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Obama’s expert design team recently designed for Obama’s Berlin visit, which shows a heavy influence of 1920s-era German “industrial design.” [Quipsologies]
Republicians call it “arrogant” and say it reinforces a “messiah complex.” I call it awesome and extremely smart.
Nathan Myhrvold continues his tales of travelling through the Nordic countries with a stop in Greenland. Myhrvold talks about the nation’s efforts for independence from Denmark, how ice — which covers 84% of the country — prevents economical development and what it’s like to eat… polar bear. [WhatILearnedToday]
However, this case was a bit different. Polar bears live on pack ice (i.e. ice that forms on top of the sea rather than on land) far to the north of where I was in south Greenland. When the pack ice breaks up in the spring, some bears get marooned on floating islands of pack ice and ride them south. The two bears that wound up in Iceland did that. Once they reach the south, they are doomed — there is no pack ice so they can’t hunt seals. They starve to death.
Los Angeles photographer Jen Gotch created an interesting project called “Defaced”. [DigitalCrushes]
Using a permanent marker she captions her polaroids, adding her thoughts to remember that moment by.
Dear TV on the Radio,
Let me preface this by saying I’m really looking forward to your new record. I’ve enjoyed your past releases and believe the band members are smart and effective musicians.
That being said, I feel the use of the comma in the album title, Dear Science,, is asking for unnecessary trouble.
Journalists need so very little to distract them from the substance of a record. If you wear silly outfits or white shoes or have nearly any animal in your name, they’ll spend a paragraph of the review ragging you about it. Though it emphasizes it as a letter introduction, keeping the comma is begging to have people talk just about it.
Garrison
I’d like to see someone use a tool like Idée’s Multicolr Search Lab to create diptychs or triptychs that also work to explain basic concepts of color theory. [MareenFischinger]
I assume it’s already out there. Photographers are pretty smart and this idea surely isn’t new or unique.
I think there should be something similar to Muphry’s Law for complexion or physical appearance.
Reid’s Law: Allowing yourself to fixate on the blemish(es) of another is asking for some of your own.
New York Times’ T Magazine has a great series of short interviews with actors Seth Rogen, James Franco and others. [Mark]
They are shot in black and white so you can tell they’re serious.
I also really love Rogen’s explanation of the root for all male actions.
Dr. Michael DeBakey, the man whose research and surgical efforts forever changed many processes related to heart surgery, passed away last Friday at the age of 99.
In March, Dr. DeBakey was interviewed by Esquire for their “State of the American Man” feature, in which they interviewed men born each decade.
In addition, he contruibuted to Esquire’s “What I’ve Learned” series.
If world leaders were doctors, I think they would be more concerned with the welfare of people. There would be less poverty. There would be medical care for everybody, no matter whether people paid for it or not.
In any good society, every member should be interested in the health of every other member. Because if any member is unhealthy, it’s a burden on the society.
Focused on the death of Tony Snow and in turn sidelining the efforts (60,000 operations) and impact of Dr. DeBakey (creation of more than 70 surgical instruments), Merlin describes his frustration and disappoint.
Rock Port, Missouri has become the first 100 percent wind-powered community in America. [DesignInfo]
“We’re farming the wind, which is something that we have up here,” Crawford said. “The payback on a per-acre basis is generally quite good when compared to a lot of other crops, and it’s as simple as getting a cup of coffee and watching the blades spin.”
After he corrected their already correct usage of the word ‘pasty’ last week, Stephen Dubner of the Freakonomics blog recieved a special and edible gift from The Economist in his mailbox. [WaxyLinks]
And news to him and me, this situation is defined as Muphry’s Law.
Muphry’s law states that “if you write anything criticizing editing or proofreading, there will be a fault of some kind in what you have written.”
After being in the Upper Peninsula for a week earlier this month — where pasties are probably more popular than burgers — I don’t know that I will ever question their popularity.
Erica Cho and Xana Kudrjavcev-DeMilner have been posting a beautiful series of “video poems” named “Are You Me?” to Vimeo. The above “03 Hangul” was done by Cho. [HeadingEast]
These experimental video poems explore that mysterious haze that separates people from one another. I make the odd videos; hers are the even.
Such a great idea and so beautifully executed. Look forward to seeing further “video poems.”
Belgian-born photographer Branislav Kropilak snaps amazing photographs of billboards as seen from below. [Snarkmarket]
Their precise metal shapes, bright lighting and the space-like night sky make me see billboards a little differently.
What I Learned Today posted about Pope Benedict XVI’s text messaging. Today he sent an additional text blast to thousands of Australian youth that looked like this:
Young friend, God and his people expect much from u because u have within you the Fathers supreme gift: the Spirit of Jesus - BXVI
At this time it’s required you be a Telstra subscriber to sign up for his daily inspirational messages.
In addition to our energy and financial crises, the New York Times reports that America is current dealing with another crisis: a shortage of 4s. [H&FJ]
When prices passed $4, many stations ran out of 4s, and managers improvised by photocopying signs or stenciling numbers by hand.
The makeshift digits are legal as long as they are similar to the neighboring numbers, said John Browne, the assistant director of enforcement for the city’s Department of Consumer Affairs’ petroleum unit.
“As long as the color and size are correct and it is apparent what the number is, they are fine,” said Mr. Browne, who inspected Mr. Nair’s handiwork last Friday at the Lukoil station.
Oddly related: Sesame Street recorded the counting song “1 2 3 4” with Feist in April and it hit YouTube yesterday. Because everyone really loves 4s as long as their not adjacent to a $. [JoshuaBlankenship]