A Future of Urbanization

Nicely put together proposal for effective urban planning with a focus on pedestrian life quality given a future of urban densification and as inspired by infamous the Kowloon Walled City.

Michael DeForge's "Ant Comic"

Fascinating and enrapturing, Michael DeForge's "Ant Comic" series is a hell of a trip with rich, bizarre visuals and some heady sondering.

The story is loosely based on the typical life of an ant colony, with a healthy spattering of anthropomorphic mysticism & existentialism.

It's also a little NSFW, fair warning.

Check out the whole series on Michael DeForge's site!

1920s Japan

I'm trying to figure out what it was like to grow up in 1920/30s Japan. I think I'm going to interview my grandmother at some point in this, but I'm doing a more cursory look at references in the meantime.

Soft Robotics & Explosive Chambers

Harvard's silicone based "soft robotics" research has produced some fascinating results; here's a soft-body robot designed with elastic chambers containing a methane / oxygen mix which combusts provided an electric charge. The combustion within the body of the robot causes a violent but reasonably controlled spasm, launching the robot into the air. Sweet.

日本の昔々

Japan, the 1800s; lifestyle and photographic presentation.

Our Relationship with the Written Word

Written word is one of the earliest forms of phenomenological design, a means to affect the presence of another person within the mind of the reader. It's a powerful and emotional phenomenon when executed by a skilled author, weaving engaging narratives and endearing, rich characters all from the simple context of a common written language.

Techniques in written word have been evolving since the advent of written language and technologies for the distribution of written word have matured over the ages to reach the mass market, but written word has always maintained a single fundamental feature: that the reader's copy of the material is static, non-interactive despite its faculty for delivering emotional depth. Even a written letter has a static nature, despite its purpose in demanding a response.

Five Hundred and Seven Mechanical Movements

The most momentous and glorious discovery I have ever made on the internet.

Five Hundred and Seven Mechanical Movements is an online compendium of technical diagrams (even animations!) for five hundred and seven mechanical movements used in simple machines.

Fascinating and hypnotizing, it's a testament to the quintessential human faculty for engineering.

One look is enough to make you want to drop everything and make like Michel Gondry. Anyone else ridiculously excited about Mood Indigo (L'écume des Jours) by the way?

Maria Montez

This post comes to us from artist and aestheticist satellite contributor Christopher Richmond, who keeps his own fascinating research blog, Something, Something, Hill of Bees.

Blue (1993)

Against a plain, unchanging blue screen, a densely interwoven soundtrack of voices, sound effects and music attempt to convey a portrait of Derek Jarman's experiences with AIDS, both literally and allegorically, together with an exploration of the meanings associated with the colour blue.
Writer / Director Derek Jarman
Blue (1993) on IMDb

Designing Bag Melba

One of my first accomplishments for 2013 was an unexpected one, creating my first leather bag from scratch, well almost from scratch.  My desire to do so came a few days before Christmas as I was walking though the airport with my worn-out canvas overnight bag, admiring everyone else (okay maybe not everyone) with they're cool carry-on bags of leather.  I've never invested in a nice overnight bag or duffle and I was sorely wishing I had.  At this point, I just told myself I had to go on a mission to find a good bag that could carry enough for a weekend and still look uber chic without breaking my piggy bank.  

Photojournalism, Tenebrism, and Why I Dislike Rembrandt

"Magnum is a community of thought, a shared human quality, a curiosity about what is going on in the world, a respect for what is going on and a desire to transcribe it visually." – Henri Cartier-Bresson

I was recently inspired by a really interesting article on NPR, deciding to explore the massive online vault of the Magnum Agency, quite possibly the most respected collective of photographers in the world. The article explores the moral implications of photographing and incidentally disturbing a person in grief. It's a challenging scenario because the photographer has to overtake split-decision moral obstacles while on the job; that moment could be gone forever in a blink of an eye and it's your job to capture that moment. I find it amazing that these photographers were able to create, striking and more often than not, ironically beautiful tableaus, while being overwhelmed in their environment. 

The Composition of a Good Design

We live in a world where we are surrounded by design, from the toothbrush we use to brush our teeth to the style of font in which these words appear.  I was recently told about the documentary Helvetica and it got me to thinking about design and what makes it so effective that it can become nearly timeless.  One thing I found interesting in the independent documentary about typography and graphic design is how Massimo Vignelli compared the composition of typography to music, "it's the space in between the notes that makes the music" and the same rule applies for typography.  Design is a powerful element in our world, it can set the mood and the atmosphere, not only affecting us physically, but mentally as well.  I recommend watching Helvetica, especially if you are of the creative type, it's easily become a one of my favorites and is available on Netflix.  Another one of my favorite documentaries about design, also on Netflix, is Eames: The Architect & The Painter.

As a designer myself, I am constantly trying to figure out what makes a good design.   I think Dieter Rams, a well-known industrial designer, says it best in his ten principles for good design:

1. Good design is innovative
2. Good design makes a product useful
3. Good design is aesthetic
4. Good design makes a product understandable
5. Good design is unobtrusive
6. Good design is honest
7. Good design is long-lasting
8. Good design is thorough down to the last detail
9. Good design is environmentally-friendly
10. Good design is as little design as possible

Read more about Dieter Rams ten principles of design at Vitsoe.

It's interesting how lengthy and complex the process can be only to create something so simple in the end.  No matter how hard I try I can never get around the ten steps forward and nine steps back.  The only way I can ever decide if a design is good is if is functional, beautiful, and if I still like it ten years later.  Unfortunately, my answer takes some considerable time.
What do you think goes into creating a good design?

The Pokeymans Project: a Transmedia Experiment

Here's an excerpt from The Pokeymans Project, a prolific little tumblr where the author and illustrator, Noelle Stevenson, (whose webcomic NIMONA other tumblr are also awesome) takes a submitted description of a real, licensed Pokemon character and attempts to render the character with no other input.

Sundance Winner IRISH FOLK FURNITURE

Have you seen the Sundance winner IRISH FOLK FURNITURE? It's a wonderful little meditation on design and tradition. It delivers nostalgia, aesthetics, humor, and a documentarian style without pretension. Awesome!

Fashion inspiration with a Shiba Inu

Any guys out there who want some spot on and in trend fashion inspiration check this blog out. You don't have to be a guy to enjoy this...trust me!

Looking forward to all the looks to come @ Menswear Dog!
Happy middle of the week!

Color - Method of Action

Cool little color game to test your color acuity. Check it out!

What is Phenomenology?

Today we're going to talk about a concept you might already be fairly familiar with, even if you haven't had time for much critical thought on the subject before now. Phenomenology literally "the study of that which is apparent", is the study of experience established by Edmond Husserl in the early 20th century. Phenomena (that which appears or is apparent) was defined by Immanuel Kant in his 1781 "Critique of Pure Reason" by its contrast with noumena, a "thing-in-itself".

Bending and Not Breaking

A particular article on Forbes.com struck a deep chord with me. It was posted yesterday morning under the tech section. It is an article about Ping Fu, a Chinese woman about my dad's age who even after a decade of torture, degradation and "re-education" is at the forefront of the 3D printing revolution. Many of you have probably heard or come across 3D printing solutions; well this woman headed Geomagic, a company that was recently acquired by 3D Systems. She's a big deal in the entrepreneurship world, but still remains extremely humble. Her new book called Bend Not Break was on Tina Brown's must reads list on NPR. After reading this article and watching her interviews I cannot wait to start her book.

Grover's Metaphysics

The Book

I was recently reminded of a book my mother used to read to me as a child. I have to say, just the thought of this book stirs up an incredible vortex of childhood memories. The book is one of my earliest recollections and I would go so far as to say it is the most influential piece of fiction I have yet to come across.

The Monster at the End of this Book, by Jon Stone (Illustrated by Michael Smollin). Please take the time to read this book right now. It's just over 400 words long and it changed my life.

For those of you who'd rather not: it's a book who's main character, Grover, is terrified of the ending, for as the title suggests, there is a fucking monster at the end of this book. Despite his industrious attempts at halting your progress, you of course reach the end only to find that Grover was the monster all along.

FireSides #1 - Part 1: Cellini's Rave

FireSides is a repository of histories, legends, and anecdotes. Many of these stories are based in fact, while others are only rumored to be true. Like the flickering campfire, these tales aim to briefly illuminate life's mysteries, fueling the flame of curiosity.

––––––––//––––––––

Here's what we know for sure:

While virtually all other Italian city-states had since adopted some form of monarchy, the Republican Commune of Florence remained a bastion of civil liberties. It's people took massive amounts of pride in knowing that no matter what station of society they were born into anyone could rise to the top. But this golden hippie paradise was perched atop a tenuous thread. Ambitions from within and without were constantly threatening to destabilize this brotherhood. When they weren't stringing people up in la piazza, power mongers in Florence were commissioning massive art projects in order to sway public opinion into their favor.