An animated .gif inspired by my cross country adventures. Made in 2000 in California. Perhaps a reaction to the guilt I felt in leaving my beautiful CJ7 back in Pa. There is a sister animation, but I cannot get it to operate correctly....yet.
The Trade Entering His Body
I do not subscribe to astrology. However, now and then I read one in the local paper (usually when I am scanning for shows coming to town). Excuses aside, I read this one and was immediately impressed by the truth it conveys:
In her book, French mystic and political activist Simone Weil (1909-1943) wrote a passage I'd love for you to keep in mind during the coming weeks:"When an apprentice gets hurt, or complains of being tired, the workmen have this fine expression: 'It is the trade entering his body.' Each time that we have some pain to go through, we can say to ourselves quite truly that it is the order and beauty of the world that are entering our body."
I recommend hitting the link above for Simone Weil on Wikipedia. Her thoughts on Liberty, Responsibility, and Honor are intriguing. And this quote struck me as incredibly succinct; It was her belief that "beauty captivates the flesh in order to obtain permission to pass right to the soul."
A reminder of why I subscribe to the "jam econo" philosophy. A clip of the Minutemen, made after DBoon (the singer, chubby guy) passed. Talking and clips...short. Watch! And Fear start it out with some predictions for '86. Classic! (I didn't know Mike Savage - my friend in Va - was in Fear!?)
Nakagin Capsule Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa designed an incredibly strange building in Tokyo, Japan, in the early 70's - the Nakagin Capsule Building. There is an article in the current issue of DWELL magazine by Tom Vanderbilt on the building, its strangeness (obvious), its current condition (horrible), and its fate (coming down soon).
Arguably the purest expression of the Metabolist movement of the time and based on ideas borrowed from biology, the theory was that a building constructed of self-contained units or cells was infinitely scalable and uniquely able to grow and expand in response to the needs of its inhabitants. A central core provides circulation, electrical and mechanical trunks, while the individual units contain all that is needed by those inside - beds, baths, a singular window, a desk complete with a tv and (giant!) calculator. The capsules were built off-site and trucked to the site for installation. In practice, the building never functioned as well as Kurokawa had envisioned. Units proved very difficult to modify. A lack of kitchen conveniences lessened their usefulness. Capsules leaked. A theory of wondrous potential proved to be unrealistic, at least in this particular application.
It's a pity that such a unique building will be destroyed. The Metabolist movement is one of the most interesting in all of art and architecture, and I highly recommend checking out the work of those mining that vein - Archigram and Kenzo Tange are my favorite.
jamecono.com
The domain name "jamecono.com" finally became available, and I snatched it up today. It has been "parked" - i.e. bought but unused - for at least two years now. I am happy to have it....no more "blogspot" in the address. It's the little things. Please note that it may take a few days for registry servers to catch up with the change, but it should work flawlessly in a week or two.
I have had an infatuation with the illustrative work of Syd Mead for a long time, and a recent post on boingboing reminded me of the reasons why. Click on it and look closely....seriously. The image above is from a series of paintings (paintings!?) Syd did for US Steel International in 1961.
Syd Mead calls himself a "Visual Futurist". It is a term he invented to describe what he makes, and how he makes it, I suppose. It is a testament to his talent that his images of the future have aged so well, some 40 years old (some of them). He has an incredible resume, including design work for the films Bladerunner, Aliens, and Tron, even the robot in Short Circuit. Amazing amazing amazing....
We had some fun in the mountains this past week at Beaver Creek and Vail. Fresh snow, even. Above is a shot of yours truly hucking a 30'-0" cliff at Vail, as I remember it. Notice, at least, the fact that the board is not in contact with planet earth. Pictures at this link for you guys who want them. Below, some movies (thanks to Mary, videographer):
Designers have always looked to nature for inspiration, especially in the fine arts such as painting and sculpture. Architects have also been keen to observe their surroundings and incorporate them into their work, from the Classical orders of the Greeks to Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater. Literal or abstracted ideas from nature have always found their way into design, often in a search for aesthetic excellence, a quest for beauty. While it is not entirely new, to be sure, the exploration of natural models for design inspiration in an engineering, or functional, sense is gaining acceptance as a useful product or system development tool. Natural solutions to complex problems are visible in everyday life, in the world around us, we just need to pay attention. A growing area of study and an important one, I believe, in finding intelligent ways to deal with the complex issues and the inherent conflicts of sustainability, economic growth, and an increasingly resource-hungry world.
Mary Crashing
This footage is from Steamboat Springs, Colorado, on Sunday February 10, 2008, at the Morningside Lift section of the resort. The snow was deep and fresh, nearly untouched, and, as you can see, Mary decided to work on her ski jumping skillz...
Actual jump action occurs at about the 20 second mark.
These rules were developed by art students of a nun - Sister Corita Kent. But that's really beside the point, because these rules are a perfect and succint set of guidelines for any creative endeavors you may undertake, from painting to writing to design. Plus, there's John Cage...
Swimming Naked “You only find out who is swimming naked when the tide goes out,”
Warren Buffett
I laughed out loud at this statement when I read it - buried at the end of a NYT article about the fine financial mess we're in today. I just had to post it. The article illustrates the self-imposed erosion of trust the investment banks have reaped of late - nothing shocking there. The author points out that the banks rarely see losses as they are experiencing now. Even in prior recessions banks often make money. You have to look back to the Depression to find losses of such a scale in financial institutions. Her argument: The banks became complacent, failed to assess their risk accurately and therefore invested (very) poorly (subprime loans anyone?) and today we see the unraveling.
Wow. 33 years after he began, architectural sculptor Robert Bruno completed his steel house project in Texas. 110 tons of steel. Quite an amazing feat, and it speaks to the sculptural nature of architecture. Apparently the locals have dubbed it the "Flintstone House" as it looks like Fred's crib from a certain angle. Also - the locals hate it (who would of guessed?). IMHO, this is a masterpiece. The form and raw beauty of the steel are breathtaking. However, should you choose to live in such a structure you will most certainly notice some drawbacks: heating and cooling in the Texas sun, sound will reverberate throughout, cold floors and walls in winter, and remodeling will be a total bitch. That said, I'd live there - for a spell - anyway. Hit the link below for more pictures - well worth the trip. And notice the classic pickup truck in the pictures of the groundbreaking - in 1973.
