Brian Sawyer » Uncategorized

Whale Watching

Brian Sawyer — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 14:47:06 +0000

I took my family whale watching yesterday. The experience exceeded my expectations by orders of magnitude and was a thrill for the budding marine biologist who inspired the trip.

Step Right Up

Brian Sawyer — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 17:24:14 +0000

Ringtone

Brian Sawyer — Tue, 11 May 2010 18:00:18 +0000

Thank you, Donny.

New Look, New Functionality

Brian Sawyer — Tue, 11 May 2010 15:41:09 +0000

With this new design, now I can update directly from this page, without going to my WordPress dashboard, which makes it quick and easy to post, even from my iPad.

Google Logo as Bar Code

Brian Sawyer — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 18:53:09 +0000

Google’s logo is a bar code today (to celebrate the invention of the bar code). I scanned it with my Android phone to see what it meant:

Pure Knits

Brian Sawyer — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 00:48:08 +0000

Two years ago, when I was an editor at a craft publisher, I worked a photo shoot for a book titled Pure Knits, a collection of sophisticated knitting patterns using luxurious yarns in shades of only one color: white. We rented an RV, loaded up models and completed projects, and drove to locations at Crane Beach in Ipswitch and the nearby salt marshes.

Some beautiful photos were taken, many of which would appear in the final book, but my favorite pictures from the shoot are among the outtakes: Here’s just a sample:

Well, I was beginning to think it would never happen, but that book is finally in print. I received an advance copy this week, and I’m very proud of it on a number of levels.

Here’s the final spread of the project featured in the previous outtake video:

That kid is now two years older, making this book kind of like a time capsule for both a brief moment in my career history and my favorite person’s young life.

But I also invested my heart in this book and really felt passion for it as it took shape. The entire layout was completed when I left that job, but due to circumstances no one could predict, it looked like the book would never be released. I’m very happy that it will be.

I loved all of the projects (I helped select every one), but in the end, I liked one of them so much, I bought the original sweater from the designer, Leah Bear (“Isaac’s Aran,” shown on the right–it looks better on me). So, until November, I have a one-of-a-kind sweater, the only sample of this particular pattern, and I’ve already had two winters to wear it.

A part of me likes the original cover (shown on left) better, but I don’t know if that’s really because more than one project is featured or whether it’s just nostalgia talking. In any event, regardless of the cover, this is a must-have for any sophisticated knitter’s library.

I’m happy to have it on my own shelf, but I’m even more happy to have it on the shelves of Barnes and Noble, where I hope you’ll check it out in a few months and see for yourself. Even if the 25 original patterns don’t grab you, how could you pass up the cutest two-year-old model you’ve ever seen?

The Best of Johnny Cash’s American Recordings

Brian Sawyer — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 19:15:12 +0000

I know it’s been awhile between posts, but I just had to share this single-CD mix I culled from Johnny Cash’s five American Recordings albums, featuring original compositions, traditional songs, and covers of songs originally written and recorded by artists as diverse as Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits, Tom Petty, Neil Diamond, Nine Inch Nails, U2, Depeche Mode, and more. This is pure gold, and it makes me sad to know there won’t be a sixth album in the series.

Here’s the track listing for my own personal “best of” album:

American Recordings

1. Delia’s Gone
2. Drive On
3. Down There by the Train

American II: Unchained

4. Country Boy
5. I’ve Been Everywhere
6. I’ve Never Picked Cotton

American III: Solitary Man

7. I Won’t Back Down
8. Solitary Man
9. One
10. Wayfaring Stranger
11. I’m Leaving Now
12. Country Trash

American IV: The Man Comes Around

13. The Man Comes Around
14. Hurt
15. Hung My Head
16. Personal Jesus
17. Tear Stained Letter
18. Give My Love to Rose

American V: A Hundred Highways

19. God’s Gonna Cut You Down
20. Like the 309
21. Further On Up the Road

What do you think? What’d I miss (and which tracks would you sacrifice to make room)?

Introducing The Back of the Napkin

Brian Sawyer — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 19:44:57 +0000

A brief, hands-on video introduction to the Introduction to Dan Roam’s excellent book, The Back of the Napkin:

Jellyfish Zen

Brian Sawyer — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 20:48:22 +0000

Taken today at the New England Aquarium in Boston:

I don’t think you’re ready for this jelly.

The Tortoise and the Hare: Made to Stick

Brian Sawyer — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 22:25:33 +0000

Here’s a little video I made to supplement the excellent book Made to Stick, by Chip Heath and Dan Heath, using Aesop’s fable and a personal twist to help explain the key concepts of SUCCESs: