images
From 2008, the one that started it all.
æsop (sixth century bc) fableslong ago, the mice had a general council to consider what measures they could take to outwit their common enemy, the cat. some said this, and some said that; but at last a young mouse got up and said he had a proposal to make, which he thought would meet the case. “you will all agree,” said he, “that our chief danger consists in the sly and treacherous manner in which the enemy approaches us. now, if we could receive some signal of her approach, we could easily escape from her. i venture, therefore, to propose that a small bell be procured, and attached by a ribbon round the neck of the cat. by this means we should always know when she was about, and could easily retire while she was in the neighbourhood.”
this proposal met with general applause, until an old mouse got up and said: “that is all very well, but who is to bell the cat?” the mice looked at one another and nobody spoke. then the old mouse said:
“it is easy to propose impossible remedies.”
the harvard classics, 1909–14
The USA chest badge logo, constructed using the 26 degree chevron from Nike heritage, is meant to be wildly different than anything ever seen on a USA uniform before. Its upward movement references high-flying athleticism, and its composition is meant to evoke the badging of super hero costumes. The uniform is blocked in various 26 degree angles, which also inform the custom typeface, developed in three weights and a full character set for international uniforms.
Adding on top of that, what I like about it is that it seems to have a spatial quality about it, "hinting" at a (or several) possible representation(s) along (all) the 3 dimensions.
Detail of the exquisite/intricate clock face of the Big Ben.
Designed by Augustus Pugin.
Max Lapteff proposes an alternate/imaginative/inspired/evocative/beautiful redesign/reimagining of NASA's image/identity/brand.
Time for another (design) classic. This time, the very British red telephone box.
Design by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott.
A handy (and, also, the best possible) mnenmonic for remembering the CSS shorthand (pun!) for setting the margin/padding property:
it spells TRouBLe
This works well for remembering both the starting point (Top) and the remaining order (Right-Bottom-Left).
Great ad for match.com (attributed to Noah Phillips).
• The clash of opposites;
• War ending, spherical, time stopping (and, thus, travelling), stasis fields;
• The archetypical mind-machine interface/melding;
• Holograms of loves lost;
• Tiny video-cameras that are spread in the wilderness, clinging to any species that moves, allowing for unmatched surveillance capabilities;
• Progress "stopped" (an oxymoron?) by edict;
• An unlikely (as they are) anti-hero;
• War as peace and peace as war;
• Technology (and the lack of it) and ingenuity;
• Artificial intelligence;
• ...
Oh! And the genious of Vernor Vinge, of course!
Not a long time ago and not in a galaxy far, far away...
More like now, and in our own "backyard".
Cédric Delsaux "puts" the Star Wars universe right here, right now, in our planet, sharing our space/time.
AT-AT in fog, Dubai, 2009
(These seem to have a Blomkamp-ish feel about them)
Artist/sculptor Alexander Calder, when asked how he knew a piece was finished, returned:
When the dinner bell rings
Introduced by Bhutan (and inscripted in its constituiton, no less), provides a set of formal indicators, metrics and tools geared to assess/measure how their people (as a whole) fare in that elusive/subjective state of being known as Happiness.
The reason? Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay explains:
What makes people happy at the individual level, varies from individual to individual. But as a policy tool. As a policy tool of governance. To remind ourselves that mindless economic growth is not what the people want. Economic growth must be mindful of the true desires of people. To be included in economic growth. That economic growth must be mindful of the pressures of the environment. That we must value, continue to value, and nurture, in fact, our culture and our value system. That to achieve what our people truly want, good governance is extremely important. But basically it is about balancing. Balancing economic growth, spiritual development, emotional growth.
Shifting the focus from wealth to happiness, at state level: now, there's a(n) thought/idea ...
Coding evolutionary processes with Processing.
From Daniel Shiffman's book: "The Nature of Code".
