I recently visited the Charles and Rayes Eames Museum in Los Angeles and was thoroughly impressed by their design philosophy. Eames’ approach basically boils down to purposeful and beautiful design. I immediately began to notice the mundane in a whole new light and started asking about why things were designed to be the way they are now.
Once you start probing, you realize that there are many questions that you will not be able to answer about the things we see and use in our world every day. I’ll be compiling what I can find on the internet so that I can share it with you. I’ll also include some original content to top it off.
My aim will be to ask and answer, as briefly as I can, the following design question: Why?
You have such a beautiful eye for things (found on your old phone)
Heed.
our dog LOVES tennis balls
(1/1250s, f/4.0, ISO 12800)
Bill Evans and Tony Hall - Undercurrent (1962)
Toni Frissell - Lady in the water (December 1947)
we love you too
a lot of what is below might be self-serving for an introvert, but i’d say it’s generally true, wouldn’t you say? ;)
Myth #1 – Introverts don’t like to talk.
This is not true. Introverts just don’t talk unless they have something to say. They hate small talk. Get an introvert talking about something they are interested in, and they won’t shut up for days.Myth #2 – Introverts are shy.
Shyness has nothing to do with being an Introvert. Introverts are not necessarily afraid of people. What they need is a reason to interact. They don’t interact for the sake of interacting. If you want to talk to an Introvert, just start talking. Don’t worry about being polite.Myth #3 – Introverts are rude.
Introverts often don’t see a reason for beating around the bush with social pleasantries. They want everyone to just be real and honest. Unfortunately, this is not acceptable in most settings, so Introverts can feel a lot of pressure to fit in, which they find exhausting.Myth #4 – Introverts don’t like people.
On the contrary, Introverts intensely value the few friends they have. They can count their close friends on one hand. If you are lucky enough for an introvert to consider you a friend, you probably have a loyal ally for life. Once you have earned their respect as being a person of substance, you’re in.Myth #5 – Introverts don’t like to go out in public.
Nonsense. Introverts just don’t like to go out in public FOR AS LONG. They also like to avoid the complications that are involved in public activities. They take in data and experiences very quickly, and as a result, don’t need to be there for long to “get it.” They’re ready to go home, recharge, and process it all. In fact, recharging is absolutely crucial for Introverts.Myth #6 – Introverts always want to be alone.
Introverts are perfectly comfortable with their own thoughts. They think a lot. They daydream. They like to have problems to work on, puzzles to solve. But they can also get incredibly lonely if they don’t have anyone to share their discoveries with. They crave an authentic and sincere connection with ONE PERSON at a time.Myth #7 – Introverts are weird.
Introverts are often individualists. They don’t follow the crowd. They’d prefer to be valued for their novel ways of living. They think for themselves and because of that, they often challenge the norm. They don’t make most decisions based on what is popular or trendy.Myth #8 – Introverts are aloof nerds.
Introverts are people who primarily look inward, paying close attention to their thoughts and emotions. It’s not that they are incapable of paying attention to what is going on around them, it’s just that their inner world is much more stimulating and rewarding to them.Myth #9 – Introverts don’t know how to relax and have fun.
Introverts typically relax at home or in nature, not in busy public places. Introverts are not thrill seekers and adrenaline junkies. If there is too much talking and noise going on, they shut down. Their brains are too sensitive to the neurotransmitter called Dopamine. Introverts and Extroverts have different dominant neuro-pathways. Just look it up.Myth #10 – Introverts can fix themselves and become Extroverts.
Introverts cannot “fix themselves” and deserve respect for their natural temperament and contributions to the human race. In fact, one study (Silverman, 1986) showed that the percentage of Introverts increases with IQ.
(Source: carlkingcreative.com)
Monkey Chant is Glenn Kotche’s sonic interpretation of the Ramayana, an ancient Sanskrit epic which tells of a ridiculous battle between Rama and the demon king Ravana. They need to make a movie.
I copied the following from the liner notes (Mobile, 2006, Nonesuch). The timing may not line up with the youtube clip since I could not upload due to size limitations.
CHARACTERS
RAMA, 7th incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu (protagonist) - wires and stick on the drum head and drums in the final section
SITA, Rama’s wife and heroine - friction stick on the snare head
HANUMAN, Monkey general and ally of Rama - large pull-strings on the snare head
RAVANA, ten-headed king of the Rakshasas (demons) from Lanka (antagonist) - small spring clusters on the snare head
INDRAJIT, son of Ravana - hi-hat when struck
MONKEY ARMY - drums (both the chanting ostinato and rhythmic melodies)
PLOT
0’0” - Introduction
0’12” - Exchange between RAVANA and SITA
1’15” - Battle begins between the MONKEY ARMY and INDRAJIT with RAVANA’S Army - devastation on both sides
2’04” - Battle continues, MONKEY ARMY is overwhelmed by poison arrows
3’23” - RAVANA’S invisible demons attack MONKEY ARMY and kill thousands
3’54” - To prevent retreat, HANUMAN decries from “victory to RAMA”
3’57” - HANUMAN smashes the skull of every visible enemy and challenges the demons
4’33” - MONKEY ARMY rallies behind HANUMAN, more monkeys join forces
5’06” - Aggressive exchange bewtween MONKEY ARMY and the invisible INDRAJIT - monkeys are annihilated
5’19” - RAMA’S shock and helplessness, RAVANA tells HANUMAN that the battle has been lost
5’35” - HANUMAN flies to Kailasa Mountain to retrieve healing herbs
6’30” - RAMA embraces HANUMAN for devotion, HANUMAN shouts “victory to RAMA”
6’48” - RAMA and HANUMAN kill INDRAJIT
8’00” - RAVANA and RAMA battle, RAMA answers each of RAVANA’S attacks
8’53” - RAMA kneels to pray to the sun, feels his strength returns and is joyous
9’33” - The final battle, RAVANA charges RAMA, RAMA kills RAVANA
10’58” - SITA’S anticipation for RAMA, his love and sorrow for her
11’15” - RAMA, with mixed emotions, declares to SITA, “We shall return home to Ayodhya”
During undergrad, i invested a big chunk of my time listening to D&B and electronic music. i’ve since fallen off the music scene (yes, i was there) and am a complete stranger to what’s going on now. Recently I discovered Rinse FM London (first station to play Fourtet, Burial, and Thom Yorke’s Ego/Mirror 12”) and was definitely turned back onto what’s going on in electronic music right now.
Electronic music has been hard to ignore, since the US has slowly been adopting that hard, futuristic electronic sound into production, especially main stream hip-hop. If you want to hear what American hip-hop is going to sound like in 2 years, listen to what’s been going on in London for decades.
Piedmont Park. Dusk amplified by an obscured field light in the distance.
Project Thirty-Three is a website that presents album covers which apply geometric shapes and patterns to evoke a visual representation of the music behind the art. The album covers are digital scans of Seattle-based Jive Record’s vinyl collection.
Hip-hop marketing could definitely learn a lesson or two from this by integrating this form in their album covers (e.g. Logan Walters and his Wu-Tang album cover remixes)
Kadife, when asked by Ka how he can convince her older sister that she can trust him (excerpt from Snow)
Agree?
