one hundred and forty four reasons.

nice website. nice pictures. nice work. worth a handful of ganders, and maybe even a goose.

delicious?

i love squid. except for that funky dried stuff that i refer to as squid jerky. if certain mammalian meats are gamey--then squid jerky is the gamey-est thing in the sea. yuck.



via not lying.

simplicity.

i'm reading john maeda's book on simplicity. i've been resisting the urge to swallow it whole. it's short (only 100 pages), and even being an incredibly slow reader, i could be done with it in a tick. it's a bit like a collection of really good short stories--you finish one and even though you want more, you also kinda want to dwell on that last one a bit. let it soak in.

i highly recommend it.

having it your way.

i think what makes street art appealing and accessible is it's conversational nature. at least i think that's what i like so much about it. no gallery to go to, no visiting hours, no no-flash photography, no rules. you can pee on if you want to. it's not perfect, it's not artificially maintained, protected, or even particularly respected. it's life imitating nothing. it's like the funny conversation you overheard between two of the dumbest people on the planet, or the dickfaced meathead berating his girlfriend for dumping her bike--when she's still shaking and just happy to be alive, it's the cute little something growing up through a crack in the sidewalk. it's...dynamic and spontaneous.

it's a crime of opportunity. it's wit. it's a good joke. it's beautiful. it's ugly. it's informal. it's a doodle. it's a masterpiece.



via flickr





it's one of the things that makes me smile.

oh baby i like it raw...

i've been riding a ton lately, like a few hours every day, and i'm not sure quite why. maybe i'm trying to make up for the race i missed last weekend (my car and i are still in the process of making up). maybe i've found a once lost bottomless pit of energy and motivation. maybe i'm just in that kinda mood...like a junkie for pedaling.



my. hands. are. raw.

i don't mind one bit.

Harvest

bizarre and delightful.

i heard a designer for vessel speak about their approach to complex design problems. he said one of their methods was to think up the absolute worst possible solution to the problem, and that such a solution often led them to a good one. it's kind of amazing how much you can learn from a failure. i've always liked that idea. and i've used that "worst possible solution" to get me un-stumped on more than one occasion.



video via zefrank

i love the onion.

when they're on, they're on. enjoy.

virkistävä...

i don't often get to ride in the rain.

it's bad for the trails. so, if it's raining or been raining--i'll opt for the road bike. yesterday, about ten minutes into my ride, it started like cats and dogs. for a moment i thought about turning around, ending my ride prematurely. i didn't. i think i made the right decision. i managed to lose myself a bit more than usual--which is a major reason i ride to begin with. a cool refreshing brush with branches every so often--heavy with refreshing rain drops. the challenge of extra slickery roots and rocks. it was mucky, dirty, and delicious.

it reminded me just how good it can be.

inspiring.

most of the time they say "uh-huh" or "oh".

i don't really get tired of explaining what i do, because i feel pretty lucky that i get to do it. so, after they say whatever they say, i usually ask if they know what that is. typically they don't. i find "product designer" registers a bit better than "industrial designer", but i don't much like it because i think it's confining. an oversimplification. whatever. i came across a new tidbit, and found myself a bit inspired. someone else feels the way i feel...and runs their business that way. not just talk. business, responsible design, and manufacturing are not competitors--not at odds--they're partners. a worthwhile read, and a much better description of what i do than just "product designer".