Camera Restricta

Algorithms are already looking through the viewfinder alongside with you: they adjust settings, scan faces and take a photo when you smile. What if your grin wasn't the only thing they cared about? http://philippschmitt.com/projects/camera-restricta Short film about a speculative design of a new kind of camera. Shot over the course of three days in Copenhagen and Kolding, Denmark. Cast: Philipp Schmitt – Concept/Director/Editor Carina Schwake – Actress Bjørn Karmann – Camera Operator Niclas Hägele – Music/Sounddesign

Rio 2016 Olympic torch run

On behalf of my co-founders, our company, and the global community we serve, it was an honor and a privilege to participate in the Olympic Torch Run in Brazil this week. 

I joined four fellow Airbnb hosts from around the world, where we each got the chance to take part in the running and then passing of the flame throughout the relay. My portion was in the seaside town of Macaé, in the state of Rio de Janeiro and just north of the city of Rio. The sun had set and street lights illuminated the road. Thousands of residents mobbed the dark streets, waving and cheering as each torch runner jogged by. It was insane. I told myself there was nothing to be nervous about. But as I stood on the side of the road with my Airbnb team members, a massive entourage of Olympic fans, security, photographers, bright lights, and the flame loudly approached. My nerves increased. I switched on the gas to my torch and it made a clicking noise. My grip tightened around the metal handle. My world shrunk to a single goal, getting this torch to the next runner fully intact. Suddenly, I found myself in the middle of the street surrounded by blasting party music and hundreds of people yelling at the top of their lungs. Holding out my unlit torch to the approaching runner, it picked up the flame and I was off... at jogging pace, the massive security and vehicle entourage close behind. The flame burned big and bright and I could feel the heat on the right side of my face. It lit up the dark street as the roving crowd of townspeople took photos and raced alongside the torch. Kids on skateboards. Parents running with toddlers bouncing up and down on their shoulders. People waved enthusiastically from balconies and rooftops. The spirit of the Olympics was alive and well in Macaé. And during those few hundred meters, I began to understand the ability of the Games to fill people with an uncommon and uplifting kind of joy. I approached the next runner and the flame continued its journey to the Opening Ceremony taking place today. I was humbled to play a small part with our hosts in helping the flame travel its path to the event that brings nations together, much like our community does on a daily basis. The torch will live at our San Francisco office. Obrigado, Rio 2016.

Advice for applying to Y Combinator

Twice a year, the prestigious incubator program called Y Combinator (YC) accepts applications for aspiring entrepreneurs. Having completed the program in 2009, and now serving as a Part Time Design Partner, here's my advice to those who wish to apply. You'll want to communicate the following within your answers:

  • Describe why you and your co-founders are the right team for the job. If you're a close knit unit, say so. 
  • Show explicitly how you're going to make revenue. Maybe you already are (say so) or have good ideas how to. Nothing beats having >$1 revenue going into the application. 
  • Will you pursue your idea even if you don't get accepted into YC? If yes, make it known. 

Read up on Paul Graham's essays here, starting with the "18 mistakes that kill startups". 

Apply here. Best of luck. 

American town bans wifi and cell phones

Subscribe! https://www.youtube.com/c/seekerstories?sub_confirmation=1 Watch more Seeker Stories http://bit.ly/1Ir9ebk Green Bank, West Virginia hosts the world's largest radio telescope to search for aliens. It's also a sanctuary for people who believe electromagnetic fields are harmful. Join the Seeker community!

The Gap by Ira Glass

I think it was in the time of spring 2012, when I came across David Shiyang Liu's lovely piece of work about Ira Glass. It was the most inspiring and motivating video I had ever seen in my life. I watched it over and over again, listened to Ira Glass' voice, and told myself, that I am not the only person who is constantly disappointed about the gap between one's taste and one's skills. Later in 2012, I decided to do my own filmed version of Ira's interview - using my own language to tell his message. It took me about a year from concept to upload. I made it for myself and for anybody who is in doubt about his/her creative career. I also think that Ira Glass' message isn't only limited to the creative industry. It can be applied to everyone who starts out in a new environment and is willing to improve. THANK YOU Ira Glass, whom I've never met in real life, but who had such a big influence on my development. Thank you for telling beginners what nobody else does. David Shiyang Liu for the video that inspired me to start the project. You all should watch his awesome kineticTypo-version here: http://vimeo.com/24715531 The people from current.tv who originally recorded the interview with Ira Glass. See the relevant part here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BI23U7U2aUY The people from Magic Lantern who gave DSLR videography a new dimension (I chose this project to be a test run with the RAW plugin)! Steven Sasseville for painting the "taste" painting for me. Pedro Sousa for his advice and working his ass off at the "creative work" chalkboard. Wolfgang Kraus for letting me borrow his sound equipment. Kai Löhnert for working out on his birthday in the "fight" take. Wolfgang Hendrik Schnabel for giving me the museum-like atmosphere and his silhouette in the painting takes. Hermiyas Ötztürk for his hairy "good enough" hand. Orange Hive Studio for light equipment and location. Mima and Heinz Sax-Schmitz for the location of the "ambitions" take and finding me the "finish 1 story" typewriter. Joyce Chen (https://vimeo.com/clownmori), Soufiane Mabrouki (http://vimeo.com/user21466567), Damien Tsenkoff (https://www.behance.net/damtsnkff), Nikita Samutin (www.baselinedesign.ru) and Andrej Mikula (http://amara.org/en/profiles/profile/65015/) for taking the time and patience to create Chinese, Arabic, French, Russian and Slovak subtitles and dissolving language barriers to make even more people understand Ira's words. A SPECIAL THANK YOU Solveig Gold for being the most patient and supporting person in my life. She appears in a lot of scenes in this video. Jutta and Uwe Sax for several pieces of equipment and their support.

What it's like to start a company

I've never posted a cat video, but when someone shared this with me as a metaphor for founding a start up I couldn't resist. 

Music: "Sail" by Awolnation http://awolnationmusic.com Jeb Corliss Grinding the Crack: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWfph3iNC-k Original Cat Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WJmxi3vYRU&feature=youtu.be The music didn't match perfectly so I had to tweak the clip speed. This video is for educational purposes Copyright violation not intended

Figure 53 Handbook

The employee handbook of software company Figure 53 includes things like this:

“In the End

Be kind.
Be generous.
Fast can be better than slow.
Slow can be better than fast.
Positivity matters.
Avoid pretension; deal plainly.”
— http://figure53.com/handbook/


Klangkarussell - Falls Like Rain

Netzwerk (Falls Like Rain) on iTunes Now! http://po.st/2kBNdj Pre-order the album 'Netzwerk' now: http://po.st/1tlMcL www.klangkarussell.com www.facebook.com/klangkarussell www.soundcloud.com/klangkarussell www.twitter.com/Klangkarussell www.instagram.com/klangkarussellofficial www.play.spotify.com/artist/041iTeoMIwXM¬lShuQPIVKo www.beatport.com/artist/klangkarussell/2¬78858 Music video by Klangkarussell performing Netzwerk (Falls Like Rain). (C) 2014 Klangkarussell, under exclusive license to Vertigo/Capitol, a division of Universal Music GmbH

OKRs explained

Starts at 7:29. 

Ideas are cheap. Execution is everything. Christina has spent her career attacking impossible tasks: at Yahoo, taking on the giant Google at search; at Linkedin, bringing people to participate daily at a site about resumes; at MySpace, reinventing the profile; at Zynga, building a social network for play. Some succeeded some did not. All had one thing in common: large groups of people all working toward a single goal. Lean can tell you what to build and Agile tells you how to build it--but neither tell you how to build it as a team. How do you build consensus? How do you inspire outlandish dreams? How do you create accountability in teams? Christina will share her toolkit for clarity and commitment. She has been refining this process with the start-ups she advises and invests in, and now it's ready to ship. You know about mission statements, but what about OKRs? Predictive roadmaps? Do you have a cadence for celebration? Come to this talk, and learn how to ship as a crew.