A good deal of the satisfaction we have with aesthetic experience is anticipation – i.e., whether the experience meets or exceeds our expectations. Those expectations are often set by critiques we’ve read or heard before. But sometimes they are established by the performance itself – how it introduces itself. Here’s a good example of how to wow your audience by purposefully establishing modest initial expectations.

On a lighter note… 

For the last several years, much to K’s chagrin, my political and social views have become more conservative. Whenever I voice such an opinion, she dismisses it by insisting that I must have an undetected brain tumor. Thus, it was inevitable, when surgery was scheduled and our moods lifted, that the subject was mentioned. K explained “the problem” and her diagnosis to Dr. Hope and asked if he could, while clearing the plaque from my artery, clear out whatever else was in the neighborhood that was causing it. Dr. Hope, unaccustomed perhaps to this depth of black humor, bowed his head and laughed noiselessly for a minute before looking up and saying, “I’ve never had such a request, but I’ll do the best I can.”

Funniest Pet Photos of the Year 

In times like these, we need something, anything, to pick up our spirits. So, for your uplifting pleasure, I present Gizmodo’s finalists from this year’s Comedy Pet Photograph awards. Click here.

An interesting conversation about copywriting and the direct marketing biz (the industry I work in) by two smart Englishmen. (Pay special attention to the question they try to answer at 16:20!)

It’s easy to have a political, social, or business opinion about something when you don’t have any skin in the game. This TED Talk is about an experiment that demonstrates why that’s true…

Another short, little gem from Omeleto…

Check out the beautiful Eva Noblezada’s scintillating performance of “Take Me to Church”…

On May 27, I mentioned how much I enjoyed The Offer, the docudrama about the making of The Godfather. Here’s an interesting discussion with the producer, Al Ruddy, that fills in some of the details from his perspective…

This little clip sent in by JS – made nearly 30 years ago – reminds me of someone. But I can’t figure out who…

Something to think about for you unemployed buskers out there…

You can earn your daily bread by standing in a park and entertaining passersby. But you can also – possibly – develop a second stream of income by taping your work, editing it, and posting it on YouTube. (I’ve shown you clips of Allie Sherlock, who became a phenomenon just in the past several years this way. And then there’s Justin Bieber.)

To make this work, you need a gimmick. Here’s one that has been popping up increasingly on YouTube: A busker (usually a guitarist) sets up shop, and invites passersby to sing along with him. This is more interesting than simply playing or singing, because there is an immediate tension: Will the amateurs be any good? When they are especially good, the posted video tends to go viral. So, you edit out the ho-hum performances and publish only the good ones.

In the video below, the busker takes this gimmick one step further: He pretends he doesn’t know the song (Stand by Me) the amateur wants to sing. I don’t believe that for a second, but I’m sure many viewers do. So, when he not only figures out, in mere seconds, how to play it, but riffs on it amazingly, it makes the show that much better.

Watch it here.