How to be Interesting

During Russell Davies' visit to UO last week, I had several opportunities to hear him speak. I love how sometimes it just takes somebody from the outside to say what's on everyone's mind for everyone to go, "Hey! I was thinking that too!". Or, things just get phrased the right way and make a world of sense more than they ever did. Some of my favorite things he said include:

"If you ask people for their opinion, usually they'll come up with one. That doesn't necessarily mean they care."
"They're just business cards."

...and so on and so on. But some of the most interesting things he said had to do with a lecture he led called "How to be Interesting". The link is to his blog, which explains in much more detail each thing on the lists, but here is the condensed (but equally wonderful) top 10 list:

BE INTERESTED
1. Always carry a camera, take at least one picture a day and post it to flickr.com
2. Keep a scrapbook
3. Start a blog (HEY LOOK AT ME GO), write at least one sentence a week.
4. Record a 20 min. interview with someone, podcast it, make them interesting- once a month
5. Sit in a coffee shop for an hour and make notes on other people's conversations.
6. Read a magazine every week you've never read before and write 50 words about what you've learned.
7. Collect something (Dingbats anyone? Advertisements? Magazine clippings?.. or does that just make me a packrat? HA!)
8. Read: Understanding Comics -Scott McCloud (twice already!), The Mezzanine- Nicholson Baker, The Visual Display of Quantitative Information-Edward Tufle
9. Every month write 50 words about one piece of art, music, piece of film or TV.
10. Talk to your parents.

Awesome.