Infinite Permutation | brandon hoe's blog

A great exposition on Pixar’s 22 Rules of Storytelling.

 

http://static.squarespace.com/static/52675998e4b07faca3f636a5/t/527f0a75e4b012bf9e7361c5/1384057461885/Pixar22RulesAnalyzed_Bugaj.pdf

The topics of creativity and innovation have long been of interest to me. I've always wondered why some people are eminently more creative at solving problems and coming up with ideas than others. The video below offers one possible explanation, and it's one that I mostly agree with. However, I also think that creativity comes from being able to view problems holistically. That ability is developed from exposure to a variety of different ways of thinking, experiences and interactions. It's no surprise Read more [...]

I love this touching video from Skype. The agency that did it did a great job of keeping Skype references to a minimum and instead, focused on the heart of the story, which is an unlikely friendship formed across continents.

'Hirsute' is not a word that is generally found in the lexicon of the physical characteristics of Asian men. I'm certainly no exception, but I do enjoy a good, clean shave. My problem with shaving is that because of my spotty facial follicles, I have to shave often to look halfway decent. Any less than a proper shave every other day and my face resembles the dangly bits from a sheep’s bottom. Shaving this often gets expensive, as the little hair that *is* on my face is coarse, strong and presents Read more [...]

When dad went through his battle with Stage 3 nose cancer last year, I was fortunate enough to have coincidentally planned a trip home for the week after he was diagnosed with it. I had a chance to meet his oncologist, ask questions and try to gather as much information about his condition as I could. For every piece of information that the oncologist gave us, several new questions emerged, making it difficult to grasp exactly where we stood and what his chance of survival was. One of the most Read more [...]

Sometimes, life kicks you in the balls when you least expect it. On Tuesday night, I received news that my dad's cancer was back, a year after he had successfully beaten Stage 3 nose cancer. All I learned at the time was that it had spread to his spine, but that it had been detected relatively early. I was stunned, but was optimistic about his prognosis. He had, after all, beaten a fairly advanced cancer once. Surely he could do it again a second time. Late on Thursday, my sister called with more Read more [...]

When I was about 9, I was in the passenger seat of my dad's car when a little 70 cc scooter rode by. Blue smoke spewed from its exhaust as the little blue scooter struggled to propel its three passengers; an Indian man, his wife and their son, who sat in between them. My dad said, "It looks like the piston rings on that motorcycle have worn out". "Why don't they just repair it?", I asked. Sensing the dismissive tone in my voice, my dad replied, "Son, not everyone can afford to do the things Read more [...]

As I was emptying the dishwasher today, I was reminded of the story of OXO, the housewares company that was started by Sam Farber. Sam started OXO because his wife had arthritis and had difficulty with the utensils that she used to cook with. After a couple years of research and development, the line of OXO Good Grips kitchen utensils was released at a show in San Francisco in 1990 and immediately became a hit. Companies collectively spend billions and billions of dollars on market research Read more [...]

Over the last few weeks, the Durham Armory, which is right outside my office, has been undergoing some cosmetic refurbishing. As I drove into a parking spot in my girlfriend's old Toyota earlier this week, one of the guys who was working on the building walked up to me and said, "Hey man, nice truck". I told him thanks and told him that the truck belonged to my girlfriend. “She must really love you, amigo!”. I smiled, nodded and replied, “She does, man, she does”. He continued, “I love Read more [...]

I just played in the North Carolina Open badminton tournament, the first one I'd played in in over 8 years. Years of badminton rust and a general lack of fitness meant that I only advanced to the semifinal stages and no more. It felt great to be out there, though, and my participation reminded me of why I love this sport so much. It's a sport of tactics, strategy, speed, stamina and skill, and wily players can outplay ultra-fit and ultra-powerful opponents through mental guile and on-court craft. Read more [...]