.jpg) ![Two coworkers working on laptops opposite each other at a shared wooden desk in an open office.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/04/115953448759_1.jpg) ![Office boardroom with wall monitors above a long natural edge wood table and black ergonomic chairs.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/04/115953448759_2.jpg) ![Geometric white wireframe dome pendant light illuminated above dark concrete floors in front of glass patio doors.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/04/115953448759_3.jpg) ![Light wood dining table with copper wire chairs on polished concrete floors in a modern office cafeteria.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/04/115953448759_4.jpg) ![Woman sitting at an office desk working on dual monitors in an ergonomic white desk chair.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/04/115953448759_5.jpg) ![Glass entryway reflecting stairs and displaying an interior mural of a tree with radiant sunburst rays.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/04/115953448759_6.jpg) ![Conference room with light wood table surrounded by grey ergonomic chairs near sunlit windows with shades.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/04/115953448759_7.jpg) ![Row of modern copper wire dining chairs neatly arranged along bright window glass on teal carpeting.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/04/115953448759_8.jpg) ![High-angle view of two people eating lunch at an angular wooden outdoor bench on a paved patio.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/04/115953448759_9.jpg) Part III of [Fullscreen’s](http://fullscreen.com/?ref=drewshannon.net) new office photos. ### April 07, 2015 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-115770377988/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:18.000Z ![Receptionist behind a white 'FULLSCREEN' desk speaking to a guest in an office lobby with dome lights.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/04/115770377988_0.jpg) ![Man on an outdoor office balcony looking into a sunlit open office through glass accordion doors.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/04/115770377988_1.jpg) ![Woman sitting at her office workstation holding a yellow smartphone to her ear with head bowed in frustration.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/04/115770377988_2.jpg) ![Employees working at dual-monitor workstations in an open office with stacked green crates in foreground.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/04/115770377988_3.jpg) ![Private office desk with Herman Miller chairs, a potted orchid, printer, and laptop by window blinds.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/04/115770377988_4.jpg) ![Worker sitting at a long wooden meeting table with a laptop, surrounded by sculptural red chairs.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/04/115770377988_5.jpg) ![Two coworkers sitting at a wooden desk before a computer monitor displaying the Fullscreen logo.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/04/115770377988_6.jpg) ![Wall covered in graphic wallpaper pattern of vintage cassette tapes with hand-drawn labels and sleeves.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/04/115770377988_7.jpg) ![Office desk gold trophy engraved with 'Fullscreen Cup 2013 Truffle Scuffle' and '2014 Team Chronic'.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/04/115770377988_8.jpg) ![Bright yellow cabinets and countertop in an office kitchenette with coffee makers and a microwave.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/04/115770377988_9.jpg) Part II of [Fullscreen’s](http://fullscreen.com/?ref=drewshannon.net) New Office. ### April 06, 2015 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-115683621279/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:18.000Z ![Gold foil balloon letters spelling 'FULLSCREEN' mounted on a white hallway wall above striped flooring.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/04/115683621279_0.jpg) ![Employee wearing white headphones resting his head at a desk while colleagues work in an open office.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/04/115683621279_1.jpg) ![Open office cubicles with wood desks, grey partitions decorated with snapshots, phones, and a trophy.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/04/115683621279_2.jpg) ![Wooden conference table surrounded by ribbed leather chairs, with a conference phone and candy bowl.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/04/115683621279_3.jpg) ![Two women seated on a patterned banquette bench working on laptops in a modern office lounge.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/04/115683621279_4.jpg) ![Open doorway view into a modern office with employees at desks, a green exit sign, and meeting room.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/04/115683621279_5.jpg) ![Glass entryway doors beneath an exit sign looking out at a mural of hands holding a tree in sun rays.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/04/115683621279_6.jpg) ![Concrete parking structure painted with bold black-and-white geometric patterns, framed by a palm tree.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/04/115683621279_7.jpg) ![Landscaped courtyard patio with wooden benches, garden mulch, and trees viewed from an upper balcony.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/04/115683621279_8.jpg) ![Multi-story parking structure with a large black-and-white mural of a woman's face and palm trees.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/04/115683621279_9.jpg) [Fullscreen](http://fullscreen.com/?ref=drewshannon.net) moved into a new HQ last week (Part I) Part II tomorrow. ### March 22, 2015 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-114323646104/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:19.000Z ![Two deer in a grassy hillside pasture near a wooden utility pole and dirt path, one looking forward.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/03/114323646104.jpg) Spotted on a hike ### March 21, 2015 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-114224648949/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:20.000Z ![Man in a red Detroit Red Wings hockey jersey and cap with green and white light flare in the foreground.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/03/114224648949.jpg) Joe ### March 20, 2015 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-114138902874/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:21.000Z ![Person on a plush couch by a window with blinds, pulling a patterned blanket over their lower face.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/03/114138902874.jpg) ### March 19, 2015 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-114051425778/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:22.000Z ![Aerial view over the Boston Harbor Islands and surrounding ocean coastline under an overcast sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/03/114051425778.jpg) Boston ### March 18, 2015 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-114024454819/ Last updated: 2026-09-10T19:18:42.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/03/114024454819.jpg) Boston ### This Week - Feb 27, 2015 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2015-02-27/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:05.000Z > Only in the twisted, face-obsessed world of Reddit, the chans, and YouTube, is the distinction between a sociopath terrorizing a woman on behalf of Gamergate and a sociopath terrorizing a woman on behalf of an obscure satirical point involving Gamergate a meaningful one. > > — [Psychopath Who Harassed Brianna Wu: Just Kidding! (Sam Biddle for Gawker)](http://internet.gawker.com/psychopath-who-harassed-brianna-wu-just-kidding-1687695961?ref=drewshannon.net) > With its emphasis on transparency and efficiency, Everlane brands itself more like a web startup than a fashion company. > > — [How Everlane Turned Hipsters Basic (Emilie Friedlander for The Fader)](http://www.thefader.com/2015/02/16/everlane-is-dressing-a-new-professional-class?ref=drewshannon.net) > I’d argue that consumer brands are actually among the more accountable organizations out there, not necessarily out of choice, but as a function of circumstance. > > — [Of course a brand can be your friend (Nick Denton for Gawker)](http://nick.kinja.com/of-course-a-brand-can-be-your-friend-1686102136?ref=drewshannon.net) > Twitter’s Promoted Tweets are, at best, a necessary evil. At worst, they’re tweets from @Satan himself — brands shoving their unwanted products into your carefully-curated timelines. But with today’s news that we’ll soon start seeing Twitter Ads outside of Twitter, I thought I’d take a deeper look to see if I could exploit Promoted Tweets for my own personal enjoyment. > > — [Stupid Tricks with Promoted Tweets (Andy Baio for Medium)](https://medium.com/message/stupid-tricks-with-promoted-tweets-57325552109d?ref=drewshannon.net) > He is a delivery vehicle for GOD, almost. It sounds ridiculous to say, but if you were GOD, and you were running GOD CORP., this is what you’d want your salesmen to do. He is the VP of Faith and Healing, Earth Bureau. His happiness and composure are relentless. You don’t have time to consider the plausibility of what he is preaching; there is just an assault of powerful rhetoric you can feel settling onto your arm hairs and the back of your neck. > > — [Hallowed Be Thy Name Brand: The Religious Consumerism of Megachurch Pastor Joel Osteen (John Saward for Vice)](http://www.vice.com/read/hallowed-be-thy-namebrand-the-religious-consumerism-of-megachurch-pastor-joel-osteen?ref=drewshannon.net) ### February 10, 2015 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-110649973089/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:22.000Z ![Tranquil lake surrounded by hillside houses and trees, with rugged mountain peaks under a pastel sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/02/110649973089_0.jpg) ![Reflective lake bordered by trees and waterfront homes in rolling hills with distant mountain peaks.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/02/110649973089_1.jpg) ![Rolling green hills and a winding country road leading toward sunlit mountain peaks under an evening sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/02/110649973089_2.jpg) Quaint European village or Southern California? ### February 09, 2015 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-110555187069/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:23.000Z ![Brown horse with a white blaze walking along a narrow dirt trail bordered by cactus and dry brush.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/02/110555187069_0.jpg) ![Man in a red cap and striped shirt riding a brown horse on a sunny path while leading a second horse.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/02/110555187069_1.jpg) Hiking horses ### January 25, 2015 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-109142605864/ Last updated: 2015-01-25T14:21:00.000Z **[tannerblog](https://tannerblog.com/?ref=drewshannon.net):** Hi Tanner, I just rediscovered your blog today, and it made me realize how long I've been on Tumblr. I think I remember seeing your daily posts to Vicki way back in the day before you had your adorable little daughter, and I feel like we may have swapped a message or two. Crazy how fast time flies by. Anyways, I hope all is well! Hey Drew, Thanks for the message, it’s been a long time! Anyway, yep, kinda fell off the tumblr wagon once I had my daughter. I’ve tried to get it going a few times but life always gets in the way. Maybe it’ll stick this time, who knows? Anyway, good to hear from you. All is good with me, how are things with you? ### January 24, 2015 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-109023626364/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:24.000Z ![Oval landing pad inside a chain-link fence on a green hillside overlooking a distant city skyline.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/01/109023626364_0.jpg) ![Silhouette of a hillside ridge with utility telephone poles against a blue and peach sunset sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/01/109023626364_1.jpg) Sprawl ### January 23, 2015 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-108933757659/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:25.000Z ![Winding dirt hiking trail cutting across green rolling hills bordered by wooded canyons in California.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/01/108933757659_0.jpg) ![Dirt trail ascending through green grassy hills with chaparral mountains under an overcast sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/01/108933757659_1.jpg) ### January 22, 2015 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-108838815919/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:25.000Z ![Hands holding a smartphone framing the setting sun and a silhouetted companion on the beach at sunset.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/01/108838815919_0.jpg) ![Young man holding a cup and cell phone standing on a sandy ocean beach at golden hour with calm water.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/01/108838815919_1.jpg) ![Profile of a young man wearing sunglasses relaxing on a beach towel in warm golden sunset light.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/01/108838815919_2.jpg) ![Friends relaxing on a beach at sunset as someone on a blanket points a phone at a friend by the water.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/01/108838815919_3.jpg) ![Friends lounging on blankets on a sandy beach during golden hour with a seagull resting nearby.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/01/108838815919_4.jpg) ![Three friends leaping mid-air with raised arms silhouetted against a glowing sunset horizon over the ocean.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/01/108838815919_5.jpg) ![Friends sitting together on beach blankets watching the golden sunset glow over gentle ocean waves.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/01/108838815919_6.jpg) ![Vibrant orange sunset glow along the ocean horizon behind dark silhouetted sea cliffs and distant beachgoers.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/01/108838815919_7.jpg) ![Deep blue dusk twilight over the Pacific Ocean with amber afterglow along the horizon and dark rocks.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/01/108838815919_8.jpg) January at the beach. ### January 21, 2015 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-108748882514/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:26.000Z ![Friends walking from a massive sea cave archway on a California beach, led by a man in sunglasses.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/01/108748882514_0.jpg) ![Sandy cove beach framed by towering sandstone cliffs and palm trees along a rocky California shoreline.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/01/108748882514_1.jpg) ![Friends having a beach picnic on blankets with snacks, drinks, and a colorful cooler bag on the sand.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/01/108748882514_2.jpg) ![Man walking barefoot along foaming ocean surf on a sandy California beach under hazy sunlight.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/01/108748882514_3.jpg) ![Young man holding up a phone beside a laughing woman in sunglasses and a cream knit sweater on the beach.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/01/108748882514_4.jpg) ![Elevated view of a sandy cove bordered by blue ocean water and steep coastal cliffs with palm trees.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/01/108748882514_5.jpg) ![Long shadow of a person cast across golden sandstone rocks and coastal cliffs in late afternoon sunlight.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/01/108748882514_6.jpg) ![Young man holding a paper cup walking along a sandy beach with rocky outcrops and ocean water.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/01/108748882514_7.jpg) ![People climbing a rocky sea arch promontory jutting into deep blue ocean water along a sandy beach.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/01/108748882514_8.jpg) ![Couples standing on a rocky coastal plateau jutting into calm ocean waters in warm evening sunset light.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/01/108748882514_9.jpg) Fun with friends at the beach. ### This Week - Jan 16, 2015 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2015-01-16/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:06.000Z > After the self-employment penalties in taxes and benefits, I’m probably coming in under what I could get at a good full-time job in the city, but I don’t have to actually work for someone else on something I don’t care about. I can work in my nice home office, drink my fussy coffee, take a nap after lunch if I want to, and be present for my family as my kid grows up. That’s my definition of success. > > — [Overcast’s 2014 sales numbers (Marco Arment for Marco.org)](http://www.marco.org/2015/01/15/overcast-sales-numbers?ref=drewshannon.net) > It’s not your story anymore. Get over it. > > — [Network TV Ate My Life: Eddie Huang on Watching His Memoir Become a Sitcom (Eddie Huang for Vulture)](http://www.vulture.com/2015/01/eddie-huang-fresh-off-the-boat-abc.html?ref=drewshannon.net) > Love didn’t happen to us. We’re in love because we each made the choice to be. > > — [To Fall in Love With Anyone, Do This (Mandy Len Catron for The New York Times)](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/11/fashion/modern-love-to-fall-in-love-with-anyone-do-this.html?%5Fr=0&ref=drewshannon.net) > Jokes are complicated, context is hard. Rage is easy. > > — [Justine Sacco Is Good at Her Job, and How I Came To Peace With Her (Sam Biddle for Gawker)](http://gawker.com/justine-sacco-is-good-at-her-job-and-how-i-came-to-pea-1653022326?ref=drewshannon.net) > Here’s the thing: in order for fees to work, there needs be something worth paying to avoid. That necessitates, at some level, a strategy that can be described as 'calculated misery.' Basic service, without fees, must be sufficiently degraded in order to make people want to pay to escape it. And that’s where the suffering begins. > > — [Why Airlines Want to Make You Suffer (Tim Wu for The New Yorker)](http://www.newyorker.com/business/currency/airlines-want-you-to-suffer?ref=drewshannon.net) ### January 15, 2015 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-108182894369/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:27.000Z ![Distorted silhouettes and reflections of crowds under the mirrored underside of Cloud Gate in Chicago.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/01/108182894369.jpg) Cloud Gate ### January 14, 2015 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-108092961204/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:28.000Z ![Storefront display with gowns and red graffiti reading 'TIS THE SEASON' beside a tree and parking meter.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/01/108092961204.jpg) Tis the season. ### January 13, 2015 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-107997706499/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:29.000Z ![Vintage dusty turquoise sedan parked in an alley beside a textured block wall with tree shadows.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/01/107997706499_0.jpg) ![Side profile of a vintage dusty turquoise sedan parked outside a building with an 812 Main St sign.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2015/01/107997706499_1.jpg) California light & cars. ### This Week - Jan 02, 2015 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2015-01-02/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:06.000Z > Can a razor be the foundation of a great business? Can it lure young black men and women to Silicon Valley? Can it be a catalyst for real change? > > — [Tristan Walker: The Visible Man (J.J. McCorvey for Fast Company)](http://www.fastcompany.com/3037933/the-visible-man?ref=drewshannon.net) > the kind of personality that ‘s drawn to skateboarding is the kind of personality that’s not given to sociability. > > — [Skateboarding As Religion (Sean Wilsey for Buzzfeed)](http://www.buzzfeed.com/seanwilsey/more-like-a-metaphor?ref=drewshannon.net#.xxaXkNYpvb) > They know who they love and who they dislike. They are uncertain about what they think about things, and they are especially uncertain when it comes to deciding what to do about their feelings. Because of this uncertainty, they become afraid of taking the wrong action or sending the wrong signal. Their minds turn round and around with conflicting thoughts about what they should be doing while they simultaneously try to figure out what the others in their lives are really up to. > > — [6—Enneagram Type Six: The Loyalist (The Enneagram Institute)](http://www.enneagraminstitute.com/TypeSixOverview.asp?ref=drewshannon.net#.VKbwgYrF-uk) > whereas I love brand strategy, I did not love the existing machines in which to do it. > > — [Do great work. — Wolf Howl (Heidi Hackemer for Medium)](https://medium.com/wolf-howl/do-great-work-24b4ce25da56?ref=drewshannon.net) > In early 2014, I started a conversation with entrepreneur and investor James Joaquin about how to best continue the 'world positive' investing that we started with Obvious Corp. We began with the shared belief that great investment returns will be created by startups building scalable solutions to big world challenges. In contrast, we found that most traditional investors held the opposite view: that ‘doing good’ would somehow compromise financial performance and returns. So we hatched a plan…start our own fund. > > — [It’s Obvious. Again. (Ev Williams for Medium)](https://medium.com/obvious-ventures/its-obvious-again-6ef02bfef3f5?ref=drewshannon.net) ### December 29, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-106524690334/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:29.000Z ![Couple silhouetted by a large frosted window in a moody bar, looking toward a figure standing outside.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/12/106524690334_0.jpg) ![Hands wearing a signet ring holding a white smartphone toward someone on a boat on the water at dusk.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/12/106524690334_1.jpg) ![Curved fender of a vintage blue car waiting at a crosswalk at an illuminated city intersection at night.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/12/106524690334_2.jpg) ![Swimmer in a glowing rooftop pool overlooking a sprawling city skyline illuminated by night lights.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/12/106524690334_3.jpg) ![Calm lake water reflecting soft pink and lilac sunset clouds, with a dark tree line along the horizon.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/12/106524690334_4.jpg) ![Golden and peach sunlight illuminating scattered wispy clouds across a clear gradient blue evening sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/12/106524690334_5.jpg) 2014: A Year In Review (Part II) Here are some of my favorite photos from the past year. ### December 28, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-106426959409/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:30.000Z ![Silhouette of a person riding a bicycle down a dirt road at twilight beside wooden utility poles.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/12/106426959409_0.jpg) ![Musician Butch Walker wearing a fedora and red plaid shirt standing in an open doorway in the sunlight.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/12/106426959409_1.jpg) ![View through a car windshield driving along an empty highway at dusk lined with glowing streetlights.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/12/106426959409_2.jpg) ![Coastal bluff with dry scrub brush and eroded sandstone ravines overlooking the calm blue Pacific Ocean.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/12/106426959409_3.jpg) ![Front angle of a vintage burgundy Ford Thunderbird showing its chrome grille, lights, and wire wheels.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/12/106426959409_4.jpg) ![Vintage pale green Volvo Amazon coupe parked in an alley beside an ivy-covered wall and orange bollards.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/12/106426959409_5.jpg) 2014: A Year In Review (Part I) Here are some of my favorite photos from the past year. Part II coming tomorrow. ### This Week - Dec 19, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2014-12-19/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:07.000Z > When people are uncertain about how many days it’s okay to take off, you’ll see curious things happen. People will hesitate to take a vacation as they don’t want to seem like that person who’s taking the most vacation days. It’s a race to the bottom instead of a race towards a well rested and happy team. > > — [From Open (Unlimited) to Minimum Vacation Policy (Mathias Meyer for paperplanes)](http://www.paperplanes.de/2014/12/10/from-open-to-minimum-vacation-policy.html?ref=drewshannon.net) > Comedians, in particular, are drawn to and thrive on this medium and topic; a podcast is one of the few places where, if a comedian doesn’t feel like being funny, she doesn’t have to be. Celebrities can appear on podcasts without projects to promote or fear of being reduced to sound bites. This comfort can lead to exchanges that are deeper, sadder, smarter, funnier, or weirder than what usually lands on traditional media. > > — [How Podcasts Give Listeners New Ways to Talk About Depression and Mental Health (Whitney Matheson for Slate)](http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/ten%5Fyears%5Fin%5Fyour%5Fears/2014/12/podcasting%5Fand%5Fdepression%5Fhow%5Fmarc%5Fmaron%5Fdave%5Fholmes%5Fand%5Fother%5Fpodcasters.html?ref=drewshannon.net) > My whole life I’ve felt like a tourist. Like when you step off the bus in a foreign country and everyone is speaking a language you don’t understand, engaged in what seems like a practiced and coordinated ballet that doesn’t involve you. Except that’s what it’s like for me in most everyday situations. The perpetual sense that I missed the memo. > > — [This Is Me (Keith Axline for Medium)](https://medium.com/inside/this-is-me-1dceb3ec8694?ref=drewshannon.net) > To lose so much and still hold onto yourself is perhaps the most complicated task human beings are asked to perform, which is why seeing it done with aplomb is as thrilling as looking at dinosaur bones or seeing a herd of elephants. It’s an honor to exist on Earth with these things. > > — [On Kindness (Cord Jefferson for Medium)](https://medium.com/matter/on-kindness-819ce388f976?ref=drewshannon.net) > The reason why people love Dave Grohl is because he should be an asshole rock star, but he isn’t. Is that reason enough to respect him as a musician? Enough of a reason to continue to give him a free pass on everything? How much goodwill has he accrued simply by being goofy and omnipresent? > > — [The Pretender: Why ‘I Can’t Stand Dave Grohl’ (Robert Summerlin for BDCWire](http://www.bdcwire.com/the-pretender-why-i-cant-stand-dave-grohl/?ref=drewshannon.net) ### This Week - Nov 14, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2014-11-14/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:08.000Z > When you learn to construct stories, you realize everyone is the hero of their own tale. No one sees themselves as the bad guy. > > — [Fighting to make games worse (Watts Martin for Coyote Tracks)](http://tracks.ranea.org/post/101309164723/fighting-to-make-games-worse?ref=drewshannon.net) > She’s on the sort of reckless quest for self-improvement and personal advancement that can lead as easily to fad dieting and pole dancing as it can excessive partying and plastic surgery, and the effect 'reads' like a pictorial lesson in internet era identity construction. There’s an easy parallel to be made between the art of micromanaging the details of one’s own online image and micromanaging those of one’s own body, and Ulman’s project lifts the magnifying glass on both, with an emphasis on her own laborious construction of a kind of bland, conventional, feminine beauty. > > — [Social Anxiety: Why Artist Amalia Ulman’s Fake "Middlebrow" Instagram Is No Different From Yours (Emilie Friedlander for The Fader)](http://www.thefader.com/2014/11/07/social-anxiety-why-amalia-ulmans-middlebrow-instagram-feed-is-no-different-from-yours?ref=drewshannon.net) > Over time, though, in a competitive market, the quest for the bottom leads to brutality. The brutality of harming your suppliers, the brutality of compromising your morals and your mission. Someone else is always willing to go a penny lower than you are, and to compete, your choices get ever more limited. The problem with the race to the bottom is that you might win. Even worse, you might come in second. > > — [This is not the cheapest but it is worth it. (Sean Woolsey)](http://www.seanwoolsey.com/blog/2014/10/4/the-tyranny-of-lowest-price-seth-godin?ref=drewshannon.net) ### November 05, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-101859313264/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:31.000Z ![Elevated view of a vintage mint green Volvo Amazon coupe parked in a sunlit alley with ivy and bollards.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/11/101859313264.jpg) ### November 04, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-101771388803/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:32.000Z ![Silhouette of a photographer raising a camera on a beach at golden hour sunset with calm ocean surf.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/11/101771388803_0.jpg) ![Venue bar illuminated with purple neon lighting as patrons order drinks in the dim ambient interior.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/11/101771388803_1.jpg) ![Dark silhouettes of concert attendees facing toward the lit stage in an indoor music venue.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/11/101771388803_2.jpg) ![Vintage red Volkswagen camper van parked on a city street beside a white picket fence and palm tree.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/11/101771388803_3.jpg) ![Chrome Ford emblem badge on the turquoise painted metal hood of a vintage pickup truck.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/11/101771388803_4.jpg) Jimmy Eat World | Club Nokia | Los Angeles, CA | 11.2.14 ### November 01, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-101504583914/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:33.000Z ![Vintage red and white Volkswagen Type 2 bus parked on a neighborhood street in front of an apartment.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/11/101504583914.jpg) Goodbye Beard, Hello [#Movember](http://mobro.co/drewshannon?ref=drewshannon.net) For the entire month of November, donate to my Movember page and receive a free photo print of your choice (including free shipping). [Email me for details.](mailto:drew@drewshannon.net) ### This Week - Oct 31, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2014-10-31/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:09.000Z > Maybe it will work out between us, or maybe we’ll just add something to each other’s days before the track meet comes to a close, the times are tallied and medals awarded. > > — [Everyone On Tinder Is My Boyfriend (Erika Anderson for Femsplain)](http://femsplain.com/everyone-on-tinder-is-my-boyfriend/?ref=drewshannon.net) > I think that word 'should' in our internal narratives is very toxic—this notion of, 'what should I be doing?' and it’s always pegged to some sort of expectation, whether it’s self-imposed or external or a combination of the two. It’s hard to balance those expectations of what you should be doing with what you want to be doing. > > — [Maria Popova: Staying Present and Grounded in the Age of Information Overload (Maria Popova for 99u)](http://99u.com/articles/29651/maria-popova-staying-present-and-grounded-in-the-age-of-information-overload?ref=drewshannon.net) > Pizza is for always. > > — [Grocery List (Leah Reich for Medium)](https://medium.com/a-year-of-wednesdays/grocery-list-a959d1808770?ref=drewshannon.net) ### October 28, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-101191524859/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:34.000Z ![Musician Butch Walker seated near an acoustic guitar, resting his chin on his tattooed hand by a window.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/10/101191524859.jpg) Every-few-weekly Instagram Roundup. Follow me here: @[drewshannon](http://instagram.com/drewshannon?ref=drewshannon.net) ### October 23, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-100758210787/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:34.000Z ![Musician Butch Walker in a wide-brim hat and plaid shirt, standing in a doorway looking into sunlight.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/10/100758210787.jpg) Butch Walker. Los Angeles, CA ### October 21, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-100604908114/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:35.000Z ![Arches and lamp posts of the Colorado Street Bridge in Pasadena framed by trees in warm sunlight.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/10/100604908114.jpg) Pasadena, CA ### October 17, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-100263549149/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:36.000Z ![Football fans in UCLA blue t-shirts walking through a bustling tailgate festival outside the stadium.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/10/100263549149_0.jpg) ![Fan in a jersey holding up a light blue UCLA Athletics t-shirt on the sunny lawn outside the Rose Bowl.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/10/100263549149_1.jpg) ![Tailgate chalkboard menu listing smoked Oregon duck, creamy polenta, grilled vegetables, and fried egg.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/10/100263549149_2.jpg) ![View from the dark concourse tunnel toward the sunlit Rose Bowl seating area with staff by the gate.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/10/100263549149_3.jpg) ![Oregon Ducks football players in white and green jogging onto the field at a packed Rose Bowl stadium.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/10/100263549149_4.jpg) ![Spectators in the stands watching a UCLA football player in a gold helmet raise his hand on the sideline.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/10/100263549149_5.jpg) ![UCLA yell leaders running in light blue uniforms along the sideline before grandstands at the Rose Bowl.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/10/100263549149_6.jpg) ![Spectators in blue and gold seated in the Rose Bowl grandstands during a sunny daytime football game.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/10/100263549149_7.jpg) ![Rose Bowl end zone with UCLA lettering as cheerleaders carry flags and the team enters the field.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/10/100263549149_8.jpg) ![Thousands of college football fans in blue and yellow moving through the outdoor stadium concourse.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/10/100263549149_9.jpg) UCLA vs. Oregon at the Rose Bowl. Pasadena, CA ### This Week - Oct 17, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:10.000Z > Again, you can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life. > > — [Stanford Commencement Address, 2005 (Steve Jobs)](http://news.stanford.edu/news/2005/june15/jobs-061505.html?ref=drewshannon.net) > First off, don’t hunt for jeans. Hunt for pork buns, rare Curtis Mayfield vinyl, and women who look like Rashida Jones. Hunt for real shit. > > — [Faded Glory: The Story Behind My Favorite Jeans (Mark Anthony Green for *GQ*)](http://www.gq.com/style/fashion/201410/faded-glory-the-story-behind-my-favorite-jeans?ref=drewshannon.net#slide=5) > Research suggests that the so-called “impostor syndrome” may get worse as people get better: the more accomplished you get, the more likely you are to rub shoulders with ever more talented people, leaving you feeling even more inadequate by comparison. > > — [Nobody Knows What The Hell They Are Doing (Oliver Burkeman for *99u*)](http://99u.com/articles/32985/nobody-knows-what-the-hell-they-are-doing?ref=drewshannon.net) ### This Week - Oct 10, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2014-10-10/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:10.000Z > They went back to watching the valley below, but Alan was shaken. Yousef had been lighthearted during his questions, but there was something very serious and very sad under his smile, and Alan knew what it was. It was the knowledge that there would be no fighting, and there would be no struggle, no stand taken, and that the two of them, because they were not lacking materially, because despite injustices in their countries they were the recipients of preposterous bounty, would likely do nothing. They were content, they had won. The fighting would be done by others, elsewhere. > > — A Hologram for The King (Dave Eggers) > The militants of Gamergate claim they are the vanguard of ethical games journalism in order to justify their harassment. They have established no credibility as such, but maintain the titillating promise to “expose” corrupt game journalists with memes, sock-puppet trolls, and the kind of internet detective work that caught the wrong Boston bomber. > > — [Stop supporting Gamergate (T.C. Sottek for The Verge)](http://www.theverge.com/2014/10/8/6919179/stop-supporting-gamergate?ref=drewshannon.net) > “I’ve learned that I’d rather work by myself than with subpar performers,” he said. His words echo in my mind whenever I describe the most basic element of Netflix’s talent philosophy: The best thing you can do for employees—a perk better than foosball or free sushi—is hire only “A” players to work alongside them. Excellent colleagues trump everything else. > > — [How Netflix Reinvented HR (Patty McCord for Harvard Business Review)](http://hbr.org/2014/01/how-netflix-reinvented-hr/ar/pr?ref=drewshannon.net) > “Staying the course” only makes sense if you’re headed in a sensible direction. Because passion and persistence – while most often associated with success – are also essential ingredients of futility. > > — [Mike Rowe’s must-read response to an Alabamian who asked why he shouldn’t follow his passion (Mike Rowe on Facebook)](https://www.facebook.com/TheRealMikeRowe/photos/a.151342491542569.29994.116999698310182/865520353458109/?type=1&permPage=1) ### October 06, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-99345116344/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:37.000Z ![Pedestrians walking down 7th Street at dusk past illuminated storefronts and glowing streetlights.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/10/99345116344_0.jpg) ![Ferry deck with a red lifebuoy labeled CATALINA JET mounted on a wall beside the Commodore Lounge door.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/10/99345116344_1.jpg) ![Red and white vintage Volkswagen camper van parked on the street in front of a beige apartment building.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/10/99345116344_2.jpg) ![Avalon harbor on Catalina Island with boats moored in sparkling blue water before hillside houses.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/10/99345116344_3.jpg) ![View through a car windshield at an overhead green highway sign pointing toward Playa del Carmen, Mexico.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/10/99345116344_4.jpg) ![Vintage blue car fender at a city intersection with glowing neon signs and traffic lights at night.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/10/99345116344_5.jpg) ![Bird's-eye view of two bicyclists riding past parked and moving cars along an asphalt street.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/10/99345116344_6.jpg) [thisiswander](http://www.thisiswander.com/post/99340053243/drew-shannon-los-angeles-ca-canon-eos-5d-mark-ii?ref=drewshannon.net): > **Drew Shannon** > **Los Angeles, CA** > **Canon EOS 5D Mark II** > > **You have an eye for capturing beauty in unexpected places. Do you plan any of these in advance or do you prefer to take things as you go?** > > I have a full-time day job that takes up quite a bit of my time, so while I’m not one of those photographers that carries my camera everywhere with me, almost all of my photography is “accidental”and without too much forethought or planning. One of my favorite things in the world to do is put on my headphones and walk around a new neighborhood with my camera, but beyond a general idea of where I want to walk, I don’t really have a sense of what I’m going to see or the kind of pictures I want to take. > > **Tumblr**: @[drewshannon](http://drewshannon.tumblr.com/?ref=drewshannon.net) > **Twitter**: @[drewshannon](http://twitter.com/drewshannon?ref=drewshannon.net)[ ](http://www.tumblr.com/?ref=drewshannon.net)**Instagram**: @[drewshannon](http://instagram.com/drewshannon?ref=drewshannon.net) > > [**SUBMIT TO WANDER**](http://thisiswander.tumblr.com/submit?ref=drewshannon.net) ### October 06, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-99327468347/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:37.000Z ![Vintage burgundy Ford Thunderbird showing its chrome grille, headlights, wire wheels, and hood scoop.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/10/99327468347_0.jpg) ![Rear three-quarter view of a vintage maroon Ford Thunderbird coupe parked along a white brick wall.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/10/99327468347_1.jpg) Ford Thunderbird ### This Week - Oct 03, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2014-10-03/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:11.000Z > The Quantified Self movement of step trackers and sleep apps has gotten it backwards. The way to change our behavior isn’t to measure our daily accomplishments, but to measure it relation to what remains of our life. > > — [I have 46 Thanksgiving dinners left with my family. After that, I’ll be dead. - (Ben Huh For Medium)](https://medium.com/@benhuh/i-have-46-thanksgiving-dinners-left-with-my-family-after-that-ill-be-dead-ab4cb249eadf?ref=drewshannon.net) > A study in the frustrating insufferableness of people you probably agree with, the film follows Krauss and venerable biologist Richard Dawkins on their joint books-and-smugness tour, during which they speak, often shrilly, about the intrusion of religion into politics and science. > > — [The Unbelievers (Chris Packham for The Village Voice)](http://www.villagevoice.com/movies/the-unbelievers-4480495/?ref=drewshannon.net) > Allowing employees to work from anywhere makes it easier to focus on the work itself, without the distractions of office politics. Around 70% of Americans work in open-plan offices, and research shows that the open spaces actually have a negative impact on productivity and overall happiness. > > — [The ultimate office perk is not having an office (Aimee Groth for Quartz)](http://qz.com/260933/the-case-for-a-distributed-workforce/?ref=drewshannon.net) ### October 02, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-98981500602/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:38.000Z ![Cars driving alongside a red vintage camper van on a highway bordered by dry arid hills under a blue sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/10/98981500602_0.jpg) ![Slender crescent moon suspended low in a gradient twilight sky fading from indigo to soft pinkish orange.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/10/98981500602_1.jpg) ![Night view looking down a multi-lane highway toward dark mountain silhouettes under a dusk sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/10/98981500602_2.jpg) ![Motion blur from a driver's perspective speeding along an empty highway lit by streetlamps at dusk.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/10/98981500602_3.jpg) A few more from San Diego ### October 01, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-98898909604/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:39.000Z ![Brown sign atop a coastal cliff reading 'NUDITY IN THE STATE PARK SYSTEM IS PROHIBITED' over ocean waves.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/10/98898909604_0.jpg) ![Lone paraglider floating high in the sky above coastal hills and the Pacific Ocean.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/10/98898909604_1.jpg) ![Dense coastal scrub brush and dry wild grasses in a field at dusk with rolling hills in the distance.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/10/98898909604_2.jpg) ![Close-up textured view of dry wild grasses silhouetted against a pale pastel sunset horizon over the sea.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/10/98898909604_3.jpg) ![Sandstone bluffs covered with coastal scrub glowing in warm afternoon light overlooking the blue ocean.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/10/98898909604_4.jpg) A few from a recent day-trip to San Diego ### September 30, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-98815746551/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:40.000Z ![Vertical window blinds partially open revealing bright green bamboo foliage and daylight outside.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/09/98815746551.jpg) ### September 29, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-98733714055/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:40.000Z ![A bicyclist silhouetted against twilight sky riding down a dirt trail beside tall wooden utility poles.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/09/98733714055_0.jpg) ![Dark silhouette of rolling hills and a transmission tower under a deep blue and orange twilight sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/09/98733714055_1.jpg) ![Two cars with taillights illuminated parked at a mountain overlook at dusk against dark hill silhouettes.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/09/98733714055_2.jpg) ![Asphalt parking overlook at dusk with parked SUVs against distant mountain ridges under an evening sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/09/98733714055_3.jpg) Mulholland Drive ### September 28, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-98655618234/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:41.000Z ![Interior view of a vintage turquoise pickup showing the worn vinyl bench seat, steering wheel, and dash.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/09/98655618234.jpg) ### September 27, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-98556916349/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:42.000Z ![Front hood and windshield of a matte vintage truck reflecting trees with a modern BMW parked in the background.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/09/98556916349.jpg) ### This Week - Sep 26, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2014-09-26/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:12.000Z > Like everyone else here, I hope Ello can stick to their philosophy, resist outside pressure, fight market forces, and find a unique and sustainable niche. Let’s hope their investors feel the same way. > > — [Ello (Andy Baio for Ello)](https://ello.co/waxpancake/post/oy73kFfDdhOPh8Jv9z9pFA?ref=drewshannon.net) > If you say 'yes' enough, your life starts saying 'yes' back. > > — [Pen & Ink (Saeed Jones for Pen & Ink)](http://penandink.tumblr.com/post/98330739247/a-very-special-pen-ink-featuring-poet-saeed?ref=drewshannon.net) > To learn to ride a bicycle is to learn how to fall and then how to avoid it. However, you must face a fear in order to dispel its hold. Today, we take another step up and over the things we have so far hidden behind. Astride her fears and my own, today, we ride. > > — [Daisy’s Dirty Secret (Marc Williams for Medium)](https://medium.com/your-intellectual-dentist/daisys-dirty-secret-5b27a1ea3120?ref=drewshannon.net) ### September 26, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-98479904194/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:43.000Z ![Vintage red and white Volkswagen camper van parked on the street in front of a retro two-story apartment building.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/09/98479904194.jpg) [Van Life](http://van-life.net/?ref=drewshannon.net) ### September 25, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-98394129474/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:44.000Z ![Sports car under a beige protective car cover parked in a stall beside a green wooden fence and house.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/09/98394129474.jpg) Porsche ### September 23, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-98236072694/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:44.000Z ![Blue graffiti reading 'DO SOMETHING RADICAL EVERYDAY.' on a light brick wall below a green lattice fence.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/09/98236072694.jpg) Do Something Radical Everyday ### This Week - Sep 19, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2014-09-19/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:13.000Z > Nothing about Vice’s journey makes sense. Nothing about it is a 'playbook' that any other media company could actually follow. It’s completely fucking weird and not algorithmic and shouldn’t have worked. And that’s why, whether it always follows the rules of journalism or not, Vice is a real media company and Upworthy isn’t. > > — [Want to understand the secret of Vice’s success? Wait and watch (Sarah Lacy for Pando Daily)](http://pando.com/2014/09/04/want-to-understand-the-secret-of-vices-success-wait-and-watch/?ref=drewshannon.net) > I wasn’t exactly sure how I fit into Mojang where people did actual work, but since people said I was important for the culture, I stayed. > > — [I’m leaving Mojang (Markus Persson for notch.net)](http://notch.net/2014/09/im-leaving-mojang/?ref=drewshannon.net) > That’s worth real, real money — to not have assholes in your life. > > — [Anthony Bourdain’s Life Advice (Sean Woods for Men's Journal)](http://www.mensjournal.com/magazine/anthony-bourdains-life-advice-20140919?ref=drewshannon.net) ### September 12, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-97310396509/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:45.000Z ![Man in a green cap and denim shirt sitting on coastal rocks looking at his smartphone above the ocean.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/09/97310396509.jpg) ### September 11, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-97275592734/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:46.000Z ![Tribute in Light searchlight array casting vertical beams into the night sky from a Manhattan rooftop.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/09/97275592734.jpg) It’s days like today that I miss living in New York City. Taken on September 7th, 2011 from the base of the [Tribute In Light.](http://www.mas.org/programs/tributeinlight/?ref=drewshannon.net) ### September 11, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-97234081104/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:47.000Z ![White Nissan mini-motorhome camper parked with open door near yellow bollards and a Vons grocery store.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/09/97234081104.jpg) [#Vanlife](http://van-life.net/?ref=drewshannon.net) ### September 10, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-97147563602/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:47.000Z ![Golden evening sunlight illuminating scattered fluffy clouds against a deep blue sky at sunset.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/09/97147563602_0.jpg) ![White camper van parked on a coastal bluff overlooking the ocean with sunset clouds in the rear window.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/09/97147563602_1.jpg) ![Red pickup truck cab with ladder rack reflecting vibrant orange sunset clouds in its tinted side windows.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/09/97147563602_2.jpg) LA Really has the best sunsets. ### This Week - Sep 05, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2014-09-05/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:13.000Z > And that at my current trajectory as a person who travels 70% of the year, spends a lot of time on work and the internet rather than in the rhythm of a normal job and life, and as a perpetual bachelor, it was clear that I would be an unlikely candidate to hear or say anything remotely like the touching words in those speeches. > > — [Part of the Problem (Brian Lam for Medium)](https://medium.com/@blam/part-of-the-problem-e07d3de9bcc0?ref=drewshannon.net) > But seven years is long enough for just about anything. I guess you could say I got the itch. But it’s not yet an itch to do anything – more of a desire to nothing. > > — [Bye Bye Revision3 and Discovery! (Jim Louderback for Louderback.com)](http://louderback.com/2014/bye-revision3-discovery/?ref=drewshannon.net) > Knowing when to fold your cards is the most under-valued skill of an entrepreneur. In fact, as Seth says, 'Winners quit fast, quit often and quit without guilt.' > > — [Why Quitting is Winning (Rahim Fazal for Founder Dating)](http://founderdating.com/silicon-valleys-best-kept-secret-why-quitting-is-winning/?ref=drewshannon.net) ### September 04, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-96651073079/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:48.000Z ![Sunlit residential street in Palm Springs lined with hedges and tall palm trees leading toward mountains.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/09/96651073079_0.jpg) ![White gallery displaying red 'art' signage with a metal sculpture before a rocky desert mountain.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/09/96651073079_1.jpg) ![Mid-century modern home with turquoise trim, desert plants, and tall fan palm trees under a blue sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/09/96651073079_2.jpg) Last Weekend In Palm Springs ### This Week - Aug 29, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2014-08-29/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:14.000Z > Enter the douche ex machina here to ruin the day: the self-righteous friend complaining via Facebook about people not following the rules, the person who texts you a meme about African children without water, or the journalist/media commentator who needs to find a way to call out "hashtag activism." We took something that by all accounts is a success and found a way to make it terrible. > > The worst people aren’t the hashtag activists—they’re the ones sitting behind their computers and typing angry prose of disapproval. You know the type, the ones who point out how unrealistic something is when they’re watching a Seth Rogen movie. We know the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge isn’t perfect, just like we know that Seth Rogen couldn’t possibly launch into the ceiling if he sat on an airbag. But that doesn’t mean we need to frantically wave our hands in the air about how not everyone donated, that we should’ve donated the money we spent on ice instead, or that we’re “wasting” buckets of water on our heads. > > — [The Worst Part of the Ice Bucket Challenge Is the People Criticizing It (Angelina Fanous for Vice)](http://www.vice.com/read/the-worst-part-of-the-ice-bucket-challenge-is-the-people-criticizing-it-822?ref=drewshannon.net) ### August 29, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-96093286264/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:49.000Z ![Yellow camper van interior viewed through a window, showing plaid curtains, folded blankets, and a bed.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/08/96093286264.jpg) #Vanlife ### August 27, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-95922904789/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:50.000Z ![Couple seated by a wooden staircase in a dim interior, illuminated by a spotlight with dramatic shadows.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/08/95922904789.jpg) Every once in awhile, I’ll go back through old photos to see if I’ll appreciate them with a fresh eye. Here’s an example. This was taken a little over 3 years ago while I still lived in New York with an entry-level Canon Rebel camera at a near-unusable 1600 ISO. Still, there’s something I like about it… ### August 26, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-95834270864/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:51.000Z ![Bearded man in eyeglasses and trucker hat with tattooed arms, seated outside Snake Oil Provisions.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/08/95834270864_0.jpg) ![Bearded man in a trucker cap, cuffed jeans, and suede shoes on a bench outside Snake Oil Provisions.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/08/95834270864_1.jpg) Had a good time hanging with guys from [Snake Oil Provisions](http://snakeoilprovisions.com/?ref=drewshannon.net) a few weekends ago. ### August 25, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-95744933179/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:51.000Z ![White Adirondack chairs around a fire pit on a lakeside lawn beneath pine trees overlooking calm water.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/08/95744933179_0.jpg) ![A white sailboat at anchor on the calm, flat waters of Lake Michigan under a soft hazy evening sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/08/95744933179_1.jpg) Lake Michigan Vibes ### August 23, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-95570713789/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:52.000Z ![Smiling man in a dark crewneck sweater on a boat beneath a red canopy holding a drink on Lake Michigan.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/08/95570713789.jpg) Beer Quarterback ### This Week - Aug 22, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2014-08-22/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:15.000Z > But in a culture where failing fast is a badge of honor, and where every startup—no matter how banal—aims to change the world (an ambition so cliché it was recently parodied on HBO’s Silicon Valley, which Dorsey claims he’s never seen), the idea of building a business that’s merely sustainable, rather than revolutionary, may seem worse than a flameout. > > — [Back To Square One (Austin Carr for Fast Company)](http://www.fastcompany.com/3033412/back-to-square-one?ref=drewshannon.net) > The internet provides a extraordinary platform for offering services like Pinboard at minimum cost while charging users a decent price in exchange for real value. And yet so few online businesses actually work this way. > > — [The Internet of Small Businesses (Chris Beams)](http://chris.beams.io/posts/pinboard/?ref=drewshannon.net) ### August 21, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-95390177999/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:53.000Z ![Woman in a yellow sundress and man in a gingham shirt on a wooden boat deck flying an American flag.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/08/95390177999_0.jpg) ![White canvas lace-up sneakers resting on a varnished mahogany step above striped boat flooring.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/08/95390177999_1.jpg) ![Overhead close-up of a man in a blue and white gingham check shirt holding a cup of beer on a boat deck.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/08/95390177999_2.jpg) ![Sunlight sparkling across the rippling deep blue surface of Lake Michigan water.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/08/95390177999_3.jpg) ![Swimmers and sunbathers enjoying a sunny sandy cove bordered by evergreen pine trees on Lake Michigan.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/08/95390177999_4.jpg) Cruisin’ ### August 20, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-95291759539/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:54.000Z ![Side profile of a man holding a glowing paper sky lantern illuminated from within against a dusk sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/08/95291759539_0.jpg) ![Silhouetted group holding a glowing purple paper sky lantern ready for launch over a dark lake at twilight.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/08/95291759539_1.jpg) ![Smiling woman releasing a glowing paper lantern into the dusk sky, its flame illuminating her face.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/08/95291759539_2.jpg) ![Man in a blue check shirt lifting a glowing orange sky lantern with candlelight reflected on his back.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/08/95291759539_3.jpg) ![Crowd of people on a beach lifting glowing paper sky lanterns into the dark night sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/08/95291759539_4.jpg) ![Multiple glowing sky lanterns drifting up into a deep twilight sky above the dark silhouette of trees.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/08/95291759539_5.jpg) ![A solitary glowing paper lantern floating away into the vast dark blue evening sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/08/95291759539_6.jpg) I can’t imagine a better way to send off my grandfather, a pretty incredible guy. [“He was sometimes dangerously outspoken, and he liked to try new things.”](http://www.autonews.com/article/20140616/OEM02/306169967/bill-hoglund-candid-and-charismatic?ref=drewshannon.net) [“That “neighborly” approach followed Hoglund after he resigned in 1995 and retired in Naples, FL, where GM retirees abound. He was one of a number of ex-GM execs I interviewed in 2004 for a feature story in WardsAuto World magazine He was the only one whose home was on an ordinary street rather than in a gated community…Hoglund often bridled at corporate constraints and was considered by GM power brokers as a maverick who did not always buy into the company line.”](http://wardsauto.com/blog/bill-hoglund-dies-79-narrowly-missed-top-spot-gm?ref=drewshannon.net) ### August 19, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-95209319134/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:54.000Z ![Close-up over the shoulder of hands holding a white iPhone photographing a lake sunset from a boat.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/08/95209319134_0.jpg) ![Woman in a chunky knit sweater on a boat with her hair lifted dramatically by the wind over open water.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/08/95209319134_1.jpg) ![Silhouette of a steel observation tower rising above pine trees on a rocky island shoreline at dusk.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/08/95209319134_2.jpg) ![Close-up portrait of the upper face and eyes of a man with windblown hair looking upwards against a blue sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/08/95209319134_3.jpg) ![Low-angle view across gentle rippling lake water reflecting the soft pink and violet hues of a summer sunset.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/08/95209319134_4.jpg) ![Steel beacon tower and lighthouse silhouetted against a twilight sky with pink sunset clouds over water.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/08/95209319134_5.jpg) ![Laughing woman holding up a white smartphone on the bow of a moving boat at dusk.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/08/95209319134_6.jpg) Evening Booze Cruise on Lake Michigan ### August 18, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-95104460749/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:55.000Z ![Serene minimalist seascape of calm, flat blue water dissolving into a pale hazy horizon on Lake Michigan.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/08/95104460749.jpg) One of those mornings on Lake Michigan when there’s no distinction between the lake and the sky. ### August 17, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-95017966929/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:56.000Z ![Man dumping a bin of ice water over his head for the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge on a lawn by a lake.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/08/95017966929.jpg) My brother recently did the [Ice Bucket Challenge](http://www.alsa.org/?ref=drewshannon.net) ### This Week - Aug 15, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2014-08-15/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:16.000Z > Darkness may find me, but I shall never choose it. > > — [Why I’m Leaving Death Cab for Cutie (Chris Walla for The Stranger)](http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2014/08/13/why-im-leaving-death-cab-for-cutie-by-chris-walla?ref=drewshannon.net) > Giving a shit does not necessarily mean you’re doing anything useful, but it makes it seem like you are. It feels like there’s some kind of justice that you’re getting closer to with every moment you give a shit. But that’s not true, because giving a shit, by itself, is only thinking — and thinking has little use aside from figuring out what to do. > > — The elegant art of not giving a shit (David Cain for *Raptitude*) > I’ve always had one foot in and one foot out of everything I’ve done. Writing is the only thing I’ve committed to with both feet in the water, for better or for worse. > > — [Behind the Till (Chloe Caldwell for Medium)](https://medium.com/human-parts/behind-the-till-bb7b1ed23746?ref=drewshannon.net) > You are your own decision maker. You can ask other people for their help, their advice, their counsel. But at the end of the day you are your own captain. You are your own life raft. You are your own boat. And if there is no wind, row. > > — [If there is no wind, row (Sloane Davidson for Medium)](https://medium.com/sloane-davidson/if-there-is-no-wind-row-45105cac5c73?ref=drewshannon.net) > L.A. is lonely by design. I had plenty of friends and a thriving social life, but isolation is still inevitable because the city is a massive sprawl where you can’t avoid being by yourself for long bouts of time, under any circumstances. > > — [New York City and L.A. are Equally Terrible Places to Live (Ernest Baker for Gawker)](http://gawker.com/new-york-city-and-l-a-are-equally-terrible-places-to-l-1614556730?ref=drewshannon.net) ### August 13, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-94642063054/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:57.000Z ![Wooden utility poles and power lines standing atop a chaparral-covered ridge under a bright California sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/08/94642063054_0.jpg) ![Yellow backhoe parked on a graded road shoulder with orange traffic cones and rolling hills behind it.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/08/94642063054_1.jpg) Somewhere in California ### August 12, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-94542224254/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:58.000Z ![Silhouette of pine trees and hillside ridges against an evening sky with city lights in the valley below.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/08/94542224254.jpg) ### August 11, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-94443124354/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:58.000Z ![Woman sitting on a lawn at night lit by her smartphone screen with an overhead streetlamp behind her.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/08/94443124354.jpg) 4th of July Fireworks, 2014 ### This Week - Aug 08, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2014-08-08/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:17.000Z > My greatest fear is that I’ll somehow whore Rowan out to get something I want, an emotional reaction from someone, a sympathy, to elicit some care or specialness. I spoke at an event in Portland, afterwards a friend came up and asked why I didn’t share about Rowan. I had thought about it, was planning on including a story about him, but decided not to. I didn’t want it to seem like I was using Rowan in any way. > > — [Hopeful Perspectives 1 Year After My Son’s Birth/Death (Chase Reeves for Medium)](https://medium.com/@chase%5Freeves/perspectives-1-year-after-my-sons-birth-death-f3348475bb28?ref=drewshannon.net) > Friends and colleagues often ask my wife how she balances her job and motherhood. Somehow, the same people don’t ask me. A few months ago, I decided the only way to balance was by stepping back from my job. > > — [Why I am leaving the best job I ever had (Max Schireson)](http://maxschireson.com/2014/08/05/1137/?ref=drewshannon.net) ### August 08, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-94176815809/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:17:59.000Z ![Golden dry fields and oak trees leading to rugged mountain foothills under a warm hazy sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/08/94176815809.jpg) Near Solvang, CA ### August 07, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-94073695934/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:00.000Z ![Bright red vintage Volkswagen Beetle with a metal roof rack parked in dappled tree shade.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/08/94073695934.jpg) ### August 06, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-93979270309/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:01.000Z ![Rooftop terrace overlooking a fence with glowing post lamps and twinkling city lights at night.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/08/93979270309.jpg) Downtown LA Rooftop ### August 05, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-93878926304/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:01.000Z ![Pedestrians on a dusk city sidewalk on 7th Street with glowing streetlamps and storefront lights.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/08/93878926304.jpg) DTLA Skateboarders ### August 04, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-93781071879/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:02.000Z ![Shelby Parks sitting on a pool ledge at night dangling her legs in the water beside a 3 1/2 foot marker.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/08/93781071879.jpg) [Shelby Parks](http://www.shelbyleeanne.com/?ref=drewshannon.net), Downtown Los Angeles Rooftop ### This Week - Aug 01, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2014-08-01/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:18.000Z > Impostor syndrome has become a stand-in for mere lack of confidence, and I find this problematic. > > — [Impostor Syndrome Is Not Just a Confidence Problem (Alicia Liu for Medium)](https://medium.com/@aliciatweet/impostor-syndrome-is-not-just-a-confidence-problem-dea670e59f6e?ref=drewshannon.net) > I also find that somehow, the way I’m built, the hardest part of my job is simply to shift from one task to the next. The new task is like icy water you have to dive into. The old task is a warm bath. It’s especially hard when I know the new task is going to be really difficult, as half of them are. I always have to brace myself. > > — [I’m Ira Glass, Host of This American Life, and This Is How I Work (Ira Glass for Lifehacker)](http://lifehacker.com/im-ira-glass-host-of-this-american-life-and-this-is-h-1609562031?ref=drewshannon.net) > One of the best parts about being a freelancer (or 'Running a One-Person Studio' as I prefer to say) is having a flexible schedule. Yes, client deadlines impose some structure to your calendar, but for the most part (if you’re willing to work strange hours) work and life can blend smoothly together—a haze of business and pleasure from the moment you wake until the moment you inevitably pass out in front of your open laptop screen. > > — [Productivity Quest: Ultra-Schedule (Jessica Hische)](http://jessicahische.is/thinkingthoughtsonscheduling?ref=drewshannon.net) > They want so badly to play startup, to trade on that image of entrepreneurial autonomy, like teens who insist on being dropped off a couple blocks away from the party. But the pitch of Tinder as autonomous is a fabrication. > > — [Sean Rad Keeps Pretending He's in Charge of Tinder (Sam Biddle for Valleywag)](http://valleywag.gawker.com/sean-rad-keeps-pretending-hes-in-charge-of-tinder-1614000986?ref=drewshannon.net) ### August 01, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-93503492889/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:03.000Z ![Shelby Parks standing on the shallow steps of an illuminated outdoor swimming pool at night.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/08/93503492889.jpg) [Shelby Parks](http://www.shelbyleeanne.com/?ref=drewshannon.net), Downtown Los Angeles Rooftop ### July 31, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-93411147784/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:04.000Z ![Shelby Parks touching her hair beside an illuminated turquoise pool at night against a city skyline.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/07/93411147784.jpg) [Shelby Parks](http://www.shelbyleeanne.com/?ref=drewshannon.net), Downtown Los Angeles Rooftop ### July 30, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-93321622379/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:04.000Z ![Shelby Parks with blonde hair and a nose stud making a playfully defiant expression outside an apartment.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/07/93321622379.jpg) [Shelby Parks](http://www.shelbyleeanne.com/?ref=drewshannon.net), Los Angeles ### July 29, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-93222456214/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:05.000Z ![Shelby Parks in a graphic tee, jeans, and combat boots standing on a rooftop before red fire escapes.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/07/93222456214.jpg) Recent shot of the awesome [Shelby Parks](http://www.shelbyleeanne.com/?ref=drewshannon.net) during a workshop with [Christian Gideon](http://www.christiangideonphotography.com/?ref=drewshannon.net). ### This Week - Jul 25, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2014-07-25/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:18.000Z > But part of the reason people aren’t seeing it is because they, like me, have lost faith in the capacity of the summer blockbuster to even approach something like 'good.' > > — [Snowpiercer Should Have Been The Breakout Blockbuster Of The Summer (Anne Helen Petersen for Buzzfeed)](http://www.buzzfeed.com/annehelenpetersen/go-see-snowpiercer-already-will-you?ref=drewshannon.net) > Everyone jokes about how supposedly soulless PR and marketing people are, but dealing with the masses is difficult, time-consuming, and an actual skill. To survive emotionally in a high-profile situation, you need a layer of protection between yourself and the raw feedback of humanity. > > — [The Bottom Feeder: Why Indie Developers Go Insane (Jeff Vogel)](http://jeff-vogel.blogspot.com/2014/02/why-indie-developers-go-insane.html?ref=drewshannon.net) > At its worst, SEO is someone finding an inferior article instead of a superior article because the site does a better job of writing for Google, but a worse job for writing for humans. I think that’s when, in my view, you’re over-optimizing. You end up reaching people who are not satisfied with what they’re getting from you. Which isn’t good for a brand > > — [BuzzFeed’s Jonah Peretti Goes Long (Felix Salmon for Medium)](https://medium.com/matter/buzzfeeds-jonah-peretti-goes-long-e98cf13160e7?ref=drewshannon.net) > Vice was always a frustrating mix of brilliant writing and bottom-feeding bullshit. It asked to be taken very seriously, except on the various occasions it insisted it was all just a joke. > > — [No Country for Old Pervs: The Fall of the Houses of Terry Richardson and Dov Charney (Molly Lambert for Grantland)](http://grantland.com/hollywood-prospectus/terry-richardson-dov-charney-american-apparel-pornography/?ref=drewshannon.net) > Winning an award is about the least humbling thing in the world, and yet when people receive an Oscar or some other illustrious honor, they often say they feel 'humbled.' Really, what winners feel is immense pride—and immense fear of being seen as prideful—and so they cover for it by saying they feel the exact opposite, humility. No one wants to come across as cocky. Are winners right to fear backlash for expressing a natural emotion at their most exultant moment? New research finds that they are. > > — [Why Oscar Winners Say They’re ‘Humbled’ (Matthew Hutson for The Atlantic)](http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/03/why-oscar-winners-say-they-re-humbled/284148/?ref=drewshannon.net) ### This Week - Jul 18, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2014-07-18/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:19.000Z > It has been more than two years since Floyd Mayweather has been released from prison, and his behavior—and his attitude towards women—seems little changed from before. And yet the media continue to treat him gently and deferentially. The failure of the sports media to ask any of the questions raised by his conduct, let alone hold Mayweather responsible for it, only enables a pattern of behavior to continue. > > — [The Trouble With Floyd Mayweather (IronMikeGallego for Deadspin)](http://deadspin.com/the-trouble-with-floyd-mayweather-1605217498?ref=drewshannon.net) > The thing about hipsters, beyond the fact that they’re a poorly-defined amorphous blob of young people who sometimes wear funny hats, is that they want the same thing as you. > > — [Lousy goddamn hipsters help 90-year-old bar turn a profit (David Colon for Brokelyn)](http://brokelyn.com/lousy-goddamn-hipsters-help-90-year-old-bar-gotscheer-hall-turn-profit/?ref=drewshannon.net) > Horse may not stir the masses the way pop stars and presidents do, but in the span of three years, the account has developed a following as arguably the most beloved spam robot on Twitter. > > — [Happy third birthday, @Horse\_ebooks! (Adrienne LaFrance for Medium)](https://medium.com/@adriennelaf/happy-third-birthday-horse%5Febooks-7e3b7130f131?ref=drewshannon.net) > While there is beauty in perseverance, and while there are, of course, some things you shouldn’t quit, some things that are more than worth the long and arduous journey, sometimes the best thing you can do, in stories as in life, is let it go, and give yourself the freedom to begin again. > > — [A Brief History of Quitting (Michelle Richmond for Medium)](https://medium.com/a-writers-life/e51c9285e414?ref=drewshannon.net) > For some baristas, the most memorable stories come simply from watching their regulars live their lives. 'There was a customer who would come in everyday,' Nieto told me. 'He was a clean cut guy—always in a suit. He asked me one day what was in the back room. I told him, ‘That’s our record room. You can go back there and listen to records while you have your coffee.’ He came in one weekend and just hung our there for hours playing rock-and-roll records. Then he started coming in all the time and hanging out back there just listening to records. I started noticing that he was growing his hair out. To make a long story short, within several months he had long hair and a long beard. That was the most awesome metamorphosis I ever saw.' > > — [Tales From Our Baristas (Craig Cavallo for Narratively](http://narrative.ly/caffeinated-city/tales-from-our-baristas/?ref=drewshannon.net)) ### This Week - Jul 11, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2014-07-11/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:20.000Z > Then come work with us as an in-house NEOLOGIZER and reimaginatorialize the verbalsphere! If you are a slang-slinger who is equahome in brandegy and advertorial, a total expert in brandtech and techvertoribrand, and a first-class synergymnast, then this will be your rockupation! Throw ginfluence mingles and webutante balls, the world is your joyster. The percandidate will have at least five years working as a ideator and envisionary or equiperience. > > — [It Is Impossible to Believe How Mindblowing These Amazing New Jobs Are (Paul Ford for Medium)](https://medium.com/message/it-is-impossible-to-believe-how-mindblowing-these-amazing-new-jobs-are-abf5f3fb39e9?ref=drewshannon.net) > But changes are inevitable as anything grows, there’s nothing good or bad about it. It just is. It’s just a different kind of party, created by the people who are there. > > — [The dinner party metaphor (Lindsay Schauer for Medium)](https://medium.com/@schauertime/3b4da1457569?ref=drewshannon.net) ### July 09, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-91270140879/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:06.000Z ![Sunlight flaring through leafy branches over a young man carrying a camera while walking with friends.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/07/91270140879.jpg) ### July 08, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-91170363524/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:07.000Z ![Young man with tousled hair wearing sunglasses and an unbuttoned blue shirt under bright summer sunlight.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/07/91170363524.jpg) ### July 07, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-91070832324/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:07.000Z ![Friends gathered on a city sidewalk bathed in golden afternoon sunlight beside parked cars.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/07/91070832324.jpg) ### This Week - Jul 04, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2014-07-04/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:21.000Z > The English language is mutable. Meanings change. The same thing could be happening to 'humbled.' If we all understand that “humbled” means 'honored,' it can mean 'honored,' and that’s the way it will be. But 'humbled' is a beautiful concept, and an important concept, one that needs to be preserved. The Eric Cantors and Floyd Mayweathers of the world need to be humbled now and then, by which I mean they need to be reminded of their humanness. There’s a reason the Icarus myth has endured. Men cannot reach the sun. Men belong on the ground. To remove the word 'humbled' is to remove checks on any one person gaining too much power or influence. > > — [“Humbled” Is the New “Literally” (Liam Mathews for Nerve)](http://www.nerve.com/features/humbled-is-the-new-literally?ref=drewshannon.net) > 'Micah, I am going to buy the New York Jets. I will build the largest liquor shop in the world. These things will happen. But they don’t matter. What matters is that people feel that I cared.' > > — [Legacy > Currency (Micah Baldwin for Medium)](https://medium.com/@micah/legacy-currency-a46ea1702308?ref=drewshannon.net) > Make each feature work hard to be implemented. Make each feature prove itself and show that it’s a survivor. It’s like 'Fight Club.' You should only consider features if they’re willing to stand on the porch for three days waiting to be let in. > > — [Getting Real: Start With No (Derek Sivers for 37signals)](https://gettingreal.37signals.com/ch05%5FStart%5FWith%5FNo.php?ref=drewshannon.net) > According to conventional wisdom, consumers are turning to brands with a kinder, gentler or, at least, more progressive image. As *Refinery 29* put it, 'With Charney out…maybe public opinion is finally turning against the ‘sleaze sells’ ethos that’s dominated fashion for too long.' > > — [What Really Affects A Brand’s Sales? (Emily Lever for Four Pins)](http://four-pins.com/style/really-affects-brands-sales/?ref=drewshannon.net) ### July 03, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-90674622464/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:08.000Z ![White moth orchids blooming amidst bird's-nest ferns by an indoor waterfall at Sherman Library & Gardens.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/07/90674622464_0.jpg) ![Four colorful koi fish swimming in a clear pond beneath floating lily pads at Sherman Library & Gardens.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/07/90674622464_1.jpg) ![Dense silver-veined nerve plants growing beside an informational sign at Sherman Library & Gardens.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/07/90674622464_2.jpg) ![Woman holding a smartphone to capture vibrant orange and red begonias at Sherman Library & Gardens.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/07/90674622464_3.jpg) ![Branches and silvery-green leaves of an olive tree against a bright sky at Sherman Library & Gardens.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/07/90674622464_4.jpg) ## Recent visit to the [Sherman Library & Gardens](http://www.slgardens.org/?ref=drewshannon.net) ### June 29, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-90268749419/ Last updated: 2026-09-26T01:26:14.000Z ![Catalina Jet deck showing a Commodore Lounge door, red life preserver ring, and blue passenger seats.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/06/90268749419.jpg) [Catalina Island](https://www.drewshannon.net/tag/catalina-island/) ### June 28, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-90182740874/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:09.000Z ![Person holding a camera reflected in a round sunburst mirror on an apartment wall beside a bookcase.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/06/90182740874.jpg) ### This Week - Jun 27, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2014-06-27/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:21.000Z > Here is the primary argument for joining a network – and I’ll keep this short: you have better things to do. Some people mow their own lawn, others hire a landscaper. Some people buy used home exercise equipment off of Craigslist, others hire personal trainers. Some people make their own dinner, others go to a restaurant. It’s about opportunity cost. > > — [Podcast Networks Work Hard To Let Hosts Focus on Shows (Jeff Ulrich for Midroll)](http://www.midroll.com/podcast-networks-work-hard-let-hosts-focus-shows/?ref=drewshannon.net) > Podcast networks have a future, but it’s in casting off more of the shackles and models that continue to constrain them. And this future vision may be so different from what we currently understand a podcast network to be that Marco may be right: the new model may need a new name that better defines its purposes. A pod of podcasts, not a network. > > — [Pick a Peck of Podcasts: Are Networks Still Relevant? (Glenn Fleishman for Glenn Fleishman)](http://glog.glennf.com/blog/2014/6/23/pick-a-peck-of-podcasts-are-networks-still-relevant?ref=drewshannon.net) > This lack of visual disparity has probably led to society’s fondness for hipster-bashing. As Alex Miller, UK editor-in-chief of Vice, explains: “I couldn’t define a hipster. I guess it’s ‘The Other’. But as a general term it’s blown up because people finally realised they had a word to mock something cool and young which they didn’t understand. > > — [The end of the hipster: how flat caps and beards stopped being so cool (Morwenna Ferrier for The Guardian)](http://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2014/jun/22/end-of-the-hipster-flat-caps-and-beards?ref=drewshannon.net) > He said that work was what he did to make money to fund the things he cared about. This idea of having a job that makes going to work fun every single day and as fulfilling as hitting a home run while rescuing a baby and simultaneously getting a book deal for your Tumblr is mostly a myth and not something to keep changing careers until you find. > > — (Emily V. Gordon for *Do You Think You're Pretty?*) ### June 25, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-89877146449/ Last updated: 2026-09-26T01:26:15.000Z ![Nautical mast flying an American flag at half-mast with maritime flags on Catalina Island.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/06/89877146449.jpg) [Catalina Island](https://www.drewshannon.net/tag/catalina-island/) ### June 24, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-89769393859/ Last updated: 2026-09-26T01:26:15.000Z ![Yachts and sailboats moored at buoys across calm blue harbor waters under a sunny sky on Catalina Island.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/06/89769393859.jpg) [Catalina Island](https://www.drewshannon.net/tag/catalina-island/) ### June 23, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-89675617774/ Last updated: 2026-09-26T01:26:16.000Z ![Avalon harbor on Catalina Island featuring moored boats, waterfront buildings, and sunlit hillsides.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/06/89675617774.jpg) Recent trip to [Catalina Island](https://www.drewshannon.net/tag/catalina-island/) ### This Week - Jun 20, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2014-06-20/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:22.000Z > 'Let markets work', you say, 'so that capital and labor can rapidly reallocate to create new fields and jobs.' Well, we're three decades into an era of systemic deregulation and financialization. The result? Global recession, lingering structural unemployment, and an accumulation of capital at the top of the economic pyramid. In this climate, capital has indeed 'rapidly reallocated'…into hard-to-tax, hard-to-regulate asset classes like fine art. Small business loans are still crunched and austerity reigns while tens of billions in corporate profits sit in off-shore tax shelters. > > — [Dear Marc Andreessen (Alex Payne for Valleywag)](http://valleywag.gawker.com/dear-marc-andreessen-1592641966?ref=drewshannon.net) ### This Week - Jun 13, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2014-06-13/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:23.000Z > 'Mr. Hoglund commanded the respect of all who worked with him,' GM CEO Mary Barra said in a statement. 'His legacy was that of a gifted leader known for his integrity, decency and advocacy for the customer. He will be deeply missed by the GM family.' > > — [Bill Hoglund, former Pontiac and Saturn chief, dies at 79 (Vince Bond Jr for AutoNews)](http://www.autonews.com/article/20140609/OEM02/140609825/bill-hoglund-former-pontiac-and-saturn-chief-dies-at-79?ref=drewshannon.net) RIP to my grandfather. > Building a culture around really understanding error, risk, and safety, and moving beyond blaming and punishing people for 'human error' has created an environment where people feel empowered to do their best work with the knowledge that there’s no incentive to hide mistakes. > > — [How Perks Can Divide Us (Melissa Santos & Rafe Colburn for Model View Culture)](http://modelviewculture.com/pieces/how-perks-can-divide-us?ref=drewshannon.net) ### June 09, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-88281415424/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:12.000Z ![Moody bar interior with a couple seated in shadow beside a large window overlooking a silhouetted figure.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/06/88281415424.jpg) San Francisco ### This Week - Jun 06, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2014-06-06/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:24.000Z > My husband and I have been married for 15 years, more than twice as long as he was married to Robin. My daughter is 13 now and long ago outgrew the chair that Robin’s family gave her. I keep it stored safely with her bassinet, the clown rattle, and her favorite jacket printed with elephants. I hope someday a granddaughter might use these things. If so, when that little girl is old enough, I will tell her the story of her other grandmother, Robin. > > — [My Husband's Other Wife: She Died, so I Could Find the Man I Love (Emily Yoffe for Slate](http://www.slate.com/articles/double%5Fx/doublex/2011/05/my%5Fhusbands%5Fother%5Fwife.html?ref=drewshannon.net) > WHAT’S UNDER THE HOOD? A full 3 cylinders of mumbling misery, making 74 tortured horsepower. > > — [It’s Cheap, but Is It Overpriced? (John Pearley Huffman for The New York Times)](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/25/automobiles/autoreviews/its-cheap-but-is-it-overpriced.html?%5Fr=0&ref=drewshannon.net) > It's difficult to imagine Tinder coming from Silicon Valley. The key to Tinder—the 'double opt-in'—is an idea born of real-world experience (this is what you want in a bar—to know that the person you want to hit on wants you to hit on him or her) as opposed to sophisticated computer metrics. For once in the tech world, the socially gifted are leading the socially stunted. > > — [How The Tinder App Became A Success (Emily Witt for GQ Magazine)](http://www.gq.com/life/relationships/201402/tinder-online-dating-sex-app?ref=drewshannon.net) > And therein lies the problem of side projects. They will either muddle along as a fun side project and provide a necessary distraction from your main work, or they will grow and demand your attention. > > — [Everything dies. Sometimes they die well. (Mike Monteiro for Medium)](https://medium.com/@monteiro/everything-dies-sometimes-they-die-well-381a127c50c8?ref=drewshannon.net) > A key team member takes with her a piece of the company’s soul. But the situation also presents an opportunity to make sure that the person’s values stay with the company, so I sat down and tried to identify the principles of Jamis’s success. > > — [How to Handle Losing Valued Employees (James Fried for Inc.)](http://www.inc.com/magazine201406/jason-fried/how-to-deal-with-loss-of-a-valued-employee.html?ref=drewshannon.net) ### June 02, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-87613449164/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:13.000Z ![Stucco apartment balconies with geometric diagonal shadows and a potted plant against a clear sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/06/87613449164.jpg) Los Angeles Light ### May 31, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-87435066194/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:14.000Z ![Minimalist silhouette of a lone tall palm tree in the lower corner against an expansive gradient twilight sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/05/87435066194.jpg) ### This Week - May 31, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2014-05-31/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:25.000Z > My focus is and always has been on making the work I care about. It is an honor to have found a way to get paid to create work like this, something I value greatly. There are no shortcuts. No one is going to pay for your vacation, no one cares, no one gives a shit and they never will. If you want something, anything, do the work and earn it. > > — [How to travel the world and get companies to pay for it. (Casey Neistat for Medium)](https://medium.com/@CaseyNeistat/how-to-travel-the-world-and-get-companies-to-pay-for-it-25aac0bdfd35?ref=drewshannon.net) > What if design uses its seat at the table to draw pretty things, but otherwise not pay much attention to the outcomes, the user behaviors, the things enabled? > > — [Designer Duds (Mills Baker for Medium)](https://medium.com/design-founders/designer-duds-f59c964513ef?ref=drewshannon.net) ### May 30, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-87307789089/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:15.000Z ![Looking past the hood of a vintage blue car at an illuminated city intersection with glowing storefronts.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/05/87307789089.jpg) ### May 29, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-87210910716/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:16.000Z ![American flag fluttering softly against a bright washed-out sky above utility poles and rooftops.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/05/87210910716.jpg) Happy Belated Memorial Day ### May 28, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-87108953573/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:16.000Z ![Crowds relaxing on the sunlit grassy hill at Dolores Park in San Francisco with Victorian houses behind.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/05/87108953573.jpg) Recent [work](http://fullscreen.net/?ref=drewshannon.net) trip to San Francisco, CA. ### This Week - May 23, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2014-05-23/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:26.000Z > fun is always a good enough reason > > — [We Broke The Jeep (Casey Neistat on YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vKt22zDTM0&ref=drewshannon.net) > The fact that I swear indicates nothing about how I was born or raised or educated. It speaks instead of the fact that I am angry. My anger deserves validation. Politeness and propriety have no place if it means the status quo continues because I spend all my time trying not to offend the more conservative among us. > > — [All The Fucks I Give (Steffani Cameron for Medium)](https://medium.com/race-class/5069cbb5a5b1?ref=drewshannon.net) > The way I see it, many people work hard to buy their dream house. I sold a house so I could have my dream job. > > — [I sold my house to fund my company (Jody Porowski for Medium)](https://medium.com/theli-st-medium/255f65612d76?ref=drewshannon.net) ### This Week - May 16, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2014-05-16/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:27.000Z > Simply: if you have to use someone else’s name or authority to get a point across, there is little merit to the point (you might not believe it yourself). > > — [Authority & Merit (Jack Dorsey for Medium)](https://medium.com/@jack/80ad140f990b?ref=drewshannon.net) > Perhaps the biggest lesson, though, came at the expense of my ego. During my week away from email, nobody seemed concerned by my absence. > > — [What I Learned After Quitting Email For A Week (Charlie Warzel for Buzzfeed)](http://www.buzzfeed.com/charliewarzel/i-quit-email-for-a-week-and-maybe-you-should-too?ref=drewshannon.net) ### May 15, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-85826847919/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:17.000Z ![Airplane window view at sunset showing a dramatic anvil cloud formation glowing orange above dusk clouds.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/05/85826847919.jpg) Thunderhead over Middle America ### This Week - May 09, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2014-05-09/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:28.000Z > It is often argued that life-threatening illness imbues its victims with a new vigor for life. I’ve always found this notion sort of idiotic, a ham-handed attempt at ennobling illness, which deserves no such credit. As Ruth saw it, she already had a life she did not wish to part with. She didn’t need to construct a new one just because there wasn’t much time left. > > — [The Day I Started Lying To Ruth (Peter B. Bach for New York Magazine)](http://nymag.com/news/features/cancer-peter-bach-2014-5/?ref=drewshannon.net) ### May 08, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-85122720269/ Last updated: 2014-05-08T07:38:00.000Z **[jamesbernal](https://jamesbernal.tumblr.com/?ref=drewshannon.net):** Hey man, thanks so much for following - I really dig your stuff. If you don't mind me asking, how did you come across my blog? I've added a few more followers than usual in the last day or so, and I'm curious how you discovered me. Thanks! Hey Drew! Can’t remember, but I think it must’ve been through a mutual person we follow and then I liked some of your photos and decided to follow.Hope that helps. Take it easy, J ### This Week - May 02, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2014-05-02/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:28.000Z > Punk is a very appealing thing to a lot of different sorts of dickheads". [(Patrick Stickles on WTF Podcast w/ Marc Maron)](http://www.wtfpod.com/podcast/episodes/episode%5F462%5F-%5Fpatrick%5Fstickles?ref=drewshannon.net) One of my favorite episodes of one of my favorite podcasts. > > Were we destined to eventually 'fuck up our culture?' We talked about it a bit more, and it became clear that it was possible to defend, and actually build the culture. But it had to be one of the things we were most focused on. I thought to myself, how many company CEOs are focused on culture above all else? Is it the metric they measure closest? Is it what they spend most of their hours on each week? > > — [Don't Fuck Up The Culture (Brian Chesky for Medium)](https://medium.com/p/597cde9ee9d4?ref=drewshannon.net) > Like Martha Stewart Living in its ’90s heyday, the magazine seems to be eliciting a brew of both keen hatred and aspirational envy. 'Like so many of these things, it’s just expensive shopping tarted up with words like ‘simplicity’ and ‘community,’ ' wrote one online commenter in a lively thread about Kinfolk on datalounge.com. > > — [Better Homes and Hipsters (Tim Murphy for The New York Times)](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/27/fashion/kinfolk-magazine-the-martha-stewart-living-of-the-portland-set.html?ref=drewshannon.net) > 'It's probably the same reason why more things than you or I or McGinley himself could ever count look the way they do, from book covers to TV commercials to Hollywood blockbusters to the scenes we imagine when we read certain novels. Infıltrating the collective subconscious is a peculiar kind of power in that the most affected are also the most oblivious. To anonymously penetrate the culture requires the ability to be both critic and artist, satisfying people's latent desires while also inventing something new they couldn't have identifıed themselves in the fırst place. > > — [Ryan McGinley: Naked and Famous (Alice Gregory for GQ)](http://www.gq.com/entertainment/celebrities/201404/ryan-mcginley-photographer?printable=true&ref=drewshannon.net) ### This Week - Apr 25, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2014-04-25/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:29.000Z > He was my friend and he was weird, and I was his friend and I was weird. We were weird like all people are weird if you actually know them and care for them. > > — [Tales From Two Feet (Rick Andrews for Narratively)](http://narrative.ly/life-on-the-run/tales-from-two-feet/?ref=drewshannon.net) > His achievements notwithstanding, he is constantly haunted by feelings that he is out of his depth, even in the kitchen. He ascribes this to han, a uniquely Korean form of angst that manifests itself as both a resigned acceptance that life is difficult and a grim determination to struggle through this difficulty. > > — [What You Should Know About David Chang (David Kamp for Vanity Fair)](http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2014/05/chef-david-chang-interview?ref=drewshannon.net) > I know that a lot of us are well aware of what kind of person Josh Lueke is, and that rape is a very bad thing...But with all due respect to Mr. Hahmann and his ilk, the onslaught of tweets calling Josh Lueke a rapist is not for you. It's for the thousands of rape survivors who watch games and know that what they love is sullied by baseball's willingness to turn a blind eye to the kind of suffering they themselves endured. It's a gesture on the part of fans who know it's unlikely Lueke will ever see his career end as a result of those actions, but refuse to tolerate his inclusion, who believe that, while a team may opportunistically decide to field a talented player who has committed an act of sexual violence, it shouldn't be immune from the disgust of the public. > > — [Josh Lueke Is A Rapist, You Say? Keep Saying It. (Stacey May Fowles for Deadspin)](http://deadspin.com/josh-lueke-is-a-rapist-pass-it-on-1566010458?ref=drewshannon.net) > As the saying goes, the grass is always greener on the other side, and I was claiming that MY GRASS WAS ELECTRIC! > > — [What I Have To Say (Magdalena Wosinska for The Define School)](http://www.thedefineschool.com/what-i-have-to-say-magdalena-wosinska/?ref=drewshannon.net) ### April 22, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-83499006530/ Last updated: 2014-04-22T01:05:00.000Z **[ref-lin](https://ref-lin.tumblr.com/?ref=drewshannon.net):** ♥Hi :)Please take a look at my blog, i hope you like my blog and follow me. THANK YOU :)Have a nice day ✿ ### This Week - Apr 18, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2014-04-18/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T21:35:48.000Z I've recently gotten more and more into running. [A reminder of the brilliant Oatmeal comic about why he runs](http://theoatmeal.com/comics/running?ref=drewshannon.net). ### April 18, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-83115618565/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:18.000Z ![Vintage light green Volvo coupe parked in an alley beside ivy-covered walls and orange bollards.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/04/83115618565.jpg) I’ve been in a little bit of a photographic funk lately, but this is one of my favorite shots in recent memory. Might be just the thing I need to get back into it. Santa Barbara, CA ### April 17, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-83002850185/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:19.000Z ![View over a highway guardrail across calm blue ocean toward hazy mountain ridges under soft clouds.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/04/83002850185.jpg) ### April 16, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-82906479281/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:19.000Z ![Reflection of a photographer in a convex security mirror on a stucco corner beside a green awning.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/04/82906479281.jpg) ### April 15, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-82801748659/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:20.000Z ![Window reflection combining a table set with wine glasses and an outdoor Chicago street in winter.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/04/82801748659.jpg) Chicago ### April 14, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-82708124473/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:21.000Z ![Airplane wing with an American flag winglet soaring above glowing pink and purple sunset clouds against a blue sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/04/82708124473_0.jpg) ![Dimly lit airplane cabin with seated passengers silhouetted against a brightly glowing oval window.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/04/82708124473_1.jpg) ![Framed airplane window view of a jetliner wing extending over soft pink and mauve cloud layers at dusk.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/04/82708124473_2.jpg) Pink skies on a recent flight. ### This Week - Apr 11, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2014-04-11/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:31.000Z > Stop taking stuff to the next level. Enough with the next level already. Make this level right. > > — [MediaREDEF for Monday, April 7th, 2014 (Jason Hirschhorn for MediaREDEF)](http://link.mediaredefined.com/view/530d06b7cc2cb4f62c3c20941iph3.a4v/f16b32e4?ref=drewshannon.net) ### This Week - Apr 04, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2014-04-04/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:32.000Z > This new style of dining is symptomatic of a larger disorder. We look at menus and try to analyze what the best dishes are to put together the right order. We’re in danger of becoming people who would rather have an opinion about a restaurant than a richly textured memory. > > — [Eating Alone, Together (China Millman for Medium)](https://medium.com/editors-picks/cff76cb6d51f?ref=drewshannon.net) > Since the tender years of childhood, we are conditioned to believe that failure, misery, pain and aggression are the identifiers and influencers of the quality of success that follows them. > > — [The Courage To Fail (Vyoma Nupur for Medium)](https://medium.com/life-hacking-2/46a0a028e2e7?ref=drewshannon.net) > It was after this letter that Burnett realized that busyness of a certain kind—meaning not the work-three-menial-jobs-and-put-your-kids-in-precarious-day-care-by-necessity kind—became a mark of social status, that somewhere in the drudgery of checklists and the crumpled heaps one could detect a hint of glamour. 'My God, people are competing about being busy,' Burnett realized. 'It’s about showing status. That if you’re busy, you’re important. You’re leading a full and worthy life. … As if you don’t get to choose, busyness is just there. I call it the nonchoice choice. Because people really do have a choice.' > > — [You're Not As Busy As You Say You Are (Hanna Rosin for Slate)](http://www.slate.com/articles/double%5Fx/doublex/2014/03/brigid%5Fschulte%5Fs%5Foverwhelmed%5Fand%5Four%5Fepidemic%5Fof%5Fbusyness.html?ref=drewshannon.net) ### March 31, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-81299663416/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:22.000Z ![Dozens of birds perched in rows along parallel overhead power lines above palm tree tops against a pale sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/03/81299663416_0.jpg) ![Coffee cup on a saucer beside folded sunglasses and ice water on a Bar Amá placemat.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/03/81299663416_1.jpg) ![Nighttime view of residential house rooftops and trees silhouetted against glowing clouds in an evening sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/03/81299663416_2.jpg) ![Storefront window sign reading 'OPEN 8 am or maybe later... CLOSE 12 midnight or maybe earlier...'.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/03/81299663416_3.jpg) ![View from behind a window shade of someone wearing shiny metallic gold oxford wingtip shoes on a sidewalk.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/03/81299663416_4.jpg) ![Black and white overhead view of an acoustic drum set arranged on an ornate patterned rug in a rehearsal room.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/03/81299663416_5.jpg) ![Airplane window view of a jet wing cruising over vivid pink and purple twilight clouds.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/03/81299663416_6.jpg) ![Silhouette of traffic and palm trees beneath an Irving sign and traffic light against a golden sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/03/81299663416_7.jpg) ![Profile of a powder-blue vintage pickup truck parked along a street beneath a sprawling ficus tree.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/03/81299663416_8.jpg) Every-few-weekly Instagram Roundup. Follow me here: @[drewshannon](http://instagram.com/drewshannon?ref=drewshannon.net) ### This Week - Mar 21, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2014-03-21/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:32.000Z > If you decide you don’t love the other place, or if you fall out of love with it, or if circumstances change such that it becomes practical to move back, then you can move back. New York will not be the same as it was when you left, but it will be here, and if you want to you can learn to love it again. > > — [What to Do If You’re Falling Out of Love With New York (Mary Phillips-Sandy for Medium)](https://medium.com/human-parts/a9dee51df185?ref=drewshannon.net) > Tumblr shows us that you can build a place that is both anonymous and positive. That combination is much harder than it looks. > > — [Tumblr and its culture of positivity (Bijan Sabet)](http://bijansabet.com/post/79860892634/tumblr-and-its-culture-of-positivity?ref=drewshannon.net) ### March 17, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-79884757386/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:22.000Z ![Man with glasses chatting with two women around an outdoor fire pit under glowing string lights at night.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/03/79884757386_0.jpg) ![Two friends laughing together at a backyard gathering, with one smiling and pointing forward.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/03/79884757386_1.jpg) ![Small dog in a vest warming itself on the grass beside people's feet by an outdoor fire bowl.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/03/79884757386_2.jpg) ![Friends gathered around a backyard fire pit beneath warm string lights with a man in glasses adjusting his hair.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/03/79884757386_3.jpg) ![Flames dancing from an outdoor fire pit at night as a person warms their hands beside a glowing candle.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/03/79884757386_4.jpg) Recent BBQ with friends. ### This Week - Mar 14, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2014-03-14/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:33.000Z > Winning an award is about the least humbling thing in the world, and yet when people receive an Oscar or some other illustrious honor, they often say they feel 'humbled.' > > — [Why Oscar Winners Say They’re 'Humbled' (Matthew Hutson for The Atlantic)](http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/03/why-oscar-winners-say-they-re-humbled/284148/?ref=drewshannon.net) > And, I’d say, the ability to let yourself off the hook becomes increasingly important as we live more of our lives in public, networked, and together, because small mistakes can quickly escalate. > > — [This One's For Me (Frank Chimero)](http://frankchimero.com/blog/this-ones-for-me/?ref=drewshannon.net) ### March 13, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-79465034980/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:23.000Z ![Silhouette of urban rooftops, a chimney structure, and palm trees against a pale gradient twilight sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/03/79465034980.jpg) ### March 12, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-79370847125/ Last updated: 2026-09-26T01:26:17.000Z ![Rugged mountains rising above a multi-lane California freeway lined with traffic, seen from inside a car.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/03/79370847125.jpg) [From A Car](https://www.drewshannon.net/tag/from-a-car/) ### March 11, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-79271633824/ Last updated: 2026-09-26T01:26:19.000Z ![Side-view mirror reflection of a woman hula hooping on a sidewalk beside a child in a neighborhood.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/03/79271633824.jpg) Teaching the kid to hula. [From A Car](https://www.drewshannon.net/tag/from-a-car/) ### March 10, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-79173193666/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:25.000Z ![A flock of birds scattering in flight across overhead utility cables against a pale blue clouded sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/03/79173193666.jpg) ### March 08, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-78967989641/ Last updated: 2026-09-26T01:26:19.000Z ![Billboard reading 'all you need is the right kind of love' with the Los Angeles skyline in the distance.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/03/78967989641.jpg) All You Need Is The Right Kind of Love [From A Car](https://www.drewshannon.net/tag/from-a-car/) ### This Week - Mar 07, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2014-03-07/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:34.000Z > Me? Oh, I’m just a normal guy. 38\. Average height, average weight. Loves animals. Enjoys casseroles. But where I go to work each day just might surprise you… > > — [Confessions of an Upworthy Editor (Wayne Gladstone for McSweeney's)](http://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/confessions-of-an-upworthy-editor?ref=drewshannon.net) ### This Week - Feb 28, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2014-02-28/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:35.000Z > It’s that this is as good as it’s going to get. Isn’t that the key? It doesn’t sound very romantic, but when I saw my apartment, I knew it was much better than anything else. It was maybe 30 percent more than I wanted to pay, but it was 200 percent better than anything else I’d seen. I had to contain the expression on my face, because what I was thinking was, Yes, this is the one. That’s how I felt with Derrence. > > — [The Playboy Interview: A Candid Conversation with Gawker's Nick Denton (Jeff Bercovici for Playboy)](http://playboysfw.kinja.com/the-playboy-interview-a-candid-conversation-with-gawke-1527302145?src=longreads&ref=drewshannon.net) > The professional stress was compounding the personal hell she was privately enduring. 'I’m fucking drinking myself to sleep every single night. I cannot deal with this stress. I need to get back in control of this, and I need to get the fuck away from it for a second,' Grace recalled of this period. > > — [A True Trans Soul Rebel (Steven Hyden for Grantland)](http://grantland.com/features/a-true-trans-soul-rebel/?ref=drewshannon.net) > These changes are making me feel a bit threatened and defensive. Instead of a lone weird white kid buying a house in Detroit, now I’m part of a movement. I shop at the Whole Foods, knowing every step into that store is a step away from a brand-new city that could be. And if someone tries to break into my house again I will not hesitate to defend myself and someday my family. Some days I feel caught in a tide I cannot row against, but these are the realities. Maybe I’m feeling a bit like the good people of Detroit must have felt to be counted amongst the citizens of 'Murder City.' > > — [Why I Bought A House In Detroit For $500 (Drew Philip for Buzzfeed)](http://www.buzzfeed.com/drewphilp/why-i-bought-a-house-in-detroit-for-500?ref=drewshannon.net) > To say the 26-year-old version of Glass lied is like saying Bernie Madoff committed fraud. In the 1990s, Glass didn’t simply unspool a few exaggerations, like theater performer Mike Daisey did in his report on Apple factories in China for NPR’s 'This American Life.' Glass lied, lied some more, and tossed out more lies to cover up other lies wrapped in additional lies. > > — [No second chance for Stephen Glass: The long, strange downfall of a journalistic wunderkind (Adam L. Penenberg for Pando Daily)](http://pando.com/2014/01/27/no-second-chance-for-stephen-glass-the-long-strange-downfall-of-a-journalistic-wunderkind/?ref=drewshannon.net) > And remember, rather than working so hard to have stuff, better to work to have leisure, the Greek philosopher Aristotle said, upon which happiness depends." - 5 reasons why you shouldn’t work too hard > > — [(Brigid Schulte for The Washington Post)](http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/she-the-people/wp/2014/02/21/5-things-you-get-from-working-too-hard/?ref=drewshannon.net) ### This Week - Feb 21, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2014-02-21/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:35.000Z > Little by little we accumulate losses, large and small, some of them permanent. > > — [Your Oral Surgeon Loves You (Christine Grillo for Medium)](https://medium.com/editors-picks/2499616de71f?ref=drewshannon.net) > Jim is driving, Charlie has her feet up on the dashboard. It goes without saying that windows are down, hair is flying, the Pacific is *right there, look at it* and we're alternating between Burt Bacharach, The Velvet Underground and Black Moon. I am a smug person personified, in love with my friends and the view, with my cynicism waiting for me back in England. > > — [What Romance Really Is; an early ode to February the 14th (Stevie Mackenzie-Smith for Discoteque Confusion)](http://discothequeconfusion.blogspot.com/2014/01/what-romance-really-is-early-ode-to.html?ref=drewshannon.net) > So the question this led me to suppose was do our relationships with technologies form in a similar way to our relationships with people? A hot flush at the beginning, fading slowly to something you could reasonably take for granted but pine for when you’re apart, replace with the new and shiny, or even do away with altogether? > > — [A sceptic’s week with Google Glass (Tim Devine for Nextness)](http://nextness.com.au/technology/a-sceptic%E2%80%99s-week-with-google-glass/?ref=drewshannon.net) > It is easy to see the beginnings of things, and harder to see the ends. I can remember now, with a clarity that makes the nerves in the back of my neck constrict, when New York began for me, but I cannot lay my finger upon the moment it ended, can never cut through the ambiguities and second starts and broken resolves to the exact place on the page where the heroine is no longer as optimistic as she once was. > > — [Goodbye To All That (Joan Didion)](http://juliaallison.com/goodbye-to-all-that-by-joan-didion/?ref=drewshannon.net) ### This Week - Feb 14, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2014-02-14/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:36.000Z > Maybe each of these activities (listening to high end audio gear, drinking high end wine, having needles inserted into your chakras) is really about ritualizing a sensory experience. By putting on headphones you know are high quality, or drinking expensive wine, or entering the chiropractor's office, you are telling yourself, 'I am going to focus on this moment. I am going to savor this.' It's the act of savoring, rather than the savoring tool, that results in both happiness and a longer life. > > — [Placebo-philes (Robert McGinley Myers for Anxious Machine)](http://www.anxiousmachine.com/blog/2013/12/10/placibo-philes?ref=drewshannon.net) > Now that he is gone, much has been said about his failure, about his fall. I don’t really see it that way. He got in the ring with his addiction and battled it for two decades successfully, creating amazing film work along the way and doing the hard stuff to keep ambitious theater alive in New York. > > — [The Wrestler (David Carr for Medium)](https://medium.com/p/35b8b00ce82c?ref=drewshannon.net) > When an environment fails, over and over and over again, to provide her with a means to follow her internal compass, then she will leave. > > — [Why Designers Leave (Julie Zhuo for Medium)](https://medium.com/the-year-of-the-looking-glass/d0aa3b8af9b7?ref=drewshannon.net) > Why not print the actual slur here? It’s an ugly, jarring word, but bigotry is ugly. “*To call someone a faggot is still so commonplace*.” That’s the NFL. I think it’s pretty clear that it’s the NFL culture, that accepts this status quo, that is chemically unbalanced. > > — [The Institutional Bigotry Michael Sam Faces in the NFL (John Gruber for Daring Fireball)](http://daringfireball.net/linked/2014/02/09/sam-bigotry?ref=drewshannon.net) > Flappy Bird was a cultural tragedy, and the tragedy has nothing to do with the game. > > — Why Indie Developers Go Insane [(Marco Arment for Marco.org)](http://www.marco.org/2014/02/12/why-indie-developers-go-insane?ref=drewshannon.net) ### February 12, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-76435833801/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:27.000Z ![Two women walking together down a sidewalk bathed in golden sunset light near coastal apartments and palm trees.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/02/76435833801.jpg) Family ### February 11, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-76335154645/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:28.000Z ![Sunset view overlooking the Malibu coastline and glowing Pacific waters beneath an orange and yellow sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/02/76335154645.jpg) Sunset In Malibu ### February 10, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-76234611338/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:28.000Z ![Bright daylight illuminating hanging clear plastic warehouse strip curtains framed by a dark interior doorway.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/02/76234611338.jpg) ### This Week - Feb 07, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2014-02-07/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:37.000Z > My business partner and I are both from Ohio and I think we both like to hire people from the Midwest because we all seem to think about the world in similar ways. We just make sense to each other. It’s also the reason we love to work with Red Wing. Part of it is the spirit of the company, and part of it is the people. Nothing is forced and nothing is insincere. If something doesn’t make sense, they don’t do it. > > — [Made in the Land of Wheat and Maize. (Michael Williams for A Continuous Lean)](http://www.acontinuouslean.com/2014/02/05/land-wheat-maize/?ref=drewshannon.net) > The tweet-vacuuming outrage-bait Storify listicle has become one of the most tired and lazy crutches of online media. > > — [Boston bartender pissed BuzzFeed used his tweet out of context (Luke O'Neil For BDCwire)](http://bdcwire.com/boston-bartender-pissed-buzzfeed-used-his-tweet-out-of-context/?ref=drewshannon.net) > Young artists in LA can really experiment, and if their efforts fall short, it's not that bad because their rent is relatively cheap and almost everyone else they know is trying new things and failing, too. > > — [I left New York for LA because creativity requires the freedom to fail (Moby for The Guardian)](http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/feb/03/leave-new-york-for-los-angeles?ref=drewshannon.net) ### February 06, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-75809134721/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:29.000Z ![Facade of a high-rise apartment building featuring grid rows of balconies with green and yellow accents.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/02/75809134721.jpg) Los Angeles ### February 05, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-75702464566/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:30.000Z ![Downtown Los Angeles buildings including a Wells Fargo facility seen through a chain-link fence.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/02/75702464566.jpg) Los Angeles ### February 04, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-75595535254/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:31.000Z ![Bar chalkboard sign reading 'IF YOU CAN'T HAVE FUN WITH YOUR BARTENDER YOU'RE IN THE WRONG BAR'.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/02/75595535254.jpg) If you can’t have fun with your bartender, you’re in the wrong bar. ### February 03, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-75520254644/ Last updated: 2014-02-03T14:13:00.000Z **[juliayusupov](https://juliayusupov.tumblr.com/?ref=drewshannon.net):** yep, that website has it all wrong . I wonder how Travis Barker ended up as a Russian Prisoner on that site.. haha ### February 03, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-75495851038/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:31.000Z ![Customers seated at a retro lunch counter on red swivel stools talking with a barista in Los Angeles.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/02/75495851038.jpg) The Girl In The Red Hat ### This Week - Jan 31, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2014-01-31/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:38.000Z > In the process, a long magazine story went from being one part of a steady diet of journalistic consumption to something artisanal, a treat for connoisseurs...There’s a lot of excellent magazine-length journalism being done now, and Grantland publishes plenty of it. The problem is that long-form stories are too often celebrated simply because they exist. And are long. > > — [When ‘Long-Form’ Is Bad Form (Jonathan Mahler for The New York Times)](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/25/opinion/when-long-form-is-bad-form.html?%5Fr=0&ref=drewshannon.net) > But my love of Rdio doesn’t rest on any of these things. I don’t need my primary, go-to, heroic music listening application to be exotic or brilliant. Instead, what I need is an app that — at its root — helps me store, listen to, and discover wonderful, life-enriching, hot, sad, happy, beautiful music. And you do that job so well. In fact, it is partly because you are simple that you are wonderful. > > — [Rooting For Rdio (Aaron Schildkrout for Medium)](https://medium.com/dear-blank/69f99fc29d1?ref=drewshannon.net) > We shout as if everything from our breakfast scrambles to our dogs are tantamount to the “Rocky” moment at the top of the stairs, or being on the bow of the ship like whatshisname in the movie “Titanic.” Never have we been so emphatic. > > — [You Can Tell Everybody This Is Your Song (Carrie Brownstein for The New York Times)](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/19/opinion/sunday/you-can-tell-everybody-this-is-your-song.html?ref=drewshannon.net) > In honor of this beautiful, sadsack town and its perennially self-conscious, downtrodden population, [we’ve put together a series](http://www.vice.com/columns/los-angeles-is-miserable?ref=drewshannon.net) that delves into what makes Angelinos of all classes, races, and backgrounds miserable and/or consider moving to San Francisco. > > — [Los Angeles Is Miserable: An Introduction (Dave Schilling for Vice)](http://www.vice.com/read/los-angeles-is-miserable-an-introduction?utm%5Fsource=vicetumblrus) > Would you prefer these 'empowered cyclists' drive cars instead? As if they then wouldn't contribute to traffic at all? It's almost as if you forgot that the leading cause of traffic is traffic. More specifically, motherfucking cars. > > — [Sorry, L.A. Times, Bikes Are Not to Blame for Santa Monica Traffic (Devin Feldman for LA Weekly)](http://www.laweekly.com/informer/2014/01/28/sorry-la-times-bikes-are-not-to-blame-for-santa-monica-traffic?ref=drewshannon.net) ### January 31, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-75164778849/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:32.000Z ![Overhead view of blue canvas sneakers standing in fluffy white tree fluff on the ground at Angels Knoll.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/01/75164778849.jpg) Angel’s Knoll in Los Angeles must’ve gotten its name from the cloud-like fuzz that coats the ground. ### January 30, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-75058500220/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:33.000Z ![Visitor leaning on the Malibu Pier railing at twilight watching a pastel sunset over the Pacific Ocean.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/01/75058500220.jpg) Malibu Pier ### January 29, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-74951987515/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:34.000Z ![High-angle view of a surfer in a black wetsuit carving through swirling white foamy wave break.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/01/74951987515.jpg) Christmas Eve surfing in Huntington Beach, CA ### January 28, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-74844964839/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:34.000Z ![Surfer riding an emerald wave toward white foam as others paddle nearby, seen from Huntington Beach Pier.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/01/74844964839.jpg) Surfing the Huntington Beach Pier ### January 27, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-74735457891/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:35.000Z ![Security personnel in red blazers standing atop a white wall near pine trees at the Golden Globe Awards.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/01/74735457891_0.jpg) ![Matthew McConaughey in a dark green velvet tuxedo on the red carpet at the Golden Globe Awards.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/01/74735457891_1.jpg) ![Matt Damon in a black tuxedo on the Golden Globes stage with a woman in an orange gown beside crew.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/01/74735457891_2.jpg) ![Jennifer Lawrence in a white Dior gown waving from the red carpet interview stage at the Golden Globes.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/01/74735457891_3.jpg) ![Crew members leaning over a white retaining wall watching Golden Globe Awards preparations below.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/01/74735457891_4.jpg) ![Jimmy Fallon jogging across the Golden Globe Awards red carpet beside a black SUV and crowds.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/01/74735457891_5.jpg) ![Aaron Paul fist-pumping beside wife Lauren Parsekian on the Golden Globe Awards red carpet.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/01/74735457891_6.jpg) ![Goodyear blimp floating high in the dusk sky above tree silhouettes with soft orange and purple sunset clouds.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/01/74735457891_7.jpg) Some photos from the 2014 Golden Globes Red Carpet a few weeks ago, ### January 26, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-74629380332/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:36.000Z ![Glowing amber streetlights and palm tree silhouettes lining a coastal path at twilight.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/01/74629380332.jpg) ### This Week - Jan 24, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2014-01-24/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:39.000Z > It’s not just that *Her*, the movie, is focused on people. It also shows us a future where technology is more people-centric. The world *Her* shows us is one where the technology has receded, or one where we’ve let it recede. It’s a world where the pendulum has swung back the other direction, where a new generation of designers and consumers have accepted that technology isn’t an end in itself–that it’s the real world we’re supposed to be connecting to. > > — [Why Her Will Dominate UI Design Even More Than Minority Report (Kyle Vanhemert for Wired)](http://www.wired.com/design/2014/01/will-influential-ui-design-minority-report/?ref=drewshannon.net) ### January 24, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-74393848546/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:37.000Z ![Huntington Beach coastline at night looking across dark sand toward a lifeguard tower and city lights.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/01/74393848546.jpg) ### January 23, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-74296339092/ Last updated: 2026-09-26T01:26:20.000Z ![Maggie seated behind a dinner table centerpiece of red and yellow flowers and warm candlelight.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/01/74296339092.jpg) [Maggie](https://www.drewshannon.net/tag/maggie/) ### January 22, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-74185090963/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:38.000Z ![Rainwater puddle on asphalt reflecting a utility pole, overhead wires, and cloudy blue sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/01/74185090963.jpg) ### January 21, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-74078279434/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:39.000Z ![Vertical rock cairn balanced on smooth river stones in a garden bed with street traffic beyond.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/01/74078279434.jpg) Zen ### This Week - Jan 17, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2014-01-17/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:39.000Z > 'But Mercer, you run a business. You need to participate online. These are your customers, and this is how they express themselves, and how you know if you're succeeding.' Mae's mind churned through a half-dozed Circle tools she knew would help his business, but Mercer was an underachiever. An underachiever who somehow managed to be smug about it. > > 'See, that's not true, Mae. It's not true. I know I'm successful if I sell chandeliers. If people order them, then I make them, and they pay me money for them. If they have something to say afterward, they can call me or write me. I mean, all this stuff you're involved in, it's all gossip. It's people talking about each other behind their backs. That's the vast majority of this social media, all these reviews, all these comments. Your tools have elevated gossip, hearsay and conjecture to the level of valid, mainstream communication. And besides that, its fucking dorky.' > > — [I'm currently reading (and loving) Dave Eggers' newest book The Circle](http://www.amazon.com/Circle-Dave-Eggers-ebook/dp/B00EGMQIJ0/ref=sr%5F1%5F1?ie=UTF8&qid=1389804074&sr=8-1&keywords=the+circle&ref=drewshannon.net) I saw (and loved) Spike Jonze's new movie 'Her' earlier this week. Lance Bangs, in conjunction with Vice's The Creator's Project recently created a spectacular mini-documentary about *Love In The Modern Age.* > It's tempting to see your enemies as evil, but there's good and evil on both sides of every war ever fought > > — [The new season of Game of Thrones can't come soon enough.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZY43QSx3Fk&ref=drewshannon.net) ### January 17, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-73623643480/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:40.000Z ![Vintage red and white Bonneville speedster parked beside a classic red pickup at a car gathering.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/01/73623643480.jpg) Moon Eyes ### January 15, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-73420751029/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:40.000Z ![Architectural balcony perched above the ocean with people swimming in coastal waters below.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/01/73420751029.jpg) Swimming ### January 14, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-73316130022/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:41.000Z ![Cherry red vintage Plymouth Barracuda driving past spectators at the Donut Derelicts car show.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/01/73316130022.jpg) [Donut Derelicts](http://www.donutderelicts.com/?ref=drewshannon.net) ### January 13, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-73221865630/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:42.000Z ![Sunlit rocky desert hillside with arid scrub brush under a soft blue sky with wispy clouds.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/01/73221865630_0.jpg) ![Silhouette of a massive oak tree with spreading branches casting deep shade over a hiking trail.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/01/73221865630_1.jpg) Solstice Canyon, iPhone. ### This Week - Jan 10, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2014-01-10/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:40.000Z > Do you see the trend? My inclination towards purchasing and distraction are directly correlated with a deficiency in my emotional well-being: aka, I have been self-medicating. My purchasing has not been meaningless. It has a cause and an effect. The cause is the set of emotions that are felt due to stressors and variables felt in my life. The effect is that I am unable to deal with the cause because I am not aware of it due to the fullness of my mind in relation to purchasing. The emotional impulses are not satisfied, they are simply brushed aside. > > — [What I am Learning from a Self-Imposed, 6 Month Purchasing Freeze (Robert A. Murphy)](http://gogetmurphy.com/2013/04/what-i-am-learning-from-a-self-imposed-6-month-purchasing-freeze/?ref=drewshannon.net) > In the past few years I seem to have misplaced my creative inspiration and along the way I let ‘busyness’ take the wheel, a condition that opened up a certain amount of success, but also sometimes steered against my original desires. > > — [Remember. Let go. Move on. (Brad Smith)](http://journal.brad.ly/entry/13948778?ref=drewshannon.net) > The only way we will avoid being crushed by the weight of the hundreds or thousands of emails we receive every day is to free ourselves from the need to treat each one like it matters and like it merits a response. > > — [The Curse of Email (Tim Challies)](http://www.challies.com/articles/the-curse-of-email?ref=drewshannon.net) ### January 10, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-72881120833/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:43.000Z ![Bright sunburst flaring through the green leaves and ripe fruit of an orange tree against a vivid blue sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/01/72881120833.jpg) I have a thing for the Southern Californian fruit trees that just hang out in people’s front yards. ### January 09, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-72788008398/ Last updated: 2026-09-26T01:26:21.000Z ![Flock of birds flying across an overcast sky above a streetlight, in black and white.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/01/72788008398.jpg) [From A Car](https://www.drewshannon.net/tag/from-a-car/) ### January 08, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-72672712234/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:44.000Z ![Twisting, pale branches and canopy leaves of a tall eucalyptus tree against an azure sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/01/72672712234.jpg) ### January 07, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-72576174356/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:45.000Z ![A young citrus tree loaded with bright ripe yellow fruit growing in a residential front yard on a sunny day.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/01/72576174356.jpg) ### January 07, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-72564524028/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:46.000Z ![Close-up of a tree trunk with carved initials 'DAD', a heart, and the name 'DANNY' in the weathered bark.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/01/72564524028.jpg) Dad <3 Danny ### January 06, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-72453613156/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:46.000Z ![Person in a Santa costume skateboarding while towed by an elf on a mini motorbike in Huntington Beach.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2014/01/72453613156.jpg) Christmas Eve in Huntington Beach, CA ### This Week - Jan 03, 2014 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2014-01-03/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:41.000Z > A lot of things don’t need to be intellectualized: 'because I want to' is often a good enough reason. > > — [Some Lessons I Learned in 2013 (Frank Chimero)](http://frankchimero.com/blog/2014/01/some-lessons-i-learned-in-2013/?ref=drewshannon.net) > Some will ask if the NFL has a problem with institutionalized homophobia. I don't think it does. I think there are homophobic people in the NFL, in all positions, but that's true for society as well, and those people eventually get replaced. All we can do is try to expose their behavior when we see it and call them to account for their actions. > > — [I Was An NFL Player Until I Was Fired By Two Cowards And A Bigot (Chris Kluwe for Deadspin)](http://deadspin.com/i-was-an-nfl-player-until-i-was-fired-by-two-cowards-an-1493208214?ref=drewshannon.net) > No one wants to be branded as a hipster so they just kick the word over to a similar-but-slightly-different sub-type of hipster. Who are we even really talking about when we talk about hipsters? Any semi-educated reasonably young person who didn’t play collegiate sports and doesn’t buy Costco-brand jeans? Great, we’ve narrowed the field down to eleventy million people. Some of the hipster stereotypes don’t even make sense... > > — [Please, God, Let 2014 Be The Year We Retire The Word "Hipster" (Dan Ozzi for Vice)](http://noisey.vice.com/blog/please-god-let-2014-be-the-year-we-retire-the-word-hipster?ref=drewshannon.net) > Preventing burnout is part of your job. Staying well rested is part of your job. Sleep and exercise help, but occasional extended breaks are essential too, and their benefits on creativity, productivity, and happiness are well documented. > > — [Vacations are for the weak (Seth Bannon)](http://sethbannon.com/vacations-are-for-the-weak?ref=drewshannon.net) ### This Week - Dec 27, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2013-12-27/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:42.000Z > But then, earlier this year, I went to a pop-up shop in West Chelsea and I realized it had gone too far. A dozen or so new and old Maine brands, L. L. Bean included, had set up booths in a giant garage and were selling everything from rugged flannels and earflap hats to saddles and benches made of re-claimed pine planks. It was evocative of Maine, but somehow not. The plaid button-downs and the river-guide shirts were as itchily familiar to me as the smell of a leaf pile in the backyard. But the Edison bulbs? The hand-stitched leather wallets? That wasn’t really what I remembered finding in the general store in my dad’s rural town of Stoneham (population: 250). > > — [Is America Finally Over Its Maine Moment? (If So, Thank God) (Chris Rovzar for Vanity Fair)](http://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2013/12/America-maine-moment?ref=drewshannon.net) > Bankers: First of all, don't cheer in a movie. It's weird. You can laugh, but no cheering. Second, guffawing while Leo attempts to evade federal indictment doesn't exactly help America's perception of your societal value. Hopefully this kind of euphoria was confined to one boozy, Financial District pre-screening (Paramount gave us popcorn and martinis upon entrance), because it would be a real shame if Martin Scorsese just accidentally inspired the future Jordan Belforts of the world. > > — [We Saw "The Wolf of Wall Street" With a Bunch of Wall Street Dudes and It Was Disturbing (Steven Perlberg for Business Insider)](http://www.businessinsider.com/banker-pros-cheer-wolf-of-wall-street-2013-12?ref=drewshannon.net) > Spike Jonze explores how we feel in love, both now and in the future, but one thing is certain: It doesn’t depend on showing lots of skin, which may, in the end, be the point. Sexual attraction has little to do with what we wear and occurs mostly in our minds. That means no thongs, no side-boob, nary a crop top to be found. And from a fashion perspective, watching the movie in 2013, that is perhaps the most radical idea of all. > > — [Review: The Radically Unsexy Fashions of Her (Stella Bugbee for NYMag)](http://nymag.com/thecut/2013/12/review-the-radically-unsexy-fashions-of-her.html?ref=drewshannon.net) ### December 20, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-70613203634/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:47.000Z [2013: A Year In Review (My Favorite Photos of 2013)Original link from drewshannon.exposure.so![Exposure logo emblem favicon.](https://drewshannon.exposure.so/favicon.ico)drewshannon.exposure.so](https://drewshannon.exposure.so/2013?ref=drewshannon.net) ### This Week - Dec 20, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2013-12-20/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:42.000Z > A lot of art, great art, is made by despicable people. > > — [Read the "Stomach-Churning" Sexual Assault Accusations Against R. Kelly in Full (Jessica Hopper for The Village Voice)](http://blogs.villagevoice.com/music/2013/12/read%5Fthe%5Fstomac.php?ref=drewshannon.net) > WTF is important and vibrant and still must-listen entertainment because Marc Maron knows how to do this to us, how to drag the narrative out of someone, how to find what’s there and bring it to the surface. How to get us to reevaluate not only the performer but ourselves. > > — [My Transcendent Podcast Guest: Jim Breuer Redeems Himself on Marc Maron's WTF (Brian Koppelman for Grantland)](http://www.grantland.com/blog/hollywood-prospectus/post/%5F/id/95179/my-transcendent-podcast-guest-jim-breuer-redeems-himself-on-marc-marons-wtf?ref=drewshannon.net) ### This Week - Dec 13, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2013-12-13/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:43.000Z > So in April, when Google announced it was shutting down Google Reader on July 1, it was almost unsurprising that Digg replied–that same day–*We’ve got this*. > > This is the story of how a tiny team took 90 days to pull off the impossible. > > — [Inside Digg's Race To Build The New Google Reader (Mat Honan for Wired)](http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2013/06/inside%5Fdigg%5Freader/all/?ref=drewshannon.net) [30 Things Brands Should Stop Doing in 2014 (Brian Morrissey for Digiday)](http://digiday.com/brands/30-new-years-resolutions-brands/?ref=drewshannon.net) > Getting good coffee takes a little more work. It costs more, but then it should—it's a better ingredient, prepared by trained professionals. Is it worth it? That's up to you. Is it somehow wrong? (Which, I think, is buried in the morality of the word “elitist.”) Absolutely not. Innovation isn't elitist, it's what drives this society, this culture, this city. > > — [The Coffee Chronicler (Brendan Spiegel for Narratively)](http://narrative.ly/caffeinated-city/the-coffee-chronicler/?ref=drewshannon.net) ### December 12, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-69797093090/ Last updated: 2026-09-26T01:26:22.000Z ![Silhouette of potted succulents against a warm coral and pink backlit window at twilight.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/12/69797093090_0.jpg) ![Sign reading 'ANY ROAD AWAY FROM YOU IS THE WRONG DIRECTION' on a white porch with fairy lights.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/12/69797093090_1.jpg) ![Circular wall mirror reflecting an outdoor plant nursery garden with a sign reading 'GARDEN'.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/12/69797093090_2.jpg) ![Rustic display with signs reading 'BEACH', 'HERBS', 'GARDEN', and 'Don't let anyone steal your joy'.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/12/69797093090_3.jpg) ![Silhouettes of tall California palm trees and building rooftops against a vivid purple and pink sunset sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/12/69797093090_4.jpg) It’s been a long time since I’ve shot film, but I recently picked up a Canon Rebel S II camera that allows me to use my Canon EF lenses, and ran a roll of Expired Konica Minolta VX 200 through it. It was a fun experiment, and definitely a nice change of pace. Part IV ————————- Part I [HERE](https://www.drewshannon.net/post-69513924458/) Part II [HERE](https://www.drewshannon.net/post-69599810778/) Part III [HERE](https://www.drewshannon.net/post-69700631180/) ### December 12, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-69793828441/ Last updated: 2013-12-12T08:25:00.000Z **[nickgerber](https://nickgerber.tumblr.com/?ref=drewshannon.net):** Thanks so much for the kind words dude! Hope all is well with you. Of course, my man! All is well - I’m just getting back into this blogging thing, but it feels good. Good to see your pics, again! ### December 11, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-69700631180/ Last updated: 2026-09-26T01:26:23.000Z ![Dense green banana palm foliage and tropical leaves catching warm golden afternoon sunlight in an urban backyard.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/12/69700631180_0.jpg) ![Classic dark blue Chevrolet Camaro driving down a palm-lined street in Venice Beach under warm afternoon sun.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/12/69700631180_1.jpg) ![Large agave succulents in a gravel bed next to an orange porch swing in warm afternoon light.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/12/69700631180_2.jpg) It’s been a long time since I’ve shot film, but I recently picked up a Canon Rebel S II camera that allows me to use my Canon EF lenses, and ran a roll of Expired Konica Minolta VX 200 through it. It was a fun experiment, and definitely a nice change of pace. Part III ————————- Part I [HERE](https://www.drewshannon.net/post-69513924458/) Part II [HERE](https://www.drewshannon.net/post-69599810778/) ### December 10, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-69599810778/ Last updated: 2026-09-26T01:26:24.000Z ![Lush treetop canopy with dense green foliage against a clear pale sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/12/69599810778_0.jpg) ![Motorcyclist riding down an avenue flanked by shops and palm trees at dusk in Venice, California.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/12/69599810778_1.jpg) ![White cinderblock parking wall with dappled tree shadows and a Tip Top Tow Service sign flanked by two parked cars.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/12/69599810778_2.jpg) It’s been a long time since I’ve shot film, but I recently picked up a Canon Rebel S II camera that allows me to use my Canon EF lenses, and ran a roll of Expired Konica Minolta VX 200 through it. It was a fun experiment, and definitely a nice change of pace. Part II ————————- Part I [HERE](https://www.drewshannon.net/post-69513924458/) ### December 09, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-69513924458/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:50.000Z ![Silhouetted spiky yucca and agave fronds against a soft violet dusk sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/12/69513924458_0.jpg) ![Dumpster sign reading 'BAGEL NOSH CUSTOMER PARKING ONLY' beside Santa Monica recycling bins.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/12/69513924458_1.jpg) ![Silver SUV parked outside a RadioShack along a sunny, palm-lined street with balloons on a meter.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/12/69513924458_2.jpg) It’s been a long time since I’ve shot film, but I recently picked up a Canon Rebel S II camera that allows me to use my Canon EF lenses, and ran a roll of Expired Konica Minolta VX 200 through it. It was a fun experiment, and definitely a nice change of pace. Part I. More coming tomorrow. ### This Week - Dec 06, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2013-12-06/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:44.000Z > By the mid-2000s, however, social media had erased the popular distinction between which life-moments were and were not worthy of public consumption. In the process, it became normal to assemble and project one’s domestic identity for a much broader (and dimly defined) notion of community. Reflexive photo-mania, once a stereotype that defined tourists, had transformed into a ritual of home. > > — [Selfies and the Touristification of Everyday Experience (Rolf Potts for Medium)](https://medium.com/editors-picks/c4787112603c?ref=drewshannon.net) > I was looking for GIRLS to use alcohol to say something profound about youth, but the fact is that it actually speaks more to the notion of what it means to be an adult. > > — [(Not) Drinking with GIRLS’s Hannah Horvath (Jennifer Cacicio for Punch)](http://punchdrink.com/articles/not-drinking-with-girls-hannah-horvath/?ref=drewshannon.net) > 'In the early days, I bought into the idea that the Internet would lead to a better world, that the truth was out there and that we didn’t need gatekeepers,' he said. The idea that he and many others embraced was that an unfiltered Internet would create a democratic information utopia. 'Now,' he continued, 'I think it’s more complicated than that.' > > — [A Founder of Twitter Goes Long (Matt Richtel for New York Times)](http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/10/business/a-founder-of-twitter-goes-long.html?pagewanted=all&%5Fr=0&ref=drewshannon.net) > This is everything wrong with tech-startup culture, unreasonable expectations, and workaholism in one job posting, by a company with a massive audience that probably contains a very high percentage of young software developers. > > — [Penny Arcade’s Insultingly Horrible Job (Marco Arment for Marco.org)](http://www.marco.org/2013/11/26/penny-arcade-awful-job?ref=drewshannon.net) > A watered down, slightly burnt cup of cheap coffee in an even cheaper paper cup with a lid that doesn’t quite fit can be one of life’s most satisfying small victories. Hold that leaky cup in the air like Lady Liberty’s torch as proof that your life is still your own, even during a brutal commute, too early in the morning, to a job you hate that doesn’t pay enough. > > — [An Ode to Beautiful Brown Sludge (Lilly O'Donnell for Narratively)](http://narrative.ly/caffeinated-city/an-ode-to-beautiful-brown-sludge/?ref=drewshannon.net) ### December 05, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-69086019674/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:51.000Z ![Side profile and chrome side mirror of a white vintage pickup truck dappled with leaf shadows in a driveway.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/12/69086019674_0.jpg) ![Sunlit green branches framing parked cars and a vintage white pickup truck in a driveway.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/12/69086019674_1.jpg) ![Delicate green and yellow leaves on slender tree branches against a clear blue California sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/12/69086019674_2.jpg) Malibu, CA ### December 02, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-68789076342/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:52.000Z ![Woman walking barefoot along the wet sand at the ocean shoreline holding her shoes under bright coastal sunlight.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/12/68789076342.jpg) ### November 30, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-68573731531/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:53.000Z ![Calm Pacific Ocean horizon viewed from a coastal gravel overlook with coastal sage scrub.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/11/68573731531.jpg) Pacific Ocean ### This Week - Nov 29, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2013-11-29/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:45.000Z > Today we are experiencing a dangerous cultural shift towards the expectation of instantaneous response. > > — [Yes I Saw Your Text, But Don’t Expect Me to Respond Instantly (Andrew Torba for Medium)](https://medium.com/better-humans/d800818c8367?ref=drewshannon.net) > Busy skies also mean human gridlock on jet bridges from the terminal down to the aircraft door. While you’re waiting to board, you might have time to contemplate the purpose of the jauntily angled strip of metal above the door of most commercial aircraft. > > — [What's That Metal Strip Above the Airplane Door? (Mark Vanhoenacker for Slate)](http://www.slate.com/blogs/the%5Feye/2013/11/27/what%5Fs%5Fthat%5Fthing%5Fwhat%5Fs%5Fthat%5Fmetal%5Fstrip%5Fabove%5Fthe%5Fairplane%5Fdoor.html?ref=drewshannon.net) > How were people like me supposed to stay sober if handsome doctors could just up and relapse and die? > > — [Drugs Will Kill Your Friends (Rob Delaney for The Atlantic)](http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/11/drugs-will-kill-your-friends/281418/?ref=drewshannon.net) > What we discovered was that after a certain base level was met (water, food, shelter and a fully charged iPhone), decreasing the number of possessions did little to affect the quality of our journey. > > — [The craziest OkCupid date ever (Clara Bensen for Salon)](http://www.salon.com/2013/11/12/the%5Fcraziest%5Fokcupid%5Fdate%5Fever/?ref=drewshannon.net) ### November 27, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-68277824405/ Last updated: 2026-09-26T01:26:26.000Z ![Farm Sanctuary Animal Acres sign along a rural road against distant snow-dusted mountains.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/11/68277824405_0.jpg) ![Visitors observing rescued cattle and a black-and-white cow in an enclosure at Farm Sanctuary.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/11/68277824405_1.jpg) ![Wooden shed with an animal safety sign beside a Featherlite trailer and barn at Farm Sanctuary.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/11/68277824405_2.jpg) ![Driving along a two-lane country highway toward the setting sun bursting through roadside trees.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/11/68277824405_3.jpg) ![Pigs roaming an open dirt yard outside red-roof barns at Farm Sanctuary with snowy mountains beyond.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/11/68277824405_4.jpg) Part II of a recent Day Trip to [Farm Sanctuary](http://farmsanctuary.org/?ref=drewshannon.net) Part I [HERE](https://www.drewshannon.net/post-68182326617/). ### November 26, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-68214672368/ Last updated: 2026-09-26T01:26:27.000Z ![Black and white portrait of a man with a Movember mustache standing in front of an exposed brick wall.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/11/67676094344.jpg) [drewshannon](https://www.drewshannon.net/post-67676094344/): > As someone who battled cancer in college, [Movember](http://movember.com/?ref=drewshannon.net) is a hugely important time of year for me. > >> *As an official global charity, Movember’s vision is to have an everlasting impact on the face of men’s health. During November each year, Movember is responsible for the sprouting of millions of moustaches on men’s faces around the world. Through the power of the Mo, vital funds and awareness are raised to combat prostate and testicular cancer and mental health challenges.* > > Please visit [http://mobro.co/drewshannon](http://mobro.co/drewshannon?ref=drewshannon.net) for periodic ‘stache photo updates, or to help donate to the cause. > > **For every donation of $10 or more, I will send out a FREE 5x7 photo print of your choice. [Email me](mailto:andrew.w.shannon@gmail.com) with a confirmation of your donation, pick a photo that you’d like printed, and it’ll be on its way to you December 1st.** Only a few days left! ### November 26, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-68182326617/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:55.000Z ![Winding rural two-lane highway leading toward snow-dusted mountains under clouds, in black and white.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/11/68182326617_0.jpg) ![Visitor watching a speckled rooster strut outside a wooden coop pen at Farm Sanctuary.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/11/68182326617_1.jpg) ![Two women kneeling down to gently pet a young black-and-white calf through a metal fence at Farm Sanctuary.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/11/68182326617_2.jpg) ![Farm Sanctuary staff member walking beside cattle and a brown horse in a sunlit paddock.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/11/68182326617_3.jpg) ![Rescued pig resting comfortably in a thick bed of golden straw inside an open wooden barn stall at Farm Sanctuary.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/11/68182326617_4.jpg) ![White roses blooming in front of a red-tiled barn with rolling hills at Farm Sanctuary.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/11/68182326617_5.jpg) ![Large brown dairy cow standing beside a metal corral fence in afternoon sun at Farm Sanctuary.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/11/68182326617_6.jpg) As a non-vegetarian, I felt like a little bit of a hypocrite visiting [Farm Sanctuary](http://www.farmsanctuary.org/?ref=drewshannon.net) last weekend, but I had a lot of fun and they’ve got a great operation going. Part II coming tomorrow. ### November 25, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-68075119652/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:56.000Z ![Close-up from behind of a woman's hair backlit by bright coastal sunlight pouring through a rocky sea cave opening.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/11/68075119652.jpg) ### This Week - Nov 22, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2013-11-22/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:46.000Z > In this space between the built reality and the Cabin Porn imagination, a generation of consumers — be they hipsters, wannabe homesteaders, or simply ordinary people — is trying to come to terms with their own lifestyles and relationships to nature. I think this may perhaps be the reason for why so many people find [Cabin Porn](http://cabinporn.tumblr.com/?ref=drewshannon.net) so appealing. This deep romanticizing of cabin lifestyles is completely unrealistic, as most other porn, but it still has value. Looking at Cabin Porn, trying to articulate exactly what is essential and desirable at the cabin, we are looking at our lives and societies. In dreaming about an idyllic past, we are also imagining the future. > > — [What It Means That Urban Hipsters Like Staring at Pictures of Cabins (The Atlantic)](http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/03/what-it-means-that-urban-hipsters-like-staring-at-pictures-of-cabins/254495/?ref=drewshannon.net) > Then I happened to glance outside. It was raining. It hadn’t rained the entire three months I had been there. L.A. had made me completely forget about the concept of rain. > > — [Sunny, Much to My Dismay (Alissa Walker)](https://medium.com/editors-picks/dbc53298fdee?ref=drewshannon.net) > Today’s adtech has within it the glimmerings of a computing architecture that will underpin our entire society. > > — [Why The Banner Ad Is Heroic, and AdTech is Our Greatest Artifact (John Battelle)](http://battellemedia.com/archives/2013/11/why-the-banner-ad-is-heroic-and-adtech-is-our-greatest-technology-artifact.php?ref=drewshannon.net) ### November 21, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-67676094344/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:57.000Z ![Black and white portrait of a man with a Movember mustache looking straight ahead against an exposed brick wall.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/11/67676094344.jpg) As someone who battled cancer in college, [Movember](http://movember.com/?ref=drewshannon.net) is a hugely important time of year for me. > *As an official global charity, Movember’s vision is to have an everlasting impact on the face of men’s health. During November each year, Movember is responsible for the sprouting of millions of moustaches on men’s faces around the world. Through the power of the Mo, vital funds and awareness are raised to combat prostate and testicular cancer and mental health challenges.* Please visit [http://mobro.co/drewshannon](http://mobro.co/drewshannon?ref=drewshannon.net) for periodic ‘stache photo updates, or to help donate to the cause. **For every donation of $10 or more, I will send out a FREE 5x7 photo print of your choice. [Email me](mailto:andrew.w.shannon@gmail.com) with a confirmation of your donation, pick a photo that you’d like printed, and it’ll be on its way to you December 1st.** ### November 21, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-67672247486/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:57.000Z ![Doorway framing a woman standing in a dim hallway illuminated by window light, in black and white.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/11/67672247486.jpg) ### This Week - Nov 15, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2013-11-15/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:46.000Z > And perhaps this is why we also now confuse shiny happy hashtag journalism with actual real (and often harsh) journalism. Bourdain didn't set out to validate Detroit. He set out to tell the truth about it. And the truth is that a whole hell of a lot of it looks like a nuclear reactor melted and the city was abandoned overnight and left for the cockroaches. But that there are also people still living, still surviving despite that. And the vast overwhelming majority of them aren't white yuppie Brooklyn transplants funded by Detroit Venture Partners. There are black people barbecuing (yes, Anthony Bourdain came to Detroit and HUNG OUT WITH BLACK PEOPLE...which might actually be a national television first). > > — [\[EID Rants\] He had you until "Chernobyl:" Bourdain came into town and people lost their shit (Eat It Detroit)](http://www.eatitdetroit.com/2013/11/eid-rants-he-had-you-until-chernobyl.html?ref=drewshannon.net) > You probably only have to interrupt someone a couple times a day before they're unable to work on hard problems at all. > > — [Good And Bad Procrastination (Paul Graham)](http://www.paulgraham.com/procrastination.html?ref=drewshannon.net) > The key to being controversial is that people have to believe in the authenticity of a story that they could never tell. You can be as crazy (or, as Ye puts it, “genius”) as you want to be, but when it all comes out in the wash, the story must make sense. Charlie Sheen is a great example of a “crazy” dude who makes a whole lot of sense. Sheen, unlike Yeezy, doesn’t have to tell us his crazy is a form of genius, because I think most of would gladly offer up the compliment without provocation. Either Kanye West is trying too damn hard or he’s suffering from some sort of cognitive break. Either way, he’s achieving the opposite of controversy at this point. > > — [I’m Quitting Kanye (Felicia Megan Gordon)](https://medium.com/editors-picks/4972c4f7b0f8?ref=drewshannon.net) > ...there’s always this feeling of wishing or hoping that you’ll eventually arrive somewhere. But, I don’t know anybody who’s ever arrived anywhere. Everybody I know with half a brain is always a little bit nervous about how long they’re going to be okay doing what they’re doing. > > — [Merlin Mann (The Great Discontent)](http://thegreatdiscontent.com/merlin-mann?ref=drewshannon.net) ### November 13, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-66941144071/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:18:58.000Z ![Classic Chevrolet parked along a residential curb at night under a streetlight, in black and white.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/11/66941144071.jpg) ### November 12, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-66793248956/ Last updated: 2026-09-26T01:26:27.000Z ![Mid-century apartment building facade with architectural lettering reading 'One Two Three CALIFORNIA'.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/11/66793248956.jpg) [California Typography](https://www.drewshannon.net/tag/california-typography/) ### November 11, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-66690026111/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:00.000Z ![Light blue vintage Chevrolet convertible parked under shade trees outside an outdoor gathering.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/11/66690026111.jpg) ### This Week - Nov 08, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2013-11-08/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:47.000Z > The Eskimos have all those words for snow, and it seems the only language we have for expressing success is numeric. It may be a universal language, but it’s an impoverished one. Maybe we need a word for “never having to sit in a meeting where someone reads long power point slides out loud.” Maybe we should have an expression that captures the level of success you’ve achieved when you do exactly what you love every day. > > — [I Want to Be a Millennial When I Retire (New York Times)](http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/05/booming/i-want-to-be-a-millennial-when-i-retire.html?%5Fr=2&&ref=drewshannon.net) > There were so many tough men in that Dolphins locker room. The unwritten code of football is that you handle your business in-house. Any one of these men could have said something to stop Incognito and help Martin. Any one of them could have handled it. They're warriors, right? They're paragons of strength. And yeah, there are complex reasons why they didn't. But they didn't. > > — [Man Up (Grantland)](http://www.grantland.com/story/%5F/id/9939308/richie-incognito-jonathan-martin-miami-dolphins-bullying-scandal?ref=drewshannon.net) ### November 07, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-66288166937/ Last updated: 2026-09-26T01:26:28.000Z ![Residential building with cursive signage reading 'Country Club APTS.' above a white garage door.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/11/66288166937.jpg) [California Typography](https://www.drewshannon.net/tag/california-typography/) ### November 06, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-66197707695/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:02.000Z ![Vintage metallic teal Plymouth Barracuda fastback parked along a sun-dappled residential curb.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/11/66197707695.jpg) ### November 05, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-66100827628/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:02.000Z ![Banner for Deus Ex Machina Bike Build Off hanging above attendees and custom motorcycles.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/11/66100827628_0.jpg) ![Photographer in a Deus shirt shooting a custom silver Honda motorcycle against an outdoor white backdrop.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/11/66100827628_1.jpg) ![Custom cafe racer motorcycle with a silver tank on an outdoor white backdrop at Deus Bike Build Off.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/11/66100827628_2.jpg) ![Man adjusting a custom silver Honda motorcycle on an outdoor white backdrop while a spectator watches.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/11/66100827628_3.jpg) ![Custom motorcycle with brown leather saddle parked beside an ivy wall with a white helmet on the ground.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/11/66100827628_4.jpg) ![Bright orange vintage Laverda road racer motorcycle displayed on a white backdrop at Deus Bike Build Off.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/11/66100827628_5.jpg) Bike Build-Off at [Deus Ex Machina](http://us.deuscustoms.com/?ref=drewshannon.net) a few weekends ago. ### November 04, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-66006171033/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:03.000Z ![Silhouetted rooftop and utility pole against a soft pink and orange twilight sky with a distant airplane in flight.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/11/66006171033_0.jpg) ![Glossy hood of a dark car reflecting the soft warm hues of an evening sunset and telephone wires in a parking lot.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/11/66006171033_1.jpg) ![Silhouette of a geometric building roofline and tree against a vibrant magenta and lavender sunset sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/11/66006171033_2.jpg) Award-winning sunset in Los Angeles a few weeks ago. ### November 03, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-65921844665/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:04.000Z ![Hood and windshield of a vintage truck with an arrow compass decal, in shaded black and white.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/11/65921844665.jpg) One Gun Ranch. Malibu, CA. iPhone. ### This Week - Nov 01, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2013-11-01/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:48.000Z > If you're on food stamps or Medicaid or anything that even tangentially involves a tax dollar, Americans want to see you wearing rags, smeared with dirt, and eating gruel. How dare anyone who's poor try to have some self-respect and look decent. > > — [Keeping Up Appearances (Gin & Tacos)](http://www.ginandtacos.com/2013/10/17/keeping-up-appearances/?ref=drewshannon.net) > Really, being an artist doesn’t forgive being an asshole. Lou Reed was notoriously prickly In The Media. That is only a crime To The Media. What kind of person you are Matters, in the same way that Steve Jobs, whatever his legacy may ultimately be, did a disservice to that legacy by being such an unbelievable asshole to those around him. > > — [Lou O' Bedlam](http://blog.louobedlam.com/post/65356706896/you-might-say-i-hate-lou-reed-but-you-couldnt?ref=drewshannon.net) > This is a well-known benefit of affluence: the ability to whatever you want all day. Some rich people take advantage of this by lounging about on yachts, doing blow, and consuming great quantities of foie gras. Others choose to lounge about in Ojai conversing with new age healers and consuming great quantities of kale. One choice may be healthier than the other, but they are both two strains of the same lucky fairytale in which we have the ability to do anything our hearts desire, all the time. > > — [A Lifestyle Is Not a Job (Gawker)](http://gawker.com/a-lifestyle-is-not-a-job-1453333817?ref=drewshannon.net) > Nobody was very crazy, I didn’t think, just sad. > > — [I’ll Smoke When I’m Dead (Emily Hopkins)](https://medium.com/de-cultura/8f70feee9a90?ref=drewshannon.net) > The premise is simple: I will try to vanish for a month and start over under a new identity. Wired readers, or whoever else happens upon the chase, will try to find me. > > — [Vanish (Evan Ratliff - Creatavist)](https://evan.creatavist.com/story/5608?ref=drewshannon.net) ### October 26, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-65149072239/ Last updated: 2013-10-26T10:24:00.000Z **[jovellyism](https://jovellyism.tumblr.com/?ref=drewshannon.net):** Hey man, I just came across your site, and really love your stuff. Keep up the great work, and I look forward to receiving the print I just ordered! Cheers Thanks man! And thank you so much for your order, that really helps out. It’ll be in your mailbox soon! Have a good weekend, bud. ### This Week - Oct 25, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2013-10-25/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:49.000Z > After thumbing through three-hundred-plus pages, it occurs to me that the Kinfolk cookbook is a variation on a single theme: the creation of a life lived in an Anthropologie catalog. It’s the reason why we get lost in blogs and the lives of strangers. We want to be happy, always. We want a life free of storms and sorrow. We want our linens, and bowls, and kitchens with reclaimed wood — and in this way, Kinfolk succeeds, for its America is rarefied and specific, rife with denizens who are preened to dishabille perfection and apply pretty filters to their photos...While escapism looks lovely on paper, in practice it’s difficult and expensive. > > — [The Kinfolk Cookbook: Small Gatherings You’ll Likely Never Be Invited To (Felicia C. Sullivan)](https://medium.com/but-does-it-work/3d0422b57f0a?ref=drewshannon.net) ### October 23, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-64871929913/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:05.000Z ![Weathered blue parking tow sign overgrown with climbing ivy vines against a clear California sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/10/64871929913.jpg) ### October 22, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-64781253162/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:05.000Z ![Bright orange vintage Chevrolet pickup with a 'FOR SALE' sign parked alongside classic vehicles.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/10/64781253162.jpg) I’ve been in a bit of a photographic funk lately. A recent shot. ### This Week - Oct 18, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2013-10-18/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:49.000Z > The unpaid work I did is a huge part of what advanced my journalism career, and it feels essential and valuable to me. But then I think about all of the privileges I had that enabled me to spend so much time doing that unpaid work and all the people who would make incredible reporters who didn’t have those same privileges. I guess what I’m trying to say is that it’s not about giving people handouts or offering them more than they deserve, it’s about basic fairness being built into operational structures. > > — [You’re stuck on an elevator with someone who loved that Sarah Lacy article. Now what?(Adrienne LaFrance)](https://medium.com/ladybits-on-medium/255e34f7b1ea?ref=drewshannon.net) > This is why people who do remarkable things can seem remarkably under-committed — *it’s a side-effect of the scheduling philosophy necessary to accommodate depth* > > — [You Can Be Busy or Remarkable — But Not Both (Cal Newport)](http://calnewport.com/blog/2013/04/03/you-can-be-busy-or-remarkable-but-not-both/?ref=drewshannon.net) > I wouldn't call it post-rock, either—'(Hymn for) the Greatest Generation' is a rock song, albeit an unusually gorgeous one. > > — [Caspian: (Hymn For) The Greatest Generation (Pitchfork)](http://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/16165-hymn-for-the-greatest-generation/?ref=drewshannon.net) > Damn, I mean- the more stressed I get at work, the less I can believe this guy has successfully made it through his previous 30 years of life. > > — [Donald Glover (Best Roof Talk Ever)](http://bestrooftalkever.com/post/64231648364/no-offense-to-people-who-go-through-emotional?ref=drewshannon.net) ### This Week - Oct 11, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2013-10-11/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:50.000Z > In the past few years, I’ve sensed that he also travels for different reasons. He can step out of his life for a week or two — or, rarely, a little longer. When he travels, he isn’t a man who has a job that often keeps him working until midnight, or who has to worry about aging parents. He’s just a man with a backpack slung over one shoulder who has to catch a plane or a bus or a boat. > > — [Sleepless in Helsinki (Mark Sullivan)](https://medium.com/estimated-time-of-arrival/c3dba9c6755b?ref=drewshannon.net) > For the individual consumer, this presents a strange duality; you want to support good companies by buying things, but by buying things, you consume resources that stress the planet, and spend money you don’t need to spend...From cruising the blogs, it seems that the appetite for tiny wallets, waxed backpacks, and slim-fitting t-shirts continues to expand. > > — [The Heritage Paradox (Daniel Lilie)](https://medium.com/what-i-learned-today/a4b55cd6b8b0?ref=drewshannon.net) > Maybe the biggest sin of the GTA games is the cheerful, spiteful way they rub our faces in what video games make us willing to do, in what video games are. Playing GTA used to feel like sneaking out behind school for a quick, illicit smoke. The smoke still tastes good, Niko; the nicotine still nicely javelins into your system. But when you look up, you have to wonder what you’re actually doing here. Everyone is so young, way younger than you, with the notable exception of the guy handing out the cigarettes, and he’s smiling like he just made a billion dollars. > > — [Poison Tree (Grantland)](http://www.grantland.com/story/%5F/id/9719678/tom-bissell-writes-letter-niko-bellic-grand-theft-auto-v?ref=drewshannon.net) ### This Week - Oct 04, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2013-10-04/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:51.000Z > A not-insignificant number of the vehement New York lovers I know — especially the young twentysomethings — are actually pretty unhappy day to day. I picture the prom king’s girlfriend sitting near him at the party, ignored but still kind of proud to be in the room and on his arm — and incredibly defensive should you suggest she break up with him for someone who dotes on her more. > > — [Why I’m Glad I Quit New York at Age 24 (New York Magazine)](http://nymag.com/thecut/2013/09/why-im-glad-i-quit-new-york-at-age-24.html?ref=drewshannon.net) > It seems coffee with strangers only serves one purpose: to make you into a more perfect connoisseur of self-consciousness. You know how it feels to hold your own self in one hand and drink from it. You know how it feels when it orbits the space between your lips and then runs down the back of your throat. And everything is ten times more palpable, like when they first invented Technicolor. > > — [What Happens When You Have Coffee With Strangers (Harris Sockel)](https://medium.com/human-parts/12a6ce676e58?ref=drewshannon.net) > The thing about being an unstoppable force is that you can really only enjoy the experience of being one when you have something to bash yourself against. You need to have things trying to stop you so that you can get a better sense of how fast you are going as you smash through them. And whenever I was inside the dinosaur costume, that is the only thing I wanted to do. > > — [Menace (Hyperbole and a Half)](http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2013/10/menace.html?ref=drewshannon.net) > I miss writing. I used to do it a lot and enjoyed spilling the words trapped inside the darkness of my head into glowing pixels on someone else’s screen. Truth be told, since we’re being honest here, you and me, I also enjoyed the attention. Maybe that’s because I couldn’t handle it in real life, the part where people like you and want to be with you and understand you and still like you having understood you. > > — [The Search for Meaning in a World of Rampant Success and Overwhelming Misery (THE Lance Arthur)](https://medium.com/the-existential-crisis/c2fdd29c35c1?ref=drewshannon.net) ### October 01, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-62805064569/ Last updated: 2013-10-01T05:44:00.000Z **[alejandromirsha](https://alejandromirsha.tumblr.com/?ref=drewshannon.net):** I was in Playa! Are you from near there? I should have thought to hit you up! Hey, Drew! No, I’m not near there but I could’ve made some arrangements to go and meet up, but there will be another time. Hope things are going great over there. Best \-A. ### September 30, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-62726630307/ Last updated: 2026-09-26T01:26:29.000Z ![Man by a tropical pool pouring a can of beer into a friend's mouth in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/09/62726630307_0.jpg) ![Two men celebrating on the rooftop terrace of a Mediterranean stucco house under an overcast sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/09/62726630307_1.jpg) ![Weathered white wall with a painted 'SALIDA' arrow sign beside a colorful metal trash drum.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/09/62726630307_2.jpg) ![Wood plank gate with a security alarm sign and small window, with a blurred person in front.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/09/62726630307_3.jpg) ![Man in a Chicago Fire jersey holding two bottles of Mexican beer on a cobblestone pathway.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/09/62726630307_4.jpg) ![Man leaping into a turquoise pool beside a tiled waterfall wall and palm trees in Playa del Carmen.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/09/62726630307_5.jpg) ![Swimmer diving over a pool waterfall wall while a friend in pink shorts watches holding a paddle.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/09/62726630307_6.jpg) ![Open-air taco and burrito food stand with a colorful illustrated menu in Playa del Carmen.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/09/62726630307_7.jpg) ![Underside of a traditional thatched palapa roof with wooden poles, palm fronds, and a ceiling fan.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/09/62726630307_8.jpg) Part III of Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. Part II [HERE](https://www.drewshannon.net/post-62517093350/) Part I [HERE](https://www.drewshannon.net/post-62424445506/) ### September 28, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-62525595250/ Last updated: 2013-09-28T10:41:00.000Z **[iannorrisdaily-deactivated20150](https://iannorrisdaily-deactivated20150.tumblr.com/?ref=drewshannon.net):** Hi Ian, nope! We of course let it go, and it flew away. Fortunately we didn't actually get the bird with the hook - the line just got tangled in between his feathers. Thank you for coming back to me about that. I appreciate it. ### September 28, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-62517093350/ Last updated: 2026-09-26T01:26:30.000Z ![Shirtless man striking a lighter in the dark, illuminating his face and chest with warm flame.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/09/62517093350_0.jpg) ![La Coronela restaurant with a blue awning as a pedestrian walks by in Playa del Carmen.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/09/62517093350_1.jpg) ![Restaurant table filled with taco plates, salsas, and a bucket of Corona beer in Playa del Carmen.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/09/62517093350_2.jpg) ![Silver Yamaha motorcycle parked by a bright turquoise stucco wall and cactus in Playa del Carmen.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/09/62517093350_3.jpg) ![Man raising both index fingers in celebration on a boat on open ocean waters in Mexico.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/09/62517093350_4.jpg) ![Smiling young man holding a deep-sea fishing rod on a boat off Playa del Carmen as a friend cheers.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/09/62517093350_5.jpg) ![Brown pelican tangled in a fishing line floating beside a boat hull in deep blue ocean water.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/09/62517093350_6.jpg) ![Crew holding a rescued brown pelican aboard a boat to untangle it from fishing line.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/09/62517093350_7.jpg) ![Docked sportfishing boat transom christened 'POVERTY SUCKS / MIAMI, FLA.' in gilded letters.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/09/62517093350_8.jpg) ![Man looking toward a brightly lit outdoor taco and tortas cart at night in Playa del Carmen.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/09/62517093350_9.jpg) Part II of Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. Part I [HERE](https://www.drewshannon.net/post-62424445506/). ### This Week - Sep 27, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2013-09-27/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:52.000Z > With management comes administration, but administration is not the essence of your job. Your job is to clear the way for your team, and administration is just another thing you’re clearing from their path. Yes, it’s something you have to do, but it should absolutely not be your focus. Your team is your focus. > > — [Your Boss Works for You (Fred Beecher)](http://boxesandarrows.com/your-boss-works-for-you/?ref=drewshannon.net) > When he jerked the car into park, I knew we were home. It was then I realized he was just giving me a ride, to the mountains and back, as a parting gift — my severance pay. > > — [Scenes From A Breakup: Part II (Kaitlyn Wilde)](https://medium.com/human-parts/962541a7fb07?ref=drewshannon.net) > There is another worry somewhere on the horizon, though. And that is whether Lisa, now happily planted on American soil, will maintain the Chinese discipline herself. It seems entirely possible that, ten years hence, her purchasing habits will have veered sharply toward mine, rather than vice-versa. > > — [Do I Really Want All This Stuff? (Paul Petruccelli)](https://medium.com/editors-picks/4728ca0774be?ref=drewshannon.net) ### September 27, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-62424445506/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:08.000Z ![View through a windshield of a green highway sign for Playa del Carmen Route 307 under overcast skies.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/09/62424445506_0.jpg) ![Three young men walking down a tropical street, one holding a yellow can of Pacifico beer.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/09/62424445506_1.jpg) ![Plate of street tacos with tomatoes, onions, and lime next to a can of Dos Equis Lager Especial.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/09/62424445506_2.jpg) ![Six friends walking down a cobblestone road lined with tall palm trees in Playa del Carmen.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/09/62424445506_3.jpg) ![Pedestrian square in Playa del Carmen with a sign reading 'ZONA PEATONAL / ALL VEHICLES PROHIBITED'.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/09/62424445506_4.jpg) ![Roadside sign for Playa del Carmen, Zona Hotelera, and Casa Club de Golf surrounded by palms.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/09/62424445506_5.jpg) ![Bright cyan and pink buildings along a paved plaza with pedestrians in Playa del Carmen.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/09/62424445506_6.jpg) ![Friends walking past a thatched guard shack and a security gate arm marked '20 km/h MAX'.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/09/62424445506_7.jpg) ![Man in a yellow straw hat walking through a crowded plaza in Playa del Carmen with a red bicycle.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/09/62424445506_8.jpg) ![Smiling young man with a tiny squirrel monkey perched on his head while onlookers take photos.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/09/62424445506_9.jpg) I recently spent nearly a week in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico for a college friend’s Bachelor Party. Part II coming tomorrow. ### This Week - Sep 20, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2013-09-20/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:52.000Z > So much of this is about out-doing each other. To say that “I’m busier than you are” means I’m more important, or that my time is more valuable, or that I am “winning” at some never-finished rat race to Inbox Zero. > > — [Please Stop Complaining About How Busy You Are (Harvard Business Review)](http://blogs.hbr.org/2013/09/please-stop-complaining-about/?ref=drewshannon.net) > So much of modern life has been 'media-tized.' Tourism too often involves seeing 'in person' places that you’ve already seen first “virtually” on the TV or Internet. In my own case, I had seen a thousand images of Athens before I ever set foot there. > > — [Authenticity, A Moving Target (Sean Oneill)](https://medium.com/editors-picks/464bce950871?ref=drewshannon.net) ### This Week - Sep 13, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2013-09-13/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:53.000Z > At last, our chance to be that asshole 16-year-old we couldn’t be the first time around, because we were too busy getting jock locks and swirlies. Even if we really weren’t, we remember it that way, because that’s what it is to be a geek, that’s the geek story — and that’s why the world owes us an endless, consequence-free adolescence. > > — [Penny Arcade, Geek Culture, and Hegel’s “Beautiful Soul” (Spackle Flan)](https://medium.com/editors-picks/87518ef6ff18?ref=drewshannon.net) ### This Week - Sep 06, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2013-09-06/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:54.000Z > His script captures the idioms of men and women who are equally inclined to waste words and to say very little. > > — [A review of the new movie Drinking Buddies, one of the best movies I've seen in a long time. (New York Times)](http://movies.nytimes.com/2013/08/23/movies/in-joe-swanbergs-drinking-buddies-couples-face-tests.html?%5Fr=0&ref=drewshannon.net) > The modern version of introspection is the sum total of all those highly individualized choices that we make about the material content of our lives. > > — [Brand Thinking: Seth Godin, Malcolm Gladwell, Dan Pink, and Other Mavens on How and Why We Define Ourselves Through Stuff (Brain Pickings)](http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2013/05/01/brand-thinking-debbie-millman/?utm%5Fsource=buffer&utm%5Fcampaign=Buffer&utm%5Fcontent=bufferabbc0&utm%5Fmedium=twitter) ### September 05, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-60365878817/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:08.000Z ![Vintage white BMW 2002 parked curbside by an industrial brick warehouse, in black and white.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/09/60365878817.jpg) BMW ### September 04, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-60276827054/ Last updated: 2026-09-26T01:26:31.000Z ![Silhouette of a classic Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu 350 driving on a road, in black and white.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/09/60276827054.jpg) [From A Car](https://www.drewshannon.net/tag/from-a-car/) ### September 03, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-60184095159/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:10.000Z ![Street sign for 'TRACTION AVE. 800 E.' on a sticker-covered pole in front of an ivy-covered wall.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/09/60184095159.jpg) Traction Ave ### September 02, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-60091917531/ Last updated: 2026-09-26T01:26:32.000Z ![Sign reading 'Doheny East' in golden script on the concrete facade of an apartment building.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/09/60091917531.jpg) [California Typography](https://www.drewshannon.net/tag/california-typography/) ### September 01, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-59993646256/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:11.000Z ![Backlit water droplets from an outdoor sprinkler catching late-day sunlight against a dark background.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/09/59993646256.jpg) The Last Weekend of Summer ### This Week - Aug 30, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2013-08-30/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:55.000Z > The clock keeps rolling whether you’re busy or on your back. > > — [Film Is Not Dead (Ezra Caldwell)](http://www.teachingcancertocry.com/?p=1840&ref=drewshannon.net) > Each of us in this room could suffer the pangs of withdrawal and gain the serenity of the non-smoker...Maybe the only cure for self-confidence and courage is humility. Maybe we go out *in order* to fall short … because we want to learn how to be good at being people … and moreover, because we want to *be* people. > > — [Why Go Out? (Sheila Heti)](https://medium.com/human-parts/f5c7d9d06be6?ref=drewshannon.net) > However, Lambert not getting an opportunity to speak despite being onstage illustrates what is inherently frustrating about Macklemore’s existence: he seems to strive to be a voice for those who did not ask him to be their voice. > > — [The VMAs are Proof That America Is Dead Inside (Noisey.Vice.com)](http://noisey.vice.com/blog/the-vmas-are-proof-that-america-is-dead-inside?ref=drewshannon.net) > But Los Angeles, if it’s anything, is a place of reinvention, the edge of a continent, both inner and outer, from which you can step off into a new life and a new way of looking at things. Or, if you prefer, you can decide that your old life was just fine. Either way, you end up better off. > > — [Hugh Laurie's Los Angeles (Hugh Laurie)](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/northamerica/usa/losangeles/10260419/Hugh-Lauries-Los-Angeles.html?ref=drewshannon.net) ### August 26, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-59403525677/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:12.000Z ![Black and white concert photograph of rock duo The Shields Brothers performing live on stage at VidCon 2013.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/08/59403525677.jpg) [Shields Brothers](http://www.youtube.com/user/ShieldsBrothersBand?ref=drewshannon.net) at Vidcon 2013 ### This Week - Aug 23, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2013-08-23/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:55.000Z > As much as we would like to believe that we can have a completely independent persona online that is separate from our business one, it just isn’t the case, and that goes double for people who found and operate their own company. > > — [Startup founder bites San Francisco, San Franciscans bite back – A lesson in social media (BizJournals)](http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/blog/2013/08/Peter-Shih-learns-a-lesson.html?page=all&ref=drewshannon.net) > We were the Boy Scouts of the 1%: fortunate beyond belief and making the most of every moment, plunged at once into bare nature and high living to explore the essence of life, perhaps. > > — [Setting Sail: A Journey to the Channel Islands (Gear Patrol)](http://gearpatrol.com/2013/08/14/setting-sail-a-journey-to-the-channel-islands/?ref=drewshannon.net) > You can't be a compassionate man, a guy without a mean bone in his body, and also a brilliant man. The public doesn't have room for that—at least not in Joe Biden. > > — [Have You Heard the One About President Joe Biden? (GQ)](http://www.gq.com/news-politics/newsmakers/201308/joe-biden-presidential-campaign-2016-2013?ref=drewshannon.net) ### August 17, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-58516853826/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:13.000Z ![Mirror reflection of a photographer in a plaid shirt holding a camera in an antique wooden mirror.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/08/58516853826.jpg) ### This Week - Aug 16, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2013-08-16/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:56.000Z [40 Days of Dating](http://fortydaysofdating.com/?ref=drewshannon.net) > All in all, I quite like this trend. Stories have the same goal as advertisements, albeit achieved in a more roundabout way, but I don’t get supersaturated with stories, the way I do with ads. Provided their origin is clearly displayed, I don’t see any issue. There is the question of: if product companies create good stories, what will become of the (already beleaguered) content companies? > > — [Authenticity™ (Claire Willett)](https://medium.com/editors-picks/de687e52506f?ref=drewshannon.net) > 'As you grow in size, most companies assume you lose that start-up culture inevitably,' Libin said. 'But it's not that you lose it. It's that you explicitly have to pay for it. You have to explicitly put in the effort not to lose those benefits. It is not inevitable that you cease to be a start-up. But if you don't do anything, you will.' > > — [How I Made It: Evernote CEO Phil Libin (LA Times)](http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-himi-libin-20130804,0,6263710.story?ref=drewshannon.net) > Conventionally, it’s been suggested that there are only two real solutions to the piracy problem: either we accept the Free Economy, or we use the legal system to crack down on piracy (remember how that turned out?). Elmo’s alternative is educating consumers, in the hope that it will lead to reform. I think that’s overly wishful. If we want to push people away from the Free Economy, the reality is that we have to play to their self-interest. We need a carrot as well as a stick. > > — [Moving away from ‘free culture’ (Connor Tomas O'Brien)](https://medium.com/editors-picks/474f9f6957ae?ref=drewshannon.net) > Think about it: in an ad impression-and pageview-driven business, a service that allows users to opt out of the noise and get content delivered directly to them is dangerous. When the common practice for bloggers is to publish first, verify second, the paper trail of Google Reader can be an embarrassment. And when sites do everything they can to hook you and increase the critical “time on site” metric or hit you with retargeting cookies, off-site RSS Readers once again stand in the way. > > — [Our Regressive Web (Ryan Holiday)](https://medium.com/future-tech-future-market/7b1a7ddb6ffe?ref=drewshannon.net) ### August 13, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-58160700076/ Last updated: 2026-09-26T01:26:33.000Z ![Corner of a beige apartment building with lettering reading 'BAYVIEW MANOR' beside a palm tree.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/08/58160700076.jpg) [California Typography](https://www.drewshannon.net/tag/california-typography/) ### August 12, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-58064999954/ Last updated: 2026-09-26T01:26:34.000Z ![Apartment building facade in afternoon sunlight featuring black script lettering reading 'Villa Nord'.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/08/58064999954.jpg) [California Typography](https://www.drewshannon.net/tag/california-typography/) ### August 11, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-57977461065/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:15.000Z ![Pale green apartment building facade with dark window shutters and vintage signage reading 'THE Madison 1025'.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/08/57977461065.jpg) New Project - [California Typography](http://drewshannon.net/california%5Ftypography?ref=drewshannon.net) ### This Week - Aug 09, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2013-08-09/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:57.000Z > Ugly is relative, of course. One man’s driving range net is another man’s Disney Concert Hall...Faux-Italianate apartments, mid-century modern office building, cracking liquor signage, pristine Craftsman bungalow, seedy vacant lot—we’ve got them all, and they’re all stacked on top of each other, scattered across this wide basin. This makes us the best worst-looking place on the planet, but—it’s also what makes L.A. so interesting. And maybe that’s the real beauty of living in L.A. > > — [U.G.L.Y., L.A. Ain’t Got No Alibi (Alissa Walker)](https://medium.com/editors-picks/c5405984e914?ref=drewshannon.net) > That’s the second biggest recreational activity on Twitter besides getting whipped up into a frenzy over stuff that (usually) doesn’t matter. Journalists like to talk about what their journalist friends are doing, and then report about what their friends are doing as if it was a reflection of what society is doing, even though it’s usually the furthest thing from reality. > > — [The End Of My Twitter Account Is Finally Here (Brandon Mendelson)](https://medium.com/editors-picks/40a00f94ce99?ref=drewshannon.net) > I will never understand sunglasses that aren’t wayfarers. Everyone looks good in wayfarers, or at least agreeably stupid. Grab a marker and draw some sunglasses. You just drew wayfarers. Sometimes aviators are okay, are sleazy in the correct way. Everything else makes you look like a baseball player or a teenage gunman or an uncle with broken jetskis. > > — [Sexpigeon](http://sexpigeon.tumblr.com/post/57168524881/i-will-never-understand-sunglasses-that-arent?ref=drewshannon.net) > Now after 5 modest years working as a strategist to Fortune 500 and challenger brands, I see social strategy nearing its standardization as a skill-set. Without reinvention, I believe the role of the social strategist will soon become obsolete. > > — [An open letter to Social Media (Michael Mann)](https://medium.com/editors-picks/e3eb925a6a6c?ref=drewshannon.net) > We want to believe we can have it all. It’s the dream. Some of us make it work. But most of us are picking our paths and living with the results of those choices. > > — [What If Steve Jobs Was Balanced And Happy? (Bijan Sabet)](http://bijansabet.com/post/57425682026/what-if-steve-jobs-was-happy-and-balanced?ref=drewshannon.net) ### August 09, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-57799607920/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:16.000Z ![Front view of a vibrant yellow vintage GMC work truck parked beside a light blue wooden garden fence and rose bush.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/08/57799607920.jpg) ### August 08, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-57710936600/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:17.000Z ![Vintage Toyota Corona sedan driving along a coastal California road with surfboards on its roof.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/08/57710936600.jpg) ### August 07, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-57619896678/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:18.000Z ![Custom black fixed-gear bicycle locked to a metal 'PASSENGER LOADING ZONE' street sign.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/08/57619896678.jpg) Santa Monica Bike ### August 06, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-57527026741/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:18.000Z ![Meghan smiling on a city balcony at golden hour with an apartment building in the background.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/08/57527026741.jpg) New York, NY. 2013 ### August 05, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-57436194538/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:19.000Z ![High-angle view onto a city street where two people ride cruiser bicycles past parked cars.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/08/57436194538.jpg) Bikes from above ### August 04, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-57345486459/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:20.000Z ![Lush green tree canopy against a clear blue California sky with bright sunbeams bursting through the upper corner.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/08/57345486459.jpg) I really can’t get enough of the trees in Santa Monica. ### August 03, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-57254595838/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:21.000Z ![Mirror reflection of a photographer holding a camera in a retro diner surrounded by menus and signs.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/08/57254595838.jpg) ### This Week - Aug 02, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2013-08-02/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:58.000Z > Tweedy is unapologetic. 'I think about telling my dad, who worked for 46 years on the railroad, ‘Somebody offered me $100,000 to put my song in a movie, and I said no because it’s a stupid movie.’ He would want to kill me,' Tweedy says. 'The idea of selling out is only understandable to people of privilege.' > > — [How Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy Learned To Grow Up And Start Firing His Friends (Chicago Grid)](http://www.chicagogrid.com/features/wilcos-jeff-tweedy-learned-grow-start-firing-friends/?ref=drewshannon.net) > The second article linked above treats noise as a toxin that contaminates what you might call our “affect system”–like the body’s limbic system or cardiovascular system, but instead of managing hormones or blood oxyegenation, it manages affective tenor—stress, happiness, well-being. > > — [New York Noise (The Society Pages)](http://thesocietypages.org/cyborgology/2013/07/16/new-york-noise/?utm%5Fsource=twitterfeed&utm%5Fmedium=twitter) > Fred’s post hinges on the belief that “open” inherently means “inclusive.” I don’t agree. Fred is right that Reddit is large and messy and magical. But it is also notorious for having norms, inside jokes, and a personality that makes outsiders feel like, well, outsiders. 4chan is infamous for this. So is The Huffington Post. And Hacker News. > > — [A False Dichotomy (Josh Miller)](https://medium.com/editors-picks/1494ba605b0e?ref=drewshannon.net) > I wanted to do something about this, so I created a list of digital disciplines (obviously couldn’t resist the alliteration) that I’ll be trying to stick to in a serious, but not quite puritanical fashion. > > — [11 Things I’m Trying To Do In Order To Achieve a Sane, Healthy, and Marginally Productive Relationship With the Internet (The Frailest Thing)](http://thefrailestthing.com/2013/07/15/10-things-im-trying/?ref=drewshannon.net) ### August 02, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-57169967813/ Last updated: 2026-09-10T21:47:12.000Z [http://drewshannon.net/videosOriginal link from drewshannon.net![](https://drewshannon.net/favicon.ico)drewshannon.net](http://drewshannon.net/videos?ref=drewshannon.net) ### August 02, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-57163287742/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:21.000Z ![View through a car windshield driving down a tree-lined street at dusk with taillights ahead.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/08/57163287742.jpg) ### August 01, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-57082682556/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:22.000Z ![Yellow studio building painted with 'STAGES 5-6' beside a green tree under a vibrant blue sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/08/57082682556.jpg) Studio Lot ### July 29, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-56791491507/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:23.000Z ![Meghan smiling outdoors in sunglasses and a denim jacket holding her phone, in black and white.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/07/56791491507.jpg) ### This Week - Jul 26, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2013-07-26/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:59.000Z > But I’m fed up with brands removing letters for the sake of a strapline which came up after every other (crap) concept in the brainstorm was given up on; it’s a crass, lazy way to create an identity, and I don’t think it shows a great degree of respect to your customers either. > > — [Irritable Vowel Syndrome (Chris Owen)](https://medium.com/editors-picks/afd3fc774dcc?ref=drewshannon.net) > Looking back now, I wish I’d leaned out. Leaning in was a gesture of timidity. I was too scared of what I might lose, and ended up sacrificing the good situation my family already had. We could have found a way to get by. > > — [Leaned In, Screwed Over (Amanda Kolson Hurley)](https://medium.com/editors-picks/7309895be9af?ref=drewshannon.net) > Certainly it’s a little hard to take seriously claims that client companies ‘value’ creativity when the downward pressure on agency fees is relentless. > > — [The choice for clients: Price vs value, vendors vs partners, delivery versus excellence (Martin Weigel)](http://martinweigel.org/2013/07/24/the-choice-for-clients-price-vs-value-vendors-vs-partners-delivery-versus-excellence/?ref=drewshannon.net) > There is a common mistake that often happens to smart people — in many cases, without you ever realizing it. The mistake has to do with the difference between being in motion and taking action. They sound similar, but they’re not the same. > > — [The Mistake Smart People Make: Being In Motion vs. Taking Action (James Clear)](https://medium.com/the-blog-of-james-clear/fd5873162a9b?ref=drewshannon.net) ### July 26, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-56527259427/ Last updated: 2026-09-26T01:26:34.000Z ![Close-up portrait of Maggie puckering her lips in a playful pout against a background of green foliage.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/07/56527259427.jpg) [Maggie](https://www.drewshannon.net/tag/maggie/) ### July 25, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-56436508930/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:25.000Z ![Vintage gold cruiser bicycle with a white wire basket parked on green lawn in Harbor Springs, Michigan.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/07/56436508930.jpg) Harbor Springs Bike ### July 24, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-56339429690/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:25.000Z ![Golden sunset horizon and blue twilight above the clouds viewed through an airplane window.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/07/56339429690_0.jpg) ![Sign reading 'THANK YOU / RIDE 8AM SUN 19-20 MPH' seen through a glass door in Harbor Springs.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/07/56339429690_1.jpg) ![Empty two-lane asphalt road curving gently through a dense canopy of green summer trees in Michigan.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/07/56339429690_2.jpg) ![White wooden dock extending into calm blue water with a moored motorboat in Harbor Springs.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/07/56339429690_3.jpg) Harbor Springs, MI ### July 23, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-56246410108/ Last updated: 2026-09-26T01:26:36.000Z ![Friends sitting on a wooden bulkhead at night holding sparklers and party cups in Harbor Springs.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/07/56246410108_0.jpg) ![Friends and family waving sparklers at night outside a summer home in Harbor Springs.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/07/56246410108_1.jpg) ![Abstract long-exposure light trails of burning sparklers dancing against a deep indigo night sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/07/56246410108_2.jpg) ![Over-the-shoulder candid view of friends gathered around glowing sparklers at night on the lawn.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/07/56246410108_3.jpg) ![Warm, dreamy motion-blurred photograph of people gathered around the leaping orange flames of a campfire at night.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/07/56246410108_4.jpg) ![Hands pointing at nails in a tree log during a game of Hammerschlagen around a fire.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/07/56246410108_5.jpg) Part II of Independence Day in Northern Michigan. [Part I HERE](https://www.drewshannon.net/post-56151551566/). ### July 22, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-56151551566/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:27.000Z ![Color guard carrying American and Marine Corps flags in a Fourth of July parade in Harbor Springs.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/07/56151551566_0.jpg) ![Man in a patriotic flag-patterned button-down shirt holding a beer in a kitchen.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/07/56151551566_1.jpg) ![Spectators in patriotic attire watching a marching brass band at a parade in Harbor Springs.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/07/56151551566_2.jpg) ![Window reflection framed by American flags on a wooden deck overlooking Lake Michigan in Harbor Springs.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/07/56151551566_3.jpg) ![Wooden dock on Lake Michigan with a fountain firework sparkling green and gold over the water at night.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/07/56151551566_4.jpg) ![Burst of green and gold fireworks exploding in the night sky over Harbor Springs.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/07/56151551566_5.jpg) 4th of July in Northern Michigan, one of my favorite places in the whole world. Part II tomorrow. ### July 20, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-55983507188/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:28.000Z ![Black and white low-angle shot of a vintage neon oval sign reading 'Tool' mounted on an industrial brick building.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/07/55983507188_0.jpg) ![Industrial warehouse yard with an American flag flying high and a large dumpster in the foreground.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/07/55983507188_1.jpg) ![Convex traffic mirror on a spray-painted brick wall reflecting an empty California street.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/07/55983507188_2.jpg) ![Classic black American sedan driving past a vibrant blooming fuchsia bougainvillea bush beside a stop sign.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/07/55983507188_3.jpg) ![Dry grass lot with a 'NO ENTRY PRIVATE PROPERTY' sign under power lines, in black and white.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/07/55983507188_4.jpg) ![Red vintage MGB GT sports coupe parked curbside in front of a peach apartment house.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/07/55983507188_5.jpg) ![Red brick exterior wall with black spray paint graffiti next to a blue 'TIP-TOP TOW SERVICE' parking sign.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/07/55983507188_6.jpg) ![Overhead abstract texture of swirling yellow and green pollen floating on the surface of calm water.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/07/55983507188_7.jpg) Some iPhone photos from my run this morning. ### July 19, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-55896748942/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:29.000Z ![Instagram profile page showing a nine-image composite grid forming a portrait of a smiling woman.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/07/55896748942.png) Goofing around with an Instagram portrait test a few weeks ago. ### This Week - Jul 19, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2013-07-19/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:59.000Z > Not everything should be interactive...But don't make me feel like you expect a return email. Because this takes my assistant four to five hours every week. I know this because my assistant is me. > > — [Dear reader, please don't email me (Joel Stein)](http://m.guardiannews.com/media/2007/jan/08/mondaymediasection13?ref=drewshannon.net) > John Summers sat in a bar in Cambridge, MA, and counted off all the ways he was unfit for the job...It’s a résumé that would disqualify Summers from working at most magazines. But most magazines aren’t The Baffler, which could be described as the country’s foremost journal of superfluous opinion. > > — [Unconventional Wisdom (Columbia Journalism Review)](http://www.cjr.org/feature/unconventional%5Fwisdom.php?page=all&ref=drewshannon.net) (*I really like the idea that some people can be 'wrong' for so many things, yet so completely right for something else.)* > I am hesitant to say, 'Follow your passion,' because I don’t believe in that. It has to be something that you are also good at and that the world finds valuable. I would love to go cycling all day, but the world does not find that valuable to the degree that I’m good at it (laughing). If you get really, really good at something, then it will almost certainly turn into your passion. > > — [Jeffrey Veen (The Great Discontent)](http://thegreatdiscontent.com/jeffrey-veen?ref=drewshannon.net) > When he sings, 'Those rusty pipes do nothing but complain,' he's not only referring to the pipes. The people that he draws into these soggy lives are too tired to put up too much of a fight. They aren't going to roll over, but they're grizzled enough to know that it's better to just silently sop up the flooded basement, rip out the carpet if you have to, replace that tire with a scribble on a check and just ready one's self for the next time it will inevitably happen. > > — [Owen's Incredible Daytrotter Session (Music)](http://www.daytrotter.com/?ref=drewshannon.net#!/concert/owen/20056774-110540) > Don't be a baked potato. Be a person". > > — [The Oatmeal on Running](http://theoatmeal.com/comics/running?ref=drewshannon.net) ### July 19, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-55881855004/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:29.000Z ![California beach at sunset with rolling waves, silhouettes of beachgoers, and pastel skies.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/07/55881855004.jpg) iPhone ### July 17, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-55698485938/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:30.000Z ![Nine-panel grid of California scenes: highway motorcyclist, grilled food, vintage cars, and streets.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/07/55698485938.jpg) Every-few-weekly Instagram Roundup. Follow me here: @[drewshannon](http://instagram.com/drewshannon?ref=drewshannon.net) ### July 15, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-55518901299/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:31.000Z ![Dark blue Ford Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe with white stripes and decals seen through foliage.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/07/55518901299.jpg) Harbor Springs, MI ### This Week - Jul 12, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2013-07-12/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:11:00.000Z > My partners and I—a rotating band of cinematographers, producers, editors and post production people—have worked very hard over the years to mess with, expand, undermine and subvert that basic narrative and the conventions that go with it. Sometimes we succeeded. > > — [Anthony Bourdain](http://blog.travelchannel.com/anthony-bourdain/read/blutarski-zero-point-zero/?ref=drewshannon.net) > But happiness is all perception. And I'd say Karl's perception allows him to be happier more often than I do. I do envy that, and sometimes live vicariously through it. > > — [How I Made @DadBoner (And How @DadBoner Made Me A Better Man) (Deadspin)](http://deadspin.com/how-i-made-dadboner-and-how-dadboner-made-me-a-bette-716549657?ref=drewshannon.net) > One of the things you're supposed to work out some time in your adolescence is that though you're the star of your own life, you're not the star of anyone else's. Some companies never work this out. > > — [Glass, Home and solipsism (Benedict Evans)](http://ben-evans.com/benedictevans/2013/6/15/glass-home-and-solipsism?ref=drewshannon.net) ### July 12, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-55267525781/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:32.000Z ![Light blue vintage Ford Bronco with a white hardtop parked in a California parking space in warm afternoon light.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/07/55267525781.jpg) ### July 11, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-55183182349/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:32.000Z ![Street art mural of a hummingbird signed by Hellbent on a stucco building beside an outdoor cafe.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/07/55183182349.jpg) [Hellbent](http://pinterest.com/hellbentart/my-work/?ref=drewshannon.net) Venice, CA. ### July 10, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-55117693427/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:33.000Z ![Green, yellow, and peach balloons floating beside a parking meter on a sunny California avenue.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/07/55117693427_0.jpg) ![Green, yellow, and peach balloons floating beside a large street tree in bright California sun.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/07/55117693427_1.jpg) Santa Monica Balloons ### July 10, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-55092008718/ Last updated: 2026-09-26T01:26:37.000Z ![Vintage turquoise Plymouth Barracuda fastback parked curbside before a yellow apartment building.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/07/55092008718.jpg) No matter [what](https://www.drewshannon.net/tag/nyc/) [coast](https://www.drewshannon.net/tag/california/) I live on, I’ll always be a [Motor City](https://www.drewshannon.net/tag/cars/) guy at heart. [From A Car.](https://www.drewshannon.net/tag/from-a-car/) ### July 09, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-55006028773/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:35.000Z ![Woman in a lavender dress arranging a striped picnic blanket on green grass in New York City.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/07/55006028773.jpg) New York picnicking. ### July 08, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-54920353643/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:36.000Z ![Vintage red pickup under a canvas tarp in a sunlit California driveway beside palm trees.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/07/54920353643.jpg) ### July 07, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-54867477695/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:36.000Z ![Man in a plaid shirt leaning into an open vintage white Volkswagen Beetle beneath a shade tree.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/07/54867477695.jpg) Culver City, CA. ### This Week - Jul 05, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2013-07-05/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:11:01.000Z > From this distance, of course, it’s clear what I was doing wrong: I was reading far too much significance into things and, worse, cared more about the supposed significance of things than the things themselves...Yet looking back on that awful year I can see how desperate I was to give form to my bad luck, to give my individual life narrative scale...'*Il faut choisir: vivre ou raconter,*' Sartre wrote in La nausée; between living one’s life or narrating it you can choose only one. > > — [At thirty (Jason Farago)](https://medium.com/editors-picks/715c7c4d068d?ref=drewshannon.net) ### July 04, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-54602600615/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:37.000Z ![Dusty light blue vintage Cadillac with graffiti traced in dust on the hood parked in a carport.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/07/54602600615.jpg) ### July 03, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-54521017501/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:38.000Z ![Classic green and white Volkswagen camper van parked along a California street lined with palms.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/07/54521017501.jpg) [van-life](http://van-life.net/post/54518297424/model-vw-location-santa-monica-ca-2013-photo?ref=drewshannon.net): > Model: VW > Location: Santa Monica, CA (2013) > Photo: [Drew Shannon](http://drewshannon.net/?ref=drewshannon.net) ### July 02, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-54444181566/ Last updated: 2026-09-26T01:26:38.000Z ![Sun flare bursting through a dusty, water-spotted car window against a clear blue California sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/07/54444181566.jpg) [From A Car.](https://www.drewshannon.net/tag/from-a-car/) ### July 01, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-54348520729/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:39.000Z ![Pink curtains hanging inside a cottage window with tree shadows cast on the fabric behind blooming garden roses.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/07/54348520729.jpg) ### June 29, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-54190276547/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:40.000Z ![Vibrant magenta bougainvillea flowers blooming against a bright blue California sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/06/54190276547.jpg) ### This Week - Jun 28, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2013-06-28/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:11:02.000Z > It seems to me that most of the millennial generation views shooting film as exciting and pure, like vinyl records or artisanal coffee. But trust me, it’s not: You don’t get sued if you scratch the vinyl, or destroy your reputation if you spill the cappuccino. Shooting with film is like flying at night. You have to completely trust your instruments: Your light meter is your life, and there’s often no second chance. > > — [Post-process: why the smartphone camera changed photography forever (The Verge)](http://www.theverge.com/2013/6/20/4377290/post-process-why-the-smartphone-camera-changed-photography-forever?ref=drewshannon.net) > I can read back that last sentence and see that, bipolar or not, if I’m under treatment and not actually depressed, what the fuck right do I have to be lonely, unhappy or forlorn? I don’t have the right. But there again I don’t have the right not to have those feelings. Feelings are not something to which one does or does not have rights. > > — [Only The Lonely (Stephen Fry)](http://www.stephenfry.com/2013/06/24/only-the-lonely/?ref=drewshannon.net#sthash.pGQQLIPZ.dpuf) > [Chris Glass'](http://chrisglass.com/?ref=drewshannon.net) outstanding [Creative Mornings](http://www.creativemornings.com/?ref=drewshannon.net) talk about photography, design, and making things. > > — [Swiss Miss](http://www.swiss-miss.com/2013/06/creativemornings-video-chris-glass.html?ref=drewshannon.net) > More and more, our business is focused on collaboration. And today’s ad agencies reflect a mandate to be “on” all the time: Open-space office plans. Conference calls where only a few do the talking and the sound quality is so poor it only works if you yell. Brainstorming meetings with more storminess than braininess. It’s not enough to be a lone copywriter or designer doing great work while sitting in solitude, if it ever was. > > — [Quiet Doesn’t Work In Ad Agencies (Dan Goldgeier)](http://www.talentzoo.com/news.php?articleID=17736&ref=drewshannon.net) > How many times will I promote excessive spending in the name of 'inspiration'?...Where is the line between celebrating simple, beautiful pleasures and promoting an excessive, consumer-driven lifestyle? > > — [Rethink The Way You Live (DesignForMankind)](http://www.designformankind.com/2013/06/rethink-the-way-you-live/?ref=drewshannon.net) ### June 28, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-54104647382/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:41.000Z ![Low-angle view of a vintage steamboat's cream and red smokestack against a bright white sky in New York City.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/06/54104647382.jpg) ### June 27, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-54069588639/ Last updated: 2026-09-26T01:26:39.000Z ![Motorcyclist riding a custom bobber along a California freeway, framed by a car side mirror.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/06/54069588639.jpg) [iPhone From A Car](https://www.drewshannon.net/tag/from-a-car/) ### June 27, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-54022793981/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:42.000Z ![Airport tarmac at dusk with an open jet bridge walkway and Delta baggage containers outside.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/06/54022793981_0.jpg) ![Airport tarmac apron with a Delta pushback tug connected to a yellow aircraft towbar.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/06/54022793981_1.jpg) ![Darkened airplane cabin during flight with glowing screens and an oval window showing twilight.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/06/54022793981_2.jpg) ![Dark silhouette of an airplane wing against a gradient twilight sky seen through a window.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/06/54022793981_3.jpg) Red Eye flight to New York a few weeks ago. ### June 26, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-53936165194/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:43.000Z ![Santa Monica apartment building with red cursive 'La Traviata' sign above parking and a convertible.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/06/53936165194.jpg) I can’t get enough of the typography that adorns Southern California’s many apartment buildings. Santa Monica, CA ### June 25, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-53848373510/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:44.000Z ![Nine-panel grid of California scenes: coffee shop, coastal rocks, vintage Datsun, and vinyl album.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/06/53848373510.jpg) Every-few-weekly Instagram Roundup. Follow me here: @[drewshannon](http://instagram.com/drewshannon?ref=drewshannon.net) ### June 24, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-53763549014/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:45.000Z ![Man leaning on a balcony with New York City rooftops and water towers behind him, in black and white.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/06/53763549014.jpg) I went on a mini-vacation to New York last weekend, my first time back since moving away almost a year ago. I had a great weekend being reminded of the things I really miss about it, but also the things that sure make me glad I don’t live there anymore. ### June 23, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-53679746216/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:46.000Z ![Lime green signpost displaying a '241 MARINE' address plaque beside a yucca plant on a sunny California street.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/06/53679746216.jpg) ### June 22, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-53614875511/ Last updated: 2026-09-26T01:26:39.000Z ![Car side mirror reflection showing a classic white convertible driving along a city street.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/06/53614875511.jpg) [From A Car](https://www.drewshannon.net/tag/from-a-car/) ### This Week - Jun 21, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2013-06-21/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:11:02.000Z I’ve been wasting way too much time after work this week going through [Casey Neistat’s YouTube Channel Archive](http://youtube.com/caseyneistat?ref=drewshannon.net). > With More Than 2.5B Monthly Video Views, Fullscreen Closes Funding From Chernin Group, Comcast, And WPP > > — [TechCrunch](http://techcrunch.com/2013/06/17/with-more-than-2-5b-monthly-video-views-fullscreen-closes-funding-from-chernin-group-comcast-and-wpp/?ref=drewshannon.net) ### This Week - Jun 14, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2013-06-14/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:11:03.000Z > But in the post-print drive to reminisce on the beauties of print, I think we might be fetishizing a form that is better left discarded. > > — [Print Books Are Tacky (Caleb Hildenbrandt)](https://medium.com/editors-picks/a0d9f5be4d58?ref=drewshannon.net) > So as much as I love the internet, its rules of engagement do not satisfy my desire as an enlightened and liberal human being (who runs an enlightened and liberal business) to live on my own terms, which means openly acknowledging that I do, in fact, have a sexual identity that is not separate from other aspects of my identity... > > — [How To Be an Accidental Pornographer (Hillary Johnson)](https://medium.com/editors-picks/d96e08176134?ref=drewshannon.net) > Just how that is managed — how we create and assign value to digital music today — will be the focus of this series, starting with the thing that is most abundant and seems the cheapest: all the music that is free. And why, in fact, it isn’t. > > — [The Airdropped Album: What Digital Can Learn from Vinyl (Ryan Bradley)](https://medium.com/world-of-music/db61980c142c?ref=drewshannon.net) > If success is a catalyst for failure because it leads to the 'undisciplined pursuit of more,' then one simple antidote is the *disciplined pursuit of less*. > > — [The Disciplined Pursuit of Less (Harvard Business Review)](http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2012/08/the%5Fdisciplined%5Fpursuit%5Fof%5Fless.html?ref=drewshannon.net) > Workplace stress is a huge and costly problem but it’s also eminently fixable. Many of the solutions aren’t complicated. > > — [Five Ways to Lower Your Workplace Stress (Wall Street Journal)](http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2013/06/11/five-ways-to-lower-workplace-stress/?ref=drewshannon.net) ### June 11, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-52717207374/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:47.000Z ![Matte black motorcycle tank marked with a painted to-do list including coffee, post office, and Deus.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/06/52717207374.jpg) Motorcycle Shopping List ### June 10, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-52631331155/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:48.000Z ![Dirt trail winding up a dry grassy ridge in California illuminated by warm golden hour sunlight.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/06/52631331155.jpg) ### This Week - Jun 07, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2013-06-07/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:11:04.000Z > 'There’s a lot of conceptions that news doesn’t make money, that young people don’t care about news. But young people obviously care about news—that’s why we’re successful.' He went on, 'I know it sounds crazy, but let’s say, hypothetically, you become the default source for news on YouTube. You get billions of video views, WPP monetizes it. Then you are the next CNN.' > > — [The Vice guide to the world. (The New Yorker)](http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2013/04/08/130408fa%5Ffact%5Fwiddicombe?currentPage=all&ref=drewshannon.net) > **Good for:** Music discovery. Finding new music based on friends’ habits. People that like really awesome apps that are updated more often they change their socks. > > — [Playlist: What Sets the Top Music Streaming Services Apart? (Wired)](http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2013/06/music-subscription-services/?ref=drewshannon.net) ### June 03, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-52062649519/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:49.000Z ![Silver sedan parked by a bright pink wall with telephone pole shadows as a person leans inside.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/06/52062649519.jpg) ### This Week - May 31, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2013-05-31/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:11:05.000Z > With over 500 square miles of urban crawl, LA is a big, big girl and there’s a lot of no man’s land, but the rewarding part is that in the search for beauty you find a unique sense of ownership in your discoveries. > > — [Andrew Graham](http://www.andrewraymondgraham.com/2013/05/28/on-los-angeles-five-thoughts/?ref=drewshannon.net) > Making that transition from individual contributor to workload-optimizer is one of the most essential steps in becoming a people manager. > > — [Brian Rumao](https://medium.com/editors-picks/2b54ca851d0d?ref=drewshannon.net) > Matt works in stints in construction or as a plumber back home in Australia. When he gets fed up, he travels and surfs until he runs out of money. > > — [A Restless Transplant](http://www.arestlesstransplant.com/matt-and-his-honda-trail-110/?ref=drewshannon.net)' > No one I knew had been to California. My Dad was the only person who could attest to the Hollywood sign really being there. He was the only person who could confirm that what I’d seen on TV, in films, in photos in books was actually something that could be seen. That the world was really out there, really a living breathing functioning magical thing that could be seen and had and felt. > > — [Victoria Hannan](http://lost.net.au/vic/?p=4141&utm%5Fsource=feedly) ### May 31, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-51808611470/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:49.000Z ![Luminous bright orange and golden flames leaping dynamically against a pitch-black background.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/05/51808611470.jpg) ### May 30, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-51733111818/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:50.000Z ![Black and white photograph of the photographer's shadow cast onto a dirt path between coastal shrubs.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/05/51733111818_0.jpg) ![Coastal cliffs and agave plants silhouetted against the afternoon sun at El Matador Beach in Malibu.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/05/51733111818_1.jpg) ![Couple sitting on a striped towel atop a rugged sea bluff at El Matador Beach against blue sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/05/51733111818_2.jpg) ![Dramatic sea stack rock on the sandy shore surrounded by white surf at El Matador Beach.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/05/51733111818_3.jpg) ![Solitary sea stack standing on wet sand and breaking waves at El Matador Beach in Malibu.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/05/51733111818_4.jpg) ![Black and white photograph looking out over ocean waves washing up towards a dark shoreline in Malibu.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/05/51733111818_5.jpg) ![Panoramic view of El Matador Beach in Malibu with beachgoers, breaking surf, and rugged sea stacks.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/05/51733111818_6.jpg) More from El Matador Beach. Malibu, CA ### This Week - May 24, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2013-05-24/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:11:06.000Z > Palmer’s logic here is itself generally identical to cold, hard free-market capitalism. Yes, the exchange she’s describing is “fair” — everyone involved is willing and happy to engage in it. It’s also “fair” to pay someone minimum wage for work that makes you millions, and fair for a male musician to spend every night having sex with starstruck, consenting young fans, but fairness is not the same thing as nobility, and neither of those arrangements is something you’d present as a revolutionary new relationship. > > — [The Amanda Palmer Problem](http://www.vulture.com/2013/04/the-amanda-palmer-problem.html?ref=drewshannon.net) > And, how about we all share the wealth instead of shaming strangers who aren’t as great at being forty, morose, and pleased with their own makebelieve obscurity. > > — [Merlin Mann](http://www.kungfugrippe.com/post/50787429829/not-so-unknown-pleasures?ref=drewshannon.net) > These musicians seem to rationalize their campaigns under the guise of the 'Do It Yourself' ethos, but they’ve twisted it, effectively shifting the responsibility of making new albums and/or touring onto their fans. > > — [The AV Club](http://www.avclub.com/articles/the-crowdfunding-conundrum-the-line-between-bringi,97910/?ref=drewshannon.net) > To be a leader you’re going to need an identity totally distinct from what you do for a living. > > — [Sara Beth Allen (Medium)](https://medium.com/editors-picks/9a58b47695e5?ref=drewshannon.net) > But as long as I manage investments properly and don’t spend recklessly, Tumblr has given my family a strong safety net and given me the freedom to work on whatever I want. And that’s exactly what I plan to do. > > — [Marco Arment](http://www.marco.org/2013/05/20/one-person-product?ref=drewshannon.net) ### May 24, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-51234653518/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:51.000Z ![Mirror selfie.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/05/51234653518.jpg) ### May 20, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-50920791482/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:52.000Z ![Person sitting on a striped blanket atop a coastal rock bluff by incoming ocean waves and cliffs.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/05/50920791482.jpg) One of my new favorite spots in LA. El Matador Beach - Malibu, CA ### May 19, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-50831240942/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:37:10.000Z ![Plate of grilled fish with fruit salsa, black beans, rice, and red cabbage on an outdoor table.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/05/50831240942_0.jpg) ![Close-up of bamboo stalks and thin leaves illuminated by dappled sunlight against leafy bokeh.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/05/50831240942_1.jpg) ![Patio dining table in a blue patterned cloth against a vibrant yellow and pink striped wall.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/05/50831240942_2.jpg) ![Thatched palapa umbrella of dried palm fronds framed by green foliage against a clear sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/05/50831240942_3.jpg) ![Upper story of a salmon-pink building with a white window frame and blue shutters viewed beyond garden greenery.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/05/50831240942_4.jpg) ![Netted glass buoy lights, lanterns, and strings of colorful fairy lights hanging from a ceiling.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/05/50831240942_5.jpg) Dinner with Maggie in Santa Monica. ### May 18, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-50747928421/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:53.000Z ![Nine-panel grid: mountain tram, coffee shop window, concert, vinyl record, puddle, and classic truck.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/05/50747928421.jpg) Every-few-weekly Instagram Roundup. Follow me here: @[drewshannon](http://web.stagram.com/n/drewshannon?ref=drewshannon.net) ### This Week - May 17, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2013-05-17/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:11:06.000Z > Saying “no” has more creative power than ideas, insights and talent combined...People who create know this. They know the world is all strangers with candy. They know how to say “no” and they know how to suffer the consequences. > > — [Kevin Ashton](https://medium.com/thoughts-on-creativity/bad7c34842a2?ref=drewshannon.net) > Teens aren’t abandoning “social.” They’re just using the word correctly. > > — [Cliff Watson](https://medium.com/understandings-epiphanies/aae8d5f880cc?utm%5Fsource=newsletter14&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fcampaign=long14wl) > “You’re looking for three things, generally, in a person,” says Buffett. “Intelligence, energy, and integrity. And if they don’t have the last one, don’t even bother with the first two. I tell them, ‘Everyone here has the intelligence and energy—you wouldn’t be here otherwise. But the integrity is up to you. You weren’t born with it, you can’t learn it in school. > > — [Farnam Street Blog](http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/05/warren-buffett-the-three-things-i-look-for-in-a-person/?ref=drewshannon.net) > The closer we get to a marriage of media and creative through the partnered use of this rich data, the better our ads get, the happier people are to receive those ads, the more publishers get paid, the more brands succeed. > > — [What Candy Can Teach Is About Digital Advertising](http://www.adexchanger.com/data-driven-thinking/what-candy-can-teach-us-about-digital-advertising/?ref=drewshannon.net) Incredible [Made By Hand mini-documentary](http://thisismadebyhand.com/film/the%5Fbike%5Fmaker?ref=drewshannon.net) about [Ezra Caldwell](http://www.teachingcancertocry.com/?ref=drewshannon.net), the man behind [Fast Boy Cycles](http://fastboycycles.com/?ref=drewshannon.net). Sadly, he was recently diagnosed with terminal cancer. ### May 17, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-50660927033/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:54.000Z ![Silhouette of a wooden utility pole and power lines against an overcast California twilight sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/05/50660927033.jpg) ### May 14, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-50425261828/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:55.000Z ![Curved balconies of a white high-rise rising above eucalyptus trees and hillside foliage in California.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/05/50425261828.jpg) ### May 13, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-50348159017/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:55.000Z ![Assortment of smooth, rounded beach stones and cobbles scattered across the sand along a California beach.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/05/50348159017.jpg) ### This Week - May 10, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2013-05-10/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:11:07.000Z > If there is one lesson I took away from the experience, it is not to “live life to the fullest” or “have no regrets”. It is to feel lucky. Feeling lucky means you are appreciating the things in your life that sometimes go unnoticed. It means you are achieving more than think you deserve. Feeling lucky requires a certain humility we often lose sight of. > > — [Sash MacKinnon](http://sashmackinnon.com/what-its-like-to-die?ref=drewshannon.net) > Should we be in the business of ranking whose experience gets to count as such? Or which is more valuable, worthy, creative? And who gets to be such an arbiter? > > — [Nathan Jurgenson](http://nathanjurgenson.tumblr.com/post/49945534511/stop-saying-phones-mean-not-living-in-the-moment?ref=drewshannon.net) The late David Foster Wallace's great speech "[This Is Water](http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player%5Fembedded&v=xmpYnxlEh0c&ref=drewshannon.net)" > 'You've gotta keep control of your time,' Buffett says, 'and you can't unless you say no. You can't let people set your agenda in life.' > > — [Fast Company](http://www.fastcompany.com/3009536/leadership-now/why-productive-people-have-empty-schedules?ref=drewshannon.net) ### May 10, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-50095709157/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:56.000Z ![Close-up detail of a car's curved roofline and windshield pillar with soft-focus ocean water in the background.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/05/50095709157.jpg) ### May 09, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-50020902007/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:57.000Z ![Soft-focus atmospheric view across calm ocean waves towards the distant horizon at dusk along the California coast.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/05/50020902007.jpg) ### May 08, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-49942325534/ Last updated: 2026-09-26T01:26:40.000Z ![Two surfers carrying boards past a 'Surf Rider Parking Lot' toll booth in Malibu, California.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/05/49942325534.jpg) [From A Car](https://www.drewshannon.net/tag/from-a-car/) ### May 07, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-49869793718/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:58.000Z ![Pacific Coast Highway bordered by seaside bluffs viewed over a parked car at dusk in California.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/05/49869793718.jpg) Beach Drives ### May 06, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-49782561730/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:19:59.000Z ![Cyclists including a child riding along a coastal bike path next to a sunlit beach and ocean.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/05/49782561730.jpg) LA, you’re pretty great. ### May 04, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-49607207415/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:20:00.000Z ![Eclectic storefront featuring a red metal star, elephant statue, mirrors, and a pig sculpture.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/05/49607207415.jpg) ### This Week - May 03, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2013-05-03/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:11:08.000Z > Right now, the things that bring me pleasure in life are riding mountain bikes, playing pool, making things, and cooking in the evening for my little family. These are the things that keep me from going off the rails. They are the things that make it seem to me that there aren’t enough hours in the day. > > — [Teaching Cancer To Cry](http://www.teachingcancertocry.com/?p=1571&utm%5Fsource=feedly) > We may not recognize ourselves in photographs from our past, but it does not mean we were different people. > > — [Andrew McMahon](http://www.andrewmcmahon.com/words/news/eve-of-the-pop-underground/?ref=drewshannon.net) > My life looks better on the Internet than it does in real life. > > — [Relevant Magazine](http://www.relevantmagazine.com/culture/tech/stop-instagramming-your-perfect-life?ref=drewshannon.net) > I wanted to do something great with my life but had zero direction until a camera was put in my hands. But at the start it was almost like being lost in the desert and finding a compass. That had no needle. > > — [Zack Arias](http://zarias.tumblr.com/post/49262199441/at-what-point-do-you-decide-to-put-down-the-camera-and?ref=drewshannon.net) > I'd read enough blog posts and magazine articles and books about how the internet makes us lonely, or stupid, or lonely and stupid, that I'd begun to believe them. I wanted to figure out what the internet was "doing to me," so I could fight back. But the internet isn't an individual pursuit, it's something we do with each other. The internet is where people are. > > — [The Verge](http://www.theverge.com/2013/5/1/4279674/im-still-here-back-online-after-a-year-without-the-internet?ref=drewshannon.net) ### May 02, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-49443081283/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:20:01.000Z ![Abstract shot looking through a wire mesh fence or net reflecting sunlight against a deep blue gradient background.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/05/49443081283_0.jpg) ![Multi-pane window looking out across a coastal lagoon and parked white service trucks in Malibu.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/05/49443081283_1.jpg) ![Delicate purple wild mallow blooming in sunlight against a hazy coastal lagoon background.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/05/49443081283_2.jpg) ![Calm pool mirroring bright blue sky and a fence post, surrounded by dry tangled reeds and brush.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/05/49443081283_3.jpg) ![Sun-dappled lawn bordered by mature trees leading toward a weathered barn at Adamson House.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/05/49443081283_4.jpg) ![White stucco wall of Adamson House with decorative iron grilles and blooming pink and white roses.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/05/49443081283_5.jpg) ![Low stone wall on a grassy hill with cactus looking toward dry coastal mountains in Malibu.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/05/49443081283_6.jpg) [Adamson House](http://www.adamsonhouse.org/?ref=drewshannon.net). Malibu, CA ### May 01, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-49366461296/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:20:01.000Z ![Friends gathered around patio seating under string lights with barbecue grill smoke in Los Angeles.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/05/49366461296.jpg) ### April 30, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-49264956769/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:20:02.000Z ![Cozy backyard patio in Los Angeles lit by warm string lights with friends gathered among palm fronds.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/04/49264956769.jpg) ### April 29, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-49184379771/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:20:03.000Z ![Faded pink facade of Iskenderian Racing Cams with barred windows and parking sign in Culver City.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/04/49184379771.jpg) ### April 28, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-49103579936/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:20:04.000Z ![Turquoise Dodge van driving on I-405 under highway signs for Long Beach and Sacramento in LA.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/04/49103579936.jpg) ### April 27, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-49014635821/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:20:05.000Z ![Bay Cities Furnace & Air Conditioning storefront with glowing signs at night in Santa Monica.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/04/49014635821.jpg) ### This Week - Apr 26, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2013-04-26/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:11:09.000Z > Now is just a great time to start a music company. The record labels have embraced subscription services in a very big way--as the future of the industry. > > — [Fast Company](http://www.fastcompany.com/3007757/ian-rogers-daisy-industrys-reluctant-acceptance-subscription-services?ref=drewshannon.net) > 'Maybe next time we have a week, they can try not to pack it completely to the fucking brim with explosions, mutilations, death, manhunts, lies, weeping, and the utter uselessness of our political system,' said basically every person in America who isn’t comatose or a complete sociopath. 'You know, maybe try to spread some of that total misery across the other 51 weeks in the year. Just a thought.' > > — [The Onion](http://www.theonion.com/articles/jesus-this-week,32105/?ref=drewshannon.net) > The use of mobile phones threatens to take away that intimacy and cheat those people in the room while giving a (sometimes literally) distorted impression to those who weren't in attendance in the first place - and why they'd want to see an out of focus performance from 400 feet away recorded on substandard equipment is anyone's guess. > > — [The Quietus](http://thequietus.com/articles/12035-savages-cameras-gigs?ref=drewshannon.net) > I hear it a couple times a day, *'I have just been so busy'* and it’s the most boring answer to the simple question of, *'how are things going?*' > > — [James Nord](http://www.jamesnord.com/post/47712113057/be-better-than-busy?ref=drewshannon.net) > Hulu or Fullscreen are of the latter Chernin, who wants to figure out how to build businesses around the explosive global growth of online video, which attracts more younger viewers than TV and has fewer barriers to entry. > > — [Variety](http://variety.com/2013/biz/news/peter-chernins-future-investments-1200343284/?ref=drewshannon.net) ### April 26, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-48937473199/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:20:05.000Z ![Shadowed doorway with yellow railings looking into a sunlit California alleyway and buildings.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/04/48937473199.jpg) ### April 25, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-48858372998/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:20:06.000Z ![Glowing taillights and chrome bumper of an antique car stopped at a California intersection at night.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/04/48858372998.jpg) ### April 24, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-48779377812/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:20:07.000Z ![Yellow forsythia bush blooming profusely in spring sunlight against a blue sky in North Carolina.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/04/48779377812.jpg) ### April 22, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-48620044752/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:20:08.000Z ![White metal gate with a 'No Parking - Violators Will Be Towed Away' sign beside a potted plant.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/04/48620044752.jpg) ### April 19, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-48378141162/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:20:08.000Z ![California highway curving through rolling dry golden hills beneath a clear blue sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/04/48378141162.jpg) ### This Week - Apr 19, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2013-04-19/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:11:10.000Z > [How To Work With Creative People](http://howtoworkwithcreativepeople.com/?ref=drewshannon.net) > > — (via [Swiss Miss](http://www.swiss-miss.com/2013/04/how-to-work-with-creative-people.html?ref=drewshannon.net)) > It feels to me like Columbia is asserting itself now not just for the success of *Random Access Memories* when it arrives on May 21st, but to save the very concept of the major label itself. > > — [The Verge](http://www.theverge.com/2013/4/3/4174904/can-daft-punk-and-columbia-records-make-major-labels-important-again?ref=drewshannon.net) > Out of the approximately 10,000 news stories you have read in the last 12 months, name one that – because you consumed it – allowed you to make a better decision about a serious matter affecting your life, your career or your business. > > — [Guardian UK](http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2013/apr/12/news-is-bad-rolf-dobelli?ref=drewshannon.net) > You have to admire the insipid, dogged and naive devotion people have to believing they are going to get this huge of list of things done. > > — [Shanley](https://medium.com/about-work/1cd9fbf8ca15?utm%5Fsource=newsletter11&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fcampaign=long) > This page exists because we think the world would be a better place if the people trying to shape it spoke openly and plainly about their vision for the future. > > — [/purpose](http://slashpurpose.org/?ref=drewshannon.net) ### April 18, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-48283666364/ Last updated: 2026-09-26T01:26:42.000Z ![Spotlit Coachella concert stage with overhead lighting truss and an energized silhouetted crowd.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/04/48283666364_0.jpg) ![Yeasayer performing at Coachella with lead singer projected on a screen framed by lasers and graphics.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/04/48283666364_1.jpg) ![Distant illuminated Ferris wheel glowing white against the pitch-black night sky at Coachella.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/04/48283666364_2.jpg) ![Silhouetted audience watching glowing stage lights and swirling fog during a Coachella concert.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/04/48283666364_3.jpg) ![Musicians illuminated by bare lightbulbs on stands and smoky lighting during an evening set at Coachella.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/04/48283666364_4.jpg) ![Festival crowd watching moody amber stage lights through drifting haze and smoke at Coachella.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/04/48283666364_5.jpg) ![Sigur Rós performing at Coachella with Jónsi bowing his electric guitar under blue backdrop lighting.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/04/48283666364_6.jpg) ![Festival stage truss and lighting rig glowing brightly above a silhouetted crowd at Coachella.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/04/48283666364_7.jpg) ![Littered festival grounds under floodlights with a glowing Ferris wheel in the foggy night at Coachella.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/04/48283666364_8.jpg) Coachella 2013 - Part III Part I [HERE](https://www.drewshannon.net/post-48126390295/). Part II [HERE](https://www.drewshannon.net/post-48206869791/). ### April 17, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-48206869791/ Last updated: 2026-09-26T01:26:43.000Z ![Man seen from behind wearing a red 'SHANNON' 3 soccer jersey walking across the lawn at Coachella.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/04/48206869791_0.jpg) ![Festival crowd gathered at Coachella backlit by afternoon sun with palm trees and distant Ferris wheel.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/04/48206869791_1.jpg) ![Woman sitting on shoulders facing giant LED screens and stage lights inside the Coachella Sahara tent.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/04/48206869791_2.jpg) ![Festivalgoers on a green lawn with a long arch of yellow balloons in the blue sky at Coachella.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/04/48206869791_3.jpg) ![Festival crowds on a lawn beneath a large polka-dot balloon against a desert sky at Coachella.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/04/48206869791_4.jpg) ![View under a stage tent over hands-raised crowds toward palm trees and mountains at Coachella.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/04/48206869791_5.jpg) ![Crowded festival tent looking out into sunny grounds with palm trees at Coachella, in black and white.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/04/48206869791_6.jpg) ![Silhouetted Ferris wheel and crowds beneath jet contrails streaking across the sky at Coachella.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/04/48206869791_7.jpg) ![Twilight crescent moon rising above mountain silhouettes, palms, and glowing tents at Coachella.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/04/48206869791_8.jpg) ![Silhouetted palm trees and attendees against a vivid pink, orange, and blue sunset sky at Coachella.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/04/48206869791_9.jpg) Coachella 2013 - Part II Part I [HERE](https://www.drewshannon.net/post-48126390295/). Part III tomorrow. ### April 16, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-48126390295/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:20:11.000Z ![Tour buses, trailers, and RVs on a lawn framed by chain-link fence and oleander bushes at Coachella.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/04/48126390295_0.jpg) ![Sandy desert lot with tumbleweeds and a 'THANK YOU FOR RESPECTING OUR NEIGHBORS' sign in Coachella.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/04/48126390295_1.jpg) ![Colorful geometric fabric shade pavilions spiraling into a blue desert sky at Coachella.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/04/48126390295_2.jpg) ![Green festival lawn leading toward the massive outdoor Coachella main stage rigging.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/04/48126390295_3.jpg) ![Festival crowd in hats and sunglasses watching an outdoor performance at Coachella.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/04/48126390295_4.jpg) ![Dense crowd of festival attendees under desert sunshine with mountains at Coachella.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/04/48126390295_5.jpg) ![Festivalgoers walking past ID Check and Water tents toward a wooden tower at Coachella.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/04/48126390295_6.jpg) ![Dancing festival crowd inside the arched steel truss Sahara tent at Coachella.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/04/48126390295_7.jpg) ![Festivalgoers relaxing in palm tree shade near a white peaked canopy pavilion at Coachella.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/04/48126390295_8.jpg) ![Young couple embracing and kissing in a festival crowd before an outdoor stage at Coachella.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/04/48126390295_9.jpg) Coachella 2013 - Part I Part II tomorrow. ### April 15, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-48046188450/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:20:11.000Z ![Glowing streetlamp illuminating streamers and a 'Welcome Albertsons Shoppers' sign at night.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/04/48046188450.jpg) ### This Week - Apr 12, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2013-04-12/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:11:11.000Z > What are the stories you want people to tell about you? > > — [Steven Soderbergh on Quitting Hollywood, Getting the Best Out of J-Lo, and His Love of Girls](http://www.vulture.com/2013/01/steven-soderbergh-in-conversation.html?src=longreads&ref=drewshannon.net) > Life is actually far better than it is in the movies. And it takes longer. > > — [We are not living in a movie](http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths%5Fblog/2013/04/we-are-not-living-in-a-movie.html?ref=drewshannon.net) > But then something began to shift: My thin resources started to bump against some serious pent-up consumptive desire. I wanted to buy things, mostly shoes, but also vacations, a dog, organic produce, dinners out, drinks...What I didn't understand when I graduated college was that following your passions wouldn't always be enough. Sometimes you'd want those other things, too. > > — [I'm For Sale](http://www.elle.com/life-love/society-career/creative-ambition-versus-financially-stable-job?ref=drewshannon.net) > You have a right to be a creative person. This is a universal law. > > — [Raskolnikov seeks mentor](http://www.salon.com/2013/04/03/raskolnikov%5Fseeks%5Fmentor/?ref=drewshannon.net) > Media agency MEC offered a happiness workshop to a group of workers in its Manhattan office. Co.Create looks at the thinking behind the effort and the results. > > — [How One Company Taught Its Employees How To Be Happier, and What Happened Next](http://www.fastcocreate.com/1682068/how-one-company-taught-its-employees-how-to-be-happier-and-what-happened-next?ref=drewshannon.net) ### April 12, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-47787257686/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:20:12.000Z ![American flag on the porch of a teal house, framed by lemon tree branches in California.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/04/47787257686.jpg) Flag ### April 11, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-47707743978/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:20:13.000Z ![Vintage green neon sign reading 'BROOKMORE APTS (626)585-9315' on a brick building.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/04/47707743978.jpg) ### April 10, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-47626143591/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:20:14.000Z ![Faded ghost sign lettering on the red brick exterior of the Brookmore Apartments building.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/04/47626143591.jpg) ### April 08, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-47462612253/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:20:14.000Z ![Goodyear blimp flying above palm trees and downtown Los Angeles skyscrapers.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/04/47462612253.jpg) ### April 06, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-47292880157/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:20:15.000Z ![Streetlamp illuminating vines on a fence at night overlooking a distant urban skyline.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/04/47292880157.jpg) ### This Week - Apr 05, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2013-04-05/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T03:11:11.000Z Inspired by folks like [Jessica Stanley](http://jessicastanley.com.au/category/read-look-think/?ref=drewshannon.net) and [Akane Kinomoto](http://akanekinomoto.com/category/wrap-up/?ref=drewshannon.net), I'm going to start posting updates about the things I read online or discovered in the past week. Moving forward, you can find them at [http://drewshannon.net/ThisWeek](http://drewshannon.net/ThisWeek?ref=drewshannon.net) > Roger Ebert Hails Human Existence As 'A Triumph' > > — [The Onion](http://www.theonion.com/articles/roger-ebert-hails-human-existence-as-a-triumph,31945/?utm%5Fsource=Twitter&utm%5Fmedium=SocialMarketing&utm%5Fcampaign=standard-post:headline:default) > Young people 'are getting sick of the irony, rudeness and snark that is so prevalent in their online lives' > > — [The Emily Posts of the Digital Age](http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/31/fashion/etiquette-returns-for-the-digital-generation.html?pagewanted=all&ref=drewshannon.net) > The greatest untapped source of motivation, he argues, is a sense of service to others > > — [Is Giving the Secret to Getting Ahead?](http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/31/magazine/is-giving-the-secret-to-getting-ahead.html?pagewanted=all&%5Fr=4&&ref=drewshannon.net) ### April 05, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-47196911007/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:20:16.000Z ![American flag in the arched front porch of a white Spanish-style house with clay roofing.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/04/47196911007.jpg) ### April 04, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-47141632780/ Last updated: 2013-04-04T15:49:00.000Z **[gabbys-bookshelf](https://gabbys-bookshelf.tumblr.com/?ref=drewshannon.net):** Sorry, I need your email address to be able to invite you to be an admin of TumblrRadarArchive. Can you please send? thanks! Hi there, it’s trish\_gabri@yahoo.com That’s my other private blog, “La Bella Farnese” :) ### April 04, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-47112701635/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:20:17.000Z ![Maggie with windblown long brown hair standing outdoors by a white balcony railing.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/04/47112701635.jpg) Another one of Maggie from a few weeks ago. ### March 30, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-46683009215/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:20:17.000Z ![Smiling portrait of Maggie with windblown brown hair by a white balcony railing.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/03/46683009215.jpg) Hanging out with my beautiful sister in North Carolina last weekend. ### March 30, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-46680923795/ Last updated: 2013-03-30T09:45:00.000Z **[mlouie566-blog-blog](https://mlouie566-blog-blog.tumblr.com/?ref=drewshannon.net):** Hey! I saw you are a fan of Chromeo. I am working with an up and coming artist named "Bombs And Bottles" who makes great music and I think you'll really enjoy. He does all of his own vocals and production. You should check out some of his songs on Youtube, Soundcloud, Spotify, etc.. I'm just here to help. If you take a listen, I would love to know what songs you liked best because there are many different good ones. Please help share the music/become a facebook fan if you enjoy, thanks! ### March 27, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-46426578470/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:20:18.000Z ![Chrome Airstream trailer hitched to a van on a Palm Springs street with desert mountains.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/03/46426578470.jpg) Airstream. Palm Springs, CA ### March 26, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-46342680239/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:20:19.000Z ![Man in a navy suit and gingham check shirt standing against a white wall looking downward.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/03/46342680239.jpg) For the first time in probably 4-5 years, I have a suit that fits me *well*, and now I’m never going to wear anything else. ### March 25, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-46256030373/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T18:20:20.000Z ![Massive concrete freeway overpass pillars and curved bridge ramps against a blue sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5d/97/5d978d6c-7b8d-4f8a-9b0a-641815cdd124/content/images/2013/03/46256030373.jpg) ### March 24, 2013 URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/post-46176375401/ Last updated: 2013-03-24T11:02:00.000Z [](https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151520983795891.1073741826.115929850890&type=1) A few weekends ago, I took some photos of the [Pablove](http://www.pablove.org/?ref=drewshannon.net) folks at the LA Marathon. Check ‘em out [here](https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151520983795891.1073741826.115929850890&type=1). _Includes the latest 500 public posts. Use `/sitemap.xml` for the complete archive of public content._