“You’ll never have enough technique. Get to work.”

Andrew Batson shares a story from composer Steve Reich’s new book Conversations, about his teacher Hall Overton, who was one of the first musicians to take both jazz European traditions seriously. Reich thought very highly of Overton as a human being and a musician, and Batson was struck by this anecdote about his lessons:

Turps

I made a ground of Payne’s gray, Vandyke brown, and Naples yellow by squeezing these colors onto my canvases. I then tipped on Sansodor, an odorless paint thinner that I’d begun to use as a replacement for turps. Until a few years ago, when I opened the door to my flat the smell of turps was overpowering. Everyone commented on it. I loved the smell. All my clothes and my hair were saturated with its pungency. I wore the scent with pride, like a saint reveling in her hair shirt. If I lit candles in my front room in the evening, their flames would shoot up toward the ceiling, fueled by the gaseous fumes. But gradually, I found it harder to tolerate and it became difficult to breathe. I had constant sinus pain and headaches. I had to give it up. — Celia Paul, Against Any Intrusion: Writing to Gwen John

Dancing with the Elephants

What do the week’s Facebook and Google+ changes mean for your web presence?

Location Marketing after Facebook Places Checks In

A week ago Facebook launched Places, the social network’s entry into location-based marketing. Partners Foursquare, Gowalla, Yelp and Booyah appeared onstage and talked up their cooperation with the giant.

Social Media Tech for Marketers

Earlier this spring, I gave a talk on nonprofit social media to the DC chapter of the American Marketing Association.

CitizenGulf events help fishing families hit by oil. Start yours for Aug 25.

Got npskillz? Tools & tactics for nonprofit social media

Em Hall and I presented to a great crowd at Digital Capital Week’s nonprofit day today. Thanks, everybody for turning out — and thanks for the super questions. Check them on Twitter #npskillz.

Moving beyond apps contests

The goal of all of this has been to harness the excitement of development for good, but also to go beyond the contests — to build communities of practice. Peter calls these innovator networks. If we’re lucky, these may grow into innovation marketplaces that just might be self-sustaining. — Beyond Apps from Peter Corbett

Apps for Good

I love my phone. Not so much for the phone part, but for the little computer in there that connects me to the world, no matter where I am. The phone has our calendars, our mail – and, increasingly, our volunteer opportunities. It’s the day timer of our times. But better than a day timer, the phone offers discovery, too. Lots of nonprofits and individuals are at work to make this discovery include nonprofits and volunteering. Here are a few of our favorite apps for good – apps that connect people to nonprofits and causes.