@blogdangerously

Is there such a thing as too much fun? If so, I’m enjoying it playing with the Chalk app from 37signals.

Chalk is a simple drawing app. Your drawing tools are red and white chalk and eraser mode.

Among other sketches with Chalk, I’m creating a Twitter friends gallery.  Some are simple, some more involved, all bring a smile.

Check out Drawing People. Tweet me @tojosan if you’d like one.

Related articles

• Chalk: Sketching Webapp for iPad by 37Signals (macstories.net)
• 37Signals’ Chalk, iPad-only collaborative web app (tuaw.com)
• Introducing Chalk: A fun little browser-based app for iPad inspired by our new office (37signals.com)
• Grand Opening – NoobArt.com (toddrjordan.com)
• 37signals’ Chalk Dissected (thinkvitamin.com)

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Watch the video, then visit blogbrevity’s posterous and get the whole story.

Here’s an taste of what’s after the jump:

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Wooden postcard sounds like a bit ironic and unusual. Perhaps so, but that’s just what arrived in the mail.

Hilary McHone, artist, photographer, actor, and now craft mistress, is working on a craft experiment. She created, labeled and mailed out several wooden postcards.  A sculpture will be the end result.

The cards vary in specifics but each is approximately the same shape and side. All cards come addressed and stamped.  Our particular card came with two quotes.

“Life has taught us that love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction.” – Antoine deSaint-Exupery

In her own words, “it made me think of the love between the two of you”.

Each recipient is to modify the card as they choose and return them. Sharon and I are considering fixing some pictures on ours.

Hilary and me, during her stop in St. Peters on her Fiesta Movement Adventures

It’s yet another beautiful adventure with Hilary.

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CREEatives bills its self as ‘An Adventure in Social Storytelling’.

Here’s some detail on that:

“CREEatives” - social stories advanced one sentence at a time.

This is an adventure in social storytelling where you get to participate and we all create a story together.

Here’s what you do:

Pick a story on the page, hit the Replybutton to the right of that headline, and type in a sentence that will move the plot just a little bit further along.

Really. It’s not complicated. But it will be fun!

Sounds like fun and it is. Great thing is that the fun increases exponentially as more people participate.

Storytelling comes and goes on various websites and blogs, so CREEatives isn’t totally new ground. Fresh though is multiple story lines, included photos, and sense of community.  These stories aren’t hidden behind password protected forums or memberships. Just go to CREEatives and post a reply.

I’ve already contributed to all three initial stories. How about you? Want to make a mystery? An adventure novel? Or perhaps comedy is your thing?  This is your chance.

Go.Write.Create.

CREEatives

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About Todd Jordan

About pages suck. Yours, mine, that guy’s down the web.

Writing about pages is often done by the same lady that writes the blog posts. Yep, the same guy that writes about inner workings of ceramic ovens wrote his own about page. You can tell.

Follow this About link and find mine. See if you can tell who wrote it. I give you three guesses.

Okay, so here’s the experiment. I’d like a rewrite and I’d like you to do it.

Let’s call it crowd sourcing and spec work. Consider me a customer and I’m looking for the best product at a great price. Problem is, what’s it worth to me. What can I offer the best rewrite?

Payment types: Amazon gift card? Paypal payment? A check in the mail? Something unique and personal?

Payment value: $25, $50, more?

Consider this the pre-work.  I’m offering $10 in payment of your choice to one random response as to how to pay and how much seems appropriate. Want in the running? Just comment below and be sure to include a working email address in some way.

So go to it. Drop the ideas. Repeats and remixes on ideas welcome. Invite your friends to drop by and share an idea.

Contest closes on Sunday night, midnight, 23rd of May, Central time.

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Friendly and Fun by Tojosan, on Flickr

Trying to fit in? Not these two ladies. I met them during a visit to Borders, where they were browsing magazines across from me. Sure you see some strange dress there, but usually it’s the goth kids or the grunge crowd.  These ladies were bright, high energy, and happy.

Colorful people are a treasure. Really!  You swear you want your kids to grow up to be successful but often along with that comes ‘normal.’ Ordinary has become the new black as families go. Everyone wants it.

Sure, the ordinary gets us by, but it’s the colorful parts that make our memories. How often do is the colorful dismissed though or pointed a finger at and looked upon with a smirk.

These fine young women will always be a reminder that color isn’t something to fear, it’s to be embraced. It’s an essential part of us, a driving force of our inner desires. Sure you can squelch it, but is living in a grey world really the end goal of life?

My tribute to color? My hats. I’ve shrugged off the notion that grown, adult men should wear ordinary and calm hats. By golly, I’ll wear if it makes me or anyone else smile.

So cheers to color, these ladies, and a life filled with breaking out of the dull and grey.

(This article was inspired by What I learned from Colorful Characters on Middle Zone Musings.)

The complete What I learned from Colorful Characters roundup. Please retweet:

Check Out the What I learned from Colorful Characters roundup http://bit.ly/cx5M4J

Bonus social networking tip: Stand out. Be unique. Wear your own ‘hats.’

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this is not COD Magazine-Hilary McHone and Rick Baker

So a few years back I run across this lady on Flickr, Brooklyn Hilary. She’s crazy, funny, and has more energy than a room of kindergartners.

She’s still crazy after all these years.  Now Hilary has indoctrinated her rather artistic husband Rick and they’ve gone COD. COD Magazine that is.

I’ve grabbed a quick snap shot of their page. Just click on the picture and go. It’ll blow your mind or make you laugh. Either way, it’s great stuff.

Hilary’s primary project these days is History with Hilary.

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Origami Envelopes by Tojosan, on Flickr

Origami envelopes, who knew right?  These were folded according to the Daisy’s Envelope diagram on pg. 81 of The Origami Bible (affiliate link).  Shown are my first four attempts.

Crafted with A4 size paper, these were actually quite easy to pick up.  There are only six folds or so. When completed, you have a working envelope. The picture doesn’t indicate the size well.  WHen done, they are about the size of an index card.

As part of an experiment in practical origami, and social networking, I’d love to send you, yes, you whoever and wherever you may be, a letter inside one of these envelopes.

Complex? Not at all. You simple drop me a line in the comments below indicating you want a letter from me and I’ll contact you to confirm the mailing address. I’ll be taking the first 10 or so folks that jump in.  If those go well, I’ll do what I can to get to everyone that would like one of these.

So jump into the comments, make sure from the comment I can find your email (automatic for Disqus registered users) and I’ll contact you this week to get your address. No promises that the letters will be interesting.

NOTE: I’d love in the first 10 to get at least one person outside the US.

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child and dog looking through the glass door

What I learned from children

Children see all creatures big and small, human or not, as having feelings, intentions, and some sort of intelligence.

D, our youngest granddaughter, really exemplifies this with pet dogs. She wants to greet each one with a hug and a kiss, as she likes to be greeted by loved ones.

When the granddaughters call, they always ask after our pet, both Gizmo, and now Charlie. They’d often times ask to talk to him on the phone. Each wanted to tell him they loved him.

This behavior extends beyond making pets into playmates, they’ll take anyone as a playmate, now matter how young or old. It’s awesome to see them involving their great-grandpa into reading books and playing board games.When visiting the in-laws, they immediately invite even the littlest baby to play with them.

I’m not sure it’s innocence or naiveté that allows these behaviors. I’d like to think it’s wisdom and acceptance, perhaps two qualities we tend to give up on as we age.

What have children taught you?

(This article was written as a contribution to Middle Zone Musings: What I learned from children, part of the monthly groupwrite series.)

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