Discussions on what really motivates people at work or while traveling. Dan Pink shares some great insight on why people ditch their cubicles in favor of their backpacks.
Our very first monthly feature is introduced this month. The Vagabond Cheat Sheet is already gaining popularity! We cover topics from geography, economy to what the international humanitarian organizations are doing.
Don’t just be an American or French, or an Aussie or this or that…see the world and become a part of everyone.
-David McWane
Big D and the Kids Table have been rocking out in Boston since the mid-nineties. A product of the Berklee College of Music in Boston, their sound has grown and evolved. Big D and the Kids table is not easy to describe, borrowing from various influences calling their music ska would be an understatement. Flavors of reggae, punk, and rocksteady can all be tasted in the mix of their albums.
Recently, I’ve had the spectacular opportunity to exchange some words with vocalist David McWane about music, travel and volunteering. Dave is a busy guy with various projects lined up including a humanitarian project, authoring books and even writing his own film. All of this, of course, on top of his band.
This video was my first introduction to Playing for Change project where vocals and instrument melodies were recorded from musicians from around the world and edited together resulting in one of the most beautiful and touching songs I have heard. There are more videos and songs now that the project has gotten more popular. Check out Playing for Change for more information.
Timor-Leste (aka East Timor) is the youngest nation in the world since gaining it’s independence from Indonesia in 2002. Originally settled by Portugal, Timor-Leste first declared its independence from Portugal in 1975 only to be invaded and occupied by Indonesia nine days later.
This week I am proud to announce the newest feature of Awkward Silence! The new feature is called the Vagabond Cheat Sheet. Each month I will pick a country and do some research and put information together that a traveler or volunteer may be interested in before visiting a country. Information about currency, geography, organizations, humanitarian efforts, visas will all be part of the Vagabond Cheat Sheet. The Vagabond Cheat Sheet is not supposed to replace a good travel guide. It’s more of a quick overview of the country looking at it from the perspective of “what might it be like to travel or volunteer there?”
The first feature will focus on the young nation of Timor-Leste. Primarily because I do not know much about it but would love to learn more. If you have any recommendations of which countries you would like to see covered in this feature, please add a comment below. I am also looking for feedback to what information would be useful to add and what information could be removed. Working on my very first cheat sheet, I have already learned a lot of Timor-Leste that I did not know about before!
Look for the very first Vagabond Cheat Sheet later this week!
I first heard of Dan Pink when browsing through some of the more popular talks on the TED website. Dan Pink has written books on career and businesses. In his latest book, he has taken a great interest in researching and publicizing what it is that motivates people. This content is what fueled his TED talk in July of 2009 and, more recently, another video that he put together. The general premise of these new ideas in motivation, as Philip Brewer puts it:
Paying more for excellent performance is not only a poor way to motivate people, it is actually counterproductive. When a large bonus depends on doing outstanding work, work quality declines. – Philip Brewer
In August of 2008, I embarked in a month-long trip to Southeast Asia. During my trip I made various posts describing my encounters and experiences. I have decided to go back and revise and reorganize my posts applying a lot of the new writing techniques I have learned over the last couple of months. I have removed some posts that were not interesting or just unnecessary. I have also renamed some of the posts so they are more relevant to the contents. It’s been a lot of fun to go down memory lane and read over my posts, the scribbled notes on my journal and the pictures. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did! Read the rest of this entry
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