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Design research urls #19

The 'Design research urls' series was one of the best things I did on this blog so let's start it up again.

93. I really don't like it when they mess around with zebra crossings. They might look fun at first but massive black and white stripes are excellent for partially sighted pedestrians or, say, a distracted driver in a fast moving car. Optical illusions, multiple coloured bars, or typography? Not so much. They say it's meant to slow down traffic, I don't buy that at all. It may slow you down but at the price of confusion which is never worth it.

94. This is a good thread on bananas and their relatives. Or lack of.

 

95. I've only just found out about the Derelict London Website. Not a minute too soon as it celebrates its 20th anniversary.

 

96. Another thread, this time the The unintentional dystopian beauty of oil rigs.

 

97. All the newsletters are rubbish, apart from Guy's which is always full of things I've never seen before that are so beautiful they make me want to cry. Like this. Read then sign up here.

A 61 year old alphabet

61 years ago Anne's Granddad completed an alphabet of sticks he had found. He framed them and hung it on the wall. Lovely.

From the blog My Granddad Is Keeping Busy where Anne blogs every day of her Granddad's diary. Follow along here.

Ai Weiwei at the Design Muesum

I went to see Ai Weiwei give a talk at the Design Museum. He was asked if he had a favourite museum to exhibit his work in. He said, "No. They are all just packaging."

I'm still thinking about that. 

Ai Weiwei: Making Sense at the Design Museum until July.

I love you, but you are not serious people

I've always hated Kind Regards as an email sign off. Might use this from now on.

It's a quote from Succession and here you can listen to Michael Bierut discussing the latest episode. Which is the best combination ever. Michael opens by saying he watches the show because in his career he's had 500+ clients and every one of them is represented in the show.

So so good.

Headline writers dream

Whatever the pros or cons of the policy this has a real cones hotline feel to it. All the comedians must think it's Christmas. For my younger listeners, Cones Hotline.

The biggest lie on the internet, still

Lonely Rolex clock

The other day, after a meeting, I took a different route back to the office. Down a winding alley just off Fleet Street I saw this clock. It was outside some flats, not a Rolex showroom, and it was set to the wrong time.

Odd. 

Hockney at the Lightroom

I really loved Hockney at Lightroom. I've seen lots of sniffy reviews about "immersive art" and about this Hockney show. I haven't seen the Van Gogh one and I need to for a real comparison, but I think there's a difference between viewing paintings from an artist who died 130 years ago and one who's still alive and whose work lends itself to time based media. Hockney's polaroids and iPad paintings work really well here. Hockney's voiceover also worked well.

To be continued.

See also All of the lights.

P-A-R-T-Y (Phil Alice Russell Thank You)

As a special gift for the RSS Pisceans here's my first ever blog weeknotes. There will be no more. Just be grateful it's not a newsletter.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Got up reassuringly early all days apart from Friday.

The unpredictable weather and the unpredictable trains made my plans more unpredictable than I would have liked.

The puncture I fixed last week punctured again. Bought a new tyre and in a text book upsell booked myself a bike service. First one since covid I think?

S got 91% in his A-level Art coursework.

Went out four nights in a row. Not big nights but still Out. Utterly unsustainable, so I cancelled the fifth night. 

S and A dog sat a dog while we went to the school show. Everyone survived.

Tried my first ever non alcoholic hipster beer. The ones with the scratchy illustrations on the cans. Didn't hate it as much as I thought I would.

Scraped the mud off the path. Lifted four patio slabs. Fitted a light to the porch. 

Messaged a neighbour to ask if he had a jet wash I could borrow for the aforementioned path, he replied that he had a jet accompanied with a picture of him on a private jet.

Saw Jason Statham in the village.

Y accidentally washed her phone with her school uniform. 

 

Two very good posts from two very good Matts

1. An AI poem clock by Webb.

2. Gridshare grid game by Jones.

(Not necessarily in that order.)