I've been a member of the Customer Experience Executive Councils run by Creative Good for four or five years now. Lately, we've been starting our sessions with updates from each member and things to recommend to one another. The Councils are private, but because these are some of the smartest, most well-informed people I know, I thought I would share just the recommended list so you too can benefit. I suspect if you check out some of the items below, your IQ and taste bud sensitivity will go up at least 5 points.
Blogs/Sites
- 43Folders.com: Blog on time management
- BeFunky.com: Funky ways to express yourself
- Doodle: Site that helps people agree on date/time of something
- FreeRice.com: Feed the world, one grain at a time
- ffffound.com: Image bookmarking
- Future Perfect Blog and NYT Article
- MyHeritage.com: Fun facial recognition software
- Omnigraffle: A wire-framing tool for Macs
- PaidContent.org: The economics of content
- Pingg.com: Design invitations
- Smashing Magazine: Innovative tips for designers & web developers
- Stuff White People Like
- White Whine
Books
- Alexander Hamilton Biography
- Andrew Carnegie Biography
- The BinLadens by Steve Call
- Christianity and the Social Crisis (1907)
- Five Dysfunctions of a Team
- Getting Things Done by David Allen
- How Doctors Think
- Liberty vs Democracy debates by James Bovard
- The Little Red Book of China Business
- Team of Rivals
- What Customers Want
- Wild Swans
Other Stuff
- Baby Charles, a funk band from Brighton
- Conference called "Interesting"
- Go to Africa and check out the non-profit project AsanteAfrica.org
- Go to the Grand Canyon with (or without!) your kids
- If you like really spicy food, ask for "gunpowder" in any South Indian restaurant
- Le Creuset "buffet" casserole
- Oberoi Hotel in Rajasthan, India
- Sonos Wireless Music System
- Visit Nova Scotia
- Wines from the Toro region of Spain
Restaurants Around the World
- Adelitas Taqueria in San Jose, CA
- Bazin's on Church Street in Falls Church, VA
- Bistro Elan in Palo Alto, CA
- Caduff's Wine Lofts in Zurich, Switzerland
- Corner Bistro in West Village (NYC)
- Figs in Charlestown, MA
- Fribourger Fondue-Stuebli in Zurich, Switzerland
- Heidi's in Minneapolis
- In-n-Out Burger (all over CA and a few other Western states)
- Keungama Tofu House (Korean) in Los Angeles, CA
- Liberty Cafe in San Francisco
- Napa Rose at Disneyland
- The Oceanaire in Baltimore
- Osha (Thai) in San Francisco, CA (the third street location is best)
- Ottolenghi: A healthy restaurant in London
- Panera: A location near you!
- Phuong Trang (Viet) in San Diego, CA
- Pizzeria Mozza, Mario Batali's new pizza place in Los Angeles, CA
- Pylos in NYC
- Slanted Door in San Francisco, CA
- St. John: A meat restaurant in London
- Tamarine in Palo Alto, CA
- Tiger Noodles in Princeton, NJ
- Tofoo Com Chay in San Jose, CA
- Uncle Bill's Pancake House in Manhattan Beach, CA
- Uncle Yu's in Livermore, CA
- Willie's in Shrewsbury, MA (Worcester area)
- Zenna Noodle Bar in Brookline, MA
