green halloween

One of my favorite blogs - Inhabitat - challenged its readers to get creative and resourceful with their Halloween costumes and go green. Here are my favorites:


The winner: Pollution-Poisoned Mermaid. Crafted from discarded plastic bags, items found around the house, and waste materials recovered by cleaning up the beach.


Cloth-Diapered Crazy Astronaut Lisa Nowak. (Again: cloth diapered.)

hey there, dolphin girl...

[via] Photos by Jamie Campbell

Bears is a series of portraits of ordinary teddy bears that have been turned inside out and stuffed, by the artist Kent Rogowski. (Why do I feel like this is animal cruelty??)

[via]

I've been working on a moodboard all day, and while doing some research I found these collages by Lilliana Pereira that left me completely inspired to try something different. She has tons of stuff on her flickr.

"you’re in a car with a beautiful boy, and you’re trying not to tell him that you love him, and you’re trying to choke down the feeling, and you’re trembling, but he reaches over and he touches you, and you feel your heart taking root in your body, like you’ve discovered something you don’t even have a name for."

it's complicated

"Only the young and stupid are confident about sex and romance. Do you think any of us know what we’re doing? Do you think there’s any way humans can love each other without complication? You should see how it happens in Bali, darling. All these Western men come here after they’ve made a mass of their lives back home, and they decide they’ve had it with Western women, and they go marry some tiny, sweet, obedient little Balinese teenage girl. I know what they’re thinking. They think this pretty little girl will make them happy, make their lives easy. But whenever I see it happen, I always want to say the same thing. Good luck. Because you still have a woman in front of you, my friend. And you are still a man. It’s still two human beings trying to get along, so it’s going to become complicated. And love is complicated. But still humans must try to love each other, darling. We must get our hearts broken sometimes. This is a good sign, having a broken heart. It means we have tried for something."

[via this is my heart. it is a good heart.]

happy people

"As an African-American, unapologetically I say that if I weren't strapped down to this desk, I'd get out and lead us in a Electric Slide right here in the studio."

- Tavis Smiley, on NBC News [via]



(I couldn't help myself. I had to post this video by the other king of Chicago, Mr. R. Kelly. If you really know Chicago, you know what I mean.)

press for change

[link]

indiana

I can now say I lived 7 great years of my life in a blue state.

Congratulation, Indiana. You have done me proud.

gabi

This is a post I found on Facebook by Gabrelle German, my best friend's sister. She's a 21 year-old girl, born in Gary, IN, who clearly understands the huge symbolic impact that having Obama as a president is going to have in America. Gabi, I'm proud to know you and your sister. Love you both.

"My President is a competent, qualified, intelligent BLACK MAN, and now not only is he "MY" President of choice, he is the official President of the United States of America.

Why is it so relevant to me and everyone else in the Black Community that our President is Black? Why does race matter? It matters because this means that our ancestors, and our relatives came all the way from being seen as property in this country, to running this country. It matters because it means that those of us who died for us to have a fair chance in this country have not died in vain. It shows incredible progress in this country and I am proud of you America!

It means so much to us because the media has chosen for so many years to make the Black Male the "scapegoat" for all the things wrong with this country. Majority of the time you see a black man in the media its negative. Now we have the most positive media coverage possible. One of our own has been chosen, not just by Black America, but by America as a whole to lead this country.

It matters because people still clinch their purses when Black Men walk pass, they still lock their doors when they pass their cars, it matters because I still get followed in stores because I'm expected to steal something. So this moment is a moment of great hope that these things will soon be a thing of the past, and it is a moment of great pride that one of our own has made it so far.

The Obama Family is another WONDERFUL aspect of the pride we feel. The first family gives black families everywhere a model to look up to. The relationship between Barack and his wife is AMAZING, and their relationship with their children is as well. They are not displaying a broken family, an absent father, a male bashing mother, and we need to see something other than those things.

So this note is way too long I'll just close with this statement: I've always known that Black Men were just as capable as any other person to lead this country and do great things, but now those Black men that doubted it have proof that they can and a reason to work toward it. They have a role model in Barack Obama and Black families have a role model in the Obama family and that is AMAZING!"

the first day of the rest of our lives

virgil o. stamps

It is such a pleasure for me to post about this. Not only the idea is incredibly awesome, the person behind the idea is just as cool (not to mention she's pretty much my hero).


Virgil O. Stamps is a letterpress laboratory that uses his Brooklyn neighborhood and surrounding boroughs as a source of inspiration and income, by recycling products that would usually be thrown away. All of his cards are backed by recycled chipboard from the nearby comic book store. Virgil can, of course, print on anything you like. Even regular paper. Or nice thick cotton paper. Sometimes you need to be normal—Virgil understands that and promises not to judge you.

Gunned: Shot up targets donated from a New York City gun range.

National Geographic: Pages torn from old National Geographic
magazines and backed by recycled chipboard.

++++++++++

Virgil O. is officially awesome: it's been featured on kottke.org and on NotCot.org.



++++++++++

Yay for Minus - the woman who gives me hope that any 33-year old kid can wear patriotic pajama pants for three days straight, and sometimes forget to wear socks when they go outside, and eat nothing but Cheetos and ham and cheese sandwiches, and like stained t-shirts and painted on pants, and not be friends with morning or alarm clocks, and wear mohawk hats and go to city hospitals for their sheer entertainment value, and still manage to make a living and sometimes pay rent and super-size (or “make it a large”) their value meals at McDonald’s!

sound design

His name: Daito Manabe. Weird and genius.

Redefining the existent media and technologies from unique angles, I have been active in the various fields, such as art, design, and even research and development. I produce the output of sounds, images, and light through analyzing and transforming the numerical values gained from a various sensors and input devices.

[via]

cultural literacy and the "i'm a PC" campaign

Here are some excerpts of a brilliant post by one of my favorites, Grant McCracken, on the Mac vs. PC phenomenon.



Our culture has long been predicated in a simple distinction between the mainstream and the avant garde. This construction helped us understand the bourgeoisie as a group of people committed to convention and la doxa. They are, so the stereotype tells us, nervous nellies who are most reluctant ever to depart from their slavish conformity. Thank God, says the stereotype, for the avant-garde. These are risk takers who care nothing for convention or materialism, who bravely throw their personal comfort and safety to the winds in pursuit of artistic truth and social justice. (...)

Sometime in the 1990s, something happened. Our two-part system exploded. Now in the place of an inside mainstream and an outside avant garde, there was a great fragmentation. The mainstream lost its ability to police the tastes and believes and behavior of most people. The avant-garde lost its ability to control the restless, experimental margin. Both hegemonies lost their coercive power. (...) In the place of our founding duality, there were many groups who deferred neither to the center or the margin They simply went their own way. Yes, of course, they could hear the impatient scolding that came from center and edge, but, no, they weren't much interested. They were now prepared to go their own way. Respectable? Who cared? Hip? Who cared? The distinction was dead. (...)

What I did not see was that there was a cultural opportunity. I did not see it, at least, until Crispin Porter + Bogusky rolled out there "I am a PC" spot. But of course. Why didn't I think of that! There was a third position, created by the great cultural flowering of the 1990s. If Apple was avant garde, the path was clear for Windows to be the new alternative to the alternative. It could step out of the old contest that left it a clueless and bumbling mainstream play. It could embrace the great cultural efflorescence that emerged of the1990s and make itself a brand too concerned with real difference to care about merely hip difference. It could embrace real diversity instead of the single, predictable difference that comes from being cool. It could embrace authenticity instead of a pose. (...)

This is what cultural literacy is good for.

he was a ventriloquist's dummy for halloween

That's what being a cool kid with cool parents living in Brooklyn will get you.

[via]

coffee drinkers, engage thyselves!

You may have seen this before, but if you haven't you should take a look. Starbucks has a site called "My Starbucks Idea" where it gives users/consumers the chance to contribute with ideas in order to improve the company's services, products and brand. Starbucks has put together a team called "Idea Partners", a group of employees from different areas of the company, to dedicate themselves to reviewing what's submitted to the website. Brad Stevens, marketing VP, is also part of the team.


The project includes the "Ideas in Action" blog, where users can keep up with the status of the suggestions given. It is divided in four main categories: Under Review, Reviewed, Coming Soon, and Launched. The "Idea Partners" talk about the suggestions, if an idea is feasible, how it would be feasible and when they will be available.



Here are some suggestions I found particularly interesting:

"Cup Discount - I'm psyched that Starbucks has started using more environmentally friendly, partially recycled cups -- but isn't using travel mugs the best way to reduce waste? Encourage customers to reduce & reuse by reimbursing them for the money they save by using their starbucks travel mugs."

"Free wifi - do it."

"Personalized Ordering - Since most people order their coffee the same particular way every time, I think it would be a good idea to create a database of customers and how they like their coffee. This way when they order they would only have to say their name and the sticker would print out how they like their coffee. It would save time for Starbucks to ask what the customer wants, when most times the customer orders the same item the same way; and it will save the customer from the repetition of repeating their favorite drink every time they visit the store. If the customer wanted something different than they normally get, they would just order normally instead of giving their name."

"Starbucks iPhone app - Apple sold over 1m iPhone 3G in 2 days. It would be great to have a Starbucks' ordering app - for free - so we all can order our favorite bevs without having to stand in line. I'd like to be able to have a favorite, use the GPS - or a list of my favorite locations - and just order it. Funds can be subtracted from my Starbucks card. A win for all as I'd use Starbucks a lot more if I could order this way vs. standing in line."

"Tip jars - please remove the tip jar from the counter. seriously, i just paid almost 3 dollars for a cup of coffee in a recession. the last thing i should see is a tip jar."

social technology

The project “Massa do Bem” (literally translated as “Good Dough”) is the first “social technology” developed and implemented by the 3M Institute of Social Innovation in Brazil. It was developed by a team at a local college, Faculdade Metrocamp, who created small “containers” made out of bread dough – the Emsopão – used to serve soup to homeless people. The edible container not only feeds those in need, by also eliminates environmental and hygiene problems caused by disposable material made out of foam, foil or plastic.

The 3M Institute believed in the idea and hired the Food Technology Institute of Campinas to enrich the dough used to make the bread. Their research improved the amount of carbohydrates, proteins, fibbers and other nutrients that should be part one’s daily intake in order to have a healthy diet.

The project lasted almost two years between research and implementation. The expression “Sustainable Technologies” can be considered new, and it encloses methodologies, techniques, tools or processes that are economically accessible. They must be easily reproduced, should minimize the negative effects to the environment and improve quality of life.

The methodologies of social transformation, developed with the help of local residents and applied to their daily routine, are simple solutions to social inclusion. The goal of 3M Institute is to discover and implement social innovations that promote social development of communities where 3M of Brazil is involved, encouraging the spread of knowledge through social networks of students, journalists and the company’s employees.

++++++++

O projeto "Massa do Bem", primeira tecnologia social descoberta e aplicada pelo Instituto 3M de Inovação Social, foi desenvolvido por uma equipe da Faculdade Metrocamp. O grupo desenvolveu pequenas cumbucas de massa de pão – o Emsopão – utilizadas para servir sopa aos moradores de rua. Além de alimentar, a massa elimina problemas ambientais e de higiene causados por embalagens descartáveis de isopor, alumínio ou plástico.

O Instituto 3M apostou nessa idéia e contratou o Instituto de Tecnologia de Alimentos de Campinas, para enriquecer a massa utilizada no pão. Os estudos aprimoraram a quantidade de carboidratos, proteínas, fibras e outros nutrientes que devem ser ingeridos diariamente para que haja uma alimentação completa.

O projeto rendeu quase dois anos de estudos entre desenvolvimento e implantação. A expressão “Tecnologias Sustentáveis” pode ser considerada nova e compreende metodologias, técnicas, equipamentos ou processos economicamente acessíveis. Devem possuir fácil reprodução e minimizar os impactos negativos no meio ambiente e na qualidade de vida das pessoas.

Essas metodologias de transformação social, desenvolvidas com a participação da população e aplicadas ao seu cotidiano, gera soluções simples para a inclusão social. O objetivo do Instituto 3M é descobrir e aplicar inovações sociais que promovam o desenvolvimento social das comunidades onde a 3M do Brasil atua, gerando conhecimento por meio da formação de redes de relacionamento entre estudantes, jornalistas e funcionários da empresa.

[via]

some things you should believe in without being able to see

(click on the image to see it bigger)

(I put this together primarily to put an end to the question: "so what is it exactly that you do? What kind of designer are you? Oh, so you create logos, right?")

(Eu fiz esse gráfico à princípio para acabar com aquela pergunta: "o que exatamente você faz? Que tipo de design? Ah, então você cria logos, né?")

Based on a diagram developed by Luciano Deos, from GAD'.

a lesson on cultivating a creative culture

Approximately 18 kazillion awesome things happen around us every-day, each with the potential to inspire and spark creativity in us, but more often than not we choose to flip through yet another graphic design annual or web design gallery, look at the same handful of magazines that every-one else in our field is flipping through, and skim RSS feeds instead of trying to dig into research and study. We employ the tired, misused excuse of there being "nothing new under the sun" to justify our latest poorly-executed pop culture parody. At some point, we stop cultivating and start copying. Artists and designers walk in a strange tension between derivative inspiration and flat-out plagiarism. The former is natural and healthy, driven by curiosity and a desire to learn and experiment. The latter is a deadly combination of ignorance, laziness, and lack of skill.

...

[Your local library] is a free education in exchange for time and effort. I've spent the last six years trying to make up for not studying art or design in college and I've done it all for "a dollar fifty in late charges," as Will Hunting would say. Don't make the mistake of thinking there is a short-cut to learning the basics of your field or that shortcuts are unnecessary. We can't build a strong creative culture on top of a foundation full of holes, so take the time to build on solid ground.

...

It's not just about art and design; we need to begin looking outside our field(s) for inspiration. "The thing about architecture is that everybody reads too many [architecture] books. Architects look at architecture, but they don't open their eyes and look beyond that," says architect Mark Dytham. You're probably not an architect, but you can replace "architecture" with your field of choice and it still rings true. Whatever your daily role, chances are you spend your time reading, thinking, dreaming, and planning similarly to many of your peers. Too little of that and you're inept. But too much inward focus, and you lack objectivity or the chance for original thought. Then it's easy to slide into creative cruise control where it becomes tempting to copy and not think.

As fashion designer Paul Smith challenges, "If you can't find inspiration in the things around you, you're not looking hard enough." Magazine spreads from Smith's Small Paul campaign make frequent appearances in my office, so do articles about new takes on craft; photography, architecture, and interior design books; live performance calendars; places to visit; and a laptop full of links relating to installation art, new music, furniture, comfortable shoes, and how to grow tomatoes for a few weeks longer than my neighbor. In fact, after building that initial foundation, I find the less graphic design I look at these days, the less my graphic design looks like everything else. I started collecting magazine grid layouts for inspiration to use in web design user interfaces. Hand-drawn lettering has helped to shake up my Swiss typography sensibilities. Gardening gets me out of the office and into nature. Morning walks give me time to let my mind wander, free from action items and pixel pushing. You can't cultivate anything new from already exhausted raw materials. Get outside, literally and metaphorically, and watch the work you do branch out and improve.

...

"Our challenge isn't to strive for originality above all else; originality can quickly become a pressure-laden, unattainable goal and an idol to bow down before. Originality may likely be a byproduct of hard work, but it can't be the goal if we haven't already been diligently working toward competence in our pursuits."

[read the entire article here]

where media and church converge

I found a website that has completely grabbed my attention all day today. It's called Collide, a magazine for church leaders who use media and technology to communicate their message. They have articles who are interesting enough to keep anyone interested, whether you're a church goer or not. I'm not. If you have any interest in technology and how it relates to human behavior, social habits, design, and so forth, you will like it.

The website is carefully designed, the interface is very user-friendly and contemporary, it made me rethink the idea of what a church-related brand and deliverables could look like. It's a whole new approach to the subject, a perspective that is very refreshing. Collide is also on Twitter, Myspace and Facebook.

I got the chance to research some of the church websites mentioned by the magazine for having successfully developed a strong visual identity and brand presence, and I plan on posting something about that soon (I feel weird talking about "brand" when referring to a church, but really that's what it is). There's some really interesting stuff out there.

For now, I'll point you to this article about services available via podcast:

aw, man! i wish i was in NY

New York artists Mina Karimi and Kara Suhey are planning to reenact the awesome Beatles sing-a-long parade scene in 1986's Ferris Bueller's Day Off for the Greenwich Village Halloween parade. They're hoping to get a couple thousand "agents" to dress up like people from the era (the 80's), and dance to "Twist and Shout" as the float goes by. As they say it, "this will involve tens of thousands of people breaking out into the world's largest Beatles sing-a-long." They've even invited Matthew Broderick to play his original part!



And they taped a hand written letter to Matthew Broderick's door:

Dear Matthew Broderick,

In 1986, you made a movie that has been the standing template for cool since the day it was released. It has inspired and given people the courage to rock and roll and live authentically, a principle we would now like to celebrate in a most festive fashion this Friday night.

At 7:00 pm in the middle of 6th Ave, we are recreating the parade scene from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off as a part of the Greenwich Village Halloween Parade. We’ve got a 28 ft float, over 1,000 volunteers, balloons, sound equipment, and a whole entire marching band. There are no corporate ties to the event and it’s mostly just a group of friends looking to cultivate massive amounts of positive energy and for everyone to have an epically good time.

Our mission is to get everyone on the streets of NYC dancing until we reach or surpass the approximate enjoyment level of the original scene. We’ve been working hard to get all the pieces in place to give us the best chances of accomplishing this, and would now like to invite you to help us make this happen!!

Your role, if you choose to accept it, is to take over the float for one lip synching rendition of Twist & Shout in front of the TV camera crews stationed at 10th St & 6th Ave. With your brilliant coup, the crowd will absolutely go wild and NYC will erupt into one of the greatest and most joyous celebrations in the history of celebration in general.

Please let us know if you’re up for it. 2 million people are anticipated to view the event and would outrageously enjoy seeing you.

Thanks so much and have a super excellent evening!
Mina Karimi & Kara Suhey
projectbueller@gmail.com

[via NY News/NBC]

beautiful bowls

Log Bowls, by Loyal Loot.
The juxtapositions of rough/shiny, rustic/slick, earthy/colorful are what make this collection so irresistible. [via]




Tatara Zukuri Bowl, by Yosinori Yamamoto
Each piece is hand formed from a local Kyoto clay body, and finished with a vibrant blue glaze distinctive to the Kyoto region.

innovation man

design in the time of crisis

One of the things that were discussed at the II Brazilian Design Biennial I went to this past week was how "design innovation" differentiates itself from "technological innovation" in the situations where it's applied. Lincoln Seragini mentioned that Design can be a "shortcut" – in the good sense of the word – as a quicker, more immediate way to achieve a specific result. Innovation in technology requires a more extensive time to be developed and implemented, while an innovation in design can and should simplify an existing situation - turning it into a improved one.

Design is and should always be based in a wide range of research and observation of things like human behavior, culture, usability, economics, social context, and so on. But, undeniably, the process of design thinking requires more insight, creative intelligence and common sense than money. And because of that, it can guide businesses though a time of crisis and recession. (That applies to big corporations. Let's not forget that, for small and medium-size businesses, big expenditures are never an option, regardless of the financial context.)

Here are 3 innovation principles that Bruce Nussbaum got from Sam Lucente, designer for HP.

1- Design Can SIMPLIFY. Design can save money by creating a common design language among different products that reduces parts and makes them more user-friendly. Design can also simplify supply chains and organizations in general, also saving money. Incremental design can be good design.

2- Design Can DIFFERENTIATE. In a down market, a company needs to have THE product that consumers must have. That's what Sequoia said recently to its startups. Design can come up with that killer product by understanding what customers need and want at this point in time and giving it to them.

3- Design Can INNOVATE. Recessions are great times to come up with a service, product or experience that is totally new and game-changing for launch once the economic recovery begins. Remember, Apple came up with Apple stores and the iPod as the tech bubble burst. Companies that cut back on innovation to save on cost in a downturn lose competitive edge in the upturn.

You can click here to watch a quick video on the original post (sorry, it can't be embedded).

the brazilian, recyclable "moleskine"

Moleskines are hard to find and really expensive here in Brazil. What normally costs around 10 bucks in the US, is sold for roughly 3 times the price here. The options are not so wide either.

So, LV Design has created the Moleco, a brazilian version of the famous Moleskine - not only a whole lot cheaper than the original notebook, but also made of 100% recyclable material. The website is pretty cool, too.

Big ups to the initiative!

[via the lovely Ligia Fascioni]

things that stayed with me

Inovação só tem sentido se for colocada no mercado, à disposição das pessoas e consumidores. Senão ela é qualquer coisa, que não inovação. / Innovation can only make sense if it's made available in the market, to people and consumers. Otherwise, it's anything but innovation.
- Clayton Campanhola, Agência Brasileira de Desenvolvimento Industrial (ABDI) / Brazilian Agency of Industrial Development


Para um designer, inovar é uma proposta de vida. O designer é um otimista e deve sempre acreditar na solução. / To a designer, innovation is a goal in life. A designer is an optimist, and must always believe in the solution.
- Lincoln Seragini


E isso aqui, não tem palavras que descrevam. Eu, criança dos anos 80, conheci um dos homens que criaram o "Comer Brincando", Nelson Ivan Petzold. Ele criou muita coisa que faz parte das minhas memórias. Por isso eu o amo infinitamente. / This is beyond words. I met the man who created the silverware we - kids of the 80s - grew up with, Nelson Ivan Petzold. He's created so many things that are part of my memories. So I'll love the man forever.

II Bienal Brasileira de Design

I'll post more about this week soon. For now, here are the pictures of some beautiful architecture and a few amazing people.

in the heart of brazil

I'm in Brasília for a Design convention that's going on here:

This is my first time in the city and so far I'm not sure what to think besides that it's all very different. The streets don't have names: they whole city is divided into "sectors", "blocks", and "numbers". The city is shaped like an airplane, so people refer to "wings" to talk about locations. Weird and awesome, right? The avenues are wide, there are no sidewalks AT ALL. The architecture is UNBELIEVABLE. I've traveled a lot and I have yet to see something that compares to the visual impact that all the huge white monuments here have.

You can see some beautiful pictures here, here and here.

Now I'm going to bed. Tomorrow will be a long, long day. Pictures to come.

vote for that one

by Matt May

Tee available here.

on the occasion of my son turning the age I was

by Brett Axel

When you stole me, I wrote a poem.
In time I had
Two shoe boxes full –

Self-indulgent, “I am not
like other people” poems –
Pitiful, “I am so alone
lost in a strange world” poems –
Trite, “The cold, dark world
doesn’t understand me” poems –
Tautological, “My blue death
would disappear in the cobalt sky” poems –

Then I wrote praises
to your loving God
In hopes that He
would hear my lies
And deem me of sufficient value
to warrant a rescue –

I never was

And my sins were not forgiven
as you, my lover,
My rapist,
were prepared a glace of glory in Heaven –
Your account washed clean
by innocent blood
poorly spent.

But I became tall
and hair grew on my balls
and you lost interest in them
and loosened your grip
Enough to let me sneak
to freedom while you worked

And still you God did not send for me
to salvage what was left
of what I might have been
had you taken me
while walking home from school.

I became an adult
And hair grew on my face
And I infiltrated society –
Passing as one of the undamaged –
Writing my poems in seclusion
Until I had two floppy disks full

Blank verse narrative poems
Metaphysical ultimate reality poems
Existential absurdist poems
Neo-beatnik thought stream poems.

Until I became a child again
Long enough to remember
The rope burned wrists
The umbrella flood lamps
Long enough to testify.

And then, bastard
You pleaded guilty
And stole that from me as well
And over the next thousand days
I edited and refined
what I would have said
had I been given the chance.

I was not informed when you were released
but I know you were
because four years have passed
and you were only given three
Having been caught,
not with your lips
around some child’s secret,
but trafficking the pictures
you made when I was young.

And now you are somewhere
in my child's world
lurking near schoolyards,
preying on children,
cheap and disposable as always –
And the poems I write
do not get circulated
as widely as the pictures
you took of me
float anonymously
between your kind
on the internet.

++++++++++++

I found this somewhere I can't recall, a few years ago. This poems is one of the most poignant things I've ever read and it speaks to me in more ways than I wished for.

web therapy with Lisa Kudrow

Web Therapy as the name might imply, is not another one-sided windbag borefest, it's -- hello -- actual two-way conversations that purportedly take place in real time (just 3 minutes per session!) over dual webcams between annoying psychologist Dr. Fiona Wallace (Lisa Kudrow) and her exasperated patients. One that makes sense that it occurs over webcams. The initial episodes of Web Therapy are terrific viewing, and really hilarious. It's the very first web series where I thought "I'd watch every episode" and that's really saying something. [via]

Richard Pratt Session 1/3

Richard Pratt Session 2/3

Richard Pratt Session 3/3

not a big cat fan, but this is too good

behind the scenes – the creative process

So Chip Zdarsky is the artist behind this beautiful illustration here at the National Post. He posted this to his personal blog: I know sometimes people want to see "behind the curtain" at the "troll magic" that artists wield when making "art." So, with that in mind, here is my layout for the Iron Man spread.

Click on the image to enjoy the richness of details

the above-average todd diamond explains the bailouts

Todd Diamond is a self-made potential millionaire who doesn't need to admit when he's wrong because he's never wrong and, more importantly, always right. His self-published self-help books include "Diamond Nuggets: 96 Ways To Change My Life," "Blood Diamond: My Year in a Street Gang And How It Taught Me About The Market And Friendship" and "A Dark Knight Over The Federation: When Batman Met Captain Kirk, Part 4."

a little note to self

"You know what it is that you want you're just afraid to admit it
because you're afraid of failing. Fuck that. Fuck your fear.
You know what you want which is a hell of a lot more
than most other people so don't be afraid or ashamed
just go out + fucking get it."

++++++++++

Dear me,
get your shit together. Where are your balls?

Fucking get them.

Love,
yourself

some advice from mom

You can’t change people.

Learn to type. You can always be a secretary.

When someone is drowning, don’t jump in after them. Find a branch.

Men like it when you ask them to open the jars.

Laugh and the world laughs with you, cry and you cry alone.

[via]

advertising fear

Sadly, these are not hair-control products. Though now I'm afraid that iPods and Virgin Mobile phones will electrocute me.

[via]

dear ex-boyfriend...

I regret to bring to your attention a highly important matter in which you were unfortunately and detrimentally misinformed.

I have recently discovered—with the assistance of various and sundry battery-operated devices—that I am actually multi-orgasmic (42 in one go at last count). Multiple orgasms are not a myth propagated by hardcore staunch feminists, as you were apparently led to believe. And neither is the G-spot. The jury is still out on female ejaculation, however. I shall keep you duly informed, as a matter of public service.

Sincerely,

Ex-Girlfriend (no longer in a coma)

+++++++++++

I'm loving Down in Me

they keep me inspired

Marty Neumeier, Joe Duffy and Thomas Gad are the embodiment of every reason why I do what I do – while loving every minute of it.

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: design brand)

a lovely gift

Last week I met Dri, my friend/twin/Gêmulo's friend from São Paulo, who is also my friend now. She is lovely and ridiculously funny. She's been through hell and back, but somehow manages to keep a smile on her face. My sister and I share with her the taste for music – we always love the same songs. So remember mixed tapes? Exactly. Check out what we got from her (you will want to be her friend too):



Brigada, Dri!!!!

about the people on my sidebar

Quem realmente me conhece sabe que eu amo política. Eu leio sobre política diariamente, assisto na TV, leio nos jornais, coloco coisas aqui no blog e tenho várias opiniões. Geralmente não converso sobre isso, porque sinto que não sou muito boa em me expressar em termos políticos. Então, entre soar burra e não dizer nada, geralmente escolho a segunda opção.

O fato é que acho importante tentarmos ter algum efeito naqueles que nos lêem e nos acompanham de alguma forma. As pessoas que apoiamos, sejam elas em nossos círculos de amizades ou na esfera política, dizem muito sobre quem somos.

Eu sempre tive um selinho do Obama no fim da coluna à direita, mas acabei ignorando o fato de que esse ano também é ano de eleições no Brasil. Não é algo tão grande quanto nos EUA, já que são eleições municipais, mas mesmo assim estamos elegendo pessoas que supostamente nos representarão. É tudo muito importante.

Eu apoio as três pessoas na minha sidebar – Jô Moraes (para Prefeitura de Belo Horizonte, onde moro), Soninha (para Prefeitura de São Paulo) e Obama (para presidência dos Estados Unidos). Tudo bem, eu sei que só posso votar em BH, mas isso não significa que eu não sigo o que está acontecendo em outros lugares ou que eu não tenha opiniões sobre quem está concorrendo por aí. Tenho tentado seguir a trajetória dessas três pessoas, e se pudesse votar em todos os lugares, eles teriam o meu voto. Como mencionei antes, não sou boa falando de política, mas te dou minha palavra de honra que sou uma menina inteligente, sei ler e escrever com total habilidade, estudei, me formei, tento ser bem “antenada” e ter bastante bom senso na maior parte do tempo – ou seja, fiz meu dever de casa.

No final das contas, são só pessoas: eu, você, minha família, sua família, a família do seu vizinho, a família do primo do meu amigo, etc e tal. Seremos todos afetados por quem for eleito, seja ele(a) Prefeito(a) ou presidente, aqui ou lá.

Essas são as pessoas que apóio. Eu acredito em suas propostas, acho que elas representam uma perspectiva nova e apoiá-las diz algo sobre o mundo em que quero viver. Você, obviamente não tem que ter as mesmas opiniões que eu, mas, definitivamente, você deveria ter uma opinião. Nem que seja o oposto da minha. O que não podemos fazer, nessa altura do campeonato, é ficarmos aqui ocupando espaço e não acreditarmos em nada.

Jô Moraes para Prefeita de Belo Horizonte.

Soninha para Prefeita de São Paulo.

Obama for President of the U.S.

++++++++++++++++++

People who really know me know that I love politics. I read about it daily, I watch it on TV, I post about it, and I have way too many opinions. I don't talk too much about it, though, because I often feel like I'm not really good at expressing myself the way I would like to in political terms. So between sounding dumb and not saying anything at all, I usually chose the second option.

But the fact is that I think it's important to put ourselves out honestly and try to have a positive effect on the people we surround or who take the time to come read our blog. The people we support, whether it's in our close circle of friends or politically, says a lot about who we are.

I've always had the little "Obama" stamp on the bottom of my sidebar, but I ended up ignoring the fact that this year is election year in Brazil too. It's not a huge year like it is in the US – we are voting for mayors and other positions on city-level – but nevertheless those are people that supposedly are there to represent us, so yes, sir – it is very important too.

I strongly support the three people on my sidebar – Jô Moraes (for Mayor of Belo Horizonte, the city where I live), Soninha (for Mayor of São Paulo, the biggest city in Brazil), and Obama (for president of the U.S.). I know, I can't vote in São Paulo or in the United States, but that doesn't mean I don't follow what's going on t there or that I don't have an opinion about who's running. I have tried to follow those three people closely and if I could vote in all of the three places, they would all have my support. As I mentioned before, I'm not good at talking about politics, but I can give you my word that I'm a smart girl – I can read and write proficiently, I went to school, I try to be well-rounded and have pretty damn good common-sense most of the time – so I've done my homework.

At the end of the day, it's all about people: me, you, my family, your family, your neighbor's family, my friend's cousin's family, and so on. We'll all be affected by whoever is elected mayor or president, here or there.

Those are the people I support. I believe in what they do, I think they represent a new perspective and supporting them says something about the world I want to live in. You obviously don't need to have the same opinions as be, but you should definitely have one. Even if it is the exact opposite. What we cannot do, at this point in time, is take up space and stand up for nothing.


Jô Moraes para Prefeita de Belo Horizonte.

Soninha para Prefeita de São Paulo.

Obama for President of the U.S.

reality, in a nutshell

Poo Break at EuroDisney

that's love, in a nutshell

convincing old jewish people to vote for Obama

The Great Schlep aims to have Jewish grandchildren visit their grandparents in Florida, educate them about Obama, and therefore swing the crucial Florida vote in his favor.



Barack is a hebrew word; it means"lightning". And I would much rather have a president whose name means "lightning" than a president named John whose name means "toilet" or "a guy who fucks hookers". (...) He's circumsupersized!

so beautiful it hurts

You treat me like a vision in the night
Someone there to stand behind you
When your world ain't working right
I ain't no vision, I'm the girl
who loves you inside and out
Backwards and forwards with my heart hanging out
I love no other way

hey, john – i got a question

So McCain stood David Letterman up, claiming he's rushing back to Washington, "getting in a plane immediately", to save the economy (like "Economy" is a 20-some year old girl hanging from a building). In the middle of the taping David gets word that McCain was, in fact just down the street being interviewed by Katie Couric.



You don't suspend your campaign. This doesn't smell right. This isn't the way a tested hero behaves. I think someone's putting something in his Metamucil.

He can't run the campaign because the economy is cratering? Fine, put in your second string quarterback, Sarah Palin. Where is she?

What are you going to do if you're elected and things get tough? Suspend being president? We've got a guy like that now!

Hey John, I got a question – you need a ride to the airport?

[via]