Fountly

Halloween, YouTube style!

2011-11-17T22:17:00.001-08:00

Halloween, YouTube style!, originally uploaded by margaretgouldstewart.

The 9/11 Diaries, Part 1

2011-09-11T14:17:00.000-07:00

I've been reading my journal entries from the days following September 11, 2001. At that time, I was a stay-at-home mom in Cambridge, MA, taking care of my two young children who were just 2 1/2 and 6 months old. When I read these entries, the sense of fear, loss, anger and sadness come flooding back. I was writing them to Beatrice, my daughter, who was just a baby, trying to explain to her what happened, and to address the answer that was paralyzing everyone: why? Below are the first two entries from that journal. More to come....

September 15, 2001

Dear Beatrice,

I wish I didn't feel the need to write to you tonight. You see, this week, one of the worst events in human history occurred, but you are too young to know or remember.

On Tuesday, a group of terrorists hijacked planes (2 of them right from here in Boston) and flew one into the Pentagon and the other two into the twin towers of the World Trade Center. The towers subsequently collapsed, killing what they estimate to be over 5000 people.

This is truly one of the darkest chapters in the story of humankind. Such a disregard for life is unfathomable, and it makes me shudder to think that it could only be the start of a new dawn of terror and hatred on Earth.

September 16, 2001

Dear Beatrice,

I can't help but fear that when you are old enough to study history, you will read about the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, and it will only register as another date to memorize, like the Battle of Hastings or the Defeat of the Spanish Armada. No matter how dull the blades becomes through years of re-interpretation, know that in my life, there has never been an event so traumatic to the public community. It's all anyone can think about or talk about.

Even the international community seems to be frozen in a state of shock over what happened. This past Friday, all over the world, people observed 3 minutes of silence - no cars on the road, no music playing. And at a service in Buckingham Palace, for the first time ever, they played The Star Spangled Banner. Clearly, there is a groundswell of solidarity.

But there are also people who are in some ways just as hateful as the terrorists themselves. Jerry Falwell, a fanatical, right-wing (calls-himself-a-) Christian blames gays, lesbians, feminists, and the pro-choice movement for the attack, because they "made God angry".

Beatrice, this attack was fueled by human rage and fear. God would never do something so hateful; only humans possess that capability. And people who claim that God does act out of rage and vengeance are only using God as a front for racism, bigotry, homophobia, and fear of people who live, look, and love differently than themselves. Never forget that.

7th grader hair

2011-08-29T20:50:00.005-07:00

7th grader hair, originally uploaded by margaretgouldstewart.

Chillin' on the front porch of a Cracker Barrel

2011-08-29T20:50:00.003-07:00

Chillin' on the front porch of a Cracker Barrel, originally uploaded by margaretgouldstewart.

"Gettoutta my garden or I'll break ur face!"

2011-08-29T20:50:00.001-07:00

"Gettoutta my garden or I'll break ur face!", originally uploaded by margaretgouldstewart.

Caption Contest

2011-04-26T22:59:00.001-07:00

Caption Contest, originally uploaded by margaretgouldstewart.

Nearly 6 years ago, but still one of my favorite photos evar. Not staged, mind you; it's just what she chose for toilet time reading.

Aspirational pickup

2011-04-26T22:58:00.001-07:00

Aspirational pickup, originally uploaded by margaretgouldstewart.

Me and Jill Sobule, kickin' in the backseat with Venus

2011-04-08T16:44:00.001-07:00

Me and Jill Sobule, kickin' in the backseat with Venus, originally uploaded by margaretgouldstewart.

My graphic notes from TED 2011

2011-03-13T00:43:00.001-08:00

I've finished scanning and uploading my graphic notes from the 2011 TED conference. I take these notes so I can share the experience of being at TED with as many colleagues and friends as I can, and it's also a great way to retain more info; in fact, there was a TED talk this year by Sunni Brown about the benefits of doodling. Those who doodle can retain up to 30% more information. :) So enjoy, and feel free to annotate the images on Flickr with your thoughts, ideas, reactions. The full set is available on Flickr, or in the slide show below.

I'll be publishing another post soon about my favorite talks from the conference...

Words of the Dalai Lama hit a bit too close to home...

2011-03-12T14:58:00.000-08:00

The Dalai Lama, when asked what surprised him most about humanity, answered:

"Man. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived."

Amazing Palo Alto car garage

2011-03-06T22:43:00.001-08:00

Amazing Palo Alto car garage, originally uploaded by margaretgouldstewart.

I ran by this house in Palo Alto the other day, and had to stop, run back and take a quick photo. What a clever way to add some visual interest to an otherwise forgettable house.

Post 10th Birthday sleepover manis

2011-02-23T05:19:00.003-08:00

Post 10th Birthday sleepover manis, originally uploaded by margaretgouldstewart.

The original Pillow Pet

2011-02-23T05:19:00.001-08:00

The *original* Pillow Pet, originally uploaded by margaretgouldstewart.

Sounds that build anticipation of something wonderful....

2011-02-07T19:36:00.000-08:00

The popping of movie popcorn
The churning of an ATM before it spits out cash
The opening bars of the (old skool) Star Wars theme
The sound of milk being heated at a coffee bar
A bathtub being filled
The sound of massage oil being rubbed between the hands of a masseuse

Others?

Robert J Lang origami falcon at the San Jose Airport

2011-02-04T19:32:00.001-08:00

Robert J Lang origami falcon at the San Jose Airport, originally uploaded by margaretgouldstewart.

Move over, origami crane. The paper raptors are here! This photo doesn't do justice to how beautiful this piece is; truly amazing craftsmanship and engineering.

Life in a Day amidst Sundance posters

2011-01-29T16:57:00.001-08:00

Sundance posters, originally uploaded by margaretgouldstewart.

But has Apple approved it?

2011-01-24T15:50:00.001-08:00

But has Apple approved it?, originally uploaded by margaretgouldstewart.

Completely awesome package design

2011-01-24T15:49:00.003-08:00

Completely awesome package design, originally uploaded by margaretgouldstewart.

News flash: dog's aren't, and don't want to be, vegetarians

2011-01-24T15:49:00.001-08:00

News flash: dog's aren't, and don't want to be, vegetarians, originally uploaded by margaretgouldstewart.

Graveyard snapshot: Letraset & phone books

2011-01-01T19:50:00.001-08:00

Graveyard snapshot: Letraset & phone books, originally uploaded by margaretgouldstewart.

My (unedited) personal karaoke list

2010-12-23T23:15:00.000-08:00

Those who know me well know I love me some karaoke. In fact, I think about karaoke all the time. When I am in an elevator, I hear a piece of muzak that reminds me that Air Supply, in the right context, is a very good thing. Or I reflect on how SuperTramp is deeply underrated. Or bemoan that the youth of today are woefully under-educated about the brilliance of Pat Benatar.

Of course, Glee has brought Journey back into the mainstream collective consciousness, and for that I am grateful. Still, if you peruse the list below which I carry around with my on my iPhone and add to fairly regularly, there are so many other songs that are calling to me, calling to me, calling to me.....

I created this list because when I find myself in a karaoke context (ideally a private room with friends and lots of liquor), I get so overwhelmed with joy, excitement and anticipation that I sometimes am stumped by what to sing. This list instantly jogs my memory and ensures that the hits will keep on rolling. I'd love to hear any suggested additions in comments....

Edge of 17
Part of your world
Don't pull your love out on me (BJ Thomas)
Touch me in the morning
Tempting by the fruit of another
Lady marmalade
Paradise by the dashboard light
Freedom
Baby, come to me
View to a kill
Magic (cars)
White wedding
I am woman hear me roar
I've been to paradise
Top of the world
Here I am (air supply)
Crazy little thing called love
Desperado
How deep is your love
Killing me softly
Hello (lionel ritchie)
Making love out of nothing at all
Against all odds
Bohemian rhapsody
I feel the earth move under my feet
Midnight at the oasis
Its too late
Then came you
Hard to handle
Heaven is a place on earth
Love is a battlefield
Your smiling face
What it takes (aerosmith)
Haircut 100
Book of love
Come on and groove me
I can't hold back
Simply red
Bennie and the jets
Born to run
Train in vain
Mambo itIano
Sail on
Give a little bit
Logical song
You're so vain
Islands in the stream
Total eclipse of the heart
Reo speedwagon
Roxette
Keep forgettin' (Michael mcdonald)
Harden my heart
Journey: faithfully
You've got the best of my love
You give love a bad name
Every rose has it's torn
Urgent
Leather and lace
Don't let the sun go down on me
Brandy
You better be good to me
Rosanna
Rich girl
You can count me (Jefferson airplane)
Last night (5th dimension)
Last dance (Donna summer)

June Cohen kicks off TED Women

2010-12-07T21:34:00.001-08:00

June Cohen kicks off #TEDWomen, originally uploaded by margaretgouldstewart.

My good friend June and her co-host Pat Mitchell kick off the opening session of TED Women, held in DC Dec 7-8.

Cranberry wars

2010-12-01T19:00:00.001-08:00

Cranberry wars, originally uploaded by margaretgouldstewart.

It's amazing to me that people would prefer canned cranberry "sauce" to homemade, but my brother made it clear that it just wouldn't be Thanksgiving without the red gelatinous blob with rings - WE MUST HAVE THE RINGS - to usher in the holidays...

Unemployment problem? What unemployment problem?

2010-11-14T23:48:00.001-08:00

Unemployment problem? What unemployment problem?, originally uploaded by margaretgouldstewart.

A Letter to Working Moms Everywhere, by Beatrice Stewart

2010-11-11T19:11:00.000-08:00

Last night, I had a very poignant conversation with my preternaturally wise 9 year old daughter, Beatrice. She told me I was a great mom, and I said, "Don;t you think I'd be a better mom if I were around more?" It's a question I ask my working self all the time, and for some reason, I just decided to ask her directly. She matter-of-factly stated, "No."

What followed was so wise and heartfelt that it still makes me well up with gratitude and relief to think about it. Tonight, I told her again how much her words meant to me, and asked her if she would agree to type some of those thoughts up to share on my blog so all of my mom friends could read it. She said yes, so here it is....

A Letter to Working Moms Everywhere, by Beatrice Stewart

What qualifies someone as a good mom? I thought about it, and I think it's someone who cares about her family. Mom felt guilty that she wasn't spending enough time with us, and I tried to console her. My view is that a mom doesn't have to spend 24/7 with her kids, as long as she cares. The way my Mom shows it is that she works such long hours at work without stopping, just so she can earn money for us. Staying home is not a problem of course, but neither is working. My point is that if you do something for your family, like even create one, you care-- therefore, you are a good mom.

Know a tiny bride-to-be?

2010-11-11T11:15:00.001-08:00

Someone I like needs to buy this dress on etsy.com:

Grand prize winner at Marissa's annual pumpkin carving contest

2010-11-10T22:42:00.001-08:00

Grand prize winner at Marissa's annual pumpkin carving contest, originally uploaded by margaretgouldstewart.

Museum of Tolerance, CA

2010-11-10T22:40:00.001-08:00

Museum of Tolerance, CA, originally uploaded by margaretgouldstewart.

Guess this is where they put all the tolerance we used to have back in 2008.

Google Wellness Center freebie

2010-10-30T11:28:00.001-07:00

Google Wellness Center freebie, originally uploaded by margaretgouldstewart.

Bagel story

2010-10-29T17:42:00.001-07:00

Bagel story, originally uploaded by margaretgouldstewart.

Take note, Sartorialist

2010-10-26T15:25:00.001-07:00

Take note, Sartorialist, originally uploaded by margaretgouldstewart.

What do you do when you realize your 9 year old has outpaced you with respect to style? My favorite recent quote by Bea: "Being fashionable is taking a toll on my adorableness." I'm in big trouble, folks.

Just another day at the office :) YouTube Play at the Guggenheim

2010-10-22T10:54:00.001-07:00

Just another day at the office :) YouTube Play at the Guggenheim, originally uploaded by margaretgouldstewart.

Laying insult on top of injury

2010-10-09T14:42:00.001-07:00

Laying insult on top of injury, originally uploaded by margaretgouldstewart.

Apple has a strange definition of productivity...

2010-10-07T15:13:00.001-07:00

Apple has a strange definition of productivity..., originally uploaded by margaretgouldstewart.

Dinosaur droppings left on my front porch

2010-10-07T15:04:00.001-07:00

Dinosaur droppings left on my front porch, originally uploaded by margaretgouldstewart.

Beatrice meets Lemony Snicket!

2010-09-29T23:51:00.001-07:00

Beatrice meets Lemony Snicket!, originally uploaded by margaretgouldstewart.

Beatrice and I met one of her author heroes, Lemony Snicket, at a City Arts & Lecture Series event, also featuring one of my faves, Maira Kalman. Both were funny, smart, and self-depricating. Love! At the book signing that followed, Mr. Snicket inscribe Beatrice's book with the note, "Life can be short and so can you!"

Here's the video promoting their new collaboration, a picture book called "13 Words"...

Mighty Junior Life Lists: Isabel, age 7

2010-09-28T08:08:00.000-07:00

If you thought Beatrice's list was brilliant, get a load of her youngest sister Isabel's life dreams. There's something so lovely about hearing my child express what she wishes most for, especially since I can help her do something these before her 8th birthday! The Giant Squid might be a challenge, but I think we can arrange the "bun with a chopstick" thing, no problem!

Ride a unicorn.

Bathe in Jell-O.

Enter YouTube world and visit the pink and purple ponies from Charlie the Unicorn.

Meet Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez.

Become a fairy.

Swim with dolphins.

Travel to Paris with my mom and try snails, go shopping for berets, and see Monet's paintings.

Be Sunny (our Golden Retriever puppy) for the day.

Email JK Rowling.

Write a Betty and Veronica comic book.

Learn how to scuba dive.

See a giant squid without getting hurt.

Get wet from the splash of a whale's tail.

Play the flute.

Be a cheerleader.

Meet the real Wonder Woman.

Build a miniature boat.

Be a singer and actress.

Dye my hair pink (or blond).

Have two hamsters, three cats, a dog, and four chickens.

Work as a veterinarian.

Learn how to skateboard.

Be good at horseback riding.

Be able to do the splits.

Learn to put my hair in a bun using a chopstick.

Learn to cast a magic spell.

Outlaw the "cheese touch" (from Diary of a Wimpy Kid).

Paint my room pink with rainbows.

Mighty Junior Life Lists: Beatrice, age 9

2010-09-26T20:05:00.000-07:00

Inspired by my weekend at The Mighty Summit and my own experience creating a Life List (see right column of my blog), I sat down with my own kids and asked them what they'd put on their list. Here's the first one, shared with permission by it's author, 9-year-old Beatrice. I love the way reality and fantasy co-mingle....

Be a number one New York Times best selling author - at age 10.

Be an awesome knitter.

Really learn how to sew.

Find a sport that I'm good at.

Have people mention my name on TV.

Finish all of my school work by Monday (her homework is given in weekly batches, so if she's organized, Bea thinks she can get all her work done for the week on Monday).

Invent a time machine so I can:

Travel back in time and visit my own birth, however inappropriate that may be.
Meet Charles Dickens and Einstein.
Try to make myself a better person by looking at some of the fights I've gotten into and see how I've acted.

Get into Stanford.

Travel to Ireland.

See the pyramids and obelisk and the Sphinx in Egypt.

See the Eiffel tower and add to my beret collection in Paris.

Make a dress out of silly bands, a dress out of pom pons and a dress out of markers.

Attend Hogwarts Academy.

Visit Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory.

Learn 5 different languages (Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, French, Hindi, Gaelic).

Solve an ancient mystery, like the Loch ness monster or Peter Coutts' Tower.

Get the first of many lead roles in a musical play.

Be cast as Elphaba AND Galinda in Wicked (at the same time!).

Get a lead part in a movie.

Get married to (name removed to protect the innocent).

Have 10 babies, all girls, all beautiful.

Live in a modern mansion.

Play the role of Kate in the film adaptation of "The Mysterious Benedict Society".

Have a room made of fluffy pillows and a bed that has a trampoline built in to I can bounce into bed (for the record, Beatrice says she wanted this before i-Carly had it).

Live in a palace made of Jell-O.

Spend a weekend in San Francisco eating things from Miette.

Spend a whole week at the San Jose Tech Museum.

Build a successful babysitting business in my neighborhood.

Work for an afternoon as Hank's Mother's Little Helper.

Make a life size gingerbread house decorated with all my favorite candies.

Meet all the big pop stars to see which ones are jerks and which ones are nice.

Have my imaginary friends come to life.

Be able to talk to animals.

Live on a farm for a week.

Visit with my Grandma Isabel, who died.

Become friends with JK Rowling and Elizabeth Gilbert.

Bring Trixie (our deceased cat) back to life so she can meet Sunny (our new puppy).

Be a super hero.

Meet Trenton Lee Stewart, author of "The Mysterious Benedict Society".

Run a business that helps saves the earth.

Learn karate.

Go to spy school.

Read the works of the Bronte sisters.

Read "War & Peace" and "Anna Karenina" without getting bored.

Meet Yoda.

Staying in touch with the fam' while on the road

2010-09-21T15:10:00.000-07:00

This morning, after returning from the second of two trips away from my family in the last 3 weeks, my daughter Isabel said, "Mom, it's odd to have you around. It's great, but it feels odd." Eh, can you grab that knife by the handle and twist it a little more?

Traveling when you have kids is a double edged sword. I'm not one of those moms who pines away the whole time I am gone. I enjoy my time by myself, and I love me some boutique hotel action. However, I feel intense, recovering-Catholic-scale guilt about burdening my husband with the 3 kids and the dog while I am gone. And I feel badly that I miss the crucial every day mundane details that, let's face it, make up a child's life. What they had for lunch. Whether they had PE today. How their outfit worked out for them on the playground.

I've found that video conferencing from the road has really helped, although it's kind of a tight squeeze to get everyone into the conversation. Best to take turns....

There are no easy solutions to simultaneously doing right by your family, your job, and yourself. The best you can do is just enjoy your kids as much as you can, tell them you love them as often as you can, and tell your job to kindly take a back seat once and a while.

Did I mention I will be traveling again in 2 weeks? Better get a bigger monitor for the home computer....

What do women really want? Dispatch from The Mighty Summit

2010-09-20T16:24:00.000-07:00

This past Friday afternoon, instead of heading south on my normal 40 minute commute home to Palo Alto, I headed North. North of San Francisco, through the traffic and away-for-the-weekend crowds and the wet, cold gray that typifies the late San Fran summer. North on the 101, and across the Golden Gate Bridge, which was so fogged over that it was only through previous experience of there being a bridge that one would dare drive across it. It was like driving into a cloudy abyss. I was on my way to The Mighty Summit.

It seemed suitable to pass through a cloudy, foggy portal to cross over to this gathering of accomplished, diverse women. The weekend, organized by veteran bloggers Maggie Mason, Laura Maye and Helen Jane Hearon, brought together 25 women from many walks of life: there were writers, foodies, mothers, television producers, marathon runners, artists, cheese lovers, designers, photographers, and more. What happened over the course of the weekend was the creation of a real community; not the cliché of that term which has sadly been co-opted and overused by the internet, but in the real sense of people coming together and realizing that no only do they like each other, but that they are able to help each other. It can be hard, day-to-day, for women to ask for help; we want to be strong, and self-reliant, and sadly, we are not always supportive of each other in the pursuit of our own ambitions.

But when women are brought together in a place where they feel they can let their guard down and be authentic, something interesting happens. We see the extreme contrasts that we carry around with us on full display. The confidence and the insecurity. The joy and the sorrow. The satisfaction and the yearning. Do men possess these as well? Most likely. But I find women tend to carry the contrasts in equal measure, like a yoke on their back. And it all gets pretty heavy over the years.

What seemed to bring this all into focus were the life lists we all shared with each other in preparation for the weekend. What do you want to do in your life? Such a concise question, but one that can be answered in so many ways. Some simple goals: learn to make donuts was the first on my list (fyi, I already crossed off that one this past Easter morning with a batch of visually unattractive but delicious balls of fried dough). Some are more ambitious, like Maggie's goal of tasting 1000 fruits (she's well on her way!). In analyzing the lists of my fellow Summit-ers, we see some interesting patterns that might start to address the age old question, "What do women want?"

I don't presume to say that this composite represents the sum total of female longing; after all, this was not your average group of ladies. But I do find that the yearning to learn, to make, to see, to visit, to GO, is both inspiring and also poignant. Technology, while it has freed us in so many ways, has also shackled us with increasingly impersonal and isolating ways of communicating and living. So much of what we create today is digital; you can't touch it or feel it or smell it or see it.

Women have always been sources of creative energy in families and society, and we have always been the makers of things. We knitted, we sewed, we cooked, we quilted. We were able to express our care and affection by feeding, clothing, and wrapping people up in our creations. And while we were and are capable of so many other things, both artist and intellectual, we've lost something in abandoning these basic creative pursuits. And in fact, we've vilified them at some level over the years, making it seem unambitious or wasting your potential to focus energies on the seemingly humble craft of living.

For myself, I feel I've lost touch with my creative self. Having spent the last 10 years of my career fostering creativity in others as a design manager, I've neglected to cultivate and nurture my own need to create beauty in the world. And I feel certain that if not properly attended to, my soul will wither a bit every day as a result. So my big goal this year is to outfit a studio for myself in our garage, a place, to quote my own life list, "to paint, sew, draw, dream...."

As I headed back home early Monday morning after this emotionally charged yet satisfying weekend, the bridge was once again fogged over. That view of the Golden Gate never fails to take my breath away as I come around the bend. And as I drove into the clouds once again, I was reassured in the knowledge that I know this route (even without my GPS!), and that getting back is just a matter of will and the desire to be my whole self. And maybe, just maybe, that journey will be as easy as walking out to my own garage.

Where have you gone, Peter Gabriel?

2010-09-16T17:23:00.001-07:00

Recently, I rediscovered Peter Gabriel's album, "Us". I know remember that it was one of my favorite albums during the time when I fell in love with my husband, David. And now, 14 years into our marriage, I've returned to that collection of songs and realized that I didn't get even half of what Gabriel was talking about. It's an ingenious study of relationships, and specifically those between men and women. At times, it's almost difficult to listen to. But you should. Listen to it. Now.

Rediscovering the album made me realize how few artists are writing music that speaks to grown ups. David Gray comes to mind, but who else? Where have all the grown up musicians gone?

Storycorps does it again; bring on the Kleenex!

2010-09-16T17:20:00.000-07:00

My Ted Talk on YouTube and Digital Rights

2010-09-16T17:14:00.001-07:00

It's been out for a while, but belatedly sharing the video of my TED Talk, delivered at the Long Beach conference in February 2010. I still believe that the work our Content ID team is doing at YouTube is some of the most interesting and innovative work in all of Google, and I am very grateful that I was able to share that story.

Video Playlist for the GRID Conference, Stockholm

2010-09-05T16:33:00.000-07:00

Here's a collection of videos I compiled for a talk given at the GRID Conference in Stockholm, Sweden. The topic was "What the World is Watching, and Why". I've included all the videos I featured in the presentation, as well as a bunch of other videos that I find inspiring. Enjoy!

A few days in Dublin: some recommendations

2010-08-31T12:59:00.000-07:00

I visited Ireland for the first time in Late August and instantly formed a crush on the city of Dublin. Here are some of the places I discovered that you might want to check out if you ever find yourself in the capitol of the Emerald Isle.

I stayed at Grafton Guest House in Central Dublin. It's a nice little bed and breakfast. Reasonable rates. No services to speak of, so if you must have champagne on ice through room service, look elsewhere. Breakkie is included at a nearby bistro, and the location cannot be beat.
Had a dinner all by myself (I love places you can eat alone and not feel like a tool) at Cornucopia, heralded as one of Dublin's best vegetarian eateries. Delish veggie dishes with local and seasonal ingredients. Texas-sized portions, for better or for worse.
Ice cream afterwards right across the street from Cornucopia at Murphy's. A small combo cup of Honey Caramel and Chocolate hit the spot.
Amazing vintage clothing at Wild Child Originals, which incidentally has one of the best graphic identities I've seen for a boutique. So much so that I photographed their paper shopping bag, which is a first for me.
Avoca, my new favorite store. As cute and inventive as Oilily, but not as precious or expensive. Wonderful children's and babies' clothes and toys; discovered a new fave label, No Added Sugar. Can't share details of what I bought, lest I ruin surprises for certain nosey Stewart children. Apparently they have stores all over Ireland and also one store in the US in Annapolis. Random. Sorry Marylanders....
Another lovely story for children and babies: Pearl. Great selection of clothes, bags, and again, the No Added Sugar line.
Guinness Storehouse tour at the factory; surprisingly interesting and well designed, if a bit too self-congratulatory. Samples included!
Book of Kells at Trinity College: I really enjoyed the audio guided tour, although they actually sell you a throw away plastic player which I found a bit ridiculous in this age of green living. I ended up making someone's day by handing it to them as they waited in line to buy one for 5 euros. Also, this tour is not for small kids; it would bore them to tears.
Dublin Office of Tourism Podcast Walking Tours: these were a revelation to me, since I was traveling alone in a new city and have no sense of direction. Much easier to have someone whispering in my ear to "turn at the large stone cathedral" than pulling out my map for the 50th time.
Day trip to Howth: this small, lovely port village is only a 20 minute train ride outside the city. It's the home of some amazing seafood and one of the loveliest playgrounds I've seen in a while. Would be a great place to take little ones.

Also, some things I noticed when I was in Ireland:

People are into wearing really big headphones on the streets. Perhaps they, too, have realized that as far as comfort is concerned, ear buds are a scourge on humanity.
No decaf in the whole damned city. Since I was managing jetlag, I had to skip coffee altogether.
Taxi drivers are honest, friendly, and a great source of info about the city.
I hear there is great food, but I didn't have great luck in restaurants. I imagine getting better recommendations from locals is the key.
Not surprisingly, you can hear great music everywhere. The street musicians are generally speaking really talented. Grafton Street shopping district is a sure bet for finding talented buskers.

That's all for this chapter in my travels, but I'll close by saying, "Slan agus beannact leat." That's Gaelic for, "Goodbye and blessings with you!"

First day home with Sunny

2010-06-14T23:08:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, June 13th, we picked up our new pup form the home where she was born in Sebastopol, CA. She's 8 weeks old, and just as lovely as she can be. Here are a few photos from her first day home with us....

Modern day Adams family

2010-06-14T20:17:00.001-07:00

Modern day Adams family, originally uploaded by margaretgouldstewart.

Starter contact list for a 5th grader

2010-06-09T20:39:00.001-07:00

Starter contact list for a 5th grader, originally uploaded by margaretgouldstewart.

Star Wars redux in Legos

2010-05-06T21:09:00.000-07:00

StoryCorps always tugs at my heart strings - Happy Mother's Day, y'all!

2010-05-06T20:54:00.001-07:00

Q&A from StoryCorps on Vimeo.

Happy Saint Paddy's Day 2010!

2010-03-16T23:47:00.001-07:00

Happy Saint Paddy's Day!, originally uploaded by margaretgouldstewart.

TEDster shadows at street party

2010-02-12T12:29:00.001-08:00

TEDsters silhouettes at street party, originally uploaded by margaretgouldstewart.

Rehearsing with the clock on the TED stage

2010-02-08T21:35:00.001-08:00

Rehearsing with the clock on the TED stage, originally uploaded by margaretgouldstewart.

This is what it looks like to speak from the stage at TED. The clock is bigger than life!

David Rockwell's giant blue tinkertoys at TED 2010

2010-02-08T21:33:00.001-08:00

Giant tinkertoys at TED 2010, originally uploaded by margaretgouldstewart.

Multi-cultural markers: please discuss

2010-01-25T21:32:00.001-08:00

Multi-cultural Markers, originally uploaded by margaretgouldstewart.

Open kitchen at Bistro Elan in Palo Alto

2010-01-16T23:32:00.001-08:00

Open kitchen at Bistro Elan in Palo Alto, originally uploaded by margaretgouldstewart.

Set my post Holiday diet back a bit with steak-frites at Bistro Elan in Palo Alto. I love their open kitchen.

Meeting Jessica, the soon-to-be mother of our future puppy

2010-01-16T23:26:00.001-08:00

Meeting Jessica, the soon-to-be mother of our future puppy, originally uploaded by margaretgouldstewart.

Today, we drove to Santa Rosa, about 1.5 hours north of our home in Palo Alto, to meet Jessica, the lovely Golden Retriever who will sometime in the next few weeks, if all goes as planned, become pregnant with a litter of puppies. And one of those puppies will be coming home to us later in the Spring. It's a big odd for us to know all of this before the dog, like she's an unsuspecting surrogate. Even so, we were delighted with her; beautiful, mellow, and patient with the kids. I know we are nuts to add one more slice of crazy to our lives, but at some point you just need to accept it: every kid should have a dog!

Teeny Tiny Birthday Party Theme

2009-11-03T05:22:00.000-08:00

For Isabel's 7th birthday, we embraced her love of the miniature and had a teeny tiny birthday party! To give credit where credit is due, it all started with a nifty party set by Martha Stewart that we bought at Michael's, which included tiny invitations, mini part hats, cups, and plates, and even teeny little goody bags. We bought a few bunches of mini carnations and gathered them in little teacups for a centerpiece. And we planned a menu of tiny foods, including:

Mini bagel pizzas
Teeny pigs in the blanket
Lilliputian Oreos and Ritz Bits
Itty-bitty cups of Ben and Jerry's ice cream
Tiny cupcakes and a mini birthday cake

Finally, we compiled as many miniature items as we could for our teeny loot bags:

Mini magic markers
Tiny post-it notes
Baby sized Goldfish crackers
Teeny Tootsie pops

It was truly hard to tell whether the kids or grown ups had more fun in planning and throwing this party. A highly recommended theme!

Halloween cupcakes by working mother of the year

2009-10-29T23:42:00.001-07:00

Halloween cupcakes by working mother of the year, originally uploaded by margaretgouldstewart.

Whipped up some tasty cupcakes for the school Halloween party tomorrow. Take THAT, working mother guilt! My favorite recipe is from Billy's Cupcakes, courtesy of Martha Stewart.

Pick-me-up = espresso + baileys + ice (thanks, Howard!)

2009-10-17T22:31:00.001-07:00

Pick-me-up = espresso + baileys + ice (thanks, Howard!), originally uploaded by margaretgouldstewart.

Thanks to my friend Howard Field, I have met a new love. I've always been a fan of Bailey's and coffee after a great dinner (which Howard, his wife Allison, my husband David, and I all had this evening at the Los Altos Grill in Los Altos, CA). But tonight, Howard introduced me to the "Pick-me-up", which you make by combining a shot of espresso and a show of Bailey's over ice. Wheaux. It's like a boozy glass of the best coffee ice cream e-var. Another round, please....

My new curly bracket earrings...very popular with my engineers!

2009-10-10T11:55:00.001-07:00

My new curly bracket earrings...very popular with my engineers!, originally uploaded by margaretgouldstewart.

Staying in touch with the family while traveling, via Google video chat

2009-10-10T11:50:00.001-07:00

Staying in touch with the family while traveling, via Google video chat, originally uploaded by margaretgouldstewart.

Staying in touch while traveling is tough. Google video chat has been a bit of a God send; the kids can quickly fire it up and have a quick chat with Mom no matter where I am. That being said, I think we need a wider angle web cam...

Feeling safe at SFO

2009-10-10T11:47:00.001-07:00

Feeling safe at SFO, originally uploaded by margaretgouldstewart.

Silkscreening Class at Mission Grafica in San Francisco

2009-10-10T11:38:00.000-07:00

The YouTube UX team recently attended a silk screening workshop at Mission Grafica in San Francisco. You bring the materials, and pay a small amount for instruction and the use of their rad studio and equiptment. Some of us used YouTube user comments as the inspiration (sorry for the profanity!). Looking for a fun group activity for a team or bunch of friends? I highly recommend...

Fitness advice from Kellogg's

2009-08-19T10:15:00.001-07:00

Fitness advice from Kellogg's, originally uploaded by margaretgouldstewart.

It should be noted that my 10-year-old son was the one who pointed out the absurdity of framing a fitness plan as something you could squeeze into TV commercial breaks.

Best Jury Duty Ever: White House celebration of the National Design Awards

2009-07-25T06:53:00.001-07:00

I had a remarkable trip to DC to attend the White House luncheon celebrating the 2009 National Design Awards. As a member of this year's jury, I was honored to be a part of the process, and learned so much from my fellow jurors, who are each experts in the various design disciplines recognized by the awards. So being invited to attend a celebratory event hosted by The First Lady was clearly icing on the cake. I'll share what I can remember from the whirlwind proceedings.

We congregated at the East Gate to clear security. The line was filled with a who's who of the design world: Francisco Costa, this year's winner for Fashion Design; Michael Bierut, last year's Design Mind Award recipient; Tom Kundig, last year's architecture award recipient; Lisa Strausfeld of Pentagram and a finalist in this year's nascent Interaction Design category. And the list goes on and on...

Here are a few of the specifics:

A mix of Presidential china (Bush, Eisenhower and Truman), a practice unheard of prior to Mrs. Obama. Here's a photo of the dish that served up my delicious dessert:
Toy robots sat amongst the flower centerpieces; these struck me as an unusual choice, and at the event, no one gave any explanation as to their significance. I read later it was a reference to technology and innovation. In any case, they allowed us to take one home, and I snagged a lovely, red, "Lost in Space" model:
The portraits of all the former First Ladies were lovely to look at. Unlike the Presidential portraits, which feel more formulaic, these paintings of Presidential spouses seemed to truly reflect the tastes and unique character ad style of each subject. Here's my favorite, of Jacqueline Kennedy:
Members of one of the nation's military bands (ashamed to say I don't know which) offered a beautiful musical backdrop:
I cherished each small memento of the event, including my place card:

The First Lady sadly only stayed long enough to delivery some nice remarks about the importance of design in society and the role that designers play in firing the imaginations of the next generation. She was then quickly ushered out of the room as lunch was served. As I fumbled to get my camera, she walked by me in her striking yellow suit, and she was gone.

In thinking back on the whole experience, I must admit that meeting so many design luminaries in one setting was kind of overwhelming. Which brings me to the big conundrum of the event itself: when faced with a limited amount of time, does one focus on the people, or the extraordinary setting? Trying to take photos, meet every amazing person, and follow all the protocol required in such a setting, I didn't take much time to really soak it in and live it while it was happening.

But I did get to meet many remarkable people. And I did see many amazing sights and soaked up many of the details so painstakingly planned by The First Lady's staff. Below is a slide show of all the photos I took at the event. And if you're looking for great coverage of the foodie details, check out Obamafoodorama's blog post. Enjoy!

OMG Vivienne Tam HP MiniPC

2009-07-06T00:51:00.001-07:00

I'm not sure I've ever had such a girlgeek moment as when I opened this amazing package from HP. I had given a couple of speeches to their design and innovation teams, and they sent me this as a lovely thank you gift:

The size is perfect; truly fits in your purse. And the red hardware is hot. I'll feel like a secret agent when I use it in cafes. While the red satin holder isn't particularly functional, I figure it could always work as a lingerie bag. HP, you really know the way to a girl's heart! Here are the rest of the photos....

How Eva Zeisel helped me lose 75 unwanted pounds on my 10th wedding anniversary

2009-07-06T00:28:00.001-07:00

Favorite things: Eva Zeisel dishes, originally uploaded by margaretgouldstewart.
When I got married at the ripe old age of 24, I pretty much did what my elders told me. Part of the list of do's when you're about to say "I do" is to register for china. So I paged through magazines and settled on a very "of the moment" Wedgewood pattern called Clio.

We received 14 place settings of the stuff, and when I calculate how much money was spent on those dishes, I feel a bit ill. Years went by, and the china gathered dust. It was too fancy to use every day, and we didn't really have parties that seemed fancy enough to justify unpacking it.

After 10 year of marriage, during which time I had developed an allergy to unnecessary stuff, I horrified my mother by unceremoniously selling it all on eBay. Oh, and I sold the Waterford crystal, too. I hope that whoever bought it enjoys it for years to come. I used a portion of the proceeds and bought a set of Eva Zeisel Classic Century tableware, reissued by Crate & Barrel, and have never been happier.

Not only do these dishes elevate my cooking, but they work in every context. We use them for Sunday pancakes and dinners, for holiday meals, and even for weeknight suppers when we get our act together to cook a real dinner. They are timeless, lovely, and dishwasher-friendly. I'm pretty sure my grandmother would approve.

Audio books to the rescue!

2009-06-27T20:29:00.000-07:00

I have three kids. They love stories, but they hate long car rides. And we haven't yet succumbed to giving them their own iPods or personal gaming device, even though they have threatened to call child services about this travesty of justice.

Instead, we have discovered the key to peaceful, happy road trips: audio books. Having tried a lot of them, I thought I'd share our favorites. And when I say "our", I mean both the kids and the grown ups get caught up in these narratives, and the miles melt away until we seem to magically arrive at our destination, our familial relations in tact. Hope they keep your family rolling along as well....

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (audio CD, downloadable)
Charlie & the Chocolate Factory (audio CD, downloadable)
James and the Giant Peach, particularly delightful due to the performance of Jeremy Irons (audio CD, downlodable)
My Father's Dragon (audio CD)
Magic Hoofbeats (Book and CD)
Barefoot Book of Faeries (Book and CD)

Incidentally, any Roald Dahl title is sure to be a winner. His characters and their voices and dialogue are a pure joy to listen to, for kids and parents alike.

Milan Misc

2009-06-26T22:24:00.000-07:00

Most of my photos from Milan had to do with some design show or another. But some where just shots of lovely vignettes seen around this city that rolls out the red carpet for the design world each year. Enjoy!

The wisdom of swim teams

2009-06-23T18:37:00.000-07:00

Watching my kids' swim meet this past week, I couldn't help but wish that as adults, we approached life and the struggles we face like the 6 and under league. At a swim meet, there are the kids who are seemingly born to live in the water and can complete their cursory 25 meter lap in no time flat. And then there are the others who struggle, looking like they are half-drowning, who barely complete the race.

The remarkable thing is how the crowd responds. Everyone marvels at the naturals, whispering about Olympic hopes and at a minimum, college scholarships. But it's the kids who struggle...REALLY struggle...to just finish the lap, who get the standing ovations. And rightfully so; do you know how much more effort it takes to swim THAT badly?!

What if we treated our adult-selves with a little dose of that enthusiasm and support. Instead of shying away from the things that are hard and don't come naturally, we'd embrace the struggle and recognize and reward the courage and tenacity it takes to do things that, well, we kind of suck at.

If you are a parent or a people manager (two activities which I can say from experience are remarkably similar), do yourself a favor and check our Carol Dweck's Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. The title makes it sound like an airport gift shop "business optimization" snoozer, but in fact it's one of the more interesting reads about human psychology I've come across, and it's been highly influential in how I talk with my kids and my team members at work about facing and embracing challenge.

Of course, unless I want to be a compete hypocrite, this means I will have to face my own fears. Learn to use Excel. Take a statistics course. And agree to let my husband clean my clock in a game of Scrabble.

Mini-tent fetish

2009-06-22T23:22:00.001-07:00

Mini tent fetish, originally uploaded by margaretgouldstewart.
What is it about the mini-tents that stores like Target and REI have on display? They are so tiny and cute. Maybe it goes back to our childhood fascination with the miniature; think Polly Pocket, mini tea sets, etc. As children, it's comforting to have tiny versions of things; it makes us feel big and powerful in a world where we are regularly told we are small and powerless.

Or maybe they are just tiny and cute.

Fondazione Prada sneak preview

2009-06-16T18:01:00.000-07:00

While in Milan for Design Week this part April, I was treated to a private tour by Germano Celant, Director of the Fondazione Prada, of the Foundation's new headquarters, still under construction just outside the heart of Milan.

The space, designed by Rem Koolhaas, is extraordinary, as it transforms an early 20th century industrial complex into a state-of-the-art exhibition and performance space. The collections the space will house, are equally impressive: Prada's archives, visual art of all sorts, and space for performances and festivals. Looking forward to the opening....

Thomas Eyck's Flax Project @ Milan Design week, April 2009

2009-06-09T15:32:00.000-07:00

Thomas Eyck’s latest offerings were featured at the Dutchness show during Milan Design Week 2009. Each year, a material is chosen; some humble, basic material that has served people in utilitarian ways throughout the ages. That material is observed, researched, explored, and reinvented by a chosen designer in a modern context. Past subjects include wool and pewter. Last year, Christien Meindertsma’s knitted poufs were coveted by many and picked up by Design Within Reach.

This year, the lucky makeover was given to flax. Meindertsma explored many uses of flax, from candle making to rope to fabric sacks, and created re-imagined versions of these quotidian objects that transcend the pure function to new levels of beauty. My personal favorite? The most evocative extension cord I’ve ever seen.

Here’s an interview with the highly personable Eyck, whose enthusiasm for his designers and their work made the installation even more enjoyable to experience.

And here are photographs of the work featured in this year's show...

Many thanks to Paul Thompson and Cara McCarty of The Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum for providing me the opportunity to meet Mr. Eyck and many other luminaries during Milan's Design week. I'll be featuring additional interviews by Tom Dixon, Kenya Hara, and others in the weeks to come....

I'll swim butterfly

2009-06-02T14:02:00.000-07:00

I have three kids. The two oldest are your typical perfectionist, over-achieving, avoid-doing-things-I'm-not-naturally-good-at kind of kids. The kind of kids who live in Palo Alto. But my youngest, she's cut from a different cloth. Who knows why....maybe she was just born that way. Or maybe our inability to coddle her and hover over her due to there being three kids to care for made her a little more resilient, and, well, a bit of a bad ass. Take this conversation we had last week, as the kids chose what strokes they'd swim in their first swim meet.

Me: Charlie, what strokes do you want to sign up for?
Charlie: Anything but butterfly. I stink at butterfly.
Me: Bea, what about you?
Bea: Er, breast stroke, freestyle, and.....backstroke. No butterfly. I stink at butterfly. Everyone stinks at butterfly.
Me: And Isabel? What about you?
Isabel: Butterfly. I'll swim butterfly.

Is it weird to want to be my own daughter when I grow up?

Ted 2009 Notes

2009-06-01T23:54:00.000-07:00

I'm a manic note-taker and doodler. It's the only way I can ensure that I pay attention! So when I had the opportunity to attend the TED 2009 conference, I decided to fill a sketchbook (I actually had to start a second one because the first one got filled up!) of insights and observations from the amazing agenda of speakers.

You can access the whole set in my Flickr stream, including annotated links to all available talks on YouTube. The folks at TED were nice enough to feature them on their blog, too. If you haven't seen Ted Talks before, you are in for a treat. Carve out some time, prepare your mind to be blown and expanded, and enjoy.

Design: Creatvity in service of others

2009-06-01T22:53:00.000-07:00

A few months ago, I served on the jury for the National Design Awards, an annual event organized by the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum. Serving on the jury was one of the most exciting experiences and biggest honors of my professional career. It felt as though I got a free year of graduate school in just two days! I'm looking forward to celebrating with the winners, finalists, and fellow jurors this fall during the Museum's design week and gala.

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a post for their blog that I wanted to share here as well. In it, I shared some thoughts about the design awards, the process of jury deliberation, and the role of the designer as creative problem solver.

As a member of the 2009 National Design Awards Jury, let me first and foremost congratulate all of the winners and finalists. It was an exciting, exhausting, and inspiring process to review all the submissions and debate the merits and accomplishments of each. As a designer who has spent most of my career in the digital realm, I found it fascinating to delve into the categories that I am less familiar with as a practitioner: landscape architecture, fashion, and architecture. And my fellow jurors, each experts in their own fields, were so generous to the rest of us, sharing their insights into the peculiarities of their own discipline, and putting the many different portfolios into a larger context.
Let me make an admission: as a designer of software and products driven by technology, I have a bias towards functionality. Working at Google for a few years has certainly made that bias more pronounced. I enjoy intellectual design, and the kind of work that blurs the lines between art and design, but I also am fairly adamant that chairs should be comfortable to sit in; cups should have reasonably ergonomic handles; and shoes…well, I do love beautiful shoes, and in this realm I foolishly let go of my bias to favor style over comfort. But in most respects, and certainly in my work at Google and YouTube, I am a Bauhaus girl. So what philosophy is right? Does great design have to be functional? Is communicating an idea enough to make a product well designed?

There were certainly interesting exchanges about these timeless debates during our two days of deliberation: what distinguishes design from art? I’ve thought a lot about this since the jury convened, and I’ve come up with something I know to be true for myself. As a designer, my goal is to take my creative faculties, and those of my team, and use them in service of others. When I reflect on the impressive array of candidates for this year’s award winners and finalists, I was so inspired by the many ways these master practitioners have succeeded in improving the lives of people in so many ways. It could be through putting technology to work for humans, and not the other way around; creating spaces for living and working, both indoors and out, that bring out the best in ourselves and in each other; producing housewares that are a pleasure to hold and behold for decades; creating exquisite clothing that makes the wearer feel beautiful; taking complex issues of the day and helping us understanding them better through visual explanations; and finally, using design to prompt humankind to care for the fragile resources of our planet.

And what about beauty? The Shakers thankfully gave us the greatest lesson on how to marry design and art: “Don’t make something unless it is both necessary and useful; but if it is both necessary and useful, don’t hesitate to make it beautiful.”

I am proud to count myself among the community of terminally curious, compulsive problem-solvers that make up the design world. And I look forward to watching new designers emerge in the years to come who will brazenly tackle the problems that, though we may not recognize today, will undoubtedly impact our future.

Margaret Gould Stewart
http://fountly.blogspot.com/
User Experience Manager, YouTube/Google
2009 National Design Awards Juror

Maker Faire 2009

2009-06-01T12:01:00.000-07:00

I was delighted to attend the Maker Faire preview, thanks to my friend Stuart Gannes, who works with the Maker crew. I brought my friend, Maggie, who'd never been before. I knew it would rock her world because she loves crafts and she loves geeks. For those you aren't familiar with the phenomenon that is Maker Faire, I often describe it as "Martha meets MIT", or "Like Burning Man, but everyone has their clothes on." In any case, here are some photos I took, and some even better ones by Maggie.

Bliss in a pan

2009-05-29T14:10:00.001-07:00

Bliss in a pan, originally uploaded by margaretgouldstewart.

I baked up some of my famous (among friends) cinnamon rolls for my team the other day, and Sri took a lovely shot that really elevated them to Martha Stewart Living status. And yes, they taste as good as they look!

Mathroom

2009-05-22T18:05:00.001-07:00

Bathroom math, originally uploaded by margaretgouldstewart.

I was at a school supply store buying chalk for our giant chalkboard wall when I came across this graphically hot Pi chart. There were other school room posters equally alluring, so get thee hence if you want to find cheap art AND brush up your math skills (or grammar, or history, or foreign language)....

Birth of a Diva

2009-05-21T11:11:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, my eight-year-old daughter Beatrice tried out for her first, big-time, "stranger" play. A stranger play is one where you perform for people other than your classmates and family, something Beatrice has done quite a bit, but doesn't, in her mind, really count, since the audience is kind of obligated to attend, and even obligated to like what they see. So she auditioned for a semi-professional production of "Willy Wonka".

Now of course, she wanted to be cast as Veruca Salt. Every girl wants to live out the fantasy of being as bitchy and spoiled as we sometimes feel on the inside but have been socialized to hide. And she did, in fact, get called back for that role. But when the cast was posted, she something else next to her name. It said "squirrel."

Now being a squirrel isn't so bad, I told her. It is rare that an actress gets to play a character that murders the character she actually wanted to play. These squirrels are the ones in the original novel that push Veruca down the shoot 'cause she's a bad nut. REVENGE! SWEET REVENGE!

Be came around. After a few weeks she realized it was all a good learning experience for her. But not in the way I expected....

Bea: "Mom, do you know what will be the biggest acting challenge for me in this play?"
Me: "No."
Bea: "Acting like I'm glad I got cast as a squirrel."

Watch out, divas, there's a new girl in town.....

UI Commentary: Confirmation Required

2009-05-20T23:36:00.001-07:00

UI Commentary: Confirmation Required, originally uploaded by margaretgouldstewart.
Lemme just tell you, there will be hell to pay if this doesn't get approved expeditiously.

UI Commentary: Auto-generated Ad Gone Awry

2009-05-20T23:33:00.001-07:00

UI Commentary: Auto-generated Ad Gone Awry, originally uploaded by margaretgouldstewart.

UI Commentary: Pandora takes the blame

2009-05-20T23:30:00.001-07:00

Pandora takes the blame, originally uploaded by margaretgouldstewart.
"I'm sorry, I had a small problem while saving your feedback. It's my fault."

Having too many times heard users in the usability lab blame themselves when they can't use a broken UI, I found this message refreshingly honest and reassuring.

Rachel Hinman's Sketchnotes from my talk at MX09

2009-05-19T21:37:00.001-07:00

Margaret Gould Stewart - Sketchnotes from MX09, originally uploaded by rhinman.
Came across this graphic recording of my talk this past Spring at Adaptive Path's Managing Experience Conference in San Francisco. I love seeing how others heard and internalized the themes I tried to convey.

Durability and anti-trend: the new sustainability

2009-05-07T07:36:00.001-07:00

One of the big themes at this year's Milan Furniture Fair seemed to be sustainability. No surprise there; "greenwashing" is all the rage, with seemingly everything being promoted as "made from recycled", and firms and products broadcasting their carbon footprint to the world.

But a more intriguing angle is the sustainability of timeless, durable, and anti-trend goods which last, in terms of use and relevance, for decades. What's more green? Buying 5 different sofas made of "environmentally responsible" materials over the course of a decade, or a single piece that may not have a LEED pedigree, but that the owner uses throughout a lifetime? We'll never make a real impact on our consumptive ways until we get past our fickle, trend-obsessed, everything-is-ultimately-disposible attitudes and behaviors.

How did this manifest itself in Milan? Tom Dixon's self-described "plain" designs, Thomas Eyck's collections based on humble, traditional materials such as flax, and Royal Tichelaar Makkum's wonderful, homey cups and dishes that seem optimized for comfort food. Video interviews with each of these designers to be posted soon...

UI Commentary: Dear JCrew....

2009-04-20T13:26:00.001-07:00

cheapjeans, originally uploaded by margaretgouldstewart.

I'm so glad that, as my friend Maggie likes to say, you broke up with your bad boyfriend a few seasons ago and started producing fun, flirty, desirable fashions once again. And while the ripped and torn look is a nice tip of the hat to depression-era fashion, you seem to have missed the press release about the global economic crisis. "Just $98" refers to a mindset that is very pre-Lehman Brothers implosion. Are you in denial, or early bankruptcy proceedings?

Edward Scissorhands takes San Jose!

2009-04-17T23:39:00.001-07:00

Edward Scissorhands takes San Jose!, originally uploaded by margaretgouldstewart.

Leave it to San Jose to bring a certain je ne sais quois to their road medians.

The Renovation Chronicles: Face jugs

2009-04-17T23:34:00.001-07:00

The Renovation Chronicles: Face jugs, originally uploaded by margaretgouldstewart.

My collection and weird and wonderful Appalachian face jugs. They hold spirits, both liquid and ethereal.

Easter Domo: just plain wrong?

2009-04-17T23:33:00.001-07:00

Easter Domo: just plain wrong?, originally uploaded by margaretgouldstewart.

Or just so right? Our propensity as a culture to put bunny ears on everything is a bit strange. Playboy bunnies, slippers, and now, Domo. What's next?

I'm angry at my keys

2009-04-17T23:16:00.001-07:00

I'm angry at my keys, originally uploaded by margaretgouldstewart.

Since I bought a Prius about 2 years back, I've grown more and more impatient with the things in my life that require physical keys. You know, those antiquated metal things with notches? Fishing around for them in my purse instantly puts me in an ill mood. I mean, why shouldn't all of my belongings recognize me and give me instant access? I go in and out of my house several times every day. You'd think it would know me by now.

This is one way we know we've hit an experience inflection point. When the old ways seem hopelessly out-dated, and the new ones we quickly take for granted. Well played, Toyota.

A new home for my blog

2009-04-17T23:12:00.000-07:00

I've decided to move my blog from it's previous location to a nice, new, shiny one at Blogger. Thanks for visiting!