// Site News: I Would Like To Talk To Youuuuuuuuu….

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Visual Approximation of the Veritrope.com Redesign Effort

Autumn has arrived here in New York City and, somewhere out there, Bill Cosby is probably feeling grateful that it’s “sweater weather” season again!

Anyhow, I thought it would be a good moment to touch base with some site news:

Veritrope.com redesign and relaunch

2011 has already been a wonderful year for Veritrope.com: Readership is at an all-time high, we raised over $6,000 in cash and donated goods for two worthy non-profit groups and, on a personal level, it’s been incredibly gratifying to hear from so many of you.

All of this has helped me to discover something – how much I really like helping you. I’ve always believed in the power of doing things yourself and it makes me happy to know that the tools, resources and thoughts that you find here are helping you to do just that!

To that end, I think it’s time to take Veritrope to the next level. I’ve been working behind the scenes to find new resources to share with you and better, cleaner ways to present those resources to you. If you have any requests or ideas for things you’d like to see here, now would be an excellent time to get in touch. You can send me a message:

If all goes well, you’ll probably start to see the new stuff rolling out by the end of the month.

AppleScript updates

While things have been a little slow on the feature post front due to the redesign, things are busier than ever in the Veritrope.com Code Library! Right now, there are over 80 different AppleScript code modules and projects for you to download, remix, play around with, etc. (and there are more on the way!)

If you are looking to get more out of your Mac, I urge you to take a peek and see some of the ways that people are writing their own programs to do just that.

// The Music Of Places

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View from Park Hyatt Tokyo

Up Above It All: The View From The 46th Floor of The Park Hyatt Tokyo

GARY LEFF, author of the popular travel blog “View from the Wing”, recently posted “How The Jesus and Mary Chain Influence My Hotel Choices” – his take on why some hotels create a deeper emotional response in us than others.1

He looked at two which are among my own sentimental favorites: The Park Hyatt Tokyo and the Fairmont San Francisco. I’ve noticed that, even though the staff of great hotels like these may change over the years, an essence endures. People can identify it and, often times, identify with it. Something more than just institutional memory, it seems like what the Romans called the genius loci — the spirit of a place.

Hotels, stadiums, stores, neighborhoods, cities, even whole countries can have it. The spirit of certain places — and the people we meet there — captures our attention. It can stir our imaginations. It can make us feel a sense of belonging. After a time, you begin to feel that you know it in the comfortable, familiar way that you know an old friend.

Finding these places is why I love getting on airplanes. 
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  1. I’m a big fan of Gary’s blog and any item whose title so felicitously combines “travel” and  ”80′s music” references engenders an almost irresistible, Pavlov-quick click-through from me. [↩]

// Young Lao Photographers

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An old woman walks 1km to buy pain medicine.

Young Lao Photographers Document Their World With Donated Cameras

It’s hard to believe that it’s already been three months since I visited Luang Prabang, Laos to work alongside the dedicated people who run The Language Project and Village Science.

Fanny Odermatt, a Swiss volunteer at Language Project’s @ My Library center sent me a message yesterday with a brief update on one of their projects: The Young Lao Photographer’s Gallery. If you’re in need of a bit of “virtual traveling” (or if you participated in the Help In Your Own Way Giveaway), I thought this would be a nice middle-of-the-week treat for you!

Students use donated cameras to document their daily lives and, in image after image, you can see both the beauty and the challenges of life in the Lao Republic. Soon, you’ll be able to buy these images directly from the website and the proceeds will be shared by the library and the photographers.

As part of the run-up to a book project called “Laos Through Our Own Eyes”, the @My Library center has also sponsored a Portrait Contest for its students. There are some really lovely, affecting shots here — especially remarkable given how young these photographers are. While you’re there, be sure to check out the other galleries as well!