Image by Alice Popkorn, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.
Happy Saturday y'all! Below, I have rounded up some things for you to think about this weekend:
1. Are all stories in existence essentially the same story, retold over and over again? Lincoln Michel at Electric Lit doesn't think so, and has a thought-provoking article that explains why he thinks the "one underlying substance of all story structure" models are bullshit. His argument seems to boil down to this: overgeneralized story models are essentially worthless. They do not serve anyone or anything, and to make matters worse, they're incorrect. He believes that the "everything is a remix" mindset is incorrect. Definitely worth perusing and analyzing some of your favorite stories.
2. I was pretty much blown away by the quality of the Behind the Lens: 2015 Year in Photographs compilation from the Official White House photographers. It's definitely worth looking through, to see what President Obama, his family, and other White House staff and politicians were up to last year.
3. An article detailing the issues with open office workspaces details what I have found to be true from working in open offices—feelings of isolation, increased levels of distraction, more sick days, etc. It's definitely a trend in workspace design recently, from what I can see. And although younger people are supposedly less susceptible to the negative aspects of open offices, they are not entirely immune.
4. If you have some extra time on your hands this weekend (or during the next workweek), check out this Design A Wig app. Apparently, customized, expensive wigs were quite an hit in the 18th century. Now you can try your hand at building your own ridiculous (or beautiful) wig for free!
That's all for this week's edition of Weekend Thoughts. Until next week, keep thinking wilder.