Once again, I continue to be amazed by the wondrous thinking that this magazine serves up monthly. Just wrapping up its 20th year in print, Wired has been a constant source of inspiration to me. And I’m probably not really the target audience of technology geeks, fanboys and gamers! Instead, I’m someone who loves what technology can do for us and marvels at where it’s taking us at an accelerating pace. Wired gives me optimism about the future when the daily news seems to suggest otherwise.
Wired is also a beautifully designed magazine whose every issue is a mini work of art filled with compelling graphics that leap off the page. A good example can be found here:
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/11/infoporn-causes-of-death/
As I read the December 2013 issue featuring guest editor Bill Gates, I was particularly moved by astronaut Chris Hadfield’s essay “The View From 250 Miles Up” (http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/11/chris-hadfield-wired/). From space, he could see how people gather in cities, how civilizations have migrated and gathered. And, how after 70,000 years of wandering and exploring, most people still feel fondest about their hometowns.
Commander Hadfield ended his essay by writing “I often thought, while silently gazing out the window at Earth, that the actual legacy of humanity’s attempts to step into space will be a better understanding of our current planet and how to take care of it. It is not a perfect world, but it is ours. Sometimes, you have to leave home to truly see it.”
What Am I Reading?
They say that George Lois was the inspiration for Don Draper on Mad Men, so when my son insisted I read this book, it was an easy sell. Fortunately, it was also an entertaining, inspiring, easy read! Seriously, I loved this book, which in stark, simple terms reminds us to be authentic and bold in pursuing our life’s work. I bought multiple copies for some of the people in our office and am counting on them taking it to heart.
