Noisy Decent Graphics

August blogging done

31 days of posting every day. Exhausting. Off for rest now.

Finally a meaningful strapline

They don't even bother saying "our" investors. Perfect.

I made a parking viral

I posted this tweet the other day, so far it's had 12,000 likes. We're in Phil Barnard Castle territory here.

I didn't realise it would go so viral but of course it's about parking which British people love. And so here we are. Some of the responses are typical of the internet, some are funny.

Here are some of my favourites.

Jennifer Daniel's Emoji Newsletter

I follow Jen on loads of socials. I think she's amazing at everything she does.

I've even met her look here is a picture of me and her and Dr Wave and Frances in San Francisco.

Picture by Drew Altizer in 2014.

But I did not know until the other day when Phil blogged about it that she writes a newsletter about emojis. After all she is Unicode's Emoji Subcommittee Chair and Head of Emojis at Google.

Newsletter here, looks amazing please subscribe.

Thanks Phil.

Heritage status for my reckons

This article Spanish village seeks Unesco world heritage status for outdoor chats I learned you back in April on another popular platform for reckons All this sitting in the road / alley / pavement in the freezing cold is the most British thing ever and I am here for it.

I mean, not really. But I have content deadlines.

Anyway.

50 years of the Photographers' Gallery

I didn't realise the Photographers' Gallery is 50 years old. But it is. Obviously.

Good piece in the New York Times about it. (Link, possible paywall I'm not sure how that works on the NYT.)

Our hero James in a previous exhibition Seamless Transitions.

The Photographers' Gallery have a nice bit on their website 50 Exhibitions for 50 Years.

And let's not forget the great logo by North.

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At home with Richard and Ruth Rogers

Stunning. The tech architecture, the pipes and the kitchen and all that, yeah. But I'm transfixed by the colours. Amazing.

Brought to you by The Modern House.

How (we all) experience the web today

This is good. I've been wondering for a while about doing something like this but I was thinking more of a collection of screenshots. This is better. Brutal.

how-i-experience-web-today.com

Other than an email address (which I don't want to put on here) I can't seem to find anything to link to as a credit. If you find a personal site or a social handle, lmk.

Eventually every screen becomes full of ads

This hideous MSG Sphere thing in Stratford, London, I suppose might look quite cool if it was an animated globe or a big singer. Show the Cup final or Glastonbury or the Masked Singer or something. And maybe they'll start off like that but eventually it will be full of ads.

And not even good ads. Just a ginormous glowing ball of shit motion graphics. The planning renders never show this.

Oliver Wainwright has written more eloquently about it, Does London really need a gigantic glowing orb the height of Big Ben?

The BT Tower has had a screen for a decade or so now and (from memory) they're not allowed to use it for ads only "information". It was set up in 2010 here's what Russell said at the time.

Or have you seen the "banner" on top of the BT Tower counting down to the Olympics? It's as bright as 1,000 60W bulbs, it's visible from at least eight boroughs, it's got planning permission to be there until 2014.

Eleven years on it mostly shows a rotating BT logo but occasionally, like during the pandemic or after the death or Prince Phillip it shows "public information" messages.

Eventually it will be full of ads.

5m high banner ads floating 70 storeys in the sky. Always good to remember that Minority Report and Ready Player One were fiction not planning permission.

I know it's too late and controversial but we need a better, more digital, empowered CABE for this kind of stuff. The National Infrastructure Commission Design Group nearly does this and they have some very good people involved but it doesn't really cover this type of stuff.

Anyway.

I miss the BRIG

I saw Matt Webb for a walk and talk the other day. Lovely chat. Made me miss the BRIG. Shout out to the BRIG Alum RSS massive.

Pic from Toby Barnes.