Gemstones + Patience

What is the most important aspect of buying gemstones? Patience. From an action standpoint, buying is boring, because it's very much a waiting game. Every day buyers are bombarded with information about the gemstone markets (local + international). Almost all of this is pure noise. Your best bet, as a buyer, is to ignore 95% of everything you hear about gemstone markets. It sounds very simple. But it is not. We as humans are not designed to sit still. We want to be doing something, not sitting around waiting for miracles to happen. In actuality, waiting takes tremendous discipline. Practice.

Random Thoughts

If you know American history, you know that Barack Obama's nomination is the social equivalent of landing a man on the moon.

- Howard Fineman
http://www.newsweek.com/id/156121

I agree.

Videogame Update

I found N’Gai Croal's article on design innovation in the game industry @ http://www.newsweek.com/id/154375 interesting. Good ideas + real-world experience = Innovation

Useful links:
www.thatgamecompany.com
www.valvesoftware.com
www.digipen.edu
http://interactive.usc.edu/research/games

Capital Museum

'Chinese Memory: Treasures of a 5000-Year Civilization' exhibition will be open till October 7, 2008.

Go to www.capitalmuseum.org.cn for further information.

A must visit.

Positive Psychology

Want to learn to make the most of your life? Meet Tal Ben-Shahar. He is an author and lecturer + currently teaches the largest course at Harvard on Positive Psychology.

Go to www.talbenshahar.com for further information.

Trivia Question

Chaim Even Zohar writes about trivial issues (De Beers name changes) + other viewpoints @ http://www.idexonline.com/portal_FullEditorial.asp

J. Grahl Design

Jim Grahl creates world's finest hand crafted jewelry. I really liked The Balboa Park Carousel Egg (a large Faberge-like mechanical wonder + artistically intricate + bejeweled miniature reproduction of the Balboa Park Carousel), the 56 hand-carved animal characters that move to the music of one of San Diego's best-known attractions. Go to www.jgrahldesign.com for further information.

What Is Art?

Art is very personal communication - between the artist and the viewer, and between the viewers.

- Kim Zussman

I liked it.