I dumped my iPhone 4 for a (European version of the) Samsung Galaxy S2 this summer. Well, I actually dumped iOS for Android first – the choice of phone came second. I love my customized home screens and the control over my phone and being free of iTunes. I’ll stick around with Android for a while. Maybe my next phone will this upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note – it comes with a stylus. It would be to almost go full circle to my once beloved Handspring Prism I had ages ago. I really like the idea of a thin tipped stylus with my phone – doodling with your finger just isn’t the same thing. But then – I might not ever get “off the phone”…

A couple of years ago I was randomly searching the world wide web for more on presentation design and came across an upcoming conference on PowerPoint in San Diego. Not too far from Sacramento, I decided at the spur of the moment to sign up and spent 3 awesome days with others like me, exploring presentations from all different angles. It’s a conference like no other and you leave energized and full of new knowledge.

This year, my 4th year as a patron, The Presentation Summit, the “conference for presenters, presentation designers and powerpoint junkies”, takes place in Austin, Texas and the seminars look just as good as usual.

Find more information at: www.presentationsummit.com

Craighton Berman made sketchnotes during the Internet Week – follow along as he draws while listening to Nicholas Kristof’s keynote. You don’t even have to listen to the keynote, but can enjoy the music and follow along and “hear” what Kristof says.

Check out more sketchnotes on Core77′s Sketchnote channel: www.core77.com/sketchnotes

At this year’s TED, Sarah Kay received standing ovations for her talk “If I should have a daughter”. The talk is an extraordinary powerful example of storytelling and her way of telling her poetry (telling – because this is way beyond “reading”) really draws you in, almost makes you hold your breath.

She talks about her passion, spoken word poetry, as a way to understand the world and self.

“Everyone can communicate in some way, and everyone of us has stories, that the rest of us can learn from.”

It’s a beautiful talk – turn it on and let her words visualize and flow and listen to her stories.

In my next life I’m going to be a cartoonist. That’s after the life where I’m a singer with a voice like Barbra Streisand. Or maybe I’ll do that later and do the life as a cartoonist first. Hm. Hard choices.

Ivan Brunetti, cartoonist (for The New Yorker among others) just released a new book: Cartooning: Philosophy and Practice – about the importance of combining art and story when drawing cartoons – as well as how easy it is. The video sure makes it looks fantastically easy.

I’ll think I need this book (http://amzn.to/ejHeLF) pronto – better start practicing for that next life in time.

One of the advantages of being a parent is that you get to dive into fantastic visual stories – aka children’s’ books. Oh, how children’s books can take you places, open up thoughts and ideas and inspire – grown-ups too. Bedtime is one of my favorite times of the day.

Today, at a visit to my local Borders (which luckily isn’t among those closing down) this rainy Sunday in Northern California, I ran into this book by a very unexpected author – Al Yankovic (www.weirdal.com).

The story, with fun wordplay and rhythm, is about all the things you can be when you grow up, with funny illustrations by Wes Hargis. The book’s Billy considers a career as a snail trainer or a giraffe milker among others – but ends the story with reminding us that there are unlimited things you can do – and maybe do them all.

Next time you decide to stop by a local book store – don’t forget to head back to the children’s section (if you don’t have kids you can always pretend you’re picking up a gift) and browse through all those beautiful visualizations packing the shelfs. And who knows, maybe you’ll be inspired to choose a new career.