Inspiring People
I've been playing around with a piece of software called Tinderbox. Tinderbox is simply amazing. It allows you to mind map, outline, rearrange ideas and present information visually. It is software that I have been waiting for my entire life. It thinks like I do.
So once my interest was peaked by playing around with it for a while, I googled around the Eastgate site and found Mark Berstein's blog. I was struck by his diversity of interest, his socially minded projects, and emphasis on making peoples lives better. (And not just with software.)
Over my life I have met a few people that have really inspired me. Looking back at these people they tend to have a few things in common:
- Varied interests. From science to art to building stuff.
- Project Oriented. They get an idea and follow it through.
- Community minded.
- Passionate about their area of expertise.
- At peace with what they do.
Mark seems to be one of those people. I was so impressed with his article on writing for the Living Web, an excellent primer for young bloggers like myself. I like his focus on continuing development, which is kind of a theme in my life. You should also take a look at his lecture notes which looks mostly at software aesthetics.
Very cool guy. I'm sure that I will have more to write about Mark and Tinderbox as I get into it.