The Conjugation of the Paramecium

by Muriel Rukeyser


This has nothing
to do with
propagating

The species
is continued
as so many are
(among the smaller creatures)
by fission

(and this species
is very small
next in order to
the amoeba, the beginning one)

The paramecium
achieves, then,
immortality
by dividing

But when
the paramecium
desires renewal
strength another joy
this is what
the paramecium does:

The paramecium
lies down beside
another paramecium

Slowly inexplicably
the exchange
takes place
in which
some bits
of the nucleus of each
are exchanged

for some bits
of the nucleus
of the other

This is called
the conjugation of the paramecium.

on how design thrives during economic crisis

Yesterday's New York Times feauted a wonderful article on how history has proven that design can benefit from economic constraints. Makes me hopeful and excited to be part of the industry right now.

"...however dark the economic picture, it will most likely cause designers to shift their attention from consumer products to the more pressing needs of infrastructure, housing, city planning, transit and energy. Designers are good at coming up with new ways of looking at complex problems, and if President-elect Barack Obama delivers anything like a W.P.A, we could be 'standing on the brink of one of the most productive periods of design ever,' said Reed Kroloff, director of Cranbrook Academy of Art.

On the other hand, the design community talked up its role in safeguarding the world after 9/11, with little result.

Modernism’s great ambition was to democratize design. Ikea and Target have shown that the battle for cheap design can be won. The emphasis will most likely shift to greater quality at affordable prices. This time around it will be the designer’s job to discourage consumers from regarding that $30 Ikea side table as a throwaway item.

(...) 'It will be about finding the sweet spot between affordability and durability,' Ms. Lasky said. This kind of innovation means rethinking the economy of production and distribution so that goods are made cheaply closer to home (or in the home, if the most radical ideas are to be taken seriously).

One way or another, design will focus less on styling consumer objects with laser-cut patterns and colored resin and more on the intelligent reworking of current conditions. Expect to hear a lot more about open-source design, and cradle-to-cradle, a concept developed by William McDonough and Michael Braungart that calls for cars, packaging and other everyday objects to be designed specifically for recycling so that their parts and materials are used and reused without waste."

if you´re gonna do it, do it right

"...pumping an RSS feed into Twitter alone doesn’t really merit a lot of attention. There’s no non-story 'Twitter exclusive' comments from Salon’s editorial staff, no “@ replies” with the Twitter audience, no follows. No real social media engagement, in other words." [link]

In other words, if your blog is also on Twitter, be relevant in both platforms without being redundant. If I want to know when you post something new, I'll subscribe to your feed. Get it right, will ya?


Thanks, Ferds!

pop surreal

Beautiful work by illustrator/art director Rafael Silveira. Some of his fine art and comissioned pieces can also be seen on his Flickr.

killing us softly

"Jean Kilbourne's pioneering work helped develop and popularize the study of gender representation in advertising. Her award-winning Killing us Softly films have influenced millions of college and high school students across two generations and on an international scale. In this important new film, Kilbourne reviews if and how the image of women in advertising has changed over the last 20 years."

stopping isn't required, it's also fun!

A STOP sign, please. from Mauricio Campos - COMMO design on Vimeo.

Thanks, Ricardo!

designers: why whisper when you can yell?!

Cliente designer from Mauricio Campos - COMMO design on Vimeo.


Thanks, Ricardo!

not good at all

2009 didn't start well for me. Today was one of those days I want and need to forget quickly. I don't remember ever being so disappointed at someone as I was today. I don't think I ever felt this kind of pain, the kind that almost hurts you physically.

But things like that usually come with a lesson, and I realized today that time has made me a lot stronger than I had given myself credit for. I realized that no matter if I'm the kind of person you like to have around or not, one thing no one can EVER judge is my character. Because it's not flexible, it's not shaped by whom I might be involved with, or what odd situation I might find myself in. In my universe, some things are clearly right or wrong, they are simply black or white. It's not an easy approach to life - believe me - but it's the only one I know. It's not always what gets you the guy, or the job, or the popularity others with a more flexible concept of decency might enjoy, but it's the only one I believe in. The only one that lets me sleep at night.

It baffles me how some people can be so self-righteous but still have so much character building to do. May maturity come to them at some point in life.

first purchase of 2009

"Uncertainty" (11'' x 14''), by Andrew Bannecker. Some of his prints are available at Charmingwall.

identifying the strategic contributions of design thinking

"Janet Rae-Dupree wrote about design thinking in the business section of the New York Times this weekend. It is good to see the discussion about the broader role for design appearing in the mass media. The article illustrates the very gray line between the traditional role of design and the more strategic contribution that design thinking can make. It is sometimes hard to tell what happened from the physical outcomes alone which adds to the challenge when it comes to explaining what design thinking is. I find it very easy to slip toward describing what is simply good design (based on a relatively conventional brief) or what is good business using normal convergent processes. A test is perhaps whether the business (or organizational, or societal) outcome is significantly different than would have been the case if design thinking had not taken place. In other words, were new choices created not only about the product, service or experience but about the business goal itself? Did a product become a service? Did a service become an experience? Were entirely new users or markets identified? Were new to the world offerings created? These questions seem to reflect the higher bar that I believe we might expect to be the result of a broader application of the design approach."

Tim Brown, CEO of IDEO, on how to identify the strategic contributions of design thinking.

you must accept

You must accept that’s who he really is.
You must accept that you cannot be his
unless he can be yours. No compromise.
He is a canvas on which paint never dries;
a clay that never sets; he’s steel that bends
in a breeze; he’s a melody that when it ends
no one can whistle; he is not who
you thought. He’s not. He is a shoe
that walks away: “I will not go where you
want to go.” “Why, then, are you a shoe?”
“I’m not. I have the sole of a lover
but don’t know what love is.” “Discover
it, then.” “Will I have to go where you go?”
“Sometimes.” “Be patient with you?” “Yes.” “Then, no.”
You have to hear what he is telling you
and see what he is; how it is killing you.

-- Kate Light


Você deve aceitar que ele é realmente isso.
Você deve aceitar que não pode ser dele
a menos que ele seja seu. Sem concessões.
Ele é uma tela onde tinta nunca seca;
argila que não toma forma; ele é ferro que se entorta
com uma brisa; ele é uma melodia que, quando acaba,
ninguém sabe assobiar; ele não é quem
você pensou. Nao é. Ele é um sapato
que anda para longe. "Eu não irei para onde
você quer ir." "Então por que você é um sapato?"
"Não sou. Eu tenho a sola de um amante,
mas não sei o que é amor." "Descubra,
então." "Terei de ir onde você for?"
"Às vezes." "Ser paciente com você?" "Sim." "Então, não."
Você tem de escutar o que ele está lhe falando
e ver o que ele é; como está lhe matando.


++++++++

(had to translate this one; fits like a glove.)

a sign of good things to come

The Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC), which is, as the name says, organizing Obama's inauguration event, has created a site where you can see big chart detailing each and every contribution they have received.

The committee only accepts individual donations, and you can sort them by name, employer, amount, and location. "Unlike previous inaugural committees, the 2009 PIC does not accept contributions from corporations, political action committees, labor unions, current federally-registered lobbyists, non-U.S. citizens and registered foreign agents and does not accept individual contributions in excess of $50,000." You can see several well-known names there: several people from Google, Dreamworks, The Container Store ($25,000), Yahoo!, and the Soros family - who donated a total of $250K, being $150K under the Soros Fund Management employer name.

That's the thing about transparency: if information is available, people ARE going to make their way to it. It's really a simple and revolutionary idea.

did you know?

the 'broken window' theory + environment management

New Scientist has an excellent article about some research at the University of Groningen that empirically proves the 'broken window' theory.

"People become more disobedient in environments plagued by litter and graffiti, research has shown. They can be tempted to trespass, drop litter, and even steal money if they perceive from their environment that it's OK to break rules (...)

The researchers conclude that one type of antisocial behaviour leads to others, because people's sense of social obligation to others is eroded. 'When people think they can get away with it because other people already have, they do,' says Keizer."

Gareth Kay, head of planning at Boston's Modernista!, adds some great insight to the subject and discusses how the results of the research could uncover the new role of communications and advertising in the public space, as tools for managing the environment.

"So, perhaps we should think about communications as being more about environment management, creating an environment where people are more likely to behave in a favorable way. About seeding the right environment where behavior is more likely to take hold. Which puts us squarely back in the culture business..."

on "target audience"

"But what should we expect of someone who wants to hit us, who sees us only as a target? Targets don't interact, they are passive. They just sit there, waiting to be stabbed or poked. Nobody respects a target; it's there as an exercise, to count the points of a competition, just so one person can win and the others lose (of course the target never wins). A target is bidimensional, it has no refinement or originality. Nobody wants to know what the target thinks, feels, or wants. It's cruel and tasteless. I don't know about you, but I hate being seen and treated as a target. We urgently need new ideas."

Mas também, o que esperar de alguém que quer nos atingir, que nos considera apenas um alvo? Alvo não interage, é passivo. Fica quieto, só esperando ser espetado ou furado. Ninguém respeita alvo; ele está lá só como exercício, para contar pontos na competição, para somente um ganhar e todos os outros perderem (claro que o alvo nunca ganha). Alvo é bidimensional, sem nenhum refinamento ou originalidade. Ninguém quer saber o que o alvo pensa, sente, ou quer. É cruel e de mau gosto. Não sei quanto a vocês, mas eu detesto ser vista e tratada como alvo. Precisamos urgentemente de novas idéias.

by Lígia Fascioni. Read full text here (in portuguese).

a draft from 10/29/07

"Moving back to Brazil has been a long, tiresome rollercoaster ride. I packed a whole apartment that I had of my own and moved back to my parents' home, where I still have (and always will have) a room and plenty of support. I gave up a stable routine, a small but comfortable apartment that had my personality all over it, a nice car, amazingly loyal friends, and a job that allowed me to pay my own bills, and went from having to having-not. From being fully on my own to not even needing a set of keys when I leave the house.

I know this is sounding bad, as if I'm complaining, but what I'm really trying to say here is that coming back home took me more courage than than the courage I needed when I left to be on my own. Coming back came with a heavy price.

I'm having a lot of time to think, the kind of time that I don't wish to have right now. I feel an almost compulsive need to work nonstop, to occupy myself with things that require from me an almost scientific knowledge of problem-solving. I want all those possibilities to just leave right now. I want them to pack their shit and leave me here with simple and definite options. Like where what I want to do. Where I want to live, and how I want to live. I want days filled with solutions handed to me on a silver tray. Surprise me with the best choice. Brainfreeze me. Make me numb. Let me listen to music and not remember people and places. Leave me nostalgia-free. Vacate me for about a week. Move me forward, push me if you have to."

I wasn't very happy. Some things still bother me, but I'm more comfortable on my own skin. Somehow things worked out on their own, like they always do. I have reconnected with friends, I have a car, a job that I love, a great relationship with my family, and an improved self-steem. But the fact that I came back still blows me away. And I'm starting to get a little more nostalgic. You know, when you start remembering all those great things that weren't really "that" great? This simulacrum is usually what gets me in trouble.

there should be a law... II

If you've know me for more than a day you have probably realized that I'm a very annoyable person. Actually, I am the kind of person who deals better with big problems in life that with everyday annoyances. Finding out the company I work for might go bankrupt might concern me to a certain degree, but having someone not reply to my email is a good reason for me to want to murder you. So you get the point.

About a year ago I wrote the "there should be a law"post, where I mentioned there would be more to come, but there wasn't until now. As I sit here after 2 days of total holiday boredom and too much unnecessary eating, I feel that there's no better time to talk about what makes me bitter. So here we go, starting from #8:

There should be a law - the sequel:

8. There should be a law prohibiting people from whistling. Why the f*ck would I want to hear the sound of air coming out of a tiny hole you make with your mouth? Pretty self-explanatory.

9. There should be a law saying that you can only post on Twitter useful links or funny phrases that will add insight or joy to your followers' days. I honestly do not give a crap about where you are, or what you're watching, or how long you took in that bath of yours. You should do us all a favor and drawn if you're one of those people.

10. Repeat after me: they are = they're; their = belongs to them; there = exists or indicates location. Not understanding the difference between those three, specially if you're (notice: not YOUR) from an English-speaking country makes me automatically lose any respect I might have had from you from the start, if any. I believe this is a good way to measure someone's character.

11. There should be a law against the use of the word "blogosfera", which means "blogosphere" in portuguese. To be more accurate, it means "the universe of blogs made in Brazil", which is conceptually annoying, small and country. It's like calling sneakers "fancy shoes". It's just bad. Don't say it. Unless you want me to hit you, and in that case, you should just ask.

12. There should be a law against people in Brazil correcting you for your accurate pronunciation of English. If I know how to say "world" I will not go out of my way to say "WORRRRRRD" (french "r" here) just because that's how you've managed to say it. I will not say "HAAALPH" if it's "Ralph", or "BLOOTOOPHEE" if it's "Bluetooth". YOU get it right, damn it. I've already done my homework.

13. And by the way, it's BeYONcé (emphasis on "yon"), not BeyonCÉ (emphasis on "cé"). Do I have to keep repeating myself??

14. There should be a law against making any kind of hand gestures when posing for a picture. Unless you are Lindsay Lohan or you belong to a respectable gang - small gangs with 10 members or less are not included - , keep your hands and fingers to yourself. It's not cute, don't make me embarrass you in front of pseudo-gang-member friends.

15. There should be a law against touching my computer screen. Unless you plan on murdering me after pointing something out, and then the C.S.I people can come and collect your fingerprint to find out who killed me and catch you afterward, I do not need you to leave any marks on my territory. Yes, this area here, from the edge of my laptop, to about 1 and half feet around it, is mine to use as I please. Be respectful of that and understand that the violation of those 18 inches I require may result in immediate verbal assault in form of very, very dry sarcasm.

(I'm sure there will be more, but for now that's it)

eartha mae kitt, 1927 - 2008

The most exciting woman in the world.

legallynormal very brief christmas gift guide

from Etsy. Sold out, unfortunately. [via]

Merry Christmas. May Santa not find out you've been bad.

anycoloryoulike

"TRASH: anycoloryoulike is a vivid art intervention for urban beautification and environmental awareness. The project consists of select city blocks in which new artist-created bags transform standard piles of trash into vivid sculptures of color through the participation of local business owners and residents. Each TRASH bag is 100% biodegradable and naturally scented to repel insects and vermin."

bluebird, c. bukowski

ah, the details...

(The name is printed on the branch with a rubber stamp)

[via]

"And then I felt sad because I realized that once people are broken in certain ways, they can’t ever be fixed, and this is something nobody ever tells you when you are young and it never fails to surprise you as you grow older as you see the people in your life break one by one. You wonder when your turn is going to be, or if it’s already happened."

- Douglas Coupland, Life After God

i am. and you should too.

[via]

ana

My sister says this is my song. I believe her. And I like it.



(a better, live version is available here)

talent clearly runs in the family

Photos taken by my brother-in-law at Ana Cañas and Móveis Coloniais de Acaju's concert this week. A thing of beauty, right? (Click on the images for full enjoyment)

just what i needed

As if this year hadn't been exciting enough, the universe has awarded me with a 3mm kidney stone.

F*ck you, universe. You better run if I see you.

home

Say what you want to say, Indiana is home to me. Indianapolis was a wonderful home during the 7 amazing years I spent there, and a HUGE part of me became a Hoosier. I don't like it when people put their ignorance on display by talking about how much they know about midwestern culture and the "middle american", as if they have actually deeply experienced that culture and place themselves. It's one of those things that really gets on my nerves. But that's another post.

I've been gone for a little over a year and the landscape of the city I have grown to love as my own is going through major changes. The RCA Dome is being imploded tomorrow morning. Its roof was inflated on September 24th, 2008. This video makes me want to cry, and that's one of the moments I realize I'm no longer just Brazilian.



++++++++

UPDATE (Dec 20, 2008):

I have a new crush. The big and complicated kind. The best kind there is.

2008

Isn't it beautiful when you realize that you have accomplished almost everything you wanted to for the past year? I hadn't felt this kind of "goodness" in a while.

It's finally here.

Not everything was fun – or easy – but 2008 marks the start of a lot of new things for me.

I moved back home as a completely different person. That's an experience in itself. I fell hard in and out of love. I had major surgery. I became friends with my sister and gained a friend/brother-in-law in the process. I traveled a bunch, reunited with good and old friends, went back to weekly therapy. Was crazy happy, then crazy sad, then crazy happy all over again. I took BIG chances, stepped out of my element, and I don't regret a thing.

Being proud of yourself is one of the few things nobody can take away from you.

And I feel pretty damn good about myself right now.

idiot comics

[link]

go to Argentina, have a good ol' time. ask me how.

I just came back from a lovely trip to Argentina that's consumed every ounce of energy I had and that checked-off my "to-do-before-I-die list" a couple of items.

First, I SAW MADONNA LIVE!!! Yes, me – the crowd-avoider, que "don't-touch-more-than-once-or-i'll-hit-you", the "get-me-out-of-here-it's-too-damn-hot"!! I f*cking did it. And loved every minute of it.




I'm too tired to talk about the whole trip right now, but I plan on writing something decent sometime this week. For now, you can check out my flickr. If I look happy and a little tipsy in the pictures, it's because I was.

the truth like you've never seen before

better than a box in the basement

written and sewn by Wood, Juniper's mom.

OH MY GOD, I LOVE HER WITH NO END!

She's 12 and she's awesome and she's pure coolness.



"No one in class got swagger this cool..."

[via]

[via] [link]

Another beautiful work by Anne-Davnes Dusenberry Elser

CURRYOKE

"To celebrate Christmas, Gavin Martin Associates decided to hold a Curryoke party - an evening of curry and karaoke - and asked Purpose to design the invitation. Purpose subverted popular Karaoke songs and the iconic Indian take away container to create a memorable invite.

The invitations where delivered in a brown paper bag containing a number of curry containers, each with a different song message scrawled on the top. Songs include: ‘Murder on Dhansk floor’, ‘Love me tandoor’, ‘Rice rice baby’ and ‘Naaneater’, amongst many others. Hidden away on the flipside of the lid are the event details foil blocked onto mirror board."

Panettone

"For their first Christmas, newly established printers Greenford Printing wanted a memorable way to promote their business and at the same time wish their valued clients a 'Merry Christmas and Happy New Year'." - by Purpose

I love you but...

[via]

who told him he could change the font?

Obama was a hip Gotham sans-serif during the campaign. It's not even January and he's become a serif. Oh, the disappointment.

scuppie, the new yuppie

click for larger images

SCUP·PIE /skәp·e/n. (Socially Conscious Upwardly-mobile Person)

1.A person who desires all the best life can offer and strives for those goals in a socially conscious manner.

2. One who is dedicated to the pursuit of peace, happiness and cash (not necessarily in that order).

3. Someone ‘green’ -- i.e. one who understands the love of money does not preclude the love of nature...and vice-versa.

"Failla’s goal is to have Scuppie take its place in the American lexicon as the natural evolution of the Hippie-Preppie-Yuppie progression. To accomplish this, he has launched a national promotional campaign and is currently penning “The Scuppie Handbook: A Practical Guide to Living Well while Doing Good."

[via The Scuppie Handbook]