There are so many creative people in the world, doing excellent and inspiring work. I do my share of ranting; here's a few raves:
1) David Paul Larson - Went to my first fashion photo shoot today and was completely impressed with the professionalism of this Chicago-based photographer. He teamed up with Maggie from Akira Chicago and Laura of Ford Models Chicago and I realized how much skill it really takes to coax looks from a model and capture them on film. Great industry contacts; great people. The place to go if you're getting a start in the modeling world.
2) Metropolis - While we're doing the edgy and arty thing, this is the place for the cutting edge in industrial, EBM, goth, and electronic music. The top-ten lists will give you an idea of the creative work that never gets picked up over the airwaves.
3) Assemblage 23 - Tom Shear's music combines dance electronics with considerable emotional depth. He's recently branched out to form his own label, supporting bands that otherwise might not gain exposure. I notice his 23db Records now has a presence on My Space, with a nice clip from backandtotheleft. The video sites are where new acts are to be found.
4) Intelligentsia Coffee - There aren't too many things in this world that deserve to be called "world class", but this Chicago emporium is one of them. The small company had a fine mention in USA Today a little while back, but it's the effort they put into sourcing and roasting the finest crops from around the world that makes them stand out. The Los Delirios is an early AM friend.
5) Decision Point - I've got to get a trading rave in here somewhere! This is just a helluva site and, Carl Swenlin, you can quote me. I've followed Decision Point since its early days as an AOL site and seen the expansion of quantity and quality of data. Sectors, indicators, indices, asset classes: everything is charted and nicely linked to related pieces of information--some of which you just can't get elsewhere (e.g., advance-decline lines for sectors and indices).
It's an inspiration when people produce things of quality and beauty. Their efforts feed the soul, and this is my small thanks.
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