Coming in Disney IMAX 3D in 2010. Starring Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wild, Bruce Boxleitner. Directed by Joseph Kosinski. Can’t wait to see it!

It seems that people are happiest when they are either fully committed in “attention” or in “action” in response to the present, and dissatisfaction arises when one sits somewhere in the middle of the two. As such, attention and action can be seen as existing as endpoints on a continuum.

As an example, dissatisfaction often exists when one simply thinks or talks about problems in a shallow way but doesn’t do anything about them (for example, complaining). Yet, if one is truly skillful in thinking through issues, applying insight and full attention to an issue at hand (i.e. – talking with friends to achieve deeper clarity, meditating on them, etc.) then satisfaction can arise in the midst of this. Furthermore, with insight into a problem, one can shoot past dissatisfaction by transforming insight into committed action.

On the other end of the continuum, happiness in fully committed action (e.g. – “being in the moment”) is easy to observe. When a person is fully engaged in an activity (i.e. – playing a sport, performing music, dancing, etc.) is difficult for them to think or be anywhere other than the present moment. In this sense, it seems attention and action are closely related or can be seen as the same thing, potentially closing the diagram above into a circle.

Given the above, one approach to creating increased happiness might be to look at dissatisfaction in the present and ask, “Am I fully committed in either attention or action to the issue at hand?” If not, perhaps therein lies an opportunity to transform an unsatisfactory situation and create more happiness.

Wondering what you think?

Check out this pimp house feature in Lincoln Park, Chicago.

• Total custom design (not based on a pre-made blog theme)
• Integration of Twitter feed (on sidebar)
• List of where to find me on various social networks (“Find Me On…”)
• New Subscribe page where you can subscribe by email and/or RSS. I am also creating category level feeds (i.e. – subscribe only to Triathlon posts, etc.)
• An Archive page listing previous posts
• Photos (linked directly to my Flickr photo stream)
• A number of behind the scenes code improvements
• Overall cleaner, more Zen appearance

I hope you like the new design.

1. Ironman 70.3 Hawaii. One of six triathlons I did this year. It was a tough day but was a memorable experience to race in Hawaii and to spend time with friends on the Big Island. (Thankfully, the sunburn has mostly healed.)

2. TrendMedia office. This year TrendMedia made the leap from home-based business to a office in downtown San Francisco. While web developers can work from anywhere, I admit it’s nice to work more directly with others and to have a place to call “there”.

3. Santa Barbara Triathlon. Highlights were the beautiful surroundings and the opportunity to spend quality time with my mom who came from Chicago to see the race. Would like to do this again. (Could even skip the racing part.)

4. Alcatraz 100 (Swim of the Centurions). My second swim from Alcatraz. Somehow I thought it would be easier than the first. Hmmm. Tough swim but great weather and post-race breakfast with friends made for a memorable day. (Right: Nicole tends to Fred’s minor injuries.)

5. Birth of Miles Prescott Grover. Born Tuesday, September 4, at 7:58 am. Congratulations to friends Traci and Jojo! Miles’ blog.

6. Fred and Nicole’s engagement. Congratulations to friends Fred and Nicole! (Fred found a caregiver.)

7. Meditation class at IMC. The most significant thing I did for myself this year. Surprise. It’s not triathlon or technology related.

8. GTD. Consider me late to the party. David Allen’s book Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity came out in December 2002 but I didn’t get around to reading it until this year. In fact, I cheated and downloaded the audio book from iTunes. Applying the GTD principles and Merlin Mann’s Inbox-Zero approach has given me a framework for getting more done with less stress in every area of life.

9. First marathon. A classmate in grade school once told me that I “run like a Chester”. I never understood the reference but it was clear that someone who ran like a Chester was clearly a poor runner. Despite being a triathlete, I’ve always felt like a Chester on the run course. Thus, training for my first marathon this Fall was a big deal. While I’m still no Prefontaine, the training and race was a challenging and rewarding experience, and I managed to finish the marathon in under four hours. (So, Adam F., wherever you are, who’s the Chester now?)

10. Christmas in Chicago. Spending time with family. What’s more important?

What were your highlights in 2007? Looking for some inspiration for the coming year.
Wishing everyone a Happy New Year and great 2008!

Today Amazon introduced the Kindle, a lightweight and powerful electronic book reader that features a new display technology that reads much like paper. Three years in the making, the Kindle has built in wireless connectivity and can display books, electronic newspapers, blogs, or just about any type of syndicated content. Weighting 10.3 ounces, the Kindle weighs about the same as an average paperback yet holds approximately 300 titles and retails for $399, about the same as a high-end cell phone or 2-3 college text books. Is this the beginning of the end for paper bound books? Read more at Amazon.

Neat to see the real time responses, and glad everyone is alright. Picture
below of the shake map.

Apple announced today that Mac OS X Leopard will go on sale Friday, October 26 at 6:00 p.m. at Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers, and that Apple’s online store is now accepting pre-orders.

Leopard is packed with more than 300 new features and introduces a brand new desktop with Stacks, a new way to easily access files from the Dock; a redesigned Finder that lets users quickly browse and share files between multiple Macs; Quick Look, a new way to instantly see files without opening an application; Spaces, an intuitive new feature used to create groups of applications and instantly switch between them; and Time Machine, an effortless way to automatically back up everything on a Mac.

A special good luck to my friend Greg Heilmann who has patiently been waiting for the release of Leopard to make the switch to Mac. Greg currently uses the same model Dell D600 I used to use before jumping ship. Like mine, he is also fighting a myriad of software and hardware issues including hard drive clicking noises, frequent Windows system freezes, and the occasional BSoD. After having my Dell laptop’s motherboard replaced twice while under warranty, my Dad’s replaced once, and hearing Greg’s plight, I can say that I am so happy not to live in that world anymore. Hopefully Greg’s machine will make it to the 26th. Reminds me of the final chase scene in the Blues Brothers when Jake and Elwood exit the old car and every piece falls to the ground.