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There’s a piece in the current (June) issue of the Harvard Business Review on the scarcity of exceptionally creative minds in which Daniel J. Socolow, director of the MacArthur Fellows Program, says, “Creative people we look at have often ruffled a few feathers along the way,” – in other words: don’t expect the creative types to be the most popular. Apparently, they’re generally not the best at promoting themselves, either. “Don’t assume that you can figure out who your creative people are all by yourself,” he says. “Listen to others and look in the least likely places.”
Here at the _floss, we love and respect creativity, too. And though we can’t give you a $500,000 MacArthur, we can give you a Flossy - otherwise known as serious SERIOUS braggin’ rights with a whole post devoted to you.
So go ahead and nominate yourself or someone else in the comments below. Know someone who’s done something so wildly creative he/she/you deserve(s) a Flossy? [I posted this late last week — but am throwing it up again in case you missed it. Contest ends today, so if you’re going to nominate, there’s still time!]
I’ll nominate Vladimir, a Portland-based performance artist whose medium is Viewmaster slides. She built her own 3D rig, created Viewmaster reels by hand (though now they’re die cut - she developed the reel design), and assembles the reels from 16mm film. She was mentioned in last Sunday’s NYT magazine (page 16, I believe). Her performances involve theaters full of people all holding Viewmasters and clicking along to a soundtrack (often performed live). See more at vladmaster.com.
posted by Higgins on 5-18-2007 at 9:41 am
Sorry, it cannot ba a “first annual” since there has not been one before. It is the Inaugural First Annual Flossy Awards.
But you guys are great…
posted by HS on 5-18-2007 at 3:31 pm
I nominate Justin Farren, a local musician here in California’s capitol, but also available on i-Tunes. He has a song about being a fly and I’ve never felt more sympathy for the plight of maggots.
posted by Ms. Kiki on 5-18-2007 at 9:12 pm
I’d have to nominate Lord_Emsworth from Wikipedia. He has written 57 featured articles, more than double that of second place. Shame they are mostly about British royalty and politics.
This may not fit into the “creativity” brief though.
posted by violet/riga on 5-19-2007 at 2:03 am
I nominate Marilyn Scott-Waters and her fabulous world of paper toys. She writes and illustrates children’s stories, too, but nothing is as fun and printing out one of these puppies and folding it into shape. www.thetoymaker.com.
posted by Karyn on 5-19-2007 at 8:54 am
I nominate myself for finishing that tuna sandwich i had purchased today.
posted by robb roncs on 5-21-2007 at 12:38 pm
I’d like to nominate my wife, Tracy, who 13 years ago started one of the first camps, specifically for girls, that has a focus of keeping young girls and women in the fields of math and the sciences. It is called Summer Days Math and Science Camp for Girls. [The camp is very innovative, the title maybe not so . . .]
It has grown exponentially, and was recently featured on NPR. The gals love it, and many of the alums are working in those fields.
posted by MIke on 5-21-2007 at 6:57 pm
I nominate my basset hound, Molly, who at five years of age, taught herself to open the fridge door and enjoyed two litres of buttermilk, a pint of strawberries and half of a red pepper.
posted by Kyla on 5-21-2007 at 11:08 pm
I nominate the Flossers at CP Elementary School in North Carolina. We have been flossing over 4 years, and have built quite a tight competition. We have a Floss Skull that gets passed from monthly winner to monthly winner. It of course, has a piece of floss between its ears, and the initials of the monthly winner. the earliest date I can find is October 2003, but we started way before that. Heck, we teach kids. There’s nothing more noble than teaching kids. Bring on the Flossy!
posted by Mpyre9 on 5-22-2007 at 5:28 am
Mpyre9: can you tell us more about this floss skull and what’s involved in the competition?
posted by David on 5-22-2007 at 11:41 am
I nominate my self for selling robb roncs a tuna fish sandwich that i had left on the dash of my car for three days.
posted by melanie on 5-22-2007 at 11:47 am
Well, the skull is a plastic one and he is currently filled with corn to give him some weight. he has a banner on the front of his forehead that says mental floss champ, and a piece of twine that passes through him. each month about 8 of us floss daily, and have the scores recorded. at the end of the month, we have a winner, and they get to keep the skull for the next month until a new winner is pronounced. somewhere along the lines, people started putting their initials on it. currently, it sits proudly in my office. i put out a floss newsletter a few times a year as well.
posted by Mpyre9 on 5-23-2007 at 5:29 am
I’m an armchair origami enthusiast… so let me just point you to Robert J. Lang.
I actually saw a short story on him recently on the CBS Sunday morning news. He’s a engineer and physicist turned to origami artist. His work is amazing. He’s published several books on the subject.
He’s also a major player in origami mathematical theory, and has used his folding experience to help to develop things like highly efficent airbag folds and a folding space telescope lens.
posted by Jason! on 5-23-2007 at 9:27 am
Well, if you’re throwing it up (again), I’m not cleaning it up.
posted by butterfly84f on 5-23-2007 at 9:36 am
I nominate Gauri Nanda, who invented Clocky while a student at MIT. Clocky is a furry alarm clock. When you reach out your arm and hit the snooze button, the clock’s wheels start and the furry clock rolls off your nightstand and hides, still playing the alarm. To turn it off, you have to get up and find it. This helps you get out of bed! I think it is genius.
posted by Allison on 5-23-2007 at 9:52 am
I nominate me & Toby for inventing the Beer Battered Chicken Fried bacon Cheese Brats …. on a stick. Coming to a county fair near you.
bar-b-log.blogspot.com/2006/10/beer-battered-chicken-fried-cheese
posted by dw on 5-23-2007 at 9:58 am
I nominate me & Toby for inventing the Beer Battered Chicken Fried bacon Cheese Brats …. on a stick. Coming to a county fair near you.
bar-b-log.blogspot.com/2006/10/beer-battered-chicken-fried-cheese
posted by dw on 5-23-2007 at 9:58 am
I nominate me & Toby for inventing the Beer Battered Chicken Fried bacon Cheese Brats …. on a stick. Coming to a county fair near you.
bar-b-log.blogspot.com/2006/10/beer-battered-chicken-fried-cheese
posted by dw on 5-23-2007 at 9:58 am
I nominate the Wizard Rock community, for dedicating themselves to writing songs all about the Harry Potter universe and to rocking out with the fans!
posted by Lindsay D on 5-23-2007 at 10:08 am
I nominate Jacob Wanderlutz, the Amish farmer who invented a high fiber cheese.
posted by Rob on 5-23-2007 at 10:38 am
still waiting for a winner.
Mpyre9
posted by mpyre9 on 7-2-2007 at 9:50 pm