i'm not sure who deserves the fuck you.

but i'm certain someone does.

the iphone is truly a phone like no other. i believe it is precisely because of that status that it's also the biggest fuck-job of a phone to buy. apple set the bar, and perceived value, high when it released it's first iphone about a year and a half ago. it charged a more than one hundred dollar premium for it's offering as compared to other smart phones. after they lowered the stupid high price, they made it right by refunding early adopters the difference, with a gift card. in the process they really lost nothing in the way of revenue (as a hundred bucks doesn't go all that far at an apple store), and they placed their phone in a self created super premium category.



about a year later, apple offers the 2nd revision of said phone with the expected improvements and a new sales push offering the familiar telecom cross-subsidy business model. tied to at&t service since it's introduction, apple and at&t started getting really serious about making sure those phones didn't leave the store without a service contract. after all that is exactly what's in it for at&t. i get it. what i don't get is the double fuck-job that is now what it is to buy an iphone if you already happen to have at&t service.

about six months after that. i get an iphone gift card as a christmas gift. i am thrilled. i've been pretty fucking hyped on this thing since it came out, but have delayed getting one primarily because of the cost. so this is great right? not as great as i thought. here's where i'm at: i have an at&t contract. i am not yet eligible for an upgrade (not til february twelfth). therefore i pay full price for the the hardware and keep my service arrangement (essentially). fine. i was ok with that. but apparently at&t is entirely inflexible on early upgrades pertaining to iphones, and apple is unwilling to sell an iphone with out a shiny new two year agreement. so, as it stands i get the worst of both worlds. i get to start my two year internment all over again, and pay the full suggested retail for the phone. i guess this year christmas will be in february...about four months before apple will almost certainly introduce the third generation iphone which i will no doubt want.

fuck. you. somebody.

NORAD feels the spirit...

a nice little christmas-nerd fun.

via core

mostly the voice...

my first time to the santos party house, i went for the obits. after all, as far as i was concerned, i went to an obits show. following the obits excellent set was a band that took too long to get started, made too many stupid jokes, and persisted in their banter and multi-encore with a self important tone. i was ready to leave before they even started, but i figured i'd give them a couple of songs to turn me around. it took me about one and one half seconds to be sure, but i was certain. i knew this band, (the night marchers) or at least i knew this singer. fast forward another one and one half seconds, and i had my answer. rocket from the crypt! that distinct and ferocious voice was a dead giveaway. there was enough awesome in their music for me to forgive the crappy stutter start. while the night marchers certainly aren't rocket from the crypt, for the time being, it will plug that hole in my heart.

this food means business...

bento in its simplest form is a pretty easy concept for westerners i'd guess--basically a to-go meal. kyaraben on the other hand is a rather foreign idea.

the united states has an industrious and radical history. of late it may have become burdened with apathetic and stagnant behavior, but our disposition as a nation originated from a wonderful desire to streamline and improve...to eliminate the unnecessary and consolidate the requisite in our day to day lives. to chose what our lives would hold in the very most fundamental sense. to make our own destinies.

spending a lot of time making a pretty lunch just isn't the american way. maybe it should be, but the way we scarf down the typical workday lunch just doesn't seem worthy of the effort put into making kyaraben. i'm fascinated with the dichotomy between a bento and a busy, modern western world. food presentation in entertaining, dining out, and for special events makes an unconscious sense--but sometimes microwaveable junk and mushy leftovers really do seem good enough.

i take pleasure in a number of small things, and i like to think i'm rather considered and deliberate. but i had to think a bit on this to find what i will ultimately take away from this entire thought exercise. it is simple. pursue happiness.



a few days ago, i came across this flickr page...filled with images of inventive and well executed bento. i was pretty taken with them, so i followed some links, and found out they are made for made for him by his lady. she keeps a blog that is a bit story time and a bit how to. it's worth the visit.

ex cell ent .

the more technology and media evolve, and more familiar we become with it, the more we seek reactionary retreats. sure it's cool to tweet your geo tagged photo complete with meta data hyper linked via a tiny url alias that will in turn update your facebook status which in turn will alert your friends who in turn will do something that will in turn update their facebook status that will in turn send you a notification via plain jane email...but sometimes all you really need is paper and a pen. in hands-on low-tech pursuits many of us find what it is we actually want. satisfaction.

check out an endearing and compelling collection of stop motion shorts.

diy.

a fun little something for bike nerds.

another good one.

bummer it's not a more epic product, but they always show the funniest parts in the commercial--no?



via core

inspiration.

i'm rolling around ideas in my head for a design competition. rolling around ideas, and also trying to see and understand most anything commuter. bikes, but also not-bikes. i'm still feeling rather stumped. like i'm stuck on what already is instead of looking for the best solutions to the actual problems.

any of my readers who've seen anything exceptional along those lines...help?

and if by any chance either of you are already fired up on how to make the human powered vehicle more commuter friendly...do everyone a favor and submit an entry.

unreality.

unreality is what makes fiction worth reading. it makes animation worth watching. it sells copies of photoshop. it's why we make anything. i've always liked the idea that in creative pursuits you really can do anything you want to. that freedom asks of you a bit ingenuity and vision, and it demands full responsibility and accountability. if the result isn't good, or at least compelling...well, then you really haven't done much at all. chinese photographer Li Wei uses this freedom to make something great. his images tell a story that might not be strictly factual, but is truthful nonetheless. if that makes any sense.



via design observer

sometimes mortifying is the funniest.

a great story by my friend jeff.



via not lying
...his blog...

one of my favorite insults.

however it is that you like it.

punks rock.

bullshitting today at the bike shop, where i'm working a few odd days a week to slow the draining of my checking account, Allan Dias came up. Allan Dias the bike mechanic...or if you prefer, Allan Dias the bassist for PiL. This guy. The one in the middle.



His is a pretty interesting story. What no one at the shop seems to know is what exactly happened to him--musically. apparently he wrote and produced much of PiL's music while he was with them, and so it's a bit hard to understand his just dropping out. i'd definitely like to get to the bottom of it, but i can't imagine i ever will. In talking about it, and scouring the internet for pictures, video and the like--i came across this gem. gotta love johnny rotten. in the whole process i rediscovered a band i really like, which for me is the best part of the story.



fuck tom snyder. how do you host johnny rotten on your talk show, and have no idea what you're in for? enjoy.

happy democracy y'all!

don't forget to vote.



and this made me smile...be sure to look at the url.

m a x k e r n i n g

i'm not sure how well it holds up if you've never taken a typography class, never met a designer like this, or never learned the difference between kerning and tracking text--but if you have, this site is pretty funny.

bonus points for reminding me (in name only) of this guy.

max kerning via swiss miss

fucking rad.

i love this.

severely disappointing

i feel a bit cheated. the way anyone who thinks that they know what they're getting does, when they get something else. i love just before dark...and that's what i hoping to get from last friday night at joe's pub. instead i got a thoroughly decent opening set by kelly (jones) williams (with mike viola on bass and backup vocals), and ONE song by mike and only mike. after which he called much of kelly williams' band back on stage, followed by the ickiest of LA ways...the all star cameo. after mandy moore, and tracy bonham got up on stage and got their star studded mitts all over the music...i couldn't take it, and i had to leave.



i understand the need to get paid, the natural creative desire to do something new--or at least something new to you. i think in general i understand why. i just have a hard time with viola's chosen path to a greater success, and so i guess i'm saying farewell to yet another musician that used to provide me with delight. see ya mike. see ya never.

some kind of human loser...

i like bikes. i like my bikes. i like to ride them, so i really like it when they have two wheels. one of my bikes, sadly, has only one. i might feel a bit better about it if the wheel had been stolen--the problem is i'm just not sure what happened to it. i could easily have left it leaning against my car in one of the many times i've given that bike a ride instead of the other way around. all i know is, i've got three bikes--and only five wheels.



i love kids in the hall but i found this video via trackstar

oh and...one more.

ha.

for the second time i'm posting something found on copyranter. it's fast becoming one of my favorite blogs...so, y'know, check it out.



realtorism is truly a feast of cheesball slogans, pictures, and marketing techniques. i like the snark, and i always like pictures. enjoy!

keeping it realtor

via copy ranter

woah.

so, as far as bikes go...i really missed the boat on this. Alta was a new project about four years back. i don't really think that's the point though...it's the advertising images that have captured me. things that don't look right--done right--often look...well, kinda neat. taking the time to make the impossible possible is a noble endeavor. this pursuit of what if is one way to retain your childlike sense of wonder...and i respond with a smile everytime i see it.



kinda reminds you of the triplets of belleville, no?

politics is funny.

the best thing to happen to get your war on, is the animated adaptation from 23/6. it really brings to life a cynical and funny but sometimes dry political comic. true to form, and much more internetable...or something like that.

Get the latest news satire and funny videos at 236.com.

more GYWO
via copyranter and 23/6

science unfair!

Dr Monster as he is known via flickr, or travis pitts as you might address him in person has 'shopped a number of kid's science fair presentations. the results are exceptional. if this idea isn't one of genius then that word doesn't means what i think it does...







travis has a website!
via not lying.

it's like twitter only...

sometimes, you just need a little something stupid.

google knows...

what does google know?

i like that i'm not the only one concerned. light hearted to be sure, but the point is still in there somewhere. i'm no conspiracy theorist, and i certainly don't believe that the development of new non-essential technologies is inherently bad. i just think we need to, at the very least, be aware of what we give up in the name of ease and convenience. what i think we need--to use someone else's words--is a healthy distrust.

via swiss miss

what's good about a new place.

it's good back from a long weekend in LA, and it's double good to not be sick anymore. i'm still no big fan of that sprawling city-burb, but perhaps a little more time there would make for a fairer assessment. i like traveling, regardless of where, because unfamiliar places always seem to reawaken my inner 2 year old. i see things differently...and i like that.

as good as it gets.

i fucking love maryland. it's been a while since i've been back for a visit...so perhaps i had forgotten that. i got a healthy dose this weekend. full of riding, scenery, tasty beer and food, good company, and ton's of laughter. by far the most epic and photo-documented element was sunday's ride. i think my pictures tell it better than my words can.


spoke cards, liquor, and organization courtesy of james.










via single speed outlaw

googlefight!

the world is becoming increasingly quantifiable, measurable, and web-browsable...so what do we as a species do with that? i guess you could learn about obscure highly specialized things, glean copyrighted media, or even talk to far away friends. no, that would be stupid. i wanna know the definitive (or at least google derived) answer to the time honored question: who would win in a fight? it's true--people don't want what they want, they want what they know.

fight!

seriously.

it doesn't take much more than awareness--so think twice, which is a pretty good rule for just about everything.



via snob

making the most of a late arrival.

i've been busy. or feeling busy. maybe both. that seems to have an effect on my approach to free time. what form that effect takes has a polarity i don't quite understand. on one hand, time is precious--and i'd like to make the most of every second. on the other hand, i want to relax in the hardcore-junkie-squatter sense of the word. recently i've been erring on the side of doing more, not less.



via flickr

summer stage events, mccarren park pool parties, david byrne's playing the building, and olafur eliasson's east river waterfalls are some of the really wonderful things about new york. to not take advantage of these things seems like a mistake. a mistake i felt i was making until only a few weeks ago. this weekend i managed to catch two summer stage shows, and reclaim a bit of my integrity. battles on saturday, a band i can't seem to get enough of--and sharon jones and the dap kings on sunday, a woman i liken to james brown in the best possible way. to say i saw sharon jones would be slightly misleading. i did hear her though--and i won't underestimate her popularity the next time. lesson learned.



the bucky fuller exhibit at the whitney was really enlightening. the socially awkward obsessive genius quality of the man is impossible to miss--but it doesn't make his vision any less compelling. for all his idiosyncratic quasi-futuristic dymaxions--that guy was more than just on to something. i guess i have a soft spot for anyone who's driven to make reasonable and cost effective tools for living. faulted and exceedingly human, i came away from the exhibit liking buckminster fuller a bit differently than i thought i did in the abstract.



more on fuller...

a little sad.

when our conversation turned to maya (the software), which i've been working with quite a bit lately--a friend showed me a short animation by jon schroth. it's an exceptionally endearing little story of loneliness, and making what you can out of what you've got.



i recommend you see it bigger...

he might be a genius...

aaron mcgruder that is...then again maybe he's just a regular guy. what he is, or does rather--is provoke reactions, and consequently consideration. that encouragement to evaluate for yourself, for me, justifies the sometimes inflammatory delivery found in the boondocks. i love the show, and feel it's much more effective than the serialized comic strip. unfortunately it may also be misunderstood.

not so long ago, i referenced the boondocks in conversation--to a fellow i didn't know all that well. he said disapprovingly, that he thought it was a racist show. i was kind of staggered. it was something i'd never heard--and couldn't quite understand. sometimes something is that is so apparent to you, may be invisible--or even missing entirely from inside the shoes of another.

i'd argue that giving each of characters equal weight is a mistake. similarly, lending the same sincerity to this expanse of fictitious caricatures--is just as ridiculous as it would be to do so in your day to day. which might be what makes it such a delight for me, and in ways--so much like real life. to reference a really tired washington post sales slogan: if you don't get it, you don't get it.




enjoy!

what didn't i do this weekend?

after a ten day marathon of freelance craziness, i had a much needed couple of days to myself. we'll call that the weekend. instead of doing nothing, i did a lot. spending time with friends seems like a given--so i'll limit this to the more material highlights.



saturday, i visited philip johnson's glass house, which was pretty inspirational. i'm looking forward to a return visit, even though it's booked until spring. i kept having the feeling that i'd have gotten along pretty good with philip. what was particularly interesting, was getting such a strong impression of a personality from a person's work, or more specifically--the things that person left behind. instead of historical, it felt distinctly personal.

sunday was about taking it easy, as any sunday should be. i got take out, and watched the science of sleep--which has been on my unwritten list of movies to be seen for quite a while. i enjoyed it a great deal. after reluctantly identifying with the protagonist, i then felt quite alienated from him--and a bit confused. enough to haunt my own dreams.



monday delivered a highly anticipated burger at Prune. without question, the best burger i have ever had...really really really the best. in case you're wondering, yes you are missing out. complimented by my first choice in summertime beers, brooklyn pilsner.



the wackness...which i expected to be good, was. a well written movie, that is generally well acted--and has, for the most part, solid period references. ben kingsley retains his status (in my mind anyway) as a general indication of quality. paul finch was there too, uh...i mean eddie kaye thomas. who, incidentally, looks the same in person as on screen. i'm astonished that i recognized him as anyone notable, because i'm usually incredibly unaware when it comes to "celebrity".

that evening was rounded out by a nap, some ATHF, and especially delicious fried chicken at a bon chon chicken joint...mmmm. i feel much better.

hand banana.

not-for-kids animation is a genre i like, but the appeal of serious anime always eluded me. yes, even akira. something was missing. the designer in me could appreciate certain stylistic and visual elements, and the little boy in me totally dug that motorcycle--but that didn't mean i really engaged that movie. give me an absurd, satirical, surreal, or even a nostalgic creation with a healthy dose of sarcasm and funny-ha-ha and you've made me happy...that includes the designer and the little boy.


enjoy!

…why is it that folks don’t like cops again?

a repost from ride lugged.



you can like or dislike critical mass...but regular people go jail for shit like that.

what the fuck?
what the gothamist?
what the snob?

marketing works...sometimes.

it's amazing how easy it is to spot unsuccessful marketing campaigns in their various forms. it's easier still to bemusedly disregard those that are dated, intended for another age group, culture, or nation. seen that viral video that was so unremarkable, you told no one? so, maybe your real amazement should be reserved for the unlikely event that some clever marketing flows seamless and stealthily into your life. how is it that our cultural identities are so finely tuned, yet so hard to explain, so difficult to share, and nearly impossible to teach? some things people are really good at...and i think most of them surround disagreement. we always know when it's not quite right.


one image from a slideshow given by IBM back in 1975.
via swiss miss

i miss a lot.

i miss a lot things. i don't dwell on the past if i can help it, because really life is about what's here and what's now. sometimes too much so. an article in the times today reminds me of a whole bundle of things i miss, that i fit neatly into a box called when i was in korea. i had a great and miserable time there, that i wouldn't trade for anything.



via NYT

the street food was delicious, cheap, and at times kind of unbelievable. available whenever i wanted it, and often the finishing touch on a fun night out. the corn-dogs-covered-in-some-kinda-something were one of the really foreign yet not traditionally korean options. when you ordered one, the proprietor would give it an extra dip in the boiling oil...to freshen it up i'd guess, even though they already were plenty fried.

too good...

make that way too good. i tried, but i couldn't not share it.



via not lying

dope.

finnish people really do know what's up...design wise anyway. checkit.



this was one of the most striking, but it's not my favorite.

via prolly

check.

i don't make lists. check or otherwise. but, that doesn't prevent me from knowing when it's time to check a few things off that list i never made. this weekend i did a few things i'd been meaning to do, and i managed to accomplish all this without one list. i'm not sure that i'm exactly ready to die now, but i am a few steps closer.

√ i went to coney island. not in-and-of itself a goal, but something i'd figured i might wanna do at some point. i'm glad i did...not stay any longer than i did. i can't handle that place. why are boardwalky-amusement-parky places so damn trashy?

√ i got to see the islands. they were good. i am relieved, because i have a hard time liking a band as much as i like the islands if i know they suck live. the free-ness of the show made up for the douchey-ness of the audience.



√ i saw stephen malkmus and the jicks. they were pretty good too, judging from what little i heard. because hey, i had hot dogs to eat. hope i catch a little more of your show next time steve-o...

√ i ate approximately 2000 calories worth of nathan's hot dogs and french fried potatoes and still had room for dinner. ok, so the item not appearing on my list wasn't reigned into a caloric constraint--but i finally got to try them dogs.



√ i rode the cyclone, twice. new-old rumors are in constant circulation about how this is the last summer for astroland (or the cyclone at the very least). so the i guess the urgency finally caught up with me. ok, that's not true--it was right next to the stage. how could i not ride it?



it's nice to check a few things off your list.

best show ever.

i'm consistently disappointed by reality tv. i might even hate it. not in the guilty pleasure sense, where i say i hate it but follow it anyway. sure, i've seen my fair share, but i'm kinda grinding my teeth while watching. let's just go with this: i really really don't like it. i think it devalues pop culture in that people are now becoming famous, simply for being famous--routinely. that's fucked. exceptional yet not exceptional. one exception i'll make...mtv's rob and big. i love rob and big.

i think they remind me a bit of me and some of my friends...or how certain friendships are. they do stuff i'd like to do. they do stuff i've done. they do dumb stuff, and both enjoy it. they have a miniature horse. they hold world records. they. are. fun.

• MTV
• Music Videos
• MTV Shows
• Entertainment News

this episode is from january but it's a favorite--and if you haven't seen the show, a great introduction. oh yeah, make sure to stick it out to the end.

enjoy.

p.s. net gun!

human nature.

what the fuck. something is wrong with everything. if i do something shitty...and it turns out ok, i feel like i got lucky. since i'm not persistent in my shittiness, that is that. if you make a career (or part of one) out of doing something shitty--spamming in this case--i hope it's hard work, pays shit, and earns you a few substantial personal losses. because...it's shitty. you're shitty. stop it. create something. don't ruin something that required the blood and sweat of another. why is it that society seems unable to cure itself of the exploitation of goodwill. someone one will always find a way to get over...and ruin a perfectly good thing--a free lunch.

nothing lasts forever...

via boing boing

too lazy to ride a bike?

don't sweat it, big brother has you covered...and by that i mean google. i've got very mixed feelings about this latest google maps/street view toy. on one hand it's encouraging. google continues to offer more cool and useful things aimed at the relatively internet savvy american. which is good, at least until they set their sights on something a bit more sinister than world information domination. on the other hand it feels a lot like second life...and by that i mean that i mean virtual lameness. it feeds the idealistic inkling we are given as we're growing up. you've probably heard it a hundred or so times, "you can be anything you want". regardless of what precedes or follows to qualify it, you eventually grow up to find out that line simply isn't true. at least least not in the literal sense. go play...



...or better yet, go ride.

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".

i don't get it.

cards. i just don't get it. what makes a purchased printed sentiment so special that it's all but required for holidays, anniversaries, birthdays, and the like? and what says three or four bucks makes it your sappy sentiment? i hate cards--more in the in the sense that giving them is somehow obligatory, than a hate for bleached pressed wood pulp.

go on and like them all you want, i won't think any less of you. Just promise you won't be disappointed when i don't get you one.

cards i can get behind...sorta

a good one.

tomorrow's earth day, so maybe try to waste things just a little less than usual. i will. deal?

i wonder...

i don't live in the nicest part of town. i find it reassuring and a bit heartwarming that kids are kids--no matter where they live.



i found this at a gas station near my house...the one where where crackheads are always trying to talk me into or out of something...no place for drawings. no place for kids.

a hipster by any other name...

sometimes--or rather most times--i'm on the internet searching for an answer. sometimes it's work related research, sometimes it's a goal-less curiosity, and sometimes wish fulfillment. but it's never a particularly concise or tidy visit. one question leads to another, which in turn leads to another. the same reason it's never quick is the same reason i have a practical fear of the dictionary. there's lot's of good stuff in there, and once i start asking questions, it's really hard to stop. one tidbit i came across recently reminded me of an old favorite, only this one provides a new answer.

do hipsters look the same everywhere?

answer.

as if i needed an excuse.

Like my Mrs. Edwards to your Frl. Kussin, i've been a bit beat up by the flu of late. It's been both terrible and kind of wonderful. I know it sounds a bit sucralose, but as i feel better--more and more back to normal--i'm increasingly aware of what it is to be well. having a renewed sense of good fortune over something i'm quite used to taking for granted is...refreshing.



more old timey pictures here.

i am helvetica.

funny and well executed. makes me wish i could have fun with web design, instead of just totally sucking at it.

what's your type?

via core77

vertigo

i'm pretty geeky about bikes. recovering, but geeky none the less. it's ok, i'm not embarrassed to say it. NAHBS, as it's abbreviated (north american handmade bike show), was held in portland last weekend. i don't need much of an excuse to scour the internet for pictures of bike related anything, a trade show is more than enough--nevermind a trade show that's focused on more unique, more well-made, more beautiful bikes. so scour i did...only it wasn't the same...less oohs, less ahhs. not that i was disappointed, just focused. i was intent on finding any and all coverage to be had on Vertigo Cycles. 

about a year ago a friend of mine decided it was the right time to make a dream come true. his dream of making titanium bikes, for a living. knowing it wouldn't be easy, make him rich, or leave him with all that much free time...he did it anyway. i can't think of another person i know more apt to make bikes, and make them well. it makes me feel so. 

proud is probably the word i'm looking for. proud and maybe also envious. i'm proud of how far Sean has come in year of building frames, and envious that i'm not welding frames in my garage.

have a good long look.

you can't help but take notice.

different people always stand out a bit...and the missing-an-arm kind of different is hard to miss. i saw a guy at the gym tonight who was different in exactly this way. i was struck by how it affected his climbing style. the prosthetic, which started just below his elbow, was at once a hand that never gets tired and an awkward stilt like distance to be overcome when closeness is called for. i wanted ask him about it. i wanted to know if, all things considered, had it helped or hurt his climbing. i wanted to, but i didn't. for a few reasons. i didn't want this point of physical differentiation to be my in. i didn't want it to become a focus, when i know that like everyone one else, that's not the beginning and end of his story. i didn't want to make things uncomfortable, when he and i and everyone around seemed so at ease with this difference. after all, i didn't know the guy, and isn't it crass to expect he'd like to discuss his armlessness with me?

then he turned around. he turned around and i got a good look at him. i do know him. sort of. wait, no i don't.

this guy turned out to be Aron Ralston. y'know the guy that got pinched by a fallen boulder in a slot canyon in utah? you know, the guy that cut his own arm off with a pocket knife when he realized there was no other path to survival? yeah, that Aron Ralston.

as it turns out i should have asked him. surely anyone with the balls to cut off their own arm, with a less than ideal tool no less would've had no problem telling me fuck myself if he didn't want to talk about it. perhaps i need to give people a bit more credit.

you should do this.

the new york times, aiga, and winterhouse are promoting a documentary, if you will, of polling places. all of them. yours even.

not being a registered member of any political party puts a stinky sock in the mouth of my participation, but you should do this. it's cool. i like open-source or community style projects in general, but if photography is involved--all the better.




happy voting, and try not to get distracted by the bingo.

via NYT

fucking. classic.

the color of fascism.

color of the year. this year. two thousand eight. as chosen by pantone.

i used to think pantone was a pretty cool for standardizing color processes.  not that they do it for free, but having a standard to reference helps out tremendously. this misstep, this "color of the year" doesn't help anyone. this is an arrogant and assuming declaration, and should not be mistaken for a service, free or otherwise.

all i can think is, seriously? the fashion world is absurdly idiosyncratic and and seems to be rather unforgiving of the same quality in other industries. perhaps that's what makes it so inaccessible. i'm not in the loop enough to know if pantone is a big deal in the fashion world, at least as color applies to actual goods...but i don't much care. i don't need anyone to tell me what looks good, not in such absolute terms anyway. i'm pretty sure my irritation will fuel no functionally productive reaction, so i'll do what i can to put it behind me, but pantone just got put on my proverbial naughty list . are colors really that different now that it's 2008? and what's next, an HSV palette to further reign in and dictate what is and isn't cool this year? fuck you color-fascists.





cathy horyn's thoughts